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Matterport (MTTR)
NASDAQ:MTTR
US Market
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Matterport (MTTR) Risk Factors

2,177 Followers
Public companies are required to disclose risks that can affect the business and impact the stock. These disclosures are known as “Risk Factors”. Companies disclose these risks in their yearly (Form 10-K), quarterly earnings (Form 10-Q), or “foreign private issuer” reports (Form 20-F). Risk factors show the challenges a company faces. Investors can consider the worst-case scenarios before making an investment. TipRanks’ Risk Analysis categorizes risks based on proprietary classification algorithms and machine learning.

Matterport disclosed 43 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Matterport reported the most risks in the “Finance & Corporate” category.

Risk Overview Q4, 2023

Risk Distribution
43Risks
47% Finance & Corporate
16% Legal & Regulatory
14% Tech & Innovation
12% Macro & Political
7% Ability to Sell
5% Production
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
This chart displays the stock's most recent risk distribution according to category. TipRanks has identified 6 major categories: Finance & corporate, legal & regulatory, macro & political, production, tech & innovation, and ability to sell.

Risk Change Over Time

2020
Q4
S&P500 Average
Sector Average
Risks removed
Risks added
Risks changed
Matterport Risk Factors
New Risk (0)
Risk Changed (0)
Risk Removed (0)
No changes from previous report
The chart shows the number of risks a company has disclosed. You can compare this to the sector average or S&P 500 average.

The quarters shown in the chart are according to the calendar year (January to December). Businesses set their own financial calendar, known as a fiscal year. For example, Walmart ends their financial year at the end of January to accommodate the holiday season.

Risk Highlights Q4, 2023

Main Risk Category
Finance & Corporate
With 20 Risks
Finance & Corporate
With 20 Risks
Number of Disclosed Risks
43
-3
From last report
S&P 500 Average: 31
43
-3
From last report
S&P 500 Average: 31
Recent Changes
3Risks added
5Risks removed
3Risks changed
Since Dec 2023
3Risks added
5Risks removed
3Risks changed
Since Dec 2023
Number of Risk Changed
3
+2
From last report
S&P 500 Average: 3
3
+2
From last report
S&P 500 Average: 3
See the risk highlights of Matterport in the last period.

Risk Word Cloud

The most common phrases about risk factors from the most recent report. Larger texts indicate more widely used phrases.

Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 43

Finance & Corporate
Total Risks: 20/43 (47%)Above Sector Average
Share Price & Shareholder Rights7 | 16.3%
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1
Added
We are currently involved in litigation with two of our stockholders relating to the issuance of Earn-Out shares in connection with the February 7, 2021 Agreement and Plan of Merger.
On February 1, 2024, two stockholders, Laurie Hanna and Vasana Smith (collectively "Plaintiffs") filed a complaint derivatively on behalf of Matterport, Inc. against R.J. Pittman, Michael Gustafson, Peter Hebert, James Krikorian, James Daniel Fay, David Gausebeck, Japjit Tulsi, Judi Otteson, Jay Remley, and numerous shareholders of Matterport, Inc. (collectively "Defendants") in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware. The complaint alleges that the issuance of 23,460,000 Earn-Out shares worth $225 million was a breach of fiduciary duty and an act of corporate waste, which unjustly enriched recipients of the Earn-Out shares at the expense of Matterport and its common stockholders. Specifically, the Plaintiffs allege that issuance of the Earn-Out Shares violated the February 7, 2021 Agreement and Plan of Merger pursuant to which Legacy Matterport and Gores Holding VI, a publicly listed special purpose acquisition company, and two Gores subsidiaries merged, providing Legacy Matterport shareholders with shares of the surviving public company which took the name Matterport. The complaint seeks disgorgement all unjust enrichment by the Defendants, an award of compensatory damages to Matterport, an award of costs and disbursements to the Plaintiffs, as well as a declaration that Plaintiffs may maintain the action on behalf of Matterport and that Plaintiffs are adequate representatives of Matterport, and a finding that demand on the Matterport board is excused as futile. This litigation may be time consuming, expensive and distracting from the conduct of our business. Furthermore, regardless of the merits of any claim, legal proceedings may result in the diversion of time and attention by our management and board of directors.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2
Changed
We are currently involved in litigation with one of our former stockholders relating to the lock-up restrictions included in our Amended and Restated Bylaws.
On July 23, 2021, plaintiff William J. Brown, a former employee and a shareholder of Matterport, Inc. (now known as Matterport Operating, LLC) ("Legacy Matterport"), sued Legacy Matterport, Gores Holdings VI, Inc. (now known as Matterport, Inc.), Maker Merger Sub Inc., Maker Merger Sub II, LLC, and Legacy Matterport directors R.J. Pittman, David Gausebeck, Matt Bell, Peter Hebert, Jason Krikorian, Carlos Kokron and Michael Gustafson (collectively, the "Defendants") in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware. The plaintiff's initial complaint claimed that Defendants imposed invalid transfer restrictions on his shares of Matterport stock in connection with the merger transactions between Matterport, Inc. and Legacy Matterport (the "Transfer Restrictions"), and that Legacy Matterport's board of directors violated their fiduciary duties in connection with a purportedly misleading letter of transmittal. The initial complaint sought damages and costs, as well as a declaration from the court that he may freely transfer his shares of Class A common stock of Matterport received in connection with the merger transactions. An expedited trial regarding the facial validity of the Transfer Restrictions took place in December 2021. On January 11, 2022, the court issued a ruling that the Transfer Restrictions did not apply to the plaintiff. The opinion did not address the validity of the Transfer Restrictions more broadly. Matterport filed a notice of appeal of the court's ruling on February 8, 2022, and a hearing was held in front of the Delaware Supreme Court on July 13, 2022, after which the appellate court affirmed the lower court's ruling. Separate proceedings regarding the plaintiff's remaining claims are pending. The plaintiff filed a Third Amended Complaint on September 16, 2022, which asserts the causes of action described above but omits as defendants Maker Merger Sub Inc., Maker Merger Sub II, LLC, and Legacy Matterport directors David Gausebeck, Matt Bell, and Carlos Kokron, and adds an additional cause of action alleging that Matterport, Inc. violated the Delaware Uniform Commercial Code by failing to timely register Brown's requested transfer of Matterport, Inc. shares. The remaining defendants' answer to the Third Amended Complaint was filed on November 9, 2022, and the parties have completed discovery. Trial was held in November 2023 and a post-trial hearing was held on February 22, 2024.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3
Legacy Matterport received a voluntary request for information from the Division of Enforcement of the SEC in an investigation relating to certain sales and repurchases of its securities in the secondary market. Although we believe we have cooperated fully with the request, we cannot predict the duration or ultimate resolution of the investigation, and cooperating with the request may require significant management time and resources, which could have an adverse effect on our business and financial position.
On January 29, 2021, Legacy Matterport received a voluntary request for information from the Division of Enforcement of the SEC relating to certain sales and repurchases of our securities in the secondary market. Although we believe we have cooperated fully with the request, we have not received any updates from the SEC and we cannot predict the duration or ultimate resolution of the investigation. Cooperating with any additional requests from the SEC may require significant management time and resources, which could have an adverse effect on our business and financial position.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4
The warrants are recorded at fair value with changes in fair value reported in our earnings, which could have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock and/or an adverse effect on our financial results.
Management evaluated the terms of the warrants issued, including the private placement warrants ("Private Placement Warrants") and the publicly-traded warrants ("Public Warrants," together with the Private Placement Warrants, the "Warrants") in accordance with ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging. Only 1.7 million Private Placement Warrants to purchase common stock remained outstanding as of December 31, 2023. We concluded that the Warrants are accounted for as a derivative liability and that derivative liability was recorded at fair value at their initial fair value on the date of issuance, and at the earlier of each balance sheet date, or the exercised or redemption date thereafter, as determined based upon a valuation report obtained from an independent third-party valuation firm. Changes in the estimated fair value of the warrants are recognized as a non-cash gain or loss on the statements of operations. For example, for the year ended December 31, 2023, we recognized non-cash losses on the change in fair value of approximately $0.5 million on the Warrants. The impact of changes in fair value on earnings may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock and/or our financial results.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5
The market price and trading volume of our common stock may be volatile and could decline significantly.
The stock markets, including Nasdaq, on which we list our shares of common stock under the symbol "MTTR," have from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations. Even if an active, liquid and orderly trading market develops and is sustained for our common stock, the market price of our common stock may be volatile and could decline significantly. In addition, the trading volume of our common stock may fluctuate and cause significant price variations to occur. If the market price of our common stock declines significantly, you may be unable to resell your shares at an attractive price (or at all). We cannot assure you that the market price of our common stock will not fluctuate widely or decline significantly in the future in response to a number of factors, including, among others, the following: -     the realization of any of the risk factors presented in this Annual Report on Form 10-K;-     actual or anticipated differences in our estimates, or in the estimates of analysts, for our revenues, results of operations, level of indebtedness, liquidity or financial condition;-     additions and departures of key personnel;-     failure to comply with the requirements of Nasdaq;-     failure to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act or other laws or regulations;-     future issuances, sales, resales or repurchases or anticipated issuances, sales, resales or repurchases, of our securities;-     publication of research reports about us;-     the performance and market valuations of other similar companies;-     commencement of, or involvement in, litigation involving us;-     broad disruptions in the financial markets, including sudden disruptions in the credit markets;-     speculation in the press or investment community;-     actual, potential or perceived control, accounting or reporting problems;-     changes in accounting principles, policies and guidelines; and -     other events or factors, including those resulting from infectious diseases, health epidemics and pandemics, natural disasters, war, acts of terrorism or responses to these events. In the past, securities class-action litigation has often been instituted against companies following periods of volatility in the market price of their shares. This type of litigation could result in substantial costs and divert our management's attention and resources, which could have a material adverse effect on us.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6
If securities or industry analysts do not publish or cease publishing research or reports about us, our business, or our market, or if they change their recommendations regarding our common stock adversely, then the price and trading volume of our common stock could decline.
The trading market for our common stock will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts may publish about us, our business, our market, or our competitors. Securities and industry analysts do not currently, and may never, publish research on us. If no securities or industry analysts commence coverage of us, our stock price and trading volume would likely be negatively impacted. If any of the analysts who cover us change their recommendation regarding our stock adversely, or provide more favorable relative recommendations about our competitors, the price of our common stock would likely decline. If any analyst who may cover us were to cease coverage of us or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7
Future issuances of debt securities and equity securities may adversely affect us, including the market price of our common stock and may be dilutive to existing stockholders.
In the future, we may incur debt or issue equity-ranking senior to our common stock. Those securities will generally have priority upon liquidation. Such securities also may be governed by an indenture or other instrument containing covenants restricting its operating flexibility. Additionally, any convertible or exchangeable securities that we issue in the future may have rights, preferences and privileges more favorable than those of our common stock. Because our decision to issue debt or equity in the future will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing, nature or success of our future capital raising efforts. As a result, future capital raising efforts may reduce the market price of our common stock and be dilutive to existing stockholders.
Accounting & Financial Operations8 | 18.6%
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 1
Our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be limited.
As of December 31, 2023, we had $360.8 million of U.S. federal and $202.3 million of state net operating loss carryforwards available to reduce future taxable income. Certain of these carryforwards may be carried forward indefinitely for U.S. federal tax purposes, while others are subject to expiration beginning in 2031. It is possible that we will not generate taxable income in time to use all or a portion of these net operating loss carryforwards before their expiration or at all. Under legislative changes made in December 2017, U.S. federal net operating losses incurred in 2018 and in future years may be carried forward indefinitely, but the deductibility of such net operating losses is limited. In addition, our net operating loss carryforwards are subject to review and possible adjustment by the IRS, and state tax authorities. The federal and state net operating loss carryforwards and certain other attributes, such as research tax credits, may be subject to significant limitations under Section 382 and Section 383 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), respectively, and similar provisions of U.S. state law. Under those sections of the Code, if a corporation undergoes an "ownership change," the corporation's ability to use its pre-change net operating loss carryforwards and other pre-change attributes to offset its post-change income or tax may be limited. In general, an "ownership change" would occur if the percentage of our equity interests held by one or more of our "5-percent shareholders" (as such term is used in Section 382 of the Code) increased by more than 50 percentage points over the lowest percentage of our equity held by such 5-percent shareholders at any time during the relevant testing period (usually three years). Similar rules may apply under state tax laws. We have not undertaken an analysis of whether the Merger constituted an "ownership change" for purposes of Section 382 and Section 383 of the U.S. Tax Code. Our ability to utilize our net operating loss carryforwards and other tax attributes to offset future taxable income or tax liabilities may be limited as a result of ownership changes, including potential changes in connection with the Merger (as defined herein) or other transactions. As of December 31, 2023, the Company has not undertaken any analyses in respect of Section 382 to determine the annual limitation and if any of the tax attributes are subject to a permanent limitation.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 2
Our financial condition and results of operations are likely to fluctuate on a quarterly basis in future periods, which could cause our results for a particular period to fall below expectations, resulting in a decline in the price of our common stock.
Our financial condition and results of operations have fluctuated in the past and may continue to fluctuate in the future due to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control. Our results may vary from period to period as a result of fluctuations in the number of subscribers using our products as well as fluctuations in the timing and amount of our expenses. As a result, comparing our results of operations on a period-to-period basis may not be meaningful, and the results of any one period should not be relied on as an indication of future performance. In addition to the other risks described herein, the following factors could also cause our financial condition and results of operations to fluctuate on a quarterly basis: -     our ability to attract new subscribers and retain existing subscribers, including in a cost-effective manner;-     our ability to accurately forecast revenue and losses and appropriately plan our expenses;-     the timing of new product introductions, which can initially have lower gross margins;-     the effects of increased competition on our business;-     our ability to successfully maintain our position in and expand in existing markets as well as successfully enter new markets;-     our ability to protect our existing intellectual property and to create new intellectual property;-     supply chain interruptions and manufacturing or delivery delays;-     the length of the installation cycle for a particular location or market;-     disruptions in sales, production, service or other business activities or our inability to attract and retain qualified personnel; and -     the impact of, and changes in, governmental or other regulation affecting our business. Fluctuations in operating results and cash flow could, among other things, give rise to short-term liquidity issues. In addition, revenue and other operating results in future quarters may fall short of the expectations of investors and financial analysts, which could have an adverse effect on our stock price.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 3
We do not intend to pay cash dividends for the foreseeable future.
We currently intend to retain our future earnings, if any, to finance the further development and expansion of our business and do not intend to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements and future agreements and financing instruments, business prospects and such other factors as our board of directors deems relevant.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 4
Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate significantly and could fall below the expectations of securities analysts and investors due to seasonality and other factors, some of which are beyond our control, resulting in a decline in our stock price.
Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate significantly because of several factors, including: - labor availability and costs for hourly and management personnel;- profitability of our products, especially in new markets and due to seasonal fluctuations;- changes in interest rates;- impairment of long-lived assets;- macroeconomic conditions, both nationally and locally;- negative publicity relating to products we serve;- changes in consumer preferences and competitive conditions;- expansion to new markets; and - fluctuations in commodity prices.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 5
Added
If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, our ability to produce timely and accurate financial statements or comply with applicable regulations could be impaired.
We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 ("Sarbanes-Oxley Act"), the rules and regulations of Nasdaq, and other securities rules and regulations that impose various requirements on public companies. Our management and other personnel devote substantial time and resources to comply with these rules and regulations. Such compliance has increased, and will continue to increase our legal, accounting and financial compliance costs; make some activities more difficult, time-consuming and costly, and place significant strain on our personnel, systems and resources. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. We are continuing to develop and refine our disclosure controls, internal control over financial reporting and other procedures that are designed to ensure information required to be disclosed by us in our consolidated financial statements and in the reports that we file with the SEC is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms, and information required to be disclosed in reports under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our principal executive and financial officers. Our current controls and any new controls we develop may become inadequate because of changes in conditions of our business. Additionally, to the extent we acquire other businesses, each acquired company may not have a sufficiently robust system of internal controls, and we may uncover new deficiencies. Weaknesses in our internal controls may be discovered in the future. Any failure to develop or maintain effective controls, or any difficulties encountered in their implementation or improvement, could harm our results of operations, may result in a restatement of our consolidated financial statements for prior periods, may cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations, could result in an adverse opinion regarding our internal control over financial reporting from our independent registered public accounting firm, and may lead to investigations or sanctions by regulatory authorities. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires our management to certify financial and other information in our quarterly and annual reports and provide an annual management report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. We are also required to have our independent registered public accounting firm attest to, and issue an opinion on, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. If we are unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if, when required, our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an opinion on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, we could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, which could cause the price of our Class A common stock to decline. Any failure to maintain effective disclosure controls and internal control over financial reporting could have a material and adverse effect on our business and results of operations and could cause a decline in the price of our stock.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 6
Our forecasts and projections are based upon assumptions, analyses and internal estimates developed by our management. If these assumptions, analyses or estimates prove to be incorrect or inaccurate, our actual operating results may differ materially from those forecasted or projected.
Our forecasts and projections, including forecasts and estimates relating to the expected sizes and growth of the markets in which we seek to operate, are subject to significant uncertainty and are based on assumptions, analyses and internal estimates developed by our management, any or all of which may not prove to be correct or accurate. If these assumptions, analyses or estimates prove to be incorrect or inaccurate, our actual operating results may differ materially from those forecasted or projected.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 7
We have a history of losses and expect to incur significant expenses and continuing losses at least for the near term.
We incurred net losses of approximately $199.1 million, $111.3 million, and $338.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively. As of December 31, 2023, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $778.5 million. We believe we will continue to incur operating and net losses each quarter at least for the near term. Even if we achieve profitability, there can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain profitability in the future. Our potential profitability is particularly dependent upon the continued adoption of spatial data and the use of our platform by commercial and individual consumers, which may not occur at the levels we currently anticipate or at all.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 8
Certain of our estimates of market opportunity and forecasts of market growth may prove to be inaccurate.
This Annual Report on Form 10-K includes estimates of the addressable market for our products and services which are based in part on our internal analyses. Market opportunity estimates and growth forecasts, whether obtained from third-party sources or developed internally, are subject to significant uncertainty and are based on assumptions and estimates that may prove to be inaccurate. The estimates and forecasts in this Annual Report on Form 10-K relating to the size and expected growth of the target market, market demand and adoption, capacity to address this demand and pricing may also prove to be inaccurate. In particular, estimates regarding the current and projected market opportunity are difficult to make. The estimated addressable market may not materialize for many years, if ever, and even if the markets meet the size estimates and growth forecasted in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, our business could fail to grow at similar rates.
Debt & Financing1 | 2.3%
Debt & Financing - Risk 1
We may need to raise additional funds to finance our operations and these funds may not be available when needed.
We may need to raise additional funds in the future to further scale our business and expand to additional markets. We may raise additional funds through the issuance of equity, equity-related or debt securities, or by obtaining credit from financial institutions. We cannot be certain that additional funds will be available on favorable terms when required, or at all. If we cannot raise additional funds when needed, our financial condition, results of operations, business and prospects could be materially and adversely affected. If we raise funds through the issuance of debt securities or other loan transactions, we could face significant interest payments, covenants that restrict our business, or other unfavorable terms. In addition, to the extent we raise funds through the sale of additional equity securities, our stockholders would experience additional dilution.
Corporate Activity and Growth4 | 9.3%
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 1
We incur increased costs and administrative burden as a result of operating as a public company, and our management devotes substantial time to maintaining compliance.
As a public company, we incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses. We are subject to the requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, and the rules and regulations promulgated and to be promulgated thereunder, Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the "PCAOB"), as well as rules adopted, and to be adopted, by the SEC and the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC ("Nasdaq"). Our management and other personnel devote a substantial amount of time to maintaining compliance with these requirements, Moreover, these rules and regulations substantially increase our legal and financial compliance costs and make some activities more time-consuming and costly. The increased costs may increase our net loss and comprehensive loss. It may also be more expensive to obtain director and officer liability insurance. We cannot always predict or estimate the amount or timing of additional costs it may incur to respond to these requirements. The impact of these requirements could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board of directors, our board committees or as executive officers. The additional reporting and other obligations imposed by these rules and regulations may increase legal and financial compliance costs and the costs of related legal, accounting and administrative activities. These increased costs may require us to divert a significant amount of money that could otherwise be used to expand the business and achieve strategic objectives. Furthermore, if any issues in complying with the above requirements are identified (for example, if we or our independent registered public accounting firm identifies additional material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in the internal control over financial reporting), we could incur additional costs rectifying those issues, and the existence of those issues could adversely affect our reputation or investor perceptions of it. Advocacy efforts by stockholders and third parties may also prompt additional changes in governance and reporting requirements, which could further increase costs. Increased scrutiny of our environmental, social or governance responsibilities have and will likely continue to result in additional costs and risks, and may adversely impact our reputation, employee retention, and willingness of customers and suppliers to do business with us. There is increasing focus from customers, consumers, employees, regulators, lenders and other stakeholders concerning environmental, social and governance ("ESG") matters, including corporate citizenship and sustainability. Additionally, public interest and legislative pressure related to public companies' ESG practices continues to grow. If our ESG practices fail to meet regulatory requirements or stakeholders' evolving expectations and standards for responsible corporate citizenship in areas including environmental stewardship, support for local communities, Board and employee diversity, human capital management, employee health and safety practices, corporate governance and transparency and employing ESG strategies in our operations, our brand, reputation and employee retention may be negatively impacted, and customers and suppliers may be unwilling to do business with us.
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 2
We may be unable to build and maintain successful relationships with our strategic alliances and reseller partners, and such alliances and partnerships may fail to perform, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.
We employ a go-to-market business model whereby a material portion of our revenue is generated by sales through our channel partners, such as resellers and value-added resellers, which further expand the reach of our direct sales force into additional geographies, sectors and industries. In particular, we have entered, and intend to continue to enter, into strategic alliance and reseller relationships in certain international markets where we do not have a local presence. If our channel partners are unsuccessful in marketing and selling access to our platform, it would limit our expansion into certain geographies, sectors and industries. If we are unable to develop and maintain effective sales incentive programs for our channel partners, we may not be able to incentivize these partners to sell access to our platform to customers. Some of these partners may also market, sell and support offerings that are competitive with ours, may devote more resources to the marketing, sales and support of such competitive offerings, may have incentives to promote our competitors' offerings to the detriment of our own or may cease selling access to our products altogether. Our channel partners could subject us to lawsuits, potential liability and reputational harm if, for example, any of our channel partners misrepresents the functionality of our platform to customers or violates laws or our or their corporate policies. In addition, in circumstances where we do not enter into a direct agreement with end customers, we cannot be sure that on every occasion each channel partner has required end customers to agree to our standard terms which are protective of our solutions and technology, nor that the channel partners will enforce each failure by an end customer to comply with such terms. Our ability to achieve revenue growth in the future will depend, in significant part, on our success in maintaining successful relationships with our channel partners, identifying additional channel partners and training our channel partners to independently sell access to our platform. If our channel partners are unsuccessful in selling access to our platform, or if we are unable to enter into arrangements with or retain a sufficient number of high quality channel partners in each of the regions in which we market and sell our platform and keep them motivated to market and sell our platform, our business, financial condition, results of operations, and growth prospects would be adversely affected.
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 3
Our business strategy includes growing our portfolio through potential future acquisitions, strategic investments, partnerships or alliances that could be difficult to identify and integrate. Such projects may divert the attention of key management personnel, disrupt our business, dilute our existing stockholders' value and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
As part of our business strategy, we have in the past acquired, and may in the future acquire, additional assets, products, technologies or businesses that are complementary to our existing business. The process of identifying and consummating acquisitions and the subsequent integration of new assets and businesses into our existing business would require attention from management and could result in a diversion of resources from our existing business, which in turn could have an adverse effect on our operations. Acquired assets or businesses may not generate the expected financial results. Acquisitions could also result in significant cash expenditures, potentially dilutive issuance of equity securities, amortization expenses for other intangible assets, exposure to potential unknown liabilities of acquired businesses, and potential goodwill impairment. We may not successfully evaluate or use the acquired technology or personnel, or accurately forecast the financial impact of an acquisition transaction, including accounting charges and tax liabilities. Further, the issuance of equity or securities convertible to equity to finance any such acquisitions could result in dilution to our shareholders and the issuance of debt could subject us to covenants or other restrictions that would impede our ability to manage our operations. We could become subject to legal claims following an acquisition or fail to accurately forecast the potential impact of any claims. The acquired technology or product may not comply with legal or regulatory requirements and may expose us to regulatory risk and require us to make additional investments to make them compliant. We may not be able to provide the same support service levels to the acquired technology or product that we generally offer with our other products. Any of these issues could have a material adverse impact on our business and results of operations. Failure to successfully identify, complete, manage and integrate acquisitions could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In July 2022, we completed the acquisition of VHT, Inc. ("VHT"), known as VHT Studios, a U.S.-based real estate marketing company that offers brokerages and agents digital solutions to promote and sell properties, which expands Matterport Capture Services by bringing together Matterport digital twins with professional photography, drone capture and marketing services. Any integration process may require significant time and resources. We may not be able to manage the process successfully and may experience a decline in our profitability as we incur expenses prior to fully realizing the benefits of an acquisition. We could expend significant cash and incur acquisition related costs and other unanticipated liabilities associated with an acquisition, the product or the technology, such as contractual obligations, potential security vulnerabilities of the acquired company and its products and services and potential intellectual property infringement. Additional risks we may face in connection with acquisitions include: - diversion of management time and focus from operating our business to addressing acquisition integration challenges;- coordination of research and development and sales and marketing functions;- integration of products and service offerings;- retention of key employees from acquired companies;- changes in relationships with strategic partners as a result of product acquisitions or strategic positioning resulting from acquisitions;- cultural challenges associated with integrating employees from acquired companies into our organization;- integration of acquired companies' accounting, management information, human resources and other administrative systems in our existing operations;- the need to implement or improve controls, procedures, and policies at a business that prior to acquisition may have lacked sufficiently effective controls, procedures and policies;- additional legal, regulatory or compliance requirements;- financial reporting, revenue recognition or other financial or control deficiencies of acquired companies that we do not adequately address and that cause our reported results to be incorrect;- liability for activities of acquired companies, including intellectual property infringement claims, violations of laws, commercial disputes, tax liabilities and other known and unknown liabilities;- unanticipated write-offs or charges; and - litigation or other claims in connection with acquired companies, including claims from terminated employees, customers, former stockholders or other third parties. Our failure to address these risks or other problems encountered in connection with acquisitions and investments could cause us to fail to realize the anticipated benefits of these acquisitions or investments, cause us to incur unanticipated liabilities and cause other harm to our business.
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 4
We have experienced rapid growth and expect to invest in growth for the foreseeable future. If we fail to manage growth effectively, our business, operating results and financial condition would be adversely affected.
We have experienced rapid growth in recent periods, and we expect to continue to experience growth in the future. The growth and expansion of our business has challenged, and may continue to challenge our management, operations, financial infrastructure and corporate culture. While employee growth has rapidly occurred at our Sunnyvale headquarters, across the United States, and internationally, we have undertaken restructuring actions to better align our financial model and our business. For example, in July 2023, we implemented a plan of termination of approximately 30% of our workforce to reduce operating costs and continue to accelerate our path to profitable growth. We may need to take additional restructuring actions in the future to align our business with the market. Steps we take to manage our business operations, including remote work policies for employees, and to align our operations with our strategies for future growth may adversely affect our reputation and brand and our ability to recruit, retain and motivate highly skilled personnel. To manage growth in operations, we will need to continue to improve our operational, financial and management controls and reporting systems and procedures. Failure to manage growth effectively could result in difficulties or delays in attracting new customers, declines in quality or customer satisfaction, increases in costs, difficulties in introducing or enhancing products and services, loss of customers, information security vulnerabilities or other operational difficulties, any of which could adversely affect our business performance and operating results.
Legal & Regulatory
Total Risks: 7/43 (16%)Below Sector Average
Regulation2 | 4.7%
Regulation - Risk 1
Failure to comply with laws relating to employment could subject us to penalties and other adverse consequences.
We are subject to various employment-related laws in the jurisdictions in which our employees are based. We face risks if we fail to comply with applicable United States federal or state employment laws, or employment laws applicable to our employees outside of the United States. In addition, we implemented a reduction in force and furloughed employees in 2020, and the attendant layoffs and/or furloughs could create an additional risk of claims being made on behalf of affected employees. Any violation of applicable wage laws or other employment-related laws could result in complaints by current or former employees, adverse media coverage, investigations, and damages or penalties which could have a materially adverse effect on our reputation, business, operating results and prospects. In addition, responding to any such proceedings may result in a significant diversion of management's attention and resources, significant defense costs, and other professional fees.
Regulation - Risk 2
Changes in laws, regulations or rules, or a failure to comply with any laws, regulations or rules, may adversely affect our business, investments and results of operations.
We are subject to laws, regulations and rules enacted by national, regional and local governments and Nasdaq. In particular, we are required to comply with certain SEC, Nasdaq and other legal or regulatory requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws, regulations and rules may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws, regulations or rules and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws, regulations or rules, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Litigation & Legal Liabilities1 | 2.3%
Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 1
We are currently and may from time to time be involved in lawsuits and other litigation matters that are expensive and time-consuming. If resolved adversely, lawsuits and other litigation matters could seriously harm our business.
We are currently involved in several lawsuits and other litigation proceedings, and we anticipate that we may from time to time be involved in other lawsuits and similar proceedings. Any such lawsuits or other proceedings to which we are a party may result in an onerous or unfavorable outcomes or judgment that may not be reversed on appeal, or we may decide to settle lawsuits or other proceedings on unfavorable terms. Any such negative outcome could result in payments of substantial monetary damages or fines, or changes to our products or business practices, and accordingly our business could be seriously harmed.
Taxation & Government Incentives2 | 4.7%
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 1
Changes to applicable U.S. tax laws and regulations or exposure to additional income tax liabilities could affect our business and future profitability.
We are a U.S. corporation that will be subject to U.S. corporate income tax on our worldwide operations. Moreover, most of our operations and customers are located in the United States, and as a result, we are subject to various U.S. federal, state and local taxes. New U.S. laws and policy relating to taxes may have an adverse effect on our business and future profitability. Further, existing U.S. tax laws, statutes, rules, regulations or ordinances could be interpreted, changed, modified or applied adversely to us.
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 2
As a result of plans to expand our business operations, including to jurisdictions in which tax laws may not be favorable, our tax rates may fluctuate, tax obligations may become significantly more complex and subject to greater risk of examination by taxing authorities and we may be subject to future changes in tax law, the impacts of which could adversely affect our after-tax profitability and financial results.
In the event that our business expands domestically or internationally, our effective tax rates may fluctuate widely in the future. Future effective tax rates could be affected by operating losses in jurisdictions where no tax benefit can be recorded under U.S. law, changes in deferred tax assets and liabilities, or changes in tax laws. Factors that could materially affect our future effective tax rates include, but are not limited to: - changes in tax laws or the regulatory environment;- changes in accounting and tax standards or practices;- changes in the composition of operating income by tax jurisdiction and pre-tax operating results of our business;- changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities;-     expected timing and amount of the release of any tax valuation allowances;-     tax effects of stock-based compensation;-     costs related to intercompany restructurings;-     changes in tax laws, regulations or interpretations thereof; or -     lower than anticipated future earnings in jurisdictions where we have lower statutory tax rates and higher than anticipated future earnings in jurisdictions where we have higher statutory tax rates. In addition, we have been and may be subject to audits of our income, sales and other transaction taxes by taxing authorities. Outcomes of these audits could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. We may be subject to significant income, withholding and other tax obligations in the United States and may become subject to taxation in numerous additional state, local and non-U.S. jurisdictions with respect to income, operations and subsidiaries related to those jurisdictions. Our after-tax profitability and financial results could be subject to volatility or be affected by numerous factors, including the following: -     the availability of tax deductions, credits, exemptions, refunds and other benefits to reduce tax liabilities,-     changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, if any,-     expected timing and amount of the release of any tax valuation allowances, the tax treatment of stock-based compensation,-     changes in the relative amount of earnings subject to tax in the various jurisdictions,-     the potential business expansion into, or otherwise becoming subject to tax in, additional jurisdictions,-     changes to existing intercompany structure (and any costs related thereto) and business operations,-     the extent of intercompany transactions and the extent to which taxing authorities in relevant jurisdictions respect those intercompany transactions and -     the ability to structure business operations in an efficient and competitive manner. Outcomes of audits or examinations by taxing authorities could have an adverse effect on our after-tax profitability and financial condition. Additionally, the IRS and several foreign tax authorities have increasingly focused attention on intercompany transfer pricing with respect to sales of products and services and the use of intangibles. Tax authorities could disagree with our intercompany charges, cross-jurisdictional transfer pricing or other matters and assess additional taxes. If we do not prevail in any such disagreements, our profitability may be affected. Our after-tax profitability and financial results may also be adversely affected by changes in relevant tax laws and tax rates, treaties, regulations, administrative practices and principles, judicial decisions and interpretations thereof, in each case, possibly with retroactive effect.
Environmental / Social2 | 4.7%
Environmental / Social - Risk 1
Because we store, process, and use data, some of which contains personal information, we are subject to complex and evolving federal, state and foreign laws, regulations, industry standards, and other legal obligations regarding data privacy and security matters. Failure to comply with such laws, regulations, industry standards, and legal obligations could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, results of operations or financial condition, or have other adverse consequences.
As part of our normal business activities, we collect, store, retain, process, transmit, and use data, some of which contains personal information. As such, we are subject to various federal, state, and foreign laws and regulations, industry standards, and other legal obligations regarding data privacy and security matters. In addition, these existing laws and regulations are constantly evolving, and new laws and regulations that apply to our business are being introduced at every level of government in the United States, as well as internationally. The legislative and regulatory landscape will be even more complex in 2024 as some countries work to implement laws finalized last year - such as India's Personal Data Protection Law - while others launch or continue discussions around potential privacy legislation. As we seek to expand our business, we are, and may increasingly become subject to various laws, regulations, standards, and regulatory guidance relating to data privacy and security in the jurisdictions in which we operate. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to comply with any federal or state privacy or security laws, regulations, regulatory guidance, industry standards, or other legal obligations relating to data privacy or security could adversely affect our reputation, results of operations or financial condition, and may result in claims, liabilities, proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities, customers or others. In the United States, there are numerous federal and state data privacy and security laws, rules, and regulations governing the collection, storage, retention, transmission, use, retention, security, transfer, storage, and other processing of personal information, including federal and state data privacy laws, data breach notification laws, and consumer protection laws. For example, the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") and many state attorneys general are interpreting federal and state consumer protection laws to impose standards for the online collection, use, dissemination, and security of data. Such standards require us to publish statements that describe how we handle personal data and choices individuals may have about the way we handle their personal data. If such information that we publish is considered untrue or inaccurate, we may be subject to government claims of unfair or deceptive trade practices, which could lead to significant liabilities and consequences. Moreover, according to the FTC, violating consumers' privacy rights or failing to take appropriate steps to keep consumers' personal data secure may constitute unfair acts or practices in or affecting commerce in violation of Section 5(a) of the Federal Trade Commission Act. State consumer protection laws provide similar causes of action for unfair or deceptive practices. Some states, such as California and Massachusetts, have passed specific laws mandating reasonable security measures for the handling of consumer data. Further, privacy advocates and industry groups have regularly proposed and sometimes approved, and may propose and approve in the future, self-regulatory standards with which we must legally comply or that contractually apply to us. Our communications with our customers are subject to certain laws and regulations, including the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing ("CAN-SPAM") Act of 2003, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (the "TCPA"), and the Telemarketing Sales Rule and analogous state laws, that could expose us to significant damages awards, fines and other penalties that could materially impact our business. For example, the TCPA imposes various consumer consent requirements and other restrictions in connection with certain telemarketing activity and other communication with consumers by phone, fax or text message. The CAN-SPAM Act and the Telemarketing Sales Rule and analogous state laws also impose various restrictions on marketing conducted use of email, telephone, fax or text message. As laws and regulations, including FTC enforcement, rapidly evolve to govern the use of these communications and marketing platforms, the failure by us, our employees or third parties acting at our direction to abide by applicable laws and regulations could adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations or subject us to fines or other penalties. In addition, many state legislatures have adopted legislation that regulates how businesses operate online, including measures relating to privacy, data security, and data breaches. Such legislation includes the California Consumer Privacy Act ("CCPA"), which increases privacy rights for California consumers and imposes obligations on companies that process their personal information. Among other things, the CCPA gives California consumers expanded rights related to their personal information, including the right to access and delete their personal information and receive detailed information about how their personal information is used and shared. The CCPA also provides California consumers the right to opt-out of certain sales of personal information and may restrict the use of cookies and similar technologies for advertising purposes. The CCPA prohibits discrimination against individuals who exercise their privacy rights and provides for civil penalties for violations enforceable by the California Attorney General as well as a private right of action for certain data breaches that result in the loss of personal information. This private right of action is expected to increase the likelihood of, and risks associated with, data breach litigation. Additionally, in November 2020, California passed the California Privacy Rights Act (the "CPRA"), which expands the CCPA significantly, including by expanding California consumers' rights with respect to certain personal information and creating a new state agency to oversee implementation and enforcement efforts, potentially resulting in further uncertainty and requiring us to incur additional costs and expenses in an effort to comply. Many of the CPRA's provisions became effective on January 1, 2023. The costs of compliance with, and the other burdens imposed by, these and other laws or regulatory actions may increase our operational costs, and/or result in interruptions or delays in the availability of systems. Other states have enacted similar bills. Four states have passed laws that are now enforceable by such states' Attorney General and/or district attorney. The Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act ("VCDPA") became enforceable on January 1, 2023 and gives consumers rights similar to the CCPA and also requires covered businesses to implement security measures and conduct data protection assessments. The Colorado Privacy Act ( "CPA") became enforceable on July 1, 2023 and closely resembles the VCDPA. The Connecticut Personal Data Privacy and Online Monitoring Act and the Utah Consumer Privacy Act are also now enforceable. Seven other states passed laws in 2023 that will become enforceable 2024, 2025 and 2026 – the Oregon Consumer Privacy Act, the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act, the Montana Consumer Data Protection Act, the Iowa Consumer Data Protection Act, the Tennessee Information Protection Act, the Indiana Consumer Data Protection, and the Delaware Personal Data Privacy Act. We must comply with these state laws if our operations fall within the scope of these laws, which may increase our compliance costs and potential liability. Similar laws have been proposed in other states and at the federal level, reflecting a trend toward more stringent privacy legislation in the United States. This legislation may add additional complexity, variation in requirements, restrictions and potential legal risk, require additional investment in resources to compliance programs, could impact strategies and availability of previously useful data, and could result in increased compliance costs and/or changes in business practices and policies. In addition, some laws may require us to notify governmental authorities and/or affected individuals of data breaches involving certain personal information or other unauthorized or inadvertent access to or disclosure of such information. We may need to notify governmental authorities and affected individuals with respect to such incidents. For example, laws in all 50 U.S. states may require businesses to provide notice to consumers whose personal information has been disclosed as a result of a data breach. These laws are not consistent with each other, and compliance in the event of a widespread data breach may be difficult and costly. On July 26, 2023, the SEC adopted a suite of new cybersecurity disclosure requirements, including a requirement to disclose material cybersecurity incidents within four business days of the Company's determination that the cybersecurity incident is material. We also may be contractually required to notify consumers or other counterparties of a security incident, including a breach. Regardless of our contractual protections, any actual or perceived security incident or breach, or breach of our contractual obligations, could harm our reputation and brand, expose us to potential liability or require us to expend significant resources on data security and in responding to any such actual or perceived breach. In the EEA, we are subject to the General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 ("GDPR")and in the United Kingdom, we are subject to the United Kingdom data protection regime consisting primarily of the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the UK Data Protection Act 2018. The GDPR, and national supplementing legislation in EEA member states, and the United Kingdom regime, impose a strict data protection compliance regime. For example, we are subject to European Union and United Kingdom rules with respect to cross-border transfers of personal data out of the EEA and the United Kingdom, respectively. Recent legal developments in Europe have created complexity and uncertainty regarding transfers of personal information from the EEA and the United Kingdom to the United States. On July 16, 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union ("CJEU") invalidated the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework ("Privacy Shield") under which personal information could be transferred from the EEA to US entities who had self-certified under the Privacy Shield scheme. Use of the standard contractual clauses must be assessed on a case-by-case basis taking into account the legal regime applicable in the destination country, in particular applicable surveillance laws and rights of individuals, and additional measures and/or contractual provisions may need to be put in place. The European Commission has published revised standard contractual clauses for data transfers from the EEA: the revised clauses have been mandatory for relevant transfers since September 27, 2021, and in the United Kingdom, the Information Commissioner's Office has published new data transfer standard contracts for transfers from the UK under the UK GDPR, which are mandatory for relevant transfers from September 21, 2022. On July 10, 2023, the EU-US Data Privacy Framework ("DPF"), the successor to Privacy Shield, became effective and the European Commission issued an adequacy decision relating to the DPF. These recent developments mean we have to review and may need to change the legal mechanisms by which we transfer data outside of the European Union and United Kingdom, including to the United States. As supervisory authorities issue further guidance on personal data export mechanisms, we could suffer additional costs, complaints and/or regulatory investigations or fines, and/or if we are otherwise unable to transfer personal data between and among countries and regions in which we operate, it could affect the manner in which we provide our services, and could adversely affect our financial results. We are also subject to evolving EU and UK privacy laws on cookies, tracking technologies and e-marketing. In the EU and the UK under national laws derived from the ePrivacy Directive, informed consent is required for the placement of a cookie or similar technologies on a user's device and for direct electronic marketing to individuals (as opposed to businesses). The current national laws that implement the ePrivacy Directive are highly likely to be replaced across the EU (but not directly in the UK) by an EU regulation known as the ePrivacy Regulation which will significantly increase fines for non-compliance. Recent European court and regulatory decisions, as well as actions by NYOB (a not-for-profit privacy activist group), are driving increased attention to cookies and tracking technologies, and if this continues, this could lead to substantial costs, require significant systems changes, limit the effectiveness of our marketing activities, increase costs and subject us to additional liabilities. We are subject to the supervision of local data protection authorities in the United Kingdom and those EEA jurisdictions where we are established or otherwise subject to the GDPR. Fines for certain breaches of the GDPR and the UK data protection regime are significant: up to the greater of €20 million / £17.5 million or 4 % of total global annual turnover. In addition to the foregoing, a breach of the GDPR or UK GDPR could result in regulatory investigations, reputational damage, orders to cease/ change our processing of our data, enforcement notices, and/ or assessment notices (for a compulsory audit). We may also face civil claims including representative actions and other class action type litigation (where individuals have suffered harm), potentially amounting to significant compensation or damages liabilities, as well as associated costs, diversion of internal resources, and reputational harm. Outside of the US and EU, many countries and territories have laws, regulations, or other requirements relating to privacy, data protection, information security, localized storage of data, and consumer protection, and new countries and territories are adopting such legislation or other obligations with increasing frequency. Many of these laws may require consent from consumers for the use of data for various purposes, including marketing, which may reduce our ability to market our products. There is no harmonized approach to these laws and regulations globally. Consequently, we would increase our risk of non-compliance with applicable foreign data protection laws by expanding internationally. We may need to change and limit the way we use personal information in operating our business and may have difficulty maintaining a single operating model that is compliant. Further, because we accept debit and credit cards for payment, we are subject to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, or the PCI Standard, issued by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council, with respect to payment card information. The PCI Standard contains compliance guidelines with our security surrounding the physical and electronic storage, processing and transmission of cardholder data. Compliance with the PCI Standard and implementing related procedures, technology and information security measures requires significant resources and ongoing attention. Costs and potential problems and interruptions associated with the implementation of new or upgraded systems and technology, such as those necessary to achieve compliance with the PCI Standard or with maintenance or adequate support of existing systems could also disrupt or reduce the efficiency of our operations. Any material interruptions or failures in our payment-related systems could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. If there are amendments to the PCI Standard, the cost of recompliance could also be substantial and we may suffer loss of critical data and interruptions or delays in our operations as a result. If we are unable to comply with the security standards established by banks and the payment card industry, we may be subject to fines, restrictions, and expulsion from card acceptance programs, which could materially and adversely affect our business. Lastly, the global landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) legislation and regulation is rapidly evolving as governments and regulatory bodies seek to balance innovation with ethical considerations, privacy, security, and accountability. In the European Union, the proposed AI Act represents a comprehensive effort to regulate AI, focusing on risk-based categories and setting strict requirements for high-risk applications. The United States, while lacking a unified federal framework, has seen regulatory guidance from agencies like the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and sector-specific policies addressing AI's ethical use. China has also introduced regulations aimed at enhancing data security and the ethical development of AI, emphasizing the importance of controlling AI's social impacts. Elsewhere, countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia are developing frameworks that address AI governance, ethics, and safety standards. As global AI regulations continue to evolve and expand, legislation could impose significant compliance costs and operational challenges on our business. Should we fail to adhere to these emerging standards and requirements, we could face legal penalties, operational restrictions, and potentially severe reputational damage. This evolving regulatory landscape underscores the importance of proactive compliance and strategic planning to mitigate risks associated with AI deployment, ensuring that our business operations remain resilient and competitive in a rapidly changing legal environment. Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with our posted privacy policies, our privacy-related obligations to users or other third parties, or any other legal obligations or regulatory requirements relating to privacy, data protection, or data security, may result in governmental investigations or enforcement actions, litigation (including customer class actions), claims, or public statements against us by consumer advocacy groups or others and could result in significant liability, cause our users to lose trust in us, and otherwise materially and adversely affect our reputation and business. Furthermore, the costs of compliance with, and other burdens imposed by, the laws, regulations, other obligations, and policies that are applicable to the businesses of our users may limit the adoption and use of, and reduce the overall demand for, our platform. Additionally, if third parties we work with violate applicable laws, regulations, or contractual obligations, such violations may put our users' data at risk, could result in governmental investigations or enforcement actions, fines, litigation, claims, or public statements against us by consumer advocacy groups or others and could result in significant liability, cause our users to lose trust in us, and otherwise materially and adversely affect our reputation and business.
Environmental / Social - Risk 2
Climate change and related public focus from regulators and various stakeholders could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.
Climate change is receiving ever increasing attention worldwide. Many scientists, legislators and others attribute global warming to increased levels of greenhouse gases, which has led to significant legislative and regulatory efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Climate changes, such as extreme weather conditions, decreased water availability and overall temperature shifts, may have physical impacts on operations. Such impacts are geographically specific, highly uncertain and may result in diminished availability of materials, indirect financial risks passed through our supply chain and adverse impacts on our financial performance and operations. These considerations may also result in international, national, regional or local legislative or regulatory responses to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Timing and scope of any regulations are uncertain and regulation could result in additional costs of compliance, increased energy, transportation and materials costs and other additional expenses to improve the efficiency of our products and operations. Relatedly, the expectations of our customers, stockholders and employees have heightened in areas such as the environment, social matters and corporate governance. Increased public focus requires us to provide information on our approach to these issues, including certain climate-related matters such as mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, and continuously monitor related reporting standards. A failure to adequately meet stakeholder expectations may result in a loss of business, diminished ability to successfully market our products to new and existing customers, diluted market valuation or an inability to attract and retain key personnel.
Tech & Innovation
Total Risks: 6/43 (14%)Below Sector Average
Innovation / R&D1 | 2.3%
Innovation / R&D - Risk 1
The spatial data market is characterized by rapid technological change, which requires us to continue to develop new services, products and service and product innovations. Any delays in such development could adversely affect market adoption of our products and services and could adversely affect our business and financial results.
Continuing technological changes in spatial data could adversely affect adoption of spatial data and/or our platform or products. Our future success will depend upon our ability to develop and introduce new capabilities and innovations to our platform and other existing product offerings, as well as introduce new product offerings, to address the changing needs of the spatial data market. As the market for spatial data changes, we may need to upgrade or adapt our platform and introduce new products and services in order to serve our customers, which could involve substantial expense. Even if we are able to keep pace with changes in technology and develop new products and services, our research and development expenses could increase, our gross margins could be adversely affected in some periods and our prior products could become obsolete more quickly than expected. We cannot assure that any new products and services will be released in a timely manner, or at all, or achieve market acceptance. Delays in delivering new products and services that meet customer needs could damage our relationships with customers and lead them to seek alternative products or services. Delays in introducing products and innovations or the failure to offer innovative products or services at competitive prices may cause our subscribers to use our competitors' products or services. If we are unable to devote adequate resources to develop products or cannot otherwise successfully develop products or services that meet customer needs on a timely basis, our platform and other products could lose market share, our revenue could decline, we may experience higher operating losses and our business and prospects could be adversely affected.
Trade Secrets2 | 4.7%
Trade Secrets - Risk 1
We may need to defend against intellectual property infringement or misappropriation claims, which may be time-consuming and expensive, and adversely affect our business.
Technology companies are frequently subject to litigation based on allegations of infringement or other violations of intellectual property rights. From time to time, the holders of intellectual property rights have previously and may in the future assert their rights and urge us to take licenses, and/or bring suits alleging infringement or misappropriation of such rights. There can be no assurance that we will be able to mitigate the risk of potential suits or other legal demands by such third parties. Although we may have meritorious defenses, there can be no assurance that we will be successful in defending against these allegations or in reaching business resolutions that are satisfactory to us. In addition, if we are determined to have infringed, or believe there is a high likelihood that we have infringed upon a third party's intellectual property rights, we may be required to cease making, selling or incorporating key components or intellectual property into the products and services we offer, to pay substantial damages and/or royalties, to redesign our products and services, and/or to establish and maintain alternative branding. Any litigation may also involve non-practicing entities or other adverse patent owners that have no relevant solution revenue, and therefore, our patent portfolio may provide little or no deterrence as we would not be able to assert our patents against such entities or individuals. To the extent that our subscribers and business partners become the subject of allegations or claims regarding the infringement or misappropriation of intellectual property rights related to our products and services, we have previously and may in the future be required to indemnify such subscribers and business partners. For example, we are currently indemnifying our client Redfin Corporation in a lawsuit brought by Appliance Computing III d/b/a Surefield. Specifically, Appliance Computing III d/b/a Surefield has asserted that Redfin's use of our 3D-Walkthrough technology infringes four patents. The matter went to jury trial in May 2022 and resulted in a jury verdict finding that Redfin had not infringed upon any of the asserted patent claims and that all asserted patent claims were invalid. Final judgment was entered on August 15, 2022. On September 12, 2022, Surefield filed post trial motions seeking to reverse the jury verdict. Redfin has filed oppositions to the motions. In addition, on May 16, 2022, the Company filed a declaratory judgment action against Appliance Computing III, Inc., d/b/a Surefield, seeking a declaratory judgment that the Company had not infringed upon the four patents asserted against Redfin and one additional, related patent. The matter is pending in the Western District of Washington and captioned Matterport, Inc. v. Appliance Computing III, Inc. d/b/a Surefield, Case No. 2:22-cv-00669 (W.D. Wash.). Surefield has filed a motion to dismiss or in the alternative transfer the case to the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas. The Company filed an opposition to the motion. On August 28, 2023, the Court denied Surefield's motion to dismiss the Washington case but stayed the action pending the resolution of the Texas case. Our agreements with customers, channel partners and certain vendors include indemnification provisions under which we agree to indemnify them for losses suffered or incurred as a result of claims of intellectual property infringement pertaining to our products and technology. Some of these indemnity agreements provide for uncapped liability and some indemnity provisions survive termination or expiration of the applicable agreement. Any claim of infringement by a third party, even one without merit, whether against us or for which we are required to provide indemnification, could cause us to incur substantial costs defending against the claim, could distract our management from our business, and could require us to cease use of such intellectual property or develop a non-infringing design-around. Further, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, we risk compromising our confidential information during this type of litigation. Any dispute with a customer with respect to these intellectual property indemnification obligations could have adverse effects on our relationship with that customer and other existing or new customers, and harm our business and operating results. We may be required to make substantial payments for legal fees, settlement fees, damages, royalties, or other fees in connection with a claimant securing a judgment against us, we may be subject to an injunction or other restrictions that cause us to cease selling subscriptions to our products, we may be subject to an injunction or other restrictions that cause us to rebrand or otherwise cease using certain trademarks in specified jurisdictions, or we may be required to redesign any allegedly infringing portion of our products or we may agree to a settlement that prevents us from distributing our platform or a portion thereof, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, although we carry insurance, our insurance may not be adequate to indemnify us for all liability that may be imposed, or otherwise protect us from liabilities or damages, and any such coverage may not continue to be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. Even if we are not a party to any litigation between a subscriber or business partner and a third party relating to infringement by our products, an adverse outcome in any such litigation could make it more difficult for us to defend our products against intellectual property infringement claims in subsequent litigation in which we are a named party. If we are required to take one or more such actions, our business, prospects, brand, operating results and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected. In addition, any litigation or claims, whether or not valid, could result in substantial costs, negative publicity and diversion of resources and management attention. With respect to any intellectual property rights claim, we may have to seek a license to continue operations that are found or alleged to violate such rights. Such licenses may not be available, or if available, may not be available on favorable or commercially reasonable terms and may significantly increase our operating expenses. Some licenses may be non-exclusive, and therefore our competitors may have access to the same technology licensed to us. If a third party does not offer us a license to its intellectual property on reasonable terms, or at all, we may be required to develop alternative, non-infringing technology, which could require significant time (during which we would be unable to continue to offer our affected offerings), effort and expense and may ultimately not be successful. Any of these events could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Trade Secrets - Risk 2
Our business may be adversely affected if we are unable to protect our spatial data technology and intellectual property from unauthorized use by third parties.
Our success depends, at least in part, on our ability to protect our core spatial data technology and intellectual property. To accomplish this, we rely on, and plan to continue relying on, a combination of patents, trade secrets, employee and third-party nondisclosure agreements, copyright, trademarks, intellectual property licenses and other contractual rights to retain ownership of, and protect, our technology. Such agreements may not effectively prevent unauthorized use or disclosure of our confidential information, intellectual property or technology and may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure of our confidential information, intellectual property or technology, and we may fail to consistently obtain, police and enforce such agreements. Failure to adequately protect our technology and intellectual property could result in competitors offering similar products, potentially resulting in the loss of some of our competitive advantage and a decrease in revenue, which would adversely affect our business prospects, financial condition and operating results. The measures we take to protect our intellectual property from unauthorized use by others may not be effective for various reasons, including the following: -     any patent applications we submit may not result in the issuance of patents;-     the scope of issued patents may not be broad enough to protect proprietary rights;-     any issued patents may be challenged by competitors and/or invalidated by courts or governmental authorities;-     the costs associated with enforcing patents or other intellectual property rights may make aggressive enforcement impracticable;-     current and future competitors may circumvent patents or independently develop similar proprietary designs or technologies; and -     know-how and other proprietary information we purport to hold as a trade secret may not qualify as a trade secret under applicable laws. Patent, trademark, and trade secret laws vary significantly throughout the world. Some foreign countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as do the laws of the United States, and effective intellectual property protection may not be available in every country in which we operate or intend to operate our business. Further, policing the unauthorized use of our intellectual property in foreign jurisdictions may be difficult or impossible. Therefore, our intellectual property rights may not be as strong or as easily enforced outside of the United States.
Technology3 | 7.0%
Technology - Risk 1
We rely significantly on the use of information technology. Cybersecurity risks – any technology failures causing a material disruption to operational technology or cyber-attacks on our systems affecting our ability to protect the integrity and security of customer and employee information – could harm our reputation and/or could disrupt our operations and negatively impact our business.
We increasingly rely on information technology systems to process, transmit and store electronic information. A significant portion of the communication between personnel, customers, business partners and suppliers depends on information technology. We use information technology systems and networks in our operations and supporting departments such as marketing, accounting, finance, and human resources. We also rely on third party technology and systems for a variety of reasons, including, without limitation, authentication technology, employee email, content delivery to customers, back-office support, and other functions. The future operation, success and growth of our business depends on streamlined processes made available through our uninhibited access to information systems, global communications, internet activity and other network processes. Like most companies, despite our current security measures, our information technology systems, and those of our third-party service providers, may be vulnerable to information security breaches, malware, viruses, physical or electronic break-ins and similar disruptions, which could lead to interruption and delays in our services and operations and loss, misuse or theft of data. Computer malware, viruses, hacking and phishing attacks against online networks have become more prevalent and may occur on our systems in the future. Ransomware attacks, including those from organized criminal threat actors, nation-states, and nation-state supported actors, are becoming increasingly prevalent and severe, and can lead to significant interruptions in our operations, loss of data and income, reputational loss, diversion of funds, and may result in fines, litigation and unwanted media attention. Extortion payments may alleviate the negative impact of a ransomware attack, but we may be unwilling or unable to make such payments due to, for example, applicable laws or regulations prohibiting payments. Further, stored data might be improperly accessed due to a variety of events beyond our control, including, but not limited to, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, telecommunications failures, computer viruses, hackers and other security issues. Hackers and data thieves are increasingly sophisticated and operate large-scale and complex automated attacks which may remain undetected until after they occur. Any attempts by cyber attackers to disrupt our services or systems or those of our third party service providers could result in mandated user notifications, litigation, government investigations, significant fines and expenditures; product fulfillment delays, key personnel being unable to perform duties or communicate throughout the organization, loss of internet sales, significant costs for data restoration; damage our brand and reputation; and materially adversely affect our business and results of operations. Efforts to prevent cyber attackers from entering computer systems are expensive to implement, and we may not be able to avoid attacks that arise through computer systems of our third-party vendors. Despite our existing security procedures and controls, if our network were compromised, it could give rise to unwanted media attention, materially damage our customer relationships, harm our business, reputation, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition, result in fines or litigation, and may increase the costs we incur to protect against such information security breaches, such as increased investment in technology, the costs of compliance with consumer protection laws and costs resulting from consumer fraud. We have not experienced any material attacks, disruptions, outages and other performance problems, but may do so in the future, due to a variety of factors, including infrastructure changes, third-party service providers, human or software errors and capacity constraints. When we have experienced such incidents, we have implemented controls and taken other preventative actions to further strengthen our systems against future attacks. However, we cannot assure you that such measures will provide absolute security, that we will be able to react in a timely manner, or that our remediation efforts following an attack will be successful. We have processes and procedures in place designed to enable us to recover from a disaster or catastrophe and continue business operations and have tested this capability under controlled circumstances. However, there are several factors ranging from human error to data corruption that could materially impact the efficacy of such processes and procedures, including by lengthening the time services are partially or fully unavailable to customers and users. It may be difficult or impossible to perform some or all recovery steps and continue normal business operations due to the nature of a particular disaster or catastrophe, especially during peak periods, which could cause additional reputational damages, or loss of revenues, any of which would adversely affect our business and financial results. Moreover, while we maintain cyber insurance that may help provide coverage for these types of incidents, we cannot assure you that our insurance will be adequate to cover costs and liabilities related to security incidents or breaches. The successful assertion of one or more large claims against us that exceeds our available insurance coverage, or results in changes to our insurance policies (including premium increases or the imposition of large deductible or co-insurance requirements), could have an adverse effect on our business. In addition, we cannot be sure that our existing insurance coverage will continue to be available on acceptable terms or that our insurers will not deny coverage as to any future claim.
Technology - Risk 2
Our products are highly technical and may contain undetected software bugs or hardware errors, which could manifest in ways that could seriously harm our reputation and our business.
Our products and services are highly technical and complex. Our platform and any products we may introduce in the future may contain undetected software bugs, hardware errors, and other vulnerabilities. These bugs and errors can manifest in any number of ways in our products and services, including through diminished performance, security vulnerabilities, malfunctions, or even permanently disabled products. We have a practice of rapidly updating our products and some errors in our products may be discovered only after a product has been shipped and used by customers. Any errors, bugs or vulnerabilities discovered in our code after release could damage our reputation, drive away customers, lower revenue, and expose us to damages claims, any of which could seriously harm our business. We could also face claims for product liability, tort, or breach of warranty. In addition, our contracts with subscribers contain provisions relating to warranty disclaimers and liability limitations, which may not be upheld. Defending a lawsuit, regardless of its merit, is costly and may divert management's attention and seriously harm our reputation and business. In addition, if our liability insurance coverage proves inadequate or future coverage is unavailable on acceptable terms or at all, our business could be seriously harmed.
Technology - Risk 3
Our products contain third-party open source software components, and failure to comply with the terms of the underlying open source software licenses could restrict our ability to deliver our platform or subject us to litigation or other actions.
Our products contain software modules licensed to us by third-party authors under "open source" licenses, and we expect to continue to incorporate such open source software in our products in the future. Use and distribution of open source software may entail greater risks than use of third-party commercial software, as open source licensors generally do not provide support, warranties, indemnification, or other contractual protections regarding infringement claims or the quality of the code. In addition, the public availability of such software may make it easier for others to compromise our platform. Some open source licenses contain requirements that we make available source code for modifications or derivative works we create based upon the type of open source software we use, or grant other licenses to our intellectual property. We seek to ensure that our proprietary software is not combined with, and does not incorporate, open source software in ways that would require the release of the source code of our proprietary software to the public. However, if we combine our proprietary software with open source software in a certain manner, we could, under certain open source licenses, be required to release the source code of our proprietary software to the public. This would allow our competitors or new entrants to create similar offerings with lower development effort and time and ultimately could result in a loss of our competitive advantages. Alternatively, to avoid the public release of the affected portions of our source code, we could be required to expend substantial time and resources to re-engineer some or all of our software. Our platform incorporates software that is licensed under open source licenses which could require release of proprietary code if such platform was released or distributed in any manner that would trigger such a requirement to third parties. We take steps to ensure that our platform is not released or distributed. Additionally, some open source projects have vulnerabilities and architectural instabilities and are provided without warranties or support services to actively provide us patched versions when available, and which, if not properly addressed, could negatively affect the performance of our platform. Although we have certain processes in place to monitor and manage our use of open source software to avoid subjecting our platform to conditions we do not intend, the terms of many open source licenses have not been interpreted by U.S. or foreign courts, and there is a risk that these licenses could be construed in a way that could impose unanticipated conditions or restrictions on our ability to provide or distribute our platform. From time to time, there have been claims challenging the ownership of open source software against companies that incorporate open source software into their platform, and the licensors of such open source software provide no warranties or indemnities with respect to such claims. As a result, we could be subject to lawsuits by parties claiming ownership of what we believe to be open source software. Moreover, we cannot assure you that our processes for monitoring and managing our use of open source software in our platform will be effective. If we are held to have breached or failed to fully comply with all the terms and conditions of an open source software license, or if an author or other third party that distributes such open source software were to allege that we had not complied with the conditions of one or more of these licenses, we could be required to incur significant legal expenses defending against such allegations, could be subject to significant damages, enjoined from the sale of subscriptions to our platform or other liability, or be required to seek costly licenses from third parties to continue providing our platform on terms that, if available at all, are not economically feasible, to re-engineer our platform, to discontinue or delay the provision of our platform if re-engineering could not be accomplished on a timely basis, or to make generally available, in source code form, our proprietary code, any of which would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Macro & Political
Total Risks: 5/43 (12%)Above Sector Average
Economy & Political Environment4 | 9.3%
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 1
Our business may be negatively affected by domestic and global economic and credit conditions.
We have international operations with sales outside the U.S., and we have plans to expand internationally. In addition, our global supply chain is large and complex and the majority of our supplier facilities are located outside the U.S. As a result, our operations and performance depend significantly on global and regional economic conditions. Adverse macroeconomic conditions, including inflation, slower growth or recession, new or increased tariffs and other barriers to trade, changes to fiscal and monetary policy, tighter credit, higher interest rates, high unemployment and currency fluctuations can adversely impact consumer confidence and spending and materially adversely affect demand for our products and services. In addition, consumer confidence and spending can be materially adversely affected in response to financial market volatility, negative financial news, conditions in the real estate and mortgage markets, declines in income or asset values, energy shortages and cost increases, labor and healthcare costs and other economic factors. In addition to an adverse impact on demand for our products and services, uncertainty about, or a decline in, global or regional economic conditions can have a significant impact on our suppliers and subscribers. These and other economic factors can negatively adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and stock price. Additionally, turmoil in the global banking system has the potential to impact our business, results of operations, financial condition and stock price. For example, on March 10, 2023, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), one of our banking partners, was closed by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, which appointed the FDIC as receiver. On March 27, 2023, First Citizens Bank & Trust Company assumed all of SVB's customer deposits and certain other liabilities and acquired substantially all of SVB's loans and certain other assets from the FDIC. We held a minimal amount of cash directly at SVB and, since that date, the FDIC has stated that all depositors of SVB will be made whole, and First Citizens Bank & Trust Company has assumed our deposits from SVB. However, there is no guarantee that the federal government would guarantee all depositors as they did with SVB depositors in the event of further bank closures, and continued instability in the global banking system may adversely impact our business and financial condition as well as the financial condition of our customers and suppliers.
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 2
Added
Prolonged economic uncertainties or downturns could materially adversely affect our business.
Negative conditions in the general economy both in the United States and abroad, including inflationary pressure, recession, currency fluctuations and a higher interest rate environment, changes in gross domestic product growth, instability in connection with the upcoming presidential election in the United States, potential future government shutdowns, the federal government's failure to raise the debt ceiling, financial and credit market fluctuations, the imposition of trade barriers and restrictions such as tariffs, political deadlock, restrictions on travel, natural catastrophes, warfare and terrorist attacks, could cause a decrease in business investments, including corporate spending in general and negatively affect the rate of growth of our business.
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 3
Changed
The impact of the risks associated with international geopolitical conflicts, including escalating tensions between Taiwan and China, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, on the global economy, energy supplies and supply of raw materials are uncertain, but may negatively impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.
In recent years, diplomatic and trade relationships between the U.S. government and China have become increasingly frayed and the threat of a takeover of Taiwan by China has increased. As we have suppliers in China and Taiwan, our business, operations, and supply chain could be materially and adversely impacted by political, economic or other actions from China or Taiwan, or changes in China-Taiwan relations that impact their economies. Tensions between the U.S. and China have led to a series of tariffs being imposed by the U.S. on imports from mainland China, as well as other business restrictions. Tariffs increase the cost of our products and the components that go into making them. These increased costs can adversely impact the gross margin that we earn on our products. Tariffs can also make our products more expensive for customers, which could make our products less competitive and reduce consumer demand. Changing our operations in accordance with new or changed trade restrictions can be expensive, time-consuming and disruptive to our operations. In addition, we continue to monitor any adverse impact that the outbreak of war in Ukraine and the subsequent institution of sanctions against Russia by the United States, the Israeli-Palestinian military conflict, and several European and Asian countries may have on the global economy in general, on our business and operations and on the businesses and operations of our suppliers and customers. The war in Ukraine and the Israeli-Palestinian military conflict have further increased existing global economic challenges, including supply chain, logistics, and inflationary challenges. Such global or regional economic and political conditions adversely affect demand for our products. These conditions could have an impact on our suppliers, causing increases in cost of materials and higher shipping and transportation rates, and as a result impact the pricing of our products. We purchase certain products and key hardware components from a limited number of sources, including in some cases only a single supplier for some products and components, and depend on the supply chain, including freight, to receive components, transport finished goods and deliver our products across the world. The industry-wide global supply chain challenges, including with respect to manufacturing, transportation and logistics could impact our operational and financial performance adversely, including impacts on our subscribers and their spending habits, could impact on our marketing efforts, and effects on our suppliers. If macroeconomic and geopolitical conditions do not improve or if they worsen, then our results of operations may be negatively impacted. To the extent that increased political tensions between China and Taiwan, the war in Ukraine, or the Israeli-Palestinian military conflict may adversely affect our business, it may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in our risk factors, such as those relating to data security, supply chain, volatility in prices of inputs, and market conditions, any of which could negatively affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 4
Changed
We operate in a new market, and global economic conditions and instability may adversely affect our business.
Global economic and business activities continue to face widespread macroeconomic uncertainties, including increased inflation and interest rates, recessionary fears, financial and credit market fluctuations, changes in economic policy, and global supply chain constraints. Our business is impacted by both consumer and business spending, both of which are susceptible to changes in macroeconomic conditions, such as growing inflation, rising interest rates, recessionary fears, and economic uncertainty. Sustained or worsening inflation or an economic downturn may result in fewer purchases of our products and services, which could impact our revenue growth and other business and operating results. Additionally, we have modified our business practices as a result of COVID-19 and resulting concerns, such as shifting to a remote-first working environment. If significant portions of our workforce are unable to work effectively as a result of our modified practices, then our operations will be negatively impacted. Further, any resurgence in the COVID-19 pandemic or the emergence of future pandemics could limit the ability of our suppliers, vendors and business partners to perform or otherwise work effectively, including third-party suppliers' ability to provide components and materials used in our capture devices or the services used through our platform. The extent to which macroeconomic uncertainties may continue to impact our operational and financial performance remains uncertain and will depend on many factors outside our control. These direct and indirect impacts may negatively affect our business and operating results.
Natural and Human Disruptions1 | 2.3%
Natural and Human Disruptions - Risk 1
Some of our facilities are located in an active earthquake zone or in areas susceptible to wildfires and other severe weather events. An earthquake, wildfire or other natural disaster or resource shortage, including public safety power shut-offs that have occurred and will continue to occur in California or other states, could disrupt and harm our operations.
Our headquarters and largest facility is located in California, an active earthquake zone. The occurrence of a natural disaster such as an earthquake, drought, flood, fire (such as the recent extensive wildfires in California, Washington, Oregon and Colorado), localized extended outages of critical utilities (such as California's public safety power shut-offs) or transportation systems, or any critical resource shortages could cause a significant interruption in our business, damage or destroy our facilities or inventory, or cause us to incur significant costs, any of which could harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Any insurance we maintain against such risks may not be adequate to cover losses in any particular case.
Ability to Sell
Total Risks: 3/43 (7%)Below Sector Average
Competition1 | 2.3%
Competition - Risk 1
We currently face competition from a number of companies and expect to face significant competition in the future as the market for spatial data develops.
The spatial data market is relatively new and competition is still developing. We currently face competition from other companies, generally with different competitors in each of our vertical markets, as well as from traditional, offline methods of interacting with and managing buildings and their spaces. Additionally, we have a number of competitors in the spatial data market with limited funding, which could cause poor experiences and hamper consumer confidence in the spatial data market and adoption or trust in providers. We may also face competition from new market entrants with significantly greater resources, or our current competitors may be acquired by third parties with greater resources, either of which could put us at a competitive disadvantage. Future competitors could also be better positioned to serve certain segments of our current or future target markets, which could create price pressure. In light of these factors, current or potential customers may accept competitive solutions. If we fail to adapt to changing market conditions or continue to compete successfully with current or new spatial data competitors, our growth will be impacted, which would adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Demand1 | 2.3%
Demand - Risk 1
Our future growth and success are dependent upon the continuing rapid adoption of spatial data.
Our future growth is highly dependent upon the adoption of spatial data by businesses and consumers. The market for spatial data is relatively new and rapidly evolving, characterized by rapidly changing technologies, competitive pricing and other competitive factors, evolving government regulation and industry standards and changing consumer demands and behaviors. Although demand for spatial data has grown in recent years, there is no guarantee that such growth will continue. If the market for spatial data develops more slowly than expected, or if demand for spatial data decreases, our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results would be harmed.
Sales & Marketing1 | 2.3%
Sales & Marketing - Risk 1
If we fail to retain current subscribers or add new subscribers, our business would be seriously harmed.
Our future revenue growth will depend in significant part on our ability to retain our existing customers and increase the number of our subscribers. Spatial data is an emerging market, and consumers may not adopt the use of spatial data or our platform on a widespread basis or on the timelines we anticipate. It is possible that our paid subscriber growth rate could decline over time if we achieve higher market penetration rates. If current and potential subscribers do not perceive our platform and products as useful, we may not be able to attract new subscribers or retain existing subscribers. There are many factors that could negatively affect subscriber retention and growth, including if: -     our competitors attempt to mimic our products, which could harm our subscriber engagement and growth;-     we fail to introduce new products and services or those we introduce are poorly received;-     we are unable to continue to develop products that work with a variety of mobile operating systems, networks, smartphones and computers;-     there are changes in subscriber sentiment about the quality or usefulness of our existing products;-     there are concerns about the privacy implications, safety, or security of our platform or products;-     there are changes in our platform or products that are mandated by legislation, regulatory authorities or litigation, including settlements or consent decrees that adversely affect the subscriber's experience;-     technical or other problems frustrate subscribers' experiences with our platform or products, particularly if those problems prevent us from delivering our products in a fast and reliable manner; or -     we fail to provide adequate service to subscribers. Decreases to our subscriber retention or growth could seriously harm our business and results of operation.
Production
Total Risks: 2/43 (5%)Below Sector Average
Employment / Personnel1 | 2.3%
Employment / Personnel - Risk 1
If we are unable to attract and retain key employees and hire qualified management, technical, engineering and sales personnel, our ability to compete and successfully grow our business would be adversely affected.
Our success depends, in part, on our continuing ability to identify, hire, train and retain highly qualified personnel. Any inability to do so effectively would adversely affect our business. Competition for employees is intense and the ability to attract, hire, train and retain them depends on our ability to provide competitive compensation. We may not be able to attract, hire or retain qualified personnel in the future due to a very competitive labor market for talented individuals with technology experience, or any negative publicity related to us. If we are not successful in managing these risks, our business, financial condition, and operating results may be adversely impacted.
Supply Chain1 | 2.3%
Supply Chain - Risk 1
If third party suppliers upon which we rely are not able to fulfill our needs, our ability to timely and cost effectively bring our products to market could be affected.
We rely on a limited number of suppliers to supply our hardware components, including in some cases only a single supplier for some products and components. This reliance on a limited number of manufacturers increases our risks, since we do not currently have proven reliable alternative or replacement manufacturers beyond these key parties. In the event of interruption, we may not be able to increase capacity from other sources or develop alternate or secondary sources, and if such sources become available, they may result in material additional costs and substantial delays. Unexpected changes in business conditions, materials pricing, labor issues, wars, trade policies, natural disasters, health epidemics, trade and shipping disruptions, port congestions and other factors beyond our or our suppliers' control could also affect these suppliers' ability to deliver components to us or to remain solvent and operational. Such disruptions could adversely affect our business if we are not able to meet customer demands. In addition, some of our suppliers are located in China. Our access to suppliers in China may be limited or impaired as a result of tariffs or other government restrictions in response to geopolitical factors. We have used alternative suppliers and alternative parts from time to time to mitigate the challenges caused by these shortages, but there is no guarantee we may be able to continually do so as we scale production to meet our growth targets. Additionally, if our suppliers do not accurately forecast and effectively allocate production or if they are not willing to allocate sufficient production to us, it may reduce our access to components and require us to search for new suppliers. The unavailability of any component or supplier could result in production delays, idle manufacturing facilities, product design changes and loss of access to important technology and tools for producing and supporting our products, as well as impact our capacity expansion and our ability to fulfill our obligations under customer contracts. Moreover, new product launches or product design changes by us have required and may in the future require us to procure additional components in a short amount of time. Our suppliers may not be willing or able to sustainably meet our timelines or our cost, quality and volume needs, or to do so may cost us more, which may require us to replace them with other sources. If we face supply constraints for any of the reasons described above, it may not be possible to obtain or increase supplies on acceptable terms, which may undermine our ability to satisfy customer demands in a timely manner. For example, it may take a significant amount of time to identify a manufacturer that has the capability and resources to build and supply necessary hardware components in sufficient volume. Identifying suitable suppliers can be an extensive process that requires us to become satisfied with our suppliers' quality control, technical capabilities, responsiveness and service, financial stability, regulatory compliance, and labor and other ethical practices. Accordingly, a loss of any significant suppliers or manufacturers would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.
See a full breakdown of risk according to category and subcategory. The list starts with the category with the most risk. Click on subcategories to read relevant extracts from the most recent report.

FAQ

What are “Risk Factors”?
Risk factors are any situations or occurrences that could make investing in a company risky.
    The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires that publicly traded companies disclose their most significant risk factors. This is so that potential investors can consider any risks before they make an investment.
      They also offer companies protection, as a company can use risk factors as liability protection. This could happen if a company underperforms and investors take legal action as a result.
        It is worth noting that smaller companies, that is those with a public float of under $75 million on the last business day, do not have to include risk factors in their 10-K and 10-Q forms, although some may choose to do so.
          How do companies disclose their risk factors?
          Publicly traded companies initially disclose their risk factors to the SEC through their S-1 filings as part of the IPO process.
            Additionally, companies must provide a complete list of risk factors in their Annual Reports (Form 10-K) or (Form 20-F) for “foreign private issuers”.
              Quarterly Reports also include a section on risk factors (Form 10-Q) where companies are only required to update any changes since the previous report.
                According to the SEC, risk factors should be reported concisely, logically and in “plain English” so investors can understand them.
                  How can I use TipRanks risk factors in my stock research?
                  Use the Risk Factors tab to get data about the risk factors of any company in which you are considering investing.
                    You can easily see the most significant risks a company is facing. Additionally, you can find out which risk factors a company has added, removed or adjusted since its previous disclosure. You can also see how a company’s risk factors compare to others in its sector.
                      Without reading company reports or participating in conference calls, you would most likely not have access to this sort of information, which is usually not included in press releases or other public announcements.
                        A simplified analysis of risk factors is unique to TipRanks.
                          What are all the risk factor categories?
                          TipRanks has identified 6 major categories of risk factors and a number of subcategories for each. You can see how these categories are broken down in the list below.
                          1. Financial & Corporate
                          • Accounting & Financial Operations - risks related to accounting loss, value of intangible assets, financial statements, value of intangible assets, financial reporting, estimates, guidance, company profitability, dividends, fluctuating results.
                          • Share Price & Shareholder Rights – risks related to things that impact share prices and the rights of shareholders, including analyst ratings, major shareholder activity, trade volatility, liquidity of shares, anti-takeover provisions, international listing, dual listing.
                          • Debt & Financing – risks related to debt, funding, financing and interest rates, financial investments.
                          • Corporate Activity and Growth – risks related to restructuring, M&As, joint ventures, execution of corporate strategy, strategic alliances.
                          2. Legal & Regulatory
                          • Litigation and Legal Liabilities – risks related to litigation/ lawsuits against the company.
                          • Regulation – risks related to compliance, GDPR, and new legislation.
                          • Environmental / Social – risks related to environmental regulation and to data privacy.
                          • Taxation & Government Incentives – risks related to taxation and changes in government incentives.
                          3. Production
                          • Costs – risks related to costs of production including commodity prices, future contracts, inventory.
                          • Supply Chain – risks related to the company’s suppliers.
                          • Manufacturing – risks related to the company’s manufacturing process including product quality and product recalls.
                          • Human Capital – risks related to recruitment, training and retention of key employees, employee relationships & unions labor disputes, pension, and post retirement benefits, medical, health and welfare benefits, employee misconduct, employee litigation.
                          4. Technology & Innovation
                          • Innovation / R&D – risks related to innovation and new product development.
                          • Technology – risks related to the company’s reliance on technology.
                          • Cyber Security – risks related to securing the company’s digital assets and from cyber attacks.
                          • Trade Secrets & Patents – risks related to the company’s ability to protect its intellectual property and to infringement claims against the company as well as piracy and unlicensed copying.
                          5. Ability to Sell
                          • Demand – risks related to the demand of the company’s goods and services including seasonality, reliance on key customers.
                          • Competition – risks related to the company’s competition including substitutes.
                          • Sales & Marketing – risks related to sales, marketing, and distribution channels, pricing, and market penetration.
                          • Brand & Reputation – risks related to the company’s brand and reputation.
                          6. Macro & Political
                          • Economy & Political Environment – risks related to changes in economic and political conditions.
                          • Natural and Human Disruptions – risks related to catastrophes, floods, storms, terror, earthquakes, coronavirus pandemic/COVID-19.
                          • International Operations – risks related to the global nature of the company.
                          • Capital Markets – risks related to exchange rates and trade, cryptocurrency.
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