Strategic partnership
A cooperation agreement between two independent companies aiming to create mutual value without a merger or acquisition. It can take the form of a commercial agreement, technology co-development, joint venture, or cross-distribution deal.
In practice
A strategic partnership is profitable only when the asymmetry is positive for both parties: each brings something the other cannot easily replicate internally. A SaaS editor partnering with a major consultancy gains access to clients it cannot prospect directly; the consultancy enriches its offer without building software. The most frequent mistake: signing a partnership without defining success metrics and exit conditions, leading to dormant alliances that consume management energy without producing results.