[Solution Report] Their Startup and Future <8> 21gram CEO Kwon Shingu
First In-house Brand Pet Funeral Hall to Open Next Month
"The domestic pet funeral rate is still estimated to be below 20%." There was a deep sense of regret in the words of Kwon Shingoo, CEO of 21gram. Many pets are illegally buried in backyards or neighborhoods, and in worse cases, abandoned. Even among the 20% of guardians who hold funerals, it is often difficult to distinguish between legal and illegal service providers, leading to frequent victimization. In an era with 10 million pet owners, he faced the reality after 'companionship.' This is why he and 21gram have taken the initiative to establish a pet funeral culture and increase the funeral rate.
On the 10th, CEO Kwon stated, "Through trustworthy funeral services, we aim to grow the pet funeral rate to 80%, leading to the popularization of pet funeral culture and the development of the industry in Korea." Currently, 21gram is working with the Korea Animal Funeral Association to create the 'e-Animal Funeral Information Portal,' providing nationwide pet funeral home information and reservation services. They have also built a cloud-based reservation management system. CEO Kwon introduced, "Through the e-Animal Funeral Information Portal, we provide guardians with the locations and facility information of legal funeral homes nationwide closest to them and assist with free reservations. We also receive reports of damages caused by illegal funeral homes and actively work with the association to resolve these issues."
His interest in pet funerals began while working at an architectural design office, receiving requests to design pet funeral homes. Although he was a pet owner, he had not thought about death or funeral homes until he was shocked by the poor facilities of a funeral home he visited. CEO Kwon said, "At that time, guardians had no awareness of pet funerals in Korea," adding, "As a pet owner, I discovered a new opportunity in the pet funeral industry and decided to start a business."
CEO Kwon founded 21gram in 2015 and explored pet funeral-related businesses, launching a pet funeral reservation brokerage service in 2017. The number of legal pet funeral homes nationwide, which was around ten at the time of founding, has now increased to about fifty. Over three years, 21gram has helped more than 20,000 guardians with funeral arrangements through its reservation brokerage service.
However, with growing expectations for the pet funeral industry, unauthorized and illegal funeral businesses are also increasing. From the guardians' perspective, the demand for reliable funeral information has grown, and as modern funeral homes with good facilities and services have emerged, older funeral homes are facing relative management difficulties. CEO Kwon found an opportunity to expand the business offline by addressing the needs of both pet guardians and funeral home operators. He explained, "We plan to establish a new 21gram pet funeral home brand in cooperation with existing funeral homes. For current operators, we will provide long-term stable income through acquisition or lease contracts, and for guardians, we will offer a warm and reasonable funeral service experience unique to 21gram based on accumulated know-how." The first 21gram pet funeral home is scheduled to open next month in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, and CEO Kwon plans to expand the directly managed business nationwide starting with this location.
They are also preparing non-face-to-face funeral services. As the pet funeral industry grows, diverse forms of funeral services are in demand, and especially due to COVID-19, the demand for non-face-to-face pet funeral services is expected to increase. CEO Kwon predicted, "We are preparing a proxy service where guardians can trust and entrust funerals to professional pet funeral directors without visiting the funeral home directly through online consultation and reservation." He emphasized, "21gram will continuously contemplate and implement what funeral services mean for the happy and healthy lives of pets and their guardians."
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