What would you do if you were a millionaire overnight?
It’s a question that will evoke a variety of responses, but I’m guessing none of them will involve “give away all my money.” This exceptional couple, who are both real-life billionaires, want to achieve just that.
Melanie Perkins, Australia’s youngest billionaire, and Cliff Obrecht, her fiancé and co-founder of Canva, are the people I’m talking about.
Through Canva, Perkins has amassed a personal fortune of $2.5 billion, making her Australia’s third wealthiest woman. Businesses and individuals can use the site to generate their own social media visuals, invitations, posters, and more.
The pandemic resulted in a surge in remote workers and a surge in Canva’s stock, doubling her fortune in months.
With all of the years of hard work they’ve put in to get to this point of wealth, this power couple has every right to enjoy a life of luxury.
The 32-year-old digital design mogul frequently posts images on social media of her luxurious excursions overseas, often with Obrecht. The couple has visited Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro, Turkey’s Cappadocia, and Richard Branson’s private island Necker in the British Virgin Islands.
Canva has grown every year since its inception in 2014. The corporation has expanded its operations to Manila and Beijing, valuing itself at $6 billion.
During their journey to Turkey, Obrecht proposed to Perkins with a $30 ring. Despite the huge money that their graphic design firm has bestowed upon them, he claims that they live a rather humble existence.
He also stated that instead of squandering their billions on themselves, they intend to donate them for the “better good.”
“Mel and I have made a vow to give away all of our wealth in order to make the world a better place.” “I think it’s an obligation on us now that we’re operating such a massive company with such a significant valuation to utilize it to be a force for good and make the world a better place, rather than just hoard s**t,” he told The Australian.
They intend to use their funds to support issues such as global health reform.
“We live quite simply and don’t see the point in accumulating wealth.” The company’s top goal is education, because “we believe that teaching poor individuals allows them to break the pattern,” according to Obrecht.
Perkins also thinks that through wielding authority in the economic sector, she will help disadvantaged areas achieve greater equality.
Perkins told the Daily Mail that she got the inspiration to start her own graphics design business while sitting on her mother’s couch. That happened in 2005, while she was a first-year university student studying digital media.
She fell in love with it and developed incredible abilities as a result. Perkins became so skilled in graphic design that she was asked to offer workshops to students from other faculties.
She had the idea in 2007 to create simple graphic design software that would allow schools and students to create their own yearbooks. Despite her lack of business and marketing skills, she had the confidence to establish a firm from the bottom up.
She added, “My lover became my co-founder, and we started in my mother’s living room.” “In some ways, our innocence aided us… It would have been terrifying if I had known all the things I didn’t know at the time.”
The rest, as they say, is history. Canva now has over 4 million users across 190 countries.
Watch the video below to discover more about Melanie Perkins: