We’re thrilled about this transaction and the transformative possibilities it opens up for Affinity. Our heartfelt thanks go out to Provantage for their unwavering determination, expertise, and dedication in supporting this transaction within a challenging timeframe.
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Canva acquires design platform Affinity to bring professional design tools to every organisation
Project: Serif Group
Sector: TMT
Deal Value: Undisclosed
Provantage Corporate Finance are very proud and privileged to have advised the Shareholders of Nottingham-based Serif, the creators of the award-winning creative software suite Affinity for professional photo editing, illustration, graphic design and page layout on the acquisition by Canva the world’s only all-in-one visual communication platform.
This strategic acquisition significantly bolsters Canva’s vision to build the world’s most comprehensive suite of visual communication tools. Whilst the last decade has seen rapid growth for Canva amongst the 99% of knowledge workers without design training, the integration of Affinity’s professional design software now unlocks the full spectrum of designers at every level and stage of the design journey. Further to this, it signifies Canva’s commitment to continuous improvement and expansion, empowering its global community of over 40 million users with creative design solutions.
Affinity stemmed from a vision to empower designers to produce high quality content in an effective and affordable way. In 10 years, the Affinity suite of creative products has become beloved and renowned for delivering powerful experiences for professional designers. This includes offering extremely fast and highly responsive tools which deliver on all the photo and vector editing tasks required by professionals.
Today, more than 3 million users around the world trust Affinity to create everything from complex multi-layered graphics to detailed technical diagrams, art and illustration, logos, mockups, documents, magazines and much more.
This transaction marks a significant milestone for Affinity, a testament to their innovative vision and the ground-breaking potential of their creative graphics software. Canva will continue to invest in the Affinity suite to ensure it not only meets the needs of professional designers, but also enhances their experiences and empowers them to do their best work.
Affinity, the brainchild of visionary founders Gary Bates and Jim Bryce and CEO Ash Hewson, has established itself as a leader in the field of creative design software and notably, provides an interesting, and affordable, alternative to the Adobe Creative Suite. Their core products – Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo and Affinity Publisher – have been lauded for their lightning-fast performance and seamless cross-platform compatibility across macOS and Windows, and has garnered widespread recognition through a number of industry awards namely Apply Design Award, Apple App of the Year for Mac and iPad and the Microsoft Application Developer of the Year.
“We are elated to have played a pivotal role in facilitating this transformative partnership for a local gem, Serif,” says Amanda Betts, Provantage. “This innovative Nottingham company has been quietly leading the way in creative software since 1987 and is a huge local success story. This acquisition puts them on the global stage and allows them to share their remarkable technology with the world, showcasing the depth of talent and innovation brewing right here in our own backyard.”
This acquisition transcends a simple sale; it represents a strategic leap forward for Affinity. Together, Canva and Affinity will be a powerhouse combination built to supercharge the goals of every type of designer.
We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the entire Affinity team on this remarkable achievement. We look forward to witnessing their commitment to innovation as they embark on this exciting new chapter alongside Canva.