What happens when a 19-year-old girl decides to challenge Microsoft and Adobe?
A thread...
A thread...
You get Canva, a $15 billion startup loved by millions of users worldwide.
You also get Melanie Perkins, the billionaire founder and CEO of Canva.
And most importantly, you get an inspiration for so many young women around the world to follow their dreams.
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You also get Melanie Perkins, the billionaire founder and CEO of Canva.
And most importantly, you get an inspiration for so many young women around the world to follow their dreams.
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Melanie got the idea for Canva at the age of 19. At that time, she was teaching a design course.
As part of that course, she had to teach students how to use Adobe and Microsoft design tools. These tools were very complex and hard-to-understand.
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As part of that course, she had to teach students how to use Adobe and Microsoft design tools. These tools were very complex and hard-to-understand.
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That's when she thought- why not make a simple design tool that anyone can use?
“The idea of making design really simple was the first idea” she said in an interview recently.
So, she teamed up with her boyfriend(now husband) Cliff Obrecht and started working on this idea.
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“The idea of making design really simple was the first idea” she said in an interview recently.
So, she teamed up with her boyfriend(now husband) Cliff Obrecht and started working on this idea.
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Earlier, they called it Canvas Chef. Thank god they realized it was a bad name, so they changed it to Canva.
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Canva had a bad start- hardly anyone signed up for it. People thought it was a bad idea.
Investors refused to fund her startup because they thought it was a bad idea.
People refused to work for her startup because they thought it was a bad idea.
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Investors refused to fund her startup because they thought it was a bad idea.
People refused to work for her startup because they thought it was a bad idea.
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But Melanie believed in her idea. So, she persevered through these difficult times.
Her belief was right. Even though it had a slow start, Canva shot to 50,000 users by the end of the first month.
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Her belief was right. Even though it had a slow start, Canva shot to 50,000 users by the end of the first month.
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After hearing "no" from 100s of investors, the company got its first funding for $3 million in 2013.
From that point on, she hasn't turned back.
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From that point on, she hasn't turned back.
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Of course, new challenges emerged along the way. Adobe launched its Canva-copycat called Spark. New startups like Figma and Sketch dominated adjacent design markets.
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But the company hasn't stopped innovating. They have launched new products like Canva Enterprise and Canva Video Editor.
Today, Canva is a $15 billion giant with 55 million users in 190 countries and $500 million in revenue!!
Today, Canva is a $15 billion giant with 55 million users in 190 countries and $500 million in revenue!!
Follow @shreyans512 for more insights like this🙌🏻
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