The Canva CFO Who Thinks Most Startups Have Fundraising Backwards

In an industry that celebrates term sheets and valuation milestones as proof of progress, Damien Singh holds a view that might surprise some in the startup ecosystem: fundraising is not the same thing as building a company.

Singh spent several years as CFO of Canva, overseeing one of the most closely watched growth stories in global technology. He watched the company scale rapidly, guided teams across multiple international markets, and led major capital raises during his tenure. He has built relationships with some of the world's leading venture and growth investors and worked closely with major US investment banks.

He is, in short, someone who has seen what good fundraising looks like — and what it looks like when it isn't backed by substance.