Cliff Obrecht

Cliff Obrecht is an Australian entrepreneur and angel investor, best known as the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Canva, a prominent online design platform. He co-founded Canva in 2013 alongside his wife, Melanie Perkins, and Cameron Adams, aiming to simplify graphic design for users worldwide. Under his leadership, Canva has grown to serve over 260 million active monthly users, with a valuation of $42 billion as of August 2025. Prior to Canva, Obrecht co-founded Fusion Books, an online tool that allowed students, teachers, and parents to collaborate on school yearbooks. This venture became the largest yearbook publisher in Australia and expanded into France and New Zealand. The success of Fusion Books provided the foundation for Canva's development, leveraging the insights gained from the challenges faced by ordinary people in graphic design. As an angel investor, Obrecht has been involved in various ventures, focusing on technology and design sectors. His investment strategy emphasizes supporting innovative companies that aim to make a significant impact in their respective industries. His approach combines operational expertise with a commitment to fostering user-friendly solutions, reflecting his experience in scaling Canva from a startup to a global leader in design software.

Innovative technology solutions, Scalable business models, Strong user engagement, Experienced founding teams, Clear market differentiation