ClickUp vs Notion: Founders, CEOs and History
ClickUp was founded in 2017 by Zeb Evans, Alex Yurkowski and is led by Zeb Evans. Notion was founded in 2013 by Ivan Zhao, Simon Last and is led by Ivan Zhao.
Company facts
Founders
ClickUp
Zeb Evans
Zeb Evans is the co-founder and CEO of ClickUp. A serial entrepreneur, he started ClickUp in 2017 with Alex Yurkowski after experiencing how much time teams lost moving between disconnected work apps.
Alex Yurkowski
Alex Yurkowski co-founded ClickUp with Zeb Evans in 2017 and is its chief technology officer. He built the original product, first used internally before its public release, and its flexible data model that lets one set of work appear in many different views.
Notion
Ivan Zhao
Ivan Zhao is co-founder and CEO of Notion Labs. Inspired by computing pioneers such as Douglas Engelbart and Alan Kay, he started Notion in 2013 to let people without programming skills build their own tools.
Simon Last
Simon Last is Notion's co-founder and has been central to the product's engineering since the beginning, including the 2015 Kyoto rebuild that produced the block-based architecture Notion still uses.
CEOs and their tenures
ClickUp
- Zeb Evans2017–present
Founder & CEO
Took ClickUp from an internal tool to more than $300 million in ARR and 20 million users by September 2025.
Source - Alex Yurkowski2017–present
Co-Founder & CTO
Co-founded ClickUp and built the original platform architecture that lets the same data appear as lists, boards, calendars, Gantt charts and docs.
Source
Notion
- Ivan Zhao2013–present
Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder
Led the 2015 Kyoto rebuild, the 2018 Notion 2.0 breakout, the 2021 Series C at $10 billion, and the 2025-2026 shift to AI agents.
Source - Akshay Kothari2018–present
Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer
Joined as co-founder and COO and built Notion's international expansion and go-to-market operations.
Source
Timeline: ClickUp and Notion side by side
2013Notion
Notion Labs Founded in San Francisco
Ivan Zhao and Simon Last founded Notion in San Francisco, inspired by computing pioneer Douglas Engelbart.
2015Notion
Near-Collapse & The Kyoto Rebuild Sprint
Facing imminent bankruptcy, Ivan Zhao and Simon Last moved to Kyoto, Japan, rebuilding Notion from scratch.
2016Notion
Launch of Notion 1.0 Block-Based Canvas
Released Notion 1.0 publicly, introducing the modular block-based document and wiki interface to wide acclaim.
2017ClickUp
Zeb Evans and Alex Yurkowski found ClickUp, first built as an internal tool before its public release.
2018Notion
Launch of Notion 2.0 with Relational Databases
Unveiled Notion 2.0, introducing multi-view databases (Kanban, calendar, table), igniting rapid viral growth.
2019Notion
Achieved Operating Profitability on $10M Seed Capital
Reached operational profitability with under 20 employees and $10M in total funding, a rarity in SaaS.
2020ClickUp
Moves headquarters to San Diego in January; raises a $35M Series A in June and a $100M Series B in December at a valuation above $1 billion.
2020Notion
$50M Investment Led by Index Ventures at $2.0B Valuation
Raised $50 million led by Index Ventures, achieving unicorn status as global remote work adoption surged.
2021ClickUp
Raises a $400M Series C at about a $4 billion valuation, co-led by Andreessen Horowitz and Tiger Global; opens offices in Dublin and Sydney.
2021Notion
$275M Series C at $10.0B Valuation Led by Coatue and Sequoia
Raised $275 million led by Coatue and Sequoia at a $10 billion valuation; also acquired Automate.io.
2022ClickUp
Acquires unified search tool Slapdash and launches Whiteboards.
2022Notion
Acquisition of Cron & International Expansion to Japan
Acquired calendar app Cron and opened an official Tokyo office to serve its devoted Japanese community.
2023ClickUp
Launches ClickUp AI and the rebuilt ClickUp 3.0 platform; cuts about 10% of staff in July.
2023Notion
Public Launch of Notion AI Q&A Across All Workspaces
Debuted Notion AI Q&A, allowing users to query enterprise knowledge bases using conversational AI.
2024ClickUp
Rebrands its AI as ClickUp Brain in January and launches ClickUp Chat in September.
2025ClickUp
Announces $300M+ ARR and 20M+ users in September; acquires Qatalog in November and Codegen in December.
2026ClickUp
Adds six executives in February for a path to $1B+ ARR; lays off 22% of staff in May in an AI-first restructuring.
2026Notion
Surpasses $500M Annualized Revenue and Launches AI Agents
Notion told CNBC in September 2025 that annualized revenue had passed $500 million as it launched Notion AI agents.
Acquisitions
Questions about ClickUp vs Notion
Who is the CEO of ClickUp and Notion Labs, Inc.?
ClickUp is led by Zeb Evans and Notion Labs, Inc. is led by Ivan Zhao. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was ClickUp founded vs Notion Labs, Inc.?
Notion Labs, Inc. was founded in 2013 — 4 years before ClickUp, which was founded in 2017. Notion Labs, Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger ClickUp.
How many employees does ClickUp have compared to Notion Labs, Inc.?
ClickUp employs approximately 1,000 people, while Notion Labs, Inc. employs approximately 1,000. ClickUp has the larger workforce at 1,000 employees, compared to Notion Labs, Inc.'s 1,000. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are ClickUp and Notion Labs, Inc. headquartered?
Both ClickUp and Notion Labs, Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded ClickUp and Notion Labs, Inc.?
ClickUp was founded by Zeb Evans, Alex Yurkowski. Notion Labs, Inc. was founded by Ivan Zhao, Simon Last.
Which company has a longer operating history — ClickUp or Notion Labs, Inc.?
Notion Labs, Inc. has been operating for approximately 13 years, making it the more established of the two companies. ClickUp has been in operation for around 9 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the ClickUp vs Notion overview