Initiated the integration with our engineering and marketing teams, then took it to market together, including HighLevel’s Spotlight podcast.
Erman
Ergun.
Partnerships only work when both sides win something real. Everything else is a logo swap.
I build partner programs and grow SaaS companies. Director of Channel & Marketing Partnerships at Jotform, the online form builder used by 40M+ people. Based in San Francisco.
OpenAISalesforceStripeHubSpotSquareIntuit MailchimpAuthorize.net (Visa)HighLevelZapierKlarnaCanvas by InstructureMollieCanvaWebflowDocuSignCarahsoftKeragonPipedriveLevel Access
Great companies and great people I’ve built real things with: integrations, launches and co-marketing.
Built from zero
Jotform’s three partner programs, each started from nothing.
6,400+affiliatesRecruited, tracked and paid from a standing start, now one of Jotform’s largest acquisition channels.
2,250+agenciesLaunched in 2025 and grown to 2,250+ in under two years.
850+resellersTiers, legal agreements, onboarding, enablement and tracking, built from scratch.
Partner applications up 3x+ year over year across the reseller and agency tracks.
What I do now
I find the partnerships worth doing, then carry them through everyone who has a say: executives, legal, product and the team on the other side. The best ones work because the two partner managers act like one team, the deal is fair to both companies, and nobody gives up when the first plan hits reality.
The path
From circuit boards to partnerships, by way of San Diego.
- 2011 · AnkaraEngineeringElectrical and electronics engineering at Bilkent University, plus an internship at one of Turkey’s largest defense companies, programming and testing launch control systems.
- 2015 · San DiegoSwitching to marketingAn MBA at San Diego State, specializing in marketing, graduated with High Honors. Along the way: staff consultant in the Aztec Consulting Program and the AECOM Global Challenge team.
- 2017 · San DiegoLearning by doingDigital marketing intern at Heart Behind Hustle, a marketing and social media internship, project manager at iCatch Marketing, then marketing specialist at GEPermit.
- 2018 · JotformRoom to experimentA company that reaches a huge number of people, with real resources and the freedom to try, fail and try again. I started in growth, learning the whole engine: SEO, email, content, paid and launches. Then I built three partner programs from zero as part of that work.
- 2026 · San FranciscoJotform, San FranciscoMoved to Jotform’s SF office to lead channel and marketing partnerships, and started the Good Neighbors podcast.
Selected work
Behind a few of the names. My role in each, not the logo.
Initiated a native integration for higher education, launched in 2026.
Worked with our Payments and Marketing teams to launch BNPL and earn partner marketing funds.
Co-hosted two integration webinars with a long-time partner.
Created Jotform’s partner podcast, launched it with OpenAI as the first guest and followed with Mollie on local payments.
Organized an accessibility content initiative with two VPs: content plan, shoot schedule and creative direction.
On the road
Stages, booths, partner events and the podcast table.
Podcast · Host
Good Neighbors
I’ve learned a lot from great partner managers over the years, and I wanted more people to hear what they know: what went well, what went wrong, how they ended up in their role, and how AI is changing their work.
It’s also a look behind the curtain for Jotform users: why we build the integrations we do, how much work goes into them, and what people are actually doing with them. We record in our San Francisco office, which has a view worth sharing with our guests.
NewEpisode 2 · MollieMaking payments feel local, with Marcus Granström, VP of Product. Episode 1 · OpenAIFrom AI experiments to real business results.Watch the new episodeNext up: GTM leader Marlene Ronstedt.
Watch & listen
Podcasts, partner webinars, a few early on-camera days, and where I’ve been quoted.
Quoted in Qwilr“Sales and marketing should work together like peanut butter and jelly.”On aligning the two teams, in Qwilr’s expert-led guide to sales enablement.
Quoted in Flowla“Automation in sales can really streamline things.”On automating lead qualification, outreach and onboarding so reps can sell.
Podcasts
Good Neighbors (host: OpenAI, Mollie), HighLevel Spotlight, Momentum by Jotform, Evolve Pipedrive
Also quoted in
Apollo Technical, on building a strong company culture
Events
INBOUND, Dreamforce, Catalyst by Partnership Leaders, Channel Partners Conference & Expo
Field notes
Short, opinionated notes on partnerships, from the things I learned the hard way. All notes →
Channel · 4 min read
Stop recruiting partners. Start choosing them.
Why the shotgun method fails, why partners need help with their first deal, and the HubSpot consultancy that showed me what happens when you get both right.
Read the note →
Tech partnerships · 3 min read
Integrations aren’t built by two companies. They’re built by two partner managers.
Executives, legal and product will rewrite your plan. How two partner managers keep a partnership alive anyway, by acting like one team.
Read the note →
Free tools
Calculators, a quiz and templates for people building partner programs. No signup. All tools →
Quiz · 2 minutesAre you ready for a partner program?
Get a readiness score, the partner model that fits and your next three steps.
CalculatorAffiliate commission calculatorCompare recurring, one-time and tiered payouts against your margin and ad costs.
Guide + templateStart an affiliate program with zero budgetThe spreadsheet-first playbook, with a free tracker template.
What shaped how I work
The stage
Five years fronting rock bands in Ankara. It’s why a conference stage, a podcast mic or a room full of strangers at a networking event feels like home instead of a test.
The court
Competitive basketball and squash. Cheesy, but true: that’s where I learned to keep playing when the score looks bad. Partnerships need the same stubbornness.
The Stoics
I found Stoic philosophy before I found partnerships, and it’s still the most useful thing I bring to them. Not by being emotionless, but by not taking things personally and letting logic, not ego, close the deal. I’d recommend everyone read a little of it.
Also: backpacked a long trail in Turkey, happiest near water, and speaks Turkish, English and some German.
The unofficial bio
Eight years of office life, by the numbers. Get through one day at my office to unlock them.
- Office doors held for coworkers locked
- Hours in meetings locked
- Emails actually read locked
- Vacation slideshows watched locked
- Boss jokes laughed at locked
- Times I cursed at my computer locked
- Office birthday cakes eaten locked
- “Wow, they got so big” locked
Say hi
If you’re in the Bay Area, coffee’s on me.
- Building a partner program? I’m always up for comparing notes.
- Partner manager with a story? Come on Good Neighbors.
- Planning an event? Here’s what I talk about.