WiL
WiL operates WheniLeave.com, a digital messaging platform enabling individuals to create and store messages for posthumous delivery to designated recipients, using a trustee-based death verification system and a freemium subscription model targeting general consumer users.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What WiL does
WiL LLC operates WheniLeave.com, a digital messaging platform that enables individuals to create, store, and schedule the posthumous delivery of messages to designated recipients. The platform's core architecture relies on a trustee-based verification system: users assign at least three trustees who, upon confirming the user's passing, trigger message release to recipients. The product supports written messages on the free tier (capped at 12 messages to 1-3 recipients) and offers paid Premium tiers that unlock video, audio, and photo attachments with unlimited recipients and unlimited messages. A claimed Lifetime one-time-payment option mirrors Premium features under a perpetual license. The company is privately held and bootstrapped, with a Seattle headquarters (organized under California law as WiL LLC), a team of 11–50 spanning multiple time zones, and no institutional venture funding disclosed—relying instead on Indiegogo crowdfunding and donations.
The company monetizes through a freemium funnel: free signup (self-serve via the website) drives top-of-funnel acquisition, with conversion to Premium monthly ($8), Premium annual ($88), or Lifetime plans expected to launch in early 2021. Distribution is direct-to-consumer digital with no app store presence; growth is driven by content marketing, organic social media across Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn/Instagram/Pinterest, accelerator community participation (Create33, WTIA Founder Cohort), and earned media. Go-to-market combines product-led growth with founder-led community building. Target customers are broad consumer segments—individuals seeking digital legacy preservation, life-conscious journaling users, and parents/grandparents wishing to pass down stories and life lessons to future generations.
The technology stack is described as a digital messaging platform with no documented AI/ML, proprietary models, or patentable IP. Differentiated elements include the trustee notification system, location-based messaging (messages unlock when recipients visit specified places), and event-based scheduling (delivery on birthdays/holidays). The company participates in notable Seattle regional programs (Create33 backed by Madrona and Microsoft; WTIA Founder Cohort) and received press coverage from GeekWire and other regional outlets. Founder Brandon Na has held the concept since 2001, accelerated prototyping during the COVID-19 pandemic, and officially launched the platform in November 2020 alongside CTO Shane Griffiths.
WiL firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- WiL
- Legal name
- WiL LLC
- Website
- https://whenileave.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- WiL operates WheniLeave.com, a digital messaging platform enabling individuals to create and store messages for posthumous delivery to designated recipients, using a trustee-based death verification system and a freemium subscription model targeting general consumer users.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
WiL industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Legacy / Posthumous Messaging
- NAICS
- Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)
- SIC
- Telegraph & Other Message Communications (4822)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Hospice Care Coordination & Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) Case Management (HSABAFAJ)
Keywords
Where WiL is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
WiL business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription - Premium Monthly: Monthly subscription at $8/month providing unlimited messages, video, audio, and photo attachments to unlimited recipients.
- Subscription - Premium Annual: Annual subscription at $88/year offering same features as monthly with discounted pricing.
- Lifetime One-Time Purchase: One-time payment providing lifetime access to all premium features including unlimited messages, video, audio, and photo attachments.
- Free Tier: Free tier allows up to 12 written messages to 1-3 recipients to drive user acquisition and conversion to premium.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free tier with limited messaging |
| Subscription | Monthly | Premium monthly subscription |
| Subscription | Annual | Premium annual subscription |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Lifetime access (one-time payment) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
WiL product offering
Product offeringCore offering
WiL operates WheniLeave.com, a digital messaging platform that allows individual users to create, store, and schedule messages to be delivered to designated recipients after their death. Users assign trustees who verify the user's passing, triggering delivery of messages that can include text, and upcoming support for video, audio, and photo attachments. The service is offered via a freemium tier plus paid monthly, annual, and lifetime subscriptions.
Product overview
WiL LLC operates WheniLeave.com, a digital legacy messaging platform consisting of a core product and multiple service tiers. The core WheniLeave.com platform enables users to preserve messages for delivery to loved ones after their passing. The service is offered through tiers: Free (Basic) for up to 12 written messages to 1-3 recipients; Premium ($8/month or $88/year) for unlimited messages with video, audio, and photo attachments; Lifetime for one-time premium access; and Large Legacy Forming for highly customized premium plans. Upcoming features include Photo Memories, Speech-to-Text, Audio Recording, Video Recording, Location-Based Messaging, and Event-Based Messaging.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- WheniLeave.com Platform Core digital legacy messaging platform that lets individual users create messages, choose recipients, and assign trustees who notify the platform upon the user's death to trigger message delivery.
- WheniLeave.com Free Tier Free tier of WheniLeave.com allowing individual users to send up to 12 written messages to 1-3 recipients with basic posthumous delivery.
- WheniLeave.com Premium Subscription Paid subscription tier at $8/month or $88/year unlocking unlimited messages to unlimited recipients plus video, audio, and photo attachments.
- WheniLeave.com Lifetime Access One-time payment plan providing lifetime access to all Premium features including unlimited messages and multimedia attachments.
Companies that use WiL
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
WiL technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
WiL partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- WTIA (Washington Technology Industry Association)coreSelected as one of 22 startups in WTIA's seed-stage Founder Cohort Program for 2021. Provides networking, mentorship, and visibility for early-stage Washington tech companies.
- Create33 AcceleratorcoreSeattle's first venture-backed accelerator supporting entrepreneurs of color. Backed by Madrona Venture Group and Microsoft. WiL joined as participant to access resources, mentorship, and funding opportunities.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
WiL competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cake: Cake is a consumer-facing end-of-life planning platform that helps individuals document wishes, advance directives, and legacy information. Directly comparable to WiL in serving the same end-of-life/legacy planning category with a B2C freemium model and mission-driven positioning.
- StoryWorth: StoryWorth helps families preserve loved ones' stories through weekly writing prompts compiled into a keepsake book. Comparable to WiL in serving the legacy and memory preservation category with subscription pricing and a similar emotional use case for capturing life content for family.
- Lantern: Lantern is an end-of-life planning platform offering guidance and tools for advance care planning, legacy, and final wishes. Directly comparable to WiL in the end-of-life consumer planning category, focused on helping individuals and families navigate final wishes.
- Everplans: Everplans is a digital estate planning platform that allows users to store and share critical life documents, wishes, and information with loved ones. Directly comparable to WiL in the digital legacy and estate planning category, though more focused on documents and legal information than messages.
- SafeBeyond: SafeBeyond is a digital legacy messaging platform that allows users to record video, audio, and text messages delivered to loved ones after passing. Most directly comparable peer to WiL given near-identical product offering of posthumous message delivery with trustee-based verification.
- DeadSocial: DeadSocial is a digital legacy platform that allows users to schedule social media posts and messages to be delivered posthumously. Comparable to WiL as a direct peer in the scheduled/delivered-after-death digital legacy category with trustee-based verification mechanics.
Others
- FreeWill: FreeWill is a free online tool for creating legally valid wills, powers of attorney, and advance directives. Comparable as an adjacent end-of-life planning service, though focused on legal document creation as a free public service rather than consumer subscription-based messaging.
Emerging players
- Trust & Will: Trust & Will is an online estate planning service that helps users create wills, trusts, and estate documents. Comparable as an adjacent digital legacy and end-of-life planning service, though focused primarily on legal document creation rather than posthumous message delivery.
Broad incumbents
- Facebook Memorialization Settings: Facebook offers memorialization settings and Legacy Contacts who can manage a deceased user's account and post on their timeline. Comparable as a broad incumbent with built-in legacy functionality integrated into a massive social platform, providing free basic posthumous account management features.
- Google Inactive Account Manager: Google's Inactive Account Manager allows users to designate trusted contacts who can access or be notified of account data after a period of inactivity. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering free basic legacy functionality to billions of users, representing a major competitive threat to WiL.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
WiL social profiles
Digital presenceWiL financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
WiL leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
WiL funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
WiL M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about WiL
What does WiL do?
WiL operates WheniLeave.com, a digital messaging platform that allows individual users to create, store, and schedule messages to be delivered to designated recipients after their death. Users assign trustees who verify the user's passing, triggering delivery of messages that can include text, and upcoming support for video, audio, and photo attachments. The service is offered via a freemium tier plus paid monthly, annual, and lifetime subscriptions.
Is WiL a public or private company?
WiL is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was WiL founded?
WiL was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is WiL based?
WiL is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does WiL make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Subscription - Premium Monthly is the primary driver. The others are subscription - Premium Annual, lifetime One-Time Purchase and free Tier.
Who are WiL's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cake, StoryWorth, Lantern, Everplans, SafeBeyond and DeadSocial. FreeWill is listed as an others. Trust & Will is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Facebook Memorialization Settings and Google Inactive Account Manager.
Does WiL have an API?
No public API is recorded for WiL.
What industry is WiL in?
WiL's product category is Digital Legacy / Posthumous Messaging. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSABAFAJ, Hospice Care Coordination & Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) Case Management. Its NAICS code is 624120 and its SIC code is 4822.