Ecosystem‑Led Growth (ELG) in SaaS: Sept 2025 Market Insights

Overview:

• B2B leaders are elevating partner ecosystems from a channel to a strategic growth lever; Forrester flags that legacy attribution hides ecosystem impact, urging executive‑level fixes. 
• Analyst coverage shows structured platform ecosystems (developer programs, ISV/Startup programs, co‑sell, cloud marketplaces) are now core to competitive moats. 
• Cloud‑aligned routes to market (co‑sell + marketplaces) are expanding with hyperscaler momentum, creating larger surfaces for SaaS partner motions. 

Market Size & Growth 

• Business SaaS market ≈ US$420B in 2025, with ~22% YoY growth—context for why ELG models scale more efficiently than pure direct. 
• Global cloud infrastructure spend hit US$90.9B in Q1’25 (+21% YoY), reinforcing the capacity and partner services backdrop for ELG. 
• US$106B; ~55% expected to convert in 2 years; +28% QoQ new customers—indicating strong near‑term demand flowing through cloud ecosystems. 

Key Growth Drivers

• 89% of companies list on a cloud marketplace, yet only 22% derive >20% of revenue there—clear room for ELG execution gains.
• 62% of companies report net‑new revenue via marketplaces, not just deal shift—evidence of incremental reach. 
• 63% of 705 ecosystem partners rate vendor programs “extremely important” to their business—prioritizing enablement, competencies, and co‑sell. 

M&A Overview

• Structural forces are reshaping SaaS and security industries, driving vendors to integrate capabilities. Companies face pressure to deliver end-to-end platforms that combine identity, security, and AI readiness. 
• Coverage highlights how these drivers—AI-era security demands and unified platforms—explain the premiums attached to such deals. 
• Oracle cites $455B RPO (+359% YoY) and plans +37 data centers to meet AI demand—expanding co-sell alignment opportunities for ISVs. 

AI’s Role

• Attribution & measurement must evolve as AI‑enhanced partner motions blur influence/assist—executives need new KPI frameworks to “see” ecosystem value. 
• AI demand fuels partner‑led routes: Google Cloud reports nine of ten leading AI labs as customers and +28% QoQ new customers—ELG teams can ride these buyer flows through co‑sell and commit draw‑downs. 
• AI agents & PRM evolution are priority themes for partner leaders in 2025. 

Competitive Landscape

• Hyperscaler marketplaces will deepen channel roles: >50% of marketplace sales via partners by 2027 (AWS, Microsoft, Google). 
• Top SaaS ecosystems emphasize partner‑led motions as a growth system—reference landscape and playbooks. 
• ISV excellence on marketplaces is linked to six repeatable GTM attributes (operations, co‑sell readiness, incent design, etc.). 

Sources: AP News, Benzinga, Business Insider, Canalys (1), Canalys (2), Clazar, El País, Forrester, Forrester (1), Futurum Group (1), Futurum Group (2), Futurum Group (3), Omdia, Partner Insight, Reuters, Reuters (2)

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