Item 1A. Risk Factors
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before making an investment decision, you should consider carefully the risks and uncertainties described below. Our business, operating results, financial condition or prospects could also be harmed by risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently do not believe are material. If any of the risks actually occur, our business, operating results, financial condition and prospects could be adversely affected. In that event, the market price of our securities, including our Common Stock, and the Preferred Financing Warrants, could decline, and you could lose part or all of your investment. The risks discussed below may not prove to be exhaustive and are based on certain assumptions that later may prove to be incorrect or incomplete.
We may face additional risks and uncertainties that are not presently known to such entity, or that are currently deemed immaterial, which may also impair our business or financial condition.
Risks Related to Our Financial Condition and Status as an Early Stage Company
We have experienced substantial growth over a limited period of time, which makes it difficult to forecast its future results of operations.
Since 2015, we have experienced substantial growth in net revenue as a result of organic activities as well as through a series of acquisitions. During the period from 2015 to 2019, net revenues derived from business activity at the beginning of the period generated a cumulative annual growth rate (“CAGR”) of approximately 40%, and when including the contribution from businesses acquired during the period, a CAGR of approximately 62%. In light of this substantial growth within a limited period of time, our historical results should not be considered indicative of our future performance. Furthermore, our ability to accurately forecast results of operations in the future is limited and subject to a number of uncertainties, including our ability to plan for and model future growth and our ability to develop new products and services. In future periods, our growth could slow or decline for a number of reasons, including but not limited to slowing demand, increased competition, changes to technology, inability to scale up our technology, a decrease in the growth of the market, or our failure, for any reason, to continue to take advantage of growth opportunities.
We have also encountered, and will continue to encounter, risks and uncertainties frequently experienced by growing companies in rapidly changing industries. If our assumptions regarding these risks and uncertainties and its future growth
are incorrect or change, or if we do not address these risks successfully, our operating and financial results could differ materially from our expectations, and our business could suffer.
If we are unable to manage and expand our growth or execute our growth strategies effectively, our business and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.
We may not be able to scale our business quickly enough to meet customer and market demand, which could result in lower profitability or cause us to fail to execute on our business strategies. In order to grow our business, we will need to continue to evolve and scale our business and operations to meet customer and market demand. Evolving and scaling our business and operations places increased demands on our management as well as its financial and operational resources to:
•attract new customers and grow our customer base;
•maintain and increase the rates at which existing customers use our platform, sell additional products and services to our existing customers, and reduce customer churn;
•invest in our platform and product offerings;
•effectively manage organizational change;
•accelerate and/or refocus research and development activities;
•increase sales and marketing efforts;
•broaden customer-support and services capabilities;
•maintain or increase operational efficiencies;
•implement appropriate operational and financial systems; and
•maintain effective financial disclosure, controls and procedures.
If we cannot evolve and scale its business and operations effectively, we may not be able to execute our business strategies in a cost-effective manner and its business, financial condition, profitability and results of operations could be adversely affected.
We may experience significant fluctuations in our operating results and rates of growth.
Even if the market in which we compete achieves the forecasted growth, our business could fail to grow at similar rates, if at all. Our success will depend upon our ability to successfully expand our solutions and services, retain customers, bring in new customers and retain critical talent.
Our business depends on our marketing efficiency and the general effectiveness of our marketing efforts.
Our success relies on efficiently marketing to corporate entities, travel agents, travel management companies and end consumers. Our business to business marketing aims to drive activity and attract businesses to our platforms and websites, and our business to business to consumer marketing aims to drive engagement with these businesses, travelers and end users of our products.
We may be successful in attracting new customers and/or members in the form of corporations, travel agents, travel management companies or entities. However, there is a risk that these customers’ end consumers will not engage with or use our products at a rate where we will see a significant revenue increase from such customers because we depend on their relationships with our corporate customers, travel agents and travel management companies to help drive this engagement.
We rely on the value of our brands, and the costs of maintaining and enhancing our brand awareness are increasing.
We invest considerable financial and human resources in our brands in order to retain and expand our customer base in existing and emerging markets. We expect that the cost of maintaining and enhancing our brands will continue to increase, and given the economic uncertainty and unpredictability around when the travel industry will recover, decisions we make on investing in brands could be less effective and costlier than expected.
In recent years, certain online travel companies and metasearch websites expanded their offline and digital advertising campaigns globally, increasing competition for share of voice, and we expect this activity to continue in the future. We are also pursuing and expect to continue to pursue long-term growth opportunities, particularly in emerging markets, which have had and may continue to have a negative impact on our overall marketing efficiency. Our efforts to preserve and enhance customer awareness of our brands may not be successful, and even if we are successful in our branding efforts,
such efforts may not be cost-effective or as efficient as they have been historically, resulting in less direct traffic and increased customer acquisition costs. Moreover, branding efforts with respect to some brands within our portfolio have in the past, and may in the future, result in marketing inefficiencies and may negatively impact growth rates of other brands within our portfolio. In addition, our decisions over allocation of resources and choosing to invest in branding efforts for certain brands in our portfolio at the expense of not investing in, or reducing our investments in, other brands in our portfolio could have an overall negative financial impact. If we are unable to maintain or enhance customer awareness of our brands and generate demand in a cost-effective manner, it would have a material adverse effect on our business and financial performance.
Risks Related to Mondee’s Business and Industry
The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and may continue to have, a material adverse impact on the travel industry, which could materially affect our business, liquidity, financial condition and operating results.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many governments around the world have implemented, and continue to implement, a variety of measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19, including travel restrictions and bans, instructions to residents to practice social distancing, quarantine advisories, shelter-in-place orders, required closures of non-essential businesses and additional restrictions on businesses as part of re-opening plans. These government mandates have had a significant negative impact on the travel industry and many of the travel suppliers on which our business relies, as well as on our workforce, operations and clients. While many existing restrictions have begun to be lifted, there remains uncertainty around the impact of the new variants of COVID-19, if additional restrictions may be initiated, if there will be changes to travel behavior patterns when government restrictions are fully lifted, the continued efficacy of existing vaccines against the new variants and the timing of distribution and administration of vaccines globally.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic conditions and government orders forced many of our travel suppliers, including airlines and hotels, to pursue cost reduction measures and seek financing, including government financing and support, in order to reduce financial distress and continue operating, and to curtail drastically their service offerings. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted, and may continue to result, in the restructuring or bankruptcy of certain of those travel suppliers, and renegotiation of the terms of our agreements with them. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a material decrease in business and consumer spending and an unprecedented decline in transaction volumes in the global travel industry. Our financial results and prospects are largely dependent on these transaction volumes. As a result, our financial results for the year ended December 31, 2020 and the results for the 2021 fiscal year were significantly and negatively impacted, with a material decline in total revenues, net income, cash flow from operations, and Adjusted EBITDA, as compared to 2019. This downward trend could continue for an unpredictable period.
Starting as of the fourth quarter of 2020, many COVID-19 vaccines were approved for widespread distribution across the world. Nevertheless, notwithstanding widespread vaccine distribution across the world, new variants of COVID-19, such as the Delta and Omicron variants have been identified in the second half of 2021 and early 2022. Accordingly, there remains uncertainty around the path to full economic and travel recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic due to the challenging logistics of distributing the vaccines globally, adoption of vaccines globally, travel restrictions, as well as the unknown impact of the new variants of COVID-19. As a result, we are unable to predict accurately the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic will have on our business going forward. While travel has historically been resilient to macroeconomic events, with the continued spread of COVID-19 and other variants throughout the world, the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects could continue to have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows for the foreseeable future. Recent trends have shown that the widespread distribution and adoption of effective vaccines, as well as treatments, help encourage a return to travel, but the timing and further extent of those developments remains uncertain, particularly in light of the identification of new variants of COVID-19.
We have incurred negative cash flows from operating activities and significant losses from operations in the past and if we are not able to raise additional capital when desired and on reasonable terms, our business, results of operations, and financial condition could be adversely affected.
We have incurred negative cash flows from operating activities and significant losses from operations in the past as reflected in our accumulated deficit of $264 million as of the nine months ended September 30, 2022. We believe that current cash and cash equivalents, as well as the $15 million unused line of credit, will be sufficient to fund our operations for at least the next 12 months. Our future capital requirements, however, will depend on many factors, including the on-going effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, consolidation of the travel industry, changes in the general market conditions for travel services, and future business combinations. We may in the future enter into arrangements to acquire or invest in
complementary businesses, services, and technologies, including intellectual property rights. From time to time, we may seek to raise additional funds through equity and debt. If we are unable to raise additional capital when desired and on terms acceptable to us, our business, results of operations, and financial condition could be adversely affected.
Our liquidity and ongoing access to capital could be materially and negatively affected by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our continued access to sources of liquidity depends on multiple factors, including global economic conditions, the condition of global financial markets, the availability of sufficient amounts of financing and our operating performance. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been increased volatility in the financial and securities markets, which has generally made access to capital less certain and has increased the cost of obtaining new capital. We utilized a portion of the proceeds of the Business Combination to refinance $40 million of our current outstanding indebtedness. Additionally, we raised $85 million in proceeds from the sale of our Preferred Stock to help fund growth and operations. However, we may need to obtain debt financing in the future to fund our operations, and there is no guarantee that such debt financing will be available in the future, or that it will be available on commercially reasonable terms, in which case we may need to seek other sources of funding. In addition, the terms of future debt agreements could include restrictive covenants, which could restrict our business operations.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken to contain it have and will continue to have an adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations, if measures taken by management to ameliorate the impact of these COVID-19 related uncertainties are not successful or sufficient we may be unable to continue to fund our operations, develop our platform, or discharge our liabilities in the normal course of business.
Our negative cash flows from operating activities and significant losses from operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as our growth plans, create the need for additional capital. There are uncertainties surrounding our ability to raise such capital, and our financial condition could be adversely affected. The continued COVID-19 pandemic and measures taken to contain it, including, but not limited to, voluntary and mandatory quarantines, stay-at-home orders, travel restrictions and advisories, limitations on gatherings of people and reduced operations and extended closures of businesses have and may continue to have an adverse impact on travel transaction volumes resulting in a material decline in net revenues, net income, cash flow from operations and Adjusted EBITDA, as compared to pre-COVID-19 pandemic results. To address the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, our management has taken specific actions including, renegotiating certain terms and conditions of our loans with our lenders to defer interest payments and thereby manage our cash; raising additional capital through external borrowings; restructuring accounts payable to accommodate a longer time horizon for payment; as well as investing in and developing our platform to increase operating efficiencies and to reduce labor expenses.
While there is current evidence of the travel market transactions recovering, management will continue to monitor impacts on travel transaction volumes of the COVID-19 virus and future variants on a real-time basis and will update and immediately enact initiatives to scale our business infrastructure and operating expenses up or down as appropriate to ensure optimal earnings and cash flows in future periods. In addition, management will coordinate with suppliers, operating partners and our financial partners to attempt to arrange adequate capital to withstand potential COVID-19 induced volume variability. If we are unable to raise additional capital, increase operating efficiencies or reduce expenses we may be unable to continue to fund our operations, develop our platform, or discharge our liabilities in the normal course of business.
We have pledged substantially all of our assets and Legacy Mondee under the TCW Agreement. If the lenders accelerate the repayment of borrowings, we may not have sufficient assets to repay them and we could experience a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
On December 23, 2019, we entered into the TCW Agreement with the Lenders consisting of a $150 million multi-draw term loan in aggregate, of which the first draw was for a principal amount of $95 million. On February 6, 2020, we entered into a first amendment to the TCW Agreement and an incremental joinder with Lenders for an aggregate principal amount of $55 million. These facilities are guaranteed by us and Legacy Mondee and are secured by substantially all of our assets. To date, we have entered into a number of amendments to the TCW Agreement, including amendments that changed the repayment terms. However, if for whatever reason we are unable to make scheduled payments when due or to repay such indebtedness by the schedule maturity date, we would seek the further consent of our Lenders to modify such terms. Although our Lenders have previously agreed to eight prior modifications of the TCW Agreement, there is no assurance that it will agree to any such modification and could then declare an event of default. Upon the occurrence of an event of default under the TCW Agreement, the Lenders could elect to declare all amounts outstanding thereunder to be
immediately due and payable. We have pledged substantially all of our assets under the TCW Agreement. If the Lenders accelerate the repayment of borrowings, we may not have sufficient assets to repay them and we could experience a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Consolidation in the travel industry may result in lost bookings and reduced revenue.
Consolidation among travel providers, including airline mergers and alliances, may increase competition from distribution channels related to those travel providers and place more negotiating leverage in the hands of those travel providers to attempt to lower booking fees further and to lower commissions. Examples include the merger of United and Continental Airlines, the merger of American Airlines and US Airways, the acquisition of AirTran Airways by Southwest Airlines, the merger of British Airways and Iberia and subsequent acquisitions of Aer Lingus and Vueling and the acquisition of Virgin America by Alaska Air Group. In addition, cooperation has increased within the oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance. Changes in ownership of travel providers may also cause them to direct less business towards us. If we are unable to compete effectively, our suppliers could limit our access to their content, including exclusive content, and favorable fares and rates and other incentives, which could adversely affect our results of operations. Mergers and acquisitions of airlines may also result in a reduction in total flights and overall passenger capacity and higher fares, which may adversely affect the ability of our business to generate revenue.
Consolidation among travel agencies and competition for clients may also adversely affect our results of operations, since we compete to attract and retain clients. In addition, decisions by airlines to surcharge the channel represented by travel management companies and travel agencies, for example, by surcharging fares booked through or passing on charges to travel management companies and travel agencies, or introduction of such surcharges to fares booked through the GDS through which a material share of our content is sourced, could have an adverse impact on our business, particularly in regions in which our GDS is a significant source of bookings for an airline choosing to impose such surcharges.
To compete effectively, we may need to increase incentives, pre-pay incentives, discount or waive product or service fees or increase spending on marketing or product development. Further, as consolidation among travel providers increases, the potential adverse effect of a decision by any particular significant travel provider (such as an airline) to withdraw from or reduce its participation in our services also increases. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the risk that the third parties we work with may voluntarily or involuntarily declare bankruptcy or otherwise cease or limit their operations, which could harm our business and results of operations. In particular, the potential harm to our business and results of operations is greater if there are bankruptcies or closures of larger partners such as airlines.
Adverse changes in general market conditions for travel services, including the effects of macroeconomic conditions, terrorist attacks, natural disasters, health concerns, civil or political unrest or other events outside our control could materially affect our business, liquidity, financial condition and operating results.
Our revenue is derived from the global travel industry and would be significantly impacted by declines in, or disruptions to, travel activity, particularly air travel. Global factors over which we have no control but which could impact our clients’ willingness to travel and, depending on the scope and duration, cause a significant decline in travel volumes include, among other things:
•widespread health concerns, epidemics or pandemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Zika virus, H1N1 influenza, the Ebola virus, avian flu, SARS or any other serious contagious diseases;
•global security concerns caused by terrorist attacks, the threat of terrorist attacks, or the precautions taken in anticipation of such attacks, including elevated threat warnings or selective cancellation or redirection of travel;
•cyber-terrorism, political unrest, the outbreak of hostilities or escalation or worsening of existing hostilities or war;
•natural disasters or severe weather conditions, such as hurricanes, flooding and earthquakes;
•climate change-related impact to travel destinations, such as extreme weather, natural disasters and disruptions, and actions taken by governments, businesses and supplier partners to combat climate change;
•the occurrence of travel-related accidents or the grounding of aircraft due to safety concerns; and
•adverse changes in visa and immigration policies or the imposition of travel restrictions or more restrictive security procedures.
Any decrease in demand for consumer or business travel could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our business and financial performance is affected by macroeconomic conditions. Travel expenditures are sensitive to personal and business-related discretionary spending levels and tend to decline or grow more slowly during economic downturns, including during periods of slow, slowing or negative economic growth, higher unemployment or inflation rates, weakening currencies and concerns over government responses such as higher taxes or tariffs, increased interest rates and reduced government spending. Concerns over government responses to declining economic conditions such as higher taxes and reduced government spending could impair consumer and business spending and adversely affect travel demand. In addition, our relative exposure to certain sectors versus the broader economy may mitigate or exacerbate the effect of macroeconomic conditions. The global travel industry, which historically has grown at a rate in excess of global gross domestic product growth during economic expansions, has experienced cyclical downturns in the past in times of economic decline or uncertainty. Future adverse economic developments in areas such as employment levels, business conditions, interest rates, tax rates, environmental impacts, fuel and energy costs and other matters could reduce discretionary spending and cause the travel industry to contract. The uncertainty of macroeconomic factors and their impact on client behavior, which may differ across regions, makes it more difficult to forecast industry and client trends and the timing and degree of their impact on our markets and business, which in turn could adversely affect our ability to effectively manage our business and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our international business exposes us to geo-political and economic risks associated with doing business in foreign countries. We have operations in the U.S., Canada, India, Thailand, and several other countries worldwide, and we indirectly provide services to travelers worldwide through our partners and affiliates. Our international operations could pose complex management, compliance, foreign currency, legal, tax, labor, data privacy and economic risks that we may not adequately address, including changes in the priorities and budgets of international travelers and geo-political uncertainties, which may be driven by changes in threat environments and potentially volatile worldwide economic conditions, various regional and local economic and political factors, risks and uncertainties, as well as U.S. foreign policy. We are also subject to a number of other risks with respect to our international operations, including:
•the absence in some jurisdictions of effective laws to protect our intellectual property rights;
•multiple and possibly overlapping and conflicting tax laws;
•duties, taxes or government royalties, including the imposition or increase of withholding and other taxes on the activities of, and remittances and other payments by, our non-U.S. subsidiaries;
•restrictions on movement of cash;
•the burden of complying with a variety of national and local laws;
•political instability;
•currency fluctuations;
•longer payment cycles;
•price controls or restrictions on exchange of foreign currencies;
•trade barriers; and
•potential travel restrictions.
The existence of any one of these risks could harm our international business and, consequently, our operating results. Additionally, operating in international markets requires significant management attention and financial resources. We cannot be certain that the investment and additional resources required to operate in other countries will produce desired levels of revenue or net income.
Complaints from travelers or negative publicity about our services can diminish client confidence and adversely affect our business.
Client complaints or negative word-of-mouth or publicity about our services or operations could severely diminish client confidence in and use of our services. To maintain good client relations, we must ensure that our travel advisors and partners and affiliates provide prompt, accurate and differentiated client service. Effective client service requires significant personnel expense and investment in developing programs and technology infrastructure to help our travel advisors, partners and affiliates carry out their functions. These expenses, if not managed properly, could significantly impact our profitability. Failure to properly manage our travel advisors, partners and affiliates could compromise our ability to handle client complaints effectively. If we do not handle client complaints effectively, our reputation and brand may suffer, and we may lose our customers’ confidence, which could reduce revenues and profitability.
Our indebtedness could adversely affect our business and growth prospects.
We have existing indebtedness, and we may be able to incur additional debt from time to time to finance working capital, capital expenditures, investments or acquisitions, or for other purposes. Although the agreements governing our existing indebtedness contain restrictions on the incurrence of additional indebtedness and liens, these restrictions are subject to several significant qualifications and exceptions and, under certain circumstances, the amount of indebtedness that could be incurred in compliance with these restrictions could be substantial. If we do so, the risks related to our high level of debt could increase. Specifically, our high level of debt could have important consequences, including the following:
•it may be difficult for us to satisfy our obligations, including debt service requirements under our outstanding debt;
•our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, debt service requirements, acquisitions or other general corporate purposes may be impaired;
•a substantial portion of cash flow from operations is required to be dedicated to the payment of principal and interest on our indebtedness, therefore reducing our ability to use our cash flow to fund our operations, capital expenditures, future business opportunities and other purposes;
•we could be more vulnerable to economic or business downturns, adverse industry conditions and other factors affecting our operations, and our flexibility to plan for, or react to, changes in our business or industry is more limited;
•our ability to capitalize on business opportunities and to react to competitive pressures, as compared to our competitors, may be compromised due to our high level of debt and the restrictive covenants in our existing or future indebtedness;
•our ability to receive distributions from our subsidiaries and to pay taxes, expenses and dividends may be adversely affected by the terms of our debt;
•increases in interest rates would increase the cost of servicing our debt; and
•our ability to borrow additional funds or to refinance debt may be limited.
Moreover, in the event of a default under any of our indebtedness, the holders of our indebtedness could elect to declare such indebtedness be due and payable and/or elect to exercise other rights, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity and our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We rely on internet search engines and application marketplaces to drive traffic to our platform, certain providers of which offer products and services that compete directly with ours. If links to our websites and apps are not displayed prominently, traffic to our platform could decline and our business would be negatively affected.
The number of consumers we attract to our platform is due in large part to how and where information from, and links to, our websites are displayed on search engine results pages ("SERPs"). The display, including rankings, of search results can be affected by a number of factors, many of which are not in our control.
Search engines frequently change the logic that determines the placement and display of the results of a user’s search, such that the purchased or algorithmic placement of links to our websites can be negatively affected. A search engine could alter its search algorithms or results causing our websites to place lower in search query results. For example, Google, a significant source of traffic to our websites, frequently promotes its own competing products in its search results, which has negatively impacted placement of references to our Company and our websites on the SERP. If a major search engine changes its algorithms in a manner that negatively affects the search engine ranking of our websites or those of our travel partners, or if competitive dynamics impact the cost or effectiveness of search engine optimization ("SEO") or search engine marketing ("SEM") in a negative manner, our business and financial performance would be adversely affected. Furthermore, our failure to successfully manage our SEO and SEM strategies or other traffic acquisition strategies could result in a substantial decrease in traffic to our websites, as well as increased costs to the extent we replace free traffic with paid traffic.
We also rely on application marketplaces, or app stores such as Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play, to drive downloads of our apps. In the future, Apple, Google or other marketplace operators may make changes that make access to our products more difficult or may limit our access to information that would restrict our ability to provide the best user experience. For example, Google has entered various aspects of the online travel market, including by establishing a flight metasearch product and hotel metasearch product as well as reservation functionality. Our apps may receive unfavorable treatment compared to the promotion and placement of competing apps, such as the order in which they appear within marketplaces. In addition, Apple has announced new features that limit who has access to consumer data, including location information. Similarly, if problems arise in our relationships with providers of application marketplaces, traffic to our website and our user growth could be harmed.
The widespread adoption of teleconference and virtual meeting technologies could reduce the number of in-person business meetings and demand for travel and our services, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our business and growth strategies rely in part upon our clients’ continued need for in-person meetings and conferences. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teleconference and virtual meeting technologies have become significantly more popular and many businesses have substituted these technologies for part or all of their in-person meetings and conferences. Even if and when the spread of COVID-19 is contained and travel and other restrictions are lifted, we cannot predict whether businesses will continue to choose to substitute these technologies for part or all of their in-person meetings and conferences and whether employer and employee attitudes toward business travel will change in a lasting way. Should businesses choose to continue to substitute these technologies for part or all of their in-person meetings and conferences and the preferences of our clients shift away from in-person meetings and conferences, it would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We operate in an increasingly competitive global environment and could fail to gain, or could lose, market share if we are unable to compete effectively with our current or future competitors.
The travel industry, and the business travel services industry, are highly competitive, and if we cannot compete effectively against the number and type of sellers of travel-related services, we may lose sales to our competitors, which may adversely affect our financial results and performance. We currently compete, and will continue to compete, with a variety of travel and travel-related companies, including other corporate travel management service providers, consumer travel agencies and emerging and established online travel agencies. We also compete with travel suppliers, such as airlines and hotels, where they market their products and services directly to travelers through platforms used by consumers to book and fulfill travel, including by offering more favorable rates, exclusive products/services and loyalty points to travelers who purchase directly from such travel suppliers through business-to-consumer ("B2C") channels. B2C may include business travelers who purchase travel outside of a company-sponsored and managed channel, or whose companies do not have such a channel. We compete, to a lesser extent, with credit card loyalty programs, online travel search and price comparison services, facilitators of alternative accommodations such as short-term home or condominium rentals and social media and e-commerce websites.
Some of our competitors may have access to more financial resources, greater name recognition and well-established client bases in their target client segments, differentiated business models, technology and other capabilities or a differentiated geographic coverage, which may make it difficult for us to retain or attract new clients.
We cannot assure you that we will be able to compete successfully against any current, emerging and future competitors or provide sufficiently differentiated products and services to our client and traveler base. Increasing competition from current and emerging competitors, consolidation of our competitors, the introduction of new technologies and the continued expansion of existing technologies may force us to make changes to our business models, which could materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations. If we cannot compete effectively against the number and type of sellers of travel-related services, we may lose sales to our competitors, which may adversely affect our financial results and performance.
Our failure to quickly identify and adapt to changing industry conditions, trends or technological developments may have a material and adverse effect on us.
Certain results and trends related to our business and the travel industry more generally are based on preliminary data and assumptions, and as a result, are subject to change and may differ materially from what we expect. We present certain results and trends in this Quarterly Report related to our business and the travel industry more generally, which are based
on an analysis of then-available or preliminary data, and our results, related findings or conclusions are subject to change. No assurance can be given that these results and trends, or that our expectations surrounding our business or the travel industry, will be accurate. These risks are heightened by the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the travel industry and our business. Further, unanticipated events and circumstances may occur and change the outlook surrounding our business and the travel industry in material ways. Accordingly, certain of our expectations related to our business and the travel industry more generally may not occur as expected, if at all, and actual results or trends presented may differ materially from what we expect.
Operating as a public company will require us to incur substantial costs and will require substantial management attention. In addition, key members of our management team have limited experience managing a public company.
As a public company, we will face increased legal, accounting, administrative and other costs and expenses that we did not incur as a private company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, including the requirements of Section 404, as well as rules and regulations subsequently implemented by the SEC, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 and the rules and regulations promulgated and to be promulgated thereunder, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board ("PCAOB") and the securities exchanges, impose additional reporting and other obligations on public companies. Compliance with public company requirements will increase our costs and make certain activities more time-consuming. A number of those requirements require us to carry out activities we have not done previously. For example, we have created new board committees and adopted new internal controls and disclosure controls and procedures. In addition, expenses associated with SEC reporting requirements will be incurred. Furthermore, if any issues in complying with those requirements are identified (for example, see the risk factor below titled “ITHAX identified a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting. This material weakness could continue to adversely affect our ability to report our results of operations and financial condition accurately and in a timely manner”), we could incur additional costs rectifying those issues, and the existence of those issues could harm our reputation or investor perceptions of us. It may also be more expensive to obtain director and officer liability insurance. Risks associated with our status as a public company may make it more difficult to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our Company's board of directors (the "Board") or as executive officers. The additional reporting and other obligations imposed by these rules and regulations will increase legal and financial compliance costs and the costs of related legal, accounting and administrative activities. These increased costs will require us to divert a significant amount of money that could otherwise be used to expand the business and achieve strategic objectives. Advocacy efforts by stockholders and third parties may also prompt additional changes in governance and reporting requirements, which could further increase costs. In addition, we may be subject to stockholder activism, which can lead to additional substantial costs, distract management, and impact the manner in which we operate our business in ways that we cannot currently anticipate. As a result of disclosure of information in this Quarterly Report and in filings required of a public company, our business and financial condition will become more visible, which may result in threatened or actual litigation, including by competitors.
Our executive officers have limited experience in the management of a publicly traded company. Our management team may not successfully or effectively manage our transition to a public company that will be subject to significant regulatory oversight and reporting obligations under federal securities laws. Their limited experience in dealing with the increasingly complex laws pertaining to public companies could be a significant disadvantage in that it is likely that an increasing amount of their time may be devoted to these activities, which will result in less time being devoted to the management and growth of our Company. We may not have adequate personnel with the appropriate level of knowledge, experience, and training in the accounting policies, practices or internal controls over financial reporting required of public companies in the U.S. The development and implementation of the standards and controls necessary for us to achieve the level of accounting standards required of a public company in the U.S. may require costs greater than expected. It is possible that we will be required to expand our employee base and hire additional employees to support our operations as a public company, which will increase our operating costs in future periods.
Our failure to maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting could harm us.
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal controls over financial reporting. Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP. Under standards established by the PCAOB, a deficiency in internal controls over financial reporting exists when the design or operation of a control does not allow management or personnel, in the normal course of performing their assigned functions, to prevent or detect misstatements on a timely basis. The PCAOB defines a material weakness as a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal controls over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented, or detected and corrected, on a timely basis. The PCAOB
defines a significant deficiency as a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal controls over financial reporting that is less severe than a material weakness, yet important enough to merit attention by those responsible for oversight of a registrant’s financial reporting. We cannot assure you that material weaknesses and control deficiencies will not be discovered in the future. Our failure to maintain effective disclosure controls and internal controls over financial reporting could have an adverse effect on our business and could cause investors to lose confidence in our financial statements, which could cause a decline in the price of our Common Stock, and we may be unable to maintain compliance with the Nasdaq listing standards. If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, the accuracy and timing of our financial reporting may be adversely affected, and our liquidity and access to capital markets may be adversely affected, and we may be subject to regulatory investigations and penalties.
Risks Related to Our Dependence on Third Parties
Our business depends on our relationships with travel agencies, travel management companies and other travel businesses and third parties.
If we are unable to maintain existing, and establish new, arrangements with travel suppliers, or if our travel suppliers and partners reduce or eliminate the commission and other compensation they pay us, our business and results of operations would be negatively impacted. Our business is dependent on our ability to maintain our relationships and arrangements with existing travel suppliers, such as airlines, hotels, car rentals, hotel consolidators, destination services companies and GDSs, as well as our ability to establish and maintain relationships with new travel suppliers. Adverse changes in key arrangements with our travel suppliers, including an inability of any key travel supplier to fulfill its payment obligation to us in a timely manner, increasing industry consolidation, changes in travel suppliers’ booking practices regarding groups, or our inability to enter into or renew arrangements with these parties on favorable terms, if at all, could reduce the amount, quality, pricing and breadth of the travel services and products that we are able to offer, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We generate a significant portion of our revenue from commissions and incentive payments from travel suppliers, especially airline suppliers, and GDSs. If, as a result of a reduction in volumes from airlines shifting volume away from GDSs to the International Air Transport Association’s New Distribution Capacity, or any other reason, travel suppliers or GDSs reduce or eliminate the commissions, incentive payments or other compensation they pay to us, our revenue may decline unless we are able to adequately mitigate such reduction by increasing the service fee we charge to our travelers or increasing our transaction volume in a sustainable manner. However, an increase in service fees may also result in a loss of potential travelers.
Although we generally maintain formal contractual relationships with our travel suppliers, we do currently, and may continue to, maintain more informal arrangements with certain travel suppliers, such as airlines, GDSs, hotels and other travel product companies, which can be terminated with or without notice and which can create uncertainty with respect to the agreed terms including pricing. If these arrangements are terminated unexpectedly, or there is disagreement regarding the terms of the agreement with such travel supplier, our financial results or operations could be negatively impacted.
We cannot assure you that our agreements or arrangements with our travel suppliers or travel-related service providers will continue or that our travel suppliers or travel-related service providers will not reduce commissions, terminate their contracts, make their products or services unavailable to us or default on or dispute their payment or other obligations with us, any of which could reduce our revenue and margins or may require us to initiate legal or arbitral proceedings to enforce contractual payment obligations, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our business and results of operations could be adversely affected if one or more of our major travel suppliers suffers a deterioration in its financial condition or restructures its operations or as a result of consolidation in the travel industry, loses bookings and revenue.
A substantial portion of our revenue is affected by the prices charged by our travel suppliers, including airlines, GDS service providers, hotels, destination service providers and car rental suppliers, and the volume of products offered by our travel suppliers. As a result, if one or more of our major suppliers suffers a deterioration in their financial condition or restructures their operations, it could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In particular, as a substantial portion of our revenue depends on our sale of airline flights, we could be adversely affected by changes in the airline industry, including consolidations or bankruptcies and liquidations, and in many cases, we have
no control over such changes. Consolidation among travel suppliers, including airline mergers and alliances, may increase competition from direct distribution channels related to those travel suppliers and place more negotiating leverage in the hands of those travel suppliers to attempt to lower booking fees and to lower commissions. Changes in ownership of travel suppliers may also cause them to direct less business towards us. If we are unable to compete effectively, our suppliers could limit our access to their content, including exclusive content, and favorable fares and rates and other incentives, which could adversely affect our results of operations. Mergers and acquisitions of airlines may also result in adjustments to routes, a reduction in total flights and overall passenger capacity and changes in fares, which may adversely affect the ability of our business to generate revenue.
Travel suppliers’ use of alternative distribution models, such as direct distribution models, could adversely affect our business.
Some of our travel suppliers, including some of our largest airline clients, have sought to increase usage of direct distribution channels. For example, these travel suppliers are trying to move more client traffic to their proprietary websites. This direct distribution trend enables them to apply pricing pressure on intermediaries and negotiate travel distribution arrangements that are less favorable to intermediaries. With travel suppliers’ adoption of certain technology solutions over the last decade, air travel suppliers have increased the proportion of direct bookings relative to indirect bookings. In the future, airlines may increase their use of direct distribution, which may cause a material decrease in their use of our services. Travel suppliers may also offer travelers advantages through their websites such as special fares and bonus miles, which could make their offerings more attractive than those available from us.
In addition, with respect to ancillary products, travel suppliers may choose not to comply with the technical standards that would allow ancillary products to be immediately distributed via intermediaries, thus resulting in a delay before these products become available through us relative to availability through direct distribution. In addition, if enough travel suppliers choose not to develop ancillary products in a standardized way with respect to technical standards our investment in adapting our various systems to enable the sale of ancillary products may not be successful.
Companies with close relationships with end consumers, like Facebook, as well as new entrants introducing new paradigms into the travel industry, such as metasearch engines, like Google, may promote alternative distribution channels by diverting client traffic away from intermediaries and travel agents, which may adversely affect our business.
Risks Related to Employee Matters, Managing Our Growth and Other Risks Related to Our Business
Our success depends in large part on our ability to attract and retain high quality management and operating personnel, and if we are unable to attract, retain and motivate well-qualified employees, our business could be negatively impacted.
Our ability to identify, hire and retain senior management and other qualified personnel is critical to our results of operations and future growth. Much of our future success depends on the continued service, availability and performance of our senior management and other qualified personnel, particularly our professionals with experience in the travel industry. Any of these individuals may choose to terminate their employment with us at any time. The loss of any of these individuals could harm our business and reputation, especially if we have not been successful in developing adequate succession plans. Our business is also dependent on our ability to retain, hire and motivate talented, highly skilled personnel across all levels of our organization. We may experience higher compensation costs to retain senior management and qualified personnel that may not be offset by improved productivity or increased sales. If we are unable to continue to successfully attract and retain key personnel, our business may be harmed.
As we continue to grow, including from the integration of employees and businesses acquired in connection with previous or future acquisitions, we may find it difficult to hire, integrate, train, retain and motivate personnel who are essential to our future success.
We may not be able to accurately predict our future capital needs, and we may not be able to obtain additional financing to fund our operations on the terms and in the manner previously obtained.
We may need to raise additional funds in the future. Any required additional financing may not be available on terms acceptable to us, or at all. If we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities or convertible debt, investors may experience significant dilution of their ownership interest, and the newly issued securities may have rights senior to those of the holders of our Common Stock. If we raise additional funds by obtaining loans from third parties, the terms of those financing arrangements may include negative covenants or other restrictions on our business that could impair our
operational flexibility and would also require us to incur interest expense. Higher interest rates could increase debt service requirements on our current variable rate indebtedness, and on any debt we subsequently incur, and could reduce funds available for operations, future business opportunities or other purposes. If we need to repay debt during periods of rising interest rates, we could be required to refinance our then-existing debt on unfavorable terms or liquidate one or more of our assets to repay such debt at times which may not permit realization of the maximum return on such assets and could result in a loss. The occurrence of either or both of such events could materially and adversely affect our profitability, cash flows and results of operations.
If additional financing is not available when required or is not available on acceptable terms, we may have to scale back our operations, and we may not be able to expand our business, take advantage of business opportunities or respond to competitive pressures, which could negatively impact our revenue and the competitiveness of our services.
Our success is subject to the development of new products and services over time.
Our growth occurs organically and through mergers and acquisitions. Although we develop products in-house by adding new features and improving upon existing technology, we heavily rely on mergers and acquisitions to expand our customer base.
We pursue growth opportunities by acquiring complementary businesses, solutions or technologies through strategic transactions, investments or partnerships. The identification of a suitable acquisition, strategic investment or strategic partnership candidate can be costly and time consuming and can distract our management team from its current operations. If such strategic transactions require us to seek additional debt or equity financing, we may not be able to obtain such financing on terms favorable to us or at all, and such transactions may adversely affect our liquidity and capital structure. Any strategic transaction might not strengthen our competitive position, may increase some of its risks, and may be viewed negatively by our customers, partners or investors.
Even if we successfully complete a strategic transaction, we may not be able to effectively integrate the acquired business, technology, systems, control environment, solutions, personnel or operations into our business. We may experience unexpected changes in how we are required to account for strategic transactions pursuant to GAAP and may not achieve the anticipated benefits of any strategic transaction. We may sustain unexpected costs, claims or liabilities that we incur during the strategic transaction or that we assume from the acquired company, or we may discover adverse conditions post acquisition for which we have limited or no recourse.
We may be unable to successfully close potential acquisitions, or successfully integrate the operations of such target businesses, if acquired, which could have an adverse impact on our business.
Acquisitions have been and are expected to continue to be a critical part of our growth strategy. The travel service industry is highly competitive, and we face competition for acquisition opportunities from many other entities, including financial investors, some of which are significantly larger, have greater resources and lower costs of capital and are well established and have extensive experience in identifying and completing acquisitions. This competitive market for a small number of business opportunities may make it more challenging to identify and successfully capitalize on acquisition opportunities that meet our investment objectives. The identification of suitable acquisition candidates can be difficult, time-consuming and costly, and we may not complete acquisitions successfully that we target in the future. Our business is subject to regulation in the U.S. and the other jurisdictions in which we operate, and any failure to comply with such regulations or any changes in such regulations could adversely affect us. If we cannot identify and purchase a sufficient quantity of profitable businesses at favorable prices, or if we are unable to finance acquisition opportunities on commercially favorable terms, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
Acquisition activity presents certain risks to our business, operations and financial condition, and we may not realize the financial and strategic goals contemplated at the time of a transaction. Our ability to successfully implement our acquisition strategy will depend on our ability to identify, negotiate, complete and integrate acquisitions, and, if necessary, to obtain satisfactory debt or equity financing to fund those acquisitions.
Mergers and acquisitions are inherently risky, and any mergers and acquisitions that we complete may not be successful. The process of integrating an acquired company’s business into our operations and investing in new technologies is challenging and may result in expected or unexpected operating or compliance challenges, which may require significant expenditures and a significant amount of our management’s attention that would otherwise be focused on the ongoing operation of our business. The potential difficulties or risks of integrating an acquired company’s business include the
following, among others, which risks can be magnified when one or more integrations are occurring simultaneously or within a small period of time:
•the effect of the acquisition on our financial and strategic positions and our reputation;
•risk that we are unable to obtain the anticipated benefits of the acquisition, including synergies, economies of scale, revenues and cash flow;
•retention risk with respect to key clients, service providers and travel advisors, and challenges in retaining, assimilating and training new employees;
•potential increased expenditure on human resources and related costs;
•retention risk with respect to an acquired company’s key executives and personnel;
•potential disruption to our ongoing business;
•especially high degree of risk for investments in immature businesses with unproven track records and technologies, with the possibility that we may lose the value of our entire investments or incur additional unexpected liabilities;
•risk of entering new jurisdictions and becoming subject to foreign laws and regulations not previously applicable to us;
•potential diversion of cash for an acquisition, ongoing operations or integration activities that would limit other potential uses for cash including IT, infrastructure, marketing and other investments;
•the assumption of known and unknown debt and other liabilities and obligations of the acquired company;
•potential integration risks related to acquisition targets that do not maintain internal controls and policies and procedures over financial reporting as would be required of a public company, which may amplify our risks and liabilities with respect to our ability to maintain appropriate internal controls and procedures;
•inadequacy or ineffectiveness of an acquired company’s disclosure controls and procedures and/or environmental, health and safety, anti-corruption, human resources or other policies and practices;
•challenges in reconciling accounting issues, especially if an acquired company utilizes accounting principles different from those that we use; and
•challenges in complying with newly applicable laws and regulations, including obtaining or retaining required approvals, licenses and permits.
We anticipate that any future acquisitions we may pursue as part of our business strategy may be partially financed through additional debt or equity. If new debt is added to current debt levels, or if we incur other liabilities, including contingent liabilities, in connection with an acquisition, the debt or liabilities could impose additional constraints and requirements on our business and operations, which could materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. If we are not able to obtain such necessary financing, it could have an impact on our ability to consummate a substantial acquisition and execute our growth strategy.
Any due diligence conducted by us in connection with potential future acquisitions may not reveal all relevant considerations or liabilities of the target business, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.
We intend to conduct such due diligence as we deem reasonably practicable and appropriate based on the facts and circumstances applicable to any potential acquisition. The objective of the due diligence process will be to identify material issues which may affect our decision to proceed with any one particular acquisition target or the consideration payable for an acquisition. We also intend to use information revealed during the due diligence process to formulate our business and operational planning for, our valuation of and integration planning for, any target company or business. While conducting due diligence and assessing a potential acquisition, we may rely on publicly available information, if any, information
provided by the relevant target company to the extent such company is willing or able to provide such information and, in some circumstances, third party investigations. We cannot assure you that the due diligence undertaken with respect to a potential acquisition will reveal all relevant facts that may be necessary to evaluate such acquisition or to formulate a business strategy. Furthermore, the information provided during due diligence may be incomplete, inadequate or inaccurate. As part of the due diligence process, we will also make subjective judgments regarding the results of operations, financial condition and prospects of a potential opportunity. If the due diligence investigation fails to correctly identify material issues and liabilities that may be present in a target company or business, or if we consider such material risks to be commercially acceptable relative to the opportunity, and we proceed with an acquisition, we may subsequently incur substantial impairment charges or other losses.
Risks Related to Intellectual Property, Information Technology, Data Security and Privacy
If we fail to develop new and innovative technologies or enhance our existing technologies and grow our systems and infrastructure in response to changing client demands and rapid technological change, our business may suffer.
The travel industry is subject to changing client preferences and demands relating to travel and travel- related services, including in response to constant and rapid technological change. These characteristics are changing at an even greater pace as travel providers seek to address client needs and preferences resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. If we are unable to develop or enhance technology in response to such changes, products or technologies offered or developed by our competitors may render our services less attractive to travelers.
Our ability to provide best-in-class service to our travelers depends upon the use of sophisticated information technologies and systems, including technologies and systems used for reservation systems, communications, procurement and administrative systems. As our operations grow in both size and scope, we continuously need to improve and upgrade our systems and infrastructure to offer and provide support for an increasing number of travelers and travel providers enhanced products, services, features and functionality, while maintaining the reliability and integrity of our systems and infrastructure. We may fail to effectively scale and grow our systems and infrastructure to accommodate these increased demands. Further, our systems and infrastructure may not be adequately designed with the necessary reliability and redundancy to avoid performance delays or outages that could be harmful to our business, or could contain errors, bugs or vulnerabilities.
Our future success also depends on our ability to understand, adapt and respond to rapidly changing technologies in the travel industry that will allow us to address evolving industry standards and to improve the breadth, diversity and reliability of our services. For example, technological platforms that include the use of artificial intelligence (“AI”) to analyze known traveler data and preferences to develop a tailored travel plan are being developed. As they are in the early stages, we must understand and respond to the potential impacts of such technology. We may not be successful, or may be less successful than our current or new competitors, in developing such technology, which would negatively impact our business and financial performance.
If we are not able to maintain existing systems, obtain new technologies and systems, or replace or introduce new technologies and systems as quickly as our competitors or in a cost-effective manner, our business and operations could be materially adversely affected. Also, we may not achieve the benefits anticipated or required from any new technology or system or be able to devote financial resources to new technologies and systems in the future.
Cybersecurity attacks or security breaches could adversely affect our ability to operate, could result in personal information and our proprietary information being lost, stolen, made inaccessible, improperly disclosed or misappropriated and may cause us to be held liable or subject to regulatory’ penalties and sanctions and to litigation (including class action litigation), which could have a material adverse effect on our reputation and business.
We, and our travel suppliers and third party service providers on our behalf, collect, use and transmit a large volume of personal information, which pose a tempting target for malicious actors who may seek to carry out cyber-attacks against us or our suppliers or service providers. The secure transmission of client information over the internet is essential in maintaining the confidence of travel suppliers and travelers. Substantial or ongoing data security breaches or cyber-attacks, whether instigated internally or externally on our system or other internet-based systems, expose us to a significant risk of loss, theft, the rendering inaccessible, improper disclosure or misappropriation of this information, and resulting regulatory actions, litigation (including class action litigation) and potential liability, damages and regulatory fines and penalties, and other related costs (including in connection with our investigation and remediation efforts), which could significantly affect our reputation and harm our business. Further, some of our third party service providers, travel suppliers and other third
parties may receive or store information, including client information provided by us. Our travel suppliers currently require most travelers to pay for their transactions with their credit card, especially in the U.S. Increasingly sophisticated technological capabilities pose greater cybersecurity threats and could result in a cyber-attack or a compromise or breach of the technology that we use to protect client transaction data.
We incur material expense to protect against cyber-attacks and security breaches and their consequences, and we may need to increase our security-related expenditures to maintain or increase our systems’ security in the future. However, despite these efforts, our security measures may not prevent cyber-attacks or data security breaches from occurring, and we may ultimately fail to detect, or accurately assess the severity of, a cyber-attack or security breach or not respond quickly enough. In addition, to the extent we experience a cyber-attack or security breach, we may be unsuccessful in implementing remediation plans to address exposure and future harms. It is possible that computer circumvention capabilities, new discoveries or advances or other developments, which change frequently and often are not recognized until launched against a target, could result in a compromise or breach of client data, even if we take all reasonable precautions, including to the extent required by law. These risks are likely to increase as we expand our offerings, expand internationally, integrate our products and services, and store and process more data, including personal information and other sensitive data. Further, if any of our third party service providers, travel suppliers or other third parties with whom we share client data fail to implement adequate data-security practices or fail to comply with our terms and policies or otherwise suffer a network or other security breach, our clients’ information may be improperly accessed, used or disclosed. We maintain a comprehensive portfolio of insurance policies to meet both our legal obligations and to cover perceived risks within our business, including those related to cybersecurity. We believe that our coverage and the deductibles under these policies are adequate for the risks that we face.
If a party (whether internal, external, an affiliate or unrelated third party) is able to circumvent our data security systems or those of the third parties with whom we share client information or engage in cyber-attacks, such cyber-attacks or data breaches could result in such party obtaining our proprietary information, the loss, theft or inaccessibility of, unauthorized access to, or improper use or disclosure of, our clients’ data and/or significant interruptions in our operations. Cyber-attacks and security breaches could also result in severe damage to our IT infrastructure, including damage that could impair our ability to offer our services. In addition, cyber-attacks or security breaches could result in negative publicity, damage our reputation, divert management’s time and attention, increase our expenditure on cybersecurity measures, expose us to risk of loss or litigation and possible liability, subject us to regulatory penalties and sanctions (and lead to further enhanced regulatory oversight), or cause travelers and potential travel suppliers to lose confidence in our security and choose to use the services of our competitors, any of which would have a material adverse effect on our brands, market share, results of operations and financial condition.
Third parties may claim that the operation of our business infringes on their intellectual proprietary rights. These claims could be costly to defend, result in injunctions and significant damage awards and limit our ability to use key technologies in the future (or require us to implement workarounds), which may cause us to incur significant costs, prevent us from commercializing our products and services or otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business.
In recent years, in the markets in which we operate, there has been considerable patent, copyright, trademark, domain name, trade secret and other intellectual property development activity, as well as litigation, based on allegations of infringement, misappropriation or other violations of intellectual property. Furthermore, individuals and groups can purchase patents and other intellectual property assets for the purpose of making claims of infringement to extract settlements from companies like ours. We may be subject to claims of alleged infringement, misappropriation or other violation of the intellectual property rights of our competitors or other third parties in the operation of our businesses, including for our use of third party intellectual property rights or our internally developed or acquired intellectual property, technologies and content. We cannot guarantee we have not, do not or will not infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate the intellectual property rights of others. If we were to discover that our products or services infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate the intellectual property rights of others, we may need to obtain licenses or implement workarounds that could be costly. We may not be able to obtain the necessary licenses on acceptable terms, or at all, or be able to implement workarounds successfully. Moreover, if we are sued for infringement, misappropriation or other violation of a third party’s intellectual property rights and such claims are successfully asserted against us, we could be required to pay substantial damages or ongoing royalty payments or to indemnify our licensees, or could be enjoined from offering our products or services or using certain technologies or otherwise be subject to other unfavorable circumstances. Accordingly, our exposure to damages resulting from such claims could increase and this could further exhaust our financial and management resources. Further, during the course of any litigation, we may make announcements regarding the results of hearings and motions, and other interim developments. If securities analysts and investors regard these announcements as negative, the market price of our Common Stock may decline. Even if intellectual property claims do not result in litigation or are resolved in our favor, these claims (regardless of their merit) and the time and resources necessary to resolve them, could divert the resources of our management and require significant expenditures. Any of the foregoing could prevent us from competing effectively and could have an adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition.
Our failure to adequately protect our intellectual property may negatively impact our ability to compete effectively against competitors in our industry.
Our success and ability to compete depend, in part, upon our intellectual property, including our brands, technology and database. In the U.S. and other jurisdictions, we rely on a combination of copyright, trademark, patent, and trade secret laws, as well as license and confidentiality agreements and internal policies and procedures to protect our intellectual property. Even with these precautions, however, it may be possible for another party to infringe, copy or otherwise obtain and use our owned or licensed intellectual property without our authorization or to develop similar intellectual property independently, particularly in those countries where effective trademark, domain name, copyright, patent and trade secret protection may not be available. Even where effective protection is available, policing unauthorized use of our intellectual property is difficult and expensive. If it becomes necessary for us to litigate to protect these rights, any proceedings could be burdensome and costly, could result in counterclaims challenging our ownership of intellectual property or its validity or enforceability or accusing us of infringement, and we may not prevail. We cannot be certain that the steps that we have taken or will take in the future will prevent misappropriation or infringement of intellectual property used in our business. Unauthorized use and misuse of our intellectual property or intellectual property we otherwise have the rights to use could reduce or eliminate any competitive advantage we have developed, potentially causing us to lose sales or actual or potential clients, or otherwise harm our business, resulting in a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations, and we cannot assure you that legal remedies would adequately compensate us for the damage caused by unauthorized use.
Any significant IT systems-related failures, interruptions or security breaches or any undetected errors or design faults in IT systems could result in limited capacity, reduced demand, processing delays, privacy risks and loss of customers, suppliers or marketplace merchants and a reduction of commercial activity.
We rely on IT systems to service our clients and enable transactions to be processed on our platforms.
If we are unable to maintain and improve our IT systems and infrastructure, this may result in system interruptions, defects and slowdowns. In the event of system interruptions and/or slow delivery times, prolonged or frequent service outages or insufficient capacity that impedes us from efficiently providing services to travelers, we may lose travelers and revenue or incur liabilities. Further, errors, bugs, vulnerabilities, design defects, or technical limitations within our IT systems may lead to negative experiences for our clients, compromised ability to perform services in a manner consistent with our terms, contracts, or policies, delayed product introductions or enhancements, compromised ability to protect the data of our users, other clients, employees and business partners and/or our intellectual property or other data, or reductions in our ability to provide some or all of our services. Our IT systems are vulnerable to damage, interruption or fraudulent activity from various causes, any of which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition or results from operations including:
•power losses, computer systems defects or failure, errors, bugs or vulnerabilities, computer viruses and other contaminants, internet and telecommunications or data network failures, losses and corruption of data and similar events;
•operator error, penetration by individuals seeking to disrupt operations, misappropriate information or perpetrate fraudulent activity and other physical or electronic breaches of security;
•the failure of third-party software, systems or services that we rely upon to maintain our own operations;
•lack of cloud computing capabilities and other technical limitations; and
•natural disasters, fires, pandemics, wars and acts of terrorism.
In addition, we are dependent upon software, equipment and services provided and/or managed by third parties in the operation of our business. We currently rely on a variety of third party systems, service providers and software companies, including GDSs and other electronic central reservation systems used by airlines, various channel managing systems and reservation systems used by other travel suppliers, as well as other technologies used by payment gateway providers. In particular, we rely on third parties for:
•the hosting of our websites;
•the hosting of websites of our travel suppliers, which we may rely on;
•certain software underlying our technology platform;
•transportation ticketing agencies to issue transportation tickets and travel assistance products, confirmations and deliveries;
•assistance in conducting searches for airfares and to process air ticket bookings;
•processing hotel reservations for hotels not connected to our management systems;
•processing credit card, debit card and net banking payments;
•providing computer infrastructure critical to our business;
•providing after hours travel management services; and
•providing client relationship management services.
Any disruption or failure in the software, equipment and services provided and/or managed by these third parties, or errors, bugs or vulnerabilities, could result in performance delays, outages or security breaches that could be harmful to our business. Generally, our third party IT service providers have disaster recovery and business continuity plans relating to the services provided to us. However, if certain system failures occur, we may not be able to switch to back-up systems immediately, and the time to fully recover could be prolonged.
In the event that the performance of such software, equipment or services provided and/or managed by third parties deteriorates or our arrangements with any of these third parties related to the provision and/or management of software, equipment or services are terminated, we may not be able to find alternative services, equipment or software on a timely basis, on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. Even if we are able to find alternative services, equipment or software, we may not be able to do so without significant cost or disruptions to our business, and our relationships with our travelers may be adversely impacted. Our failure to secure agreements with such third parties, or the failure of such third parties to perform under such agreements, may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
We may have inadequate insurance coverage or insurance limits to compensate for losses from a major interruption, and remediation may be costly and have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition. Any extended interruption or degradation in our technologies or systems could significantly curtail our ability to conduct our business and generate revenue.
There are various risks associated with the facilitation of payments from consumers, including risks related to fraud, compliance with evolving rules and regulations and reliance on third parties.
Our results have been and will likely continue to be negatively impacted by consumer purchases made using fraudulent credit cards, claims the consumer did not authorize the purchase or consumers who have closed bank accounts or have insufficient funds in their bank accounts to satisfy payments. We may be held liable for accepting fraudulent credit cards on our platforms or in connection with other fraudulent transactions on our platforms, as well as other payment disputes with consumers. Accordingly, we calculate and record an allowance for the resulting chargebacks. We must also continually implement and evolve measures to detect and reduce the risk of fraud, in particular as these methods become increasingly sophisticated. If we are unable to successfully combat the use of fraudulent credit cards on our platforms, our business, profit margins, results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.
We believe that an important component of our future success will be our ability to offer consumers their preferred method of payment in the most efficient manner on all our platforms, and as a result, we are processing more of our transactions on a merchant basis where we facilitate payments from travelers through the use of credit cards and other payment methods (such as PayPal, Alipay, Paytm and WeChat Pay). While processing transactions on a merchant basis allows us to process transactions for properties that do not otherwise accept credit cards and to increase our ability to offer a variety of payment methods and flexible transaction terms to consumers, we incur additional payment processing costs (which are typically higher for foreign currency transactions) and other costs related to these transactions, such as costs related to fraudulent payments and transactions and fraud detection. As we expand our payments services to consumers and business partners, in addition to the revenues from these transactions, we may experience a significant increase in these costs, and our results of operations and profit margins could be materially adversely affected, in particular if we experience a significant increase in non-variable costs related to fraudulent payments and transactions.
As a greater percentage of our transactions involve us processing payments, our global systems and processes must be managed on a larger scale, which adds complexity, administrative burdens and costs, and increases the demands on our systems and controls, which could adversely affect our results of operations. In addition, as our payment processing activities continue to develop, we expect to be subject to additional regulations, including financial services regulations, which we expect to result in increased compliance costs and complexities, including those associated with the implementation of new or advanced internal controls. For example, the European Union's ("EU") Payment Services Directive 2 has further complicated the authentication process for accepting credit cards. As a result of this directive, payments made on our platforms by consumers in the European Economic Area are subject to Strong Customer Authentication, which requires the consumer to engage in additional steps to authenticate their transaction. This new requirement could cause consumer transactions to take longer to process or otherwise inconvenience the consumer, which could result in consumers choosing not to utilize our platforms as often or at all. The implementation of this process has resulted and may continue to result in increased compliance costs and administrative burdens for us.
Other new or expanded regulations that could apply to us as our payments activities evolve include those relating to money transmission licenses, anti-money laundering, card scheme associations, sanctions, banking, privacy and security of our processes, among others. Compliance with this changing regulatory environment creates significant additional compliance costs and burdens, and it could lead us to modify our business plans or operations, any of which could negatively impact our business, results of operations and profit margins.
We are also subject to payment card association rules and obligations under our contracts with the card schemes and our payment card processors, including the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (the “Standard”). Under the Standard and these association rules and obligations, if information is compromised, we could be liable to payment card issuers for associated expenses and penalties, and in some cases, we could be restricted in our ability to accept payment cards. Under certain circumstances in our agreements with the card schemes and in relation to the Standard, we are also subject to periodic audits, self-assessments and other assessments of our compliance with the rules and obligations of the payment card associations and the Standard, which could result in additional expenses and administrative burdens. In addition, if we fail to follow payment card industry security standards, even if no consumer information is compromised, we could incur significant fines or experience a significant increase in payment card transaction costs. Additionally, compliance with the Standard may not prevent all security incidents. If we are fined or required to pay additional processing fees, or if our ability to accept payment cards is restricted in any way as a result of our failure to comply with these payment card industry rules, or otherwise, it could adversely impact our business, results of operations and profit margins.
We rely on banks, card schemes and other payment processors to execute certain components of the payments process. We generally pay these third parties interchange fees and other processing and gateway fees to help facilitate payments from consumers to travel service providers. As a result, if we are unable to maintain our relationships with these third parties on favorable terms, or if these fees are increased for any reason, our profit margin, business and results of operations could be harmed. Additionally, if these third parties experience service disruptions or if they cease operations (whether as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic or otherwise), consumers and travel service providers could have difficulty making or receiving payments, which could adversely impact our reputation, business and results of operations.
In addition, in the event that one of our major travel service providers voluntarily or involuntarily declares bankruptcy or otherwise ceases or limits operations, we could experience an increase in chargebacks from customers with travel reservations with such travel service provider, and we could experience financial loss from certain prepayments made to such travel service provider if we are not able to recover the prepayment. The COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting impact on travel demand, the travel industry and the economy increases the risk of insolvency or disruption to the ability of our travel service providers to provide services, and in some cases, has already resulted in the insolvency or closure of travel service providers. As a result, if one of our major travel service providers declares bankruptcy or ceases or limits operations, or if many travel service providers declare bankruptcy or cease or limit operations, it could adversely impact our business and results of operations.
Our use of “open source” software could adversely affect our ability to protect our proprietary software and subject us to possible litigation.
We use open source software in connection with our software development. From time to time, companies that use open source software have faced claims challenging the use of open source software and/or demanding compliance with open source license terms. We could be subject to suits by parties claiming ownership of what we believe to be open source software, or claiming non-compliance with open source licensing terms. Some open source licenses require licensees who distribute software containing, linking to or derived from open source software to make publicly available the source code of such distributed software, which in some circumstances could be valuable proprietary code, license our software for free or permit others to make derivative works based on such software. While we have implemented policies to ensure that no open source software is used in a manner that would require us to disclose our proprietary source code, license our software for free or permit others to make derivative works based on it, there can be no guarantee that such use could not inadvertently occur. Any requirement to disclose our proprietary source code, license it for free or license it for purposes of making derivative works, and any requirement to pay damages for breach of contract and/or intellectual property infringement may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition, and could help our competitors develop services that are similar to or better than ours.
Our processing, storage, use and disclosure of personal data, including of travelers and our employees, exposes us to risks stemming from possible failure to comply with governmental law and regulation and other legal obligations.
In our processing of travel transactions, we or our travel suppliers and third party service providers collect, use, analyze and transmit a large volume of personal information. There are numerous laws with a significant impact on our operations regarding privacy, cyber security and the storage, sharing, use, analysis, processing, transfer, disclosure and protection of personal information and consumer data, the scope of which are changing, subject to differing interpretations, and may be inconsistent between states within a country or between countries. For example, the EU's General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR"), became effective on May 25, 2018, and has resulted and will continue to result in significantly greater compliance burdens and costs for companies with users and operations in the EU. The GDPR imposes numerous technical and operational obligations on processors and controllers of personal data and provides numerous protections for individuals in the European Free Trade Association ("EFTA"), including, but not limited to, notification requirements for data breaches, the right to access personal information and the right to delete personal information. The GDPR provides data protection authorities with enforcement powers which include the ability to restrict processing activities and impose fines of up to 20 million Euros or up to 4% of the annual global turnover of the infringer, whichever is greater. In addition, the GDPR imposes strict rules on the transfer of personal data out of the EFTA to a “third country,” including the U.S. (and, pending a potential adequacy decision by the European Data Protection Board, the United Kingdom ("UK"), as further discussed below). These obligations may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another and may conflict with other requirements or our practices.
Additionally, the UK’s exit from the EU has created uncertainty with regard to the regulation of data protection in the UK. The UK Data Protection Act contains provisions, including its own derogations, for how the GDPR is applied in the UK. The UK Data Protection Act has been enacted alongside the UK GDPR. From the beginning of 2021 (when the transitional period following Brexit expired), we have been required to continue to comply with GDPR and also the UK Data Protection Act and the UK GDPR, under which our applicable entities may be subject to fines for non-compliance that are of the same amount as provided for in the GDPR. The relationship between the UK and the EFTA remains uncertain, including, for example, the role of the UK’s supervisory authority and how data transfers between the UK and the EFTA and other jurisdictions will be treated. In February 2021, the European Commission proposed to issue the UK with an “adequacy” decision to facilitate the continued free flow of personal data from the EFTA member states to the UK. This decision is subject to the review and/or approval of the European Data Protection Board and a committee composed of EFTA member state representatives. More recently, in May 2021, the European Parliament issued a resolution asking the Commission to modify its draft decisions on whether or not the UK data protection is adequate and personal data can safely be transferred there. Accordingly, the UK currently remains a “third country” for the purposes of data transfers from the EU to the UK following the expiration of the personal data transfer grace period (from January 1, 2021) set out in the EU and UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, unless the adequacy decision is adopted in favor of the UK. If an adequacy decision is not adopted in respect of the personal data transfers between the EU and the UK, then alternative contractual measures to transfer data to the UK from the EU will need to be implemented.
These changes will increase our overall risk exposure, and we may also incur costs to comply with any new requirements and restrictions for data transfers.
Further, we are subject to evolving laws and regulations that dictate whether, how, and under what circumstances we can transfer, process and/or receive personal data. For example, in July 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union ("CJEU") invalidated the “EU-US Privacy Shield,” a framework for transfers of personal data from the European Economic Area to the United States. While the same CJEU decision considered and left intact the Standard Contractual Clauses ("SCCs"), another mechanism to safeguard data transfers from the EU to third countries, including the U.S., reliance on SCCs is subject to enhanced due diligence on the data importer’s national laws, according to the CJEU. Additional measures may have to accompany the SCCs for a transfer to be compliant. If a new transatlantic data transfer framework is not adopted and we are unable to continue to rely on SCCs or validly rely upon other alternative means of data transfers from the European Economic Area or the UK to the U.S. and other countries where safeguards for transfers of personal data are required under the GDPR (and UK GDPR), we may be unable to operate material portions of our business in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom as a result of the CJEU’s ruling and related guidance of competent European and national agencies, which would materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Additionally, if we are restricted from sharing data among our products and services, or if we are restricted from sharing data with our travel suppliers and third-party service providers, it could affect our ability to provide our services or the manner in which we provide our services. Our current data transfer practices may also be more closely reviewed by supervisory authorities and could become subject to private actions.
In the U.S., the California Consumer Privacy Act ("CCPA") became effective on January 1, 2020, and limits how we may collect and use personal information, including by requiring companies that process information relating to California residents to make disclosures to consumers about their data collection, use and sharing practices, provide consumers with rights to know and delete personal information and allow consumers to opt out of certain data sharing with third parties. The CCPA also creates an expanded definition of personal information, imposes special rules on the collection of consumer data from minors, and provides for civil penalties for violations, as well as a private right of action for data breaches that is expected to increase the likelihood and cost of data breach litigation. The potential effects of this legislation are far-reaching and may require us to modify our data processing practices and policies and incur substantial costs and expenses in compliance and potential ligation efforts. Further, the California Privacy Rights Act ("CPRA"), which will go into effect in 2023, creates certain additional rights for California residents. For example, the CPRA creates the new category of “sensitive personal information,” which covers data types such as precise geolocation information, biometric information, race and ethnicity, and information regarding sex life or sexual orientation. The CPRA also creates new rights for California residents to direct a business to limit the use and disclosure of such information to that which is necessary to perform the services reasonably expected by the consumer and to request that a company correct inaccurate personal information that is retained by it. The Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act, which will go into effect in 2023, gives new data protection rights to Virginia residents and imposes additional obligations on controllers and processors of consumer data similar to the CCPA and CPRA. Other states have signed into law or are considering legislation governing the handling of personal data, indicating a trend toward more stringent privacy legislation in the U.S. In addition to the existing framework of data privacy laws and regulations, the U.S. Congress, U.S. state legislatures and many states and countries outside the U.S. are considering new privacy and security requirements that would apply to our business. Compliance with current or future privacy, cyber security, data protection, data governance, account access and information and cyber security laws requires ongoing investment in systems, policies and personnel and will continue to impact our business in the future by increasing our legal, operational and compliance costs and could significantly curtail our collection, use, analysis, sharing, retention and safeguarding of personal information and restrict our ability to fully maximize our closed-loop capability, deploy data analytics or Al technology or provide certain products and services, which could materially and adversely affect our profitability. We or our third-party service providers could be adversely affected if legislation or regulations are expanded to require changes in our or our third-party service providers’ business practices or if governing jurisdictions interpret or implement their legislation or regulations in ways that negatively affect our or our third-party service providers’ business, results of operations or financial condition.
We are subject to payment-related risks.
As a merchant that processes and accepts cards for payment, we have adopted and implemented internal controls over the use, storage and security of card data pursuant to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards ("PCI-DSS"). We assess our compliance with the PCI-DSS rules on a periodic basis and make necessary improvements to our internal controls. If we fail to comply with these rules or requirements, we may be liable for card issuing banks’ costs, subject to fines and higher transaction fees, and lose our ability to accept credit and debit card payments from our clients, or facilitate other types of online payments, and our business and operating results could be adversely affected. For existing and future payment options we offer to both our corporate clients and travel suppliers, we may become subject to additional regulations and compliance requirements, including obligations to implement enhanced authentication processes, which could result in significant costs to us and our travel suppliers and reduce the ease of use of our payments options.
While we have taken steps to comply with privacy, cyber security, data protection, data governance, account access and information and cyber security laws and PCI-DSS, any failure or perceived failure by us, our third party service providers, our independent travel advisors or our partners or affiliates to comply with the privacy policies, privacy- or cyber security-related obligations to travelers or other third parties, or privacy- or cybersecurity-related legal obligations could result in potentially significant regulatory and/or governmental investigations and/or actions, litigation, fines, sanctions, monetary penalties and damages, ongoing regulatory monitoring and increased regulatory scrutiny, client attrition, diversion of our management’s time and attention, decreases in the use or acceptance of our cards and damage to our reputation and our brand, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial performance. In recent years, there has been increasing regulatory enforcement and litigation activity in the areas of privacy, data protection and information and cyber security in the U.S., the EU and various other countries in which we operate.
Risks Related to Government Regulation, Tax and Litigation Matters
We may be unable to prevent unlawful or fraudulent activities in our operations, and we could be liable for such fraudulent or unlawful activities.
We are operating in a transitional period in which we are going from a private to public company, and we are learning how to meet internal control needs at the same time. As a newly public company, there is a risk that our internal controls over fraudulent or unlawful activities may not be wholly sufficient. For example, in 2017, the then-CFO of Rocketrip committed fraud by embezzling approximately $110,000 from Rocketrip by making payments to a fake vendor. Also, the former CFO of HariWorld Travel personally collected certain accounts receivable and did not return such collections to Mondee.
We also may acquire companies where fraud may have taken place, which could make us liable for such activities. Please see Risk Factor titled “Any due diligence conducted by us in connection with potential future acquisitions may not reveal all relevant considerations or liabilities of the target business, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations” for further information.
We are subject to taxes in many jurisdictions globally.
We are subject to a variety of taxes in many jurisdictions globally, including the United States, India, Thailand and Canada. We are also subject to income and non-income taxes in the United States at the federal, state and local levels, and in many other countries. Significant judgment is required in determining its worldwide provision for taxes.
In the ordinary course of our business, there are many transactions and calculations where the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. We operate in numerous countries where its tax returns are subject to audit and adjustment by local tax authorities. Because we operate globally, the nature of the uncertain tax positions is often very complex and subject to change, and the amounts at issue can be substantial. It is inherently difficult and subjective to estimate such amounts, as we have to determine the probability of various possible outcomes. We re-evaluate uncertain tax positions on a quarterly basis. This evaluation is based on factors including, but not limited to, changes in facts or circumstances, changes in tax law, effectively settled issues under audit and new audit activity. Although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, the final determination of tax audits could be materially different from its historical tax provisions and accruals. Our effective tax rate may change from year to year based on changes in the mix of activities and income allocated or earned among various jurisdictions, tax laws in these jurisdictions, tax treaties between countries, its eligibility for benefits under those tax treaties, and the estimated values of deferred tax assets and liabilities. Such changes could result in an increase in the effective tax rate applicable to all or a portion of our income, which would reduce our profitability.
We establish reserves for our potential liability for U.S. and non-U.S. taxes, including sales, occupancy and value-added taxes, consistent with applicable accounting principles and in light of all current facts and circumstances. These reserves represent our best estimate of its contingent liability for taxes. The interpretation of tax laws and the determination of any potential liability under those laws are complex, and the amount of our liability may exceed our established reserves.
New tax laws, statutes, rules, regulations or ordinances could be enacted at any time and existing tax laws, statutes, rules, regulations and ordinances could be interpreted, changed, modified or applied adversely to us. These events could require us to pay additional tax amounts on a prospective or retroactive basis, as well as require us to pay fees, penalties or interest for past amounts deemed to be due. New, changed, modified or newly interpreted or applied laws could also increase its compliance, operating and other costs, as well as the costs of our products and services. For example, on December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ("TCJA"), was signed into law. The TCJA contains significant changes to the U.S. corporate income tax system, including a reduction of the federal corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%, a limitation of the tax deduction for interest expense to 30% of adjusted taxable income (as defined in the TCJA), base erosion
provisions related to intercompany foreign payments and global low-taxed income, a one-time taxation of offshore earnings at reduced rates in connection with the transition of U.S. international taxation from a worldwide tax system to a partially territorial tax system, the elimination of U.S. tax on foreign earnings (subject to certain important exceptions), and the modification or repeal of many business deductions and credits. It is possible that U.S. tax law will be further modified by the Biden administration by increasing corporate tax rates, eliminating or modifying some of the provisions enacted in the TCJA or other changes that could have an adverse effect on our operations, cash flows and results of operations and contribute to overall market volatility.
Application of existing tax laws, rules or regulations are subject to interpretation by taxing authorities.
The application of domestic and international income and non-income tax laws, rules and regulations to our historical and new products and services is subject to interpretation by the relevant taxing authorities. Given a focus on revenue generation, taxing authorities have become more aggressive in their enforcement of such laws, rules and regulations, resulting in increased audit activity and audit assessments and legislation, including new taxes on our technology platform and digital services. As such, potential tax liabilities may exceed our current tax reserves or may require us to modify its business practices and incur additional cost to comply, any of which may have a material adverse effect on our business.
The enactment of legislation implementing changes in taxation of domestic or international business activities, the adoption of other corporate tax reform policies, or changes in tax legislation or policies could materially affect our financial position and results of operations.
Many of the statutory laws, rules, and regulations imposing taxes and other obligations were enacted before the growth of the digital economy. Certain jurisdictions have enacted new tax laws, rules, and regulations directed at taxing the digital economy and multi-national businesses. If existing tax laws, rules, or regulations change, by amendment or new legislation, with respect to occupancy tax, sales tax, value-added taxes, goods and services tax, digital services tax, withholding taxes, revenue based taxes, unclaimed property, or other tax laws applicable to the digital economy or multi-national businesses, the result of these changes could increase our tax liabilities. Potential outcomes include, prospectively or retrospectively, additional responsibility to collect and remit indirect taxes, including on behalf of travel suppliers, imposition of interest and penalties, multiple levels of taxation, and an obligation to comply with information reporting laws or regulations requiring us to provide information about travel suppliers, customers, and transactions on our technology platform. The outcome of these changes may have an adverse effect on our business or financial performance. Demand for our products and services may decrease if we pass on such costs to the consumer; tax reporting and compliance obligations may result in increased costs to update or expand our technical or administrative infrastructure, or effectively limit the scope of our business activities if we decide not to conduct business in particular jurisdictions.
Taxing authorities have focused legislative efforts on tax reform, transparency, and base erosion prevention. As a result, policies regarding corporate income and other taxes in various jurisdictions are under heightened scrutiny, and tax reform legislation is being proposed or enacted in several jurisdictions.
In general, changes in tax laws may affect our effective tax rate, increase our tax liabilities and impact the value of deferred tax balances. Since releasing its interim report in 2018, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”) has proposed measures to address corporate tax challenges of the digital economy. These measures include “Pillar One and Pillar Two” reports that focus on nexus, profit allocation, and minimum tax proposals. As the OECD continues its evaluation of these proposals, several territories have enacted or proposed measures to impose new digital services taxes on companies. These taxes are incremental to taxes historically incurred by our Company and result in taxation of the same revenue in multiple countries. The enacted and proposed measures may have an adverse effect on our business or financial performance.
Our tax liabilities in the future may also be adversely affected by changes to our operating structure, changes in the mix of revenue and earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation of deferred tax balances or the discontinuance of beneficial tax arrangements in certain jurisdictions. We continue to work with relevant governmental authorities and legislators, as appropriate, to clarify our obligations under existing, new and emerging tax laws, rules and regulations. However, due to the increasing pace of legislative changes and the scale of our business activities, any substantial changes in tax policies, enforcement activities or legislative initiatives may materially and adversely affect our business, the taxes we are required to pay, our financial position and results of operations.
Our business is subject to regulation in the U.S. and the other jurisdictions in which we operate, and any failure to comply with such regulations or any changes in such regulations could adversely affect us.
We are subject to various regulations in the U.S. and the international jurisdictions in which we operate. In addition, we maintain travel licenses and/or registrations in the jurisdictions that require them. We are required to renew our licenses, typically on an annual basis, and to do so, we must satisfy the licensee renewal requirements of each jurisdiction. Failure to satisfy any of the requirements to which our licensed entities are subject could result in a variety of regulatory actions ranging from a fine, a directive requiring remedial action, suspension of a license or, ultimately, revocation of a license.
We are subject to other laws and regulations on matters as diverse as anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws, internal controls over financial reporting, regulation by the U.S. Department of Transportation regarding the provision of air transportation, data privacy and protection, taxation, environmental protection, anti-trust, wage-and-hour standards, headcount reductions and employment and labor relations. In addition, certain of our clients have government contracts that subject them and us to governmental reporting requirements.
Supervision efforts and the enforcement of existing laws and regulations impact the scope and profitability of our existing business activities, limit our ability to pursue certain business opportunities and adopt new technologies, compromise our competitive position, and affect our relationships with partners, merchants, vendors and other third parties. Moreover, regulatory authorities have relatively broad discretion to grant, renew and revoke licenses and approvals and to implement regulations. Accordingly, such regulatory authorities could prevent or temporarily suspend us from carrying on some or all of our activities or otherwise penalize us if our practices were found not to comply with the then current regulatory or licensing requirements or any interpretation of such requirements by the regulatory authority. New laws or regulations could similarly affect our business, increase our costs of doing business and require us to change certain of our business practices and invest significant management attention and resources, all of which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
If we fail to satisfy regulatory requirements, our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected, and we may be restricted in our ability to take certain capital actions (such as declaring dividends or repurchasing outstanding shares) or engage in certain business activities or acquisitions, which could compromise our competitive position.
Our international operations are also subject to local government laws, regulations and procurement policies and practices which may differ from U.S. government regulations. For example, in Europe, computerized reservation systems regulations or interpretations of regulations may:
•increase our cost of doing business or lower our revenue;
•limit our ability to sell marketing data;
•impact relationships with travel agencies, airlines, rail companies, or others, impair the enforceability of existing agreements with travel agencies and other users of our system;
•prohibit or limit us from offering services or products; or
•limit our ability to establish or change fees.
Our business and financial performance could be adversely affected by unfavorable changes in or interpretations of existing laws, rules and regulations or the promulgation of new laws, rules and regulations applicable to us and our businesses, including those relating to travel, the provision of travel packages, the internet and online commerce, internet advertising and price display, consumer protection, licensing and regulations relating to the offer of travel insurance and related products, anti-corruption, anti-trust and competition, economic and trade sanctions, tax, banking, data security, the provision of payment services and privacy. For example, there are, and will likely continue to be, an increasing number of laws and regulations pertaining to the internet and online commerce that may relate to liability for information retrieved from or transmitted over the internet, display of certain taxes and fees, online editorial and user-generated content, user privacy, behavioral targeting and online advertising, taxation, liability for third-party activities and the quality of products and services. Additionally, certain foreign jurisdictions are considering regulations intended to address the issue of “overtourism,” including by restricting access to city centers or popular tourist destinations or limiting accommodation offerings in surrounding areas, such as by restricting the construction of new hotels or the renting of homes or apartments. Such regulations could adversely affect travel to, or our ability to offer accommodations in, such markets, which could negatively impact our business, growth and results of operations. Also, compliance with the European Economic Community (“EEC”) Council Directive on Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours could be costly and complex, and could adversely impact our ability to offer certain packages in the EEC in the future.
Similarly, companies we acquired may not have been subject to U.S. laws until we acquired them. Until we are able to fully integrate our compliance processes into the operations of such acquired companies, we are at risk of the acquired company’s failure to comply with U.S. laws, rules and regulations. Failure by us and our subsidiaries to comply with these laws could subject us to government investigations, civil and criminal penalties and reputational harm, which could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated operating results and financial position. Further, we rely on third parties that we do not control, including travel suppliers, strategic partners, third party service providers and affiliates. If these third parties fail to meet our requirements or standards or the requirements or standards of applicable laws or governmental regulations, it could damage our reputation, make it difficult for us to operate some aspects of our business, or expose us to liability for their actions which could have an adverse impact on our business and financial performance.
We are subject to anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, and economic sanctions laws and regulations in the jurisdictions in which we operate, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) and regulations administered and enforced by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”). Failure to comply with these laws and regulations could negatively impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Civil and criminal penalties may be imposed for violations of the FCPA, anti-money laundering laws and regulations, and regulations administered and enforced by OFAC and similar laws and regulations.
Although we have policies in place with respect to compliance with the FCPA and similar laws, anti-money laundering laws and economic sanctions laws and regulations, we cannot assure you that our directors, officers, employees and agents
will comply with those laws and our policies, and we may be held responsible for any such non-compliance. If we or our directors or officers violate such laws or other similar laws governing the conduct of our business (including local laws), we or our directors may be subject to criminal and civil penalties or other remedial measures, which could harm our reputation and have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any investigation of any actual or alleged violations of such laws could harm our reputation or have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. The SEC, U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and OFAC, as well as foreign regulatory authorities, have continued to increase the enforcement of economic sanctions and trade regulations, anti-money laundering, and anti-corruption laws, across industries. As regulations continue to evolve and regulatory oversight continues to increase, we cannot guarantee that our programs and policies will be deemed compliant by all applicable regulatory authorities.
Economic sanctions and embargo laws and regulations, such as those administered and enforced by OFAC, vary in their application, as they do not all apply to the same covered persons or proscribe the same activities, and such sanctions and embargo laws and regulations may be amended or strengthened over time. We cannot assure you that we will be in compliance with such laws, particularly as the scope of certain laws may be unclear and may be subject to changing interpretations.
We may engage with partners and third-party intermediaries to market our services and to obtain necessary permits, licenses, and other regulatory approvals. In addition, we or our third-party intermediaries may have direct or indirect interactions with officials and employees of government agencies or state-owned or affiliated entities. We can be held liable for the corrupt or other illegal activities of these third-party intermediaries, and of its employees, representatives, contractors, partners, and agents, even if we do not explicitly authorize such activities. We cannot provide any assurance that all of our employees and agents will not take actions in violation of its policies and applicable law, for which we may be ultimately held responsible.
In the future, we may acquire companies with business operations outside of the U.S., some of which may not have previously been subject to certain U.S. laws and regulations, including the FCPA, OFAC, or other anti-corruption, anti-money laundering and economic sanctions laws applicable to us. We may be held responsible for any violations of such laws by an acquired company that occurred prior to our acquisition, or subsequent to the acquisition but before we are able to institute our compliance procedures. The process of integrating an acquired company’s business into our operations is challenging, and we may have difficulty in implementing compliance procedures for newly applicable anti-corruption and economic sanctions laws.
Exchange rate fluctuations may negatively affect our results of operations.
Our functional and presentational currency is U.S. dollars and as a result, our consolidated financial statements are reported in U.S. dollars. We have acquired, and may in the future acquire, businesses that denominate their financial information in a currency other than the U.S. dollar and/or conduct operations or make sales in currencies other than U.S. dollars. When consolidating a business that has functional currency other than U.S. dollars, we will be required to translate the balance sheet and operational results of such business into U.S. dollars. Due to the foregoing, changes in exchange rates between U.S. dollars and other currencies could lead to significant changes in our reported financial results from period to period. Among the factors that may affect currency values are trade balances, levels of short-term interest rates, differences in relative values of similar assets in different currencies, long-term opportunities for investment and capital appreciation and political or regulatory developments. We currently do not engage in foreign currency hedging activities and although we may seek to manage our foreign exchange exposure, including by active use of hedging and derivative instruments, we cannot assure you that such arrangements will be entered into or available at all times when we wish to use them or that they will be sufficient to cover the risk.
We are and, from time to time we may be, involved in legal proceedings and may experience unfavorable outcomes, which could affect our business and results of operations.
We are, and in the future, may be, subject to material legal proceedings in the course of our business, including, but not limited to, actions relating to contract disputes, business practices, intellectual property and other commercial and tax matters. Such legal proceedings may involve claims for substantial amounts of money or for other relief or might necessitate changes to our business or operations, and the defense of such actions may be both time consuming and expensive. Further, if any such proceedings were to result in an unfavorable outcome, it could result in reputational damage and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations. Insurance may not cover such claims, may not provide sufficient payments to cover all of the costs to resolve one or more such claims and may not continue to be available on terms acceptable to us. A claim brought against us that is uninsured or underinsured could result in unanticipated costs, thereby leading analysts or potential investors to reduce their expectations of our performance, which could reduce the market price of our Common Stock.
Our reported results of operations may be adversely affected by changes in accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S.
Generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. are subject to interpretation by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC, and various bodies formed to promulgate and interpret appropriate accounting principles. Although we are not aware of any recently issued and not yet effective, or pending accounting standards that may impact us, a change in these principles or interpretations could have a significant effect on our reported results of operations, and may even affect the reporting of transactions completed before the announcement or effectiveness of a change.
Investments in us may be subject to foreign investment screening regulations which may impose conditions or limitations on certain investors.
Many jurisdictions continue to strengthen their foreign direct investment (“FDI”) screening regimes, and investments and transactions may be subject to review by FDI regulators if such investments are perceived to implicate national security policy priorities. Any review and approval of an investment or transaction by an FDI regulator may have outsized impacts on transaction certainty, timing, feasibility, and cost, among other things. FDI regulatory policies and practices are rapidly evolving, and in the event that an FDI regulator reviews the Business Combination, there can be no assurances that the Business Combination will be able to proceed on the terms currently proposed. An FDI regulator may seek to prevent the Business Combination, require the divestiture of some or all of our business operations, impose requirements on the management, control and conduct of our business, or impose limitations or restrictions on, or prohibit, investments by certain investors.
Risks Related to Our Organization and Structure
We currently rely on the “controlled company” exemption under Nasdaq Stock Market Listing Rules, pursuant to which “controlled companies” are exempt from certain corporate governance requirements otherwise applicable under Nasdaq listing rules.
The Nasdaq Stock Market Listing Rules exempt “controlled companies,” or companies of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, a group or another company, from certain corporate governance requirements. ITHAX relied on the controlled company exemption for certain of the above requirements, including the requirement that director nominees be selected or recommended to the ITHAX board of directors by a majority of its independent directors, or by a nominating committee that is composed entirely of independent directors. In addition, Legacy Mondee beneficially owns, in the aggregate, more than 50% of the combined voting power for the election of our Board. As a result, we will continue be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the Nasdaq listing rules. Accordingly, our stockholders will not be afforded the same protections generally as stockholders of other Nasdaq-listed companies with respect to corporate governance for so long as we rely on these exemptions from the corporate governance requirements.
Investment in new business strategies and acquisitions could disrupt our ongoing business and present risks not originally contemplated.
Our strategy involves evaluating and potentially entering complementary businesses. We have invested, and in the future may invest, in new business strategies and acquisitions. For example, we acquired Rocketrip in 2020 to increase our access to large corporate customers through an incentive platform that reduces corporate travel spending. We also have acquired, and in the future may acquire, businesses similar to those we already operate in an effort to expand our geographic markets, acquire technology or products or to otherwise improve or grow our business. Such endeavors may involve significant risks and uncertainties, including diversion of management’s attention from current operations, greater than expected liabilities and expenses, inadequate return on capital, new risks with which we are not familiar, legal compliance obligations that previously did not apply to us, integration risks and difficulties and unidentified issues not discovered in our investigations and evaluations of those strategies and acquisitions. As a result, entering new businesses involves risks and costs that could, if realized, have an adverse effect on our business, reputation, results of operations, profit margins, cash flows or financial condition, as well as on our ability to achieve the expected benefits of any such investments or acquisitions.
We may decide to make minority investments, including through joint ventures, in which we have limited or no management or operational control. The controlling person in such a case may have business interests, strategies or goals that are inconsistent with ours, and decisions of the entity or venture in which we invested may result in harm to our reputation or business or adversely affect the value of our investment. A substantial portion of our goodwill and intangible assets were acquired in acquisitions. If we determine that any of our goodwill and intangible assets, or any goodwill or intangible assets acquired in future transactions, experiences a decline in value, we may be required to record an impairment which could materially, adversely affect our results of operations. Further, we may issue shares of our Common Stock in these transactions, which could result in dilution to our stockholders.
We may not be able to successfully integrate acquired businesses or combine internal businesses.
The integration of acquired businesses requires significant time and resources, and we may not manage these processes successfully. Further, as our businesses developed, our strategy evolved and market conditions changed, we have integrated businesses that had been managed independently, integrated certain functions across businesses and restructured or ceased operating certain assets or businesses, and we may do so in the future, including through divestitures. These integrations may be of varying degree, depending on many factors such as business compatibility, strategic goals or geographic location, among others. Integrations are complex, often involve additional or unexpected costs and create a variety of issues and risks, including:
•disruption or harm to the businesses involved;
•disruption to our other businesses, including as a result of the need for management to spend time and attention on the integration;
•difficulty combining different company cultures, systems, reporting structures, titles and job descriptions and compensation schemes;
•problems retaining key personnel, in particular at the acquired or integrated company;
•loss of travel service providers or partners of the acquired business; and
•difficulty implementing and maintaining effective controls, procedures and policies.
We may not successfully integrate companies or achieve the strategic, financial or operating objectives of the acquisition or integration, any of which could adversely affect our business, results of operations or the value of our acquisitions.
Delaware law and our Certificate of Incorporation (as defined below) and Bylaws (as defined below) contain certain provisions, including anti-takeover provisions, which limit the ability of stockholders to take certain actions and could delay or discourage takeover attempts that stockholders may consider favorable.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, dated July 18, 2022 (the “Certificate of Incorporation”), our bylaws, adopted July 18, 2022 (the "Bylaws") and the Delaware General Corporation Law ("DGCL"), contain provisions that could have the effect of rendering more difficult, delaying, or preventing an acquisition deemed undesirable by our Board 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 or taking other corporate actions, including effecting changes in our management. Among other things, the Certificate of Incorporation and the Bylaws include provisions regarding:
•the ability of our Board 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;
•the limitation of the liability of, and the indemnification of, our directors and officers;
•removal of the ability of our stockholders to take action by written consent in lieu of a meeting such action has been recommended or approved pursuant to a resolution approved by the affirmative vote of all of our directors then in office;
•the requirement that a special meeting of stockholders may be called only by a majority of the entire Company Board, 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 ability of our Board to amend the bylaws, which may allow our Board 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 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, 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 us.
These provisions, alone or together, could delay or prevent hostile takeovers and changes in control or changes in our Board or management.
Our Certificate of Incorporation designates the Delaware Court of Chancery or the United States federal district courts 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 Certificate of Incorporation, provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall be the sole and exclusive forum for state law claims for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any current or former director, officer, employee, agent or stockholder of our Company to us or our stockholders, or any claim for aiding or abetting such an alleged breach; (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or the Certificate of Incorporation or the Bylaws, or to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of the Certificate of Incorporation or the Bylaws; (iv) any action asserting a claim against us or any current or former director, officer, employee, agent or stockholder, whether arising under the DGCL, the Certificate of Incorporation or the Bylaws, or such actions as to which the DGCL confer jurisdiction on the Delaware Court of Chancery; or (v) any action asserting a claim against us or any current or former director, officer, employee, agent or stockholder governed by the internal affairs doctrine. The foregoing provisions will not apply to any claims as to which the Delaware Court of Chancery determines
that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of such court, which is rested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than such court (including claims arising under the Exchange Act), or for which such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction, or to any claims arising under the Securities Act and, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the United States District Court for the District of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for resolving any action asserting a claim arising under the Securities Act.
Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules or regulations thereunder. Accordingly, both state and federal courts have jurisdiction to entertain such Securities Act claims. To prevent having to litigate claims in multiple jurisdictions and the threat of inconsistent or contrary rulings by different courts, among other considerations, the Certificate of Incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, United States District Court for the District of Delaware shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. There is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce the forum provision with respect to claims under the federal securities laws.
This choice of forum provision in our Certificate of Incorporation 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. There is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provisions, and the enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ charter documents has been challenged in legal proceedings. It is possible that a court could find these types of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable, and if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in the 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. Furthermore, investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and rules and regulations thereunder.
Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock
If we fail to comply with the listing requirements of Nasdaq, we would face possible delisting, which would result in a limited public market for our securities and make obtaining future debt or equity financing more difficult for us.
Our Common Stock is listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “MOND”. Nasdaq may delist our Common Stock from trading on its exchange for failure to meet the continued listing standards.
As previously disclosed in our current report on Form 8-K, filed July 18, 2022, we received written notice (the “Notice”) from the Staff of the Listing Qualifications Department (the “Staff”) of Nasdaq stating that the Staff has determined that we have not complied with the requirements of IM-5101-2 because we did not demonstrate that our Common Stock complies with (a) the minimum 1,100,000 Unrestricted Publicly Held Shares requirement in Listing Rule 5405(a)(2) (the “Unrestricted Publicly Held Shares Requirement”) and (b) the minimum $20 million in Market Value of Unrestricted Publicly Held Shares requirement in Listing Rule 5405(b)(3)(B) (the “Market Value of Unrestricted Publicly Held Shares Requirement” and, together with the Unrestricted Publicly Held Shares Requirement, the “Exchange Requirements”) and (ii) our warrants do not qualify for initial listing since the security underlying the warrant, our Common Stock, does not qualify. The Notice indicated that our Common Stock and warrants would be suspended from Nasdaq on July 27, 2022. We requested a hearing before a Nasdaq hearings panel (the “Panel”) on July 25, 2022, which took place on August 26, 2022. On September 1, 2022, the Panel granted our request for an extension to October 21, 2022 to evidence compliance with all initial listing rules as required under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5405(a), during which extension period our Common Stock and warrants continued to be listed on Nasdaq.
On October 25, 2022, we received formal notice from Nasdaq (the "Nasdaq Determination Letter") indicating that we had demonstrated compliance with all applicable criteria for initial listing on Nasdaq, as set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5405, as required by Nasdaq IM-5101-2. On October 26, 2022, the Staff filed a Form 25-NSE with the SEC to remove our warrants from listing and registration on Nasdaq, notwithstanding the previously issued Nasdaq Determination Letter. While we disagree with Nasdaq's determination to delist the warrants, Nasdaq has broad discretionary authority, under Listing Rule 5100, to delist securities. Our Common Stock remains listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “MOND”.
However, if our Common Stock is delisted from trading on Nasdaq for failure to meet the listing standards, we and our stockholders could face significant adverse consequences including:
• a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;
• reduced liquidity for our securities;
• a determination that our Common Stock is a “penny stock,” which will require brokers trading in our Common Stock to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities;
• a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and
• decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.
An active trading market for our Common Stock may never develop or be sustained, which may cause shares of our Common Stock to trade at a discount to the price implied by the Business Combination and make it difficult to sell shares of Common Stock.
Our common Stock is listed under the symbol “MOND” on the Nasdaq. However, we cannot assure you that an active trading market for our Common Stock will develop on that exchange or elsewhere or, if developed, that any market will be sustained. Accordingly, we cannot assure you of the likelihood that an active trading market for our Common Stock will develop or be maintained, the liquidity of any trading market, your ability to sell your shares of Common Stock when desired, or the prices that you may obtain for your shares of Common Stock. Additionally, our Common Stock is unlikely to be eligible to be included in certain stock indices because of our dual class voting structure. For example, certain index providers have announced restrictions on including companies with multiple- class share structures in certain of their indexes. S&P, Dow Jones and FTSE Russell have each announced changes to their eligibility criteria for inclusion of shares of public companies on certain indices, including the S&P 500. These changes exclude companies with multiple classes of shares from being added to these indices.
Certain existing stockholders purchased securities in our Company at a price below the current trading price of such securities, and may experience a positive rate of return based on the current trading price. Future investors in our Company may not experience a similar rate of return.
Certain stockholders in our Company acquired shares of Common Stock or warrants in our Company at prices below the current trading price of our Common Stock, and may experience a positive rate of return based on the current trading price.
Prior to the Business Combination, Legacy Mondee equity holders subscribed for an aggregate of 60,800,000 shares of Common Stock at purchase prices ranging between approximately $3.99 per share and $9.91 per share. In addition, following the consummation of the Business Combination, each ITHAX ordinary share issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Business Combination was automatically canceled and converted into newly issued shares of Common Stock in accordance with the terms of the Business Combination Agreement. ITHAX Acquisition Sponsor, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the "Sponsor"), paid an aggregate of $25,000 for the 5,854,700 Class B ordinary shares owned by the Sponsor, its directors and certain other advisors and/or affiliates of the Sponsor to whom the Sponsor has transferred such Class B ordinary shares. Following the Business Combination, each Class B ordinary share was converted on a one-for-one basis to shares of Common Stock. In connection with the PIPE Financing, the PIPE Investors paid $70 million to purchase an aggregate of 7,000,000 shares of Common Stock for $10.00 per share. The Sponsor and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. paid $6,750,000 in the aggregate to purchase an aggregate of 337,500 private placement warrants, each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50, subject to adjustment. In connection with the Business Combination, the 337,500 private placement warrants were exchanged for 337,500 warrants of our Company with an exercise price of $11.50 per share, the exercise of which will result in the issuance of 337,500 shares of Common Stock. On September 13, 2022, the Sponsor dissolved and distributed its shares of Common Stock and warrants to members of the Sponsor on a pro rata basis. On November 10, 2022, the last reported sale price of our shares of Common Stock as reported on Nasdaq was $9.70 per share. Holders of our warrants are less likely to exercise their warrants to the extent that the exercise prices of their warrants exceed the market price of our Common Stock. There is no guarantee that the 1,275,000 Preferred Financing Warrants to purchase our Common Stock, which we issued in connection with the Preferred Financing Transaction, will be in the money prior to their expiration, and as such, the Preferred Financing Warrants may expire worthless. As such, any cash proceeds that we may receive in relation to the exercise of the Preferred Financing Warrants overlying shares being offered for sale in any prospectus we file with the SEC will be dependent on the trading price of our Common Stock.
Given the relatively lower purchase prices that some of our shareholders paid to acquire shares of Common Stock, these stockholders in some instances will earn a positive rate of return on their investment, which may be a significant positive rate of return, depending on the market price of our shares at the time that such stockholders choose to sell their shares of Common Stock. Investors who purchase our shares of Common Stock on the Nasdaq following the Business Combination may not experience a similar rate of return on the securities they purchase due to differences in the purchase prices and the current trading price. Based on the last reported sale price of our Common Stock referenced above and their respective purchase prices, Legacy Mondee equity holders may experience potential profit of up to $5.71 per share.
Concentration of ownership among our executive officers, directors and their respective affiliates may limit other stockholders’ ability to influence corporate matters and delay or prevent a third party from acquiring control over us.
Our executive officers and directors, excluding Prasad Gundumogula, who serves as our Chief Executive Officer, and their respective affiliates beneficially own, in the aggregate, approximately 5% of outstanding Common Stock. Mr. Gundumogula beneficially owns more than 81% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock, which includes shares he is deemed to beneficially own through his control of Legacy Mondee, as well as the 6,000,000 Earn-Out Shares that he received upon the closing of the Business Combination. This significant concentration of ownership may have a negative impact on the trading price for our Common Stock because investors often perceive disadvantages in owning stock in companies where there is a concentration of ownership in a small number of stockholders. In addition, these stockholders will be able to exercise influence over all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and approval of corporate transactions, such as a merger or other sale of us or our assets. This concentration of ownership could limit other stockholders’ ability to influence corporate matters and may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control, including a merger, consolidation or other business combination, or discouraging a potential acquirer from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control, even if that change in control would benefit the other stockholders.
The market price of our Common Stock may be volatile and fluctuate substantially, which could cause the value of your investment to decline.
The trading price of our Common Stock is likely to be volatile and could be subject to fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control. These fluctuations could cause you to lose all or part of your investment in our Common Stock. Factors that could cause fluctuations in the trading price of our Common Stock include the following:
•price and volume fluctuations in the overall stock market from time to time;
•volatility in the trading prices and trading volumes of travel industry stocks;
•changes in operating performance and stock market valuations of other travel companies generally, or those in our industry in particular;
•sales of shares of Common Stock by stockholders or by us;
•failure of securities analysts to maintain coverage of us, changes in financial estimates by securities analysts who follow our company or our failure to meet these estimates or the expectations of investors;
•the financial projections we may provide to the public, any changes in those projections or our failure to meet those projections;
•announcements by us or our competitors of new offerings or platform features;
•the public’s reaction to our press releases, other public announcements and filings with the SEC;
•rumors and market speculation involving us or other companies in our industry;
•actual or anticipated changes in our results of operations or fluctuations in our results of operations;
•the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the travel industry;
•actual or anticipated developments in our business, our competitors’ businesses or the competitive landscape generally;
•litigation involving us, our industry or both, or investigations by regulators into our operations or those of our competitors;
•developments or disputes concerning our intellectual property or other proprietary rights;
•announced or completed acquisitions of businesses, services or technologies by us or our competitors;
•new laws or regulations or new interpretations of existing laws or regulations applicable to our business;
•changes in accounting standards, policies, guidelines, interpretations or principles;
•any significant change in our management;
•general economic conditions and slow or negative growth of our markets; and
•other factors described in this “Risk Factors” section.
In addition, in the past, following periods of volatility in the overall market and the market price of a particular company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against these companies. This litigation, if instituted against us, could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our management’s attention and resources.
If securities analysts do not publish research or reports about our business or if they publish negative evaluations of our Common Stock, the market price and trading volume of our Common Stock could decline.
The trading market for our Common Stock will rely, in part, on the research and reports that industry or financial analysts publish about us or our business. We do not currently have, and may never obtain, research coverage by industry or financial analysts. If no, or few, analysts commence coverage of us, the trading price of our Common Stock would likely decrease. Even if we do obtain analyst coverage, if one or more of the analysts covering our business downgrade their evaluations of our Common Stock, the price of our Common Stock could decline. If one or more of these analysts cease to cover our Common Stock, we could lose visibility in the market for the Common Stock, which in turn could cause our stock price to decline.
The Preferred Financing Warrants will become exercisable for our Common Stock, which will increase the number of shares eligible for future resale in the public market and result in dilution to our stockholders.
As a result of the Preferred Financing Transaction, outstanding Preferred Financing Warrants to purchase an aggregate of 1,275,000 shares of our Common Stock are exercisable in accordance with the terms of that certain Warrant Agreement, dated September 29, 2022, by and between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (“Continental”) (the “Preferred Financing Warrant Agreement”), which governs those securities. The Preferred Financing Warrants are exercisable at any time commencing on September 29, 2022 and ending on September 29, 2027 (i.e., the fifth anniversary of the completion of the Preferred Financing Transaction), subject to certain limitations and exceptions. The exercise price
of the Preferred Financing Warrants is $11.50 per share. To the extent such Preferred Financing Warrants are exercised, additional shares of Common Stock will be issued, which will result in dilution to the holders of Common Stock and increase the number of shares eligible for resale in the public market. Sales of substantial numbers of such shares in the public market or the fact that such Preferred Financing Warrants may be exercised could adversely affect the market price of Common Stock. However, there is no guarantee that the Preferred Financing Warrants will be in the money prior to their expiration, and as such, the Preferred Financing Warrants may expire worthless.
The exercise price for our Preferred Financing Warrants is $11.50 per share, which exceeds the market price of our Common Stock, which was $9.70 per share based on the last reported sales price of Common Stock on the Nasdaq on November 10, 2022. The likelihood that holders will exercise the Preferred Financing Warrants and any cash proceeds that we would receive upon such exercise is dependent upon the market price of our Common Stock. If the market price for Common Stock is less than $11.50 per share, we believe holders will be unlikely to exercise their Preferred Financing Warrants.
Our Preferred Stock has rights, preferences and privileges that will not be held by, and will be preferential to, the rights of holders of our Common Stock, which could adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition, and may result in the interests of the holders of our Preferred Stock differing from those of the holders of our Common Stock.
Our Preferred Stock ranks senior to shares of our Common Stock with respect to liquidation preferences. Upon any dissolution, liquidation or winding up, whether voluntary or involuntary, holders of our Preferred Stock will be entitled to receive distributions out of our assets in an amount per share equal to $1,000 plus all accrued and unpaid dividends before any distributions shall be made on any shares of our Common Stock.
In addition, holders of our Preferred Stock will be entitled to dividends at a rate equal to SOFR plus 7% per annum (which rate increases to SOFR plus 10.50% per annum beginning on the second anniversary of the consummation of the Preferred Financing Transaction. The preferential rights described above could result in divergent interests between the holders of shares of our Preferred Stock and the holders of our Common Stock.
You may experience future dilution as a result of future equity offerings or if we issue shares subject to options, warrants, stock awards or other arrangements.
In order to raise additional capital, we may in the future offer additional shares of Common Stock or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for Common Stock. We may sell shares or other securities in any other offering at a price per share that is less than the current market price of our securities, and investors purchasing shares or other securities in the future could have rights superior to existing stockholders. The sale of additional shares of Common Stock or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for Common Stock would dilute all of our stockholders, and if such sales of convertible securities into or exchangeable into Common Stock occur at a deemed issuance price that is lower than the current exercise price of our outstanding Preferred Financing Warrants sold to the certain investors (the "Preferred Subscribers") in September 2022, the exercise price for those warrants would adjust downward to the deemed issuance price pursuant to price adjustment protection contained within those warrants.
Risks Related to the Business Combination and our Company
Litigation or legal proceedings could expose us to significant liabilities and have a negative impact on our respective reputations or business, as applicable.
We may become subject to claims, litigation, disputes and other legal proceedings from time to time. We evaluate these claims, litigation, disputes and other legal proceedings to assess the likelihood of unfavorable outcomes and to estimate, if possible, the amount of potential losses. Based on these assessments and estimates, we may establish reserves, as appropriate. These assessments and estimates are based on the information available to each management team at the time of its respective assessment and involve a significant amount of management judgment. Actual outcomes or losses may differ materially from our assessments and estimates.
Under the terms of its engagement letter with Deutsche Bank (the “DB Engagement Letter”), ITHAX agreed to indemnify and hold harmless and its directors, officers, agents, and employees and each other person, if any, who controls Deutsche Bank, within the meaning of the Securities Act, against any and all claims, losses, damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses as incurred arising related to or arising out of or in connection with, in each case, any actual or proposed transactions giving rise to or contemplated by the DB Engagement Letter or Deutsche Bank’s engagement under the DB Engagement Letter. Accordingly, if any claims, litigation, disputes or other legal proceedings are brought by third parties against Deutsche Bank in relation to the services it provided to ITHAX under any of these agreements, then we may be liable to pay for or reimburse Deutsche Bank for the losses and costs it incurs, unless such claims, losses, damages, liabilities, costs, or expenses arise primarily and directly out of or are based primarily or directly upon any action or failure to act by Deutsche Bank that is found in a final and non-appealable judicial determination by a court of competent jurisdiction (or settlement tantamount thereto) to constitute willful misconduct or gross negligence on the part of such indemnified party.
Even when not merited or whether we ultimately prevail, the defense of these lawsuits may divert management’s attention, and we may incur significant expenses in defending these lawsuits. The results of litigation and other legal proceedings are inherently uncertain, and adverse judgments or settlements in some of these legal disputes may result in adverse monetary damages, penalties or injunctive relief against any us, which could negatively impact any of our financial positions, cash
flows or results of operations. An unfavorable outcome of any legal dispute could imply that we would become liable for damages or may have to modify our business model.
Further, any liability or negligence claim against us in U.S. courts may, if successful, result in damages being awarded that contain punitive elements and therefore may significantly exceed the loss or damage suffered by the successful claimant. Any claims or litigation, even if fully indemnified or insured, could damage our reputation and make it more difficult to compete effectively or to obtain adequate insurance in the future. A settlement or an unfavorable outcome in a legal dispute could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and/or prospects.
Furthermore, while we maintain insurance for certain potential liabilities, such insurance does not cover all types and amounts of potential liabilities and is subject to various exclusions as well as caps on amounts recoverable. Even if we believe a claim is covered by insurance, insurers may dispute its entitlement to recovery for a variety of potential reasons, which may affect the timing and, if the insurers prevail, the amount of our recovery.
The Business Combination may be subject to U.S. foreign investment regulations, which may impose conditions on, prevent, or unwind the consummation of the Business Combination. Such conditions or limitations could also potentially make our Common Stock less attractive to investors or cause our future investments to be subject to U.S. foreign investment regulations.
Investments that involve the acquisition of, or investment in, a U.S. business by a non-U.S. investor may be subject to U.S. laws that regulate foreign investments in U.S. businesses and access by foreign persons to technology developed and produced in the United States. These laws include Section 721 of the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended by the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018, and the regulations at 31 C.F.R. Parts 800 and 802, as amended, administered by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”).
Whether CFIUS has jurisdiction to review an acquisition or investment transaction depends on, among other factors, the nature and structure of the transaction, including the level of beneficial ownership interest and the nature of any information or governance rights involved. For example, investments that result in “control” of a “U.S. business” by a “foreign person” (in each case, as such terms are defined in 31 C.F.R. Part 800) always are subject to CFIUS jurisdiction. Significant CFIUS reform legislation, which was fully implemented through regulations that became effective in 2020, expanded the scope of CFIUS’s jurisdiction to investments that do not result in control of a U.S. business by a foreign person, but afford certain foreign investors certain information or governance rights in a U.S. business that has a nexus to “critical technologies,” “covered investment critical infrastructure,” and/or “sensitive personal data” (in each case, as such terms are defined in 31 C.F.R. Part 800).
The investments by Sponsor and foreign persons controlling certain PIPE Investors in connection with the Business Combination resulted in investments in us by non-U.S. persons that could be considered by CFIUS to be covered investments or minority interests that could result in a covered control transaction that CFIUS would have authority to review. For example, Orestes Fintiklis, our Chief Corporate Strategy and Business Development Officer and a member of our Board ("Fintiklis"), who is a Cypriot national and a permanent resident of the United States, served as the Chief Executive Officer of ITHAX and currently serves as a director of our Company, controls Ithaca Capital Partners 6 LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and one of the managing members of the Sponsor. The other managing member of the Sponsor was GMDA Capital Opportunities Ltd, an entity organized under the laws of Cyprus. Certain PIPE Investors are also foreign persons or controlled by foreign persons.
CFIUS or another U.S. governmental agency could choose to review the Business Combination or past or proposed transactions involving new or existing foreign investors in our Company, even if a filing with CFIUS is or was not required at the time of such transaction. There can be no assurances that CFIUS or another U.S. governmental agency will not choose to review the Business Combination. Any review and approval of an investment or transaction by CFIUS may have outsized impacts on transaction certainty, timing, feasibility, and cost, among other things. CFIUS policies and agency practices are rapidly evolving, and in the event that CFIUS reviews the Business Combination or one or more proposed or existing investment by investors, there can be no assurances that such investors will be able to maintain, or proceed with, such investments on terms acceptable to the parties to the Business Combination or such investors. Among other things, CFIUS could seek to impose limitations or restrictions on, or prohibit, investments by such investors (including, but not limited to, limits on purchasing Common Stock, limits on information sharing with such investors, requiring a voting trust, governance modifications, or forced divestiture, among other things) or CFIUS could order us to divest all or a portion of our Company.
We may be required to subsequently take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and the share price of our securities, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
We cannot assure you that the due diligence conducted in relation to our Business Combination with ITHAX has identified all material issues or risks associated with our Company, our business or the industry in which we competes. As a result of these factors, we may incur additional costs and expenses and we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence has identified certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. If any of these risks materialize, this could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations and could contribute to negative market perceptions about our securities or our Company. Accordingly, any of our stockholders could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares and warrants.
Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the registration statement or prospectus relating to the Business Combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
Our warrants are accounted for as liabilities and the changes in value of our warrants could have a material effect on our financial results.
On April 12, 2021, the Acting Director of the Division of Corporation Finance and Acting Chief Accountant of the SEC together issued a statement regarding the accounting and reporting considerations for warrants issued by special purpose acquisition companies entitled “Staff Statement on Accounting and Reporting Considerations for Warrants Issued by Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (“SPACs”)” (the “SEC Statement”). Specifically, the SEC Statement focused on certain settlement terms and provisions related to certain tender offers following a business combination, which terms are similar to those contained in the amended and restated warrant agreement between Continental and our Company, dated July 18, 2022 (as amended from time to time, the “Amended and Restated Warrant Agreement”), which governed our public warrants and governs our private warrants. As a result of the SEC Statement, we reevaluated the accounting treatment of our 12,075,000 public warrants and 337,500 private placement warrants, and we determined to classify the warrants as derivative liabilities measured at fair value, with changes in fair value each period reported in earnings.
As a result, included on ITHAX’s balance sheets as of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021 are derivative liabilities related to embedded features contained within our warrants. Accounting Standards Codification 815, Derivatives and Hedging (“ASC 815”), provides for the remeasurement of the fair value of such derivatives at each balance sheet date, with a resulting non-cash gain or loss related to the change in the fair value being recognized in earnings in the statement of operations.
As a result of the recurring fair value measurement, our financial statements and results of operations may fluctuate quarterly, based on factors, which are outside of our control. Due to the recurring fair value measurement, we expect that we will recognize non-cash gains or losses on our warrants each reporting period and that the amount of such gains or losses could be material. The impact of changes in fair value on earnings may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities. As a result of the consummation of the Tender Offer and subsequent redemption of public warrants that were not tendered in the Tender Offer, there are no public warrants outstanding as of November 2, 2022. However, the 337,500 private placement warrants remain outstanding.
ITHAX identified a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting. This material weakness could continue to adversely affect our ability to report our results of operations and financial condition accurately and in a timely manner.
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of consolidated financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP. Our management is likewise required, on a quarterly basis, to evaluate the effectiveness of our internal controls and to disclose any changes and material weaknesses identified through such evaluation in those internal controls. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
ITHAX identified a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting related to our complex financial instruments. As a result of this material weakness, ITHAX’s management concluded that its internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of June 30, 2022.
Any continued failure to maintain such internal control over our financial reporting control could adversely impact our ability to report our financial position and results from operations on a timely and accurate basis. If our financial statements are not accurate, investors may not have a complete understanding of our operations. Likewise, if our financial statements are not filed on a timely basis, we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the stock exchange on which our Common Stock is listed, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. In either case, there could result a material adverse effect on our ability to consummate the initial business combination.
As a result of the material weakness described above, we face potential for litigation or other disputes which may include, among others, claims under federal and state securities laws, contractual claims or other claims arising from the material weakness in our internal control over financial. As of the date of this Quarterly Report, we have no knowledge of any such litigation or dispute.
We can give no assurance as to our ability to timely remediate the material weakness identified, if at all; that any additional material weaknesses or restatements of financial results will not arise in the future due to a failure to implement and maintain adequate internal control over financial reporting or circumvention of these controls; or that any litigation or dispute will not arise in the future.
The Preferred Financing Warrants may never be in the money, and they may expire worthless and the terms of the Preferred Financing Warrants may be amended in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding Preferred Financing Warrants approve of such amendment.
The Preferred Financing Warrants were issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental, as warrant agent, and our Company. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision or correct any mistake and to provide for the delivery of Alternative Issuance pursuant to Section 4.4 of the Preferred Financing Warrant Agreement, but otherwise requires the approval by the holders of at least a majority of the then-outstanding Preferred Financing Warrants to make any change. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the Preferred Financing Warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least a majority of the then-outstanding Preferred Financing Warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the Preferred Financing Warrants with the consent of at least a majority of the then-outstanding Preferred Financing Warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the Preferred Financing Warrants, convert the Preferred Financing Warrants into cash, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable upon exercise of a Preferred Financing Warrants.
We are subject to changing laws and regulations regarding regulatory matters, corporate governance and public disclosure that have increased our costs and the risk of non-compliance.
We will be subject to rules and regulations by various governing bodies, including, for example, the SEC, which are charged with the protection of investors and the oversight of companies whose securities are publicly traded, and to new and evolving regulatory measures under applicable law. Our efforts to comply with new and changing laws and regulations have resulted in and will likely continue to result in, increased general and administrative expenses.
Moreover, because these laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance becomes available. This evolution may result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and additional costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to our disclosure and governance practices. If we fail to address and comply with these regulations and any subsequent changes, we may be subject to penalty and our business may be harmed.