Canva is revolutionizing the world of graphic design with its remarkable success story and mission to make design accessible to all. The Australian company, founded in 2012, has already raised a staggering $560 million and boasts an annual recurring revenue of around $1.7 billion. According to co-founder and chief product officer Cameron Adams, Canva has a global presence in 190 countries, supporting over 100 languages, and has garnered an impressive 170 million active users. However, despite its rapid growth and international success, Canva has faced some challenges this year. Several investors, including Blackbird, T. Rowe Price, and Frank Templeton, have marked down the company’s valuation, dropping from its peak of $40 billion after a $200 million fundraise in 2021. Blackbird now values the company at $25.6 billion, and T. Rowe Price at around $13 billion as of June.
But according to Adams, these fluctuations in valuation are largely based on market sentiment and should not be a cause for concern. In an interview with TechCrunch+, he shared, “This year has been one of our best years for growth. We’ve almost doubled on most of our metrics. We’ve had 80 million more active users join since this time last year, so it’s just been up and to the right for us.” For Adams and the Canva team, the primary focus remains on user growth, product improvement, and revenue increase.
Over the past 12 months, Canva has introduced a range of generative AI products, which Adams believes will take creativity to new heights for both the company and its users. As he puts it, “AI is going to bring human creativity to the next level.” With the help of AI, Canva aims to reach a billion users worldwide and transform visual communication.
Since the breakthrough of ChatGPT in the consumer-facing space in November 2022, many companies have hopped on the generative AI bandwagon, which has met with skepticism from some. However, for Canva, this technology brings a unique advantage. With content being the core of their business and the driving force behind their global expansion, AI helps them cater to specific geographic audiences by providing localized and authentic content. Adams notes, “One of the keys to our growth is we always thought across boundaries internationally.” Currently, Canva has a library of over 120 million content pieces sourced from individual contributors and stock photography houses to ensure that all users, regardless of their location, have access to appropriate and relevant content.
With the implementation of generative AI, Canva can offer even more intelligent content choices to its users. In October, the company announced a $200 million commitment over the next three years to compensate creators who consent to using their content to train Canva’s AI models. So far, only 0.0005% of creators have opted out, demonstrating their trust and confidence in the company.
Adams reveals that the United States is Canva’s primary market, followed closely by Brazil and India. Other top growth markets include Indonesia and the Philippines. With generative AI, Canva can continue to expand globally and cater to the specific needs of its diverse audience. As Adams emphasizes, “Our international growth has been the story of Canva.” And with the power of AI, this story is only going to get better.
Otto Macias