Strategies for startups to attract industry giants for partnerships

In 2025, the global venture capital market is showing steady recovery after several years of decline. Major funds and corporations are resuming large scale investments and launching new venture programs.

According to PwC, more than 70% of tech giants are initiating joint projects with startups to accelerate time-to-market. For young businesses, such partnerships act as a growth “accelerator” — for example, Indian FinTech startup Pine Labs, supported by Mastercard, scaled from a local player to a billion-dollar company in just a few years. Article by Nicole de Silva Fortes, CMO at E-com Express

The Benefits of Startup–Corporation Partnerships

Research by Accenture shows that 84 global CEOs include startup collaboration in their corporate growth strategy, and three-quarters of Fortune 100 companies have active venture arms. Why do corporations and startups seek each other out?

For startups, partnerships provide access to much-needed resources: financing, expertise, and distribution channels. Working with established market players helps startups boost visibility and acquire new clients. In essence, it grants access to expanded customer bases and even international markets.

Mentorship and industry know-how from a seasoned partner are equally valuable, helping startups scale more quickly. Combining resources and working in parallel on different aspects of a project reduces time-to-market. Joint ventures also distribute risk between partners — especially critical in volatile market conditions. Overall, potential customers are more likely to trust a startup backed by a large, well-known company.

For corporations, the incentives are just as compelling. According to McKinsey, 75% of surveyed corporations invest in startups to gain market insights and fresh ideas, while 55% aim to access new products and technologies.

Large enterprises seek technological renewal and faster innovation cycles. Startups, with their agility, test and validate hypotheses before full-scale implementation, while corporations are often slower and more risk-averse. This model of collaboration is often described as a “sandbox,” enabling experimentation without major reputational risk. Established companies are rarely ready to release unproven innovations under their core brand — but they can do so safely through startup partners.

Examples of such partnerships are abundant across industries: Mastercard and RiskRecon, Spotify and Anchor, Uber and Postmates, Toyota and Aurora. Perhaps the most striking case was the collaboration between Pfizer and biotech startup BioNTech.

Their joint effort brought a Covid-19 vaccine to the global market in record time. Had Pfizer pursued development alone, the process would have taken years; likewise, BioNTech’s transformation from startup to fast-scaling company would have been much slower without Pfizer.

Marketing Strategies to Attract Major Partners

Despite the benefits, attracting a large corporation is not easy. Corporations avoid risks, operate with complex approval processes, and receive dozens of partnership pitches daily. That’s why it’s crucial for startups to stand out early and immediately demonstrate the unique value of their product or technology. Building brand awareness through the right channels is key. Below are marketing strategies that can help startups break through.

Building Brand Presence Through Social Media

In 2025, social media is your storefront — the first place major players look. It must reflect your values, showcase your innovation, and communicate your vision. The most effective platforms for startups to demonstrate expertise and build communities are LinkedIn, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter).

·       Publish content that highlights your expertise and addresses real industry pain points: process optimisation guides, product demos, or thought leadership pieces. This can take the form of Instagram video explainers, LinkedIn trend analyses, or expert streams on X.

·       Engage with corporate accounts and executives: likes, comments, shares, and direct mentions build visibility. LinkedIn in particular makes it easier to interact directly with decision-makers. For instance, if your niche is e-commerce, comment on LinkedIn posts from potential partners with insights or questions that highlight shared interests — a tactic that could lead to meetings.

·       Host topic driven live sessions on X addressing shared challenges, potentially attracting executives from target companies.

·       Tag and mention major brands in Instagram content to signal relevance and alignment.

Leverage UGC (user generated content) to strengthen credibility. Share customer testimonials, repost client stories, and package them into compelling storytelling. You can even launch a branded hashtag challenge on TikTok to encourage community content creation. Repurpose this UGC on LinkedIn to demonstrate to potential partners that your startup already enjoys a loyal audience.

Working with Influencers

In an age of digital noise, influencer collaborations remain a powerful way to stand out and reinforce brand credibility. The key is to partner with influencers whose audiences align with your niche and the interests of potential partners.

For example, a tech startup might collaborate with niche bloggers covering SaaS solutions or e-commerce innovations. Micro-influencers (5,000–50,000 followers) are especially valuable, as they often foster higher engagement and loyalty than larger accounts.

Campaigns should be followed up not only with performance metrics but also qualitative insights — surveys or direct message analysis can reveal how influencer exposure shapes brand perception among corporate decision-makers.

Paid Advertising

For startups with limited resources, paid advertising must be highly targeted.

·       LinkedIn Ads: focus on executives interested in e-commerce innovation. For example, run video campaigns that demonstrate how your solution improves conversion rates. Careful segmentation by role and industry, paired with ongoing campaign optimization, ensures reach to true decision-makers.

·       Programmatic advertising: instead of buying space on specific sites, programmatic tools target defined audiences across the web in real-time. For instance, you could target LinkedIn users by job title (e.g., CTO, Innovation Director) and interests (SaaS, e-commerce).

·       Use A/B testing and UTM tags to track ad effectiveness. Tools like Google Analytics or LinkedIn Campaign Manager allow the real-time adjustment of targeting and creative.

Email Marketing to Reach Executives Directly

Unlike mass channels, email delivers personalised messages straight to decision-makers — ideal for initiating partnerships. Well-structured campaigns can showcase a startup’s value, highlight expertise, and spark executive interest. Email is especially effective for conveying complex ideas, such as innovative solutions or case studies.

Key best practices:

·       Segmentation: build lists based on job titles (CEO, CTO, Head of Business Development) and industry focus (e-commerce, logistics).

·       Personalization: address recipients by name, reference company-specific challenges, and offer tailored solutions. Personalised emails have higher open rates.

·       Content: keep emails concise but insightful. Use case studies, infographics, or short demo videos to illustrate value.

·       Clear CTA: include invitations to meetings or product demos.

·       Tools: leverage CRM platforms like HubSpot or Mailchimp for contact management and performance analytics.

Results

For us, these partnership strategies have proven effective and these are some of the results:

·       Recognised by Shopify as a top global partner and creator of 1.3M+ online stores.

·       TikTok partnership: merchants using our TikTok flows hit first-sale 256% faster and reduced CAC 30%.

·       Manychat playbooks: increase in automated DMs recovered 55% of abandoned carts.

·       Bluehost & HostGator co-marketing: launch-ready stores from hosting referrals converted ↑124% vs. baseline.

·       Constant Contact sequences: infographic-led emails lifted open rates ↑47% and meetings booked ↑29%.

·       Bubble integration: non-dev founders shipped MVPs 27% faster; activation to “first transaction” time ↓89%

Final Thoughts

Startup–corporate collaboration is no longer just a trend — it is an established model for accelerated growth and innovation. Of course, achieving such an alliance requires systematic effort: clear positioning, smart marketing, and persistence. But therein lies the opportunity: to stand out, prove your value, and enter the market on equal footing with industry leaders.

If your startup has a solution capable of reshaping the industry, don’t hesitate to put it forward. Start small — content, community, first contacts. Each step brings you closer to a partnership that could become your launchpad.

The future belongs to those who embrace collaboration and co-creation — and your startup may well be the next success story.