Melanie Perkins is one of Australia’s youngest female tech entrepreneurs, making waves on the global scene in a very short amount of time. At just 23 years old, she has founded a social media platform, Canva, which has gained millions of users worldwide, landed her a spot on the Forbes Asia and Forbes US “30 Under 30” lists, and attracted a wave of notable investors that have enabled her to become a valued member of Australia’s tech scene.
Perkins was born in Perth, Western Australia, and grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. From a very early age, Perkins was fascinated with entrepreneurship and the idea of creating something from nothing. At age 15, she began her first business, a children’s organic clothing label, which she ran with her father and brother. Following this, she attended university and studied design, digital media and business. It was here that she developed her passion for design and digital media, deciding that this was the path she wanted to pursue.
After university, Perkins decided to launch her own business. Canva was born out of the need for an accessible and user-friendly design platform which enabled designers and non-designers alike to create beautiful designs quickly and easily. The platform allows users to select from a collection of pre-made templates, customize them to their liking, or start from scratch with the easy-to-use design tools.
It took Perkins and her co-founder, Cliff Obrecht, five versions of Canva over four years to bring the product to fruition. Despite their various attempts, the platform still lacked a large user base and was beginning to create financial difficulties. But in 2013, Perkins secured $17 million dollars in Series A venture capital — a remarkable feat for such a young entrepreneur — which allowed for the expansion of the platform and the addition of new features, such as its FREEBIES Marketplace.
Perkins had great vision when it came to growing Canva, and her efforts were soon rewarded. By 2016, Canva had 18 million users and had powered the creation of 23 million designs. This feat earned her a spot on the Forbes Asia and Forbes US “30 Under 30” lists, a prestigious accolade for a young entrepreneur of fast-moving startup companies. Other notable investors have also come on board, including celebrity Ashton Kutcher, entrepreneur Richard Branson, and actor Will.i.am.
Thanks to these investments, Perkins has been able to bring Canva’s mission to life; to make design simple and accessible for everyone. The platform currently offers nearly one million free design elements, templates and photos, and much of the support is offered in a number of languages, making the tool ideal for a global audience. With more than a million designs created through Canva every day, the platform continuously innovates and adds new features, such as its Canva Templates feature and its Professional Studio training program.
The success of Canva over the last few years has put Perkins on the map in the world of entrepreneurship. Her innovative and creative approach has been acknowledged by significant industry personalities, as well as business leaders, across the globe. In just a few years, she has established herself as a credible and respected young female entrepreneur and is an example of what can be achieved through relentless hard work and passion. Her success story is a true inspiration and testament to how far dedication and ambition can take you in the tech space.
