Notion has now become a huge success in productivity software space and is kind of a Swiss army knife for almost all the management tracking stuff. Today we will get into how this Giant software started its journey.
Ivan Zhao, Founder and CEO of Notion
Ivan is CEO and founder of Notion and Akshay Kothari is the co-founder and COO of Notion, a productivity software company that aims to provide users with a single platform for all their work, from note-taking to project management to knowledge base building.
Kothari's journey to Notion began at Stanford University, where he studied cognitive science, computing, and philosophy. He also developed a passion for fine art and photography, and after graduating, found himself as the only person in his circle of friends who knew how to code.
Akshay Kothari, the co-founder and COO of Notion
This led Kothari to start building websites for his friends, and he soon realized that he could use computing as a medium to help others create. This inspired him to invest in Ivan Zhao's company, Notion, which was founded on the belief that everyone can be a creator and that computing devices are built for creation, not just consumption.
Notion's first iteration was a web page builder. Kothari and Zhao envisioned a platform where users could build anything from simple websites to complex web applications. However, they quickly realized that people weren't interested in building apps. They wanted a tool that would help them do their jobs, and so Notion pivoted to become a web app builder.
This approach was more successful, but it was still complex and confusing. On top of that, Notion was built on a technical foundation that wasn't stable, making it difficult to identify and fix bugs.
In 2017, Kothari and Zhao realized that they needed to rewrite the entire software. They decided to take a step back and focus on building something for themselves, rather than for what they thought the world wanted.
This led to the development of Notion 2.0, which introduced the database feature. This was a turning point for Notion, as it allowed users to create custom templates for a wide range of tasks, such as managing projects, tracking goals, and collaborating with others.
Notion 2.0 was also designed to be more user-friendly and intuitive. Kothari and Zhao wanted to create a tool that anyone could use, regardless of their technical expertise.
Notion 2.0
Notion 2.0 was a huge success, and the company has continued to grow rapidly since its release. Today, Notion is used by millions of people around the world, and it is considered to be one of the most powerful productivity tools available.
Timeline of Notion
Early days
Kothari and Zhao met at Stanford University in 2011. Kothari was a student, and Zhao was a recent graduate who had just moved to the Bay Area to start a company.
Zhao was inspired by the idea of creating a tool that would make it easy for anyone to build software. He believed that everyone should have the ability to create, regardless of their technical expertise.
Kothari was immediately drawn to Zhao's vision, and he invested in Notion in its early stages. He also joined the team as a part-time advisor.
Notion 1.0
In 2013, Notion launched its first product, a web page builder. The product was well-received by critics, but it didn't gain a lot of traction with users.
Kothari and Zhao realized that people weren't interested in building web pages. They wanted a tool that would help them do their jobs, and so Notion pivoted to become a web app builder.
Notion 1.5
In 2015, Notion launched its second product, a web app builder. This product was more successful than its predecessor, but it was still complex and confusing.
On top of that, Notion was built on a technical foundation that wasn't stable, making it difficult to identify and fix bugs.
Notion 2.0
In 2017, Kothari and Zhao realized that they needed to rewrite the entire software. They decided to take a step back and focus on building something for themselves, rather than for what they thought the world wanted.
This led to the development of Notion 2.0, which introduced the database feature. This was a turning point for Notion, as it allowed users to create custom templates for a wide range of tasks, such as managing projects, tracking goals, and collaborating with others.
Notion today
Notion 2.0 was a huge success, and the company has continued to grow rapidly
Biggest Takeaway
When you are building something it may take many versions to be built until you reach the right one which users actually want