In a recent Ecosystem Aces podcast, Don Tirsell, Global Head of Partnerships and Business Development at Google, joined Chip Rodgers, Chief Partner Officer at WorkSpan, to discuss the art of building and scaling partner ecosystems. With decades of experience at Google, Informatica, and multiple startups, Don shared valuable insights into navigating complex partnerships, co-developing solutions, and aligning internal teams for success.
From his early days at Informatica to leading Google’s global partner strategy, Don has been at the forefront of developing new ecosystems from the ground up. His recent work in telco partnerships and now in AI and data partnerships provides a compelling playbook for scaling partnerships with a customer-first approach.
Key Takeaways from the Conversation
🔹 Start with the Customer – The most successful partnerships begin with understanding customer needs and industry requirements. Whether in telco, AI, or cloud services, aligning solutions with customer challenges ensures long-term adoption.
🔹 Balancing Competitive Overlap – Partnering with companies that also compete in certain areas requires transparent governance and clear guidelines. Acknowledging overlaps and fostering customer-driven collaboration is key to managing complex partner relationships.
🔹 Defining the Solution and Go-To-Market Strategy – A successful partner solution must include a well-defined business plan, technical ownership, customer validation, and a scalable GTM strategy. Partnerships that involve co-development require clear commitments from both sides to avoid friction.
🔹 Scaling with a 10x Mindset – Google applies a 10x thinking model, ensuring that early wins can scale rapidly across global markets. From customer pilots to full-scale adoption, partners must be prepared to expand quickly once initial traction is achieved.
As Don transitions into leading AI and data partnerships at Google, his approach to partner ecosystems, competitive alignment, and scalable solution-building remains more relevant than ever.
📢 Watch the full episode to gain more insights on how Google is shaping the future of partner ecosystems! #EcosystemAces #GoogleCloud #Partnerships #CoSell #CloudInnovation
Chip is passionate about building strong communities and ecosystems around enterprises to build excitement for the category, deliver value for customers, and grow the business. Prior to WorkSpan, Chip was with SAP for over 13 years, most recently growing the SAP Community Network to over 2 million engaged customers, partners, and developers. He has an MBA from the University of Chicago and an engineering degree from Northwestern.
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