James Bates

James Bates is Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Datapath. He and Co-CEO David Darmstandler — friends since the third grade — spent more than a year drafting the original Datapath business plan before launching the company in Modesto, California in 2005.

Under James and David's leadership, Datapath has grown from a regional managed IT firm into a nationwide MSP serving healthcare, K-12 education, financial services, and government clients across California and Ohio. The company has been named to the Inc. 500/5000 list of fastest-growing private companies multiple times and recognized as one of the best places to work in Northern California.

James focuses on the operational discipline and team culture that hold Datapath together at scale — grit, authenticity, and ownership — and partners with David on long-term company strategy and the direction of the Datapath AI Suite.