Sequoia Capital Backs AI-Agent Startup Blockit to Revolutionize Scheduling

Sequoia Capital has announced a strategic seed investment in Blockit, an AI-powered scheduling platform designed to eliminate the friction of manual calendar coordination. The $5 million round marks the debut of a venture founded by former Sequoia partner Kais Khimji and product veteran John Han. By leveraging advanced large language models, the startup aims to transform how individuals and organizations manage their time.

Unlike traditional tools that rely on users sharing availability links, Blockit employs autonomous agents that negotiate meeting times on behalf of the user. These agents use natural language to communicate with other parties, understanding priority and context to find the most efficient slots. This shift moves scheduling from a manual administrative task to a fully automated background process that replaces human labor rather than just providing a new interface.

The founding team brings together a unique blend of venture expertise and technical depth in the productivity space. Kais Khimji spent years as an investor at Sequoia before transitioning to his role as founder to pursue his vision for optimized time allocation. He is joined by John Han, who previously held senior product roles at Google Calendar and Clockwise, bringing decades of domain knowledge to execute the complex "time physics" required for an autonomous scheduling agent.

Sequoia views Blockit as a potential billion dollar revenue business due to its high virality and strong network effects. As more users adopt the platform, the collective calendar inventory grows, making the AI agents increasingly effective at matching schedules. The company expects the tool to eventually replace the labor of executive assistants, providing a significant "return on time" for professionals globally.

The ultimate goal for Blockit is to create a world where people are more productive at work and more present at home. Sequoia partner Pat Grady notes that the company passes the litmus test of becoming one of the most important firms of the next few decades. It represents a pure gain for human lifestyle by optimizing the world's most finite resource.