Kais Khimji, a former partner at Sequoia Capital, has transitioned from venture investing to entrepreneurship by launching Blockit, an AI-driven calendar scheduling solution. Khimji’s venture, which stems from an idea he developed during his time at Harvard nearly a decade ago, has recently secured a significant $5 million seed funding round, led by Sequoia, underscoring confidence in its potential.
Blockit aims to revolutionize the scheduling landscape by utilizing advanced language models, boasting capabilities that surpass those of earlier automation attempts, such as Clara Labs and x.ai. Unlike market leader Calendly, Blockit does not require users to share links for availability; instead, it employs AI agents that independently negotiate meeting times between users, effectively removing the tedious back-and-forth email exchanges.
The platform allows users to interact with the AI agent via email or messaging applications like Slack. The AI then autonomously manages logistics, taking into account user-defined preferences and priorities. For example, users can categorize meetings as non-negotiable or flexible, allowing the AI to adjust plans dynamically.
Blockit’s functionality extends further by enabling the AI to prioritize meetings based on the tone of incoming messages, ensuring that urgent requests are handled appropriately.
Currently, over 200 companies, including notable names like Together.ai and Brex, have adopted Blockit. The service offers a free 30-day trial, after which individual users can subscribe for $1,000 annually, and team licenses are available for $5,000.
With its potential to streamline the scheduling process significantly, Blockit positions itself as a formidable contender in the evolving digital assistant space.
