In a world where tech unicorns are becoming increasingly rare, Melanie Perkins stands out as a force of nature.
The 37-year-old Australian entrepreneur has built Canva, a graphic design platform now valued at $40 billion, transforming it from a simple idea into a tool used by over 135 million people worldwide.
But success didn’t come easy for this Perth native.
“I got rejected by about 100 VCs,” Perkins recalls.
Today, those same venture capitalists might be kicking themselves.
Canva has revolutionized the design industry, making professional-looking graphics accessible to everyone from Fortune 500 companies to small business owners.
The seeds of this design empire were planted in the most unlikely of places: a university computer lab.
While teaching students how to use complex design software at the University of Western Australia, Perkins noticed a recurring problem.
Traditional design tools were too complicated, too expensive, and too time-consuming to learn.
Her solution? Start small, but dream big.
At just 19, Perkins launched her first company, Fusion Books – an online design tool for school yearbooks.
It quickly became Australia’s largest yearbook company, but for Perkins, this was just the beginning.
She saw a bigger opportunity: democratizing design for the entire world.
“I realized that the future of design needed to be online, collaborative, and simple,” says Perkins.
The path to building a $40 billion company wasn’t a straight line. In fact, it involved a surprising detour into the world of competitive kitesurfing.
Why kitesurfing? Because that’s where the money was.
After learning that influential tech investor Bill Tai combined venture capital with kitesurfing, Perkins did something extraordinary – she decided to learn the sport. “I realized that if I could get into that circle, I could have a chance to pitch,” she explains. Despite having never surfed before, she traveled to Silicon Valley armed with determination and a prototype.
The numbers tell the story of what happened next:
- 100+ investor rejections
- 3 years of persistent pitching
- 1 breakthrough moment with Matrix Partners
- $3 million initial significant investment
When Canva finally launched in 2013, it hit a nerve in the market. Within a year, the platform had attracted 600,000 users.
By 2015, that number had exploded to over 4 million users across 179 countries.
But Perkins wasn’t content with just user growth. She focused on building a sustainable business model that would revolutionize the design industry:
- A freemium model that attracts millions of users
- Enterprise solutions for major corporations
- Templates that solve real business problems
- Continuous innovation in artificial intelligence and design
“We’re not just building a company,” Perkins states. “We’re empowering the world to design.”
The success caught the attention of tech giants. Microsoft, Adobe, and Google suddenly found themselves competing with a platform that was making design accessible to everyone. But Perkins wasn’t intimidated by the competition – she was energized by it.
“We’re still only 1% of the way there,” she says, revealing the ambitious scale of her vision.
BUILDING A DIFFERENT KIND OF TECH COMPANY
Unlike many Silicon Valley startups, Canva’s culture reflects its Australian roots. Perkins has built a company that breaks traditional tech norms:
- No lavish spending despite the billions
- A focus on sustainability and giving back
- 55% of leadership positions held by women
- A commitment to keeping 30% ownership among employees
THE SECRET SAUCE
What sets Perkins apart from other tech founders? Industry analysts point to three key factors:
- TIMING: She saw the shift to online design before others
- PERSISTENCE: Those 100 rejections didn’t stop her
- VISION: Making design accessible wasn’t just a business plan – it was a mission
“Every rejection made our pitch better,” Perkins reflects. “We learned something new each time.”
THE NUMBERS THAT MATTER
Today, Canva’s impact goes beyond its $40 billion valuation:
- 8 billion designs created
- Used in 190 countries
- 100+ design types
- $1.5 billion+ in revenue run rate
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Despite her success, Perkins remains focused on a larger mission. Through Canva’s “Two-Step Plan,” the company pledges:
- Build one of the world’s most valuable companies
- Do the most good they can do
This isn’t just talk. In 2021, Perkins and co-founder (now husband) Cliff Obrecht pledged to give away 30% of Canva’s equity through the Canva Foundation, a commitment worth billions.
“It has felt strange when people refer to us as ‘billionaires’ as it has never felt like our money,”
Perkins shared in a company blog post. “We’ve always felt that we’re purely custodians of it.”
LESSONS FROM THE JOURNEY
For aspiring entrepreneurs, Perkins’ story offers powerful lessons:
- THINK GLOBAL FROM DAY ONE
“We never wanted to be just an Australian company,” she says. “From the beginning, we thought about how to serve the whole world.” - PERSISTENCE BEATS RESISTANCE
Those 100 rejections? Each one made the pitch stronger, the vision clearer, and the determination deeper. - SOLVE REAL PROBLEMS
Canva wasn’t built on a trendy idea. It was built to solve a genuine problem that millions faced daily.
THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT
As Canva continues to expand, Perkins’ vision grows with it.
The company is:
- Challenging Microsoft Office with new workplace tools
- Expanding into video and website creation
- Developing advanced AI capabilities
- Building stronger enterprise solutions
“We’re really just getting started,” Perkins insists. And given her track record, that’s a statement worth paying attention to.
THE BOTTOM LINE
At 37, Melanie Perkins has achieved what many entrepreneurs only dream of.
But perhaps more remarkable than building a $40 billion company is how she did it – with persistence, purpose, and a commitment to democratizing design for everyone.
“Success isn’t about following someone else’s playbook,” she says. “It’s about writing your own.”
As tech giants scramble to compete and investors who once said “no” wish they had said “yes,”
Perkins continues to prove that the best revenge is massive success.
With 135 million users and counting, Canva isn’t just a tech unicorn – it’s a testament to the power of resilience and clear vision.
For a woman who started by teaching students in a university computer lab, Perkins has come full circle – now teaching the world that with the right tools, anyone can be a designer.
THE PERKINS PLAYBOOK IN NUMBERS:
- Age when she started: 19
- Current company value: $40 billion
- Active users: 135+ million
- Countries reached: 190
- Team size: 3,000+ employees
- Initial rejections: 100+
- Time to build: 11 years
- Current age: 37
As Canva continues its meteoric rise, one thing is clear: Melanie Perkins isn’t just building a company – she’s changing how the world designs, one user at a time.