FunerariApp: The platform that digitizes and simplifies access to this type of service
It was born from the experience of its founder, who faced the need to have information at hand that would make decisions about a painful experience such as the death of a family member or someone close to him simpler.
The loss of a loved one is surrounded by emotional aspects, as well as practical and inescapable needs, but sometimes we feel so overwhelmed that it is difficult to make a decision around the aspects that need to be addressed for the wake or funeral.
With the idea of simplifying this search, FunerariApp was born at the end of 2021. Its founder, Vladimir Paredes, had a close loss and it was at that time that he began to research the funeral process to be able to help his relatives in the times and procedures.
It was at this stage that the founder and CEO realized the lack of technology in the field and the scarce information on published costs: “I saw the opportunity for improvement in the industry for other families and as I was going through the preparation of the death of my relative, I was able to understand the process from the user’s need.”
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This is how the idea of creating a simple technological product came about, which began its incubation process in March 2022 at Startup-Chile and in parallel was selected as one of the 10 best startups in the Zurich Innovation Championship. Currently, this venture is supported by the 3IE Institute, a business incubator of the Federico Santa MarĂa Technical University, through mentoring in its 3IE-USM Mentoring Network and with guidance in financial management through its sponsorship service.
Simplifying access to procedures
As detailed by Paredes, who is also a journalist, “creating FunerariApp was a necessity when I understood as a user that the funeral industry was digitally relegated worldwide. Although it is a necessity, I understood that it must be key to be able to deliver a digital solution at such a complex time for someone who loses a loved one.”
There is a huge emotional burden, little time, a lot of ignorance, and little information in a transparent way, in a high-cost market.” In fact, by using the existing filters on their platform, users will be able to see price variations from 10% to 30%.
The proposal of this technology company, which provides information from different cities in the country, is to help the funeral industry digitize its sales channels and services while providing a digital solution to people.
As detailed by Paredes: “It is a marketplace for funeral services with digital assistance, which allows you to compare, quote and purchase funeral services. The short- and medium-term plans are to include crematorium and cemetery services, as well as support for insurance, compensation funds and AFPs, in order to deliver a complete roadmap of digital solutions to families to facilitate decision-making.”
This platform has two edges, one of them focuses on SMEs in the funeral industry and helps them connect with the digital world: “Because they do not have the economic capacity to pay for their own technological developments, nor incur high marketing costs, FunerariApp is a showcase for these smaller companies that want to make themselves known in the market,” Paredes details.
He also adds that “it allows people who want to quote, and compare services, to do so without having to call or contact funeral home by funeral home, saving time and bad times.”
Being the first startup of its kind and its innovative vision of the sector is “a clear example of what was proposed in the study of the National Economic Prosecutor’s Office on the funeral issue and which proposes the digitalization of the market for the benefit of consumers. According to this research, 70% of people do not compare and more than 40% stated that they have not received social benefits at such times, due to emotional load factors, lack of knowledge of the process and lack of digital tools that support decision-making without harassment in the process,” concludes Paredes.