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§ Private Profile · San Francisco, CA, USA
Mental health app offering guided meditation, sleep aids, and mindfulness content for individuals, focused on stress reduction, improved sleep.
Calm is a digital health company that develops a subscription-based mental wellness application providing meditation, sleep aids, and mindfulness content for individual consumers and enterprise healthcare clients. The organization has reached a valuation of more than $2 billion as it addresses the global mental health sector through its proprietary iOS and Android mobile platforms. To expand its clinical healthcare capabilities, the business completed the strategic acquisition of Ripple Health Group, which subsequently led to David Ko assuming the role of chief executive officer in 2022. The mobile application has received significant industry recognition for its consumer platform, including being named App of the Year by Apple and earning placement on a list of the most influential companies published by Time Magazine. Calm was founded in 2012 by entrepreneurs Michael Acton Smith and Alex Tew.
Calm has raised $218.5M across 7 funding rounds.
Key people at Calm.
Calm was founded in 2012 by Michael Acton Smith (Co-Founder) and Lisa Breiman (Executive Assistant to Co-Founders and CEO) and Alex Tew (Co-Founder) and Michael Acton (Co-CEO and Co-Founder).
Calm has raised $218.5M in total across 7 funding rounds.
Key people at Calm.
Calm is a leading mental health technology company that offers a comprehensive platform focused on meditation, sleep, relaxation, and overall mental wellness. Its flagship product is the Calm app, which provides guided meditations, sleep stories, breathing exercises, music, and mindful movement content to individuals globally. Calm also serves businesses through Calm Business, enabling employers to provide mental wellness resources to their employees, and has expanded into clinical health with Calm Health, targeting payers, providers, and self-insured employers. The company addresses mental wellness for individuals, employees, and clinical care, aiming to improve mental fitness and productivity across diverse user groups[1][4][5].
Calm was founded in 2012 by Michael Acton Smith and Alex Tew. Michael came from a mobile gaming background, and together they envisioned a playful yet effective approach to mindfulness and meditation. The idea emerged from recognizing the growing need for accessible mental wellness tools. Early traction was driven by innovations like the "Daily Calm," a unique 10-minute daily meditation, and the introduction of Sleep Stories, which became a signature feature after observing user behavior around bedtime. These features helped Calm grow rapidly, culminating in a valuation of $2 billion by 2020, making it the world’s first mental health unicorn[2][3][6].
Calm rides the growing global trend of digital mental health and wellness, addressing increasing awareness and demand for accessible mental health solutions. The timing is critical as mental health challenges have surged worldwide, amplified by workplace stress and sleep disorders. Market forces such as employer focus on employee well-being, healthcare digitization, and consumer adoption of mindfulness apps favor Calm’s growth. Calm influences the ecosystem by setting standards for quality content, integrating clinical care, and demonstrating how technology can scale mental wellness interventions effectively[1][3][5].
Calm is positioned to deepen its impact by expanding clinical partnerships and enhancing its enterprise offerings, potentially integrating more personalized and AI-driven mental health tools. Trends shaping its journey include increased healthcare digitization, employer investment in mental health, and consumer demand for holistic wellness solutions. As Calm evolves, it may become a central platform bridging everyday mental wellness and clinical mental health care, further influencing how technology supports mental health globally[1][3][5].
In summary, Calm has transformed from a meditation app to a comprehensive mental health platform with broad individual, corporate, and clinical reach, riding a powerful wave of digital mental wellness adoption.
Calm has raised $218.5M across 7 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $75.0M Series C in December 2020.
Calm was founded in 2012 by Michael Acton Smith (Co-Founder) and Lisa Breiman (Executive Assistant to Co-Founders and CEO) and Alex Tew (Co-Founder) and Michael Acton (Co-CEO and Co-Founder).
Calm has raised $218.5M in total across 7 funding rounds.
Calm's investors include Lightspeed Venture Partners, Adjacent, Cota Capital, Footprint Coalition, Long Journey Ventures, Meritech Capital Partners, Presight Capital, Sound Ventures, Alison Engel, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hadi Partovi, Jason Stomel.