Cameron Adams returned to Sydney in 2012 after an unsuccessful fundraising trip for his startup, Fluent. Feeling uncertain about his next steps and with a newborn at home, he was encouraged by Lars Rasmussen, co-founder of Google Maps, to meet Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht, who were running a successful online yearbook business called Fusion Books. Initially hesitant to jump into another startup, Adams eventually saw the potential in Perkins and Obrecht’s vision to democratize design, leading to the creation of Canva. Within a decade, Canva reached a valuation of $42 billion, serving over 260 million users globally. Adams quickly agreed to co-found Canva after just one meeting, highlighting the synergy between the team’s skills. Perkins had a vision for uniting teams behind their design approach, while Obrecht focused on operational aspects. The trio moved fast, renting an office and rapidly prototyping their product using a design thinking process called Double Diamond. Adams’s dual skills as a designer and coder allowed for quick iterations, which laid the groundwork for their product development. As the launch approached, the team recognized the need to narrow their target audience. They shifted from a broad concept of "design for everyone" to focusing on small business owners, marketers, teachers, and students who lacked design experience. Early user testing revealed that many potential users felt intimidated by the platform. To address this, they created a brief onboarding video to demonstrate Canva’s capabilities, easing users into the experience. This strategic pivot helped to alleviate the anxiety users faced and set the stage for Canva’s growth.