What November - Vorsorge & Bestattungen does

November - Vorsorge & Bestattungen is a Berlin-based digital funeral services and pre-planning platform founded in 2016 by Robin Klemm and Christoph Basner. The company operates a nationwide service across Germany through offices in Berlin, Augsburg, and Wiesbaden, supported by a vetted partner network of more than 200 funeral homes and 200+ forest/wildlife burial sites. Its core offering spans four integrated lines: Bestattungsvorsorge (funeral pre-planning contracts financed via installments and held in independent trustee accounts), Sterbegeldversicherung and Risikolebensversicherung (burial and term life insurance distributed as intermediary), Vorsorgedokumente (free legally-reviewed advance directive templates), and Bestattungsdurchführung (full-service funeral execution through the partner network).

The underlying technology stack is a digital-first platform comprising five connected web properties: the main november.de content site (driving 12M+ annual users through SEO-optimized educational content), beratung.november.de (consultation portal), portal.november.de (customer self-service Vorsorge-Portal for document storage and wish management), makler.november.de (broker distribution portal), and magazin.november.de (content magazine). The company reports AI tool usage in internal product development workflows via technical job postings, but no proprietary AI products are offered externally. Certifications include TÜV Saarland 'sehr gut' customer satisfaction (96% recommendation rate), Trusted Shops, GDD data protection membership, and myclimate climate-neutral certification as Germany's first such funeral provider.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid model combining one-time fees for funeral services, recurring installment payments on prepaid funeral contracts (held in trust until the service event), recurring insurance premiums and commissions on burial and term life policies, freemium document products that funnel users into paid services, and broker referral commissions. Primary customer segments are German adults aged 50+ seeking to pre-plan and finance their own funeral, bereaved family members arranging services for relatives, insurance brokers distributing November products to their 50plus client base, and partner funeral homes receiving digital leads. The company received a 9.5% strategic minority investment from Versicherungsgruppe die Bayerische in July 2023, with a strategic cooperation targeting the 50plus segment.

Name

November - Vorsorge & Bestattungen

Legal name

November - Vorsorge & Bestattungen

Website

https://november.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

November is a Berlin-based digital funeral services and pre-planning platform serving German adults aged 50+ and bereaved families through a nationwide network of 200+ partner funeral homes, offering installment-financed prepaid contracts held in trust, burial and term life insurance, and free advance directive documents via integrated web portals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Funeral Services and End-of-Life Planning

NAICS

Funeral Homes and Funeral Services (812210)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

End-of-Life Planning & Hospice/Palliative Care Coordination (HLADALAL)

Keywords

• Funeral services
• Funeral pre-planning
• Burial insurance
• End-of-life planning
• Advance directives

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Funeral Services (Bestattungsleistungen): November arranges and conducts funerals across all German locations through its partner network. Services include body preparation, ceremony organization, cremation or burial, urn placement, and memorial services. Customers receive individualized all-inclusive quotes. Services can be prepaid via trustee account or paid at time of need.
2. Funeral Pre-Planning Products (Bestattungsvorsorge): Customers prepay for their own funeral through contracts financed in small installments during their lifetime. Funds are held in trust and released upon death. This creates long-term recurring installment revenue and locks in customers well before the service event.
3. Risk Life Insurance (Risikolebensversicherung): November offers risk life insurance products (starting from €3/month) that provide financial protection for dependents in the event of premature death. Premiums are collected monthly (recurring revenue). November acts as an intermediary referring customers to insurance partners and/or earning commissions.
4. Digital Document Products (Vorsorgedokumente): Free-to-use digital templates for patient directives (Patientenverfügung), power of attorney (Vorsorgevollmacht), care directives (Betreuungsverfügung), and custody directives (Sorgerechtsverfügung). These are offered free of charge to attract and retain customers, potentially generating indirect revenue by funneling users toward paid funeral services.
5. Referral and Broker Partnerships: November operates a broker/makler portal (makler.november.de) for insurance brokers to distribute November's funeral pre-planning and insurance products, generating commission-based or referral revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

November is a digital-first funeral services and pre-planning company that helps individuals arrange, finance, and store end-of-life wishes. The company sells funeral pre-planning contracts (Bestattungsvorsorge), burial and term life insurance (Sterbegeldversicherung, Risikolebensversicherung), and provides full funeral execution services through its nationwide partner network of vetted funeral homes. Customers access services via the November website, consultation portals, and a digital Vorsorge-Portal for storing care directives and personal documents, with prepaid funds held in independent trustee accounts (Treuhandkonto).

Product overview

November - Vorsorge & Bestattungen is a digital funeral pre-planning and services company offering a comprehensive ecosystem of products. The core offering combines the Vorsorge-Portal (digital pre-planning platform) with Bestattungsvorsorge (funeral pre-planning services), Sterbegeldversicherung (burial insurance), and Vorsorgedokumente (legally-reviewed documents). The November Vorsorge-Schutz package integrates pre-planned funeral arrangements with trustee-held financial protection. Risikolebensversicherung (term life insurance) provides additional family financial security. Upon death, the company executes the pre-planned funeral through its nationwide partner network of funeral directors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• November Vorsorge-Portal: Digital platform for 360-degree coverage through digital pre-planning products such as insurance, directives, and storage of personal documents, memories and wishes.
• November Bestattungs-Vorsorge

Products and services

• Bestattungsvorsorge (Funeral Pre-Planning) Pre-planned funeral arrangements that allow customers to organize and finance their burial according to personal wishes in advance, relieving family members of financial and organizational burden. Contracts can be financed in small monthly installments over the customer's lifetime, with funds held in trust.
• Sterbegeldversicherung (Burial Insurance) Burial insurance product providing financial coverage for funeral costs, with benefits paid to beneficiaries upon the insured's death. Premiums collected on a recurring basis.
• Vorsorge-Portal (Pre-Planning Digital Platform) Digital self-service portal providing 360-degree coverage through digital pre-planning products, including insurance policies, directives, document storage, care wishes, and reminders. Customers manage their end-of-life plans securely online.
• Vorsorgedokumente (Care Directive Documents) Legally-reviewed free digital templates for patient directives (Patientenverfügung), power of attorney (Vorsorgevollmacht), care directives (Betreuungsverfügung), and custody directives (Sorgerechtsverfügung). Offered free of charge as a customer acquisition tool.
• Bestattungsdurchführung (Funeral Execution Service) Full-service funeral execution including arrangement of burial according to pre-planned wishes, coordination with funeral directors, florists, speakers, and authorities across Germany. Delivered via nationwide partner network at time of death.
• Risikolebensversicherung (Term Life Insurance) Term life insurance offering complete financial protection for dependents, available in two tariff variants starting from €3 per month. Premiums collected monthly; November refers customers to insurance partners and/or earns commissions.
• November Vorsorge-Schutz (Pre-Planning Protection Package) Comprehensive pre-planning protection package combining funeral planning with financial security through a trustee account, ensuring family members are relieved of both costs and organization at time of death.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% of customers would recommend November ( Weiterempfehlungsrate)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mymoria: Mymoria is a German digital funeral services platform that arranges cremations and burials online, offering transparent pricing and home-collection of the deceased. It is the closest direct competitor to November in the German digital funeral services category, targeting the same bereaved-family and pre-planning customer segments.
• Bestattungen.de: Bestattungen.de is a German online funeral-services platform and directory that connects consumers with local funeral homes. It competes with November for the same bereaved-family segment via a digital lead-generation model and is a direct competitor in the German online funeral marketplace.

Emerging players

• Aeternitas: Aeternitas is a German consumer-protection and information portal focused on funeral costs, contracts, and consumer rights. It is comparable to November's content/Ratgeber layer and targets the same end-of-life information-seeking audience, though it does not directly arrange funerals.
• Cake: Cake is a US-based end-of-life planning platform offering digital tools for wills, advance directives, and funeral planning. It is comparable to November's Vorsorge-Portal and digital Vorsorgedokumente, serving the same consumer-facing end-of-life planning use case, though primarily in the US market.
• Lantern: Lantern is a US-based end-of-life planning and benefits navigation company that helps families with funeral planning, probate, and estate settlement. It overlaps with November's family-facing bereavement and funeral coordination services, with a comparable digital-first, advisory-led model.
• Empathy: Empathy is a US-based digital platform that combines bereavement support, funeral planning, and estate administration. It is comparable to November's combined pre-planning and bereaved-family support offering, with a similar full-stack digital approach to end-of-life services.
• Trust & Will: Trust & Will is a US-based online estate planning platform that offers wills, trusts, and related planning products. It overlaps with November's Vorsorgedokumente and advance planning offerings, addressing a similar digital-first planning customer, though focused on estate documents rather than funeral execution.

Broad incumbents

• Dignity plc: Dignity plc is one of the largest funeral services operators in the UK, combining owned funeral homes, pre-arranged funeral plans, and crematoria. It is a broad incumbent comparable to November's funeral services and pre-planning businesses at scale, representing the traditional asset-heavy model November is digitizing.
• Service Corporation International: Service Corporation International (SCI) is the largest funeral services and cemetery operator in North America, offering both at-need and pre-need funeral products. It is a broad incumbent comparable to November's combined at-need funeral services and Bestattungsvorsorge prepaid products, though at much larger scale and via owned locations.

Others

• die Bayerische (Versicherungsgruppe die Bayerische): die Bayerische is the German insurance group that holds a 9.5% strategic stake in November and cooperates on joint product distribution for the 50plus segment. It is an ecosystem partner rather than a competitor, but is directly relevant as the distribution and capital partner underwriting November's pre-planning growth in Germany.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about November - Vorsorge & Bestattungen