S-3 1 izeas-320210513.htm S-3 Document


As filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on May 13, 2021

Registration No. 333-

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

IZEA WORLDWIDE, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Nevada 37-1530765
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)		 (I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
501 N. Orlando Avenue, Ste 313, PMB 247
Winter Park, FL 		 32789
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)


Edward H. (Ted) Murphy
Chief Executive Officer
IZEA Worldwide, Inc.
501 N. Orlando Avenue, Suite 313 PMB 247
Winter Park, Florida 32789
(407) 674-6911
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copies of all communications to:
Spencer G. Feldman, Esq.
Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP
1325 Avenue of the Americas, 15th Floor
New York, New York 10019
(212) 451-2300
sfeldman@olshanlaw.com


Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after the effective date of this Registration Statement.
If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box. ¨
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans,
check the following box. þ

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨


If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨
If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ¨
If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer  o
Accelerated filer  o
Non-accelerated filer  x
Smaller reporting company x
Emerging growth company o

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. o


CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

Title of each class of securities to be registeredAmount to be registeredProposed maximum offering price per unitProposed maximum aggregate offering priceAmount of registration fee (2)
Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share(1)(1)100,000,000$10,910.00

(1)There are being registered under this registration statement such indeterminate number of shares of common stock as may be sold by the registrant from time to time at indeterminate prices. The aggregate offering price of common stock offered by the registrant will not exceed $100,000,000. In addition, pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), the shares being registered hereunder include such indeterminate number of shares of common stock as may be issuable with respect to the shares being registered hereunder as a result of stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions.
(2)Calculated pursuant to Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act.

__________________________________________

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.



The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting offers to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

PROSPECTUS                                Subject to completion, dated May 13, 2021
IZEA Worldwide, Inc.
$100,000,000
Common Stock
__________________________________________

This prospectus relates to common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of IZEA Worldwide, Inc. that we may sell from time to time on a continuous or delayed basis directly by us, through agents, dealers or underwriters as designated from time to time, or through a combination of these methods up to a total dollar amount of $100,000,000 on terms to be determined at the time of sale. For additional information on the methods of sale, you should refer to the section entitled “Plan of Distribution.” We reserve the sole right to accept, and together with any agents, dealers and underwriters, reserve the right to reject, in whole or in part, any proposed purchase of securities.

If any agents, underwriters or dealers are involved in the sale of any securities to which this prospectus is being delivered, we will disclose their names and the nature of our arrangements with them in a prospectus supplement. We will also provide specific terms regarding the sale of these securities, including any commissions, discounts and net proceeds in supplements to this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and any supplement carefully before you invest. This prospectus may not be used to offer and sell securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement for those securities.
Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the trading symbol IZEA. On May 10, 2021, the closing price of our common stock was $3.03 per share.

________________

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 3 of this prospectus.

Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus is _________ ___, 2021.


TABLE OF CONTENTS





Important Notice about the Information Presented in this Prospectus

In this prospectus, except as otherwise indicated, the words “IZEA” or the “Registrant” refer to IZEA Worldwide, Inc. and the words “the Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to IZEA Worldwide, Inc. together with its consolidated subsidiaries. In this prospectus, references to “common stock” are to the common stock of IZEA. References in this prospectus to “fiscal year” or “fiscal” refer to our financial reporting years ending on December 31 in the applicable calendar year.
You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement. We have not authorized any other person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. For further information, see the section of this prospectus entitled “Where You Can Find More Information.” We are not making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

You should not assume that the information appearing in this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front cover of this prospectus or the applicable prospectus supplement, or that the information contained in any document incorporated by reference is accurate as of any date other than the date of the document incorporated by reference, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any prospectus supplement or any sale of common stock. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since such dates.



ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, using a “shelf” registration process. Under the shelf registration process, we may from time to time, offer and sell to the public shares of our common stock in one or more offerings up to a total dollar amount of $100,000,000.

This prospectus provides you with a general description of the shares we may offer. Each time we sell shares of our common stock, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the shares being offered and the terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement may also add to, update or change information contained in this prospectus. If there is any inconsistency between the information in this prospectus and the information in any accompanying prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information in the prospectus supplement. You should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with the additional information described under the heading “Incorporation of Documents by Reference” carefully before making an investment decision.

We may sell shares of our common stock to or through underwriters, dealers, or agents or directly to purchasers. We and our agents reserve the sole right to accept and to reject in whole or in part any proposed purchase of shares. A prospectus supplement, which we will provide each time shares are offered, will provide the names of any underwriters, dealers or agents involved in the sale of the shares, and any applicable fee, commission or discount arrangements with them.


ABOUT IZEA
Our Mission
Our mission is to champion the world's creators by helping them monetize their content, creativity, and influence.
Business Overview
IZEA creates and operates online marketplaces that connect marketers, including brands, agencies, and publishers, with content creators such as bloggers and tweeters (“creators”). Our technology brings the marketers and creators together, enabling their transactions to be completed at scale through the management of custom content workflow, creator search and targeting, bidding, analytics and payment processing.
We help power the creator economy, allowing everyone from college students and stay-at-home individuals to celebrities and accredited journalists the opportunity to monetize their content, creativity and influence through our marketers. These creators are compensated by IZEA 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 personal websites, blogs, and social media channels.
Marketers engage us to gain access to our industry expertise, technology, data, analytics, and network of creators. The majority of the marketers engage us to perform these services on their behalf, but they also have the ability to use our marketplaces on a self-service basis by licensing our technology. Our technology is used for two primary purposes: the engagement of creators for influencer marketing campaigns, or the engagement of creators to create stand-alone custom content for the marketers’ own use and distribution. Marketers receive influential consumer content and engaging, shareable stories that drive awareness.
Our primary technology platform, The IZEA Exchange (“IZEAx”) enables transactions to be completed at scale through the management of custom content workflow, creator search and targeting, bidding, analytics, and payment processing. IZEAx is designed to provide a unified ecosystem that enables the creation and publication of multiple types of custom content through a creator’s personal websites, blogs, or social media channels including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, among others.

In 2020, we launched two new platforms, BrandGraph and Shake. BrandGraph is a social media intelligence platform that is heavily integrated with IZEAx and both platforms rely heavily on data from each other, but it is also available as a stand-alone platform. The platform maps and classifies the complex hierarchy of corporation-to-brand relationships by category and associates social content with brands through a proprietary content analysis engine. Shake is a new online marketplace where buyers can quickly and easily hire creators of all types for influencer marketing, photography, design, and other digital services. The Shake platform is aimed at digital creatives seeking freelance “gig” work. Creators list available “Shakes” on their accounts in the platform and marketers select and purchase creative packages from them through a streamlined chat experience, assisted by ShakeBot, a proprietary, artificial intelligence assistant.
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We generate revenue from four primary sources: (1) revenue from our 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"); (2) revenue from fees charged to software customers on their marketplace spend within our IZEAx and Shake platforms; (3) revenue from license and subscription fees charged to access the IZEAx and BrandGraph platforms; and (4) revenue derived from other fees such as inactivity fees, early cash-out fees, and other miscellaneous fees charged to users of our platforms.

Impact of COVID-19 on our Business
 
Our operations, sales, and finances were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020. In an effort to protect the health and safety of our employees, we took precautionary action and directed all staff to work from home effective March 16, 2020 and we allowed the leases for our company headquarters and temporary office spaces to expire at the end of their terms throughout 2020. We have not experienced any major declines in operating efficiency in our remote working environment and have made the decision to continue our work from home policy indefinitely as a virtual first employer.

While we are able to maintain full operations remotely, the economic conditions caused by COVID-19 have negatively impacted the business activity of our customers. We observed changes in advertising decisions, timing, and spending priorities from brand and agency customers, which resulted in a negative impact to our revenue in 2020.

When COVID-19 is demonstrably contained, we anticipate a rebound in economic activity, depending on the rate, pace, and effectiveness of the containment efforts deployed by various national, state, and local governments; however, the timing and extent of any such rebound is uncertain. In the fourth quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021, we saw a year over year increase in Managed Services bookings, our net orders from customers. That growth in bookings led to a 13% growth in overall revenue in the three months ended March 31, 2021. While we have seen an increase in Managed Services bookings, there is still risk that bookings will not be recognized as revenue if customers cancel prior to the performance of service.

We will continue to actively monitor the situation and may take further actions altering our business operations that we determine are in the best interests of our employees, customers, partners, suppliers, and stakeholders, or as required by federal, state, or local authorities. It is not clear what the potential effects any such alterations or modifications may have on our business, including the effects on our customers, employees, and prospects, or on our financial results.


Corporate Information

IZEA Worldwide, Inc. is a Nevada corporation that was founded in February 2006 under the name PayPerPost, Inc. and became a public company in May 2011. The address for our principal executive office is 501 N. Orlando Avenue, Suite 313, PMB 247, Winter Park, Florida 32789, and our telephone number is (407) 674-6911. We maintain a corporate website at https://izea.com. Information on our website does not constitute part of this prospectus and should not be relied upon with respect to this offering.




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RISK FACTORS
 
An investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. The prospectus supplement applicable to each offering of our securities will contain a discussion of the risks applicable to an investment in our securities. Prior to making a decision about investing in our securities, you should carefully consider the specific factors discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in the applicable prospectus supplement, together with all of the other information contained or incorporated by reference in the prospectus supplement or appearing or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. In addition to the following risk factors, you should carefully consider the risks, uncertainties and assumptions discussed in Item 1A of Part I to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, and in other documents that we subsequently file with the SEC that update, supplement or supersede such information, which documents are incorporated by reference into this prospectus. See “Where You Can Find More Information.” If any of the events actually occur, our business, financial condition or results of operation may be materially and adversely affected. In such case, the trading price of our common stock could decline, and investors could lose all or part of their investment. These risk factors may not identify all risks that we face, and our operations could also be affected by factors that are not presently known to us or that we currently consider to be immaterial to our operations.


Risks Related to our Business and Industry
 
We have a history of annual net losses, expect future losses and cannot assure you that we will achieve profitability.
 
We have incurred significant net losses and negative cash flow from operations for most periods since our inception, which has resulted in a total accumulated deficit of $72,627,214 as of March 31, 2021. For the three months ended March 31, 2021, we had a net loss of $1,992,438, including a $2,008,119 loss from operations. We have not achieved profitability and cannot be certain that we will be able to realize sufficient revenue to achieve profitability. If we achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain it. Therefore, we may need to raise capital through new financings, which could include equity financing, such as additional issuances of common stock pursuant to supplements to this prospectus, which may be dilutive to stockholders, or debt financing, which would likely restrict our ability to borrow from other sources. In addition, securities we issue may contain rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of the rights of our current stockholders. There can be no assurance that additional funds will be available on terms attractive to us, or at all. If adequate funds are not available, we may be required to curtail or reduce our operations or forced to sell or dispose of our rights or assets. An inability to raise adequate funds on commercially reasonable terms would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operation, and financial condition, including the possibility that a lack of funds could cause our business to fail and liquidate with little or no return to investors.

Our business has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the continuing impacts of COVID-19 are highly unpredictable and could have a significant adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows in the future.

In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as a global pandemic and recommended containment and mitigation measures worldwide. As the disease spread throughout the United States, we directed all of our staff to work from home effective March 16, 2020 and subsequently did not renew leases for our headquarters and temporary office spaces to reduce fixed costs. We intend to have all employees work remotely for the foreseeable future to protect their health and safety and to promote a flexible home-work environment. Although countries have begun to distribute vaccinations, many countries face challenges in doing so and new variants of COVID-19 have been identified, and it is uncertain how quickly and effectively such vaccinations will help to control the spread of COVID-19. Therefore, there remains uncertainty around the duration and the total economic impact of the pandemic.

Our business relies heavily on people, and adverse events such as health-related concerns and changes in family working conditions experienced by our employees, the inability to travel and other matters affecting the general work environment have impacted our business near term. We have changed the way we interact with our customers and pivoted to provide alternative forms of advertising for our customer campaigns as large social gatherings were cancelled during the year. The economic conditions caused by COVID-19 negatively impacted the business activity of our customers, and we observed declining demand and changes in their advertising decisions, timing, and spending priorities, which had a negative impact to our sales primarily in the first and second quarter of 2020.

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The outbreak and attempts to slow the spread of COVID-19 have resulted in extreme volatility and disruptions in the capital and credit markets, and future trends remain uncertain. A severe or prolonged economic downturn could result in a variety of additional risks to our business, including weakened demand from our customers and delays in the start of client campaigns or in client payments. Although our business operations and financial outlook has improved as of March 31, 2021, any of the foregoing could harm our business and we cannot anticipate all the ways in which the current global health crisis and financial market conditions could adversely impact our business.

Impairment of our intangible assets has resulted in significant charges that adversely impact our operating results.

We assess the potential impairment of goodwill on an annual basis, as well as whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. In March 2020, we identified a triggering event due to the reduction in projected revenue related to COVID-19 and the continuation of a market capitalization below our carrying value and uncertainty for recovery given the volatility of the capital markets surrounding COVID-19. We performed an interim assessment of goodwill and determined that the carrying value of our reporting unit as of March 31, 2020 exceeded the fair value. Therefore, we recorded a $4.3 million impairment of goodwill in the three months ended March 31, 2020. Future adverse changes in these or other unforeseeable factors could result in further impairment charges that would impact our results of operations and financial position in the reporting period identified.


Risks Relating to our Common Stock and this Offering

Exercise of stock options, warrants and other securities will dilute your percentage of ownership and could cause our stock price to fall.
 
As of May 10, 2021, we had 61,726,599 shares of common stock issued and outstanding, which included 30,712 shares of unvested restricted stock, outstanding stock options to purchase 1,730,999 shares of our common stock at an average exercise price of $2.69 per share, and unvested restricted stock units of 524,325 shares with an intrinsic value of $1,588,705.

As of May 10, 2021, we also have reserved shares to issue stock options, restricted stock or other awards to purchase or receive up to 3,764,077 shares of common stock under our May 2011 Equity Incentive Plan, 4,375 shares of common stock under our August 2011 Equity Incentive Plan, and 395,613 shares of common stock under our 2014 Employee Stock Purchase Plan. In the future, we may grant these additional shares or issue new securities, in accordance with terms described in employment agreements or as part of additional incentive programs. The exercise, conversion or exchange by holders of stock options, restricted stock units, or warrants for shares of common stock, or the issuance of new shares of common stock for additional compensation will dilute the percentage ownership of our stockholders. Issuance of a substantial number of shares of our common stock could cause the price of our common stock to fall and could impair our ability to raise capital by selling additional securities.
Net proceeds from the sale of our securities may not result in an increase in investment value.
Our management will have considerable discretion in the application of the net proceeds from offerings pursuant to this prospectus. For example, the net proceeds from an offering of our securities may be used for general corporate purposes. Under such circumstances, you may not have the opportunity, as part of your investment decision, to evaluate the economic, financial or other information on which we base our decisions on how to use the proceeds, or to assess how the proceeds will be used. Our decisions on how to use the proceeds may not lead to an increase in the value of our common stock.

The price of our common stock in the public markets has experienced, and may in the future experience, extreme volatility due to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control.
Since our common stock started trading on The Nasdaq Capital Market, it has been relatively thinly traded and at times been subject to price volatility. Recently our common stock has experienced extreme price and volume volatility. From January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020, the closing price of our common stock ranged from a low of $0.13 on March 18, 2020 to a high of $2.82 on June 11, 2020, with an average daily trading volume of 6.7 million shares. On January 25, 2021, the price increased to an intraday high of $7.45 per share (a 52-week high) and 25,323,000 shares were traded. In January 2021, the closing price of our common stock averaged $3.65 with an average daily trading volume of 8.9 million shares; in February 2021, the closing price of our common stock averaged $4.70 with an average daily trading volume of 4.0 million shares; and in March 2021, the closing price of our common stock averaged $4.07 with an average daily trading volume of 2.6 million shares.
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In addition to shares of our common stock, the stock market in general, and the stock prices of technology-based companies in particular, have experienced volatility that often has been unrelated to the operating performance of any specific public company. Further, on some occasions, our stock price may be, or may be purported to be, subject to “short squeeze” activity. A “short squeeze” is a technical market condition that occurs when the price of a stock increases substantially, forcing market participants who had taken a position that its price would fall (i.e. who had sold the stock “short”), to buy it, which in turn may create significant, short-term demand for the stock not for fundamental reasons, but rather due to the need for such market participants to acquire the stock in order to forestall the risk of even greater losses. A “short squeeze” condition in the market for a stock can lead to short-term conditions involving very high volatility and trading that may or may not track fundamental valuation models.

In addition, in the past, class action litigation has often been instituted against companies whose securities have experienced periods of volatility in market price. Securities litigation brought against us following volatility in our stock price, regardless of the merit or ultimate results of such litigation, could result in substantial costs, which would hurt our financial condition and operating results and divert management’s attention and resources from our business.



SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), provide a “safe harbor” for forward-looking statements to encourage companies to provide prospective information about their companies. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus regarding our strategy, future operations, financial position, future revenues, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management are forward‑looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by our use of words such as “may,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “projects” “believes,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “plans,” “estimates,” “forecast,” “potential,” “thinks,” “intends,” “likely,” “continue,” “pursue,” “strategy” or “future,” or the negative of these words or other words or expressions of similar meaning. These statements are only predictions. Such statements are based on currently available operating, financial and competitive information, and are subject to inherent risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Future events and our actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those reflected in these forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not place undue reliance on our forward‑looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause our actual results, performance, achievements or industry to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements. These important factors include the factors that we identify under the heading “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus, as well as other information we include or incorporate by reference in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement. Our forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations, intentions and beliefs as of the date of this prospectus or the date of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, as the case may be, and except as required by federal securities laws, we do not undertake, and specifically decline, any obligation to update any of these statements or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to these statements to reflect future events or developments.


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USE OF PROCEEDS

We intend to use the net proceeds from any sale of our shares of common stock by us to continue our investment in engineering resources and marketing and for working capital and general corporate purposes. Working capital may be used to pay for, among other uses, salaries, professional fees, public reporting costs, office-related expenses and other corporate expenses, including interest and overhead.
The intended use of net proceeds from this offering represents our expectations based upon our present plans and business conditions. We cannot predict with certainty all of the particular uses for the proceeds of this offering or the amounts that we will actually spend on the uses described in this prospectus. Accordingly, our management will have significant flexibility in applying the net proceeds of this offering. The timing and amount of our actual expenditures will be based on many factors, including cash flows from operations and the anticipated growth of our business. Pending their use, we intend to invest the net proceeds of this offering in a variety of capital‑preservation investments, including short‑ and intermediate‑term, interest‑bearing, investment‑grade securities.
Our plans to use the estimated net proceeds from the sale of these securities may change and, if they do, we will update this information in a prospectus supplement.


THE SECURITIES WE MAY OFFER

The description of the shares of common stock contained in this prospectus, together with the applicable prospectus supplements, summarize the material terms and provisions of the shares that we may offer. We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to any shares of common stock the particular terms of the shares offered by that prospectus supplement. If we so indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, the terms of the shares may differ from the terms we have summarized below. We will also include in the prospectus supplement information, where applicable, about material United States federal income tax considerations relating to the shares of common stock, and the securities exchange, if any, on which the shares will be listed.

We may sell from time to time, in one or more offerings, shares of our common stock. The total dollar amount of all the shares that we may issue will not exceed $100,000,000. This prospectus may not be used to consummate a sale of our common stock unless it is accompanied by a prospectus supplement.


DESCRIPTION OF COMMON STOCK

The following is a description of the material terms and provisions of our common stock. It may not contain all the information that is important to you. You can access complete information by referring to our articles of incorporation and by-laws, each as amended to date, which are included or incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.

Authorized Capital Stock

    We have 210,000,000 authorized shares of capital stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of which 200,000,000 shares are common stock and 10,000,000 shares are “blank-check” preferred stock.

Capital Stock Issued and Outstanding

We have the following issued and outstanding securities as of May 10, 2021:
•61,726,599 shares of common stock, which includes 30,712 shares of unvested restricted stock;
•stock options to purchase 1,730,999 shares of common stock; and
•524,325 restricted stock units.

    On May 10, 2021, the last reported sale price of our common stock, as reported on The Nasdaq Capital Market, was $3.03 per share. As of May 10, 2021, there were 168 holders of record of our common stock.
 
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Common Stock

The holders of our common stock have equal ratable rights to dividends from funds legally available if and when declared by our Board of Directors and are entitled to share ratably in all of our assets available for distribution to holders of common stock upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs. Our common stock does not provide the right to preemptive, subscription or conversion rights and there are no redemption or sinking fund provisions or rights. Our common stockholders are entitled to one non-cumulative vote per share on all matters on which shareholders may vote, meaning that shareholders may not give more than one vote per share to any single nominee for election to our Board of Directors.

We refer you to our articles of incorporation, bylaws and the applicable statutes of the state of Nevada for a more complete description of the rights and liabilities of holders of our securities.
Preferred Stock

Our articles of incorporation authorize the issuance of up to 10,000,000 shares of “blank check” preferred stock with designations, rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by our Board of Directors. We do not currently have any outstanding shares of preferred stock.

Transfer Agent

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Broadridge Corporate Issuer Solutions.

Market Listing

Our common stock is traded on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol "IZEA."

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ANTI-TAKEOVER LAW, CHARTER PROVISIONS, LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY AND INDEMNIFICATION

Chapter 78 of the Nevada Revised Statutes (the “NRS”), our articles of incorporation, and our bylaws contain provisions that may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing another party from acquiring control of the company. These provisions may discourage and prevent coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids.

Nevada Law
NRS 78.378 through 78.3793, commonly referred to as the “Control Share Act,” contains provisions governing the acquisition of a “controlling interest” in certain corporations. The Control Share Act generally provides that any person or entity who, individually or in association with others, acquires 20% or more of the outstanding voting shares of an “issuing corporation” (as defined in the NRS) may be denied voting rights with respect to the acquired shares, unless a majority of the disinterested stockholders of the corporation elects to restore such voting rights in whole or in part. The Control Share Act provides that a person or entity, individually or in association with others, acquires a "controlling interest" whenever it acquires, direct or indirect, ownership of outstanding voting shares of an issuing corporation in an amount that would be sufficient, but for the provisions of the Control Share Act, to enable the acquirer, individually or in association with others, to directly or indirectly exercise voting power in the election of directors within any of the following three ranges: 20 to 33-1/3%; 33-1/3 to 50%; or more than 50%.

The stockholders or board of directors of a corporation may elect to exempt the stock of the corporation from the provisions of the Control Share Act through adoption of a provision to that effect in the articles of incorporation or bylaws of the corporation. Our articles of incorporation and bylaws do not exempt our common stock from the Control Share Act.

The Control Share Act is only applicable to acquisitions of a controlling interest in an "issuing corporation" which is defined in the NRS as a Nevada corporation which (i) has 200 or more stockholders, at least 100 of whom have had an address in Nevada appearing on the stock ledger of the corporation at all times during the 90 days immediately preceding the date in question, and (ii) does business in Nevada directly or through an affiliated corporation.

At this time, we do not believe we have 100 stockholders of record who have an address in Nevada and we do not conduct business in Nevada directly or through an affiliated corporation. Therefore, we do not believe that the provisions of the Control Share Act currently apply to acquisitions of our shares. At such time as they may apply, the provisions of the Control Share Act may discourage companies or persons interested in acquiring a significant interest in or control of us, regardless of whether such acquisition may be in the interest of our stockholders.

NRS 78.411 through 78.444, commonly referred to as the "Business Combination Act," may also have an effect of delaying or making it more difficult to effect a change in control of our company and certain other business combinations and transactions. The Business Combination Act generally prohibits a resident domestic Nevada corporation (in general, a Nevada corporation with 200 or more stockholders of record) from entering into certain business "combinations" with an "interested stockholder" or the interested stockholder's affiliates or associates during the two-year period after the stockholder first became an interested stockholder, unless certain requirements and conditions are met. The Business Combination Act defines "combination" to include, among other things, any merger or consolidation with an "interested stockholder" or any entity that is or will become an affiliate or associate of the interested stockholders, or any sale, lease, exchange, mortgage, pledge, transfer or other disposition, in one transaction or a series of transactions with an "interested stockholder" or any affiliate or associate of the interested stockholder, of assets having (i) an aggregate market value equal to more than 5% of the aggregate market value of the assets of the corporation, (ii) an aggregate market value equal to more than 5% of the aggregate market value of all outstanding voting shares of the corporation, or (iii) representing more than 10% of the earning power or net income of the corporation.

For purposes of the Business Combination Act, an "interested stockholder" means any person or entity who is: (i) the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of 10% or more of the outstanding voting shares of a resident domestic corporation, or (ii) an affiliate or associate of the resident domestic corporation and at any time within two years immediately before the date in question was the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of 10 percent or more of the then outstanding voting shares of the resident domestic corporation. A corporation that is subject to the Business Combination Act may not engage in any "combination" with an interested stockholder for two years after the interested stockholder acquires its shares unless the combination or purchase meets the requirements, if any, in the corporation’s articles of incorporation, and is approved by the board of directors before the interested stockholder acquired such shares. If approval is not obtained, then after the expiration of the two-year period, the business combination may be consummated with the approval of the board of directors or a majority of the voting power held by disinterested stockholders, or if the combination satisfies specific fair value requirements as further set forth in the Business Combination Act.
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Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws
Nevada corporate law provides that a corporation’s stockholders are not entitled to the right to cumulate votes in the election of directors unless the corporation’s articles of incorporation provide otherwise. Our articles of incorporation do not provide for cumulative voting in the election of directors. Accordingly, the holders of a majority of our outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote in any election of directors can elect all of the directors standing for election, if they so choose. The absence of cumulative voting rights makes it more difficult for stockholders to replace our board of directors or for a third party to obtain control of our company by replacing our board of directors. Other than as described above, our articles of incorporation and bylaws do not contain any explicit provisions that would have an effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of our company.

Limited Liability and Indemnification

Our articles of incorporation provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by the Nevada Revised Statutes, individual liability of directors and officers is eliminated. Our articles of incorporation also provide that our directors and officers and certain other persons shall be indemnified and held harmless, to the fullest extent permitted by the Nevada Revised Statutes, against all expenses, liability and loss (including attorneys' fees, judgments, fines and amounts paid or to be paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered by them in connection any action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, by reason of the fact that they, or a person of whom they are the legal representative, is or was a director or officer of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director or officer of another corporation, or as its representative in a partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise. We have also agreed to indemnify each of our directors and officers against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.

Neither our articles of incorporation nor by-laws prevent us from indemnifying our officers, directors and agents to the extent permitted under the NRS. NRS Section 78.7502 generally provides that a corporation may indemnify any director, officer, employee or agent of a corporation against expenses, including attorneys' fees, actually and reasonably incurred by them in connection with any defense to the extent that a director, officer, employee or agent of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding as set forth in NRS Section 78.7502(1) or 78.7502(2), or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein.

NRS 78.7502(1) provides that a corporation may indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, except an action by or in the right of the corporation, by reason of the fact that they are or were a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or are or were serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses, including attorneys' fees, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by them in connection with the action, suit or proceeding if they: (a) are not liable pursuant to NRS 78.138; or (b) acted in good faith and in a manner which they reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe their conduct was unlawful.

NRS Section 78.7502(2) provides that a corporation may indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that they are or were a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or are or were serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against expenses, including amounts paid in settlement and attorneys' fees actually and reasonably incurred by them in connection with the defense or settlement of the action or suit if they: (a) are not liable pursuant to NRS 78.138; or (b) acted in good faith and in a manner which they reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation. Indemnification may not be made for any claim, issue or matter as to which such a person has been adjudged by a court of competent jurisdiction, after exhaustion of any appeals taken there from, to be liable to the corporation or for amounts paid in settlement to the corporation, unless and only to the extent that the court in which the action or suit was brought or other court of competent jurisdiction determines upon application that in view of all the circumstances of the case, the person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses as the court deems proper.

NRS Section 78.747 provides that except as otherwise specially provided by statute or agreement, no person other than a corporation is individually liable for a debt or liability of the corporation, unless the person acts as the alter ego of the corporation. The court as a matter of law must determine the question of whether a person acts as the alter ego of a corporation.

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Disclosure of the SEC’s Position on Indemnification for Securities Act Liabilities

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the above provisions, we have been informed that, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the shares of common stock being registered, we will, unless in the opinion of our counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by us is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.


PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We may sell the shares of our common stock being offered hereby in one or more of the following ways from time to time:
•through agents to the public or to investors;
•to one or more underwriters or dealers for resale to the public or to investors;
•in “at the market offerings,” within the meaning of Rule 415(a)(4) of the Securities Act, to or through a market maker or into an existing trading market, or an exchange or otherwise;
•directly to investors in privately negotiated transactions; or
•through a combination of these methods of sale.

The shares that we distribute by any of these methods may be sold, in one or more transactions, at:
•a fixed price or prices, which may be changed;
•market prices prevailing at the time of sale;
•prices related to prevailing market prices; or
•negotiated prices.

We will set forth in a prospectus supplement the terms of the offering of our common stock, including:
•the name or names of any agents or underwriters;
•the purchase price of our shares being offered and the proceeds we will receive from the sale;
•any over-allotment options under which underwriters may purchase additional shares from us;
•any agency fees or underwriting discounts and commissions and other items constituting agents’ or underwriters’ compensation;
•the public offering price; and
•any discounts or concessions allowed or re-allowed or paid to dealers.

Underwriters
Underwriters, dealers and agents that participate in the distribution of the shares of our common stock may be underwriters as defined in the Securities Act and any discounts or commissions they receive from us and any profit on their resale of the shares may be treated as underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act. We will identify in the applicable prospectus supplement any underwriters, dealers or agents and will describe their compensation. We may have agreements with the underwriters, dealers and agents to indemnify them against specified civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Underwriters, dealers and agents may engage in transactions with or perform services for us or our subsidiaries in the ordinary course of their businesses.
If we use underwriters for a sale of shares of our common stock, the underwriters will acquire the shares for their own account. The underwriters may resell the shares in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions, at a fixed public offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of sale. The obligations of the underwriters to purchase the shares will be subject to the conditions set forth in the applicable underwriting agreement. The underwriters will be obligated to purchase all the shares offered if they purchase any of the shares offered. We may change from time to time any initial public offering price and any discounts or concessions the underwriters allow or re-allow or pay to dealers. We may use underwriters with whom we have a material relationship. We will describe in the prospectus supplement naming the underwriters the nature of any such relationship.
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If indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will authorize underwriters or other persons acting as our agents to solicit offers by particular institutions to purchase shares of our common stock from us at the public offering price set forth in such prospectus supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on the date or dates stated in such prospectus supplement. Each delayed delivery contract will be for an amount no less than, and the aggregate amounts of shares sold under delayed delivery contracts shall be not less nor more than, the respective amounts stated in the applicable prospectus supplement. Institutions with which such contracts, when authorized, may be made include commercial and savings banks, insurance companies, pension funds, investment companies, educational and charitable institutions and others, but will in all cases be subject to our approval. The obligations of any purchaser under any such contract will be subject to the conditions that (a) the purchase of the shares shall not at the time of delivery be prohibited under the laws of any jurisdiction in the United States to which the purchaser is subject, and (b) if the shares are being sold to underwriters, we shall have sold to the underwriters the total amount of the shares less the amount thereof covered by the contracts. The underwriters and such other agents will not have any responsibility in respect of the validity or performance of such contracts.
Agents
We may designate agents who agree to use their reasonable efforts to solicit purchases for the period of their appointment or to sell shares of our common stock on a continuing basis.
Direct Sales
We may also sell shares of our common stock directly to one or more purchasers without using underwriters or agents.
Trading Markets and Listing of Shares
Our shares of common stock are traded on The Nasdaq Capital Market. It is possible that one or more underwriters may make a market in our shares, but the underwriters will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. We cannot give any assurance as to the liquidity of the trading market for our common stock.
Stabilization Activities
In connection with an offering, an underwriter may purchase and sell shares of our common stock in the open market. These transactions may include short sales, stabilizing transactions and purchases to cover positions created by short sales. Shorts sales involve the sale by the underwriters of a greater number of shares than they are required to purchase in the offering. “Covered” short sales are sales made in an amount not greater than the underwriters’ option to purchase additional securities from us, if any, in the offering. If the underwriters have an over-allotment option to purchase additional securities from us, the underwriters may close out any covered short position by either exercising their over-allotment option or purchasing securities in the open market. In determining the source of securities to close out the covered short position, the underwriters may consider, among other things, the price of the shares available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase securities through the over-allotment option. “Naked” short sales are any sales in excess of such option or where the underwriters do not have an over-allotment option. The underwriters must close out any naked short position by purchasing securities in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the securities in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering.
Accordingly, to cover these short sales positions or to otherwise stabilize or maintain the price of the shares, the underwriters may bid for or purchase securities in the open market and may impose penalty bids. If penalty bids are imposed, selling concessions allowed to syndicate members or other broker-dealers participating in the offering are reclaimed if securities previously distributed in the offering are repurchased, whether in connection with stabilization transactions or otherwise. The effect of these transactions may be to stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. The impositions of a penalty bid may also affect the price of the securities to the extent that it discourages resale of the securities. The magnitude or effect of any stabilization or other transactions is uncertain. These transactions may be effected on The Nasdaq Capital Market or otherwise and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.
Subscription Rights
We may also issue to the holders of our common stock on a pro rata basis for no consideration, subscription rights to purchase shares of our common stock. These subscription rights may or may not be transferable by stockholders. The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the specific terms of any offering of our common stock through the issuance of subscription rights, including the terms of the subscription rights offering, the terms, procedures and limitations relating to the exchange and exercise of the subscription rights and, if applicable, the material terms of any standby underwriting or purchase arrangement entered into by us in connection with the offering of common stock through the issuance of subscription rights.
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LEGAL MATTERS

Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP, New York, New York, as our counsel, will pass upon certain legal matters, including the legality of the shares of common stock offered by this prospectus and any prospectus supplement. If the shares are distributed in an underwritten offering, certain legal matters will be passed upon for the underwriters by counsel identified in the applicable prospectus supplement.


EXPERTS

The audited consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2020 and 2019 and for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2020, incorporated by reference in this Prospectus and in the Registration Statement, have been so incorporated in reliance on the report of BDO USA, LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated herein by reference, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.


WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-3, including exhibits and schedules, under the Securities Act, with respect to the shares of common stock being offered by this prospectus. This prospectus, which constitutes part of the registration statement, does not contain all of the information in the registration statement and its exhibits. For further information with respect to us and the common stock offered by this prospectus, we refer you to the registration statement and its exhibits. Statements contained in this prospectus as to the contents of any contract or any other document referred to are not necessarily complete, and in each instance, we refer you to the copy of the contract or other document filed as an exhibit to the registration statement. Each of these statements is qualified in all respects by this reference.

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings, including the registration statement, are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. You may also read and copy any document we file at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the Public Reference Room. Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, including any amendments to those reports, and other information that we file with or furnish to the SEC pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, can also be accessed free of charge in the Investor Relations section of our website, which is located at https://izea.com. These filings will be available as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus and you should not consider information contained on our website to be part of this prospectus.


INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to incorporate into this prospectus information we file with the SEC in other documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus and information we later file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. The documents we have incorporated by reference are:
•Our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2021, filed on May 13, 2021;
•Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, filed on March 30, 2021;
•Our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 6, 2021, January 25, 2021, February 11, 2021, March 18, 2021 and April 20, 2021; and
•Description of Securities of IZEA Worldwide, Inc. filed as Exhibit 4.1 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, filed on March 30, 2020.

All documents filed by IZEA with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of the initial registration statement and prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement shall be deemed incorporated by reference into this prospectus from the respective dates of filing such documents.

Any future filings IZEA makes with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of this prospectus are incorporated herein by reference until completion of the offering (excluding any portions of such filings that have been “furnished” but not “filed” for purposes of the Exchange Act). Any statement contained in this prospectus or in a document incorporated by reference shall be deemed to be modified or superseded to the extent that a statement
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contained in those documents modifies or supersedes that statement. Any statement so modified or superseded will not be deemed to constitute a part of this prospectus except as so modified or superseded. Statements contained in this prospectus as to the contents of any contract or other document referred to in this prospectus do not support to be complete, and, where reference is made to the particular provisions of such contract or other document, such provisions are qualified in all respects by reference to all provisions of such contract or other document.

We will furnish without charge to you, on written or oral request, a copy of any filing or report incorporated by reference herein, including exhibits to the document. You should direct any requests for documents to IZEA Worldwide, Inc., 501 N. Orlando Avenue, Suite 313 PMB 247, Winter Park, Florida 32789, tel.: (407) 674-6911, Attention: Corporate Secretary.

You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus, including information incorporated by reference as described above, or any prospectus supplement that we have specifically referred you to. We have not authorized anyone else to provide you with different information. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of those documents or that any document incorporated by reference is accurate as of any date other than its filing date. You should not consider this prospectus to be an offer or solicitation relating to the securities in any jurisdiction in which such an offer or solicitation relating to the securities is not authorized. Furthermore, you should not consider this prospectus to be an offer or solicitation relating to the securities if the person making the offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so, or if it is unlawful for you to receive such an offer or solicitation.



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$100,000,000
Common Stock
_________________
PROSPECTUS
_________________












_________ ___, 2021







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PART II.     INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS


Item 14. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.

The following table provides information regarding the various actual and anticipated expenses payable by us in connection with the issuance and distribution of the securities being registered hereby. All amounts shown are estimates except the SEC registration fee.
Nature of ExpenseAmount
SEC registration fee$10,910.00 
Accounting fees and expenses10,000.00 
Legal fees and expenses15,000.00 
Miscellaneous4,090.00 
Total$40,000.00 

Item 15. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
Our articles of incorporation provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by the Nevada Revised Statutes, the individual liability of directors and officers is eliminated.
Our directors and officers are also entitled to indemnification as provided by the Nevada Revised Statutes and our articles of incorporation. We have agreed to indemnify each of our directors and officers against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers and controlling persons pursuant to the provisions described above, or otherwise, we have been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than our payment of expenses incurred or paid by our director, officer or controlling person in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, we will, unless in the opinion of our counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.



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EXHIBITS

 
Exhibit No.Description
1.1*Form of Underwriting Agreement, Placement Agency Agreement, Dealer-Manager Agreement, Sales Agreement or similar agreement.
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
3.6
3.7
3.8
3.9
3.10
3.11
5.1**
23.1**
23.3**
24.1**Power of Attorney (set forth on the signature page of the registration statement).


*    To be subsequently filed by amendment or as an exhibit to a document to be incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference to this registration statement, including a current report on Form 8-K.
**    Filed herewith.



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Item 17.     Undertakings.

(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:
(1)     To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:
(i)     To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;
(ii)     To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and
(iii)     To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement.
Provided however, that the undertakings set forth in paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii) and (a)(1)(iii) above do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement.

(2)     That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3)     To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(4)     That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:
(i)     Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424 (b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and
(ii)     Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424 (b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii) or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date of such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date; or

(5)     That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities:
The undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the
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purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser: 
(i)     Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;
(ii)     Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;
(iii)     The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and
(iv)     Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

(b) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan's annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer, or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit, or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer, or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

(d) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:

(1)For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this Registration Statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the Registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this Registration Statement as of the time it was declared effective.
(2)For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
    

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SIGNATURES
 
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Winter Park, State of Florida, on this 13th day of May 2021.

 
 IZEA Worldwide, Inc.
a Nevada corporation
   
By: /s/ Edward H. Murphy 
  Edward H. Murphy
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer) 
By: /s/ Peter J. Biere
  Peter J. Biere
Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)




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POWER OF ATTORNEY

We, the undersigned officers and directors of IZEA Worldwide, Inc., hereby severally constitute and appoint Edward H. (Ted) Murphy and Peter J. Biere and each of them singly, our true and lawful attorneys with full power to any of them, and to each of them singly, to sign for us and in our names in the capacities indicated below the Registration Statement on Form S-3 filed herewith and any and all pre-effective and post-effective amendments to said Registration Statement and generally to do all such things in our name and behalf in our capacities as officers and directors to enable IZEA Worldwide, Inc. to comply with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and all requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming our signatures as they may be signed by our said attorneys, or any of them, to said Registration Statement and any and all amendments thereto.


Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this registration statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

SignatureTitleDate
/s/ Edward H. MurphyChief Executive Officer and Chairman of the BoardMay 13, 2021
Edward H. Murphy(Principal Executive Officer)
/s/ Peter J. BiereChief Financial OfficerMay 13, 2021
Peter J. Biere(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)
/s/ Ryan S. SchramPresident, Chief Operating Officer and DirectorMay 13, 2021
Ryan S. Schram
/s/ Brian W. BradyDirectorMay 13, 2021
Brian W. Brady
/s/ John H. CaronDirectorMay 13, 2021
John H. Caron
/s/ Lindsay A. GardnerDirectorMay 13, 2021
Lindsay A. Gardner
/s/ Jill M. Golder
Jill M. GolderDirectorMay 13, 2021
/s/ Daniel R. RuaDirectorMay 13, 2021
Daniel R. Rua
/s/ Patrick J. VenetucciDirectorMay 13, 2021
Patrick J. Venetucci

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