Business description of ACV-Auctions-Inc from last 10-k form

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, about us and our industry that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K including statements regarding our future results of operations or financial condition, business strategy and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will” or “would” or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning the following:

our expectations regarding our revenue, operating expenses and other operating results, including our key metrics;
our ability to effectively manage our growth;
our ability to grow the number of Marketplace Buyers and Marketplace Sellers on our platform;
our ability to acquire new customers and successfully retain existing customers and capture a greater share of wholesale transactions from our existing customers;
our ability to increase usage of our platform and generate revenue from our value-added services;
anticipated trends, growth rates, and challenges in our business and in the markets in which we operate;
our ability to achieve or sustain our profitability;
future investments in our business, our anticipated capital expenditures and our estimates regarding our capital requirements;
the costs and success of our marketing efforts, and our ability to promote our brand;
our reliance on key personnel and our ability to identify, recruit and retain skilled personnel;
our ability to obtain, maintain, protect and enforce our intellectual property rights and any costs associated therewith;
the effect of COVID-19, including variants of COVID-19, or other public health crises on our business and the global economy;
our ability to compete effectively with existing competitors and new market entrants;
our ability to expand internationally;
our ability to identify and complete acquisitions that complement and expand our reach and platform;
our ability to comply or remain in compliance with laws and regulations that currently apply or become applicable to our business in the United States and other jurisdictions where we elect to do business; and
the growth rates of the markets in which we compete.

You should not rely on forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The outcome of the events described in these forward-looking statements is subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors described under the header “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all risks and uncertainties that could have an impact on the forward-looking statements contained herein. The results, events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur, and actual results, events or circumstances could differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements.

In addition, statements that “we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based on information available to us as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. While we believe that information provides a reasonable basis for these statements, that information may be limited or incomplete. Our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain, and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely on these statements.

The forward-looking statements made in this Annual Report on Form 10-K relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made, and we undertake no obligation to update them to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K or to reflect new information or the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law.

Unless the context otherwise indicates, references in this report to the terms “ACV Auctions,” “ACV,” “the Company,” “we,” “our” and “us” refer to ACV Auctions Inc. and its subsidiaries.

We may announce material business and financial information to our investors using our investor relations website (www.investors.acvauto.com). We therefore encourage investors and others interested in ACV to review the information that we make available on our website, in addition to following our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, webcasts, press releases and conference calls.

SUMMARY RISK FACTORS

Investing in our Class A Common Stock involves numerous risks, including the risks described in “Part I—Item 1A. Risk Factors” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Below are some of our principal risks, any one of which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects:

Our recent, rapid growth may not be indicative of our future growth.
We have a history of operating losses and we may not achieve or maintain profitability in the future.
We have a limited operating history, and our future results of operations may fluctuate significantly due to a wide range of factors, which makes it difficult to forecast our future results of operations.
Our ability to expand our products and services may be limited, which could negatively impact our growth rate, revenue and financial performance.
We participate in a highly competitive industry, and pressure from existing and new companies may adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Our business is sensitive to changes in the prices of used vehicles.
Decreases in the supply of used vehicles coming to the wholesale market may impact sales volumes, which may adversely affect our revenue and profitability.
The loss of sellers could adversely affect our results of operations and financial position, and an inability to increase our sources of vehicle supply could adversely affect our growth rates.
We may experience seasonal and other fluctuations in our quarterly results of operations, which may not fully reflect the underlying performance of our business.
Prospective purchasers of vehicles may choose not to shop online, which would prevent us from growing our business.
Failure to properly and accurately inspect the condition of vehicles sold through our marketplace, or to deal effectively with fraudulent activities on our platform, could harm our business.
Our operations and employees face risks related to health crises, such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, that could adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.
General business and economic conditions, and risks related to the larger automotive ecosystem, including customer demand, could reduce auto sales and profitability, which may harm our business.
We may not properly leverage or make the appropriate investment in technology advancements, which could result in the loss of any sustainable competitive advantage in products, services and processes.
We rely on third-party technology and information systems to complete critical business functions and such reliance may negatively impact our business.
A significant disruption in service of, or other performance or reliability issues with, our platform could damage our reputation and result in a loss of customers, which could harm our brand or our business.
Failure to adequately obtain, maintain, protect and enforce our intellectual property rights, including our technology and confidential information, could harm our business.
We operate in highly regulated industries and either are or may be subject to a wide range of federal, state and local laws and regulations and our failure to comply with these laws and regulations may force us to change our operations or harm our business.
As a result of being a public company, we are obligated to develop and maintain proper and effective internal controls over financial reporting, and any failure to maintain the adequacy of these internal controls may adversely affect investor confidence in our company and, as a result, the value of our Class A common stock.

MARKET, INDUSTRY AND OTHER DATA

The statistical data, estimates and forecasts referenced throughout this Annual Report on Form 10-K are based on independent industry publications or other publicly available information, as well as information based on our internal sources. While we believe the industry and market data included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are reliable and are based on reasonable assumptions, these data involve many assumptions and limitations, and you are cautioned not to give undue weight to these estimates. We have not independently verified the accuracy or completeness of the data contained in these industry publications and other publicly available information. None of the industry publications referred to in this Annual Report on Form 10-K were prepared on our or on our affiliates’ behalf or at our expense. The industry in which we operate is subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described in the section titled “Risk Factors” and “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” that could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in these publications and other publicly available information.