Canva doubles down on AI and marketing automation with Simtheory, Ortto acquisitions

In a bold move to enhance its AI capabilities and marketing automation, Canva has announced the acquisition of two companies: Simtheory, known for its AI collaboration and agent management platform, and Ortto, which specializes in customer data and marketing automation. While the financial details of these transactions remain undisclosed, Canva emphasizes that these acquisitions are pivotal to its ongoing investment in AI and marketing infrastructure. Founded by Chris and Mike Sharkey, who previously launched the vacation rental service Stayz, both Simtheory and Ortto will see the Sharkey brothers take on significant leadership roles within Canva’s AI and marketing technology divisions. Canva believes that these additions will fortify its expertise in agentic AI, data infrastructure, marketing automation, and customer engagement. This strategic shift aims to transition Canva from merely a design tool to a comprehensive system that facilitates end-to-end team workflows. Simtheory’s platform empowers teams to leverage AI in creating assistants capable of comprehending their business needs, managing tasks across various tools, and implementing customized workflows. Meanwhile, Ortto provides a unified solution that integrates customer data with marketing automation, allowing teams to orchestrate multifaceted journeys through channels like email, SMS, and surveys seamlessly. With its event-driven architecture and no-code integrations, Ortto enables real-time data activation, currently utilized by over 11,000 customers across 190 nations. "Simtheory accelerates our evolution from a design platform with AI tools to an AI platform with design and productivity tools at its core," stated Cliff Obrecht, co-founder and COO of Canva, in a press release. He also noted that Ortto enhances Canva's capability to manage the entire marketing and content lifecycle through its Canva Grow tool, which supports everything from planning and creation to publishing and optimization. These latest acquisitions are part of Canva's broader strategy to expand its portfolio, following recent purchases such as the digital advertising startup Doohly and animation-focused Cavalry, along with MangoAI, aimed at improving advertising performance. With these initiatives, Canva closed 2025 with an impressive $4 billion in annual revenue, over 265 million users, and a notable 20% boost in monthly active users.