Tana Raises $25M as 160K+ Users Line Up for Its AI-Powered Productivity Revolution
Tana is an AI-native workspace designed to enhance productivity by transforming notes into actionable items, with features such as supertags, custom feeds, and voice memos for further efficiency.
For decades, tech leaders have tried—and often failed—to crack the code on productivity software that seamlessly integrates with the way we work. From Google Wave to Slack, ambitious solutions have emerged, only to fall short in solving the complexity of modern workflows. Enter Tana, a startup that believes it has finally found the missing piece: AI-driven knowledge graphs that transform scattered information into actionable insights.
Fresh out of stealth, Tana has announced $25 million in funding to build its AI-powered productivity platform, backed by notable investors such as Tola Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Northzone, and Alliance VC. With a staggering 160,000-person waitlist, the company is positioning itself as the next big leap in productivity software.
The AI-Powered Productivity Revolution
Tana isn’t just another note-taking app or to-do list organizer—it’s a dynamic knowledge graph that listens, organizes, and acts on information in real time. Whether capturing insights from a Zoom call or transcribing voice memos, Tana structures unstructured data into workflows that can power spreadsheets, updates, and automated actions across various platforms.
The company describes this as a “river of information”—a fluid system where AI helps create and connect data without the manual effort that bogs down traditional productivity tools. CEO Tarjei Vassbotn emphasizes the shift from isolated note-taking to an interconnected workspace: “Everything that you do, whether it’s talking to your phone or having a meeting or writing your own notes, it is all automatically organized and connected together so that our AI can work.”
One of Tana’s standout features is “Supertag”, a system inspired by object-oriented programming that converts unstructured notes into structured data within seconds. This allows for an unparalleled level of automation and organization, setting Tana apart from conventional tools like Notion or Roam Research.
A Team With Deep Productivity Roots
Tana’s leadership team is no stranger to ambitious productivity tech. Co-founders Tarjei Vassbotn, Grim Iversen, and Olav Kriken bring deep experience from companies like Google and other leading tech firms. Notably, Iversen was one of the senior engineers behind Google Wave, a promising but ultimately unsuccessful attempt at redefining collaboration tools.
Their belief? AI is now advanced enough to complete the vision they started years ago. Even Lars Rasmussen, co-founder of Google Maps and an early investor in Tana**, has backed Iversen and the team, saying: “Grim actually pitched some of [the Tana] ideas for Google Wave, but we never had time to build them.”
With heavy-hitting investors and $25M in two funding rounds, including an $11M seed round with contributions from La Famiglia (now part of General Catalyst), Dropbox co-founder Arash Ferdowsi, and Datadog founder Olivier Pomel, it’s clear that Tana has captured serious industry interest.
Tana’s Competitive Edge in the AI Productivity Space
The productivity software space is crowded, with giants like Notion, Asana, and Obsidian vying for dominance. What sets Tana apart? Its AI-powered integrations and adaptability.
Instead of building proprietary AI models, Tana takes a flexible approach, working with OpenAI, Anthropic, Grok, and even open-source models to power its system. This strategic move ensures that the platform remains at the cutting edge, regardless of how the AI landscape evolves.
Additionally, Tana’s ability to synchronize AI-powered workflows across 50+ different tools (such as Zoom and Google Docs) means it could become the connective tissue for digital workspaces. Vassbotn describes the challenge they’re solving: “If all of those tools have their own AI agent, how on earth are they going to be able to collaborate? So you’re basically just ending up copying and pasting and having disparate information that is out of sync everywhere. That is sort of the core problem we’re trying to solve.”
The Road Ahead
While Tana is still refining its platform, early adopters are already singing its praises. Sheila Gulati, managing director of Tola Capital, is using it to run her venture firm and calls the experience “miraculous.” “This is a market that will have real competition and players who want to win, but this team has a high level of commitment to drive the experience. This is a long game, and their vision of productivity is completely different.”
Tana’s next step is opening its waitlist and refining its AI-powered workflows to make them accessible beyond tech-savvy professionals. While still in its early days, the company’s vision of a fully AI-integrated productivity ecosystem has the potential to redefine how knowledge workers interact with information.
With its strong backing, experienced leadership, and a clear differentiator in the crowded productivity market, Tana is a startup to watch. If it delivers on its promise, it could be the AI-powered revolution that productivity software has been waiting for.
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