CityRock leads round with participation from Tribute Technology, Hearst, and Sinclair Broadcast Group

Chptr, the community storytelling company helping funeral directors bring a modern, meaningful obituary experience to the families they serve, today announced the close of a $3.5 million Series A financing. The round was led by CityRock, with strategic participation from Tribute Technology, Hearst, and Sinclair Broadcast Group.

Chptr works with funeral homes to create dignified broadcast announcements that function as modern video obituaries. Shared across trusted local television stations and digital channels, these announcements help families reach the full community touched by their loved one through trusted local television stations and digital channels.

The funding will support Chptr’s continued national rollout, expansion across broadcast markets, and deeper integrations with funeral home and media partners. The company is currently live in more than 100 U.S. television markets and continues to expand across the country.

As Chptr scales, it is doing so with deliberate guidance from the profession it serves. The financing follows the company’s recent formation of an Obituary Advisory Board made up of respected leaders from funeral service and local media. The group provides ongoing perspective to help ensure Chptr’s offerings remain practical, dignified, and aligned with how funeral directors support families and communities.

“This raise allows us to support funeral directors in the work they already do so well, serving families with care, clarity, and respect, while extending their reach to the broader community,” said Rehan Choudhry, CEO and Founder of Chptr. “We are building with the profession, not around it. Growth only matters if it strengthens trust and makes directors’ work easier, not harder.”

Chptr’s model is designed to fit naturally into existing funeral service workflows. Broadcast announcements are created from family-provided photos and information, require no additional staffing, and complement traditional services without adding complexity. Chptr handles production and coordination directly with families, and every announcement links back to the funeral home’s website, reinforcing local trust and visibility.

That service-first model is also why Chptr is integrating with Tribute Technology, whose continued focus on innovation and customer experience closely aligns with Chptr’s operating principles.

“Tribute has consistently set the standard for putting funeral professionals and families first,” said Craig Greenseid, CEO of Tribute Technology. “Chptr shares that same commitment. Their approach is thoughtful, practical, and deeply respectful of how funeral homes serve families every day. We see this integration as a natural extension of that shared responsibility.”

For broadcast partners, Chptr builds on the role local stations already play as trusted community institutions, combining broad reach with the responsibility that comes with reporting life’s most personal news.

“Sinclair stations are part of the fabric of the communities we serve, and trust is earned in the moments that matter most,” said Rob Weisbord, Chief Operating Officer of Sinclair Broadcast Group. “Chptr helps stations extend that trust by delivering memorial announcements with dignity and by reinforcing funeral homes as the authoritative source for service information.”

As it expands, Chptr remains guided by its Funeral Service Obituary Integrity Pledge, a public commitment to family control of the official obituary, protection of personal data, transparent pricing, and standing against obituary scraping and exploitation. These principles shape how Chptr builds products, works with media partners, and supports funeral homes nationwide.

The company plans to use the Series A funding to grow its broadcast footprint, enhance partner tooling, and continue providing hands-on support to families. Chptr will remain service-first, with no advertising overlays, no data sales, and no competitive offerings to funeral homes.

About Chptr

Founded in 2023 and headquartered in New York, Chptr is the community storytelling company that helps funeral homes bring modern memorialization to the families they serve. Through its Broadcast, Social, and Video offerings, Chptr transforms photos and memories into video tributes that reach thousands, helping communities gather, show support, and honor every life properly. Chptr partners with funeral homes and media companies across the United States, coordinating directly with families to keep workflows simple for funeral directors.