A Hundred Rejections

Which entrepreneur should I visit?

Someone is here in The BASE, but this gloomy afternoon at HKUST just makes me want to go somewhere else first.

Hmm… What is the person doing in The BASE anyway during the break?

Oh, she seems to be designing something… using… Canva? Her design is pretty nice! But, who created Canva anyway?

I searched the Web to discover who created Canva, and it seems to be created by Melanie Perkins. After the designer leaves The BASE, I immediately depart HKUST to visit Perkins.

I see her at her office and immediately approach her.

Hey! What’s your name? How can I help you? She asks me when I enter her office.

Nervous, but wanting to learn more, I reply, Hi! I’m Bobby! I was just wondering if you could answer some questions about Canva for me! I just really wanted to learn more about it.

Of course! She replies with enthusiasm.

So, how did you come up with the idea of Canva?

Well, I formed the idea of Canva back in 2007 when I was 19 years old. Actually, during this time, I was teaching students how to use design softwares like Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator that were expensive and difficult to learn. Seeing them struggle made me want to create a tool that would be inexpensive and easy to use, especially for individuals who are not experts in designing.

Congrats! You were able to successfully achieve your goal! I see so many individuals at HKUST use this application actually! Was it easy to achieve this?

No, it actually took a long time to create Canva. I was faced with over a hundred rejections, and I wasted so many trips to Silicon Valley only to receive more rejections while I pitched my idea of Canva to venture capitalists. But, I tried my best to stay motivated and optimistic despite the numerous rejections. I knew that someone would eventually support my idea. It took me three years until I received my first investment for Canva.

Why do you think your idea was constantly rejected at first? It’s so successful now!

I think that it’s because of how I pitched Canva. I lacked telling my personal story to the investors on how and why I came up with the idea of Canva. So, I started telling my story to them on how I saw the struggles of people who wanted to design but could not because of the expensive and complicated design softwares.

Thank you so much for answering my questions! See you next time!

See you, Bobby!

Today, Canva is used by more than 75 million people. Their product has grown over time with the emergence of Canva Sites and Canva Video. It is constantly evolving as it works toward becoming an all-in-one platform for teams to collaborate in.

Perkins did not stop at generating a revolutionary tool. She donates around 30% stake to charitable foundations that alleviate poverty such as US-based non-profit organization GiveDirectly. She also works to eliminate bias in the company’s hiring process and promotes female representation.

Indeed, I was amazed with the perseverance and compassion of Melanie Perkins. Despite the numerous rejections she received, she strived until her idea was approved. She continues to have compassion for others even after becoming a successful entrepreneur.