Leveraging Agentic AI to Support Small Businesses Amid SBA Resource Partner Cuts
Date: September 8, 2025
Optimal has released a new white paper, Resilient Assistance: Using Agentic AI to Empower Small Businesses Amid Resource Partner Cuts. The paper examines how intelligent AI-driven assistants can fill critical gaps in technical assistance as the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) faces proposed workforce reductions of approximately 43% and the elimination of funding for key entrepreneurial development programs, including Women’s Business Centers (WBCs), SCORE, the State Trade Expansion Program (STEP), and Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOCs).
Drawing on decades of evaluating SBA programs, Optimal outlines how Agentic AI can provide 24/7, personalized, and cost-effective guidance to small businesses navigating complex regulations and government contracting opportunities. The paper emphasizes that AI solutions align with federal priorities such as Executive Order 14058 on customer experience and the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul (RFO) announced in 2025.
Key recommendations include:
- Launching targeted AI pilots in underserved and rural communities
- Integrating AI into SBA’s modernization initiatives, such as MySBA platforms
- Building partnerships to ensure accuracy and quality of AI-delivered information
- Leveraging innovation programs like SBIR/STTR to accelerate public-facing AI tools