Ex-Sequoia Partner Launches AI Startup to Automate Calendar Negotiations for You
Image Credits:Blockit
Kais Khimji: From Venture Investor to Startup Founder
Kais Khimji has transitioned from a prominent venture investor to an ambitious startup founder, marking a significant career shift. He spent the majority of his professional life as a venture capitalist, most notably as a partner at Sequoia Capital for six years. This experience not only honed his business acumen but also fueled his long-held dream of launching his own venture.
Launching Blockit: The AI Calendar-Scheduling Solution
On Thursday, Khimji unveiled Blockit, an AI-driven calendar-scheduling company born from an idea he initially developed while studying at Harvard nearly a decade ago. This announcement is particularly noteworthy as Sequoia Capital, his former employer, led a $5 million seed round investment in Blockit, showcasing their faith in his vision.
Pat Grady, Sequoia’s general partner, expressed high expectations, stating, “Blockit has a chance to become a $1 billion+ revenue business, and Kais will make sure it gets there.” This affirmation from a leading venture firm underscores the potential impact of Blockit in the competitive tech landscape.
A New Approach to Scheduling
Although several startups have attempted to automate scheduling in the past, Khimji is confident that Blockit’s AI agents can deliver a more efficient and user-friendly experience, outperforming prior attempts from now-defunct companies such as Clara Labs and x.ai. Unlike existing leader Calendly, which relies on users sharing links to schedule meetings, Blockit leverages advanced large language models (LLMs) to manage the complexities of scheduling without human intervention.
Khimji and his co-founder, John Hahn—who has previously contributed to calendar tools like Timeful, Google Calendar, and Clockwise—aim to create what they describe as an “AI social network for people’s time.” The concept centers around the idea that individual calendars, while robust, do not communicate with one another. As Khimji pointed out, “I have a time database—my calendar. You have a time database—your calendar—and our databases just can’t talk to each other.”
Bridging the Communication Gap
Blockit seeks to close this disconnect by enabling AI agents to communicate directly on behalf of users. When two users need to set up a meeting, their respective AI agents negotiate the time, eliminating the usual back-and-forth emailing that can be time-consuming and inefficient.
Users can trigger the Blockit agent by CCing it in an email or messaging it via platforms like Slack. The agent autonomously handles the scheduling logistics, proposing optimal times and locations that accommodate all participants’ preferences.
Features That Enhance Efficiency
Khimji emphasized that Blockit can perform as efficiently as a human executive assistant. Users can set specific guidelines for the AI, outlining which meetings are non-negotiable and which are flexible based on daily priorities. For instance, he noted, “Sometimes my calendar is crazy, so I need to skip lunch, and the agent needs to know that it’s okay to skip lunch.”
Moreover, the AI can even be programmed to prioritize meetings based on the tone of an email. Users might specify that requests ending with formal greetings, such as “Best regards,” should take precedence over more casual notes like “Cheers.” This capability allows the AI agent to categorize and manage meeting requests more effectively, tailored to individual user preferences.
Leveraging Context Graphs for Better Decision-Making
By learning the unique preferences of its users, Blockit taps into what venture capitalists Jaya Gupta and Ashu Garg refer to as “context graphs.” In a widely circulated essay, they discuss the substantial opportunity for AI agents to grasp the underlying “why” behind business decisions, previously reliant on intuitive human logic. Blockit appears well-positioned to capitalize on this emerging trend.
Current Adoption and Future Outlook
Blockit has already garnered attention and is reportedly being utilized by over 200 companies, including innovative startups like Together.ai, the fintech company Brex, and robotics startup Rogo, alongside established venture firms like a16z, Accel, and Index. This early adoption signals strong interest in the solution Khimji and his team are building.
To foster wider use, Blockit offers a 30-day free trial, allowing individuals and teams to experience the AI agent firsthand. After the trial period, the cost is set at $1,000 per year for individual users and $5,000 annually for a team license with multi-user support, making it a viable option for companies looking to streamline their scheduling process.
Conclusion: A Promising Future Ahead
Kais Khimji’s transition from venture investor to startup founder showcases his commitment to solving real-world problems through innovative technology. With the backing of Sequoia Capital and a compelling AI solution to bridge the gaps in scheduling, Blockit has the potential to transform how businesses manage their time. As the demand for more efficient communication increases in our fast-paced world, Khimji’s venture could very well pave the way for a significant shift in the scheduling landscape. Whether Blockit fulfills its promise of becoming a billion-dollar business remains to be seen, but the journey has only just begun, and all eyes will be on this trailblazing startup.
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