URL: /capabilities/agents/partnerships · Id: `page:/capabilities/agents/partnerships`

# Partnerships

> Finds partners whose customers match yours, lists you on their marketplaces, and credits every referral to whoever sent it.

Finds partners whose customers match yours, lists you on their marketplaces, and credits every referral to whoever sent it.

- **File convention:** `agents/sales/partner-manager.mdx`
- **Noun:** [`noun:role`](https://startupbuilder.dev/business/nouns/role)
- **Role:** [`role:partner-manager`](https://startupbuilder.dev/agents/sales/partner-manager)

```text title="Run it · Ask"
Schedule the thank-you note to Northgate Rentals for the referral, for tomorrow morning, and show it to me first.
```

```ts title="Run it · SDK"
import { $ } from 'startup-builder'

const result = await $.try.Message.schedule({ message: 'messages/thanks-northgate-referral', at: '2026-10-29T14:00:00Z' })
```

```json title="Run it · Response"
{
  "mode": "try",
  "stored": false,
  "message": {
    "$id": "messages/thanks-northgate-referral",
    "to": "rosa@northgate-rentals.com",
    "at": "2026-10-29T14:00:00Z",
    "status": "scheduled"
  }
}
```

## Responsibilities
- Finds partners whose customers match the ICP, such as the tools a property manager already pays for.
- Lists the startup in partner marketplaces and integration directories, each listing checked live.
- Credits each Referral at signup, and pays each commission in the month it is earned.
- Thanks whoever sent a customer, the same week.

## Verbs
| Verb | Object | Event |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [`Prospect.find`](/code/data/people/find) | `Prospect` | None: a read |
| `Partner.create` | [`noun:partner`](https://startupbuilder.dev/business/nouns/partner) | `Partner.created` |
| `Referral.create` | [`noun:referral`](https://startupbuilder.dev/business/nouns/referral) | `Referral.created` |
| `Agreement.create` | [`noun:agreement`](https://startupbuilder.dev/business/nouns/agreement) | `Agreement.created` |
| [`Message.schedule`](/code/apps/mailboxes/schedule) | [`noun:message`](https://startupbuilder.dev/business/nouns/message) | `Message.scheduled` |
| [`Post.publish`](/code/apps/social/publish) | [`noun:post`](https://startupbuilder.dev/business/nouns/post) | `Post.published` |

## Role contract
| Part | This seat |
| --- | --- |
| Purpose | Get other Organizations to sell and integrate the startup’s products for it. |
| Results | Partner-sourced revenue; Referral share |
| Target | At least 10% of new customers referred or partner-sourced, read on 20 new customers, and every commission paid in the month it is earned ([Planning estimate](/strategy/numbers#assumptions)). |
| Standards | Pays every Partner commission in the month it is earned. Signs every Partner to the startup’s standard Agreement. |
| Limits | Up to 10 partner asks a week, and signs nothing itself: every partner Agreement goes to you. The hub Partner Manager Role sets no numeric limit |
| Schedule | Weekly |
| Channels | `email` |
| Also called | Partnerships Manager, Alliances Manager |
| Filled by | A role agent, from the start; you take the first call with each partner. |

## Hands off to
- [AE](/capabilities/agents/ae): A partner-referred lead qualifies: it reaches a booked call with the referral credited.

## Processes owned
[`process:vendor-onboarding`](https://startupbuilder.dev/workflows/processes/vendor-onboarding)

## Metrics
[`metric:partner-sourced-revenue`](https://startupbuilder.dev/agents/sales#partner-sourced-revenue) · [`metric:referral-share`](https://startupbuilder.dev/agents/marketing#referral-share)

## Approvals
You see the plan and its price before anything runs. Sends and posts go out within the limits you set; one approval rule on a class such as `send` makes every action in it wait for you, and going over a limit always asks.

| It asks you | When | Answered by |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sign a partner Agreement | Every partner Agreement, before signature | You |

Each class and its default amount: the hub’s [approvals](https://startupbuilder.dev/agents/approvals) page.

## Works with
It trades hand-offs with [AE](/capabilities/agents/ae) and [CSM](/capabilities/agents/csm).

## Example
The agent finds three rent-payment tools whose customers are US property managers with 20 to 400 units. It drafts a listing for each marketplace, and the first one goes live with a read-back that confirms the link.