The passing of a loved one comes with a rollercoaster of emotions, from being hit with grief to becoming overwhelmed with creating funeral plans. The ordeal can be quite strenuous for many families, but what if it didn’t have to be?

Following the tragic loss of her father, Jessica McGlory launched Guaranteed, a tech-enabled hospice-care startup. On the premise that death is the only thing in life that’s guaranteed, the founder and CEO created the company to transform how society handles the ultimate fate. The goal is better preparation when it comes to taking necessary actions and managing the emotional experience.

Guaranteed uses frictionless technology to provide direct, at-home patient care in Los Angeles, CA, and New York, NY. An additional standout feature is that the company not only looks after its patients but also their families, who receive their own personal plan of care.

Investors have gravitated to the mission behind Guaranteed as it has raised nearly $10 million to date. In 2022, the company closed a seed round of $6.5 million — making it one of the largest seed rounds ever raised by a Black female solo founder — according to a press release. What’s more, McGlory is an out, queer Black woman.

AfroTech spoke with McGlory about how she went about securing funding, how she hopes to dispel fear about death in the Black community, and what the near future holds for Guaranteed.

Hospice Care

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