About us
Captivate is an AI solutions company that helps organisations operationalise AI across teams — from sales to IT. Our platforms make AI practical, governed, and deeply integrated into how people work – supporting human judgment rather than replacing it.
We build intelligent systems that connect people, data, and decisions – so businesses can sell smarter, resolve faster, and scale safely with humans firmly in control.
Trusted by global leaders
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Chris Patterson
Founder and CEO
Chris has a long and distinguished career in technology, beginning with IBM in 1985. Over the years, he has helped numerous business grow and exit, as well as successfully growing and exiting his own ventures.
Drawing on his extensive background in sales and marketing, Chris founded Captivate with the goal of creating a platform that would bring greater flexibility, functionality, and organization to the dynamic and expanding world of chat.
With advancements such as GPT and Bard, chatbots are becoming sophisticated, and the Captivate Chat platform is well-positioned to seamlessly integrate with these technologies and expand its capabilities in the chat world.
Julian Newby
CRO
Julian is a marketing veteran with over 30 years of experience in the industry.
He’s held numerous senior leadership positions in both local and global roles, working for big global companies like YouGov and WPP, and collaborating with powerhouse brands like Coke, Unilever, Sony, Mars, and Nestle. Julian’s expertise spans across multiple markets, including the UAE, China, UK, and Vietnam.
But Julian is also a seasoned entrepreneur who’s been part of three successful start-ups, where he’s been instrumental in their growth and success.
Julian has a knack for launching products that hit the mark, having launched three highly successful SaaS platforms that have generated millions in revenue.
Rob Benson
COO
Rob is an accomplished business and technology leader with over three decades of experience, blending technical expertise and business acumen to deliver exceptional value to customers worldwide. With a strong focus on customer success, he excels in leading high-performing teams and delivering innovative solutions across diverse industries.
Rob’s career highlights include founding, leading, and growing IT services and product businesses to success. His expertise spans strategy, leadership, and innovation, making him a vital asset to the Captivate team and its customers. Rob is passionate about leveraging technology to achieve great outcomes, always prioritizing practical impact over technology for its own sake.
Committed to collaboration and excellence, Rob is eager to explore opportunities with current and future customers, striving to deliver outstanding results. His dedication to aligning technology with business needs ensures measurable success for every partnership.
Lance Del Valle
Head of Technology
Lance is a software architect with 10 years of experience in the software development and project management industry.
He has vast knowledge of numerous technology stacks, from databases and cloud solutions to programming languages. He is experienced in leading enterprise-level projects and providing technical solutions to complex business challenges.
Lance is a passionate leader and has effectively trained and mentored numerous junior developers. He is committed to keeping up with the latest trends in software engineering and is dedicated to delivering top-notch software solutions.
Ed Villena
Head of DevOps
Ed is an accomplished System Operator with deep expertise in networked environments.
He is proficient in Shell scripting, Cloud Foundry, Linux system administration, and prominent cloud platforms such as IBM Cloud, Azure, and AWS, with a strong foundation in SecOps principles. Leading the Captivate DevOps team, Ed ensures resilience of systems and protects operations amid a landscape besieged by cyber threats.
His unwavering dedication to security and operational excellence shields the organisation from malicious actors. Simultaneously, Ed remains a vigilant, lifelong student of emerging DevOps strategies—continually learning what he doesn’t yet know.
Rhenn Taguiam
Head of Communications
Rhenn spent five years working directly with AI systems before most people knew what LLMs were. That technical foundation, combined with over a decade in journalism and content marketing, gives him a rare skill: explaining complex technology in ways that make business sense.
His editorial and writing consultancy background taught him to cut through noise and tell stories that stick. He's written everything from dev guides, press releases, breaking news to long-form features, always focused on what actually matters to the audience.
Rhenn makes communication about AI simple: technical accuracy paired with strategic messaging that helps teams understand why the technology matters and how it works.
The Captivate team
Our products
Platforms built to amplify human capability, not automate it away
Salespilot is the AI sales execution platform.
Get support before, during, and after every meeting with mini courses, live coaching, and automated admin. Reps stay in control of conversations – Salespilot just helps them prepare, execute, and follow up faster.
Call Prep
Live Prompts
Auto Follow-up
Supportpilot is the AI support execution platform.
Improve what happens before, during, and after every interaction with instant context, live guidance, and automatic documentation. Agents own the resolution – Supportpilot just removes the busywork.
Instant Context
Live Guidance
Auto Updates
The Pilot Platform
The Pilot Platform brings AI into the flow of real human-to-human conversations.
It supports people before, during, and after live interactions — preparing them with the right context, guiding them in the moment, and capturing outcomes automatically. From sales and customer support to healthcare, recruitment, and professional services, the platform adapts to how people actually work.
Start with one focused pilot
Extend it to any role or industry
Make every conversation clearer, faster, and more valuable
AI that works for people, not instead of them
Our platforms help teams execute better by supporting human judgment, not replacing it
For sales leaders and revenue teams
Salespilot automates execution and personalises engagement
For support managers and service teams
Supportpilot simplifies resolution and amplifies satisfaction
For IT and operations teams
Vienna orchestrates AI agents and enforces governance
For channel & vendor ecosystems
Captivate creates AI solutions to prepare your organisation to scale
Our edge:
The farshore model
Captivate operates with a unique farshore advantage — a world-class technical team based in the Philippines.
Our engineers, designers, and QA specialists have worked alongside us for over a decade, combining UK leadership with Philippine precision and creativity.
This hybrid model lets us deliver enterprise-grade AI with start-up agility and value.
Our story
2010s
Chris Patterson and Lance Del Valle began collaborating on digital transformation projects
Growth
Their partnership evolved into building tools and platforms based on trust and creativity
Shift to AI
With AI’s rise, Captivate grew into a dedicated AI company — joined by Julian Newby as co-founder and CRO
Today
Captivate powers enterprise AI for global vendors with a simple mission:
Have a challenge we can solve?
Ready to transform your business with AI? Let’s discuss how Captivate can help you operationalise AI across your organisation.