--- title: The Modernization of Death Care description: Technology and wellness are disrupting a dated industry, changing how we spend our last moments and immortalize those who die. image: https://www.nlopchantamang.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/cremation1-1024x599.png --- [ << Back to Blog ](https://www.nlopchantamang.com/trends/signals) [Technology](https://www.nlopchantamang.com/trends/signals/tag/technology) [legal](https://www.nlopchantamang.com/trends/signals/tag/legal) # The Modernization of Death Care ###### Shân Osborn ###### Share [mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://www.nlopchantamang.com/trends/signals/signal/the-modernization-of-death-care%20&body=Check%20out%20https://www.nlopchantamang.com/trends/signals/signal/the-modernization-of-death-care&media=https://f.hubspotusercontent20.net/hubfs/3430677/Imported_Blog_Media/cremation1-1024x599.png](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://www.nlopchantamang.com/trends/signals/signal/the-modernization-of-death-care%20&body=Check%20out%20https://www.nlopchantamang.com/trends/signals/signal/the-modernization-of-death-care&media=https://f.hubspotusercontent20.net/hubfs/3430677/Imported_Blog_Media/cremation1-1024x599.png) ![](https://www.nlopchantamang.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/cremation1-1024x599.png?height=420&name=cremation1-1024x599.png) *** Sources: PitchBook; GeekWire; Crunchbase; TechCrunch; Sifted*** **The Signal: **Death care is a small and traditional world. Roughly [22.5k](https://washingtonmonthly.com/2019/07/23/the-death-industrys-biggest-threat/) funeral homes and 10k [cemeteries](https://www.forbes.com/sites/bisnow/2017/11/03/urban-cemeteries-running-out-of-space-as-baby-boomers-enter-twilight-years/#7db26353579c) process the [~2.8m deaths](https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/deaths.htm) in the US each year. The industry has enjoyed decades of [high markups](https://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/budgeting/5-retail-markups.htm#pt10) and [limited pricing transparency](https://www.marketwatch.com/story/funeral-prices-vary-dramatically-mostly-because-people-are-too-grief-stricken-to-notice-2017-03-07). But modern needs are shaking up the market as Americans [move away](https://news.usc.edu/143438/what-we-think-about-death-and-funerals-is-changing/) from traditional burials.  Startups across the globe are attracting venture and seed capital in the death-care space. From software that writes wills to human composting, this year has seen $77m+ raised across 5 firms.  This may seem like a relatively small amount, but it’s the largest funding year for the space yet. And capital raised does not paint the full picture of growth: Numerous [ecommerce startups](https://thehustle.co/07172020-funeral-startups/) already serve the expanding market without funding. **The Death Positive Movement: **Death wellness is a [new and growing](https://www.globalwellnesssummit.com/2019-global-wellness-trends/dying-well/) concept. Baby boomers, creators of the wellness industry, control [~70%](https://www.usnews.com/pubfiles/USNews_Market_Insights_Boomers2015.pdf) of disposable income. They are now aging, number [~73m](https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2019/12/by-2030-all-baby-boomers-will-be-age-65-or-older.html) in the US, and refuse to have a terrible death. Enter end-of-life practitioners, or “death doulas,” who fill the gap between medical and hospice care. Emotional support for patients and family before, during, and after death can cost anywhere from [$100/hour to $5k for a set of days](https://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/episode-230-omar-khadr-gets-bail-mayweather-vs-pacquiao-death-doulas-and-more-1.3047873/death-midwives-help-families-cope-with-end-of-life-care-1.3047933). Demand is soaring, and the few doula training programs out there are struggling to keep pace. [International End of LIfe Doula Association (INELDA)’s](https://www.inelda.org/) online course routinely sells out. The University of Vermont launched their [professional certificate](https://learn.uvm.edu/program/end-of-life-doula-at-uvm/end-of-life-doula-certificate/) in the fall of 2017; now they can’t keep up with their waitlist. Applicants crashed the system when their last online program opened. US search volume for “death doula” has risen to 9.9k/month according to Keywords Everywhere. The profession is largely unregulated, and online courses offer no hands-on experience. Entrepreneurs could: - Offer in-depth training programs - Create platforms that match patients to doulas and other support services -- [Near](https://staynear.co) just launched - Form partnerships with medical institutions and care homes - Focus on doula specialization **The Ash Opportunity: **An estimated [56%](https://nfda.org/news/media-center/nfda-news-releases/id/5230/the-future-of-funerals-covid-19-restrictions-force-funeral-directors-to-adapt-propelling-the-profession-forward) of Americans who died had their remains cremated in 2020. This figure is forecast to rise to [nearly 80% by 2035](https://nfda.org/news/media-center/nfda-news-releases/id/3526) -- ~2.8m cremations a year. And people are increasingly looking for ways to immortalize ashes. ![](https://www.nlopchantamang.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/cremation1-1024x599.png) ***Source: NFDA; Statista*** Beyond a slew of sites offering to make your loved ones [into](https://www.etsy.com/market/cremation_keepsakes) [various](https://www.spiritpieces.com) [trinkets](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/firm-can-turn-deceased-loved-ones-ceramics-coffee-cups-vases-a7439606.html) (your favorite [vinyl](https://www.andvinyly.com), perhaps?), only a small number of players are providing solutions with attractive revenue streams. These firms focus on quality and connection in times of loss. And there is room for competition. - **Memorial Forests:** Better Place Forests raised $40m in January. Their service will place your ashes under a private tree in a memorial forest, open to visitation. The firm launched their first 20-acre redwood forest in California last year, where trees are priced at [$2.9k-$36k](https://www.fastcompany.com/90366340/inside-the-vc-backed-forest-cemetery-that-could-disrupt-how-we-die). Thousands signed up. They have since transformed 3 more of their 7 properties into memorial forests. - You could invest in land where people would like to be laid to rest -- quiet spaces around cities, vacation areas, or national parks. Entrepreneurs could also branch out beyond redwood forests into memorial gardens that grandchildren can play in, inner-city botanical gardens, or even [eternal coral reefs](https://www.eternalreefs.com/eternal-reefs-donation-levels/eternal-reefs-memory-keepsakes/). - **Memorial Diamonds: **Eterneva raised $3m in an oversubscribed seed round this July. They turn cremated remains into diamonds -- from $2.9k for [0.1 carat](https://eterneva.com/memorial-diamond-cost). Only a handful of companies offer the service globally. Even after planned expansion, Eterneva will have the capacity to create just [75 diamonds per year](https://www.statesman.com/business/20200716/austinrsquos-eterneva-which-makes-diamonds-from-cremated-ashes-raises-3-million-for-expansion). They already have [9k+](https://www.instagram.com/eterneva/) followers on Instagram. - There is a clear need to ramp up operations, and there are no patent barriers. You could also branch out to other (more affordable) memorial gems -- German firm [Mevisto](https://www.mevisto.com/en/gemstones/one-of-a-kind/) offers rubies and sapphires. ![](https://www.nlopchantamang.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Screenshot-2020-10-27-at-09_32_13.png) *** Source: Eterneva Instagram*** **Tech After Death:** The paperwork involved after death is cumbersome and confusing. Entrepreneurs could focus on industry verticals and software that provides simplification, pricing transparency, and around-the-clock customer support. UK-based death-care startup Exiztent aims to digitize the legal side and bring together the necessary people and services in one place. They raised their first £3.6m in September. This idea can be leveraged to provide similar solutions in the US: - There are [200k+](https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/estate-lawyers-attorneys-industry/) estate law firms in the country; your platform could bring together multiple prescreened, customer-reviewed options - Work directly with firms to digitize their existing services on a company-specific platform, with the ability to connect to other necessary players Newly launched [Solace](https://www.solacecares.com) will manage cremation for you, with a focus on customer support. They even hand-deliver remains. You could do the same with human composting, gem creation, memorial tree planting, etc. UK startup [PlotBox](https://www.plotbox.io) provides cemetery record-keeping software; they recently expanded into the US. Entrepreneurs could develop a solution for the growing number of memorial forests that will soon require similar management tech. ### Leave a Comment #### Shân Osborn ###### Blog posts ## Related Articles. 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