SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements 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, financial condition, business strategy, plans and objectives of management for future operations, our market opportunity and the potential growth of that market, our liquidity and capital needs and other similar matters, 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 are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions about future events, which are inherently subject to uncertainties, risks, and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K include, but are not limited to, statements concerning the following:
•our future financial performance, including our revenue, annual recurring revenue (“ARR”), costs of revenue, gross profit or gross margin and operating expenses;
•the sufficiency of our cash and cash equivalents to meet our liquidity needs;
•anticipated trends and growth rates in our business and in the markets in which we operate;
•our ability to maintain the security and availability of our internal networks and platform;
•our ability to attract new paying customers and convert free customers into paying customers;
•our ability to retain and expand sales to our existing paying customers, including upgrades to premium subscriptions, purchases of add-on offerings, and increasing the number of authorized users per paying customer;
•our ability to access, collect, and analyze data;
•our ability to successfully expand in our existing markets and into new markets;
•our ability to effectively manage our growth and future expenses;
•our ability to continue to innovate and develop new products and features, improve our data assets, and enhance our technological capabilities;
•our estimated total addressable market;
•our ability to maintain, protect, and enhance our intellectual property;
•our ability to comply with modified or new laws and regulations applying to our business;
•the attraction and retention of qualified employees and key personnel;
•our anticipated investments in sales and marketing, and research and development;
•our ability to successfully defend litigation brought against us;
•our ability to successfully acquire and integrate companies and assets;
•the increased expenses associated with being a public company; and
•the impact of COVID-19 on our business, industry and supply chain.
You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. We have based the forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K primarily on our current expectations and projections about future events and trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. The outcome of the events described in these forward-looking statements is subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors described in the section titled “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 in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. 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.
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. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements made in this Annual Report on Form 10-K 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. We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, joint ventures, or investments we may make.
In addition, statements that “we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based upon information available to us as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. And while we believe such information provides a reasonable basis for such statements, such 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 potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain and you are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements.
RISK FACTORS SUMMARY
The following is a summary of the principal risks that could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. Additional discussion of the risks included in this summary, and other risks that we face, can be found below and should be carefully considered, together with other information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K in its entirety before making investment decisions regarding our Class A common stock. This summary should not be relied upon as an exhaustive summary of the material risks facing our business.
•Our business and operating results will be harmed if our paying customers do not renew and/or upgrade their premium subscriptions or if they fail to purchase additional products.
•If we fail to attract new potential customers, register them for trials, and convert them into paying customers, our operating results would be harmed.
•The market in which we operate is intensely competitive, and if we do not compete effectively, improve and introduce compelling new products, add-ons, and tools, and offer high-quality customer service, our ability to attract and retain customers could be harmed.
•We have incurred losses in the past and may not achieve profitability in the future.
•Instability in geographies where we have significant operations and personnel, including in Russia, could have a material adverse effect on our business, customers, and financial results.
•Our products depend on third-party data sources and third-party integrations, the loss or impairment of which could cause our business to suffer.
•If we are unable to maintain and enhance our brand our ability to maintain and expand our customer base may be impaired, and our business and financial results may be harmed.
•The loss of one or more of our executive officers or other key employees, a failure to attract and retain other highly skilled employees, or an inability to maintain our company’s culture could harm our business.
•If we fail to maintain and improve our methods and technologies, including anticipating or adapting to new social media platforms, or fail to anticipate new methods or technologies for data collection and analysis, hardware, software, and software related technologies, competing products and services could surpass ours in depth, breadth, or accuracy of our data, the insights that we offer or in other respects.
•Failures or loss of, or material changes with respect to, the third-party hardware, software, and infrastructure on which we rely, including third-party data center hosting, could adversely affect our business.
•Facilities and third-party distribution channels to support our operations, could adversely affect our business.
•Breaches, unauthorized access to or disclosure of, or changes in laws or public perception related to confidential information or personal information of any customers of our platform could cause our reputation to be harmed and we may be exposed to liability.
•In recent periods, we have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, rapid growth and organizational change. If we fail to manage our growth effectively, we may be unable to execute
our business plan, maintain high-quality customer service, and customer satisfaction, or attract new employees and customers and our business could suffer.
•We are exposed to risks associated with premium subscription and payment processing and any disruption to such processing systems could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
•A significant portion of our operations is located outside of the United States, which subjects us to additional risks, including increased complexity, the costs of managing international operations, geopolitical instability, and fluctuations in currency exchange rates.
•Adverse or weakened general economic and market conditions, including in connection with the continuation or uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, may reduce spending on sales and marketing technology and information technology and may affect how we operate our business, which could harm our revenue, results of operations, and cash flows.
•Changes in the sizes or types of paying customers that purchase premium subscriptions to our platform or products could affect our business, and our financial results may fluctuate due to increasing variability in our sales cycles.
•Forecasts of our market and market growth may prove to be inaccurate, and even if the markets in which we compete achieve the forecasted growth, there can be no assurance that our business will grow at similar rates, or at all.
•We may be subject to litigation for any of a variety of claims, which could harm our reputation and adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
•Our referral partners and resellers provide revenue to our business, and we benefit from our association with them. Our failure to maintain successful relationships with these partners could adversely affect our business.
•The dual class structure of our common stock has the effect of concentrating voting control with those stockholders who held our capital stock prior to the completion of our IPO, including our directors, executive officers, and their affiliates, who as of December 31, 2021 held in the aggregate 73% of the voting power of our capital stock, which will limit or preclude your ability to influence corporate matters.
Overview
We are a leading online visibility management software-as-a-service platform. We enable companies globally to identify and reach the right audience for their content, in the right context, and through the right channels. Online visibility represents how effectively companies connect with consumers across a variety of digital channels, including search, social and digital media, digital public relations, and review websites. The evolving online landscape and information overload from online content have made it increasingly difficult for companies to understand and manage their online visibility. Our proprietary software-as-a-service (“SaaS”) platform enables us to aggregate and enrich trillions of data points collected from over 200 million unique domains. Our platform enables our customers to understand trends and act upon unique insights to improve their online visibility, drive high-quality traffic to their websites and social media pages, as well as online listings, distribute highly targeted content to their customers, and measure the effectiveness of their digital marketing campaigns. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, our differentiated platform empowered over 537,000 and 404,000 active free customers, respectively, and over 82,000 and 67,000 paying customers, respectively, in over 145 and 142 countries, respectively.