澳洲最强独角兽Canva冲刺上市，估值直逼500亿

Core Viewpoint - Canva, one of Australia's most successful startups, is preparing to test its AUD 49 billion (approximately USD 32 billion) valuation through a highly anticipated equity transfer transaction, likely representing its last round of private share sales before going public [1][3]. Group 1: Equity Transfer and Valuation - Canva's co-founders are discussing an internal share transfer plan with a few key shareholders, aiming to provide a platform for early employees to sell some shares before Christmas this year [3]. - The transaction is still in preliminary stages, with the scale yet to be determined and broader shareholders not yet informed [3]. - Last year, Canva engaged Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to facilitate a share transfer for early shareholders and employees, which totaled USD 1.6 billion at a valuation of USD 26 billion, significantly lower than its pre-rate hike peak of USD 40 billion [3][4]. Group 2: Future IPO and Market Position - In October of last year, Canva showcased a valuation of USD 32 billion based on an undisclosed share transfer, which did not raise new capital [4]. - The co-founders are expected to push for a sale at a valuation higher than USD 32 billion, likely marking the last round of financing as a private company before an anticipated IPO in the U.S. by 2026 [4]. - Canva's potential IPO would align it with another Australian software success, Atlassian, which went public on NASDAQ ten years ago [4]. Group 3: Strategic Growth and Acquisitions - Canva has expanded its product line through strategic acquisitions, including the purchase of London-based data visualization platform Flourish, Austrian background removal tool company Kaleido, and product display generation tool Smartmockups [5]. - The company made its largest acquisition to date by purchasing UK software company Serif for USD 1 billion, whose Affinity products directly compete with Adobe's photo editing software [5]. - Initially, Canva grew organically by providing better tools for small businesses and professional designers compared to traditional software like Adobe [5].