Canva Pty. Ltd., an Australia-based company with an online graphic design platform, has opened an Austin office that it calls a "flagship campus."
The company said its "growing Austin team" currently numbers about 105. The new office, home to its sales and success teams, is in the relatively new Eastlake at Tillery campus.
Canva said in the June 8 announcement that the office spans "2,322 square meters," which equates to about 25,000 square feet. Austin Business Journal reported in 2021 that Canva's lease at the office hub was for nearly 37,000 square feet; the reason for the discrepancy was not immediately clear. Canva did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The new space includes a commercial kitchen and team serving daily breakfast and lunch, as well as photography and recording studios, a cafe and a bar stocked with local treats from companies such as Creature Coffee, Hi Sign Brewing and Blue Owl Brewery. Local art from Sage Studio, Vaughn Gallery, and Art from the Streets is also featured throughout the space. And, for a Texas twist, they have a steel offset smoker for barbecues.
Canva said it also plans to offer design workshops for local creatives and to team up with local nonprofits.
Canva said it plans 1,300 hires companywide this year. Some of that could be in Austin: the business lists online nine openings in the city, for roles from sales business analyst to senior payroll specialist. The company has eight campuses worldwide.
That's welcome news for office landlords and brokers. Canva is one of the few widely announced tech office openings in recent months, as the commercial real estate sector wrangles with macroeconomic clouds and changing workplace use. In the first quarter, office vacancy was about 17%, more than double the 7.6% rate in the second quarter of 2019, according to data from real estate firm Partners.
Eastlake at Tillery was developed by Austin-based Cypress Real Estate Advisors Inc.
Canva said more than 135 million people use its online platform each month. The company last raised venture capital in 2021: a $200 million round led by T. Rowe Price that came with a $40 billion valuation, putting it even more firmly in unicorn territory. However, startup valuations have taken a hit across the tech ecosystem since then. Australian Financial Review reports the Canva has annual revenue of $1.4 billion and that an initial public offering is not imminent.
When Canva arrived in Austin in summer 2020, it had around 20 employees in town working remotely.
