What changed in August 2026
Canva told investors on August 12, 2026 that it was cutting its 2026 revenue growth forecast by about a third, to roughly 20%, after the cost of delivering new AI features ran higher than expected, according to Fortune. CEO Melanie Perkins said the company slowed its AI rollout to rebuild the underlying unit economics.
The Australian Financial Review reported on August 14, 2026 that two of Canva's earliest backers, Blackbird Ventures and Airtree, had marked the company's valuation down about 17%, to roughly $35 billion from $42 billion. On August 28, 2026, the AFR reported that Blackbird is weighing a sale of its early Canva stake into continuation funds, at a valuation of about $30 billion, so its own investors can take profits.
Where Canva actually stands
Canva has spent years on most 'next big IPO' lists, and its recent public numbers have moved the other way: Canva told investors on August 12, 2026 that it was cutting its 2026 revenue growth forecast by about a third, to roughly 20%, after the cost of new AI features ran higher than expected, and the Australian Financial Review reported on August 14, 2026 that two of its earliest backers, Blackbird Ventures and Airtree, had marked its valuation down about 17%, to roughly $35 billion from $42 billion. None of that, however, is a filing. As of the latest site review there is no S-1 or F-1 on EDGAR for Canva.
In April 2026, reporting described Canva's leadership as confirming both readiness and a target closer to 2027, walking back earlier speculation about 2026. An early venture backer had separately told its investors the company was ready for a second-half-2026 listing - a reminder that outside enthusiasm and company timing are different things.
Why the timeline keeps sliding
Canva is profitable and well capitalized, which removes the most common forcing function for an IPO: the need for money. Reporting around the 2026 discussions ties timing partly to the company's push into AI features, suggesting management wants that story mature before a public debut.
Employee and early-investor liquidity has instead come through large secondary share sales, including the 2025 transaction that produced the widely cited $42 billion figure. Regular secondaries reduce internal pressure to list on any particular schedule.
Signals worth watching
As an Australian company, Canva would most likely file with the SEC as a foreign private issuer or dual-list; either path still produces a public registration statement you can find on EDGAR. That filing, or an official company announcement, is the only start signal that counts.
Until then, the meaningful indicators are the ones Canva already provides: disclosed revenue milestones, profitability statements, and the cadence of its secondary share sales. Specific dates circulating beyond those sources are speculation.