Winning in the HubSpot Ecosystem

Kelly Sarabyn, HubSpot

Kelly Sarabyn, who leads technology partnerships and programs at HubSpot, shares what it takes for software companies to stand out in the HubSpot ecosystem and build integration partnerships that drive measurable, lasting growth rather than fizzling out after launch.

We explore the marketplace habits that quietly kill partner ROI, the intent data most partners don't realize HubSpot gives them, why depth beats breadth when choosing where to invest, and how AI is reshaping the future of SaaS partnerships. Whether you're launching your first integration or managing a portfolio across a dozen marketplaces, this episode offers actionable insight from someone who has moved from partner marketing into operating one of the largest tech partner ecosystems in SaaS, now more than 1,500 partners strong.

Key Highlights Include:

• The "List and Sit" Myth: Kelly explains why simply publishing a marketplace listing no longer works. Marketplaces drive real traffic, but the channel only pays off when partners invest in a strong joint value prop, keep content current, and actively amplify the listing rather than treating it as a one-time technical task.
• Depth Over Breadth: One of the most common partnership mistakes is spreading too thin. As Kelly puts it, being live in 15 or 20 marketplaces while not leading in any of them is a losing strategy. Focus and resourcing beat volume every time.
• The Marketplace Intent Data Advantage: HubSpot gives app partners a rarely-used edge: through the developer portal, partners can see the company domains visiting their listing and how often they return. Cross-referenced with a partner's own database, that becomes powerful buying-intent data most teams are leaving on the table.
• Racing to Launch, Then Losing Momentum: Kelly names the launch-and-fizzle trap directly. Teams pour energy into going live, then lack a plan to maintain and grow the partnership. The real work, and the real return, comes in the medium and long term.
• Partner-to-Partner as a Growth Engine: Kelly breaks down HubSpot's Partner Growth Accelerator, a six-week cohort that matches solutions and technology partners to build co-marketing campaigns and apply for MDF. When partners build around your platform together, it creates a "sticky web" that deepens retention. It's ecosystem-led growth in action.
• The AI Question: Against the "software is dying" narrative, Kelly makes the case that software will morph, not disappear. Frontier models become infrastructure platforms with an ecosystem built on top. For services firms, agents will absorb technical implementation work and push human focus toward transformation, people, and process: changing the nature of the roles, not the need for the business.
• The Partner Leader's Real Challenge: Beyond tactics, Kelly is candid about the two things every partnership leader is contending with right now: earning the function's legitimacy in the C-suite, and leading with confidence and vision in the face of genuine market uncertainty.

About Kelly

Kelly Sarabyn leads technology partnerships and programs at HubSpot, where she helps shape the strategy and enablement behind an ecosystem of more than 1,500 technology partners. She began her tech career in branding, telling the core brand stories of B2B SaaS companies, before moving into marketing and eventually leading marketing at Pandium, an early-stage embedded iPaaS. That work, selling into and studying the technology partner persona, drew her deeper into partnerships until she crossed over from marketing to become an operator in the space. At HubSpot she has grown from ecosystem partner marketing into enablement, programs, and partner strategy, with a particular focus on building intentional, scalable experiences that keep community and connection intact as the ecosystem grows.

Growing Through Connection: Unlocking SMC Growth in Interconnected Ecosystems

Regina Johnson, Microsoft

In this episode of the Partner1 Distinguished Expert Speaker Series, we sit down with Regina Johnson, Partner Engagement Leader at Microsoft, to explore how interconnected economies can unlock new growth paths for SMCs. Regina shares her unique perspective on the power of partnerships to expand customer reach, build community, and drive impact at scale. We discuss how storytelling fuels visibility and trust, how cloud ecosystems are reshaping the partner landscape, and why representation matters at every level of business. If you're a Microsoft software or solutions partner looking to grow through community and collaboration, this is a must-listen conversation.

Key highlights include:

• Partnership as a Path to Impact: Regina’s perspective on how SMCs can use partnerships to unlock new markets, drive sustainable growth, and create community-driven impact.

• Representation and Visibility: Why representation in leadership, storytelling, and partnerships isn’t just important - it’s essential for building trust and economic opportunity.

• Scaling Through Ecosystems: Insights into how cloud ecosystems and Microsoft’s partner programs are reshaping the growth trajectories for small and mid-sized businesses.

• Authentic Storytelling: The role of storytelling in building credibility, increasing visibility, and connecting with customers in meaningful ways.

• Personal Mission Meets Partner Strategy: A look into Regina’s own journey - how her background, purpose, and passion for inclusive growth shape her leadership and her work at Microsoft.

Scaling Smart: How High-Growth Startups Can Win with and Beyond Microsoft

Yianni Touliatos, Microsoft

In this episode of the Partner1 Distinguished Expert Speaker Series, we sit down with Yianni Touliatos on Microsoft’s Digital Natives team. Yianni shares his unique perspective on what it takes for high-growth startups to scale effectively within and beyond the Microsoft ecosystem.

We explore what defines a high-potential startup from Microsoft’s point of view, how founders can align with Microsoft's commercial and technical priorities, and the critical role of cloud marketplaces in accelerating go-to-market success.

Whether you're navigating hyperscaler partnerships for the first time or refining your ecosystem strategy, this episode offers tactical insights and practical guidance from someone who’s helped hundreds of founders accelerate through Microsoft.

Key Highlights Include:

• What Makes a Startup “High-Growth” in Microsoft’s Eyes: Yianni explains how Microsoft identifies promising startups and what qualities they look for before going deep with a partner.
• AI and Security as a Growth Catalyst: How high-growth startups are embedding AI and security into their core value propositions and how Microsoft is evolving its programs to meet the unique needs of AI-native and AI-powered secure startups.
• Beyond the Hype: Building Readiness for Ecosystem Success: The inside scoop on what startups need in place - from leadership to documentation - to succeed in co-sell and partner motions.

• Accelerating Through the Marketplace: Yianni’s perspective on how startups can use Microsoft’s marketplace and pre-committed budgets to drive pipeline and partner-led growth.

• From Founder Hustle to GTM Repeatability: Why product-market fit isn’t enough  and what high-performing startups build into their GTM to scale through enterprise and partner channels.

• Navigating Partnership Tradeoffs: Yianni’s honest take on the tension between speed and scale, and how founders can think about building with optionality in global cloud ecosystems.

• Microsoft + Startup = More Than Just Credits: A look at how startups can align with Microsoft’s KPIs, drive meaningful outcomes, and create a multiplier effect through partnership.