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Small Businesses Stay Confident Amid U.S. Economic Uncertainty

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1 year ago

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New GoDaddy research shows entrepreneurs remain focused on growth despite rising concern

TEMPE, Ariz., May 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Nearly half of U.S. small and microbusiness owners expect the national economy to weaken in the coming months. Despite the outlook, most still believe their own businesses will grow, according to new survey data released today by GoDaddy.

In the latest findings from the GoDaddy Small Business Research Lab, formerly known as Venture Forward, 49% of 2,100 U.S. microbusiness owners* surveyed predict a weaker economy in the next six months. That is up 17 points from 2024. Even so, 66% of respondents have positive revenue expectations, and only 9% forecast a sales decline.

“Small business owners are realistic about the economy, but they believe in themselves,” said GoDaddy CEO Aman Bhutani. “GoDaddy’s research shows they remain intent on pushing their small businesses forward.”

The GoDaddy Small Business Research Lab findings reflect a steady shift over time. In 2023, 73% of microbusiness owners said they expected to grow revenue in the first 6 months of the year. Now in 2025, it stands at 66%. Most respondents still expect growth, clearly, but the trend indicates weakening optimism.

Entrepreneurs are also adjusting their long-term goals. 40% now say they plan to remain solo entrepreneurs – up from 36% last year – versus aspiring to build mid-size or corporate enterprises. This points to a growing interest in right-sized businesses that match owners’ lifestyles and risk tolerance.

Rising Costs Put Pressure on Small Business Margins

While optimism holds, cost pressures are rising and showing up not just in what small businesses pay, but what they can charge. Over half (52%) of respondents cited limited cash flow as their biggest financial barrier, but existing expenses (34%) and pricing pressure on goods and services (33%) ranked highest among specific cost challenges.

These pricing pressures are especially acute among Construction & Home Trades (40%) and Creative-Media businesses (36%), with solo operators and small teams reporting they are feeling the pinch of existing operating costs the most. For businesses with 5–9 employees, wages emerged as the top cost barrier (45%), reflecting a shift toward labor-related pressure once headcount rises.

One in three owners (33%) also named financial strain as their primary source of stress—ranking it above challenges like adopting new technology, managing vendors, or finding and retaining customers.

Access to capital, often a major hurdle for new businesses, appears to be improving. Only 8% of owners say it is their top challenge, down from 10% the year before.

Sharing their perspective on the results, Victor W. Hwang, founder and CEO of Right to Start, a nonprofit that promotes U.S. small business growth, added: “The results of this GoDaddy survey demonstrate quantitatively the drive and resilience of entrepreneurs all across the United States. Their commitment to their enterprises is relentless and innovative. America’s entrepreneurs are an extraordinary resource for strengthening the U.S. economy and growing new businesses and jobs nationwide.”

Commenting on the findings, small business owner Leo Lopez owner of San Jose-based La Fenice Pizza said: “The economy is definitely uncertain right now, but as a small business owner, you learn to live with that. I’ve had to adjust, simplify, and focus on what really works, and that’s helped me grow stronger. For me, resilience isn’t about being unaffected. It’s about finding a way to keep going, even when things get unpredictable. That’s how I’ve built my business, and I think a lot of us are doing the same.”

“Entrepreneurs are planning for what is ahead,” Bhutani added. “They are navigating these times by staying focused and determined. At GoDaddy, our job is to make sure they have the tools they need to succeed.”

For more insights from GoDaddy’s latest small business research, visit the full report here:
https://www.godaddy.com/ventureforward/the-future-of-entrepreneurship-is-leaner-smarter-and-more-resilient

About GoDaddy

GoDaddy helps millions of entrepreneurs globally start, grow, and scale their businesses. People come to GoDaddy to name their idea, build a website and logo, sell their products and services and accept payments. GoDaddy Airo®, the company’s AI-powered experience, makes growing a small business faster and easier by helping them to get their idea online in minutes, drive traffic and boost sales. GoDaddy’s expert guides are available 24/7 to provide assistance. To learn more about the company, visit www.GoDaddy.com. 

* Microbusinesses are small businesses that typically employ fewer than 10 employees.

Source: GoDaddy Inc.

 

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SOURCE GoDaddy Inc.

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Integreon’s Creo™ Recognized for Artificial Intelligence Services Innovation in 2026 AI Breakthrough Awards Program

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June 25, 2026

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AI Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence organization recognizing the top companies, technologies, and products in the global artificial intelligence market, today announced that Integreon, a leading global provider of tech-enabled legal and business solutions, has been named the winner of the “AI Services Innovation” award in the 9th annual AI Breakthrough Awards program. The award recognizes Integreon’s innovative use of AI across its creative graphics services through its proprietary Creo™ platform.

AUSTIN, Texas and LONDON, June 25, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Prestigious International Annual Awards Program Honors Standout AI Companies & Solutions

“We didn’t start with AI and look for a problem to solve. Instead, we drew from decades of experience supporting some of the world’s most recognized brands.” – Anshu Gupta, President and Business Head of Creative and Business Solutions at Integreon

AI Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence organization recognizing the top companies, technologies, and products in the global artificial intelligence market, today announced that Integreon, a leading global provider of tech-enabled legal and business solutions, has been named the winner of the “AI Services Innovation” award in the 9th annual AI Breakthrough Awards program. The award recognizes Integreon’s innovative use of AI across its creative graphics services through its proprietary Creo™ platform.

“Many organizations are experimenting with AI, but few have developed the operational foundation necessary to apply it consistently and effectively at enterprise scale,” said Steve Johansson, Managing Director, AI Breakthrough. “Integreon stands out for combining AI capabilities with deep service expertise, creative talent, and operational discipline. Their approach demonstrates how organizations can move beyond experimentation and apply AI to deliver measurable business outcomes. We are proud to recognize Integreon as our 2026 AI Services Innovation Award winner.”

For more than two decades, Integreon has been a partner of choice for financial institutions, consulting firms, and professional services organizations delivering high-volume creative graphics services. This experience has given Integreon deep institutional knowledge of how business content and communications are created, reviewed, refined, and delivered while preserving corporate design standards.

Drawing on decades of creative graphics experience, Creo combines AI, automation, and design expertise to simplify the production of business-critical content. By reducing repetitive tasks and removing workflow bottlenecks, Creo helps organizations work more efficiently while maintaining consistency and brand integrity.

“We didn’t start with AI and look for a problem to solve. Instead, we drew from decades of experience supporting some of the world’s most recognized brands,” said Anshu Gupta, President and Business Head of Creative and Business Solutions at Integreon. “That experience showed us where time was spent on repetitive tasks and where AI could have the greatest impact. Creo reflects the expertise of our creative graphics specialists and technologists, helping clients create consistent, brand-compliant content more efficiently.”

Built on more than 2,000 visual assets and governed by enterprise-grade security, Creo’s centralized design intelligence framework enables scalable, consistent, and client preference-based-application of AI, in creative graphics for complex, highly regulated environments.

“True value isn’t built on standalone tools; it’s unlocked when AI is deeply embedded into daily operational workflows,” said Krishna Nacha, CEO of Integreon. “We built Creo on the conviction that technology is only as good as the real-world operational and domain expertise behind it.”

The mission of the AI Breakthrough Awards is to honor excellence and recognize the creativity, hard work, and success of Artificial Intelligence companies, technologies, and products. This year’s program attracted thousands of nominations from more than 18 countries worldwide.

About Integreon

Integreon is a trusted global provider of technology-enabled legal and business solutions that help corporations, law firms, and professional services organizations modernize operations, improve efficiency, and scale more effectively. Integreon combines deep domain expertise, operational rigor, AI-enabled workflows, and global delivery capabilities to support a broad range of managed services, from creative and business solutions to legal and compliance operations. With global delivery centers on three continents, Integreon delivers around-the-clock service in 70+ languages and is deeply committed to client success, consistently delivering innovative, tech-enabled solutions that improve agility, efficiency, and business performance.

For more information about Integreon’s range of services, email info@integreon.com, visit www.integreon.com and follow Integreon at LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

About AI Breakthrough

Part of Tech Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence and recognition platform for global technology innovation and leadership, the AI Breakthrough Awards program is devoted to honoring excellence in Artificial Intelligence technologies, services, companies and products. The AI Breakthrough Awards provide public recognition for the achievements of AI companies and products in categories including AI Platforms, Deep Learning, Smart Robotics, Business Intelligence, Natural Language Processing and industry-specific AI applications. For more information visit AIBreakthroughAwards.com.

Tech Breakthrough LLC does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in our recognition programs, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with award designations. Tech Breakthrough LLC recognition consists of the opinions of the Tech Breakthrough LLC organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Tech Breakthrough LLC disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this recognition program, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Media Contact

Emily Bricker, Integreon, 1 6199806425, emily@limelightgrowth.com, https://www.integreon.com/

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prweb.com/releases/integreons-creo-recognized-for-artificial-intelligence-services-innovation-in-2026-ai-breakthrough-awards-program-302811024.html

SOURCE Integreon

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Integreon’s Creo™ Recognized for Artificial Intelligence Services Innovation in 2026 AI Breakthrough Awards Program

Published

28 seconds ago

on

June 25, 2026

By

AI Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence organization recognizing the top companies, technologies, and products in the global artificial intelligence market, today announced that Integreon, a leading global provider of tech-enabled legal and business solutions, has been named the winner of the “AI Services Innovation” award in the 9th annual AI Breakthrough Awards program. The award recognizes Integreon’s innovative use of AI across its creative graphics services through its proprietary Creo™ platform.

AUSTIN, Texas and LONDON, June 25, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Prestigious International Annual Awards Program Honors Standout AI Companies & Solutions

“We didn’t start with AI and look for a problem to solve. Instead, we drew from decades of experience supporting some of the world’s most recognized brands.” – Anshu Gupta, President and Business Head of Creative and Business Solutions at Integreon

AI Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence organization recognizing the top companies, technologies, and products in the global artificial intelligence market, today announced that Integreon, a leading global provider of tech-enabled legal and business solutions, has been named the winner of the “AI Services Innovation” award in the 9th annual AI Breakthrough Awards program. The award recognizes Integreon’s innovative use of AI across its creative graphics services through its proprietary Creo™ platform.

“Many organizations are experimenting with AI, but few have developed the operational foundation necessary to apply it consistently and effectively at enterprise scale,” said Steve Johansson, Managing Director, AI Breakthrough. “Integreon stands out for combining AI capabilities with deep service expertise, creative talent, and operational discipline. Their approach demonstrates how organizations can move beyond experimentation and apply AI to deliver measurable business outcomes. We are proud to recognize Integreon as our 2026 AI Services Innovation Award winner.”

For more than two decades, Integreon has been a partner of choice for financial institutions, consulting firms, and professional services organizations delivering high-volume creative graphics services. This experience has given Integreon deep institutional knowledge of how business content and communications are created, reviewed, refined, and delivered while preserving corporate design standards.

Drawing on decades of creative graphics experience, Creo combines AI, automation, and design expertise to simplify the production of business-critical content. By reducing repetitive tasks and removing workflow bottlenecks, Creo helps organizations work more efficiently while maintaining consistency and brand integrity.

“We didn’t start with AI and look for a problem to solve. Instead, we drew from decades of experience supporting some of the world’s most recognized brands,” said Anshu Gupta, President and Business Head of Creative and Business Solutions at Integreon. “That experience showed us where time was spent on repetitive tasks and where AI could have the greatest impact. Creo reflects the expertise of our creative graphics specialists and technologists, helping clients create consistent, brand-compliant content more efficiently.”

Built on more than 2,000 visual assets and governed by enterprise-grade security, Creo’s centralized design intelligence framework enables scalable, consistent, and client preference-based-application of AI, in creative graphics for complex, highly regulated environments.

“True value isn’t built on standalone tools; it’s unlocked when AI is deeply embedded into daily operational workflows,” said Krishna Nacha, CEO of Integreon. “We built Creo on the conviction that technology is only as good as the real-world operational and domain expertise behind it.”

The mission of the AI Breakthrough Awards is to honor excellence and recognize the creativity, hard work, and success of Artificial Intelligence companies, technologies, and products. This year’s program attracted thousands of nominations from more than 18 countries worldwide.

About Integreon

Integreon is a trusted global provider of technology-enabled legal and business solutions that help corporations, law firms, and professional services organizations modernize operations, improve efficiency, and scale more effectively. Integreon combines deep domain expertise, operational rigor, AI-enabled workflows, and global delivery capabilities to support a broad range of managed services, from creative and business solutions to legal and compliance operations. With global delivery centers on three continents, Integreon delivers around-the-clock service in 70+ languages and is deeply committed to client success, consistently delivering innovative, tech-enabled solutions that improve agility, efficiency, and business performance.

For more information about Integreon’s range of services, email info@integreon.com, visit www.integreon.com and follow Integreon at LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

About AI Breakthrough

Part of Tech Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence and recognition platform for global technology innovation and leadership, the AI Breakthrough Awards program is devoted to honoring excellence in Artificial Intelligence technologies, services, companies and products. The AI Breakthrough Awards provide public recognition for the achievements of AI companies and products in categories including AI Platforms, Deep Learning, Smart Robotics, Business Intelligence, Natural Language Processing and industry-specific AI applications. For more information visit AIBreakthroughAwards.com.

Tech Breakthrough LLC does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in our recognition programs, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with award designations. Tech Breakthrough LLC recognition consists of the opinions of the Tech Breakthrough LLC organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Tech Breakthrough LLC disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this recognition program, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Media Contact

Emily Bricker, Integreon, 1 6199806425, emily@limelightgrowth.com, https://www.integreon.com/

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prweb.com/releases/integreons-creo-recognized-for-artificial-intelligence-services-innovation-in-2026-ai-breakthrough-awards-program-302811024.html

SOURCE Integreon

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Premarket Acquires Maklare AI to Build Residential Real Estate’s First Demand Intelligence Platform

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30 seconds ago

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June 25, 2026

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Maklare AI co-founder and CEO Oliver Wenner joins Premarket as chief operating officer

NEW YORK, June 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Premarket, the agent-only platform centralizing private real estate listings across brokerages into a single searchable network, today announced the acquisition of Maklare AI, a New York-based artificial intelligence company focused on structuring demand-side data in residential real estate. As part of the transaction, Maklare AI co-founder Oliver Wenner joins Premarket as chief operating officer, bringing AI capabilities that accelerate Premarket’s intelligence roadmap.

The acquisition comes at a pivotal moment for the residential real estate industry. The rapid fragmentation of listing data — as brokerages and portals move inventory out of shared listing layers and into siloed networks — has created an acute information problem not only for agents but also for buyers and sellers. Premarket was built to solve it: a shared operating layer that centralizes siloed private inventory and buyer demand, giving agents a complete view of the market before it becomes public.

What has remained entirely opaque until now is the demand side.

Residential real estate has long operated with near-complete opacity on buyer demand, relying on anecdotal agent intelligence and historical transaction data to make critical pricing and timing decisions. Maklare AI was founded on the thesis that this opacity is not inevitable. The company developed proprietary AI infrastructure to structure previously siloed and unstructured demand data — extracting actionable signals from buyer behavior, preferences, and intent that have historically disappeared the moment a conversation ends.

Placing those capabilities inside Premarket — across its $4 billion in active New York City private inventory and thousands of active buyers — creates something that has not existed before in residential real estate: a forward-looking demand intelligence platform built on live, structured data from both sides of the private market.

“Real estate listing data is rapidly fragmenting,” said Brett Helberg, founder and CEO of Premarket. “Premarket exists to rebuild that shared infrastructure — but on better terms for every agent, brokerage, and their clients. Bringing Oliver and Maklare’s AI capabilities into Premarket means we can now do that for both supply and demand simultaneously. It’s a meaningful acceleration of everything we’re building.”

For Wenner, the move brings together parallel bodies of work on the same structural problem. “Real estate has always been a supply-side industry — the stock of available properties is generally known, tracked, and marketed,” said Wenner. “The demand side has operated in complete opacity. Agents know their own clients, but the market has no structured view of aggregate demand, directional intent, or forward-looking buyer signals. At Maklare, we built the AI infrastructure to change that. Inside Premarket, with real inventory and real buyers at scale, we can build the demand intelligence layer this market has never had.”

Premarket is currently live in New York City and expanding to additional markets. Integration of Maklare AI’s capabilities is underway across the platform’s agent subscriber base.

About Premarket

Premarket is the agent-only platform for private real estate listings, centralizing off-market and pre-market inventory across brokerages into a single, searchable network. Built as neutral infrastructure for the residential real estate market, Premarket gives agents access to listings and buyer demand before they reach the public markets. The company is based in New York City and is expanding nationally.

To learn more or apply for platform access, visit www.premarket.nyc 

About Maklare AI

Maklare AI developed proprietary artificial intelligence infrastructure for demand-side intelligence in residential real estate, applying AI to structure previously siloed and unstructured buyer data and extract actionable demand signals from the private listing market. Founded in New York City, Maklare AI was acquired by Premarket in 2026.

Media Contact
Brett Helberg | brett@premarket.nyc

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/premarket-acquires-maklare-ai-to-build-residential-real-estates-first-demand-intelligence-platform-302811053.html

SOURCE Premarket, Inc.

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