The Asian CEO Who Made Design Simple
By Kelli Luu | 13 Jan, 2026

Melanie Perkins’ yearbook start up became the seed of a multi-billion dollar idea, earning her a top spot on Forbes’ list of World’s Richest Self-Made Women.

One of the world’s most influential tech CEOs is a young Filipina-Sri Lankan-Australian woman whose simple idea became Canva, a design platform with over 240 million users. 

Meet Melanie Perkins. Born in 1987 to an Australian mother and Filipino-Sri Lankan father, Perkins began her entrepreneurial legacy early, selling handmade scarves as a teen. It wasn’t until she was a college student at the University of Western Australia where she tutored students in softwares like Photoshop and InDesign. Perkins watched her peers struggle to learn basic design skills and functions leading her to realize design wasn’t difficult, the tools were. 

With a vision to create a software that would make digital design more accessible and user-friendly, Perkins and her partner and now husband, Cliff Obrecht, developed Fusion Books, a platform that helped students create their school’s yearbooks. Fusion Books was just a small look into what Canva would actually become as the business grew quickly in Australia, proving that people do want design tools that were easier to use. 

Perkins pushed to expand her vision globally, so she looked to investors for help and after getting over 100 rejections, she met Chinese investor Bill Tai. He connected Perkins and Obrecht with a team that helped build the very first version of Canva which launched in 2013. In just a few months through word of mouth, millions of users were logging into the platform because it truly made design simple. 

To stay ahead Canva expanded to presentation tools, website building, and video editing, providing entire template libraries for users. By 2018 Canva was declared “unicorn status” and in 2021 a $200 million funding round valued the platform at $40 billion, making it one of the most valuable private software companies and one of the most valuable companies led by a woman. 

As of August 2025 Canva has a valuation of $42 billion with over 240 million people using it, including 95% of the Fortune 500. Perkins has been recognized on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in 2016 and their Power Women and World’s Richest Self-Made Women lists in 2025. 

While Perkins and Obrecht both own 18% of Canva, the couple has pledged 30% of their equity to the Canva Foundation for charitable causes. Through this foundation, Canva has helped fund humanitarian projects, disaster relief support, and global education access. Free Canva access to nonprofits and schools gives millions of teachers, students, and community leaders the luxury of useful design tools at no cost. 

Melanie Perkins went from tutoring her classmates to running a $42 billion powerhouse as one of the most influential women in tech. She built a company for the next generation of innovators, putting creativity in the hands of anyone around the world.