Australian design giant Canva has taken another bold step in its evolution from a simple graphic design tool into a full scale creative ecosystem by acquiring two innovative startups focused on animation and marketing technology. The move signals the company’s intent to strengthen its position in professional creative workflows while deepening its capabilities in artificial intelligence driven marketing solutions.
One of the acquisitions includes Cavalry, a United Kingdom based 2D animation platform known for its powerful motion design tools. Cavalry has built a reputation among professional animators and studios for enabling procedural animation, generative art, and high end visual storytelling. By bringing Cavalry into its ecosystem, Canva is expected to integrate advanced motion design features directly into its platform, making professional grade animation more accessible to creators, brands, and businesses of all sizes.
The second acquisition involves MangoAI, a United States startup specializing in AI driven video advertising and marketing performance optimization. MangoAI develops systems that help brands create smarter video ads while improving targeting and measurable results. With marketing teams increasingly relying on short form video and performance driven campaigns, this acquisition strengthens Canva’s ambition to move beyond design creation and into measurable marketing impact.
These deals add to Canva’s growing list of strategic acquisitions in recent years. The company previously acquired Affinity to expand into professional design software, along with AI focused platform Leonardo and marketing intelligence tool MagicBrief. Each move reflects a consistent strategy to build an all in one creative environment that supports everything from design and illustration to video production and campaign analysis.
The broader strategy appears clear. Canva is positioning itself as a comprehensive creative operating system that caters not only to individual designers but also to enterprises and marketing teams seeking efficiency, automation, and scalability. By combining animation technology with AI powered marketing intelligence, the company is bridging the gap between content creation and campaign performance.
This expansion also places Canva in closer competition with established creative software leaders such as Adobe. While Adobe has long dominated professional creative tools, Canva’s rapid innovation, user friendly interface, and aggressive acquisition strategy are helping it carve out a strong presence across both entry level and advanced creative markets.
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