Sprout Social went public from Chicago, far from the Silicon Valley money that usually funds software companies. It sold one inbox for every brand account on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Marketers used it to schedule posts, answer customers, and prove their work was paying off. By December 2019 social media had become a customer service desk for most companies. Even so, Sprout's stock slipped below its offer price on its first day.

Four Founders, One Dashboard

Justyn Howard, Aaron Rankin, Gilbert Lara, and Peter Soung founded Sprout Social in Chicago in 2010. The bet was that small businesses and big brands alike would need a tool to manage a flood of social messages. Sprout sold it as a subscription with a free trial. It grew by adding listening, analytics, and tools for teams. Howard ran the company as CEO for more than a decade.

From Nasdaq to NewsWhip

Sprout Social priced at $17 a share on December 12, 2019, the middle of its range, and listed on Nasdaq under SPT. The stock opened at $18.05 and closed the day at $16.60. Ryan Barretto, who joined the company in 2016, became CEO in 2024. In July 2025 Sprout bought NewsWhip, a Dublin company that tracks stories as they spread. Sprout still trades on Nasdaq under SPT.

Cover: Two Plant Specimens, William Henry Fox Talbot. Art Institute of Chicago, public domain. Chosen for young plants (a sprout).