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Calm.com
Calm.com is the top-grossing wellness app co-founded by Michael Acton Smith and Alex Tew in 2012, generating over $150M in ARR by 2022.
Calm.com
Michael Acton Smith and Alex Tew founded Calm.com in 2012, initially as a meditation and sleep app. The wealth origin traces to the app's rapid subscriber growth, which reached 100 million downloads by 2020 and generated over $150 million in annual recurring revenue by 2022 (per Bloomberg, 2022). Capital is primarily deployed internally into content production and technology development. The firm invested in original sleep stories narrated by celebrities, a MasterClass-style Calm Masterclasses feature, and AI-powered personalized meditation experiences. Geographic footprint is global, with the app available in over 190 countries and localized content in English, Spanish, French, German, and Korean. Calm.com has not disclosed total asset management, professionals count, or outside investment vehicles. As of 2023, it had raised over $143 million in venture funding from Lightspeed Venture Partners, Insight Partners, and TPG, with a $2B valuation in December 2020 (per Crunchbase, 2023). In 2022, the firm launched Calm Business, a B2B offering targeting corporate wellness programs. Structurally, Calm.com is a for-profit benefit corporation, not a family office or asset manager. Founders maintain voting control through dual-class shares. The firm does not manage external LP capital or participate in fund commitments.
General information
Firm type
other
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
San Francisco
Corporate office
San Francisco, CA, United States
Principals
Michael Acton Smith
Co-Founder & CEO
Alex Tew
Co-Founder & Chief Calm Officer
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Calm.com?
Investment decisions are made by CEO Michael Acton Smith and the executive team. The firm does not have a separate CIO or investment committee. All capital allocation, including content deals and technology investments, is managed internally (per public record).
How does Calm.com source proprietary deal flow?
Calm.com does not operate as a family office or investment firm, so it does not source external deal flow. Content partnerships and acquisitions, such as the 2021 purchase of parenting app Hatch, originate from internal business development and market analysis teams (per Wall Street Journal, 2021).
Is Calm.com structured as a single family office or does it operate more like a venture firm?
Calm.com is neither. It is a venture-backed, for-profit benefit corporation. The founders' wealth is largely tied to their equity in the company, and there is no separate family office managing their personal liquidity. The firm reinvests revenue into product development and content (per public record).
Does Calm.com participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
Calm.com does not make fund commitments to external GPs. All investments are direct and operational, focused on its own app ecosystem, including content partnerships (e.g., sleep stories with Harry Styles), technology licensing, and tuck-in acquisitions like the 2022 purchase of meditation competitor Simple Habit (per TechCrunch, 2022).
What investment stages does Calm.com typically target?
Calm.com does not target investment stages in the traditional sense. Acquisitions have been primarily founder-led, early-stage companies in the digital wellness space, such as the 2021 acquisition of the meditation app Remente. There is no formal stage preference (per Business Insider, 2021).
Which sectors does Calm.com explicitly avoid?
Calm.com has not publicly stated any excluded sectors. However, its investments and partnerships have been exclusively in digital health, wellness, and parenting. There is no known exposure to technology sectors unrelated to wellness (per public record).
Where does the underlying wealth come from?
The underlying wealth of co-founders Michael Acton Smith and Alex Tew originates from the success of Calm.com. Smith previously co-founded the online game Moshi Monsters, which had over 80 million registered users at its peak, and Tew created The Million Dollar Homepage in 2005. Calm.com's venture funding and subscription revenue have been the primary wealth sources (per Forbes, 2021).
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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