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Ivan Zhao
Notion
Rebuilt the product 4 times, moved to Japan, now $567M ARR
8 years
$100K ARR
Product Hunt
Growth channel
Co-founders
Founder
Founder
Ivan Zhao
Co-foundersβ’Technicalβ’USA
Commitment
Full-timeExperience
ExperiencedProduct
All-in-one workspace for notes, docs, wikis, and project management.
Type
SaaSIndustry
ProductivityModel
SubscriptionMarketing strategy
How Ivan acquired customers
Growth channel
Product Hunt
Also used
Word of mouthCommunities
Tech Stack
Tools used to build Notion
ReactNode.jsPostgreSQLStripe
The full story
We rebuilt Notion 4 times before it worked. At one point, we moved to Japan to rewrite the entire tech stack. Now we're at $567M ARR with 30M+ users.
The Rebuilds
Most founders would quit after one rebuild. We did four. Each iteration taught us something critical.
Japan Retreat
We ran out of money and moved to Japan where costs were lower. We spent months rewriting everything from scratch.
Product Hunt Magic
We launched on Product Hunt three times and hit #1 each time. The community drove our early growth.
- Rebuilds: 4
- PH #1: 3 times
- Users: 30M+
- ARR: $567M
Key Takeaways
1
Rebuilding 4 times isn't failure - it's iteration
2
Word-of-mouth can drive massive growth with minimal marketing
3
Sometimes you need to go to extremes (Japan) to succeed
4
Product Hunt can work multiple times
Originally published onNotion Blog (Ivan Zhao)
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Milestone Journey
Ivan achieved 4 milestones on the path to $100K ARR
First customer
1 year
Avg: 1 month
+1 year to next milestone
$1K MRR
$1,000
2 years
Avg: 6 months
+1 year to next milestone
$10K MRR
$10,000
3 years
Avg: 1 year
+5 years to next milestone
$100K ARR
$567,000,000
8 years
Avg: 2 years
8 years
Total journey time
4
Milestones achieved
Against every documented journey
Ivan Zhao reached $10K MRR in 3.0 years, faster than 11% of the 295 documented $10K journeys (median 12 months). The amber bar is this journey.
Ivan's Path to $100K ARRPremium
The journey, decisions, and context behind this milestone
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Notion make?
Notion reports $600M ARR as of December 2025. Reached $500M ARR Sep 2025, $600M Dec 2025. ~50% attributed to Notion AI. Valuation >$10B. Source: Multiple press reports.
What is Notion?
All-in-one workspace for notes, docs, wikis, and project management. It operates in Productivity.
How long did it take Notion to reach $100k arr?
Ivan Zhao took 8 years to reach $100k arr with Notion.
Was Ivan Zhao a solo founder?
No. Ivan Zhao built Notion with co-founders.
What marketing channel did Notion use to grow?
Notion grew primarily through Product Hunt.
What industry is Notion in?
Notion operates in Productivity.
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