Alliances

The Partnership reset: Why AI is rewriting inbound, tooling & services - Peter Lorant & Chris Lavoie

I sat down with Chris Lavoie (Partnership Mastermind) and Peter Lorant (ex-HubSpot, Zendesk, Google, Workday and SAP ) to have an open discussion on AI and the impact on partner teams Chris runs Partnership Mastermind, training 500+ partnership pros. Peter spent 30+ years at the biggest tech companies. He's seen every tech revolution. This one's the biggest. Here's what hit different: * Inbound is dead, partners is one of the answer: Marketing boards are panicking. The pipeline from inbound? Gone. Companies are flipping couch cushions for demand. Partnerships is the only channel with real conversion. But here's the catch: no more hiring sprees. Revenue per FTE is king. Lovable does $3-6M ARR per employee. You do more with less, or you're out. * AI tooling is eating partner tech: Partner tools always got the scraps. Marketing gets $2, Sales gets $3, Partnerships gets $1. Now Salesforce launched headless agentic experiences. The future? No logging into 20 tools. Agents run workflows, partner tech becomes APIs. If your moat is UI, you're cooked. * SI partners are in freefall: 71% of CIOs cut SI budgets to fund AI (Anthropic, OpenAI). The $100K implementation projects? Agents do that now. SIs used to wait for vendor playbooks. That's over. No handbook anymore. Workflows change weekly. Get technical fast or lose 30-40% * The top 1% go all in: Peter's HubSpot playbook: let a thousand flowers bloom. Everyone experiments, documents, votes every 2 months on top 3 use cases, codifies, trains everyone. Mass personalization unlocks the long tail. Chris's advice: audit your month. What took 10 hours AI does in 10 minutes? Copywriting, follow-ups, prioritization. * The messy middle: We overestimate short-term, underestimate long-term. Everyone works harder, not less. But efficiency gains are real. Experiment, don't freeze. This isn't hype. This is the reset. Did you enjoy this episode? 👉 Like, comment, subscribe and rate 5 stars Watch at the episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/7nWDmv70Z3U [https://youtu.be/7nWDmv70Z3U] ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ * Chris: https://https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-lavoie-phd-aaaa4111b/ [https://https//www.linkedin.com/in/chris-lavoie-phd-aaaa4111b/] * Peter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/palorant/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/palorant/] * Maxime: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maximeimbert-partnerships/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/maximeimbert-partnerships/] ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ #partnerships #AI #partnerstrategy #SaaS #agenticAI #inbound #gtm ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ I'm Maxime Imbert, Operating Partner Partnerships. I help B2B SaaS, AI native companies and Fintech build partnership strategies that actually drive revenue. Strategy call: https://calendly.com/maxime_imbert/30min [https://calendly.com/maxime_imbert/30min] Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy [https://ausha.co/privacy-policy] for more information.

How Zazu leverages Banking partnerships to accelerate growth

In this episode, I sit down with Germain Bahri, co-founder and Chief Growth Officer of Zazu, a neobank for SMEs in South Africa and Morocco. We go deep on how to build a fintech from scratch in emerging markets and why partnerships aren't optional, they're survival. Germain spent years at the core of Europe's fintech wave, Bankable, Solaris Bank and saw models like Qonto, Pleo, and Shine scale from the inside. He and his co-founder took everything they learned, packed their bags, and moved to South Africa to build the Qonto of Africa. A bet in markets where the infrastructure is half-built, the banks are 20 years behind, and the playbook doesn't exist yet. Zazu launched in South Africa first: 3M SMEs, formal economy, solid payment rails. Then they expanded to Morocco to own the MENA region. They're now scaling to thousands of customers through one strategy: partnerships. Because in these markets, you can't brute-force growth with ads and sales teams. You need distributors who already own the trust and the base. Here's what Germain breaks down: * Why they partnered with Access Bank as their Baas provider * The distributor playbook: payment providers, legal/accounting tech, e-commerce platforms embedding Zazu into platforms with hundreds of thousands of merchants. * The reality of building in Africa: PCI DSS compliance ignored by local partners, banking UX still need to be improved, education hurdles around neobanks * How they hired an AI agent startup in South Africa. They loved the use cases so much they joined Zazu full-time * Key advice for fintech founders: find the C-level decision maker early, make sure incentives are aligned, quantify everything (no press release partnerships), and start with a small POC to build inertia Did you enjoy this episode? 👉 Like, comment, subscribe and rate 5 stars ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ * Germain: https://www.linkedin.com/in/germainbahri/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/germainbahri/] * Maxime: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maximeimbert-partnerships [https://www.linkedin.com/in/maximeimbert-partnerships] * Zazu: https://www.get-zazu.com [https://www.get-zazu.com] ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ #partnerships #fintech #africa #neobank #zazu #distributors #banking #growth #southafrica #morocco Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy [https://ausha.co/privacy-policy] for more information.

How to partner with a VC?

In this episode, I sit down with two people who've lived on both sides of the VC partnership game. Abhishek Lahoti, Head of Platform at Highland Europe, and Roman Lobas, former VC platform operator and now co-founder of Icebreaker. Abhishek spent 6+ years at Dropbox, then moved into VC at Sapphire Ventures before landing at Highland Europe, where he runs the full platform operation from talent and events to partnerships and enablement. Roman has led partnerships at growth-stage companies specifically targeting the VC channel, and has made every mistake in the book so you don't have to. The VC partner motion is massively underestimated. A lot of companies either never touch it or blow it in the first call. Done right, 10 solid VC relationships can generate a sustainable, high-quality revenue stream with better close rates, faster sales cycles, and lower CAC than almost any other channel. No fluff, just the raw, honest playbook for how to actually crack this channel. Here's what they break down: * The right timing to contact a VC and Who to contact in the firm * The discount conversation: 15% minimum, 20-25% sweet spot, 50%+ kills your pricing credibility * Never kick back revenue to a VC: give them deal flow and senior introductions instead * Pipeline is the real KPI, not number of VCs signed and don't expect anything in month one * The biggest mistakes: sending a hit list on call one, expecting a 30-min intro to generate 50 warm leads overnight * Be a sniper, not a machine gun: 5 deeply researched targets beat 200 cold blasts every time This episode is a straight shot of reality for any partnerships person who wants to build a VC motion that actually drives revenue. Did you enjoy this episode? 👉 Like, comment, subscribe and rate 5 stars Watch at the episode on youtube: ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Abhishek's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alahoti/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alahoti/] Roman's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roman-lobas/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/roman-lobas/] Maxime's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maximeimbert-partnerships [https://www.linkedin.com/in/maximeimbert-partnerships] #partnerships #venturecapital #VC #b2bsaas #partnermotion #ecosystem #growth #alliances #startups I'm Maxime Imbert, Fractional Head of Partnerships. I help B2B SaaS and Fintech generate revenue by leveraging strategic partnerships. Strategy call: https://calendly.com/maxime_imbert/30min [https://calendly.com/maxime_imbert/30min] Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy [https://ausha.co/privacy-policy] for more information.

How Stablecoins are reshaping payments? - Charlotte Thoumy (Fipto)

In this new episode of Alliances, I welcome Charlotte Thoumy, Head of Partnerships at Fipto, for a deep dive into how stablecoins are revolutionizing and reshaping the entire payment ecosystem. Charlotte has been in the blockchain and crypto space since 2018. She built her expertise through partnerships roles at Paymium, FTX, and now leads partnerships at Fipto, a bridge making stablecoins accessible, safe, and compliant for B2B players. Fipto is dually licensed (Payment Institution in France + VASP licenses) and spent 3 years building an API-native platform connecting traditional finance with the crypto world. At Fipto, Charlotte has signed major partnerships with payment giants like Worldline, TeraPay, and Kyriba, proving that stablecoins are moving from experimentation to mainstream adoption. With Bridge's $1B acquisition by Stripe signaling massive market validation, PSPs are racing to integrate stablecoin rails and Charlotte is at the forefront of this transformation. In this episode, she shares: * The two core flows: stablecoin sandwich vs. stablecoin payments (native rails) * How Fipto bridges traditional finance and crypto: payment accounts, wallets, custody, and deep liquidity * Why it took 3 years to build: banking partnerships, crypto custody, liquidity engines, security, compliance * Worldline partnership: settling merchants in stablecoins - TeraPay partnership: 18-month journey from testing to holding everything in stablecoins * Kyriba partnership: launching with stablecoin sandwich, evolving to native stablecoin payments for corporate treasuries * Why PSPs are forced to adopt stablecoins * The gap between closing partnerships and activating them * How to create demand with PSPs: evangelization, mapping teams, building use cases * Working cross-functionally: aligning product, compliance, sales, partnerships, marketing, and tech A transformative episode on building partnerships in the stablecoin revolution and bridging traditional finance with the future of payments. Did you enjoy this episode? 👉 Like, comment, subscribe and rate 5 stars on all platforms Watch at the episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/F7JAqdq8kWk [https://youtu.be/F7JAqdq8kWk] ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Charlotte: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-2b683a81/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-2b683a81/] Maxime: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maximeimbert-partnerships [https://www.linkedin.com/in/maximeimbert-partnerships] Fipto: https://www.fipto.com/ [https://www.fipto.com/] ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ #partnerships #stablecoins #fintech #payments #crypto #blockchain #crossborder #fipto #worldline #terapay #kyriba ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ I'm Maxime Imbert, Fractional Head of Partnerships. I help B2B SaaS and Fintech build partnership strategies for Go-to-Market success. Contact me and book a call: https://calendly.com/maxime_imbert/30min [https://calendly.com/maxime_imbert/30min] Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy [https://ausha.co/privacy-policy] for more information.

Ecosystem, AI and the new economics of B2B SaaS - Peter Lorant (HubSpot)

In this strategic episode, I welcome Peter Lorant, Global VP of Partner Business Development at HubSpot, for a masterclass on building partner ecosystems in the AI era for B2B SaaS. Peter has a unique 35-year career through IBM, Google, Workday, Zendesk from sales to marketing, partnerships, and COO. After leading alliances at Workday, he became COO at Zendesk before returning to partnerships at HubSpot. Peter leads a 6,000+ partner ecosystem, their number one channel in LTV to CAC. With 250,000+ customers, HubSpot scales through partners. Growing 20%+ annually as a $3B company, partner-first wins. In this tactical episode, Peter shares: * Change management when he joined HubSpot * Partner-sourced deals trump all attribution sources * Training 2,500+ reps on co-selling * Using AI to detect rep infractions before they happen * The shift to AI era B2B SaaS * HubSpot's AI training: crowdsource, vote, codify, scale * Best customer context wins AI + consumption pricing challenge * Future: consolidation and AI-native companies * Trust through transparency during major changes * Career wisdom: collect skills, manage your manager A transformative episode on building Partner Led Growth while navigating B2B SaaS's biggest shift. Did you enjoy this episode? 👉 Like, comment, subscribe and rate 5 stars 📹 Watch the episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/vplR85bI8No [https://youtu.be/vplR85bI8No] Thank you for your support! ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Where to find Peter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/palorant/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/palorant/] Where to find Maxime: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maximeimbert-partnerships [https://www.linkedin.com/in/maximeimbert-partnerships] To discover HubSpot's Partner Program: https://www.hubspot.com/partners [https://www.hubspot.com/partners] ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Find a new episode of Alliances every month to get the best techniques for developing your alliances and partnerships. #partnerships #alliances #hubspot #ecosystem #AI #b2bsaas #partnersales #coselling #attribution #changemanagement #leadership ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ I'm Maxime Imbert, Fractional Head of Partnerships. I help B2B SaaS and Fintech companies build and implement their partnership strategy to succeed in their Go-to-Market and generate substantial revenue in the medium term. Building your ecosystem is a tremendous lever for exponentially increasing your revenues. I've made this my profession to help as many Fintech and B2B SaaS companies as possible. Evaluate your strategy: https://calendly.com/maxime_imbert/30min [https://calendly.com/maxime_imbert/30min] Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy [https://ausha.co/privacy-policy] for more information.