Ivan Zhao is the co-founder and CEO of Notion, the all-in-one workspace for your notes, tasks, wikis, and databases. Entrepreneurs rave about it, VCs chase after it, and we simply cannot stop hearing about it.
Notion bundles multiple use cases into one tool and helps teams cut down on their number of applications used. For many users, Notion sparks inner joy — it appeals to the Marie Kondo in all of us, helping us clear out the clutter and organize efficient workflows.
On top of being a product that people love to use, Notion is also a company that entrepreneurs admire, especially in the SaaS space. At the beginning of COVID, it hit a $2 billion valuation after raising a $50 million round — with a relatively small team of 40 people. Notion’s approach to company-building has since been distinguished with two main elements: its lean team and its conscientious attitude towards VC funding.
In this episode, we learn more about the Notion journey — where it comes from and where it's going — with its founder, Ivan Zhao.
Topics:
00:22 — Introduction with Roxanne Varza
01:03 — Ivan Zhao on the market need for Notion
02:13 — Notion’s mission to empower people to create their own tools
03:16 — The 4 main use cases of Notion
03:58 — How Notion built a product that people love so much
05:48 — When Notion exploded in 2018
06:43 — Notion’s approach to building a company: fundraising and team size
09:20 — Raising $50 million at $2B valuation during COVID
11:08 — New offices in Europe and Japan
11:33 — Notion API launch in April
12:02 — New languages, including French!
13:06 — Interesting alternative use cases for Notion 🍳🐉🤓
15:08 — Tools that Notion can replace
16:18 — Ivan on tools that he finds exciting: Figma
16:55 — Bundling vs. unbundling strategy for building product
17:30 — Ivan’s advice for early-stage entrepreneurs
This episode is hosted by Roxanne Varza and produced by Cindy Yang. Art is by Gaëtan Lefebvre.
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