When Rachel Drew’s mother passed away in 2014 it was a very difficult time for her. In addition to working through her grief, there were many time-sensitive administrative tasks that had to be taken care of such as cancelling accounts, various notifications, and applying for government benefits - even though her mother had a will in place. Realizing that many people were dealing with the double-edged difficulty, Drew started Cadence Final Document Services Ltd.
“It’s so overwhelming, especially while grieving, to look at a list and somehow have to promptly erase someone,” Drew shares. “I Googled things that I didn’t know about and spent hours sitting in Service Canada, going to the bank, and talking to different service providers to close all of my mom’s accounts. The whole process is so complicated and frustrating.”
Cadence is software that supports people in completing the administrative tasks that follow a death occurring in the family. Instead of going through the emotional experience of having to fill out the same information on multiple forms over and over again, individuals complete a simple questionnaire, and Cadence refines the experience specific to what someone needs. With this data, individuals receive a customized list of forms that are auto-populated with the info that was provided.
“On average, it takes 75 hours to complete the process,” Drew explains. “Cadence reduces that by 98%—to under one hour.”
The software has been created with professionals in mind to use as a value-added service to help people get through these times of grief easier, although it can be used by individuals as well. “I’ve consulted with various professionals, lawyers, and financial advisors to ask what’s being done about this complicated approach,” Drew says. The majority of professionals do not assist with these general administrative tasks. Therefore, the family must undertake the time-consuming, stressful administrative process.
Cadence has launched the product in Saskatchewan with plans to expand across the country. “The goal of our company is to take a holistic approach to the death process, from pre-planning matters to estate settlement,” Drew adds. “We want to cover all of the services necessary for a smooth end of life transition for the surviving and the deceased.”
Drew is rooted in Saskatchewan with her family and is excited to grow Cadence here at home. She is grateful to have a tremendous amount of support from the Saskatchewan government and many organizations in our province, such as Co.Labs and Founders Table. Along with winning Co.Launch, Drew has also received a few awards for Cadence, including placing 2nd in the SREDA Go Money program.
“There is such wonderful support for entrepreneurs here,” Drew finishes. “Saskatchewan is a leader in tech, and there's a lot of empowerment for women in the industry. It’s an amazing place to start and grow a business.”
Founder: Rachel Drew
Incorporation Date: April 2020
Employees: 7
