Canva overview
Canva makes a web-based design platform for people who are not professional designers. Its main product, Canva, combines a drag-and-drop editor with a large library of templates, photos, fonts and graphics, so users can produce social media posts, presentations, posters, videos, websites and printed materials without training. The company also owns Affinity, a professional application for vector illustration, photo editing and page layout that it relaunched as a free download in 2025.
The idea came from Melanie Perkins, who as a university student in Perth taught other students to use desktop design software and found the programs needlessly hard to learn. With her partner Cliff Obrecht she first built Fusion Books, an online service for designing school yearbooks. In 2012 the couple moved to Sydney, recruited former Google designer Cameron Adams as a third co-founder and set up Canva, which opened to the public in August 2013.
Canva has expanded through a steady run of acquisitions, including the stock image sites Pexels and Pixabay in 2019, the data visualization company Flourish in 2022, Affinity’s developer Serif and the AI image generator Leonardo.ai in 2024, and the animation tool Cavalry and marketing automation company Ortto in 2026. Investors valued it at US$40 billion in a 2021 funding round, and an employee share sale in 2025 put its value at about US$42 billion. In August 2026 Startup Daily reported that a new employee share sale had valued Canva at about US$31 billion after it scaled back its revenue growth forecast.
At the end of 2025 Canva had more than 265 million monthly active users, about 31 million of them paying, and annualized revenue of roughly US$4 billion. A Delaware company, Canva, Inc., became the group’s parent in 2025 as part of preparations for a possible US stock market listing, but the business remains private and based in Sydney. In April 2026 it released Canva AI 2.0, a conversational design system built on its own foundation model, and chief operating officer Cliff Obrecht said the company was working toward going public in 2027.
Software by Canva
2 products profiled, from Canva (2013) to Affinity (2025).
Canva history and milestones
- 2012
Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht and Cameron Adams set up Canva in Sydney and raise its first round of funding.
- 2013
Canva opens to the public in August as a template-based online design tool.
- 2019
Canva buys stock image sites Pexels and Pixabay and launches Canva for Education, free for schools.
- 2021
A funding round values Canva at US$40 billion, and its founders join the Giving Pledge.
- 2022
Canva acquires the data visualization company Flourish and introduces its Magic Write AI writing tool.
- 2023
Canva gathers its growing set of AI features under the Magic Studio name.
- 2024
Canva acquires Serif, maker of the Affinity apps, and the AI image generator Leonardo.ai, and launches Canva Enterprise.
- 2025
An employee share sale values Canva at about US$42 billion, and Affinity relaunches as a free all-in-one app.
- 2026
Canva launches Canva AI 2.0 and buys Cavalry, MangoAI, Simtheory and Ortto as it prepares for a possible listing.
Who founded Canva?
Melanie Perkins
Co-founder and CEO
Melanie Perkins was born in Perth in 1987 and studied communications, psychology and commerce at the University of Western Australia. While still a student she taught others how to use design programs and concluded that the software was far harder than it needed to be, an observation that led first to Fusion Books, an online yearbook design business, and then to Canva.
Perkins has been Canva’s chief executive since its founding and has guided its growth into one of the world’s most valuable private software companies. She married co-founder Cliff Obrecht in 2021, and that year the couple joined the Giving Pledge, committing to give away most of their wealth through the Canva Foundation.
Cliff Obrecht
Co-founder and chief operating officer
Cliff Obrecht earned degrees in arts and education from the University of Western Australia, where he and Melanie Perkins built Fusion Books, an online tool that let schools design their own yearbooks and was used by about 400 Australian schools at its peak. He co-founded Canva with Perkins and Cameron Adams and serves as its chief operating officer.
Obrecht is the company’s most visible voice on finances, funding and its plans for a stock market listing. Through the Canva Foundation, he and Perkins have committed a total of US$150 million to direct cash transfers through the charity GiveDirectly, beginning with families in Malawi.
Cameron Adams
Co-founder and chief product officer
Cameron Adams studied law and computer science at the University of Melbourne and became known in the web standards community as a designer, speaker and author of books on JavaScript. He later worked at Google as a user interface designer on Google Wave, and in 2011 he co-founded Fluent, an email startup that struggled to raise money.
In March 2012 Google Maps co-creator Lars Rasmussen introduced Adams to Perkins and Obrecht, and he joined Canva as its third co-founder, working with Perkins on the first version of the product in a rented Sydney office. He serves as Canva’s chief product officer.
How Canva makes money
Canva makes most of its money from subscriptions. The core editor is free, and users upgrade to Canva Pro for individuals, Canva Business for small teams, which replaced the older Teams plan, or Canva Enterprise for large organizations that need brand controls, security and administration. Paid plans unlock premium templates and stock content, brand kits, background removal and larger allowances for AI features, while eligible schools and nonprofits can use premium features at no cost.
The company also earns revenue from Canva Print, which delivers printed business cards, flyers and other products, and it is shifting its pricing toward AI usage. In April 2026 Obrecht said Canva wanted its move from feature-based tiers to a model built around AI credits to be settled before it went public. Sales to larger organizations are growing quickly: annual recurring revenue from companies with more than 25 seats doubled in 2025 to about US$500 million.
Who owns and runs Canva?
Co-founder Melanie Perkins has been Canva’s chief executive since its founding, with co-founders Cliff Obrecht as chief operating officer and Cameron Adams as chief product officer. Canva is privately held. Perkins and Obrecht hold large stakes and have pledged to give more than 80 percent of their holdings to the Canva Foundation, and its outside investors include Blackbird Ventures, Sequoia Capital and Felicis. A Delaware company, Canva, Inc., has been the group’s parent since 2025, ahead of a possible listing that Obrecht has said the company is aiming for in 2027.
- Melanie PerkinsCo-founder and CEO
- Cliff ObrechtCo-founder and chief operating officer
- Cameron AdamsCo-founder and chief product officer
Canva: frequently asked questions
Who founded Canva?
Canva was founded in 2012 by Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht and Cameron Adams. Perkins and Obrecht had earlier built Fusion Books, a yearbook design business in Perth, and moved to Sydney to start Canva, where former Google designer Adams joined them as a third co-founder. The platform opened to the public in August 2013.
Who owns Canva?
Canva is a privately held company. Co-founders Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht hold large stakes, which they have pledged largely to the Canva Foundation, and venture investors such as Blackbird Ventures, Sequoia Capital and Felicis also own shares. Since 2025 the group’s ultimate parent has been Canva, Inc., a company registered in Delaware.
Who is the CEO of Canva?
Melanie Perkins is the CEO of Canva. She co-founded the company in 2012 and has led it since then, growing it from a Sydney startup into a platform with more than 265 million monthly active users. Her co-founders Cliff Obrecht and Cameron Adams serve as chief operating officer and chief product officer.
Where is Canva headquartered?
Canva is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, where it was founded in 2012, and its registered Australian business address is in the inner-city suburb of Surry Hills. Its ultimate parent company, Canva, Inc., has been registered in Delaware in the United States since 2025, and Canva also has offices in other countries.
What software does Canva make?
Canva makes its namesake online design platform, which covers presentations, social media graphics, documents, whiteboards, videos, websites, spreadsheets and print products, along with AI tools branded Magic Studio and Canva AI. It also develops Affinity, a free desktop app for vector design, photo editing and page layout, and owns Leonardo.ai and the animation tool Cavalry.
Is Canva a public company?
No. As of September 2026 Canva is still privately held, and its shares do not trade on a stock exchange. It has run employee share sales, including one in 2025 that valued the company at about US$42 billion, and co-founder Cliff Obrecht said in April 2026 that Canva was working toward a listing in 2027, although reports of a lower 2026 valuation have raised doubts about that timing.
Sources
- Canva doubles down on AI and marketing automation with Simtheory, Ortto acquisitions, TechCrunch techcrunch.com
- Canva unveils AI 2.0, a new suite of agentic tools, Fortune fortune.com
- Patient capital: Canva delays IPO to 2027 amid AI pivot, Startup Daily startupdaily.net
- Canva wipes $10 billion from its valuation, putting IPO plans in doubt, Startup Daily startupdaily.net
- Canva Pty Ltd, Australian Business Register abr.business.gov.au
- Canva, Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
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