OpenAI Partner Program: Tiers, Roles and How to Get OpenAI’s Attention

Short answer: The OpenAI partner program is called the OpenAI Partner Network. It launched on June 14th, 2026, with $150 million behind it. Partners co-sell, build, deploy and help customers connect to OpenAI’s models. They’re ranked in three tiers: Select, Advanced and Elite. Each tier sets a high bar for sales and co-sell work. So the vendors who get noticed are the ones producing partner-sourced pipeline with other OpenAI partners.

What is the OpenAI partner program?

The OpenAI partner program is how OpenAI works with the firms that sell, build and ship AI on its models. Its official name is the OpenAI Partner Network. Per OpenAI’s launch post, it’s “a new program for partners around the world to build, sell, and deliver AI solutions with OpenAI.”

The program is young. It launched with “a select group of global partners.” Still, the goal is big. OpenAI says it’s putting $150 million into the network. It also aims to “train and enable 300,000 certified consultants by the end of 2026.”

So the network is built to grow fast.

What types of OpenAI partners are there?

The public pages don’t list formal partner tracks yet. Instead, the launch post names four roles. Partners can “co-sell, deploy, build, or help customers connect to OpenAI technology.” On top of that, there’s a path for app builders in ChatGPT.

Here’s how that breaks down as of November 8th, 2026:

Partner role	What the role covers	Where it lives
Co-sell	Selling alongside OpenAI’s team	Partner Network
Build	Build AI tools with OpenAI’s help	Partner Network
Deploy	Ship AI projects for customers	Partner Network
Connect	Help customers connect to OpenAI’s models	Partner Network
ChatGPT apps	Publish apps users find in ChatGPT	Its own review path

Launch partners come from systems integration, management consulting, technology and data, per OpenAI. The first four roles sit inside the network, which uses one set of tiers. The last one runs on its own path, covered below.

Those are OpenAI’s labels. Around any one account, though, you’ll meet tech alliance partners, resellers, distributors, OEMs, agencies and consultancies, ISVs, implementation partners, and the list goes on.

How do you join the OpenAI Partner Network?

OpenAI keeps the process short. Per its partner page, there are three steps:

1. Apply. Share what your company can do, your tech skills and your customer work.
2. Enable. Finish onboarding and training, and get access to resources.
3. Grow. Work with OpenAI to win and grow customers.

Notably, the page invites you to “share your interest in being considered.” That wording tells you something. You get picked. You don’t just sign up.

There are no public fees, minimums or approval times. So if you apply, lead with the customers you’ve served. Indeed, that’s what the form asks about.

How do OpenAI partner tiers work?

The launch post names three tiers: Select, Advanced and Elite. Per OpenAI, each one sets a high bar in four areas:

• Sales: the business you drive with OpenAI.
• Tech skill: what your team can build and run.
• Co-sell work: how often you sell next to OpenAI’s team.
• Delivery: the projects you’ve shipped.

There are no public numbers for any tier. However, two of the four tests are about selling. Sales and co-sell work both track business that grows OpenAI.

Specialties and Forward Deployed Experts

Two more pieces are coming. First, OpenAI says partners “will also be able to earn specializations” over time. Its examples are Codex, cybersecurity and agents.

Second, OpenAI is testing a Forward Deployed Experts program with founding partners. It pairs skilled partner staff with OpenAI’s own field engineers on hard projects. For services firms, that’s a direct line into OpenAI’s biggest work.

What do OpenAI partners get?

The partner page lists the perks in broad terms as of November 8th, 2026:

• Co-selling motions that “help connect customers to OpenAI technology.”
• Resources and tech support to build and ship AI.
• Onboarding and training to build skills on OpenAI.
• Ongoing work with OpenAI and “evolving resources.”

OpenAI also runs a Partner Locator, where it invites buyers to “Browse the OpenAI Partner Network.”

That’s a thin public list. So here’s my view of where the lasting value sits. With a model company, the durable opportunity is on the services side. New models ship from many companies every week, so embedding one model is a moving target. GTM motions that services partners run again and again, with OpenAI at the center, last longer.

How do software vendors build apps in ChatGPT?

Many vendors reading this don’t sell services. They sell software. For them, the most direct path is an app in ChatGPT.

On December 17th, 2025, OpenAI announced that developers can submit apps for review and listing in ChatGPT. Here’s how it works, per that post:

• Submit through the OpenAI Developer Platform, with MCP connection details, test steps, listing details and country settings.
• Pass review against OpenAI’s safety and privacy rules, with a clear privacy policy.
• Get listed in the app directory at chatgpt.com/apps, where users browse featured apps or search.

For now, ways to earn are limited. Developers can send users to their own sites or apps to buy physical goods. OpenAI says it’s looking at digital goods too.

How does a vendor get OpenAI’s attention?

Look at what OpenAI actually measures. Two of its four tier tests are sales and co-sell work. In other words, it rewards partners who bring it new business.

That’s the opening. An app in a directory is just a listing. By contrast, a vendor who helps put OpenAI into new large accounts is in a talk its partner team wants to have.

Why partner-sourced pipeline beats going it alone

Think about who already holds the buyer’s trust. For example, a services partner owns the AI plan with the CIO. Meanwhile, a software vendor has the app that makes the rollout pay off. And neither one gets far calling cold.

As a pair, though, they have a reason to call the same accounts. That’s partner-sourced pipeline: deals that start because a partner opened the door. Here’s how partner-sourced and partner-influenced pipeline differ, if the terms are new.

But there’s a catch. If your own SDR team books the meeting, it most likely won’t count as partner-sourced. Run the outreach as the partner, on the partner’s behalf, and it can. Still, confirm with your OpenAI partner contact how the credit is counted.

Start with the accounts, not the pitch

Most partner meetings waste the first ten minutes opening spreadsheets live. Instead, set an agenda of named accounts before the call. Then sort each one three ways:

• Ask: accounts where you want the partner’s intro.
• Give: accounts where you can hand the partner something.
• Mutual: accounts where you both have a reason to go in together.

If you use Crossbeam, that sorting is where account mapping turns into pipeline. Either way, the list comes first. If you build on more than one model, here’s how the Claude Partner Network is set up.

Bring OpenAI’s team a fix, not a roadmap

Co-sell work is one of the four tests in OpenAI’s tiers, so its team wants deals it can work. A buyer with an AI project stuck in pilot has a toothache. They want it fixed now, not a five-year plan. So pair with a services partner and offer a short, scoped fix for one stuck use case, priced even if a partner pays for it.

Lead with use cases you’ve already shipped, not ones you’re still testing. Then take it to OpenAI’s account teams one at a time and ask where it fits. A handful of named accounts from one team is a better start than a launch email to everyone.

What does a partner GTM motion in the OpenAI ecosystem look like?

A partner go-to-market (GTM) motion is one campaign, run with one partner, into accounts you both care about. Here’s how we run one in the OpenAI ecosystem:

1. Pick the partner. Pair a software vendor with a services partner in the OpenAI Partner Network.
2. Agree on the accounts. Overlap your lists and choose accounts where both of you belong in the room.
3. Write one joint story. Answer one question: why these two firms, for this AI project, right now?
4. Run the outreach. Email, LinkedIn and cold calls go out under the partner relationship. A real human SDR makes the calls, not AI. Where it fits, add a field event or an in-person meeting.
5. Hand off the meetings. Booked meetings go to whoever owns the deal, with the partner’s context attached.
6. Track every result. Count meetings, deals and new OpenAI accounts, so you have proof for its partner team.

Each one-off motion is quoted on its own, so there’s no fixed price. As a rough guide, about $15K tends to be the average for a one-off motion with a part-time SDR making a limited number of calls. For scale, one full-time SDR makes about 1,000 cold calls a month. So a program running three to five motions either picks which ones get the calling or adds a second SDR. And any GTM motion could cost you $0 if partners pay for it. Our Produce My Pipeline program is the version that runs every quarter.

Partners often fund these motions too. Big partners rarely pay for your tools, but they will fund a program that produces pipeline. Before you pay for one alone, it’s worth reading how market development funds work.

Related reading

• Partner Mindshare Strategy: Earning Seller Attention
• Partner Program Structure: Tiers, Roles, Rules
• Partnership Job Titles: A Guide to the Roles
• Partnership Roles: Who Does What on a Partner Team

Frequently asked questions

Does OpenAI have a partner program?

Yes. It’s called the OpenAI Partner Network, and it launched on June 14th, 2026. Partners co-sell, build, deploy and help customers connect.

What are the OpenAI partner tiers?

Select, Advanced and Elite. Each sets a high bar for sales, tech skill, co-sell work and delivery. No tier numbers are public.

How much is OpenAI investing in partners?

OpenAI says it’s putting $150 million into the network. It also aims to train and enable 300,000 certified consultants by the end of 2026.

Is the ChatGPT app directory part of the partner network?

OpenAI presents them apart. Developers submit apps through the OpenAI Developer Platform, and approved apps show up in the directory.

How do I find an OpenAI partner?

Use the Partner Locator on OpenAI’s site. It lets buyers browse the network for firms that can help with AI work.

Does it cost money to join?

OpenAI doesn’t post any fees. The partner page just asks you to apply and share your interest in being considered.

Is there an OpenAI partner portal login?

We couldn’t find a public partner portal login on OpenAI’s site. The partner page covers how to apply, and approved partners get onboarding and resources from OpenAI.

The bottom line

The OpenAI partner program is new, selective and built to grow. Tech skill gets you in the door. But sales and co-sell work decide how far you climb. So don’t wait for OpenAI to send you deals. Instead, go build pipeline with the partners who sell to the same buyers. That’s what gets a platform’s attention. Many AI builds also sit on a data platform, so read how the Snowflake Partner Network ranks partners on pipeline and joint customers. You’ll find the rest in our directory of partner programs.

Forecastable is an independent third-party B2B partnerships agency. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by OpenAI. Program details are drawn from OpenAI’s public pages and are current as of November 8th, 2026.

Are you a services partner or software vendor that wants to co-sell with OpenAI? We’ll show you which partners and accounts to start with. Book a Program-Fit Analysis.