Alexis Madrigal, senior editor at The Atlantic, has been writing about "Rust Belt" startups as part of an ongoing series called "Startup Nation."

In a feature titled, "Bringing Innovation to the Funeral-Home Business (No, Really)," he writes about Cleveland-based eFuneral, which brings funeral home shopping into the digital age.

"The idea for the company did not originate in dreams of Instagram glory or joviality," he writes. "His cousin died, and when his family went to plan the funeral, they encountered some difficulty in selecting a funeral home. There were 12 places within two miles of where his cousin lived. How do you pick one?"

"For us, the big question wasn't, 'Where is there a funeral home?'" founder Mike Belsito was quoted. "It was, How are we supposed to know which of these is going to provide us good service? And what is it going to cost?'"

"We had more information on where to go to dinner, where we're spending 40 bucks, than we did for my cousin's funeral," he said.

Considering that funeral services are some of the highest ticket items someone pays for in their life after a house and a car, a modern tool for shopping seemed a great idea.

Read the rest of the news here.