After losing their spouses in devastating and unexpected ways, Karine Nissim and Eloise Bune D’Agostino discovered that there were no proper places where people could go to deal with all the challenges that come up during the grieving process, including terrifying tasks such as arranging a funeral and donating items, as well as searching online for support groups.
Being seasoned entrepreneurs themselves—Nissim sold her startup DogVacay at Rover in 2017 and Bune D’Agostino co-founded Tentrr and Handwriting.io—the two widowed founders decided to take matters into their own hands and create what they call a “360 healing” platform that provides a range of services and resources help with grief and other difficulties such as divorce, illness and trauma.
Now available at App Store, Google Play Storeand Web, DayNew is a new grief support platform, social community, education hub, and task management app wrapped into one user-friendly package. At its core, DayNew aims to be a safe space for users to connect with others, share their stories and receive community support.
“From drop-in centers to bereavement groups to online therapy, regular therapists and psychiatrists, funeral homes to all the other services, there wasn’t a single place we could go that would take us through the entire journey,” Nissim told TechCrunch. “So we set out to create a personalized roadmap that’s really very tailored to each person based on their type of trauma… When you come to DayNew, we’re ready to meet you with organizational, emotional and social support.”
Some people find it difficult to ask for help because they don’t want to feel like a burden to their family and friends. DayNew’s Community Feed acts as a dedicated space for users to be direct about what they want from supporters, whether it’s money to buy groceries, a place to sell and donate items, or a job list for a baby sitter.
“[Eloise and I] she took many flowers and pots. While this is beautiful, generous and thoughtful, we also received a lot of comments like “Whatever you need” and we weren’t always well-equipped on how to answer it or didn’t feel comfortable… The community page takes the unfairness of the question out. It also removes the nastiness on the part of the promoters because now they really know what you need and don’t feel like they’re bothering you.” Nissim said.
There is also a “Find a Buddy” feature for users to get personal support from people experiencing similar tragedies. Users can search for other people with the same hashtags on their profiles, including #partnerloss, #parentloss, #cancerloss, #covidloss and so on.
Similar to other grief support platforms (Grief Refuge, Untangle, and Grief Works), DayNew has a Journal feature where users can give voice to how they’re feeling by either responding to prompts or releasing a heartfelt entry. The company compares the prompts to working with a therapist, asking tough and challenging questions like “What is something about grief that you never knew before?” and “What is something you wish you could tell your younger self?” Depending on your comfort level, the calendar entry can be kept private or shared publicly in the Community feed.
Additionally, there is a daily mood tracker for users to check in on themselves and record their mood on a scale of 1 to 10.
Image Credits: DayNew
DayNew offers several other features to help users throughout their journey, including personalized lists for users to check off overwhelming tasks (selling assets, life insurance, applying for widow’s social security benefits, etc.) at their own pace, a ChatGPT AI Tool that provides emotional advice, and a Learn & Grow page with educational and motivational content.
Nissim explained that the platform is also launching virtual workshops and in-person events to bring people together and teach them the benefits of “grounding and meditation” in order to promote healing. Online courses cost around $36 and include special guests such as experts, scientists and psychologists. The first session is on May 21 and will be hosted by the founders themselves. In mid-July, a retreat will be held in Mexico for about $1,800.
In the next iteration of the platform, DayNew plans to introduce a gifting feature where friends and family members can purchase lessons to give to a loved one.
DayNew is free to sign up, but also offers a $5 per month subscription for users who want to access premium features such as the Find a Friend service, instant messaging, and being able to comment on public community posts.
In the digital age, users are embracing grief-related products and services to cope with death. What was once considered a taboo subject, mourners can now openly discuss the loss and be reassured that they are not alone. However, it is important to realize that these services should not replace proper treatment and counseling, but should act as an additional outlet for them to express their feelings.
