Canva vs Midjourney: Founders, CEOs and History
Canva was founded in 2013 by Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht, Cameron Adams and is led by Melanie Perkins. Midjourney was founded in 2021 by David Holz and is led by David Holz.
Company facts
Canva
- Founded
- 2013
- Headquarters
- Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Current CEO
- Melanie Perkins
- Employees
- 5,300
Midjourney
- Founded
- 2021
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, California, United States
- Current CEO
- David Holz
- Employees
- 100
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.
Midjourney
David Holz
David Holz is the founder and CEO of Midjourney, Inc. He previously co-founded Leap Motion in 2010 and served as its CTO, then started Midjourney in 2021 as a self-funded research lab.
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
Midjourney
- David Holz2021–present
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Founded Midjourney in 2021 after co-founding Leap Motion; has run it as a self-funded lab with no venture capital, overseeing the V1-V8 model line and the 2025 launch of Video V1.
Source - Philip Rosedale2022–present
Advisor
Provided critical early structural advice and scaled governance consulting for the rapidly growing generative AI image synthesis platform.
Source
Timeline: Canva and Midjourney side by side
2007Canva
Fusion Books Founded in Perth
Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht founded Fusion Books in Perth, building an online tool for school yearbooks.
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.
2015Canva
Launch of Canva for Work (Canva Pro)
Introduced subscription tiers with Brand Kits and team collaboration, igniting commercial enterprise revenue.
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.
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.
2021Midjourney
Midjourney Founded in San Francisco by David Holz
Leap Motion co-founder David Holz founded Midjourney as a self-funded independent AI research lab.
2022Midjourney
Launches Midjourney V1 on Discord & Goes Viral Globally
Debuted text-to-image synthesis inside Discord, creating a worldwide spectator co-creation phenomenon.
2022Midjourney
Wins Colorado State Fair Digital Art Competition & Stirs Global Debate
An artwork generated with Midjourney ('Théâtre D'opéra Spatial') won first prize, sparking global debates on AI in fine art.
2022Midjourney
Holz says Midjourney is profitable
In August 2022 Holz said the company was already profitable without outside funding.
2023Canva
Launch of Magic Studio Generative AI Suite
Debuted Magic Studio, processing billions of AI design operations and expanding into Canva Enterprise.
2023Midjourney
Releases Midjourney V5 & The Viral Pope Puffer Jacket Moment
Launched photorealistic V5; viral Pope image demonstrated AI's alarming realism, sparking global deepfake debates.
2023Midjourney
V6 and growing Discord community
Revenue was estimated by outside analysts near $200 million in 2023; Midjourney does not disclose figures.
2024Canva
Landmark Acquisitions of Serif (Affinity) & Leonardo.ai
Acquired Serif (Affinity suite) and Leonardo.ai, mounting a direct challenge to Adobe Creative Cloud.
2024Midjourney
Launches Midjourney Web Studio & Consistency Parameters (--cref / --sref)
Expanded beyond Discord into a dedicated web canvas studio and introduced character consistency for storytellers.
2025Midjourney
Video V1 launch and studio lawsuits
Midjourney launched Video V1 in June 2025; Disney and Universal sued the same month, and Warner Bros. Discovery followed in September.
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.
2026Midjourney
V8 series released
V8 alpha launched March 17, 2026; V8.2 became the default model on July 24, 2026.
Acquisitions
Canva
- Cavalry and MangoAI2026Undisclosed
- Serif (Affinity)2024$380M
- Flourish2022Undisclosed
- Kaleido AI (remove.bg)2021Undisclosed
Midjourney
No verified acquisitions are listed.
Questions about Canva vs Midjourney
Who is the CEO of Canva Pty Ltd and Midjourney, Inc.?
Canva Pty Ltd is led by Melanie Perkins and Midjourney, Inc. is led by David Holz. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Canva Pty Ltd founded vs Midjourney, Inc.?
Canva Pty Ltd was founded in 2013 — 8 years before Midjourney, Inc., which was founded in 2021. Canva Pty Ltd's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Midjourney, Inc..
How many employees does Canva Pty Ltd have compared to Midjourney, Inc.?
Canva Pty Ltd employs approximately 5,300 people, while Midjourney, Inc. employs approximately 100. Canva Pty Ltd has the larger workforce at 5,300 employees, compared to Midjourney, Inc.'s 100. 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 Midjourney, Inc. headquartered?
Canva Pty Ltd is headquartered in Australia and Midjourney, Inc. 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 Midjourney, Inc.?
Canva Pty Ltd was founded by Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht, Cameron Adams. Midjourney, Inc. was founded by David Holz.
Which company has a longer operating history — Canva Pty Ltd or Midjourney, Inc.?
Canva Pty Ltd has been operating for approximately 13 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Midjourney, Inc. has been in operation for around 5 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 Midjourney overview