In a blog on its outlook for 2025 for India, Canva said, “we’re deepening our commitment to this thriving market by building locally tailored tools and experiences that meet the unique needs of Indian users”.When the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced Apollo Tyres as the lead sponsor of India’s men’s and women’s cricket teams, the company that placed the second highest bid for the position caught everyone by surprise: Australia-based design heavyweight Canva.The Australian software company bid Rs 554.48 crore and Rs 4.28 cr per game to become the main jersey sponsor of the cricket teams, a little less than Apollo Tyres’ winning bid of Rs 579 crore.Launched in 2013, Canva is a graphic designing software using which people can create multiple formats of visual elements, such as presentations, t-shirts, brochures, flyers etc. While Canva is primarily a graphic design software, what sets it apart from competitors is its acceptance among non-professionals. The software is used by people for various non-commercial purposes, given the easy nature of designing on Canva. The company is valued at over $40 billion, has more than 230 million users in 190 countries and has an annual recurring revenue of over $3 billion.Why Canva made the bidDuring his first visit to India earlier this year, Canva’s co-founder and chief product officer, Cameron Adams had said that India was its fourth largest market in terms of active user base and could become the largest one in the next five years. He had also said that the company would focus on making more localised products, tailored to India’s unique cultural context.In fact, the company also runs a dedicated Hindi version of its website to appeal to a wider audience in India, which shows that it wants to attract users from smaller cities and towns in the country as well.In that context, securing the sponsorship for the Indian cricket team’s jersey would have gone a long way for Canva, even though at first glance it might seem like an unlikely candidate to sponsor cricket in India.In a blog on its outlook for 2025 for India, Canva said, “we’re deepening our commitment to this thriving market by building locally tailored tools and experiences that meet the unique needs of Indian users”.Story continues below this adThe company offers an India-exclusive daily and weekly subscription plan for Canva, something which has been designed keeping in mind the country’s price-sensitive market. Canva is also looking to collaborate with educational institutes, government to offer their suite of products to students at an early stage.Canva also plans to use artificial intelligence (AI) to tap into small and medium businesses in India. “AI features are increasingly popular, with 73% of Indian business leaders reporting increased business performance through AI-driven communication,” Adams had earlier said.Soumyarendra Barik is Special Correspondent with The Indian Express and reports on the intersection of technology, policy and society. With over five years of newsroom experience, he has reported on issues of gig workers’ rights, privacy, India’s prevalent digital divide and a range of other policy interventions that impact big tech companies. He once also tailed a food delivery worker for over 12 hours to quantify the amount of money they make, and the pain they go through while doing so. In his free time, he likes to nerd about watches, Formula 1 and football. ... Read More© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd