LinkedIn finds 69% rise in members listing 'founder' as optimism grew

LinkedIn published research that showed small businesses entered 2026 with higher confidence, reporting a 69% year-over-year increase in members adding “founder” to their profiles and noting that more than half of small business leaders expressed optimism about the year ahead.

The research identified three primary growth drivers: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and related technology, brand credibility, and professional networks that converted attention into opportunity. The report named AI and tech as enablers of speed and scale, and it recorded that 54% of U.S. small business leaders said AI was essential to their growth while 76% of U.S. marketers agreed AI helped smaller brands compete with larger ones; 47% of respondents said AI made them more likely to start a business. The report also found that 63% sought tools to improve marketing and 62% sought tools for lead generation.

The release included estimates for Generative AI (GenAI), stating that GenAI could unlock up to $1.6 trillion in productive capacity for U.S. small and medium-sized businesses, representing 40% of the total AI opportunity. The document also described product-level outcomes for LinkedIn offerings, reporting 7.5x more Page engagement and 6.7x faster follower growth associated with Premium Company Pages.

The company outlined learning and product resources offered to small business leaders, including one-month free access to selected LinkedIn Learning courses and a range of Premium subscription tools. The titles listed for the free LinkedIn Learning access were “Leveraging AI for small and medium business growth,” “Building a brand that your customers will love,” and “Small business marketing.”

Ora Levit, VP of Product Management at LinkedIn, said: “Our research shows that small business leaders are thriving despite economic challenges by blending new technology that allows them to accomplish more than ever before, with a strong network that helps unlock opportunities. At LinkedIn, we’re equipping small businesses with tools that help them find prospects, build their brand and network, and grow their teams while saving time, so they can focus on building successful, thriving businesses, doing the work they love.”

LinkedIn offered free one-month access to the named LinkedIn Learning courses and referenced Premium subscription tools for small businesses.