The Way App: Meditate with a Zen Master and Dive Deeper into Mindfulness

A new app called The Way is set to transform the meditation experience by offering a structured, in-depth journey guided by an authorized Zen Master. Co-founded by Henry Shukman and his nephew Jack Shukman, The Way aims to transcend the surface-level mindfulness practices popularized by apps like Headspace and Calm, and introduce users to the profound teachings of ancient meditation traditions.

Henry Shukman, one of only five authorized Zen Masters in the Sanbo Zen lineage globally, transitioned to online meditation instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. This shift revealed a significant interest in digital meditation practice, leading to the foundation of The Way.

Tech entrepreneur Kevin Rose, a student of Henry’s and a partner at True Ventures, initially proposed the idea of a meditation app featuring Henry’s teachings. Although the concept was temporarily shelved due to the lack of a CEO candidate, it resurfaced when Jack Shukman, who had spent a decade in investment banking and consulting, began exploring meditation under Henry’s guidance.

Initially skeptical, Jack found that meditation had a transformative impact on his life.

“Henry went from being just my boring Uncle Henry to someone I could turn to for guidance and advice,” Jack shared with TechCrunch. “I have an uncle who is not only a meditation teacher but actually a Zen Master. It was a privilege, but at the time, I was also searching for the right tool and was trying different meditation apps, and I couldn’t find anything that would consistently develop my practice over the long term.”

This realization led the duo to create The Way in 2022. The app recently secured $1.4 million in seed funding, led by Rose and True Ventures, with contributions from several angel investors.

The Way provides users with the experience of studying with a Zen Master daily for a year, simulating a side-by-side learning environment. Upon opening the app, users are greeted by Henry in his Zen school, where he provides an overview of the teachings.

The app then guides users through a series of daily guided meditations and talks.

Unlike other meditation apps that overwhelm users with choices, The Way employs a linear, step-by-step approach. “The big gamble that we took in our UX design was that all of that content would appear in a linear step-by-step path, so the user never has to make a choice,” Jack explained.

“Every meditation app on the market uses what we call the Netflix model, where you open it and there’s just a thousand options presented to you, different teachers, different courses, different styles, and it can just be really overwhelming.”

The Way eliminates this decision paralysis, guiding users sequentially through a curriculum designed to deepen their meditation practice. While apps like Calm and Headspace are excellent for introducing basic meditation, The Way helps users advance beyond stress reduction and balance to experience the interconnectedness and effortless flow states of deeper meditation.

“A lot of modern mindfulness, which is of course a fantastic thing, focuses on stress reduction and finding states of calm and balance, but there is further to go than that,” Henry told TechCrunch. “What that looks like is discovering an incredible kind of interconnectedness that we’re all part of. It’s finding flow states in meditation where time goes quiet.

We don’t feel effort so much—it becomes effortless, very easy, and very fulfilling in and of itself, just to be. So those deeper kinds of discoveries from practice, we really wanted them to be in the app.”

The Way offers the first 30 meditation sessions for free. Users can unlock the full curriculum through a $9.99 monthly or $74.99 yearly subscription. Additionally, The Way provides a scholarship program for those who are interested but cannot afford the subscription.

The app is available on iOS and Android, inviting users to embark on a transformative journey into the depths of meditation guided by a Zen Master.