In an era where healthcare decisions can change lives, one Australian company is revolutionizing how we preserve our voices, wishes, and stories for when they matter most. Evaheld's recent recognition as a finalist in the prestigious 2025 Telstra Best of Business Awards highlights a growing movement in healthcare planning that combines technology with deeply human needs.
The Recognition: More Than Just an Award
When the Telstra Best of Business Awards announced Evaheld as a finalist in their Championing Health category, it marked a significant milestone for a company that began with a simple yet powerful vision: ensuring that every Australian's healthcare wishes are documented, accessible, and respected when critical decisions must be made.
The Championing Health category specifically celebrates organizations making extraordinary contributions to health outcomes through innovation, accessibility, and community impact. For Evaheld, this recognition validates their mission to transform how Australians approach advance care planning and legacy preservation.
Celebrating Excellence: Congratulations to All Finalists
Evaheld extends heartfelt congratulations to all state finalists and nominees in the 2025 Telstra Best of Business Awards. This prestigious recognition brings together Australia's most innovative businesses across multiple categories, each contributing uniquely to their communities and industries.
The diversity and excellence demonstrated by this year's finalists showcase the extraordinary entrepreneurial spirit driving positive change across Australia. Each finalist represents not just business success, but meaningful impact in addressing important challenges and opportunities in their respective fields.
Our Founder's Story: Why We Do What We Do
Evaheld was founded on a simple belief: every voice matters, and no story should be lost. After witnessing how families struggle when care wishes and personal legacies are left undocumented, the founders set out to combine technology, compassion, and accessibility so that Australians can record their wishes, preserve their voice, and protect connections to loved ones.
"The idea for Evaheld came from our own experiences with family health crises," shares Michelle Costa, Co-founder and CFO. "We saw the confusion, conflict, and regret that happens when someone's wishes aren't documented or accessible. We wanted to create a solution that would have helped our own families through those difficult times."
Costa's personal journey, which she shares openly in her video testimonial (Watch Michelle Costa share her story), reveals how witnessing healthcare challenges within her own family sparked the vision for what would become Evaheld. Her experience resonates with countless Australians who have faced similar situations.
Watch Co-founder & CFO Michelle Costa share her story
(Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dumTtbbNosY)
This deeply personal connection to their mission drives everything the company does, from product development to customer support. It's not just a business—it's a mission born from lived experience and genuine compassion.
The Problem Evaheld Solves
Think about this scenario: Your elderly parent is rushed to the hospital unconscious. Doctors need immediate decisions about treatment. Does anyone know their wishes? Are their advance directives accessible? How can medical professionals honor choices they're unaware of?
This exact situation happens thousands of times daily across Australia, often leading to:
Treatment that contradicts a person's wishes
Family conflict during already stressful situations
Healthcare providers making decisions without crucial information
Lost opportunities to honor someone's voice and preferences
Michelle Gomes, Co-founder and CEO of Evaheld, explains: "We created Evaheld because we saw firsthand how families struggle during health crises when care wishes aren't documented and accessible. These aren't just medical decisions—they're deeply personal expressions of how someone wants to live, even when they can't speak for themselves."
Real-Life Impact: When Preparation Meets Crisis
The value of Evaheld's approach becomes crystal clear through real stories. Consider this powerful example from their experience: When an aged care resident was admitted to hospital unexpectedly, her family avoided panic and delays because her treatment preferences and essential medical documents were stored securely in the Evaheld Legacy Vault. Clinicians had immediate access to her advance care directive, ensuring her voice was respected and her care aligned with her wishes.
This real-world situation demonstrates exactly what happens when proper advance care planning meets modern technology:
Her medical team understood her treatment boundaries
Family members avoided the burden of making uninformed decisions
Her care aligned precisely with her documented wishes
The focus remained on her comfort rather than administrative chaos
This represents just one of many situations where Evaheld's platform has transformed what could have been a traumatic experience into one where dignity and personal choice remained central.
The Evolution of Advance Care Planning
Traditional advance care planning has historically involved paper documents stored in filing cabinets or safes—often inaccessible during emergencies. Even when digitized, these critical documents frequently exist in isolation from the context and personal stories that give them meaning.
Evaheld recognized this fundamental disconnect and developed something different: a comprehensive approach that:
Centralizes essential documents in a secure digital environment
Preserves personal stories that explain the reasoning behind healthcare choices
Ensures accessibility to both loved ones and healthcare providers
Connects medical directives with the broader context of someone's life and values
"It's not just about having a legal document," explains Michelle Costa, Co-founder and CFO. "It's about ensuring your voice continues to guide your care even when you can't speak, and that the essence of who you are isn't lost in a medical crisis."
The Evaheld Legacy Vault: Technology Meets Humanity
At the center of Evaheld's innovation is their flagship product: the Evaheld Legacy Vault. Unlike traditional document storage solutions, the Legacy Vault combines several crucial elements:
Advance Care Documentation:
Storage for advance care directives
Medical power of attorney documents
Treatment preference records
Emergency contact information
Legacy Preservation:
Personal stories and messages
Value statements explaining care choices
Audio and video recordings
Family history and traditions
Accessibility Features:
Emergency access protocols for healthcare providers
Customizable sharing permissions for family members
Mobile-friendly interface for anytime access
Notification systems for document updates
The platform's design reflects a deep understanding that healthcare decisions don't exist in isolation—they're connected to our values, relationships, and life experiences.
Building Trust in Healthcare Through Transparency
One of the most significant impacts of Evaheld's approach is how it strengthens trust between patients, families, and healthcare providers. When preferences are clearly documented and accessible, it:
Reduces the emotional burden on family members making difficult decisions
Provides healthcare professionals with confidence they're honoring patient wishes
Minimizes potential conflicts between family members with different opinions
Creates space for more meaningful connections during health challenges
Dr. Sarah Thompson, a geriatric specialist who recommends Evaheld to her patients, notes: "Having clear, accessible advance care documents transforms how we deliver care. Instead of guessing or relying solely on family interpretations, we can truly honor the person's own voice."
The Founders' Vision: Personal Experience Drives Innovation
Evaheld wasn't born in a boardroom—it emerged from the lived experiences of its founders. Michelle Gomes and Michelle Costa witnessed firsthand the challenges families face when healthcare wishes remain undocumented or inaccessible.
"We created what we wished had existed for our own families," Gomes explains. "Every feature in our platform addresses a real pain point we experienced or observed in others during health crises."
This personal connection to their mission resonates with users and partners alike. It's also part of what caught the attention of the Telstra Best of Business Awards judges, who recognize that the most powerful innovations often come from deeply personal motivations.
Beyond Individuals: How Evaheld Partners with Healthcare Providers
While individuals and families form the heart of Evaheld's user base, the company has also developed strategic partnerships with:
Aged care facilities seeking to improve resident-centered care
Hospitals implementing better advance care planning protocols
Community health organizations supporting vulnerable populations
Palliative care providers enhancing end-of-life care quality
These partnerships extend Evaheld's impact beyond individual users to systemic improvements in how healthcare organizations approach advance care planning and patient autonomy.
Looking Forward: The Future of Digital Legacy Planning
As Evaheld continues to grow and innovate, they're exploring several promising directions:
Integration with electronic health record systems
Enhanced multimedia capabilities for legacy preservation
Expanded educational resources about advance care planning
International expansion to serve global communities
The Telstra Best of Business Awards recognition provides not just validation of their current work but momentum for these future initiatives.
The Bigger Picture: A Cultural Shift in Healthcare Planning
What makes Evaheld's work particularly significant is how it addresses a cultural reluctance to discuss healthcare preferences before crises occur. By creating accessible, engaging tools for advance care planning, they're helping shift these conversations from taboo to normal family discussion.
"We're seeing families use our platform not just for practical planning but as a catalyst for meaningful conversations about values, priorities, and what matters most," notes Costa. "These discussions strengthen connections and create peace of mind that extends far beyond the documents themselves."
A Celebration of Innovation Across Australia
The recognition of Evaheld alongside other outstanding finalists in the Telstra Best of Business Awards highlights the remarkable entrepreneurial ecosystem flourishing across Australia. Each finalist represents a unique approach to solving important challenges, and together they showcase the diversity and excellence of Australian innovation.
To all finalists across every state and category: congratulations on your well-deserved recognition and thank you for your continued contributions to making Australia a better place through business excellence and innovation.
Join the Movement: How to Get Started
For anyone interested in securing their healthcare wishes and preserving their legacy, Evaheld offers several entry points:
Individual and family subscriptions to the Legacy Vault
Organizational partnerships for healthcare providers
Educational workshops on advance care planning
Free resources for starting these important conversations
As the company states: "Every voice matters, and no story should be lost." Their Telstra Best of Business Awards recognition amplifies this message and invites more Australians to ensure their healthcare wishes will be honored when it matters most.
To learn more about Evaheld or to begin documenting your own healthcare wishes, visit www.evaheld.com or follow their journey on social media.
This blog post celebrates Evaheld's recognition as a finalist in the 2025 Telstra Best of Business Awards and their ongoing mission to transform how Australians approach advance care planning and legacy preservation.
Future-Proof Your Family’s Story: Why an Evaheld Legacy Vault Is the One Account You’ll Never Regret Opening
Imagine your great-grandchildren hearing your laugh, reading your life advice and seeing your Advance Care Directive in the same secure space—long after today’s social apps have vanished. That’s exactly what the Evaheld Legacy Vault delivers: a single, lifetime-guaranteed home for everything that matters, from milestone videos to legally valid health wishes. Below you’ll discover what the Vault does, why it’s different and how you can lock in a free account in minutes.
1. One Vault, Every Memory
Create rich, first-person history with in-browser video, audio, photos, written reflections, legacy letters and even ethical wills. Your stories live alongside recipes, playlists and private notes—ready to inspire loved ones for generations.
2. Dedicated “Rooms” for the People Who Matter
Open individual or shared rooms so each grandchild, sibling or friend has their own space to swap memories and request new ones. Two-way messaging keeps conversations vivid and private. Or invite entire families to a “Family Room” to ensure that your family’s history and legacy is all in one place - secure forever for future generations!
3. Advance Care Planning That Actually Gets Finished
The Vault walks you through Australia’s most intuitive Digital Advance Care Directive. Once signed, it sits beside a full Health & Care Preferences section that loved ones, carers and clinicians can access instantly—no more frantic document hunts.
4. Emergency Access That Saves Time and Protects Your Wishes
Print your QR Emergency Card; first responders scan it and see the latest directives in six seconds. Tests show on-scene decisions become faster and better aligned with personal wishes.
5. Secure Home for Every Important File
Create and upload wills, powers of attorney, insurance details, super and bank info with bank-grade encryption. Granular permissions mean only the right people ever see the right files.
6. Key Contacts Always Up to Date
Keep one live list of attorneys, guardians, executors and advisors. Change a phone number once and it syncs everywhere—so your family never scrambles for contacts in a crisis.
How It Works
Launch Your Vault – Start free in minutes through the simple free Evaheld Legacy Vault..
Invite & Open Rooms – Add loved ones and set up dedicated spaces to trade content requests.
Create, Share & Relax – Let the built-in AI assistant tag, file and schedule everything while you go live life.
Why Thousands Are Preserving Their Legacy With Evaheld
A Priceless Heirloom – Your Vault becomes a digital time capsule future generations will treasure.
Ongoing Connection – Schedule birthday videos, graduation letters and milestone messages years ahead.
Cross-Generational Peace of Mind – Families see care wishes and personal stories, reducing conflict and anxiety.
Always Free for Early Users – Launch now and secure lifetime storage at zero cost on our freemium plan.
Dive Deeper Into Legacy & Care Planning
Watch our Founder's Story to learn why we’re so passionate about Legacy Preservation and Advance Care Planning
Follow our step-by-step guide to crafting a powerful legacy statement.
Discover easy techniques for turning life lessons into messages.
Get tips from our “How to Preserve Your Story” tutorial.
See who we help in Evaheld Community.
Sign up for free and discover the Evaheld Legacy Vault: What’s Inside a Vault.
Hear real users explain why they signed up: Legacy That Loves Back.
Read the full list of Vault benefits.
Sign Up and Download a free Evaheld Legacy Letter Kit!
Ready to Future-Proof Your Voice?
Opening an Evaheld Legacy Vault costs nothing, secures everything and takes less time than brewing a coffee. Your family’s story deserves a permanent, private home—claim it today and start creating memories that will matter forever.
Start your Evaheld Legacy Vault for FREE and secure your story and family legacy!
Evaheld’s “Connection is all we have” Hardship Policy
At Evaheld we believe that everyone’s story and legacy is worth sharing, so if you or someone you know needs some hardship assistance, please reach out and let us know, and someone from our team will ensure that money will not prevent anyone from securing their story, connections and legacy for loved ones and future generations. Because at Evaheld we believe that “Connection is all we have,” and that every single story and legacy is worth preserving!
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