Championing Health - Telstra Best of Business Awards
Every family deserves to be remembered.
Evaheld was born from a simple belief: that every person's story matters, and no family should lose their connection to those they love.
Our vision is a world where connections are no longer lost, but are nurtured, maintained and everlasting.
— Our Vision
Preserving What Matters Most
We're on a mission to help families capture, preserve, and share their most meaningful memories — ensuring love and wisdom transcend time.
Our Social Impact Initiatives
Hardship Assistance
We believe nothing should stand in the way of meaningful connection. Through our Hardship Assistance program, we support individuals facing financial or personal hardship, helping ensure access during life's most challenging moments.
Frontline Responders Initiative
We're proud to support frontline responders who give so much to their communities. This initiative recognises and honours their service by helping make Evaheld accessible to those who are there for others when it matters most.
The People Behind Evaheld
Two Michelles united by a shared mission to help families preserve their connections forever.
Michelle Gomes
Co-Founder & CEO
"I know how fragile time can be — how quickly moments slip into memories, and how much we wish we'd held onto the small things."
Michelle created Evaheld to help people capture what matters most, so the voices, stories, and love we share don't fade with time.
Michelle Costa
Co-founder & CFO
"I would've given anything to have a video of my father, to hear his voice, see his face in motion and to feel his love."
After losing her father to dementia, Michelle vowed to help others preserve their loved ones' voices and stories before it's too late.
Direk Sethi
CTO
"Building Evaheld from the ground up has been more than code—it's about creating a space where memories are preserved forever."
Direk architected and built the entire Evaheld platform through multiple iterations, crafting every layer of the full-stack system. His passion for legacy preservation drives him to ensure families can keep their most precious memories safe for generations to come.
How Evaheld Began
For years and in a personal capacity, cofounders Michelle Gomes and Michelle Costa had been helping terminally ill people create content for their loved ones, safekeeping it and then delivering it for them after their death. Then unexpectedly, Sydney was thrown into the first COVID lockdown and they could no longer help people create content, this was devastating and they just knew something had to be done, this service had to be accessible to people no matter what, come pandemic or what may.
At this time, Michelle Gomes decided to keep busy by helping friends set up a little old cupboard with food items, which became known as the Newtown Blessing Box, and soon it was serving hundreds of people every day, inspiring a string of street pantries. But what really struck Michelle Gomes, was that just like her experiences helping people create content for their loved ones had little to do with the content, these street pantries had very little to do with food at all— although that did help— they were in fact a conduit for connection, with countless people pouring past each day simply to connect with each other, the community and to feel connected.
For Michelle Costa, it was her father's experience which really augmented her commitment to memorialising people, because after the death of her father who had battled dementia for over a decade, she did not have any personalised content from him or featuring him, except for old family photos. She would've given anything to have a video of him, to hear his voice (which she now finds hard to recall), see his face in motion and to feel his love, not only for herself but also for her children. Through Evaheld, she vowed that if she can help other people who have felt the loss of loved ones to degenerative diseases, often long before their deaths, then she would.
It was the culmination of these experiences that really laid the foundations for Evaheld, because once all is said and done, connection is all we have.
Building a Legacy
From a personal mission to a movement helping thousands of families preserve their stories.
The Seed is Planted
Evaheld is founded with a mission to help families preserve their most meaningful memories.
Genesis Award Winner
Recognized at the Sydney Genesis Startup Competition for innovation in legacy preservation.
Charli AI Launches
Introduced Charli, our AI companion, making memory preservation easier and more conversational.
End to end Ecosystem
Expanded our ecosystem to include interconnected partner dashboards.
Telstra
Named Championing Health Finalist at the Telstra Best of Business Awards.
10,000 Families
Reached a milestone of helping over 10,000 families preserve their stories and legacy.
You're In Safe Hands
Recognised by leading organisations for innovation in legacy preservation and healthcare technology.
Telstra Best of Business Awards 2025
Recognised for innovation in healthcare technology and legacy preservation.
Read More: Telstra Best of Business Awards 2025
University of Sydney Genesis Startup Competition 2022
Recognised for innovation in legacy preservation and advance care planning.
Read More: University of Sydney Genesis Startup Competition 2022
Evaheld wins APAC Insider Business Awards 2024
Most Innovative Memorialisation & Care Planning Business 2024 — Social Impact Startup of the Year 2024
Read More: Evaheld wins APAC Insider Business Awards 2024
Evaheld wins Australian Enterprise Awards 2025
Innovation & Advance Care Planning Company 2025 — Service Excellence 2025
Read More: Evaheld wins Australian Enterprise Awards 2025
Evaheld wins APAC Insider Business Awards 2025
Most Compassionate Legacy Planning CEO 2025 — Michelle Gomes
Read More: Evaheld wins APAC Insider Business Awards 2025
Telstra Best of Business Awards 2025
Recognised for innovation in healthcare technology and legacy preservation.
Read More: Telstra Best of Business Awards 2025 University of Sydney Genesis Startup Competition 2022
Recognised for innovation in legacy preservation and advance care planning.
Read More: University of Sydney Genesis Startup Competition 2022 Our Partners
Trusted by families, professionals, and care organisations across Australia.
About Evaheld Questions
Learn more about our story, mission, and what drives us to preserve legacies.
Quick Answer:
Evaheld was founded in 2021 by Michelle Gomes and Michelle Costa, who had been helping terminally ill people create content for their loved ones. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Sydney, they could no longer provide this service in person. They realised this critical service needed to be accessible to everyone, no matter the circumstances. That's when Evaheld was born—to ensure families could preserve their memories and connections, come pandemic or what may.
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Did this help you answer: How Evaheld Got Started
Quick Answer:
Michelle Gomes was inspired by her work with the Newtown Blessing Box during lockdown, which revealed that connection is what people truly need. Michelle Costa was driven by her personal experience of losing her father to dementia without having any video or audio recordings of him. She didn't want other families to experience the same regret of not being able to hear their loved one's voice or see them in motion after they're gone.
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Did this help you answer: What Inspired Evaheld's Founders
Quick Answer:
Evaheld represents our vision of connections that are "ever held"—relationships and memories that are nurtured, maintained, and made everlasting. We believe that through preserving stories, voices, and wisdom, families can maintain their connections across time and generations.
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Did this help you answer: What Does Evaheld Mean?
Quick Answer:
Evaheld was cofounded by Michelle Gomes and Michelle Costa—two passionate advocates for family connection and legacy preservation. Michelle Gomes brings her experience in community building and compassionate care, whilst Michelle Costa's personal journey with her father's dementia drives her commitment to helping families preserve memories before it's too late.
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Did this help you answer: Who Are Evaheld's Cofounders?
Quick Answer:
Evaheld has been recognised with multiple awards including: Winner of the Sydney Genesis Startup Competition (2022), Telstra Best of Business Awards Championing Health Finalist (2025), Innovation & Advance Care Planning Company of the Year (2025), Digital Transformation Award, and Michelle Gomes was named Most Compassionate Legacy Planning CEO (2025) by APAC Insider.
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Did this help you answer: Evaheld Awards & Recognition
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today.
Create a shared space for stories, care wishes and essentials — and a meaningful way to stay connected with family and friends, now and into the future.
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