RISK FACTORS

         Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information in this prospectus, including our consolidated financial statements and the related notes, before deciding whether to purchase shares of our common stock. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected. The price of our common stock could decline and you could lose part or all of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Business

A significant portion of our revenue is dependent on our relationships with our venue and network partners, and if these relationships are impaired or terminated, or if our partners do not perform as expected, our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

        We depend on our relationships with venue partners, particularly key airport venue partners, in order to manage and operate Wi-Fi hotspots. These relationships generate a significant portion of our revenue and allow us to generate new retail customers. Our agreements with our venue partners are for defined periods and of varying durations. If our venue partners terminate or fail to renew these agreements, our ability to generate and retain retail customers would be diminished and our network of Wi-Fi hotspots would be reduced, which might result in a significant disruption of our business and adversely affect our operating results.

        We depend on our relationships with network partners to allow users to roam across Wi-Fi networks that we do not manage or operate. A significant portion of our revenue depends on maintaining these relationships with network partners. Some network partners may compete with us for retail customers and may decide to terminate our partnerships and instead develop competing retail products and services. Our network partner agreements are for defined periods and of varying durations. If our network partners terminate these agreements, or fail to renew these agreements, our ability to retain retail customers could be diminished and our network of Wi-Fi hotspots could be reduced, which could result in a significant disruption of our business and adversely affect our operating results.

Worldwide economic conditions, and their impact on travel and consumer spending, may adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

        Global economic conditions have been weak for a prolonged period of time, and levels of travel and consumer spending have been particularly depressed. Our business is impacted by travel and consumer spending, because users seek to access the mobile Internet while they are on-the-go, and because spending on Internet access is often a consumer discretionary spending decision. Factors that tend to negatively impact levels of travel include high unemployment, high energy prices, low business and consumer confidence, the fear of terrorist attacks, war and other macroeconomic factors. Economic conditions that tend to negatively impact levels of discretionary consumer spending include high unemployment, high consumer debt, reductions in net worth, depressed real estate markets, increased taxation, high energy prices, high interest rates, low consumer confidence and other macroeconomic factors. If the global economic recovery is slower than expected, or if it weakens, our retail customer base, new retail customer acquisition and usage-based revenue could be materially harmed, and our results of operations would be adversely affected.

Our business depends upon demand for mobile Internet services on Wi-Fi networks, market adoption of new technologies and our ability to adapt to such changes.

        Our future success depends upon growing demand for mobile Internet services, which is inherently uncertain. The demand for mobile Internet services may decrease or may grow more slowly than

10

Table of Contents

expected. Any such decrease in the demand or slowing rate of growth could have a material adverse effect on our business. The continued demand for mobile Internet services depends on the continued proliferation of smartphones, tablet computers and other Wi-Fi enabled devices and the rate of evolution of data-intensive applications on the mobile Internet. Historically, we have derived substantially all our retail revenue from laptop users who purchased month-to-month subscriptions or single-use access. We may face challenges as we seek to increase the revenue generated from the usage on smartphones, tablet computers and other mobile devices.

        Our business depends on the continued integration of Wi-Fi as a standard feature in mobile devices. If Wi-Fi ceases to be a standard feature in mobile devices, or if the rate of integration of Wi-Fi on mobile devices decreases or is slower than expected, the market for our services may be substantially diminished.

        Competing technologies pose a risk to the continued use of Wi-Fi as a mobile Internet technology. The introduction and market acceptance of emerging wireless technologies such as 4G, WiMAX and Super Wi-Fi, could cause significant disruption to our business, which may result in a loss of customers, users and revenue. If users find emerging wireless technologies to be sufficiently fast, convenient or cost effective, we may not be able to compete effectively, and our ability to attract or retain users will be impaired. Additionally, one or more of our partners may deploy emerging wireless technologies that could reduce the partner's need to work with us, and may result in significant loss of revenue and reduction of the hotspots in our network.

        We deliver value to our users by providing simple access to Wi-Fi hotspots, regardless of whether we manage and operate the hotspot, or the hotspot is operated by a partner. As a result, our business depends on our ability to anticipate and quickly adapt to changing technological standards and advances. If technological standards change and we fail to adapt accordingly, our business and revenue may be adversely affected. Furthermore, the proliferation of new mobile devices and operating platforms poses challenges for our research and development efforts. If we are unable to create simple solutions for a particular device or operating platform, we will be unable to effectively attract users of these devices or operating platforms and our business will be adversely affected.

Negotiations with prospective wholesale partners can be lengthy and unpredictable, which may cause our operating results to vary.

        Our negotiations with prospective partners to acquire Wi-Fi hotspots to operate, to acquire roaming rights on partners' networks, or for new partners to implement our solutions, can be lengthy, and in some cases can last over 12 months. Because of the lengthy negotiation cycle, the time required to reach a final agreement with a partner is unpredictable and may lead to variances in our operating results from quarter to quarter. Negotiations with prospective partners also require substantial time, effort and resources. We may ultimately fail in our negotiations, resulting in costs to our business without any associated benefits.

We may be unsuccessful in expanding into new venue types, which could harm the growth of our business, operating results and financial condition.

        We are negotiating with existing and prospective partners to expand our managed and operated Wi-Fi network footprint in venue types where we historically have had only a limited presence. Expansion into these venue types, and in particular shopping malls, stadiums and quick service restaurants, may require significantly higher initial capital expenditures than we have historically incurred. In contrast to Wi-Fi network build-outs at venues such as airports, where telecom operators typically pay the substantial expense of laying cable or fiber, we may be required to incur the initial capital expense of access points and related hardware and cabling at tens of thousands of quick serve restaurant locations and hundreds of shopping malls and stadium locations. We may not be able to

11

Table of Contents

execute on our strategy or there may not be returns on these investments in the near future or at all. As a result, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

We have a limited operating history and a relatively new business in an emerging market, so an investment in our company involves more risk than an investment in a more mature company in an established industry.

        We have a limited operating history with the mobile Wi-Fi Internet solutions that we provide, which were developed in 2001. We currently attract the majority of our retail customers at Boingo managed and operated hotspots that we acquired in 2006. As a result, we have a limited operating history for you to evaluate in assessing our future prospects and it is difficult to forecast our prospects. Also, we derive nearly all of our revenue from mobile Internet services, which are new and highly dynamic businesses, which face significant challenges. You should consider our business and prospects in light of the risks, uncertainties and difficulties we will encounter as an emerging company in a new and rapidly evolving market. We may not be able to address these risks, uncertainties and difficulties successfully, which could materially harm our business and operating results.

Our operating results may fluctuate unexpectedly, which makes them difficult to predict and may cause us to fail to meet the expectations of investors, adversely affecting our stock price.

        We operate in a highly dynamic industry and our future quarterly operating results may fluctuate significantly. Our revenue and operating results may vary from quarter to quarter due to many factors, many of which are not within our control. As a result, comparing our operating results on a period-to-period basis may not be meaningful. Further, it is difficult to accurately forecast our revenue, margin and operating results, and if we fail to match our expected results or the results expected by financial analysts, the trading price of our common stock may be adversely affected.

        Factors that contribute to fluctuations in our operating results from quarter-to-quarter include:

•

the rate at which individuals adopt our solutions;



•

the timing and success of new technology introductions by us or our competitors;



•

our gain or loss of a key venue partner, roaming partner or platform services partner;



•

the number of air travel passengers, particularly business travelers;



•

intellectual property disputes; and



•

general economic conditions in our domestic and foreign markets.

        Due to these and other factors, quarter-to-quarter comparisons of our historical operating results should not be relied upon as accurate indicators of our future performance.

The growth of free Wi-Fi networks may compete with our paid mobile Wi-Fi Internet solutions.

        Some venues, including coffee shops and hotels, offer free mobile Wi-Fi as an incentive or value-added benefit to their customers. Free Wi-Fi may reduce retail customer demand for our services, and put downward pressure on the prices we charge our retail customers. In addition, telecom operators may offer free mobile Wi-Fi as part of a home broadband or other service contract, which also may force down the prices we charge our retail customers. If we are unable to effectively offset this downward pressure on our prices by being a Wi-Fi service provider, or if we are unable to acquire and retain retail customers, we will have lower profit margins and our operating results and financial condition may be adversely impacted.

12

Table of Contents

We may not maintain recent rates of revenue growth.

        Although our revenue has increased substantially over the last few years, we may not be able to maintain historical rates of revenue growth. We believe that our continued growth will depend, among other factors, on successfully implementing our business strategies, including our ability to:

•

attract new users, convert users of our single-use services into subscribers and keep existing subscribers actively using our services;



•

develop new sources of revenue from our users and partners;



•

react to changes in the way individuals access and use the mobile Internet;



•

expand into new markets;



•

increase the awareness of the Boingo brand;



•

retain our existing partners and attract new partners; and



•

provide our users with a superior experience, including customer support and payment experiences.

However, we cannot guarantee that we will successfully implement any of these business strategies.

System failures could harm our business.

        Although we seek to reduce the possibility of disruptions or other outages, our business may be disrupted by problems with our technology and systems, such as an access point failure at one of our managed and operated hotspots, or a backhaul disruption. We have experienced system failures from time to time, and any interruption in the ability of users to access our solution could harm our business and reputation.

        Our systems may be vulnerable to damage or interruption from telecommunications failures, computer denial-of-service attacks, power loss, computer viruses, earthquakes, floods, fires, terrorist attacks and similar events. Some of our systems are not fully redundant, and our disaster recovery planning is not sufficient for all eventualities. Our systems may also be damaged by break-ins, sabotage, and acts of vandalism. Despite any precautions we may take, the occurrence of a natural disaster or other unanticipated problems could result in lengthy interruptions in the availability of the Boingo solution. We do not carry business interruption insurance to compensate us for all losses that may result from service interruptions caused by system failures. If we are unable to resolve service interruptions quickly, our ability to acquire and retain customers will be impaired and our operating results and business could be adversely affected.

We may be unsuccessful in expanding our international operations, which could harm the growth of our business, operating results and financial condition.

        Our ability to expand internationally involves various risks, including the need to invest significant resources in unfamiliar markets, and the possibility that there may not be returns on these investments in the near future or at all. In addition, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur expenses before we generate any material revenue in these new markets. Our expansion plans will require significant management attention and resources. We have limited experience in selling our solutions in international markets or in conforming to local cultures, standards or policies. We may not be able to compete successfully in these international markets. Our ability to expand will also be limited by the demand for mobile Internet in international markets. Different privacy, censorship and liability standards and regulations and different intellectual property laws in foreign countries may cause our business and operating results to suffer.

13

Table of Contents

        Any future international operations may fail to succeed due to risks inherent in foreign operations, including:

•

different technological solutions for mobile Internet than those used in North America;



•

varied, unfamiliar and unclear legal and regulatory restrictions;



•

unexpected changes in international regulatory requirements and tariffs;



•

legal, political or systemic restrictions on the ability of U.S. companies to do business in foreign countries;



•

Foreign Corrupt Practices Act compliance and related risks;



•

difficulties in staffing and managing foreign operations;



•

currency fluctuations; and



•

potential adverse tax consequences.

        As a result of these obstacles, we may find it difficult or prohibitively expensive to expand internationally or we may be unsuccessful in our attempt to do so, which could harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

Our industry is competitive and if we do not compete successfully, we could lose market share, experience reduced revenue or suffer losses.

        The market for commercial mobile Wi-Fi solutions is competitive and impacted by technological change, and we expect competition with our current and potential competitors to intensify in the future. In particular, some of our competitors have taken steps or may decide to more aggressively compete against us, particularly in the market for venue build-outs of Wi-Fi and distributed antenna system, or DAS, solutions.

        Our competitors, many of whom are also our partners, include a variety of telecom operators and network operators, including T-Mobile, Cablevision, Comcast and local operators. These and other competitors have developed or may develop technologies that compete directly with our solutions. Many of our competitors are substantially larger than we are and have substantially longer operating histories. We may not be able to fund or invest in certain areas of our business to the same degree as our competitors. Many have substantially greater product development and marketing budgets and other financial and personnel resources than we do. Some also have greater name and brand recognition and a larger base of subscribers or users than we have. In addition, our competitors may provide services that we do not, such as local exchange and long distance services, voicemail, digital subscriber line and subscription television services. Users that desire these services may choose to also obtain mobile Wi-Fi Internet services from a competitor that provides these additional services rather than from us.

        Furthermore, we rely on several of our competitors as partners in roaming agreements. The roaming agreements provide that our retail customers and our wholesale partners' customers may use the Wi-Fi networks of our partners. One or more of our partners may deploy competing technologies that could reduce the partner's need to work with us under a roaming agreement. If our partners decide to terminate our roaming agreements, our network of Wi-Fi hotspots may be reduced, which may result in a significant disruption to our business.

        Competition could increase our selling and marketing expenses and related customer acquisition costs. We may not have the financial resources, technical expertise or marketing and support capabilities to continue to compete successfully. A failure to respond to established and new competitors may adversely impact our business and operating results.

14

Table of Contents

The regulation of Internet communications, products and services is currently uncertain, which poses risks for our business from changes in laws, regulations, and interpretation or enforcement of existing laws or regulations.

        The current regulatory environment for Internet communications, products and services is uncertain. Many laws and regulations were adopted prior to the advent of the Internet and related technologies and often do not contemplate or address the specific issues associated with the Internet and related technologies. The scope of laws and regulations applicable to the Internet remains uncertain and is subject to statutory or interpretive change. We cannot be certain that we, our partners or our users are currently in compliance with regulatory or other legal requirements in the numerous countries in which our service is used. Our failure, or the failure of our partners, users and others with whom we transact business, or to whom we license the Boingo solution, to comply with existing or future regulatory or other legal requirements could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Regulators may disagree with our interpretations of existing laws or regulations or the applicability of existing laws or regulations to our business, and existing laws, regulations and interpretations may change in unexpected ways.

        We believe that the Boingo solution is on the forefront of mobile Internet technology, and therefore it may face greater regulatory scrutiny than other communications products and services. We cannot be certain what positions regulators may take regarding our compliance with, or lack of compliance with, current and future legal and regulatory requirements or what positions regulators may take regarding any past or future actions we have taken or may take in any jurisdiction. Regulators may determine that we are not in compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, and impose penalties, or we may need to make changes to the Boingo solution, which could be costly and difficult. Any of these events would adversely affect our operating results and business.

If we lose key personnel or are unable to attract and retain personnel on a cost effective basis, our business could be harmed.

        Our performance is substantially dependent on the continued services and performance of our senior management and our highly qualified team of engineers, many of whom have numerous years of experience and specialized expertise in our business. If we are not successful in hiring and retaining highly qualified engineers, we may not be able to extend or maintain our engineering and technological expertise, and our future product and service development efforts could be adversely affected. If we lose members of our senior management, this may significantly delay or prevent the achievement of our strategic objectives and adversely affect our operating results.

        Our future success also depends on our ability to identify, attract, hire, train, retain and motivate highly skilled managerial, operations, business development and marketing personnel. We have in the past maintained a rigorous, highly selective and time-consuming hiring process. We believe that our approach to hiring has significantly contributed to our success to date. However, our highly selective hiring process has made it more difficult for us to hire a sufficient number of qualified employees, and, as we grow, our hiring process may prevent us from hiring the personnel we need in a timely manner. Moreover, the cost of living in the Los Angeles area, where our corporate headquarters is located, has been an impediment to attracting new employees in the past, and we expect that this will continue to impair our ability to attract and retain employees in the future. If we fail to attract, integrate and retain the necessary personnel, we may not be able to grow effectively and our business could suffer significantly.

15

Table of Contents

Our failure to properly maintain our customers' confidential information and protect our network against security breaches could harm our business and operating results.

        Advances in computer capabilities, new discoveries in the field of cryptography or other developments may result in a compromise or breach of the technology we use to protect user transaction data. Any compromises of our security could damage our reputation and brand and expose us to possible liability such as litigation claims, which would substantially harm our business and operating results. We may need to expend significant resources to protect against security breaches or to address problems caused by breaches.

        Many countries, such as European Union member states as a result of the 2006 E.U. Data Retention Directive, are introducing, or have already introduced into local law some form of traffic and user data retention requirements, which are generally applicable to providers of electronic communications services. Retention periods and data types vary from country to country, and the various local data protection and other authorities may implement traffic and user retention requirements regarding certain data in different and potentially overlapping ways. Although the constitutionality of the 2006 E.U. Data Retention Directive has been questioned, we may be required to comply with data retention requirements in one or more jurisdictions, or we may be required to comply with these requirements in the future as a result of changes or modifications to the Boingo solution or changes or modifications to the technological infrastructure on which the Boingo solution is based. Failure to comply with these retention requirements may result in the imposition of costly penalties. Compliance with these retention requirements can be difficult and costly from a legal, operational and technical perspective and could harm our business and operational results.

We rely on a third-party customer support service provider for the majority of our customer support calls. If this service provider experiences operational difficulties or disruptions, our business could be adversely affected.

        We depend on a third-party customer support service provider to handle most of our routine retail customer support cases. While we maintain limited customer support operations in our Los Angeles headquarters, if our relationship with our customer support service provider terminates unexpectedly, or if our customer service provider experiences operational difficulties, we may not be able to respond to customer support calls in a timely manner and the quality of our customer service would be adversely affected. This could harm our reputation and brand image and make it difficult for us to attract and retain users. In addition, the loss of the customer support service provider would require us to identify and contract with alternative sources, which could prove time-consuming and expensive.

Material defects or errors in our software could harm our reputation, result in significant costs to us and impair our ability to sell the Boingo solution.

        The software underlying the Boingo solution is inherently complex and may contain material defects or errors, particularly when the software is first introduced or when new versions or enhancements are released. We have from time to time found defects or errors in our software, and defects or errors in our existing software may be detected in the future. Any defects or errors that cause interruptions to the availability of our services could result in:

•

a reduction in sales or delay in market acceptance of the Boingo solution;



•

sales credits or refunds to our users and wholesale partners;



•

loss of existing users and difficulty in attracting new users;



•

diversion of development resources;



•

harm to our reputation and brand image; and



•

increased insurance costs.

16

Table of Contents

        The costs incurred in correcting any material defects or errors in our software may be substantial and could harm our operating results.

If we fail to cost effectively develop our brand, our financial condition and operating results could be harmed.

        We market our solution under the Boingo brand. We believe that developing and maintaining awareness of our brand is important to achieving widespread acceptance of the Boingo solution, and is an important element in attracting and retaining customers and partners. Additionally, we believe that developing this brand in a cost effective manner is important in meeting our expected margins. Brand promotion activities may not result in increased revenue, and any increased revenue resulting from these promotion activities may not offset the expenses we incurred in building our brand. If we fail to cost effectively build and maintain our brand, we may fail to attract or retain customers or partners, and our financial condition and results of operations could be harmed.

Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

Claims by others that we infringe their proprietary technology could harm our business.

        In recent years there has been significant litigation involving intellectual property rights in many technology-based industries, including the wireless communications industry. While we have not been specifically targeted, companies similar to us have been subject to patent lawsuits. As we face increasing competition and gain an increasingly high profile, the possibility of intellectual property rights claims against us grows. We may be subject to third-party claims in the future. The costs of supporting these litigations and disputes are considerable, and there can be no assurance that a favorable outcome will be obtained. We may be required to settle these litigations and disputes on terms that are unfavorable to us, given the complex technical issues and inherent uncertainties in intellectual property litigation. Claims that the Boingo solution infringes third-party intellectual property rights, regardless of their merit or resolution, could also divert the efforts and attention of our management and technical personnel. The terms of any settlements or judgments may require us to:

•

cease distribution and back-end operation of the Boingo solution;



•

pay substantial damages for infringement;



•

expend significant resources to develop non-infringing solutions;



•

license technology from the third-party claiming infringement, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all;



•

cross-license our technology to a competitor to resolve an infringement claim, which could weaken our ability to compete with that competitor; or



•

pay substantial damages to our partners to discontinue their use of or to replace infringing solutions sold to them with non-infringing solutions.

        Any of these unfavorable outcomes could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If we are unable to protect our intellectual property rights, our competitive position could be harmed, or we could be required to incur significant expenses to enforce our rights.

        Our business depends on our ability to protect our proprietary technology. We rely on trade secret, patent, copyright and trademark laws and confidentiality agreements with employees and third parties, all of which offer only limited protection. We own one patent and have applications for four additional patents pending. Despite our efforts, the steps we have taken to protect our proprietary rights may not be adequate to prevent the use or misappropriation of our proprietary information or infringement of

17

Table of Contents

our intellectual property rights. Our ability to police the use, misappropriation or infringement of our intellectual property is uncertain, particularly in countries other than the United States. Further, we do not know whether any of our pending patent applications will result in the issuance of patents or whether the examination process will require us to narrow our claims. Even if patents are issued, they may be contested, circumvented, or invalidated in the future. Moreover, the rights granted under any issued patents may not provide us with complete proprietary protection or any competitive advantages, and, as with any technology, competitors may be able to develop similar or superior technologies on their own now or in the future. Protecting against the unauthorized use of our solutions, trademarks, and other proprietary rights is expensive, difficult and, in some cases, impossible. Litigation may be necessary in the future to enforce or defend our intellectual property rights, to protect our trade secrets, or to determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others. Litigation could result in substantial costs and diversion of management resources, either of which could harm our business. Furthermore, many of our current and potential competitors have the ability to dedicate substantially greater resources to enforce their intellectual property rights than we do. Accordingly, despite our efforts, if the protection of our proprietary rights is inadequate to prevent use or misappropriation by third parties, the value of our brand and other intangible assets may be diminished and competitors may be able to more effectively mimic our service and methods of operations. Any of these events would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our use of open source software could limit our ability to commercialize the Boingo solution.

        We have incorporated open source software into the Boingo solution. Although we closely monitor our use of open source software, we are subject to the terms of open source licenses that have not been interpreted by U.S. or foreign courts, and there is a risk that in the future these licenses could be construed in a manner that imposes unanticipated conditions or restrictions on our ability to commercialize the Boingo solution. In that event, we could be required to seek licenses from third parties or to re-engineer our software in order to continue offering the Boingo solution, or to discontinue operations, any of which could materially adversely affect our business.

Risks Related to This Offering and Ownership of Our Common Stock

The market price of our common stock may be volatile, which could result in substantial losses for investors purchasing shares in this offering.

        Prior to this offering, there has not been a public market for our common stock, and an active market for our common stock may not develop or be sustained after this offering. The market price of our common stock after this offering will vary from its initial public offering price. Fluctuations in market price and volume are particularly common among securities of technology companies. As a result, you may be unable to sell your shares of common stock at or above the initial offering price. The market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly in response to the following factors, among others, many of which are beyond our control:

•

general market conditions;



•

domestic and international economic factors unrelated to our performance;



•

actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly operating results;



•

changes in or failure to meet publicly disclosed expectations as to our future financial performance;



•

changes in securities analysts' estimates of our financial performance or lack of research and reports by industry analysts;



•

changes in market valuations or earnings of similar companies;

18

Table of Contents

•

announcements by us or our competitors of significant products, contracts, acquisitions, or strategic partnerships;



•

developments or disputes concerning patents or proprietary rights, including increases or decreases in litigation expenses associated with intellectual property lawsuits we may initiate, or in which we may be named as defendants;



•

failure to complete significant sales;



•

any future sales of our common stock or other securities; and



•

additions or departures of key personnel.

Future sales of shares by existing stockholders could cause our stock price to decline.

        Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market following this offering, or the perception that these sales could occur, could cause the market price of our common stock to decline. Based on shares outstanding as of December 31, 2010, upon completion of this offering, we will have 32,528,097 outstanding shares of common stock (or 33,393,597 outstanding shares of common stock assuming exercise of the underwriters' overallotment option in full). All of the shares sold pursuant to this offering will be immediately tradeable without restriction under the Securities Act unless held by "affiliates", as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act. The representatives of the underwriters may, in their sole discretion and at any time without notice, release all or any portion of the securities subject to lock-up agreements entered into in connection with this offering. See "Underwriting."

        After the lock-up agreements pertaining to this offering or market standoffs entered into between us and certain of our stockholders expire, and based on shares outstanding as of December 31, 2010, an additional 26,974,692 shares will be eligible for sale in the public market. In addition, shares underlying options that are either subject to the terms of our equity compensation plans or reserved for future issuance under our equity compensation plans will become eligible for sale in the public market to the extent permitted by the provisions of various option agreements, the lock-up agreements and Rules 144 and 701 under the Securities Act. As resale restrictions end, the market price of our common stock could decline if the holders of those shares sell them or are perceived by the market as intending to sell them.

        Holders of approximately 22,845,764 shares, or 70%, of our common stock outstanding after this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriters' over-allotment option), and the holders of preferred stock warrants to purchase shares convertible into 25,936 shares of our common stock, will have rights, subject to some conditions, to require us to file registration statements covering the sale of their shares or to include their shares in registration statements that we may file for ourselves or other stockholders. We also intend to register the offer and sale of all 9,070,908 shares of common stock that we have issued or that we may issue under our equity compensation plans. Once we register the shares for the holders of registration rights and option holders, they can be freely sold in the public market upon issuance, subject to the restrictions contained in the lock-up agreements.

        In addition, in the future, we may issue additional shares of common stock or other equity or debt securities convertible into common stock in connection with a financing, acquisition, litigation settlement, employee arrangement or otherwise. Any of these issuances could result in substantial dilution to our existing stockholders and could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish misleading or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

        The trading market for our common stock will depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. We do not currently have and may

19

Table of Contents

never obtain research coverage by securities and industry analysts. If there is no coverage of our company by securities or industry analysts, the trading price for our stock would be negatively impacted. In the event we obtain securities or industry analyst coverage, if one or more of these analysts downgrades our stock or publishes misleading or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of our company or fails to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our stock could decrease, which could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.

Insiders will continue to have substantial control over us after this offering and will be able to influence corporate matters.

        Upon completion of this offering, our directors and executive officers and their affiliates will be able to exercise significant influence over all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions, such as a merger or other sale of our company or its assets. This concentration of ownership could limit your ability to influence corporate matters and may have the effect of delaying or preventing a third party from acquiring control over us. For information regarding the ownership of our outstanding stock by our executive officers and directors and their affiliates, see "Principal and Selling Stockholders."

As a public company, we will be subject to financial and other reporting and corporate governance requirements that may be difficult for us to satisfy, will raise our costs and may divert resources and management attention from operating our business.

        We have historically operated as a private company and have not been subject to the same financial and other reporting and corporate governance requirements as a public company. After this offering, we will be required to file annual, quarterly and other reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC. We will need to prepare and timely file financial statements that comply with SEC reporting requirements. We will also be subject to other reporting and corporate governance requirements, under the listing standards of the NASDAQ Stock Market, or NASDAQ, which will impose significant new compliance obligations upon us. As a public company we will be required, among other things, to:

•

prepare and file periodic reports, and distribute other stockholder communications, in compliance with the federal securities laws and NASDAQ rules;



•

define and expand the roles and the duties of our board of directors and its committees;



•

institute more comprehensive compliance, investor relations and internal audit functions; and



•

evaluate and maintain our system of internal control over financial reporting, and report on management's assessment thereof, in compliance with rules and regulations of the SEC and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.

        Our management must periodically evaluate the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting commencing with the year ending December 31, 2012. In connection with our preparation for our initial public offering, our independent registered public accounting firm recently completed the audits of our financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. In connection with the completion of these audits, adjustments were identified in 2007, which caused us to conclude that there was a material weakness in our internal controls. A 2007 adjustment, which continued through 2009, caused us to conclude that there was a material weakness in 2008 and 2009 as well. If we are unable to appropriately maintain the remediation plan we have recently implemented and maintain any other necessary controls we implement in the future, our management might not be able to certify, and our independent registered public accounting firm might not be able to report on, the adequacy of our internal controls over financial reporting. Any such failure to maintain adequate

20

Table of Contents

internal controls could lead to adverse regulatory consequences, violate NASDAQ listing standards and could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline.

        The changes necessitated by becoming a public company will require a significant commitment of additional resources and management oversight that will increase our costs.

If we need additional capital in the future, it may not be available on favorable terms, or at all.

        We have historically relied on private placements of our equity securities and cash flow from operations to fund our operations, capital expenditures and expansion. However, we may require additional capital from equity or debt financing in the future to fund our operations, or respond to competitive pressures or strategic opportunities. We may not be able to secure timely additional financing on favorable terms, or at all. The terms of additional financing may place limits on our financial and operating flexibility. If we raise additional funds through further issuances of equity, convertible debt securities or other securities convertible into equity, our existing stockholders could suffer significant dilution in their percentage ownership of our company, and any new securities we issue could have rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of holders of our common stock, including shares of common stock sold in this offering. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing or financing on terms satisfactory to us, if and when we require it, our ability to grow or support our business and to respond to business challenges could be significantly limited.

We could be the subject of securities class action litigation due to future stock price volatility, which could divert management's attention and adversely affect our results of operations.

        The stock market in general, and market prices for the securities of technology companies like ours in particular, have from time to time experienced volatility that often has been unrelated to the operating performance of the underlying companies. A certain degree of stock price volatility can be attributed to being a newly public company. These broad market and industry fluctuations may adversely affect the market price of our common stock, regardless of our operating performance. In several recent situations where the market price of a stock has been volatile, holders of that stock have instituted securities class action litigation against the company that issued the stock. If any of our stockholders were to bring a lawsuit against us, the defense and disposition of the lawsuit could be costly and divert the time and attention of our management and harm our operating results.

Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and Delaware law could discourage, delay, or prevent a change in control of our company and may affect the trading price of our common stock.

        We are a Delaware corporation and the anti-takeover provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law may discourage, delay, or prevent a change in control by prohibiting us from engaging in a business combination with an interested stockholder for a period of three years after the person becomes an interested stockholder, even if a change of control would be beneficial to our existing stockholders. See "Description of Capital Stock—Anti-Takeover Effects of Our Charter and Bylaws and Delaware Law." In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws may discourage, delay, or prevent a change in our management or control over us that stockholders may consider favorable. For example, we anticipate that prior to the completion of this offering our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws will:

•

authorize the issuance of "blank check" preferred stock that could be issued by our board of directors to thwart a takeover attempt;



•

establish a classified board of directors, as a result of which the successors to the directors whose terms have expired will be elected to serve from the time of election and qualification until the third annual meeting following their election;

21

Table of Contents

•

require that directors only be removed from office for cause and only upon a majority stockholder vote;



•

provide that vacancies on the board of directors, including newly-created directorships, may be filled only by a majority vote of directors then in office;



•

limit who may call special meetings of stockholders;



•

prohibit stockholder action by written consent, thereby requiring all actions to be taken at a meeting of the stockholders; and



•

require supermajority stockholder voting to effect certain amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws.

Our management will have broad discretion over the use of the proceeds we receive in this offering and might not apply the proceeds in ways that increase the value of your investment.

        Our management will have broad discretion to use the net proceeds we receive from this offering, and you will be relying on the judgment of our management regarding the application of these proceeds. Our management might not apply the net proceeds of this offering in ways that increase the value of your investment. We expect to use the net proceeds from this offering for general corporate purposes, including working capital and capital expenditures, which may in the future include investments in, or acquisitions of, complementary businesses, products, services or technologies. We have not allocated these net proceeds for any specific purposes. Our management might not be able to yield a significant return, if any, on any investment of these net proceeds. You will not have the opportunity to influence our decisions on how to use the net proceeds from this offering.

Investors purchasing common stock in this offering will experience substantial dilution as a result of this offering and future equity issuances.

        The initial public offering price per share is substantially higher than the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our common stock outstanding prior to this offering. As a result, investors purchasing common stock in this offering will experience immediate substantial dilution of $10.51 a share. This dilution is due in large part to the fact that our earlier investors paid substantially less than the initial public offering price when they purchased their shares of common stock. Investors purchasing shares of common stock in this offering will contribute approximately 34% of the total amount we have raised since our inception, but will own only approximately 12% of our total common stock immediately following the completion of this offering, excluding shares purchased from the selling stockholders and assuming no exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase additional shares of our common stock to cover over-allotments. In addition, we have issued options to acquire common stock at prices significantly below the initial public offering price. To the extent outstanding options are ultimately exercised, there will be further dilution to investors in this offering. In addition, if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option, if outstanding warrants to purchase our common stock are exercised, or if we issue additional equity securities, investors purchasing common stock in this offering will experience additional dilution.

We do not intend to pay dividends on our common stock and, consequently, your ability to achieve a return on your investment will depend on appreciation in the price of our common stock.

        We do not intend to declare and pay dividends on our capital stock for the foreseeable future. We currently intend to invest our future earnings, if any, to fund our growth. Therefore, you are not likely to receive any dividends on your common stock for the foreseeable future and the success of an investment in shares of our common stock will depend upon any future appreciation in their value.

22

Table of Contents

There is no guarantee that shares of our common stock will appreciate in value or even maintain the price at which our stockholders have purchased their shares.

Certain purchasers of our common stock in this offering may have claims as a result of an unauthorized e-mail sent by an employee of one of our underwriters that may have constituted a prospectus that does not meet the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933.

        Prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, an employee of Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., one of our underwriters, distributed an unauthorized e-mail message containing evaluation material and projections to approximately 200 potential institutional investors. The unauthorized e-mail message did not contain the required legends and a link to our prospectus in order to make the email a conforming underwriter free writing prospectus. Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. has informed us that all of the recipients of the e-mail have been notified that it was distributed in error and should be disregarded. Subsequently, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. re-sent the information contained in the e-mail to the same distribution list with the required legends and links to our prospectus and our free writing prospectus in order to make the e-mail a conforming underwriter free writing prospectus.

        Neither we nor any of the other underwriters were involved in any way in the preparation or distribution of the information contained in the e-mail, and the information does not reflect our views, or the views of the other underwriters, as to matters addressed in the e-mails. No person who received the e-mails should rely upon them in any manner in making a decision whether to purchase our common stock in this offering. We urge all potential investors to base their investment decisions solely on our prospectus. If the e-mails did constitute a violation of the Securities Act of 1933, the recipients who purchase our common stock in this offering may have claims for damages resulting from their purchase. Any liability would depend upon the number of shares purchased by recipients of the e-mail. If any liability is asserted, we intend to contest the matter. In addition, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. has agreed to indemnify us, the selling stockholders and the other underwriters in this offering for losses that we or they may incur as a result of the e-mails, and therefore, we do not believe the distribution of the e-mails will have a material financial impact on us.

23

Table of Contents