The Start:

Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht, and Cameron Adams, the co-founders of Canva, combined their diverse backgrounds in design, business, and technology to launch the platform.

Melanie and Cliff had previously founded Fusion Books, an online tool for creating school yearbooks, which gave them valuable experience in the graphic design space.

Cameron, a former Google engineer, brought significant technical expertise to the team, rounding out their collective skill set. Together, they embarked on a mission to democratize design.

The Problem:

The founders identified the cumbersome and inaccessible nature of traditional graphic design tools, which often required specialized skills and software.

They saw an opportunity to empower non-designers with an easy-to-use, web-based platform that would enable anyone to create stunning graphics and documents.

With Canva, they aimed to provide a user-friendly and affordable design solution, allowing individuals and businesses to produce professional-quality visuals without the steep learning curve or high cost associated with conventional design software.

Getting their first customers:

The initial pre-Canva product enabled students and schools to create their own yearbooks using simple drag-and-drop tools and a library of customizable templates.

Although it was focused on a specific niche, this concept became the foundation of Canva.

They experimented with direct mail campaigns and phone calls to schools across Australia, sending sample yearbooks.

As they expanded, they generated buzz within the design community and related groups needing design assistance. Melanie and Cliff pursued press coverage and reached out to blogs, podcasts, and conferences to offer "early access" to their audiences.

Anyone on the waitlist who tweeted about Canva was usually onboarded immediately, further spreading Canva's name and generating hype.

They strategically focused their use case on Facebook designs, leveraging Facebook as a distribution channel to maximize exposure.

The Facebook templates drove referrals as users invited colleagues to collaborate, and word of mouth grew when people posted Canva graphics on Facebook and others inquired about the tool.

This strategy created growth loops that compounded over time, leading to significant growth for Canva.

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