Built by humans who understand the pain of forgetting someone’s name.
Paul Galatis
Rob Menné
Our story
It started long before the company did.
Names & Faces existed long before it became software. It lived in scribbled sticky notes, dog-eared yearbooks, prized Rolodexes, printed reception posters, shared spreadsheets, class lists, curled-up name tags, sprawling organograms, and endless online searches. Because people interact better when they know each other’s names. We’re more authentic, confident, respectful, and engaged — and far less awkward. That’s what we believe, and it’s why we built Names & Faces.
The first version was a school yearbook.
In 1997, Paul borrowed one of the first digital cameras he’d ever seen and photographed every student at his school. He compiled a simple book of names and faces and gave a copy to every student, teacher, and parent. It worked. Fewer awkward “hey… buddy” moments. Fewer missed connections. A stronger sense of belonging. The school asked for it again the next year. And the next. Soon, other schools were asking too. What started as a simple school project quietly became a side hustle alongside Paul’s next venture, Yuppiechef.
Then came the workplace version.
Years later, Paul met Rob at the UCT Graduate School of Business. After a career in construction and real estate, Rob was looking for something less… concrete. The two stayed in touch, regularly meeting to talk about design, technology, business, and people. Again and again, the same idea surfaced: why was it still so hard to know who’s who inside growing organisations? Most people systems felt cold, outdated, or hidden away in HR software nobody actually used. So they decided to build the kind of people directory they wished existed in their own organisations — simple, visual, and human. Rob became employee number one, and Names & Faces was born.
The idea spread quickly.
In the early days, the product spread organically from schools into companies and communities. One of the first people to see its potential was Richard Arscott, then Managing Director of AMV BBDO in London. “Oh wow, I need this,” he said. “I employ 400 people across two open-plan floors and pride myself on knowing who’s who.” He became the company’s first UK client and later joined as a co-founder for many years.
From Cape Town to California — and back again.
In 2018, Names & Faces was selected for Y Combinator. The team moved to California, raised funding from leading investors including Accel, and continued building the product. Today, the team is back home in Cape Town, helping organisations around the world build stronger, more connected teams.
What we believe now is what we believed then.
Knowing someone’s name matters. It changes how people show up. It makes organisations feel more human. And in a world of growing teams, remote work, and endless digital tools, remembering who’s who still matters more than most people think.
