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Salesforce launches $50M fund to boost partner ecosystem
A month after setting aside $100 million to invest in companies that are building applications for its cloud platform, Salesforce.com Inc. has launched yet another partner fund.
The SI Trailblazer Fund, as it’s called, is worth $50 million and will be dedicated to backing consulting firms. Besides capital, portfolio companies will receive access to an accelerator program called the SI Trailblaze Alliance Initiative that offers “resources and training to build out their service capabilities for the future.”
It’s apparently designed to complement the AppExchange Partner Program that Salesforce introduced alongside its application fund a month ago. That initiative rewards partners for earning achievements on the company’s Trailblazer training platform. Consultancies, for example, can gain points by having personnel complete courses about managing and customizing Salesforce deployments. Partners in other categories can also earn achievements related to their business focus.
The basic goal behind Salesforce’s different partner programs is the same: widening the appeal of its platform. Consulting firms have a particularly important role in the plan. They provide assistance for companies that can’t make the most out of Salesforce’s services on their own due to a lack of in-house talent and other logistical constraints. The easier it becomes to adopt the provider’s tools, the more attractive they should become.
Salesforce has already invested in three partners ahead of today’s today’s launch announcement. One focuses on projects involved in its Community Cloud platform for engaging users and employees, another offers billing management services, and a third targets the Australian market.
Salesforce is one of numerous tech firms that operate venture capital funds to support startups that can further their strategic goals. The list includes Microsoft Corp., HP Inc., Dell Technologies Inc. and several smaller players as well. Among them is Slack Inc., which has allocated $70 million to supporting the development of chatbots for its messaging service.
Image: Salesforce
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