She Didn't Know How to Code—But She Reimagined the Future of Design

Melanie Perkins didn’t look like your typical tech CEO. She wasn’t a Stanford dropout with a hoodie and a whiteboard full of code. She was a 19-year-old student from Perth, Australia, teaching design to her classmates—and watching them struggle.

Software like Photoshop felt more like rocket science than creativity. Everyone was overwhelmed. She saw confusion where there should’ve been confidence. And that single insight started to whisper something quietly but persistently: what if design didn’t have to be hard?

It sounded too simple to change the world. But that’s exactly why it did.

A Living Room, a Yearbook, and an Impossible Dream

Together with her then-boyfriend, Cliff, Melanie built her first startup from her mom’s living room. It was called Fusion Books, and it let students design their own school yearbooks online. No more complex software. No more frustration.

That tiny idea started gaining traction in schools across Australia. But Melanie didn’t stop there.

She had something bigger in mind—something that could put professional design tools in the hands of anyone, anywhere. No downloads, no degrees, no gatekeeping. Just you, your ideas, and a canvas.

The Girl Who Wouldn’t Go Away

Melanie packed her bags and flew to Silicon Valley with little more than a pitch deck and a big, audacious dream. She didn’t know anyone in tech. She didn’t have a co-founder with a flashy resume. She had no tech pedigree.

She was told no—over and over. Investors didn’t get it. She wasn’t “technical enough.” The idea was “too ambitious.”

But what they didn’t know was that Melanie had something more powerful than credentials. She had conviction. And she just kept showing up.

One investor, Bill Tai, eventually said yes. Others followed. She brought on a former Google engineer, Cameron Adams, and in 2013, Canva was born.

Design Belongs to Everyone

From a living room in Perth to over 170 million users worldwide, Canva has redefined how the world creates. It’s been used to launch small businesses, design wedding invites, teach kids in rural villages, and create social change campaigns.

Melanie didn’t just build a company—she unlocked creativity for millions who once believed they weren’t “designers.”

Today, Canva is valued at over $40 billion. And Melanie? She still speaks with the same calm humility. She’s pledged 30% of her wealth to charitable causes and remains deeply involved in building a company culture rooted in kindness, impact, and access.

"Don’t wait for someone to give you permission. If you see something broken, fix it. If you see a gap, fill it. If the door’s locked, build a new door." — Melanie Perkins

Now It’s Your Turn

Melanie wasn’t the loudest voice in the room. She didn’t know how to code. But she believed in something, and she kept believing—even when no one else did.

What’s the quiet idea living inside you—and what’s stopping you from bringing it to life?

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