PartnerStack is crossing off a major milestone — celebrating 10 years of transforming channel marketing through innovative partnership technology and the largest partner network for B2B SaaS.
Ten years ago, a not-so-successful startup (RIP Pod) sparked the idea that would turn into GrowSumo and finally emerge as PartnerStack. PartnerStack’s four founders, Bryn Jones, Luke Swanek, Neil Chudleigh and Jon Mendes, knew they were onto something when they landed 40 companies in just two weeks of cold calling to pitch their idea — partner marketing technology built for B2B SaaS.
The company started picking up steam when the four were accepted into the Y Combinator startup accelerator program, closing a round of funding during their tenure there. By 2017, PartnerStack had hired its first non-founding employee. Today, there are over 120 employees, affectionately known as pancakes, along with over 600 top technology companies and over 100K active partners. That’s one powerful ecosystem, if we do say so ourselves.
Looking back, there’s a lot to be proud of. From start-up to scale-up, PartnerStack’s ecosystem continues to grow stronger, quarter after quarter as it refines its platform, grows its network and leads the market through partnerships understanding and education. Of course, behind every workforce are a number of key, talented individuals — and at PartnerStack, we call these professional people pancakes.
To celebrate, read on to hear from some of the folks that have paved the way, including PartnerStack’s founders, early-day employees and the vendors finding success through the ecosystem. Here’s to the PartnerStack pancakes, B2B companies and partners who have helped scale the business to what it is today — a partnerships revenue engine that has generated over $2M in GMV through our ecosystem.
Founding beliefs prevail: partnerships matter
“PartnerStack was founded on the belief that partnerships matter. Over the past 10 years, we've witnessed the incredible strength of the partnership community and the innovative go-to-market leaders who've pushed boundaries, unlocked revenue growth that few thought possible and accelerated their careers along the way. I'm deeply grateful to our customers, partners, employees and everyone who has helped build PartnerStack into a generational company defined by collaboration, innovation and meaningful impact. Together, we'll continue redefining what's possible in partnerships and fully realize our shared vision.”
-Bryn Jones, CEO and Co-Founder, PartnerStack
Read more: Bryn Jones’s founder story.
Industry-changing ideas built through powerful community
"It's only possible to put 10 years of your life into building something special if you're building it with special people. From day one, we were incredibly fortunate to have special people drawn to the idea that has become PartnerStack. There were many early customers that bet on us — I am eternally grateful for them and for the partners who believed in what we were building and joined us on our journey to do it.
Where PartnerStack sits now is very different. We are a market leader in partnerships and revenue acceleration. We are the largest B2B partner network in the world — when we went through Y Combinator in 2015, our pitch at demo day was to build "the largest sales force in the world" Check! We are driving over 25K new customer signups to our customers every day. We are more ready than ever to continue fulfilling our mission of changing the way the world sells software.
The pressure is no longer executing for customers that took a bet on us, but fulfilling the expectations of our customers and the high bar that they have set for us, many of whom are some of the most impactful software companies in the world. What an incredible gift that pressure is.
If you asked me 10 years ago if PartnerStack would be where we are today, my answer would have been yes — but only after looking at the people who were sitting around the table to build it. Thank you to them, their families, our customers and to everyone that believed in what we were building.
If you were to ask me where I think PartnerStack will be in 10 years, I would take a look around the table and tell you that something very, very special is coming. Networks compound, our people are amazing and our vision remains singular — to change the way the world sells software, together."
-Luke Swanek, Co-founder, PartnerStack
See more: 10 partnerships leaders you should be following on LinkedIn.
The promise is in the people: batter is better
"Through people, we’ve proven that it’s possible to scale without sacrificing what makes us special. Our journey so far shows that when you focus on building an inclusive culture and delivering genuine value, success naturally follows. The next 10 years hold immense promise. While we can’t predict every twist and turn ahead, I’m confident that our foundation built on authentic relationships, genuine culture and customer focus will continue to guide us forward. In the end, it comes down to the people — the purpose and impact we make together.
#pancakebattermatters"
-Ryan Ayres, VP, People and Culture, PartnerStack
An industry differentiator: PartnerStack’s Network
“The PartnerStack Network is the greatest and most necessary opportunity for B2B SaaS brands to scale their partnerships in a meaningful way. The ecosystem has evolved in the past 10 years to include a variety of partners, publishers, affiliates and agencies that are all passionate about so many of the brands on PartnerStack and how their software unlocks growth for businesses of all sizes around the world. PartnerStack's technology allows for almost anyone to be a partner earning commissions on our Network and connecting with brands they love to form always-n partnerships. In the next 10 years we envision our Network to continue unlocking customer acquisition growth for brands that are looking to scale existing programs or launch brand new programs because of the ocean of opportunity the partners and their audiences represent.”
-Nick Latus, VP, Network Success, PartnerStack
Related: How PartnerStack’s Network drives customer revenue.
Solutions that put the customer and partners first
“Over the past decade, I’m incredibly proud that we’ve stayed laser-focused on serving B2B SaaS companies while embracing the full spectrum of partner types. I feel fortunate to have been part of our evolution from a simple link-tracking tool into today’s robust, nearly end-to-end partner management platform. None of it would’ve been possible without the direct partnerships we’ve forged with customers and network partners — allowing us to listen deeply, iterate rapidly, and co-create solutions that fit the needs of modern SaaS. Each quarter, they push us to punch above our weight, enhancing experiences and sparking fresh innovations. By designing for affiliate, referral, agency and reseller programs alike, we’ve tackled complex challenges, cross-pollinated best practices and built an industry-leading network of tens of thousands of partners.
Looking ahead, the next ten years represent a huge opportunity to extend this foundation even further. Our aim is to support every interaction where customers meet partners — from marketing and sales, to onboarding, managing and scaling accounts — in one seamless platform. Leveraging our expansive partner network, we’ll make it easier than ever for the right partnerships to form and grow. I'm especially excited about deeply integrating into partners' workflows and harnessing technological shifts like AI, streamlining mundane tasks and freeing partnership managers and their partners to focus on what’s most important. While the future will undoubtedly bring new challenges, our commitment to actively listening, innovating alongside customers and always trying to achieve more than what may seem possible will help us continue to fulfill our goal: delivering a unified platform and network that makes partnerships the primary driver of software sales around the world."
-Sean Harris, Senior Director, Product, PartnerStack
An OG’s perspective on working at PartnerStack
“Working at PartnerStack has been a wild ride. Starting as a CSM, managing the CSM team, then finally moving to product, I've gotten to develop lots of skills over the years and work with so many different people on the team. Growing from 20 people when I joined to 120 now, it's been great to bring in new perspectives to help grow our customers' programs. I'm excited to get into the new office space and see the team more often and for all the exciting developments we'll launch this year for our customers!”
-Geoff Seeman, Senior Manager, Product, PartnerStack
The customers who have grown their partner revenue with us
“PartnerStack’s partnership has driven unprecedented growth: we hit record ARR, onboarded thousands of affiliates and maintained an exceptional pipeline‑to‑spend ratio. Their robust platform transformed our affiliate program, supercharging efficiency and revenue.”
-Anitha Sridhar, Affiliate Partnerships and Growth, Freshworks
You might also like: How Freshworks grew 30% YoY in affiliate sourced MRR.
"Our referral partner program focuses on achieving valuable outcomes like cost-effective customer acquisition, expedited go-to-market strategies, securing new clients and driving overall growth.
To manage our partnerships effectively, Fundraise Up utilizes technology like PartnerStack. This platform provides our partners with essential tools and resources, enabling them to educate clients about our services, track their progress and seamlessly process rewards.
Partners are engaged throughout the customer journey, participating in activities such as tThrough-pPartner mMarketing, cCo-mMarketing eEvents, dDirect pPartner rReferrals, co-selling and assisting with onboarding and product adoption. They also help identify opportunities for expansion and promote ongoing customer success beyond the initial sale.
PartnerStack facilitates straightforward referral submissions and enhances partner engagement. As our partner program expands and our channel needs evolve, this tool continues to support us well. PartnerStack helps us build strong B2B partnerships that drive growth and revenue for both Fundraise Up and our partners."
-Jamie Mueller, VP, Partnerships, Fundraise Up
See more: How Fundraise Up closes deals 20% faster with a best-in-class tech stack.
Never forgetting the importance of the partner experience
“Partnering with PartnerStack has been a game-changer for B2B opportunities. Their support helped reach new audiences and unlock revenue together. It’s more than a platform, it’s a growth engine.”
-Raymund Bautista, Head of Partnerships, North America, FidelAPI
“The partnership with PartnerStack has been instrumental in driving great growth. Their robust platform significantly enhanced the efficiency and performance of our affiliate program, resulting in great annual recurring revenue and successful onboarding of thousands of affiliates."
-Regis Ferreira, Account Manager, Linkbux
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