Draft:Vimcal

Vimcal was co-founded by John Li and Michael Zhao and launched through Y Combinator’s Winter 2021 batch. The company initially started with an augmented reality concept, pivoted to a fitness app, and later developed Vimcal after facing scheduling challenges during startup fundraising.{{cite web |title=John Li, Vimcal – Surviving the Trenches |url=https://saasclub.io/podcast/john-li-vimcal-355/ |website=SaaS Club}}

Vimcal was named Product of the Month on Product Hunt in October 2021.{{cite web |title=Vimcal – Product Hunt |url=https://www.producthunt.com/products/vimcal/launches |website=Product Hunt}} The product gained early attention for its speed-focused interface and user-centric design.{{cite web |title=Vimcal wants to be the most nifty calendar app on the block |url=https://techcrunch.com/2022/11/15/vimcal-wants-be-the-most-nifty-calendar-app-on-the-block/ |website=TechCrunch |date=2022-11-15}}

In November 2023, the company announced it had raised $4.5 million in seed funding to expand its offerings for team scheduling and enterprise use.{{cite web |title=Vimcal raises $4.5 million to expand its team offerings |url=https://techcrunch.com/2023/11/28/vimcal-raises-4-5-million-to-expand-its-team-offerings/ |website=TechCrunch|date=28 November 2023 }}

John Li, CEO of Vimcal, previously worked as a software engineer at Twitter. He holds degrees in Computer Science, Business Administration, and French from the University of California, Berkeley, and interned at Apple.{{cite web |title=John Li, CEO & Co-founder of Vimcal |url=https://categoryvisionaries.podbean.com/e/john-li-ceo-co-founder-of-vimcal-7-million-raised-to-build-the-future-of-calendar-productivity/ |website=Category Visionaries}}

Michael Zhao, CTO of Vimcal, worked as a product manager at Microsoft and Kabam, contributing to mobile games including Star Wars: Uprising and Marvel Contest of Champions. According to publicly available profiles, he studied Computer Science and Environmental Economics at UC Berkeley and is an active angel investor.{{cite web |title=Michael Zhao – LinkedIn |url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelzhao/ |website=LinkedIn}}

Vimcal includes the following capabilities:

• Keyboard shortcuts for scheduling speed
• Time zone overlays for distributed teams
• Calendar links for external booking
• Multi-executive support
• AI-assisted features like Free Time Finder and calendar audits

The Vimcal iOS app launched in 2022 and includes mobile versions of its key desktop functionality, such as scheduling links, time zone overlays, and quick-invite shortcuts.{{cite press release |title=Vimcal announces highly anticipated iOS app and Microsoft Outlook integration |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vimcal-announces-highly-anticipated-ios-app-and-microsoft-outlook-integration-updates-301677911.html}} Following its release, the app was featured by Apple as a "Best New App" and included in its curated "Best Calendar Apps" list.

In 2023, Vimcal introduced Vimcal EA, a version of the calendar designed specifically for executive assistants. According to the company,{{cite web |title=Vimcal EA – Executive Assistant Calendar |url=https://vimcal.com/ea |website=Vimcal}} Vimcal EA was co-developed with input from thousands of executive assistants and includes features tailored for multi-executive workflows, calendar audits, time zone coordination, and scheduling based on external availability.

The product has been positively received by the EA community. In a review from The EA Campus, Vimcal EA was noted for addressing “real pain points in day-to-day scheduling that generic calendar tools overlook,” and for providing a user experience “co-built with executive assistants, not just for them.”{{cite web |title=Review of Vimcal EA |url=https://theeacampus.com/blog/review-of-vimcal-ea/ |website=The EA Campus|date=April 2025 }}

In August 2024, Vimcal launched CCing my EA, a weekly newsletter dedicated to executive assistants. Each Thursday, the newsletter includes five job listings, three curated posts, and one tech tip related to calendaring or productivity.{{cite web |title=CCing My EA – Official Newsletter Site |url=https://ccingmyea.com}}

According to the company, the newsletter is read by EAs at over 5,000 companies, including Amazon, Google, McKinsey, Netflix, and Visa.

The platform has expanded to include:

• A podcast with interviews from EAs and industry experts
• A comic series titled BCCing my EA featuring anonymous EA stories{{cite web |title=BCCing My EA – Comic Archive |url=https://ccingmyea.vimcal.com/p/comics}}
• Free webinars on EA workflows and scheduling strategies

The newsletter has also been referenced by *Founder & Force Multiplier* for its community and resource-sharing focus.{{cite web |title=Executive Assistant – Tagged Content |url=https://founderandforcemultiplier.com/tag/executive-assistant/ |website=Founder and Force Multiplier}}

Vimcal has received positive media coverage for its speed, visual design, and emphasis on user experience. TechCrunch called it “the most nifty calendar app on the block.” AlleyWatch praised its streamlined booking and team coordination tools.{{cite web |title=Vimcal: Calendar App for Streamlined Scheduling |url=https://www.alleywatch.com/2023/11/vimcal-calendar-app-steamlined-team-collaborative-scheduling-meeting-booking-shortcuts-john-li/ |website=AlleyWatch}}

• Google Calendar
• Microsoft Outlook
• Calendly

{{reflist}}

• [https://vimcal.com Official website]
• [https://vimcal.com/ea Vimcal EA product page]
• [https://ccingmyea.com CCing My EA newsletter archive]