Alex Tew

Co-founder & Executive Chairman of Calm

As a teenager, I became interested in the mind and in particular, how to improve it. I explored different ways to develop my memory, generate ideas and focus my attention. Some approaches were more successful than others. Then I discovered one technique that stood head and shoulders above the rest: mindfulness meditation.

Soon with daily practice, I began to feel calmer, more focused and happier.

An idea then occurred to me: I could create a website to help people meditate. I built a simple prototype but ran out of cash and it never saw the light of day.

Then, during whirlwind years of university and my first start-up: The Million Dollar Homepage - I was no longer taking time to calm my mind - just when I needed it most.

I realized how important mindfulness is - not just for me but for everyone. The world is getting faster and busier. Many of us are overworked and stressed out.

I began meditating regularly once more.

After getting back on track and launching a string of ventures, it was time to return to the idea of bringing meditation to the world by leveraging the power of the internet. I got together with my close friend Michael Acton Smith and we launched Calm in 2012.