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Company and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2025

IZEA Worldwide, Inc. (together with its wholly-owned subsidiaries, “IZEA” or the “Company”) is a Nevada corporation founded in February 2006 under the name PayPerPost, Inc. and became a public company in May 2011. In March 2016, the Company formed IZEA Canada, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary incorporated in Ontario, Canada. In December 2023, IZEA purchased all of Hoozu Holdings' outstanding shares of capital stock, which it subsequently divested in December 2024.

The Company helps power the creator economy by enabling individuals to monetize their content, creativity, and influence through global brands and marketers. IZEA compensates these creators for producing unique content, such as long and short-form text, videos, photos, status updates, and illustrations for marketers or distributing such content on behalf of marketers through their websites, blogs, and social media channels.

The Company also provides value through managing custom content workflow, creator search and targeting, bidding, analytics, and payment processing (the “Managed Services”). While the majority of the marketers engage the Company to perform the Managed Services on their behalf, marketers may also access IZEA’s marketplaces to engage creators for influencer marketing campaigns or to produce custom content on a self-service basis by licensing the Company’s technology.

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2025, the consolidated statements of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024, the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024, the consolidated statements of stockholders' equity for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024, and the consolidated statements of cash flows for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024 are unaudited but include all adjustments that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of its financial position at such dates and its results of operations and cash flows for the periods then ended in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States ("GAAP"). The consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2024 has been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements at that date but, in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC, does not include all of the information and notes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. Operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2025 are not necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for the entire fiscal year. These unaudited consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 27, 2025.

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of IZEA Worldwide, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries subsequent to the subsidiaries’ acquisition, merger, or formation dates, as applicable. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less from the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. Deposits made to Company bank accounts are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) up to a maximum amount of $250,000. The Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation (“CDIC”) insures deposits made to the Company’s bank accounts in Canada up to CAD 100,000. Deposit balances exceeding the various limits were approximately $50.0 million and $44.2 million as of March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively.

Accounts Receivable

Accounts Receivable and Concentration of Credit Risk

The Company’s accounts receivable balance consists of trade receivables, contract assets, and a reserve for doubtful accounts. Trade receivables are customer obligations due under normal trade terms. Contract assets represent amounts owed for work performed but not yet billed. The Company had net trade receivables of $4.3 million, including $4.2 million of accounts

receivable and contract assets of $61,480 on March 31, 2025. The Company had net trade receivables of $7.8 million, including $7.6 million of accounts receivable and contract assets of $0.2 million on December 31, 2024.

Management determines the collectability of accounts by regularly evaluating individual customer receivables and considering a customer’s financial condition, credit history, and current economic conditions. We will continue to monitor these factors and adjust our credit and collection policies as necessary to address evolving market conditions and potential risks to financial performance. An account is deemed delinquent when the customer has not paid an amount due by its associated due date. If a portion of the account balance is deemed uncollectible, the Company will either write off the amount owed or provide a reserve based on its best estimate of the uncollectible portion of the account. We assess collectability risk both generally and by specific aged invoices. Our loss history informs a general reserve percentage, which we apply to all invoices less than 90 days from the invoice due date, currently 1% of the outstanding balance. The general reserve, which we update periodically, recognizes that some invoices will likely become a collection risk. When an invoice ages 90 past its due date, we consider each invoice to determine a reserve for collectability based on our prior history and recent communications with the customer, to determine a reserve amount. Generally, our reserve for such aged invoices will approach 100% of the invoice amount.

The Company had a reserve for doubtful accounts of $0.2 million as of March 31, 2025, and $0.2 million as of December 31, 2024. Management believes this estimate is reasonable, but there can be no assurance that the estimate will not change due to economic or business conditions within the industry, the individual customers, or the Company. Any adjustments to this account are reflected in the consolidated statements of operations as a general and administrative expense. The Company did not recognize any bad debt expense in the three months ended March 31, 2025 and March 31, 2024.

Concentration of Credit Risk

Concentrations of credit risk with respect to accounts receivable have been typically limited because a large number of geographically diverse customers make up the Company’s customer base, thus spreading the trade credit risk. The Company controls credit risk through credit approvals, credit limits, and monitoring procedures. The Company performs credit evaluations of its customers but generally does not require collateral to support accounts receivable. The Company had three customers that each accounted for more than 10% of total accounts receivable on March 31, 2025 and two customers that accounted for more than 10% of total accounts receivable on December 31, 2024. The Company had three customers that each accounted for more than 10% of its revenue during the three months ended March 31, 2025, and one customer that accounted for more than 10% of its revenue during the three months ended March 31, 2024.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are recorded at cost, or if acquired in a business combination, at the acquisition date fair value. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets as follows:


Computer Equipment			3 years
Office Equipment			3 - 10 years
Furniture and Fixtures			5 - 10 years

The carrying amounts of assets sold or retired and the related accumulated depreciation are eliminated in the year of disposal, with resulting gains or losses included in general and administrative expense in the consolidated statements of operations.

Intangible Assets

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-08, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other—Crypto Assets (Subtopic 350-60), which requires certain crypto assets to be measured at fair value each reporting period, with changes recognized in net income. It also introduces new disclosure requirements, including asset name, fair value, units held, cost basis, and annual reconciliations. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted the guidance early and sold all digital assets in September 2024. As of March 31, 2025, no digital assets were held, and no impairments were recognized for the three months ended March 31, 2025 or 2024.

The Company reviews long-lived assets, including capitalized software and intangible assets, for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. Impairments are recognized when the asset’s fair value is less than its carrying amount. In connection with the Company’s 2024 reorganization and divestitures, all acquired intangible assets were written off. See “Note 5 – Intangible Assets” for additional details.

Software Development Costs

In accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 350-40, Internal Use Software, the Company capitalizes certain internal-use software development costs associated with creating and enhancing internally developed software related to its platforms. Software development activities generally consist of three stages (i) the research and planning

stage, (ii) the application and development stage, and (iii) the post-implementation stage. Costs incurred in the research and planning stage and in the post-implementation stage of software development, or other maintenance and development expenses that do not meet the qualification for capitalization, are expensed as incurred. Costs incurred in the application and development stage, including significant enhancements and upgrades, are capitalized. These costs include personnel and related employee benefits expenses for employees or consultants directly associated with and who devote time to software projects and external direct costs of materials obtained in developing the software. The Company also capitalizes costs related to cloud computing arrangements (“CCAs”). These software developments and CCA costs are amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of five years upon the initial release of the software or additional features. The Company reviews the software development costs for impairment when circumstances indicate their carrying amounts may not be recoverable. If the carrying value of an asset group is not recoverable, the Company recognizes an impairment loss for the excess carrying value over the fair value in its consolidated statements of operations. In December 2024, the Company reviewed its software assets, wrote off fully amortized balances no longer active, and accelerated the amortization of certain software assets no longer in use, with further details provided in "Note 6 - Software Development Costs.

Leases

Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), established a right-of-use model that requires a lessee to record a right-of-use asset and a right-of-use liability on the balance sheet for all leases with terms longer than 12 months. Leases are classified as either finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the income statement. The Company does not record leases on the balance sheet with a lease term of 12 months or less at the commencement date.

Revenue Recognition

The Company generates revenue primarily from Managed Services when a marketer (typically a brand, agency, or partner) pays us to provide custom content, influencer marketing, amplification, or other campaign management services (“Managed Services”); additionally, we generate revenue from subscription fees charged to access our software platforms, license and transaction fees from self-service customers, and fees from such as inactivity fees, early cash-out fees, and other miscellaneous fees charged to users of our platforms (collectively, “SaaS Services Revenue”).

The Company recognizes revenue in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”). Under ASC 606, revenue is recognized based on a five-step model as follows: (i) identify the contract with the customer; (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determine the transaction price; (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) performance obligations are satisfied. The core principle of ASC 606 is that revenue is recognized when the transfer of promised goods or services to customers is made in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The Company applies the five-step model to contracts when it is probable that it will collect the consideration it is entitled to in exchange for the goods or services it transfers to the customer. At contract inception, once the contract is determined to be within the scope of ASC 606, the Company assesses the goods or services promised within each contract and determines those that are distinct performance obligations.

The Company also determines whether it acts as an agent or a principal for each identified performance obligation. The determination of whether the Company acts as principal or agent is highly subjective and requires the Company to evaluate a number of indicators individually and as a whole in order to make its determination. For transactions in which the Company acts as a principal, revenue is reported on a gross basis as the amount paid by the marketer for the purchase of content or sponsorship, promotion, and other related services, and the Company records the amounts it pays to third-party creators as cost of revenue. For transactions in which the Company acts as an agent, revenue is reported on a net basis as the amount the Company charged to the self-service marketer using the Company’s platforms, less the amounts paid to the third-party creators providing the service.

The Company maintains separate arrangements with each marketer and content creator either in the form of a master agreement or terms of service, which specify the terms of the relationship and access to its platforms, or by a statement of work, which specifies the price and the services to be performed, along with other terms. The transaction price is determined based on the fixed fee stated in the statement of work and does not contain variable consideration. Marketers who contract with the Company to manage their advertising campaigns or custom content requests may prepay for services or request credit terms. Payment terms are typically 30 days from the invoice date. The agreement typically provides for either a non-refundable deposit or a cancellation fee if the agreement is canceled by the customer prior to the completion of services. Billings in advance of completed services are recorded as a contract liability until earned. The Company assesses collectability based on several factors, including the creditworthiness of the customer and payment and transaction history.

The Company does not typically engage in contracts that are longer than one year. Therefore, the Company does not capitalize costs to obtain its customer contracts as these amounts generally would be recognized over a period of less than one year and are not material.

Managed Services Revenue

For Managed Services Revenue, the Company enters into an agreement to provide services that may include multiple distinct performance obligations in the form of (i) an integrated marketing campaign to provide influencer marketing services, which may include the provision of blogs, tweets, photos, or videos shared through social network offerings and content promotion, such as click-through advertisements appearing in websites and social media channels, and (ii) custom content items, such as a research or news articles, informational material or videos. Marketers typically purchase influencer marketing services to provide public awareness or advertising buzz regarding the marketer’s brand and purchase custom content for internal and external use.

The Company views its obligation to deliver influencer marketing services, including management services, as a single performance obligation that is satisfied over time as the customer receives the benefits from the services. The majority of revenue is recognized using an input method of costs incurred compared to total expected costs to measure the progress toward satisfying the overall performance obligation of the marketing campaign. The Company’s performance obligation in certain contracts with customers may be a stand-ready promise to provide influencer marketing services for an unknown or unspecified quantity of deliverables for a specified term. Under a stand-ready obligation, the Company’s performance obligation is satisfied over time throughout the contract term, and therefore, revenue is recognized straight-line over the life of the contract. The Company may provide one type or a combination of all types of these influencer marketing services on a statement of work for a lump sum fee. When multiple performance obligations exist in a contract, the Company allocates revenue to each distinct performance obligation at contract inception based on its relative standalone selling price. These performance obligations are to be provided over a period that generally ranges from one day to one year. The delivery of custom content represents a distinct performance obligation that is satisfied at a point in time when each piece of content is delivered to the customer. Based on the Company’s evaluations, revenue from Managed Services is reported on a gross basis because the Company has the primary obligation to fulfill the performance obligations, and it creates, reviews, and controls the services. The Company takes on the risk of payment to any third-party creators and establishes the contract price directly with its customers based on the services requested in the statement of work.

SaaS Services Revenue

SaaS services revenue includes subscription fees charged to access our software platforms, license and transaction fees from self-service customers, inactivity fees, early cash-out fees, and other miscellaneous fees charged to users of our platforms (collectively, “SaaS Services Revenue”).

Subscription and license revenue is generated by granting customers limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable access to the Company’s technology platforms for an agreed-upon subscription period. Customers access the platforms to manage their influencer marketing campaigns. Fees for subscription or licensing services are recognized straight-line over the term of the service.

Self-service customers instruct creators found through the Company’s platforms to provide and/or distribute custom content for an agreed-upon transaction price. The Company’s platforms control the contracting, description of services, acceptance of, and payment for the requested content. This service is used primarily by news agencies or marketers to control the outsourcing of their content and advertising needs. The Company charges the self-service customer the transaction price plus a fee based on the contract (“Marketplace Spend Fees”). Revenue is recognized when the transaction is completed by the creator and accepted by the marketer or verified as posted by the system. Based on the Company’s evaluations, this revenue is reported on a net basis since the Company is acting as an agent through its platform for the third-party creator to provide the services or content directly to the self-service customer or to post approved content through one or more social media platforms.

Other Fees Revenue is generated when fees are charged to the Company’s platform users primarily related to monthly plan fees, which are recognized within the month they relate to.

Advertising Costs

Advertising costs are charged to expense as they are incurred, including payments to content creators to promote the Company. Advertising costs charged to operations for the three months ended March 31, 2025, and 2024 were approximately $5 thousand and $617.5 thousand, respectively. Advertising costs are included in sales and marketing expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.

Income Taxes

Deferred income taxes are accounted for using the balance sheet approach, which requires recognizing deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future consequences of temporary differences between the financial reporting basis and the assets and liabilities tax basis. A valuation allowance is provided when it is more likely than not that a deferred tax asset will not be realized. The Company incurs state franchise tax in ten states, which is included in general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

The Company identifies and evaluates uncertain tax positions, if any, and recognizes the impact of uncertain tax positions for which there is a less than more likely-than-not probability of the position being upheld when reviewed by the relevant taxing authority. Such positions are deemed to be unrecognized tax benefits, and a corresponding liability is established on the balance sheet. The Company has not recognized a liability for uncertain tax positions. If there were an unrecognized tax benefit, the Company would recognize interest accrued related to unrecognized tax benefits in interest expense and penalties in operating expenses. The Company’s tax years subject to examination based on the statute of limitations by the IRS is generally three years; however, the IRS may examine records and other evidence from the year the net operating loss was generated when the Company utilizes net operating loss carryforwards in future periods. The Company’s tax years subject to examination by the Canadian Revenue Agency is generally four years.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company’s financial instruments are recorded at fair value. Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. The valuation techniques are based on observable and unobservable inputs. Observable inputs reflect readily obtainable data from independent sources, while unobservable inputs reflect certain market assumptions. There are three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value:

•Level 1 – Valuation based on quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities.

•Level 2 – Valuation based on quoted market prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets.

•Level 3 – Valuation based on unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity, therefore requiring management’s best estimate of what market participants would use as fair value.

Fair value estimates discussed herein are based upon certain market assumptions and pertinent information available to management. As of March 31, 2025, the Company holds Level 1 and Level 2 financial assets; this is discussed further in Note 3 - Financial Instruments of Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Stock-Based Compensation

Stock-based compensation for options granted under the 2011 Equity Incentive Plan and the 2023 Inducement Plan is measured at grant-date fair value and expensed on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period. Fair value is estimated using the Black-Scholes model. The Company applies the simplified method to estimate the expected term, assuming even exercise between vesting and expiration, and uses the grant-date closing stock price as the fair value of common stock. The Company uses the risk-free interest rate on the implied yield currently available on U.S. Treasury issues with an equivalent remaining term approximately equal to the expected life of the award. The Company has never paid any cash dividends on its common stock and does not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

The Company estimates forfeitures when recognizing compensation expense, and this estimate of forfeitures is adjusted over the requisite service period based on the extent to which actual forfeitures differ, or are expected to differ, from such estimates. Changes in estimated forfeitures are recognized through a cumulative catch-up adjustment, which is recognized in the period of change, and a revised amount of unamortized compensation expense to be recognized in future periods.

The Company may issue restricted stock or restricted stock units (“RSUs”) that vest over time, including up to 1,800,000 performance- or time-based RSUs granted under the IZEA Inducement Plan adopted on November 30, 2023. The plan was established to provide equity awards to new employees hired through acquisitions transactions. These awards are recorded at fair value on the grant date and expensed on a straight-line basis over the vesting period. See “Note 10 Stockholder’s Equity” for more details.

Business Combinations Policy

Business Combinations and Asset Acquisitions

The Company accounts for business combinations in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 805, “Business Combinations.” The acquisition method of accounting is applied to all business combinations, whereby the identifiable assets acquired, liabilities assumed, and any non-controlling interests in the acquiree are recognized and measured at their fair values as of the acquisition date. Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of net identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination. Goodwill is allocated to reporting units,

which are expected to benefit from the synergies of the combination and is subject to annual impairment testing. Acquisition-related costs, including advisory, legal, and due diligence fees, are expensed as incurred and are included in general and administrative expenses in the period in which the acquisition occurs. The financial statements include the results of operations and the financial position of businesses acquired from their respective acquisition dates. Any adjustments to the preliminary fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, known as measurement period adjustments, are recorded during the period of the adjustment.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

Segment Reporting: Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures: In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU No. 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improving Reportable Segment Disclosures. This update is intended to improve reportable segment disclosure requirements, primarily through enhanced disclosures about significant expenses. The ASU also requires all annual disclosures currently required by Topic 280 to be included in the interim periods. The update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within the fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted and requiring retrospective application to all prior periods presented in the financial statements.

Income Taxes: Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures: In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU No. 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures, which requires additional disclosures of income tax components that affect the rate reconciliation and income taxes paid, broken out by the applicable taxing jurisdictions. The Company adopted this ASU for the annual period beginning on January 1, 2025 and does not expect a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

Disaggregation of Income Expenses: In November 2024, the FASB issued ASU No. 2024-03 (Subtopic 220-40) Disaggregation of Income Expenses, which requires entities to provide enhanced disclosures related to certain disclosures related to certain expense categories included in the income statement. The update is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2026 and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2027. The Company is currently assessing the timing and impact of adopting the updated provisions.