Ivan Zhao
Background
Ivan Zhao was born in China and moved to Canada as a child, graduating from the University of British Columbia (UBC) where he studied cognitive science and visual arts. Fascinated by the intersection of philosophy, human cognition, and software tools, Zhao developed a deep appreciation for the history of computing interfaces.
Role at Notion Labs, Inc.
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.