Notion’s Marketing Strategy From Near Bankruptcy to $400M

A Dream That Didn't Work

Ivan Zhao wasn't trying to build the next "productivity app." He wanted to create the "LEGO of software."

The idea was simple: what if everyday people could build their own tools without knowing how to code? Instead of using 20 different apps, you could build one custom workspace that did exactly what you needed.

In 2013, Zhao and co-founder Simon Last started Notion with...