Aish Sinha On Crafting Strategic Partnerships In Digital Media

Strategic partnerships are a critical tool for media and tech companies looking to grow their user base, expand into new markets, build new business lines, and deliver shareholder value. Yet, building a successful partnership is not as simple as shaking hands and getting down to work. There are many pitfalls to be aware of, as executives venture into the realm of partnerships. 

Aish Sinha is a digital media industry leader, serving in a global leadership role with one of the largest video platforms in the world and seasoned business development professional.  As Sinha explains, a great deal of thought, planning, and measurement must go into building and sustaining strategic partnerships that work.

With extensive experience in M&A, venture fundraising, corporate strategy, and business development, Sinha has advised and led programs at companies operating across tech services, e-commerce, and digital media. His past experience includes raising late-stage venture rounds from investors such as Tiger Global, Matrix, Alpha Wave Global and Temasek, and working in leadership roles in the mobile and digital media industries, leading radio spectrum and fiber sharing, content delivery, preloads, co-marketing and product, connected TV as well as trust & safety partnerships.  

"Strategic partnerships are powerful levers for growth," says Sinha, whose impressive track record includes shaping alliances that have accelerated user acquisition and opened new revenue streams. "However, they can also be huge distractions if not done with clarity of purpose and mutually beneficial objectives."

Sinha explains the five things every leader should consider about creating and maintaining strategic partnerships. 

1. The Many Forms of Strategic Partnerships

According to Sinha, the term "strategic partnership" might bring to mind images of shareholders shaking hands bringing to life a new merged entity, however there is a wide landscape of deals. 

"Strategic partnerships can take multiple forms," he points out. "They can be highly integrated joint ventures, where two parties contribute both capital, resources and capabilities to form a new entity. They can be partnerships that involve some equity investment so that the parties are very closely aligned — sometimes this sets the stage for an eventual acquisition. Or they can involve revenue shares, commercial payments or barter based alliances where each side commits resources, investing in either or both cash and kind."

Understanding which type of partnership is most appropriate hinges on key objectives, synergies and interdependence, corporate strategy and the nature of the market opportunity. 

"Joint ventures can work when both parties need to share intellectual property and co-develop a product," Sinha recalls. "In other cases, an investment-based partnership might be more appropriate because one company wants to align financially with another's growth. Then there are instances where a business alliance suffices: each party brings a unique asset—like marketing channels or technology infrastructure and expertise —to achieve a shared goal."

2. Aligning Partnership Categories with Key Objectives

Forming a strategic partnership involves more than just matching supply with demand; it requires clarity around a company's deeper goals. 

"The first step in identifying potential partners is knowing exactly why you need them," Sinha explains. "Are you aiming for growth, retention, new revenue streams, product or content distribution or cost savings?"

He offers an example: "Distribution partnerships are all about reach—if you're trying to get a product in front of a massive audience, you want a partner that already has extensive market penetration, and a large user base. On the other hand, if revenue growth is what you are after, you look for a partner that can directly funnel paying users to your product, resell or bundle your product with theirs or help you unlock new cross-selling opportunities."

Sinha emphasizes you have to link corporate objectives to partnership categories before making any approach. 

"It's easy to get excited about a company's brand or technology and forget to ask if it truly works with your goals. If the strategic objective isn't clear, the partnership won't be either."

3. Research and Prioritization: Focus on the Right Partners

Even after clarifying your objectives, the next question is often: "Where do we start?" 

Sinha suggests that  research and prioritization are essential. "With limited resources, you simply can't chase every potential partnership," he says. "Focus on the few that matter most."

In many industries, he notes, "One or two big players can dominate 80% of the user base. If you want quick traction, you go after those top-tier partners first." 

Of course, this requires due diligence to confirm that both sides are a fit and that there's genuine synergy between their products or user bases. 

"I always recommend drafting a quick ranking system," Sinha advises. "Look at factors like market position and share, brand alignment, technological integration compatibility, and the long-term potential impact or ROI." Cross-functional alignment internally is equally important, because the partnership must meet objectives of various internal stakeholders. 

4. Mapping the "Gives" and "Gets"

The magic of a lasting strategic partnership often lies in the mutual exchange of value—what Sinha calls the "gives and gets." 

He explains: "This is a crucial step. You identify precisely what you want from the partner—maybe it's their distribution network, social media presence, marketing budgets, brand recognition & credibility or an ability to deliver a service effectively—and, just as importantly, what you can offer them in return."

He encourages an honest assessment of your own assets. 

"Sometimes companies underestimate the value they bring, whether it's user base, marketing budgets, or compelling content," says Sinha. "Each of these can be currency in a partnership. You'd be surprised how much a mobile partner values exclusive content or user journey or how a technology partner can leverage marketing dollars you might already be spending or a sales channel you already sell-through. Once you map those gives and gets, you can negotiate a deal that feels equitable and truly beneficial for both sides. The deficit, if any, can often be funded by cash."

5. Measuring Partnership Success with a "North Star" Metric

Sinha believes that far too many partnerships fail because the parties never agreed on how they'd track success. 

"Measuring the effectiveness of a partnership is absolutely crucial," Sinha says. "That typically means defining a north star metric—be it growth, user acquisition, or cost savings—that you both aim to influence."

He believes in regular check-ins and data-driven assessments. 

"If your north star metric is new users, you should be looking at app downloads, daily activity and usage, and retention to see if the partnership is actually contributing to your core KPIs, assuming the partnership is already driving down your new user acquisition costs. You also want to watch for secondary impact, like engagement, brand recall, and press coverage" Sinha shares. 

Sinha notes that the best partnerships evolve through a process of continuous measurement and iteration: "If something's not working, tweak it or let go. If it is working, you might explore ways to double down."

Fail fast, or scale-up 

Sinha believes that strategic partnerships are a powerful lever for growth—so long as they're rooted in clear objectives, thorough research, mutual value exchange, and robust metrics. 

"Partnerships can open doors to markets you can't reach alone," he says, "but the trick is staying disciplined. You have to stay laser-focused on what you're aiming to achieve together, and always re-assess potential and achieved impact." Don't be shy to abandon  a pilot if it is not working, but ensure if something is successful it is replicated and scaled up. 

Image Credit: Aish Sinha

The views and ideas expressed in this article by Aish Sinha are personal, and not the views of his present or past employers. 

This post was authored by an external contributor and does not represent Benzinga's opinions and has not been edited for content. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice.