Canva Expands AI and Marketing Automation with Simtheory and Ortto Acquisitions

Canva is accelerating its push into artificial intelligence and marketing technology with the acquisition of Simtheory and Ortto, two startups focused on AI collaboration and customer engagement. The company announced the deals on Wednesday, though financial details were not disclosed. The move reflects Canva’s broader strategy to deepen its investment in AI-driven tools and expand beyond design into a more comprehensive digital workspace.

Both Simtheory and Ortto were founded by Chris and Mike Sharkey, entrepreneurs known for building vacation rental platform Stayz. Following the acquisitions, the Sharkey brothers are set to join Canva in leadership roles, contributing to the company’s growing focus on AI innovation and marketing infrastructure. Their experience is expected to play a key role in shaping Canva’s next phase of growth.

With these additions, Canva is positioning itself as more than just a design platform. The integration of Simtheory brings advanced “agentic AI” capabilities, allowing teams to build intelligent assistants that understand business needs, operate across different tools, and handle complex tasks. This means users can move from ideation to execution with greater efficiency, supported by AI systems tailored to their workflows.

Ortto, on the other hand, strengthens Canva’s marketing automation capabilities by combining customer data with multi-channel engagement tools. The platform enables businesses to manage campaigns across email, SMS, push notifications, and more—all from a single system. With over 11,000 customers in 190 countries, Ortto adds significant global reach and real-time data integration, helping Canva users better understand and engage their audiences.

The acquisitions come amid a wave of recent deals by Canva, highlighting an aggressive expansion strategy. In recent weeks, the company has acquired firms like Doohly, Cavalry, MangoAI, and MagicBrief, steadily building out its ecosystem. With $4 billion in annualized revenue and over 265 million users, Canva is increasingly evolving into an all-in-one platform where teams can design, market, and measure their work from start to finish—marking a significant shift in the competitive landscape of digital tools.

source: telecrunch