Visual Communications Platform Canva Announces USD 15 Billion Valuation; Launches Suite of Presentations Products for the Workplace

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More than 85% of the Fortune 500 Embrace Canva to Bolster Collaboration and Productivity, with over 250 million Presentations Created

Canva, the global visual communications platform, today announced an updated valuation of USD 15 billion following a USD 71 million investment. This latest valuation affirms Canva as one of the fastest-growing software companies in history, surpassing $500 million annualized revenue this year. The company also formally announced a suite of new features for its flagship workplace product, Canva Presentations, which empowers teams around the world to design with ease and collaborate at scale.

“Now more than ever, teams and workplaces around the world need scalable, collaborative and easy-to-use visual communication products to empower them to achieve their goals,” explained Canva co-founder and CEO, Melanie Perkins. “The launch of Presentations gives workplaces of all sizes a unique, flexible collaboration product that makes work feel like play. I’m incredibly proud of our rapidly growing global team as we work together to empower the world to design.

Canva Emerges as one of the World’s Fastest-Growing Software Companies

Canva’s surge in valuation is a direct result of the rapidly growing adoption from teams and workplaces across the globe as the company surpasses more than 55 million monthly active users and achieves a 130% year-over-year increase in annualized revenue while remaining profitable.

Canva has rapidly become the collaboration platform of choice for millions of teams and workplaces in more than 190 countries. Presentations have become the company’s fastest-growing use case, with more than 250 million created to date and 85% of Fortune 500 companies embracing Canva, the company is well poised to replace expensive and complex legacy alternatives.

As the world moves towards an increasingly visual and distributed environment, so does the demand for collaborative platforms that enable everyone to embrace visual communication. Canva’s exponential surge in valuation and increased demand from investors is attributed to the company’s enormous and underserved addressable market, in tandem with the company’s unwavering momentum as the workplace creativity tool of the future.

“We are pleased to support Canva in its mission to help teams around the world to democratize visual communication,” said Alan Tu, Portfolio Manager of T. Rowe Price Global Technology Fund. “The company’s strong customer loyalty and consistent innovation has led to healthy growth, and we believe that they have the leadership team in place to continue on their path to becoming a much larger company in the future.”

“Canva's growth is a testament to the company’s deep insight into the creative and communication needs of an ever-evolving workplace and its outstanding execution in delivering tools that help teams collaborate and present more effectively,” said Christian Jensen, Partner at Dragoneer. “It’s incredible to see what this nimble and passionate company from Sydney’s emerging tech hub has been able to achieve in such a short period of time. We believe that there are only a small handful of truly special companies being built at any given moment— and Canva is one of them. We are thrilled to be working with Canva as they enter their next phase of growth.”

 

Canva Launches Suite of Presentation Products for the Modern Workplace

Today, Canva is the only platform that brings the entire design process together, empowering teams and workplaces of any size across every industry to easily achieve their goals while bolstering productivity and staying on brand. As the number of teams embracing Canva continues to surge, the company is investing heavily in its Presentations product for workplaces across the globe, announcing a suite of features designed to support an increasingly digital world as teams and workplaces adapt to a new hybrid model of work.

●      Workplace Templates allow you to start inspired. From business plans, to pitch decks, training manuals, and status trackers, anyone can create a polished presentation.

●      Talking Presentations empowers remote-friendly presentations. Now teams can record a presenter video that accompanies each slide and helps land every point, every time.

●      Canva Live makes engaging presentations effortless. Now you can engage the audience anywhere in the world with live Q&A displayed on the screen during the session.

●      Mobile-First Presentations bring the power of Canva Presentations on-the-go. Teams can create a deck, share it, comment and review from anywhere.

●      Magic Shortcuts surprise and delight the audience. From “C” for streaming confetti to “D” for a live drumroll, presentations just got a whole lot more interesting.

●      Charts and Infographics simplify data storytelling. Visualize complex information with beautifully crafted infographics and animated charts; live data integrations coming soon.

The work suite of features is backed by Canva’s powerful collaboration tools as well as the platform’s rapidly growing content library of more than 9,000 professionally designed Presentation templates and over 100 million ingredients for design including photos, videos, audio tracks, and illustrations to help start any project inspired.

With more than 600 presentations created per minute, Canva is bolstering productivity and collaboration across leading brands including American Airlines, Live Nation, Kimberly Clark, McKinsey, and Salesforce. For more information on how you can embrace the future of visual communication, visit Canva.com.

 

STAY Comfortable and Stylish with UNIQLO’s T-Shirt Line-up

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Global apparel retailer UNIQLO is offering a way to stay comfortable this summer with its collection of T-Shirts. The high-quality apparel comes in a wide range of colors and designs and can be enjoyed in any situation indoors and outdoors.

“UNIQLO’s T-Shirts address our customers’ need for everyday wear that is both versatile and stylish. These t-shirts are a testament to our commitment to LifeWear, our high-quality and timeless apparel made for everyone, everywhere. They are universal in design and comfort and are innovated with unique technologies to make them a closet essential,” says Masayoshi Nakamura, Chief Operation Officer of UNIQLO Philippines. 

Technologies and materials of high-quality that give lightness and better comfort

AIRism is woven with special fibers that diffuse moisture and release heat, alleviating that sweaty feeling. Apart from quickly absorbing and evaporating moisture, AIRism neutralizes odors caused by sweat. The fabric is highly breathable and is cool and smooth to the touch. 

Select T-Shirts are also made from Supima© cotton. This superior and super-soft fiber has been dubbed the “cashmere of cotton” and represents less than 1% of all cotton grown worldwide. 

Below are UNIQLO’s T-Shirts line-up that everyone can enjoy this summer. 

Men’s and Women’s Uniqlo U Crew Neck T-Shirt

The basic T-shirt has been perfected by Uniqlo U, led by our Artistic Director and UNIQLO Research & Development Team in Paris. Uniqlo U Crew Neck T-shirt is designed to be durable, thanks to a sturdy heavy cotton material made from low-count yarn with a compact knit. Its binding specifications help keep the garment in shape, so it doesn’t stretch out. It also comes with a trendy, relaxed silhouette in a wide range of casual and sophisticated colors.

Php 590.00

Men’s, Women’s and Kids’ Uniqlo U AIRism Cotton Oversized Crew Neck T-Shirt

The apparel may look like a normal cotton t-shirt, but it comes with AIRism technology to make it lightweight, breathable – with a smooth and dry touch. Its relaxed cut makes it an ideal choice for casual wear, while its elegant, muted colors can dress the look up. Its easy-care design means the t-shirt does not wrinkle after washing.

Php 790.00

Men’s Uniqlo U Oversized Crew Neck T-Shirt

This T-Shirt is made with compact 100% cotton and a boxy cut with a drop shoulder for a breezy and comfortable fit. 

Php 790.00

Women’s Smooth Cotton French Sleeve T-Shirt

UNIQLO added a thick new cotton fabric this season, with a soft and silky-smooth touch and just the right amount of drape. Its relaxed cut with a slightly longer body length and French sleeves make it perfect for dressing up in elegant looks.

Php 590.00

Men’s SUPIMA Cotton Crew Neck T-Shirt

The cotton crew neck t-shirt is made from 100% Supima© cotton, designed with a special spinning method to give it a high-quality texture. This season, UNIQLO updated the garment with a looser fit so it drapes beautifully towards the hem. Despite the update, the shirt’s clean and simple design still looks timeliness. 

Php 590.00

For more updates, please visit UNIQLO Philippines’ website at uniqlo.com/ph and download the UNIQLO App via Google Play Store or Apple Store.

Follow UNIQLO Philippines’ social media accounts, Facebook (facebook.com/uniqlo.ph), Twitter (twitter.com/uniqloph) and Instagram (Instagram.com/uniqlophofficial).

Comm&Sense bags another milestone as Ph Quill 1st runner-up Agency of the Year

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In only its fourth year of joining the Philippine Quill Awards, Public Relations and Content Marketing agency Comm&Sense has received yet another affirmation of its data-driven #IntelligentPR strategy, as it was named first runner-up Agency of the Year (AOY) by the International Association of Business Communicators - Philippines.

This was also Comm&Sense’s AOY nomination for the second year in a row.

Along with Comm&Sense’s first runner-up AOY honors came a special award from the 18th Philippine Quill Awards. The agency’s collaboration with leading health maintenance organization (HMO) PhilCare bagged the top prize in the Communications Research division for its CQ Wellness Index beating other corporate heavyweights.

Rolled out during the imposition of the first enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the summer of 2020, the PhilCare CQ Wellness Index looked into the actual state of well-being of Filipinos amid the lockdown stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also examined how various sectors of society across the country responded to the effects of the lockdowns and the pandemic as a whole.

The PhilCare CQ Wellness Index was also nominated for the top award in COVID Communications, a special division in this year’s Quills dedicated to business communication efforts in response to the pandemic. Meanwhile, the study’s publicity effort also won a Quill award of merit under the Communications Management division.

Apart from the two collaborations for the PhilCare CQ Wellness Index, Comm&Sense and its affiliates received 13 awards for its collaborations with clients in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), financial, and healthcare industries. All in all, the agency received six Quill awards of excellence and nine Quills of merit.

A full-service digital PR agency established in 2005, Comm&Sense has since then always believed and practiced #IntelligentPR, which is rooted in data, whether from clients or from research. Data and actionable insights are crucial in each communication plan the agency makes for campaigns to have impact on their respective target audiences.

The data-driven content is then followed by creative execution and smart amplification. Together, the three elements are what clients need to build credibility with their respective customers.

“It’s an honor to be receiving these achievements from the Philippine Quills with most of the efforts done as we celebrated our 15th anniversary in 2020. But while we are happy with these awards, we are more fulfilled with the validations of our data-driven communications strategy from peers in the communications business,” said Comm&Sense founder and president Jaeger L. Tanco.

“Truthful and relevant data have always been at the center of any intelligent decision-making, especially amidst the pandemic. Together with our partners, we look forward to providing more insights that impact individuals, businesses, and society, as we rise from this crisis,” said Comm&Sense Director Eusebio H. Tanco.

Cherry Pet announces Summer Promo for the Furmily

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Daily hot breeze from morning ‘til night, what else does this mean? Summer is finally here! Your furry ones can be more sensitive to this scorching heat so help them beat it with Cherry Pet Summer Promo which will run from April 8-30, 2021.

As part of the promo, you will enjoy a FREE powerbank for every purchase of the Cherry Pet Smart Pet Fountain for just P4,400.

The Cherry Pet Smart Pet Fountain is one nifty choice for every fur parent as it will not only keep your pets fully hydrated but will also provide them with purified drinking water—fancy! To ensure that your fur babies will only consume germ-free filtered water, this product is equipped with 3-stage filtration system. It has primary filter, water pump filter, and UV light that can sterilize the water.

Not only that, this pet fountain features a timer so you have the option to let it function at a scheduled time. It can also be controlled using your smartphone, giving you access wherever you are. Indeed, there is no busy schedule and place too far away when you’re a dedicated fur mom/dad!

Finally, it has as much as 2 Liters water capacity, measures 208mm x 198mm x 181mm, and weighs 1.22 kilograms.

What are you waiting for? Catch this promo at the participating stores of Handyman, True Value, and AllHome. It’s also just a few clicks away through:

Cherry Shop PH: www.cherryshop.com.ph

Cherry PH Viber Community: https://bit.ly/CherryViberCommunity

Shopee:  https://shopee.ph/cherryhomeph

Lazada: https://www.lazada.com.ph/shop/cherry-home/

Marikina goes cashless with PayMaya for resident, citizen payments

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The City Government of Marikina has tapped digital financial services leader PayMaya to roll out contactless payments for real property and other business taxes within the city.

Using PayMaya's payment platform, residents and businesses can now pay for their city government fees online from the safety of their own homes. All they have to do is log-in to Marikina's online portal powered by PayMaya Checkout and pay using any credit, debit, or prepaid card as well as their PayMaya wallet. This initiative is in collaboration with the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).

Marikina residents and businesses can now pay online for real property and other business taxes using their PayMaya account or credit, debit, or prepaid cards as PayMaya powers the online portal of the city through PayMaya Checkout.
Present during the signing of the memorandum of agreement were Marikina City Mayor Marcelino Teodoro (3rd from left), Vice Mayor Marion Andres (rightmost), PayMaya Enterprise Senior Manager Tisha Quinitio (3rd from right), DBP Marikina Branch Head Julie Se (2nd from left), and Marikina business owners Lito Lopez (leftmost) and Tony Andres (2nd from right).

“Through this cashless initiative with PayMaya and DBP, we are empowering our constituents with a safer way to pay for taxes and other fees online so that they don’t have to physically go to the city hall, especially at this time. This will contribute towards safer and more efficient government transactions during this pandemic. At the same time, this will allow us to continue delivering critical services to the public,” said Marikina City Mayor Marcelino Teodoro.

“We thank Marikina City for being our partner in enabling the public sector with safer cashless payment solutions. Digital payment is a key component of the transformation of our local governments and we are excited to bring this forward with other digital financial services ecosystem initiatives,” added PayMaya Founder and CEO Orlando Vea.

Marikina City is the latest in over 60 national agencies and local units that have already embraced cashless solutions powered by PayMaya, which includes cashless payments acceptance as well as disbursement solutions.

Other national government agencies and local government units that have embraced cashless technologies powered by PayMaya's platforms include the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Social Security System (SSS), Home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-IBIG, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Land Transportation Office (LTO), Bureau of Customs (BoC), and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), as well as the cities of Manila, Mandaluyong, Quezon City, Pasig, Caloocan, and Valenzuela, among many others.

PayMaya is the only end-to-end digital payments ecosystem enabler in the Philippines with platforms and services that cut across consumers, merchants, communities, and government. Through its enterprise business, it is the largest digital payments processor for key industries in the country including "everyday" merchants such as the largest retail, food, gas, and eCommerce merchants as well as government agencies and units.

Through its app and wallet, PayMaya provides over 28 million Filipinos with access to financial services. Customers can conveniently pay, add money, cash out or remit through its over 200,000 digital touchpoints nationwide.

Its Smart Padala by PayMaya network of over 37,000 partner agent touchpoints nationwide serves as last-mile digital financial hubs in communities, providing the unbanked and underserved with access to digital services. 

To know more about PayMaya's products and services, visit www.PayMaya.com or follow @PayMayaOfficial on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.