A Message to the Death Care Profession at Large

2026 is the year we finish what we started

For more than a century, obituaries have been treated as transactions.

A few lines of text.
A shrinking audience.
Rising fees.
And too often—families’ stories handed over to systems that don’t protect them.

That era is ending.

In 2026, our focus at Chptr is simple and unwavering:

To fully materialize the shift from print obituaries to broadcast-quality video storytelling—owned by funeral homes, protected for families, and amplified by trusted local media.

This isn’t about chasing technology for its own sake.

It’s about restoring meaning to one of the most important moments a family will ever experience.

What We’re Building in 2026

1. The End of Print as the Default
   Text-only obits no longer reflect how communities live, remember, or connect. Video brings voice, presence, and humanity back into remembrance... and it reaches families where they actually are today.

2. A New Growth Engine for Funeral Homes
   By partnering directly with local TV, digital, and streaming media, we’re helping funeral homes reach entire communities (not just readers) while creating measurable business value, not just placement.

3. A Line in the Sand on Protection & Data Security
   We believe obituary data belongs to families and funeral homes—period. No scraping. No reselling. No dark patterns. Protection, privacy, and integrity aren’t features; they’re requirements.

4. Breaking a Pricing Model That Excluded Too Many Families
   For too long, families were priced out of their person being fully remembered. We’re replacing unpredictable, per-obituary fees with reliable, scalable subscription pricing, so funeral homes can offer modern remembrance without asking families to make painful tradeoffs at the worst moment of their lives.

Our “Why”

We built Chptr because families deserve dignity, funeral directors deserve control, and local communities deserve to hear these stories where they still gather and receive their local news.

Obituaries aren’t content. They’re real stories about real lives lived.

2026 is the year we finish the shift, together.

If you believe the future of funeral service is more human, more protected, and more connected, we’re honored to build it alongside you.

Rehan Choudhry
Founder & CEO of Chptr