This week's Investible Partnerships™ podcast episode features returning guest, Chris Casey , who is now Chris now leading the AWS Partner Organization across Asia Pacific and Japan.Director of APJ Partners. From the rise of partner-led growth to the role of marketplace, Chris shares what’s really driving momentum for AWS partners — and where he wants partners to double down.

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Key Takeaways

‍Intro (0:00–2:00)

• Welcome Chris back to the show.
• Brief reflection on his move from AWS US to leading APJ.
• Tease the big themes: innovation, strategic pivots, marketplace, SMB, and channel dynamics.

‍Part 1: A Changed Landscape for Partners in APJ (2:00–8:00)

• Chris’s expanded remit: 17 countries, wide partner types (GSIs, ISVs, distributors, born-in-the-cloud SIs).
• What surprised and energized him about the APJ region.
• Market maturity differences and new AWS region launches (Thailand, Malaysia, NZ) as signals of growth.

Part 2: Partner-Led Customer Growth – Beyond the Buzzword (8:00–14:00)

• Marketplace and co-sell are now front and center.
• Public ISV wins (e.g., CrowdStrike hitting $1B in marketplace sales).
• Partners need to move from tactical alignment to strategic autonomy — anticipating AWS direction rather than waiting for guidance.

Part 3: Tech Priorities and Prescriptive Guidance (14:00–20:00)

• Two focus pillars:
  1. Migrations & Modernization (esp. VMware market dynamics).
  2. Generative AI (Nova, Amazon Q, and Q for Developers – e.g., NAB adoption).
• Key insight: innovation rides on foundational cloud work — data gravity still matters.

Part 4: Startups, SMBs, and the Channel (20:00–28:00)

• Startups are “absolutely critical” — AWS Activate credits + long-term bet on emerging ISVs and consultancies.
• SMB as a massive APJ opportunity. Tools like Amazon Connect + new SMB Competency.
• Marketplace and channel partners (Buy with AWS, CPPO, distributor models) are critical to scaling AWS's reach.

Part 5: The Culture of Builders and Innovation at the Edge (28:00–32:00)

• Innovation can’t be mandated—it’s an outcome of partner culture.
• Chris’s focus: equipping partner builders across APJ with the environment, signals, and support to innovate.
• Big idea: the most exciting ideas won’t come from the center—they’ll come from the edge.

‍Closing Segment: Partnerships Fast-Five (32:00–34:00)

• Rapid-fire responses:
  • Partnerships mean: everything to AWS.
  • Partnerships thrive on: mutual trust and accountability.
  • With partnerships, you can: do anything.