Sourced startup case studies: how companies like Canva and Cursor grew so fast, why others failed, and what founders can copy, with free data downloads.
Canva launched from Sydney in 2013 to almost no one. By the end of 2025 it had 265 million monthly users and $4 billion in ARR. Here is what actually moved the curve, in the founders' own words.
Cursor went from four MIT students to a $60 billion all-stock sale in about four years. Here is what actually drove it, dated and sourced, plus the parts most founders should not copy.
Case studies of how specific startups grew fast or failed, built from company announcements, filings, founder interviews and reputable reporting, with every number dated and labelled by source type.
How are the numbers checked?
Each figure links to the page it came from. Company and filing numbers are labelled as such, and figures from press sources are marked as reported, not confirmed.
Can I use the datasets?
Yes. Each story has free CSV or XLSX downloads with the source URL for every row. Please credit unboxth and link back to the article.
Is this investment advice?
No. These are founder case studies about strategy and growth, not recommendations to buy or sell anything.
