Here are 1-2 brief analogies to describe IZEA Worldwide:

• Upwork for influencer marketing: Like Upwork, IZEA provides a platform where brands can find, hire, and manage freelance creators (influencers) for their marketing campaigns and content needs.
• A Google Ads for sponsored content campaigns: Similar to how Google Ads allows businesses to manage and execute search or display advertising campaigns, IZEA offers a self-serve platform for brands to plan, execute, and track campaigns that utilize social media influencers and sponsored content.

• IZEAx Platform: This is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform for brands and agencies to manage influencer marketing campaigns, from influencer discovery to performance analytics.
• Shake Marketplace: An on-demand marketplace connecting creators directly with brands to offer and book specific content creation services and collaborations.
• Managed Influencer Marketing Services: IZEA's team provides full-service execution of influencer marketing campaigns, handling strategy, creator selection, content review, and performance reporting for clients.

IZEA Worldwide (symbol: IZEA) primarily sells its influencer marketing technology and services to other companies, following a business-to-business (B2B) model.

Based on IZEA's public filings, including their annual 10-K reports, the company does not disclose any single customer that accounts for 10% or more of its total revenue. This indicates a diversified customer base rather than reliance on a few individually named major customers that would typically be identified due to their material contribution to revenue.

Therefore, a list of specific major customer companies and their symbols cannot be provided, as IZEA does not publicly identify them. However, IZEA's customers generally fall into the following categories:

• Brands: Companies across a wide range of industries (e.g., consumer goods, automotive, technology, retail, entertainment, food & beverage, travel) that utilize IZEA's platforms and managed services to plan, execute, and measure influencer marketing campaigns to reach their target audiences. These brands seek to leverage social media influencers and content creators to promote their products, services, and messages.
• Agencies: Advertising, marketing, and public relations agencies that leverage IZEA's technology and expertise to manage and scale influencer marketing programs on behalf of their own brand clients. These agencies often represent multiple brands and use IZEA's tools to streamline campaign workflows and reporting.

While specific names are not disclosed, IZEA's clientele includes businesses of varying sizes, from startups to Fortune 500 companies, operating in diverse sectors globally.

• Supplier Name: Amazon.com, Inc. (Symbol: AMZN)

Ted Murphy
Founder and Chairman
Ted Murphy founded IZEA in 2006 and is widely recognized as the "father of modern influencer marketing" and the "creator economy." He launched PayPerPost.com, which later evolved into IZEA, creating the first marketplace that compensated influencers for content creation on behalf of brands. A serial entrepreneur, Murphy has founded six companies since 1994, which collectively generated over $300 million in sales. He has raised over $140 million across private and public equity markets and generated more than $5 billion in shareholder liquidity. His entrepreneurial journey spans from bootstrapping startups to leading venture-backed companies and taking his business public at age 35. Prior to IZEA, he founded MindComet, an interactive agency, and sold his stake in Marsiglio & Murphy Design Group.

Patrick Venetucci
Chief Executive Officer
Patrick Venetucci was appointed Chief Executive Officer of IZEA Worldwide in September 2024. Details about his prior roles or specific background points requested (founding/selling companies, private equity involvement) are not available in the provided search results.

Peter Biere
Chief Financial Officer
Peter Biere joined IZEA as Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer in April 2021. He is responsible for the company's finance and accounting operations and fiscal strategy. Prior to IZEA, Mr. Biere served as CFO for BSQUARE (2017-2019), Dreambox Learning (2012-2016), and Lumera (2004-2009). He also held the CFO position at Zones.com from 1993 to 1999, where he co-led the company's IPO and contributed to growing revenue from $70 million to $500 million. Lumera was a publicly-traded nanotechnology developer that was an IPO spin-out from Microvision, and Dreambox Learning was a venture-backed EdTech SaaS provider.

Ryan Schram
President and Chief Operating Officer
Ryan Schram serves as President and Chief Operating Officer of IZEA Worldwide. He provides organizational and operational leadership, overseeing client development, marketing communications, and the influencer ecosystem. Schram joined IZEA in September 2011 as the company's first Chief Marketing Officer and was promoted to COO a year later, and then President & COO. Before joining IZEA, he was Group Vice President at ePrize (later renamed Hello World Inc.), a digital engagement agency that was acquired by the private equity firm Catterton Partners in August 2012. He also held leadership positions at CBS/Westwood One and iHeartMedia.

Sandra Carbone
SVP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary
Sandra Carbone serves as the Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary for IZEA Worldwide. No specific background details regarding founding/managing other companies, selling companies, or private equity involvement were available in the provided search results.

1. Sustaining Profitability and Capital Efficiency: IZEA Worldwide has a history of incurring significant net losses and negative cash flow from operations, accumulating a total deficit of $78.1 million as of December 31, 2022. The company has struggled with effectively utilizing its capital, reflected in a negative Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) of -24.62% compared to its Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) of 8.90%, indicating it is not generating sufficient returns on its invested capital. While recent quarters in 2025 have shown a return to profitability and positive Adjusted EBITDA, the company has historically "overspent and underperformed as a business" for most of its existence. The ability to sustain this profitability and generate consistent returns on invested capital remains a key challenge.
2. Intense and Fragmented Competitive Landscape: IZEA operates within a highly fragmented and competitive influencer marketing platform (IMP) market. The company faces competition not only from other software-as-a-service (SaaS) platforms but also from large digital agencies and in-house brand marketing teams. This competitive environment poses a continuous risk to its market share and pricing power.
3. Ability to Maintain and Grow Market Share Amidst Strategic Shifts: The company's success is dependent on its ability to popularize its marketplace platforms and maintain and grow its business in a dynamic industry. IZEA has implemented strategic shifts, including an "America-first" focus to reduce geopolitical, tariff, and currency risks, which could potentially limit international growth. The success of these strategic changes and the ability to continue attracting and retaining both brands and creators are crucial for its continued growth and relevance.

The continued and increasing sophistication of native brand-creator collaboration tools and marketplaces offered directly by major social media platforms (e.g., TikTok Creator Marketplace, YouTube BrandConnect, Meta Brand Collabs Manager). These platforms are evolving to directly connect brands with creators, manage campaigns, and provide analytics within their own ecosystems, effectively disintermediating third-party influencer marketing platforms like IZEA by offering a more direct and integrated solution.

The addressable markets for IZEA Worldwide's main products and services are within the broader influencer marketing and creator economy sectors.

Influencer Marketing Platform Market

• Globally, the influencer marketing platform market was estimated at approximately $14.2 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach over $50.3 billion by the end of 2028, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 37.1% during this forecast period.
• Another estimate projects the global influencer marketing platform market size to grow by $52.23 billion from 2024-2028, at a CAGR of 32.07%.
• North America is anticipated to hold the largest market share in the influencer marketing platform market during the forecast period.

Overall Influencer Marketing Market

• Globally, the influencer marketing market size was $21.1 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach $24 billion by the end of 2024. It is further projected to reach approximately $107.72 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 30.2% from 2024 to 2030. Other projections indicate it could reach $109.37 billion by 2028 at a CAGR of 35.12% (2022-2028), or even up to $217.28 billion by 2032 with a CAGR of 35.3% (2025-2032).
• In the U.S., the total influencer marketing spend is forecast to reach $5.6 billion in 2024, an increase from $4.3 billion in 2023. This spend is projected to grow to $8.1 billion by 2028.
• North America is expected to hold the largest market share in the global influencer marketing market.

Here are the expected drivers of future revenue growth for IZEA Worldwide (IZEA) over the next 2-3 years:

1. Growth in Managed Services: IZEA consistently reports healthy increases in Managed Services bookings and revenue, indicating continued demand for its core offerings. This segment is a primary revenue driver, with bookings expected to translate into revenue over the coming quarters.
2. Expansion of SaaS Offerings and AI Tool Adoption: The company has seen significant growth in its SaaS Services revenue, including a 260% increase in Q3 2024. The increasing adoption and utilization of IZEA's AI tools, such as IZZY and FormAI, by its customer base are expected to further drive SaaS revenue growth and customer expansion.
3. New Customer Acquisition and Focus on Larger Accounts: IZEA has demonstrated its ability to win new business from major brands. The company is strategically focusing on securing larger, more profitable accounts and expanding its customer base across diverse sectors, which is anticipated to contribute to overall revenue growth.
4. Strategic Acquisitions and Geographic Expansion: Management has outlined a strategy to accelerate acquisition activities with the aim of expanding its global reach and diversifying its customer base within the Creator Economy.
5. Continuous Product Innovation and Market Leadership: IZEA aims to drive organic growth by continuously enhancing its product offerings and improving customer experiences. Ongoing innovation in its platforms, such as the introduction of new modules like "Contracts" in IZEA Flex, strengthens its market position as a premier provider in the influencer marketing space.

Share Repurchases

• IZEA's Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase program up to $5 million on June 28, 2024.
• This share buyback program was expanded to $10 million on September 10, 2024.
• As of May 9, 2025, approximately $1.2 million of shares had been repurchased as part of the $10 million program, with an intention to complete the remaining $8.7 million through a tender offer starting May 16, 2025.

Share Issuance

• A 1:4 reverse stock split was effected on June 16, 2023.
• The number of shares outstanding increased by 2.95% in one year as of November 7, 2025.
• Approximately 16.95 million shares were outstanding as of November 7, 2025.

Inbound Investments

• GP Investments, a significant shareholder, acquired a total of 1,106,444 shares for $3,463,938 between May 14 and May 16, 2024.
• GP Investments, Ltd. also purchased $17,840 worth of IZEA shares in April 2024.
• In September 2024, GP Investments, Ltd. partnered with IZEA Worldwide, with its representatives joining IZEA's Board of Directors.

Outbound Investments

• IZEA made two acquisitions in July 2024: The Reiman Agency and 26 Talent Agency.
• On December 3, 2023, IZEA acquired Hoozu, an Australian influencer marketing company, in a transaction involving a mix of cash and stock with deferred payments.

Capital Expenditures

• Capital expenditures for the last 12 months ending June 30, 2025, were -$74,986.
• Capital expenditures were -$0.07 million in fiscal year 2024 and -$0.13 million in fiscal year 2023.