UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

Annual Report Pursuant to Section ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 orOR 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act ofOF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended DecemberJanuary 31, 20202022

or

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

Commission File Number file number 001-39125

LGL SYSTEMS ACQUISITION CORP.IronNet, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware83-4599446

Delaware

83-4599446

(State or Other Jurisdiction other jurisdiction

of Incorporation)incorporation)

(I.R.S.IRS Employer

Identification No.)

165 W. Liberty St., Suite 220

Reno, NV

89501

7900 Tysons One Place, Suite 400

McLean, VA

22102

(Address of principal executive offices)

(zip code)Zip Code)

(775) 393-9113Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (443) 300-6761

(Issuer’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

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

Title of Each Classeach class

Trading

Symbol(s)

Name of Each Exchange each exchange

on Which Registeredwhich registered

Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share

IRNT

Units, each consisting of one share of Class A common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrantDFNS.U

The New York Stock Exchange

Class A

Warrants to purchase common stock $0.0001 per share

DFNS

IRNT.WS

The New York Stock Exchange

Redeemable warrants, exercisable for shares of Class A common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per shareDFNS WSThe New York Stock Exchange

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes ☐ No

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).

Yes ☒ No ☐

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

Large accelerated filer ☐Accelerated filer ☐
Non-accelerated filer ☒Smaller reporting company ☒
Emerging growth company ☒

Large accelerated filer ☐ Accelerated filer ☐

Non-accelerated filer ☒ Smaller reporting company

Emerging growth company

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management'smanagement’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report

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

As of June 30, 2020 (the2021, the last business day of the registrant’sregistrant's most recently completed second fiscal quarter),quarter, the aggregate market value of the ordinary sharesvoting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates, of the registrant was $171,035,475 (basedbased on the closing sales price of the ordinary shares on June 30, 2020 of $9.92, as reported$9.99 per share on the New York Stock Exchange).date, was approximately $172.3 million. On August 27, 2021, the registrant completed a business combination with IronNet Cybersecurity, Inc., changed its name from LGL Systems Acquisition Corp. to IronNet, Inc. and changed its fiscal year end from December 31 to January 31.

As of March 2, 2021, there are 17,250,000There were 100,426,374 shares of Class A common stock,Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share, outstanding as of May 2, 2022.


DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE



Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement relating to its 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Proxy Statement”) to be filed with the Securities and 4,312,500 sharesExchange Commission pursuant to Regulation 14A, not later than 120 days after the close of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, issuedthe registrant’s fiscal year, are incorporated by reference in Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Except with respect to information specifically incorporated by reference in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the Proxy Statement is not deemed to be filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

INTRODUCTORY NOTE

On August 26, 2021 (the “Business Combination Closing Date”), IronNet Cybersecurity, Inc., a Delaware Corporation (“Legacy IronNet”), LGL Systems Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (“LGL”) and outstanding. LGL Systems Merger Sub Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of LGL (“Merger Sub”), consummated the closing of the transactions contemplated by the Agreement and Plan of Reorganization and Merger, dated as of March 15, 2021, by and among LGL, Merger Sub and IronNet, as amended by Amendment No. 1 to Agreement and Plan of Reorganization and Merger, dated as of August 6, 2021 (the “Business Combination Agreement”). Pursuant to the terms of the Business Combination Agreement, a business combination of Legacy IronNet and LGL was effected by the merger of Merger Sub with and into Legacy IronNet, with Legacy IronNet surviving as a wholly-owned subsidiary of LGL (the “Business Combination”). Following the consummation of the Business Combination on the Business Combination Closing Date, LGL changed its name from LGL Systems Acquisition Corp. to IronNet, Inc.



Unless the context indicates otherwise, references in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to “IronNet,” “we,” “us,” “our”, the “Company” and similar terms refer to IronNet, Inc. (f/k/a LGL Systems Acquisition Corp.) and its consolidated subsidiaries (including Legacy IronNet). References to “LGL” refer to the predecessor company prior to the consummation of the Business Combination.

2


CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This annual report,Annual Report on Form 10-K, including, without limitation, statements under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the words “believes,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “may,” “will,” “potential,” “projects,” “predicts,” “continue,” or “should,” or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology. There can be no assurance that actual results will not materially differ from expectations. Such statements include, but are not limited to, any statements relating to our ability to consummate any acquisition or other business combination and any other statements that are not statements of current or historical facts. These statements are based on management’s current expectations, but actual results may differ materially due to various factors, including, but not limited to:

our ability to our:

recognize the anticipated benefits of the Business Combination, which may be affected by, among other things, competition and the ability of the combined business to grow and manage growth profitably;
our future operating or financial results;
future acquisitions, business strategy and expected capital spending;
changes in our strategy, future operations, financial position, estimated revenues and losses, projected costs, prospects and plans;
the implementation, market acceptance and success of our business model and growth strategy;
our expectations and forecasts with respect to the size and growth of the cybersecurity industry and our products and services in particular;
the ability of our products and services to meet customers’ compliance and regulatory needs;
our ability to compete with others in the cybersecurity industry;
our ability to retain pricing power with our products;
our ability to grow our market share;
our ability to attract and retain qualified employees and management;
our ability to adapt to changes in consumer preferences, perception and spending habits and develop and expand our product offerings and gain market acceptance of our products, including in new geographies;
developments and projections relating to our competitors and industry;
our ability to develop and maintain our brand and reputation;
developments and projections relating to our competitors and industry;
the impact of health epidemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic, on our business and on the economy in general;
the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on customer demands for our products;
our expectations regarding our ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection and not infringe on the rights of others;
expectations regarding our status as an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act;
our future capital requirements and sources and uses of cash;
our ability to obtain funding for our operations and future growth; and
our business, expansion plans and opportunities.

ability to complete our initial business combination;

success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following an initial business combination;

officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination, as a result of which they would then receive expense reimbursements;

potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete an initial business combination;

pool of prospective target businesses;

failure to maintain the listing on, or the delisting of our securities from, the New York Stock Exchange or an inability to have our securities listed on the New York Stock Exchange or another national securities exchange following our initial business combination;

the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential investment opportunities;

potential change in control if we acquire one or more target businesses for stock;

public securities’ potential liquidity and trading;

lack of a market for our securities;

use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance; or

our financial performance.

The forward-looking statements contained in this annual reportAnnual Report on Form 10-K are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. Future developments affecting us may not be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) and other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors.”Factors” in Part I, Item 1A. in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. These risks and others described under “Risk Factors” may not be exhaustive.

By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. We caution you that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that our actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and developments in the industry in which we operate may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this annual report.Annual Report on Form 10-K. In addition, even if our results or operations, financial condition and liquidity, and developments in the industry in which we operate are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this annual report,Annual Report on Form 10-K, those results or developments may not be indicative of results or developments in subsequent periods.

LGL SYSTEMS ACQUISITION CORP.3


IronNet, Inc.

Table of Contents

FORM 10-K10‑K

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I1

Item 1.

Business1

Page

PART I

Item 1A.

Risk Factors12

Item 1. Business

5

Item 1A. Risk Factors

18

Item 1B.

Unresolved Staff Comments

45

35

Item 2. Properties

Properties

45

35

Item 3.

Legal Proceedings

45

35

Item 4.

Mine Safety Disclosures

45

35

PART II

46

Item 5.

Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

46

35

Item 6. [Reserved]

Selected Financial Data

47

35

Item 7.

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

47

36

Item 7A.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

50

44

Item 8.

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

50

45

Item 9.

Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosures

50

67

Item 9A.

Controls and Procedures

51

67

Item 9B.

Other Information

68

Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections

68

PART III

52

PART III

Item 10.

Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

52

69

Item 11.

Executive Compensation

58

69

Item 12.

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

58

69

Item 13.

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

60

69

Item 14.

Principal Accounting Fees and Services

62

69

PART IV

Item 15.

Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules

62

70

Item 16.

Form 10-K Summary

63

72

i

PART I

4


ITEM 1. BUSINESS

SUMMARY OF RISK FACTORS

In
Below is a summary of material factors that make an investment in our securities speculative or risky. Importantly, this summary does not address all of the risks and uncertainties that we face. Additional discussion of the risks and uncertainties summarized in this risk factor summary, as well as other risks and uncertainties that we face, can be found under the section titled “Risk Factors” in
this Annual Report on Form 10-K (the “Form 10-K”), references to the “Company” and to “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to LGL Systems Acquisition Corp.

General

We are a blank check company formed under the laws of the State of Delaware on April 30, 2019. We were formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to as a “target business.” Our efforts to identify a prospective target business are not limited to a particular industry or geographic location, although we are currently focusing our search for target businesses in the defense, aerospace and communication industries.

On November 12, 2019, we consummated our initial public offering (our “IPO”) of 17,250,000 units (the “units” and, with respect to the shares of common stock included in the units sold, the “public shares”), at $10.00 per unit, which included the full exercise by the underwriters of the over-allotment option to purchase an additional 2,250,000 units, generating gross proceeds of $172,500,000. Simultaneously with the closing of our IPO, we consummated the sale of 5,200,000 warrants (the “private warrants”) at a price of $1.00 per private warrant in a private placement to LGL Systems Acquisition Holding Company, LLC (the “sponsor”), generating gross proceeds of $5,200,000.

10-K. The net proceeds of the sale of the units in our IPO and the sale of the private warrants was placed in a trust account (the “trust account”) located in the United States, which was invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), with a maturity of 180 days or less or in an open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund selected by the Company meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a business combination and (ii) the distribution of the trust account, as described below.

The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the sale of the units in our IPO and the sale of the private warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a business combination. Therebelow summary is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a business combination successfully. The Company must complete a business combination having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding taxes payable on income earned on the trust account and deferred underwriting commissions) at the time of the agreement to enter into an initial business combination. The Company will only complete a business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target business or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.

As of December 31, 2020, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity since inception relates to the Company’s formation, our IPO and identifying a target business for a business combination. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of a business combination, at the earliest. The Company generates non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the sale of the units in our IPO and the sale of the private warrants.


Our Team

Our management team includes Marc Gabelli, our Chairman and CEO, John Mega, our President, and Robert “Rob” LaPenta, our Chief Financial Officer. Marc Gabelli has extensive business relationships with the various entities constituting the Gabelli Group, including his role as a Director and President of GGCP, Inc., the parent company of GAMCO (GBL: NYSE) and Associated Capital (AC: NYSE). Rob LaPenta, our Chief Financial Officer, was the head of M&A and corporate strategy at L-1 Identity Solutions and is a partner in Aston Capital and the Boundary Group. John Mega, our President, was a founding member of management at L3 Technologies and most recently was President of the Communications Systems Segment until 2018.

The Gabelli Group, founded and controlled by Mario Gabelli, is an established and respected investment organization with a global presence. The Gabelli Group has focused on aerospace, defense and communications investments for over 30 years, and its advisory subsidiaries have approximately $3.0 billion currently invested in the industries of focus. In addition to its investments in the sector, the Gabelli Group’s affiliate, Gabelli &Company (G.research), has sponsored an annual institutional aerospace and defense conference for the past 25 years.

Our Sponsor

Our sponsor, an entity affiliated with our officers and directors, is in turn affiliated with the Gabelli Group and Aston Capital.

Aston Capital, founded and controlled by Robert “Bob” V. LaPenta, is a respected investor with a history in our sector of focus. Rob LaPenta, our Chief Financial Officer, is a partner and executive of Aston Capital and The Boundary Group and leads their investment activities. Pursuant to a written agreement, Aston Capital and its founding General Partner, Bob LaPenta, seeks to source and present to our company for our consideration, prior to presentation to any other entity, potential acquisition targets having an enterprise value at least equal to our minimum target enterprise value of $350 million, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations it or its principals may have.

We believe that Aston Capital’s efforts to source potential acquisition targets will be very helpful to our identifying and consummating a successful business combination. However, Aston Capital does not have any decision-making authority on our behalf.

In addition to Aston Capital, our sponsor’s members and their affiliates include our officers, directors, special advisors, Associated Capital Group and LGL Group, which have multiple relationships within our industry of focus including direct passive and active investments in operating businesses.

Business Strategy and Target Industries

We believe that we are well positioned to identify attractive initial business combination opportunities in the aerospace, defense and communication industries. Our goal is to acquire a target business that will be a platform for future add-on acquisitions with the goal of becoming an integrated provider offering a broad range of products or services across the aerospace, defense, and communication end markets.

We intend to focus on target businesses that offer differentiated products and services for defense and commercial applications, including highly-engineered systems and subsystems, services, technologies and applications directed towards the DoD, other U.S. government agencies, allied foreign governments and NATO allies.

Our Mission

Our goal is to acquire a target business that will be a platform to build a fully integrated provider of C4ISR data processing, analytics, security and dissemination with a broad range of applications across the aerospace, defense and communication end markets. We seek to create a company that has a strong demand for its products or services and is operating in an area of lower competition. We seek to effectively employ our management team’s industry skills and experience as well as their extensive personal network to add substantial value to any acquired company. These benefits include the following:

Expertise in growing successful aerospace, defense, and communications companies. Our management team has a track record of founding, building, growing and investing in aerospace, defense, and communications companies. We believe we can identify disruptive and business models and leverage our differentiated industry relationships and experiences to scale these businesses on a global scale. We believe the long-standing relationships of our management team with proven industry executives and investors give us a competitive advantage in recruiting and retaining premium talent within the industry.


Ability to complement and support strong executive teams. Members of our management team have served on public and private boards of directors within the aerospace, defense and communications markets. They have played a critical role in identifying and overseeing numerous acquisitions and have a demonstrated track record of successfully managing purpose-built platforms. We believe they can effectively work with exceptional management teams in target companies to provide significant competitive insight and drive value to shareholders.

Maximize the value of becoming a publicly traded entity. As a public entity, we believe we offer a wide range of advantages to stakeholders. These include but are not limited to: working with management and shareholders who aspire to have their company become a public entity and generate substantial wealth creation; transitioning from a private to a public entity may include broader access to debt and equity providers; provision of liquidity for employees and potential acquisitions; and expansion of branding in the marketplace.

Acquisition Criteria

When candidate companies are being evaluated, we expect to use the following, non-exclusive criteria for determining opportunities.

Size. Targeting entities whose enterprise value is between $350 million and $1 billion. These companies have a strong standing with domestic U.S. clients, including the U.S. federal government, as well as an international following. We believe these companies offer long term risk-adjusted return potential.

Differentiated and disruptive qualities. Targeting companies that offer differentiated products and/or services with an orientation to highly engineered systems and subsystems that would benefit from our management team’s extensive networks and insights. Critical qualities of target companies include, but are not limited to, long-term customer relationships, positions on multi-year contracts and programs, proprietary technology and capabilities, high value-to-cost ratio, sustainable innovation and commercial off-the-shelf technology.

Strong industry and competitive position. Targeting companies that have built a strong, defensible niche within the aerospace, defense, and communications market. These companies will often have sole source positions on high priority and well-funded contracts and/or programs, resulting in outsized profitability margins.

Public readiness. Investing in strong management teams that could benefit from our extensive networks and insights within the aerospace defense and communications sectors. We believe our history of deeply rooted relationships with industry executives, as well as leading private and public equity investors, will assist us in finding an attractive business that will benefit from being public.

Attractively valued. We are disciplined, valuation-centric investors with a demonstrated history of strong returns in both the public and private markets. We are committed to investing companies that are attractively valued relative to their public comparable companies and would similarly benefit from post-closing add-on acquisitions.

Effecting Our Initial Business Combination

General

We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations for an indefinite period of time. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the net proceeds of the sale of the units in our IPO and the sale of the private warrants, shares issued to the owners of the target business, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target business, or a combination of the foregoing. We may seek to complete our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable orqualified in its early stages of development or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.


If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for conversions of our Class A common stock, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post- transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.

We have not selected any business combination target. Accordingly, there is no current basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the target business with which we may ultimatelyentirety by that more complete our initial business combination. Although our management will assess the risks inherent in a particular target business with which we may combine, we cannot assure you that this assessment will result in our identifying all risks that a target business may encounter. Furthermore, some of those risks may be outside of our control, meaning that we can do nothing to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely affect a target business.

We may need to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination, either because the transaction requires more cash than is available from the proceeds held in the trust account or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our Public shares upon completion of the business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination. There are no prohibitions on our ability to issue securities or incur debt in connection with our initial business combination.

Sources of Target Businesses

We anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers and private investment funds. target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us through calls or mailings.

These sources may also introduce us to target businesses in which they think we may be interested on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read our IPO prospectus and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our sponsor, officers and directors, as well as their affiliates, may also bring to our attention target business candidates of which they become aware through their business contacts as a result of formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have, as well as attending trade shows or conventions. In addition, we expect to receive a number of proprietary deal flow opportunities that would not otherwise necessarily be available to us as a result of the track record and business relationships of our officers and directors. While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis, we may engage these firms or other individuals in the future, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. We will engage a finder only to the extent our management determines that the use of a finder may bring opportunities to us that may not otherwise be available to us or if finders approach us on an unsolicited basis with a potential transaction that our management determines is in our best interest to pursue. Payment of a finder’s fee is customarily tied to completion of a transaction, in which case any such fee will be paid out of the funds held in the trust account.

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, or from making the acquisition through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another valuation or appraisal firm that commonly renders fairness opinions that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.

4

Evaluation of a Target Business and Structuring of our Initial Business Combination

In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review which may encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities, as applicable, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us. If we determine to move forward with a particular target business, we will proceed to structure and negotiate the terms of the business combination transaction. Our board of directors has determined that we will not proceed with any proposed business combination unless approval of the proposed transaction is unanimous among the members of the board.

The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of, and negotiation with, a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination.

Lack of Business Diversification

For an indefinite period of time after the completion of our initial business combination, the prospects for our success may depend entirely on the future performance of a single business. Unlike other entities that have the resources to complete business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:

● subject us to negative economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact on the particular industry in which we operate after our initial business combination; and

● cause us to depend on the marketing and sale of a single product or limited number of products or services.

Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target’s Management Team

Although we intend to closely scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with that business, our assessment of the target business’s management may not prove to be correct. In addition, the future management may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of members of our management team, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. The determination as to whether any of the members of our management team will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination. While it is possible that one or more of our directors will remain associated in some capacity with us following our initial business combination, it is unlikely that any of them will devote their full efforts to our affairs subsequent to our initial business combination. Moreover, we cannot assure you that members of our management team will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.

We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with the combined company. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination.

Following a business combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.


Fair Market Value of Target Business

NYSE rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (net of taxes and excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held in trust) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of our initial business combination, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another valuation or appraisal firm that commonly renders fairness opinions with respect to the satisfactiondiscussion of such criteria.

We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so thatrisks and uncertainties. You should consider carefully the post transaction company in which our “public stockholders” (the holders of our public shares, including our initial stockholders and management team to the extent our initial stockholders and/or members of our management team purchase public shares, provided that each initial stockholder’s and member of our management team’s status as a “public stockholder” will exist only with respect to such public shares) own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target business management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target business or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). Even if the post transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target business, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target business and us in the business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares of common or preferred stock in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target business in order to consummate such transaction. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target business. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be taken into account for purposes of the NYSE’s 80% fair market value test. If the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% fair market value test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the transactions. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we are not then listed on the NYSE for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% fair market value test.

Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve our Initial Business Combination

We may conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC subject to the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. However, we will seek stockholder approval if it is required by law or applicable stock exchange rule, or we may decide to seek stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons.

Under the NYSE’s listing rules, stockholder approval would be required for our initial business combination if, for example:

● we issue shares of common stock that will be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of our shares of common stock then outstanding (other than in a public offering);

● any of our directors, officers or substantial stockholders (as defined by NYSE rules) has a 5% or greater interest (or such persons collectively have a 10% or greater interest), directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired or otherwise and the present or potential issuance of shares of common stock could result in an increase in outstanding shares of common stock or voting power of 5% or more; or

● the issuance or potential issuance of shares of common stock will result in our undergoing a change of control.

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Permitted Purchases of Our Securities

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to tender offer rules, our initial stockholder, sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares or public warrants in such transactions. If our “initial stockholders” (holders of our founders share prior to our IPO), sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates engage in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act.

In the event that our initial stockholders, sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their conversion rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to convert their shares. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules.

The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to (i) vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the business combination or (ii) to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.

In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A common stock or public warrants may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.

Our initial stockholders, sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the stockholders with whom our initial stockholder, officers, directors or their affiliates may pursue privately negotiated purchases by either the stockholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by stockholders (in the case of our Class A common stock) following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates enter into a private purchase, they would identify and contact only potential selling stockholders who have expressed their election to convert their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against our initial business combination, whether or not such stockholder has already submitted a proxy with respect to our initial business combination but only if such shares have not already been voted at the stockholder meeting related to our initial business combination. Our sponsor, executive officers, directors, advisors or any of their affiliates will select which stockholders to purchase shares from based on the negotiated price and number of shares and any other factors that they may deem relevant, and will only purchase shares if such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements.

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Conversion Rights for Public Stockholders Upon Completion of Our Initial Business Combination

At any meeting called to approve an initial business combination, public stockholders may seek to convert their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our tax obligations as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination. Alternatively, we may provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares of common stock to us through a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our tax obligations.

Our initial stockholders, officers and directors will not have conversion rights with respect to any shares of common stock owned by them, directly or indirectly, whether acquired prior to our IPO or purchased by them in our IPO or in the aftermarket.

We may require public stockholders who wish to convert their shares in connection with a proposed business combination to either (i) tender their certificates (if any) to our transfer agent or (ii) deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holders’ option, prior to the vote on the business combination with the specific deadline set forth in the proxy materials sent in connection with the proposal to approve the business combination. The foregoing is different from the procedures used by some earlier blank check companies. In order to perfect conversion rights in connection with their business combinations, many blank check companies would distribute proxy materials for the stockholders’ vote on an initial business combination, and a holder could simply vote against a proposed initial business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holder was seeking to exercise his or her conversion rights. After the initial business combination was approved, the company would contact such stockholder to arrange for him or her to deliver his or her certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the stockholder then had an “option window” after the completion of the initial business combination during which he or she could monitor the price of the company’s stock in the market. If the price rose above the conversion price, he or she could sell his or her shares in the open market before actually delivering his or her shares to the company for cancellation. As a result, the conversion rights, to which stockholders were aware they needed to commit before the stockholder meeting, would become “option” rights surviving past the completion of the initial business combination until the converting holder delivered its certificate. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a converting holder’s election to convert is irrevocable once the initial business combination is approved.

There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced delivery process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $45.00 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise conversion rights. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising conversion rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated. However, in the event we require stockholders seeking to exercise conversion rights prior to the consummation of the proposed business combination and the proposed business combination is not consummated this may result in an increased cost to stockholders.

Any proxy solicitation materials we furnish to stockholders in connection with a vote for any proposed business combination will indicate whether we are requiring stockholders to satisfy such certification and delivery requirements. Accordingly, a stockholder would have from the time the stockholder received our proxy statement up until two business days prior to the originally scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the business combination to deliver his shares if he wishes to seek to exercise his conversion rights. This time period varies depending on the specific facts of each transaction. However, as the delivery process can be accomplished by the stockholder, whether or not he is a record holder or his shares are held in “street name,” in a matter of hours by simply contacting the transfer agent or his broker and requesting delivery of his shares through the DWAC System, we believe this time period is sufficient for an average investor. However, we cannot assure you of this fact.


Any request to convert such shares once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the vote on the proposed business combination or the expiration of the tender offer. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered his certificate in connection with an election of their conversion and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to elect to exercise such rights, he may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically).

If the initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public stockholders who elected to exercise their conversion rights would not be entitled to convert their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination. In such case, we will promptly return any shares delivered by public holders.

Limitations on conversions

If accepting all properly submitted conversion requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001, we would not proceed with such conversion and the related business combination. Additionally, a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of his or any other person with whom he is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act) will be restricted from seeking conversion rights with respect to 20% or more of the shares sold in our IPO. Such a public stockholder would still be entitled to vote against a proposed business combination with respect to all shares owned by him or his affiliates. We believe this restriction will prevent stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares before the vote held to approve a proposed business combination and attempt to use the conversion right as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then current market price. By limiting a stockholder’s ability to convert no more than 20% of the shares sold in our IPO, we believe we have limited the ability of a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block a transaction which is favored by our other public stockholders.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, a proposed business combination may require (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target business or its owners, (ii) cash to be transferred to the target business for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of Class A common stock that are validly submitted for conversion plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or convert any shares, and all shares of Class A common stock submitted for conversion will be returned to the holders thereof.

Liquidation If No Initial Business Combination

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will have only 24 months from the closing of our IPO to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within such 24-month period, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the trust account not previously released to us (to pay our tax obligations and less up to $50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any) and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors in all cases subject to and the other requirements of applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the 24-month time period.

Our initial stockholders, who include our independent directors, have entered into agreements with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our IPO. However, if our initial stockholders or management team acquired Public shares in our IPO or acquired or acquire Public shares thereafter, they are entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such Public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted 24-month time period.


Our sponsor, executive officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to written agreements with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our Public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our IPO or with respect to any other material provisions relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the trust account not previously released to us to pay our tax obligations, divided by the number of then outstanding Public shares. However, we may not effectuate any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation if it would result in our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) as a result of holders exercising their redemption rights. If this optional redemption right is exercised with respect to an excessive number of Public shares such that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement, we would not proceed with the amendment or the related redemption of our Public shares at such time. This redemption right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed by our sponsor, any executive officer, director or director nominee, or any other person.

We expect that all costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, as well as payments to any creditors, will be funded from amounts remaining out of the $1,000,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account plus the interest earned on the funds in the trust account available to us to pay taxes although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. However, if those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, we may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $50,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.

If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of the sale of the units in our IPO and the sale of the private warrants, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account, the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders upon our dissolution would be $10.00. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors which would have higher priority than the claims of our public stockholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by stockholders will not be less than $10.00. While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims.

Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements or even if they execute such agreements that they would be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account including but not limited to fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Marcum LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, and the underwriters of our IPO, did not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account. Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. In order to protect the amounts held in the trust account, our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent public accountants) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or other similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of our IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations. Since our sponsor’s assets consist only of our securities, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. None of our officers or directors or members of our sponsor will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.


In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case less taxes payable, and our sponsor assert that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so in any particular instance. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve any funds to satisfy its obligations. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per-share redemption price will not be less than $10.00 per share.

We seek to reduce the possibility that our sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account. Our sponsor is not liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of our IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We have access to up to $1,000,000 from the proceeds of our IPO with which to pay any such potential claims (including costs and expenses incurred in connection with our liquidation, currently estimated to be no more than approximately $50,000). In the event that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, stockholders who received funds from the trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors.

If we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.00 per share to our public stockholders. Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.

Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only (i) in the event of the redemption of our Public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our IPO, (ii) in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to (A) modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our Public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our IPO or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity (iii) if they convert their respective shares for cash upon the completion of our initial business combination. In no other circumstances will a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. In the event we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, a stockholder’s voting in connection with the business combination alone will not result in a stockholder’s converting its shares to us for an applicable pro rata share of the trust account. Such stockholder must have also exercised its conversion rights described above. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, like all provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, may be amended with a stockholder vote. 

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

In addition to the other risks and uncertainties described under the section titled “Risk Factors” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K as part of your evaluation of an investment in our securities:

We have experienced rapid growth in recent periods, and if we do not manage our future growth, our business and results of operations will be adversely affected.
We have a history of losses and we may not be able to achieve or sustain profitability in the following material risk factors shouldfuture.
If organizations do not adopt cloud-enabled, and/or software as a service ("SaaS")-delivered cybersecurity solutions that may be carefully considered. Anybased on new and untested security concepts, our ability to grow our business and results of operations may be adversely affected.
Competition from existing or new companies could cause us to experience downward pressure on prices, fewer customer orders, reduced margins, the inability to take advantage of new business opportunities and loss of market share.
If our solutions fail or are perceived to fail to detect or prevent incidents or have or are perceived to have defects, errors, or vulnerabilities, our brand and reputation would be harmed, which would adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We rely on third-party data centers and our own colocation data centers to host and operate our platform, and any disruption of or interference with its use of these factorsfacilities may negatively affect our ability to maintain the performance and reliability of our platform, which could resultcause our business to suffer.
Our future success will be substantially dependent on our ability to attract, retain, and motivate the members of our management team and other key employees throughout our organization, and the loss of one or more key employees or an inability to attract and retain highly skilled employees could harm our business.
If we are unable to maintain successful relationships with our distribution partners, or if our distribution partners fail to perform, our ability to market, sell and distribute our platform and solutions efficiently will be limited, and our business, financial position and results of operations will be harmed.
Our business depends, in apart, on sales to government organizations, and significant changes in the contracting or materialfiscal policies of such government organizations could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
The success of our business will depend in part on our ability to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights.
We are subject to laws and regulations, including governmental export and import controls, sanctions, and anti-corruption laws, that could impair our ability to compete in our markets and subject us to liability if we are not in full compliance with applicable laws.
Our management has identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting and may identify additional material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, which may result in material misstatements of our financial statements or cause us to fail to meet our periodic reporting obligations.

PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

Overview

We are Transforming Cybersecurity Through Collective Defense(SP) using our behavioral analytics technology.

We compete in the Network Detection and Response (“NDR”) category, which is a growing aspect of modern enterprise security, but which does include major competitors. Our value proposition and competitive differentiator is our IronNet Collective Defense platform ("Collective Defense"). Our founder and Co-CEO, Gen. Keith B. Alexander (Ret.), the longest serving Director of the National Security Agency (“NSA”) and Commander of Cyber Command in U.S. history, serves as a valuable business development resource for establishing relationships with larger enterprise and government buyers. The significant majority of our current revenue comes from our IronDome™ and IronDefense™ products. IronDefense is an NDR cybersecurity product that uses artificial intelligence (“AI”), machine learning (“ML”), behavioral analytics, and operational tradecraft expertise to quickly identify specific network behaviors or events indicative of malicious threats. Enriched by our cyber tradecraft knowledge, alerts produced by our company help analysts quickly contextualize and prioritize threats that pose the greatest risks. By doing this we are able to provide clients, across a variety of industries, nation-state-level defensive capabilities to reduce cyber risk.

We are a metric-driven organization with a differentiated and potentially transformational approach to the cybersecurity problem facing every organization today. With an ever-increasing cybersecurity threat posed by advanced persistent threat (“APT”) actors, our team of experts has developed a solution that automates and scales knowledge about how APTs operate and their tactics, techniques and procedures, in order to defeat them; few individuals and even fewer companies have that knowledge or capability. Our differentiated market offering called IronDome offers users a collective defense model to help mitigate threats posed by an APT enhanced by its IronDefense platform, offering our clients new protections against an APT with its technology.

Cyber-security has advanced from a niche technical concern to a mainstream consideration for organizations of all sizes and in all sectors. Security protection concerns are most intense where safety or life-critical consequences might arise in response to a cyber threat. Power companies, financial services firms, telecommunications companies, military organizations, and government agencies thus have the greatest need for security protection, and now make considerable investments in cybersecurity.

The primary security challenge in modern organizations is the complexity that has evolved in the typical business or government entity. Applications, networks, systems, endpoints, and data have experienced considerable sprawl as the costs associated with computing have decreased significantly. This is especially true for cloud-based infrastructure and SaaS-based applications, where cheap ubiquitous services are now available on-demand and for nearly every purpose imaginable.

Modern organizations must therefore develop security protections that address such growth, often delivered in the context of digital transformation initiatives. An additional complication is that hackers have been augmented by determined, capable adversaries, often funded or otherwise backed by criminal groups or nation-states. Serious consideration must thus be given to the types of protections that are necessary to defend against the threat from such capable threat actors.

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An additional dimension is that the velocity associated with computing infrastructure and their associated threats has accelerated. Agile DevOps processes generate new features at increasing rates, sometimes hourly for popular services, and hackers use automated platforms to bombard targeted infrastructure with alarming intensity. Security engineers thus require controls that are automated and that address this challenge of increased speed. Manually controlled point solutions no longer stop threats.

A further complication is the massive and increasing scale associated with the types of systems operated by larger enterprise teams. Large-scale IT and network systems remove the ability for organizations to rely on manual maintenance, fixed configurations, and simple asset management. Furthermore, the visibility of assets that might be well-known by smaller organizations can only be approximated in large-scale settings. This greatly complicates the challenge of delivering security in a large-scale setting.

In response to these challenges, modern Chief Information Security Officers (“CISOs”) put considerable time and effort into designing and implementing a workable security architecture. Individual CISO-led teams—even if they focus their efforts – have come to recognize that they cannot address the cybersecurity challenge on their own. It is well-understood in the cybersecurity community that enterprise security teams need considerable external assistance, coordination and cooperative guidance.

Some of this assistance is obvious: Businesses rarely develop their own security tools, but rather buy from vendors or adjust open-source tools. Similarly, information sharing groups have emerged to support cooperative discussions between experts. It is therefore not controversial to suggest that businesses and agencies need to work together to address cybersecurity threats. The big question, instead, is how this objective can be best achieved. This is one of the challenges addressed by IronNet.

Background of IronNet

We are a global cybersecurity company revolutionizing how organizations secure their networks by delivering the first-ever Collective Defense platform operating at scale. Employing a number of former NSA cybersecurity operators with offensive and defensive cyber experience, we integrate deep tradecraft knowledge into our industry-leading products to solve the most challenging cyber problems facing the world today. Gen. Alexander founded our company in 2014 to solve the major cybersecurity problem he witnessed and defined during his tenure as former head of the NSA and founding Commander of U.S. Cyber Command: You can’t defend against threats you can’t see. Our innovative approach provides the ability for groups of organizations—within an industry sector, supply chain, state or country, for example—to see, detect and defend against sophisticated cyber attacks earlier and faster than ever before.

We have defined a new market category called Collective Defense. As the first mover in this category, we have developed our Collective Defense platform, the first, and to our knowledge, the only solution that can identify anomalous (potentially suspicious or malicious) behaviors on computer networks and share this intelligence anonymously and in real time among Collective Defense community members. Collective Defense communities comprise groups of organizations that have common risks, such as a supply chain, a business ecosystem, or across an industry sector, a state, or a country. This cybersecurity model delivers timely, actionable, and contextual alerts and threat intelligence on attacks targeting enterprise networks, and functions as an early-warning detection system for all community members.

This new platform addresses a large and unwavering compound problem: limited threat visibility for increasingly borderless enterprises across sectors and at the national level, paired with ineffective threat knowledge sharing across companies and sectors and a “go it alone” approach to cybersecurity. These operational gaps, combined with market dynamics like the increased velocity of sophisticated cyber attacks and the deepening scarcity of qualified human capital, have set our mission to transform how cybersecurity is waged.

Understanding Collective Cyber Defense

Ideally the U.S. Government could defend the nation against cyberattacks similar to what was developed for the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (“ICBM”) missile threat. Unfortunately, the ability to enact such a defense would likely require limiting personal freedoms on the internet that Americans currently enjoy. Legislation limiting personal freedoms would likely be challenging to pass and thus the probability of that happening in the near future is low. A 2020 Cyberspace Solarium Commission report contains over 80 recommendations to address the issue of cybersecurity, with one of them being “Reshaping the Cyber Ecosystem.” That report states:

“Raising the baseline level of security across the cyber ecosystem—the people, processes, data, and technology that constitute and depend on cyberspace —will constrain and limit adversaries’ activities. Over time this will reduce the frequency, scope, and scale of their cyber operations. Because the vast majority of this ecosystem is owned and operated by the private sector, scaling up security means partnering with the private sector and adjusting incentives to produce positive outcomes.”

Our collective defense model, IronDome, is a means for the private sector to “raise the baseline” level of security by partnering amongst themselves to “produce positive outcomes.” This overwatch function is a differentiator for our portfolio of offerings, making us one of the few companies that has the ways, ends and means to enact this transformational concept due to the technical capabilities required to ensure its success.

To understand our platform and solution approach, it is best to begin with an outline of how collective defense can reduce cybersecurity risk for larger organizations. This approach benefits from many years of organizations beginning to share data through various groups such as Information Sharing and Analysis Organizations (“ISAO”). We are the first major commercial vendor to offer an end-to-end means to take full advantage of the collective concept.

Toward a Collective Cyber Defense

Businesses and agencies will only cooperate on collective cybersecurity initiatives if they see meaningful benefits with low associated risk. Admittedly, this is how almost all business decisions are made, but large-scale cybersecurity introduces an added benefit for collective defense—namely, that cyber protection schemes work much better when they involve a wider range of intelligence, visibility, and security coverage. Working together on cybersecurity thus introduces clear benefits for participants.

Nevertheless, cooperation between businesses, agencies, and other groups must address two ends of the spectrum: upside benefits and downside risks for each of the entities and groups involved. In both instances, the case can be made that, for large-scale infrastructure, both benefits and risks can cascade, perhaps even accelerating as lateral traversal of an attack occurs. That is, threats to someone else’s system, however remote, might cascade across networks and systems.

Within a large organization, collective protection across business units can have comparable benefit, particularly in companies that evolved through mergers and acquisitions, where a collective defense can help to bring together disparate data sources, defensive perspectives, and protection platforms into a common defense. Such intra-enablement within a large organization is a major focus area for IronNet.

The primary benefits of a collective defense for large-scale cyber defense, whether stretched across a sector, combined between multiple organizations, or combined across the business units of one company, include the following:

Early Warning System—An organization can develop a more effective early warning system if other groups share their indicators in real-time. Not engaging in such sharing limits the ability of a local team to capitalize on early warning that a cascading attack might be underway.

Broader Visibility—By working together with other groups, the local security team benefits from broader visibility, including an improved understanding of how local enterprise changes (e.g., Domain Name System ("DNS")-related) might cascade to other targets.

Strength in Numbers—The fact that cooperation increases visibility into a cyber threat means that organizations who cooperate with external groups are able to leverage strength-in-numbers and thereby provide better security support.

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The corresponding risks that must be managed in the development of any large-scale cooperative arrangement for cybersecurity include the following:

Privacy of Shared Data—The possibility emerges that sharing information with a cooperative might result in leaked data or a serious privacy incident. For highly regulated industries, sharing with governments may also expose businesses to some regulatory risk (although this is partially mitigated by certain provisions of the Cybersecurity Information Security Act of 2014) if the data is not properly anonymized or otherwise does not comply with legal requirements. Controls must be in place to ensure that cooperating teams are not exposed to this risk.

Attribution of Incidents—Public attribution of an embarrassing or problematic cybersecurity incident to a sharing entity may reduce (or even remove) the willingness of that organization (and others) to share further information about something that might reflect poorly on their own actions. This is less an issue for collective defenses implemented across the business units of one organization.

Competitive Relationship—The risk of one company directly assisting its competitor through participation in a collective defense scheme (e.g., AT&T assisting Verizon, or General Motors assisting Toyota) cannot be ignored. The legal and marketing teams from participating organizations would be wise to adopt the airline and energy industry’s observations that a mutual focus on safety helps every participant.

The benefits and risks of cooperation for large-scale cybersecurity across heterogenous groups must be carefully balanced in setting up a collective defense. Too often, collectives are developed that leave participants wondering what’s in it for them, and how potential problems might be avoided. One of our main value propositions is that cooperative cybersecurity will work best when such concerns are carefully curated by a trusted provider with a world-class platform.

Role of Government in Collective Defense

One challenge federal governments have in supporting collective cyber defense is that most large businesses are multi-national. This suggests that while national allegiance might be easily identified (e.g., Verizon is American, Huawei is Chinese), such allegiance must address the interests of the company’s shareholders. This emphasis is often misunderstood by government agencies who are focused exclusively on national interests.

Federal governments also have the additional role of regulating and sometimes punishing organizations not meeting their security requirements. This obligation complicates government cooperation with business on cybersecurity, at least to the extent that governments are permitted to regulate based on voluntarily shared information. Organizations would thus be hesitant to share information with a cooperative involving government if the reported incident might lead to regulatory investigation.

The biggest challenge, however, is that the majority of critical infrastructure is owned and operated by the private sector. This implies that security telemetry, indicators, and early warnings will come from the private sector, even for many military applications and defensive government activities. This fact is often not understood by citizens and politicians who may demand that government step in and fix large-scale cybersecurity threats. This is usually just not practically feasible.

Government must work hard to share the information it uniquely controls, such as classified indicators that might be downgraded for sharing externally or be shared in a more limited context to defend critical infrastructure. Businesses must also recognize that their obligations extend beyond just the shareholder. This recognition that cooperative sharing is in the best interests of the organization and society in general is an important driver behind our platform offering.

Overview of our Platform Offering

The Collective Defense platform comprises two flagship products:

IronDefense is an advanced NDR solution that uses AI-driven behavioral analytics to detect and prioritize anomalous activity inside individual enterprises. We leverage advanced Artificial Intelligence/Machine-Learning (“AI/ML”) algorithms to detect previously unknown threats that have not been identified and “fingerprinted” by industry researchers, in addition to screening any known threats, and apply our Expert System to prioritize the severity of the behaviors—all at machine speed and cloud scale.

IronDome is a threat-sharing solution that facilitates a crowdsource-like environment in which the IronDefense threat detections from an individual company are shared among members of a Collective Defense community, consisting of our customers who have elected to permit their information to be anonymously shared and cross-correlated by our IronDome systems. IronDome analyzes threat detections across the community to identify broad attack patterns and provides anonymized intelligence back to all community members in real time, giving all members early insight into potential incoming attacks. Automated sharing across the Collective Defense community enables faster detection of attacks at earlier stages.

Our Collective Defense platform is designed to deliver strong network effects. Every customer contributing its threat data (anonymously) into the community is able to reap benefits from the shared intelligence of the other organizations. The collaborative aspect of Collective Defense, and the resulting prioritization of alerts based on their potential severity, helps address the known problem of “alert fatigue” that plagues overwhelmed security analysts.

Our Collective Defense platform is largely cloud-deployed (public or private), though it is also available in on-premise and hybrid environments, and is scalable to include small-to-medium businesses and public-sector agencies as well as multinational corporations. We provide professional cybersecurity services such as incident response and threat hunting, as well as programs to help customers assess cybersecurity governance, maturity, and readiness. Our Customer Success ("CS") services are designed to create shared long-term success measures with our customers, differentiating us from other cybersecurity vendors by working alongside customers as partners and offering consultative and service capabilities beyond implementation.

Our Collective Defense platform is a subscription-based pricing and flexible delivery model, with 63% of our revenue for the year ended January 31, 2022 related to deployments involving our key public cloud providers Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. We also support private cloud, or Hyper Converged Infrastructure (“HCI”) such as Nutanix as well as on-premise environments through hardware and virtual options. To make it as easy as possible for customers to add Collective Defense into their existing security stack, we built a rich set of Application Programming Interfaces (“APIs”) that enable integrations with standard security products, including security information and event management (“SIEM”); security orchestration, automation, and response (“SOAR”); endpoint detection and response (“EDR”); next-generation firewall (“NGFW”) tools; and cloud-native logs from the major public cloud providers.

We describe our go-to-market strategy as “land and expand with network effects.” Our approach is to initially secure influential “cornerstone” customers and then expand into their respective Collective Defense communities with additional “community members” from organizations of similar industry sector, state, country, supply chain, or tailored business ecosystem. As each Collective Defense community grows, so does the volume of shared data, and the value of our platform for each of those members thereby expands both technically and commercially.

We sell into both public and private organizations and the business ecosystems that support them. We have identified tens of thousands of prospective cornerstone customers and more than 100,000 potential community customers.

Some of the world’s largest enterprises, government organizations, high-profile brands, and governments trust us to protect their networks. Our customers include a top global hedge fund, eight of the top 10 U.S. energy companies (based on revenue), a leading Asian mobile phone carrier, two U.S. Department of Defense (“DoD”) branches, a mid-sized bank in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (“EMEA”) region, four U.S. state agencies, U.K. and Singapore government entities, and a large global holding company. Most recently, we have grown a Collective Defense community for the space industrial base. This community includes five commercial space companies, including Intuitive Machines, Axiom Space, Satelles, and X-Energy.

We began targeting large enterprises and Fortune 500 companies, but the flexibility and scalability of our cloud-native platform and enhance go-to-market approach enabled us to expand our customer base to smaller companies as well. We have been recognized in the cybersecurity industry by independent third-party analysts, including Gartner, Forrester, IDC, 451 Research Group, and Omdia, who called our analytics a “potential game changer” in a June 2020 report. In August 2020, we announced that we had achieved “FedRAMP-ready” for Agency Authorization status, as approved by the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program

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(“FedRAMP”). In January 2021, the global insurance brokerage Marsh named the Collective Defense platform as one of its industry- recognized Cyber Catalyst solutions. In February 2022, we earned from SE Labs Ltd. a AAA rating for Enterprise Advanced Security NDR Detection.

Industry Background

Cybersecurity trends

There are a number of key trends driving the need for a new approach to cybersecurity.

Increased velocity of sophisticated attacks

Increasingly, adversaries are well-trained, possess significant technological and human resources, and are highly deliberate and targeted in their attacks. Adversaries today range from militaries and intelligence services of well-funded nation-states, to sophisticated criminal organizations motivated by financial gains, to hackers leveraging readily available advanced techniques. The broad availability and rapid evolution of cyber attack toolkits and use of regional cloud infrastructure or compromised servers to launch attacks make it nearly impossible for security teams to keep up with cyber threats. Given sufficient amount of time and resources, a determined adversary will have the ability to breach current cyber defenses of almost any enterprise, organization, or government.

Rear-facing and insufficient tools

Gartner, an industry research firm, estimates that worldwide spending on global information security will be $186.2 billion by 2024, up from $124.2 billion in 2018. Even with increased cybersecurity spending, however, security outcomes have not substantially improved. The recent widespread SolarWinds/SUNBURST cyberattack is just one example of how a sophisticated adversary can thoroughly permeate an industry, geography or supply chain. The lack of equally sophisticated threat intelligence sharing allowed this hack to penetrate networks more deeply, and for much longer. The evolving threat landscape has rendered traditional defense approaches incapable of protecting organizations against next-generation threats.

The current generation of security products focuses on signature-based approaches that often have limited ability to collect, process, and analyze vast amounts of data—attributes that are required to be effective in today’s increasingly dynamic threat landscape. This includes traditional and next-generation firewalls, Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (“IDPS”), SIEMs, and other similar tools that are designed to manage policies for network traffic and rely on rear-facing threat intelligence indicators of compromise (“IoCs”) based on IP, domains, file hashes and other signature-based intelligence from known threats. They are not fundamentally designed to detect advanced, never-before-seen, “unknown unknown” cyber threats in a timely and scalable fashion.

The borderless enterprise where the network is no longer the perimeter

Cloud, IoT and SaaS applications have expanded the attack surface and cyber vulnerabilities. [According to Gartner] in 2022, 31% of all workers worldwide are remote (a mix of hybrid and fully remote), including 53% of the U.S. workforce. The reality of the borderless enterprise will fundamentally change network cyber defenses from a centralized command and control defensive strategy using traditional on-premise blocking infrastructure to a distributed detect and respond strategy that fuses different sources of telemetry data across network, endpoints, and logs into actionable intelligence using large-scale behavioral analysis for security teams to take action.

Scarcity of qualified human capital

Even with the most sophisticated AI-based cyber technology in place, the human element of cybersecurity investigation, triage, and research plays an important role in risk reduction. As our Collective Defense platform is detecting and prioritizing anomalies, the analysts and threat hunters are ultimately deciding which alerts to triage, investigate, and manage through to response and mitigation. Organizations are consistently under-resourced in this area, however, as the ratio of the volume of network traffic versus the number of cybersecurity specialists to analyze that traffic is severely lopsided, resulting in Security Operations Center (“SOC”) staff overwhelm and burnout. The 2021 (ISC)² Cybersecurity Workforce Study, which provides two critical measures of the cybersecurity profession—the Cybersecurity Workforce Estimate and the Cybersecurity Workforce Gap, suggests that the global cybersecurity workforce needs to grow 65% to effectively defend organizations’ critical assets. Despite estimates that there are 4.19 million cybersecurity professionals worldwide, the Cybersecurity Workforce Gap persists due to the accelerated evolution of the threat landscape and its impact on organizations’ security practices.

Cloud impact on enterprise cyber defenses

As digital transformation has accelerated in all industries, traditional security controls implemented on companies' on-premise networks are often no longer available and often must operate differently for the outsourcing of IT infrastructure and operations to the public cloud provider. While the cloud is designed to make business easier, Management and Security Operations are different from traditional on-premise security, as the teams do not have access to the underlying networks or logs, and therefore have limited visibility of cloud infrastructure. The major cloud providers have introduced logging and basic detection using signature-based detection strategies, but these require additional third-party or custom capabilities to provide sufficient defenses. Security vendors have attempted to fill the security gaps by introducing new products for the cloud based on existing on-premise technologies, but these are often cloud bolt-ons that provide limited detection and visibility for cloud environments and are complex to deploy, difficult to scale, brittle to maintain, and costly to own.

Limitations of existing products

Existing detection and threat sharing methods have a number of limitations, including:

Legacy signature-based products

Signature-based products are designed to detect known attacks using a repository of previously identified indicators of compromise, but are not capable of detecting or responding to unknown threats. Used by network security, endpoint security, SIEMs and other standard defense-in-depth cybersecurity solutions as a core detection method, these signature-based detections have resulted in many significant breaches due to the failure of legacy defenses to detect a previously unknown or modified version of a previously known attack. While current technologies remain essential, they miss a large swath of dangerous threats that evade detection, as evidenced by the major SolarWinds/SUNBURST supply chain and Microsoft Exchange server attacks widely reported in the news media in 2020 and 2021.

Log and event management products

SIEMs and similar log management products are designed for compliance, reporting, and security incident management purposes, but they struggle with the scale and processing required to deliver the behavioral-analysis capabilities across current and historical data to detect new or modified versions of known threats. While these systems provide useful correlation capabilities, security operation teams are increasingly leveraging these systems for central aggregation points for workflow, ticketing, and case management, rather than for detection.

First generation network-based behavioral analysis products

First generation network-based behavioral analysis products provide a basic level of outlier detection using Bayesian analysis or other statistical methods to identify obvious patterns in small networks. Often marketed as AIsolutions, these solutions lack the scale, correlation, or analysis capabilities needed to detect threats hiding in plain sight within networks commonly seen at mid-sized or larger enterprises with thousands of devices, hundreds of applications, multiple physical sites, and multi-cloud architectures.

Infrastructure monitoring/network performance monitoring and diagnostic-based products

Traditional network infrastructure providers offer infrastructure monitoring products designed to identify network bottlenecks and other network reliability or performance issues. Increasingly, these vendors have added bolt-on cybersecurity capabilities that can provide security teams’ networks with asset discovery and

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some network visibility, but they struggle with the algorithmic analysis needed to detect new and unknown threats with high fidelity or the forensic capabilities required by security operations team to investigate, triage, and respond to an identified network anomaly.

Threat intelligence sharing products

Threat intelligence products are designed to share massive amounts of non-specific signature-based IoCs that commonly focus on IP addresses and domains of known threats and often only after a substantial period of time by the contributing organization. The lack of timeliness or specificity to an enterprise severely limits the effectiveness of the shared information from a cyber defense perspective. By the time this information is shared, usually weeks or months after an attack, a sophisticated attacker only needs to slightly modify their methods by changing their attack infrastructure to enable them to bypass cyber defenses of their targeted enterprises, industries, or nations.

Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (“ISACs”) and other threat sharing groups

Threat sharing groups emerged more than 20 years ago as a way for security teams to work together to collect, analyze, and share actionable threat information within their member communities. We believe this is a substantial step in the right direction; however, threat sharing in these groups relies largely on signature-centric threat intelligence platforms that struggle with timeliness and specificity of their intelligence or ad hoc manual forms of communication, such as email and only with a subset of security defenders with whom an analyst has a personal relationship. ISACs and similar groups are the right organizations, but they need technological solutions that enable them to share contextual, relevant, and timely information in real time across the full community.

Creating a new market segment: Collective Defense

We are creating a new market category with Collective Defense. With our Collective Defense platform, we developed the first and, to our knowledge, the only solution that can identify and rate anomalous behaviors on the network and share this anonymized threat intelligence among Collective Defense community members (who may comprise a supply chain, state, or country) as an early-warning system for all.

The power of Collective Defense is that multiple companies can essentially work as a team to detect and defend against attackers early in the network threat intrusion cycle. This differentiated approach allows customers to:

Gain real-time visibility across the threat landscape

Our Collective Defense platform leverages proven behavioral analytics, ML, and AI techniques across anonymized participant data to identify stealthy, sophisticated threats that otherwise may be missed by an individual enterprise and signature-based tools. The platform has been designed to deliver real-time visibility of cyber threats targeting supply chains, industries, regions, or any custom IronDome Collective Defense grouping.

Reduce impact of cyber attacks with help from fellow cyber defenders

Our Collective Defense ecosystem acts as a collaboration hub to enable participants to automatically share real-time detections, triage outcomes, threat indicators, and other insights with members of their Collective Defense group. When suspicious behaviors are identified by any member, IronDome automatically shares a proactive warning to all members at machine speed so each member can prioritize their defense against the identified cyber threat.

Improve effectiveness of existing cybersecurity investments

Threat intelligence is valuable, actionable, and relevant only when received in time, before a threat enters a network. Our innovative collective threat intelligence provides immediate alerts at machine speed and context into urgent threats, enabling organizations to prioritize threats and build a proactive defense. This information can be used by a customer’s existing network, endpoint, or other security tools to identify and stop adversaries from retargeting their attack.

The following diagram depicts several differences between legacy approaches and our new approach:

img163330427_0.jpg 

Our Solution: The Collective Defense Platform

Our Collective Defense platform comprises two tightly integrated proprietary technologies: Our NDR solution, IronDefense, and our innovative collective threat-sharing solution, IronDome.

Our Collective Defense platform offers a unified set of technologies that powers a wide range of network behavioral detection, security operations, real- time threat landscape visibility, threat sharing, and peer SOC-analyst collaboration capabilities. We can rapidly and cost effectively deploy in our customer’s environments, 63% of which by revenue were in the public cloud as of January 31, 2022, but we also support private cloud and on-premise infrastructure. Our

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expanding set of open APIs and ecosystem integrations enable us to add new sources of data for behavioral analysis and Collective Defense sharing and collaboration to detect and stop targeted cyber attacks.

Armed with elite detection capabilities and combined offensive operator experience at the highest level of the U.S. government, our founders set out to build a behavioral analytics solution to detect threats heading toward, or already in, the network. A growing portfolio of proprietary analytics forms the backbone of IronDefense.

However, while effective in detecting unknown anomalies, behavioral analytics by itself is insufficient in modern, noisy networks where anomalies are common and can lead to a high number of false positives. For many NDR vendors in the industry, the solution is to tune their analytics to be less sensitive in order to deliver reduced false-positive rates at the expense of letting true positives into the network. We undertook a different strategy to meet this challenge. We introduced our expert system scoring algorithms, supported by our elite cyber hunters, to increase IronDefense's detection specificity while preserving the sensitivity of its analytics.

Powered by IronDefense’s threat detections, IronDome, which we introduced in 2018, is the foundation of our Collective Defense platform, a purpose-built, cloud-native, and holistic platform that is capable of defending, analyzing, and correlating threats from various sources. It delivers timely, actionable, and contextual insights to attacks targeting an enterprise and, from there, is able to provide early warning to all members of the Collective Defense ecosystem.

The differentiated value of our Collective Defense platform is its ability to build a dynamic, comprehensive picture of the threat environment, much like radar for cyberspace, based on real-time, anonymized alert correlation across any participating member environments. It also provides situational context and peer insights for greater visibility and context of the threat landscape at any given time.

Correlated alerts for threat detection earlier in the intrusion cycle

We are not aware of any other vendor in the market with a similar approach to cybersecurity. Even though community members bring disparate network environments, such as cloud, on-premise or hybrid, to the Collective Defense ecosystem, correlated threats stand out given that the adversarial behaviors are typically consistent, no matter who the target is, as was the case with the SolarWinds/SUNBURST attack.

Our Collective Defense platform comprises two flagship products:

IronDefense

IronDefense is an advanced NDR solution that provides behavior-based and AI-driven analytics at the network level to detect anomalous activity at individual enterprises and prioritize the highest threats in a company’s network. We leverage novel AI/ML algorithms to deliver high-fidelity analytics required to detect previously unknown threats. In addition, we provide advanced enrichment techniques via IronDefense’s Expert System, which has been designed to achieve high efficacy levels, low false positive rates, and improved visibility compared to legacy approaches. This is all done at network speed and cloud scale.

Most current cybersecurity tools focus on detecting the final “action-on-target” step of an intrusion. At this stage, identification is easier but the insights come far too late to stop attackers from getting into positions in the network to exfiltrate data, steal IP, or accomplish other malicious objectives. IronDefense uses advanced analytics based on metadata from the traffic in the customer’s network to identify anomalous activity earlier in the intrusion kill chain.

Key components of IronDefense include:

IronDefense behavioral analysis engine

IronDefense leverages behavior-based and correlation-based detections to identify threats targeting industries and companies earlier in the intrusion cycle, and to identify the underlying behavior and methods to counter unknown threats, or customizations that attackers will implement to target companies in the future. Our behavioral analytics are built upon algorithms that form the foundation of our patented IronDefense platform. They are computationally designed to understand normal network behavior by applying tests to create a benchmark of standard, acceptable traffic patterns in the network. Detected anomalies are grouped with similar instances of traffic behavior to minimize alerting and to aggregate events within the customers’ networks. IronDefense enhancements in March 2022 include the ability to detect malicious payloads, allowing for better protection of managed and unmanaged devices from malware, ransomware, and APTs.

IronDefense Expert System

IronDefense includes an Expert System that automates security operations playbooks of how top cyber operations hunters leverage contextual data and other sources of telemetry data later on in the detection and response process and applies it to the risk scoring of anomalies detected by its behavioral analysis. This enables us to preservice IronDefense's detection accuracy without sacrificing the sensitivity of its algorithms by leveraging the wisdom of our elite cyber hunters triaging thousands of alerts from real-world environments. Our Expert System also alleviates the “alert fatigue” that plagues every SOC by minimizing the tedious steps in an investigation, reducing alert fatigue and allowing security teams to focus on responding to high risk detection in their environments. The Expert System is continually optimized through machine learning from anonymized triaged outcomes by our cyber hunters using IronDefense.

IronDefense correlation threat engine

Threat analysts and hunters spend a significant portion of their time triaging individual alerts by identifying corroborating evidence and related information. In March 2022, we launched a new threat correlation engine for the automated correlation of detections and alerts. The threat engine models adversary attack techniques and pre-correlates anomalous activity by threat categories to improve risk scoring and alert prioritization, as well as to dramatically reduce alert load. This system leverages a multi-pass system that first optimizes for detecting as many potential instances of a particular type of threat activity and enriching detections with threat intelligence and other external and internal data sources to optimize for detection precision. Events are further aggregated by entity information, attack stage identification, and time sequence data to deliver a timeline of an attack and scored by risk to the enterprise.

IronDefense threat hunting interface

IronDefense includes a threat hunting interface built by our elite cyber hunters to empower security operations teams to conduct detailed investigative workflows and forensic analysis of threats detected by IronDefense. The hunting interface empowers security analysts to investigate across all raw traffic, network metadata, logs, telemetry data, and collective threat intelligence captured by IronDefense, all the way down to full-packet capture of individual network flows. In March 2022, we enhanced the platform’s hunt panel for extended hunt capabilities, expanding the investigation window to 30, 60, and 90 days (per individual customer service level agreement) over metadata and the associated packet capture ("PCAP") data. This capability offers IronNet customers a fully integrated hunt platform designed for easy pivoting from an isolated alert down to the metadata and full PCAP associated with that alert, providing more time to respond and triage based on longer-term historical analysis and historical context.

IronDefense sensors

IronDefense sensors are cloud, virtual, and physical sensors that are deployed at the network perimeter to ingest “north-south” traffic within internal networks to provide “east-west” traffic visibility across an enterprise. Cloud sensors are available for public cloud environments to ingest raw traffic data directly from Infrastructure-as-a-Service virtual networks from major cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services (“AWS”) and Microsoft Azure deployments. The sensor extracts rich network session metadata from the raw traffic and sends it to our behavior analysis engine for processing and expert system validation. The IronDefense sensors also continuously collect full raw traffic packet capture for inspection during hunting operations.

IronDefense direct data ingest

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IronDefense has the ability to utilize a wide-range of data types and telemetry data directly from existing sources. These data sources include standard protocols such as DNS, HTTP/S, or Active Directory; common network log formats such as BRO/ZEEK or NetFlow; Cloud Provider logs such as AWS VPC, AWS CloudTrail or Microsoft Azure NSG logs; and application logs such as Office 365.

IronDome

IronDome is a threat-exchange solution that facilitates a crowdsourced-like environment in which the IronDefense findings from an individual company are automatically and anonymously exchanged within groups of related entities, such as portfolio companies, supply chains, industries, or nations, for correlation and further analysis. IronDome analyzes threat detections across companies to identify broad attack patterns and provides anonymized intelligence back to all customers in real time, serving as an early warning system for all.

IronDome enables Collective Defense member enterprises to actively exchange individual anonymized cyber anomalies at machine speed across a community of public-private peers. This capability allows companies to identify stealthy attackers earlier in the attack cycle when many of their methods fall below the threshold of detection at a single company by allowing companies to aggregate data and run higher-order analysis across industry data.

Key components of IronDome include:

IronDome Collective Defense communities

IronDome threat exchange is organized by communities of enterprises based on their business ecosystem, industry, region, or nation. Enterprises can be members of multiple communities based on their sharing preference and threat sharing needs. As customer adoption grows, the network effect of each additional enterprise participating in IronNet’s Collective Defense platform will amplify the breadth and depth of its dataset and intelligence.

IronDome collective threat intelligence exchange

IronDome links together communities of enterprises to provide contextual insights into the threat landscape. Machine and human intelligence is shared in real time across the community by threat correlations, as well as outcomes and insights related to how various analysts at different enterprises rated and triaged similar threats in their environment. Real-time feedback of these insights delivers enhanced threat landscape visibility and detection insights that allow members to immediately react to active threats targeting their industry and to adjust their defenses to combat the threat.

IronDome Cyber Radar View

IronDome creates a radar-like view of cyberspace that links private and public sector stakeholders in their Collective Defense community. The dashboard provides an anonymized real-time view of threats targeting an enterprise’s business ecosystem, supply chain, industry, or region.

Called Collective Defense communities, spearheaded by a “cornerstone” company or organization, an IronDome could be established for a company’s business ecosystem, such as a wealth management firm with many portfolio companies; a sector-based collaborative, such as in within energy or finance), or a cross-sector formation; states and countries; and private-public sector configurations.

In each Collective Defense community, members agree to share anonymized data about threats detected on their individual networks with the collective, on an ongoing basis. This collaborative approach is designed to “flip the script” on attackers by raising the defensive capabilities of any one player. If correlated alerts and attribution based on behaviors suggest that a nation-state is involved, Collective Defense participants can voluntarily share threat information with the government for cyber defense on a national scale as needed to defend the nation.

The Collective Defense platform is primarily deployed in cloud environments, but is also available for private cloud, on-premise, and hybrid environments, and it is scalable to include small- medium businesses as well as multinational corporations.

Threat Intelligence

Using information derived from the Collective Defense Platform, we also provide our customers with threat intelligence.

IronNet Threat Intelligence Rules

We augment third-party signature based detection rules with threat intelligence rules (“TIRs”) based on significant community findings. These detection rules for network, endpoint, or other security tools allow customers to proactively protect themselves against known threats through more secure controls.

IronNet Threat Intelligence Brief

The monthly IronNet Threat Intelligence Brief provides top observed threats across our Collective Defense communities. It includes significant community findings, such as network behavioral anomalies that were rated as suspicious or malicious by us and/or participant analysts, threat intelligence rules, a snapshot of monthly correlated alerts, and threat research highlights.

Key Benefits of Our Solution

Our solution offers our customers several benefits, including:

differentiated business value that includes behavioral analytics, which find threats that other tools cannot;
real-time threat-sharing across communities; and
value to the Collective Defense ecosystem through integrations.

Behavioral analytics that find threats that other tools cannot detect

Superior threat behavior detection to see unknown threats

IronDefense examines the network traffic itself, which is much harder for an attacker to evade or manipulate. IronDefense threat detections are based on advanced, high-fidelity analytics and AI/ML detection capabilities built by top cyber subject matter experts (“SMEs”), continuous PCAP, an expert system that applies the judgment and tradecraft playbooks of the nation’s top cyber defenders, and integrated cyber hunting (packet level visibility that improves speed and depth of investigations).

Visibility across the full enterprise to close threat detection gaps

IronDefense network detections fill the known void in threat visibility, which is being able to see unknown, novel threats on the network that other tools cannot see. The Collective Defense platform complements EDR and logs to provide comprehensive visibility across the threat landscape.

Cognitive detection, correlation, and prioritization analytics for reduced false positives

Our Collective Defense platform collects, processes, correlates, and analyzes high-fidelity data from customer networks (anonymized), threat intelligence on real-world attacks, significant community findings, and correlated alerts in the Collective Defense communities. We use this data to continually train and enhance our IronDefense behavioral analytics to increase the signal-to-noise ratio to detect new, unknown attacks with high-fidelity analytics. We automatically chain and score related events into signals to increase analyst visibility.

Data ingest at scale for a broader view of the threat landscape

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IronDefense gathers data streams from a variety of sources to build a more comprehensive picture of threats. Network sensors provide streaming capture of all network packets for detection and visibility into all protocols activity. Network logs provide asset discovery and device metadata for event enrichment and contextualization. Cloud data on user activity and usage patterns only the cloud provider can collect. Security ecosystem data provide entity and user operational state which supplements network and cloud data collected.

The only real-time threat sharing capability across companies for stronger defense

The ability to defend better as a collective force

Our Collective Defense platform orchestrates threat-sharing and collaboration in real time to deliver immediate visibility and instant sharing of malicious cyber threats targeting supply chains, industries, regions, or any custom Collective Defense community to reduce impact of cyber attacks with help from fellow cyber defenders. IronDome acts as a collaboration hub to enable members to automatically share real-time detections, triage outcomes, threat indicators, and other insights with members of their Collective Defense community.

Faster warning and response capabilities

When suspicious behaviors are identified by any member, IronDome automatically shares a proactive warning to all members at machine speed so each member can prioritize their defense against the identified cyber threat. This capability allows companies to identify stealthy attackers earlier in the attack cycle when many of their methods fall below the threshold of detection at a single company by allowing companies to aggregate data and run higher-order analyses across industry data. The platform supports opt-in anonymized sharing with governments for national response when necessary.

Real-time sharing of peer insights for stronger defense

Our Collective Defense platform allows community members to share threat context, prevalence, and expert commentary about how to triage and response, much like the Waze app for traffic, except for cybersecurity. By banding together and working together with peers, Collective Defense community members are better able to pool and optimize resources so they can achieve “defensive economies of scale” that allow them to keep up with and counteract cyber attackers.

Deep subject matter expertise to improve customer defense

We have an elite cyber operations team working directly with customers’ security teams to detect, triage, and respond. Our teams are led by cyber offensive and defensive SMEs. Approximately one-half of our cyber operations experts have NSA or U.S. Department of Defense experience, and 40% have cyber offensive, intel, or research experience.

A force multiplier effect to help strained SOC teams

Our deep SME knowledge enables a multiplier effect for severely strained SOC analysts, who can leverage insights from our security analysts and threat hunters, as well as peer insights and triage outcomes from the Collective Defense community. This approach addresses the cyber talent shortage, improving the effectiveness of SOC teams and optimizing tools and human resources. Our high-fidelity analytics and threat intelligence provide autonomous identification, prioritization, and recommendation to accelerate incident investigation and the response process.

Added value to the cybersecurity ecosystem

Easy-to-use deployment for faster time to value

Our Collective Defense platform has been designed to be easy to provision, configure, and manage, working seamlessly with a suite of SIEM, SOAR, EDR, and NGFW APIs to streamline siloed security products. These integrations provide a natural complement to IronDefense and reinforce the users’ existing security infrastructures. Analysts do not need to re-learn anything and can see detections from a single view.

Security for any environment

We can provide security protection across cloud, multi-cloud, on-premise, and virtual environments to support customers with different needs, however 63% of deployments by revenue as of January 31, 2022 were in the public cloud. Our public cloud partners include AWS and Microsoft Azure. We have private cloud options based on Nutanix for customers that want to leverage their own on-premise HCI environments. The on-premise deployment option is our hardware appliance or virtual application.

Improved effectiveness of existing security investments

IronDefense automates many of the time-consuming threat discovery and investigation steps and indicates the severity of anomalous activity. Our customers’ analysts can make decisions in a shorter amount of time.

Industry Recognition, Designations, and Certifications

In March 2022, IronNet was named by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as a member of the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency's ("CISA") recently formed Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC). IronNet has collaborated with CISA for a number of years with key innovations in the new generation of cybersecurity public-private partnerships, including when as an initiating member in 2018 in the Cyber Information Sharing and Collaboration Program.

In February 2022, we were tested by SE Labs Ltd., a private, independently-owned and run testing company that assesses security products and services, and received their highest rating (AAA) for Enterprise Advanced Security - NDR Detection.

In January 2021, the global insurance brokerage Marsh named the Collective Defense platform as one of its industry-recognized Cyber Catalyst solutions. This evaluation program is designed to help organizations make more informed choices about cybersecurity products and services to manage their cyber risk, by providing independent reviews conducted by insurers who fully understand the impact of risk exposure.

We have achieved “FedRAMP ready” status for Agency Authorization status, as approved by the FedRAMP. Our achievement of this status means the FedRAMP PMO has determined that we can meet the FedRAMP security requirements and could be granted an Authority to Operate from federal agencies.

GDPR- compliant

We are committed to data privacy and are compliant under the European Union (“EU”) General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”). We are also an active member of the EU/ Swiss-US Privacy Shield Framework through the U.S. Department of Commerce. The EU/Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework provides a method for companies to transfer personal data to the United States from the EU in a way that is consistent with EU law and acceptable under EU GDPR.

ISO/IEC 27001

ISO 27001 is an international standard for information security management systems. An ISO 27001 certification demonstrates that we have addressed the following areas: security policy, organization and information security, asset management, human resources security, physical and environmental security, communication and operations management, access control, information systems acquisition, security incident management, business continuity management, and compliance.

SOC2 Type I and SOC2 Type II

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We are also SOC2/Type I and Type II certified, verifying that we have a suitable design of controls to meet the criteria for the security, availability, confidentiality, and processing integrity principles of the SOC2 standard. Having Type II attestation demonstrates the operational effectiveness of our design controls.

Department of Homeland Security Continuous Diagnostics & Monitoring

We are registered with The Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) Continuous Diagnostics & Monitoring (“CDM”) program recognizing cybersecurity tools and sensors that are reviewed by the DHS program for conformance with Section 508, federal license users and CDM technical requirements. We also received two separate acceptances/approvals for the DHS CDM Approved Products List for IronDefense (IRO-0002-20180103) and IronDome (IRO-0004-20180405).

Our Technology

Cloud-native architecture

Our platform is designed to be secure, highly scalable, redundant, resilient, and high-performing. Delivering from the cloud is intended to enable agility, ease of use, and flexible detection of threats within individual enterprises and the correlation and sharing of those insights with their broader Collective Defense communities. Individual enterprises can choose to deploy our products and solutions using a variety of public and private cloud deployment options including AWS and Microsoft Azure. Enterprises that prefer to leverage their own private cloud infrastructure using hyper converged infrastructure can deploy our products and solutions through our partnership with Nutanix.

Flexible architecture for all enterprise networks

Our Collective Defense platform enables enterprises to add behavioral detection and Collective Defense to their on-premise, cloud, or multi-cloud infrastructure. Our platform can monitor workloads in major public cloud providers and on-premise physical and virtual networks from a single platform. Our Collective Defense platform can monitor network traffic and raw traffic in AWS and Azure or leverage existing logs to detect threats targeting their cloud infrastructure. With us, enterprises can apply the power of IronNet Collective Defense to their IT infrastructure and share collective threat intelligence with their Collective Defense community to detect threats targeting their community.

APIs / integrations

The Collective Defense platform and architecture is built around a rich set of APIs intended to efficiently and effectively complement and expand a customer’s existing security infrastructure, such as SIEMs, EDRs, NGFWs, IT service management (“ITSM”) workflow tools, and other common cybersecurity tools. The platform includes the ability to query and interact with these tools, allowing customers and partners to integrate its detection into their security operations and to execute native response against detected threats. By connecting existing security systems to the IronNet Collective Defense platform, we allow our customers to drive higher efficiencies and value from their security investments. For example, we integrate with CrowdStrike to provide 1-click containment and can leverage CrowdStrike information to provide host details in the IronDefense Threat Hunting interface to deliver a seamless security operations experience across network and devices.

Data center operations

The Collective Defense platform utilizes a combination of global and customer infrastructure to deliver the solution. Customers can choose a variety of deployment options for their own enterprise however global and Collective Defense community level information is hosted in AWS data centers located in the United States and regional AWS data centers to support our international business. Our technology infrastructure, combined with the use of AWS resources, provides us with a distributed and scalable architecture on a global scale.

Our Services

Cyber Operations Center (“CyOC”)

IronDefense customers can extend their SOC with our dedicated CyOC team, which comprises expert offensive and defensive cybersecurity operators with experience defending both private and public sectors against sophisticated threats. From monitoring to threat hunting, we enhance IronDefense capabilities by providing customers 24/7/365 NDR services backed by Collective Defense, enabling customer SOC analysts to spend more time focusing on strategic tasks.

Our cybersecurity operators add to the power of IronDefense by leveraging best practices to deliver advanced NDR capabilities that meet compliance standards. Our services are scalable, measurable, and cost- effective, and they provide complete real-time visibility into the network.

CyOC services include the following:

Hunt collaboration

Our Hunt Team comprises highly technical security analysts with real-world operational experience in defending highly secure networks across industries and sectors. Our analysts leverage our IronDefense platform to work side-by-side with customers’ security operations personnel to detect and mitigate threats identified in the customer network.

Threat notifications

The CyOC team continually monitors and researches events and anomalies found in customer networks. The IronNet Customer Portal is used to notify customers of IronDefense findings of interest related to a customer’s network. Notification is distributed to members determined by the customer and includes full event analysis and mitigation recommendation.

Rule deployment

The CyOC’s Threat Intelligence analysts support customer operations by providing context to manual hunt operations and alert triage. The team produces tailored threat information to customer instances of IronDefense through Threat Intelligence Rule updates based on current suspicious and malicious IoCs, IronDome insights, emerging threat research, and results of research by our malware reverse engineers.

Reachback support

The CyOC team offers remote event collaboration, incident response, cybersecurity expertise, and platform support for IronDefense related security operations.

Reporting

Periodic insight reports are provided to customers on threat trends correlated to the customer’s network and sector. These reports provide summarized and actionable IoCs associated with high risk network behaviors mapped to the MITRE ATT&CK Detection framework to identify the stage and progression of the threat. These reports also include a detailed list of resulting Threat Intelligence Rules deployed to customer instances of IronDefense.

Custom hunt tracking

Introductory and advanced training for end-users on analytics, alerts, entity enrichment, hunting, and network defense techniques are available. Periodic on-site side-by-side hunt operations, threat identification techniques, and review of newly implemented product features are also available.

Customer Success Team

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Through our core products and services, we seek to increase our customers’ visibility into the threat landscape, reduce the impact of a potential attack and improve the overall effectiveness of cybersecurity investments. One of the ways we do this is with our dedicated CS team. While some vendors charge a premium for expert Customer Success care, we include access to our CS team as part of a customer’s subscription, including a dedicated Customer Success Manager for the life of the subscription.

At the onset of a new deployment, our CS team works with customer stakeholders to map out what success looks like, determine the key deliverables required to achieve those goals and create a success plan for the life of the partnership.

Governance and Maturity Services

These services measure adherence to specific regulatory or contractual requirements and provide measurable data as to the maturity of the organization’s cybersecurity capabilities.

Cybersecurity Readiness Services

Given that threat actors continuously change their tactics, techniques, and procedures, these services are designed to ensure organizations are prepared for the latest and most immediate threats.

Incident Response Services

We provide incident response and digital forensic investigative services powered by an accomplished team with deep expertise. We specialize in providing incident response and digital forensic investigative services to companies of all sizes, ranging from large U.S. Fortune 50 companies to smaller organizations.

Training

Leveraging decades of cybersecurity experience, our results-focused training programs enable customers to unlock a higher level of cyber resilience. We adopt a hands-on approach to build technical proficiency and operational confidence using industry best practices. Cyber skillset training techniques include hunt methodology, offensive methodology, data analytics for security intelligence, SOC leadership, cyber threat intelligence operations, executive education, and custom cyber threat seminars.

Our Sales and Marketing

Sales

We use a “to and through” sales strategy. By maintaining a direct sales force consisting of senior-level account executives with deep security and high-tech experience, we have been able to leverage extensive professional networks and build inroads to strategic accounts. Because of this and the caliber of our senior leadership team, we believe we have a differentiated ability to convene CEOs, CISOs, and other leaders within an entire industry, such as energy company CEOs. This is what enables our cornerstone/community selling approach.

We have two sales teams in the United States: Public Sector, covering federal, state and local segments and Commercial covering both critical infrastructure (energy, oil & gas, and related segments) and enterprise (financial services, insurance, tech, and a variety of other sectors). We have direct sales staff in six countries, as well as a growing portfolio of channel, managed services and technology partners across the United States, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific regions to scale our ability to discover, qualify, and close business.

In addition, we have inside sales development teams to expand our selling capabilities. These teams focus on early qualification and development of opportunities that the inside sales development team will either close directly or transition to the field sales teams (for named accounts). These inside teams’ primary objective is filling Collective Defense communities with smaller companies.

Marketing

Our marketing organization employs high-tech multichannel digital and content marketing for lead generation, aggressive public relations, social media and thought leadership programs to drive awareness, and specialization in strategies such as employee advocacy and search engine optimization. We were recently the top organic search engine result for “Network Detection and Response” in a competitive market.

Our public relations and media program has resulted in regular coverage in business press, cybersecurity trade media and industry trade media.

Our event program is focused on exposure to audiences that are aligned to our sales strategy. We incorporate a combination of both large industry events like Black Hat with regional and sector-focused field marketing events that allow us to capture leads on new customers to build out Collective Defense communities. We also have an integrated thought leadership program wherein we host monthly webinars with our executives, customers, and other thought leaders, in addition to participating in partner hosted-webinars and invited opportunities (e.g., America’s Future Series).

We focus on providing compelling content for both demand generation and awareness-building. Our monthly Threat Intelligence Briefs summarize the IOCs and detections our SOC has discovered in order to inform the efforts of other operations analysts in the cybersecurity space. Our threat researchers produce in-depth analysis on topics such as ransomware detection and unique technical observations about the SUNBURST attack, Log4j, cyber implications of the Russia-Ukraine war, and other topics, which have been featured in media outlets. This helps build credibility with the security analyst audience, a key influencer in the buying process.

Our Partnership Ecosystem

Our partner ecosystem consists of leading organizations that have been carefully selected to help us deliver the power of Collective Defense across a variety of dimensions.

Technology partners

When used together, our partner integrations leverage our collective threat intelligence to react in real time, as well as proactively combat threats across the entire network, and create workflows that mitigate compromised devices. Our integrations are designed to increase the efficiency of security teams with smarter, more effective workflows built through collective threat intelligence. To streamline the alert triage and incident response processes, IronDefense can integrate with a number of security products, including:

SIEM tools to retrieve logs, share detections, and retrieve analyst feedback;
SOAR tools to share detections, retrieve analyst feedback, and augment existing playbooks;
EDR platforms to ingest endpoint event and entity context and initiate response to malicious activity; and
NGFW products to dynamically block malicious activity and ingest logs for analysis.

Current and planned future integrations and APIs include:

Cloud

AWS

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Azure
GCP

SIEM

Splunk
IBM QRadar
Microsoft Azure Sentinel LogRhythm

SOAR

Cortex XSOAR (formerly Demisto)
Splunk Phantom
Swimlane

ITSM

ServiceNow

EDR

CrowdStrike
Carbon Black
Forescout
Tanium

NGFW

Palo Alto Networks
Checkpoint Software Technologies
Zscaler

Go To Market (“GTM”) Partners

With our GTM partners, we seek to accelerate service growth and value for their customers through a mutually beneficial program.

Raytheon Technologies

This partnership delivers cybersecurity solutions that defend against advanced threats that leverage behavior-based network traffic analysis and collective defense. The Raytheon-IronNet partnership combines our Collective Defense Platform with Raytheon’s Managed Security Operations Center, Managed Detection and Response (“MDR”) and Cyber Security Operations Center capabilities. This partnership delivers new analytical solutions that strengthen enterprise protection, along with a customized onboarding to integrate and operate the platform.

Accenture

We work with Accenture to help companies protect critical infrastructure by quickly deploying and updating a system of machine-speed, advanced threat analytics across IT and Operational Technology, which automatically filters out the noise of false positives with the insight provided by community sourced context. Accenture provides the expertise in scalable implementation when it orchestrates our collective defense platform, delivering actionable attack information in real-time for their customers to prevent impact to critical infrastructure.

MDR/MSSP Partners

Chosen channel partners work with us to develop and deliver an end-to-end solution designed to detect and prevent damaging and difficult-to-detect cyberattacks that continue to plague organizations across public and private sectors. For example, our partnership with Booz Allen Hamilton ("BAH") brings together unique capabilities, helping customers to navigate the complexities of the current threat landscape more easily. BAH provides a full spectrum of professional services including consulting, technical, scientific and project delivery for the government and private sector. The joint offering of BAH and our collective defense platform brings advancements in machine learning and AI, which provides innovative cyber defense detection to discover both known and unknown cyber threats, allowing a more thorough and effective approach to network security for their clients.

Our other integration and sales partners include Atlantic Data Forensics, Blacklake Security, Jacobs Engineering Group, Unlimited Technology, ArmorText, Carahsoft, Domain Tools, Ensign Infosecurity, Forescout and Global Cyber Alliance.

Our Research and Development

Our product and engineering teams are responsible for the architecture and implementation of our Collective Defense platform. Our team of data scientists, data engineers, and emerging threat researchers work together to continually improve the analytics which drive IronDefense. Our Cloud Infrastructure and Sensor teams are dedicated to making IronDome reliable and scalable in the cloud. In addition, our CyOC provides overwatch capabilities of IronDome which provides further novel detection as well as proactive response and threat intelligence updates to all community participants.

We are built upon innovations in cybersecurity technology, delivering continuous improvement in detection and mitigation of threats. Our expertise and history in defense and cybersecurity brings a holistic point of view to the design of our solutions, allowing us to find novel threats and share them in real time. We focus investment on research into emerging threats and advanced data science to keep our Collective Defense platform at the forefront of the global security landscape. We use feedback from our customers and channel partners, as well as studies of market needs, to guide product development, ensuring prioritization of new integrations, product features and functionality.

We have a regular weekly cadence to report internally on our own infrastructure and security operations, as well as the health of all our customer instances. On an annual basis, we use a third-party penetration testing team to test our environment. Additionally, we use our internal Red Team to perform periodic testing and vulnerability scans for all our environments.

Our Competition

The market for our products and services is intensely competitive and characterized by rapid changes in technology, customer requirements, and by frequent new product and service offerings and improvements. We compete with a range of established and emerging security solution vendors. Conditions in our market could change rapidly and significantly as a result of technological advancements, partnerships, or acquisitions by competitors or continuing market consolidation

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and we expect the competitive environment to remain intense.

Our competitors include the following by general category:

first-generation NDR vendors such as DarkTrace or Vectra Networks, who offer point products based on Bayesian analysis, outlier analysis, and heuristic detection-based detection;
network security vendors, such as Cisco and Palo Alto Networks, Inc., who are supplementing their core network security additional behavioral-based detection with behavioral-based detection, threat intelligence and security operations solutions; and
legacy network infrastructure and performance monitoring companies such as ExtraHop and Arista Networks, who are adding security use cases to their infrastructure products.

We compete on the basis of a number of factors, including but not limited to our ability to:

detect advanced network threats and to prevent security breaches;
anonymously correlate and share threats in real-time across a community of peer enterprises;
share human-intelligence across a Collective Defense community on how peer enterprises have rated and triaged similar detections; and
integrate with other participants in the security ecosystem.

We also compete on our:

time to value, price, and total cost of ownership;
brand awareness, reputation, and trust in our services;
strength of sales, marketing, and channel partner relationships; and
customer success, cyber hunt, and cyber advisory services.

Although some of our competitors enjoy greater resources, higher brand recognition, broader range of IT and security products, larger existing customer bases, or more mature intellectual property portfolios, we believe that we compete favorably with respect to these factors.

Our Intellectual Property

We believe that our intellectual property rights are valuable and important to our business. We rely on trademarks, patents, copyrights, trade secrets, license agreements, intellectual property assignment agreements, confidentiality procedures, non-disclosure agreements, and employee non-disclosure and invention assignment agreements to establish and protect our proprietary rights. Though we rely in part upon these legal and contractual protections, we believe that factors such as the skills and ingenuity of our employees and the functionality and frequent enhancements to our solutions are larger contributors to our success in the marketplace.

As of April 12, 2022, we had three issued patents and seven pending applications in the United States covering our technology, as well as 37 issued international patents, six pending international patent applications, and five filed PCT applications. Our issued patents expire between 2035 and 2037.

As of April 12, 2022, we had five registered brands in the United States, comprising four single-class trademark registrations and five single- and multiple-class service mark registrations. Four of those five brands are also registered internationally. In addition, we own pending multi-class, combined trademark/service mark applications in both the United States and abroad. We believe these registrations and pending applications offer robust protection for all of our brands. We intend to pursue additional intellectual property protection to the extent we believe it would be beneficial and cost-effective.

Despite our efforts to protect our intellectual property rights, they may not be respected in the future or may be invalidated, circumvented, or challenged. Our industry is characterized by the existence of a large number of patents and frequent claims and related litigation based on allegations of patent infringement or other violations of intellectual property rights. We believe that competitors will try to develop products that are similar to our products and that may infringe our intellectual property rights. Our competitors or other third parties may also claim that our security platform and other solutions infringe their intellectual property rights. In particular, some companies in our industry may have extensive patent portfolios. From time to time, third parties may in the future assert claims of infringement, misappropriation and other violations of intellectual property rights against us or our customers, with whom our agreements may obligate us to indemnify against these claims. Successful claims of infringement by a third party could prevent us from offering certain products or features, require us to develop alternate, non-infringing technology, which could require significant time and during which we could be unable to continue to offer our affected products or solutions, require us to obtain a license, which may not be available on reasonable terms or at all, or force us to pay substantial damages, royalties, or other fees.

Government Regulation

Our business activities are subject to various federal, state, local, and foreign laws, rules, and regulations. Compliance with these laws, rules, and regulations has not had, and is not expected to have, a material effect on our capital expenditures, results of operations and competitive position as compared to prior periods. Nevertheless, compliance with existing or future governmental regulations, including, but not limited to, those pertaining to global trade, consumer and data protection, and taxes, could have a material impact on our business in subsequent periods. For more information on the potential impacts of government regulations affecting our business, see the section titled “Risk Factors” contained in Part I, Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Our Facilities

Our corporate headquarters occupy approximately 12,000 square feet in Tysons, Virginia, part of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region, under a lease that expires in June 2026. We also lease office space in Raleigh, North Carolina. We have a data center co-location facility in Reston, Virginia, and we also utilize AWS regional cloud services located around the world for our storage needs and to help deliver our solution. We believe that our existing facilities are sufficient for our current needs. In the future, we may need to add new facilities and expand our existing facilities as we add employees, grow our infrastructure and evolve our business, and we believe that suitable additional or substitute space will be available on commercially reasonable terms to meet our future needs.

Our Employees / Human Capital Resources

Our employees worldwide power our innovation, contributing unique perspectives and a growth mindset to create breakthrough technologies and transformative solutions. We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace that attracts and retains exceptional talent. Through ongoing employee development, comprehensive compensation and benefits, and a focus on health, safety and employee wellbeing, we strive to help our employees in all aspects of their lives so they can do their best work, every single day.

As of January 31, 2022, we had 316 full-time employees. Of these employees, 93% are in the United States and 7% are in international locations. We have not experienced work stoppages and believe our employee relations are good.

Diversity and Inclusion

Innovation at our company comes from the diverse perspectives, knowledge, and experiences of our employees. We strive to create an inclusive workplace where people can bring their authentic selves to work. We employ inclusive recruitment practices to source diverse candidates and mitigate potential bias.

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Our Diversity Ambassadors team’s mission is to build a more diverse and inclusive company through clear and measurable goals across all levels and geographies, and encouraging and enabling all our employees to drive change and create an inclusive environment for everyone every day through educational, professional, and social programs. The mission of the Diversity Ambassadors is to establish a world-class program that continually delivers an accurate assessment of diversity, equity, and inclusion to decision makers across the company, and empowers us to operate in accordance with our values.

The Diversity Ambassador team seeks to achieve this vision by focusing on efforts that have been studied to show results, such as voluntary training, using disaggregated data to provide transparency into the fabric of our company, disassembling the employee lifecycle and re-engineering it so that all team members have equal access to a level playing field, targeting early talent recruiting, sponsorship, and creating employee-driven diversity teams.

Compensation, Benefits and Well-being

We offer competitive compensation and benefits that support our employees’ overall well-being. To ensure alignment with our short- and long-term objectives, our compensation programs for all employees include base pay, short-term incentives, and opportunities for long-term incentives. We offer benefits including comprehensive health and welfare insurance, company match for health and wellness accounts, paid time-off and leaves, pet insurance, an Employee Assistance Program (to include counseling opportunities), legal advice, parental leave, discount programs to various travel vendors, and a retirement matching program. Our gym reimbursement program in the United States further helps to support employees’ physical well-being.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we implemented significant changes in the best interest of employees as well as the communities in which we operate. This includes having the vast majority of our employees work from home, while implementing additional safety measures for employees continuing critical on-site work. We have also provided a work-from-home reimbursement program, as well as online classes and weekly newsletters to assist employees in that transition. To create a specific focus on the mental health and wellbeing of our employees, we created the “Unplug” program that provides several company- wide paid days off to help employees balance their work and life responsibilities. Additionally, to show a connection between IronNet and the employee, we also match their charitable contributions made to philanthropic organizations of their choice.

Employees have the opportunity to join two other Ambassador groups whose intent, among other things, is to promote a culture of community and increase comradery. The groups include ‘Remote Worker’ whose focus is to join employees together through activities and support a family oriented philosophy; and ‘Philanthropy’ whose purpose is to connect employees through charitable programs and initiative.

Growth and Development

We actively foster a learning culture where employees are empowered to drive their career progression, supporting professional development and providing on-demand learning platforms. Employees enjoy three company paid learning platforms, and our education reimbursement program offers each eligible employee an allowance for long-term undergraduate and graduate studies, as well as short-term professional development where each department is awarded a budget for career training. Additionally, IronNet sponsors various leadership training opportunities through outside vendors as well as group technical training sessions. We host all-employee monthly brown-bag learning sessions which include topics from time management to tricks in Excel. Our monthly newsletter is full of other suggested training opportunities within our hosted portals. Career Development Plans have been curated for each member of our technical and security groups to allow them a clear line of sight between where they are now within their career at IronNet, where they could be, and what steps they should take to excel to the next level. Our internship program is available on an annual basis where college students are invited to participate in learning and mentorship opportunities with the hopes of full-time employment after graduation. Our development programs play a critical role in engaging and retaining our employees as these programs offer opportunities to continually enhance their skills for a variety of career opportunities across the company.

Environmental Controls

The laws of several jurisdictions, including U.S. federal law, imposes criminal and/or civil liability on any person or company that contaminates the environment with any hazardous substance that could cause injury to the community or environment. Violation of environmental laws can involve monetary fines and imprisonment. We expect our employees, officers and directors to comply with all applicable environmental laws when conducting the business of the Company.

Anti-discrimination Controls

In order to provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all individuals, employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, and abilities. We do not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, or disability. IronNet strives to make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities. This policy governs all aspects of employment, including selection, job assignment, compensation, discipline, termination, and access to benefits and training. Employees with questions or concerns about discrimination in the workplace are encouraged to bring these issues to the attention of their immediate supervisor or a People and Culture Manager. Employees can raise concerns and make reports without fear of reprisal. Anyone found to be engaging in unlawful discrimination will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

Available Information

Our Internet address is www.ironnet.com. Our investor relations website is located at https://ir.ironnet.com. Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and our Proxy Statements, and any amendments to these reports, are available through our investor relations website, free of charge, after we file them with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). These filings with the SEC are also available on the SEC’s website located at www.sec.gov.

We announce material information to the public through a variety of means, including filings with the SEC, blogs (including https://www.ironnet.com/blog), press releases, public conference calls, our website (www.ironnet.com) and the investor relations section of our website (https://ir.ironnet.com). In addition to these channels, we will continue to use social media to communicate with our customers and the public. We use these channels to communicate with investors and the public about our company, our products and services and other matters. Therefore, we encourage investors, the media and others interested in our company to review the information we make public in these locations, as such information could be deemed to be material information. Further, corporate governance information, including our corporate governance guidelines, code of business conduct and ethics, and committee charters, is also available on investor relations section of our website.

The content of or accessible through our websites are not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K or in any other report or document we file with the SEC, and any references to our websites are intended to be inactive textual references only.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

RISK FACTORS

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below together with all of the

other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including our financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” before deciding to invest in our common stock. If any of the events or developments described below were to occur, our business, prospects,
operating results liquidity and financial condition.condition could suffer materially, the trading price of our common stock could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risk factorsrisks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deembelieve to be immaterial may also impairadversely affect our business.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

We have experienced rapid growth in recent periods, and if we do not manage our future growth, our business orand results of operations.operations will be adversely affected.

SummaryWe have experienced rapid revenue growth in recent periods we expect to continue to invest broadly across our organization to support our growth. For example, our headcount grew from 246 full-time employees as of Risk Factors

● Your only opportunityJanuary 31, 2021 to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination316 full-time employees as of January 31, 2022. Although we have experienced rapid growth historically, we may not be limitedable sustain our current growth rates, nor can we assure you that our investments to the exercise of your right to convert your shares to cash.

● Our initial stockholderssupport our growth will be successful. The growth and management team will control a substantial interest in us and thus may influence certain actions requiring a stockholder vote.

● The abilityexpansion of our public stockholdersbusiness will require us to convert their shares for cash may makeinvest significant financial and operational resources and the continuous dedication of our management team. We have encountered and will continue to encounter, risks and difficulties frequently experienced by rapidly growing companies in evolving industries, including market acceptance of our products, adding new customers, intense competition, and our ability to manage our costs and operating expenses. Our future success will depend in part on our ability to manage our growth effectively, which will require us to, among other things:

effectively attract, integrate and retain a large number of new employees, particularly members of our sales and marketing, data science, and research and development teams;
further improve our platform and products, including our cloud modules and security capabilities, analytics, collective defense capabilities, and visualizations, and IT infrastructure, including expanding and optimizing our data centers, collection, and analytic capabilities, to support our business needs;
enhance our information and communication systems to ensure that our employees and offices around the world are well coordinated and can effectively communicate with each other and our growing base of customers and partners; and
improve our financial, condition unattractivemanagement, and compliance systems and controls.

If we fail to potentialachieve these objectives effectively, our ability to manage our expected growth, ensure uninterrupted operation of our platform and key business combination targets, which may make it difficult for ussystems, and comply with the rules and regulations applicable to enter into an agreement for an initialour business combination or optimizecould be impaired. Additionally, the quality of our capital structure. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your shares.

● Weplatform and services could suffer and we may not be able to complete our initial business combination within 24 months after the closing of our IPO, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, and we would redeem our public shares for a pro rata portionadequately address competitive challenges. Any of the funds in the trust account, and we would liquidate. In such event, our warrants would expire worthless.

● If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of stockholders are deemed to hold in excess of 20% of our Class A common stock, you will lose the ability to convert all such shares in excess of 20% of our Class A common stock.

● We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent valuation or appraisal firm and, consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the target(s) of our initial business combination is fair from a financial point of view.

● Our warrants and founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.

● We may issue additional shares of capital stock or debt securities to complete a business combination, which would reduce the equity interest of our stockholders.

● Resourcesforegoing could be wasted in researching acquisitions that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business.


● We may be unable to obtain additional financing, if required, to complete aour business, combination or to fund the operations and growth of the target business.

● Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the COVID-19 outbreak and other events, and the status of debt and equity markets.

● We may seek business combination opportunities with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue, cash flow or earnings, which could subject us to volatile revenues, cash flows or earnings or difficulty in retaining key personnel.

● We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may affect our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.

● If we consummate a business combination with a target company with assets located outside of the United States, our results of operations, and prospects could be subject to the economic, political, and legal policies, developments, and conditions in the country in which we operate. Further, exchange rate fluctuations and currency policies may cause our ability to succeed in the international markets to be diminished.financial condition.

● If we pursue a target business in the aerospace or defense industries, we would be subject to a variety of risks that may negatively impact our operations.

● Past performance by our management team and their affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the Company.

● Our sponsor, executive officers and directors presently have fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.

● We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by the holders of a majority of the then outstanding public warrants.

● We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.

● The NYSE may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.

● If third parties bring claims against us, and if our directors decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsor, or if our sponsor does not have the funds to indemnify us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.

● Our stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares

● Holders of our Class A common stock will not be entitled to vote on any election of directors we hold prior to the vote on our initial business combination

● We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.

● The securities in which we invest the funds held in the trust account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.


We have no operatinga history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.

● If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.

● Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporationlosses and bylaws and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our common stock and could entrench management.

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

● Cyber incidents or attacks directed at us could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.

Risk Factors

Risks Relating to Searching for and Consummating a Business Combination

Our stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our stockholders do not support such a combination.

We may choose not to hold a stockholder vote before we complete our initial business combination if the business combination would not require stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement. For instance, if we were seeking to acquire a target business where the consideration we were paying in the transaction was all cash, we would not be required to seek stockholder approval to complete such a transaction. Except for as required by applicable law or stock exchange requirement, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval. Accordingly, we may complete our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our shares of common stock do not approve of the business combination we complete.

Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of your right to convert your shares to cash.

Since our board of directors may complete a business combination without seeking stockholder approval, our public stockholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination, unless we seek such stockholder vote. Accordingly, your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding our initial business combination may be limited to exercising your conversion rights within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public stockholders in which we describe our initial business combination.


If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial stockholders and management team have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public stockholders vote.

Our initial stockholders own 20% of our outstanding shares of common stock. Our initial stockholders and management team also may from time to time purchase shares of our Class A common stock prior to our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, if we seek stockholder approval of an initial business combination, such initial business combination will be approved if we receive the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares voted at such meeting, including the founder shares. If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial stockholders and management team have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public stockholders vote. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need 6,468,751, or 37.5%, of the 17,250,000 public shares sold in our IPO to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming all outstanding shares are voted). Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, the agreement by our initial stockholders and management team to vote in favor of our initial business combination will increase the likelihood that we will receive the requisite stockholder approval for such initial business combination.

The ability of our public stockholders to convert their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.

We may seek to enter into a business combination transaction agreement with a prospective target business that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many of our public stockholders exercise their conversion rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the business combination. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted conversion requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we would not proceed with such conversion and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us.

The ability of our public stockholders to exercise conversion rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.

At the time we enter into an agreement for our initial business combination, we will not know how many stockholders may exercise their conversion rights, and therefore will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for conversion. If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion of the cash in the trust account to meet such requirements, or arrange for third party financing. In addition, if a larger number of shares are submitted for conversion than we initially expected, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater portion of the cash in the trust account or arrange for third party financing. Raising additional third party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. Furthermore, this dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provision of our Class B common stock result in the issuance of Class A shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of our Class B common stock at the time of our business combination. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure. The amount of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriters of our IPO will not be adjusted for any shares that are converted in connection with an initial business combination. The per-share amount we will distribute to stockholders who properly exercise their conversion rights will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commission and after such conversions, the amount held in trust will continue to reflect our obligation to pay the entire deferred underwriting commissions.

The ability of our public stockholders to exercise conversion rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your shares.

If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful is increased. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the trust account until we liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your shares in the open market; however, at such time our shares may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with the conversion until we liquidate or you are able to sell your shares in the open market.

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If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, members of our management team, special advisors or their respective affiliates may elect to purchase shares or public warrants from our public stockholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A common stock.

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, members of our management team, special advisors or their respective affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. However, other than as expressly stated herein, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares or public warrants in such transactions.

In the event that our sponsor, members of our management team, special advisors or their respective affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from our public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their conversion rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to convert their shares. The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the business combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements.

In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A common stock or public warrants and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.

In connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial business combination, we may require stockholders who wish to convert their shares in connection with a proposed business combination to comply with specific requirements for conversion that may make it more difficult for them to exercise their conversion rights prior to the deadline for exercising their rights.

In connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial business combination, each public stockholder will have the right, regardless of whether he is voting for or against such proposed business combination, to demand that we convert his shares into a pro rata share of the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination. We may require our public stockholders who wish to convert their shares in connection with a proposed business combination to either (i) tender their certificates (if any) to our transfer agent or (ii) deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holders’ option, prior to the vote on the business combination with the specific deadline set forth in the proxy materials sent in connection with the proposal to approve the business combination. In order to obtain a physical share certificate, a stockholder’s broker and/or clearing broker, DTC and our transfer agent will need to act to facilitate this request. It is our understanding that stockholders should generally allot at least two weeks to obtain physical certificates from the transfer agent. However, because we do not have any control over this process or over the brokers or DTC, it may take significantly longer than two weeks to obtain a physical share certificate. While we have been advised that it takes a short time to deliver shares through the DWAC System, we cannot assure you of this fact. Accordingly, if it takes longer than we anticipate for stockholders to deliver their shares, stockholders who wish to convert may be unable to meet the deadline for exercising their conversion rights and thus may be unable to convert their shares.

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If, in connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed business combination, we require our public stockholders who wish to convert their shares to comply with specific requirements for conversion, such converting stockholders may be unable to sell their securities when they wish to in the event that the proposed business combination is not approved.

If we require our public stockholders who wish to convert their shares to comply with specific delivery requirements for conversion and such proposed business combination is not consummated, we will promptly return such certificates to the tendering public stockholders. Accordingly, investors who attempted to convert their shares in such a circumstance will be unable to sell their securities after the failed acquisition until we have returned their securities to them. The market price for our shares of common stock may decline during this time and you may not be able to sell your securitiesachieve or sustain profitability in the future.

We have incurred net losses in all periods since our inception. We experienced net losses of $242.6 million and $55.4 million for fiscal 2022 and fiscal 2021, respectively. As of January 31, 2022, we had an accumulated deficit of $417.7 million. While we have experienced significant growth in revenue in recent periods, we cannot predict when you wish to, even while other stockholders that did not seek conversion may be able to sell their securities.

If a stockholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be converted.

We will comply with the proxy rules or tender offer rules, as applicable, when conducting conversions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a stockholder fails to receive our proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, such stockholder may not become aware of the opportunity to convert its shares. In addition, the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, thatwhether we will furnishreach or maintain profitability. We also expect our operating expenses to holders ofincrease over our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly convert or tender public shares. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures disclosedhistorical expenses in the proxy or tender offer materials, as applicable, its shares may not be converted to cash.

You do not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. Therefore, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.

Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earlier to occur of: (i) our completion of an initial business combination, and then only in connection with those shares of our Class A common stock that such stockholder properly elected to convert, subject to the limitations described herein, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our IPO or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our IPO, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Holders of warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.

The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within 24 months after the closing of our IPO may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targetsfuture as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders.

Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our IPO. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the timeframe described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.

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We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within 24 months after the closing of our IPO, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate.

We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within 24 months after the closing of our IPO. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the trust account not previously released to us to pay our tax obligations and less up to $50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish our public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any) and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and in all cases subject to the other requirements of applicable law.

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of stockholders are deemed to hold in excess of 20% of our Class A common stock, you will lose the ability to convert all such shares in excess of 20% of our Class A common stock.

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct conversions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking conversion rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 20% of the shares sold in our IPO without our prior consent, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. As a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 20% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.

Because ofinvest for future growth, which will negatively affect our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to our public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.

We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of our IPO and the sale of the private warrants, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, we are obligated to offer holders of our public shares the right to redeem their shares for cash at the time of our initial business combination in conjunction with a stockholder vote or via a tender offer. Target companies will be aware that this may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. Any of these obligations may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to our public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.


If the net proceeds of our IPO not being held in the trust account, together with the interest released to us, are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least 24 months after the closing of our IPO, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination, and we will depend on loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search and to complete our initial business combination.

Of the net proceeds of our IPO, only approximately $1,000,000 was available to us outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. We also have access to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account to pay our tax obligations. We believe that such funds are sufficient to allow us to operate for at least 24 months after the closing of our IPO, however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate.

If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate. Neither our sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their affiliates is under any obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances. Any such advances would be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private warrants. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, members of our management team or an affiliate of our sponsor or members of our management team as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in the trust account. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. Consequently, our public stockholders may only receive an estimated $10.00 per share, or possibly less, on our redemption of our public shares, and our warrants will expire worthless.

Because we are neither limited to evaluating a target business in a particular industry sector nor have we selected any specific target businesses with which to pursue our initial business combination, you are unable to currently ascertain the merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations.

Although we are initially focusing our search for a target business in the aerospace and defense industries, we are not limited to evaluating a target business in any particular industry sector (except that we will not, under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations). As a result, there is no current basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations, results of operations cash flows, liquidity, financial condition or prospects. To the extent we completeif our initial business combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example, if we combine with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or a development stage entity. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors or that we will have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a business combination target. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.


We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another valuation or appraisal firm that commonly renders fairness opinions, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view.

Unless we complete our initial business combination with an affiliated entity, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another valuation or appraisal firm that commonly renders fairness opinions that the price we are paying is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our stockholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.

We may issue additional shares of our Class A common stock or preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue shares of our Class A common stock upon the conversion of the founder shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions containedtherein. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our stockholders and likely present other risks.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 75,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 10,000,000 shares of our Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.0001 per share. There are 57,750,000 and 5,687,500 authorized but unissued shares of our Class A common stock and our Class B common stock, respectively, available for issuance which amounttotal revenue does not take into account shares issuable upon conversion of our Class B common stock. The founder shares are automatically convertible into our Class B common stock at the time of our initial business combination initially at a one-for-one ratio, subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like.

We may issue a substantial number of additional shares of our Class A common stock or preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue shares of our Class A common stock upon conversion of our Class B common stock at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions as set forth above. However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination or any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the rights granted to our public stockholders, including but not limited to conversion rights. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, like all provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, may be amended with a stockholder vote. The issuance of additional shares of common stock or preferred stock:

● may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors;

● may subordinate the rights of holders of our Class A common stock if shares of preferred stock are issued with rights senior to those afforded our Class A common stock;

● could cause a change in control if a substantial number of shares of our Class A common stock are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; and

● may adversely affect prevailing market prices for shares of our Class A common stock and/or warrants.


We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our stockholders’ investment in us.

Although we have no commitments to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our initial business combination. We and our officers have agreed that we will not incur any indebtedness unless we have obtained from the lender a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to the monies held in the trust account. As such, no issuance of debt will affect the per share amount available for redemption from the trust account. Nevertheless, the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:

● default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;

● acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;

● our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand;

● our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding;

● our inability to pay dividends on our Class A common stock;

● using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our Class A common stock if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;

● limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;

● increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and

● limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.

Resources could be wasted in researching acquisitions that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to our public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.

We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.


We may attempt to simultaneously complete business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our initial business combination and give rise to increased costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.

If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete our initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.

We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.

In pursuing our business combination strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. By definition, very little public information generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.

We do not have a specified maximum conversion threshold. The absence of such a threshold may make it possible for us to complete our initial business combination with which a substantial majority of our stockholders do not agree.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation does not provide a specified maximum conversion threshold, except that in no event will we consummate an initial business combination if holders exercising conversion rights would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (such that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public stockholders do not agree with the transaction and have converted their shares or, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct conversions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of our Class A common stock that are validly submitted for conversion plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or convert any shares, all shares of our Class A common stock submitted for conversion will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.

In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and other governing instruments.increase. We cannot assure you that these investments will result in substantial increases in our total revenue or improvements in our results of operations. In addition to the anticipated costs to grow our business, we also expect to incur significant additional legal, accounting, and other expenses as a newly public operating company. Any failure to increase our revenue as we invest in our business or to manage our costs could prevent us from achieving or maintaining profitability or positive cash flow.

Our limited operating history makes it difficult to evaluate our current business and our future prospects and may increase the risk of your investment.

We were founded in 2014 and we launched our first cybersecurity network detection and response product in 2016, IronDefense, and our first collective defense product in 2018, IronDome. Our limited operating history makes it difficult to evaluate our current business, our future prospects, and other trends, including our ability to plan for and model future growth. We have encountered, and we will not seekcontinue to amendencounter, risks, uncertainties, and difficulties frequently experienced by rapidly growing companies in evolving industries, including our amendedability to achieve broad market acceptance of cloud- enabled, and/or SaaS delivered cybersecurity solutions and restated certificate of incorporation or governing instrumentsour platform, attract additional customers, grow partnerships, compete effectively, build and maintain effective compliance programs, and manage increasing expenses as we continue to invest in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination that our stockholders may not support.

In order to effectuate a business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and governing instruments. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds and extended the time to consummate an initial business combination. Amending our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will require the approval of holders of at least 65% of the outstanding shares of our common stock. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires us to provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to convert their public shares for cash if we propose an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares ifbusiness. If we do not complete an initialaddress these risks, uncertainties and difficulties successfully, our business, combination within 24 monthsand results of the closing of our IPO or with respect to any other material provisions relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. We cannot assure you thatoperations will be harmed. Further, we will not seek to amend our charter or governing instruments or extend the time to consummate an initial business combinationhave limited historical financial data and operate in order to effectuate our initial business combination.


The provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that relate to our pre-business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from the trust account), including an amendment to permit us to withdraw funds from the trust account such that the per share amount investors will receive upon any redemption or liquidation is substantially reduced or eliminated, may be amended with the approval of holders of not less than 65% of our outstanding shares of common stock, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other blank check companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our stockholders may not support.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement with respect to the trust account) provide that any of its provisions related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of our IPO and the private warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide conversion rights to our public stockholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by holders of not less than 65% of our outstanding shares of common stock. Our initial stockholders, who collectively beneficially own 20% of our shares of common stock, will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose.rapidly evolving market. As a result, weany predictions about our future revenue and expenses may not be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation which govern our pre-business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete a business combination with which you do not agree. Our stockholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.

Our sponsor, executive officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to agreements with us, thatas accurate as they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shareswould be if we do not completehad a longer operating history or operated in a more predictable market.

The COVID-19 pandemic could adversely affect our initial business, combination within 24 months from the closing of our IPO or with respectoperating results and future revenue.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has and may continue to any other material provisions relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combinationimpact worldwide economic activity unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to convert their shares of our Class A common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the trust account not previously released to us to pay our tax obligations, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. Our stockholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor, executive officers, directors or director nominees for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our stockholders would need to pursue a stockholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.

We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholder may only receive their pro rata portionfinancial markets. Some of the funds inprecautionary measures taken at the trust account that are available for distribution to our public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.

Although we believe that the net proceeds of our IPO and the saleoutset of the private warrants will be sufficient to allow us to complete our initial business combination, becausepandemic, many of which we have not yet selected any prospective target business we cannot ascertain the capital requirements for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of our IPOnow made largely permanent and the sale of the private warrants prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of our initial business combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to redeem for cash a significant number of shares from stockholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination, we may be required to seek additional financing or to abandon the proposed business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. The currentsustainable, and associated economic environment has made it especially difficult for companies to obtain acquisition financing. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to our public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination.

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Our initial stockholders control a substantial interest in us and thus may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.

Our initial stockholders own 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock. Accordingly, they may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. If our initial stockholders purchase any additional shares of our Class A common stock in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, or if they exercise any private warrants or warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans, this would increase their control. In addition, our board of directors, whose members were elected by our sponsor, is divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term for three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the completion of our initial business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of the business combination. If there is an annual meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, only a minority of the board of directors will be considered for election and our initial stockholders, because of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our initial business combination.

A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.

If (x) we issue additional shares of our Class A common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share of our Class A common stock (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to our initial stockholders or their affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by our initial stockholders or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 50% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination, and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of our Class A common stock during the 10 trading day period starting on the trading day after the day on which we consummate our initial business combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the price at which we issue the additional shares of common stock or equity-linked securities, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the price at which we issue the additional shares of common stock or equity-linked securities. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.

Our warrants may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.

We issued warrants to purchase 8,625,000 shares of our Class A common stock as part of the units offered in our IPO and, simultaneously with the closing of our IPO, we issued in a private placement an aggregate of 5,200,000 private warrants, each exercisable to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at $11.50 per share. In addition, if our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates make any working capital loans, they may convert those loans into up to an additional 1,500,000 private warrants, at the price of $1.00 per warrant. To the extent we issue common stock to effectuate a business transaction, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares of our Class A common stock upon exercise of these warrants could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Such warrants, when exercised, will increase the number of issued and outstanding shares of our Class A common stock and reduce the value of our Class A common stock issued to complete the business transaction. Therefore, our warrants may make it more difficult to effectuate a business transaction or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.


Because we must furnish our stockholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.

The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally acceptedissues, both in the United States and across the globe, could negatively affect our cybersecurity efforts, significantly delay and lengthen our sales cycles, impact our sales and marketing efforts, reduce employee efficiency and productivity, slow our international expansion efforts, increase cybersecurity risks, and create operational or other challenges, any of America, or GAAP, or international financial reporting standards as issuedwhich could harm our business and results of operations. Moreover, due to our subscription-based business model, the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic may not be fully reflected in our results of operations until future periods, if at all.

In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic, and variants thereof, may disrupt the operations of our prospective clients, customers, and partners for an indefinite period of time. Some of our customers have been negatively impacted by the International Accounting Standards Board,COVID-19 pandemic, which could result in delays in accounts receivable collection, or IFRS, dependingresult in decreased technology spending, including spending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standardscybersecurity, which could negatively affect our revenues. Some of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.

Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affectedprospective clients have also been negatively impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19)COVID-19 pandemic, and other events, andwhich could result in delays in sales or lengthen purchasing decisions.

More generally, the statusCOVID-19 pandemic, including the emergence of debt and equity markets.

Thevariant strains of COVID-19, pandemic has adversely affected and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) could adversely affect, the economies and financial markets worldwide,globally, and the businesscontinued uncertainty could lead to a prolonged economic downturn, which could result in a larger customer turnover than is currently anticipated, reduced demand for our products and services, and increased length of any potential target business withsales cycles, in which we consummate a business combinationcase our revenues could be materiallysignificantly impacted. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic may also exacerbate other risks discussed in this “Risk Factors” section and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unableelsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. It is not possible at this time to complete aestimate the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic could have on our business, combination if concerns relating to COVID-19 continue to restrict travel, limitas the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for a business combinationimpact will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, includingpredicted.

If organizations do not adopt cloud-enabled, and/or SaaS-delivered cybersecurity solutions that may be based on new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) continue for an extensive period of time,untested security concepts, our ability to consummate agrow our business combination, or theand results of operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.

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In addition, our ability to consummate a transaction may be dependentOur future success depends on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by COVID-19 and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases), including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity in third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all.

As the number of special purpose acquisition companies evaluating targets increases, attractive targets may become scarcer and there may be more competition for attractive targets. This could increase the cost of our initial business combination and could even result in our inability to find a target or to consummate an initial business combination.  

In recent years, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many potential targets for special purpose acquisition companies have already entered into an initial business combination, and there are still many special purpose acquisition companies seeking targets for their initial business combination, as well as many such companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available, and it may require more time, more effort and more resources to identify a suitable target and to consummate an initial business combination.


In addition, because there are more special purpose acquisition companies seeking to enter into an initial business combination with available targets, the competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models may increase, which could cause targets companies to demand improved financial terms. Attractive deals could also become scarcer for other reasons, such as economic or industry sector downturns, geopolitical tensions, or increases in the cost of additional capital needed to close business combinations or operate targets post-business combination. This could increase the cost of, delay or otherwise complicate or frustrate our ability to find and consummate an initial business combination, and may result in our inability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors altogether. 

Changesgrowth in the market for directorscloud-enabled and/or SaaS-delivered cybersecurity solutions. The use of SaaS solutions to manage and officers liability insurance could makeautomate security and IT operations is rapidly evolving. As such, it moreis difficult to predict our potential growth, customer adoption and more expensiveretention rates, customer demand for us to negotiateour solutions, or the success of existing or future competitive products. Any expansion in our market depends on a number of factors, including the cost, performance and complete an initial business combination. 

In recent months, the market for directorsperceived value associated with our solutions and officers liability insurance for special purpose acquisition companies has changed. The premiums charged for such policies have generally increased and the terms of such policies have generally become less favorable. There can be no assurance that these trends will not continue. 

The increased cost and decreased availability of directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate an initial business combination. In order to obtain directors and officers liability insurance or modify its coverage as a result of becoming a public company, the post-business combination entity might need to incur greater expense, accept less favorable terms or both. However, any failure to obtain adequate directors and officers liability insurance could have an adverse impact on the post-business combination’s ability to attract and retain qualified officers and directors. 

In addition, even after we were to complete an initial business combination, our directors and officers could still be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to the initial business combination. As a result, in order to protect our directors and officers, the post-business combination entity will likely need to purchase additional insurance with respect to any such claims (“run-off insurance”). The need for run-off insurance would be an added expense for the post-business combination entity, and could interfere with or frustrate our ability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors. 

Risks Related to the Post-Business Combination Company

We may seek business combination opportunities with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue, cash flow or earnings, which could subject us to volatile revenues, cash flows or earnings or difficulty in retaining key personnel.

To the extent we complete our initial business combination with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenues or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include volatile revenues or earnings and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors and we may not have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outsidethose of our control and leave us with no ability to controlcompetitors. If our solutions do not achieve widespread adoption or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impactthere is a target business.

We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may affectreduction in demand for our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company, which could, in turn, negatively impact the value of our stockholders’ investment in us.

When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s management may be limitedsolutions due to a lack of time, resourcescustomer acceptance, technological challenges, competing products, privacy or other liability concerns, decreases in corporate spending, weakening economic conditions, or otherwise, it could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial results, resulting from such things as early terminations, reduced customer retention rates, or decreased sales. We do not know whether the trend in adoption of cloud- enabled and/or SaaS-delivered cybersecurity solutions that we have experienced in the past will continue in the future. Furthermore, if we or other SaaS security providers experience security incidents, loss, or disclosure of customer data, disruptions in delivery, or other problems, the market for SaaS solutions as a whole, including our security solutions, could be negatively affected.

In addition to reliance on a cloud-enabled and/or SaaS-delivered model, our cybersecurity offerings utilize a novel and relatively new approach to collective defense that relies on customers sharing sensitive customer information with us. Some of that raw customer information may contain personal or confidential information, or data perceived to be personal or confidential information. Our assessmentFrom that customer information, we generate analytics that allow us to deliver threat knowledge and network intelligence at machine speed across a wide variety of industries. Because this new approach requires the sharing of sensitive customer information, concerns may exist that sharing of the capabilitiescustomer information may violate, or be perceived as potentially violating, privacy laws or providing a competitive advantage to another entity. As a result, some current or prospective customers may decide not to procure our products or share any customer information. Such lack of acceptance could have negative effects on us, including reduced or lost revenues or inadequate information being available for our analysis, thus making our products less effective. In addition, uncertainties about the regulatory environment concerning personal information and the potential liability raised by sharing such information could further inhibit the broad-scale adoption of our solutions.

Historically, information sharing related to cybersecurity has been a very well accepted concept from a theoretical perspective but very difficult to implement in practice. Companies are generally reluctant to share their sensitive cyber information with other entities, despite knowing the advantages of doing so. Although raw customer information will not be shared with other parties, it does undergo filtering, concatenation, and other transformations within our solutions with the goal of removing any sensitive or personal information. Misperceptions may exist, however, about what information gets shared, with whom that information is shared, and the jurisdictions (including foreign countries) of the target’s management, therefore,companies with which the information gets shared. Further, concerns of existing or potential customers may proveexist related to the ability to completely remove any indicia of the source company, general market rejection of information sharing, or specific market skepticism of our approach to collective defense, which may further add to a lack of customer acceptance.

In addition to the potential concerns related to sharing sensitive information in a system consisting of commercial or potentially competitive entities, additional concerns can arise when governments become involved as participants in the collective defense ecosystem. From a commercial perspective, companies frequently view information sharing with governments as risky, based on perceptions that the governments might use such shared information to take action against the companies or to otherwise utilize it in a way that will expose such companies to liability. Such perceptions could lead commercial entities to stop sharing, not procure our services in the first place, or terminate their relationship with us altogether. Similarly, governments (as customers) may be unable to properly process such data or utilize it in a meaningful way, or share useful information back into our solutions. Any of these concerns could lead to reduced sales or contribute to a lack of customer acceptance. In addition, the mere involvement of one or more government entities may harm our reputation with certain companies.

If we are unable to attract new customers, our future results of operations could be harmed.

To expand our customer base, we will need to convince potential customers to allocate a portion of their discretionary budgets to purchase our platform and solutions. Our sales efforts have often involved educating our prospective customers about the uses and benefits of our platform and solutions. Enterprises and governments that use legacy security products, such as signature-based or malware-focused products, firewalls, intrusion prevention systems and endpoint technologies, may be hesitant to purchase our platform and solutions if they believe that legacy security products are more cost effective, provide substantially the same functionality as our platform and solutions or provide a level of cybersecurity that is sufficient to meet their needs.

We may have difficulty convincing prospective customers of the value of adopting our solutions. Even if we are successful in convincing prospective customers that a cloud-enabled platform like ours is critical to protect against cyberattacks, they may not decide to purchase our platform and solutions for a variety of reasons, some of which are out of our control. For example, any future deterioration in general economic conditions, including a downturn due to the outbreak of diseases such as COVID-19, may cause our current and prospective customers to cut their overall security and IT operations spending, and such cuts may fall disproportionately on cloud-based security solutions. Economic weakness, customer financial difficulties, and constrained spending on security and IT operations may result in decreased revenue and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. Additionally, if the incidence of cyberattacks were to decline, or enterprises or governments perceive that the general level or relative risk of cyberattacks has declined, our ability to attract new customers and expand sales of our solutions to existing customers could be adversely affected. If organizations do not continue to adopt our platform and solutions, our sales will not grow as quickly as anticipated, or at all, and our business, results of operations, and financial condition would be harmed.

If our customers do not renew their subscriptions for our products, our future results of operations could be harmed.

In order for us to maintain or improve our results of operations, it is important that our customers renew their subscriptions for our platform and solutions when existing contract terms expire, and that we expands our commercial relationships with our existing customers by selling additional subscriptions. Our customers have no obligation to renew their subscriptions after the expiration of their contractual subscription period, which is generally one year, and in the normal course of business, some customers have elected not to renew. In addition, our customers may renew for shorter contract subscription lengths or cease using certain solutions. Our customer retention and expansion may decline or fluctuate as a result of a number of factors, including our customers’ satisfaction with our services, our pricing, customer security and networking issues and requirements, our customers’ spending levels, mergers and acquisitions involving our customers, industry developments, competition and general economic conditions. If our efforts to maintain and expand our relationships with our existing customers are not successful, our business, results of operations, and financial condition may materially suffer.

As a first mover in collective defense for the commercial sector, we may face significant liability if we are unable to effectively anonymize and safeguard our clients’ data.

We are the first major commercial vendor to offer an end-to-end means to take full advantage of the collective defense concept that relies on customers sharing sensitive customer information with us. While raw customer information is not shared with other parties and shared data undergoes filtering and other transformations within our solution, with the goal of removing any sensitive or personal information, it is possible that customer information could be accessed by third parties (including competitors of our clients), through a failure of our procedures to effectively anonymize the shared data or as a result of hackers gaining access to the raw data collected by us. To the extent we are not able to effectively anonymize and protect our customers’ data, we may be subject to liability, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, given the novelty of our approach, it is possible that other risks related to our clients' data could surface of which we are currently unaware.

Competition from existing or new companies could cause us to experience downward pressure on prices, fewer customer orders, reduced margins, the inability to take advantage of new business opportunities and loss of market share.

The market for cybersecurity solutions is intensely competitive, fragmented, and characterized by rapid changes in technology, customer requirements, industry standards, increasingly sophisticated attackers, and by frequent introductions of new or improved products to combat security threats. We expect to continue to face intense competition from our current competitors, as well as from new entrants into the market. If we are unable to anticipate or react to these challenges, our competitive position could weaken, and we could experience a decline in revenue or reduced revenue growth, and loss of market share that would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. The ability to compete effectively will depend upon numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control, including, but not limited to:

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product capabilities, including performance and reliability, of our platform, including our services and features particularly in the areas of analytics and collective defense, compared to those of our competitors;
our ability, and the ability of our competitors, to improve existing products, services and features, or to develop new ones to address evolving customer needs;
our ability to attract, retain and motivate talented employees;
our ability to establish, capitalize on, maintain, and grow relationships with distribution and technology partners;
the strength of our sales and marketing efforts; and
acquisitions or consolidation within our industry, which may result in more formidable competitors.
Our competitors include the following companies by general category:
first-generation NDR vendors such as DarkTrace or Vectra Networks, who offer point products based on Bayesian analysis, outlier analysis, and heuristic detection-based detection;
network security vendors, such as Cisco and Palo Alto Networks, Inc., who are supplementing their core network security additional behavioral-based detection with behavioral-based detection, threat intelligence and security operations solutions; and
legacy network infrastructure and performance monitoring companies such as ExtraHop and Arista Networks, who are adding security use cases to their infrastructure products.

Many of these competitors have greater financial, technical, marketing, sales, and other resources, greater name recognition, longer operating histories, and a significantly larger base of customers than we do. They may be able to devote greater resources to the development, promotion, and sale of services than we can, and they may offer lower pricing than we do. Further, they may have greater resources for research and development of new technologies, the provision of customer support, and the pursuit of acquisitions, or they may have other financial, technical or other resource advantages. Our larger competitors have substantially broader and more diverse product and services offerings as well as routes to market, which may allow them to leverage their relationships based on other products, or incorporate functionality into existing products to gain business in a manner that discourages users from purchasing our products.

Conditions in our market could change rapidly and significantly as a result of technological advancements, partnering or acquisitions by competitors or continuing market consolidation. Some of our current or potential competitors have made or could make acquisitions of businesses or establish cooperative relationships that may allow them to offer more directly competitive and comprehensive solutions than were previously offered and adapt more quickly to new technologies and customer needs. These competitive pressures in the market or our failure to compete effectively may result in price reductions, fewer orders, reduced revenue and gross margins, increased net losses and loss of market share. Further, many competitors that specialize in providing protection from particular types of security threats may be able to deliver these more targeted security products to the market quicker than we can or may be able to convince organizations that these more limited products meet their needs.

Even if there is significant demand for cloud-based security solutions like ours or if our competitors include functionality that is, or is perceived to be, incorrectequivalent to or better than ours in legacy products that are already generally accepted as necessary components of an organization’s cybersecurity architecture, we may have difficulty increasing the market penetration of our platform. Furthermore, even if the functionality offered by other security and IT operations providers is different and more limited than the functionality of our platform, organizations may elect to accept such managementlimited functionality in lieu of adding products from additional vendors like us. If we are unable to compete successfully, our business, financial condition, and results of operations would be adversely affected.

Competitive pricing pressure may lack the skills, qualificationsreduce gross profits and adversely affect our financial results.

If we are unable to maintain our pricing due to competitive pressures or abilities we suspected. Should the target’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, theother factors, our margins may be reduced and our gross profits, business, results of operations and profitabilityfinancial condition may be adversely affected. The subscription prices for our platform, solutions, and professional services may decline for a variety of reasons, including competitive pricing pressures, discounts, anticipation of the post-combinationintroduction of new solutions by competitors, or promotional programs offered by us or our competitors. Competition continues to increase in the market segments in which we operate, and we expect competition to further increase in the future. Larger competitors with more diverse product and service offerings may reduce the price of products or subscriptions that compete with ours or may bundle them with other products and subscriptions in an effort to leverage their existing market share to make it harder for newer companies, like us, to effectively compete.

If our solutions fail or are perceived to fail to detect or prevent incidents or have or are perceived to have defects, errors, or vulnerabilities, our brand and reputation would be harmed, which would adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Real or perceived defects, errors, or vulnerabilities in our platform and solutions, the failure of our platform to detect or prevent incidents, including advanced and newly developed attacks, misconfiguration of our solutions, actions or inactions by employees or contractors that create vulnerabilities in our platform or solutions, or the failure of customers to take action on attacks identified by our platform could harm our reputation and adversely affect our business, financial position, and results of operations. Because our cloud-enabled security platform is complex, it may contain defects or errors that are not detected until after deployment. We cannot assure you that our products will detect all cyberattacks, especially in light of the rapidly changing security threat landscape that our solution seeks to address. Due to a variety of both internal and external factors, including, without limitation, defects or misconfigurations of our solutions, our solutions could become vulnerable to security incidents (both from intentional attacks and accidental causes) that cause them to fail to secure networks and detect and block attacks. In addition, because the techniques used by computer hackers to access or sabotage networks change frequently and generally are not recognized until launched against a target, there is a risk that an advanced attack could emerge that our cloud-enabled security platform is unable to detect or prevent until after some of our customers are affected. For example, certain computer hackers may be supported or directly employed by so-called nation-states, which are generally defined as sovereign territories with individuals who share a common history and set of ideals. In the context of cybersecurity, certain aggressive nation-states with a history of disregarding generally acceptable computer network norms may employ particularly sophisticated and experienced actors who focus on being persistent, unpredictable, and innovative, with the ability to tap into significant nation-state budgets. This allows such nation-state attackers to develop expansive attack playbooks and access to cutting-edge technology to facilitate their attacks, including new, or so-called zero-day, attacks. Such nation-state attackers could successfully attack us or our customers, which could significantly harm our reputation. Additionally, our platform may falsely indicate a cyberattack or threat that does not actually exist, which may lessen customers’ trust in our solutions.

Moreover, as our cloud-enabled security platform is adopted by an increasing number of enterprises and governments, it is possible that the individuals and organizations behind advanced cyberattacks will begin to focus on finding ways to defeat our security platform. If this happens, our systems and subscription customers could be specifically targeted by attackers and could result in vulnerabilities in our platform or undermine the market acceptance of our platform and could adversely affect our reputation as a provider of security solutions. Because we host customer data on our cloud and other platforms, which in some cases may contain personally identifiable information (“PII”) or potentially confidential information, a security compromise, or an accidental or intentional misconfiguration or malfunction of our platform could result in PII and other customer data being accessible to attackers or to other customers. Further, if a high-profile security breach occurs with respect to another next-generation or cloud-enabled security system, our customers and potential customers may lose trust in such solutions generally, and cloud-enabled security solutions in particular.

Organizations are increasingly subject to a wide variety of attacks on their networks, systems, and endpoints. No security solution, including our platform, can address all possible security threats or block all methods of penetrating a network or otherwise perpetrating a security incident. There could be situations where our solutions detect attacks against a customer but the customer does not address the vulnerability, which could cause customers and the public to erroneously believe that our solutions were not effective. Real or perceived security breaches of our customers’ networks could cause disruption or damage to their networks or other

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negative consequences and could result in negative publicity to us, damage to our reputation, and other customer relations issues, and may adversely affect our revenue and results of operations.

As a cybersecurity provider, we may be a target of cyberattacks. If our internal networks, systems or data are or are perceived to have been compromised, our reputation may be damaged and our financial results may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any securityholders who chooseaffected.

As a provider of security solutions, our platform may be specifically targeted by bad actors for attacks intended to remain securityholders following the initial business combination could suffer a reductioncircumvent our security capabilities or to exploit our platform as an entry point into customers’ endpoints, networks, or systems. In particular, because we have been involved in the valueidentification of their securities. Such securities are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.


We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of our IPOorganized cybercriminals and the sale of the private warrants, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operations and profitability.

The net proceeds from our IPO and the private placement of warrants provided us with $166,462,500 that we may use to complete our initial business combination (after taking into account the $6,037,500 deferred underwriting commissions being held in the trust account).

We may effectuate our initial business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our initial business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:

● solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset; or

● dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services.

This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our initial business combination.

Subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination,nation-state actors, we may be requiredthe subject of intense efforts by sophisticated cyber adversaries who seek to take write-downscompromise our systems or write-offs, restructuringleverage our access. We are also susceptible to inadvertent compromises of our systems and impairmentdata, including those arising from process, coding, or human errors. A successful attack or other chargesincident that compromises us or our customers’ data or results in an interruption of service could have a significant negative effect on our operations, reputation, financial condition, resultsresources, and the value of operations and our share price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.

Even if we conduct due diligence on a target business with which we combine, weintellectual property. We cannot assure you that this diligence will surface all material issues with a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outsideany of our controlefforts to manage this risk will not later arise. As a resultbe effective in protecting us from such attacks.

It is virtually impossible to entirely eliminate the risk of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairmentsuch compromises, interruptions in service, or other charges that could result insecurity incidents affecting our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about usinternal systems or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining post-combination debt financing. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholdersdata. Organizations are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.

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Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.

We may structure our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for us not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. We will not consider any transaction that does not meet such criteria. Even if the post-transaction company owns 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares of our Class A common stock in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares of our Class A common stock, our stockholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares of our Class A common stock subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority stockholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the company’s shares than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain control of the target business.

If we pursue a target company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we may face additional burdens in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing such initial business combination, and if we effect such initial business combination, we would be subject to a wide variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.

If we pursue a target a company with operationsattacks on their networks, systems and endpoints, and techniques used to sabotage or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we would be subject to risks associated with cross-border business combinations, including in connection with investigating, agreeingobtain unauthorized access to and completing our initial business combination, conducting due diligence in a foreign jurisdiction, having such transaction approved by any local governments, regulators or agencies and changes in the purchase price based on fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.

If we effect our initial business combination with such a company, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:

● costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations;

● rules and regulations regarding currency redemption;

● complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals;

● laws governing the mannernetworks in which future business combinations may be affected;

● exchange listing and/data is stored or delisting requirements;

● tariffs and trade barriers;

● regulations related to customs and import/export matters;

● localthrough which data is transmitted change frequently. Furthermore, employee error or regional economic policies and market conditions;

● unexpected changes in regulatory requirements;

● longer payment cycles;


● tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States;

● currency fluctuations and exchange controls;

● rates of inflation;

● challenges in collecting accounts receivable;

● cultural and language differences;

● employment regulations;

● underdeveloped or unpredictable legal or regulatory systems;

● corruption;

● protection of intellectual property;

● social unrest, crime, strikes, riots and civil disturbances;

● regime changes and political upheaval;

● terrorist attacks and wars; and

● deterioration of political relations with the United States.

We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so,malicious activity could compromise its systems. As a result, we may be unable to complete such initial business combination,anticipate these techniques or if we complete such combination,implement adequate measures to prevent an intrusion into our operations might suffer, either of which may adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If our management following our initial business combination is unfamiliar with United States securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws,networks, which could result in unauthorized access to customer data, intellectual property including access to our source code, and information about vulnerabilities in our product, which in turn could reduce the effectiveness of our solutions, or lead to various regulatory issues.

Followingcyberattacks or other intrusions of our initial business combination,customers’ networks. If any of these events were to occur, they could damage our management may resign from their positions as officers or directors of the company and the management of the target business at the time of the business combination will remain in place. Management of the target business may not be familiarrelationships with United States securities laws. If new management is unfamiliar with United States securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws. This could be expensive and time-consumingour customers and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affecthave a negative effect on our operations.

If we consummate a business combination with a target company with operations or opportunities outside of theUnited States, substantially all of our assets could be located in a foreign country and substantially all of our revenue could be derived from our operations in such country. Accordingly, our results of operations and prospects could be subject, to a significant extent, to the economic, political and legal policies, developments and conditions in the country in which we operate.

The economic, political and social conditions, as well as government policies, of the country in which our operations are ultimately located could affect our business. Economic growth could be uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy and such growth may not be sustained in the future. If in the future such country’s economy experiences a downturn or grows at a slower rate than expected, there may be less demand for spending in certain industries. A decrease in demand for spending in certain industries could materially and adversely affect our ability to find an attractive target business with which to consummate our initial business combination and if we effect our initial business combination, the ability of that target business to become profitable.

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Exchange rate fluctuations and currency policies may cause a target business’ ability to succeed in the international markets to be diminished.

In the event we acquire a non-U.S. target, all revenues and income would likely be received in a foreign currency, and the dollar equivalent of our net assets and distributions, if any, could be adversely affected by reductions in the value of the local currency. The value of the currencies in our target regions fluctuate and are affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions. Any change in the relative value of such currency against our reporting currency may affect the attractiveness of any target business or, following consummation of our initial business combination, our financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, if a currency appreciates in value against the dollar prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, the cost of a target business as measured in dollars will increase, which may make it less likely that we are able to consummate such transaction.

If we pursue a target business in the aerospace or defense industries, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.

If we pursue a target business in the aerospace or defense industries, we would be subject to risks associated with such industries, including any of the following:

● an inability to compete effectively in a highly competitive environment with many incumbents having substantially greater resources;

● an inability to manage rapid change, increasing customer expectations and growth;

● a reliance on proprietary technology to provide services and to manage our operations, and the failure of this technology to operate effectively, or our failure to use such technology effectively;

● an inability to deal with our customers’ privacy concerns;

● an inability to attract and retain customers;

new customers. We have expended, and we anticipate we will continue to expend significant amounts and resources in an inabilityeffort to license or enforce intellectual property rights on whichprevent security breaches and other security incidents impacting our systems and data. Since our business may depend;

● any significant disruptionis focused on providing reliable security services to our customers, an actual or perceived security incident affecting our internal systems or data or data of its customers would be especially detrimental to our reputation and customer confidence in our computer systems or those of third partiessolutions.

In addition, while we maintain, and we will continue to maintain, insurance policies that may cover certain liabilities in connection with a cybersecurity incident, we would utilize in our operations;

● an inability by us, or a refusal by third parties,cannot be certain that the insurance coverage will be adequate for liabilities actually incurred, that insurance will continue to license contentbe available to us upon acceptable terms;

● potential liability for negligence, copyright,on commercially reasonable terms, or trademark infringementat all, or other claims based on the nature and contentthat any insurer will not deny coverage as to any future claim. The successful assertion of materials that we may distribute;

● competition for the discretionary spending of customers, which may intensify in part due to advances in technology and changes in consumer expectations and behavior;

● disruption or failure of our networks, systems or technology as a result of computer viruses, “cyber-attacks,” misappropriation of data or other malfeasance, as well as outages, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, accidental releases of information or similar events;

● an inability to obtain necessary hardware, software and operational support;

● reliance on third-party vendors or service providers;

● our business may be subject to extensive government regulations which may be difficult and expensive to comply with, including extensive procurement regulations applicable to sales to the U.S. Government, and changes to those regulations could increase our costs;


● if we contract with the U.S. Government, the U.S. Government may modify, curtail or terminate one or more of our contracts; and

● U.S. Government agencies, including the Defense Contract Audit Agency, the Defense Contract Management Agency and various agency Inspectors General, routinely audit and investigate government contractors.

Any of the foregoing could have an adverse impact on our operations following a business combination. However, our efforts in identifying prospective target businesses will not be limited to the aerospace and defense industries. Accordingly, if we acquire a target business in another industry, these risks we will be subject to risks attendant with the specific industry in which we operate or target business which we acquire, which may or may not be different than those risks listed above.

There may be tax consequences to our business combinationslarge claims that may adversely affect us.

While we expect to undertake any merger or acquisition so as to minimize taxes both to the owners of the acquired business and us, such business combination might not meet the statutory requirements of a tax-free reorganization,exceed available insurance coverage, or the parties might not obtain the intended tax-free treatment upon a transferoccurrence of shareschanges in insurance policies, including premium increases or assets. A non-qualifying reorganization could result in the imposition of substantial taxes. Additionally, depending on the date and size of our initial business combination, it is possible that at least 60% of our adjusted ordinary gross income may consist of personal holding company income. In addition, depending on the concentration of our stock in the hands of individuals, including the members of our sponsor and certain tax-exempt organizations, pension funds, and charitable trusts, it is possible that more than 50% of our stock will be ownedlarge deductible or deemed owned (pursuant to the constructive ownership rules) by such persons during the last half of a taxable year. Thus, no assurance can be given that we will not become a personal holding company. If we are or were to become a personal holding company in a given taxable year, we would be subject to an additional personal holding company tax, currently 20%, on our undistributed taxable income, subject to certain adjustments.

Risks Related to our Management, Directors, Sponsor and Initial Stockholders

Our success largely depends on the ability of our management team to operate and execute effectively.

Our success largely depends on the ability of our management team to effectively organize and consummate a business combination. Our management team is critical to the execution of our strategic direction and implementation of our business combination. It is difficult to predict with any certainty that we will be able to replace these individuals with persons of equivalent experience and capabilities should one or more members no longer be able to serve in their current capacity. If we are unable to find adequate replacements or to attract, retain and incentivize senior executives, other key advisors or new qualified personnel, such inabilitycoinsurance requirements, could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our financial condition, results of operations and reputation.

We rely on third-party data centers and our own colocation data centers to host and operate our platform, and any disruption of or interference with our use of these facilities may negatively affect our ability to effectmaintain the performance and reliability of our platform, which could cause our business to suffer.

Our customers depend on the continuous availability of our platform. We currently host our platform and serves our customers using a mix of third-party data centers, primarily AWS and Microsoft Azure, and, primarily for our own use, in our own data centers, hosted in colocation facilities. Consequently, we may be subject to service disruptions as well as failures to provide adequate support for reasons that are outside of our direct control. We may experience interruptions, delays and outages in service and availability from time to time due to a variety of factors, including infrastructure changes, human or software errors, website hosting disruptions and capacity constraints. Also, customers may be subject to the same risk factors as some of them host our solutions in their own data centers.

The following factors, many of which are beyond our control, can affect the delivery, availability, and the performance of our platform:

the development and maintenance of the infrastructure of the internet;
the performance and availability of third-party providers of cloud infrastructure services with the necessary speed, data capacity, and security for providing reliable internet access and services;
decisions by the owners and operators of the data centers where our cloud infrastructure is deployed to terminate our contracts, discontinue services, shut down operations or facilities, increase prices, change service levels, limit bandwidth, declare bankruptcy or prioritize the traffic of other parties;
physical or electronic break-ins, acts of war or terrorism, human error or interference (including by disgruntled employees, former employees or contractors) and other catastrophic events;
cyberattacks, including denial of service attacks, targeted at us, our data centers, or the infrastructure of the internet;
failure by us to maintain and update our cloud infrastructure to meet our data capacity requirements;
errors, defects, or performance problems in our software, including third-party or open-source software incorporated in our software;
improper deployment or configuration of our solutions;
the failure of our redundancy systems, in the event of a service disruption at one of our data centers, to provide failover to other data centers in our data center network;
the failure of our disaster recovery and business combinationcontinuity arrangements; and final
effects of third-party software updates with hidden malware, similar to the supply chain attack that occurred via SolarWinds.

The adverse effects of any service interruptions on our reputation, results of operations, and financial condition may be disproportionately heightened due to the nature of our business and the fact that our customers have a low tolerance for interruptions of any duration. Interruptions or failures in our service delivery could result in a cyberattack or other security threat to one of our customers during such periods of interruption or failure. Additionally, interruptions or failures in our service could cause customers to terminate their subscriptions, adversely affect renewal rates, and harm our ability to attract new customers. Our business would also be harmed if our customers believe that a cloud-enabled and/or SaaS- delivered cybersecurity solution is unreliable. We may experience service interruptions and other performance problems due to a variety of factors. The occurrence of any of these factors, or if it is unable to rapidly and cost-effectively fix such errors or other problems that may be identified, could damage our reputation, negatively affect our relationship with our customers or otherwise harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

If we do not effectively expand and train our direct sales force, we may be unable to add new customers or increase sales to existing customers, and our business will be adversely affected.

We depend on our direct sales force to obtain new customers and increase sales with existing customers. Our ability to achieve significant revenue growth will depend, in large part, on our success in recruiting, training and retaining sufficient numbers of sales personnel, particularly in international markets. We have expanded our sales organization significantly in recent periods and expect to continue to add additional sales capabilities in the near term. There is significant competition for sales personnel with the skills and technical knowledge that we require. New hires require significant training and may take significant time before they achieve full productivity, and this delay is accentuated by our long sales cycles. Our recent hires and planned hires may not become productive as quickly as we expect, and we may be unable to hire or retain sufficient numbers of qualified individuals in the markets where we do business or plans to do business. In addition, a large percentage of our salesforce is new to our business and selling our solutions, and therefore this team may be less effective than our more seasoned sales personnel. Furthermore, hiring sales personnel in new countries, or expanding our existing presence, requires upfront and ongoing expenditures that we may not recover if the sales personnel fail to achieve full productivity. We cannot predict whether, or to what extent, our sales will increase as we expand our sales force or

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how long it will take for sales personnel to become productive. If we are unable to hire and train a sufficient number of effective sales personnel, or the sales personnel we hire are not successful in obtaining new customers or increasing sales to our existing customer base, our business and results of operations will be adversely affected.

Because we recognize revenue from subscriptions to our platform and other forms of providing customers with access to our software over the term of the subscription or contract, downturns or upturns in new business will not be immediately reflected in our results of operations.

We generally recognize revenue from customers ratably over the terms of their subscription or contract term, which average over three years in length, though may be as short as one year or less. As a result, a substantial portion of the revenue that we report in each period is attributable to the recognition of deferred revenue relating to agreements that we entered into during previous periods. Consequently, any increase or decline in new sales or renewals in any one period will not be immediately reflected in our revenue for that period. Any such change, however, would affect our revenue in future periods. Accordingly, the effect of downturns or upturns in new sales and potential changes in our rate of renewals may not be fully reflected in our results of operations until future periods.

Past performanceA limited number of customers represent a substantial portion of our revenue. If we fail to retain these customers, our revenue could decline significantly.

We derive a substantial portion of our revenue from a limited number of customers. For the fiscal year 2022, six customers accounted for 51%, or $13,975, with two of those customers accounting for 21% of our revenue, and for fiscal year 2021, six customers accounted for 46%, or $13,381, with one of those customers accounting for 10%, of our revenue. Significant customers are those which represent at least 10% of our total revenue at each respective period ending date. The following table presents customers that represented 10% or more of our total annual revenue:

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

 

 

2022

 

2021

Customer A

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

*

 

10%

Customer B

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

11%

 

*

Customer C

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

10%

 

*

 

 

21%

 

10%

* Less than 10%

As a result of this customer concentration, our revenue could fluctuate materially and could be materially and disproportionately impacted by purchasing decisions of these customers or any other significant future customer. Any of our significant customers may decide to purchase less than they have in the past, may alter their purchasing patterns at any time with limited notice, or may decide not to continue to license our products at all, any of which could cause our revenue to decline and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. If we do not further diversify our customer base, we will continue to be susceptible to risks associated with customer concentration.

Our results of operations may fluctuate significantly, which could make our future results difficult to predict and could cause our results of operations to fall below expectations.

Our results of operations have varied significantly from period to period, and we expect that our results of operations will continue to vary as a result of a number of factors, many of which are outside of our control and may be difficult to predict, including:

the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the emergence of variant strains of COVID-19, on our operations, financial results, and liquidity and capital resources, including on customers, sales, expenses, and employees;
our ability to attract new and retain existing customers;
the budgeting cycles, seasonal buying patterns, and purchasing practices of customers;
the timing and length of our sales cycles;
changes in customer or distribution partner requirements or market needs;
changes in the growth rate of our market;
the timing and success of new product and service introductions by us or our competitors or any other competitive developments, including consolidation among our customers or competitors;
the level of awareness of cybersecurity threats, particularly advanced cyberattacks, and the market adoption of our platform;
our ability to successfully expand our business domestically and internationally;
decisions by organizations to purchase security solutions from larger, more established security vendors or from their primary IT equipment vendors;
changes in our pricing policies or those of our competitors;
any disruption in our relationship with distribution partners;
insolvency or credit difficulties confronting our customers, affecting their ability to purchase or pay for our solutions;
significant security breaches of, technical difficulties with or interruptions to, the use of our platform;
extraordinary expenses such as litigation or other dispute-related settlement payments or outcomes;
rising inflation and our ability to control costs, including our operating expenses;
general economic conditions, both in domestic and foreign markets;
future accounting pronouncements or changes in our accounting policies or practices;
negative media coverage or publicity;
political events;
the amount and timing of operating costs and capital expenditures related to the expansion of our business; and
increases or decreases in expenses caused by fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates.

In addition, we experience seasonal fluctuations in our financial results as we can receive a higher percentage of our annual orders from new customers, as well as renewal orders from existing customers, in the fourth fiscal quarter as compared to other quarters due to the annual budget approval process of many of our customers. Any of the above factors, individually or in the aggregate, may result in significant fluctuations in our financial and other results from period to period.

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As a result of this variability, our historical results of operations should not be relied upon as an indication of future performance. Moreover, this variability and unpredictability could result in our failure to meet our operating plan or the expectations of investors or analysts for any period. If we fail to meet such expectations for these or other reasons, our stock price could fall substantially, and we could face costly lawsuits, including securities class action suits.

Our sales cycles can be long and unpredictable, and our sales efforts require considerable time and expense.

Our revenue recognition is difficult to predict because of the length and unpredictability of the sales cycle for our platform, particularly with respect to large organizations and government entities. Customers often view the subscription to our platform as a significant strategic decision and, as a result, frequently require considerable time to evaluate, test, and qualify our platform and solutions prior to entering into or expanding a relationship with us. Large enterprises and government entities in particular often undertake a significant evaluation process that further lengthens our sales cycle.

Our direct sales team develops relationships with our customers, and works with our distribution partners on account penetration, account coordination, sales and overall market development. We spend substantial time and resources on our sales efforts without any assurance that our efforts will produce a sale. Security solution purchases are frequently subject to budget constraints, multiple approvals, and unanticipated administrative, processing, and other delays. As a result, it is difficult to predict whether and when a sale will be completed. The failure of our efforts to secure sales after investing resources in a lengthy sales process could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

We rely heavily on the services of our senior management team, and if we are not successful in attracting or retaining senior management personnel, we may not be able to successfully implement our business strategy.

Our future success will be substantially dependent on our ability to attract, retain, and motivate the members of our management team. In particular, we will be highly dependent on the services of our co-chief executive officers, who will be critical to our future vision and strategic direction. We will also rely on our leadership team in the areas of operations, security, analytics, engineering, product management, research and development, marketing, sales, partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, support, and general and administrative functions. Gen Alexander, our founder, is important to our future growth as he provides access to key decisionmakers within government agencies and the private sector, and his leadership role would be difficult to replace. Although we expect that we will enter into new employment agreements with some of our key personnel, our employees, including our executive officers, will be employed on an “at-will” basis, which means they may terminate their employment with us at any time. If one or more of our key employees resigns or otherwise ceases to provide us with their service, our business could be harmed.

If we are unable to attract and retain qualified personnel, our business could be harmed.

There is significant competition for personnel with the skills and technical knowledge that we will require across our technology, cyber, sales, professional services and administrative support functions. Competition for these personnel in the Washington, D.C. metro area, where our corporate headquarters is located, and in other locations where we maintain offices or otherwise operate, is competitive, especially for experienced sales professionals, engineers and data scientists experienced in designing and developing cybersecurity software. Although our current remote work environment facilitates our ability to attract talent across a wider geographic base, we have from time to time experienced, and we expect to continue to experience, difficulty in hiring and retaining employees with appropriate qualifications. Many of the companies with which we compete for experienced personnel have greater resources than us. Our competitors also may be successful in recruiting and hiring members of our management team or other key employees, and it may be difficult for us to find suitable replacements on a timely basis, on competitive terms, or at all. We may also be subject to allegations that employees we hire have been improperly solicited, or that they have divulged proprietary or other confidential information or that their former employers own such employees’ inventions or other work product, or that they have been hired in violation of non-compete provisions or non-solicitation provisions.

In addition, job candidates and existing employees often consider the principalsvalue of Aston Capital,the equity awards they receive in connection with their employment. Volatility or lack of performance in our special advisorsstock price may also affect our ability to attract and retain key employees. Some of our employees will become vested in a substantial amount of equity awards, which may give them a material amount of personal wealth. This may make it more difficult for us to retain and motivate these employees, and this wealth could affect their respective affiliatesdecision about whether or not they continue to work for us. Any failure to successfully attract, integrate or retain qualified personnel to fulfill our current or future needs could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

If we are not able to maintain and enhance our brand and our reputation as a provider of high-efficacy cybersecurity solutions, our business and results of operations may be adversely affected.

We believe that maintaining and enhancing our brand and our reputation as a provider of high-efficacy cybersecurity solutions is critical to our relationship with our existing customers and distribution partners and our ability to attract new customers and partners. The successful promotion of our brand will depend on a number of factors, including our investment in marketing efforts, our ability to continue to develop additional features for our platform, our ability to successfully differentiate our platform from competitive cloud-enabled or legacy security solutions and, ultimately, our ability to detect and remediate cyberattacks. Although we believe it is important for our growth, these brand promotion activities may not be indicativesuccessful or yield increased revenue.

In addition, independent industry or financial analysts and research firms often test our solutions and provide reviews of futureour platform, along with the products of our competitors, and perception of our platform in the marketplace may be significantly influenced by these reviews. If these reviews are negative, or less positive as compared to those of our competitors’ products, our brand may be adversely affected. Our solutions may fail to detect or prevent threats in any particular test for a number of reasons that may or may not be related to the efficacy of our solutions in real world environments. To the extent potential customers, industry analysts, or testing firms believe that the occurrence of a failure to detect or prevent any particular threat is a flaw or indicates that our solutions or services do not provide significant value, we may lose customers, and our reputation, financial condition, and business would be harmed. Additionally, the performance of an investmentour distribution partners may affect our brand and reputation if customers do not have a positive experience with these partners. In addition, we have in us.the past worked, and we will continue to work, with high profile customers and to assist in analyzing and remediating high profile cyberattacks. This work with such customers and cyberattacks may expose us to negative publicity and media coverage. Negative publicity, including about the efficacy and reliability of our platform, our products offerings, our professional services and the customers we work with, even if inaccurate, could adversely affect our reputation and brand.

Information regarding performance by, or businesses associatedIf we are unable to maintain successful relationships with our management team,distribution partners, or if our distribution partners fail to perform, our ability to market, sell and distribute our platform and solutions efficiently will be limited, and our business, financial position and results of operations will be harmed.

In addition to our direct sales force, we rely on certain key distribution partners to sell and support our platform. An increasing amount of our sales flow through our distribution partners, and we expect our reliance on such partners to continue to grow for the principalsforeseeable future. Additionally, we have entered into, and we intend to continue to enter into, partnerships with third parties to support our future growth plans. The loss of Aston Capital,a substantial number of distribution partners, or the failure to recruit additional partners, could adversely affect our special advisorsresults of operations. Our ability to achieve revenue growth in the future will depend in part on our success in maintaining successful relationships with our distribution partners and their respective affiliatesin training them to independently sell and deploy our platform. If we fail to effectively manage our existing sales channels, or if our distribution partners are unsuccessful in fulfilling the orders for our solutions, or if we are unable to recruit and retain a sufficient number of high quality distribution partners who are motivated to sell our products, our ability to sell our products and results of operations will be harmed.

Our business depends, in part, on sales to government organizations, and significant changes in the contracting or fiscal policies of such government organizations could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Our future growth depends, in part, on increasing sales to government organizations. Demand from government organizations is presented for informational purposes only. Past performance by them is not a guarantee either (i) of success with respectoften unpredictable, subject to any business combinationbudgetary uncertainty and typically involves long sales cycles. We have made significant investments to address the government sector, but we may consummatecannot assure you that these investments will be successful, or (ii) that we will be able to locatemaintain or grow our revenue from the government sector. Although we anticipate that they may increase in the future, sales to U.S. federal, state and local governmental agencies have not accounted for, and may never account for, a suitable candidatesignificant portion of our

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revenue. U.S. federal, state and local government sales are subject to a number of challenges and risks that may adversely impact our business. Sales to such government entities include the following risks:

selling to governmental agencies can be highly competitive, expensive and time-consuming, often requiring significant upfront time and expense without any assurance that such efforts will generate a sale;
government certification requirements applicable to our products may change and, in doing so, restrict our ability to sell into the U.S. federal government sector until it has attained the required certifications.
government demand and payment for our initial business combination. You should not relyplatform may be impacted by public sector budgetary cycles and funding authorizations, with funding reductions or delays adversely affecting public sector demand for our platform;
governments routinely investigate and audit government contractors’ administrative processes, and any unfavorable audit could result in the government refusing to continue buying our platform, which would adversely impact our revenue and results of operations, or institute fines or civil or criminal liability if the audit were to uncover improper or illegal activities;
interactions with the U.S. federal government may be limited by post-employment ethics restrictions on the historical record of the performance of our management team, the principals of Aston Capital, our special advisors and their respective affiliates or businesses associated with them as indicative of the future performance of an investment in us or the returns we will, or are likely to, generate going forward.

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Involvement of members of our managementmanagement;

foreign governments may have concerns with purchasing security products from a company that employs former NSA employees and companiesofficials, which may negatively impact sales; and
governments may require certain products to be manufactured, hosted, or accessed solely in their country or in other relatively high-cost manufacturing locations, and we may not manufacture all products in locations that meet these requirements, affecting our ability to sell these products to governmental agencies.

We have achieved “FedRAMP- ready” status, but such status is only available for a certain period of time before which it must be utilized. If not utilized, we would likely have to go through certain parts of the FedRAMP process again in order to sell our products to government agencies. Moreover, even if we were to achieve FedRAMP-certified status, such certification is costly to maintain, and if we were to lose such a certification in the future it would restrict our ability to sell to government customers. It is also possible that additional guidelines and/or certifications, such as the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, will be required to expand participation in the government sectors.

The occurrence of any of the foregoing could cause governments and governmental agencies to delay or refrain from purchasing our solutions in the future or otherwise have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

We may not scale and adapt our existing technology in a timely and cost-effective manner to meet our customers’ performance and other requirements.

Our future growth will be dependent upon our ability to continue to meet the needs of new customers and the expanding needs of our existing customers as their use of our solutions grows. As our customers gain more experience with our solutions, the number of events, the amount of data transferred, processed, and stored by our solutions and the number of locations where our platform and services are being accessed, have in the past, and may in the future, expand rapidly. In order to meet the performance and other requirements of our customers, we intend to continue to make significant investments to increase capacity and to develop and implement new technologies in our service and cloud infrastructure operations. These technologies, which theyinclude databases, applications, and server optimizations, network and hosting strategies, and automation, are affiliatedoften advanced, complex, new, and untested. We may not be successful in governmental investigationsdeveloping or civil litigation unrelatedimplementing these technologies. In addition, it takes a significant amount of time to plan, develop, and test improvements to our technologies and infrastructure, and we may not be able to accurately forecast demand or predict the results we will realize from such improvements. To the extent that we do not effectively scale our operations to meet the needs of our growing customer base and to maintain performance as our customers expand their use of our solutions, we may not be able to grow as quickly as anticipated, customers may reduce or cancel use of our solutions and we may be unable to compete as effectively and our business affairsand results of operations may be harmed.

Additionally, we have made, and we will continue to make, substantial investments to support growth at our data centers partners and improve the profitability of our cloud platform. If our cloud-based server costs were to increase or pricing pressure causes price movements out of proportion with changes in unit operating costs, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected. Although we expect that we could materiallyreceive similar services from other third parties, if any of our arrangements with third-party providers are terminated, we could experience interruptions on our platform and in our ability to make our solutions available to customers, as well as delays and additional expenses in arranging alternative cloud infrastructure services. Ongoing improvements to cloud infrastructure may be more expensive than anticipated and may not yield the expected savings in operating costs or the expected performance benefits. In addition, we may be required to re-invest any cost savings achieved from our prior cloud infrastructure improvements in future infrastructure projects to maintain the levels of service required by our customers. We may not be able to maintain or achieve cost savings from our investments, which could harm our financial results.

The success of our business will depend in part on our ability to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights.

We believe that our intellectual property is an essential asset of our business, and our success and ability to compete will depend in part upon protection of intellectual property rights. We have relied, and we will continue to rely, on a combination of patent, copyright, trademark, and trade secret laws, as well as confidentiality procedures and contractual provisions, to establish and protect our intellectual property rights in the United States and abroad, all of which provide only limited protection. The efforts we have taken to protect our intellectual property may not be sufficient or effective, and our trademarks, copyrights and patents may be held invalid or unenforceable. Moreover, we cannot assure you that any patents will be issued with respect to our currently pending patent applications, including in a manner that will give us adequate defensive protection or competitive advantages, or that any patents issued to us will not be challenged, invalidated or circumvented. We have filed for patents in the United States and in certain non-U.S. jurisdictions, but such protections may not be available in all countries in which we will operate or in which we will seek to enforce intellectual property rights, or the intellectual property rights may be difficult to enforce in practice. For example, many foreign countries have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner must grant licenses to third parties under certain circumstances. In addition, many countries limit the enforceability of patents against certain third parties, including government agencies or government contractors. In these countries, patents may provide limited or no benefit. Moreover, we may need to expend additional resources to defend our intellectual property rights in these countries, and our inability to do so could impair our business or adversely affect our plans for international expansion. Our currently issued patents and any patents that may be issued in the future with respect to pending or future patent applications may not provide sufficiently broad protection or they may not prove to be enforceable in actions against alleged infringers.

We may not be effective in policing unauthorized use of our intellectual property, and even if we do detect violations, litigation may be necessary to enforce our intellectual property rights. Protecting against the unauthorized use of intellectual property rights, technology and other proprietary rights is expensive and difficult, particularly outside of the United States. Any enforcement efforts undertaken, including litigation, could be time- consuming and expensive and could divert management’s attention, which could harm our business and results of operations. Further, attempts to enforce rights against third parties could also provoke these third parties to assert their own intellectual property or other rights against us, or challenge our intellectual property rights which could result in a holding that invalidates or narrows the scope of our intellectual property rights, in whole or in part. The inability to adequately protect and enforce our intellectual property and other proprietary rights could seriously harm our business, results of operations and financial condition. Even if we are able to secure our intellectual property rights, we cannot assure you that such rights will provide us with competitive advantages or distinguish our services from those of our competitors or that our competitors will not independently develop similar technology, duplicate any of our technology, or design around our patents.

Claims by others that we infringe their proprietary technology or other intellectual property rights could result in significant costs and substantially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

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Claims by others that we infringe or misappropriate their proprietary technology or other intellectual property rights could harm our business. Companies in the cybersecurity industry could hold patents and also protect their copyright, trade secret and other intellectual property rights, entering into litigation based on allegations of patent infringement or other violations of intellectual property rights. We will face increasing competition as we grow and the possibility of intellectual property rights claims against us could also grow. In addition, to the extent we hire personnel from competitors, we may be subject to allegations that such personnel have divulged proprietary or other confidential information of competitors to us. From time to time, third parties may assert claims of infringement or misappropriation of intellectual property rights against us. Although there have been no such claims made against us to date, there can be no assurance that such claims may not be made in the future.

Third parties may in the future also assert claims against our customers or distribution partners, whom our standard license and other agreements may obligate us to indemnify against claims that our solutions infringe the intellectual property rights of third parties. As the number of products and competitors in the cybersecurity market increases and overlaps occur, claims of infringement, misappropriation, and other violations of intellectual property rights may increase. While we intend to increase the size of our patent portfolio, many of our competitors and others may now and in the future have significantly larger and more mature patent portfolios than we have. In addition, future litigation may involve non-practicing entities, companies, or other patent owners who have no relevant product offerings or revenue and against whom our own patents may therefore provide little or no deterrence or protection. Any claim of intellectual property infringement by a third party, even a claim without merit, could cause us to incur substantial costs defending against such claim, could distract our management from our business and could require us to cease use of such intellectual property.

Additionally, our insurance may not cover intellectual property rights infringement claims that may be made. In the event that we fail to successfully defend ourselves against an infringement claim, a successful claimant could secure a judgment or otherwise require payment of legal fees, settlement payments, ongoing royalties, or other costs or damages; or we may agree to a settlement that prevents us from offering certain services or features; or we may be required to obtain a license, which may not be available on reasonable terms, or at all, to use the relevant technology. If we are prevented from using certain technology or intellectual property, we may be required to develop alternative, non-infringing technology, which could require significant time, during which we could be unable to continue to offer our affected services or features, effort and expense, and may ultimately not be successful.

Although third parties may offer a license to their technology or other intellectual property, the terms of any offered license may not be acceptable, and the failure to obtain a license or the costs associated with any license could cause our business, financial condition and results of operations to be adversely affected. In addition, some licenses may be nonexclusive, 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 technology or other intellectual property on reasonable terms, or at all, we could be enjoined from continued use of such intellectual property. As a result, we may be required to develop alternative, non-infringing technology, which could require significant time, during which we could be unable to continue to offer our affected products, subscriptions or services, effort, and expense and may ultimately not be successful. Any of these events could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We license technology from third parties, and our inability to maintain those licenses could harm our business.

We currently incorporate, and will in the future incorporate, technology that we license from third parties, including software, into our solutions. We cannot be certain that our licensors do not or will not infringe on the intellectual property rights of third parties or that our licensors have or will have sufficient rights to the licensed intellectual property in all jurisdictions in which we may sell our platform. Some of our agreements with our licensors may be terminated by them for convenience, or otherwise provide for a limited term. If we are unable to continue to license technology because of intellectual property infringement claims brought by third parties against our licensors or against us, or if we are unable to continue the license agreements or enter into new licenses on commercially reasonable terms, our ability to develop and sell solutions and services containing that technology would be limited, and our business could be harmed. Additionally, if we are unable to license technology from third parties, we may be forced to acquire or develop alternative technology, which we may be unable to do in a commercially feasible manner or at all, and may require us to use alternative technology of lower quality or performance standards. This could limit or delay our ability to offer new or competitive solutions and increase our costs. As a result, our margins, market share, and results of operations could be significantly harmed.

If we are not able to satisfy data protection, security, privacy, and other government- and industry-specific requirements or regulations, our business, results of operations, and financial condition could be harmed.

Personal privacy, data protection, information security, telecommunications regulations, and other laws, regulations, and industry standards (including proposed new proposed versions) applicable to specific categories of information are significant issues in the United States, Europe, and in other key jurisdictions where we offer our solutions, including in South and East Asia and the Middle East. The data that we collect, analyze and store is subject to a variety of laws and regulations, including regulation by various government agencies. The U.S. federal government, and various state and foreign governments, have adopted or proposed limitations on the collection, distribution, use, and storage of certain categories of information, such as PII of individuals, health information, and other sector-specific types of data, including but not limited to regulations promulgated by Federal Trade Commission and under the provisions of the Electronic Communication Privacy Act, Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. Laws and regulations outside the United States, and particularly in Europe, often are more restrictive than those in the United States. Such laws and regulations may require companies to implement privacy and security policies, permit customers to access, correct, and delete personal information stored or maintained by such companies, inform individuals of security breaches that affect their personal information, and, in some cases, obtain individuals’ consent to use PII for certain purposes. In addition, some foreign governments require that any information of certain categories, such as financial or PII collected in a country not be transferred outside of that country without consent. We also may find it necessary or desirable to join industry or other self-regulatory bodies or other information security or data protection-related organizations that require compliance with their rules pertaining to information security and data protection. We also may be bound by additional, more stringent contractual obligations relating to our collection, use and disclosure of personal, financial and other data. We cannot yet determine the impact of future laws, regulations, standards, or perception of their requirements may have on our business. For example, the European Commission adopted the European General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), that applies to the processing of certain personal data of data subjects in the European Economic Area (“EEA”). As compared to previously data protection law in the European Union, the GDPR imposes additional obligations and risk upon our business and increases substantially the penalties to which we could be subject in the event of any non-compliance. Administrative fines for certain violations under the GDPR can amount up to 20 million Euros or four percent of worldwide annual revenue for the prior fiscal year, whichever is higher. We have incurred substantial expense in complying with the obligations imposed by the GDPR, and we may be required to do so in the future, potentially making significant changes in our business operations, which may adversely affect our revenue and our business overall. Additionally, we are unable to predict how obligations under the GDPR will be applied to us or our customers. Despite our efforts to attempt to comply with the GDPR, a regulator may determine that a customer has not done so and subject it to fines and public censure, which could harm our business.

Among other requirements, the GDPR regulates transfers of personal data subject to the GDPR to third countries that have not been found to provide adequate protection to such personal data, including the United States. We have undertaken certain efforts to conform transfers of personal data from the EEA to the United States and other jurisdictions based on our understanding of current regulatory obligations and the guidance of data protection authorities. Despite this, we may be unsuccessful in establishing or maintaining conforming means of transferring such data from the EEA, in particular as a result of continued legal and legislative activity within the European Union. For example, in July 2020 the European Court of Justice (“ECJ”) invalidated the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield in a decision known as Schrems II. The ECJ decision also raised questions about the continued validity of one of the primary alternatives to the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield, namely the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses, and EU regulators have issued additional guidance regarding considerations and requirements that we and other companies must consider and undertake when using the Standard Contractual Clauses. Although the EU has presented a new set of contractual clauses, at present, there are few, if any, viable alternatives to the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield and the Standard Contractual Clauses. The ECJ’s decision and other regulatory guidance or developments otherwise may impose additional obligations with respect to the transfer of personal data from the EU and Switzerland to the United States, each of which could restrict our activities in those jurisdictions, limit our ability to provide products and services in those jurisdictions, or increase our costs and obligations and impose limitations upon our ability to efficiently transfer personal data from the EU and Switzerland to the United States.

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Further, the exit of the United Kingdom (UK) from the EU, often referred to as Brexit, has created uncertainty with regard to data protection regulation in the UK. Specifically, the UK exited the EU on January 1, 2020, subject to a transition period that ended December 31, 2020. While the Data Protection Act of 2018, that “implements” and complements the GDPR achieved Royal Assent on May 23, 2018 and is now effective in the United Kingdom, it is still unclear whether transfer of data from the EEA to the United Kingdom will remain lawful in the long term under GDPR. With the expiration of the transition period, companies will have to comply with the GDPR and the GDPR as incorporated into United Kingdom national law, which has the ability to separately fine up to the greater of £17.5 million or 4% of global turnover. On June 28, 2021, the European Commission announced a decision of “adequacy” concluding that the UK ensures an equivalent level of data protection to the GDPR, which provides some relief regarding the legality of continued personal data flows from the EEA to the UK. Some uncertainty remains, however, as this adequacy determination must be renewed after four years and may be modified or revoked in the interim. We cannot fully predict how the Data Protection Act, the UK GDPR, and other UK data protection laws or regulations may develop in the medium to longer term nor the effects of divergent laws and guidance regarding how data transfers to and from the UK will be regulated.

The implementation of the GDPR has led other jurisdictions to either amend, or propose legislation to amend their existing data privacy and cybersecurity laws to resemble all or a portion of the requirements of the GDPR. For example, on June 28, 2018, California adopted the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, or CCPA, which went into effect on January 1, 2020. The CCPA has been characterized as the first “GDPR-like” privacy statute to be enacted in the United States because it contains a number of provisions similar to certain provisions of the GDPR. In addition, the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020, or the CPRA was passed by California voters in November 2020. The CPRA amends the CCPA by creating additional privacy rights for California consumers and additional obligations on businesses, which could subject us to additional compliance costs as well as potential fines, individual claims and commercial liabilities. The majority of the CPRA provisions will take effect on January 1, 2023. The CCPA and CPRA could mark the beginning of a trend toward more stringent privacy legislation in the United States, as other states or the federal government may follow California’s lead and increase protections for U.S. residents. For example, on March 2, 2021, the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act, which will take effect on January 1, 2023, was signed into law and on June 8, 2021, Colorado enacted the Colorado Privacy Act (the “CPA”), which also takes effect on July 1, 2023.

Evolving and changing definitions of personal data and personal information within the European Union, the United States, and elsewhere, especially relating to classification of IP addresses, machine identification, location data and other information, may limit or inhibit our ability to operate or expand our business, including limiting partnerships that may involve the sharing of data. Further, we may be affected by evolving notions of data sovereignty, or the concept that data collected in a particular jurisdiction must be either physically maintained in that jurisdiction or maintained in compliance with all local law, including under all conditions or controls mandated by the jurisdiction in which it was collected. In light of current regulatory trends, such data sovereignty requirements may increase causing us to expend additional resources and increase our applicable budgets to remain compliant or cease doing business in such jurisdiction.

Even the perception of privacy or security concerns, whether or not valid, may harm our reputation, inhibit adoption of our products by current and future customers, or adversely impact our ability to consummate an initial business combination.

Membersattract and retain workforce talent. In addition, changes in laws or regulations that adversely affect the use of the internet, including laws impacting net neutrality, could impact our management teambusiness. We expect that existing laws, regulations and companies with which they are affiliatedstandards may be involvedinterpreted in governmental investigationsnew manners in the future. Future laws, regulations, standards, and civil litigation relatingother obligations, and changes in the interpretation of existing laws, regulations, standards and other obligations could require us to theirmodify our solutions, restrict our business affairs unrelatedoperations, increase our costs and impair our ability to maintain and grow our customer base and increase our revenue.

Beyond broader data processing regulations affecting our business, the cybersecurity industry may face direct regulation. In 2018, Singapore introduced what is believed to be the world’s first cybersecurity licensing requirement, mandating that providers of specific types of incident response services receive a government license before providing such services. License requirements such as these may impose upon us significant organizational costs and high barriers of entry into new markets.

Although we have worked and will continue to work to comply with applicable laws and regulations, certain applicable industry standards and our contractual obligations and other legal obligations, along with laws, regulations, standards and obligations are evolving and may be modified, interpreted and applied in an inconsistent manner from one jurisdiction to another, and may conflict with one another. In addition, they may conflict with other requirements or legal obligations that apply to our company.business or the security features and services that our customers expect from our solutions. As such, we cannot assure ongoing compliance with all such laws, regulations, standards and obligations. Any such claimsfailure or perceived failure by us or our employees, representatives, contractors, distribution partners, agents, intermediaries, or other third parties to comply with applicable laws and regulations, or applicable industry standards that we represent compliance with or that may be detrimentalasserted to apply to us, or to comply with employee, customer, partner, and other data privacy and data security requirements pursuant to contract and our stated notices or policies, could result in enforcement actions, including fines, imprisonment of company officials and public censure, claims for damages by customers and other affected individuals, damage to our reputation and loss of goodwill (both in relation to existing customers and prospective customers), any of which could have a material adverse effect on our operations, financial performance and business. Any inability of us or our employees, representatives, contractors, distribution

partners, agents, intermediaries, or other third parties to adequately address privacy and security concerns, even if unfounded, or comply with applicable laws, regulations, standards and obligations, could result in additional cost and liability to us, damage our reputation, inhibit sales, and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Failure to comply with laws and regulations applicable to our business could subject us to fines and penalties and could also cause us to lose customers in the public sector or negatively impact our ability to contract with the public sector.

Our business is subject to regulation by various federal, state, local and foreign governmental agencies, including agencies responsible for monitoring and enforcing privacy and data protection laws and regulations, employment and labor laws, workplace safety, product safety, environmental laws, consumer protection laws, anti-bribery laws, import and export controls, federal securities laws and tax laws and regulations. In certain jurisdictions, these regulatory requirements may be more stringent than in the United States. Noncompliance by us, our employees, representatives, contractors, distribution partners, agents, intermediaries, or other third parties with applicable regulations or requirements could subject us to:

investigations, enforcement actions and sanctions;
mandatory changes to our platform;
disgorgement of profits, fines and damages;
civil and criminal penalties or injunctions;
claims for damages by our customers or distribution partners;
termination of contracts;
loss of intellectual property rights; and
temporary or permanent debarment from sales to government organizations.

If any governmental sanctions are imposed, or if we do not prevail in any possible civil or criminal litigation, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected. In addition, responding to any action will likely result in a significant diversion of management’s attention and resources and an increase in professional fees. Enforcement actions and sanctions could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We endeavor to properly classify employees as exempt versus non-exempt under applicable law. Although there are no pending or threatened material claims or investigations against us asserting that some employees are improperly classified as exempt, the possibility exists that some of our current or former employees could have been incorrectly classified as exempt employees.

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These laws and regulations will impose added costs on our business, and failure by us, our employees, representatives, contractors, distribution partners, agents, intermediaries, or other third parties to comply with these or other applicable regulations and requirements could lead to claims for damages, penalties, termination of contracts, loss of exclusive rights in our intellectual property and temporary suspension or permanent debarment from government contracting. Any such damages, penalties, disruptions or limitations in our ability to do business with the public sector could result in reduced sales of our products, substantial product inventory write- offs, reputational damage, penalties, and other sanctions, any of which could harm our business, reputation, and results of operations.

We are subject to laws and regulations, including governmental export and import controls, sanctions, and anti-corruption laws, that could impair our ability to compete in our markets and subject us to liability if we are not in full compliance with applicable laws.

We are subject to laws and regulations, including governmental export controls, that could subject us to liability or impair our ability to compete in our markets. Our products are subject to U.S. export controls, including the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Export Administration Regulations, and we and our employees, representatives, contractors, agents, intermediaries, and other third parties are also subject to various economic and trade sanctions regulations administered by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and other governmental authorities. We incorporate standard encryption algorithms into our products, which, along with the underlying technology, may be exported outside of the U.S. only with the required export authorizations, including by license, license exception or other appropriate government authorizations, which may require the filing of further encryption registration and classification requests. Furthermore, U.S. export control laws and economic sanctions prohibit the shipment of certain cloud-based solutions to countries, governments, and persons targeted by U.S. sanctions. Governmental regulation of the import or export of our products, or our failure to obtain any required import or export authorization for our products under the laws of the United States or other countries, could harm our ability to engage in international trade and adversely affect our revenue. Moreover, any new export or import restrictions, new legislation or shifting approaches in the enforcement or scope of existing regulations, or in the countries, persons or technologies targeted by such regulations, could result in decreased use of our products by, or in our decreased ability to export our products to existing or potential customers or to conduct business with foreign parties. An actual or alleged violation of these laws or regulations would negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Various countries regulate the import of certain encryption technology, including through import permit and license requirements, and have enacted laws that could limit our ability to distribute our products or could limit our customers’ ability to implement our products in those countries. Changes in our products or changes in export and import regulations may create delays in the introduction of our products into international markets, prevent our customers with international operations from deploying our products globally or, in some cases, prevent the export or import of our products to certain countries, governments or persons altogether. Any change in export or import regulations, economic sanctions or related legislation, shift in the enforcement or scope of existing regulations, or change in the countries, governments, persons or technologies targeted by such regulations, could result in decreased use of our products by, or in our decreased ability to export or sell our products to, existing or potential customers with international operations. Under these global trade and sanctions laws and regulations, as well as other laws governing our operations, various government agencies may seek to impose modifications to business practices, including cessation of business activities in sanctioned countries or with sanctioned persons or entities and modifications to compliance programs, which may increase compliance costs, and may subject us to fines, penalties and other sanctions. Any decreased use of our products or limitation on our ability to export or sell our products would likely adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We are also subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 ("FCPA"), the UK Bribery Act 2010 (the "Bribery Act"), and other anti-corruption, sanctions, anti-bribery, anti-money laundering and similar laws in the United States and other countries in which it conducts activities. Anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws, which have been enforced aggressively and are interpreted broadly, prohibit companies and their employees, agents, intermediaries, and other third parties from promising, authorizing, making or offering improper payments or other benefits to government officials and others in the private sector. We leverage third parties, including intermediaries, agents, and distribution partners, to conduct our business in the United States and abroad, to sell subscriptions to our platform and to collect information about cyber threats. We and these third-parties may have direct or indirect interactions with officials and employees of government agencies or state-owned or affiliated entities and may be held liable for the corrupt or other illegal activities of these third- party business partners and intermediaries, our employees, representatives, contractors, distribution partners, agents, intermediaries, and other third parties, even if we do not explicitly authorize such activities.

While we have, and we will continue to have, policies and procedures to address compliance with FCPA, Bribery Act and other applicable anti-corruption, sanctions, anti-bribery, anti-money laundering and similar laws, we cannot assure you that they will be effective, or that all of our employees, representatives, contractors, distribution partners, agents, intermediaries, or other third parties have taken, or will not take actions, in violation of our policies and applicable law, for which we may be ultimately held responsible. As we increase our international sales and business, our risks under these laws may increase. Noncompliance with these laws could subject us to investigations, severe criminal or civil sanctions, settlements, prosecution, loss of export privileges, suspension or debarment from U.S. government contracts, other enforcement actions, disgorgement of profits, significant fines, damages, other civil and criminal penalties or injunctions, whistleblower complaints, adverse media coverage and other consequences. Any investigations, actions, or sanctions could harm our reputation, business, results of operations, and financial condition.

We also collect information about cyber threats from open sources, intermediaries, and third parties that we make available to our customers. While we have implemented certain procedures to facilitate compliance with applicable laws and regulations in connection with the collection of this information, we cannot assure you that these procedures have been effective or that we, or third parties, many of whom we do not control, have complied with all laws or regulations in this regard. Failure by us or our employees, representatives, contractors, distribution partners, agents, intermediaries, or other third parties to comply with applicable laws and regulations in the collection of this information also could have negative consequences, including reputational harm, government investigations and penalties.

Although we have taken precautions to prevent our information collection practices and services from being provided in violation of such laws, our information collection practices and services may have been in the past, and could in the future be, provided in violation of such laws. If we or our employees, representatives, contractors, distribution partners, agents, intermediaries, or other third parties fail to comply with these laws and regulations, we could be subject to civil or criminal penalties, including the possible loss of export privileges and fines. We may also be adversely affected through reputational harm, loss of access to certain markets, or otherwise. Obtaining the necessary authorizations, including any required license, for a particular transaction may be time- consuming, is not guaranteed and may result in the delay or loss of sales opportunities.

Some of our technology incorporates “open source” software, which could negatively affect our ability to sell our platform and subject us to possible litigation.

Our products and subscriptions 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 sell our products and subscriptions. The use and distribution of open source software may entail greater risks than the use of third- party commercial software, as open source licensors generally do not provide warranties or other contractual protections regarding infringement claims or the quality of the code. Many of the risks associated with use of open source software cannot be eliminated and could negatively affect our business. In addition, the wide availability of source code used in our solutions could expose us to security vulnerabilities.

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. 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, including authorizing further modification and redistribution, or otherwise be limited in the licensing of our services, each of which could provide an advantage to our competitors or other entrants to the market, create security vulnerabilities in our solutions, require us to re-engineer all or a portion of our platform, and could reduce or eliminate the value of our services. This would allow our competitors to create similar products with lower development effort and time and ultimately could result in a loss of sales.

The terms of many open source licenses have not been interpreted by U.S. courts, and there is a risk that these licenses could be construed in ways that could impose unanticipated conditions or restrictions on our ability to commercialize products and subscriptions incorporating such software. Moreover, we cannot assure you that our processes for controlling our use of open source software in our products and subscriptions has been or will be effective. From time to time, we may face claims from third parties asserting ownership of, or demanding release of, the open source software or derivative works that we developed using such software (which could

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include our proprietary source code), or otherwise seeking to enforce the terms of the applicable open source license. These claims could result in litigation. Litigation could be costly to defend, have a negative effect on our results of operations and financial condition or require us to devote additional research and development resources to change our solutions. Responding to any infringement or noncompliance claim by an open source vendor, regardless of its validity, discovering certain open source software code in our platform, or a finding that we have breached the terms of an open source software license, could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition, by, among other things:

resulting in time-consuming and costly litigation;
diverting management’s time and attention from developing our business;
requiring us to pay monetary damages or enter into royalty and licensing agreements that we would not normally find acceptable;
causing delays in the deployment of our platform or service offerings to our customers;
requiring us to stop offering certain services or features of our platform;
requiring us to redesign certain components of our platform using alternative non-infringing or non-open source technology, which could require significant effort and expense;
requiring us to disclose our software source code and the detailed program commands for our software;
prohibiting us from charging license fees for the proprietary software that uses certain open source; and
requiring us to satisfy indemnification obligations to our customers.

We provide service level commitments under some of our customer contracts. If we fail to meet these contractual commitments, we could be obligated to provide credits for future service and our business could suffer.

Certain of our customer agreements contain service level commitments, which contain specifications regarding the availability and performance of our platform. Any failure of or disruption to our infrastructure could impact the performance of our platform and the availability of services to customers. If we are unable to meet our stated service level commitments or if we suffer extended periods of poor performance or unavailability of our platform, we may be contractually obligated to provide affected customers with service credits for future subscriptions, and, in certain cases, refunds. To date, there has not been a material failure to meet our service level commitments, and we do not currently have any material liabilities accrued on our balance sheet for such commitments. However, our revenue, other results of operations and financial condition could be harmed if we suffer performance issues or downtime that exceeds the service level commitments under our agreements with our customers.

We may become involved in litigation that may adversely affect us.

We may be subject to claims, suits and government investigations and other proceedings including patent, product liability, class action, whistleblower, personal injury, property damage, labor and employment, commercial disputes, compliance with laws and regulatory requirements and other matters, and we may become subject to additional types of claims, suits, investigations and proceedings as our business develops. While we believe that we have acted in compliance in all material respects with applicable antitrust laws, such investigation, as well as any other claims, suits, and government investigations and proceedings that may be asserted against us in the future, are inherently uncertain and their results cannot be predicted with certainty. Regardless of outcome, any of these types of legal proceedings could have an adverse impact on us because of legal costs and diversion of management attention and resources, and could cause us to incur significant expenses or liability, adversely affect our brand recognition, and/or require us to change our business practices. The expense of litigation and the timing of this expense from period to period are difficult to estimate, subject to change and could adversely affect our results of operations. It is possible that a resolution of one or more such proceedings could result in substantial damages, settlement costs, fines and penalties that could adversely affect our business, consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows in a particular period. These proceedings could also result in reputational harm, sanctions, consent decrees, or orders requiring a change in our business practices. Because of the potential risks, expenses and uncertainties of litigation, we may, from time to time, settle disputes, even where we have meritorious claims or defenses, by agreeing to settlement agreements. Because litigation is inherently unpredictable, we cannot assure you that the results of any of these actions will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.

Our ability to maintain customer satisfaction will depend in part on the quality of our customer support.

Once our platform is deployed within our customers’ networks, our customers depend on our customer support services to resolve any issues relating to implementation and maintenance of the platform. If we do not provide effective ongoing support, our ability to sell additional subscriptions to existing customers would be adversely affected and our reputation with potential customers could be damaged. Many larger organizations have more complex networks and require higher levels of support than smaller customers. Failure to maintain high-quality customer support could also have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We may need to raise additional capital to maintain and expand our operations and invest in new solutions, which capital may not be available on terms acceptable to us, or at all, and which could reduce our ability to compete and could harm our business.

Retaining or expanding our current levels of personnel and products offerings may require additional funds to respond to business challenges, including the need to develop new products and enhancements to our platform, improve our operating infrastructure, or acquire complementary businesses and technologies. The failure to raise additional capital or generate the significant capital necessary to expand our operations and invest in new products could reduce our ability to compete and could harm our business. Accordingly, we may need to engage in additional equity or debt financings to secure additional funds. If we raise additional equity financing, stockholders may experience significant dilution of their ownership interests and the market price of the common stock could decline. If we engage in debt financing, the holders of debt would have priority over the holders of common stock, and we may be required to accept terms that restrict our operations or our ability to incur additional indebtedness or to take other actions that would otherwise be in the interests of the debt holders. Any of the above could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our business is subject to the risks of warranty claims, product returns, product liability, and product defects from real or perceived defects in our solutions or their misuse by customers or third parties, and indemnity provisions in various agreements potentially expose we to substantial liability for intellectual property infringement and other losses.

We may be subject to liability claims for damages related to errors or defects in our solutions. A material liability claim or other occurrence that harms our reputation or decreases market acceptance of our products may harm our business and results of operations. Although we generally have limitations of liability provisions in our terms and conditions of sale, these provisions may not fully or effectively protect us from claims as a result of federal, state, or local laws or ordinances, or unfavorable judicial decisions in the United States or other countries. These provisions may also be negotiated to varying levels with different customers. The sale and support of products also entails the risk of product liability claims.

Additionally, our agreements with customers and other third parties typically include indemnification or other provisions under which we agree to indemnify or otherwise be liable to them for losses suffered or incurred as a result of claims regarding intellectual property infringement, breach of agreement, including confidentiality, privacy and security obligations, violation of applicable laws, damages caused by failures of our solutions or to property or persons, or other liabilities relating to or arising from our products and services, or other acts or omissions. These contractual provisions often survive termination or expiration of the applicable agreement. We have not to date received any indemnification claims from third parties. However, as we continue to grow, the possibility of these claims against us will increase. Large indemnity obligations, whether for intellectual property or other claims, could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

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Additionally, our platform and solutions may be used by our customers and other third parties who obtain access to our solutions for purposes other than for which the platform was intended. For example, the platform might be misused by a customer to monitor our employee’s activities in a manner that violates the employee’s privacy rights under applicable law.

During the course of performing certain solution-related services and professional services, our teams may have significant access to our customers’ networks. We cannot be sure that a disgruntled employee may not take advantage of such access, which may make our customers vulnerable to malicious activity by such employee. Any such misuse of our platform could result in negative press coverage and negatively affect our reputation, which could result in harm to our business, reputation and results of operations.

We maintain insurance to protect against certain claims associated with the use of our products, but our insurance coverage may not adequately cover any claim asserted against us. In addition, even claims that ultimately are unsuccessful could result in the expenditure of funds in litigation, divert management’s time and other resources, and harm our business and reputation.

Future acquisitions, strategic investments, partnerships, or alliances could be difficult to identify and integrate, divert the attention of key management personnel, disrupt our business, dilute stockholder value and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

As part of our business strategy, we have in the past completed, and we are likely to continue to complete, an initial business combination.

investments in and/or acquisitions of complementary companies, services, or technologies. The ability to acquire and integrate other companies, services or technologies in a successful manner in the future is not guaranteed. We may seeknot be able to find suitable investment and/or acquisition candidates, and we may not be able to complete such investments and/or acquisitions on favorable terms, if at all. If we do complete investments and/or acquisitions, we may not ultimately strengthen our competitive position or ability to achieve our business objectives, and any investments and/or acquisitions we complete could be viewed negatively by our customers or investors. In addition, if we are unsuccessful at integrating any acquisitions, or the technologies associated with such acquisitions, our revenue and results of operations could be adversely affected. Any integration process may require significant time and resources, and we may not be able to manage the process successfully. We may not successfully evaluate or utilize the acquired technology or personnel, or accurately forecast the financial impact of an investment or acquisition transaction, including accounting charges. We may have to pay cash, incur debt or issue equity securities to pay for any such acquisition, each of which could adversely affect our financial condition and the market price of our common stock. The sale of equity or issuance of debt to finance any such investment or acquisitions could result in dilution to stockholders. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased fixed obligations and could also include covenants or other restrictions that would impede our ability to manage our operations.

Additional risks we may face in connection with investments and/or acquisitions include:

diversion of management time and focus from operating our business to addressing acquisition integration challenges;
coordination of engineering, analytics, research and development, operations, and sales and marketing functions;
integration of product and service offerings;
retention of key employees from the acquired company;
changes in relationships with strategic partners as a result of product acquisitions or strategic positioning resulting from the acquisition;
cultural challenges associated with integrating employees from the acquired company into the organization;
integration of the acquired company’s accounting, management information, human resources and other administrative systems;
the need to implement or improve controls, procedures, and policies at a business that prior to the acquisition may have lacked sufficiently effective controls, procedures and policies;
financial reporting, revenue recognition or other financial or control deficiencies of the acquired company that are not adequately addressed and that cause our reported results to be incorrect;
liability for activities of the acquired company before the acquisition, 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 the acquired company, including claims from terminated employees, customers, former stockholders or other third parties.

The 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 investments and/or acquisitions, cause us to incur unanticipated liabilities, and harm our business generally.

If we cannot maintain our company culture as we grow, we could lose the innovation, teamwork, passion and focus on execution that have contributed to our success, and our business may be harmed.

We believe that our corporate culture has been a contributor to our success, which we believe fosters innovation, teamwork, passion and focus on building and marketing our platform. As we grow and develop the infrastructure of a public operating company, it may be difficult to maintain our corporate culture. Any failure to preserve that culture could harm our future success, including our ability to retain and recruit personnel, innovate and operate effectively and execute on our business strategy. Additionally, our productivity and the quality of our solutions may be adversely affected if we do not integrate and train new employees quickly and effectively. If we experience any of these effects in connection with future growth, it could impair our ability to attract new customers, retain existing customers and expand their use of our platform, all of which would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our international operations and plans for future international expansion expose us to significant risks, and failure to manage those risks could adversely impact our business.

We derived 10% and 7% of our total revenue from our international customers for fiscal 2022 and fiscal 2021, respectively. Our growth strategy includes expansion into target geographies, but there is no guarantee that such efforts will be successful. We expect that our international activities will continue to grow in the future, as we continue to pursue opportunities in international markets. These international operations will require significant management attention and financial resources and are subject to substantial risks, including:

greater difficulty in negotiating contracts with standard terms, enforcing contracts, and managing collections, including longer collection periods;
higher costs of doing business internationally, including costs incurred in establishing and maintaining office space and equipment for international operations and creating international operating entities, where applicable;
management communication and integration problems resulting from cultural and geographic dispersion;
risks associated with trade restrictions and foreign legal requirements, including any industryimportation, certification, and localization of our platform that may be required in foreign countries;
greater risk of unexpected changes in applicable foreign laws, regulatory practices, tariffs, and tax laws and treaties;

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compliance with anti-bribery laws, including the FCPA, the U.S. Travel Act and the Bribery Act, violations of which could lead to significant fines, penalties, and collateral consequences;
heightened risk of unfair or corrupt business practices in certain geographies and of improper or fraudulent sales arrangements that may impact financial results and result in restatements of, or irregularities in, financial statements;
the uncertainty of protection for intellectual property rights in some countries;
general economic and political conditions in these foreign markets;
foreign exchange controls or tax regulations that might prevent us from repatriating cash earned outside the United States;
political and economic instability in some countries;
the potential for foreign government demands for access to information or corporate property;
double taxation of international earnings and potentially adverse tax consequences due to changes in the tax laws of the United States or the foreign jurisdictions in which we operate;
unexpected costs for the localization of services, including translation into foreign languages and adaptation for local practices and regulatory requirements;
requirements to comply with foreign privacy, data protection, and information security laws and regulations and the risks and costs of noncompliance;
greater difficulty in identifying, attracting and retaining local qualified personnel, and the costs and expenses associated with such activities;
greater difficulty identifying qualified distribution partners and maintaining successful relationships with such partners;
differing employment practices and labor relations issues; and
difficulties in managing and staffing international offices and increased travel, infrastructure, and legal compliance costs associated with multiple international locations.

Additionally, all of our sales contracts are currently denominated in U.S. dollars. However, a strengthening of the U.S. dollar could increase the cost of our solutions to our international customers, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations. In addition, an increasing portion of operating expenses is expected to be incurred outside the United States and denominated in foreign currencies, and will be subject to fluctuations due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates. If we become more exposed to currency fluctuations and are not able to successfully hedge against the risks associated with currency fluctuations, our results of operations could be adversely affected.

In addition, international nation states continue to increase their threats of action against other countries and high profile companies in them, as has most recently been evidenced by statements made by certain leaders relating to the recent military activity in Ukraine. The fact that we provide products and services to high profile customers in many of the countries that have been and remain under such threats and the high profile of leaders associated with us make those customers and us potential targets for attacks by those nation states and their proxies creating additional risks to our ability to continue to expand and operate effectively.

As we continue to develop and grow our business globally, our success will depend in large part on our ability to anticipate and effectively manage these risks. The expansion of our existing international operations and entry into additional international markets will require significant management choosesattention and financial resources. Our failure to successfully manage international operations and the associated risks could limit the future growth of our business.

Our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be limited.

As of January 31, 2022 and January 31, 2021, we had aggregate U.S. federal and state net operating loss carryforwards of $324.8 million and $154.6 million, respectively, which may be available to offset future taxable income for income tax purposes.

U.S. federal net operating loss carryforwards generated in taxable years beginning before January 1, 2018 may be carried forward for 20 years to offset future taxable income. Under tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”), as modified by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”), U.S. federal net operating losses generated in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, can be carried forward indefinitely, but the deductibility of such net operating loss carryforwards in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2020 is limited to 80% of taxable income. It is uncertain if and to what extent various states will conform their tax laws and regulations to the Tax Act or the CARES Act.

If not utilized, $25.3 million of our U.S. federal net operating loss carryforwards expire on various dates through 2037 and $299.5 million are able to be carried forward indefinitely under current law. Realization of these net operating loss carryforwards depends on future taxable income, and there is a risk that, even if we achieve profitability, our existing carryforwards could expire unused or be subject to limitations and be unavailable to offset future income tax liabilities, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

In addition, under Sections 382 and 383 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change,” generally defined as a greater than 50% change (by value) in ownership by “5 percent shareholders” over a rolling three-year period, the corporation’s ability to use our pre-change net operating loss carryovers and other pre-change tax attributes to offset our post-change income or taxes may be limited. We may experience ownership changes in the future as a result of shifts in our stock ownership (which industries may be outside of our management’s areascontrol). In addition, at the state level, there may be periods during which the use of expertise).net operating loss carryforwards is suspended or otherwise limited, which could accelerate or permanently increase state taxes owed. As a result, if we earn net taxable income, our ability to use pre-change net operating loss carryforwards to offset U.S. federal taxable income may be subject to limitations, which could potentially result in increased future tax liability to us.

Taxing authorities may successfully assert that we should have collected or in the future should collect sales and use, value added or similar taxes, and we could be subject to liability with respect to past or future sales, which could adversely affect our results of operations.

We do not collect sales and use, value added or similar taxes in all jurisdictions in which we have sales because we have been advised that such taxes are not applicable to our services in certain jurisdictions. Sales and use, value added, and similar tax laws and rates vary greatly by jurisdiction. Certain jurisdictions in which we do not collect such taxes may consider aassert that such taxes are applicable, which could result in tax assessments, penalties and interest, to us or our customers for the past amounts, and we may be required to collect such taxes in the future. If we are unsuccessful in collecting such taxes from our customers, we could be held liable for such costs, which may adversely affect our results of operations.

Our operations and intercompany arrangements will be subject to the tax laws of various jurisdictions, and we could be obligated to pay additional taxes, which would harm our results of operations.

We plan to expand our international operations and staff to support our business combination with a target business operating in any industry our management chooses. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in any particular business combination candidate, we cannot assure youinternational markets. We expect that we will adequately ascertain or assess allgenerally conduct international operations through wholly owned subsidiaries and may be required to report our taxable income in various jurisdictions worldwide based upon our business operations in those jurisdictions. Our intercompany relationships will be subject to complex transfer pricing regulations administered by taxing authorities in various jurisdictions. The amount of taxes paid in different jurisdictions may depend on the application of the tax laws of the various jurisdictions, including the United States, to our international business activities, changes in tax rates, new or revised tax laws or interpretations of existing tax laws and policies, and our ability to operate our business in a manner consistent with our corporate structure and intercompany arrangements. The relevant taxing authorities may disagree with our

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determinations as to the income and expenses attributable to specific jurisdictions. If such a disagreement were to occur, and our position was not sustained, we could be required to pay additional taxes, interest and penalties, which could result in one-time tax charges, higher effective tax rates, reduced cash flows and lower overall profitability of our operations.

We will be subject to U.S. federal, state, and local income, sales, and other taxes in the United States and income, withholding, transaction, and other taxes in numerous foreign jurisdictions. Significant judgment will be required in evaluating our tax positions and our worldwide provision for taxes. During the ordinary course of our business, there are many activities and transactions for which the ultimate tax determination may be uncertain. In addition, our tax obligations and effective tax rates could be adversely affected by changes in the relevant tax, accounting and other laws, regulations, principles and interpretations, including those relating to income tax nexus, by recognizing tax losses or lower than anticipated earnings in jurisdictions where we have lower statutory rates and higher than anticipated earnings in jurisdictions where we have higher statutory rates, by changes in foreign currency exchange rates, or by changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities. We may be audited in various jurisdictions, and such jurisdictions may assess additional taxes, sales taxes and value added taxes against it. Even if we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, the final determination of any tax audits or litigation could be materially different from our historical tax provisions and accruals, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations or cash flows in the period or periods for which a determination is made.

If our estimates or judgments relating to our critical accounting policies prove to be incorrect or financial reporting standards or interpretations change, our results of operations could be adversely affected.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. We have historically based our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, as discussed in the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” The results of these estimates form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets, liabilities and equity, and the amount of revenue and expenses that are not readily apparent from other sources. Significant assumptions and estimates used in preparing our consolidated financial statements will include, and may include in the future, those related to revenue recognition; allowance for doubtful accounts; costs to obtain or fulfill a contract; valuation of common stock; valuation of stock-based compensation; carrying value and useful lives of long-lived assets; loss contingencies; and the provision for income and related deferred taxes. Our results of operations may be adversely affected if our assumptions change or if actual circumstances differ from those in our assumptions, which could cause our results of operations to fall below the expectations of industry or financial analysts and investors, resulting in a decline in the market price of the common stock.

Additionally, we will regularly monitor our compliance with applicable financial reporting standards and review new pronouncements and drafts thereof that are relevant to us. As a result of new standards, changes to existing standards and changes in their interpretation, we might be required to change our accounting policies, alter our operational policies and implement new or enhance existing systems so that they reflect new or amended financial reporting standards, or we may be required to restate our published financial statements. Such changes to existing standards or changes in their interpretation may have an adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial position and profit, or cause an adverse deviation from our revenue and operating profit targets, which may negatively impact our financial results.

Our business will be subject to the risks of natural catastrophic events and to interruption by man-made problems such as power disruptions, computer viruses, data security breaches or terrorism.

A significant risk factors.natural disaster, such as an earthquake, a fire, a flood, or significant power outage could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Natural disasters could affect our personnel, data centers, supply chain, manufacturing vendors, or logistics providers’ ability to provide materials and perform services such as manufacturing products or assisting with shipments on a timely basis. In addition, climate change could result in an increase in the frequency or severity of natural disasters. In the event that we elect to pursue a business combination outsideor our service providers’ information technology systems or manufacturing or logistics abilities are hindered by any of the areasevents discussed above, we could result in missed financial targets, such as revenue, for a particular quarter. In addition, computer malware, viruses and computer hacking, fraudulent use attempts and phishing attacks have become more prevalent in the cybersecurity industry, and our internal systems may be victimized by such attacks. Likewise, we could be subject to other man-made problems, including but not limited to power disruptions and terrorist acts.

Although we maintain incident management and disaster response plans, in the event of a major disruption caused by a natural disaster or man-made problem, we may be unable to continue our operations and may endure system interruptions, reputational harm, delays in our development activities, lengthy interruptions in service, breaches of data security and loss of critical data, and our insurance may not cover such events or may be insufficient to compensate it for the potentially significant losses we may incur. Acts of terrorism and other geo-political unrest could also cause disruptions in our business or the business of our management’s expertise,supply chain, manufacturers, logistics providers, partners, or customers or the economy as a whole. Any disruption to our management’s expertisesupply chain, manufacturers, logistics providers, partners or customers that impacts sales at the end of a fiscal quarter could have a significant adverse impact on our financial results. All of the aforementioned risks may be further increased if disaster recovery plans prove to be inadequate. To the extent that any of the above should result in delays or cancellations of customer orders, or the delay in the manufacture, deployment, or shipment of our products, our business, financial condition, and results of operations would be adversely affected.

Our management identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, which resulted in a restatement of our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements as of and for the period ended October 31, 2021. In the future, we may identify additional material weaknesses or otherwise fail to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, which may result in material misstatements of our financial statements or cause us to fail to meet our periodic reporting obligations.

In connection with the preparation and audit of our consolidated financial statements for the year ended January 31, 2022, we and our independent registered public accounting firm identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. We did not have a sufficient number of personnel with an appropriate degree of accounting and internal controls knowledge, experience, and training to appropriately analyze, record and disclose accounting matters commensurate with our accounting and reporting requirements, which resulted in an inability to consistently establish appropriate authorities and responsibilities in pursuit of our financial reporting objectives. This material weakness contributed to the following additional separation of duties material weaknesses in that certain personnel had the ability to both (i) create and post journal entries within our general ledger system, and (ii) prepare and review account reconciliations. We did not design and maintain effective controls over information technology (“IT”) general controls for information systems that are relevant to the preparation of our financial statements. Specifically, we did not design and maintain: (i) program change management controls for the financial systems to ensure that information technology program and data changes affecting financial IT applications and underlying accounting records are identified, tested, authorized and implemented appropriately; (ii) appropriate user access controls to ensure appropriate segregation of duties and that adequately restrict user and privileged access to financial applications, programs and data to appropriate personnel; (iii) computer operations controls to ensure data backups are authorized and restorations monitored; and (iv) testing and approval controls for program development to ensure that new software development is aligned with business and IT requirements. We did not design and maintain effective controls over the accounting for stock-based compensation modifications.

As discussed in the Form 8-K as filed with the SEC on April 25, 2022, on April 22, 2022, the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors (the “Audit Committee”) of the Company determined, based on the analysis and recommendation of management, that our unaudited consolidated financial statements and related disclosures included in the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended October 31, 2021, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on December 15, 2021, should no longer be relied upon due to an error. The error was the result of the Company not appropriately applying modification accounting to stock-based compensation awards that were issued and outstanding as of August 26, 2021, the closing date of the merger between the Company and Legacy IronNet. This overstatement relates to stock-based compensation expense for certain of the Company’s outstanding restricted stock units (“RSUs”) granted pursuant to Legacy IronNet’s 2014 Stock Incentive Plan. We filed an amendment to the Form 10-Q with the SEC on May 2, 2022.

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With the oversight of senior management, we have instituted and continue to execute on plans to remediate these material weaknesses and will continue to take remediation steps, including hiring additional key supporting accounting personnel with public company reporting and accounting operations experience, implementing the required segregation of roles and duties both in manual and systems related processes including for journal entries and account reconciliations, and formalizing the documentation and performance of information technology general controls for information systems utilized for financial reporting.

While we implement and execute on our plan to remediate the material weaknesses described above, we cannot predict the success of such plans or the outcome of our assessment of these plans at this time. If the steps are insufficient to remediate the material weaknesses successfully and otherwise establish and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting, the reliability of our financial reporting, investor confidence, and the value of our common stock could be materially and adversely affected. We can give no assurance that the implementation of this plan will remediate these deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting or that additional material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting will not be identified in the future. The failure to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could result in errors in our financial statements that could result in a restatement of our financial statements, causing us to fail to meet our reporting obligations.

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Securities

The market price of our securities has been and is likely to be highly volatile, and you may not be directly applicableable to its evaluationresell your securities at or operation,above the purchase price. The trading price of our securities has been and the information containedis likely to be volatile, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

The following factors, in addition to other factors described in this “Risk Factors” section and included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, regardingmay have a significant impact on the areasmarket price of our management’s expertise would notsecurities:

threatened or actual litigation or government investigations;
the occurrence of severe weather conditions and other catastrophes;
publication of research reports or news stories about us, our competitors or our industry, or positive or negative recommendations or withdrawal of research coverage by securities analysts;
the public’s reaction to our press releases, our other public announcements and our filings with the SEC;
announcements by us or our competitors of acquisitions, business plans or commercial relationships;
any major change in our Board or senior management;
additional sales of our securities by us, our directors, executive officers or principal stockholders;
adverse market reaction to any indebtedness we may incur or securities we may issue in the future;
short sales, hedging and other derivative transactions in our securities;
exposure to capital market risks related to changes in interest rates, realized investment losses, credit spreads, equity prices, foreign exchange rates and performance of insurance linked investments;
our creditworthiness, financial condition, performance, and prospects;
our dividend policy and whether dividends on our common stock have been, and are likely to be, relevantdeclared and paid from time to an understandingtime;
perceptions of the businessinvestment opportunity associated with our securities relative to other investment alternatives;
regulatory or legal developments;
changes in general market, economic, and political conditions;
conditions or trends in our industry, geographies or customers; and
changes in accounting standards, policies, guidance, interpretations or principles.

In addition, broad market and industry factors may negatively affect the market price of our securities, regardless of our actual operating performance, and factors beyond our control may cause our stock price to decline rapidly and unexpectedly. In addition, in the past, companies that we electhave experienced volatility in the market price of their stock have been subject to acquire.securities class action litigation. As described in the "Legal Proceedings" section of this report, in April 2022 a result, our management may not be able to adequately ascertain or assess allpurported class action complaint was filed alleging violations of the federal securities laws against a group of defendants including us and certain of our executive officers. We intend to defend the matter vigorously, but litigation of this type is expensive and could result in substantial costs and diversion of management’s attention and resources, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects. Any adverse determination in litigation could also subject us to significant risk factors. Accordingly, any security holders who choose to remain security holders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the valueliabilities.

A small number of their securities. Such security holders are unlikelystockholders will continue to have a remedy for such reduction in value.

Oursubstantial control over us, which may limit other stockholders’ ability to successfully effect our initial business combinationinfluence corporate matters and to be successful thereafter will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.delay or prevent a third party from acquiring control over us.

Prior to the completion of an initial business combination, our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, ourOur directors, executive officers, and directors. We believe that our success depends on the continued servicebeneficial owners of our officers and directors, at least until we have completed our initial business combination. In addition, our executive officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating their time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our directors or executive officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one5% or more of our directors or executive officers could have a detrimental effect on us.

The rolevoting securities and their respective affiliates, beneficially owned, in the aggregate, approximately 43% of our key personnel in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although someoutstanding common stock as of our key personnel may remain with the target business in senior management or advisory positions following our initial business combination, it is likely that some or allJanuary 31, 2022. This significant concentration of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements. In addition, the officers and directors of an initial business combination candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of an initial business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an initial business combination candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an initial business combination candidate’s management team will remain associated with the initial business combination candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an initial business combination candidate will not wish to remain in place. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.

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Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination, and a particular business combination may be conditioned on the retention or resignation of such key personnel. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our initial business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest indetermining whether a particular business combination is the most advantageous.

Our key personnel may be able to remain with our company after the completion of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of the business combination. Such negotiations also could make such key personnel’s retention or resignation a condition to any such agreement. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business, subject to their fiduciary duties under Delaware law.

Our executive officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.

Our executive officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for a business combination and their other businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our executive officers is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation, and our executive officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. Our independent directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities. If our executive officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs whichownership may have a negative impact on the trading price for our common stock because investors often perceive disadvantages in owning stock in companies with controlling stockholders. In addition, these stockholders will be able to exercise influence over all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and approval of corporate transactions, such as a merger or other sale of our company or our assets. This concentration of ownership could limit stockholders’ ability to complete our initial business combination.

Our officersinfluence corporate matters and directors presently have fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities and, accordingly, may have conflictsthe effect of interestdelaying or preventing a change in determining to which entitycontrol, including a particular business opportunity should be presented.

Until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with onemerger, consolidation or more businesses. Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have, additional fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, our officers and directors may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us, subject to their fiduciary duties under Delaware law.

Our officers and directors may in the future become affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us, and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.

Until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our officers and directors may in the future become affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business, including those that may have acquisition objectives that are similar to ours. Our officers and directors and Aston Capital’s principals have agreed, pursuant to a written letter agreement, not to become an officer or director of any other special purpose acquisition company with a class of securities intended to be registered under the Exchange Act which has publicly filed a registration statement with the SEC until we have entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination, or we have failed to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the consummation of our IPO. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor anddiscouraging a potential target business may be presented to other entities prior to its presentation to us, subject to our officers’ and directors’ fiduciary duties under Delaware law.

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Our executive officers, directors, security holders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests.

We have not adoptedacquirer from making a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, executive officers, security holderstender offer or affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or executive officers, although we do not intend to do so. Nor do we have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.

The personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and selecting a target business and completing a business combination. Consequently, our directors’ and officers’ discretion in identifying and selecting a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our stockholders’ best interest. If this were the case, it would be a breach of their fiduciary duties to us as a matter of Delaware law and we or our stockholders might have a claim against such individuals for infringing on our stockholders’ rights. However, we might not ultimately be successful in any claim we may make against them for such reason.

We may engage in a business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers, directors or existing holders which may raise potential conflicts of interest.

In light of the involvement of our sponsor, executive officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers, directors or existing holders. Our directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities. Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Our sponsor, officers and directors are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to complete our initial business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no substantive discussions concerning a business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we do not specifically focus on, or target, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for a business combination and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent and disinterested directors. Despite our agreementotherwise attempting to obtain an opinion regardingcontrol, even if that change in control would benefit the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers, directors or existing holders, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the business combination may notother stockholders.

There can be as advantageous to our public stockholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.

Since our sponsor, executive officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed (other than with respect to public shares they may have acquire during or after our IPO), a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.

In April 2019, we issued to our sponsor an aggregate of 3,593,750 founder shares in exchange for a capital contribution of $25,000, or approximately $0.007 per share. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by our sponsor, we had no assets, tangible or intangible. The per-share price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount contributed to us by the number of founder shares issued. In November 2019 we effected a stock dividend of 0.2 shares for each share outstanding, resulting in there being an aggregate of 4,312,500 founder shares outstanding. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the total size of our IPO would be a maximum of 17,250,000 units (if the underwriters’ over-allotment option was exercised in full), and therefore that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after our IPO. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor purchased 5,200,000 private warrants each exercisable to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, at a price of $1.00 per warrant in a private placement that closed simultaneously with the closing of our IPO. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our IPO, the private warrants will expire worthless. In addition, we may obtain loans from our sponsor, our officers or directors, or any of their affiliates. The personal and financial interests of our executive officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following our initial business combination. This risk may become more acute as the 24-month anniversary of the closing of our IPO nears, which is the deadline for our completion of an initial business combination.


Risks Related to Our Securities

Our public stockholders may be forced to wait beyond 24 months from the closing of our IPO before redemption of our shares from the trust account.

If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our IPO, the proceeds then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the trust account not previously released to us to pay our tax obligations and less up to $50,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses, will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, as further described herein. Any redemption of public stockholders from the trust account will be affected automatically by function of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation prior to any voluntary winding up. If we are required to wind-up, liquidate the trust account and distribute such amount therein, pro rata, to our public stockholders, as part of any liquidation process, such winding up, liquidation and distribution must comply with the applicable provisions of the DGCL. In that case, investors may be forced to wait beyond 24 months from the closing of our IPO before the redemption proceeds of the trust account become available to them, and they receive the return of their pro rata portion of the proceeds from the trust account. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to the date of our redemption or liquidation unless we seek to amend our certificate of incorporation as described herein or consummate our initial business combination prior thereto and only then in cases where investors have sought to redeem their our Class A common stock. Only upon our redemption or any liquidation will public stockholders be entitled to distributions if we are unable to complete our initial business combination.

We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.

Our warrants are issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment (which would include any public warrants purchased by our sponsor or any of our officers or directors). Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, convert the warrants into cash, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.

The NYSE  may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.

Our units, Class A common stock and warrants are listed on the NYSE. We cannot assure you that our securities will continue to be listed on the NYSE in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on the NYSE prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and share price levels.


Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, we will likely be required to demonstrate compliance with the NYSE’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than the NYSE’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on the NYSE. We cannot assure youassurance that we will be able to meet those initialcomply with the continued listing requirements at that time.standards of the NYSE.

If the NYSE delists any of our securities from trading on its exchangefor failure to meet the listing standards, we and we are not able to list such securities on another national securities exchange, we expect such securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, weour stockholders could face significant material adversenegative consequences including:

● a

limited availability of market quotations for our securities;

● reduced liquidity for our securities;

a determination that our Class A common stock areis a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A common stock to adhere to more stringent rules, and
possibly resultresulting in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for shares of our securities;

common stock;

a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and

a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.

The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preemptsIf our operating and financial performance in any given period does not meet the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because our units our Class A common stock and warrants are listed on the NYSE, our units, our Class A common stock and warrants qualify as covered securities under the statute. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on the NYSE, our securities would not qualify as covered securities under the statute and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.

If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.

Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements, they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claimsguidance provided to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Marcum LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, and the underwriters of the offering, will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account.


Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by our public stockholders could be less than the $10.00 per public share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors. Pursuant to a letter agreement, our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent public accountants) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or other similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of our IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations. Since our sponsor’s assets consist only of our securities, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. None of our officers or directors or members of our sponsor will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.

Our directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders.

In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per share and (ii) the actual amount per share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case less taxes payable, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment and subject to their fiduciary duties may choose not to do so in any particular instance. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.00 per share.

We may not have sufficient funds to satisfy indemnification claims of our directors and executive officers.

We have agreed to indemnify our officers and directors to the fullest extent permitted by law. However, our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account and to not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will be able to be satisfied by us only if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination. Our obligation to indemnify our officers and directors may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. Furthermore, a stockholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.


If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our stockholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.

If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.

If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy court may seek to recover such proceeds, and the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages.

If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our stockholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages, by paying our public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.

Our stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.

Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of the trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our IPO may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If a corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liabilityexpectations of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. However, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following the 24th month from the closing of our IPO in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with the foregoing procedures.

Because we will not be complying with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the 10 years following our dissolution. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses. If our plan of distribution complies with Section 281(b) of the DGCL, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would likely be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. We cannot assure you that we will properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend beyond the third anniversary of such date. Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of the trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our IPO is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful (potentially due to the imposition of legal proceedings that a party may bring or due to other circumstances that are currently unknown), then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution.


Holders of our Class A common stock will not be entitled to vote on any election of directors we hold prior to the vote on our initial business combination.

Prior to the vote on our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares have the right to vote on the election of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time. Accordingly, you may not have any say in the management of our company prior to the consummation of an initial business combination.

We are not registering the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time, and such registration may not be in place when an investor desires to exercise warrants, thus precluding such investor from being able to exercise its warrants and causing such warrants to expire worthless.

We are not registering the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time. However, under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement covering the registration under the Securities Act of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and thereafter will use our best efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 days following our initial business combination and to maintain a current prospectus relating to the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current or correct or the SEC issues a stop order. If the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. However, no warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, unless an exemption is available. Under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed to use our best efforts to take such action as is necessary to register or qualify for sale the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants in such states, to the extent an exemption is not available. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to do so. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under the Securities Act or applicable state securities laws. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the shares of our Class A common stock included in our units. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.

If you exercise your public warrants on a “cashless basis,” you will receive fewer shares of our Class A common stock from such exercise than if you were to exercise such warrants for cash.

There are circumstances in which the exercise of the public warrants may be required or permitted to be made on a cashless basis. For instance, if we call our warrants for redemption, we can force all holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. Additionally, If a registration statement covering the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. In the event of an exercise on a cashless basis, a holder would pay the warrant exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of our Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of our Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (as defined in the next sentence) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” is the average volume weighted average last reported sale price of our Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent or on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants, as applicable. As a result, you would receive fewer shares of our Class A common stock from such exercise than if you were to exercise such warrants for cash.

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The private warrants may be exercised at a time when the public warrants may not be exercised.

Once the private warrants become exercisable, such warrants may immediately be exercised on a cashless basis, at the holder’s option, so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees. The public warrants, however, will only be exercisable on a cashless basis at the option of the holders if we fail to register the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act within 60 days following the closing of our initial business combination. Accordingly, it is possible that the holders of the private warrants could exercise such warrants at a time when the holders of public warrants could not exercise their warrants.

The grant of registration rights to our security holders may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affectanalysts, the market price of our Class A common stock.stock may decline.

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PursuantWe may, but are not obligated to, an agreement entered into concurrently withprovide public guidance on our expected operating and financial results for future periods. Any such guidance will consist of forward-looking statements, subject to the issuancerisks and sale of the securitiesuncertainties described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our IPO, our initial stockholdersother public filings and their permitted transferees can demand that we register our Class A common stock into which founder shares are convertible, holderspublic statements. Our actual results may not always be in line with or exceed any guidance it has provided, especially in times of our private warrants and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the private warrants and our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private warrants and holders of warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans may demand that we register such securities. We will bear the cost of registering these securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for tradingeconomic uncertainty. If, in the public market may have an adverse effect onfuture, our operating or financial results for a particular period do not meet any guidance provided or the expectations of investment analysts, or if we reduce our guidance for future periods, the market price of our Class A common stock. In addition,stock may decline as well. Even if we do issue public guidance, there can be no assurance that we will continue to do so in the existence of the registration rightsfuture.

We qualify as an “emerging growth company” as well as a “smaller reporting company.” The reduced public company reporting requirements applicable to emerging growth companies and smaller reporting companies may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the shareholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our Class A common stock that is expected when the securities owned by our initial stockholders, holders of our private warrants or their respective permitted transferees are registered.less attractive to investors.

We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.

We have the ability to redeem outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the closing price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to proper notice of such redemption provided that on the date we give notice of redemption. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you to (i) exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your warrants. None of the private warrants are redeemable by us so long as they are held by the sponsor or its permitted transferees.


The securities in which we invest the funds held in the trust account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.

The proceeds held in the trust account are invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 180 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act, which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. While short-term U.S. government treasury obligations currently yield a positive rate of interest, they have briefly yielded negative interest rates in recent years. Central banks in Europe and Japan pursued interest rates below zero in recent years, and the Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve has not ruled out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the United States. In the event that we are unable to complete our initial business combination or make certain amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our public stockholders are entitled to receive their pro-rata share of the proceeds held in the trust account, plus any interest income, net of taxes paid or payable. Negative interest rates could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.

An investment in our securities may result in uncertain or adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences.

An investment in our securities may result in uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences. For instance, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of a cashless exercise of warrants included in our units is unclear under current law. It is also unclear what impact the conversion rights with respect to our shares of our Class A common stock would have on a U.S. holder’s holding period for purposes of determining whether any gain or loss realized by such holder on the sale or exchange of our Class A common stock is long-term capital gain or loss and with respect to any dividends we may pay. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to these and other tax consequences when purchasing, holding or disposing of our securities.

General Risks

We have no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.

We have no operating results to date. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing our initial business combination. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning a business combination and may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we fail to complete our initial business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.

You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.

Since the net proceeds of our IPO and the sale of the private warrants are intended to be used to complete an initial business combination with a target business that has not been selected, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, because we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 and filed a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors are not afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means our units were tradable and we have a longer period of time to complete an initial business combination. Moreover, if our IPO were subject to Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released to us in connection with our completion of an initial business combination.

If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.

If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including:

● restrictions on the nature of our investments; and

● restrictions on the issuance of securities,


each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including:

● registration as an investment company;

● adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and

● reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations.

In order not to be regulated as an investment company“emerging growth company” under the Investment Company Act, unless we can qualify for an exclusion, we must ensure that we are engaged primarily in a business other than investing, reinvesting or trading of securities and that our activities do not include investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading “investment securities” constituting more than 40% of our assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Our business is to identify and complete a business combination and thereafter to operate the post-transaction business or assets for the long term. We do not plan to buy businesses or assets with a view to resale or profit from their resale. We do not plan to buy unrelated businesses or assets or to be a passive investor.

We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 180 days or less or in money market funds meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7(d) promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Pursuant to the trust agreement with respect to the trust account, the trustee is not permitted to invest in other securities or assets. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, and by having a business plan targeted at acquiring and growing businesses for the long term (rather than on buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or private equity fund), we intend to avoid being deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. Investment in our securities is not intended for persons who are seeking a return on investments in government securities or investment securities. The trust account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of either: (i) the completion of our initial business combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our IPO; or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to stockholder rights or pre-initial business combination activity; or (iii) absent an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our IPO, our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public stockholders as part of our redemption of the public shares. If we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to our public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.

Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.

We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we are required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations 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 or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.


Our initial stockholders will receive additional shares of our Class A common stock if we issue shares to consummate an initial business combination.

The founder shares will automatically convert into our Class A common stock on the first business day following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional shares of our Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities convertible or exercisable for shares of our Class A common stock, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in our IPO and related to the closing of our initial business combination, the ratio at which founder shares will convert into shares of our Class A common stock will be adjusted so that the number of shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all founder shares will equal, in the aggregate 20% of the sum of our shares of common stock outstanding after completion of our IPO plus the number of shares of our Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination (net of conversions), excluding any shares of our Class A common stock or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in our initial business combination and any private warrants issued to our sponsor. This is different than most other similarly structured blank check companies in which the initial stockholders will only be issued an aggregate of 20% of the total number of shares to be outstanding prior to an initial business combination.

We may reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination and such reincorporation may result in taxes imposed on stockholders.

We may, in connection with our initial business combination and subject to requisite stockholder approval under the DGCL, reincorporate in the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located or in another jurisdiction. The transaction may require a stockholder to recognize taxable income in the jurisdiction in which the stockholder is a tax resident or in which its members are resident if it is a tax transparent entity. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to stockholders to pay such taxes. Stockholders may be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after the reincorporation.

We arerules. As an emerging growth company, within the meaning of the Securities Act,we are permitted and if we take advantage of certainplan to rely on exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.

We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reportingdisclosure requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including,companies. These provisions include, but are not limited to: (1) an exemption from compliance with the auditor attestation requirement in the assessment of internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley, (2) not being required to comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 ofPCAOB regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act,auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements, (3) reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation arrangements in our periodic reports, registration statements, and proxy statements, and (4) exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our shares of our Class A common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of any June 30 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.

Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.


Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Rule 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30th, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.

Compliance obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may make it more difficult for us to effectuate a business combination, require substantial financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing an acquisition.

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer and no longer an emerging growth company will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target business with which we seek to complete our initial business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.

Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our common stock and could entrench management.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. Prior to the vote on our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares have the right to vote on the election of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such period This may entrench management and discourage unsolicited stockholder proposals that may be in the best interest of stockholders. Additionally, our board of directors is divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. As a result, at a given annual meeting only a minority of the board of directors may be considered for election. Since our “staggered board” may prevent our stockholders from replacing a majority of our board of directors at any given annual meeting, it may further entrench management and discourage unsolicited stockholder proposals that may be in the best interests of stockholders. Moreover, our board of directors has the ability to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred stock.

We are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together these provisions may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.

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

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against directors, officers and employees for breach of fiduciary duty and other similar actions may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware and, if brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel except any action (A) as to which the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (B) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery, (C) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction, or (D) any action arising under the Securities Act, as to which the Court of Chancery and the federal district court for the District of Delaware shall have concurrent jurisdiction. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the forum provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.


This choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers or employees, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims, although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder and may therefore bring a claim in another appropriate forum. We cannot be certain that a court will decide that this provision is either applicable or enforceable, and if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the exclusive forum provision will be applicable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As a result, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction.

Cyber incidents or attacks directed at us could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.

We will likely depend on digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructure and cloud applications and services, including those of third parties with which we may deal. Sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure, or the systems or infrastructure of third parties or the cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data. As an early stage company without significant investments in data security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences. We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have adverse consequences on our business and lead to financial loss or inability to consummate an initial business combination.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

Not applicable.

ITEM 2. PROPERTY

We currently maintain our principal executive offices at 165 W. Liberty St., Suite 220, Reno, NV 89501. The cost for this space is included in the $10,000 per-month fee LGL Systems Nevada Management Partners LLC, an affiliate of our sponsor, charges us for general and administrative services. We consider our current office space, combined with the other office space otherwise available to our executive officers, adequate for our current operations.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

None.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

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PART II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Market Information

Our units, Class A common stock and warrants are listed on the NYSE under the symbols DFNS.U, DFNS and DFNS WS, respectively.

Holders

As of March 1, 2020, there were 1 holder of record of our units, 1 holder of record of our common stock and 2 holders of record of our warrants. We believe we have in excess of 400 beneficial holders of our securities.

Dividends

We have not paid any cash dividends on our shares of common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of a business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be contingent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements, and general financial condition subsequent to completion of a business combination. The payment of any dividends subsequent to a business combination will be within the discretion of our then board of directors. It is the present intention of our board of directors to retain all earnings, if any, for use in our business operations and, accordingly, our board does not anticipate declaring any dividends in the foreseeable future. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities; Use of Proceeds from Registered Securities

On April 30, 2019, our sponsor purchased 3,593,750 shares of Class B common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.007 per share. On November 6, 2019, the Company effected a stock dividend of 0.2 shares for each share outstanding, resulting in an aggregate of 4,312,500 Founder Shares being outstanding. The foregoing issuance was made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

On November 12, 2019, we consummated our IPO of 17,250,000 units, which included the full exercise by the underwriters of the over-allotment option to purchase an additional 2,250,000 units, at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $172,500,000. The securities in the offering were registered under the Securities Act on registration statements on Form S-1 (No. 333-234124 and 333-234550). The registration statements were declared effective on November 6, 2019.

Simultaneously with the closing of our IPO, we consummated the sale of 5,200,000 warrants at a price of $1.00 per Private Warrant in a private placement to the sponsor, generating gross proceeds of $5,200,000. The issuance was made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

The private warrants are identical to the warrants underlying the units sold in our IPO, except that the private warrants are non-redeemable and may be exercised on a cashless basis, in each case so long as they continue to be held by the initial purchaser or its permitted transferees. The purchaser of private warrants has agreed not to transfer, assign, or sell any of the private warrants or Class A Common Stock underlying the private warrants (except to certain permitted transferees) until 30 days after the completion of the Company’s initial business combination.


Of the gross proceeds received from our IPO, the exercise of the over-allotment option and the sale of the private warrants, $172,500,000 was placed in the trust account established in connection with our IPO.

We paid a total of $3,450,000 in underwriting discounts and commissions and $484,162 for other costs and expenses related to our IPO. In addition, the underwriters agreed to defer $6,037,500 in underwriting discounts and commissions.

ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

Not applicable.

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this Form 10-K including, without limitation, statements under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” regarding the Company’s financial position, business strategy and the plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. When used in this Form 10-K, words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend” and similar expressions, as they relate to us or the Company’s management, identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of management, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, the Company’s management. Actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors detailed in our filings with the SEC.

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and the notes thereto contained elsewhere in this Report. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties.

Overview

We are a blank check company formed under the laws of the State of Delaware on April 30, 2019 for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses. Our efforts to identify a prospective target business are limited to a particular industry or geographic location, although we are currently focusing our search for target businesses in the defense, aerospace and communication industries. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of our IPO and the sale of the private warrants, our capital stock, debt or a combination of cash, stock and debt.

The issuance of additional shares of our stock in a business combination:

may significantly reduce the equity interest of our stockholders;
may subordinate the rights of holders of shares of common stock if we issue shares of preferred stock with rights senior to those afforded to our shares of common stock;
will likely cause a change in control if a substantial number of our shares of common stock are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and most likely will also result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; and
may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our securities.


Similarly, if we issue debt securities or otherwise incur significant indebtedness, it could result in:

default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after a business combination are insufficient to pay our debt obligations;
acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we have made all principal and interest payments when due if the debt security contains covenants that required the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves and we breach any such covenant without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;
our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand; and
our inability to obtain additional financing, if necessary, if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain additional financing while such security is outstanding.

Results of Operations

We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities from inception through December 31, 2020 were organizational activities, those necessary to prepare for our IPO, described below, and searching for a target business with which to complete a business combination. We do not expect to generate any operating revenues until after the completion of our business combination. We generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on marketable securities held after our IPO. We incur expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses.

For the period from April 30, 2019 (inception) through December 31, 2019, we had a net loss of $102,604, which consists of operating and formation costs of $256,567, offset by interest income on marketable securities held in the trust account of $126,688 and a benefit for income taxes of $27,275.

For the year ended December 31, 2020, we had net income of $141,312, which consists of interest income on marketable securities held in the trust account of $808,527 offset by operating and formation costs of $629,651, and a provision for income taxes of $37,564.

In December 2019, our board of directors approved the formation of an advisory committee to be comprised of individuals who will assist management and the board in all aspects of our operations including activities aimed at effecting an initial business combination.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

On November 12, 2019, we consummated our IPO of 17,250,000 units at a price of $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $172,500,000. Simultaneously with the closing of our IPO, we consummated the sale of 5,200,000 private warrants to our sponsor at a price of $1.00 per warrant, generating gross proceeds of $5,200,000.

Including payments for certain prepaid assets such as liability insurance, total payments paid on or soon after our IPO totaled $4,185,959 which was materially in line with our estimated amount of $4,200,000. However, actual liability insurance was underestimated by $124,998 while miscellaneous costs was overestimated by $119,228.

Following our IPO and the sale of the private warrants, a total of $172,500,000 was placed in the trust account. We incurred $9,971,662 in transaction costs, consisting of $3,450,000 of underwriting fees, $6,037,500 of deferred underwriting fees and $484,162 of other offering costs.


As of December 31, 2020, we had marketable securities held in the trust account of $173,192,131 consisting of shares of a money market fund that invests primarily in U.S. treasury bills with a maturity of 180 days or less. Interest income on the balance in the trust account may be used by us to pay taxes. Through December 31, 2020, we withdrew $243,084 of interest earned on the trust account to pay our franchise tax obligations.

We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account (less taxes payable), to complete our business combination. To the extent that our capital stock or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies. 

As of December 31, 2020, we had cash of $789,497 held outside the trust account. We intend to use the funds held outside the trust account for ongoing administrative activities as well to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, and to structure and negotiate a business combination.

For the period from April 30, 2019 (inception) through December 31, 2019, cash used in operating activities was $269,622. Net loss $102,604 was net of interest earned on marketable securities held in the trust account of $126,688 and a deferred tax benefit of $27,275. Changes in operating assets and liabilities used $13,055 of cash for operating activities.

For the year ended December 31, 2020, cash used in operating activities was $474,803. Net income of $141,312 was affected by interest earned on marketable securities held in the trust account of $808,527 and a deferred tax of $27,275. Changes in operating assets and liabilities used $165,137 of cash for operating activities.

In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with a business combination, the sponsor, or certain of our officers and directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete a business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that a business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from the trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants identical to the private warrants, at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender.

We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimate of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating a business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon consummation of our business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of our business combination. If we are unable to complete our business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. In addition, following our business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.

Off-balance sheet financing arrangements

We did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as of December 31, 2020.

Contractual obligations

We do not have any long-term debt, capital lease obligations, operating lease obligations or long-term liabilities, other than an agreement to pay an affiliate of the sponsor a monthly fee of $10,000 for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. We began incurring these fees on November 5, 2019 and will continue to incur these fees monthly until the earlier of the completion of the business combination and our liquidation.


The underwriters of our IPO are entitled to deferred fee of $0.35 per Unit, or $6,037,500. The deferred fee will be forfeited by the underwriters solely in the event that we fail to complete a business combination within the required time period, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement. 

Critical Accounting Policies

The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and income and expenses during the periods reported. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates. We have identified the following critical accounting policies:

Common stock subject to possible redemption

We account for common stock subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Common stock subject to mandatory redemption is classified as a liability instrument and is measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable common stock (including common stock that features redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within our control) is classified as temporary equity. At all other times, common stock is classified as stockholders’ equity. Our common stock features certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of our control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, common stock subject to possible redemption is presented at redemption value as temporary equity, outside of the stockholders’ equity section of our balance sheet.

Net loss per common share

We apply the two-class method in calculating earnings per share. Common stock subject to possible redemption which is not currently redeemable and is not redeemable at fair value, has been excluded from the calculation of basic net loss per common share since such shares, if redeemed, only participate in their pro rata share of the trust account earnings. Our net loss is adjusted for the portion of income that is attributable to common stock subject to possible redemption, as these shares only participate in the earnings of the trust account and not our income or losses.

Recent accounting standards

Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting pronouncements, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on our financial statements.

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

As of December 31, 2020, we were not subject to any market or interest rate risk. The net proceeds of our IPO, including amounts in the trust account, have been invested in U.S. government treasury bills, notes or bonds with a maturity of 180 days or less or in certain money market funds that invest solely in U.S. treasuries. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk in the future. However, there can be no assurance of this.

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

This information appears following Item 15 of this Report and is included herein by reference.

Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

None


Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Disclosure controls are procedures that are designed with the objective of ensuring that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Exchange Act, such as this Report, is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time period specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls are also designed with the objective of ensuring that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including the chief executive officer and chief financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Our management evaluated, with the participation of our principal executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer (our “Certifying Officers”), the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2020, pursuant to Rule 13a-15(b) under the Exchange Act. Based upon that evaluation, our Certifying Officers concluded that, as of December 31, 2020, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective.

We do not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures will prevent all errors and all instances of fraud. Disclosure controls and procedures, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the disclosure controls and procedures are met. Further, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all disclosure controls and procedures, no evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures can provide absolute assurance that we have detected all our control deficiencies and instances of fraud, if any. The design of disclosure controls and procedures also is based partly on certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions.

Management’s Report on Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting

This Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include a report of management’s assessment regarding internal control over financial reporting or an attestation report of our independent registered public accounting firm due to a transition period established by rules of the SEC for newly public companies.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) during the most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.


PART III

ITEM 10. DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT

Directors and Executive Officers

Our officers and directors are as follows:

NameAgePosition
Executive Officers
Marc Gabelli52Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
John Mega67President
Robert “Rob” LaPenta51Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Non-Executive Officers
Timothy Foufas52Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
George Anthony Bancroft II45Vice President
Hendi Susanto47Vice President
Patrick Huvane53Vice President, Finance and Accounting
Independent Directors
Mary Gallagher55Director
Michael Ferrantino49Director
Michael Martin47Director

Marc Gabelli has served as a member of our Board of Directors since our inception and Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer since September 2019. Mr. Gabelli has served as President and Director of GGCP, Inc., the parent company of GAMCO Investors, Inc. (GBL:NYSE) since 1999, and director of Associated Capital Group, Inc. (AC:NYSE) at its formation through to 2017. He is the Chairman of Teton Advisors, Inc. (TETA:OTC) since 2018, and The LGL Group (LGL: NYSE American) since 2017, Chairman of Gabelli Merger Plus Trust PLC (GMP:LSE) since 2017. Mr. Gabelli has been Co-Chief Executive Officer of Gabelli Securities International Ltd. since 1994, Managing Partner of Horizon Research of New Delhi India since 2012 and Director and Managing Partner of Swiss based GGCP since 2012 and GAMA Funds Holdings GmbH since 2010. He is also Chairman and Chief Executive of Gabelli & Partners Italia Srl. and Gabelli Value for Italy SPA (VALU: IM), a Milan stock exchange listed corporation since 2018, and a director of Gabelli Merger Plus+ Trust, PLC (GMP: LSE), a London Stock Exchange listed company. As a fund manager since 1990, Mr. Gabelli’s focus is global value investments with portfolio assignments including alternative and traditional asset management. He manages alternative investment portfolios and the group’s investment companies trading on the London Stock Exchange. He has managed several Morningstar five star mutual funds, and a Lipper #1 ranked global equity mutual fund. In corporate matters, he assisted on group restructurings, including GAMCO’s initial public offering and the subsequent formation of AC. He built the hedge fund platform of the group’s indirect wholly-owned subsidiary, Gabelli & Partners, LLC, and expanded the business internationally, opening the GAMCO London and Tokyo offices. In 2001, he also formed and served as General Partner of OpNet Partners, a Gabelli venture capital fund focused on optical networking technologies. He is also a Director of LICT Corporation (LICT: OTC). Mr. Gabelli is active in a variety of charitable educational efforts in the United States, Europe and the United Kingdom.

He began his career in equity research and arbitrage for Lehman Brothers International. He is a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts. He received a MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is a graduate of Harvard University with a Master’s degree in Government, and from Boston College with a Bachelor’s degree in economics. We believe Mr. Gabelli is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his business experience and contacts and relationships.

John Mega has served as our President since September 2019. Mr. Mega was an original founding member of L3. Mr Mega built and managed several divisions at L3 since its formation in 1997 after spinning off from Lockheed Martin. Prior to his retirement in 2018, he was a corporate Senior Vice President and President of L3’s Communication Systems, one of the four L3 major business segments. Earlier in his career, he had been President of L3’s Microwave Group, President of Narda Microwave, President of Logimetrics, Inc, Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of at Lockheed Martin Corp’s Tactical Defense Systems, Group Controller at Loral Corp and a principal at Raytheon Company (RTN:NYSE). He received a Bachelor’s degree from Boston College and is a member of American Mensa Ltd. 


Robert “Rob” LaPenta has served as our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since September 2019. Mr. LaPenta has an extensive career spanning over 25 years in finance, accounting, consulting, capital markets origination, equity trading, asset allocation and mergers and acquisitions and will be active in transaction sourcing, processing and execution. Mr. LaPenta began his career as a Senior Associate at Coopers & Lybrand as a CPA responsible for managing audits, consulting, M&A due diligence and special project engagements for multiple clients in various industries. Mr. LaPenta transitioned full time into the investment banking sector spending the next 13 years focused on trading and capital market activities culminating in the role of Managing Director and Co-head of Equity Trading at Bank of America Securities, LLC where he managed the firm’s equity capital commitment, proprietary trading, secondary offerings and risk management within cash trading. In 2007, Mr. LaPenta joined L-1 Identity Solutions, Inc. as Vice President of Mergers and Acquisitions and Corporate Strategy. Mr. LaPenta managed the firms M&A processes from sourcing, structuring, valuation, diligence and financing of multiple transactions with the most notable being the negotiation of the $1.6 billion sale of L-1 to Safran and BAE Systems. Following the sale of L-1, Mr. LaPenta became a Partner of Aston Capital an alternative asset management firm of the LaPenta family office. and co-founded the Boundary Group, an investment firm focused on private investments in the aerospace, defense, and intelligence markets. Mr. LaPenta has previously served on the Board of Directors at Revolution Lighting Technologies, Inc. (RVLT: OTC), AFIX Technologies and The Radiant Group and currently presides over the Audit Committee for TherapeuticsMD (TXMD: Nasdaq) (Audit Committee Chair), is a Board observer for Amergint Technologies and sits as an Audit Committee member for St. David’s School New York City. Mr. LaPenta graduated from Boston College with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance and has been a registered CPA (inactive) in the State of New York.

Timothy Foufas has served as our Vice President and Chief Operating Officer since September 2019 and previously served as our Chief Executive Officer from our inception until September 2019. Mr. Foufas has had a longstanding relationship with the Gabelli organization since 1997 when he served as an analyst at Gabelli & Company Inc. covering multiple industries and reporting directly to Mario Gabelli. He has also been a member of the Board of The LGL Group, Inc. (LGL:NYSE American) since 2007 and former board member of certain affiliates of the Gabelli organization. Mr. Foufas has a diverse background, including experiences in industries such as technology, real estate, gaming, consumer products, and financial services. Since 2005, he has served as Managing Partner of Plato Foufas & Company LLC, a financial services company, where he oversees all investment and management activities of the firm. Prior to the successful divestiture of its investment portfolio, Mr. Foufas also served as President of Levalon Properties LLC, a real estate property management company and as Senior Vice President of Bayshore Management Company LLC. Prior to joining Bayshore, he was the Director of Investments at Liam Ventures Inc., a private equity investment firm, where he was responsible for its venture capital and buyout investments. Mr. Foufas holds a MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor’s degree from Boston College. Mr. Foufas is active in various civic institutions in Chicago having been a founding board member of Auxiliary Board of the John G. Shedd Aquarium and is currently a Sustaining Guild Board Member of Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago.

George Anthony Bancroft II has served as our Vice President since our inception. He is the Aerospace & Defense team leader in research for GAMCO Investors. Mr. Bancroft and his team run the Gabelli Aerospace & Defense annual institutional investment conference, now entering its 27th year. He has been an analyst as part of the Gabelli group industrial team since 2009. Prior to Gabelli, Mr. Bancroft was in the United States Marine Corp., where he remains currently active, serving as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve. Mr. Bancroft was an F/A-18 Fighter Pilot in the Marine Corps from May 1998 to July 2009, during which time he had extensive leadership experience in aviation operations, logistics, and maintenance. Mr. Bancroft received a Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering from the United States Naval Academy and an MBA in Finance and Economics from Columbia Business School.

Hendi Susanto has served as our Vice President since our inception. He has been Vice President, Equity Research, at Gabelli since August 2007 and has also been a Portfolio Manager at GAMCO Investors, Inc. since December 2015. Mr. Susanto joined the Board of Directors of The LGL Group, Inc. (LGL: NYSE American) in June 2016. Prior to 2007, Mr. Susanto worked as an Analyst at Silicon Laboratories (SLAB:NASD) and a supply chain management consultant in the technology sector at JDA Software. Mr. Susanto received a Bachelor’s degree summa cum laude in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota, an MS in Chemical Engineering from MIT, with a minor in Quantitative Finance from MIT Sloan, and an MBA in Finance from the Wharton school.


Patrick Huvane has served as our Vice President, Finance and Accounting since September 2019. Mr. Huvane has served as the Chief Financial Officer of Teton Advisors, Inc. (TETA:OTC) since April 2019. Mr. Huvane has also served as Senior Vice President, Business Development of The LGL Group, Inc. (LGL: NYSE American) since April 2019. Mr. Huvane was Vice President, Finance of Standard Diversified Inc. (NYSE American: SDI) from December 2018 to April 2019. From November 2007 to December 2018, Mr. Huvane was employed by Tiptree Inc. (NASD: TIPT), a diversified holding company that operates across multiple industry sectors with a focus on financial services such as insurance, real estate, asset management, and specialty finance. Mr. Huvane served in various capacities including Chief Accounting Officer. Prior to joining Tiptree in 2007, Mr. Huvane was Controller at Axon Financial Services, Inc. from 2006 to 2007. For the five years prior to joining Axon, Mr. Huvane was employed at Fletcher Asset Management, Inc. and held positions of increasing responsibility, including as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer. Prior to joining Fletcher, Mr. Huvane held positions of increasing responsibility at large financial institutions such as Credit Suisse and Sumitomo Bank. He began his career as an auditor at Ernst & Young in 1990. Mr. Huvane received a Bachelor’s degree from Manhattan College where he was a part-time adjunct faculty member of its Department of Economics & Finance from 2008 to 2009. He received his MBA from New York University. Mr. Huvane is a Certified Public Accountant in New York and is also a CFA charterholder.

Mary E Gallagher has served as a member of our Board of Directors and Audit Committee Chair since September 2019. Ms. Gallagher is also a director and the Audit Committee Chair of both American Outdoor Brands (NASDAQ: AOUT) and Novaria Group; a KKR portfolio company. Ms. Gallagher served as Chief Financial Officer for Wheels Up from 2016 to 2018. Wheels Up is a membership-based private aviation company. Prior to joining Wheels Up, Ms. Gallagher spent 12 years with United Technologies Corporation (NYSE: UTX), a global leader in aerospace and building technologies. Ms. Gallagher held a variety of top financial roles at UTX, most recently as CFO of Sikorsky Aircraft from November of 2013 through June of 2016. From 1996 to 2004 Ms. Gallagher served as the VP Controller and Chief Accounting Officer of Olin Corporation (NYSE: OLN), a global manufacturer and distributor of chemical products and a leading U.S. manufacturer of ammunition. Prior to joining Olin, Ms. Gallagher spent 9 years with KPMG in various positions in the audit, mergers/acquisitions, consulting and training groups. Ms. Gallagher graduated from the University of Vermont in 1987 with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and earned her MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2008 as a UTC sponsored participant in the Sloan Fellows Program. Ms. Gallagher is a Certified Public Accountant in New York. We believe Ms. Gallagher is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to her business experience and contacts and relationships as well as her background as a CPA.

Michael J. Ferrantino has served as a member of our Board of Directors since September 2019. Mr. Ferrantino has served on the board of directors of The LGL Group (LGL: NYSE American) since 2019. Since 2015, Mr. Ferrantino has served as Chief Executive Officer for InterEx Inc., a full-service company specializing in the design, fabrication, management and service of custom exhibit spaces for the trade show retail and museum markets. From 2012 to 2014, Mr. Ferrantino was a Vice President at CTS Corporation (NYSE: CTS), a leading designer and manufacturer of electronic components and sensors, as well as a provider of electronics manufacturing services to manufacturers in the automotive, communications, medical, defense and aerospace industries. Prior to this, Mr. Ferrantino spent 11 years at Valpey-Fisher Corporation (NASDAQ:VPF); a company specializing in the marketing, design, and manufacture of high-accuracy frequency control subsystems used in digital and optical telecommunications systems. Mr. Ferrantino served in several leadership roles at VPF; most recently as the President and Chief Executive Officer. Previously, Mr. Ferrantino served as Vice President at Performax, Inc. from 2001to 2003. Performax is a company that specialized in the design, administration, and management of fully customized health and benefit plans. From 2000 to 2001, Mr. Ferrantino was a Vice President at Bicycle Health Benefits, Inc. after beginning his career at Eaton Corporation as a Product Marketing Manager. Mr. Ferrantino currently serves on the board of directors of The Gabelli Equity Trust Inc. and Gabelli Utility Trust. Mr. Ferrantino graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1994 with a Bachelor’s degree in Materials Engineering and earned his MBA from Loyola College in 2003. We believe Mr. Ferrantino is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his business experience and contacts and relationships.


Michael C. Martin has served as a member of our Board of Directors since September 2019. Mr. Martin is currently a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager with Walleye Capital, LLC and a member of the Advisory Board at Veritone Inc. (NASDAQ:VERI), a $1.2 billion public cloud-based artificial intelligence (AI) technology company. Prior to joining Walleye, Mr. Martin founded Herndon Capital, a Washington, D.C. based private equity firm focused on companies within the national security and defense sectors. Prior to Herndon Capital, Mr. Martin was a portfolio manager with UBS O’Connor, a $6 billion multi strategy global hedge fund, where he managed a long short equity portfolio and led the investment team through 600 initial public offerings and private placements, from 2012 to 2018. Prior to O’Connor, Mr. Martin was a Director on the convertible securities team at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Mr. Martin served as the co-leader of the Bank of America Metro New York Veterans Group and was part of the leadership team that brought together five of the nation’s largest banks to create VOWS (Veterans on Wall Street) with the mission of supporting transitioning military veterans into the private sector. As a Navy SEAL officer, Mr. Martin served worldwide in several leadership roles as the operations officer of two SEAL Teams and as a deployed task unit commander. Mr. Martin conducted several deployments to include Afghanistan and Iraq and was awarded numerous combat awards and medals including the Bronze Star with Valor. Mr. Martin received a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics with merit from the United States Naval Academy and currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors on the Navy SEAL Foundation. We believe Mr. Martin is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his business and board experience, contacts and relationships.

Number and terms of office of officers and directors

Our board of directors consists of four members and is divided into three classes, with only one class of directors being elected in each year, and with each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual meeting of stockholders) serving a three-year term. In accordance with NYSE corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on the NYSE. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of Michael Martin, will expire at our first annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Mary Gallagher and Michael Ferrantino, will expire at our second annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of Marc J. Gabelli, will expire at our third annual meeting of stockholders.

Our officers are appointed by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, rather than for specific terms of office. Our board of directors is authorized to appoint such officers as it deems appropriate pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.

Director Independence

NYSE rules require that a majority of the board of directors of a company listed on NYSE must be composed of “independent directors.” An “independent director” is defined generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship, which, in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. We have determined that Mary Gallagher, Michael Ferrantino and Michael Martin are independent directors under the NYSE listing rules. Our independent directors hold regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.

Any affiliated transactions will be on terms no less favorable to us than could be obtained from independent parties. Our board of directors will review and approve all affiliated transactions with any interested director abstaining from such review and approval.

Committees of the Board of Directors

We have three standing committees: an audit committee, a nominating committee, and a compensation committee. Each such committee is composed of solely independent directors.

Audit Committee

Effective November 6, 2019, we established an audit committee of the board of directors, which consists of Mary Gallagher, Michael Ferrantino and Michael Martin, each of whom is an independent director under the NYSE’s listing standards. The audit committee’s duties, which are specified in our Audit Committee Charter, include, but are not limited to:

reviewing and discussing with management and the independent auditor the annual audited financial statements, and recommending to the board whether the audited financial statements should be included in our Form 10-K;


discussing with management and the independent auditor significant financial reporting issues and judgments made in connection with the preparation of our financial statements;
discussing with management major risk assessment and risk management policies;
monitoring the independence of the independent auditor;
verifying the rotation of the lead (or coordinating) audit partner having primary responsibility for the audit and the audit partner responsible for reviewing the audit as required by law;
reviewing and approving all related-party transactions;
inquiring and discussing with management our compliance with applicable laws and regulations;

pre-approving all audit services and permitted non-audit services to be performed by our independent auditor, including the fees and terms of the services to be performed;
appointing or replacing the independent auditor;
determining the compensation and oversight of the work of the independent auditor (including resolution of disagreements between management and the independent auditor regarding financial reporting) for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or related work;
establishing procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by us regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or reports which raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies; and
approving reimbursement of expenses incurred by our management team in identifying potential target businesses.

During the fiscal year end December 31, 2020, our audit committee held five meetings. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, our audit committee held one meeting.

Financial Experts on Audit Committee

The board of directors has determined that Ms. Gallagher qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert,” as defined under rules and regulations of the SEC.

Nominating Committee

Effective November 6, 2019, we established a nominating committee of the board of directors, which consists of Mary Gallagher, Michael Ferrantino and Michael Martin, each of whom is an independent director under the NYSE’s listing standards. The nominating committee is responsible for overseeing the selection of persons to be nominated to serve on our board of directors. The nominating committee considers persons identified by its members, management, shareholders, investment bankers and others.

During the fiscal years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, our nominating committee did not hold any meetings.

56

Guidelines for Selecting Director Nominees

The guidelines for selecting nominees, which are specified in the Nominating Committee Charter, generally provide that persons to be nominated:

should have demonstrated notable or significant achievements in business, education or public service;

should possess the requisite intelligence, education and experience to make a significant contribution to the board of directors and bring a range of skills, diverse perspectives and backgrounds to its deliberations; and

should have the highest ethical standards, a strong sense of professionalism and intense dedication to serving the interests of the stockholders.

The Nominating Committee will consider a number of qualifications relating to management and leadership experience, background and integrity and professionalism in evaluating a person’s candidacy for membership on the board of directors. The nominating committee may require certain skills or attributes, such as financial or accounting experience, to meet specific board needs that arise from time to time and will also consider the overall experience and makeup of its members to obtain a broad and diverse mix of board members. The nominating committee does not distinguish among nominees recommended by stockholders and other persons.

There have been no material changes to the procedures by which security holders may recommend nominees to our board of directors.

Compensation Committee

Effective November 6, 2019, we established a compensation committee of the board of directors, which consists of Mary Gallagher, Michael Ferrantino and Michael Martin, each of whom is an independent director under the NYSE’s listing standards. The compensation committee’s duties, which are specified in our Compensation Committee Charter, include, but are not limited to:

reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our chief executive officer’s compensation, evaluating our chief executive officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our chief executive officer based on such evaluation;

reviewing and approving the compensation of all of our other Section 16 executive officers;

reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans;

implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans;

assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements;

approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our executive officers and employees;

producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and

reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, as indicated below, other than the $10,000 per month administrative fee, no compensation of any kind, including finders, consulting or other similar fees, will be paid to any of our existing stockholders, including our directors, or any of their respective affiliates, prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of a business combination. Accordingly, it is likely that prior to the consummation of an initial business combination, the compensation committee will only be responsible for the review and recommendation of any compensation arrangements to be entered into in connection with such initial business combination.

During the fiscal years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, our compensation committee did not hold any meetings.


Advisory Committee

In December 2019, our board of directors approved the formation of an advisory committee to be comprised of individuals who will assist management and the board in all aspects of our operations including activities aimed at effecting an initial business combination.

Code of Ethics

Effective November 6, 2019, we adopted a code of ethics that applies to all of our executive officers, directors, and employees. The code of ethics codifies the business and ethical principles that govern all aspects of our business. We will provide, without charge, upon request, copies of our code of ethics. Requests for copies of our code of ethics should be sent in writing to our executive office.

ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

Executive Compensation

No executive officer has received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. We pay LGL Systems Nevada Management Partners LLC, an affiliate of our sponsor, an aggregate fee of $10,000 per month for providing us with office space and certain office and secretarial services. However, this arrangement is solely for our benefit and is not intended to provide our officers or directors compensation in lieu of a salary.

Other than the $10,000 per month administrative fee, the payment of consulting, success or finder fees to our sponsor, officers, directors, initial stockholders or their affiliates in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination and the repayment of loans that may be made by our sponsor to us, no compensation or fees of any kind, including finder’s, consulting fees and other similar fees, will be paid to our sponsor, initial stockholders, special advisors, members of our management team or their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, they will receive reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses, performing business due diligence on suitable target businesses and business combinations as well as traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses to examine their operations. There is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us.

After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders. However, the amount of such compensation may not be known at the time of the stockholder meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation. In this event, such compensation will be publicly disclosed at the time of its determination in a Current Report on Form 8-K or a periodic report, as required by the SEC.

Since our formation, we have not granted any stock options or stock appreciation rights or any other awards under long-term incentive plans to any of our executive officers or directors.

ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED SHAREHOLDER MATTERS

The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock by:

each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding shares of common stock;
each of our officers and directors; and
all of our officers and directors as a group.


Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record of beneficial ownership of the warrants included in the units offered in our IPO or the private warrants as they are not exercisable within 60 days of the date hereof.

  Amount and  Approximate 
  Nature of  Percentage of 
  Beneficial  Outstanding 
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1) Ownership  Shares 
Marc Gabelli(3)  4,312,500(2)  20%
Timothy Foufas(3)  4,312,500(2)  20%
Mary Gallagher  0   0%
Michael Ferrantino  0   0%
Rob LaPenta(3)  4,312,500(2)  20%
Michael Martin  0   0%
John Mega  0   0%
LGL Systems Acquisition Holding Company, LLC(4)  4,312,500(2)  20%
LGL Systems Nevada Management Partners LLC(4)  4,312,500(2)  20%
All directors and executive officers as a group (seven individuals)  4,312,500(2)  20%
BlueCrest Capital Management Limited  1,160,000(5)  5.4%
Glazer Capital, LLC  1,107,047(6)  5.1%

*Less than 1%.
(1)Unless otherwise indicated, the business address of each of the individuals is 165 W. Liberty St., Suite 220, Reno, NV 89501.
(2) Interests shown consist solely of founder shares, classified as Class B common stock. Such shares will automatically convert into Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment.
(3)LGL Systems Nevada Management Partners LLC appointed Marc Gabelli, Bob LaPenta, Rob LaPenta, Timothy Foufas, and Jeff Illustrato (appointed by Mr. Gabelli) as managers to approve actions of our sponsor. Each manager has one vote, and the approval of three of the five managers is required for approval of an action of the sponsor. Under the so-called “rule of three”, if voting and dispositive decisions regarding an entity’s securities are made by three or more individuals, and a voting or dispositive decision requires the approval of a majority of those individuals, then none of the individuals is deemed a beneficial owner of the entity’s securities. Based on the foregoing, no individual manager exercises voting or dipositive control over any of the securities held by our sponsor, even those in which he directly owns a pecuniary interest. Accordingly, none of them will be deemed to have or share beneficial ownership of such securities. However, we have included the full amount of the shares for each individual for presentation purposes
(4)Represents shares held by our sponsor, of which LGL Systems Nevada Management Partners LLC is the managing member.
(5)Represents shares held by BlueCrest Capital Management Limited, which serves as investment manager to Millais Limited, a Cayman Islands exempted company. Michael Platt is the principal, director and control person of BlueCrest. Based on information contained in a Schedule 13G/A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 12, 2021.
(6)Represents shares held by certain funds and managed accounts to which Glazer Capital serves as investment manager. Paul Glazer is the managing member of Glazer Capital. Based on information contained in a Schedule 13G filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 16, 2021.


All of the founders’ shares outstanding prior to our IPO have been placed in escrow with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as escrow agent, until (i) with respect to 50% of such shares, the earlier of one year after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination and the date on which the closing price of our common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination and (ii) with respect to the remaining 50% of such shares, one year after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier if, subsequent to our initial business combination, we consummate a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.

During the escrow period, the holders of these shares will not be able to sell or transfer their securities except for transfers, assignments or sales (i) among our initial stockholders or to our initial stockholders’ members, officers, directors, consultants or their affiliates, (ii) to a holder’s stockholders or members upon its liquidation, (iii) by bona fide gift to a member of the holder’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is the holder or a member of the holder’s immediate family, for estate planning purposes, (iv) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death, (v) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (vi) to us for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, or (vii) in connection with the consummation of a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares were originally purchased, in each case (except for clause (vi) or with our prior consent) where the transferee agrees to the terms of the escrow agreement and to be bound by these transfer restrictions, but will retain all other rights as our stockholders, including, without limitation, the right to vote their shares of common stock and the right to receive cash dividends, if declared. If dividends are declared and payable in shares of common stock, such dividends will also be placed in escrow. If we are unable to effect a business combination and liquidate, there will be no liquidation distribution with respect to the founders’ shares.

Our executive officers and our sponsor are our “promoters,” as that term is defined under the federal securities laws.

Equity Compensation Plans

As of December 31, 2020, we had no compensation plans (including individual compensation arrangements) under which equity securities of the registrant were authorized for issuance.

ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions

We have entered into an administrative services agreement with LGL Systems Nevada Management Partners LLC, an affiliate of our sponsor, pursuant to which we pay a total of $10,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial support. However, pursuant to the terms of such agreement, we may delay payment of such monthly fee upon a determination by our audit committee that we lack sufficient funds held outside the trust account to pay actual or anticipated expenses in connection with an initial business combination. Any such unpaid amount will accrue without interest and either be due and payable no later than the date of the consummation of an initial business combination, or, at the affiliate’s option, treated as working capital loans and be convertible into additional warrants on terms identical to the private warrants (subject to the $1,500,000 maximum amount of working capital loans convertible to warrants as described below). If we do not consummate an initial business combination, any accrued amounts would be forgiven. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.


We may also pay consulting, finder or success fees to our special advisors or their affiliates for assisting us in consummating our initial business combination.

Other than the administrative fee salaries, consulting fees or success fees described above, no compensation of any kind, including finder’s fees, will be paid by us to our sponsor, executive officers, directors and special advisors, or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination. However, these individuals will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee reviews on a quarterly basis all payments made to our sponsor, officers, directors, special advisors or our or their affiliates.

In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor, officers, directors or their respective affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required on a non-interest basis. If we complete an initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from the trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private warrants. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from other third parties as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in the trust account.

After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to our stockholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, furnished to our stockholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a stockholder meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation.

Related Party Policy

Our code of ethics requires us to avoid, wherever possible, all related party transactions that could result in actual or potential conflicts of interests, except under guidelines approved by the board of directors (or the audit committee). Related-party transactions are defined as transactions in which (1) the aggregate amount involved will or may be expected to exceed $120,000 in any calendar year, (2) we or any of our subsidiaries is a participant, and (3) any (a) executive officer, director or nominee for election as a director, (b) greater than 5% beneficial owner of our shares of common stock, or (c) immediate family member, of the persons referred to in clauses (a) and (b), has or will have a direct or indirect material interest (other than solely as a result of being a director or a less than 10% beneficial owner of another entity). A conflict of interest situation can arise when a person takes actions or has interests that may make it difficult to perform his or her work objectively and effectively. Conflicts of interest may also arise if a person, or a member of his or her family, receives improper personal benefits as a result of his or her position.

Our audit committee, pursuant to its written charter, is responsible for reviewing and approving related-party transactions to the extent we enter into such transactions. The audit committee will consider all relevant factors when determining whether to approve a related party transaction, including whether the related party transaction is on terms no less favorable to us than terms generally available from an unaffiliated third-party under the same or similar circumstances and the extent of the related party’s interest in the transaction. No director may participate in the approval of any transaction in which he is a related party, but that director is required to provide the audit committee with all material information concerning the transaction. We also require each of our directors and executive officers to complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions. These procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or officer.

Director Independence

See Item 10 - Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant - Director Independence.

61

ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES.

The following is a summary of fees paid or to be paid to Marcum LLP, or Marcum, for services rendered.

Audit Fees. Audit fees consist of fees billed for professional services rendered for the audit of our year-end financial statements and services that are normally provided by Marcum in connection with regulatory filings. The aggregate fees billed by Marcum for professional services rendered for the audit of our annual financial statements, review of the financial information included in our Forms 10-Q for the respective periods and other required filings with the SEC for the year ended December 31, 2020 and for the period from April 30, 2019 (inception) through December 31, 2019 totaled $50,985 and $61,800, respectively. The above amounts include interim procedures and audit fees, as well as attendance at audit committee meetings.

Audit-Related Fees. Audit-related services consist of fees billed for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to performance of the audit or review of our financial statements and are not reported under “Audit Fees.” These services include attest services that are not required by statute or regulation and consultations concerning financial accounting and reporting standards. For the year ended December 31, 2020 and for the period from April 30, 2019 (inception) through December 31, 2019, we did not pay Marcum for consultations concerning financial accounting and reporting standards. 

Tax Fees. For the year ended December 31, 2020 and for the period from April 30, 2019 (inception) through December 31, 2019, we did not pay Marcum for tax planning and tax advice. 

All Other Fees. For the year ended December 31, 2020 and for the period from April 30, 2019 (inception) through December 31, 2019, we did not pay Marcum for other services. 

Pre-Approval Policy

Our audit committee was formed upon the consummation of our IPO. As a result, the audit committee did not pre-approve all of the foregoing services, although any services rendered prior to the formation of our audit committee were approved by our board of directors. Since the formation of our audit committee, and on a going-forward basis, the audit committee has and will pre-approve all auditing services and permitted non-audit services to be performed for us by our auditors, including the fees and terms thereof (subject to the de minimis exceptions for non-audit services described in the Exchange Act which are approved by the audit committee prior to the completion of the audit).

ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, AND SCHEDULES

(a) The following documents are filed as part of this report:

(1) Financial Statements:

Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting FirmF-2
Balance SheetsF-3
Statements of OperationsF-4
Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ EquityF-5
Statements of Cash FlowsF-6
Notes to Financial StatementsF-7 to F-16

(2) Financial Statement Schedules:

None.


(3) The following Exhibits are filed as part of this report:

Exhibit No.Description
3.1Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation.*
3.2Bylaws.**
4.1Specimen Unit Certificate.**
4.2Specimen Share Certificate.**
4.3Specimen Warrant Certificate.**
4.4Warrant Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Registrant.*
4.5Description of Registrant’s Securities.
10.1Form of Letter Agreement from each of the Registrant’s initial shareholders, officers and directors.**
10.2Investment Management Trust Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Registrant.*
10.3Registration Rights Agreement*
14Code of Ethics.**
31.1Certification of Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
31.2Certification of Principal Financial Officer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32Certification pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

*Incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Current Report Form 8-K filed on November 12, 2019.

**Incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (SEC File Nos. 333-234124 and 333-234550).

Item 16. FORM 10-K SUMMARY

None.


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Section 13 or 15 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized on the 3rd day of March, 2021.

LGL SYSTEMS ACQUISITION CORP.
By:/s/ Marc Gabelli
Marc Gabelli
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

In accordance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

NameTitleDate
/s/ Marc GabelliChairman and Chief Executive OfficerMarch 3, 2021
Marc Gabelli(Principal Executive Officer)
/s/ John MegaPresidentMarch 3, 2021
John Mega
/s/ Robert LaPentaExecutive Vice President and Chief Financial OfficerMarch 3, 2021
Robert LaPenta(Principal accounting and financial officer)
/s/ Mary GallagherDirectorMarch 3, 2021
Mary Gallagher
/s/ Michael FerrantinoDirectorMarch 3, 2021
Michael Ferrantino
/s/ Michael MartinDirectorMarch 3, 2021
Michael Martin


LGL SYSTEMS ACQUISITION CORP.

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting FirmF-2
Financial Statements:
Balance SheetsF-3
Statements of OperationsF-4
Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ EquityF-5
Statements of Cash FlowsF-6
Notes to Financial StatementsF-7 to F-16

F-1

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of

LGL Systems Acquisition Corp.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of LGL Systems Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2020 and December 31 2019, the related statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2020 and for the period from April 30, 2019 (inception) through December 31, 2019, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2020 and the period from April 30, 2019 (inception) through December 31, 2019, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) ("PCAOB") and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statement, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statement. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ Marcum llp

Marcum llp

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2019.

New York, NY
March 3, 2021


LGL SYSTEMS ACQUISITION CORP.

BALANCE SHEETS

  December 31,  December 31, 
  2020  2019 
ASSETS      
Current assets      
Cash $789,497  $1,021,216 
Prepaid expenses  95,403   227,125 
Total Current Assets  884,900   1,248,341 
         
Deferred tax asset  -   27,275 
Marketable securities held in Trust Account  173,192,131   172,626,688 
Total Assets $174,077,031  $173,902,304 
         
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY        
Accounts payable and accrued expenses $237,196  $214,070 
Income tax payable  10,289   - 
Deferred underwriting fee payable  6,037,500   6,037,500 
Total Liabilities  6,284,985   6,251,570 
         
Commitments        
         
Class A common stock subject to possible redemption, 16,223,745 and 16,265,073 shares at redemption value at December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively  162,792,045   162,650,730 
         
Stockholders’ Equity        
Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding      
Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value; 75,000,000 shares authorized; 1,026,255 and 984,927 shares issued and outstanding (excluding 16,223,745 and 16,265,073 shares subject to possible redemption) at December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively  103   98 
Class B convertible common stock, $0.0001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; 4,312,500 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2020 and 2019  431   431 
Additional paid-in capital  4,960,759   5,102,079 
Accumulated deficit  38,708   (102,604)
Total Stockholders’ Equity  5,000,001   5,000,004 
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY $174,077,031  $173,902,304 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.


LGL SYSTEMS ACQUISITION CORP.

STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

     For the Period 
     from 
     April 30, 
     2019 
     (inception) 
  Year Ended  through 
  December 31,  December 31, 
  2020  2019 
       
Operating and formation costs $629,651  $256,567 
Loss from operations  (629,651)  (256,567)
         
Other income:        
Interest income  808,527   126,688 
Other income  808,527   126,688 
         
Income (loss) before provision for income taxes  178,876   (129,879)
Income (provision) tax benefit  (37,564)  27,275 
Net income (loss) $141,312  $(102,604)
         
Weighted average shares outstanding, basic and diluted (1)  5,312,754   4,057,455 
         
Basic and diluted net loss per common share (2) $(0.07) $(0.03)

(1)Excludes an aggregate of up to 16,223,745 and 16,265,073 of shares subject to possible redemption at December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively.
(2)Excludes income attributable to common stock subject to possible redemption of $536,991 for the year ended December 31, 2020 and $18,026 for the period from April 30, 2019 (inception) through December 31, 2019.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

F-4

LGL SYSTEMS ACQUISITION CORP.

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

              Additional     Total 
  Class A Common Stock  Class B Common Stock  Paid-in  Accumulated  Stockholders’ 
  Shares  Amount  Shares  Amount  Capital  Deficit  Equity 
Balance – April 30, 2019 (Inception)    $     $  $  $  $ 
                             
Issuance of Founder Shares to sponsor        4,312,500   431   24,569      25,000 
                             
Sale of 17,250,000 Units, net of underwriting discounts and offering expenses  17,250,000   1,725         162,526,613      162,528,338 
                             
Sale of 5,200,000 private warrants to sponsor              5,200,000      5,200,000 
                             
Common stock subject to possible redemption  (16,265,073)  (1,627)        (162,649,103)     (162,650,730)
                             
Net loss                 (102,604)  (102,604)
                             
Balance – December 31, 2019  984,927  $98   4,312,500  $431  $5,102,079  $(102,604) $5,000,004 
                             
Common stock subject to possible redemption  41,328   5         (141,320)     (141,315)
                             
Net income                 141,312   141,312 
                             
Balance – December 31, 2020  1,026,255  $103   4,312,500  $431  $4,960,759  $38,708  $5,000,001 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.


LGL SYSTEMS ACQUISITION CORP.

STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

     For the Period from 
     April 30, 2019 
  For the Year ended  (Inception) through 
  December 31, 2020  December 31, 2019 
Cash Flows from Operating Activities:      
Net income (loss) $141,312  $(102,604)
Adjustments to reconcile net income(loss) to net cash used in operating activities:        
Interest earned on marketable securities held in Trust Account  (808,527)  (126,688)
Deferred tax provision (benefit)  27,275   (27,275)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:        
Prepaid expenses  131,722   (227,125)
Accounts payable and accrued expenses  23,126   214,070 
Income taxes payable  10,289   - 
Net cash used in operating activities  (474,803)  (269,622)
         
Cash Flows from Investing Activities:        
Investment of cash in Trust Account  -   (172,500,000)
Cash withdrawn from Trust Account to pay franchise taxes  243,084   - 
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities  243,084   (172,500,000)
         
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:        
Proceeds from sale of Units, net of underwriting discounts paid  -   169,050,000 
Proceeds from sale of private warrants to sponsor  -   5,200,000 
Proceeds from promissory note - related party  -   137,843 
Repayment of promissory note - related party  -   (137,843)
Payment of offering costs  -   (459,162)
Net cash provided by investing activities  -   173,790,838 
         
Net Change in Cash  (231,719)  1,021,216 
Cash – Beginning  1,021,216   - 
Cash – Ending $789,497  $1,021,216 
         
Non-cash investing and financing activities:        
Initial classification of common stock subject to possible redemption     $162,752,250 
Change in value of common stock subject to possible redemption $141,315  $(101,520)
Deferred underwriting fee payable $-  $6,037,500 
Deferred offering costs paid directly by sponsor from proceeds from issuance of common stock to sponsor $-  $25,000 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.


LGL SYSTEMS ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 1. DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS

LGL Systems Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) was incorporated in Delaware on April 30, 2019. The Company was formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities (the “Business Combination”). The Company was originally formed in Delaware under the name MTRON Systems Acquisition Corp. On August 19, 2019, the Company changed its name to LGL Systems Acquisition Corp.

Although the Company is not limited to a particular industry or sector for purposes of consummating a Business Combination, the Company intends to focus its search on companies in the defense, aerospace and communications industries. The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.

As of December 31, 2020, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity since inception relates to the Company’s formation, the initial public offering (“Initial Public Offering”), which is described below, and identifying a target for a Business Combination. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of a Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company generates non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the Initial Public Offering.

The registration statements for the Company’s Initial Public Offering were declared effective on November 6, 2019. On November 12, 2019, the Company consummated the Initial Public Offering of 17,250,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the shares of common stock included in the Units sold, the “Public shares”), at $10.00 per Unit, which includes the full exercise by the underwriters of the over-allotment option to purchase an additional 2,250,000 Units, generating gross proceeds of $172,500,000, which is described in Note 3.

Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the sale of 5,200,000 warrants (the “private warrants”) at a price of $1.00 per Private Warrant in a private placement to LGL Systems Acquisition Holding Company, LLC (the “sponsor”), generating gross proceeds of $5,200,000, which is described in Note 4.

Transaction costs amounted to $9,971,662, consisting of $3,450,000 of underwriting fees, $6,037,500 of deferred underwriting fees and $484,162 of other offering costs. As of December 31, 2020, $789,497 of cash is held outside of the Trust Account (as defined below) and is available for working capital purposes.

Following the closing of the Initial Public Offering on November 12, 2019, an amount of $172,500,000 ($10.00 per Unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the private warrants was placed in a trust account (the “Trust Account”) located in the United States, which was invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), with a maturity of 180 days or less or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund selected by the Company meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the Trust Account, as described below.

The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the private warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully. The Company must complete a Business Combination having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the Trust Account (excluding taxes payable on income earned on the Trust Account and deferred underwriting commissions) at the time of the agreement to enter into an initial Business Combination. The Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.


LGL SYSTEMS ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The Company will provide its holders of the outstanding Public shares (the “public stockholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek stockholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The public stockholders will be entitled to redeem their Public shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially $10.00 per Public Share, plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations). There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to the Company’s warrants, including the private warrants. The Company will proceed with a Business Combination only if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation of a Business Combination and, solely if the Company seeks stockholder approval, a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. If a stockholder vote is not required by law and the Company does not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation”), conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or the Company decides to obtain stockholder approval for business or legal reasons, the Company will offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If the Company seeks stockholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the Company’s sponsor has agreed to vote the Founder Shares (as defined in Note 5) and any Public shares purchased after the Initial Public Offering in favor of approving a Business Combination and not to convert any shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a Business Combination or sell any shares to the Company in a tender offer in connection with a Business Combination. Additionally, each public stockholder may elect to redeem their Public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or do not vote at all.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company seeks stockholder approval of a Business Combination and it does not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group”, will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 20% or more of the Public shares, without the prior consent of the Company.

The sponsor has agreed (a) to waive its redemption rights with respect to its Founder Shares and Public shares held by it in connection with the completion of a Business Combination or an amendment to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation described below, (b) to waive its rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination, and (c) not to propose an amendment to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation to modify a public stockholders’ ability to convert or sell their shares to the Company in connection with a Business Combination or affect the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of its Public shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the required time period, unless the Company provides the public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public shares in conjunction with any such amendment.

The Company will have until November 12, 2021 (or such later date as may be approved by stockholders in an amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation) to complete a Business Combination (the “Combination Period”). If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay franchise and income taxes and net of up to $50,000 of interest available to be used for liquidation expenses, divided by the number of then outstanding Public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining stockholders and the Company’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Company’s warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period.

In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below (i) $10.00 per Public Share and (ii) the actual amount per Public Share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, except as to any claims by a third party who executed an agreement with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the Trust Account and except as to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of Initial Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, the sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the sponsor will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses or other entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.


LGL SYSTEMS ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Nasdaq Notification and Transfer of Listing

On December 20, 2019, the Company received a notice from the Listing Qualifications Staff (the “Staff”) of The Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”) indicating that, based upon the Staff’s determination, the Class A common stock contained in the Company’s units did not satisfy the minimum 300 round lot holders requirement for the listing of its units on The Nasdaq Capital Market, as set forth in the initial listing requirements of Nasdaq Listing Rule 5505(a)(3), or the minimum 300 public holders required for continued listing, as set forth in the continued listing requirements of Rule 5550(a)(3).

The Company appealed the delisting letter to the Nasdaq Hearings Panel (“Panel”) and on February 12, 2020, the Panel issued its decision (“Decision”) to grant the Company’s request for continued listing, based on its finding that the Company had met the requirements for listing on Nasdaq.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, effective March 13, 2020, the Company transferred the listing of its securities to the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”). The units, Class A common stock and warrants are now listed on the NYSE under the symbols “DFNS.U,” “DFNS” and “DFNS WS,” respectively.

NOTE 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of presentation

The accompanying financial statements are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.

Emerging growth company

The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.

Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has electedAs a result, the information we provide will be different than the information that is available with respect to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies.

We are also a “smaller reporting company” as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. We may continue to opt out of such extended transition period which means that whenbe a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, assmaller reporting company even after we are no longer an emerging growth company. We may take advantage of certain of the scaled disclosures available to smaller reporting companies and will be able to take advantage of these scaled disclosures for so long as the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates is less than $250.0 million measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter, or our annual revenue is less than $100.0 million during the most recently completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates is less than $700.0 million measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter.

We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.

Our management has limited experience in operating a public company.

Our executive officers have limited experience in the management of a publicly traded company. Our management team may not successfully or effectively manage our transition to a public company can adoptthat will be subject to significant regulatory oversight and reporting obligations under federal securities laws. Our limited experience in dealing with the newincreasingly complex laws pertaining to public companies could be a significant disadvantage in that we are likely that an increasing amount of their time may be devoted to these activities, which will result in less time being devoted to the management and our growth. We may not have adequate personnel with the appropriate level of knowledge, experience, and training in the accounting policies, practices or revised standardinternal control over financial reporting required of public companies in the United States. The development and implementation of the standards and controls necessary for us to achieve the level of accounting standards required of a public company in the United States may require costs greater than expected. It is possible that we will be required to expand its employee base and hire additional employees to support our operations as a public company, which will increase our operating costs in future periods.

Future sales, or the perception of future sales, could cause the market price of our common stock to drop significantly, even if our business is doing well.

Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could occur at any time. These sales, or the perception in the market that members of our management or holders of a large number of shares intend to sell shares, could reduce the market price of our common stock.

Our warrants, if exercised, would increase the number of shares eligible for future resale in the public market and result in dilution to stockholders, which may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.

We have warrants outstanding to purchase an aggregate of approximately 8.6 million shares of our common stock at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. To the extent the warrants are exercised, it will increase the number of issued and outstanding shares of common stock, which will result in dilution to our stockholders and increase the number of shares eligible for resale in the public market. Sales of substantial numbers of such shares in the public market could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

We have no current plans to pay cash dividends on our common stock. As a result, stockholders may not receive any return on investment unless they sell their common stock for a price greater than the purchase price.

We have no current plans to pay dividends on our common stock. Any future determination to pay dividends will be made at the discretion of the Board, subject to applicable laws. It will depend on a number of factors, including our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, contractual, legal, tax and regulatory restrictions, general business conditions, and other factors that the Board may deem relevant. In addition, the ability to pay cash dividends may be restricted by the terms of debt financing arrangements, as any future debt financing arrangement likely will contain terms restricting or limiting the amount of dividends that may be declared or paid on the common stock. As a result, stockholders may not receive any return on an investment in our Common Stock unless they sell their shares for a price greater than that which they paid for them.

We may issue additional shares of common stock or other equity securities without your approval, which would dilute your ownership interests and may depress the market price of our common stock.

We may issue additional shares of common stock or other securities in the future without your approval. For example, under our equity incentive plans, we may issue a significant number of shares of common stock, both upon the exercise of currently outstanding stock options and settlement of currently outstanding restricted stock units, as well as the exercise of stock options or settlement of restricted stock units that we may grant from time to time under these plans. In addition, the number of shares available for issuance under our equity incentive plans automatically increases each year under the terms of those plans.

We may also sell shares of common stock to Tumim Stone Capital LLC (“Tumim”) under a common stock purchase agreement that we entered into with Tumim in February 2022 (the “Purchase Agreement”) at prices which will fluctuate based on the price of our common stock. Depending on market liquidity at the time, private companies adoptsales of such shares may cause the newtrading price of our common stock to fall. If and when we do sell shares to Tumim, after Tumim has acquired the shares, Tumim may resell all, some, or revised standard. Thisnone of those shares at any time or from time to time in its discretion. Therefore, sales to Tumim by us could result in substantial dilution to the interests of other holders of our common stock. Additionally, the sale of a substantial number of shares of our common stock to Tumim, or the anticipation of such sales, could make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and at a price that we might otherwise wish to effect sales.

We may also issue additional shares of common stock or other equity securities of equal or senior rank in the future in connection with, among other things, future acquisitions or repayment of outstanding indebtedness, without stockholder approval, in a number of circumstances.

The issuance of additional shares or other equity securities of equal or senior rank would have the following effects:

33


existing stockholders’ proportionate ownership interest in our company will decrease;
the amount of cash available per share, including for payment of dividends in the future, may decrease;
the relative voting strength of each share of previously outstanding common stock may be diminished; and
the market price of our common stock may decline.

Provisions in our organizational documents and provisions of the DGCL may delay or prevent an acquisition by a third party that could otherwise be in the interests of stockholders.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (the “Charter”) and our amended and restated bylaws contain several provisions that may make comparisonit more difficult or expensive for a third party to acquire control of our company without the approval of the Board. These provisions, which may delay, prevent or deter a merger, acquisition, tender offer, proxy contest, or other transaction that stockholders may consider favorable, include the following:

the division of the Board into three classes and the election of each class for three-year terms;
advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals and director nominations;
provisions limiting stockholders’ ability to call special meetings of stockholders, to require special meetings of stockholders to be called, and to take action by written consent;
restrictions on business combinations with interested stockholders;
in certain cases, the approval of holders representing at least 66 2/3% of the total voting power of the shares entitled to vote generally in the election of directors will be required for stockholders to adopt, amend or repeal the bylaws, or amend or repeal certain provisions of the Charter;
no cumulative voting; and
the ability of the Board to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred stock without stockholder approval, which could be used, among other things, to institute a rights plan that would have the effect of significantly diluting the stock ownership of a potential hostile acquirer, likely preventing acquisitions by such acquirer.

These provisions of the Charter and amended and restated bylaws could discourage potential takeover attempts and reduce the price that investors might be willing to pay for the shares of our common stock in the future, which could reduce the market price of the common stock.

The provision of our Charter requiring exclusive venue in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware and the federal district courts of the United States for certain types of lawsuits may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against directors and officers.

Our Charter provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall be the sole and exclusive forum for: (1) any derivative action, suit or proceeding brought on behalf of our company, (2) any action, suit or proceeding asserting a claim of breach of fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or stockholder to the company or our stockholders, (3) any action, suit or proceeding arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, the Charter or our amended and restated bylaws, (4) any action asserting a claim against us governed by the internal affairs doctrine. The Charter further provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the exclusive forum for the resolutions of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. The exclusive forum clauses described above shall not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act, or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Although these provisions are expected to benefit us by providing increased consistency in the application of applicable law in the types of lawsuits to which they apply, the provisions may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against directors and officers. The enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings and there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provisions. In addition, investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. It is possible that, in connection with any applicable action brought against us, a court could find the choice of forum provisions contained in the Charter to be inapplicable or unenforceable in such action. If so, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, financial condition or results of operations.

General Risk Factors

We will continue to incur significant costs as a result of operating as a public company, and our management will continue to devote substantial time to compliance initiatives.

As a public company, we have incurred and will continue to incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses. As a public company, we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, as well as rules adopted, and to be adopted, by the SEC and Nasdaq. Our management and other personnel need to continue to devote a substantial amount of time to comply with these requirements. Moreover, these rules and regulations have increased, and will continue to increase, our legal and financial compliance costs and make some activities more time- consuming and costly. The increased costs may increase our net loss. For example, these rules and regulations make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance and we may be forced to accept reduced policy limits or incur substantially higher costs to maintain the same or similar coverage as we did prior to becoming a public company. These rules and regulations are often subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This could result in future uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices. The impact of these requirements could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our Board, our board committees or as our executive officers. As a public company, we are obligated to develop and maintain proper and effective internal controls over financial reporting and any failure to maintain the adequacy of these internal controls may adversely affect investor confidence in our company and, as a result, the value of shares of our common stock.

Pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act (“Section 404”), we are required to furnish a report by our management on our internal control over financial reporting, including an attestation report on internal control over financial reporting issued by our independent registered public accounting firm. To maintain compliance with Section 404, we engage in a process to document and evaluate our internal control over financial reporting, which is both costly and challenging. In this regard, we will need to continue to dedicate internal resources, engage outside consultants and refine and revise a detailed work plan to assess and document the adequacy of internal control over financial reporting, continue steps to improve control processes as appropriate, validate through testing that controls are functioning as documented and implement a continuous reporting and improvement process for internal control over financial reporting. Despite our efforts, there is a risk that neither we nor our independent registered public accounting firm will be able to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is effective as required by Section 404.

If we are unable to conclude that our internal controls over financial reporting are effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm determines we have a material weakness or significant deficiency in our internal controls over financial reporting we could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, the market price of shares of our common stock could decline, and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by NYSE, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. Failure to remedy any material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, or to implement or maintain other effective control systems required of public companies, could also negatively impact our ability to access to the capital markets.

34


In addition, effective disclosure controls and procedures enable us to make timely and accurate disclosure of financial and non-financial information that we are required to disclose. As a public company, if our disclosure controls and procedures are ineffective, we may be unable to report our financial results or make other disclosures accurately on a timely basis, which could cause our reported financial results or other disclosures to be materially misstated and result in the loss of investor confidence and cause the market price of shares of our common stock to decline.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business or publish negative reports, the market price 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 publish about us or our business. If regular publication of research reports ceases, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause the market price or trading volume of our common stock to decline. Moreover, if one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our common stock or if reporting results do not meet their expectations, the market price of the common stock could decline.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

Not applicable.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

Our corporate headquarters occupy approximately 12,000 square feet in Tysons, Virginia, part of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region, under a lease that expires in June 2026. We also lease office space in Raleigh, North Carolina. We have a data center co-location facility in Reston, Virginia, and we also utilize AWS regional cloud services located around the world for our storage needs and to help deliver our solution.

We believe that our existing facilities are sufficient for our current needs. In the future, we may need to add new facilities and expand our existing facilities as we add employees, grow our infrastructure and evolve our business, and we believe that suitable additional or substitute space will be available on commercially reasonable terms to meet our future needs

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

From time to time, we may become involved in legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business. We are not currently a party to any material legal proceedings, and we are not aware of any pending or threatened legal proceeding against us that we believe could have an adverse effect on our business, operating results or financial condition.

Securities Litigation

On April 22, 2022, a federal securities class action lawsuit, captioned Grad v. IronNet, Inc., et al., No. 1:22-cv-004499 (E.D. Va.), was filed by our purported stockholder in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on behalf of a proposed class consisting of those who acquired our securities between September 15, 2021 and December 20, 2021. The complaint names us, our co-CEOs, and our CFO as defendants and asserts claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, for alleged misrepresentations and/or omissions in a September 14, 2021 press release regarding our business and financial prospects, our ability to predict the timing of significant customer opportunities, and our disclosure controls and procedures. The complaint seeks an unspecified amount of damages on behalf of the putative class and an award of costs and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees. We believe the claims are without merit, intend to defend the case vigorously, and have not recorded a liability related to this lawsuit because, at this time, we are unable to estimate reasonably possible losses or determine whether an unfavorable outcome is probable.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

PART II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Market Information

Our common stock and public warrants to purchase common stock ("Public Warrants") are currently listed on NYSE under the symbols “IRNT” and “IRNT.WS,” respectively. Prior to the consummation of the Business Combination, our common stock and our Public Warrants were listed on NYSE under the symbols “DFNS” and “DFNS.WS,” respectively.

Holders

As of April 15, 2022, there were 383 holders of record of the common stock and three holders of record of our Warrants.

Dividend Policy

We have never declared or paid any dividends on shares of our common stock. We anticipate that we will retain all of our future earnings, if any, for use in the operation and expansion of our business and do not anticipate paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any decision to declare and pay dividends in the future will be made at the sole discretion of our Board and will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, cash requirements, financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors that our Board may deem relevant.

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

In connection with Legacy LGL’s initial public offering (the "Initial Public Offering"), Legacy LGL issued an aggregate of 5,200,000 warrants (the “Private Warrants”) at a price of $1.00 per Private Warrant. Following the Business Combination, each Private Warrant entitled the holder to purchase one share of our common stock at $11.50 per share. In September and October 2021, 5,189,800 of the Private Warrants were exercised on a cashless basis in exchange for 3,188,229 shares of our common stock. The issuance of these shares was exempt from registration pursuant to Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act.

ITEM 6. [RESERVED]

35


ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the annual consolidated financial statements and related notes included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The consolidated financial statements in this report are presented in U.S. dollars (USD) rounded to the nearest thousand, with the amounts in this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) rounded to the nearest tenth of a million. Therefore, differences in the tables between totals and sums of the amounts listed may occur due to such rounding.

The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include those discussed below, in the annual consolidated financial statements and related notes included in Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K, and in the sections of this report titled “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors." Our fiscal year end is January 31, and our fiscal quarters end on April 30, July 31, October 31, and January 31. Our fiscal years ended January 31, 2022 and January 31, 2021 are referred to herein as fiscal year 2022 and fiscal year 2021, respectively.

Business Combination and Basis of Presentation

We were originally known as LGL Systems Acquisition Corp. ("LGL"). On August 26, 2021, LGL consummated the Business Combination with IronNet Cybersecurity, Inc. ("Legacy IronNet") pursuant to the Business Combination Agreement (the “Merger”). Legacy IronNet survived the Merger as a wholly-owned subsidiary of LGL. In connection with the closing of the Merger, LGL changed its name from LGL Systems Acquisition Corp. to IronNet, Inc. The Merger was accounted for as a reverse recapitalization (the “Reverse Recapitalization”). Under this method of accounting, LGL is treated as the “acquired” company and Legacy IronNet is treated as the acquirer for financial reporting purposes. The Reverse Recapitalization was treated as the equivalent of Legacy IronNet issuing stock for the net assets of LGL, accompanied by a recapitalization. The net assets of LGL are stated at historical cost, with no goodwill or other intangible assets recorded.

As a result of Legacy IronNet being the accounting acquirer in the Merger, the financial reports filed with the SEC by the Company subsequent to the Merger are prepared as if Legacy IronNet is the accounting predecessor of the Company. The historical operations of Legacy IronNet are deemed to be those of the Company. See Note 3 in the accompanying annual consolidated financial statements for more information.

As a public company, we have been and will continue to be required to hire additional personnel and implement procedures and processes to address public company regulatory requirements and customary practices. We expect to continue to incur additional annual expenses as a public company for, among other things, directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, director fees and additional internal and external accounting, legal and administrative resources, including increased audit and legal fees.

Overview

Gen. Keith B. Alexander (Ret.) founded our company in 2014 to solve the major cybersecurity problem he witnessed and defined during his tenure as former head of the NSA and founding Commander of U.S. Cyber Command: You can’t defend against threats you can’t see. Our innovative approach provides the ability for groups of organizations—within an industry sector, supply chain, state or country, for example—to see, detect and defend against sophisticated cyber attacks earlier and faster than ever before.

IronNet has defined a new market category called Collective Defense. IronNet has developed the Collective Defense platform, a solution that can identify anomalous (potentially suspicious or malicious) behaviors on computer networks and share this intelligence anonymously and in real time among Collective Defense community members. Collective Defense communities comprise groups of organizations that have common risks, such as a supply chain, a business ecosystem, or across an industry sector, a state, or a country. This cybersecurity model delivers timely, actionable, and contextual alerts and threat intelligence on attacks targeting enterprise networks, and functions as an early-warning detection system for all community members.

This new platform addresses a large and unwavering compound problem: limited threat visibility for increasingly borderless enterprises across sectors and at the national level, paired with ineffective threat knowledge sharing across companies and sectors and a “go it alone” approach to cybersecurity. These operational gaps, combined with market dynamics like the increased velocity of sophisticated cyber attacks and the deepening scarcity of qualified human capital, have set our mission to transform how cybersecurity is waged.

Our Business

We have focused on the development and delivery of a suite of advanced cybersecurity capabilities for detection, alerting, situational awareness and hunt/remediation combined into a comprehensive Collective Defense platform. We compliment these capabilities, delivered to both commercial and public sector enterprises, with professional services.

Software, Subscription and Support

Our primary line of business is the delivery of our integrated software capabilities through our Collective Defense platform. The platform is comprised of two flagship products:

IronDefense is an advanced NDR solution that uses AI-driven behavioral analytics to detect and prioritize anomalous activity inside individual enterprises. We leverage advanced AI/ML algorithms to detect previously unknown threats, which are those that have not been identified and ���fingerprinted” by industry researchers, in addition to screening known threats, and apply our Expert System to prioritize the severity of the behaviors—all at machine speed and cloud scale.

IronDome is a threat-sharing solution that facilitates a crowdsource-like environment in which the IronDefense threat detections from an individual company are shared among members of a Collective Defense community, consisting of our customers who have elected to permit their information to be anonymously shared and cross-correlated by our IronDome systems. IronDome analyzes threat detections across the community to identify broad attack patterns and provides anonymized intelligence back to all community members in real time, giving all members early insight into potential incoming attacks. Automated sharing across the Collective Defense community enables faster detection of attacks at earlier stages.

Our Collective Defense platform is designed to deliver strong network effects. Every customer contributing its threat data (anonymously) into the community is able to reap benefits from the shared intelligence of the other organizations. The collaborative aspect of Collective Defense, and the resulting prioritization of alerts based on their potential severity, helps address the known problem of “alert fatigue” that plagues overwhelmed security analysts.

Our Collective Defense platform is largely cloud-deployed (public or private), though it is also available in on-premise and hybrid environments, and is scalable to include small-to-medium businesses and public-sector agencies as well as multinational corporations. We provide professional cybersecurity services such as incident response and threat hunting, as well as programs to help customers assess cybersecurity governance, maturity, and readiness. Our CS services are designed to create shared long-term success measures with our customers, differentiating us from other cybersecurity vendors by working alongside customers as partners and offering consultative and service capabilities beyond implementation.

Our Collective Defense platform is a subscription-based pricing and flexible delivery model, with 68% of our revenue for the year ended January 31, 2022 related to deployments involving our key public cloud providers Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. We also support private cloud, or HCI such as Nutanix as well as on-premise environments through hardware and virtual options. To make it as easy as possible for customers to add Collective Defense into their existing security stack, we built a rich set of APIs that enable integrations with standard security products, including SIEM, SOAR, EDR, NGFW tools, and cloud-native logs from the major public cloud providers.

Professional Services

36


We sell professional services, including development of national cybersecurity strategies, cyber operations monitoring, security, training, red team, incident response and tailored maturity assessments. Revenue derived from these services is recognized as the services are delivered.

Financing to Date

Historically, we have financed our operations primarily through private placements of common stock, warrants and redeemable convertible preferred stock.

In connection with the execution of the Merger Agreement, a number of purchasers (each, a “Subscriber”) purchased an aggregate of 12,500,000 shares of our common stock (the “PIPE Shares”), for a purchase price of $10.00 per share and an aggregate purchase price of $125.0 million. Transaction costs associated with the issuance of the PIPE shares were $21.2 million. As a result of the Merger, we also received $13.3 million held in Legacy LGL’s trust account from proceeds related to public trust shares, net of stockholder redemptions. Transaction costs related to the issuance of the trust shares were $9.0 million.

During fiscal year 2022, we incurred a net loss of $242.6 million, of which $156.6 million related to a non-cash expense related to the modification of Restricted Stock Units, as well as a further non-cash expense to reflect the increase in fair market value in Private Warrants through the dates they were exercised, and used $83.7 million in cash to fund our operations. As of January 31, 2022, we had $47.7 million of cash on hand to continue to fund operations.

We expect our capital and operating expenditures to increase in connection with our ongoing activities, as we:

1.
continue to invest in research and development related to new technologies;
2.
increase our investment in marketing and advertising, as well as the sales and distribution infrastructure for its products and services;
3.
maintain and improve operational, financial, and management information systems;
4.
hire additional personnel;
5.
obtain, maintain, expand, and protect our intellectual property portfolio; and
6.
enhance internal functions to support our operations as a publicly-traded company.

Key Factors Affecting Our Performance

New customer acquisition

Our future growth depends in large part on our ability to acquire new customers. If our efforts to attract new customers are not successful, our revenue may decline in the future. Our IronDefense and IronDome platforms are designed to be used in conjunction with point solutions to capture and share critical data and findings to enable our behavioral analytics to identify threats and for defenders to respond more accurately and quickly. We believe that we have significant room to capture additional market share and intend to continue to invest in sales and marketing to engage our prospective customers, increase brand awareness, and drive adoption of our solution.

Customer retention

Our ability to increase revenue depends in large part on our ability to retain existing customers.

Investing in business growth

Since inception, we have invested significantly in the growth of our business. While remaining judicious and targeted in our investments, we intend to continue to invest in our research and development team to lead product improvements, our sales team to broaden our brand awareness and our general and administrative expenses to increase for the foreseeable future given the additional expenses for finance, compliance and investor relations as we grow as a public company. In addition to our internal growth, we may also consider acquisitions of businesses, technologies, and assets that complement and bolster additional capabilities to our product offerings.

Key Business Metrics

We monitor the following key metrics to measure our performance, identify trends, formulate business plans and make strategic decisions.

Recurring Software Customers

We believe that our ability to increase the number of subscription and other recurring contract type customers on our platform is an indicator of our market penetration, the growth of our business, and our potential future business opportunities. We have a history of growing the number of customers who have contracted for our platforms on a recurring basis, which does not include our professional services customers. Our recurring software customers include customers who have a recurring contract for either or both of our IronDefense and IronDome platforms. These platforms are generally sold together, but they also can be purchased on a standalone basis. We have consistently increased the number of such customers period-over-period, and we expect this trend to continue as we increase subscription offerings to small and medium-sized businesses, in addition to increased subscription offerings for our larger enterprise customers. The following table sets forth the number of recurring software customers as of the dates presented:

 

 

January 31,

 

 

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recurring Software Customers

 

 

88

 

 

 

27

 

Year-over-year growth

 

 

226

%

 

 

35

%

Annual Recurring Revenue (“ARR”)

ARR is calculated at a particular measurement date as the annualized value of our then existing customer subscription contracts and the portions of other software and product contracts that are to be recognized over the course of the contracts and that are designed to renew, assuming any contract that expires during the 12 months following the measurement date is renewed on its existing terms. The following table sets forth our ARR as of the dates presented:

 

 

January 31,

 

 

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

 

($ in millions)

 

Annual recurring revenues

 

$

31.8

 

 

$

25.8

 

Year-over-year growth

 

 

23

%

 

 

72

%

Dollar-based Average Contract Length

37


Our dollar-based average contract length is calculated from a set of customers against the same metric as of a prior period end. Because many of our customers have similar buying patterns and the average term of our contracts is more than 12 months, this metric provides a means of assessing the degree of built-in revenue repetition that exists across our customer base.

We calculate our dollar-based average contract length as follows:

a.
Numerator: We multiply the average total length of the contracts, measured in years or fractions thereof, by the respective revenue recognized for fiscal year 2022 and 2021, as applicable.
b.
Denominator: We use the revenue attributable to software and product customers for fiscal year 2022 and fiscal year 2021 in the numerator. This effectively represents the revenue base that is being generated by those customers.

Dollar-based average contract length is obtained by dividing the Numerator by the Denominator. Our dollar-based average contract length decreased from 2.9 to 2.7 years, or (7)%, for the year ended January 31, 2022 as compared to fiscal year 2021. As our revenues and our customer base increases, we expect our average contract length to trend downward over time. Declines in average contract length are not reflective of the average lifetime of a customer.

 

 

January 31,

 

 

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

 

 

(in years)

 

Dollar-based average contract length

 

 

2.7

 

 

 

2.9

 

Calculated Billings

Calculated billings is a non-GAAP financial measure that we believe is a key metric to measure our periodic performance. Calculated billings represent our total revenue plus the change in deferred revenue in a period. Calculated billings in any particular period aims to reflect amounts invoiced or invoiceable to customers to access our software-based, cybersecurity analytics products, cloud platform and professional services, together with related support services, for our new and existing customers. We typically invoice our customers on multi-year or annual contracts in advance, either annually or monthly.

Calculated billings decreased $15.8 million, or (37)%, for fiscal year 2022 as compared to fiscal year 2021, primarily due to the timing of unusually high multi-year contract billings during the latter half of fiscal year 2021 as we typically invoice customers multi-year or annually in advance and, to a lesser extent, monthly in advance.

While we believe that calculated billings may be helpful to investors because it provides insight into the cash that will be generated from sales of our subscriptions, this metric may vary from period-to-period for a number of reasons, and therefore has a number of limitations as a quarter-to-quarter or year-over-year comparative measure. In addition, other companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate similarly-titled non-GAAP measures differently or may use other measures to evaluate their performance, all of which could reduce the usefulness of our metric of calculated billings as a tool for comparison. Because of these and other limitations, you should consider calculated billings along with revenue and our other GAAP financial results.

The following table presents a reconciliation of revenue, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, to calculated billings:

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

 

2022 vs 2021

 

 

 

($ in millions)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenue

 

$

27.5

 

 

$

29.2

 

 

$

(1.7

)

 

 

(6

)%

Add: Total Deferred revenue, end of period

 

 

33.6

 

 

 

34.0

 

 

 

(0.4

)

 

 

-1

 

Less: Total Deferred revenue, beginning of period

 

 

34.0

 

 

 

20.3

 

 

 

13.7

 

 

 

67

 

Calculated billings

 

$

27.1

 

 

$

42.9

 

 

$

(15.8

)

 

 

(37

)%

Adjusted Net Loss

The following table shows our Adjusted Net Loss, a non-GAAP measure, for fiscal year 2022, which excludes the impacts of stock-based compensation expense, the revaluation of the Private Warrants prior to their cashless exercise, and transaction costs incurred related to the Merger from our net loss. These expenses were nonexistent as of January 31,2021:

 

 

 

For the Year Ended January 31,

 

 

 

 

2022

 

 

 

 

($ in thousands)

 

Net loss

 

 

$

(242,647

)

Stock compensation expense (1)

 

 

 

156,596

 

Change in fair value of warrants liabilities

 

 

 

11,265

 

Transaction costs expense (2)

 

 

 

3,166

 

Adjusted Net Loss

 

 

$

(71,620

)

1.
Total stock based compensation of $156.6 million has been recorded within research and development of $22.9 million, sales and marketing of $51.8 million, and general and administrative expense of $81.9 million on the statement of operations
2.
Transaction expenses have been recorded within general and administrative expense on the statement of operations

Components of Our Results of Operations

Revenue

Our revenues are derived from sales of product, subscriptions, subscription-like software products and software support contracts as well as from professional services. Products, subscriptions and support revenues accounted for 92% of our revenue in fiscal year 2022 and for 85% of our revenue in fiscal year 2021. Professional services revenues accounted for 8% of our revenue in fiscal year 2022 as compared to 15% in fiscal year 2021.

Our typical customer contracts and subscriptions range from one to five years. We typically invoice customers annually, in advance. We combine intelligence dependent hardware and software licenses as well as subscription-type deliverables with the related threat intelligence and support and maintenance as a single performance obligation, as it delivers the essential functionality of our cybersecurity solution. Most companies also participate in the IronDome collective defense software solution that provides them access to IronNet’s collective defense infrastructure linking participating stakeholders. As a result, we recognize revenue for this single performance obligation ratably over the expected term with the customer. Amounts that have been invoiced are recorded in deferred revenue or they are

38


recorded in revenue if the revenue recognition criteria have been met. Significant judgment is required for the assessment of material rights relating to renewal options associated with our contracts.

Professional services revenues are generally sold separately from our products and include services such as development of national cyber security strategies, cyber operations monitoring, security, training, red team, incident response and tailored maturity assessments. Revenue derived from these services is recognized as the services are delivered.

Cost of Revenue

Cost of product, subscription and support revenue includes expenses related to our hosted security software, employee-related costs of our customer facing support, such as salaries, bonuses and benefits, an allocated portion of administrative costs and the amortization of deferred costs.

Cost of professional services revenue consists primarily of employee-related costs, such as salaries, bonuses and benefits, cost of contractors and an allocated portion of administrative costs.

Gross Profit

Gross profit, calculated as total revenue less total costs of revenue is affected by various factors, including the timing of our acquisition of new customers, renewals from existing customers, the data center and bandwidth costs associated with operating our cloud platform, the extent to which we expand our customer support organization, and the extent to which we can increase the efficiency of our technology and infrastructure through technological improvements. Also, we view our professional services in the context of our larger business and as a significant lead generator for future product sales. Because of these factors, our services revenue and gross profit may fluctuate over time.

Operating Expenses

Research and development

Our research and development efforts are aimed at continuing to develop and refine our products, including adding new features and modules, increasing their functionality, and enhancing the usability of our platform. Research and development costs primarily include personnel-related costs and acquired software costs. Research and development costs are expensed as incurred.

Sales and marketing

Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of employee compensation and related expenses, including salaries, bonuses and benefits for our sales and marketing employees, sales commissions that are recognized as expenses over the period of benefit, marketing programs, travel and entertainment expenses, and allocated overhead costs. We capitalize our sales commissions and recognize them as expenses over the estimated period of benefit.

We intend to continue to make significant investments in our sales and marketing organization to drive additional revenue, further penetrate the market and expand our global customer base. In particular, we will continue to invest in growing and training our sales force, broadening our brand awareness and expanding and deepening our channel partner relationships. We expect our sales and marketing expenses to decrease as a percentage of our revenue over the long term, although our sales and marketing expenses may fluctuate as a percentage of our revenue from period to period due to the timing and extent of these expenses.

General and administrative

General and administrative costs include salaries, stock-based compensation expenses, and benefits for personnel involved in our executive, finance, legal, people and culture, and administrative functions, as well as third-party professional services and fees, and overhead expenses.

We expect that general and administrative expenses will increase in absolute dollars as we hire additional personnel and enhance our systems, processes, and controls to support the growth in our business as well as our increased compliance and reporting requirements as a public company.

Other income

Other income consists primarily of interest income

Other expense

Other expense consists primarily of interest expense and foreign currency exchange losses.

Change in fair value of warrants liabilities

Change in fair value of warrants liabilities consists of the change in the fair value of warrants between the time on which they were valued as of the prior quarterly reporting period and the date on which they were exercised.

Provision for income taxes

Provision for income taxes consists of federal and state income taxes in the United States and income taxes and withholding taxes in certain foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct business. We maintain a full valuation allowance on our U.S. federal and state deferred tax assets.

Results of Operations

Comparison of Fiscal Year 2022 and Fiscal Year 2021

The following tables set forth our consolidated statements of operations in dollar amounts and as a percentage of total revenue for each period presented and the year over year change for each line item in dollar amounts and as a percentage:

39


 

 

Fiscal Year Ended January 31,

 

 

 

 

 

2022 vs 2021

 

 

 

2022

 

 

 

 

 

2021

 

 

 

 

 

Change $

 

 

Change %

 

 

 

($ in thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Product, subscription and support revenue

 

$

25,347

 

 

 

92

%

 

$

24,701

 

 

 

85

%

 

$

646

 

 

 

3

%

Professional services revenue

 

 

2,197

 

 

 

8

%

 

 

4,526

 

 

 

15

%

 

 

(2,329

)

 

 

(51

)%

Total revenue

 

 

27,544

 

 

 

100

%

 

 

29,227

 

 

 

100

%

 

 

(1,683

)

 

 

(6

)%

Cost of product, subscription and support revenue

 

 

8,225

 

 

 

30

%

 

 

5,393

 

 

 

18

%

 

 

2,832

 

 

 

53

%

Cost of professional services revenue

 

 

1,158

 

 

 

4

%

 

 

1,629

 

 

 

5

%

 

 

(471

)

 

 

(29

)%

Total cost of revenue

 

 

9,383

 

 

 

34

%

 

 

7,022

 

 

 

24

%

 

 

2,361

 

 

 

34

%

Gross profit

 

 

18,161

 

 

 

66

%

 

 

22,205

 

 

 

76

%

 

 

(4,044

)

 

 

(18

)%

Operating expenses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research and development

 

 

52,899

 

 

 

192

%

 

 

25,754

 

 

 

88

%

 

 

27,145

 

 

 

105

%

Sales and marketing

 

 

82,922

 

 

 

301

%

 

 

30,381

 

 

 

104

%

 

 

52,541

 

 

 

173

%

General and administrative

 

 

112,099

 

 

 

407

%

 

 

21,347

 

 

 

73

%

 

 

90,752

 

 

 

425

%

Total operating expenses

 

 

247,920

 

 

 

900

%

 

 

77,482

 

 

 

265

%

 

 

170,438

 

 

 

220

%

Operating loss

 

 

(229,759

)

 

 

-834

%

 

 

(55,277

)

 

 

-189

%

 

 

(174,482

)

 

 

316

%

Other income

 

 

25

 

 

 

0

%

 

 

71

 

 

 

0

%

 

 

(46

)

 

 

(65

)%

Other expense

 

 

(1,183

)

 

 

-4

%

 

 

(90

)

 

 

0

%

 

 

(1,093

)

 

 

1,214

%

Change in fair value of warrants liabilities

 

 

(11,265

)

 

 

-41

%

 

 

-

 

 

 

0

%

 

 

(11,265

)

 

 

100

%

Loss before income taxes

 

 

(242,182

)

 

 

-879

%

 

 

(55,296

)

 

 

-189

%

 

 

(186,886

)

 

 

338

%

Provision for income taxes

 

 

(465

)

 

 

-2

%

 

 

(77

)

 

 

0

%

 

 

(388

)

 

 

504

%

Net loss

 

$

(242,647

)

 

 

-881

%

 

$

(55,373

)

 

 

-190

%

 

$

(187,274

)

 

 

338

%

Revenue

Total revenue decreased by $1.7 million or (6)% in fiscal year 2022 compared to fiscal year 2021.

Product, subscription and support revenue increased by $0.6 million primarily due to the net effect of the Company’s transition from contracts that had material non-recurring elements which would not renew in full, replaced by revenues from contract forms that were designed to fully renew with legacy customers and signing new customers.

Professional services revenue decreased $2.3 million or (51)% in fiscal year 2022 compared to fiscal year 2021, primarily due to the completion of a national cybersecurity strategy engagement in EMEA and a key enterprise engagement, in fiscal year 2021. Professional services accounted for8% of our total revenue in fiscal year 2022 and 15% of our total revenue in fiscal year 2021.

Cost of revenue

Total cost of revenue increased by $2.4 million or 34%, in fiscal year 2022, compared to fiscal year 2021. Cost of product, subscription and support revenue increased by $2.8 million or 53%, in fiscal year 2022, compared to fiscal year 2021. The increase was due primarily to an increase in customer count during fiscal year 2022 as compared to fiscal year 2021, as well as costs incurred to fully ramp cloud hosting environments related to a significant revenue customer that was onboarded in fiscal year 2021, and a $0.7 million charge due to one-time product, subscription and support cost adjustments.

Cost of professional service revenue decreased by $0.5 million or (29)% in fiscal year 2022, compared to fiscal year 2021. The decrease in cost of service revenue was primarily due to a decrease in overall professional services revenue in 2022 compared to fiscal year 2021.

Gross Profit and Gross Margin

Customer mix changesresulted in a decrease in software gross margin to 68% in fiscal year 2022 compared to 78% in fiscal year 2021, and a decrease in professional services gross margin to 47% in fiscal year 2022 as compared to 64% in fiscal year 2021. The decrease in margin in fiscal year 2022 as compared to 2021 for software was primarily the result of onboarding a significant revenue customer in fiscal year 2021 which did not fully ramp their cloud costs until fiscal year 2022, and the delivery of a key significant service contract in EMEA in fiscal year 2021. Professional services margin will continue to be volatile contract to contract as we scale our business.

We expect that gross margins will improve in the near term.The in-period effect of the one-time adjustments to product, subscription and support gross margin related to an amortization catch-up for deployed sensors of $0.7 million was 2.0% impact to gross margin in fiscal year 2022. Margins may remain volatile compared to fiscal year 2021 due to the continuing presence of large contracts in our revenue mix.

The following tables show gross profit and gross margin, respectively, for software products and support revenue and professional services revenue for fiscal year 2022 as compared to fiscal year 2021.

 

 

Fiscal Year Ended January 31,

 

 

2022 vs 2021

 

 

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

 

Change $

 

 

Change %

 

 

 

($ in thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Product, subscription and support gross profit

 

$

17,122

 

 

$

19,308

 

 

$

(2,186

)

 

 

(11

)%

Professional services profit

 

 

1,039

 

 

 

2,897

 

 

 

(1,858

)

 

 

(64

)%

Total gross profit

 

$

18,161

 

 

$

22,205

 

 

$

(4,044

)

 

 

(18

)%

 

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

 

Change

 

Product, subscription and support margin

 

 

67.6

%

 

 

78.2

%

 

 

(10.6

)%

Professional services margin

 

 

47.3

%

 

 

64.0

%

 

 

(16.7

)%

Total gross margin

 

 

65.9

%

 

 

76.0

%

 

 

(10.1

)%

Operating expenses

Research and development

Research and development expenses increased by $27.1 million or 105%, in fiscal year 2022, compared to fiscal year 2021, primarily as the result of non-cash stock compensation expenses of $22.9 million, which was triggered by the modification of the restricted stock units. The remaining increase of $4.2 million was driven by the ramping of external costs to support product development and the increase in internal headcount, with some increase driven by cloud computing costs.

Overall research and development expenditure was 192% of total revenues in fiscal year 2022 as compared to 88% in fiscal year 2021, with the increase primarily being driven by an increase in non-cash stock compensation expense. We expect that our overall research and development expenditure rate as a percentage of revenues will decline in the future as compared to fiscal year 2022.

40


Sales and marketing

Sales and marketing expenses increased by $52.5 millionor 173% in fiscal year 2022 as compared to fiscal year 2021, primarily as the result of non-cash stock compensation expenses of $51.8 million, which was triggered by the modification of the restricted stock units. The remaining increase of $0.7 million is due to the expansion of sales and marketing efforts as the Company is focused on growth.

Overall sales and marketing expenditure was 301% of total revenues in fiscal year 2022 as compared to 104% in fiscal year 2021, with the increase primarily being driven by the increase in non-cash stock compensation expense. We expect that our overall sales and marketing expenditure rate as a percentage of revenues will decline in the future as compared to fiscal year 2022.

General and administrative

General and administrative expenses increased by $90.8 million or 425% in fiscal year 2022, as compared to fiscal year 2021, primarily due to non-cash stock compensation expenses of $81.9 million, which was triggered by the modification of the restricted stock units. The remaining increase of $8.9 million was the result of an increase in costs related to becoming a publicly traded company and the overall efforts to grow and support business operations, including increased headcount, directors and officers insurance costs, and the implementation of systems to support operations as a public company.

Overall general and administrative expense was 407% of total revenues in fiscal year 2022 as compared to 73% in fiscal year 2021, with the increase primarily being driven by the increase in non-cash stock compensation expense. We expect that our overall G&A expenditure rate as a percentage of revenues will decline in the future.

Other income

Other income decreased by $46 thousand or (65)% in fiscal year 2022, compared to fiscal year 2021, primarily as the result of interest income.

Other expense

Other expense decreased by $1.1 million or 1,214% in fiscal year 2022, compared to fiscal year 2021, primarily as the result of interest expense related to loans outstanding during the year. These debts and the interest were paid off at the date of the Merger.

Change in fair value of warrants liabilities

Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, LGL Systems Acquisition Holding Company, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, purchased an aggregate of 5,200,000 Private Warrants at a price of $1.00 per Private Warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of $5.2 million from Legacy LGL in a private placement that occurred simultaneously with the completion of the Initial Public Offering. Each Private Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of common stock at $11.50 per share. The purchase price of the Private Warrants was added to the proceeds from the Initial Public Offering and was held in the Trust Account until the closing of the Merger. The Private Warrants (including the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Private Warrants) were not transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the closing date of the Merger, and they may be exercised on a cashless basis and are non-redeemable so long as they are held by the initial purchasers of the Private Warrants or their permitted transferees.



The warrants issued by Legacy LGL, our legal predecessor, to purchase its common stock in a private placement concurrently with its Initial Public Offering (the “Private Warrants”), were evaluated under ASC 815-40, Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity, and it was determined that they do not meet the criteria to be classified as stockholders’ equity, and as such will be accounted for as liabilities, as further discussed in Note 1 of the notes to our consolidated
financial statements with another public companyincluded in this Form 10-K.

For the private warrants that have been exercised since the date of the Merger, the change in fair value of warrants liabilities consists of the change in fair value between the date on which they were valued,
which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible becausedate of the potential differencesMerger, through the date on which they were exercised. The change in accounting standards used.fair value of warrant liabilities for those private warrants that remain outstanding at the end of fiscal year 2022 consists of the change in fair value between the date of the Merger and January 31, 2022.

Provision for income taxes

UseThe change in provision for income taxes was immaterial to the results of estimatesoperations primarily due to our continued net loss position, the accumulation of net loss carryforwards, and offsetting valuation allowance.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Sources of Liquidity

We have incurred losses and negative cash flows from operations since inception. Through January 31, 2022, we have funded our operations with proceeds from sales of common stock and redeemable convertible preferred stock, proceeds related to the public trust shares held by LGL that were received as part of the recapitalization, loans, and receipts from sales of our products and services to customers in the ordinary course of business. As of January 31, 2022, we had cash and cash equivalents of $47.7 million, with no debt outstanding as of the end of the fiscal year. As of January 31, 2021, we had $31.5 million cash and cash equivalents and $5.6 million loans payable.

As of January 31, 2022, we had approximately 8.6 million Warrants outstanding. Each Warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of common stock at $11.50 per share. Assuming the exercise in full of all of the Warrants for cash, we would receive up to an aggregate of approximately $99 million from the exercise of the Warrants. However, there can be no assurances that the Warrants will ever be exercised or that we will receive any proceeds from the exercise thereof.

Tumim Stone Capital Committed Equity Financing

On February 11, 2022, we entered into the Purchase Agreement with Tumim, pursuant to which Tumim has committed to purchase up to $175 million of common stock (the “Total Commitment”), at our direction from time to time, subject to the satisfaction of the conditions in the Purchase Agreement. Also on February 11, 2022, we entered into a registration rights agreement with Tumim (the “Registration Rights Agreement”), pursuant to which we have filed with the SEC the registration statement to register for resale under the Securities Act, the shares of common stock that have been and may be issued to Tumim under the Purchase Agreement. Pursuant to the terms of the Purchase Agreement, at the time we signed the Purchase Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement, we paid a cash fee of $1.75 million, or 1% of the Total Commitment, to Tumim as consideration for its commitment to purchase shares of our common stock under the Purchase Agreement.

The sales of common stock by us to Tumim under the Purchase Agreement, if any, will be subject to certain limitations and may occur, from time to time at our sole discretion, over the approximately 36-month period commencing upon the initial satisfaction of all conditions to Tumim’s purchase obligations set forth in the Purchase Agreement (the “Commencement,” and the date on which the Commencement occurs, the “Commencement Date”), including that the registration statement covering the resale by Tumim of shares of common stock that have been and may be issued under the Purchase Agreement is declared effective by the SEC. From and after the Commencement Date, we will have the right, but not the obligation, from time to time at our sole discretion, to direct Tumim to purchase certain amounts of our common stock, subject to certain limitations in the Purchase Agreement, that we specify in purchase notices that we deliver to Tumim under the Purchase Agreement (each such purchase, a “Purchase”). Shares of common stock will be issued to Tumim at either a (i) 3% discount to the average daily volume weighted average price (the “VWAP”) of the common stock during the three consecutive trading days from the date that a purchase notice with respect to a particular purchase (a “VWAP Purchase Notice”) is delivered to Tumim (a “Forward VWAP Purchase”), or (ii) 5% discount to the lowest daily VWAP during the three consecutive trading days from the date that a VWAP Purchase Notice with respect to a particular purchase is delivered to Tumim (an “Alternative VWAP Purchase”). Each VWAP

41


Purchase Notice to Tumim will specify whether the applicable purchase is a Forward VWAP Purchase or an Alternative VWAP Purchase, and will direct that Tumim purchase the applicable number of shares of common stock at the applicable purchase price. There is no upper limit on the price per share that Tumim could be obligated to pay for the common stock under the Purchase Agreement. The purchase price per share of common stock to be sold in a Purchase will be appropriately adjusted for any reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, stock split, reverse stock split or other similar transaction.

Long- Term Liquidity Requirements

Based on our growth plan, we believe that our cash on hand and collectable receivables, the cash generated from sales of our products and services and proceeds from the Tumim Stone Capital committed financing will satisfy our working capital and capital requirements for at least the next twelve months. See Note 1 and Note 17 in the accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements, respectively, for our going concern assessment and discussion of the terms of the equity line.

Following the closing of the Merger, we no longer have any indebtedness, as all amounts then outstanding were repaid.

Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including, but not limited to the rate of our growth, our ability to attract and retain customers and their willingness and ability to pay for our products and services, and the timing and extent of spending to support our efforts to market and develop our products. Further, we may enter into future arrangements to acquire or invest in businesses, products, services, strategic partnerships, and technologies. As such, we may be required to seek additional equity or debt financing. In the event that additional financing is required from outside sources, we may not be able to raise it on terms acceptable to us or at all. If additional funds are not available to us on acceptable terms, or at all, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Cash Flows

For Fiscal Year 2022 and Fiscal Year 2021

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

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

 

 

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

 

 

(in millions)

 

Net cash used in operating activities

 

$

(83.7

)

 

$

(42.7

)

Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities

 

$

(3.9

)

 

$

0.1

 

Net cash provided by financing activities

 

$

103.4

 

 

$

63.3

 

Operating Activities

Net cash used in operating activities during fiscal year 2022 was $(83.7) million, which resulted from a net loss of $(242.6) million, primarily driven by the modification of the restricted stock units awards of $156.6 million and related non-cash expenses. There was also an increase in the fair value of warrants liabilities of $11.3 million and an increase in accrued expenses. This was offset by an increase in accounts receivable of $3.2 million, attributable to higher than usual, multi-year cash prepayments received in 2021 as compared to the current year, and an increase in inventory of $0.5 million. We also saw a decrease in services revenue and increases in cost of sales totaling approximately $2.8 million as more customers’ analytics came more fully online during 2022.

Net cash used in operating activities during fiscal year 2021 was $(42.7) million, which resulted from a net loss of $(55.4) million, primarily driven by growth-related operating expenses exceeding gross profits from sales, adjusted for non-cash charges of $1.4 million and net cash inflows of $11.3 million from changes in operating assets and liabilities. Non-cash charges primarily consisted of $1.2 million of depreciation and amortization expense, $0.2 million in losses on the sale of fixed assets as the result of the closure of facilities, offset by a net credit in stock-based compensation expense due to increased forfeiture rates in fiscal 2021. Cash used in operating activities during fiscal year 2021 benefited from the change in deferred revenue of $13.7 million, offset by a decrease in accounts receivable of $3.4 million, which were the result of timing of new customer contracts.

Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities during fiscal year 2022 of $(3.9) million was primarily due to $(3.9) million in purchases of property and equipment.

Net cash provided by investing activities during fiscal year 2021 of $0.1 million was primarily due to $1.0 million in proceeds from the maturity of

investments and $0.1 million in proceeds from the sale of property and equipment offset by $1.0 million in purchases of property and equipment.

Financing Activities

Net cash provided by financing activities of $103.4 million during fiscal year 2022 was primarily due to gross proceeds from the Merger recapitalization of $13.3million and issuance of PIPE Shares of $125.0 million and bank borrowings of $15.0 million, offset by loan repayments of $5.6 million.

Net cash provided by financing activities of $63.3 million during fiscal year 2021 was primarily due to net proceeds from our sale of preferred stock of $57.4 million, the net proceeds from loans of $5.6 million and the issuance of common stock, including upon exercise of stock options by employees of $0.3 million.

Contractual obligations

Our principal commitments consist of lease obligations for office space. As of January 31, 2022, we had lease payment obligations of $4.0 million, of which $1.0 million is payable within twelve months. For more information regarding our lease obligations, see Note 12, Commitments and Contingencies to the consolidated financial statements.

During fiscal year 2022 and in future years, we have made and expect to continue to make additional investments in our product, scale our operations, and continue to enhance our security measures. We will continue to expand the use of software systems to scale with our overall growth.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires managementrequire us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses, as well as related disclosures. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Our estimates are based on historical experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Our actual results could differ from these estimates.

The critical accounting policies, assumptions and judgements that we believe have the most significant impact on our consolidated financial statements are described below.

Revenue Recognition

Our revenues are derived from sales of software, subscriptions, support and maintenance, and other services. We satisfy our performance obligations to recognize revenue for a single performance obligation ratably over the expected term with the customer.

Revenue is recognized when all of the following criteria are met:

42


1.
Identification of the contract, or contracts, with a customer—A contract with a customer to account for exists when (i) we enter into an enforceable contract with a customer that defines each party’s rights regarding the goods or services to be transferred and identifies the payment terms related to these goods or services, (ii) the contract has commercial substance and the parties are committed to perform, and (iii) we determine that collection of substantially all consideration to which we will be entitled in exchange for goods or services that will be transferred is probable based on the customer’s intent and ability to pay the promised consideration.
2.
Identification of the performance obligations in the contract—Performance obligations promised in a contract are identified based on the goods or services that will be transferred to the customer that are both capable of being distinct, whereby the customer can benefit from the goods or service either on its own or together with other resources that are readily available from third parties or from us, and are distinct in the context of the contract, whereby the transfer of the goods or services is separately identifiable from other promises in the contract. To the extent a contract includes multiple promised goods or services, we apply judgment to determine whether promised goods or services are capable of being distinct and distinct in the context of the contract. If these criteria are not met the promised goods or services are accounted for as a combined performance obligation.
3.
Determination of the transaction price—The transaction price is determined based on the consideration to which we will be entitled in exchange for transferring goods or services to the customer.
4.
Allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract—We allocate the transaction price to each performance obligation based on the amount of consideration expected to be received in exchange for transferring goods and services to the customer. If the contract contains a single performance obligation, the entire transaction price is allocated to the single performance obligation on a relative standalone selling price based on the observable selling price of our products and services.
5.
Recognition of revenue when, or as, we satisfy performance obligations—We satisfy performance obligations either over time or at a point in time as discussed in further detail below. Revenue is recognized at or over the time the related performance obligation is satisfied by transferring a promised good or service to a customer.

Costs to Obtain or Fulfill a Contract

We capitalize incremental costs of obtaining a non-cancelable subscription and support revenue contract and on professional services revenue as contract acquisition costs. The capitalized amounts consist primarily of sales commissions paid to our direct sales force. The capitalized amounts are recoverable through future revenue streams under all non-cancelable customer contracts. Amortization of capitalized costs, which occurs on a straight line basis, is included in sales and marketing expense in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. Contract fulfillment costs include appliance hardware and installation costs that are essential in providing the future benefit of the solution, which are also capitalized. We amortize our contract fulfillment costs ratably over the contract term in a manner consistent with the related revenue recognition on that contract and are included in cost of revenue.

Stock-based Compensation

Stock compensation expense for stock options is recognized on a straight line basis and with a provision for forfeitures matched to historical experience for matured grant cohorts. Stock compensation expense for RSUs granted under the 2014 Plan, which contain both service and performance conditions, is recognized on a graded-scale basis matched to the length and vesting tranches for each grant. Stock compensation expense for RSUs granted under the 2021 Plan have only service vesting conditions. Expense will be recognized on a straight-line basis for all RSU awards with only service conditions. In the event that a RSU grant holder is terminated before the award is fully vested for RSUs granted under either Plan, the full amount of the unvested portion of the award will be recognized as a forfeiture in the period of termination.

We use the Black-Scholes pricing model to estimate the fair value of options on the date of grant. On August 26, 2021, the Board determined that the Liquidity Event Satisfaction for the restricted stock units will be deemed to have been met as a result of the Merger and authorized that the shares of common stock subject to the awards will be delivered, in accordance with the terms of the Restricted Stock Unit Agreement. The Board’s determination of the Liquidity Event Satisfaction being met as a result of the Merger qualified as a modification of the original terms of the RSU Agreements as of the date of the Merger. All RSUs issued prior to the completion of the Merger were re-valued using a fair value of $12.85, which was the closing share price of our common stock on that date. Subsequent to the closing of the Merger, the fair value of RSUs will be based on the fair value of our common stock on the date of the grant.

As a consequence, we recognized non-cash expense subsequent to the Merger in an amount of $156.6 million related to 20,127,730 outstanding RSUs. This consists of $155.5 million associated with RSUs on a graded vesting schedule, which were issued under the 2014 Plan and $1.1 million associated with RSUs on a straight-line vesting schedule, issued under the 2021 Plan. 10,638,068 RSUs remain unvested as of January 31, 2022.

The use of a valuation model requires management to make certain assumptions with respect to selected model inputs. We grant stock options at exercise prices determined equal to the fair value of common stock on the date of the grant. The fair value of our common stock at each measurement date is based on a number of factors, including the results of third-party valuations, our historical financial performance, and observable arms-length sales of our capital stock including convertible preferred stock, and the prospects of a liquidity event, among other inputs. We estimate an expected forfeiture rate for stock options, which is factored into the determination of stock-based compensation expense. The volatility assumption is based on the historical and implied volatility of our peer group with similar business models. The risk-free interest rate is based on U.S. Treasury zero-coupon issues with a remaining term equal to the expected life assumed at the date of grant. The dividend yield percentage is zero because we do not currently pay dividends nor do we intend to do so in the future.

These estimates involve inherent uncertainties and the use of different assumptions may have resulted in stock-based compensation expense that was different from the amounts recorded.

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

Refer to Note 1 of the notes to our consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-K for our assessment of recently issued and adopted accounting standards.

Emerging Growth Company (“EGC”) Status

We are an emerging growth company, as defined in the JOBS Act. Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can delay adopting new or revised accounting standards issued subsequent to the enactment of the JOBS Act until those standards apply to private companies. We have elected to use this extended transition period for complying with certain new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until the earlier of the date we (i) are no longer an EGC or (ii) affirmatively and irrevocably opt out of the extended transition period provided in the JOBS Act. As a result, our consolidated financial statements may or may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public companies’ effective dates.

43


ITEM 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

We have operations in the United States and internationally, and we are exposed to market risk in the ordinary course of our business, including the effects of foreign currency fluctuation. Information relating to quantitative and qualitative disclosures about these market risks is set forth below.

Foreign Currency Risk

The significant majority of our sales contracts are denominated in U.S. dollars, with a small number of contracts denominated in foreign currencies. A portion of our operating expenses are incurred outside the United States, denominated in foreign currencies and subject to fluctuations due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates, particularly changes in the Singapore Dollar, British Pound, Japanese Yen and Australian Dollar. Additionally, fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates may cause us to recognize transaction gains and losses in our consolidated statements of operations. The effect of a hypothetical 10% change in foreign currency exchange rates applicable to our business would not have a material impact on our historical consolidated financial statements for year to date 2022 or fiscal year 2021. As the impact of foreign currency exchange rates has not been material to our historical operating results, we have not entered into derivative or hedging transactions, but we may do so in the future if our exposure to foreign currency becomes more significant.

44


ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

ITEM 8 — Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID: 238)

46

Consolidated Financial Statements:

Consolidated Balance Sheets as of January 31, 2022 and 2021

47

Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended January 31, 2022 and 2021

48

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss for the years ended January 31, 2022 and 2021

49

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders' Equity for the years ended January 31, 2022 and 2021

50

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended January 31, 2022 and 2021

51

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

52

45


Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of IronNet, Inc.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of IronNet, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of January 31, 2022 and 2021, and the related consolidated statements of operations, of comprehensive loss, of changes in stockholders’ equity and of cash flows for the years then ended, including the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of January 31, 2022 and 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years then ended in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Basis for Opinion

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits of these consolidated financial statements in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Emphasis of Matter

As discussed in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company and its subsidiaries are subject to risks and uncertainties that could affect amounts reported in the Company’s financial statements in future periods. Management’s evaluation of the events and conditions and management’s plans to mitigate these matters are described in Note 1.

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Baltimore, Maryland

May 2, 2022

We have served as the Company's auditor since 2019.

46


IronNet, Inc.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands, except per share data)

 

 

As of January 31,

 

 

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

Assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

47,673

 

 

$

31,543

 

Accounts receivable

 

 

1,991

 

 

 

1,643

 

Unbilled receivables

 

 

4,637

 

 

 

1,425

 

Related party receivables and loan receivables

 

 

3,233

 

 

 

3,599

 

Account and loan receivables

 

 

9,861

 

 

 

6,667

 

Inventory

 

 

4,581

 

 

 

2,180

 

Deferred costs

 

 

2,599

 

 

 

2,068

 

Prepaid warranty

 

 

829

 

 

 

1,037

 

Prepaid expenses

 

 

3,660

 

 

 

2,046

 

Other current assets

 

 

1,458

 

 

 

126

 

Total current assets

 

 

70,661

 

 

 

45,667

 

Deferred costs

 

 

3,243

 

 

 

2,056

 

Property and equipment, net

 

 

5,606

 

 

 

2,792

 

Prepaid warranty

 

 

1,229

 

 

 

878

 

Deposits and other assets

 

 

493

 

 

 

298

 

Total assets

 

$

81,232

 

 

$

51,691

 

Liabilities and stockholders’ equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts payable

 

$

2,348

 

 

$

1,922

 

Accrued expenses

 

 

4,709

 

 

 

2,591

 

Deferred revenue

 

 

16,049

 

 

 

12,481

 

Deferred rent

 

 

159

 

 

 

134

 

Short-term PPP loan

 

 

0

 

 

 

3,487

 

Income tax payable

 

 

542

 

 

 

88

 

Other current liabilities

 

 

689

 

 

 

689

 

Total current liabilities

 

 

24,496

 

 

 

21,392

 

Deferred rent

 

 

769

 

 

 

928

 

Deferred revenue

 

 

17,517

 

 

 

21,563

 

Warrants

 

 

7

 

 

 

0

 

Long-term PPP loan

 

 

0

 

 

 

2,093

 

Other long-term liabilities

 

 

0

 

 

 

689

 

Total liabilities

 

 

42,789

 

 

 

46,665

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stockholders’ equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 100,000 shares authorized; NaN issued or outstanding

 

 

0

 

 

 

0

 

Class A common stock; $0.0001 par value; 500,000 shares authorized; 88,876 and 66,934 shares issued and outstanding at January 31, 2022 and January 31, 2021, respectively

 

 

9

 

 

 

7

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

 

455,849

 

 

 

180,853

 

Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income

 

 

271

 

 

 

40

 

Accumulated deficit

 

 

(417,686

)

 

 

(175,039

)

Subscription notes receivable

 

 

0

 

 

 

(835

)

Total stockholders’ equity

 

 

38,443

 

 

 

5,026

 

Total liabilities and stockholders' equity

 

$

81,232

 

 

$

51,691

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

47


IronNet, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Operations

(in thousands, except per share data)

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

 

 

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

Product, subscription and support revenue

 

$

25,347

 

 

$

24,701

 

Professional services revenue

 

 

2,197

 

 

 

4,526

 

Total revenue

 

 

27,544

 

 

 

29,227

 

Cost of product, subscription and support revenue

 

 

8,225

 

 

 

5,393

 

Cost of professional services revenue

 

 

1,158

 

 

 

1,629

 

Total cost of revenue

 

 

9,383

 

 

 

7,022

 

Gross profit

 

 

18,161

 

 

 

22,205

 

Operating expenses

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research and development

 

 

52,899

 

 

 

25,754

 

Sales and marketing

 

 

82,922

 

 

 

30,381

 

General and administrative

 

 

112,099

 

 

 

21,347

 

Total operating expenses

 

 

247,920

 

 

 

77,482

 

Operating loss

 

 

(229,759

)

 

 

(55,277

)

Other income

 

 

25

 

 

 

71

 

Other expense

 

 

(1,183

)

 

 

(90

)

Change in fair value of warrants liabilities

 

 

(11,265

)

 

 

0

 

Loss before income taxes

 

 

(242,182

)

 

 

(55,296

)

Provision for income taxes

 

 

(465

)

 

 

(77

)

Net loss

 

$

(242,647

)

 

$

(55,373

)

Basic and diluted net loss per common share

 

$

(3.03

)

 

$

(0.86

)

Weighted average shares outstanding, basic and diluted

 

 

79,953

 

 

 

64,562

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

48


IronNet, Inc.

Consolidated Statementsof Comprehensive Loss

($ in thousands)

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

 

 

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

Net loss

 

$

(242,647

)

 

$

(55,373

)

Change in net unrealized (losses) gains on available for sale investments, net of tax

 

 

0

 

 

 

(397

)

Foreign currency translations adjustment, net of tax

 

 

231

 

 

 

42

 

Total comprehensive loss

 

$

(242,416

)

 

$

(55,728

)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

49


IronNet, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity

For the Years Ended January 31, 2022 and 2021

($ in thousands, number of preferred stock and common stock in thousands)

 

 

 

Series A Preferred Stock

 

 

Series B Preferred Stock

 

 

Class A Common Stock

 

 

Class B Common Stock

 

 

Additional Paid- In Capital

 

 

Accumulated Deficit

 

 

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

 

 

Subscription Notes Receivable

 

 

Total Stockholders' Equity

 

 

 

 

Shares

 

 

Amount

 

 

Shares

 

 

Amount

 

 

Shares

 

 

Amount

 

 

Shares

 

 

Amount

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance at January 31, 2020, as previously reported

 

 

 

794

 

 

$

32,500

 

 

 

1,217

 

 

$

88,711

 

 

 

36,138

 

 

$

4

 

 

 

17,607

 

 

$

2

 

 

$

2,041

 

 

$

(119,666

)

 

$

394

 

 

$

(900

)

 

$

(118,125

)

Retroactive application of recapitalization (1)

 

 

 

(794

)

 

 

(32,500

)

 

 

(1,217

)

 

 

(88,711

)

 

 

23,984

 

 

 

2

 

 

 

(17,607

)

 

 

(2

)

 

 

121,194

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

121,194

 

Adjusted Balance at January 31, 2020

 

 

 

 

 

$

 

 

 

 

 

$

 

 

 

60,122

 

 

$

6

 

 

 

 

 

$

 

 

$

123,235

 

 

$

(119,666

)

 

$

394

 

 

$

(900

)

 

$

3,069

 

Issuance of common stock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6,812

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

57,608

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

57,609

 

Interest earned on subscription notes receivable

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

16

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(16

)

 

 

 

Payments on subscription notes receivable

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

81

 

 

 

81

 

Stock-based compensation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(6

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(6

)

Unrealized gain on investments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(396

)

 

 

 

 

 

(396

)

Net loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(55,373

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(55,373

)

Foreign currency translation
 adjustment, net of tax of $
0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

42

 

 

 

 

 

 

42

 

Balance at January 31, 2021

 

 

 

 

 

$

 

 

 

 

 

$

 

 

 

66,934

 

 

$

7

 

 

 

 

 

$

 

 

$

180,853

 

 

$

(175,039

)

 

$

40

 

 

$

(835

)

 

$

5,026

 

Issuance of common stock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

755

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

365

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

365

 

Merger recapitalization (Note 3)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4,555

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(12,027

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(12,026

)

PIPE Shares

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12,500

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

109,857

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

109,858

 

Issuance of common stock related to Public Warrants

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

29

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

330

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

330

 

Issuance of common stock related to Private Warrants

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3,188

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

21,492

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

21,492

 

Issuance of earnout

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,078

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest earned on subscription notes receivable

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(8

)

 

 

 

Settlement of related party loan receivable for common shares

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(108

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1,075

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1,075

)

Payment of note receivable and settlement of note receivables for common shares

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(55

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(550

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

843

 

 

 

293

 

Stock-based compensation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

156,596

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

156,596

 

Net loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(242,647

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(242,647

)

Foreign currency translation adjustment,
 net of tax of $
0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

231

 

 

 

 

 

 

231

 

Balance at January 31, 2022

 

 

 

 

 

$

 

 

 

 

 

$

 

 

 

88,876

 

 

$

9

 

 

 

 

 

$

 

 

$

455,849

 

 

$

(417,686

)

 

$

271

 

 

$

 

 

$

38,443

 

(1) Prior to the Merger, as discussed in Note 3, Legacy IronNet Series A and Series B preferred stock were converted 1:10 to Legacy IronNet Class A common stock and Legacy IronNet Class B common stock was converted 1:1 to Legacy IronNet Class A common stock. All Legacy IronNet Class A common stock was then converted to Legacy LGL Class A common stock at the Exchange Ratio of approximately 0.8141070. The conversion has been retroactively restated as of January 31, 2020.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

50


IronNet, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

($ in thousands)

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

 

 

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

Cash flows from operating activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

$

(242,647

)

 

$

(55,373

)

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

1,092

 

 

 

1,162

 

Loss (Gain) on sale of fixed assets

 

 

(6

)

 

 

219

 

Bad debt expense

 

 

0

 

 

 

33

 

Employee stock based compensation

 

 

156,596

 

 

 

(6

)

Non-cash interest expense

 

 

1,155

 

 

 

0

 

Change in fair value of warrants liabilities

 

 

11,265

 

 

 

0

 

Non-cash interest on amounts due from stockholder

 

 

(8

)

 

 

0

 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts receivable

 

 

(3,194

)

 

 

(3,356

)

Deferred costs

 

 

(1,718

)

 

 

(1,038

)

Inventories

 

 

(2,401

)

 

 

(217

)

Prepaid expenses

 

 

(1,614

)

 

 

(538

)

Other current assets

 

 

(2,407

)

 

 

(72

)

Deposits and other assets

 

 

(196

)

 

 

104

 

Prepaid warranty

 

 

(144

)

 

 

424

 

Accounts payable

 

 

398

 

 

 

1,628

 

Accrued expenses

 

 

971

 

 

 

751

 

Income tax payable

 

 

454

 

 

 

76

 

Other short-term liabilities

 

 

(689

)

 

 

0

 

Deferred rent

 

 

(134

)

 

 

(158

)

Deferred revenue

 

 

(477

)

 

 

13,711

 

Warrants

 

 

20

 

 

 

0

 

Net cash used in operating activities

 

 

(83,684

)

 

 

(42,650

)

Cash flows from investing activities

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

Purchases of property and equipment

 

 

(3,880

)

 

 

(952

)

Proceeds from the sale of fixed assets

 

 

8

 

 

 

61

 

Proceeds from the maturity of investments

 

 

0

 

 

 

1,003

 

Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities

 

 

(3,872

)

 

 

112

 

Cash flows from financing activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from issuance of common stock

 

 

694

 

 

 

57,593

 

Proceeds from borrowing SVB Bridge loan

 

 

15,000

 

 

 

0

 

Proceed from borrowing PPP loan

 

 

0

 

 

 

5,580

 

Payment of loan - SVB Bridge

 

 

(15,000

)

 

 

0

 

Payment of PPP loan

 

 

(5,580

)

 

 

0

 

Merger recapitalization

 

 

4,213

 

 

 

0

 

Proceeds from PIPE shares

 

 

125,000

 

 

 

0

 

Payment of transaction costs

 

 

(21,179

)

 

 

0

 

Proceeds from stock subscriptions

 

 

293

 

 

 

81

 

Net cash provided by financing activities

 

 

103,441

 

 

 

63,254

 

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

 

 

245

 

 

 

21

 

Net change in cash and cash equivalents

 

 

16,130

 

 

 

20,737

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

Beginning of the period

 

$

31,543

 

 

$

10,806

 

End of the period

 

 

47,673

 

 

 

31,543

 

Supplemental disclosures of non-cash investing and financing activities

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest earned on subscription notes receivable

 

$

8

 

 

$

16

 

Unpaid purchases of property and equipment

 

 

(28

)

 

 

0

 

Non-cash settlement of related party loan receivable for common shares

 

 

(1,075

)

 

 

0

 

Initial classification of warrant liabilities

 

 

10,234

 

 

 

0

 

Cashless exercise of warrants classified as liabilities

 

$

(10,214

)

 

$

0

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

51


IronNet, Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

(in thousands, unless stated otherwise)

1.
Organization and Nature of Operations, Basis of Presentation, and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Organization

IronNet, Inc., formerly known as LGL Systems Acquisition Corporation (“Legacy LGL”), was incorporated in the state of Delaware on April 30, 2019 for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities.

On March 15, 2021, Legacy LGL entered into an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization and Merger (“Merger Agreement”), as amended on August 6, 2021, by and among Legacy LGL, LGL Systems Merger Sub Inc. (the “Merger Sub”) and IronNet Cybersecurity, Inc. (“Legacy IronNet”). On August 26, 2021, the Merger Agreement was consummated and the Merger was completed (the “Merger”). In connection with the Merger, Legacy LGL changed its name to IronNet, Inc., and the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) ticker symbols for its Class A common stock and warrants were changed to “IRNT” and “IRNT.WS” respectively.

Throughout the notes to the consolidated financial statements, unless otherwise noted, "we," "us," "our," "IronNet," the "Company," and similar terms refer to Legacy IronNet and its subsidiaries prior to the consummation of the transactions associated with the Merger, and IronNet, Inc. and our subsidiaries after the Merger.

Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, at the effective time of the Merger, (i) each outstanding share of Legacy IronNet common stock and preferred stock (with each share of Legacy IronNet preferred stock being treated as if it were converted into ten (10) shares of Legacy IronNet common stock on the effective date of the Merger) was converted into the right to receive (a) a number of shares of Company common stock equal to the Exchange Ratio (as defined below) and (b) a cash amount payable in respect of fractional shares of Legacy IronNet common stock that would otherwise be issued in connection with the foregoing conversion, if applicable, and (ii) each Legacy IronNet option, restricted stock unit, restricted stock award that was outstanding immediately prior to the closing of the Merger (and by its terms did not terminate upon the closing of the Merger) remains outstanding and (x) in the case of options, represents the right to purchase a number of shares of Company common stock equal to the number of shares of Legacy IronNet common stock subject to such option multiplied by the Exchange Ratio used for Legacy IronNet common stock (rounded down to the nearest whole share) at an exercise price per share equal to the current exercise price per share for such option divided by the Exchange Ratio (rounded up to the nearest whole cent) and (y) in the case of restricted stock units and restricted stock awards, represent a number of shares of Company common stock equal to the number of shares of Legacy IronNet common stock subject to such restricted stock unit or restricted stock award multiplied by the Exchange Ratio (rounded down to the nearest whole share). In addition, Legacy IronNet stockholders and eligible holders of options, restricted stock unit awards and restricted stock awards (as applicable, only to the extent time vested as of the closing of the Merger) were also eligible to receive additional merger consideration in the form of a pro rata portion of 1,078 shares of Company common stock if the volume weighted average closing share price for the Company’s common stock equaled or exceeded $13.00 for ten (10) consecutive days during the two-year period following the closing of the Merger. This condition was satisfied and the additional shares of Company common stock were issued in September 2021.

The Merger was accounted for as a reverse recapitalization. Under this method of accounting, Legacy LGL has been treated as the acquired company for financial reporting purposes. This determination was primarily based on our existing stockholders being the majority stockholders and holding majority voting power in the combined company, our senior management comprising the majority of the senior management of the combined company, and our ongoing operations comprising the ongoing operations of the combined company. Accordingly, for accounting purposes, the Merger was treated as the equivalent of Legacy IronNet issuing shares for the net assets of Legacy LGL, accompanied by a recapitalization. The net assets of Legacy LGL were recognized at fair value (which was consistent with carrying value), with no goodwill or other intangible assets recorded. Operations prior to the Merger in these financial statements are those of Legacy IronNet and the retained earnings of Legacy IronNet has been carried forward after the Merger. Share numbers and the related earnings (loss) per share calculations for all periods prior to the Merger have been retrospectively adjusted for the equivalent number of shares reflecting the exchange ratio established in the Merger. Refer to Note 3. Reverse Recapitalization for additional information.

Nature of Operations

IronNet provides a suite of technologies that provide real-time threat assessment and updates, behavioral modeling, big data analytics, and proactive threat detection and response capabilities as well as consulting services and training programs to protect against current and emerging cyber-threats.

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the accrual basis of accounting in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of all subsidiaries, all of which are wholly owned for the years ended January 31, 2022 and 2021. Intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the use of estimates and assumptions by management in determining the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosuredisclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.

Making Such management estimates requires managementand assumptions include, but are not limited to, exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimateperiod of benefit for deferred commissions, the effectuseful life of a condition, situation or setproperty and equipment, stock-based compensation expense, fair value of circumstances that existed atwarrants, and income taxes. If the date ofunderlying estimates and assumptions upon which the financial statements which management considered in formulating its estimate, couldare based change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, theperiods, actual results couldamounts may differ significantly from those estimates.included in the accompanying consolidated financial statements.

Liquidity

CashAs of January 31, 2022, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $47.7 million and collectable receivables of $13.8 million. The Company continues to benefit from being debt free, having paid off previous balances on our PPP Loan and SVB Bridge facility, as well as continuing to fund our operations from the proceeds from the merger that closed on August 26, 2021 and secured gross funding of $138.25 million. As discussed under Subsequent Events, the Company has also secured a $175 million equity line with Tumim Capital, which remains available to fund future operations in the absence of any material adverse conditions. The Company, based on our forecast and the proceeds from the recent merger, as well as plans which could be executed to moderate internal and external expenditures as needed, has concluded that we will have sufficient liquidity to fund operations for the period ended 12 months from the issuance of these financial statements.

The Company’s future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including, but not limited to the rate of our growth, our ability to attract and retain customers and their willingness and ability to pay for our products and services, and the timing and extent of spending to support our

52


efforts to market and develop our products. Further, we may enter into future arrangements to acquire or invest in businesses, products, services, strategic partnerships, and technologies. As such, we may be required to seek additional equity or debt financing. In the event that additional financing is required from outside sources, we may not be able to raise it on terms acceptable to us or at all. If additional funds are not available to us on acceptable terms, or at all, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might become necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all short-term investmentshighly-liquid instruments readily convertible into known amounts of cash with an original maturitymaturities of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents.

Account and Loan Receivable

Accounts receivable, including unbilled, are generated from contracts with customers. Management determines the need for an allowance for doubtful accounts by evaluating individual customer receivables and considering a customer’s financial condition, credit history and current economic conditions. Management has evaluated the need for an allowance for doubtful accounts and 0 amounts were recorded as of January 31, 2022 and 2021.

Concentrations of Credit Risk

The Company’s assets that are exposed to credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents and accounts receivable. Cash and cash equivalents are maintained at financial institutions and, at times, balances may exceed federally insured limits. The Company didhas never experienced any losses related to these balances. Amounts on deposit in excess of federally insured limits of $250 or accounts not included in federally insured limits at January 31, 2022 approximates $46,695. Accounts receivable consist primarily of amounts due from commercial entities. Historically, the Company has not experienced significant losses related to accounts receivable and, therefore, believes that the credit risk related to accounts receivable is minimal.

Inventory

Inventory is stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value. No provisions have any cash equivalents asbeen made to reduce slow-moving, obsolete or unusable inventories to their net realizable values for January 31, 2022 and 2021. Substantially all of December 31, 2020our inventory is finished goods.

Deferred Costs

The Company amortizes our contract fulfillment costs ratably over the contract term in a manner consistent with the related revenue recognition on that contract and 2019.are included in cost of revenue. These costs include appliance hardware and installation costs that are essential in providing the future benefit of the solution.

Deferred Commissions


LGL SYSTEMS ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Marketable securities held in Trust Account

At December 31, 2020Sales commissions paid to initially obtain a contract are considered incremental and 2019,recoverable costs and are deferred and then amortized on a straight-line basis over the assets were held in sharesperiod of benefit determined to be between one and five years, which includes the contractual and expected renewal periods. Incremental sales commissions that may be paid upon the renewal of a money market fund that invests primarily in U.S. Treasury Bills. Forcontract are also considered incremental and recoverable costs, which are deferred and amortized on a straight-line basis over the year ended December 31, 2020,renewal period. The Company recognizes the incremental costs to initially obtain a contract with a customer on the consolidated balance sheet if the Company withdrew $243,084expects the benefit of interestthose costs to be longer than one year. Amortization expense is included in sales and marketing expenses in the accompanying consolidated statement of operations.

Sales commissions paid upon renewal are substantially lower than the commissions paid to initially obtain the contract and are expensed in the period the contract is renewed. The majority of customer contracts are annual and as a result these renewals commissions are paid on an annual basis.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment is stated at cost and depreciated over the asset's estimated useful life using the straight-line method. Expenditures for major additions and improvements are capitalized and minor replacements, maintenance, and repairs are charged to expense as incurred. The Company has incurred repair and maintenance charges of $12 and $10 for the years ended January 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. When property and equipment is retired or otherwise disposed of, the cost and accumulated depreciation and amortization is removed and any resulting gain or loss is included in the results of operations.

Property and equipment are stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets, as follows:

Computer and other equipment

3-5 years

Leasehold improvements

Shorter of life of lease or life of asset

Furniture and fixtures

7 years

Software

3 years

Deferred Revenue (Contract Liabilities)

Deferred revenue, which is a contract liability, consists of amounts for which we have the unconditional right to bill or advance from customers for which have not yet recognized revenue. We generally bill our customers in advance. To the extent the Company bills customers in advance of the contract commencement date, the accounts receivable and corresponding deferred revenue amounts are netted to zero on the consolidated balance sheets, unless we have the unconditional right to receive the consideration at the time the customer has been invoiced. To the extent the Company has the unconditional right to bill or advance from customers, if the customer has not yet been invoiced, unbilled receivables are established for the amount for which we have the unconditional right to bill, with corresponding deferred revenue established for the portion for which we have not yet recognized revenue.

Foreign Currency Translation

The United States Dollar (USD) is the functional currency of IronNet and our subsidiaries in the United States. Our subsidiaries’ financial statements are maintained in their functional currencies, which is the local currency in their country of origin. Our foreign subsidiaries’ financial statements are translated into USD. Assets and liabilities are translated into USD using the period-end spot foreign exchange rates. Income and expenses are translated into USD using the weighted-average exchange rates in effect during the period. Equity accounts are translated at historical exchange rates. The effects of these translation adjustments are reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) included in consolidated statements of changes in stockholders’ equity.

53


Revenue Recognition

The Company's revenues are derived from sales of products, subscriptions, support and maintenance and other services. Revenue is recognized when all of the following criteria are met:

Identification of the contract, or contracts, with a customer—A contract with a customer to account for exists when (i) the Company enters into an enforceable contract with a customer that defines each party’s rights regarding the goods or services to be transferred and identifies the payment terms related to these goods or services, (ii) the contract has commercial substance and the parties are committed to perform, and (iii) the Company determines that collection of substantially all consideration to which it will be entitled in exchange for goods or services that will be transferred is probable based on the customer’s intent and ability to pay the promised consideration.
Identification of the performance obligations in the contract—Performance obligations promised in a contract are identified based on the goods or services that will be transferred to the customer that are both capable of being distinct, whereby the customer can benefit from the Trust Accountgoods or service either on its own or together with other resources that are readily available from third parties or from us, and are distinct in the context of the contract, whereby the transfer of the goods or services is separately identifiable from other promises in the contract. To the extent a contract includes multiple promised goods or services, the Company applies judgment to pay its franchise taxes.

Common stock subjectdetermine whether promised goods or services are capable of being distinct and distinct in the context of the contract. If these criteria are not met the promised goods or services are accounted for as a combined performance obligation.

Determination of the transaction price—The transaction price is determined based on the consideration to possible redemption

which the Company will be entitled in exchange for transferring goods or services to the customer.

Allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contractThe Company accountsallocates the transaction price to each performance obligation based on the amount of consideration expected to be received in exchange for its common stock subjecttransferring goods and services to possible redemptionthe customer. If the contract contains a single performance obligation, the entire transaction price is allocated to the single performance obligation. Contracts that contain multiple performance obligations require an allocation of the transaction price to each performance obligation based on a relative SSP ("Standalone Selling Price") basis. Determination of SSP requires judgment. We determine standalone selling price taking into account available information such as historical selling prices of the performance obligation, geographic location, overall strategic pricing objective, market conditions and internally approved pricing guidelines related to the performance obligations.
Recognition of revenue when, or as, we satisfy performance obligations—The Company satisfies performance obligations either over time or at a point in time as discussed in further detail below. Revenue is recognized at or over the time the related performance obligation is satisfied by transferring a promised good or service to a customer.

We generate revenue from the sales of cloud based subscriptions, managed services and professional services, primarily through our indirect relationships with our partners or direct relationships with end customers through our direct sales force. We account for our contracts with customers in accordance with the guidance inAccounting Standards Update (ASU) 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, regarding Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities606 (“ASC 606”), and all related interpretations.

Revenue from Equity.” Common stock subjectsubscriptions to mandatory redemptionour cloud-based solutions, which allow customers to use our hosted security software over a contracted period without taking possession of the software and managed services where we provide managed detection and response services for customers, are recognized over the contractual term. The Company’s software offering is classifiedmarketed, sold, and monitored as a liability instrumentsingle integrated cybersecurity solution, inclusive of software, compute hosting for analytics and sensors which may include hardware, intelligence feeds, and support services. This suite of products and services is measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable common stock (including common stocka single overall cybersecurity solution that features redemption rights thatrepresents one performance obligation.

Professional services, which include incident response, security assessments, and other strategic security consulting services are offered on a time-and-materials basis or through fixed fee arrangements, and we recognize the associated revenue as the services are delivered.

Software Development Costs

The Company’s software platform, which has been developed internally, can be provided to customers by utilizing either a software or cloud platform, in which the customer can access the product via the cloud, or software can be downloaded into the customer’s environment and may be supported by hardware. In this case, although customers have the ability to download the software into their own environment for purposes of detecting and defending against threats, the customer is either within the controlunable to take possession of the holder or subjectsoftware and run it independently without significant penalty. For that reason, the costs related to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) is classified as temporary equity. At all other times, common stock is classified as stockholders’ equity. The Company’s common stock features certain redemption rights that are considered to be outsidedevelopment of the Company’s controlsoftware products and subjectany specifically identifiable upgrades or enhancements qualify for accounting under ASC 350-40 Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software. There is no other software developed internally for the purpose of selling or marketing externally that does not require the Company's ongoing involvement.

The Company capitalizes qualifying internal-use software development costs incurred during the application development stage for internal tools and cloud-based applications used to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, common stock subjectdeliver its services, provided that management with the relevant authority authorizes and commits to possible redemption is presented at redemption value as temporary equity, outsidethe funding of the stockholders’ equity section ofproject, it is probable the project will be completed, and the software will be used to perform the function intended. Costs related to preliminary project activities and post implementation activities are expensed as incurred. Capitalized internal-use software development costs are included in property and equipment and are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful life once it is ready for its intended use, which has been identified as 3 years for the Company’s balance sheet.software products. Amortization of capitalized internal-use software development costs is included within general and administrative expense. As of January 31, 2022, capitalized costs were $2.7 million, net of $86 of amortized cost.

Research and Development

Research and development costs are expensed in the year incurred and relate to new product developments and new features and are primarily personnel related costs and acquired software costs. These costs totaled $52,899 and $25,754 for the years ended January 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Advertising

Income taxes

The Company followsexpenses advertising costs as incurred. Advertising costs were $1,789 and $2,631 for the years ended January 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively and are included in the sales and marketing expenses.

Income Taxes

Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes under ASC 740, “Income Taxes.”method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statementsstatement carrying amountsamount of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includedincludes the enactment date. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.

54


ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. There were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties as of December 31, 2020 and 2019. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position. The Company is subject to income taxes in U.S. federal jurisdictions and various state jurisdictions. Tax regulations within each jurisdiction are subject to interpretation of the related tax examinationslaws and regulations and require significant judgment to apply. The Company recognizes tax liabilities for uncertain tax positions when it is more likely than not that a tax position will not be sustained upon examination and settlement with various taxing authorities. Liabilities for uncertain tax positions are measured based upon the largest amount of benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized upon settlement. The guidance on accounting for uncertainty in income taxes also addresses de-recognition, classification, interest and penalties on income taxes, and accounting in interim periods. Management has evaluated the Company’s tax positions and has concluded that the Company has taken no uncertain tax positions that require adjustment to the financial statements.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

A financial instrument’s categorization within the fair value hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The inputs are prioritized into three levels that may be used to measure fair value:

Level 1: Inputs that reflect quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets that are observable.

Level 2: Inputs that reflect quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active; or model-derived valuations in which significant inputs are observable or can be derived principally from, or corroborated by, major taxing authorities since inception.observable market data.

Net loss per common share

Net loss per common share is computed by dividing net loss byLevel 3: Inputs that are unobservable to the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstandingextent that observable inputs are not available for the period. The Company appliesasset or liability at the two-class method in calculating earnings per share. Sharesmeasurement date.

Warrant Liabilities

Simultaneously with the closing of common stock subject to possible redemption at December 31, 2020 and 2019, which are not currently redeemable and are not redeemable at fair value, have been excluded from the calculation of basic loss per share since such shares, if redeemed, only participate in their pro rata share of the Trust Account earnings. The Company has not considered the effect of warrants to purchase 13,825,000 shares of common stock that were sold in theLegacy LGL’s Initial Public Offering, and theLGL Systems Acquisition Holding Company, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company purchased an aggregate of 5,200 Private Warrants at a price of $1.00 per Private Warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of $5.2 million from Legacy LGL in a private placement inthat occurred simultaneously with the calculation of diluted loss per share, since the exercisecompletion of the warrants is contingent upon the occurrence of future events. As a result, diluted loss per share is the same as basic loss per share for the periods presented.


LGL SYSTEMS ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Reconciliation of net loss per common share

The Company’s net loss is adjusted for the portion of income that is attributable to common stock subject to possible redemption, as these shares only participate in the earnings of the Trust Account and not the income and losses of the Company. Accordingly, basic and diluted loss per common share is calculated as follows:

     For the   
     Period From 
     April 30, 
  For the  2019 
  Year Ended  (Inception) to 
  December 31,   December,   
  2020   2019   
Net income/(loss) $141,312  $(102,604)
Less: Income attributable to shares subject to possible redemption  536,991   18,026 
Adjusted net loss $(395,679) $(120,630)
         
Weighted average shares outstanding, basic and diluted (1)    5,312,754   4,057,455 
         
Basic and diluted net loss per common share (2)   $(0.07) $(0.03)

(1)Excludes an aggregate of up to 16,223,745 and 16,265,073 of shares subject to possible redemption at December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively.
(2)Excludes income attributable to common stock subject to possible redemption of $536,991 for the year ended December 31, 2020 and $18,026 for the period from April 30, 2019 (inception) through December 31, 2019.

Concentration of credit risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of cash accounts in a financial institution, which, at times may exceed the Federal Depository Insurance Corporation coverage limit of $250,000. The Company has not experienced losses on these accounts and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such accounts.

Fair value of financial instruments

The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.

Recently issued accounting standards

Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting pronouncements, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.

NOTE 3. INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING

Pursuant to the Initial Public Offering, the Company sold 17,250,000 Units, at $10.00 per Unit, which includes the full exercise by the underwriter of its option to purchase an additional 2,250,000 Units.Offering. Each Unit consists of one share of Class A common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant (“Public Warrant”). Each whole PublicPrivate Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50$11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 7).

NOTE 4. PRIVATE PLACEMENT

Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the sponsor purchased an aggregate of 5,200,000 private warrants at a price of $1.00 per Private Warrant, for an aggregateshare. The purchase price of $5,200,000. Eachthe Private Warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 7). The proceeds from the private warrants wereWarrants was added to the proceeds from the Initial Public Offering to beand was held in the Trust Account. IfAccount until the closing of the Merger. The Private Warrants (including the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Private Warrants) were not transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the closing date of the Merger, and they may be exercised on a cashless basis and are non-redeemable so long as they are held by the initial purchasers of the Private Warrants or their permitted transferees.

We evaluated the warrants issued by Legacy LGL, our legal predecessor, to purchase its common stock in a private placement concurrently with its initial public offering (the “Private Warrants”) under ASC 815-40, Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity, and concluded that they do not meet the criteria to be classified in stockholders’ equity. Specifically, the provisions in the Private Warrant agreement provide for potential changes to the settlement amounts dependent upon the characteristics of the warrant holder and because the holder of a warrant is not an input into the pricing of a fixed-for-fixed option on equity shares, such a provision would preclude the warrant from being classified in equity. Since the Private Warrants meet the definition of a derivative under ASC 815, we recorded these Private Warrants as liabilities on the balance sheet at fair value, with subsequent changes in their respective fair values recognized in the consolidated statement of operations at each reporting date. The fair value adjustments were determined by using the listed price of Public Warrants, which are similar instruments with a quoted price in an active market, as described in Note 8. The Private Warrants are deemed equity instruments for income tax purposes, and accordingly, there is no tax accounting related to changes in the fair value of the Private Warrants recognized.

Over the period of September 2021 through October 2021, when the majority of these warrants were exercised on a cashless basis, the formula for such exercises made each Private Warrant effectively exercisable to purchase approximately 0.6 shares of Company common stock on a non-cash basis, each subject to its own exercise calculation applicable to the day on which the exercise was made. The Private Warrants were also redeemable in cash for $11.50 for a share of common stock. No Private Warrants were redeemed on the $11.50 cash basis. In September and October 2021, 5,190 Private Warrants were exercised on a cashless basis into 3,188 shares of Class A common stock. As of January 31, 2022, the Company had 10 Private Warrants outstanding and not exercised. During the period ended January 31, 2022, the Company recognized $11,265 of non-cash expense related to change in fair value of warrants in the consolidated statements of operations.

Stock-based Compensation

The Company recognizes expense for stock-based compensation awards based on the estimated fair value of the award on the date of grant. For stock options, this will be amortized on a straight-line basis over the employee’s or director’s requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period of the award. For restricted stock unit (“RSU”) awards, stock-based compensation expense is recognized on a graded basis matched to the length of time and vesting tranches of each grant.

The fair value of stock options is estimated at the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The use of a valuation model requires management to make certain assumptions with respect to selected model inputs. The Company grants stock options at exercise prices determined equal to the fair value of common stock on the date of the grant. The computation of expected option life is based on an average of the vesting term and the maximum contractual life of the Company’s stock options, as the Company does not completehave sufficient history to use an alternative method to the simplified method to calculate an expected life for employees. The Company estimates an expected forfeiture rate for stock options, which is factored into the determination of stock-based compensation expense. The volatility assumption is based on the historical and implied volatility of the Company’s peer group with similar business models. The risk-free interest rate is based on U.S. Treasury zero-coupon issues with a Business Combination withinremaining term equal to the Combination Period,expected life assumed at the proceedsdate of grant. The dividend yield percentage is zero, as the Company does not currently pay dividends nor does the Company intend to do so in the future.

Prior to the Merger, the fair value of each stock RSU was estimated on the grant date using the Black-Scholes pricing model based on the same assumptions utilized for calculating fair market value of the stock options and utilizing the as-converted equivalent price of securities issued during the period. In addition to any time or performance-based vesting conditions, the RSU awards granted by the Company prior to the Merger contained an additional vesting requirement that required the occurrence of a liquidity event. As of the closing of the Merger, which represented the satisfaction of the liquidity event vesting requirement for outstanding RSUs, all RSUs issued prior to the completion of the Merger were revalued using the closing share price on that date. In the event that a RSU grant holder is terminated before the award is fully vested, the full amount of the unvested portion of the award will be recognized as a forfeiture in the period of termination.

Common Stock

We have 500,000 shares of voting common stock authorized for issuance. As of January 31, 2022, a total of 88,876 shares of common stock issued and outstanding, with 20,128 held for future exercise of outstanding RSUs, 1,317 held for future exercise of stock options, 9,803 shares available for grant under the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan, 8,596 shares reserved for public warrant conversion, and approximately 10 shares reserved for private warrant conversion.

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

We are an emerging growth company, as defined in the JOBS Act. Under the JOBS Act, EGCs can delay adopting new or revised accounting standards issued subsequent to the enactment of the JOBS Act until those standards apply to private companies. We have elected to use this

55


extended transition period for complying with certain new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until the earlier of the date we (i) are no longer an EGC or (ii) affirmatively and irrevocably opt out of the extended transition period provided in the JOBS Act. As a result, our consolidated financial statements may or may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public companies’ effective dates.

New Accounting Pronouncements Adopted in Fiscal 2022

In December 2019, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes, which modifies and eliminates certain exceptions to the general principles of ASC 740, Income Taxes. ASU 2019-12 was adopted in the first quarter of fiscal 2022. The prospective adoption of ASU 2019-12 was not material.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15, Intangibles—Goodwill and of Other—Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That Is a Service Contract. ASU 2018-15 was adopted in the third quarter of fiscal 2022. The prospective adoption of ASU 2018-15 was not material.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

The FASB issued ASU No.2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (“ASU 2016-02”), which supersedes the current lease requirements in ASC 840, Leases. ASU 2016-02 requires lessees to recognize a right-of-use asset and related lease liability for all leases, with a limited exception for short-term leases. Leases will be classified as either finance or operating, with the classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the statement of operations. Currently, leases are classified as either capital or operating, with any capital leases recognized on the consolidated balance sheets. The reporting of lease-related expenses in the consolidated statements of operations and cash flows will be generally consistent with the current guidance. The new lease guidance will be effective the earlier of the year ending January 31, 2023 or the time at which we no longer qualify as an EGC and will be applied using a modified retrospective transition method to either the beginning of the earliest period presented or the beginning of the year of adoption. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting the new standard. The adoption of this standard will require the recognition of a right of use asset and liability on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (Topic 326). This standard requires a new method for recognizing credit losses that is referred to as the current expected credit loss (“CECL”) method. The CECL method requires the recognition of all losses expected over the life of a financial instrument upon origination or purchase of the instrument, unless the Company elects to recognize such instruments at fair value with changes in profit and loss (the fair value option). This standard is effective for the Company for the earlier of the fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022 or the time at which we no longer qualify as an EGC. Management does not expect the impact of adopting this standard to be material.

2.
Revenue

Software, subscription and support revenue

The Company sells a collective defense software solution that provides a near real time collective defense infrastructure that is comprised of two product offerings, IronDefense and IronDome. The software platform is delivered through both on-premises licenses bundled with on-premises hardware and through subscription software.

Our security appliance deliverables include proprietary operating system software and hardware together with regular threat intelligence updates and support, maintenance, and warranty. We combine intelligence dependent hardware and software licenses with the related threat intelligence and support and maintenance as a single performance obligation, as it delivers the essential functionality of our cybersecurity solution. As a result, we recognize revenue for this single performance obligation ratably over the expected term with the customer. Significant judgement is required for the assessment of material rights relating to renewal options associated with our contracts.

Revenue from subscriptions, which allow customers to use our security software over a contracted period without taking possession of the software, and managed services, where we provide managed detection and response services for customers, is recognized over the contractual term. The cloud-based subscription revenue, where we also provide hosting, recognized for the years ended January 31, 2022 and 2021 was $15,960 and $10,062, respectively. Overall software, subscription, and support revenue recognized for the years ended January 31, 2022 and 2021, was $25,347 and $24,701, respectively.

Professional services revenue

The Company sells professional services, including cyber operations monitoring, security, training and tailored maturity assessments. Revenue derived from these services is recognized as the services are delivered. Revenue recognized from professional services for the years ended January 31, 2022 and 2021 was $2,197 and $4,526, respectively.

Customer concentration

For the year ended January 31, 2022, six customers accounted for 51%, or $13,975, with two of those customers accounting for 21%, of the Company's revenue, and for the year ended January 31, 2021, six customers accounted for 46%, or $13,381, with one of those customers accounting for 10%, of the Company’s revenue. As of January 31, 2022, and January 31, 2021, two and three customers represent 49% and 85% of the total accounts receivable balance, respectively.

Significant customers are those which represent at least 10% of the Company’s total revenue at each respective period ending date. The following table presents customers that represent 10% or more of the Company’s total revenue:

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

 

 

2022

 

2021

Customer A

 

*

 

10%

Customer B

 

11%

 

*

Customer C

 

10%

 

*

 

 

21%

 

10%

* - less than 10%

Deferred costs

The Company defers contract fulfillment costs that includes appliance hardware. The balances in deferred costs are as follows:

56


Balance at February 1, 2020

 

$

3,080

 

Cost of revenue recognized

 

 

(1,151

)

Costs deferred

 

 

876

 

Balance at January 31, 2021

 

 

2,805

 

Balance at February 1, 2021

 

 

2,805

 

Cost of revenue recognized

 

 

(2,095

)

Costs deferred

 

 

3,899

 

Foreign exchange

 

 

(5

)

Balance at January 31, 2022

 

$

4,604

 

The balance of deferred commissions at January 31, 2022 and 2021 were $1,238 and $1,319, respectively. Deferred commissions are included in the Deferred costs on the Consolidated Balance Sheets of which $844 is current and $393 is long-term as of January 31, 2022.

Deferred revenue

Deferred revenue represents amounts received from and/or billed to customers in excess of revenue recognized. Amounts that have been invoiced are recorded in accounts receivable and in deferred revenue or revenue depending on whether the revenue recognition criteria have been met. During the fiscal years ended January 31, 2022 and January 31, 2021, the Company recognized revenue of $12,509 and $7,809, respectively, which was included in the deferred revenue balance at the beginning of each of the respective periods.

The balance in deferred revenue is as follows:

Balance at February 1, 2020

 

$

20,312

 

Revenue recognized

 

 

(25,271

)

Revenue deferred

 

 

38,940

 

Foreign exchange

 

 

63

 

Balance at January 31, 2021

 

 

34,044

 

Balance at February 1, 2021

 

 

34,044

 

Revenue recognized

 

 

(29,133

)

Revenue deferred

 

 

28,663

 

Foreign exchange

 

 

(8

)

Balance at January 31, 2022

 

$

33,566

 

Remaining performance obligations

As of January 31, 2022, the remaining performance obligations totaled $33,566. The Company’s recognition of revenue in the future thereon will be in:

Years Ending January 31,

 

 

 

2023

 

$

16,049

 

2024

 

 

9,771

 

2025

 

 

5,852

 

2026

 

 

1,894

 

 

 

$

33,566

 

3.
Reverse Recapitalization

As discussed in Note 1., on August 26, 2021, the Company completed theMerger. Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, Merger Sub was merged with and into Legacy IronNet, with Legacy IronNet surviving the Merger as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Legacy LGL.

The following table reconciles the elements of the Merger to the consolidated statement of cash flows for the year ended January 31, 2022:

 

 

Recapitalization and Associated Transactions

 

Cash (Trust)

 

$

173,015

 

Redemptions

 

 

(159,763

)

Less: fees to underwriters and advisors

 

 

(9,038

)

Net cash received from Merger recapitalization

 

 

4,214

 

Issuance of PIPE Shares

 

 

125,000

 

Less: PIPE fees to underwriters and advisors

 

 

(21,179

)

Net cash received from PIPE Shares and Merger recapitalization

 

 

108,035

 

Less: debt settlement

 

 

(21,266

)

Net proceeds from Merger recapitalization, PIPE Shares and debt settlement

 

$

86,769

 

57


The number of outstanding shares of common stock of the Company as of January 31, 2022 is summarized as follows:

Shares by Type

Number of Shares

IronNet Class A Common Stock outstanding previous to the Merger

67,502

Issuance of common stock (exercise of ISOs and warrant)

29

Number of Shares issued at the date of the business combination (Recapitalization)

LGL Class A Common Stock outstanding previous to the Merger

17,250

Less: Redemption of LGL Class A previous to the Merger

(15,929

)

Total Class A Shares issued to former LGL shareholders

1,321

LGL Founders Shares

3,234

PIPE Shares

12,500

Number of Share issued at the Merger

17,055

Number of Shares issued (redeemed) following the consummation of the Merger

Earnout Shares

1,078

Private Warrants (Exercised)

3,188

Public Warrants (Exercised)

29

Exercise of ISOs

158

Payments on subscription notes receivable

(55

)

Shares repurchase related to loan pay-off

(108

)

Total Shares of Common Stock as of January 31, 2022

88,876

In connection with the closing of and as a result of the consummation of the Merger, certain members of the Company’s management and employees received bonus payments in the aggregate amount of $515. The bonuses have been reflected in general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations.

The Company has incurred transaction costs in connection with the Merger. The transaction costs considered incremental have been expensed as incurred and these amounts, $2,328 for the year ended January 31, 2022, are included in general and administrative expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. On August 26, 2021, the Company received $13,251 held in Legacy LGL’s trust account, net of redemptions. Transaction costs related to the issuance of the trust shares were $9,038, which were recorded in additional paid in capital on the consolidated balance sheet.

The following activity occurred in connection with the consummation of the Merger:

IronNet Class A Common Stock (Legacy IronNet Founders Shares) and Preferred Shares

Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, at the effective time of the Merger, each outstanding share of Legacy IronNet preferred shares and common stock was converted into Class A common stock in the Combined company based on the Exchange Ratio established as part of the Merger, with each preferred share treated as if it were converted into ten shares of Legacy IronNet common stock on the effective date of the Merger. The Exchange Ratio was 0.8141070 of a share of Company common stock per fully-diluted share of Legacy IronNet common stock.

PIPE Shares

On August 26, 2021, a number of purchasers (each, a “Subscriber”) purchased from the Company an aggregate of 12,500 shares of Company common stock (the “PIPE Shares”), for a purchase price of $10.00 per share and an aggregate purchase price of $125,000, pursuant to separate subscription agreements entered into effective as of March 15, 2021 (each, a “Subscription Agreement”). Pursuant to the Subscription Agreements, the Company granted certain registration rights to the Subscribers with respect to the PIPE Shares. The sale of the private warrants will be used to fundPIPE Shares was consummated concurrently with the redemptionclosing of the Public shares (subject toMerger in an amount of $125,000. Transaction costs related with the requirementsissuance were $21,179, which were recorded in the consolidated statement of applicable law), and the private warrants will expire worthless.cash flows as a financing activity.


LGL SYSTEMS ACQUISITION CORP.Founders Shares

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 5. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

Founder Shares

On April 30, 2019, the sponsor purchased 3,593,750Reflects 3,234 shares of Class BA common stock (the “Founder Shares”) for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000,$24, or approximately $0.007$0.007 per share.

Debt Settlements

Loan and Security Agreement

On June 21, 2021, Legacy IronNet entered into a Loan and Security Agreement (“Term Loan” or “SVB Bridge”) with SVB Innovation Credit Fund VIII, L.P. for term loan advances of up to $15,000 to provide for working capital needs over the period leading up to completion of the combination with Legacy LGL. The Term Loan was able to be prepaid at any time and had a term for up to six months, or until the date on which Legacy IronNet completed its combination with Legacy LGL, whichever came sooner, and bore monthly interest at a per annum rate equal to eight percent, as well as customary fees for de-SPAC bridge loans of this nature. As used herein, unlessof August 26, 2021, in conjunction with the contextMerger, the Company repaid the term loan principal and accrued interest in an aggregate amount of $15,609.

PPP loan

On April 21, 2020, Legacy IronNet entered into a Paycheck Protection Program ("PPP") loan from the US Small Business Administration pursuant to the provision of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act, receiving loan funds of $5,580. The loan bore interest at 1% and was payable in monthly installments beginning on September 15, 2021. The unsecured loan was evidenced by a promissory note of the Company with PNC Bank (the “Lender”). On August 26, 2021, in conjunction with the Merger, the Company repaid in full all amounts due and terminated all commitments and obligations under the unsecured PPP loan. As of January 31, 2021, Legacy IronNet had an interest accrual of $44 related to the PPP loan.

Loans to Employees

On December 29, 2018, Legacy IronNet entered into a loan with a current executive of the Company with a principal balance of $1,000 bearing an interest rate of 2.76% for a term of three years, which was secured by a pledge of certain shares of Legacy IronNet Class A common stock. As of August 26, 2021, in conjunction with the merger, the Company resolved the loan by having the executive surrender to the Company 108 shares that would have otherwise requires, “Founderbeen issuable to the executive in the Merger.

Earnout Agreement

Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, Eligible Legacy IronNet Equityholders (as defined in the Merger Agreement) had the right to receive up to 1,078 shares (the “Earnout Shares” shall), to be deemedissued at any time during the two years after of the Closing Date following the occurrence of the triggering event, which is: “…the date, occurring after the Closing Date and on or prior to include the second anniversary of the Closing Date, on which the volume-weighted average closing sale price of one share of IronNet Stock quoted on the New York Stock Exchange (or such other principal

58


securities exchange or securities market on which the shares of Acquiror Stock are then listed) is equal to or greater than $13.00 for any ten (10) consecutive Trading Days occurring after the Closing Date.”

As of the close of trading on September 10, 2021, the requisite conditions of the earnout triggering event were satisfied and the Company issued 1,078 Earnout Shares to the Eligible Legacy IronNet Equityholders.

Legacy IronNet Restricted Stock Units and Stock Options

Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, each Legacy IronNet RSU and stock option outstanding immediately prior to the closing of the Merger, and which based on their terms did not terminate upon the closing of the Merger, remained outstanding. In the case of Legacy IronNet stock options, they were converted based on the number of shares of Legacy IronNet common stock subject to that option, multiplied by the Exchange Ratio, at an exercise price per share equal to the current exercise price per share for that option, divided by the Exchange Ratio. In the case of Legacy IronNet RSUs, they were converted based on the number of shares of Company common stock equal to the number of shares of Legacy IronNet common stock subject to that award, multiplied by the Exchange Ratio.

Under the terms of Legacy IronNet’s 2014 Stock Incentive Plan, the vesting of each RSU award was subject to, among other conditions, including a service requirement, the occurrence of a liquidity event, as defined by the Plan. On August 26, 2021, in connection with the close of the Merger with Legacy LGL, the Company’s Board of Directors resolved to deem the Merger as satisfying the Liquidity Event condition. The resolution resulted in a modification of the RSUs under ASC 718 “Compensation—Stock Compensation.” As a consequence of modification of the awards outstanding, the Company recognized a non-cash expense in an amount of $169,360 during fiscal year 2022 related to 15,780 RSUs that remained outstanding as of January 31, 2022 under the 2014 Plan.

4.
Prepaid Expenses

The increase in prepaid expenses in the current year primarily relates to $3.2 million in directors and officers insurance purchased in August 2021, of which $1.8 million makes up the balance of prepaid expenses at January 31, 2022.

5.
Property and Equipment

Property and equipment consists of the following at January 31:

 

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

Computer and other equipment

 

$

5,369

 

 

$

3,701

 

Leasehold improvements

 

 

1,416

 

 

 

1,582

 

Furniture and fixtures

 

 

388

 

 

 

386

 

Software

 

 

2,795

 

 

 

629

 

 

 

 

9,968

 

 

 

6,298

 

Less: Accumulated depreciation and amortization

 

 

(4,362

)

 

 

(3,506

)

 

 

$

5,606

 

 

$

2,792

 

Depreciation and amortization expense on property and equipment was $1,092 and $1,162 for the years ended January 31, 2022 and January 31, 2021, respectively.

6.
Stock Incentive Plans

Legacy IronNet’s Board of Directors adopted and the stockholders approved Legacy IronNet’s 2014 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2014 Plan”) on September 29, 2014 and on October 17, 2014, respectively. The 2014 Plan was periodically amended, most recently on June 7, 2019. The 2014 Plan permitted the grant of incentive stock options “ISOs,” non-qualified stock options “NSOs,” stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units “RSUs,” and other stock-based awards. ISOs were only able to be granted to Legacy IronNet’s employees and to any of the employees of Legacy IronNet’s subsidiary corporations’ employees. All other awards could be granted to employees, directors and consultants of Legacy IronNet’s and to any of Legacy IronNet’s parent or subsidiary corporation’s employees or consultants. As of August 26, 2021, the closing date of the Merger, no additional awards will be granted under the 2014 Plan. The terms of the 2014 Plan will continue to govern the terms of outstanding equity awards that were granted prior to the closing date.

On August 26, 2021, per the Merger Agreement, the outstanding Legacy IronNet ISO and RSU grants issued under the 2014 Plan were converted to their post-transaction equivalents based on the conversion ratio, totaling 18,972 shares in the Combined Company when exercised or converted.

The 2021 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2021 Plan”) was approved by Legacy LGL’s stockholders on August 26, 2021. Under the 2021 Plan, the Company may grant ISOs, RSUs and other equity securities to acquire, to convert into, or to receive up to 13,500 shares of Class A common stock. As of January 31, 2022, 9,803 share equivalents remained available to issue under the 2021 Plan.

All share equivalents issued or issuable under the 2014 Plan and the 2021 Plan (together, the “Stock Incentive Plans”) normally vest over a forty-eight month period, some of which have a first year cliff vest for the first 25% of their vesting, during which time no vesting occurs. In limited cases, vesting as short as twelve months with no cliff, vesting based on performance criteria and acceleration under certain events have also been permitted; however, such exceptions apply to less than 20% of the share equivalents authorized under the Stock Incentive Plans.

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Stock Options

The exercise price of each ISO granted under the Stock Incentive Plans may not be less than the fair market value per share of the underlying Class A common stock on the date of grant. The Board of Directors establishes the term and the vesting of all options issued under the Stock Incentive Plans; however, in no event will the term exceed ten years.

Presented below is a summary of the status of the stock options under the 2014 Stock Incentive Plan, as no stock options have been granted under the 2021 Plan:

 

 

Number of Shares

 

 

Weighted Average Exercise Price

 

 

Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term (Years)

 

Intrinsic Value of outstanding options

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding at February 1, 2020

 

 

3,602

 

 

$

0.54

 

 

 

5.9

 

$

4,088

 

Granted

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

-

 

Exercised

 

 

(403

)

 

$

0.52

 

 

 

5.2

 

$

468

 

Forfeited or expired

 

 

(1,017

)

 

$

0.57

 

 

 

6.1

 

 

-

 

Outstanding at January 31, 2021

 

 

2,182

 

 

$

0.53

 

 

 

5.9

 

$

5,573

 

Exercisable at January 31, 2021

 

 

1,995

 

 

$

0.53

 

 

 

5.9

 

$

5,570

 

Outstanding at February 1, 2021

 

 

2,182

 

 

$

0.53

 

 

 

4.9

 

$

5,573

 

Granted

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

-

 

Exercised

 

 

(749

)

 

$

0.49

 

 

 

4.8

 

$

1,940

 

Forfeited or expired

 

 

(116

)

 

$

0.57

 

 

 

5.3

 

 

-

 

Outstanding at January 31, 2022

 

 

1,317

 

 

$

0.55

 

 

 

4.9

 

$

3,773

 

Exercisable at January 31, 2022

 

 

1,293

 

 

$

0.54

 

 

 

4.9

 

$

3,706

 

For the years ended January 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company recorded $43 and ($6) of compensation cost related to stock options, respectively. There were no options granted during the years ended January 31, 2022 and 2021. The total fair value of shares vested, net of forfeitures, was $2,062 and $1,672 for the years ended January 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Stock compensation expense for ISOs is recognized on a straight-line basis and with a provision for forfeitures matched to historical experience for matured grant cohorts. At January 31, 2022, total unrecognized compensation cost, adjusted for estimated forfeitures, related to unvested stock options was not significant. The weighted-average remaining vesting period of unvested stock options at January 31, 2022 was 4.9 years.

The Company uses the Black-Scholes option pricing model to estimate the fair value of options granted. The Black-Scholes model takes into account the fair value of an ordinary share and the contractual and expected term of the stock option, expected volatility, dividend yield, and risk-free interest rate. Prior to becoming a public company, the fair value of the Company’s common stock was determined utilizing an external third-party pricing specialist.

The contractual term of the option ranges from the one to ten years. Expected volatility is the average volatility over the expected terms of comparable public entities from the same or similar industry as a substitute for the historical volatility of the Company’s common shares, which is not determinable without an active external or internal market. The risk-free interest rate for periods within the expected life of the option is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant. The Company has not historically distributed dividends and does not expect to distribute any dividends.

Restricted Stock Units

In addition to the applicable time or performance-based vesting criteria noted above, the RSUs granted under the 2014 Plan contained an additional vesting requirement that also required the occurrence of a liquidity event. On the date of the Merger, the Board of Directors resolved that the Merger constituted a liquidity event, which triggered the liquidity event criteria for vesting. As detailed in Note 3, in connection with the close of the Merger with Legacy LGL, the Company recognized a non-cash expense for awards issued under the 2014 Plan in an amount of $155,518 during fiscal year 2022.

Presented below is a summary of the status of outstanding RSUs, including showing the vesting status based on time and performance-based criteria, other than the liquidity event condition:

 

 

Number of Shares

 

 

Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

 

 

 

Non-vested at February 1, 2020

 

 

14,397

 

 

$

1.62

 

Granted

 

 

2,029

 

 

 

3.08

 

Vested

 

 

(5,090

)

 

 

1.70

 

Forfeited or expired

 

 

(1,624

)

 

 

2.06

 

Non-vested at January 31, 2021

 

 

9,712

 

 

$

1.82

 

Non-vested at February 1, 2021

 

 

9,712

 

 

$

11.75

 

Granted

 

 

5,900

 

 

 

8.20

 

Vested

 

 

(3,818

)

 

12.01

 

Forfeited or expired

 

 

(1,484

)

 

12.85

 

Non-vested at January 31, 2022

 

 

10,310

 

 

$

9.57

 

As of January 31, 2022, there are 20,128 RSUs outstanding, which is comprised of 3,697 RSUs with only service conditions, 1,303 RSUs with only performance conditions, and 15,128 RSUs with both service conditions and performance conditions. Of the outstanding RSUs, 651 shares with only performance conditions have vested and 9,167 RSUs with both service conditions and performance conditions have vested as of January 31, 2022.

As the closing of the Merger represented the satisfaction of the liquidity event vesting requirement for outstanding RSUs, and vesting was not probable until that time, all RSUs issued prior to the completion of the Merger were re-valued at the date of the Merger using the closing share price on that date. All RSUs were assigned a fair value of $12.85. Subsequent to the closing of the Merger, the fair value of RSUs is based on the fair value of the Company’s common stock on the date of the grant or any further modification.

Stock compensation expense for RSUs granted under the 2014 Plan, which contain both service and performance conditions, is recognized on a

60


graded-scale basis, recognizing expense over the respective vesting period for each tranche of shares under each award granted. Stock compensation expense for RSUs granted under the 2021 Plan have only service vesting conditions. Expense will be recognized on a straight-line basis for all RSU awards with only service conditions. In the event that a RSU grant holder is terminated before the award is fully vested for RSUs granted under either Plan, the full amount of the unvested portion of the award will be recognized as a forfeiture in the period of termination.

We recognized a total stock-based compensation expense, net of actual forfeitures, of $156,560 during the year ended January 31, 2022. $155,518 of this balance is associated with RSUs on a graded vesting schedule and $1,042 is associated with RSUs on a straight-line vesting schedule. As no RSUs vested until the occurrence of the liquidity event, which occurred on August 26, 2021, 0 stock-based compensation was recognized associated with RSUs in the year ended January 31, 2021.

As of January 31, 2022, there was approximately $46,568 of unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested RSUs without performance obligations. The weighted-average remaining vesting period was 2.68 years.

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

In August 2021, Legacy LGL’s Board of Directors adopted, and its stockholders approved, the 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “ESPP”). The ESPP became effective immediately upon the closing of the Merger, and authorizes the issuance of shares of common stock pursuant to purchase rights granted to our employees.

The purpose of the ESPP is to provide a means by which our eligible employees and certain designated companies may be given an opportunity to purchase shares of our common stock, to assist us in retaining the services of eligible employees, to secure and retain the services of new employees and to provide incentives for such persons to exert maximum efforts for our success. The Plan includes two components: a 423 Component and a Non-423 Component. We intend that the 423 Component will qualify as options issued under an “employee stock purchase plan” as that term is defined in Section 423(b) of the Code. Except as otherwise provided in the ESPP or determined by our board of directors, the Non-423 Component will operate and be administered in the same manner as the 423 Component.

The price at which the common stock is purchased under the ESPP is equal to 85% of the fair market value of our common stock on the offering date or the purchase date, whichever is lower. Offerings, which are granted by the board of directors, will consist of one or more purchase periods and will not exceed a period of more than 27 months beginning on the offering date. The number of shares of common stock reserved for issuance automatically increase on February 1 of each year, by an amount that is the lesser of 1% of the total number of shares of common stock outstanding on January 31 of the preceding year, and 2 million shares, as determined by our board of directors. As of January 31, 2022, 2.7 million shares may be issued under the plan, and there have been no purchases of shares for any eligible employee.

7.
Stockholders’ Equity

Common Stock

As of January 31, 2022, the Company had 500,000 shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion thereof. On November 6, 2019, the Company effected aauthorized and 88,876 shares common stock dividend of 0.2 shares for each share outstanding, resulting in an aggregate of 4,312,500 Founder Shares being outstanding, of which an aggregate of up to 562,500 shares were subject to forfeiture by the sponsor to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option was not exercised in full or in part so that the sponsor would own, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares after the Initial Public Offering (assuming the sponsor did not purchase any Public shares in the Initial Public Offering). Allat $0.0001 par value per share.

Each share and per-share amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the stock dividend. As a result of the underwriters’ election to fully exercise the over-allotment option, 562,500 Founder Shares are no longer subject to forfeiture.Common Stock has 1 vote.

The Founder Shares are identical to the Class A common stock included in the Units sold in the Initial Public Offering except as described below and that the Founder Shares automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of the Company’s Initial Business Combination and are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below. Holders of Founder Shares may also elect to convert their shares of Class B convertible common stock into an equal number of shares of Class A common stock, subject to adjustment as provided above, at any time.

The sponsor has agreed (a) to waive its redemption rights with respect to its Founder Shares in connection with the completion of a Business Combination or an amendment to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation described below, (b) to waive its rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination, and (c) not to propose an amendment to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation to modify a public stockholders’ ability to convert or sell their shares to the Company in connection with a Business Combination or affect the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of its Public shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the required time period, unless the Company provides the public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public shares in conjunction with any such amendment.

The sponsor has agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of its Founder Shares following the consummation of the Initial Public Offering until the earlier to occur of: (A) one year after the completion of the Initial Business Combination or (B) subsequent to the Initial Business Combination, (x) if the last sale price of the Company’s Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the Initial Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Company’s stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.

The sponsor has agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of the private warrants until 30 days after the completion of the Initial Business Combination. The sponsor and the Company’s officers and directors have also agreed to vote any Founder Shares held by them and any Public shares purchased after the Initial Public Offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of a Business Combination.

Promissory Note — Related Party

On May 2, 2019, the sponsor agreed to loan the Company an aggregate of up to $150,000 to cover expenses related to the Initial Public Offering pursuant to a promissory note (the “Note”). This Note was non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of (i) April 30, 2020, (ii) the completion of the Initial Public Offering or (iii) the date on which the Company determines not to proceed with the Initial Public Offering. A total of $137,843 was loaned to the Company which was repaid on December 19, 2019.

Administrative Support Agreement

The Company entered into an agreement whereby, commencing on the November 5, 2019 through the earlier of the Company’s consummation of a Business Combination and its liquidation, the Company will pay an affiliate of the sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. For the year ended December 31, 2020 and for period from April 30, 2019 (inception) through December 31, 2019, the Company incurred $120,000 and $18,333, respectively, in fees for these services, of which $138,333 and $18,333, respectively, are included in accrued expenses in the accompanying balance sheets.


LGL SYSTEMS ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Related Party Loans

In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the sponsor, the Company’s officers or directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). Such Working Capital Loans would be evidenced by promissory notes. The notes would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted upon consummation of a Business Combination into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant. Such warrants would be identical to the private warrants. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of the proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans, but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans.

NOTE 6. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Registration Rights

Pursuant to a registration rights agreement entered into on November 6, 2019, the holders of the Founder Shares, private warrants (and their underlying securities) and any warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (“Working Capital Warrants”), if any, will be entitled to registration rights (in the case of the Founder Shares, only after conversion of such shares to shares of Class A common stock). These holders will be entitled to certain demand and “piggyback” registration rights.

The holders of Founder Shares, private warrants and Working Capital Warrants will not be able to sell these securities until the termination of the applicable lock-up period for the securities to be registered. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

Underwriting Agreement

The underwriters are entitled to a deferred fee of $0.35 per Unit, or $6,037,500. The deferred fee will be forfeited by the underwriters solely in the event that the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.

Risks and Uncertainties

Management is continuing to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations, and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

NOTE 7. STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

Preferred Stock

The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000100,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $0.0001$0.0001 per share with such designation, rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. At DecemberJanuary 31, 2020 and 2019,2022, there were no0 shares of preferred stock issued or outstanding.

Public Warrants

Common Stock — The authorized common stockOn November 12, 2019, Legacy LGL sold 17,250 units at a price of $10.00 per unit (the “Units”)in its Initial Public Offering, which included the full exercise by the underwriters of the Company includes upover-allotment option to 75,000,000 sharespurchase an additional 2,250 units. Each Unit consisted of one share of Legacy LGL Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 10,000,000 sharesone-half of Class B convertible common stock. The sharesone warrant to purchase one share of Class B convertible common stock will automatically convert into shares ofLegacy LGL Class A common stock at the time of a Business Combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities convertible or exercisable for shares of Class A common stock, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts sold in the Initial Public Offering and related to the closing of an initial Business Combination, the ratio at which the Class B common stock will convert into shares of Class A common stock will be adjusted so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate 20% of the sum of the shares outstanding upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering plus the number of shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked shares issued or deemed issued in connection with the initial Business Combination (net of conversions), excluding any shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities issued to any seller in the initial Business Combination and any private warrants or warrants issued to the sponsor, any of the Company’s officers or directors, or any of their affiliates upon conversion of Working Capital Loans. If the Company enters into a Business Combination, it may (depending on the terms of such Business Combination) be required to increase the number of shares of Class A common stock which the Company is authorized to issue at the same time as the Company’s stockholders vote on the Business Combination, to the extent the Company seeks stockholder approval in connection with the Business Combination. Holders of the Company’s common stock are entitled to one vote for each share of common stock.(the “Public Warrants”).

At December 31, 2020 and 2019, there were 1,026,255 shares and 984,927 shares of Class A common stock issued and outstanding, respectively, and excluding 16,223,745 and 16,265,073 shares of common stock subject to possible redemption, respectively. At December 31, 2020 and 2019, there were 4,312,500 shares of Class B common stock issued and outstanding.


LGL SYSTEMS ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

WarrantsPublic Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares.shares at a price of $11.50 per share. No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the Public Warrants. The Public Warrants became exercisable in September 2021 and will become exercisable on the later of (a) 30 daysexpire five years after the completion of a Business Combination or (b) November 12, 2020. No warrants will be exercisable for cash unless the Company has an effective and current registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to such shares of common stock. Under the terms of the warrant agreement, the Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of the initial Business Combination, the Company will use its best efforts to file a registration statement under the Securities Act covering such shares and maintain a current prospectus relating to the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants is not effective within 60 days following the consummation of a Business Combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act, provided that such exemption is available. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. The Public Warrants will expire five years after the completion of a Business CombinationMerger or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.

Once the warrants becomebecame exercisable upon the effective date of the Company’s S-1 registration statement filed in September 2021, the Company mayobtained the ability to redeem the Public Warrants:

in whole and not in part;
at a price of $0.01 per warrant;
upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption; and
if, and only if, the reported last sale price of the Company’s common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and subject to adjustment as described below) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third business day prior to the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.

in whole and not in part;
at a price of $0.01 per warrant;
upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption;
if, and only if, the reported last sale price of the Company’s common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and subject to adjustment as described below) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third business day prior to the notice of redemption to the warrant holders; and
If, and only if, there is a current registration statement in effect with respect to the shares of common stock underlying the warrants.

If the Company calls the Public Warrants for redemption, management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise the Public Warrants to do so on a “cashless basis,” as described in the warrant agreement.Warrant Agreement.

In connection with the Merger, the Public Warrants were recorded within equity at a fair value of $15,740. The exercise price and number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercisefair value of the warrants may be adjustedPublic Warrants issued by the Company was determined using the quoted price. In October 2021, 29 Public Warrants were exercised in certain circumstances including in the eventan amount of a stock dividend, or recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, the warrants will not be adjusted for issuance of common stock$330 and 29 shares were issued at a price below its exercise price. Additionally, in no event willof $11.50. As of January 31, 2022, the Company be required to net cash settle the warrants. If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Periodhad 8,596 Public Warrants outstanding and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of warrants will not receive any of such funds with respect to their warrants, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outsideexercised.

8.
Fair Value Measurements

The fair value of the Trust Account withfinancial assets and liabilities are included at the respectamount at which the instrument could be exchanged in a current transaction between willing parties, other than in a forced or liquidation sale. The Company has assessed that the fair value of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, prepaid expenses and other current assets, accounts payable and accrued expenses approximates their carrying amounts largely due to such warrants. Accordingly, the warrants may expire worthless.short-term maturities. The Company has also assessed the fair value of the Private Warrants due to the conclusion that they should be recorded as liabilities measured at fair value.

61


The private warrantsCompany’s Private Warrants have similar terms and are identicalsubject to substantially the same redemption features as the Public Warrants, underlyingas the Units soldtransfer of a Private Warrant to anyone who is not a permitted transferee would result in the InitialPrivate Warrant being converted to a Public Offering, exceptWarrant. The Company determined that the private warrantsfair value of each Private Warrant is equivalent to that of a Public Warrant. There were observable transactions in the Company's Public Warrants during the year ended January 31, 2022 and the sharesPublic Warrants had adequate trading volume between independent investors on the public market to provide a reliable indication of common stock issuable uponvalue. As of January 31, 2022, the exercisefair value of the private warrants will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days afterPrivate Warrants was equal to that of the completion of a Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions. Additionally,Public Warrants as they had substantially the private warrants will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, at the holder’s option, and be non-redeemable so longsame terms. However, as they are held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees. If the private warrantsnot actively traded, they are held by someone other than the initial purchaser or its permitted transferees, the private warrants will be redeemable by the Company and exercisable by such holders on the same basislisted as the Public Warrants.

In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional shares of common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of an initial Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share of common stock (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the Company’s board of directors, anda Level 2 in the case of any such issuance to our sponsor, initial stockholders or their affiliates, without taking into account any founders’ shares held by them prior to such issuance), (y)fair value hierarchy table below. Changes in the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 50%fair value of the total equity proceeds,Private Warrants at each reporting period end date were recognized within the accompanying consolidated statement of operations in the change in fair value of warrant liabilities.

The carrying amounts and interest thereon, availablefair values of financial assets and liabilities, which are either Level 1 or Level 2 instruments, are as follows:

 

 

January 31, 2022

 

 

January 31, 2021

 

 

 

Level 1

 

 

Level 2

 

 

Level 3

 

 

Total

 

 

Level 1

 

 

Level 2

 

 

Level 3

 

 

Total

 

Cash equivalents

 

$

102

 

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

$

102

 

 

$

102

 

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

$

102

 

Private Warrants

 

 

 

 

 

7

 

 

 

 

 

 

7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total assets

 

$

102

 

$

$

7

 

$

$

 

$

$

109

 

 

$

102

 

 

$

 

 

$

 

 

$

102

 

The Company recognized a non-cash expense of $11,265 related to the change in fair value of warrants during the period ended January 31, 2022.

9.
Income Taxes

The components of the provision for income taxes are comprised of the following for the funding of an initial Business Combination on the date of the consummation of an initial Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of the common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummated an initial Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the price at which we issue the additional shares of common stock or equity-linked securities, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the price at which we issue the additional shares of common stock or equity-linked securities.years ended January 31:


 

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

Current income taxes

 

 

 

 

 

 

Federal

 

$

0

 

 

$

0

 

State

 

 

1

 

 

 

8

 

Foreign

 

 

464

 

 

 

69

 

Deferred income taxes

 

 

0

 

 

 

0

 

Total income tax expense

 

$

465

 

 

$

77

 

LGL SYSTEMS ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 8. INCOME TAX

The Company’s net deferred tax asset at December 31, 2020 and 2019 are as follows:

  December 31,  December 31, 
  2020  2019 
Deferred tax asset      
Net operating loss carryforward $  $27,275 
Valuation allowance      
Deferred tax asset $  $27,275 

The income tax benefit for the year ended December 31, 2020 and for the period from April 30, 2019 (inception) through December 31, 2019 consists of the following:

     For the Period 
     from April 30, 
     2019 (inception) 
  Year Ended  through 
  December 31,  December 31, 
  2020  2019 
Federal        
Current $10,289  $ 
Deferred  27,275   (27,275)
         
State        
Current $  $ 
Deferred      
Change in valuation allowance      
Income tax provision (benefit) $37,564  $(27,275)

For the years ended DecemberJanuary 31, 20202022 and 2019,2021, the foreign income (loss) before provision for income tax was $1,774 and $660, respectively. For the years ended January 31, 2022 and 2021, the domestic loss before provision for income tax was ($243,956) and ($55,956), respectively.

Indefinite reinvestment is determined by management’s judgment about and intentions concerning the future operations of the Company. As part of our business strategies, we have determined that all earnings from our foreign continuing operations will be deemed indefinitely reinvested outside of the United States. Our plans to indefinitely reinvest certain earnings are supported by projected working capital and long-term capital requirements in each foreign subsidiary location in which the earnings are generated.

A reconciliation of income tax expense at the U.S. federal statutory income tax rate to annual income tax expense at the Company’s effective tax rate is as follows:

 

 

2022

 

 

 

 

 

2021

 

 

 

 

Income tax expense computed at U.S. federal statutory income tax rate

 

$

(50,575

)

 

 

21.0

%

 

$

(11,628

)

 

 

21.0

%

State income taxes

 

 

(10,190

)

 

 

4.2

%

 

 

(2,257

)

 

 

4.1

%

Permanent items

 

 

8,197

 

 

 

-3.4

%

 

 

321

 

 

 

-0.6

%

Valuation allowance

 

 

53,577

 

 

 

-22.2

%

 

 

13,632

 

 

 

-24.6

%

Other

 

 

(544

)

 

 

0.3

%

 

 

9

 

 

 

0

 

Income tax expense computed at U.S. federal statutory income tax rate

 

$

465

 

 

 

-0.1

%

 

$

77

 

 

 

-0.1

%

Income tax expense was ($0.5) million and ($0.1) million for the years ended January 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The effective tax rate for the years ended January 31, 2022 and 2021 was 0.1% and 0.1%, respectively.

Deferred Income Taxes

Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities and their tax bases, as well as from net operating loss and carryforwards.

Significant components of the Company’s deferred tax assets and (liabilities) are as follows:

 

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

Deferred tax assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net operating loss carryforward

 

$

81,955

 

 

$

38,933

 

Accruals and other

 

 

610

 

 

 

757

 

Intangibles

 

 

123

 

 

 

136

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

118

 

 

 

70

 

RSU

 

 

8,499

 

 

 

-

 

Others

 

 

285

 

 

 

0

 

Deferred revenue

 

 

5,786

 

 

 

2,754

 

Gross deferred tax assets

 

 

97,376

 

 

 

42,650

 

Valuation allowance

 

 

(95,533

)

 

 

(41,849

)

Net deferred tax asset

 

 

1,843

 

 

 

801

 

Deferred tax liabilities

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deferred costs

 

 

(1,843

)

 

 

(801

)

Net deferred tax assets (liabilities)

 

$

0

 

 

$

0

 

Income Tax Valuation Allowance

The following summarizes changes to valuation and qualifying accounts for fiscal year 2022 and fiscal year 2021 (in thousands):

62


Income Tax Valuation Allowance

 

Balance at Beginning of Period

 

 

Charged to Costs & Expenses

 

 

Federal/State NOL

 

 

Balance at End of Period

 

Year Ended

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January 31, 2022

 

 

41,849

 

 

 

10,662

 

 

 

43,022

 

 

 

95,533

 

January 31, 2021

 

 

28,219

 

 

 

(128

)

 

 

13,758

 

 

 

41,849

 

As of January 31, 2022 and January 31, 2021, the Company had U.S. federal and state net operating loss carryovers (“NOLs”)carryforwards (NOLs) available to offset federal taxable income of approximately $324,787 and $154,566 respectively. $25,270 of the federal NOLs expire on various dates through 2037 and $299,517 are able to be carried forward indefinitely to offset 80% of future taxable income. The company has tax effected state NOL carryforwards of approximately $13,749 as of January 31, 2022 and $6,223 as of January 31, 2021 that expire on various dates through 2037.

In accordance with IRC Section 382, the extent to which net operating loss carryforwards can be used to offset future taxable income of $0 and $129,879, respectively. In accordance with Section 382 ofmay be limited, depending on the Internal Revenue Code, deductibilityextent of any of the Company’s future NOLsownership changes as defined by federal and various state and local jurisdictions. These limitations may be subject to an annual limitationresult in the eventexpiration of a change in control as defined under the regulationsnet operating loss carry forwards before utilization.

In assessing the realizationrealizability of theour net deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion ofor all of the net deferred tax assets will not be realized.recognized. The ultimate realization of the net deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which temporary differences representing net future deductible amounts become deductible. Management considers thetaxes paid, if any, scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income, and tax planning strategies that can be implemented by the Company in making this assessment. After considerationBased upon the level of historical taxable income, scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, and projections for taxable income over the periods in which the temporary differences become deductible based on available tax planning strategies, management presently believes it is more likely than not that the Company may not realize all of the information available, management determined thatbenefits of these deductible differences and, accordingly, has established a valuation allowance wasagainst the net deferred tax assets at January 31, 2022 and 2021.

The Company recognizes a tax position taken or expected to be taken (and any associated interest and penalties) if it is more likely than not required.

A reconciliationthat it will be sustained upon examination, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits of the federalposition. The Company measures the tax position at the largest amount of benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement.

Management evaluated all income tax rate to the Company’s effectivepositions and determined that there were no uncertain tax rate at Decemberpositions that required reserves as of January 31, 20202022 and 2019 is as follows:

  December 31,  December 31, 
  2020  2019 
Statutory federal income tax rate  21%  21%
State taxes, net of federal tax benefit  0%  0%
Change in valuation allowance  0%  0%
Income tax provision  21%  21%

2021. The Company files income tax returns in the U.S.United States federal jurisdiction and in variousmany state and local jurisdictions and is subjectjurisdictions. The tax years 2017 through 2021 remain open to examination by the variousmajor taxing authorities. The Company’s tax returns since inception remain open and subjectjurisdictions to examination. The Company considers Nevada to be a significant state tax jurisdiction.which the company is subject. No examinations are currently open.

On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security “CARES”("CARES") Act was enacted and signed into law.U.S. law to provide economic relief to individuals and businesses facing economic hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes in tax laws or rates are accounted for in the period of enactment. The CARES Act includes several significant businessincome tax provisions that, among other things, would eliminate the taxable income limit for certain net operating losses (“NOLs”) and allow businesses to carry back NOLs arising in 2018, 2019, and 2020 to the five prior years, accelerate refunds of previously generated corporate alternative minimum tax credits, generally loosen the business interest limitation under IRC section 163(j) from 30 percent to 50 percent, and allows businesses to immediately expense the full cost of Qualified Improvement Property, retroactive to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2018. The Company does not believe that the CARES Act willdo not have a significant impact on our current taxes, deferred taxes, or uncertain tax positions.

10.
Accrued Expenses

The balance in accrued expenses at January 31, 2022 includes $1.1 million in cash received from a customer in January 2022, which was due to be remitted to a third party as a part of a factoring arrangement that is in place. This payment was due from the customer directly to the third party, and will be remitted to the third party. The balance also includes $722 in sales tax payable, primarily consisting of an accrual for remaining obligations combined with potential interest and penalties related to the results of a sales tax nexus review. The Company is in process of resolving these liabilities with the respective state jurisdictions.

11.
COVID-19 – CARES Act Provision

During fiscal 2021, in response to the increased economic uncertainties that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was expected to have on our business, results of operations, liquidity and capital resources, Legacy IronNet took measures to ensure that we could continue the continuity of our business operations through the use of funding measures which included the PPP loan from the US Small Business Administration pursuant to the CARES Act. The purpose of the loan was for small businesses to keep their workforces employed through the pandemic. Legacy IronNet received loan funds of $5,580 on April 21, 2020. The loan bore interest at 1% and was payable in monthly installments beginning on September 15, 2021. The unsecured loan was evidenced by a promissory note of Legacy IronNet with PNC Bank (the “Lender”). As detailed in Note 3, on August 26, 2021, in conjunction with the Merger, the Company repaid in full all amounts due and terminated all commitments and obligations under the unsecured PPP loan. As of January 31, 2021, the Company had an interest accrual of $44 related to the PPP loan.

In addition to seeking and receiving the PPP loan under the CARES Act, Legacy IronNet also elected to defer the Company portion of payroll taxes under the CARES Act. Half of the deferred payroll tax from March 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020 was paid on December 31, 2021, with the remaining 50% due on December 31, 2022. The balance of the payroll tax deferral is $689 as of January 31, 2022 and is included in other current liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet.

12.
Commitments and Contingencies

Contingencies

In the ordinary course of business, the Company and our subsidiary may become defendants in certain shareholder claims and other litigation. The Company records a liability when it is probable that a loss has been incurred and the amount is reasonably estimable. To date, no such liability has been recorded.

Leases

The Company leases office space under the terms of noncancelable operating leases that expire at various dates through November 2026. Certain operating lease agreements provide for an annual 2.75% escalation of the base rent. The Company is also responsible for operating expenses. The following is a schedule by year of the future minimum lease payments required under the Company’s financial position oroperating leases:

63


Years Ending January 31,

 

 

 

2023

 

$

1,025

 

2024

 

 

755

 

2025

 

 

775

 

2026

 

 

797

 

2027

 

 

658

 

 

 

$

4,010

 

The Company is recognizing the total cost of our office leases ratably over the respective lease periods. The difference between rent paid and rent expense is reflected as deferred rent in the accompanying balance sheets.

Rent expense totaled $1,462 and $1,984 for the years ended January 31, 2022, and January 31, 2021, respectively, which is recognized in the general and administrative line item in the consolidated statement of operations.

In the second fiscal quarter of 2021, we completed lease buyouts of two office spaces in Maryland, for leases that were expiring in fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2022, and made payments of $394 to facilitate early terminations for those leases. We also decreased our lease portfolio in Japan and New York as a result of the Company moving to a more fully remote posture.

13.
Earnings (Loss) per Share

NOTE 9. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS 

The Company followscomputes basic earnings (loss) per share (“EPS") by dividing net income or loss available to common stockholders by the guidanceweighted average number of common shares outstanding for the reporting period. Diluted EPS is computed similarly to basic net earnings per shares, except that it reflects the effect of potential shares that would be issued if stock option awards, Restricted Stock Units, Public and Private Warrants and preferred shares, to the extent issued, were converted into common stock, to the extent dilutive.

The following table summarizes the computation of basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders:

 

 

Year ended

 

 

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

Numerator: Net loss

 

$

(242,647

)

 

$

(55,373

)

Denominator: Basic and Diluted Weighted-average shares in computing net loss per share attributable to common stockholders

 

 

79,953

 

 

 

64,562

 

Net loss attributable to common stockholders—basic and diluted

 

$

(3.03

)

 

$

(0.86

)

Earnings per share calculations for the period prior to the Merger has been retrospectively restated to the equivalent number of shares reflecting the exchange ratio established in ASC 820the reverse recapitalization. Subsequent to the Transactions, earnings per share will be calculated based on the weighted average number of shares of common stock then outstanding.

Since the Company was in a net loss position for its financial assetsall periods presented, diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders will be the same as the basic net loss per share, as, in a net loss position, the inclusion of all potential common shares outstanding would be antidilutive. The potential shares of common stock excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share for the periods presented due to their antidilutive impacts are as follows:

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

 

 

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

Shares of common stock issuable from stock options

 

 

1,317

 

 

 

2,182

 

Total RSUs unvested pending settlement

 

 

10,638

 

 

 

15,712

 

Private Warrants

 

 

10

 

 

 

0

 

Public Warrants

 

 

8,596

 

 

 

0

 

Potential common shares excluded from diluted net loss per share

 

 

20,561

 

 

 

17,894

 

As of January 31, 2021 there were 0 Private or Public Warrants outstanding due to the fact that the Legacy LGL consolidated balance sheet was consolidated and liabilitiescombined with Legacy IronNet as of the effective date of the Merger. Legacy LGL Public and Private Warrants as of August 26, 2021 were 8,625 and 5,200, respectively.

14.
Related Party Transactions

Product, subscription and support revenue from Related Parties

Certain investors and companies who the Company is affiliated with purchased software, subscription and support revenue during the periods presented. The Company recognized $1,744 and $1,860 of revenue from contracts with related parties for the years ending January 31, 2022, and January 31, 2021, respectively. The corresponding receivable was $3,233 and $2,541 as of January 31, 2022, and January 31, 2021, respectively. The Company also had an outstanding receivable from employees of $1,058 as of January 31, 2021, which was paid in full during the current year.

Subscription Notes Receivables

As of January 31, 2021, the Company held $835 of subscription notes receivable related to shares of common stock in Legacy IronNet that were issued to certain employees in exchange for promissory notes, which were determined to be recourse loans. During the years ended January 31, 2022 and January 31, 2021, the Company received repayments of balances due of $843 and $81, respectively. As of January 31, 2022, there are re-measuredno remaining balances for subscription notes receivables. The subscription notes receivables’ accrued interest ranged from 1.40% to 2.70%, compounded annually. Interest earned on the subscription notes receivable for the years ended January 31, 2022 and reported at fair value atJanuary 31, 2021 was $8 and $16, respectively.

15.
Retirement Plans

We provide a retirement savings plan for the benefit of our employees, including our named executive officers. The plan is intended to qualify as a tax-qualified 401(k) plan so that contributions, and income earned on such contributions, are not taxable to participants until withdrawn or distributed from the plan (except in the case of contributions under the 401(k) plan designated as Roth contributions). The 401(k) plan provides that each reporting period, and non-financial assets and liabilities thatparticipant may contribute up to an annual statutory limit. Participants who are re-measured and reported at fair value at least annually. 50 years old can also contribute additional amounts based on statutory limits for “catch-up” contributions. Under the plan, each employee is fully vested in his or her deferred salary contributions. Employee contributions are held and invested by the plan’s trustee as directed by participants. We also fully match employee contributions up to the first 4% of salary, which amounts are fully vested.

64


16. Segment and Geographic Information


LGL SYSTEMS ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The fair valueCompany determines our operating segments based on ASC 280, Segment Reporting. Segments are defined as components of an enterprise for which separate financial information is evaluated regularly by the Company’schief operating decision maker (“CODM”), in deciding how to allocate resources and assess performance. The CODM reviews financial assetsinformation presented on a consolidated basis for the purposes of allocating resources and liabilities reflects management’s estimate of amountsevaluating financial performance. Accordingly, management has determined that the Company would have received in connection with the sale of the assets or paid in connection with the transfer of the liabilities in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. In connection with measuring the fair value of its assets and liabilities, the Company seeks to maximize the use of observable inputs (market data obtained from independent sources) and to minimize the use of unobservable inputs (internal assumptions about how market participants would price assets and liabilities). The following fair value hierarchy is used to classify assets and liabilities based on the observable inputs and unobservable inputs used in order to value the assets and liabilities:operates as one operating segment.

Level 1:Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. An active market for an asset or liability is a market in which transactions for the asset or liability occur with sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis.
Level 2:Observable inputs other than Level 1 inputs. Examples of Level 2 inputs include quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities and quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in markets that are not active.
Level 3:Unobservable inputs based on our assessment of the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability.

The following table presents information aboutrevenue by geographic location:

 

 

Year Ended January 31,

 

 

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

 

 

($ in thousands)

 

United States

 

$

24,726

 

 

$

27,147

 

International

 

 

2,818

 

 

 

2,080

 

Total

 

$

27,544

 

 

$

29,227

 

Substantially all of the Company’s long-lived assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis at December 31, 2020 and 2019 and indicateslocated in the fair value hierarchy of the valuation inputs the Company utilized to determine such fair value:United States.

17. Subsequent Events

Description  December 31, 
  Level 2020  2019 
Assets:        
Marketable securities held in Trust Account 1 $173,192,131  $172,626,688 

NOTE 10. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS 

The Company has evaluated our January 31, 2022 financial statements for subsequent events and transactions that occurred afterthrough the balance sheet date up to the date that the financial statements were issued.

Restricted Stock Units

Following the end of fiscal year 2022, the Compensation Committee approved the issuance of grants of 6,910 Restricted Stock Units under the terms of the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan, which consists of 766 RSUs granted on February 2, 2022 with a fair value of $3.15 per share, 1,690 RSUs granted on March 9, 2022 with a fair value of $4.64 per share, 4,000 RSUs granted on March 15, 2022 with a fair value of $3.71 per share, and 453 RSUs granted on April 21, 2022 with a fair value of $2.89 per share. All of the awards granted have terms consistent with the terms of the awards granted under the 2021 plan during fiscal year 2022.

Evergreen Increases

Under the terms of the 2021 Plan, the number of shares and share equivalents that can be issued under the plan increased on February 1, 2022 by 4,934 shares, an amount equal to 5.0% of the sum of (a) the total number of shares of the Registrant’s common stock outstanding on January 31st of the immediately preceding fiscal year, plus (b) the number of shares of Common Stock reserved for issuance under the 2021 Plan as of January 31st of the immediately preceding fiscal year, but which have not yet been issued. Inclusive of the prior limit of 13.5 million shares, the new limit following the increase was 18.4 million shares, of which 7.6 million remain ungranted.

Under the terms of the 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “ESPP”), the number of shares and share equivalents that can be issued under the plan increased on February 1, 2022 by 889 shares, an amount equal to the lesser of (i) 1% of the total number of shares of Common Stock outstanding on January 31st of the preceding fiscal year, and (ii) 2,000 shares of Common Stock. There were 88,876 shares of the Company that were outstanding as of January 31,2022. Inclusive of the prior limit of 2.7 million shares, the new limit following the increase was 3,589 shares, of which all remain available.

Tumim Stone Capital Committed Equity Financing

As reported in the Form S-1 filed on March 10, 2022 (the “Prospectus”), on February 11, 2022, the Company entered into the Common Stock Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Tumim Stone Capital, LLC (“Tumim”), pursuant to which Tumim has committed to purchase up to $175 million of common stock (the “Total Commitment”), at the Company's direction from time to time, subject to the satisfaction of the conditions in the Purchase Agreement. Also on February 11, 2022, the Company entered into a registration rights agreement with Tumim (the “Registration Rights Agreement”), pursuant to which the Company filed with the SEC the registration statement that included the Prospectus to register for resale under the Securities Act (the “ELOC Registration Statement”), the shares of common stock that may be issued to Tumim under the Purchase Agreement. Pursuant to the terms of the Purchase Agreement, at the time the Purchase Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement were signed, the Company paid a cash fee of $1,750,000, or 1% of the Total Commitment, to Tumim as consideration for its commitment to purchase shares of the Company's common stock under the Purchase Agreement.

As further described in the ELOC Registration Statement, the sales of common stock by IronNet to Tumim under the Purchase Agreement, if any, will be subject to certain limitations and may occur, from time to time at the Company's sole discretion, over the approximately 36-month period commencing upon the initial satisfaction of all conditions to Tumim’s purchase obligations set forth in the Purchase Agreement (the “Commencement,” and the date on which the Commencement occurs, the “Commencement Date”), including that the registration statement that includes the Prospectus covering the resale by Tumim of shares of common stock that have been and may be issued under the Purchase Agreement is declared effective by the SEC. The SEC declared the ELOC Registration Statement effective on March 17, 2022.

From and after the Commencement Date, the Company has the right, but not the obligation, from time to time at its sole discretion, to direct Tumim to purchase certain amounts of our common stock, subject to certain limitations in the Purchase Agreement, that it specifies in purchase notices that will be delivered to Tumim under the Purchase Agreement (each such purchase, a “Purchase”). Shares of common stock will be issued from the Company to Tumim at either a (i) 3% discount to the average daily volume weighted average price (the “VWAP”) of the common stock during the three consecutive trading days from the date that a purchase notice with respect to a particular purchase (a “VWAP Purchase Notice”) is delivered from the Company to Tumim (a “Forward VWAP Purchase”), or (ii) 5% discount to the lowest daily VWAP during the three consecutive trading days from the date that a VWAP Purchase Notice with respect to a particular purchase is delivered from the Company to Tumim (an “Alternative VWAP Purchase”). There is no upper limit on the price per share that Tumim could be obligated to pay for the common stock under the Purchase Agreement. The purchase price per share of common stock to be sold in a Purchase will be appropriately adjusted for any reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, stock split, reverse stock split or other similar transaction.

Tumim has no right to require the Company to sell any shares of common stock to Tumim, but Tumim is obligated to make purchases as directed by the Company, subject to the satisfaction of conditions set forth in the Purchase Agreement at Commencement and thereafter at each time that the Company may direct Tumim to purchase shares of its common stock under the Purchase Agreement.

Although the Purchase Agreement provides that the Company may sell up to $175 million of its common stock to Tumim, only 48,503 shares of common stock have been registered for resale, which represents shares of common stock that may be issued to Tumim from and after the Commencement Date, if and when the Company elects to sell shares to Tumim under the Purchase Agreement. Depending on the market prices of common stock at the time the Company elects to issue and sell shares to Tumim under the Purchase Agreement, additional shares of common stock may need to be registered for resale under the Securities Act in order to receive aggregate gross proceeds equal to the $175,000,000 Total Commitment available under the Purchase Agreement. If all of the 48,503 shares offered by Tumim for resale under the ELOC Registration Statement were issued and outstanding (without taking into account the 19.99% Exchange Cap limitation), such shares would represent approximately 34% of the total number of shares of common stock outstanding and approximately 47% of the total number of outstanding shares held by non-affiliates. If the Company elects to issue and sell more than 48,503 shares to Tumim, which the Company has the right, but not the obligation, to do, any such additional shares must first be registered for resale under the Securities Act, which could cause additional substantial

65


dilution to Company stockholders. The number of shares ultimately offered for resale by Tumim is dependent upon the number of shares the Company may elect to sell to Tumim under the Purchase Agreement from and after the Commencement Date.

The net proceeds under the Purchase Agreement will depend on the frequency and prices at which the Company sell shares of its stock to Tumim. It is expected that any proceeds received from such sales to Tumim will be used for working capital and general corporate purposes.

Securities Litigation

On April 22, 2022, a federal securities class action lawsuit, captioned Grad v. IronNet, Inc., et al., No. 1:22-cv-004499 (E.D. Va.), was filed by our purported stockholder in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on behalf of a proposed class consisting of those who acquired our securities between September 15, 2021 and December 20, 2021. The complaint names us, our co-CEOs, and our CFO as defendants and asserts claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, for alleged misrepresentations and/or omissions in a September 14, 2021 press release regarding our business and financial prospects, our ability to predict the timing of significant customer opportunities, and our disclosure controls and procedures. The complaint seeks an unspecified amount of damages on behalf of the putative class and an award of costs and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees. We believe the claims are without merit, intend to defend the case vigorously, and have not recorded a liability related to this lawsuit because, at this time, we are unable to estimate reasonably possible losses or determine whether an unfavorable outcome is probable.

66


ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

None

ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Disclosure controls and procedures (as such terms are defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. In designing and evaluating disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives. In addition, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints and that management is required to apply judgment in evaluating the benefits of possible controls and procedures relative to their costs.

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the year ended January 31, 2022. Based upon that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of January 31, 2022 due to the material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting described below.

Management's Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Due to the timing of the closing of the Merger, and pursuant to Section 215.02 of the SEC Division of Corporation Finance’s Regulation S-K Compliance & Disclosure Interpretations, this review,Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include a report of management’s assessment regarding our internal control over financial reporting.

Because we qualify as an emerging growth company under the Company JOBS Act, this Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include an attestation report of our registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended January 31, 2022, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting

Our internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with U.S. GAAP and includes those policies and procedures that: (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect our transactions and the dispositions of our assets; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP and that receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with appropriate authorizations of our management and board of directors; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of assets that could have a material effect on our financial statements.

A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

Management determined that, as of January 31, 2022, we did not identify any subsequent eventshave a sufficient number of personnel with an appropriate degree of accounting and internal controls knowledge, experience, and training to appropriately analyze, record and disclose accounting matters commensurate with our accounting and reporting requirements, which resulted in an inability to consistently establish appropriate authorities and responsibilities in pursuit of our financial reporting objectives, which constitutes a material weakness. This material weakness contributed to the following additional material weaknesses:

We did not design and maintain effective controls over the accounting for stock-based compensation modifications. This material weakness resulted in the restatement of our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements as of and for the three months ended October 31, 2021. However, this error was corrected as of the date of this report on Form 10-K and the consolidated financial statements are correctly stated for the year ended January 31, 2022.
We did not design and maintain effective controls over the review of journal entries and account reconciliations. Specifically, certain personnel have had the ability to both (i) create and post journal entries within our general ledger system, and (ii) prepare and review account reconciliations. This material weakness did not result in a material misstatement to the consolidated financial statements.
We did not design and maintain effective controls over information technology ("IT") general controls for information systems that are relevant to the preparation of our financial statements. Specifically, we did not design and maintain: (i) program change management controls for the financial systems to ensure that information technology program and data changes affecting financial IT applications and underlying accounting records are identified, tested, authorized and implemented appropriately; (ii) appropriate user access controls to ensure appropriate segregation of duties and that adequately restrict user and privileged access to financial applications, programs and data to appropriate personnel; (iii) computer operations controls to ensure data backups are authorized and restorations monitored; and (iv) testing and approval controls for program development to ensure that new software development is aligned with business and IT requirements. This material weakness did not result in a material misstatement to the consolidated financial statements.

These material weaknesses could result in a misstatement of substantially all accounts or disclosures that would result in a material misstatement to the annual or interim consolidated financial statements that would not be prevented or detected.

Remediation Plan

We have continued implementation of a plan to remediate these material weaknesses. These remediation measures are ongoing and include the following:

we hired and continued to hire additional accounting and finance resources with public company experience, including expertise in technical accounting and complex transactions, in addition to utilizing third-party consultants and specialists, to supplement our internal resources;
we are revising account reconciliation controls within all business processes to require proper segregation of duties of preparer and reviewer utilizing the additional personnel mentioned above;
we are implementing comprehensive access control protocols to implement restrictions on user and privileged access to certain applications and establishing additional controls over the preparation and review of journal entries; and
we are redesigning and strengthening financial system and application change management controls, testing and approval controls for program development, as well as data backup and restoration controls.

67


The elements of our remediation plan can only be accomplished over time and are subject to continued review, implementation and testing by management, as well as oversight by the audit committee of our board of directors, to determine that it is achieving our objectives. We are in the process of designing and implementing a variety of steps to remediate these weaknesses. The material weaknesses will not be considered remediated until our remediation plan has been fully designed and implemented, the applicable controls operate for a sufficient period of time, and we have concluded, through testing, that the newly implemented and enhanced controls are operating effectively.



ITEM 9B. O
THER INFORMATION

None

ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS

Not applicable.

68


PART III

ITEM 10. DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT

The information required adjustmentby this item is hereby incorporated by reference to the Proxy Statement for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC within 120 days of January 31, 2022.

ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

The information required by this item is hereby incorporated by reference to the Proxy Statement for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC within 120 days of January 31, 2022.

ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED SHAREHOLDER MATTERS

The information required by this item is hereby incorporated by reference to the Proxy Statement for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC within 120 days of January 31, 2022.

ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

The information required by this item is hereby incorporated by reference to the Proxy Statement for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC within 120 days of January 31, 2022.

ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES.

The information required by this item is hereby incorporated by reference to the Proxy Statement for the 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC within 120 days of January 31, 2022.

69


PART IV

ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, AND SCHEDULES

(a) Financial Statements, Financial Statement Schedules and Exhibits.

(1) Financial Statements.

The financial statements required by Item 15(a) are filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K under Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

(2) Financial Statement Schedules.

All schedules are omitted as the required information is not applicable
or disclosurethe information is presented in the financial statements.statements or related notes.

(3) Exhibits.

70


 

 

 

 

Incorporated by Reference

 

 

Exhibit

 

Description

 

Form

 

File No.

 

Exhibit

 

Filing Date

Number

2.1

 

Agreement and Plan of Reorganization and Merger, dated March 15, 2021, by and among the registrant, LGL Systems Merger Sub Inc. and IronNet Cybersecurity, Inc.

 

S-4/A

 

333-256129

 

2.1

 

August 6, 2021

2.2

 

Amendment No. 1 to Agreement and Plan of Reorganization and Merger, dated August 6, 2021, by and among the registrant, LGL Systems Merger Sub Inc. and IronNet Cybersecurity, Inc.

 

S-4/A

 

333-256129

 

2.2

 

August 6, 2021

3.1

 

Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the registrant.

 

8-K

 

001-39125

 

3.1

 

September 1, 2021

3.2

 

Amended and Restated Bylaws of the registrant.

 

8-K

 

001-39125

 

3.2

 

September 1, 2021

4.1

 

Specimen Warrant Certificate

 

S-1/A

 

333-234124

 

4.3

 

October 21, 2019

4.2

 

Warrant Agreement Between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the registrant

 

8-K

 

001-39125

 

4.1

 

November 12, 2019

10.1

 

Form of PIPE Subscription Agreement

 

8-K

 

001-39125

 

10.3

 

March 15, 2021

10.2

 

Amended and Restated Registration Rights Agreement

 

8-K

 

001-39125

 

10.2

 

September 1, 2021

10.3+

 

Form of Indemnification Agreement

 

S-4/A

 

333-256129

 

10.12

 

August 6, 2021

10.4+

 

IronNet Cybersecurity, Inc. 2014 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended to date

 

S-4/A

 

333-256129

 

10.9

 

August 6, 2021

10.5+

 

IronNet, Inc. 2021 Equity Incentive Plan

 

S-8

 

333-261158

 

99.2

 

November 18, 2021

10.6+

 

IronNet, Inc. 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

 

S-4/A

 

333-256129

 

10.11

 

August 6, 2021

10.7+

 

Form of Stock Option Grant Package under IronNet,Inc. 2021 Equity Incentive Plan

 

S-8

 

333-261158

 

99.3

 

November 18, 2021

10.8+

 

Form of RSU Grant Package under IronNet, Inc. 2021 Equity Incentive Plan

 

S-8

 

333-261158

 

99.4

 

November 18, 2021

10.9+

 

Employment Agreement, dated May 8, 2019, by and between the registrant and GEN Keith Alexander

 

S-4/A

 

333-256129

 

10.13

 

August 6, 2021

10.10+

 

Employment Agreement, dated February 7, 2019,by and between the registrant and William E. Welch

 

S-4/A

 

333-256129

 

10.14

 

August 6, 2021

10.11+

 

Employment Agreement, dated February 7, 2019, by and between the registrant and Sean Foster

 

S-4/A

 

333-256129

 

10.15

 

August 6, 2021

10.12+

 

Employment Agreement, dated September 6, 2019, by and between the registrant and James C. Gerber

 

S-1

 

333-263456

 

10.15

 

March 10, 2022

10.13+

 

Employment Agreement, dated September 19, 2019, by and between the registrant and Donald Closser

 

S-1

 

333-263256

 

10.16

 

March 10, 2022

10.14

 

Common Stock Purchase Agreement, dated February 11, 2022, by and between IronNet, Inc. and Tumim Stone Capital LLC

 

8-K

 

001-39125

 

10.1

 

February 14, 2022

10.15

 

Registration Rights Agreement dated February 11, 2022, by and between Ironnet, Inc. and Tumim Stone Capital LLC

 

8-K

 

001-39125

 

4.1

 

February 14, 2022

21.1*

 

List of Subsidiaries

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

23.1*

 

Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

31.1*

 

Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

31.2*

 

Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

32.1^

 

Certifications of Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

101.INS*

 

Inline XBRL Instance Document – instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

101.SCH*

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

101.CAL*

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

101.DEF*

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

101.LAB*

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

101.PRE*

 

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

104*

 

Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as inline XBRL with applicable taxonomy extension information contained in Exhibits 101.SCH, 101.CAL, 101.DEF, 101.LAB and 101.PRE).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*

Filed herewith.

^

These certifications are being furnished solely to accompany this Annual Report pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, and are not being filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and are not to be incorporated by reference into any filing of the registrant, whether made before or after the date hereof, regardless of any general incorporation language in such filing.

+

Indicates a management contract or compensatory plan, contract or arrangement.

71


F-16ITEM 16. FORM 10-K SUMMARY

None.

SIGNATURES

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

IRONNET, INC.

Date:

May 2, 2022

By:

/s/ James C. Gerber

James C. Gerber

Chief Financial Officer

(On behalf of the Registrant and as Principal Financial Officer)

72


POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL BY THESE PRESENTS, that each of the undersigned hereby constitutes and appoints each of Keith B. Alexander, James C. Gerber and S. Scott Alridge, and each or any one of them, as his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments to this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, or their or his substitutes or substitute, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this report has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Signature

Title

Date

/s/ GEN Keith B. Alexander (Ret.)

GEN Keith B. Alexander (Ret.)

Co-Chief Executive Officer, President and Chairman (Principal Executive Officer)

May 2, 2022

/s/ William E. Welch

William E. Welch

Co-Chief Executive Officer and Director

May 2, 2022

/s/ James C. Gerber

James C. Gerber

Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

May 2, 2022

/s/ Donald R. Dixon

Donald R. Dixon

Director

May 2, 2022

/s/ Mary E. Gallagher

Mary E. Gallagher

Director

May 2, 2022

/s/ GEN John M. Keane (Ret.)

GEN John M. Keane (Ret.)

Director

May 2, 2022

/s/ Robert V. LaPenta Jr.

Robert V. LaPenta Jr.

Director

May 2, 2022

/s/ Vadm. John M. McConnell (Ret.)

Vadm. John M. McConnell (Ret.)

Director

May 2, 2022

/s/ André Pienaar

André Pienaar

Director

May 2, 2022

/s/ Michael J. Rogers

Michael J. Rogers

Director

May 2, 2022

/s/ Theodore E. Schlein

Theodore E. Schlein

Director

May 2, 2022

/s/ Vadm. Jan E. Tighe (Ret.)

Vadm. Jan E. Tighe (Ret.)

Director

May 2, 2022

73