Canva has acquired two startups, Simtheory and Ortto, as part of its ongoing strategy to expand its artificial intelligence and marketing technology offerings. The acquisitions, completed on undisclosed terms, highlight the company’s push to evolve beyond a design platform into a more comprehensive, AI-driven marketing ecosystem.
Simtheory focuses on AI collaboration and agent-based tools, enabling teams to work more efficiently using intelligent automation. Ortto, on the other hand, specializes in marketing automation and customer data platforms, helping businesses manage campaigns, analyse customer behaviour, and improve engagement across channels. Together, the two startups bring complementary capabilities that strengthen Canva’s position in the marketing technology space.
The acquisitions align with Canva’s broader vision of integrating AI deeply into its platform. By combining design tools with advanced marketing and data capabilities, the company aims to offer a unified solution where users can create, manage, and optimize campaigns within a single ecosystem. This approach reflects a shift toward end-to-end platforms that reduce the need for multiple third-party tools.
In addition to enhancing product capabilities, the founders, and teams behind Simtheory and Ortto are expected to join Canva, contributing their expertise to further develop AI-driven features. This talent integration is a key part of Canva’s strategy to accelerate innovation and build more sophisticated tools for businesses and creators.
The move also comes amid intensifying competition in the AI and design space, where companies are racing to integrate generative AI and automation into their offerings. Canva has been actively acquiring startups to strengthen its AI stack, signalling its ambition to compete not just as a design tool, but as a full-scale marketing and productivity platform.
As demand for AI-powered content creation and marketing solutions continues to grow, Canva’s latest acquisitions position it to capture a larger share of enterprise and creator workflows. By expanding its capabilities in automation, collaboration, and data-driven marketing, the company is aiming to deliver more value to users while reinforcing its long-term growth strategy.
