Canva acquires Cavalry

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● STRATEGIC | MEDIA/ENTERTAINMENT · Creative Tools

FEBRUARY 24, 2026

Canva acquires Cavalry (ACF Investors)

TARGET

Cavalry

Animation software group based in Manchester.

Ownership	VC-backed · ACF Investors (prior owner); ACF Investors, Paul Gouge, Alex Rigby
Capital raised	£600k
Headcount	11-50 FTEs
Headquarters	Manchester, United Kingdom
Leadership	Chris Hardcastle, CEO
Sell-side leads	Tim Mills, managing partner (ACF Investors)
Sell-side advisor	—

ACQUIRER

Canva

Australian visual communications and design platform

Ownership	VC-backed · Blackbird Ventures, Sequoia Capital, General Catalyst, T. Rowe Price, Franklin Templeton Investments, Dragoneer Investment Group +1 more
Capital raised	$572.6M
Headcount	5,500 FTEs
Headquarters	Sydney, Australia
Leadership	Melanie Perkins, Co-Founder and CEO Cliff Obrecht, co-founder and COO
Buy-side advisor	—

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Canva -> Cavalry  (2026-09-18)
strategic_acquisition | Media/Entertainment | announced
Target: Animation software group based in Manchester.
Website: cavalry.scenegroup.co | Buyer site: canva.com
HQ: Manchester, United Kingdom | Ownership: vc-backed | Seller: ACF Investors | Buyer ownership: vc-backed
Advisors - not yet credited
Source: Thematic - https://thematichq.com/software/d/canva-cavalry.html

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