Notion is making a bold move—and India is right at the heart of it.
In an exclusive chat with Moneycontrol, Notion co-founder Akshay Kothari laid out the company’s India vision: faster performance, local payment options like UPI, and a stronger R&D presence in Hyderabad. And yes, India is more than just a user base—it’s a growth driver.
Why India? Because It’s Booming
“India is a very fast-growing market in terms of usage,” says Kothari. Notion already sees massive traction among young users and startup unicorns in India. With over 100 million users globally (as of September 2024), the next big wave of growth could very well come from here.
India’s younger, tech-savvy population is using Notion not just for notes, but for project management, wikis, forms, AI writing tools, and now, even email.
Making Notion Work Better for India
Kothari is clear about what’s next: speed and ease of payment.
“The top thing I would like is a bit faster Notion for India, so that it works well even on 3G and 4G,” he said.
India’s internet isn’t always top-tier. So Notion wants to optimize performance even for users on patchy networks.
Then comes UPI—a must-have for Indian users. “People are just so used to UPI here,” Kothari noted. Credit and debit cards don’t cut it anymore.
And while monetizing the Indian market won’t be instant, Kothari remains optimistic. He believes user habits are changing. “We grew up not paying for software—but that’s shifting.”
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The Hyderabad Powerhouse
India is also home to Notion’s only R&D center outside the U.S.
After acquiring Automate.io in 2021, Notion set up shop in Hyderabad. Today, the office has 60-70 employees, roughly 10% of the company’s global team.
“We’ve rebuilt the Hyderabad team. It’s not just support—it’s core engineering,” Kothari shared.
This isn’t a token investment—it’s a bet on India’s brainpower.
The Bigger Picture
Notion started in 2013 as a note-taking tool. But it’s now a $10 billion AI workspace taking on giants like Microsoft and Google. From writing and databases to calendars and search—Notion wants to be your all-in-one productivity platform.
And India? It’s not just another market. It’s the testbed for speed, price sensitivity, and mobile-first design.
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