New Jersey-based NiCE, a company specialised in AI-powered customer experience, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Cognigy, a Düsseldorf-based company specialised 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 $955M (approximately €820M).
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The transaction value includes an approximate $50M time-bound holdback, which is comprised of $25M in cash and 158,000 American Depositary Shares.
This acquisition brings together NiCE’s CXone Mpower platform and Cognigy’s AI technology.
It helps organisations quickly adopt AI-based customer service, coordinating AI agents smoothly across both front and back offices in one easy-to-use platform designed for a great customer experience.
Cognigy: Help deploy AI agents
Led by Philipp Heltewig, Cognigy’s flagship platform — Cognigy.AI, enables enterprises to deploy AI agents (Generative and Conversational AI) that think, adapt, and act independently to deliver human-like service.
Available in over 100 languages and on any channel, these agents deliver instant personalised service, freeing human agents to focus on complex, high-value interactions.
Cognigy serves top-tier brands including Mercedes-Benz, Nestlé, and Lufthansa Group with demonstrated success, and is expected to deliver rapid 80 per cent estimated ARR growth in 2026.
Philipp Heltewig, Co-Founder and CEO of Cognigy, adds, “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.”
NiCE: AI-powered customer experience
NiCE uses AI to improve interactions. Their platforms automate processes into proactive and safe actions, helping individuals and organisations work more efficiently from the start of an interaction to the end.
Used by organisations in over 150 countries, NiCE’s platforms connect people, systems, and workflows to enhance operations and achieve measurable results.
“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,” says 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.”
