# Raphael Schaad

> Raphael Schaad is a Swiss designer-engineer and Visiting Partner at Y Combinator who built three generation-defining products: iA Writer (the minimalist writing app), Flipboard (the original social magazine), and Cron (acquired by Notion in 2022). Raised in the Swiss Alps, trained at MIT Media Lab, he brings a rare combination of technical depth and design taste that has made him a go-to mentor for founders navigating the AI era.

- **Role:** Visiting Partner at Y Combinator
- **Organizations:** Y Combinator, Notion, Cron, Flipboard, iA (Information Architects), MIT Media Lab, Swisspreneur Syndicate
- **From:** Switzerland
- **Nationality:** Swiss
- **Education:** Master of Science (MS) in Media Arts and Sciences, MIT Media Lab, Bachelor of Science (BS) in Computer Science, Berner Fachhochschule BFH (University of Applied Sciences Bern), Cross-registered: Launching Technology Ventures, Harvard Business School, Federal Professional Baccalaureate in Software Engineering, Swiss Technical School
- **Known for:** Co-created iA Writer (2010), one of the most influential writing apps ever made, Early engineer at Flipboard (2011-2015), helping build one of the most downloaded apps of its era, Created FLAnimatedImage - the most popular open-source iOS GIF engine on GitHub, used by top App Store apps

## Career timeline

- **2005-2009** — BS in Computer Science at Berner Fachhochschule BFH, Switzerland
- **2009-2011** — MS at MIT Media Lab; researcher and cross-registered at Harvard Business School
- **2010** — Collaborated with Information Architects (iA) in Tokyo on launching iA Writer, the acclaimed minimalist text editor
- **2011-2015** — Joined Flipboard as one of the first engineers, spending four years building the award-winning personal magazine app
- **2015** — Created FLAnimatedImage, an open-source performant iOS animated GIF engine that became the most popular of its kind on GitHub
- **2019** — Founded Cron, a next-generation calendar application
- **2020** — Cron raised $3.5M seed round led by Initialized Capital; investors included Figma CEO Dylan Field and former LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner; participated in YC W20 batch
- **2021** — Cron named Product Hunt's Productivity App of the Year
- **2022-06** — Cron acquired by Notion for an 8-figure sum
- **2022-2024** — Head of Design for Connected Apps and Growth at Notion; grew Notion Calendar to millions of active users
- **2024+** — Joined Y Combinator as Visiting Partner, one of nine exceptional founders selected for the role

## Achievements

- Co-created iA Writer (2010), one of the most influential writing apps ever made
- Early engineer at Flipboard (2011-2015), helping build one of the most downloaded apps of its era
- Created FLAnimatedImage - the most popular open-source iOS GIF engine on GitHub, used by top App Store apps
- Founded Cron and grew it to Product Hunt's 2021 Productivity App of the Year
- Secured $3.5M seed funding from top investors including Flipboard CEO, Dylan Field, and Jeff Weiner
- Sold Cron to Notion in 2022 for an 8-figure acquisition
- Grew Notion Calendar to millions of active users as Head of Design
- Selected as one of nine Visiting Partners at Y Combinator
- MS from MIT Media Lab in Media Arts and Sciences
- Angel investor in Nexus (YC F25) and other startups

## Latest updates

- **2024** — Joined Y Combinator as Visiting Partner to mentor early-stage AI-era founders
- **2024** — Angel invested in Nexus (YC F25), an enterprise AI agent platform
- **2024** — Featured in YC Startup Library: 'Design Experts Critique AI Interfaces'
- **2023** — Continued growing Notion Calendar to millions of active users as Head of Design at Notion
- **2022-06** — Announced Cron acquisition by Notion

## Links

- Website: https://raphaelschaad.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raphaelschaad/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/raphaelschaad
- GitHub: https://github.com/raphaelschaad

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/raphael-schaad
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-08