Titan Casket, a startup that is disrupting the funeral industry with a direct-to-consumer model for casket purchases, has raised $3.5 million in new funding.
The company’s mission is to make it easy to buy a casket online rather than at a funeral home, saving customers time and money during what can be an emotional process.
Founded in 2016 by longtime casket manufacturer and supplier Scott Ginsberg, who serves as CEO, Titan also includes a husband-and-wife co-founding team in Bellevue, Wash. COO Josh Siegel previously spent more than eight years at Amazon and was chief product officer at cosmetic treatment review startup RealSelf. Titan President Liz Siegel previously ran her own baby products company.
The company reported 400% year-over-year growth in 2021, increasing the number of caskets available for purchase on its website to over 1,000 models. Titan, which is already the largest casket seller on Amazon, also introduced a new website with tools to select and design a casket and estimate the shipping date. It launched a casket category for Sam’s Club and a military line of caskets on Costco.com, and opened warehouses in California, Pennsylvania and Alabama.
The new funds will be used for product development, brand building, and consumer education, according to a news release. Titan also aims to ensure delivery speeds of one to two business days for 90% of U.S. metros through added distribution points in Los Angeles, Dallas, New York, and Chicago.
An increasing number of startups are innovating to bring change to the $20 billion funeral industry. In Seattle, Recompose has gained attention by offering an alternative choice to conventional burial and cremation methods by turning human remains into soil. Portland, Ore.-based Solace has added digital convenience to the process of planning and facilitating cremation services.
