Reforesting the planet by creating life from death

Our mission is to help people cultivate a healthier relationship with their own mortality by reconnecting them to the Earth. We believe trees are the answer to the biggest challenges facing society today, and that death can be a world-changing catalyst that impacts generations beyond our lifetime.

“I started Transcend to help people open up to life by not being so afraid of death. I envision a world in which our decisions today can create an immediate impact that continues on well after our last breath.”
Matthew Kochmann

Founder & CEO

About Us

We stem from a vast range of industries, backgrounds, disciplines and superpowers that uniquely enable us to bring this vision into existence.

From a young age, Matthew has had to navigate a relationship with his own mortality. As a technology entrepreneur (employee #7 at Uber) turned real estate developer, he has been dedicated to improving the way we explore and utilize the world around us. Now he turns his attention back to mortality, our relationship to it, and what actions we can take to make it as meaningful as possible.
Founder & CEO
Matthew Kochmann
A doula and empathy-driven design researcher grounded in human-centered products, content strategies, and experiences that transform how consumers interact with taboo topics like birth and death. Ash is an accomplished published author and former co-founder of Allbodies Health.
Head of Product and Operations
Ash Spivak
As Addy’s 4th employee and Director of Growth Marketing, Louisa helped build the first-ever ad marketplace for small and medium-sized businesses. She leads with a human-centric approach, creating bold strategies that connect people with the solutions that authentically serve them.
Head of Marketing
Louisa Bilbrough
An industrial designer and steward of all things regenerative, Daniel was once advisor to Fortune 500 companies on sustainability practices, and now helps ensure all of our materials, processes, and logistics are as planet-friendly and mindfully-crafted as possible.
Sustainable Design Expert
Daniel Husserl
Environmental activist and Academy Award-nominated filmmaker, Darren is constantly using art to explore humanity’s relationship with mortality and the planet. As a Transcend advisor, he continues this exploration by helping us craft impactful content that will shape the cultural zeitgeist around sustainable death.
Environmentalist & Iconic Filmmaker
Darren Aronofsky
A globally recognized leader in organic nutrient cycling, and a foremost soil expert with 100+ peer-reviewed scientific articles in his 30+ years studying soil ecology, Professor Tibbett advises Transcend on how to optimize the healthy connection between body and tree.
Soil-Tree Interaction Expert
Mark Tibbett
Few know more than Jennifer when it comes to human and animal decomposition. She's the lead microbial ecologist at The Body Farm, one of the rarest labs in the country that studies decomposition ecosystems and their impact on the planet.
Human Decomposition Expert
Jennifer DeBruyn Ph.D
As President of the Green Burial Council since 2014, Ed has been one of the true pioneers of the natural burial movement in America. He has advocated relentlessly for more consumer choice and helped thousands of individuals and families access a greener form of burial. Now, as a Transcend advisor, Ed is helping to ensure that we go above and beyond industry standards as we make Tree Burial accessible to all.
Green Burial Expert
Ed Bixby
As former CEO of reforestation non-profit, One Tree Planted, Matt advises Transcend on reforestation best practices and how to quantitatively think about carbon capture. They've planted 40M+ trees worldwide to date, and are critical in helping us make progress towards our 1.2 trillion tree goal.
Reforestation Expert
Matt Hill
Real estate specialist, historic preservation enthusiast, and land conservationist. Our forests involve real regulatory and zoning complications, and Enrique helps us navigate them through clear and scalable models that will grow and protect our forests.
Land Development Expert
Enrique Landa
After 27 years at Apple where he was credited with 400+ design & utility patents that transformed the consumer electronics world, Daniele advises Transcend on bringing exceptional consumer-centric product design to one of the most important purchases of a lifetime.
Industrial Design Expert
Daniele de Iuliis
Brady is a deathcare industry investor, advisor and expert, having worked with both small and large funeral, cemetery, merchandise, and pre-need insurance businesses for the better part of his career. He helps Transcend stay connected to the industry while finding new ways to improve upon it.
Funeral Industry Expert
Brady Perrigo

Transcend is a proud
Public Benefit Corporation

Success to us looks like higher social impact and industry standards, not simply higher profits. Transcend prioritizes people and the planet because we believe corporations can and should be channels for positive change. To that end, we’ve taken pledges with like-minded organizations committed to improving our world:

“The one who plants trees,
knowing that she will never sit in their shade,
has at least started to understand
the meaning of life.”
“The one who plants trees,
knowing that she will never sit in their shade,
has at least started to understand
the meaning of life.”
- Tagore
Frequently Asked Questions
What if everybody became a tree when they died?

While it is a nuanced conversation, scientists have discovered that planting 1.2 trillion trees is one of the most viable and effective climate solutions that currently exists. Transcend is pioneering the Tree Burial movement, and planting 1,000 trees for every Grove reserved. Therefore, if 1 in 7 people choose Tree Burial, we can accomplish the goal of cleaning the air for everything and everybody.

How does Transcend plant trees that strategically help reforest the planet?

We’ve teamed up with the Arbor Day Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has specialized in planting trees across the globe since 1972. To date, they’ve planted over 500 million trees in more than 50 countries, using best reforestation practices and promoting biodiversity so that their projects have real, lasting influence. For every Grove reserved, Transcend plants an additional 1,000 trees worldwide with the Arbor Day Foundation. In this way, your choice as an individual today can have a life-changing impact on the collective for generations to come.

How does Transcend perpetually protect forests from being developed?

Transcend forests are all under what’s called a “conservation easement.” This means they are legally protected from ever being developed so that reforestation efforts can’t be reversed. By choosing a Transcend burial, your impact is guaranteed to live on.

Can I sell my land to Transcend so it can become a forest?

While there are some regulatory and logistical challenges involved in turning land into Transcend Tree Burial forests, it’s also a deeply meaningful thing to do with your property, and there are likely compelling tax benefits. Reach out to hello@treeburial.org to explore the possibility.

How can I trust that Transcend will exist in the future when I need it?

Transcend understands that you are entrusting us with one of the most profound and intimate choices you will make in your life. Executing your final wishes comes with an immense ethical responsibility, so before any forest opens, we ensure the infrastructure is in place so that it can last well beyond any of us. All Transcend forests are secured in conservation easements and perpetually preserved so that friends and family always have visitation rights and the land can never be developed. Even if Transcend were to close, all of our already performed Tree Burials would be 100% protected.