Inc. recently released its 2025 list of America’s 5,000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies, and Marketing AI Institute made the list. Achieving more than 12x growth in just three years and earning a spot at #320, this marks the Institute’s first appearance on the Inc. 5000 list.
If you’re unfamiliar, the Inc. 5000 is a data-driven snapshot of the most successful companies in the economy’s most dynamic segment: independent, entrepreneurial businesses. Past honorees include Microsoft, Meta, Chobani, Under Armour, Timberland, Oracle, and Patagonia.
Companies on the 2025 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2021 to 2024. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2021. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2024. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2021 is $100,000; the minimum for 2024 is $2 million.
To mark the occasion, I had the pleasure of sitting down with the Institute’s founder, Paul Roetzer, to talk about what this recognition means to him—and to reflect on the journey it took to get here.
“This award is a tribute to how much work the team has put in,” he said. “And to the belief in our vision of where AI would take the business world and the bigger role we could play in it.”
He added: “We are still at the front of an intelligence explosion, and we need to keep doing what we are doing to help individuals and companies drive transformation in their careers and organizations.”
But, before we look ahead, let’s go back to the beginning…
The Journey: A Vision Realized
With a deep belief in the transformative power of AI, Paul founded the Marketing AI Institute in 2016 as an initiative within his former marketing agency. It started modestly, as a blog and newsletter exploring the intersection of marketing and AI. This was one year before the Google Brain team invented the transformer architecture, and six years before the launch of ChatGPT—an entirely different era in AI understanding and adoption. Still, Paul was convinced of AI’s potential to reshape business, even if most others couldn’t yet see the path ahead.
By the end of 2018, however, the Institute was consuming significant agency resources. Paul made a bold move: he spun the Institute out as its own entity and personally funded its operations.
In 2019, the Institute launched the inaugural Marketing AI Conference (MAICON). Paul continued investing his own money into the business, despite losing hundreds of thousands of dollars. It was painful, but seeing 300 professionals from more than 12 countries attend that first event in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, reaffirmed his belief that he was building something meaningful.
And then COVID hit, and everything was at risk.
By this point, though, the Institute had evolved far beyond a blog. It had grown into a media, events, and online education company with a subscriber base of more than 15,000. Recognizing that value, Paul successfully raised a $1 million seed round to keep the business afloat and create a multi-year runway.
In 2021, he sold his agency to focus full-time on the Institute. By November of that year, he had contingency plans in place to raise additional funding.
And then—everything changed, again.
The release of ChatGPT in late 2022 ignited a seismic shift. Paul started getting calls from VCs, university and government leaders, CEOs, and analysts asking the same questions: What is this, and what does it mean to business and the future of work?
Suddenly, the business world began to grasp what Paul had seen all along.
In February 2023, the Institute saw explosive growth. By March, it recorded its first profitable month in company history. Later that year, MAICON 2023 welcomed more than 700 professionals, and Paul’s speaking schedule began to rapidly fill with new opportunities.
Today, the Institute is a thriving hub for AI education and insights, with a passionate community of more than 100,000 subscribers—and growing.
Looking Ahead: Charting What Comes Next
Since 2023, Paul has described the Institute as a “rocketship.”
Over the past year, he’s spent considerable time asking a critical question: What exactly are we building? Will the Institute evolve into a research firm? A consulting powerhouse? Something entirely new?
At the core of this exploration was a single driving focus: How do we drive the greatest impact and transformation as fast as possible?
That’s when Paul crystallized a new vision. The result: AI Academy 3.0 and the AI Literacy Project, released by the Institute’s parent company, SmarterX.
Now in motion, The AI Literacy Project is designed to prepare individuals and organizations for the future of work by making AI education accessible and personalized.
“Every day, our team shows up ready to help, driven by the belief that AI can transform lives and careers,” said Paul. “Through our events, education, content, and community, we’ve seen people make real breakthroughs in their work and their organizations. Being part of that journey with this community is the most gratifying part of what we do.”
Ready to Accelerate Your AI Literacy?
We’re introducing the brand new AI Academy during a special upcoming launch event.
Join Paul Roetzer and the SmarterX team on Aug. 19 for the AI Academy by SmarterX 3.0 launch event, where you’ll learn about our new on-demand courses and certifications, as well as get a first look at the vision and roadmap ahead.
Register today for live or on-demand access.
