MUMBAI: Media & entertainment human resources professionals please take note. Headpsace – a global leader in mindfulness and meditation - is all set to launch in India. One of the first meditation apps in the world, reaching more than 62 million users across 190 countries, Headspace offers B2B services (through Headspace for Work) to more than 600 companies, such as Hyatt, Adobe, GE, and Starbucks, to help them build healthier, more productive cultures and higher-performing organisations.
Headspace announced today that it had received an investment from Times Bridge as its Series C funding comprised of $53 million of equity from participating investors and $40 million of debt capital. Times Bridge, a global investments and partnerships firm, will enable Headspace to launch and scale in India, the world’s second-largest internet market.
A press release issued by Times Bridge, says that Headspace will enable Indian users to integrate the practice of mindfulness and meditation into their daily lives, through easily accessible mindfulness routines, including sleep, movement and meditation, among other features. Even today, Indian users can explore bite-sized audio sessions on everything from focus and productivity to stress and anxiety. The courses are led by the guiding voice of co-founder Andy Puddicombe, a former Buddhist monk who spent 10 years travelling around the world, culminating with ordination as a Tibetan Buddhist monk in Northern India.
It further states that “Times Bridge will enable Headspace’s launch in the Indian market, accelerate its growth and advance its mission. By providing subcontinent-wide market leadership and drawing on the unmatched reach of Times Group assets, Times Bridge’s initiatives will ensure Headspace’s product, partnerships and positioning are optimized for adoption and impact across India."
“Headspace’s mission is to improve the health and happiness of the world,” says Headspace co-founder & CEO Richard Pierson. “While the scale and diversity of India are widely known, our opportunity to make a significant impact in the ancient home of meditation is unique. We are excited to pair this time-honoured 2,000-year-old practice and bring it to a large audience around the world. We are delighted to partner with Times Bridge and The Times Group to expand Headspace’s reach in the Indian market.”
Adds Times Bridge CEO Rishi Jaitly: “Times Bridge's mission is to bring the world’s best ideas to India, and share India’s best insights with the world. Headspace is one of those bold, original trailblazer companies with founders and a wider team sincerely committed to a more mindful world, and to India in particular. We’re delighted to work with a partner that sees India holistically and is ambitious about its opportunity to create value across the subcontinent.”
