There is probably no single company that doesn’t know what Notion is. Before, companies used to juggle multiple apps and platforms to manage their teams’ projects, tasks, and knowledge base. Now, with the appearance of Notion, companies can streamline everything in one place. They can create project boards, assign tasks, and share essential documents, all within a single workspace. (Personally, we at Kitrum adore Notion for its versatility). But who is the brilliant mind behind this revolutionary tool that has transformed the way millions of people organize their work and lives?
In today’s article, we will meet Ivan Zhao, a visionary entrepreneur, coding genius, and co-founder of Notion, a groundbreaking company now valued at $10 billion. We will learn how Ivan Zhao paved his way to success and what is the remarkable story behind Notion’s rise.
How the Notion co-founders came together
The story of how Notion’s future co-founders came together is a great example of persistence, shared vision, strong belief in their product, and long-standing connections. In the early 2010s, Ivan Zhao moved from Canada to the US, looking for a designer role. Akshay Kothari, then running his own company, reached out to hire him. While Ivan ultimately chose a different opportunity, the two stayed in touch, forming a bond that would later prove pivotal.
In 2013, Ivan partnered with Simon Last, who was in his early twenties at the time. Simon impressed Ivan with his exceptional talent and remarkable portfolio, leading Ivan to hire him as a key collaborator on the Notion project. They soon realized that they shared a common vision. Their ambitious goal was to revolutionize the way people interacted with software by creating a tool that allowed anyone to build their own applications — no coding required.
Recognizing the potential in Ivan and Simon’s vision, Akshay Kothari became an angel investor that same year. What began as a professional connection had evolved into a collaboration built on trust and shared purpose. Yet, the journey to success wasn’t easy and was filled with challenges and even hard times.
The idea that sparked Notion
In one of the episodes of Notion’s “First Block” podcast, hosted by Akshay Kothari, Ivan Zhao reflects on the early days, saying their mission was driven by a deeply philosophical question: how could they unlock the full potential of computers and make their immense capabilities accessible to everyone? Ivan noted that computers are among the most powerful tools humanity has ever created, yet their benefits were largely limited to those with programming knowledge only. This gap inspired him and his team to envision a future where anyone, regardless of technical expertise, could wield this power to solve their own problems, innovate, and create.
The early team believed they could address this challenge by designing a more intuitive and approachable programming environment. The idea was to create something like a hybrid of Webflow and Figma — tools that had already gained traction for simplifying complex processes in web development and design. They envisioned a platform where users could build and customize their own software, blending the flexibility of professional-grade programming with an interface so simple and elegant that anyone could use it.
This vision was both inspiring and daunting. The team spent a few years exploring how to achieve this balance. They worked tirelessly, sketching concepts, writing code, and refining their ideas in pursuit of a tool that could democratize the act of programming.
Turning challenges into opportunities
Yet, things didn’t go well. In one of the interviews, Akshay Kothari shared that the team went four years without shipping a product, and Ivan even had to borrow money from his family as they worked to find their wedge in the market. It is impossible not to notice that Ivan’s attempts to save the business demonstrate Ivan’s deep commitment and unwavering belief in its potential. It highlights courage, resilience, and a willingness to take personal risks to pursue long-term success. However, during this period, Akshay even began to doubt whether his investment would succeed.
After countless trials, a major realization struck Ivan — most people don’t want to build their own apps. They don’t think about programming — they simply want something that solves their problems quickly and efficiently. This was a pivotal “aha moment” for Ivan Zhao. In his interview, he shares that they had overlooked one key truth — toolmakers are rare. While they thought making tools easy to use was the solution, they discovered that the broader audience didn’t share the same desire to create their own tools. Instead, people wanted simple, ready-made products that solved their everyday challenges.
says Ivan Zhao. So, Ivan Zhao and Simon Last had to rethink their approach. The goal became clear: they needed to build something that people actually needed, not just what they thought the world might want. Instead of focusing on making it a universal app-building tool, they shifted their focus to solving everyday problems. This change in direction was a turning point that led to Notion’s success, simultaneously teaching the team that true innovation often comes after failures and finding a solution to real-world problems.
Notion 1.0
At that time, the team consisted of about 4 or 5 people. They were facing a financial challenge, and it became apparent that they might run out of funds. Regrettably, Ivan and Simon had to let go of their entire team. However, it didn’t stop them from pursuing their dream, and they started to search for a peaceful and conducive environment for coding Notion 1.0 without distractions, so they made an interesting choice – Japan. None of them had ever been to Japan before, but they had always dreamt about it, plus, Japan offered a more budget-friendly option compared to San Francisco. Thus, for a year, the only things Ivan and Simon did were coding, eating noodles, and rebuilding Notion.
In the summer of 2018, Ivan, looking for a COO to help scale Notion, offered the position to Akshay Kothari, who was eager to dive back into building something new, and he joined the company as a COO when it was just 8 people strong. This strategic move paid off as Notion’s growth skyrocketed, going from 8 to nearly 500 employees in just 4 years.
In 2019, Ivan Zhao reported that Notion had reached 1 million users. By 2024, the number of users had skyrocketed to over 100 million users — a remarkable increase. This is what growth looks like for a company that has achieved product-market fit.
says Ivan at Notion’s “First Block” podcast. Why is Notion so popular?
Notion has become incredibly popular because it offers a versatile, all-in-one workspace that allows users to organize, collaborate, and create in one central location. Unlike traditional tools like Google Docs or Dropbox, which evolved little from their original purposes, Notion brings a fresh approach by combining various functions — note-taking, document management, project management, Wikis, and databases — into a unified system. This flexibility enables users to tailor their workspace to fit their specific needs, making it ideal for both individuals and teams.
Scott Belsky, CPO of Adobe Notion is user-friendly and designed for customization. It has over 100 content types and 20,000 + templates that users can mix and match like building blocks to create their own personalized workspace. Teams can collaborate easily, share documents, suggest edits, and leave comments, all within the same platform. The introduction of Notion AI enhances its functionality even further by helping users with drafting, editing, and translating, bringing the limitless potential of AI directly into the workspace.
This powerful combination of features has made Notion a favorite among a wide range of industries, including companies like Shopify, Yale University, Figma, Pixar, Amazon, Pinterest, Uber, and Toyota. Whether for individual use or larger teams, Notion’s flexible plans — ranging from a free version to business and enterprise solutions — ensure that users can access the tools they need to be productive and efficient.
says Guillermo Rauch, CEO of Vercel New Notion AI
Just like many contemporary companies, Ivan wants his company to stay at the cutting edge, so they implemented AI back in 2022. However, in 2024, Notion introduced its new Notion AI, taking productivity to the next level by integrating even more capabilities like contextualized search across connected apps (e.g., Slack and Google Drive), automatic organization of chaotic notes, and tailored document creation. The AI doesn’t just generate generic outputs; it references your existing workspace to deliver precise, relevant answers and insights. With features like analyzing attached files, triaging help desk tickets, and even drafting documents in line with internal style guides, Notion AI empowers its users to work smarter and more efficiently in a single streamlined platform.
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Bottom line
Undoubtedly, Ivan Zhao’s vision, dedication, and resilience have been the driving forces behind Notion’s success. His obsession with creating a tool that simplifies work for everyone and his strong mindset, which allowed Ivan not to give up after failures and change the direction of the course, became key factors in Notion’s success.
His ability to learn from mistakes, reassess approaches, and adapt to users’ real needs helped create a product that addresses relevant problems and continues to grow. From a struggling startup to a $10 billion company, Ivan’s journey reflects his unwavering belief in the power of innovation and his ability to turn challenges into opportunities. Today, Notion stands as a testament to his perseverance, vision, and the power of a product-first mindset.
