Canva moves deeper into marketing stack with Simtheory and Ortto acquisitions

Canva is expanding beyond design into marketing infrastructure, acquiring AI collaboration platform Simtheory and customer data and automation company Ortto as it builds an end-to-end system for campaign execution.

The deals bring agentic AI, customer data and marketing automation into Canva’s ecosystem, positioning the platform to move from creative production into planning, execution and measurement.

Both companies were founded by Chris and Mike Sharkey, previously founders of Stayz, which was acquired by Fairfax Media. They will join Canva in leadership roles across the company’s AI and marketing technology teams.

“We’re excited to welcome Simtheory and Ortto to Canva," Cliff Obrecht, co-founder and chief operations officer at Canva, said. "They’ve built exceptional teams and technology, and this acquisition marks 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.”

Simtheory’s technology focuses on AI-powered collaboration, allowing teams to build and deploy assistants that can execute tasks across workflows. For marketers, that signals a shift from AI as a content generator to AI embedded in campaign operations and execution.

Ortto, meanwhile, brings a customer data platform and marketing automation layer, enabling orchestration across email, SMS, push notifications and in-app messaging. The platform is used by more than 11,000 customers globally, giving Canva a direct entry into lifecycle marketing and customer engagement.

“Simtheory accelerates our evolution from a design platform with AI tools to an AI platform with design and productivity tools at its core,” Obrecht said. “At the same time, Ortto strengthens our ability to power the entire marketing and content lifecycle through Canva Grow, from planning and creating to publishing and optimising across every channel.”

The move builds on Canva’s recent acquisitions of MagicBrief, MangoAI and Doohly, and comes ahead of its Canva Create event on 16 April, where it is set to unveil what it describes as its biggest product shift to date.