Melanie Perkins

Not many startup founders make the Most Powerful Women list, but 36-year-old Melanie Perkins is one of the exceptions. Her graphic design and visual communications company, Canva, is marking its 10-year anniversary as it edges closer to a U.S. listing. That’s a big deal for the Sydney-based company, which ignited the Australian startup ecosystem. Canva has ambitions to become one of the world’s top tech businesses, spoken of in the same breath as Microsoft and Google. With a valuation around $26 billion, Canva is the world’s highest-valued startup both founded and led by a woman.