CHAPTER 01 Recovery thesis & eligibility map
Every engagement starts with the same first deliverable: a written recovery thesis that names every funding program the ISV is eligible for, what it's worth, and when it expires. This chapter is the template for building that document, and the catalog of programs to evaluate against.
The eligibility matrix
Each hyperscaler runs three to five claimable program categories. The table below is the abbreviated version of the matrix; the full version (with submission windows, partner-tier minimums, and proof-of-execution requirements) is in Appendix A.
| Cloud | Program | Typical claim size | Window |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS | Sandbox / WMPCustomer migration co-funding | $50K – $2M | Pre-work registration |
| AWS | MDFCo-marketing budget | $10K – $250K | Quarterly |
| AWS | POC fundingCustomer proof-of-concept credits | $5K – $100K | Per opp. |
| AWS | ISV Accelerate cash incentive3% of net new MP revenue | $30K – $600K/yr | Continuous |
| Azure | MDF / Co-opCo-marketing through Partner Center | $15K – $200K | Per FY |
| Azure | POC / MACC pre-dealAligned-deal funding | $10K – $150K | Pre-deal |
| GCP | Partner Development Fund (PDF)MDF equivalent | $10K – $150K | Quarterly |
| GCP | POC fundingCustomer pilots | $5K – $75K | Per opp. |
Most ISVs miss Sandbox and WMP funding because they don't realize their customer's migration is in-scope. Any greenfield workload move from on-prem or another cloud to AWS qualifies if the registration happens before the work starts. Late registration kills the claim.
Building the thesis document
The thesis is one or two pages, written for the CFO, with a single table per cloud. Each row has four columns: program · est. claim · earliest submission · risk. We do not pad it. The job of the thesis is to make the next 60 days obvious to anyone who reads it.
CHAPTER 02 ACE pipeline operation
ACE (AWS Customer Engagement) Pipeline Manager is the system of record for AWS co-sell. Its health determines whether AWS field teams engage on your deals, whether you qualify for ISV Accelerate, and how much PDM attention you earn. This chapter is how to operate it, not how to log in.
The four signals AWS reads
- Submission volume. A healthy ISV submits 8–25 opportunities per month, scaled to ARR. Below that, PDMs assume the partnership is dormant.
- Submission quality. Stage, dollar amount, expected close date, and AWS attribution must be accurate. Garbage submissions are worse than no submissions.
- Update cadence. Stale opps (no update in 30 days) damage your PDM relationship. Closed-lost is fine; silent is not.
- Win-rate signal. Closed-won opps with the AWS field engaged are the single strongest signal of a productive co-sell motion.
"Sync all CRM opportunities to ACE." Don't. ACE is a curated surface. Submit the deals where you want AWS field engagement and that have a credible AWS attribution story. The rest stay in your CRM.
CHAPTER 03 Sandbox, MDF & POC submission
Each program has a different submission ritual. The mechanics are not hard; the mistake most ISVs make is treating all three the same. They aren't.
Sandbox submission anatomy
A Sandbox submission needs four artifacts: the customer's migration plan (or your version of it), an estimated AWS Annual Recurring Revenue post-migration, the eligible activity categories, and proof that the work hasn't started yet. The single most common rejection is "work commenced before registration."
MDF: the unglamorous money
MDF is the easiest money to claim and the hardest to spend well. Eligible activities are field events, digital campaigns, third-party content, and joint webinars, anything that demonstrably drives demand for the cloud's services through your product. The proof-of-execution document is everything: receipts, screenshots, attendee lists, attribution.
CHAPTER 04 Marketplace & private offers
Marketplace is not a listing problem; it's a transaction problem. Most ISV listings sit live for a year before a single dollar transacts through them. The lever is the private offer, not the public price.
The first-30-day plan
- Identify the top 20 accounts where the customer has cloud commitment to burn.
- Pre-build a private offer template that matches your standard contract.
- Brief each AE on how to position Marketplace billing, not as "the buyer's choice" but as the AE's lever.
- Wire CRM such that any opportunity at stage 4+ surfaces a "Marketplace candidate" flag.
CPPO lets a reseller sell your product on Marketplace with custom pricing; MPPO lets you, a reseller, and the buyer transact a three-party deal simultaneously. Both unlock MACC alignment for enterprise buyers.
CHAPTER 05 Operating cadence & reporting
A cloud alliance program that doesn't have a written operating cadence is a hobby. This chapter is the cadence that every engagement runs on, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and the four metrics every monthly board report should carry.
The four metrics
- Cloud-sourced pipeline, opportunities where the cloud field is engaged, by stage and dollar value.
- Marketplace GMV, transacted in the last 30 days, with private-offer vs. public split.
- Funding claimed, submitted, approved, paid, by program.
- Co-sell ratio, % of new ARR that involves a hyperscaler touch.
Every other metric, partner-tier progression, certifications, badge count, is a leading indicator of one of these four. Track them, but don't put them in the board report.
A: Full eligibility matrix · B: Submission templates (Sandbox, MDF, POC) · C: ACE field-mapping schema · D: Sample private offer · E: 90-day operating calendar · F: Board report template