In the cutthroat world of startups, success stories often gloss over the gut-wrenching failures that pave the way. Melanie Perkins, co-founder and CEO of Canva—the design powerhouse now valued at over $26 billion—knows this better than most. From a scrappy university side hustle in Perth, Australia, to becoming Australia’s youngest female billionaire at age 32, her path to a $1 billion valuation (achieved in 2019) was littered with setbacks. But each "epic fail" taught her invaluable lessons that fueled Canva’s explosive growth to 170 million users worldwide.
Perkins didn’t invent the wheel overnight. She and her co-founder (and now husband) Cliff Obrecht endured years of rejection, pivots, and near-death experiences before Canva’s magic clicked. Here are her 7 epic fails—and the hard-won wisdom they delivered.
Fail #1: Manual Madness with Fusion Books (2007)
Perkins’ first venture was Fusion Books, a service letting school communities create custom photo yearbooks by uploading pics online. It started as a uni project and quickly gained traction locally—selling thousands of books. But every order meant manual design work in slow software like Photoshop, printing, and shipping. Scaling was a nightmare; they couldn’t keep up.
Lesson: Build for scalability from day one. Perkins learned that even a great idea fails without systems to handle growth. Canva was born from this pain: a simple, intuitive tool that automates design for the masses.
Fail #2: Coding a Monster from Scratch (2007–2009)
Eager to digitize, Perkins decided to build photo-book software herself. Problem: She had zero coding experience. For two grueling years, she taught herself HTML, CSS, and more, creating a clunky prototype. It worked… barely. Investors saw potential but balked at the execution.
Lesson: Play to your strengths and find complementary co-founders. Perkins realized solo heroism isn’t scalable. Enter Cameron Adams (ex-Google), who joined in 2012 as CTO, turbocharging Canva’s tech.
Fail #3: Fusion University Flop (2009)
Pivoting, they launched Fusion University—an online platform with design tutorials to teach non-designers. It attracted some users but fizzled. People wanted tools, not classes; monetization was weak, and it diluted their focus.
Lesson: Validate demand before building. User feedback became Perkins’ north star. Canva’s "magic studio" features (like AI edits) stem from obsessively testing what users actually need.
Fail #4: 100 Pitch Rejections for Yearbook Software (2009–2011)
Armed with a polished yearbook app demo, 19-year-old Perkins pitched over 100 venture capitalists. Every single one said no. Reasons? "Niche market," "too Australia-focused," "not revolutionary." Doors slammed shut for two years straight.
Lesson: Rejection is data, not defeat. Perkins refined her pitch relentlessly, turning "no" into fuel. By Canva’s launch, she’d mastered storytelling—helping secure early believers like Blackbird Ventures.
Fail #5: School Photo Pivot That Ghosted (2011)
Undeterred, they targeted schools with an automated photo-editing service. More pitches, more nos. Investors saw it as "just another edtech gimmick." Traction stalled; they were burning cash with no runway.
Lesson: Pivot boldly when signals scream "stop." This led to Canva’s consumer focus: democratizing design for everyone, not just schools. Today, 95% of Fortune 500 companies use it.
Fail #6: Bootstrapping Burnout in Sydney (2011–2012)
With savings dwindling, Perkins and Obrecht packed up for Sydney on a hunch—closer to investors and talent. They couch-surfed, worked odd jobs, and bootstrapped while building Canva’s MVP. Early tests were meh; growth crawled at 10% month-over-month.
Lesson: Embrace the grind—hustle builds resilience. Perkins’ "no shortcuts" ethos shines in Canva’s culture: remote-first from day one, prioritizing team well-being amid chaos.
Fail #7: Canva Beta Blunders (2013)
Canva finally launched in private beta. Bugs galore, limited templates, slow load times. Users trickled in, but virality was absent. Perkins faced doubts: Was this the pivot? Revenue was zilch for 18 months.
Lesson: Iterate obsessively based on real usage. They A/B tested everything, adding drag-and-drop magic and one-click resizing. By 2015, downloads exploded—proving persistence pays.
The $1B Turnaround: From Ashes to Empire
Canva hit unicorn status in 2018 and soared past $1 billion valuation by 2019, fueled by Perkins’ fail-forged playbook. Today, with $2B+ annual recurring revenue and AI innovations like Magic Write, it’s a design revolution. Perkins’ net worth? Over $6 billion.
Her rollercoaster proves: Epic fails aren’t endpoints—they’re plot twists. As Perkins says, "Every no gets you closer to yes." Aspiring founders, take note: Fail fast, learn faster, and keep riding.
Want to dive deeper? Check out Perkins’ TED Talk or Canva’s blog for more unfiltered insights.