Our Story

Co-Founders, Alexander (Alex) and Amna Haslam, remember when everything changed. It was the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and overnight Amna’s mom lost all mobility and no one knew why. Despite Amna’s mom living with them, they struggled to know 1) when care was needed and 2) if care was needed, if the need was “routine, non-urgent” or “routine, urgent but non-emergency”. Traditional methods of using a cell phone, a smart home device or calling out proved unsuccessful and frustrating for Amna’s mom resulting in her mom letting them know less often when care was needed. They needed a solution quickly and were unable to find one. Amna and Alex worked together to develop a simple and reliable solution. Their solution, Empowu Connect, a wearable communication aid, has been used by Amna’s mom since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 and has provided all three of them peace of mind whether home or not through a mobile app that is paired with the device.

Alex and Amna are passionate about empowering caregivers to overcome the challenges faced by both caregivers and those they care for through the use of simple and reliable technology. As committed caregivers, Amna and Alex want to share this simple and reliable solution to keeping the care network connected with other caregivers. Their vision for Empowu is to develop innovative solutions to help people lead healthier lives in alignment with care for the whole person.