The archive · Consumer Apps · Product decision · 2025–2026
Sileme hits #1 on China's paid App Store chart with a 1,000-yuan daily check-in safety app
Three 95后 founders spent ~¥1,000 building a check-in app for people living alone; paid users grew 200x in days, valuation pitched at ¥10M
Sileme (死了么) · Yuejing (Zhengzhou) Technology Services
What the business is
A paid iOS app where users sign in daily; two consecutive missed check-ins auto-email their chosen emergency contact, marketed as a safety net for solo dwellers.
Starting capital：~¥1,000 (~$140) reported development cost; founder pitched a 10% stake at ¥1M, implying a ¥10M valuation
How it started
The idea came from an old viral internet meme about a 'dead yet?' app everyone would need. A three-person team of post-1995 founders, registered as Yuejing (Zhengzhou) Technology Services in 2025, built it in under a month for about ¥1,000 and launched at ¥1 in mid-2025.
What happened
With no paid marketing, the app spread organically on social media in January 2026, hitting #1 on the App Store paid chart within about two days. The team raised the price to ¥8 citing SMS and server costs, and said paid users had grown 200x. Copycats appeared within days, including a free 'Huo Le Me' (活了么) clone, and the founder publicly pitched a ¥10M valuation.
How it ended up
Still running as of 2026-01-15; the mainland App Store listing was no longer searchable in China while the Singapore store still showed it at #1 paid, per Beijing News. The team planned SMS alerts, elderly-oriented versions, and a 10% equity raise at ¥10M valuation.
Background
Sileme (死了么, 'dead yet?') is a paid iOS safety app for people living alone: users type a name and an emergency contact's email, check in daily, and if two days pass without a check-in the system emails the contact to verify they are safe. It was built in under a month by three post-1995 founders in Zhengzhou, China, at a reported cost of about ¥1,000, and launched quietly in mid-2025 at ¥1.
In January 2026 the app went viral on Chinese social media with no paid marketing, climbing to #1 on the Apple App Store's paid chart within roughly two days. Beijing Daily reported it at #1 on January 12; the founder told Red Star that paying users had multiplied 200x and were still growing. The team raised the price to ¥8, citing SMS alert and server costs, and said it would add SMS reminders and explore versions aimed at elderly users.
The surge drew instant imitation — a free rival named Huo Le Me ('alive yet?') appeared within days — and public debate about whether the app was a clever safety tool or a gimmick with no technical barrier. The founder acknowledged the moat was product insight rather than code, and publicly offered 10% of the company for ¥1M, implying a ¥10M valuation. As of mid-January 2026 the mainland listing was hard to find in China's store while the Singapore store still showed it at #1 paid.
What has to be true
- A near-zero-cost app reached #1 on a national paid chart through organic word-of-mouth, proving chart positions don't require ad budgets.
- The viral hook was a real demographic shift — China's solo-living population was reported at 123M by a Beike Research Institute report cited in Beijing Daily — not the app's engineering.
- Within days, free clones appeared, showing how fast a thin technical moat erodes when the idea is the product.
- The ¥1→¥8 price hike while going viral shows how a team with no funding tries to convert attention into operating runway.
What can be applied
A tiny, low-tech utility can outrank funded apps if it names a real daily fear; the moat then has to be trust, features and brand, because the code can be cloned in days.
Aftermath
As of 2026-01-15 the app was still live and leading the paid chart in markets like Singapore, while its mainland China listing was no longer searchable per Beijing News. The three-person team planned SMS-based alerts, comment features, and a more elderly-friendly product line, and was seeking a ¥1M investment for 10% of the company.
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