Melanie Perkins Success Story: How Canva Was Built

Popular graphics design platform, Canva has created an easy path for content creators and social media/internet users to create unique designs over the years. The Australian-based company which was founded in 2012 is now worth over $40 billion dollars in only 10 years, outrunning a lot of companies/startups that were founded before it.

The Co-founder and CEO of Canva, Melanie Perkins is one of the youngest CEOs in the world and her success story is definitely worth sharing.

Melanie Perkins Success Story

Perkins did not just rise to become one of Australia’s richest women or one of the big names in the tech industry. She had her shares of life’s struggles, building a world-class brand from her mother’s living room.

Before she grew to become a technology entrepreneur, Perkins had always possessed an entrepreneurial spirit; she started her first business at the age of 14 when she ventured into selling scarves in the town of Perth where she lived in Australia.

Like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, Melanie Perkins also dropped out of college to pursue her dreams to start up something great.

In 2007, Melanie started another business, Fusion Books, together with Cliff Obrecht (now her husband) where she helped students design unique yearbooks. She leveraged on the expertise of her mother in Teaching and implored her help alongside her father to co-ordinate and print the yearbooks. Reaching out to various schools and expanding the business, Melanie soon became the Co-founder of Australia’s top yearbook company in Australia.

Canva. Inc

Later in 2013, Canva was launched but not without a background story. Using her shortcomings at Fusion Books as a tool, Perkins saw the need to create a platform that would aid the designing of yearbooks and other graphics content; she, therefore, founded Canva and started working to grow the brand right from her mother’s living room.

Her excitement about the new company did not last for long as over 100 potential investors turned down the brand mostly for fear of the location. During this period, however, Fusion Books was still experiencing bloom before it was later renamed to Canva. Inc.

Later in 2011, Perkins and Obrecht met with a prominent investor, Bill Tai, who saw Canva as a good idea but gave it no funding, advising them to put the idea on hold until they secured the caliber of the team needed for such a venture. He however served as their tech adviser, helping them establish and secure connections with other tech gurus, and introducing them to an ex-google employee- Cameron Adams who would later become their partner.

Within a few years of working together as a team, Canva became one of the leading and most versatile graphic design software in the world. The platform now boasts of over 60 million monthly users and 500,000 teams.

Melanie Perkins remains one of the youngest personnel to put Australia on the global map for tech entrepreneurs. Barely two years after establishing Canva, the 35-year-old CEO got a prize at the NSW Technology Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in recognition of her “entrepreneurial endeavors and role model qualities”.

Melanie Perkins has a net worth of $6.5 billion.

Melanie Perkins Success Story Summary

Melanie Perkins success story cannot be told completely without some points to note. Here are 5 takeaways from Melanie Perkins success story.

• She started her first business at 14.
• Perkins started Canva in her mother’s living room.
• Canva got rejected by over 100 potential investors.
• She was mentored by Bill Tai and heeded his advice to hold on with Canva until she found the best team to work with.
• She dropped out of school to establish her business.
• An extra point- Melanie Perkins is now married to Fusion Books and Canva Co-founder, Cliff Obrecht.