The tech purge that has claimed about 150,000 jobs worldwide so far this year, and blighted some of Australia’s biggest tech names such as Atlassian and Xero, will not impact Australian graphic design software darling Canva.

Ahead of the privately owned company’s Canva Create conference in Sydney on Thursday, chief executive Melanie Perkins said the company was in a uniquely strong position in the industry.

“There’s a lot of choppy seas out there at the moment, as I’m sure you’re all very well aware. So being profitable, with a strong cash balance, meaning we don’t need to raise funds ... has been very, very helpful,” she said.

Canva’s freemium model – most users pay nothing to use its products – also gives it a tailwind in uncertain economic conditions, the company said.

Canva’s chief product officer, Cameron Adams, said the company’s long-term profitability and a series of capital raisings had ensured its stability whatever lies ahead compared with others in the tech sector.

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“I think we’ve been really well insulated. And our profitability metrics have given us the ability to kind of breathe a sigh of relief that we are much more fortunate than a lot of other companies that are out there,” he said.

“If something drastic did occur in global markets, we would have a war chest of funds that we could draw on. But given that we’re profitable, it hasn’t been necessary, because we can afford to pay everyone, we can afford to pay for all our services.”

But Canva also held back from the hiring spree that hit the sector post-COVID and remained selective with its hiring so it would not have to let people go if circumstances changed.