Canva Acquires Doohly for $30M, Expands Ad Tech

Canva, the design software giant, is significantly broadening its advertising technology capabilities with the acquisition of Australian digital out-of-home (DOOH) platform Doohly. The reported $30 million transaction marks a strategic move to integrate physical advertising management into Canva's comprehensive content creation and deployment ecosystem.

This acquisition allows Canva to offer a seamless workflow from initial design concept to the actual placement and tracking of advertisements across digital screens in public spaces and retail environments. Doohly, founded by Sean Law and Tom Sawkins, developed a cloud-based content management system that digitizes and streamlines the often-manual processes involved in scheduling, managing, and analyzing DOOH ad campaigns. Their platform has already seen adoption in markets including the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, serving various retail locations and large-format screens.

The integration of Doohly's technology is expected to empower Canva's extensive user base, ranging from small businesses to large enterprises, to manage their entire marketing content lifecycle more effectively. This includes not only the creation of visual assets but also their distribution and performance monitoring in the physical world. This move aligns with Canva's stated goal of managing advertising from "ideation and creation to deployment, measurement, and optimisation," a vision that has driven several recent acquisitions.

Doohly's journey began with a pre-seed investment of $500,000 in 2024, backed by notable venture capital firms including Skalata and Archangel Ventures. The founders, Sean Law and Tom Sawkins, identified a market gap while working at retail property group Vicinity Centres, aiming to democratize DOOH advertising management. The successful exit to Canva represents a substantial return for these early-stage investors and the founders, with reports suggesting significant financial upside for key stakeholders.

This latest deal follows a series of strategic acquisitions by Canva, including AI startup Mango.AI and UK-based Cavalry just last month. Prior acquisitions in 2024 included Affinity and Leonardo, alongside MagicBrief in the previous year. These moves underscore Canva's aggressive expansion strategy as it aims to solidify its position as an end-to-end solution for visual communication and marketing. The company, valued at an estimated $65 billion following a secondary share sale in mid-2025 and reporting over $4 billion in annual revenue, is reportedly considering a US IPO in late 2026.

The digital out-of-home advertising market itself is experiencing robust growth, driven by increasing digitization of ad spaces and a demand for more targeted and measurable campaigns. By incorporating Doohly's specialized technology, Canva is well-positioned to capture a larger share of this expanding market, offering advertisers a unified platform that bridges the gap between digital design and real-world visibility.