From AppExchange to Canva: Lessons from Two Decades in Ecosystems

In this episode of Between Product and Partnerships, Cristina Flaschen, Pandium's CEO, talks with Indy Sen, Product Marketing Manager for Ecosystem at Canva. With experience at Salesforce, Box, MuleSoft, Google, WeWork, and now Canva, Indy shares the hard-earned lessons behind building ecosystems, marketing to developers, and aligning internal teams with external impact.

How Indy Landed in Ecosystem Marketing

Indy Sen, Product Marketing Manager for Ecosystem at Canva, traces his career back to Salesforce, where he started on the ground floor of the AppExchange. Though he joined as a pricing strategist, his love for spreadsheets and curiosity about marketing led him to product roles that intersected with developer and partner communities.

"I saw Steve Jobs do his legendary iPhone keynote and thought, 'I don’t know what job that is, but I want to be the one connecting user love, tech, and industry leadership.'"

From there, Indy held key ecosystem marketing roles at Box, MuleSoft, Google, WeWork, and Matterport. Each stop deepened his experience navigating the challenges of platform growth and developer engagement.

Lessons from the Early Days of AppExchange

Indy shares a candid look at Salesforce’s early struggles with the AppExchange, which was internally dubbed the "crap exchange" due to poor alignment between sales and platform teams.

"It kind of got in the salespeople’s way... We had to figure out how to get out of the way and instill the value that partner success is our success."

His team used spreadsheets to reverse-engineer financial models that showed the cost-effectiveness of building on Salesforce. That internal business case helped drive buy-in and scale the ecosystem.

What Makes a Platform Motion Work

Declaring yourself a platform doesn’t make you one. Indy stresses two core ingredients: internal alignment and consistent value delivery.

"Developers are a skeptical bunch. Their time is valuable. You have to prove your platform is worth investing in."

Building trust starts with authentic engagement, not just a dev portal. He cautions against assuming a few hackathons or pizza parties will build a developer community.

Developer Marketing: Then vs. Now

Marketing to developers has evolved significantly. Indy shares how MuleSoft had to "un-Salesforce" itself visually and verbally to reconnect with technical audiences. Generic corporate speak alienated devs.

"Digital transformation doesn’t mean anything to a developer. Time to deployment does."

He emphasizes that great developer marketing means building a strong, clear identity and showing tangible value through documentation, ease of use, and direct language.

The Power of Brand and Community in Developer Ecosystems

At WeWork and Canva, Indy learned the importance of cultivating brand affinity in developer communities. Whimsy, visual flair, and authentic culture matter.

"Developers will sticker bomb their laptops with your brand if they trust you. That’s not just marketing. That’s a relationship."

This includes mascots, conference presence, and community rituals that make developers feel seen and included.

Attribution in Ecosystem Marketing

When it comes to measuring ecosystem success, Indy outlines different approaches for different stages. Early on, API adoption and user activity matter most. As ecosystems mature, retention rates and deal impact become key.

"At Salesforce, we had a magic list of 10 apps. If a customer had one or two of them, they were way more likely to renew."

He also highlights using tools like Gong to track mentions of APIs and integrations in sales calls, helping to connect partner activity to pipeline and influence.

The Future of Ecosystems: Human Over Hype

Despite rapid changes in tooling and the rise of AI, Indy believes the next generation of ecosystems will be defined by human connection, not tech alone.

"Your moat isn’t the tool—it’s the handshake you create with developers."

He predicts that commoditized code will make brand trust and user empathy even more critical differentiators. Teams who focus on authentic relationships and understanding real developer needs will thrive.

Support a Good Cause

‍By the way, support Indy’s run in the London Marathon, where he’s raising funds for cancer research. Donate here: https://secure.acsevents.org/site/STR?fr_id=109250&pg=personal&px=59788306

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