Product > process.

Viral stunts, $25M wins, and why product obsession — not process — is every founder’s secret weapon, what unicorns like Mercor, Cursor, and Clay know (that you don’t, yet), plus get a direct line to the founders of Lovable and Decagon.

Welcome to The Startup Stack - where we cut through the noise to bring you the real talk, tactical tools, and startup trends that matter. This week get the inside scoop on viral surges, actionable founder truths, new playbooks, and a no‑bloat lead‑gen pipeline.

Featuring:

• Go viral, or die trying → the bold bet behind Artisan’s controversial billboards.
• The new startup playbooks → directly from the founders of Mercor , Cursor , and Clay .
• Your ultimate pipeline → capture and track every lead.
• Startup building blocks → straight from founders of Lovable , Decagon , and Reforge .

Ready to go deep into this week’s stack? Let’s get building!

“We knew we wanted to raise and we knew we needed some kind of big catalyzing event to spike interests. So we decided, okay, we need to go viral.” — Jaspar Carmichael-Jack , Co-founder and CEO of Artisan

Jaspar Carmichael-Jack , Co-founder and CEO of Artisan , joins Monica Perez , Notion’s Head of Customer Success, to share how bold bets, viral billboards, and a focus on fundamentals helped him scale from YC to a $25M Series A.

Three founder lessons from Jaspar:

• Betting on bold ideas → risk can pay off if it catalyzes awareness and momentum early
• Defining success clearly → know the one metric that matters and align the team around it
• Brand momentum matters → recognition and credibility can accelerate fundraising and trust

Watch the full episode →

Startup Lead Gen Pipeline Template: capture and track every lead without the SaaS bloat.

• Streamlined tracking → easily move leads through your funnel.
• Context-rich pages → each lead with pages that are perfect for notes, touch points, and next steps.
• Automated workflows → set up triggers and actions based on them to keep deals moving.

Get your lead gen pipeline tracker now →

“One place where we broke things is that we started as a solution in search of a problem — which is not really something you’re supposed to do when you’re starting a company.” — Michael Truell, Co-Founder & CEO of Cursor

The New Founder Playbook

In recent First Block conversations with Brendan Foody (Mercor), Varun Anand (Clay), and Michael T. (Cursor), a clear theme emerged: today’s most innovative founders are rewriting the early-stage playbook. Rather than chasing conventional startup advice, they’re doubling down on product obsession, raising the hiring bar, and letting curiosity and customer feedback guide their next moves.

Three founder truths:

• Product over process: Progress comes from obsessing over product quality, not fundraising milestones or check-the-box networking.
• High-bar early hires: The first 10 people shape the company — hire slowly, selectively, and only when the fit is undeniable.
• Curiosity > rigid playbooks: Following “interestingness” and running fast feedback loops with customers often surfaces better paths than strict goal-setting.

Catch the full First Block episodes here →

Mark your calendar - Notion for Startups is hitting the road.

Join us for bold ideas, lively conversations, and access to founders you'll want to meet.

• September 17 | San Francisco: Building Blocks by Notion, an invite-only half-day summit - featuring the founders of Lovable, Decagon, Reforge, and more - designed for a select group of startup founders and builders to go deeper on the playbooks shaping how startups build, monetize, and distribute products in the AI era. Request to Join
• September 17 | San Francisco: First Block Live - From Stealth to $1.5B Unicorn in a Year: Inside Decagon. We’re sitting down with Jesse Zhang, Co-founder & CEO of Decagon for an inside look at one of the fastest startup journeys in AI. Request to Join
• September 24 | Auckland: Building your Startup Operating & Fundraising System, with Notion. Join us for an exclusive, interactive workshop designed for startup founders, operators, builders & enthusiasts in Auckland, New Zealand! This is our first-ever workshop in the country! RSVP
• September 30 | Orange County: A founder-focused Breakfast Club. A bite-size networking with a guided time & energy reset, hosted by Notion Certified Consultant Diana Lunzer, to simplify your workload and reset your focus. RSVP

Notion Startups Team is growing — we’re hiring globally!

Startup Events Marketer in San Francisco

We’re looking for a Startup Events Marketer in San Francisco to take over our growing lineup of startup events and scale them to the next level. If you love startups, thrive on creating unforgettable experiences, and want to help bring the magic of Notion to founders everywhere, we’d love to hear from you → Apply here

Startup Market Developer in Seoul, South Korea

The Startup Market Developer is a key driver of Notion’s growth and adoption across the startup ecosystem in Korea. You’ll be the lead operator in one of our most exciting and high-potential markets, responsible for building strong partnerships, running high-ROI campaigns, and capturing the attention of top early-stage founders. Are you the ultimate startup super-connector — or know one? Apply here

The AI workspace that works for you. Startups move fast - and Notion helps you move faster. From idea to exit, build docs, manage projects, and run your team and startup in one connected workspace powered by Notion AI. Apply now to get up to 6 months of Notion’s Business plan with Notion AI included - a $12,000 value.

See you next week — and don’t forget: product obsession wins!