In the mid-2000s, while studying at the University of Western Australia, Melanie Perkins noticed that students struggled to learn complex graphic design tools like Adobe Photoshop and InDesign. Designing simple materials like posters or yearbooks was slow and intimidating for beginners. Melanie saw a gap: the world needed an easy-to-use, web-based design platform accessible to anyone, regardless of professional skills.
In 2007, Melanie Perkins, along with her then-boyfriend and now husband Cliff Obrecht, founded Fusion Books, an online platform that allowed students and schools to design and print their own yearbooks. Operating from her mother’s living room, the small startup quickly gained traction in Australia and eventually expanded to New Zealand and France. The experience of building Fusion Books taught Melanie the fundamentals of creating a simple, cloud-based collaborative design platform, which later became the foundation for Canva.
For several years, Melanie tirelessly pitched her vision for a global design platform, facing more than 100 rejections from investors. She and Cliff bootstrapped their venture, surviving by reinvesting Fusion Books’ modest profits. The breakthrough moment came when she met Bill Tai, a Silicon Valley investor, during a startup networking trip. His mentorship and connections eventually helped secure Canva’s first seed funding, turning their vision into reality.
In 2013, Melanie officially launched Canva with Cliff Obrecht and Cameron Adams, a former Google engineer. The platform revolutionized design by offering drag-and-drop simplicity with pre-made templates, making professional-quality design accessible to anyone. Canva’s freemium model, viral marketing, and ease of use fueled explosive growth, attracting millions of users worldwide.
By 2018–2021, Canva had expanded to over 190 countries, with more than 60 million users, and reached a peak valuation of $40 billion USD, becoming one of the world’s most successful tech unicorns. Remarkably, the company achieved profitability without heavy advertising, relying primarily on organic growth and global adoption.
Throughout this journey, Melanie Perkins has remained committed to a mission-driven approach, emphasizing empowerment through simplicity. Canva enables small businesses, students, and non-designers to create professional content effortlessly. She also champions diversity, humility, and purpose-driven leadership, ensuring Canva’s culture aligns with its vision of being “good for the world.”
A: Growing up in a modest, multicultural middle-class family in Perth taught her resourcefulness, humility, and curiosity. Her engineer father inspired problem-solving skills, while her teacher mother encouraged creativity and discipline—qualities that became the foundation of her entrepreneurial approach.
A: Yes. Melanie faced over 100 rejections from investors while pitching Canva. She and Cliff bootstrapped using Fusion Books profits and stayed resilient until they secured their first seed funding through Bill Tai.
A: Melanie believes design should be simple and accessible to everyone, not just professionals. Canva’s mission is to democratize design, enabling students, small businesses, and creators worldwide to communicate visually without technical barriers.
A: Absolutely. Melanie and Cliff live modestly, focus on purpose-driven leadership, and prioritize building a company culture that’s “good for the world” rather than indulging in luxury or status.