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World desk5 min

How Former Nike Creative Directors Built Solace to Simplify Cremation—and What Happened Next

Solace Cremation applied Nike-style service design to direct cremation. Here is how the Portland startup worked, what its prices included, how it scaled and why the brand is now associated with Tulip Cremation.
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Solace Cremation was founded in Portland in 2019 by former Nike executive creative directors Keith Crawford and David Odusanya. Their startup applied digital service design to direct cremation: families could begin arrangements online or by phone, complete paperwork remotely, reach a care team at any hour and receive one packaged price instead of navigating a conventional funeral-home sales process.

The company was not inventing a new kind of cremation. Its bet was that a regulated, physical service could be made easier to understand and less stressful through better branding, digital intake and transparent customer support. Solace later sold or transitioned into the Tulip Cremation brand; its website now directs customers to Tulip while retaining Solace-branded Portland information.

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Why two Nike leaders entered funeral services

Crawford said the idea grew from arranging services after his father died in 2013. He described confusing forms, difficult-to-compare packages and conversations that felt focused on selling additions during an emotionally vulnerable moment. Odusanya had a similar family experience in England.

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Those accounts are the founders’ criticism of the traditional process, not proof that every funeral home operates that way. Their observation was that families often have to make urgent decisions in person, with prices and terminology that are difficult to compare.

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Crawford and Odusanya had spent nearly four decades working on global Nike initiatives before leaving to create a design agency and pursue other ventures. Their relevant expertise was consumer research, brand building and reducing friction in complicated experiences—not funeral licensing or crematory operations. Solace therefore added industry specialists, including funeral director Malisa Riceci and COO Jeremy Frank.

What Solace actually offered

Solace sold direct cremation: cremation without a required viewing or funeral ceremony beforehand. The service was a digital front end wrapped around licensed people, local transportation and partner crematories.

  1. Start online or by phone. A family could begin an arrangement without visiting a funeral home. GeekWire reported that the initial online intake could take as little as five minutes; that referred to completing the digital intake, not finishing the cremation.
  2. Speak with the care team. Staff confirmed the location, legal authority and practical details. Solace promoted 24/7 access to support.
  3. Complete authorizations digitally. Required forms and permits were handled through the online workflow, subject to the rules of the state and county involved.
  4. Coordinate transfer. Licensed funeral professionals and local partners arranged transportation from the relevant facility, residence or institution.
  5. Use a partner crematory. The physical cremation, identification procedures and regulatory work remained offline and depended on licensed local providers.
  6. Return the remains. Families received the cremated remains through local delivery or, on the current Portland-area page, USPS Priority Mail with tracking.

The central innovation was therefore service design and consumer communication, not cremation machinery. A website could remove paperwork and travel, but it could not replace chain-of-custody controls, permits, trained staff or state-specific compliance.

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What “one flat price” covered

At launch, Solace advertised a $995 package in Oregon and Washington. The launch announcement said the bundle covered the core direct-cremation service, while variable items such as certified death certificates could cost extra. A later press kit listed $1,175, and the current Portland page shows $1,195 while also displaying a $995 graphic. Those figures should be treated as dated, location-specific signals—not a current national price.

Price signal When and where Qualification
$995 Launch materials, 2019 Early Oregon/Washington package; variable charges such as certified death certificates were excluded. Solace launch announcement
$1,175 Historical press kit Later package figure; not evidence of today’s price. Solace press kit
$1,195 Current Portland-area page The same page also displays a $995 graphic, so customers must confirm the live quote and general price list. Portland location page

“All-inclusive” meant the provider’s defined bundle, not every possible cost after a death. Before authorizing service, a family should ask about transportation, permits, the number of certified death certificates, an urn or temporary container, return shipping, implanted-device removal, weekend pickup and unusual-case surcharges.

Where it operated and why geography mattered

Solace began in the Portland area and, by the January 15, 2020 GeekWire report, had expanded into Washington, including Seattle and King County. Earlier company materials named Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington counties in Oregon and Clark County in Washington; later materials referenced King, Pierce and Snohomish counties and Los Angeles County.

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That expansion was not simply a matter of opening a new web page. Each market required funeral establishments, crematories, transportation, permits and procedures that complied with local law. The current Solace location pages list Portland-area service information and say the brand is now Tulip Cremation. They do not establish nationwide availability: check the current service-area list before assuming service is offered.

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Funding and the direct-to-consumer cremation market

Contemporary industry reports put Solace’s seed financing at approximately $1.7 million to $1.745 million. Those figures appear to describe the same seed round, intended to support hiring, digital infrastructure and expansion, rather than two separate financings. See Foundation Partners’ industry analysis and Connecting Directors’ funding report.

Cremation was a practical entry point for a digital-first company because it generally involves fewer ceremonial components than a burial-centered funeral and can be coordinated across distance. Solace was part of a wider direct-to-consumer movement that also included Tulip Cremation, After.com and other startups competing on convenience, price and remote support. Market-share or growth claims should not be confused with audited operating data.

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The human-versus-digital design question

Solace’s stated thesis was not “one-click death care.” Technology handled intake, documents and communications; people handled grief, legal authorization and regulated logistics. Families could avoid an office visit while still speaking with staff and funeral professionals.

That combination has clear benefits for relatives living in different states or for people who do not want a ceremony. It also has limits. A digital workflow cannot provide a viewing, religious washing, clergy-led rites or an immediate neighborhood visitation unless those services are arranged separately. Physical quality and timing can vary by local partner, and a family may prefer the continuity of a traditional funeral home.

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What happened to Solace?

Solace’s current site says the company is now Tulip Cremation. In a 2022 post, Solace wrote that it was looking forward to its sale and that Foundation Partners Group would support its technology-driven approach: company announcement. Foundation Partners had separately acquired Tulip Cremation, and later industry coverage connected Solace with the Tulip brand. The available public material does not establish every transaction term, so it is more accurate to describe a sale and brand transition than to assert an unqualified acquisition structure.

How to evaluate an online cremation provider

Whether considering the former Solace service, Tulip or a local funeral home, ask these questions before signing:

  • Service area: Is the exact county covered, and can the provider collect from the hospital, residence, hospice, nursing facility or medical examiner?
  • Price inclusions: Are transportation, the alternative container, permits, death certificates, an urn, shipping and after-hours pickup included?
  • Licensing: Which funeral establishment and crematory hold the licenses, and which company has custody at each stage?
  • Identification: What identification and tracking procedures are used before and during cremation?
  • Timing: What are the expected pickup, permit, cremation and return-of-remains time frames, and what happens if a coroner or medical examiner places a hold?
  • Human support: Can a family reach a licensed funeral director, and is support genuinely available 24/7?
  • Special circumstances: How are autopsy or organ donation, communicable disease, pacemakers, bariatric cases, missing identification or a next-of-kin dispute handled?
  • Family and faith needs: Can the arrangement accommodate required rituals, a viewing or a separate memorial?

The Better Business Bureau directory can help identify the business and management, but directory information is not independent validation of service quality or chain-of-custody practices: BBB profile.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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