Sprout Social Acquires NewsWhip for $55m to Expand Predictive Intelligence Market

Irish-founded NewsWhip has been acquired by Nasdaq-listed social media marketing company Sprout Social in a deal potentially worth $65 million. The deal involves a $55 million cash payment and up to $10 million in performance-based cash earn-outs over the next two years. NewsWhip's AI-driven insights will be integrated into Sprout Social's Listening platform to empower brands and publishers to navigate the digital media landscape with foresight and agility.

Sprout Social, a leading provider of cloud-based social media management software, has acquired Irish-founded NewsWhip in a deal potentially worth $65 million. The acquisition involves a $55 million cash payment and up to $10 million in performance-based cash earn-outs over the next two years [1].

NewsWhip, established in 2011, specializes in AI-powered, predictive media intelligence. Its technology monitors millions of news and social media signals per hour, surfacing rising narratives and delivering predictive, context-rich alerts. This acquisition will integrate NewsWhip's real-time media monitoring and AI capabilities into Sprout Social's Listening platform, enhancing its predictive intelligence and empowering brands and publishers to navigate the digital media landscape with foresight and agility [1].

Sprout Social's CEO, Ryan Barretto, stated, "NewsWhip’s AI-driven insights give brands a predictive edge that’s critical in today’s fast-moving digital world. Their technology unlocks real-time, actionable intelligence that allows businesses to stay ahead of trends and risks." The acquisition accelerates Sprout Social's vision of delivering an agentic, AI-powered platform that connects media foresight with social strategy [1].

Paul Quigley, CEO of NewsWhip, will join Sprout Social as General Manager for Sprout’s Listening business, overseeing both NewsWhip and Sprout’s Listening products. The acquisition closed on July 29, 2025, and was funded with Sprout’s revolving credit facility and cash on its balance sheet [1].

Sprout Social's CFO, Joe Del Preto, expressed excitement about the acquisition, stating, "We are excited to deepen Sprout’s Listening capabilities with NewsWhip’s industry-leading real-time insights and innovative AI agents, which we believe will accelerate our AI roadmap over the next several years." Sprout Social will discuss NewsWhip in more detail on its second-quarter earnings call on August 6, 2025 [1].

References
[1] https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/07/30/3124174/0/en/Sprout-Social-Acquires-NewsWhip-Enhancing-Predictive-Intelligence-Capabilities-and-Accelerating-AI-Roadmap.html