IZEA Worldwide, Inc. (NasdaqCM:IZEA) is looking for acquisitions. During the IZEA First Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call, Patrick Venetucci, Chief Executive Officer, said "During the quarter, we delivered standout work for brands, including Jeep, Warner Bros. and Netflix.

We also launched ZED, our proprietary creator economy marketing operations platform infused with AI, which we believe will further differentiate our capabilities and drive efficiency at scale. In parallel, we have been highly active in the M&A market, engaging with a number of potential acquisition targets that would expand our capabilities and accelerate our growth strategy. As we deepen and expand our presence within these enterprise client organizations, our role continues to evolve from vendor to strategic partner.

We believe this positions IZEA to become an increasingly indispensable marketing partner to some of the world's leading brands". Peter Biere, Chief Financial Officer, said, "Turning to capital allocation. The Board authorized a $10 million share repurchase program in the fall of 2024.

To date, we have repurchased 523,268 shares for approximately $1.3 million, primarily under our initial Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Our current trading plan is scheduled to expire on May 15, 2026, and we expect to adopt a new plan with updated purchase parameters based on market conditions. We continue to view share repurchases as an attractive use of capital when our stock trades below the Board's view of our intrinsic value and believe our balance sheet positions us well to support both organic growth initiatives and to pursue strategic acquisition opportunities".