The Australian design platform Canva, co-founded and led by Melissa Perkins, now surpasses $3 billion in annual revenue, which makes her the first woman to lead a startup at such a level. This showcases the international tech ecosystem's coming growth alongside female-led companies as well as startups.
From Startup to Global Powerhouse: Canva’s Growth Story
Canva self-launched in Sydney back in 2012 by Perkins himself alongside two colleagues, Cameron Adams and Clifford Obrect, where it exhibited their strong skill development in app creation. Their drag-and-drop designing tools, along with various templates available, made design fit for everyone from students and teachers to corporate workers globally through low pricing.
With astounding international reach, Canva's annual user base growth is set to hit over 230 million alongside operating in more than 190 countries while also supporting over a hundred languages. As stated previously, the explosive user growth will drive surged revenue, doubling from 1.7 billion in 2022 to over 3 billion dollars till 2024 and beyond, until surpassing remarkable targets of landing an additional 30 million users per year till then.
Melanie Perkins: A Tech Industry Pioneer
Notable as one of the leading female CEOs melting the glass industry globally, Melanie Perkins has greatly influenced the startup scene. She steers Canva toward financial accomplishment while at the same time cultivating organizational inclusivity and innovation culture. Unlike her competitors, Perkins’ vision is to democratize design, which allows more than millions of users, irrespective of their professional status, to enjoy creating graphics and presentations of boardroom quality. Today, she stands with a personal worth of $8.8 billion as of 2025, making her an icon for aspiring women entrepreneurs and exemplifying what a great impact diverse leadership can have in the technology segment.
Canva's Focus on Innovation Hosting New Technologies
Companies that would organize events had no tool to facilitate creation and adjustment to event contents in an easy way till 2023, when generative AI tools were introduced to Canva by its developers, which revolutionized content creation. Non-profit sectors together with educational institutions also benefitted due to ease of access since nearly every country now provides free versions together with affordable paid subscriptions for companies and enterprises. Over 85 percent of Fortune 500 companies now rely on Canva for corporate visuals, making it a dominating force in the market, having set new standards.
A Guideline for Global Female-Led Startups
The rise of Canva and its position as a leading startup success for females speaks to an inspiration that goes beyond finances. With technology and innovation soaring to unrivaled heights, user-friendly design coupled with a driven ethos has set new standards in the startup world. As the company grows further, it inspires women around the globe, which energizes the call for greater female representation and leadership in technology.