ITEM 1A. Risk Factors.
Factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those in this Report are any of the risks described in this Item 1.A. Any of these factors could result in a significant or material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Additional risk factors not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business or results of operations. In addition, risk factors relating to economic uncertainties, downturns in the general economy or the industries in which our clients operate should be interpreted as heightened risks as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our business operations are subject to a number of risk factors that may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. If any significant adverse developments resulting from these risk factors should occur, the trading price of our securities could decline, and moreover, investors in our securities could lose all or part of their investment in our securities.
You should refer to the explanation of the qualifications and limitations on forward-looking statements under “Cautionary Note About Forward-Looking Statements” set forth in Part I, Item 2 of this Report. All forward-looking statements made by us are qualified by the risk factors described below.
Risks Related to Our Business, Operations and Industry
Risks Related to Litigation
We and our Chief Executive Officer are involved in litigation with Oracle. An adverse outcome in the ongoing litigation could result in the payment of substantial damages and/or an injunction against certain of our business practices, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results.
In January 2010, certain subsidiaries of Oracle Corporation (together with its subsidiaries individually and collectively, “Oracle”) filed a lawsuit, Oracle USA, Inc. et al v. Rimini Street, Inc. et al (United States District Court for the District of Nevada) (“District Court”), against us and our Chief Executive Officer, Seth Ravin, alleging that certain of our processes violated Oracle’s license agreements with its customers and that we committed acts of copyright infringement and violated other federal and state laws (“Rimini I”). The litigation involved our business processes and the manner in which we provided our services to our clients.
After completion of jury trial in 2015 and subsequent appeals, the final outcome of Rimini I was that Mr. Ravin was found not liable for any claims and we were found liable for only one of a dozen claims: “innocent infringement,” a jury finding that we did not know and had no reason to know that our former support processes were infringing. The jury also found that the infringement did not cause Oracle to suffer lost profits. We were ordered to pay a judgment of $124.4 million in 2016, which we promptly paid and then filed an appeal. With interest, attorneys’ fees and costs, the total judgment paid by us to Oracle after the completion of all appeals was approximately $89.9 million. A portion of such judgment was paid by our insurance carriers (for additional information on this topic, see Note 11 of our consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019).
The total judgment paid by us and our insurance carriers reflects a reduction of approximately $12.8 million that we had previously paid to Oracle (plus interest of $0.2 million), representing an award of non-taxable expenses to Oracle that was
eventually overturned by unanimous decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in March 2019. As mandated by the U.S. Supreme Court, $13.0 million (the principal amount plus post-judgment interest) was refunded to us by Oracle in April 2019.
Following post-trial motions, the District Court entered a permanent injunction prohibiting us from using certain processes, including processes adjudicated as infringing at trial, that we ceased using no later than July 2014, which we subsequently appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (“Court of Appeals”), arguing on appeal that the injunction is vague and contains overly-broad language that could be read to cover some of our current business practices that were not adjudicated to be infringing at trial and that the injunction should not have been issued under applicable law. After multiple rounds of remand and appeal, in August 2019, the Court of Appeals entered an Order affirming the permanent injunction. However, the Court of Appeals agreed that the injunction was overbroad in two respects and instructed the District Court to remove the restriction on “local hosting” of J.D. Edwards and Siebel software and the prohibition against “accessing” J.D. Edwards and Siebel software source code. A copy of the injunction is publicly available in the case docket.
As a result of the injunction, we expect to incur additional expenses in the range of 1% to 2% of revenue for additional labor costs because, as drafted, the injunction contains language that could be read to cover some current support practices that are being litigated in the “Rimini II” lawsuit (as defined below) and that have not been found to be infringing. In February 2019, Oracle filed a motion to reopen discovery in Rimini I in a purported effort to investigate whether we are complying with the injunction.
The deadline for expert discovery in such effort is scheduled to close on June 5, 2020, and the deadline for Oracle to file any motion for order to show cause related to alleged contempt is June 24, 2020. These deadlines are subject to change by court order, and actual deadlines could be extended.
Oracle may file contempt proceedings against us at any time to attempt to enforce its interpretation of the injunction or if it has reason to believe we are not in compliance with express terms of the injunction. Such contempt proceeding or any judicial finding of contempt could result in a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition, the pendency of the injunction alone could dissuade clients from purchasing or continuing to purchase our services. Further, certain outcomes, should they occur, may also trigger the mandatory redemption of all of our Series A Preferred Stock, with the redemption amounts automatically becoming payment obligation under our Convertible Notes with a concurrent cancellation of the outstanding shares of the Series A Preferred Stock, as provided in the Certificate of Designations for the Series A Preferred Stock and the Form of Convertible Note previously filed with the SEC. If we are obligated to pay substantial civil assessments arising from any finding of contempt, this could reduce the amount of cash flows available to pay dividends due in respect of our Series A Preferred Stock or, if the shares are converted, the interest under the Convertible Notes. Holders of our Convertible Notes are entitled to accelerate repayment of the indebtedness under such notes if we default in our interest payment obligations. We cannot assure you that we will have sufficient assets which would allow us to repay such indebtedness in full at such time. In addition, we may not be able to obtain additional debt or equity financing, if required, to repay our obligations under the Convertible Notes. As a result, we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation.
In October 2014, we filed a separate lawsuit, Rimini Street Inc. v. Oracle Int’l Corp. (United States District Court for the District of Nevada), against Oracle seeking a declaratory judgment that our revised development processes, in use since at least July 2014, do not infringe certain Oracle copyrights (“Rimini II”). Oracle filed counterclaims alleging copyright infringement, which included (i) substantially the same allegations asserted in Rimini I, but limited to clients not addressed in Rimini I, and (ii) new allegations that our revised support processes also infringe Oracle copyrights. Oracle’s counterclaims also included allegations of violation of the Lanham Act, intentional interference with prospective economic advantage, breach of contract and inducing breach of contract, unfair competition, unjust enrichment/restitution and violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Oracle also sought an accounting. In December 2016, we filed an amended complaint against Oracle, adding claims for intentional interference with contract, intentional interference with prospective economic advantage, violation of the Nevada Deceptive Trade Practices Act, violation of the Lanham Act, and violation of California Business & Professions Code §17200 et seq. Oracle then amended its counterclaims to include requesting declaratory judgment of no intentional interference with contractual relations, no intentional interference with prospective economic advantage, and no violation of California Business & Professions Code §17200 et seq. By stipulation of the parties, the District Court granted our motion to file our third amended complaint to add claims arising from Oracle’s purported revocation of our access to its support websites on behalf of our clients, which was filed and served in May 2017. In September 2017, the District Court issued an order granting in part and denying in part our motion to dismiss Oracle’s third amended counterclaims. The District Court granted our motion to dismiss Oracle’s intentional interference with prospective economic advantage and unjust enrichment counterclaims.
In November 2017, the District Court issued an order granting in part and denying in part Oracle’s motion to dismiss our third amended complaint. The District Court granted Oracle’s motion to dismiss as to our third cause of action for a
declaratory judgment that Oracle has engaged in copyright misuse, fifth cause of action for intentional interference with prospective economic advantage; sixth cause of action for a violation of Nevada’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act under the “bait and switch” provision of NRS § 598.0917; and seventh cause of action for violation of the Lanham Act. The District Court denied Oracle’s motion as to our causes of action for intentional interference with contractual relations, violation of Nevada Deceptive Trade Practices Act, under the “false and misleading” provision of NRS §598.0915(8) and unfair competition.
Fact discovery with respect to the above action substantially ended in March 2018, and expert discovery ended in September 2018. In October 2018, we and Oracle each filed motions for summary judgment. Briefing on the parties’ motions for summary judgment was completed in December 2018, and we await the District Court’s ruling on those motions. There is currently no trial date scheduled, and while we do not expect a trial to occur in this matter earlier than 2022, the trial could occur earlier or later than that. At this time, we do not have sufficient information regarding possible recovery by us in connection with our claims against Oracle or possible damages exposure for the counterclaims asserted by Oracle. Both parties are seeking injunctive relief in addition to monetary damages in this matter.
While we believe an award for damages based on Oracle’s counter claims in Rimini II is not probable, we could be required to pay substantial damages for our current or past business activities and/or be enjoined from certain business practices. Any of these outcomes could result in a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition, and the pendency of the litigation alone could dissuade clients from purchasing or continuing to purchase our services. Further, these outcomes may also trigger the mandatory redemption of all of our Series A Preferred Stock, with the redemption amounts automatically becoming payment obligations under our Convertible Notes with a concurrent cancellation of the outstanding shares of the Series A Preferred Stock, as provided in the Certificate of Designations for the Series A Preferred Stock and the Form of Convertible Note previously filed with the SEC. If we are obligated to pay substantial damages to Oracle or are enjoined from certain business practices, this could reduce the amount of cash flows available to pay dividends due in respect of our Series A Preferred Stock or the indebtedness under the Convertible Notes. If we default in our payment obligations under the Convertible Notes and the indebtedness under the Convertible Notes were to be accelerated, there can be no assurance that our assets would be sufficient to repay such indebtedness in full, and we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation.
Our business has been and may continue to be materially harmed by this litigation and Oracle’s conduct. During the course of these cases, we anticipate there will be rulings by the District Court in Rimini II, the District Court in Rimini I, and possibly the Court of Appeals in both Rimini I and Rimini II in connection with hearings, motions, decisions, and other matters, as well as other interim developments related to the litigations. If securities analysts or investors regard these rulings as negative, the market price of our Common Stock may decline. If current or prospective clients regard these rulings as negative, it could negatively impact our new client sales or renewal sales.
While we plan to continue to vigorously litigate the pending matters in Rimini I and Rimini II, we are unable to predict the timing or outcome of these lawsuits. No assurance is or can be given that we will prevail on any appeal, contempt proceeding, claim, or counterclaim.
See the section titled “Legal Proceedings” in Part I, Item 1 and Note 8 of our consolidated financial statements included in Part I, Item 1 of this Report for more information related to this litigation.
The Oracle software products that are part of our ongoing litigation with Oracle represent a significant portion of our current revenue.
In Rimini II, Oracle has filed counterclaims relating to our support services for Oracle’s PeopleSoft, J.D. Edwards, Siebel, E-Business Suite, and Database software products. For the year ended December 31, 2019, approximately 63% of our total revenue was derived from the support services that we provide for our clients using Oracle’s PeopleSoft, J.D. Edwards, Siebel, E-Business Suite and Database software products. The percentage of revenue derived from services we provide for PeopleSoft software only was approximately 14% of our total revenue during this same period. Although we provide support services for additional Oracle product lines that are not subject to litigation and support services for software products provided by companies other than Oracle, our current revenue depends significantly on the product lines that are the subject of the Rimini II litigation. Should Oracle prevail on its claims in Rimini II or should a contempt action result in a finding that we are in violation of the injunction, we could be required to change the way we provide support services to some of our clients, which could result in the loss of clients and revenue, and may also give rise to claims for compensation from our clients, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our ongoing litigation with Oracle presents challenges for growing our business.
We have experienced challenges growing our business as a result of our ongoing litigation with Oracle. Many of our existing and prospective clients have expressed concerns regarding our ongoing litigation and, in some cases, have been subjected to various negative communications by Oracle in connection with the litigation. We have experienced in the past, and may continue to experience in the future, volatility and slowness in acquiring new clients, as well as clients not renewing their agreements with us, due to these challenges relating to our ongoing litigation with Oracle. Further, certain of our prospective and existing clients may be subject to additional negative communications from software vendors. We have taken steps to minimize disruptions to our existing and prospective clients regarding the litigation, but we continue to face challenges growing our business while the litigation remains ongoing. In certain cases, we have agreed to pay certain liquidated damages to our clients if we are no longer able to provide services to these clients, and/or reimburse our clients and our former lenders for their reasonable legal fees incurred in connection with any litigation-related subpoenas and depositions or to provide certain client indemnification or termination rights if any outcome of litigation results in our inability to continue providing any of the paid-for services. In addition, we believe the length of our sales cycle is longer than it otherwise would be due to prospective client diligence on possible effects of the Oracle litigation on our business. We cannot assure you that we will continue to overcome the challenges we face as a result of the litigation and continue to renew existing clients or secure new clients.
Additionally, the existence of this ongoing litigation could negatively impact the value of our equity securities, could negatively impact our ability to raise additional equity or debt financing by creating challenges to providing satisfactory due diligence to potential investors or lenders to enable the evaluation of risk as well as could necessitate economic terms of any equity or debt financing that are more favorable to investors or lenders than otherwise in the absence of such conditions, in connection with any financing completed by us, if at all.
We are self-insured for any costs related to any current or future intellectual property litigation. While we currently believe our cash on hand, accounts receivable and contractually committed backlog provides us with sufficient liquidity to cover costs related to litigation with Oracle, we cannot assure our liquidity will be sufficient.
Oracle has a history of litigation against companies offering alternative support programs for Oracle products, and Oracle could pursue additional litigation with us.
Oracle has been active in litigating against companies that have offered competing maintenance and support services for their products. For example, in March 2007, Oracle filed a lawsuit against SAP and its wholly-owned subsidiary, TomorrowNow, Inc., a company our Chief Executive Officer, Seth Ravin, joined in 2002, and which was acquired by SAP in 2005. After a jury verdict awarding Oracle $1.3 billion, the parties stipulated to a final judgment of $306 million subject to appeal. After the appeal, the parties settled the case in November 2014 for $356.7 million. In February 2012, Oracle filed suit against Service Key, Inc. and settled the case in October 2013 after the District Court issued an injunction against ServiceKey and its CEO. Oracle also filed suit against CedarCrestone Corporation in September 2012 and settled the case in July 2013. TomorrowNow and CedarCrestone offered maintenance and support for Oracle software products, and Service Key offered maintenance and support for Oracle technology products. Given Oracle’s history of litigation against companies offering alternative support programs for Oracle products, we can provide no assurance, regardless of the outcome of our current litigations with Oracle, that Oracle will not pursue additional litigation against us. Such additional litigation could be costly, distract our management team from running our business and reduce client interest and our sales revenue.
We received a federal grand jury inquiry in March 2018 directing delivery of certain documents relating to our operations. If such inquiry leads to legal proceedings against us or any of our employees or members of our Board of Directors, we would incur legal costs and may potentially suffer an adverse outcome negatively affecting our business and financial results.
In March 2018, we received a federal grand jury subpoena, issued from the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, requesting that we produce certain documents relating to specified support and related operational practices. We fully cooperated with this inquiry and the related document requests by April 15, 2019 and have received no further requests since that date. However, we cannot predict its ultimate resolution. Any legal proceedings instituted involving us, if any, from such inquiry, regardless of merit or outcome, could have a negative impact on our future revenue, revenue growth, client acquisition and retention and ability to obtain new or alternative financing, would require us to incur additional legal costs, and if adversely determined, may ultimately result in the imposition of fines or other penalties. Any such resulting material costs and expenses or other penalties could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Other Risks Related to Our Business, Operations and Industry
The duration of and economic, operational and financial impacts on our business of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the actions taken by governmental authorities, clients or others in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In response to the uncertain and rapidly evolving situation relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have taken precautionary measures to protect the health and well-being of our employees, clients, and the communities in which we operate. We have established work-at-home arrangements for most of our employees, placed restrictions on non-essential business travel, transitioned to a no in-person event marketing strategy and implemented a fully remote sales model. We expect that many of our clients are doing the same. These precautionary measures could impact our clients’ and potential clients’ ability or willingness to participate in our sales, marketing and client success efforts, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Further, there is significant uncertainty around the breadth and duration of business disruptions related to COVID-19, as well as its impact on the global economy and consumer confidence. The COVID-19 pandemic could have a sustained adverse impact on economic and market conditions and trigger a period of global economic slowdown, which may delay prospective clients’ decisions regarding engaging our services, impair the ability of our current clients to make timely payments to us, impact client renewal rates and adversely affect our revenue. If such conditions occur, we may be required to increase our reserves, allowances for doubtful accounts and write-offs of accounts receivable, and our results of operations would be harmed.
We are unable to accurately predict the ultimate impact of the current COVID-19 pandemic due to various uncertainties, including the ultimate geographic spread of the virus, the severity of the virus, the duration of the outbreak, and actions that may be taken by governmental authorities to contain the virus. We closely monitor the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, continually assessing its potential effects on our business. The extent to which our results are affected by COVID-19 will largely depend on future developments which cannot be accurately predicted and are uncertain, but the COVID-19 pandemic or the perception of its effects could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows. Refer to Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - COVID-19 Update for additional information.
The market for independent software support services is relatively undeveloped and may not grow.
The market for independent enterprise software support services is still relatively undeveloped, has not yet achieved widespread acceptance and may not grow quickly or at all. Our success will depend to a substantial extent on the willingness of companies to engage a third party such as us to provide software support services for their enterprise software. Many enterprise software licensees are still hesitant to use a third party to provide such support services, choosing instead to rely on support services provided by the enterprise software vendor. Other enterprise software licensees have invested substantial personnel, infrastructure and financial resources in their own organizations with respect to support of their licensed enterprise software products and may choose to self-support with their own internal resources instead of purchasing services from the enterprise software vendor or an independent provider such as ourselves. Companies may not engage us for other reasons, including concerns regarding our ongoing litigation with Oracle and governmental inquiry, the potential for future litigation, the potential negative effect our engagement could have on their relationships with their enterprise software vendor, or concerns that they could infringe third party intellectual property rights or breach one or more software license agreements if they engage us to provide support services. New concerns or considerations may also emerge in the future. Particularly because our market is relatively undeveloped, we must address our potential clients’ concerns and explain the benefits of our approach in order to convince them of the value of our services. If companies are not sufficiently convinced that we can address their concerns and that the benefits of our services are compelling, then the market for our services may not develop as we anticipate, and our business will not grow.
We have a history of losses and may not achieve profitability in the future.
While we had net income of $2.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020, we had an accumulated deficit of $312.1 million as of March 31, 2020. We will need to generate and sustain increased revenue levels in future periods while managing our costs to become profitable, and, even if we do, we may not be able to maintain or increase our level of profitability. We intend to continue to expend significant funds to expand our sales and marketing operations, enhance our service offerings, expand into new markets, launch new product offerings and meet the increased compliance requirements associated with our operations as a public company. Our efforts to grow our business may be costlier than we expect, and we may not be able to increase our revenue enough to offset our higher operating expenses. We may incur significant losses in the future for a number of reasons, including, as a result of our ongoing litigation with Oracle, the potential for future litigation, other risks described herein, unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications and delays and other unknown events. If we are unable to achieve and sustain profitability, the market price of our securities may significantly decrease.
If we are unable to attract new clients or retain and/or sell additional products or services to our existing clients, our revenue growth will be adversely affected.
To increase our revenue, we must add new clients, encourage existing clients to renew or extend their agreements with us on terms favorable to us and sell additional products and services to existing clients. As competitors introduce lower-cost and/or differentiated services that are perceived to compete with ours, or as enterprise software vendors introduce competitive pricing or additional products and services or implement other strategies to compete with us, our ability to sell to new clients and renew agreements with existing clients based on pricing, service levels, technology and functionality could be impaired. As a result, we may be unable to renew or extend our agreements with existing clients or attract new clients or new business from existing clients on terms that would be favorable or comparable to prior periods, which could have an adverse effect on our revenue and growth. In addition, certain of our existing clients may choose to license a new or different version of enterprise software from an enterprise software vendor, and such clients’ license agreements with the enterprise software vendor will typically include a minimum one-year mandatory maintenance and support services agreement. In such cases, it is unlikely that these clients would renew their maintenance and support services agreements with us, at least during the early term of the license agreement. In addition, such existing clients could move to another enterprise software vendor, product or release for which we do not offer any products or services.
If our retention rates decrease, or we do not accurately predict retention rates, our future revenue and results of operations may be harmed.
Our clients have no obligation to renew their product or service subscription agreements with us after the expiration of a non-cancelable agreement term. In addition, the majority of our multi-year, non-cancelable client agreements are not pre-paid other than the first year of the non-cancelable service period. We may not accurately predict retention rates for our clients. Our retention rates may decline or fluctuate as a result of a number of factors, including our clients’ decision to license a new product or release from an enterprise software vendor, our clients’ decision to move to another enterprise software vendor, product or release for which we do not offer products or services, client satisfaction with our products and services, the acquisition of our clients by other companies, and clients going out of business. If our clients do not renew their agreements for our products and services or if our clients decrease the amount they spend with us, our revenue will decline and our business will suffer.
We face significant competition from both enterprise software vendors and other companies offering independent enterprise software support services, as well as from software licensees that attempt to self-support, which may harm our ability to add new clients, retain existing clients and grow our business.
We face intense competition from enterprise software vendors, such as Oracle and SAP, who provide software support services for their own products. Enterprise software vendors have offered discounts to companies to whom we have marketed our services. In addition, our current and potential competitors and enterprise software vendors may develop and market new technologies that render our existing or future services less competitive or obsolete. Competition could significantly impede our ability to sell our services on terms favorable to us and we may need to decrease the prices for our services in order to remain competitive. If we are unable to maintain our current pricing due to competitive pressures, our margins will be reduced and our results of operations will be negatively affected.
There are also several smaller vendors in the independent enterprise software support services market with whom we compete with respect to certain of our services. We expect competition to continue to increase in the future, particularly if we prevail in Rimini II, which could harm our ability to increase sales, maintain or increase renewals and maintain our prices.
Our current and potential competitors may have significantly more financial, technical and other resources than we have, may be able to devote greater resources to the development, promotion, sale and support of their products and services, have more extensive customer bases and broader customer relationships than we have and may have longer operating histories and greater name recognition than we have. As a result, these competitors may be better able to respond quickly to new technologies and provide more robust support offerings. In addition, certain independent enterprise software support organizations may have or may develop more cooperative relationships with enterprise software vendors, which may allow them to compete more effectively over the long term. Enterprise software vendors may also offer support services at reduced or no additional cost to their customers. In addition, enterprise software vendors may take other actions in an attempt to maintain their support service business, including changing the terms of their customer agreements, the functionality of their products or services, or their pricing terms. For example, starting in the second quarter of 2017 Oracle has prohibited us from accessing its support websites to download software updates on behalf of our clients who are authorized to do so and permitted to authorize a third party to do so on their behalf. In addition, various support policies of Oracle and SAP may include clauses that could penalize customers that choose to use independent enterprise software support vendors or that, following a departure from the
software vendor’s support program, seek to return to the software vendor to purchase new licenses or services. To the extent any of our competitors have existing relationships with potential clients for enterprise software products and support services, those potential clients may be unwilling to purchase our services because of those existing relationships. If we are unable to compete with such companies, the demand for our services could be substantially impacted.
Our past growth is not indicative of our future growth but if we grow rapidly, we may not be able to manage our growth effectively.
Our revenue grew from $65.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 to $78.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020, representing a period over period increase of 18%. Our revenue grew from $58.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018 to $65.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019, representing a period over period increase of 13%. Prior to the first quarter of 2020, we had been experiencing a decline in period over period revenue growth. The period over period decline in our revenue growth rates was due in part to covenants of our former Credit Facility that restricted our spending on sales and marketing activity that resulted in sequential reductions in new business activity during 2017 and the first half of 2018. In addition, beginning in the second quarter of 2017 and continuing through 2018, some potential sales transactions were adversely affected by certain competitive actions that also impacted our revenue growth. You should not consider our past growth as indicative of our future performance. We believe growth of our revenue depends on a number of factors, including our ability to:
•price our products and services effectively so that we are able to attract new clients and retain existing clients without compromising our profitability;
•introduce our products and services to new geographic markets;
•introduce new enterprise software products and services supporting additional enterprise software vendors, products and releases;
•satisfactorily conclude the Oracle litigation and any other litigation that may occur and our governmental inquiry; and
•increase awareness of our company, products and services on a global basis.
We may not successfully accomplish all or any of these objectives. We plan to continue our investment in future growth. We expect to continue to expend substantial financial and other resources on, among others:
•sales and marketing efforts;
•training to optimize our opportunities to overcome litigation risk concerns of our clients;
•expanding in new geographical areas;
•growing our product and service offerings and related capabilities;
•adding additional product and service offerings; and
•general administration, including legal and accounting expenses related to being a public company.
In addition, our historical rapid growth has placed and may continue to place significant demands on our management and our operational and financial resources. Our organizational structure is becoming more complex as we add additional staff, and we will need to improve our operational, financial and management controls, as well as our reporting systems and procedures. We will require significant capital expenditures and the allocation of valuable management resources to grow and change in these areas without undermining our corporate culture of rapid innovation, teamwork and attention to client service that has been central to our growth.
Our former Credit Facility, which was repaid and terminated in July 2018, included covenants that restricted our spending on sales and marketing activity that resulted in sequential reductions in new business activity during 2017 and 2018. An October 2017 amendment allowed us to increase our sales and marketing spending in the fourth quarter of 2017 and the first half of 2018. Due to the termination of the Credit Facility on July 19, 2018, we are no longer subject to restrictions related to our sales and marketing spending. However, even though we have increased our sales and marketing spending since the termination of the Credit Facility, it can take several quarters before these efforts translate to improved revenue growth rates. In addition, beginning in the second quarter of 2017 some potential sales transactions were adversely affected by certain actions by our competitors. Despite these constraints, our period over period growth in revenue has increased over time from approximately 13% for the three months ended March 31, 2019 to 18% for the three months ended March 31, 2020. Due to our subscription revenue model, the impact of these matters that resulted in revenue growth of 18% for the three months ended March 31, 2020 versus the three months ended March 31, 2019 is expected to result in revenue growth rates ranging from 10% to 14% for 2020 as compared to 2019.
Our failure to generate significant capital or raise additional capital necessary to fund and expand our operations and invest in new services and products could reduce our ability to compete and could harm our business.
We may need to raise additional capital beyond funds raised from our issuance and sale of Series A Preferred Stock in July 2018, March 2019 and June 2019, if we cannot fund our growth sufficiently through our operating cash flows. Should this occur, we may not be able to obtain debt or additional equity financing on favorable terms, if at all. We are also subject to certain restrictions for future financings as discussed in the risk factor “Our Series A Preferred Stock and Convertible Notes restrict our ability to incur certain indebtedness, and the Convertible Notes contain additional restrictions and obligations that are currently effective or become effective upon certain events, which limit our flexibility in operating our business”. If we raise additional equity financing, which may include the issuance and sale of additional shares of our Series A Preferred Stock, our stockholders may experience significant dilution of their ownership interests and the per share value of our Common Stock could decline. If we engage in debt financings, the holders of the debt securities would have priority over the holders of our Common Stock. We may also be required to accept terms that further restrict our ability to incur additional indebtedness, take other actions that would otherwise not be in the best interests of our stockholders, or force us to maintain specified liquidity or other ratios, any of which could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition. If we cannot raise additional capital on acceptable terms, we may not be able to, among other things:
•maintain our operations;
•develop or enhance our products and services;
•continue to expand our sales and marketing functions;
•devote resources to research and development activities;
•acquire complementary technologies, products or businesses;
•expand operations, in the United States or globally;
•hire, train and retain employees; or
•respond to competitive pressures or unanticipated working capital requirements.
Our failure to do any of these things could impact our ability to grow our revenue and seriously harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our business may suffer if it is alleged or determined that our technology infringes the intellectual property rights of others.
The software industry is characterized by the existence of a large number of patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets and other intellectual and proprietary rights. Companies in the software industry are often required to defend against claims and litigation alleging infringement or other violations of intellectual property rights. Many of our competitors and other industry participants have been issued patents and/or have filed patent applications and may assert patent or other intellectual property rights within the industry. From time to time, we may receive threatening letters or notices alleging infringement or may be the subject of claims that our services and underlying technology infringe or violate the intellectual property rights of others. Any allegation of infringement, whether innocent or intentional, can adversely impact marketing, sales and our reputation.
For example, as described further in the section titled “Risk Factors-Risks Related to Litigation” above, we are engaged in litigation with Oracle relating in part to copyright infringement claims. See the risk factor “We and our Chief Executive Officer are involved in litigation with Oracle. An adverse outcome in the ongoing litigation could result in the payment of substantial damages and/or an injunction against certain of our business practices, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results” above for additional information regarding the Rimini I and Rimini II cases.
We rely on our management team and other key employees, including our Chief Executive Officer, and the loss of one or more key employees could harm our business.
Our success and future growth depend upon the continued services of our management team, including Seth Ravin, our Chief Executive Officer, and other key employees. Since 2008, Mr. Ravin has been under the regular care of a physician for kidney disease, which includes ongoing treatment. During this time, Mr. Ravin has continuously performed all of his duties as Chief Executive Officer of our company on a full-time basis. Although Mr. Ravin’s condition has not had any impact on his performance in his role as Chief Executive Officer or on the overall management of the Company, we can provide no assurance that his condition will not affect his ability to perform the role of Chief Executive Officer in the future. In addition, from time to time, there may be changes in our management team resulting from the hiring or departure of executives, which could disrupt our business. We may terminate any employee at any time, with or without cause, and any employee may resign at any time, with or without cause. We do not maintain key man life insurance on any of our employees. The loss of one or more of our key employees could harm our business.
The failure to attract and retain additional qualified personnel could prevent us from executing our business strategy.
To execute our business strategy, we must attract and retain highly qualified personnel. We have from time to time experienced, and we expect to continue to experience, difficulty in hiring and retaining highly skilled employees with appropriate qualifications. In particular, we have experienced an extremely competitive hiring environment in the San Francisco Bay Area, where we have a significant amount of operations, but also face extremely competitive hiring environments across the United States and the other countries in which we operate. Many of the companies with which we compete for experienced personnel have greater resources than we do. In addition, in making employment decisions, job candidates often consider the value of the stock options or other equity incentives they are to receive in connection with their employment. If the price of our stock declines or experiences significant volatility, our ability to attract or retain qualified employees will be adversely affected. In addition, as we continue to expand into new geographic markets, there can be no assurance that we will be able to attract and retain the required management, sales, marketing and support services personnel to profitably grow our business. If we fail to attract new personnel or fail to retain and motivate our current personnel, our growth prospects could be severely harmed.
Because we recognize revenue from subscriptions over the term of the relevant contract, downturns or upturns in sales are not immediately reflected in full in our results of operations.
As a subscription-based business, we recognize revenue over the service period of our contracts. As a result, much of our reported revenue each quarter results from contracts entered into during previous quarters. Consequently, while a shortfall in demand for our products and services or a decline in new or renewed contracts in any one quarter may not significantly reduce our revenue for that quarter, it could negatively affect our revenue in future quarters. Accordingly, the effect of significant downturns in new sales, renewals or extensions of our service agreements will not be reflected in full in our results of operations until future periods. Our revenue recognition model also makes it difficult for us to rapidly increase our revenue through additional sales in any period, as revenue from new clients must be recognized over the applicable service contract term.
Failure to effectively develop and expand our marketing and sales capabilities could harm our ability to increase our client base and achieve broader market acceptance of our products and services.
Our ability to increase our client base and achieve broader market acceptance of our products and services will depend to a significant extent on our ability to expand our marketing and sales operations. We plan to continue expanding our sales force globally. These efforts will require us to invest significant financial and other resources. Moreover, our sales personnel typically take an average of between nine to twelve months before any new sales personnel can operate at the capacity typically expected of experienced sales personnel. This ramp cycle, combined with our typical six- to twelve-month sales cycle for engaged prospects, means that we will not immediately recognize a return on this investment in our sales department. In addition, the cost to acquire clients is high due to the cost of these marketing and sales efforts. Our business may be materially harmed if our efforts do not generate a correspondingly significant increase in revenue. We may not achieve anticipated revenue growth from expanding our sales force if we are unable to hire, develop and retain talented sales personnel, if our new sales personnel are unable to achieve desired productivity levels in a reasonable period of time or if our sales and marketing programs are not effective.
Interruptions to or degraded performance of our service could result in client dissatisfaction, damage to our reputation, loss of clients, limited growth and reduction in revenue.
Our software support agreements with our clients generally guarantee a 15-minute response time with respect to certain high-priority issues. To the extent that we do not meet the 15-minute guarantee, our clients may in some instances be entitled to liquidated damages, service credits or refunds. To date, no such payments have been made.
We also deliver tax, legal and regulatory updates to our clients and generally have done so faster than our competitors. If there are inaccuracies in these updates, or if we are not able to deliver them on a timely basis to our clients, our reputation may be damaged, and we could face claims for compensation from our clients, lose clients, or both.
Any interruptions or delays in our service, whether as a result of third-party error, our own error, natural disasters, security breaches or a result of any other issues, whether accidental or willful, could harm our relationships with clients and cause our revenue to decrease and our expenses to increase. Also, in the event of damage or interruption, our insurance policies may not adequately compensate us for any losses that we may incur. These factors, in turn, could further reduce our revenue, subject us to liability, cause us to pay liquidated damages, issue credits or cause clients not to renew their agreements with us, any of which could materially adversely affect our business.
We may experience fluctuations in our results of operations due to a number of factors, including the sales cycles for our products and services, which makes our future results difficult to predict and could cause our results of operations to fall below expectations or our guidance.
Our results of operations have fluctuated in the past and are expected to fluctuate in the future due to a variety of factors, many of which are outside of our control. Accordingly, the results of any one quarter should not be relied upon as an indication of future performance. Historically, our sales cycle has been tied to the renewal dates for our clients’ existing and prior vendor support agreements for the products that we support. Because our clients make support vendor selection decisions in conjunction with the renewal of their existing support agreements with Oracle and SAP, among other enterprise software vendors, we have experienced an increase in business activity during the periods in which those agreements are up for renewal. Because we have introduced and intend to continue to introduce products and services for additional software products that do not follow the same renewal timeline or pattern, our past results may not be indicative of our future performance, and comparing our results of operations on a period-to-period basis may not be meaningful. Also, if we are unable to engage a potential client before its renewal date for software support services in a particular year, it will likely be at least another year before we would have the opportunity to engage that potential client again, given that such potential client likely had to renew or extend its existing support agreement for at least an additional year’s worth of service with its existing support provider. Furthermore, our existing clients generally renew their agreements with us at or near the end of each calendar year, so we have also experienced and expect to continue to experience heavier renewal rates in the fourth quarter. In addition to the other risks described herein, factors that may affect our quarterly results of operations include the following:
•changes in spending on enterprise software products and services by our current or prospective clients;
•pricing of our products and services so that we are able to attract and retain clients;
•acquisition of new clients and increases of our existing clients’ use of our products and services;
•client renewal rates and the amounts for which agreements are renewed;
•budgeting cycles of our clients;
•the occurrence of catastrophic events that may disrupt our business;
•changes in the competitive dynamics of our market, including consolidation among competitors or clients;
•the amount and timing of payment for operating expenses, particularly sales and marketing expenses and employee benefit expenses, as well as the quarterly Cash Dividends required to be made on our Series A Preferred Stock;
•the amount and timing of non-cash expenses, including stock-based compensation, PIK Dividends on our Series A Preferred Stock and other non-cash charges;
•the amount and timing of costs associated with recruiting, training and integrating new employees;
•the amount and timing of cash collections from our clients;
•unforeseen costs and expenses related to the expansion of our business, operations, infrastructure and new products and services such as Application Management Services (AMS);
•the amount and timing of our legal costs, particularly related to our litigation with Oracle;
•changes in the levels of our capital expenditures; foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations; and
•general economic and political conditions in our global markets, including pandemic and other catastrophic conditions outside our control.
We may not be able to accurately forecast the amount and mix of future product and service subscriptions, revenue and expenses, and as a result, our results of operations may fall below our estimates or the expectations of securities analysts and investors. If our revenue or results of operations fall below the expectations of investors or securities analysts, or below any guidance we may provide, the price of our Common Stock could decline.
Our future liquidity and results of operations may be adversely affected by the timing of new orders, the level of client renewals and cash receipts from clients.
Due to the collection of cash from our clients before services are provided, our revenue is recognized over future periods when there are no corresponding cash receipts from such clients. Accordingly, our future liquidity is highly dependent upon the ability to continue to attract new clients and to enter into renewal arrangements with existing clients. If we experience a decline in orders from new clients or renewals from existing clients, our revenue may continue to increase while our liquidity and cash levels decline. Any such decline, however, will negatively affect our revenues in future quarters. Accordingly, the effect of declines in orders from new clients or renewals from existing clients may not be fully reflected in our results of operations and cash flows until future periods. Comparing our revenues and operating results on a period-to-period basis may not be meaningful, as it may not be an indicator of the future sufficiency of our cash and cash equivalents to meet our liquidity requirements. You should not rely on our past results as an indication of our future performance or liquidity.
We may be subject to additional obligations to collect and remit sales tax and other taxes, and we may be subject to tax liability, interest and/or penalties for past sales, which could adversely harm our business.
State, local and foreign jurisdictions have differing rules and regulations governing sales, use, value-added and other taxes, and these rules and regulations can be complex and are subject to varying interpretations that may change over time. In particular, the applicability of such taxes to our products and services in various jurisdictions is unclear. Further, these jurisdictions’ rules regarding tax nexus are complex and can vary significantly. As a result, we could face the possibility of tax assessments and audits, and our liability for these taxes and associated interest and penalties could exceed our original estimates. A successful assertion that we should be collecting additional sales, use, value-added or other taxes in those jurisdictions where we have not historically done so and in which we do not accrue for such taxes could result in substantial tax liabilities and related penalties for past sales, discourage clients from purchasing our products and services or otherwise harm our business and results of operations.
We may need to change our pricing models to compete successfully.
We currently offer our clients support services for a fee that is equal to a percentage of the annual fees charged by the enterprise software vendor, so changes in such vendors’ fee structures would impact the fees we would receive from our clients. If the enterprise software vendors offer deep discounts on certain services or lower prices generally, we may need to change our pricing models or suffer adverse effect on our results of operations. In addition, we have recently begun to offer new products and services and do not have substantial experience with pricing such products and services, so we may need to change our pricing models for these new products and services over time to ensure that we remain competitive and realize a return on our investment in developing these new products and services. If we do not adapt our pricing models as necessary or appropriate, our revenue could decrease and adversely affect our results of operations.
We may not be able to scale our business systems quickly enough to meet our clients’ growing needs, and if we are not able to grow efficiently, our results of operations could be harmed.
As enterprise software products become more advanced and complex, we will need to devote additional resources to innovating, improving and expanding our offerings to provide relevant products and services to our clients using these more advanced and complex products. In addition, we will need to appropriately scale our internal business systems and our global operations and client engagement teams to serve our growing client base, particularly as our client demographics expand over time. Any failure of or delay in these efforts could adversely affect the quality or success of our services and negatively impact client satisfaction, resulting in potential decreased sales to new clients and possibly lower renewal rates by existing clients.
Even if we are able to upgrade our systems and expand our services organizations, any such expansion may be expensive and complex, requiring financial investments, management time and attention.
We could also face inefficiencies or operational failures as a result of our efforts to scale our infrastructure. There can be no assurance that the expansion and improvements to our infrastructure and systems will be fully or effectively implemented within budgets or on a timely basis, if at all. Any failure to efficiently scale our business could result in reduced revenue and adversely impact our operating margins and results of operations.
We have experienced significant growth resulting in changes to our organization and structure, which if not effectively managed, could have a negative impact on our business.
Our headcount and operations have grown in recent years. We increased the number of full-time employees from over 1,110 as of March 31, 2019 to over 1,300 as of March 31, 2020. We believe that our corporate culture has been a critical component of our success. We have invested substantial time and resources in building our team and nurturing our culture. As we expand our business and operate as a public company, we may find it difficult to maintain our corporate culture while managing our employee growth. Any failure to manage our anticipated growth and related organizational changes in a manner that preserves our culture could negatively impact future growth and achievement of our business objectives.
In addition, our organizational structure has become more complex as a result of our significant growth. We have added employees and may need to continue to scale and adapt our operational, financial and management controls, as well as our reporting systems and procedures. The expansion of our systems and infrastructure may require us to commit additional financial, operational and management resources before our revenue increases and without any assurances that our revenue will increase. If we fail to successfully manage our growth, we likely will be unable to successfully execute our business strategy, which could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Because our long-term growth strategy involves further expansion of our sales to clients outside the United States, our business will be susceptible to risks associated with global operations.
A significant component of our growth strategy involves the further expansion of our operations and client base outside the United States. Accordingly, our international revenue grew from $23.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 to $30.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020, an increase of $7.4 million or 32%. We currently have subsidiaries outside of the United States in Australia, Brazil, UAE (Dubai), France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore, Sweden, Taiwan and the United Kingdom, which focus primarily on selling our services in those regions.
In the future, we may expand to other locations outside of the United States. Our current global operations and future initiatives will involve a variety of risks, including:
•changes in a specific country’s or region’s political or economic conditions;
•the occurrence of catastrophic events that may disrupt our business;
•changes in regulatory requirements, taxes or trade laws such as Brexit;
•more stringent regulations relating to data security, such as where and how data can be housed, accessed and used, and the unauthorized use of, or access to, commercial and personal information;
•differing labor regulations, especially in countries and geographies where labor laws are generally more advantageous to employees as compared to the United States, including deemed hourly wage and overtime regulations in these locations;
•challenges inherent in efficiently managing an increased number of employees over large geographic distances, including the need to implement appropriate systems, policies, benefits and compliance programs as well as hire and retain local management, sales, marketing and support personnel, along with the ability to recapture costs to open up new geographies;
•difficulties in managing a business in new markets with diverse cultures, languages, customs, legal systems, alternative dispute systems and regulatory systems;
•increased logistics, travel, real estate, infrastructure and legal compliance costs associated with global operations;
•currency exchange rate fluctuations and the resulting effect on our revenue and expenses, and the cost and risk of entering into hedging transactions if we choose to do so in the future;
•limitations on our ability to reinvest earnings from operations in one country to fund the capital needs of our operations in other countries;
•laws and business practices favoring local competitors or general preferences for local vendors;
•limited or insufficient intellectual property protection;
•political instability or terrorist activities;
•exposure to liabilities under anti-corruption and anti-money laundering laws, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar laws and regulations in other jurisdictions; and
•adverse tax burdens and foreign exchange controls that could make it difficult to repatriate earnings and cash.
Our limited experience in operating our business globally and the unique challenges of each new geography increase the risk that any potential future expansion efforts that we may undertake will not be successful. If we invest substantial time and resources to expand our global operations and are unable to do so successfully and in a timely manner, our business and results of operations will be adversely affected.
If we fail to forecast our revenue accurately, or if we fail to match our expenditures with corresponding revenue, our results of operations and liquidity could be adversely affected.
Because our recent growth has resulted in the rapid expansion of our business, we do not have a long history upon which to base forecasts of future operating revenue. In addition, the variability of the sales cycle for the evaluation and implementation of our products and services, which typically has been six to twelve months once a client is engaged, may also cause us to experience a delay between increasing operating expenses for such sales efforts, and the generation of corresponding revenue. Accordingly, we may be unable to prepare accurate internal financial forecasts or replace anticipated revenue that we do not receive as a result of delays arising from these factors. As a result, our results of operations and liquidity in future reporting periods may be significantly below the expectations of the public market, securities analysts or investors, which could negatively impact the price of our Common Stock.
Consolidation in our target sales markets is continuing at a rapid pace, which could harm our business in the event that our clients are acquired and their agreements are terminated, or not renewed or extended.
Consolidation among companies in our target sales markets has been robust in recent years, and this trend poses a risk for us. If such consolidation continues, we expect that some of the acquiring companies will terminate, renegotiate and elect not to renew our agreements with the clients they acquire, which may have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
If there is a widespread shift by clients or potential clients to enterprise software vendors, products and releases for which we do not provide software products or services, our business would be adversely impacted.
Our current revenue is primarily derived from the provision of support services for Oracle and SAP enterprise software products. If other enterprise software vendors, products and releases emerge to take substantial market share from current Oracle and SAP products and releases we support, and we do not provide products or services for such vendors, products or releases, demand for our products and services may decline or our products and services may become obsolete. Developing new products and services to address different enterprise software vendors, products and releases could take a substantial investment of time and financial resources, and we cannot guarantee that we will be successful. If fewer clients use enterprise software products for which we provide products and services, and we are not able to provide services for new vendors, products or releases, our business may be adversely impacted.
Delayed or unsuccessful investment in new technology, products, services and markets may harm our financial condition and results of operations.
We plan to continue investing resources in research and development in order to enhance our current product and service offerings, and other new offerings that will appeal to clients and potential clients, for example, our partnership with Salesforce to support SaaS solutions and our Application Management Services (AMS) for SAP and Oracle products. The development of new product and service offerings could divert the attention of our management and our employees from the day-to-day operations of our business, the new product and service offerings may not generate sufficient revenue to offset the increased research and development expenses, they may not generate gross profit margins consistent with our current margins, and if we are not successful in implementing the new product and service offerings, we may need to write off the value of our investment. Also, these new product and service offerings may be in markets that are more competitive than markets for our existing product and service offerings, making it more difficult to introduce them to clients and potential clients effectively or provide them profitably. Furthermore, if our new or modified products, services or technology do not work as intended, are not responsive to client needs or industry or regulatory changes, are not appropriately timed with market opportunity, or are not effectively brought to market, we may lose existing and prospective clients or related opportunities, in which case our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely impacted.
If our data security measures are compromised or unauthorized access to or misuse of client data occurs, our services may be perceived as not being secure, clients may curtail or cease their use of our services, our reputation may be harmed, and we may incur significant liabilities. Further, we are subject to governmental and other legal obligations related to privacy, and our actual or perceived failure to comply with such obligations could harm our business.
Our services sometimes involve accessing, processing, sharing, using, storing and transmitting proprietary information and protected data of our clients. We rely on proprietary and commercially available systems, software, tools and monitoring, as well as other processes, to provide security for accessing, processing, sharing, using, storing and transmitting such information and data. If our security measures are compromised as a result of third-party action, employee, vendor or client error, malfeasance, stolen or fraudulently obtained log-in credentials or otherwise, our reputation could be damaged, our business and our clients may be harmed, and we could incur significant liabilities. In particular, cyberattacks, such as phishing, continue to increase in frequency and in magnitude generally, and these threats are being driven by a variety of sources, including nation-state sponsored espionage and hacking activities, industrial espionage, organized crime, sophisticated organizations and hacking groups and individuals. In addition, if the security measures of our clients are compromised, even without any actual compromise of our own systems or security measures, we may face negative publicity or reputational harm if our clients or anyone else incorrectly attributes the blame for such security breaches to us, our products and services, or our systems. We may also be responsible for repairing any damage caused to our clients’ systems that we support, and we may not be able to make such repairs in a timely manner or at all. We may be unable to anticipate or prevent techniques used to obtain unauthorized access or to sabotage systems because they change frequently and generally are not detected until after an incident has occurred. As we increase our client base and our brand becomes more widely known and recognized, we may become more of a target for third parties seeking to compromise our systems or security measures or gain unauthorized access to our clients’ proprietary information and protected data.
Many governments have enacted laws requiring companies to notify individuals of data security incidents involving certain types of personal data. In addition, some of our clients contractually require notification of any data security compromise. In the event of a data security compromise, we may have difficulty timely complying with notification requirements that are unreasonably short or burdensome. Security compromises experienced by our clients, by our competitors or by us may lead to public disclosures, which may lead to widespread negative publicity. Any data security compromise in our industry, whether actual or perceived, could harm our reputation, erode client confidence in the effectiveness of our security measures, negatively impact our ability to attract new clients, cause existing clients to elect not to renew their agreements with us, or subject us to third party lawsuits, government investigations, regulatory fines or other action or liability, all or any of which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We cannot assure you that any limitations of liability provisions in our contracts for a security breach would be enforceable or adequate or would otherwise protect us from any such liabilities or damages with respect to any particular claim. We also cannot be sure that our existing general liability insurance coverage and coverage for errors or omissions will continue to be available on acceptable terms or will be available in sufficient amounts to cover one or more claims, or that the insurer will not deny coverage as to any future claim. The successful assertion of one or more claims against us that exceed available insurance coverage, or the occurrence of changes in our insurance policies, including premium increases or the imposition of substantial deductible or co-insurance requirements, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
As a global company, we are subject to the laws and regulations of numerous jurisdictions worldwide regarding accessing, processing, sharing, using, storing, transmitting, disclosure and protection of personal data, the scope of which are constantly changing, subject to differing interpretation, and may be inconsistent between countries or in conflict with other laws, legal obligations or industry standards. For example, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which came into effect in the European Union (EU) on May 25, 2018, creates a broad range of new compliance requirements and imposes substantial penalties for non-compliance, including possible fines of up to 4% of global annual revenue for the preceding financial year or €20 million (whichever is higher) for the most serious infringements. We are also subject to certain requirements of the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, which came into effect on January 1, 2020 and which adds to the range of privacy-related compliance requirements. We generally comply with industry standards and strive to comply with all applicable laws and other legal obligations relating to privacy and data protection, but it is possible that these laws and legal obligations may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another and may conflict with industry standards or our practices or may be mandated at a pace that exceeds our ability to comply. Compliance with such laws and other legal obligations may be costly and may require us to modify our business practices, which could adversely affect our business and profitability. Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with these laws, policies or other obligations may result in governmental enforcement actions or litigation against us, potential fines and other expenses related to such governmental actions, result in an order requiring that we change our data practices or business practices, and could cause our clients to lose trust in us, any of which could have an adverse effect on our business.
If our products and services fail due to defects or similar problems, and if we fail to correct any defect or other software problems, we could lose clients, become subject to service performance or warranty claims or incur significant costs.
Our products and services and the systems infrastructure necessary for the successful delivery of our products and services to clients are inherently complex and may contain material defects or errors. We have from time to time found defects in our products and services and may discover additional defects in the future. In particular, we have developed our own tools and processes to deliver comprehensive tax, legal and regulatory updates tailored for each client, which we endeavor to deliver to our clients in a shorter timeframe than our competitors, which may result in an increased risk of material defects or errors. We may not be able to detect and correct defects or errors before clients begin to use our products and services. Consequently, defects or errors may be discovered after our products and services are provided and used. These defects or errors could also cause inaccuracies in the data we collect and process for our clients, or even the loss, damage or inadvertent release of such confidential data. Even if we are able to implement fixes or corrections to our tax, legal and regulatory updates in a timely manner, any history of defects or inaccuracies in the data we collect for our clients, or the loss, damage or inadvertent release of such confidential data could cause our reputation to be harmed, and clients may elect not to renew, extend or expand their agreements with us and subject us to service performance credits, warranty or other claims or increased insurance costs. The costs associated with any material defects or errors in our products and services or other performance problems may be substantial and could materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from reporting and disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting and disclosure requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our shareholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We expect to continue to have such reporting status until the end of 2020. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the market prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the market prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with certain other public companies difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
If we are not able to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, current and potential investors could lose confidence in our financial reporting, which could harm our business and have an adverse effect on our stock price.
As reported in prior years, we have had material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. In connection with the audit of our consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, management determined that we had several material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. The material weaknesses related to the following:
•inadequate controls in relation to recognition of liabilities for embedded derivatives in connection with our former Credit Facility (2016);
•inadequate controls in relation to revenue recognition from support service sales contracts whereby we incorrectly accounted for multi-year, non-cancelable support service sales contracts as a single delivery arrangement and incorrectly accounting for revenue for certain non-standard contract provisions (2015 and 2016);
•various sales tax control matters related to manual processes and determination of tax liabilities in certain states (2015); and
•inadequate controls for accrual of loss contingencies related to our litigation with Oracle (2015).
Although we remediated these material weaknesses during the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, we cannot provide assurance that material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting will not be identified in the future.
For the year ended December 31, 2019, our management was required to conduct an annual evaluation of our internal control over financial reporting and include a report of management on our internal control in our annual report on Form 10-K. As of December 31, 2019, we have concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective.
With respect to controls over revenue accounting procedures, we intend to continue to work on automating our processes, especially around the new FASB revenue accounting standard, as well as to continue to enhance our review processes around new and renewal contracts. In addition, we will be required to have our independent public accounting firm attest to and report on management’s assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting when we cease qualifying as an “emerging growth company” pursuant to the JOBS Act. If we are unable to conclude that we have effective internal control over financial reporting or, if our independent auditors are unable to provide us with an attestation and an unqualified report as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, investors could lose confidence in the reliability of our financial statements, which could result in a decrease in the value of our securities. For further information regarding our controls and procedures, see Part I, Item 4 of this Report.
Economic uncertainties or downturns in the general economy or the industries in which our clients operate could disproportionately affect the demand for our products and services and negatively impact our results of operations.
General worldwide economic conditions have experienced significant fluctuations in recent years, and market volatility and uncertainty remain widespread, with the expectation that economic challenges and possible recession will be exacerbated for an extended period, in the wake of COVID-19. As a result, we and our clients find it extremely difficult to accurately forecast and plan future business activities. In addition, these conditions could cause our clients or prospective clients to reduce their IT budgets, which could decrease corporate spending on our products and services, resulting in delayed and lengthened sales cycles, a decrease in new client acquisition and loss of clients. Furthermore, during challenging economic times, our clients may face issues with their cash flows and in gaining timely access to sufficient credit or obtaining credit on reasonable terms, which could impair their ability to make timely payments to us, impact client renewal rates and adversely affect our revenue. If such conditions occur, we may be required to increase our reserves, allowances for doubtful accounts and write-offs of accounts receivable, and our results of operations would be harmed. We cannot predict the timing, strength or duration of any economic slowdown or recovery, whether global, regional or within specific markets. If the conditions of the general economy or markets in which we operate worsen, our business could be harmed. In addition, even if the overall economy improves, the market for our products and services may not experience growth. Moreover, recent events, including the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union (“Brexit”), change in U.S. trade policies and responsive changes in policy by foreign jurisdictions, governmental and multinational organizations' responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and similar geopolitical developments and uncertainty in the European Union and elsewhere have increased levels of political and economic unpredictability globally, and may increase the volatility of global financial markets and the global and regional economies.
Catastrophic events may disrupt our business.
We rely heavily on our network infrastructure and information technology systems for our business operations. A disruption or failure of these systems in the event of online attack, earthquake, fire, terrorist attack, power loss, telecommunications failure, extreme weather conditions (such as hurricanes, wildfires or floods) or other catastrophic event could cause system interruptions, delays in accessing our service, reputational harm, loss of critical data or could prevent us from providing our products and services to our clients. In addition, several of our employee groups reside in areas particularly susceptible to earthquakes, such as the San Francisco Bay Area and Japan, and a major earthquake or other catastrophic event could affect our employees, who may not be able to access our systems, or otherwise continue to provide our services to our clients. A catastrophic event that results in the destruction or disruption of our data centers, or our network infrastructure or information technology systems, or access to our systems could affect our ability to conduct normal business operations and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, the emergence or spread of a pandemic or other widespread health emergency (or concerns over and response to the possibility of such an emergency), including COVID-19, that causes any of our employee groups to become ill, quarantined or otherwise unable to work and/or travel due to health reasons or governmental or client corporate restrictions, or causes our clients to have ill or logistically restricted workforces, or who choose to cease or delay meetings with us or decisions regarding engaging our services could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If we fail to enhance our brand, our ability to expand our client base will be impaired and our financial condition may suffer.
We believe that our development of the Rimini Street brand is critical to achieving widespread awareness of our products and services, and as a result, is important to attracting new clients and maintaining existing clients. We also believe that the importance of brand recognition will increase as competition in our market increases. Successful promotion of our brand will depend largely on the effectiveness of our marketing efforts and on our ability to provide reliable products and services at competitive prices, as well as the outcome of our ongoing litigation with Oracle. Brand promotion activities may not yield increased revenue, and even if they do, any increased revenue may not offset the expenses we incurred in building our brand. If we fail to successfully promote and maintain our brand, our business could be adversely impacted.
If we fail to adequately protect our proprietary rights, our competitive position could be impaired and we may lose valuable assets, experience reduced revenue and incur costly litigation to protect our rights.
Our success is dependent, in part, upon protecting our proprietary products, services, knowledge, software tools and processes. We rely on a combination of copyrights, trademarks, service marks, trade secret laws and contractual restrictions to establish and protect our proprietary rights. However, the steps we take to protect our intellectual property may be inadequate. We will not be able to protect our intellectual property if we are unable to enforce our rights or if we do not detect unauthorized use of our intellectual property. Any of our copyrights, trademarks, service marks, trade secret rights or other intellectual
property rights may be challenged by others or invalidated through administrative process or litigation. Furthermore, legal standards relating to the validity, enforceability and scope of protection of intellectual property rights are uncertain. Despite our precautions, it may be possible for unauthorized third parties to copy or use information that we regard as proprietary to create products and services that compete with ours. In addition, the laws of some countries do not protect proprietary rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. To the extent we expand our global activities, our exposure to unauthorized copying and use of our processes and software tools may increase.
We enter into confidentiality and invention assignment agreements with our employees and consultants and enter into confidentiality agreements with the parties with whom we have strategic relationships and business alliances. No assurance can be given that these agreements will be effective in controlling access to and distribution of our proprietary intellectual property. Further, these agreements may not prevent our competitors from independently developing products and services that are substantially equivalent or superior to our products and services.
Although we have been successful in the past, there can be no assurance that we will receive any additional patent protection for our proprietary software tools and processes. Even if we were to receive patent protection, those patent rights could be invalidated at a later date. Furthermore, any such patent rights may not adequately protect our processes, our software tools or prevent others from designing around our patent claims.
In order to protect our intellectual property rights, we may be required to spend significant resources to monitor and protect these rights. Litigation may be necessary in the future to enforce our intellectual property rights and to protect our trade secrets. Litigation brought to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights could be costly, time consuming and distracting to management and could result in the impairment or loss of portions of our intellectual property. Furthermore, our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights may be met with defenses, counterclaims and countersuits attacking the validity and enforceability of our intellectual property rights. Our inability to protect our products, processes and software tools against unauthorized copying or use, as well as any costly litigation or diversion of our management’s attention and resources, could delay further sales or the implementation of our products and services, impair the functionality of our products and services, delay introductions of new products and services, result in our substituting inferior or more costly technologies into our products and services, or injure our reputation.
We may not be able to use a significant portion of our net operating loss carryforwards, which could adversely affect our profitability.
We have U.S. federal and state net operating loss carryforwards due to prior period losses, which could expire unused and be unavailable to offset future income tax liabilities, which could adversely affect our profitability.
In addition, under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), our ability to utilize net operating loss carryforwards or other tax attributes in any taxable year may be limited if we experience an “ownership change.” A Section 382 “ownership change” generally occurs if one or more stockholders or groups of stockholders who own at least 5% of our stock increase their ownership by more than 50 percentage points over their lowest ownership percentage within a rolling three-year period. Similar rules may apply under state tax laws in the United States. While our ownership changes to date have not triggered any limitations under Section 382, it is possible that any future ownership changes or issuances of our capital stock, could have a material effect on the use of our net operating loss carryforwards or other tax attributes, which could adversely affect our profitability.
We are a multinational organization faced with increasingly complex tax issues in many jurisdictions, and we could be obligated to pay additional taxes in various jurisdictions.
As a multinational organization, we may be subject to taxation in several jurisdictions worldwide with increasingly complex tax laws, the application of which can be uncertain. Significant judgment is required in determining our worldwide provision for income taxes. In the ordinary course of our business, there are many transactions and calculations where the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. As such, our results may differ from previous estimates and may materially affect our financial position.
The amount of taxes we pay in jurisdictions in which we operate could increase substantially as a result of changes in the applicable tax principles, including increased tax rates, new tax laws or revised interpretations of existing tax laws and precedents, which could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity and results of operations. In addition, the authorities in these jurisdictions could review our tax returns and impose additional tax, interest and penalties, and the authorities could claim that various withholding requirements apply to us or our subsidiaries or assert that benefits of tax treaties are not available to us or our subsidiaries, any of which could have a material impact on us and the results of our operations.
Future acquisitions, strategic investments, partnerships or alliances could be difficult to identify and integrate, divert the attention of management, disrupt our business, dilute stockholder value and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
We may in the future seek to acquire or invest in businesses, products or technologies that we believe could complement or expand our services, enhance our technical capabilities or otherwise offer growth opportunities. The pursuit of potential acquisitions may divert the attention of management and cause us to incur various expenses in identifying, investigating and pursuing suitable acquisitions, whether or not the acquisition purchases are completed. If we acquire businesses, we may not be able to integrate successfully the acquired personnel, operations and technologies, or effectively manage the combined business following the acquisition. We may not be able to find and identify desirable acquisition targets or be successful in entering into an agreement with any particular target or obtain adequate financing to complete such acquisitions. Acquisitions could also result in dilutive issuances of equity securities or the incurrence of debt, which could adversely affect our results of operations. In addition, if an acquired business fails to meet our expectations, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.
Failure to comply with laws and regulations could harm our business.
Our business is subject to regulation by various global governmental agencies, including agencies responsible for monitoring and enforcing employment and labor laws, workplace safety, environmental laws, consumer protection laws, anti-bribery laws, import/export controls, securities laws and tax laws and regulations. For example, transfer of certain software outside of the United States or to certain persons is regulated by export controls.
In certain jurisdictions, these regulatory requirements may be more stringent than those in the United States. Noncompliance with applicable regulations or requirements could subject us to investigations, sanctions, mandatory recalls, enforcement actions, disgorgement of profits, fines, damages, civil and criminal penalties or injunctions and may result in our inability to provide certain products and services to prospective clients or clients. If any governmental sanctions are imposed, or if we do not prevail in any possible civil or criminal litigation, or if clients made claims against us for compensation, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be harmed. In addition, responding to any action will likely result in a significant diversion of management’s attention and resources and an increase in professional fees and costs. Enforcement actions and sanctions could further harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Changes in financial accounting standards or practices may cause adverse, unexpected financial reporting fluctuations and affect our reported results of operations.
Generally accepted accounting principles in the United States are subject to interpretation by the FASB, the SEC and various bodies formed to promulgate and interpret appropriate accounting principles. A change in accounting standards or practices can have a significant effect on our reported results and may even affect our reporting of transactions completed before the change is effective. New accounting pronouncements and varying interpretations of accounting pronouncements have occurred and will likely occur in the future. Changes to existing rules or the questioning of current practices may adversely affect our reported financial results or the way we conduct our business.
From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the FASB or other standard setting bodies that are adopted by us as of the specified effective date. For example, in May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which supersedes nearly all existing revenue recognition standards under U.S. GAAP. In addition, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases, in February 2016, which requires organizations that lease assets to recognize on the balance sheet the assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by those leases with lease terms of more than twelve months. For the impact on our financial position or results of operations upon adoption of recently issued accounting standards that are not yet effective and our plans for adoption of those standards, please refer to the section titled Recent Accounting Pronouncements under Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included in Part I, Item 1 of this Report.
Reports published by analysts, including projections in those reports that differ from our actual results, could adversely affect the price and trading volume of our common shares.
Securities research analysts may establish and publish their own periodic projections for us. These projections may vary widely and may not accurately predict the results we actually achieve. Our share price may decline if our actual results do not match the projections of these securities research analysts. Similarly, if one or more of the analysts who write reports on us downgrades our stock or publishes inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our share price could decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of us or fails to publish reports on us regularly, our share price or trading volume
could decline. If no analysts commence coverage of us, the market price and volume for our common shares could be adversely affected.
Risks Related to Capitalization Matters and Corporate Governance
Risks Related to our Preferred Stock and Common Stock, Warrants and Units
Our Series A Preferred Stock and their related Convertible Notes restrict our ability to incur certain indebtedness, and the Convertible Notes contain additional restrictions and obligations that are currently effective or become effective upon certain events, which limit our flexibility in operating our business.
While a specified minimum number of shares of Series A Preferred Stock or, if applicable, principal amount of Convertible Notes remain outstanding, holders owning a majority of the then outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock or principal outstanding under the Convertible Notes must consent to the issuance of debt other than “permitted indebtedness” which means (i) unsecured indebtedness, (ii) indebtedness classified and accounted for as capital leases in an aggregate amount not to exceed $3.5 million at any time outstanding, (iii) indebtedness with respect to credit cards and similar services or in respect of guarantees to clients or suppliers in the ordinary course of business, (iv) secured indebtedness assumed when a person becomes our subsidiary, provided that such secured indebtedness was not incurred in contemplation of such acquisition, merger or consolidation, such liens do not attach to our assets other than the assets subject to such lien at the time of the transaction, and in any event does not exceed $3.0 million at any time outstanding, and (v) indebtedness secured by a lien not to exceed $1.0 million at any time outstanding, which (i) through (v) in the aggregate may not exceed the greater of (x) $20.0 million or (y) 5% of U.S. GAAP revenue (calculated on a quarterly basis as set forth in our annual report on Form 10-K or our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, as applicable), for the 12 month period ending at the quarter-end immediately prior to the incurrence of such indebtedness.
The Convertible Notes contain customary covenants, including among others, a prohibition on the disposal (by merger, consolidation, liquidation or otherwise) of all or any part of our business, assets or property, subject to certain exceptions (i.e., sales of inventory in the ordinary course of business, non-exclusive licenses, etc.), and from the date upon which there is a redemption event causing redemption obligations to become principal under the Convertible Notes, restrictions on our ability to make certain payments with respect to its capital stock, subordinated and unsecured indebtedness and, at the option of a holder of a Convertible Note, requirements to deliver certain financial information to the holders at specified intervals, among others.
Upon the occurrence of an event of default under the Convertible Notes, the Noteholders would have the right to accelerate all of our obligations under the Convertible Notes, which obligations will immediately become due and payable. If such acceleration occurs prior to July 19, 2021, the Noteholders will also be entitled to a make-whole premium that provides full yield maintenance as if the Convertible Notes were held for a full three years through that date.
The terms of the Convertible Notes may impact our alternatives to finance its business, which could limit its ability to fund its growth. Further, full acceleration of the Convertible Notes may occur at a time when we are unable to pay all obligations, and thus subjecting us to the risk of liquidation or bankruptcy if such acceleration occurs.
The price of our Common Stock, warrants and units may be volatile.
The price of our Common Stock, warrants and units may fluctuate due to a variety of factors, including:
•developments in our continuing litigation with Oracle;
•actions that may be taken by our holders of Series A Preferred Stock and the Convertible Notes;
•any future equity or debt financing by us;
•our ability to pay cash dividends payable on our Series A Preferred Stock or to effectively service any outstanding debt obligations;
•the announcement of new products or product enhancements by us or our competitors;
•developments concerning intellectual property rights;
•changes in legal, regulatory and enforcement frameworks impacting our products;
•developments in the governmental inquiry instituted in March 2018 and any legal proceedings instituted involving us, if any, from such inquiry;
•variations in our and our competitors’ results of operations;
•the addition or departure of key personnel;
•announcements by us or our competitors of acquisitions, investments or strategic alliances;
•actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly and annual results and those of other public companies in our industry
•the level and changes in our year-over-year revenue growth rate;
•the failure of securities analysts to publish research about us, or shortfalls in our results of operations compared to levels forecast by securities analysts;
•any delisting of our Common Stock from Nasdaq Global Market (“Nasdaq”) due to any failure to meet listing requirements;
•our Public Warrants and units are quoted on the OTC Pink Current Information Marketplace which is a significantly more limited market than Nasdaq; and
•the general state of the securities market.
These market and industry factors may materially reduce the market price of our Common Stock, regardless of our operating performance.
Our preferred stockholders and certain of our common stockholders can exercise significant control, which could limit your ability to influence the outcome of key transactions, including a change of control.
Based on the number of shares of Common Stock and convertible Series A Preferred Stock outstanding as of March 31, 2020, eleven of our stockholders have aggregate voting power of 76.0% of our outstanding capital stock. As of March 31, 2020, on an as-converted basis, (i) approximately 30.7% of our outstanding voting capital stock is held by Adams Street Partners LLC and certain Adams Street fund limited partnerships (“ASP”), (ii) approximately 15.6% of our outstanding voting capital stock is beneficially owned by Seth Ravin, our Chief Executive Officer, (iii) approximately 9.4% of our outstanding voting capital stock is beneficially owned by GPIC Ltd., and (iv) the remaining holders of our Series A Preferred Stock have aggregate voting power representing approximately 20.3% of our outstanding voting capital stock. Holders of our Series A Preferred Stock are entitled to vote their shares on an as-converted basis on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders and to convert their shares into Common Stock at any time, which amounts will increase as in-kind dividends are paid through the issuance of additional shares of Series A Preferred Stock. Additionally, holders of our Series A Preferred Stock are required to approve certain matters as a class, voting separately from the Common Stock, such as dividends or distributions on our Common Stock, purchase or redemption of our Common Stock, certain amendments to our Certificate of Incorporation or Certificate of Designations that adversely affect the rights of the preferred stockholders, and authorization of the creation or issuance of any pari passu or senior securities. Our directors and officers or persons affiliated with our directors and officers have aggregate voting power of approximately 57.1% as of March 31, 2020.
As a result, these stockholders, acting together, have significant influence over all matters that require approval by our stockholders, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions. Corporate action might be taken even if other stockholders oppose them. This concentration of ownership might also have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of our company that other stockholders may view as beneficial.
Future resales of our Common Stock held by our significant stockholders or of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock may cause the market price of our Common Stock to drop significantly.
We registered for resale the shares of Common Stock issued in the Initial Private Placement, the March 2019 Private Placement and the June 2019 Private Placement, and the shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of, or issued as dividends upon, the Series A Preferred Stock or Convertible Notes, and are obligated to take certain actions to facilitate the transfer and sale of such shares. Upon such registration, the shares of Common Stock became freely salable. Additional shares of Series A Preferred Stock are authorized for issuance and may be issued in the future, subject to substantively similar rights. The Common Stock issuable upon conversion of our Series A Preferred Stock may represent overhang that may also adversely affect the market price of our Common Stock. Overhang occurs when there is a greater supply of a company’s stock in the market than there is demand for that stock. When this happens, the price of our stock will decrease, and any additional shares which stockholders attempt to sell in the market, or the perception that such sales might occur, will only further decrease the share price. If the share volume of our Common Stock cannot absorb converted shares sold by the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock, then the value of our Common Stock will likely decrease.
Any sale of large amounts of our Common Stock on the open market or in privately negotiated transactions could have the effect of increasing the volatility in the price of our Common Stock or putting significant downward pressure on the price of our Common Stock.
Any issuance of Common Stock upon conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock and/or exercise of warrants will cause dilution to existing stockholders and may depress the market price of our Common Stock.
Each share of our Series A Preferred Stock is initially convertible, at the option of the holders, into 100 shares of our Common Stock (subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of a stock split, stock dividend, combination or other similar recapitalization) for an aggregate of 15.6 million shares of Common Stock as of March 31, 2020 for the Series A Preferred Stock and is generally convertible at a conversion price equal to the quotient of its liquidation preference and $10.00. The Series A Preferred Stock also has a payment-in-kind dividend that will increase the number of shares of Common Stock into which the Series A Preferred Stock will be convertible while it remains outstanding. We have the right to convert outstanding Series A Preferred Stock into Common Stock after July 19, 2021 if our volume weighted average stock price for at least 30 trading days of the 45 consecutive trading days immediately preceding such conversion is greater than $11.50 per share. We can exercise this right to convert twice per calendar year for a maximum number of shares of Common Stock that has publicly traded over the 60 consecutive trading days prior to the conversion date (less any shares of Common Stock that have been issued pursuant to any such conversion during such 60-day period).
The issuance of Common Stock upon conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock may result in immediate and substantial dilution to the interests of our Common Stock holders since the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock may ultimately receive and sell all of shares issuable in connection with the conversion of such Series A Preferred Stock.
Further, the issuance of Common Stock upon exercise of warrants may result in immediate and substantial dilution to the equity interests of our existing common stockholders and might result in dilution in the tangible net book value of a share of a Common Stock, depending upon the price on which the additional shares are issued.
We do not currently intend to pay dividends on our Common Stock and, consequently, the ability to achieve a return on investment in our Common Stock will depend on appreciation in the price of our Common Stock.
We have not paid any cash dividends on our Common Stock to date. The payment of any cash dividends on our Common Stock will be dependent upon our revenue, earnings and financial condition from time to time. The payment of any dividends will be within the discretion of our Board of Directors and, in certain circumstances, would require us to obtain the consent of and to pay a corresponding dividend to holders of our shares of Series A Preferred Stock. It is presently expected that except for the cash dividends we are obligated to pay to the holders of our Series A Preferred Stock, we will retain all earnings for use in our business operations and, accordingly, it is not expected that our Board of Directors will declare any dividends on our Common Stock in the foreseeable future. Our ability to declare dividends on our Common Stock may also be limited by the terms of financing and other agreements entered into by us or our subsidiaries from time to time. Therefore, you are not likely to receive any dividends on your Common Stock for the foreseeable future and the success of an investment in shares of our Common Stock will depend upon any future appreciation in its value. Consequently, investors may need to sell all or part of their holdings of our Common Stock after price appreciation, which may never occur, as the only way to realize any future gains on their investment. There is no guarantee that shares of our Common Stock will appreciate in value or even maintain the price at which our stockholders have purchased their shares.
The DGCL and our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and certificate of designations of our Series A Preferred Stock contain certain provisions, including anti-takeover provisions that limit the ability of stockholders to take certain actions and could delay or discourage takeover attempts that stockholders may consider favorable.
Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, and Delaware General Corporation Law (the "DGCL"), contain provisions that could have the effect of rendering more difficult, delaying, or preventing an acquisition deemed undesirable by our Board of Directors and therefore depress the trading price of our Common Stock. These provisions could also make it difficult for stockholders to take certain actions, including electing directors who are not nominated by the current members of our Board of Directors or taking other corporate actions, including effecting changes in our management. Among other things, our certificate of incorporation and bylaws include provisions regarding:
•a classified Board of Directors with three-year staggered terms, which could delay the ability of stockholders to change the membership of a majority of our Board of Directors;
•the ability of our Board of Directors to issue shares of preferred stock, including “blank check” preferred stock, and to determine the price and other terms of those shares, including preferences and voting rights, without stockholder approval, which could be used to significantly dilute the ownership of a hostile acquirer, pursuant to which we have issued Series A Preferred Stock entitled to receive a liquidation preference and certain amounts in connection with a change of control of the Company and other similar extraordinary transactions;
•the limitation of the liability of, and the indemnification of our directors and officers;
•the exclusive right of our Board of Directors to elect a director to fill a vacancy created by the expansion of the Board of Directors or the resignation, death or removal of a director, which prevents stockholders from being able to fill vacancies on our Board of Directors;
•the requirement that directors may only be removed from our Board of Directors for cause;
•a prohibition on common stockholder action by written consent, which forces common stockholder action to be taken at an annual or special meeting of stockholders and could delay the ability of stockholders to force consideration of a stockholder proposal or to take action, including the removal of directors;
•the requirement that a special meeting of stockholders may be called only by our Board of Directors, the chairperson of our Board of Directors, our chief executive officer or our president (in the absence of a chief executive officer), which could delay the ability of stockholders to force consideration of a proposal or to take action, including the removal of directors;
•controlling the procedures for the conduct and scheduling of Board of Directors and stockholder meetings;
•the requirement for the affirmative vote of holders of at least 66 2/3% of the voting power of all of the then outstanding shares of the voting stock, voting together as a single class, to amend, alter, change or repeal any provision of our certificate of incorporation or our bylaws, which could preclude stockholders from bringing matters before annual or special meetings of stockholders and delay changes in our Board of Directors and also may inhibit the ability of an acquirer to effect such amendments to facilitate an unsolicited takeover attempt;
•the ability of our Board of Directors to amend the bylaws, which may allow our Board of Directors to take additional actions to prevent an unsolicited takeover and inhibit the ability of an acquirer to amend the bylaws to facilitate an unsolicited takeover attempt; and
•advance notice procedures with which stockholders must comply to nominate candidates to our Board of Directors or to propose matters to be acted upon at a stockholders’ meeting, which could preclude stockholders from bringing matters before annual or special meetings of stockholders and delay changes in our Board of Directors and also may discourage or deter a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirer’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of our company.
These provisions, alone or together, could delay or prevent hostile takeovers and changes in control or changes in our Board of Directors or management.
In addition, as a Delaware corporation, we are subject to provisions of Delaware law, including Section 203 of the DGCL, which may prohibit certain stockholders holding 15% or more of our outstanding capital stock from engaging in certain business combinations with us for a specified period of time.
Any provision of our certificate of incorporation, bylaws or DGCL that has the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control could limit the opportunity for our stockholders to receive a premium for their shares of our capital stock and could also affect the price that some investors are willing to pay for our Common Stock.
Our bylaws designate a state or federal court located within the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for substantially all disputes between us and our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, stockholders, employees or agents.
Our bylaws provide that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for:
•any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of us;
•any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed to us or our stockholders by any of our directors, officers or other employees;
•any action asserting a claim against us or any of our directors, officers or employees arising out of or relating to any provision of the DGCL, our certificate of incorporation or our bylaws; or
•any action asserting a claim against us or any of our directors, officers, stockholders or employees that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine of the Court of Chancery.
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, or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision 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 harm our business, results of operations and financial condition. This choice of forum provision does not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act or the Exchange Act.
Other Risks Related to our Series A Preferred Stock and Convertible Notes
Our Series A Preferred Stock and related Convertible Notes have rights, preferences and privileges that are not held by, and are preferential to, the rights of our common stockholders, which could adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition, and may result in the interests of the holders of our Series A Preferred Stock and Convertible Notes differing from those of our common stockholders.
In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or the winding up of our affairs, the holders of our Series A Preferred Stock have the right to receive a liquidation preference (the “Liquidation Preference”) entitling them to be paid out of our assets generally available for distribution to our equity holders, before any payment may be made to holders of any other class or series of capital stock, in an amount equal to the greater of (i) $1,000 plus accrued but unpaid dividends and (ii) the per share amount of all cash, securities and other property to be distributed in respect of the Common Stock such holder would have been entitled to receive for its Series A Preferred Stock on an as-converted basis. In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs prior to July 19, 2021, the holders of Series A Preferred Stock are entitled to a make-whole premium that provides them with full yield maintenance as if the shares of Series A Preferred Stock were held for a full three years through that date. To the extent principal amounts become outstanding under our Convertible Notes, such notes are entitled to similar preferential amounts upon such events.
In addition, the holders of our Series A Preferred Stock are entitled to (i) Cash Dividends of 10.0% per annum payable quarterly in arrears, and (ii) PIK Dividends of 3.0% per annum. The PIK dividend is accrued quarterly in arrears for the first five years following the issuance of the Series A Preferred Stock and thereafter all Dividends accruing on such Series A Preferred Stock will be payable in cash at a rate of 13.0% per annum. To the extent principal amounts become outstanding under our Convertible Notes, such Convertible Notes are entitled to substantially the same payments in the form of interest (in lieu of dividends) payments.
Further, the holders of our Series A Preferred Stock also have redemption rights upon the occurrence of certain events upon which obligations in respect of the Series A Preferred Stock become principal amounts under the Convertible Notes. Specifically, the Series A Preferred Stock is mandatorily redeemable, upon the election by the holders of a majority of the then-outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock, on or after July 19, 2023 at a redemption price per share equal to the sum of (i) the Liquidation Preference per share plus (ii) an amount per share equal to accrued but unpaid dividends not previously added to the Liquidation Preference on such share of Series A Preferred Stock (the “Redemption Amount”). Any and all then-outstanding liquidation value of the Series A Preferred Stock plus any capitalized or unpaid accrued Dividends not previously included in the Liquidation Preference (the “Redemption Amount”) will be repaid in full in cash on such redemption date or satisfied in the form of obligations under the Convertible Notes issued concurrently with the issuance of the Series A Preferred Stock to collateralize amounts, if any, that may become payable by us pursuant to certain redemption provisions of the shares of Series A Preferred Stock. The Series A Preferred Stock will also become mandatorily redeemable by the holders at any time upon the reasonable determination of the holders of a majority of the Series A Preferred Stock then outstanding of the occurrence of a Material Adverse Effect or upon a Material Litigation Effect (as such terms are defined in the Certificate of Designations for the Series A Preferred Stock), with the Redemption Amounts automatically becoming payment obligations pursuant to the Convertible Notes with a concurrent cancellation of the shares of the Series A Preferred Stock.
Finally, prior to or on July 19, 2021, we will have the right to redeem up to $80.0 million of shares of the Series A Preferred Stock for cash amounts equal to the Redemption Amount which would include a make-whole premium that provides the holders thereof with full yield maintenance as if the Series A Preferred Stock was held for three years after the initial issuance of the Series A Preferred Stock through that date, subject to certain conditions and limitations. After such time, we will have the right to redeem shares of Series A Preferred Stock for a cash per share amount equal to the Redemption Amount subject to certain conditions.
These Dividend and Redemption Amount payment obligations could impact our liquidity and reduce the amount of cash flows available for working capital, capital expenditures, growth opportunities, acquisitions, and other general corporate purposes. Our obligations to the holders of Series A Preferred Stock could also limit our ability to obtain additional financing or increase our borrowing costs, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition. The preferential rights described above could also result in divergent interests between the holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock or Convertible Notes and the holders of our Common Stock.
Our ability to pay Cash Dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock may be limited under Delaware law or we may not have sufficient cash to pay Dividends to the holders of our Series A Preferred Stock or pay our redemption obligations (and potential Convertible Note payments) due upon the occurrence of a redemption event.
Under the DGCL, our Board of Directors may only declare and pay cash dividends on shares of our capital stock out of our statutory “surplus” (which is the amount equal to total assets minus total liabilities, in each case at fair market value, minus statutory capital), or if there is no such surplus, out of our net profits for the then current and/or immediately preceding fiscal year. However, even if we are permitted under Delaware law to declare and pay Cash Dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock, we may not have sufficient cash to declare and pay Dividends in cash on the shares of Series A Preferred Stock or pay the Redemption Amounts due upon the occurrence of certain redemption events, causing there to be outstanding obligations under the Convertible Notes. The Convertible Notes contain customary restrictions on our ability to, among other things, make certain restricted payments with respect to our capital stock, subordinated indebtedness and unsecured indebtedness, consummate certain mergers, consolidations or dissolutions and make certain dispositions, subject to specific exclusions. The Convertible Notes also include customary obligations in respect of inspection, reporting, preservation of the security interest and indemnification.
Upon the occurrence of an Event of Default (as defined in the Convertible Notes), the holders of such Convertible Notes will have the right to accelerate all of our obligations thereunder, and such obligations will become immediately due and payable. In addition, if such acceleration occurs prior to July 19, 2021, the holders will also have the right to receive a make-whole premium thereunder.
If the indebtedness under the Convertible Notes were to be accelerated, there can be no assurance that our assets would be sufficient to repay such indebtedness in full and we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation.
There is no market for the Series A Preferred Stock or Convertible Notes and their value will be directly affected by the market price of our Common Stock, which may be volatile.
The Series A Preferred Stock has no established trading market and is not listed on any securities exchange, and we have no intention to list the Series A Preferred Stock on any securities exchange. Additionally, the Convertible Notes issued in respect of the redemption obligations for the Series A Preferred Stock are only transferable with the related shares of Series A Preferred Stock until certain events occur. To the extent that a secondary market for the Series A Preferred Stock develops, we believe that the market price of the Series A Preferred Stock will be significantly affected by the market price of our Common Stock. We cannot predict how shares of our Common Stock will trade in the future. The trading price of our Common Stock has been and is likely to continue to be volatile. The risk factors described elsewhere or incorporated by reference herein may cause the price of our Common Stock to fluctuate. In addition, the stock market has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that often have been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of affected companies. Securities class action litigation has often been instituted against companies following periods of volatility in the overall market and in the market price of a company’s securities. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the market prices of our Common Stock, and, in turn, the value of the Series A Preferred Stock and Convertible Notes.