Imagine receiving a voice message from a deceased loved one. Many mourners dream of it. French start-up In-Memory has made it possible. This mobile application, available from November 1, lets you program messages to be sent automatically after the sender’s death.

Christophe Marlot, founder of In-Memory, had the idea for this project when his brother died. “My emotional shock was reinforced by the material shock and the logistics of managing the aftermath.”he recalls. He therefore wanted to create a multi-purpose tool that would both leave a sentimental trace for his loved ones, and anticipate the administrative procedures associated with his death.

Encrypted messaging

In concrete terms, the application takes the form of a mailbox, supporting text, audio, video or even PDF files that the user wishes to transmit after his or her death. A concept not unlike start-up Edeneowhich offered a digital safe where anyone could store the data they wanted their loved ones to inherit (family photos, access codes, last wishes, etc.).

“A friend told me he wanted to publish a posthumous book. All he has to do is write it and then program In-Memory to send his manuscript to a publisher.enthuses Christophe Marlot. If the user doesn’t see himself as a writer, he can simply record a message of love for his children, or give instructions to his solicitor concerning his estate.

“We don’t know anything about what people type into the app”.says Christophe Marlot. Messaging is encrypted from end to end to guarantee the security of users’ personal, and possibly intimate, content.

In-Memory’s entire operation is based on “confident”These are people designated by the user and responsible for notifying the application in the event of his or her death. “Messaging is triggered instantly. It does not depend on a death certificate”.stresses Christophe Marlot.

The In-Memory team, which currently numbers five, is also planning a “advance directives to send messages before his death according to his state of health. “If the end-of-life bill is passed by the National Assembly, we can imagine a user communicating to a loved one his or her wish to receive a lethal substance in the event of serious illness via the app.”says Christophe Marlot.

Future prospects

The application can be downloaded free of charge onto your cell phone, but you’ll have to pay to enjoy In-Memory at its full potential: 1.99 euros per month (until death or termination of the subscription) to program five messages, or 6.99 euros per month for unlimited messages. And if you don’t plan to succumb any time soon, you’ll have to pay the modest sum of 349 euros for a lifetime unlimited subscription.

If initial results are positive, the start-up will be looking to raise funds. “For the moment, I’m only financing with my own funds. Investors were interested in the In-Memory principle, but they want to see that the product runs before committing resources to it.”regrets the founder. The funds will be used to promote the company abroad.

For the moment, the application is only available in French, English and German, but the team aims to translate it into Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese and Arabic within a year. “We’re all about people, so we want to expand worldwide as quickly as possible.”Christophe Marlot hopes. In-Memory is already dreaming of a long life.