Betterleave Secures $2.4M Funding to Revolutionize Bereavement Care

Betterleave, a pioneering platform focused on enhancing access, experience, and outcomes in bereavement care while reducing the total cost, has successfully raised $2.4 million in funding. Chingona Ventures led the funding round, with participation from Bread and Butter Ventures, Vitalize VC, Wisdom Ventures Fund, Coyote Ventures, and AARP.

Betterleave introduces an integrated approach to addressing grief and mental health through a comprehensive digital and clinical care solution, tackling the multifaceted challenges individuals encounter during the bereavement process.

The Growing Need for Bereavement Care

Bereavement care, aimed at helping organizations support their members through the grieving process, is a rapidly growing category of care. The demand for such services is evident, with over 30 million working Americans serving as caregivers for adults, making caregivers the fastest-growing employee demographic.

Despite the prevalence of grief, there has been a significant gap in resources and support to navigate the professional, financial, and emotional aspects of loss. Recent legislative changes and the impact of Covid-19 have underscored the importance of grief management in the workplace.

A Personal Journey Inspires Innovation

Cara McCarty Abbott, founder and CEO of Betterleave, personally experienced the challenges of grief when her mother passed away from terminal cancer. Drawing from her background as an HR leader, she founded Betterleave to address the burdens faced by grieving individuals, both before and after their loss. Bereavement is a complex issue that affects various aspects of a person’s life, and Betterleave aims to shed light on the mental health care gap in the workplace.

Comprehensive Care Beyond Logistics

In contrast to single-point solutions that primarily offer logistical services like will drafting and funeral planning, Betterleave is a comprehensive digital health platform. It focuses on guiding individuals through logistics, managing grief, and achieving positive clinical outcomes. The platform covers the entire bereavement spectrum, offering support for various types of grief, including the loss of a loved one, pregnancy loss, pet loss, anticipatory loss, and relationship loss.

Betterleave also facilitates seamless information transfer through programmatically sent messages and family collaboration features, benefiting hospices required to provide bereavement support for 13 months following a loss.

Positive Impact Through Comprehensive Care

Betterleave’s platform has seen a 75% improvement in member engagement and better systems access to licensed therapists, grief support groups, family counseling, wellness services, doula services, and spiritual services.

Redefining Bereavement Care

Samara Mejia Hernandez, Founding Partner of Chingona Ventures, praises Betterleave’s innovative approach, emphasizing the massive demand for an end-to-end solution like Betterleave. The platform brings together industry-leading partners from various sectors to create a holistic solution for bereavement care.

Supporting Employers and Employees

Betterleave not only aids individuals but also assists their employers in establishing and launching bereavement care programs. Currently, about 90% of employers provide paid bereavement leave, but the average allowance is only three days. Betterleave serves as an extension of employers, offering a comprehensive platform with analytics, communication templates, and measurable outcomes. Employers from diverse industries, including tech companies, manufacturers, school systems, and financial institutions, have already benefited from Betterleave’s services.

A Visionary Team

Betterleave was launched in 2022 by Cara McCarty Abbott, who has over a decade of experience in human relations and organizational psychology. She partnered with Sam Leung, Head of Product at Betterleave, to scale product features and deliver a comprehensive bereavement care solution that combines tech-enabled support with clinical mental health expertise. The team includes a global network of coaches and therapists specializing in grief and loss.

Expanding Access to Care

Betterleave has gained significant traction by collaborating with hospices, insurers, and hospital systems, establishing bereavement care as a new category of employee benefits. The platform is in-network with major healthcare providers, including Humana, Aetna, Cigna, United, and BCBSTX. Future plans include expanding the clinical care model and refining the grief training curriculum to meet growing demand.

TL;DR

• Betterleave secures $2.4 million in funding to revolutionize bereavement care.
• The platform offers a comprehensive digital and clinical care solution for individuals and organizations.
• Bereavement care is a rapidly growing category due to the increasing number of caregivers.
• The founder’s personal experience with grief inspired the creation of Betterleave.
• The platform covers logistics, grief management, and clinical outcomes.
• Betterleave not only supports individuals but also helps employers establish bereavement care programs.
• The team includes experienced professionals in HR, organizational psychology, and grief and loss.
• Betterleave has already established partnerships with hospices, insurers, and healthcare providers.
• Future plans involve expanding the clinical care model and curriculum to meet growing demand.