Kayak Co-Founder Launches Supercal to Challenge Calendly
▼ Summary
– Kayak co-founder Paul English has launched Supercal, a free scheduling platform designed to compete with Calendly by offering similar functionality without cost.
– Supercal was created to address the challenges of coordinating group meetings, inspired by English’s personal experience serving on multiple boards.
– The platform features AI that reads participants’ calendars, finds mutually available times, and books meetings via email, while also syncing up to six calendars and offering various meeting types.
– Future plans include premium subscription features focused on improving meeting effectiveness, such as feedback on speaking habits and identifying unnecessary or unproductive meetings.
– Supercal is currently available on the web, with potential future expansions including browser plugins, email integrations, and mobile apps for iOS and Android.
The world of digital scheduling just got a major shakeup with the launch of Supercal, a completely free platform designed to streamline meeting coordination. Founded by Paul English, the innovative mind behind travel giant Kayak, this new tool aims to compete directly with established players like Calendly by offering robust functionality without any cost to users.
English drew inspiration from his own hectic schedule as a member of multiple corporate boards, where arranging group meetings often proved frustrating and time-consuming. He envisioned a system that could simplify the entire process, leading to the creation of Supercal. Instead of settling for limited free tiers or monthly subscriptions, users can now access a full suite of scheduling tools at no charge.
A standout feature is the platform’s group scheduling capability. By simply including Supercal’s AI in an email thread, the system scans everyone’s availability, identifies a suitable time, books the meeting, and sends a confirmation with all relevant details. It supports synchronization across up to six different calendars, allowing users to manage professional, personal, and other commitments in a single interface.
The service offers eight distinct meeting types, ranging from quick 15-minute chats to hour-long discussions, and even includes a VIP option for granting full calendar access in high-priority scenarios. Additional categories like breakfast, lunch, coffee, and dinner meetings are also available, with plans to integrate Open Table for seamless restaurant reservations in the near future.
Beyond basic scheduling, Supercal incorporates several productivity-enhancing tools such as pre-meeting context forms, automatic time zone detection for guests, reminder notifications, and customizable templates. These features are all part of the free offering, though the company intends to introduce premium subscription options later while maintaining current functionalities at no cost.
Looking ahead, English emphasized a vision that goes beyond mere scheduling. Future developments may include AI-driven meeting feedback, providing insights on speaking pace, volume, or use of filler words to help users communicate more effectively. The platform could also analyze meeting outcomes, track action items, and even identify low-value gatherings that might be eliminated to boost overall productivity.
Currently accessible via web browser, Supercal has plans to expand its reach through browser extensions, email plugins, and dedicated mobile applications for iOS and Android. With its free, feature-rich approach and ambitious roadmap, Supercal is positioning itself as a compelling alternative in the competitive scheduling software market.
(Source: TechCrunch)