Mutual math
Give the partner a number they can put in their own internal deck: revenue, retention lift, or completeness gap closed.
a16z's BD essays note partner teams need a number for their own internal deck; without one, the pitch dies at the next internal review, per Reforge partnership case studies.
- A revenue or retention estimate specific to the partner's business, with the assumption shown
- What you get in return, stated plainly
- A comparable result from a similar integration, if one exists
- Your own company's total revenue projections
- Math that only benefits your side
- No assumption shown behind the number
- The math only mentions your ARR, not their side
- Inflating the projected lift beyond what a comparable integration produced
- Presenting a one-sided number and calling it 'mutual'
- · Does the slide show the assumption, so the partner can stress-test it?
- · Is there a number for each side, not just yours?
If [X]% of [partner segment] adopt this, that is roughly [$Y] in [partner metric]; we grow ARR by [$Z] in return.
"This partnership can drive massive revenue for both sides if we leverage our combined reach."
"If 10% of the 41% Slack-overlap accounts adopt Nimbus through the App Directory, that is about 800 seats at Slack's average $8 per-seat uplift, roughly $76,800 in incremental Slack revenue; our ARR grows from $196K by an estimated $60K."
Shows the assumption (10% adoption of the 41% overlap), a partner-side dollar figure, and a specific ARR impact on the $196K base.
Quick quiz
1. What must accompany a mutual math projection?
- ○ A disclaimer that all numbers are approximate
- ✓ The assumption used to get the number, so it can be checked
- ○ A five-year forecast
- ○ Comparison to a competitor's revenue
Partners want to stress-test the assumption before they trust the output.
2. Which is a red flag in a mutual math slide?
- ○ A stated adoption assumption
- ✓ A dollar figure only on your own ARR side, none for the partner
- ○ A comparable result from a similar integration
- ○ A specific overlap-based calculation
'Mutual' math needs a number for both sides, not just yours.