Notion Podcast

For an audio-only podcast, transcripts, and custom Notion x Handshake templates, please visit: https://ntn.so/tgn78cTo learn more about how Notion is supporting startups, please visit: https://ntn.so/slpyk0Welcome to First Block, a Notion series where founders from the world’s leading companies tell us what it was like to navigate the many firsts of their startup journey—and what they learned from that experience.In this episode, we spoke with Garrett Lord, co-founder and CEO of Handshake. Handshake is the leading career platform connecting students and young professionals with employers, serving 17 million users and nearly 1 million companies. Garrett shares his journey from growing up in a working-class family in Michigan to building a company that democratizes access to career opportunities. He discusses his days living out of his car, the importance of talent density, and why this is the moment to go all in on your biggest bets.Chapters00:00 Intro00:48 Founding the Spark02:43 The Early Grind06:42 Talent Matters Most07:37 Scaling Through Leadership13:17 Inside Handshake AI18:04 Shaping the Future Workforce19:38 Advice Block

Welcome to First Block, a Notion series where founders from the world’s leading companies tell us what it was like to navigate the many firsts of their startup journey—and what they learned from that experience.In this episode, we spoke with Jesse Zhang, Co-founder and CEO of Decagon. In just a year since coming out of stealth, Decagon has become a $1.5 billion AI unicorn, transforming customer service for companies with AI agents.Chapters00:00 Intro01:40 Rethinking Customer Experience02:45 Early Startup Lessons05:18 Agent Operating Procedures09:58 Building Enterprise Trust14:04 Scaling Fast15:53 Hiring Philosophy19:12 The Tool Stack20:12 Advice BlockFor a full video, transcripts, and custom Notion x Decagon templates, please visit: ⁠https://ntn.so/nfxioe⁠To learn more about how Notion is supporting startups, please visit: https://ntn.so/u28v7x

Welcome to First Block, a Notion series where founders from the world’s leading companies tell us what it was like to navigate the many firsts of their startup journey—and what they learned from that experience.In this episode, we spoke with Ant Wilson, Co-Founder and CTO of Supabase. Supabase is the Postgres development platform that has become one of the world’s fastest growing open source communities.Ant shares his journey about previous founder experiences, the power of solving your own problem, and why building authentic relationships with your community matters.Chapters:00:00 Intro02:56 Supabase Explained07:04 The Positioning Shift09:25 Memes & Marketing13:08 Scaling the Community15:09 Winning Enterprises17:09 Remote-First Culture22:49 AI in Action26:10 Advice BlockFor video, transcripts, and custom Notion x Supabase templates, please visit: https://ntn.so/aow225To learn more about how Notion is supporting startups, please visit: ⁠https://ntn.so/cwep6x

Welcome to First Block, a Notion series where founders from the world’s leading companies tell us what it was like to navigate the many firsts of their startup journey—and what they learned from that experience.In this episode, we spoke with Fabian Hedin, Co-founder and CTO of Lovable. Lovable is a platform that lets you build apps and websites by chatting with AI. After launching in November 2024, they've scaled from $1M to $100M ARR in just eight months—one of the fastest growth trajectories in AI history.Fabian shares his journey from running Minecraft servers in high school to cofounding Lovable, the bold bet on democratizing software development, and why building for today's AI capabilities beats betting on tomorrow's.For video, transcripts, and custom Notion x Lovable templates, please visit: ⁠https://ntn.so/hz0tpbTo learn more about how Notion is supporting startups, please visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ntn.so/v53xj8Chapters:00:00 Intro01:38 Early Journey05:57 Becoming Lovable08:40 Launch Lessons09:39 Scaling Fast12:38 Building with AI17:11 What's Production-Ready19:39 Notion x Lovable20:34 Future of Building21:20 Advice Block

Welcome to First Block, a Notion series where founders from the world's leading companies tell us about the many "firsts" of their startup journeys. We explore the ups and downs that founders face as they build, and what they've learned along the way.In this episode, we spoke with Brendan Foody, Co-founder and CEO of Mercor. Mercor is an AI-powered recruiting platform that scaled from $1 million to $100 million in revenue run rate in just 11 months, making it one of the fastest-growing companies in Silicon Valley.Brendan shares his journey from selling donuts in eighth grade to building automated hiring solutions, the decision to drop out of college, and how he positioned himself perfectly for the AI talent revolution.For video, transcripts, and custom Notion Mercor templates, please visit: https://ntn.so/cbc8mpTo learn more about how Notion is supporting startups, please visit: https://ntn.so/271hmwChapters:00:00 Intro03:39 Mercor by the Numbers05:36 Obsession Over Discipline08:39 Fundraising as Input10:59 Scaling Self & Culture13:40 Automating Manual Processes17:40 Finding the Right Market21:08 Staying Long-Term Oriented22:58 The Tool Stack25:22 Advice Block