Listen to the Market, Not Your Plan with Rimon Hanna of Serpent

Listen to the Market, Not Your Plan with Rimon Hanna of Serpent

➡️ Summary ➡️ Rimon Hanna of Serpent from Tekunda, a Salesforce ISV and PDO, shares how years of feeling the daily pain of Salesforce delivery — untracked changes, change sets, and clunky CI/CD — led him to build a DevOps platform that makes Git effortless for technical and non-technical teams alike. Starting with the ISV and package-development workflow, Rimon explains how Serpent grew to serve system integrators and customers as the market pulled it in directions he never planned for. The conversation digs into usage-based pricing, partnering with SIs, competing with change sets and DevOps Center, and how AI now resolves merge conflicts and cherry-picks features that once took hours. ➡️ Guest ➡️ Rimon Hanna https://www.linkedin.com/in/rimonhanna/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rimonhanna/] Serpent https://serpent.cloud [https://serpent.cloud] https://tekunda.com/serpent [https://tekunda.com/serpent] Tekunda https://tekunda.com/ [https://tekunda.com/] ➡️ Takeaways ➡️ Serpent treats source control as a given, not an option — no change should live untracked on an org or someone's local machine The platform lets non-technical admins follow Git without having to learn Git, with a standard mode and an expert mode for different personas Serpent started with the ISV and package-development workflow before expanding to org development, where the number of user personas explodes The biggest competitor is still change sets — a 2025 Salesforce Ben survey found 42% of admins still rely on them Listen to how the market reacts instead of getting tunnel-visioned on your original plan — the second-biggest interest came from system integrators, not customers as expected Usage-based credit pricing instead of per-seat lets SIs adopt Serpent across boutique teams and pass costs to customers per project A tiered partnership program (silver, gold, platinum) gives SIs revenue share on both first-year and renewal subscriptions DevOps Center often funnels users up from change sets, but its limitations push teams to look for a vendor that does more Serpent AI resolves merge conflicts in 95%+ of cases, including notoriously tricky flow conflicts, and tests the result before deploying AI-powered cherry-picking turned a customer's nearly three-hour manual change selection into a single explained prompt The Serpent MCP server lets AI coding assistants work through Serpent's gates and checks instead of deploying directly to an org Release as fast as you can and iterate — smaller packages also clear security review more easily ➡️ Youtube ➡️ Watch this episode [https://youtu.be/gc2wqdMdR7A] on our Youtube channel ➡️ Keywords ➡️ Salesforce DevOps, Serpent, Tekunda, ISV, source control, Git, change sets, DevOps Center, system integrators, usage-based pricing, AI merge conflict resolution, MCP, Rimon Hanna ➡️ Hashtags ➡️ #AppsemblyLine #Salesforce #DevOps #ISV #SalesforceDevOps #Git #Serpent #SystemIntegrators ➡️ Partners ➡️ Opening Sponsor [https://www.appsemblyline.com/sponsor-preroll] Feature Co-Sponsor [https://www.appsemblyline.com/sponsor-midroll-a] Feature Co-Sponsor [https://www.appsemblyline.com/sponsor-midroll-b] Closing Sponsor [https://www.appsemblyline.com/sponsor-postroll] Mentioned in this episode: Permissions Assistant by Tython Simplify security and permissions for Salesforce admins & consultants. Secure your data using head-to-head user comparisons, AI summaries, org-wide integration audits, and analyses that can span across time or even between separate orgs. Gain Powers & Save Hours. Visit Permissions Assistant on the AppExchange to start your free trial today. Permissions Assistant [https://appsemblyline.captivate.fm/pa] ISV Forge Accelerate Your AppExchange Success! ISV Forge [https://appsemblyline.captivate.fm/isvforge] Simplify Your Salesforce Security Review Get clear explanations, actionable insights, and step-by-step guidance to pass your review and get to market faster. Security Review Partner [https://appsemblyline.captivate.fm/srp] Sponsorships Advertise on AppsemblyLine to elevate your brand and connect with a passionate community of leaders! Sponsors [https://appsemblyline.captivate.fm/sponsor]

MVP - Year in Review

➡️ Summary ➡️ Reflections on one year of AppsemblyLine distilled into seven recurring themes from conversations with Salesforce ISV founders and leaders: validate before you build, price for value, create content consistently, stay focused, get creative with partnerships, invest in community, and stay ahead of platform changes. ➡️ Takeaways ➡️ Validate your idea rigorously through interviews and surveys, but don't wait forever to ship Most ISV founders underprice — charge based on value delivered, not cost to build Content and visibility can be your primary growth engine — give value first and sales will follow Divided attention is the most common root cause of stalled progress for ISV founders Creative partnership and go-to-market approaches often outperform traditional ones Peer-to-peer community and knowledge sharing fills gaps you didn't know you had ISVs that adapt early to AI and platform evolution will have a significant advantage ➡️ Youtube ➡️ Watch this episode [https://youtu.be/DpvimaqKYl4] on our Youtube channel ➡️ Keywords ➡️ Salesforce ISV, AppExchange, year in review, product validation, pricing strategy, content marketing, go-to-market, partnerships, community, AI, AgentExchange, platform evolution ➡️ Hashtags ➡️ #AppsemblyLine #SalesforceISV #AppExchange #YearInReview #ISVFounders Mentioned in this episode: Sponsorships Advertise on AppsemblyLine to elevate your brand and connect with a passionate community of leaders! Sponsors [https://appsemblyline.captivate.fm/sponsor] Simplify Your Salesforce Security Review Get clear explanations, actionable insights, and step-by-step guidance to pass your review and get to market faster. Security Review Partner [https://appsemblyline.captivate.fm/srp] Permissions Assistant by Tython Simplify security and permissions for Salesforce admins & consultants. Secure your data using head-to-head user comparisons, AI summaries, org-wide integration audits, and analyses that can span across time or even between separate orgs. Gain Powers & Save Hours. Visit Permissions Assistant on the AppExchange to start your free trial today. Permissions Assistant [https://appsemblyline.captivate.fm/pa] ISV Forge Accelerate Your AppExchange Success! ISV Forge [https://appsemblyline.captivate.fm/isvforge]

Building Community with Andre van Kampen of ISV Forum

➡️ Summary ➡️ Andre van Kampen, Salesforce MVP and founder of ISV Forum, shares how years of watching AppExchange partners reinvent the wheel led him to build a community where ISVs learn from each other. From his start as an accidental Salesforce consultant in 2013 to organizing intimate roundtable meetups across London and Amsterdam, Andre discusses the real challenges facing AppExchange partners today — from difficulty reaching partner account managers to navigating the AgentExchange rebrand and new AI requirements. The conversation highlights how a simple meetup revealed that half the room didn't know AppExchange had a built-in lead generation tool, and how one developer got his first lead overnight after publishing his listing. ➡️ Guest ➡️ Andre van Kampen https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrevankampen/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrevankampen/] ISV Forum https://isv-forum.com [https://isv-forum.com] YeurDreamin' https://www.yeurdreamin.eu/ [https://www.yeurdreamin.eu/] Amsterdam User Group https://trailblazercommunitygroups.com/salesforce-user-group-amsterdam-netherlands/ [https://trailblazercommunitygroups.com/salesforce-user-group-amsterdam-netherlands/] ➡️ Takeaways ➡️ ISV Forum hosts small roundtable meetups of 10 to 20 people in London and Amsterdam focused on real talk between AppExchange partners Many AppExchange partners are reinventing the wheel because there is no centralized place to share lessons learned from the listing and review process The AppExchange has a built-in lead generation form that many partners do not know about — one developer got his first lead the night he published his listing Salesforce onboarding teams appear overwhelmed and smaller partners often struggle to even identify their partner account manager New AppExchange listings may now require an AI or Agentforce component though the exact requirements remain unclear The Partner Blazer Slack group is a valuable but underutilized resource where AppExchange product leadership is directly accessible Mike Davis has a GTM-focused Slack workspace for ISVs and a great ISV-focused podcast called How We Got There https://www.howwegottherepodcast.com/ [https://www.howwegottherepodcast.com/] ISV Forum is free to join with roughly 50 members and communicates via WhatsApp and a LinkedIn group Comparenate is an upcoming spin-off project to help smaller partners with marketing through unboxing-style videos and a referral platform ➡️ Youtube ➡️ Watch this episode [https://youtu.be/2gVVLgzWc4k] on our Youtube channel ➡️ Keywords ➡️ Salesforce ISV, AppExchange, AgentExchange, ISV Forum, community, meetups, lead generation, Agentforce, partner account manager, security review, Andre van Kampen ➡️ Hashtags ➡️ #AppsemblyLine #Salesforce #ISV #AppExchange #AgentExchange #ISVForum #Community #SalesforceISV Mentioned in this episode: Sponsorships Advertise on AppsemblyLine to elevate your brand and connect with a passionate community of leaders! Sponsors [https://appsemblyline.captivate.fm/sponsor] Permissions Assistant by Tython Simplify security and permissions for Salesforce admins & consultants. Secure your data using head-to-head user comparisons, AI summaries, org-wide integration audits, and analyses that can span across time or even between separate orgs. Gain Powers & Save Hours. Visit Permissions Assistant on the AppExchange to start your free trial today. Permissions Assistant [https://appsemblyline.captivate.fm/pa] ISV Forge Accelerate Your AppExchange Success! ISV Forge [https://appsemblyline.captivate.fm/isvforge] Simplify Your Salesforce Security Review Get clear explanations, actionable insights, and step-by-step guidance to pass your review and get to market faster. Security Review Partner [https://appsemblyline.captivate.fm/srp]

From Beer Money Apex to Billion-Row Architecture with Chuck Liddell of Valence

➡️ Summary ➡️ Chuck Liddell, founder of Valence, shares the journey of building a fully native Salesforce integration engine entirely in Apex. From writing Apex triggers for beer money in college to joining the first Salesforce Incubator cohort in 2017, Chuck discusses the hard lessons of transitioning from consulting to ISV, the technical gymnastics required to handle governor limits at massive scale, and how Valence can move a million records in 90 seconds without ever leaving the platform. The conversation covers selling into federal government and GovCloud, finding unexpected product-market fit in higher education, and maintaining integrity through a no-referral-fee SI partnership model. ➡️ Guest ➡️ Chuck Liddell https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckliddell/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckliddell/] Valence https://valence.app [https://valence.app] ➡️ Takeaways ➡️ Valence is a fully native Salesforce integration app built entirely in Apex with no external servers or middleware Transitioning from SI to ISV requires singular focus — trying to do both simultaneously is a costly mistake The Salesforce Incubator first cohort in 2017 provided critical mentorship and connections for early-stage ISVs Being native on platform eliminates third-party data exposure making it compelling for security-conscious industries Valence moves a million records into Salesforce in 90 seconds using highly parallel async Apex rather than the Bulk API Higher education emerged as an unexpected niche due to complex integration needs SI partnerships drive significant deal flow and Valence maintains a no-referral-fee policy to preserve integrity Building a public persona as a technical founder is essential for ISV growth even if it does not come naturally ➡️ Youtube ➡️ Watch this episode [https://youtu.be/zgBT9fBWq44] on our Youtube channel ➡️ Good Day, Sir! ➡️ https://www.gooddaysirpodcast.com/ [https://www.gooddaysirpodcast.com/] ➡️ Keywords ➡️ Salesforce ISV, native integration, middleware, Apex, Valence, AppExchange, Salesforce Incubator, ETL, governor limits, higher education, GovCloud, SI partnerships ➡️ Hashtags ➡️ #AppsemblyLine #Salesforce #ISV #Integration #Middleware #Apex #AppExchange #Valence #NativeOnPlatform #SalesforceISV Mentioned in this episode: Sponsorships Advertise on AppsemblyLine to elevate your brand and connect with a passionate community of leaders! Sponsors [https://appsemblyline.captivate.fm/sponsor] Simplify Your Salesforce Security Review Get clear explanations, actionable insights, and step-by-step guidance to pass your review and get to market faster. Security Review Partner [https://appsemblyline.captivate.fm/srp] ISV Forge Accelerate Your AppExchange Success! ISV Forge [https://appsemblyline.captivate.fm/isvforge] Permissions Assistant by Tython Simplify security and permissions for Salesforce admins & consultants. Secure your data using head-to-head user comparisons, AI summaries, org-wide integration audits, and analyses that can span across time or even between separate orgs. Gain Powers & Save Hours. Visit Permissions Assistant on the AppExchange to start your free trial today. Permissions Assistant [https://appsemblyline.captivate.fm/pa]

MVP - TDX 2026 Highlights

➡️ Summary ➡️ Scott Covert breaks down the top announcements from TDX 2026 that matter most to ISVs and builders on the Salesforce platform. From AgentForce Vibes 2.0 and multi-framework support to the rebranded AgentExchange and Headless 360, learn how these changes impact what you build, how customers use your solution, and how prospects discover you. ➡️ Takeaways ➡️ AgentForce Vibes 2.0 now lets you choose your AI model instead of being locked into Salesforce's proprietary models Salesforce Multi-Framework enables building true React apps hosted directly on Salesforce servers Headless 360 signals an API-first future where your solution's outcomes should be accessible via chat interfaces like Slack The AppExchange is being rebranded to the AgentExchange, merging legacy apps, AgentForce-ready apps, and Slack apps AgentExchange agents will be discoverable inside AgentForce Builder, reducing friction for prospects New semantic context-aware search is coming to the marketplace for better discoverability Private offers in the partner portal will streamline procurement for large enterprise deals ISVs should ensure their Apex and Flow IP can be invoked outside the standard Salesforce UI ➡️ Youtube ➡️ Watch this episode [https://youtu.be/jE4nzdkXdmM] on our Youtube channel ➡️ Keywords ➡️ Salesforce, TDX, AgentForce, AgentExchange, AppExchange, React, Multi-Framework, Headless 360, ISV, Lightning Web Components, Slack, API-first ➡️ Hashtags ➡️ #salesforce #isv #tdx #agentforce #agentexchange Mentioned in this episode: Sponsorships Advertise on AppsemblyLine to elevate your brand and connect with a passionate community of leaders! Sponsors [https://appsemblyline.captivate.fm/sponsor] Simplify Your Salesforce Security Review Get clear explanations, actionable insights, and step-by-step guidance to pass your review and get to market faster. Security Review Partner [https://appsemblyline.captivate.fm/srp] ISV Forge Accelerate Your AppExchange Success! ISV Forge [https://appsemblyline.captivate.fm/isvforge] Permissions Assistant by Tython Simplify security and permissions for Salesforce admins & consultants. Secure your data using head-to-head user comparisons, AI summaries, org-wide integration audits, and analyses that can span across time or even between separate orgs. Gain Powers & Save Hours. Visit Permissions Assistant on the AppExchange to start your free trial today. Permissions Assistant [https://appsemblyline.captivate.fm/pa]