#69 Starting a 'death tech for good' company, Samuel Grice Founder of Guardian Angel
People Inspired By Purpose - Purposely Podcast
Shownotes Transcript
Fellow Kiwi Sam Grice joins Purposely Podcast to share his founder story with Guardian Angel.
Guardian Angel is categorised as a ‘death tech for good’ start-up focused on reducing the stress in the immediate aftermath of a loved one’s death by enabling people to coordinate support from family and friends - simplifying the bereavement process.
Guardian Angel was founded in 2017 following the unexpected death of Sam’s mother in a road accident. Having been personally exposed to the end-of-life industry, the lack of digital efficiency became evident as he and his family struggled to coordinate the tasks and sudden influx of communications.
Sam said, “The support we received from well-meaning family and friends after mum’s accident was amazing. However, managing that support together with organising a funeral and a wake proved immensely difficult during one of the most stressful periods of my life. And I’m not alone. Most of us have or will experience the death of a loved one and face the same issues that I did.
Can you give some examples of what Guardian Angel provides?
‘The platform includes a ‘Key times’ function which informs people when they can visit and when the family would like to be alone. The ‘To-Do list’ allows the management of all tasks and ask friends for help. The user can share funeral information privately and it also staggers support, like flower deliveries, so they do not all arrive at once. These are just some of the features it provides.
Tell us more about your founder journey?
‘A lot of founder led businesses are linked or triggered by personal events – an ‘aha’ moment following a life experience and the thought ‘Can I improve this and make it better?’. Unfortunately, mine was linked to the death of my mother who was involved in a car accident. I was 27 and my siblings were young as was my mom who was only 60, she wasn’t prepared to leave us, and we had a lot of admin and things to sort.’
‘We found out how expensive and full of jargon the process was and we didn't know what was going on and there was no one really guiding us. There’s often no single point of reference and if you're speaking to a lawyer or your insurance broker and a funeral director and it feels fragmented and inefficient. It inspired my idea to help people plan but also manage the chaos that's left behind. If someone isn't prepared, then so often the family doesn't know what to do.’
‘We've helped over 100,000 people plan for a better managed death and that's a huge accomplishment. A positive outcome from something that was quite tragic for both myself and my family.’