How Michael Acton Smith Built Calm: A Journey to Transform Mental Wellness.
Company profile
Company business details
Motivation to build the product
The founders, Michael Acton Smith and Alex Tew, were motivated by the growing mental health crisis and the need for accessible tools to help individuals manage stress and anxiety. Their personal experiences and insights into the importance of mental wellness sparked the idea for Calm.Problem that their product solves
Calm addresses the problem of stress, anxiety, and sleep issues that many individuals face in today's fast-paced world. The end users are people seeking to improve their mental well-being and manage their mental health more effectively. Solving this problem is crucial as it can lead to happier, healthier lives and reduce the burden of mental health issues on society.Their unfair advantage
Calm's unfair advantage lies in its strong brand recognition, extensive library of high-quality content, and a user-friendly interface that makes mindfulness practices accessible to a broad audience.Strategies
Pre-Launch (Product Development & MVP)
Storytelling and PR
Michael Acton-Smith and his co-founder Tom recognized the power of storytelling in marketing their product. They created a unique product, a shot glass chess set, and sent out press releases to various magazines, detailing the story behind the product. This approach led to significant media coverage, including features in FHM, Loaded, and Maxim, which helped generate buzz and interest in their business, ultimately leading to a surge in orders.
Seed Funding Acquisition
Michael Acton Smith and Alex Chu successfully raised $1.5 million in seed funding between 2012 and 2014. They approached over 100 potential investors, including angel investors, to secure the necessary capital to develop their app, Calm. This funding was crucial for them to enter a growing market filled with wellness apps, despite initial skepticism about their concept.
Million Dollar Homepage
Alex created the Million Dollar Homepage in 2005, a website designed to sell one million pixels of advertising space for $1 each. This unique concept was aimed at generating a million dollars before starting university. The idea was to attract media attention, which would increase the page's value. The project went viral, leading to 3,000 ads being sold in just four months, and it opened numerous doors for Alex, including meeting his future co-founder.
Do Nothing for Two Minutes
In a late-night brainstorming session, Alex and his engineer created a simple website called Do Nothing for Two Minutes, which challenged users to refrain from interacting with their mouse or keyboard for two minutes. This playful concept went viral, attracting over a million visitors in just a couple of weeks. The site collected email addresses from users who completed the challenge, which were later used to promote Calm when it launched.
Creating a Unique Landing Page
Before launching Calm, Acton Smith and his co-founder Alex Tew created a unique website called donothingfortwominutes.com. This site featured a simple yet challenging task where users had to stare at waves lapping on a beach for two minutes without moving their mouse or keyboard. This innovative approach not only engaged users but also collected around 100,000 email addresses in just two weeks, building an initial audience for Calm before its official launch.
Learn more about Calm
Calm App Founder: From $0 To $2 Billion By Making The World Meditate: Michael Acton Smith | E117
How Calm’s Founders Turned Rejection Into A $2 Billion Business
E868 Alex Tew, Calm: hypergrowth done well, making positive difference, 1m subs, $80m rev, $250m val
