WHAT IS DEATHTECH? And what’s the difference from “grief-tech”?

Since the pandemic, our health and the environment have been bumped right up the priority list.

Our health includes mental health as well as physical health. There’s less taboo about mental health now, and with an increased awareness of conditions like depression and anxiety, this means business for some of the UK’s top startups.

Take Ada Ventures' investment thesis for their latest fund, for example. The early-stage venture capital firm is now focusing on investing in three main categories; economic empowerment, healthcare, and climate change. Another early-stage VC firm, Kindred, is also focusing on the healthtech space. Business goes where money flows!

And as for the environment? We’ve come a long way in understanding the effects of climate change since Attenborough’s viral deep Blue Planet documentary, but have we done enough to slow down or even reverse the natural damage on our planet?

It’s with this backdrop we deep dive on the deathtech and grieftech spaces - both combating these pressing issues...

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Bloom works with clients across a variety of sectors within the technology industry; from fintech to healthtech, from fashtech to legaltech. But a newer category we’re obsessed with has got a few eyebrows raising… Deathtech.

As morbid as this may sound, the truth is this is a very exciting space. Issues relating to end-of-life or bereavement are crucial matters, with huge implications for mental health, the environment, and - forgive us - one with a huge total addressable market…

But let’s back up a few steps and firstly answer: what on Earth is DEATHTECH?

Deathtech is a sector that categorises businesses solving problems relating to end-of-life affairs, such as will-writing (see Farewill), life insurance (see DeadHappy), and even body composting (see Meine Erde).

Grieftech is another term that sits adjacent to this space. The crucial difference is that “grieftech” organisations focus more on the bereaved rather than the passed, providing services such as mental health support, community, service provider recommendations, or professional advice. Examples of grieftech startups include Untangle, Guardian Angel and Empathy.

So, why all the excitement about such morbid subjects?

We believe there’s nothing more emotionally painful than experiencing the loss of a loved one. Support services for the bereaved - counselling, community, or just a helping hand - have a big positive impact on the mental health of the sufferers.

Secondly, from an environmental perspective, we often talk about the damage we have on the planet, but seldom consider the impact of the deceased… *Truly* innovative startups like Meine Erde, for example, have developed a body composting solution that transforms the human body into fertile soil in a totally natural, gentle, and sustainable way.

From a brand marketing perspective, this is also a really interesting area that excites us. There’s the opportunity to be disruptive in such a unique space, and of course poses the interesting challenge of building a brand in a way that’s memorable and distinctive - whilst remaining sensitive and highly empathetic.

Helping the bereaved, supporting mental health, and reducing carbon footprint while you’re at it is a pretty big problem to fix.

Lastly, the topic of death is still taboo. Most people don’t want to think about it, let alone talk about it - let alone start a business in it! But in startup land we always talk about the problem you’re fixing. Helping the bereaved, supporting mental health, and reducing carbon footprint while you’re at it is a pretty big one to us! And if many aren’t stomaching the venture, this denotes a very attractive opportunity. (Did we mention the huge total addressable market?)

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We hope this blog post was received in the intended way, without causing offence or upset to anyone affected by the sad topic. By highlighting some of the brilliant startups addressing the problematic pains relating to bereavement or end-of-life, we hope to have made readers aware of the solutions available. Should you need support you have a few options to consider with the startups mentioned here.