What would you do if you found yourself suddenly a billionaire? It’s a question that will evoke a variety of responses, but I bet none of them involve “give all my money away.” However, that is precisely what this amazing pair intends to do—and they are true billionaires. I’m talking about Melanie Perkins, Canva CEO and Australia’s youngest billionaire, and Cliff Obrecht, her fiancé and co-founder of the firm.
Through Canva, Perkins has accumulated a personal wealth of $2.5 billion, making her Australia’s third-richest woman. Businesses and individuals may use the site to generate their own social media visuals, invites, flyers, and other materials. The epidemic increased the number of remote employees and Canva’s stock—a scenario that quadrupled her riches in months.
With all of the effort they’ve put in over the years to achieve this amount of wealth, this power couple has every right to live a life of luxury. On her social media, the 32-year-old digital design magnate often uploads images of her luxurious excursions overseas, often with Obrecht. The couple has visited Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Cappadocia, Turkey, and Richard Branson’s private Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands.
Canva has grown year after year since its inception in 2014. The business has extended its operations to Manila and Beijing, resulting in a $6 billion value. During their journey to Turkey, Obrecht proposed to Perkins with a $30 ring. Despite the substantial money that their graphic design business has bestowed upon them, he claims that they live a rather humble existence.
He also said that they want to contribute their billions to the “greater good” rather than squander it on themselves. “Mel and I have decided to give away all of our money in order to make the world a better place.” “I believe it’s a duty on us to utilize such a massive firm with such a substantial value today to be a force for good and make the world a better place, rather than simply hoard s**t,” he told The Australian. They want to invest their funds on issues such as global health system reform.
“We live rather modestly and don’t feel the need to just accumulate riches.” The company’s first goal is education, since “we really believe that teaching poor people provides them the ability to break the pattern,” Obrecht said. Perkins also believes that her position of influence in the economic sector would allow her to promote greater equity to underserved areas.
Perkins told the Daily Mail that she got the idea for her own graphics design firm while sitting on her mother’s sofa. This occurred in 2005, when she was enrolled in a first-year digital media course at the university. She fell in love with it and gained remarkable abilities as a result. Perkins improved to the point that she was requested to give graphic design seminars to students from other colleges.
In 2007, she had the idea of developing simple graphic design software that would enable schools and students to create their own yearbooks. Despite having no business or marketing expertise, she had the confidence to establish a firm from the bottom up. “My partner became my co-founder, and we began in my mother’s living room,” she said. “In some ways, our innocence aided us… It would have been terrifying if I had known all the things I didn’t know at the time.”
And the rest, as they say, is history. Canva now has 4 million users across 190 countries. Watch the video below to discover more about Melanie Perkins: