Fiverr - 20-F annual report 2022

 

 

 

 

 

Except where the context otherwise requires or where otherwise indicated in this Annual Report, the terms “Fiverr,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” “our,” “our Company” and “our business” refer to Fiverr International Ltd., together with its consolidated subsidiaries as a consolidated entity.

 

All references in this Annual Report to “Israeli currency” and “NIS” refer to New Israeli Shekels, the terms “dollar,” “USD” or “$” refer to U.S. dollars and the terms “€” or “euro” refer to the currency introduced at the start of the third stage of European economic and monetary union pursuant to the treaty establishing the European Community, as amended.

 

 

Our financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”). We present our consolidated financial statements in U.S. dollars.

 

Our fiscal year ends on December 31 of each year. References to fiscal 2020 and 2020 are references to the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, references to fiscal 2021 and 2021 are references to the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, and references to fiscal 2022 and 2022 are references to the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022. Some amounts in this Annual Report may not total due to rounding. All percentages have been calculated using unrounded amounts.

 

Throughout this Annual Report, we provide a number of key performance indicators used by our management and often used by competitors in our industry. These and other key performance indicators are discussed in more detail in Item 5. “Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Key Financial and Operating Metrics.” We define certain terms used in this Annual Report as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When we refer in this Annual Report to a specific number of buyers, this represents unique buyers who transact on our platform. We refer to Fiverr.com as our core platform, and Fiverr.com in addition to Fiverr Learn, Fiverr Workspace, ClearVoice, Sharon Lee Thony Consulting, LLC, Working not Working, Inc., CreativeLive, Inc. and Stoke Talent Ltd. as our platform.

 

Market and Industry Data

 

Unless otherwise indicated, information in this Annual Report concerning economic conditions, our industry, our markets and our competitive position is based on a variety of sources, including information from other independent industry analysts and publications, as well as our own estimates and research.

 

Our estimates are derived from publicly available information released by third-party sources, as well as data from our internal research, which we believe to be reasonable. None of the independent industry publications used in this Annual Report were prepared on our behalf.

 

Trademarks

 

We have proprietary rights to trademarks used in this Annual Report that are important to our business, many of which are registered under applicable intellectual property laws. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this Annual Report may appear without the “®” or “™” symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent possible under applicable law, our rights or the rights of the applicable licensor to these trademarks and trade names. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trademarks, trade names or service marks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other companies. Each trademark, trade name or service mark of any other company appearing in this Annual Report is the property of its respective holder.

 

 

This Annual Report estimates and forward-looking statements, principally in the sections entitled Item 3.D. “Key Information—Risk Factors,” Item 4. “Information on the Company,” and Item 5. “Operating and Financial Review and Prospects.” In some cases, these forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as “may,” “might,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “seek,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” “contemplate,” “possible” or similar words. Statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, growth strategy and plans and objectives of management for future operations, including, among others, expansion in new and existing markets, are forward-looking statements.

 

Our estimates and forward-looking statements are mainly based on our current expectations and estimates of future events and trends which affect or may affect our business, operations and industry. Although we believe that these estimates and forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, they are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including without limitation those described under the sections in this Annual Report entitled Item 3.D. “Key Information—Risk Factors” and Item 5. “Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” and elsewhere in this Annual Report.

 

Our estimates and forward-looking statements may be influenced by factors including:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many important factors, in addition to the factors described above and in other sections of this Annual Report, could adversely impact our business and financial performance. Moreover, we operate in an evolving environment. New risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for our management to predict all risks and uncertainties, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from estimates or forward-looking statements. We qualify all of our estimates and forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

 

 The estimates and forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report speak only as of the date of this Annual Report. Except as required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any estimates or forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

 

Item 1. Identity of Directors, Senior Management and Advisers

 

 

Item 2. Offer Statistics and Expected Timetable

 

 

Item 3. Key Information

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Risks relating to our business and industry

 

Adverse macroeconomic conditions can materially adversely affect the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition, due to impacts on consumer and business spending and demand for our services

 

Adverse macroeconomic conditions, including recent inflation, slower growth or recession, changes to fiscal and monetary policy, tighter credit, higher interest rates, high unemployment, currency fluctuations and the current war between Russia and Ukraine, have affected the U.S. and global economy during 2022 and can adversely impact consumer and businesses confidence and spending and materially adversely affect demand for the digital services offered on the Company’s platform.

 

The present conditions and state of the U.S and global economies make it difficult to predict whether, when and to what extent a recession has occurred or will occur in the near future. In the event of an occurring or worsening recession, as the case may be, in which the U.S. economy contracts, our business may be negatively impacted, accordingly due to less spending and reduced demand for our services. The Company has taken significant actions to shore up its resources and means in order to weather a potential downturn in the economy; however, should a recession occur, or worsen in the future, one may expect either scenario to have an adverse effect on the business of the Company.

 

Our growth depends on our ability to attract and retain a large community of buyers and freelancers, and the loss of our buyers and freelancers, or failure to attract new buyers and freelancers, could materially and adversely affect our business.

 

The size of our community of users, including both buyers and freelancers, is critical to our success. While we have experienced strong growth in the number of active buyers on our platform in the past few years, the rate of growth was volatile and could differ significantly from one year to another. Many factors impact the buyer growth , and we cannot accurately predict or guarantee active buyer growth rates in the future. Freelancers have many different ways of marketing their services and securing buyers, including meeting and contacting prospective buyers through other platforms, advertising to prospective buyers online or offline through other methods, signing up for online or offline third-party agencies or staffing firms or finding employment full-time or part-time through an agency or directly with a business. Buyers have similarly diverse options to find freelancers, such as engaging freelancers directly, finding freelancers through other online or offline platforms or through staffing firms and agencies or hiring temporary, full-time, or part-time employees. Any decrease in the attractiveness of our platform relative to these other options available to buyers and freelancers could lead to decreased engagement on our platform, which could result in a drop in revenue on our platform. In addition, a drop in engagement from buyers, including due to a general decrease in spending or otherwise as a result of a global recession, could lead to diminished network effects and decrease the attractiveness of our platform to freelancers. If we fail to attract new freelancers or our existing freelancers decrease their use of or cease using our platform, the quality or types of services provided by freelancers that use our platform are not satisfactory to buyers, or freelancers increase their fees for services beyond the level that buyers are willing to pay, buyers may decrease their use of, or cease using, our platform.

 

Key factors in attracting and retaining buyers include our ability to grow our brand awareness, attract and retain high-quality freelancers and increase the quantity and quality of Gigs posted on our core platform. A key factor in attracting and retaining freelancers, in turn, is maintaining and increasing the number of buyers using our platform. Thus, achieving growth in our community of buyers and freelancers may require us to increasingly engage in sophisticated and costly sales and marketing efforts that may not result in additional users. We may also need to modify our pricing model to attract and retain such users.

 

Users can generally decide to cease using our platform at any time. Users may stop using our platform and related services if the quality of the user experience on our platform, including our support capabilities in the event of a problem, does not meet their expectations or keep pace with the quality of the user experience generally offered by competitive products and services. Users may also choose to cease using our platform if they perceive that our pricing model is not in line with the value they derive from our platform or for other reasons. In addition, expenditures by buyers may be cyclical and be affected by adverse changes in overall economic conditions or budgeting patterns. If we fail to attract new users or fail to maintain existing users, our revenue may grow more slowly than expected and our business could be materially and adversely affected.

 

We have incurred operating losses in the past, expect to incur operating losses in the future and may never achieve or maintain profitability.

 

We incurred a net loss of $71.5 million in 2022, and we expect to incur net losses for the foreseeable future. We expect to continue the development and expansion of our business, and we anticipate additional costs in connection with legal, accounting and other administrative expenses related to operating as a public company. While our revenue has grown in recent years, if our revenue declines or fails to grow at a rate sufficient to offset increases in our operating expenses, we will not be able to achieve and maintain profitability in future periods. As a result, we may continue to generate losses. We cannot ensure that we will achieve profitability in the future, or that, if we do become profitable, we will be able to sustain profitability.

 

If we fail to maintain and enhance our brand, our business, results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

 

We believe that maintaining and enhancing our brand are of significant importance to the success of our business. A well-recognized brand is critical to increasing the number and the level of engagement of freelancers and, in turn, enhancing our attractiveness to buyers. Successful promotion of our brand and our platform depends on, among other things, the effectiveness of our marketing efforts, our ability to provide a reliable, trustworthy and useful platform, the perceived value of our platform and our ability to provide quality support. In order to maintain and enhance our brand, we will need to continuously invest in marketing programs that may not be successful in achieving meaningful awareness levels. However, brand promotion activities may not yield increased revenue, and even if they do, the increased revenue may not offset the expenses we incur in building and maintaining our brand. We have conducted and may continue to conduct various marketing and brand promotion activities. We cannot assure you, however, that these activities will be successful or that we will be able to achieve the brand awareness we expect. In addition, our competitors may increase the intensity of their marketing campaigns, which may force us to increase our advertising spend to maintain our brand awareness.

 

In addition, any negative publicity relating to our platform, regardless of its veracity, could harm our brand. In particular, in recent years, increasing attention has been given to corporate activities related to environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters including increasing attention on and demands for action related to climate change and diversity, equity and inclusion matters. Companies and brands that do not adapt to or comply with expectations, standards, and regulations on ESG matters as they continue to evolve, which are perceived to have not responded appropriately to the growing concern for ESG issues, regardless of whether there is a legal requirement to do so, or which are alleged to not achieve the ESG standards, targets or commitments that they publicly state (often referred to as “greenwashing”), may suffer from reputational damage. Emerging regulation that may require additional ESG public disclosures may increase the risk of such damage. In addition, any unfavourable media coverage or negative publicity about our industry or Company and any errors, defects, disruptions, security vulnerabilities, abuse of our system, or other performance problems with our products and platforms may also cause us reputational damage. If our brand is harmed, whether due to negative publicity resulting from ESG matters or otherwise, we may not be able to grow or maintain our freelancer base, and our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. Further, activities of users that are deemed to be hostile, offensive or inappropriate to other users, including users acting under false or inauthentic identities, could damage our brand or harm our ability to expand our user base. We do not monitor or review the appropriateness of the content generated by users or have control over the activities in which our users engage. While we have adopted policies regarding illegal or offensive use of our platform by our users and retain authority to remove user generated content that violates our policies, users could nonetheless engage in these activities. The safeguards we have in place may not be sufficient to avoid harm to our brand, especially if such hostile, offensive or inappropriate use was high profile.

 

If the market for freelancers and the services they offer is not sustained or develops more slowly than we expect, our growth may slow or stall.

 

The market for freelancers and the services they offer is relatively new, rapidly evolving and unproven. Our future success will depend in large part on the continued growth and expansion of this market and the willingness of businesses to engage freelancers to provide services. It is difficult to predict the size or rate of expansion of this market, or the extent to which technological or other developments will impact the overall demand for freelancers. Further, many businesses may be unwilling to engage freelancers for a variety of reasons, including perceived negative connotations with outsourcing work or security concerns. If the market for freelancers and the services they offer does not achieve widespread adoption, or there is a reduction in demand for freelancer services, particularly demand for information technology services, including as a result of macroeconomic conditions related to a global recession or otherwise, our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

 

 If traffic to our websites declines for any reason, our growth may slow or stall.

 

Our ability to maintain the number of visitors directed to our websites is not entirely within our control. We depend in part on various internet search engines and other channels to direct a significant number of users to our website. Search engine companies change their natural search engine algorithms periodically, and our ranking in natural searches may be adversely affected by those changes, as occurred from time to time. Search engine companies may also determine that we are not in compliance with their guidelines and may consequently penalize us in their algorithms as a result. If search engines change or penalize us with their algorithms, terms of service, display or featuring of search results, we may be unable to cost-effectively drive users to our platform. Additionally, our competitors’ search engine optimization efforts may result in their websites receiving a higher search result page ranking than ours. This could decrease user engagement on our website and adversely affect the growth in our user base, and our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

 

If we fail to maintain and improve the quality of our platform, we may not be able to attract and retain buyers and freelancers.

 

The markets in which we operate are characterized by constant change and innovation. In order to continue and evolve rapidly and in order to satisfy both buyers and freelancers, we need to continue to improve their user experience as well as innovate and introduce features and services that users find useful and that cause them to use our platform more frequently. This includes improving our technology to optimize search results, tailoring our database to additional geographic and market segments and improving the user-friendliness of our platform and our ability to provide high-quality support. Our users depend on our support organization to resolve issues relating to our platform. Our ability to provide effective support is largely dependent on our ability to attract and retain employees who are well versed in our platform. As we continue to grow our international user base, our support organization will face additional challenges, including those associated with continuing to deliver support in languages other than English. Any failure to maintain high-quality support, or a market perception that we do not maintain high-quality support, could harm our reputation or adversely affect our ability to market the benefits of our platform to existing and prospective users. In addition,  as our employees are working from home for part of the week as a result of our hybrid model, our information technologies and support systems may be particularly strained.

 

In addition, we need to adapt, expand and improve our platform and user interfaces to keep up with changing user preferences. We invest substantial resources in researching and developing new features and enhancing our platform by incorporating these new features, improving functionality and adding other improvements to meet our users’ evolving demands. The success of any enhancements or improvements to our platform or any new features depends on several factors, including timely completion, adequate quality testing, integration with technologies on our platform and third-party partners’ technologies and overall market acceptance. Because further development of our platform is complex, challenging and dependent upon an array of factors, the timetable for the release of new features and enhancements to our platform is difficult to predict, and we may not offer new features as rapidly as users of our platform require or expect. For example, with the growing propensity of our users to use mobile devices as their main Gig searching and management devices, we will need to continue modifying and updating our mobile apps to successfully manage the transition of our users to mobile devices. Additionally, the time, money, energy and other resources we dedicate to developing new features or enhancements to our platform may be greater than the short-term, and potentially the total, returns from these new offerings.

 

It is difficult to predict the problems we may encounter in introducing new features to our platform, and we may need to devote significant resources to the creation, support and maintenance of these features. We provide no assurances that our initiatives to improve our user experience will be successful. We also cannot predict whether any new features will be well received by users, or whether improving our platform will be successful or sufficient to offset the costs incurred to offer these new features. If we are unable to improve or maintain the quality of our platform, our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

 

We face significant competition, which may cause us to suffer from a weakened market position that could materially and adversely affect our results of operations.

 

Successful execution of our strategy depends on our ability to attract and retain users, expand the market for our platform, maintain a technological edge and provide value to our users. We face competition from a number of online and offline platforms and competitors that offer freelance services as part of their broader services portfolio. Our main competitors fall into the following categories:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Internationally, we compete in most countries against online and offline channels and products and services with a local presence. These local competitors might have greater brand recognition than we have in their local country and a stronger understanding of the local culture and commerce. They may also offer their products and services in local languages that we do not currently offer. As our business grows internationally, we may increasingly compete with these local and regional companies.

 

In addition, well-established internet companies, social networking websites and career-related internet portals have entered or may decide to target the market for freelance services, and some of these companies have launched products and services that directly compete with our platform. These or other powerful companies that have extensive and loyal user bases in the geographic markets where we operate may decide to directly target our users, thereby intensifying competition in the freelance services market. Although professional social networking businesses with online recruitment functions historically have not had significant market positions in the market for freelance services, these businesses may dedicate resources to expand their operations and as a result, become a significant competitive threat in the future. Social networks may benefit from access to large pools of potential purchasers of freelance services and a broad range of user information that freelancers could leverage to tailor their services.

 

Current competitors may also consolidate or be acquired by an existing or prospective competitor, which could result in the emergence of a stronger competitor, leading to a potential loss of our market share. There can be no assurances that we will maintain our strong position among freelance services marketplaces, particularly if our key competitors consolidate or if large search engines, social media companies or other online platforms successfully leverage their large user bases to penetrate our markets. In addition, competitors that have not typically participated online may establish an online presence on their own or with our existing competitors, which may create new competitors or strengthen our existing competitors.

 

Many of our current and potential competitors, both online and offline, enjoy substantial competitive advantages, such as greater name recognition, longer operating histories, greater financial, technical and other resources, and, in some cases, the ability to rapidly combine online platforms with traditional staffing and contingent worker solutions. These companies may use these advantages to offer solutions similar to our platform at a lower price, develop different products and services to compete with our platform, spend more on advertising and brand marketing, invest more in research and development, or respond more quickly and effectively than we do to new or changing opportunities, technologies, standards, regulatory conditions or user preferences or requirements. As a result, our users may decide to shift from utilizing our platform to utilizing our competitors’ products, services and solutions.

 

We or our third-party partners may experience a security breach, including unauthorized parties obtaining access to our users’ personal or other data, or any other data privacy or data protection compliance issue.

 

Our business involves the storage, processing and transmission of users’ proprietary, confidential and personal data as well as the use of third-party partners who store, process and transmit users’ proprietary, confidential and personal data. We also maintain certain other proprietary and confidential data relating to our business and personal data of our personnel and job applicants. Any security breach or incident that we experience could result in unauthorized access to, misuse of, or unauthorized acquisition of our or our users’ data, the loss, corruption, or alteration of this data, interruptions in our operations, or damage to our computers or systems or those of our users. We have experienced such cybersecurity incidents in the past and may experience incidents in the future. For example, in early May 2020 and in a separate incident in November 2018, an unauthorized party accessed accounts of several thousand users using valid login credentials of users. Based on our examination of these incidents, we believe that the login details (emails and passwords) were compromised in other known data breaches that have occurred in the past in other organizations unrelated to Fiverr. We have not identified and are not aware of any breach of our systems in connection with either of these incidents. Once we identified each of these incidents, we forced log-out from the affected accounts, the passwords were reset, and the affected users were required to change their password to a new one in order to use their account. In response to the May 2020 incident, we have also applied a two-factor-authentication for the affected users. We reported the May 2020 and November 2018 incidents to the relevant privacy protection authorities, and the Israeli Privacy Protection Authority initiated two separate administrative supervision procedures in July 2020 and December 2018, respectively, in connection with which we have provided certain information and materials as requested. On August 18, 2020 and April 8, 2019, respectively, the Israeli Privacy Protection Authority informed us that it closed the administrative supervision procedures, without determining we committed any violation or breach.

 

Any such incidents could expose us to claims, litigation, regulatory or other governmental investigations, administrative fines and potential liability. An increasing number of online services have disclosed breaches of their security, some of which have involved sophisticated and highly targeted attacks on portions of their services. Because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service, or sabotage systems change frequently and often are not foreseeable or recognized until launched against a target, we and our third-party partners may be unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventative measures. If an actual or perceived breach of our or our third-party partners’ security occurs, public perception of the effectiveness of our security measures and brand could be harmed, and we could lose users. Data security breaches and other cybersecurity incidents may also result from non-technical means, for example, actions by employees or contractors. Any compromise of our or our third-party partners’ security could result in a violation of applicable security, privacy or data protection, consumer and other laws, regulatory or other governmental investigations, enforcement actions and legal and financial exposure, including potential contractual liability, in all cases that may not always be limited to the amounts covered by our insurance. Any such compromise could also result in damage to our brand and a loss of confidence in our security and privacy or data protection measures.

 

Our and our third-party partners’ systems may be vulnerable to computer viruses and other malicious software, physical or electronic break-ins, or weakness resulting from intentional or unintentional actions by us, our third-party partners or our service providers, as well as similar disruptions that could make all or portions of our website or apps unavailable for periods of time. While we currently employ various antivirus and computer protection software in our operations, we cannot assure that such protections will in all cases successfully prevent hacking or the transmission of any computer virus or malware, which could result in significant damage to our hardware and software systems and databases, disruptions to our business activities, including to our e-mail and other communications systems, breaches of security and the inadvertent disclosure of personal, confidential or sensitive data, interruptions in access to our website through the use of “denial of service” or similar attacks and other material adverse effects on our operations.

 

Further, we may need to expend significant resources to protect against, and to address issues created by, security breaches and other incidents. Security breaches and other security incidents, including any breaches of our security measures or those of parties with which we have commercial relationships (e.g., third-party service providers who provide development or other services to us) that result in the unauthorized access of users’ confidential, proprietary or personal data, or the belief that any of these have occurred, could damage our reputation and expose us to a risk of loss or litigation and possible liability. Significant unavailability of our platform due to attacks could cause users to cease using our platform and materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations. Although we maintain cybersecurity liability insurance, we cannot be certain that our coverage will be adequate for liabilities actually incurred or will continue to be available to us on reasonable terms, or at all.

 

Many jurisdictions have or are considering enacting privacy or data protection laws or regulations relating to the collection, use, storage, transfer, disclosure and/or other processing of personal data. Such laws and regulations may include data residency or data localization requirements (which generally require that certain types of data collected within a certain country be stored and processed within that country), data export restrictions or international transfer laws (which prohibit or impose conditions upon the transfer of such data from one country to another), requirements that companies implement privacy or data protection and security policies, or requirements that companies grant individuals certain rights, such as the right to access, correct and delete personal data stored or maintained by such companies, be informed of security breaches that affect their personal data or provide consent to use their personal data for other purposes. While we have implemented various measures intended to enable us to comply with applicable privacy or data protection laws, regulations and contractual obligations, these measures may not always be effective and do not guarantee compliance. In addition, privacy or data protection laws and regulations may be modified, interpreted and applied in an inconsistent manner from one jurisdiction to another, and may conflict with one another, other requirements or legal obligations, or our practices. Further, the existence and need to comply in certain markets could impact our ability to offer our platform in those markets (without taking additional compliance steps). Cultural norms around privacy or data protection also vary from country to country and can drive a need to localize or customize certain features of our platform in order to address varied privacy or data protection concerns, which can add cost and time to our development of new features and platform enhancements.

 

Changes in laws or regulations relating to data privacy, data protection, or cybersecurity or any actual or perceived failure by us to comply with such laws and regulations or our privacy policies, could materially and adversely affect our business.

 

We receive, collect, store, process, transfer and use personal data and other user data. The effectiveness of our technology, including our AI and platforms, and our ability to offer our platform to users rely on the collection, storage and use of this data concerning freelancers and other users, including personally identifying or other sensitive data. We have legal and contractual obligations regarding the protection of confidentiality and appropriate use and protection of certain data, including personal information. We are subject to numerous federal, state, local and international laws, directives and regulations regarding privacy, data protection and data security and the collection, storing, sharing, use, processing, transfer, disclosure and protection of personal information and other data, the scope of which are changing, are subject to differing interpretations, and may be inconsistent among jurisdictions or conflict with other legal and regulatory requirements. We are also subject to the terms of our privacy policies and certain contractual obligations to third parties related to privacy, data protection and data security. We strive to comply with our policies and applicable laws, regulations, contractual obligations and other legal obligations relating to privacy, data protection and data security to the extent possible. However, the regulatory framework for privacy, data protection and data security worldwide is changing constantly and is likely to remain uncertain and complex for the foreseeable future, and therefore it is possible that these or other actual or alleged obligations may be interpreted and applied in a manner that we do not anticipate or that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another, including across the various jurisdictions in which we operate remotely, and may conflict with other legal obligations or our practices.

 

For example, European legislators adopted the GDPR, which became effective on May 25, 2018, and are now in the process of finalizing the ePrivacy Regulation to replace the European ePrivacy Directive (Directive 2002/58/EC as amended by Directive 2009/136/EC). The GDPR which is supplemented by national laws in individual EU member states, and the guidance of national supervisory authorities and the European Data Protection Board, or the EDPB (and supplemented by national laws in individual EU member states), imposes stringent data protection compliance requirements and provides for significant penalties for noncompliance in the European Economic Area. The GDPR created new compliance obligations applicable to our business and users, which could cause us to change our business practices, and increases penalties for noncompliance (including possible fines of up to the greater of €20 million and 4% of our global annual turnover for the preceding financial year for the most serious violations, as well as the right to compensation for financial or non-financial damages claimed by any individuals under Article 82 of the GDPR and requirements to change our processing operations). We are taking steps to comply with the GDPR, but this is an ongoing compliance process. In addition, as of January 2021, as a result of the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, the United Kingdom has brought in its own domestic regime with UK GDPR and amendments to the Data Protection Act, which mirrors the obligations in the GDPR and imposes substantially similar penalties.

 

Additionally, California passed the California Consumer Privacy Act, or the CCPA, which became effective on January 1, 2020. The CCPA provided new data privacy rights for consumers and new operational requirements for companies. California voters also passed the California Privacy Rights Act, or the CPRA, which entered into substantial effect on January 1, 2023. The CPRA replaces, amends and expands its predecessor, including by adding new privacy rights, increasing regulation on online advertising, creating new California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) to enforce the CPRA and adding greater transparency standards for privacy policies. Lack of compliance with the CPRA and its requirements could result in enforcement actions, litigation, fines and penalties. In addition, other new domestic data privacy laws, such as the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act, or the VCDPA, which also entered into effect on January 1, 2023, and the Colorado Privacy Act, or the CPA and Connecticut Data Privacy Act, or the CTDPA, which go into effect on July 1, 2023, and the Utah Consumer Privacy Act, or the UCPA, which goes into effect on December 31, 2023, similarly impose new privacy rights and obligations. More generally, some observers have noted the CCPA, CPRA, VCDPA, CTDPA, CPA and UCPA could mark the beginning of a trend toward more stringent United States federal privacy legislation, which could increase our potential liability and adversely affect our business.

 

Moreover, the CCPA, CPRA and VCDPA and eventually the CTDPA, CPA and UCPA and other legal and regulatory developments are making it easier for  individuals protected by those laws to opt-out of having their personal data processed and disclosed to third parties through various opt-out mechanisms, and, more generally, provide them more control of their data, which could result in an increase to our operational costs to ensure compliance with such legal and regulatory changes. In recent years, there has also been an increase in attention to and regulation of data protection and data privacy across the globe, including in the United States with the increasingly active approach of the Federal Trade Commission, or the FTC, to enforcing data privacy under the FTC Act Section 5 of the Unfair and Deceptive Acts framework. In addition, failure to comply with the Israeli Privacy Protection Law, 1981, or the Israeli Privacy Law, and its regulations as well as the guidelines of the Israeli Privacy Protection Authority, may expose us to administrative fines, civil claims (including class actions) and in certain cases criminal liability. Current pending amendment to the Israeli Privacy Law is expected to enhance fines and sanctions for breaching the Israeli Privacy Law and to strengthen the enforcement capacity of the Israeli Privacy Protection Authority.

 

Further, failure or perceived failure by us to comply with our posted privacy policies, our privacy-related obligations to users or other third parties, or any other legal obligations or regulatory requirements relating to privacy, data protection or information security may result in governmental investigations or enforcement actions, litigation, claims or public statements against us by consumer advocacy groups or others and could result in significant liability, cause our users to lose trust in us, and otherwise materially and adversely affect our reputation and business. Furthermore, the costs of compliance with, and other burdens imposed by, the laws, regulations and policies that are applicable to the businesses of our users may limit the adoption and use of, and reduce the overall demand for, our platform. Additionally, if third parties we work with violate applicable laws, regulations or agreements, such violations may put our users’ data at risk, could result in governmental investigations or enforcement actions, fines, litigation, claims, or public statements against us by consumer advocacy groups or others and could result in significant liability, cause our users to lose trust in us and otherwise materially and adversely affect our reputation and business. Further, public scrutiny of, or complaints about, technology companies or their data handling or data protection practices, even if unrelated to our business, industry or operations, may lead to increased scrutiny of technology companies, including us, and may cause government agencies to enact additional regulatory requirements, or to modify their enforcement or investigation activities, which may increase our costs and risks.

 

Additionally, certain actions of our users that are deemed to be a misuse of or unauthorized disclosure of another user’s personal data could negatively affect our reputation and brand and impose liability on us. While we have adopted policies regarding the misuse or unauthorized disclosure of personal data obtained through our services by our users and retain authority to put a hold on or permanently disable user accounts, users could nonetheless misuse or disclose another user’s personal data. The safeguards we have in place may not be sufficient to avoid liability on our part or avoid harm to our reputation and brand, especially if such misuse or unauthorized disclosure of personal data was high profile, which could adversely affect our ability to expand our user base, and our business and financial results.

 

If we were found in violation of any applicable privacy or data protection laws or regulations, our business may be materially and adversely affected and we would likely have to change our personal data processing activities, internal procedures or even our business practices and potentially the services and features available through our platform. In addition, these laws and regulations could impose significant costs on us and could make it more difficult for us to use our current technology to promote certain Gigs and connect freelancers with buyers. In addition, if a breach of data security were to occur, or other violation of privacy or data protection laws and regulations were to be alleged, solutions may be perceived as less desirable and our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. Finally, any court ruling or other governmental action that imposes liability on providers of online services for the activities of their users and other third parties could harm our business. In such circumstances, we may also be subject to liability under applicable law in a way which may not be fully mitigated by the user terms of service we require our users to agree to. Any liability attributed to us could adversely affect our brand, reputation, our ability to expand our user base and our financial position.

 

Evolving privacy laws and regulations related to cross-border data transfer restrictions and data localization requirements may limit the use and adoption of our services, expose us to liability or otherwise adversely affect our business.

 

Certain data privacy legislation restricts the cross-border transfer of personal data and some countries introduced data localization into their laws. Specifically, the GDPR and other European and UK data protection laws generally prohibit the transfer of personal data from Europe, including the European Economic Area, United Kingdom and Switzerland, to third party countries, unless the transfer is to a country deemed to provide adequate protection (such as Israel, as the EU Commission has issued a decision on the adequacy of the level of protection of personal data in Israel) or the parties to the transfer have implemented specific safeguards to protect the transferred personal data. Where we transfer personal data outside the European Economic Area to a country that is not deemed to be “adequate,” we rely on transfer mechanisms available under relevant local law.

 

The European Commission is currently re-examining its Decision 2011/61/EU regarding the adequacy of the Israeli law, in light of the more recently adopted GDPR and developments in Israeli privacy legislation, which could result in revoking Israel’s adequate status. The outcome of this examination may also affect the UK’s approach on the adequacy of Israeli law with respect to the UK GDPR and UK Data Protection Act 2018, which could require us to further review and amend the lawful mechanisms by which we make and/or receive personal data transfers from the UK.

 

We are also subject to EU and UK rules with respect to cross-border transfers of personal data out of the EEA and UK (respectively), and recent legal developments and guidance have created complexity and uncertainty regarding transfers of personal data from the EEA and UK to other countries, including the United States. These recent developments require us to review and amend the legal mechanisms by which we make and/or receive personal data transfers to/in the U.S. and other countries outside of the EEA and UK, and create uncertainty and increase the risk around our international data transfers and operations. As the enforcement supervisory authorities issue further guidance on personal data export mechanisms, including circumstances where the standard contractual clauses cannot be used, and/or start taking enforcement action, we could suffer additional costs, complaints and/or regulatory investigations or fines, and/or if we are otherwise unable to transfer personal data between and among countries and regions in which we operate, it could affect the manner in which we provide our services, the geographical location or segregation of our relevant systems and operations, and could adversely affect our financial results.

 

Our business may suffer if we do not successfully manage our current and potential future growth.

 

We have grown significantly in recent years, and we intend to continue to expand the scope and geographic reach of our platform. Our anticipated future growth will likely place significant demands on our management and operations. Our success in managing our growth will depend, to a significant degree, on the ability of our executive officers and other members of senior management to operate effectively, and on our ability to improve and develop our financial and management information systems, controls and procedures. In addition, we will likely have to successfully adapt our existing systems and introduce new systems, expand, train and manage our employees and improve and expand our marketing capabilities.

 

If we are unable to properly and prudently manage our operations as they grow or if the quality of our platform or support deteriorates due to mismanagement, our brand name and reputation could be severely harmed, and our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

 

Our user growth and engagement on mobile devices are dependent on decisions and developments in the mobile device industry over which the Company has no control.

 

A growing portion of our users access our platform through mobile devices. The Company’s ability to maintain and grow its business will be impaired if mobile connected devices, mobile operating systems, networks, standards and content distribution channels, which are run by operating system providers and app stores, develop in ways that prevent the Company’s products and services from being delivered to their users.

 

Parties that control operating systems, such as Apple or Google frequently introduce new technology, and from time to time, they may introduce new operating systems or modify existing ones. Further, the Company and its customers are also subject to the policies, practices, guidelines, certifications and terms of service of such parties’ platforms on which we and our customers create, run and monetize applications and content. These policies, guidelines and terms of service govern the promotion, distribution, content and operation generally of applications and content available through such parties. The parties that control the operating systems have broad discretion to change and interpret their terms of service, guidelines and policies, and those changes may have an adverse effect on us or our customers’ ability to use our services. A party that controls the operating system may also change its fee structure, add fees associated with access to and use of its platform or app store, alter how customers are able to advertise and monetize on their platform, change how the personal or other information of its users is made available to application developers on their platform, limit the use of personal information and other data for advertising purposes or restrict how users can share information on their platform or across other platforms. If any parties that control operating systems, including either Android or iOS, stop providing us with access to their platform or infrastructure, fail to provide reliable access, cease operations, modify or introduce new systems or otherwise terminate services, the delay caused by qualifying and switching to other operating systems could be time consuming and costly and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any limitation on or discontinuation of us or our customers’ access to any mobile operating system platform or app store could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations or otherwise require us to change the way we conduct business.

 

Network carriers, such as Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, as well as other domestic and global operators, may also affect the ability of users to download apps or access specified content on mobile devices.

 

Additionally, there is no guarantee that popular mobile devices will continue to support our platform or that mobile device users will use our platform rather than competing products. In order to deliver a high-quality mobile user experience, it is important that our platform is designed effectively and works well with a range of mobile technologies, systems, networks and standards that we do not control. We may not be successful in developing relationships with key participants in the mobile industry or in developing features that operate effectively with these technologies, systems, networks or standards. In the event that it is more difficult for our users to access and use our platform on their mobile devices or users find our mobile offering does not effectively meet their needs, our competitors develop products and services that are perceived to operate more effectively on mobile devices or our users choose not to access or use our platform on their mobile devices or use mobile products that do not offer access to our platform, our user growth and user engagement could be adversely impacted.

 

We have a limited operating history under our current platform and pricing model, which makes it difficult to evaluate our business and prospects and increases the risks associated with your investment, and any future changes to our pricing model could materially and adversely affect our business.

 

We currently primarily derive our revenue from transaction fees and service fees. If we are unable to maintain a large community of users or we are unable to respond successfully to technological or industry developments, or if for any other reason the perceived value of our platform to freelancers or buyers is adversely affected, we may be forced to lower our take rate. Our take rate may also fluctuate from period to period.

 

In recent years, we implemented a significant change to our pricing model, including our take rate, which enabled freelancers to list Gigs with base prices higher than $5 and to set different formats and prices for each Gig. As a result, we have only limited experience with our current pricing model, which makes it difficult to evaluate our business and future prospects and to plan for and model future growth. Our historical revenue growth should not be considered indicative of our future performance. We have encountered, and will continue to encounter, risks and difficulties frequently experienced by growing companies in rapidly changing industries, including difficulties in our ability to achieve market acceptance of our platform and attract and retain users, as well as increasing competition and increasing expenses as we continue to grow our business. As a result, we may from time to time decide to make further changes to our pricing model due to a variety of factors, including changes in the market for our platform and competitors introducing new products and services. We may not be successful in addressing these and other challenges we may face in the future and changes to our pricing model may, among other things, result in user dissatisfaction and could lead to a loss of users on our platform.

 

Errors, defects or disruptions in our platform could diminish our brand, subject us to liability, and materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Any errors, defects, or disruptions in our platform, or other performance problems with our platform could harm our brand and may damage the businesses of our users. Our online systems, including our website and mobile apps, could contain undetected errors, or “bugs,” that could adversely affect their performance. Additionally, we regularly update and enhance our website, platform and our other online systems and introduce new versions of our software products and apps. These updates may contain undetected errors when first introduced or released, which may cause disruptions in our services and may, as a result, cause us to lose market share, and our brand, business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

 

Our platform contains open source software components, and failure to comply with the terms of the underlying licenses could restrict our ability to market or operate our platform.

 

We use open source software in connection with our technology and services. Some open source software licenses require those who distribute open source software as part of their software to publicly disclose all or part of the source code (including proprietary code) to such software and/or make available any derivative works of the open source code on unfavorable terms or at no cost. The use of such open source code may ultimately require us to replace certain code used on our platform or discontinue certain aspects of our platform. From time to time, we may face claims from third parties claiming infringement of their intellectual property rights, or demanding the release or license of the open source software or derivative works that we developed using such software (which could include our proprietary source code) or otherwise seeking to enforce the terms of the applicable open source license. These claims could result in litigation and could require us to pay substantial damages, publicly release the affected portions of our source code, be limited in or cease using the implicated software unless and until we can re-engineer such software to avoid infringement or change the use of, or remove, the implicated open source software.

 

In addition to risks related to license requirements, use of certain open source software can lead to greater risks than use of third-party commercial software, as the original developers of open source code generally do not provide warranties (with respect to, for example, non-infringement or functionality) or indemnities or other contractual protections. Our use of open source software may also present additional security risks because the source code for open source software is publicly available, which may make it easier for hackers and other third parties to determine how to breach our website and systems that rely on open source software. Any of these risks could be difficult to eliminate or manage.

 

Expansion into markets outside the United States is important to the growth of our business, and if we do not manage the business and economic risks of international expansion effectively, it could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

 

We expect to continue to expand our international operations, which may include opening offices in new jurisdictions and providing our platform in additional languages. Any new markets or countries into which we attempt to advertise our platform may not be receptive. For example, we may not be able to expand further in some markets if we are not able to satisfy certain government requirements. In addition, our ability to manage our business and conduct our operations internationally requires considerable management attention and resources and is subject to the particular challenges of supporting a rapidly growing business in an environment of multiple languages, cultures, customs, legal and regulatory systems, alternative dispute systems and commercial markets. International expansion has required, and will continue to require, investment of significant funds and other resources. Operating internationally subjects us to new risks and may increase risks that we currently face, including risks associated with:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Compliance with laws and regulations applicable to our global operations could substantially increase our cost of doing business in international jurisdictions. We may be unable to keep current with changes in laws and regulations as they change. Although we are in the process of implementing policies and procedures designed to support compliance with these laws and regulations, there can be no assurance that we will always be in compliance or that all of our employees, contractors, partners and agents will comply at all times. Any violations could result in enforcement actions, fines, civil and criminal penalties, damages, injunctions, or reputational harm. If we are unable to comply with these laws and regulations or manage the complexity of our global operations successfully, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.

 

If we are unable to maintain and expand our scale of operations and generate a sufficient amount of revenue to offset the associated fixed and variable costs, our results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

 

Online businesses like ours tend to involve certain fixed costs, and our ability to achieve desired operating margins depends largely on our success in maintaining a scale of operations and generating a sufficient amount of revenue to offset these fixed costs and other variable costs. Our fixed costs typically include compensation of employees, data storage and related expenses and office rental expenses. Our variable costs typically include sales and marketing expenses and payment processing fees. As we have established the technology and network infrastructure to support our platform, the incremental cost associated with sellers adding new Gigs is relatively insignificant. However, if we are unable to maintain economies of scale our operating margin may decrease and our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

 

Our operating results may fluctuate from quarter to quarter, which makes our future results difficult to predict.

 

Our quarterly operating results have fluctuated in the past and may fluctuate in the future. You should take into account the risks and uncertainties frequently encountered by companies in rapidly evolving markets. Our operating results in any given quarter can be influenced by numerous factors, many of which are unpredictable or are outside of our control, including:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The impact of one or more of the foregoing and other factors may cause our operating results to vary significantly. As such, we believe that quarter-to-quarter comparisons of our operating results may not be meaningful and should not be relied upon as an indication of future performance. If we fail to meet or exceed the expectations of investors or securities analysts, the trading price of our ordinary shares could fall substantially, and we could face costly lawsuits, including securities class action suits.

 

Our business is subject to a variety of laws and regulations, both in the United States and internationally, many of which are evolving.

 

We are subject to a wide variety of laws and regulations. Laws, regulations and standards governing issues such as worker classification, employment, payments, worker confidentiality obligations, intellectual property, consumer protection, ESG issues, taxation, privacy,  data security, and user safety are often complex and subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity and, as a result, their application in practice may change or develop over time through judicial decisions or as new guidance or interpretations are provided by regulatory and governing bodies, such as federal and state administrative agencies. Many of these laws and regulations were adopted prior to the advent of the internet and mobile and related technologies and, as a result, do not contemplate or address the unique issues of the internet and related technologies. Other laws and regulations may be adopted in response to internet, mobile and related technologies. New and existing laws and regulations (or changes in interpretation of existing laws and regulations) may also be adopted, implemented, or interpreted to apply to us and other online services marketplaces. As our platform’s geographical scope expands, regulatory agencies or courts may claim that we, or our users, are subject to additional requirements or that we are prohibited from conducting our business in or with certain jurisdictions. It is also possible that certain provisions in agreements with our service providers or between buyers and freelancers may be found to be unenforceable or not compliant with applicable law.

 

Recent financial, political and other events may increase the level of regulatory scrutiny on larger companies, technology companies in general and, in particular, companies engaged in dealings with independent contractors or payments. Regulatory agencies may enact new laws or promulgate new regulations that are adverse to our business, or they may view matters or interpret laws and regulations differently than they have in the past or in a manner adverse to our business. Such regulatory scrutiny or action may create different or conflicting obligations on us from one jurisdiction to another. In particular, we have received letters from certain jurisdictions indicating that we may be required to register and pay taxes based on having certain minimum contacts in such jurisdictions. We may become subject to taxation in additional jurisdictions in the future.

 

Competition for highly skilled technical and other personnel is intense, and as a result we may fail to attract, recruit, retain and develop qualified employees, which could materially and adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We compete in a market marked by rapidly changing technologies and an evolving competitive landscape. In order for us to successfully compete and grow, we must attract, recruit, retain and develop personnel with requisite qualifications to provide expertise across the entire spectrum of our intellectual capital and business needs.

 

Our principal research and development as well as significant elements of our marketing and general and administrative activities are conducted at our headquarters in Israel, where we face significant competition. We also engage a talented team in the United States and Ukraine to benefit from the significant pool of talent that is available in such markets, we have also witnessed increased competition in those markets. Many of the companies with which we compete for qualified personnel have significant resources, and we may not succeed in recruiting additional experienced or professional personnel, retaining personnel or effectively replacing current personnel who may depart with qualified or effective successors. In addition, due to our rapid growth, which has raised the profile of our company, our employees may be increasingly targeted for recruitment by competitors and other companies in the technology industry, which may make it more difficult for us to retain employees and may increase retention costs. Training of new employees with no prior relevant experience could be time-consuming and require a significant amount of resources.

 

In addition, as a result of the intense competition for qualified human resources, the high-tech market has also experienced and may continue to experience significant wage inflation. Accordingly, our efforts to attract, retain and develop personnel may also result in significant additional expenses, which could adversely affect our profitability. Furthermore, in making employment decisions, particularly in the high-technology industry, job candidates often consider the value of the equity they are to receive in connection with their employment. Employees may be more likely to leave us if the shares they own or the shares underlying their equity incentive awards have significantly decreased in value.

 

Moreover, we believe our success has depended, and our future success depends, on the efforts of our senior management, including Micha Kaufman, our Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer. There can be no assurance that the services of any of these individuals will continue to be available to us in the future. We do not carry any key man life insurance policies on any of our executive officers.

 

While we utilize non-competition agreements with our employees as a means of improving our employee retention, those agreements may not be effective towards that goal. These agreements prohibit our employees, if they cease working for us, from competing directly with us or working for our competitors for a limited period. We may be unable to enforce these agreements under Israeli law, and it may be difficult for us to restrict our competitors from benefiting from the expertise our former employees developed while working for us.

 

In light of the foregoing, there can be no assurance that qualified employees will remain in our employ or that we will be able to attract and retain qualified personnel in the future. Failure to retain or attract qualified personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

 If we fail to protect our intellectual property rights, our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

 

We rely on a combination of confidentiality clauses, contractual commitments, trade secret protection, copyrights, trademarks and other legal rights to protect our intellectual property and know-how. To date, we have not sought patent protection for our platform or any portion of it. Third parties may obtain, copy, reverse engineer or use without our authorization our intellectual property, which includes trademarks related to our brand, platform, registered domain names, trade secrets and other intellectual property rights and licenses. If we cannot adequately protect and defend our intellectual property, we may not remain competitive, and our business, operating results and financial condition may be adversely affected.

 

We enter into confidentiality and proprietary rights agreements with our employees, consultants and business partners, and we control access to and distribution of our proprietary information. No assurance can be given that these agreements will be effective in controlling access to our proprietary information or in effectively securing ownership of intellectual property developed by our current or former employees and contractors. Further, our competitors could also independently develop technologies like ours, and our intellectual property rights may not be broad enough for us to prevent competitors from selling products and services incorporating those technologies.

 

In order to protect our brand, we register and defend our trademarks and expend resources to prevent others from using the same or substantially similar marks. Despite these efforts, we may not always be successful in registering and preventing misappropriation of our own marks or preventing registration of confusingly similar marks, and we may suffer dilution of or other harm to our brand.

 

From time to time, we may discover that third parties are infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating our intellectual property rights. However, policing unauthorized use of our intellectual property and misappropriation of our technology is difficult, and we may therefore not always be aware of such unauthorized use or misappropriation. Despite our efforts to protect our intellectual property rights, unauthorized third parties may attempt to use, copy or otherwise obtain and market or distribute our intellectual property rights or technology or otherwise develop solutions with the same or similar functionality as our platform. If competitors infringe, misappropriate or otherwise misuse our intellectual property rights and we are not adequately protected, or if such competitors are able to develop solutions with the same or similar functionality as our platform without infringing our intellectual property, our competitive position could be harmed and our legal costs could increase, and our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

 

We may not be able to successfully halt the operations of copycat websites or misappropriation of our data.

 

From time to time, third parties may misappropriate our data, through website scraping, robots, web crawlers or other tools or means and aggregate this data on their websites with data from other companies. In addition, “copycat” websites may attempt to imitate the functionality of our website.

 

If we become aware of such activities, we would employ technological and/or legal measures, including initiating lawsuits, in an attempt to halt their operations. However, we may not be able to detect all such activities in a timely manner and, even if we could, technological and legal measures may be insufficient. Regardless of whether we can successfully enforce our rights against these websites or third parties, any measures that we may take could require us to expend significant financial or other resources.

 

We may become subject to claims for remuneration or royalties for assigned service invention rights by our employees, which could result in litigation and adversely affect our business.

 

A significant portion of our intellectual property has been developed by our employees in the course of their employment for us. Under the Israeli Patent Law, 5727-1967 (the “Patent Law”), inventions conceived by an employee in the course and as a result of or arising from his or her employment with a company are regarded as “service inventions,” which belong to the employer, absent a specific agreement between the employee and employer giving the employee service invention rights. The Patent Law also provides that if there is no such agreement between an employer and an employee, the Israeli Compensation and Royalties Committee (the “Committee”), a body constituted under the Patent Law, shall determine whether the employee is entitled to remuneration for his or her inventions. Case law clarifies that the right to receive consideration for “service inventions” can be waived by the employee and that in certain circumstances, such waiver does not necessarily have to be explicit. The Committee will examine, on a case-by-case basis, the general contractual framework between the parties, using interpretation rules of the general Israeli contract laws. Further, the Committee has not yet determined one specific formula for calculating this remuneration, but rather uses the criteria specified in the Patent Law. Although we generally enter into assignment-of-invention agreements with our employees pursuant to which such individuals assign to us all rights to any inventions created in the scope of their employment or engagement with us, we may face claims demanding remuneration in consideration for assigned inventions. As a consequence of such claims, we could be required to pay additional remuneration or royalties to our current and/or former employees, or be forced to litigate such claims, which could negatively affect our business.

 

We may be vulnerable to intellectual property infringement claims brought against us by others.

 

We rely to some extent on third-party intellectual property, such as licenses to use software to operate our business and certain other copyrighted works. A successful infringement claim against us could result in monetary liability or a material disruption in our business. Although we require our employees not to infringe others’ intellectual property, we cannot be certain that our platform and brand names do not or will not infringe on valid patents, trademarks, copyrights or other intellectual property rights held by third parties. We may be subject to legal proceedings and claims from time to time relating to the intellectual property of others in the ordinary course of our business.

 

We may incur substantial expenses in defending against third party infringement claims, regardless of their merit. Additionally, due to diversion of management time, expenses required to defend against any claim and the potential liability associated with any lawsuit, any significant litigation could significantly harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. If we were found to have infringed on the intellectual property rights of a third party, we could be liable to that party for license fees, royalty payments, lost profits or other damages, and the owner of the intellectual property may be able to obtain injunctive relief to prevent us from using the technology, software or brand name in the future. If the amount of these payments were significant, if we were prevented from incorporating certain technology or software into our platform or if we were prevented from using our brand names, our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

 

Buyers and freelancers may circumvent our platform.

 

Our business depends on buyers and freelancers transacting through our platform. Despite our efforts to prevent them from doing so, users may circumvent our platform and engage with or pay each other through other means to avoid the transaction fees and service fees that we charge on our platform. In addition, our efforts to reduce circumvention by buyers and freelancers may be costly or disruptive to implement and may fail to have the intended effect or have an adverse effect on our brand or user experience. Additionally, such efforts may reduce the attractiveness of our platform, divert the attention of management or otherwise harm our business.

 

Additionally, freelancers, after utilizing our platform to build their reputation and brand and grow their clientele base, could choose to market their services and skills and transact with buyers outside of our platform.

 

 We rely on Amazon Web Services to operate our platform, and any disruption of service from Amazon Web Services or material change to our arrangement with Amazon Web Services could adversely affect our business.

 

The operation of our platform depends on certain third-party service providers. In particular, we currently host our platform, serve our users and support our operations using Amazon Web Services, or AWS, a provider of cloud infrastructure services. We do not have control over the operations of the facilities of AWS that we use. AWS’ facilities are vulnerable to damage or interruption from earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, fires, cyber security attacks, terrorist attacks, power losses, telecommunications failures and similar events. In the event that AWS’ or any other third-party provider’s systems or service abilities are hindered by any of the events discussed above, our ability to operate our platform may be impaired, resulting in missing financial targets for a particular period. A decision to close the facilities without adequate notice, or other unanticipated problems, could result in lengthy interruptions to our platform. All of the aforementioned risks may be augmented if our or our partners’ business continuity and disaster recovery plans prove to be inadequate. The facilities also could be subject to break-ins, computer viruses, sabotage, intentional acts of vandalism and other misconduct. Our platform’s continuing and uninterrupted performance is critical to our success. Users may become dissatisfied by any system failure that interrupts our ability to provide our platform to them. We may not be able to easily switch our AWS operations to another cloud or other data center provider if there are disruptions or interference with our use of AWS, and, even if we do switch our operations, other cloud and data center providers are subject to the same risks. Sustained or repeated system failures would reduce the attractiveness of our platform to users, thereby reducing revenue. Moreover, negative publicity arising from these types of disruptions could damage our reputation and may adversely impact the use of our platform. We may not carry sufficient business interruption insurance to compensate us for losses that may occur as a result of any events that cause interruptions in our service.

 

AWS does not have an obligation to renew its agreements with us on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. If we are unable to renew our agreements on commercially reasonable terms, our agreements are prematurely terminated, or we add additional infrastructure providers, we may experience costs or downtime in connection with the transfer to, or the addition of, new data center providers. If AWS or other infrastructure providers increase the cost of their services, we may have to increase the fees to use our platform, and our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

 

We face payment and fraud risks that could materially and adversely affect our business.

 

Requirements on our platform relating to user authentication and fraud detection are complex. If our security measures do not succeed, our business may be adversely affected. In addition, bad actors around the world use increasingly sophisticated methods to engage in illegal activities involving personal data, such as unauthorized use of another’s identity or payment information, unauthorized acquisition or use of credit or debit card details and other fraudulent use of another’s identity or information. This could result in any of the following, each of which could adversely affect our business:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Despite measures we have taken to detect and reduce the risk of this kind of conduct, we do not have control over users of our platform and cannot ensure that any of our measures will stop illegal or improper uses of our platform. We have received in the past, and may receive in the future, complaints from users and other third parties concerning misuse of our platform. We also may be required to bring claims against users and other third parties for their misuse of our platform. Even if these claims do not result in litigation or are resolved in our favor, these claims, and the time and resources necessary to resolve them, could divert the resources of our management and materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We may be subject to escrow, payment services and money transmitter regulations that may materially and adversely affect our business.

 

We rely on third parties to collect funds from buyers, remit payments to sellers and hold funds in connection with user balances. Although we believe that by working with a third party, our operations comply with existing U.S. federal and state and applicable international laws and regulatory requirements related to escrow, money transmission and the handling or moving of money, existing laws or regulations may change, and interpretations of existing laws and regulations may also change.

 

As a result, we could be required to be licensed as an escrow agent or a money transmitter (or other similar licensee) in certain states in the U.S. or other jurisdictions or may choose to obtain such a license even if not required. Such a decision could also require us to register as a money services business under applicable laws and regulations. It is also possible that we could become subject to regulatory enforcement or other proceedings in those states or other jurisdictions with escrow, money transmission or other similar statutes or regulatory requirements related to the handling or moving of money, which could in turn have a significant impact on our business, even if we were to ultimately prevail in such proceedings. We may also be required to become licensed as a payment institution (or other similar license) under the European Payment Services Directive or other international laws and regulations. Any developments in the laws or regulations related to escrow, money transmission or the handling or moving of money or increased scrutiny of our business may lead to additional compliance costs and administrative overhead.

 

The application of laws and regulations related to escrow, money transmission and the handling or moving of money is complex and uncertain, particularly as they relate to new and evolving business models. If we are or have at any point in time been in violation of one or more escrow or money transmitter or other similar statutes or regulatory requirements related to the handling or moving of money in any jurisdiction, we may be subject to the imposition of fines, users in the relevant jurisdiction may be unable to use our platform, we may be subject to civil liability or criminal liability and our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

 

If we are unable to maintain our payment partners and bank relationships, or if our disbursement partners encounter business difficulties, our business could be materially and adversely affected.

 

Our payment partners consist of payment processors and disbursement partners. We rely on banks and card processors to provide clearing, processing and settlement functions for the secure and timely funding of all transactions on our platform. We also rely on a network of disbursement partners to hold and disburse funds to users.

 

Our payment partners are critical to our business. In order to maintain these relationships, we have in the past been, and may in the future be, forced to agree to terms that are unfavorable to us. If we are unable to maintain our agreements with current payment partners on favorable terms, or we are unable to enter into new agreements with new payment partners on favorable terms, our ability to collect, hold and disburse funds and our revenue and business may be materially and adversely affected. This could occur for a number of reasons, including the following:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having an international community of users exposes us to risks that may materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our users have a global footprint that subjects us to the risks of being found to do business internationally. We have users located in over 160 countries, including some emerging markets where we have limited experience, where challenges can be significantly different from those we have faced in more developed markets and where business practices may create greater internal control risks. Because our platform is generally accessible by users worldwide, one or more jurisdictions may claim that we or our users are required to comply with their laws. Laws outside of the United States and Israel regulating internet, payments, escrow, privacy and data protection, taxation, terms of service, website accessibility, consumer protection, intellectual property ownership, services intermediaries, labor and employment, worker classification, background checks and recruiting and staffing companies, among others, which could be interpreted to apply to us, are often less favorable to us than those in the United States and Israel, giving greater rights to competitors, users and other third parties.

 

Compliance with international laws and regulations may be more costly than expected, may require us to change our business practices or may restrict our service offerings, and the imposition of any such laws or regulations on us, our users or third parties that we or our users utilize to provide services may adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we may be subject to multiple overlapping legal or regulatory regimes that impose conflicting requirements and enhanced legal risks.

 

Analysis of, and compliance with, global laws and regulations may substantially increase our cost of doing business. We may be unable to keep current with changes in laws and regulations as they develop.

 

Although we are in the process of implementing policies and procedures designed to analyze whether these laws apply and, if applicable, ensure compliance with these laws and regulations, there can be no assurance that we will always be in compliance or that all of our employees, contractors, partners, users and agents will comply at all times. Any violations could result in enforcement actions, fines, civil and criminal penalties, interest, costs and fees (including but not limited to legal fees), injunctions, loss of intellectual property rights or reputational harm. If we are unable to comply with these laws and regulations or manage the complexity of global operations and supporting an international user base successfully, our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

 

In addition, since we operate on a global basis, political, economic and security conditions in countries in which we operate or have users may limit our ability to provide our services. Specifically, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine may affect our business and operations in those regions.

 

Our business model may subject us to disputes between users of our platform.

 

Our business model involves connecting buyers and freelancers that contract directly through our platform. Buyers and freelancers are free to negotiate any specific terms they choose through custom offers sent from the conversation page. It is possible that disputes may arise between buyers and freelancers with regard to the terms of their order, service standards, payment, confidentiality, work product and intellectual property ownership and infringement. If either party believes the terms of their agreement were not met, our terms of service provide a mechanism for the parties to request assistance from us in resolving the dispute through our resolution center and customer support team. Whether or not buyers and freelancers decide to seek assistance from us, if these disputes are not resolved amicably, the parties might escalate to formal proceedings, such as by filing claims with a court. Given our role in facilitating and supporting these arrangements, it is possible that claims will be brought against us directly as a result of these disputes, or that freelancers or buyers may bring us into any claims filed against each other. We include language in our terms of service disclaiming responsibility or liability for any disputes between users; however, we cannot guarantee that these terms will, in all circumstances, be effective in preventing or limiting our involvement in user disputes. Additionally, from time to time, we are the subject of user complaints filed on forums such as the Better Business Bureau. We attempt to respond to all such complaints, although their mere presence may result in damage to our reputation. Even if these claims do not result in litigation or are resolved in our favor, these claims, and the time and resources necessary to resolve them, could divert the resources of our management.

 

We may not be able to successfully execute future acquisitions or efficiently manage any acquired business.

 

We have in the past acquired and may in the future acquire certain complementary businesses or technologies. For example, during 2021 we have acquired Working Not Working, Inc., CreativeLive, Inc. and Stoke Talent Ltd. The success of any acquisition will depend upon several factors, including our ability to: identify and cost-effectively acquire businesses; integrate acquired user data, operations, products and technologies into our organization effectively; retain and motivate key personnel; and effectively retain acquired users.

 

Any such acquisition may require a significant commitment of management time, capital investment and other resources. We may not be successful in identifying and negotiating acquisitions on terms favorable to us. Any such acquisition could involve us taking on debt or give rise to new liabilities. In addition, we cannot be certain that any acquisition, if completed, will be successfully integrated into our existing operations. If we are unable to effectively integrate an acquired business, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. In addition, if we use our equity securities as consideration for acquisitions, we may dilute the value of the ordinary shares.

 

There may be adverse tax, legal and other consequences if the employment status of freelancers that use our platform is challenged.

 

There is often uncertainty in the application of worker classification laws and, consequently, there is risk that freelancers could be deemed to be misclassified under applicable law. The tests governing whether a service provider is an independent contractor, or an employee are typically highly fact sensitive and vary by governing law. Laws and regulations that govern the status and misclassification of independent contractors are also subject to change and to divergent interpretations by various authorities, which can create uncertainty and unpredictability. A misclassification determination or allegation creates potential exposure with respect to users of our platform, including but not limited to: monetary exposure arising from or relating to failure to withhold and remit taxes, unpaid wages and wage and hour laws and requirements (such as those pertaining to minimum wage and overtime); liquidated damages; civil penalties and fines; claims for employee benefits, social security, workers’ compensation and unemployment; claims of discrimination, harassment and retaliation under civil rights laws; claims under laws pertaining to unionizing, collective bargaining and other concerted activity; and other claims, charges, or other proceedings under laws and regulations applicable to employers and employees, including risks relating to allegations of joint employer liability. Such claims could result in monetary damages or other liability, and any adverse determination, including potentially the requirement for us to indemnify a user, could also harm our brand, which could materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

 

The application of indirect taxes could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

 

The application of indirect taxes, such as sales and use tax, to our business is a complex and evolving issue. Significant judgment is required to evaluate applicable tax obligations. As a result, amounts recorded may be subject to adjustments by the relevant tax authorities. In many cases, the ultimate tax determination is uncertain because it is not clear how new and existing statutes might apply to our business. One or more states, the U.S. federal government or other countries may seek to impose additional reporting, record-keeping or indirect tax collection obligations on businesses like ours that facilitate e-commerce. For example, state and local taxing authorities in the United States and taxing authorities in other countries have identified e-commerce platforms as a means to calculate, collect and remit indirect taxes for transactions taking place over the internet. Multiple U.S. states have enacted related legislation and other states are now considering such legislation.

 

We may face lawsuits or incur liability as a result of content published or made available through our platform.

 

The nature of our business exposes us to claims related to defamation, infringement, misappropriation or other violations of third-party intellectual property rights, rights of publicity and privacy and personal injury torts. The law relating to the liability of providers of online products or services for activities of their users remains somewhat unsettled, both within the United States and internationally. This risk is enhanced in certain jurisdictions outside the United States where our protection from liability for third-party actions may be unclear and where we may be less protected under local laws than we are in the United States. If a claim is brought against us due to the actions of our users, we could incur significant costs investigating and defending such claims and, if we are found liable, significant damages.

 

Our business activities subject us to litigation risk that could materially and adversely affect us by subjecting us to significant money damages and other remedies, causing unfavorable publicity or increasing our litigation expense.

 

We are, from time to time, the subject of complaints or litigation, including user claims, contract claims, employee allegations of improper termination and discrimination and claims related to violations of applicable government laws regarding religious freedom, advertising and intellectual property. Any such claim could be expensive to defend and may divert time, money and other valuable resources away from our operations and management, and, thereby, hurt our business. Additionally, a substantial judgment against us could materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

 

Our insurance may not provide adequate levels of coverage against claims.

 

We believe that we maintain insurance customary for businesses of our size and type. However, there are types of losses we may incur that cannot be insured against or that we believe are not economically reasonable to insure. Moreover, any loss incurred could exceed policy limits and policy payments made to us may not be made on a timely basis.

 

A regional or global health pandemic, including COVID-19, could severely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition due to impacts on our buyer and seller base and consumer and business spending more broadly, as well as actions taken to contain the disease.

 

COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, a significant impact around the world, prompting governments and businesses to take unprecedented measures in response. Such measures have included restrictions on travel and business operations, temporary closures of businesses, and quarantine and shelter-in-place orders. The COVID-19 pandemic has at times significantly curtailed global economic activity and caused significant volatility and disruption in global financial markets. The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken by many countries in response could in the future materially adversely impact the Company’s business, results of operations, financial condition and stock price.

 

We are unable to accurately predict the future impact that COVID-19 or future regional or global health pandemic will have on our operations going forward due to uncertainties that will be dictated by the length of time that the pandemic and related disruptions continue, the impact of governmental regulations that might be imposed in response to the pandemic and overall changes in consumer behavior. A pandemic may lead to a global economic downturn and could affect the need or the cadence of need of our buyers to purchase digital services, which could lead to decreased demand across all of our services. A downturn could also have a material adverse impact on our business partners’ stability and financial strength. A pandemic could also have a material impact on the global unemployment rate which could affect the need for our sellers to sell digital services on our platform.

 

We may be materially and adversely affected by natural disasters and other catastrophic events that could disrupt our business operations and our business continuity and disaster recovery plans may not adequately protect us from a serious disaster.

 

A significant natural disaster, such as an earthquake, blizzard, hurricane, fire or flood, the outbreak of a pandemic, such as COVID-19, or other catastrophic events, such as a power loss or telecommunications failure, could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and operating results. In the event of natural disaster or other catastrophic event, we may be unable to continue our operations and may endure system interruptions, reputational harm, delays in development of our platform, lengthy interruptions in service, breaches of data security and loss of critical data, all of which could have an adverse effect on our future operating results. Broadly accepted scientific projections predict that the frequency and/or intensity of certain natural disasters are likely to increase in the future due to climate change, which may increase the magnitude of this risk. In addition, natural disasters and other catastrophic events could affect the ability of sellers on our platform to perform Gigs on a timely basis. If a natural disaster or other catastrophic event occurs in a region from which we derive a significant portion of our revenue, users in that region may delay or forego use of our platform, which may adversely impact our operating results. All of the aforementioned risks may be augmented if our or our partners’ business continuity and disaster recovery plans prove to be inadequate.

 

Currency exchange rate fluctuations affect our results of operations, as reported in our financial statements.

 

We report our financial results in U.S. dollars. We collect our revenue primarily in U.S. dollars. A portion of the cost of revenue, research and development, sales and marketing and general and administrative expenses of our Israeli operations are incurred in NIS. As a result, we are exposed to exchange rate risks that may materially and adversely affect our financial results. If the NIS appreciates against the U.S. dollar or if the value of the NIS declines against the U.S. dollar at a time when the rate of inflation in the cost of Israeli goods and services exceeds the rate of decline in the relative value of the NIS, then the U.S. dollar cost of our operations in Israel would increase and our results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. Although we enter into hedging transactions from time to time, our Israeli operations also could be materially and adversely affected if we are unable to effectively hedge against currency fluctuations in the future. We cannot predict any future trends in the rate of inflation in Israel or the rate of appreciation (if any) of the NIS against the U.S. dollar. The Israeli annual rate of inflation amounted to 5.3%,  2.8%, and negative 0.7% for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the NIS depreciated in relation to the U.S. dollar by 13.2%, while during the years ended December 31, 2021, and 2020 the NIS appreciated in relation to the U.S. dollar by 3.3% and 7.7%, respectively.

 

 

We maintain substantial balances of liquid investments, for purposes of financing our operations and acquisitions. Our marketable securities totalled $431.1 million as of December 31, 2022. The performance of the capital markets affects the values of funds that are held in marketable securities. These assets are subject to market fluctuations and various developments, including, without limitation, rating agency downgrades that may impair their value. We generally buy and hold our portfolio positions, while minimizing credit risk by setting limits for minimum credit rating and maximum concentration per issuer. Our investments consist primarily of government and corporate debentures, which are primarily fixed-income securities.

 

Although we believe that we generally adhere to conservative investment guidelines, the continuing turmoil in the financial markets, record high inflation rates and geopolitical instability, may result in impairments of the carrying value of our investment assets. In addition, as our investment portfolio is invested primarily in fixed-income securities it is affected by changes in interest rates. Interest rates are highly sensitive to many factors, including governmental monetary policies and domestic and international economic and political conditions. Any significant decline in our financial income or the value of our investments as a result of the changes in interest rates and interest rate expectations of the financial markets, deterioration in the credit rating of the securities in which we have invested, or general market conditions, could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. We classify our investments as available-for-sale. Changes in the fair value of investments classified as available-for-sale are not recognized as income during the period, but rather are recognized as other comprehensive income (loss), or OCI, which is a separate component of equity until realized. Realized losses in our investments portfolio may adversely affect our financial position and results.

 

The enactment of legislation implementing changes in taxation of international business activities, the adoption of other corporate tax reform policies, or changes in tax legislation or policies could impact our future financial position and results of operations.

 

Corporate tax reform, base-erosion efforts and tax transparency continue to be high priorities in many tax jurisdictions where we have business operations. As a result, policies regarding corporate income and other taxes in numerous jurisdictions are under heightened scrutiny and tax reform legislation is being proposed or enacted in a number of jurisdictions.

 

For example, there is growing pressure in many jurisdictions and from multinational organizations such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or the OECD, and the EU to amend existing international taxation rules in order to align the tax regimes with current global business practices. Specifically, in October 2015, the OECD published its final package of measures for reform of the international tax rules as a product of its Base Erosion and Profit Shifting, or BEPS initiative, which was endorsed by the G20 finance ministers. Many of the initiatives in the BEPS package required and resulted in specific amendments to the domestic tax legislation of various jurisdictions and to existing tax treaties. We continuously monitor these developments. Although many of the BEPS measures have already been implemented or are currently being implemented globally (including, in certain cases, through adoption of the OECD’s “multilateral convention” (to which Israel is also a party) to effect changes to tax treaties which entered into force on July 1, 2018 and through the European Union’s “Anti Tax Avoidance” Directives), it is still difficult in some cases to assess to what extent these changes our tax liabilities in the jurisdictions in which we conduct our business or to what extent they may impact the way in which we conduct our business or our effective tax rate due to the unpredictability and interdependency of these potential changes. In January 2019 the OECD announced further work in continuation of the BEPS project, focusing on two “pillars.” On October 8, 2021, 136 countries approved a statement known as the OECD BEPS Inclusive Framework, which builds upon the OECD’s continuation of the BEPS project. The first pillar is focused on the allocation of taxing rights between countries for in-scope large multinational enterprises (with revenue in excess of Euro 20 Billion and profitability of at least 10%) that sell goods and services into countries with little or no local physical presence. We do not expect to be within the scope of the first Pillar. The second pillar, which includes two interlocking rules: (1) the Income Inclusion Rule, and (2) the Undertaxed Payment Rule, that together comprise the Global Anti-Base Erosion, or the GloBE rules, is focused on developing a global minimum tax rate of at least 15 percent applicable to in-scope multinational enterprises (with revenue in excess of Euro 750 million). Israel is one of the 136 jurisdictions that has agreed in principle to the adoption of the global minimum tax rate. Given these developments, it is generally expected that tax authorities in various jurisdictions in which we operate may increase their audit activity and may seek to challenge some of the tax positions we have adopted. It is difficult to assess if and to what extent such challenges, if raised, might impact our effective tax rate.

 

As progress on BEPS 2.0 advanced from 2019 into 2020, the world has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and countries have begun to seek new sources of revenue. As a result, there is a proliferation of new Digital Services Taxes, or DSTs, and similar taxes on the digital economy as the interest in these sources of revenue has overtaken progress toward development of fundamental reforms to the international tax architecture under BEPS 2.0 on a consensus basis. These new taxes include DSTs of the type originally proposed plus, in certain jurisdictions, greatly expanded DSTs that apply to virtually all digital transactions, including on multi-sided interfaces allowing users to connect. These taxes defer between jurisdictions in terms of thresholds, applicable tax rate and scope. Note that in most jurisdictions the DST is applied on the gross revenues.

 

Further, there have been changes to tax laws in the United States (such as the recent United States Inflation Reduction Act which, among other changes, introduced a 15% corporate minimum tax on certain United States corporations and a 1% excise tax on certain stock redemptions by United States corporations, which the U.S. Treasury indicated may also apply to certain stock redemptions by a foreign corporation funded by certain United States affiliates) and there are proposals in the United States to introduce further amendments to the federal tax regime applicable to corporations. As of the date of this Annual Report, It is unclear how certain aspects of the Inflation Reduction Act will be implemented by the U.S. Department of the Treasury through regulation, and what additional legislation, if any, would be enacted. Interpretations of existing legislation or the promulgation of new legislation could create the potential for added volatility in our provision for income taxes and might have an adverse impact on our future income tax provision and tax rate.

 

Risks related to our indebtedness and capital structure

 

The conditional conversion feature of our Convertible Notes, if triggered, may adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.

 

In the event the conditional conversion feature of the 0% Convertible Senior Notes due 2025, or the Convertible Notes, is triggered, holders of Convertible Notes will be entitled to convert the Convertible Notes at any time during specified periods at their option. If one or more holders elect to convert their Convertible Notes, unless we elect to satisfy our conversion obligation by delivering solely ordinary shares (other than paying cash in lieu of delivering any fractional ordinary share), we would be required to settle a portion or all of our conversion obligation through the payment of cash, which could adversely affect our liquidity.

 

The fundamental change repurchase right of the Convertible Notes, if triggered, may adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.

 

Holders of the Convertible Notes have the right, subject to limited exceptions contained in the indenture governing the Convertible Notes, to require us to repurchase all or a portion of their Convertible Notes upon the occurrence of a fundamental change before the maturity date at a repurchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount of such Convertible Notes to be repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid special interest, if any, to, but excluding, the applicable fundamental change repurchase date. Such fundamental change repurchase right, if triggered, may adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.

 

Provisions in the indenture for the Convertible Notes may deter or prevent a business combination that may be favorable to you.

 

If a fundamental change occurs prior to the maturity date, holders of the Convertible Notes will have the right, at their option, to require us to repurchase all or a portion of their Convertible Notes, subject to a limited exception described in the offering memorandum for the Convertible Notes. In addition, if a make-whole fundamental change occurs prior to the maturity date, we will in some cases be required to increase the conversion rate for a holder that elects to convert its Convertible Notes in connection with such make-whole fundamental change. Furthermore, the indenture for the Convertible Notes will prohibit us from engaging in certain mergers or acquisitions unless, among other things, the surviving entity assumes our obligations under the Convertible Notes. These and other provisions in the indenture could deter or prevent a third party from acquiring us even when the acquisition may be favorable to you.

 

The balance sheet classification of  Convertible Notes could adversely affect our reported financial condition.

 

If any of the conditions to the convertibility of the Convertible Notes is satisfied, then we may be required under applicable accounting standards to reclassify the liability carrying value of the Convertible Notes, as the case may be, as a current, rather than a long-term, liability. This reclassification could be required even if no noteholders convert their notes and could materially reduce our reported working capital.

 

The Capped Call Transactions may affect the value of our ordinary shares, and we may be subject to counterparty risk with respect to the Capped Call Transactions.

 

In connection with the issuance of the Convertible Notes, we entered into privately negotiated capped call transactions, or the Capped Call Transactions, with certain of the initial purchasers of the Convertible Notes or their affiliates and other financial institutions, or the option counterparties. The Capped Call Transactions cover, collectively, the number of our ordinary shares underlying the Convertible Notes, subject to anti-dilution adjustments substantially similar to those applicable to the Convertible Notes. The Capped Call Transactions are expected generally to reduce the potential dilution to the ordinary shares upon any conversion of the Convertible Notes and/or offset any cash payments we are required to make in excess of the principal amount upon conversion of the Convertible Notes, subject to a cap, under certain events.

 

The option counterparties or their respective affiliates may modify their hedge positions by entering into or unwinding various derivatives with respect to our ordinary shares and/or purchasing or selling our ordinary shares or other securities of ours in secondary market transactions prior to the maturity of the Convertible Notes (and are likely to do so following any conversion of the Convertible Notes or repurchase of the Convertible Notes by us on any fundamental change repurchase date, any redemption date or otherwise, in each case, if we exercise the relevant election under the Capped Call Transactions). This activity could also cause or avoid an increase or a decrease in the market price of our ordinary shares.

 

In addition, we are subject to the risk that any of the counterparties to the Capped Call Transactions may default under the Capped Call Transactions. Our exposure to the credit risk of the option counterparties under the Capped Call Transactions will not be secured by any collateral. In the past, economic conditions have resulted in the actual or perceived failure or financial difficulties of a number of financial institutions, including the bankruptcy filing by Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and various of its affiliates. If an option counterparty becomes subject to insolvency proceedings, we will become an unsecured creditor in those proceedings with a claim equal to our exposure at that time under our transactions with them. Our exposure will depend on many factors. Generally, the increase in our exposure will be correlated to the increase in the market price and in the volatility of our ordinary shares. In addition, as a result of a default by any counterparty to the Capped Call Transactions, we may suffer more dilution than we currently anticipate with respect to our ordinary shares. We can provide no assurances as to the financial stability or viability of any counterparty under the Capped Call Transactions.

 

Risks relating to our ordinary shares

 

We may need to raise additional funds to finance our future capital needs, which may dilute the value of our outstanding ordinary shares or prevent us from growing our business.

 

We may need to raise additional funds to finance our existing and future capital needs, including developing new services and technologies, and to fund ongoing operating expenses. If we raise additional funds through the sale of equity securities, these transactions may dilute the value of our outstanding ordinary shares. We may also decide to issue securities, including protected securities, that have rights, preferences and privileges senior to our ordinary shares. Any debt financing would increase our level of indebtedness and could negatively affect our liquidity and restrict our operations. We also can provide no assurances that the funds we raise will be sufficient to finance any future capital requirements. We may be unable to raise additional funds on terms favorable to us or at all. In addition, the recent declines in the global economy, difficulties in the financial services sector and credit market, continuing geopolitical uncertainties and other macroeconomic factors all affect the spending behavior of potential investors. If financing is not available or is not available on acceptable terms, we may be unable to fund our future needs. This may prevent us from increasing our market share, capitalizing on new business opportunities or remaining competitive in our industry, which could materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We are a foreign private issuer and, as a result, we are not subject to U.S. proxy rules and are subject to Exchange Act reporting obligations that, to some extent, are more lenient and less frequent than those of a U.S. domestic public company.

 

We report under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the Exchange Act, as a non-U.S. company with foreign private issuer status. Because we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we are exempt from certain provisions of the Exchange Act that are applicable to U.S. domestic public companies, including (1) the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act, (2) the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their share ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time and (3) the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q containing unaudited financial and other specified information, although we are subject to Israeli laws and regulations with regard to certain of these matters and furnish comparable quarterly information on Form 6-K. In addition, foreign private issuers are not required to file their annual report on Form 20-F until 120 days after the end of each fiscal year, while U.S. domestic issuers that are accelerated filers are required to file their annual report on Form 10-K within 75 days after the end of each fiscal year and U.S. domestic issuers that are large accelerated filers are required to file their annual report on Form 10-K within 60 days after the end of each fiscal year. Foreign private issuers are also exempt from Regulation FD, which is intended to prevent issuers from making selective disclosures of material information. As a result of all of the above, our shareholders may not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of a company that is not a foreign private issuer.

 

We may lose our foreign private issuer status in the future, which could result in significant additional costs and expenses.

 

As discussed above, we are a foreign private issuer, and therefore, we are not required to comply with all of the periodic disclosure and current reporting requirements of the Exchange Act. The determination of foreign private issuer status is made annually on the last business day of an issuer’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, and, accordingly, the next determination will be made with respect to us on June 30, 2023. In the future, we would lose our foreign private issuer status if (1) more than 50% of our outstanding voting securities are owned by U.S. residents and (2) a majority of our directors or executive officers are U.S. citizens or residents, or we fail to meet additional requirements necessary to avoid loss of foreign private issuer status. If we lose our foreign private issuer status, we will be required to file with the SEC periodic reports and registration statements on U.S. domestic issuer forms, which are more detailed and extensive than the forms available to a foreign private issuer. We will also have to mandatorily comply with U.S. federal proxy requirements, and our officers, directors and principal shareholders will become subject to the short-swing profit disclosure and recovery provisions of Section 16 of the Exchange Act. In addition, we will lose our ability to rely upon exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements under the listing rules of the New York Stock Exchange, or the NYSE. As a U.S. listed public company that is not a foreign private issuer, we will incur significant additional legal, accounting and other expenses that we will not incur as a foreign private issuer.

 

As we are a “foreign private issuer” and follow certain home country corporate governance practices, our shareholders may not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all NYSE corporate governance requirements.

 

As a foreign private issuer, we have the option to follow certain home country corporate governance practices rather than those of the NYSE, provided that we disclose the requirements we are not following and describe the home country practices we are following. We rely on this “foreign private issuer exemption” with respect to the NYSE rules for shareholder meeting quorums and NYSE rules requiring shareholder approval. We may in the future elect to follow home country practices with regard to other matters. As a result, our shareholders may not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all NYSE corporate governance requirements.

 

The market price of our ordinary shares has been and could in the future be negatively affected by future sales of our ordinary shares.

 

As of December 31, 2022, there were 37,537,563 ordinary shares outstanding. Sales by us or our shareholders of a substantial number of ordinary shares in the public market, or the perception that these sales might occur, could cause the market price of our ordinary shares to decline or could impair our ability to raise capital through a future sale of, or pay for acquisitions using, our equity securities. Of our issued and outstanding shares, all of our ordinary shares are freely transferable, except for any shares held by our “affiliates,” as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, or the Securities Act.

 

As of December 31, 2022, we had 3,551,789 shares available for future grant under our share option plans and 4,232,342 ordinary shares that were subject to share options and restricted share units. Of this amount, 2,176,521 options were vested and exercisable as of December 31, 2022. In addition, as of December 31, 2022, we had 701,205 shares available for sale under our 2020 Employee Share Purchase Plan.

 

We may be classified as a passive foreign investment company, which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. Holders of our ordinary shares.

 

We would be classified as a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, for any taxable year if, after the application of certain look-through rules, either: (i) 75% or more of our gross income for such year is “passive income” (as defined in the relevant provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended), or (ii) 50% or more of the value of our gross assets (generally determined on the basis of a quarterly average) during such year is attributable to assets that produce or are held for the production of passive income. For purposes of this test, we will be treated as earning our proportionate share of any income and owning our proportionate share of any assets of any corporation in which we directly or indirectly hold 25% or more (by value) of the stock. Based on our market capitalization and the composition of our income, assets, and operations, we do not expect to be classified as a PFIC for our current taxable year. However, this is a factual determination that must be made annually after the close of each taxable year. Moreover, the aggregate value of our assets for purposes of the PFIC determination generally will be determined by reference to the trading price of our ordinary shares, which could fluctuate significantly. We have a substantial balance of cash and other liquid investments, which are passive assets for purposes of the PFIC determination. Accordingly, if our market capitalization declines and we continue to hold a substantial balance of cash and other liquid investments, we may become a PFIC for the current or future taxable years. Therefore, there can be no assurance that we will not be classified as a PFIC in any taxable year. Certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences could apply to a U.S. Holder (as defined in “Certain United States federal income tax considerations”) if we are treated as a PFIC for any taxable year during which such U.S. Holder holds our ordinary shares. Accordingly, each U.S. Holder of our ordinary shares should consult its tax advisor as to the potential effects of the PFIC rules. See Item 10.E. “Taxation—Taxation and government programs—United States federal income taxation—Passive Foreign Investment Company considerations.”

 

If a United States person is treated as owning at least 10% of our ordinary shares such holder may be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences.

 

If a United States person is treated as owning (directly, indirectly, or constructively, including through the ownership of our Convertible Notes) at least 10% of the value or voting power of our ordinary shares, such person may be treated as a “United States shareholder” with respect to each “controlled foreign corporation” in our group (if any). Because our group includes U.S. subsidiaries, certain of our non-U.S. subsidiaries will be treated as controlled foreign corporations (regardless of whether or not we are treated as a controlled foreign corporation). A United States shareholder of a controlled foreign corporation may be required to report annually and include in its U.S. taxable income its pro rata share of “Subpart F income,” “global intangible low-taxed income,” and investments in U.S. property by controlled foreign corporations, regardless of whether we make any distributions. An individual that is a United States shareholder with respect to a controlled foreign corporation generally would not be allowed certain tax deductions or foreign tax credits that would be allowed to a United States shareholder that is a U.S. corporation, unless certain elections are made on the individual’s federal tax return. Failure to comply with these reporting obligations may subject a United States shareholder to significant monetary penalties and may prevent the statute of limitations with respect to such shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax return for the year for which reporting was due from starting. We cannot provide any assurances that we will assist investors in determining whether we are or any of our non-U.S. subsidiaries is treated as a controlled foreign corporation or whether any investor is treated as a United States shareholder with respect to any such controlled foreign corporation or furnish to any United States shareholders information that may be necessary to comply with the aforementioned reporting and tax paying obligations. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service has provided limited guidance on situations in which investors may rely on publicly available information to comply with their reporting and tax paying obligations with respect to controlled foreign corporations. A United States investor should consult its advisors regarding the potential application of these rules to an investment in our ordinary shares.

 

Provisions of Israeli law and our amended and restated articles of association may delay, prevent or make undesirable an acquisition of all or a significant portion of our shares or assets.

 

Provisions of Israeli law and our amended and restated articles of association could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control and may make it more difficult for a third-party to acquire us or our shareholders to elect different individuals to our board of directors, even if doing so would be considered to be beneficial by some of our shareholders, and may limit the price that investors may be willing to pay in the future for our ordinary shares. Among other things:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Further, Israeli tax considerations may make potential transactions undesirable to us or to some of our shareholders whose country of residence does not have a tax treaty with Israel granting tax relief to such shareholders from Israeli tax. With respect to mergers, Israeli tax law allows for tax deferral in certain circumstances but makes the deferral contingent on the fulfilment of numerous conditions, including a holding period of two years from the date of the transaction during which certain sales and dispositions of shares of the participating companies are restricted.

 

We do not expect to pay any dividends in the foreseeable future.

 

We have never declared or paid any dividends on our ordinary shares. We do not anticipate paying any dividends in the foreseeable future. We currently intend to retain future earnings, if any, to finance operations and expand our business.

 

Our board of directors has sole discretion whether to pay dividends. If our board of directors decides to pay dividends, the form, frequency and amount will depend upon our future operations and earnings, capital requirements and surplus, general financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors that our directors may deem relevant. The Companies Law imposes restrictions on our ability to declare and pay dividends.

 

Payment of dividends may also be subject to Israeli withholding taxes. See Item 10.E. “Taxation—Taxation and government programs—Israeli tax considerations and government programs” for more information.

 

We incur increased costs as a result of operating as a public company, and our management is required to devote substantial time to new compliance initiatives and corporate governance practices.

 

As a public company we incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the listing requirements of the New York Stock Exchange and other applicable securities rules and regulations impose various requirements on public companies, including establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls and corporate governance practices. Our management and other personnel continue to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. Moreover, these rules and regulations will continue to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. For example, we expect that these rules and regulations may make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified members of our board.

 

We continue to evaluate these rules and regulations and cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs. These rules and regulations are often subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices.

 

We are required to comply with the SEC’s rules implementing Sections 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which require management to certify financial and other information in our annual reports and provide an annual management report on the effectiveness of control over financial reporting. Additionally, as we are no longer an emerging growth company and qualify as a large accelerated filer, we must include an attestation report on internal control over financial reporting issued by our independent registered public accounting firm.

 

To maintain the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and our internal control over financial reporting, we expect that we will need to continue enhancing existing, and implement new, financial reporting and management systems, procedures and controls to manage our business effectively and support our growth in the future. The process of evaluating our internal control over financial reporting requires an investment of substantial time and resources, including by our chief financial officer and other members of our senior management. As a result, this process may divert internal resources and take a significant amount of time and effort to complete. Additionally, as part of management assessments of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting required by Section 404(a), our management may conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is not effective due to our failure to cure any identified material weakness or otherwise, which would require us to employ remedial actions to implement effective controls. If we identify material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, if we are unable to comply with the requirements of Section 404(a) or 404(b) in a timely manner or to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an opinion or issues an adverse opinion in its attestation as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting required by Section 404 (b), investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the trading price of our ordinary shares could be negatively affected. We could also become subject to investigations by the stock exchange on which our securities are listed, the SEC or other regulatory authorities, which could require additional financial and management resources.

 

Irrespective of compliance with Sections 404(a) and 404(b), any failure of our internal control could have a material adverse effect on our stated results of operations and harm our reputation. In order to implement changes to our internal control over financial reporting triggered by a failure of those controls, we could experience higher than anticipated operating expenses, as well as higher independent auditor fees during and after the implementation of these changes.

 

Risks relating to our incorporation and location in Israel

 

Conditions in Israel could materially and adversely affect our business.

 

 

Our commercial insurance does not cover losses that may occur as a result of events associated with war and terrorism. Although the Israeli government currently covers the reinstatement value of direct damages that are caused by terrorist attacks or acts of war, we cannot assure you that this government coverage will be maintained or that it will sufficiently cover our potential damages. Any losses or damages incurred by us could have a material adverse effect on our business. Any armed conflicts or political instability in the region would likely negatively affect business conditions and could harm our results of operations.

 

Further, in the past, the State of Israel and Israeli companies have been subjected to economic boycotts. Several countries still restrict business with the State of Israel and with Israeli companies. These restrictive laws and policies may have an adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition or the expansion of our business. A campaign of boycotts, divestment, and sanctions has been undertaken against Israel, which could also adversely affect our business. Actual or perceived political instability in Israel or any negative changes in the political environment, may individually or in the aggregate adversely affect the Israeli economy and, in turn, our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.

 

In addition, many Israeli citizens are obligated to perform several weeks of annual military reserve duty each year until they reach the age of 40 (or older, for reservists who are military officers or who have certain occupations) and, in the event of a military conflict, may be called to active duty. In response to increases in terrorist activity, there have been periods of significant call-ups of military reservists. It is possible that there will be military reserve duty call-ups in the future. Our operations could be disrupted by such call-ups, which may include the call-up of members of our management. Such disruption could materially adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.

 

The tax benefits that are available to us require us to continue to meet various conditions and may be terminated or reduced in the future, which could increase our costs and taxes.

 

We are eligible for certain tax benefits provided to a “Beneficiary Enterprise” under the Israeli Law for the Encouragement of Capital Investments, 5719-1959 (the “Investment Law”). In order to remain eligible for the tax benefits provided to a “Beneficiary Enterprise” we must continue to meet certain conditions stipulated in the Investment Law and its regulations, as amended. If these tax benefits are reduced, cancelled or discontinued, our Israeli taxable income from the beneficiary enterprise would be subject to regular Israeli corporate tax rates. The standard corporate tax rate for Israeli companies in 2022 was 23%. Additionally, if we increase our activities outside of Israel through acquisitions, for example, our expanded activities might not be eligible for inclusion in future Israeli tax benefit programs. See Item 10.E. “Taxation—Taxation and government programs—Israeli tax considerations and government programs—Law for the Encouragement of Capital Investments, 5719-1959.”

 

It may be difficult to enforce a U.S. judgment against us, our officers and directors named in this Annual Report in Israel or the United States, or to assert U.S. securities laws claims in Israel or serve process on our officers and directors.

 

Not all of our directors or officers are residents of the United States and most of their and our assets are located outside the United States. Service of process upon us or our non-U.S. resident directors and officers may be difficult to obtain within the United States. We have been informed by our legal counsel in Israel that it may be difficult to assert claims under U.S. securities laws in original actions instituted in Israel or obtain a judgment based on the civil liability provisions of U.S. federal securities laws. Israeli courts may refuse to hear a claim based on a violation of U.S. securities laws against us or our non-U.S. officers and directors because Israel may not be the most appropriate forum to bring such a claim. In addition, even if an Israeli court agrees to hear a claim, it may determine that Israeli law and not U.S. law is applicable to the claim. If U.S. law is found to be applicable, the content of applicable U.S. law must be proved as a fact, which can be a time-consuming and costly process. Certain matters of procedure will also be governed by Israeli law. There is little binding case law in Israel addressing the matters described above. Additionally, Israeli courts might not enforce judgments obtained in the United States against us or our non-U.S. our directors and executive officers, which may make it difficult to collect on judgments rendered against us or our non-U.S. officers and directors.

 

Moreover, an Israeli court will not enforce a non-Israeli judgment if it was given in a state whose laws do not provide for the enforcement of judgments of Israeli courts (subject to exceptional cases), if its enforcement is likely to prejudice the sovereignty or security of the State of Israel, if it was obtained by fraud or in the absence of due process, if it is at variance with another valid judgment that was given in the same matter between the same parties, or if a suit in the same matter between the same parties was pending before a court or tribunal in Israel at the time the foreign action was brought.

 

Your rights and responsibilities as our shareholder are governed by Israeli law, which may differ in some respects from the rights and responsibilities of shareholders of U.S. corporations.

 

We are incorporated under Israeli law. The rights and responsibilities of holders of our ordinary shares are governed by our amended and restated articles of association and the Israeli Companies Law, 5759-1999, or the Companies Law. These rights and responsibilities differ in some respects from the rights and responsibilities of shareholders in typical U.S. corporations. In particular, pursuant to the Companies Law each shareholder of an Israeli company has to act in good faith and in a customary manner in exercising his or her rights and fulfilling his or her obligations toward the Company and other shareholders and to refrain from abusing his or her power in the Company, including, among other things, in voting at the general meeting of shareholders on amendments to a company’s articles of association, increases in a company’s authorized share capital, mergers and certain transactions requiring shareholders’ approval under the Companies Law. In addition, a controlling shareholder of an Israeli company or a shareholder who knows that it possesses the power to determine the outcome of a shareholder vote or who has the power to appoint or prevent the appointment of a director or officer in the Company or has other powers toward the Company has a duty of fairness toward the Company. However, Israeli law does not define the substance of this duty of fairness. There is little case law available to assist in understanding the implications of these provisions that govern shareholder behavior.

 

We may be exposed to liabilities under the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other U.S. and foreign anti-corruption anti-money laundering, export control, sanctions and other trade laws and regulations, and any determination that we violated these laws could have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

We are subject to export control and import laws and regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations, U.S. Customs regulations and various economic and trade sanctions regulations administered by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. We are also subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, the U.S. domestic bribery statute contained in 18 U.S.C. § 201, the U.S. Travel Act, the USA PATRIOT Act, the United Kingdom Bribery Act 2010, the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, Chapter 9 (sub-chapter 5) of the Israeli Penal Law, 1977, the Israeli Prohibition on Money Laundering Law—2000 and possibly other anti-bribery and anti-money laundering laws in countries outside of the United States in which we conduct our activities. Compliance with these laws has been the subject of increasing focus and activity by regulatory authorities, both in the United States and elsewhere, in recent years. Anti-corruption laws are interpreted broadly and prohibit companies and their employees and third-party intermediaries from authorizing, promising, offering, providing, soliciting or accepting, directly or indirectly, improper payments or benefits to or from any person whether in the public or private sector.

 

Further, we historically had some users in Cuba, North Korea and Crimea, countries that are presently the subject of comprehensive sanctions by the United States government, or Sanctioned Countries. We have taken steps to terminate existing accounts in Sanctioned Countries and have implemented various control mechanisms designed to prevent unauthorized dealings with Sanctioned Countries going forward. Although we endeavor to conduct our business in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, we cannot guarantee compliance.

 

Noncompliance with anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, export control, sanctions and other trade laws could subject us to whistleblower complaints, investigations, sanctions, settlements, prosecution, other enforcement actions, disgorgement of profits, significant fines, damages, other civil and criminal penalties or injunctions, suspension and/or debarment from contracting with certain persons, the loss of export privileges, reputational harm, adverse media coverage and other collateral consequences. If any subpoenas or investigations are launched, or governmental or other sanctions are imposed, or if we do not prevail in any possible civil or criminal litigation, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially harmed. Responding to any action will likely result in a materially significant diversion of management’s attention and resources and significant defense and compliance costs and other professional fees. In addition, regulatory authorities may seek to hold us liable for successor liability for violations committed by companies in which we invest or that we acquire. As a general matter, enforcement actions and sanctions could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

General risk factors

 

Our share price may be volatile, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

 

The market price of our ordinary shares could be highly volatile and may fluctuate substantially as a result of many factors, including:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The price of our ordinary shares could also be affected by possible sales of our ordinary shares by investors who view our Convertible Notes as a more attractive means of equity participation in us and by hedging or arbitrage trading activity that may develop involving our ordinary shares and Convertible Notes.

 

In addition, the stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations. Broad market and industry factors may materially harm the market price of our ordinary shares, regardless of our operating performance. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against that company. If we were involved in any similar litigation we could incur substantial costs and our management’s attention and resources could be diverted.

 

An active trading market for our ordinary shares may not be sustained to provide adequate liquidity.

 

An active trading market may not be sustained for our ordinary shares. The lack of an active market may impair your ability to sell your shares at the time you wish to sell them or at a price that you consider reasonable. An inactive market may also impair our ability to raise capital by selling ordinary shares and may impair our ability to acquire other companies by using our shares as consideration.

 

If we do not meet the expectations of equity research analysts, if they do not publish research or reports about our business or if they issue unfavorable commentary or downgrade our ordinary shares, the price of our ordinary shares could decline.

 

The trading market for our ordinary shares relies in part on the research and reports that equity research analysts publish about us and our business. The analysts’ estimates are based upon their own opinions and are often different from our estimates or expectations. If our results of operations are below the estimates or expectations of public market analysts and investors, the price of our ordinary shares could decline. Moreover, the price of our ordinary shares could decline if one or more securities analysts downgrade our ordinary shares or if those analysts issue other unfavorable commentary or cease publishing reports about us or our business.

 

Item 4. Information on the Company.

 

 

We were incorporated in Israel under the Israeli Companies Law, 5759-1999 in April 2010, and our principal executive office is located at 8 Eliezer Kaplan St., Tel Aviv 6473409, Israel. Our legal name is Fiverr International Ltd. and our commercial name is FIVERR. We are registered with the Israeli Registrar of Companies. Our registration number is 51-444087-4. Our website address is www.fiverr.com, and our telephone number is +972-72-2280910. Information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website does not constitute a part of this Annual Report and is not incorporated by reference herein. We have included our website address in this Annual Report solely for informational purposes. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers, such as we, that file electronically, with the SEC at www.sec.gov. Our agent for service of process in the United States is C T Corporation System and its address is 28 Liberty Street, New York, New York 10005.

 

 

 

Our mission is to revolutionize how the world works together. We started with the simple idea that people should be able to buy and sell digital services in the same fashion as physical goods on an e-commerce platform. On that basis, we set out to design a digital marketplace that is built with a comprehensive SKU-like services catalog and an efficient search, find and order process that mirrors a typical e-commerce transaction.

 

We believe our model reduces friction and uncertainties for both buyers and sellers. At the foundation of our core platform, Fiverr.com, lies an expansive catalog with over 600 categories of productized service listings, which we coined as Gigs. Each Gig has a clearly defined scope, duration and price, along with buyer-generated reviews. Using either our search or navigation tools, buyers can easily find and purchase productized services, such as logo design, video creation and editing, website development and blog writing, with prices ranging from $5 to thousands of dollars. We call this the Service-as-a-Product, or the SaaP model. Our approach fundamentally transforms the traditional freelancer staffing model into an e-commerce-like experience. In the year ended December 31, 2022, our platform enabled $1,118.3 million of GMV from 4.3 million active buyers.

 

Our business of enabling freelance work is deeply connected to the opportunities that technology has enabled in the modern economy. While businesses want frictionless and seamless access to a global pool of talent, individuals increasingly want to choose where they work, when they work and what they do for work. Our platform was designed to serve these needs. Our buyers include businesses of all sizes, while our sellers are a diverse group of freelancers and small businesses from over 160 countries who tap into our core platform to earn their full-time living or augment their income.

 

As a marketplace, we succeed when our buyers and sellers succeed. We designed our platform to make it easy for our buyers to find and purchase the digital services they are looking for without time-consuming negotiations or uncertainty of pricing, while offering them what we believe to be the best value for their money. At the same time, we enable our sellers to reach a large buyer universe, allowing them to spend more time on doing what they love and are best at, rather than on demand generation, contract negotiation, payment collection and other requirements of running a digital services business.

 

We generate revenue primarily through transaction fees and service fees on our core marketplace. We also offer an ecosystem of value added products that empowers our sellers to build a successful freelancing career and enables businesses of all sizes to implement an effective and efficient strategy to utilize freelancing workforce. For freelancers, Promoted Gigs and Seller Plus provide advertising capabilities and advanced tools to help them succeed on our marketplace. Fiverr Workspace provides freelancers software solution to manage invoicing, contracts, time tracking and organizing workflow with their clients. We also provide comprehensive learning and development offerings through Fiverr Learn and CreativeLive that help freelancers grow professionally. On the demand side, ClearVoice offers a subscription based content marketing solution, WorkingNotWorking provides paid access to high-end vetted creative talent, and Stoke Talent provides a freelancer management system to help businesses manage freelancers across channels, all of which cater to medium to larger sized businesses.

 

Technology is at the core of everything we do. Our proprietary machine learning algorithms, together with our dataset on profiling, transaction and user behavior, which rapidly grows with increasing buyer and seller engagement, enable us to personalize our user experience, improve quality and provide a more robust ecosystem. We are focused on constant innovation and have designed our platform such that we can continuously enhance the value we deliver to our buyers and sellers.

 

We have achieved significant growth and scale since inception. In the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, our revenue was $337.4 million, $297.7 million and $189.5 million, respectively, a 13% and 57% increase, respectively, and we incurred net losses of $71.5 million, $65.0 million and $14.8 million, respectively. Geographically, the substantial majority of our revenue is generated from buyers in English speaking countries. As we expand our platform to include additional languages, we expect to deepen our penetration into Western Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America, and the geographic mix of our revenue could therefore change over time. For a description of the principal markets in which we compete, including a breakdown of total revenues see Item 5. “Operating and Financial Review and Prospects - Our Business Model”.

 

Our platform

 

Since inception, our vision has been to fundamentally transform the traditional freelancer hiring model into an e-commerce-like experience— seamless, efficient and frictionless. To achieve our vision, the Fiverr platform is built with a comprehensive SKU-like services catalog and an efficient search, find and order process that mirrors a typical e-commerce transaction. We believe that our model reduces friction and uncertainties for our buyers while enabling our sellers to reach a global audience, enjoy more flexibility and choice of work and make more money. The key elements of our core platform include:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who we serve

 

Our buyers

 

Our buyers include individuals and businesses of all sizes and from various industries. We engage and grow our buyer base organically and through thoughtful performance and brand marketing, all without a direct sales force.

 

In the year ended December 31, 2022, we served 4.3 million active buyers from over 160 countries across the globe, up from 4.2 million active buyers in 2021.

 

Our value proposition to buyers

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our sellers

 

Our sellers are a diverse group of freelancers who we believe value the flexibility and financial opportunity our core platform provides. They range from individuals who use our core platform to earn their full-time living to those who augment their income.

 

Our value proposition to sellers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our products

 

Buyer experience

 

We present our buyers with an e-commerce experience that is designed for streamlined browsing, searching and purchasing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seller experience

 

We offer a set of tools for sellers to build their Gigs, develop their brand, establish a reputation and create their work portfolio. Sellers can manage their business from any browser or from our mobile apps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our technology

 

To help our buyers and sellers transact on our platform, we have built a modular and scalable technology platform that supports our business while protecting operational integrity and performance. Technology is at the core of everything we do and is a key business asset and enabler. We continuously invest in our technology and believe that our focus on innovation gives us a competitive advantage.

 

The core pillars that support the foundation of our platform are:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Go-to-market

 

We have adopted a bottom up approach in our go-to-market strategy. Our goal is to target individuals and teams who work in various business functions at companies of different sizes across different industries. Our offerings resonate with people who just want to get things done within their budget and deadline constraints. Because each Gig on our platform has a clearly defined scope, duration and price, it eliminates uncertainties and frictions and allows more autonomous purchasing decisions. By providing our buyers with a favorable experience, they continuously return to our platform and drive referrals. We believe this approach is efficient because it allows us to penetrate the digital service freelance market at scale without a direct salesforce.

 

Our brand awareness and the virality of our solution has enabled us to acquire the majority of our new buyers through organic channels. That is complemented by highly effective performance marketing and brand investments across a variety of channels. We aim to acquire new buyers through the most efficient channels with the highest return on investment. Once they join, our goal is to demonstrate the value of our platform to our users in order to continuously increase each user’s lifetime value. We actively work to expand our wallet share by encouraging cross category purchasing, suggesting services appropriate for the respective business lifecycle and constantly improving how we match our buyer’s needs with our seller’s offerings.

 

 

The Fiverr brand is central to our business strategy, and we believe that maintaining, protecting and enhancing the Fiverr brand is important to expanding our business. We hold numerous registered trademarks in the United States and in foreign jurisdictions, including the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil and Israel, that we consider material to the marketing of our products, including the trademarks Fiverr and Gig.

 

Our in-house know-how is an important element of our intellectual property. The development and management of our platform requires sophisticated coordination among many specialized employees. We believe that duplication of this coordination by competitors or individuals seeking to copy our platform offerings would be difficult. The risk of a competitor effectively replicating the functionality of our platform is further mitigated by the fact that our service offerings are cloud-based such that most of the core technology operating on our systems is never exposed to a user or to our competitors. To protect our technology, we implement multiple layers of security. Access to our platform, other than to obtain basic information, requires system usernames and passwords. We also add additional layers of security such as IP address filtering.

 

Despite our efforts to protect our proprietary rights, unauthorized parties may attempt to copy or obtain and use our technology to develop products and services with the same functionality as our platform. Policing unauthorized use of our technology is difficult. Our competitors could also independently develop technologies like ours, and our intellectual property rights may not be broad enough for us to prevent competitors from selling products and services incorporating those technologies.

 

Competition

 

The market for freelancers and the buyers who engage them is highly competitive, rapidly evolving, fragmented and subject to changing technology, shifting needs and frequent introductions of new products and services. We compete with a number of online and offline platforms and services to attract and retain users, although we believe that none of our competitors operate a similar business model with the breadth of our catalog, the range of services and global reach as our platform. Our main competitors fall into the following categories:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Practices

 

Fiverr was built with a defined purpose from day one to revolutionize how the world works together. We believe that our success can only be built alongside the success of our stakeholders, including our community, employees and shareholders. We are committed to build a long-term sustainable business that aligns our mission and business strategy with positive impacts to people, communities and our planet.

 

Fiverr’s ESG approach and plan falls under the purview of our board. Oversight of the Company’s risks, strategies, policies, programs and practices related to ESG matters is conducted by our Nominating and Governance Committee, and our EVP and General Counsel and EVP of Strategic Finance lead the day-to-day management of ESG matters.

 

During 2021, we identified four core pillars that outline some of the specific ways we are making positive change in the world and the key issues that we believe are important to our business and stakeholders.

 

 

 

 

 

Our 2021 ESG report details the progress we have achieved and our initiatives under each of the pillars above since our 2020 ESG Report  and is available on our investor relations website at investors.fiverr.com and is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report. We believe that transparent and regular reporting is an essential step to holding ourselves accountable. We expect to continue to evolve our ESG strategy in the future as our ESG program matures.

 

Government legislation and regulation

 

Actions of our users

 

In many jurisdictions, including the United States and countries in Europe, laws relating to the liability of providers of online services for activities of their users and other third parties are currently being tested by a number of claims, including actions based on defamation, breach of data protection and privacy rights and other torts, unfair competition, copyright and trademark infringement and other theories based on the nature and content of the materials searched, the ads posted, or the content uploaded by users. Any court ruling or other governmental action that imposes liability on providers of online services for the activities of their users and other third parties could harm our business. In addition, rising concern about the use of the Internet for illegal conduct, such as the unauthorized dissemination of national security information, money laundering or supporting terrorist activities may in the future produce legislation or other governmental action that could require changes to our products or services, restrict or impose additional costs upon the conduct of our business or cause users to abandon material aspects of our service.

 

Data protection and cybersecurity

 

We hold certain personal data of our users, including their name, username, email address, IP address, device identifiers, address, telephone number, photo, transactional data, consumption habits (such as purchase history), taxpayer information and forms, profession and education, location, authentication information, social media account log in details and additional information regarding the use of Fiverr’s Marketplace (such as published portfolio, Gig information, purchases, ratings and additional information the user decides to upload and share with us or other users of our marketplace), and may hold certain personal data of the visitors to our users’ websites. In addition, we hold certain personal data of our employees and contractors. We operate in accordance with the terms of our privacy policies, which describe our practices concerning the collection, use, transmission and disclosure of personal data. As a “database owner” pursuant to the Israeli Privacy Law, we are subject to certain obligations and restrictions, such as the requirement to properly notify the data subjects regarding the nature of the collection and use of their personal data prior to their collection, the requirement to obtain valid informed consents from the data subjects prior to using their personal data, conditions with respect to transfer of personal data outside Israeli borders, conditions and restrictions regarding the use of any personal data for direct mailing, obligations to meet certain data subject rights (such as access, rectification and deletion rights), registering databases containing personal data with Israeli Privacy Protection Authority, as well as data security obligations. In this respect, the new Israeli Privacy Protection Regulations (Data Security) 2017, or the Data Security Regulations, imposes obligations with respect to the manner personal data is processed, maintained, transferred, disclosed, accessed and secured. The Israeli Privacy Protection Authority may initiate administrative inspection proceedings, from time to time, without any suspicion of any particular breach of the Israeli Privacy Law, as it has done in the past with respect to dozens of Israeli companies in various business sectors. In addition, to the extent that the Israeli Privacy Protection Authority initiates any administrative supervision procedure that reveals irregularities with respect to our compliance with the Israeli Privacy Law, we may need to take certain remedial actions to rectify such irregularities, which may increase our costs. In addition we may be exposed to administrative fines, civil claims (including class actions) and in certain cases criminal liability.

 

Numerous U.S. and foreign laws and regulations govern how we collect, use, disclose and otherwise process personal information, and certain of these laws and regulations have extraterritorial effect. Where the local data protection and privacy laws of a jurisdiction apply, we may be required to register our operations in that jurisdiction or make changes to our business so that personal information is only collected and processed in accordance with applicable local law. We may require additional legal review and resources to ensure compliance with any applicable privacy or data protections laws and regulations. In addition, in many jurisdictions there is new legislation that may affect our business and require additional legal review. Compliance with these laws is constantly evolving, resource intensive and time consuming, and companies that do not comply with these laws may face significant liabilities.

 

 

A number of new U.S. state data privacy laws as well as legislative proposals pending before the U.S. Congress and various state legislative bodies concerning data protection could affect us. For example, California voters also passed the California Privacy Rights Act, which entered into substantial effect on January 1, 2023, and significantly modifies the California Consumer Privacy Act, including providing new data privacy rights for consumers and new operational requirements for companies. In addition, other new state data privacy laws, such as the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act, which went into effect in January 2023, the Colorado Privacy Act and Connecticut Data Privacy Act, which go into effect in July 2023, and the Utah Consumer Privacy Act, which goes into effect in December 2023, similarly impose new privacy rights and obligations. If similar laws are passed in other states or at the federal level, such laws may have potentially conflicting requirements that would make compliance challenging and costly.

 

 

European legislators adopted the GDPR, repealing the 1995 European Data Protection Directive (Directive 95/46/EC). We are defined as a “Data Controller” with respect to the personal data of our users that we collect and are therefore subject to a number of key legal obligations under the GDPR. These include the necessity to have lawful legal basis for collecting, using, and processing personal data, ​​requirements in light of the transparency principle to tell our users how we may use their personal data, increased controls on profiling users, increased rights for users to access, control and delete their personal data and mandatory data breach notification requirements. Case law and regulatory guidance has supplemented these requirements in numerous areas, particularly around international data transfers, imposing additional compliance costs and enforcement risk. In addition, there are significantly increased administrative fines of the greater of €20 million and 4% of global turnover (as well as the right to compensation for financial or non-financial damages claimed by any individuals under Article 82 of the GDPR). As of January 1, 2021, because of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU, we also have to comply with the UK GDPR, which, together with the amended UK Data Protection Act 2018, retains the GDPR in UK national law. The UK data protection regime mirrors the fines under the GDPR.

 

The European ePrivacy Directive (Directive 2002/58/EC as amended by Directive 2009/136/EC) obliges the EU member states to introduce certain national laws regulating privacy or data protection in the electronic communications sector. Pursuant to the requirements of the ePrivacy Directive, companies must, among other things, obtain consent to store information or access information already stored, on a user’s terminal equipment (e.g., computer or mobile device). These requirements predominantly regulate the use by companies of cookies and comparable technologies. Prior to providing such consent, users must receive clear and comprehensive information, both in accordance with the more stringent requirements under the GDPR. Certain exemptions to these requirements on which we rely are available for technical storage or access for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network or as strictly necessary to provide a service explicitly requested by the user.

 

In recent years, U.S. and European lawmakers and regulators have expressed concern over the use of third-party cookies and similar technologies for online behavioral advertising, and laws in this area are also under reform. In the European Union, current national laws that implement the ePrivacy Directive will soon be replaced by an EU regulation known as the ePrivacy Regulation. In the European Union, informed consent is required for the placement of certain cookies on a user’s device and for direct electronic marketing, and the GDPR also imposes additional conditions in order to satisfy such consent, such as a prohibition on pre-checked consents and on bundled consents thereby requiring users to affirmatively consent for a given purpose through separate tick boxes. The draft ePrivacy Regulation retains these additional consent conditions and also imposes the strict opt-in marketing rules on direct marketing that is “presented” on a web page rather than sent by email, alters rules on third-party cookies and similar technology and significantly increases penalties for breach of the rules. Regulation of cookies and similar technologies may lead to broader restrictions on our marketing and personalization activities and may negatively impact our efforts to understand users’ internet usage, as well as the effectiveness of our marketing and our business generally. Such regulations may have a negative effect on businesses, including ours, that collect and use online usage information for consumer acquisition and marketing, it may increase the cost of operating a business that collects or uses such information and undertakes online marketing, it may also increase regulatory scrutiny and increase potential civil liability under data protection or consumer protection laws. In response to marketplace concerns about the usage of third-party cookies and web beacons to track user behaviors, providers of major browsers have included features that allow users to limit the collection of certain data generally or from specified websites, and the ePrivacy Regulation draft also advocates the development of browsers that block cookies by default. These developments could impair our ability to collect user information, including personal data and usage information, that helps us provide more targeted advertising to our current and prospective consumers, which could adversely affect our business, given our use of cookies and similar technologies to target our marketing and personalize the consumer experience.

 

As the text of the ePrivacy Regulation is still under development and currently in draft form, and as further guidance is issued and interpretation of both the ePrivacy Regulation and the GDPR develop, it is difficult to assess the impact of the ePrivacy Regulation on our business or operations, but it may require us to modify our data practices and policies and we could incur substantial costs as a result.

 

On November 1, 2022, the Digital Markets Act, or the DMA, entered into force and on November 16, 2022, the Digital Services Act, or the DSA, followed. For the DSA, most provisions become applicable on February 17, 2024. The DSA and the DMA focus on creating a safer digital space, protecting fundamental rights of all users of digital services, and establishing a level playing field for businesses and consumers with regards to online platforms. As further guidance is issued and interpretation of both the DSA and the DMA, it is difficult to assess the impact of the DSA and DMA on our business or operations, but, to the extent applicable, it may require us to modify our practices and policies and we could incur substantial costs as a result.

 

On December 16, 2020, the European Union published a new cybersecurity strategy which aims at adapting online and offline security requirements in response to growing interconnectedness and digitalization. In December 2022, the Directive (EU) 2022/2555 of the European Parliament and of the Council of December 14, 2022 on measures for a high common level of cybersecurity across the Union, amending Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 and Directive (EU) 2018/1972, and repealing Directive (EU) 2016/1148 (NIS 2 Directive) was published in the official journal of the European Union. As EU Member States still need to adopt the NIS 2 Directive into national law by October 17, 2024, it is difficult to assess the impact on our business or operations, but it may require us to modify our cybersecurity practices and policies and we could incur substantial costs as a result.

 C. Organizational Structure

 

The legal name of our company is Fiverr International Ltd. and we are organized under the laws of the State of Israel. We have nine wholly-owned subsidiaries: Stoke Talent Ltd., Incorporated under the laws of the State of Israel, Fiverr Inc., ClearVoice, Inc., Working Not Working, Inc., CreativeLive Inc. and Stoke Talent Inc. each of which incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware, Sharon Lee Thony Consulting, LLC, incorporated under the laws of the State of New York, Fiverr Germany GmbH, incorporated under the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany and Fiverr Limited, incorporated under the laws of the Republic of Cyprus.

 

 

Our principal facilities are located in Tel Aviv, Israel and consist of approximately 4,380 square meters (approximately 47,146 square feet) of leased office space. These facilities currently accommodate our principal executive offices, research and development, marketing, design, business development, finance, information technology, user support and other administrative activities. The lease for these facilities expires in 2026.

 

We also lease offices in New York City and Orlando in the United States. We believe that our facilities are adequate to meet our needs for the immediate future, and that, should it be needed, suitable additional space will be available to accommodate any expansion of our operations.

 

Item 4A. Unresolved Staff Comments

 

 

Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects

 

 

Overview

 

Our mission is to revolutionize how the world works together. We started with the simple idea that people should be able to buy and sell digital services in the same fashion as physical goods on an e-commerce platform. On that basis, we set out to design a digital marketplace that is built with a comprehensive SKU-like services catalog and an efficient search, find and order process that mirrors a typical e-commerce transaction.

 

We believe our model reduces friction and uncertainties for both buyers and sellers. At the foundation of our platform lies an expansive catalog with over 600 categories of productized service listings, which we coined as Gigs. Each Gig has a clearly defined scope, duration and price, along with buyer generated reviews. Using either our search or navigation tools, buyers can easily find and purchase productized services, such as logo design, video creation and editing, website development and blog writing, with prices ranging from $5 to thousands of dollars. We call this the Service-as-a-Product, or the SaaP model. Our approach fundamentally transforms the traditional freelancer staffing model into an e-commerce-like experience. In the year ended December 31, 2022, we had 4.3 million active buyers on our platform.

 

We were founded in 2010 by entrepreneurs who have extensive experience working with freelancers and who have witnessed firsthand how challenging the process can be. Our platform has simplified and streamlined this process for both buyers and sellers and, as a result, we have experienced significant growth and reached a meaningful scale. Our GMV for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020 was $1,118.3 million, $1,018.7 million and $699.3 million, respectively.

 

Our business model

 

We operate a marketplace model where we derive our revenue from transaction fees and service fees that are based on the total value of transactions ordered through our platform. Our revenue growth has been driven primarily by the growth of active buyers and spend per buyer. For the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, our revenue was $337.4 million, $297.7 million and $189.5 million, respectively, most of which was driven by repeat buyers whose collective spend on our platform continues to increase. These favorable dynamics provide us with revenue visibility and predictability. As repeat buyers keep using our platform, placing additional orders and ordering higher value and cross category services, we benefit from growing buyer lifetime value.

 

Our take rate, or revenue as a percentage of GMV, was 30.2%, 29.2% and 27.1% for the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively. We believe we are able to command our take rate because of the value we provide to our buyers and sellers in an otherwise fragmented, unstandardized and high-friction industry. Our take rate is sustainable and has grown moderately over time as we provide more value to buyers and sellers through products and offerings such as Promoted Gigs, Seller Plus, ClearVoice, CreativeLive, Fiverr Learn, Fiverr Workspace, WorkingNotWorking and Stoke Talent.

 

Our revenue is diversified and generated from a broad mix of digital services. Our platform includes over 600 categories across ten verticals, including Graphics & Design, Digital Marketing, Writing & Translation, Video & Animation, Music & Audio, Programming & Tech, Business, Data, Lifestyle, and Photography. For the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 and 2020, no single category accounted for more than 15%of our core marketplace revenue. Category expansion continues to be a key strategy for our business.

 

Geographically, the substantial majority of our revenue is generated from buyers in English speaking countries. As we expand our platform to include additional languages, we expect to deepen our penetration into Western Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America, and the geographic mix of our revenue could therefore change over time.

 

We do not hire freelancers directly or provide digital services to our buyers as a principal. Our business model can rapidly scale, and as it grows we benefit from a growing network effect. More buyers attract more sellers onto our platform, which, in turn, leads to more selection and better value for money, driving more engagement and spend by our buyers. We do not rely on a direct sales force, further enhancing the scalability of our business model. Our revenue is well diversified across our buyers, with no buyer contributing more than 1% of core marketplace revenue in the years ended December 31, 2022, 2021 or 2020.

 

We drive a majority of our buyer acquisition through organic channels, supplemented by efficient performance marketing investments. Our organic buyer growth results from the embedded network effect of our marketplace model and our continued growth in our brand awareness. We continue to diversify and strengthen our performance marketing capabilities and invest in data science technologies to acquire more buyers as well as buyers with higher lifetime value. Since inception, we have not made significant investments in marketing for seller acquisition.

 

 

Our active buyer base continues to grow over time. The number of active buyers on our platform has reached 4.3 million as of December 31, 2022, up from 4.2 million as of December 31, 2021. The key drivers of our active buyer base growth are continued buyer engagement and our buyer acquisition strategy. We are focused on increasing this strong base of active buyers, which we continue to monetize.

 

 

We experience significant repeat business because buyers return to our platform as we offer a variety of freelance digital services that address different businesses’ needs. For example, a buyer can purchase design content for a brochure and later return to our platform for market research, an entirely different service category. At the same time, this buyer may recommend our platform to a colleague in another department who may use our platform for video editing services.

 

Repeat buyers generally increase spend on our platform over time. For the year ended December 31, 2022, repeat buyers contributed 63% of our revenue on our core marketplace, up from 59% in the year ended December 31, 2021. We believe the repeat purchase activity from existing buyers reflects the underlying strength of our business and provides us with revenue visibility and predictability.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Key financial and operating metrics

 

We monitor the following key financial and operating metrics to evaluate the growth of our business, measure our performance, identify trends affecting our business, formulate business plans and make strategic decisions.

 

 

 

The following table sets forth our key performance indicators as of December 31, 2022 and 2021:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Year ended December 31, 2022 compared to year ended December 31, 2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since our inception we have funded our operations through sale of equity securities in private and public offerings, issuance of convertible notes, cash generated from operating activities and, to a lesser extent, through exercised options.

 

As of December 31, 2022 and 2021 we had $651.9 million and $641.0 million, respectively, of cash, cash equivalents, bank deposits and marketable securities . In addition, we had restricted cash and restricted deposits related to the loan to finance leasehold improvements in our office space of $1.2 million and $3.0 million as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Our marketable securities amounted to $431.1 and 435.7 million as of December 31, 2022 and 2021. Marketable securities are comprised of treasury, corporate and municipal bonds.

 

In 2025, our Convertible Notes (as defined below) will mature, and, depending on the price of our ordinary shares, we may need to pay the principal amount in cash, which as of December 31, 2022 is up to $460 million.

 

Our primary requirements for liquidity and capital resources are to finance working capital, capital expenditures and general corporate purposes. We assess our liquidity, in part, through an analysis of our working capital, current assets less current liabilities, together with other sources of liquidity. We had working capital of $428.1 million as of December 31, 2022, compared to $279.2 million as of December 31, 2021.

 

We believe that our cash generated from operating activities, along with existing cash, cash equivalents, marketable securities and bank deposits will be sufficient to fund our working capital and capital expenditures for at least the next 12 months. We also expect our sources of liquidity will be sufficient to fund our long-term contractual obligations and capital needs. However, this is subject, to a certain extent, to general economic, financial, competitive, regulatory and other factors that are beyond our control. Our future financing requirements will depend on many factors including our growth rate, the timing and extent of spending to support development of our platform and the expansion of marketing activities.

 

Our capital expenditures consist primarily of internal-use software costs, computers and peripheral equipment and leasehold improvements. As part of the lease of our Israeli headquarters, the lessor financed an amount of $4.0 million out of the total cost of leasehold improvements in the office space. The remaining loan of $2.9 million was repaid on January 1, 2022. We may also seek to invest in or acquire complementary businesses or technologies.

 

We are a party to contractual obligations involving commitments to make payments to third parties. These obligations impact our short-term and long-term liquidity and capital resource needs. Certain contractual obligations are reflected on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2022, while others are considered future commitments. Our contractual obligations primarily consist of purchase obligations, lease payments and convertible notes. For information regarding our other contractual obligations, refer to Note 9, 10 and 12 within our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.

The following table presents the summary consolidated cash flow information for the periods presented.

 

 

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

Net cash provided by operating activities was $30.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, a decrease of $7.9 million compared to $38.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The decrease was primarily driven by an increase of $6.5 million in net loss, a decrease of $17.5 million amortization of issuance costs of convertible notes due to the adoption of ASU 2020-06, $12.3 million in revaluation of contingent consideration, $9.5 million in other account payables accrued expenses and other non-current liabilities and $8.5 million in trade payables, deferred revenue and other account receivables. This decrease was partially offset by a $27.6 million impairment of intangible assets in connection with prior year acquisitions and internal-use capitalized software, $16.3 million shared based compensation and $2.2 million in user funds.

 

Net cash used in investing activities

 

Net cash used in investing activities was $14.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, a decrease of $214.8 million compared to $229.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The decrease primarily resulted from $140.7 million of lower investments in marketable securities, a decrease of $97.0 million from subsidiaries acquired in 2021 and a decrease of $41.1 million in bank deposits and restricted deposits. This decrease was partially offset by an increase of $63.1 due to proceeds from maturities of marketable securities.

 

Net cash used in financing activities

 

Net cash used in financing activities was $1.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, a decrease of $0.8 million compared to $2.4 million cash used in  for the year ended December 31, 2021. This decrease primarily resulted from a $7.0 million decrease in tax withholding in connection with exercises of employees’ share options and vested RSU’s. This was partially offset by a decrease of $4.5 million in proceeds from exercise of share options and a decrease of $1.7 million in repayment of long-term loan.

 

Description of Convertible Notes and Capped Call Transaction Financing

 

On October 13, 2020, we closed a private offering of $460.0 million principal amount of 0% coupon rate Convertible Senior Notes due 2025, or the Convertible Notes. The Convertible Notes were issued pursuant to an indenture, dated October 13, 2020, or the Indenture, between us and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee.

 

The Convertible Notes are convertible based upon an initial conversion rate of 4.6823 of our ordinary shares, per $1,000 principal amount of Convertible Notes (equivalent to a conversion price of approximately $213.57 per ordinary share). The conversion rate will be subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain specified events but will not be adjusted for accrued and unpaid special interest (as defined in the Indenture), if any. In addition, in connection with a make-whole fundamental change (as defined in the Indenture), or following our delivery of a notice of redemption, we will, in certain circumstances, increase the conversion rate for a holder who elects to convert its notes in connection with such make-whole fundamental change or to convert its Convertible Notes called for redemption in connection with such notice of redemption, as the case may be.

 

The Convertible Notes will not bear regular interest, and the principal amount of the Convertible Notes will not accrete. The Convertible Notes will mature on November 1, 2025, unless earlier repurchased, redeemed or converted. Prior to the close of business on the business day immediately preceding May 1, 2025, a holder may convert all or a portion of its Convertible Notes only under the following circumstances: (1) during any calendar quarter (and only during such calendar quarter), if the last reported sale price of our ordinary shares for at least 20 trading days (whether or not consecutive) during a period of 30 consecutive trading days ending on, and including, the last trading day of the immediately preceding calendar quarter is greater than or equal to 130% of the conversion price on each applicable trading day; (2) during the five business day period after any 10 consecutive trading day period, or the measurement period, in which the trading price per $1,000 principal amount of Convertible Notes for each trading day of the measurement period was less than 98% of the product of the last reported sale price of the ordinary shares and the conversion rate on each such trading day; (3) if we call such Convertible Notes for redemption, at any time prior to the close of business on the third scheduled trading day immediately preceding the related redemption date; or (4) upon the occurrence of specified corporate events. On or after May 1, 2025 until the close of business on the third scheduled trading day immediately preceding the maturity date, holders may convert their Convertible Notes at any time, regardless of the foregoing circumstances. Upon conversion, the Company will pay or deliver, as the case may be, cash, ordinary shares or a combination of cash and ordinary shares, at the Company’s election.

 

We may not redeem the Convertible Notes prior to November 5, 2023, except in the event of certain tax law changes. On or after November 5, 2023 and from time to time prior to the 42nd scheduled trading day immediately preceding the maturity date, we may redeem, for cash, all or part of the Convertible Notes, at our option, if the last reported sale price of our ordinary shares has been at least 130% of the conversion price then in effect for at least 20 trading days (whether or not consecutive) during any 30 consecutive trading day period (including the last trading day of such period) ending on, and including, the trading day immediately preceding the date on which we provide notice of the redemption at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Convertible Notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid special interest, if any, to, but excluding, the redemption date. Upon the occurrence of a fundamental change (as defined in the Indenture), holders may require us to repurchase for cash all or any portion of their Convertible Notes at a fundamental change repurchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Convertible Notes to be repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid special interest, if any, to, but excluding, the fundamental change repurchase date.

 

The indenture governing the Convertible Notes contains customary terms and covenants, including that upon certain events of default occurring and continuing, either the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Convertible Notes then outstanding may declare the entire principal amount of all the Convertible Notes plus accrued special interest, if any, to be immediately due and payable.

 

The Convertible Notes are our senior unsecured obligations. The Convertible Notes rank senior in right of payment to any of our future indebtedness that is expressly subordinated in right of payment to the Convertible Notes, rank equal in right of payment to our unsecured indebtedness that is not so subordinated, are effectively junior in right of payment to any of our secured indebtedness to the extent of the value of the assets securing such indebtedness and are structurally junior to all existing and future indebtedness and other liabilities (including trade payables) of our subsidiaries.

 

In connection with the issuance of the Convertible Notes, we entered into privately negotiated capped call transactions with certain financial institutions. See Item 3.D. “Risk Factors—Risks related to our indebtedness and capital structure—The Capped Call Transaction may affect the value of our ordinary shares, and we may be subject to counterparty risk with respect to the Capped Call Transactions.”

 

 

Our research and development activities are primarily located in Israel, with additional employees and contractors engaged in research and development activities for us in the US and Ukraine.

 

Research and development expenses are primarily comprised of costs of our research and development personnel and other development-related expenses. Research and development personnel focus primarily on enhancing our technology, improving our products, and developing new products and solutions. We invest in research and development in order to enhance and expand our product and service offerings, tailor our marketing offering, and expand our registered user base. Our development strategy is focused on identifying updates and enhanced features for our existing offerings, developing new offerings that are tailored to our registered users’ needs and often arise out of their suggestions, and improving the performance of our platform.

 

In 2022, research and development costs accounted for approximately 27.4% of our total revenue. Research and development costs are expensed as incurred, except to the extent that such costs are associated with internal-use software that qualifies for capitalization. We believe continued investments in research and development are important to attain our strategic objectives and we expect these costs to grow over time as we grow our business.

 

 

Adverse macroeconomic conditions, including recent inflation, slower growth, changes to fiscal and monetary policy, higher interest rates, and currency fluctuations have impacted companies in Israel and around the world, and as the future market conditions and possible recession remain highly uncertain, we cannot predict severity of the possible recession and its effects on our customers and their spending habits. See also “Item 3.D. – Risk Factors – Adverse economic conditions can materially adversely affect the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition, due to impacts on consumer and business spending and demand for our services.”

 

 

Application of critical accounting estimates

 

Our significant accounting estimates and their effect on our financial condition and results of operations are more fully described in our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report. We have prepared our financial statements in conformity with GAAP, which requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. These estimates are prepared using our best judgment, after considering past and current events and economic conditions. While management believes the factors evaluated provide a meaningful basis for establishing and applying sound accounting policies, management cannot guarantee that the estimates will always be consistent with actual results. In addition, certain information relied upon by us in preparing such estimates includes internally generated financial and operating information, external market information, when available, and when necessary, information obtained from consultations with third-parties. Actual results may differ from these estimates. See Item 3.D. “Risk Factors” for a discussion of the possible risks that may affect these estimates.

 

We believe that the accounting estimates discussed below are critical to our financial results and to the understanding of our past and future performance, as these policies relate to the more significant areas involving management’s estimates and assumptions. We consider an accounting estimate to be critical if: (1) it requires us to make assumptions because information was not available at the time or it included matters that were highly uncertain at the time we were making our estimate and (2) changes in the estimate could have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations. The critical accounting estimates that we believe have the most significant impact on our consolidated financial statements are discussed below.

 

Business combinations

 

The results of an acquired business in a business combination are included in our consolidated financial statements from the date of acquisition according to the guidance of ASC Topic 805, “Business Combinations.” We allocate the purchase price, which is the sum of the consideration provided and may consist of cash, equity or a combination of the two, to the identifiable assets and liabilities of the acquired business at their fair values as of the acquisition date. The excess of the purchase price over the amount allocated to the identifiable assets and liabilities, if any, is recorded as goodwill.

 

The estimated fair values and useful lives of identifiable intangible assets are based on many factors, including estimates and assumptions of future operating performance and cash flows of the acquired business, the nature of the business acquired and the specific characteristics of the identified intangible assets. The estimates and assumptions used to determine the fair values and useful lives of identified intangible assets could change due to numerous factors, including market conditions, technological developments, economic conditions and competition.

 

Contingent consideration incurred in a business combination is included as part of the acquisition price and recorded at a probability weighted assessment of the fair value as of the acquisition date. The fair value of the contingent consideration is re-measured at each reporting period, with any adjustments in fair value recognized in earnings under general and administrative expenses.

 

Acquisition related costs incurred by us are not included as a component of consideration transferred but are accounted for as an expense in the period in which the costs are incurred.

 

Goodwill and other Intangible Assets

 

Goodwill and other purchased intangible assets have been recorded in our financial statements as a result of business combinations.

 

Goodwill represents the excess of the aggregate fair value of the consideration transferred in a business combination over the fair value of the assets acquired, net of liabilities assumed. Under ASC Topic 350, “Intangible—Goodwill and other,” goodwill is not amortized, but rather is subject to an impairment test. ASC 350 allows an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform the two-step quantitative goodwill impairment test. If the qualitative assessment does not result in a more likely than not indication of impairment, no further impairment testing is required. If it does result in a more likely than not indication of impairment, the two-step impairment test is performed. Alternatively, ASC 350 permits an entity to bypass the qualitative assessment for any reporting unit and proceed directly to performing the first step of the goodwill impairment test. We operate in one reporting segment, and this segment comprises our only reporting unit. We elected to perform an annual impairment test of goodwill as of October 1st of each year, or more frequently if impairment indicators are present.

 

No Goodwill impairment was recorded for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.

 

Intangible assets that are considered to have definite useful life are amortized using the straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives, which ranges from 2 to 10 years. Intangible assets that are considered to have definite useful life are tested for impairment in accordance with ASC Topic 360, “Property, Plant and Equipment” whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Our evaluation of recoverability is performed at the lowest level to which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of the cash flows of other assets and liabilities, and represent an asset group. Recoverability of this asset group is measured by a comparison of the aggregate undiscounted projections of future cash flows the asset group is expected to generate to the carrying amounts of the asset group. If such evaluation indicates that the carrying amount of the asset group is not recoverable, an impairment is measured by the amount which the carrying amount of the asset group exceeds their fair value.

During the second quarter of 2022 due to an adverse change in macro-economic conditions we recorded an impairment of intangible assets in the amount of  $27.6 million mainly in connection with the asset group related to Stoke acquisition, asset group reated to CreativeLive acquisition and internal use software capitalization. In determining the estimated fair value of the the asset group, we utilized a discounted cash flow model. The key assumptions within the model related to forecasting of future revenue, appropriate discount rate and appropriate terminal value based on the nature of the asset group.

 

No impairment of intangible assets was recorded for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020.

 

Convertible Notes

 

Prior to January 1, 2022 we accounted for our Convertible Notes in accordance with ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging” and ASC Topic 470, “Debt”. We separately account for debt and equity components of Convertible Notes that may be settled in cash. The carrying amount of the debt component was based on the fair value of a similar hypothetical debt instrument excluding the conversion option.

 

The equity component was based on the excess of the principal amount of the Convertible Notes over the fair value of the debt component after adjustment for an allocation of issuance costs. The equity component is recorded under additional paid in capital and is not remeasured as long as it continues to meet the criteria for equity classification.

 

The difference between the principal amount of the Convertible Notes and the amount allocated to the debt component was considered to be debt discount, which is subsequently amortized through interest expense over the expected life of the convertible notes using the effective interest method.

 

 

Revenue recognition

 

Our customers are the users on our platform. A contract with a customer exists only when: the parties to the contract have approved it and are committed to perform their respective obligations, we can identify each party’s rights regarding the distinct performance obligations, we can determine the transaction price for the performance obligations to be transferred, the contract has commercial substance and it is probable that we will collect the consideration to which we will be entitled in exchange for the performance obligation that will be transferred to the customer.

 

Revenues are recorded in the amount of consideration to which we expect to be entitled in exchange for performance obligations upon transfer of control to the customer, excluding amounts collected on behalf of other third parties and indirect taxes. Our revenue is primarily comprised of one distinct performance obligation which is to arrange services to be provided on our marketplace platform by the sellers to the buyers. We earn transaction fees and service fees that are based on the total value of transactions ordered through the platform once the customer obtains control of the service, which occurs at a point in time upon completion of each order.

 

Revenue is mainly recognized on a net basis since we concluded that we act as an agent on our platform, mainly since we do not take responsibility for the sellers’ services and therefore, we are not primarily responsible for fulfilling the promise to provide the service and we do not have discretion in price establishment. Therefore, we do not obtain control of the services before they are transferred to the customer.

 

We recognize the incremental costs of obtaining contracts as an expense since the amortization period of the assets that we otherwise would have recognized is one year or less. Similarly, we do not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations since the original expected duration of the contracts is one year or less.

 

We recognize revenue from unused user accounts balances once the likelihood of the users exercising their unused accounts balances becomes remote and we are not required to remit such unused account balance to a third party in accordance with applicable unclaimed property laws. The amounts recognized for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 were immaterial.

 

Revenue from subscriptions including our  content marketing platform, on-line learning platform, creative talent platform and back office platform are mainly recognized over time when the service is rendered to the customer. Revenue from our freelancer management platform is recognized at a point time upon the management service is rendered.

 

Our contract liabilities mainly consist of deferred revenues from transaction and service fees received in advance for services for which control has not been yet obtained by the customers.

 

Internal-use software

 

Costs incurred to develop internal-use software are capitalized and amortized over the estimated useful life of the software, which is generally three years. In accordance with ASC Topic. 350-40, “Internal-Use Software,” capitalization of costs to develop internal-use software begins when preliminary development efforts are successfully completed, we have committed project funding, it is probable that the project will be completed, and the software will be used as intended. Costs related to the design or maintenance of internal-use software are expensed as incurred.

 

We periodically review internal-use software costs to determine whether the projects will be completed, placed in service, removed from service, or replaced by other internally developed or third-party software. If the asset is not expected to provide any future benefit, the asset is retired, and any unamortized cost is expensed.

 

Capitalized internal-use software costs are recorded under intangible assets.

 

Share-based compensation

 

We account for share-based compensation in accordance with ASC Topic 718, “Compensation-Stock Compensation.” Share based awards are mainly granted to employees and members of our board of directors and measured at fair value at each grant date. We calculate the fair value of share options and our Employee Share Purchase Plan, or ESPP, on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model and the expense is recognized over the requisite service period using the straight-line method.

 

We recognize the fair value of restricted share units on the grant date based on the market value of the underlying share and the expense is recognized over the requisite service period for awards using the straight line method.

 

We recognize forfeitures as they occur.

 

The requisite service period for share options is generally four years.

 

The Black-Scholes option-pricing model requires us to make a number of assumptions, including the value of our ordinary shares, expected volatility, expected term, risk-free interest rate and expected dividends.

 

We evaluate the assumptions used to value share options and ESPP upon each grant date.

 

Expected volatility of share options was calculated based on the Company’s volatility as well as the implied volatilities from market comparisons of certain publicly traded companies and other factors.

 

Expected volatility for ESPP was calculated based upon the Company’s share prices.

 

The expected share option term was calculated based on the simplified method, which uses the midpoint between the vesting date and the contractual term, as we do not have sufficient historical data to develop an estimate based on participant behavior.

 

The risk-free interest rate was based on the U.S. treasury bonds yield with an equivalent term. We have not paid dividends and have no foreseeable plans to pay dividends.

 

Future expense amounts for any particular period could be affected by changes in our assumptions or market conditions.

 

Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees

 

 

 

The following table presents information about our current executive officers and directors as of March 15, 2023:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During November 2022, Gil Shienfeld, our former Chief Technology Officer, parted with the Company.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An amendment to an existing arrangement with an office holder, who is not the chief executive officer, or a director requires only the approval of the compensation committee, if the compensation committee determines that the amendment is not material in comparison to the existing arrangement. However, according to regulations promulgated under the Companies Law, an amendment to an existing arrangement with an office holder (who is not a director) who is subordinate to the chief executive officer shall not require the approval of the compensation committee if (i) the amendment is approved by the chief executive officer, provided that the company’s compensation policy provides that a non-material amendment to the terms of service of an office holder (other than the chief executive officer) may be approved by the chief executive officer and (ii) the engagement terms are consistent with the company’s compensation policy.

 

 

 

The aggregate compensation paid by us and our subsidiaries to our executive officers and directors, including share-based compensation, for the year ended December 31, 2022, was approximately $29.2 million. This amount includes $0.74 million of amounts set aside or accrued to provide pension, severance, retirement or similar benefits or expenses, but does not include business travel, relocation, professional and business association dues and expenses reimbursed to office holders.

 

During the year ended December 31, 2022, our directors and officers were granted options to purchase an aggregate of 424,968 ordinary shares, at a weighted average exercise price of $60.17 per share, and 95,430 restricted share units under our 2019 Share Incentive Plan, or the 2019 Plan. As of December 31, 2022, options to purchase 2,933,654 ordinary shares granted to our executive officers and directors under our 2019 Plan and our 2011 Share Option Plan, or the 2011 Plan, at a weighted average exercise price of $45.11, and 209,833 restricted share units granted under the 2019 Plan, were outstanding.

 

The following is a summary of the salary expenses and social benefit costs of our five most highly compensated executive officers in 2022 or the Covered Executives. All amounts reported reflect the cost to the Company as recognized in our financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2022. U.S. dollar amounts indicated for compensation of our Covered Executives are in thousands of dollars.

 

Mr. Micha Kaufman, Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of the Board. Compensation expenses recorded in 2022 of $300 in salary expenses and $89 in social benefits costs.

 

Mr. Ofer Katz, President and Chief Financial Officer. Compensation expenses recorded in 2022 of $365 in salary expenses and $99 in social benefits costs.

 

Ms. Hila Klein, Chief Operating Officer. Compensation expenses recorded in 2022 of $359 in salary expenses and $122 in social benefits costs.

 

Ms. Gali Arnon, Chief Marketing Officer. Compensation expenses recorded in 2022 of $319 in salary expenses and $105 in social benefits costs.

 

Ms. Sharon Steiner, Chief Human Resources Officer. Compensation expenses recorded in 2022 of $275 in salary expenses and $93 in social benefits costs.

 

The salary expenses summarized above include the gross salary paid to the Covered Executives, and the benefit costs include the social benefits paid by us on behalf of the Covered Executives, convalescence pay, contributions made by the company to an insurance policy or a pension fund, work disability insurance, severance, educational fund and payments for social security.

 

In accordance with the Company’s compensation policy, we also paid cash bonuses to our Covered Executives as approved by the compensation committee and the board of directors. The 2022 cash bonus expenses for Mr. Micha Kaufman, Mr. Ofer Katz, Ms. Hila Klein, Ms. Gali Arnon and Ms. Sharon Steiner, as provided for in our 2022 financial statements (but due during 2023), were $0, $278, $212, $145 and $133, respectively.

 

We recorded equity-based compensation expenses in our financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2022, for options and restricted share units granted to Mr. Micha Kaufman, Mr. Ofer Katz, Ms. Hila Klein, Ms. Gali Arnon and Ms. Shraon Steiner of $9,238, $6,283, $3,347, $2,338 and $1,932, respectively.

 

The relevant amounts underlying the equity awards granted to our officers during 2022, will continue to be expensed in our financial statements over a four-year period during the years 2023-2026 on account of the 2022 grants in similar annualized amounts. Assumptions and key variables used in the calculation of such amounts are described in Note 14 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in Item 18 of this Annual Report. All equity- based compensation grants to our Covered Executives were made in accordance with the parameters of our Company’s compensation policy and were approved by the company’s compensation committee and board of directors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Employment agreements with executive officers

 

We have entered into written employment agreements with each of our executive officers. These agreements provide for notice periods of varying duration for termination of the agreement by us or by the relevant executive officer, during which time the executive officer will continue to receive base salary and benefits. These agreements also contain customary provisions regarding non-competition, confidentiality of information and assignment of inventions. However, the enforceability of the non-competition provisions may be limited under applicable law.

 

Share option plans

 

2011 Share Option Plan

 

The 2011 Plan was adopted by our board of directors on March 31, 2011, amended and restated in April 2013 and further amended on August 14, 2018 and on January 25, 2019. The 2011 Plan provided for the grant of options to our employees, directors, office holders, service providers and consultants. Our United States Sub Plan to the 2011 Plan, as was adopted under our 2011 Plan governed option awards granted to our United States employees or service providers, including those who are deemed to be residents of the United States for tax purposes.

 

We no longer grant any awards under the 2011 Plan as it was superseded by the 2019 Plan, although previously granted awards remain outstanding. Ordinary shares subject to outstanding options granted under the 2011 Plan that expire or become unexercisable without having been exercised in full will become available again for future grant under the 2019 Plan. As of December 31, 2022, a total of 1,584,706 options to purchase ordinary shares were outstanding under the 2011 Plan, with a weighted average exercise price of $9.32 per share. Our board of directors, or a duly authorized committee of our board of directors, administers the 2011 Plan.

 

2019 Share Incentive Plan

 

We maintain the 2019 Plan, under which we may grant equity based incentive awards to attract, motivate and retain the talent for which we compete. The 2019 Plan is administered by our board of directors and provides for the grant of stock options (including incentive stock options and nonqualified stock options), ordinary shares, restricted shares, restricted share units and other share based awards.

 

The maximum number of ordinary shares available for issuance under the 2019 Plan is equal to the sum of (i) 560,854 shares, (ii) any shares subject to awards under the 2011 Plan which will expire or become unexercisable without having been exercised, and (iii) an annual increase on the first day of each year beginning in 2020 and ending in and including 2029, equal to the lesser of (A) 14,259,677 shares, (B) 5% of the outstanding shares on the last day of the immediately preceding calendar year on a fully diluted basis and (C) such amount as determined by our board of directors if so determined, prior to January 1 of a calendar year; provided, however, that no more than 14,820,531 shares may be issued upon the exercise of incentive stock options, or ISOs. As of December 31, 2022, a total of 1,511,508 options to purchase ordinary shares, with a weighted average exercise price of $97.86 per share and 1,136,128 restricted share units were outstanding under the 2019 Plan. As of December 31, 2022, 3,551,789 ordinary shares were available for future issuance under the 2019 Plan.

 

The 2019 Plan provides for granting awards under various tax regimes, including, without limitation, in compliance with Section 102 of the Israeli Income Tax Ordinance (New Version), 5721 1961, or the Ordinance, and Section 3(i) of the Ordinance and for awards granted to our United States employees or service providers, including those who are deemed to be residents of the United States for tax purposes, Section 422 of the Code and Section 409A of the Code.

 

Section 102 of the Ordinance allows employees, directors and officers who are not controlling shareholders and are considered Israeli residents to receive favorable tax treatment for compensation in the form of shares or options, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Ordinance. Our non-employee service providers and controlling shareholders may only be granted options under section 3(i) of the Ordinance, which does not provide for similar tax benefits.

 

Options granted under the 2019 Plan to our employees who are U.S. residents may qualify as “incentive stock options” within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code, or may be non-qualified stock options.

 

Employee Share Purchase Plan

 

In August 2020, we adopted our 2020 Employee Share Purchase Plan, or the ESPP, to enable eligible employees of the company and certain of its designated subsidiaries to use payroll deductions to purchase the company’s ordinary shares and thereby acquire an ownership interest in the Company. The ESPP is comprised of two distinct components: (1) the component intended to qualify for favorable U.S. federal tax treatment under Section 423 of the Internal Revenue Code, or the Section 423 Component, and (2) the component not intended to be tax qualified under Section 423 of the Internal Revenue Code to facilitate participation for employees who are not eligible to benefit from favorable U.S. federal tax treatment and, to the extent applicable, to provide flexibility to comply with non U.S. law and other considerations, or the Non-Section 423 Component.

 

The maximum aggregate number of ordinary shares that may be purchased initially under the ESPP is 410,000 shares, or the ESPP Share Pool, subject to adjustment as provided for in the ESPP. In addition, on the first day of each calendar year beginning on January 1, 2022 and ending on and including January 1, 2030, the ESPP Share Pool shall be increased by that number of ordinary shares equal to the lesser of (a) 1% of the ordinary shares outstanding on the final day of the immediately preceding calendar year on a fully diluted basis and (b) such smaller number of ordinary shares as determined by the board of directors. In no event will more than 5,500,000 ordinary shares be available for issuance under the Section 423 Component. As of December 31, 2022, the ESPP Share Pool consisted of 701,205 ordinary shares.

 

The compensation committee of our board of directors is the administrator of the ESPP and has the authority to interpret the terms of the ESPP and determine eligibility of participants in accordance with the terms of the ESPP and applicable law.

 

Eligible employees become participants in the ESPP by enrolling and authorizing payroll deductions by the deadline established by the plan administrator prior to the relevant offering date. Employee payroll deductions will be used to purchase shares on the last day of each purchase period (or such other date as set forth in the offering document). The plan administrator may amend, suspend or terminate the ESPP at any time. However, shareholder approval of any amendment to the ESPP must be obtained for any amendment which increases the aggregate number or changes the type of shares that may be sold pursuant to rights under the ESPP or changes the corporations or classes of corporations whose employees are eligible to participate in the ESPP.

 

 

Corporate governance practices

 

As an Israeli company, we are subject to various corporate governance requirements under the Companies Law. However, pursuant to regulations promulgated under the Companies Law, companies with shares traded on certain U.S. stock exchanges, including the New York Stock Exchange, may, subject to certain conditions, “opt out” from the Companies Law requirements to appoint external directors and related Companies Law rules concerning the composition of the audit committee and compensation committee of the board of directors (other than the gender diversification rule under the Companies Law, which requires the appointment of a director from the other gender if at the time of appointment of a director all members of the board of directors are of the same gender). In accordance with these regulations, we elected to “opt out” from such requirements of the Companies Law. Under these regulations, the exemptions from such Companies Law requirements will continue to be available to us so long as: (i) we do not have a “controlling shareholder” (as such term is defined under the Companies Law), (ii) our shares are traded on certain U.S. stock exchanges, including the New York Stock Exchange, and (iii) we comply with the director independence requirements and the audit committee and compensation committee composition requirements under U.S. laws (including applicable New York Stock Exchange rules) applicable to U.S. domestic issuers.

 

Our board of directors has adopted corporate governance guidelines which serve as a flexible framework which our board of directors and its committees operate within, subject to the requirements of applicable law and regulations. Under these guidelines, it is our policy that the positions of chairperson of the board of directors and chief executive officer may be held by the same person (subject to approval by our shareholders pursuant to the Companies Law, as described below). Under such circumstances, the guidelines also provide that the board may designate an independent director to serve as lead independent director. The lead independent director’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to, presiding over all meetings of the board of directors at which the chairperson of the board of directors is not present, including any executive sessions of the independent directors, approving board of directors meeting schedules and agendas, and acting as the liaison between the independent directors and the chief executive officer and chairperson of the board of directors. According to the guidelines, where the chairperson of the board of directors is an independent director, the chairperson of the board of directors will also serve as the lead independent director. In May 2021, our board of directors appointed Ron Gutler as our lead independent director. We comply with the rules of the New York Stock Exchange requiring that a majority of our directors are independent. Our board of directors has determined that all directors, other than Micha Kaufman, our co-founder, chief executive officer and chairperson of the board of directors, are independent under such rules.

 

Board of directors

 

Under the Companies Law and our amended and restated articles of association, our business and affairs are managed under the direction of our board of directors. Our board of directors may exercise all powers and may take all actions that are not specifically granted to our shareholders or to executive management. Our chief executive officer (referred to as a “general manager” under the Companies Law) is responsible for our day-to-day management. Our chief executive officer is appointed by, and serves at the discretion of, our board of directors. All other executive officers are appointed by the chief executive officer and are subject to the terms of any applicable employment or consulting agreement that we may enter into with them.

 

Under our amended and restated articles of association, our directors are divided into three classes with staggered three-year terms. Each class of directors consists, as nearly as possible, of one-third of the total number of directors constituting the entire board of directors. At each annual general meeting of our shareholders, the election or re-election of directors following the expiration of the term of office of the directors of that class will be for a term of office that expires on the third annual general meeting following such election or re-election, such that each year the term of office of only one class of directors will expire.

 

Our directors are divided among the three classes as follows:

 

 

 

 

Each of the directors shall be elected by a vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power present and voting at that meeting (excluding abstentions), provided that a plurality voting mechanism is effected in the event of a contested election. Each director will hold office until the annual general meeting of our shareholders for the year in which his or her term expires, unless the tenure of such director expires earlier pursuant to the Companies Law or unless he or she is removed from office (under the conditions described below).

 

Under our amended and restated articles of association, the approval of the holders of at least 65% of the total voting power of our shareholders is generally required to remove any of our directors from office, and any amendment to this provision shall require the approval of at least 65% of the total voting power of our shareholders. In addition, vacancies on our board of directors may only be filled by a vote of a simple majority of the directors then in office. A director so appointed will hold office until the next annual general meeting of our shareholders for the class in respect of which the vacancy was created, or in the case of a vacancy due to the number of directors being less than the maximum number of directors stated in the articles, until the next annual general meeting of our shareholders for the class he or she has been assigned by our board of directors.

 

Chairperson of the board

 

Our amended and restated articles of association provide that the chairperson of the board is appointed by the members of the board of directors. The chief executive officer (referred to as a “general manager” under the Companies Law) or a relative of the chief executive officer may not serve as the chairperson of the board of directors, and the chairperson of the board of directors or a relative of the chairperson may not be vested with authorities of the chief executive officer without shareholder approval consisting of a majority vote of the shares present and voting at a shareholders meeting, under the following requirements:

 

 

 

Currently, our chief executive officer, Micha Kaufman, also serves as our chairperson of the board of directors. The required approval by our shareholders of the appointment of our chief executive officer as the chairperson of the board must be obtained by no later than five years following the closing date of our initial public offering, or the IPO, June 17, 2019 . Further, if our chief executive officer serves as the chairperson of the board of directors, his or her dual office term shall be limited, following the initial five-year period, to three-year terms, subject to shareholder approval.

 

In addition, a person subordinated, directly or indirectly, to the chief executive officer may not serve as the chairperson of the board of directors; the chairperson of the board of directors may not be vested with authorities that are granted to those subordinated to the chief executive officer; and the chairperson of the board of directors may not serve in any other position in the company or a controlled company, but he or she may serve as a director or chairperson of the board of directors of a subsidiary.

 

External directors

 

Under the Companies Law, companies incorporated under the laws of the State of Israel that are “public companies,” including companies with shares listed on the New York Stock Exchange, are required to appoint at least two external directors. Pursuant to regulations promulgated under the Companies Law, companies with shares traded on certain U.S. stock exchanges, including the New York Stock Exchange, may, subject to certain conditions, “opt out” from the Companies Law requirements to appoint external directors and related Companies Law rules concerning the composition of the audit committee and compensation committee of the board of directors. In accordance with these regulations, we elected to “opt out” from the Companies Law requirement to appoint external directors and related Companies Law rules concerning the composition of the audit committee and compensation committee of the board of directors.

 

Audit committee

 

Companies Law requirements

 

Under the Companies Law, the board of directors of a public company must appoint an audit committee. The audit committee must be comprised of at least three directors.

 

Listing requirements

 

Under the New York Stock Exchange corporate governance rules, we are required to maintain an audit committee consisting of at least three independent directors, each of whom is financially literate and one of whom has accounting or related financial management expertise.

 

Our audit committee consists of Ron Gutler, Gili Iohan and Nir Zohar. Mr. Gutler serves as the chairperson of the audit committee. All members of our audit committee meet the requirements for financial literacy under the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and the New York Stock Exchange corporate governance rules. Our board of directors has determined that Mr. Gutler is an audit committee financial expert as defined by the SEC rules and has the requisite financial experience as defined by the New York Stock Exchange corporate governance rules.

 

Our board of directors has determined that each member of our audit committee is “independent” as such term is defined in Rule 10A-3(b)(1) under the Exchange Act, which is different from the general test for independence of board and committee members.

 

Audit committee role

 

Our board of directors has adopted an audit committee charter setting forth the responsibilities of the audit committee, which are also consistent with the Companies Law, the SEC rules and the New York Stock Exchange corporate governance rules. The responsibilities of the audit committee include:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Compensation committee

 

Companies Law requirements

 

Under the Companies Law, the board of directors of a public company must appoint a compensation committee, which must be comprised of at least three directors.

 

Listing requirements

 

Under the New York Stock Exchange corporate governance rules, we are required to maintain a compensation committee consisting of at least two independent directors.

 

Our compensation committee consists of Ron Gutler, Gili Iohan and Nir Zohar. Mr. Gutler serves as chairperson of the compensation committee. Our board of directors has determined that each member of our compensation committee is independent under the New York Stock Exchange rules, including the additional independence requirements applicable to the members of a compensation committee.

 

Compensation committee role

 

In accordance with the Companies Law, the roles of the compensation committee are, among others, as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

Our board of directors has adopted a compensation committee charter setting forth the responsibilities of the committee consistent with the New York Stock Exchange rules, which include among others:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Compensation policy under the Companies Law

 

In general, under the Companies Law, a public company must have a compensation policy approved by the board of directors after receiving and considering the recommendations of the compensation committee. In addition, our compensation policy must be approved at least once every three years, first, by our board of directors, upon recommendation of our compensation committee, and second, by a simple majority of the ordinary shares present, in person or by proxy, and voting at a shareholders meeting, provided that either:

 

 

 

Under special circumstances, the board of directors may approve the compensation policy despite the objection of the shareholders on the condition that the compensation committee and then the board of directors decide, on the basis of detailed grounds and after discussing again the compensation policy, that approval of the compensation policy, despite the objection of shareholders, is for the benefit of the company.

 

If a company that initially offers its securities to the public, like us, adopts a compensation policy in advance of its initial public offering, and describes it in its prospectus for such offering, as we did, then such compensation policy shall be deemed a validly adopted policy in accordance with the Companies Law requirements described above. Furthermore, if the compensation policy is established in accordance with the aforementioned relief, then it will remain in effect for a term of five years from the date such company becomes a public company.

 

The compensation policy must serve as the basis for decisions concerning the financial terms of employment or engagement of office holders, including exculpation, insurance, indemnification or any monetary payment or obligation of payment in respect of employment or engagement. The compensation policy must be determined and later reevaluated according to certain factors, including: the advancement of the company’s objectives, business plan and long-term strategy; the creation of appropriate incentives for office holders, while considering, among other things, the company’s risk management policy; the size and the nature of the Company’s operations; and with respect to variable compensation, the contribution of the office holder towards the achievement of the company’s long-term goals and the maximization of its profits, all with a long-term objective and according to the position of the office holder. The compensation policy must furthermore consider the following additional factors:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The compensation policy must also include, among other features:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our compensation policy is designed to promote retention and motivation of directors and executive officers, incentivize superior individual excellence, align the interests of our directors and executive officers with our long-term performance and provide a risk management tool. To that end, a portion of our executive officer compensation package is targeted to reflect our short and long-term goals, as well as the executive officer’s individual performance. On the other hand, our compensation policy includes measures designed to reduce the executive officer’s incentives to take excessive risks that may harm us in the long-term, such as limits on the value of cash bonuses and equity-based compensation, limitations on the ratio between the variable and the total compensation of an executive officer and minimum vesting periods for equity-based compensation.

 

Our compensation policy also addresses our executive officers’ individual characteristics (such as his or her respective position, education, scope of responsibilities and contribution to the attainment of our goals) as the basis for compensation variation among our executive officers and considers the internal ratios between compensation of our executive officers and directors and other employees. Pursuant to our compensation policy, the compensation that may be granted to an executive officer may include: base salary, annual bonuses and other cash bonuses (such as a signing bonus and special bonuses with respect to any special achievements, such as outstanding personal achievement, outstanding personal effort or outstanding company performance), equity-based compensation, benefits and retirement and termination of service arrangements. All cash bonuses are limited to a maximum amount linked to the executive officer’s base salary.

 

An annual cash bonus may be awarded to executive officers upon the attainment of pre-set periodic objectives and individual targets. The annual cash bonus that may be granted to our executive officers other than our chief executive officer will be based on performance objectives and a discretionary evaluation of the executive officer’s overall performance by our chief executive officer and subject to minimum thresholds. The annual cash bonus that may be granted to executive officers other than our chief executive officer may alternatively be based entirely on a discretionary evaluation. Furthermore, our chief executive officer will be entitled to approve performance objectives for executive officers who report to him.

 

The measurable performance objectives of our chief executive officer will be determined annually by our compensation committee and board of directors. A non-material portion of the chief executive officer’s annual cash bonus may be based on a discretionary evaluation of the chief executive officer’s overall performance by the compensation committee and the board of directors, based on quantitative and qualitative criteria.

 

The equity-based compensation under our compensation policy for our executive officers (including members of our board of directors) is designed in a manner consistent with the underlying objectives in determining the base salary and the annual cash bonus, with its main objectives being to enhance the alignment between the executive officers’ interests with our long-term interests and those of our shareholders and to strengthen the retention and the motivation of executive officers in the long term. Our compensation policy provides for executive officer compensation in the form of share options or other equity-based awards, such as restricted shares and restricted share units, in accordance with our share incentive plan then in place. All equity-based incentives granted to executive officers shall be subject to vesting periods in order to promote long-term retention of the awarded executive officers. The equity-based compensation shall be granted from time to time and be individually determined and awarded according to the performance, educational background, prior business experience, qualifications, role and the personal responsibilities of the executive officer.

 

In addition, our compensation policy contains compensation recovery provisions which allow us under certain conditions to recover bonuses paid in excess, enable our chief executive officer to approve an immaterial change in the terms of employment of an executive officer who reports directly him (provided that the changes of the terms of employment are in accordance with our compensation policy) and allow us to exculpate, indemnify and insure our executive officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted by Israeli law, subject to certain limitations set forth therein.

 

Our compensation policy also provides for compensation to the members of our board of directors either (i) in accordance with the amounts provided in the Companies Regulations (Rules Regarding the Compensation and Expenses of an External Director) of 2000, as amended by the Companies Regulations (Relief for Public Companies Traded in Stock Exchange Outside of Israel) of 2000, as such regulations may be amended from time to time, or (ii) in accordance with the amounts determined in our compensation policy.

 

Our compensation policy was approved by our board of directors and shareholders and became effective upon the closing of our IPO and was further amended by our compensation committee, board of directors and shareholders at our 2021 annual general meeting.

 

Nominating and governance committee

 

Our nominating and governance committee consists of Ron Gutler, Gili Iohan and Nir Zohar. Mr. Gutler serves as chairperson of the nominating and governance committee. Our board of directors has adopted a nominating and governance committee charter setting forth the responsibilities, which include:

 

 

 

 

 

Internal auditor

 

Under the Companies Law, the board of directors of a public company must appoint an internal auditor based on the recommendation of the audit committee. The role of the internal auditor is, among other things, to examine whether a company’s actions comply with applicable law and orderly business procedure. Under the Companies Law, the internal auditor cannot be an interested party or an office holder or a relative of an interested party or an office holder, nor may the internal auditor be the company’s independent auditor or its representative. An “interested party” is defined in the Companies Law as: (i) a holder of 5% or more of the issued share capital or voting power in a company, (ii) any person or entity who has the right to designate one or more directors or to designate the chief executive officer of the company, or (iii) any person who serves as a director or as a chief executive officer of the company. As of December 31, 2022, Ms. Sharon Cohen, CPA from Deloitte IL & Co, a firm in the Deloitte Global Network is acting as our internal auditor.

 

Approval of related party transactions under Israeli law

 

Fiduciary duties of directors and executive officers

 

The Companies Law codifies the fiduciary duties that office holders owe to a company. An office holder is defined in the Companies Law as a general manager, chief business manager, deputy general manager, vice general manager, any other person assuming the responsibilities of any of these positions regardless of such person’s title, a director and any other manager directly subordinate to the general manager. Each person listed in the table under “Management—Executive officers and directors” is an office holder under the Companies Law.

 

An office holder’s fiduciary duties consist of a duty of care and a duty of loyalty. The duty of care requires an office holder to act with the level of care with which a reasonable office holder in the same position would have acted under the same circumstances. The duty of loyalty requires that an office holder act in good faith and in the best interests of the company.

 

Disclosure of personal interests of an office holder and approval of certain transactions

 

The Companies Law requires that an office holder promptly disclose to the board of directors any personal interest that he or she may have and all related material information known to him or her concerning any existing or proposed transaction with the company. A personal interest includes an interest of any person in an act or transaction of a company, including a personal interest of one’s relative or of a corporate body in which such person or a relative of such person is a 5% or greater shareholder, director or general manager or in which he or she has the right to appoint at least one director or the general manager, but excluding a personal interest stemming solely from one’s ownership of shares in the company. A personal interest includes the personal interest of a person for whom the office holder holds a voting proxy or the personal interest of the office holder with respect to his or her vote on behalf of a person for whom he or she holds a proxy even if such shareholder has no personal interest in the matter. If it is determined that an office holder has a personal interest in a non-extraordinary transaction, meaning any transaction that is in the ordinary course of business, on market terms or that is not likely to have a material impact on the company’s profitability, assets or liabilities, approval by the board of directors is required for the transaction, unless the company’s articles of association provide for a different method of approval. Any such transaction that is adverse to the company’s interests may not be approved by the board of directors.

 

Approval first by the company’s audit committee and subsequently by the board of directors is required for an extraordinary transaction (meaning, any transaction that is not in the ordinary course of business, not on market terms or that is likely to have a material impact on the company’s profitability, assets or liabilities) in which an office holder has a personal interest.

 

A director and any other office holder who has a personal interest in a transaction which is considered at a meeting of the board of directors or the audit committee may generally (unless it is with respect to a transaction which is not an extraordinary transaction) not be present at such a meeting or vote on that matter unless a majority of the directors or members of the audit committee, as applicable, have a personal interest in the matter. If a majority of the members of the audit committee or the board of directors have a personal interest in the approval of such a transaction then all of the directors may participate in deliberations of the audit committee or board of directors, as applicable, with respect to such transaction and vote on the approval thereof and, in such case, shareholder approval is also required.

 

Certain disclosure and approval requirements apply under Israeli law to certain transactions with controlling shareholders, certain transactions in which a controlling shareholder has a personal interest and certain arrangements regarding the terms of service or employment of a controlling shareholder.

 

For a description of the approvals required under Israeli law for compensation arrangements of officers and directors, see above under Item 6.B”Director, Senior Management and Employees Compensation — Compensation of directors and executive officers.”

 

Shareholders’ duties

 

Pursuant to the Companies Law, a shareholder has a duty to act in good faith and in a customary manner toward the company and other shareholders and to refrain from abusing his or her power with respect to the company, including, among other things, in voting at a general meeting and at shareholders’ class meetings with respect to the following matters:

 

 

 

 

 

In addition, a shareholder has a general duty to refrain from discriminating against other shareholders.

 

Certain shareholders also have a duty of fairness toward the company. These shareholders include any controlling shareholder, any shareholder who knows that it has the power to determine the outcome of a shareholders’ vote and any shareholder who has the power to appoint or to prevent the appointment of an office holder of the company or exercise any other rights available to it under the company’s articles of association with respect to the company. The Companies Law does not define the substance of this duty of fairness, except to state that the remedies generally available upon a breach of contract will also apply in the event of a breach of the duty of fairness.

 

Exculpation, insurance and indemnification of office holders

 

Under the Companies Law, a company may not exculpate an office holder from liability for a breach of the duty of loyalty. An Israeli company may exculpate an office holder in advance from liability to the company, in whole or in part, for damages caused to the company as a result of a breach of duty of care but only if a provision authorizing such exculpation is included in its articles of association. Our amended and restated articles of association include such a provision. An Israeli company may not exculpate a director from liability arising out of a prohibited dividend or distribution to shareholders.

 

An Israeli company may indemnify an office holder in respect of the following liabilities and expenses incurred for acts performed as an office holder, either in advance of an event or following an event, provided a provision authorizing such indemnification is contained in its articles of association:

 

 

 

 

 

An Israeli company may insure an office holder against the following liabilities incurred for acts performed as an office holder if and to the extent provided in the company’s articles of association:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Under the Companies Law, exculpation, indemnification and insurance of office holders must be approved by the compensation committee and the board of directors (and, with respect to directors and the chief executive officer, by shareholders). However, under regulations promulgated under the Companies Law, the insurance of office holders shall not require shareholder approval and may be approved by only the compensation committee, if the engagement terms are determined in accordance with the company’s compensation policy, that compensation policy was approved by the shareholders by the same special majority required to approve a compensation policy, provided that the insurance policy is on market terms and the insurance policy is not likely to materially impact the company’s profitability, assets or obligations.

 

Our amended and restated articles of association allow us to indemnify and insure our office holders for any liability imposed on them as a consequence of an act (including any omission) which was performed by virtue of being an office holder. Our office holders are currently covered by a directors and officers’ liability insurance policy.

 

We have entered into agreements with each of our directors and executive officers exculpating them, to the fullest extent permitted by law, from liability to us for damages caused to us as a result of a breach of duty of care, and undertaking to indemnify them to the fullest extent permitted by law. This indemnification is limited to events determined as foreseeable by the board of directors based on our activities, and to an amount or according to criteria determined by the board of directors as reasonable under the circumstances.

 

The maximum indemnification amount set forth in such agreements is limited to an amount equal to the higher of (i) $350 million, (ii) 25% of our total shareholders’ equity as reflected in our most recent consolidated financial statements prior to the date on which the indemnity payment is made, and (iii) ten percent (10%) of the Company Total Market Cap (which shall mean the average closing price of our ordinary shares over the 30 trading days prior to the actual payment of indemnification multiplied by the total number of our issued and outstanding shares as of the date of actual payment, other than indemnification for an offering of securities to the public, including by a shareholder in a secondary offering, in which case the maximum indemnification amount is limited to the gross proceeds raised by us and/or any selling shareholder in such public offering. The maximum amount set forth in such agreements is in addition to any amount paid (if paid) under insurance and/or by a third-party pursuant to an indemnification arrangement.

 

In the opinion of the SEC, indemnification of directors and office holders for liabilities arising under the Securities Act is against public policy and therefore unenforceable.

 

 

We believe that our corporate culture and our relationship with our employees contribute to our success. Our employees are continuously innovating, and our structure rewards productivity. Set forth below is a chart showing the number of people we employed at the times indicated: