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Alex Tew is a serial entrepreneur who has found success with the founding of several companies. He has worked in the technology industry and resides in San Francisco, California.
Tew grew up in Wiltshire, England and graduated from high school in 2002. Instead of going to college, he pursued a career of beatboxing. His alias was "A-Plus" and during this time he founded HumanBeatBox.com, an online beatboxing forum where participants in the discussion could gain insights into how to make various sounds for beatboxing. In 2005 he enrolled at the University of Nottingham, but did not continue shortly after he started his first venture into technology.
In 2005, Tew created The Million Dollar Homepage. The website was meant for advertising and those seeking to do so could purchase space on the web page for $1 per pixel being sold in ten by ten blocks. The total available space on the web page was 1,000 X 1,000 pixels, allowing for Tew to sell the advertising in the aforementioned blocks. Companies could insert their logos or advertisements and when users visited the site, they could click on the desired logo and be transferred to the company's own site. Within four months the advertising space had sold out after selling the last 1,000 pixels for more than $38,000, resulting in Tew earning his first million dollars.
Following the success of The Million Dollar Homepage, Tew founded and invested in several more companies including Pixelotto, and PopJam. Those companies did not see the same success as his first technology venture, leading Tew to move to San Francisco to be the product manager at Monkey Inferno.
In 2012, Tew and Michael Acton Smith launched a website called "Calm", which eventually became a mobile application. The app allows users to engage in meditation, listen to music, view masterclasses, listen to soothing bedtime stories (some of which are read by celebrities), and use other features. The app can be used for free in limited capacity and users can upgrade to a premium subscription account. As of 2018, there are more than half a million users that subscribe to the app. Calm has seen steady growth since its launch and as of 2019, it is valued at $1 billion dollars.
