General
AWS Co-Sell is a structured sales collaboration model within the AWS Partner Network (APN) that allows AWS Partners to work directly with AWS sales teams on customer opportunities. The collaboration is enabled through the APN Customer Engagements (ACE) program in AWS Partner Central, where partners can register, share, and manage opportunities with AWS sellers.
Through ACE, a partner submits opportunity details, including customer account information, deal stage, expected close date, and revenue estimates. AWS reviews the opportunity and may accept it for collaboration. When accepted, AWS sellers and the partner coordinate on the account, align on engagement strategy, and jointly pursue the deal. All activity and tracking occur within AWS Partner Central.
For software companies seeking deeper sales alignment, programs such as AWS ISV Accelerate formalize the co-sell motion. ISV Accelerate enables AWS field sellers to identify and prioritize validated partner solutions that run on or integrate with AWS and are transactable through AWS Marketplace.
Eligibility for AWS co-sell depends on the level of engagement a partner is pursuing within the AWS Partner Network (APN).
At a foundational level, any company that is a registered AWS Partner with access to AWS Partner Central can participate in co-sell collaboration through the APN Customer Engagements program. ACE is the official AWS system for sharing, managing, and collaborating on opportunities with AWS sellers.
For partners seeking structured field engagement through the AWS ISV Accelerate Program, AWS publishes explicit eligibility requirements. To qualify, partners must meet all of the following criteria:
Eligibility is therefore program-specific. Basic co-sell collaboration requires APN membership and ACE usage, while structured co-sell programs such as ISV Accelerate require documented opportunity history, Marketplace readiness, Software Path validation status, and completion of AWS-defined training and performance thresholds.
Preparing for the AWS co-sell motion requires operational readiness in AWS systems, technical validation (where applicable), and alignment with AWS program requirements.
First, partners must be active in AWS Partner Central and use the APN Customer Engagements (ACE) program to register and manage opportunities. AWS requires opportunity details such as customer information, stage, estimated revenue, and expected close date to enable collaboration with AWS sellers.
Second, partners pursuing structured co-sell through the AWS ISV Accelerate Program must meet documented program criteria. These include maintaining required opportunity thresholds in ACE, completing the “Co-Selling with AWS” training module, achieving Software Path status of Validated or Differentiated, and maintaining a GA listing on AWS Marketplace.
Third, software partners must pass the Foundational Technical Review (FTR) to validate their solution against AWS best practices; a critical step for both mitigating architectural risk and unlocking ISV Accelerate co-sell benefits.
Finally, if transactions are expected to occur through AWS Marketplace, partners must ensure their product listing meets AWS seller requirements, including production readiness, customer support processes, and compliance with Marketplace policies.
AWS does not publish a single checklist titled “required assets,” but based on official co-sell and program documentation, partners must have defined commercial, technical, and operational assets in place to participate effectively in AWS co-sell.
First, partners must have access to AWS Partner Central and be operational in the APN Customer Engagements (ACE) program, including the ability to submit structured opportunity data such as customer details, opportunity stage, revenue estimate, and close date. This is required for AWS seller collaboration.
Second, partners must articulate a clear joint value proposition, often referred to by AWS as “Better Together” messaging, that explains how their solution integrates with or complements AWS services to deliver customer outcomes. AWS encourages partners to develop and communicate this positioning as part of go-to-market readiness.
Third, for software partners participating in structured co-sell programs such as AWS ISV Accelerate, AWS requires:
Fourth, if transactions are expected through AWS Marketplace, the product must meet AWS seller requirements, including being production-ready, maintaining customer support processes, and adhering to security and update standards.
Finally, technical validation such as the Foundational Technical Review (FTR) may be required or recommended depending on program path and partner type to demonstrate alignment with AWS architectural best practices.
“Better Together” messaging refers to the joint value proposition that explains how a partner’s solution works with AWS services to deliver differentiated customer outcomes. It communicates why the combined offering of the partner and AWS provides greater value than either solution alone.
AWS encourages partners to clearly articulate how their solution integrates with AWS services, the customer problems it solves, and the measurable outcomes it enables as part of go-to-market readiness.
Within AWS Marketplace go-to-market guidance, AWS references the development of “Better Together Messaging” as a positioning step. This includes defining customer use cases, business challenges addressed, value delivered through AWS infrastructure, and differentiation within the AWS ecosystem.
The time required to publish a product on AWS Marketplace varies based on product type, completeness of submission, and whether revisions are required during review.
For SaaS products, AWS documentation states that after submission, AWS Marketplace Seller Operations uses a manual verification process and that updating product visibility to public status typically takes 7–10 business days, and longer if errors are identified.
Beyond visibility updates, the full listing timeline may extend depending on prerequisite steps such as seller registration, tax and banking setup, pricing configuration, product packaging, and integration with AWS Marketplace metering or fulfillment services. These requirements are outlined in the AWS Marketplace Seller Guide.
AWS does not publish a guaranteed end-to-end timeline for all listing types. The duration depends on product category (SaaS, AMI, container, etc.), technical integration requirements, and the number of review cycles needed to resolve issues identified during submission.
AWS documentation does not publish a formal “mistakes” list, but based on the AWS Marketplace Seller Guide and product creation documentation, the most common issues that delay or block listings are tied to unmet seller requirements or incomplete submissions.
One common issue is submitting software that is not production-ready. AWS requires products listed on AWS Marketplace to be fully functional, customer-ready offerings with clearly defined capabilities and documentation.
Another frequent issue is the absence of a defined customer support process. AWS requires sellers to maintain an established support organization and documented customer support procedures.
Security and maintenance gaps can also delay approval. AWS requires sellers to maintain processes for keeping software up to date and addressing vulnerabilities. Failure to demonstrate this can lead to review friction.
Submission errors or incomplete product configuration can extend review timelines. AWS notes that SaaS visibility updates typically take 7–10 business days and may take longer if errors are found during review.
Partners track AWS co-sell performance primarily through AWS Partner Central, which is the official platform for managing co-sell collaboration and opportunity activity.
Within Partner Central, partners use the APN Customer Engagements (ACE) program to register, manage, and monitor shared opportunities. ACE provides visibility into opportunity status, collaboration activity, and engagement history with AWS sellers.
AWS Partner Central also includes Partner Analytics, which provides opportunity pipeline views and reporting capabilities to help partners assess co-sell engagement and track opportunity progression.
For partners transacting through AWS Marketplace, performance related to billed revenue and transactions can be tracked using Marketplace dashboards, including the billed revenue dashboard available to sellers.
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