Corallites Unite! 🪸🪸

When you found a startup, you get to worry about a lot of things. One thing that was not on my radar was what to call Reef.ai employees. Now that we’re here, it’s actually a pretty big decision. It creates identity, community, and has a direct influence on company culture. And once you commit, it’s really hard to change course.

At Reef.ai, we had some unique challenges. We’re an AI/ML SaaS business based in Hawaii and we wanted something that captured our culture. The most obvious names had alternative meanings that made them interesting but not ideal choices. (See “Reefers” and “Polyps”)

Then we came across “corallites”. What are corallites, you ask?

If you’ve ever touched a coral reef, you probably noticed that beneath the anemones, polyps, urchins, and other sea life, there is a hard, stone-like framing that gives the reef it’s strength. These are corallites. Corallites are created by polyps and become a safe home where they can escape from danger. We like this analogy.

Reef customers create the need for Reef employees and we provide a safe place where their customer data can help them grow. A reef starts small, often a single corallite. Then, other corallites form and multiply. The reef grows bigger and bigger, not just supporting polyps but creating an entire ecosystem of life around the reef.

5 reasons why we like corallites as a name for Reef.ai employees:

🪸 Corallites grow and connect to become the reef. A single corallite is the original building block of a reef. Additional corallites connect and begin to form a reef. They all build and grow together until there is a rich, thriving ecosystem. This is the story of Reef.ai.

🪸 Corallites sounds a lot like correlates. We’re nerdy, we ♥️ data, scoring is a Reef core value prop, and correlation is a big part of ML scoring. It just fits.

🪸 Corallites are strong and adaptable. A reef’s environment is always changing, and a reef has to quickly adapt to thrive and grow. When we hire new corallites, adaptability is one of the key traits we look for.

🪸 Corallites are secure. Corallites protect life in a reef from predators. Connecting, improving, and creating data is at the heart of what Reef.ai does for our customers. We take keeping it secure seriously.

🪸 Corallites are fun. Or, so we’ve heard. :)

So now, we’re not just Reef.ai employees, we’re Corallites!

Interested in becoming a Corallite? Follow us on LinkedIn and DM us. We're hiring.