How Calm went from a meditation timer to the happiest app in the world.

The inspiration behind the brand

When Calm’s co-founder Michael Acton Smith ideated Calm, he felt like a failure.

His greatest venture to date, Moshi Monsters, had been the coolest thing to hit UK playgrounds since the Rubix Cube. At its peak in 2012, over half of UK children aged between six and twelve had adopted a Moshi Monster “internet pet”. And yet by 2013, with the mass migration from internet platforms to mobile apps, the company’s marketing strategy fell apart. Overnight, revenue tanked and Michael Acton crumbled.

Like many founders, Acton’s self-worth was symbiotic with the success of his business. One minute you’re the poster boy of the UK tech scene and the next, you’re faced with laying off the people that got you there. That’s a vertical and violent fall from the top— a tough pill to swallow. For Acton, its side effects included insomnia, exhaustion, and constant migraines.

And so, as everyone facing intense pressure should, he took a step back. And like all 38-year-old tech millionaires, he did so in the Austrian Alps. Armed with meditation books and encouragement from his flatmate, and founder of the Million Dollar Homepage, Alex. He tried to meditate on his balcony.

Breathe in, breathe out…Detach from mind chatter… Breathe in, breathe out… Detach from thought... Breathe in, breathe out… Watch those thoughts float by… And open.

Acton opened his eyes and looked out at the view.

When he did. The green pastures looked greener. The sky had slid gradient, settling on electric blue. Donut-powder white peaks funneled a fresh breeze towards Michael’s balcony, forming goosebumps on his skin. He felt less stressed. He felt more conscious. He felt Calm.

At that moment it clicked. Meditation wasn't about incense or religious experiences. It was neuroscience. A quantifiable, measurable phenomenon and a valuable skill. It could be taught and, most importantly, it could be entertaining. Western society needed it. Desperately. So why not repackage it on its own terms?

Michael Acton called his flatmate Alex, and the Calm mission began.

In 2012, the first draft of Calm was a 2-minute timer on a landing page with an ocean view. Name donothingfor2minutes.com (it’s still live!). It encourages visitors to focus on only the view and ocean sounds until the timer runs out.

Today, Calm is the #1 Meditation App in the World, and is best known for becoming the World’s First Mental Health Unicorn.

So, how did a start-up in the meditation space become a globally-renowned brand with a $2 Billion valuation?

Find out in Episode 2.

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