The co-founder and CEO of NewsWhip is set to lead both companies’ social listening products.
Irish-founded predictive media analytics company NewsWhip has been acquired by Sprout Social, the popular cloud-based social media management provider.
The deal has cost Sprout $55m in cash, with up to $10m in performance-based cash earnouts applicable over the next two years.
As part of the acquisition, NewsWhip’s team of 70 will merge with Sprout Social, and Paul Quigley, the co-founder and CEO of NewsWhip, will step into the role of general manager for Sprout’s listening business, leading both companies’ social listening products.
Founded in 2011, NewsWhip specialises in identifying emerging and trending stories by using social engagement data.
The company’s real-time monitoring and artificial intelligence agents uncover millions of stories and more than half a billion engagement signals daily, according to Sprout.
NewsWhip is used by leading news publications such as Politico, the Associated Press, as well as companies such as Disney and Ford, and organisations such as the World Health Organization and World Economic Forum.
With this acquisition, Sprout is targeting a media landscape that is becoming increasingly fast-paced, with thousands of emerging trends and breaking news stories a day.
The deal is set to expand Sprout Social’s predictive intelligence capabilities, especially augmented with NewsWhip’s offering of AI-powered media analytics.
“NewsWhip’s AI-driven insights give brands a predictive edge that’s critical in today’s fast-moving digital world,” said Ryan Barretto, the CEO of Sprout Social. “Their technology unlocks real-time, actionable intelligence that allows businesses to stay ahead of trends and risks.
“This acquisition accelerates our vision of delivering an agentic, AI-powered platform that seamlessly connects media foresight with social strategy to drive transformative outcomes for our customers.”
Quigley said, “We founded NewsWhip to harness real-time intelligence to redefine how brands and publishers anticipate and act on media trends.
“Sprout Social’s market-leading platform, proven go-to-market strategy and commitment to innovation make them the ideal partner to build on this vision.
“Together, we’re poised to deliver incredible value to our customers and establish a leading position in the rapidly growing predictive intelligence market.”
In 2023, NewsWhip raised $13m from AshGrove Capital to develop its media monitoring platform, as well as grow its team.
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