# Michael Acton Smith

> Michael Acton Smith OBE is the co-founder and executive chairman of Calm, creator of Moshi Monsters and founder of Mind Candy. He previously co-founded Firebox with Tom Boardman and developed Perplex City, a cross-media treasure hunt. His career connects digital products with characters, storytelling and physical experiences; he received an OBE for services to the creative industries in 2014.

- **Role:** Co-founder & Executive Chairman at Calm
- **Organizations:** Calm, Mind Candy, Firebox, Ping Pong Fight Club, Berwickstock
- **From:** London, United Kingdom
- **Nationality:** British; American nationality recorded in his Companies House appointment
- **Education:** Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School, BSc Geography, University of Birmingham
- **Known for:** Created Moshi Monsters, which Calm’s biography credits with 80 million registered users., Moshi Monsters won BAFTA’s Original Interactive children’s award in 2013., Awarded an OBE for services to the creative industries in 2014.

## Career timeline

- **1996** — Graduated in geography from the University of Birmingham; briefly worked in human resources at Goldman Sachs.
- **1998** — Co-founded the online gadget and gift retailer Firebox with university friend Tom Boardman.
- **2004** — Founded Mind Candy; its early project Perplex City became a cross-media treasure hunt.
- **2008** — Moshi Monsters launched publicly after development during 2007.
- **2009** — Adding social features helped Moshi Monsters grow, according to his 2011 interview.
- **2012** — Co-founded Calm with Alex Tew.
- **2013** — Moshi Monsters won the BAFTA Children’s Award for Original Interactive; the franchise released a feature film.
- **2014** — Received an OBE for services to the creative industries.
- **2015** — Published Calm: Calm the Mind, Change the World with Penguin.
- **2017** — Co-executive produced Baa Baa Land; Apple named Calm its iPhone App of the Year.
- **2020** — Calm’s Series C financing valued the company at $2 billion.
- **2022** — Announced that he and Alex Tew would become co-executive chairmen, with David Ko leading Calm as CEO.
- **2025** — Publicly promoted Calm’s expansion into licensing, products and experiences beyond the app.
- **2026** — Announced a January 25 speaking appearance at the Offscript Summit for 16-25 year olds.

## Achievements

- Created Moshi Monsters, which Calm’s biography credits with 80 million registered users.
- Moshi Monsters won BAFTA’s Original Interactive children’s award in 2013.
- Awarded an OBE for services to the creative industries in 2014.
- Co-founded Calm, named Apple’s iPhone App of the Year in 2017.
- Calm reached a $2 billion valuation in its 2020 financing round.
- Author of the 2015 Penguin book Calm: Calm the Mind, Change the World.

## Latest updates

- **2026-01** — Announced that he was scheduled to speak on January 25 at the Offscript Summit, an event for people aged 16-25.
- **2025-04** — Welcomed Joe Lawson as Calm’s first head of licensing and promoted the next chapter of products and experiences beyond the app.
- **2025-03** — Published the LinkedIn article Expanding Calm Beyond Digital: Our Next Big Step.

## Links

- Website: https://www.calm.com/blog/michael-acton-smith
- LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/michaelactonsmith
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/acton
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelacton/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/michael-acton-smith
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-11