As a teenager, Alex Tew became interested in the mind and how to improve it. He explored different ways to develop memory, generate ideas and focus attention. Then he discovered mindfulness meditation.

The Early Prototype

With daily practice, Alex began to feel calmer, more focused and happier. An idea occurred to him: create a website to help people meditate. He built a simple prototype but ran out of cash and it never saw the light of day.

The Million Dollar Homepage

In 2005, at age 21, Alex created The Million Dollar Homepage - selling pixels for $1 each to pay for university. It went viral and earned him $1 million in just 5 months. This gave him the runway to pursue other ventures.

Back to Meditation

During the whirlwind years of university and startups, Alex stopped meditating - just when he needed it most. He realized how important mindfulness is for everyone in our increasingly fast and busy world.

Launching Calm

After getting back on track and launching several ventures, it was time to return to bringing meditation to the world. Alex got together with his close friend Michael Acton Smith and they launched Calm in 2012.

The Results

Calm has grown to become a $2B+ company with millions of users worldwide, offering meditation, sleep stories, and mindfulness content.