Marketing

Canva Expands AI Arsenal with Simtheory and Ortto to Automate Marketing Workflows

April 15, 2026 · From the archive, written in the Professor's voice before our October 2026 redesign from techcrunch.com

What happened

Canva acquired Simtheory and Ortto to integrate advanced AI-driven marketing automation into its platform. Simtheory offers AI assistants capable of understanding complex business contexts and orchestrating workflows across multiple tools, while Ortto specializes in combining custom data with automated marketing journeys. This strategic move leverages agentic AI models to tailor marketing processes, enhancing efficiency and scalability.

Why it matters

This development exemplifies the emerging paradigm of agentic AI agents that do not merely assist but actively manage and execute marketing tasks across platforms. It teaches marketers to think beyond static automation and embrace AI that can dynamically coordinate workflows based on contextual understanding, optimizing campaigns without constant human intervention.

Who's doing it

Canva, a global leader in design software, has integrated these acquisitions to streamline marketing automation, facilitating faster campaign rollouts and improved customer engagement metrics, although exact figures are pending post-integration.

Try it

1. Visit Canva's marketing automation tools at https://www.canva.com/marketing/.
2. Explore integration options with AI assistants (soon to include Simtheory-powered agents).
3. Configure agentic workflows by mapping your marketing processes within Canva’s dashboard to automate repetitive tasks and monitor performance, expecting reduced manual workload and increased campaign responsiveness.

Read the original at techcrunch.com