Everyone encounters the passing of a loved one during their lifetime, and it’s difficult enough without having to worry about canceling subscriptions and contracts. Closure can at least alleviate this burden for the bereaved.

It’s not surprising that the concept of Closure originated from personal loss. Founder Graciëlla van Vliet recounts, “When my co-founder’s grandmother passed away, she continued to ‘live on’ on Facebook for many years, leading to painful and unnecessary encounters for her and her family.” This experience inspired her and her co-founders to create a ‘one-stop shop’ for terminating or transferring services after a death.

“Closure primarily targets major companies like utility providers and telecom companies, as they invest a significant amount of time and money in handling deaths. Now, we can take over this process from them through an automated system. Additionally, the bereaved also have the option to cancel other services once a termination request comes in from one of the affiliated companies.”

Over time, another idea emerged alongside Closure: JochemAI. “In our customer care team, we had an exceptional colleague, Jochem. He’s been with Closure from the beginning and knows everything about our organization. But as we grew rapidly, Jochem began devoting almost all his time to answering questions from the rest of the team. That’s when we decided to create a digital clone of him. It worked so well that we now also deploy it beyond our organization as a digital assistant you can ask anything.”

Dealing with a loss is a profoundly challenging period with a multitude of responsibilities, not just emotional ones.

Graciëlla van Vliet, Co-founder & CEO of Closure

I enjoy doing business in Rotterdam. We were searching for a central, inspiring location close to a train station with fellow entrepreneurs around us, and we found that here. Rotterdam is a place where we support and inspire each other, helping one another grow. Thanks to Up!Rotterdam, both my CTO and I quickly formed a great community of entrepreneurs to collaborate with regularly. These connections have become immensely valuable.

Additionally, I’d like to tell all students to consider entrepreneurship during your studies. It’s a wonderful time to do it, and you’re studying in a city that offers you every opportunity to make something of it.

Meet the Icons

Graciëlla van Vliet is one of our Rotterdam Icons. Curious about the other Icons? Click here to meet them!