Canva has recently acquired two tech companies, Simtheory and Ortto, on April 9. Simtheory specializes in AI collaboration and agent management, while Ortto focuses on customer data and marketing automation.
The acquisition aligns with Canva’s strategic focus on expanding its artificial intelligence (AI) and marketing infrastructure. Specific financial details of the transactions were not disclosed.
Both Simtheory and Ortto were founded by Chris and Mike Sharkey, who were previously involved in Stayz, a vacation rental platform acquired by Fairfax Media. The Sharkeys will now hold leadership positions at Canva, overseeing the company’s AI and marketing technology divisions.
Canva stated that the addition of these companies will enhance its capabilities in agentic AI, data infrastructure, and marketing automation. The goal is to create a comprehensive platform that enables teams to manage entire workflows seamlessly, from idea generation to campaign execution and performance evaluation.
These acquisitions are part of Canva’s recent expansion efforts. Prior to this announcement, the company acquired Doohly, a digital outdoor advertising startup. Earlier acquisitions included Cavalry, an animation-focused startup, MangoAI, an AI startup for video ads, and MagicBrief, an AI-powered ad platform in January 2025.
According to reports from Techcrunch, Canva closed out 2025 with a yearly revenue of $4 billion and a user base exceeding 265 million individuals, with 31 million being paid users. The company also experienced a 20 percent increase in monthly active users during the same period.
