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The connected life is not necessarily the good life. Too often, it seems like we are squandering our time checking devices, losing touch with fellow humans, and cultivating bad habits in the pursuit of instant gratification.

If only an app could fix that. Preferably, it鈥檇 be one we could use all day long and did not require interacting with humans. It鈥檇 be nice to download in a couple of minutes, too.

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Welcome to the world of mindfulness and wellness apps. In the past year or so, investors have backed more than 20 startups developing apps and tools aimed at promoting mindfulness, happiness, and other desirable mental states. To date, these companies have raised more than $150 million, . Several of the largest rounds have been in recent months, with the vast majority of funding going to California-based startups.

Meditation Money

Take a deep breath, and we鈥檒l take a deeper dive into where all that money is going.

So far, the largest funding recipient is , developer of a popular app for learning meditation techniques. The Santa Monica-based company, which closed a in June, has raised . It鈥檚 a fairly straightforward business model: users start with a few free lessons and subscribe if they want to keep going.

Headspace bills itself as the world鈥檚 most popular meditation app, with more than 18 million downloads. Its mission, however, is much broader.

鈥淢editation is just the first act,鈥� says , Headspace鈥檚 chief business officer. Over time, the seven-year-old startup wants to build 鈥渢he most comprehensive guide to health and happiness from when you’re born to when you die and everything in between.鈥�

It鈥檚 in expansion mode, too, committed to what might be called happy scaling. The careers page features images of an open office space complete with sweater-knit upholstered sofas and blissful staffers nibbling salad and steamed rice. Job applicants are asked to explain how they see their role impacting the company vision of improving the health and happiness of the world.

There are also other well-funded startups in the space dedicated to making us feel better. , a developer of digital tools and programs it says are 鈥渄esigned to motivate individuals to address the full range of their emotional needs,鈥� has raised . And , a provider of online yoga, meditation, and fitness lessons, brought in .

There are lots of other interesting-sounding companies that have raised seed and early-stage funding. The list includes , a Headspace rival, , an app that sends motivational text messages, and , which wants to help busy people avoid burnout.

Where Is It All Going?

Initial snarkiness aside, apps geared to more balanced living do appear to fill a niche in our over-connected lives. Moreover, while there may be some irony in using devices to cure the ills of the digital overstimulation, there鈥檚 also some logic.

鈥淭echnology has been the bridge that makes us more aware of everything on the planet鈥� But it also causes us to be the multitaskers we are and to have thousands of friends but to be lonely,鈥� says Stuart Rudick, founding partner at , a socially conscious micro VC fund. Mindful鈥檚 portfolio includes , developer of a brain-sensing headband that guides wearers through meditation using changing weather sounds.

Rudick sees investor interest in mindfulness and meditation tools as an extension of the broader healthy living sector. Meditation, in particular, appears to be following a similar trajectory to that of yoga a decade or so earlier and is becoming popular with a much broader segment of the population.

From an investor perspective, yoga, fitness, and healthy living deals have produced some nice returns and high valuation companies too. Yoga apparel maker Lululemon, a former that went public ten years ago, is currently valued around $8 billion. In the unicorn space, , the company behind the spinning craze, closed its last round at a $1.25 billion valuation. (We鈥檝e aggregated a few others .)

There have been disappointments as well. A recent case in point is , a private equity-backed yoga studio chain that has seen its stock price cut by nearly a third since its August IPO, which already debuted below the initial projected price.

Star Power

Yet investors in the mindfulness space typically aren鈥檛 looking for just financial returns. Many, like Rudick, are so-called double bottom line investors, who look for companies that provide some social benefit in addition to profit potential.

Meditation and mindfulness practices are also popular in celebrity circles, which seems to have helped startups in the space secure funding from famous backers. Headspace鈥檚 investor lineup includes , , and . Muse counts as a backer. Thrive, meanwhile, is founded by well-known media entrepreneur .

Now, celebrity support won鈥檛 turn a laggard into a unicorn. But given how much time we spend with our devices binging on celebrity-studded content, perhaps we鈥檇 be wise to listen when these same celebrities gently suggest we take a few minutes to clear our minds.

iStockPhoto / Martin Dimitrov