Canva Startup Story by Financeupmedia
Introduction of Canva
Canva is a graphic design platform that allows users to easily create professional-looking designs for various purposes, including social media posts, presentations, flyers, posters, and much more. The company was founded in 2012 by Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht, and Cameron Adams, in Sydney, Australia, and has since become a global phenomenon, with over 60 million users in 190 countries. Canva’s success can be attributed to its user-friendly interface, extensive library of templates and design elements, and its mission to make design accessible to everyone, regardless of their skill level or budget. Whether you’re a professional designer or a beginner, Canva has revolutionized the way people approach graphic design, and has empowered millions of users to create stunning visuals for their personal and professional projects.
Company Highlights
Startup Name | Canva |
Headquarters | Sydney, Australia |
Sector | graphic design |
Founders | Melanie Perkins,Cliff Obrecht,Cameron Adams |
Founded | 2013 |
Valuation | $25 bn |
Revenue | $67 million ( in FY22) |
Website | www.canva.com |
Canva Logo and Tagline
Company Logo

Company Tagline
Empowering the world to design. Canva’s mission is to empower the world to design, and they have certainly made great strides towards achieving this goal. With their user-friendly interface, extensive library of templates, and easy-to-use design tools, Canva has made design accessible to everyone, regardless of their experience level. Whether you need to create a social media post, a presentation slide, or a business card, Canva provides you with the tools and resources to create professional-looking designs in a matter of minutes. Additionally, Canva has made a commitment to promoting diversity and inclusivity in their designs, with a library of images and templates that represent a wide range of cultures, backgrounds, and experiences. By empowering people to create their own designs, Canva is giving a voice to those who may not have had one before, and is helping to democratize the world of graphic design.
about – Canva
Canva is a graphic design platform that allows users to easily create professional-looking designs for various purposes. The company was founded in 2012 in Sydney, Australia by Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht, and Cameron Adams. Canva has become a global phenomenon with over 60 million users in 190 countries. The platform offers a user-friendly interface, extensive library of templates and design elements, and mission to make design accessible to everyone, regardless of their skill level or budget. Canva provides tools and resources to create designs for social media posts, presentations, flyers, posters, business cards, and much more. The company is committed to promoting diversity and inclusivity in their designs, with a library of images and templates that represent a wide range of cultures, backgrounds, and experiences. Canva has revolutionized the way people approach graphic design and has empowered millions of users to create stunning visuals for their personal and professional projects.
Canva – Founders/Owners
Melanie Perkins

Melanie Perkins is an Australian entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of Canva, a graphic design platform that has become a global phenomenon with over 60 million users in 190 countries. Perkins was born in Perth, Australia in 1987 and attended the University of Western Australia, where she studied communications, economics, and commerce. It was during her time at university that Perkins first had the idea for Canva, recognizing the need for a simple and user-friendly graphic design tool for non-designers.
After graduation, Perkins co-founded Fusion Books, an online design system for creating school yearbooks, which became Australia’s largest yearbook publisher. It was during this time that Perkins met her future co-founder, Cliff Obrecht, and the two began working on the idea for Canva.
In 2012, Perkins and Obrecht launched Canva, which has since become a global success, with a valuation of over $15 billion. Perkins has been recognized for her entrepreneurial achievements, including being named in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list, and has spoken about the importance of empowering non-designers to create their own designs. She has also been an advocate for diversity and inclusivity in the tech industry and has spoken about the need for more women in leadership positions.
Perkins is widely respected for her innovative approach to business and her commitment to empowering people to create their own designs.
Cliff Obrecht

Cliff Obrecht is an Australian entrepreneur and the co-founder of Canva, a graphic design platform that has become a global phenomenon with over 60 million users in 190 countries. Obrecht was born in Perth, Australia in 1985 and attended the University of Western Australia, where he studied finance and accounting.
After graduation, Obrecht began his career in finance, working as an investment banker in Sydney. It was during this time that he met his future co-founder, Melanie Perkins, and the two began working on the idea for Canva.
In 2012, Obrecht and Perkins launched Canva, which has since become a global success, with a valuation of over $15 billion. Obrecht has been instrumental in the growth of Canva, overseeing the company’s finance, operations, and business development. He has also been an advocate for diversity and inclusivity in the tech industry, working to promote gender equality and support underrepresented groups.
Obrecht is widely respected for his business acumen and his commitment to empowering people to create their own designs. He has spoken about the importance of creating a positive work culture and the need for companies to prioritize the well-being of their employees. Obrecht’s contributions to Canva have helped to make it one of the most successful startups in the world, and he continues to play a key role in the company’s growth and success.
Cameron Adams

Cameron Adams is an Australian entrepreneur and the co-founder of Canva, a graphic design platform that has become a global phenomenon with over 60 million users in 190 countries. Adams was born in Sydney, Australia in 1981 and attended the University of Technology, Sydney, where he studied design and multimedia.
After graduation, Adams began his career as a web developer, working for companies such as Lonely Planet and Google. It was during his time at Google that Adams met his future co-founders, Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht, and began working on the idea for Canva.
In 2012, Adams, Perkins, and Obrecht launched Canva, which has since become a global success, with a valuation of over $15 billion. Adams has played a key role in the development of Canva’s user interface and design, using his expertise in web design to create a platform that is both intuitive and user-friendly. He has also been an advocate for user-centered design, focusing on the needs of the user and creating designs that are accessible and easy to use.
Adams is widely respected for his contributions to the world of web design and his commitment to creating products that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing. He has spoken about the importance of user-centered design and the need for designers to focus on the needs of their users. Adams’ contributions to Canva have helped to make it one of the most successful startups in the world, and he continues to play a key role in the company’s growth and success.
How was Canva Started?
Canva was started by Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht, and Cameron Adams in 2012. The idea for Canva first came to Melanie Perkins in 2007 when she was teaching graphic design at a university in Perth, Australia. She noticed that many of her students struggled with the complex and expensive software used in the industry and saw an opportunity to create a more user-friendly design tool.
Perkins met Cliff Obrecht, who was her boyfriend at the time and had a background in finance, while she was running her first startup, a company that created online yearbooks for schools. Obrecht shared Perkins’ vision for a simpler design tool, and the two began working on a prototype for what would become Canva.
In 2011, Perkins and Obrecht met Cameron Adams, a former Google employee with expertise in web design. Adams was immediately drawn to the idea of a user-friendly design tool and joined the team to help build the platform.
The three co-founders spent the next year developing Canva, with Perkins and Obrecht working on the business side and Adams focusing on the user interface and design. They launched the platform in 2013, initially offering a range of templates and design elements for users to customize.
Since then, Canva has grown into a global phenomenon with over 60 million users in 190 countries. The company has raised over $500 million in funding and has a valuation of over $15 billion. Canva has revolutionized the world of graphic design, making it accessible to everyone, regardless of their skill level or budget.
Canva – Product and Services
Canva is a graphic design platform that offers a wide range of products and services to its users. Some of the main products and services offered by Canva include:
Design templates: Canva offers a large collection of design templates that users can customize to create their own designs for a variety of purposes, including social media posts, presentations, business cards, flyers, and more.
Design tools: Canva provides users with a range of design tools, including drag-and-drop functionality, text and font options, image and illustration libraries, and more, that enable users to create their own designs from scratch.
Collaboration tools: Canva allows users to collaborate on designs in real-time, making it easy for teams to work together and share feedback.
Branding tools: Canva provides users with branding tools that help them create a consistent look and feel for their brand, including the ability to create custom color palettes, upload logos and brand assets, and more.
Printing and publishing services: Canva offers a range of printing and publishing services, including the ability to order printed products such as business cards, flyers, and posters, as well as the option to publish designs directly to social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
Education and resources: Canva provides a range of educational resources, including tutorials, blog posts, and design courses, to help users improve their design skills and get the most out of the platform.
Overall, Canva’s products and services are designed to make graphic design accessible to everyone, regardless of their skill level or budget.
Canva – Vision and mission
Canva’s vision is to empower the world to design. They aim to achieve this by providing a user-friendly and accessible graphic design platform that enables people to create beautiful designs for a wide range of purposes, from social media posts to business presentations and more.
Canva’s mission is to democratize design and make it accessible to everyone. They believe that design should not be limited to those with technical skills or expensive software, but should be available to anyone with a creative idea. Canva’s mission is to provide a platform that is intuitive, affordable, and easy to use, allowing anyone to create professional-looking designs that make an impact.
Canva’s founders believe that design is a powerful tool for communication and expression, and that everyone should have the opportunity to use it to share their ideas and tell their stories. Their vision and mission are focused on making this a reality, by providing a platform that is both user-friendly and inclusive.
Canva – Business Model and Revenue Model
Canva’s business model is centered around providing a free and user-friendly graphic design platform to its users. They also offer premium features and services for users who want to take their designs to the next level.
Canva’s revenue model is primarily based on a subscription-based model, where users can pay for premium features such as additional design templates, access to premium stock photos and illustrations, the ability to create custom templates and designs, and more. Canva also generates revenue through its print and publishing services, where users can order printed products such as business cards, flyers, and posters directly from the platform.
In addition to these revenue streams, Canva also offers a referral program where users can earn credits for referring friends to the platform. These credits can then be used towards premium features and services.
Overall, Canva’s business model and revenue model are focused on providing a user-friendly platform for graphic design while offering premium features and services for users who require additional functionality.
Canva – Competitors
Canva has several competitors in the graphic design software space. Some of Canva’s main competitors include:
Adobe Creative Cloud: Adobe Creative Cloud is a suite of design software tools, including Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, that offer a more powerful and feature-rich design experience than Canva. However, Adobe Creative Cloud is also more complex and expensive.
PicMonkey: PicMonkey is a graphic design platform that offers a similar user-friendly interface to Canva. However, PicMonkey is primarily focused on photo editing and lacks some of the design tools and features of Canva.
DesignBold: DesignBold is a graphic design platform that offers a range of design templates and tools similar to Canva. However, DesignBold has a smaller user base and a more limited range of features and integrations.
Crello: Crello is a graphic design platform that offers a range of design templates and tools similar to Canva. However, Crello has a smaller user base and a more limited range of features and integrations.
Piktochart: Piktochart is a graphic design platform that is primarily focused on creating infographics and presentations. While it offers a range of design templates and tools, it is less suited for other types of design projects than Canva.
Overall, while Canva has several competitors in the graphic design software space, its user-friendly interface, broad range of features and templates, and affordable pricing have made it a popular choice for designers and non-designers alike.
FAQs
1. Can you use Canva for free?
Canva is always free for every individual and team. However, if you want to unlock premium features, individuals can upgrade to Canva Pro to easily create professional designs and content.
2. How to earn money with Canva?
Sign up. Become a contributor with a single click. Hobbyist or pro, it doesn’t matter – we’d love to have you.
Upload your work. Upload your items, either individually or as a collection. …
Start earning. Earn every time our users use your item when they design in Canva.
3. What is Canva mostly used for?
Canva makes designing beautiful creative assets easy for everyone. From social media images, videos and gifs to posters, websites, booklets, multimedia presentations, and heaps more, Canva is an invaluable tool for helping you level up your design skills, even if you’re just getting started.
4. Is Canva free for students?
Yes – it’s 100% free, with no paywalls or nasty surprises. It’s our commitment that Canva for Education will remain 100% free for K-12 (primary and secondary) educators, their students, as well as qualified school districts and institutions.
5. Is it easy to sell on Canva?
All in all, you don’t need a whole lot to try your hand at selling Canva templates, and it’s pretty easy to start making a decent passive income from doing so.
6. Is Canva good for small business?
Easy to Use – Canva has an incredibly simple and user-friendly interface, so you don’t need any experience or prior knowledge to get started. Plenty of Templates – No matter which project you’re working on, you’ll find templates in Canva to help make creating your design easier and faster.
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