Founders and investors gathered in Melbourne for SmartCompany’s early-stage startup competition, The Pitch, where five promising startups presented their innovative ideas.
Among the finalists was Restify, a Melbourne-based startup founded by Indian-origin couple Devipriya Selvaraj and Karthikeyan Viswanathan, with the mission of destigmatising death and supporting families during challenging times through a grief management platform.
Restify was born from Selvaraj’s personal experience following the sudden loss of her father-in-law. “We faced immense difficulties during that time,” Selvaraj explained.
This experience inspired the creation of Restify, which aims to provide a comprehensive human centric end-of-life management platform for first-generation immigrants.
Restify was one of five startups competing in front of a panel of esteemed judges, including Maxine Lee, COO of Skalata VC; Mark Newman, startup programs manager at LaunchVic; Sarah Green, co-founder of Protagonist Capital; and William Hasko, director of small business marketing at Dell Technologies for Australia, India, and Japan.
Selvaraj and Viswanathan’s platform offers resources for will planning, funeral arrangements, family communication, and emotional support, all designed to reduce stress and save time and money for grieving families.
With over 250 families already on the waiting list for Restify’s beta version, expected to launch in November 2024, the startup is gaining significant traction.
Selvaraj says that the potential market, noting that “more than 50% of Australia’s population consists of immigrants, representing a market of about 3.5 million families.”
Restify, which is backed by a research team at the University of Melbourne, has already secured accolades, winning the WYNnovation 2024 Pitch Grand Finale, taking home $10,000, and building momentum towards its launch.
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