---
title: "KickOff & Strategy Alignment"
description: "The KickOff turns a qualified opportunity into a business case: pricing model, resource footprint, target verticals, the go-to-market model and funding."
sidebar:
  label: "KickOff & Strategy Alignment"
  order: 2
  attrs:
    data-icon: light-bulb
source_url: "https://framework.stackit.cloud/isv/kickoff-and-strategy-alignment/"
source_file: "docs/isv/kickoff-and-strategy-alignment.mdx"
---

The KickOff phase transitions the partnership from initial qualification into concrete strategy
execution. In this step, both teams align on the business model, compute resources, go-to-market
approach, and support programs to ensure a viable, scalable product release on the STACKIT
Marketplace.

## Objectives & Key Stakeholders

The primary goal of the KickOff meeting is to validate mutual financial and technical feasibility
before signing formal contracts.

- **STACKIT roles**: Partner Manager, Partner Solution Architect
- **ISV roles**: Business Lead / Product Manager, Lead Architect / CTO

## Business Case Inputs Required from the ISV

To construct a realistic business case and define the resource baseline, the ISV provides key
parameters regarding product architecture and commercial goals:

| Category                        | Required information                                                                                                                                | Purpose                                                                        |
| ------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Pricing & Licensing Model**   | SaaS subscription, usage-based, BYOL (Bring Your Own License), or tiered pricing.                                                                     | Defines transaction handling on the STACKIT Marketplace.                        |
| **Resource Footprint**          | Estimated average and peak compute (vCPU, RAM), storage (NVMe/S3), network bandwidth, and managed services (e.g., STACKIT Postgres/Kubernetes).       | Calculates estimated STACKIT infrastructure costs and margin models.            |
| **Target Audience & Verticals** | Specific industries (e.g., public sector, healthcare, finance) or enterprise segments.                                                                | Aligns GTM campaigns and compliance/certification requirements.                 |
| **Sales & Revenue Expectations**| Projected onboarding pipeline and expected customer sign-ups over 12–24 months.                                                                       | Validates business viability and eligibility for STACKIT funding programs.      |

<Aside type="note" title="Why this comes before the contract">
  The commercial parameters agreed here — pricing model, billable unit, target verticals — are the
  same ones that are operationalized much later as billing SKUs during
  [Placement](/isv/placement-and-marketplace-enablement/). Changing them
  after SKUs exist is expensive.
</Aside>

## Partnering & Go-to-Market Models

During the KickOff, both parties agree on the structure of the joint go-to-market approach:

**1. Co-Selling & Referral**

- Joint sales activity where STACKIT field sales recommend the ISV solution to existing enterprise
  accounts.
- Lead sharing and commission/referral structures agreed upon per transaction type.

**2. Marketplace Resell**

- STACKIT acts as the merchant of record (or facilitator) on the Marketplace.
- Billing and metering are fully integrated and automated via STACKIT.

## Available Funding & Support Incentives

STACKIT supports qualifying ISVs during the onboarding journey to reduce initial development risks:

- **PoC Infrastructure Credits**: Cloud credits provided to cover STACKIT infrastructure costs
  during development, testing, and Technical Quality Gates.
- **Architectural Support**: Direct access to STACKIT Solution Architects for review of cloud-native
  design, Kubernetes deployment, and security compliance.
- **Co-Marketing Support**: Joint PR, blog posts, and featured placement opportunities on the
  STACKIT Marketplace upon launch.

## Phase Completion Criteria

At the end of the KickOff, clear ownership is assigned for the immediate next phase:

- [ ] **ISV task**: Business case inputs finalized and the completed onboarding questionnaire
      returned.
- [ ] **STACKIT task**: Tailored Partnership Agreement drafted and the
      [Signing](/isv/signing-and-legal-alignment/) phase prepared.
- [ ] **Joint task**: Technical PoC alignment call scheduled following contract execution.
- [ ] **Milestone achieved**: Business case validated — ready to proceed to
      [Signing & Legal Alignment](/isv/signing-and-legal-alignment/).

## Support & Contact

For questions on the business case, funding programs, or go-to-market models, contact your
dedicated STACKIT Partner Manager or the ISV Factory team at
`isv-sales@digits.schwarz`.