IZEA Achieves Record $18.9M Profitability Swing, Breaking Even on $31.2M of Revenue
Rhea-AI Summary
IZEA (NASDAQ: IZEA) reported FY2025 revenue of $31.2M and an $18.9M profit swing, producing net income of $42,326 and Adjusted EBITDA of $0.7M. Cash and equivalents totaled $50.9M with no long-term debt, and management cites a shift to enterprise accounts plus cost optimization.
Q4 revenue from ongoing operations was $6.1M, Adjusted EBITDA of $(0.9)M, and the company repurchased 561,950 shares for $1.4M under its buyback program.
Positive
- Net income of $42,326 for FY2025
- Adjusted EBITDA of $0.7M for FY2025
- Cash balance of $50.9M with no long-term debt
- Completed $1.4M in share repurchases (561,950 shares)
Negative
- FY2025 revenue declined from $35.9M to $31.2M (~13%)
- Q4 2025 revenue from ongoing operations declined 39% year-over-year (ex-Hoozu)
- Managed Services bookings fell 18.7% year-over-year
- Adjusted EBITDA for Q4 2025 remained negative at $(0.9M)
News Market Reaction – IZEA
On the day this news was published, IZEA declined 4.26%, reflecting a moderate negative market reaction. Argus tracked a peak move of +3.2% during that session. Argus tracked a trough of -9.1% from its starting point during tracking. Our momentum scanner triggered 6 alerts that day, indicating moderate trading interest and price volatility. This price movement removed approximately $3M from the company's valuation, bringing the market cap to $68M at that time. Trading volume was above average at 1.6x the daily average, suggesting increased trading activity.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
Peers show mixed moves: BZFD up 0.71%, MNY up 4.2%, while NAMI, SOGP, and CCG are down between about 0.35% and 5.69%. With IZEA up 2.82% and no peers in the momentum scanner, the action appears company-specific rather than a sector rotation.
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 10 | Earnings call notice | Neutral | -4.6% | Announced timing and access details for Q4 and FY 2025 results call. |
| Nov 12 | Q3 2025 earnings | Positive | -1.6% | Reported Q3 2025 profitability, lower costs, strong cash, and no long-term debt. |
| Nov 03 | Q3 call notice | Neutral | +1.2% | Set date and access details for Q3 2025 earnings conference call. |
Recent earnings-related positives, including profitability milestones and strong cash, were followed by modestly negative or mixed price reactions, suggesting the stock has not consistently rewarded good news in the near term.
Over the last several months, IZEA focused on profitability and cost discipline. In Q3 2025, it returned to net income of $0.1M on revenue of $8.1M and highlighted strong cash of $51.4M, yet the stock slipped modestly afterward. Prior releases mainly announced earnings calls rather than fundamentals, with limited lasting impact. Today’s full-year 2025 report, showing a swing to positive net income and break-even adjusted EBITDA, builds on that profitability trend and cost optimization narrative.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement highlights IZEA’s 2025 transition to profitability, with net income of $42,326, a swing from an $18.9M loss, and Adjusted EBITDA of $0.7M. Revenue declined to $31.2M, but cost reductions and portfolio high‑grading preserved a strong cash balance of $50.9M and no long-term debt. Historically, earnings updates have not always driven sustained price moves, so monitoring future revenue trends, enterprise account growth, and ongoing expense discipline will be important for assessing this reset.
Key Terms
adjusted ebitda financial
non-gaap financial measures financial
managed services bookings financial
m&a financial
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
Enterprise-first strategy and optimized cost structure results in profit turnaround
with
ORLANDO, Fla., March 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IZEA Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ: IZEA), a leading influencer marketing company that makes Creator Economy solutions for marketers, reported its financial and operational results for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2025.
FY 2025 Financial Summary Compared to FY 2024
- Revenue was
$31.2 million , compared to$35.9 million ;$3.4 million of the annual decline is Hoozu, which was divested in late 2024 - Revenue from core-enterprise accounts, which represent the majority of total revenue, grew above market growth rates in 2025
- Net income was
$42,326 compared to a loss of$18.9 million , which included$6.9 million in one-time charges - Adjusted EBITDA* was
$0.7 million , compared to a loss of$11.1 million
Q4 2025 Financial Summary Compared to Q4 2024
- Revenue from ongoing operations was
$6.1 million , compared to$9.8 million (excluding Hoozu) - Managed Services bookings declined
18.7% to$9.0 million from$11.0 million in the prior year period (excluding Hoozu), reflecting our shift toward larger, recurring enterprise accounts. Approximately half of the decline reflects non-core customer activity exited in 2025. - Total costs and expenses decreased
46% to$7.7 million , compared to$14.2 million - Net loss totaled
$1.2 million , compared to a net loss of$4.6 million - Adjusted EBITDA* for the quarter was
$(0.9) million , improving$1.1 million year-over-year - Cash and equivalents as of December 31, 2025 totaled
$50.9 million , compared to$51.1 million over the prior year, reflecting positive cash from operations
Q4 2025 Highlights
- Secured new business partnerships with major brands, including Netflix Games, Afeela, Lidl, and Emmi Roth
- Produced new work for Stellantis, Danone, Warner Brothers, Coursera, and many more clients
- Recruited Lindsey Gamble, Vice President, Creator Strategy and Innovation, to bolster culture-first innovation and scale enterprise success in the Creator Economy
* Adjusted EBITDA and revenue from on-going operations are non-GAAP financial measures. Refer to the definition and reconciliation of these measures under “Use of Key Metrics and Non-GAAP Financial Measures."
Management Commentary
“2025 was a transformative year as we successfully reset our economic model through portfolio high-grading and disciplined cost optimization,” said Patrick Venetucci, CEO. “Achieving an
Q4 2025 Financial Results
Total revenue for the fourth quarter of 2025 was
Cost of revenue for the fourth quarter of 2025 was
Costs and expenses, excluding the cost of revenue, totaled
Net loss in the fourth quarter of 2025 was
Adjusted EBITDA (as defined below, a non-GAAP measure management used as a proxy for operating cash flow) totaled
As of December 31, 2025, our cash and cash equivalents totaled
We previously announced our commitment to repurchase up to
Conference Call
IZEA will hold a conference call to discuss its fourth quarter 2025 results on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. ET. IZEA's CEO Patrick Venetucci and CFO Peter Biere will host the call, followed by a question and answer period.
Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2026
Time: 5:00 p.m. ET
Webcast link: https://viavid.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1752772&tp_key=96c6c7b58d
Toll-free dial-in number: 1-877-407-4018
International dial-in number: 1-201-689-8471
Please call the conference telephone number five (5) minutes before the start time. An operator will register your name and organization. A call replay will be made available approximately 3 hours after the conference ends until Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Toll-free replay number: 1-844-512-2921
International replay number: 1-412-317-6671
Replay ID: 13758773
About IZEA Worldwide, Inc.
IZEA Worldwide, Inc. (“IZEA”), is an influencer marketing company with a mission to make creator economy solutions for marketers. We do this by lighting up the Creator Economy with IZEAs—our strategies, campaigns, and solutions that build brands and drive demand. Since launching the industry’s first-ever influencer marketing platform in 2006, IZEA has facilitated nearly 4 million collaborations between brands and creators.
Use of Key Metrics and Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Managed Services Bookings is a key metric representing total sales orders received during a period, net of cancellations and refunds. Contracts vary by customer and scope, ranging from custom content projects to integrated marketing campaigns, and generally extend from several months up to a year. Managed Services Bookings provide a useful measure of overall demand but are not necessarily predictive of quarterly revenue, as the timing of revenue recognition varies with contract size, complexity, and customer arrangements. Certain customers enter into annual spend commitments that establish a defined budget for services to be performed throughout the year, while others engage the Company for specific campaigns or deliverables. These differing contract structures may influence the timing and distribution of bookings and related revenue. The Company uses this metric to evaluate customer and market trends, to plan operational staffing, and to inform product development initiatives.
"Adjusted EBITDA" is a non-GAAP financial measure under the Securities and Exchange Commission rules. EBITDA is commonly defined as "earnings before interest income and expense, taxes, depreciation, and amortization." IZEA defines “Adjusted EBITDA” as earnings or loss before interest expense, interest income, taxes, depreciation and amortization, non-cash stock-based compensation, gain or loss on asset disposals or impairment, and certain other unusual or non-cash income and expense items such as gains or losses on settlement of liabilities and exchanges, and changes in the fair value of derivatives, if applicable. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA provides useful information to investors as it primarily excludes non-cash and non-operating transactions, and it provides consistency to facilitate period-to-period comparisons.
Revenue from on-going operations and associated costs of revenue and other costs and expenses from on-going operations excludes revenue from and costs attributable to Hoozu in the prior year period. Hoozu was divested by the Company in December 2024. We believe this is useful to investors to facilitate period to period comparisons.
All companies do not calculate bookings and Adjusted EBITDA in the same manner. These metrics and financial measures, as presented by IZEA, may not be comparable to those presented by other companies. Moreover, these metrics and financial measures have limitations as analytical tools. You should not consider them in isolation or as a substitute for an analysis of our results of operations or, with respect to non-GAAP financial measures, as reported under GAAP. A reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA and revenue and costs from on-going operations to the most directly comparable GAAP measures are presented in the financial tables included in this press release.
Safe Harbor Statement
All statements in this release that are not based on historical fact are “forward-looking statements” intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies, and expectations, can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as “may,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “hope,” “estimate,” “optimistic,” “believe,” “intend,” “ought to,” "likely," "projects," “plans,” "pursue," "strategy" or "future," or the negative of these words or other words or expressions of similar meaning. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements we make regarding expectations concerning product development and platform launches, future financial performance and operating results, including regarding recognition of bookings as revenues, the share repurchase authorization and any use of such authorization, growth, or maintenance of customer relationships, and expectations concerning IZEA’s business strategy. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including, among others, the following: competitive conditions in the content and social sponsorship segment in which IZEA operates; failure to popularize one or more of the marketplace platforms of IZEA; our ability to maintain disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting; our ability to satisfy the requirements for continued listing of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market; changing economic conditions that are less favorable than expected; and other risks and uncertainties described in IZEA’s periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements made in this release speak only as of the date of this release, and IZEA assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements to reflect actual results or changes in expectations, except as otherwise required by law.
Press Contact
John Francis
IZEA Worldwide, Inc.
Phone: 407-674-6911
Email: ir@izea.com
| IZEA Worldwide, Inc. Consolidated Balance Sheets | |||||||
| December 31, 2025 | December 31, 2024 | ||||||
| Assets | |||||||
| Current assets: | |||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 50,886,850 | $ | 44,644,468 | |||
| Accounts receivable, net | 3,398,479 | 7,781,824 | |||||
| Prepaid expenses | 830,509 | 1,079,045 | |||||
| Short term investments | — | 6,427,488 | |||||
| Other current assets | 9,002 | 97,215 | |||||
| Total current assets | 55,124,840 | 60,030,040 | |||||
| Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation | 17,131 | 103,574 | |||||
| Software development costs, net of accumulated amortization | 2,335,745 | 2,086,660 | |||||
| Total assets | $ | 57,477,716 | $ | 62,220,274 | |||
| Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity | |||||||
| Current liabilities: | |||||||
| Accounts payable | 779,434 | 1,511,747 | |||||
| Accrued expenses | 3,050,995 | 3,734,123 | |||||
| Contract liabilities | 4,729,767 | 8,188,651 | |||||
| Total current liabilities | 8,560,196 | 13,434,521 | |||||
| Finance obligation, less current portion | — | 4,034 | |||||
| Total liabilities | 8,560,196 | 13,438,555 | |||||
| Commitments and Contingencies | — | — | |||||
| Stockholders’ equity: | |||||||
| Preferred stock; $.0001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued and outstanding | — | — | |||||
| Common stock; | 1,815 | 1,752 | |||||
| Treasury stock at cost: 889,123 and 586,849 shares at December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively | (2,344,698 | ) | (1,622,065 | ) | |||
| Additional paid-in capital | 155,568,812 | 154,593,800 | |||||
| Accumulated deficit | (104,254,729 | ) | (104,297,055 | ) | |||
| Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) | (53,680 | ) | 105,287 | ||||
| Total stockholders’ equity | 48,917,520 | 48,781,719 | |||||
| Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity | $ | 57,477,716 | $ | 62,220,274 | |||
| IZEA Worldwide, Inc. Consolidated Statements of Operations | |||||||||||||||
| Three Months Ended December 31, | Twelve Months Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||
| 2025 | 2024 | 2025 | 2024 | ||||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 6,063,878 | $ | 11,002,517 | $ | 31,237,853 | $ | 35,881,010 | |||||||
| Costs and expenses: | |||||||||||||||
| Cost of revenue | 3,286,559 | 6,848,525 | 16,227,120 | 21,204,204 | |||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | 1,137,453 | 2,982,476 | 4,316,615 | 12,125,066 | |||||||||||
| General and administrative | 3,074,193 | 3,747,136 | 11,916,572 | 16,743,046 | |||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 176,052 | 489,378 | 636,386 | 1,159,161 | |||||||||||
| Impairment of goodwill | — | 113,755 | — | 4,130,477 | |||||||||||
| Total costs and expenses | 7,674,257 | 14,181,270 | 33,096,693 | 55,361,954 | |||||||||||
| Income (loss) from operations | (1,610,379 | ) | (3,178,753 | ) | (1,858,840 | ) | (19,480,944 | ) | |||||||
| Other income (expense): | |||||||||||||||
| Change in the fair value of digital assets | — | — | — | 28,414 | |||||||||||
| Interest expense | (1,311 | ) | (2,475 | ) | (6,403 | ) | (8,129 | ) | |||||||
| Loss on divestiture of assets | — | (2,286,083 | ) | — | (2,286,083 | ) | |||||||||
| Other income (expense), net | 444,003 | 590,100 | 1,907,569 | 2,499,835 | |||||||||||
| Total other income (expense), net | 442,692 | (1,698,458 | ) | 1,901,166 | 234,037 | ||||||||||
| Net income (loss) before income taxes | $ | (1,167,687 | ) | $ | (4,877,211 | ) | $ | 42,326 | $ | (19,246,907 | ) | ||||
| Tax benefit | — | 253,947 | — | 394,646 | |||||||||||
| Net income ( loss) | (1,167,687 | ) | (4,623,264 | ) | 42,326 | (18,852,261 | ) | ||||||||
| Weighted average common shares outstanding – basic | 17,074,681 | 16,965,350 | 17,261,755 | 17,067,995 | |||||||||||
| Basic income (loss) per common share | $ | (0.07 | ) | $ | (0.27 | ) | $ | — | $ | (1.10 | ) | ||||
| Weighted average common shares outstanding - diluted | 17,074,681 | 16,965,350 | 18,302,209 | 17,067,995 | |||||||||||
| Diluted income (loss) per common share | $ | (0.07 | ) | $ | (0.27 | ) | $ | — | $ | (1.10 | ) | ||||
| IZEA Worldwide, Inc. Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) | ||||||||||||||||
| Three Months Ended December 31, | Twelve Months Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||||
| 2025 | 2024 | 2025 | 2024 | |||||||||||||
| Net income (loss) | $ | (1,167,687 | ) | $ | (4,623,264 | ) | $ | 42,326 | $ | (18,852,261 | ) | |||||
| Other comprehensive income (loss) | ||||||||||||||||
| Unrealized gain (loss) on securities held | — | 27,138 | (12,209 | ) | 262,800 | |||||||||||
| Unrealized gain (loss) on currency translation | (3,415 | ) | 233,793 | (146,758 | ) | 127,296 | ||||||||||
| Reclassification of foreign currency translation adjustment to income | — | (34,218 | ) | — | (34,218 | ) | ||||||||||
| Total other comprehensive income (loss) | (3,415 | ) | 226,713 | (158,967 | ) | 355,878 | ||||||||||
| Total comprehensive income (loss) | $ | (1,171,102 | ) | $ | (4,396,551 | ) | $ | (116,641 | ) | $ | (18,496,383 | ) | ||||
IZEA Worldwide, Inc.
Revenue Details
Revenue details by type:
| Three Months Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||
| 2025 | 2024 | $ Change | % Change | |||||||||||
| Managed Services Revenue | ||||||||||||||
| On-Going Operations | $ | 6,027,710 | 99 | % | $ | 9,814,545 | 89 | % | $ | (3,786,835 | ) | (39 | )% | |
| Hoozu | — | — | % | 1,070,549 | 10 | % | (1,070,549 | ) | (100 | )% | ||||
| Total Managed Services Revenue | 6,027,710 | 99 | % | 10,885,094 | 99 | % | (4,857,384 | ) | (45 | )% | ||||
| SaaS Services Revenue | 36,168 | 1 | % | 117,423 | 1 | % | (81,255 | ) | (69 | )% | ||||
| Total Revenue | $ | 6,063,878 | 100 | % | $ | 11,002,517 | 100 | % | $ | (4,938,639 | ) | (45 | )% | |
| Twelve Months Ended December 31, | |||||||||||||
| 2025 | 2024 | $ Change | % Change | ||||||||||
| Managed Services Revenue | |||||||||||||
| On-Going Operations | $ | 31,024,581 | 99 | % | $ | 31,704,115 | 88 | % | $ | (679,534 | ) | (2 | )% |
| Hoozu | — | — | % | 3,353,908 | 9 | % | (3,353,908 | ) | (100 | )% | |||
| Total Managed Services Revenue | 31,024,581 | 99 | % | 35,058,023 | 98 | % | (4,033,442 | ) | (12 | )% | |||
| SaaS Services Revenue | 213,272 | 1 | % | 822,987 | 2 | % | (609,715 | ) | (74 | )% | |||
| Total Revenue | $ | 31,237,853 | 100 | % | $ | 35,881,010 | 100 | % | $ | (4,643,157 | ) | (13 | )% |
| IZEA Worldwide, Inc. Reconciliation of GAAP Net Income (Loss) to Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA | |||||||||||||||
| Three Months Ended December 31, | Twelve Months Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||
| 2025 | 2024 | 2025 | 2024 | ||||||||||||
| Net income (loss) from operations | $ | (1,167,687 | ) | $ | (4,623,264 | ) | $ | 42,326 | $ | (18,852,261 | ) | ||||
| Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets | — | 113,755 | — | 4,130,477 | |||||||||||
| Adjustment to fair market value of digital assets | — | — | — | (28,414 | ) | ||||||||||
| Non-cash stock-based compensation | 407,099 | 416,181 | 1,493,588 | 2,744,537 | |||||||||||
| Non-cash stock issued for payment of services | 90,009 | 90,007 | 360,000 | 319,070 | |||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 176,052 | 489,378 | 636,386 | 1,159,161 | |||||||||||
| Interest expense | 1,311 | 2,475 | 6,403 | 8,129 | |||||||||||
| Loss on sale of subsidiary | — | 2,286,083 | — | 2,286,083 | |||||||||||
| Change in fair value of derivatives | — | 6,000 | — | — | |||||||||||
| Interest income | (442,962 | ) | (549,717 | ) | (1,872,254 | ) | (2,458,446 | ) | |||||||
| Non-recurring charges | — | 7,668 | — | 7,668 | |||||||||||
| Tax benefit | — | (260,051 | ) | — | (400,750 | ) | |||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA(1) | $ | (936,178 | ) | $ | (2,021,485 | ) | $ | 666,449 | $ | (11,084,746 | ) | ||||
| Revenue | $ | 6,063,878 | $ | 11,002,517 | $ | 31,237,853 | $ | 35,881,010 | |||||||
| Operating EBITDA as a % of Revenue | (15.4 | )% | (18.4 | )% | 2.1 | % | (30.9 | )% | |||||||
(1) Adjusted EBITDA presentation varies from prior disclosure, primarily to exclude non-operating items such as interest income.
FAQ
What were IZEA's full-year 2025 revenue and net income (NASDAQ: IZEA)?
How much cash did IZEA report at December 31, 2025 (IZA E)?
What drove IZEA's profitability improvement in FY2025 (NASDAQ: IZEA)?
What were IZEA's Q4 2025 results and trends investors should note (NASDAQ: IZEA)?
How large was IZEA's share repurchase activity through December 31, 2025 (IZEA)?
Does IZEA have debt and how is management allocating capital for 2026 (NASDAQ: IZEA)?
