Notion Labs, Inc.
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Company History
Founded 2013 in San Francisco, California, United States
Notion was founded in 2013 by Ivan Zhao and Simon Last in San Francisco. Inspired by mid-20th-century computing pioneers Alan Kay, Douglas Engelbart, and Ted Nelson—who envisioned computers as dynamic, interactive bicycles for the human mind rather than passive paper typewriters—Zhao and Last set out to build software that allowed anyone to construct their own digital tools. However, their initial prototype was built on a fragile, complex JavaScript framework that constantly crashed, and by 2015, their seed capital was nearly exhausted. Facing imminent failure, Zhao and Last made a dramatic decision: they laid off their small team, sublet their San Francisco office, and moved to an inexpensive apartment in Kyoto, Japan. In total seclusion, drinking green tea and coding twelve hours a day, they rewrote Notion from the ground up using raw, basic web technologies. In March 2018, they released Notion 2.0 on Product Hunt. The launch became an instant global sensation, sparking viral organic adoption on Twitter and Reddit and kicking off one of the greatest product-led growth trajectories in software history. In late 2015, in an unheated apartment in Kyoto, Japan, Ivan Zhao and Simon Last sat side-by-side at a low wooden table, typing furiously into their laptops. Outside, winter snow dusted the temple roofs of the ancient imperial capital. The founders were down to their last several thousand dollars. Instead of panicking, Zhao found inspiration in the timeless beauty of Japanese joinery—where wooden beams fit together without nails. They decided that software should fit together the same way: simple, modular blocks that combined into elegant, sturdy structures. That quiet winter sprint in Kyoto created the block architecture of Notion, turning an impending failure into one of the most celebrated software enterprises of the modern era.
Ivan Zhao is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Notion Labs, Inc. Inspired by the 1968 'Mother of All Demos' by Douglas Engelbart and the visual computing vision of Alan Kay, Zhao co-founded Notion in 2013 to build a software tool that empowered non-programmers to craft their own digital tools. When the company faced near-collapse in 2015, Zhao made the legendary decision to move to Kyoto, Japan, personally writing the code for Notion's block-based architecture. Under Zhao's calm, aesthetically uncompromising leadership, Notion scaled from an existential near-death into a $10.0 billion global phenomenon generating over $300 million in annual revenue, serving tens of millions of users across the world. Zhao's calm, philosophical leadership became the defining anchor of Notion's corporate culture. Rejecting the standard hyper-aggressive venture capital growth treadmill, Zhao insisted on maintaining a tiny, elite team, guiding Notion to operating profitability before raising large venture rounds. An avid reader of design history and classical philosophy, Zhao continues to oversee product design, typography, and long-term corporate vision, positioning Notion as a timeless intellectual instrument for human thought.
Simon Last is the co-founder of Notion Labs. A brilliant software systems architect and product engineer, Last teamed up with Ivan Zhao in 2013 to realize the vision of an interactive, malleable computational canvas. At Notion, Last co-architected the foundational block-based data structure, wrote the real-time client synchronization algorithms, and relocated with Zhao to Kyoto to rebuild the platform during its critical near-death turnaround. Last continues to direct long-term technical architecture, core database scalability, and fundamental software primitives. At Notion, Last co-architected the distributed data layer, invented the client-side state hydration algorithms that allow complex multi-view databases to render instantaneously, and directed the core compiler infrastructure behind Notion's formula language. His systems engineering mastery ensured that Notion scaled from a fragile two-person prototype into a robust global cloud infrastructure serving tens of millions of concurrent users with high availability.
Ivan Zhao and Simon Last founded Notion Labs to build dynamic software tools for knowledge work.
Facing near-bankruptcy, Zhao and Last relocated to Kyoto, Japan, rewriting Notion from scratch.
Released Notion 2.0 with relational databases and Kanban boards, triggering explosive viral adoption.
Raised $275 million led by Coatue and Sequoia Capital, establishing a $10.0 billion valuation.
Introduced native generative AI writing, document summarization, and unified workspace search.
Acquired encrypted workspace platform Skiff and launched Notion Calendar based on Cron acquisition.
Surpassed 100 million registered users and $300M in annualized run-rate revenue.
Acquired the next-generation calendar app created by Raphael Schaad to unite scheduling with workspace notes.
Acquired the integration and workflow automation platform to enable native multi-app data syncing.
Acquired the end-to-end encrypted collaborative workspace and email platform.
Since its establishment in 2013, Notion Labs, Inc. expanded from an early-stage venture into a recognized leader in Workplace Collaboration, Knowledge Management & AI Productivity Software, overcoming key market challenges.
Over its history, Notion Labs, Inc. executed decisive strategic pivots toward scalable monetization and digital distribution, securing its current market leadership.
By continually modernizing operations and embracing workflow automation, Notion Labs, Inc. maintains resilience through changing technological and economic cycles.