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New Insights from Tercera: Charting the Future of Software Ecosystems

Tercera, a firm dedicated to advising and investing in growth-stage technology service companies, has recently published its annual research report for 2025-2026, known as the Tercera 30. In this year’s edition, Tercera sheds light on thirty software ecosystems that are believed to present substantial growth potential for tech service providers over the next couple of years.

CEO Chris Barbin emphasizes that the current climate in enterprise software is ever-evolving and with increasing competition, it's critical for service leaders to stay informed on these ecosystems. He states, "The pace of change in enterprise software has never been faster, and for services leaders, the stakes have never been higher. The Tercera 30 helps cut through the noise and spotlight ecosystems well positioned to win in the AI era."

Breaking Down the Tercera 30

The report categorizes the thirty ecosystems into three distinct groups: Market Anchors, Market Movers, and Market Builders.

Market Anchors

These are established software vendors with mature partner ecosystems. Some of the key players include:

• - AWS
• - Microsoft Azure
• - Salesforce
• - SAP
• - Oracle

Market Movers

This segment includes mid-size to large companies with promising growth and evolving ecosystems, such as:

• - IBM
• - Atlassian
• - Shopify
• - Stripe
• - Okta

Market Builders

Comprising high-growth vendors who are currently building their partner ecosystems, like:

• - OpenAI
• - MongoDB
• - Zscaler
• - Celonis
• - Palantir

Evolving Partner Strategies

As ecosystems change, so do the strategies of partners operating within them. The Tercera 30 report spotlights several key themes shaping these dynamics:

• - The Great AI Washing: With AI becoming a buzzword, it can sometimes obscure genuine innovation. Vendors in the Tercera 30 are navigating this trend by focusing on building authentic AI capabilities.
• - Data is the New Cloud: Companies like Databricks and Snowflake are emerging as power players in the tech landscape, challenging traditional cloud service models.
• - Colliding Services and Software: The separation between software providers and consultancy services is diminishing, driven by a new category of services that reflects the ever-increasing capabilities and complexities of AI.
• - Vertical Focus Equals Revenue Advantage: Specialized service firms focusing on specific industries are witnessing higher revenue opportunities from AI applications, while new AI vendors emerge to support these niches.
• - Tech M&A Activity: Mergers and acquisitions appear to be revving back up, with over forty acquisitions recorded within the Tercera 30, reshaping the partner landscape and suggesting a new wave of market consolidation.

In a rapidly transforming tech environment, understanding these dynamics is essential for service firms hoping to thrive in an AI-centric world. Tercera aims to provide the insights needed for decision-makers to navigate this landscape effectively.

For those interested in viewing the comprehensive findings and analysis, the full report can be downloaded on Tercera's website.