FiscalNote Holdings, Inc.: Form 10-Q for the period ended Sep 30, 2023

The following discussion provides information that FiscalNote’s management believes is relevant to an assessment and understanding of FiscalNote’s condensed consolidated results of operations and financial condition. The discussion should be read together with the unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

Certain monetary amounts, percentages and other figures included below have been subject to rounding adjustments as amounts are presented in thousands or millions, as the context describes. Percentage amounts included below have not in all cases been calculated on the basis of such rounded figures, but on the basis of such amounts prior to rounding. For this reason, percentage amounts may vary from those obtained by performing the same calculations using the figures in our condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere herein. Certain other amounts that appear below may not sum due to rounding.

This discussion may contain forward-looking statements based upon current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth in Part II, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” and other factors set forth in other parts of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q to the “Company,” “FiscalNote,” “we,” “us,” or “our” refer to the business of Old FiscalNote, which became the business of New FiscalNote and its subsidiaries following the Closing.

Overview

FiscalNote is a leading technology provider of global policy and market intelligence. It delivers critical, actionable legal and policy insights in a rapidly evolving political, regulatory and macroeconomic environment. By combining artificial intelligence (AI) technology, other technologies with analytics, workflow tools, and expert peer insights, FiscalNote empowers customers to manage policy, address regulatory developments, and mitigate global risk. FiscalNote ingests unstructured legislative and regulatory data, and employs AI and data science to deliver structured, relevant and actionable information in order to facilitate key operational and strategic decisions by global enterprises, midsized and smaller businesses, government institutions, trade groups and nonprofits. FiscalNote delivers that intelligence through its suite of public policy and issues management products, coupled with expert research and analysis of markets and geopolitical events, as well as powerful tools to manage workflows, advocacy campaigns and constituent relationships.

Business Combination

On the Closing Date, we consummated the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, by and among Old FiscalNote, DSAC, and Merger Sub. Pursuant to these transactions, Merger Sub merged with and into Old FiscalNote, with Old FiscalNote becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of DSAC. On the Closing Date, and in connection with the Closing, DSAC domesticated and continued as a Delaware corporation under the name of “FiscalNote Holdings, Inc."

We accounted for the Business Combination as a reverse recapitalization whereby Old FiscalNote was determined as the accounting acquirer and DSAC as the accounting acquiree. While DSAC was the legal acquirer in the Business Combination, because Old FiscalNote was determined as the accounting acquirer, the historical financial statements of Old FiscalNote became the historical financial statements of the combined company, upon the consummation of the Business Combination. Accordingly, New FiscalNote, as the parent company of the combined business, is the successor SEC registrant, meaning that our financial statements for previous periods will be disclosed in the registrant’s future periodic reports filed with the SEC.

The Business Combination had a significant impact on our reported financial position and results as a result of the reverse recapitalization. The most significant change in our reported financial position and results was an increase in net cash of $65.6 million from gross cash proceeds of $325.0 million, including $114.0 million from the backstop agreement with the sponsor of DSAC, $61.0 million from DSAC’s trust account from its initial public offering, and $150.0 million from the New Senior Term Loan (as defined below). Such gross proceeds were offset by $45.2 million transaction costs, which principally consisted of advisory, legal and other professional fees, and were recorded in Additional Paid-in Capital, net of proceeds from the DSAC trust and $3.5 million of debt issuance costs paid out of the proceeds of the New Senior Term Loan on the Closing Date, of which $2.8 was capitalized and $0.7 million included in the loss on debt extinguishment. Cumulative debt repayments, inclusive of accrued but unpaid interest, of $210.7 million were paid in conjunction with the close, which consisted of a $75.3 million repayment of the First Out Term Loan, $61.7 million repayment of the Last Out Term Loan, a $50.0 million payment used to retire the non-converting portion of the Senior Secured Subordinated Promissory Note, a $16.3 million repayment of the 8090 FV Subordinated Promissory Note, and $7.4 million repayment of the 2021 Seller Notes. Please refer to Note 8, "Debt - Senior Capital Term Loan Refinancing" to our consolidated financial statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 for information regarding our indebtedness outstanding prior to the Business Combination and the refinancing thereof.

In connection with the Business Combination, we recognized a $34.9 million warrant liability on our consolidated balance sheets for the fair value of the public warrants and private placement warrants that were previously issued by DSAC and assumed by New FiscalNote in the Business Combination, along with the additional private placement warrants that were issued upon the closing of the Business Combination. We adjust the liability-classified warrants to fair value at each reporting period. The warrant liabilities are subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date until exercised, and any change in fair value is recognized in our condensed consolidated statement of operations. As a result of the recurring fair value measurement, our future financial statements and results of operations may fluctuate quarterly, based on factors that are outside of our control. Due to the recurring fair value measurement, we expect that we will recognize non-cash gains or losses on the warrants each reporting period and that the amount of such gains or losses could be material.

In connection with the Business Combination, we recognized (a) $28.9 million of incremental stock-based compensation charges that consisted of $5.0 million related to certain awards that vested as a result of the Business Combination, $6.2 million related to awards issued to our CEO, COO, and CFO pursuant to their respective employment agreements, and $17.7 million related to the Earnout Awards that may be issued to shareholders and equity award holders that for accounting purposes are treated as compensation awards (See Note 14, Loss Per Share, of our condensed consolidated financial statements), (b) $45.3 million of loss on debt extinguishment as a result of repayment of certain of our outstanding debt, as well as the conversion of our convertible debt as part of the Business Combination, and (c) $32.1 million interest charge related to the derecognition of the beneficial conversion feature associated with our converted debt.

As a consequence of the Business Combination, we became an SEC-registered and NYSE-listed company, which may require us to hire additional personnel and implement procedures and processes to address public company regulatory requirements and customary practices. Upon Closing, we began to incur additional public company expenses for, among other things, directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, director fees and additional internal and external accounting, legal and administrative resources.

Factors Impacting the Comparability of Our Operating Results

Acquisitions affect the comparability of our financial statements from period to period. Acquisitions completed during one period impact comparability to a prior period in which we did not own the acquired entity.

On January 27, 2023, we completed the acquisition of Dragonfly for up to $25.2 million (the "2023 Acquisition"), which included a combination of cash, stock, convertible notes and contingent payments.

During the year ended December 31, 2022, we completed the following acquisitions that are referred to as the "2022 Acquisitions" (and collectively with the 2023 Acquisition, the "Acquisitions"):

• Aicel Technologies on July 29, 2022 for $8.7 million; and
• DT-Global on September 30, 2022 for $0.6 million.

As a result of our acquisitions, respectively, we have, and will continue to incur, significant non-cash amortization expense related to the amortization of purchased intangibles, which have reduced our operating income by approximately $2.4 million and $1.7 million during the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and $6.5 million and $4.0 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

From time to time, management reviews the Company’s existing products and services based on their financial profile (e.g., revenue, margin) and strategic factors. In connection with such a review in 2020 and 2021 management decided to cease selling certain non-core subscription products representing subscription revenue of approximately $0.2 million and $0.3 million during the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 and $0.5 million and $0.9 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

We continue to invest for future growth. We are focused on several key growth levers, including cross-selling and upselling opportunities at existing clients, expanding our client base with a focus on enterprise and government customers, expansion into adjacent markets and deepening our offerings for regulated industries or sectors, and continuing to execute on our acquisition strategy. Several of these growth drivers require investment in and refinement of our go-to-market approach and, as a result, we may continue to incur additional costs upfront to obtain new customers and expand our relationships with existing customers, including additional sales and marketing expenses specific to subscription revenue.

We plan to invest a portion of the available capital resources in building innovative products, acquiring complementary businesses, attracting new customers and expanding our leadership role in the legal and regulatory information market. We drive growth both organically and through acquisitions. We regularly evaluate acquisitions and investment opportunities in complementary businesses to supplement our existing platform, enable us to enter new markets and ensure that we are well positioned to provide critical insights to the regulated sectors of the future. Past acquisitions have enabled us to deliver innovative solutions in new categories, such as global risk analysis and AI-enabled new products, and new data sets to enhance the functionality of our existing products. Strategic acquisitions will remain a core component of our strategy in the future.

Key Performance Indicators

In addition to our GAAP results further described and discussed below in this “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” we monitor the following key performance indicators to evaluate growth trends, prepare financial projections, make strategic decisions, and measure the effectiveness of our sales and marketing efforts. Our management team assesses our performance based on these key performance indicators because it believes they reflect the underlying trends and indicators of our business and serve as meaningful indicators of our continuous operational performance.

Annual Recurring Revenue (“ARR”)

Approximately 90% of our revenues are subscription based, which leads to high revenue predictability. Our ability to retain existing subscription customers is a key performance indicator that helps explain the evolution of our historical results and is a leading indicator of our revenues and cash flows for subsequent periods. We use ARR as a measure of our revenue trend and an indicator of our future revenue opportunity from existing recurring subscription customer contracts. We calculate ARR on a parent account level by annualizing the contracted subscription revenue, and our total ARR as of the end of a period is the aggregate thereof. ARR is not adjusted for the impact of any known or projected future customer cancellations, upgrades or downgrades, or price increases or decreases. The amount of actual revenue that we recognize over any 12-month period is likely to differ from ARR at the beginning of that period, sometimes significantly. This may occur due to timing of the revenue bookings during the period, cancellations, upgrades, or downgrades and pending renewals. ARR should be viewed independently of revenue as it is an operating metric and is not intended to be a replacement or forecast of revenue. Our calculation of ARR may differ from similarly titled metrics presented by other companies.

Our ARR at September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, was $123.0 million and $113.3 million, respectively. Our ARR at September 30, 2023 and 2022 excluding the 2022 and 2023 Acquisitions, was $112.8 million and $105.0 million, respectively. ARR of the 2022 and 2023 Acquisitions, was approximately $10.2 million and $9.0 million as of September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively, including pre-acquisition ARR performance of the 2022 and 2023 Acquisitions on the basis reported to FiscalNote in connection with such company’s acquisition.

Run-Rate Revenue

Management also monitors Run-Rate Revenue, which we define as ARR plus non-subscription revenue earned during the last twelve months. We believe Run-Rate Revenue is an indicator of our total revenue growth, incorporating the non-subscription revenue that we believe is a meaningful contribution to our business as a whole. Although our non-subscription business is non-recurring, we regularly sell different advisory services to repeat customers. The amount of actual subscription and non-subscription revenue that we recognize over any 12-month period is likely to differ from Run-Rate Revenue at the beginning of that period, sometimes significantly. Our Run-Rate Revenue at September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, including Acquisitions, was approximately $138.2 million and $126.7 million, respectively. Our Run-Rate Revenue at September 30, 2023 and 2022, excluding the 2022 and 2023 Acquisitions, was approximately $126.1 million and $118.0 million, respectively. Run-Rate Revenue of the 2022 and 2023 Acquisitions was approximately $12.1 million and $10.6 million as of September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively, including pre-acquisition Run-Rate Revenue performance of the Acquisitions on the basis reported to FiscalNote in connection with such company’s acquisition.

Net Revenue Retention (“NRR”)

Our NRR, which we use to measure our success in retaining and growing recurring revenue from our existing customers, compares our recognized recurring revenue from a set of customers across comparable periods. We calculate our NRR for a given period as ARR at the end of the period minus ARR contracted from new clients for which there is no historical revenue booked during the period, divided by the beginning ARR for the period. We calculate NRR at our parent account level. Customers from acquisitions are not included in NRR until they have been part of our condensed consolidated results for 12 months. Accordingly, the 2023 and 2022 Acquisitions are not included in our NRR for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023. Our calculation of NRR for any fiscal period includes the positive recurring revenue impacts of selling additional licenses and services to existing customers and the negative recognized recurring revenue impacts of contraction and attrition among this set of customers. Our NRR may fluctuate as a result of a number of factors, including the growing level of our revenue base, the level of penetration within our customer base, expansion of products and features, the timing of renewals, and our ability to retain our customers. Our calculation of NRR may differ from similarly titled metrics presented by other companies. NRR was 100% and 99% for the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In addition to financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP, we use certain non-GAAP financial measures to clarify and enhance our understanding, and aid in the period-to-period comparison, of our performance. Where applicable, we provide reconciliations of these non-GAAP measures to the corresponding most closely related GAAP measure. Investors are encouraged to review the reconciliation of each of these non-GAAP financial measures to its most comparable GAAP financial measure. While we believe that these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful supplemental information, non-GAAP financial measures have limitations and should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, their most comparable GAAP measures. These non-GAAP financial measures are not prepared in accordance with GAAP, do not reflect a comprehensive system of accounting and may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies due to potential differences in their financing and accounting methods, the book value of their assets, their capital structures, the method by which their assets were acquired and the manner in which they define non-GAAP measures.

Adjusted Revenue

Adjusted revenue represents revenue adjusted to include amounts that would have been recognized if deferred revenue was not adjusted to fair value in connection with acquisition accounting. Adjusted revenue is presented because we use this measure to evaluate performance of our business against prior periods and believe it is useful for investors as an indicator of the underlying performance of our business. Adjusted revenue is not a recognized term under U.S. GAAP. Adjusted revenue does not represent revenues, as that term is defined under GAAP, and should not be considered as an alternative to revenues as an indicator of our operating performance. Adjusted revenue as presented herein is not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies.

Adjusted Gross Profit and Adjusted Gross Profit Margin

We define Adjusted Gross Profit as Adjusted Revenue minus cost of revenues, before amortization of intangible assets that are included in costs of revenues. We define Adjusted Gross Profit Margin as Adjusted Gross Profit divided by Adjusted Revenues.

We use Adjusted Gross Profit and Adjusted Gross Profit Margin to understand and evaluate our core operating performance and trends. We believe these metrics are useful measures to us and to our investors to assist in evaluating our core operating performance because they provide consistency and direct comparability with our past financial performance and between fiscal periods, as the metrics eliminate the non-cash effects of amortization of intangible assets and deferred revenue, which are non-cash impacts that may fluctuate for reasons unrelated to overall operating performance.

Adjusted Gross Profit and Adjusted Gross Profit Margin have limitations as analytical tools, and you should not consider them in isolation, or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. They should not be considered as replacements for gross profit and gross profit margin, as determined by GAAP, or as measures of our profitability. We compensate for these limitations by relying primarily on our GAAP results and using non-GAAP measures only for supplemental purposes. Adjusted Gross Profit and Adjusted Gross Profit Margin as presented herein are not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies.

EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, and Adjusted EBITDA Margin

EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin are non-GAAP financial measures. EBITDA represents earnings before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA reflects further adjustments to EBITDA to exclude certain non-cash items and other items that management believes are not indicative of ongoing operations. We define Adjusted EBITDA Margin as Adjusted EBITDA divided by Adjusted Revenue.

We disclose EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q because these non-GAAP measures are key measures used by management to evaluate our business, measure our operating performance and make strategic decisions. We believe that EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin are useful for investors and others in understanding and evaluating our operating results in the same manner as management. EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin are not financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered as substitutes for net loss, net loss before income taxes, or any other operating performance measure calculated in accordance with GAAP. Using these non-GAAP financial measures to analyze our business would have material limitations because the calculations are based on the subjective determination of management regarding the nature and classification of events and circumstances that investors may find significant. In addition, although other companies in our industry may report measures titled EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin or similar measures, such non-GAAP financial measures may be calculated differently from how we calculate non-GAAP financial measures, which reduces their comparability. Because of these limitations, you should consider EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, and Adjusted EBITDA Margin alongside other financial performance measures, including net income and our other financial results presented in accordance with GAAP.

Key Components of Results of Operations

Revenues

We derive our revenues from subscription revenue arrangements and advisory, advertising and other revenues. Subscription revenues account for approximately 90% of our total revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022.

Subscription revenue

Subscription revenues consist of revenue earned from subscription-based arrangements that provide customers the right to use the Company’s software and products in a cloud-based infrastructure. Subscription revenues are driven primarily by the number of active licenses, the types of products and the price of the subscriptions. The Company also earns subscription revenues by licensing to customers its digital content, including transcripts, news and analysis, images, video and podcast data.

Our subscription arrangements generally have contractual terms of 12 months or more and are non-refundable regardless of the actual use of the service. Subscription revenues are recognized ratably over the non-cancellable contract terms beginning on the commencement date of each contract, which is the date our service is first made available to customers.

Advisory, advertising, and other revenue

Advisory revenue is typically earned under contracts for specific deliverables and are non-recurring in nature, although we regularly sell different advisory services to repeat customers. One-time advisory revenues are invoiced according to the terms of the contract, usually delivered to the customer over a short period of time, during which revenues are recognized.

Advertising revenue is primarily generated by delivering advertising in our own publications (Roll Call and CQ) in both print and digital formats. Revenue for print advertising is recognized upon publication of the advertisement. Revenue for digital advertising is recognized over the period of the advertisement or, if the contract contains impression guarantees, based on delivered impressions.

Book revenue is recognized when the product is shipped to the customer, which is when control of the product transfers to the customer. Shipping and handling costs are treated as a fulfillment activity and are expensed as incurred.

Events revenue is deferred and only recognized when the event has taken place and is included in other revenues.

Cost of revenues

Cost of revenues primarily consists of expenses related to hosting our service, the costs of data center capacity, amortization of developed technology and capitalized software development costs, certain fees paid to various third parties for the use of their technology, services, or data, costs of compensation, including bonuses, stock compensation, benefits and other expenses for employees associated with providing professional services and other direct costs of production. Also included in cost of revenues are our costs related to the preparation of contracted advisory deliverables, as well as costs to develop, publish, print and deliver our publications underlying our books revenue.

Research and development

Research and development expenses include the costs of compensation, including bonuses, stock compensation, benefits and other expenses for employees associated with the creation and testing of the products we offer, related software subscriptions, consulting and contractor fees and allocated overhead.

Sales and marketing

Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of salaries and related expenses, including bonuses, stock compensation, benefits and other expenses for our sales and marketing staff, including commissions, related software subscriptions, consulting fees, marketing programs and allocated overhead. Marketing programs consist of advertising, events, corporate communications, brand building and product marketing activities.

Editorial

Editorial expenses consist of salaries and related expenses, including bonuses, stock compensation, benefits and other expenses for the editorial team involved in acquiring, creating, and distributing content and allocated overhead.

General and administrative

General and administrative expenses are primarily related to our executive offices, finance and accounting, human resources, legal, internal operations and other corporate functions. These expenses consist of salaries and related expenses, including bonuses, stock compensation, benefits and other expenses, along with professional fees, depreciation and other allocated overhead.

Amortization of intangible assets

Amortization expense relates to our finite-lived intangible assets, including developed technology, customer relationship, databases and tradenames. These assets are amortized over periods of between three and twenty years. Finite-lived intangible assets are tested for impairment when indicators are present, and, if impaired, are written down to fair value. No impairment of intangible assets has been identified during any financial period included in our accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements.

Impairment of goodwill

Goodwill is tested for impairment when indicators are present, and if impaired are written down to fair value. An impairment of goodwill has been identified for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and is included in our accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements.

Transaction costs, net

Transaction costs consist of acquisition related costs (including due diligence, accounting, legal, and other professional fees, incurred from acquisition activity), fair value adjustments to contingent consideration due to sellers, and non-capitalizable costs.

Interest expense, net

Interest expense, net, consists of expense related to interest on our borrowings, the amortization and write off of debt issuance costs and original discount, and interest related to certain derivative instruments.

Fair value of financial instruments

The fair value of warrants, debt accounted for under the fair value option, and derivative liabilities are accounted for in accordance with ASC 815, ASC 825, and ASC 480. These financial instruments are marked to market each reporting period in accordance with ASC 820 with all gains and losses being recorded within the condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss, with the exception of any gains or losses recorded due to changes in the fair value of instrument-specific credit risk being recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income in the condensed consolidated balance sheets.

Income taxes

We use the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on temporary differences between the condensed consolidated financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse.

The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax laws is recognized in the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss in the period that includes the enactment date. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amounts that are expected to be realized based on the weighting of positive and negative evidence.

Results of Operations

The period-to-period comparisons of our results of operations have been prepared using the historical periods included in our condensed consolidated financial statements. The following discussion should be read in conjunction with those condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

Comparison of the Consolidated Results for the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2023 and September 30, 2022

The following table presents our results of operations for the periods indicated:

(In thousands)

Revenue:

Subscription revenue

Subscription revenue of $30.1 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023 increased $4.0 million, or 15%, from $26.1 million for the three months ended September 30, 2022. Subscription revenue of $88.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 increased $14.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022.

The comparability of our revenues between periods was impacted by the Acquisitions described under “Factors Impacting the Comparability of Our Results of Operations” above. The table below presents the primary items that impacted the comparability of our subscription revenues between periods.

(In thousands)

Our organic growth (determined based on FiscalNote ownership over a full calendar year) has grown through the successful integration of our 2021 Acquisitions (defined as the acquisition of FactSquared LLC and the acquisitions in calendar year 2021) as evidenced by the growth in our organic ARR from $108.0 million at September 30, 2022 compared to $123.0 million at September 30, 2023. Also contributing towards our growth in revenue is a realignment of our business development team, strategic price increases, and rollout of new products. Revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 reflects a full nine months of revenue from the 2022 Acquisitions as well as a partial period of revenue contribution from the 2023 Acquisition, whereas revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 only reflects some revenue contribution from the 2022 Acquisitions and no revenue contribution from the 2023 Acquisitions.

Advisory, advertising, and other revenue

Advisory, advertising, and other revenue was $4.0 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023, as compared to $3.0 million for the three months ended September 30, 2022. The increase of $1.0 million, or 32%, was primarily due to timing of revenue recognition for certain contracts.

Advisory, advertising, and other revenue was $10.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023, as compared to $9.1 million for the three months ended September 30, 2022. The increase of $1.3 million, or 14%, was primarily due to timing of revenue recognition for certain contracts.

Revenue by Geography

The below tables present our revenues split by geographic region for the periods presented:

(In thousands)

Revenues by geography are determined based on the region of the FiscalNote contracting entity, which may be different than the region of the customer. North America revenues increased primarily for the reasons stated above. Revenues outside of North America increased primarily due to our acquisitions of Dragonfly (included in Europe) and Aicel (included in Asia).

Cost of revenues

Cost of revenues was $10.4 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023, as compared to $8.7 million for the three months ended September 30, 2022. The increase of $1.7 million, or 20%, was primarily attributable to an increase of $0.4 million related to the 2022 and 2023 Acquisitions combined with an increase in amortization expense of approximately $1.9 million related to capitalized software development costs and developed technology partially offset by a decrease of $0.5 million related to data center costs.

Cost of revenues was $28.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023, as compared to $23.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022. The increase of $5.3 million, or 22%, was primarily attributable to an increase of $2.3 million related to the 2022 and 2023 Acquisitions combined with an increase in amortization expense of approximately $3.6 million related to capitalized software development costs and developed technology, increased meeting expenses of $0.4 million, and increased stock compensation expense of $0.2 million partially offset by a decrease of $1.3 million related to data center costs.

Research and development

Research and development expense was $4.5 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023 as compared to $5.6 million for the three months ended September 30, 2022. The decrease of $1.1 million, or 19%, was primarily attributable to a decrease of $1.3 million of compensation and benefits combined with a decrease of $0.2 million of share-based compensation partially offset by an increase of $0.5 million of research and development costs incurred by our 2022 and 2023 Acquisitions.

Research and development expense was $14.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 as compared to $15.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022. The decrease of $1.3 million, or 8%, was primarily attributable to a decrease of $2.5 million of compensation and benefits partially offset by $0.5 million incremental share-based compensation and $0.6 million of research and development costs incurred by our 2022 and 2023 Acquisitions.

Sales and marketing

Sales and marketing expense was $11.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023 as compared to $11.8 million for the three months ended September 30, 2022. The decrease of $0.6 million, or 5%, was primarily attributable to an decrease of $0.9 million of compensation and benefits and $0.2 million of commission amortization, a $0.2 million reduction in bad debt expense partially offset by an increase of $0.7 million from our 2022 and 2023 Acquisitions.

Sales and marketing expense was $35.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 as compared to $31.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022. The increase of $3.5 million, or 11%, was primarily attributable to an increase of $2.1 million from our 2022 and 2023 Acquisitions, $0.6 million increase of commission expense, an increase of $0.9 million of share-based compensation, an increase of $0.4 million related to software, and an increase of $0.2 million of bad debt expense relating to implementation of new accounting guidance partially offset by a decrease of $0.4 million in compensation and benefits and $0.3 million related to less marketing and conference spending.

Editorial expense

Editorial expense was $4.5 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023 as compared to $4.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2022. The increase was primarily the result of an increase of our 2022 and 2023 Acquisitions and headcount realignment within the Company.

Editorial expense was $13.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 as compared to $11.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022. The increase was primarily the result of an increase of our 2022 and 2023 Acquisitions and headcount realignment within the Company.

General and administrative

General and administrative expense was $14.4 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023 as compared to $38.9 million for the three months ended September 30, 2022. The decrease of $24.5 million, or 63%, was primarily attributable to $17.7 million of stock compensation expense for vested earnout awards recognized at the transaction date, lower non-cash stock based compensation expense of $5.9 million, and lower salary and benefits costs of $1.4 million partially offset by $0.5 million of incremental costs from the 2022 and 2023 Acquisitions.

General and administrative expense was $48.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 as compared to $59.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022. The decrease of $10.7 million, or 18%, was primarily attributable to $1.5 of lower salary and benefit costs, $17.7 million of stock compensation expense for vested earnout awards recognized at the transaction date, partially offset by $3.8 million of incremental non-cash stock based compensation expense, $2.4 million associated with incremental public costs such as insurance, build out of investor relations and people teams, and $2.3 million of incremental costs from the 2022 and 2023 Acquisitions.

Impairment of goodwill

Impairment of goodwill was $5.8 million recognized during the first quarter of 2023 related to the impairment of goodwill in the ESG reporting unit.

Amortization of intangibles

Amortization of intangibles was $2.9 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023 as compared to $2.6 million for the three months ended September 30, 2022. The increase of $0.3 million, or 11%, is primarily due to the increase in amortizable intangible assets from the 2022 and 2023 Acquisitions.

Amortization of intangibles was $8.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 as compared to $7.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022. The increase of $0.8 million, or 10%, is primarily due to the the increase in amortizable intangible assets from the 2022 and 2023 Acquisitions.

Transaction costs (gains), net

Transaction gains were $0.6 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023, as compared to transaction costs of $1.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2022. The change of $1.9 million relates to a decrease of $1.8 million in non-capitalized costs related to the Business Combination, a decrease in transaction costs related to the 2022 acquisitions combined with contingent compensation expense gains related to the reversing of previously recognized earnout liabilities partially offset by changes in earnout liabilities related to our 2021 Acquisitions.

Transaction costs were $1.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023, as compared to transaction costs of $1.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022. The change of $0.1 million relates to a decrease of $1.9 million in non-capitalized costs related to the Business Combination and $0.7 million from contingent compensation gains from the reversal of previously recognized expense partially offset by $2.0 million gain from contingent compensation and earnout liabilities recognized for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 related to our 2021 Acquisitions and the reversing of previously recognized earnout liabilities and a $0.4 million increase in transactions costs related to business acquisitions primarily related to the acquisition of Dragonfly offset by 2022 Acquisition costs.

Interest expense, net

Interest expense was $8.0 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023 as compared to $42.9 million for the three months ended September 30, 2022. The decrease in interest expense of $34.9 million was primarily due interest expense we recorded related to the convertible notes that converted into equity as part of the Business Combination as well as interest expense incurred related to the $18.0 million related party convertible note issued in the fourth quarter of 2021 offset by interest on the senior term loan due to the rising prime interest rate, new GPO note and Dragonfly convertible notes.

Interest expense was $21.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 as compared to $89.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022. The decrease in interest expense of $67.8 million was primarily due interest expense we recorded related to the convertible notes that converted into equity as part of the Business Combination as well as interest expense incurred related to the $18.0 million related party convertible note issued in the fourth quarter of 2021 offset by interest on the senior term loan due to the rising prime interest rate, new GPO note and Dragonfly convertible notes.

Change in fair value of financial instruments

Change in fair value of financial instruments was a $7.2 million gain for the three months ended September 30, 2023 as compared to a $21.9 million gain for the three months ended September 30, 2022. The change in gain of $14.7 million primarily represents a gain that was recorded as a result of the fair value adjustment of the warrant liabilities that were assumed in connection with the Business Combination offset by the loss on the Dragonfly Seller Convertible Notes.

Change in fair value of financial instruments was a $18.9 million gain for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 as compared to a $18.5 million gain for the nine months ended September 30, 2022. The increase of $0.4 million primarily represents a gain that was recorded as a result of the fair value adjustment of the warrant liabilities that were assumed in connection with the Business Combination offset by a loss on the Dragonfly Seller Convertible Notes and the loss resulting from the final fair value adjustment of the embedded derivative liabilities that were settled as part of the Business Combination.

Gain on PPP loan upon extinguishment

The Company recognized the forgiveness of the PPP Loan as a gain on debt extinguishment during the first quarter of 2022 for $7.7 million.

Certain Non-GAAP Measures

We present certain non-GAAP financial measures including Adjusted Revenues, Adjusted Gross Profit, Adjusted Gross Profit Margin and Adjusted EBITDA. Our management team assesses our performance based on these non-GAAP measures because it believes they reflect the underlying trends and indicators of our business and serve as meaningful indicators of our continuous operational performance. We believe these measures are useful for investors for the same reasons. Investors should be aware that these measures are not a substitute for GAAP financial measures or disclosures. Where applicable, we provide reconciliations of these non-GAAP measures to the corresponding most closely related GAAP measure.

Adjusted Revenues

The following table presents our calculation of Adjusted Revenues for the periods presented, and a reconciliation of this measure to our GAAP revenues for the same periods:

(In thousands)

Adjusted Gross Profit and Adjusted Gross Profit Margin

The following table presents our calculation of Adjusted Gross Profit and Adjusted Gross Profit Margin for the periods presented:

(In thousands)

EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, and Adjusted EBITDA Margin

The following table presents our calculation of EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, and Adjusted EBITDA Margin for the periods presented:

(In thousands)

(a) Reflects deferred revenue fair value adjustments arising from the purchase price allocation in connection with the 2021 Acquisitions.

(b) Reflects the non-cash impact from the mark to market adjustments on our financial instruments.

(c) Reflects the non-cash impact of the following: (i) impairment of goodwill of $5,837 in the first quarter of 2023, (ii) loss from equity method investment of $34 in the first quarter of 2023, a loss from equity method investment of $56 in the second quarter of 2023, and a gain from equity method investment of $147 in the third quarter of 2023, (iii) charge of $2 in the first quarter of 2023, charge of $2 in the second quarter of 2023, and a gain of $672 in the third quarter of 2023 from the change in fair value related to the contingent consideration and contingent compensation related to the 2021, 2022, and 2023 Acquisitions; (iv) unrealized loss on short-term investments of $115 in the third quarter of 2023; (v) gain of $1,320 in the first quarter of 2022, a charge of $271 in the second quarter of 2022, and a gain of $948 in the third quarter of 2022 from the change in fair value related to the contingent consideration and contingent compensation related to the 2021 Acquisitions, (vi) gain of $7,667 related to the partial forgiveness of our PPP Loan during the first quarter of 2022, and (vii) $378 impairment charge recognized in the first quarter of 2022 related to the abandonment of one of our leases upon adoption of ASC 842 on January 1, 2022.

(d) Reflects the costs incurred to identify, consider, and complete business combination transactions consisting of advisory, legal, and other professional and consulting costs.

(e) Severance costs associated with workforce changes related to business realignment actions.

(f) Costs incurred related to litigation we believe to be outside of our normal course of business totaling $20 in the first quarter of 2022.

(g) Includes non-capitalizable transaction costs incurred within one year of the Business Combination.

(h) Reflects (i) $3,474 non-cash loss contingency charge related to the settlement with GPO FN Noteholder LLC recorded in the second quarter of 2023 and (ii) accounting and legal costs incurred associated with the settlement with GPO FN Noteholder LLC totaling $168 in the first quarter of 2023, $248 in the second quarter of 2023, $201 in the third quarter of 2023, and $286 in the third quarter of 2022. See further discussion in Note 17, "Commitments and Contingencies” and Note 8, “Debt”.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Historically the Company’s cash flows from operations have not been sufficient to fund its current operating model and the Company funded operations through raising equity and debt, including the receipt of approximately $65.6 million of net cash proceeds from the Transactions. At September 30, 2023, the Company’s cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and short-term investments was $24.4 million compared to $61.2 million at December 31, 2022.

The Company had a negative working capital balance of $41.4 million (excluding cash and short-term investments) at September 30, 2023 and had an accumulated deficit of $765.7 million and $700.7 million as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively, and has incurred net losses of $64.7 million and $175.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Management expects that significant on-going operating and capital expenditures will be necessary to continue to implement the Company’s business plan of entering new markets, future acquisitions, and infrastructure and product development.

While the Company’s future projections indicate that the Company will have sufficient liquidity to meet its obligations in the normal course of business within one year from the date of this filing, our ability to maintain our minimum cash requirement, fund our future cash interest requirements under our $156.0 million senior term loan and fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements will depend in part on general economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory and other conditions that may be beyond our control. The Company has implemented various cost saving measures throughout the year and is actively seeking additional sources of capital. Volatility in the credit markets may have an adverse effect on our ability to obtain debt financing. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of equity, equity-linked or debt securities, those securities may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to the rights of our common stock, or may require us to agree to unfavorable terms, and our existing stockholders may experience significant dilution.

Our historical financing activities included borrowings under senior secured credit facilities, senior secured promissory notes, convertible debt, and preferred share issuances. Our principal debt plus paid-in kind interest outstanding as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 consisted of the following (excluding any fair value adjustments and debt discounts, as applicable):

(In thousands)

New Senior Term Loan

In connection with the Closing, FiscalNote entered into a $150.0 million senior credit agreement (the “Credit Agreement”) with Runway Growth Finance Corp., ORIX Growth Capital, LLC, Clover Orochi LLC, and ACM ASOF VIII SaaS FinCo LLC (together the “New Senior Lenders”). The Credit Agreement also provides for an uncommitted incremental loan facility totaling $100.0 million available upon notice if the Company meets certain financial growth criteria and other customary requirements (the “New Incremental Term Facility”) (collectively the “New Senior Credit Facility”). The annual interest of the New Senior Term Loan consists of two components: a cash interest component of (a) the greater of (i) Prime Rate plus 5.0% per annum and (ii) 9.0% payable monthly in cash, and (b) interest payable in kind component of 1.00% per annum, payable in kind monthly. The New Senior Credit Facility will mature on July 29, 2027. Beginning on August 15, 2025, 50% of the outstanding principal amount of the Senior Term Loan must be repaid in even amounts on a monthly basis over the remaining 24 months, with the final balance due on July 15, 2027. Borrowings under our New Senior Credit Facility are collateralized by substantially all assets of the borrowers and guarantors party thereto.

On March 17, 2023, the Company, entered into Amendment No. 1 (“Amendment No. 1”) to the Credit Agreement dated July 29, 2022. Among other things, Amendment No. 1 provided for the extension of an incremental term loan by one of the lenders to the borrowers under the facility in the principal amount of $6.0 million which was received by the Company on March 31, 2023, on the same terms as the existing term loans (the “Incremental Facility”).

On May 16, 2023, the Company, entered into Amendment No. 2 ("Amendment No. 2") to the Credit Agreement dated July 29, 2022. Among other things, Amendment No. 2 joined Dragonfly Eye Limited (“Dragonfly”) and Oxford Analytica Limited (“Oxford Analytica”), each a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, as Guarantors under the Credit Agreement.

On August 3, 2023, the Company entered into Amendment No. 3 ("Amendment No. 3") to the Credit Agreement dated July 29, 2022. Among other things, Amendment No. 3 provides for: (a) the extension of the July 2023 Deferred Fee from July 29, 2023 to July 29, 2024,

(b) the increase of the July 2023 Deferred Fee from $1,734 to $2,034, and (c) the revision to the minimum annual recurring revenue and adjusted EBITDA covenants (as both are defined in the Credit Agreement).

During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, we made cash interest payments totaling $15.3 million related to the New Senior Term Loan.

The New Senior Term Loan is senior to all other debt and has a first priority lien on substantially all of the Company’s assets. The New Senior Term Loan contains customary negative covenants related to borrowing, events of default and covenants, including certain non-financial covenants and covenants limiting the Company’s ability to dispose of assets, undergo a change in control, merge with or acquire stock, and make investments, in each case subject to certain exceptions. In addition to the negative covenants, there were four financial covenants in place at September 30, 2023: a minimum cash balance requirement, minimum annual recurring revenue requirement, an adjusted EBITDA requirement (as defined in the Credit Agreement, as amended) and a capital expenditure limitation. At September 30, 2023, the Company was in compliance with all of the covenants. Upon the occurrence of an event of default, in addition to the lenders being able to declare amounts outstanding under the New Senior Term Loan due and payable the lenders can elect to increase the interest rate by 5.0% per annum.

See Note 8 “Debt” to the condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere herein.

New GPO Note

On June 30, 2023 (the “Subscription Date”), the Company entered into an Exchange and Settlement Agreement (the “Exchange and Settlement Agreement”) with GPO FN Noteholder LLC (the “Investor”) pursuant to which (i) the Investor returned 5,881,723 shares of Class A Common Stock held by the Investor to the Company for cancellation, (ii) the Company issued to the Investor a subordinated convertible promissory note in an initial principal amount of $46,794 (the “New GPO Note”), and (iii) the parties agreed to a mutual settlement and release of all claims (including, but not limited to, any claims by the Investor for additional shares or money damages resulting from the entry into the Merger Agreement, relating to or arising from the conversion of the Amended and Restated Senior Secured Subordinated Promissory Note, dated December 29, 2020, previously issued by a subsidiary of the pre-business combination FiscalNote Holdings, Inc. to the Investor. The exchange and settlement are non-cash exchanges in the condensed consolidated statement of cash flows. The before mentioned transactions closed on July 3, 2023.

The New GPO Note will mature on July 3, 2028, unless earlier redeemed or repurchased by the Company or converted in accordance with the terms thereof. The New GPO Note bears interest at a rate of 7.50% per annum payable quarterly in arrears, as follows: (i) for the first year following the date of issuance, interest will be payable in kind by adding interest to the principal amount of the New GPO Note; and (ii) for any period thereafter, interest will be payable in cash or freely tradeable shares of Class A Common Stock, at the Company’s option, with the value per share determined with reference to the trailing 30-day volume weighted average trading price prior to the interest payment date, subject to certain exceptions under which the Company will be permitted to pay PIK Interest.

The New GPO Note is subordinate to the Company’s obligations under its New Senior Term Loan which limits certain actions that the Company and the Investor may take under the New GPO Note. At any time prior to the July 3, 2028, the Investor is entitled to convert all or any portion of the principal amount of the New GPO Note and accrued interest thereon into shares of Class A Common Stock at $8.28 per share. The New GPO Note is subject to customary anti-dilution adjustments for stock splits and similar transactions and, subject to standard exceptions, weighted average anti-dilution protection. The principal amount, together with accrued interest thereon, of the New GPO Note is redeemable by the Company in whole or in part based on certain conditions as defined in the New GPO Note.

The Company elected to account for the New GPO Note using the fair value option. The New GPO Note was recorded at its June 30, 2023 acquisition date fair value of $36,583. The Company initially recorded a loss contingency of $11,700 in its fiscal year 2022 financial statements representing the difference between the fair value of the shares returned by the Investor and the fair value of the New GPO Note on the date of exchange. With the execution of the Exchange and Settlement Agreement and New GPO Note, the Company recorded an additional loss on settlement with GPO of $3,474 in the condensed consolidated statement of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023.

Convertible Notes

Four convertible noteholders with an aggregate principal amount (including accrued paid in kind interest) of $10.5 million as of the Closing Date elected not to convert their notes into shares of capital stock of the Company in conjunction with Closing. The convertible notes are unsecured, earn payable in kind interest of 15% per annum, payable in kind monthly, and mature in 2025.

Dragonfly Seller Convertible Note

On January 27, 2023, we acquired Dragonfly and financed part of the purchase with the issuance of convertible notes. The Dragonfly Convertible Note is subordinate to our New Senior Credit Facility, accrues interest of 8% per annum, payable in kind or in cash, and matures in January 2028.

Aicel Convertible Note

On July 29, 2022, we acquired Aicel Technologies and assumed its $1.0 million convertible note. The Aicel Convertible Note is subordinate to our New Senior Credit Facility, accrues interest of 1% per annum, payable in kind monthly, and matures in July 2027.

PPP Loan

The PPP Loan requires monthly principal and interest payments of approximately $9 thousand until maturity in 2027.

Capital expenditures

Capital expenditures primarily consist of purchases of capitalized software costs and property and equipment. Our capital expenditures program includes discretionary spending, which we can adjust in response to economic and other changes in our business environment to grow our business. We typically fund our capital expenditures through cash flow from operations and external financing. In the event that we are unable to obtain the necessary funding for capital expenditures, our long-term growth strategy could be significantly affected. Our total capital expenditures were $6.0 million and $8.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Cash Flow Summary

The following tables summarizes our cash flows for the periods presented:

Operating activities

Cash used in operating activities consists of net loss adjusted for certain non-cash items including depreciation and amortization, stock based compensation, changes in fair value of warrant liabilities, non-cash interest expense, and loss on debt extinguishment, as well as the effect of changes in working capital and other activities.

Cash used in operating activities in the nine months ended September 30, 2023 was $31.9 million, a decrease of $25.6 million compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2022. The primary factors affecting our net operating cash flows during this period was our net loss of $64.7 million, which includes non-cash expenses items totaling $40.7 million, including impairment of goodwill of $5.8 million, non-cash and paid-in kind interest expense of $7.0 million, stock-based compensation expense of $18.2 million, a gain due to the change in fair value of financial instruments of $18.9 million, non-cash lease expense of $2.9 million, loss on settlement with GPO of $3.5 million, and amortization and depreciation of $22.7 million, other non-cash items of $0.5 million and the effect of changes in operating assets and liabilities that resulted in cash outflows of $8.0 million.

Net cash used in operating activities was $57.5 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2022. The primary factors affecting our operating cash flows during this period was our net loss of $175.7 million adjusted for non-cash items of $128.9 million, primarily consisting of $17.3 million of depreciation and amortization, $30.9 million of stock-based compensation, $61.0 million of non-cash and paid-in kind interest expense, $45.2 million of loss on debt extinguishment, $4.8 million of non-cash operating lease expense, $0.7 million of other non-cash changes, offset by non-cash gain of $18.5 million resulting from the change in fair value of financial instruments, $7.7 million gain on PPP Loan forgiveness, non-cash gain of $2.2 million resulting from the change of fair value of contingent consideration, $2.7 million of deferred income tax benefit and the effect of changes in operating assets and liabilities that resulted in cash outflows of $10.7 million.

Investing activities

Net cash used in investing activities in the nine months ended September 30, 2023 was $18.3 million compared to $7.7 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2022. Net cash used in investing activities in the nine months ended September 30, 2023 primarily consisted of cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired of $5.0 million, cash paid of $6.0 million of capital expenditures primarily related to software development costs and purchases of short-term investments of $7.4 million. Net cash used in investing activities in the nine months ended September 30, 2022 was $8.9 million of capital expenditures offset by $1.1 million cash acquired from the acquisition of Aicel, net of cash paid for the assets acquisition of DT-Global.

Financing activities

Net cash provided by financing activities in the nine months ended September 30, 2023 was $6.6 million, compared to $111.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022. Net cash provided by financing activities during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 primarily consisted of $6.0 million from Amendment 1 to the Credit Agreement and $0.6 million from the proceeds from the exercise of stock options. Net cash provided by financing activities during the nine months ended September 30, 2022 was $111.5 million, primarily consisted of $325.0 million in gross proceeds from the Business Combination (inclusive of (a) the net receipts from $150.0 million proceeds from the issuance of our New Senior Term Loan, (b) $61.0 million from DSAC’s trust, and (c) $114.0 million from the backstop agreement with the sponsor of DSAC), and $4.5 million cash proceeds from the exercise of public warrants, $0.4 million from the exercise of stock options, offset by a total of $48.7 million in transaction costs related to the Business Combination and New Senior Term Loan, $189.0 million in principal repayments of First Out Term Loan, Last Out Term Loan, Fireside Promissory Notes, 8090 FV Subordinated Promissory Note, and the New GPO Note.

Commitments and Contingencies

Our principal commitments consist of obligations under leases for office space. For more information regarding our lease obligations, see Note 5 “Leases” to the condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere herein. For more information regarding our debt service obligations, see Note 8 “Debt” to the condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere herein.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

During the periods presented, we did not engage in any off-balance sheet financing activities or other arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future material effect on our financial condition or results of operations.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

For information regarding new accounting pronouncements, and the impact of these pronouncements on our condensed consolidated financial statements, if any, refer to Note 1 of the notes to our financial statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

Critical Accounting Estimates and Policies

Our condensed consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of these condensed consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, costs and expenses and related disclosures. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and assumptions. Our actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

We believe that of our significant accounting policies, which are described in Note 1 “Summary of Business and Significant Accounting Policies” to our condensed consolidated financial statements, the following accounting policies and specific estimates involve a greater degree of judgment and complexity.

There were no significant and material changes in our critical accounting policies and use of estimates during the nine months ended September 30, 2023, as compared to those disclosed in "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Critical Accounting Estimates and Accounting Policies" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on March 28, 2023 except for the change in one intangible asset discussed in Note 6, "Intangible Assets".

Revenue Recognition

Subscription revenues are recurring in nature and include subscription fees from customers accessing our company’s cloud-based infrastructure, digital content, transcripts, news and analysis, images, video and podcast data. Advisory, advertising and other revenue includes revenues derived from non-recurring activities where we deliver specific deliverables for clients as well as where we provide advertising in our own publications (Roll Call and CQ) in both print and digital formats, the sale of various publications, and sponsorship revenue for events organized by the Company. Our company’s subscription arrangements are generally non-cancelable and do not contain refund-type provisions. Our company recognizes revenues upon the satisfaction of its performance obligation(s) (upon transfer of control of promised goods or services to its customers) in an amount that reflects the consideration to which it expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services.

Our company’s contracts with customers may include promises to transfer multiple services. For these contracts, our company accounts for individual promises separately if they are distinct performance obligations. Determining whether services are considered distinct performance obligations may require significant judgment. Judgment is also required to determine the standalone selling price (“SSP”) for each distinct performance obligation. In instances where SSP is not directly observable, such as when our company does not sell the services separately, our company determines the SSP using available information, including market conditions and other observable inputs.

Costs Capitalized to Obtain Revenue Contracts

Costs capitalized related to new revenue contracts are amortized on a straight-line basis over four years, which, although longer than the typical initial contract period, reflects the average period of benefit, including expected contract renewals. Significant judgment is required in arriving at this average period of benefit. Therefore, we evaluate both qualitative and quantitative factors, including the estimated life cycles of our offerings and our customer attrition.

Business Combinations

Accounting for business combinations requires us to make significant estimates and assumptions, especially at the acquisition date with respect to tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed and pre-acquisition contingencies. We use our best estimates and assumptions to accurately assign fair value to the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date as well as the useful lives of those acquired intangible assets.

Critical estimates in valuing certain of the intangible assets and goodwill we have acquired are:

• future expected cash flows from subscription and content contracts, other customer contracts and acquired developed technologies, and trade names;
• historical and expected customer attrition rates and anticipated growth in revenue from acquired customers;
• assumptions about the period of time the acquired trade name will continue to be used in our offerings;
• discount rates;
• uncertain tax positions and tax-related valuation allowances assumed; and
• fair value of earnout consideration.

Unanticipated events and circumstances may occur that may affect the accuracy or validity of such assumptions, estimates or actual results.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Significant judgment is required to estimate the fair value of our reporting units. Accordingly, we typically obtain the assistance of third-party valuation specialists for significant reporting units for purposes of determining whether there is goodwill impairment. The fair value estimates are based on available historical information and on future expectations. We typically estimate the fair value of these assets using the income method, which is based on the present value of estimated future cash flows attributable to the respective assets. The valuations used to establish and to test goodwill for impairment are dependent on a number of significant estimates and assumptions, including macroeconomic conditions, overall growth rates, competitive activities, cost containment and margin progression, Company business plans and the discount rate applied to cash flows.

Goodwill is not amortized, but tested at least annually for impairment. Our ongoing annual impairment testing for goodwill occurs on October 1st. Assumptions used in our impairment evaluations, such as forecasted growth rates and cost of capital, are consistent with internal projections and operating plans. We believe these estimates and assumptions are reasonable and comparable to those that would be used by other marketplace participants. Unanticipated market or macroeconomic events and circumstances may occur, which could affect the accuracy or validity of the estimates and assumptions. For example, future changes in the judgments, assumptions and estimates that are used in our impairment testing for goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets, including discount and tax rates or future cash flow projections, could result in significantly different estimates of the fair values. In addition, changes to or a failure to achieve business plans or deterioration of macroeconomic conditions could result in reduced cash flows or higher discount rates, leading to a lower valuation that would trigger an impairment of the goodwill of these businesses.

If the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying value, that difference represents an impairment.

Determining the useful life of an intangible asset also requires judgment. Acquired intangible assets (customer relationships, patents and technologies, and tradenames) are expected to have determinable useful lives. Finite-lived intangible assets are amortized to expense over their estimated lives. An impairment assessment for finite-lived intangibles is only required when an event or change in circumstances indicates that the carrying amount of the asset may not be recoverable.

Based on our annual impairment testing as of October 1, 2022, the fair value of all of our reporting units exceeded their carrying values by more than 50%. The most significant assumptions utilized in the determination of the estimated fair values of our reporting units are the net sales and earnings growth rates (including residual growth rates) and discount rate. The residual growth rate represents the expected rate at which the reporting units are expected to grow beyond the shorter-term business planning period. The residual growth rate utilized in our fair value estimates is consistent with the reporting unit operating plans and approximates expected long-term market growth rates. The residual growth rate is dependent on overall market growth rates, the competitive environment, inflation, and business activities that impact market share. As a result, the residual growth rate could be adversely impacted by a sustained deceleration in category growth or an increased competitive environment. The discount rate, which is consistent with a weighted average cost of capital that is likely to be expected by a market participant, is based upon industry required rates of return, including consideration of both debt and equity components of the capital structure. Our discount rate may be impacted by adverse changes in the macroeconomic environment, volatility in the equity and debt markets or other country specific factors.

Future sustained depression of our stock price may indicate that a triggering event has occurred that may require us to reassess our goodwill for impairment and may trigger future impairment charges of one or all of our reporting units. Further, changes in operating plans or adverse changes in the business or in the macroeconomic environment in the future could reduce the underlying cash flows used to estimate fair values and could result in a decline in fair value that would trigger future impairment charges of our reporting units.

Due to the decline in the Company’s stock price and market capitalization in the first quarter of 2023, and the underperformance of the Company’s ESG reporting unit compared to internal projections, the Company performed a quantitative goodwill impairment assessment as of March 31, 2023. This quantitative assessment resulted in all the goodwill in our ESG reporting unit being impaired; accordingly, a non-cash impairment charge of $5.8 million was recognized during the three months ended March 31, 2023. Prior to the quantitative goodwill impairment the Company tested the recoverability of its long-lived assets, and concluded that such assets were not impaired.

See Note 7, “Goodwill” to the condensed consolidated financial statements for additional discussion on goodwill.

Warrant Liabilities

The Company evaluates its financial instruments, including its outstanding warrants, to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives. The Company has outstanding public and private warrants, both of which do not meet the criteria for equity classification and are accounted for as liabilities. Accordingly, the Company recognizes the warrants as liabilities at fair value and adjusts the warrants to fair value at each reporting period. The warrant liabilities are subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date until exercised, and any change in fair value is recognized in the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated statement of operations.

The fair value of the public warrants is estimated based on the quoted market price of such warrants. The fair value of the private warrants is estimated using a binomial option pricing model.

Debt instruments measured at fair value

The Company accounts for certain of its debt obligations at fair value. Accordingly, the Company recognizes the debt obligations upon inception at fair value. The debt obligations are subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date, and any change in fair value is recognized in the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated statement of operations. The Company estimates the fair value of the debt obligation using a lattice model.

Deferred Taxes and Valuation Allowance

Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amounts that are expected to be realized based on the weighting of positive and negative evidence. Future realization of deferred tax assets ultimately depends on the existence of sufficient taxable income of the appropriate character (for example, ordinary income or capital gain) within the carryback or carryforward periods available under the applicable tax law. We regularly review the deferred tax assets for recoverability based on historical taxable income, projected future taxable income, the expected timing of the reversals of existing temporary differences and tax planning strategies. Our judgment regarding future profitability may change due to many factors, including future market conditions and the ability to successfully execute its business plans and/or tax planning strategies. Should there be a change in the ability to recover deferred tax assets, the tax provision would increase or decrease in the period in which the assessment is changed.

Incremental Borrowing Rate Used to Calculate Lease Balances

As most of our leases do not provide an implicit rate, we use our incremental borrowing rate as the discount rate to measure the operating lease assets and liabilities. The incremental borrowing rate represents an estimate of the interest rate we would incur at lease commencement to borrow an amount equal to the lease payments on a collateralized basis over the term of the lease and includes considerations of both the market, our current capital structure and exiting debt borrowings. We perform an incremental borrowing rate analysis on a quarterly basis, or upon execution of any individually material agreement, to ensure that the rates being applied to newly acquired leases are still accurate.

We are exposed to market risks in the ordinary course of our business. These risks primarily consist of inflation risk and fluctuations in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates. We do not enter into derivatives or other financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes.

Foreign Currency Exchange Risk

We use the U.S. Dollar ("USD") as our reporting currency. Our local subsidiaries transact generally in their local currency, considered the functional currency for that subsidiary. Our foreign currency exchange rate risk is related to translation of our assets and liabilities from the subsidiaries' functional currencies to USD. These adjustments are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) on our consolidated balance sheets. Our results of operations and cash flows are subject to fluctuations due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates, particularly changes in the Euro, British Pound Sterling and Australian Dollar. Our expenses are generally denominated in the currencies of the jurisdictions in which we conduct our operations, which are primarily in the United States as well as the European Union, United Kingdom, Australia, South Korea, and India. Our results of operations and cash flows in the future may be adversely affected due to an expansion of non-U.S. dollar denominated contracts, growth of our international entities and changes in foreign exchange rates. The effect of a hypothetical 10% change in foreign currency exchange rates applicable to our business would not have a material impact on our cash denominated in foreign currency. To date, we have not engaged in any hedging strategies. As our international operations grow, we will continue to reassess our approach to manage the risk relating to fluctuations in currency rates.

Fluctuations in foreign currencies impact the amount of total assets, liabilities, revenues, operating expenses and cash flows that we report for our foreign subsidiaries upon the translation of these amounts into USD. Total revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, was negatively impacted by approximately 1.0% compared to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022.

Interest Rate Risk

We are subject to market risk associated with changing interest rates within our variable rate New Senior Term Loan. Our exposure to changes in interest rates is associated with the Prime Rate.

As of September 30, 2023, we had outstanding borrowings on our New Senior Term Loan of $157.8 million, which bears cash interest at a floating rate based on the Prime Rate plus an applicable margin. At September 30, 2023, the interest rate on our New Senior Term Loan was 13.25%. Assuming no change in the outstanding borrowings on our New Senior Term Loan, we estimate that a one percentage point increase in the Prime Rate would increase our annual cash interest expense by approximately $1.6 million.

Inflation Risk

Although we do not believe inflation has had a material impact on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows to date, a high rate of inflation in the future may have an adverse effect on our business.

Limitations on Effectiveness of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

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

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our management, with the participation of our principal executive officer and our principal financial officer, evaluated, as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(c) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act). Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of September 30, 2023, due to the material weakness identified in the prior year, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of September 30, 2023. Notwithstanding the material weaknesses, our management has concluded that the financial statements included elsewhere in this report present fairly, in all material respects, our financial position, results of operations and cash flows in conformity with GAAP.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Other than the material weaknesses identified in prior year and material weakness remediation activities, there were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting, as identified in connection with the evaluation required by Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act, that occurred during the three months ended September 30, 2023 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

As of the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, there have been no material changes to the risk factors disclosed in our Current Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 28, 2023, except as set forth below:

The Company may not successfully consummate a go-private or other strategic transaction on favorable terms or at all, and its announcement of the formation of a Special Committee of its Board of Directors to review such a transaction may have an adverse impact on the Company’s business and ability to implement any such transaction.

On November 14, 2023, the Company announced that its Board of Directors established a Special Committee, composed of Michael Callahan, Manoj Jain, Stanley McChrystal and Anna Sedgley, in response to statements made by the Company’s CEO and Co-founder, Tim Hwang, regarding his interest in putting together a consortium to explore a potential go-private transaction. Mr. Hwang has not provided any specific proposal, and there can be no assurance that one will be made. The Special Committee will evaluate, together with its advisors, any proposal it receives from Mr. Hwang regarding such a transaction, as well as any other transaction proposals submitted to the Company. The Special Committee has the full power and authority of the Board to take any and all actions on behalf of the Board as it deems necessary to evaluate and negotiate a potential go-private transaction and alternatives to any transaction proposed by Mr. Hwang. There can be no assurance that the foregoing will result in any transaction or any other strategic change or outcome, or as to the timing of any of the foregoing. The Company’s announcement of the formation of a Special Committee to review any such transaction may have a material adverse impact on the Company’s business, operations and financial results, as well as its ability to implement any such transaction.