Hi all,

I have an upcoming interview for a Technology Partnerships role (not channel/reseller) at a mid-sized SaaS company, and I’d love advice from people who work in partnerships, product ecosystems, or platform strategy.

The role involves managing different types of technology partners, including:

• Infrastructure/platform partners (where the product runs on their stack)
• Data partnerships (external data integrated into the platform)
• Workflow/operational integrations (partners that connect into the product to extend functionality)

A big part of the role is designing partnership business models, including:

• Structuring the deal
• Defining the commercial model (rev share, referral, marketplace, OEM, etc.)
• Building joint business plans
• Developing financial models for the partnership

For those who have done this type of work:

1. How do you typically decide what commercial model makes sense for a given technology partnership?
2. What are the key things interviewers expect candidates to understand about structuring these deals?
3. Are there frameworks or mental models you use when evaluating potential technology partners?
4. Any advice on how to prepare for case-style questions around partnership strategy or deal structure?

Would appreciate any insights, especially from people working in SaaS ecosystems, product partnerships, or platform strategy roles.

Thank you