Melanie Perkins
Born 1987 · Age 38
Australian technology entrepreneur; co-founder & CEO of Canva; previously co-founded Fusion Books. Led Canva from a yearbook-startup idea to a global design platform serving hundreds of millions of users.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Perth, Western Australia
Melanie Perkins was born in Perth to an Australian-born teacher and a Malaysian engineer of Filipino and Sri Lankan heritage.
Started first business (handmade scarves)
At about age 14 Melanie began selling handmade scarves at markets and local shops in Perth — her first entrepreneurial venture.
Secondary schooling at Sacred Heart College
Attended Sacred Heart College in Sorrento, Perth; during high school she trained in figure skating and ran small businesses.
Enrolled at University of Western Australia
Began university studies majoring in communications, psychology and commerce and worked as a private tutor for students learning graphic design.
Left university to pursue startup
Left the University of Western Australia at age 19 to focus full-time on a startup idea with Cliff Obrecht.
Co-founded Fusion Books (yearbook startup)
Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht founded Fusion Books, a web-based yearbook publisher using a drag-and-drop editor and templates.
Fusion Books scaled across Australia
Fusion Books grew to become a significant yearbook provider in Australia (operations later expanded internationally).
Entered WA Inventor of the Year competition
Perkins and Obrecht entered the Western Australia Inventor of the Year competition; they narrowly missed first place but gained visibility and connections.
Bill Tai committed early investment ($100k)
Bill Tai initially offered a small check and after discussion committed to invest US$100,000 to support Perkins' broader design-platform vision.
Lars Rasmussen became adviser
Lars Rasmussen (Google Maps co-creator) agreed to advise the project and helped Perkins recruit a high-calibre engineering team.
Met investor Bill Tai; travelled to San Francisco
Met Silicon Valley investor Bill Tai in Perth, then travelled to San Francisco (reported trip 21 May–1 June) to pitch Canva vision and expand her network.
Recruiting high-calibre engineering team (years of vetting)
Under advice of Lars Rasmussen, Perkins spent months finding the engineering talent (many candidates were rejected) until hiring former Google engineers (Cameron Adams, Dave Hearnden).
Cameron Adams joined as co-founder and CPO
Former Google designer Cameron Adams joined Perkins and Cliff in 2012 as Canva's third co-founder and chief product officer.
Seed funding: $1.6M + $1.4M government matching
Canva's early funding round was reported as oversubscribed: roughly US$1.6M from investors plus ~US$1.4M matching funding from the Australian government (total ~US$3M).
Blackbird-led $3M raise (early investor participation)
Early institutional backer Blackbird Ventures led an early round reported as roughly US$3M (Blackbird is cited as a lead early investor).
50,000 sign-ups in the first month
Reportedly more than 50,000 people signed up to Canva in its first month after launch, signalling strong product-market fit.
Canva launched publicly
Canva launched publicly (platform allowing anyone to create designs online); founder teams actively built out product and community.
Used Fusion Books as stepping-stone to broader platform idea
Perkins and Obrecht intentionally used the yearbook product to validate drag-and-drop design concepts and to fund/learn before pursuing a universal design tool.
Early negative press embargo break
Shortly after launch a journalist reportedly broke an embargo and published negative coverage that early team found challenging; the company recovered and continued growth.
Canva expanded internationally
Canva began systematic international expansion (localisation, additional language support) beyond initial English markets.
Wrote public reflections on company growth & product strategy
Perkins shared product/ growth lessons publicly; emphasised starting niche and scaling, free tier strategy, and strong onboarding.
Canva reached ~$1B valuation (unicorn)
Within roughly five years of public launch Canva hit a US$1 billion valuation, making Perkins one of the youngest female tech unicorn founders.
Valuation reported ~US$3.2 billion
Reports in 2019 indicated Silicon Valley investors valued Canva at approximately US$3.2 billion.
Blackbird listed as continuous investor
Blackbird Ventures is cited as participating in every Canva round from its first institutional investment onward (continued backing over many rounds).
Raised US$71M (Dec 2020) / Valuation US$15B
December 2020 round (led by Dragoneer and T. Rowe Price) raised ~US$71M and pegged Canva's valuation at about US$15 billion; company expanded headcount to ~1,500.
Canva philanthropic pilot: GiveDirectly $10M distribution
As part of Canva's social mission, Perkins and the company supported a GiveDirectly pilot (reported $10M distribution to people in Southern Africa as part of philanthropy efforts).
Married Cliff Obrecht (Rottnest Island)
Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht were married in January 2021 on Rottnest Island.
Inducted into the Global Business Hall of Fame
Melanie Perkins was inducted into the Global Business Hall of Fame in 2021.
Canva 'Overall Design Collaboration Company of the Year' (RemoteTech Breakthrough)
Canva received industry recognition including RemoteTech Breakthrough Awards in 2021 for design collaboration.
Public commitment to significant equity/philanthropy pledges
Reports noted Canva founders have pledged substantial shares to philanthropic purposes (including commitments reported as ~30% equity for anti-poverty efforts and 1% Pledge from the company).
Joined the Giving Pledge
Perkins and Obrecht signed Bill Gates' Giving Pledge in December 2021, committing to give away at least half of their wealth.
Ranked on CNBC Disruptor 50 and other lists
Canva placed highly on lists such as CNBC Disruptor 50 (reported rank #4 in 2022) and Fast Company innovation lists.
Forbes World's 100 Most Powerful Women (Ranked #89)
Melanie Perkins was ranked 89th on Forbes' 'World's 100 Most Powerful Women' in 2023.
Fortune Most Powerful Women (Ranked #92)
Perkins was ranked #92 on Fortune's Most Powerful Women list in 2023.
Canva valuation cited at ~US$39B in press pieces
Press articles in 2024 referenced Canva as a multi‑tens‑of‑billions company (figures around US$39B reported in coverage of company scale).
Reported product & platform expansions (Visual Suite, Magic Studio, Developer Platform)
Canva rolled out major product initiatives (Visual Suite, AI-driven 'Magic Studio', and developer platform capabilities) to broaden functionality and virality.
Canva reported >5 billion designs created and availability in ~190 countries
Company milestones reported: users across ~190 countries have created over 5 billion designs on Canva since launch.
Canva workforce and revenue scale (employees & ARR reports)
Reports around 2024–2025 cite thousands of employees (1,500+ in 2020; reports of 3,400+ later) and public statements that Canva achieved or approached US$1B ARR.
Reported 165 million users and major usage milestones
Press summaries in 2025 cited Canva having roughly 165 million users (also reported elsewhere as millions of monthly active users and billions of designs created).
Australian Financial Review: joint net worth A$14.14B (Perkins & Obrecht)
In May 2025 the Australian Financial Review assessed Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht's combined net worth at A$14.14 billion.
Forbes estimate: Melanie Perkins net worth US$5.8B
Forbes estimated Melanie Perkins' personal net worth at about US$5.8 billion (August 2025 report).
Key Achievement Ages
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