Canva Acquires Simtheory and Ortto, Expands into AI and Marketing Automation

The dual acquisitions signal Canva's push beyond design into agentic AI workflows and full-stack marketing automation.

Apr. 9, 2026 at 4:06pm

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A glowing, 3D macro illustration of Canva's new AI-powered marketing and customer data platform, featuring recognizable tech elements illuminated by neon lights, conceptually representing the company's expansion into advanced automation and intelligence capabilities.Canva's acquisitions of Simtheory and Ortto signal the company's push into agentic AI and full-stack marketing automation, expanding its platform beyond design tools.Los Angeles Today

Canva has acquired Simtheory, an agentic AI and multi-model collaboration platform, and Ortto, a customer data platform combined with marketing automation. The acquisitions are Canva's latest move to extend its platform from a design tool into an end-to-end system for work, with plans to unveil "the biggest evolution in its history" at Canva Create on April 16.

Why it matters

The acquisitions signal Canva's intent to compete in the crowded and fast-moving marketing automation, customer data platform (CDP), and agentic AI market. Integrating these capabilities into a coherent platform experience will be key, as Canva looks to leverage its 265 million monthly users to scale the acquired technologies.

The details

Simtheory was built to help teams work with AI across tasks and applications, enabling users to build assistants tailored to their business, set up multi-model agentic systems, and move from generation into execution. Ortto brings a customer data platform combined with marketing automation across email, SMS, push notifications, in-app messaging, forms and surveys.

  • Canva announced the acquisitions on April 9, 2026.
  • Canva is hosting its annual product conference, Canva Create Los Angeles 2026, on April 16, 2026, where it plans to unveil "the biggest evolution in its history."

The players

Canva

An Australian-based visual content creation platform that targets a broad range of users from individuals and small businesses to enterprises and educational institutions.

Simtheory

An agentic AI and multi-model collaboration platform that Canva has acquired.

Ortto

A customer data platform combined with marketing automation that Canva has acquired.

Chris and Mike Sharkey

The brothers who founded both Simtheory and Ortto, and will join Canva in leadership roles.

Cliff Obrecht

Canva's COO and Co-Founder, who framed the acquisitions as a step toward making Canva "the system where work happens end-to-end."

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What they’re saying

“Simtheory accelerates our evolution from a design platform with AI tools to an AI platform with design and productivity tools at its core.”

— Cliff Obrecht, COO and Co-Founder, Canva

“Ortto strengthens Canva's ability to power the entire marketing and content lifecycle through Canva Grow, from planning and creating to publishing and optimising across every channel.”

— Cliff Obrecht, COO and Co-Founder, Canva

“It's rare to find such strong alignment in mission and values. From day one, we've been working to make complex things simple with both Simtheory and Ortto, and we can't wait to continue doing that on an even larger scale as part of Canva.”

— Mike Sharkey

What’s next

Canva says the Simtheory acquisition lays the groundwork for what it's calling "the biggest transformation in Canva's history," set to be unveiled at Canva Create on April 16.

The takeaway

Canva's dual acquisition of Simtheory and Ortto signals its intent to compete in the crowded marketing automation, customer data platform, and agentic AI market. The company's ability to integrate these capabilities into a cohesive platform experience will be key as it looks to leverage its large user base to scale the acquired technologies.