Onin

Onin Ltd., operating as OurCal, is a London-based company that has developed a privacy-focused shared calendar application. The company was founded in 2020 by Ryan Brodie, who also serves as the CEO. Brodie's career has centered on building technology to connect people, and he personally invested £250,000 to bring the initial concept to life, driven by the mission to eliminate the fragmentation between calendars and conversations.

The company has secured a total of $4.41 million in funding over two seed rounds, with the latest round in July 2022 raising $3.42 million. Key investors include Octopus Ventures, Salica Investments, and Cargofy, alongside several angel investors. As of July 2022, the company had a post-money valuation of $17.5 million.

Initially launched as Onin, the application was conceived as a social calendar to make sharing plans with friends easier. However, the team observed that its most dedicated users were couples and families. This insight led to a strategic pivot and rebranding to OurCal in late 2023, sharpening the focus on this core user base. The business operates on a freemium model. The basic application is free and includes essential features like calendar sharing, event-based chats, and end-to-end encryption. Revenue is generated through a premium subscription plan, 'OurCal+', which offers advanced features such as syncing with third-party calendars like Google and Microsoft, sharing files and photos, advanced search capabilities, and the ability for a single subscription to cover all members of a group.

The OurCal application, available on both iOS and Android, is designed to simplify coordination for small groups such as families, couples, and friends. A key differentiator is its emphasis on privacy, utilizing certified end-to-end encryption for all shared data, including calendar events and chats. The platform combines calendar functionalities with integrated messaging, where each shared calendar has a dedicated chat, and conversations are organized into threads for each event. This structure prevents conversations from being siloed and ensures all planning communication is centralized. Additional features include a keyboard extension for checking schedules within any app, home and lock screen widgets for quick access, and the ability to import events from other calendar providers for users on the paid plan.

Keywords: shared calendar, privacy-first, family organizer, couples calendar, group scheduling, end-to-end encryption, freemium model, mobile application, event management, calendar chat