# Barrett Boston

> Barrett Boston is the former Chief Executive Officer of Ottimate (formerly Plate IQ), a San Francisco-based AI-powered accounts payable automation platform. Appointed CEO in October 2021 following FTV Capital's majority investment, Boston transformed the company from a restaurant-focused invoice tool into a multi-industry AP automation leader serving hospitality, healthcare, grocery, retail, construction, and manufacturing sectors. Under his leadership, Ottimate rebranded from Plate IQ, raised $160 million in Series B funding, launched an industry-first AI engine for AP, and introduced Conversational AP - an AI assistant for finance teams. Boston stepped down in March 2026, passing the CEO role to Shawn Lane. His career spans IBM, TravelClick, TriNet, and Merrill Lynch, with an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in Economics from Duke University.

- **Role:** Former Chief Executive Officer at Ottimate
- **Organizations:** Ottimate, FTV Capital (portfolio company), TriNet, TravelClick, IBM, Storage Networks, Merrill Lynch Capital Partners / Stonington Partners
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Arts, Economics, Duke University, Study Abroad, Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po), MBA, Harvard Business School
- **Known for:** Led transformation of Plate IQ into Ottimate, expanding from restaurant-only to 7+ industries including healthcare, construction, retail, manufacturing, and hospitality, Raised $160 million in Series B funding from FTV Capital, bringing total company funding to $320M+, Oversaw development and launch of industry-first AI engine dedicated to Accounts Payable

## Career timeline

- **1991-1995** — BA in Economics, Duke University (including year at Sciences Po, Paris, 1992-1993)
- **1995-1998** — Private Equity Analyst, Merrill Lynch Capital Partners / Stonington Partners
- **1998-2000** — MBA, Harvard Business School
- **2000-2003** — Director and sales leader at Storage Networks
- **2003-2015** — Vice President at IBM Software Group - led Big Data & Analytics worldwide sales, Global Competitive Strategy, and Database/Data Warehouse divisions
- **2015-2017** — President, Americas at TravelClick - oversaw sales and operations for 38,000+ global customers
- **2017-2020** — Chief Revenue Officer & Executive Officer at TriNet
- **2021** — Appointed Chief Executive Officer of Plate IQ (now Ottimate) following FTV Capital majority investment
- **2021** — Ottimate raises $160 million Series B from FTV Capital to expand VendorPay network
- **2023** — Led rebrand of Plate IQ to Ottimate; company expands from restaurant-focus to 7+ industries
- **2024** — Ottimate launches industry-first AI engine built specifically for Accounts Payable
- **2024-2025** — Ottimate introduces Conversational AP - first AI assistant to proactively assess and optimize AP operations
- **2026-03** — Stepped down as CEO of Ottimate; Shawn Lane appointed as successor CEO

## Achievements

- Led transformation of Plate IQ into Ottimate, expanding from restaurant-only to 7+ industries including healthcare, construction, retail, manufacturing, and hospitality
- Raised $160 million in Series B funding from FTV Capital, bringing total company funding to $320M+
- Oversaw development and launch of industry-first AI engine dedicated to Accounts Payable
- Launched Conversational AP - a category-defining AI assistant for finance teams
- Grew Ottimate to 270+ employees under his leadership
- Rebranded the company from Plate IQ to Ottimate, repositioning as multi-industry AI platform
- Established Ottimate's VendorPay network enabling payments to 180,000+ vendors
- Led 12 years at IBM including VP roles in Big Data & Analytics worldwide sales
- Served as Chief Revenue Officer at publicly traded TriNet (NYSE: TNET)

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Stepped down as CEO of Ottimate; Shawn Lane appointed as new CEO to lead next phase of AI-driven growth.
- **2025** — Ottimate introduced Conversational AP, the first AI assistant to proactively assess and optimize AP operations.
- **2024** — Ottimate launched industry-first AI engine dedicated to Accounts Payable under Boston's leadership.
- **2023** — Led the rebrand from Plate IQ to Ottimate, repositioning company as a multi-industry AI platform.

## Links

- Website: https://ottimate.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/barrettboston

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/barrett-boston
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-17