HubSpot continues to focus on AI, data, and expanding its ecosystem in 2026. The first quarter already indicates a clear direction: tighter integrations, smarter automation, and greater control over distribution.
Here’s a breakdown of the most important updates and what they actually mean for B2B teams.
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HubSpot expands its media empire
In February, HubSpot acquired Starter Story, a media platform reaching around 100 million people annually.
This move follows earlier acquisitions like The Hustle and signals a long-term strategy:
owning attention, not just capturing leads.
Why it matters
HubSpot isn’t just a software provider; it’s increasingly becoming a media and distribution company.
Deepening the AWS partnership
HubSpot has renewed and expanded its partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS). But this goes beyond infrastructure.
HubSpot is now listed in the AWS Marketplace, potentially opening the door to new procurement models—such as purchasing HubSpot using AWS credits.
Breeze AI Agents get a major upgrade
HubSpot upgraded its Breeze Studio Agents from GPT-4.1 to GPT-5, enhancing reasoning and performance across use cases such as:
- RFP Agent
- Customer Health Agent
- Deal Loss Agent
Why it matters
This isn’t merely a technical upgrade — it transforms the way teams work.
- Better outputs → less manual review
- More reliable automation → higher adoption
- Stronger decision support → smarter workflows
EU Data Enrichment gets a big boost
HubSpot has greatly enhanced its data enrichment capabilities for EU contacts—previously a significant limitation compared to the US. Marketers can now access more comprehensive datasets for:
- Job roles
- Company insights
- Location information
Why it matters
For European teams, this is enormous.
- Better segmentation
- More relevant personalisation
- Higher-quality outreach
Buyer Intent signals become more actionable
HubSpot continues to enhance its intent signals, now incorporating triggers such as:
- New or closed locations
- Industry awards
- Certifications (e.g., ISO)
Why it matters
This converts intent data into genuine sales opportunities:
- More precise timing for outreach
- Stronger personalisation hooks
This is where ABM truly becomes signal-driven, not merely list-based.
HubSpot meets ChatGPT and Gemini
HubSpot’s integrations with ChatGPT and Gemini are developing rapidly.
You can already:
- Query HubSpot data directly from AI tools
And soon, you’ll likely be able to:
- Update CRM records without leaving the AI interface
Why it matters
This alters how teams engage with CRM systems:
- Less context switching
- Faster execution
- More conversational workflows
The CRM is no longer a single destination—it’s becoming integrated into your daily tools.
What to watch: Spring Spotlight 2026
HubSpot’s upcoming major product announcements are expected during the Spring Spotlight event, which is part of their twice-yearly release cycle.
What to expect
Based on current trends:
- More AI-native features
- Deeper automation across hubs
- Expanded ecosystem integrations
Ready to see it in action? Discover how HubSpot’s latest tools can reshape your growth strategy. Achieve greater results with your HubSpot portal and book a free HubSpot Q&A.
Final Thoughts
Q1 2026 makes one thing clear: HubSpot continues to evolve from a CRM into a connected orchestration platform powered by AI.
For B2B marketers, the implications are immediate:
- AI is becoming operational, not experimental
- Data quality is improving—especially in Europe
- Intent signals are getting sharper
- Ecosystems (AWS, AI tools) are becoming key growth levers
The question is no longer whether you should adapt—only how quickly you can.
Want to discuss any of the updates?
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Transcript of video:
00:00:00 - 00:00:10
Welcome to the HubSpot Outlook for Q1 2026. Let's dive straight into the most newsworthy updates around HubSpot.
00:00:10 - 00:00:25
In February, HubSpot acquired Starter Story. This is a media platform that reaches about 100 million people per year around the world.
00:00:25 - 00:00:35
And maybe if you think back to 2021, they acquired The Hustle. So they're now doing another investment in really building the distribution and media channels that they own.
00:00:35 - 00:00:50
HubSpot and Amazon have had a great relationship over the past years, and now they've announced a renewal of their partnership.
00:00:50 - 00:01:05
And this goes beyond just HubSpot using the AWS infrastructure. HubSpot is now also really listed as an application in the AWS marketplace.
00:01:05 - 00:01:15
Which might mean that in the future, you can just buy HubSpot with AWS credits. So you exchange, for example, your AWS credits for HubSpot or Breeze credits.
00:01:15 - 00:01:25
We'll see where this goes, but it looks very promising.
00:01:25 - 00:01:40
HubSpot has upgraded the models that are used in the Breeze Studio Agents. So these are the agents like the RFP Agent, the Deal Loss Agent, the Customer Health Agent that you can get from the Breeze Studio.
00:01:40 - 00:01:50
The model before was GPT-4.1. It's now on GPT-5. This means that the reasoning is better and the overall performance is smoother.
00:01:50 - 00:02:05
HubSpot has really improved what they cover in EU contacts for data enrichment. Before, it was mostly US-based contacts where you could enrich them with job titles and location information, but now specifically contacts in the EU have also seen a big upgrade.
00:02:05 - 00:02:20
There’s a lot more information available on them. This is extremely helpful if you want to enrich your data, do better segmentation, and prepare your outreaches with a lot better data quality.
00:02:20 - 00:02:35
If you have Marketing Hub Pro or higher, you also have the buyer intent tool. What this tool allows you to do is that you monitor your target accounts on relevant signals.
00:02:35 - 00:02:50
HubSpot has added more and more signals to this. So now you can also monitor if one of your target accounts is opening a location or is closing a location.
00:02:50 - 00:03:05
If they've maybe won an award in their industry, or if they got approval for a certain certification, like maybe they got their ISO9001 certificate in place.
00:03:05 - 00:03:20
So all of these signals are such perfect hooks for your sales team and your account managers to reach out and start conversations with your desired or existing clients.
00:03:20 - 00:03:35
At Zooma, we will soon launch a Quickstart Guide for you about how to use these buyer intent tools. So tell your teams to subscribe to the B2B Enablement Hub so that they are the first ones to know.
00:03:35 - 00:03:50
Some months ago, HubSpot launched connectors for Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini, which allow you to prompt HubSpot straight from that interface.
00:03:50 - 00:04:05
And get information from your HubSpot portal into Gemini or one of the others. So, for example, you can ask which contacts have been most recently engaged with your marketing campaign.
00:04:05 - 00:04:20
But now you can also write back for Claude and for ChatGPT. For Gemini, this isn't possible yet. You can update the CRM record directly.
00:04:20 - 00:04:35
So your sales rep doesn't even have to go back into HubSpot to update a deal, but can simply prompt ChatGPT to update it without leaving the interface.
00:04:35 - 00:04:50
Finally, keep an eye out for the Spring Spotlight. This hasn't been officially announced yet (at time of recording), but HubSpot always does two Spotlight events per year.
00:04:50 - 00:05:05
One in the spring and one at their yearly conference called INBOUND, where they share major product announcements.
00:05:05 - 00:05:15
So keep an eye out for that, it will be very interesting.
00:05:15 - 00:05:25
Thank you for watching the HubSpot Outlook. If you want to discuss how any of these updates affect your initiatives this year, reach out and see you in Q2.
