World Model · podcast knowledge graph

The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins

2025-11-02 · 66 min · 50 entities

episode page audio

Asserted relationships

  • 0.77
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://amazon.com/Creativity-Inc-Expanded-Overcoming-Inspiration/dp/0593594649
  • 0.77
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898
  • 0.77
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://amazon.com/Power-Moments-Certain-Experiences-Extraordinary/dp/1501147765
  • 0.77
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://amazon.com/Designing-Obvious-Common-Approach-Application/dp/0321749855
  • → hosted by Lenny Rachitsky person
    0.55
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed author/publisher: Lenny Rachitsky
  • → founded Canva company
    0.54
    evidence rules-v4
    co-founder of Canva
  • → founded Canva company
    0.54
    evidence rules-v4
    co-founder of Canva
  • 0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://amazon.com/Creativity-Inc-Expanded-Overcoming-Inspiration/dp/0593594649
  • 0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://amazon.com/Creativity-Inc-Expanded-Overcoming-Inspiration/dp/0593594649
  • 0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898
  • 0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898
  • 0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://amazon.com/Power-Moments-Certain-Experiences-Extraordinary/dp/1501147765
  • 0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://amazon.com/Power-Moments-Certain-Experiences-Extraordinary/dp/1501147765
  • 0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://amazon.com/Designing-Obvious-Common-Approach-Application/dp/0321749855
  • 0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://amazon.com/Designing-Obvious-Common-Approach-Application/dp/0321749855
  • → works at Canva company
    0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    co-founder of Canva
  • → works at Canva company
    0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    co-founder of Canva
  • → discusses Technology company
    0.40
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: Technology
  • → discusses Business concept
    0.40
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: Business
  • → discusses Entrepreneurship concept
    0.40
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: Entrepreneurship
  • → references penname.co website
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://penname.co/
  • → references figma.com website
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://figma.com/
  • → references stripe.com website
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://stripe.com/
  • → references justworks.com website
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://justworks.com/
  • → references canva.com website
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://canva.com/
  • → references adobe.com website
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://adobe.com/
  • → references calm.com website
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://calm.com/
  • → references usertesting.com website
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://usertesting.com/
  • → references Mahatma Gandhi person
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://brainyquote.com/quotes/mahatma_gandhi_105593
  • → references General Feedback person
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://canva.com/help/get-in-touch/general-feedback

Entities found in this episode

books 16

  • 0.90
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://amazon.com/Creativity-Inc-Expanded-Overcoming-Inspiration/dp/0593594649
  • 0.90
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898
  • 0.90
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://amazon.com/Power-Moments-Certain-Experiences-Extraordinary/dp/1501147765
  • 0.90
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://amazon.com/Designing-Obvious-Common-Approach-Application/dp/0321749855
  • 0.77
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://amazon.com/Creativity-Inc-Expanded-Overcoming-Inspiration/dp/0593594649
  • 0.77
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898
  • 0.77
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://amazon.com/Power-Moments-Certain-Experiences-Extraordinary/dp/1501147765
  • 0.77
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://amazon.com/Designing-Obvious-Common-Approach-Application/dp/0321749855
  • 0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://amazon.com/Creativity-Inc-Expanded-Overcoming-Inspiration/dp/0593594649
  • 0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://amazon.com/Creativity-Inc-Expanded-Overcoming-Inspiration/dp/0593594649
  • 0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898
  • 0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898
  • 0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://amazon.com/Power-Moments-Certain-Experiences-Extraordinary/dp/1501147765
  • 0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://amazon.com/Power-Moments-Certain-Experiences-Extraordinary/dp/1501147765
  • 0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://amazon.com/Designing-Obvious-Common-Approach-Application/dp/0321749855
  • 0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://amazon.com/Designing-Obvious-Common-Approach-Application/dp/0321749855

websites 16

  • mentioned penname.co website
    0.45
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://penname.co/
  • mentioned figma.com website
    0.45
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://figma.com/
  • mentioned stripe.com website
    0.45
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://stripe.com/
  • mentioned justworks.com website
    0.45
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://justworks.com/
  • mentioned canva.com website
    0.45
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://canva.com/
  • mentioned adobe.com website
    0.45
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://adobe.com/
  • mentioned calm.com website
    0.45
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://calm.com/
  • mentioned usertesting.com website
    0.45
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://usertesting.com/
  • references penname.co website
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://penname.co/
  • references figma.com website
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://figma.com/
  • references stripe.com website
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://stripe.com/
  • references justworks.com website
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://justworks.com/
  • references canva.com website
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://canva.com/
  • references adobe.com website
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://adobe.com/
  • references calm.com website
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://calm.com/
  • references usertesting.com website
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://usertesting.com/

persons 7

  • mentioned Lenny Rachitsky person
    0.70
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed author/publisher: Lenny Rachitsky
  • hosted by Lenny Rachitsky person
    0.55
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed author/publisher: Lenny Rachitsky
  • mentioned Mahatma Gandhi person
    0.45
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://brainyquote.com/quotes/mahatma_gandhi_105593
  • mentioned General Feedback person
    0.45
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://canva.com/help/get-in-touch/general-feedback
  • mentioned Melanie Perkins (2019 person
    0.42
    evidence rules-v4
    The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins
  • references Mahatma Gandhi person
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://brainyquote.com/quotes/mahatma_gandhi_105593
  • references General Feedback person
    0.38
    evidence rules-v4
    Link in episode "The woman behind Canva shares how she built a $42B company from nothing | Melanie Perkins": https://canva.com/help/get-in-touch/general-feedback

companys 7

  • mentioned Canva company
    0.68
    evidence rules-v4
    co-founder of Canva
  • founded Canva company
    0.54
    evidence rules-v4
    co-founder of Canva
  • founded Canva company
    0.54
    evidence rules-v4
    co-founder of Canva
  • mentioned Technology company
    0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: Technology
  • works at Canva company
    0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    co-founder of Canva
  • works at Canva company
    0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    co-founder of Canva
  • discusses Technology company
    0.40
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: Technology

concepts 4

  • mentioned Business concept
    0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: Business
  • mentioned Entrepreneurship concept
    0.50
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: Entrepreneurship
  • discusses Business concept
    0.40
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: Business
  • discusses Entrepreneurship concept
    0.40
    evidence rules-v4
    Feed category: Entrepreneurship
Episode description as stored
Melanie Perkins is CEO and co-founder of Canva, currently valued at over $42 billion, generating over $3 billion in annual revenue, with more than 240 million monthly active users and, incredibly, eight consecutive years of profitability. But the journey was far from smooth. Melanie was rejected by over 100 investors during her first fundraising round, her team spent two years without being able to ship a new feature during a technical rewrite, and the company pivoted early from a yearbook publishing platform to become the design powerhouse it is today. Through it all, she maintained what she calls “column B” thinking: building toward a dream future rather than just using the bricks around you. We discuss: 1. How “column B” thinking helped Melanie build Canva, by starting with an impossible vision rather than existing constraints 2. The power of setting “crazy big goals” 3. How Canva survived a painful two-year period without shipping any new features while rewriting their codebase 4. How Melanie pushed through 100 investor rejections, and how she used each rejection to strengthen her pitch 5. Canva’s “two-step plan”: build one of the world’s most valuable companies, then do the most good possible 6. Melanie’s vision for 2050 and why she believes imagination is the first step toward a better world — Brought to you by: Vanta —Automate compliance. Simplify security. https://vanta.com/lenny Stripe —Helping companies of all sizes grow revenue: https://stripe.com/ Justworks —The all-in-one HR solution for managing your small business with confidence: https://www.justworks.com — Transcript: ⁠ https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-making-of-canva⁠⁠ — My biggest takeaways (for paid newsletter subscribers): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/i/176082995/my-biggest-takeaways-from-this-conversation — Where to find Melanie Perkins: • X: https://x.com/melaniecanva • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanieperkins/ — Where to find Lenny: • Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com • X: https://twitter.com/lennysan • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/ — In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Introduction to Melanie Perkins and Canva (04:44) Building a “column B” company (06:36) Operationalizing big visions (13:13) Crazy big goals and celebrations (22:00) Challenges and setbacks in Canva’s journey (26:30) Fundraising and investor rejections (29:36) Leadership and growth lessons (34:38) Canva’s goal-driven structure (35:46) Balancing work and personal life (38:02) Community-driven product development (40:37) The two-step plan for global impact (45:04) Canva’s biggest launch yet (48:10) How Canva approaches product expansion (52:37) AI integration in Canva (53:56) AI corner (55:22) Melanie’s vision for 2050 and beyond (01:00:07) Lightning round and final thoughts — Referenced: • Canva: https://www.canva.com/ • Brian Chesky’s new playbook: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/brian-cheskys-contrarian-approach • Building high-performing teams | Melissa Tan (Webflow, Dropbox, Canva): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/building-high-performing-teams-melissa • UserTesting: https://www.usertesting.com/ • Figma: https://www.figma.com/ • Adobe: https://www.adobe.com/ • Calm: https://www.calm.com/ • Gandhi’s quote about happiness: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/mahatma_gandhi_105593 • Help us improve Canva: https://www.canva.com/help/get-in-touch/general-feedback/ — Recommended books: • Creativity, Inc. : Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration : https://www.amazon.com/Creativity-Inc-Expanded-Overcoming-Inspiration/dp/0593594649/ • The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses : https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898/ • The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact : https://www.amazon.com/Power-Moments-Certain-Experiences-Extraordinary/dp/1501147765 • Designing