Empathy

Empathy builds technology combining purpose-built AI with human support for people facing loss, bereavement leave, caregiving and estate planning. Its platform spans Loss Support, Legacy Planning, Caregiving Support, Leave Support and Client Connect modules. The flagship legacy-planning product, Empathy LifeVault, provides digital tools and AI-guided flows for creating legally compliant estate documents and serves as a central record of financial assets and directives so families are not left searching after a death. The original Loss Support offering, launched as an iOS and Android companion app, streamlines end-of-life bureaucracy — funeral arrangements, will validation, account cancellations, estate administration, benefit claims and property cleanout — and pairs software with human guidance for emotional and practical assistance.

The company sells to institutions rather than directly to consumers, packaging its services as a life insurance benefit, a bank or wealth-management client offering, or an employer benefit tied to bereavement leave. Segments served include life insurance carriers, wealth management firms, banks, credit unions, financial advisors, employers and benefit consultants. Named customers and partners referenced on its site include Guardian, Prudential, Lemonade, CarMax, Croda, Olympus Property and CYFS.

Empathy also runs the Empathy Alliance, a coalition of insurance and wealth-sector corporate investors, and publishes research and content on grief, loss and estate planning.

Founding story

Ron Gura and Yonatan Bergman, who previously worked together at The Gifts Project (acquired by eBay in 2011) and held roles at PayPal, eBay and WeWork, launched Empathy in 2021 after Gura left WeWork. Gura cites personal experience with loss, including the death of his brother Amir and an eBay employee's bereavement, as motivation, along with the view that the end-of-life sector was the largest consumer category still lacking software and services.

Business model

Empathy sells its platform to institutions — life insurers, banks, wealth managers, credit unions, employers and benefit consultants — which make the service available at no cost to their policyholders, clients or employees, positioning it as a living benefit alongside life insurance or bereavement leave.

Revenue comes from institutional partners that provide Empathy's services to the individuals they serve; the company reported a fourfold increase in revenue for 2023.

Traction

Coverage grew from over 5 million lives at the Series B in March 2024 to over 45 million lives across North America by May 2025, with company materials citing 50M+ individuals covered and 9M+ covered employees. LifeVault reached 2 million individuals within two months of launch. Reported user metrics include a 4.8/5 satisfaction rating, a user Net Promoter Score of 75, 92% of users reporting feeling better after using Empathy, and 212+ hours saved per user.

Latest developments

In May 2025 Empathy announced a $72 million Series C led by Adams Street Partners, with proceeds directed toward new languages and markets, additional care-centered products and hiring. The company has since introduced Empathy LifeVault in the United Kingdom and expanded its suite to include caregiving and leave support alongside loss support and legacy planning.