Canva expands into marketing automation with dual AI acquisitions

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TL;DR

Canva is expanding beyond design by acquiring SimTheory and Ortto to build AI systems that can run marketing campaigns end-to-end. This signals a shift toward “agentic AI,” where tools don’t just assist but actively execute, optimize, and manage workflows — potentially reshaping how marketing teams operate.

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Canva has acquired SimTheory and Ortto as it moves deeper into agentic AI and marketing automation. The timing reflects a broader industry push to embed autonomous decision-making into creative and campaign workflows — where speed, personalization, and scale now define competitive advantage.

The acquisitions signal Canva’s ambition to evolve from a design-first platform into an end-to-end marketing engine. By integrating SimTheory’s AI orchestration capabilities with Ortto’s customer data and automation tools, Canva aims to enable marketers to deploy campaigns that not only generate content but also optimize and execute themselves in real time.

This matters as marketing teams face increasing pressure to deliver personalized experiences across channels without expanding headcount. According to a 2024 report by McKinsey & Company, AI-driven personalization can lift marketing ROI by up to 20%. Agentic AI — systems that can plan, act, and iterate autonomously — pushes that potential further by reducing manual intervention.

Ortto CEO Michael Sharkey emphasized the shift, stating that the future of marketing lies in “systems that don’t just assist marketers but actively execute strategy.” This aligns with a wider trend where platforms are racing to embed AI agents capable of managing workflows end-to-end.

Canva’s move also positions it against larger enterprise players like Adobe and Salesforce, both of which are investing heavily in AI-driven marketing ecosystems. However, Canva’s strength lies in its accessibility — bringing advanced automation to a broader base of non-technical users.

The next phase of competition in digital marketing may not be about better tools, but smarter systems that act independently. Canva’s latest acquisitions suggest it intends to lead that shift.