Screenshots from the Notion Software app on smartphones.
Image: Notion

Dublin’s got Notion: Scaling US start-up to create 25 jobs at EMEA HQ

22 Jul 2021

The software start-up is set to grow its EMEA offering from Ireland following a $2bn valuation.

Popular productivity software platform Notion will establish its EMEA HQ in Dublin, creating 25 jobs.

The company’s EMEA lead, Robbie O’Connor, said he plans to build “a world-class team” in Dublin.

Initial roles at the US software company will be in sales, marketing and customer experience, and O’Connor added that he expects to be “leveraging Dublin’s considerable talent base over time to bring other functions here”.

Founded in 2013, Notion has been made famous in the past year as interest surged in its tools to help organise, track and manage workflows and enable remote collaboration. Regarded for its modern, simple design, Notion emerged as a strong competitor for other collaborative note-taking apps, with users now at about 10m worldwide.

Notion even offers users guides on how to switch from rival services such as Evernote and Confluence.

The company secured $50m in funding led by Index Ventures in April 2020 after new subscribers reached a new high. It was then valued at $2bn.

Notion has seen its daily active users in the EMEA region grow four-fold over the last year. Co-founder and CEO Ivan Zhao said the Dublin HQ could become “a major international hub” within a few years.

“Dublin’s thriving tech scene makes it the perfect HQ for Notion, with its talented workforce exactly what we need to help Notion cement its shift upmarket after winning massive consumer popularity,” said Zhao.

O’Connor’s own career has boomeranged back to Dublin after taking him to London and San Francisco, where Notion is headquartered. An ex-Googler, he held similar roles at Dropbox and Asana before stepping out as GM of EMEA at Notion in October last year.

Notion’s presence in Dublin is supported by the Government through IDA Ireland. Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, TD, said: “I know the company has seen impressive growth throughout the pandemic, and I’m sure the team is only getting started. With our highly skilled and talented workforce, Dublin is the perfect choice for the company as it expands into Europe.”

Elaine Burke
By Elaine Burke

Elaine Burke was editor of Silicon Republic until 2023, and is now the host of For Tech’s Sake, a co-production from Silicon Republic and The HeadStuff Podcast Network. Elaine joined Silicon Republic in 2011 as a journalist covering gadgets, new media and tech jobs. She later served as managing editor before stepping up as editor in 2019. She comes from a background in publishing and is known for being particularly pernickety when it comes to spelling and grammar – earning her the nickname, Critical Red Pen.

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