Helmut Marko backs AI start-up that delivers messages to loved ones after death

Helmut Marko has made his first notable public move since departing Red Bull, backing an Austrian artificial intelligence start-up that allows people to leave personal messages for loved ones to receive after their death.

The 83-year-old, who stepped down from his role as Red Bull motorsport adviser at the end of last season following more than two decades with the Milton Keynes outfit, was unveiled as an investor in Lebensstimmen GmbH at a launch event at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Vienna on 20 October.

The Graz-based company, which will operate internationally under the name Words That Remain, describes its platform as a form of digital end-of-life planning. Users record or write messages during their lifetime, which are then passed on to chosen recipients after their death. The company also offers a tool to help grieving families compose their own tributes.

Lebensstimmen has additionally launched an AI eulogist called the “Fabertar”, developed in collaboration with Toni Faber, the cathedral pastor of St Stephen’s in Vienna. The company says the tool is clearly labelled as AI-generated and is not intended to replace priests or speakers, but to assist in situations where none are available.

Marko drew a direct line between his investment and his long career in motorsport. “Motorsport was never left to chance; it was improved through the courage to consistently use new technologies for the benefit of people. That is exactly the attitude I recognise in Lebensstimmen,” he said.

The business was founded by Philipp Berkessy, Markus Pinter and Lukas Stern. “Every person has words that should remain. With Lebensstimmen, we are making end-of-life planning personal, digital and legally secure for the first time,” Berkessy said at the launch.

The platform is scheduled to launch fully in Austria and internationally in the first quarter of 2027. Marko, who built Red Bull’s celebrated junior driver programme and played a central role in the careers of four-time world champions Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, has not announced any return to motorsport since his departure.