Company:Calm
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Type | Private |
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Founded | May 4, 2012 |
Founders |
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Headquarters | , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Products |
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Number of employees | 310 (2022)[1] |
Website | calm |
Calm.com, Inc., doing business as Calm, is a software company based in San Francisco , California . It produces meditation products, including guided meditations and Sleep Stories on its subscription-based app.[2][3][4][5][6]
History
Calm was founded on May 4, 2012 by Michael Acton Smith and Alex Tew.[7] Tamara Levitt became the Head of Mindfulness in November 2014 and is one of the app's primary narrators.[8]
The company generated $22 million in revenue in 2017 and reached an annual revenue run rate of $75 million.[9] (As of 2017), Calm had raised $1.5M in angel investments.[10]
As of February 2019, the company was valued at $1 billion and had raised $116 million, with contributions from existing investors, including Insight Venture Partners, Ashton Kutcher's Sound Ventures, and Creative Artists Agency.[11]
Calm was Apple's "App of the Year" in 2017,[10] and was ranked by Inc. as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America in 2018.[12]
In February 2022, Calm acquired Ripple Health Group, a technology company that connects users with proper healthcare options.[13] The acquisition focused on building Calm Health,[14][15] which was released in October 2022 and offered through traditional healthcare providers, payers, and self-insured employers.[16] It was initially offered to patients suffering from anxiety or depression. The company planned to add mental health programs for those with other physical conditions.[6]
In August 2022, Calm laid off 20% of its employees, roughly 90 of 400 employees.[1]
In November 2022, Calm had four million paid subscribers.[13]
Product
Calm produces meditation products, including guided meditations, a book, narrated Sleep Stories, and health and meditation videos. Their primary product is the meditation app, available on iPhone and Android devices.[17][18]
The app features both meditation tools and sleep aids.
The meditation area offers breathing exercises, a daily meditation, several multi-day programs, and unguided and guided meditation sessions.[19][20]
The company also produced a nature documentary series for HBO Max.[21][22]
The app also hosts Alanis Morissette's 2022 ambient album The Storm Before the Calm.[23]
Jay Shetty, the company's chief purpose officer, hosts a short mindfulness message called "The Daily Jay."[13]
"Sleep Stories" series
On December 1, 2016, Calm launched an initial range of 23 Sleep Stories, with the aim of helping adult listeners sleep.[24]
Sleep Stories include archival recordings of Bob Ross,[25] classical and ambient music including compositions by Johannes Brahms, Sigur Rós, deadmau5, and Moby. The series also included original stories and public domain fiction read by narrators including:
In 2018, singer Leona Lewis contributed narration to the sleep stories in support of (RED)'s Global Fund to end AIDS.[30]
In December 2023, Calm announced that it had used AI voice-cloning technology to create a Christmas-themed original story “It’s a Wonderful Sleep Story” narrated by American actor James Stewart, 25 years after the actor's death in 1997.[31]
Publications
- Calm: Calm the Mind. Change the World (Penguin, 2015), Michael Acton Smith, ISBN 978-0241201954
See also
- Baa Baa Land
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Popular meditation app maker Calm reportedly lays off 20% of employees". 2022-08-12. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/12/meditation-app-calm-reportedly-lays-off-20percent-of-employees.html.
- ↑ "The Unbearable Irony of Meditation Apps" (in en). Wired. 30 August 2017. https://www.wired.com/story/the-unbearable-irony-of-meditation-apps/. Retrieved 2017-10-12.
- ↑ Rosenbloom, Stephanie (2017-01-24). "Head Trip: Meditation Apps for Travelers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/24/travel/meditation-apps-for-travelers.html.
- ↑ Hamman, Brian (November 14, 2015). "How to Pick a Meditation App" (in en). Well. https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/11/14/how-to-pick-a-meditation-app/.
- ↑ Eaton, Kit (2016-05-04). "The Smartphone Way to Inner Calm". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/05/technology/personaltech/the-smartphone-way-to-inner-calm.html.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Wiggers, Kyle (2022-10-18). "Calm launches clinical mental health offering, Calm Health" (in en-US). https://techcrunch.com/2022/10/18/calm-launches-clinical-mental-health-offering-calm-health/.
- ↑ "Calm.com, Inc.: Private Company Information -". https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapid=229078071.
- ↑ Cornell, Camilla (2 September 2018). "Meet Tamara Levitt, the Toronto woman who soothes millions on the Calm app". The Globe and Mail. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/small-business/going-global/article-meet-tamara-levitt-the-toronto-woman-who-soothes-millions-on-the-calm/. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
- ↑ "Meditation app Calm hits a $250M valuation amid an explosion of interest in mindfulness apps" (in en-US). June 20, 2018. https://techcrunch.com/2018/06/20/meditation-app-calm-hits-a-250m-valuation-amid-an-explosion-of-interest-in-mindfulness-apps/.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Levy, Ari (26 March 2018). "This meditation app is now worth $250 million and has Trump-related stress to thank". CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/26/calm-raising-over-25-million-from-insight-at-250-million-valuation.html.
- ↑ Gmelich, Krista (February 6, 2019). "Meditation App Backed by Ashton Kutcher Valued at $1 Billion". https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-06/meditation-app-backed-by-ashton-kutcher-is-valued-at-1-billion.
- ↑ "Calm.com: Number 19 on the 2018 Inc. 5000" (in en). https://www.inc.com/profile/calmcom.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Southwick, Ron (2022-11-28). "Calm moves into healthcare and is excited about its prospects" (in en). https://www.chiefhealthcareexecutive.com/view/calm-moves-into-healthcare-and-is-excited-about-its-prospects.
- ↑ Aisha Malik (February 2, 2022). "Calm acquires healthcare technology company Ripple Health Group". https://techcrunch.com/2022/02/02/calm-acquires-health-care-technology-company-ripple-health-group/.
- ↑ Torrence, Rebecca (2022-02-03). "Meditation app Calm buys Ripple Health Group to build out mental health care offerings" (in en). https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/digital-health/meditation-app-calm-buys-ripple-health-group-build-out-mental-healthcare-offerings.
- ↑ Olsen, Emily (2022-10-18). "Calm announces clinical mental health offering" (in en). https://www.mobihealthnews.com/news/calm-announces-clinical-mental-health-offering.
- ↑ "7 Mindfulness Apps To Help You Refocus". Time. http://time.com/2819204/mindfulness-productivity-apps/. Retrieved 2017-02-20.
- ↑ "How Mindfulness Can Help You Sleep Better" (in en-GB). January 5, 2017. http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/sara-bussandri/how-mindfulness-can-help-_1_b_13941374.html.
- ↑ Dredge, Stuart (2016-05-26). "Five of the best meditation apps" (in en-GB). The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/may/26/five-of-the-best-meditation-apps.
- ↑ Pinola, Melanie. "Calm.com Trains You to Meditate in Two to Twenty Minute Sessions" (in en-US). Lifehacker. http://lifehacker.com/5987593/calmcom-trains-you-to-meditate-in-two-to-twenty-minutes.
- ↑ Heater, Brian (July 19, 2020). "The Calm meditation app is getting its own celebrity-filled HBO Max show". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2020/07/16/the-calm-meditation-app-is-getting-its-own-celebrity-filled-hbo-max-show/. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
- ↑ Porter, Rick (July 16, 2020). "Calm App to Become HBO Max Series". The Hollywood Reporter. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/calm-app-become-hbo-max-series-1303446. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
- ↑ Lewry, Fraser (May 19, 2022). "Alanis Morissette is releasing a meditation album and it all sounds *very* relaxing". Louder Sound. https://www.loudersound.com/news/alanis-morissette-is-releasing-a-meditation-album-and-it-sounds-very-relaxing.
- ↑ Buhr, Sarah (December 2016). "That one time I was tucked in by a startup". https://techcrunch.com/2016/12/01/snewz/.
- ↑ Boran, Marie. "Happy little Zzzzzs with Bob Ross" (in en). The Irish Times. https://www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/happy-little-zzzzzs-with-bob-ross-1.3705461.
- ↑ THR Staff (January 24, 2021). "From Harry Styles to Kevin Hart: New Content Studios Are Selling Meditation and Sleep With Stars' Help" (in en). https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/from-harry-styles-to-kevin-hart-new-content-studios-are-selling-meditation-and-sleep-with-stars-help.
- ↑ "Harry Styles Says Meditation 'Changed My Life' As He Loans His Voice To Relaxation App Calm". Capital FM. 8 July 2020. https://www.capitalfm.com/news/harry-styles-meditation-calm-sleep/. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ↑ "Harry Styles Fans Are Living For His Soothing Calm App Story- Here Are The Best Reactions". Capital FM. 8 July 2020. https://www.capitalfm.com/news/harry-styles-fans-calm-app-story-memes-reactions-twitter/. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ↑ Roettgers, Janko (2018-11-21). "Matthew McConaughey Wants to Make You Fall Asleep, Partners With Calm App" (in en). https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/matthew-mcconaughey-calm-sleep-story-1203034618/.
- ↑ "Drift off to sleep with Leona Lewis and SAVE LIVES with (RED)" (in en-US). November 27, 2018. https://blog.calm.com/relax/drift-of-to-sleep-with-leona-lewis-and-save-lives-with-red.
- ↑ Spangler, Todd (4 December 2023). "AI-Generated Jimmy Stewart Narrates Bedtime Story for Calm App (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/jimmy-stewart-ai-voice-bedtime-story-calm-app-1235812865/. Retrieved 5 December 2023.