CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K of Hippo Holdings Inc. (“Hippo,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” contains statements that are forward-looking and as such are not historical facts. This includes, without limitation, statements regarding the financial position, business strategy and the plans and objectives of management for our future operations. These statements constitute projections, forecasts and forward-looking statements, and are not guarantees of performance. Such statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. When used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “strive,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K may include, for example, statements about:
•our future results of operations and financial condition and our ability to attain profitability;
•our ability to grow our business and, if such growth occurs, to effectively manage such growth;
•customer satisfaction and our ability to attract, retain, and expand our customer base;
•our ability to maintain and enhance our brand and reputation;
•our business strategy, including our diversified distribution strategy and our plans to expand into new markets and new products;
•the effects of seasonal trends on our results of operations;
•our expectations about our book of business, including our ability to cross-sell and to attain greater value from each customer;
•our ability to compete effectively in our industry;
•our ability to maintain reinsurance contracts and our near- and long-term strategies and expectations with respect to cession of insurance risk;
•our ability to utilize our proprietary technology;
•our ability to underwrite risks accurately and charge profitable rates;
•our ability to leverage our data, technology and geographic diversity to help manage risk;
•our ability to protect our intellectual property;
•our ability to expand our product offerings or improve existing ones;
•our ability to attract and retain personnel, including our officers and key employees;
•potential harm caused by misappropriation of our data and compromises in cybersecurity;
•potential harm caused by changes in internet search engines’ methodologies;
•our expected use of cash on our balance sheet, our future capital needs and our ability to raise additional capital;
•fluctuations in our results of operations and operating metrics;
•our ability to receive, process, store, use and share data, and compliance with laws and regulations related to data privacy and data security;
•our ability to stay in compliance with laws and regulation that currently apply, or become applicable, to our business both in the United States and internationally;
•our inability to predict the lasting impacts of COVID-19 to our business in particular, and the global economy generally;
•our public securities’ liquidity and trading; and
•other factors detailed in the section titled “Risk Factors” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
These forward-looking statements are based on information available as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and current expectations, forecasts and assumptions, and involve a number of judgments, risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of
any subsequent date, and we do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. As a result of a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, our actual results or performance may be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.
SUMMARY RISK FACTORS
Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those described in Part I Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. You should carefully consider these risks and uncertainties, together with all of the other information contained in this Annual Report, when investing in our common stock. The principal risks and uncertainties affecting our business include the following:
•We have a history of net losses and we may not achieve or maintain profitability in the future.
•Our success and ability to grow our business depend on retaining and expanding our customer base. If we fail to add new customers or retain current customers, our business, revenue, operating results, and financial condition could be harmed.
•The “Hippo” brand may not become as widely known as incumbents’ or other competitors’ brands or the brand may become tarnished.
•Denial of claims or our failure to accurately and timely pay claims could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and our reputation.
•Our limited operating history makes it difficult to evaluate our current business performance, implementation of our business model, and our future prospects.
•We may not be able to manage our growth effectively.
•Intense competition in the segments of the insurance industry in which we operate could negatively affect current financials and our ability to attain or increase profitability.
•Reinsurance may be unavailable, including at current coverage, limits, or pricing, which may limit our ability to write new or renew existing business. Furthermore, reinsurance subjects our insurance company subsidiaries to counterparty credit and performance risk and may not be adequate to protect us against losses, each of which could have a material effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
•Failure to maintain our risk-based capital at the required levels could adversely affect the ability of our insurance company subsidiaries to maintain regulatory authority to conduct our business.
•Failure to maintain our financial strength ratings could adversely affect the ability of our insurance company subsidiaries to conduct our business as currently conducted.
•If we are unable to underwrite risks accurately and charge competitive yet profitable rates to our customers, our business, results of operations, and financial condition will be adversely affected.
•Our proprietary technology, which relies on third-party data, may not operate properly or as we expect it to.
•Our technology platform may not operate properly or as we expect it to operate.
•Our future success depends on our ability to continue to develop and implement our technology and to maintain the confidentiality of this technology.
•New legislation or legal requirements may affect how we communicate with our customers, which could have a material adverse effect on our business model, financial condition, and results of operations.
•We rely on external data and our digital platform to collect and evaluate information that we utilize in producing, pricing, and underwriting our insurance policies (in accordance with the rates, rules, and forms filed with our regulators, where required), managing claims and customer support, and improving business processes. Any legal or regulatory requirements that might restrict our ability to collect or utilize this data or our digital platform, or an outage by a data vendor, could thus materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.
•We depend on search engines, content based online advertising, and other online sources to attract consumers to our website, which may be affected by third-party interference beyond our control. In addition, our producer and partner distribution channels are significant sources of new customers and could be impacted by third-party interference or other factors. As we grow, our customer acquisition costs may increase.
•We may require additional capital to grow our business, which may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all.
•Interruptions or delays in the services provided by our providers of third-party technology platforms or our internet service providers could impair the operability of our website and may cause our business to suffer.
•Security incidents or real or perceived errors, failures, or bugs in our systems or website could impair our operations, result in loss of customers’ personal information, damage our reputation and brand, and harm our business and operating results.
•Misconduct or fraudulent acts by employees, agents, claims vendors, or third parties may expose us to financial loss, disruption of business, regulatory assessments, and reputational harm.
•Our success depends, in part, on our ability to establish and maintain relationships with quality and trustworthy service professionals.
•We may be unable to prevent, monitor, or detect fraudulent activity, including policy acquisitions or payments of claims that are fraudulent in nature.
•We are periodically subject to examinations by our primary state insurance regulators, which could result in adverse examination findings and necessitate remedial actions.
•We are subject to laws and regulations concerning our collection, processing, storage, sharing, disclosure, and use of customer information and other sensitive data, and our actual or perceived (or alleged) failure to comply with data privacy and security laws and regulations could damage our reputation and brand and harm our business and operating results.
•We employ third-party licensed data, software, technologies, and intellectual property for use in our business, and the inability to maintain or use these licenses, or errors or defects in the data, software, technologies, and intellectual property we license could result in increased costs or reduced service levels, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
•Failure to protect or enforce our intellectual property rights could harm our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
•Our services utilize third-party open source software components, which may pose particular risks to our proprietary software, technologies, products, and services in a manner that could negatively affect our business.
•We may be unable to prevent or address the misappropriation of our data.
•We rely on the experience and expertise of our founder, senior management team, highly-specialized insurance experts, key technical employees, and other highly skilled personnel.
•If our customers were to claim that the policies they purchased failed to provide adequate or appropriate coverage, we could face claims that could harm our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
•We may become subject to claims under Israeli law for remuneration or royalties for assigned invention rights by our Israel-based contractors or employees, which could result in litigation and adversely affect our business.
•Our company culture has contributed to our success and if we cannot maintain this culture as we grow, our business could be harmed.
•Our exposure to loss activity and regulation may be greater in states where we currently have more of our customers or where we are domiciled.
•Our product development cycles are complex and subject to regulatory approval, and we may incur significant expenses before we generate revenues, if any, from new or expansion of or changes to existing products.
•Our success depends upon the continued growth in the use of the internet for purchasing of insurance products.
•New lines of business or new products and services may subject us to additional risks.
•Litigation and legal proceedings filed by or against us and our subsidiaries, key vendors, joint ventures, or investments could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
•Claims by others that we infringed their proprietary technology or other intellectual property rights could result in litigation which is expensive to support, and if resolved adversely, could harm our business.
•If we are unable to make acquisitions and investments, or if we are unable to successfully integrate them into our business, our business, results of operations, and financial condition could be adversely affected.
•We may not be able to utilize a portion of our net operating loss carryforwards (“NOLs”) to offset future taxable income, which could adversely affect our net income and cash flows.
•Our expansion strategy will subject us to additional costs and risks and our plans may not be successful.
•We are subject to payment processing risk.
•We are exposed to risk through our captive reinsurer, RH Solutions Insurance Ltd., which takes a share of the risk underwritten of affiliated and non-affiliated insurance carriers for business written through MGA.