AUSTIN, TX — April 7, 2025
— Growth Acceleration Partners (GAP), a consulting and technology services firm delivering custom software, data engineering and modernization solutions, today announced the appointment of Michael Labate as its new Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer (CRMO). This move is designed to strengthen GAP’s position as a trusted partner for enterprise modernization and unlock greater value for clients navigating AI-driven transformation.
In this pivotal role, Labate will lead the company’s revenue growth and go-to-market strategies as GAP empowers high-growth U.S. companies to achieve their business goals through innovation.
Labate joins GAP with more than two decades of experience scaling global Commercial organizations across the technology spectrum — including consulting, SaaS and data services where he built market traction across the enterprise software and services space.
“Michael’s arrival marks a new chapter in GAP’s growth story,” said Joyce Durst, CEO and cofounder of GAP. “He brings a unique blend of strategic insight and executional rigor, which is exactly what we need as we continue growing a category-defining services company. His leadership will not only accelerate our revenue engine, but also deepen our alignment with clients who view technology as a critical lever for value creation.”
In his new role, Labate will lead GAP’s integrated sales and marketing teams, align cross-functional strategy across services, and focus on driving measurable outcomes for clients. In sectors like healthcare and fintech, where compliance, scale and data modernization are mission-critical, Labate’s leadership will enable GAP to deliver faster, smarter outcomes tailored to each industry’s unique challenges.
“Joining GAP is an opportunity to create an outsized impact at the intersection of growth and innovation,” said Labate. “What drew me here was the company’s client-first culture, high-caliber engineering talent, and proven ability to modernize software and data solutions with AI at the core. My focus is on executing a bold commercial strategy by partnering with clients to solve the right problems, at the right time, with the right solutions.”
Labate’s leadership background also includes M&A and transaction support for portfolio companies backed by SoftBank, Trivest Partners, HG Capital and Horizon Capital. Prior to executive roles, he spent over a decade at SAP in global sales and marketing leadership functions.
“Michael brings the clarity and cadence of a commercial operator with a transformative mindset,” said GAP’s CTO Paul Brownell. “His global perspective and deep GTM experience will help us continue to lead with a business-first approach, ensuring every engagement delivers both technical excellence and measurable outcomes.”
A winner of “CRO of the Year” at the 2024 Sales 3.0 Conference in Las Vegas, Labate brings deep domain expertise in sales strategy and execution, and has helped small, medium and large enterprises scale value creation. He earned a business degree from Penn State University and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
About Growth Acceleration Partners
At GAP, we consult, design, build, and modernize revenue-generating software and data engineering solutions for our clients. With modernization services and AI tools, we help businesses achieve a competitive advantage through technology. Learn more at www.WeAreGAP.com.