Some of the most meaningful businesses begin with a personal experience—and a desire to create the solution you wish had existed when you needed it most. That is the story behind KONVOY, founded by Elizabeth with a mission centered on safety, independence, connection, and, perhaps most importantly, peace of mind for families.
KONVOY was created to address a situation so many of us can relate to: wanting to know that the people we love are safe and supported, even when we can’t physically be there ourselves. By providing a trusted extra layer of support when family members need it, KONVOY offers a thoughtful approach to helping people maintain their independence while giving their loved ones greater reassurance.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Elizabeth about the personal inspiration behind KONVOY, why she felt there was such an important need for this type of service, and her vision for changing the way families think about staying connected and looking out for the people they love.
Here’s our conversation with Elizabeth and the story behind KONVOY…
What was the moment that made you realize KONVOY needed to exist? What personal experience inspired you to create it?
It was my grandmother, Patty. We speak everyday and there was a day I could not get in touch with her. I was 3,00 miles away, running through the same short list everyone runs through: call again, call a neighbor, or call 911 and hope I’m wrong. None of those were right. I needed someone I trusted to go knock on her door and tell me what they actually saw – and that service didn’t exist. I needed a better way. Now other families have one.
Many adult children worry about aging parents who live alone. What gap did you see in the current options that KONVOY fills?
Families have two extremes and nothing in between. On one end there’s a wearable button or a camera – technology that only works if your parent remembers to wear it, charges it, or presses it. On the other end there’s 911, which is the right call in an emergency but far too heavy for “she hasn’t answered since yesterday morning.” In between sits what I call the worry window: the hours where something might be wrong, and you have no way to know. KONVOY exists to close that window with a trained person, in person, before a situation escalates.
Can you explain how a KONVOY Check works and what families can expect from the process?
You request a check at www.konvoycheck.com. One of our Specialists, an off-duty first responder from the local community, goes to the home in person and follows a standard procedure we call Observe, Support, Report. They observe the person and the environment, offer support if something’s needed, and then you receive a documented report of what they found – including bodycam documentation, so it isn’t a secondhand account. If they encounter a genuine emergency, there’s a clear escalation policy. We operate across Westchester County, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., 365 days a year.
*In an emergency, always call 911*
One of the most unique aspects of KONVOY is that your Specialists are off-duty first responders. Why was that so important to you when building the company?
Because you’re asking a stranger to walk up to your mother’s door – the person matters more than anything else about this service. First responders already have the training this work quietly requires: how to read a scene, how to stay calm when something’s wrong, how to talk to someone who’s frightened or confused, and how to document what they saw accurately. They’ve spent careers doing the hardest version of this job. Our head specialist, Mike Mueller, brings more than 25 years in law enforcement and leads a fully vetted team. I wasn’t willing to build this with anyone less qualified.
For someone who has never heard of KONVOY, what would you want them to know in just one minute?
KONVOY is the better way to check on someone you love. When you need to know they’re safe but you can’t go yourself, you send a KONVOY Check, and an off-duty first responder goes in person and tells you exactly what’s happening. You get clarity instead of a voicemail and a knot in your stomach. It’s not surveillance, it’s not a medical service, and it’s not 911; it’s a trained professional confirming that the person you love is okay.
Many people struggle with the balance between respecting a loved one’s independence and ensuring they’re safe. How does KONVOY help families achieve both?
Most safety solutions ask an older adult to give something up – wear this, install that, let us watch. KONVOY asks nothing of them. There’s no device to manage, no camera in the living room, nothing in the home at all. Someone comes to the door, has a real conversation, confirms everything is fine, and leaves. Independence stays intact, and the family gets their answer – usually the person being checked on enjoys the visit.
Who is the ideal person or family for KONVOY? Is it only for seniors, or are there other situations where the service is invaluable?
Our core customer is the worried adult child (age 40-60), often the sandwich generation, raising kids while keeping an eye on a parent. But the need is much broader than aging. We hear from busy moms, teachers, people traveling for work, families spread across state lines, and anyone whose loved one lives alone. It also covers the ordinary situations no one plans for: a storm and a power outage, someone recovering at home after a procedure, a neighbor nobody has seen in a few days. If you care about someone and can’t get there yourself, that’s the moment we’re built for.
As our population ages, how do you see services like KONVOY changing the future of caregiving and family support?
Caregiving has been treated as all-or-nothing for a long time – either you move someone into care or you leave them on their own and hope. Most families want neither. I think the future is layered, on-demand support that lets people stay in their homes far longer, with human check-ins as the backbone rather than more devices. Technology can tell you a sensor didn’t trip. Only a person can tell you why.
What advice would you give to someone who knows they should have a safety plan for an aging parent but hasn’t taken the first step yet?
Don’t try to build the whole plan – that’s exactly why it never gets started. Do two small things this week: write down who you’d call if your mother didn’t answer for a day, and what you’d actually do next. Most people discover in about thirty seconds that they have no answer, and that’s the useful part. A plan you can put on an index card beats a perfect plan you never make. Second, create a free KONVOY Account. You can count on us to be there when you can’t!
Looking ahead, what’s your vision for KONVOY over the next five years? Are there any exciting new services or initiatives on the horizon?
Right now we’re focused on Westchester and on getting it right here before we get it big anywhere. Longer term, I want KONVOY to be the standard way families check on the people they love, in every market where someone is worried about someone across town.
We also run Responders 1st, a monthly recognition program for Westchester first responders, and giving back to that community will stay part of who we are no matter how large we get.