"Our mission is to ultimately re-shape the way the end of life event is viewed.”Tom VanDenBogart, CEO of Heartfelt Celebrations
Founder: Tom VanDenBogart
Heartfelt Celebrations is close to finalizing a capital raise of $1.25 million in start-up funding and is on its way to launch.
The company, based in Slinger, Wis., offers customized end-of-life products and services for both people and pets on its e-commerce website and in retail stores. Visitors to the company’s website can create end-of-life ceremonies and select personalized services and products. Options include turning ashes into jewelry or creating a personalized cremation urn.
“Our goal is to develop unparalleled customized, end-of-life celebrations and products that capture the person’s life and personalize the event. We feel that the best way to do this is through helping people capture and share the stories of their life,” said Heartfelt Celebrations CEO Tom VanDenBogart.
Heartfelt hopes to capitalize on the upswing in cremation rates, which have doubled over last 10 years. Cremation rates are expected to continue to grow as baby boomers look for alternatives to traditional funeral and burial ceremonies, VanDenBogart said.
“Baby boomers are handling funeral services for their own parents and are looking for something different from traditional options for themselves, and whenever you can customize a solution, it is more attractive,” VanDenBogart said.
Heartfelt will also offer end-of-life products and services for pets. The pet care industry is valued at about $45 billion, VanDenBogart said.
“There’s a lot of opportunity there, as people consider their pets a cherished part of the family.”
Heartfelt’s start-up funding comes from a mix of sources, including: $800,000 from angel investors, $200,000 from the Washington County Economic Development Council and a $250,000 line of credit from First Business Bank. VanDenBogart also bootstrapped his venture with an initial infusion of $95,000 of his own money. The process of securing funding took longer than he anticipated.
“I thought it would be done in a month’s time, but it took about six months and 10 investors to make everything fall into place,” he said.
VanDenBogart, 50, worked for Kimberly-Clark Corp. for 25 years in consumer product research and development. He enjoyed working on products targeted for caregivers and the senior population.
While researching one such product for Kimberly-Clark, he discovered a common theme among baby boomers who didn’t necessarily want a traditional funeral for themselves. He came across the story of Fred Morrison, inventor of the Frisbee, who requested that his ashes be made into Frisbees.
“That got me thinking about this opportunity,” he recalled.
He took an early retirement in 2009 and decided it was time to put his ideas into action.
“I worked on the prototype for the Keepsake box with Hospice and met a woman there who really cherished it . She used it to record a message for her granddaughter. That experience was very powerful and very gratifying for me, personally,” he said.
Heartfelt Celebrations won the 2010 Marquette Business plan competition, and VanDenBogart eventually made his way to BizStarts’ Venture Track program. He met with John Torinus and Pat Thomey, who helped him source funding and form an advisory team.
Thomey is the company’s Chief Financial Officer.
Heartfelt has a staff of 8 and is planning to launch in 2011. For more information, visit www.heartfeltcelebrations.com.