Customize’s Marketplace Strategy: Leveraging Cloud Provider Ecosystems for Growth

Understanding enterprise buying patterns can completely reshape your distribution strategy. In a recent episode of Category Visionaries, Customize founder Stoyan Zulyamski revealed how aligning with cloud provider marketplaces accelerated their growth by tapping into existing enterprise purchasing workflows.

The insight came from observing how enterprises actually buy software. “Before were offering ourselves outside, but because customers are having commitments to these cloud providers, it’s easier for you to grow when you’re on the marketplace,” Stoyan explained. This realization led to a fundamental shift in their go-to-market approach.

Their marketplace strategy began with Google Cloud Platform, a deliberate choice based on market dynamics. “Google Cloud just started getting into the game and I was sure that they will do the cloud in a different manner simply because they were catching the wave later than the others,” Stoyan shared. This focus allowed them to build deep expertise in one ecosystem before expanding.

The strategy has already shown promising results. “We’ve just got on the marketplace resource for Google, and I’m betting that we’re going to see probably ten x growth this year,” Stoyan noted. This growth projection reflects both the power of marketplace distribution and increasing market demand for cloud cost management solutions.

But marketplace success requires more than just listing your product. Customize developed specific approaches for different stakeholders within the marketplace ecosystem. “That’s a fairly complex approach there because you need to speak to the guys who are managing the, because they typically have a lot of cloud clients, to the guys who are managing that group of clients, the guys who are organizing billing, to the guys who are organizing offering,” Stoyan explained.

Their messaging evolved to align with marketplace dynamics. Instead of leading with cost savings, they positioned themselves as an operating system for cloud optimization. This broader positioning resonated better with enterprise buyers who were already committed to cloud providers.

The marketplace strategy also complemented their work with managed service providers (MSPs). “We’ve had, I don’t know, five or six serious partnerships with managed service providers and then a new big managed service provider is coming this year,” Stoyan shared. These partnerships extend their reach within the marketplace ecosystem.

Looking ahead, their marketplace strategy aligns with emerging trends in cloud computing. As Stoyan noted, “Bear in mind that the hyper automation era which we are getting into, we require from every software to act as a digital agent worker, which executes different tasks and can be leveraged as part of other larger ecosystem.”

This vision of interconnected systems makes marketplace presence even more crucial. By being where their customers already operate and purchase software, Customize can more easily integrate into their broader cloud operations.

For B2B founders, Customize’s experience offers valuable lessons in distribution strategy. Success in enterprise sales often means aligning with existing purchasing patterns rather than trying to create new ones. Cloud marketplaces aren’t just another sales channel—they’re increasingly where enterprise software decisions get made.

The key insight? Sometimes the best way to reach enterprise customers isn’t through direct sales but through the platforms where they’re already spending their technology budgets. In the cloud era, marketplace strategy isn’t just about distribution—it’s about becoming part of your customers’ core technology ecosystem.