Artificial Intelligence may not yet be capable of usurping Google Search, but it holds promise in more specialized applications, such as automating mundane everyday tasks like scheduling meetings. This potential is the foundation of Skej, a new startup that provides an AI-powered assistant designed to streamline the process of finding mutually convenient meeting times through email integration.
Differentiating itself from other scheduling tools like Calendly, Skej eliminates the need to manually peruse someone else’s availability. Instead, if you receive a Calendly link, Skej will analyze it to identify overlapping available time slots and then automatically schedule the meeting in both party’s calendars.
“No one enjoys the hassle of scheduling meetings,” observes Paul Canetti, co-founder and CEO of Skej.
Canetti, a serial entrepreneur from New York, has a track record in tech innovation, having previously founded and sold MAZ Systems, a no-code app development platform. He also ventured into the meeting space with a prior startup called Bounce House, a service that facilitated paid bookings for sessions with professionals like yoga or piano instructors.
The original team behind previous ventures, including Canetti, his brother Justin, CTO Anindya Mondal, and a fourth co-founder, Simon Baumer, who tragically passed away from cancer three months after the inception of Skej last August, regrouped to launch Skej. In remembrance of Simon, the team has dedicated a tribute page on Skej’s website, recognizing his pivotal role in developing the current core product.
Paul notes that while Calendly is an excellent tool with a highly successful business model, he was uncomfortable with the visibility of all his available time slots. He found the most satisfaction with scheduling when he had a human assistant, such as an executive assistant, who could comprehend the context behind meetings and reshuffle the calendar to accommodate critical appointments, even during busy times. This experience inspired the concept of developing an AI assistant capable of providing similar contextual understanding and flexibility in scheduling.
To utilize Skej, there’s no need to download an application or visit a website. You simply include its email address in your correspondence. In the near future, Skej will also provide a phone number for inclusion in text conversations. Currently, the service is compatible with any email platform such as Gmail, Outlook, and others. It also integrates with various other programs, including Zoom and Google Calendar, with Outlook Calendar support expected within the next few weeks.
Using Skej is straightforward: add the email address to your conversation and request it to find suitable meeting times in your response. For instance, when TechCrunch was scheduling an interview with Paul, he wrote, “Skej, can you offer some times that might work this week?” The AI assistant responded with available options and provided a link to automatically sync with my calendar. Upon selecting my preferred time, Skej confirmed the meeting and added it to my calendar.
The system is effective because the Skej user—in this instance, Paul—has granted it access to his calendar. Therefore, Skej sends calendar invitations on his behalf.
By clicking the provided link, however, Skej could have autonomously scheduled the meeting without any further communication. This feature is particularly beneficial for internal teams needing to coordinate a time slot that accommodates everyone involved.
Behind the scenes, Skej employs various LLM models to interpret the language in the emails, translate it into data, and process it through Skej’s proprietary system.
According to Paul, internally referred to as the “brain,” the Skej brain operates as a sophisticated scheduling engine, akin to a marketplace for coordinating times. “It can handle various users across different time zones, accommodating distinct considerations, conflicts, and preferences,” he explains. “It works to negotiate and identify a suitable match, subsequently presenting the match or suggested times along with relevant data. Then, leveraging a large language model (LLM), it crafts a naturally sounding message for communication,” he adds.
Furthermore, Skej offers the capability to categorize contacts into different calendars, such as work or personal. Over time, Skej aims to achieve this categorization through natural language processing, Paul anticipates. Currently, users can utilize a more conventional dashboard to configure their preferences and integrations.
One priority Skej does not intend to pursue is the development of an app.
“It’s interesting; this is a question we frequently receive from venture capitalists. They often ask, ‘Eventually, you will have an app, right?’” explains Paul. However, he asserts that Skej is designed to be “completely agnostic regarding the tools you already utilize and prefer, allowing it to seamlessly adapt to your existing workflow.”
“It doesn’t compel you to adopt a specific app or platform,” he adds.
Among Skej’s pre-seed investors are Betaworks, Mozilla Ventures, Stem AI, Spice Capital, Deftly.vc, and Differential Ventures. According to Paul, the funding round was just under a million dollars. The remote team at Skej comprises the three co-founders and two additional full-time engineers.
Currently in public beta, the service has over 1,000 active users. For now, Skej is free while the team gathers user feedback, but a premium tier will be introduced in the future.
