Targeted at industries such as manufacturing, retail, and professional services.

Features a progressive creator journey with tiered subscriptions, advanced dashboards (analytics, attribution, API access), and dedicated support for sales, marketing, and IP vetting.

Emphasizes differentiation through hands-on assistance and power-user tools absent in competitors like Microsoft Marketplace.

Positions the platform as an entry point for creators, including independent consultants and resellers.

Includes GitHub integration, referral models, and a dedicated enablement program with AI-assisted mapping to facilitate listings on the Microsoft Marketplace.

Supports pathways from beginner creators to full Microsoft partners.

Employs gamified hackathons to generate and validate reporting solutions, allowing AI-assisted development with mandatory testing.

Fosters collaboration, attribution-based rewards, and community involvement to build a robust supply of vetted products.

Centers on an entertaining episodic video series featuring real customer challenges, hackathon processes, creator profiles, and solution reveals.

Drives demand through customer wish lists, voting, and sponsorships while promoting the marketplace, partnerships, and educational content in an engaging, narrative format.

Primary focus: manufacturing (e.g., plastics, food, inventory/costing challenges), retail, professional services.

Expandable to sub-verticals (e.g., oil & gas, food services, distribution/wholesale).

Platform supports broader ERP reporting (initially Dynamics 365 F&O, potential for SAP/Oracle via partnerships).

Core vehicle: monthly hackathons turned into reality TV-style show (e.g., "Reporting Makeover" or playful branding like "Joe’s Nice Reports").

Format: profile customer problem → report factory blueprint → creator bullpen/hackathon → big reveal; includes segments on customer pain, factory standards, creator stories.

Demand generation: customer wish list/submissions, voting (by persona type), pre-sign ups; select top requests for episodes.

Supply generation: creators compete in defined areas (e.g., ETL, DAX); winners gain attribution/payment/notoriety.

Promotion: YouTube/episodic content, sponsors (e.g., Leapwork for testing, MCA Connect for solutions), partnerships for environments/AI.

Marketplace: open (for SEO/visibility), low-friction sales; MVP via reselling existing assets (e.g., Conduit BI) and gamified hackathons.

Differentiation: entertainment value, competitive creator market, IP/agent support, Microsoft Marketplace enablement program.

Prioritize targeting industries such as manufacturing (e.g., oil and gas, food services), retail, and professional services, with further segmentation by sub-industries.

Establish tiered creator subscriptions: beginner level for initial hosting and sales; mid-tier for enhanced analytics, marketing support, and sales assistance; high-tier for Microsoft Partner benefits, including API access, advanced technical features, and dedicated operational guidance.

Implement AI agents to support creators, including IP conflict checks, growth optimization (acting as an operational director), marketing trends analysis, and assistance with Microsoft Marketplace onboarding.

Develop a marketplace enablement program to guide successful creators toward listing on the Microsoft Marketplace, including form mapping, AI-assisted setup, and potential integration pathways.

Introduce hackathons as a core mechanism for content creation: monthly or topical events where creators compete to build solutions based on customer-submitted challenges; winners receive attribution, payment, and sales revenue; submissions must be tested in demo environments.

Create customer intake processes for submitting reporting challenges via a wish list or application form; select high-vote submissions for hackathons to drive demand articulation.

Partner with entities (e.g., Microsoft partners, testing automation providers like Leapwork, consulting firms) for environment setup, regression testing, and sponsorships to support hackathon execution and platform scalability.

Gamify creator participation: allow AI usage with mandatory testing; provide templates, demo environments, and clear rules for claims on development areas (e.g., 30-day initial deadline with one 15-day extension upon demonstrated progress).

Design visual maps and graphics for the platform and promotional content, such as an interactive "world map" of reporting domains (e.g., inventory, demand planning) for zooming into specific industries or challenges, inspired by detailed ecosystem visualizations.

Develop wireframes and visual elements for the creator dashboard, distinguishing Microsoft Partner views from standard creator views through unique design language while maintaining core functionality.

Create promotional graphics for hackathons, including motion elements, swoops, and thematic visuals (e.g., factory assembly lines, report blueprints on drafting tables) to enhance engagement.

Produce static assets for onboarding, such as explanatory videos or infographics for user registration types (e.g., creator, Microsoft partner, ISV, independent consultant, end customer, recruiter) and voting metadata.

Generate branding materials with a playful, approachable tone (e.g., humorous domain ideas like "Joe’s Nice Reports" or market analogies) to differentiate from formal tech naming conventions.

Launch a recurring video series in a reality TV-inspired format (target 30-45 minutes per episode) to promote the platform, structured around hackathons resolving real customer reporting challenges.

Standard episode segments:

Include introductory narration highlighting the mission to make corporate reporting engaging and accessible.

Film on-location where possible (e.g., customer sites, simulated factories) or use AI-assisted production; start low-budget and scale to professional crew.

Feature sponsors, partners, and creators prominently for notoriety; end with calls-to-action for wish list submissions, creator registration, and marketplace purchases.

Produce supporting videos: short creator/onboarding explanations, case study teasers, and hackathon recaps for YouTube and platform embedding to drive traffic and community participation.

The platform is positioned as an "on-ramp" to the Microsoft Commercial Marketplace. Proposed collaborations involve integration (e.g., mapping listings from the platform to Microsoft’s forms), enablement programs to guide creators through Microsoft Marketplace setup, and joint promotion. This would bring marketing benefits such as increased foot traffic from Microsoft’s customer base and co-selling opportunities, differentiating the platform by offering better accompaniment than Microsoft provides directly.

Suggested for sponsoring or integrating automated regression testing automation. This could be featured in hackathons/showcases (e.g., zooming in on testing in the "report factory" map), with Leapwork providing resources or sponsorship to enhance solution validation and appeal to creators/customers.

Highlighted for featuring their Inspire Platform and expertise in showcases/TV show formats. As a prominent Microsoft Dynamics 365 partner, they would be positioned as a "pedigree" example of high-quality contributions, providing mutual promotion and credibility.

Internal or close collaborations where Conduit BI provides initial templates, and Report Factory serves as the authoritative architecture/standard provider. These would be advertised heavily in video content and workshops to drive platform adoption.

Recommendations for partnering with marketing enablement firms, consultants (e.g., for operations/support), and vendors in areas like SMC marketing. Options include paid recommendations (vendors subscribe for visibility) or free endorsements to build trust. Independent consultants could act as resellers with referral credits.

Hackathon and Showcase Sponsors: Broader sponsorship model for events (e.g., "this week brought to you by…​"), attracting companies to fund visibility in exchange for promotion during customer-focused hackathons and video productions.