# Michael Osborne

> Michael Osborne is the Austin-based chief executive officer of Appriss Retail, appointed in March 2023. Previously president of Wunderkind and CEO of SmarterHQ, he joined Bazaarvoice as its ninth employee and helped build its sales organization through the 2012 IPO. His public leadership philosophy emphasizes transparency, capable teams, and giving employees authority to make decisions.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer at Appriss Retail
- **Organizations:** Appriss Retail, Wunderkind, SmarterHQ, Bazaarvoice, Coremetrics, myDocket (Handshakez), Techstars Austin
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, High school diploma, Phillips Exeter Academy
- **Known for:** Helped build Bazaarvoice’s commercial organization through its February 2012 IPO., Led SmarterHQ ahead of its acquisition by Wunderkind, announced in November 2020., Received Austin Business Journal recognition in its 2024 Best CEO Awards for a large company.

## Career timeline

- **2003-2006** — Director of Client Services at Coremetrics.
- **2006** — Joined Bazaarvoice as vice president of sales and its ninth employee.
- **2012** — Bazaarvoice went public; Osborne held worldwide sales, chief revenue officer, and chief customer advocate roles during his tenure.
- **2012** — Co-founded myDocket, also known as Handshakez.
- **2014-09** — Joined Smarter Remarketer as president.
- **2015-01** — Promoted to CEO as Smarter Remarketer rebranded to SmarterHQ.
- **2020-11** — Wunderkind announced its acquisition of SmarterHQ.
- **2021-2023** — Served as president of Wunderkind.
- **2023-03** — Appointed CEO of Appriss Retail on March 23.
- **2024-10** — Honored in the Austin Business Journal Best CEO Awards, large-company category.
- **2025-03** — Gemspring Capital announced its acquisition of Appriss Retail.
- **2026-10** — Appriss Retail launched Engage Insights on October 14, with Osborne explaining the need for shared returns data across teams.

## Achievements

- Helped build Bazaarvoice’s commercial organization through its February 2012 IPO.
- Led SmarterHQ ahead of its acquisition by Wunderkind, announced in November 2020.
- Received Austin Business Journal recognition in its 2024 Best CEO Awards for a large company.
- October 2024 award coverage described renewed year-over-year growth and customer churn near zero at Appriss Retail during his tenure.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Appriss Retail released Engage Insights on October 14. Osborne emphasized that returns data should be shared across finance, operations, ecommerce, merchandising, and loss prevention.
- **2025-04** — In a public reflection on two years as CEO, Osborne described learning Appriss Retail’s culture and technology by talking with employees and customers.
- **2025-03** — Gemspring Capital announced its acquisition of Appriss Retail; financial terms were undisclosed.

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelosborne
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/osborneosborne

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/michael-osborne
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-22