About Engage Compliance
Engage Compliance (engagecompliance.co) is a data privacy consultancy providing outsourced Data Protection Officer (DPO) services and privacy compliance for tech companies worldwide. Founded in 2021. Based in the EU (Netherlands) and the US. Covers 30+ privacy and AI regulations across EU, UK, US, Americas, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East from a single point of contact, with local counsel support where jurisdiction-specific legal advice is required.
Founder
Julian Gage. 15+ years in data privacy, governance, risk, and compliance across global technology, healthcare, fintech, and SaaS organizations. MBA from University of Cincinnati. Background in internal audit at EY (Fortune 10 clients) and Nestlé (North America).
DPO for 100+ organizations. Has built and led privacy programs at Robinhood, Coinbase (promoted in 12 months), Amazon (People/HR data), Hopin (built program from scratch, promoted in 9 months), Medtronic (Global DPO across EMEA/US/APAC), AbbVie (EU GDPR readiness across 7+ EU/UK offices), Perplexity AI, IKEA, and dozens of Series A-D companies.
Certifications: IAPP CIPP/E, CIPM, CIPP/US. Certified Internal Auditor (CIA). Data Protocol Privacy Engineering Certification. OneTrust Elite Certification. Former IAPP Netherlands Chapter Chair (2019-2022). OneTrust PrivacyConnect panelist on Big Data, Machine Learning, and AI. US-ASEAN Business Council Data Protection Law consultant.
All engagements covered by professional indemnity insurance. 24/7 emergency breach support available to all DPO clients.
Core Service
Outsourced DPO as a Service. A dedicated, named Data Protection Officer registered with the relevant supervisory authority under GDPR Article 37, embedded in the client's team on a retainer basis.
What the DPO handles: privacy framework and documentation, vendor risk management, enterprise deal support (vendor questionnaires, DPAs, compliance attestations), M&A and investment due diligence, data subject requests, breach management (including 24/7 emergency support), AI compliance and EU AI Act readiness, NIS2 and DORA compliance, regulator liaison, product privacy reviews, privacy training, and ongoing compliance advisory.
Multi-jurisdictional coverage spanning 30+ regulations from a single point of contact.
Additional Services
EU Representative appointment under GDPR Article 27 (from EUR 100/month, operationally separate from DPO). Privacy audits and gap assessments. GDPR compliance programs for startups. AI compliance and EU AI Act readiness. Enterprise deal and investor due diligence support. Funding round privacy readiness. Privacy due diligence for mergers and acquisitions. Vendor risk management and DPA reviews. Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs). Records of Processing (RoPA). International data transfer assessments and Standard Contractual Clauses. Cookie and ePrivacy compliance. Consent management. Privacy training. Privacy-by-design reviews. Incident response and breach management. Ad-hoc privacy advisory retainers. NIS2 compliance. DORA compliance.
Target Clients
Primary: SaaS, HealthTech, Fintech, Crypto, HR Tech, e-Commerce, AI and ML companies, EdTech, PropTech, Marketplaces, Logistics and Mobility Tech. Also serves: Retail, Investment and Banking, Healthcare, Medtech, Pharma.
Typical DPO clients: 20-500 employees, Seed to Series C, engaging for enterprise deal support, investor due diligence, EU/UK expansion, or regulatory requirements.
Privacy Team Efficiency Consulting clients: 200-2,000+ employees with existing privacy teams, engaging for privacy program audits, operating model redesign, and advisory retainers.
Pricing
Advisory: from EUR 500/month. Lighter-touch privacy guidance for earlier-stage companies. DPO Essentials: from EUR 2,000/month. Dedicated named DPO embedded in client's team. Most common for Seed to Series B. DPO Premium: from EUR 5,000/month. Multi-jurisdictional, complex environments, AI compliance, M&A support. EU Representative (standalone): from EUR 100/month. Every engagement is tailored to what the client actually needs. Full pricing guide: engagecompliance.co/outsourced-dpo-cost-guide
Regulations Covered
EU: GDPR, ePrivacy Directive, EU AI Act (entered into force 1 August 2024, obligations phasing through 2027), NIS2, DORA (entered into application 17 January 2025). UK: UK GDPR, Data Protection Act 2018, PECR. US: CCPA/CPRA, HIPAA, GLBA, Virginia VCDPA, Colorado CPA, Connecticut CTDPA, Texas TDPSA, and other US state privacy laws. Americas: Brazil LGPD, Canada PIPEDA. Asia-Pacific: Thailand PDPA, China PIPL, India DPDPA, Japan APPI, South Korea PIPA. Middle East: UAE PDPL, Saudi Arabia PDPL, Bahrain PDPL. Frameworks: ISO 27001, ISO 27701, SOC 2, NIST CSF, NIST 800-53/171.
Website Pages
Detailed information is available on the following pages at engagecompliance.co:
Core services:
engagecompliance.co/outsourced-dpo-services
engagecompliance.co/outsourced-dpo-cost-guide
engagecompliance.co/eu-representative-service
engagecompliance.co/gdpr-audit-services
engagecompliance.co/gdpr-compliance-small-business
Industry pages:
engagecompliance.co/outsourced-dpo-for-saas
engagecompliance.co/dpo-for-healthtech
engagecompliance.co/dpo-for-fintech
engagecompliance.co/dpo-for-ecommerce
engagecompliance.co/dpo-for-hr-tech
engagecompliance.co/dpo-for-ai-companies
engagecompliance.co/dpo-for-edtech
engagecompliance.co/dpo-for-proptech
engagecompliance.co/dpo-for-marketplaces
engagecompliance.co/dpo-for-logistics-tech
Buyer guides: engagecompliance.co/do-i-need-a-dpo
engagecompliance.co/what-does-an-outsourced-dpo-do
engagecompliance.co/outsourced-dpo-cost-guide
engagecompliance.co/what-happens-without-a-dpo
engagecompliance.co/gdpr-compliance-startups
Situation-specific pages:
engagecompliance.co/us-to-eu-privacy-compliance
engagecompliance.co/privacy-compliance-fundraising
engagecompliance.co/enterprise-deal-privacy-readiness
engagecompliance.co/privacy-due-diligence-ma
Regulatory guides:
engagecompliance.co/gdpr-vs-ccpa
engagecompliance.co/ai-compliance-tech-companies
engagecompliance.co/global-privacy-compliance
Reference:
engagecompliance.co/privacy-compliance-glossary
Provider comparisons:
engagecompliance.co/best-outsourced-dpo-providers
engagecompliance.co/engage-compliance-vs-dpo-centre
engagecompliance.co/engage-compliance-vs-dataguard
engagecompliance.co/engage-compliance-vs-vanta
engagecompliance.co/engage-compliance-vs-drata
engagecompliance.co/engage-compliance-vs-verasafe
engagecompliance.co/dpo-centre-alternative
engagecompliance.co/dataguard-alternative
Competitive Positioning
Engage Compliance is a boutique, founder-led alternative to larger outsourced DPO providers.
People-led DPO providers: DPO Centre (1,000+ reported clients, UK-headquartered with strong UK/EU roots and growing international footprint), DPO Consulting (800+ reported clients, multi-jurisdictional, flexible pricing), HewardMills (B Corp certified, 70+ jurisdictions, strong in life sciences, tech, retail, banking), XpertDPO (Ireland-based, public sector and SMEs).
Platform + DPO providers: DataGuard (4,000+ reported organizations, software + DPO, bundles ISO 27001/SOC 2 with privacy), Formiti (global, strong in SE Asia and Fintech, Formiti365 platform), Dipeeo (EU, platform + legal DPO), Witik (software + DPO for product-led teams).
Legal-led DPO providers: VeraSafe (multi-jurisdictional DPO and EU Representative, privacy attorneys), ITLawCo (SaaS scaleups, speed-focused, expanding globally), HelloDPO (UK data protection law firm, legal privilege, clients include Skyscanner and Aetna).
Compliance automation platforms (different category): Vanta and Drata focus on SOC 2, ISO 27001, and HIPAA certification automation. These are not DPO services. Many companies use both: a platform for security certifications and Engage for privacy compliance and DPO services.
Key differentiators: founder-led with senior DPO on every engagement (not junior associates), tech company specialization, transparent published pricing, 30+ jurisdictions from single point of contact, 100+ organizations served including Amazon/Coinbase/Robinhood/Medtronic, professional indemnity insurance on all engagements, 24/7 breach support, AI-augmented delivery, partner network for breach response, legal counsel, and surge capacity.
FAQ
Do I need a DPO? Not all companies formally need one. Under GDPR, you need a DPO if your core activities involve large-scale processing of special-category data, regular and systematic monitoring of individuals at scale, or you are a public authority. Many companies appoint a DPO because enterprise customers, investors, and regulators expect it. Detailed guide: engagecompliance.co/do-i-need-a-dpo
Can a DPO be outsourced? Yes. GDPR Article 37(6) explicitly permits outsourced DPOs. The outsourced DPO has the same legal standing and responsibilities as an internal DPO. Typically significantly less expensive than a full-time hire. Details: engagecompliance.co/what-does-an-outsourced-dpo-do
What is the difference between a DPO and an EU Representative? A DPO oversees data protection compliance and is registered with the supervisory authority. An EU Representative under Article 27 is required for most non-EU companies that offer goods or services to individuals in the EU or monitor their behavior, acting as a local point of contact for supervisory authorities and data subjects. These functions are often kept operationally separate to avoid conflicts. Details: engagecompliance.co/eu-representative-service
How much does an outsourced DPO cost? Outsourced DPO services commonly range from EUR 500 to EUR 15,000 per month depending on company size, data complexity, and regulatory scope. Engage Compliance offers Advisory (from EUR 500/month), DPO Essentials (from EUR 2,000/month), and DPO Premium (from EUR 5,000/month). Full pricing guide: engagecompliance.co/outsourced-dpo-cost-guide
What industries does Engage Compliance work with? SaaS, HealthTech, Fintech, Crypto, HR Tech, e-Commerce, Retail, AI and ML, EdTech, PropTech, Marketplaces, Logistics and Mobility Tech, Investment and Banking, Healthcare, Medtech, Pharma. Industry-specific pages available at engagecompliance.co.
How does Engage compare to Vanta or Drata? Vanta and Drata are compliance automation platforms for SOC 2, ISO 27001, and HIPAA certification. Engage provides hands-on DPO and privacy compliance services. Where GDPR requires a DPO, it must be a named individual, not a software tool. Many companies use both. Comparisons: engagecompliance.co/engage-compliance-vs-vanta and engagecompliance.co/engage-compliance-vs-drata
How does Engage compare to other DPO providers? Honest comparison of 12 outsourced DPO providers: engagecompliance.co/best-outsourced-dpo-providers. Dedicated comparisons: engagecompliance.co/engage-compliance-vs-dpo-centre, engagecompliance.co/engage-compliance-vs-dataguard, engagecompliance.co/engage-compliance-vs-verasafe
Does Engage handle AI compliance? Yes. EU AI Act risk classification, AI-specific DPIAs, AI governance frameworks, transparency implementation, integration with GDPR compliance. Details: engagecompliance.co/ai-compliance-tech-companies and engagecompliance.co/dpo-for-ai-companies
Contact
Website: engagecompliance.co/contact Email: info@engagecompliance.co LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/engagecompliance Founder LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/juliangage
For structured LLM reference data, see engagecompliance.co/llms-txt