Efuneral
eFuneral.com (formerly known as Funerally) is a privately owned company offering online resources for caregivers and those facing end-of-life decisions. eFuneral is owned and operated by Building 2 LLC, a Cleveland, Ohio based company founded in 2011 by entrepreneurs Mike Belsito and Bryan Chaikin.[1]
Overview[edit]
eFuneral.com provides users with a funeral home comparison tool that details local funeral home prices, ratings, and reviews. The company also offers those thinking about end-of-life with resources including articles and videos on end-of-life care and funeral planning, as well as funeral service pricing reports and funeral financing through a partnership with Prosper.com. An additional partnership with Tackk.com allows users to create online memorials. eFuneral partners with hospice organizations to help patients nearing end-of-life make funeral decisions. eFuneral hospice partners include Halcyon Hospice in Georgia and the Hospice of Dayton in Ohio.[2]
History[edit]
During the summer of 2011, Mike Belsito and Bryan Chaikin started eFuneral while part of the first class of Ohio State University’s 10-Xelerator business boot camp. The 10-X program was started in 2011 with the support of the State of Ohio’s Third Frontier program. Since graduating from the 10-X program, eFuneral raised capital from investors including Hatch Partners in Ohio and Flywheel Ventures in New Mexico.[3] In September 2011, eFuneral received a $25,000 grant from the Lorain County Community College Foundation’s Innovation Fund, and in September 2012 they received another $95,000 from the Innovation Fund. The Innovation Fund is financed by money from the State of Ohio’s Third Frontier program and matching contributions from partners across Northeast Ohio.[4]
Recently, eFuneral.com received a $250,000 grant from the nonprofit venture development organization JumpStart Inc. In choosing eFuneral for this grant, JumpStart inc. Venture Partner Mark Smith said "... The company's offerings are flexible to an individual's specific needs, comprehensive enough to cover all aspects of the planning process and clearly organized on a well-designed website. The combination of these traits makes eFuneral a unique and valuable resource, and positions them for significant growth"[5]
Using eFuneral.com[edit]
When visiting eFuneral.com, users may create a free end-of-life plan that covers the full spectrum of needs related to death. These include: End-of Life, Your Estate, Funeral Homes, Arrangements, Grieving, and After Death. eFuneral offers the opportunity to register at no charge for customized end-of-life planning assistance, but registration is not required for users to access eFuneral's planning tools.The Funeral Homes feature is unique in that it offers users an easy method of comparing funeral home prices and reviews. Users may also browse through hundreds of articles and videos for advice and tips related to end-of-life planning, caregiving, funeral arrangements, and grieving.
Business Model[edit]
All of eFuneral’s services are free. Organizations that market to funeral planners, such as funeral homes, cemeteries, insurance companies, and others, can apply to become pre-screened partners with eFuneral. If selected, those organizations pay a fee for exclusive leads by funeral planners requesting to be connected to an eFuneral pre-screened partner.[6]
Community Outreach[edit]
In their effort to promote dialogue around end-of-life, death, and dying, eFuneral hosts events for the community. The Internet company brought the popular Death Cafe to Cleveland along with the PBS documentary Homegoings.
Media Attention[edit]
eFuneral has received multiple mentions in the media, including articles in The Atlantic (Bringing Innovation to the Funeral Home Business), CNN Money (The High Cost of Saying Goodbye ), The Plain Dealer (Clevelanders Bring Internet Shopping to the Funeral Industry), The Huffington Post (End Of Life Tech Companies Grow With Changes in Death Traditions), and more.
References[edit]
- ↑ Connelly, Karin. "efuneral finds digital niche in funeral planning business". Retrieved 5 April 2012.
- ↑ Connelly, Karin. "growing efuneral branches out with new hospice partnership". Freshwater Cleveland. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
- ↑ Ghose, Carrie. "10X: FunerAlly aims to help bereaved families decide on funeral homes". Columbus Business News. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
- ↑ Smith, Robert (6 February 2012). "Clevelanders bring Internet shopping to the funeral industry". The Plain Dealer.
- ↑ Ludwig, Sean. "Morbid Investment of the Day: eFuneral nabs $250K to be a Yelp for Funeral Homes". Venture Beat.
- ↑ Alexis, Madrigal (24 September 2012). "Bringing Innovation to the Funeral-Home Business (No, Really)". The Atlantic.
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