Chptr

Most people don’t like to talk about death yet the average person will experience 25-36 close, personal losses in their lifetime. We used to rely on cemetaries to bring people together, newspapers to spread awareness, and scrapbooks to store our memories… but now our communities are spread out, connected digitally, and memorialized in vivid photos and videos. I started Chptr two years ago just as we were beginning a new conversation about death. In New York City (where I live with my family) people died from Covid-19 in droves. As the founder of Life is Beautiful festival — an event dedicated to celebrating life through music — I found inspiration from my wife, a CBS news anchor, whose 60-second memorials were among the first to commemorate NYC victims on air. These brief, well-told tributes moved and brought people together. Yet for each memorial that she created, dozens passed whose stories would never be told with the same reverence. And that lead me to found Chptr. More than ever in human history, we have better tools to capture and share our lives — but why haven’t we created similar methods to capture and celebrate the lives of those who have touched us? • 📰 Obituaries are expensive ($300+ per publication), temporary (live for 72 hours), rigid, and non-collaborative • 📣 Social media tributes are scattered • 📹 Traditional memorial videos are often watched once and then discarded Those who matter most to us deserve better. Their stories matter. Who they were, what they did, and how they impacted others should be remembered and shared — forever. • • • Our goal with Chptr is simple: to help communities create lasting legacies for people they love who have died. We provide universal access to the healing process: • 🕊️ Collect, centralize, and safely store memories, whether these are existing photos and videos or newly created contributions recorded within Chptr • 💌 Easily invite members of your community to contribute their own memories and stories as you crowdsource the life story of your person • 🔒 Maintain ownership of your community and your content (we don't sell your data or advertise on Chptr) • 💝 Access insights about loved ones based on community contributions • 🌎 Discover inspiration from other Chptrs, and learn from their life stories We’re excited to launch on PH. We invite you to download Chptr and consider it for your needs, or for someone you know who may have lost someone. This is my life’s work. I would be honored to hear what you think, either directly [book a call] or here in the comments below. And as a special thank you to the PH community for your feedback, if you sign up for Chptr this week we’ll give access to all premium features we will be rolling out at no cost, forever. A big shout out to @chrismessina for not only hunting us but also mentoring us along the way. @5harath, @thisiskp_ , and @nikkielizdemere are the best too! So knowledgable and supportive.

Absolutely beautiful explainer video. 🥹 Looking forward to seeing the positive impact that Chptr will undoubtedly have on the world.

Well designed super idea with the best team ever :)

ChPTR is the best life memorialization app I’ve ever seen. It’s tasteful, intimate and inviting. I love the prompt questions and the selfie video features, which really help evoke personal memories and stories about those we’ve loved and lost. I can’t wait to see where this app goes and how many people it helps celebrate life instead of solely grieving death. Well done ❤️

Such an amazing idea! ❤️ Even though we keep our lost loved ones in our hearts and memory, this is a wonderful way of celebrating them and paying them respect. Also, it's a lot easier to share their story with future generations. 💞 Thanks for this!

Beautiful design & idea! Memorialization done right.

It’s hard to put words to how amazing this is. Who is bold enough to blend modern tech with humanity tackling life’s most finite and intimidating phase. Watching the Chaptr team work week after week, month after month, paying attention to the finest of details, to deliver one of the most polished GA B2C Apps I’ve ever seen has been a gift. If you’re in need of Chaptr, my sincere condolences, but you are at the right place to capture and share the memories of your loved ones.