This Indian startup wants to talk about death—And you should listen

Time of India

23-04-2025

Representative image
In India, we avoid talking about death like the plague—until it strikes. Then, we're left with chaos. Property stuck in probate, bank accounts frozen, families torn apart. The numbers are staggering: over Rs 2 lakh crore in
unclaimed assets
lie untouched in banks, insurance accounts, and financial institutions.
And here's the kicker—this isn't billionaire money. This is middle-class money. Yours, mine, ours.
That's the gap Yellow, a Bengaluru-based startup, is stepping into with startling clarity and compassion. Their goal? To change how we plan for death by making it about how we live.
A wake-up call for the middle class
Yellow was founded in September 2021 by Niranjan Vemulkar and Nikhil Varghese. The idea was born out of the chaos of Covid, when loss was everywhere, and planning seemed impossible—but also essential.
Nikhil, with close to two decades of experience in
estate planning
for the ultra-wealthy at firms like PwC, EY, and 360One Wealth, saw something others didn't: 'The rich always have someone to guide them. The middle class? They're left figuring it out in the middle of a crisis.'
Niranjan and Nikhil teamed up to turn that insight into action. Today, Yellow is India's only estate planning platform supported by the Government of India SAGE Fund (an initiative by MoSJE to support startups building high-quality products for seniors), and a member of the 2024 cohort of the Google for Startups Accelerator (Apps).
Yellow's innovative solution, available on mobile app and web, allows any Indian to create their own high-quality Will from the comfort of their own home without the need for expensive lawyers.
Better yet, one's Will can be updated easily over time, ensuring that their family has the most up-to-date and relevant information if the need arises.
And the need? It's real. Over 90% of Indians die without a Will. 'Our senior citizens are particularly at-risk, because, for the elderly spouse left behind, the challenges of navigating the claims and transfer process for the deceased person's assets can be extremely difficult, expensive, and lengthy.
We all know someone caught in a never-ending family dispute.' says Niranjan. But why does it happen so often? Because people don't lay out their wishes clearly.
Because they believe having a nominee is enough. But it's not.
'I lost my father-in-law suddenly last month. It was a wake-up call. We were left running from bank to bank, trying to close or transfer accounts, handle property, and figure out next steps. That's when I realized—life is so ephemeral, and a Will isn't optional. It's imperative. Naming a nominee isn't enough.' - Yellow client
Why a nominee is not a beneficiary
One of Yellow's biggest public education pushes is correcting a dangerous misconception:
a nominee is not the legal heir.
A nominee is merely a custodian of an asset. The Will is what determines who the legal heirs are, who receives which assets, even who the legal guardians of one's minor children should be. By making a Will you are taking control of these key decisions. Without a Will, all these decisions are taken for you by the Indian personal succession laws - which have different treatments by religion and even gender.. That's where Yellow steps in, with its straightforward and legally sound Will-making platform that lets you create one in under 15 minutes, starting at just Rs 1,499.
But more than the tech, it's the thoughtfulness behind the product that people talk about:
'Yellow is the only company that offers such a complete, fulfilling journey—from life to legacy and beyond,'
'I trust Yellow implicitly,' shares another. 'I'm honestly thrilled I found them when I did.'
'A Will isn't really static,' says another client. 'Life's situations change all the time, and Yellow, like a trusted friend, is always there to update my Will and ensure it reflects my most recent wishes.'
Planning for life, not death
Yellow's philosophy is simple but radical: estate planning isn't about death. It's about care. It's about responsibility. It's about being kind to the people we leave behind.
Yellow's services now include Yellow SMART (SMooth Asset Recovery and Transfer), a single window solution for complete on-ground execution of all
post-demise tasks
from closing or transferring accounts and investments, claiming life insurance, to managing property handovers.
It's the kind of help that's often needed most—when you're least prepared to ask for it.
In a country with over a billion people, that is layered with complex religions, family dynamics, and long-standing superstitions around death, Yellow has managed something extraordinary: they've made planning for the inevitable feel empowering.
They've made it feel human.
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