Confidential draft submitted on July 2, 2020 to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
This draft registration statement has not been publicly filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and all information herein remains strictly confidential.
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
Under
The Securities Act of 1933
GoodRx Holdings, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware | 7389 | 47-5104396 | ||
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
233 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 990
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(855) 268-2822
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrants principal executive offices)
Karsten Voermann
Chief Financial Officer
233 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 990
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(855) 268-2822
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
Marc D. Jaffe Brian J. Cuneo Benjamin J. Cohen Latham & Watkins LLP 885 Third Avenue New York, NY 10022 (212) 906-1200 |
Alan F. Denenberg Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP 1600 El Camino Real Menlo Park, CA 94025 (650) 752-2000 |
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this Registration Statement.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box. ☐
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an 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 | ☒ |
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 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
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Title of Each Class of Securities To Be Registered | Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price (1)(2) |
Amount of Registration Fee (3) | ||
Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value per share |
$ | $ | ||
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(1) | Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. |
(2) | Includes the aggregate offering price of additional shares of Class A common stock that the underwriters have the option to purchase. |
(3) | To be paid in connection with the initial filing of the registration statement. |
The registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities, and we are not soliciting offers to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
Subject to Completion. Dated , 2020.
Shares
Class A Common Stock
This is the initial public offering of shares of Class A common stock of GoodRx Holdings, Inc.
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our Class A common stock. The initial public offering price of our Class A common stock is expected to be between $ and $ per share. We intend to apply to list our Class A common stock on the under the symbol .
Following this offering, we will have two classes of authorized common stock: Class A common stock and Class B common stock. The rights of the holders of Class A common stock and Class B common stock are identical, except with respect to voting and conversion rights. Each share of Class A common stock is entitled to one vote. Each share of Class B common stock is entitled to 10 votes and is convertible into one share of Class A common stock. Outstanding shares of Class B common stock will represent approximately % of the voting power of our outstanding capital stock immediately following the completion of this offering, with , and their respective affiliates, holding approximately % of the voting power of our outstanding capital stock immediately following the completion of this offering, in each case assuming no exercise of the underwriters over-allotment option.
Following this offering, we will be a controlled company within the meaning of the corporate governance rules of the .
We are an emerging growth company under the federal securities laws and, as such, may elect to comply with certain reduced public reporting requirements. See Prospectus SummaryImplications of Being an Emerging Growth Company.
See the section titled Risk Factors beginning on page 17 to read about the factors you should consider before buying shares of our Class A common stock.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Per Share | Total | |||||||
Initial public offering price |
$ | $ | ||||||
Underwriting discounts and commissions (1) |
$ | $ | ||||||
Proceeds, before expenses, to us |
$ | $ |
(1) | See Underwriters for a description of the compensation payable to the underwriters. |
To the extent that the underwriters sell more than shares of Class A common stock, we have granted the underwriters an option for a period of 30 days to purchase up to additional shares to cover over-allotments, if any.
Delivery of the shares of Class A common stock will be made on or about , 2020.
The date of this prospectus is , 2020.
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Pursuant to the applicable provisions of the Fixing Americas Surface Transportation Act, we are omitting our unaudited financial statements as of March 31, 2020 and for each of the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2020 because they relate to historical periods that we believe will not be required to be included in the prospectus at the time of the contemplated offering. We intend to amend this registration statement to include all financial information required by Regulation S-X at the date of such amendment before distributing a preliminary prospectus to investors.
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Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences to Non-U.S. Holders |
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F-1 |
Neither we nor the underwriters have authorized anyone to provide any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectuses prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. We and the underwriters take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the shares of Class A common stock offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this prospectus is current only as of the date of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or of any sale of shares of our Class A common stock.
For investors outside the United States: Neither we nor any of the underwriters have done anything that would permit this offering or possession or distribution of this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, other than in the United States. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of the shares of our Class A common stock and the distribution of this prospectus outside the United States.
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Certain Definitions
consumers refer to the general population in the United States that uses or otherwise purchases healthcare products and services. References to our consumers or GoodRx consumers refer to consumers that have used one or more of our offerings.
discounted price refers to a price for a prescription provided on our platform that represents a negotiated rate provided by one of our PBM partners at a retail pharmacy. Through our platform, our discounted prices are free to access for consumers by saving a GoodRx code to their mobile device for their selected prescription and presenting it at the chosen pharmacy. The term discounted price excludes prices we may otherwise source, such as prices from patient assistance programs for low-income individuals and Medicare prices, and any negotiated rates offered through our subscription offerings: GoodRx Gold, or Gold, and Kroger Rx Savings Club powered by GoodRx, or Kroger Savings.
GoodRx code refers to codes that can be accessed by our consumers through our apps or websites or that can be provided to our consumers directly by healthcare professionals, including physicians and pharmacists, that allow our consumers free access to our discounted prices or a lower list price for their prescriptions when such code is presented at their chosen pharmacy.
GMV represents gross merchandise value, which is the aggregate price paid by our consumers who used a GoodRx code available through our platform for their prescriptions during such period. GMV excludes any prices paid by consumers linked to our other offerings, including our subscription offerings.
Monthly Active Consumers refers to the number of unique consumers who have used a GoodRx code to purchase a prescription medication in a given calendar month and have saved money compared to the list price of the medication. Monthly Active Consumers do not include subscribers to our subscription offerings, consumers of our pharmaceutical manufacturers solutions offering, or consumers who used our telehealth offerings. When presented for a period longer than a month, Monthly Active Consumers is averaged over the number of calendar months in such period.
Monthly Visitors refers to the number of individuals who visited our apps and websites in a given calendar month. Visitors to our apps and websites are counted independently. As a result, a consumer that visits or engages with our platform through both apps and websites will be counted multiple times in calculating Monthly Visitors, while a family that uses a single computer to visit our websites will be counted only once. Additionally, Monthly Active Consumers who use a GoodRx code without accessing our apps or websites (since their GoodRx codes were saved in their profile at the pharmacy), will not be counted as Monthly Visitors. When presented for a period longer than a calendar month, Monthly Visitors is averaged over each calendar month in such period.
net promoter score, or NPS, refers to our net promoter score, which is a rating metric, expressed as a numerical value up to a maximum value of 100, that we use to gauge customer satisfaction. Net promoter score reflects responses to the following question on a scale of zero to ten: How likely are you to recommend GoodRx to a friend or colleague? Responses of 9 or 10 are considered promoters, responses of 7 or 8 are considered neutral or passives, and responses of 6 or less are considered detractors. We then subtract the number of respondents who are detractors from the number of respondents who are promoters and divide that number by the total number of respondents. Our methodology of calculating net promoter score for consumers reflects responses from consumers who utilize or otherwise engage with our platform via our websites, report that they used a discounted price found on our platform and choose to respond to the survey question. Our methodology of calculating net promoter score for healthcare professionals reflects responses from individuals who use or otherwise engage with our platform via our websites, report that they are a healthcare professional and choose to
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respond to the survey question. Net promoter score gives no weight to responses declining to answer the survey question.
PBM refers to a pharmacy benefit manager. PBMs aggregate demand to negotiate prescription medication prices with pharmacies and pharmaceutical manufacturers. PBMs find most of their demand through relationships with insurance companies and employers. However, nearly all PBMs also have consumer direct or cash network pricing that they negotiate with pharmacies for consumers who choose to purchase prescriptions outside of insurance.
savings, saved and similar references refer to the difference between the list price for a particular prescription at a particular pharmacy and the price paid by the GoodRx consumer for that prescription utilizing a GoodRx code available through our platform at that same pharmacy. In certain circumstances, we may show a list price on our platform when such list price is lower than the negotiated price available using a GoodRx code and, in certain circumstances, a consumer may use a GoodRx code and pay the list price at a pharmacy if such list price is lower than the negotiated price available using a GoodRx code. We do not earn revenue from such transactions, but our savings calculation includes an estimate of the savings achieved by the consumer because our platform has directed the consumer to the pharmacy with the low list price. This estimate of savings when the consumer pays the list price is based on internal data and is calculated as the difference between the average list price across all pharmacies where GoodRx consumers paid the list price and the average list price paid by consumers in the pharmacies to which we directed them. We do not calculate savings based on insurance prices as we do not have information about a consumers specific coverage or price.
Industry, Market and Other Data
This prospectus contains estimates, projections and information concerning our industry, our business and the market size and growth rates of the markets in which we participate. Some data and statistical and other information are based on independent reports from third parties, as well as industry and general publications and research, surveys and studies conducted by third parties which we have not independently verified. Some data and statistical and other information are based on internal estimates and calculations that are derived from publicly available information, research we conducted, internal surveys, our managements knowledge of our industry and their assumptions based on such information and knowledge, which we believe to be reasonable.
In each case, this information and data involves a number of assumptions and limitations, and you are cautioned not to give undue weight to such information, estimates or projections. Industry publications and other reports we have obtained from independent parties may state that the data contained in these publications or other reports have been obtained in good faith or from sources considered to be reliable, but they do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of such data. In addition, projections, assumptions and estimates of the future performance of the industry in which we operate and our future performance are necessarily subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described in Risk Factors and Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements. These and other factors could cause our future performance to differ materially from the assumptions and estimates made by third parties and us.
Trademarks, Trade Names and Service Marks
GoodRx, our logo and other registered or common law trade names, trademarks or service marks of GoodRx appearing in this prospectus are the property of GoodRx. This prospectus contains additional trade names, trademarks and service marks of other companies that are the property of their respective owners. We do not intend our use or display of other companies trade names, trademarks or service marks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, these other companies. Solely for convenience, our trade names, trademarks and service marks referred to in this prospectus appear without the ®, or SM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the right of the applicable licensor to these trade names, trademarks and service marks.
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Basis of Presentation
Certain monetary amounts, percentages, and other figures included elsewhere in this prospectus have been subject to rounding adjustments. Accordingly, figures shown as totals in certain tables or charts may not be the arithmetic aggregation of the figures that precede them, and figures expressed as percentages in the text may not total 100% or, as applicable, when aggregated may not be the arithmetic aggregation of the percentages that precede them.
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This summary highlights selected information contained in more detail elsewhere in this prospectus. This summary does not contain all of the information you should consider before investing in our Class A common stock. You should carefully read this prospectus in its entirety before investing in our Class A common stock, including the sections titled Risk Factors, Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements, and our financial statements and the accompanying notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus. Unless the context otherwise requires, the terms we, us, our, the Company, GoodRx and similar references in this prospectus refer to GoodRx Holdings, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.
Overview
Our mission is to provide all Americans with access to affordable and convenient healthcare. To achieve this, we are building the leading, consumer-focused digital healthcare platform in the United States.
Healthcare consumers in the United States face an increasing number of challenges. Consumers are bearing more of the cost of care and have more restrictions imposed on their care. The rising cost of insurance and higher deductibles have led to an increase in the percentage of underinsured Americans. Additionally, the number of uninsured consumers in the United States has increased in recent years. These developments have occurred at a time when the majority of Americans have less than $1,000 in savings.
Lack of affordability in healthcare is a contributing reason why 20% to 30% of prescriptions are left at the pharmacy counter. Non-adherence has a significant impact on American health: someone dies every four minutes in the United States from not taking their prescribed medication at all or as directed, according to a report in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy. Even for those who can afford care, access to physicians is limited. The average wait time for a new patient appointment in 15 large metropolitan markets in the United States was 24 days in 2017, and may extend up to 56 days in mid-sized markets, according to a Merritt Hawkins survey. This has placed additional strain on hospital emergency departments across the country an estimated 30% of emergency department visits occur for health issues that could have been treated in primary or other care settings. Healthcare professionals, who are motivated by and whose success is increasingly judged on patient outcomes and satisfaction, are growing frustrated and need resources to help them. Part of the problem is that the healthcare market one of the largest markets in the United States by spending and projected to reach $4.0 trillion in 2020 has had no widely accepted, consumer-focused, tech-enabled solution through which consumers can easily shop for and access healthcare, unlike those found in other industries for things like airline tickets, rental homes and cars.
GoodRx was founded to solve the challenges that consumers face in understanding, accessing, and affording healthcare. We started with a price comparison tool for prescriptions, offering consumers free access to lower prices on their medication. We wanted to help ensure that no parent had to choose between their childs next meal and their life-saving medication. Today, we believe our expanded platform improves the health and financial well-being of American families by providing easy access to price transparency and affordability solutions for generic and brand medications, affordable and convenient medical provider consultations via telehealth and additional healthcare services and information. Based on our research, we believe many of our consumers could not have afforded to fill their prescriptions without GoodRx. In addition to reducing the costs of healthcare for consumers, we believe that our offerings can help drive greater medication adherence, faster treatment and better patient outcomes. These all contribute to a healthier, happier society.
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We see exciting growth potential as we continue to attract new consumers through our existing offerings, launch new offerings to address more of the needs of healthcare consumers, and improve healthcare affordability and access for all Americans. As we extend our platform, we believe that we can create multiple monetization opportunities at different stages of the consumer healthcare journey, enabling us to drive higher expected consumer lifetime value without significant additional consumer acquisition costs.
Our business model has facilitated the rapid growth and expansion of our platform. We have been focused on capital efficiency and delivering on a cash generative monetization model since inception, and we have been able to reinvest our cash flows in our business. As a result, our consumers can now access an increasingly broad platform with a variety of integrated offerings that provide healthcare affordability, access and convenience. Whether a consumer is insured or uninsured, young or old, or suffers from an acute or a chronic ailment, we strive to be at the consumers side throughout their healthcare journey.
Our platform has been effective because we positively impact key stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem. Benefits to participants in the healthcare ecosystem include: achieving better outcomes by increasing medication adherence; providing fast access to preventative care to reduce the strain on hospitals and emergency departments; increasing access to affordable prescriptions that otherwise may not have been filled; and enhancing consumer satisfaction and engagement. We believe that consumers, healthcare providers, pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, pharmacies, pharmaceutical manufacturers and telehealth providers all win with GoodRx. Our partnerships across the healthcare ecosystem, scale and strong consumer brand create a deep competitive moat that is reinforced by our proprietary technology platform, which processes over 150 billion pricing data points every day and integrates that data into an interface that is convenient and easy to use for consumers.
Our success is demonstrated by our 4.9 million Monthly Active Consumers for the first quarter of 2020, the million Monthly Visitors for the second quarter of 2020, the approximately $20 billion of cumulative consumer savings generated for GoodRx consumers through June 30, 2020 and our consumer and healthcare professional NPS scores of 90 and 86, respectively, as of February 2020. On average, we have been the most downloaded medical app on the Apple App Store and Google Play App Store for the last three years. Our GoodRx app had a rating of 4.8 out of 5.0 stars in the Apple App Store and 4.7 out of 5.0 stars in the Google Play App Store, with over 700,000 combined reviews as of June 30, 2020. In both app stores, our HeyDoctor app had a rating of 5.0 out of 5.0 stars, with over 8,000 combined reviews as of June 30, 2020.
We believe our financial results reflect the significant market demand for our offerings and the value that we provide to the broader healthcare ecosystem. The GMV generated by our prescription offering, which accounts for the vast majority of our revenue, was $2.5 billion in 2019. Our revenue has grown at a compound annual growth rate, or CAGR, of 57% since 2016, and reached $388 million in 2019, up from $250 million in 2018. Our net income was $66 million in 2019, up from $44 million in 2018, and our Adjusted EBITDA was $160 million in 2019, up from $128 million in 2018. Our Adjusted EBITDA Margin was 41% in 2019, compared to 51% in 2018. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin are non-GAAP financial measures. For a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, information about why we consider Adjusted EBITDA useful and a discussion of the material risks and limitations of these measures, please see Prospectus SummarySummary Consolidated Financial and Operating DataKey Financial and Operating MetricsNon-GAAP Financial Measures.
Industry Challenges
Healthcare consumers in the United States face a number of challenges that have been increasing for decades, while the solutions to combat these issues have remained largely absent:
| Lack of Consumer-Focused Solutions: Health is the most essential aspect of peoples lives. However, healthcare has remained largely unaffected by the market and technology-driven forces that have |
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improved many other facets of life. Technology similar to that which has been deployed to help consumers buy airline tickets, rent homes or hail cars is lacking in healthcare. |
| Lack of Affordability: Americans spent twice as much per capita on healthcare compared to citizens from other OECD countries in 2018; however, the United States has one of the lowest quality of care rankings among these countries. Insurance companies and employers in the United States have shifted an increasing amount of the financial burden of healthcare onto their members and employees through higher deductibles and increasing co-pays and co-insurance. |
| Lack of Transparency: The healthcare system is highly complex and fragmented. Price variability for prescription medication and other healthcare services can be significant. This can lead to consumer frustration, unnecessary cost, and in many cases, failure to adhere to a medication, undergo a treatment or get a medical test. |
| Lack of Access to Care: Consumers face challenges gaining access to affordable, timely and quality care. The lack of access to this care limits the ability of many consumers to quickly and effectively address relatively basic needs, such as obtaining medication for high blood pressure or diagnosing an infection. Failure to receive early diagnosis and treatment often leads to more severe illness and can require more costly medical treatment in the future. |
| Lack of Resources for Healthcare Professionals: Physicians and other healthcare professionals know that their patients increasingly expect to have a conversation regarding the cost of their treatment or medications, but they tend to have limited access to current information regarding the out-of-pocket financial burden of prescriptions or treatment, and are typically unaware as to whether the patient will be able to afford the prescribed medication or treatment. |
Our Market Opportunity
We believe our market opportunity is substantial and estimate the total addressable market, or TAM, for our current solutions to be approximately $800 billion. This includes a $524 billion prescription opportunity, inclusive of prescriptions that are written but not filled, a $30 billion pharmaceutical manufacturer solutions opportunity and a $250 billion telehealth opportunity.
Our Value Proposition
GoodRx was founded to provide consumers with solutions to the complexity, affordability and transparency challenges American healthcare presents. We believe that the benefits we provide to consumers also positively impact the broader healthcare ecosystem meaning consumers, healthcare providers, PBMs, pharmacies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and telehealth providers all win with GoodRx. This, in turn, can drive beneficial and self-reinforcing network effects.
Our value proposition by stakeholder is described below:
| Consumers: Our platform provides consumers with a variety of mobile-first offerings designed to make their access to healthcare simple and more affordable. We help people fill prescriptions that they may otherwise not have filled due to cost, and enable them to access treatments through telehealth that they may otherwise have delayed due to long wait times for in-person visits. These solutions increase medication adherence, reduce strain on hospital emergency departments and physicians, and improve health outcomes. The value that consumers ascribe to our platform is demonstrated by our high NPS of 90 according to a survey that we conducted in February 2020, which exceeds that of many other well-regarded consumer-centric brands. |
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| Healthcare Professionals: Physicians and other healthcare professionals are motivated to help patients, and, increasingly, are judged by patient outcomes. We help these healthcare professionals improve patient outcomes by encouraging medication adherence and providing a consumer-friendly service. We are able to integrate our pricing information and GoodRx codes directly into Electronic Health Record, or EHR, systems, enabling healthcare professionals to provide prices from our platform directly to their patients at the point of prescribing. |
| Healthcare Companies: PBMs, pharmacies, pharmaceutical manufacturers and telehealth providers use our platform to reach and provide affordability solutions to consumers. We play a valuable role within the healthcare ecosystem by aggregating, normalizing, and presenting information from all of these constituents on a single platform for the consumer. Through the deep relationships that we have developed with these stakeholders over many years, we are able to continually improve our offerings and achieve better pricing outcomes for consumers. |
What Sets Us Apart
We are a market leader with a significant scale and brand advantage over our competitors. Our growth accelerates self-reinforcing network effects that further strengthen our competitive position. Our competitive strengths consist of:
| Leading Platform: We believe that we are the largest platform that aggregates pricing for prescriptions. Our proprietary platform enables us to collect and normalize over 150 billion prescription pricing data points every day from sources spanning the healthcare industry. |
| Trusted Brand: We have built a trusted brand based on nearly a decade of consumer-focused product development. We strive to be with the consumer throughout their healthcare journey. We are guided by the principle of doing well for consumers and the healthcare industry as a whole, which we believe helps us build trust, engagement and brand loyalty. |
| Scaled and Growing Network: Our leading consumer-focused digital healthcare platform and brand have facilitated rapid growth in our consumer base, which has helped us achieve significant scale. As we have scaled, we have been able to increase the savings that we provide our consumers, in part by leveraging our growing consumer base to attract more partners and source better prices. |
| Consumer-focus: We empower consumers with the tools and resources to navigate the complexity of the healthcare system. Our platform delivers a consumer-first experience that is convenient and is easy to use and understand. |
| Extensible Platform: The large number of highly engaged consumers who trust our brand and platform provide a strong foundation for the development of new products that extend across the healthcare market. We have demonstrated our ability to develop new products such as our subscription offerings and pharmaceutical manufacturer solutions offering, and integrate acquired companies such as HeyDoctor. |
| Cash Generative Monetization Model: We believe our business model has facilitated the rapid growth and expansion of our platform. We have a track record of generating cash flows, allowing us to reinvest in platform expansion and growth. |
Our Growth Strategy
The key elements of our growth strategy include:
| Continue to Attract New Consumers: We believe that we have a significant opportunity to serve all Americans by growing awareness of our existing offerings and through the extension of our platform into many of the other areas of healthcare that lack price transparency and consumer empowerment. |
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| Continue to Facilitate Existing GoodRx Consumers Adoption of Multiple GoodRx Offerings: We aim to increase the number of our monetization channels used by our existing consumers, which we believe will be accretive to our consumer lifetime value and to our margins in the medium to long term, without significant additional consumer acquisition costs. |
| Continue to Build the GoodRx Brand: We believe that there are significant opportunities to increase awareness and educate healthcare consumers regarding prescription pricing, as well as our platform and solutions. |
| Invest in Product Offerings: We plan to continue to invest in and scale our range of product offerings to better address the needs of consumers, provide them with better pricing, and improve their overall healthcare journey. Existing offerings include prescription, subscription, pharmaceutical manufacturer solutions, and telehealth offerings. We also see future expansion opportunities in other areas of healthcare that could benefit from the transparency and accessibility provided by our platform. |
| Subscription Offerings: The usage of Gold and Kroger Savings has increased significantly. We will continue to increase the value proposition for consumers by bundling various existing and new offerings in affordable and consumer-friendly subscription packages. |
| Pharmaceutical Manufacturer Solutions Offering: We plan to continue to expand the number of pharmaceutical manufacturers with which we work, as well as enhance our existing offerings and introduce new integrated technology solutions that will allow manufacturers to interact with our consumer base more effectively. |
| Telehealth Offerings: We believe our telehealth offerings will become more integrated with, and will be a growth driver for, our other offerings. We plan to significantly invest in our telehealth offerings, as we see this as an opportunity to add another key consumer entry point into our platform. |
| Future Expansion Opportunities: We believe there are many other areas of healthcare that could benefit from the transparency and accessibility provided by our platform, and we will invest in these areas strategically. |
| Pursue Strategic Partnerships and Acquisitions: We are a valuable partner to a variety of healthcare constituents. We expect to continue to pursue strategic opportunities. |
GoodRxHelps
Philanthropy is not a separate initiative at GoodRx; helping others is woven throughout everything we do. Since inception, our aim has been to provide all Americans with access to affordable and convenient healthcare, and our team of medical health professionals, public health experts and passionate people ensures that we never lose sight of that goal. We are fortunate to be in a position where helping others also supports our business, which in turn allows us to help even more people in more profound ways. It is a virtuous cycle.
In 2020, we launched GoodRxHelps, a free medication program that expects to partner with healthcare professionals and clinics across America. We will be purchasing and providing more than 500 different medications to patients through our clinic partnerships. GoodRxHelps aims to help tens of thousands of individuals every year, with a specific focus on communities that serve people of color. In the future, we intend to increase these efforts, expand funding and engage our employees and consumers to increase our charitable impact.
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Risks Associated with Our Business
Our business is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those highlighted in the section titled Risk Factors immediately following this Prospectus Summary. These risks include, but are not limited to, the following:
| Our limited operating history and our evolving business make it difficult to evaluate our future prospects and the risks and challenges we may encounter. |
| Our recent growth rates may not be sustainable or indicative of future growth and we expect our growth rate to slow. |
| We may be unable to manage our future growth effectively, which could make it difficult to execute our business strategy. |
| We may be unsuccessful in achieving broad market education and changing consumer purchasing habits. |
| We may be unable to continue to attract, acquire and retain consumers, or may fail to do so in a cost-effective manner. |
| We rely significantly on our prescription offering and may not be successful in expanding our offerings within our markets, particularly the U.S. prescriptions market, or to other segments of the healthcare industry. |
| Our business is subject to changes in medication pricing and is significantly impacted by pricing structures negotiated by industry participants. |
| We generally do not control the categories and types of prescriptions for which we can offer savings or discounted prices. |
| We rely on a limited number of industry participants. |
| We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting and may identify material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls in the future, as a result of which, we may not be able to accurately report our financial condition or results of operations, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and, as a result, the value of our Class A common stock. |
| A pandemic, epidemic or outbreak of an infectious disease in the United States, including the outbreak of the novel strain of coronavirus disease, could impact our business. |
| Actual or perceived failures to comply with applicable data protection, privacy and security, advertising and consumer protection laws, regulations, standards and other requirements could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. |
| The impact of recent healthcare reform legislation and other changes in the healthcare industry and in healthcare spending on us is currently unknown, but may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. |
| The dual class structure of our common stock may adversely affect the trading market for our Class A common stock. |
| control the direction of our business and ownership of our common stock will prevent you and other stockholders from influencing significant decisions. |
| We will be a controlled company under the corporate governance rules of the and, as a result, will qualify for, and intend to rely on, exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements. You will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to such requirements. |
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Corporate Information
GoodRx Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation, was incorporated in September 2015. GoodRx Holdings, Inc. is a holding company and its principal assets are the equity interests of GoodRx Intermediate Holdings, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company. We were initially formed in September 2011 as GoodRx, Inc., a Delaware corporation. In October 2015, we completed a corporate reorganization whereby GoodRx, Inc. became a subsidiary of GoodRx Holdings, Inc. In April 2017, we completed a second corporate reorganization whereby the equity interests of GoodRx, Inc. were transferred to GoodRx Intermediate Holdings, LLC. Our principal executive offices are located at 233 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 990, Santa Monica, CA 90401 and our telephone number is (855) 268-2822. Our website address is www.goodrx.com. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not incorporated by reference into, and is not a part of, this prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company
We qualify as an emerging growth company as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. As an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of specified reduced disclosure and other requirements that are otherwise applicable, in general, to public companies that are not emerging growth companies. These provisions include:
| the option to present only two years of audited financial statements and only two years of related Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in this prospectus; |
| not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002; |
| reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports, proxy statements and registration statements; and |
| exemptions from the requirements of holding nonbinding, advisory stockholder votes on executive compensation or on any golden parachute payments not previously approved. |
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest to occur of: (i) the last day of the first fiscal year in which our annual gross revenue exceeds $1.07 billion; (ii) the date that we become a large accelerated filer, with at least $700 million of equity securities held by non-affiliates as of the end of the second quarter of that fiscal year; (iii) the date on which we have issued, in any three-year period, more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities; and (iv) the last day of the fiscal year ending after the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering.
We have elected to take advantage of certain of the reduced disclosure obligations in the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part and may elect to take advantage of other reduced reporting requirements in future filings. As a result, the information that we provide may be different than the information you receive from other public companies in which you hold stock.
Emerging growth companies can also take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 13(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an emerging growth company can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected to take
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advantage of this extended transition period and, as a result, our operating results and financial statements may not be comparable to the operating results and financial statements of companies who have adopted the new or revised accounting standards.
As a result of these elections, some investors may find our Class A common stock less attractive than they would have otherwise. The result may be a less active trading market for our Class A common stock, and the price of our Class A common stock may become more volatile.
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The Offering
Class A common stock offered by us |
shares |
Class A common stock offered by us pursuant to the underwriters over-allotment option |
shares |
Class A common stock to be outstanding after this offering |
shares ( shares if the over-allotment option is exercised in full). |
Class B common stock to be outstanding after this offering |
shares |
Total Class A common stock and Class B common stock to be outstanding after this offering |
shares |
Use of proceeds |
We estimate that the net proceeds to us from the sale of shares of our Class A common stock in this offering will be approximately $ million, or approximately $ million if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, assuming an initial public offering price of $ per share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. |
We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for general corporate purposes to support the growth of our business. We may also use a portion of the proceeds for the acquisition of, or investment in, technologies, solutions, or businesses that complement our business. However, we do not have binding agreements or commitments for any acquisitions or investments outside the ordinary course of business at this time. See Use of Proceeds. |
Voting Rights |
Shares of Class A common stock are entitled to one vote per share. Shares of Class B common stock are entitled to 10 votes per share. |
Holders of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock will generally vote together as a single class, unless otherwise required by law or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Following the completion of this offering, each share of our Class B common stock will be convertible into one share of our Class A common stock at any time and will convert automatically upon certain transfers and upon the earlier of (i) the date specified by a vote of the holders of 66 2/3% of the then outstanding shares of Class B common stock, (ii) years from the closing of this offering, and (iii) the date the shares of Class B common stock cease to represent at least % of all outstanding shares of our common stock. The holders of our outstanding Class B common stock will hold % of the voting power of our outstanding capital stock |
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following this offering, with our directors, executive officers, and 5% stockholders and their respective affiliates holding % of the voting power in the aggregate. These stockholders will have the ability to control the outcome of matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, including the election of our directors and the approval of any change of control transaction. See the sections titled Principal Stockholders and Description of Capital Stock for additional information. |
Controlled company |
Following this offering we will be a controlled company within the meaning of the corporate governance rules of the . |
Risk factors |
See the section titled Risk Factors and the other information included in this prospectus for a discussion of factors you should consider carefully before deciding to invest in shares of our Class A common stock. |
Proposed symbol |
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The number of shares of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock to be outstanding after this offering is based on shares of our Class A common stock and shares of our Class B common stock outstanding, in each case, as of December 31, 2019, and reflects:
| the automatic conversion of all outstanding shares of our redeemable convertible preferred stock as of December 31, 2019 into an equal number of shares of our common stock, which will occur immediately prior to the closing of this offering, or the Preferred Stock Conversion; |
| the redesignation of all outstanding shares of our common stock as of December 31, 2019 as shares of Class A common stock, which will occur immediately prior to the closing of this offering, or the Class A Redesignation; and |
| the exchange of shares of Class A common stock held by as of December 31, 2019, after giving effect to the Preferred Stock Conversion and Class A Redesignation, for an equivalent number of shares of our Class B common stock, which will occur immediately prior to the closing of this offering, or the Class B Exchange. |
The number of shares of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock to be outstanding after this offering does not include:
| shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding options under our Fourth Amended and Restated 2015 Equity Incentive Plan as of December 31, 2019, at a weighted-average exercise price of $ per share; and |
| shares of our common stock reserved for future issuance under our equity compensation plans, consisting of (1) shares of our Class A common stock reserved for future issuance under our Fourth Amended and Restated 2015 Equity Incentive Plan as of December 31, 2019, (2) shares of our Class A common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2020 Incentive Award Plan, which will become effective in connection with the completion of this offering, and (3) shares of our Class A common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, which will become effective in connection with the closing of this offering. |
Our 2020 Incentive Award Plan and 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan each provide for annual automatic increases in the number of shares of Class A common stock reserved thereunder, as more fully described in the section titled Executive and Director Compensation.
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Except as otherwise indicated, all information in this prospectus reflects and assumes:
| the Preferred Stock Conversion, which will occur immediately prior to the closing of this offering; |
| the Class A Redesignation, which will occur immediately prior to the closing of this offering; |
| the Class B Exchange, which will occur immediately prior to the closing of this offering; |
| the filing and effectiveness of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the adoption of our amended and restated bylaws, each of which will be in effect immediately prior to the closing of this offering; and |
| no exercise of the underwriters over-allotment option in this offering. |
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Summary Consolidated Financial and Operating Data
The following tables summarize our consolidated financial and operating data for the periods and as of the dates indicated. We derived our summary consolidated statement of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019 and our summary consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2019 from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. We derived our summary consolidated statement of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017 from our unaudited consolidated financial statements that are not included in this prospectus. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected in the future. You should read the following information in conjunction with the sections titled Selected Consolidated Financial and Operating Data and Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and our consolidated financial statements, the accompanying notes and other financial information included elsewhere in this prospectus.
Consolidated Statement of Operations Data
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |||||||||||||
(in thousands, except per share data) | ||||||||||||||||
Revenue |
$ | 99,377 | $ | 157,240 | $ | 249,522 | $ | 388,224 | ||||||||
Costs and operating expenses: |
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Cost of revenue, exclusive of depreciation and amortization presented separately below (1) (2) |
1,230 | 3,075 | 6,035 | 14,016 | ||||||||||||
Product development and technology (1) (2) |
5,742 | 11,501 | 43,894 | 29,300 | ||||||||||||
Sales and marketing (1) (2) |
60,503 | 78,278 | 104,177 | 176,967 | ||||||||||||
General and administrative (1) (2) |
4,038 | 4,982 | 8,359 | 14,692 | ||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
9,089 | 9,099 | 9,806 | 13,573 | ||||||||||||
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Total costs and operating expenses |
80,602 | 106,935 | 172,271 | 248,548 | ||||||||||||
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Operating income |
18,775 | 50,305 | 77,251 | 139,676 | ||||||||||||
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Other expense (income): |
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Other expense (income), net |
154 | (5 | ) | 7 | 2,967 | |||||||||||
Loss on extinguishment of debt |
| 3,661 | 2,857 | 4,877 | ||||||||||||
Interest income |
(21 | ) | (24 | ) | (154 | ) | (715 | ) | ||||||||
Interest expense |
3,541 | 6,970 | 22,193 | 49,569 | ||||||||||||
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Total other expense, net |
3,674 | 10,602 | 24,903 | 56,698 | ||||||||||||
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Income before income tax expense |
15,101 | 39,703 | 52,348 | 82,978 | ||||||||||||
Income tax expense |
(6,188 | ) | (10,931 | ) | (8,555 | ) | (16,930 | ) | ||||||||
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Net income |
$ | 8,913 | $ | 28,772 | $ | 43,793 | $ | 66,048 | ||||||||
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Net (loss) income attributable to common stockholders (3) |
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Basic |
$ | (7,774 | ) | $ | 8,843 | $ | 13,795 | $ | 42,441 | |||||||
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Diluted |
$ | (7,774 | ) | $ | 8,980 | $ | 14,226 | $ | 42,745 | |||||||
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(Loss) earnings per share (3) |
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Basic |
$ | (0.11 | ) | $ | 0.11 | $ | 0.12 | $ | 0.19 | |||||||
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Diluted |
$ | (0.11 | ) | $ | 0.11 | $ | 0.12 | $ | 0.18 | |||||||
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Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |||||||||||||
(in thousands, except per share data) | ||||||||||||||||
Weighted-average shares used in computing (loss) earnings per share (3) |
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Basic |
73,151 | 77,109 | 111,842 | 226,607 | ||||||||||||
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Diluted |
73,151 | 81,747 | 118,344 | 231,209 | ||||||||||||
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Pro forma earnings per share (unaudited) (3) |
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Basic |
$ | 0.19 | ||||||||||||||
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Diluted |
$ | 0.18 | ||||||||||||||
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Weighted-average shares used in computing pro forma earnings per share (unaudited) (3) |
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Basic |
352,653 | |||||||||||||||
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Diluted |
357,255 | |||||||||||||||
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(1) | Includes stock-based compensation expense as follows: |
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |||||||||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Cost of revenue |
$ | | $ | | $ | | $ | 28 | ||||||||
Product development and technology |
1,150 | 1,278 | 1,048 | 1,775 | ||||||||||||
Sales and marketing |
598 | 665 | 544 | 1,268 | ||||||||||||
General and administrative |
254 | 207 | 170 | 676 | ||||||||||||
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Total stock-based compensation expense |
$ | 2,002 | $ | 2,150 | $ | 1,762 | $ | 3,747 | ||||||||
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(2) | Includes expense for cash bonuses to vested option holders as follows: |
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |||||||||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Cost of revenue |
$ | | $ | 36 | $ | | $ | | ||||||||
Product development and technology |
| 760 | 29,189 | | ||||||||||||
Sales and marketing |
| 214 | 6,878 | | ||||||||||||
General and administrative |
| 390 | 2,733 | | ||||||||||||
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Total vested option holder bonuses |
$ | | $ | 1,400 | $ | 38,800 | $ | | ||||||||
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(3) | See Notes 2 and 16 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for an explanation of the calculations of earnings per share, basic and diluted, and pro forma earnings per share, basic and diluted, for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019. |
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Consolidated Balance Sheet Data
As of December 31, 2019 | ||||||||||||
Actual | Pro Forma (1) | Pro Forma as Adjusted (2) |
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(in thousands) | ||||||||||||
Cash |
$ | 26,050 | $ | $ | ||||||||
Working capital |
53,209 | |||||||||||
Total assets |
386,796 | |||||||||||
Total debt (including current portion of long-term debt) |
670,922 | |||||||||||
Total liabilities |
737,369 | |||||||||||
Redeemable convertible preferred stock |
737,009 | |||||||||||
Retained earnings (accumulated deficit) |
(1,096,830 | ) | ||||||||||
Total stockholders (deficit) equity |
(1,087,582 | ) |
(1) | The pro forma column reflects (i) the Preferred Stock Conversion, (ii) the Class A Redesignation, (iii) the Class B Exchange, and (iv) the filing and effectiveness of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. |
(2) | The pro forma as adjusted column reflects the items described in footnote (1), and the sale by us of shares of our Class A common stock in this offering at an assumed initial public offering price of $ per share, which is the midpoint of the estimated offering price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. Each $1.00 increase or decrease in the assumed initial public offering price of $ per share, which is the midpoint of the assumed offering price range set forth on the cover of this prospectus, would increase or decrease, as applicable the amount of our pro forma cash, total assets, and total stockholders (deficit) equity by $ million, assuming that the number of shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. Similarly, each increase or decrease of 1.0 million shares in the number of shares offered by us would increase or decrease, as applicable, the amount of our pro forma cash, total assets, and total stockholders (deficit) equity by $ million, assuming the assumed initial public offering price remains the same, and after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. The pro forma information discussed above is illustrative only and will be adjusted based on the actual initial public offering price, the number of shares we sell and other terms of this offering that will be determined at pricing. |
Key Financial and Operating Metrics
In addition to GAAP measures of performance, we review the following key business and non-GAAP measures to assess our performance, make strategic and offering decisions and build our financial projections.
Monthly Active Consumers
We define Monthly Active Consumers as the number of unique consumers who have used a GoodRx code to purchase a prescription in a given calendar month and have saved money compared to the list price of the medication. Monthly Active Consumers do not include subscribers to our subscription offerings, consumers of our pharmaceutical manufacturers solutions offering, or consumers who used our telehealth offerings. When presented for a period longer than a month, Monthly Active Consumers is averaged over the number of calendar months in such period.
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Three Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mar. 31, 2016 |
June 30, 2016 |
Sept. 30, 2016 |
Dec. 31, 2016 |
Mar. 31, 2017 |
June 30, 2017 |
Sept. 30, 2017 |
Dec. 31, 2017 |
Mar. 31, 2018 |
June 30, 2018 |
Sept. 30, 2018 |
Dec. 31, 2018 |
Mar. 31, 2019 |
June 30, 2019 |
Sept. 30, 2019 |
Dec. 31, 2019 |
Mar. 31, 2020 |
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(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Monthly Active Consumers |
718 | 852 | 981 | 1,138 | 1,279 | 1,309 | 1,455 | 1,710 | 2,020 | 2,170 | 2,413 | 2,750 | 3,188 | 3,513 | 3,787 | 4,272 | 4,875 |
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA |
$ | 30,008 | $ | 62,956 | $ | 127,634 | $ | 159,629 | ||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA Margin |
30.2 | % | 40.0 | % | 51.2 | % | 41.1 | % |
In addition to our results determined in accordance with GAAP, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA is useful in evaluating our financial performance and for internal planning and forecasting purposes. We calculate Adjusted EBITDA, for a particular period, as net income before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, and as further adjusted for acquisition related expenses, stock-based compensation expense, loss on extinguishment of debt, financing related expenses and other expense (income), net. Adjusted EBITDA Margin represents Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of revenue.
We believe Adjusted EBITDA is helpful to investors, analysts and other interested parties because it can assist in providing a more consistent and comparable overview of our operations across our historical financial periods. In addition, this measure is frequently used by analysts, investors and other interested parties to evaluate and assess performance. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin are non-GAAP measures and are presented for supplemental informational purposes only and should not be considered as alternatives or substitutes to financial information presented in accordance with GAAP. These measures have certain limitations in that they do not include the impact of certain expenses that are reflected in our consolidated statement of operations that are necessary to run our business. Other companies, including other companies in our industry, may not use such measures or may calculate the measures differently than as presented in this prospectus, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures.
The non-GAAP information in this prospectus should be read in conjunction with, and not as substitutes for, or in isolation from, our audited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included elsewhere in this prospectus.
A reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA is set forth below:
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Net income |
$ | 8,913 | $ | 28,772 | $ | 43,793 | $ | 66,048 | ||||||||
Adjusted to exclude the following: |
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Interest income |
(21 | ) | (24 | ) | (154 | ) | (715 | ) | ||||||||
Interest expense |
3,541 | 6,970 | 22,193 | 49,569 | ||||||||||||
Income tax expense |
6,188 | 10,931 | 8,555 | 16,930 | ||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
9,089 | 9,099 | 9,806 | 13,573 | ||||||||||||
Other expense (income), net |
154 | (5 | ) | 7 | 2,967 | |||||||||||
Loss on extinguishment of debt |
| 3,661 | 2,857 | 4,877 |
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Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Financing related expenses (1) |
$ | | $ | 1,400 | $ | 38,800 | $ | 463 | ||||||||
Acquisition related expenses (2) |
142 | 2 | 15 | 2,170 | ||||||||||||
Stock based compensation (3) |
2,002 | 2,150 | 1,762 | 3,747 | ||||||||||||
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Adjusted EBITDA |
$ | 30,008 | $ | 62,956 | $ | 127,634 | $ | 159,629 | ||||||||
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Adjusted EBITDA Margin |
30.2 | % | 40.0 | % | 51.2 | % | 41.1 | % | ||||||||
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(1) | Financing related expenses include discretionary cash bonuses paid to vested option holders in connection with our financings in 2017 and 2018, third party fees related to proposed financings, and third-party financing related charges. |
(2) | Acquisition related expenses include third party fees for actual or planned acquisitions, including related legal, consulting and other expenditures, and retention bonuses to employees related to acquisitions. |
(3) | Non-cash expenses related to equity-based compensation programs, which vary from period to period depending on various factors including the timing, number and the valuation of awards. |
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Investing in our Class A 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 in this prospectus, including the section titled Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus before investing in our Class A common stock. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risk and uncertainties that we are unaware of or that we deem immaterial may also become important factors that adversely affect our business. The realization of any of these risks and uncertainties could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition, results of operations, growth and future prospects, as well as our ability to accomplish our strategic objectives. In that event, the market price of our Class A common stock could decline and you could lose part or all of your investment.
Risks Related to Our Limited Operating History and Early Stage of Growth
Our limited operating history and our evolving business make it difficult to evaluate our future prospects and the risks and challenges we may encounter.
Our limited operating history and evolving business make it difficult to evaluate and assess the success of our business to date, our future prospects and the risks and challenges that we may encounter. These risks and challenges include our ability to:
| attract new consumers to our platform and position our platform as an important way to make purchasing decisions for prescription medications and other healthcare products and services; |
| retain our consumers and encourage them to continue to utilize our platform when purchasing healthcare products and services; |
| attract new and existing consumers to rapidly adopt new offerings on our platform; |
| increase the number of consumers that use our subscription offerings or the number of subscription programs that we manage; |
| increase and retain our consumers that subscribe to our subscription offerings, such as Gold and Kroger Savings; |
| attract and retain industry players for inclusion in our platform, including pharmacies, pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, pharmaceutical manufacturers and telehealth providers; |
| comply with existing and new laws and regulations applicable to our business and in our industry; |
| anticipate and respond to macroeconomic changes, changes in medication pricing and industry pricing benchmarks and changes in the markets in which we operate; |
| react to challenges from existing and new competitors; |
| maintain and enhance the value of our reputation and brand; |
| effectively manage our growth; |
| hire, integrate and retain talented people at all levels of our organization; |
| maintain and improve the infrastructure underlying our platform, including our apps and websites, including with respect to data protection and cybersecurity; and |
| successfully update our platform, including expanding our platform and offerings into different healthcare products and services, develop and update our apps, features, offerings and services to benefit our consumers and enhance the consumer experience. |
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If we fail to address the risks and difficulties that we face, including those associated with the challenges listed above and those described elsewhere in this Risk Factors section, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. Further, because we have limited historical financial data and our business continues to evolve and expand within the U.S. healthcare industry, any predictions about our future revenue and expenses may not be as accurate as they would be if we had a longer operating history, operated a more predictable business or operated in a less regulated industry. We have encountered in the past, and will encounter in the future, risks and uncertainties frequently experienced by growing companies with limited operating histories and evolving business that operate in highly regulated and competitive industries. If our assumptions regarding these risks and uncertainties, which we use to plan and operate our business, are incorrect or change, or if we do not address these risks successfully, our results of operations could differ materially from our expectations and our business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.
Our recent growth rates may not be sustainable or indicative of future growth and we expect our growth rate to slow.
We have experienced significant growth since our founding in 2011. Revenue increased from $99.4 million for 2016 to $388.2 million for 2019. Our historical rate of growth may not be sustainable or indicative of our future rate of growth. We believe that our continued growth in revenue, as well as our ability to improve or maintain margins and profitability, will depend upon, among other factors, our ability to address the challenges, risks and difficulties described elsewhere in this Risk Factors section and the extent to which our various offerings grow and contribute to our results of operations. We cannot provide assurance that we will be able to successfully manage any such challenges or risks to our future growth. In addition, our base of consumers may not continue to grow or may decline due to a variety of possible risks, including increased competition, changes in the regulatory landscape and the maturation of our business. Any of these factors could cause our revenue growth to decline and may adversely affect our margins and profitability. Failure to continue our revenue growth or improve margins would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. You should not rely on our historical rate of revenue growth as an indication of our future performance.
Our results of operations vary and may fluctuate significantly from period-to-period.
Our quarterly and annual results of operations have historically varied from period-to-period and we expect that our results of operations will continue to do so for a variety of reasons, many of which are outside of our control and are difficult to predict. We have presented many of the factors that may cause our results of operations to fluctuate in this Risk Factors section, including the extent to which our various offerings, such as our telehealth offerings, grow and contribute to our results of operations. In addition, we typically experience stronger consumer demand during the first and fourth quarters of each year, which coincide with generally higher consumer healthcare spending, doctor office visits, annual benefit enrollment season and seasonal cold and flu trends. The rapid growth of our business may have masked these trends to date, and we expect the impact of seasonality to be more pronounced in the future. The cumulative effects of such factors could result in large fluctuations and unpredictability in our quarterly and annual results of operations. As a result, comparing our results of operations on a period-to-period basis may not be meaningful and investors should not rely on our past results as an indication of our future performance.
This variability and unpredictability could also result in our failing to meet the expectations of industry or financial analysts or investors for any period. If our revenue or results of operations fall below the expectations of analysts or investors or below any guidance we may provide, or if the guidance we provide is below the expectations of analysts or investors, the price of our Class A common stock could decline substantially. Such a stock price decline could occur even when we have met any previously publicly stated guidance we may provide.
We may be unable to manage our future growth effectively, which could make it difficult to execute our business strategy.
Since 2011, we have experienced rapid growth in our business operations and the number of consumers that use our offerings, and we may continue to experience growth in the future. For example, the number of our
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full-time employees increased from 137 as of December 31, 2017 to 338 as of June 30, 2020, and the number of Monthly Active Consumers has increased from 1.3 million for the first quarter of 2017 to 4.9 million for the first quarter of 2020. This growth has placed, and may continue to place, significant demands on our management and our operational and financial infrastructure. Our ability to manage our growth effectively and to integrate new employees, technologies and acquisitions into our existing business will require us to continue to expand our operational and financial infrastructure and to continue to retain, attract, train, motivate and manage employees. Management of growth is particularly difficult as employees work from home as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Continued growth could strain our ability to develop and improve our operational, financial and management controls, enhance our reporting systems and procedures, recruit, train and retain highly skilled personnel and maintain consumer satisfaction. Additionally, if we do not effectively manage the growth of our business and operations, the quality of our platform and offerings could suffer, which could negatively affect our reputation and brand, business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may experience lower margins as HeyDoctor continues to grow as a portion of our overall business.
HeyDoctor, which we launched in 2019, has experienced significant growth and we expect it to continue to grow in the future. However, the telehealth market is rapidly developing and is subject to significant price competition, and we may be unable to achieve satisfactory prices for our HeyDoctor offering or maintain prices at competitive levels. Due in part to this price competition, HeyDoctor currently generates lower margins than our other offerings. If we are unable to maintain our prices, or if our costs increase and we are unable to offset such increase with an increase in our prices, our margins could decline. In addition, as HeyDoctor continues to grow as a portion of our overall business, we expect such growth to have an adverse impact on our margins. We will continue to be subject to significant pricing pressure, and expect that HeyDoctor will continue to grow as a source of revenue, which would likely have a material adverse effect on our margins.
Risks Related to Our Business
We may be unsuccessful in achieving broad market education and changing consumer purchasing habits.
Our success and future growth largely depend on our ability to increase consumer awareness of our platform and offerings, and on the willingness of consumers to utilize our platform to access information, discounted prices for prescription medications and other healthcare products and services, including telehealth services. We believe the vast majority of consumers make purchasing decisions for healthcare products and services on the basis of traditional factors, such as insurance coverage, availability at nearby pharmacies and availability of nearby medical testing. This traditional decision-making process does not always account for restrictive and complex insurance plans, high deductibles, expensive co-pays and other factors, such as discounts or savings available at alternative pharmacies or practices. To effectively market our platform, we must educate consumers about the various purchase options and the benefits of using GoodRx codes when purchasing prescription medications and other healthcare products and services without using their health insurance benefits. We focus our marketing and education efforts on consumers, but also aim to educate and inform healthcare providers, pharmacists and other participants that interact with consumers, including at the point of purchase. However, we cannot assure you that we will be successful in changing consumer purchasing habits or that we will achieve broad market education or awareness among consumers. Even if we are able to raise awareness among consumers, they may be slow in changing their habits and may be hesitant to use our platform for a variety of reasons, including:
| lack of experience with our company and platform, and concerns that we are relatively new to the industry; |
| perceived health, safety or quality risks associated with the use of a new platform and applications to shop for discounted prices for prescription medications; |
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| lack of awareness that there is a disparity of pricing for prescription medicines and other medical products and services; |
| perception that our platform does not provide adequate discounted prices or only offers savings for a limited selection of prescription medications; |
| perception that discounted prices offered through our platform are less competitive than insurance coverage; |
| perception regarding acceptance rates of pharmacies for our GoodRx codes available through our platform; |
| traditional or existing relationships with pharmacies, pharmacists or other providers that sell healthcare products and services; |
| concerns about the privacy and security of the data that consumers share with or through our platform; |
| competition and negative selling efforts from competitors, including competing platforms and price matching programs; and |
| perception regarding the time and complexity of using our platform or using and applying our GoodRx codes available through our platform at the point of purchase. |
If we fail to achieve broad market education of our platform and/or the options for purchasing healthcare products and services, or if we are unsuccessful in changing consumer purchasing habits, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.
We may be unable to continue to attract, acquire and retain consumers, or may fail to do so in a cost-effective manner.
Our success depends in part on our ability to cost-effectively attract and acquire new consumers, retain our existing consumers and encourage our consumers to continue to utilize our platform when making purchasing decisions for prescription medications and other healthcare products and services. To expand our base of consumers, we must appeal to consumers who have historically used traditional outlets for their healthcare products and services, and who may be unaware of the possibility or benefits of using discounted prices to purchase healthcare products and services outside of insurance programs. We have made significant investments related to consumer acquisition and expect to continue to spend significant amounts to acquire additional consumers. For example, we increased our expenditures on advertising by $74.4 million in 2019, and we expect to continue to invest in sales and marketing in the near term. We cannot assure you that this spending will be effective or that revenue from new consumers that we acquire will ultimately exceed the cost of acquiring those consumers. If we fail to deliver reliable and significant discounted prices for prescription medications, we may be unable to acquire or retain consumers. If we are unable to acquire or retain consumers who use our platform in volumes and with recurrence sufficient to grow our business, we may be unable to maintain the scale necessary for operational efficiency and to drive beneficial and self-reinforcing network effects across the broader healthcare ecosystem, including pharmacies, PBMs, pharmaceutical manufacturers and telehealth providers. Consequently, we may not be able to present the same quality or range of solutions on our platform or otherwise, which may adversely impact consumer interest in our platform, in which case our business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.
We believe that our paid and non-paid marketing initiatives have been critical in promoting consumer awareness of our platform and offerings, which in turn has driven new consumer growth and increased the extent to which existing consumers have used our platform. Our paid marketing initiatives include television, search engine marketing, mail to consumers and healthcare provider offices, email, display, radio and magazine advertising and social media marketing. For example, we actively market our platform and offerings through television and we rely on direct mail to distribute marketing materials to consumers. If we are unable to cost-effectively market to consumers and drive traffic to our apps and websites, our ability to acquire new consumers
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and our financial condition would be materially and adversely affected. We also buy search advertising primarily through search engines such as Google and Bing, and use internal analytics and external vendors for bid optimization and channel strategy. Our non-paid advertising efforts include search engine optimization, non-paid social media and e-mail marketing. Search engines frequently modify their search algorithms and these changes can cause our websites to receive less favorable placements, which could reduce the number of consumers who visit our websites. The costs associated with advertising through search engines can also vary significantly from period to period, and have generally increased over time. We may be unable to modify our strategies in response to any future search algorithm changes made by the search engines, which could require a change in the strategy we use to generate consumer traffic to our websites. In addition, our websites must comply with search engine guidelines and policies, which are complex and may change at any time. If we fail to follow such guidelines and policies properly, search engines may rank our content lower in search results or could remove our content altogether from their indices. Although consumer traffic to our apps is not reliant on search results, growth in mobile device usage may not decrease our overall reliance on search results if consumers use our mobile websites rather than our apps or use search to initially find our apps. In fact, growth in mobile device usage may exacerbate the risks associated with how and where our websites are displayed in search results because mobile device screens are smaller than desktop computer screens and therefore display fewer search results.
In addition, we actively encourage new and existing consumers to use our apps to access our platform. We believe that our apps help to facilitate increased consumer retention and that consumers that access our platform through our apps are more likely to utilize GoodRx codes at the final point of purchase. While we have invested and will continue to invest in the development of our apps to improve consumer utilization, there can be no assurance that our efforts to drive adoption and use of our apps will be effective.
Our consumer education, acquisition and retention initiatives can be expensive and may be ineffective in driving consumer education or interest in our platform. Further, if new or existing consumers do not perceive that the discounted prices presented through our platform are reliable or meaningful, or if we fail to offer new and relevant offerings and application features, we may not be able to attract or retain consumers or increase the extent to which they use our platform and applications for other or future purchases. If we fail to continue to grow our base of consumers, retain existing consumers or increase consumer engagement, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.
We rely significantly on our prescription offering and may not be successful in expanding our offerings within our markets, particularly the U.S. prescriptions market, or to other segments of the healthcare industry.
To date, the vast majority of our revenue has been, and we expect it to continue to substantially be, derived from our prescription offering. When a consumer uses a GoodRx code to fill a prescription and saves money compared to the list price at that pharmacy, we receive fees from our partners, primarily PBMs. Revenue from our prescription offering represented 97% and 94% of our revenue for 2018 and 2019, respectively. Substantially all of this revenue was generated from consumer transactions at brick and mortar pharmacies. In addition, we have experienced a significant increase in revenue generated by our telehealth offerings. The introduction of competing offerings with lower prices for consumers, fluctuations in prescription prices, changes in consumer purchasing habits, including an increase in the use of mail-order prescriptions, changes in the regulatory landscape, and other factors could result in changes to our contracts or a decline in our revenue, which may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Because we derive a vast majority of our revenue from our prescription offering, any material decline in the use of such offering or in the fees we receive from our partners in connection with such offering would have a pronounced impact on our future revenue and results of operations, particularly if we are unable to expand our offerings overall.
We seek to expand our offerings within the prescriptions market, the pharmaceutical manufacturer solutions market and the telehealth market in the United States. For example, within the prescriptions market, we developed our subscription offerings, Gold and Kroger Savings in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Additionally, we
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have expanded into the pharmaceutical manufacturer solutions markets with our pharmaceutical manufacturer solutions offering. We have also expanded into the telehealth market through our acquisition and integration of HeyDoctor in 2019 and the launch of the GoodRx Telehealth Marketplace, which is a marketplace designed to bring third party providers to our ecosystem so that we can provide consumers with a breadth of services in a single platform, in 2020. We are actively investing in each of these growth areas. However, expanding our offerings and entering into new markets requires substantial additional resources, and our ability to succeed is not certain. During and following periods of active investment, we may experience a decrease in profitability or margins, particularly if the area of investment generates lower margins than our other offerings. For example, HeyDoctor generates substantially lower margins than our other offerings and we expect that it will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. As we expand our offerings, we will need to take additional steps, such as hiring additional personnel, partnering with new third parties and incurring considerable research and development expenses, in order to pursue such an expansion successfully. Any such expansion would be subject to additional uncertainties and would likely be subject to additional laws and regulations. As a result, we may not be successful in future efforts to expand into or achieve profitability from new markets, new business models or strategies or new offering types, and our ability to generate revenue from our current offerings and continue our existing business may be negatively affected. If any such expansion does not enhance our ability to maintain or grow revenue or recover any associated development costs, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Our business is subject to changes in medication pricing and is significantly impacted by pricing structures negotiated by industry participants.
Our platform aggregates and analyzes pricing data from a number of different sources. The discounted prices that we present through our platform are based in large part upon pricing structures negotiated by industry participants. We do not control the pricing strategies of pharmaceutical manufacturers, wholesalers, PBMs and pharmacies, each of which is motivated by independent considerations and drivers that are outside our control and has the ability to set or significantly impact market prices for different prescription medications. While we have contractual and non-contractual relationships with certain industry participants, such as pharmacies, PBMs and pharmaceutical manufacturers, these and other industry participants often negotiate complex and multi-party pricing structures, and we have no control over these participants and the policies and strategies that they implement in negotiating these pricing structures.
Pharmaceutical manufacturers generally direct medication pricing by setting medication list prices and offering rebates and discounts for their medications. List prices are impacted by, among other things, market considerations such as the number of competitor medications and availability of alternative treatment options. Wholesalers can impact medication pricing by purchasing medications in bulk from pharmaceutical manufacturers and then reselling such medications to pharmacies. PBMs generally impact medication pricing through their bargaining power, negotiated rebates with pharmaceutical manufacturers and contracts with different pharmacy providers and health insurance companies. PBMs work with pharmacies to determine the negotiated rate that will be paid at the pharmacy by consumers. Medication pricing is also impacted by health insurance companies and the extent to which a health insurance plan provides for, among other things, covered medications, preferred tiers for different medications and high or low deductibles. Approximately 90% of the total prescription volume and 26% of prescription spending in the United States was for generic forms of medication in 2018, with the remainder being brand medications, according to a report by the IQVIA Institute. Similar to the total prescription volume in the United States, a vast majority of the utilization of our platform relates to generic medications.
Our ability to present discounted prices through our platform, the value of any such discounts and our ability to generate revenue are directly affected by the pricing structures in place amongst these industry participants, and changes in medication pricing and in the general pricing structures that are in place could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. For example, changes in the negotiated rates of the PBMs on our platform at pharmacies could negatively impact the prices that we present through our platform, and changes in insurance plan coverage for specific medications could reduce demand for and/or our
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ability to offer competitive discounts for certain medications, any of which could have an adverse effect on our ability to generate revenue and business. In addition, changes in the fee and pricing structures among industry participants, whether due to regulatory requirements, competitive pressures or otherwise, that reduce or adversely impact fees generated by PBMs would have an adverse effect on our ability to generate revenue and business. Due in part to existing pricing structures, we generate a small portion of our revenue through contracts with pharmaceutical manufacturers and other intermediaries. Changes in the roles of industry participants and in general pricing structures, as well as price competition among industry participants, could have an adverse impact on our business. For example, integration of PBMs and pharmacy providers could result in pricing structures whereby such entities would have greater pricing power and flexibility or industry players could implement direct to consumer initiatives that could significantly alter existing pricing structures, either of which would have an adverse impact on our ability to present competitive and low prices to consumers and, as a result, the value of our platform for consumers and our results of operations.
We generally do not control the categories and types of prescriptions for which we can offer savings or discounted prices.
The categories and brands of medications for which we can present discounted prices are largely determined by PBMs. PBMs work with insurance companies, employers and other organizations and enter into contracts with pharmacies to determine negotiated rates. They also negotiate rebates with pharmaceutical manufacturers. The terms that different PBMs negotiate with each pharmacy are generally different and result in different negotiated rates available via each PBMs network, all of which is outside our control. Different PBMs prioritize and allocate discounts across different medications, and continuously update these allocations in accordance with their internal strategies and expectations. As we have agreements with PBMs to market their negotiated rates through our platform, our ability to present discounted prices is dependent upon the arrangements that PBMs have negotiated with pharmacies and upon the resulting availability and allocation of discounts for medications subject to these arrangements. In general, industry participants are less likely to allocate or provide for discounts or rebates on brand medications that are covered by patents. As a result, the discounted prices that we are able to present for brand medications may not be as competitive as for generic medications. Similar to the total prescription volume in the United States, the vast majority of the utilization of our platform relates to generic medications.
Changes in the categories and types of medications for which we can present pricing through our platform could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, demand for our offerings and the use and utility of our platform is impacted by the value of the discounts that we are able to present and the extent to which there is inconsistency in the price of a particular prescription across the market. If pharmacies, PBMs or others do not allocate or otherwise facilitate adequate discounts for these medications, or if there is significant price similarity or competition across PBMs and pharmacies, the perceived value of our platform and the demand for our offerings would decrease and there would be a significant impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We rely on a limited number of industry participants.
There is currently significant concentration in the U.S. healthcare industry, and in particular there are a limited number of PBMs, including pharmacies in-house PBMs, and a limited number of national pharmacy chains. If we are unable to retain favorable contractual arrangements with our PBMs, including any successor PBMs should there be further consolidation of PBMs, we may lose them as customers, or the negotiated rates provided by such PBMs may become less competitive, which could have an adverse impact on the discounted prices we present through our platform. Many of our PBM contracts provide for continuing payments to us after such PBM contracts are terminated for so long as the negotiated rates related to such PBMs continue to be utilized by our consumers or, for certain partners, for a specified multi-year period. While we have consistently renewed and extended the term of our contracts with PBMs over time, there can be no assurance that PBMs will enter into future contracts or renew existing contracts with us, or that any future contracts they enter into will be
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on equally favorable terms. Changes that limit or otherwise negatively impact our ability to receive fees from these partners would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Consolidation of PBMs or the loss of a PBM could negatively impact the discounts and prices that we present through our platform and may result in less competitive discounts and prices on our platform.
A limited number of PBMs generate a significant percentage of the discounted prices that we present through our platform and, as a result, we generate a significant portion of our revenue from contracts with a limited number of PBMs. We work with more than a dozen PBMs that maintain cash networks and prices, and the number of PBMs we work with has significantly increased over time, limiting the extent to which any one PBM contributes to our overall revenue; however, we may not expand beyond our existing PBM partners and the number of our PBM partners may even decline. Our three largest PBM partners accounted for 60% of our revenue in 2018, 55% of our revenue in 2019 and 50% of our revenue in the first quarter of 2020. Revenue from each PBM fluctuates from period to period as the discounts and prices available through our platform change, and different PBMs experience increases and decreases in the volume of transactions processed through their respective networks. In 2018, Optum, Navitus and MedImpact each accounted for more than 10% of revenue. In 2019, Navitus and MedImpact each accounted for more than 10% of revenue, and in the first quarter of 2020, Navitus, MedImpact and Express Scripts each accounted for more than 10% of revenue.
Our consumers use GoodRx codes at the point of purchase at nearby pharmacies. These codes can be used at over 70,000 pharmacies in the United States. The U.S. prescriptions market is dominated by a limited number of national and regional pharmacy chains, such as CVS, Kroger, Walmart and Walgreens. These pharmacy chains represent a significant portion of overall prescription medication transactions in the United States. Similarly, a significant portion of our discounted prices are used at a limited number of pharmacy chains and, as a result, a significant portion of our revenue is derived from transactions processed at a limited number of pharmacy chains. We do not generate a significant percentage of revenue from mail-order prescriptions or mail-order pharmacies. If one or more of these pharmacy chains terminates its cash network contracts with PBMs that we work with or enters into cash network contracts with PBMs that we work with at less competitive rates, our business may be negatively affected. This could be exacerbated by further consolidation of PBMs or pharmacy chains. If such changes, individually or in the aggregate, are material, they would have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. If there is a decline in revenue generated from any of the PBMs we contract with, as a result of consolidation of PBMs or pharmacy chains, pricing competition among industry participants or otherwise, if we are unable to maintain or grow our relationships with PBMs or if we lose one or more of the PBMs we contract with and cannot replace the PBM in a timely manner or at all, there would be an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We operate in a very competitive industry and we may fail to effectively differentiate our offerings and services from those of our competitors, which could impair our ability to attract and acquire new consumers and retain existing consumers.
The U.S. prescriptions market, pharmaceutical manufacturer solutions market and telehealth market are highly competitive and subject to ongoing innovation and development. Our ability to remain competitive is dependent upon our ability to appeal to consumers and attract and acquire new consumers to our platform, including through our apps. Our ability to remain competitive is also dependent upon our ability to retain existing consumers and encourage them to continue to use our platform as a tool for purchasing healthcare products and services. We operate in a highly competitive environment and in an industry that is subject to significant market pressures brought about by consumer demands, a limited number of major PBMs, fluctuations in medication pricing, legislative and regulatory activity, significant changes in demand and interest in telehealth and other market factors.
We compete with companies that provide savings on prescriptions, as well as companies that offer telehealth services and advertising and market access for pharmaceutical manufacturers. Within the prescriptions
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market, our competition is fragmented and consists of competitors that are smaller than us in scale. There can be no assurance that competitors will not develop and market similar offerings to ours, or that industry participants, such as integrated PBMs and pharmacy providers, will not seek to leverage our platform to drive consumer demand and traffic to their networks and eventually away from, or outside of, our platform. We may face increased competition from those that attempt to replicate our business model or marketing tactics, such as discount websites, apps, cash back and loyalty programs and new comparison shopping sites from various industry participants, any of which could impact our ability to attract and retain consumers. We also face competition in the telehealth market from a range of companies, including providers of telehealth services that are larger than us, and which usually provide telehealth services on behalf of employers and insurance plans, such as Teladoc, Amwell, MDLIVE, and Doctor on Demand. Our pharmaceutical manufacturer solutions offering competes for advertising and market access budget allocation against traditional direct to consumer and other platforms on which pharmaceuticals manufacturers can reach consumers, such as through physicians, health-related apps and websites, television advertisements and services supporting patient access. A competitors offerings, reputation and marketing strategies can have a substantial impact on its ability to attract and retain consumers, and we may face competition from existing or new market entrants with greater resources and better offerings, reputations and market strategies, which would have a negative impact on our business. Any such competitor may be better able to respond quickly to new technologies, develop deeper relationships with consumers and industry participants, including pharmacies, PBMs and telehealth providers, or offer more competitive discounts or pricing. While we negotiate protective terms related to our discounted prices, our intellectual property and our consumers with PBMs, our contacts with these parties are not exclusive and PBMs work with others in the industry to drive volume to their networks. For example, our contracts include provisions that, among others, restrict the ability of PBMs to compete with us and solicit our consumers. We aim to differentiate our business through scale and by innovating and delivering offerings and services, including medical care and advice through our telehealth offerings, that demonstrate value to consumers and to our existing consumers, particularly in response to frequent changes in medication pricing and the cost of medical care. Our failure to innovate and deliver offerings and services that demonstrate value, or to market such offerings and services effectively, may affect our ability to acquire or retain consumers, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We may also face competition from companies that we do not yet know about. If existing or new companies develop or market an offering similar to ours, develop an entirely new solution for access to affordable healthcare, acquire one of our existing competitors or form a strategic alliance with one of our competitors or other industry participants, our ability to compete effectively could be significantly impacted, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
A pandemic, epidemic or outbreak of an infectious disease in the United States, including the outbreak of the novel strain of coronavirus disease, could impact our business.
In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, was identified in Wuhan, China. Since then, SARS-CoV-2, and the resulting disease, COVID-19, has spread to almost every country in the world and all 50 states within the United States. Global health concerns relating to the outbreak of COVID-19 have been weighing on the macroeconomic environment, and the outbreak has significantly increased economic uncertainty. The outbreak has resulted in authorities implementing numerous measures to try to contain the virus, such as travel bans and restrictions, quarantines, shelter-in-place orders, and business shutdowns. In particular for our business, governmental authorities have also recommended, and in certain cases, required, that elective or other medical appointments be suspended or cancelled to avoid non-essential patient exposure to medical environments and potential infection. These and other measures have not only negatively impacted consumer spending and business spending habits, they have adversely impacted and may further impact our workforce and operations and the operations of healthcare professionals, pharmacies, consumers, PBMs and others in the broader healthcare ecosystem. Although certain of these measures are beginning to ease in some geographic regions, overall measures to contain the COVID-19 outbreak may remain in place for a significant
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period of time. The duration and severity of this pandemic is unknown and the extent of the business disruption and financial impact depend on factors beyond our knowledge and control.
Given the uncertainty around the duration and extent of the COVID-19 pandemic, we expect the evolving COVID-19 pandemic to continue to impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity, but cannot accurately predict at this time the future potential impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. Various government measures, community self-isolation practices and shelter-in-place requirements, as well as the perceived need by individuals to continue such practices to avoid infection, have generally reduced the extent to which consumers visit healthcare professionals in-person, seek treatment for certain conditions or ailments, and receive and fill new prescriptions. Consumers may also increasingly elect to receive prescriptions by mail order instead of at the pharmacy, which could have an adverse impact on our prescription offering. In addition, many pharmacies and healthcare providers have reduced staffing, closed locations or otherwise limited operations, and many prescribing healthcare professionals have reduced or postponed treatment of certain patients. While our prescription offering has not experienced a significant decline in repeat activity during the course of the pandemic to date, we have seen the number of new consumers decline, which we believe is similar across the industry as consumers avoid visiting healthcare professionals and pharmacies in-person. Any decrease in the number of consumers seeking to fill prescriptions could negatively impact demand for and use of certain of our offerings, particularly our prescription offering, which would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Conversely, pandemics, epidemics and outbreaks may significantly and temporarily increase demand for our telehealth offerings. COVID-19 has significantly accelerated the awareness and use of our telehealth offerings, including demand for our HeyDoctor offering and the utilization of our GoodRx Telehealth Marketplace. While we have experienced a significant increase in demand for the telehealth offerings, there can be no assurance that the levels of interest, demand and use of our telehealth offerings will continue at current levels or will not decrease during or after the pandemic. Any such decrease could have an adverse effect on our growth and the success of our telehealth offerings.
The spread of COVID-19 has also caused us to modify our business practices (including employee travel, employee work locations, and the cancellation of physical participation in meetings, events and conferences), and we may take further actions as may be required by government authorities or that we determine are in the best interests of our employees, consumers and partners. For example, we have implemented work-from-home measures, which have required us to provide technical support to our employees to enable them to connect to our systems from their homes. In addition, COVID-19 and the determination of appropriate measures and business practices has diverted managements time and attention. If our employees are not able to effectively work from home, or if our employees contract COVID-19 or another contagious disease, we may experience a decrease in productivity and operational efficiency, which would negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. There is also no certainty that the measures we have taken to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on our business will be sufficient or otherwise be satisfactory to government authorities. Further, because most of our employees are working remotely in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, we may experience an increased risk of security breaches, loss of data, and other disruptions as a result of accessing sensitive information from remote locations.
While the potential economic impact brought by and the duration of any pandemic, epidemic or outbreak of an infectious disease, including COVID-19, may be difficult to assess or predict, the widespread COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in, and may continue to result in, significant disruption of global financial markets, reducing our ability to access capital, which could in the future negatively affect our liquidity.
The full extent to which the outbreak of COVID-19 will impact our business, results of operations and financial condition is still unknown and will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including, but not limited to, the duration and spread of the outbreak, its severity, the actions to contain the virus or treat its impact, and how quickly and to what extent normal economic and operating
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conditions can resume. Even after the outbreak of COVID-19 has subsided, we may experience materially adverse impacts to our business as a result of its global economic impact, including any recession that has occurred or may occur in the future.
To the extent the COVID-19 pandemic adversely affects our business, financial condition and results of operations, it may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this Risk Factors section.
Our estimated addressable market is subject to inherent challenges and uncertainties. If we have overestimated the size of our addressable market or the various markets in which we operate, our future growth opportunities may be limited.
Our total addressable market, or TAM, is based on internal estimates and third-party estimates regarding the size of each of the U.S. prescriptions market, pharmaceutical manufacturer solutions market and telehealth market, and is subject to significant uncertainty and is based on assumptions that may not prove to be accurate. In particular, we calculated the TAM for our prescription opportunity based on data from CMS regarding the expected size of the U.S. prescription market in 2020, plus our estimated value of prescriptions that are written but not filled. This estimate is based on third-party reports and is subject to significant assumptions and estimates. Additionally, we calculated the TAM for our pharmaceutical manufacturer solutions opportunity based on data published in an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association regarding the amount of advertising and marketing spending by U.S. pharmaceutical manufacturers in 2016. We calculated the TAM for our telehealth opportunity based on a report by McKinsey & Company regarding the extent to which amounts spent on outpatient office and home health visits in 2020 can be addressed via telehealth offerings. These estimates, as well as the estimates and forecasts in this prospectus relating to the size and expected growth of the markets in which we operate, may change or prove to be inaccurate. While we believe the information on which we base our TAM is generally reliable, such information is inherently imprecise. In addition, our expectations, assumptions and estimates of future opportunities are necessarily subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described herein. If third-party or internally generated data prove to be inaccurate or we make errors in our assumptions based on that data, our future growth opportunities may be affected. Additionally, our TAM for our prescription offering includes medications for which we are currently not able to offer savings on the prices paid by non-insured and insured consumers and for which we may not be able to provide savings on in the future. If our TAM, or the size of any of the various markets in which we operate, proves to be inaccurate, our future growth opportunities may be limited and there could be a material adverse effect on our prospects, business, financial condition and results of operations.
We calculate certain operational metrics using internal systems and tools and do not independently verify such metrics. Certain metrics are subject to inherent challenges in measurement, and real or perceived inaccuracies in such metrics may harm our reputation and negatively affect our business.
We present certain operational metrics herein, including Monthly Active Consumers, Monthly Visitors, GMV, savings and other metrics. We calculate these metrics using internal systems and tools that are not independently verified by any third party. These metrics may differ from estimates or similar metrics published by third parties or other companies due to differences in sources, methodologies or the assumptions on which we rely. Our internal systems and tools have a number of limitations, and our methodologies for tracking these metrics may change over time, which could result in unexpected changes to our metrics, including the metrics we publicly disclose on an ongoing basis. If the internal systems and tools we use to track these metrics undercount or overcount performance or contain algorithmic or other technical errors, the data we present may not be accurate. While these numbers are based on what we believe to be reasonable estimates of our metrics for the applicable period of measurement, there are inherent challenges in measuring savings, the use of our platform and offerings and other metrics. For example, we believe that there are consumers who access our offerings through multiple accounts or channels, and that there are groups of consumers, such as families, who access our offerings through single accounts or channels, both of which impact our number of Monthly Visitors, as each channel is counted independently. In addition, limitations or errors with respect to how we measure data or with
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respect to the data that we measure may affect our understanding of certain details of our business, which would affect our long-term strategies. If our operating metrics or our estimates are not accurate representations of our business, or if investors do not perceive our operating metrics to be accurate, or if we discover material inaccuracies with respect to these figures, our reputation may be significantly harmed, and our operating and financial results could be adversely affected.
The telehealth market is immature and volatile, and if it does not develop, or if it develops more slowly than we expect, the growth of our business will be harmed.
The telehealth market is relatively new and unproven, and it is uncertain whether it will achieve and sustain high levels of demand, consumer acceptance and market adoption. The success of our telehealth offerings will depend to a substantial extent on the willingness of our consumers to use, and to increase the frequency and extent of their utilization of, our platform, as well as on our ability to demonstrate the value of telehealth to employers, health plans, government agencies and other purchasers of healthcare for beneficiaries. Furthermore, the GoodRx Telehealth Marketplace will require marketplace participants to offer their services and for consumers to purchase such services if it is to be successful. If any of these events do not occur or do not occur quickly, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our telehealth offerings depend in part on our ability to maintain and expand a network of skilled telehealth providers.
The success of our telehealth offerings, including HeyDoctor and the GoodRx Telehealth Marketplace, depends in part on our continued ability to maintain a network of skilled and qualified telehealth providers. With respect to the GoodRx Telehealth Marketplace in particular, we are dependent on third-party entities, which we do not own or control, to provide healthcare services to consumers. There is significant competition in the telehealth market for qualified telehealth providers, and if we are unable to recruit or retain physicians and other healthcare professionals and service providers, it would negatively impact the growth of our telehealth offerings and would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Negative media coverage could adversely affect our business.
We receive a high degree of media coverage in the United States. Unfavorable publicity regarding, for example, the healthcare industry, litigation or regulatory activity, the actions of the entities included or otherwise involved in our platform, medication pricing, pricing structures in place amongst the industry participants, our data privacy or data security practices, our platform or our revenue could materially adversely affect our reputation. Such negative publicity also could have an adverse effect on our ability to attract and retain consumers, partners, or employees, and result in decreased revenue, which would materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may be unable to successfully respond to changes in the market for prescription pricing, and may fail to maintain and expand the use of GoodRx codes through our apps and websites.
In recent years, we believe that consumer preferences and access to prescription medication discounts has increasingly shifted from traditional offline or analog channels, such newspapers and by direct mail, to digital or electronic channels, such as apps, websites and by email. It is difficult to predict whether the pace of the transition from traditional to digital channels will continue at the same rate and whether the growth of the digital channel will continue. While we actively promote the use of our apps and websites, if the demand for digital channels does not continue to grow as we expect, or if we fail to successfully address this demand through our platforms, our business could be harmed. Consumer access and preferences for purchasing medications may evolve in ways which may be difficult to predict. Further, if PBMs or pharmacy chains elect to directly distribute pricing information through their own digital channels, or if new or existing competitors are faster or better at
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addressing consumer demand and preferences for digital channels, or are able to offer more accessible discounted prices to consumers, our ability and success in presenting discounted prices on our platform may be impeded and our business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected. If we cannot maintain a sufficient offering of discounted prices on our platform, consumers and existing consumers may perceive our platform as less relevant, consumer traffic to our platform could decline and, as a result, consumers and existing consumers may decrease their use of our platform or subscription offerings, which would affect our contracts with certain partners included or otherwise involved in our platform and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may be unable to maintain a positive perception regarding our platform or maintain and enhance our brand.
A decrease in the quality or perceived quality of the discounted prices available through our platform, or of our telehealth offerings, including HeyDoctor and the GoodRx Telehealth Marketplace, could harm our reputation and damage our ability to attract and retain consumers and partners included or otherwise involved in our platform, which could adversely affect our business. Many factors that impact the perception of our offerings are beyond our control. For example, the success and perception of the GoodRx Telehealth Marketplace depends in part on the number, availability, and quality of service delivered by the telehealth providers included on the marketplace. While we can control which providers we include on the GoodRx Telehealth Marketplace, there can be no assurance that all such providers will consistently deliver the quality of service necessary to fulfill consumer expectations, and any negative experiences could have an adverse impact on our brand and reputation, which could impact consumer demand for our telehealth offerings and the extent to which providers seek to be included on or associated with the marketplace.
Maintaining and enhancing our GoodRx brand and the branding and image of our various offerings, such as HeyDoctor, is critical to our business and our ability to attract new and existing consumers to our platform. We expect that the promotion of our brand will require us to make substantial investments and as our market becomes more competitive, these branding initiatives may become increasingly difficult and expensive. The successful promotion of our brand will depend largely on our marketing and public relations efforts. If we do not successfully maintain and enhance our brand, we could lose consumer traffic, which could, in turn, cause PBMs and others to terminate or reduce the extent of their relationship with us. Our brand promotion activities may not be successful or may not yield net revenues sufficient to offset this cost, which could adversely affect our reputation and business.
We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting and may identify material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls in the future, as a result of which, we may not be able to accurately report our financial condition or results of operations, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and, as a result, the value of our Class A common stock.
We have been a private company since our inception and, as such, we have not had the internal control and financial reporting requirements that are required of a publicly-traded company. We are required to comply with the requirements of The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, following the date we are deemed to be an accelerated filer or a large accelerated filer, each as defined in the Exchange Act, which could be as early as our first fiscal year beginning after the effective date of this offering. As a result of becoming a public company, we will be required, under Section 404 of the Sarbanes- Oxley Act to furnish a report by management on, among other things, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021. This assessment will need to include disclosure of any material weaknesses identified in our internal control over financial reporting. A material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of a companys annual and interim financial statements will not be detected or prevented on a timely basis.
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In connection with the preparation of our financial statements for 2019, we identified certain control deficiencies in the design and operation of our internal control over financial reporting that constituted material weaknesses. The material weaknesses were:
| We did not design or maintain an effective control environment commensurate with our financial reporting requirements. We lacked a sufficient number of professionals with an appropriate level of accounting knowledge, training and experience to appropriately analyze, record and disclose accounting matters timely and accurately. Additionally, the limited personnel resulted in an inability to consistently establish appropriate authorities and responsibilities in pursuit of our financial reporting objectives, as demonstrated by, amongst other things, insufficient segregation of duties in our finance and accounting functions. |
| We did not effectively design and maintain controls in response to the risks of material misstatement. Specifically, changes to existing controls or the implementation of new controls have not been sufficient to respond to changes to the risks of material misstatement to financial reporting, due in part to acquisitions and other changes to our business. |
These material weaknesses contributed to the following additional material weaknesses:
| We did not design and maintain formal accounting policies, processes and controls to analyze, account for and disclose complex transactions. |
| We did not design and maintain formal accounting policies, procedures and controls to achieve complete, accurate and timely financial accounting, reporting and disclosures, including controls over the preparation and review of business performance reviews, account reconciliations and journal entries. Additionally, we did not design and maintain controls over the classification and presentation of accounts and disclosures in the financial statements. |
| We did not design and maintain effective controls over certain 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 to ensure that IT program and data changes affecting financial IT applications and underlying accounting records are identified, tested, authorized, and implemented appropriately; (ii) user access controls to ensure appropriate segregation of duties and that adequately restrict user and privileged access to certain financial applications, programs and data to appropriate company personnel; (iii) computer operations controls to ensure that critical batch jobs are monitored and data backups are authorized and monitored, and (iv) testing and approval controls for program development to ensure that new software development is aligned with business and IT requirements. |
These material weaknesses resulted in adjustments identified by our independent registered public accounting firm and recorded by us primarily related to goodwill, capitalized software, leases, debt extinguishment, revenue recognition and sales allowances. These material weaknesses could result in a misstatement of our 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.
Our management and independent registered public accounting firm did not perform an evaluation of our internal control over financial reporting during any period in accordance with the provisions of Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Had we performed an evaluation and had our independent registered public accounting firm performed an audit of our internal control over financial reporting in accordance with the provisions of Sarbanes-Oxley Act, additional material weaknesses may have been identified. We are in the very early stages of the costly and challenging process of compiling the system and processing documentation necessary to perform the evaluation needed to comply with Section 404(a) of Sarbanes-Oxley Act and we are taking steps to remediate the material weaknesses. Those remediation measures are ongoing and include the following:
| We have recently hired, and plan to continue to hire, additional accounting and IT personnel during 2020 to bolster our technical reporting, transactional accounting and IT capabilities. We are |
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implementing controls to formalize roles and review responsibilities to align with our teams skills and experience and implement formal controls over segregation of duties. |
| Implementing procedures to identify and evaluate changes in our business and the impact on our controls. |
| Formally assessing complex accounting transactions and other technical accounting and financial reporting matters including controls over the preparation and review of accounting memoranda addressing these matters. |
| In the first quarter of 2020, we implemented a new enterprise resource planning, or ERP, system. We are in the process of designing and implementing controls over this ERP system to, among other things, automate certain controls, enforce segregation of duties and facilitate the review of journal entries. |
| Implementing formal processes, policies, and procedures supporting our financial close process, including creating standard balance sheet reconciliation templates, establishing and reviewing thresholds for business performance reviews, and formalizing procedures over the review of financial statements. |
| Enhancing IT governance processes, including automating components of our change management and logical access processes, enhancing role-based access and logging capabilities, implementing automated controls and implementing more robust IT policies and procedures over change management and computer operations. |
While we believe these efforts will remediate the material weaknesses, we may not be able to complete our evaluation, testing or any required remediation in a timely fashion. We cannot assure you that the measures we have taken to date and actions we may take in the future, will be sufficient to remediate the control deficiencies that led to our material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting or that they will prevent or avoid potential future material weaknesses. Any failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could severely inhibit our ability to accurately report our financial condition or results of operations.
If we fail to remediate these material weaknesses or identify new material weaknesses by the time we have to issue our first Section 404(a) assessment on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, we will not be able to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, which may cause investors to lose confidence in our financial statements, and the trading price of our Class A common stock may decline. If we fail to remedy any material weakness, our financial statements may be inaccurate, our access to the capital markets may be restricted and the trading price of our Class A common stock may suffer.
Use of social media, emails and text messages may adversely impact our reputation, subject us to fines or other penalties or be an ineffective source to market our offerings.
We use social media, emails and text messages as part of our omnichannel approach to marketing and consumer outreach. Changes to these social networking services terms of use or terms of service that limit promotional communications, restrictions that would limit our ability or our consumers ability to send communications through their services, disruptions or downtime experienced by these social networking services or reductions in the use of or engagement with social networking services by consumers and potential consumers could also harm our business. As laws and regulations rapidly evolve to govern the use of these channels, the failure by us, our employees or third parties acting at our direction to abide by applicable laws and regulations in the use of these channels could adversely affect our reputation or subject us to fines or other penalties. In addition, our employees or third parties acting at our direction may knowingly or inadvertently make use of social media in ways that could lead to the loss or infringement of intellectual property, as well as the public disclosure of proprietary, confidential or sensitive personal information of our business, employees, consumers or others. Any such inappropriate use of social media, emails and text messages could also cause reputational damage and adversely affect our business.
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Our consumers may engage with us online through our social media pages, including, for example, our presence on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, by providing feedback and public commentary about all aspects of our business. Information concerning us or our offerings and brands, whether accurate or not, may be posted on social media pages at any time and may have a disproportionately adverse impact on our brand, reputation or business. The harm may be immediate without affording us an opportunity for redress or correction and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Additionally, we use emails and text messages to communicate with consumers and we collect consumer data, including email addresses and phone numbers, to further our marketing efforts with such consenting consumers. If we fail to adequately or accurately collect such data or if our data collection systems are breached, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be harmed. Further, any failure, or perceived failure, by us, or any third parties processing such data, to comply with privacy policies or with any federal or state privacy or consumer protection-related laws, regulations, industry self-regulatory principles, industry standards or codes of conduct, regulatory guidance, orders to which we may be subject or other legal obligations relating to privacy or consumer protection would adversely affect our reputation, brand and business, and may result in claims, proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities, consumers, suppliers or others or other liabilities or may require us to change our operations and/or cease using certain data sets.
We may be unable to accurately forecast revenue and appropriately plan our expenses in the future.
We base our current and future expense levels on our operating forecasts and estimates of future income. Income and results of operations are difficult to forecast because they generally depend on the number and timing of our consumers using our platform, signing up for a subscription or using the services provided by our telehealth platform, which are uncertain. Additionally, our business is affected by general economic and business conditions around the world. A softening in income, whether caused by changes in consumer preferences or a weakening in global economies, may result in decreased revenue levels, and we may be unable to adjust our spending in a timely manner to compensate for any unexpected shortfall in income. This inability could result in lower net income or greater net loss in a given quarter than expected.
We rely on information technology to operate our business and maintain competitiveness, and must adapt to technological developments or industry trends.
Our ability to attract new consumers and increase revenue from our existing consumers depends in large part on our ability to enhance and improve our existing offerings, increase adoption and usage of our offerings, and introduce new features and capabilities. The markets in which we compete are relatively new and subject to rapid technological change, evolving industry standards, and changing regulations, as well as changing consumer needs, requirements and preferences. The success of our business will depend, in part, on our ability to adapt and respond effectively to these changes on a timely basis.
We depend on the use of information technologies and systems. As our operations grow, we must continuously improve and upgrade our systems and infrastructure while maintaining or improving the reliability and integrity of our infrastructure. Our future success also depends on our ability to adapt our systems and infrastructure to meet rapidly evolving consumer trends and demands while continuing to improve the performance, features and reliability of our solutions in response to competitive services and offerings. The emergence of alternative platforms such as smartphones and tablets and the emergence of niche competitors who may be able to optimize offerings, services or strategies for such platforms will require new investment in technology. New developments in other areas, such as cloud computing, have made it easier for competition to enter our markets due to lower up-front technology costs. In addition, we may not be able to maintain our existing systems or replace or introduce new technologies and systems as quickly as we would like or in a cost-effective manner. There is also no guarantee that we will possess the financial resources or personnel, for the research, design and development of new applications or services, or that we will be able to utilize these resources successfully and avoid technological or market obsolescence. Further, there can be no assurance that
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technological advances by one or more of our competitors or future competitors will not result in our present or future applications and services becoming uncompetitive or obsolete. If we were unable to enhance our offerings and platform capabilities to keep pace with rapid technological and regulatory change, or if new technologies emerge that are able to deliver competitive offerings at lower prices, more efficiently, more conveniently or more securely than our offerings, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
We depend on our information technology systems, and those of our third-party vendors, contractors and consultants, and any failure or significant disruptions of these systems, security breaches or loss of data could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We collect and maintain information in digital form that is necessary to conduct our business, and we are increasingly dependent on information technology systems and infrastructure, or IT Systems, to operate our business. In the ordinary course of our business, we collect, store and transmit large amounts of confidential information, including intellectual property, proprietary business information and personal information. It is critical that we do so in a secure manner to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of such confidential information. We have established physical, electronic and organizational measures to safeguard and secure our systems to prevent a data compromise, and rely on commercially available systems, software, tools, and monitoring to provide security for our IT Systems and the processing, transmission and storage of digital information. We have also outsourced elements of our IT Systems and data storage systems, and as a result a number of third-party vendors may or could have access to our confidential information.
Despite the implementation of preventative and detective security controls, such IT Systems are vulnerable to damage or interruption from a variety of sources, including telecommunications or network failures or interruptions, system malfunction, natural disasters, malicious human acts, terrorism and war. Such IT Systems, including our servers, are additionally vulnerable to physical or electronic break-ins, security breaches from inadvertent or intentional actions by our employees, third-party service providers, contractors, consultants, business partners, and/or other third parties, or from cyber-attacks by malicious third parties (including the deployment of harmful malware, ransomware, denial-of-service attacks, social engineering, and other means to affect service reliability and threaten the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information). As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we may face increased cybersecurity risks due to our reliance on internet technology and the number of our employees who are working remotely, which may create additional opportunities for cybercriminals to exploit vulnerabilities. We may not be able to anticipate all types of security threats, and we may not be able to implement preventive measures effective against all such security threats. The techniques used by cyber criminals change frequently, may not be recognized until launched, and can originate from a wide variety of sources, including outside groups such as external service providers, organized crime affiliates, terrorist organizations, or hostile foreign governments or agencies.
In addition, the prevalent use of mobile devices that access confidential information increases the risk of data security breaches, which could lead to the loss of confidential information or other intellectual property. We can provide no assurance that our current IT Systems, or those of the third parties upon which we rely, are fully protected against cybersecurity threats. It is possible that we or our third-party vendors may experience cybersecurity and other breach incidents that remain undetected for an extended period. Even when a security breach is detected, the full extent of the breach may not be determined immediately. The costs to us to mitigate network security problems, bugs, viruses, worms, malicious software programs and security vulnerabilities could be significant, and while we have implemented security measures to protect our data security and IT Systems, our efforts to address these problems may not be successful, and these problems could result in unexpected interruptions, delays, cessation of service and other harm to our business and our competitive position. If such an event were to occur and cause interruptions in our operations, it could result in a material disruption of our offerings to consumers. Moreover, we and our third-party vendors collect, store and transmit sensitive data, including health-related information, personally identifiable information, intellectual property and proprietary business information in the ordinary course of our business. If a computer security breach affects our systems or
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results in the unauthorized release of personally identifiable information, our reputation could be materially damaged. In addition, such a breach may require notification to governmental agencies, the media or individuals pursuant to various federal and state privacy and security laws, if applicable, including the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, as well as regulations promulgated by the Federal Trade Commission, or FTC, and state breach notification laws. We would also be exposed to a risk of loss or litigation and potential liability, which could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
If our or our third-party vendors security measures fail or are breached, it could result in unauthorized access to confidential and proprietary business information, intellectual property, sensitive consumer data (including health-related information) or other personally identifiable information of our consumers, employees, partners or contractors, a loss of or damage to our data, or an inability to access data sources, process data or provide our services. Such failures or breaches of our or our third-party vendors security measures, or our or our third-party vendors inability to effectively resolve such failures or breaches in a timely manner, could severely damage our reputation, adversely impact consumer, partner, or investor confidence in us, and reduce the demand for our solutions and services. In addition, we could face litigation, significant damages for contract breach or other breaches of law, significant monetary penalties, or regulatory actions for violation of applicable laws or regulations, and incur significant costs for remedial measures to prevent future occurrences and mitigate past violations. The costs related to significant security breaches or disruptions could be material and exceed the limits of the cybersecurity insurance we maintain against such risks. If the IT Systems of our third-party vendors become subject to disruptions or security breaches, we may have insufficient recourse against such third parties and we may have to expend significant resources to mitigate the impact of such an event, and to develop and implement protections to prevent future events of this nature from occurring. Any disruption or loss to IT Systems on which critical aspects of our operations depend could have an adverse effect on our business.
Government regulation of the internet and e-commerce is evolving, and unfavorable changes or failure by us to comply with these laws and regulations could substantially harm our business and results of operations.
We are subject to general business regulations and laws specifically governing the internet and e-commerce. Furthermore, the regulatory landscape impacting these areas is constantly evolving. Existing and future regulations and laws could impede the growth of the internet, e-commerce or other online services. These regulations and laws may involve taxation, tariffs, privacy and data security, anti-spam, data protection, content, copyrights, distribution, electronic contracts, electronic communications, money laundering, electronic payments and consumer protection. It is not clear how existing laws and regulations governing issues such as property ownership, sales and other taxes, libel and personal privacy apply to the internet as the vast majority of these laws and regulations were adopted prior to the advent of the internet and do not contemplate or address the unique issues raised by the internet or e-commerce. It is possible that general business regulations and laws, or those specifically governing the internet or e-commerce may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another and may conflict with other rules or our practices.
We cannot assure you that our practices have complied, comply or will in the future comply with all such laws and regulations. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to comply with any of these laws or regulations could result in damage to our reputation, a loss in business, and proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities or others. For example, recent automatic renewal laws, which require companies to adhere to enhanced disclosure requirements when entering into automatically renewing contracts with consumers, resulted in class action lawsuits against companies that offer online products and services on a subscription or recurring basis. These and similar proceedings or actions could hurt our reputation, force us to spend significant resources in defense of these proceedings, distract our management, increase our costs of doing business, and cause consumers and paid merchants to decrease their use of our platform, and may result in the imposition of monetary liability. We may also be contractually liable to indemnify and hold harmless third parties from the costs or consequences of non-compliance with any such laws or regulations. In addition, it is possible that
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governments of one or more countries may seek to censor content available on our apps and websites or may even attempt to completely block access to our platform. Adverse legal or regulatory developments could substantially harm our business.
Our business relies on email, mail and other messaging channels and any technical, legal or other restrictions on the sending of such correspondence or a decrease in consumer willingness to receive such correspondence could adversely affect our business.
Our business depends in part upon the emailing and mailing of promotional materials, cards with GoodRx codes and other information to consumers and healthcare providers, and is also significantly dependent on email and other messaging channels, such as text messages. We distribute pricing information and other promotional materials in the mail, and also provide emails, mobile alerts and other messages to consumers informing them of the discounted prices available on our apps and websites. These communications help generate a significant portion of our revenues. Because email, mail and other messaging channels are important to our business, if we are unable to successfully deliver messages to consumers through these channels, if there are legal restrictions on delivering such messages to consumers, if consumers do not or cannot open or otherwise utilize our messages or if consumers reject the receipt of communications referencing particular prescriptions or conditions, our revenues and profitability would be adversely affected.
Actions taken by third parties that block, impose restrictions on or charge for the delivery of these communications could also harm our business. For example, from time to time, internet service providers or other third parties may block bulk communications or otherwise experience difficulties that result in our inability to successfully deliver communications to consumers. In addition, our use of mail, email and other messaging channels to send communications about our platform or other matters, including health related topics referencing particular prescriptions or conditions, may result in legal claims against us, which if successful might limit or prohibit our ability to send such communications.
We rely on a single third-party service provider for the delivery of substantially all of our mailing communications and rely on third-party service providers for delivery of emails, text messages and other forms of electronic communication. If we were unable to use any one of our current service providers, alternate providers are available; however, we believe our revenue could be impacted for some period as we transition to a new provider, and the new provider may be unable to provide equivalent or satisfactory services. Any disruption or restriction on the distribution of our communications, termination or disruption of our relationships with our third-party service providers, particularly our single third-party service provider for the delivery of mail communications, or any increase in the associated costs, may be beyond our control and would adversely affect our business.
We face the risk of litigation resulting from unauthorized text messages sent in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.
We send short message service, or SMS, text messages to individuals who are eligible to use our service. The actual or perceived improper sending of text messages may subject us to potential risks, including liabilities or claims relating to consumer protection laws. Numerous class action suits under federal and state laws have been filed in recent years against companies who conduct SMS texting programs, with many resulting in multi-million-dollar settlements to the plaintiffs. Any future such litigation against us could be costly and time-consuming to defend. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) of 1991, a federal statute that protects consumers from unwanted telephone calls, faxes and text messages, restricts telemarketing and the use of automated SMS text messages without proper consent. Federal or state regulatory authorities or private litigants may claim that the notices and disclosures we provide, form of consents we obtain or our SMS texting practices are not adequate or violate applicable law. This may in the future result in civil claims against us. The scope and interpretation of the laws that are or may be applicable to the delivery of text messages are continuously evolving and developing. If we do not comply with these laws or regulations or if we become
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liable under these laws or regulations, we could face direct liability, could be required to change some portions of our business model, could face negative publicity and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. Even an unsuccessful challenge of our SMS texting practices by our consumers, regulatory authorities or other third parties could result in negative publicity and could require a costly response from and defense by us.
Actual or perceived failures to comply with applicable data protection, privacy and security, advertising and consumer protection laws, regulations, standards and other requirements could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We rely on a variety of marketing techniques, including email and social media marketing and postal mailings, and we are subject to various laws and regulations that govern such marketing and advertising practices. A variety of federal and state laws and regulations govern the collection, use, retention, sharing and security of consumer data, particularly in the context of online advertising, which we rely upon to attract new consumers.
Laws and regulations relating to privacy, data protection, marketing and advertising, and consumer protection are evolving and subject to potentially differing interpretations. These requirements may be interpreted and applied in a manner that varies from one jurisdiction to another and/or may conflict with other law or regulations. As a result, our practices may not have complied or may not comply in the future with all such laws, regulations, requirements and obligations. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us or any of our third-party partners, data centers, or service providers to comply with privacy policies or federal or state privacy or consumer protection-related laws, regulations, industry self-regulatory principles, industry standards or codes of conduct, regulatory guidance, orders to which we may be subject, or other legal obligations relating to privacy or consumer protection, could adversely affect our reputation, brand and business, and may result in claims, proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities, consumers, suppliers or others. These proceedings may result in financial liabilities or may require us to change our operations, including ceasing the use or sharing of certain data sets. Any such claims, proceedings or actions could hurt our reputation, brand and business, force us to incur significant expenses in defense of such proceedings or actions, distract our management, increase our costs of doing business, result in a loss of consumers, suppliers, and contracts with PBMs and others and result in the imposition of monetary penalties. We are also contractually required to indemnify and hold harmless certain third parties from the costs or consequences of non-compliance with any laws, regulations or other legal obligations relating to privacy or consumer protection or any inadvertent or unauthorized use or disclosure of data that we store or handle as part of operating our business. Federal and state governmental authorities continue to evaluate the privacy implications inherent in the use of third-party cookies and other methods of online tracking for behavioral advertising and other purposes. The U.S. federal and state governments have enacted, and may in the future enact legislation or regulations impacting the ability of companies and individuals to engage in these activities, such as by regulating the level of consumer notice and consent required before a company can employ cookies or other electronic tracking tools or the use of data gathered with such tools. Additionally, some providers of consumer devices and web browsers have implemented, or announced plans to implement, limits on behavioral or targeted advertising and/or means to make it easier for internet users to prevent the placement of cookies or to block other tracking technologies, which could, if widely adopted, result in the decreased effectiveness or use of third-party cookies and other methods of online tracking, targeting or re-targeting. The regulation of the use of these cookies and other current online tracking and advertising practices or a loss in our ability to make effective use of services that employ such technologies could increase our costs of operations and limit our ability to acquire new consumers on cost-effective terms and consequently, materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, various federal and state legislative and regulatory bodies, or self-regulatory organizations, may expand current laws or regulations, enact new laws or regulations or issue revised rules or guidance regarding privacy, data protection, consumer protection, and advertising. In June 2018, California enacted the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, or the CCPA, which became effective on January 1, 2020. The CCPA creates
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individual privacy rights for California consumers and increases the privacy and security obligations of entities handling certain personal data. For example, the CCPA gives California residents expanded rights to access and require deletion of their personal information, opt out of certain personal information sharing and receive detailed information about how their personal information is used. Failure to comply with the CCPA may result in attorney general enforcement action and damage to our reputation. The CCPA provides for civil penalties for violations, as well as a private right of action for data breaches that is expected to increase data breach litigation. The CCPA may increase our compliance costs and potential liability. Additionally, a new California ballot initiative, the California Privacy Rights Act, appears to have garnered enough signatures to be included on the November 2020 ballot in California, and if voted into law by California residents, would impose additional data protection obligations on companies doing business in California, including additional consumer rights processes and opt outs for certain uses of sensitive data. It would also create a new California data protection agency specifically tasked to enforce the law, which would likely result in increased regulatory scrutiny of California businesses in the areas of data protection and security. Further, many similar laws have been proposed at the federal level and in other states. For instance, the state of Nevada recently enacted a law that went into force on October 1, 2019 and requires companies to honor consumers requests to no longer sell their data. Violators may be subject to injunctions and civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation.
Additionally, the FTC and many state attorneys general are interpreting existing federal and state consumer protection laws to impose evolving standards for the online collection, use, dissemination and security of health-related and other personal information. Courts may also adopt the standards for fair information practices promulgated by the FTC, which concern consumer notice, choice, security and access. Consumer protection laws require us to publish statements that describe how we handle personal information and choices individuals may have about the way we handle their personal information. If such information that we publish is considered untrue, we may be subject to government claims of unfair or deceptive trade practices, which could lead to significant liabilities and consequences. Furthermore, according to the FTC, violating consumers privacy rights or failing to take appropriate steps to keep consumers personal information secure may constitute unfair acts or practices in or affecting commerce and thus violate Section 5(a) of the FTC Act. The FTC expects a companys data security measures to be reasonable and appropriate in light of the sensitivity and volume of consumer information it holds, the size and complexity of its business, and the cost of available tools to improve security and reduce vulnerabilities. Individually identifiable health information is considered sensitive data that merits stronger safeguards.
In addition, HIPAA, which we believe does not currently apply to most of our business as currently operated, imposes on entities within its jurisdiction, among other things, certain standards relating to the privacy, security, transmission and breach reporting of individually identifiable health information. For example, HIPAA imposes privacy, security and breach reporting obligations with respect to individually identifiable health information upon covered entities (health plans, health care clearinghouses and certain health care providers), and their respective business associates, individuals or entities that create, receive, maintain or transmit protected health information in connection with providing a service for or on behalf of a covered entity. HIPAA mandates the reporting of certain breaches of health information to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, affected individuals and if the breach is large enough, the media.
Certain states have adopted or are considering adopting comparable privacy and security laws and regulations, some of which may be more stringent or expansive than HIPAA. In addition, legislative proposals on the federal level include comparable privacy and security laws and regulations, which may be more stringent or expansive than HIPAA. Such laws and regulations will be subject to interpretation by various courts and other governmental authorities, thus creating potentially complex compliance issues for us and our consumers and strategic partners.
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We may experience fluctuations in our tax obligations and effective tax rate, which could materially and adversely affect our results of operations.
We are subject to U.S. federal and state income taxes. Tax laws, regulations and administrative practices in various jurisdictions may be subject to significant change, with or without advance notice, due to economic, political and other conditions, and significant judgment is required in evaluating and estimating our provision and accruals for these taxes. There are many transactions that occur during the ordinary course of business for which the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. Our effective tax rates could be affected by numerous factors, such as changes in tax, accounting and other laws, regulations, administrative practices, principles and interpretations, the mix and level of earnings in a given taxing jurisdiction or our ownership or capital structures.
Our ability to utilize our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be limited.
Under Sections 382 and 383 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, if a corporation undergoes an ownership change (generally defined as a change (by value) in its equity ownership by more than 50 percentage points over a rolling three-year period), the corporations ability to use its pre-change net operating loss, or NOL, carryforwards and other pre-change tax attributes to offset its post-change income may be limited. At this time, we have not completed a study to assess whether an ownership change under Section 382 of the Code has occurred, or whether there have been multiple ownership changes since our formation. We may also experience ownership changes in the future as a result of subsequent shifts in our stock ownership. If finalized, Treasury Regulations currently proposed under Section 382 of the Code may further limit our ability to utilize our pre-change NOLs or credits if we undergo a future ownership change. Further, U.S. tax laws limit the time during which NOL carryforwards generated before January 1, 2018 may be applied against future taxes. While NOL carryforwards generated on or after January 1, 2018 are not subject to expiration, the deductibility of such NOL carryforwards is limited to 80% of our taxable income for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2021. For these reasons, our ability to utilize NOL carryforwards and other tax attributes to reduce future tax liabilities may be limited.
Our management team has limited experience managing a public company, and regulatory compliance may divert its attention from the day-to-day management of our business.
Our management team has limited experience managing a publicly-traded company and limited experience complying with the increasingly complex laws and regulations pertaining to public companies. Our management team may not successfully or efficiently manage our transition to being a public company that will be subject to significant regulatory oversight and reporting obligations under the federal securities laws. In particular, these new obligations will require substantial attention from our senior management and could divert their attention away from the day-to-day management of our business, which would adversely impact our business operations.
We rely on the performance of members of management and highly skilled personnel, and if we are unable to attract, develop, motivate and retain well-qualified employees, our business could be harmed.
Our ability to maintain our competitive position is largely dependent on the services of our senior management and other key personnel. In addition, our future success depends on our continuing ability to attract, develop, motivate and retain highly qualified and skilled employees. The market for such positions is competitive. Qualified individuals are in high demand and we may incur significant costs to attract them. In addition, the loss of any of our senior management or other key employees or our inability to recruit and develop mid-level managers could materially and adversely affect our ability to execute our business plan and we may be unable to find adequate replacements. All of our employees are at-will employees, meaning that they may terminate their employment relationship with us at any time, and their knowledge of our business and industry would be extremely difficult to replace. If we fail to retain talented senior management and other key personnel, or if we do not succeed in attracting well-qualified employees or retaining and motivating existing employees, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.
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Future litigation could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Lawsuits and other administrative or legal proceedings that may arise in the course of our operations can involve substantial costs, including the costs associated with investigation, litigation and possible settlement, judgment, penalty or fine. In addition, lawsuits and other legal proceedings may be time consuming to defend or prosecute and may require a commitment of management and personnel resources that will be diverted from our normal business operations. Although we generally maintain insurance to mitigate certain costs, there can be no assurance that costs associated with lawsuits or other legal proceedings will not exceed the limits of insurance policies. Moreover, we may be unable to continue to maintain our existing insurance at a reasonable cost, if at all, or to secure additional coverage, which may result in costs associated with lawsuits and other legal proceedings being uninsured. Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected if a judgment, settlement penalty or fine is not fully covered by insurance.
General economic factors, natural disasters or other unexpected events may adversely affect our business, financial performance and results of operations.
Although we only operate in the United States, our business, financial performance and results of operations depend in part on worldwide macroeconomic economic conditions and their impact on consumer spending. Recessionary economic cycles, higher interest rates, volatile fuel and energy costs, inflation, levels of unemployment, conditions in the residential real estate and mortgage markets, access to credit, consumer debt levels, unsettled financial markets and other economic factors that may affect costs of manufacturing prescription medications, consumer spending or buying habits could materially and adversely affect demand for our offerings. Volatility in the financial markets has also had and may continue to have a negative impact on consumer spending patterns. In addition, negative national or global economic conditions may materially and adversely affect the PBMs we contract with and their associated pharmacy networks, financial performance, liquidity and access to capital. This may affect their ability to renew contracts with us on the same or better terms, which could impact the competitiveness of the discounted prices we are able to offer our consumers, which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Economic factors such as increased insurance and healthcare costs, commodity prices, shipping costs, inflation, higher costs of labor, and changes in or interpretations of other laws, regulations and taxes may also increase our costs and our make our offerings less competitive, increase general and administrative expenses, and otherwise adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, public health crises, natural disasters and other adverse weather and climate conditions, political crises, such as terrorist attacks, war and other political instability or other unexpected events, could disrupt our operations, internet or mobile networks or the operations of PBMs and their pharmacy networks. If any of these events occurs, our business could be adversely affected.
We may need additional capital in the future, which may not be available to us on favorable terms, or at all, and may dilute your ownership of our Class A common stock.
We intend to continue to make investments to support our business growth and may require additional capital to fund and support our business, to respond to competitive challenges or take advantage of strategic opportunities. Accordingly, we may require additional capital from equity or debt financing in the future and may not be able to secure timely additional financing on favorable terms, or at all. The terms of any additional financing may place limits on our financial and operating flexibility, including our ability to issue or repurchase equity, develop new or enhanced existing offerings, complete acquisitions or otherwise take advantage of business opportunities. If we raise additional funds or finance acquisitions through further issuances of equity, convertible debt securities or other securities convertible into equity, you and our other stockholders could suffer significant dilution in your percentage ownership of our company, and any new securities we issue could have rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of holders of our Class A common stock. If we raise additional funds through debt financing, such financing could impose restrictive covenants relating to our capital-raising
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activities and other financial and operational matters, which may make it more difficult for us to obtain additional capital or to pursue business opportunities, including potential acquisitions. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing or financing on terms satisfactory to us, if and when we require it, including as a result of the disruption to the capital and debt markets caused by the COVID-19 pandemic or a similar pandemic, our ability to grow or support our business and to respond to business challenges could be significantly limited.
We may seek to grow our business through acquisitions of, or investments in, new or complementary businesses, technologies or products, or through strategic alliances, and the failure to manage these acquisitions, investments or alliances, or to integrate them with our existing business, could have a material adverse effect on us.
We have previously acquired and may in the future consider opportunities to acquire or make investments in new or complementary businesses, technologies, offerings, or products, or enter into strategic alliances, that may enhance our capabilities, expand our pharmacy or PBM networks and healthcare platform in general, complement our current offerings or expand the breadth of our markets. Our ability to successfully grow through these types of strategic transactions depends upon our ability to identify, negotiate, complete and integrate suitable target businesses, technologies and products and to obtain any necessary financing, and is subject to numerous risks, including:
| failure to identify acquisition, investment or other strategic alliance opportunities that we deem suitable or available on favorable terms; |
| problems integrating the acquired business, technologies or products, including issues maintaining uniform standards, procedures, controls and policies; |
| unanticipated costs associated with acquisitions, investments or strategic alliances; |
| adverse impacts on our overall margins; |
| diversion of managements attention from our existing business; |
| adverse effects on existing business relationships with consumers, pharmacies and PBMs; |
| risks associated with entering new markets in which we may have limited or no experience; |
| potential loss of key employees of acquired businesses; and |
| increased legal and accounting compliance costs. |
In addition, a significant portion of the purchase price of companies we acquire may be allocated to acquired goodwill and other intangible assets. In the future, if our acquisitions do not yield expected returns, we may be required to take impairment charges to our results of operations based on our impairment assessment process, which could harm our results of operations.
If we are unable to identify suitable acquisitions or strategic relationships, or if we are unable to integrate any acquired businesses, technologies and products effectively, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. Also, while we employ several different methodologies to assess potential business opportunities, the new businesses may not meet or exceed our expectations.
Restrictions in our debt arrangements could adversely affect our operating flexibility, and failure to comply with any of these restrictions could result in acceleration of our debt.
In October 2018, GoodRx, Inc., our wholly owned subsidiary, as borrower, and GoodRx Intermediate Holdings, LLC, entered into a first lien credit agreement with various lenders, or the First Lien Credit Agreement. The First Lien Credit Agreement provided for a $40.0 million secured asset-based revolving credit facility, or the Revolving Credit Facility, and a $545.0 million senior secured term loan facility, or the First Lien
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Term Loan Facility (together with the Revolving Credit Facility, the Credit Facilities). In November 2019, the First Lien Term Loan Facility was amended to increase the amount of the facility to $700.0 million. As of December 31, 2019, we had $670.9 million of debt outstanding under our Credit Facilities, net of unamortized debt discount of $17.2 million, and the capacity to incur $30.9 million in additional indebtedness, subject to certain covenant requirements. Our expected annual debt service interest payment is approximately $30.8 million. In addition, in May 2020, the Revolving Credit Facility was amended to increase the amount of the facility to $100.0 million. These debt arrangements and additional debt arrangements that we expect to enter into in the future will limit our ability to, among other things:
| incur or guarantee additional debt; |
| pay dividends and make other restricted payments; |
| make certain investments and acquisitions; |
| incur certain liens or permit them to exist; |
| consolidate, merge or otherwise transfer, sell or dispose of all or substantially all of our assets; |
| enter into certain types of restrictive agreements; and |
| enter into certain types of transactions with affiliates. |
We are also required to comply with certain financial ratios set forth in our First Lien Credit Agreement. Certain provisions in our current and future debt arrangements, including the First Lien Credit Agreement, may affect our ability to obtain future financing and to pursue attractive business opportunities and our flexibility in planning for, and reacting to, changes in business conditions. As a result, restrictions in our current and future debt arrangements could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with the provisions of our current and future debt arrangements, including our First Lien Credit Agreement, could result in a default or an event of default that could enable our lenders to declare the outstanding principal of that debt, together with accrued and unpaid interest, to be immediately due and payable. If we were unable to repay those amounts, the lenders under our First Lien Credit Agreement and any other future secured debt agreement could proceed against the collateral granted to them to secure that indebtedness. We have pledged substantially all of our subsidiaries assets, including, among other things, equity interests of GoodRx, Inc. and its subsidiaries, as collateral under the First Lien Credit Agreement. If the payment of outstanding amounts under our First Lien Credit Agreement is accelerated, our assets may be insufficient to repay such amounts in full, and our common stockholders could experience a partial or total loss of their investment.
Our business depends on network and mobile infrastructure and our ability to maintain and scale our technology. Any significant interruptions or delays in service on our apps or websites or any undetected errors or design faults could result in limited capacity, reduced demand, processing delays and loss of consumers.
A key element of our strategy is to generate a significant number of visitors to, and their use of, our apps and websites. Our reputation and ability to acquire, retain and serve our consumers are dependent upon the reliable performance of our apps and websites and the underlying network infrastructure. As our base of consumers and the amount of information shared on our apps and websites continue to grow, we will need an increasing amount of network capacity and computing power. We have spent and expect to continue to spend substantial amounts on computing, including cloud computing and the related infrastructure, to handle the traffic on our apps and websites. The operation of these systems is complex and could result in operational failures. In the event that the traffic of our consumers exceeds the capacity of our current network infrastructure or in the event that our base of consumers or the amount of traffic on our apps and websites grows more quickly than anticipated, we may be required to incur significant additional costs to enhance the underlying network infrastructure. Interruptions or delays in these systems, whether due to system failures, computer viruses, physical or electronic break-ins, undetected errors, design faults or other unexpected events or causes, could affect the security or availability of our apps and websites and prevent our consumers from accessing our apps
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and websites. If sustained or repeated, these performance issues could reduce the attractiveness of our offerings. In addition, the costs and complexities involved in expanding and upgrading our systems may prevent us from doing so in a timely manner and may prevent us from adequately meeting the demand placed on our systems. Any internet or mobile platform interruption or inadequacy that causes performance issues or interruptions in the availability of our apps or websites could reduce consumer satisfaction and result in a reduction in the number of consumers using our offerings.
We depend on the development and maintenance of the internet and mobile infrastructure. This includes maintenance of reliable internet and mobile infrastructure with the necessary speed, data capacity and security, as well as timely development of complementary offerings, for providing reliable internet and mobile access. Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected if for any reason the reliability of our internet and mobile infrastructure is compromised.
We currently rely upon third-party data storage providers, including cloud storage solution providers, such as Amazon Web Services and some specific uses of Google Cloud Platform. Nearly all of our data storage and analytics are conducted on, and the data and content we create associated with sales on our apps and websites are processed through, servers hosted by these providers. We also rely on email service providers, bandwidth providers, internet service providers and mobile networks to deliver email and push communications to consumers and to allow consumers to access our websites. If our third-party vendors are unable or unwilling to provide the services necessary to support our business, or if our agreements with such vendors are terminated, our operations could be significantly disrupted. Some of our vendor agreements may be unilaterally terminated by the licensor for convenience, including with respect to Amazon Web Services, and if such agreements are terminated, we may not be able to enter into similar relationships in the future on reasonable terms or at all.
Any damage to, or failure of, our systems or the systems of our third-party data centers or our other third-party providers could result in interruptions to the availability or functionality of our apps and websites. As a result, we could lose consumer data and miss opportunities to acquire and retain consumers, which could result in decreased revenue. If for any reason our arrangements with our data centers or third-party providers are terminated or interrupted, such termination or interruption could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We exercise little control over these providers, which increases our vulnerability to problems with the services they provide. We could experience additional expense in arranging for new facilities, technology, services and support. In addition, the failure of our third-party data centers or any other third-party providers to meet our capacity requirements could result in interruption in the availability or functionality of our apps and websites.
The satisfactory performance, reliability and availability of our apps, websites, transaction processing systems and technology infrastructure are critical to our reputation and our ability to acquire and retain consumers, as well as to maintain adequate consumer service levels. Our revenue depends in part on the number of consumers that visit and use our apps and websites in fulfilling their healthcare needs. Unavailability of our apps or websites could materially and adversely affect consumer perception of our brand. Any slowdown or failure of our apps, websites or the underlying technology infrastructure could harm our business, reputation and our ability to acquire, retain and serve our consumers.
The occurrence of a natural disaster, power loss, telecommunications failure, data loss, computer virus, an act of terrorism, cyberattack, vandalism or sabotage, act of war or any similar event, or a decision to close our third-party data centers on which we normally operate or the facilities of any other third-party provider without adequate notice or other unanticipated problems at these facilities could result in lengthy interruptions in the availability of our apps and websites. Cloud computing, in particular, is dependent upon having access to an internet connection in order to retrieve data. If a natural disaster, blackout or other unforeseen event were to occur that disrupted the ability to obtain an internet connection, we may experience a slowdown or delay in our operations. While we have some limited disaster recovery arrangements in place, our preparations may not be adequate to account for disasters or similar events that may occur in the future and may not effectively permit us
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to continue operating in the event of any problems with respect to our systems or those of our third-party data centers or any other third-party facilities. Our disaster recovery and data redundancy plans may be inadequate, and our business interruption insurance may not be sufficient to compensate us for the losses that could occur. If any such event were to occur to our business, our operations could be impaired and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
We rely on third-party platforms such as the Apple App Store and Google Play App Store, to distribute our platform and offerings.
Our apps are accessed and operate through third-party platforms or marketplaces, including the Apple App Store and Google Play App Store, which also serve as significant online distribution platforms for our apps. As a result, the expansion and prospects of our business and our apps depend on our continued relationships with these providers and any other emerging platform providers that are widely adopted by consumers. We are subject to the standard terms and conditions that these providers have for application developers, which govern the content, promotion, distribution and operation of apps on their platforms or marketplaces, and which the providers can change unilaterally on short or no notice. Our business would be harmed if the providers discontinue or limit our access to their platforms or marketplaces; the platforms or marketplaces decline in popularity; the platforms modify their algorithms, communication channels available to developers, respective terms of service or other policies, including fees; the providers adopt changes or updates to their technology that impede integration with other software systems or otherwise require us to modify our technology or update our apps in order to ensure that consumers can continue to access and use our GoodRx codes and pricing information.
If alternative providers increase in popularity, we could be adversely impacted if we fail to create compatible versions of our apps in a timely manner, or if we fail to establish a relationship with such alternative providers. Likewise, if our current providers alter their operating platforms, we could be adversely impacted as our offerings may not be compatible with the altered platforms or may require significant and costly modifications in order to become compatible. If our providers do not perform their obligations in accordance with our platform agreements, we could be adversely impacted.
In the past, some of these platforms or marketplaces have been unavailable for short periods of time. If this or a similar event were to occur on a short- or long-term basis, or if these platforms or marketplaces otherwise experience issues that impact the ability of consumers to download or access our apps and other information, it could have a material adverse effect on our brand and reputation, as well as our business, financial condition and operating results.
We rely on software-as-a-service, or SaaS, technologies from third parties.
We rely on SaaS technologies from third parties in order to operate critical functions of our business, including financial management services, relationship management services, marketing services and data storage services. If these services become unavailable due to extended outages or interruptions or because they are no longer available on commercially reasonable terms or prices, or for any other reason, our expenses could increase, our ability to manage our finances could be interrupted, our processes for managing our offerings and supporting our consumers and partners could be impaired and our ability to access or save data stored to the cloud may be impaired until equivalent services, if available, are identified, obtained and implemented, all of which could harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We depend on our relationships with third parties and would be adversely impacted by system failures or other disruptions in the operations of these parties.
We use and rely on services from third parties, such as our telecommunications services, and those services may be subject to outages and interruptions that are not within our control. Failures by our telecommunications providers may interrupt our ability to provide phone support to our consumers and DDoS attacks directed at our
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telecommunication service providers could prevent consumers from accessing our websites. In addition, we have in the past and may in the future experience down periods where our third-party credit card processors are unable to process the payments of our consumers, disrupting our ability to process or receive revenue from our subscription offerings. Disruptions to our consumer support, website and credit card processing services could lead to consumer dissatisfaction, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Changes in consumer sentiment or laws, rules or regulations regarding the use of cookies and other tracking technologies and other privacy matters could have a material adverse effect on our ability to generate net revenues and could adversely affect our ability to collect proprietary data on consumer behavior.
Consumers may become increasingly resistant to the collection, use and sharing of information online, including information used to deliver and optimize advertising, and take steps to prevent such collection, use and sharing of information. For example, consumer complaints and/or lawsuits regarding online advertising or the use of cookies or other tracking technologies in general and our practices specifically could adversely impact our business.
Consumers can currently opt out of the placement or use of most cookies for online advertising purposes by either deleting or disabling cookies on their browsers, visiting websites that allow consumers to place an opt-out cookie on their browsers, which instructs participating entities not to use certain data about consumers online activity for the delivery of targeted advertising, or by downloading browser plug-ins and other tools that can be set to: identify cookies and other tracking technologies used on websites; prevent websites from placing third-party cookies and other tracking technologies on the consumers browser; or block the delivery of online advertisements on apps and websites.
Various software tools and applications have been developed that can block advertisements from a consumers screen or allow consumers to shift the location in which advertising appears on webpages or opt out of display, search and internet-based advertising entirely. In particular, Apples mobile operating system permits these technologies to work in its mobile Safari browser. In addition, changes in device and software features could make it easier for internet users to prevent the placement of cookies or to block other tracking technologies. In particular, the default settings of consumer devices and software may be set to prevent the placement of cookies unless the user actively elects to allow them. For example, Apples Safari browser currently has a default setting under which third-party cookies are not accepted and users must activate a browser setting to enable cookies to be set, and Apple has announced that its new mobile operating system will require consumers to opt in to the use of Apples resettable device identifier for advertising purposes. Various industry participants have worked to develop and finalize standards relating to a mechanism in which consumers choose whether to allow the tracking of their online search and browsing activities, and such standards may be implemented and adopted by industry participants at any time.
We currently use cookies, pixel tags and similar technologies from third-party advertising technology providers to provide and optimize our advertising. If consumer sentiment regarding privacy issues or the development and deployment of new browser solutions or other Do Not Track mechanisms result in a material increase in the number of consumers who choose to opt out or block cookies and other tracking technologies or who are otherwise using browsers where they need to, and fail to, allow the browser to accept cookies, or otherwise result in cookies or other tracking technologies not functioning properly, our ability to advertise effectively and conduct our business, and our results of operations and financial condition would be adversely affected.
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Risks Related to Intellectual Property
We may be unable to establish, maintain, protect and enforce our intellectual property and proprietary rights or prevent third parties from making unauthorized use of our technology.
Our business depends on proprietary technology and content, including software, processes, databases, confidential information and know-how, the protection of which is crucial to the success of our business. We rely on a combination of trademark, patent, copyright, domain name and trade secret-protection laws, in addition to confidentiality agreements and other practices to protect our brands, proprietary information, technologies and processes.
Our most material trademark asset is the registered trademark GoodRx. Our trademarks are valuable assets that support our brand and consumers perception of our offerings. We also hold the rights to the goodrx.com internet domain name, which are subject to internet regulatory bodies and trademark and other related laws of each applicable jurisdiction. If we are unable to protect our trademarks or domain names in the United States or in other jurisdictions in which we may ultimately operate, our brand recognition and reputation would suffer, we would incur significant re-branding expenses and our operating results could be adversely impacted. As of March 31, 2020, we owned three issued patents and four pending patent applications in the United States. Our issued patents are currently scheduled to expire beginning in 2034, excluding any patent term adjustments. Our issued patents and those that may be issued in the future may not provide us with competitive advantages, may be of limited territorial reach and may be held invalid or unenforceable if successfully challenged by third parties, and our patent applications may never be issued. Even if issued, there can be no assurance that these patents will adequately protect our intellectual property or survive a legal challenge, as the legal standards relating to the validity, enforceability and scope of protection of patent and other intellectual property rights are uncertain. Our limited patent protection may restrict our ability to protect our technologies and processes from competition. It is also possible that third parties, including our competitors, may obtain patents relating to technologies that overlap or compete with our technology. If third parties obtain patent protection with respect to such technologies, they may assert that our technology infringes their patents and seek to charge us a licensing fee or otherwise preclude the use of our technology.
In order to protect our intellectual property rights, we may be required to spend significant resources to monitor and protect these rights. Litigation may be necessary in the future to enforce our intellectual property rights and to protect our trade secrets. Litigation brought to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights could be costly, time-consuming and distracting to management and could result in the impairment or loss of portions of our intellectual property. Furthermore, our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights may be met with defenses, counterclaims and countersuits attacking the validity and enforceability of our intellectual property rights. Our inability to protect our proprietary technology against unauthorized copying or use, as well as any costly litigation or diversion of our managements attention and resources, could delay the introduction and implementation of new technologies, result in our substituting inferior or more costly technologies into our software or injure our reputation. We will not be able to protect our intellectual property if we are unable to enforce our rights or if we do not detect unauthorized use of our intellectual property. Moreover, policing unauthorized use of our technologies, trade secrets and intellectual property may be difficult, expensive and time-consuming, particularly in foreign countries where the laws may not be as protective of intellectual property rights as those in the United States and where mechanisms for enforcement of intellectual property rights may be weak. If we fail to meaningfully establish, maintain, protect and enforce our intellectual property and proprietary rights, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
We may be sued by third parties for infringement, misappropriation, dilution or other violation of their intellectual property or proprietary rights.
Internet, advertising and e-commerce companies frequently are subject to litigation based on allegations of infringement, misappropriation, dilution or other violations of intellectual property rights. Some internet,
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advertising and e-commerce companies, including some of our competitors, as well as non-practicing entities, own large numbers of patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets, which they may use to assert claims against us.
Third parties have asserted, and may in the future assert, that we have infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated their intellectual property rights.
For instance, the use of our technology to provide our offerings could be challenged by claims that such use infringes, dilutes, misappropriates or otherwise violates the intellectual property rights of a third party. In addition, we may in the future be exposed to claims that content published or made available through our apps or websites violates third-party intellectual property rights.
As we face increasing competition and as a public company, the possibility of intellectual property rights claims against us grows. Such claims and litigation may involve patent holding companies or other adverse intellectual property rights holders who have no relevant product revenue, and therefore our own pending patents and other intellectual property rights may provide little or no deterrence to these rights holders in bringing intellectual property rights claims against us. There may be intellectual property rights held by others, including issued or pending patents and trademarks, that cover significant aspects of our technologies, content, branding or business methods, and we cannot assure that we are not infringing or violating, and have not violated or infringed, any third-party intellectual property rights or that we will not be held to have done so or be accused of doing so in the future. We expect that we may receive in the future notices that claim we or our partners, or clients using our solutions and services, have misappropriated or misused other parties intellectual property rights, particularly as the number of competitors in our market grows and the functionality of applications amongst competitors overlaps.
Any claim that we have violated intellectual property or other proprietary rights of third parties, with or without merit, and whether or not it results in litigation, is settled out of court or is determined in our favor, could be time-consuming and costly to address and resolve, and could divert the time and attention of management and technical personnel from our business. Furthermore, an adverse outcome of a dispute may result in an injunction and could require us to pay substantial monetary damages, including treble damages and attorneys fees, if we are found to have willfully infringed a partys intellectual property rights. Any settlement or adverse judgment resulting from such a claim could require us to enter into a licensing agreement to continue using the technology, content or other intellectual property that is the subject of the claim; restrict or prohibit our use of such technology, content or other intellectual property; require us to expend significant resources to redesign our technology or solutions; and require us to indemnify third parties. Royalty or licensing agreements, if required or desirable, may be unavailable on terms acceptable to us, or at all, and may require significant royalty payments and other expenditures. We may also be required to develop alternative non-infringing technology, which could require significant time and expense. There also can be no assurance that we would be able to develop or license suitable alternative technology, content or other intellectual property to permit us to continue offering the affected technology, content or services to our partners. If we cannot develop or license technology for any allegedly infringing aspect of our business, we would be forced to limit our service and may be unable to compete effectively. Any of these events could materially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Failure to maintain, protect or enforce our intellectual property rights could harm our business and results of operations.
We pursue the registration of our patentable technology, domain names, trademarks and service marks in the United States. We also strive to protect our intellectual property rights by relying on federal, state and common law rights, as well as contractual restrictions. We typically enter into confidentiality and invention assignment agreements with our employees and contractors, and confidentiality agreements with parties with whom we conduct business in order to limit access to, and disclosure and use of, our proprietary information. However, we may not be successful in executing these agreements with every party who has access to our
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confidential information or contributes to the development of our technology or intellectual property rights. Those agreements that we do execute may be breached, and we may not have adequate remedies for any such breach. These contractual arrangements and the other steps we have taken to protect our intellectual property rights may not prevent the misappropriation or disclosure of our proprietary information nor deter independent development of similar technology or intellectual property by others.
Effective trade secret, patent, copyright, trademark and domain name protection is expensive to obtain, develop and maintain, both in terms of initial and ongoing registration or prosecution requirements and expenses and the costs of defending our rights. We may, over time, increase our investment in protecting our intellectual property through additional patent filings that could be expensive and time-consuming. We do not know whether any of our pending patent applications will result in the issuance of additional patents or whether the examination process will require us to narrow our claims or we may otherwise be unable to obtain patent protection for the technology covered in our pending patent applications. Our patents, trademarks and other intellectual property rights may be challenged by others or invalidated through administrative process or litigation. Moreover, any issued patents may not provide us with a competitive advantage and, as with any technology, competitors may be able to develop similar or superior technologies to our own, now or in the future. In addition, due to a recent U.S. Supreme Court case, it has become increasingly difficult to obtain and assert patents relating to software or business methods, as many such patents have been invalidated for being too abstract to constitute patent-eligible subject matter. We do not know whether this will affect our ability to obtain new patents on our innovations, or successfully assert our patents in litigation or pre-litigation campaigns.
Monitoring unauthorized use of the content on our apps and websites, and our other intellectual property and technology, is difficult and costly. Our efforts to protect our proprietary rights and intellectual property may not have been and may not be adequate to prevent their misappropriation or misuse. Third parties, including our competitors, could be infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating our intellectual property rights. Third parties from time to time copy content or other intellectual property or technology from our solutions without authorization and seek to use it for their own benefit. We generally seek to address such unauthorized copying or use, but we have not always been successful in stopping all unauthorized use of our content or other intellectual property or technology, and may not be successful in doing so in the future. Further, we may not have been and may not be able to detect unauthorized use of our technology or intellectual property, or to take appropriate steps to enforce our intellectual property rights. Any inability to meaningfully enforce our intellectual property rights could harm our ability to compete and reduce demand for our solutions and services. Our competitors may also independently develop similar technology. Effective patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret protection may not be available to us in every jurisdiction in which our solutions or technology are hosted or available. Further, legal standards relating to the validity, enforceability and scope of protection of intellectual property rights are uncertain. The laws in the United States and elsewhere change rapidly, and any future changes could adversely affect us and our intellectual property. Our failure to meaningfully protect our intellectual property rights could result in competitors offering solutions that incorporate our most technologically advanced features, which could reduce demand for our solutions.
We may find it necessary or appropriate to initiate claims or litigation to enforce our intellectual property rights, protect our trade secrets or determine the validity and scope of intellectual property rights claimed by others. In any lawsuit we bring to enforce our intellectual property rights, a court may refuse to stop the other party from using the technology at issue on grounds that our intellectual property rights do not cover the use or technology in question. Further, in such proceedings, the defendant could counterclaim that our intellectual property is invalid or unenforceable and the court may agree, in which case we could lose valuable intellectual property rights. Litigation is inherently uncertain and any litigation of this nature, regardless of outcome or merit, could result in substantial costs and diversion of management and technical resources, any of which could adversely affect our business and results of operations. If we fail to maintain, protect and enforce our intellectual property, our business and results of operations may be harmed.
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We may be unable to continue the use of our trademarks, trade names or domain names, or prevent third parties from acquiring and using trademarks, trade names and domain names that infringe on, are similar to, or otherwise decrease the value of our brands, trademarks or service marks.
The registered or unregistered trademarks or trade names that we own may be challenged, infringed, circumvented, declared generic, lapsed or determined to be infringing on or dilutive of other marks. We may not be able to protect our rights in these trademarks and trade names, which we need in order to build name recognition with potential consumers and partners. In addition, third parties have filed, and may in the future file, for registration of trademarks similar or identical to our trademarks, which, if obtained, may impede our ability to build brand identity and possibly lead to market confusion. If they succeed in registering or developing common law rights in such trademarks, and if we are not successful in challenging such third-party rights, we may not be able to use these trademarks to develop brand recognition of our technologies, solutions or services. In addition, there could be potential trade name or trademark infringement claims brought by owners of other registered trademarks or trademarks that incorporate variations of our registered or unregistered trademarks or trade names. If we are unable to establish or protect our trademarks and trade names, or if we are unable to build name recognition based on our trademarks and trade names, we may not be able to compete effectively, which could harm our competitive position, business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We have registered domain names for our websites that we use in our business. If we lose the ability to use a domain name, whether due to trademark claims, failure to renew the applicable registration, or any other cause, we may be forced to market our solutions under a new domain name, which could cause us substantial harm, or to incur significant expense in order to purchase rights to the domain name in question. In addition, our competitors and others could attempt to capitalize on our brand recognition by using domain names similar to ours. Domain names similar to ours have been registered in the United States and elsewhere. We may be unable to prevent third parties from acquiring and using domain names that infringe on, are similar to, or otherwise decrease the value of our brands, trademarks or service marks. Protecting and enforcing our rights in our domain names may require litigation, which could result in substantial costs and diversion of managements attention.
ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), the international authority over top-level domain names, has been increasing the number of generic top-level domains, or TLDs. This may allow companies or individuals to create new web addresses that appear to the right of the dot in a web address, beyond such long-standing TLDs as .com, .org and .gov. ICANN may also add additional TLDs in the future. As a result, we may be unable to maintain exclusive rights to all potentially relevant or desirable domain names in the United States, which may harm our business. Furthermore, attempts may be made by third parties to register our trademarks as new TLDs or as domain names within new TLDs, and we may be required to enforce our rights against such registration attempts, which could result in significant expense and the diversion of managements attention.
If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets, our business and competitive position would be harmed.
We rely heavily on trade secrets and confidentiality agreements to protect our unpatented know-how, technology, and other proprietary information, including our technology platform, and to maintain our competitive position. With respect to our technology platform, we consider trade secrets and know-how to be one of our primary sources of intellectual property. However, trade secrets and know-how can be difficult to protect. We seek to protect these trade secrets and other proprietary technology, in part, by entering into non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements with parties who have access to them, such as our employees, corporate collaborators, outside contractors, consultants, advisors, and other third parties. We also enter into confidentiality and invention or patent assignment agreements with our employees and consultants. The confidentiality agreements are designed to protect our proprietary information and, in the case of agreements or clauses containing invention assignment, to grant us ownership of technologies that are developed through a relationship with employees or third parties. We cannot guarantee that we have entered into such agreements with each party
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that may have or have had access to our trade secrets or proprietary information, including our technology and processes. Despite these efforts, no assurance can be given that the confidentiality agreements we enter into will be effective in controlling access to such proprietary information and trade secrets. The confidentiality agreements on which we rely to protect certain technologies may be breached, may not be adequate to protect our confidential information, trade secrets and proprietary technologies and may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure of our confidential information, trade secrets or proprietary technology. Further, these agreements do not prevent our competitors or others from independently developing the same or similar technologies and processes, which may allow them to provide a service similar or superior to ours, which could harm our competitive position.
Enforcing a claim that a party illegally disclosed or misappropriated a trade secret is difficult, expensive, and time-consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. In addition, some courts inside and outside the United States are less willing or unwilling to protect trade secrets. If any of our trade secrets were to be lawfully obtained or independently developed by a competitor or other third party, we would have no right to prevent them from using that technology or information to compete with us. If any of our trade secrets were to be disclosed to or independently developed by a competitor or other third party, it could harm our competitive position, business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Issued patents covering our offerings could be found invalid or unenforceable if challenged.
The issuance of a patent is not conclusive as to its inventorship, scope, validity or enforceability. Some of our patents or patent applications (including licensed patents) have been, are being or may be challenged at a future point in time in opposition, derivation, reexamination, inter partes review, post-grant review or interference. Any successful third-party challenge to our patents in this or any other proceeding could result in the unenforceability or invalidity of such patents, which may lead to increased competition to our business, which could harm our business. In addition, if the breadth or strength of protection provided by our patents and patent applications is threatened, regardless of the outcome, it could dissuade companies from collaborating with us to license, develop or commercialize current or future offering candidates.
Changes in U.S. patent law could diminish the value of patents in general, thereby impairing our ability to protect our platform or features of our platform and offerings.
There are a number of changes to the patent laws that may have a significant impact on our ability to protect our technology and enforce our intellectual property rights. For example, the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, or the AIA, enacted in September 2011, resulted in significant changes in patent legislation. An important change introduced by the AIA is that, as of March 16, 2013, the United States transitioned from a first-to-invent to a first-to-file system for deciding which party should be granted a patent when two or more patent applications are filed by different parties claiming the same invention. Under a first-to-file system, assuming the other requirements for patentability are met, the first inventor to file a patent application generally will be entitled to a patent on the invention regardless of whether another inventor had made the invention earlier. A third party that files a patent application in the USPTO after that date but before us could therefore be awarded a patent covering an invention of ours even if we made the invention before it was made by the third party. Circumstances could prevent us from promptly filing patent applications on our inventions. The AIA also includes a number of significant changes that affect the way patent applications will be prosecuted and also may affect patent litigation. These include allowing third party submission of prior art to the USPTO during patent prosecution and additional procedures to attack the validity of a patent by USPTO administered post-grant proceedings, including post-grant review, inter partes review, or IPR, and derivation proceedings.
There are also a number of changes to the patent laws being considered that, if enacted, may have a significant impact on our ability to protect our technology and enforce our intellectual property rights. For example, the Senate Judiciary Committees Subcommittee on Intellectual Property in 2019 held hearings on expanding the test for patent definiteness under Section 112(f) of the Patent Act to combat the assertion of
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overbroad claims. Such changes could result in a diminished value for issued patents which properly captured the scope entitled to them as of the time of examination, but might fail the new test if it is enacted. Alternatively, the USPTO could decide to strengthen its examination under Section 112(f), leading to fewer issuing patents or patents issuing with more limited scope.
There are also legislative discussions regarding the changing of rules relating to post-grant review of patents through inter partes review, or IPR, or covered business method, or CBM, review. For example, current case law holds that the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, or PTAB, has the sole authority to determine whether to institute an IPR or CBM, and such decision is unreviewable on appeal. Efforts to amend the law to allow appellate review of PTAB institution decisions could result in an increase of institution as a result of such appellate review, and a corresponding increase in invalidation through these processes. Because of a lower evidentiary standard in PTAB proceedings compared to the evidentiary standard in U.S. federal courts necessary to invalidate a patent claim, a third party could potentially provide evidence in a PTAB proceeding sufficient for the PTAB to hold a claim invalid even though the same evidence would be insufficient to invalidate the claim if first presented in a district court action. Accordingly, a third party may attempt to use the PTAB procedures to invalidate our patent claims that would not have been invalidated if first challenged by the third party as a defendant in a district court action, and legislative attempts to make it easier to appeal successful patent-holder results could diminish the value of patents.
In addition, the patent position of companies engaged in the development and commercialization of software and internet e-commerce is particularly uncertain. Various courts, including the Supreme Court have rendered decisions that affect the scope of patentability of certain inventions or discoveries relating to certain software and business method patents. These decisions state, among other things, that a patent claim that recites an abstract idea, natural phenomenon or law of nature are not themselves patentable. Precisely what constitutes a law of nature or abstract idea is uncertain, and it is possible that certain aspects of our software or business methods would be considered abstract ideas. Accordingly, the evolving case law in the United States may adversely affect our ability to obtain patents and may facilitate third-party challenges to any owned or licensed patents. The laws of some foreign countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States, and we may encounter difficulties in protecting and defending such rights in foreign jurisdictions. The legal systems of many other countries do not favor the enforcement of patents and other intellectual property protection, particularly those relating to software, which could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement of our patents in such countries. Proceedings to enforce our patent rights in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial cost and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business.
We may not be able to enforce our intellectual property rights throughout the world.
We may also be required to protect our proprietary technology and content in an increasing number of jurisdictions, a process that is expensive and may not be successful, or which we may not pursue in every location. Filing, prosecuting, maintaining, defending, and enforcing intellectual property rights on our solutions, services, and technologies in all countries throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive, and our intellectual property rights in some countries outside the United States can be less extensive than those in the United States. We do not own and have not registered or applied for intellectual property outside the United States. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained protection to develop their own solutions and services and, further, may export otherwise violating solutions and services to territories where we have protection but enforcement is not as strong as that in the United States. These solutions and services may compete with our solutions and services, and our intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from competing. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect proprietary rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States, and many companies have encountered significant challenges in establishing and enforcing their proprietary rights outside of the United States. These challenges can be caused by the absence or inconsistency of the application of rules and methods for the establishment and enforcement of intellectual property rights outside of the United States. For instance, there is
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no uniform worldwide policy regarding patentable subject matter or the scope of claims allowable for business methods. As such, we do not know the degree of future protection that we will have on our technologies, products and services.
In addition, the legal systems of some countries, particularly developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of intellectual property protection, especially those relating to healthcare. This could make it difficult for us to stop the misappropriation or other violation of our other intellectual property rights. Accordingly, we may choose not to seek protection in certain countries, and we will not have the benefit of protection in such countries. Proceedings to enforce our intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial costs and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business. Accordingly, our efforts to protect our intellectual property rights in such countries may be inadequate. In addition, changes in the law and legal decisions by courts in the United States and foreign countries may affect our ability to obtain adequate protection for our solutions, services and other technologies and the enforcement of intellectual property. Any of the foregoing could harm our competitive position, business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We may be subject to claims that our employees, consultants, or advisors have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of their current or former employers or claims asserting ownership of what we regard as our own intellectual property.
Many of our employees, consultants, and advisors are currently or were previously employed at other companies in our field, including our competitors or potential competitors. Although we try to ensure that our employees, consultants, and advisors do not use the proprietary information or know-how of others in their work for us, we may be subject to claims that we or these individuals have used or disclosed intellectual property, including trade secrets or other proprietary information, of any such individuals current or former employer. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. If we fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel. Even if we are successful in defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management.
In addition, while it is our policy to require our employees and contractors who may be involved in the conception or development of intellectual property to execute agreements assigning such intellectual property to us, we may be unsuccessful in executing such an agreement with each party who, in fact, conceives or develops intellectual property that we regard as our own. The assignment of intellectual property rights may not be self-executing, or the assignment agreements may be breached, and we may be forced to bring claims against third parties, or defend claims that they may bring against us, to determine the ownership of what we regard as our intellectual property. Any of the foregoing could harm our competitive position, business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
We utilize open source software, which may pose particular risks to our proprietary software and solutions.
We use open source software in our solutions and will use open source software in the future. Companies that incorporate open source software into their solutions have, from time to time, faced claims challenging the use of open source software and compliance with open source license terms. Some licenses governing the use of open source software contain requirements that we make available source code for modifications or derivative works we create based upon the open source software, and that we license such modifications or derivative works under the terms of a particular open source license or other license granting third parties certain rights of further use. By the terms of certain open source licenses, we could be required to release the source code of our proprietary software, and to make our proprietary software available under open source licenses to third parties at no cost, if we combine our proprietary software with open source software in certain manners. Although we monitor our use of open source software, we cannot assure you that all open source software is reviewed prior to use in our solutions, that our developers have not incorporated open source software into our solutions, or that
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they will not do so in the future. Additionally, the terms of many open source licenses to which we are subject have not been interpreted by U.S. or foreign courts. There is a risk that open source software licenses could be construed in a manner that imposes unanticipated conditions or restrictions on our ability to market or provide our solutions. Companies that incorporate open source software into their products have, in the past, faced claims seeking enforcement of open source license provisions and claims asserting ownership of open source software incorporated into their product. If an author or other third party that distributes such open source software were to allege that we had not complied with the conditions of an open source license, we could incur significant legal costs defending ourselves against such allegations. In the event such claims were successful, we could be subject to significant damages or be enjoined from the distribution of our software. In addition, the terms of open source software licenses may require us to provide software that we develop using such open source software to others on unfavorable license terms. As a result of our current or future use of open source software, we may face claims or litigation, be required to release our proprietary source code, pay damages for breach of contract, re-engineer our solutions, discontinue making our solutions available in the event re-engineering cannot be accomplished on a timely basis or take other remedial action. Any such re-engineering or other remedial efforts could require significant additional research and development resources, and we may not be able to successfully complete any such re-engineering or other remedial efforts. Further, in addition to risks related to license requirements, use of certain open source software can lead to greater risks than use of third-party commercial software, as open source licensors generally do not provide warranties or controls on the origin of software. Any of these risks could be difficult to eliminate or manage, and, if not addressed, could have a negative effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If we fail to comply with our obligations under license or technology agreements with third parties, we may be required to pay damages and we could lose license rights that are critical to our business.
We license certain intellectual property, including technologies and software from third parties, that is important to our business, and in the future we may enter into additional agreements that provide us with licenses to valuable intellectual property or technology. If we fail to comply with any of the obligations under our license agreements, we may be required to pay damages and the licensor may have the right to terminate the license. Termination by the licensor would cause us to lose valuable rights, and could prevent us from selling our solutions and services, or adversely impact our ability to commercialize future solutions and services. Our business would suffer if any current or future licenses terminate, if the licensors fail to abide by the terms of the license, if the licensors fail to enforce licensed patents against infringing third parties, if the licensed intellectual property are found to be invalid or unenforceable, or if we are unable to enter into necessary licenses on acceptable terms. In addition, our rights to certain technologies, are licensed to us on a non-exclusive basis. The owners of these non-exclusively licensed technologies are therefore free to license them to third parties, including our competitors, on terms that may be superior to those offered to us, which could place us at a competitive disadvantage. Moreover, our licensors may own or control intellectual property that has not been licensed to us and, as a result, we may be subject to claims, regardless of their merit, that we are infringing or otherwise violating the licensors rights. In addition, the agreements under which we license intellectual property or technology from third parties are generally complex, and certain provisions in such agreements may be susceptible to multiple interpretations. The resolution of any contract interpretation disagreement that may arise could narrow what we believe to be the scope of our rights to the relevant intellectual property or technology, or increase what we believe to be our financial or other obligations under the relevant agreement. Any of the foregoing could harm our competitive position, business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
If we cannot license rights to use technologies on reasonable terms, we may not be able to commercialize new solutions or services in the future.
In the future, we may identify additional third-party intellectual property we may need to license in order to engage in our business, including to develop or commercialize new solutions or services. However, such licenses may not be available on acceptable terms or at all. The licensing or acquisition of third-party intellectual property rights is a competitive area, and several more established companies may pursue strategies to license or acquire
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third-party intellectual property rights that we may consider attractive or necessary. These established companies may have a competitive advantage over us due to their size, capital resources and greater development or commercialization capabilities. In addition, companies that perceive us to be a competitor may be unwilling to assign or license rights to us. Even if such licenses are available, we may be required to pay the licensor substantial royalties based on sales of our solutions and services. Such royalties are a component of the cost of our solutions or services and may affect the margins on our solutions and services. In addition, such licenses may be non-exclusive, which could give our competitors access to the same intellectual property licensed to us. If we are unable to enter into the necessary licenses on acceptable terms or at all, if any necessary licenses are subsequently terminated, if our licensors fail to abide by the terms of the licenses, if our licensors fail to prevent infringement by third parties, or if the licensed intellectual property rights are found to be invalid or unenforceable, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be affected. If licenses to third-party intellectual property rights are or become required for us to engage in our business, the rights may be non-exclusive, which could give our competitors access to the same technology or intellectual property rights licensed to us. Moreover, we could encounter delays and other obstacles in our attempt to develop alternatives. Defense of any lawsuit or failure to obtain any of these licenses on favorable terms could prevent us from commercializing solutions and services, which could harm our competitive position, business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Risks Related to the Healthcare Industry
We may be subject to state and federal fraud and abuse and other healthcare regulatory laws and regulations. If we or our commercial partners act in a manner that violates such laws or otherwise engage in misconduct, we may be subject to civil or criminal penalties as well as exclusion from government healthcare programs.
Although the consumers who use our offerings do so outside of any medication or other health benefits covered under their health insurance, including any commercial or government healthcare program, we may nonetheless be subject to healthcare fraud and abuse regulation and enforcement by both the U.S. federal government and the states in which we conduct our business. These laws impact, among other things, our sales, marketing, support and education programs and constrain our business and financial arrangements and relationships with pharmacies, PBMs, pharmaceutical manufacturers, marketing partners, healthcare professionals and consumers, and include, but are not limited to, the following:
| the U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits, among other things, persons or entities from knowingly and willfully soliciting, offering, receiving or paying any remuneration, directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, in cash or in kind, to induce or reward either the referral of an individual for, or the purchase, lease, order, or arranging for or recommending the purchase, lease or order of, any item or service, for which payment may be made, in whole or in part, under federal healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. A person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation; |
| the U.S. federal false claims laws, including the civil False Claims Act (which can be enforced through qui tam, or whistleblower actions, by private citizens on behalf of the federal government), which prohibits any person from, among other things, knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented false or fraudulent claims for payment of government funds or knowingly making, using or causing to be made or used, a false record or statement material to an obligation to pay money to the government or knowingly and improperly avoiding, decreasing or concealing an obligation to pay money to the U.S. federal government. In addition, the government may assert that a claim including items and services resulting from a violation of the U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the civil False Claims Act; |
| HIPAA imposes criminal and civil liability for, among other things, knowingly and willfully executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program, or knowingly and |
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willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any materially false statement, in connection with the delivery of, or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services by a healthcare benefit program, which includes both government and privately funded benefits programs. Similar to the U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation; |
| the federal Civil Monetary Penalties Law, which, subject to certain exceptions, prohibits, among other things, the offer or transfer of remuneration, including waivers of copayments and deductible amounts (or any part thereof), to a Medicare or state healthcare program beneficiary if the person knows or should know it is likely to influence the beneficiarys selection of a particular provider, practitioner or supplier of services reimbursable by a state or federal healthcare program; |
| federal consumer protection and unfair competition laws, which broadly regulate platform activities and activities that potentially harm consumers; and |
| state laws and regulations, including state anti-kickback and false claims laws, that may apply to our business practices, including but not limited to, research, distribution, sales and marketing arrangements and claims involving healthcare items or services reimbursed by any third-party payor, including private insurers and self-pay patients. |
To enforce compliance with healthcare regulatory laws, certain enforcement bodies have recently increased their scrutiny of interactions between healthcare companies and referral sources, which has led to a number of investigations, prosecutions, convictions and settlements in the healthcare industry. Responding to investigations can be time- and resource-consuming and can divert managements attention from the business. Additionally, as a result of these investigations, entities may also have to agree to additional compliance and reporting requirements as part of a consent decree, non-prosecution or corporate integrity agreement. Any such investigation or settlements could increase our costs or otherwise have an adverse effect on our business. Even an unsuccessful challenge or investigation into our practices could cause adverse publicity and be costly to respond.
The shifting commercial compliance environment and the need to build and maintain robust and expandable systems to comply with different compliance or reporting requirements in multiple jurisdictions increase the possibility that a healthcare company may fail to comply fully with one or more of these requirements. Efforts to ensure that our business arrangements with third parties will comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations may involve substantial costs. It is possible that governmental authorities may conclude that our business practices, including, without limitation, our revenue sharing arrangements with our partners, arrangements with entities that provide us with rebate administrative services, and other sales and marketing practices, do not comply with applicable fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and regulations or guidance.
If our operations are found to be in violation of any of these laws or any other governmental regulations that may apply to us, we may be subject to significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, fines, imprisonment, exclusion from government-funded healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, and additional oversight and reporting requirements if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations. If any of the pharmacies, PBMs, pharmaceutical manufacturers, marketing partners or other entities with whom we do business is found not to be in compliance with applicable laws, they may be subject to the same criminal, civil or administrative sanctions, including exclusion from government-funded healthcare programs.
We provide pricing information and discounted prices for all FDA-approved medications, including products that are regulated under federal and state law as controlled substances. Controlled substances are subject to more onerous regulatory requirements than other pharmaceutical products and have received increasing legal scrutiny in recent years, which will likely continue into the future. Regulatory or legal developments that have the effect of lowering the sales of controlled substances may have a negative impact on our business.
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Our telehealth offerings are subject to laws, rules and policies governing the practice of medicine and medical board oversight.
Our ability to conduct and optimize our telehealth offerings in each state is dependent upon the states treatment of telehealth, such as the permissibility of asynchronous store-and-forward telehealth, under such states laws, rules and policies governing the practice of medicine, which are subject to changing political, regulatory and other influences. Some state medical boards have established rules or interpreted existing rules in a manner that limits or restricts our ability to conduct or optimize our business.
Our telehealth offerings offer patients the ability to see a board-certified medical professional for advice, diagnosis and treatment of routine health conditions on a remote basis. Due to the nature of this service and the provision of medical care and treatment by board-certified medical professionals, we and certain of our affiliated physicians and healthcare professionals are and may in the future be subject to complaints, inquiries and compliance orders by national and state medical boards. Such complaints, inquiries or compliance orders may result in disciplinary actions taken by these medical boards against the licensed physicians who provide services through our telehealth offerings, which could include suspension, restriction or revocation of the physicians medical license, probation, required continuing medical education courses, monetary fines, administrative actions and other conditions. Regardless of outcome, these complaints, inquiries or compliance orders could have an adverse impact on our telehealth offerings and our platform generally due to defense and settlement costs, diversion of management resources, negative publicity, reputational harm and other factors.
Due to the uncertain regulatory environment, certain states may determine that we are in violation of their laws and regulations or such laws and regulations may change. In the event that we must remedy such violations, we may be required to modify our offerings in such states in a manner that undermines our offerings or business, we may become subject to fines or other penalties or, if we determine that the requirements to operate in compliance in such states are overly burdensome, we may elect to terminate our operations in such states. In each case, our revenue may decline and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
In our telehealth offerings, we are dependent on our relationships with affiliated professional entities, which we do not own, to provide healthcare services, and our business would be adversely affected if those relationships were disrupted.
Our contractual relationships with our affiliated healthcare professionals providing telehealth services, our platform that enables HeyDoctor consumers to opt in to use our prescription offering, and the recent launch of HeyDoctors platform where consumers can access a third-party mail order pharmacy to fill their prescriptions may implicate certain state laws in the United States that generally prohibit non-physician entities from practicing medicine, exercising control over physicians or engaging in certain practices such as fee-splitting with physicians. Although we believe that we have structured our arrangements to ensure that the healthcare professionals maintain exclusive authority regarding the delivery of medical care and prescription of medications when clinically appropriate, there can be no assurance that these laws will be interpreted in a manner consistent with our practices or that other laws or regulations will not be enacted in the future that could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Regulatory authorities, state medical boards of medicine, state attorneys general and other parties, including our affiliated healthcare professionals, may assert that, despite the management service agreement and other arrangements through which we operate, we are engaged in the prohibited corporate practice of medicine, and/or that our arrangements with our affiliated professional entities constitute unlawful fee-splitting. If a states prohibition on the corporate practice of medicine or fee-splitting law is interpreted in a manner that is inconsistent with our practices, we would be required to restructure or terminate our relationship with our affiliated professional entities to bring its activities into compliance with such laws. A determination of non-compliance, or the termination of or failure to successfully restructure these relationships could result in disciplinary action, penalties, damages, fines, and/or a loss of revenue, any of which could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. State corporate practice of medicine doctrines and fee-splitting prohibitions also often
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impose penalties on healthcare professionals for aiding the corporate practice of medicine, which could discourage physicians and other healthcare professionals from participating in our network of providers.
The impact of recent healthcare reform legislation and other changes in the healthcare industry and in healthcare spending on us is currently unknown, but may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our revenue is dependent on the healthcare industry and could be affected by changes in healthcare spending and policy. The healthcare industry is subject to changing political, regulatory and other influences. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Healthcare and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, or collectively, the ACA, enacted in March 2010, made major changes in how healthcare is delivered and reimbursed, and increased access to health insurance benefits to the uninsured and underinsured population of the United States. The ACA, among other things, required manufacturers to participate in a coverage gap discount program, under which they must agree to offer 70% point-of-sale discounts off negotiated prices of applicable brand medications to eligible beneficiaries during their coverage gap period, as a condition for the manufacturers outpatient medications to be covered under Medicare Part D, increased the number of individuals with Medicaid and private insurance coverage, implemented reimbursement policies that tie payment to quality, facilitated the creation of accountable care organizations that may use capitation and other alternative payment methodologies, strengthened enforcement of fraud and abuse laws and encouraged the use of information technology.
Since its enactment, there have been judicial, U.S. congressional and executive branch challenges to certain aspects of the ACA, and we expect there will be additional challenges and amendments to the ACA in the future. For example, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, or Tax Act, was enacted, which includes a provision repealing, effective January 1, 2019, the tax-based shared responsibility payment imposed by the ACA on certain individuals who fail to maintain qualifying health coverage for all or part of a year, which is commonly referred to as the individual mandate. On December 14, 2018, a U.S. District Court judge in the Northern District of Texas ruled that the individual mandate is a critical and inseverable feature of the ACA, and therefore, because it was repealed as part of the Tax Act, the remaining provisions of the ACA are invalid as well. On December 18, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit affirmed the District Courts decision that the individual mandate was unconstitutional but remanded the case back to the District Court to determine whether the remaining provisions of the ACA are invalid as well. On March 2, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court granted the petitions for writs of certiorari to review the case, although it is unclear when a decision will be made or how the Supreme Court will rule. In addition, there may be other efforts to challenge, repeal or replace the ACA will impact the ACA. We are continuing to monitor any changes to the ACA that, in turn, may potentially impact our business in the future.
In addition, recently there has been heightened governmental scrutiny over the manner in which pharmaceutical manufacturers set prices for their marketed products, which has resulted in several U.S. congressional inquiries and proposed and enacted federal and state legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to medication pricing, reduce the cost of prescription medications under government payor programs, and review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs. At the federal level, the Trump administrations budget proposal for fiscal year 2021 includes a $135 billion allowance to support legislative proposals seeking to reduce medication prices, increase competition, lower out-of-pocket medication costs for patients, and increase patient access to lower-cost generic and biosimilar medications. On March 10, 2020, the Trump administration sent principles for medication pricing to Congress, calling for legislation that would, among other things, cap Medicare Part D beneficiary out-of-pocket pharmacy expenses, provide an option to cap Medicare Part D beneficiary monthly out-of-pocket expenses, and place limits on pharmaceutical price increases. Further, the Trump administration previously released a Blueprint, or plan, to lower medication prices and reduce out-of-pocket costs of prescription medications that contains additional proposals to increase pharmaceutical manufacturer competition, increase the negotiating power of certain federal
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healthcare programs, incentivize manufacturers to lower the list price of their products, and reduce the out of pocket costs of medication products paid by consumers. Moreover, in February 2019, the Office of Inspector General, or OIG, of HHS, proposed modifications to U.S. federal healthcare Anti-Kickback Statute safe harbors which, among other things, would have affected rebates paid by manufacturers to Medicare Part D plans and Medicaid managed care organizations, either directly or through PBMs under contract with such sponsors or organizations, the purpose of which was to further reduce the cost of medication products to consumers. Although the Trump administration withdrew the proposed rule in July 2019, Congress and the Trump administration have each indicated that it will continue to seek new legislative and/or administrative measures to control medication costs.
Individual states in the United States have also increasingly passed legislation and implemented regulations designed to control medication pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access, disclosure, transparency and reporting requirements to regulatory agencies regarding marketing costs and discounts provided to patients, such as those provided through our prescription offering and subscription offerings, for prescription medications dispensed by pharmacies, and, in some cases, designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing. We expect that additional state and federal healthcare reform measures will be adopted in the future, any of which could impact the amounts that federal and state governments and other third-party payors will pay for healthcare products and services or require us to restructure our existing arrangements with PBMs and pharmaceutical manufacturers, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Related to This Offering and Ownership of Our Class A Common Stock
There has been no prior market for our Class A common stock. An active market may not develop or be sustainable, and investors may be unable to resell their shares at or above the initial public offering price.
There has been no public market for our Class A common stock prior to this offering. The initial public offering price for our Class A common stock will be determined through negotiations between the representatives of the underwriters and us and may vary from the market price of our Class A common stock following the completion of this offering. An active or liquid market in our Class A common stock may not develop upon completion of this offering or, if it does develop, it may not be sustainable. In the absence of an active trading market for our Class A common stock, you may not be able to resell those shares at or above the initial public offering price or at all. We cannot predict the prices at which our Class A common stock will trade.
Our stock price may be volatile or may decline regardless of our operating performance, resulting in substantial losses for investors purchasing shares in this offering.
The market price of our Class A common stock may fluctuate significantly in response to numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control, including:
| actual or anticipated fluctuations in our financial conditions and results of operations; |
| the financial projections we may provide to the public, any changes in these projections or our failure to meet these projections; |
| failure of securities analysts to initiate or maintain coverage of our company, changes in financial estimates or ratings by any securities analysts who follow our company or our failure to meet these estimates or the expectations of investors; |
| announcements by us or our competitors of significant technical innovations, acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, results of operations or capital commitments; |
| changes in stock market valuations and operating performance of other healthcare and technology companies generally, or those in our industry in particular; |
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| price and volume fluctuations in the overall stock market, including as a result of trends in the economy as a whole; |
| changes in our board of directors or management; |
| sales of large blocks of our Class A common stock, including sales by or our executive officers and directors; |
| lawsuits threatened or filed against us; |
| anticipated or actual changes in laws, regulations or government policies applicable to our business; |
| changes in our capital structure, such as future issuances of debt or equity securities; |
| short sales, hedging and other derivative transactions involving our capital stock; |
| general economic conditions in the United States; |
| other events or factors, including those resulting from war, pandemics (including COVID-19), incidents of terrorism or responses to these events; and |
| the other factors described in the sections of this prospectus titled Risk Factors and Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements. |
The stock market has recently experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations. The market prices of securities of companies have experienced fluctuations that often have been unrelated or disproportionate to their results of operations. Market fluctuations could result in extreme volatility in the price of shares of our Class A common stock, which could cause a decline in the value of your investment. Price volatility may be greater if the public float and trading volume of shares of our Class A common stock is low. Furthermore, in the past, stockholders have sometimes instituted securities class action litigation against companies following periods of volatility in the market price of their securities. Any similar litigation against us could result in substantial costs, divert managements attention and resources, and harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The dual class structure of our common stock may adversely affect the trading market for our Class A common stock.
We cannot predict whether our dual class structure will result in a lower or more volatile market price of our Class A common stock or in adverse publicity or other adverse consequences. For example, certain index providers have announced restrictions on including companies with dual class or multi-class share structures in certain of their indexes. In July 2017, S&P Dow Jones and FTSE Russell announced changes to their eligibility criteria for the inclusion of shares of public companies on certain indices, including the Russell 2000, the S&P 500, the S&P MidCap 400 and the S&P SmallCap 600, to exclude companies with multiple classes of shares of common stock from being added to these indices. Beginning in 2017, MSCI, a leading stock index provider, opened public consultations on their treatment of no-vote and multi-class structures and temporarily barred new multi-class listings from certain of its indices; however, in October 2018, MSCI announced its decision to include equity securities with unequal voting structures in its indices and to launch a new index that specifically includes voting rights in its eligibility criteria. As a result, our dual class capital structure would make us ineligible for inclusion in any of these indices, and mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and other investment vehicles that attempt to passively track these indices will not be investing in our stock. These policies are still fairly new and it is as of yet unclear what effect, if any, they will have on the valuations of publicly traded companies excluded from the indices, but it is possible that they may depress these valuations compared to those of other similar companies that are included. Furthermore, we cannot assure you that other stock indices will not take a similar approach to S&P Dow Jones or FTSE Russell in the future. Exclusion from indices could make our Class A common stock less attractive to investors and, as a result, the market price of our Class A common stock could be adversely affected.
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control the direction of our business and ownership of our common stock will prevent you and other stockholders from influencing significant decisions.
Following the completion of this offering, will continue to control shares representing a majority of our combined voting power. Immediately after this offering, will own % of our outstanding Class B common stock, which will represent approximately % of our total outstanding shares of common stock and approximately % of the combined voting power of both classes of our outstanding common stock. On all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders, our Class B common stock entitles its owners to 10 votes per share, and our Class A common stock, which is the stock we are offering in this offering, entitles its owners to one vote per share. As long as continues to control shares representing a majority of our combined voting power, it will generally be able to determine the outcome of all corporate actions requiring stockholder approval, including the election and removal of directors (unless supermajority approval of such matter is required by applicable law). may engage in activities where their interests may not be the same as, or may conflict with, the interests of our other stockholders. Even if were to control less than a majority of our combined voting power, it may be able to influence the outcome of corporate actions so long as it owns a significant portion of our combined voting power.
Investors in this offering will not be able to affect the outcome of any stockholder vote while controls the majority of our combined voting power. Due to its ownership and rights under our amended and restated articles of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws, will be able to control, subject to applicable law (see Certain Relationships and Related Party TransactionsPolicies and Procedures for Related Party Transactions), the composition of our board of directors, which in turn will be able to control all matters affecting us, including, among other things:
| any determination with respect to our business direction and policies, including the appointment and removal of officers and, in the event of a vacancy on our board of directors, additional or replacement directors; |
| any determinations with respect to mergers, business combinations or disposition of assets; |
| determination of our management policies; |
| determination of the composition of the committees on our board of directors; |
| our financing policy; |
| our compensation and benefit programs and other human resources policy decisions; |
| changes to any other agreements that may adversely affect us; |
| the payment of dividends on our Class A common stock; and |
| determinations with respect to our tax returns. |
See Description of Capital Stock.
In addition, the concentration of ownership could also discourage others from making tender offers, which could prevent holders from receiving a premium for their common stock. Because interests may differ from ours or from those of our other stockholders, actions that takes with respect to us, as our controlling stockholder, may not be favorable to us or our other stockholders.
Substantial future sales by or others of our common stock, or the perception that such sales may occur, could depress the price of our Class A common stock.
Immediately following the completion of this offering, will own % of our outstanding shares of common stock (or % if the underwriters exercise in full their over-allotment option). Subject to the restrictions described in the paragraph below, future sales of these shares in the public market will be
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subject to the volume and other restrictions of Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, or the Securities Act, for so long as is deemed to be our affiliate, unless the shares to be sold are registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC. We are unable to predict with certainty whether or when will sell a substantial number of shares of our Class A common stock. The sale by of a substantial number of shares after this offering, or a perception that such sales could occur, could significantly reduce the market price of our Class A common stock. Upon completion of this offering, except as otherwise described herein, all shares of our Class A common stock that are being offered hereby will be freely tradable without restriction, assuming they are not held by our affiliates.
We, all of our officers and directors, and substantially all of our other existing stockholders have agreed with the underwriters that, without the prior written consent of , we and they will not, subject to certain exceptions and extensions, during the period ending 180 days after the date of this prospectus, offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, or enter into any swap or other agreement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of shares of our common stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of our common stock or publicly disclose the intention to make any such offer, sale, pledge or disposition. may, in its sole discretion and at any time without notice, release all or any portion of the shares of our common stock subject to the lock-up.
Immediately following this offering, we intend to file a registration statement on Form S-8 registering under the Securities Act the shares of our Class A common stock reserved for issuance under our incentive plan. If equity securities granted under our incentive plan are sold or it is perceived that they will be sold in the public market, the trading price of our Class A common stock could decline substantially. These sales also could impede our ability to raise future capital.
We will be a controlled company under the corporate governance rules of the and, as a result, will qualify for, and intend to rely on, exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements. You will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to such requirements.
Upon completion of this offering, will continue to control a majority of our combined voting power of both classes of our outstanding common stock. As a result, we will be a controlled company within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of the rules. Under these rules, a listed company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a controlled company and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including:
| the requirement that a majority of its board of directors consist of independent directors; |
| the requirement that its director nominations be made, or recommended to the full board of directors, by its independent directors or by a nominations committee that is comprised entirely of independent directors and that it adopt a written charter or board resolution addressing the nominations process; and |
| the requirement that it have a compensation committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committees purpose and responsibilities. |
Following this offering, we intend to rely on all of these exemptions. As a result, our board of directors will not have a majority of independent directors, our compensation committee will not consist entirely of independent directors and our directors will not be nominated or selected by independent directors. Accordingly, you will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of the rules.
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If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or they publish negative reports about our business, our share price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our Class A common stock will depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business, our market and our competitors. We do not have any control over these analysts. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our shares or publish negative views on us or our shares, our share price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our share price or trading volume to decline.
We are an emerging growth company and our compliance with the reduced reporting and disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies may make our Class A common stock less attractive to investors.
We are an emerging growth company, as defined in the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions and relief from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies. These provisions include, but are not limited to: being permitted to have only two years of audited financial statements and only two years of related selected financial data and managements discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations disclosures; being exempt from compliance with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act; being exempt from any rules that could be adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board requiring mandatory audit firm rotations or a supplement to the auditors report on financial statements; being subject to reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements; and not being required to hold nonbinding advisory votes on executive compensation or on any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
In addition, while we are an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with any new financial accounting standard until such standard is generally applicable to private companies. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that are not emerging growth companies or elect not to avail themselves of this provision.
We may remain an emerging growth company until as late as December 31, 2025, the fiscal year-end following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this initial public offering, though we may cease to be an emerging growth company earlier under certain circumstances, including if (i) we have more than $1.07 billion in annual revenue in any fiscal year, (ii) we become a large accelerated filer, with at least $700 million of equity securities held by non-affiliates as of the end of the second quarter of that fiscal year or (iii) we issue more than $1.0 billion of non-convertible debt over a three-year period.
The exact implications of the JOBS Act are still subject to interpretations and guidance by the SEC and other regulatory agencies, and we cannot assure you that we will be able to take advantage of all of the benefits of the JOBS Act. In addition, investors may find our Class A common stock less attractive to the extent we rely on the exemptions and relief granted by the JOBS Act. If some investors find our Class A common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our Class A common stock and our stock price may decline or become more volatile.
Purchasers in this offering will experience immediate and substantial dilution in the book value of their investment.
The assumed initial public offering price of our Class A common stock of $ per share, the midpoint of the price range on the cover page of this prospectus, is substantially higher than the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share of our outstanding Class A common stock immediately after this offering. Therefore, if you purchase our Class A common stock in this offering, you will incur immediate dilution of $ in the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share from the price you paid assuming that stock price. In addition, following this offering, purchasers who bought shares from us in the offering will have
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contributed % of the total consideration paid to us by our stockholders to purchase million shares of Class A common stock to be sold by us in this offering, in exchange for acquiring approximately % of our total outstanding shares as of after giving effect to this offering.
We have broad discretion to determine how to use the funds we receive from this offering, and may use them in ways that may not enhance our results of operations or the price of our Class A common stock.
We have broad discretion over the use of proceeds we receive from this offering, and we could spend the proceeds we receive from this offering in ways our stockholders may not agree with or that do not yield a favorable return, or no return at all. We currently expect to use the net proceeds for general corporate purposes to support the growth of our business. However, our use of these proceeds may differ substantially from our current plans. If we do not invest or apply the proceeds we receive from this offering in ways that improve our results of operations, we may fail to achieve expected financial results or be required to raise additional capital, which could cause our stock price to decline. In addition pending their use, the proceeds of this offering may be placed in investments that do not produce income or that may lose value.
Delaware law and provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws could make a merger, tender offer or proxy contest more difficult, limit attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management and limit the market price of our Class A common stock.
Our status as a Delaware corporation and the anti-takeover provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control by prohibiting us from engaging in a business combination with an interested stockholder for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, even if a change of control would be beneficial to our existing stockholders. In addition, provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws will contain provisions that may make the acquisition of our company more difficult, including the following:
| any amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws will require the approval of at least 66 2/3% of our then-outstanding voting power; |
| our dual class common stock structure, which provides , individually or together, with the ability to significantly influence the outcome of matters requiring stockholder approval, even if they own significantly less than a majority of the shares of our outstanding Class A common stock and Class B common stock; |
| our staggered board; |
| our stockholders will only be able to take action at a meeting of stockholders and will not be able to take action by written consent for any matter; |
| our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will not provide for cumulative voting; |
| vacancies on our board of directors will be able to be filled only by our board of directors and not by stockholders; |
| a special meeting of our stockholders may only be called by the chairperson of our board of directors, our Chief Executive Officer or our Co-Chief Executive Officers, as applicable, or a majority of our board of directors; |
| restrict the forum for certain litigation against us to Delaware; |
| our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will authorize undesignated preferred stock, the terms of which may be established and shares of which may be issued without further action by our stockholders; and |
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| advance notice procedures apply for stockholders to nominate candidates for election as directors or to bring matters before an annual meeting of stockholders. |
These provisions, alone or together, could discourage, delay or prevent a transaction involving a change in control of our company. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for stockholders to elect directors of their choosing and to cause us to take other corporate actions they desire, any of which, under certain circumstances, could limit the opportunity for our stockholders to receive a premium for their shares of our Class A common stock, and could also affect the price that some investors are willing to pay for our Class A common stock.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for certain stockholder litigation matters and the federal district courts of the United States shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act, 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 will provide (A) (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any current or former director, officer, other employee or stockholder of the Company to the Company or the Companys stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws (as either may be amended or restated) or as to which the Delaware General Corporation Law confers jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or (iv) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine of the law of the State of Delaware shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be exclusively brought in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or, if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction thereof, the federal district court of the State of Delaware; and (B) the federal district courts of the United States shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the exclusive forum provision shall not apply to claims seeking to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act. The choice of forum provision may limit a stockholders ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors, officers, and other employees, although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, results of operations, and financial condition. 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.
We do not intend to pay dividends for the foreseeable future.
We currently intend to retain any future earnings to finance the operation and expansion of our business and we do not expect to declare or pay any dividends in the foreseeable future. Moreover, the terms of our existing Credit Agreement restrict our ability to pay dividends, and any additional debt we may incur in the future may include similar restrictions. In addition, Delaware law may impose requirements that may restrict our ability to pay dividends to holders of our common stock. As a result, stockholders must rely on sales of their Class A common stock after price appreciation as the only way to realize any future gains on their investment.
We are a holding company and depend on our subsidiaries for cash to fund operations and expenses, including future dividend payments, if any.
We are a holding company that does not conduct any business operations of our own. As a result, we are largely dependent upon cash distributions and other transfers from our subsidiaries to meet our obligations and to
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make future dividend payments, if any. We do not currently expect to declare or pay dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future; however, the agreements governing the indebtedness of our subsidiaries impose restrictions on our subsidiaries ability to pay dividends or other distributions to us. See Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of OperationsLiquidity and Capital Resources. The deterioration of the earnings from, or other available assets of, our subsidiaries for any reason could impair their ability to make distributions to us.
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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus contains forward-looking statements. All statements contained in this prospectus other than statements of historical facts, including statements regarding our business strategy, plans, market growth and our objectives for future operations, are forward-looking statements. The words may, will, should, expect, plan, anticipate, could, intend, target, project, contemplate, believe, estimate, forecast, predict, potential or continue or the negative of these terms and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus include, but are not limited to, statements about:
| our future financial performance, including our expectations regarding our revenue, cost of revenue, operating expenses, including capital expenditures, and our ability to achieve and maintain future profitability; |
| the sufficiency of our cash to meet our liquidity needs; |
| the demand for our platform and offerings in general; |
| our ability to attract and retain Monthly Active Consumers and consumers of our various offerings; |
| our expectations of the value provided by our subscription offerings subscribers, and the continuation of existing trends; |
| our ability to develop new offerings and bring them to market in a timely manner, make enhancements to our platform and current offerings and integrate our offerings; |
| our ability to successfully execute upon our strategy, including in respect of our recently launched telehealth offerings; |
| our ability to increase the number of consumers of our telehealth offerings that opt to use our prescription offering following an online visit with a healthcare professional; |
| our ability to grow and scale our telehealth offerings; |
| our ability to increase the lifetime value of our consumers; |
| our ability to improve our unaided awareness, build our brand, scale our existing marketing channels and unlock new ones; |
| our ability to successfully compete with existing and new competitors in our markets; |
| the size of our total addressable market and market trends, expected growth rates of these markets and our ability to grow within and further penetrate our primary markets; |
| our expectations regarding the effects of existing and developing laws and regulations, including with respect to the healthcare industry, healthcare reform measures and data protection in the United States; |
| our ability to develop and protect our brand; |
| our ability to maintain the security and availability of our platform; |
| our expectations and management of future growth; |
| our expectations regarding technology trends and developments in the healthcare industry and our ability to address those trends and developments with our offerings; |
| our expectations concerning relationships with third parties, including PBMs, healthcare professionals, telehealth providers and other healthcare partners; |
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| our ability to maintain, protect and enhance our intellectual property; |
| our ability to implement, maintain and improve effective internal controls and remediate material weaknesses; |
| the increased expenses associated with being a public company; and |
| our anticipated uses of net proceeds from this offering. |
We caution you that the foregoing list may not contain all of the forward-looking statements made in this prospectus.
We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, short-term and long-term business operations and objectives, and financial needs. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, including those described in the section titled Risk Factors. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements we may make. In light of these risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, the future events and trends discussed in this prospectus may not occur and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements.
You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, performance, or achievements. We undertake no obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements for any reason after the date of this prospectus or to conform these statements to actual results or revised expectations, except as required by law.
You should read this prospectus and the documents that we reference in this prospectus and have filed with the SEC as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part with the understanding that our actual future results, performance, and events and circumstances may be materially different from what we expect.
- 66 -
We estimate that the net proceeds to us from the sale of shares of our Class A common stock in this offering will be approximately $ million, assuming an initial public offering price of $ per share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.
A $1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of $ per share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would increase (decrease) the net proceeds to us from this offering by approximately $ million, assuming the number of shares of Class A common stock offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. An increase (decrease) of 1.0 million shares in the number of shares of Class A common stock offered would increase (decrease) the net proceeds to us from this offering by approximately $ million, assuming the assumed initial public offering price stays the same, and after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.
We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for general corporate purposes to support the growth of our business. As of the date of this prospectus, we cannot specify with certainty the specific allocations or all of the particular uses for the net proceeds to be received upon completion of this offering. We may also use a portion of the proceeds for the acquisition of, or investment in, technologies, solutions, or businesses that complement our business. However, we do not have binding agreements or commitments for any acquisitions or investments outside the ordinary course of business at this time.
We may find it necessary or advisable to use the net proceeds for other purposes, and we will have broad discretion in the application and specific allocations of the net proceeds of this offering. Pending the uses described above, we intend to invest the net proceeds from this offering in short- and intermediate-term, interest-bearing obligations, investment-grade instruments or other securities.
- 67 -
In May 2018, we paid a special dividend to our stockholders in an aggregate amount of $154.4 million, and paid accrued dividends to the holders of our convertible preferred stock of $18.6 million. The dividends were financed with net proceeds from a $150.0 million term loan under a credit agreement entered into by GoodRx, Inc. and various lenders party thereto, or the 2017 Credit Agreement, and cash on hand. In addition, in October 2018, we paid a special dividend to our stockholders in an aggregate amount of $1,167.1 million, and paid accrued dividends to the holders of our convertible preferred stock of $6.4 million. The dividends were financed with net proceeds from GoodRx, Inc.s First Lien Term Loan Facility and the Second Lien Term Loan Facility, and cash on hand.
We are a holding company that does not conduct any business operations of our own. We will only be able to pay dividends from our available cash on hand and cash distributions and other transfers received from our subsidiaries, including GoodRx, Inc. and GoodRx Intermediate Holdings, LLC, whose ability to make any payments to us will depend upon many factors, including their operating results and cash flows. We currently intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings for use in the operation of our business, and therefore we do not currently expect to pay any cash dividends on our common stock. Any future determination related to our dividend policy will be made at the discretion of our board of directors after considering our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, the operations and performance of our subsidiaries, business prospects and other factors our board of directors deems relevant, and subject to the restrictions contained in agreements governing the indebtedness of our subsidiaries. Our current Credit Facilities impose restrictions on our subsidiaries ability to pay dividends or other distributions to us. In addition to these restrictions, our ability to pay cash dividends on our capital stock in the future may also be limited by the terms of any preferred securities we may issue or agreements governing any additional indebtedness we or our subsidiaries may incur. In addition, Delaware law may impose requirements that may restrict our ability to pay dividends to holders of our common stock. See Risk FactorsRisks Related to This Offering and Ownership of Our Class A Common Stock and Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of OperationsLiquidity and Capital Resources.
- 68 -
The following table sets forth our cash and capitalization as of December 31, 2019 on:
(1) | an actual basis; |
(2) | a pro forma basis to give effect to (i) the Preferred Stock Conversion, (ii) the Class A Redesignation, (iii) the Class B Exchange, and (iv) the filing and effectiveness of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation; and |
(3) | a pro forma as adjusted basis to give effect to the pro forma adjustments described above as well as the sale and issuance by us of shares of our Class A common stock in this offering at an assumed initial public offering price of $ per share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. |
The pro forma and pro forma as adjusted information below is illustrative only and our capitalization following the closing of this offering will be adjusted based on the actual initial public offering price and other terms of this offering determined at the pricing of this offering. You should read this information in conjunction with the sections titled Use of Proceeds, Selected Consolidated Financial and Operating Data and Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and our financial statements and the accompanying notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus.
As of December 31, 2019 | ||||||||||||
Actual | Pro Forma | Pro Forma As Adjusted |
||||||||||
(in thousands, except share and par values) | ||||||||||||
Cash |
$ | 26,050 | $ | $ | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Debt (including current portion of long-term debt) |
670,922 | |||||||||||
Redeemable convertible preferred stock, $0.006 par value; 130,000,000 shares authorized; 126,045,531 shares issued and outstanding; zero shares authorized, issued and outstanding, pro forma and pro forma as adjusted |
737,009 | | | |||||||||
Stockholders equity (deficit): |
||||||||||||
Preferred stock, par value $ per share; zero shares authorized, issued and outstanding, actual; shares authorized, zero shares issued and outstanding, pro forma and pro forma as adjusted |
| | | |||||||||
Common stock, par value $0.002 per share; 380,000,000 shares authorized, 229,749,996 shares issued and outstanding, actual; and zero shares authorized, issued and outstanding, pro forma and pro forma as adjusted |
460 | | | |||||||||
Class A common stock, par value $ per share; zero shares authorized, issued and outstanding, actual; and shares authorized, shares issued and outstanding, pro forma; and shares authorized, shares issued and outstanding, pro forma as adjusted |
| |||||||||||
Class B common stock, par value $ per share; zero shares authorized, issued and outstanding, actual; and shares authorized, shares issued and outstanding, pro forma; and shares authorized, shares issued and outstanding, pro forma as adjusted |
|
- 69 -
As of December 31, 2019 | ||||||||||||
Actual | Pro Forma | Pro Forma As Adjusted |
||||||||||
(in thousands, except share and par values) | ||||||||||||
Additional paid-in capital |
$ | 8,788 | $ | $ | ||||||||
Accumulated deficit |
(1,096,830 | ) | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Total stockholders equity (deficit) |
(1,087,582 | ) | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Total capitalization |
$ | 320,349 | $ | $ | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
A $1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of $ per share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would increase (decrease) the pro forma as adjusted amount of each of cash, additional paid-in capital, total stockholders equity (deficit) and total capitalization by approximately $ million, assuming that the number of shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. Similarly, an increase (decrease) of 1.0 million shares in the number of shares offered by us at the assumed initial public offering price of $ per share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would increase (decrease) the pro forma as adjusted amount of each of cash, additional paid-in capital, total stockholders equity (deficit) and total capitalization by approximately $ million, assuming the shares of our Class A common stock offered by this prospectus are sold at the assumed initial public offering price of $ per share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.
The number of shares of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock to be outstanding after this offering is based on shares of our Class A common stock and shares of our Class B common stock outstanding, in each case, as of December 31, 2019 (after giving effect to the pro forma adjustments described above), and does not include:
| shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding options under our Fourth Amended and Restated 2015 Equity Incentive Plan as of December 31, 2019, at a weighted-average exercise price of $ per share; and |
| shares of our common stock reserved for future issuance under our equity compensation plans, consisting of (1) shares of our Class A common stock reserved for future issuance under our Fourth Amended and Restated 2015 Equity Incentive Plan as of December 31, 2019, (2) shares of our Class A common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2020 Incentive Award Plan, which will become effective in connection with the completion of this offering, and (3) shares of our Class A common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, which will become effective in connection with the closing of this offering. |
- 70 -
If you invest in our Class A common stock in this offering, your interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the amount per share paid by purchasers of shares of our Class A common stock in this initial public offering and the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share of our Class A common stock immediately after this offering.
As of December 31, 2019, our historical net tangible book value (deficit) was $(1,347) million, or $(5.86) per share of common stock. Historical net tangible book value (deficit) per share represents our total tangible assets less total liabilities and redeemable convertible preferred stock, divided by the number of shares of common stock outstanding as of December 31, 2019.
As of December 31, 2019, our pro forma net tangible book value (deficit) was $ million, or $ per share. Pro forma net tangible book value per share represents the amount of our total tangible assets reduced by the amount of our total liabilities and divided by the total number of shares of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock outstanding as of December 31, 2019 after giving effect to (i) the Preferred Stock Conversion, (ii) the Class A Redesignation, (iii) the Class B Exchange, and (iv) the filing and effectiveness of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.
After giving further effect to our sale of shares of our Class A common stock in this offering at the assumed initial public offering price of $ per share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value as of December 31, 2019 would have been approximately $ million, or $ per share. This represents an immediate increase in pro forma net tangible book value of $ per share to our existing stockholders and an immediate dilution in pro forma net tangible book value of approximately $ per share to new investors purchasing shares of our Class A common stock in this offering at the assumed initial public offering price.
The following table illustrates this dilution on a per share basis to new investors:
Assumed initial public offering price per share of Class A common stock |
$ | |||||||
Historical net tangible book value (deficit) per share as of December 31, 2019 |
$ | (5.86 | ) | |||||
Pro forma increase in net tangible book value (deficit) per share |
||||||||
|
|
|||||||
Pro forma net tangible book value per share as of December 31, 2019 |
||||||||
Increase in pro forma net tangible book value per share attributable to new investors purchasing Class A common stock in this offering |
$ | |||||||
|
|
|||||||
Pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share |
$ | |||||||
|
|
|||||||
Dilution in pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share to new investors in this offering |
$ | |||||||
|
|
A $1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of $ per share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would increase (decrease) the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share after this offering by $ per share and would increase (decrease) the dilution per share to new investors in this offering by $ per share, assuming that the number of shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. An increase (decrease) of 1.0 million shares in the number of shares offered by us would increase (decrease) our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per share after this offering by $ per share and would increase (decrease) the dilution per share to new investors in this offering by $ per share, assuming the assumed initial public offering price remains the same, and after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and the estimated offering expenses payable by us.
- 71 -
The following table summarizes, on a pro forma as adjusted basis as of December 31, 2019, after giving effect to the pro forma adjustments described above, the difference among existing stockholders and new investors purchasing shares of our Class A common stock in this offering with respect to the number of shares purchased from us, the total consideration paid to us and the average price per share paid by our existing stockholders or to be paid by investors purchasing shares in this offering at the assumed initial public offering price of $ per share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and before deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.
Shares Purchased | Total Consideration | Average Price | ||||||||||||||||||
Number (in thousands) |
Percent | Amount (in thousands) |
Percent | Per Share | ||||||||||||||||
Existing stockholders |
% | $ | % | $ | ||||||||||||||||
New investors |
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Total |
100 | % | 100 | % | ||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A $1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of $ per share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would increase (decrease) the total consideration paid by new investors and total consideration paid by all stockholders by $ million, assuming that the number of shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.
Except as otherwise indicated, the above discussion and tables assume no exercise of the underwriters over-allotment option. If the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full, our existing stockholders would own % and our new investors would own % of the total number of shares of our common stock outstanding after this offering.
The dilution information discussed above is illustrative only and may change based on the actual initial public offering price and other terms of this offering. In addition, to the extent we issue any additional stock options or warrants or any outstanding stock options are exercised, or we issue any other securities or convertible debt in the future, investors will experience further dilution.
The number of shares of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock to be outstanding after this offering is based on shares of our Class A common stock and shares of our Class B common stock outstanding, in each case, as of December 31, 2019 after giving effect to (i) the Preferred Stock Conversion, (ii) the Class A Redesignation, (iii) the Class B Exchange, and (iv) the filing and effectiveness of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, and does not include:
| shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding options under our Fourth Amended and Restated 2015 Equity Incentive Plan as of December 31, 2019, at a weighted-average exercise price of $ per share; and |
| shares of our common stock reserved for future issuance under our equity compensation plans, consisting of (1) shares of our Class A common stock reserved for future issuance under our Fourth Amended and Restated 2015 Equity Incentive Plan as of December 31, 2019, (2) shares of our Class A common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2020 Incentive Award Plan, which will become effective on the date of this prospectus, and (3) shares of our Class A common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, which will become effective on the date of this prospectus. |
- 72 -
SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL AND OPERATING DATA
The following tables present our selected financial and operating data for the periods and as of the dates indicated. We derived our selected consolidated statement of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019 and our selected consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2018 and 2019 from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. We derived our selected consolidated statement of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017 and our selected consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2016 and 2017 from our unaudited consolidated financial statements that are not included in this prospectus. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected in the future. You should read the following information in conjunction with the section titled Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus.
Consolidated Statement of Operations Data
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |||||||||||||
(in thousands, except per share data) | ||||||||||||||||
Revenue |
$ | 99,377 | $ | 157,240 | $ | 249,522 | $ | 388,224 | ||||||||
Costs and operating expenses: |
||||||||||||||||
Cost of revenue, exclusive of depreciation and amortization presented separately below (1) (2) |
1,230 | 3,075 | 6,035 | 14,016 | ||||||||||||
Product development and technology (1) (2) |
5,742 | 11,501 | 43,894 | 29,300 | ||||||||||||
Sales and marketing (1) (2) |
60,503 | 78,278 | 104,177 | 176,967 | ||||||||||||
General and administrative (1) (2) |
4,038 | 4,982 | 8,359 | 14,692 | ||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
9,089 | 9,099 | 9,806 | 13,573 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total costs and operating expenses |
80,602 | 106,935 | 172,271 | 248,548 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Operating income |
18,775 | 50,305 | 77,251 | 139,676 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Other expense (income): |
||||||||||||||||
Other expense (income), net |
154 | (5 | ) | 7 | 2,967 | |||||||||||
Loss on extinguishment of debt |
| 3,661 | 2,857 | 4,877 | ||||||||||||
Interest income |
(21 | ) | (24 | ) | (154 | ) | (715 | ) | ||||||||
Interest expense |
3,541 | 6,970 | 22,193 | 49,569 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total other expense, net |
3,674 | 10,602 | 24,903 | 56,698 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Income before income tax expense |
15,101 | 39,703 | 52,348 | 82,978 | ||||||||||||
Income tax expense |
(6,188 | ) | (10,931 | ) | (8,555 | ) | (16,930 | ) | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Net income |
$ | 8,913 | $ | 28,772 | $ | 43,793 | $ | 66,048 | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Net (loss) income attributable to common stockholders (3) |
||||||||||||||||
Basic |
$ | (7,774 | ) | $ | 8,843 | $ | 13,795 | $ | 42,441 | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Diluted |
$ | (7,774 | ) | $ | 8,980 | $ | 14,226 | $ | 42,745 | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
(Loss) earnings per share (3) |
||||||||||||||||
Basic |
$ | (0.11 | ) | $ | 0.11 | $ | 0.12 | $ | 0.19 | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Diluted |
$ | (0.11 | ) | $ | 0.11 | $ | 0.12 | $ | 0.18 | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Weighted-average shares used in computing (loss) earnings per share (3) |
||||||||||||||||
Basic |
73,151 | 77,109 | 111,842 | 226,607 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Diluted |
73,151 | 81,747 | 118,344 | 231,209 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Pro forma earnings per share (unaudited) (3) |
||||||||||||||||
Basic |
$ | 0.19 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Diluted |
$ | 0.18 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Weighted-average shares used in computing pro forma earnings per share (unaudited) (3) |
||||||||||||||||
Basic |
352,653 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||
Diluted |
357,255 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
(1) | Includes stock-based compensation expense as follows: |
- 73 -
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |||||||||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Cost of revenue |
$ | | $ | | $ | | $ | 28 | ||||||||
Product development and technology |
1,150 | 1,278 | 1,048 | 1,775 | ||||||||||||
Sales and marketing |
598 | 665 | 544 | 1,268 | ||||||||||||
General and administrative |
254 | 207 | 170 | 676 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total stock-based compensation expense |
$ | 2,002 | $ | 2,150 | $ | 1,762 | $ | 3,747 | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(2) | Includes expense for cash bonuses to vested option holders as follows: |
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |||||||||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Cost of revenue |
$ | | $ | 36 | $ | | $ | | ||||||||
Product development and technology |
| 760 | 29,189 | | ||||||||||||
Sales and marketing |
| 214 | 6,878 | | ||||||||||||
General and administrative |
| 390 | 2,733 | | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Total vested option holder bonuses |
$ | | $ | 1,400 | $ | 38,800 | $ | | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(3) | See Notes 2 and 16 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for an explanation of the calculations of our earnings per share, basic and diluted, and pro forma earnings per share stockholders, basic and diluted, for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019. |
Consolidated Balance Sheet Data
As of December 31, | ||||||||||||||||
2016 (1) | 2017 (1) | 2018 (1) | 2019 | |||||||||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Cash |
$ | 23,613 | $ | 17,539 | $ | 34,600 | $ | 26,050 | ||||||||
Working capital |
32,240 | 26,110 | 56,451 | 53,209 | ||||||||||||
Total assets |
295,649 | 286,869 | 314,791 | 386,796 | ||||||||||||
Total debt (including current portion of long-term debt) |
46,079 | 136,007 | 722,236 | 670,922 | ||||||||||||
Total liabilities |
68,836 | 151,845 | 740,209 | 737,369 | ||||||||||||
Redeemable convertible preferred stock |
166,777 | 166,777 | 737,009 | 737,009 | ||||||||||||
Retained earnings (accumulated deficit) |
8,109 | (86,191 | ) | (1,162,878 | ) | (1,096,830 | ) | |||||||||
Total stockholders equity (deficit) (2) |
60,036 | (31,753 | ) | (1,162,427 | ) | (1,087,582 | ) |
(1) | On January 1, 2019, we adopted Accounting Standards Codification, or ASC, 842, Leases, on a modified retrospective basis. Accordingly, periods prior to 2019 reflect lease accounting under the accounting standards in effect for those periods. See Notes 2 and 10 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. |
(2) | In October 2018, we paid a special dividend to our stockholders in an aggregate amount of $1,167.1 million, and paid accrued dividends to the holders of our convertible preferred stock of $6.4 million. The dividends were financed with net proceeds from GoodRx, Inc.s First Lien Term Loan Facility and the Second Lien Term Loan Facility, and cash on hand. See Note 14 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for an explanation of the special dividends paid in October 2018. |
- 74 -
Key Financial and Operating Metrics
Monthly Active Consumers
Three Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mar. 31, 2016 |
June 30, 2016 |
Sept. 30, 2016 |
Dec. 31, 2016 |
Mar. 31, 2017 |
June 30, 2017 |
Sept. 30, 2017 |
Dec. 31, 2017 |
Mar. 31, 2018 |
June 30, 2018 |
Sept. 30, 2018 |
Dec. 31, 2018 |
Mar. 31, 2019 |
June 30, 2019 |
Sept. 30, 2019 |
Dec. 31, 2019 |
Mar. 31, 2020 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Monthly Active Consumers(1) |
718 | 852 | 981 | 1,138 | 1,279 | 1,309 | 1,455 | 1,710 | 2,020 | 2,170 | 2,413 | 2,750 | 3,188 | 3,513 | 3,787 | 4,272 | 4,875 |
(1) | Monthly Active Consumers represents the number of unique consumers who have used a GoodRx code to purchase a prescription medication in a given calendar month and have saved money compared to the list price of the medication. Monthly Active Consumers do not include subscribers to our subscription offerings, consumers of our pharmaceutical manufacturers solutions offering, or consumers who used our telehealth offerings. When presented for a period longer than a month, Monthly Active Consumers is averaged over the number of calendar months in such period. |
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA (1) |
$ | 30,008 | $ | 62,956 | $ | 127,634 | $ | 159,629 | ||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA Margin (1) |
30.2 | % | 40.0 | % | 51.2 | % | 41.1 | % |
(1) | Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin are non-GAAP financial measures. For a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, information about why we consider Adjusted EBITDA useful and a discussion of the material risks and limitations of these measures, please see Prospectus SummarySummary Consolidated Financial and Operating DataKey Financial and Operating MetricsNon-GAAP Financial Measures. |
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MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with the section titled Selected Consolidated Financial and Other Data and our financial statements and the accompanying notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this prospectus, including information with respect to our plans and strategy for our business, includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. You should read the sections titled Risk Factors and Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements for a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis.
Overview
Our mission is to provide all Americans with access to affordable and convenient healthcare. To achieve this, we are building the leading, consumer-focused digital healthcare platform in the United States.
Healthcare consumers in the United States face an increasing number of challenges. These include a lack of affordability, transparency, and access to care. Additionally, healthcare professionals lack of access to current prescription pricing and out of pocket consumer cost information exacerbate the challenges that healthcare consumers face. GoodRx was founded to solve these challenges. We started with a price comparison tool for prescriptions, offering consumers free access to lower prices on their medication. Today, our expanded platform also provides access to brand medication savings programs, affordable and convenient medical provider consultations and lab tests via our telehealth offerings, HeyDoctor and the GoodRx Telehealth Marketplace, and other healthcare related content. Whether a consumer is insured or uninsured, young or old, or suffers from an acute or a chronic ailment, we strive to be at the consumers side throughout their healthcare journey. We believe that our offerings provide significant savings to consumers, and can help drive greater medication adherence, faster treatment and better patient outcomes that also benefit the broader healthcare ecosystem and its stakeholders. These all contribute to a healthier, happier society.
Our success is demonstrated by our 4.9 million Monthly Active Consumers for the first quarter of 2020, the million Monthly Visitors for the second quarter of 2020, the approximately $20 billion of cumulative consumer savings generated for GoodRx consumers through June 30, 2020 and our consumer and healthcare professional NPS scores of 90 and 86, respectively, as of February 2020. On average, we have been the most downloaded medical app on the Apple App Store and Google Play App Store for the last three years. Our GoodRx app had a rating of 4.8 out of 5.0 stars in the Apple App Store and 4.7 out of 5.0 stars in the Google Play App Store, with over 700,000 combined reviews as of June 30, 2020. In both app stores, our HeyDoctor app had a rating of 5.0 out of 5.0 stars, with over 8,000 combined reviews as of June 30, 2020. The chart below shows our cumulative consumer savings over time.
Cumulative Consumer Savings (in billions)
R20B+ Cumulative Consumer Savings as of June 2020 S20B $15B $10B $5B $0B 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
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We believe our financial results reflect the significant market demand for our offerings and the value that we provide to the broader healthcare ecosystem. We have been focused on capital efficiency and delivering on a cash generative monetization model since inception. The GMV generated by our prescription offering was $2.5 billion in 2019. Our revenue has grown at a compound annual growth rate, or CAGR, of 57% since 2016, and reached $388 million in 2019, up from $250 million in 2018. Our net income was $66 million in 2019, up from $44 million in 2018, and our Adjusted EBITDA was $160 million in 2019, up from $128 million in 2018. Our Adjusted EBITDA Margin was 41% in 2019, compared to 51% in 2018. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin are non-GAAP financial measures. For a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, information about why we consider Adjusted EBITDA useful and a discussion of the material risks and limitations of these measures, please see Prospectus SummarySummary Consolidated Financial and Operating DataKey Financial and Operating MetricsNon-GAAP Financial Measures
Impact of COVID-19
In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, was identified in Wuhan, China. Since then, SARS-CoV-2, and the resulting disease, COVID-19, has spread to almost every country in the world and all 50 states within the United States. Global health concerns relating to the outbreak of COVID-19 have been weighing on the macroeconomic environment, and the outbreak has significantly increased economic uncertainty. The outbreak has resulted in authorities implementing numerous measures to try to contain the virus, such as travel bans and restrictions, quarantines, shelter-in-place orders, and business shutdowns. In particular for our business, governmental authorities have also recommended, and in certain cases, required, that elective or other medical appointments be suspended or cancelled to avoid non-essential patient exposure to medical environments and potential infection. These and other measures have not only negatively impacted consumer spending and business spending habits, they have adversely impacted and may further impact our workforce and operations and the operations of healthcare professionals, pharmacies, consumers, PBMs and others in the broader healthcare ecosystem. Although certain of these measures are beginning to ease in some geographic regions, overall measures to contain the COVID-19 outbreak may remain in place for a significant period of time. The duration and severity of this pandemic is unknown and the extent of the business disruption and financial impact depend on factors beyond our knowledge and control.
Various government measures, community self-isolation practices and shelter-in-place requirements, as well as the perceived need by individuals to continue such practices to avoid infection, have generally reduced the extent to which consumers visit healthcare professionals in-person, seek treatment for certain conditions or ailments, and receive and fill prescriptions. Consumers may also increasingly elect to receive prescriptions by mail order instead of at the pharmacy, which could have an adverse impact on our prescription offering. In addition, many pharmacies and healthcare providers have reduced staffing, closed locations or otherwise limited operations, and many prescribing healthcare professionals have reduced or postponed treatment of certain patients. While our prescription offering has not experienced a significant decline in repeat activity during the course of the pandemic to date, we have seen the number of new consumers decline, which we believe is similar across the industry as consumers avoid visiting healthcare professionals and pharmacies in-person. Any decrease in the number of consumers seeking to fill prescriptions could negatively impact demand for and use of certain of our offerings, particularly our prescription offering, which would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Conversely, pandemics, epidemics and outbreaks may significantly and temporarily increase demand for our telehealth offerings. COVID-19 has significantly accelerated the awareness and use of our telehealth offerings, including demand for our HeyDoctor offering and the utilization of our GoodRx Telehealth Marketplace. While we have experienced a significant increase in demand for the telehealth offerings, there can be no assurance that the levels of interest, demand and use of our telehealth offerings will continue at current levels or will not decrease during or after the pandemic. Any such decrease could have an adverse effect on our growth and the success of our telehealth offerings.
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Additionally, while the potential economic impact brought by, and the duration of any pandemic, epidemic or outbreak of an infectious disease, including COVID-19, may be difficult to assess or predict, the widespread COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in, and may continue to result in, significant disruption of global financial markets, reducing our ability to access capital, which could in the future negatively affect our liquidity.
The full extent to which the outbreak of COVID-19 will impact our business, results of operations and financial condition is still unknown and will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including, but not limited to, the duration and spread of the outbreak, its severity, the actions to contain the virus or treat its impact, and how quickly and to what extent normal economic and operating conditions can resume. Even after the outbreak of COVID-19 has subsided, we may experience materially adverse impacts to our business as a result of its global economic impact, including any recession that has occurred or may occur in the future.
For additional information, see Risk FactorsRisks Related to Our BusinessA pandemic, epidemic or outbreak of an infectious disease in the United States, including the outbreak of the novel strain of coronavirus disease, could impact our business.
How We Make Money
We generate the vast majority of our revenue from our prescription offering, where consumers save money on prescription medications using a GoodRx code. Through our price comparison platform, we present consumers with curated, geographically relevant prescription pricing, and provide access to negotiated prices through GoodRx codes that can be used to save money on prescriptions across the United States. While the medication distribution and pricing system underlying the pharmacys retail experience is extremely complex, we provide consumers with price transparency through a simple, easy to use, and convenient digital interface. We do so through our proprietary platform, which aggregates over 150 billion prescription pricing data points from a variety of different healthcare sources every day to provide consumers with comparison tools and access to lower prices. Our GoodRx codes are accepted at over 70,000 pharmacies, nearly every retail pharmacy in the United States.
When a consumer uses a GoodRx code to fill a prescription and saves money compared to the list price at that pharmacy, we receive fees from our partners, primarily PBMs. The fees can be a percentage of the fees that our partners earn or a fixed payment per transaction. Revenue from prescription transactions fees made up approximately 94% of our revenue in 2019. We have seen strong repeat activity on our platform due to the typical refill cycle and long-term nature of most prescriptions. Since 2016, over 80% of transactions for our prescription offering have come from repeat activity, which refers to the second and later use of our discounted prices by a single GoodRx consumer, whether refilling an existing prescription or filling a new prescription. Our high percentage of repeat activity is partially related to the inherent nature and mechanics of our product: when a consumer uses a GoodRx code, the code is saved to the consumers profile at the pharmacy. From then on, the GoodRx code typically applies to all future refills as well as, in many cases, fills for other prescriptions at that location, without the consumer having to re-present the GoodRx code.
Building on the rapid growth and increasing scale of our platform and greater brand recognition, we have developed additional offerings that enable consumers to save even more on their healthcare costs and allow us to monetize consumers at different stages of the consumer healthcare journey:
| Subscription Offerings: Our subscription offerings are a natural extension of our successful prescription offering, as they address the same consumer need and generally offer greater savings on prescription medication than our prescription offering does. We launched our first subscription offering, Gold, in 2017, and added a second offering, Kroger Savings, in 2018. We receive subscriptions fees from subscribers for these offerings, and for Kroger Savings we share a portion of these fees with Kroger. We recognize the subscription fees, net of Krogers share, as revenue over the subscription period. We have significantly increased the number of subscribers who use our subscription offerings. The number |
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of subscribers as of December 31, 2019 was 10 times higher than as of December 31, 2018. Based on our data for the cohort of consumers who started using our subscription offerings between July 2018 and June 2019, we estimate that consumers of our subscription offerings have a first year contribution of approximately two times that of consumers of our prescription offering, which we expect will result in a substantially higher lifetime value for these consumers. First year contribution represents the cumulative revenue generated by consumers in the first year after they became consumers of our subscription offerings, less our estimated cost of revenue attributable to such revenue. |
| Pharmaceutical Manufacturer Solutions Offering: Approximately 20% of the consumer searches on our platform are for brand medications. Brand medications tend to be expensive, and insurance coverage is complicated and may be restrictive. Pharmaceutical manufacturers provide affordability solutions such as co-pay cards, patient assistance programs, and other savings options so that consumers can access their medications. We partner with pharmaceutical manufacturers to advertise and integrate these affordability solutions into our platform. Our trusted brand, large volume of high intent consumers and easy-to-use interface make our platform highly desirable to pharmaceutical manufacturers. We generate revenue from pharmaceutical manufacturers who advertise, integrate, and communicate their affordability solutions to consumers on our platform, typically for fixed fees for a specified time period. Our pharmaceutical manufacturer solutions offering delivers a product that both increases overall consumer satisfaction and drives incremental consumer lifetime value at a low incremental cost to us. Revenue from our pharmaceutical manufacturer solutions offering has more than tripled in the first quarter of 2020, compared to the same period in 2019. |
| Telehealth Offerings: We have built a telehealth platform that is designed to meet our consumers demand for timely, convenient and affordable access to healthcare. Our two-pronged approach includes our own telehealth provider, HeyDoctor, as well as our GoodRx Telehealth Marketplace, which is a marketplace designed to bring third party providers to our ecosystem so that we can provide consumers with a breadth of services in a single platform. |
Our data suggests that approximately 20% of consumers who search for medications on GoodRx do not have a prescription at the time of their search. Through HeyDoctor and the GoodRx Telehealth Marketplace, we can provide these and other consumers with a convenient and affordable way to receive a diagnosis and a prescription online, when medically appropriate. Once they complete their online visit via HeyDoctor, consumers are able to choose to fill their prescriptions, if they receive one, at retail locations using a GoodRx code, or via mail order through a third-party partner. In March 2020, we launched our GoodRx Telehealth Marketplace, an online marketplace for individuals to access providers of telehealth and lab tests. Our GoodRx Telehealth Marketplace added additional services, conditions and geographies to our telehealth offerings, and also provides alternative providers for the conditions and geographies already covered by HeyDoctor, providing consumers with additional options to choose from.
Revenue from HeyDoctor comes from visits fees paid by our consumers, with many visits starting at $20. If consumers choose to use mail order through a third-party partner, they pay us an additional fee. Revenue for the GoodRx Telehealth Marketplace comes from fees we earn for directing traffic to the third-party telehealth providers on our marketplace.
An average of more than 1,000 consumers per day completed online visits using HeyDoctor in the second quarter of 2020, and more than 130,000 medical visits and lab tests have been initiated through the GoodRx Telehealth Marketplace during the first three months since launch.
In March 2020, we also launched an integrated service that allows HeyDoctor consumers to opt in to use our prescription offering for their prescription needs after they complete their online visit. Since launch, we have already seen 10% of HeyDoctor consumers utilize this feature to fill prescriptions using a GoodRx code at pharmacies. As awareness of our offering grows, we expect this percentage to increase. In addition, we expect that the recent launch of HeyDoctors mail order service, where prescriptions are processed by a third-party partner, will further increase the number of consumers who use our platform to
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fill their prescriptions after completing an online visit. We have also partnered with some of the telehealth providers in the GoodRx Telehealth Marketplace to enable consumers to opt in to use our prescription offering for their prescription needs after they complete their online visit. The introduction of these integrated solutions and the addition of mail order provides our consumers with additional value and convenience in their healthcare journey, and adds monetization opportunities for us after consumers visit a healthcare professional online.
Key Financial and Operating Metrics
We use Monthly Active Consumers and Adjusted EBITDA to assess our performance, make strategic and offering decisions and build our financial projections.
Monthly Active Consumers
We define Monthly Active Consumers as the number of unique consumers who have used a GoodRx code to purchase a prescription in a given calendar month and have saved money compared to the list price of the medication. Monthly Active Consumers do not include subscribers to our subscription offerings, consumers of our pharmaceutical manufacturers solutions offering, or consumers who used our telehealth offerings. When presented for a period longer than a month, Monthly Active Consumers is averaged over the number of calendar months in such period.
The number of Monthly Active Consumers is a key indicator of the scale of our consumer base and a gauge for our marketing and engagement efforts. We believe that this metric reflects our scale, growth and engagement with consumers. The chart below shows Monthly Active Consumers by quarter from the first quarter of 2016 to the first quarter of 2020.
Monthly Active Consumers (in millions) and Year over Year Growth (%)
0.70.91.01.11.31.31.51.72.02.22.42.73.23.53.84.34.9Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4Q120162016201620162017201720172017201820182018201820192019201920192020Year over Year Growth:78%54%48%50%58%66%66%61%58%62%57%55%53%
The number of Monthly Active Consumers has grown rapidly in recent years due to both consumer acquisition and repeat consumer engagement with our platform and reached 4.9 million for the first quarter of 2020. We expect to continue to drive growth in Monthly Active Consumers through investments in sales and marketing and strong repeat activity.
Adjusted EBITDA
We define Adjusted EBITDA for a particular period as net income before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, and as further adjusted for acquisition related expenses, stock-based compensation expense, loss on extinguishment of debt, financing related expenses and other expense (income), net. Adjusted EBITDA Margin represents Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of revenue.
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Adjusted EBITDA is a key measure we use to assess our financial performance and is also used for internal planning and forecasting purposes. We believe Adjusted EBITDA is helpful to investors, analysts and other interested parties because it can assist in providing a more consistent and comparable overview of our operations across our historical financial periods. In addition, this measure is frequently used by analysts, investors and other interested parties to evaluate and assess performance.
Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin are non-GAAP measures and are presented for supplemental informational purposes only and should not be considered as alternatives or substitutes to financial information presented in accordance with GAAP. These measures have certain limitations in that they do not include the impact of certain expenses that are reflected in our consolidated statement of operations that are necessary to run our business. Other companies, including other companies in our industry, may not use these measures or may calculate these measures differently than as presented in this prospectus, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures. The chart below shows Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin from 2016 to 2019. See the section titled Prospectus SummarySummary Consolidated Financial and Operating DataKey Financial and Operating MetricsNon-GAAP Financial Measures for additional information and a reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA.
Adjusted EBITDA (in millions) and Adjusted EBITDA Margin (%)
30%40%51%41%$30 $62 $128 $160 2016201720182019
We have been focused on capital efficiency and delivering on a cash generative monetization model since inception. We have also been focused on using our cash flow to invest in our business to be able to continue to capture the large market opportunities across our multiple offerings. In 2019, we increased our expenditures on advertising by $74.4 million. As a result, advertising expense as a percent of revenue increased from 36% in 2018 to 42% in 2019. We expect to continue to invest in sales and marketing in the near term. We will also invest in product development and technology to continue to improve our platform, as well as in our general and administrative expenses as we prepare to and become a public company. Therefore, we expect our Adjusted EBITDA Margin to decline in the near and medium term. We believe these investments will positively impact our business in the long-term.
Key Factors Affecting Our Performance
We believe that our performance and future success depend on a number of factors that present significant opportunities for us but also pose risks and challenges, including those discussed below and in the section of this prospectus titled Risk Factors.
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Growth of Monthly Active Consumers Through Consumer Acquisition and Repeat Activity
Our goal is to attract new visitors to our platform and to successfully convert them to become active consumers of our offerings. We also seek to generate value from our existing consumers through repeat activity and higher engagement. We believe that we have a significant opportunity to expand our consumer base given the massive size of the market in which we operate.
Consumer acquisition is driven primarily by the number of consumers that we acquire through unpaid and paid sources. A significant portion of our consumer base comes from unpaid channels, including word-of-mouth referrals from healthcare providers, friends and family. We also acquire consumers through a variety of paid channels, such as television, paid search, marketing to healthcare providers, and other online and offline channels.
For the second quarter of 2020, we had million Monthly Visitors. Monthly Visitors is the number of individuals who visited our apps and websites in a given calendar month. Visitors to our apps and websites are counted independently. As a result, a consumer that visits or engages with our platform through both apps and websites will be counted multiple times in calculating Monthly Visitors, while a family that uses a single computer to visit our websites will be counted only once. Additionally, Monthly Active Consumers who use a GoodRx code without accessing our apps or websites (since their GoodRx codes were saved in their profile at the pharmacy), will not be counted as Monthly Visitors. When presented for a period longer than a calendar month, Monthly Visitors is averaged over each calendar month in such period. We believe that we have a substantial opportunity to increase the number of Monthly Visitors as our offerings are applicable to a broad range of Americans seeking healthcare. We also believe that Monthly Visitors in part reflects growth from our newer monetization channels and that over time we can continue to convert Monthly Visitors to Monthly Active Consumers of our prescription offering as well as consumers of our other offerings.
In addition to acquiring new consumers, our success also depends on our ability to continue to generate repeat activity from existing consumers. Since 2016, over 80% of transactions for our prescription offering have come from repeat activity. Our goal is to continue to increase the lifetime value of our consumers through delivering affordable prices and an increasingly engaging product experience, converting more consumers to our subscription offerings, growing our pharmaceutical manufacturer solutions offering and driving utilization of our telehealth offerings.
The Size and Strength of our Healthcare Partner Network
Our proprietary technology platform aggregates data from a variety of different sources on a daily basis to present consumers with curated, geographically relevant prescription pricing that can be used to save money at every major retail pharmacy. Our pricing sources span the entire healthcare industry and include PBMs, pharmacies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, patient assistance programs, Medicare prescription drug plans (Part D) and others. The size of our database, combined with our proprietary platform, allows us to present highly competitive prices to consumers. We believe that we currently have the largest database of PBM prices in the United States.
We believe the size of our healthcare partner network impacts our ability to provide price comparisons and attractive pricing to drive consumer acquisition and engagement. As we have increased the scale of our business, we have been able to offer consumers access to better pricing for their medications. According to our calculations, on aggregate, in 2019, consumers saving using GoodRx codes were able to realize a discount of 71% off the list price for their medications, compared to 59% in 2016. We believe that we have been able to drive these greater savings by expanding our network of healthcare partners and increasing our number of consumers, which has led to a stronger desire by our partners to show attractive pricing to our consumers. We plan to continue to harness our scale to further deepen our relationships within the healthcare industry.
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We have been able to develop strong long-term relationships with our PBM and other healthcare partners and have steadily increased the number of PBMs with which we work. There is currently significant concentration in the U.S. healthcare industry, and in particular only a limited number of PBMs. Due in part to this concentration, a limited number of PBMs generate a significant portion of our revenue. To date, a PBM has never terminated a relationship with us. Even if a contract with a PBM were to be terminated, many of our contracts require the PBM to continue to pay us for activity by consumers originally directed to their pricing by us, even subsequent to the contract termination. Throughout our history, we have been able to help our consumers realize increased savings. PBM mix and relative share on our platform has varied over time as we have added new PBMs and as certain PBMs have delivered more or less favorable pricing relative to other PBMs. Even as the mix has changed, we have continued to grow and deliver a strong value proposition to our consumers. While we believe that the loss of any one PBM or other healthcare provider that we partner with would generally result in minimal disruption in our ability to provide competitive discounts and pricing, the breadth of the pricing that we are able to offer consumers may be adversely impacted by any such loss.
As we continue to expand our platform and scale offerings like pharmaceutical manufacturer solutions and telehealth, our success will also depend on the number of pharmaceutical manufacturers and telehealth providers we are able to engage.
Growth of our Platform Offerings
We believe that we have several growth opportunities in various stages of development, which may contribute significantly to our financial performance in the future. We believe that growing these offerings will help us to better provide value to consumers at different stages of their healthcare journey, improve our ability to attract additional consumers, and increase the engagement and value of our existing consumer base.
| Subscription Offerings: We believe that our subscription offerings will help us attract new consumers, as well as increase engagement and retention with our existing consumer base. We believe we can continue to increase the value proposition of our subscription products for consumers by bundling various existing and new offerings into an affordable and consumer-friendly subscription package, with an aim to make their healthcare journey more convenient and affordable. We believe the growth of our subscriber base will help us continue to improve engagement and increase our recurring revenue base. |
| Pharmaceutical Manufacturer Solutions: We believe that pharmaceutical manufacturer solutions represents a significant opportunity with attractive incremental margins. This opportunity is driven by a number of factors, including the approximately $30 billion spent in 2016 in the United States on medical marketing and advertising by pharmaceutical manufacturers (not including market access spending by pharmaceutical manufacturers to ensure consumer access and affordability of their medications), our significant base of Monthly Visitors, the approximately 20% of searches on our platform that are for brand medications, the high level of conversion of our consumers to existing pharmaceutical manufacturer affordability offerings, and our efforts to continue to introduce new technology-based solutions for the pharmaceutical manufacturers with whom we work. We plan to continue to expand the number of pharmaceutical manufacturers with which we work, as well as enhance our existing offerings and introduce new, integrated technology solutions that will allow pharmaceutical manufacturers to interact with our consumer base more effectively. |
| Telehealth Offerings: We believe that we have an opportunity to continue to increase the interaction between, and leverage the cross-sell opportunities across, our telehealth offerings and our prescription and subscription offerings. For example, our data suggests that approximately 20% of consumers who search for medication on GoodRx do not have a prescription at the time of their search. Through HeyDoctor and the GoodRx Telehealth Marketplace, we can provide these and other consumers with a convenient and affordable way to receive a diagnosis and a prescription online, when medically appropriate. We plan to expand the medical conditions that we serve through HeyDoctor and continue to improve the functionality and integration of our telehealth offerings with our platform. We have been |
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focused on accelerating the number of conditions and geographies we cover and consumers we reach, and not on optimizing our costs as they compare to the revenue we earn from HeyDoctor visits. Year to date, the payments we have made to telehealth physicians has been roughly offset by the revenue we have generated from our telehealth consumers. Additionally, our GoodRx Telehealth Marketplace was recently launched with the goal of expanding the suite of telehealth services that we provide to consumers. We plan to add new services to this marketplace and make it more integrated with our other offerings, as we see this as an opportunity to add another key consumer entry point into the GoodRx platform, as well as another monetization opportunity in the consumer journey. |
The large number of highly engaged consumers who trust our brand and platform provide a strong foundation for the development of new offerings that extend across the healthcare market. We will continue to invest in expanding our platform and add new offerings so that we can attract new consumers and better engage with our consumer and visitor base.
Pricing and Insurance
As our prescription and subscription offerings depend on pricing aggregation and analysis, as well as providing insured and non-insured consumers with access to negotiated prices, our performance may also be impacted by changes in medication pricing structures, insurance premiums, and insurance coverage, which we do not control. See Risk FactorsRisks Related to Our BusinessWe generally do not control the categories and types of prescriptions for which we can offer savings or discounted prices and Our business is subject to changes in medication pricing and is significantly impacted by pricing structures negotiated by industry participants.
Regulatory Conditions
As we receive the majority of our revenue from our healthcare partners, primarily PBMs, changes in the regulatory landscape and potential new legislation that impact such healthcare partners may impact our financial and operational performance. See BusinessGovernment Regulation, Risk FactorsRisks Related to the Healthcare IndustryWe may be subject to state and federal fraud and abuse and other healthcare regulatory laws and regulations. If we or our commercial partners act in a manner that violates such laws or otherwise engage in misconduct, we may be subject to civil or criminal penalties as well as exclusion from government healthcare programs, The impact of recent healthcare reform legislation and other changes in the healthcare industry and in healthcare spending on us is currently unknown, but may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and Risks Related to Our BusinessWe rely on a limited number of industry participants.
Seasonality
We typically experience stronger consumer demand during the first and fourth quarters of each year, which coincide with generally higher consumer healthcare spending, doctor office visits, annual benefit enrollment season, and seasonal cold and flu trends. The rapid growth of our business may have masked these trends to date, and we expect the impact of seasonality to be more pronounced in the future. See Risk FactorsRisks Related to Our Limited Operating History and Early Stage of GrowthOur results of operations may vary and may fluctuate significantly from period-to-period.
Components of Our Results of Operations
Revenue
Our revenue is primarily derived from prescription transactions revenue that is generated when pharmacies fill prescriptions for consumers, and from other revenue streams such as our subscription offerings, from pharmaceutical manufacturers and affiliates, and our telehealth offerings. All of our revenue has been generated in the United States.
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| Prescription transactions revenue: Consists primarily of revenue generated from PBMs when a prescription is filled with a GoodRx code provided through our platform. For example, when a consumer uses a GoodRx code to fill a prescription and saves money compared to the list price at that pharmacy, we receive fees from our partners, primarily PBMs. Our contracts with these partners provide for fees that can be a percentage of the fees that the PBM charges to the pharmacy or a fixed fee per transaction. Certain contracts also provide that the amount of fees we receive is based on the volume of prescriptions filled each month. |
| Other revenue: Consists primarily of subscription revenue from our subscription offerings, including Gold and Kroger Savings, revenue generated from pharmaceutical manufacturers for advertising and integrating onto our platform their affordability solutions to our consumers and advertising in direct mailers, and revenue generated by our telehealth offerings that allow consumers to access healthcare professionals online. |
Expenses
We incur the following expenses directly related to our cost of revenue and operating expenses:
| Cost of revenue: Consists primarily of costs related to outsourced consumer support, physician costs for HeyDoctor, personnel costs including salaries, benefits, bonuses and stock-based compensation expense, for our consumer support employees, hosting and cloud costs, merchant account fees, and processing fees. Cost of revenue is largely driven by the growth of our visitor and active consumer base, as well as our telehealth offerings. Our cost of revenue as a percentage of revenue may vary based on the relative growth rates of our various offerings. |
| Product development and technology: Consists primarily of personnel costs, including salaries, benefits, bonuses and stock-based compensation expense, for employees involved in product development activities, third-party services and contractors related to product development, information technology and software-related costs, and allocated overhead. Product development and technology expenses are primarily driven by increases in headcount required to support and further develop our various products. We capitalize certain qualified costs related to the development of internal-use software, which may also cause Product Development and Technology expenses to vary from period to period. We expect product development and technology expenses will increase on an absolute dollar basis as we continue to grow our platform and product offerings |
| Sales and marketing: Consists primarily of advertising and marketing expenses for consumer acquisition and retention, as well as personnel costs, including salaries, benefits, bonuses, stock-based compensation expense and sales commissions, for sales and marketing employees, third-party services and contractors, and allocated overhead. Sales and Marketing expenses are primarily driven by investments to grow and retain our consumer base and may fluctuate based on the timing of our investments in consumer acquisition and retention. Over the near to medium term, we expect to increase our spending on sales and marketing. |
| General and administrative: Consists primarily of personnel costs including salaries, benefits, bonuses and stock-based compensation expense for our executive, finance, accounting, legal, and human resources functions, as well as professional fees, occupancy costs, and other general overhead costs. We expect to incur additional general and administrative costs in compliance, legal, investor relations, insurance, and professional services following the completion of this offering related to our compliance and reporting obligations as a public company. We also anticipate that as we continue to grow as a company our general and administrative costs will increase on an absolute dollar basis. |
| Depreciation and amortization: Consists of depreciation of property and equipment and amortization of capitalized internal-use software costs and intangible assets. Our depreciation and amortization changes primarily based on changes in our property and equipment, intangible assets, and capitalized software balances. |
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Other Expense (Income)
Our other expense (income) consists of the following:
| Other expense, net: Consists primarily of third-party transaction expenses related to the modification of our debt facilities. |
| Loss on extinguishment of debt: Consists of losses recognized due to extinguishment of debt. |
| Interest expense: Consists primarily of interest expense associated with the Credit Facilities (as defined below), including amortization of debt issuance costs and discounts. |
| Interest income: Consists primarily of interest income earned on excess cash held in interest-bearing accounts. |
Income Tax Expense
Our income tax expense consists of federal and state income taxes. Our effective income tax rate for the years 2018 and 2019 of 16% and 20%, respectively, differed from the U.S. statutory tax rate of 21% primarily due to U.S. federal and state tax credits, state income taxes, stock-based compensation tax deductions, and various credits.
Results of Operations
The following tables summarize key components of our results of operations for the periods presented. The period-to-period comparisons of our historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected in the future.
Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||||
2018 | 2019 | $ | % | |||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Revenue: |
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Prescription transactions revenue |
$ | 242,911 | $ | 364,582 | $ | 121,671 | 50 | % | ||||||||
Other revenue |
6,611 | 23,642 | 17,031 | 258 | % | |||||||||||
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Total revenue |
249,522 | 388,224 | 138,702 | 56 | % | |||||||||||
Costs and operating expenses: |
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Cost of revenue, exclusive of depreciation and amortization presented separately below |
6,035 | 14,016 | 7,981 | 132 | % | |||||||||||
Product development and technology |
43,894 | 29,300 | (14,594 | ) | (33 | )% | ||||||||||
Sales and marketing |
104,177 | 176,967 | 72,790 | 70 | % | |||||||||||
General and administrative |
8,359 | 14,692 | 6,333 | 76 | % | |||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
9,806 | 13,573 | 3,767 | 38 | % | |||||||||||
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Total costs and operating expenses |
172,271 | 248,548 | 76,277 | 44 | % | |||||||||||
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Operating income |
77,251 | 139,676 | 62,425 | 81 | % | |||||||||||
Other expenses: |
||||||||||||||||
Other expense, net |
7 | 2,967 | 2,960 | * | ||||||||||||
Loss on extinguishment of debt |
2,857 | 4,877 | 2,020 | 71 | % | |||||||||||
Interest income |
(154 | ) | (715 | ) | (561 | ) | * | |||||||||
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Interest expense |
22,193 | 49,569 | 27,376 | 123 | % | |||||||||||
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Total other expense, net |
24,903 | 56,698 | 31,795 | 128 | % | |||||||||||
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Income before income tax expense |
52,348 | 82,978 | 30,630 | 59 | % | |||||||||||
Income tax expense |
(8,555 | ) | (16,930 | ) | (8,375 | ) | 98 | % | ||||||||
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Net income |
$ | 43,793 | $ | 66,048 | $ | 22,255 | 51 | % | ||||||||
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* | Percentage not meaningful. |
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Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2018 and 2019
Revenue
Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||||
2018 | 2019 | $ | % | |||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Prescription transactions revenue |
$ | 242,911 | $ | 364,582 | $ | 121,671 | 50 | % | ||||||||
Other revenue |
6,611 | 23,642 | 17,031 | 258 | % | |||||||||||
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Total revenue |
$ | 249,522 | $ | 388,224 | $ | 138,702 | 56 | % | ||||||||
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Revenue for 2019 increased $138.7 million, or 56%, compared to 2018.
Prescription transactions revenue for 2019 increased $121.7 million, or 50%, compared to 2018, driven primarily by a 58% increase in the number of our Monthly Active Consumers.
Other revenue for 2019 increased $17.0 million, or 258%, compared to 2018. This increase was primarily due to an increase of $10.6 million in subscription fees as a result of an approximate 10 times increase in the number of our subscribers in 2019 compared to 2018. The increase in other revenue was also due to a $4.2 million increase in advertising revenue, primarily from pharmaceutical manufacturers, and the impact of the launch of our telehealth offerings following the acquisition of HeyDoctor in 2019, from which we had no revenue in 2018.
Costs and operating expenses
Cost of revenue, exclusive of depreciation and amortization
Year Ended December 31, |
Change | |||||||||||||||
2018 | 2019 | $ | % | |||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Cost of revenue, exclusive of depreciation and amortization |
$ | 6,035 | $ | 14,016 | $ | 7,981 | 132 | % | ||||||||
As a percentage of total revenue |
2 | % | 4 | % |
Cost of revenue for 2019 increased $8.0 million, or 132%, compared to 2018. This increase was primarily due to a $2.7 million increase in outsourced consumer support expense to support an increase in the number of Monthly Active Consumers, a $1.8 million increase in provider cost related to our telehealth offerings following the acquisition of HeyDoctor in 2019, a $1.6 million increase in processing fees due primarily to our Kroger Savings subscription program, and other increases in hosting and cloud expenses and merchant fees.
Product development and technology
Year Ended December 31, |
Change | |||||||||||||||
2018 | 2019 | $ | % | |||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Product development and technology |
$ | 43,894 | $ | 29,300 | $ | (14,594 | ) | (33 | %) | |||||||
As a percentage of total revenue |
18 | % | 8 | % |
Product development and technology expenses for 2019 decreased by $14.6 million, or 33%, compared to 2018. In 2018, product development and technology expenses included expenses of $29.2 million related to cash bonuses paid to vested option holders in connection with dividends paid to equity holders, as further described in note 15 to our audited consolidated financial statements. From 2018 to 2019, product development related personnel expenses increased by $9.6 million due primarily to an increase in headcount; third-party services and
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contractor expenses related to product development increased by $2.5 million; and allocated overhead increased by $2.4 million to support our increasing product development efforts.
Sales and marketing
Year Ended December 31, |
Change | |||||||||||||||
2018 | 2019 | $ | % | |||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Sales and marketing |
$ | 104,177 | $ | 176,967 | $ | 72,790 | 70 | % | ||||||||
As a percentage of total revenue |
42 | % | 46 | % |
Sales and marketing expenses for 2019 increased by $72.8 million, or 70%, compared to 2018. This increase was primarily due to a $74.4 million increase in advertising expenses. The increase in sales and marketing expenses was also due to a $3.6 million increase in sales and marketing related personnel expenses, and a $1.2 million increase in third-party services and contractors. In 2018, sales and marketing expenses included expenses of $6.9 million related to cash bonuses paid to vested option holders in connection with dividends paid to equity holders, as further described in note 15 to our audited consolidated financial statements.
Advertising expenses as a percent of revenue increased from 36% in 2018 to 42% in 2019, as we continued to increase our investment in consumer acquisition and retention, which we believe will produce positive returns in the long-term.
General and administrative
Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||||
2018 | 2019 | $ | % | |||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
General and administrative |
$ | 8,359 | $ | 14,692 | $ | 6,333 | 76 | % | ||||||||
As a percentage of total revenue |
3 | % | 4 | % |
General and administrative expenses for 2019 increased by $6.3 million, or 76%, compared to 2018. This increase was primarily due to a $3.9 million increase in executive and administrative personnel expenses and a $2.1 million increase in professional fees to support our growth. In addition, the increase in general and administrative expenses was also due to an increase of $1.5 million in acquisition related expenses. In 2018, general and administrative expenses included expenses of $2.7 million related to cash bonuses paid to vested option holders in connection with dividends paid to equity holders, as further described in note 15 to our audited consolidated financial statements.
Depreciation and amortization
Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||||
2018 | 2019 | $ | % | |||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
$ | 9,806 | $ | 13,573 | $ | 3,767 | 38 | % | ||||||||
As a percentage of total revenue |
4 | % | 3 | % |
Depreciation and amortization expenses for 2019 increased by $3.8 million, or 38%, compared to 2018. This increase was due primarily to a $2.1 million increase in intangible assets amortization and a $1.3 million increase in capitalized software amortization. The increase in intangible assets amortization was driven by $16.4 million of intangible asset additions recorded as a result of our 2019 acquisitions. The increase in capitalized software amortization was driven by $4.7 million in capitalized software additions in 2019 due to platform improvements and the introduction of new products and features.
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Other expense, net
Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||||
2018 | 2019 | $ | % | |||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Other expense, net |
$ | 7 | $ | 2,967 | $ | 2,960 | * | |||||||||
As a percentage of total revenue |
0 | % | 1 | % |
* | Percentage not meaningful. |
Other expenses for 2019 increased by $3.0 million compared to 2018 due to third-party transaction expenses related to an amendment to the First Lien Credit Agreement (as defined below) in November 2019.
Loss on extinguishment of debt
Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||||
2018 | 2019 | $ | % | |||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Loss on extinguishment of debt |
$ | 2,857 | $ | 4,877 | $ | 2,020 | 71 | % | ||||||||
As a percentage of total revenue |
1 | % | 1 | % |
In 2019, we recognized a loss of $4.9 million related to prepayment penalties and the write-off of unamortized loan fees upon the extinguishment of our Second Lien Term Loan Facility in November 2019. In 2018, we recognized a loss of $2.9 million related to the write-off of unamortized loan fees upon the extinguishment of our prior credit agreement.
Interest income
Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||||
2018 | 2019 | $ | % | |||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Interest income |
$ | (154 | ) | $ | (715 | ) | $ | (561 | ) | * | ||||||
As a percentage of total revenue |
0 | % | 0 | % |
* | Percentage not meaningful. |
The increase in interest income was primarily due to higher average cash balance during 2019 compared to 2018.
Interest expense
Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||||
2018 | 2019 | $ | % | |||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Interest expense |
$ | 22,193 | $ | 49,569 | $ | 27,376 | 123 | % | ||||||||
As a percentage of total revenue |
9 | % | 13 | % |
Interest expense for 2019 increased by $27.4 million compared to 2018 primarily due to increased borrowings incurred under our First Lien Credit Agreement and Second Lien Credit Agreement in October 2018 as further described below.
Income tax expense
Year Ended December 31, | Change | |||||||||||||||
2018 | 2019 | $ | % | |||||||||||||
(dollars in thousands) | ||||||||||||||||
Income tax expense |
$ | (8,555 | ) | $ | (16,930 | ) | $ | 8,375 | 98 | % | ||||||
Income tax effective rate |
16 | % | 20 | % |
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Income tax expense for 2019 increased by $8.4 million, or 98%, compared to 2018 primarily due to increases in pre-tax income.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Overview
Since our inception, we have financed our operations primarily through net cash provided by operating activities, equity issuances, and borrowings under our long-term debt arrangements. Our primary requirements for liquidity and capital are to finance working capital, capital expenditures and general corporate purposes. Our principal sources of liquidity following this offering are expected to be our cash and borrowings available under our Revolving Credit Facility. As of December 31, 2019, we had cash of $26.1 million and had $30.9 million available under the Revolving Credit Facility. In March 2020, we drew down $28.0 million under the Revolving Credit Facility, leaving $2.9 million available. Additionally, in May 2020, the Revolving Credit Facility was amended to increase the amount of the facility to $100.0 million.
We believe that our net cash provided by operating activities, cash on hand and availability under the Revolving Credit Facility will be adequate to meet our operating, investing and financing needs for at least the next 12 months. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including our revenue growth, the timing and extent of investments to support such growth, the expansion of sales and marketing activities, and many other factors as described under Risk Factors and Key Factors Affecting Our Performance.
If necessary, we may borrow funds under our Revolving Credit Facility to finance our liquidity requirements, subject to customary borrowing conditions. To the extent additional funds are necessary to meet our long-term liquidity needs as we continue to execute our business strategy, we anticipate that they will be obtained through the incurrence of additional indebtedness, additional equity financings or a combination of these potential sources of funds; however, such financing may not be available on favorable terms, or at all. In particular, the widespread COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in, and may continue to result in, significant disruption of global financial markets, reducing our ability to access capital. If we are unable to raise additional funds when desired, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Credit Facilities
In October 2018, GoodRx, Inc., our wholly owned subsidiary, as borrower, and GoodRx Intermediate Holdings, LLC, entered into a first lien credit agreement with various lenders, or the First Lien Credit Agreement. The First Lien Credit Agreement provided for a $40.0 million secured asset-based revolving credit facility, or the Revolving Credit Facility, and a $545.0 million senior secured term loan facility, or the First Lien Term Loan Facility (together with the Revolving Credit Facility, the Credit Facilities). In November 2019, the First Lien Term Loan Facility was amended to increase the amount of the facility to $700.0 million. Additionally, in May 2020, the Revolving Credit Facility was amended to increase the amount of the facility to $100.0 million.
The Revolving Credit Facility and the First Lien Term Loan Facility under the First Lien Credit Agreement are collateralized by substantially all of our assets, including our intellectual property, and 100% of the equity interest of GoodRx, Inc.
The First Lien Credit Agreement that governs the Revolving Credit Facility and the First Lien Term Loan Facility contains certain affirmative and negative covenants, including, among other things, restrictions on indebtedness, liens, fundamental changes, repurchases of stock, dividends and other distributions. GoodRx, Inc. is restricted from making dividend payments, loans or advances to GoodRx Intermediate Holdings, LLC and GoodRx Holdings, Inc. In addition, GoodRx, Inc. is subject to a financial covenant whereby GoodRx, Inc. is required to maintain a First Lien Net Leverage Ratio (as defined in the First Lien Credit Agreement) not to exceed 8.2 to 1.0. At December 31, 2019, we were in compliance with the covenants under the First Lien Credit Agreement.
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Revolving Credit Facility
Loans under the Revolving Credit Facility bear interest at a rate per annum equal to the LIBO Screen Rate (as defined in the First Lien Credit Agreement) plus a variable margin rate, which is based on our most recently determined First Lien Net Leverage Ratio (as defined in the First Lien Credit Agreement), that ranges from 2.50% to 3.00%. The Revolving Credit Facility has a variable commitment fee, which is based on the Companys most recently determined First Lien Net Leverage Ratio (as defined in the First Lien Credit Agreement), and ranges from 0.25% to 0.50% per annum. In addition, the Revolving Credit Facility has a fixed fronting fee of 0.125% per annum of our aggregate undrawn and disbursed but unreimbursed letters of credit. The Revolving Credit Facility expires on October 11, 2024. As of December 31, 2019, no amounts were borrowed under the Revolving Credit Facility. In March 2020, we drew down $28.0 million available under the Revolving Credit Facility.
Under the terms of a lease agreement entered into during September 2019, GoodRx, Inc. assigned to the landlord drawdown rights against the Revolving Credit Facility for up to $9.0 million to meet the contractual line of credit requirement in the lease agreement. The landlord can draw on the Revolving Credit Facility in the event of the Companys default on rent or damages to the building. The assigned rights to the landlord will be held for the initial three years of the lease term, and subject to certain conditions, the letter of credit will decrease thereafter by up to 10% per year based upon the original amount to no less than $2 million. This outstanding letter of credit to the landlord reduces our available borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility by an amount equal to the value of assigned rights.
First Lien Term Loan Facility
The First Lien Term Loan Facility accrues interest at a rate per annum equal to the LIBO Screen Rate (as defined in the First Lien Credit Agreement) plus a variable margin rate, which is based on the Companys most recently determined Net Leverage Ratio (as defined in the First Lien Credit Agreement), that ranges from 2.75% to 3.00% per annum. The First Lien Credit Agreement requires quarterly principal payments from March 2019 through September 2025, with any remaining unpaid principal and any accrued and unpaid interest due on the maturity date of October 10, 2025.
The effective interest rate on the First Lien Term Loan Facility was 5.90% for each 2018 and 2019.
The carrying value of the First Lien Term Loan Facility was $670.9 million, net of unamortized debt discount of $17.2 million, as of December 31, 2019.
Second Lien Term Loan Facility
Concurrent with the above First Lien Credit Agreement, GoodRx, Inc., as borrower, and GoodRx Intermediate Holdings, LLC entered into a second lien credit agreement with various lenders, or the Second Lien Credit Agreement. The Second Lien Credit Agreement provided for a $200.0 million secured term loan facility, or the Second Lien Term Loan Facility, which accrued interest at a rate per annum equal to the LIBO Screen Rate (as defined in the Second Lien Credit Agreement) plus a margin of 7.50% per annum. In connection with the amendment to increase the amount of the First Lien Term Loan Facility in November 2019, we repaid all amounts outstanding and owed under the Second Lien Term Loan Facility, using the proceeds from the amendment to the First Lien Term Loan Facility and existing cash resources, including $200.0 million in principal amount outstanding, approximately $0.1 million of accrued interest and a $2.0 million prepayment penalty.
Holding Company Status
We are a holding company that does not conduct any business operations of our own. As a result, we are largely dependent upon cash distributions and other transfers from our subsidiaries to meet our obligations and to make future dividend payments, if any. The First Lien Credit Agreement contains covenants restricting payments of dividends by our subsidiaries, including GoodRx, Inc., unless certain conditions are met. These covenants provide for certain exceptions for specific types of payments.
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Based on these restrictions, all of the net assets of GoodRx, Inc. were restricted pursuant to the terms of the Credit Facilities as of December 31, 2019. Since the restricted net assets of GoodRx, Inc. and its subsidiaries exceed 25% of our consolidated net assets, in accordance with Regulation S-X, refer to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for condensed parent company financial information of GoodRx Holdings, Inc.
Cash Flows
Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||
2018 | 2019 | |||||||
(dollars in thousands) | ||||||||
Net cash provided by operating activities |
$ | 45,253 | $ | 83,286 | ||||
Net cash used in investing activities |
(3,458 | ) | (37,055 | ) | ||||
Net cash used in financing activities |
(24,734 | ) | (54,781 | ) | ||||
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|
|
|||||
Net change in cash |
$ | 17,061 | $ | (8,550 | ) | |||
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|
|
Net cash provided by operating activities
Net cash provided by operating activities was $83.3 million for 2019 consisting of $66.0 million of net income, adjusted for $22.1 million of non-cash expenses, partially offset by $4.8 million of net cash used as a result of changes in operating assets and liabilities. The changes in operating assets and liabilities were primarily driven by an increase in our accounts receivable, partially offset by an increase in our accrued expenses and other current liabilities due to our growing operations.
Net cash provided by operating activities was $45.3 million for 2018 consisting of $43.8 million of net income, adjusted for $13.2 million of non-cash expenses, partially offset by $11.8 million of net cash used as a result of changes in operating assets and liabilities, primarily driven by an increase in our accounts receivable due to our growth. Net cash provided by operating activities included an outflow of $38.8 million related to bonuses paid to vested option holders in 2018.
Net cash used in investing activities
Net cash used in investing activities of $37.1 million for 2019 was related to $31.3 million in cash consideration, net of cash acquired, related to our acquisitions in 2019, $4.3 million for capitalized software, and $1.4 million for capital expenditures.
Net cash used in investing activities of $3.5 million for 2018 was related to $2.7 million of capitalized software and $0.8 million for capital expenditures.
Net cash used in financing activities
Net cash used in financing activities of $54.8 million for 2019 was primarily related to $211.8 million in long-term debt payments and payments of $2.2 million for debt issuance costs and prepayment penalties, partially offset by $154.6 million in proceeds from long-term debt and $4.7 million in proceeds from issuance of common stock and exercise of options.
Net cash used in financing activities of $24.7 million for 2018 was primarily related to dividends of $1,346.4 million, $294.9 million in long-term debt principal payments, and $25.6 million in debt issuance costs, partially offset by $901.8 million in proceeds from long-term debt, $737.0 million from issuance of preferred stock, and $3.3 million from exercise of options.
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Contractual Obligations and Commitments
The following table summarizes our contractual obligations and commitments as of December 31, 2019:
Payments due by period | ||||||||||||||||||||
Total | Less than 1 year |
1-3 years | 3-5 years | More than 5 years |
||||||||||||||||
Contractual Obligations: | (in thousands) | |||||||||||||||||||
Long-term debtprincipal payments(1) |
$ | 688,155 | $ | 7,029 | $ | 14,058 | $ | 14,058 | $ | 653,010 | ||||||||||
Interest on long-term debt(2) |
175,494 | 30,848 | 60,748 | 59,483 | 24,415 | |||||||||||||||
Operating lease obligations(3) |
55,953 | 2,937 | 10,610 | 8,969 | 33,437 | |||||||||||||||
Unused credit fee payments(4) |
1,030 | 77 | 154 | 162 | 637 | |||||||||||||||
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|
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Total contractual obligations |
$ | 920,632 | $ | 40,891 | $ | 85,570 | $ | 82,672 | $ | 711,499 | ||||||||||
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(1) | Long-term debt represents borrowings under the Credit Facilities. Under the Credit Facilities we are required to pay quarterly principal payments of 0.25% of the outstanding principal balance of the First Lien Term Loan Facility through September 2025, with any remaining unpaid principal and any accrued and unpaid interest due on October 10, 2025. |
(2) | Our long-term debt bears a floating interest rate based on LIBO. The interest obligation on long-term debt included in the table above is based on the interest rate in effect at December 31, 2019 of 4.50%. |
(3) | Operating lease obligations relate to our office space facilities. These lease terms expire through 2031. The majority of the lease agreements are renewable at the end of the lease period. |
(4) | We are required to pay a commitment fee of 0.25% based on the unused portion of the Revolving Credit Facility. As of December 31, 2019, we were contingently liable for approximately $9.1 million in standby letters of credit as security for our operating lease obligations. |
Off Balance Sheet Arrangements
We did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as of December 31, 2019.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus are prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of consolidated financial statements also requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, costs and expenses and related disclosures. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results could differ significantly from our estimates. To the extent that there are differences between our estimates and actual results, our future financial statement presentation, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows will be affected.
We believe that the accounting policies described below involve a significant degree of judgment and complexity. Accordingly, we believe these are the most critical to aid in fully understanding and evaluating our consolidated financial condition and results of operations. For further information, see note 2 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.
Revenue Recognition
Our revenue is primarily derived from prescription transaction fees generated when pharmacies fill prescriptions for consumers. We also generate other revenue from subscription, advertising and telehealth services.
On January 1, 2019, we adopted ASC 606, Revenue from contracts with customers, on a modified retrospective basis. The adoption of ASC 606 was applied to all contracts at the date of initial application and did
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not have a material impact on our revenue recognition. Prior to January 1, 2019, we applied ASC 605, Revenue recognition, and recognized revenue when the following criteria have been met: (1) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists; (2) delivery has occurred or services have been rendered; (3) the price is fixed and determinable; and (4) collectability is reasonable assured.
Under ASC 606, we recognize revenue when control of the promised good or service is transferred to the customer in an amount that reflects the consideration for which we are expected to be entitled to in exchange for those services.
Prescription Transactions Revenue
Prescription transactions revenue is primarily generated from PBMs, or customers, when a prescription is filled with a GoodRx code provided through our platform, and saves money compared to the list price in that pharmacy. In our contracts with customers, the nature of our promise is to direct prescription volume through our platform, which may include marketing through our apps, websites and GoodRx cards. These activities are not distinct from each other and are not separate performance obligations. Our performance obligation is to connect consumers with pharmacies that are contracted with our customers. We have no performance obligation to fill prescriptions.
Contracts with PBMs provide that we are entitled to either a percentage of fees the PBM charges the pharmacy or fixed amount per type of medication prescription, when a consumer uses a GoodRx code provided through our platform. Our performance obligation is satisfied upon the completion of pharmacies filling prescriptions. We recognize revenue for the estimated fee due from the PBM at a point in time when a prescription is filled.
We receive reporting from PBMs of the number of prescriptions and amount of consideration to which we are entitled at a prescription level. Certain arrangements with PBMs provide that the amount of consideration we are entitled to is based on the volume of prescription fills each month. In addition, the amount of consideration to which we are entitled may be adjusted in the event that a fill is determined ineligible, or based upon other adjustments allowed under our contracts with PBMs. We estimate the amount we expect to be entitled to using the expected value method based on the historical experience of the number of prescriptions filled, ineligible fills and applicable rates.
Other Revenue
Other revenue consists of subscription revenue from our subscription offerings, revenue generated from pharmaceutical manufacturers for advertising and integrating onto our platform their affordability solutions to our consumers and advertising in direct mailers, and revenue generated by HeyDoctor and the GoodRx Telehealth Marketplace.
Subscription revenue consists of subscriptions to Gold and Kroger Savings. For Gold, subscribers purchase a monthly subscription that provides access to lower prices for prescriptions. Subscribers can cancel their GoodRx Gold subscription at any time. We recognize revenue for Gold over the subscription period. For Kroger Savings, subscribers pay an annual upfront fee for a subscription that provides access to lower prices on prescriptions at Kroger pharmacies. At the commencement of the subscription term, subscribers pay the annual fee to us which we share with Kroger. Kroger Savings subscription fees are generally nonrefundable to the subscriber after the first 30 days, unless we cancel the subscription, in which case the subscriber is entitled to a pro rata refund. We recognize revenue for Kroger Savings over the subscription period, net of the fee shared with Kroger.
Advertising revenue consists primarily of revenue generated through advertisements placed in apps, websites and direct mailers for pharmaceutical manufacturers. Advertising customers may purchase
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advertisements for a fixed fee that appear on our apps and websites for a specified period of time, and revenue is recognized over the term of the arrangement. Customers may also purchase advertisements for which we charge fees on a cost-per-click basis, or they may purchase advertisements placed in our direct mailers. Revenue for these arrangements is recognized at a point-in-time when the advertisement is clicked or when the direct mailer is shipped.
Telehealth revenue consists primarily of revenue generated from consumers who complete a telehealth visit with a member of our network of qualified healthcare professionals. Consumers pay a fee per telehealth visit and we recognize the fee as revenue at a point-in-time when the visit is complete.
Stock-Based Compensation
Stock-based compensation cost is allocated to cost of revenue, product development and technology, sales and marketing, and general and administrative expense in the consolidated statements of operations. Compensation cost for stock options and restricted stock awards granted to employees is based on the fair value of these awards at the date of grant. We recognize compensation cost over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period of the award. For awards that vest based on continued service, compensation cost is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period. For awards with performance vesting conditions, compensation cost is recognized on a graded vesting basis when it is probable the performance condition will be achieved. Forfeitures are recognized when they occur.
Determining the fair value of stock-based awards requires judgment. The Black-Scholes option-pricing model is used to estimate the fair value of stock options, while the fair value of our common stock at the date of grant is used to measure the fair value of restricted stock awards. The assumptions used in the Black-Scholes option-pricing model require the input of subjective assumptions and are as follows:
| The fair value of the common stock underlying our stock-based awards was determined by our Board of Directors, with input from management and a third-party valuation firm. Because there is no public market for our common stock, our Board of Directors determined the common stock fair value at the stock option grant date by considering several objective and subjective factors, as discussed below. The fair value was determined in accordance with applicable elements of the practice aid issued by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Valuation of Privately-Held-Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation. The fair value of the underlying common stock will be determined by the Board of Directors until such time as our common stock is listed on an established stock exchange or national market system. |
| Expected volatility is based on historical volatilities of a publicly traded peer group based on daily price observations over a period equivalent to the expected term of the stock option grants. |
| The expected term is based on historical and estimates of future exercise behavior. |
| The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield of treasury bonds with a maturity that approximates the expected term of the options. |
| The dividend yield is based on our current expectations of dividend payouts. |
The assumptions used in the Black-Scholes option-pricing model represent managements best estimates. These estimates involve inherent uncertainties and the application of managements judgment. If factors change and different assumptions are used, stock-based compensation expense could be materially different in the future.
Common Stock Valuation
Because our common stock is not publicly traded, our Board of Directors exercises significant judgment in determining the fair value of our common stock on the date of each stock-based grant, with input from
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management and the assistance from an independent third-party valuation firm based on several objective and subjective factors. In determining the fair market value of a common stock, our Board of Directors considered the following:
| the prices of our redeemable convertible preferred stock sold to outside investors in arms-length transactions; |
| the rights, preferences and privileges of our redeemable convertible preferred stock relative to our common stock; |
| our operating and financial performance; |
| our stage of development and current business conditions and projections affecting our business, including the introduction of new products and services; |
| the hiring of key personnel; |
| the likelihood of achieving a liquidity event for the shares of common stock underlying these stock options, such as an initial public offering or sale of our company, in light of prevailing market conditions; |
| any adjustment necessary to recognize a lack of a liquid trading market for our common stock; |
| the market performance of comparable publicly traded companies; and |
| the overall U.S. economic, regulatory and capital market conditions. |
In valuing our common stock, we first determine the equity value using both the income and market approach valuation methods. In addition, we also consider values implied by sales of preferred and common stock, if applicable. We then allocate the equity value to our classes of stock using an option-pricing model, or OPM, or Probability Weighted Expected Return Method, or PWERM.
The income approach estimates equity value based on the expectation of future cash flows that a company will generate. These future cash flows, and an assumed terminal value, are discounted to their present values using a discount rate based on a weighted-average cost of capital that reflects the risks inherent in the cash flows. The market approach estimates equity value based on a comparison of the subject company to comparable public companies in a similar line of business. From the comparable companies, a representative market value multiple is determined and then applied to the subject companys financial forecasts to estimate the value of the subject company.
Once we determined an equity value, we used a combination of approaches to allocate the equity value to each of our classes of stock. We used the OPM, and more recently also use the OPM in combination with the PWERM. The OPM allocates values to each equity class by creating a series of call options on our equity value, with exercise prices based on the liquidation preferences, participation rights, and strike prices of the equity instruments. Using the PWERM, the value of our common stock is estimated based upon a probability-weighted analysis of varying values for our common stock assuming possible future events, which include an IPO, merger or sale, dissolution, or continued operation as a private company. In determining the estimated fair value of our common stock, we consider the fact that our stockholders could not freely trade our common stock in the public markets. Accordingly, we also applied a lack of marketability discount to the equity value.
Following this offering, it will not be necessary to determine the fair value of our common stock, as our shares will be traded in the public market.
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Business Combinations
The results of businesses acquired in a business combination are included in our consolidated financial statements from the date of the acquisition. Purchase accounting results in assets and liabilities of an acquired business being recorded at their estimated fair values on the acquisition date. Any excess consideration over the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed is recognized as goodwill.
We perform valuations of assets acquired and liabilities assumed for an acquisition and allocate the purchase price to its respective net tangible and intangible assets. Determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed requires management to use significant judgment and estimates including the selection of valuation methodologies, estimates of future revenue, costs, and cash flows, discount rates and selection of comparable companies. For material acquisitions, we may engage the assistance of valuation specialists in concluding on fair value measurements of certain assets acquired or liabilities assumed in a business combination.
Income Taxes
Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are determined based upon the net tax effects of the differences between the financial statements carrying amounts and the tax basis of assets and liabilities and are measured using the enacted tax rate expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which the differences are expected to be reversed. A valuation allowance is used to reduce some or all of the deferred tax assets if, based upon the weight of available evidence, it is more likely than not that those deferred tax assets will not be realized.
We recognize the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized in our consolidated financial statements from such positions are then measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized. We recognize interest and penalties accrued related to its uncertain tax positions in income tax expense in our consolidated statements of operations.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Refer to Note 2 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for accounting pronouncements adopted in 2019 and recent accounting pronouncements not yet adopted.
Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012
Under the JOBS Act, an emerging growth company can take advantage of an extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards. This provision allows an emerging growth company to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards that have different transition dates for public and private companies until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We meet the definition of an emerging growth company and have elected to use this extended transition period. As a result of this election, our timeline to comply with these standards will in many cases be delayed as compared to other public companies that are not eligible to take advantage of this election or have not made this election. Therefore, our financial statements may not be comparable to those of companies that comply with the public company effective dates for these standards.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
We only have operations within the United States and therefore do not have any foreign currency exposure. We are exposed to market risks in the ordinary course of our business, including the effects of interest rate changes.
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Interest rate risk
Our exposures to market risk for changes in interest rates relate primarily to the Credit Facilities which bear floating interest rates and a rising interest rate environment will increase the amount of interest paid on these loans. A hypothetical 100 basis point increase in interest rates would have increased our interest expense by $7.4 million for 2019.
Impact of inflation
We do not believe that inflation has had a material effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition. Nonetheless, if our costs were to become subject to significant inflationary pressures, we may not be able to fully offset such higher costs. Our inability or failure to do so could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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Overview
Our mission is to provide all Americans with access to affordable and convenient healthcare. To achieve this, we are building the leading, consumer-focused digital healthcare platform in the United States.
Healthcare consumers in the United States face an increasing number of challenges. Consumers are bearing more of the cost of care and have more restrictions imposed on their care. The rising cost of insurance and higher deductibles have led to an increase in the percentage of underinsured Americans. Additionally, the number of uninsured consumers in the United States has increased in recent years. These developments have occurred at a time when the majority of Americans have less than $1,000 in savings.
Lack of affordability in healthcare is a contributing reason why 20% to 30% of prescriptions are left at the pharmacy counter. Non-adherence has a significant impact on American health: someone dies every four minutes in the United States from not taking their prescribed medication at all or as directed, according to a report in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy. Even for those who can afford care, access to physicians is limited. The average wait time for a new patient appointment in 15 large metropolitan markets in the United States was 24 days in 2017, and may extend up to 56 days in mid-sized markets, according to a Merritt Hawkins survey. This has placed additional strain on hospital emergency departments across the country an estimated 30% of emergency department visits occur for health issues that could have been treated in primary or other care settings. Healthcare professionals, who are motivated by and whose success is increasingly judged on patient outcomes and satisfaction, are growing frustrated and need resources to help them. Part of the problem is that the healthcare market one of the largest markets in the United States by spending and projected to reach $4.0 trillion in 2020 has had no widely accepted, consumer-focused, tech-enabled solution through which consumers can easily shop for and access healthcare, unlike those found in other industries for things like airline tickets, rental homes and cars.
GoodRx was founded to solve the challenges that consumers face in understanding, accessing, and affording healthcare. We started with a price comparison tool for prescriptions, offering consumers free access to lower prices on their medication. We wanted to help ensure that no parent had to choose between their childs next meal and their life-saving medication. Today, we believe our expanded platform improves the health and financial well-being of American families by providing easy access to price transparency and affordability solutions for generic and brand medications, affordable and convenient medical provider consultations via telehealth and additional healthcare services and information. Based on our research, we believe many of our consumers could not have afforded to fill their prescriptions without GoodRx. In addition to reducing the costs of healthcare for consumers, we believe that our offerings can help drive greater medication adherence, faster treatment and better patient outcomes. These all contribute to a healthier, happier society.
We see exciting growth potential as we continue to attract new consumers through our existing offerings, launch new offerings to address more of the needs of healthcare consumers, and improve healthcare affordability and access for all Americans. As we extend our platform, we believe that we can create multiple monetization opportunities at different stages of the consumer healthcare journey, enabling us to drive higher expected consumer lifetime value without significant additional consumer acquisition costs.
Our business model has facilitated the rapid growth and expansion of our platform. We have been focused on capital efficiency and delivering on a cash generative monetization model since inception, and we have been able to reinvest our cash flows in our business. As a result, our consumers can now access an increasingly broad platform with a variety of integrated offerings that provide healthcare affordability, access and convenience. Whether a consumer is insured or uninsured, young or old, or suffers from an acute or a chronic ailment, we strive to be at the consumers side throughout their healthcare journey.
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Our platform has been effective because we positively impact stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem. Benefits to participants in the healthcare ecosystem include: achieving better outcomes by increasing medication adherence; providing fast access to preventative care to reduce the strain on hospitals and emergency departments; increasing accessibility to affordable prescriptions that otherwise may not have been filled; and enhancing consumer satisfaction and engagement. We believe that consumers, healthcare providers, pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, pharmacies, pharmaceutical manufacturers and telehealth providers all win with GoodRx. Our partnerships across the healthcare ecosystem, scale and strong consumer brand create a deep competitive moat that is reinforced by our proprietary technology platform, which processes over 150 billion pricing data points every day and integrates that data into an interface that is convenient and easy to use for consumers.
Our success is demonstrated by our 4.9 million Monthly Active Consumers for the first quarter of 2020, the million Monthly Visitors for the second quarter of 2020, the approximately $20 billion of cumulative consumer savings generated for GoodRx consumers through June 30, 2020 and our consumer and healthcare professional NPS scores of 90 and 86, respectively, as of February 2020. On average, we have been the most downloaded medical app on the Apple App Store and Google Play App Store for the last three years. Our GoodRx app had a rating of 4.8 out of 5.0 stars in the Apple App Store and 4.7 out of 5.0 stars in the Google Play App Store, with over 700,000 combined reviews as of June 30, 2020. In both app stores, our HeyDoctor app had a rating of 5.0 out of 5.0 stars, with over 8,000 combined reviews as of June 30, 2020.
We believe our financial results reflect the significant market demand for our offerings and the value that we provide to the broader healthcare ecosystem. The GMV generated by our prescription offering, which accounts for the vast majority of our revenue, was $2.5 billion in 2019. Our revenue has grown at a CAGR of 57% since 2016, and reached $388 million in 2019, up from $250 million in 2018. Our net income was $66 million in 2019, up from $44 million in 2018, and our Adjusted EBITDA was $160 million in 2019, up from $128 million in 2018. Our Adjusted EBITDA Margin was 41% in 2019, compared to 51% in 2018. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin are non-GAAP financial measures. For a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, information about why we consider Adjusted EBITDA useful and a discussion of the material risks and limitations of these measures, please see Prospectus SummarySummary Consolidated Financial and Operating DataKey Financial and Operating MetricsNon-GAAP Financial Measures.
Industry Challenges
The total estimated spending in the U.S. healthcare market is projected to reach $4.0 trillion in 2020, and the market is expected to grow to $6.2 trillion by 2028, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS. Despite it being one of the largest sectors of the U.S. economy, the U.S. healthcare market remains opaque and highly fragmented for consumers. Even simple healthcare transactions, such as finding a doctor or filling a prescription at an affordable price, are difficult. This can lead to confusion, inefficiency and unneeded additional costs for consumers and the healthcare system. Every year, approximately 140 million Americans fill nearly 5.8 billion 30-day equivalent prescriptions, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a 2019 IQVIA Institute report. The pharmacy is the de-facto front door to American healthcare, with frequent consumer interaction and engagement. We estimate that the average consumer visits a pharmacy multiple times per month, compared to less than three visits per year to physicians, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, finding affordable prices for prescriptions is complicated by a lack of price transparency, a confusing reimbursement and insurance landscape and a fragmented marketplace in which the list prices for the same medication can vary more than 100 times across pharmacies. Similarly, people who need to see healthcare professionals can face the same lack of price transparency, as well as exceedingly long wait times to access the care that they need.
We believe that these challenges are driven in part by a lack of consumer-focused solutions that enable consumers to easily search, discover and access the product or service that they need at an affordable price. Technology similar to that which has been deployed to help consumers buy airline tickets, rent homes or hail cars can also be utilized in the highly complex healthcare market to make healthcare affordable, accessible and
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efficient. Consumer-focused technology solutions are even more essential in healthcare than in other industries given that the stakes involve peoples health and lives.
The challenges that healthcare consumers face have been increasing for decades, while the solutions to combat these issues have remained largely absent:
| Lack of Consumer-Focused Solutions: Health is the most essential aspect of peoples lives. However, healthcare has remained largely unaffected by many of the market and technology-driven forces that have improved many other facets of life. According to a 2019 CBS News poll, 76% of Americans believed the U.S. healthcare system either needed fundamental changes or to be completely rebuilt. Technology-driven platforms have empowered consumers with ease of access and price transparency across many other industry verticals. As a result, consumers now demand what they want, when they want it, and how they want itall at a value that makes sense to them. Traditional healthcare companies have been slow to adapt to these demands, disconnecting those businesses from the needs of healthcare consumers. We believe that an increase in access to information, price transparency and ease of use can benefit healthcare consumers, just as it has helped consumers purchase goods and services in other industries. |
| Lack of Affordability: Americans spent twice as much per capita on healthcare compared to citizens from other OECD countries in 2018; however, the United States has one of the lowest quality of care rankings among these countries. Healthcare is so unaffordable that medical problems contributed to approximately 66% of all personal bankruptcies in the United States between 2013 and 2016 according to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health, and approximately 64% of Americans risked their health by avoiding or delaying medical care due to the anticipated expenses in 2017 according to a 2018 survey by 20|20 Research and CarePayment. It is estimated that 20% to 30% of prescriptions written are not filled, with cost being among the leading reasons. The related medication non-adherence is estimated to result in a patient death every four minutes in the United States according to a report in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, and can cost up to $300 billion per year in incremental healthcare expenses according to an article in the New England Journal of Medicine. Furthermore, insurance companies and employers in the United States have shifted an increasing amount of the financial burden of healthcare onto their members and employees through higher deductibles and increasing co-pays and co-insurance. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation report, the average annual deductible among covered employees in the United States rose by 36% to $1,655 from 2014 to 2019, and new enrollments in high deductible health plans, or HDHPs, have grown at a CAGR of 14% for the past decade. That report also showed that 30% of employees were enrolled in HDHPs in 2019, compared to only 8% in 2009. |
| Lack of Transparency: The healthcare system is highly complex and fragmented. Price variability for prescription medication and other healthcare services can be significant. Unlike almost every other industry, healthcare consumers are faced with a lack of transparency and have a limited ability to compare prices for prescription medication or the cost of care across providers. Based on third party data and internal estimates, we estimate that approximately 60% of consumers do not know that there is disparity in the price of prescription medication across pharmacies, and the ones that are aware may not be aware of tools that are available to help them save money. Our data shows that list prices for the same medication can, in some instances, vary by more than 100 times. Similarly, common healthcare services and surgical procedures can vary greatly in price, with differences of up to 39 times within similar geographies for the same service or procedure, according to a Health Care Cost Institute study. This can lead to consumer frustration, unnecessary cost, and in many cases, failure to adhere to a medication, undergo a treatment or get a medical test. |
| Lack of Access to Care: Consumers face challenges gaining access to affordable, timely and quality care. In 2014, an estimated 62 million Americans had no, or inadequate, access to primary care due to physician shortages according to the National Association of Community Health Centers. Just seeing a physician can be difficult the average wait time for a new patient appointment in 15 large metropolitan markets in the United States was 24 days in 2017, and may extend up to 56 days in mid-sized markets, |
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according to a Merritt Hawkins survey. The lack of access to this care limits the ability of many consumers to quickly and effectively address relatively basic needs, such as obtaining medication for high blood pressure or diagnosing an infection. Failure to receive early diagnosis and treatment often leads to more severe illness and can require more costly medical treatment in the future. |
| Lack of Resources for Healthcare Professionals: Physicians and other healthcare professionals know that their patients increasingly expect to have a conversation regarding the cost of their treatment or medications, but they tend to have limited access to current information regarding the out-of-pocket financial burden of prescriptions or treatment, and are typically unaware as to whether the patient will be able to afford the prescribed medication or treatment. |
Our Market Opportunity
A paradigm shift is occurring in healthcare as consumers are both increasingly informed and cost-conscious. According to the 2019 Alegeus Healthcare Consumerism Index, 70% of consumers are very focused on getting the best value for their money. We believe that allowing people to transact using more information than ever before will help Americans consume healthcare more efficiently. This can be accomplished by providing a healthcare platform that allows consumers to search a broad range of choices and offerings, discover what is best for them, transact based on their preferences, and receive the best price while doing so.
We believe this market opportunity is substantial and estimate the total addressable market, or TAM, for our current solutions to be approximately $800 billion. This includes a $524 billion prescription opportunity, inclusive of prescriptions that are written but not filled, a $30 billion pharmaceutical manufacturer solutions opportunity and a $250 billion telehealth opportunity.
Prescription Opportunity
It is estimated that approximately 5.8 billion 30-day equivalent prescriptions are dispensed in the United States each year. We started our business with a focus on the U.S. prescriptions market, which is expected to reach approximately $360 billion in 2020 according to CMS. This market does not include the value of prescriptions that are written but not filled, partly due to the cost to the consumer, and which we estimate to be up to $164 billion. Approximately 90% of the total prescription volume and 26% of prescription spending in the United States was for generic forms of medication in 2018, with the remainder being brand medications, or medications on patent, according to a report by the IQVIA Institute. Similar to the total prescription volume in the United States, the vast majority of the utilization of our platform relates to generic medications. We also enable consumers to save on brand medications. We believe that the prices available through our platform are highly competitive, for both insured and uninsured consumers, and our platform enables consumers to save on prescription medications regardless of whether the consumer is insured or not. The majority of our consumers are insured and, based on a survey that we conducted in October 2019, approximately 36%, 36%, 23% and 4% of our consumers had commercial insurance, Medicare, no insurance and Medicaid, respectively. We believe we can drive significant growth in our prescription opportunity through our ability to continue to provide attractive prescription pricing to consumers.
Pharmaceutical Manufacturer Solutions Opportunity
Approximately 20% of the searches on our platform are for brand medications. Brand medications tend to be expensive, and insurance coverage is complicated and may be restrictive. Pharmaceutical manufacturers provide affordability solutions, such as co-pay cards, patient assistance programs and other savings options, so that consumers can access their medications. We partner with pharmaceutical manufacturers to advertise and integrate these affordability solutions into our platform. We earn fees from the pharmaceutical manufacturers, largely from their advertising and market access budgets. Pharmaceutical manufacturers spent approximately $30 billion in 2016 on medical marketing and advertising in the United States alone, according to an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2019. This does not include amounts spent by pharmaceutical manufacturers on market access, which we also address and believe increases our estimate of our
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TAM. Revenue from our pharmaceutical manufacturer solutions offering has more than tripled in the first quarter of 2020, compared to the same period in 2019, and we expect to continue to grow this offering through further engagement with pharmaceutical manufacturers. We believe this offering can deliver incremental margin as we deploy these solutions across our existing base of consumers and visitors.
Telehealth Opportunity
The telehealth market is a natural expansion of our platform. An estimated $1.25 trillion will be spent on outpatient office and home health visits in 2020, of which an estimated $250 billion can be addressed via telehealth, according to a report by McKinsey & Company. There is a growing consumer preference for on-demand services, which is rapidly changing how healthcare services are delivered. The COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated the utilization of telehealth among consumers. According to a McKinsey & Company report, only 11% of consumers used telehealth services in 2019, whereas 46% of consumers used telehealth to replace cancelled healthcare visits in April 2020. Further, the report stated 76% of consumers indicated they are now interested in using telehealth going forward. We believe that the addition of telehealth to our platform will increase consumer engagement and improve outcomes. Our data suggests that approximately 20% of consumers who search for medication on GoodRx do not have a prescription at the time of their search. Through HeyDoctor and the GoodRx Telehealth Marketplace, we can provide these and other consumers with a convenient and affordable way to receive a diagnosis and a prescription online, when medically appropriate, and we believe our telehealth offerings will enhance the accessibility of our prescription offering for these consumers. Our telehealth offerings have grown significantly since launch, and an average of more than 1,000 consumers per day completed online visits using HeyDoctor in the second quarter of 2020, driven in part by the impact of COVID-19. Additionally, more than 130,000 medical visits and lab tests have been initiated through the GoodRx Telehealth Marketplace during the first three months since launch. We expect that the recent launch of our service that allows HeyDoctor consumers to opt in to use our prescription offering for their prescriptions, and the launch of HeyDoctors mail order service, where prescriptions are processed by a third-party partner and consumers receive their medication by mail, will increase the number of consumers who use our platform to fill their prescriptions. We have also partnered with some of the telehealth providers in the GoodRx Telehealth Marketplace to enable consumers to opt in to use our prescription offering for their prescription needs after they complete their online visit. The introduction of these integrated solutions and the addition of mail order provides our consumers with additional value and convenience in their healthcare journey, and adds monetization opportunities for us after consumers visit a healthcare professional online.
Our Value Proposition
GoodRx was founded to provide consumers with solutions to the complexity, affordability and transparency challenges American healthcare presents. These challenges can reduce medication adherence and can have severe, broad-ranging impacts on both the health and financial well-being of Americans. Our platform helps to improve the lives of individuals by providing them with easy access to affordable healthcare. In addition to reducing the costs of healthcare for consumers, we believe that our platform can drive greater medication adherence, faster treatment and better patient outcomes, all of which can create a healthier, happier population.
We positively impact many key stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem. Benefits to participants in the broader healthcare ecosystem include: achieving better outcomes by increasing medical adherence; providing timely access to preventative care to reduce the strain on hospitals and emergency departments; increasing access to affordable prescriptions that otherwise may not have been filled; and enhancing consumer satisfaction. We believe that consumers, healthcare providers, PBMs, pharmacies, pharmaceutical manufacturers and telehealth providers all win with GoodRx. This, in turn, can drive beneficial and self-reinforcing network effects.
Our value proposition by stakeholder is described below:
| Consumers: Our platform provides consumers with a variety of mobile-first offerings designed to make their access to healthcare simple and more affordable. We help people fill prescriptions that they may otherwise not have filled due to cost, and enable them to access treatments through telehealth that |
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they may otherwise have delayed due to long wait times for in-person visits. These solutions increase medication adherence, reduce strain on hospital emergency departments and physicians, and improve health outcomes. The value that consumers ascribe to our platform is demonstrated by our high NPS of 90 according to a survey that we conducted in February 2020, which exceeds that of many other well-regarded consumer-centric brands. |
| Our prescription offering provides curated, geographically relevant price comparisons and negotiated prices on prescriptions that have generated an estimated $20 billion of cumulative savings to our consumers through June 30, 2020. Our negotiated prices for prescriptions are often cheaper than insurance co-pays and, in a survey that we conducted in October 2019, approximately 76% of respondents reported that they were insured but choose to use our platform instead. Access to discounted prices is free for consumers through our platform. |
| Our subscription offerings provide consumers and their families with access to even lower prescription prices on select medications in select pharmacies for a monthly or annual subscription fee. |
| Our pharmaceutical manufacturer solutions offering provides advertising and integrated consumer affordability solutions to pharmaceutical manufacturers with the goal of improving access to and affordability of brand medications for consumers. |
| Our telehealth offerings provide access to online doctor visits, lab test providers and a marketplace of recommended third-party telehealth providers for over 150 medical conditions. |
| Our platform provides educational resources to help inform consumers about their healthcare. We provide consumers with expert medication information, as well as pricing and coverage information made possible through our robust data sources and staff of experienced researchers. |
| Healthcare Professionals: Physicians and other healthcare professionals are motivated to help patients, and, increasingly, are judged by patient outcomes. We help these healthcare professionals improve patient outcomes by encouraging medication adherence and providing a consumer-friendly service. Based on a survey that we conducted in February 2020, approximately 17% of our website visitors are healthcare professionals. Our NPS score among healthcare professionals who use our platform was 86 as of February 2020, and over 2 million prescribers have a patient who has used GoodRx. We are able to integrate our pricing information and GoodRx codes directly into EHR systems, enabling healthcare professionals to provide prices from our platform directly to their patients at the point of prescribing, including via EHR-sent text messages and emails. We help physicians engage with patients both directly through HeyDoctor and indirectly by providing healthcare professionals who engage in telehealth the ability to list their services on our GoodRx Telehealth Marketplace |
| Healthcare Companies: PBMs, pharmacies, pharmaceutical manufacturers and telehealth providers use our platform to reach and provide affordability solutions to consumers. We play a valuable role within the healthcare ecosystem by aggregating, normalizing, and presenting information from all of these constituents on a single platform for the consumer. Through the deep relationships that we have developed with these stakeholders over many years, we are able to continually improve our offerings and achieve better pricing outcomes for consumers. |
| Pharmacy Benefit Managers: PBMs aggregate consumer demand to negotiate prescription medication prices with pharmacies and manufacturers. PBMs aggregate most of their demand through relationships with insurance companies and employers. However, nearly all PBMs also have consumer direct or cash network pricing that they negotiate with pharmacies for consumers who choose to purchase prescriptions outside of insurance. We provide a platform through which PBMs can drive incremental volume to these networks by offering their discounted prices to our consumers. We expand the market for PBMs by increasing their cash network transaction volumes and by adding new consumers to the overall prescriptions market, many of whom, both insured and uninsured, would otherwise not fill their prescriptions because of high deductibles or prices. |
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For many of our PBM partners, we are their only si |