Sprout Social, the Chicago-based social media management platform, has acquired Dublin-based NewsWhip in a €48 million ($55M USD) all-cash deal, with an additional €8.7M ($10M) in potential earnouts over two years.
The acquisition closed on July 29, 2025, and was funded via Sprout’s credit facility and existing cash reserves.
Combining predictive media insight with social strategy
Founded in 2011, NewsWhip helps brands and publishers track real-time engagement trends across millions of stories and billions of social signals. Its AI-powered platform is used for crisis management, media monitoring, and early trend detection.
Sprout Social, used by over 30,000 brands, will integrate NewsWhip’s tools into its Listening product suite. Post-acquisition, NewsWhip co-founder and CEO Paul Quigley becomes General Manager of Sprout’s Listening division, overseeing the combined platform.
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Building the AI-powered comms stack
“NewsWhip gives brands a predictive edge in a chaotic media environment,” said Sprout CEO Ryan Barretto. “This deal accelerates our vision of a fully AI-powered platform that connects foresight with social engagement in real time.”
NewsWhip’s machine learning models identify emerging stories before they go viral, helping clients avoid reputational risk or capitalize on trending narratives early. The combined platform aims to offer a unified dashboard of media, social, and audience signals.
Strategic fit with customers across PR, marketing, and newsrooms
Sprout’s existing clients use its platform for publishing, engagement, influencer marketing, and customer service. NewsWhip’s customers — which include top newsrooms and brand teams — have long used the platform to surface early indicators of crisis or opportunity.
“NewsWhip finds the stories shaping the world,” said Quigley. “With Sprout, we can now help brands act on those insights faster and with more precision than ever before.”
