UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-Q

 

QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2019

OR

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from                      to                     

Commission file number: 001-38274

 

FUNKO, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

Delaware

 

35-2593276

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

 

 

 

2802 Wetmore Avenue

Everett, Washington

 

98201

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

(Zip Code)

 

(425) 783-3616

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

N/A

(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)

 

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes   No       

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).    Yes       No  

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer

 

Accelerated filer

Non-accelerated filer

 

Smaller reporting company

 

 

 

Emerging growth company

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes       No  

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class

Trading Symbol(s)

Name of each exchange on which registered

Class A Common Stock,

$0.0001 par value per share

FNKO

The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

As of May 1, 2019, the registrant had 29,837,309 shares of Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, and 18,993,573 shares of Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, outstanding.

 

 

 

 


 

INDEX

 

 

 

Page

Part I

FINANCIAL INFORMATION 

 

Item 1.

Financial Statements

2

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (unaudited) for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 and 2018

2

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (unaudited) for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 and 2018

3

 

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (unaudited) as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018

4

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (unaudited) for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 and 2018

5

 

Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

6

Item 2.

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

18

Item 3.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

28

Item 4.

Controls and Procedures

28

Part II

OTHER INFORMATION

 

Item 1.

Legal Proceedings

29

Item 1A.

Risk Factors

29

Item 2.

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

58

Item 5.

Other Information

58

Item 6.

Exhibits

59

SIGNATURES

 

60

 

 

 


SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding our future operating results and financial position, our business strategy and plans, potential acquisitions, market growth and trends, demand for our products, the effectiveness of our preliminary prospectus on Form S-3, and our objectives for future operations, are forward-looking statements. The words “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “could,” “would,” “project,” “plan,” “potentially,” “preliminary,” “likely,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, short-term and long-term business operations and objectives, and financial needs. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, including the important factors described in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q under Part II. Item 1A. “Risk Factors,” and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially and adversely from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

Any forward-looking statements made herein speak only as of the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and you should not rely on forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee that the future results, performance, or achievements reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur. We undertake no obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements for any reason after the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or to conform these statements to actual results or revised expectations.

 

1


Part I – FINA NCIAL INFORMATION

Ite m 1.

Financial Statements

 

FUNKO, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

Three Months Ended March 31,

 

 

 

2019

 

 

2018

 

 

 

(In thousands, except per share data)

 

Net sales

 

$

166,800

 

 

$

137,211

 

Cost of sales (exclusive of depreciation and

   amortization shown separately below)

 

 

103,268

 

 

 

85,921

 

Selling, general, and administrative expenses

 

 

40,818

 

 

 

34,810

 

Acquisition transaction costs

 

 

-

 

 

 

28

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

10,093

 

 

 

9,301

 

Total operating expenses

 

 

154,179

 

 

 

130,060

 

Income from operations

 

 

12,621

 

 

 

7,151

 

Interest expense, net

 

 

4,072

 

 

 

5,896

 

Other (income) expense, net

 

 

65

 

 

 

(1,442

)

Income before income taxes

 

 

8,484

 

 

 

2,697

 

Income tax expense

 

 

1,414

 

 

 

460

 

Net income

 

 

7,070

 

 

 

2,237

 

Less: net income attributable to non-controlling

   interests

 

 

4,910

 

 

 

1,338

 

Net income attributable to Funko, Inc.

 

$

2,160

 

 

$

899

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Earnings per share of Class A common stock:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

$

0.08

 

 

$

0.04

 

Diluted

 

$

0.08

 

 

$

0.04

 

Weighted average shares of Class A common

   stock outstanding:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

 

 

26,640

 

 

 

23,338

 

Diluted

 

 

28,458

 

 

 

50,633

 

 

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

 

2


FUNKO, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(U naudited)

 

 

 

Three Months Ended March 31,

 

 

 

2019

 

 

2018

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Net income

 

$

7,070

 

 

$

2,237

 

Other comprehensive income:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foreign currency translation gain, net of tax effect of $(80) and $(105) for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively

 

 

653

 

 

 

1,083

 

Comprehensive income

 

 

7,723

 

 

 

3,320

 

Less: Comprehensive income attributable to

   non-controlling interests

 

 

5,292

 

 

 

1,919

 

Comprehensive income attributable to

   Funko, Inc.

 

$

2,431

 

 

$

1,401

 

 

 

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

 

 

 

3


FUNKO, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

March 31,

 

 

December 31,

 

 

 

2019

 

 

2018

 

 

 

(In thousands, except per share amounts)

 

Assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

22,546

 

 

$

13,486

 

Accounts receivable, net

 

 

117,618

 

 

 

148,627

 

Inventory

 

 

75,396

 

 

 

86,622

 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

 

16,935

 

 

 

11,904

 

Total current assets

 

 

232,495

 

 

 

260,639

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Property and equipment, net

 

 

42,863

 

 

 

44,296

 

Operating lease right-of-use assets

 

 

33,102

 

 

 

 

Goodwill

 

 

121,892

 

 

 

112,818

 

Intangible assets, net

 

 

233,155

 

 

 

233,645

 

Deferred tax asset

 

 

21,081

 

 

 

7,346

 

Other assets

 

 

4,475

 

 

 

4,275

 

Total assets

 

$

689,063

 

 

$

663,019

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Line of credit

 

$

22,456

 

 

$

20,000

 

Current portion long-term debt, net of unamortized discount

 

 

10,605

 

 

 

10,593

 

Current portion of operating lease liabilities

 

 

7,839

 

 

 

 

Accounts payable

 

 

25,753

 

 

 

36,130

 

Income taxes payable

 

 

5,441

 

 

 

4,492

 

Accrued royalties

 

 

28,359

 

 

 

39,020

 

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

 

 

19,647

 

 

 

27,621

 

Total current liabilities

 

 

120,100

 

 

 

137,856

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Long-term debt, net of unamortized discount

 

 

214,045

 

 

 

216,704

 

Operating lease liabilities, net of current portion

 

 

29,663

 

 

 

 

Deferred tax liability

 

 

23

 

 

 

5

 

Liabilities under tax receivable agreement, net of current portion

 

 

23,293

 

 

 

6,504

 

Deferred rent and other long-term liabilities

 

 

4,519

 

 

 

5,584

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commitments and contingencies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stockholders' equity:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 200,000 shares

   authorized; 28,522 and 24,960 shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2019

   and December 31, 2018, respectively

 

 

3

 

 

 

2

 

Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 50,000 shares

   authorized; 20,281 and 23,584 shares issued and outstanding as of March 31, 2019

   and December 31, 2018, respectively

 

 

2

 

 

 

2

 

Additional paid-in-capital

 

 

166,208

 

 

 

146,408

 

Accumulated other comprehensive income

 

 

100

 

 

 

(171

)

Retained earnings

 

 

12,557

 

 

 

10,397

 

Total stockholders' equity attributable to Funko, Inc.

 

 

178,870

 

 

 

156,638

 

Non-controlling interests

 

 

118,550

 

 

 

139,728

 

Total stockholders' equity

 

 

297,420

 

 

 

296,366

 

Total liabilities and stockholders' equity

 

$

689,063

 

 

$

663,019

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

 

4


FUNKO, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

Three Months Ended March 31,

 

 

 

2019

 

 

2018

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

Operating Activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income

 

$

7,070

 

 

$

2,237

 

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating

   activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation, amortization and other

 

 

10,050

 

 

 

9,301

 

Equity-based compensation

 

 

2,748

 

 

 

972

 

Accretion of discount on long-term debt

 

 

291

 

 

 

366

 

Amortization of debt issuance costs

 

 

63

 

 

 

150

 

Foreign currency gain

 

 

(466

)

 

 

(1,464

)

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts receivable, net

 

 

31,718

 

 

 

28,245

 

Inventory

 

 

12,155

 

 

 

6,548

 

Prepaid expenses and other assets

 

 

(3,838

)

 

 

(2,895

)

Accounts payable

 

 

(12,885

)

 

 

(29,055

)

Income taxes payable

 

 

933

 

 

 

423

 

Accrued royalties

 

 

(10,667

)

 

 

(7,147

)

Accrued expenses and other liabilities

 

 

(9,870

)

 

 

1,774

 

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

 

27,302

 

 

 

9,455

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Investing Activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purchase of property and equipment

 

 

(3,613

)

 

 

(5,866

)

Acquisitions, net of cash

 

 

(6,369

)

 

 

(635

)

Net cash used in investing activities

 

 

(9,982

)

 

 

(6,501

)

Financing Activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Borrowings on line of credit

 

 

22,543

 

 

 

94,452

 

Payments on line of credit

 

 

(20,000

)

 

 

(71,713

)

Payment of long-term debt

 

 

(2,938

)

 

 

(15,350

)

Debt issuance costs

 

 

(272

)

 

 

 

Proceeds from exercise of equity-based options

 

 

1,149

 

 

 

 

Distribution to continuing equity owners

 

 

(8,052

)

 

 

(10,857

)

Net cash used in financing activities

 

 

(7,570

)

 

 

(3,468

)

Effect of exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents

 

 

(690

)

 

 

(764

)

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

 

 

9,060

 

 

 

(1,278

)

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

 

 

13,486

 

 

 

7,728

 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

 

$

22,546

 

 

$

6,450

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See accompanying notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

5


FUNKO, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1. Organization and Operations

The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include Funko, Inc. and its subsidiaries (together with its subsidiaries, the “Company”) and have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”). All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.

The Company was formed as a Delaware corporation on April 21, 2017. The Company was formed for the purpose of completing an initial public offering (“IPO”) of its Class A common stock and related transactions in order to carry on the business of Funko Acquisition Holdings, L.L.C. (“FAH, LLC”) and its subsidiaries. FAH, LLC, a holding company with no operating assets or operations, was formed on September 24, 2015. On October 30, 2015, ACON Funko Investors, L.L.C. (together with related entities, “ACON”), through FAH, LLC, acquired a controlling interest in Funko Holdings LLC (“FHL”) (the “ACON Acquisition”), a Delaware limited liability company formed on May 28, 2013, which is also a holding company with no operating assets or operations. FAH, LLC owns 100% of FHL and FHL owns 100% of Funko, LLC, a limited liability company formed in the state of Washington, which is its operating entity. Funko, LLC is headquartered in Everett, Washington and is a leading pop culture consumer products company. Funko, LLC designs, sources, and distributes licensed pop culture products.

On November 6, 2017, the Company completed an IPO of 10,416,666 shares of its Class A common stock at a public offering price of $12.00 per share, receiving approximately $117.3 million in net proceeds, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions, which were used to purchase 10,416,666 of FAH, LLC’s newly-issued common units at a price per unit equal to the price per share of Class A common stock sold in the IPO, less underwriting discounts and commissions. The IPO and related reorganization transactions (the “Transactions”) resulted in the Company being the sole managing member of FAH, LLC. As the sole managing member of FAH, LLC, Funko, Inc. operates and controls all of FAH, LLC’s operations and, through FAH, LLC and its subsidiaries, conducts FAH, LLC’s business. Accordingly, the Company consolidates the financial results of FAH, LLC and reports a non-controlling interest in its unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements representing the FAH, LLC interests held by ACON Funko Investors, L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company (“ACON Funko Investors”) and certain of its affiliates, Fundamental Capital, LLC and Funko International, LLC (collectively, “Fundamental”), and certain current and former executive officers, employees and directors, in each case, who held profits interests in FAH, LLC and who received common units of FAH, LLC in exchange for their profits interests in connection with the Transactions (as defined herein) (collectively, the “Original Equity Owners”) and the former holders of warrants to purchase ownership interests in FAH, LLC, which were converted into common units of FAH, LLC in connection with the Transactions, and, in each case, each of their permitted transferees that own common units in FAH, LLC and who may redeem at each of their options (subject in certain circumstances to time-based vesting requirements) their common units for, at the Company’s election, cash or newly-issued shares of the Company’s Class A common stock (collectively, the “Continuing Equity Owners”).

Consolidation and Interim Financial Information

In the opinion of management, all adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation of the results as of the date of and for the interim periods presented have been included; such adjustments consist of normal recurring adjustments. The unaudited condensed consolidated results of operations for the current interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results for the entire year ending December 31, 2019, due to seasonality and other factors. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements and related notes included in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 6, 2019.

2. Significant Accounting Policies

Use of Estimates

The preparation of the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from these estimates and assumptions.

6


Significant Accounting Policies

A description of the Company’s significant accounting policies is included in the audited financial statements within its Annual Report on Form 10–K for the year ended December 31, 2018. 

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

Lease Accounting. In February 2016, the FASB issued guidance related to lease accounting that requires the recognition of lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet and disclosure of key information about leasing arrangements for leases with a term of more than 12 months. The Company adopted the standard on January 1, 2019 by recognizing and measuring leases at the adoption date with a cumulative effect of initially applying the guidance recognized at the date of initial application.  Comparative information has not been restated and continues to be reported under the standards in effect for those periods.

The Company has elected the “package of practical expedients” and as a result is not required to reassess under the new standard its prior accounting conclusions about lease identification, lease classification and initial direct costs for lease contracts that exist as of the transition date.  However, the Company has not elected the use of hindsight for determining the reasonably certain lease term.

The new lease standard also provides practical expedients and policy elections for an entity’s ongoing accounting. The Company has elected the practical expedient to not separate lease and non-lease components for all of its leases. The Company has also elected the short-term lease recognition exemption, which results in no recognition of right-of-use assets and lease liabilities for existing short-term leases at transition.

Upon adoption on January 1, 2019, the Company recognized operating lease right-of-use assets and lease liabilities that have not previously been recorded. The lease liability for operating leases is based on the net present value of future minimum lease payments. The right-of-use asset for operating leases is based on the lease liability adjusted for the reclassification of certain balance sheet amounts such as deferred and prepaid rent. Deferred and prepaid rent will not be presented separately for periods subsequent to the adoption of the new lease standard.

The cumulative effect of initially applying the new lease accounting standard as of January 1, 2019 is as follows:

 

 

January 1, 2019

 

 

 

Beginning balance

 

 

Cumulative Effect Adjustment

 

 

Beginning Balance, As Adjusted

 

Assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating lease right-of-use assets

 

$

 

 

$

33,014

 

 

 

33,014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current portion of operating lease liabilities

 

$

 

 

$

7,380

 

 

$

7,380

 

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

 

$

27,621

 

 

$

(429

)

 

$

27,192

 

Operating lease liabilities, net of current portion

 

 

 

 

 

$

30,076

 

 

$

30,076

 

Deferred rent and other long-term liabilities

 

$

5,584

 

 

$

(4,013

)

 

$

1,571

 

The adoption of the standard did not result in any material changes to the recognition of operating lease expenses in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.  

Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income. In February 2018, the FASB issued new guidance that allows an entity to elect to reclassify “stranded” tax effects in accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings to address concerns related to accounting for certain provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“the Tax Act”) enacted in December 2017. The adoption of this standard in the first quarter of 2019 had no impact on the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

3. Acquisitions

During the three months ended March 31, 2019, the Company completed one acquisition that was accounted for as a business combination by applying the acquisition method of accounting, where identifiable tangible and intangible assets

7


acquired and liabilities assumed are recognized and measured as of the acquisition date at fair value and goodwill is calculated as the excess of the purchase price paid over the net assets acquired.

Forrest-Pruzan Creative LLC. On February 11, 2019, the Company acquired 100% of the membership interests of Forrest-Pruzan Creative LLC (the “Forrest-Pruzan Acquisition”), a board game development studio in Seattle, WA, which now operates as Funko Games LLC. This transaction represents an opportunity to expand the Company’s product offerings into the board game category. The preliminary purchase consideration consists of $6.5 million in cash and 126,757 shares of the Company’s Class A common stock with a fair value of $2.2 million paid at closing, $1.5 million cash holdback due to the sellers in 18 months, subject to certain conditions as per the agreement, and $2 million in cash due after a 24-month deferral period. The Company is still in the process of completing its analysis of the opening balance sheet balances and finalizing its analysis and assumptions over the fair value of assets and liabilities acquired and purchase consideration transferred, and the difference between the estimated and final values could be material.   

 

Goodwill of $8.9 million is calculated as the excess of the purchase price paid over the net assets acquired. The goodwill recognized in connection with the Forrest-Pruzan Acquisition primarily reflects relevant skills and industry knowledge of the retained workforce, as well as intangible assets that do not qualify for separate recognition.

 

The activity of Funko Games LLC included in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations from the acquisition date to March 31, 2019 was not material.

The purchase consideration for the acquisition was as follows:

 

 

Purchase Consideration at Fair Value

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

Cash paid

 

$

6,500

 

Fair value of class A common stock issued

 

 

2,221

 

Cash holdback

 

 

1,400

 

Fair value of cash consideration due February 11, 2021

 

 

1,815

 

Purchase consideration

 

$

11,936

 

The following table shows the amounts recognized for each major class of assets acquired and liabilities assumed and the resultant purchase price allocation for the Forrest-Pruzan Acquisition as of February 11, 2019:

 

 

 

Assets (Liabilities) Acquired (Assumed)

at Fair Value

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

131

 

Property and equipment

 

 

14

 

Operating lease right-of-use assets

 

 

1,027

 

Goodwill

 

 

8,922

 

Intangible assets

 

 

3,133

 

Other assets

 

 

17

 

Current liabilities

 

 

(281

)

Operating lease liabilities

 

 

(1,027

)

Consideration transferred

 

$

11,936

 

 

8


The following table summarizes the identifiable intangible assets acquired in connection with the transactions described above and their estimated useful lives as of February 11, 2019 :

 

 

 

Estimated Fair Value of

Assets Acquired

 

 

Estimated

Useful Life

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

 

(Years)

 

Intangible asset type:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Noncompetition agreements

 

$

861

 

 

 

3

 

Intellectual property

 

 

580

 

 

 

3

 

Customer relationships

 

 

1,692

 

 

 

3

 

Intangible assets

 

$

3,133

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Fair Value Measurements

The Company’s financial instruments, other than those discussed below, include cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and accrued liabilities. The carrying amount of these financial instruments approximate fair value due to the short-term nature of these instruments. For financial instruments measured at fair value on a recurring basis, the Company prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value according to a three-tier fair value hierarchy defined by U.S. GAAP. For a description of the methods and assumptions that the Company uses to estimate the fair value and determine the classification according to the fair value hierarchy for each financial instrument, see the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements and related notes included in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018.

Debt. The estimated fair value of the Company’s debt instruments, which are classified as Level 3 financial instruments, at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, was approximately $251.6 million and $252.1 million, respectively. The carrying values of the Company’s debt instruments at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, were $247.1 million and $247.3 million, respectively.  The estimated fair value of the Company’s debt instruments primarily reflects assumptions regarding credit spreads for similar floating-rate instruments with similar terms and maturities and the Company’s standalone credit risk.

5. Debt

Debt consists of the following (in thousands):

 

 

 

March 31,

 

 

December 31,

 

 

 

2019

 

 

2018

 

New Revolving Credit Facility

 

$

22,456

 

 

$

20,000

 

New Term Loan Facility

 

 

229,125

 

 

 

232,063

 

Debt issuance costs

 

 

(4,475

)

 

 

(4,766

)

Total term debt

 

 

224,650

 

 

 

227,297

 

Less: current portion

 

 

10,605

 

 

 

10,593

 

Long-term debt, net

 

$

214,045

 

 

$

216,704

 

New Credit Facilities 

On October 22, 2018 (the “Closing Date”), the Company entered into a new credit agreement providing for the New Term Loan Facility in the amount of $235.0 million and the New Revolving Credit Facility of $50.0 million (as amended, the “New Credit Facilities”).  On February 11, 2019, the Company amended the New Credit Facilities to increase the New Revolving Credit Facility to $75.0 million.

Upon closing, proceeds from the New Credit Facilities were primarily used to repay all of the outstanding aggregate principal balance and accrued interest of $209.6 million on the previous Term Loan A Facility and $65.3 million on the previous Revolving Credit Facility.  Upon repayment, both the previous Term Loan A Facility and the previous Revolving Credit Facility were terminated.

The New Term Loan Facility matures on October 22, 2023 (the “Maturity Date”).  The New Term Loan Facility amortizes in quarterly installments in aggregate amounts equal to 5.00% of the original principal amount of the New Term Loan Facility in the first and second years of the New Term Loan Facility, 10.00% of the original principal amount of the New

9


Term Loan Facility in the third and fourth years of the New Term Loan Facility and 12.50% of the original principal amount of the New Term Loan Facility in the fifth year of the New Term Loan Facility, with any ou tstanding balance due and payable on the Maturity Date.  The first amortization payment was on December 31, 2018.  The New Revolving Credit Facility terminates on the Maturity Date and loans thereunder may be borrowed, repaid, and reborrowed up to such dat e .

Loans under the New Credit Facilities bear interest, at the Company’s option, at either the Euro-Rate (as defined in the Credit Agreement) plus 3.25% or the Base Rate (as defined in the Credit Agreement) plus 2.25%, with two 0.25% step-downs based on the achievement of certain leverage ratios following the Closing Date. The Euro-Rate is subject to a 0.00% floor. For loans based on the Euro-Rate, interest payments are due at the end of each applicable interest period. For loans based on the Base Rate, interest payments are due quarterly.

The New Credit Facilities are secured by substantially all of the assets of the Company and any of its existing or future material domestic subsidiaries, subject to customary exceptions.  As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, the Company was in compliance with all of the covenants in its New Credit Facilities.

At March 31, 2019, the Company had $229.1 million and $22.5 million of borrowings outstanding under the New Term Loan Facility and New Revolving Credit Facility, respectively.   At December 31, 2018, the Company had $232.1 million and $20.0 million of borrowings outstanding under the New Term Loan Facility and New Revolving Credit Facility, respectively.  

There were no outstanding letters of credit as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 .   

6. Leases

The Company has entered into non-cancellable operating leases for office, warehouse, and distribution facilities, with original lease periods expiring through 2028. Some operating leases also contain the option to renew for five-year periods at prevailing market rates at the time of renewal. In addition to minimum rent, certain of the leases require payment of real estate taxes, insurance, common area maintenance charges, and other executory costs. Differences between rent expense and rent paid are recognized as adjustments to operating lease right-of-use assets on the unaudited consolidated balance sheets. For certain leases the Company receives lease incentives, such as tenant improvement allowances, and records those as adjustments to operating lease right-of-use assets and operating leases liabilities on the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets and amortize the lease incentives on a straight-line basis over the lease term as an adjustment to rent expense. Rent expense was $3.1 million and $2.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively .

As of March 31, 2019, the Company had recorded operating lease liabilities of $37.5 million and operating lease right-of-use assets of $33.1 million.  During the three months ended March 31, 2019, operating cash outflows relating to operating lease liabilities was $1.8 million and operating lease right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease obligations was $1.0 million.  As of March 31, 2019, the Company’s operating leases had a weighted-average remaining term of 6.4 years and weighted-average discount rate of 7.4%.  Excluded from the measurement of operating lease liabilities and operating lease right-of-use assets were certain warehouse and distribution contracts that either qualify for the short-term lease recognition exception and/or do not give the Company the right to control the warehouse and/or distribution facilities underlying the contract.

 

The future payments on the Company’s operating lease liabilities were as follows:

 

 

As of March 31, 2019

 

Remaining 2019

 

$

6,058

 

2020

 

 

8,232

 

2021

 

 

7,155

 

2022

 

 

6,028

 

2023

 

 

6,285

 

Thereafter

 

 

14,032

 

Total lease payments

 

 

47,790

 

Less:  imputed interest

 

 

(10,288

)

Total

 

 

37,502

 

10


In addition, in the first quarter of 2019, the Company entered into a ten-year lease of a retail location that commenced on April 1, 2019.  The lease includes total base rent of approximately $21.1 million to be paid over the lease term, subject to certain abatement provisions, as well as certain variable costs.  

7. Liabilities under Tax Receivable Agreement

On November 1, 2017, the Company entered into tax receivable agreement with FAH, LLC and each of the Continuing Equity Owners that provides for the payment by the Company to the Continuing Equity Owners of 85% of the amount of tax benefits, if any, that it realizes, or in some circumstances, is deemed to realize, as a result of (i) future redemptions funded by the Company or exchanges, or deemed exchanges in certain circumstances, of common units for Class A common stock or cash, and (ii) certain additional tax benefits attributable to payments made under the tax receivable agreement (the “Tax Receivable Agreement”).

During the three months ended March 31, 2019, the Company recognized an additional liability related to the Tax Receivable Agreement in the amount of $18.6 million for the payments due to the redeeming members under the Tax Receivable Agreement, representing 85% of the aggregate tax benefits the Company expects to realize from the tax basis increases related to the redemption of FAH, LLC common units, after concluding it was probable that such Tax Receivable Agreement payments would be paid in the future based on the Company’s estimate of future taxable income. The Company did not record any liabilities for the Tax Receivable Agreement during the three months ended March 31, 2018.

There were no payments made pursuant to the Tax Receivable Agreement during the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018.

As of March 31, 2019, the Company’s total obligation under the Tax Receivable Agreement, including accrued interest, was $25.4 million, of which $2.1 million was included in Accrued expenses and other current liabilities on the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets. There were no transactions subject to the Tax Receivable Agreement for which the Company did not recognize the related liability, as the Company concluded that it was probable that the Company would have sufficient future taxable income to utilize all of the related tax benefits.  At December 31, 2018, the Company’s total obligation under the Tax Receivable Agreement, including accrued interest, was $6.8 million, of which $0.3 million was included in Accrued expenses and other current liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheets.

8. Commitments and Contingencies

License Agreements

The Company enters into license agreements with various licensors of copyrighted and trademarked characters and design in connection with the products that it sells. The agreements generally require royalty payments based on product sales and in some cases may require minimum royalty and other related commitments.

In January 2019, the Company renewed its licensing agreements with Disney and its controlled affiliates, LucasFilm and Marvel. As of December 31, 2018 , the Company recorded a $2.0 million consent fee under its existing licensing agreements with Disney, which was subsequently paid during the three months ended March 31, 2019.  

Employment Agreements

The Company has employment agreements with certain officers. The agreements include, among other things, an annual bonus based on certain performance metrics of the Company, as defined by the board, and up to one year’s severance pay beyond termination date.

11


Debt

The Company has entered into a credit agreement which includes a term loan facility and a revolving credit facility. See Note 5, Debt.

Tax Receivable Agreement

The Company is party to the Tax Receivable Agreement with FAH, LLC and each of the Continuing Equity Owners that provides for the payment by the Company to the Continuing Equity Owners under certain circumstances.  See Note 7, Liabilities under Tax Receivable Agreement.

Legal Contingencies

The Company is involved in claims and litigation in the ordinary course of business, some of which seek monetary damages, including claims for punitive damages, which are not covered by insurance. For certain pending matters, accruals have not been established because such matters have not progressed sufficiently through discovery, and/or development of important factual information and legal information is insufficient to enable the Company to estimate a range of possible loss, if any. An adverse determination in one or more of these pending matters could have an adverse effect on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

The Company is, and may in the future become, subject to various legal proceedings and claims that arise in or outside the ordinary course of business. For example, on November 16, 2017, a purported stockholder of the Company filed a putative class action lawsuit in the Superior Court of Washington in and for King County against the Company, certain of its officers and directors, and the underwriters of its IPO, entitled Robert Lowinger v. Funko, Inc., et. al . In January and March 2018, five additional putative class action lawsuits were filed in Washington state court, four in the Superior Court of Washington in and for King County and one in the Superior Court of Washington in and for Snohomish County. Two of the King County lawsuits, Surratt v. Funko, Inc. et. al. (filed on January 16, 2018) and Baskin v. Funko, Inc. et. al. (filed on January 30, 2018), were filed against the Company and certain of its officers and directors. The other two King County lawsuits, The Ronald and Maxine Linde Foundation v. Funko, Inc. et. al. (filed on January 18, 2018) and Lovewell v. Funko, Inc. et. al (filed on March 27, 2018), were filed against the Company, certain of its officers and directors, ACON, Fundamental and certain other defendants. The Snohomish County lawsuit, Berkelhammer v. Funko, Inc. et. al. (filed on March 13, 2018), was filed against us, certain of the Company’s officers and directors, and ACON. On May 8, 2018, the Berkelhammer action was voluntarily dismissed, and on May 15, 2018 a substantially similar action was filed by the same plaintiff in the Superior Court of Washington in and for King County.  On April 2, 2018, a putative class action lawsuit Jacobs v. Funko, Inc. et. al was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington against the Company, certain of its officers and directors, and certain other defendants. On May 21, 2018, the Jacobs action was voluntarily dismissed, and on June 12, 2018 a substantially similar action was filed by the same plaintiff in the Superior Court of Washington in and for King County.

On July 2, 2018, all of the above-referenced suits were ordered consolidated for all purposes into one action under the title In re Funko, Inc. Securities Litigation in the Superior Court of Washington in and for King County. On August 1, 2018, plaintiffs filed a consolidated complaint against the Company, certain of its officers and directors, ACON, Fundamental, and certain other defendants. On October 1, 2018, the Company moved to dismiss that action. Plaintiffs filed their opposition to the Company’s motion to dismiss on October 31, 2018, and the Company filed its reply to plaintiffs’ opposition on November 30, 2018.  Oral arguments on the motions to dismiss are scheduled to be held on May 3, 2019.

Additionally, on June 4, 2018, a putative class action lawsuit Kanugonda v. Funko, et al. was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington against the Company, certain of its officers and directors, and certain other defendants. On January 4, 2019, a lead plaintiff was appointed in that case.  On April 30, 2019, the lead plaintiff filed an amended complaint against the previously named defendants.

The complaints in both state and federal court allege that the Company violated Sections 11, 12, and 15 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, by making allegedly materially misleading statements and by omitting material facts necessary to make the statements made therein not misleading. The lawsuits seek, among other things, compensatory statutory damages and rescissory damages in account of the consideration paid for the Company’s Class A common stock by plaintiff and members of the putative class, as well as attorneys’ fees and costs. The Company believes it has meritorious defenses to the claims of the plaintiff and members of the class and any liability for the alleged claims is not currently probable or reasonably estimable.

12


9. Segments

The Company identifies its reportable segments according to how the business activities are managed and evaluated and for which discrete financial information is available and regularly reviewed by its Chief Operating Decision Maker (the “CODM”) to allocate resources and assess performance. Because its CODM reviews financial performance and allocates resources at a consolidated level on a regular basis, it has one reportable segment. The following table is a summary of the Company’s main product categories as a percent of net sales:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended March 31,

 

 

 

2019

 

 

2018

 

Figures

 

 

81.5

%

 

 

84.2

%

Other

 

 

18.5

%

 

 

15.8

%

 

The following tables present summarized geographical information (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended March 31,

 

 

 

2019

 

 

2018

 

Net sales:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

United States

 

$

108,698

 

 

$

88,850

 

International

 

 

58,102

 

 

 

48,361

 

Total net sales

 

$

166,800

 

 

$

137,211

 

 

 

 

March 31,

 

 

December 31,

 

 

 

2019

 

 

2018

 

Long-lived assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

United States

 

$

51,300

 

 

$

23,781

 

China and Vietnam

 

 

19,825

 

 

 

20,662

 

United Kingdom

 

 

9,315

 

 

 

4,128

 

Total long-lived assets

 

$

80,440

 

 

$

48,571

 

 

 

10. Related Party Transactions

In June 2017, in connection with the acquisition of Loungefly, LLC (“Loungefly”), the Company assumed a lease for the Loungefly headquarters and warehouse operations with 20310 Plummer Street LLC and entered into a global sourcing agreement with Sure Star Development Ltd. Both entities are owned by certain former employees of the Company, who were also the former owners of Loungefly. For the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company recorded $0.1 million in rental expense related to the lease, which was recorded in selling, general and administrative expenses in the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations.  The entities ceased to be related parties after July 12, 2018.

The Company sells products to Forbidden Planet, a U.K. retailer through its wholly owned subsidiary Funko UK, Ltd. One of the investors in Forbidden Planet is an employee of Funko UK. For the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company recorded approximately $0.7 million and $1.2 million, respectively, in net sales to Forbidden Planet. At March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, accounts receivable from Forbidden Planet was $0.4 million and $0.8 million on the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets.

In February 2019, in connection with the Forrest-Pruzan Acquisition, the Company assumed two leases of office space with Roll and Move, LLC and Roll and Move II LLC, both of which are owned by certain former owners of Forrest-Pruzan Creative LLC, one of whom remains an employee of the Company. For the three months ended March 31, 2019, the Company recorded a nominal amount of rental expense related to the leases, which was recorded in selling, general and administrative expenses in the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations.  At March 31, 2019, the Company had recorded operating lease right-of-use assets and operating lease liabilities of $1.0 million related to the leases.  

13


11 . Income Taxes

Funko, Inc. is taxed as a corporation and pays corporate federal, state and local taxes on income allocated to it from FAH, LLC based upon Funko, Inc’s economic interest held in FAH, LLC. FAH, LLC is treated as a pass-through partnership for income tax reporting purposes. FAH, LLC’s members, including the Company, are liable for federal, state and local income taxes based on their share of FAH, LLC’s pass-through taxable income.     

The Company recorded   $1.4 million and $0.5 million of income tax expense for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.  The Company’s estimated annual effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2019 was 16.7%. The Company’s estimated annual effective tax rate is less than the statutory rate of 21% primarily because the Company is not liable for income taxes on the portion of FAH, LLC’s earnings that are attributable to non-controlling interests.   

During the three months ended March 31, 2019, the Company acquired an aggregate of 3.3 million common units of FAH, LLC in connection with the redemption of common units, which resulted in an increase in the tax basis of the Company’s investment in FAH, LLC subject to the provisions of the Tax Receivable Agreement.  As a result of these exchanges, during the three months ended March 31, 2019 the Company recognized an increase to its net deferred tax assets in the amount of $13.9 million, and corresponding Tax Receivable Agreement liabilities of $18.6 million, representing 85% of the tax benefits due to the Continuing Equity Owners.  There were no redemptions of FAH, LLC common units during the three months ended March 31, 2018.

14


12. Stockholders’ Equity

The following is a reconciliation of changes in stockholders’ equity for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018:

 

 

Three Months Ended March 31,

 

 

 

2019

 

 

2018

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A common stock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance at January 1,

 

$

2

 

 

$

2

 

Shares issued

 

 

1

 

 

 

-

 

Balance at March 31,

 

$

3

 

 

$

2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class B common stock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance at January 1, and March 31,

 

$

2

 

 

$

2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance at January 1,

 

$

146,408

 

 

$

129,320

 

Equity-based compensation

 

 

2,748

 

 

 

972

 

Shares issued for equity-based compensation awards

 

 

1,148

 

 

 

-

 

Shares issued for purchase consideration

 

 

2,221

 

 

 

-

 

Redemption of common units of FAH, LLC

 

 

18,418

 

 

 

-

 

Establishment of liabilities under tax receivable agreement and related changes to deferred tax assets

 

 

(4,735

)

 

 

-

 

Balance at March 31,

 

$

166,208

 

 

$

130,292

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accumulated other comprehensive income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance at January 1,

 

$

(171

)

 

$

802

 

Foreign currency translation gain, net of tax

 

 

271

 

 

 

502

 

Balance at March 31,

 

$

100

 

 

$

1,304

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Retained earnings (1)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance at January 1,

 

$

10,397

 

 

$

1,041

 

Net income attributable to Funko, Inc.

 

 

2,160

 

 

 

899

 

Balance at March 31,

 

$

12,557

 

 

$

1,940

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Non-controlling interests (1)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance at January 1,

 

$

139,728

 

 

$

149,988

 

Distributions to continuing equity owners (1)

 

 

(8,052

)

 

 

(10,857

)

Redemption of common units of FAH, LLC

 

 

(18,418

)

 

 

-

 

Foreign currency translation gain, net of tax

 

 

382

 

 

 

581

 

Net income attributable to non-controlling interests

 

 

4,910

 

 

 

1,338

 

Balance at March 31,

 

$

118,550

 

 

$

141,050

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total stockholders' equity

 

$

297,420

 

 

$

274,590

 

(1)

Effective with reporting for the second quarter of 2018, the Company began to classify distributions to continuing equity holders as a reduction of non-controlling interests rather than retained earnings.  Prior periods have been reclassified to conform to the current presentation.

15


The following is a reconciliation of changes in Class A and Class B common shares outstanding for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018:

 

 

Three Months Ended March 31,

 

 

 

2019

 

 

2018

 

 

 

(In thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A common shares outstanding

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance at January 1,

 

 

24,960

 

 

 

23,338

 

Shares issued for equity-based compensation awards

 

 

109

 

 

 

-

 

Shares issued for purchase consideration

 

 

127

 

 

 

-

 

Redemption of common units of FAH, LLC

 

 

3,326

 

 

 

-

 

Balance at March 31,

 

 

28,522

 

 

 

23,338

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class B common shares outstanding

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance at January 1,

 

 

23,584

 

 

 

24,976

 

Redemption of common units of FAH, LLC

 

 

(3,303

)

 

 

-

 

Balance at March 31,

 

 

20,281

 

 

 

24,976

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Class A and Class B common shares outstanding

 

 

48,803

 

 

 

48,314

 

 

13. Non-controlling interests

Funko, Inc. is the sole managing member of FAH, LLC and as a result consolidates the financial results of FAH, LLC and reports a non-controlling interest representing the common units of FAH, LLC held by the Continuing Equity Owners. Changes in Funko, Inc.’s ownership interest in FAH, LLC while Funko, Inc. retains its controlling interest in FAH, LLC will be accounted for as equity transactions. As such, future redemptions or direct exchanges of common units of FAH, LLC by the Continuing Equity Owners will result in a change in ownership and reduce or increase the amount recorded as non-controlling interest and increase or decrease additional paid-in capital when FAH, LLC has positive or negative net assets, respectively.

Net income and comprehensive income are attributed between Funko, Inc. and noncontrolling interest holders based on each party’s relative economic ownership interest in FAH, LLC. As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, Funko, Inc. owned 28.5 million and 25.0 million of FAH, LLC common units, respectively, representing a 57.1% and 50.2% economic ownership interest in FAH, LLC, respectively.

Net income and comprehensive income of FAH, LLC excludes certain activity attributable to Funko, Inc., including $2.2 million and $0.2 million of equity-based compensation expense for share-based compensation awards issued by Funko, Inc. for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively, and $0.9 million and $0.1 million of income tax expense for corporate, federal, state and local taxes attributable to Funko, Inc. for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

14. Earnings per Share

Basic earnings per share of Class A common stock is computed by dividing net income available to Funko, Inc. by the weighted-average number of shares of Class A common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per share of Class A common stock is computed by dividing net income available to Funko, Inc. by the weighted-average number of shares of Class A common stock outstanding adjusted to give effect to potentially dilutive securities.

16


The following table sets forth reconciliations of the numerators and denominators used to compute basic and diluted earnings per share of Class A common stock:

 

 

Three Months Ended March 31,

 

 

 

2019

 

 

2018

 

Numerator:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net income

 

$

7,070

 

 

$

2,237

 

Less: net income attributable to non-controlling

   interests

 

 

4,910

 

 

 

1,338

 

Net income attributable to Funko, Inc. basic

 

$

2,160

 

 

$

899

 

Add : Reallocation of net income attributable to non-

   controlling interests from the assumed exchange of

   common units of FAH, LLC for Class A common

   stock

 

 

 

 

 

984

 

Net income attributable to Funko, Inc. — diluted

 

$

2,160

 

 

$

1,883

 

Denominator:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted-average shares of Class A common stock

   outstanding — basic

 

 

26,639,572

 

 

 

23,337,705

 

Add: Effect of dilutive equity-based compensation awards

   and common units of FAH, LLC that are

   convertible into Class A common stock

 

 

1,818,249

 

 

 

27,295,123

 

Weighted-average shares of Class A common stock

   outstanding — diluted

 

 

28,457,821

 

 

 

50,632,828

 

Earnings per share of Class A common stock — basic

 

$

0.08

 

 

$

0.04

 

Earnings per share of Class A common stock —

   diluted

 

$

0.08

 

 

$

0.04

 

For the three months ended March 31, 2019, an aggregate of 23.7 million of potentially dilutive securities were excluded from the weighted-average in the computation of diluted earnings per share of Class A common stock because the effect would have been anti-dilutive. For the three months ended March 31, 2019, anti-dilutive securities included 23.2 million of common units of FAH, LLC that are convertible into Class A common stock, but were excluded from the computations of diluted earnings per share because the effect would have been anti-dilutive under the if-converted method.  

For the three months ended March 31, 2018, 1.0 million stock options were excluded from the weighted-average in the computation of diluted earnings per share of Class A common stock because the effect would have been anti-dilutive.

Shares of the Company’s Class B common stock do not participate in the earnings or losses of the Company and are therefore not participating securities. As such, separate presentation of basic and diluted earnings per share of Class B common stock under the two-class method has not been presented.

 

17


Item 2.

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, as well as our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes as disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 6, 2019. This discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements based upon current plans, expectations and beliefs involving risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including those set forth under “Risk Factors” included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

As used in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, unless the context otherwise requires, references to:

 

we, ” “ us, ” “ our, the Company, Funko and similar references refer: (1) following the consummation of the Transactions, to Funko, Inc., and, unless otherwise stated, all of its direct and indirect subsidiaries, including FAH, LLC and (2) prior to the completion of the Transactions, to FAH, LLC and, unless otherwise stated, all of its subsidiaries.

 

ACON refers to ACON Funko Investors, L.L.C., a Delaware limited liability company, and certain funds affiliated with ACON Funko Investors, L.L.C. (including any such fund or entity formed to hold shares of Class A common stock for the Former Equity Owners).

 

Continuing Equity Owners refers collectively to ACON, Fundamental, the Former Profits Interests Holders, the Warrant Holders and certain current and former executive officers, employees and directors and each of their permitted transferees that own common units in FAH, LLC after the Transactions and who may redeem at each of their options (subject in certain circumstances to time-based vesting requirements) their common units for, at our election, cash or newly-issued shares of Funko, Inc.’s Class A common stock.

 

FAH, LLC” refers to Funko Acquisition Holdings, L.L.C.

 

FAH LLC Agreement refers to FAH, LLC’s second amended and restated limited liability company agreement, as amended from time to time.

 

Former Equity Owners refers to those Original Equity Owners affiliated with ACON who transferred their indirect ownership interests in common units of FAH, LLC for shares of Funko, Inc.’s Class A common stock (to be held by them either directly or indirectly) in connection with the consummation of the Transactions.

 

Former Profits Interests Holders refers collectively to certain of our directors and certain current executive officers and employees, in each case, who, prior to the consummation of the Transactions, held existing vested and unvested profits interests in FAH, LLC pursuant to FAH, LLC’s prior equity incentive plan and received common units of FAH, LLC in exchange for their profits interests (subject to any common units received in exchange for unvested profits interests remaining subject to their existing time-based vesting requirements) in connection with the Transactions.

 

Former Senior Secured Credit Facilities ” refers to the Company’s credit agreement, dated October 30, 2015, which provided for a $175.0 million term loan facility (the “Term Loan A Facility”) and a revolving credit facility, including a $3.0 million sub-facility for the issuance of letters of credit (the “Revolving Credit Facility”). Among other amendments to the credit agreement, on January 17, 2017, the Company entered into an amendment which provided for, among other things, an additional $50.0 million term loan facility (the “Term Loan B Facility”), which was repaid in November 2017 in connection with our initial public offering (“IPO”). The Former Senior Secured Credit Facilities were terminated on October 22, 2018.

 

Fundamental” refers collectively to Fundamental Capital, LLC and Funko International, LLC .

 

“New Credit Facilities” refers to the Company’s credit agreement, dated October 22, 2018 (the “Credit Agreement”), providing for a term loan facility in the amount of $235.0 million (the “New Term Loan Facility”) and a revolving credit facility of $50.0 million (which was increased to $75.0 million on February 11, 2019) (the “New Revolving Credit Facility”).

 

Original Equity Owners refers to the owners of ownership interests in FAH, LLC, collectively, prior to the Transactions, which include ACON, Fundamental, the Former Profits Interests Holders and certain current and former executive officers, employees and directors.

 

Revolving Credit Facility ” refers to our former revolving credit facility, including a $3.0 million subfacility for the issuance of letters of credit.

 

Transactions ” refers to certain organizational transactions that we effected in connection with our initial public offering (“IPO”) in November 2017.

 

Warrant Holders refers to lenders under our Former Senior Secured Credit Facilities (as defined herein) that previously held warrants to purchase ownership interests in FAH, LLC, which were converted into common units of FAH, LLC in connection with the consummation of the Transactions.

18


Overview

We are a leading pop culture consumer products company. Our business is built on the principle that almost everyone is a fan of something and the evolution of pop culture is leading to increasing opportunities for fan loyalty. We create whimsical, fun and unique products that enable fans to express their affinity for their favorite “something”—whether it is a movie, TV show, video game, musician or sports team. We infuse our distinct designs and aesthetic sensibility into one of the industry’s largest portfolios of licensed content over a wide variety of product categories, including figures, plush, accessories, apparel and homewares.

We were founded in 1998 as a consumer products company focused on designing and selling nostalgic bobble head figures. In 2005, we were acquired by a small group of investors led by Brian Mariotti, who took over day-to-day operations and has served as our chief executive officer since that time. Under Brian’s leadership, we have significantly broadened and deepened our relationships with content providers. Content providers trust us to create unique extensions of their intellectual property that extend the relevance of their content with consumers through ongoing engagement, helping to maximize the lifetime value of their content. We strive to license every pop culture property that we believe is relevant to consumers.

Domestically, we primarily sell our products to specialty retailers, mass-market retailers, and e-commerce sites. Internationally, we sell our products directly to similar retailers, primarily in Europe, through our subsidiary Funko UK, Ltd. We also sell our products to distributors for sale to small retailers in the United States and in certain countries internationally, typically where we do not currently have a direct presence. We also sell certain of our products directly to consumers through our e-commerce business and, to a lesser extent, at specialty licensing and comic book shows, conventions and exhibitions in cities throughout the United States, including at Comic-Con events.

On November 6, 2017, we completed our IPO of 10,416,666 shares of Class A common stock at an initial public offering price of $12.00 per share and received approximately $117.3 million in net proceeds after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions. We used the net proceeds to purchase 10,416,666 newly issued common units directly from FAH, LLC at a price per unit equal to the price per share of Class A common stock in the IPO less underwriting discounts and commissions. At March 31, 2019, we held 28.5 million common units, representing an approximately 57.1% interest in FAH, LLC.

Key Performance Indicators

We consider the following metrics to be key performance indicators to evaluate our business, develop financial forecasts, and make strategic decisions.

 

 

 

Three Months Ended March 31,

 

 

 

2019

 

 

2018

 

 

 

(amounts in thousands)

 

Net sales

 

$

166,800

 

 

$

137,211

 

Net income

 

$

7,070

 

 

$

2,237

 

EBITDA (1)

 

$

22,649

 

 

$

17,894

 

Adjusted EBITDA (1)

 

$

25,462

 

 

$

17,452

 

(1)

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”) and Adjusted EBITDA are financial measures not calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP, or non-GAAP financial measures. For a reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss), the most closely comparable U.S. GAAP financial measure, see  “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.


19


Results of Operations

Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 Compared to Three Months Ended March 31, 2018

The following table sets forth information comparing the components of net income for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018:

 

 

 

Three Months Ended March 31,

 

 

 

Period over Period Change

 

 

 

 

2019

 

 

2018

 

 

 

Dollar

 

 

Percentage

 

 

 

 

(amounts in thousands, except percentages)

 

Net sales

 

 

$

166,800

 

 

$

137,211

 

 

 

$

29,589

 

 

 

21.6

%

Cost of sales (exclusive of depreciation and

   amortization shown separately below)

 

 

 

103,268

 

 

 

85,921

 

 

 

 

17,347

 

 

 

20.2

%

Selling, general, and administrative expenses

 

 

 

40,818

 

 

 

34,810

 

 

 

 

6,008

 

 

 

17.3

%

Acquisition transaction costs

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

28

 

 

 

 

(28

)

 

 

-100.0

%

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

 

10,093

 

 

 

9,301

 

 

 

 

792

 

 

 

8.5

%

Total operating expenses

 

 

 

154,179

 

 

 

130,060

 

 

 

 

24,119

 

 

 

18.5

%

Income from operations

 

 

 

12,621

 

 

 

7,151

 

 

 

 

5,470

 

 

 

76.5

%

Interest expense, net

 

 

 

4,072

 

 

 

5,896

 

 

 

 

(1,824

)

 

 

-30.9

%

Other (income) expense, net

 

 

 

65

 

 

 

(1,442

)

 

 

 

1,507

 

 

 

-104.5

%

Income before income taxes

 

 

 

8,484

 

 

 

2,697

 

 

 

 

5,787

 

 

 

214.6

%

Income tax expense

 

 

 

1,414

 

 

 

460

 

 

 

 

954

 

 

 

207.4

%

Net income

 

 

 

7,070

 

 

 

2,237

 

 

 

 

4,833

 

 

 

216.0

%

Less: net income attributable to non-controlling

   interests

 

 

 

4,910

 

 

 

1,338

 

 

 

 

3,572

 

 

 

267.0

%

Net income attributable to Funko, Inc.

 

 

$

2,160

 

 

$

899

 

 

 

$

1,261

 

 

 

140.3

%

 

Net Sales

Net sales were $166.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019, an increase of 21.6%, compared to $137.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018. The increase in net sales was due primarily to an increase in the number of active properties and strong sales demand across all of our geographic markets and product categories.

For the three months ended March 31, 2019, the number of active properties increased 34.6% to 611 from 454 for the three months ended March 31, 2018, and the average net sales per active property decreased 9.7% for the three months ended March 31, 2019 as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2018. An active property is a licensed property from which we generate sales of products during a given period.  While we expect to see growth in the number of active properties over time, we expect that the number of active properties and the average sales per active property will fluctuate from year to year or quarter to quarter based on what is relevant in pop culture at that time and the types of properties we are producing against.

On a geographical basis, net sales in the United States increased 22.3% to $108.7 million in the three months ended March 31, 2019 as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2018, and net sales internationally increased 20.1% to $58.1 million in the three months ended March 31, 2019 as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2018, driven by strong growth across all regions. On a product category basis, net sales of figures increased 17.6% to $136.0 million in the three months ended March 31, 2019 as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2018, and net sales of other products increased 42.5% to $30.8 million in the three months ended March 31, 2019 as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2018, driven primarily by continued growth of our Loungefly and other softline products.

Cost of Sales and Gross Margin (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)

Cost of sales (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) was $103.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019, an increase of 20.2%, compared to $85.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018. Cost of sales (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) increased primarily as a result of the continued growth in sales, including an increase in total active properties and increased international sales.

Gross margin (exclusive of depreciation and amortization), calculated as net sales less cost of sales as a percentage of net sales, was 38.1% for the three months ended March 31, 2019, compared to 37.4% for the three months ended March 31, 2018. The increase in gross margin (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) for the three months ended March 31, 2019 primarily reflected lower product costs as a percentage of net sales, driven by $1.8 million of costs related to Toys R Us shipments for which no revenue was recognized during the three months ended March 31, 2018, and lower

20


shipping and freight costs as a percentage of net sales , partially offset by higher customer chargebacks and an increase in license and royalty costs as a percentage of net sales as a result of the mix of properties sold .

Selling, General, and Administrative Expenses

Selling, general, and administrative expenses were $40.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019, an increase of 17.3%, compared to $34.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018. The increase was driven primarily by growth in the business, including a $2.4 million increase in personnel expenses and commissions, a $1.8 million increase in equity-based compensation expense and a $1.4 million increase in rent and related facilities costs. Selling, general and administrative expenses were 24.5% and 25.4% of net sales for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization expense was $10.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019, an increase of 8.5%, compared to $9.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018, primarily related an increase in depreciation on tooling and molds as we continue to expand our product offerings.

Interest Expense, Net

Interest expense, net was $4.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019, a decrease of 30.9%, compared to $5.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018. The decrease in interest expense, net was due to lowered interest rates on debt outstanding during the three months ended March 31, 2019 under the New Credit Facilities as compared to the interest rates on debt outstanding during the three months ended March 31, 2018 under the Former Senior Secured Credit Facilities.

Other (income) expense, net

Other (income) expense, net was $0.1 million of expense for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and $1.4 million of income for the three months ended March 31, 2018. Other (income) expense, net for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 was primarily related to foreign currency gains and losses relating to transactions denominated in currencies other than the US dollar.

Net income

Net income was $7.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019, an increase of 216.0%, compared to $2.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018. The increase in net income was primarily the result of the decrease in interest expense, net, the decrease in selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of net sales and the increase in gross margin (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) for the three months ended March 31, 2019 as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2018, as discussed above.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Pro Forma Net Income and Adjusted Pro Forma Earnings per Diluted Share (collectively the “Non-GAAP Financial Measures”) are supplemental measures of our performance that are not required by, or presented in accordance with, U.S. GAAP. The Non-GAAP Financial Measures are not measurements of our financial performance under U.S. GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to net income (loss), earnings per share or any other performance measure derived in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We define EBITDA as net income (loss) before interest expense, net, income tax expense (benefit), depreciation and amortization. We define Adjusted EBITDA as EBITDA further adjusted for non-cash charges related to equity-based compensation programs, acquisition transaction costs, foreign currency transaction gains and losses and other unusual or one-time items. We define Adjusted Pro Forma Net Income as net income attributable to Funko, Inc adjusted for the reallocation of income attributable to non-controlling interests from the assumed exchange of all outstanding common units and options in FAH, LLC (or the common unit equivalent of profit interests in FAH, LLC for periods prior to the IPO) for newly issued-shares of Class A common stock of Funko, Inc. and further adjusted for the impact of certain non-cash charges and other items that we do not consider in our evaluation of ongoing operating performance. These items include, among other things, reallocation of net income attributable to non-controlling interests, non-cash charges related to equity-based compensation programs, acquisition transaction costs, foreign currency transaction gains and losses and other unusual or one-time items, and the income tax expense (benefit) effect of these adjustments. We define Adjusted Pro Forma Earnings per Diluted Share as Adjusted Pro Forma Net Income divided by the weighted-average shares of Class A common stock outstanding, assuming (1) the full exchange of all outstanding common units and options in FAH, LLC (or the common unit equivalent of profit interest in FAH, LLC for periods prior to the IPO) for newly issued-shares of Class A common stock of Funko, Inc. and (2) the dilutive effect of stock options and unvested common units, if any. We caution investors that amounts presented in accordance with our definitions of the Non-GAAP Financial Measures may not be comparable to similar measures disclosed by our

21


competitors, because not all companies and analysts calculate the Non-GAAP Financial Measures in the same manner. We present the Non-GAAP Financial Measures because we consider them to be importan t supplemental measures of our performance and believe they are frequently used by securities analysts, investors, and other interested parties in the evaluation of companies in our industry. Management believes that investors’ understanding of our perform ance is enhanced by including these Non-GAAP Financial Measures as a reasonable basis for comparing our ongoing results of operations.

Management uses the Non-GAAP Financial Measures:

 

as a measurement of operating performance because they assist us in comparing the operating performance of our business on a consistent basis, as they remove the impact of items not directly resulting from our core operations;

 

for planning purposes, including the preparation of our internal annual operating budget and financial projections;

 

as a consideration to assess incentive compensation for our employees;

 

to evaluate the performance and effectiveness of our operational strategies; and

 

to evaluate our capacity to expand our business.

By providing these Non-GAAP Financial Measures, together with reconciliations, we believe we are enhancing investors’ understanding of our business and our results of operations, as well as assisting investors in evaluating how well we are executing our strategic initiatives. In addition, our New Secured Credit Facilities use Adjusted EBITDA to measure our compliance with covenants such as a senior leverage ratio. The Non-GAAP Financial Measures have limitations as analytical tools, and should not be considered in isolation, or as an alternative to, or a substitute for net income (loss) or other financial statement data presented in our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q as indicators of financial performance. Some of the limitations are:

 

such measures do not reflect our cash expenditures, or future requirements for capital expenditures or contractual commitments;

 

such measures do not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, our working capital needs;

 

such measures do not reflect the interest expense, or the cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments on our debt;

 

although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized will often have to be replaced in the future and such measures do not reflect any cash requirements for such replacements; and

 

other companies in our industry may calculate such measures differently than we do, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures.

Due to these limitations, Non-GAAP Financial Measures should not be considered as measures of discretionary cash available to us to invest in the growth of our business. We compensate for these limitations by relying primarily on our U.S. GAAP results and using these non-GAAP measures only supplementally. As noted in the table below, the Non-GAAP Financial Measures include adjustments for non-cash charges related to equity-based compensation programs, acquisition transaction costs, foreign currency transaction gains and losses and other unusual or one-time items. It is reasonable to expect that these items will occur in future periods. However, we believe these adjustments are appropriate because the amounts recognized can vary significantly from period to period, do not directly relate to the ongoing operations of our business and complicate comparisons of our internal operating results and operating results of other companies over time. Each of the normal recurring adjustments and other adjustments described herein and in the reconciliation table below help management with a measure of our core operating performance over time by removing items that are not related to day-to-day operations.

22


The following tables reconcile the Non-GAAP Financial Measures to th e most directly comparable U.S. GAAP financial performance measure, which is net income, for the periods presented:

 

 

 

Three Months Ended March 31,

 

 

 

2019

 

 

2018

 

 

 

(In thousands, except per share data)

 

Net income attributable to Funko, Inc.

 

$

2,160

 

 

$

899

 

Reallocation of net income attributable to

   non-controlling interests from the assumed

   exchange of common units of FAH, LLC for

   Class A common stock (1)

 

 

4,910

 

 

 

1,338

 

Equity-based compensation (2)

 

 

2,748

 

 

 

972

 

Acquisition transaction costs and other expenses (3)

 

 

 

 

 

28

 

Foreign currency transaction (gain) loss (4)

 

 

65

 

 

 

(1,442

)

Income tax expense (5)

 

 

(1,410

)

 

 

(104

)

Adjusted pro forma net income

 

 

8,473

 

 

 

1,691

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted-average shares of Class A common stock

   outstanding-basic

 

 

26,640

 

 

 

23,338

 

Equity-based compensation awards and

   common units of FAH, LLC that are

   convertible into Class A common stock

 

 

24,994

 

 

 

27,295

 

Adjusted pro forma weighted-average shares of

   Class A stock outstanding - diluted

 

 

51,634

 

 

 

50,633

 

Adjusted pro forma earnings per diluted share

 

$

0.16

 

 

$

0.03

 

 

 

 

Three Months Ended March 31,

 

 

 

2019

 

 

2018

 

 

 

(amounts in thousands)

 

Net income (loss)

 

$

7,070

 

 

$

2,237

 

Interest expense, net

 

 

4,072

 

 

 

5,896

 

Income tax expense (benefit)

 

 

1,414

 

 

 

460

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

10,093

 

 

 

9,301

 

EBITDA

 

$

22,649

 

 

$

17,894

 

Adjustments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Equity-based compensation (2)

 

 

2,748

 

 

 

972

 

Acquisition transaction costs and other

   expenses (3)

 

 

 

 

 

28

 

Foreign currency transaction (gain) loss (4)

 

 

65

 

 

 

(1,442

)

Adjusted EBITDA

 

$

25,462

 

 

$

17,452

 

(1)

Represents the reallocation of net income attributable to non-controlling interests from the assumed exchange of common units of FAH, LLC for Class A common stock in periods in which income was attributable to non-controlling interests.

(2 )

Represents non-cash charges related to equity-based compensation programs, which vary from period to period depending on the timing of awards.

( 3 )

Represents legal, accounting, and other related costs incurred in connection with acquisitions and other transactions.

( 4 )

Represents both unrealized and realized foreign currency (gains) losses on transactions other than in U.S. dollars.

( 5 )

Represents the income tax expense effect of the above adjustments. This adjustment uses an effective tax rate of 25% for both the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018.

23


Liquidity and Financial Condition

Introduction

Our primary requirements for liquidity and capital are working capital, inventory management, capital expenditures, debt service and general corporate needs.

On March 7, 2018, we entered into an amendment to our former credit agreement which provided for, among other things, (i) a $13.0 million prepayment of the amounts owing under the Term Loan A Facility on the effective date of the amendment, with no changes in the amount of future amortization payments, (ii) a reduction in the interest rate margins (a) for the Term Loan A Facility, from 6.25% to 5.50% for base rate loans and 7.25% to 6.50% for LIBOR rate loans and (b) for the Revolving Credit Facility, from 2.50% to 1.75% for LIBOR rate loans, (iii) a 1% prepayment premium on prepayments under both the Term Loan A Facility and the Revolving Credit Facility for 180 days after the effective date of the amendment, and (iv) a $20.0 million increase to the borrowing base under the Revolving Credit Facility, so long as no loan party formed under the laws of England and Wales or Funko UK, Ltd. incurs secured indebtedness for borrowed money.

On October 22, 2018 (the “Closing Date”), Funko Acquisition Holdings, L.L.C., Funko Holdings LLC, Funko, LLC and Loungefly, LLC (each, a “Borrower” and collectively, the “Borrowers”), entered into a new Credit Agreement by and among each Borrower, certain financial institutions party thereto and PNC Bank, National Association, as administrative agent and collateral agent, providing for the New Term Loan Facility in the amount of $235.0 million and the New Revolving Credit Facility of $50.0 million. Proceeds from the New Credit Facilities were primarily used to repay the Former Senior Secured Credit Facilities.

On February 11, 2019, the Company amended its New Credit Facilities to increase the New Revolving Credit Facility to $75.0 million, reflecting the incremental capacity of $25.0 million contemplated under the New Credit Facilities prior to such amendment.

On February 11, 2019, we acquired Forrest-Pruzan Creative LLC, a board game development studio in Seattle, WA.  See Note 3, Acquisitions for further information.

On April 20, 2019, we filed a preliminary shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (the "Form S-3") with the SEC. If declared effective by the SEC, it will allow us to offer and sell from time-to-time up to $100.0 million of Class A common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants, purchase contracts or units comprised of any combination of these securities for our own account and allows certain selling stockholders to offer and sell 31,934,185 shares of Class A common stock in one or more offerings. The shelf registration statement is intended to provide us flexibility to conduct registered sales of our securities, subject to market conditions and our future capital needs. The terms of any offering under the shelf registration statement will be established at the time of such offering and will be described in a prospectus supplement filed with the SEC prior to the completion of any such offering.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

The following table shows summary cash flow information for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 (in thousands):

 

 

Three Months Ended March 31,

 

 

 

2019

 

 

2018

 

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

$

27,302

 

 

$

9,455

 

Net cash used in investing activities

 

 

(9,982

)

 

 

(6,501

)

Net cash used in financing activities

 

 

(7,570

)

 

 

(3,468

)

Effect of exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents

 

 

(690

)

 

 

(764

)

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

 

$

9,060

 

 

$

(1,278

)

Operating Activities. Our net cash provided by operating activities consists of net income adjusted for certain non-cash items, including depreciation and amortization, equity-based compensation, fair value adjustments to contingent consideration, accretion of discount on long-term debt, as well as the effect of changes in working capital and other activities.

Net cash provided by operating activities was $27.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019, compared to net cash provided by operating activities of $9.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018. The increase was primarily due to an increase in cash provided by operating activities related to our $7.1 million net income in the three

24


months ended March 31, 2019 compared to a $2.2 million of net income in the three months ended March 31, 2018 . N on-cash adjustments also increased net cash provided by operating activities by $3.4 million in the three months ended March 31, 2019 as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2018 due primarily to increases in equity-based compensation of $1.8 million, foreign currency gains of $1.0 million and depreciation , amortization and other of $0.7 million . C hanges in working capital also increased cash provided by operating activities by $9.7 million in the three months ended March 31, 2019 as compared to the three months ended March 31 , 201 8 due primarily to increase s in accounts payable of $16.2 million and decreases in inventory of $5.6 million and accounts receivable, net of $3.5 million , partially offset by decreases in accrued expenses and other liabilities of $11.6 million and accrued royalties of $3.5 million .

For the three months ended March 31, 2018, net cash provided by operating activities was $9.5 million and was comprised of net income of $2.2 million, increased by $9.3 million related to noncash adjustments, primarily related to depreciation, amortization and other, equity-based compensation and accretion of long-term debt discount. Changes in working capital decreased cash provided by operating activities by $2.1 million. The increase in working capital positively impacted net cash through decreases in accounts receivable, net of $28.2 million and inventory of $6.5 million and an increase in accrued expenses and other liabilities of 1.8 million, partially offset by decreases in accounts payable of $29.1 million, accrued royalties of $7.1 million and an increase in prepaid expenses and other assets of $2.9 million.

Investing Activities . Our net cash used in investing activities primarily consists of acquisitions, net of cash, and purchase of property and equipment. For the three months ended March 31, 2019, net cash used in investing activities was $10.0 million and was primarily comprised of initial cash consideration, net of cash acquired of $6.4 million for the Forrest-Pruzan Acquisition and $3.6 million for purchases of property and equipment primarily relating to tooling and molds.

For the three months ended March 31, 2018, net cash used in investing activities was $6.5 million and was primarily comprised of purchases of property and equipment primarily relating to tooling and molds.

Financing Activities . Our financing activities primarily consist of proceeds from the issuance of long-term debt, net of debt issuance costs, the repayment of long-term debt, payments and borrowings under our line of credit facility, contributions from, and distributions to, the Continuing Equity Owners and proceeds from the exercise of equity-based options. We do not anticipate any future financing activity related to contributions from the Continuing Equity Owners.

For the three months ended March 31, 2019, net cash used in financing activities was $7.6 million, primarily related to distributions to the Continuing Equity Owners of $8.1 million and payments on the New Term Loan Facility of $2.9 million, partially offset by net borrowings on the New Revolving Credit Facility of $2.5 million and proceeds from the exercise of equity based options of $1.1 million.

 

For the three months ended March 31, 2018, net cash used in financing activities was $3.5 million, primarily related to payments on the Term Loan A Facility of $15.4 million and $10.9 million in distributions to FAH, LLC members, partially offset by net borrowings on the Revolving Credit Facility of $22.7 million.

Financial Condition

Notwithstanding our obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement between Funko, Inc., FAH, LLC and each of the Continuing Equity Owners (the “Tax Receivable Agreement”), we believe that our sources of liquidity and capital will be sufficient to finance our continued operations, growth strategy, our planned capital expenditures and the additional expenses we expect to incur as a public company for at least the next 12 months. However, we cannot assure you that our cash provided by operating activities, cash and cash equivalents or cash available under our New Revolving Credit Facility will be sufficient to meet our future needs. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flows from operations in the future, and if availability under our New Revolving Credit Facility is not sufficient, we may have to obtain additional financing. If we obtain additional capital by issuing equity, the interests of our existing stockholders will be diluted. If we incur additional indebtedness, that indebtedness may contain significant financial and other covenants that may significantly restrict our operations. We cannot assure you that we could obtain refinancing or additional financing on favorable terms or at all.

As noted above, on October 22, 2018, we entered into the New Credit Facilities and repaid in full our Former Senior Secured Credit Facilities.  The New Credit Facilities are secured by substantially all assets of the Borrowers and any of their existing or future material domestic subsidiaries, subject to customary exceptions.

The Borrowers and any of their existing or future material domestic subsidiaries guarantee repayment of the New Credit Facilities. The New Term Loan Facility matures on October 22, 2023 (the “Maturity Date”).  The New Term Loan Facility amortizes in quarterly installments in aggregate amounts equal to 5.00% of the original principal amount of the New Term

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Loan Facility in the first and second years of the New Term Loan Facility, 10.00% of the original principal amount of the New Term Loan Facility in the third and fourth years of the New Term Loan Facility an d 12.50% of the original principal amount of the New Term Loan Facility in the fifth year of the New Term Loan Facility, with any outstanding balance due and payable on the Maturity Date.  The New Revolving Credit Facility terminates on the Maturity Date a nd loans thereunder may be borrowed, repaid, and reborrowed up to such date.

Loans under the New Credit Facilities will, at the Borrowers’ option, bear interest at either the Euro-Rate (as defined in the Credit Agreement) plus 3.25% or the Base Rate (as defined in the Credit Agreement) plus 2.25%, with two 0.25% step-downs based on the achievement of certain leverage ratios following the Closing Date. The Euro-Rate is subject to a 0.00% floor. For loans based on the Euro-Rate, interest payments are due at the end of each applicable interest period. For loans based on the Base Rate, interest payments are due quarterly.

The Credit Agreement governing the New Credit Facilities contains a number of covenants that, among other things and subject to certain exceptions, restrict our ability to:

 

incur additional indebtedness;

 

incur certain liens;

 

consolidate, merge or sell or otherwise dispose of our assets;

 

alter the business conducted by us and our subsidiaries;

 

make investments, loans, advances, guarantees and acquisitions;

 

pay dividends or make other distributions on equity interests, or redeem, repurchase or retire equity interests;

 

enter into transactions with affiliates;

 

enter into agreements restricting our subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends;

 

issue or sell equity interests or securities convertible into or exchangeable for equity interests;

 

redeem, repurchase or refinance other indebtedness; and

 

amend or modify our governing documents.

In addition, the Credit Agreement requires FAH, LLC and its subsidiaries to comply on a quarterly basis with a maximum senior leverage ratio and a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio (in each case, measured on a trailing four-quarter basis). The maximum senior leverage ratio is currently 3.00:1.00. As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, we were in compliance with all covenants in our New Credit Facilities.

The Credit Agreement also contains certain customary representations and warranties and affirmative covenants, and certain reporting obligations. In addition, the lenders under the New Credit Facilities will be permitted to accelerate all outstanding borrowings and other obligations, terminate outstanding commitments and exercise other specified remedies upon the occurrence of certain events of default (subject to certain grace periods and exceptions), which include, among other things, payment defaults, breaches of representations and warranties, covenant defaults, certain cross-defaults and cross-accelerations to other indebtedness, certain events of bankruptcy and insolvency, certain judgments and changes of control. The Credit Agreement defines “change of control” to include, among other things, any person or group other than ACON and its affiliates becoming the beneficial owner of more than 35% of the voting power of the equity interests of Funko, Inc.

As of March 31, 2019, we had $22.5 million of cash and cash equivalents and $112.4 million of working capital, compared with $13.5 million of cash and cash equivalents and $122.8 million of working capital as of December 31, 2018. Working capital is impacted by the seasonal trends of our business and the timing of new product releases, as well as our current portion of long-term debt and draw downs on our line of credit.

Future Sources and Uses of Liquidity

Sources

As noted above, historically, our primary sources of cash flows have been cash flows from operating activities and borrowings under our Former Senior Secured Credit Facilities and New Credit Facilities.

On October 22, 2018, the Company entered into the New Credit Facilities.  Upon closing, proceeds from the New Credit Facilities were primarily used to repay all of the outstanding aggregate principal balance and accrued interest of $209.6

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mil lion on the previous Term Loan A Facility and $65.3 million on the previous Revolving Credit Facility.  Upon repayment, both the previous Term Loan A Facility and the previous Revolving Credit Facility were terminated.   On February 11, 2019, the Company a mended the New Credit Facilities to increase the New Revolving Credit Facility to $75.0 million, of which $22.5 million was outstanding as of March 31, 2019 . For a discussion of our New Credit Facilities, see Note 5 , Debt of our unaudited condensed consol idated financial statements. For a discussion of our Former Senior Secured Credit Facilities, see Note 10, Debt in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 .

As described above, on April 20, 2019, we filed a preliminary shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (the "Form S-3") with the SEC. If declared effective by the SEC, it will allow us to offer and sell from time-to-time up to $100.0 million of Class A common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants, purchase contracts or units comprised of any combination of these securities for our own account. The terms of any offering under the shelf registration statement will be established at the time of such offering and will be described in a prospectus supplement filed with the SEC prior to the completion of any such offering.

Uses

Additional future liquidity needs may include public company costs, tax distributions, the redemption right held by the Continuing Equity Owners that they may exercise from time to time (should we elect to exchange their common units for a cash payment), payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement and general cash requirements for operations and capital expenditures. The Continuing Equity Owners may exercise their redemption right for as long as their common units remain outstanding. Although the actual timing and amount of any payments that may be made under the Tax Receivable Agreement will vary, we expect that the payments we will be required to make to the Continuing Equity Owners will be significant. Any payments made by us to the Continuing Equity Owners under the Tax Receivable Agreement will generally reduce the amount of overall cash flow that might have otherwise have been available to us or to FAH, LLC and, to the extent that we are unable to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement for any reason, the unpaid amounts generally will be deferred and will accrue interest until paid by us; provided however, that nonpayment for a specified period may constitute a material breach under the Tax Receivable Agreement and therefore may accelerate payments due under the Tax Receivable Agreement.

Seasonality

While our customers in the retail industry typically operate in highly seasonal businesses, we have historically experienced only moderate seasonality in our business. Historically, over 50% of our net sales are made in the third and fourth quarters, primarily in the period from August through November, as our customers build up their inventories in anticipation of the holiday season. Historically, the first quarter of the year has represented the lowest volume of shipment and sales in our business and in the retail and toy industries generally and it is also the least profitable quarter due to the various fixed costs of the business. However, the rapid growth we have experienced in recent years may have masked the full effects of seasonal factors on our business to date, and as such, seasonality may have a greater effect on our results of operations in future periods.

Contractual Obligations

In the first quarter of 2019, the Company entered into a ten-year lease of a retail location that commenced on April 1, 2019.  The lease includes total base rent of approximately $21.1 million to be paid over the lease term, subject to certain abatement provisions, as well as certain variable costs.  

 

Other than the lease obligation described above, there were no material changes in our commitments during the three months ended March 31, 2019 under contractual obligations as disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 outside the course of normal business.

  Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

As of March 31, 2019, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based on our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets and

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liabilities and related disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities, revenue and expenses at the date of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various othe r assumptions in accordance with U.S. GAAP that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

Critical accounting policies and estimates are those that we consider the most important to the portrayal of our financial condition and operating results and require management’s most difficult, subjective or complex judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. Our critical accounting policies and estimates include those related to revenue recognition and sales allowances, royalties, inventory, goodwill and intangible assets, equity-based compensation and income taxes. Changes to these policies and estimates could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

There have been no significant changes to our critical accounting policies to our disclosure reported in “Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 except as disclosed in Note 2, Significant Accounting Policies.

Item 3.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk.

We are primarily exposed to market risk from changes in interest rates and foreign currency. These market risks arise in the normal course of business, as we do not engage in speculative trading activities. There have been no material changes in our market risk from the disclosure included under “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures of Market Risk” in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018.

  Item 4.

Controls and Procedures.

Limitations on Effectiveness of Disclosure Controls and Procedures.

In designing and evaluating our disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives. In addition, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect that there are resource constraints and that management is required to apply judgment in evaluating the benefits of possible controls and procedures relative to their costs.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our management, with the participation of our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, has concluded, based on its evaluation as of March 31, 2019, that our “disclosure controls and procedures” (as such term is defined in Rules 13a–15(e) and 15d–15(e) under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act”)), were effective at the reasonable assurance level as of March 31, 2019.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended March 31, 2019 identified in management's evaluation pursuant to Rules 13a-15(d) or 15d-15(d) of the Exchange Act that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

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PART II – O THER INFORMATION

Item 1.

Legal Proceedings.

We are, and may in the future become, subject to various legal proceedings and claims that arise in or outside the ordinary course of business. For example, on November 16, 2017, a purported stockholder of the Company filed a putative class action lawsuit in the Superior Court of Washington in and for King County against us, certain of our officers and directors, and the underwriters of our IPO, entitled Robert Lowinger v. Funko, Inc., et. al. In January and March 2018, five additional putative class action lawsuits were filed in Washington state court, four in the Superior Court of Washington in and for King County and one in the Superior Court of Washington in and for Snohomish County. Two of the King County lawsuits, Surratt v. Funko, Inc. et. al. (filed on January 16, 2018) and Baskin v. Funko, Inc. et. al. (filed on January 30, 2018), were filed against us and certain of our officers and directors. The other two King County lawsuits, The Ronald and Maxine Linde Foundation v. Funko, Inc. et. al. (filed on January 18, 2018) and Lovewell v. Funko, Inc. et. al (filed on March 27, 2018), were filed against us, certain of our officers and directors, ACON, Fundamental and certain other defendants. The Snohomish County lawsuit, Berkelhammer v. Funko, Inc. et. al. (filed on March 13, 2018), was filed against us, certain of our officers and directors, and ACON.

On May 8, 2018, the Berkelhammer action was voluntarily dismissed, and on May 15, 2018 a substantially similar action was filed by the same plaintiff in the Superior Court of Washington in and for King County. On April 2, 2018, a putative class action lawsuit Jacobs v. Funko, Inc. et. al was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington against us, certain of our officers and directors, and certain other defendants. On May 21, 2018 the Jacobs action was voluntarily dismissed, and on June 12, 2018 a substantially similar action was filed by the same plaintiff in the Superior Court of Washington in and for King County.

On July 2, 2018, all of the above-referenced suits were ordered consolidated for all purposes into one action under the title In re Funko, Inc. Securities Litigation in the Superior Court of Washington in and for King County. On August 1, 2018, plaintiffs filed a consolidated complaint against us, certain of our officers and directors, ACON, Fundamental, and certain other defendants. On October 1, 2018, we moved to dismiss that action. Plaintiffs filed their opposition to our motion to dismiss on October 31, 2018, and we filed our reply to plaintiffs’ opposition on November 30, 2018. Oral arguments on the motions to dismiss are scheduled to be held on May 3, 2019.

Additionally, on June 4, 2018, a putative class action lawsuit Kanugonda v. Funko, Inc., et al. was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington against us, certain of our officers and directors, and certain other defendants. On January 4, 2019, a lead plaintiff was appointed in that case. On April 30, 2019, the lead plaintiff filed an amended complaint against the previously named defendants.

The complaints in both state and federal court allege that we violated Sections 11, 12, and 15 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, by making allegedly materially misleading statements and by omitting material facts necessary to make the statements made therein not misleading. The lawsuits seek, among other things, compensatory statutory damages and rescissory damages in account of the consideration paid for our Class A common stock by plaintiff and members of the putative class, as well as attorneys’ fees and costs.

We are party to additional legal proceedings incidental to our business. While the outcome of these additional matters could differ from management’s expectations, we do not believe that the resolution of such matters is reasonably likely to have a material effect on our results of operations or financial condition.

Item 1A.

Risk Factors.

Our business faces significant risks and uncertainties. Certain important factors may have a material adverse effect on our business prospects, financial condition and results of operations, and they should be carefully considered. Accordingly, in evaluating our business, we encourage you to consider the following discussion of risk factors in its entirety, in addition to other information contained in or incorporated by reference into this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and our other public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Other events that we do not currently anticipate or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Related to Our Business

Our success depends on our ability to execute our business strategy.

Our net sales and profitability have grown rapidly in recent periods; however, this should not be considered indicative of our future performance. Our future growth, profitability and cash flows depend upon our ability to successfully execute our business strategy, which is dependent upon a number of factors, including our ability to:

 

expand our market presence in existing sales channels and enter additional sales channels;

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anticipate, gauge and respond to rapidly changing consumer preferences and pop cul ture trends;

 

acquire or enter into new licenses in existing product categories or in new product categories and renew existing licenses;

 

expand our geographic presence to take advantage of opportunities outside of the United States;

 

enhance and maintain favorable brand recognition for our Company and product offerings;

 

maintain and expand margins through sales growth and efficiency initiatives;

 

effectively manage our relationships with third-party manufacturers;

 

effectively manage our debt, working capital and capital investments to maintain and improve the generation of cash flow; and

 

execute any acquisitions quickly and efficiently and integrate businesses successfully.

There can be no assurance that we can successfully execute our business strategy in the manner or time period that we expect. Further, achieving these objectives will require investments which may result in short-term costs without generating any current sales or countervailing cost savings and, therefore, may be dilutive to our earnings, at least in the short term. In addition, we may decide to divest or discontinue certain brands or products or streamline operations and incur other costs or special charges in doing so. We may also decide to discontinue certain programs or sales to certain retailers based on anticipated strategic benefits. The failure to realize the anticipated benefits from our business strategy could have a material adverse effect on our prospects, business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business is dependent upon our license agreements, which involve certain risks.

Products from which we generate substantially all of our net sales are produced under license agreements which grant us the right to use certain intellectual property in such products. These license agreements typically have short terms (between two and three years), are not automatically renewable, and, in some cases, give the licensor the right to terminate the license agreement at will. Our license agreements typically provide that our licensors own the intellectual property rights in the products we design and sell under the license, and as a result, upon termination of the license, we would no longer have the right to sell these products, while our licensors could engage a competitor to do so. We believe our ability to retain our license agreements depends, in large part, on the strength of our relationships with our licensors. Any events or developments adversely affecting those relationships, or the loss of one or more members of our management team, particularly our chief executive officer, could adversely affect our ability to maintain and renew our license agreements on similar terms or at all. Our top ten licensors collectively accounted for approximately 77% and 70% of our sales for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Moreover, while we have separate licensing arrangements with Disney, LucasFilm and Marvel, these parties are all under common ownership by Disney and collectively these licensors accounted for approximately 40% and 33% of our sales for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The termination or lack of renewal of one or more of our license agreements, or the renewal of a license agreement on less favorable terms, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. For example, in January 2019 we renewed our licensing agreements with Disney, LucasFilm and Marvel. In connection with such renewals, we were required to provide Disney certain benefits and fees in addition to paying Disney approximately $2.0 million as a consent fee under our previous licensing agreements. While we may enter into additional license agreements in the future, the terms of such license agreements may be less favorable than the terms of our existing license agreements.

Our license agreements are complex, and typically grant our licensors the right to audit our compliance with the terms and conditions of such agreements. Any such audit could result in a dispute over whether we have paid the proper royalties, which could require us to pay additional royalties, and the amounts involved could be material. For example, as of March 31, 2019, we had a reserve of $8.2 million on our balance sheet related to ongoing and future royalty audits. In addition to royalty payments, these agreements as a whole impose numerous other obligations on us, including obligations to, among other things:

 

maintain the integrity of the applicable intellectual property;

 

obtain the licensor’s approval of the products we develop under the license prior to making any sales;

 

permit the licensor’s involvement in, or obtain the licensor’s approval of, advertising, packaging and marketing plans;

 

maintain minimum sales levels or make minimum guaranteed royalty payments;

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actively promote the sale of the licensed product and maintain the availability of the licensed product throughout the license term;

 

spend a certain percentage of our sales of the licensed product on marketing and advertising for the licensed product;

 

sell the products we develop under the license only within a specified territory or within specified sales channels;

 

indemnify the licensor in the event of product liability or other claims related to the licensed product and advertising or other materials used to promote the licensed product;

 

obtain the licensor’s approval of the retail price of the licensed products;

 

sell the licensed products to the licensor at a discounted price or at the lowest price charged to our customers;

 

obtain the licensor’s consent prior to assigning or sub-licensing to third parties; and

 

provide notice to, obtain approval from, or, in limited circumstances, make certain payments to the licensor in connection with certain changes in control.

If we breach any of these obligations or any other obligations set forth in any of our license agreements, we could be subject to monetary penalties and our rights under such license agreements could be terminated, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our success is also partially dependent on the reputation of our licensors and the goodwill associated with their intellectual property, and the ability of our licensors to protect and maintain the intellectual property rights that we use in connection with our products, all of which may be harmed by factors outside our control. See also “If we are unable to obtain, maintain and protect our intellectual property rights, in particular trademarks and copyrights, or if our licensors are unable to maintain and protect their intellectual property rights that we use in connection with our products, our ability to compete could be negatively impacted.”

As a purveyor of licensed pop culture consumer products, we cannot assure you that we will be able to design and develop products that will be popular with consumers, or that we will be able to maintain the popularity of successful products.

The interests of consumers evolve extremely quickly and can change dramatically from year to year. To be successful we must correctly anticipate both the products and the movies, TV shows, video games, music, sports and other content releases (including the related characters), that will appeal to consumers and quickly develop and introduce products that can compete successfully for consumers’ limited time, attention and spending. Evolving consumer tastes and shifting interests, coupled with an ever changing and expanding pipeline of products and content that compete for consumers’ interest and acceptance, create an environment in which some products and content can fail to achieve consumer acceptance, while others can be popular during a certain period of time but then be rapidly replaced. As a result, consumer products, particularly those based on pop culture such as ours, can have short life cycles. In addition, given the growing market for digital products and the increasingly digital nature of pop culture, there is also a risk that consumer demand for physical products may decrease over time. If we devote time and resources to developing and marketing products that consumers do not find appealing enough to buy in sufficient quantities, our sales and profits may decline, and our business performance may be damaged. Similarly, if our product offerings fail to correctly anticipate consumer interests, our sales and earnings will be adversely affected.

Additionally, our business is increasingly global and depends on interest in and acceptance of our products and our licensors’ brands by consumers in diverse markets around the world with different tastes and preferences. As such, our success depends on our ability to successfully predict and adapt to changing consumer tastes and preferences in multiple markets and geographies and to design products that can achieve popularity globally over a broad and diverse consumer audience. There is no guarantee that we will be able to successfully develop and market products with global appeal.

Consumer demand for pop culture products can and does shift rapidly and without warning. As a result, even if our product offerings are initially successful, there can be no guarantee that we will be able to maintain their popularity with consumers. Accordingly, our success will depend, in part, on our ability to continually design and introduce new products that consumers find appealing. To the extent we are unable to do so, our sales and profitability will be adversely affected. This is particularly true given the concentration of our sales under certain of our brands, particularly Pop!. Sales of our Pop! branded products accounted for approximately 81% and 78% of our sales for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. If consumer demand for our Pop! branded products were to decrease, our business,

31


financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected unless we were able to develop and market additional products that generated an equivalent amount of net sales at a comparable gross margin, which there is no guarantee we would be able to do.

Changes in the retail industry and markets for consumer products affecting our retail customers or retailing practices could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our products are primarily sold to consumers through retailers that are our direct customers or customers of our distributors. As such, changes in the retail industry can negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Due to the challenging environment for traditional “brick-and-mortar” retail locations caused by declining in-store traffic, many retailers are closing physical stores, and some traditional retailers are engaging in significant reorganizations, filing for bankruptcy and going out of business. For example, in September 2017, Toys “R” Us, Inc. and certain of its subsidiaries filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of Title 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code, and in March 2018, Toys “R” Us, Inc. announced the wind down of its U.S. operations and the potential insolvency proceedings of certain of its subsidiaries. Toys “R” Us, Inc. accounted for approximately 3.4% of our sales for the year ended December 31, 2017. In addition to furthering consolidation in the retail industry, such a trend could have a negative effect on the financial health of our retail customers and distributors, potentially causing them to experience difficulties in fulfilling their payment obligations to us or our distributors, reduce the amount of their purchases, seek extended credit terms or otherwise change their purchasing patterns, alter the manner in which they promote our products or the resources they devote to promoting and selling our products or cease doing business with us or our distributors. If any of our retail customers were to file for bankruptcy, we could be unable to collect amounts owed to us and could even be required to repay certain amounts paid to us prior to the bankruptcy filing. The occurrence of any of these events would have an adverse effect on our business, cash flows, financial condition and results of operations.

If we do not effectively maintain and further develop our relationships with retail customers and distributors, our growth prospects, business and results of operations could be harmed.

Historically, substantially all of our net sales have been derived from our retail customers and distributors, upon which we rely to reach the consumers who are the ultimate purchasers of our products. In the United States, we primarily sell our products directly to specialty retailers, mass-market retailers and e-commerce sites. In international markets, we sell our products directly to similar retailers, primarily in Europe, through our subsidiary Funko UK, Ltd. We also sell our products to distributors for sale to retailers in the United States and in certain countries internationally, typically in those countries in which we do not currently have a direct presence. Our top ten customers represented approximately 42% and 38% of our sales for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

We depend on retailers to provide adequate and attractive space for our products and point of purchase displays in their stores. We further depend on our retail customers to employ, educate and motivate their sales personnel to effectively sell our products. If our retail customers do not adequately display our products or choose to promote competitors’ products over ours, our sales could decrease, and our business could be harmed. Similarly, we depend on our distributors to reach retailers in certain market segments in the United States and to reach international retailers in countries where we do not have a direct presence. Our distributors generally offer products from several different companies, including our competitors. Accordingly, we are at risk that these distributors may give higher priority to selling other companies’ products. If we were to lose the services of a distributor, we might need to find another distributor in that area, and there can be no assurance of our ability to do so in a timely manner or on favorable terms.

In addition, our business could be adversely affected if any of our retail customers or distributors were to reduce purchases of our products. Our retail customers and distributors generally build inventories in anticipation of future sales and will decrease the size of their future product orders if sales do not occur as rapidly as they anticipate. Our customers make no long-term commitments to us regarding purchase volumes and can therefore freely reduce their purchases of our products. Any reduction in purchases of our products by our retail customers and distributors, or the loss of any key retailer or distributor, could adversely affect our net sales, operating results and financial condition.

Furthermore, consumer preferences have shifted, and may continue to shift in the future, to sales channels other than traditional retail, including e-commerce, in which we have more limited experience, presence and development. Consumer demand for our products may be less in these channels than in traditional retail channels. In addition, our entry into new product categories and geographies has exposed, and may continue to expose, us to new sales channels in which we have less expertise. If we are not successful in developing our e-commerce channel and other new sales channels, our net sales and profitability may be adversely affected.

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Our industry is highly competitive and the barriers to entry are low. If we are unable to compete effectively with existin g or new competitors, our sales, market share and profitability could decline.

Our industry is, and will continue to be, highly competitive. We compete with toy companies in many of our product categories, some of which have substantially more resources than us, stronger name recognition, longer operating histories and greater economies of scale. We also compete with numerous smaller domestic and foreign collectible product designers and manufacturers. Across our business, we face competitors who are constantly monitoring and attempting to anticipate consumer tastes and trends, seeking ideas which will appeal to consumers and introducing new products that compete with our products for consumer acceptance and purchase.

In addition to existing competitors, the barriers to entry for new participants in our industry are low, and the increasing use of digital technology, social media and the internet to spark consumer interest has further increased the ability for new participants to enter our markets and has broadened the array of companies against which we compete. New participants can gain access to retail customers and consumers and become a significant source of competition for our products in a very short period of time. Additionally, since we do not have exclusive rights to any of the properties we license or the related entertainment brands, our competitors, including those with more resources and greater economies of scale, can obtain licenses to design and sell products based on the same properties that we license, potentially on more favorable terms. Any of these competitors may be able to bring new products to market more quickly, respond more rapidly than us to changes in consumer preferences and produce products of higher quality or that can be sold at more accessible price points. To the extent our competitors’ products achieve greater market acceptance than our products, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be adversely affected.

In addition, certain of our licensors have reserved the rights to manufacture, distribute and sell identical or similar products to those we design and sell under our license agreements. These products could directly compete with our products and could be sold at lower prices than those at which our products are sold, resulting in higher margins for our customers compared to our products, potentially lessening our customers’ demand for our products and adversely affecting our sales and profitability.

Furthermore, competition for access to the properties we license is intense, and we must vigorously compete to obtain licenses to the intellectual property we need to produce our products. This competition could lessen our ability to secure, maintain, and renew our existing licenses, or require us to pay licensors higher royalties and higher minimum guaranteed payments in order to obtain new licenses or retain our existing licenses. To the extent we are unable to license properties on commercially reasonable terms, or on terms at least as favorable as our competitors, our competitive position and demand for our products will suffer. Because our ability to compete for licensed properties is based largely on our ability to increase fan engagement and generate royalty revenues for our licensors, any reduction in the demand for and sales of our products will further inhibit our ability to obtain licenses on commercially reasonable terms or at all. As a result, any such reduction in the demand for and sales of our products could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We also increasingly compete with toy companies and other product designers for shelf space at specialty, mass-market and other retailers. Our retail customers will allocate shelf space and promotional resources based on the margins of our products for our customers, as well as their sales volumes. If toy companies or other competitors produce higher margin or more popular merchandise than our products, our retail customers may reduce purchases of our products and, in turn, devote less shelf space and resources to the sale of our products, which could have a material adverse effect on our sales and profitability.

We have experienced rapid growth in recent periods. If we fail to manage our growth effectively, our financial performance may suffer.

We have experienced rapid growth over the last several years, which has placed a strain on our managerial, operational, product design and development, sales and marketing, administrative and financial infrastructure. For example, we increased our total number of full-time employees from 66 as of December 31, 2013 to 805 as of March 31, 2019. As a result of our acquisition of Underground Toys Limited in January 2017 (the “Underground Toys Acquisition”), we now have distribution operations in the United Kingdom, our first distribution center outside of our headquarters in Everett, Washington. In June 2017, with the acquisition of Loungefly, LLC, we added an additional distribution center in Chatsworth, California. Our success will depend in part upon our ability to manage our growth effectively. To do so, we must continue to increase the productivity of our existing employees and to hire, train and manage new employees as needed, which we may not be able to do successfully or without compromising our corporate culture. See “Our success is critically dependent on the efforts and dedication of our officers and other employees, and the loss of any one or more key employees, or our inability to attract and retain qualified personnel and maintain our corporate culture, could adversely

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affect our business.” To manage domestic and international growth of our operations and personnel, we will need to continue to improve our product development, supply chain, financial and management controls and our reporting processes and procedures and implement more extensive and integrated financial and business information systems. These additional investments will increase our operating costs, which will make it more difficult for us to offset any future revenue shortfalls by reduc ing expenses in the short term. Moreover, if we fail to scale our operations or manage our growth successfully, our business, financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected.

Our gross margin may not be sustainable and may fluctuate over time.

Our gross margin has historically fluctuated, primarily as a result of changes in product mix, changes in our costs, price competition and acquisitions. For the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, our gross margins (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) were 38.1% and 37.4%, respectively. Our current gross margin may not be sustainable, and our gross margin may decrease over time. A decrease in gross margin can be the result of numerous factors, including, but not limited to:

 

changes in customer, geographic, or product mix;

 

introduction of new products, including our expansion into additional product categories;

 

increases in the royalty rates under our license agreements;

 

inability to meet minimum guaranteed royalties;

 

increases in, or our inability to reduce, our costs;

 

entry into new markets or growth in lower margin markets;

 

increases in raw materials, labor or other manufacturing- and inventory-related costs;

 

increases in transportation costs, including the cost of fuel, and increased shipping costs to meet customer demand;

 

increased price competition;

 

changes in the dynamics of our sales channels, including those affecting the retail industry and the financial health of our customers;

 

increases in sales discounts and allowances provided to our customers;

 

acquisitions of companies with a lower gross margin than ours; and

 

overall execution of our business strategy and operating plan.

If any of these factors, or other factors unknown to us at this time, occur, then our gross margin could be adversely affected, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business is largely dependent on content development and creation by third parties.

We spend considerable resources in designing and developing products in conjunction with planned movie, television, video game, music and other content releases by various third-party content providers. The timing of the development and release, and the ultimate consumer interest in and success of, such content depends on the efforts of these third parties, as well as conditions in the media and entertainment industry generally. We do not control when or if any particular project will be greenlit, developed or released, and the creators of such projects may change their plans with respect to release dates or cancel development altogether. This can make it difficult for us to successfully develop and market products in conjunction with a given content release, given the lead times involved in product development and successful marketing efforts. Additionally, unforeseen factors in the media and entertainment industry, including labor strikes and unforeseen developments with talent, including accusations of a star’s wrongdoing, may also delay or cancel the release of such projects. Any such delay or cancellation may decrease the number of products we sell and harm our business.

We may not realize the full benefit of our licenses if the properties we license have less market appeal than expected or if sales from the products that use those properties are not sufficient to satisfy the minimum guaranteed royalties.

We seek to fulfill consumer preferences and interests by designing and selling products primarily based on properties owned by third parties and licensed to us. The popularity of the properties we license can significantly affect our sales and profitability. If we produce products based on a particular movie, TV show or video game, the success of the underlying content has a critical impact on the level of consumer interest in the associated products we are offering. Although we

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license a wide variety of properties, sales of products tied to major movie franchises have been significant co ntributors to our business. In addition, the theatrical duration of movie releases has decreased over time and we expect this trend to continue with the increase of content made available on video streaming services . This may make it increasingly difficult for us to sell products based on such properties or lead our customers to reduce demand for our products to minimize inventory risk. If the performance of one or more of such movie franchises failed to meet expectations or if there was a shift in consumer tastes away from such franchises generally, our results of operations could be adversely affected. In addition, competition in our industry for access to licensed properties can lessen our ability to secure, maintain, and renew our existing licenses on co mmercially reasonable terms, if at all, and to attract and retain the talented employees necessary to design, develop and market successful products based on these properties.

Our license agreements usually also require us to pay minimum royalty guarantees, which may in some cases be greater than what we are ultimately able to recoup from actual sales. When our licensing agreements require minimum royalty guarantees, we accrue a royalty liability based on the contractually required percentage, as revenues are earned. In the case that a minimum royalty guarantee is not expected to be met through sales, we will accrue up to the minimum amount required to be paid. For the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, we recorded reserves of $0.5 million and $1.0 million, respectively, related to prepaid royalties we estimated would not be recovered through sales. Acquiring or renewing licenses may require the payment of minimum guaranteed royalties that we consider to be too high to be profitable, which may result in losing licenses that we currently hold when they become available for renewal, or missing business opportunities for new licenses. Additionally, we have no guarantee that any particular property we license will translate into a successful product. Products tied to a particular content release may be developed and released before demand for the underlying content is known. The underperformance of any such product may result in reduced sales and operating profit for us.

Our success depends, in part, on our ability to successfully manage our inventories.

We must maintain sufficient inventory levels to operate our business successfully, but we must also avoid accumulating excess inventory, which increases working capital needs and lowers gross margin. We obtain substantially all of our inventory from third-party manufacturers located outside the United States and must typically order products well in advance of the time these products will be offered for sale to our customers. As a result, it may be difficult to respond to changes in consumer preferences and market conditions, which, for pop culture products, can change rapidly. If we do not accurately anticipate the popularity of certain products, then we may not have sufficient inventory to meet demand. Alternatively, if demand or future sales do not reach forecasted levels, we could have excess inventory that we may need to hold for a long period of time, write down, sell at prices lower than expected or discard. If we are not successful in managing our inventory, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

We may also be negatively affected by changes in retailers’ inventory policies and practices. As a result of the desire of retailers to more closely manage inventory levels, there is a growing trend to make purchases on a “just-in-time” basis. This requires us to more closely anticipate demand and could require us to carry additional inventory. Policies and practices of individual retailers may adversely affect us as well, including those relating to access to and time on shelf space, price demands, payment terms and favoring the products of our competitors. Our retail customers make no binding long-term commitments to us regarding purchase volumes and make all purchases by delivering purchase orders. Any retailer can therefore freely reduce its overall purchase of our products, including the number and variety of our products that it carries, and reduce the shelf space allotted for our products. If demand or future sales do not reach forecasted levels, we could have excess inventory that we may need to hold for a long period of time, write down, sell at prices lower than expected or discard. If we are not successful in managing our inventory, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

An inability to develop and introduce products in a timely and cost-effective manner may damage our business.

Our sales and profitability depend on our ability to bring products to market to meet customer demands and before consumers begin to lose interest in a given property. There is no guarantee that we will be able to manufacture, source and ship new or continuing products in a timely manner or on a cost-effective basis to meet constantly changing consumer demands. This risk is heightened by our customers’ increasingly compressed shipping schedules and the seasonality of our business. Furthermore, our license agreements typically require us to obtain the licensor’s approval of the products we develop under a particular license prior to making any sales, which can have the effect of delaying our product releases. Additionally, for products based on properties in our movie, TV show and video game categories, this risk may also be exacerbated by our need to introduce new products on a timeframe that corresponds with a particular content release. These time constraints may lead our customers to reduce their demand for these products in order to minimize their inventory risk. Moreover, unforeseen delays or difficulties in the development process, significant increases in the planned cost of development, manufacturing delays or changes in anticipated consumer demand for our products

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and new brands , or the related third party content, may cause the introduction date for products to be later tha n anticipated, may reduce or eliminate the profitability of such products or, in some situations, may cause a product or new brand introduction to be discontinued.

If we are unable to obtain, maintain and protect our intellectual property rights, in particular trademarks and copyrights, or if our licensors are unable to maintain and protect their intellectual property rights that we use in connection with our products, our ability to compete could be negatively impacted.

Our intellectual property is a valuable asset of our business. As of March 31, 2019, we owned approximately 40 registered U.S. trademarks, 124 registered international trademarks, 27 pending U.S. trademark applications and 11 pending international trademark applications. The market for our products depends to a significant extent upon the value associated with our product design, our proprietary brands and the properties we license. Although certain of our intellectual property is registered in the United States and in several of the foreign countries in which we operate, there can be no assurances with respect to the rights associated with such intellectual property in those countries, including our ability to register, use, maintain or defend key trademarks and copyrights. We rely on a combination of trademark, trade dress, copyright and trade secret laws, as well as confidentiality procedures and contractual restrictions, to establish and protect our intellectual property or other proprietary rights. However, these laws, procedures and restrictions provide only limited and uncertain protection and any of our intellectual property rights may be challenged, invalidated, circumvented, infringed or misappropriated, including by counterfeiters and parallel importers. In addition, our intellectual property portfolio in many foreign countries is less extensive than our portfolio in the United States, and the laws of foreign countries, including many emerging markets in which our products are produced or sold, may not protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. The costs required to protect our trademarks and copyrights may be substantial.

In addition, we may fail to apply for, or be unable to obtain, protection for certain aspects of the intellectual property used in or beneficial to our business. Further, we cannot provide assurance that our applications for trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property rights will be granted, or, if granted, will provide meaningful protection. In addition, third parties have in the past and could in the future bring infringement, invalidity or similar claims with respect to any of our current trademarks and copyrights, or any trademarks or copyrights that we may seek to obtain in the future. Any such claims, whether or not successful, could be extremely costly to defend, divert management’s attention and resources, damage our reputation and brands, and substantially harm our business and results of operations.

In order to protect or enforce our intellectual property and other proprietary rights, or to determine the enforceability, scope or validity of the intellectual or proprietary rights of others, we may initiate litigation or other proceedings against third parties. Any lawsuits or proceedings that we initiate could be expensive, take significant time and divert management’s attention from other business concerns. Litigation and other proceedings also put our intellectual property at risk of being invalidated, or if not invalidated, may result in the scope of our intellectual property rights being narrowed. In addition, our efforts to try to protect and defend our trademarks and copyrights may be ineffective. Additionally, we may provoke third parties to assert claims against us. We may not prevail in any lawsuits or other proceedings that we initiate, and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially valuable. The occurrence of any of these events may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, most of our products bear the trademarks and other intellectual property rights of our licensors, and the value of our products is affected by the value of those rights. Our licensors’ ability to maintain and protect their trademarks and other intellectual property rights is subject to risks similar to those described above with respect to our intellectual property. We do not control the protection of the trademarks and other intellectual property rights of our licensors and cannot ensure that our licensors will be able to secure or protect their trademarks and other intellectual property rights. The loss of any of our significant owned or licensed trademarks, copyrights or other intellectual property could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, our licensors may engage in activities or otherwise be subject to negative publicity that could harm their reputation and impair the value of the intellectual property rights we license from them, which could reduce consumer demand for our products and adversely affect our business financial condition and results of operations.

Our success depends on our ability to operate our business without infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the trademarks, copyrights and proprietary rights of other parties.

Our commercial success depends at least in part on our ability to operate without infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the trademarks, copyrights and other proprietary rights of others. However, we cannot be certain that the conduct of our business does not and will not infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate such rights. Many companies have employed intellectual property litigation as a way to gain a competitive advantage, and to the extent we gain greater visibility and market exposure as a public company, we may also face a greater risk of being the subject of such litigation. For these and other reasons, third parties may allege that our products or activities, including products we make under

36


license, infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate their trademark, copyright or other proprietary rights. While we typically receive intellectual property infringement indemnities from our licen sors, the indemnities are often limited to third-party copyright infringement claims to the extent arising from our use of the licensed material. Defending against allegations and litigation could be expensive, take significant time, divert management’s at tention from other business concerns, and delay getting our products to market. In addition, if we are found to be infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating third-party trademark, copyright or other proprietary rights, we may need to obtain a lic ense, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all, or may need to redesign or rebrand our products, which may not be possible. We may also be required to pay substantial damages or be subject to a court order prohibiting us and ou r customers from selling certain products or engaging in certain activities. Any claims of violating others’ intellectual property, even those without merit, could therefore have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our operating results may be adversely affected and damage to our reputation may occur due to production and sale of counterfeit versions of our products.

As we have expanded internationally, and the global popularity of our products has increased, we are increasingly subject to efforts by third parties to produce counterfeit versions of our products. There can be no guarantee that our efforts, including our work with customs officials and law enforcement authorities, to block the manufacture of counterfeit goods, prevent their entry into end markets, and detect counterfeit products in customer networks will be successful or result in any material reduction in the availability of counterfeit goods. Any such counterfeit sales, to the extent they replace otherwise legitimate sales, could adversely affect our operating results and damage our reputation.

Our success is critically dependent on the efforts and dedication of our officers and other employees, and the loss of one or more key employees, or our inability to attract and retain qualified personnel and maintain our corporate culture, could adversely affect our business.

Our officers and employees are at the heart of all of our efforts. It is their skill, creativity and hard work that drive our success. In particular, our success depends to a significant extent on the continued service and performance of our senior management team, including our chief executive officer, Brian Mariotti. We are dependent on his talents and believe he is integral to our relationships with our licensors and certain of our key retail customers. The loss of any member of our senior management team, or of any other key employees, or the inability to successfully complete a planned transition related to our chief financial officer, could impair our ability to execute our business plan and could therefore have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We do not currently maintain key man life insurance policies on any member of our senior management team or on our other key employees.

In addition, competition for qualified personnel is intense. We compete with many other potential employers in recruiting, hiring and retaining our senior management team and our many other skilled officers and other employees around the world. Our headquarters is located near Seattle and competition in the Seattle area for qualified personnel, particularly those with technology-related skills and experience, is intense due to the increasing number of technology and e-commerce companies with a large or growing presence in Seattle, some of whom have greater resources than us and may be located closer to the city than we are.

Furthermore, as we continue to grow our business and hire new employees, it may become increasingly challenging to hire people who will maintain our corporate culture. We believe our corporate culture, which fosters speed, teamwork and creativity, is one of our key competitive strengths. As we continue to grow, we may be unable to identify, hire or retain enough people who will maintain our corporate culture, including those in management and other key positions. Our corporate culture could also be adversely affected by the increasingly global distribution of our employees, as well as their increasingly diverse skill sets. If we are unable to maintain the strength of our corporate culture, our competitive ability and our business may be adversely affected.

Our operating results may fluctuate from quarter to quarter and year to year due to the seasonality of our business, as well as due to the timing of new product releases.

The businesses of our retail customers are highly seasonal, with a majority of retail sales occurring during the period from October through December in anticipation of the holiday season. As a consequence, we have experienced moderate seasonality in our business. Approximately 59.8%, 60.5% and 58.7% of our net sales for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively, were made in the third and fourth quarters, as our customers build up their inventories in anticipation of the holiday season.

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This seasonal pattern requires significant use of working capital, mainly to manufacture inventory during the portion of the year prior to the holiday season and requires accurate forecasting of demand for products during the holiday season in order to avo id losing potential sales of popular products or producing excess inventory of products that are less popular with consumers. In addition, as a result of the seasonal nature of our business, we would be significantly and adversely affected, in a manner dis proportionate to the impact on a company with sales spread more evenly throughout the year, by unforeseen events such as a terrorist attack or economic shock that harm the retail environment or consumer buying patterns during our key selling season, or by events such as strikes or port delays that interfere with the shipment of goods during the critical months leading up to the holiday shopping season.

In addition, our results of operations may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter or year to year depending on the timing of new product releases and related content releases. Sales of a certain product or group of products tied to a particular content release can dramatically increase our net sales in any given quarter or year. The timing and mix of products we sell in any given year will depend on various factors, including the timing and popularity of new releases by third-party content providers and our ability to license properties based on these releases.

Our results of operations may also fluctuate as a result of factors such as the delivery schedules set by our customers and holiday shut down schedules set by our third-party manufacturers. Additionally, the rapid growth we have experienced in recent years may have masked the full effects of seasonal factors on our business to date, and as such, these factors may have a greater effect on our results of operations in future periods.

Our use of third-party manufacturers to produce our products presents risks to our business.

We use third-party manufacturers to manufacture all of our products and have historically concentrated production with a small number of manufacturers and factories. As a result, the loss or unavailability of one of our manufacturers or one of the factories in which our products are produced, even on a temporary basis, could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. This risk is exacerbated by the fact that we do not have written contracts with our manufacturers. While we believe our external sources of manufacturing could be shifted, if necessary, to alternative sources of supply, we would require a significant period of time to make such a shift. Because we believe our products represent a significant percentage of the total capacity of each factory in which they are produced, such a shift may require us to establish relationships with new manufacturers, which we may not be able to do on a timely basis, on similar terms, or at all. We may also be required to seek out additional manufacturers in response to increased demand for our products, as our current manufacturers may not have the capacity to increase production. If we were prevented from or delayed in obtaining a material portion of the products produced by our manufacturers, or if we were required to shift manufacturers (assuming we would be able to do so), our sales and profitability could be significantly reduced.

In addition, while we require that our products supplied by third-party manufacturers be produced in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, and we have the right to monitor compliance by our third-party manufacturers with our manufacturing requirements and to oversee the quality control process at our manufacturers’ factories, there is always a risk that one or more of our third-party manufacturers will not comply with our requirements, and that we will not immediately discover such non-compliance. For example, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, or the CPSIA, limits the amounts of lead and phthalates that are permissible in certain products and requires that our products be tested to ensure that they do not contain these substances in amounts that exceed permissible levels. In the past, products manufactured by certain of our third-party manufacturers have tested positive for phthalates. Though the amount was not in excess of the amount permissible under the CPSIA, we cannot guarantee that products made by our third-party manufacturers will not in the future contain phthalates in excess of permissible amounts, or will not otherwise violate the CPSIA, other consumer or product safety requirements, or labor or other applicable requirements. Any failure of our third-party manufacturers to comply with such requirements in manufacturing products for us could result in damage to our reputation, harm our brand image and sales of our products and potentially create liability for us.

Monitoring compliance by independent manufacturers is complicated by the fact that expectations of ethical business practices continually evolve, may be substantially more demanding than applicable legal requirements and are driven in part by legal developments and by diverse groups active in publicizing and organizing public responses to perceived ethical shortcomings. Accordingly, we cannot predict how such expectations might develop in the future and cannot be certain that our manufacturing requirements, even if complied with, would satisfy all parties who are active in monitoring and publicizing perceived shortcomings in labor and other business practices worldwide.

Additionally, the third-party manufacturers that produce most of our products are located in China, Vietnam and Mexico. As a result, we are subject to various risks resulting from our international operations. See “Our substantial sales and manufacturing operations outside the United States subject us to risks associated with international operations.”

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Our operations, including our corporate headquarters, primary distribution facilities and third-party m anufacturers, are concentrated in certain geographic regions, which makes us susceptible to adverse conditions in those regions.

Our corporate headquarters and primary distribution facilities are located in Everett, Washington. We also have additional warehouse facilities and/or offices located in Maldon, England; Bath, England; and Chatsworth, California. In addition, the factories that produce most of our products are located in China, Vietnam and Mexico. As a result, our business may be more susceptible to adverse conditions in these regions than the operations of more geographically diverse competitors. Such conditions could include, among others, adverse economic and labor conditions, as well as demographic trends. Furthermore, Everett is the location from which most of the products we sell are received, stored and shipped to our customers. We depend heavily on ocean container delivery to receive products from our third-party manufacturers located in Asia and contracted third-party delivery service providers to deliver our products to our distribution facilities. Any disruption to or failures in these delivery services, whether as a result of extreme or severe weather conditions, natural disasters, labor unrest or otherwise, affecting western Washington in particular or the West Coast in general, could significantly disrupt our operations, damage or destroy our equipment and inventory and cause us to incur additional expenses, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. For example, in the fall of 2014, longshoreman work stoppages created a significant backlog of cargo containers at ports. We experienced delays in the shipment of our products as a result of this backlog and were unable to meet our planned inventory allocations for a limited period of time. Although we possess insurance for damage to our property and the disruption of our business, this insurance, and in particular earthquake insurance, which is subject to various limitations and requires large deductibles or co-payments, may not be sufficient to cover all of our potential losses, and may be cancelled by us in the future or otherwise cease to be available to us on reasonable terms or at all. Similarly, natural disasters and other adverse events or conditions affecting east or southeast Asia, where most of our products are produced, could halt or disrupt the production of our products, impair the movement of finished products out of those regions, damage or destroy the molds and tooling necessary to make our products and otherwise cause us to incur additional costs and expenses, any of which could also have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our substantial sales and manufacturing operations outside the United States subject us to risks associated with international operations.

We operate facilities and sell products in numerous countries outside the United States. Sales to our international customers comprised approximately 34.8% and 35.2% of our sales for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. We expect sales to our international customers to account for an increasing portion of our sales in future fiscal years, including as a result of the Underground Toys Acquisition and the formation of our subsidiary Funko UK, Ltd., through which we now sell directly to certain of our customers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In fact, over time, we expect our international sales and operations to continue to grow both in dollars and as a percentage of our overall business as a result of a key business strategy to expand our presence in emerging and underserved international markets. Additionally, as discussed above, we use third-party manufacturers located in China, Vietnam and Mexico to produce most of our products. These international sales and manufacturing operations, including operations in emerging markets, are subject to risks that may significantly harm our sales, increase our costs or otherwise damage our business, including:

 

currency conversion risks and currency fluctuations;

 

limitations on the repatriation of earnings;

 

potential challenges to our transfer pricing determinations and other aspects of our cross-border transactions, which can materially increase our taxes and other costs of doing business; political instability, civil unrest and economic instability;

 

greater difficulty enforcing intellectual property rights and weaker laws protecting such rights;

 

complications in complying with different laws and regulations in varying jurisdictions, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”), the U.K. Bribery Act of 2010, similar anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws and local and international environmental, health and safety laws, and in dealing with changes in governmental policies and the evolution of laws and regulations and related enforcement;

 

difficulties understanding the retail climate, consumer trends, local customs and competitive conditions in foreign markets which may be quite different from the United States;

 

changes in international labor costs and other costs of doing business internationally;

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the imposition of and changes in tariffs, quotas, border adjustment taxes or other protectionist measures by any major country or market in which we operate, which could make it significantly more expensive and difficult to import products into that country or market, raise the cost of such products, decrease our sales of such products or decrease our profitability.

 

natural disasters and the greater difficulty and cost in recovering therefrom;

 

transportation delays and interruptions;

 

difficulties in moving materials and products from one country to another, including port congestion, strikes and other transportation delays and interruptions; and

 

increased investment and operational complexity to make our products compatible with systems in various countries and compliant with local laws.

Because of the importance of international sales, sourcing and manufacturing to our business, our financial condition and results of operations could be significantly harmed if any of the risks described above were to occur or if we are otherwise unsuccessful in managing our increasingly global business.

Increases in tariffs, trade restrictions or taxes on our products could have an adverse impact on our operations.

The commerce we conduct in the international marketplace makes us subject to tariffs, trade restrictions and other taxes when the raw materials or components we purchase, and the products we ship, cross international borders. Trade tensions between the United States and China, as well as those between the United States and Canada, Mexico and other countries have been escalating in recent months. Most notably, three rounds of U.S. tariffs were placed on Chinese goods being exported to the United States, with such tariffs taking effect in July, August and September 2018. Each of these U.S. tariff impositions against Chinese exports were followed by a round of retaliatory Chinese tariffs on U.S. exports to China. Certain of the products we purchase from manufacturers in China are subject to these tariffs, which could make our products less competitive than those of our competitors whose inputs are not subject to these tariffs. In addition, the U.S. administration has threatened to impose tariffs on all products imported from China, which would impact all of our products and supplies imported from China to the United States. If this were to occur, we may not be able to mitigate the impacts of these tariffs, and our business, results of operations and financial position would be materially adversely affected. Products we sell into certain foreign markets could also become subject to similar retaliatory tariffs, making the products we sell uncompetitive compared to similar products not subjected to such import tariffs. Further changes in U.S. trade policies, tariffs, taxes, export restrictions or other trade barriers, or restrictions on raw materials or components may limit our ability to produce products, increase our manufacturing costs, decrease our profit margins, reduce the competitiveness of our products, or inhibit our ability to sell products or purchase raw materials or components, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The results of the United Kingdom’s referendum on withdrawal from the European Union may have a negative effect on global economic conditions, financial markets and our business.

In June 2016, a majority of voters in the United Kingdom elected to withdraw from the European Union in a national referendum known as “Brexit” and, in March 2017, the government of the United Kingdom formally initiated the withdrawal process. These events have created significant uncertainty about the future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union and have given rise to calls for certain regions within the United Kingdom to preserve their place in the European Union by separating from the United Kingdom, as well as for the governments of other European Union member states to consider withdrawal.

These developments, or the perception that any of them could occur, have had and may continue to have a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets, and may significantly reduce global market liquidity and restrict the ability of key market participants to operate in certain financial markets. Asset valuations, currency exchange rates and credit ratings may be especially subject to increased market volatility. Lack of clarity about future United Kingdom laws and regulations as the United Kingdom determines which European Union laws to replace or replicate in the event of a withdrawal, including financial laws and regulations, tax and free trade agreements, intellectual property rights, privacy and data protection, environmental, health and safety laws and regulations and employment laws, could increase costs and depress economic activity. If the United Kingdom and the European Union are unable to negotiate acceptable withdrawal terms or if other European Union member states pursue withdrawal, barrier-free access between the United Kingdom and other European Union member states or among the European economic area overall could be diminished or eliminated.

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Any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, finan cial condition and results of operations. Our operations in the United Kingdom subject us to revenue risk with respect to our customers in the United Kingdom and adverse movements in foreign currency exchange rates, in addition to risks related to the gen eral economic and legal uncertainty related to Brexit described above.

U.S. tax legislation significantly changed U.S. federal income tax rules and may materially adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) enacted in December 2017 has significantly changed U.S. federal income taxation, including reducing the U.S. corporate income tax rate, limiting certain interest deductions, imposing a one-time transition tax on all undistributed earnings and profits of certain non-U.S. entities and other additional taxes with respect to certain non-U.S. earnings, permitting full expensing of certain capital expenditures, adopting elements of a territorial tax system, revising the rules governing net operating losses and the rules governing foreign tax credits, and introducing new anti-base erosion provisions. Many of these changes became effective immediately, without any transition periods or grandfathering for existing transactions. The legislation is unclear in many respects and could be subject to potential amendments and technical corrections, as well as interpretations and implementing regulations by the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service, any of which could lessen or increase certain adverse impacts of the legislation. In addition, it is unclear how these U.S. federal income tax changes may affect state and local taxation.

Any of these above factors could potentially impact the measurement of our tax balances and reduce any anticipated benefits of the Tax Act.

Unanticipated changes in effective tax rates or adverse outcomes resulting from examination of our income or other tax returns could adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

We are subject to income taxes in the United States and the United Kingdom, and our tax liabilities will be subject to the allocation of expenses in differing jurisdictions. Our future effective tax rates could be subject to volatility or adversely affected by a number of factors, including:

 

changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities;

 

expected timing and amount of the release of any tax valuation allowances;

 

tax effects of equity-based compensation;

 

costs related to intercompany restructurings; or

 

changes in tax laws, regulations or interpretations thereof.

In addition, we may be subject to audits of our income, sales and other transaction taxes by the U.K., U.S. federal and state authorities. Outcomes from these audits could have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.

Changes in foreign currency exchange rates can significantly impact our reported financial performance.

Our increasingly global operations mean we produce, buy, and sell products in many different markets with many different currencies. As a result, if the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and a local currency for an international market in which we have significant sales or operations changes, our financial results as reported in U.S. dollars may be meaningfully impacted even if our business in the local currency is not significantly affected. Similarly, our expenses can be significantly impacted, in U.S. dollar terms, by exchange rates, meaning the profitability of our business in U.S. dollar terms can be negatively impacted by exchange rate movements which we do not control. In recent years, certain key currencies, such as the euro and the British pound sterling, depreciated significantly compared to the U.S. dollar. Depreciation in key currencies during 2019 and beyond may have a significant negative impact on our sales and earnings as they are reported in U.S. dollars.

Global and regional economic downturns that negatively impact the retail and credit markets, or that otherwise damage the financial health of our retail customers and consumers, can harm our business and financial performance.

We design, manufacture and market a wide variety of consumer products worldwide through sales to our retail customers and directly to consumers. Our financial performance is impacted by the level of discretionary consumer spending in the markets in which we operate. Recessions, credit crises and other economic downturns, or disruptions in credit markets, in the United States and in other markets in which our products are sold can result in lower levels of economic activity, lower

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employment levels, less con sumer disposable income, and lower consumer confidence. The retail industry is subject to volatility, especially during uncertain economic conditions. A downturn in the retail industry in particular may disproportionately affect us because a substantial ma jority of our net sales are to retail customers. Significant increases in the costs of other products which are required by consumers, such as gasoline, home heating fuels, or groceries, may reduce household spending on our products. Such cost increases an d weakened economic conditions may result from any number of factors, including terrorist attacks, wars and other conflicts, natural disasters, increases in critical commodity prices or labor costs, or the prospect of such events. Such a weakened economic and business climate, as well as consumer uncertainty created by such a climate, could harm our sales and profitability. Similarly, reductions in the value of key assets held by consumers, such as their homes or stock market investments, can lower consumer confidence and consumer spending power. Any of these factors can reduce the amount which consumers spend on the purchase of our products. This in turn can reduce our sales and harm our financial performance and profitability.

In addition to experiencing potentially lower sales of our products during times of economic difficulty, in an effort to maintain sales during such times, we may need to reduce the price of our products, increase our promotional spending or sales allowances, or take other steps to encourage retailer and consumer purchases of our products. Those steps may lower our net sales or increase our costs, thereby decreasing our operating margins and lowering our profitability.

Our business depends in large part on our vendors and outsourcers, and our reputation and ability to effectively operate our business may be harmed by actions taken by these third parties outside of our control.

We rely significantly on vendor and outsourcing relationships with third parties for services and systems including manufacturing, transportation, logistics and information technology. In 2018, we initiated a relationship with a third party logistics company to process and fulfill customer orders in Europe. Any shortcoming of one of our vendors or outsourcers, including our third party logistics provider in Europe, particularly one affecting the quality of these services or systems, may be attributed by customers to us, thus damaging our reputation and brand value, and potentially affecting our results of operations. In addition, problems with transitioning these services and systems to, or operating failures with, these vendors and outsourcers could cause delays in product sales, reduce the efficiency of our operations and require significant capital investments to remediate.

We are subject to various government regulations and may be subject to additional regulations in the future, violation of which could subject us to sanctions or otherwise harm our business.

As a company that designs and sells consumer products, we are subject to significant government regulation, including, in the United States, under the CPSA, the FHSA, the CPSIA and the FFA, as well as under product safety and consumer protection statutes in our international markets. There can be no assurance that we will be in compliance, and failure to comply with these acts could result in sanctions which could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. This risk is exacerbated by our reliance on third parties to manufacture our products. See “Our use of third-party manufacturers to produce our products presents risks to our business.”

Governments and regulatory agencies in the markets in which we manufacture and sell products may enact additional regulations relating to product safety and consumer protection in the future and may also increase the penalties for failing to comply with such regulations. In addition, one or more of our customers might require changes in our products, such as the non-use of certain materials, in the future. Complying with any such additional regulations or requirements could impose increased costs on our business. Similarly, increased penalties for non-compliance could subject us to greater expense in the event any of our products were found to not comply with such regulations. Such increased costs or penalties could harm our business.

As discussed above, our international operations subject us to a host of other governmental regulations throughout the world, including antitrust, customs and tax requirements, anti-boycott regulations, environmental regulations and the FCPA. Complying with these regulations imposes costs on us which can reduce our profitability, and our failure to successfully comply with any such legal requirements could subject us to monetary liabilities and other sanctions that could further harm our business and financial condition. See “Our substantial sales and manufacturing operations outside the United States subject us to risks associated with international operations.”

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We could be subject to future product liability suits or product recalls which could have a significant adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

As a company that designs and sells consumer products, we may be subject to product liability suits or involuntary product recalls or may choose to voluntarily conduct a product recall. While costs associated with product liability claims and product recalls have generally not been material to our business, the costs associated with future product liability claims or product recalls in any given fiscal year, individually or in the aggregate, could be significant. In addition, any product recall, regardless of the direct costs of the recall, could harm consumer perceptions of our products, subject us to additional government scrutiny, divert development and management resources, adversely affect our business operations and otherwise put us at a competitive disadvantage compared to other companies in our industry, any of which could have a significant adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We are currently subject to securities class action litigation and may be subject to similar or other litigation in the future, all of which will require significant management time and attention, result in significant legal expenses and may result in unfavorable outcomes, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition, and negatively affect the price of our Class A common stock.

We are, and may in the future become, subject to various legal proceedings and claims that arise in or outside the ordinary course of business. For example, on November 16, 2017, a purported stockholder of the Company filed a putative class action lawsuit in the Superior Court of Washington in and for King County against us, certain of our officers and directors, and the underwriters of our IPO, entitled Robert Lowinger v. Funko, Inc., et. al. In January and March 2018, five additional putative class action lawsuits were filed in Washington state court, four in the Superior Court of Washington in and for King County and one in the Superior Court of Washington in and for Snohomish County. Two of the King County lawsuits, Surratt v. Funko, Inc. et. al. (filed on January 16, 2018) and Baskin v. Funko, Inc. et. al. (filed on January 30, 2018), were filed against us and certain of our officers and directors. The other two King County lawsuits, The Ronald and Maxine Linde Foundation v. Funko, Inc. et. al. (filed on January 18, 2018) and Lovewell v. Funko, Inc. et. al (filed on March 27, 2018), were filed against us, certain of our officers and directors, ACON, Fundamental and certain other defendants. The Snohomish County lawsuit, Berkelhammer v. Funko, Inc. et. al. (filed on March 13, 2018), was filed against us, certain of our officers and directors, and ACON. On May 8, 2015, the Berkelhammer action was voluntarily dismissed, and on May 15, 2018 a substantially similar action was filed by the same plaintiff in the Superior Court of Washington in and for King County.  On April 2, 2018, a putative class action lawsuit Jacobs v. Funko, Inc. et. al was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington against us, certain of our officers and directors, and certain other defendants. On May 21, 2018 the Jacobs action was voluntarily dismissed, and on June 12, 2018 a substantially similar action was filed by the same plaintiff in the Superior Court of Washington in and for King County.

On July 2, 2018, all of the above-referenced suits were ordered consolidated for all purposes into one action under the title In re Funko, Inc. Securities Litigation in the Superior Court of Washington in and for King County. On August 1, 2018, plaintiffs filed a consolidated complaint against us, certain of our officers and directors, ACON, Fundamental, and certain other defendants. On October 1, 2018, we moved to dismiss that action.  Plaintiffs filed their opposition to our motion to dismiss on October 31, 2018, and we filed our reply to plaintiffs’ opposition on November 30, 2018. Oral arguments on the motions to dismiss are scheduled to be held on May 3, 2019.

Additionally, on June 4, 2018, a putative class action lawsuit Kanugonda v. Funko, et al. was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington against us, certain of our officers and directors, and certain other defendants. On January 4, 2019, a lead plaintiff was appointed in that case. On April 30, 2019, the lead plaintiff filed an amended complaint against the previously named defendants.

The complaints in both state and federal court allege that we violated Sections 11, 12, and 15 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, by making allegedly materially misleading statements and by omitting material facts necessary to make the statements made therein not misleading. The lawsuits seek, among other things, compensatory statutory damages and rescissory damages in account of the consideration paid for our Class A common stock by plaintiff and members of the putative class, as well as attorneys’ fees and costs.

The results of the securities class action lawsuit and any future legal proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty. Also, our insurance coverage may be insufficient, our assets may be insufficient to cover any amounts that exceed our insurance coverage, and we may have to pay damage awards or otherwise may enter into settlement arrangements in connection with such claims. Any such payments or settlement arrangements in current or future litigation could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results or financial condition. Even if the plaintiffs’ claims are not successful, current or future litigation could result in substantial costs and significantly and adversely impact our reputation and divert management’s attention and resources, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating

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results and financial condition, and negatively affect the price of our Class A common stock. In addition, such lawsuits may make it more difficult to finance our operations.

Failure to comply with anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws could result in fines, criminal penalties and materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

A significant risk resulting from our global operations is compliance with a wide variety of U.S. federal and state and non-U.S. laws, regulations and policies, including laws related to anti-corruption, anti-bribery and laundering. The FCPA, the U.K. Bribery Act of 2010 and similar anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws in other jurisdictions generally prohibit companies, their officers, directors, employees and third-party intermediaries, business partners, and agents from making improper payments or other improper things of value to government officials or other persons. There has been an increase in anti-bribery and anti-corruption law enforcement activity in recent years, with more frequent and aggressive investigations and enforcement proceedings by both the U.S. Department of Justice and the SEC, increased enforcement activity by non-U.S. regulators, and increases in criminal and civil proceedings brought against companies and individuals. We operate in parts of the world that are considered high-risk from an anti-bribery and anti-corruption perspective, and strict compliance with anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws may conflict with local customs and practices. We cannot assure you that our internal controls, policies and procedures will protect us from improper conduct by our officers, directors, employees, third-party intermediaries, business partners or agents. To the extent that we learn that any of these parties do not adhere to our internal control policies, we are committed to taking appropriate remedial action. In the event that we believe or have reason to believe that any such party has or may have violated such laws, we may be required to investigate or have outside counsel investigate the relevant facts and circumstances, and detecting, investigating and resolving actual or alleged violations can be expensive and require a significant diversion of time, resources and attention from senior management. Any violation of U.S. federal and state and non-U.S. anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws, regulations and policies could result in substantial fines, sanctions, civil or criminal penalties, and curtailment of operations in the U.S. or other applicable jurisdictions. In addition, actual or alleged violations could damage our reputation and ability to do business. Any of the foregoing could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are subject to governmental economic sanctions requirements and export and import controls that could impair our ability to compete in international markets or subject us to liability if we are not in compliance with applicable laws.

As a U.S. company, we are subject to U.S. export control and economic sanctions laws and regulations, and we are required to export our products in compliance with those laws and regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations and economic and trade sanctions programs administered by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. U.S. economic sanctions and export control laws and regulations prohibit the shipment of specified products and services to countries, governments and persons that are the subject of U.S. sanctions. While we take precautions against doing any business, directly or indirectly, in or with countries, governments and persons subject to U.S. sanctions, such measures may be circumvented. There can be no assurance that we will be in compliance with U.S. export control or economic sanctions laws and regulations in the future. Any such violation could result in criminal or civil fines, penalties or other sanctions and repercussions, including reputational harm that could materially adversely affect our business.

We may not realize the anticipated benefits of acquisitions or investments, or those benefits may be delayed or reduced in their realization.

Acquisitions have been a component of our growth and the development of our business and are likely to continue to be in the future. Acquisitions can broaden and diversify our brand holdings and product offerings, expand our distribution capabilities and allow us to build additional capabilities and competencies. For example, in the case of the Underground Toys Acquisition, we looked to strengthen our ability to sell our products directly to international retailers, primarily those located in Europe, and reduce our reliance on third-party distributors in Europe and certain other international jurisdictions. However, we cannot be certain that the products and offerings of companies we may acquire, or acquire an interest in, will achieve or maintain popularity with consumers in the future or that any such acquired companies or investments will allow us to more effectively distribute our products, market our products, develop our competencies or to grow our business.

In some cases, we expect that the integration of the companies that we may acquire into our operations will create production, distribution, marketing and other operating synergies which will produce greater sales growth and profitability and, where applicable, cost savings, operating efficiencies and other advantages. However, we cannot be certain that these synergies, efficiencies and cost savings will be realized. Even if achieved, these benefits may be delayed or

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reduced in their realization. In other cases, we may acquire or invest in companies that we believe have strong and creative management, in whic h case we may plan to operate them more autonomously rather than fully integrating them into our operations. We cannot be certain that the key talented individuals at these companies would continue to work for us after the acquisition or that they would de velop popular and profitable products, in the future. There is no guarantee that any acquisition or investment we may make will be successful or beneficial or that we will be able to manage the integration process successfully, and acquisitions can consume significant amounts of management attention and other resources, which may negatively impact other aspects of our business.

Our e-commerce business is subject to numerous risks that could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Although sales through our websites have constituted a small portion of our net sales historically, we expect to continue to grow our e-commerce business in the future. Though sales through our websites generally have higher profit margins and provide us useful insight on the sales impact of certain of our marketing campaigns, further development of our e-commerce business also subjects us to a number of risks. Our online sales may negatively impact our relationships with our retail customers and distributors if they perceive that we are competing with them. In addition, online commerce is subject to increasing regulation by states, the federal government and various foreign jurisdictions. Compliance with these laws will increase our costs of doing business, and our failure to comply with these laws could also subject us to potential fines, claims for damages and other remedies, any of which would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Additionally, some jurisdictions have implemented, or may implement, laws that require remote sellers of goods and services to collect and remit taxes on sales to customers located within the jurisdiction. In particular, the Streamlined Sales Tax Project (an ongoing, multi-year effort by U.S. state and local governments to pursue federal legislation that would require collection and remittance of sales tax by out-of-state sellers) could allow states that meet certain simplification and other criteria to require out-of-state sellers to collect and remit sales taxes on goods purchased by in-state residents. Furthermore, in June 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in South Dakota v. Wayfair that a U.S. state may require an online retailer with no in-state property or personnel to collect and remit sales taxes on sales made to the state’s residents, which may permit wider enforcement of sales tax collection requirements.  These collection responsibilities and the complexity associated with tax collection, remittance and audit requirements would also increase the costs associated with our e-commerce business.

Furthermore, our e-commerce operations subject us to risks related to the computer systems that operate our websites and related support systems, such as system failures, viruses, computer hackers and similar disruptions. If we are unable to continually add software and hardware, effectively upgrade our systems and network infrastructure and take other steps to improve the efficiency of our systems, system interruptions or delays could occur that adversely affect our operating results and harm our brand. While we depend on our technology vendors to manage “up-time” of the front-end e-commerce store, manage the intake of our orders, and export orders for fulfillment, we could begin to run all or a greater portion of these components ourselves in the future. Any failure on the part of our third-party e-commerce vendors or in our ability to transition third-party services effectively could result in lost sales and harm our brand. There is a risk that consumer demand for our products online may not generate sufficient sales to make our e-commerce business profitable, as consumer demand for physical products online may be less than in traditional retail sales channels. To the extent our e-commerce business does not generate more net sales than costs, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be adversely affected.

Use of social media may materially and adversely affect our reputation or subject us to fines or other penalties.

We rely to a large extent on our online presence to reach consumers and use third-party social media platforms as marketing tools. For example, we maintain Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube accounts. As e-commerce and social media platforms continue to rapidly evolve, we must continue to maintain a presence on these platforms and establish presences on new or emerging popular social media platforms. If we are unable to cost-effectively use social media platforms as marketing tools, our ability to acquire new consumers and our financial condition may suffer. Furthermore, as laws and regulations rapidly evolve to govern the use of these platforms, the failure by us, our employees or third parties acting at our direction to abide by applicable laws and regulations in the use of these platforms could subject us to regulatory investigations, class action lawsuits, liability, fines or other penalties and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and result of operations.

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Fa ilure to successfully operate our information systems and implement new technology effectively could disrupt our business or reduce our sales or profitability.

We rely extensively on various information technology systems and software applications, including our enterprise resource planning software, to manage many aspects of our business, including product development, management of our supply chain, sale and delivery of our products, financial reporting and various other processes and transactions. We are critically dependent on the integrity, security and consistent operations of these systems and related back-up systems. These systems are subject to damage or interruption from power outages, computer and telecommunications failures, computer viruses, malware and other security breaches, catastrophic events such as hurricanes, fires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, acts of war or terrorism and usage errors by our employees. The efficient operation and successful growth of our business depends on these information systems, including our ability to operate and upgrade them effectively and to select and implement adequate disaster recovery systems successfully. The failure of these information systems to perform as designed, our failure to operate them effectively, or a security breach or disruption in operation of our information systems could disrupt our business, require significant capital investments to remediate a problem or subject us to liability. In 2018, we upgraded the enterprise resource planning software used by our United Kingdom operations.  This upgrade resulted in certain delays in our operations in the first few months of implementation.  We are also considering upgrades to our enterprise resource planning software at our other locations, including in the United States. If the potential upgrades are not successful or result in delays, our business could be disrupted or harmed.

In addition, we have recently implemented, and expect to continue to invest in and implement, modifications and upgrades to our information technology systems and procedures to support our growth and the development of our e-commerce business. These modifications and upgrades could require substantial investment and may not improve our profitability at a level that outweighs their costs, or at all. In addition, the process of implementing any new technology systems involves inherent costs and risks, including potential delays and system failures, the potential disruption of our internal control structure, the diversion of management’s time and attention, and the need to re-train or hire new employees, any of which could disrupt our business operations and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If our electronic data is compromised our business could be significantly harmed.

We maintain significant amounts of data electronically. This data relates to all aspects of our business, including current and future products and entertainment under development, and also contains certain customer, consumer, supplier, partner and employee data. We maintain systems and processes designed to protect the data within our control, but notwithstanding such protective measures, there is a risk of intrusion or tampering that could compromise the integrity and privacy of this data. In addition, we provide confidential and proprietary information to our third-party business partners in certain cases where doing so is necessary or appropriate to conduct our business. While we obtain assurances from those parties that they have systems and processes in place to protect such data, and where applicable, that they will take steps to assure the protections of such data by third parties, nonetheless those partners may also be subject to data intrusion or otherwise compromise the protection of such data. Any compromise of the confidential data of our customers, consumers, suppliers, partners, employees or ourselves, or failure to prevent or mitigate the loss of or damage to this data through breach of our information technology systems or other means could substantially disrupt our operations, harm our customers, consumers and other business partners, damage our reputation, violate applicable laws and regulations and subject us to additional costs and liabilities and loss of business that could be material.

A failure to comply with laws and regulations relating to privacy and the protection of data relating to individuals may result in negative publicity, claims, investigations and litigation, and adversely affect our financial performance.

We are subject to laws, rules, and regulations in the United States, the European Union, and other jurisdictions relating to the collection, use, and security of personal information and data. Such data privacy laws, regulations, and other obligations may require us to change our business practices and may negatively impact our ability to expand our business and pursue business opportunities. We may incur significant expenses to comply with the laws, regulations and other obligations that apply to us. Additionally, the privacy- and data protection-related laws, rules, and regulations applicable to us are subject to significant change. Several jurisdictions have passed new laws and regulations in this area, and other jurisdictions are considering imposing additional restrictions. In particular, our operations are subject to the European Union’s new General Data Protection Regulation, which became effective in May 2018 and imposed a host of new data privacy and security requirements on companies doing business in the European Union, including substantial penalties for non-compliance. Privacy- and data protection-related laws and regulations also may be interpreted and enforced inconsistently over time and from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. In addition to government regulation, privacy advocates and industry groups may propose new and different self-regulatory standards that either legally or contractually apply to us.

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One example of such self-regulatory standards t o which we may be contractually bound is the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, or PCI DSS. Though we currently use third-party vendors to process and store credit card data in connection with our e-commerce business, to the extent we process or store such data ourselves in the future, we may be subject to various aspects of the PCI DSS, and fines, penalties, and a loss of the ability to process credit card payments could result from any failure to comply with the PCI DSS. Any actual or perceived inability to comply with applicable privacy or data protection laws, regulations, or other obligations could result in significant cost and liability, litigation or governmental investigations, damage our reputation, and adversely affect our business.

Our indebtedness could adversely affect our financial health and competitive position.

On October 22, 2018, we entered into the Credit Agreement providing for the New Term Loan Facility in the amount of $235.0 million and the New Revolving Credit Facility in the amount of $50.0 million (which was increased to $75 million on February 11, 2019). Proceeds from the New Credit Facilities were primarily used to repay the Former Senior Secured Credit Facilities.  As of March 31, 2019, we had $247.1 million of indebtedness outstanding under our New Credit Facilities, consisting of $224.7 million outstanding under our New Term Loan Facility (net of unamortized discount of $4.5 million) and $22.5 million outstanding under our New Revolving Credit Facility.

In order to service this indebtedness and any additional indebtedness we may incur in the future, we need to generate cash. Our ability to generate cash is subject, to a certain extent, to our ability to successfully execute our business strategy, as well as general economic, financial, competitive, regulatory and other factors beyond our control. We cannot assure you that our business will be able to generate sufficient cash flow from operations or that future borrowings or other financing will be available to us in an amount sufficient to enable us to service our indebtedness and fund our other liquidity needs. To the extent we are required to use our cash flow from operations or the proceeds of any future financing to service our indebtedness instead of funding working capital, capital expenditures or other general corporate purposes, we will be less able to plan for, or react to, changes in our business, industry and in the economy generally. This will place us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors that have less indebtedness.

In addition, the Credit Agreement contains, and any agreements evidencing or governing other future indebtedness may contain, certain restrictive covenants that limit our ability, among other things, to engage in certain activities that are in our long-term best interests, including our ability to:

 

incur additional indebtedness;

 

incur certain liens;

 

consolidate, merge or sell or otherwise dispose of our assets;

 

alter the business conducted by us and our subsidiaries;

 

make investments, loans, advances, guarantees and acquisitions;

 

pay dividends or make other distributions on equity interests, or redeem, repurchase or retire equity interests;

 

enter into transactions with our affiliates;

 

enter into agreements restricting our subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends;

 

issue or sell equity interests or securities convertible into or exchangeable for equity interests;

 

redeem, repurchase or refinance our other indebtedness; and

 

amend or modify our governing documents.

The restrictive covenants in the Credit Agreement also require us to maintain specified financial ratios. While we have not previously breached and are not in breach of any of these covenants, there can be no guarantee that we will not breach these covenants in the future. Our ability to comply with these covenants and restrictions may be affected by events and factors beyond our control. Our failure to comply with any of these covenants or restrictions could result in an event of default under our credit facilities. This would permit the lending banks under such facilities to take certain actions, including terminating all outstanding commitments and declaring all amounts due under our credit agreement to be immediately due and payable, including all outstanding borrowings, accrued and unpaid interest thereon, and prepayment premiums with respect to such borrowings and any terminated commitments. In addition, the lenders would have the right to proceed against the collateral we granted to them, which includes substantially all of our assets. The occurrence of any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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We may not be able to secure additional financing on favorable terms, or at all, to mee t our future capital needs.

In the future, we may require additional capital to respond to business opportunities, challenges, acquisitions or unforeseen circumstances, and may determine to engage in equity or debt financings or enter into credit facilities or refinance existing indebtedness for other reasons. We may not be able to timely secure additional debt or equity financing on favorable terms, or at all. As discussed above, the Credit Agreement contains restrictive covenants that limit our ability to incur additional indebtedness and engage in other capital-raising activities. Any debt financing obtained by us in the future could involve covenants that further restrict our capital raising activities and other financial and operational matters, which may make it more difficult for us to operate our business, obtain additional capital and pursue business opportunities, including potential acquisitions. Furthermore, if we raise additional funds through the issuance of equity or convertible debt or other equity-linked securities, our existing stockholders could suffer significant dilution. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing or financing on terms satisfactory to us, when we require it, our ability to continue to grow or support our business and to respond to business challenges could be significantly limited.

Any impairment in the value of our goodwill or other assets would adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We are required, at least annually, or as facts and circumstances warrant, to test goodwill and other assets to determine if impairment has occurred. Impairment may result from any number of factors, including adverse changes in assumptions used for valuation purposes, such as actual or projected net sales growth rates, profitability or discount rates, or other variables. If the testing indicates that impairment has occurred, we are required to record a non-cash impairment charge for the difference between the carrying value of the goodwill or other assets and the implied fair value of the goodwill or the fair value of other assets in the period the determination is made. We cannot always predict the amount and timing of any impairment of assets. Should the value of goodwill or other assets become impaired, it would have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Relating to Our Organizational Structure

ACON has significant influence over us, including over decisions that require the approval of stockholders, and its interests, along with the interests of our other Continuing Equity Owners, in our business may conflict with the interests of our other stockholders.

Each share of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock entitles its holders to one vote per share on all matters presented to our stockholders. As of the date of this report, ACON holds approximately 48.0% of the combined voting power of our common stock through its ownership of 12,921,039 shares of our Class A common stock and 10,495,687 shares of our Class B common stock. Accordingly, ACON will have significant influence over substantially all transactions and other matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders, such as a merger, consolidation, dissolution or sale of all or substantially all of our assets, the issuance or redemption of certain additional equity interests, and the election of directors. This influence may increase the likelihood that we will consummate transactions that are not in the best interests of holders of our Class A common stock or, conversely, prevent the consummation of transactions that are in the best interests of holders of our Class A common stock.

Additionally, the Continuing Equity Owners who, as of the date of this report, collectively hold approximately 67.4% of the combined voting power of our common stock, may receive payments from us under the Tax Receivable Agreement in connection with our purchase of common units of FAH, LLC directly from certain of the Continuing Equity Owners upon a redemption or exchange of their common units in FAH, LLC, including the issuance of shares of our Class A common stock upon any such redemption or exchange. As a result, the interests of the Continuing Equity Owners may conflict with the interests of holders of our Class A common stock. For example, the Continuing Equity Owners may have different tax positions from us which could influence their decisions regarding whether and when to dispose of assets, whether and when to incur new or refinance existing indebtedness, and whether and when we should terminate the Tax Receivable Agreement and accelerate our obligations thereunder. In addition, the structuring of future transactions may take into consideration tax or other considerations of the Continuing Equity Owners even in situations where no similar considerations are relevant to us.

In addition, pursuant to the Stockholders Agreement between Funko, Inc., ACON, Fundamental and Brian Mariotti, our chief executive officer (the “Stockholders Agreement”), ACON has the right to designate certain of our directors, which we refer to as the ACON Directors, which will be three ACON Directors for as long as ACON directly or indirectly, beneficially owns, in the aggregate 35% or more of our Class A common stock, two ACON Directors for so long as ACON, directly or indirectly, beneficially owns, in the aggregate, less than 35% but at least 25% or more of our Class A common stock and one ACON Director for as long as ACON, directly or indirectly, beneficially owns, in the aggregate, less than 25% but at least 15% or more of our Class A common stock (assuming in each such case that all outstanding common units in FAH, LLC are redeemed for newly issued shares of our Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis). Each of ACON, Fundamental, and Brian Mariotti, our chief executive officer, will also agree to vote, or cause to vote, all of their

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outstanding shares of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock at any annual or special meeting of stockholders in which directors are elected, so as to cause the election of the ACON Directors and Mr. Mariotti for as long as he is our chief executive officer . Additionally, pursuant to the Stockholders Agreement, we shall take all commercially reasonable action to cause (1) the board of directors to be comprised of at least seven directors or such other number of directors as our board of directors may determine; (2) the individuals designated in accordance with the terms of the Stockholders Agreement to be included in the slate of nominees to be electe d to the board of directors at the next annual or special meeting of our stockholders at which directors are to be elected and at each annual meeting of our stockholders thereafter at which a director’s term expires; (3) the individuals designated in accor dance with the terms of the Stockholders Agreement to fill the applicable vacancies on the board of directors; and (4) an ACON Director to be the chairperson of the board of directors (as defined in the amended and restated bylaws).

In addition, the Stockholders Agreement provides that for as long as ACON or certain related parties, as defined in the Stockholders Agreement (the “ACON Related Parties”), beneficially own, directly or indirectly, in the aggregate, 30% or more of all issued and outstanding shares of our Class A common stock (assuming that all outstanding common units in FAH, LLC are redeemed for newly issued shares of our Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis), we will not take, and will cause our subsidiaries not to take, certain actions or enter into certain transactions (whether by merger, consolidation, or otherwise) without the prior written approval of ACON and each of its affiliated funds that hold common units of FAH, LLC or our Class A common stock, including:

 

entering into any transaction or series of related transactions in which any person or group (other than the ACON Related Parties and any group that includes the ACON Related Parties, Fundamental (or certain of its affiliates or permitted transferees) or Mr. Mariotti) acquires, directly or indirectly, in excess of 50% of the then outstanding shares of any class of our or our subsidiaries’ capital stock, or following which any such person or group has the direct or indirect power to elect a majority of the members of our board of directors or to replace us as the sole manager of FAH, LLC (or to add another person as co-manager of FAH, LLC);

 

the reorganization, recapitalization, voluntary bankruptcy, liquidation, dissolution or winding up of us or any of our subsidiaries;

 

the sale, lease or exchange of all or substantially all of our and our subsidiaries’ property and assets;

 

the resignation, replacement or removal of us as the sole manager of FAH, LLC, or the appointment of any additional person as a manager of FAH, LLC;

 

any acquisition or disposition of our or any of our subsidiaries’ assets for aggregate consideration in excess of $10.0 million in a single transaction or series of related transactions (other than transactions solely between or among us and our direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiaries);

 

the creation of a new class or series of capital stock or other equity securities of us or any of our subsidiaries;

 

the issuance of additional shares of Class A common stock, Class B common stock, preferred stock or other equity securities of us or any of our subsidiaries other than (1) under any stock option or other equity compensation plan approved by our board of directors or the compensation committee, (2) pursuant to the exercise or conversion of any options, warrants or other securities existing as of the date of the Stockholders Agreement and (3) in connection with any redemption of common units of FAH, LLC pursuant to the FAH LLC Agreement;

 

any amendment or modification of our or any of our subsidiaries’ organizational documents, other than the FAH LLC Agreement, which shall be subject to amendment or modification solely in accordance with the terms set forth herein; and

 

any increase or decrease of the size of our board of directors.

We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the Nasdaq rules and, as a result, will qualify for, and intend to rely on, exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements. You will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to such corporate governance requirements.

Pursuant to the terms of the Stockholders Agreement, ACON, Fundamental and Brian Mariotti, our chief executive officer, in the aggregate, have more than 50% of the voting power for the election of directors, and, as a result, we are considered a “controlled company” for the purposes of the Nasdaq rules. As such, we qualify for, and may rely on, exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements, including the requirements to have a majority of “independent directors” as defined under the Nasdaq rules on our board of directors, an entirely independent nominating and corporate governance committee with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities, and an entirely independent compensation committee with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities.

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The corporate governance requirements and specifically th e independence standards are intended to ensure that directors who are considered independent are free of any conflicting interest that could influence their actions as directors. As a result of our reliance on the foregoing “controlled company” exemptions , you may not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of the Nasdaq rules.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the doctrine of “corporate opportunity” does not apply with respect to any director or stockholder who is not employed by us or our subsidiaries.

The doctrine of corporate opportunity generally provides that a corporate fiduciary may not develop an opportunity using corporate resources, acquire an interest adverse to that of the corporation or acquire property that is reasonably incident to the present or prospective business of the corporation or in which the corporation has a present or expectancy interest, unless that opportunity is first presented to the corporation and the corporation chooses not to pursue that opportunity. The doctrine of corporate opportunity is intended to preclude officers or directors or other fiduciaries from personally benefiting from opportunities that belong to the corporation. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the doctrine of “corporate opportunity” does not apply with respect to any director or stockholder who is not employed by us or our subsidiaries. Any director or stockholder who is not employed by us or our subsidiaries therefore has no duty to communicate or present corporate opportunities to us, and has the right to either hold any corporate opportunity for their (and their affiliates’) own account and benefit or to recommend, assign or otherwise transfer such corporate opportunity to persons other than us, including to any director or stockholder who is not employed by us or our subsidiaries.

As a result, certain of our stockholders, directors and their respective affiliates are not prohibited from operating or investing in competing businesses. We therefore may find ourselves in competition with certain of our stockholders, directors or their respective affiliates, and we may not have knowledge of, or be able to pursue, transactions that could potentially be beneficial to us. Accordingly, we may lose a corporate opportunity or suffer competitive harm, which could negatively impact our business or prospects.

Our principal asset consists of our interest in FAH, LLC, and accordingly, we depend on distributions from FAH, LLC to pay taxes and expenses, including payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement. FAH, LLC’s ability to make such distributions may be subject to various limitations and restrictions.

Upon consummation of the IPO, we became a holding company and have no material assets other than our ownership of 28,522,084 common units of FAH, LLC as of March 31, 2019, representing approximately 57.1% of the economic interest in FAH, LLC. We have no independent means of generating revenue or cash flow, and our ability to pay dividends in the future, if any, is dependent upon the financial results and cash flows of FAH, LLC and its subsidiaries and distributions we receive from FAH, LLC. There can be no assurance that our subsidiaries will generate sufficient cash flow to dividend or distribute funds to us or that applicable local law and contractual restrictions, including negative covenants in our debt instruments, will permit such dividends or distributions.

FAH, LLC is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, as such, generally is not subject to entity-level U.S. federal income tax. Instead, taxable income is allocated to holders of its common units, including us. As a result, we incur income taxes on our allocable share of net taxable income of FAH, LLC. Under the terms of the FAH LLC Agreement, FAH, LLC is obligated to make tax distributions to its members, including us, except to the extent such distributions would render FAH, LLC insolvent or are otherwise prohibited by law or any limitations or restrictions in our debt agreements. The amount of such tax distribution is calculated based on the highest combined federal, state and local tax rate that may potentially apply to any one of FAH, LLC’s members, regardless of the actual final tax liability of any such member. As a result of the foregoing, FAH, LLC may be obligated to make tax distributions in excess of some or all of its members’ actual tax liability, which could reduce its cash available for its business operations. In addition to tax expenses, we also incur expenses related to our operations, our interests in FAH, LLC and related party agreements, including payment obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement and expenses and costs of being a public company, all of which could be significant. We intend, as its managing member, to cause FAH, LLC to make distributions in an amount sufficient to allow us to pay our taxes and operating expenses, including any ordinary course payments due under the Tax Receivable Agreement. However, FAH, LLC’s ability to make such distributions may be subject to various limitations and restrictions including, but not limited to, restrictions on distributions that would either violate any contract or agreement to which FAH, LLC is then a party, including debt agreements, or any applicable law, or that would have the effect of rendering FAH, LLC insolvent. If FAH, LLC does not have sufficient funds to pay tax distributions or other liabilities to fund our operations, we may have to borrow funds, which could materially adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition and subject us to various restrictions imposed by any such lenders. To the extent that we are unable to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement for any reason, such payments will be deferred and will accrue

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interest until paid; provided, however, that nonpayment for a specified period may constitute a material breach of a material obligation under the Tax Receivable Agreement and therefore may accelerate payments due under the Tax Receivable Agreement. If FAH, LLC does not have sufficient funds to make distributions, our ability to declare and pay cash dividends may also be restricted or impaired. See “ Risks Relating to Ownership of Our Class A Common Stock.”

In certain circumstances, FAH, LLC will be required to make distributions to us and the Continuing Equity Owners, and the distributions that FAH, LLC will be required to make may be substantial.

As discussed above, under the terms of the FAH LLC Agreement, FAH, LLC is obligated to make tax distributions to us and the Continuing Equity Owners based on the highest combined federal, state and local tax rates that may potentially apply to any one member of FAH, LLC.  As a result of potential differences in the amount of net taxable income allocable to us and to the Continuing Equity Holders, as well as the use of an assumed tax rate in calculating FAH, LLC’s distribution obligations, we may receive distr ibutions significantly in excess of our tax liabilities and obligations to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement between FAH, LLC, the Continuing Equity Owners and us. Funds we receive from FAH, LLC to satisfy its tax distribution obligations will not be available for reinvestment in our business.  To the extent we do not distribute such cash balances as dividends on our Class A common stock and instead, for example, hold such cash balances or lend them to FAH, LLC, the Continuing Equity Owners would benefit from any value attributable to such accumulated cash balances as a result of their ownership of Class A common stock following an exchange of their common units for Class A common stock.

Our Tax Receivable Agreement with the Continuing Equity Owners requires us to make cash payments to them in respect of certain tax benefits to which we may become entitled, the amounts that we may be required to pay could be significant, and we may not realize such tax benefits.

In connection with the consummation of the IPO, we entered into a Tax Receivable Agreement with FAH, LLC and each of the Continuing Equity Owners. Pursuant to the Tax Receivable Agreement, we will be required to make cash payments to the Continuing Equity Owners equal to 85% of the tax benefits, if any, that we realize, or in some circumstances are deemed to realize as a result of (1) any future redemptions funded by us or exchanges (or deemed exchanges in certain circumstances) of common units for Class A common stock or cash, and (2) certain additional tax benefits attributable to payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement. The amount of the cash payments that we may be required to make under the Tax Receivable Agreement could be significant. Payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement will generally be based on the tax reporting positions that we determine, which are subject to challenge by taxing authorities. Payments made under the Tax Receivable Agreement will not be returned upon a successful challenge by a taxing authority to our reporting positions. Any payments made by us to the Continuing Equity Owners under the Tax Receivable Agreement will generally reduce the amount of overall cash flow that might have otherwise been available to us. To the extent that we are unable to make timely payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement for any reason, the unpaid amounts will be deferred and will accrue interest until paid by us. Nonpayment for a specified period may constitute a material breach of a material obligation under the Tax Receivable Agreement and therefore may accelerate payments due under the Tax Receivable Agreement. Furthermore, our future obligation to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement could make us a less attractive target for an acquisition, particularly in the case of an acquirer that cannot use some or all of the tax benefits that may be deemed realized under the Tax Receivable Agreement upon a change of control. The payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement are also not conditioned upon the Continuing Equity Owners maintaining a continued ownership interest in FAH, LLC.

The amounts that we may be required to pay to the Continuing Equity Owners under the Tax Receivable Agreement may be accelerated in certain circumstances and may also significantly exceed the actual tax benefits that we ultimately realize.

The Tax Receivable Agreement provides that if certain mergers, asset sales, other forms of business combination, or other changes of control were to occur, if we materially breach any of our material obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement or if, at any time, we elect an early termination of the Tax Receivable Agreement, then the Tax Receivable Agreement will terminate and our obligations, or our successor’s obligations, to make future payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement would accelerate and become immediately due and payable. In those circumstances members of FAH, LLC would be deemed to exchange any remaining outstanding common units of FAH, LLC for Class A common stock and would generally be entitled to payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement resulting from such deemed exchange. The amount due and payable in those circumstances is determined based on certain assumptions, including an assumption that we would have sufficient taxable income to fully utilize all potential future tax benefits that are subject to the Tax Receivable Agreement. We may need to incur debt to finance payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement to the extent our cash resources are insufficient to meet our obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement.

As a result of the foregoing, we would be required to make an immediate cash payment equal to the present value of the anticipated future tax benefits that are the subject of the Tax Receivable Agreement, which payment may be made

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significantly in advance of the actual realization, if any, of such future tax benefits. We could also be required to make cash payments to the Continuing Equity Owners that are greate r than the specified percentage of the actual benefits we ultimately realize in respect of the tax benefits that are subject to the Tax Receivable Agreement. Our obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement could have a substantial negative impact on our liquidity and could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing certain mergers, asset sales, other forms of business combination, or other changes of control. There can be no assurance that we will be able to finance our obligations under the Ta x Receivable Agreement.

We will not be reimbursed for any payments made to the Continuing Equity Owners under the Tax Receivable Agreement in the event that any tax benefits are disallowed.

We will not be reimbursed for any cash payments previously made to the Continuing Equity Owners pursuant to the Tax Receivable Agreement if any tax benefits initially claimed by us are subsequently challenged by a taxing authority and are ultimately disallowed. Instead, any excess cash payments made by us to a Continuing Equity Owner will be netted against any future cash payments that we might otherwise be required to make under the terms of the Tax Receivable Agreement. However, a challenge to any tax benefits initially claimed by us may not arise for a number of years following the initial time of such payment or, even if challenged early, such excess cash payment may be greater than the amount of future cash payments that we might otherwise be required to make under the terms of the Tax Receivable Agreement and, as a result, there might not be future cash payments from which to net against. The applicable U.S. federal income tax rules are complex and factual in nature, and there can be no assurance that the IRS or a court will not disagree with our tax reporting positions. As a result, it is possible that we could make cash payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement that are substantially greater than our actual cash tax savings.

If we were deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the 1940 Act, as a result of our ownership of FAH, LLC, applicable restrictions could make it impractical for us to continue our business as contemplated and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Under Sections 3(a)(1)(A) and (C) of the 1940 Act, a company generally will be deemed to be an “investment company” for purposes of the 1940 Act if (1) it is, or holds itself out as being, engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities or (2) it engages, or proposes to engage, in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities and it owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of its total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. We do not believe that we are an “investment company,” as such term is defined in either of those sections of the 1940 Act.

As the sole managing member of FAH, LLC, we control and operate FAH, LLC. On that basis, we believe that our interest in FAH, LLC is not an “investment security” as that term is used in the 1940 Act. However, if we were to cease participation in the management of FAH, LLC, our interest in FAH, LLC could be deemed an “investment security” for purposes of the 1940 Act.

We and FAH, LLC intend to conduct our operations so that we will not be deemed an investment company. However, if we were to be deemed an investment company, restrictions imposed by the 1940 Act, including limitations on our capital structure and our ability to transact with affiliates, could make it impractical for us to continue our business as contemplated and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our organizational structure, including the Tax Receivable Agreement, confers certain benefits upon the Continuing Equity Owners that will not benefit Class A common stockholders to the same extent as it will benefit the Continuing Equity Owners.

Our organizational structure, including the Tax Receivable Agreement, confers certain benefits upon the Continuing Equity Owners that will not benefit the holders of our Class A common stock to the same extent as it will benefit such Continuing Equity Owners. We have entered into the Tax Receivable Agreement with FAH, LLC and the Continuing Equity Owners and it provides for the payment by us to the Continuing Equity Owners of 85% of the amount of tax benefits, if any, that we realize, or in some circumstances are deemed to realize, as a result of (1) any future redemptions funded by us or exchanges (or deemed exchanges in certain circumstances) of common units for Class A common stock or cash and (2) certain additional tax benefits attributable to payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement. This and other aspects of our organizational structure may adversely impact the future trading market for our Class A common stock.

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Risks Relating to Ownership of Our Class A Common Stock

The Continuing Equity Owners own common units in FAH, LLC, and the Continuing Equity Owners will have the right to redeem their common units in FAH, LLC pursuant to the terms of the FAH LLC Agreement for shares of Class A common stock or cash.

As of May 1, 2019, we had an aggregate of 170,162,691 shares of Class A common stock authorized but unissued, as well as approximately 20,081,828 shares of Class A common stock issuable, at our election, upon redemption of FAH, LLC common units held by the Continuing Equity Owners. FAH, LLC has entered into the FAH LLC Agreement, and subject to certain restrictions set forth in such agreement, the Continuing Equity Owners are entitled to have their common units redeemed from time to time at each of their options (subject in certain circumstances to time-based vesting requirements) for, at our election, newly-issued shares of our Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis or a cash payment equal to a volume weighted average market price of one share of Class A common stock for each common unit redeemed, in each case, in accordance with the terms of the FAH LLC Agreement; provided that, at our election, we may effect a direct exchange by us of such Class A common stock or such cash, as applicable, for such common units. The Continuing Equity Owners may exercise such redemption right for as long as their common units remain outstanding. We also entered into a Registration Rights Agreement pursuant to which the shares of Class A common stock issued to certain of the Continuing Equity Owners (including each of our executive officers) upon such redemption and the shares of Class A common stock issued to the Former Equity Owners in connection with the Transactions will be eligible for resale, subject to certain limitations set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement.

We cannot predict the size of future issuances of our Class A common stock or the effect, if any, that future issuances and sales of shares of our Class A common stock may have on the market price of our Class A common stock. Sales or distributions of substantial amounts of our Class A common stock, including shares issued in connection with an acquisition, or the perception that such sales or distributions could occur, may cause the market price of our Class A common stock to decline.

You may be diluted by future issuances of additional Class A common stock or common units in connection with our incentive plans, acquisitions or otherwise; future sales of such shares in the public market, or the expectations that such sales may occur, could lower our stock price.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes us to issue shares of our Class A common stock and options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights relating to our Class A common stock for the consideration and on the terms and conditions established by our board of directors in its sole discretion, whether in connection with acquisitions or otherwise. In addition, we, FAH, LLC and the Continuing Equity Owners are party to the FAH LLC Agreement under which the Continuing Equity Owners (or certain permitted transferees thereof) have the right (subject to the terms of the FAH LLC Agreement) to have their common units redeemed from time to time at each of their options (subject in certain circumstances to time-based vesting requirements) by FAH, LLC in exchange for, at our election, newly-issued shares of our Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis or a cash payment equal to a volume-weighted average market price of one share of Class A common stock for each common unit redeemed, in each case, in accordance with the terms of the FAH LLC Agreement; provided that, at our election, we may effect a direct exchange by us of such Class A common stock or such cash, as applicable, for such common units. The Continuing Equity Owners may exercise such redemption right for as long as their common units remain outstanding. The market price of shares of our Class A common stock could decline as a result of these redemptions or exchanges or the perception that a redemption or exchange could occur. These redemptions or exchanges, or the possibility that these redemptions or exchanges may occur, also might make it more difficult for holders of our Class A common stock to sell such stock in the future at a time and at a price that they deem appropriate. We have reserved for issuance 5,518,518 shares of Class A common stock under our 2017 Plan, including, as of March 31, 2019, 2,482,725 shares of Class A common stock underlying stock options we granted to certain of our directors, executive officers and other employees and 1,714,820 shares of Class A common stock underlying restricted stock units we granted to certain of our executive officers and other employees. Any shares of Class A common stock that we issue, including under our 2017 Plan or other equity incentive plans that we may adopt in the future, would dilute the percentage ownership held by the holders of our Class A common stock.

In the future, we may also issue additional securities if we need to raise capital, including, but not limited to, in connection with acquisitions, which could constitute a material portion of our then-outstanding shares of Class A common stock. Further, in connection with the completion of the IPO, we entered into a Registration Rights Agreement with certain of the Original Equity Owners (including each of our executive officers). On April 20, 2019, we filed a preliminary shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (the "Form S-3") with the SEC. If declared effective by the SEC, it will allow us to sell from time-to-time up to $100.0 million of Class A common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants, purchase contracts or units comprised of any combination of these securities for our own account and will allow certain Original Equity Owners to sell 31,934,185 shares of Class A common stock in one or more offerings. If we offer and sell Class A

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common stock under the Form S-3, it would dilute the percentage ownership held by the existing holders of our Class A common stock. Any sales in connection with the Registration Rights Agreement, or the prospect of any such sales, could materially impact the market price of our Class A common stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through future sales of equity securities.

Our Class A common stock price may be volatile or may decline regardless of our operating performance and you may not be able to resell your shares at or above the price you paid for them.

Volatility in the market price of our Class A common stock may prevent you from being able to sell your shares at or above the price you paid for them. Many factors, which are outside our control, may cause the market price of our Class A common stock to fluctuate significantly, including those described elsewhere in this “Risk Factors” section, as well as the following:

 

our operating and financial performance and prospects;

 

our quarterly or annual earnings or those of other companies in our industry compared to market expectations;

 

conditions that impact demand for our products;

 

future announcements concerning our business, our customers’ businesses or our competitors’ businesses;

 

the public’s reaction to our press releases, other public announcements and filings with the SEC;

 

the market’s reaction to our reduced disclosure and other requirements as a result of being an “emerging growth company” under the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (“JOBS Act”);

 

the size of our public float;

 

coverage by or changes in financial estimates by securities analysts or failure to meet their expectations;

 

market and industry perception of our success, or lack thereof, in pursuing our growth strategy;

 

strategic actions by us or our competitors, such as acquisitions or restructurings;

 

changes in laws or regulations which adversely affect our industry, our licensors or us;

 

changes in accounting standards, policies, guidance, interpretations or principles;

 

changes in senior management or key personnel;

 

issuances, exchanges or sales, or expected issuances, exchanges or sales of our capital stock;

 

changes in our dividend policy;

 

adverse resolution of new or pending litigation against us; and

 

changes in general market, economic and political conditions in the United States and global economies or financial markets, including those resulting from natural disasters, terrorist attacks, acts of war and responses to such events.

As a result, volatility in the market price of our Class A common stock may prevent investors from being able to sell their Class A common stock at or above the price they paid for them or at all. These broad market and industry factors may materially reduce the market price of our Class A common stock, regardless of our operating performance. In addition, price volatility may be greater if the public float and trading volume of our Class A common stock is low. As a result, you may suffer a loss on your investment.

We do not intend to pay dividends on our Class A common stock for the foreseeable future.

We currently intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings to fund the development and growth of our business and to repay indebtedness. As a result, we do not anticipate declaring or paying any cash dividends on our Class A common stock in the foreseeable future. Any decision to declare and pay dividends in the future will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on, among other things, our business prospects, results of operations, financial condition, cash requirements and availability, industry trends and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. Any such decision will also be subject to compliance with contractual restrictions and covenants in the agreements governing our current and future indebtedness. Our New Credit Facilities contain certain covenants that restrict the ability of FAH, LLC and its subsidiaries to pay dividends or make distributions. Because we are a holding company, our ability to pay dividends on our Class A common stock depends on our receipt of cash distributions from FAH, LLC and, through FAH, LLC, cash distributions and dividends from our other direct and indirect wholly owned

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subsi diaries. In addition, we may incur additional indebtedness, the terms of which may further restrict or prevent us from paying dividends on our Class A common stock. As a result, you may have to sell some or all of your Class A common stock after price appr eciation in order to generate cash flow from your investment, which you may not be able to do. Our inability or decision not to pay dividends, particularly when others in our industry have elected to do so, could also adversely affect the market price of o ur Class A common stock.

Delaware law and certain provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws may prevent efforts by our stockholders to change the direction or management of our company.

We are a Delaware corporation, and the anti-takeover provisions of Delaware law impose various impediments to the ability of a third party to acquire control of us, even if a change of control would be beneficial to our existing stockholders. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that may make the acquisition of our company more difficult without the approval of our board of directors, including, but not limited to, the following:

 

our board of directors is classified into three classes, each of which serves for a staggered three-year term;

 

only the chairperson of our board of directors or a majority of our board of directors may call special meetings of our stockholders, except that at such time as ACON, certain of its affiliates and their permitted transferees, which we collectively refer to as the ACON Related Parties, directly or indirectly, beneficially own in the aggregate, 35% or more of all shares of Class A common stock (including for this purpose all shares of Class A common stock issuable upon redemption of common units, assuming all such common units are redeemed for Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis) issued and outstanding, the holders of a majority in voting power of the outstanding shares of our capital stock may also call special meetings of our stockholders;

 

we have authorized undesignated preferred stock, the terms of which may be established and shares of which may be issued without stockholder approval;

 

any action required or permitted to be taken by our stockholders at an annual meeting or special meeting of stockholders may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if a written consent is signed by the holders of our outstanding shares of common stock representing not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize such action at a meeting at which all outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote thereon were present and voted, provided that at such time as the ACON Related Parties, directly or indirectly, beneficially own in the aggregate, less than 35% of all shares of Class A common stock (including for this purpose all shares of Class A common stock issuable upon redemption of common units, assuming all such common units are redeemed for Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis) issued and outstanding, any action required or permitted to be taken by our stockholders at an annual meeting or special meeting of stockholders may not be taken by written consent in lieu of a meeting;

 

our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may be amended or repealed by the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes which all our stockholders would be eligible to cast in an election of directors and our amended and restated bylaws may be amended or repealed by a majority vote of our board of directors or by the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes which all our stockholders would be eligible to cast in an election of directors, provided that at such time as the ACON Related Parties, directly or indirectly, beneficially own in the aggregate, less than 35% of all shares of Class A common stock (including for this purpose all shares of Class A common stock issuable upon redemption of common units, assuming all such common units are redeemed for Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis) issued and outstanding, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws may be amended or repealed by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66 2 / 3 % of the votes which all our stockholders would be entitled to cast in any annual election of directors and our amended and restated bylaws may also be amended or repealed by a majority vote of our board of directors;

 

we require advance notice and duration of ownership requirements for stockholder proposals; and

 

we have opted out of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, or the DGCL, however, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain provisions that are similar to Section 203 of the DGCL (except with respect to ACON and Fundamental and any of their respective affiliates and any of their respective direct or indirect transferees of Class B common stock).

These provisions could discourage, delay or prevent a transaction involving a change in control of our company. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for you and other stockholders to elect directors

55


of your choosi ng and cause us to take other corporate actions you desire, including actions that you may deem advantageous, or negatively affect the trading price of our Class A common stock. In addition, because our board of directors is responsible for appointing the members of our management team, these provisions could in turn affect any attempt by our stockholders to replace current members of our management team.

Please see “Risks Relating to Our Organizational Structure—ACON has significant influence over us, including over decisions that require the approval of stockholders, and its interests, along with the interests of our other Continuing Equity Owners, in our business may conflict with the interests of our other stockholders.”

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, subject to certain exceptions, that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for certain stockholder litigation matters, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or stockholders.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, subject to limited exceptions, that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for (1) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; (2) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers or other employees to us or our stockholders; (3) any action asserting a claim against us, any director or our officers and employees arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws, or as to which the DGCL confers exclusive jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery; or (4) any action asserting a claim against us, any director or our officers or employees that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation described above. This choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision that will be contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may issue shares of preferred stock in the future, which could make it difficult for another company to acquire us or could otherwise adversely affect holders of our Class A common stock, which could depress the price of our Class A common stock.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes us to issue one or more series of preferred stock. Our board of directors has the authority to determine the preferences, limitations and relative rights of the shares of preferred stock and to fix the number of shares constituting any series and the designation of such series, without any further vote or action by our stockholders. Our preferred stock could be issued with voting, liquidation, dividend and other rights superior to the rights of our Class A common stock. The potential issuance of preferred stock may delay or prevent a change in control of us, discouraging bids for our Class A common stock at a premium to the market price, and materially and adversely affect the market price and the voting and other rights of the holders of our Class A common stock.

Taking advantage of the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to “emerging growth companies” may make our Class A common stock less attractive to investors.

The JOBS Act provides that, for so long as a company qualifies as an “emerging growth company,” it will, among other things:

 

be exempt from the provisions of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, requiring that its independent registered public accounting firm provide an attestation report on the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting;

 

be exempt from the “say on pay” and “say on golden parachute” advisory vote requirements of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Customer Protection Act, or the Dodd-Frank Act;

 

be exempt from certain disclosure requirements of the Dodd-Frank Act relating to compensation of its executive officers and be permitted to omit the detailed compensation discussion and analysis from the proxy statements and reports it files under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”); and

56


 

be exempt from any rules that may be adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board requiring mandatory audit firm rotations or a supplement to the auditor’s report on our financial statemen ts.

We currently have chosen to take advantage of each of the exemptions described above. We have irrevocably elected not to take advantage of the extension of time to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards available under Section 107(b) of the JOBS Act. We could be an emerging growth company until December 31, 2022. We cannot predict if investors will find our Class A common stock less attractive if we elect to rely on these exemptions, or if taking advantage of these exemptions would result in less active trading or more volatility in the price of our Class A common stock.

The obligations associated with being a public company require significant resources and management attention, which may divert from our business operations.

As a result of our IPO, we became subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Exchange Act requires that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with respect to our business and financial condition. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we establish and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting. As a result, we now incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not previously incur. Additionally, most of our management team, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, have not previously managed a publicly traded company, and as a result, have little experience in complying with the increasingly complex and changing legal and regulatory landscape in which public companies operate. Furthermore, while certain members of our board of directors have been officers and other employees of public companies, only one of our directors has previously served on the board of directors of a public company. Our entire management team and many of our other employees now need to devote substantial time to compliance and may not be able to effectively or efficiently manage us our transition into a public company.

In addition, establishing and maintaining the corporate infrastructure demanded of a public company may also divert management’s attention from implementing our business strategy, which could prevent us from improving our business, results of operations and financial condition. We have made, and will continue to make, changes to our internal control over financial reporting, including information technology controls, and procedures for financial reporting and accounting systems to meet our reporting obligations as a public company. However, the measures we take may not be sufficient to satisfy our obligations as a public company. If we do not continue to develop and implement the right processes and tools to manage our changing enterprise and maintain our culture, our ability to compete successfully and achieve our business objectives could be impaired, which could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we may incur to comply with these requirements. We anticipate that these costs will materially increase our general and administrative expenses.

Furthermore, as a public company, we have incurred and will continue to incur additional legal, accounting and other expenses that have not been reflected in historical financial statements. In addition, rules implemented by the SEC have imposed various requirements on public companies, including establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls and changes in corporate governance practices. Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. These rules and regulations result in our incurring legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. For example, we expect these rules and regulations to make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. As a result, it may be more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified people to serve on our board of directors and our board committees or as executive officers.

As a public reporting company, we are subject to rules and regulations established from time to time by the SEC regarding our internal control over financial reporting. If we fail to establish and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results, or report them in a timely manner.

We are a public reporting company subject to the rules and regulations established from time to time by the SEC and The Nasdaq Stock Market. These rules and regulations require, among other things, that we establish and periodically evaluate procedures with respect to our internal control over financial reporting. Reporting obligations as a public company are likely to place a considerable strain on our financial and management systems, processes and controls, as well as on our personnel.

In addition, as a public company, we are required to document and test our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act so that our management can certify as to the effectiveness of our

57


internal control over financial reporting. A s an emerging growth company, our independent registered public accounting firm is not required to formally attest t o the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 until the later of the year following our first annual report required to be filed with the SEC and the date we are no longer an emerging growth company.

If our senior management is unable to conclude that we have effective internal control over financial reporting, or to certify the effectiveness of such controls, or if our independent registered public accounting firm cannot render an unqualified opinion on management’s assessment and the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting at such time as it is required to do so, or if material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting are identified, we could be subject to regulatory scrutiny, a loss of public and investor confidence, and to litigation from investors and stockholders, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and our stock price. In addition, if we do not maintain adequate financial and management personnel, processes and controls, we may not be able to manage our business effectively or accurately report our financial performance on a timely basis, which could cause a decline in our Class A common stock price and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. Failure to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act could potentially subject us to sanctions or investigations by the SEC, the Nasdaq Stock Market or other regulatory authorities, which would require additional financial and management resources.

We may fail to meet analyst expectations, or analysts may issue unfavorable commentary about us or our industry or downgrade our Class A common stock, which could cause the price of our Class A common stock to decline.

Our Class A common stock is traded publicly, and various securities analysts follow our company and issue reports on us. These reports include information about our historical financial results as well as the analysts’ estimates of our future performance. The analysts’ estimates are based upon their own independent opinions and may be different from our own estimates or expectations. If our operating results are below the estimates or expectations of public market analysts and investors, the trading price of our Class A common stock could decline. In addition, one or more analysts could cease to cover our company, which could cause us to lose visibility in the market, and one or more analysts could downgrade our Class A common stock or issue other negative commentary about our company or our industry. As a result of one or more of these factors, the trading price of our Class A common stock could decline.

Item 2.

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

On February 11, 2019, the Company issued 126,757 shares of the Company’s Class A common stock to the selling unitholders of Forrest-Pruzan Creative LLC (“Forrest-Pruzan”) as partial consideration for the Company acquisition of 100% of the membership interests of Forrest-Pruzan. The issuance of such shares of Class A common stock was made in reliance on Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Rule 506 promulgated thereunder.  

Item 5.

Other Information

None.

 

58


Item 6.

E xhibits

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit

Number

  

Exhibit Description

  

Incorporated by Reference

 

 

  

 

  

Form

 

  

File No.

 

  

Exhibit

 

  

Filing

Date

 

  

Filed/

Furnished

Herewith

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   3.1

 

Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Funko, Inc.

 

 

S-8

 

 

 

333-221390

 

 

 

4.1

 

 

 

11/7/17

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   3.2

 

Amended and Restated Bylaws of Funko, Inc.

 

 

S-8

 

 

 

333-221390

 

 

 

4.2

 

 

 

11/7/17

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  10.1

 

Transition and Release of Claims Agreement, dated April 15, 2019, between the Funko, Inc. and Russell Nickel.

 

 

8-K

 

 

 

001-38724

 

 

 

10.1

 

 

 

4/18/2019

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  10.2

 

Amendment to Employment Agreement, dated April 24, 2019, by and between Funko, Inc. and Andrew Perlmutter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  31.1

  

Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  31.2

  

Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  32.1

  

Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  32.2

  

Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

101.INS

  

XBRL Instance Document.

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

*

** 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

101.SCH

  

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document.

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

*

** 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

101.CAL

  

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document.

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

*

** 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

101.DEF

  

XBRL Taxonomy Definition Linkbase Document.

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

*

** 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

101.LAB

  

XBRL Taxonomy Label Linkbase Document.

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

*

** 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

101.PRE

  

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document.

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

 

*

** 

 

*

Filed herewith

**

Furnished herewith

***

Submitted electronically herewith  

 

59


SI GNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

 

 

 

 

FUNKO, INC.

(Registrant)

 

 

 

Date: May 3, 2019

By:

 

/s/ Russell Nickel

 

 

 

Russell Nickel

 

 

 

Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer)

 

 

 

60

 

Exhibit 10.2

 

AMENDMENT TO EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

 

THIS AMENDMENT TO EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT (the “ Amendment ”) is entered into as of April 24, 2019, by and between Andrew Perlmutter (“ Employee ”) and Funko, Inc. (together with any of its Affiliates as may employ the Employee from time to time and any successor(s) thereto, the “ Company ”). Capitalized terms used but not defined in this Amendment shall have the meanings set forth in the Employment Agreement (as defined below).

 

WITNESSETH:

 

WHEREAS, the Company and Employee previously entered into that certain Employment Agreement,  dated as of the 20 th of October, 2017 (the “ Employment Agreement ”);

 

WHEREAS, the Company and Employee desire to amend the Employment Agreement in certain respects.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and their mutual covenants and promises contained herein, the Company and Employee agree to the following:

 

1. Annual Bonus .  Effective January 1, 2019, Section 4.02 of the Employment Agreement is hereby amended by deleting the first two sentences of the existing Section 4.02 of the Employment Agreement in their entirety and replacing them with the following:

 

“During the Term, Employee shall be eligible to receive a bonus pursuant to an annual performance based incentive compensation program to be established by the Board or the Compensation Committee of the Board and consistent with the Company’s annual executive corporate bonus plan, with Employee’s annual target to be no less than 150% of Employee’s then Base Salary; provided, however, that the Company reserves the right to establish a lesser target if done in good faith and as a result of the Company’s legitimate business needs. Employee’s annual bonus shall not exceed 200% of his Base Salary.”

 

2. Additional Cash Bonus .  Effective January 1, 2018, Section 4.03 of the Employment Agreement is hereby deleted in its entirety and Employee expressly waives and releases any and all claims, rights, liabilities or demands that Employee has or had or might claim to have, whether known or unknown, against the Company arising from or relating to the Additional Cash Bonus as described in the existing Section 4.03 of the Employment Agreement.

 

3. Except as expressly modified hereby or as specifically provided herein, the Employment Agreement shall remain in full force and effect following the date hereof pursuant to its current terms.  This Amendment, together with the Employment Agreement (as modified hereby), represent the entire agreement with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede and preempt any prior understandings, agreements or representations by or among the parties, written or oral, that may have related to the subject matter hereof.  This Amendment and all of the provisions hereof shall be binding upon, and inure to the benefit of, the parties hereto and their successors (including successors by merger, consolidation, sale or similar transaction,

 


 

    

permitted assigns, executors, administrators, personal representatives, heirs and distributees); provided that Employee may not assign any of his rights or delegate any of his duties or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of the Company.

 

4. This Amendment may be executed in several counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all of which together will constitute one and the same agreement.

 

 

[ signature page follows ]

 

* * * * * * * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


 

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company and Employee have freely and voluntarily executed this Agreement as of the date and year first above written.

 

 

 

EMPLOYEE

 

 

/s/ Andrew Perlmutter

Andrew Perlmutter

 

 

 

 

 

FUNKO, INC.

 

 

By: /s/ Brian Mariotti

 

Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

 

 

3

 

 

EXHIBIT 31.1

CERTIFICATION

I, Brian Mariotti, certify that:

1. I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Funko, Inc.;

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

(a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

(b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

(c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

(d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

5. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

(a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

(b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

Date: May 3, 2019

 

/s/ Brian Mariotti

 

 

Brian Mariotti

 

 

Chief Executive Officer

 

 

EXHIBIT 31.2

CERTIFICATION

I, Russell Nickel, certify that:

1. I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Funko, Inc.;

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

(a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

(b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

(c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

(d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

5. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

(a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

(b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

Date: May 3, 2019

 

/s/ Russell Nickel

 

 

Russell Nickel

 

 

Chief Financial Officer

 

 

EXHIBIT 32.1

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350

In connection with this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Funko, Inc. (the “Company”) for the period ended March 31, 2019 (the “Report”), I, Brian Mariotti, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that, to the best of my knowledge:

(1) The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; and

(2) The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

 

Date: May 3, 2019

 

/s/ Brian Mariotti 

 

 

Brian Mariotti

 

 

Chief Executive Officer

 

EXHIBIT 32.2

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350

In connection with this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Funko, Inc. (the “Company”) for the period ended March 31, 2019 (the “Report”), I, Russell Nickel, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that, to the best of my knowledge:

(1) The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; and

(2) The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

 

Date: May 3, 2019

 

/s/ Russell Nickel 

 

 

Russell Nickel

 

 

Chief Financial Officer