How to Design the Partnership Slide [Present Collaboration]
- Ink Narrates | The Presentation Design Agency
- May 14
- 6 min read
Updated: Jun 2
Our client, Craig, asked us an interesting question while we were building his pitch deck:
“How do I show our partnerships without making it feel like a brag list?”
Our Creative Director replied instantly,
“Show what the collaboration achieves, not just who you collaborated with.”
As a presentation design agency, we work on many partnership slides throughout the year. And in the process, we’ve noticed one common challenge: most businesses confuse collaboration with name-dropping.
So, in this blog, we’ll talk about how to design a partnership slide that actually reflects collaboration. Not just logos lined up like trophies.
In case you didn't know, we specialize in only one thing: making presentations. We can help you by designing your slides and writing your content too.
Why Most Partnership Slides Fall Flat
Let’s be honest, most partnership slides are lazy. You’ve seen them. A neat grid of logos slapped in the middle of the deck, as if simply knowing big names will do the heavy lifting.
We get why people do it. It feels safe. Logos of well-known companies = instant credibility, right?
Not exactly.
Here’s what happens in reality: When all you show is logos, you’re not telling a story. You’re not clarifying what role each partnership plays. You’re not showing collaboration. You’re just name-dropping. And audiences, especially investors or enterprise buyers, are sharp enough to see through that.
The goal of a partnership slide isn’t to look impressive. It’s to be useful. Useful to the audience who’s trying to understand what these collaborations mean for your business. Do they drive distribution? Provide tech integration? Unlock new customer segments? Strengthen your positioning?
Most slides don’t answer that. And that’s the problem.
We’ve worked on decks where companies had truly meaningful collaborations—ones that could easily sway a decision-maker—but the slides buried that value under a collage of logos. No context. No clarity. Just a "look who we know" moment.
In short, they fail because they forget the golden rule: A good partnership slide doesn’t just show who you work with. It shows what the partnership makes possible.
How to Actually Show Collaboration on a Partnership Slide
Okay, so we’ve established the problem. Most partnership slides don’t say anything. They just show off. Now let’s talk about how to fix that.
The goal here is simple: turn a forgettable slide into a meaningful one. That means shifting from “Here’s who we know” to “Here’s what we’ve done together—and why it matters.”
Let’s walk you through what actually works when it comes to partnership slides, based on what we’ve learned designing decks for companies across industries—tech, logistics, sustainability, education, you name it.
Step 1: Start With the Why
Before you drag any logos onto your slide, ask yourself this: Why are we showing these partnerships in the first place?
Are you trying to prove distribution reach? Validate your business model? Highlight ecosystem strength? Signal trust?
Because here’s the thing—why you’re showing the partnerships determines how you show them.
If your partnerships help you reach a broader market, the slide should reflect that reach. If your partners lend technical credibility (like integration with AWS or SAP), then say so. If your product is co-created with another organization, show the co-creation process or the end result.
Too many people skip this. They default to, “We need a partner slide,” and stop there. But this is not a checkbox exercise. This is a proof point. So anchor it to a reason.
Step 2: Move Beyond Logos
This is where most presentations crash.
Logos are fine. But logos alone are lazy. If the slide doesn’t explain what each partner relationship brings to the table, it’s just branding wallpaper.
Instead, pair logos with short, clear context.
Let’s say you work with DHL. Don’t just show the DHL logo and expect the audience to be impressed.
Say what DHL is enabling for your business:
DHL (Last-mile logistics partner – operating in 17 Indian cities since Q2 2023)
Or:
DHL Partnership – Reduced delivery time by 32% in Tier 2 cities
Suddenly, it’s not just a name. It’s a value add. Something real.
And this doesn’t have to be long. Even a two-line description under each logo does the job.
If you’ve got more than five or six partners, consider grouping them into categories—Tech Partners, Channel Partners, Strategic Alliances—and showing what each group enables. This helps your audience process the information quickly and shows that you’ve thought through your ecosystem.
Step 3: Highlight the Outcome, Not Just the Name
People don’t care who you know. They care what that relationship does.
So let’s say you’re an early-stage SaaS company and you’ve secured a partnership with Salesforce. That’s great. But unless you explain what Salesforce is helping you achieve, no one’s going to care.
Are you listed on their marketplace? Have you co-hosted webinars together? Do you integrate with their platform and unlock new enterprise clients?
Say that.
Salesforce AppExchange Integration – Opened access to 800+ enterprise leads since Feb 2024
That line gives your audience something to hold on to. Something concrete.
This is especially important if you’re in a competitive space. Everyone’s working with someone. The point isn’t that you have partners. The point is that your partnerships are working.
Show the results. Show momentum. Show growth.
Step 4: Make It Visual—But Not Decorative
Now let’s talk about design. This is where people tend to go too far in the opposite direction—throwing in fancy graphics, 3D badges, arrows shooting across the slide... all in the name of “storytelling.”
We love storytelling. But overdesigning the partnership slide makes it look fluffy. Investors don’t want to decode abstract graphics to figure out what your partnerships are doing.
Stick to a clean visual layout that supports understanding.
Some formats we’ve seen work really well:
Logo + One-liner format: Each partner’s logo with a single line beneath it explaining their role.
Ecosystem map: If you have many different types of partners (e.g. tech, supply chain, sales), show them as an ecosystem around your product. Place your product at the center and group partners around it based on their function.
Before vs After impact: For a strong case study-style slide, show what changed because of the partnership. One side is the “before,” the other is the “after.” This is especially strong if the change is measurable.
Timeline format: If your partnerships were added over time and each brought a key milestone (new geographies, new capabilities), show them on a timeline.
No matter which layout you choose, the rule stays the same: don’t just show. Explain.
Step 5: Prioritize Quality Over Quantity
Another trap we see? People cramming every single partner they’ve ever spoken to into one slide. Resist the urge.
One meaningful partnership beats ten vague ones. If you’ve done one powerful pilot with a global brand, lead with that. You’re better off going deep on one strong case than going wide with weak signals.
Here’s what works best in most sales decks:Three to five partners, explained clearly.If you’ve got more, put them in the appendix. But the main slide should feel curated.
Also—if the partnership hasn’t happened yet, don’t list it. “In talks with Google” is not a partnership. It’s an email thread.
Step 6: Use Real Data Where You Can
If your partnership helped you grow, scale, or win a deal—show the number.
“This partnership helped us grow revenue by 21% in Q1.”
“Reduced operational costs by $30K per month.”
“Cut integration time by 50%.”
You don’t need to build an entire case study, but a single line with a real number adds massive weight.
Why? Because metrics turn collaboration from nice-to-have to business-critical.
And when your audience sees that a partner isn’t just a name—they’re a growth lever—they start paying attention.
Step 7: Mention Co-Creation If It Exists
There’s partnership, and then there’s co-creation.
If you’ve developed something with a partner—like a joint offering, a custom integration, or a bundled solution—talk about that. This shows a deeper level of collaboration.
Let’s say you’re an edtech company and you’ve built a new curriculum with Cambridge. Say that.
Co-developed hybrid STEM curriculum with Cambridge – Launched in 12 schools, 2X engagement
That’s real. That’s strategic. That’s not just a logo—it’s a shared initiative.
Co-creation is rare. So when it happens, lead with it. It speaks volumes about your product, your partner relationships, and your ability to build together.
Step 8: Match the Slide to the Stage You’re At
This is a detail most people miss.
If you’re early-stage and pre-revenue, showing even one solid partnership (with proof of value) is enough. Don’t try to fake scale.
If you’re mid-stage and scaling, your partnership slide should reflect traction—how partnerships are enabling growth, new channels, or better efficiency.
If you’re mature and raising a later round, this slide should prove that your ecosystem is a moat. That your partnerships create defensibility.
We say this because not all audiences are looking for the same thing. A seed investor doesn’t expect you to have ten distribution partners. But if you’re raising Series B and your partnerships aren’t clearly accelerating the business, that’s a red flag.
So context matters.
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