iBARE Gets Global Recognition as Founder Emerges Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Finalist

The global artificial intelligence ecosystem is witnessing the emergence of a new class of intelligent systems, with Interactive Business AI for Real-time Engagement (iBARE), emerging at the centre of this shift.

This growing momentum has been further reinforced by the selection of the Founder of iBARE, Dr. Osaretin Agbonavbare, as a 2026 Spring Finalist of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Programme in the United States, a recognition widely regarded as one of the most influential global endorsements for high-growth enterprises.

The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses initiative is a fully funded entrepreneurship programme that provides business leaders with advanced management education, access to capital and long-term strategic advisory support. Developed by Babson College and backed by more than 100 academic and financial partners, the programme is known for its measurable economic impact. According to Goldman Sachs, 66 per cent of alumni grow their revenues, 44 per cent create new jobs, while 85 per cent go on to conduct business with fellow participants.

Agbonavbare’s selection reflects growing institutional confidence in iBARE’s commercial scalability, national relevance and global economic potential within the fast-evolving AI market.
Unlike conventional AI assistants such as Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant, which are primarily designed for command-based functions like answering questions, setting reminders or controlling smart devices, iBARE is engineered as a Smart Companion capable of sustained and adaptive interaction. According to the company, the platform is designed to understand human emotion, interpret intent and adapt to user behaviour, enabling more meaningful and empathetic engagement.

The iBARE platform functions as a personal companion, business partner, mentor and coach, tutor and learning assistant, as well as an emotional wellness support system. Rather than simply processing voice input, it interprets contextual meaning and emotional cues, allowing for interactions that more closely mirror human relationships.

Beyond personal interaction, iBARE’s core innovation lies in its role as an Interactive Business AI for Real-time Engagement. Unlike consumer-focused assistants, the platform is built to operate as a digital workforce, executing core business and organisational functions through low-code and no-code workflows. Its capabilities span customer service and sales automation, marketing and content production, AI-assisted software development, internal operations and workflow management, data analytics and decision support, as well as creative media production and publishing.

While mainstream assistants stop at personal productivity, iBARE extends into enterprise infrastructure, supporting organisations to run operations, scale efficiently and augment human workforces. The distinction, analysts say, is not incremental but architectural. While traditional assistants are tools, iBARE is positioned as a platform that collaborates rather than merely executes tasks.

By integrating emotional intelligence, cognitive automation, business intelligence and human-in-the-loop governance, iBARE introduces a new category of artificial intelligence that supports both emotional well-being and economic productivity within a single system. This dual role positions the platform as a companion for daily life, a workforce partner for enterprises, a productivity engine for small and medium-sized enterprises, and a digital transformation layer for governments and institutions.

The 2026 Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses recognition comes at a pivotal moment for iBARE’s expansion across the United States, Africa and other emerging digital markets. Through the programme, iBARE is expected to receive strategic growth advisory support, access to expansion capital through partner community development financial institutions, and entry into a global network of more than 16,000 high-impact founders.