In today’s dynamic startup environments, founders often build their companies publicly — iterating quickly, sharing progress, and chronicling the journey in real-time. This approach, often referred to as “building in public,” has become an effective way to gain traction, attract talent, and build credibility. However, it also creates a need for structured documentation and accessible knowledge bases. This is where knowledge management tools become essential for modern founders.
TL;DR
Founders who document their journey in real-time need versatile and collaborative knowledge management tools. The top choices in 2024 include Notion, Obsidian, Coda, and several others, offering unique strengths like real-time collaboration, offline access, and deep customization. Choosing the right tool depends on your collaboration needs, preferred workflows, and team size. This guide breaks down eight of the best options founders should consider when documenting as they build.
Why Founders Should Prioritize Documentation
In the early stages of building a startup, founders are often caught juggling product development, funding, marketing, and team growth. While it may seem secondary, documentation plays a critical role in:
- Keeping track of ideas and decisions for future reference.
- Onboarding new team members quickly with clear SOPs and project histories.
- Ensuring transparency in remote or distributed teams.
- Conveying knowledge publicly when building in public and engaging with a community.
The right knowledge management tool helps founders streamline these tasks without slowing down progress.
Top 8 Knowledge Management Tools for Founders
1. Notion
Best for: Founders looking for a flexible, all-in-one tool with excellent sharing capabilities.
Notion is a favorite among startups for its customizable workspace and ability to integrate notes, tasks, databases, and wikis into a single interface.
- Pros: Real-time collaboration, intuitive UI, rich embeds, customizable templates.
- Cons: Can become heavy with too much data, occasionally lags under load.
Use case: Track investor conversations, create product launch checklists, or build an open-public roadmap.
2. Obsidian
Best for: Founders who prefer local-first knowledge organization and offline support.
Obsidian is a powerful markdown-based note-taking app that focuses on local storage and networked thought. It uses backlinks and a graph view to offer a unique approach to organizing ideas.
- Pros: Offline-first design, robust linking system, fully markdown-based files.
- Cons: Lacks real-time collaboration, steeper learning curve for beginners.
Use case: Founders charting complex product architecture or journaling personal entrepreneurial insights.
3. Coda
Best for: Teams that need documents with the logic and power of apps.
Coda combines documents and spreadsheets into powerful tools, letting founders turn ideas into interactive workflows. Conditional logic, real-time updates, and a broad template library make this a top pick.
- Pros: App-level interactivity, functional databases, strong team integrations.
- Cons: Complex features can be overwhelming, steeper pricing at scale.
Use case: Building OKR dashboards, growth experiments board, or a live team wiki.
4. Slite
Best for: Founders looking to build team wikis and create structured documentation fast.
Slite is designed for internal documentation and team knowledge sharing. Its simple interface and collaborative features make it easy to scale transparency as your company grows.
- Pros: Easy to onboard, strong templates, clutter-free docs.
- Cons: Limited customization, fewer advanced features than Notion or Coda.
Use case: Documenting company policies, decision logs, or even a transparent hiring funnel.
5. Tettra
Best for: Internal knowledge sharing synced with Slack or Microsoft Teams.
Tettra integrates tightly with your team messaging tools and offers Q&A-style knowledge curation, making it highly accessible for small startup teams operating in chat-first workflows.
- Pros: Slack-first approach, easy knowledge updates, notification automation.
- Cons: Less suitable for deep or complex documentation styles.
Use case: Quick updates to internal playbooks, user support docs, or onboarding guidance.
6. Confluence
Best for: Founders scaling technical or product teams needing structured documentation spaces.
From the makers of Jira, Confluence brings robust wiki capabilities for development-heavy teams. Its templates and Jira integrations make it a strong enterprise choice even in early-stage startups.
- Pros: Excellent for technical documentation and versioning.
- Cons: Interface can feel dated, setup requires more effort.
Use case: Engineering logs, sprint rituals, or collaborating on dev specifications.
7. GitBook
Best for: Startups creating developer-facing documentation (e.g., API docs, SDK guides).
GitBook provides a clean and polished interface for creating customer-facing documentation with git-backed version control, ideal for developer-first platforms.
- Pros: Markdown support, GitHub syncing, great UX for readers.
- Cons: Primarily for public or semi-technical documentation.
Use case: Growing open-source products or API-centric startups detailing usage guides.
8. Supernotes
Best for: Founders who thrive on short, highly linked notes.
Supernotes is built around atomic note-taking — creating bite-sized notes that are easily linked and managed. It’s particularly valuable to solo founders looking to process ideas quickly.
- Pros: Speedy note creation, note cards framework, collaborative sharing.
- Cons: Might not replace a full wiki for larger teams.
Use case: Brainstorming features, capturing meeting insights, outlining content calendars.
Choosing the Right Tool for Your Startup
Finding the best knowledge management tool depends on a few key factors:
- Team Size: Some tools are better for solo founders (like Obsidian or Supernotes), while others cater to growing teams (like Slite or Coda).
- Collaboration Style: Think about whether you work async, in-office, or are building with the community actively engaging in your process.
- Level of Public Sharing: Consider how much of your documentation is private vs. shared with users, investors, or online audiences.
It’s also advisable to test 2–3 tools in parallel during a week of active company work — see where your team naturally gravitates and which features offer the most leverage.
Final Thoughts
Building a startup is complex — managing knowledge as you move swiftly can mean the difference between organized growth and fragmented chaos. With the right tool, founders gain clarity, save time, and strengthen team dynamics. Whether you’re prototyping your MVP or running a distributed pre-seed team, these tools help ensure that your journey is just as well-documented as the product you’re building.
FAQ
What is a knowledge management tool?
A knowledge management tool helps individuals and teams capture, organize, and share information. For founders, it assists in documenting decisions, workflows, and institutional knowledge as they build their startup.
Which is the best tool for solo founders?
For solo founders, tools like Obsidian or Supernotes are ideal since they provide flexibility without requiring collaborative features. They also support offline access and lightweight performance.
Can I use two tools together?
Absolutely. Many founders use Notion for public or collaborative pages and Ob