Evolution, Trends & Opportunities
in Cloud Marketplaces

Jay McBain was among the first who predicted cloud marketplace explosion.

His initial forecasts suggested that top cloud marketplaces would generate $45 billion by 2025, growing at an 86% compounded rate.

Recently, his forecast was extended to $85 billion expected to flow via top cloud marketplaces by 2028.

It’s no surprise that in his latest research 86% of partners called cloud marketplaces an important sales channel.

Jay also named Agentic AI "the largest growth opportunity (in the entire technology industry) for partners in the next 3-5 years."

He underscores that enterprise AI deployments are becoming "pure ecosystem plays" requiring partners to orchestrate solutions across hyperscalers like Microsoft.

The opportunity: "By broadening their hyperscaler engagement, channel partners can not only future-proof their businesses around AI but also become indispensable advisors in their clients' digital journeys." 

Insights from Microsoft Marketplace Leader

As General Manager of the Microsoft marketplace, Jake Zborowski architected a fast-growing platform that’s at the epicenter of the Microsoft co-sell strategy.

Throughout his nearly 20-year Microsoft career, Jake has played a key role in the evolution of Office 365, Azure developer experiences, and the company's broader SaaS and cloud transformation.
 
The breakthrough results: 

• The Microsoft marketplace connects partner solutions to global buyers 24/7, with more than 2X sales growth YoY.

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• As cloud and AI adoption accelerates, Microsoft is further investing in empowering the channel. Channel-led marketplace sales grew 3.5X last fiscal year—unlocking a massive growth opportunity across its 500K+ partner ecosystem.

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• But the real inflection point is AI convergence with the marketplace. As the marketplace trajectory continues to climb, AI adoption is accelerating it further and driving unprecedented growth in new customers purchasing AI solutions through the marketplace.