There's the Core API, rolled out in 2010, with which developers can integrate Dropbox into their application. The Dropbox Platform is composed of both (relatively) old and new components. The goal is to equip developers with the tools, information, and support they need to build apps that support Dropbox. That's where the Dropbox Platform - as well as the DBX conference - comes in. Rival content-sharing service Box, for example, is making a similar push, most recently unveiling a program called Box $rev through which developers can earn extra revenue based on how much Box customers use their apps. However, Dropbox isn't alone in trying to win over the hearts, minds, and coding skills of developers. For that to happen, however, the company needs to convince developers to build quality apps to support its service. Naturally, Dropbox wants to provide the cloud-based storage for mobile and desktop apps to sync and access those files, thereby making its service an integral part of the increasingly lucrative app economy.

The platform fits in with the company's vision of a computing world where users sync their files among devices via the cloud, rather than relying on stodgy old hard drives. As always, when we look at public companies, we’re hunting for market signals that will impact startup fundraising and valuations.At its first-ever developers conference, DBX, Dropbox officially unveiled the Dropbox Platform, a suite of tools for building apps capable of seamlessly accessing files and data from the Dropbox cloud, regardless of location or device. At the end, we’ll translate what we’ve learned from public SaaS companies for their private, startup brethren. To figure out what happened, we’ll start by unearthing what Dropbox managed to pull off in Q4 and compare its projections with market expectations. But with Dropbox shares up 13% pre-market to more than $21 this morning - its original IPO price - perhaps things are changing for one of the two firms. Along with Box, the two file-sharing focused companies were left behind as their broader unicorn cohort’s value surged. While the broader SaaS category has seen huge valuation gains in recent quarters, Dropbox has not.

This morning we’re digging into Dropbox’s earnings report (Q4 2019), and why its recent financial performance and plans for 2020 are making the storage and productivity-focused SaaS player shares soar. Hello and welcome back to our regular morning look at private companies, public markets and the gray space in between.

Dropbox developer revenue share