Doola provides eco-friendly cremations and custom online memorials in one easy-to-use website. We virtualize the entire end-of-life process and simplify it into one online platform while reducing costs by over 50% in a $16bn industry.
Founder Christopher Taktak will pitch Doola in the 10th annual CVC-NY Demo Night on Wednesday, October 14th. Doola will be one of five teams who will participate in our second all-virtual Demo Night event.
This year’s events are a little different than years prior. The New York Demo Night will feature exclusively E-commerce & Retail businesses.
The all-virtual nature allowed more teams to apply from all over and will also allow a larger group of attendees. While we will miss the in-person event, we are excited to host all of you that might not have been able to travel to these cities. Remember to RSVP!
Christopher Taktak is an undergrad at Columbia University, in his final year. He is currently building a funeral business called Doola, and is soon to be California’s youngest funeral director.
His mission with Doola is to revolutionize the end-of-life process; making it stress-free, convenient, and eco-friendly.
He plans to do that by virtualizing the entire death process, handling all the logistics, and cremating bodies with water — not fire.
Christopher believes in ethical means, unique methods, and practical deployment. Most importantly, he is not scared to enter into an industry where many have tried (and failed) to make a positive impact.
The “unsexiness” and the stigma around the death industry have only pushed him to work harder on making death customer friendly and environmentally sustainable.
What made you want to create Doola?
I was inspired to start this company by a class I took last semester on human-centered design.
As opposed to a problem-based approach, the process involves learning about human values and building a solution from there.
When Covid struck, I decided I would apply this thinking to the biggest pain-point of the pandemic: death.
In order to know the industry like the back of my hand, I embarked on a three-month long research process. It was during this process that I discovered the widespread popularity of cremation, and that cremation is actually more popular than burial.
I also came across a newly legalized process called Alkaline Hydrolysis, or Water Cremation. Alkaline Hydrolysis is an eco-friendly disposition method that releases no emissions and uses 90% less fuel than flame cremation.
Part of my research involved surveying over 200 customers that had recently been through the end-of-life process.
Through this, I got to know customer pain-points well, and learnt that what most customers want is to be guided through the end-of-life process, as if having their hand held.
Customers were also shocked to learn how bad both cremation and burial were for the environment, and were surprised to learn of an eco-friendly alternative.
It was then that I became convinced of my ultimate goal: to build a solution that simplifies end-of-life procedures and holds the customers hand, while making sure that the disposition process itself is simple, convenient, and good for the environment.
Knowing that the industry is both over-regulated and resistant to change, I nonetheless became certain that a better solution was possible — and that I could build it.
What has the building process been like?
The building process has been enlightening, to say the least. Beginning with my initial research, I was shocked to see just how many funeral directors would openly talk about their manipulative, predatory tactics towards customers.
Hidden fees, upselling, lies… these only scrape the surface of the ways in which funeral directors try to squeeze cash out of emotional families.
When it came to building a solution for myself, I knew I first had to become familiar with the regulation that makes this industry so hard to innovate.
The pandemic was beneficial in this sense — I was able to spend months alone getting to know the complex laws and regulations that bind the industry together, as well as speaking to people who had been through the funeral planning experience.
It means that there is now a degree of certainty around my solutions working with both the complex regulation surrounding the industry and the delicate demands of grieving customers.
What makes your process superior?
With Doola, customers get a full service experience that truly removes the need for funeral directors or funeral homes.
This means more freedom, more choice, and less hassle. It also means no more price comparison, no more manipulation, and no more hidden fees.
As a licensed funeral home and crematorium, we are able to handle all of the logistics you might otherwise have to perform with a funeral director.
Beyond that, what makes Doola truly unique is our process of Alkaline Hydrolysis — or water cremation. Water cremation is a humane alternative to flame cremation, and works like a gentle bath rather than a flaming oven-pit.
The process releases no emissions, compared to over 540lbs of greenhouse gases with flame cremation. It also uses 90% less fuel, and produces 20% more ashes. These ashes are white, not charred and black like those produced with flame cremation.
Using Doola gives you a degree of freedom that no other service provider gives you. With a level of transparency not otherwise seen in the funeral industry, you can be sure of exactly what you’re getting, and for exactly what price.
Cremate with us, and celebrate your loved one however you like. We’re on your side.
What city are you based out of?
Right now I am still in New York finishing up my degree, and will be here until the end of the year when I plan on graduating early.
I will be moving to Los Angeles in January, however, where our first crematorium is set to open in May 2021. California is a state with a high rate of cremation (over 70%!) and a state often on the forefront of eco-friendly living.
Given the recent statewide legalization of Alkaline Hydrolysis in July, I see no better place to truly begin this new venture than California.
Thank you Christopher! We look forward to hearing you pitch on October 14th. Don’t forget to RSVP!