Calendly

Last updated

Calendly
Company typePrivate
Industry Software
Founded2013
FoundersTope Awotona
HeadquartersRemote [1]
ProductsMeeting scheduling software
Number of employees
424 (April 2022) [1]
Website www.calendly.com

Calendly is a software company that develops a business communication platform used for teams to schedule, prepare and follow up on external meetings. The company was founded in Atlanta, Georgia by Nigerian-born entrepreneur Tope Awotona, but discontinued its physical offices in July 2021.

Contents

As of January 2021, Calendly was valued at $3 billion, making it a tech unicorn. [1]

History

Calendly was founded in Atlanta in 2013 by Tope Awotona, a former EMC (now Dell EMC) salesperson who was frustrated with the difficulty of scheduling sales calls. [2] He founded the company with his savings and by taking out a small-business loan, while working at the co-working incubator Atlanta Tech Village. [1] He hired the Kyiv, Ukraine-based company Railsware to help develop the software. [1] In late 2013, seed investors provided a $550,000 investment. [1]

The software began as a freemium version for individual users when the company launched. [2] In late 2014, the company added a premium version. [2]

In January 2021, Calendly raised $350 million from investment firms OpenView Venture Partners and Iconiq, at a reported $3 billion valuation. [3] In July 2021, during the COVID-19 outbreak, Awotona closed the company's Atlanta headquarters and took the company remote. [4]

In January 2022, the company received attention on Twitter, when a Silicon Valley entrepreneur criticized the etiquette behind sending a Calendly link, and others defended the process. [5] The company reported a large spike in sign-ups after the social media attention. [5] In a February article about Google's calendar application, Wired reported that Calendly's was a market leader. [6]

Products

Screen shot showing Calendly's scheduling interface Calendly scheduling application screenshot.png
Screen shot showing Calendly's scheduling interface

Calendly develops a software as a service scheduling automation platform to help schedule external meetings and make them more productive. [3] Users share open time slots in their calendars to book meetings by sending a scheduling link, or through embedded times in an email or text message. [3] [5] Recipients of Calendly invitations select an available time before it is automatically added to Google and Microsoft Outlook calendars. [3]

The company offers a freemium version for individuals, and premium versions for individuals, teams and enterprises. [5] The premium version offers additional features such as additional calendars, team scheduling features and integration with video conferencing and payment services. [3] [7]

The software has been recognized for its viral nature, since recipients of invites could be encouraged to try the software themselves. [7]

Operations

Calendly was founded in Atlanta, but as of July 2021, operates an all-remote workforce without an official headquarters. [1] Tope Awotona is the company's CEO. [1] The company reported 424 employees in April 2022. [1] As of January 2021, the company was valued at $3 billion. [3]

Founder

Calendly founder and CEO Tope Awotona was born in Lagos, Nigeria. [1] When he was 12, he saw his father shot and killed during a carjacking. [1] His family moved to Atlanta in 1996 when he was 15. He studied computer science and business management at the University of Georgia and became a software salesman, selling for tech companies including Perceptive Software, Vertafore and EMC (later Dell EMC). [1] In an Inc. magazine profile in September 2019, when the company was earning $30 million a year, Awotona recounted the difficulty he faced with fundraising as a black immigrant when launching Calendly. [8]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Nigeria-Born Tope Awotona Poured His Life Savings Into Calendly. Now He's One Of America's Wealthiest Immigrants". Forbes. April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "Meet the unicorn founder that braved war zones and missed meetings to make his mark on the startup world". Fortune. November 19, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "How Atlanta's Calendly turned a scheduling nightmare into a $3B startup". TechCrunch. January 26, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Atlanta unicorn Calendly scraps its office, shifts to all-remote workforce". Atlanta Business Chronicle. July 1, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Calendly is a way to tell people when you're free for a meeting — but some techies hate it". CNBC. February 7, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Google Calendar's 'Appointment Schedule' Is Good, Not Great". Wired. February 5, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  7. 1 2 "How Calendly is building a platform by turning scheduling into a center-stage event". TechCrunch. September 22, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  8. ↑ Albert Deitch, Cameron (July 1, 2019). "This Atlanta Founder's Secret Weapon in Building His $30 Million Company: Growing Up in Nigeria". Inc. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
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