folder Filed in Interviews, Podcast, Videos
James Buckley-Thorp, founder of Bequest, on how to make life insurance fun
By SmartBranding Team access_time 3 min read

Choosing a good name is a struggle for many startups. Now imagine you are in a very serious industry, say life insurance and wills. The topic is touchy, often even dark and depressing. How do you pick a good brand name in that case? Bequest, UK-based life insurance, wills and funeral planning startup, has successfully done just that. With a clever choice of great name, the matching domain name, light and joyful colour scheme, and…well, let’s hear it from their founder, James Buckley-Thorp.

What is the story behind Bequest domain name?

Many startups will know or be in a situation where their desired domain is unavailable; that was the case for us, especially if it’s the real word.


We were able to buy Bequest.com, and it was important to us as a brand that decision to obtain that domain. That is predominantly because we are a regulated company, we are in a very sensitive area of the market, people trust us to handle their assets after they’re gone. For us, it made complete sense to reassure the market as we grow that this is us, this is where we own, this is our address, this is where we are at.

James Buckley-Thorp

There are other areas where URL doesn’t matter at all, but considering the market we are in and we are regulated, we thought will be better to buy that asset. 

We wanted to remain agile about our name as much as possible; we waited to close a funding round before we really solidify it. It sounds like we put a lot more thought into it before, but we really didn’t; it was almost natural, it all aligned to Bequest.

What about Bequest’s brand identity?

At Bequest, we made it so it is done in a light, colourful way; you can change this; what you write is not set in stone; you can change it in a week. It’s about starting this conversation because passing away with nothing is worse for the people left behind; something is better than nothing.

Our logo is modular, it plays to our point of every customer that comes to us is getting something bespoke; they are not buying something off the shelf.

What is Bequest’s mission?

There is a saying when someone passes away: “This is what I think they always wanted.” We want to change that to: “This is what they wanted.” 



Find out more about Bequest here.


Other resources


We hope the above information will help you in making informed decisions about your brand. If you want to say hi or have any questions about naming, branding, and domain names, get in touch, we’re always happy to hear from you.

bequest branding life insurance marketing naming startups wills