Design platform Canva has acquired Melbourne-based adtech startup Doohly for approximately $20.8 million, marking a strategic step beyond design tools into the broader advertising and marketing ecosystem. The move reflects Canva’s ambition to build a more comprehensive, end-to-end platform that not only enables content creation but also supports its deployment and performance across channels.
Doohly specializes in digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising, offering a platform that simplifies the management of outdoor and in-store advertising campaigns. Its technology transforms traditionally manual processes into a centralized, scalable system, enabling brands to manage ad placements, content updates, and campaign execution more efficiently.
With this acquisition, Canva is entering the physical advertising space for the first time, extending its capabilities beyond digital design into real-world content distribution. The integration is expected to allow users to not only create marketing assets but also directly deploy them across digital screens in public and retail environments.
The deal is part of Canva’s broader strategy to expand across the entire marketing and creative workflow. The company has been actively acquiring startups in areas such as AI, animation, and content optimization, aiming to build a unified platform that connects design, automation, and performance insights.
As competition intensifies in the design and AI space, Canva’s expansion into advertising infrastructure signals a shift toward becoming a full-stack marketing technology platform. By combining content creation with distribution and analytics, the company is positioning itself to play a larger role in how brands manage and execute campaigns across both digital and physical channels.
