 | |
 | |
| Type of business | Private |
|---|---|
Type of site | Social media management, social networking service |
| Available in | Multilingual[1] |
| Founded | Vancouver, BC, Canada (2008) |
| Headquarters | 111 East 5th Avenue Vancouver, V5T 4J7 Canada[2] |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Founder(s) | Ryan Holmes, Dario Meli, David Tedman |
| Key people | Irina Novoselsky (CEO)[3][4] |
| Industry | Internet, Immigration and law enforcement |
| Products | Social media management, Social media marketing, Social media customer service, Social media analytics, Social media listening, United States Immigration Enforcement financial support. |
| Employees | 1,559 (Aug 2024)[5] |
| URL | hootsuite |
| Users | Over 16 million (March 2018)[6] |
| Launched | December 2008 |
| Current status | Active |
Hootsuite is a social media management platform, created by Ryan Holmes in 2008.[7] The system's user interface takes the form of a dashboard, and supports social network integrations for Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube and TikTok.
Based in Vancouver, Hootsuite has over 1,000 staff members in 13 locations, including Toronto, London, Paris, Sydney, Bucharest, Milan, Luxembourg and Mexico City. The company has more than 16 million users in over 175 countries.[6]
History
In 2008, Holmes needed a tool to manage multiple social media networks at his digital services agency, Invoke Media.[8] Finding that there was no product in the market offering all the features he sought, Holmes, along with Dario Meli, David Tedman, and the Invoke team, chose instead to develop a platform of their own that would be able to organize their many social media accounts and networks.[9] The first iteration of this social media management system launched on November 28, 2008, in the form of a Twitter dashboard called BrightKit.[10]
Recognizing that many other individuals and organizations worldwide faced similar problems with managing multiple social accounts, Holmes decided that BrightKit could be the solution for other businesses looking to organize their social networks.[8] The launch of BrightKit had a positive reception.[11]
In February 2009, Holmes offered a $500 prize for renaming the platform and used crowdsourced suggestions from the dashboard's 100,000+ users as contest submissions.[12] The winning idea was Hootsuite, a moniker submitted by a user named Matt Nathan[13] and based upon "Owly", the dashboard's owl logo, as a word play on the French expression "tout de suite", meaning "right now".
In November 2009, the Hootsuite dashboard expanded its offering to support Facebook and LinkedIn and the capability to use Twitter Lists.[14]
In December 2009, Hootsuite spun off from Invoke Media and launched officially as an independent company, Hootsuite Media, Inc. That same month, Hootsuite received $1.9 million in funding from Hearst Interactive Media, Blumberg Capital, and prominent angel investors Leo Group LLC and Geoff Entress.[15]
In March 2012, OMERS Ventures, the venture capital investment arm of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, invested $20 million, valuing the company at US$200 million.[16][17] OMERS did not buy its stake directly in the company, but rather bought private shares in a secondary transaction from a handful of employees and early investors, said Holmes.[18]
In May 2012, Hootsuite subsequently raised US$50 million in a Series A round, following rumors.[19][20]
In September 2012, Hootsuite acquired Seesmic, a customer relationship management system and competitor.[21]
On August 1, 2013, the company announced that it had raised US$165 million in Series B funding from Insight Venture Partners, followed by Accel Partners and OMERS—all three will now have a seat on Hootsuite's board. Holmes also said the company wanted to make at least two unnamed acquisitions and employ 100 overseas employees.[19]
In February 2017, Hootsuite announced its acquisition of AdEspresso, a digital advertisement manager, and LiftMetrix, a leading social media analytics company.[22]
In March 2018, Hootsuite announced $50 million in growth capital from CIBC Innovation Banking.[23]
In January 2021, Hootsuite acquired Sparkcentral, a messaging customer engagement tool and competitor, for an undisclosed price.[24]
In April 2023, Hootsuite launched OwlyWriter AI.[25]
In April 2024, it was announced Hootsuite had agreed to acquire the Kirchberg, Luxembourg-headquartered, AI-led social listening and analytics platform Talkwalker for an undisclosed amount.[26]
In 2025, Hootsuite launched OwlyGPT.[27]
Service
The service is commonly used to manage online brands and to submit messages to a variety of social media services, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok. Companies and organizations known to use Hootsuite include Facebook, the Obama administration, HBO, Martha Stewart Media, Virgin Group, SXSW, Panasonic, Zappos, The Gap and LHC.[28][29] Hootsuite provides a browser-based dashboard that lets users manage their social media presence and performance.[28]
Business
The company behind the service is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
In January 2010, the Hootsuite company was spun out of Invoke Media after venture capital firms Blumberg Capital and Hearst Interactive Media raised $2 million in financing for the company. Localized versions of Hootsuite are available in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish.[30]
As of March 2018, the service managed over one million social media accounts for 16 million unique users.[31]
Reception
The Hootsuite software has won awards from Mashable at their Open Web Awards 2009,[32] and the Canadian New Media Award.[33] In 2025, Hootsuite was ranked as the top social media management tool by G2.[34]
Controversies
In September 2020, Hootsuite faced criticism over its agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, made weeks after allegations of forced hysterectomies at ICE detention centres surfaced.[35] Following public pressure, the company backed out of the deal and posted a lengthy statement from CEO Tom Keiser to their official Twitter account that expressed regret over the internal divisions that the contract had created within the company.[36] It later dismissed an employee who had disclosed the contract.[37][38][39][40] In October, it was claimed that the contract had been transferred to the rival company NUVI, leading to uncertainty about the actual fate of the contract.[41]
In January 2026, The Globe and Mail reported that Hootsuite was again working with ICE after internal emails showed that CEO Irina Novoselsky travelled to Washington in September 2025 to “brief ICE on how Hootsuite and Talkwalker can support their mission.” and to pursue a “Trojan Horse Deal”.[4] A few days later the company doubled down, saying that as long as the terms and conditions are honored, the contract stands.[42]
See also
- Social media marketing
- Social media analytics
- Social media measurements
- Digital marketing
- Dashboard (business)
References
- ^ "Hootsuite Translations Project". Hootsuite. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
- ^ "Contact Us". Hootsuite. Archived from the original on February 25, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
- ^ "Hootsuite Appoints Former Zendesk Chief Operating Officer Tom Keiser to Chief Executive Officer". Hootsuite. Archived from the original on September 9, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
- ^ a b Castaldo, Joe; Silcoff, Sean (2026-01-20). "Vancouver social media company Hootsuite looking to work with ICE to 'build trust'". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2026-01-20.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "Craft general Hootsuite statistics". Craft. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ a b Hootsuite Press Releases (15 March 2018). "Hootsuite nabs $50M in growth capital for its social media management platform, passes 16M customers". Retrieved 7 August 2018.
- ^ "Hootsuite for President, Obama that is" Archived 2014-04-16 at the Wayback Machine, The Vancouver Sun
- ^ a b "Ivan Fernandes, MediaCom Global Director, Social Media Technology, interviews Ryan Holmes, CEO of Hootsuite". MediaCom. Retrieved March 21, 2012. Archived August 3, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "5 Tips for Startup Success From a Co-Founder of Hootsuite". Mashable. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
- ^ "BrightKit makes using multiple Twitter accounts easy". Vancouver Free Press, #whatsup. Retrieved March 21, 2012. Archived November 18, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "BrightKit: The Shiniest Twitter Scheduler and Tracker Yet". Mashable. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
- ^ "What You Should Outsource to Amp Up Efficiency". eESI PeopleTalk. Retrieved March 21, 2012. Archived May 28, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "BrightKit follower-sources new Hootsuite name" Archived 2012-05-18 at the Wayback Machine. TechVibes. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
- ^ "Hootsuite Adds Support for Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter Lists". Mashable. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
- ^ "Hootsuite Raises $1.9 Million for Social Media Dashboard". TechCrunch. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
- ^ "Hootsuite Gets $20M from Canadian Pension Fund". AdAge. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ Ingrid Lunden (29 March 2012). "Confirmed: Canadian VC Firm OMERS Ventures Takes $20M Stake In Hootsuite At $200M Valuation". TechCrunch. AOL Inc. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
- ^ "Hootsuite cashes out through secondary markets". Reuters. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ a b FRANCESCA LOUISE FENZI (1 August 2013). "Hootsuite: $165 Million Series B 'Takes the Pressure Off'". Inc.com. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
- ^ Ingrid Lunden (3 May 2013). "Hootsuite Is Raising $50M At A $500M Valuation". TechCrunch. AOL Inc. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
- ^ As Twitter Tightens Its Grip, Hootsuite Buys Seesmic
- ^ Smith, Charlie (February 22, 2017). "Hootsuite Buys New York-Based LiftMetrix". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
- ^ "Hootsuite nabs $50M in growth capital for its social media management platform, passes 16M customers – TechCrunch". techcrunch.com. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
- ^ "Hootsuite acquires Sparkcentral to unify and automate social customer service". VentureBeat. 2021-01-06. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
- ^ "Hootsuite launches free AI tool for social media marketers". Bdaily. June 20, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
- ^ "Hootsuite agrees Talkwalker acquisition | News". Research Live. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
- ^ "Hootsuite Launches OwlyGPT, First 'Social AI Assistant' Powered by Real-Time Social Data". T-Net. July 10, 2025. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
- ^ a b "Keeping tabs on your brand"[dead link]. The National Post. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
- ^ "Hootsuite helps you manage your brand on Twitter (hey, it works for the White House)". VentureBeat. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
- ^ "Change your display language". Hootsuite Help Center. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
- ^ Lunden, Ingrid (2018-03-15). "Hootsuite nabs $50M in growth capital for its social media management platform, passes 16M customers". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
- ^ "Open Web Awards 2009: The Winners". Mashable. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
- ^ "HootSuite wins Canadian New Media Award and more" Archived 2011-07-13 at the Wayback Machine. Invoke Media. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
- ^ "Best Software Products 2025". G2. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
- ^ "Allegations of unwanted Ice hysterectomies recall grim time in US history". the Guardian. 2020-09-21. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
- ^ Weichel, Andrew (2020-09-24). "B.C.-based Hootsuite backs away from ICE contract after employees speak out". British Columbia. Archived from the original on 2020-09-26. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
- ^ Weichel, Andrew (2020-10-06). "Hootsuite employee fired after speaking out about company's ICE deal". British Columbia. Archived from the original on 2020-10-06. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
- ^ "Hootsuite whistleblower dismissed after criticizing company's dealings with ICE". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
- ^ "Hootsuite whistleblower fired after revealing company's dealings with ICE". citynews1130.com. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
- ^ "Hootsuite workers who spoke out over ICE deal say they're no longer employed". Business in Vancouver. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
- ^ Jammi, Nandini [@nandoodles] (October 7, 2020). "UPDATE: It does look like @Hootsuite's contracts have been awarded to @nuvi instead. I've deleted this tweet. It goes w/o saying that Hootsuite has damaged its reputation enough that no one believes a word they say anymore. https://t.co/Xi40QhM8dU" (Tweet). Retrieved January 7, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ Castaldo, Joe; Silcoff, Sean (22 January 2026). "Hootsuite CEO says ICE contract will stand as long as agency honours terms and conditions". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
Further reading
- "Hootsuite for President, Obama that is" Archived 2014-04-16 at the Wayback Machine at The Vancouver Sun
External links
- 2008 establishments in British Columbia
- B Lab-certified corporations
- Canadian companies established in 2008
- Canadian social networking websites
- Companies based in Vancouver
- Email marketing software
- Internet properties established in 2008
- Multinational companies headquartered in Canada
- Technology companies of Canada
- Twitter services and applications
- Social media management platforms
