Canva vs Microsoft: Founders, CEOs and History
Canva was founded in 2013 by Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht, Cameron Adams and is led by Melanie Perkins. Microsoft was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates, Paul Allen and is led by Satya Nadella.
Company facts
Founders
Canva
Melanie Perkins
Melanie Perkins is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Canva Pty Ltd. In 2007, at just 19 years of age, Perkins founded Fusion Books with Cliff Obrecht from her mother's living room in Perth, building a profitable software platform that allowed Austr…
Cliff Obrecht
Cliff Obrecht is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Canva. A master of operational execution, sales strategy, and corporate partnerships, Obrecht directed Canva's business development from its early days in Perth.
Cameron Adams
Cameron Adams is a co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Canva. In 2012, Perkins and Obrecht recruited Adams in Sydney to translate their vision of a drag-and-drop design tool into an intuitive, high-quality user interface.
Microsoft
Bill Gates
Microsoft possesses arguably the most well-known, foundational founding story of the entire personal computing revolution, rooted in the intense, effective partnership of two teenage computer prodigies who recognized the software potential of the microcomputer…
Paul Allen
Paul Allen co-founded Microsoft and was crucial to its earliest technical and strategic decisions. He helped develop Altair BASIC, gave the company its original name, and participated in the operating-system opportunity that led to MS-DOS.
CEOs and their tenures
Canva
- Melanie Perkins2012–present
Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder
Founding who launched Fusion Books at 19 and endured 100+ VC rejections to build Canva; scaled the company past US$3.5 billion in 2025 revenue and a US$42 billion 2025 valuation, pledged 30% equity to eliminate extreme poverty, and directs global corporate str…
Source - Cliff Obrecht2013–present
Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer
Executed the global business strategy, forged massive enterprise partnerships, and managed the aggressive scaling operations of the design software platform.
Source
Microsoft
- Bill Gates1975–2000
Co-founder and CEO
Gates built Microsoft's licensing model: software sold to many hardware makers rather than tied to one.
Source - Steve Ballmer2000–2014
CEO
Ballmer grew revenue from about $23 billion in FY2000 to about $78 billion in FY2013 and built the enterprise server and sales business that Azure later scaled on.
Source - Satya Nadella2014–present
Chairman and CEO
Nadella made Azure and Microsoft 365 the company's core, opened Microsoft to Linux and open source, and positioned it early in generative AI through OpenAI.
Source
Timeline: Canva and Microsoft side by side
1975Microsoft
Microsoft Founded
Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft after recognizing that the Altair 8800 needed usable programming software. Their first product, Altair BASIC, turned a hobbyist computer kit into a programmable platform.
1981Microsoft
MS-DOS Ships With IBM PC
IBM introduced its personal computer with MS-DOS 1.0 and other Microsoft products. The milestone mattered because Microsoft's operating-system work moved from a small software supplier's project into the emerging corporate PC standard.
1985Microsoft
Windows Launch
The release of Windows 1.0 began Microsoft's long move from command-line operating systems to graphical personal computing. The first version was not an instant blockbuster, but it gave Microsoft a user-interface path that could evolve with PC hardware.
1990Microsoft
Office Suite Release
The bundling of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint into Microsoft Office created a productivity suite that became central to business work. The bundle simplified enterprise purchasing and made file compatibility a competitive weapon.
1998Microsoft
U.S. Antitrust Case
The U.S. Department of Justice accused Microsoft of using Windows power to suppress browser competition. The case mattered because it placed Microsoft's platform tactics under public and legal scrutiny at the height of its PC strong position.
2007Canva
Fusion Books Founded in Perth
Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht founded Fusion Books in Perth, building an online tool for school yearbooks.
2010Microsoft
Azure Commercial Launch
Azure gave Microsoft a way to compete in cloud infrastructure as enterprise customers began shifting workloads away from company-owned servers.
2012Canva
Cameron Adams Joins; Canva Incorporated
Google UI designer Cameron Adams joined as co-founder, and Canva raised seed capital from Bill Tai and Lars Rasmussen.
2013Canva
Public Launch of Canva in Sydney
Canva launched publicly, reaching 750,000 users in its first year through its influential drag-and-drop editor.
2014Microsoft
Satya Nadella CEO
Satya Nadella became CEO and moved Microsoft away from a strategy that forced every product to serve Windows. He prioritized Azure, Microsoft 365, open source, Linux support, cross-platform software, and a more collaborative developer posture.
2015Canva
Launch of Canva for Work (Canva Pro)
Introduced subscription tiers with Brand Kits and team collaboration, igniting commercial enterprise revenue.
2016Microsoft
LinkedIn Acquisition
Microsoft agreed to acquire LinkedIn in 2016 for $26.2 billion in cash. The deal mattered because it added a professional identity network to a company already strong in Office, Dynamics, cloud services, recruiting tools, advertising, and enterprise sales.
2018Canva
Achieved Unicorn Status at $1.0B Valuation
Raised $40 million in January 2018 from investors including Sequoia Capital China, Blackbird Ventures and Felicis, reaching a $1 billion valuation.
2018Microsoft
GitHub Acquisition
Microsoft acquired GitHub for $7.5 billion in stock, reversing years of developer skepticism toward the company. The acquisition placed Microsoft inside the daily workflow of software developers across languages, clouds, and operating systems.
2019Canva
Acquisition of Pexels & Pixabay
Acquired leading free stock photography platforms Pexels and Pixabay, embedding millions of free assets.
2021Canva
$40.0B Valuation Peak & Philanthropic Equity Pledge
Valued at $40.0B in a $200M round; founders pledged 30% equity stake to eliminate extreme global poverty.
2023Canva
Launch of Magic Studio Generative AI Suite
Debuted Magic Studio, processing billions of AI design operations and expanding into Canva Enterprise.
2023Microsoft
AI Leadership
Microsoft's expanded OpenAI partnership and Copilot product rollout placed the company at the center of enterprise generative AI adoption.
2023Microsoft
Activision Blizzard Acquisition Closes
Microsoft completed the Activision Blizzard acquisition after intense regulatory review. The deal added Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Candy Crush, and other franchises to Microsoft Gaming.
2024Canva
Landmark Acquisitions of Serif (Affinity) & Leonardo.ai
Acquired Serif (Affinity suite) and Leonardo.ai, mounting a direct challenge to Adobe Creative Cloud.
2026Canva
Growth Forecast Cut and Valuation Markdowns
Canva cut its 2026 revenue growth forecast to about 20% from 30% after AI serving costs slowed a product rollout, and backers including Blackbird marked its valuation down, the AFR reported.
Acquisitions
Canva
- Cavalry and MangoAI2026Undisclosed
- Serif (Affinity)2024$380M
- Flourish2022Undisclosed
- Kaleido AI (remove.bg)2021Undisclosed
Microsoft
- Activision Blizzard2023$68.7B
- Nuance Communications2022$19.7B
- ZeniMax Media2021$7.5B
- GitHub2018$7.5B
- LinkedIn2016$26.2B
Questions about Canva vs Microsoft
Who is the CEO of Canva Pty Ltd and Microsoft Corporation?
Canva Pty Ltd is led by Melanie Perkins and Microsoft Corporation is led by Satya Nadella. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Canva Pty Ltd founded vs Microsoft Corporation?
Microsoft Corporation was founded in 1975 — 38 years before Canva Pty Ltd, which was founded in 2013. Microsoft Corporation's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Canva Pty Ltd.
How many employees does Canva Pty Ltd have compared to Microsoft Corporation?
Canva Pty Ltd employs approximately 5,300 people, while Microsoft Corporation employs approximately 223,000. Microsoft Corporation has the larger workforce at 223,000 employees, compared to Canva Pty Ltd's 5,300. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Canva Pty Ltd and Microsoft Corporation headquartered?
Canva Pty Ltd is headquartered in Australia and Microsoft Corporation is headquartered in United States. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded Canva Pty Ltd and Microsoft Corporation?
Canva Pty Ltd was founded by Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht, Cameron Adams. Microsoft Corporation was founded by Bill Gates, Paul Allen.
Which company has a longer operating history — Canva Pty Ltd or Microsoft Corporation?
Microsoft Corporation has been operating for approximately 51 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Canva Pty Ltd has been in operation for around 13 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Canva vs Microsoft overview