Funeral Zone secures £1m ‘angel’ funding to help bereaved

Funeral Zone, a website which helps the bereaved, has secured £1million in investment funding from business ‘angels’. Funeral Zone, launched by Ed Gallois and Kevin Homeyard in 2013, allows the bereaved to compare funeral directors in their local area, as well as providing valuable help and resources when somebody dies. Members of the public who search for a local funeral director in Funeral Zone’s nationwide directory can read independent reviews, contributed by families who have recently used the services of a funeral director. The seven-figure investment will support Gallois and Homeyard’s vision to grow www.funeralzone.co.uk into a global platform supporting the bereaved. Funeral Zone has already grown to become the number one funeral resource in the UK and is also rapidly gaining traction in Australia and South Africa. CEO and co-founder Ed Gallois said: “After a close friend passed away a few years ago, I realised there was very little help out there for the bereaved. What should you do first, when someone dies? Is it a doctor, a neighbour or a funeral director? “And how do you actually go about finding the best funeral director, from dozens that will come up on a Google search? With all that information in one place at the touch of a button, we realised it would be one less stress-factor for people to deal with. Funeral Zone, which is based in Exeter, secured its £1 million backing through a number of seed-funding investors, including The Minerva Business Angels, based at the University of Warwick. The money will support its mission to expand its global reach, with the company on-target to double the size of its operations within the next six months. With a background in web management for household name companies, Gallois is convinced that Funeral Zone can – and already does – fulfil a vital need within a 21st century society where the practicalities of death are becoming less taboo. “There are so many websites out there to support you if you’re arranging a wedding, planning a baby, or for other significant life events,” he said. “So why not when we die? You need straightforward and practical information when you are grieving and at your most vulnerable. Our mission is to help the bereaved.”