(Yicai Global) Aug. 27 -- Flow has secured a multi-million US dollar seed round led by venture capital firms Lightspeed China Partners and Evolve Ventures as the meditative lifestyle, so popular in the US, looks set to become the next big thing in China after running and yoga, to help promote a healthy lifestyle and relieve the mental stresses of modern life.

The proceeds will be used to upgrade the application, research and development, content and course development, talent hiring and marketing, developer Shanghai Fuliu Culture Communication told Yicai Global.

The Flow project, which only started this year, provides courses in meditation, a calming technique that cultivates total clearing of the mind. It also provides online audio and video content for emotional management, anxiety relief, cures for insomnia and yoga exercises. It is building a community of people who meditate and is encouraging them to share their experiences and insights.

The mental health app market, which is saturated in the US, is almost blank in China, founder Wu Zan told 36Kr.

Lightspeed is also an investor in leading US meditation app Calm. It led a USD75 million Series C fundraiser last December, boosting the platform’s valuation to USD2 billion.

Editor: Kim Taylor