Meet the Former Buddhist Monk Who Launched a Successful Meditation App

Headspace has already attracted 31 million users in 190 countries.

After a series of tragedies in his early 20s, British-born Andy Puddicombe made a life-changing decision. Once a personal trainer and competitive gymnast in London, Puddicombe left home for a Buddhist monastery in the Himalayas and initially planned to remain a monk “for life.”

According to CNN, Puddicombe did eventually depart the monastery in 2004 and returned to England with teachings he hopes to shares with a wider audience. He met advertising executive Rich Pierson through mutual friends, and in 2010, they founded Headspace as a meditation events company in London.

“The popularization of mindfulness—a therapeutic technique that helps people acknowledge their feelings while focusing on the present—coincided with a time when many felt under ‘increasing pressure,’ according to Puddicombe.”

The business has raised more than $75 million from investors, and they now have a strong foothold here in California, with offices in San Francisco.