{"id":2860,"date":"2025-02-11T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-11T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-07-16T16:48:44","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T23:48:44","slug":"scale-your-startup-with-the-microsoft-commercial-marketplace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research.codeghost.online\/en-us\/startups\/blog\/scale-your-startup-with-the-microsoft-commercial-marketplace\/","title":{"rendered":"Scale your startup with the Microsoft commercial marketplace"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Microsoft has and always will be a partner-centric organization. With customer demand for software solutions only increasing, it\u2019s imperative that we develop a go-to-market strategy alongside our partners to solve our customers\u2019 challenges. We are committed to ensuring a more inclusive and equitable supply chain, which is why we recently hosted a session for underrepresented founders in the Microsoft for Startups<\/a> program. The Microsoft commercial marketplace strives to democratize IT\u2014learn how you can take your startup to the next level with the Microsoft commercial marketplace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why cloud marketplaces?<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The business-to-business (B2B) software buying landscape is shifting. Spending on software continues to skyrocket, with analysts expecting the market to reach hundreds of billions over the next few years.1<\/sup> This soaring demand for AI and cloud technologies has cemented the cloud as the backbone of modern business for increased operational efficiency, AI innovation, and scale. <\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With more Millennials and Gen Z leading purchasing decisions, Forrester predicts that over half of large B2B transactions worth $1 million or more will happen through digital platforms like cloud marketplaces.2<\/sup> As marketplace software sales are projected to hit $85 billion by 2028, now is the time for software companies of all sizes to lean on the power of the marketplace commerce engine to handle the heavy lifting of cloud procurement\u2014freeing you to focus on delivering customer value through innovative solutions.3<\/sup>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The marketplace opportunity: Connecting your solutions to Microsoft customers<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Microsoft commercial marketplace<\/a> is the most partner-focused business platform dedicated to helping partners reach more customers, simplify sales, and unlock growth. As an extension of the Microsoft Cloud, the marketplace connects customers to a comprehensive catalog of cloud and AI solutions published by software companies that are fully vetted by Microsoft. It simplifies the way customers find, buy, and manage their cloud portfolio\u2014all in one destination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At its core, the marketplace is a go-to-market channel that helps software companies break through the noise to reach customers globally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Real-life success: Ntegral’s journey from regional SI to global ISV<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To see this in action, take a look at Ntegral, Inc.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ntegral is a Microsoft partner with more than 300 products in the marketplace, serving more than 18,000 customers across more than 160 countries. But it didn\u2019t start that way.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Founded by Dexter Hardy in 2002, ntegral began as a systems integrator (SI), helping businesses deploy technology solutions. In 2021, recognizing the early potential of a marketplace-first business model, ntegral made a bold shift\u2014pivoting from a service-based business to a marketplace-first software company. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This decision was a game changer. In three short years, ntegral went from a regional player to a global independent software vendor (ISV), reaching customers worldwide without leaving their headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We started as a regional consulting company in Georgia, serving surrounding states in the southeast. Now, we have customers in over 160 countries. That level of scale and growth wouldn\u2019t have been possible without the Microsoft commercial<\/em> marketplace. It allowed us to stay lean, focus on our expertise, and expand beyond what we once thought was possible.” <\/em>\u2013 Dexter Hardy, President and Chief Executive Officer, ntegral  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, ntegral\u2019s solutions<\/a> help customers move to the cloud, enabling AI innovation, and modernizing their estates to Microsoft Azure. Ntegral\u2019s journey, one of rapid growth and expansion, has been propelled, in part, by the power of the marketplace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ways of selling through the marketplace<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For software partners, the marketplace offers flexibility to sell how and where customers prefer to buy\u2014whether digital direct, scaling through channel partners, or selling with Microsoft.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital direct  <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As more customers turn to self-service procurement, researching, evaluating, and purchasing solutions on their own, the marketplace is how you meet them where they are. The marketplace, as an always-on global commerce engine, enables partners to sell directly to millions of online shoppers through Azure Marketplace<\/a>, Microsoft AppSource<\/a>, and in-product experiences. This gives customers fast and easy access to your solutions, while providing customers with a trusted buying experience that streamlines the purchase and deployment of software as a service (SaaS) and cloud-based solutions.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Private offers through partners<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Some customers prefer to procure software through a trusted channel partner, often systems integrators. With multiparty private offers<\/a>, channel partners can purchase these solutions from software companies through the marketplace, ensuring the customer maintains their partner relationships. This capability is driving huge growth for software partners, who report two times larger deal sizes when selling with channel partners through multiparty private offers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To expand reach to small and medium business (SMB) customers, CSP private offers<\/a> enable software partners to motivate Cloud Solution Providers (CSP) to resell their solutions to better serve smaller customers.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Co-sell with Microsoft <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Co-selling with Microsoft means joining forces with 35,000 global sellers to drive adoption of your solution. Even more impactful, Microsoft counts 100% of eligible marketplace purchases toward customers\u2019 pre-committed cloud spend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why does this matter?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n