GIC invests in AI workspace Notion through US$270 million employee share sale

[SINGAPORE] The Republic’s sovereign wealth fund GIC has invested in artificial intelligence (AI) workspace player Notion for the first time, purchasing shares through a private tender offer alongside other big names – returning investors Sequoia Capital and Index Ventures.

The tender offer is valued at US$270 million and priced at a valuation of US$11 billion. The shares were sold by current and former Notion employees.

Notion said that GIC was an “obvious choice” as an investment partner, in a statement on Tuesday (Jan 27).

“One of the reasons we’re so thrilled to partner with GIC is because of their expertise in supporting growth in Asia-Pacific (Apac) and across the globe, as well as their commitment to the long term. They think in decades, not quarters,” said the company.

The investment by GIC comes on the back of Notion opening a Singapore office in mid-2025, as part of its push for regional expansion. It joins other Apac offices of Notion in Tokyo, Seoul and Sydney.

In a LinkedIn post, Notion co-founder Akshay Kothari said that current and former employees of the global workspace company will be able to sell a portion of their vested shares.

The company removed the one-year vesting cliff on options, he added, such that nearly all Notion employees had the opportunity to participate in the tender.

Kothari also flagged the business’ “explosive growth” in Apac, which cements GIC’s role as a strong partner in the field.

The statement said Notion’s growth rate has accelerated on the back of AI adoption within the platform.

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“At the end of last year, more than 50 per cent of annual recurring revenue came from AI-enabled customers, and that percentage more than doubled over the last year,” it added.

Notion is a digital workspace which offers highly customisable functions for its users, to combine note-taking, databases and project management onto one platform.

It is used by businesses and individuals to streamline their operations, often related to goal setting, status tracking and task management.