Canva cash and human capital sprinkling Kiwi startups

'Canvanauts' Alexey Mitko (left), Shipra Mahindra (centre left), and Mahesh Muralidhar (centre right) listen as Canva co-founder Cliff Obrecht enthuses, in a scene from the 2017 documentary, “The New Hustle”. (Image: Jacques Steenkamp/Founder Films)

Garth Bray

Mon, 20 Oct 2025

Design software giant Canva has closed an employee share sale at a valuation of US$42 billion (NZ$73b) and begun making payments to those who sold shares, who in turn are supporting NZ startups.A statement to BusinessDesk attributed to Canva co-founder and chief operating officer Cliff Obrecht said the round had been significantly oversubscribed, “which is a huge testament to the incredible work of our team and the impact Canva is having around the world”, and “a huge vote of confidence in our momentum and the scale of wh...

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