Early January 2026, a Chinese app called « 死了么 » (literally « Are You Dead? ») shot to #1 on the App Store. The premise was simple: check in every 48 hours, or your emergency contact gets an email. The app, now rebranded as « Demumu, » went viral with millions of downloads.

Here’s what’s interesting: I built Tribe Check six months earlier, targeting the exact same problem. Same fear. Same market. Completely different approach.