Canva Buys Magic Brief, Proving You Can Pick Your Family (If they're on the cap table)

In a move that combines strategic acquisition with warm family energy, Canva has officially acquired Magic Brief, the creative strategy platform helping marketers plan and produce better ads, faster. It’s a tidy addition to Canva’s ever-growing marketing stack and a win for internal portfolio consolidation everywhere.

Creative Muscle, Meet Creative Planning

Magic Brief’s mission has been to help marketing teams organise their ad creative workflows, storing references, planning campaigns, and briefing designers in a cleaner, faster way. You know, everything people used to do in Google Docs, Notion, and low-level chaos.

Now, with Canva at the table, the workflow becomes one giant end-to-end loop: from idea to execution without ever needing to open a Figma file or wonder where the brand font went. As Canva continues its evolution into the all-in-one design and marketing OS, the acquisition makes sense. It’s vertical integration, but make it Canva.

M&A or Just a Family Gathering With Lawyers Present?

Both companies share the same investor, Blackbird Ventures, making this deal feel like a particularly successful Sunday roast. With venture funding still tight and exits feeling more mythical than material, some in the ecosystem have raised eyebrows at the timing. Is this the start of a genuine M&A roll-up? Or just a creative way to signal liquidity when public markets are still pretending to nap?

“I guess when the IPO window is closed, you just pass the parcel internally,” said one founder. “Honestly? Not the worst strategy.”

Is Canva Still Hungry?

If you’re wondering who might be next in line to join the Canva family BBQ, our money’s on Springboards AI, a Queensland-born platform modernising media planning and performance analytics. Also backed by Blackbird. Also playing in the same sandbox.

It’s all speculation, of course. We have no sources, and there are no leaks — this is just us at The Rocket Advocate blatantly willing this into existence because we like it when Queensland startups win. And frankly, if Canva’s on a roll, we reckon it’s a pretty decent time to make a subtle, unsolicited recommendation.

Just a thought. No pressure, Canva.

The Rocket Advocate: Where we cover tech M&A so tight-knit, it feels like a group chat with a term sheet.