“Bill Tai [the venture capitalist]… had this kitesurfing event and start-up conference in Maui,” according to an article in Medium. “He invited Melanie [Perkins], even though she knew nothing about kitesurfing. Still, she said, ‘Sure, I love it!’” It was 2012, and 25-year-old Perkins, an Australian entrepreneur, was looking for investors for her tech start-up, Canva.

Although she was young, Perkins already had a number of experiences and adventures under her belt. Like fashion mogul Vera Wang, she had been a competitive figure skater during high school, and learned discipline and persistence on the ice. And, like computer mogul Steve Jobs, she had traveled to India during her university years and been struck by the vibrant culture and the myriad technology challenges Indians faced.

While at the University of Western Australia, Perkins tutored students learning graphic design. She noticed difficulties the students had in learning design programs such as Adobe Photoshop. It often took a semester just to learn the basics. Perkins thought there was a business opportunity, and decided to create a design platform—which would eventually become Canva—where no technical experience was required.

Perkins and her co-founders, launched Canva in 2013. According to DNA India, “Perkins has always emphasized Canva’s mission to democratize design” and unleash creativity. The platform aimed to make design accessible to individuals and businesses, and quickly gained traction due to its intuitive interface and collaborative features. Today, millions of users worldwide rely on Canva to create presentations, graphics, and marketing materials.

“Kitesurfing was critical to Canva’s success,” Perkins told Forbes. After more than 100 “no”s from investors, she used the persistence and athleticism she had learned as a skater to quickly pick up kitesurfing so she could move her mission forward. Perkins began frequently kitesurfing with Bill Tai and he introduced her to investors who provided Canva’s initial funding. She is now Canva’s CEO, and one of Australia’s richest women with a net worth of $5.8 billion. She has famously said, “If you can get your foot in the door just a tiny bit, you have to kind of wedge it all the way in.”