Melanie Perkins

It all began in 2007, when Perkins, then in college, had a side job teaching students how to use traditional graphic design programs. Canva’s first iteration was an easy-to-use and inexpensive alternative to such existing software (and was intitially used for publishing yearbooks, no less!). Today, Canva has expanded to other areas of design, and the Sydney-area company, valued at $6 billion, has become a viable competitor to the likes of Adobe. What’s more, Perkins has become one of Australia’s most successful tech entrepreneurs and one of the world’s youngest female tech unicorn founders.