3. Farewill

Founders: Dan Garrett and Tom Rogers
Founded: 2016
Website: farewill.com

The global pandemic has seen countless personal tragedies, and forced many of us to confront mortality as never before. For families left behind, the sadness of losing a loved one can be compounded by the staggering bureaucracy and costs involved in dealing with death.

Farewill, however, is seeking to make everything to do with death simpler, faster and fairer – from wills to probate and funeral planning.

First launched in 2016, Farewill has grown to become the UK’s largest will provider. Its remarkable growth trajectory – coupled with a customer-first mindset that aims to ease stress at every turn – makes Farewill a worthy addition to the top of the Startups 100 2021.

Co-founder Dan Garrett explains how the probate process alone is just one part of the bureaucracy of death, wherein grieving families can all too easily become overwhelmed by complicated choices and rising costs. “The process is typically convoluted, and grieving people are terrified about getting things wrong,” Garrett says. “We remove complications by simplifying language and proactively update customers on the progress of the case.”

The process is typically convoluted, and grieving people are terrified about getting things wrong” – Dan Garrett, Farewill co-founder

Farewill’s probate costs can save families thousands of pounds, versus high-street solicitor costs, and its funeral plans can be £2,500 cheaper than a traditional funeral. Likewise, Farewell can help people save on creating a will, with costs from just £90 and a 15-minute process designed to limit intimidating legalese.

Customers are effusive in their praise for the service, and the brand has over 9,000 excellent ratings on TrustPilot.

Over the next 10 years, £1 trillion will pass between generations – doubling between 2017 and 2027” – Dan Garrett, Farewill co-founder

Farewill has an eye on the future, and is positioning itself to help even more people across the UK to deal with death and probate. “Over the next 10 years, £1 trillion will pass between generations – doubling between 2017 and 2027,” Garrett says. “Farewill is here to help people do it in the simplest, fastest and fairest way possible.”