How do architecture and design firms win more of the right projects?
In this episode of CGconnect's Startup Conversations, host Roderick Bates sits down with Kitae Kim, co-founder of Foveate, to explore one of the most overlooked challenges in the AEC industry: the pursuit process.
Drawing from his background in experiential design and architecture, Kitae discusses how years of working on proposals, RFPs, and client presentations led to the creation of Foveate, a Pursuit Intelligence Platform designed to help firms qualify opportunities, understand clients, improve proposal strategies, and create more engaging project narratives.
Watch the conversation
Watch the original conversation on YouTube →
What the conversation covers
- Why most firms struggle to measure pursuit success
- The hidden cost of chasing the wrong projects
- How AI can support go/no-go decisions and proposal development
- The importance of storytelling in architecture and design
- Understanding client psychology and stakeholder priorities
- Why static PDFs may no longer be enough
- The future of business development in AEC
From proposals to pursuit intelligence
Most architecture and design firms have sophisticated tools for producing drawings, models, renderings, and presentations. The pursuit itself is often less connected.
Qualification, client research, proposal development, stakeholder communication, presentation, and follow-up can happen across separate documents and systems.
Foveate approaches the problem as a connected pursuit workflow: Prospect & Qualify, Build & Present, and Know & Track, the framework behind Foveate's Pursuit Intelligence Platform.
About Foveate
Foveate is a Pursuit Intelligence Platform: interactive presentation and proposal software for architecture and design firms. It combines proposal creation, stakeholder analytics, client engagement, and business development in a single browser-based platform.
Firms use it to build interactive presentations, manage the proposal and RFP process, and see who engaged with a sent proposal and what they focused on.
About CGconnect's Startup Conversations
Startup Conversations is a CGconnect series featuring founders, innovators, and industry leaders building in architecture, engineering, construction, visualization, and design technology.
This episode was published by CGconnect, the design and visualization community from Chaos.
Watch the original episode on YouTube →
Related Reading
- Business Development for Architecture Firms
- How Architecture Firms Win More Proposals: The Complete Guide
- What Happens After You Send an Architecture Proposal?
- Architecture Proposal Follow-Up: How to Stop Sending "Just Checking In" Emails
- Interactive Architecture Presentations vs. PDF Proposals
Build a better pursuit process
See how Foveate connects qualification, proposal creation, presentation, stakeholder intelligence, and engagement analytics in one platform.
Explore FoveateAbout the Author

Kitae Kim
Architect with 10 years of experience in design and client communication. Co-founder of Foveate, the Pursuit Intelligence Platform for AEC firms. Former studio lead who saw too many winning designs lose to worse proposals.
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