Meet the End-of-life Planning Startup Co-founded By Nba all star Russell Westbrook

When Donnell Beverly Jr. decided to launch end-of-life readying startup Eazewell after nan nonaccomplishment of some of his parents, he knew exactly who to telephone to thief motorboat nan business: longtime friend, and nine-time NBA All Star, Russell Westbrook.  

“The main thesis pinch Russ crossed each business that he touches is really do we impact people?” Beverly Jr. [pictured above] told TechCrunch. “He’s been very vocal astir that passim his career.  I ever opportunity we really took personal symptom and past created a level to really thief people.” 

Westbrook was in. Former four-time NBA All Star Kemba Walker besides joined and nan trio launched Eazewell.  

Eazewell is an AI-driven level that helps families navigate and automate nan administrative aspects of end-of-life and ceremonial planning. The startup’s AI supplier gives people a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week assets and helps users pinch everything from uncovering and booking a funeral home to cancelling credit paper accounts for a deceased person.  

The institution partners pinch different work providers, for illustration hospice care, funeral homes, and various security companies, which allows the platform to beryllium free to usage pinch nan action of paying for much premium features.  

“I had an opportunity to beryllium capable to be adjacent pinch his family and go through nan process pinch [Beverly Jr.],” Westbrook told TechCrunch. “He’s done an astonishing occupation of idealizing this thought and bringing it to life. I’m excited to benignant of beryllium partner pinch him alongside him connected this.” 

Beverly Jr. said he sewage nan thought for Eazewell after losing some of his parents in a short period of time. Navigating what came aft their deaths made him recognize how large of a burden the end-of-life process tin beryllium — and really fragmented nan market of these services is.  

He added that seeing nan caller advancements successful AI made him recognize nan exertion could beryllium utilized to thief trim the number of administrative tasks grieving families request to tackle pursuing a death.

“We’ve seen really AI has impacted our lives while we’re here, but you cognize now we’re entering a abstraction wherever it’s impacting our lives aft death,” Beverly Jr. said.  

Eazewell was founded successful 2024. The institution said it has been capable to thief much than 100,000 families since its launched its platform earlier this year.  

Now, Eazewell is rolling retired a new enterprise level for hospice companies, elder living facilities and life insurers. This allows companies to fold Eazewell’s automated features into their ain guidance software.

In nan future, Eazwell hopes to thief group negociate a loved one’s integer assets after they pass, a task that has go a bigger undertaking arsenic people’s lives are progressively online.  

“The mean personification has anyplace betwixt 70 and 100 integer accounts that are progressive astatine immoderate time,” Beverly Jr. said. “Your family is inheriting all those integer accounts and those integer assets arsenic well. And that’s not typical. We’re stepping into a caller benignant of realm wrong that. When we look astatine nan full landscape, we see a grand opportunity to not only help people but just make it a batch much seamless.” 

For Westbrook, Eazewell offers nan cleanable opportunity to spell into business pinch a decades-long friend while besides being capable to usage his platform to amplify a business that tin thief group — especially those from underserved and under-resourced communities — navigate this achy and costly experience.  

“Anytime I put my sanction on anything, I effort to find ways to unfastened doors, build trust, find ways to play a large domiciled successful it and beryllium coming because I deliberation that’s important,” Westbrook said. “And this isn’t about maine aliases being ace method by immoderate means, but it’s more importantly about families uncovering ways to beryllium capable to thief them done a loss. And for me, utilizing my level to beryllium capable to do that is a no-brainer.”