tech
AI use is behind a boom in solo founders, Nasdaq finds
The sharp rise in AI-enabled solo founders is a new and largely untested model of entrepreneurship.
TL;DR
- A surge in one-person entrepreneurship is linked to advances in AI.
- Nasdaq Economic Institute research connects this boom to generative AI and agentic coding tools.
- Applications from one-person firms have increased by over 20% since early 2025, while those from hiring companies are flat.
- Nearly half of the solo business growth is in high AI-adoption industries.
- AI may increase accessibility to entrepreneurship while reducing the need for early hires.
- This trend could boost innovation, competition, and productivity even without widespread job creation.