Little Bird (aquired by Sprinklr)
Acquired3 known investors
Little Bird was a Portland social analytics company that identified top experts and influencers in any field via Twitter data.
Also known as Little Bird · LittleBird
Investors · 3
Also in the syndicate · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Little Bird was a Portland, Oregon-based social media analytics company founded in 2011. Its platform helped researchers and marketers identify the most influential people and subject-matter experts in a given field by analyzing connections across the social web, primarily Twitter. Influence was measured by the connections a person had built with other recognized experts in their specific field, an approach the company described using a "9 out of 10 dentists recommend" model.
After building a map of influencers and experts for a topic — a process the company said took under five minutes — the system reported which of those influencers were already part of a customer's online community, which ones competitors were connected to, what conversations were most active among them, and delivered ongoing alerts when notable events occurred. The company positioned its analysis of social data as a source of insight for enterprise marketing.
In November 2016, Sprinklr, a New York-based social media management platform for enterprises, acquired Little Bird. It was Sprinklr's 11th acquisition. Little Bird's technology was intended to strengthen Sprinklr's audience insights, segmentation, advertising and analytics capabilities, and its influencer and advocacy management solution. Deal terms were not disclosed. Little Bird's six full-time employees remained in Portland as part of Sprinklr's global team.
Founding story
The company was founded in 2011 with the goal of letting researchers quickly find the top experts and influencers on any given subject via Twitter; co-founder and chairman Marshall Kirkpatrick, previously a TechCrunch writer, said the technology at the time of the acquisition matched what the team originally set out to build.
Business model
Little Bird sold its influencer discovery and research platform to enterprise teams, including product and content marketers, customer care teams and market intelligence groups at large brands.
Traction
By the time of the acquisition the company had six full-time employees and customers including Microsoft, LinkedIn, IBM, Dun & Bradstreet and Pitney Bowes, along with unnamed large media companies, nonprofits and retailers.
Latest developments
Sprinklr announced the acquisition in mid-November 2016 and planned to integrate Little Bird into its social media management platform, specifically its influencer and advocacy management solution.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Little Bird operated in social media analytics and influencer discovery, and was acquired by enterprise social media management vendor Sprinklr, which folded the technology into its influencer and advocacy management offering.
Technology
The platform analyzed social web connection data, chiefly from Twitter, to rank influence based on how many other recognized experts in a specific field were connected to a given person, then surfaced overlap with a customer's community and competitors' networks, trending conversations among those influencers, and time-based alerts.
Go-to-market
Product and content marketers, customer care teams, market intelligence groups and researchers at large brands, media companies, nonprofits and retailers. Named customers included Microsoft, LinkedIn, IBM, Dun & Bradstreet and Pitney Bowes.
Geography
Headquartered in Portland, Oregon; the team remained in Portland after the acquisition by New York-based Sprinklr.
History
Founded in 2011 to help researchers find top experts and influencers on any subject via Twitter. It raised seed funding in 2012 from Mark Cuban and other technology industry figures, followed by an investment from the Oregon Angel Fund in early 2014 and a further round in 2016 led by Jason Calacanis' AngelList Syndicate. In total it raised $4.8 million in venture capital. Sprinklr acquired the company in November 2016.
Compiled by commissioned research from 3 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 4
launches, deals, and filingsSprinklr, a New York-based enterprise social media management provider, acquired Portland, Oregon-based Little Bird in its 11th acquisition. Terms were not disclosed. Little Bird's technology was to enhance Sprinklr's audience insights, segmentation, advertising and analytics capabilities and its influencer and advocacy management solution; the six-person team stayed in Portland.
Jason Calacanis' AngelList Syndicate led a funding round for Little Bird in 2016.
Little Bird secured seed funding in 2012 from Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and other technology industry leaders.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 3
primary sources listed
- Little Bird (aquired by Sprinklr) — Social Startssocialstarts.com · web
3 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Little Bird (aquired by Sprinklr) do?
- Little Bird was a Portland social analytics company that identified top experts and influencers in any field via Twitter data.
- Who are Little Bird (aquired by Sprinklr)'s investors?
- Little Bird (aquired by Sprinklr)'s investors include Social Starts, Social Leverage.