Collingwood-based Canadian startup Awake is bringing sustainability to the funeral industry through its Ashes to Earth™ technology, while preparing to raise capital and expand into the pet memorial market. As cremation becomes increasingly common across Canada, the funeral industry is facing growing pressure to adapt. Canadian startup Awake is looking to address that challenge with Ashes to Earth™, a product that transforms cremated remains into living memorials while creating new opportunities for funeral homes and cemeteries.
The company has developed a patented soil amendment designed to make nutrients in cremated remains available to plants, allowing families to honour loved ones through memorial trees, gardens, and other natural settings. According to Awake, more than half of Canadian families want to incorporate nature into how they memorialize loved ones, whether by scattering ashes at a cottage, planting a maple tree, or creating a memorial garden. However, the chemical composition of cremated remains can damage plants and prevent healthy growth.
Ashes to Earth™ aims to address that problem by allowing families to create lasting memorials that contribute positively to the environment. For Amanda Kelly, Co-founder of Awake, the company’s impact goes beyond its technology.
“One woman held onto her husband’s ashes for five years before finding our product. She planted him under a Japanese maple outside their bedroom window, and now it’s the first thing she sees every morning,” said Kelly.
The company also sees a significant business opportunity in an industry undergoing major structural changes. According to figures shared by Awake, 77% of Canadians now choose cremation, a shift the company says has contributed to a decline of more than 70% in average revenue for traditional funeral businesses. Cemeteries are also facing land constraints, making expansion increasingly difficult. Awake believes its technology can help funeral homes and cemeteries diversify their offerings while responding to changing consumer preferences.
Building a Startup Through Personal Sacrifice
Like many entrepreneurs, Kelly’s journey to building Awake has involved significant personal and financial sacrifices.
At one point, she was renting out her home through Airbnb, staying with her parents, and leasing a second unit to long term tenants to support herself while working full time on the business.
Eventually, she made the decision to sell her house and invest further in the startup.
“One day, standing in my living room almost crying from exhaustion, something clicked: your energy is finite. Your time is finite. Your resources are finite,” Kelly recalled.
“I asked myself, ‘what do you love more, your house or your business?’ and the answer was obvious. No regrets.”
The decision reflected Kelly’s commitment to developing a product in an industry where innovation can face resistance.
Following the company’s first major pitch competition, an innovation executive told Kelly that Awake was a decade ahead of the market and suggested she return to her previous career until consumer demand caught up. Rather than abandon the idea, Kelly and her team intensified their market research, conducted additional customer discovery calls, and refined their business model. The approach eventually paid off. “Two months later we landed our first government contract,” Kelly said.
The experience reinforced an important lesson about entrepreneurship: founders need to understand their markets deeply rather than relying exclusively on outside opinions. “Take others’ advice with a grain of salt. Everyone will have an opinion on your business model, marketing strategy, pricing, expansion plans but no one can know your market like you do,” Kelly explained.
Expanding Into the Pet Memorial Market
With its initial focus on human memorials, Awake is now preparing to enter the pet aftercare sector, a move the company expects could double its growth by 2027. The expansion will involve partnerships with veterinary professionals and cremation providers to make Ashes to Earth™ available to pet owners looking for meaningful ways to remember their animals. The company envisions several applications, including memorial gardens, trees, potted plants, and natural spaces that hold personal significance for families.
“Pets are family. And right now, families who lose them have almost no meaningful options for what comes next,” Kelly said.
Awake believes the expansion represents an opportunity to introduce its technology to a new customer segment while strengthening its relationships with businesses providing end of life services. The company is also preparing to raise external capital for the first time to accelerate its growth and support the expansion. According to Kelly, early conversations with investors have revealed interest that extends beyond financial returns, with some investors connecting personally to the company’s mission. “For many of them, it’s more than a financial opportunity. It’s a chance to help build a lasting legacy for families across Canada,” she said.
A New Approach to a Traditional Industry
Awake’s ambitions reflect a broader shift toward more personalized and environmentally conscious end of life services. By combining patented technology with partnerships across funeral homes, cemeteries, and eventually veterinary providers, the company is positioning itself at the intersection of sustainability, memorial services, and industry innovation. For Kelly, building a lasting company requires more than identifying a promising market opportunity. It requires a deep commitment to solving a meaningful problem.
“Fall in love with the problem, not your solution,” Kelly advised aspiring entrepreneurs.
As Awake prepares for its next phase of growth, the company is betting that changing consumer preferences and demand for sustainable memorial options will create opportunities to modernize an industry that has traditionally been slow to evolve. With its planned pet sector expansion and first capital raise, Awake is looking to bring its living memorial technology to more families across Canada.
