Canva acquires MangoAI and Cavalry to expand AI & creative tools

Canva has acquired two companies, MangoAI and Cavalry, as it expands its AI capabilities and professional creative tools.

The acquisitions follow Canva’s recent purchases of Affinity, Leonardo and MagicBrief, and form part of the brand’s broader product development plans.

The brand has more than 265 million users globally, including teams at over 95% of Fortune 500 companies. Its AI features have been used more than 24 billion times, and it closed 2025 with more than $4 billion in annualised revenue, up 36% year over year, along with more than 31 million paid seats, as shared by the brand.

Cliff Obrecht, co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, Canva, said, We’ve always believed creative tools should be accessible to everyone, and we’re seeing that reflected in how the design community is responding. Affinity has already surpassed four million downloads in just a few months. Now, with Cavalry joining Canva, we’re taking another big step toward helping professional designers break free from bloated and expensive tools, bringing everything from vector to motion design into one powerful creative suite.”

He added, “With the acquisition of MangoAI, we’re also doubling down on building powerful new products for marketing and creative teams. Building on MagicBrief, MangoAI’s algorithms and learning loops will power the next generation of our AI-driven marketing products, laying the foundations for a new era where performance data continuously improves and adapts creative in real time.

Cavalry, a UK-based 2D animation platform used by motion designers, will be integrated into Canva’s professional creative suite. The move expands its offering into animation and motion design alongside photo, vector and layout editing tools.

Chris Hardcastle, co-founder, Cavalry, said, “We built Cavalry to give motion designers a faster, more flexible creative playground suitable for the demands of modern production. Canva’s platform and long-term vision make it a natural next chapter for our technology. Together, we have an incredible opportunity to redefine motion design, bringing smarter workflows that make animation more powerful and far more accessible to a new generation of creatives.”

Cavalry’s founders, Chris Hardcastle, Ian Waters and Adam Jenns, will join Canva as part of the acquisition.

Canva also acquired MangoAI, a U.S.-based startup focused on AI-powered creative optimisation for video advertising. MangoAI’s technology uses reinforcement learning systems to improve ad performance based on platform signals.

Nirmal Govind, co-founder, MangoAI, will join Canva as its first Chief Algorithms Officer.

Speaking on his appointment, Nirmal Govind said, “Canva has built one of the world’s most impactful creative platforms. I’m excited to join the team and help shape how data, algorithms, and AI power personalised experiences across the product - supporting everyone from first-time creators to the most advanced teams.”

Vinith Misra, co-founder, MangoAI, will also join Canva in a research leadership role focused on reinforcement learning and AI systems.