KEY POINTS
- Design giant Canva has acquired motion graphics tool Cavalry and video ad platform MangoAI.
- The deals aim to bolster Canva’s professional animation capabilities and automated video marketing tools.
- These acquisitions represent a direct challenge to Adobe’s dominance in the professional creative software market.
Canva continues its aggressive expansion into the professional creative market with two major technology acquisitions. The Sydney-based design platform announced the purchase of Cavalry and MangoAI on Monday. These moves signal a significant shift toward high-end motion graphics and automated video production. The company aims to provide more sophisticated tools for its growing base of enterprise users.
Cavalry brings a powerful procedural animation engine to the Canva ecosystem. Professional designers use this software to create complex 2D motion graphics and data visualizations. Unlike traditional keyframe animation, Cavalry allows users to automate repetitive tasks through smart logic. This integration will likely offer Canva users more control over dynamic visual content.
The acquisition of MangoAI focuses on the booming field of digital video advertising. MangoAI specializes in using artificial intelligence to generate short-form video ads from simple text prompts. This technology enables marketing teams to produce high volumes of content at a fraction of the usual cost. Canva plans to embed these AI capabilities directly into its existing video editor.
These strategic purchases highlight Canva‘s ambition to compete with industry leader Adobe. While Canva began as a simple tool for non-designers, it now targets professional creative workflows. By adding motion graphics and AI video tools, the company bridges the gap between basic templates and complex software. Industry analysts view this as a move to capture more market share from creative agencies.
The financial terms of the two deals remain undisclosed at this time. However, the company confirmed that the core teams from both startups will join Canva’s global workforce. This influx of specialized talent will help accelerate the development of Canva’s “Magic Studio” AI features. The platform now boasts over 170 million monthly active users worldwide.
Canva has been on a shopping spree to diversify its product offerings over the last year. It previously acquired the Affinity creative suite to offer alternatives to Photoshop and Illustrator. This latest round of acquisitions suggests a specific focus on the future of digital storytelling and motion. Video content now represents one of the fastest-growing categories on the Canva platform.
Enterprise customers are increasingly looking for all-in-one solutions for their branding needs. Canva’s leadership believes that professional-grade animation should be accessible to everyone within an organization. Integrating Cavalry’s precision and MangoAI’s speed could provide a unique competitive advantage. The company expects to roll out new features based on these technologies later this year.
