We’ve heard of lawtech, fintech, edtech and regtech. Now along comes the next big thing: ‘deathtech’. The star turn at last month’s LawtechUK access to justice event was an interactive session introducing MyGoodbyes, an app to lead us through a conversation many of us never get around to having. The app records wishes and prompts discussions about subjects ranging from what song we would like played at our funeral (suggestions from the floor included ‘I Fought the Law’ and ‘Stairway to Heaven’) to more sober topics such as end-of-life care.

‘I founded MyGoodbyes as a place to talk about death after my dad died from cancer and I learned how hard it is to talk about death with someone who is dying,’ says founder James Barrett, a certified end-of-life planner.

‘Through our party, planner, insights and expert panel, we help people to put their own plans in place ahead of time. We also help you to understand the needs and wishes of those you love,’ the community interest company explains. To break the taboo, we ‘need to think outside the box’, Barrett said. Well we don’t expect to be doing much thinking inside it.

Topics