Item 1A. Risk Factors
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
You should carefully consider the following risk factors, together with all of the other information included in this Form 10-Q. The market price of the Company’s Common Stock could decline due to any of these risks, in which case you could lose all or part of your investment. In assessing these risks, you should also refer to the other information included in this Form 10-Q, including the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements and notes thereto and the section entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” The Company’s business, financial condition or results of operations could be affected materially and adversely by any of the risks discussed below. We cannot assure you that any of the events discussed below will not occur.
Risks Related to Innventure’s Business
Innventure’s principal revenues are expected to be earned in the future through its subsidiaries and through the Innventure Companies, and Innventure may depend on its subsidiaries for cash.
Innventure’s principal operation is to partner with MNCs to acquire new intellectual property through newly-created entities where Innventure supports the initial funding and management of the company. Innventure also conducts operations through its subsidiaries, including the investment management services provided to the ESG Fund. Innventure’s ability to generate cash to meet its obligations or to pay dividends will be highly dependent on the earnings of, and receipt of funds from, these investment management services and its equity ownership interests in the Innventure Companies. The ability of the Innventure Companies or any subsidiary to generate sufficient revenue from future operations to allow Innventure and them to make scheduled payments on their obligations will depend on their future financial performance, which will be affected by a range of economic, competitive and business factors, many of which will be outside of Innventure’s control. Innventure cannot assure you that the cash flow and future earnings of the Innventure Companies will be adequate for the Innventure Companies to service any corporate obligations or operating needs. If the Innventure Companies do not generate sufficient cash flow from future operations to satisfy corporate obligations and operating needs, Innventure may have to: undertake alternative financing plans (such as refinancing), restructure debt, sell assets, reduce or delay capital investments, or seek to raise additional capital. Innventure cannot assure you that any such alternative refinancing would be possible, that any assets could be sold, or, if sold, of the timing of the sales and the amount of proceeds realized from those sales, that additional financing could be obtained on acceptable terms, if at all, or that additional financing would be permitted under the terms of Innventure’s various debt instruments then in effect. Innventure’s inability to generate sufficient cash flow from the Innventure Companies to satisfy its obligations, or to refinance its obligations on commercially reasonable terms, would have an adverse effect on its business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, Innventure and the Innventure Companies may incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future that may severely restrict or prohibit the Innventure Companies and other subsidiaries from making distributions, paying dividends or making loans to Innventure.
Innventure may not be successful in finding future opportunities to license or acquire breakthrough technology solutions from MNCs.
Innventure relies on its ability to identify and acquire breakthrough technology solutions from MNCs to create and operate new entities that generate future revenues. If Innventure is unable to reach agreements with MNCs on acceptable terms for license or acquisition of intellectual property related to certain technology solutions, Innventure
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may have to curtail the founding and operating of new subsidiary companies that Innventure founds, funds and operates going forward (such companies, together with AFX and ACC, “Operating Companies”). If Innventure fails to identify and acquire further technology solutions to form the basis of new Operating Companies and does not have sufficient funds or expertise to undertake the necessary development and commercialization activities required to make those companies and the acquired technology solutions commercially viable, Innventure’s business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.
The Innventure Companies are currently early commercial stage companies that may never achieve or sustain profitability.
Innventure is in the process of commercializing the technology solutions around which the Innventure Companies are built. The Innventure Companies rely principally on the commercialization of these technology solutions to generate future revenue growth. These product offerings and partnering revenues are in their very early stages. The Innventure Companies are early commercial stage companies that evaluate various strategies to achieve their financial goals and commercialization objectives on an ongoing basis. If demand for products and services offered by the Innventure Companies does not increase as quickly as planned, Innventure and the Innventure Companies may be unable to generate material revenue or increase revenue levels as expected.
Innventure and the Innventure Companies are not currently profitable. Even if the Innventure Companies succeed in increasing adoption of their products and services by target markets, maintaining and creating relationships with existing and new suppliers and customers, market conditions, particularly related to supply and customer acquisition costs, may result in the Innventure Companies not generating sufficient revenue to achieve or sustain profitability. Should the Innventure Companies fail to generate sufficient revenue to meet their operational needs or achieve profitability, Innventure may be required to make additional investments in them that could adversely impact its own operations and growth plans.
If Innventure or the Innventure Companies are not able to satisfy the requirements imposed by MNC partners or have disagreements with those MNC partners, their relationships with these partners could deteriorate, which could have a material adverse effect on the business of Innventure and the Innventure Companies.
Under the terms of Innventure and the Innventure Companies’ agreements with The Procter & Gamble Company (“P&G”) and the Nokia Corporation (“Nokia”), and any agreements they may enter with future MNC partners, they may be required to obtain or provide certain permits, licenses or other authorizations, provide certain fiscal indemnification to their MNC partners and meet various other terms and conditions. If Innventure and the Innventure Companies fail to comply with the terms and conditions of the applicable MNC agreement, they may incur liabilities to their MNC partners under the applicable MNC agreement. In that situation, the damages Innventure and the Innventure Companies would be subject to would be quantified either by the applicable courts or by third-party valuation firms. If one or more of these MNC agreements is terminated, Innventure’s ability to license other technologies from existing or future MNC partners could be impeded and the underlying value of Innventure’s business could decline significantly.
Innventure may not be able to obtain additional financing to fund the operations and growth of the business.
Innventure and the Innventure Companies expect to require additional financing to fund their operations or growth. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of Innventure and the Innventure Companies. Such financings may result in dilution to stockholders, issuance of securities with priority as to liquidation and dividend and other rights more favorable than common stock, imposition of debt covenants and repayment obligations, or other restrictions that may adversely affect their business. In addition, Innventure may seek additional capital due to favorable market conditions or strategic considerations even if it believes that it has sufficient funds for current or future operating plans. There can be no assurance that financing will be available to Innventure on favorable terms, or at all. The inability to obtain financing when needed may make it more difficult for Innventure and the Innventure Companies to operate their businesses or implement their growth plans.
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The WTI Facility may impair Innventure LLC’s, the Company’s and the Operating Companies’ financial and operating flexibility.
The WTI Facility provides for a term loan facility in an aggregate principal amount of up to $50 million, of which (i) the First Tranche will be made available after October 22, 2024 and through November 15, 2024; (ii) the Second Tranche will be made available after November 1, 2024 and through November 30, 2024; and (iii) the Third Tranche will be made available after December 31, 2024 and through January 31, 2025 (provided that up to $7.5 million of the Third Tranche will be made available until March 31, 2025).
The receipt of any funds under the WTI Facility is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions by certain deadlines, including, without limitation, (x) with respect to the First Tranche, available cash (after giving effect to the loans to be made under the First Tranche) of $35 million and (y) with respect to each of the Second Tranche and the Third Tranche, satisfaction of certain financial conditions and the WTI Lenders’ satisfaction with the Company’s forward-looking plan at such time.
If Innventure is unable to satisfy the conditions, certain of which are outside of its control, set forth in the Loan Documents with respect to a particular tranche, Innventure will not receive the funds otherwise available under that tranche and, if Innventure is unable to satisfy the conditions, certain of which are outside of its control, set forth in any of the tranches, Innventure will receive no funds from the WTI Facility.
Furthermore, the Loan Documents impose various representations, warranties, covenants and events of default on Innventure LLC, the Company and the Operating Companies, including, without limitation, on their ability to incur indebtedness, grant liens, transfer assets, make investments, make dividends and other distributions and make certain payments of other indebtedness. These restrictions will be imposed upon Innventure LLC, the Company and the Operating Companies until March 31, 2025, even if no WTI Facility loans are made by that date. Obligations under the Loan Documents are secured by a lien on substantially all of the assets of Innventure LLC and the Company. These restrictions could limit Innventure LLC’s, the Company’s and the Operating Companies’ financial and operational flexibility and may require Innventure LLC, the Company and the Operating Companies to seek consents from the WTI Lenders prior to taking certain actions. Such consents may not be provided by WTI on a timely basis, or at all.
There can be no assurance that the WTI Facility will be available to Innventure when requested, or at all. The restrictions imposed by the WTI Facility on Innventure LLC, the Company and the Operating Companies may make it more difficult for them to operate their businesses or implement their growth plans going forward. Furthermore, these restrictions will be imposed upon Innventure LLC, the Company and the Operating Companies until March 31, 2025, even if no funds are provided to Innventure pursuant to the WTI Facility. Even if deemed necessary, we may not be able to raise additional indebtedness in the future on terms acceptable to us or at all because of the restrictions imposed by the WTI Facility. As a result, we would be more vulnerable to general adverse economic, industry and capital markets conditions in addition to the risks associated with indebtedness described above.
It is not possible to predict the actual number of shares Innventure will sell under the SEPA to Yorkville, or the actual gross proceeds resulting from those sales.
Subject to certain conditions and limitations in the SEPA and compliance with applicable law, Innventure has the discretion to deliver notices to Yorkville at any time throughout the term of the SEPA. The actual number of shares of Common Stock that are issued and sold to Yorkville depends on a number of factors, including the market price of Innventure’s Common Stock during the sales period. Actual gross proceeds may be less than $75.0 million, which may impact Innventure’s future liquidity. Because the price per share of each share sold to Yorkville will fluctuate during the sales period, it is not currently possible to predict the number of shares that will be sold or the actual gross proceeds to be raised in connection with those sales.
Moreover, although the SEPA provides that Innventure may sell up to an aggregate of $75.0 million of its Common Stock to Yorkville, Innventure is only registering the resale by Yorkville of up to 4,418,307 shares of
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Innventure’s Common Stock that may be issued without exceeding the 9.99% prong of the exchange cap set forth in the SEPA. If Innventure elects to issue and sell to Yorkville all of the shares registered for resale to Yorkville, depending on the market prices of its Common Stock for each purchase made pursuant to the SEPA, the actual gross proceeds from the sale of the shares may be substantially less than the $75.0 million total commitment available to Innventure under the SEPA. If it becomes (i) necessary for Innventure to issue and sell to Yorkville under the SEPA more shares than the shares registered for resale by Yorkville in order to receive the aggregate gross proceeds equal to $75.0 million under the SEPA and (ii) if Innventure is able to sell more shares than the shares registered for resale by Yorkville while still complying with the exchange cap, then Innventure will need to file with the SEC one or more additional registration statements to register under the Securities Act the resale by Yorkville of any such additional shares of Innventure’s Common Stock over the shares registered for resale by Yorkville and such registration statements would need to be declared effective by the SEC, in each case before Innventure may elect to sell any additional shares of Innventure’s Common Stock to Yorkville under the SEPA, a process which will take time and incur additional expense.
Any issuance and sale by Innventure under the SEPA of a substantial amount of shares of Common Stock in addition to the shares already registered for resale to Yorkville could cause additional substantial dilution to Innventure’s stockholders. The number of shares of Innventure’s Common Stock ultimately offered for resale by Yorkville is dependent upon the number of shares of Common Stock, if any, Innventure ultimately sells to Yorkville under the SEPA.
It is not possible to predict the extent to which the Company will, intends to, or may rely on Yorkville and the SEPA as a source of funding.
Subject to the terms and conditions of the SEPA, Innventure may, at its discretion, issue and sell to Yorkville up to $75.0 million of shares of Innventure’s Common Stock under the SEPA from time-to-time. The purchase price per share for the shares of Common Stock that Innventure may elect to sell to Yorkville under the SEPA will fluctuate based on the market prices of Innventure’s Common Stock for each purchase made pursuant to the SEPA, if any. Accordingly, it is not currently possible to predict the number of shares that will be issued and sold to Yorkville, the actual purchase price per share to be paid by Yorkville for those shares, if any, or the actual gross proceeds to be raised in connection with those sales.
The extent to which Innventure will rely on Yorkville as a source of funding will depend on a number of factors including, the prevailing market price of Innventure’s Common Stock and the extent to which Innventure is able to secure working and other capital from other sources. If obtaining sufficient funding from Yorkville were to prove unavailable or prohibitively dilutive, Innventure may need to secure additional sources of funding beyond its current expectations in order to satisfy its working and other capital needs. Even if Innventure were to sell to Yorkville all of the shares of Common Stock available for sale to Yorkville under the SEPA, Innventure may still need additional capital to fully implement its business, operating and development plans. Should the financing Innventure requires to sustain its working capital needs be unavailable or prohibitively expensive when Innventure requires it, the consequences may be a material adverse effect on Innventure’s business, operating results, financial condition and prospects.
Innventure’s success will depend on its ability to attract and retain personnel and manage human capital both for itself and the Innventure Companies, while controlling labor costs.
Innventure’s future success depends on its ability to attract, recruit, train, retain, motivate and integrate key personnel for itself and the Innventure Companies, including its management team, key executives, and other key talent, and the management team and key research and development, manufacturing, engineering and sales and marketing personnel for the Innventure Companies. Competition for qualified personnel is intense. The loss or incapacity of existing members of Innventure’s executive management team could adversely affect its operations if it experiences difficulties in hiring qualified successors. The service of Innventure’s executive officers is at-will and may end at any point in time. In addition, all of Innventure and the Innventure Companies’ employees are at-will, which means that either they or the employee may terminate their employment at any time.
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Innventure believes that its management team must be able to act decisively to apply and adapt its business model in the rapidly changing markets in which it and the Innventure Companies will compete. In addition, the Innventure Companies rely upon technical and scientific employees or third-party contractors to effectively establish, manage and grow their businesses. Consequently, Innventure believes that its future viability and the future viability of the Innventure Companies will depend largely on their ability to attract and retain highly skilled managerial, sales, scientific and technical personnel. In order to do so, in the future it may need to pay higher compensation or fees to its employees or consultants than currently expected, and such higher compensation payments may have a negative effect on its operating results. Competition for experienced, high-quality personnel is intense, and there is no assurance that Innventure or the Innventure Companies will be able to recruit and retain such personnel. Because of the technical nature of the technologies and products offered by the Innventure Companies, any failure of the Innventure Companies to attract, recruit, train, retain, motivate and integrate qualified personnel could also materially harm Innventure’s operating results and growth prospects.
Innventure’s pursuit of new business strategies and acquisitions could disrupt its ongoing business, present risks not originally contemplated and materially adversely affect its business, reputation, results of operations and financial condition.
Innventure’s growth strategy involves new business strategies and the acquisition of new technologies. These new strategies or future technology acquisitions could disrupt Innventure’s ongoing businesses, which may frustrate Innventure’s MNC partners, the Innventure Companies, and their customers, harming Innventure’s business relationships and causing a loss of revenue and business opportunities. Innventure’s ability to effectively manage its anticipated acquisitions and resulting expansion of operations will also require it to enhance its operational, financial and management controls and infrastructure, human resources policies and reporting systems. These enhancements and improvements will require significant capital expenditures, investments in additional headcount and other operating expenditures and allocation of valuable management and employee resources, which may divert Innventure’s resources from its ongoing businesses. Innventure’s future financial performance and ability to execute on its business plan will depend, in part, on its ability to effectively manage any future technology acquisitions. There are no guarantees Innventure will be able to do so in an efficient or timely manner, or at all.
There is uncertainty regarding Innventure’s ability to maintain liquidity sufficient to operate its business effectively, which raises substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern.
Innventure LLC’s historical financial statements have each been prepared under the assumption that the Company will continue as a going concern. The independent registered public accounting firm for Innventure LLC issued a report on the audited financial statement for the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 for Innventure LLC that includes an explanatory paragraph expressing substantial doubt in Innventure LLC’s ability to continue as a going concern for one year from the date of such report. The ability of Innventure to continue as a going concern is dependent on the Company’s ability to obtain additional equity or debt financing or to generate cash flow from operations. Its financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty. The substantial doubt regarding the potential ability of Innventure to continue as a going concern may adversely affect its ability to obtain such debt or equity financing on reasonable terms or at all, or to secure new customers or partnerships, including partnerships with MNCs. Additionally, if Innventure is unable to continue as a going concern, investors, including holders of Common Stock, may lose some or all of their investment.
Risks Related to Our Common Stock
The market price of our Common Stock is likely to be highly volatile, and you may lose some or all of your investment.
The market price of our Common Stock may fluctuate significantly due to a number of factors, some of which may be beyond our control, including those factors discussed in this “ Risk Factors ” section and many others, such as:
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• actual or anticipated fluctuations in Innventure’s financial condition and operating results, including fluctuations in its quarterly and annual results;
• developments involving Innventure’s competitors;
• changes in laws and regulations affecting Innventure’s business;
• variations in Innventure’s operating performance and the performance of its competitors in general;
• the public’s reaction to Innventure’s press releases, its other public announcements and its filings with the SEC;
• additions and departures of key personnel;
• announcements of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments by Innventure or its competitors;
• Innventure’s failure to meet the estimates and projections of the investment community or that it may otherwise provide to the public;
• publication of research reports about Innventure’s industry, or positive or negative recommendations or withdrawal of research coverage by securities analysts;
• changes in the market valuations of similar companies;
• overall performance of the equity markets;
• sales of the Common Stock by Innventure or its stockholders in the future;
• trading volume of the Common Stock;
• significant lawsuits, including shareholder litigation;
• failure to comply with the requirements of Nasdaq;
• general economic, industry and market conditions other events or factors, many of which are beyond Innventure’s control; and
• changes in accounting standards, policies, guidelines, interpretations or principles.
Volatility in Innventure’s share price could subject Innventure to securities class action litigation.
In the past, securities class action litigation has often been brought against a company following a decline in the market price of its securities. If Innventure faces such litigation, it could result in substantial costs and a diversion of management’s attention and resources, which could harm its business.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about Innventure, or publish negative reports, then Innventure’s stock price and trading volume could decline.
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The trading market for our common stock will depend, in part, on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about Innventure. Innventure does not have any control over these analysts. If Innventure’s financial performance fails to meet analyst estimates or one or more of the analysts who cover Innventure downgrade its common stock or change their opinion, then Innventure’s stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of Innventure or fail to regularly publish reports on Innventure, it could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause Innventure’s stock price or trading volume to decline.
Innventure does not currently intend to pay dividends on its Common Stock, and, consequently, your ability to achieve a return on your investment will depend on appreciation, if any, in the price of our Common Stock.
Innventure has no intention to ever declare or pay any cash dividend on its Common Stock. Innventure currently anticipates that it will retain future earnings for the development, operation and expansion of the business and does not anticipate declaring or paying any cash dividends for the foreseeable future. Any return to stockholders will therefore be limited to the appreciation of their stock. In addition, the terms of any equity or debt instruments that Innventure may issue in the future could contain prohibitions or restrictions on the ability of Innventure to pay dividends on its Common Stock. There is no guarantee that our Common Stock will appreciate in value or even maintain the price at which stockholders have purchased their shares.
Future sales of shares of our Common Stock may depress its stock price.
In connection with the execution of the Business Combination Agreement, certain insiders of Innventure LLC (each, a “Lock-Up Party”) entered into lock-up agreements (the “Lock-Up Agreements”) with the Company. Subject to certain exceptions, the Lock-Up Agreements provide for certain restrictions on transfer with respect to Common Stock held by certain stockholders of Innventure. Such restriction began upon the Closing Date and will end upon the earlier of (A) the expiration of one year after the Closing, and (B) subsequent to the Closing, (i) if the closing price of our Common Stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share subdivisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the Closing, or (ii) the date which Innventure completes a merger, liquidation, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction after the Closing that results in all of the public stockholders of the Company having the right to exchange their Common Stock for cash securities or other property. Additionally, certain other shareholders of Innventure, previous Innventure LLC and Learn CW equity holders, are subject to lock-ups which also provide for certain restrictions on transfer with respect to the Common Stock held by such stockholders of Innventure.
Following the expiration of the applicable lock-up periods, such equity holders will not be restricted from selling shares of Common Stock held by them, other than by applicable securities laws. As restrictions on resale end and registration statements (filed after the Closing to provide for the resale of such shares from time to time) are available for use, the sale or possibility of sale of these shares could have the effect of increasing the volatility in Innventure’s share price or the market price of our Common Stock could decline if the holders of currently restricted shares sell them or are perceived by the market as intending to sell them.
Provisions in the A&R Certificate of Incorporation and under Delaware law could discourage a takeover that stockholders may consider favorable and may lead to entrenchment of management.
The A&R Certificate of Incorporation and our By-laws (as amended and restated, the “Bylaws”) contain provisions that could significantly reduce the value of the common stock to a potential acquirer or delay or prevent changes in control or changes in our management without the consent of Innventure’s Board of Directors (the “Board”). The provisions in Innventure’s charter documents include the following:
• a classified board of directors with three-year staggered terms, which may delay the ability of stockholders to change the membership of a majority of the Board;
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• no cumulative voting in the election of directors, which limits the ability of minority stockholders to elect director candidates;
• the exclusive right of the Board, unless the Board grants such a right to the holders of any series of preferred stock, to elect a director to fill a vacancy created by the expansion of the Board or the resignation, death or removal of a director, which prevents stockholders from being able to fill vacancies on our board of directors;
• the prohibition on removal of directors without cause;
• the ability of the Board to authorize the issuance of shares of preferred stock and to determine the price and other terms of those shares, including preferences and voting rights, without stockholder approval, which could be used to significantly dilute the ownership of a hostile acquirer;
• the ability of the Board to alter the Bylaws without obtaining stockholder approval;
• the required approval of at least 2/3 of the shares entitled to vote to amend or repeal the Bylaws or amend, alter or repeal certain provisions of the A&R Certificate of Incorporation;
• a prohibition on stockholder action by written consent, which forces stockholder action to be taken at an annual or special meeting of Innventure’s stockholders;
• an exclusive forum provision providing that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the exclusive forum for certain actions and proceedings;
• the requirement that a special meeting of stockholders may be called only by the Board, Innventure’s chief executive officer, or the chairman of the Board, which may delay the ability of our stockholders to force consideration of a proposal or to take action, including the removal of directors;
• advance notice procedures that stockholders must comply with in order to nominate candidates to the Board or to propose matters to be acted upon at a stockholders’ meeting, which may discourage or deter a potential acquiror from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirer’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of Innventure; and
• Innventure is subject to the anti-takeover provisions contained in Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which will prevent Innventure from engaging in a business combination with any holder of 15% or more of its capital stock unless the holder has held the stock for three years or, among other exceptions, the Board has approved the transaction.
The exclusive forum clause set forth in the Warrant Agreement may have the effect of limiting an investor’s rights to bring legal action against Innventure and could limit the investor’s ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us.
In connection with the Business Combination, Innventure assumed Learn CW’s warrant agreement, dated as of October 12, 2021, between Learn CW and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, a New York limited liability company (the “Warrant Agreement”). By virtue of the assumption of the Warrant Agreement (i) any action, proceeding or claim against Innventure arising out of or relating in any way to the Warrant Agreement will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern
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District of New York and (ii) Innventure irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction will be exclusive. Innventure has waived or will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum. We note, however, that there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce these provisions and that investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for state and federal courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the Warrant Agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of the warrants issued pursuant to the Warrant Agreement shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in the Warrant Agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope of the forum provisions of the Warrant Agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any holder of the warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.
This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with Innventure, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of the Warrant Agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and Board.
We are an emerging growth company and smaller reporting company, and we cannot be certain if the reduced reporting requirements applicable to emerging growth companies and smaller reporting companies will make our Common Stock less attractive to investors.
Innventure is an emerging growth company, as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (“JOBS Act”). For as long as Innventure continues to be an emerging growth company, it may take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies,” including exemption from compliance with the auditor attestation requirements under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. Innventure will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) December 31, 2029, (2) the last day of the fiscal year (a) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion or (b) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of shares of our Common Stock that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700.0 million as of the prior June 30, and (3) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.
In addition, under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies. Innventure expects to use this extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards and, therefore, Innventure will not be subject to the same new or revised accounting standards as other public companies that are not emerging growth companies.
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Innventure is also a smaller reporting company as defined in the Exchange Act. Even after Innventure no longer qualifies as an emerging growth company, it may still qualify as a “smaller reporting company,” which would allow it to take advantage of many of the same exemptions from disclosure requirements including exemption from compliance with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 and reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in this prospectus and Innventure’s periodic reports and proxy statements.
Innventure will take advantage of the smaller reporting company scaled disclosures, and it will be able to continue to take advantage of the smaller reporting company scaled disclosures for so long as its voting and non-voting Common Stock held by non-affiliates is less than $250.0 million measured on the last business day of its second fiscal quarter, or its annual revenue is less than $100.0 million during the most recently completed fiscal year and its voting and non-voting Common Stock held by non-affiliates is less than $700.0 million measured on the last business day of its second fiscal quarter.
Innventure cannot predict if investors will find its Common Stock less attractive because Innventure may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find the Common Stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for the Common Stock and its market price may be more volatile.
Future offerings of debt or offerings or issuances of equity securities by the Innventure may adversely affect the market price of the Common Stock or otherwise dilute all other stockholders.
In the future, the Innventure may attempt to obtain financing or to further increase Innventure’s capital resources by issuing additional shares of Common Stock or offering debt or other equity securities, including commercial paper, medium-term notes, senior or subordinated notes, debt securities convertible into equity or shares of preferred stock. Innventure also expects to grant equity awards to employees, directors, and consultants under Innventure’s stock incentive plans. Future acquisitions could require substantial additional capital in excess of cash from operations. Innventure would expect to obtain the capital required for acquisitions through a combination of additional issuances of equity, corporate indebtedness and/or cash from operations.
Issuing additional shares of Common Stock or other equity securities or securities convertible into equity may dilute the economic and voting rights of Innventure’s existing stockholders or reduce the market price of the Common Stock or both. Upon liquidation, holders of such debt securities, preferred shares, and lenders with respect to other borrowings would receive a distribution of Innventure’s available assets prior to the holders of Common Stock. Debt securities convertible into equity could be subject to adjustments in the conversion ratio pursuant to which certain events may increase the number of equity securities issuable upon conversion. Preferred shares, if issued, could have a preference with respect to liquidating distributions or a preference with respect to dividend payments that could limit Innventure’s ability to pay dividends to the holders of Common Stock. Innventure’s decision to issue securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond the Innventure’s control, which may adversely affect the amount, timing and nature of the Innventure’s future offerings.
If Innventure’s estimates or judgments relating to its critical accounting estimates prove to be incorrect or financial reporting standards or interpretations change, Innventure’s results of operations could be adversely affected.
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Innventure will base its estimates on historical experience, known trends and events, and various other factors that it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances, as provided in the section entitled “ Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Critical Accounting Estimates .” The results of these estimates form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Significant assumptions and estimates may be used in preparing Innventure’s financial statements. Innventure’s results of operations may be adversely affected if its assumptions change or if actual circumstances differ from those in its assumptions, which could cause its results of operations to fall below the expectations of securities analysts and investors, resulting in a decline in the trading price of its Common Stock.
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Additionally, Innventure will regularly monitor its compliance with applicable financial reporting standards and review new pronouncements and drafts thereof that are relevant to it. As a result of new standards, changes to existing standards and changes in their interpretation, Innventure might be required to change its accounting policies, alter its operational policies, and implement new or enhance existing systems so that they reflect new or amended financial reporting standards, or Innventure may be required to restate its published financial statements. Such changes to existing standards or changes in their interpretation may have an adverse effect on its reputation, business, financial position, and profit.
Exclusive forum provisions in the A&R Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws could limit Innventure’s stockholders’ ability to choose their preferred judicial forum for disputes with Innventure or its directors, officers, or employees.
The Bylaws provide that, unless Innventure consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the sole and exclusive forum for specified legal actions is the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (the “Delaware Court”). Current and former stockholders are deemed to have consented to the personal jurisdiction of the Delaware Court in connection with any action to enforce that exclusive forum provision and to service of process in any such action. These exclusive forum provisions of the Bylaws do not apply to actions arising under federal securities laws including suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. To the extent that these provisions of the Bylaws limit a current or former stockholder’s ability to select a judicial forum other than the Delaware Court, they might discourage the specified legal actions, might cause current or former stockholders to incur additional litigation-related expenses, and might result in outcomes unfavorable to current or former stockholders. A court might determine that these provisions of the Bylaws are inapplicable or unenforceable in any particular action, in which case we may incur additional litigation related expenses in such action, and the action may result in outcomes unfavorable to us, which could have a materially adverse impact on Innventure’s reputation, its business operations, and its financial position or results of operations.
Innventure LLC has identified material weaknesses in its internal controls over financial reporting that could, if not remediated, result in material misstatements in its financial statements and which may have an impact on Innventure's ability to timely or accurately report its financial condition or results of operations following the consummation of the Business Combination.
In connection with the preparation of Innventure LLC's financial statements, certain material weaknesses were identified in Innventure LLC’s 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 Innventure's interim or annual consolidated financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. The material weaknesses identified were as follows:
• Innventure LLC's system of internal controls over financial reporting failed to prevent or detect material adjustments necessary to appropriately present certain complex and significant unusual transactions in accordance with GAAP due primarily to insufficient staffing of personnel possessing the appropriate accounting and financial reporting knowledge and experience to review and monitor third-party consultants;
• Innventure LLC's system of internal controls over financial reporting did not include necessary information technology general controls including related to (i) periodic user access reviews, (ii) user provisioning and de-provisioning, (iii) restriction of privileged access, (iv) authentication settings;
• Innventure LLC did not maintain effectively designed and implemented controls over the costing and existence of inventory as of September 30, 2024, including controls over the calculation of such inventory on the weighted average basis;
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• Innventure LLC did not have sufficient controls related to review of accounting treatment related to equity of publicly traded securities that it holds. As a result, there were several material audit adjustments related to these areas including adjustment of unrealized gains/losses on shares of PCT to fair value; and
• in 2022, Innventure LLC's system of internal controls over financial reporting did not include adequate segregation of duties or review of periodic account reconciliations and financial reporting prepared by accounting personnel, leading to material misstatements in the financial statements relating to the value of the liability of PCT shares owed to others and the change in the liability of shares owed to others.
Effective internal controls are necessary for Innventure to provide reliable financial reports and prevent fraud. Innventure has developed a remediation plan for the material weaknesses that have been identified, including enhancing its complement of resources with accounting and internal control knowledge through additional hiring and/or training to implement and perform additional controls over: (a) the initial subsequent accounting for complex and significant unusual transactions, (b) general IT controls, (c) segregation of duties and (d) review of accounting treatment related to equity of publically traded securities. Innventure is currently implementing this plan. Furthermore, Innventure has engaged additional external resources to assess its control environment and expects to further engage these external advisors to provide assistance with all elements of the design of the Company's program for internal controls over financial reporting, including:
• expanding Innventure's accounting and finance functions by hiring additional employees within its accounting and finance departments, which has not yet been initiated, and co-sourcing with third parties to augment Innventure’s accounting and finance functions;
• developing and implementing formal duties, processes and responsibilities within Innventure's accounting and finance systems;
• implementing additional controls relating to identification and treatment of unusual significant accounting matters within the financial close and reporting process on a go forward basis; and
• implementing additional controls around review of accounting treatment related to equity of publicly traded securities.
These remediation measures may be time consuming, costly, and might place significant demands on Innventure's financial and operational resources. The specific time frames needed to fully remediate the identified material weaknesses have not yet been determined.
Innventure cannot assure you that these measures will adequately remediate the material weaknesses described above. The implementation of these remediation measures is in the early stages and will require testing and validation of the design and operating effectiveness of Innventure's internal controls over multiple financial reporting cycles. As a result, because it is not clear if Innventure will be able to fully remediate the material weaknesses in a timely manner, there is a possibility that these control deficiencies or others may result in a material misstatement of Innventure's annual or interim financial statements that would not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
If Innventure is unable to successfully remediate the material weaknesses, or if in the future, Innventure identifies further material weaknesses in its internal controls over financial reporting, it may not detect errors on a timely basis, and its financial statements may be materially misstated. Innventure cannot provide any assurance that these material weaknesses will not have an impact on its ability to timely and accurately report its financial condition or results of operations or that any additional material weaknesses will not arise in the future due to a failure to implement and maintain adequate internal control over financial reporting or circumvention of these
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controls. Innventure may not be able to conclude on an ongoing basis that it has effective internal control over financial reporting, which could harm its operating results, cause investors to lose confidence in its reported financial information and cause the trading price of its stock to fall. In addition, as a public company, Innventure will be required to file accurate and timely quarterly and annual reports with the SEC under the Exchange Act. Any failure to report Innventure's financial results on an accurate and timely basis could result in sanctions, lawsuits, delisting of our Common Stock from Nasdaq or other adverse consequences that would materially harm its business. In addition, Innventure could become subject to investigations by Nasdaq, the SEC, and other regulatory authorities, and become subject to litigation from investors and stockholders, which could harm its reputation and its financial condition, or divert financial and management resources from its core business.
If Innventure is deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, it may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and its activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult to operate or to execute its growth plans.
If Innventure is deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, it will be subject to additional regulatory requirements and its activities may be restricted, including:
• restrictions on the nature of its investments;
• limitations on its ability to borrow;
• prohibitions on transactions with affiliates; and
• restrictions on the issuance of securities.
Each of these may make it difficult for Innventure to run its business. In addition, the law may impose upon Innventure burdensome requirements, including:
• registration as an investment company and subsequent regulation as an investment company;
• adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and
• reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations.
Innventure intends to conduct its operations so that it is not required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act defines an “investment company” as any issuer that is or holds itself out as being engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Investment Company Act defines an investment company as any issuer that is engaged or proposes to engage in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities and owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of the issuer’s total assets (exclusive of U.S. Government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Excluded from the term “investment securities,” among other things, are U.S. Government securities and securities issued by majority-owned subsidiaries that are not themselves investment companies and are not relying on the exemption from the definition of investment company set forth in Section 3(c)(1) or Section 3(c)(7) of the Investment Company Act.
Furthermore, if Innventure were to operate its Operating Companies primarily for the purpose of making a profit in the sale of its Operating Companies' securities rather than retaining majority (or sole) ownership of such companies, it may increase the likelihood that Innventure could be deemed an investment company.
Though Innventure does not expect exit transactions to be a factor in the business plans for its Operating Companies and does not believe that its principal activities will subject it to the Investment Company Act, if
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Innventure were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with the additional regulatory burdens discussed above would require additional expense and attention from management for which Innventure has not accounted.
The determination as to whether certain Innventure assets are viewed as securities (i.e., by falling within the definition of an “investment contract”) is made by Innventure and if the SEC were to disagree with Innventure’s determination, Innventure could be deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act.
Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act defines an “investment company” to include a company that “is or holds itself out as being engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities.” Whether a company is engaged primarily in the business of investing in securities is a question of fact that is determined through the analysis of five factors. No single factor by itself is dispositive. The relevant factors are: (1) the nature of a company’s assets; (2) the source of a company's income; (3) the company’s historic development; (4) the company’s public representations; and (5) the activities of the company’s officers and directors.
In the context of its Section 3(a)(1)(A) analysis, and specifically Section 3(a)(1)(A)’s asset test, Innventure has determined that neither Innventure’s equity interest in AeroFlexx nor the loans from Innventure to AeroFlexx are a “security.” This determination is based upon Innventure’s conclusion that neither should be viewed as an “investment contract.” Applicable case law has found that an “investment contract” exists when there is the investment of money in a common enterprise with a reasonable expectation of profits to be derived primarily from the efforts of others.
The above determinations were made by Innventure based in large part on case law precedent and no-action letters issued by the SEC staff and other SEC interpretive guidance, and the significant relationship that exists between Innventure and AeroFlexx (e.g., Innventure founded AeroFlexx and the only AeroFlexx director that is not also an Innventure director is the CEO of AeroFlexx who is, himself, an employee of Innventure). Additionally, based in large part on case law precedent and SEC staff no-action letters, Innventure determined that the loans from Innventure to AeroFlexx should not constitute securities that are “evidences of indebtedness” under the Investment Company Act.
Innventure has not requested the SEC to approve this analysis and the SEC has not done so. If the SEC were to disagree with Innventure’s analysis or relevant factual circumstances were to change, Innventure may be required to adjust its analysis and, potentially, its asset composition, in order to support its conclusion that it should not be deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act. If Innventure were required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, compliance with the additional associated regulatory burdens would require additional expense and attention from management for which Innventure has not accounted and, furthermore, could require Innventure to restructure its operations, sell certain of its assets or abstain from the purchase of certain assets, which could have a material adverse effect on Innventure’s business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Additional financing transactions by the Operating Companies could impact your rights as a stockholder of Innventure.
Innventure and the Operating Companies expect to require additional financing to fund their operations or growth. These additional financing transactions could include transactions at the Operating Company level, such as Innventure’s sale of Operating Company equity, or the Operating Companies’ issuance of new equity. The issuance of new equity securities to third-party investors at the Operating Company level or the sale of a portion of Operating Company equity held by Innventure would reduce Innventure’s ownership interest in that Operating Company. Furthermore, the holders of those equity securities would have structural priority as compared to Innventure’s Common Stock with respect to that Operating Companies’ assets and will also have priority as to liquidation and dividend and other rights more favorable than Innventure’s Common Stock with respect to that Operating Company. This priority, or any reduction in Innventure’s ownership interest in any Operating Companies, may reduce the value of Innventure’s Common Stock.
Risks Related to the Innventure Companies’ Operations
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Risks Related to AeroFlexx’s Operations
AeroFlexx currently relies on a single facility for all of its operations.
AFX currently relies solely on the operations at its facility in West Chester, Ohio (the “West Chester Facility”). Adverse changes or developments affecting the West Chester Facility could impair AFX’s ability to produce its packaging and its business and prospects, which would negatively affect its financial condition and results of operations. Any shutdown or period of reduced production at the West Chester Facility, which may be caused by regulatory noncompliance or other issues, as well as other factors beyond its control, such as severe weather conditions, natural disaster, fire, power interruption, work stoppage, disease outbreaks or pandemics, equipment failure, delay in supply delivery, or shortages of material, equipment, or labor, would significantly disrupt AFX’s ability to grow and produce liquid packaging products in a timely manner, meet its contractual obligations and operate its business. AFX’s equipment is costly to replace or repair, and AFX’s equipment supply chains may be disrupted in connection with pandemics, trade wars or other factors. If any material amount of AFX’s machinery were damaged, it would be unable to predict when, if at all, it could replace or repair such machinery or find co-manufacturers with suitable alternative machinery, which could adversely affect AFX’s business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Performance guarantees may not be sufficient to cover damages or losses, or the guarantors under such guarantees may not have the ability to pay. Any insurance coverage AFX has may not be sufficient to cover all of its potential losses and may not continue to be available to AFX on acceptable terms, or at all.
The failure of AFX’s suppliers to continue to deliver necessary raw materials or other components of its products in a timely manner and to specification could prevent it from delivering products within required time frames and could cause production delays, cancellations, penalty payments and damage to its brand and reputation.
AFX is early in the development of its commercial production capacity and has not yet fully diversified suppliers for critical raw materials, specifically its film.
Thus far, AFX has qualified one incumbent raw material film supplier—a large, foreign third-party supplier with over 22,000 employees and operations in approximately 100 countries—and is working to finalize a raw materials agreement with the same. Currently, AFX relies on individual purchase orders to purchase the film produced by the supplier. AFX is in the process of qualifying a second raw material film supplier—another, similarly large, foreign third-party supplier with a larger global footprint—with negotiations for a raw materials agreement to begin after such qualification. Such qualification, if achieved, is not expected until the fourth quarter of 2024. AFX intends to continue to work towards further diversifying its supplier base as product demand grows and multiple suppliers are needed to support business continuity, though there is no guaranty that such diversification will be successful.
If AFX's suppliers provide insufficient inventory to meet customer demand or such inventory is not at the level of quality required to meet its standards or if its suppliers are unable or unwilling to provide AFX with the requested quantities (as AFX has no alternatives for supply), AFX's results of operations could be materially and negatively impacted. If AFX fails to develop or maintain its relationships with suppliers, or if there is otherwise a shortage or lack of availability of any required raw materials or components, AFX may be unable to manufacture its products or those products may be available only at a higher cost or after a long delay.
Due to increased demand across a range of industries, the global supply chain for certain raw materials and components has experienced significant strain. The global macroeconomic environment and geopolitical instability have also contributed to and exacerbated this strain. There can be no assurance that the impact of these issues on the supply chain will not continue, or worsen, in the future. Significant delays and shortages could prevent AFX from delivering its products to its customers within required time frames and cause order cancellations, which would adversely impact its cash flows and results of operations.
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Failure of AFX’s target customers, who are subject to cyclical downturns, to achieve success or maintain market share could adversely impact AFX’s sales and operating margins.
AFX’s plastic packaging can be used in the production of various consumer products. A customer’s ability to successfully develop, manufacture and market those products is integral to AFX’s success. Cyclical downturns and changing consumer preferences may negatively affect businesses that use AFX’s products, which could adversely affect sales and operating margins. Other factors that could adversely affect the business include (i) failure by a key customer to achieve success or maintain share in markets in which they sell products containing AFX’s materials, including as a result of customer preferences for products other than plastics, (ii) key customers using products developed by others that replace AFX’s business with such customers, (iii) delays in a key customer rolling out products utilizing new technologies developed by AFX, and (iv) operational decisions by a key customer that result in component substitution, inventory reductions and similar changes.
AFX is an early-stage company, and its limited operating history makes it difficult to evaluate its future prospects and the risks and challenges it may encounter.
AFX is early in the development of its commercial production capacity. Its limited operating history makes it difficult to evaluate AFX’s future prospects and the risks and challenges it may encounter. Risks and challenges AFX has faced or expects to face include, but are not limited to, its ability to:
• develop and commercialize its products;
• design and deliver products of acceptable performance;
• increase sales revenue;
• forecast its revenue and budget for and manage its expenses;
• attract new customers and commercial relationships;
• compete successfully in the industry in which it operates;
• plan for and manage capital expenditures for its current and future products;
• find, contract with, and retain reliable and commercially reasonable materials, components, and inventory vendors;
• comply with existing and new or modified laws and regulations applicable to its business in and outside the United States, including compliance requirements of U.S. customs and export regulations;
• anticipate and respond to macroeconomic changes and changes in the markets in which it operates;
• maintain and enhance the value of its reputation and brand;
• develop and protect intellectual property;
• hire, integrate and retain talented people at all levels of its organization;
• successfully defend itself in any legal proceeding that may arise and enforce its rights in any legal proceedings it may initiate; and
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• manage and mitigate the adverse effects on its business of any public health emergencies, natural disasters, widespread travel disruptions, security risks including IT security, data privacy, cyber risks, international conflicts, geopolitical tension and other events beyond its control.
If AFX fails to address the risks and difficulties that it faces, including those associated with the challenges listed above, its business, financial condition, results of operations, prospects and that of Innventure, could be adversely affected. Further, because AFX has limited historical financial data and operates in a highly competitive market, any predictions about its future revenue and expenses may not be as accurate as they would be if AFX had a longer operating history or operated in a more predictable market. AFX has encountered in the past, and will encounter in the future, risks and uncertainties frequently experienced by growing companies with limited operating histories in rapidly changing industries. If AFX’s assumptions regarding these risks and uncertainties, which it uses to plan and operate its business, are incorrect or change, or if it does not address these risks successfully, its results of operations could differ materially from its expectations and its business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be adversely affected.
AFX’s ability to establish substantial commercial sales of its products is subject to many risks, any of which could prevent or delay revenue growth and adversely impact its customer relationships, business and results of operations.
AFX’s products may not be approved or accepted by customers, and may not be able to be sold profitably at prices sufficient to establish demand.
Potential customers for AFX products generally have established manufacturing processes and arrangements with suppliers of their product components and may have a resistance to changing these processes and components. These potential customers frequently impose lengthy and complex product qualification procedures on their suppliers, influenced by consumer preference, manufacturing considerations such as process changes and capital and other costs associated with transitioning to alternative components, supplier operating history, established business relationships and agreements, regulatory issues, product liability and other factors, many of which are unknown to, or not well understood by, us. Satisfying these processes may take many months. Similarly, AFX customers may have a resistance to accepting alternative compositions for those products. Additionally, AFX may be subject to product safety testing and may be required to meet certain regulatory and/or product safety standards. Meeting these standards can be a time-consuming and expensive process, and Innventure and AFX may invest substantial time and resources into such qualification efforts without ultimately securing approval.
If AFX is unable to convince these potential customers and the consumers who purchase end-products containing AFX products that use of such products is to their benefit, AFX will not be successful in entering those markets and its business will be adversely affected. Successfully marketing AFX’s products requires that the company continue to improve production, logistics, quality, sales, marketing, digital, managerial, compliance, and related capabilities or make arrangements with third parties to perform these services. If AFX is unable to establish adequate marketing, sales and distribution capabilities, whether independently or with third parties, AFX may not be able to appropriately commercialize such products. There is no assurance that AFX will be able to successfully maintain or increase sales and respond to shifting consumer and consumer packaged goods buying requirements.
AFX may not be able to meet applicable regulatory requirements for the use of AFX’s products in food grade applications, and, even if the requirements are met, complying on an ongoing basis with the numerous regulatory requirements applicable to AFX’s products and AFX’s facilities will be time-consuming and costly.
The use of AFX’s products in food grade applications is subject to regulation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”). The FDA has established certain guidelines for the use of recycled plastics in food packaging, as set forth in the “ Guidance for Industry - Use of Recycled Plastics in Food Packaging: Chemistry Considerations (August 2006) .” In order for AFX’s products to be used in food grade
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applications, AFX will be required to partner with customers or third-party co-manufacturers that possess the required food certifications to do the filling of AFX’s package.
The process of obtaining FDA regulatory approval requires the expenditure of substantial time, of up to one year, and significant financial resources. If AFX decides to partner with qualified customers or third-party co-manufacturers to fill AFX’s package, the search for and negotiations required for such partnerships would require significant time, effort, and financial resources to complete, and may not result in a successful production partnership. All of the above would have an adverse effect on AFX’s business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Furthermore, changes in regulatory requirements, laws and policies, or evolving interpretations of existing regulatory requirements, laws and policies, may result in increased compliance costs, delays, capital expenditures and other financial obligations that could adversely affect AFX’s business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
AFX expects to encounter regulations in most if not all of the countries in which AFX may seek to expand, and AFX cannot be sure that it will be able to obtain necessary approvals in a timely manner or at all. If AFX’s products do not meet applicable regulatory requirements in a particular country or at all, then AFX may face reduced market demand in those countries and AFX’s business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects will be adversely affected.
The various regulatory schemes applicable to AFX’s products will continue to apply following initial approval. Monitoring regulatory changes and ensuring our ongoing compliance with applicable requirements is time-consuming and may affect AFX’s business, financial condition, results of operation and prospects. If AFX fails to comply with such requirements on an ongoing basis, AFX may be subject to fines or other penalties, or may be prevented from selling its products, and AFX’s business, financial condition, results of operation and prospects may be harmed.
Risks Related to Accelsius’ Operations
Accelsius is an early-stage company, and its limited operating history makes it difficult to evaluate its future prospects and the risks and challenges it may encounter.
Accelsius has been focused on developing and commercializing data center cooling products since its inception in 2022 an d delivered its first customer proof-of-concept pilots in Q2 2024 and just shipped its first unit in Q3 2024. This limited operating history makes it difficult to evaluate Accelsius’ future prospects and the risks and challenges it may encounter. Risks and challenges Accelsius has faced or expects to face include, but are not limited to, its ability to:
• develop and commercialize its data center cooling products;
• design and deliver data center cooling products of acceptable performance;
• increase sales revenue of its connectivity products;
• forecast its revenue and budget for and manage its expenses;
• attract new customers and commercial relationships;
• compete successfully in the industry in which it operates;
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• plan for and manage capital expenditures for its current and future products, and manage its supply chain and supplier relationships related to its current and future products;
• find, contract with, and retain reliable and commercially reasonable materials, components, and inventory vendors;
• comply with existing and new or modified laws and regulations applicable to its business in and outside the United States, including compliance requirements of U.S. customs and export regulations;
• anticipate and respond to macroeconomic changes and changes in the markets in which it operates;
• maintain and enhance the value of its reputation and brand;
• develop and protect intellectual property;
• hire, integrate and retain talented people at all levels of its organization;
• successfully defend itself in any legal proceeding that may arise and enforce its rights in any legal proceedings it may initiate; and
• manage and mitigate the adverse effects on its business of any public health emergencies, natural disasters, widespread travel disruptions, security risks including IT security, data privacy, cyber risks, international conflicts, geopolitical tension and other events beyond its control.
If Accelsius fails to address the risks and difficulties that it faces, including those associated with the challenges listed above, its business, financial condition, results of operations, prospects and that of Innventure, could be adversely affected. Further, because Accelsius has limited historical financial data and operates in a rapidly evolving and highly competitive market, any predictions about its future revenue and expenses may not be as accurate as they would be if Accelsius had a longer operating history or operated in a more predictable market. Accelsius has encountered in the past, and will encounter in the future, risks and uncertainties frequently experienced by growing companies with limited operating histories in rapidly changing industries. If Accelsius’ assumptions regarding these risks and uncertainties, which it uses to plan and operate its business, are incorrect or change, or if it does not address these risks successfully, its results of operations could differ materially from its expectations and its business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be adversely affected.
The market, including customers and potential investors, may be skeptical of the viability and benefits of Accelsius’ cooling products because they are based on a relatively novel and complex technology.
The market, including customers and potential investors, may be skeptical of the viability and benefits of Accelsius’ cooling products because they are based on a relatively novel and complex technology. There can be no assurance that Accelsius’ products will be understood, approved, or accepted by customers and potential investors or that Accelsius will be able to sell its products profitably at competitive prices and with features sufficient to establish demand. If Accelsius is unable to convince these potential customers of the utility and value of its products or that its cooling solutions are superior to those they currently use, Accelsius will not be successful in entering those markets and its business and results of operations will be adversely affected. If potential investors are skeptical of the success of Accelsius’ cooling products, its ability to raise capital and the value of Innventure stock may be adversely affected.
Accelsius’ cooling products may be subject to increased regulatory scrutiny due to their use of working fluid refrigerants that contain fluorine.
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The market and/or regulatory agencies inside and outside the U.S. may elect to curtail the use of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), including hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) and hydrochlorofluoroolefins (HCFOs), due to their persistence in the environment, their global warming potential, or their ozone depletion potential. While Accelsius is working to ensure industry best practices use of these commonly available refrigerants as working fluids in Accelsius’ cooling products, unforeseen regulatory changes that limit availability or manufacturing capacity or increase material prices would adversely affect Accelsius business.
Risks Related to Intellectual Property
Innventure may be unable to sufficiently protect the intellectual property rights of itself and the Innventure Companies and may encounter disputes from time to time relating to its use of the intellectual property of third parties.
Innventure and the Innventure Companies’ core business relies on intellectual property acquired or licensed from MNCs. Innventure monitors and protects against activities that might infringe, dilute, misappropriate or otherwise violate that intellectual property and relies on the relevant patent, trademark and other laws of the U.S. and other countries. However, Innventure, the Innventure Companies, and their MNC partners may be unable to prevent their employees, consultants or other third parties from infringing, diluting or misappropriating their intellectual property or from otherwise violating obligations with respect to their intellectual property and confidential information, which could have a material adverse effect on Innventure and the Innventure Companies’ business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Even upon the registration of their intellectual property rights, there is no certainty that Innventure’s, the Innventure Companies’ or their MNC partners’ intellectual property rights will provide them with substantial protection or commercial benefit. Despite Innventure, the Innventure Companies’ and their MNC partners’ efforts to protect their intellectual property, some of their innovations may not be protectable, and their intellectual property rights may offer insufficient protection from competition or unauthorized use, lapse or expire, be challenged, narrowed, invalidated, misappropriated by third parties, or be deemed unenforceable or abandoned. In addition, the laws of some non-U.S. jurisdictions, particularly those of certain emerging markets, provide less protection for Innventure and the Innventure Companies’ intellectual property rights than the laws of the U.S. and present greater risks of infringement, misappropriation, dilution or other misuse. To the extent Innventure, the Innventure Companies, and their MNC partners cannot protect their intellectual property and confidential information, unauthorized use and misuse of that intellectual property could harm their competitive position and have a material adverse effect on Innventure’s business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Furthermore, regulations governing domain names may not protect Innventure’s and the Innventure Companies’ trademarks and other proprietary rights that may be displayed on or in conjunction with their website and other marketing media. Innventure may be unable to prevent third parties from acquiring or retaining domain names that are similar to, infringe upon, or diminish the value of their respective trademarks and other proprietary rights.
Despite Innventure’s efforts to protect these rights, unauthorized third parties may attempt to duplicate or copy the proprietary aspects of its technology and processes. Innventure’s competitors and other third parties independently may design around or develop similar technology or otherwise duplicate Innventure’s services or products such that Innventure could not assert its intellectual property rights against them. In addition, Innventure’s contractual arrangements may not effectively prevent disclosure of its intellectual property and confidential and proprietary information or provide an adequate remedy in the event of an unauthorized disclosure. Measures in place may not prevent misappropriation or infringement of Innventure’s intellectual property or proprietary information and the resulting loss of competitive advantage, and Innventure may be required to litigate to protect its intellectual property and proprietary information from misappropriation or infringement by others, which is expensive, could cause a diversion of resources and may not be successful.
Innventure also may encounter disputes from time to time concerning intellectual property rights of others, and it may not prevail in these disputes. Third parties may raise claims against Innventure alleging that Innventure, its employees, consultants or other third parties retained or indemnified by Innventure, infringe, dilute, misappropriate
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or otherwise violate their intellectual property rights. Some third-party intellectual property rights may be extremely broad, and it may not be possible for Innventure to conduct its operations in such a way as to avoid all alleged violations of such intellectual property rights and thus, Innventure cannot be certain that its technologies or products and services do not infringe valid patents, trademarks, copyrights or other proprietary rights held by third parties. Given the complex, rapidly changing and competitive technological and business environment in which Innventure operates, and the potential risks and uncertainties of intellectual property-related litigation, an assertion of an infringement claim against Innventure may cause Innventure to spend significant amounts to defend the claim, even if Innventure ultimately prevails, pay significant money damages, lose significant revenues, be prohibited from using the relevant systems, processes, technologies or other intellectual property (temporarily or permanently), cease offering certain products or services, or incur significant license, royalty or technology development expenses.
Moreover, it has become common in recent years for individuals and groups to purchase intellectual property assets for the sole purpose of making claims of infringement and attempting to extract settlements from companies such as Innventure. Even in instances where Innventure believes that claims and allegations of intellectual property infringement against it are without merit, defending against such claims is time consuming and expensive and could result in the diversion of time and attention of Innventure’s management and employees. In addition, although in some cases a third-party may have agreed to indemnify Innventure for such costs, such indemnifying party may refuse or be unable to uphold its contractual obligations. In other cases, insurance may not cover potential claims of this type adequately or at all, and Innventure may be required to pay monetary damages, which may be significant.
General Risk Factors
Innventure, the Innventure Companies, and Innventure’s MNC partners may be negatively impacted by volatility in the political and economic environment, such geopolitical unrest, economic downturns and increases in interest rates, and a period of sustained inflation, which could have an adverse impact on Innventure’s and the Innventure Companies’ business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Trade, monetary and fiscal policies, and political and economic conditions may substantially change, and credit markets may experience periods of constriction and variability. These conditions may impact Innventure’s business. Further rising inflation may negatively impact Innventure and the Innventure Companies’ business and raise its costs. While Innventure and the Innventure Companies will take actions, wherever possible, to reduce the impact of the effects of inflation, in the case of sustained inflation, it could become increasingly difficult to effectively mitigate the increases to Innventure and the Innventure Companies’ costs. If Innventure and the Innventure Companies are unable to take actions to effectively mitigate the effect of the resulting higher costs, Innventure’s business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be adversely impacted.
The Federal Reserve recently raised interest rates multiple times in response to concerns about inflation and it may raise them again. Higher interest rates, coupled with reduced government spending and volatility in financial markets may increase economic uncertainty and affect Innventure and the Innventure Companies’ suppliers and potential customers. If the equity and credit markets deteriorate, including as a result of political or economic unrest or war, it may make necessary debt or equity financing. Increased inflation rates can adversely affect Innventure and the Innventure Companies by increasing its costs, including labor and employee benefit costs. In addition, higher inflation, macro turmoil, uncertainty and market-wide liquidity concerns could also adversely affect Innventure and the Innventure Companies’ suppliers and potential customers, which could have an adverse impact on Innventure’s business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Innventure, the Innventure Companies, and their MNC partners face risks and uncertainties related to litigation, regulatory actions and investigations.
Innventure, the Innventure Companies, and their MNC partners are subject to, and may become a party to, a variety of litigation, other claims, suits, regulatory actions and government investigations and inquiries. In addition, from time to time, we may also be involved in legal proceedings and investigations arising in the ordinary course of business, including those relating to employment matters, relationships with collaboration partners, intellectual
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property disputes, and other business matters. Any such claims or investigations may be time-consuming, costly, divert management resources, or otherwise have a material adverse effect on its business or results of operations.
The results of litigation and other legal proceedings are inherently uncertain and adverse judgments or settlements in some or all of these legal disputes may result in materially adverse monetary damages or injunctive relief against Innventure and the Innventure Companies. Any claims or litigation, even if fully indemnified or insured, could damage its reputation and make it more difficult to compete effectively or obtain adequate insurance in the future.
Cyber-attacks or a failure in Innventure’s information technology and data security infrastructure could adversely affect Innventure’s business and operations.
Innventure relies on information technology systems in connection with various aspects of the operation of its business. Innventure’s business and that of the Innventure Companies depend on the integrity of such information technology systems, which are inherently susceptible to a number of threats, including, but not limited to, viruses, ransomware, malware, malicious codes, hacking, phishing, denial of service actions, human error, network failures, electronic loss of data and other electronic security breaches. A successful material cyber-attack may result in the loss or compromise of customer, financial or operational data, theft of intellectual property, disruption of billing, collections or normal manufacturing activities, disruption of data analytics and electronic monitoring and control of operational systems, loss of revenue, ransomware payments, remediation costs related to lost, stolen or compromised data, repairs to infrastructure, physical systems or data processing systems, increased cybersecurity protection costs or violation of United States and international privacy laws, which may result in litigation. Any of these occurrences could harm Innventure’s reputation or have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition, results of operation and prospects. Innventure has implemented measures to mitigate potential risks associated with information technology disruptions and cybersecurity threats; however, there is no assurance that these measures will prevent cyber-attacks or security breaches. Although Innventure periodically assesses these risks, implements controls and performs business continuity and disaster recovery planning, it cannot be sure that interruptions with material adverse effects will not occur.
Furthermore, data privacy laws continue to evolve in various jurisdictions, including the scope of consumer and commercial privacy protections. It is possible that data privacy laws, including those that may develop regarding new technologies such as artificial intelligence, may be interpreted in various jurisdictions to apply to our business in the future. As our business grows, it is therefore possible that we will have a higher regulatory risk profile and increased costs as we seek to comply with new regulatory requirements related to the processing of personal and commercial data.
Investors’ expectations of Innventure’s performance relating to environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) factors may impose additional costs and expose it to new risks.
There is an increasing focus from investors, employees, customers and other stakeholders concerning corporate responsibility, specifically related to ESG matters. Some investors may use these non-financial performance factors to guide their investment strategies and, in some cases, may choose not to invest in Innventure if they believe its policies and actions relating to corporate responsibility are inadequate. The growing investor demand for measurement of non-financial performance is addressed by third-party providers of sustainability assessments and ratings with respect to public companies. The criteria by which Innventure’s corporate responsibility practices are assessed may change due to changes in the sustainability landscape, which could cause it to undertake costly initiatives to satisfy such new criteria. If Innventure elects not to or is unable to satisfy such new criteria, investors may conclude that its policies and/or actions with respect to corporate social responsibility are inadequate. Innventure may face reputational damage in the event that it does not meet the ESG standards set by various constituencies.
Climate change, or legal, regulatory or market measures to address climate change may materially adversely affect Innventure’s financial condition and business operations.
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Climate change resulting from increased concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere could present risks to Innventure and the Innventure Companies’ future operations from natural disasters and extreme weather conditions, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, wildfires or flooding. Such extreme weather conditions could pose physical risks to Innventure’s and the Innventure Companies’ facilities and disrupt operation of Innventure and the Innventure Companies’ supply chain and may impact operational costs. The impacts of climate change on global resources may result in scarcity, which could in the future impact Innventure and the Innventure Companies’ ability to access sufficient equipment and materials in certain locations and result in increased costs. Concern over climate change could result in new legal or regulatory requirements designed to mitigate the effects of climate change on the environment. If such laws or regulations are more stringent than current legal or regulatory requirements, Innventure and the Innventure Companies may experience increased compliance burdens and costs to meet the regulatory obligations and may adversely affect raw material sourcing, manufacturing operations and the distribution of Innventure and the Innventure Companies’ products.
Changes in tax laws could adversely affect Innventure and the Innventure Companies.
Innventure and the Innventure Companies operate in various jurisdictions and are subject to changes in applicable tax laws, treaties, or regulations in those jurisdictions. A material change in the tax laws, treaties, or regulations, or their interpretation, of any jurisdiction with which Innventure and the Innventure Companies do business, or in which Innventure and the Innventure Companies have significant operations, could adversely affect Innventure.
For example, during October 2021, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (the “OECD”) announced that 136 countries and tax jurisdictions have agreed to implement a new “Two Pillar” approach to international taxation. The first detailed draft rules under that approach were published in December 2021. Most countries are expected to introduce new rules in line with the Two Pillar approach for the first time in 2024, although different countries are likely to implement these changes at different times and in different ways, through their individual agreement to tax treaty changes and through changes to their own domestic tax laws.
The first pillar will first establish a new taxing right for countries in which a business has a significant economic presence, even though it may not have the degree of physical presence in that country needed to establish a taxing right under existing tax treaties. This new taxing right is subject to several conditions, exclusions and exceptions, and will initially affect only multinational enterprises with global turnover above 20 billion euros.
The second pillar will establish a global minimum tax rate of 15%, such that multinational enterprises with an effective tax rate in a jurisdiction below this minimum rate will need to pay additional tax, which could be collected by the parent company’s tax authorities or by those in other countries, depending on whether and how each country implements the OECD’s approach in its tax treaties and domestic tax legislation.
Depending on how the jurisdictions in which Innventure and the Innventure Companies operate choose to implement the OECD’s approach in their tax treaties and domestic tax laws, Innventure and the Innventure Companies could be adversely affected due to its income being taxed at higher effective rates, once these new rules come into force.
Innventure will incur significant increased expenses and administrative burdens as a public company, which could have an adverse effect on its business, financial condition and results of operations.
Innventure will face increased legal, accounting, administrative and other costs and expenses as a public company that Innventure LLC did not incur as a private company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, including the requirements of Section 404 thereof, as well as rules and regulations subsequently implemented by the SEC, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 and the rules and regulations promulgated and to be promulgated thereunder, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) and the securities exchanges, impose additional reporting and other obligations on public companies. Compliance with public company requirements will increase costs and make certain activities more time-consuming. A number of those requirements will require Innventure to carry out activities Innventure has not done previously. For example,
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Innventure has created new board committees and adopted new internal controls and disclosure controls and procedures. In addition, additional expenses associated with SEC reporting requirements will be incurred. Furthermore, if any issues in complying with those requirements are identified (for example, if the auditors identify material weaknesses in addition to those disclosed herein or a significant deficiency in the internal control over financial reporting), Innventure could incur additional costs rectifying those issues, and the existence of those issues could adversely affect Innventure’s reputation or investor perceptions of it. It may also be more expensive to obtain director and officer liability insurance in such a situation. Risks associated with Innventure’s status as a public company may make it more difficult to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on the Board or as executive officers. The additional reporting and other obligations imposed by these rules and regulations will increase legal and financial compliance costs and the costs of related legal, accounting and administrative activities. These increased costs will require Innventure to divert a significant amount of money that could otherwise be used to expand the business and achieve strategic objectives. Advocacy efforts by stockholders and third parties may also prompt additional changes in governance and reporting requirements, which could further increase costs.
Innventure’s failure to timely and effectively implement controls and procedures required by Section 404(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act could negatively impact its business.
Innventure LLC was not subject to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. However, Innventure will in the future be required to provide management’s attestation on internal controls in accordance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The standards required for a public company under Section 404(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act are significantly more stringent than those required of Innventure LLC as a privately held company. Management may not be able to effectively and timely implement controls and procedures that adequately respond to the increased regulatory compliance and reporting requirements that will be applicable. If Innventure is not able to implement the additional requirements of Section 404(a) in a timely manner or with adequate compliance, it may not be able to assess whether its internal controls over financial reporting are effective, which may subject it to adverse regulatory consequences and could harm investor confidence and the market price of its securities.
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.