Aura is a company with a deeply human-centered mission: to help people and their families navigate the often-taboo topic of death with more ease and support. AIN sat down with Ben May, co-founder and COO of a business born from a deeply personal experience. He discussed how this purpose-driven startup is evolving the funeral industry and the factors that attracted recent investment.
Tell us about Aura Funerals and how you came up with the idea?
Paul Jameson, Aura’s Founder, came up with the original idea for Aura following his diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease in 2017. After numerous bucket list challenges, travel, and charity fundraising following his diagnosis, he wanted to help people and their families prepare for end of life better and realised the current way we did things in the UK had some flaws.
He got his son, Dave, and I together in 2019 and planted the seed of the idea which has grown into the Aura we know today now delivering thousands of funeral arrangements and helping several thousand people plan ahead through pre-paid funeral plans per year.
What is the problem you are looking to solve?
Death, dying, and talking about death are taboo topics in the UK. We want to help people and their families manage death better, so they can live a better life.
What attracted investors to your company for this latest raise?
I think investors are drawn to a few things about Aura. The story of Paul starting a business to help people and their families in a similar position to him, the purpose behind what we are doing, the top rated funeral plans, the customer reviews. It is clear from all this that we are doing something special.
On top of that, from a financial perspective we have had outstanding year on year growth from when we delivered our first funeral in 2022.
The blend of our purpose led mission to do everything we can to help people ‘have a good death’, so they can lead a better life, the rapid growth of the company, the commercial opportunity of a large market has piqued the interest of investors.
Why did you raise via Angel Investment Network?
We were recommended AIN and it hasn’t disappointed us through the several times we have raised investment through them. They have a fantastic network of Angels, are easy to work with and we have met some brilliant investors who have helped support our mission.
How have you found fundraising in the present climate?
From our perspective it has been good. We know for others it’s not been as easy, especially getting investment at a very early stage for an idea that hasn’t started trading yet.
I think because of the industry Aura operates in, and the outstanding growth we have experienced, we have been able to raise successfully despite a generally more difficult fundraising climate.
What is your top tip for anyone raising investment for the first time?
Speak to a few people who have raised investment before, and listen to their experience and their advice.
When you are in front of investors, make sure you prepare well and know the key points you want to convey. Give yourself the best chance of demonstrating the amazing work you are doing and why it would be a fantastic opportunity for an investor.
The funeral industry is one of the most traditional industries. What lessons did you learn in disrupting it?
The funeral industry, and the products and services available, have not evolved as quickly as other industries in the modern era. We have learned, and have strong evidence that people want alternative options that reflect modern day lives. We are working hard to provide alternative, often lower cost and simpler, funeral solutions, as well as to help families deal with the arranging process and bereavement through digital transformation in an archaic industry.
The people who work in the funeral industry at Aura, and other companies, are some of the most compassionate, kind, patient, diligent people around. We try to go above and beyond what someone may expect. Customer experience at the most difficult time of people’s lives is Aura’s utmost priority, running through the interactions customers have with our team, and in the design of our products and services.
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