The last few weeks, we've talked about Hilary Duff stepping back, Katrina Lake refusing to step back, and Emma Grede building in the background. This week, we're talking about rejection. A lot of rejection. Melanie Perkins got rejected by over 100 investors while trying to raise funding for Canva. Over three years, she heard no again and again. One investor literally fell asleep during her pitch. And she kept going anyway. She was running Fusion Books during the day, pitching Canva at night and on weekends, flying to conferences, refining her deck, and hearing no over and over. For three years. Until she finally got the yes she needed. Now Canva is worth $26 billion. Melanie is one of the youngest female tech billionaires in the world. And over 170 million people use Canva every month. If you're sitting with a rejection right now, if you've been told no and you're wondering if you should give up, this one's for you. Rejection isn't the end. It's just part of the process.

Sources & Disclaimer

This episode was created using publicly available information about Melanie Perkins' life and career, gathered from verified interviews, articles, and business reports, including:

• Melanie Perkins' background growing up in Perth, Australia
• Her experience teaching design software in college
• Co-founding Fusion Books in 2007 with Cliff Obrecht
• Her journey pitching Canva to over 100 investors (2010-2013)
• The story of an investor falling asleep during her pitch
• Meeting Bill Tai in 2012 and securing funding
• Canva's launch in 2013
• Canva's user growth milestones (10M in 2018, 30M in 2020, 60M in 2021, 170M+ currently)
• Canva's valuation reaching $26 billion
• Interviews where Melanie discussed the rejection years and what kept her going
• Her vision of democratizing design and making it accessible to everyone

All facts shared in this episode are based on information available at the time of recording. Any personal reflections, interpretations, or opinions included are my own. If any details are found to be inaccurate, I'm happy to issue corrections.