As Wall Street punishes software stocks over AI concerns, Canva gets more acquisitive

Cavalry offers motion graphics tools for designers, while MangoAI could help Canva provide tools for making new video ads.

Software stocks have been hammered in recent weeks as investors worry about threats from artificial intelligence. In the startup world, Canva has been among the highest fliers due to its popularity with designers, but that market is showing vulnerability, with larger rival Adobe down 30% so far this year.

As Canva reckons with dramatic changes in the market, the design software vendor is getting acquisitive. The company said Monday that it's purchased two startups — Cavalry and MangoAI — that stand to help it challenge Adobe.

Cavalry, a four-person startup, sells subscriptions to software for creating two-dimensional animations. MangoAI is a stealth-mode company, whose technology can be used for creating short videos for advertising. Terms of the deals weren't disclosed.