Canva Expands AI and Marketing Power With Double Acquisition

Canva is aggressively pushing beyond its roots as a design platform, announcing today the acquisition of AI collaboration specialist Simtheory and marketing automation firm Ortto. The move signals a strategic shift to integrate agentic AI and deep marketing infrastructure directly into the Canva ecosystem, though the company did not disclose the financial terms of these transactions.

The acquisitions bring both technical prowess and experienced leadership to Canva. Founders Chris and Mike Sharkey—known previously for building and selling the vacation rental service Stayz—will join the company to oversee its AI and marketing technology departments. This integration is designed to transform Canva into a comprehensive workspace where teams can manage entire workflows, from initial creative concepts to campaign measurement and scaling.

Enhancing Capabilities Through Automation

The addition of these two companies addresses specific gaps in Canva’s current offering:

• Simtheory: Provides a platform for building AI assistants capable of executing business tasks and navigating complex agentic workflows.
• Ortto: Brings a customer data platform and marketing automation suite, currently serving over 11,000 customers across 190 countries, to facilitate real-time engagement via email, SMS, and in-app messaging.

“Simtheory accelerates our evolution from a design platform with AI tools to an AI platform with design and productivity tools at its core,” noted Canva co-founder and COO Cliff Obrecht. He added that Ortto will specifically bolster the company’s Canva Grow initiative, enabling users to manage the entire content lifecycle from planning to optimization.

A Consistent Acquisition Spree

This latest move is part of a broader consolidation strategy for Canva. In recent months, the company has acquired several startups to broaden its technological scope, including digital outdoor advertising firm Doohly, animation-focused Cavalry, and ad-performance specialist MangoAI. These follow the January 2025 acquisition of the marketing intelligence startup MagicBrief.

The company enters this new phase of expansion from a position of financial strength, closing 2025 with $4 billion in annualized revenue. Currently, Canva reports a user base of 265 million, including 31 million paid subscribers, alongside a 20% growth in monthly active users.