92. amicable

Founders: Pip Wilson and Kate Daly
Founded: August 2015 (Launched November 2016)
Website: www.amicable.io

Divorce is not something we like to contemplate. But, after the heady bliss of the honeymoon has faded and reality starts to knock, many couples realise they aren’t prepared to spend the rest of their lives together.

Whilst divorce rates in the UK have decreased considerably from their 2003 to 2004 peak, data from the Office for National Statistics shows that the number of divorces rose by 5.8% from 2015 to 2016.

Talking of triumph from disaster, these statistics for separating spouses provided Pip Wilson and Kate Daly with a business idea.

And, after going through an unpleasant and expensive divorce of her own, Daly decided to join forces with Wilson to create amicable.

An app with technology at its heart, amicable helps divorcing partners to remain on good terms and helps create a better outcome for families.

The cost of all this? A mere £300 per couple if you have no children or financial arrangements, and £1,200 for a divorce with consent (for couples who want to get divorced and know what financial arrangements they want to make).

amicable’s full divorce service – which gives couples access to one of its ‘Divorce Coaches’ to guide them through the process – costs £2,850. This is five times cheaper than using a lawyer for comparable services.

While Wilson and Daly are keen to stress amicable is not a law firm, this lack of legal status is actually helpful for the business as it avoids the legal loophole that a lawyer can only act for one person in the UK, which can complicate proceedings.

Already, amicable has attracted over 1,000 app users across 52 countries, alongside another 300 paying customers in England and Wales.

The data gathered from these users will help to inform the development of an AI chatbot that will be able to answer common divorce questions round the clock.

Fundamentally, amicable’s mission is to change the way the world divorces by providing a better way to divorce that doesn’t cost the earth and helps couples to separate amicably; breaking away from the current model of ‘fault-based’ divorce.