Journey Meditation Pulls In $2.4M Seed Financing

Today Journey Meditation is launching the Journey LIVE app – the first group meditation app with live instructors and real-time classes – to the public. Journey LIVE is based on the core premise that community and human connection enhance meditation. The experience creates the feeling of an in-person, group meditation class by enabling authentic interaction with supportive teachers and others in the community. Journey also announces it has raised a $2.4M seed round led by Canaan, with participation from Brooklyn Bridge Ventures, Betaworks, BDMI, The Fund, Nelstone Ventures, New York Venture Partners, and multiple prominent angel investors. For thousands of years, meditation has been a social activity in communities around the world. However, current meditation apps only offer single-user, pre-recorded experiences. While convenient for some, these experiences lack connection and do not leverage the full potential of meditating in a group setting, ultimately failing to address the fundamental human need for connection.

Journey LIVE users can join one of many 15-minute group meditation video livestreams scheduled throughout the day where teachers from a variety of backgrounds and meditation styles guide participants with clarity, approachability and simplicity. Users at any level of meditation experience can connect with a wider community and deepen their practice with monthly ($19.95/mo), yearly ($14.95/mo), or lifetime ($399.95) memberships to the app. Yearly memberships can be purchased for only $7.95/mo if purchased within the first month of launch.

In addition to the many live group meditation classes, Journey LIVE will feature Daily Journey, a guided meditation recorded and posted each day. Similar to Instagram Stories, Daily Journey has a 24-hour only life span and offers users who can't attend a live class that day an opportunity to still participate in a timely practice. The temporary nature of the Daily Journey encourages a sense of accountability to maintaining a regular meditation practice and a simple way to connect with the community when schedules don't allow live participation.

"Meditation can be intimidating and confusing, and sticking with it is often challenging – especially on your own," explains Journey founder and CEO Stephen Sokoler. "We created Journey LIVE to allow people the flexibility and mobility they need but with the added – and essential – ingredients of human connection and support. We connect users with an experienced teacher in real-time to guide them in a simple meditation practice, building genuine, long-term connections with the practice and teachers that keep them coming back every day."

Since its founding in 2015, Journey Meditation has been working with companies and organizations to alleviate stress for their employees. The development of Journey LIVE was informed in part by feedback from its work with organizations such as Nike, Facebook, Harlem Children's Zone and the Anti-Defamation League. Journey's work with those organizations as part of their Stress Management & Mental Wellbeing Programs has resulted in significant improvements in employee stress levels, mood and energy.

"Meditation is at an inflection point. Science has demonstrated its wellness benefits and technology has made it easier than ever to get started. We're proud to back Journey's approach, which provides a community of people with real-time meditation sessions from an expert of their choosing," said Brendan Dickinson, board member for Journey and partner at Canaan. "Meditation – just like studio cycling or watching a movie – is better together. A meditation with Journey is a much more engaging experience than a solo, recorded session and we're excited to see many more people experience the benefits of this practice."

The company will use its seed funding to build out the Journey LIVE app experience, including hiring additional best-in-class meditation teachers, expanding the community of Journey users, and continually improving their experience.

For more information, please visit www.journeymeditation.com