Ortto

Hadley Childs Joins Canva After 12 Years at Ortto

Hadley Childs announced joining Canva on what would have been the 12-year anniversary at Ortto. Childs served as Senior Success Manager at Ortto with over 13 years of experience in client retention, expansion, and strategic partnerships. The move follows Canva's acquisition of Ortto announced April 8, 2026. Ortto customers continue with the same product, team, and pricing under Canva ownership.

Canva Acquires Ortto and Simtheory to Expand AI and Marketing Automation

Canva announced the acquisitions of Ortto, a customer data and marketing automation platform, and Simtheory, an AI collaboration and agent management platform, on April 8, 2026. Ortto was founded by brothers Chris and Mike Sharkey, who previously founded Stayz acquired by Fairfax Media. The deals add marketing automation, customer data capabilities, and agentic AI to Canva's platform as part of efforts to build an end-to-end work and marketing system. Founders Chris and Mike Sharkey will join Canva in leadership roles across AI and marketing technology teams.

Ortto Product Updates Include Microsoft Dynamics 365 Integration and Journey Features

Canva Completes Acquisitions of Ortto and Simtheory in 2026 Expansion

Canva acquired Simtheory and Ortto on April 8, 2026 as part of its push into agentic AI workflows and full-stack marketing automation. Ortto adds customer data platform and campaign orchestration tools to Canva's ecosystem. The deals mark Canva's fourth and fifth acquisitions of 2026 after earlier purchases including MagicBrief in January 2025. Ortto was founded by the same Sydney-based Sharkey brothers who founded Simtheory. Canva reported $4 billion annualized revenue at the close of 2025.

Canva Acquires Simtheory and Ortto to Boost AI and Marketing Power

Canva announced acquisitions of Simtheory, an AI collaboration and agent management platform, and Ortto, a customer data and marketing automation company on April 8, 2026. Ortto combines customer data platform capabilities with omnichannel marketing automation including AI-powered responses. The deals advance Canva's shift toward an AI-first platform for the full work and marketing lifecycle. Founders Chris and Mike Sharkey lead the integration into Canva's AI and marketing teams. Canva previously acquired Doohly two weeks earlier and Cavalry plus MangoAI six weeks earlier.

Canva Acquires Ortto and Simtheory for AI and Marketing Automation

Canva announced the dual acquisition of Simtheory and Ortto on April 8, 2026. Ortto provides a customer data platform combined with marketing automation for journeys across email, SMS, push, in-app, forms, and surveys. Ortto serves more than 11,000 customers in 190 countries and features event-driven architecture with no-code integrations. Chris and Mike Sharkey, founders of both companies, joined Canva in leadership roles on AI and marketing technology teams. Canva closed 2025 at $4 billion in annualized revenue with 265 million users and a 20 percent increase in monthly active users.

Canva Acquires Ortto with Founders Chris and Mike Sharkey Joining Leadership Roles

Canva acquired Ortto on or before May 19, 2026. Ortto continues as its own platform with the same mission and product experience for marketing teams. Ortto founders Chris Sharkey and Mike Sharkey joined Canva in leadership roles adding AI collaboration, agent management, and marketing automation capabilities. Ortto is joining Canva after nearly 15 years of focus on helping marketing teams. The acquisition follows Canva's recent purchases including Doohly, Cavalry, MangoAI, and MagicBrief.

Canva Expands AI and Marketing Automation Capabilities with Simtheory and Ortto Acquisitions

Canva acquired Simtheory and Ortto as part of its AI push with Ortto trusted by more than 11,000 customers in 190 countries. The acquisition expands Canva's addressable market in marketing automation. Ortto brings customer data and marketing automation tools while Simtheory adds agentic AI capabilities. The deals were announced around April 8, 2026.

Canva Launches AI Campaign Creation in Claude for Small Business

Canva Expands AI Marketing Capabilities Through Ortto Acquisition

Canva acquired Ortto, Simtheory, MagicBrief, MangoAI, and Doohly as part of its push into marketing automation. The deals support Canva's integration of AI tools for campaign intelligence and customer engagement. Canva launched its MCP integration for Claude in 2025, with usage of the Canva app in Claude growing 4x by March 2026. Small businesses account for 44% of US GDP and nearly half of private-sector employment. Canva exceeds $500 million in B2B revenue.

Canva Completes Acquisition of Ortto Alongside Simtheory

Canva completed its acquisition of Ortto, the customer data and marketing automation platform, and Simtheory in 2026. Ortto was founded by the Sydney-based Sharkey brothers and had raised more than $35 million prior to the deal. The acquisition forms part of Canva's eight startup purchases in two years, with Ortto and Simtheory as the fourth and fifth in 2026. Mike Sharkey noted the chance to integrate technology for Canva's quarter of a billion monthly users. Existing Ortto customer accounts, data locations, and billing remain unchanged post-acquisition.

Canva Launches AI Campaign Creation in Claude for Small Business

Canva Acquires Ortto in Multi-Jurisdictional Deal Advised by Allens

Canva acquired Ortto, a customer data and marketing automation platform co-founded by brothers Chris and Mike Sharkey, the duo behind holiday rentals site Stayz acquired by Fairfax Media. The Ortto deal ranks among Canva's largest since its US$250 million purchase of Leonardo.Ai in 2024. Ortto was acquired in April 2026 alongside Simtheory. Allens advised Canva on Australian law matters for the multi-jurisdictional Ortto transaction, led by partner Dominic Anderson with team members Joe Power, Jacqueline Downes, Madeleine Hunt, Ria Neilson, Pabiola Choi, Quynh McGrath, Jessica Flatters, Renee Preketes, and Matthew Joffe. Canva pushes toward a potential IPO through acquisitions targeting AI, advertising tech, and marketing automation.

Canva Acquires Ortto and Simtheory to Expand Marketing Automation Capabilities

Canva completed its acquisition of Ortto on May 13, 2026, alongside Simtheory, to integrate customer data and marketing automation into its platform. Ortto, founded by Mike Sharkey and formerly known as Autopilot, raised $46 million from investors including Blackbird Ventures, Salesforce Ventures, and Rembrandt Venture Partners before the deal. The acquisition marks Canva's fourth and fifth purchases in 2026, enabling Ortto's tools for journey building and email delivery to support Canva Grow's full marketing lifecycle from planning to execution. Ortto's users sent over 210 million emails in the year after its 2022 rebrand, reflecting 16% month-on-month growth prior to integration.

Allens Advises Canva on Ortto Acquisition in April 2026

Law firm Allens advised Canva on the Ortto acquisition completed in April 2026. The transaction involved multi-jurisdictional elements with focus on Australian law matters. Canva targeted expansion of its AI platform through Ortto's customer data and marketing automation features. Ortto joined prior 2026 acquisitions like Doohly in March for outdoor advertising technology. Canva pursued five acquisitions in 2026 to enhance enterprise workflows.

Ortto secures $20M funding round led by Sequoia for marketing automation expansion. Plans to enter APAC market aggressiv

Ortto secures $20M funding round led by Sequoia for marketing automation expansion. Plans to enter APAC market aggressively. #SaaS #Funding