Melanie Perkins’ story is an inspiring story in the world. She is the founder of Canva, which was started in August 2012 in Sydney, Australia. Today, Canva’s valuation is estimated to be over $26 billion. The company serves more than 170 million monthly active users globally. Canva revolutionized design by making powerful graphic tools accessible to everyone, offering an intuitive platform for creating stunning visuals without the need for professional design skills.
Basic Details
| Origin Country | Australia |
| Legal Name | Canva Pty Ltd |
| Brand | Canva |
| Founder | Melanie Perkins |
| Co-Founder | Cliff Obrecht, Cameron Adams |
| CEO | Melanie Perkins |
| Industry | Technology |
| Website | www.canva.com |
| Year of Founding | August 2012, Sydney, Australia |
| Founder Education | University of Western Australia (Dropped out) |
| Valuation | Over $26 billion (as of 2025) |
| Employees | 3,500+ (as of 2025) |
| Headquarters | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Status | Active |
PERSONAL STORY: MELANIE PERKINS
Melanie Perkins Melanie Perkins was born in 1987 in Perth, Western Australia. Raised in a multicultural household—her mother a teacher of Malaysian descent and her father an Australian of engineering background—Melanie learned the value of education and creativity early on. As a child, she was fascinated by the intersection of art and technology and often experimented with early versions of design software.
During her teenage years, Melanie developed a deep curiosity about visual communication. She pursued a degree in communications and commerce at the University of Western Australia, where she also taught design programs to fellow students. Frustrated by how complex and inaccessible traditional graphic software was, Melanie envisioned a simpler way to empower people to design.
One major turning point came when she, alongside her boyfriend Cliff Obrecht, started a startup called “Fusion Books”—an online tool for creating school yearbooks. They bootstrapped this venture from their living room, and it eventually became Australia’s largest yearbook publisher. This experience gave her hands-on knowledge of entrepreneurship, software, and scaling a tech product.
However, behind the scenes, Melanie’s journey was filled with emotional resilience. She faced numerous rejections when pitching her vision for Canva to investors in Silicon Valley. Often overlooked because of her youth and gender, she persisted with determination, refining her pitch and building strategic networks.
Her success isn’t just business-related—it’s deeply personal. Melanie is committed to building inclusive workplaces, empowering women in tech, and supporting educational initiatives globally. She’s known for her humble, grounded personality and continues to advocate for equal opportunities in tech. Her journey reflects the power of resilience, vision, and staying authentic.
FOUNDING STORY: CANVA
Inspiration Behind the Idea
While tutoring design software at university, Melanie saw students struggle with tools like Adobe Photoshop and InDesign. She believed design shouldn’t be restricted to professionals. With this frustration, she imagined a future where anyone could create beautiful graphics easily—thus, the seed for Canva was planted.
Founding Team
After the success of Fusion Books, Melanie and Cliff sought to build a broader platform. They teamed up with ex-Google engineer Cameron Adams, who brought essential tech expertise. The trio shared a vision of simplicity, accessibility, and global impact, forming the core team.
Capital (Starting Resources Only)
The early days were financially lean. Melanie and Cliff self-funded the development phase and leveraged profits from Fusion Books. Melanie tirelessly pitched Canva in Silicon Valley, eventually securing backing from investor Bill Tai and startup incubator 500 Startups after more than 100 rejections.
Challenges
Convincing tech investors to back an Australian woman founder with no Silicon Valley background was an uphill battle. Hiring tech talent from Australia, refining the MVP (minimum viable product), and managing remote collaboration posed early operational hurdles. Despite this, Melanie maintained relentless focus.
Breakthrough
In 2013, Canva launched to the public and attracted over 50,000 users in its first month. Its drag-and-drop simplicity and clean UI filled a major market gap. Word-of-mouth and strong community engagement accelerated growth, and within a year, Canva reached one million users. This user-driven momentum marked the company’s inflection point.
COMPANY PROFILE: CANVA
Canva is a free-to-use online graphic design tool that enables anyone to create professional-quality designs with ease. It caters to individuals, educators, marketers, small businesses, and enterprise teams.
For example: a local bakery can use Canva to design flyers and menus without hiring a designer.
Area Served
- North America: Largest market with a broad user base across education, SMBs, and enterprises.
- Europe: Significant presence with multi-language support and GDPR compliance.
- Asia-Pacific: Rapid adoption in Australia, India, Southeast Asia, and Japan.
- Latin America: Fast-growing market supported by Spanish/Portuguese localization.
- Africa: Emerging focus with community-led design education programs.
Vision and Mission
- Vision: Empower the world to design.
- Mission: Make design accessible to everyone by offering simple, intuitive tools that unlock creativity at scale.
Services / Products Offered
- Design Platform: Canva Free, Canva Pro, Canva for Teams, Canva for Education, Canva for Nonprofits
- Print Services: Business cards, posters, booklets
- AI Tools: Magic Write, Background Remover, Text to Image
- Content Planning: Social media scheduler, brand kit management
Business Model
Canva operates a freemium B2C and B2B SaaS model. The platform is available on web and mobile, with tiered pricing for pro and team plans. Canva collaborates with schools, NGOs, and large enterprises via dedicated offerings.
Revenue Model (In Detail)
- Freemium to Premium Upgrades: Core revenue from Canva Pro subscriptions.
- Enterprise Accounts: Custom tools and workflows for large organizations.
- Print Services: Monetization through print product orders.
- Content Marketplace: Purchases of stock photos, videos, and templates.
- App Integrations: Paid third-party tools in Canva Apps Marketplace.
Market Landscape (with Competitors)
- Adobe Express: Offers pro-level features but with a steeper learning curve.
- Piktochart: Focused on infographics and presentation visuals.
- Crello (now VistaCreate): Offers similar templates, more focused on SMBs.
- Figma: Popular for UI design but not general graphic design.
- Snappa: Lightweight Canva alternative with fewer features.
Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
Seamless drag-and-drop interface.
Cloud-based access with real-time collaboration.
Vast free library of assets.
Inclusive education and nonprofit offerings.
Human-centric design philosophy with global accessibility.
Growth Highlights
- Over 170 million monthly users (2025)
- Valuation exceeded $26 billion
- Available in 100+ languages
- Canva Docs, Canva AI launched in 2023
- Offices in Sydney, Manila, Beijing, Austin
Funding and Investment
Canva is VC-funded, with notable investors including Blackbird Ventures, Felicis Ventures, and Sequoia Capital.
Last funding round (2021) valued company at $40 billion, later adjusted for market conditions.
Awards and Achievements
- TIME 100 Most Influential Companies (2022, 2024)
- Webby Award for Best Productivity App (2023)
- Google Play Editors’ Choice (2023)
Team Size & Culture
3,500+ employees across global offices
Strong focus on inclusion, creativity, and impact
Flat hierarchies and remote-friendly culture
Founder-led transparency and mission-first leadership
Future Plans
- Expand Canva for Work ecosystem
- Invest in generative AI tools
- Launch local creator hubs in Africa and Latin America
- Strengthen education and nonprofit verticals
PROFESSIONAL INSIGHT: MELANIE PERKINS
Financial Overview
As of 2025, Melanie Perkins’ estimated net worth is over $3.6 billion, primarily derived from her equity stake in Canva. She owns a significant portion of the company alongside co-founder Cliff Obrecht, and both have pledged the majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes. Melanie reportedly draws a modest salary, favoring reinvestment into company growth and social impact.
Subsidiary Companies Founded
Though Canva remains Melanie’s main venture, she and her co-founders have backed several educational and design-focused initiatives, including:
- Fusion Books (2007): A yearbook creation tool that served as Canva’s precursor, still operational in parts of Australia and France.
- Canva Print (2017): A service allowing users to print their designs as physical products (cards, posters, brochures).
Investments
Melanie Perkins is not a prolific angel investor but has contributed to various social entrepreneurship and tech-for-good ventures through Canva Foundation initiatives:
- SheStarts Accelerator (Australia, 2022): To support women-led startups.
- Open Design Movement: Advocates open access to design resources and training in underserved communities.
Media and Industry Recognition
Awards & Achievements
- Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia (2016)
- EY Entrepreneur of the Year Australia (2019)
- Bloomberg 50: Innovators Changing the World (2020)
- Tech Pioneer Award, World Economic Forum (2023)
Media Appearances & Thought Leadership
Melanie has been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, CNBC, and TEDx. She’s a recurring voice in conversations on democratizing technology, inclusive leadership, and ethical entrepreneurship. In 2024, she was named among TIME’s 100 Most Influential People for her efforts to reshape design education.
CONCLUSION
“If you dream big, work hard, and stay true to your values, you can create something extraordinary.” — Melanie Perkins, via TEDxSydney 2023
Melanie Perkins’ story — from launching a student startup to leading a global tech company — offers timeless advice for entrepreneurs. Her message is simple yet powerful: believe in your idea even when others don’t. Focus on solving real problems and keep refining your pitch and product with every obstacle. She emphasizes staying humble, building inclusive teams, and using business as a force for good. Above all, Melanie believes that when you combine empathy with execution, you can democratize opportunity and design change for millions. Her journey isn’t just about tech or design — it’s about proving that anyone, from anywhere, can build something that truly matters.
