Canva | Case Study
Canva & Melanie Perkins - Entrepreneurship, Problem Solving, & Empathy
This case study explores entrepreneurship through the journey of Canva and its co-founder, Melanie Perkins. Students will analyse how a simple idea, making graphic design more accessible, transformed into a global company valued at $30 billion with 60 million active monthly users across 190 countries.
Through videos, discussions, and group activities, students will explore key entrepreneurial concepts, including resilience, problem-solving, vision, and customer empathy. They will also discuss how entrepreneurs identify problems, test solutions, and scale businesses, as Perkins did with Canva, refining her idea through Fusion Books before launching Canva as an all-in-one design platform.
What Students Will Learn
Through this activity, students will:
Define entrepreneurship and explore key traits like resilience, problem-solving, and vision.
Analyse Canva’s success story, understanding how identifying a real-world problem led to a global business solution.
Recognise the importance of empathy in business, seeing how Perkins observed and responded to her classmates’ struggles with design tools.
Engage in group discussions and activities where they will solve a crisis at Canva, applying creative problem-solving and business strategy.
What You Need
Required - Teacher Notes and Runsheet
Required - Audio and Video - the presentation has video and needs sound
Required - Paper, pencils/pens for students to use for activity
Optional - Class prizes for best pitch, best use of problem-solving, most creativity, etc.
Files included for Download
Teacher Notes and Runsheet (.pdf)
Presentation Slides (.pdf)
Presentation Slides (.ppt)
Canva & Melanie Perkins - Entrepreneurship, Problem Solving, & Empathy
This case study explores entrepreneurship through the journey of Canva and its co-founder, Melanie Perkins. Students will analyse how a simple idea, making graphic design more accessible, transformed into a global company valued at $30 billion with 60 million active monthly users across 190 countries.
Through videos, discussions, and group activities, students will explore key entrepreneurial concepts, including resilience, problem-solving, vision, and customer empathy. They will also discuss how entrepreneurs identify problems, test solutions, and scale businesses, as Perkins did with Canva, refining her idea through Fusion Books before launching Canva as an all-in-one design platform.
What Students Will Learn
Through this activity, students will:
Define entrepreneurship and explore key traits like resilience, problem-solving, and vision.
Analyse Canva’s success story, understanding how identifying a real-world problem led to a global business solution.
Recognise the importance of empathy in business, seeing how Perkins observed and responded to her classmates’ struggles with design tools.
Engage in group discussions and activities where they will solve a crisis at Canva, applying creative problem-solving and business strategy.
What You Need
Required - Teacher Notes and Runsheet
Required - Audio and Video - the presentation has video and needs sound
Required - Paper, pencils/pens for students to use for activity
Optional - Class prizes for best pitch, best use of problem-solving, most creativity, etc.
Files included for Download
Teacher Notes and Runsheet (.pdf)
Presentation Slides (.pdf)
Presentation Slides (.ppt)
Canva & Melanie Perkins - Entrepreneurship, Problem Solving, & Empathy
This case study explores entrepreneurship through the journey of Canva and its co-founder, Melanie Perkins. Students will analyse how a simple idea, making graphic design more accessible, transformed into a global company valued at $30 billion with 60 million active monthly users across 190 countries.
Through videos, discussions, and group activities, students will explore key entrepreneurial concepts, including resilience, problem-solving, vision, and customer empathy. They will also discuss how entrepreneurs identify problems, test solutions, and scale businesses, as Perkins did with Canva, refining her idea through Fusion Books before launching Canva as an all-in-one design platform.
What Students Will Learn
Through this activity, students will:
Define entrepreneurship and explore key traits like resilience, problem-solving, and vision.
Analyse Canva’s success story, understanding how identifying a real-world problem led to a global business solution.
Recognise the importance of empathy in business, seeing how Perkins observed and responded to her classmates’ struggles with design tools.
Engage in group discussions and activities where they will solve a crisis at Canva, applying creative problem-solving and business strategy.
What You Need
Required - Teacher Notes and Runsheet
Required - Audio and Video - the presentation has video and needs sound
Required - Paper, pencils/pens for students to use for activity
Optional - Class prizes for best pitch, best use of problem-solving, most creativity, etc.
Files included for Download
Teacher Notes and Runsheet (.pdf)
Presentation Slides (.pdf)
Presentation Slides (.ppt)
