Notion vs Zapier: Founders, CEOs and History
Notion was founded in 2013 by Ivan Zhao, Simon Last and is led by Ivan Zhao. Zapier was founded in 2011 by Wade Foster, Bryan Helmig, Mike Knoop and is led by Wade Foster.
Company facts
Founders
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.
Zapier
Wade Foster
Wade Foster co-founded Zapier in 2011 and has been its CEO since the company was founded. He left his job to work on Zapier full-time in December 2011 and led it through Y Combinator in 2012.
Bryan Helmig
Bryan Helmig co-founded Zapier and began building the original integration tool with Wade Foster in September 2011. He joined the company full-time in April 2012 and led much of the early engineering behind Zapier's trigger-and-action automation engine.
Mike Knoop
Mike Knoop joined the founding team in late 2011 and went full-time in May 2012, the month Zapier launched its public beta. He worked on product and later led Zapier's early AI efforts, including the 2024 launch of Zapier Central.
CEOs and their tenures
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
Zapier
- Wade Foster2011–present
Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder
Co-founded Zapier and has led it as CEO since founding. He kept the company fully remote and funded growth from revenue after the 2012 seed round.
Source
Timeline: Notion and Zapier side by side
2011Zapier
Development begins
Wade Foster and Bryan Helmig started building the tool in September, and Mike Knoop joined later that year.
2012Zapier
Public beta and Y Combinator
The public beta opened in May, and the founders joined Y Combinator in June.
2013Notion
Notion Labs Founded in San Francisco
Ivan Zhao and Simon Last founded Notion in San Francisco, inspired by computing pioneer Douglas Engelbart.
2014Zapier
Profitability
Zapier became profitable.
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.
2017Zapier
De-location package
Zapier offered new hires $10,000 to move out of the San Francisco Bay Area.
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.
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.
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.
2021Zapier
$5 billion valuation
Sequoia Capital and Steadfast Financial bought shares from early investors in a secondary sale.
2022Notion
Acquisition of Cron & International Expansion to Japan
Acquired calendar app Cron and opened an official Tokyo office to serve its devoted Japanese community.
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.
2024Zapier
Zapier Central, Vowel, and NoCodeOps
Zapier launched Central for AI bots and acquired Vowel and NoCodeOps.
2025Zapier
Agents, MCP, and Utopian Labs
Zapier Agents reached general availability, Zapier MCP launched, and Zapier acquired Utopian Labs in October.
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
Zapier
- Utopian Labs2025Undisclosed
- Vowel2024Undisclosed
- NoCodeOps2024Undisclosed
- Makerpad2021Undisclosed
Questions about Notion vs Zapier
Who is the CEO of Notion Labs, Inc. and Zapier Inc.?
Notion Labs, Inc. is led by Ivan Zhao and Zapier Inc. is led by Wade Foster. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Notion Labs, Inc. founded vs Zapier Inc.?
Zapier Inc. was founded in 2011 — 2 years before Notion Labs, Inc., which was founded in 2013. Zapier Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Notion Labs, Inc..
How many employees does Notion Labs, Inc. have compared to Zapier Inc.?
Notion Labs, Inc. employs approximately 1,000 people, while Zapier Inc. employs approximately 800. Notion Labs, Inc. has the larger workforce at 1,000 employees, compared to Zapier Inc.'s 800. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Notion Labs, Inc. and Zapier Inc. headquartered?
Both Notion Labs, Inc. and Zapier Inc. are headquartered in United States, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded Notion Labs, Inc. and Zapier Inc.?
Notion Labs, Inc. was founded by Ivan Zhao, Simon Last. Zapier Inc. was founded by Wade Foster, Bryan Helmig, Mike Knoop.
Which company has a longer operating history — Notion Labs, Inc. or Zapier Inc.?
Zapier Inc. has been operating for approximately 15 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Notion Labs, Inc. has been in operation for around 13 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 Notion vs Zapier overview