9-Year Hustle to Achieve a Single GoalㅣNotion's Cofounders

Sdílet
Vložit
  • čas přidán 7. 06. 2024
  • This is the co-founders' story of Notion, Akshay Kothari(COO) and Ivan Zhao(CEO), building Notion.
    Notion is one of the most innovative productivity tools worldwide to make every human able to build their own software without coding.
    Before co-founding Notion, Akshay built Pulse, which is RSS based news curation app, and Ivan was a designer from Canada just after college graduation.
    00:34 Akshay's background
    03:15 Notion's first failure
    06:21 Notion's PMF story
    12:05 Notion's culture and core values
    EO stands for Entrepreneurship & Opportunities.
    We're looking for more inspiring stories of entrepreneurs all over the world, so don't hesitate to contact us! :)
    Subscribe EO Channel 🌏
    👉🏻👉🏻 bit.ly/3S0Pacc
    Business Inquiry 💼
    👉🏻👉🏻 partner@eoeoeo.net
    EO Twitter 🖌
    👉🏻👉🏻 / eo__global
    Subtitles for this video were created using XL8.ai machine translation.

Komentáře • 396

  • @entreprenuership_opportunities

    🚀Access EO’s premium & unreleased content in EO Builders, a community of thriving founders & future builders worldwide builders-club.webflow.io/
    - Meet the founders featured on EO through Builders Webinars
    - Join Cohort-based learning programs from top-tier VCs and thoght leaders
    - Be a part of the global network of driven entrepreneurs

  • @techwithsaran
    @techwithsaran Před rokem +1602

    Notion is great but it is not as dumb. It has a learning curve but once you get it, it works great. But the greatest thing about notion is the software itself. It never hangs, even with adding complexity, it works great. It’s a 10/10 from software perspective.

    • @hamm8934
      @hamm8934 Před rokem +7

      Also the security exploits are great. It’s great getting weekly massive data breaches lol. It blows my mind how they’ve continually dodged this bad PR.
      Edit for more context:
      They’re a software company without end-to-end encryption in 2023… this has been a basic requirement of all software since the early 90s with the dawn of the internet. If your company is using notion for sensitive information, or anything really, you’re absolutely going to have a ransomware attack. All a hacker has to do is get access to notion and then they have everything from your notion accounts - everything. Your data isn’t hashed or encrypted on their servers. It’s an open book.
      How else are they going to turn a profit without selling absolutely everything about you to ad tech, insurance companies for off-the-books pro-rating, etc..
      Notion staff have gone as far as to directly address this complaint and say they have no plans to add end-to-end encryption because it would “slow down the search feature”. Complete BS. Similar apps like Obsidian offer end-to-end encryption for a subscription and have far more impressive search functionality.
      Notion’s negligence is taking a page out of FTX’s playbook.

    • @johnjamison460
      @johnjamison460 Před rokem +27

      Was thinking this as well. We use it at the startup I work for but definitely took a bit to wrap your head around it. After that, you realize the possibilities are endless

    • @user-jp7ni5xv1r
      @user-jp7ni5xv1r Před rokem +17

      @@johnjamison460 Its just an advanced spreadsheet.

    • @aziz9488
      @aziz9488 Před rokem +28

      @@hamm8934 Did chatgpt write this 😂? Just a tons of buzzwords that don't make sense.

    • @hamm8934
      @hamm8934 Před rokem +9

      @@aziz9488 buzzwords? I’m a software engineer. I know this space. Notion is a powder keg ready to blow and take down any enterprise partnership they have with them.

  • @kkingstarr1
    @kkingstarr1 Před rokem +480

    I discovered Notion halfway through my bachelor's degree and it felt like a cheat code for productivity. I'm now close to finishing my masters and still use it everyday. Very interesting to see the journey behind it!

    • @hotpenguin607
      @hotpenguin607 Před rokem

      I recently got into it when ppl mentioned ChatGPT alternatives
      So I started using notion AI and it is great. Idk how all the templates and database work yet, but im using it like a better and easy-to-organize version of OneNote (toggle headings, subpages and breadcrumbs are just amazing omg) supercharged by a Generative AI. I'm using it during and after work and it makes everything faster

    • @method341
      @method341 Před rokem +5

      What does Notion actually do?

    • @aqibhasan3157
      @aqibhasan3157 Před rokem +3

      @@method341 productivity tool keep track and keep your life organized, can be used as a weekly agenda, create list, take notes and store notes in a folder that you create, and you can customize to fit your needs

    • @method341
      @method341 Před rokem

      @@aqibhasan3157 yeah thanks, I actually had a look on their website just before and realised you can make databases and web pages too.

    • @sulaimonadeyemo4329
      @sulaimonadeyemo4329 Před rokem +2

      Can you recommend a tutorial on how to use notion?

  • @haebomi
    @haebomi Před rokem +74

    It was an honor to be with Notion. If you're curious about what kind of world Notion will build in the future, build idea now.

  • @user-zj2jm2nt1t
    @user-zj2jm2nt1t Před rokem +110

    I remember the very first time I used Notion. Groundbreaking in its usability and sleek design, continuously evolving to provide the tools I didn't know I even needed before. Thank you for sharing your precious journey with us !

  • @ukdrahul
    @ukdrahul Před rokem +146

    Really love Notion, it's simplicity, minimalistic approach, the Japanese & minimal vibe of it. A really well designed peaceful product.

    • @suhanipal4565
      @suhanipal4565 Před 8 měsíci +9

      Well japan website's and internet is far from minimalistic. They have the most cramped up websites.

    • @aaradhyarawat7589
      @aaradhyarawat7589 Před 7 měsíci

      ​@@suhanipal4565gahaha

    • @PK-eo8kp
      @PK-eo8kp Před 4 měsíci +1

      @@suhanipal4565that guy obviously never been to Japan lol

    • @krox477
      @krox477 Před 4 měsíci

      Its using IKEA effect

    • @ebinjp
      @ebinjp Před 23 dny

      @@suhanipal4565lmfao working as a engineer in Japan also done my university education in here, I can tell that you are 100% right 😅

  • @av.bilgehanarifoglu7758
    @av.bilgehanarifoglu7758 Před rokem +201

    Notion is my #1 source, my everyday life organizer, my notes, my thoughts, everything... Thank you guys for bringing Notion to our lives.

    • @rdean150
      @rdean150 Před rokem +1

      It's your #1 source? As in, it gives you ideas and content? And then you build upon those ideas by entering your own content back into Notion? Ever wonder where its suggestions came from? Ever wonder if other users were given YOUR ideas to help them in the same way it helps you?

    • @hisoka1186
      @hisoka1186 Před rokem

      Hi Bilgehan do you already used Obsidian ? Whether it's yes, if you compare it to Notion which apps is the most valuable for you ?

    • @av.bilgehanarifoglu7758
      @av.bilgehanarifoglu7758 Před rokem +2

      @@hisoka1186 I used Obsidian. But you can't even compare Notion with Obsidian because Notion has 500+ features that Obsidian doesn't have. Things like embedding PDFs, extensions, and visual improvements are important for note-taking. Obsidian want to be cool with its mapping system which I believe Notion will bring it soon

  • @gauravidesigns
    @gauravidesigns Před rokem +18

    I love notion , I am using it for two years . Finally met the founders 😊😊

  • @reinforz
    @reinforz Před rokem +31

    Excellent video! It's inspirational to see Akshay and Ivan's drive and perseverance in bringing Notion to life. Their nine-year journey to attain their objective demonstrates the power of perseverance and hard work. Notion is an innovative tool that enables individuals and teams to be more productive and creative.

  • @SheInTheMaking
    @SheInTheMaking Před rokem +50

    So thankful for these guys and what they’ve created. They’ve got a Notion believer in me.

  • @manojbhat1440
    @manojbhat1440 Před rokem +7

    My friend introduced me to notion and now I can't use any other software. Design is very simple ,helps to organize things lot easier. The tools are really helpful.
    Thank you so much.

  • @franciskafieh
    @franciskafieh Před rokem +86

    This video was amazing! All the tips were super helpful. Akshay and Ivan seem so down to earth and honest!

  • @Theoldmad
    @Theoldmad Před rokem +69

    "It's kind of like art combined with technology, it's very intuition driven" - Ivan Zhao CEO of Notion.
    Cool to see a CEO doing strategy with something spiritual: intuition.

  • @Allthingswealth
    @Allthingswealth Před rokem +4

    Watching this in the background while writing content ideas in my Notion dashboard. Thanks for such an awesome platform!

  • @msvyla
    @msvyla Před rokem +3

    Notion is one of the best tools! I use this for everything like work, notes, planning and staying organized in life. Can’t live without it!

  • @swirlycanvas1991
    @swirlycanvas1991 Před rokem +2

    Absolutely love love love Notion, am a huge fan and evangelist. Cannot wait to see how else it evolves. Thank you Notion team for everything you folks do!

  • @franpalokaj
    @franpalokaj Před rokem +42

    Big thanks to all of you, Notion is an absolute beast of a tool 🙏

  • @nicolaslamour8712
    @nicolaslamour8712 Před rokem +10

    So cool to "meet" the poeple who save humble dyslexic students, like me. To now have a note/organisation app system that they can trust.

  • @pathfinder.george
    @pathfinder.george Před rokem +8

    My whole life is organised in Notion. Loved the Template-based go-to-market strategy as well.

  • @SkyraXD
    @SkyraXD Před rokem

    bro he built myspace without the social media part genius man, both of them and their teams I appreciate it

  • @akosuakoranteng3327
    @akosuakoranteng3327 Před rokem +134

    Absolutely love Notion and the vision behind it! Great start up story!

    • @simply6162
      @simply6162 Před rokem +1

      Wtf is even notion for isn’t it some kind of notes app?

    • @Mr.BobsDog
      @Mr.BobsDog Před rokem +1

      @@simply6162 yeah for kites

    • @Brodragon2225
      @Brodragon2225 Před 7 měsíci

      @@Mr.BobsDog there is very much competition

  • @airbnbhorrorstory
    @airbnbhorrorstory Před rokem +9

    These guys are great. They're so passionate about what they do. Notion was part of the tech stack (though not in my department) at a previous job. I just started using it and I'm excited at some of the possibilities.

  • @wlockuz4467
    @wlockuz4467 Před rokem +4

    I have been using Notion for a while, I didn't know its roots were grounded in Asia!

  • @kiknaio
    @kiknaio Před rokem +4

    Amazing! Notion is a really great tool, but I never thought that it's valuation could reach to 10bn. Congratulations on that! Well deserved!

  • @userjay912
    @userjay912 Před rokem +1

    discovered notion when i was starting high school and it has accompanied me ever since.

  • @jimmygan801
    @jimmygan801 Před rokem +15

    Notion is probably the best product coming out during that 2015 wave

  • @HieuNguyen-ty7vw
    @HieuNguyen-ty7vw Před rokem +2

    Great story told by founders. I will try Notion first thing tomorrow.

  • @MAZZ007
    @MAZZ007 Před 4 měsíci +2

    Notion's free version has been a lifesaver for our fledgling startup, but trust me, the moment we take off, that "pay" button is getting hammered! All the incredible features and functionality, it's honestly mind-blowing. Thank you for crafting software that inspires true appreciation.

  • @juliahip
    @juliahip Před rokem

    Thank you for building Notion!

  • @chrisnotion
    @chrisnotion Před rokem +3

    I loved Notion so much I made it my full time job

  • @jinze8259
    @jinze8259 Před rokem +3

    I really really really love Notion. Hope it will become better and better.

  • @honggirin
    @honggirin Před rokem +3

    해외 컨텐츠 너무 유용하고 좋아요! 앞으로도 많이 부탁드립니다~ 한가지 아쉬운건 한글 자막이 조금 아쉬워요!

  • @ttttully
    @ttttully Před rokem +3

    What a beautiful area to hold an interview...

  • @wafflepiffle
    @wafflepiffle Před rokem +5

    truly groundbreaking product

  • @r1nlx0
    @r1nlx0 Před rokem +9

    If the story is true, notion as product is when engineering, product, business & marketing does sit together and do their best (each of their team could utilize their expertise to the max since every team just focus into their own expertise)

  • @adityahudapratama5254
    @adityahudapratama5254 Před rokem +7

    Glad to know how notion was built and how it grew until now. Nice content!

  • @arpitpatel7065
    @arpitpatel7065 Před rokem +59

    One of the best consumer software products ever! It's gives the feeling of Zen so much that it justifies the fact that the product was built in Japan.

  • @felixvargasjr6678
    @felixvargasjr6678 Před 11 měsíci

    Notion has helped me so much while earning my degree in software engineering. I’m excited to ditch my notebook and use notion as my note taking and productivity

  • @GlobalEltorro
    @GlobalEltorro Před rokem +3

    Hands down the best note-taking app ever built.

  • @moisemayali
    @moisemayali Před 10 měsíci

    Great product, I'm still learning. Well done guys, keep it up

  • @user-xr5zw2ts8l
    @user-xr5zw2ts8l Před rokem

    It is wonderful! Great people make great tools!

  • @cuongtranvan2829
    @cuongtranvan2829 Před 7 dny

    Really love it !! You guy have done such a great job

  • @cahoivuotthac
    @cahoivuotthac Před rokem +1

    I have used Notion for such a long time but haven't known the founder and co-founder until now.

  • @casinarro
    @casinarro Před rokem +3

    they are so clear about it

  • @dailysoulenglish
    @dailysoulenglish Před rokem +4

    It played a significant role in boosting my creativity and changing my career. It affected my life. Good job.

  • @indiangigachad777
    @indiangigachad777 Před rokem

    Discovered notion last year and I can say notion is such a convenient app

  • @PrinceKumar-hh6yn
    @PrinceKumar-hh6yn Před rokem +2

    Omg ! It has been developed by a INDIAN origin !! It motivates ❤️🙏

  • @felixgebauer7327
    @felixgebauer7327 Před rokem +3

    tooooo maaaany cuuuuuuuts. let the man speak and breathe.

  • @trtl9106
    @trtl9106 Před 11 měsíci +6

    This was such a great presentation and interview. I totally admire Ivan's vision and Akshay's acknowledgment of that, and I wonder if they got to a point where they can say that they accomplished what they set out to do in the first place. Also thank you editors for your hard work!!!

  • @techcoderworld8518
    @techcoderworld8518 Před rokem

    Notion is the best tool I’ve found for productivity in the last 5 years!

  • @hevmadeit9354
    @hevmadeit9354 Před rokem

    I love Notion. This app and Tiimo are helping me move forward in life. It looks complicated, but you can simplify it and personalize it. As you understand how you want to work with it, then you can make it more customizable. It's a great app. My favorite in a very very long time.

  • @enyosam
    @enyosam Před rokem +14

    As a founder, this is inspiring.

    • @nafis711
      @nafis711 Před 4 měsíci

      What did you founded ?

  • @simoncasciaro
    @simoncasciaro Před rokem +6

    Great content guys!

  • @danielesemezie4436
    @danielesemezie4436 Před rokem

    I think you guys should make more videos like this that are more authentic and real. I believe it’s one of the reasons it has so many views. Less of that hyper business hyper typical content that isn’t as interesting.

  • @yijiyu0513
    @yijiyu0513 Před rokem +1

    와 노션이라니!! 잘 보겠습니다!!!

  • @ariessanchez379
    @ariessanchez379 Před rokem

    Thank you for the video!

  • @JacobSucksAtCode
    @JacobSucksAtCode Před rokem

    Love this story!

  • @Lser03
    @Lser03 Před rokem +1

    I love using notion!!!!

  • @tech.startups
    @tech.startups Před rokem

    Notion is beautifully built!

  • @hanzelkit
    @hanzelkit Před rokem +1

    Watching from the Philippines

  • @beynessemavelarz
    @beynessemavelarz Před rokem

    Notion is the great organizer all you need

  • @TMM-N
    @TMM-N Před rokem +29

    Damn..9 years!
    Not all unicorn achieve the best result within 2-4 years

    • @hirenahir76200
      @hirenahir76200 Před rokem +3

      True It's just those motivational speakers use this unicorn within 2 years blah blah blah

    • @Danuxsy
      @Danuxsy Před rokem +1

      the large majority of people don't achieve something like this in their lifetime.

    • @Brodragon2225
      @Brodragon2225 Před 7 měsíci

      they achieved nothing except funding lets wait

  • @kenanaosithole1586
    @kenanaosithole1586 Před rokem +2

    Notion was essentially ‘no code’ before becoming Notion. That was pretty forward thinking just a bit early. 6:11

  • @curious.akshat
    @curious.akshat Před 6 měsíci

    Really wonderful story.

  • @ilinkthereforeiam
    @ilinkthereforeiam Před rokem

    Love notion! As steve jobs said, " The computer is like a bicycle for the mind"

  • @GBlunted
    @GBlunted Před rokem

    I don't know how this video got on my list but it got you another subscriber -who would have thought? 😀 The soundtrack is so good, matches the video perfect! 😆 👍

  • @captainayaan
    @captainayaan Před rokem

    Great app, great founder.

  • @kosnowman
    @kosnowman Před rokem

    quality content!

  • @Gd7OS
    @Gd7OS Před rokem

    this is one of the most life changing applications i've used

  • @MohammedMisselmany
    @MohammedMisselmany Před 9 měsíci

    I love notion I use it everyday.

  • @aenishshrestha8103
    @aenishshrestha8103 Před rokem

    interesting love the product !

  • @AnnChu-tb4hp
    @AnnChu-tb4hp Před 8 měsíci

    I absolutely love Notion

  • @yavagedex
    @yavagedex Před rokem

    That's great !

  • @Orken1
    @Orken1 Před rokem +2

    Great stuff guys. Using Notion myself I really like it!

  • @knolf93
    @knolf93 Před měsícem

    Interesting the way they thought to build Notion. It seems to me that there indeed exists a fundamental symmetry between the way we interact with the world/computers and how the brain processes information. Organizing everything in trees with well-defined parent and child folders came to me some years ago as the best way of creating a mental map of the folder tree structure. Love it!

  • @Eggs-n-Jakey
    @Eggs-n-Jakey Před 5 měsíci

    Can't wait til it's finished

  • @glenanimates
    @glenanimates Před 7 měsíci

    Love how an advert for ClickUp started playing a couple minutes into the video

  • @caiolins2495
    @caiolins2495 Před rokem +2

    I love the 4 core values!

    • @airbnbhorrorstory
      @airbnbhorrorstory Před rokem

      Seems like such a positive place to work. Seems like the founders really walk the walk. Be kind!

  • @rahulshendre7089
    @rahulshendre7089 Před rokem

    great video

  • @hwang5189
    @hwang5189 Před 5 měsíci

    amazing program

  • @clean-nature-sound7851
    @clean-nature-sound7851 Před 9 měsíci

    love notion so much

  • @khareemoliver
    @khareemoliver Před rokem

    I LOVE NOTION !

  • @jinong22
    @jinong22 Před rokem

    자막이 성의가 없는건 슬프지만 좋은 컨텐츠 감사합니다

  • @salehjamali6716
    @salehjamali6716 Před rokem

    "Dumb" i loved it lol and damn man i neeeed that auto grammar fixing in notion u just showed

  • @healthspace4936
    @healthspace4936 Před rokem

    Question, Evernote or notion? For everyday use for startup, we use jira for project management but still we feel lack of clustering data, resources.

  • @Jasp0000
    @Jasp0000 Před 22 dny

    Inspiring

  • @ramit7
    @ramit7 Před rokem

    Is there a version of notion still left that works on building the software?

  • @todayisokay4075
    @todayisokay4075 Před rokem

    Holy jumpy editing batman!

  • @danielosei864
    @danielosei864 Před 8 měsíci

    Love Notion

  • @tareqrahaman5284
    @tareqrahaman5284 Před 9 měsíci

    I just love notion.

  • @user-oi4mb2nb2t
    @user-oi4mb2nb2t Před 6 měsíci

    노션 너무 좋아요~~~~~~~~~

  • @serispeaks
    @serispeaks Před měsícem

    I love this

  • @caqueto3347
    @caqueto3347 Před rokem

    hi, I wonder if Notion could be used to make and sale a product as a SAAS (software as a service)?

  • @UcheOgbiti
    @UcheOgbiti Před rokem +3

    Notion is probably the first ever software version of the IKEA effect

  • @bennykokmusic
    @bennykokmusic Před rokem

    Amazing

  • @jixster1566
    @jixster1566 Před 7 měsíci

    I use notion every day. It just makes sense

  • @user-ky9cd1zx3r
    @user-ky9cd1zx3r Před rokem

    EO미쳤다! 노션이라니

  • @opennewshub
    @opennewshub Před rokem

    Cool video 😀

  • @xbmcme9768
    @xbmcme9768 Před rokem +3

    Tried Notion a couple of years back and found it unintuitive, so it was a no go. Now I'm all about Obsidian. I own my data and have tons of plugins to choose from. Obsidian is just more intuitive.

  • @iwantsquareballoons
    @iwantsquareballoons Před rokem +10

    looking forward to their netflix documentary next year