History
In 2014, four months after launch, Acast was named Start-up of the Year by IDG magazine, Internetworld,[16] and ‘Most innovative media service’ at the mobile industry awards .[17]
In May 2015, Acast closed a $5m Series A funding round, led by Bonnier Growth Media. This was supplemented by an undisclosed follow-on investment from early-stage venture capital firm MOOR, owned by Kaj Hed, majority owner of Rovio Entertainment.[12][18]
In 2016, Acast launched a paid subscription service called Acast+.[19]
In December 2018 the company raised $35 million from AP1 and Swedbank Robur (sv) funds Ny Teknik and Microcap in Series C funding. This has brought total funding to more than $67 million.[20] In 2019, Acast acquired Pippa, another podcast hosting platform.[21]
Since 2019, Acast has offered a free hosting tier for podcasts.[22] The European Investment Bank invested €25 million in Acast in 2019.[23]
In early 2021, Acast announced the acquisition of RadioPublic, a Boston-based startup founded by the public radio organization PRX.[24][25]
In April 2021, rumours about an IPO on Nasdaq Stockholm surfaced.[26] Founders Rosander and Ulvestam sold their last shares earlier in 2021, to fund their new startup .[27]
In March 2022, Acast announced that they would discontinue their podcast client app. The company cited its decreased importance as a source of user data and their preference for platform-independence in the decision.[28][29]
In July 2022, Acast signed an agreement to acquire Podchaser, a platform-agnostic podcast database with user reviews, for $27 million by August 2022.[30][31][32]
In August 2022, Acast was ranked #2 in Podtrac's ranking of ad sales networks for podcasts in the US.[33]
In November 2022, Acast entered into a partnership with Amazon. Through the agreement Amazon Music bought all advertising space for thousands of Acast's podcasts, allowing Amazon customers to listen to those shows ad-free.[34]
In February 2024, RadioPublic announced their app would close permanently at the end of March.[35] After that date, RadioPublic show links began redirecting to the same shows on Podchaser.
In December 2024, Acast acquired creative production house Wonder Media Network.[36]
In December 2025, it was announced that Acast had acquired Wake Word Studios, a Munich and Berlin-based creative audio and video studio and podcast producer. The acquisition expanded Acast’s operations in Germany, adding Wake Word Studios’ podcast catalogue to the Acast network and including its media planning platform, Podius, which continues to operate independently. Following completion of the transaction, Wake Word Studios was rebranded as Acast Creative Studios and became a wholly owned subsidiary of Acast.[37]
