US AI-powered customer experience company NiCE has today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Düsseldorf-based Cognigy, a leader in conversational and agentic AI.
NiCE’s Board of Directors unanimously approved the agreement to acquire Cognigy in a transaction that values Cognigy at approximately €819 million.
Philipp Heltewig, Co-Founder and CEO of Cognigy, said, “This transaction represents a pivotal step forward for Cognigy, one that brings immense opportunity for our customers and employees. NiCE is an exceptional organisation whose global reach, deep expertise, and relentless focus on innovation will accelerate our growth and enhance the value we bring to our customers and partners. Together, we are uniquely positioned to shape the future of customer experience, uniting the best of trusted AI and human interactions.”
Founded in 2016, Cognigy looks to transform the customer service industry with its AI Agent platform for enterprise contact centres. Its solution, Cognigy AI, empowers enterprises to deliver instant, personalised, multilingual service on any channel. By integrating Generative and Conversational AI to create Agentic AI, Cognigy delivers AI Agents that support contact center employees in real-time.
According to the company, over 1,000 brands worldwide use Cognigy and its vast partner network to create AI customer service agents for their contact centre. Cognigy’s customer portfolio includes Bosch, Nestlé, DHL, Frontier Airlines, Lufthansa Group, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota.
“This is a landmark moment for NiCE, a strategic move that fast-tracks our AI innovation agenda and sets a new standard for customer experience in the AI era,” said Scott Russell, CEO of NiCE. “By bringing a market leader in enterprise-grade conversational and agentic AI into the fold, we are accelerating global AI adoption, expanding into new global markets, and creating game-changing value for our customers, partners, and shareholders. Together, we are significantly advancing the future of AI-first customer experience.”
Based in New Jersey, NiCE‘s AI-powered platforms automate engagements into proactive actions, empowering individuals and organisations to innovate and act, from interaction to resolution.
Cognigy’s flagship platform, Cognigy.AI, enables enterprises to deploy AI agents. Available in over 100 languages and on any channel, these agents reportedly deliver personalised service – freeing human agents to focus on complex, high-value interactions.
Cognigy serves top-tier brands including Mercedes-Benz, Nestlé, and Lufthansa Group, and is expected to deliver rapid 80% estimated ARR growth in 2026.
This strategic acquisition unites NiCE’s CXone Mpower platform with Cognigy’s conversational and agentic AI capabilities, enabling organisations to rapidly accelerate the adoption of AI-first customer service delivery, orchestrating AI agents seamlessly across the front and back office in a unified CX AI platform powered by purpose-built CX AI models.
The transaction value includes an approximate €42 million time-bound holdback which is comprised of €21 million in cash and 158,000 American Depositary Shares. The transaction will be financed with funds on-hand and closing is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals, the timing of which is dependent on applicable regulatory authorities.
The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Jefferies LLC is acting as exclusive financial advisor to NiCE with respect to the contemplated acquisition. Qatalyst Partners is acting as exclusive financial advisor to the sellers with respect to the contemplated acquisition.
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/07/us-company-nice-to-acquire-ai-german-startup-cognigy-accelerating-ai-first-customer-experience/
