Canva, the global leader in visual communication with over 190 million monthly active users, has announced its plans to acquire Leonardo.AI, a leading generative AI content and research company. The acquisition will enhance Canva’s offering and further its vision of creating a world-class visual AI toolset, marking a significant milestone in its AI journey.
Leonardo.AI, one of Australia’s fastest-growing startups, empowers millions of people to bring their ideas to life through high-quality images and production-grade videos. Its technology has been utilized to produce over a billion images in the past 18 months, ranging from marketing assets to stunning interior concepts, mock-ups, and dynamic videos.
The acquisition will accelerate Canva’s investment in continuous research and development, while bringing Leonardo’s cutting-edge model to the global Canva community. Leonardo’s fundamental model enables creators to generate images in any chosen aesthetic within seconds, create AI-powered videos, sketch with AI, and train custom models with their own datasets.
“We are thrilled to welcome Leonardo.AI to Canva, as two Australian companies join forces to bring global innovations in AI and creativity,” said Cameron Adams, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Canva. “The technical leadership and community impact of Leonardo cannot be overstated. Combining our worlds will accelerate the work of both our teams, making us stronger, and we are excited to get started.”
Leonardo’s generative AI capabilities have garnered over 19 million registered users across various industries, including advertising, marketing, design, entertainment, architecture, fashion, e-commerce, and education. The collaboration with Canva will unlock new levels of AI technology, engaging and expanding Leonardo’s rapidly growing user base.
The recent Canva Visual Economy Report highlights the increasing need for effective, efficient, and engaging visual communication. Generative AI is playing an increasingly important role in enhancing productivity and creativity in the workplace. Leonardo’s world-class technology and fundamental model will further Canva’s mission to empower professionals of all kinds to transform their ideas into instant designs, resulting in faster, more innovative, and visually appealing visual communication.
Canva will continue to invest in Leonardo’s standalone platform while integrating its technology across Canva’s Magic Studio, the company’s AI toolset that has been used over 7 billion times since its launch in 2023. The acquisition of Leonardo.AI marks Canva’s eighth acquisition, following previous acquisitions of Affinity, Flourish, Kaleido, Smartmockups, Pexels, Pixabay, and Zeetings.
The Canva-Leonardo.AI partnership will strengthen Canva’s research and development capabilities, with a team of 120 top-notch researchers, engineers, and designers. Acquisitions have played a crucial role in elevating and accelerating Canva’s technology over the past decade.