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Rob Castaneda: Why trust, mindset, and brand matter more than size in partnerships
In the world of partnerships, few stories are as intertwined with a platform’s growth as ServiceRocket’s journey with Atlassian. In this episode of Inside Partnering, I sat down with Rob Castaneda, Founder and CEO of ServiceRocket, to explore how he built a thriving business by staying true to reliability, mindset, and service excellence.
Rob’s story begins in Sydney, where he founded CustomWare, the precursor to ServiceRocket. When Atlassian made the strategic choice to focus solely on product and leave services to the ecosystem, Rob’s team stepped up to fill the gap.
Over the years, ServiceRocket built Atlassian’s first training programs, ran its early support desk, and helped customers adopt and scale the tools that today power innovation across industries.
In 2008, Rob moved the company to Silicon Valley, rebranded to ServiceRocket, and never looked back. Today, the company has over 250 employees across offices in Palo Alto, Sydney, Santiago, Kuala Lumpur, Toronto, and beyond.
Along the way, ServiceRocket has won Atlassian’s Co-Sell Excellence Award, recognition that Rob treasures not just as an achievement, but as validation of his team’s approach.
The Shift from Product-Led Growth to Enterprise Co-Sell
Atlassian’s evolution from pure product-led growth to enterprise co-sell required a new way of thinking. As Rob put it, “What got you here won’t get you there.” Partners who thrived in transactional, volume-driven environments suddenly had to adopt multi-year roadmaps, centers of excellence, and more strategic engagements.
For ServiceRocket, this shift wasn’t just about adapting to Atlassian’s changes but reimagining how they created value for customers.
Reliability as the Brand Promise
When asked what drove ServiceRocket’s recognition as a co-sell leader, Rob pointed to reliability. He described every engagement with Atlassian’s sales teams as a bet: account managers are putting their reputations and quotas on the line when they bring in a partner. Rob’s mindset? ServiceRocket must always be the safe bet.
“Our goal is not to be the biggest, but to be the most reliable partner.”
That focus extends beyond customers to employees, or “Rocketeers.” Inspired by service leaders like the Ritz-Carlton, Rob emphasizes treating employees well so that they, in turn, treat customers with excellence.
“If employees are treated well, they’ll treat customers well, and the brand will thrive.”
Open Ecosystems and Paying It Forward
Another theme Rob highlighted was his philosophy of abundance within the partner ecosystem. Rather than seeing peers as competitors, he believes in building the ecosystem together.
At Atlassian events, he has even led training sessions for new partners, sharing his playbook openly. His reasoning is simple: ServiceRocket can’t do all the work, and the bigger competition isn’t fellow Atlassian partners, but other software platforms fighting for enterprise attention.
This abundance mindset reflects Rob’s deep involvement in entrepreneurial communities like EO ( Entrepreneurs Organization) and YPO, where he both learns from peers and mentors new founders. His belief: strong partner ecosystems depend on strong leaders.
Looking Ahead
Two decades in, ServiceRocket remains founder-led and self-funded, a rarity in today’s venture-driven ecosystem. For Rob, that independence helps maintain quality and stay true to the company’s brand promise.
Every engagement is something we must earn – with Atlassian, customers, and our own employees.”
With Atlassian at the center of how the world’s most innovative companies build products, ServiceRocket’s role as a trusted partner is more important than ever.
As Rob embarks on a literal world tour, celebrating milestones like the company’s 20th anniversary in Malaysia, his story is a reminder of what’s possible when mindset, culture, and ecosystem focus come together.
🎙️ Inside Partnering is a podcast for ecosystem builders, alliance leaders, and the people shaping the future of partnerships.
Let’s build the future of partnering - together.
🎧 Want more conversations like this?
Check out all 90+ episodes at InsidePartnering.com
💌 Subscribe to get new episodes and behind-the-scenes insights: insidepartnering.substack.com
🔗 Follow Chip on LinkedIn for daily partnership content and guest clips
Know someone Chip should interview? Send a quick email.
Get full access to Inside Partnering at insidepartnering.substack.com/subscribe
View all episodes
By Chip RodgersIn the world of partnerships, few stories are as intertwined with a platform’s growth as ServiceRocket’s journey with Atlassian. In this episode of Inside Partnering, I sat down with Rob Castaneda, Founder and CEO of ServiceRocket, to explore how he built a thriving business by staying true to reliability, mindset, and service excellence.
Rob’s story begins in Sydney, where he founded CustomWare, the precursor to ServiceRocket. When Atlassian made the strategic choice to focus solely on product and leave services to the ecosystem, Rob’s team stepped up to fill the gap.
Over the years, ServiceRocket built Atlassian’s first training programs, ran its early support desk, and helped customers adopt and scale the tools that today power innovation across industries.
In 2008, Rob moved the company to Silicon Valley, rebranded to ServiceRocket, and never looked back. Today, the company has over 250 employees across offices in Palo Alto, Sydney, Santiago, Kuala Lumpur, Toronto, and beyond.
Along the way, ServiceRocket has won Atlassian’s Co-Sell Excellence Award, recognition that Rob treasures not just as an achievement, but as validation of his team’s approach.
The Shift from Product-Led Growth to Enterprise Co-Sell
Atlassian’s evolution from pure product-led growth to enterprise co-sell required a new way of thinking. As Rob put it, “What got you here won’t get you there.” Partners who thrived in transactional, volume-driven environments suddenly had to adopt multi-year roadmaps, centers of excellence, and more strategic engagements.
For ServiceRocket, this shift wasn’t just about adapting to Atlassian’s changes but reimagining how they created value for customers.
Reliability as the Brand Promise
When asked what drove ServiceRocket’s recognition as a co-sell leader, Rob pointed to reliability. He described every engagement with Atlassian’s sales teams as a bet: account managers are putting their reputations and quotas on the line when they bring in a partner. Rob’s mindset? ServiceRocket must always be the safe bet.
“Our goal is not to be the biggest, but to be the most reliable partner.”
That focus extends beyond customers to employees, or “Rocketeers.” Inspired by service leaders like the Ritz-Carlton, Rob emphasizes treating employees well so that they, in turn, treat customers with excellence.
“If employees are treated well, they’ll treat customers well, and the brand will thrive.”
Open Ecosystems and Paying It Forward
Another theme Rob highlighted was his philosophy of abundance within the partner ecosystem. Rather than seeing peers as competitors, he believes in building the ecosystem together.
At Atlassian events, he has even led training sessions for new partners, sharing his playbook openly. His reasoning is simple: ServiceRocket can’t do all the work, and the bigger competition isn’t fellow Atlassian partners, but other software platforms fighting for enterprise attention.
This abundance mindset reflects Rob’s deep involvement in entrepreneurial communities like EO ( Entrepreneurs Organization) and YPO, where he both learns from peers and mentors new founders. His belief: strong partner ecosystems depend on strong leaders.
Looking Ahead
Two decades in, ServiceRocket remains founder-led and self-funded, a rarity in today’s venture-driven ecosystem. For Rob, that independence helps maintain quality and stay true to the company’s brand promise.
Every engagement is something we must earn – with Atlassian, customers, and our own employees.”
With Atlassian at the center of how the world’s most innovative companies build products, ServiceRocket’s role as a trusted partner is more important than ever.
As Rob embarks on a literal world tour, celebrating milestones like the company’s 20th anniversary in Malaysia, his story is a reminder of what’s possible when mindset, culture, and ecosystem focus come together.
🎙️ Inside Partnering is a podcast for ecosystem builders, alliance leaders, and the people shaping the future of partnerships.
Let’s build the future of partnering - together.
🎧 Want more conversations like this?
Check out all 90+ episodes at InsidePartnering.com
💌 Subscribe to get new episodes and behind-the-scenes insights: insidepartnering.substack.com
🔗 Follow Chip on LinkedIn for daily partnership content and guest clips
Know someone Chip should interview? Send a quick email.
Get full access to Inside Partnering at insidepartnering.substack.com/subscribe