The incentive compensation landscape is evolving rapidly, and businesses need technology partners that don’t just keep up but push the boundaries of what’s possible. CaptivateIQ has done just that. We’ve been named a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Sales Performance Management Solutions For Incentive Compensation, Q1 2025, proving, in our opinion, that our relentless commitment to innovation and customer success sets us apart.

For us, Forrester’s recognition speaks volumes. We received the highest scores possible in 12 criteria, including innovation, roadmap, advanced AI capabilities, data transformation and management, plan modeling and scenario-planning capabilities, time-to-value and more—which we believe reinforces our position as the only enterprise-grade modern ICM vendor. 

CaptivateIQ: A Leader in ICM

In 2017 our founders were so frustrated by the existing solutions to manage incentive compensation, that they decided to build a better way. Since then, we've redefined how companies design, manage, and optimize incentive compensation plans. As Forrester report notes:

CaptivateIQ is one in a group of vendors that have emerged with a renewed focus on improving core SPM-ICM capabilities.

Our deep industry knowledge has fueled a product roadmap that tackles the toughest challenges in incentive compensation, keeping our customers ahead of the curve. As a result, our customers are empowered to run commissions more efficiently, hit revenue targets, and set up for future growth. 

The Modern Solution that’s Leading the Way

In recent years, demands in the Incentive Compensation Management space have shifted beyond just having the capabilities enterprises need to manage incentives, but to deliver an experience that is truly self-service. We were purpose-built to meet these demands, receiving highest possible scores in 12 criteria, including:

• Plan creation and maintenance
• Plan modeling and scenario planning capabilities
• End-user modeling capabilities
• And many more… 

Powered by our industry-leading SmartGrid modeling engine, customers get the perfect balance of flexibility and control, making it easier than ever to manage complex incentive plans. As the Forrester report notes:

SmartGrid, its spreadsheet-based user interface, enables administrators to use the solution with ease, leading to fast time to value.

We’ve also embraced the notion that commissions is a data problem. We believe the combined power of our SmartGrid ELT & calculation engine led to us receiving the highest possible scores in the criteria of:   

• Source data integrations
• Data transformation and management
• Time-to-value

The Forrester report notes: 

"[CaptivateIQ's] approach has tackled key issues, starting with data ingestion, for which it created a wide range of pre-configured integrations, that make bringing data into the solution easy."

Unparalleled Innovation that Drives Performance

Beyond product, we believe our continued prowess in innovation is a key reason we were designated a Leader. The Forrester report notes:

Its roadmap has consistently delivered innovative solutions to SPM-ICM specific challenges, which have allowed it to adapt quickly to the needs of its customers.

With highest possible scores in the criteria of:

• Roadmap – A forward-thinking vision that evolves with customer needs
• Execution – Delivering real, impactful solutions at a rapid pace
• Pricing Flexibility & Transparency – Ensuring businesses are paying to meet their needs and fully understand what they’re paying
• Advanced AI Capabilities – Leading the way in AI-powered automation with CaptivateIQ Assist AI

With highest possible scores in the Advanced AI Capabilities criterion specifically, we feel we’re leading the shift toward smarter & faster compensation. Our CaptivateIQ Assist AI streamlines tedious administrative tasks, delivers better clarity to sellers, and helps teams make faster, data-driven decisions—maximizing efficiency and impact.

We’re only going to continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible in ICM. Our current roadmap focuses on:

• Building Plans & Running Commissions Faster – Automating tedious processes so compensation teams can move with speed and accuracy
• Motivating Teams to Hit Targets – Providing sellers with real-time visibility into earnings potential
• Managing Business Growth & Scale – Delivering powerful modeling and scenario planning tools to adapt to evolving business needs

A True Partner for Success

CaptivateIQ isn’t just about technology—we’re a trusted partner in success. We believe this was emphasized by our highest possible scores in the criteria of:

• Ease of Implementation & Maintenance – A seamless onboarding experience with minimal disruption
• Compensation Admin Training & Support – Expert guidance to ensure teams maximize the platform’s value

For us, Forrester’s assessment underscores our customer-first approach:

Customers consistently call out value as the reason they selected the solution because of its ability to simplify complex tasks.

One such customer, Tatiana Silverman, VP, Compensation & HRIS at Transportation Insight, praised CaptivateIQ’s combination of product innovation and customer support: 

It’s no surprise that CaptivateIQ was named a Leader. They’ve not only delivered a robust product that meets our enterprise’s needs, but also continually delivered groundbreaking innovations like their SmartGrid engine and Assist AI. This, combined with unmatched customer support, gives me continued confidence that CaptivateIQ is my trusted ICM partner for the long term.

Riding the Wave of Recognition

Being named a Leader in The Forrester Wave^TM: Sales Performance Management Solutions For Incentive Compensation, Q1 2025 is an incredible milestone, one we've been able to reach thanks to our amazing customers with whom we partner to make our technology better every single day. This partnership has paid dividends in making us a true solution for compensation challenges, as Tatiana Silverman, VP of Compensation & HRIS at Nolan Transportation Group (NTG) notes:

CaptivateIQ is a strong fit for companies looking to empower their administrators to manage overall compensation needs.

But we’re just getting started. As we expand beyond ICM into broader Sales Performance Management, our mission remains the same:

• Help companies operate more efficiently
• Empower sales teams to hit revenue targets
• Position businesses for long-term success

We’re proud of this recognition, but even more excited for what’s ahead. Want to read why CaptivateIQ is a leader? Access the report today.

Forrester does not endorse any company, product, brand, or service included in its research publications and does not advise any person to select the products or services of any company or brand based on the ratings included in such publications. Information is based on the best available resources. Opinions reflect judgment at the time and are subject to change. For more information, read  more about Forrester’s objectivity here.