Michael Acton Smith

Michael's journey has always balanced playfulness with purpose. Best known today as the co-founder of Calm, the mental health and meditation platform with over 180 million downloads, his career began in a very different corner of the internet – one filled with gadgets, games and a certain grumpy monster named Katsuma.

Born in Marlow and raised in the English countryside, Michael studied geography at the University of Birmingham. He showed an early flair for turning eccentric ideas into commercial success. In 1998, fresh from university, he co-founded Firebox.com – a gadget and gift e-commerce site that capitalised on the internet’s early appetite for novelty. But it was his next venture that would define his public persona.

In 2004, he founded Mind Candy, the gaming company behind Moshi Monsters – a children’s entertainment brand that quickly became a global phenomenon. More than 60 million children signed up to adopt and customise their own virtual pets. Moshi extended far beyond the screen, spawning magazines, music albums, merchandise and even a full-length film. Michael became known as “a rock star version of Willy Wonka”.

Yet the success came at a cost. After several intense years growing Mind Candy, Michael began to experience severe burn-out. “I had a time when I was not sleeping well, I was exhausted all the time and I had headaches,” he told The Guardian, recalling the pressure to keep building even as momentum slowed. During this period, he turned to meditation –  and found a new kind of mission.

In 2012, he joined forces with Alex Tew, creator of the Million Dollar Homepage, to launch Calm, a digital tool to help people reduce stress, sleep better and live more mindfully. At first, uptake was modest. But thanks to careful iteration, a commitment to content quality, and voice collaborations with celebrities like Matthew McConaughey, Calm began to grow. In 2017, Apple named it App of the Year. Today, it has more than 180 million downloads and a valuation over $2 billion (£1.5 billion), with products spanning Calm Business, Calm for Sleep and Calm for Education.

Michael’s vision extends beyond the app itself. As co-Founder, he’s helped build a company culture that takes mental wellbeing seriously. Every morning, staff pause for a team-wide 10-minute meditation. He often says that mental fitness should be as normal as physical fitness – a belief now embedded in both Calm’s product and its internal practices.

Building on this foundation, Calm has created a broader portfolio including evidence-based solutions like Calm Health, offered through employers, health plans and providers, designed to expand access to mental health and sleep support, boost benefits engagement, and drive positive health outcomes. Today, Calm supports more than 3,500 organizations and reaches over 26 million covered lives through Calm Health.

He has never stopped creating unusual experiences. Alongside his more commercial ventures, Michael founded Ping Pong Fight Club, a surreal mix of networking and nightlife, and Berwickstock, and Silicon Drinkabout. In 2014, Michael was awarded an OBE for services to the creative industries. Calm has since expanded its philanthropic reach, offering free or subsidised access to schools, teachers and charities via Calm for Schools and Calm for Nonprofits.

What links all of his ventures is a belief that technology should improve people’s lives in tangible, human ways. With Calm, he has built more than a successful company. He’s created space for millions to slow down and breathe.