Hi there, I'm István Lakatos, CEO and co-founder of BrandTime.

Although today I spend most of my time helping businesses find the perfect name for their brand or product, my professional journey hasn’t been a traditional one. I originally graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, but instead of immediately entering the tech world, I spent many years working in the tourism industry as a tour guide. 

I’ve always been fascinated by languages, words and stylistics, so communicating with people from around the world felt natural to me. At some point, I even taught myself graphic design, just because I loved how powerful a well-crafted visual identity can be.

István Lakatos

CEO

My wife, María Antonieta Salazar is the other driving force behind BrandTime. Despite having graduated as an economist and earning a PhD in Economics, her career — much like mine — has taken a non-traditional path. She has extensive experience as a language teacher, interpreter and travel organizer, and today she leads sales and market research within our company.

María A. Salazar

CMO

The idea behind BrandTime actually began by accident. When launching our previous company, we went through countless brainstorming sessions to find the perfect name and domain. We came up with so many ideas that we ended up registering dozens of domain names, just in case. Eventually, we picked one for ourselves—but the rest remained unused. Until one day...an offer came in. Then another. And another.

That’s when it clicked.

If people were willing to pay for names we came up with almost by instinct, why not turn that into a business? So we did.

That’s how BrandTime was born—a company built on creativity, linguistic intuition, market insight and a deep understanding of how much a great name can matter. Today, we help entrepreneurs, startups and companies of all sizes find a name that speaks, resonates and lasts.

Before founding BrandTime, we co-founded and successfully ran our own tourism company together for many years. That experience taught us the value of clear communication, emotional impact and choosing the right words.