Empathy partners with New York Life to provide support for families after the loss of a loved one

Empathy, a platform that helps families navigate the logistical and emotional journeys they face after losing a loved one, announced on Tuesday it is partnering with New York Life, America’s largest mutual life insurer company. Empathy’s digital companion mobile app is now available to New York Life beneficiaries, and provides financial clarity as well as bereavement resources.

The loss of a loved one often leaves families grieving and in distress, not just from the loss itself, but from coping with the overwhelming logistical challenges that follow. In the weeks and months following a loss, families spend over 500 hours on average dealing with immediate needs, like arranging a funeral, validating a will, and longer-term processes such as account cancellations, estate administration, benefit claims, and property cleanout.

By combining technology and human support, the Empathy app helps to simplify end-of-life bureaucracy, minimizes tedious tasks, and automates processes involved in the administration of an estate, which in turn allows families more time to process emotional repercussions, and comfort one another through their loss. Empathy also offers human support to provide users both emotional and practical assistance, creating a hybrid experience to help families navigate arrangements and grief.

Empathy was launched in 2021, and has offices in New York and Tel Aviv. The company was founded by Ron Gura and Yonatan Bergman, and is backed by venture capital firms General Catalyst and Aleph.

“We strongly believe in the role that trusted human guidance, empowered by technology, plays in delivering long-term financial security and peace of mind. There is significant opportunity in embracing new technologies like Empathy that are designed to help families put their love into action,” said New York Life Vice President Sean Madgett.

“Empathy’s core mission is to protect families when navigating a loss and we are proud to bring a technological solution that supports them through every stage of the grieving process. There’s no doubt that logistics are made more difficult by grief, and grief becomes harder due to logistics. Technology can ease the burden,” added Empathy CEO Ron Gura.