About us

The humans behind Neya

Started by three dads on a mission to make their communities stronger, closer and easier to access. Now grown into a small, community-obsessed team helping neighbours find, meet and support each other.

The founders

Three dads, one mission

Rob Chapman

CEO

I live in Oxford with my wife and daughters. I love being part of local community groups, but struggle to keep up! I'm building Neya to help everyone feel like they can get the most out of the communities around them.

Josh Wreford

CTO

I moved from Devon to London and experienced the difficulty of finding community connection. I've spent 16 years building technology products that delight people, including at Spotify, Gousto, Trainline and others.

Harry Hobson

Chief Community Scientist

I have always been fascinated by what makes communities thrive. I started Neighbourly Lab, which researches this question and runs the Government's Tackling Loneliness Hub. I live in Hammersmith with my son and my golden-retriever.

Our why

Why we're building Neya

We want to make it easy for everyone to feel connected in their neighbourhood.

We're building Neya because we want to feel more connected to the people around us. Life is better when you know the people who live near you. It's easier to get support when you want it, easier to join in with things happening locally, and easier to save money by borrowing and helping each other. But finding your way into those friendly, active local communities is difficult. It's not because people don't care anymore. It's because while most things in life have got easier, finding people and groups around you hasn't. There are lots of apps and tools to talk to people far away, but none that really work to help us safely connect with the people around us.

Still our why

Neya is our way of trying to fix that. It helps people nearby find each other, support each other, and feel part of something bigger where they live. We want life to feel a bit easier, a bit cheaper, and a bit more fun because we're not doing everything on our own. Neya helps us achieve that, by helping us find the right local people, groups or businesses for whatever we ask. We're still learning how to make this work really well. If you have ideas or feedback, you can message Neya or email us at hello@joinneya.com. Harry, Rob and Josh Co-founders @ Neya

Come build your neighbourhood with us

It starts with one hello.

Join Neya and find the groups, events and neighbours that make where you live feel like home.

Join Neya

Free to join · Real, verified neighbours · Hosted by Neya to help keep things safe

5 stars on the App Store

“Love this app” — KCT0165“Love this” — Homer Simpson’s Cat