Our Story
In a three year period, as college and high school students, both our father and mother died. Our lives changed forever and we received a masterclass in death and dying.
In the years that followed, we navigated not just our grief but immense bureaucratic dysfunction that interrupted our lives: hours on the phone, mountains of paperwork, marathon meetings, nonstop travel, semesters deferred, work taken off. We faced these challenges with advisors, family, and friends to support us, but many Americans are not so fortunate.
We can’t change our past. But we hope, with BUILDco, we can change the future for America’s bereaved.
Our Philosophy
At BUILDco we believe:
Collaboration secures more sustainable change than conflict
The bereaved and institutions are not in a zero sum game
Improvement must be measurable
Research and data gathering must form the foundation of our work
Conversation is a start, not a solution
A population, housed within institutions, that is better able to recover from bereavement will be healthier, wealthier, and more resilient. We want to build that society and be a bridge between those who have lost and the institutions that serve them.
Our Future
The worst has happened. You have lost a loved one. Before you can begin to grieve, you realize there is so much to do.
When you go to your workplace and speak to your employer, they tell you, “take all the time you need.” They mean it. Your bereavement leave is generous and flexible. Your bereavement pay is fair and competitive.
After time with family and friends, you undertake the taxing burden of ending the institutional relationships that made up your loved one’s life. You come to find it is less of a burden than you expected. You notify the vast majority of institutions with a single click, phone call, or in person visit. What once could be a multiyear endeavor concludes inside a month.
When closing some of those institutional relationships, you learn your loved one has opted into certain organizations sharing a downloadable compressed folder of their public data, memories they hope to leave behind, but has opted out of other data sharing. You rest assured knowing their wishes and legacy have been honored.
As you turn to the future, you reflect on all that you and your loved ones have lost. The load will have to be redistributed, but younger members of your family join a community group that is there to anticipate and respond to the unique ways a loss can manifest. There is no way to replace your loved one, but you will be supported as you learn to navigate the world without them.