Political Audit: Empathy

Corporate Communications & Public Stance

Empathy’s official corporate channels - its “About” page and 2024 press kit - describe the company’s founding and mission in commercial, grief-tech terms, with no reference to Israel, Tel Aviv origins, or the broader geopolitical context of the conflict¹². No corporate-level (as distinct from founder-personal) statement on the Israel-Palestine conflict has been located on any official Empathy channel¹².

Co-founder and CEO Ron Gura posted a personal statement to his individual LinkedIn account on October 7, 2023, condemning the Hamas attack: he described it as “one of the darkest days in our nation’s history” and expressed solidarity with Israeli civilians; the post was issued in a personal capacity rather than through company channels³. No further public statements by Gura addressing the conflict, the subsequent war, the ICJ’s July 2024 advisory opinion, or the ICC’s November 2024 warrants have been identified³⁴.

No public evidence identified of any comparable personal or corporate statement by Gura or co-founder/CTO Yonatan Bergman on Ukraine, BLM, COVID-19, or other geopolitical or social issues, so no comparative “vocal on X, silent on Y” pattern could be established in either direction⁴⁵⁶. Empathy’s public-facing market framing - grief-tech SaaS partnered with insurers and Fortune 500 employers - contains no language positioning its Israel operations as a distinctive geopolitical partnership¹².

Operations in Occupied or Contested Territories

Empathy’s documented office locations are limited to Tel Aviv and Manhattan/New York; No public evidence identified of Empathy operations, offices, resellers, or contracts in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, or Israeli settlements⁷⁸.

No public evidence identified of Empathy (or “The Empathy Project Ltd”) appearing in settlement-business monitoring databases such as UN OHCHR’s, Who Profits, or AFSC Investigate. No public evidence identified of any organized BDS, boycott, divestment, or sanctions campaign naming Empathy.

Internal Governance, Content & Retail Policies

No public evidence identified of HR actions, disciplinary measures, or litigation involving Empathy employees over speech, political symbols, or union activity connected to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Empathy operates as a B2B2C bereavement-support SaaS platform rather than a consumer social or content platform, and No public evidence identified of algorithmic moderation or editorial-stance controversy tied to the conflict. Empathy has no physical retail operations or goods supply chain, being a software and services company¹⁹; consequently, No public evidence identified of retail or supply-chain practices relevant to this sub-category.

Brand Heritage & State Partnerships

Both co-founders have documented Israeli military service in their professional biographies: Ron Gura served as a 1st Lieutenant in the Israeli Air Force from August 2002 to November 2007⁷, and Yonatan Bergman’s professional profile references a prior IDF “Engineering Manager” role⁵. These service records appear as standard biographical entries rather than as elements deployed in Empathy’s commercial marketing or public relations; No public evidence identified of Empathy using this military heritage in its marketing or PR materials⁷⁵¹².

No public evidence identified of Empathy accepting state honors, hosting Israeli government officials, holding formal non-commercial partnerships with Israeli state academic or governmental institutions, or participating in “Brand Israel”-style promotional campaigns¹².

Lobbying, Advocacy, Financing & Logistics

No public evidence identified of corporate lobbying activity, PAC donations, or leadership roles by Empathy or its named principals in geopolitical advocacy organizations such as CFI, AIPAC, ADL, or USISTF⁴⁵. No public evidence identified of material financial contributions by Empathy to Friends of the IDF (FIDF), JNF/KKL, Lev Echad, Regavim, Im Tirtzu, or other military-welfare or settlement-linked organizations; a review of FIDF donor and press material returned no reference to Empathy. No public evidence identified of personal donations by Ron Gura or Yonatan Bergman to FIDF, JNF, Israel Bonds, or similar bodies. No public evidence identified of Empathy directing corporate resources, free services, or infrastructure to Israeli state, military, or state-aligned NGO relief efforts during the 2023–present conflict.

A distinct, investor-level finding was identified that does not implicate Empathy or its named controlling principals directly: Empathy’s Series A/B/C investor Entrée Capital is co-founded and managed by Avi (Aviad) Eyal¹⁰⁶. Eyal personally sits on the board of Lev Echad (“One Heart”), an Israeli volunteer emergency-response nonprofit¹¹¹², and has publicly described becoming “much more involved in security-related activities” and increasing his defense-tech investment activity “after the war”¹³¹⁴. Entrée Capital also co-invested in Israeli defense-technology firm Traysar, a subterranean-warfare engineering component maker¹⁵. Entrée Capital’s percentage ownership stake in Empathy is not publicly disclosed, so it is not established whether this investor relationship crosses a controlling-shareholder threshold; this is flagged as an evidence gap rather than a confirmed direct-proximity finding for Empathy itself⁶.

Corporate Structure & Primary Mission

Empathy is a privately held technology company, registered as “The Empathy Project Ltd” in Israel and “The Empathy Project Inc” in the United States⁷⁸. Its stated mission is commercial: bereavement- and estate-logistics SaaS sold to insurers and employers¹². No public evidence identified of any state-held golden share, government charter provision, or founding document tying Empathy’s mission to state geopolitical goals¹².

The company has raised capital across multiple rounds, including a $13 million seed round in 2021¹⁶¹⁷¹⁸ and a $72 million Series C in May 2025 that included the launch of the “Empathy Alliance”^1920821. Its investor base includes Aleph, General Catalyst, Index Ventures, Entrée Capital, Adams Street Partners, Brewer Lane Ventures, SemperVirens, Latitude, LionTree, MUFG Innovation Partners, 10D, 83North, and True Global Ventures, along with individual backers including Thomas Bremner, Ronald Cohen, and Shai Wininger⁶. Empathy has a commercial partnership with Aflac to provide on-demand loss support to Aflac policyholders²².

Executive & Leadership Footprint

No public evidence identified of personal donations, family-foundation grants, or fundraising by Ron Gura or Yonatan Bergman toward FIDF, JNF, or other named parastatal or military-welfare organizations. Ron Gura’s October 7, 2023 LinkedIn post is the only identified public statement by a named Empathy principal referencing the conflict; it condemns the Hamas attack and expresses solidarity with Israeli civilians without addressing Palestinian civilian harm, Gaza, or the subsequent conduct of the war³. No further statements from either founder addressing the conflict’s later stages have been located³⁴⁵.

Publicly identified board members or advisors include Yael Wissner-Levy and Avi (Aviad) Eyal¹⁴²³¹³. No public evidence identified that Gura or Bergman personally hold board seats, leadership positions, or advisory roles in geopolitical pressure groups, state-aligned academic institutions, or lobbying organizations⁴⁵. Eyal’s Lev Echad board membership and defense-tech investment activity are documented at the investor level, through his role at Entrée Capital, rather than as an Empathy executive or founder^1314111210.

Ron Gura’s professional background, including his prior IDF Air Force service and subsequent entrepreneurial career, is documented across multiple public profiles⁷²⁴⁴. Yonatan Bergman’s professional background, including his prior IDF-linked engineering role, is similarly documented⁵.

End Notes