NewsWhip Acquired by Sprout Social: A Remarkable Irish Startup Journey

We are proud to share the exciting news that NewsWhip, one of Ireland’s standout data intelligence startups, has been acquired by US-based Sprout Social, a global leader in social media management, for an initial consideration of $55 million.

This marks a major milestone in NewsWhip’s journey. In 2013 the AIB Seed Capital Fund, managed by Furthr VC, became the first institutional investor in the company. Since then, Furthr VC has continued to support NewsWhip (founded in 2011) in a number of follow-on co-investment rounds, playing a pivotal role in the company’s scale and success.

Pioneering the Future of Media Intelligence

At the time of Furthr VC’s first investment in NewsWhip, founders Paul Quigley and Andrew Mullaney were just beginning to explore how social media would impact news journalism. Their breakthrough insight was that virality wasn't determined by how often content was shared, but by how quickly it was shared. With early backing from AIB Seed Capital Fund, NewsWhip developed a patented algorithm to measure this speed of content-sharing, a capability that laid the foundation for a much broader application beyond journalism.

As the technology evolved, so too did its reach. Today, NewsWhip's real-time media intelligence platform, used by leading global brands, governments, and NGOs to monitor millions of news and social media signals per hour. The platform surfaces rising narratives, assesses momentum, and delivers predictive, context-rich alerts, helping organisations anticipate the impact of emerging stories before they fully unfold. 

A Global Exit, Rooted in Irish Innovation

At Furthr, we’ve always believed that the boldest ideas deserve bold backing. Our involvement in the European Business Innovation Centre Network (EBN) has shown us that Furthr is unique  not only in Ireland, but across Europe in having our own venture capital fund integrated into our broader enterprise support mission.

In fact, our first seed capital fund was a modest €1M, established in 1991 a time when early-stage tech investing in Ireland required genuine visionary leadership, provided by our very own Alex Hobbs and Eugene Smith. As we often say, in Furthr, we’re standing on the shoulders of giants.

Since then, Furthr VC has been known for making bold but well-considered investments, sharing risk with Ireland’s most promising entrepreneurs at the earliest stages of their journey. That tradition continues today through the work of Richard Watson, Colm O'Sullivan, and Caroline Smart as they lead Furthr VC’s current fund.

''Eugene Smith and I are proud of the ongoing support we have been providing through investment and also strategic inputs at board level to Paul and his team. This acquisition by Sprout is a significant recognition of the groundbreaking progress by NewsWhip in building up its real-time media intelligence business internationally, driven by AI-driven product innovations.” Alex Hobbs, DSCGP Fund Manager.

''For almost 40 years, Furthr has been the most innovative, hands-on and forward-thinking start-up enterprise support organisation in Ireland. We work with more than 300 Founders every year and have invested time, advice, expertise and early-stage funding into companies like NewsWhip, GridBeyond, and SilverCloud Health  businesses that have gone on to deliver world-leading innovations and create wealth and jobs for Ireland. We’re a values-led organisation, and one of those values is that we are inspired to be entrepreneurial by the entrepreneurs with whom we work.” Martin Murray CEO, Furthr 

What’s Next for NewsWhip?

This acquisition signals a new chapter for NewsWhip as it becomes part of Sprout Social’s global ecosystem, extending the reach and impact of its real-time media monitoring and predictive analytics technology.

To learn more, we recommend reading:

• NewsWhip’s official update

• The full press release

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Newship is an investee company managed by Furthr’s, DSCGP as General Partner for AIB Seed Capital Fund (AIBSCF).

Under DSCGP management, AIBSCF first invested in Newswhip in 2013 and supported it in a number of follow-on co-investment rounds.

NewsWhip, led by CEO Paul Quigley is the real-time media intelligence company trusted by some of the world’s top brands and publishers to predict and understand the impact of emerging stories. Its technology monitors millions of news and social media signals per hour—surfacing rising narratives, assessing momentum, and delivering predictive, context-rich alerts through its real-time media monitoring agent.

Newswhip is based in Dublin and Boston.  To learn more, visit newswhip.com.

Sprout Social is a global leader in social media management and analytics software, built on the belief that All Business is Social℠. Sprout’s intuitive platform puts powerful social data into the hands of approximately 30,000 brands so they can deliver smarter, faster business impact. Named the #1 Best Software Product by G2’s 2024 Best Software Award, Sprout offers comprehensive publishing and engagement functionality, customer care, influencer marketing, advocacy, and AI-powered business intelligence. Sprout’s software operates across all major social media networks and digital platforms. For more information about Sprout Social (NASDAQ: SPT), visit sproutsocial.com.