Salesforce invests $50 million to incentivize partners to build AI agents

Key Takeaways

• Salesforce is boosting partner incentives to support a platform consolidation announced Tuesday that merges its AppExchange and Slack marketplaces with AgentExchange, its AI agent marketplace launched last year. Salesforce acquired Slack five years ago for $27.7 billion.
• "These marketplaces have already created significant value for customers and partners, and have become a trusted way for enterprises to solve real business problems through pre-built apps, integrations, and agents," said Tyler Carlson, senior vice president of AppExchange products, in a briefing on Tuesday.
• Behind the marketplace consolidation is a $50 million investment in funding and technical assistance programs to provide partners with the tools and support to build and bring AI agents to market. The CRM giant will also provide select partners, including Accenture, Deloitte, PwC, Slalom, and IBM Consulting, with front-line deployment engineering teams to help customers achieve clear returns on AI spending.

Deep Dive

Salesforce is betting on enterprise cloud AI agent consumption to help it escape a depressed valuation, as investors worry about the impact of AI coding tools on the software industry. The company is relying on partners to help test the capabilities of agentic automation and prove its value to customers.

Salesforce has simplified its channel program, establishing a two-tier framework based on technical expertise and reducing 170 consulting badges to 28 certifications, targeting $1 billion in partner-driven revenue.

Despite revenue growing 12% year-over-year to exceed $11 billion in the quarter ending January 31, Salesforce's stock has fallen sharply since the start of the year, with its market value shrinking by about a third.

Salesforce targeted agentic AI last year with the launch of Agentforce 360, its biggest platform overhaul in two decades. Marketplace rationalization is the next step in expanding its agent footprint, providing substantial support for agent builders and a one-stop shop for customers for CRM add-ons.

The overhaul also aims to simplify partner sales through a go-to-market app that automates configuration, streamlines billing, and provides direct access to private quotes.

"With the new AgentExchange, partners get better access to Salesforce's entire installed base and tools that help them build, manage, and scale distribution," said Brian Landsman, CEO of AgentExchange and executive vice president of global partnerships at Salesforce, in the marketplace announcement.