To say that Canva caught the imagination of the world would be quite an understatement, considering that it has fueled the creative abilities of millions around the world.

Canva’s achievements in making graphic design simple and popular can really be compared to the role of mobile cameras in popularizing photography, even for those who have never seen a camera before.

If this can be attributed to one person, it is certainly Melanie Perkins, the co-founder of Canva, who, even after more than 100 rejections from investors, has never given up on her core idea.

A simple, transformative idea drove desktop publishing giants like Adobe and Microsoft to create a simple design interface that anyone with no prior knowledge of software development could use.

Melanie got the idea in 2007 when she was just 19 years old teaching graphic design to a group of students at a university in Perth, Australia. Not only were the programs difficult to learn because it took months to understand the various configurations and buttons, but they were prohibitively expensive.

The desire to create an online platform that would make graphic design extremely easy for everyone and empower them to create incredible designs gave birth to Canva.

Start small, aim big

Melanie and Cliff Obrecht, her co-founder and future spouse, began setting up an online school yearbook design business, Fusion Books, to test their idea. Fusion Books helped students collaborate and create their profiles and articles. The yearbooks would then be printed and delivered to students across Australia.

The business was soon a success and the first step in their dream of creating a fully integrated platform for designers.

The evidence that the concept works is best illustrated by the example of At Realty Austin, a midsize Texas residential and commercial real estate company. Their marketing team was overworked and overwhelmed as they struggled to create printed handouts and digital assets for their agents to promote events like open house.

With Canva, the company’s 550+ agents are now creating material for their listings faster and at their own pace, without having to go back and forth for approvals.

Make the most of the opportunities life offers her

To launch her idea, Melanie started getting in touch with investors. However, her initial efforts were daunting until she met legendary venture capitalist Bill Tai, who invited her to San Francisco to pitch her idea.

In addition to meeting investors, Melanie had to learn kitesurfing, which Bill Tai was an ardent fan of. Bill Tai often co-hosted kitesurfing and investor events at MaiTai, one of his retreats, as a platform to bring like-minded people together. Melanie soon picked up the sport and used it to build her connections in the investment world.

The task was easier said than done, however, as Melanie had to cross the deep sea before she could get a seat at the funding table. “It was like, risk: do serious harm; reward: start a business,” says Perkins, recalling the experience. As an entrepreneur, she adds: “If you step your foot in the door just a little bit, you have to somehow pinch it completely.”

Put the best team together

Canva soon caught the attention of investors thanks to her networking and persuasion skills. As the investments began, Melanie realized that it was time to start phase 2 of her dream project, which is to assemble a team to make it happen.

With the help of mutual connections, Melanie managed to get Cameron Adams on board as tech co-founder and Dave Hearnden as tech developer.

The tech duo worked closely with Melanie to build the Canva platform and put together a team that could help subscribers create a wide range of designs for free.

The Canva team is now 2000+ and continues to grow as Canva expands into new markets in China, Dubai and the Philippines.

The steady growth

The Canva platform finally went public in August 2013 without much fuss. It received some reviews on tech blogs that didn’t meet Canva’s expectations very much from potential users.

Adams and his tech team, who stayed overnight during the launch to process registrations, were dejected but decided to continue their efforts to get the platform public. Their efforts soon showed results, with 50,000 users signing up in the first month. As of 2014, Canva had over 600,000 users who created more than 3.5 million designs.

Today Canva has a valuation of $ 40 billion and more than 60 million monthly actual users from 190 countries. To date, Canva has created over 7 billion designs in more than 100 languages. All of this has been made possible with a team of over 2000 employees who work completely remotely and rely on various remote tools for their productivity.

Canva’s success is also due to its strong design principles.

Be financially thrifty and strong

One of the lessons Melanie learned in her early days was that money goes a long way. That’s stuck with her even after Canva hit a valuation of $ 3.2 billion (closer to $ 4 billion if you’re reading this article).

The power couple Melanie and Obrecht, worth more than $ 700 million today, still prefer cheap travel over private jets. Obrecht recently proposed marriage to Melanie while traveling in Turkey with a $ 30 engagement ring.

Melanie is so aware of the financials that she brings each employee on board personally with an overview of Canva’s financials and previous pitching desks. For Melanie, creating value for end users is more important than building a million-dollar bank account. To show they mean what they say, the couple recently pledged 30% of their income to a charitable trust.

Despite its profitability, 200 percent growth, valuation, and high cash status, Canva continues its fundraising quest. Melanie attributes this to the need to double the number of employees and further acquisitions. For example, Canva recently acquired Pixabay and Pexels, image sharing websites, to improve their offering.

She goes on to add: “I always like to have enough money in the bank so that when the lights go out tomorrow and everything disappears, we have enough capital to stick together for a long time.”

Canva and remote work

Like all companies around the world, Canva felt the effects of the pandemic and had to realign its operations to ensure the safety of its employees. To ensure the continuity of its culture, Canva has started organizing company-wide events and celebrations online.

It relies on technology and creativity to ensure a positive mood across the company.

It has defined three priorities to ensure the continuity of its business.

1. To ensure the safety of the team and their families by introducing home office measures.
2. To do his part to slow the spread of the virus in the community and protect the most vulnerable.
3. Make sure Canva continues to offer the design community the highest standards.

A dedicated Canva Vibe team has also been created to maintain and ensure the same corporate culture that employees have previously experienced in the office, while working from home or wherever they are comfortable.

The Canva Vibe team consists of 1 person for every 25 employees whose sole purpose is to inspire people and build a sense of togetherness.

Canva also provides regular tips on working from home, including how to stay productive while watching Netflix plus and more. It has also developed a Canva Remote Working Toolkit that contains many resources for both individuals and teams, including remote work guidelines, WFH reimbursements and the best remote collaboration tools available, etc.

Another innovative move that Canva has adapted to keep the team engaged and productive is podcasts hosted by some of Canva’s most inspiring team members.

The “Friday Night Drinks” meeting is very popular with all team members. Designed to support local entertainers, it features live performances through a zoom call.

Canva’s remote work initiatives are not limited to its employees, but also to the community. As part of its social initiatives and to support the community, Canva is also considering working with public health specialists around the world by offering them free lifetime access to Canva Pro.

Canva co-founder Cameron Adams credits his success during the Covid-19 pandemic to his strong cultural values.

What the future brings

“As a leader, I think it’s my job to set the vision and goals for the company and then work with everyone to empower them to have big and crazy dreams.”
– Melanie Perkins.

In 2019, Canva raised a $ 85 million funding round led by Mary Meekers Bond Capital, which valued Canva at $ 3.2 billion. Canva will use the funds to expand its design offering and bring Canva Pro and Canva for Enterprise to market.

Canva also plans to roll out new website tools that Perkins hopes will help people ditch PDF resumes or event invitations in favor of responsive websites with custom web domains. Canva’s library contains more than 800,000 templates and 100 million photos, illustrations, and fonts.

With 120 new designs added every second and more than 7 billion designs created in Canva to date, the future looks bright for Canva.

Canva’s success offers a lot of insight for startups, especially those considering working remotely in their first few days. Being innovative, having strong cultural values, and knowing how to lead a remote team successfully will play a huge role in any company’s success in the days to come.