Canva Acquires Simtheory and Ortto to Boost AI Marketing Platform

Canva, the global leader in visual communication platforms, has acquired two technology companies, Simtheory and Ortto, to accelerate its transformation into an AI-first platform that supports the full marketing and work lifecycle. The acquisitions were announced on April 8, 2026, and mark a significant step in Canva’s strategy to expand beyond design into broader productivity and marketing solutions.

While the financial terms of the deals were not disclosed, Canva has acquired the full businesses and technology assets of both companies. Simtheory specializes in AI collaboration and agent management, enabling teams to build AI assistants that understand business contexts and collaborate across tasks and applications. Ortto offers a customer data platform combined with marketing automation tools, allowing marketing teams to design and execute customer journeys across multiple channels such as email, SMS, push notifications, and in-app messaging.

Founded by brothers Chris and Mike Sharkey, who previously launched Stayz (acquired by Fairfax Media), both Simtheory and Ortto bring complementary technologies and leadership expertise to Canva. The Sharkey brothers will join Canva’s AI and marketing technology leadership teams to help integrate and scale these capabilities.

Cliff Obrecht, Canva’s Co-Founder and Chief Operations Officer, said, “We’re excited to welcome Simtheory and Ortto to Canva. These acquisitions mark an important step toward evolving Canva from a design tool into the system where work happens end-to-end, whether it’s a quick idea or a full campaign.” He highlighted that Simtheory will accelerate Canva’s evolution into an AI platform with design and productivity tools at its core, while Ortto will enhance Canva Grow’s ability to power the entire marketing lifecycle from planning to optimization.

Simtheory’s platform addresses a key challenge in AI adoption: moving beyond content generation to execution. It enables teams to build agentic AI systems that collaborate effectively and reliably across workflows, simplifying complex processes spread across multiple tools. This aligns with Canva’s ambition to create a unified system where humans and AI collaborate seamlessly from idea inception to finished product.

Ortto’s customer data platform and marketing automation capabilities address the growing complexity marketers face in managing campaigns across fragmented tools and channels. Trusted by over 11,000 customers globally, Ortto’s event-driven, no-code integrations enable real-time data activation and personalized campaign delivery at scale. This acquisition strengthens Canva Grow and complements recent additions such as MagicBrief, MangoAI, and Doohly.

The acquisitions come amid a broader industry trend of consolidation in marketing technology and AI collaboration platforms. Canva’s expanded platform positions it to compete more directly with established marketing automation providers and AI-driven productivity tools. The integration of these technologies is expected to drive higher user engagement, open new revenue streams through premium AI and marketing services, and enhance Canva’s market share in the marketing technology sector.

Financial details such as deal value, revenue multiples, or funding sources were not disclosed. The integration will focus on aligning product roadmaps, technology stacks, and retaining key talent from the acquired companies. Canva plans to unveil further details of its AI platform evolution at its upcoming Canva Create event on April 16, 2026.

Looking ahead, Canva aims to solidify its position as a comprehensive AI-powered work platform that supports creative and marketing workflows end-to-end. The company’s ongoing investments in AI and marketing infrastructure reflect its commitment to innovation and expanding its ecosystem for over 265 million monthly users worldwide.