'Indians Are Top Users of Our Coding, AI Features'

Unveiling a suite of AI-powered tools that span email, forms, spreadsheets and video editing, Canva's leadership speaks about how India is at the centre of its global strategy

- By PANKTI MEHTA KADAKIA & KATHAKALI CHANDA

Canva is dabbling in a new era, of imaginative design that goes beyond its graphic design DNA. The Australian platform, often credited for democratising digital design with its intuitive drag-and-drop interface, has unveiled a series of AI-powered tools that can be used to better design email, spreadsheets, video editing and advertisements, along with an AI assistant and coding facilities that let you design a functioning website right from its toolbox. And India, its fourth largest user base, is at the centre of its global strategy.

In fact, in September, Canva made a surprising ₹544.48 crore bid to become the main jersey sponsor of the Indian cricket team—second only to Apollo Tyres’s ₹579 crore winning bid.

Edited excerpts from a conversation with Deb and Canva’s global head of product, Robert Kawalsky, on the company’s fast-paced growth in the country, and where it features in their global strategy:

Q With new tools for email, forms and spreadsheets, Canva is moving away from just graphic design into a full stack of workflow tools. What's the strategy behind this?

Kawalsky: Our vision has been consistent over the years. We think that everyone is truly a creative, and we're looking to unlock that creativity. The breadth of our suite, you're right, has expanded massively. We have found that our community looks for this interoperability between tools. We want Canva to lie at the intersection of creativity and productivity, that’s where the magic of work happens.

Q India is Canva’s fourth-largest market. What factors do you think make Canva so popular in India?