Melanie Perkins
Australian co-founder and CEO of the design platform Canva
- Age
- 39 yrs
- Birthday in 188 days
- Works listed
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- Career highlights
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Melanie Perkins is an Australian entrepreneur who co-founded the online design tool Canva with Cliff Obrecht and Cameron Adams in 2013. Canva lets people make graphics without professional skills and has hundreds of millions of users. She is one of the youngest female billionaires.
Biography
Fusion Books
Perkins studied at the University of Western Australia, where she tutored students struggling with design software. In 2007 she and Cliff Obrecht founded Fusion Books, an online tool for school yearbooks, run from her mother’s living room.
Pitching
She spent years pitching investors in Silicon Valley and was rejected more than 100 times before raising money in 2012.
Canva
Canva launched in 2013 with drag-and-drop templates. It grew into one of the world’s most valuable private software companies.
Giving
Perkins and Obrecht, who married in 2021, have pledged most of their shares to charity through the Canva Foundation.
Timeline
-
1987
Born in Perth, Western Australia
-
2007
Co-founds Fusion Books
-
2012
Raises Canva’s first funding
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2013
Canva launches
-
2018
Canva becomes a unicorn
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2021
Marries Cliff Obrecht
Did you know?
-
1
She learned kitesurfing to meet an investor at a kitesurfing event.
-
2
Canva started in her mother’s living room.
-
3
She was 19 when she had the idea.
Connections
Frequently asked
Who is Melanie Perkins?
Melanie Perkins is an Australian entrepreneur who co-founded the online design tool Canva with Cliff Obrecht and Cameron Adams in 2013. Canva lets people make graphics without professional skills and has hundreds of millions of users. She is one of the youngest female billionaires.
How old is Melanie Perkins?
Melanie Perkins is 39 years old, born on 13 May 1987 in Perth, Western Australia.
Where is Melanie Perkins from?
Melanie Perkins was born in Perth, Western Australia.
What is Melanie Perkins known for?
Melanie Perkins is best known for Co-founding Fusion Books and Canva (2013); making design easy for everyone.
References
- Melanie Perkins — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Melanie Perkins — IMDb. IMDb. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Melanie Perkins (Q65584849) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Melanie Perkins”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Melanie Perkins.” TrackFame, last updated 5 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/melanie-perkins
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