Austin’s TrendKite buys two social tech companies

TrendKite, a fast-growing software startup based in Austin, has acquired social technology companies Insightpool and Union Metrics, company executives said.

The merger means TrendKite will expand its Austin office to 207 employees and give the company a new presence in Atlanta.

“With this merger, TrendKite customers will have the first intelligent, digital-first solution for marketing and communications professionals,” Trendkite CEO Erik Huddleston said in a written statement.

Atlanta-based Insightpool helps marketers identify audiences and engage with social media influencers. The company, which has nine employees, works with UPS, Toms and DocuSign.

Union Metrics, a Twitter official partner based in Austin, is a social analytics firm made up of 11 employees. It’s been used by more than 350,000 marketers around the world, according to the company.

“By combining the unique capabilities of all three companies, we’re building a platform that enables communicators to meet these challenges,” Union Metrics CEO Hayes Davis said.

In an interview with TechCrunch, Huddleston said the details of how the two companies will be packaged and priced with TrendKite have not yet been determined.

TrendKite has grown rapidly since it was founded in 2012. The company announced in January that it raised an additional $11 million to accelerate its expansion plans, bringing the total fundraised by TrendKite to more than $46 million.

The company more than tripled its workforce in 2017 and has plans to add nearly 100 employees in 2019, according to a spokeswoman.

TrendKite’s clients include Delta Air Lines, Google, Nike, Hershey’s and the South by Southwest festivals.