INSIGHTS
How the Japan Cloud Ecosystem Drives ARR

One of Japan Cloud’s key strengths is our thriving partner ecosystem. Our 12 portfolio companies, all located on the same floor in Tokyo Midtown, regularly come together to share insights, lessons learned, and even customer leads, contributing to the ARR of our businesses.
This collaborative environment also provides a sense of reassurance, particularly for prospective hires who may have hesitations about joining a foreign startup. They know they’re not alone and can rely on the ecosystem’s support to excel in their sales roles.
Fostering Knowledge Sharing to Accelerate Growth
In early 2024, we launched the Sales Manager Community, a knowledge-sharing initiative that is designed to not only develop leadership skills but also to foster collaboration that directly impacts growth. This initiative aligns with our goal of creating a structure where sales managers can improve their strategies, overcome challenges, and drive their business more effectively.
Sharing Failures, as well as Successes
The Sales Manager Community was born out of the desire to have open discussions about what works and what doesn’t in sales management. The idea was simple: create a space where sales managers could share both their successes and failures, ultimately learning from each other and accelerating the growth of their respective companies. This approach allows managers to refine their leadership styles and sales strategies, resulting in better team performance.

Our first session, which took place in February 2024, involved five sales managers from companies like Coupa, Braze, BlackLine, and WalkMe, with Coupa’s country manager serving as an advisor. Together, we tackled key topics such as situational leadership and the importance of standardizing sales operations, both of which are vital for driving sustainable ARR.
Standardizing and Scaling
One of the major outcomes of our discussions was the importance of standardizing sales operations across teams. Standardization helps sales managers create a consistent approach to deal reviews, forecasting, and recruitment, which in turn accelerates business growth. For example, BlackLine’s head of sales enablement shared a framework for localizing the global Deal Review Template, making it easier to implement across different organizations while still retaining its effectiveness.
By establishing these frameworks, managers can generate revenue more consistently, as they can scale their processes more efficiently. This approach to management not only enables growth but also ensures that sales teams are aligned with the overall business strategy.
What Employees Had to Say
Feedback from participants highlighted how valuable this community is for driving both personal and professional growth. Many sales managers mentioned that the open discussions helped them tackle common challenges in sales, such as recruitment and training. Moreover, they found that the insights they gained from these sessions could be immediately applied to their work, further boosting their ability to contribute to their business.
One sales manager from Coupa Japan noted, “I’ve become more structured in my approach to recruitment and sales strategies, which has already had a positive impact on our business.”
Key Takeaways
Through this initiative, participants learned that the key to accelerating ARR lies in a few important principles:
- Collaborative Learning: Sharing knowledge across teams ensures that best practices are adopted, leading to more consistent performance
- Standardization: Implementing standardized sales processes and frameworks allows managers to focus on scaling their operations efficiently, which is critical for generating revenue
- Situational Leadership: Tailoring leadership styles to individual team members helps sales managers support their teams more effectively, ultimately driving better results.
Looking Ahead: Continued Collaboration for Revenue Generation
Our next steps include expanding the Sales Manager Community to include more participants from other companies within Japan Cloud’s ecosystem. We believe that fostering this kind of collaboration will continue to drive ARR and accelerate growth for all our partner companies.
By continuing to create opportunities for knowledge sharing and developing robust sales strategies, Japan Cloud’s partner ecosystem will remain a key driver of our partners’ success.
