Executive Team
Tim Baynes
Founder and CEO, Head of Product
Tim is a technologist with deep expertise in knowledge-based and AI systems. With over 25 years of experience, Tim has worked for and with the world’s largest software companies and manufacturers, and led teams at KPMG, Oracle, Gartner and Configit. He has designed, built and implemented CPQ systems that scale to millions of users. He believes that commerce systems should be intelligent enough to help the shopper get exactly what they want. Tim founded Compatio to bring the best practices and power of AI to digital and social commerce.
Catherine Trau
Co-founder and Vice President – Operations & Strategy
Catherine’s experience combines operations, technology and creativity. As President of Off Radar Media Group, L.A., she identified and negotiated viable opportunities for investors and managed their interests in the resulting start-up ventures and partnerships. A specialist in media design and technology, she headed Technical Operations – West Coast, MTV Networks, where she and her team developed innovative technical designs and supervised technical crew and operations for award shows, reality shows and concerts around the world. At NBC, New York, Catherine edited for NBC News and gained her first start-up experience as the Operations Manager for the build and launch of CNBC. Catherine earned a B.A., Economics, from Washington University and an M.A., Learning Design and Technology, from SDSU. A dog lover, she served on the Board of K9s For Camo, a nonprofit which trains rescue dogs to be service dogs for veterans.
Shawn Yeager
Vice President – Business Development
Shawn is a senior strategic business development and operational executive with a passion for building from scratch, leveraging what exists, and dreaming up what needs to be done. A three-time CEO responsible for millions in capital in the advertising, entertainment and financial technologies markets, Shawn has also completed the sale of companies in transactions valued over $100,000,000. Throughout his career he has identified new market opportunities and created whole new categories of solutions to meet them. He loves the analysis and execution of growth opportunities and in playing a central role in effectuating those strategic plans. Most of all, Shawn enjoys tackling issues that others deem impossible and understands that relationships matter more in the digital world, not less. Shawn is a graduate of UCLA with Honors, and holds both a JD and MBA from UC Davis. He is a member of the Georgia Bar and a frequent lecturer on new venture formation and opportunity analysis at the undergraduate and graduate level.
Chacko Cherian
Co-founder and Director – Compatio, India
Chacko has founded and run companies in the fields of software development, supply chain management and logistics technologies. He is multilingual, with an executive education from Stanford Graduate School of Business and an MS from Arizona State University. An avid endurance cyclist, Chacko cycled from Seattle, Washington to Washington, DC, covering 3300 miles as part of an effort that raised $300,000 for the American Lung Association in 2010. He loves exploring new places with his wife and children.