Grief Care Company Empathy On a Roll with New Investors

Empathy has raised an additional $30 million in Series A funds, led by Entrée Capital, with participation from General Catalyst and Aleph. The company has secured a series of investments this year, including a $13 million infusion in April.

In this recent round of funding, General Catalyst and Aleph doubled their initial investments in Empathy, which represented a portion of that $13 million. A number of angel investors also participated. Angel investors are individuals (rather than organizations) who invest in a company, usually a start up. Companies LocalGlobe and Primetime Partners also contributed funds.

“Empathy is a customer-centric company with compassion at our core. We aim not only to help families who are dealing with loss but also to act as a catalyst for change in the industry at large,” said Ron Gura, co-founder and CEO of Empathy. “Thanks to the support from our new and existing investors, and our partnerships with trailblazing companies leading their respective industries, software is finally being leveraged to make a significant difference for families struggling with loss.”

The Empathy application is designed to help families navigate the logistical aspects of bereavement, including documentation, funeral or memorial arrangements, validating a will and other necessary tasks.

Families can spend more than 500 hours in the weeks following a loved one’s death to address administrative, legal and financial concerns. This can include account cancellations, estate administration, and insurance claims, according to a statement by Empathy. The application is designed to help manage and streamline these activities.

Empathy has attracted attention in the hospice space. Compassus is partnering with the company to offer its platform to the families of their deceased patients as a complement to their own bereavement care services. The two organizations launched a three-month pilot program in the Northeast and plan to roll it out to the more than 200 Compassus locations across 30 states.

Empathy will apply the new round of Series A funds to its ongoing expansion plans, develop new partnerships and to build up its multidisciplinary workforce. The company is forging partnerships with hospice providers, funeral homes and insurance companies, including New York Life.

“Empathy’s product is uniquely disruptive and a category-defining solution dealing with loss. Its holistic approach sets it apart, and this, together with its growth, drew our attention to the company,” said Avi Eyal, managing partner of Entrée Capital. “We look forward to working with Empathy’s founders and team as they grow by providing this much-needed solution to millions of people worldwide.”