Calm (company)

Calm.com, Inc.

Company type	Private
Industry	Software, Mindfulness, Meditation
Founded	May 4, 2012 (2012-05-04) in San Francisco, California, United States
Founder	Michael Acton Smith, Alex Tew
Headquarters	San Francisco , United States
Key people	Tamara Levitt (Head of Mindfulness), Jay Shetty (Chief Purpose Officer)
Products	Meditation app, guided meditation sessions, Sleep Stories, meditation videos, book
Number of employees	400 (2022)
Website	calm.com

Calm.com, Inc., operating under the trade name Calm, is a software enterprise based in San Francisco, focused on mindfulness and meditation solutions. Its subscription-driven platform provides users with guided meditation sessions and Sleep Stories designed to enhance relaxation.

History

Established on May 4, 2012, by founders Michael Acton Smith and Alex Tew, Calm appointed Tamara Levitt as its Head of Mindfulness in 2014; she serves as one of the primary narrators featured on the platform.

In 2017, the company generated $22 million in revenue and projected an annual run rate reaching $75 million. By that time, Calm had secured $1.5 million through angel investments.

By February 2019, Calm attained a valuation of $1 billion after a $116 million funding round from investors such as Insight Venture Partners, Ashton Kutcher’s Sound Ventures, and Creative Artists Agency.

The app was honored as Apple’s "App of the Year" in 2017 and was recognized by Inc. magazine in 2018 as one of the fastest-growing privately held companies in the United States.

In early 2022, Calm broadened its healthcare initiatives by acquiring Ripple Health Group, leading to the launch of Calm Health later that year—a clinical mental health service aimed at individuals experiencing anxiety and depression. This offering is distributed via healthcare providers, payers, and employers with self-insured plans.

During August 2022, the company underwent a workforce reduction of around 20%, laying off roughly 90 employees from its total staff of about 400.

As reported in November 2022, Calm had amassed four million paying subscribers.

Product

Calm’s portfolio includes guided meditation sessions, a published book, narrated Sleep Stories, and various health and meditation videos. Its flagship product is a meditation app accessible on both iPhone and Android platforms.

The app integrates meditation aids with sleep support features such as breathing exercises, daily meditation routines, multi-day courses, and options for both guided and unguided practice.

Expanding beyond its app offerings, Calm has produced a nature documentary series for HBO Max and features the ambient album The Storm Before the Calm by Alanis Morissette, released in 2022. Additionally, Jay Shetty—serving as the company’s chief purpose officer—hosts a daily mindfulness segment entitled "The Daily Jay."

"Sleep Stories" series

Introduced in December 2016 with an initial collection of 23 titles, Sleep Stories are designed to assist adults in improving their sleep quality. This collection comprises archival recordings from Bob Ross, classical and ambient compositions by artists such as Johannes Brahms, Sigur Rós, deadmau5, and Moby, alongside original narratives and public domain fiction performed by professional voice actors.

In 2018, singer Leona Lewis contributed narration work to support (RED)'s Global Fund initiative combating AIDS. In December 2023, Calm utilized AI voice-cloning technology to produce a Christmas-themed story narrated by actor James Stewart, representing an innovative application of artificial intelligence in content creation for the app.

Publications

• Calm: Soothe the Mind. Transform the World (Penguin, 2015), Michael Acton Smith

See also

• Baa Baa Land