Tech start-up raises £492,000 in pre-seed fundraising round

A Manchester-based ‘death tech’ start up, which provides an online platform which aims to simplify the bereavement process, has closed its pre-seed round – raising £492,000.

Along with the new investment Guardian Angel, founded by former financial professional Sam Grice, has also welcomed two former Co-operative executives to its strategy team.

The platform aims to reduce the stress in the immediate aftermath of a loved one’s death by enabling people to coordinate support from family and friends. Guardian Angel aims to use this investment to improve its current digital platform and to develop a tool to make the process of planning for the inevitable easier.

As part of the raise, two members of the NorthInvest Angel network, Rod Bulmer and Alistair Asher, agreed to come on board as financial and as strategic advisors. Between them, they have contributed a six-figure investment.

Bulmer had executive responsibility for Co-op Funeralcare and Co-op Life Planning from 2014 to 2016.  Prior to that, he was Deputy CEO, Coop Bank. Asher is also a former Co-op executive, with roles including General Council, NED Co-op Insurance and Non-Executive Chairman Co-op Legal Services.

Guardian Angel was conceived in 2017 following the unexpected death of founder Grice’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 Grice, Guardian Angel founder 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 wake, something I had never done before, 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.

“The funeral sector has been slow to modernise and digitise its services but we are talking to funeral directors on a daily basis about the benefits of creating a Guardian Angel support hub for their clients, as we believe technology can really help in the bereavement process.”

Professor Adam Beaumont, Founder of NorthInvest said: “NorthInvest has attracted investment to several scalable platforms which address challenges or opportunities on a global scale.  Guardian Angel is one of such platforms and we’ll watch with interest – I believe their empathic approach to help deal with difficult issues in an efficient way can not only be a successful start up but make a positive impact to many.’

Helen Oldham, founder, and board director at NorthInvest added: “NorthInvest are delighted to have supported Guardian Angel. Their larger aims are to make things like funeral plans and life insurance easier to assemble and more transparent. This has the potential to make a positive difference in an area which affects everyone.’

Guardian Angel has also attracted ex-Goldman Sachs MD Andrew Weisz who will act as Financial Director going forward.

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