Experiment or lose.

Break playbooks, not startups. Notion’s new Agent, why Just Words founder fires customers, our first Notion × Lovable growth meetup, and the next First Block with Garrett Lord from Handshake.

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: experiment-driven building, how Notion’s new AI Agent turns chaos into shipped work, and your ultimate Startup OS.

Featuring:

• Why experimentation is a founder’s best tool — with Neha Mittal from Just Words

• Your new AI Agent — by Notion — turning busywork into real outputs

• Your ultimate Startup OS - everything startups need, all in one place.

• Notion x Lovable growth meetup and First Block with the founder of Handshake

The stack is ready — let’s go!

“We actually fire customers who are not innovators or builders. We want people to be telling us how to improve our product.” — Neha Mittal, Co-founder & CEO, Just Words

Neha Mittal, Co-founder & CEO of Just Words, joins Bryan Ng, Notion’s Head of Product Growth, to share lessons from scaling Twitter and Pinterest, why experimentation is a founder’s best tool, and how AI is raising the bar for growth and retention.

Three founder lessons from Neha:

• Build by experiment → testing, failing fast, and iterating is the engine of growth

• Break the playbook → real traction comes from knowing your customer, not following templates

• AI raises standards → automation shifts focus from vanity metrics to real business outcomes

Watch the full episode →

Startup OS Template: everything startups need, all in one place.

• Startup in a box → a curated collection of real Notion pages to help you build and operate your company.

• Stay organized → streamline your processes and keep your team aligned as you grow.

• Share outward → use the same workspace to publish resources, updates, or knowledge for customers and your broader community.

Get your startup OS template now →

“We believe it’s the most advanced knowledge work agent designed for teams, and we’re so excited to show you how it works.” — Akshay Kothari, Co-founder, Notion

Your New Agent, by Notion

Notion just launched 3.0 with AI Agents — turning busywork into real outputs so startups can move faster. Instead of juggling scattered tools and endless updates, your Agent works across your workspace to keep your team in sync and focused on growth.

• Turn chaos into clarity → Agents don’t just summarize, they take action across docs, databases, and tools.

• Work that ships itself → Meeting notes become proposals, updated trackers, and follow-ups in minutes, not hours.

• Scale before you hire → Coming soon: Custom Agents on autopilot, handling feedback, updates, and requests like extra teammates.

For startups, this means less time lost in coordination, and more time on product, customers, and scale.

Personalize your new AI teammate →

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 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 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

October 7 | San Francisco: From Growth Hacks to Growth Love, with Notion and Lovable. Join Elena Verna (Growth at Lovable) and Andrew Silard (Head of Growth Marketing at Notion) to discuss the future of growth. RSVP

October 8 | San Francisco: First Block Live - From Zero to $50M ARR in 4 months: Inside Handshake. We’re sitting down with Garrett Lord, Co-founder & CEO of Handshake, for an inside look at one of the fastest-growing AI startup stories.  Request to join.

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.

Catch you next week — keep creating!