Artinia Group Announces Strategic Growth Investment in Canvas

San Diego, CA and Boston, MA: Artinia Group, a lower middle market private equity firm focused on partnering with exceptional family-owned and operator-led businesses, announced it has made a strategic growth investment in Canvas, a leading provider of engineering, technical, and lifecycle management services to U.S. defense agencies. The investment was made in partnership with Gemini Investors and True West Capital Partners and will strengthen Canvas’ technical capabilities in missile and hypersonic vehicle technologies including test and evaluation, simulation and training, system engineering and integration, and software development while providing a platform to grow in mission-critical areas of customer need including digital engineering, cybersecurity, unmanned systems, and electronic warfare. Canvas’ management team will continue to lead the company in its expanded growth pursuits and ongoing mission to support our nation’s warfighters.

“We are delighted to partner with Canvas,” stated Nicholas Osborne, Managing Partner at Artinia Group. “The Company has built an excellent reputation for technical expertise, putting the customer first, and delivering first-class results across the Aerospace and Defense community. We are excited to work with Jami and the entire Canvas family to help the Company continue building on its impressive foundation.” 

Canvas was founded in 2007 by CEO Jami Peyton and has grown to over 350 team members, forming a culture of creative excellence in providing highly advanced engineering services to the Department of Defense. Peyton remains dedicated to ensuring the company’s employees receive the best possible work experience and expressed her enthusiasm for the strategic investment, stating, “This is a wonderful opportunity for Canvas’ future as we continue to grow and mature as a small business. We are excited to further our customer’s mission, expand our customer base and capabilities, and invest in our workforce. The operational and strategic strengths of Artinia Group were a perfect fit for Canvas.”

Canvas boasts exceptional performance scorecards as a prime contractor of choice across defense agencies seeking engineering, test and evaluation expertise in missiles, hypersonics and propulsion. Mykel Sprinkles, Managing Partner at Artinia Group, added, “Canvas is a unique growth platform opportunity. The threat landscape our nation faces is evolving at an accelerated pace and Canvas continues to demonstrate the agility and strategic vision to serve as a strategic partner to the defense community at the intersections of current and future warfighter needs. We’re excited to work closely with the team to bolster technical capabilities and services, both through organic growth and targeted acquisitions.”

Artinia Group’s investment in Canvas is facilitated in partnership with Gemini and True West, each a licensed Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) under the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) SBIC program. The SBIC program focuses on supporting U.S. small businesses need to operate, expand, and modernize their businesses, and Canvas is proud to be a recipient of this strategic investment. This significant investment allows Canvas to maintain its small business size status while unlocking new avenues for growth and value creation. Artinia Group and Canvas leadership reassures Canvas’ customers and industry partners that the investment will have no impact on the company’s size status or its commitment to providing an exceptional work environment and preserving the existing company culture. Peyton will continue to lead the Canvas platform as CEO.