Skej, a new startup, has launched an AI-driven scheduling assistant aimed at streamlining the process of organizing meetings by automating the time-finding aspect. Unlike traditional scheduling tools like Calendly, Skej eliminates the need to manually check availability by automatically scanning for mutual free slots and scheduling meetings directly onto users’ calendars.
Paul Canetti, co-founder and CEO of Skej, emphasizes the convenience offered by the startup. “I’ve never met anyone in my life who loves scheduling meetings,” he remarked, highlighting the tool’s capability to handle the tedious aspects of meeting coordination. Paul Canetti explains that while platforms like Calendly are useful, he found them too revealing of his schedule. His satisfaction with scheduling peaked when he had a human assistant, which inspired the creation of an AI assistant capable of similarly intuitive schedule management.
Skej operates seamlessly across email platforms such as Gmail and Outlook and integrates with tools like Zoom and Google Calendar, with Outlook Calendar support expected soon. Users simply add Skej’s email to their thread to initiate the scheduling process.
The startup utilizes various large language models to process the language in emails, converting them into data that feed into what the team internally calls “the Skej brain”—a sophisticated scheduling engine designed to coordinate among users in different time zones and with varying preferences.
Paul also mentioned that Skej is designed to work within users’ existing workflows, without forcing them into a specific app or platform, aligning with user preferences and existing tools.
Skej’s initial funding round included investments from Betaworks, Mozilla Ventures, Stem AI, Spice Capital, Deftly.vc, and Differential Ventures, totaling just under a million dollars. The service is currently in public beta and is being used by over 1,000 users. While it is free for now, a paid tier is anticipated as the team continues to gather user feedback and refine the service.