Canva acquires Flourish in a push for UK expansion

Canva acquires Flourish in a push for UK expansion

Flourish co-founders Robin Houston (left) and Duncan Clark (right).

Design software giant Canva has today announced it will acquire London-based data visualisation company Flourish in a bid to strengthen the company’s presence in the United Kingdom.

Purchased for an undisclosed amount, Flourish’s team of 44 will remain in its London office while its new owner ramps up expansion efforts across the region.

The buy will utilise some of Canva’s vast cash pile after it raised $273 million (USD$200 million) in September, giving the Sydney-based company a valuation of $55 billion.

Founded in 2016 by Duncan Clark and Robin Houston, Flourish is used to transform complex data sets into accessible visualisations.

Used by organisations such as the BBC, Sky and Deloitte, the platform’s userbase of 929,527 has created 9.7 million visuals that have been viewed more than 20 billion times.

Flourish visualisations

 

As a result of the acquisition, two new features have been introduced. The first allows Flourish users to create visuals privately (which was previously a paid feature) and the launch of a new plug-in that permits visualisations to be included in Canva presentations and designs.  

“We’ve seen the rapid increase in data storytelling firsthand,” Canva co-founder Melanie Perkins said in a recent blog post announcing the acquisition.

“From non-profits and health organizations visualizing public health data to businesses and workplaces bringing presentations and reports to life, millions of people are using all kinds of data in their Canva designs.”

The purchase comes as Canva chalks up more than 75 million monthly active users. Of those, 30 million joined the platform in the last 12 months.

In addition to its UK presence, the company also has teams in the European nations of Austria, the Czech Republic and Germany.

“Welcoming Flourish to Canva marks the latest step in our mission to empower the world to design,” said Perkins.

“We’re incredibly excited to welcome their talented team as we work together to combine their world-leading data visualization technology with the Canva magic our community know and love.”

 

Enjoyed this article?

Don't miss out on the knowledge and insights to be gained from our daily news and features.

Subscribe today to unlock unlimited access to in-depth business coverage, expert analysis, and exclusive content across all devices.

Support independent journalism and stay informed with stories that matter to you.

Subscribe now and get 50% off your first year!

SMEs urged to consider business insurance to mitigate financial risks
Partner Content
A single “bad luck” incident could cause financial disaster for many Australian sma...
Advertisement

Related Stories

Samuel Gordon takes top honour at 2024 Gold Coast Young Entrepreneur Awards

Samuel Gordon takes top honour at 2024 Gold Coast Young Entrepreneur Awards

From high school dropout to leading buyer’s agent, Australian...

Square Peg and Atlassian co-founder Farquhar back AI startup Lorikeet in $5m seed round

Square Peg and Atlassian co-founder Farquhar back AI startup Lorikeet in $5m seed round

Sydney-based customer-experience startup Lorikeet has raised $5 mil...

Digital agency Social Garden grows its e-commerce focus with acquisition of The Natives

Digital agency Social Garden grows its e-commerce focus with acquisition of The Natives

Digital marketing agency Social Garden has acquired fellow Melbourn...

ANZ agrees to fork out $99m for two class actions as Westpac and Macquarie continue the fight

ANZ agrees to fork out $99m for two class actions as Westpac and Macquarie continue the fight

ANZ Banking Group (ASX: ANZ) has agreed to pay out a total of $99 m...