Australian Design Software Startup Canva Officially Launches Employee Stock Sale Plan
Recently, Australian design software startup Canva has officially initiated an employee stock sale plan, elevating the company’s valuation to a new peak of $42 billion, representing over a 30% growth from last year’s valuation of $32 billion. This move has reignited public interest in whether Canva is preparing for an IPO.
Canva’s Valuation Soars, Employee Stock Sale Attracts Fidelity and JP Morgan
According to a statement from Canva cited by Bloomberg, employees can sell their shares to both new and existing investors, including Fidelity and JP Morgan’s asset management division. This transaction has propelled Canva’s valuation directly to $42 billion, a 30% increase from $32 billion in 2024.
This round of employee stock sales is not a company capital increase, but rather provides employees with financial returns and retention incentives, while also allowing external investors to secure positions in advance. Although the market has long viewed Canva as a potential IPO dark horse, the company remains in a “private” state and has not made clear plans regarding its IPO timeline.
AI Becomes the Core of Competition for Design Software Providers
Canva emphasizes that AI is the core driver of its business growth. This April, the company launched multiple new features, including a “conversational AI photo editor,” aimed at attracting more enterprise-level clients and directly challenging competitor Adobe.
Adobe’s Photoshop and Lightroom remain industry standards, but the company is also actively developing its own AI model, “Firefly.” Another design platform startup, Figma, successfully went public in July, reaching a market value of $33.8 billion.
Canva’s Outstanding Performance Since Its Inception, Employee Stock Sale in High Demand
Since its establishment in 2013, Canva has rapidly gained popularity due to its user-friendly interface and low design thresholds. It offers a range of functions, from wedding invitations to social media posts, graphic creation, video editing, and website building, all of which are easily accessible. Currently, Canva boasts over 240 million active users each month and annual revenue exceeding $3.3 billion.
Canva co-founder and CEO Cliff Obrecht stated, “The demand for this round of employee stock sales far exceeded expectations, and the high interest from both new and existing investors is a testament to our growth momentum.”
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