Life moves fast. Grief moves slow.
Hi, I’m Omar, the founder and CEO of Kinnect. This post is part of my “From Omar” series — a space where I share the real, unfiltered thoughts that come up as I build Kinnect. Today, I’m thinking about something that affects us all: grief and what’s left behind when someone we love passes away.
When I think about grief, I think about the people I’ve lost.
I think about my grandfather, who developed dementia.
I think about my friend Brandon, who passed away after a battle with cancer.
And I think about how, in the midst of it all — the doctor’s visits, the family gatherings, the busyness of life — it’s so easy to miss the chance to ask the right questions. To get the stories we didn’t even know we wanted until it was too late.
That’s not meant to make anyone feel guilty.
But I (really) think that’s why I’m building Kinnect.
Because we shouldn't have to wait until it’s "too late."
What happens when someone dies?
Right now, when someone dies, we tend to scramble.
We collect old photos, try to piece together the stories, and everyone pitches in their version of the person’s life.
It's painful.
It can be shocking.
It’s chaotic.
It’s overwhelming.
Most of us are reacting — not preparing.
Imagine this
- Instead of gathering memories after a funeral, the stories are already there, written before death. Not after.
- Instead of regretting not saving a voice note or special story - it's saved and ready to be heard when you need it.
- Instead of wishing you asked questions to answers, there was a tool that did it behind the scenes. You learned of it after they passed.
From memories to legacy: the role of a digital memory tree
You’ve heard of a family tree.
It’s names and dates. It’s boxes connected by lines.
But a digital memory tree?
That’s something different.
With Kinnect, I envision something much more alive.
Not just names and dates — but faces, voices, stories, lessons, and love.
Here’s what it could look like
- A space for ongoing memories
While someone is alive, they’re adding stories, sharing photos, and capturing moments. But it’s not just them. Family members can add too. It’s a shared space where everyone’s contributions build something bigger than a single person’s perspective. - When they pass away
If someone passes, their profile doesn’t just "end." It transitions into a legacy page. Their memories, voice notes, video clips, and photos remain accessible for future generations to explore. It becomes a place for family to return to whenever they need to feel close to that person. - A family archive for generations to come
As new family members are added into Kinnect — whether it's newborns or people marrying into the family — they’ll be able to see and experience the legacies of the people who came before them. This isn't just a "family tree" with names. This is an interactive, living archive.
Why grief needs more than "time off work"
Today, if you lose someone, your workplace might give you a few days off for "bereavement leave."
But grief doesn’t end in five days.
You don’t get closure by the end of a work week.
And even though there are more tools available today for therapy, journaling, and grief counseling, I think there’s a gap in one particular area:
Access to someone’s life story.
When someone dies, we want to hear their voice again.
We want to see their face.
We want to remember the small moments.
But right now, that means digging through phones, old voice memos, and old family group chats. It’s a mess. It’s scattered. It’s incomplete.
What if it wasn’t?
What if, while you were grieving, you could open Kinnect, click on a loved one’s name, and see everything they shared while they were here?
- You could hear them talking about their favorite trip.
- You could see them smiling in photos.
- You could scroll through the lessons they wanted to pass on.
Would that change how we grieve?
Would that give us peace?
I think it would.
What if we gave people a chance to "say it before it’s too late"?
I think about this a lot.
There are stories that people are waiting to tell. Stories they want to share eventually but never get around to.
Sometimes it's because they don't think the moment is "big enough" to share it.
Sometimes it's because they think there will always be more time.
But life doesn’t always give us that time.
With Kinnect, I think we can change this.
We can ask people questions now — not later.
We can prompt them to capture the big stories and the small ones.
And I believe those stories will be priceless to their loved ones in the future.
Because one day, someone will want to hear them.
And by then, it might be too late to ask.
My personal why
I think a lot about my grandfather, who had dementia.
As his memory faded, so did access to his stories. We didn't get to ask him all the questions. We didn’t get to hear all the things he might have wanted to say.
That stays with you.
It’s not regret. It’s more like… a gap.
Like there’s something you know you missed but can’t go back to.
I also think about my friend Brandon, who died of cancer. He didn’t get the time to plan for it. He didn’t get to choose when.
What sticks with me is that there was so much more I would have loved to hear from him. I think about the stories that would’ve come out if he’d had just a little more time.
But that’s life.
We don’t know how much time we get.
This is part of why I’m building Kinnect.
It’s not just about capturing stories while we’re alive.
It’s about making sure those stories live on after we’re gone.
The future of Kinnect: grief, legacy & generational stories
I’ll be honest — this isn’t something we’ve fully solved for yet.
But I know we will.
We’re not building Kinnect just to be another app.
We’re building it to be something bigger.
A tool that helps us live better now.
A tool that helps us remember later.
Here’s how I see it playing out:
- When someone passes away — Their legacy is preserved. Their profile becomes a space for family members to return to, adding reflections, tributes, and shared memories.
- When new family members join — They get to see that legacy. They’re not just meeting names on a family tree. They’re meeting the people who came before them through their stories, voice notes, and video clips.
- Generational memory tree — Instead of looking at a family tree of names and dates, imagine looking at a tree filled with photos, voice clips, and moments you can explore.
- Access for the living — Even before someone passes, we’ll use prompts, questions, and themes to capture stories in real time. People will have the chance to reflect on their lives while they’re still living it.
What it all comes down to
I know it’s heavy to think about death.
I know it’s hard to think about the people you love being gone one day.
But what gives me peace is this: They don’t have to be “gone” in every way.
Their voice, their love, their memories — they can live on.
Not in a vague way, but in a real, tangible way.
This is what I’m building with Kinnect.
And I’m building it because I’ve experienced loss.
And because I know you have or will, too.
abrazos,
omar
