-----BEGIN PRIVACY-ENHANCED MESSAGE----- Proc-Type: 2001,MIC-CLEAR Originator-Name: webmaster@www.sec.gov Originator-Key-Asymmetric: MFgwCgYEVQgBAQICAf8DSgAwRwJAW2sNKK9AVtBzYZmr6aGjlWyK3XmZv3dTINen TWSM7vrzLADbmYQaionwg5sDW3P6oaM5D3tdezXMm7z1T+B+twIDAQAB MIC-Info: RSA-MD5,RSA, HjrItSD3PnlUv+d40p084BJ4bgB6GToSutxWTZJ/zmKQRMfNbeA8jHSxip+NiCaw kkRdS4cVTtYybtn/7bUgyg== 0001012870-98-003169.txt : 19981217 0001012870-98-003169.hdr.sgml : 19981217 ACCESSION NUMBER: 0001012870-98-003169 CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE: 424B4 PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT: 1 FILED AS OF DATE: 19981216 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: INFOSPACE COM INC CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001068875 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: SERVICES-COMPUTER PROCESSING & DATA PREPARATION [7374] IRS NUMBER: 911718107 STATE OF INCORPORATION: DE FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: 424B4 SEC ACT: SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-62323 FILM NUMBER: 98770358 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 15375- 90TH AVENUE N.E. CITY: REDMOND STATE: WA ZIP: 98052 BUSINESS PHONE: 4258821602 424B4 1 FINAL PROSPECTUS DATED 12/15/98 FILED PURSUANT TO RULE 424(b)(4) REGISTRATION FILE NO. 333-62323 PROSPECTUS 5,000,000 SHARES [LOGO OF INFOSPACE.COM APPEARS HERE] COMMON STOCK All of the 5,000,000 shares of Common Stock offered hereby are being sold by the Company. Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for the Common Stock of the Company. See "Underwriting" for a discussion of the factors considered in determining the initial public offering price. The Common Stock has been approved for listing on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol INSP. ------------ THE SHARES OFFERED HEREBY INVOLVE A HIGH DEGREE OF RISK. SEE "RISK FACTORS" COMMENCING ON PAGE 5. ------------ THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED BY THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION NOR HAS THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION PASSED UPON THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PRICE TO UNDERWRITING PROCEEDS TO PUBLIC DISCOUNT (1) COMPANY (2) - --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Per Share.............................. $15.00 $1.05 $13.95 - --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total (3).............................. $75,000,000 $5,250,000 $69,750,000 - --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) See "Underwriting" for indemnification arrangements with the several Underwriters. (2) Before deducting expenses payable by the Company estimated at $1,800,000. (3) The Company has granted to the Underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 750,000 additional shares of Common Stock solely to cover over- allotments, if any. If all shares are purchased, the total Price to Public, Underwriting Discount and Proceeds to Company will be $86,250,000, $6,037,500 and $80,212,500, respectively. See "Underwriting." ------------ The shares of Common Stock are offered by the several Underwriters subject to prior sale, receipt and acceptance by them and subject to the right of the Underwriters to reject any order in whole or in part and certain other conditions. It is expected that certificates for such shares will be available for delivery on or about December 18, 1998, at the office of the agent of Hambrecht & Quist LLC in New York, New York. HAMBRECHT & QUIST NATIONSBANC MONTGOMERY SECURITIES LLC DAIN RAUSCHER WESSELS A DIVISION OF DAIN RAUSCHER INCORPORATED December 15, 1998 INSIDE FRONT COVER [ARTWORK] ENABLING REAL WORLD CONTENT FOR THE INTERNET OF TODAY AND TOMORROW [Circle containing the Company's logo surrounded by logos of the Company's affiliates and photos of alternative Internet access devices] InfoSpace.com provides its content services to a network of existing and emerging Internet portals, destination sites and suppliers of PCs and other Internet access devices. The Company has agreements with more than 90 affiliates covering more than 90 Web sites. GATEFOLD ENABLING REAL WORLD CONTENT FOR THE INTERNET OF TODAY AND TOMORROW AGGREGATION InfoSpace.com has acquired the rights to a wide range of content from more than 65 third-party content providers. The Company focuses on content with broad appeal, such as yellow pages and white pages, maps, classified advertisements, real-time stock quotes, information on local businesses and events, weather forecasts and horoscopes. [InfoSpace.com web screen displaying content from third-party content providers, and various provider logos] INTEGRATION The cornerstone of the Company's content is its nationwide yellow pages and white pages directory information. Using its proprietary technology, the Company integrates this directory information with other value-added content to create "The Ultimate Directory" to find people, places and things in the real world. [Several InfoSpace.com web screens displaying integrated information, including maps, lists of hotels and restaurants, city information and information on an individual or business] SYNDICATION The Company has agreements with more than 90 affiliates covering more than 900 Web sites. InfoSpace.com's content services provide its affiliates with content that helps to increase the convenience, relevance and enjoyment of their users' visits, thereby promoting increased traffic and repeat usage. [Three affiliate web screens displaying content provided by InfoSpace.com, and various affiliate logos] The Company's technology has been designed to support affiliates across multiple platforms and formats, including the growing number of emerging Internet access devices such as cellular phones, pagers, screen phones, television set-top boxes, online kiosks and personal digital assistants. [Photos of various alternative Internet access devices] CERTAIN PERSONS PARTICIPATING IN THIS OFFERING MAY ENGAGE IN TRANSACTIONS THAT STABILIZE, MAINTAIN, OR OTHERWISE AFFECT THE PRICE OF THE COMMON STOCK, INCLUDING BY ENTERING STABILIZING BIDS, EFFECTING SYNDICATE COVERING TRANSACTIONS OR IMPOSING PENALTY BIDS. FOR A DESCRIPTION OF THESE ACTIVITIES, SEE "UNDERWRITING." PROSPECTUS SUMMARY The following summary is qualified in its entirety by the more detailed information and the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this Prospectus. The Common Stock offered hereby involves a high degree of risk. See "Risk Factors." THE COMPANY InfoSpace.com is a leading aggregator and integrator of content services for syndication to a broad network of affiliates, including existing and emerging Internet portals, destination sites and suppliers of PCs and other Internet access devices, such as cellular phones, pagers, screen phones, television set- top boxes, online kiosks and personal digital assistants. The Company focuses on content with broad appeal, such as yellow pages and white pages, maps, classified advertisements, real-time stock quotes, information on local businesses and events, weather forecasts and horoscopes. By aggregating content from multiple sources and integrating it with related content to increase its usefulness, the Company serves as a single source of value-added content. The Company's affiliates include AOL, Netscape, Microsoft, Lycos, MetaCrawler, Playboy, Dow Jones (The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition), ABC LocalNet and CBS's affiliated TV stations. The Company's services provide affiliates with content that helps to increase the convenience, relevance and enjoyment of their users' visits, thereby promoting increased traffic and repeat usage. This, in turn, provides enhanced advertising and electronic commerce revenue opportunities to affiliates with minimal additional investment. By leveraging the Company's content relationships and technology, affiliates are free to focus on their core competencies. The Company has acquired the rights to a wide range of content from more than 65 third-party content providers. The cornerstone of the Company's content services is its nationwide yellow pages and white pages directory information. Using its proprietary technology, the Company integrates this directory information with other value-added content to create "The Ultimate Guide" to find people, places and things in the real world. As an example of the power of the Company's contextual integration, a salesperson using the Company's content services can, from the results of a single query, find the name and address of a new customer, obtain directions to his or her office, check the weather forecast and, typically, make an online reservation at the nearest hotel, browse the menu of a nearby restaurant and review a schedule of entertainment events for the locale. The Company's content services are designed to be highly flexible and customizable, enabling affiliates to select from among the Company's broad range of content services only those desired. One of the Company's principal strengths is its internally developed technology, which enables it to easily and rapidly add new affiliates by employing a distributed, scalable architecture adapted specifically for its Internet-based content services. The Company helps its affiliates build and maintain their brands by delivering content with the look and feel and navigation features specific to each affiliate, creating the impression to end users that they have not left the affiliate's site. The Company's technology has been designed to support affiliates across multiple platforms and formats, including the growing number of emerging Internet access devices. The Company's affiliate relationships typically provide for revenue sharing from advertising sold by the Company and the affiliates whose sites incorporate the Company's content where advertisements are placed. InfoSpace.com derives substantially all of its revenues from national advertising, promotions and local Internet yellow pages advertising. Through its direct sales force, the Company offers a variety of national advertising and promotions that enable advertisers to access both broad and targeted audiences. The Company also sells local Internet yellow pages advertising through cooperative sales relationships with established independent yellow pages publishers, media companies and direct marketing companies. The Company believes that these relationships provide the Company access to local sales expertise and customer relationships that give it an advantage over competitors while minimizing the Company's investment in its own sales infrastructure. 3 THE OFFERING Common Stock offered by the Company............. 5,000,000 shares Common Stock to be outstanding after this offering....................................... 20,116,012 shares (1) Use of proceeds................................. For working capital and other general corporate purposes. Nasdaq National Market symbol................... INSP
SUMMARY CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA (IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT PER SHARE DATA)
PERIOD FROM MARCH 1, 1996 NINE MONTHS (INCEPTION) ENDED TO YEAR ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, DECEMBER 31, DECEMBER 31, ----------------- 1996 1997 1997 1998 ------------- ------------ ------- -------- CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS DATA: Revenues....................... $ 199 $ 1,685 $ 932 $ 5,374 Total operating expenses (2)... 504 1,724 1,068 7,930 Loss from operations (2)....... (402) (450) (384) (3,664) Net loss....................... $ (381) $ (429) $ (366) $ (3,588) Basic and diluted net loss per share (3)..................... $(0.04) $ (0.04) $ (0.03) $ (0.28) Shares used in computing basic net loss per share calculations (3).............. 9,280 10,941 10,940 12,639 Shares used in computing diluted net loss per share calculations (3).............. 9,280 10,998 10,987 12,639
SEPTEMBER 30, 1998 ----------------------- ACTUAL AS ADJUSTED (4) ------- --------------- CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET DATA: Cash and cash equivalents............................. $10,289 $78,239 Working capital....................................... 12,630 80,580 Total assets.......................................... 23,397 91,347 Total stockholders' equity............................ 20,661 88,611
- -------------------- (1) Based on shares outstanding at September 30, 1998. Excludes as of September 30, 1998 (i) 1,805,030 shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding options at a weighted average exercise price of $2.17 per share, (ii) 3,531,719 shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants at a weighted average exercise price of $6.79 per share, (iii) 1,505,450 shares of Common Stock reserved for future issuance under the Company's Restated 1996 Flexible Stock Incentive Plan (the "1996 Plan"), and (iv) 450,000 shares of Common Stock reserved for issuance under the Company's 1998 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the "ESPP"). See "Management--Benefit Plans," "Description of Capital Stock" and Notes 3 and 9 of the Company's Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. (2) For the nine months ended September 30, 1998, includes a write-off of in- process research and development of $2.8 million. (3) See Note 7 of the Company's Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for information concerning the determination of net loss per share. (4) As adjusted to reflect the sale and issuance of 5,000,000 shares of Common Stock offered by the Company hereby and the receipt of the estimated net proceeds therefrom. See "Use of Proceeds" and "Capitalization." -------------------- Except as otherwise noted, all information in this Prospectus assumes no exercise of the Underwriters' over-allotment option and gives effect to a one- for-two reverse stock split of the Company's outstanding Common Stock consummated in August 1998. 4 RISK FACTORS This Prospectus contains forward-looking statements that involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, such as statements of the Company's plans, objectives, expectations and intentions. Actual results could differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including those set forth below and elsewhere in this Prospectus. The following risk factors should be considered carefully in addition to the other information in this Prospectus before purchasing the shares of Common Stock offered hereby. Limited Operating History; History of Losses and Anticipated Future Losses. The Company was founded in March 1996 and, accordingly, has a very limited operating history on which to base an evaluation of its business and prospects. The Company has incurred net losses since its inception, including losses of approximately $381,000, $429,000 and $3.6 million for the period from March 1, 1996 (inception) to December 31, 1996, the year ended December 31, 1997 and the nine months ended September 30, 1998, respectively. At September 30, 1998, the Company had an accumulated deficit of approximately $4.4 million. Although the Company has experienced sequential quarterly growth in revenues over the past five quarters, the Company expects to incur significant operating losses on a quarterly basis for the foreseeable future, and there can be no assurance that the Company will be profitable in any future period. Since its inception, the Company has been engaged primarily in the development of its technology, the acquisition of rights to third-party content, the sale of national advertising, the establishment of relationships with independent yellow pages publishers, media companies and direct marketing companies and the establishment of relationships with existing and emerging Internet portals, destination sites and suppliers of PCs and other Internet access devices, such as cellular phones, pagers, screen phones, television set-top boxes, online kiosks and personal digital assistants (collectively, "Internet points-of-entry"). The Company's prospects must be considered in light of the risks, expenses and difficulties frequently encountered by companies in their early stage of development, particularly companies in new and rapidly evolving markets such as Internet services. Such risks include, but are not limited to, an evolving and unpredictable business model, uncertain adoption of the Internet as a commercial or advertising medium, dependence on relationships with third parties, dependence on key personnel, management of growth, rapidly changing technology and competition. To address these risks and be able to achieve and sustain profitability, the Company must, among other things: (i) develop and maintain strategic relationships with content providers and Internet points-of-entry; (ii) identify and acquire the rights to additional content; (iii) successfully integrate new features with its content services; (iv) expand its sales and marketing efforts, including relationships with third parties to sell local advertising for the Company's Internet yellow pages directory services; (v) maintain and increase its affiliate and advertiser base; (vi) successfully expand into international markets; (vii) retain and motivate qualified personnel; and (viii) successfully respond to competitive developments. There can be no assurance that the Company will effectively address the risks it faces, and the failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. For these and other reasons, there can be no assurance that the Company will ever achieve or sustain profitability. See "Selected Consolidated Financial Data" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations." Evolving and Unproven Business Model. The Company's business model is to aggregate content from third-party content providers, integrate related content, syndicate these content services to leading Internet points-of-entry and generate revenues from the sale of advertisements and promotions on the Web pages that deliver the Company's content services. The syndication business model is relatively new to the Internet and is unproven. As such, the Company's business model may not be successful, and the Company may need to change its business model. A significant portion of the Company's user traffic is generated through the Company's own Web site, rather than through its affiliate network. The Company's ability to generate significant advertising and promotion revenues by syndicating content services will depend, in part, on its ability to acquire the rights to information from third-party content providers and to market successfully its content services to Internet points- of-entry that currently do not rely substantially on third-party sources for their content needs and do not typically utilize content services that are readily available to their competitors. In addition, the Company intends to rely on independent yellow pages publishers, media companies and direct marketing 5 companies for the sale of local advertising on the Company's Internet yellow pages directory services, which strategy may prove to be unsuccessful. The Company's relationships with its content providers, affiliates and advertisers are evolving, subject to frequent change and frequently informal. This has resulted, and may result in the future, in disputes regarding the existence, interpretation and circumstances regarding termination of commercial contracts. Although the Company has implemented controls in an effort to properly document contracts and contractual amendments, such disputes may arise in the future. There can be no assurance that the Company's relationships with content providers, affiliates and advertisers will not evolve in a manner that is adverse to the Company or that contractual disputes with content providers, affiliates or advertisers will not have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. The Company intends to continue to develop its business model as it explores opportunities internationally and in new and unproven areas such as electronic commerce and in providing content services for emerging Internet access devices. There can be no assurance that the Company's business model will be successful. See "--Pending Legal Proceedings," "Business--The InfoSpace.com Solution" and "--Strategy." Unpredictability of Future Results of Operations; Expected Fluctuations in Quarterly Results of Operations; Seasonality. As a result of the Company's limited operating history and the emerging nature of the markets in which it competes, the Company is unable to accurately forecast its revenues. The Company plans its operating expenses based on anticipated revenues. If revenues in a particular period do not meet expectations, it is likely that the Company will not be able to adjust significantly its level of expenditures for such period, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. The Company plans to increase significantly its operating expenses in order to, among other things: (i) expand its affiliate network, which may include the payment of additional carriage fees to certain affiliates; (ii) expand its sales and marketing operations and hire more salespersons; (iii) increase its advertising and promotional activities; (iv) develop and upgrade its technology and purchase equipment for its operations and network infrastructure; (v) expand internationally; and (vi) expand its content services. Certain Internet points-of-entry require the Company to make payments or pay other consideration in exchange for including the Company's content services on their Web site and other Internet points-of-entry may in the future require payments for access to their Web site or Internet access device. Additionally, the Company may incur costs relating to the acquisition of content or the acquisition of businesses or technologies. To the extent that such expenses precede or are not subsequently followed by increased revenues, the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. The Company's results of operations have varied on a quarterly basis during its short operating history and will fluctuate significantly in the future as a result of a variety of factors, many of which are outside the Company's control. Factors that may affect the Company's quarterly results of operations include, but are not limited to: (i) the addition or loss of affiliates; (ii) variable demand for the Company's content services by its affiliates; (iii) the cost of acquiring and the availability of content; (iv) the overall level of demand for content services; (v) the Company's ability to attract and retain advertisers and content providers; (vi) seasonal trends in Internet usage and advertising placements; (vii) the amount and timing of fees paid by the Company to certain of its affiliates to include the Company's content services on their Web sites; (viii) the productivity of the Company's direct sales force and the sales forces of the independent yellow pages publishers, media companies and direct marketing companies that sell local Internet yellow pages advertising for the Company; (ix) the amount and timing of expenditures for expansion of the Company's operations, including the hiring of new employees, capital expenditures and related costs; (x) the Company's ability to continue to enhance, maintain and support its technology; (xi) the Company's ability to attract and retain personnel; (xii) the introduction of new or enhanced services by the Company, its affiliates and their respective competitors; (xiii) price competition or pricing changes in Internet advertising and Internet services, such as the Company's content services; (xiv) technical difficulties, system downtime, system failures or Internet brown-outs; (xv) political or economic events and governmental actions affecting Internet operations or content; and (xvi) general economic conditions and economic conditions specific to the Internet. Any one of these factors could cause the Company's revenues and operating results to vary significantly in the future. In addition, as a strategic response to changes in the competitive environment, the Company may from time to time make 6 certain pricing, service or marketing decisions or acquisitions that could cause significant declines in the Company's quarterly results of operations. Also, the Company currently is involved in a lawsuit filed by a former employee involving certain claims to purchase Common Stock and has received a copy of a complaint ostensibly filed on behalf of an alleged former employee involving certain claims to purchase Common Stock. To the extent the Company is required to issue shares of Common Stock or options to purchase Common Stock, the Company would recognize an expense, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company's results of operations for the period in which such issuance occurs and any such issuance would be dilutive to existing stockholders. See "--Legal Proceedings." The Company has experienced, and expects to continue to experience, seasonality in its business, with reduced user traffic on its affiliate network expected during the summer and year-end vacation and holiday periods, when usage of the Internet has typically declined. Advertising sales in traditional media, such as broadcast and cable television, generally decline in the first and third quarters of each year. Depending on the extent to which the Internet and commercial online services are accepted as an advertising medium, seasonality in the level of advertising expenditures could become more pronounced for Internet-based advertising. Seasonality in Internet service usage and advertising expenditures is likely to cause quarterly fluctuations in the Company's results of operations and could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. Due to the foregoing factors, the Company's revenues and operating results are difficult to forecast. The Company believes that its quarterly revenues, expenses and operating results will vary significantly in the future and that period-to-period comparisons are not meaningful and are not indicative of future performance. As a result of the foregoing factors, it is likely that in some future quarters or years the Company's results of operations will fall below the expectations of securities analysts or investors, which would have a material adverse effect on the trading price of the Common Stock. See "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations--Selected Quarterly Operating Results." Reliance on Advertising and Promotion Revenues; Risks Associated With Advertising Arrangements. The Company derives substantially all of its revenues from the sale of advertisements and promotions on the Web pages that deliver the Company's content services and expects that advertising and promotion revenues will continue to account for substantially all of its revenues in the foreseeable future. The Company's ability to increase its advertising and promotion revenues will depend on, among other things, national and local advertisers' acceptance of the Internet as an attractive and sustainable medium, the development of a large base of end users of the Company's content services having demographic characteristics attractive to advertisers, the success of the Company's strategy to sell local Internet yellow pages advertising through independent yellow pages publishers, media companies and direct marketing companies, the expansion and productivity of the Company's advertising sales force and the development of the Internet as an attractive platform for electronic commerce. To date, substantially all of the Company's revenues have been derived from national advertising and promotions and the Company has not yet generated significant revenues from local Internet yellow pages advertising, which the Company is relying on as a significant source of future revenues. The Company intends to rely in significant part on sales of local Internet yellow pages advertising generated by the sales forces of independent yellow pages publishers, media companies and direct marketing companies. The failure to generate these sales would have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operation. A significant portion of the Company's advertiser base is comprised of other Internet companies, many of which are experiencing rapid growth and have limited operating histories. Consequently, these companies represent higher than normal credit risks to the Company. The Company's bad debt expense represented approximately 8.2% and 9.7% of revenues in the quarters ended June 30, 1998 and September 30, 1998, respectively. There can be no assurance that the Company will be successful in generating significant future national and local advertising and promotion revenues, and the failure to do so would have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. See "--Dependence on Sales by Third Parties," "--Risks Associated With International Expansion," "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and "Business--Advertising and Promotions." 7 The Company's national advertising arrangements typically require the Company to guarantee minimum levels of impressions or click throughs. These arrangements expose the Company to potentially significant financial risks, including the risk that the Company may fail to deliver required minimum levels of impressions or click throughs, in which case the Company typically continues to provide advertising without compensation until such levels are met. In addition, such advertisers may terminate their agreements or may renew their agreements on less favorable terms to the Company. In connection with certain promotion arrangements and content agreements, the Company guarantees the availability of advertising space. There can be no assurance that the Company will have sufficient inventory either to meet such guarantees or to sell additional promotions and advertisements. The Company also provides customized advertising campaigns for certain of its advertisers which may require the dedication of resources and significant programming and design efforts to accomplish. In addition, the Company has granted exclusivity to certain of its advertisers and may in the future grant additional exclusivity to additional advertisers. Such exclusivity arrangements may have the effect of preventing the Company, for the duration of such arrangements, from accepting advertising within a particular subject matter in the Company's content services or across part or all of the Company's content services. The inability of the Company to enter into further advertising or promotion arrangements as a result of its exclusivity arrangements could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. See "Business--Advertising and Promotions." Reliance on Affiliate Relationships. The Company's ability to generate revenues from advertising and promotions depends on its ability to secure and maintain distribution for its content services on acceptable commercial terms through a wide range of affiliates. The Company expects that revenues generated from the sale of advertisements and promotions delivered through its network of affiliates will continue to account for a significant portion of the Company's revenues for the foreseeable future. In particular, the Company expects that a limited number of its affiliates, including Netscape Communications Corporation ("Netscape"), America Online, Inc. ("AOL") (which announced in November 1998 that it would acquire Netscape) and Microsoft Network, LLC will account for a substantial portion of its affiliate traffic and, therefore, revenues over time. The Company's distribution arrangements with its affiliates typically are for limited durations of between six months and two years and are generally terminable after six months. There can be no assurance that such arrangements will be renewed upon expiration of their terms. The Company and each affiliate generally share a portion of the revenues generated by advertising on the Web pages that deliver the Company's content services. The Company has recently entered into agreements with Netscape and AOL under which the Company has paid, and will in the future pay, certain carriage fees to Netscape and AOL. Under its agreement with Netscape, which provides for a one-year term with automatic renewal provisions, the Company paid licensing fees to Netscape and is obligated to make additional payments to Netscape based on the number of click throughs to the Company's services. Netscape guarantees to the Company a certain minimum level of use of the Company's yellow pages and white pages directory services. The agreement with AOL relating to the Company's white pages directory services has a three- year term, which may be extended for an additional year and subsequently renewed for up to three successive one-year terms at AOL's discretion. This agreement may be terminated by AOL upon acquisition by AOL of a competing white pages directory services business or for any reason after 18 months, upon payment of a termination fee, or at any time in the event of a change of control of the Company. Under this agreement, the Company will pay to AOL a quarterly carriage fee and share with AOL revenues generated by advertising on the Company's white pages directory services delivered to AOL. Under the terms of the agreement related to the Company's classifieds information services, the Company has agreed to provide classified advertising development and management services to AOL for two years, with up to three one-year extensions at AOL's discretion. AOL will pay to the Company a quarterly fee and share with the Company revenues generated by payments by individuals and commercial listing services for listings on the AOL classifieds service. This agreement may be terminated at any time in the event of a change of control of the Company. There can be no assurance that the Company's relationship with Netscape or AOL will be profitable or result in benefits to the Company that outweigh the costs of the relationship. The Company's affiliate relationships are in an early stage of development, and there can be no assurance that affiliates, especially major affiliates, will not demand a greater portion of advertising revenues or require 8 the Company to make payments for access to any such affiliate's site or device. There can be no assurance that the Company would be able to timely or effectively replace any major affiliate with other affiliates with comparable traffic patterns and user demographics. The loss of any major affiliate or an adverse change in the Company's pricing model could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. See "Business--Affiliate Network." Dependence on Advertising Sales by Third Parties; Limited History of Internet Yellow Pages Advertising. The Company relies on arrangements with independent yellow pages publishers, media companies and direct marketing companies to generate local Internet yellow pages advertising revenues, primarily from enhanced listings on the Company's Internet yellow pages directory services in the form of enhanced yellow pages listings. Under its arrangements with independent yellow pages publishers, the Company typically provides exclusive rights to the publisher to sell local advertising in a specific geographic area and does not restrict the publisher's ability to sell advertising for any other source. The Company currently expects that a greater portion of its future advertising revenues will be derived from these relationships. There can be no assurance, however, that the sales forces of these independent yellow pages publishers, media companies and direct marketing companies will actively pursue this opportunity to sell local Internet yellow pages advertisements to their customers, that their customers will purchase Internet advertising or that significant revenues will be generated by these relationships. The Company's independent yellow pages publishers, media companies and direct marketing companies have only recently begun to offer local Internet yellow pages advertising and, as such, have extremely limited experience in forecasting and executing Internet advertising business models. The Company's future operating plans are based, in part, on the local Internet yellow pages forecasts of the independent yellow pages publishers, media companies and direct marketing companies with which it has relationships. The Company cannot accurately predict the timing or the extent of the success of these local advertising efforts. These sales forces generally do not have experience selling Internet advertising to local advertisers, and the Company may have to expend significant time and effort in training such sales forces. Further, the independent yellow pages publishers, media companies and direct marketing companies have broad discretion in setting advertising rates, and there can be no assurance that they will develop a profitable business model. The Company also relies on the advertisement production infrastructure of these companies for the billing and collection of local advertising payments and the production and filing of display advertisements and button advertisements. The failure of the sales forces of independent yellow pages publishers, media companies and direct marketing companies to successfully transfer print advertisements to advertisements in the Company's Internet yellow pages directory services or for these sales relationships to otherwise generate meaningful revenues for the Company or for these companies to cease to maintain and support an advertisement production infrastructure could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. These risks are also applicable to the Company's ability to generate revenues from its international operations. See "--Risks Associated With International Expansion" and "Business--Advertising and Promotions." Uncertain Adoption of the Internet as an Advertising Medium. Most advertising agencies and potential advertisers, particularly local advertisers, have only limited experience with the Internet as an advertising medium and have not devoted a significant portion of their advertising expenditures to Internet advertising. There can be no assurance that advertisers or advertising agencies will allocate or continue to allocate funds for Internet advertising or that they will find such advertising to be effective for promoting their products and services relative to traditional methods of advertising. In addition, use of the Internet for advertising in international markets is at a much earlier stage of development than in the United States. There are no widely accepted standards for the measurement of the effectiveness of Internet advertising, and there can be no assurance that such standards will develop sufficiently to support Internet advertising as a significant advertising medium. Advertising rates are typically based on the number of impressions received, and the Company's advertising customers may not accept the Company's or other third parties' measurements of impressions on the Web sites of the Company's affiliates utilizing the Company's content services or such measurements may contain errors. 9 There is fluid and intense competition in the sale of advertising on the Internet, resulting in a wide range of rates quoted and a variety of pricing models offered by different vendors for a variety of advertising services, which makes it difficult to project future levels of advertising revenues that will be realized generally or by any specific company. It is also difficult to predict which pricing models will be adopted by the industry or advertisers. For example, widespread adoption of advertising rates based on the number of click throughs from the Company's content services to advertisers' Web pages, instead of rates based solely on the number of impressions, could materially adversely affect the Company's revenues. Acceptance of the Internet among advertisers and advertising agencies will also depend, to a large extent, on the level of use of the Internet by consumers and on the growth in the commercial use of the Internet. The Internet may not prove to be a viable commercial market for a number of reasons, including lack of acceptable security technologies, potentially inadequate development of the necessary infrastructure, such as a reliable network backbone, or timely development and commercialization of non-PC based Internet appliances or performance improvements, including high speed modems. In addition, "filter" software programs that limit or remove advertising from the Web user's desktop are available. The widespread adoption of such software by users could have a material adverse effect on the viability of advertising on the Internet. Despite industry forecasts of growth in advertising on the Internet, such growth may not occur or may occur more slowly than estimated. If the commercial use of the Internet does not develop, or if the Internet does not develop as an effective and measurable medium for advertising, the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations will be materially adversely affected. See "Business--Industry Background" and "-- Advertising and Promotions." Risks Associated With Short-Term National Advertising Contracts. National advertisements, which constitute a significant current and expected future source of revenues, are typically sold pursuant to agreements with terms of less than six months. Consequently, the Company's national advertising customers may change or cancel their advertising expenditures, or move their advertising to competing Internet sites or from the Internet to traditional media, quickly and with minimal penalty, thereby increasing the Company's exposure to competitive pressures and fluctuations in revenues and results of operations. In selling national advertising, the Company also depends to a significant extent on advertising agencies, which exercise substantial control over the placement of advertisements for the Company's existing and potential national advertising customers. There can be no assurance that current advertisers will continue to purchase advertising from the Company or that the Company will attract additional advertisers. If the Company loses advertising customers, fails to attract new customers or is forced to reduce advertising rates in order to retain or attract customers, the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations will be materially adversely affected. See "Business--Advertising and Promotions." Dependence on a Limited Number of Advertisers. A substantial portion of the Company's revenues to date have been derived from a limited number of advertisers, and the Company expects that a limited number of advertisers will continue to account for a significant percentage of the Company's revenues for the foreseeable future. In particular, 800-U.S. Search, Inc. ("800-U.S. Search") accounted for approximately 20.1% of the Company's revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 1998 and approximately 38.1% of accounts receivable at September 30, 1998. The Company's top ten advertisers accounted for an aggregate of 51.4% of the Company's revenues during the same period. The loss of one or more of these advertisers, including, but not limited to, 800-U.S. Search, could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, the nonpayment or late payment of amounts due by a significant advertiser could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. See "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and "Business--Advertising and Promotions." Dependence on Third-Party Content. The Company's future success depends in large part on its ability to aggregate, integrate and syndicate content of broad appeal over the Internet to its affiliates. The Company typically does not create its own content. Rather, the Company acquires the rights to substantially all of the information it distributes from more than 65 third- party content providers, including infoUSA, Inc. (formerly 10 known as American Business Information, Inc., "infoUSA") (national white and yellow pages), Carroll Publishing, Inc. (government directories), Leisure Planet, Inc. (enhanced hotel information), CareerPath, Inc. (employment listings) and ETAK, Inc. ("ETAK") (mapping and directions). In particular, the Company is substantially dependent on yellow pages and white pages data from infoUSA. The Company's ability to maintain its relationships with such content providers and to build new relationships with additional content providers is critical to the success of the Company's business. In general, the licenses with the third-party content providers are short term and do not require the Company to pay the content provider a royalty or other fee for the right to include the content on the Company's content services. However, the Company enters into revenue-sharing arrangements with certain content providers and pays certain core content providers, such as infoUSA and ETAK, a one-time or periodic fee or fee per content query, and there can be no assurance that content providers will not demand a greater portion of advertising revenues or require more fees for access to content. In certain instances the Company enters into exclusive relationships, which may limit the Company's ability to enter into additional content agreements. The Company's inability to secure licenses from content providers or the termination of a significant number of content provider agreements would decrease the attractiveness to end users of the Company's content and the amount of content that the Company can distribute to its affiliates. This could result in decreased traffic on the Web sites that deliver the Company's content services and, as a result, decreased advertising and electronic commerce revenues, which would have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. See "Business--Content Services." Dependence on Key Personnel; Need for Additional Personnel. The Company's performance is substantially dependent on the continued services of its executive officers and other key personnel. The loss of the services of any of its executive officers or other key employees could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. The Company maintains key person life insurance on Naveen Jain, its Chief Executive Officer, in the amount of $5.0 million, the sole beneficiary of which is the Company. The Company does not maintain key person life insurance policies on any of its other employees. The Company does not have employment agreements with any of its employees, and the employment relationships of such personnel with the Company are, therefore, at will. The Company's future success also depends on its ability to identify, attract, hire, train, retain and motivate highly skilled technical, managerial, sales and marketing personnel. The Company has increased the number of employees from 15 at January 1, 1998 to 48 at September 30, 1998 and intends to hire a significant number of sales, business development, marketing, technical and administrative personnel during the next year. Competition for such personnel is intense, and there can be no assurance that the Company will successfully attract, assimilate or retain a sufficient number of qualified personnel. The failure to retain and attract the necessary technical, managerial, sales and marketing and administrative personnel could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. See "Business--Employees" and "Management." Management of Growth; New Management Team; Need to Implement Procedures and Controls; Limited Senior Management Resources. The Company has rapidly and significantly expanded its operations and anticipates further significant expansion to accommodate expected growth in its customer base and market opportunities. This expansion has placed, and is expected to continue to place, a significant strain on the Company's management, operational and financial resources. In 1998, the Company has added a number of key managerial, technical and operations personnel, including its President and Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Vice President, Legal and Business Affairs, who have only recently joined the Company, and expects to add additional key personnel in the near future. The Company is significantly increasing its employee base, which has increased from 15 at January 1, 1998 to 48 at September 30, 1998. The Company has a short operating history and only in August 1998 hired a Chief Financial Officer and other accounting personnel. The Company is in the process of implementing improvements in its operational, accounting and information systems, procedures and controls. In the past the Company's controls have not been adequate to ensure proper communication within the Company regarding, and to properly document, the terms of certain 11 of the Company's written and verbal contracts and the termination of certain contracts. Specifically, in May 1997, the Company entered into a written acquisition agreement that included a formula to be used in determining the final purchase price. Subsequently, pursuant to a verbal understanding that did not include the use of this formula, the parties made a determination of the final purchase price. This understanding was not documented and, as a result, the transaction was not initially accounted for properly. Also in the past, the Company did not consistently follow its procedures with respect to the documentation of the granting of options to new employees and, at times, the Company failed to maintain an appropriate level of internal communication regarding the potential hiring of new employees, especially management employees. These inadequacies have led to claims against the Company, some of which are still pending. See "--Pending Legal Proceedings." The Company's relationships with its content providers, affiliates and advertisers are evolving, subject to frequent change and are frequently informal. In particular, the Company may have failed to perform its obligations under certain commercial contracts that may have been modified or terminated by verbal agreement. This practice of the modification or termination of written agreements by verbal agreement has resulted, and may result in the future, in disputes regarding the existence, interpretation and circumstances regarding modification or termination of commercial contracts. The Company believes that any liability with respect to such contracts is not material. There can be no assurance, however, that the Company's relationships with content providers, affiliates and advertisers will not evolve in a manner that is adverse to the Company or that contractual disputes with content providers, affiliates or advertisers will not have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. The Company has taken a number of steps to improve its accounting and information systems, procedures and controls, including the hiring of a President and Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer and a Vice President, Legal and Business Affairs and other financial and administrative personnel. In addition, the Company has adopted certain policies with respect to the approval, tracking and management of its commercial agreements, which include: (i) standardizing the form of the Company's commercial agreements, where possible, (ii) the review of any proposed commercial contract by the Company's legal and accounting departments and their approval of contract modifications prior to their implementation, (iii) a prohibition on entering into verbal agreements or verbal modifications or terminations of agreements, and (iv) the establishment of a contract database to facilitate the tracking and management of the Company's commercial contracts by maintaining a central source of key information regarding the Company's commercial contracts. There can be no assurance, however, that the Company will be able to successfully implement these policies or that these steps will be adequate to prevent disputes or issues relating to inadequate internal communications from arising in the future. To manage the expected growth of its operations and personnel, the Company will be required to continue to improve or replace existing operational, accounting and information systems, procedures and controls, and to expand, train and manage its growing employee base. The Company also will be required to continue to expand its finance, administrative and operations staff. Further, the Company's management will be required to maintain and expand its relationships with various Internet content providers, advertisers, Internet points-of-entry and other third parties necessary to the Company's business. There can be no assurance that the Company will complete in a timely manner the improvements to its systems, procedures and controls necessary to support the Company's future operations, that management will be able to hire, train, retain, motivate and manage required personnel or that Company management will be able to successfully identify, manage and exploit existing and potential market opportunities. The Company's inability to manage growth effectively could have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition and results of operations. See "--Pending Legal Proceedings," "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," "Business--Employees" and "Management." Risks Associated With International Expansion. A key component of the Company's strategy is to expand its operations into international markets. The Company has entered into a joint venture agreement with Thomson Directories Limited ("Thomson") to replicate the Company's content services in Europe. The 12 joint venture, TDL InfoSpace (Europe) Limited ("TDL InfoSpace"), has targeted the United Kingdom as its first market, and content services were launched in the third quarter of 1998. The Company expects that TDL InfoSpace will expand its content services to other European countries. Under the joint venture agreement, each of the Company and Thomson is obligated to negotiate with TDL InfoSpace and the other party to jointly offer content services in other European countries prior to offering such services independently or with other parties. To date, the Company has limited experience in developing and syndicating localized versions of its content services internationally. There can be no assurance that the Company will successfully execute its business model in these markets. In addition, Internet usage and Internet advertising are at an earlier stage of development internationally than in the United States. The Company is relying on its business partner in Europe for U.K. directory information and local sales forces and may enter into similar relationships if it expands into other international markets. Accordingly, the Company's success in such markets will be directly linked to the success of its business partners in such activities. There can be no assurance that such business partners will be successful or that such business partners will dedicate sufficient resources to the business relationship. The failure of the Company's business partners to successfully establish operations and sales and marketing efforts in such markets could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. See "-- Evolving and Unproven Business Model," "--Uncertain Adoption of the Internet as an Advertising Medium," "--Dependence on Sales by Third Parties" and "Business--International Expansion." There are certain risks inherent in doing business in international markets, such as unexpected changes in regulatory requirements, potentially adverse tax consequences, work stoppages, export restrictions, export controls relating to encryption technology, tariffs and other trade barriers, difficulties in staffing and managing foreign operations, political instability, transportation delays, changing economic conditions, expropriations, exposures to different legal standards (particularly with respect to intellectual property and distribution of information over the Internet), burdens with complying with a variety of foreign laws, fluctuations in currency exchange rates, and seasonal reductions in business activity during the summer months in Europe and certain other parts of the world. Any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on the success of the Company's international operations and, consequently, on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. Intense Competition. The market for Internet products and services is highly competitive, with no substantial barriers to entry, and the Company expects that competition will continue to intensify. The market for the Company's content services has only recently begun to develop, is rapidly evolving and is likely to be characterized by an increasing number of market entrants with competing products and services. Although the Company believes that the diversity of the Internet market may provide opportunities for more than one provider of content services similar to those of the Company, it is possible that one or a few suppliers may dominate one or more market sectors. The Company believes that the primary competitive factors in the market for Internet content services are (i) the ability to provide content of broad appeal, which is likely to result in increased user traffic and increase the brand name value of the Internet point-of-entry to which the services are provided; (ii) the ability to meet the specific content demands of a particular Internet point-of-entry; (iii) the cost-effectiveness and reliability of the content services; (iv) the ability to provide content that is attractive to advertisers; (v) the ability to achieve comprehensive coverage of a particular category of content; and (vi) the ability to integrate related content to increase the utility of the content services offered. There can be no assurance that the Company's competitors will not develop content services that are superior to those of the Company or achieve greater market acceptance than the Company's services. Any failure of the Company to provide services that achieve success in the short term could result in an insurmountable loss in market share and brand acceptance and could, therefore, have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. While the Company is unaware of any companies that compete with all of the Company's content services, there are companies that offer services addressing certain of the Company's target markets. In addition, some of these competitors are currently members of the Company's affiliate network or currently provide content included in the Company's content services. The Company's directory services compete with 13 other Internet yellow pages and white pages directory services, including AnyWho?, a division of AT&T Corp. ("AT&T"), GTE SuperPages, Switchboard, ZIP2, directory services offered by the Regional Bell Operating Companies (the "RBOCs"), including Big Yellow by Bell Atlantic/NYNEX, infoUSA's Lookup USA, Microsoft Sidewalk and Yahoo! Yellow Pages and White Pages. In addition, specific services provided by the Company compete with specialized content providers. TDL InfoSpace's directory services will compete with British Telecom's YELL service and Scoot (UK) Limited in the United Kingdom and, as the Company expands internationally into other markets, it expects to face competition from other established providers of directory services. In the future, the Company may encounter competition from providers of Web browser software, including Netscape and Microsoft Corporation ("Microsoft"), online services and other providers of Internet services that elect to syndicate their own product and service offerings, such as AOL, Yahoo! Inc. ("Yahoo!"), Excite, Inc. ("Excite"), Infoseek Corporation ("Infoseek"), Lycos, Inc. ("Lycos"), Wired Digital Inc.'s HotBot ("HotBot"), go2net, Inc.'s MetaCrawler ("MetaCrawler"), CNET, Inc.'s Snap! ("Snap!") and traditional media companies expanding onto the Internet, such as Time/Warner, Inc. ("Time/Warner"), ABC, CBS, NBC, Dow Jones & Company, Inc. ("Dow Jones"), The Walt Disney Company ("Disney") and the Fox Broadcasting Company ("Fox"). A number of the Company's current advertising customers have established relationships with certain of the Company's competitors and future advertising customers may establish similar relationships. In addition, the Company competes with online services and other Web site operators, as well as traditional offline media such as print (including print yellow pages directories) and television for a share of advertisers' total advertising budgets. Competition among current and future suppliers of Internet content services, as well as competition with other media for advertising placements, could result in significant price competition and reductions in advertising revenues. Many of the Company's current competitors, as well as a number of potential new competitors, have significantly greater financial, technical, marketing, sales and other resources than the Company. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to compete successfully against its current and future competitors. The Company's failure to compete with its competitors' product and service offerings or for advertising revenues would have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. See "Business--Competition." Risk of System Failures, Delays and Inadequacies. The performance, reliability and availability of the Company's content services and syndication infrastructure are critical to its reputation and ability to attract and retain affiliates, advertisers and content providers. The Company's computer and communications hardware is located at its main headquarters in Redmond, Washington and in additional hosting facilities provided by Exodus Communications, Inc. ("Exodus Communications") and Savvis Communications Corporation ("Savvis Communications") in Seattle, Washington. The Company's systems and operations are vulnerable to damage or interruption from fire, flood, power loss, telecommunications failure, Internet breakdowns, break-ins, earthquake and similar events. The Company does not presently have a formal disaster recovery plan and does not carry sufficient business interruption insurance to compensate it for losses that may occur. Services based on sophisticated software and computer systems often encounter development delays and the underlying software may contain undetected errors that could cause system failures when introduced. Any system error or failure that causes interruption in availability of content or an increase in response time could result in a loss of potential or existing affiliates, advertisers, content providers or end users and, if sustained or repeated, could reduce the attractiveness of the Company's content services to such entities or individuals. In addition, because the Company's advertising revenues are directly related to the number of advertisements delivered by the Company to users, system interruptions that result in the unavailability of the Company's content services or slower response times for users would reduce the number of advertisements delivered and reduce revenues. The occurrence of any of the foregoing risks could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. See "Business-- Technology and Infrastructure" and "Business--Facilities." Pending Legal Proceedings. On April 15, 1998, a former employee of the Company filed a complaint in the Superior Court for Santa Clara County, California alleging, among other things, that he has the right in 14 connection with his employment to purchase shares of Common Stock representing up to 5% of the equity of the Company as of an unspecified date. In addition, the former employee is also seeking compensatory damages, plus interest, punitive damages, emotional distress damages and injunctive relief preventing any capital reorganization or sale that would cause the plaintiff not to be a 5% owner of the equity of the Company. The Company removed the suit to the Federal District Court for the District of Northern California. The Company has answered the complaint and denied the claims. Nevertheless, while the Company believes its defenses to the former employee's claims are meritorious, litigation is inherently uncertain, and there can be no assurance that the Company will prevail in the suit. As of September 30, 1998, the Company has accrued a liability of $240,000 for estimated settlement costs. To the extent the Company is required to issue shares of Common Stock or options to purchase Common Stock as a result of the suit, the Company would recognize an expense equal to the number of shares issued multiplied by the fair value of the Common Stock on the date of issuance, less the exercise price of any options required to be issued, to the extent that this amount exceeds the expense already accrued as of September 30, 1998. This could have a material adverse effect on the Company's results of operations, and any such issuance would be dilutive to existing stockholders, the impact of which may be mitigated to the extent it is offset by shares of Common Stock in the escrow account described below. The exercise price of any options which the Company may be required to issue as a result of the suit is unknown, but could be as low as $0.01 per share. See Note 5 of the Company's Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. On December 14, 1998, the Company received a copy of a complaint on behalf of an alleged former employee ostensibly filed in Superior Court for Suffolk County in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts alleging that he was terminated without cause and that he entered into an agreement with the Company which entitles him to an option to purchase 2,000,000 shares of Common Stock or 10% of the Company. The complaint alleges breach of contract, breach of the covenant of good faith, breach of fiduciary duty, misrepresentation, promissory estoppel, intentional interference with contractual relations and unfair and deceptive acts and practices, seeking specific performance of the alleged agreement for 10% of the stock of the Company, damages equal to the value of 10% of the stock of the Company, punitive damages and attorneys' fees and costs and treble damages under the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act (Mass. G.L. Chapter 93A). (The Company believes the alleged former employee's claims do not reflect the one-for-two reverse stock split of the Common Stock consummated in August 1998.) The Company is currently investigating the claims and believes it has meritorious defenses to such claims. Nevertheless, litigation is inherently uncertain and, should litigation ensue, there can be no assurance that the Company would prevail in such a suit. To the extent the Company is required to issue shares of Common Stock or options to purchase Common Stock as a result of the claims, the Company would recognize an expense equal to the number of shares issued multiplied by the fair value of the Common Stock on the date of issuance, less the exercise price of any options required to be issued. This could have a material adverse effect on the Company's results of operations, and any such issuances would be dilutive to existing stockholders, the impact of which may be mitigated to the extent it is offset by shares of Common Stock in the escrow account described below. The Company had discussions with a number of individuals in the past regarding employment by the Company and also hired and subsequently terminated a number of individuals as employees or consultants. Furthermore, primarily at the Company's early stage of development, the Company's procedures with respect to the manner of granting options to new employees were not clearly documented. As a result of these factors, and in light of the receipt of the above claims, there can be no assurance that the Company will not receive similar claims in the future from one or more individuals asserting rights to acquire Common Stock or to receive cash compensation. The Company cannot predict whether such claims will be made or the ultimate resolution of any such claim. Naveen Jain, the Company's Chief Executive Officer, has agreed to place into escrow 1,000,000 shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by him to indemnify the Company and its directors for a period of five years for certain known and contingent liabilities relating to events prior to September 30, 1998. Satisfaction of such liabilities through the issuance of escrowed shares could result in the recognition of future expenses, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company's results of operations. 15 Risk of Capacity Constraints; Reliance on Internally Developed Software and Systems. A key element of the Company's strategy is to generate a high volume of traffic accessing its content services. Accordingly, the satisfactory performance, reliability and availability of the Company's data network infrastructure are critical to the Company's reputation and its ability to attract and retain affiliates and maintain adequate service levels. The Company's revenues depend, in large part, on the number of users that access the Company's content services. Any system interruptions that result in the unavailability of the Company's content services would reduce the volume of users able to access its content services and the attractiveness of the Company's service offerings to its affiliates, advertisers and content providers, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. The Company has developed custom software for its network servers, including its Web Server Technology, Database Technology and Remote Data Aggregation Engine. This software may contain undetected errors, defects or "bugs." Although the Company has not experienced material adverse effects resulting from any such errors or defects to date, there can be no assurance that errors or defects will not be discovered in the future, and, once discovered, there can be no assurance that any such errors or defects can be fixed. Any substantial increase in the volume of traffic on the Internet points-of-entry that deliver the Company's content services will require the Company to expand and upgrade further its technology, transaction-processing systems and network infrastructure. In addition, to the extent the Company expands into electronic commerce, significant modifications to its systems may be required. The Company could experience periodic temporary capacity constraints, which may cause unanticipated system disruptions, slower response times and lower levels of customer service. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to accurately project the rate or timing of increases, if any, in the use of its content services or timely expand and upgrade its systems and infrastructure to accommodate such increases. Any inability to do so could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. See "Business--Technology and Infrastructure." Rapid Technological Change. The market for Internet products and services and the online commerce industry are characterized by rapidly changing technology, evolving industry standards and customer demands and frequent new product and service introductions and enhancements. These characteristics are exacerbated by the emerging nature of this market and the fact that many companies are expected to introduce new Internet services in the near future. The Company's future success depends in significant part on its ability to improve the performance, content and reliability of the Company's content services in response to both evolving demands of the market and competitive product offerings, and there can be no assurance that the Company will be successful in such efforts. The widespread adoption of new Internet technologies or standards could require substantial expenditures by the Company to modify or adapt its content services. See "Business--Industry Background," "--Strategy," "--Competition" and "--Content Services." Dependence on the Internet Infrastructure. The Company's success depends in large part on the maintenance of the Internet infrastructure, such as a reliable network backbone that provides adequate speed, data capacity and security, and timely development of products, such as high-speed modems, that enable reliable Internet access and services. To the extent that the Internet continues to experience significant growth in the number of users, frequency of use and amount of data transmitted, there can be no assurance that the Internet infrastructure will continue to be able to support the demands placed on it or that the performance or reliability of the Internet will not be adversely affected by this continued growth. In addition, the Internet could lose its commercial viability as a form of media due to delays in the development or adoption of new standards and protocols to process increased levels of Internet activity. There can be no assurance that the infrastructure or complementary products and services necessary to establish and maintain the Internet as a viable commercial medium will be developed or, if they are developed, that the Internet will become a viable commercial medium for the Company or its advertisers. If the necessary infrastructure or complementary services or facilities are not developed, or if the Internet does not become a viable commercial medium or platform for advertising, promotions and electronic commerce, the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations would be materially adversely affected. See "Business--Industry Background." 16 Liability for Information Received From the Internet. The Company faces possible liability for defamation, negligence, copyright, patent or trademark infringement and other claims, such as product or service liability, based on the nature and content of the materials that it provides. Such claims have been brought, sometimes successfully, against Internet companies in the past. The law in these areas is unclear, and, accordingly, the Company is unable to predict the possible existence or extent of its liability in this area or related areas. Further, the Company does not verify the accuracy of the information supplied by third-party content providers. While the Company carries general liability insurance with limits of $1.0 million, the Company's insurance may not cover potential claims of this type, or may not be adequate to indemnify the Company for all liability that may be imposed. Any imposition of liability that is not covered by insurance or is in excess of insurance coverage could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. See "--Governmental Regulation and Legal Uncertainties." A key component of the Company's content services is its yellow pages and white pages directories. From time to time, the Company has been contacted by individuals who believed their phone numbers or addresses were unlisted even though they appeared in the Company's directory information. The Company's white pages directories are not always updated to delete phone numbers or addresses when individuals change from listed to unlisted information. The Company has not been subject to any claims regarding unlisted numbers and addresses to date; however, there can be no assurance that such claims will not be made in the future or as to the Company's potential liability for such claims. Security Risks. Despite the implementation of security measures, the Company's networks may be vulnerable to unauthorized access, computer viruses and other disruptive problems. A party who is able to circumvent security measures could misappropriate proprietary information or cause interruptions in the Company's Internet operations. Internet and online service providers have in the past experienced, and may in the future experience, interruptions in service as a result of the accidental or intentional actions of Internet users, current and former employees or others. The Company may be required to expend significant capital or other resources to protect against the threat of security breaches or to alleviate problems caused by such breaches. Although the Company intends to continue to implement industry-standard security measures, there can be no assurance that measures implemented by the Company will not be circumvented in the future. Eliminating computer viruses and alleviating other security problems may require interruptions, delays or cessation of service to users accessing Web pages that deliver the Company's content services, any of which could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. See "Business--Technology and Infrastructure--Data Network Infrastructure" and "Business--Facilities." A significant barrier to online communications and commerce is the inability to ensure secure transmission of information over public networks. To the extent that the Company expands its electronic commerce services, it intends to rely on encryption and authentication technology licensed from third parties to provide the security and authentication necessary to effect secure transmission of confidential information, such as customer credit card numbers. There can be no assurance that advances in computer capabilities, new discoveries in the field of cryptography, or other events or developments will not result in a compromise of the algorithms used by the Company to protect customer transaction data. If any such compromise of the Company's security were to occur, it could have a material adverse effect on the Company's reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations. Concerns over the security of transactions conducted on the Internet and other online services and the privacy of users may also inhibit the growth of the Internet and other online services generally, and the Web in particular, especially as a means of conducting commercial transactions. To the extent that activities of the Company or third-party contractors involve the storage and transmission of proprietary information, such as credit card numbers, security breaches could damage the Company's reputation and expose the Company to a risk of loss or litigation and possible liability. There can be no assurance that the Company's security measures will prevent security breaches or that failure to prevent such security breaches will not have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. Intellectual Property and Proprietary Rights. The Company's success depends significantly upon its proprietary technology. The Company currently relies on a combination of copyright and trademark laws, 17 trade secrets, confidentiality procedures and contractual provisions to protect its proprietary rights. All Company employees have executed confidentiality and non-use agreements which transfer any rights they may have in copyrightable works or patentable technologies to the Company. In addition, prior to entering into discussions with potential content providers and affiliates regarding the Company's business and technologies, the Company generally requires that such parties enter into a non-disclosure agreement. If these discussions result in a license or other business relationship, the Company also generally requires that the agreement setting forth the parties' respective rights and obligations include provisions for the protection of the Company's intellectual property rights. For example, the Company's standard affiliate agreement provides that the Company retains ownership of all patents and copyrights in the Company's technology and requires its customers to display the Company's copyright and trademark notices. The Company has applied for registration of certain service marks and trademarks, including "InfoSpace," "InfoSpace.com" and its logo in the United States and in other countries, and will seek to register additional service marks and trademarks, as appropriate. There can be no assurance that the Company will be successful in obtaining the service marks and trademarks for which it has applied. In addition, a patent is pending in the United States relating to the Company's electronic commerce technology and the Company is filing patent applications relating to other aspects of its technology, including the methods by which information is obtained and provided to end users of its content services. There can be no assurance that any patent with respect to the Company's technology will be granted or that if granted such patent will not be challenged or invalidated. There also can be no assurance that the Company will develop proprietary products or technologies that are patentable, that any issued patent will provide the Company with any competitive advantages or will not be challenged by third parties, or that the patents of others will not have a material adverse effect on the Company's ability to conduct business. Despite the Company's efforts to protect its proprietary rights, unauthorized parties may copy aspects of the Company's products or services or obtain and use information that the Company regards as proprietary. The laws of some foreign countries do not protect proprietary rights to as great an extent as do the laws of the United States, and the Company does not currently have any patents or patent applications pending in any foreign country. There can be no assurance that the Company's means of protecting its proprietary rights will be adequate or that the Company's competitors will not independently develop similar technology or duplicate the Company's products or design around patents issued to the Company or other intellectual property rights of the Company. The failure of the Company to adequately protect its proprietary rights or its competitors' successful duplication of its technology could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. There has been frequent litigation in the computer industry regarding intellectual property rights. The Company has in the past been subject to claims regarding its intellectual property rights. For example, the Company has filed a complaint against Banyan Systems, Inc. ("Banyan") and Switchboard, Inc., which is majority owned by Banyan, seeking a declaratory judgment that the Company does not infringe certain patents held by Banyan. There can be no assurance that third parties will not in the future claim infringement by the Company with respect to current or future products, trademarks or other proprietary rights. Any such claims could be time-consuming, result in costly litigation, diversion of management's attention, cause product or service release delays, require the Company to redesign its products or services or require the Company to enter into royalty or licensing agreements. These royalty or licensing agreements, if required, may not be available on terms acceptable to the Company, or at all, any of which occurrences could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. See "Business--Intellectual Property." Governmental Regulation and Legal Uncertainties. The Company is not currently subject to direct regulation by any domestic or foreign governmental agency, other than regulations applicable to businesses generally, and laws or regulations directly applicable to access to online commerce. However, due to the increasing popularity and use of the Internet and other online services, it is possible that laws and regulations will be adopted with respect to the Internet or other online services covering issues such as user privacy, 18 pricing, content, taxation, copyrights, distribution and characteristics and quality of products and services. Such regulation could limit growth in the use of the Internet generally and decrease the acceptance of the Internet as a communications and commercial medium, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. The Company may be subject to Sections 5 and 12 of the Federal Trade Commission Act (the "FTC Act"), which regulate advertising in all media, including the Internet, and require advertisers to have substantiation for advertising claims before disseminating advertisements. The FTC Act prohibits the dissemination of false, deceptive, misleading and unfair advertising, and grants the Federal Trade Commission (the "FTC") enforcement powers to impose and seek civil and criminal penalties, consumer redress, injunctive relief and other remedies upon persons who disseminate prohibited advertisements. The Company could be subject to liability under the FTC Act if it were found to have participated in creating and/or disseminating a prohibited advertisement with knowledge, or had reason to know that the advertising was false or deceptive. The FTC recently brought several actions charging deceptive advertising via the Internet, and is actively seeking new cases involving advertising via the Internet. The Company may also be subject to the provisions of the recently enacted Communications Decency Act (the "CDA"), which, among other things, imposes substantial monetary fines and/or criminal penalties on anyone who distributes or displays certain prohibited material over the Internet or knowingly permits a telecommunications device under its control to be used for such purpose. Although the manner in which the CDA will be interpreted and enforced and its effect on the Company's operations cannot yet be fully determined, the CDA could subject the Company to substantial liability. The CDA could also limit the growth of the Internet generally and decrease the acceptance of the Internet as an advertising medium. Other federal, state, local or foreign laws, regulations and policies, either now existing or that may be adopted in the future, may apply to the business of the Company and may subject the Company to significant liability, significantly limit growth in Internet usage, prevent the Company from offering certain Internet products or services, or otherwise have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. These laws, regulations and policies may apply to matters such as, but not limited to, copyright, trademark, unfair competition, antitrust, property ownership, negligence, defamation, indecency, obscenity, personal privacy, trade secrecy, encryption, taxation and patents. Moreover, the applicability to the Internet and other online services of existing laws in various jurisdictions governing issues such as property ownership, sales and other taxes, libel and personal privacy is uncertain and may take years to resolve. Any such new legislation or regulation, the application of laws and regulations from jurisdictions whose laws do not currently apply to the Company's business, or the application of existing laws and regulations to the Internet and other online services could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. See "Business--Governmental Regulation." Risks Associated With Acquisitions. The Company has in the past, and may in the future, pursue acquisitions of complementary technologies or businesses. However, there can be no assurance that the Company will identify suitable acquisition opportunities. Future acquisitions by the Company may result in potentially dilutive issuances of equity securities and the incurrence of additional debt and contingent liabilities, large one-time write-offs and amortization expenses related to goodwill and other intangible assets, which could adversely affect the Company's results of operations or the price of the Company's Common Stock. In June 1998, the Company acquired Outpost Network, Inc. ("Outpost"), which included the acquisition of certain electronic commerce technology (the "Outpost Technology") and the hiring of approximately ten employees. The form of the transaction was a merger, whereby a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company was merged with and into Outpost, with Outpost as the surviving corporation. As a result of the merger, the former shareholders of Outpost received 1,499,988 shares of the Company's Common Stock and cash in lieu of fractional shares. In addition, the Company agreed to offer employment to certain employees of Outpost. Acquisitions involve numerous risks, including difficulties in the assimilation of the 19 operations, products, technology, information systems and personnel of the acquired company, the diversion of management's attention from other business concerns, risks of entering markets in which the Company has no direct prior experience and the potential loss of key employees of the acquired company. There can be no assurance that the Company will successfully integrate the Outpost Technology and personnel or any other businesses, technologies or personnel that might be acquired in the future, and the Company's failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. Although it has no present understandings, commitments or agreements with respect to any material acquisitions or investments, the Company may use a portion of the net proceeds of this offering for future acquisitions. See "Use of Proceeds." Uncertain Need and Availability of Additional Funding. Although the Company believes that, following this offering, its cash reserves and cash flows from operations will be adequate to fund its operations at least through the end of 1999, there can be no assurance that such sources will be adequate or that additional funds will not be required either during or after such period. There can be no assurance that additional financing will be available or, if available, that it will be available on terms favorable to the Company or its stockholders. If additional funds are raised through the issuance of equity securities, the percentage ownership of the then current stockholders of the Company will be reduced. If adequate funds are not available to satisfy either short- or long-term capital requirements, the Company may be required to limit its operations significantly. The Company's future capital requirements are dependent upon many factors, including, but not limited to, the rate at which the Company expands its sales and marketing operations, the amount and timing of fees paid to affiliates to include the Company's content services on their site or service, the extent to which the Company expands its content services, the extent to which the Company develops and upgrades its technology and data network infrastructure, the rate at which the Company expands internationally and the response of competitors to the Company's service offerings. See "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations--Liquidity and Capital Resources." Control by Principal Stockholder and His Family. Upon completion of this offering, Naveen Jain, the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, together with his wife and trusts controlled by members of his family, will beneficially own approximately 49.9% of the Common Stock (48.2% if the Underwriters' over-allotment option is exercised in full). As a result, upon completion of this offering, the Jain family will be able to (i) elect, or defeat the election of, the Company's directors, (ii) amend or prevent amendment of the Company's Restated Certificate of Incorporation or Restated Bylaws, (iii) effect or prevent a merger, sale of assets or other corporate transaction and (iv) control the outcome of any other matter submitted to the stockholders for vote. The Company's public stockholders, for so long as they hold less than 50% of the outstanding voting power of the Company, will not be able to control the outcome of such transactions. The extent of ownership by the Jain family may have the effect of preventing a change of control of the Company or discouraging a potential acquirer from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of the Company, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on the market price of the Common Stock or prevent the Company's stockholders from realizing a premium over the then prevailing market prices for their shares of Common Stock. See "Management," "Certain Transactions" and "Principal Stockholders." Year 2000 Compliance. Many currently installed computer systems and software products are coded to accept only two-digit entries in the date code field and cannot distinguish 21st century dates from 20th century dates. These date code fields will need to distinguish 21st century dates from 20th century dates and, as a result, many companies' software and computer systems may need to be upgraded or replaced in order to comply with such "Year 2000" requirements. The Company has reviewed its internally developed information technology systems and programs and believes that its systems are Year 2000 compliant and that there are no significant Year 2000 issues within the Company's systems or services. Noninformation technology systems that utilize embedded technology, such as microcontrollers, may also need to be replaced or upgraded to become Year 2000 compliant. However, the Company believes that it does not use any noninformation technology systems. Because the Company believes that its systems are Year 2000 compliant, it has not 20 engaged in any official process designed to assess potential costs associated with Year 2000 risks. The Company utilizes third-party prepackaged software that may not be Year 2000 compliant. The Company believes that any defective software would be upgraded. However, failure of such third-party prepackaged software to operate properly with regard to the Year 2000 and thereafter, could require the Company to incur unanticipated expenses to remedy any problems, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, the purchasing patterns of its advertisers may be affected by Year 2000 issues as companies expend significant resources to correct their current systems for Year 2000 compliance. These expenditures may result in reduced funds available for Internet advertising, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. The Company, to date, has not made any assessment of the Year 2000 risks associated with its third-party prepackaged software or its advertisers, and therefore is unable to determine whether lost revenues or expenses associated with such risks would be material. The Company has not made any contingency plans to address such risks. See "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations--Year 2000 Compliance." No Prior Public Market; Possible Volatility of Stock Price. Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for the Common Stock, and there can be no assurance that an active trading market will develop or, if one does develop, that it will be maintained. The initial public offering price, which was determined by negotiations among the Company and the Representatives of the Underwriters, may not be indicative of prices that will prevail in the trading market. The trading price of the Common Stock is likely to be highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to factors such as actual or anticipated variations in quarterly results of operations, the addition or loss of affiliates or content providers, announcements of technological innovations, new products or services by the Company or its competitors, changes in financial estimates or recommendations by securities analysts, conditions or trends in the Internet and online commerce industries, changes in the market valuations of other Internet, online service or software companies, announcements by the Company of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments, additions or departures of key personnel, sales of Common Stock, general market conditions and other events or factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. In addition, the stock market in general, and the Nasdaq National Market and the market for Internet and technology companies in particular, has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of such companies. These broad market and industry factors may materially and adversely affect the market price of the Common Stock, regardless of the Company's operating performance. The trading prices of the stocks of many technology companies are at or near historical highs and reflect price-earnings ratios substantially above historical levels. There can be no assurance that these trading prices and price earnings ratios will be sustained. Shares Eligible for Future Sale. Sales of a substantial number of shares of the Common Stock in the public market following this offering could adversely affect prevailing market prices of the Common Stock. The 5,000,000 shares of Common Stock offered hereby will be tradeable without restriction in the public market unless purchased by an affiliate of the Company. The remaining shares of outstanding Common Stock will be "restricted securities" within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). Other than the shares offered hereby (i) no shares will be eligible for sale as of the date of this Prospectus, (ii) approximately 308,724 shares may be saleable at various times between 90 and 180 days after the date of this Prospectus, (iii) approximately 14,012,918 shares will be eligible for sale 180 days after the date of this Prospectus upon the expiration of lock-up agreements with the Underwriters and (iv) approximately 1,044,370 shares will become eligible for sale thereafter at various times upon the expiration of their respective one-year holding periods. Hambrecht & Quist LLC currently has no plans to release any portion of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements. When determining whether or not to release shares from the lock-up agreements, Hambrecht & Quist LLC will consider, among other factors, market conditions at the time, the number of shares proposed to be released or for which the release is being requested and a stockholder's reasons for requesting the release. Upon the closing of this offering, holders of 1,722,089 shares of Common Stock and warrants to purchase 3,020,499 shares of Common Stock are entitled 21 to certain rights with respect to the registration of such shares under the Securities Act. In addition, the Company intends to file a registration statement on Form S-8 under the Securities Act approximately 180 days after the date of this Prospectus to register approximately 3,490,499 shares of Common Stock reserved for issuance under the Company's 1996 Plan and the ESPP. See "Description of Capital Stock--Registration Rights" and "Shares Eligible for Future Sale." Antitakeover Effect of Certain Charter Provisions and Applicable Law; Right of First Negotiation. The Company's Board of Directors has the authority to issue up to 15,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock and to determine the price, rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions, including voting rights, of those shares without any further vote or action by the stockholders of the Company. The rights of the holders of Common Stock will be subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of any Preferred Stock that may be issued in the future. The issuance of Preferred Stock may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of the Company, may discourage bids for the Common Stock at a premium over the market price of the Common Stock and may adversely affect the market price of, and the voting and other rights of the holders of, Common Stock. The Company has no present plans to issue shares of Preferred Stock. The Company's Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Restated Bylaws provide for the establishment of a classified Board of Directors, supermajority voting provisions with respect to certain business combinations, limitations on the ability of stockholders to call special meetings, the lack of cumulative voting for directors and procedures for advance notification of stockholder nominations and proposals. AOL holds certain rights of first negotiation with respect to proposals or discussions that would result in a sale of a controlling interest in the Company or other merger, asset sale or other disposition that effectively results in a change of control of the Company. These charter provisions, certain provisions of Washington and Delaware law and AOL's right of first negotiation could delay, deter or prevent a change of control of the Company. See "Description of Capital Stock." No Specific Use of Proceeds. The Company has not designated any specific use for the net proceeds from the sale by the Company of the Common Stock offered hereby. The Company expects to use the net proceeds for general corporate purposes, including working capital to fund anticipated operating losses, payment of additional carriage fees and capital expenditures. The Company may, when the opportunity arises, use an unspecified portion of the net proceeds to acquire or invest in complementary businesses, products and technologies. From time to time, in the ordinary course of business, the Company expects to evaluate potential acquisitions of such businesses, products or technologies. However, the Company has no present understandings, commitments or agreements with respect to any material acquisition or investment. Accordingly, management will have significant discretion in applying the net proceeds of this offering. The failure of management to apply such funds effectively could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations. See "Use of Proceeds." Immediate and Substantial Dilution. The initial public offering price is substantially higher than the net tangible book value per outstanding share of Common Stock. Accordingly, purchasers of the Common Stock offered hereby will suffer an immediate and substantial dilution of $10.98 per share. Additional dilution will occur upon exercise of outstanding stock options and warrants granted by the Company and in the event the Company issues shares of Common Stock as a result of lawsuits filed by certain persons. See "Dilution" and "Business--Legal Proceedings." Benefits of This Offering to Existing Stockholders. This offering will provide substantial benefits to the current stockholders of the Company. Consummation of this offering is expected to create a public market for the Common Stock held by current stockholders, including executive officers and certain directors of the Company. Existing stockholders paid approximately $16,400,000 for an aggregate of approximately 15,100,000 shares of Common Stock as of September 30, 1998. Based on the initial public offering price of $15.00 per share, the value of the shares held by such existing stockholders is approximately $226,500,000, and therefore the unrealized gain to existing stockholders of the Company resulting from this offering is approximately $210,100,000. See "Principal Stockholders" and "Shares Eligible for Future Sale." 22 THE COMPANY The Company began operations in March 1996 as a Washington corporation and was incorporated in Delaware in April 1996, at which time operations in the Washington corporation were transferred to the Delaware corporation. As used in this Prospectus, references to the "Company" and "InfoSpace.com" refer to InfoSpace.com, Inc., its predecessors and its consolidated subsidiaries. The Company's executive offices are located at 15375 N.E. 90th Street, Redmond, Washington 98052, and its telephone number is (425) 882-1602. The Company has applied for federal registration of the marks "InfoSpace," "InfoSpace.com" and the Company's logo. This Prospectus also contains the trademarks of other companies. USE OF PROCEEDS The net proceeds to the Company from the sale of the 5,000,000 shares of Common Stock offered by the Company hereby, after deducting the underwriting discount and estimated offering expenses, are estimated to be approximately $68.0 million (approximately $78.4 million if the Underwriters' over-allotment option is exercised in full). The principal purposes of this offering are to obtain additional capital, to create a public market for the Common Stock, to facilitate future access by the Company to public equity markets and to provide increased visibility and credibility in a marketplace where many of the Company's current and potential competitors are or will be publicly held companies. The Company has no specific plan for the net proceeds of this offering. The Company expects to use the net proceeds for general corporate purposes, including working capital to fund anticipated operating losses, payment of additional carriage fees and capital expenditures. The Company may, when the opportunity arises, use an unspecified portion of the net proceeds to acquire or invest in complementary businesses, products and technologies. From time to time, in the ordinary course of business, the Company expects to evaluate potential acquisitions of such businesses, products or technologies. However, the Company has no present understandings, commitments or agreements with respect to any material acquisition or investment. See "Risk Factors -- Risks Associated With Acquisitions" and "--No Specific Use of Proceeds." Pending use of the net proceeds for the above purposes, the Company intends to invest such funds in short-term, interest-bearing, investment-grade securities and use such funds for general corporate purposes. See "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations--Liquidity and Capital Resources." DIVIDEND POLICY The Company has never declared or paid any cash dividends on its capital stock. The Company currently intends to retain any future earnings and therefore does not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. 23 CAPITALIZATION The following table sets forth the capitalization of the Company as of September 30, 1998 (i) on an actual basis and (ii) as adjusted to give effect to the sale and issuance by the Company of the 5,000,000 shares of Common Stock offered hereby and the receipt of the estimated net proceeds therefrom. This table should be read in conjunction with the Company's Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" included elsewhere in this Prospectus.
SEPTEMBER 30, 1998 -------------------- ACTUAL AS ADJUSTED ------- ----------- (IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT SHARE DATA) Stockholders' equity: Preferred Stock, $0.0001 par value per share; 15,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted................................. $ -- $ -- Common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share; 50,000,000 shares authorized; 15,116,012 shares issued and outstanding, actual; 20,116,012 shares issued and outstanding, as adjusted (1)........................... 2 2 Additional paid-in capital.............................. 25,440 93,390 Accumulated deficit..................................... (4,397) (4,397) Unearned compensation................................... (384) (384) ------- ------- Total stockholders' equity............................ 20,661 88,611 ------- ------- Total capitalization................................ $20,661 $88,611 ======= =======
- --------------------- (1) Excludes as of September 30, 1998 (i) 1,805,030 shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding options at a weighted average exercise price of $2.17 per share, (ii) 3,531,719 shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants at a weighted average exercise price of $6.79 per share, (iii) 1,505,450 shares of Common Stock reserved for future issuance under the 1996 Plan, and (iv) 450,000 shares of Common Stock reserved for issuance under the ESPP. See "Management-- Benefit Plans," "Description of Capital Stock" and Note 3 of the Company's Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. 24 DILUTION As of September 30, 1998, the Company had a net tangible book value of approximately $12.8 million, or $0.85 per share of Common Stock. Net tangible book value per share represents the amount of total tangible assets of the Company reduced by the Company's total liabilities, divided by the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding. After giving effect to the receipt by the Company of the estimated net proceeds from the sale of the 5,000,000 shares of Common Stock offered by the Company hereby, the adjusted net tangible book value of the Company as of September 30, 1998 would have been approximately $80.8 million or $4.02 per share. This represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $3.17 per share to existing stockholders and an immediate dilution of $10.98 per share to new investors. The following table illustrates this per share dilution: Initial public offering price per share......................... $15.00 Net tangible book value per share before this offering........ $0.85 Increase per share attributable to new investors.............. 3.17 ----- Adjusted net tangible book value per share after this offering.. 4.02 ------ Dilution per share to new investors............................. $10.98 ======
The following table sets forth as of September 30, 1998, the differences between existing stockholders and new investors with respect to the number of shares of Common Stock purchased from the Company, the total consideration paid and the average price per share paid:
SHARES PURCHASED TOTAL CONSIDERATION ------------------ ------------------- AVERAGE PRICE NUMBER PERCENT AMOUNT PERCENT PER SHARE ---------- ------- ----------- ------- ------------- Existing stockholders.. 15,116,012 75.1% $16,395,969 17.9% $ 1.08 New investors.......... 5,000,000 24.9 75,000,000 82.1 15.00 ---------- ----- ----------- ----- Total................ 20,116,012 100.0% $91,395,969 100.0% ========== ===== =========== =====
Other than as noted above, the foregoing computations assume the exercise of no stock options or warrants after September 30, 1998. As of September 30, 1998, options to purchase 1,805,030 shares of Common Stock were outstanding, with a weighted average exercise price of $2.17 per share, and warrants to purchase 3,531,719 shares of Common Stock were outstanding, with a weighted average exercise price of $6.79 per share. To the extent that the outstanding options or warrants, or any options or warrants issued in the future, are exercised, there will be further dilution to new investors. 25 SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA The following selected consolidated financial data should be read in conjunction with "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," the Company's Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto and other financial information included elsewhere in this Prospectus. The selected consolidated statements of operations data for the period from March 1, 1996 (inception) to December 31, 1996, for the year ended December 31, 1997 and for the nine months ended September 30, 1998 and the selected consolidated balance sheet data at December 31, 1996 and 1997 and September 30, 1998 are derived from the audited consolidated financial statements of the Company, which have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent auditors, as stated in their reports included elsewhere herein, and are included elsewhere in this Prospectus. The selected consolidated statements of operations data for the nine months ended September 30, 1997 and the selected consolidated balance sheet data at September 30, 1997 are derived from unaudited consolidated financial statements of the Company, which in the opinion of management include all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair presentation of the financial information set forth therein. The historical results are not necessarily indicative of future results.
PERIOD FROM NINE MONTHS MARCH 1, 1996 ENDED (INCEPTION) YEAR ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, TO DECEMBER DECEMBER 31, ---------------- 31, 1996 1997 1997 1998 ------------- ------------ ------- ------- (IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT PER SHARE DATA) CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS DATA: Revenues........................ $ 199 $1,685 $ 932 $ 5,374 Cost of revenues................ 97 411 248 1,108 ------ ------ ------- ------- Gross profit.................... 102 1,274 684 4,266 Operating expenses: Product development........... 109 213 158 307 Sales and marketing........... 231 830 591 2,439 General and administrative.... 164 681 319 2,384 Write-off of in-process research and development..... -- -- -- 2,800 ------ ------ ------- ------- Total operating expenses.... 504 1,724 1,068 7,930 ------ ------ ------- ------- Loss from operations............ (402) (450) (384) (3,664) Other income, net............... 21 21 18 76 ------ ------ ------- ------- Net loss........................ $ (381) $ (429) $ (366) $(3,588) ====== ====== ======= ======= Basic and diluted net loss per share (1)...................... $(0.04) $(0.04) $(0.03) $(0.28) ====== ====== ======= ======= Shares used in computing basic net loss per share calculations (1)............................ 9,280 10,941 10,940 12,639 Shares used in computing diluted net loss per share calculations (1)............................ 9,280 10,998 10,987 12,639
DECEMBER 31, ------------- SEPTEMBER 30, 1996 1997 1998 ------ ------ ------------- (IN THOUSANDS) CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET DATA: Cash and cash equivalents...... $ 690 $ 324 $10,289 Working capital................ 825 543 12,630 Total assets................... 1,072 1,398 23,397 Total stockholders'equity...... 1,020 1,028 20,661
- --------------------- (1) See Note 7 of the Company's Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for information concerning the determination of net loss per share. 26 MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with "Selected Consolidated Financial Data" and the Company's Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto included elsewhere in this Prospectus. In addition to historical information, the following "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" contains certain forward-looking statements that involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, such as statements of the Company's plans, objectives, expectations and intentions. The cautionary statements made in this Prospectus should be read as being applicable to all related forward-looking statements wherever they appear in this Prospectus. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed below and in the section entitled "Risk Factors," as well as those discussed elsewhere herein. OVERVIEW InfoSpace.com is a leading aggregator and integrator of content services for syndication to a broad network of affiliates, including existing and emerging Internet portals, destination sites and suppliers of PCs and other Internet access devices such as cellular phones, pagers, screen phones, television set- top boxes, online kiosks and personal digital assistants. The Company began operations in March 1996. During the period from inception through December 31, 1996, the Company had insignificant revenues and was primarily engaged in the development of technology for the aggregation, integration and syndication of Internet content and the hiring of employees. In 1997, the Company expanded its operations, adding business development and sales personnel in order to capitalize on the opportunity to generate Internet advertising revenues. The Company began generating material revenues in 1997 through the sale of advertising on Web pages that deliver its content services. In May 1997, the Company acquired Yellow Pages on the Internet, LLC ("YPI"), a Washington limited liability company that provided Internet yellow pages directory information. In July 1997, the Company added a sales office in the San Francisco Bay Area. In June 1998, the Company acquired Outpost, a Washington corporation engaged primarily in electronic commerce through the sale of cards and gifts via the Internet. The number of Company employees was 13 as of January 1, 1997, 15 as of January 1, 1998 and 48 as of September 30, 1998. The Company derives substantially all of its revenues from the sale of national advertising, promotions and local Internet yellow pages advertising. National advertising consists of banner advertisements and other forms of national advertising that are sold on a cost per thousand impressions ("CPM") basis on Web pages that deliver the Company's content services. Examples of banner advertisements include: (i) mass market placements for general rotation; (ii) targeted placements for specified audiences; and (iii) targeted placements for specified audiences in specified geographic areas. The most common of the Company's nonbanner advertisements are known as "button advertisements" and "textlinks," but also include customized advertising solutions developed for specific advertisers. Revenues from national advertising are recognized ratably over the related contractual term. A portion of the Company's advertising revenues is shared with affiliates whose sites incorporate the Company's content where advertisements are placed. The Company records such revenue sharing as an expense in cost of revenues. National advertising agreements generally have terms of less than six months and guarantee a minimum number of impressions or click throughs. CPMs vary depending on the type of advertisement purchased and the specificity of targeting requested. Rates for banner advertising generally range from $10 to $20 CPM for general rotation across undifferentiated users to $50 or greater CPM for targeted category or geographic advertisements. The Company's rates for button advertisements and textlinks are lower than those for banner advertisements. Actual CPMs depend upon a variety of factors, including, without limitation, the degree of targeting, the duration of the advertising contract and the number of impressions purchased, and are often negotiated on a case-by-case basis. Because of these factors, actual CPMs experienced by the Company may fluctuate. The guarantee of minimum levels of impressions or click throughs exposes the Company to 27 potentially significant financial risks, including the risk that the Company may fail to deliver required minimum levels of user impressions or click throughs, in which case the Company typically continues to provide advertising without compensation until such levels are met. See "Risk Factors--Reliance on Advertising and Promotion Revenues." In addition to its CPM-based national advertising, the Company also sells promotions, which are integrated packages of advertising that bundle such features as button and textlink advertisements, sponsorships of specific categories of content or content services and electronic commerce features. Promotions also include co-branding and distribution services that the Company provides to content providers, for which the Company receives a carriage fee. Promotion arrangements vary in terms and duration, but generally have longer terms than arrangements for the Company's CPM-based advertising. The fee arrangements are individually negotiated with advertisers and are based on the range and the extent of customization. These arrangements typically include minimum monthly payments. To the extent that the advertiser offers an electronic commerce opportunity in its promotion, the Company may derive transaction revenues based on the level of transactions made through its promotion for the advertiser. The Company has formed cooperative sales relationships with leading independent yellow pages publishers, media companies and direct marketing companies to sell local Internet yellow pages advertising on the Company's yellow pages directory services in the form of enhanced yellow pages listings. The local sales forces of these companies are empowered to sell Internet yellow pages advertising on the Company's directory services, which are bundled with the traditional print advertising they sell. Internet yellow pages advertising agreements provide for terms of one year, with pricing comparable to print yellow pages advertising, typically paid in monthly installments. Costs to local advertisers generally range from $50 to $300 or greater per year, depending on the types of enhancements selected. Agreements for the Company's cooperative sales relationships typically have terms of one to five years and provide for revenue sharing, which varies from relationship to relationship. Typically, these agreements provide for guaranteed minimum levels of payments to the Company based on floor prices of the listing enhancements that are sold. These guaranteed minimum payments are recognized ratably over the related contract term, and revenues earned above the guaranteed minimum payment are recognized over the term that the local advertising is provided. In July 1998, the Company entered into a joint venture agreement with Thomson to form TDL InfoSpace to replicate the Company's content services in Europe. TDL InfoSpace has targeted the United Kingdom as its first market, and content services were launched in the third quarter of 1998. Under the joint venture agreement, Thomson will provide its directory information to TDL InfoSpace and sell Internet yellow pages advertising for the joint venture through its local sales forces. The Company also will license its technology and provide hosting services to TDL InfoSpace. Each of the Company and Thomson purchased a 50% interest in TDL InfoSpace and are required to provide reasonable working capital to TDL InfoSpace. As of September 30, 1998, the Company had contributed $496,000 to the joint venture. The Company accounts for its investment in the joint venture under the equity method. In the quarter ended September 30, 1998, the Company recorded a loss from the joint venture of $76,000. Effective as of July 1, 1998, the Company entered into two trademark license agreements with Netscape to license two of Netscape's trademarks for a one- time nonrefundable license fee. The trademark license fees will be capitalized and amortized over one year, the expected useful life of the trademarks. The Company entered into two directory services agreements with Netscape effective as of July 1, 1998. Under these agreements, which provide for a one- year term, with automatic renewal, the Company serves as the exclusive provider of co-branded yellow pages and white pages directory services on the Netscape home page (Netcenter). Netscape has guaranteed the Company a minimum level of use of the Company's yellow pages and white pages directories, and the Company has agreed to pay Netscape a carriage fee each quarter equal to the product of (x) the cost per click through as specified in the applicable directory services agreement and (y) the number of click throughs delivered by Netscape, up to a specified maximum. The Company accrues monthly a liability for the estimated click throughs delivered. Netscape reports the number 28 of click throughs by month on a quarterly basis and invoices the Company on a quarterly basis. Payments to Netscape will be recorded as sales and marketing expenses during the quarter in which the click throughs occur. The Company expects Netscape to meet the minimum guaranteed click throughs during the period of the directory services agreements. In the event that Netscape fails to deliver the guaranteed minimum number of click throughs, Netscape has agreed to either continue the link to the Company's content services beyond the term of the agreement until the guaranteed minimum click throughs have been achieved or deliver to the Company a program of equivalent value as a remedy for the shortfall in click throughs. Netscape and the Company will share advertising revenue generated from a search of the Company's directory services initiated on Netscape's home page. On August 24, 1998, the Company entered into agreements with AOL to provide white pages directory and classifieds information services to AOL. Pursuant to the white pages directory services agreement, the Company has agreed to provide to AOL white pages listings and directory service. The Company is required to pay to AOL a quarterly carriage fee, the retention of which is conditioned on the quarterly achievement of a minimum number of searches on the AOL white pages site. The quarterly carriage fee is paid in advance at the beginning of the quarter in which the searches are expected to occur and is recorded as a prepaid expense in the quarter it is paid. The fee is refundable if the minimum number of searches on the AOL white pages site for such quarter is not achieved. In addition, AOL has guaranteed to the Company a minimum number of searches over the term of the agreement. In the event that AOL does not deliver the guaranteed minimum number of searches over the term of the agreement, AOL has agreed to pay to the Company a cash penalty payment. The Company will share with AOL revenues generated by advertising on the Company's white pages directory services delivered to AOL. The Company is entitled to a greater percentage of advertising revenue than is AOL if the amount of such revenue received by the Company is less than the carriage fees paid to AOL. The Company has agreed to provide white pages directory services to AOL for a three-year term beginning on November 19, 1998, which term may be extended for four additional one-year terms at AOL's discretion. The agreement may be terminated by AOL for any reason after 18 months or at any time upon the acquisition by AOL of a competing white pages directory services business. In the event of any such termination, AOL is required to pay a termination fee to the Company. In addition, without the payment of a termination fee, AOL has the right to terminate the agreement in the event of a change of control of the Company. The Company has agreed to provide classifieds information services to AOL for a two-year term, with up to three one-year extensions at AOL's discretion. AOL has agreed to pay to the Company a quarterly fee and will share with the Company revenues generated from payments by individuals and commercial listing services for listings on the AOL classifieds service. Pursuant to the terms of these agreements, the Company has granted AOL the right to negotiate with the Company exclusively and in good faith for a period of 30 days with respect to proposals or discussions that would result in a sale of a controlling interest of the Company or other merger, asset sale or other disposition that effectively results in a change of control of the Company. In connection with the agreements, on August 24, 1998, the Company issued to AOL warrants to purchase up to 989,916 shares of Common Stock, which warrants vest in 16 equal quarterly installments over four years, conditioned on the delivery by AOL of a minimum number of searches each quarter on the Company's white pages directory service. The warrants have an exercise price of $12.00 per share. The revenue and revenue sharing under the agreements with AOL will be accounted for under the Company's existing revenue recognition policies described in the Company's Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. The Company expects AOL to meet the minimum number of searches each quarter. Accordingly, the total carriage fee payments to be made under the white pages directory services agreement will be recognized ratably over the term of the agreement as sales and marketing expense. However, if AOL does not 29 deliver the minimum searches on the AOL white pages during that quarter, then AOL is obligated to refund the quarterly carriage fee paid for that specific quarter, in which case the Company would credit prepaid expense and reduce the total cost of the white pages directory services agreement by the amount of the refund. The adjusted total cost of the agreement would be recognized ratably over the remaining term of the agreement as sales and marketing expense, which term would include the quarter in which AOL did not deliver the minimum number of searches. For at least the first two years of the white pages agreement, the Company expects that actual carriage fee payments will exceed the sales and marketing expense recorded for the quarter in which the payment is made. As such, the Company expects to experience increases in its prepaid expense account during this time. Any termination fee paid to the Company by AOL will be recognized as revenue when paid. The warrants will be valued under the fair value method, as required under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards ("SFAS") 123, and amortized ratably over the four-year vesting period. The Company anticipates that carriage fees paid to certain affiliates to include the Company's content services on their Web sites will continue for the foreseeable future, and the Company may also pay such carriage fees to other affiliates under arrangements similar to those with Netscape and AOL. Further, the Company anticipates incurring material additional costs in the fourth quarter of 1998, and substantially larger amounts in 1999 and thereafter, for more traditional forms of advertising and public relations. The Company has incurred losses since its inception and as of September 30, 1998 had an accumulated deficit of approximately $4.4 million. For the nine months ended September 30, 1998, the Company's net loss totaled $3.6 million, including a $2.8 million write-off associated with the Company's acquisition of Outpost. See "--Technology From the Outpost Acquisition." The Company believes that its future success will depend largely on its ability to continue to offer content services that are attractive to its existing and potential future affiliates. Accordingly, the Company plans to increase significantly its operating expenses in order to, among other things: (i) expand its affiliate network, which may require the payment of additional carriage fees to certain affiliates; (ii) expand its sales and marketing operations and hire more salespersons; (iii) increase its advertising and promotional activities; (iv) develop and upgrade its technology and purchase equipment for its operations and network infrastructure; (v) expand internationally; and (vi) expand its content services. As such, the Company expects to continue to incur operating losses for the foreseeable future. In light of the rapidly evolving nature of the Company's business and limited operating history, the Company believes that period-to-period comparisons of its revenues and operating results are not necessarily meaningful and should not be relied upon as indications of future performance. Although the Company has experienced sequential quarterly growth in revenues over the past five quarters, it does not believe that its historical growth rates are necessarily sustainable or indicative of future growth. 30 SELECTED QUARTERLY OPERATING RESULTS The following table sets forth certain consolidated statements of operations data for the Company's seven most recent quarters, as well as such data expressed as a percentage of revenues. This information has been derived from the Company's unaudited consolidated financial statements. In management's opinion, this unaudited information has been prepared on the same basis as the annual consolidated financial statements and includes all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair presentation for the quarters presented. This information should be read in conjunction with the Company's Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto included elsewhere in this Prospectus. The operating results for any quarter are not necessarily indicative of results for any future period.
QUARTER ENDED ----------------------------------------------------------------------- MARCH 31, JUNE 30, SEPT. 30, DEC. 31, MARCH 31, JUNE 30, SEPT. 30, 1997 1997 1997 1997 1998 1998 1998 --------- -------- --------- -------- --------- -------- --------- (IN THOUSANDS) Revenues................ $ 244 $ 222 $ 466 $ 753 $1,015 $ 1,840 $2,519 Cost of revenues........ 59 88 101 163 224 336 548 ----- ----- ----- ----- ------ ------- ------ Gross profit............ 185 134 365 590 791 1,504 1,971 Operating expenses: Product development... 55 55 48 55 50 99 158 Sales and marketing... 168 191 232 239 434 470 1,536 General and administrative....... 87 96 136 362 324 856 1,203 Write-off of in- process research and development.......... -- -- -- -- -- 2,800 -- ----- ----- ----- ----- ------ ------- ------ Total operating expenses........... 310 342 416 656 808 4,225 2,897 Loss from operations.... (125) (208) (51) (66) (17) (2,721) (926) Other income, net....... 7 6 5 3 5 38 33 ----- ----- ----- ----- ------ ------- ------ Net loss................ $(118) $(202) $ (46) $ (63) $ (12) $(2,683) $ (893) ===== ===== ===== ===== ====== ======= ====== AS A PERCENTAGE OF REVENUES ----------------------------------------------------------------------- MARCH 31, JUNE 30, SEPT. 30, DEC. 31, MARCH 31, JUNE 30, SEPT. 30, 1997 1997 1997 1997 1998 1998 1998 --------- -------- --------- -------- --------- -------- --------- Revenues................ 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Cost of revenues........ 24.2 39.6 21.7 21.6 22.1 18.3 21.8 ----- ----- ----- ----- ------ ------- ------ Gross profit............ 75.8 60.4 78.3 78.4 77.9 81.7 78.2 Operating expenses: Product development... 22.5 24.8 10.3 7.3 4.9 5.4 6.3 Sales and marketing... 68.9 86.0 49.8 31.7 42.8 25.5 61.0 General and administrative....... 35.7 43.2 29.2 48.1 31.9 46.5 47.8 Write-off of in- process research and development.......... -- -- -- -- -- 152.2 -- ----- ----- ----- ----- ------ ------- ------ Total operating expenses........... 127.1 154.0 89.3 87.1 79.6 229.6 115.1 Loss from operations.... (51.3) (93.6) (11.0) (8.7) (1.7) (147.9) (36.9) Other income, net....... 2.9 2.7 1.1 0.4 0.5 2.1 1.3 ----- ----- ----- ----- ------ ------- ------ Net loss................ (48.4)% (90.9)% (9.9)% (8.3)% (1.2)% (145.8)% (35.6)% ===== ===== ===== ===== ====== ======= ======
31 RESULTS OF OPERATIONS Revenues. Substantially all of the Company's revenues are currently derived from national advertising, promotions and local Internet yellow pages advertising. Revenues increased during each of the five quarters ended September 30, 1998, primarily as a result of continued expansion of the Company's affiliate network, increased sales and marketing efforts and increased use of the Company's content services. A portion of the Company's revenues represent barter transactions resulting from the exchange by the Company with another company of banner advertising space for reciprocal banner advertising space or for content licenses. Barter revenues aggregated $165,000 for the four quarters in 1997 and were $195,000 for the quarter ended March 31, 1998, $189,000 for the quarter ended June 30, 1998 and $257,000 for the quarter ended September 30, 1998. The Company records the associated expense of the advertising used in advertising barter exchanges in sales and marketing expenses and the expense of the advertising for content licenses in cost of revenues. The Company has experienced, and expects to continue to experience, seasonality in its business, with reduced user traffic on its affiliate network expected during the summer and year-end vacation and holiday periods, when usage of the Internet has typically declined. Advertising sales in traditional media, such as broadcast and cable television, generally decline in the first and third quarters of each year. Depending on the extent to which the Internet and commercial online services are accepted as an advertising medium, seasonality in the level of advertising expenditures could become more pronounced for Internet-based advertising. Seasonality in Internet service usage and advertising expenditures is likely to cause quarterly fluctuations in the Company's results of operations and could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. Cost of Revenues. Cost of revenues consists of expenses associated with the enhancement, maintenance and support of the Company's content services, including salaries and related employee benefits for customer service representatives and webmasters, communication costs such as high-speed Internet access with dedicated DS-3 communication lines, equipment depreciation, license fees related to third-party content, amortization of purchased advertising agreements and costs of aggregation and syndication of content, which is the amounts paid to affiliates pursuant to revenue-sharing arrangements. For the seven quarters ended September 30, 1998, the largest expenditures were for license fees related to third-party content, Internet access and salaries and related benefits. These expenses have continued to increase in absolute dollars and have remained relatively constant as a percentage of revenues over the five quarters ended September 30, 1998. These expenses are expected to continue to increase in absolute dollars. Product Development Expenses. Product development expenses consist principally of personnel costs, and include expenses for research, design and development of the proprietary technology used by the Company for the aggregation, integration and delivery of its content services. These expenses remained relatively constant for the five quarters ended March 31, 1998 and increased by approximately $49,000 in the quarter ended June 30, 1998, with approximately $47,500 of the increase attributable to personnel costs. Product development expenses increased by an additional $59,000 in the quarter ended September 30, 1998, with all of the increase attributable to personnel costs. These expenses declined significantly as a percentage of revenues due to the Company's revenue growth during the seven quarters ended September 30, 1998. The Company intends to increase these expenses significantly in future periods in order to maintain and enhance the Company's technology. These expenses may vary as a percentage of revenues. Sales and Marketing Expenses. Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of salaries and related benefits for sales and marketing personnel, traditional advertising and promotional expenses, trademark licensing and carriage fees paid to certain affiliates to include the Company's content services on their Web sites, sales office expenses and travel expenses. These expenses have continued to increase over the seven quarters ended September 30, 1998 to support the continued expansion of the Company's business. Total sales and marketing expenses for the four quarters ended December 31, 1997 totaled approximately $830,000, and 32 increased to a total of approximately $904,000 for the two subsequent quarters ended June 30, 1998. Thus, a quarterly average in the first half of calendar 1998 included sales and marketing expenditures of approximately $452,000, compared to a quarterly average in calendar 1997 of $208,000, which equates to an average increase of 118% in quarterly sales and marketing expenditures, or $244,000 per quarter. Of this $244,000 average increase, approximately 33% was attributable to increased personnel costs, approximately 48% to increased barter advertising expense, and approximately 19% to advertising and marketing and other sales expenses. Sales and marketing expenses increased significantly in the quarter ended March 31, 1998 as a result of an increase in barter transactions, and continued to increase in the quarter ended June 30, 1998 due to higher expenses required to support growth of the Company's revenues. Sales and marketing expenses increased significantly in the quarter ended September 30, 1998 as a result of trademark licensing and carriage fees. The expenses for barter advertising increased from $39,000 in the quarter ended December 31, 1997 to approximately $163,000 in the quarter ended March 31, 1998, then declined to approximately $147,000 in the quarter ended June 30, 1998, and increased to $176,000 in the quarter ended September 30, 1998. Trademark licensing and carriage fees were not material from inception through the quarter ended June 30, 1998 and were $927,000 in the quarter ended September 30, 1998. These constituted the majority of expense increases between these periods. These expenses have fluctuated significantly as a percentage of revenues over the seven quarters ended September 30, 1998. The Company anticipates substantial additional near-term increases in sales and marketing expenses of a magnitude comparable to the increases experienced for the quarter ended September 30, 1998 due to continued expansion of its sales and marketing efforts, a substantial increase in trademark licensing and carriage fees paid to certain affiliates to include the Company's content services on their Web sites, including under the recent agreements with Netscape and AOL, and increases in traditional forms of advertising and public relations. The Company expects these expenses will be significantly higher in absolute dollars and as a percentage of revenues for at least the quarter ended December 31, 1998. See Note 5 of the Company's Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. General and Administrative Expenses. General and administrative expenses consist primarily of fees for professional services, bad debt expenses, accrued litigation costs, general office expenses, salaries and related benefits for administrative and executive staff, state taxes and occupancy expenses. Sequential increases in quarterly general and administrative expenses were due primarily to increased staffing levels necessary to manage and support the Company's expanding operations. General and administrative expenses increased from $324,000 in the quarter ended March 31, 1998 to approximately $856,000 in the quarter ended June 30, 1998. These expenses for the quarter ended June 30, 1998, included an increase in the accrual for bad debts of $151,000, due primarily to the write-off of amounts receivable from a single customer, a $132,000 increase in professional services, and a $240,000 reserve for a pending lawsuit. See "Risk Factors--Legal Proceedings" and Note 5 of the Company's Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. General and administrative expenses increased from $856,000 in the quarter ended June 30, 1998 to approximately $1.2 million in the quarter ended September 30, 1998. This net increase of $347,000 was comprised of an approximately $152,000 increase in amortization of goodwill plus increases in occupancy and moving expenses, computer equipment expenses, professional services, bad debt expenses and salaries, partially offset by the absence of a litigation accrual of $240,000 which was made in the quarter ended June 30, 1998. Bad debt expenses for the quarter represented approximately $245,000, primarily for two major and several minor customers. A significant portion of the Company's advertiser base has been comprised of emerging growth companies with limited operating histories and limited financial resources. Consequently, these companies represent higher than normal credit risks to the Company. The Company's bad debt expense represented approximately 8.2% and 9.7% of revenues in the quarters ended June 30, 1998 and September 30, 1998. The Company has established formal credit and collection policies which were implemented during the quarter ended September 30, 1998. Prior to the establishment of these policies, the Company did not review the credit worthiness of new customers. With the implementation of these new policies, the Company expects bad debt expense as a percentage of revenues to decrease as revenues increase. The Company closely monitors the aging of accounts receivable, but records the allowance based on specifically identified accounts. The Company anticipates that general and administrative expenses will continue to increase in absolute dollars due to a number of factors, including the recent addition of several officers and managers to the Company's payroll 33 and the expected hiring of additional personnel to support increased operations, higher occupancy expenses associated with the Company's new facility and increased costs associated with being a public company. In addition, these expenses will include approximately $243,000 per quarter for the next four years for the amortization of goodwill. However, these expenses may vary as a percentage of revenues. Write-Off of In-Process Research and Development. Write-offs of in-process research and development are recorded at the time an acquisition is completed. The quarter ended June 30, 1998 includes a $2.8 million write-off of in-process research and development costs associated with the Company's acquisition of Outpost. Other Income. Other income consists primarily of interest income for all periods. Beginning in the quarter ended September 30, 1998, other income includes income or losses attributable to the Company's 50% interest in TDL InfoSpace, the Company's joint venture with Thomson. For the quarter ended September 30, 1998, the Company recorded a joint venture loss of $76,000. Provision for Income Taxes. Net operating losses have been incurred to date on a cumulative basis, and no tax benefit has been recorded. Net Loss. The Company has sustained losses in all seven quarters ended September 30, 1998, and the cumulative losses through that date were $4.4 million. The Company expects to incur operating losses on a quarterly basis for the foreseeable future. FACTORS AFFECTING QUARTERLY RESULTS OF OPERATIONS The Company's results of operations have varied on a quarterly basis during its short operating history and will fluctuate significantly in the future as a result of a variety of factors, many of which are outside the Company's control. Factors that may affect the Company's quarterly results of operations include, but are not limited to: (i) the addition or loss of affiliates; (ii) variable demand for the Company's content services by its affiliates; (iii) the cost of acquiring and the availability of content; (iv) the overall level of demand for content services; (v) the Company's ability to attract and retain advertisers and content providers; (vi) seasonal trends in Internet usage and advertising placements; (vii) the amount and timing of fees paid by the Company to certain of its affiliates to include the Company's content services on their Web sites; (viii) the productivity of the Company's direct sales force and the sales forces of the independent yellow pages publishers, media companies and direct marketing companies that sell local Internet yellow pages advertising for the Company; (ix) the amount and timing of expenditures for expansion of the Company's operations, including the hiring of new employees, capital expenditures and related costs; (x) the Company's ability to continue to enhance, maintain and support its technology; (xi) the Company's ability to attract and retain personnel; (xii) the introduction of new or enhanced services by the Company, its affiliates and their respective competitors; (xiii) price competition or pricing changes in Internet advertising and Internet services, such as the Company's content services; (xiv) technical difficulties, system downtime, system failures or Internet brown-outs; (xv) political or economic events and governmental actions affecting Internet operations or content; and (xvi) general economic conditions and economic conditions specific to the Internet. Any one of these factors could cause the Company's revenues and operating results to vary significantly in the future. In addition, as a strategic response to changes in the competitive environment, the Company may from time to time make certain pricing, service or marketing decisions or acquisitions that could cause significant declines in the Company's quarterly results of operations. Also, the Company currently is involved in a lawsuit filed by a former employee involving certain claims to purchase Common Stock and has received a copy of a complaint ostensibly filed on behalf of an alleged former employee involving certain claims to purchase Common Stock. While the Company believes its defenses are meritorious, litigation is inherently uncertain, and the Company may be required to issue shares of Common Stock or options to purchase Common Stock in connection with these claims. To the extent the Company is required to issue shares of Common Stock or options to purchase Common Stock, the Company would recognize an expense, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company's results of operations for the period in which such issuance occurs, and any such issuance would be dilutive to existing stockholders. See "Business--Legal Proceedings." 34 The Company's limited operating history and the emerging nature of its markets make any prediction of future revenues difficult. The Company's expense levels are based, in part, on its expectations with regard to future revenues, and to a large extent such expenses are fixed, particularly in the short term. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to predict its future revenues accurately and the Company may be unable to reduce spending commitments in a timely manner to compensate for any unexpected revenue shortfall. Accordingly, any significant revenue shortfall in relation to the Company's expectations could result in significant declines in the Company's quarterly results of operations. Due to the foregoing factors, the Company's revenues and operating results are difficult to forecast. The Company believes that its quarterly revenues, expenses and operating results will vary significantly in the future and that period-to-period comparisons are not meaningful and are not indicative of future performance. As a result of the foregoing factors, it is likely that in some future quarters or years the Company's results of operations will fall below the expectations of securities analysts or investors, which would have a material adverse effect on the trading price of the Common Stock. LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES From its inception in March 1996 through May 1998, the Company funded operations with approximately $1.5 million in equity financing and, to a lesser extent, from revenues generated for services performed. In May 1998, the Company completed a $5.1 million private placement of Common Stock, and in July and August 1998, the Company completed an additional private placement of Common Stock for $8.2 million. Sales of Common Stock to employees pursuant to the Company's 1998 Stock Purchase Rights Plan also raised $1.6 million in July 1998. As of September 30, 1998, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $10.3 million. Net cash provided (used) by operating activities was $(462,000) from the Company's inception in March 1996 through December 31, 1996, $(202,000) in the year ended December 31, 1997 and $640,000 in the nine months ended September 30, 1998. Cash used in operating activities from inception through September 30, 1998 consisted primarily of net operating losses and increases in accounts receivable, which were partially offset by increases in accrued expenses and accounts payable. Net cash used by investing activities was $219,000 in the period from inception through December 31, 1996, $164,000 in the year ended December 31, 1997 and $4.9 million in the nine months ended September 30, 1998. Cash used in investing activities consists of business acquisitions, purchase of property and equipment and proceeds from the sale of fixed assets. The Company anticipates that it will spend up to $1.6 million for capital equipment in the next twelve months. The Company has also entered into various agreements that provide for the Company to make payments for carriage agreements of $1.8 million during the remainder of 1998 and for carriage fees of $10.3 million for the period from 1999 through 2002. The Company believes that existing cash balances, cash equivalents and cash generated from operations, together with the net proceeds from this offering, will be sufficient to meet its anticipated cash needs for working capital and capital expenditures in the short term (for the next 12 months) and at least through the next 15 months. There can be no assurance that the underlying assumed levels of revenues and expenses will prove to be accurate. The Company may seek additional funding through public or private financings or other arrangements prior to such time. Adequate funds may not be available when needed or may not be available on terms favorable to the Company. If additional funds are raised by issuing equity securities, dilution to existing stockholders will result. If funding is insufficient at any time in the future, the Company may be unable to develop or enhance its products or services, take advantage of business opportunities or respond to competitive pressures, any of which could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. 35 YEAR 2000 COMPLIANCE Many currently installed computer systems and software products are coded to accept only two-digit entries in the date code field and cannot distinguish 21st century dates from 20th century dates. These date code fields will need to distinguish 21st century dates from 20th century dates and, as a result, many companies' software and computer systems may need to be upgraded or replaced in order to comply with such "Year 2000" requirements. The Company has reviewed its internally developed information technology systems and programs, and believes that its systems are Year 2000 compliant and that there are no significant Year 2000 issues within the Company's systems or services. Noninformation technology systems that utilize embedded technology, such as microcontrollers, may also need to be replaced or upgraded to become Year 2000 compliant. The Company believes that it does not use any noninformation technology systems. Because the Company believes that its systems are Year 2000 compliant, it has not engaged in any official process designed to assess potential costs associated with Year 2000 risks. The Company utilizes third- party prepackaged software that may not be Year 2000 compliant. The Company believes that any defective software would be upgraded. However, failure of such third-party prepackaged software to operate properly with regard to the Year 2000 and thereafter could require the Company to incur unanticipated expenses to remedy any problems, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, the purchasing patterns of its advertisers may be affected by Year 2000 issues as companies expend significant resources to correct their current systems for Year 2000 compliance. These expenditures may result in reduced funds available for Internet advertising, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. The Company, to date, has not made any assessment of the Year 2000 risks associated with its third-party prepackaged software or its advertisers, and therefore is unable to determine whether lost revenues or expenses associated with such risks would be material. The Company has not made any contingency plans to address such risks. TECHNOLOGY FROM THE OUTPOST ACQUISITION In June 1998, the Company acquired Outpost, which included the acquisition of the Outpost Technology and the hiring of approximately ten employees. In the second quarter of 1998, the Company wrote off approximately $2.8 million in connection with the Outpost acquisition. In connection with the acquisition, the Company conducted a valuation of the assets acquired from Outpost, including core technology, assembled workforce and in-process research and development, utilizing the following major assumptions: . The revenue and margin contribution of each technology (in-process and future yet-to-be defined). . The percentage of carryover of technology from products under development and products scheduled for development in the future. . The expected life of the technology. . Anticipated module development and module introduction schedules. . Revenue forecasts, including expected aggregate growth rates for the business as a whole and expected growth rates for the Internet content provider industry. . Forecasted operating expenses, including selling, general and administrative expenses, as a percentage of revenues. . A rate of return of 30% utilized to discount to present value the cash flows associated with the in-process technologies. 36 Within the acquired Outpost Technology (smart-shopping services) there are four main modules that the Company intends to integrate into the InfoSpace.com Web site. These modules in their developed state as of the acquisition date of Outpost had certain technological limitations. Subsequent to the acquisition date, the Company revised its strategy with respect to the transaction proxy module, with the result being that most of the in-process technology was discarded. Accordingly, no value was assigned to this module in connection with the Company's valuation of the assets acquired from Outpost. The four modules are: . Integrated content that will provide users with product pricing and merchant information. . Transaction proxy that will allow the Company to track sales transactions from beginning to end and to receive confirmation reports from the retailers. . Branding that will allow users to travel to affiliate Web sites without leaving the InfoSpace.com Web site. . Universal shopping cart that will allow users to make multiple purchases at different retailers in one execution. As of the date of acquisition, the Company estimated that the integrated content, branding and universal shopping cart modules were 89%, 77% and 56% completed, respectively. The percentage completed pre-acquisition for each module was based primarily on the evaluation of three major factors: time- based data, cost-based data, and complexity-based data. The expected life of the modules being developed was assumed to be five years, after which substantial modification and enhancement would be required for the modules to remain competitive. Gross margin was expected to deteriorate after approximately two or three years due to increasing numbers of competitors, new competing features and the potential market entry of entirely new and competing technologies or service delivery models. The Company's revenue assumptions for these modules were based on an estimated number of page views and promotions revenues. For 1999, the average number of page views was estimated to be 300 million per month, or 3.6 billion per year. The number of page views was estimated to grow at an annual rate of 45% for the year 2000, then trending down to a growth rate of 20% after the year 2000, and remaining constant thereafter. The Company anticipated that barter transactions would be below 10% of total revenues for 1998 and 1999, would decline to below 8% by the year 2000, and then would continue to decline to below 5% by 2003. Promotions revenues for these modules were anticipated to grow at a rate of 88% for 1999, and then growth was anticipated to decline to 20% per year thereafter. The Company's expense assumptions for these modules included cost of revenues, which was estimated to be 17% of revenues for the last seven months of 1998 and thereafter to remain relatively constant as a percentage of revenues. Cost of revenues consists primarily of revenue-sharing payments to affiliates, server depreciation costs, the cost of communication lines, and the cost of personnel directly involved in service delivery, including customer service staff and webmasters. Sales and marketing expenses, combined with general and administrative expenses, were estimated to be 54% of revenues for these modules for the last seven months of 1998, and thereafter to remain relatively constant as a percentage of revenues. However, cost of revenues, sales and marketing expenses and general and administrative expenses are likely to vary, both in absolute dollars and as a percentage of revenues. The Company expects these modules to be fully integrated into the Company's full suite of Internet service offerings. Further, the modules will not be distinguishable market segments for financial reporting purposes or for management purposes. Consequently, there will be no separate and distinguishable allocations or utilizations of net working capital, and no specific charges for use of contributory assets. None of the Company's operating expenses is allocated to specific service offerings. 37 While the Company believes that the assumptions discussed above were made in good faith and were reasonable when made, such assumptions remain largely untested, as three of the modules are not yet in service and the other module has been in service for a limited period of time. Accordingly, the assumptions made by the Company may prove to be inaccurate, and there can be no assurance that the Company will realize the revenues, gross profit, growth rates, expense levels or other variables set forth in such assumptions. See "Risk Factors--Risks Associated With Acquisitions." The integrated content module was completed and integrated into the Company's Web site in the third quarter of 1998. The transaction proxy, branding and universal shopping cart modules are scheduled for completion and integration in the second or third quarter of 1999. Significant technology development efforts are necessary before any one of these modules can successfully be completed and integrated into the Company's full suite of service offerings of on-line services available both on the Company's Web site and on those of the Company's many affiliates. The transaction proxy module must be developed in a manner compatible with the changing protocols and standards that are emerging in the Internet industry, and will be greatly influenced by emerging trends, protocols and standards for on-line settlement of financial transactions among financial institutions, related financial clearing houses and other services. The branding module requires designs compatible with many affiliate sites. The universal shopping cart module requires the capabilities for initiation, completion and compilation of e-commerce transactions with multiple affiliate Web sites, and with all such records accumulated in discrete accounts for individual customers, followed by each merchant's acceptance of transactions, confirmation of shipment of the goods or services to the customer, and receipt and acknowledgement of payment. Further, each of these modules must be upgradeable as the protocols and standards of e-commerce transactions and Web sites evolve. In July and August 1998, shortly after completion of the Outpost acquisition, the Company estimated the cost to complete initial development and integration of these modules to be approximately $238,000. The magnitude of development efforts needed to complete these initial developments is periodically reviewed by the Company. Accordingly, in October 1998, the Company revised this estimate to $500,000 for this initial development and integration. This reflects the Company's more recent experience concerning the scope and complexity of tasks required. Reasons for increasing these estimated costs include the Company's experience to date on the transaction proxy module. Subsequent to the acquisition date, the Company revised its strategy with respect to this module, resulting in discarding most of the work completed on the transaction proxy module through the time of the Outpost acquisition. The additional development phase work now underway has increased total estimated development costs. As a result of these continued uncertainties, the Company's revised estimate of $500,000 is subject to change because technological feasibility has not been achieved and unforeseen items could impact the estimate. Progress on the modules and costs expended thus far on their development are consistent with the Company's current projections for completion dates and estimated costs of development. While the Company expects these modules to be successfully developed, and to benefit the Company once they are completed and fully integrated into the Company's full suite of service offerings, the development of new technologies and enhancements to existing technologies involves a number of risks, and there can be no assurance that such development efforts will be successful. See "Risk Factors--Rapid Technological Change." The direct impact of the smart-shopping service on current and future results of operations, liquidity and capital resources is not known, as the first module of the Outpost Technology has only recently been integrated into the Company's Web site and other services and product offerings. However, the Company believes that these services will allow its affiliates to broaden and enhance their core programming at minimal cost and generate additional advertising and transaction revenue opportunities for both the Company and its affiliates. Further, the benefits to the Company and its affiliates can potentially extend beyond electronic commerce transactions by (i) enabling the Company to apply the Outpost Technology to other functions such as building employment classifieds and databases of local events, (ii) allowing end users to access consolidated bank statements or statements of airline frequent flyer miles, and (iii) attracting additional Web users who are 38 then exposed to the many other features in the Company's suite of products and services. While the Company is positioning itself for, and is expending considerable resources in anticipation of, electronic commerce transaction revenues, there can be no assurance that the Company's modules under development will be timely or successfully developed, and the failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. As noted above, the Company expects that each module, when implemented, will become part of the Company's full suite of integrated Internet services. The Company does not expect to have the ability to calculate revenues specifically and exclusively attributable to Outpost's integrated technology. Further, the absence of such attribution will not be material to any module's success. The amount that the Company can charge customers for access to and use of these modules will be greatly influenced by market forces, competitors' pricing of singular products or services, competitors' pricing of their own packaged and integrated offerings, and the packaging and integration of services by multiple competitors. Similarly, the Company's pricing of bundled services will be influenced by the features and prices of competitors' bundled services. Finally, the Company will only infrequently price, sell or deliver singular modules or services in the Internet marketplace. For these reasons, and in view of the fact that the Company and Outpost each had a limited operating history prior to the acquisition, the Company did not utilize historical results of operations in the valuation of Outpost and its various cost components. The Company anticipates receiving a number of synergies as a result of the Outpost acquisition, including gaining knowledgeable electronic commerce development staff and acquiring products and services at least partially developed, which together may reduce time-to-market for subsequent electronic commerce product development and implementation. The Company anticipates that any successful electronic commerce products or services will, when generating material revenues, yield economies of scale in Company-wide selling, general and administrative expenses. However, there can be no assurance that the Company will realize any of such benefits. See "Risk Factors--Risks Associated With Acquisitions." RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS In June 1997, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the "FASB") issued SFAS 130, "Reporting Comprehensive Income." SFAS 130 establishes the standards for reporting comprehensive income and its components in financial statements. Comprehensive income as defined includes all changes in equity (net assets) during a period from nonowner sources. Examples of items to be included in comprehensive income, which are excluded from net income, include foreign currency translation adjustments and unrealized gains/losses on available-for- sale securities. The disclosure prescribed by SFAS 130 must be made for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 1997. Reclassification of financial statements for earlier periods provided for comparative purposes is required upon adoption. The Company had no comprehensive income items to report for the period from March 1, 1996 (inception) to December 31, 1996, the year ended December 31, 1997 or the nine months ended September 30, 1998. In June 1997, the FASB issued SFAS 131, "Disclosures about Segments of an Enterprise and Related Information." SFAS 131 establishes standards for the way that companies report information about operating segments in annual financial statements. It also establishes standards for related disclosures about products and services, geographic areas and major customers, as well as reporting selected information about operating segments in interim financial reports to stockholders. SFAS 131 is effective for financial statements for periods beginning after December 15, 1997. The Company has adopted the reporting requirements of SFAS 131 in its consolidated financial statements for the year ending December 31, 1998. 39 BUSINESS OVERVIEW InfoSpace.com is a leading aggregator and integrator of content services for syndication to a broad network of affiliates, including existing and emerging Internet portals, destination sites and suppliers of PCs and other Internet access devices, such as cellular phones, pagers, screen phones, television set-top boxes, online kiosks and personal digital assistants. The Company focuses on content with broad appeal, such as yellow pages and white pages, maps, classified advertisements, real-time stock quotes, information on local businesses and events, weather forecasts and horoscopes. By aggregating content from multiple sources and integrating it with related content to increase its usefulness, the Company serves as a single source of value-added content. The Company's affiliates include AOL, Netscape, Microsoft, Lycos, MetaCrawler, Playboy, Dow Jones (The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition), ABC LocalNet and CBS's affiliated TV stations. The Company's services provide affiliates with content that helps to increase the convenience, relevance and enjoyment of their users' visits, thereby promoting increased traffic and repeat usage. This, in turn, provides enhanced advertising and electronic commerce revenue opportunities to affiliates with minimal additional investment. By leveraging the Company's content relationships and technology, affiliates are free to focus on their core competencies. The Company has acquired the rights to a wide range of content from more than 65 third-party content providers. The cornerstone of the Company's content services is its nationwide yellow pages and white pages directory information. Using its proprietary technology, the Company integrates this directory information with other value-added content to create "The Ultimate Guide" to find people, places and things in the real world. As an example of the power of the Company's contextual integration, a salesperson using the Company's content services can, from the results of a single query, find the name and address of a new customer, obtain directions to his or her office, check the weather forecast and, typically, make an online reservation at the nearest hotel, browse the menu of a nearby restaurant and review a schedule of entertainment events for the locale. The Company's content services are designed to be highly flexible and customizable, enabling affiliates to select from among the Company's broad range of content services only those desired. One of the Company's principal strengths is its internally developed technology, which enables it to easily and rapidly add new affiliates by employing a distributed, scalable architecture adapted specifically for its Internet-based content services. The Company helps its affiliates build and maintain their brands by delivering content with the look and feel and navigation features specific to each affiliate, creating the impression to end users that they have not left the affiliate's site. The Company's technology has been designed to support affiliates across multiple platforms and formats, including the growing number of emerging Internet access devices. The Company's affiliate relationships typically provide for revenue sharing from advertising sold by the Company and the affiliates whose sites incorporate the Company's content where advertisements are placed. InfoSpace.com derives substantially all of its revenues from national advertising, promotions and local Internet yellow pages advertising. Through its direct sales force, the Company offers a variety of national advertising and promotions that enable advertisers to access both broad and targeted audiences. The Company also sells local Internet yellow pages advertising through cooperative sales relationships with established independent yellow pages publishers, media companies and direct marketing companies. The Company believes that these relationships provide the Company access to local sales expertise and customer relationships that give it an advantage over competitors while minimizing the Company's investment in its own sales infrastructure. Based on information received from RelevantKnowledge, Inc., the Company estimates that its own sites, together with those of its affiliate network, provide it with an unduplicated reach of 42 million unique Web users, representing approximately 79% of all Web users in the United States. "Reach" is defined as unique Web visitors who visited the site over the course of the reporting period expressed as a percentage of all Web users in the United States. 40 INDUSTRY BACKGROUND The Internet has developed into an important mass medium to distribute and collect information, communicate, interact and be entertained. International Data Corporation ("IDC") estimates that the number of Internet users worldwide will grow from approximately 69 million in 1997 to 320 million in 2002. As the number of users has increased, the Internet has emerged as an effective means to market products and services, helping to fuel its growth as a commercial medium. Jupiter Communications, LLC estimates that total spending on Internet advertising in the United States will grow from $1.9 billion in 1998 to $7.7 billion in 2002. Local advertising on the Internet is projected to grow at an even faster pace, from 9% of Internet advertising in 1996 to 37% in 1998 and 54% in 2002. IDC also estimates that the value of goods and services purchased on the Internet will increase from more than $12 billion in 1997 to over $400 billion in 2002. The commercial potential of the Internet has resulted in a proliferation of Web sites through which businesses, communities, media companies, news services, affinity groups and individuals seek to inform, entertain, communicate and conduct business with Internet users worldwide. New Internet businesses, such as E-Loan Inc., InsWeb Corporation and Microsoft's Expedia, have been established to offer goods and services in novel ways using the Internet. Other popular Internet destination sites such as FindLaw, iVillage and Xoom offer users the ability to engage and participate in a virtual community with users of similar interests. At the same time, many traditional media and publishing companies have transitioned their brand and content onto the Internet, such as ABC's ABC LocalNet, Disney's Family.com, CBS's CBS Local Guide, Playboy's Playboy.com and Dow Jones (The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition). Hundreds of thousands of corporations have established Web sites and corporate intranets and extranets to communicate with employees, customers and business partners over the Internet. IDC estimates that the number of Web sites (URLs) will grow from 351 million in 1997 to 7.7 billion in 2002. This rapid growth in the number of Web sites and the wide array of content associated with them has caused the emergence of the "portal," an integrated online service through which users can access a wide range of information and services without having to navigate through multiple sites. Leading Internet service providers, such as AOL, Internet software and services companies, such as Microsoft and Netscape, and Internet search engines and directories, such as those offered by Yahoo!, Lycos, Excite and Infoseek, have sought to capitalize on their positions as the most frequently visited sites on the Internet by establishing themselves as primary portals. These companies have regularly added to their service offerings, aggregating third-party content, such as stock quotes, news and yellow pages, and incorporating links to and from other related sites, in order to prolong their users' visits and promote repeat usage. In this environment, popular destination and corporate sites have found it increasingly difficult to compete for the attention of users and to preserve user loyalty. Many of these sites have found it necessary to add to the amount of information and services accessible through their sites, supplementing their more targeted or thematic content with useful third-party content and services and effectively becoming portals themselves. The popularity of the Internet has also resulted in the emergence of new Internet access devices and the adaptation of traditional communications devices for Internet access, including cellular phones, pagers, screen phones, television set-top boxes, online kiosks and personal digital assistants. IDC predicts that, by 2002, shipments of non-PC Internet access devices will almost equal those of PCs. In order to drive market acceptance of their devices, these suppliers seek an integrated package of content and services that is specifically designed to complement the display format and navigational features of their devices. In order to differentiate their services and attract the attention of users on the increasingly crowded Web, existing and emerging Internet portals, destination sites and suppliers of PCs and other Internet access devices all need to continually expand and enrich their offerings with value-added content and services. The objective of these companies is to effectively increase the audience for their services in terms of both reach and frequency. The greater the size of their audience, the greater the advertising and electronic commerce opportunities afforded to them. Accordingly, these companies are highly dependent upon continually 41 increasing traffic usage, particularly repeat usage, and cultivating a favorable demographic in order to attract advertisers and secure higher advertising rates. These companies must invest heavily in advertising and promotion in order to build their brand and drive users to their sites or devices. To ensure their long-term viability and success, Internet companies will need to effectively manage the revenue potential of each visit in order to justify their customer acquisition costs. As the Internet evolves into a mass medium, the Company believes there will be a need for outsourced syndication services to enable existing and emerging Internet portals, destination sites and suppliers of PCs and other Internet access devices (collectively, "Internet points-of-entry") to broaden their content offering and exploit the revenue potential of their audience. In more traditional media such as television, radio and print, syndicated content provided by the major television networks, programming syndicators and wire services, such as Reuters and Associated Press, has been widely used by local television stations, radio stations and newspapers in order to augment their core programming with additional programming and, in so doing, extend their audience reach and retention. The diverse Internet points-of-entry similarly need a source of syndicated content that will increase the convenience, relevancy and enjoyment of their users' experience, thereby generating repeat usage and making it less likely that users will click to another service. Such syndicated content must be delivered to these Internet points-of-entry through a reliable, scalable infrastructure that can ensure high-quality service. As a result, the Company believes there is an opportunity for a highly focused company to provide outsourced content services to Internet companies. THE INFOSPACE.COM SOLUTION InfoSpace.com is a leading aggregator and integrator of content services for syndication to a broad network of affiliates, including existing and emerging Internet portals, destination sites and suppliers of PCs and other Internet access devices, such as cellular phones, pagers, screen phones, television set-top boxes, online kiosks and personal digital assistants. The Company focuses on content with broad appeal, such as yellow pages and white pages, maps, classified advertisements, real-time stock quotes, information on local businesses and events, weather forecasts and horoscopes. By aggregating content from multiple sources and integrating it with related content to increase its usefulness, the Company serves as a single source of value- added content. The Company's affiliates include AOL, Netscape, Microsoft, Lycos, MetaCrawler, Playboy, Dow Jones (The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition), ABC LocalNet and CBS's affiliated TV stations. Affiliates use the Company's services to expand their programming and increase traffic, thereby enhancing advertising and electronic commerce revenue opportunities. 42 InfoSpace.com is a leading aggregator and integrator of content servicesfor syndication to a broad network of affiliates. [GRAPHIC OF INFOSPACE.COM SOLUTION, CONSTITUENTS, AND CONSTITUENT BENEFITS] Aggregation The Company currently aggregates content from more than 65 third-party content providers to create an array of value-added information and services. The Company's proprietary technology enables the Company to rapidly aggregate substantial volumes of data and content in multiple formats and from multiple sources. In most cases, the Company receives regular data feeds from its content providers and stores the content on the Company's Web servers in order to maintain its reliability and increase its accessibility. In other cases, the Company's proprietary technology allows Web users to transparently access content that is stored directly on the content provider's system. In either case, the Company's technology enables it to aggregate heterogeneous content into an integrated service, which is then delivered to the Company's affiliates. Integration The Company's proprietary technology integrates related content and enhances its value through increased context. Using directory services as the cornerstone of its content services, the Company integrates a broad range of relevant and related localized information, such as maps, classified advertisements, news, and local event, business and weather information, as well as other content and services with everyday relevance, including real- time stock quotes, government directory listings, television listings and lottery results. The Company also integrates traditional yellow pages categories with its natural word search feature, which enables users of its directory services to more intuitively navigate within the services and to achieve more accurate and relevant responses to their queries. For example, a user employing general search engines to seek information about buying a tuxedo might receive, in response to a query on the word "tuxedo," a list of 43 Web sites containing articles about the history and usage of tuxedos. Through the Company's services, that same query would be able to locate retailers of tuxedos in the user's neighborhood, as well as identify retailers of related goods and services such as dress shoes, limousine rentals and florists. Syndication The Company's solution is designed to efficiently and reliably syndicate integrated content services over the Internet to a broad network of affiliates serving millions of end users. The Company's technology has been designed with built-in redundancies and a template-driven automated publishing engine to allow affiliates to reliably and cost-effectively integrate the Company's content into their Web site or Internet access device. The Company's technology solution enables it to easily and rapidly add new affiliates by employing a distributed, scalable architecture adapted specifically for the Company's Internet-based content services, and has been designed to support affiliates across multiple platforms and formats, including Web sites, cellular phones, pagers, screen phones, television set-top boxes, online kiosks and personal digital assistants. The Company's solution is highly flexible and customizable, enabling affiliates to select from among the Company's broad range of content services only those desired and to specify the placement of the selected content services within their existing Web sites and devices. In response to user queries originating from an affiliated Web site or device, the Company's automated publishing engine dynamically builds a page to conform to the display format and look and feel and navigation features specific to that affiliate. This feature helps its affiliates build and maintain their brands by creating the impression to end users that they have not left the affiliate's site. The Company manages access to the content and processes user queries from its own Web server until ultimate delivery of its services to an affiliate, serving as a cost-effective, single source supplier of content services. Constituent Benefits Benefits to Affiliates. The Company's services provide affiliates with content that helps to increase the convenience, relevance and enjoyment of their users' visits, thereby promoting increased traffic and repeat usage. In addition, the Company believes its yellow pages and white pages directory services can attract a greater mix of consumers, as opposed to viewers or browsers. These benefits, in turn, provide enhanced advertising and electronic commerce revenue opportunities to affiliates with minimal additional investment. By leveraging the Company's content relationships and technology, affiliates are free to focus on their core competencies. Benefits to Advertisers. The Company's network of more than 900 affiliate Web sites and its access to various Internet access devices position the Company as a one-stop vendor for advertisers. The Company's advertisers can take advantage of the Company's access to a broad and diverse audience of Internet users derived through its network of affiliates. Based on information received from RelevantKnowledge, Inc., the Company estimates that its own sites, together with those of its affiliate network, provide it with an unduplicated reach of 42 million unique Web users, representing approximately 79% of all Web users in the United States. The Company's yellow pages and white pages directory services provide advertisers with access to targeted audiences and consumers. Further, the Company's local Internet yellow pages advertising enables local advertisers to significantly expand their reach onto the Internet. The Company's proprietary advertising server technology enables it to offer differentiated, customized solutions to advertisers, and provides real-time tracking and measurement capabilities to allow advertisers to receive meaningful feedback on the effectiveness of their advertising programs. Benefits to Content Providers. The Company's solution provides expanded distribution and branding opportunities for content providers. The Company also enables them to distribute their content to emerging Internet access devices with little or no additional investment. In addition, the Company enhances the value of third-party content by integrating it with yellow pages and white pages directory services and other content. 44 STRATEGY The Company's mission is to be a universal provider of technology-enhanced content services for the Internet, while cultivating diverse advertising revenue sources. Key elements of the Company's strategy include the following: Expand Network of Affiliates. The Company intends to expand its affiliate relationships to all forms of Internet points-of-entry. The Company's proprietary technology enables the Company to provide content services to virtually any Web site or Internet access device in a manner that is designed to be optimal for each particular platform. The Company has affiliated with, and seeks to continue to affiliate with, leading Internet and traditional media companies, providing its services to a wide variety of existing and emerging Internet portals, destination sites and suppliers of Internet access devices. The Company believes that by expanding its network of affiliates it provides greater economic value to advertisers and content providers by increasing the breadth and depth of their audiences, as well as to the Company through additional advertising and electronic commerce opportunities. Develop Services for Leading Providers of Emerging Internet Access Devices. As part of its strategy to expand its affiliate network, the Company seeks to develop content services for leading suppliers of emerging Internet access devices and related software. In addressing this opportunity, the Company leverages its proprietary technology that enables the distribution of its content services across a wide variety of formats and devices. The Company maintains development relationships with leading providers of emerging Internet access devices such as AT&T Wireless Data Division, a division of AT&T, for cellular phones, Lucent Technologies Inc., InfoGear Technology Corporation and Mitsui & Co., Ltd. for screen phones, Planetweb, Inc. for television set-top boxes and Source Media, Inc.'s Interactive Channel and @Home Corporation for Internet access via cable. The Company believes that it can become a leading provider of Internet content services as these devices penetrate the market of Internet users. Continue to Add New Content Services. The Company seeks to identify content and services with broad appeal to Internet users that will increase the value and functionality of its services. The Company believes that users place a premium on content that is relevant to their everyday lives and will therefore increase the frequency and duration of their visits to Web sites or devices that access such content. The Company focuses its efforts on content providers that can provide comprehensive coverage on a national level and content that has the potential for targeted advertising or commerce opportunities. By regularly adding and integrating new and useful content, the Company believes that it can drive increased traffic to its affiliates and generate additional revenue opportunities. Capture Local Advertising Revenues Through Leveraged Sales. The Company believes that local advertising represents an attractive and underserved Internet market opportunity. Currently, spending on Internet advertising by local businesses is a very small percentage of their overall advertising expenditures. The Company believes that its directory-based integrated content services provide a platform for targeted and differentiated local advertising solutions that will be of substantial appeal and generate tangible economic benefits to local businesses. To pursue this opportunity, the Company has formed cooperative sales relationships with leading independent yellow pages publishers and media companies, providing access to more than 1,300 salespeople and their local business contacts. The Company has also established relationships with direct marketing companies to sell local Internet yellow pages advertising through mail and telephone solicitation. Pursue Global Expansion Opportunities. The Company intends to capitalize on what it perceives to be a significant opportunity for its content services in international markets. The Company expects to reduce the costs and risks of international expansion by entering into strategic alliances with partners able to provide local directory information and local sales forces with extensive local contacts. The Company has initiated its international expansion by entering into a joint venture agreement with Thomson, the largest independent provider of print directory information in the United Kingdom. 45 Expand Electronic Commerce Capabilities. The Company believes that electronic commerce will continue to grow as an increasing number of businesses and consumers embrace the Internet as an attractive platform for evaluating, selecting and purchasing goods and services. In February 1998, the Company began providing electronic commerce services through the implementation of a search engine that allowed end users to obtain limited comparative price information on specific products. Subsequently, the Company implemented its integrated content module in the third quarter of 1998. In addition, the Company is developing its transaction proxy, branding and universal shopping cart modules, which are scheduled for completion and integration into the Company's suite of services in the second and third quarters of 1999. The transaction proxy module will allow the Company to track sales transactions from beginning to end and to receive confirmation reports from the retailers. The branding module will allow users to travel to affiliate Web sites without leaving the InfoSpace.com Web site. The universal shopping cart module will allow end users to make multiple purchases at different retailers in one execution and allow end users to make these purchases from any Web site without leaving an affiliate's Web site. The Company believes that these services will allow its affiliates to broaden and enhance their core programming at minimal cost and generate additional advertising and transaction revenue opportunities for both the Company and its affiliates. CONTENT SERVICES The Company seeks to provide its affiliates with content of broad appeal to end users, including local information, financial data and Web community services. The Company believes that such content can provide advertisers with opportunities to both reach a broad audience and target specific subgroups within that audience. In most cases, the Company receives regular data feeds from its content providers and stores the content on the Company's Web servers in order to maintain its reliability and increase its accessibility. In other cases, the Company's proprietary technology allows Web users to transparently access content that is stored directly on the content provider's system. In either case, the Company's technology enables it to aggregate heterogeneous content into an integrated service, which is then delivered to the Company's affiliates. The Company's technology pulls content dynamically into a Web page or device output display that maintains the look and feel and navigation features of each affiliate's Web site or access device. The Company has acquired rights to third-party content pursuant to over 65 license agreements, typically having terms of one to five years. The license agreements require the content provider to update content on a regular basis, the frequency of which varies depending on the type of content. In certain arrangements, the content provider pays a carriage fee to the Company for syndication of its content to the Company's network of affiliates. In other instances, the Company shares with the content provider advertising revenues attributable to end-user access of the provider's content. For certain of the Company's content, including its core directory and map content, the Company pays a one-time or periodic fee or fee per content query to the content provider. The Company typically enters into nonexclusive arrangements with its content providers, but has, in certain instances, entered into exclusive relationships, which may limit the Company's ability to enter into additional content agreements. Directory Services The cornerstone of the Company's content services is its nationwide yellow pages and white pages directories. Yellow pages and white pages are an indispensable resource for locating information regarding individuals and businesses. Today, printed yellow pages and white pages directories are published by RBOCs as well as an estimated 200 independent yellow pages publishers in the United States. Yellow pages have traditionally provided an effective way for local businesses to advertise and attract customers. As a result, yellow pages advertising has become a large and lucrative industry in the United States, growing, according to the Yellow Pages Publishers Association (the "YPPA"), from $11.5 billion in revenues in 1997 to a projected $12.1 billion in 1998. The yellow pages industry has begun to adapt to an electronic environment, anticipating that users will increasingly access directory information through the Internet. The YPPA estimates that by 2010, online yellow pages revenues will surpass those of printed versions. According to a recent survey by the NYPM/Kelsey Group of 80,000 Internet users, 89% of Internet users are aware of Internet yellow pages directories and nearly 62% had visited a directory site within the past month. 46 The Company licenses what it believes to be the most comprehensive and accurate database of businesses and households in the United States and Canada through a five-year agreement with infoUSA (formerly known as American Business Information, Inc.). infoUSA is a leading provider of online yellow pages and white pages directory information. Pursuant to its agreement with infoUSA, the Company pays infoUSA an annual fee and will build a co-branded version of its directory services for infoUSA's Web site. The Company and infoUSA will share revenues generated by this co-branded Web site. The Company receives access to infoUSA's business and household data, and infoUSA is required to update its information monthly. The Company enhances this content with expanded yellow pages information obtained under agreements with independent yellow pages publishers which the Company estimates, based on 1997 revenue data published by Simba Information Inc., represent approximately 30% of the independent yellow pages market share in the United States. This expanded information includes not only names, addresses and telephone numbers, but also types of business, hours of operation and franchise affiliations. The Company integrates its yellow pages and white pages information with each other and utilizes yellow pages category headings in combination with a natural word search feature to provide a user-friendly interface and navigation vehicle for its directory services. The Company also typically includes maps and directions for addresses included in its directory services. The Company further enhances the relevance and accuracy of responses to user queries by employing a radial search feature to its directory services, which allows users to specify the geographic scope within a radial distance of a specific address, rather than more conventional methods of searching by ZIP code or city and county divisions. These features enable the Company to create a powerful package of localized directory information. Information Services In addition to its directory services, the Company syndicates other valuable information of broad appeal. The Company seeks to provide a comprehensive offering of content with everyday significance in order to become "The Ultimate Guide" for Internet users seeking to locate people, places and things in the real world. Principal categories of content currently offered by the Company include: YELLOW PAGES WHITE PAGES by name and category, fax numbers, phone numbers, email addresses, maps and directions reverse lookup, celebrities CLASSIFIEDS INVESTING autos, homes, apartments, jobs, real-time stock quotes, market personals information, research NET COMMUNITY CITY GUIDE home pages, email, chat room, city-related links, concerts, auction weather, schools E-SHOPPING PUBLIC RECORDS product search, product departments, "Find Anyone!", background checks, discount books, greeting cards social security numbers, adoption reunions NEWS BREAK FUN STUFF top stories, world, business, daily horoscopes, minimart, lottery technology, sports results INTERNATIONAL GOVERNMENT country slide shows, directory federal, state and local listings, services for Canada, Spain, the public officials United Kingdom and other countries
47 The Company's future success will depend in large part on its ability to aggregate, integrate and syndicate content of broad appeal. The Company's ability to maintain its relationships with content providers and to build new relationships with additional content providers is critical to the success of the Company's business. See "Risk Factors--Dependence on Third-Party Content." In addition, the Company's business model is relatively new and unproven, and there can be no assurance that this business model will be successful. See "Risk Factors--Evolving and Unproven Business Model." AFFILIATE NETWORK InfoSpace.com provides its content services to a network of existing and emerging Internet portals, destination sites and suppliers of PCs and other Internet access devices, such as cellular phones, pagers, screen phones, television set-top boxes, online kiosks and personal digital assistants. The Company has agreements with more than 90 affiliates covering more than 900 Web sites. Based on information received from RelevantKnowledge, Inc., the Company estimates that its own sites, together with those of its affiliate network, provide it with an unduplicated reach of 42 million unique Web users, representing approximately 79% of all Web users in the United States. Internet Portals and Destination Sites The Company's affiliates include leading Internet portals and a wide variety of destination sites, such as the following: INTERNET PORTALS AFFILIATE LOCATION OR WEB SITE ADDRESS America Online AOL service, aol.com and digitalcities.com AT&T WorldNet att.net go2net metacrawler.com Lycos lycos.com Microsoft Network essentials.msn.com Netscape netscape.com DESTINATION SITES AFFILIATE WEB SITE ADDRESS ABC News/Starwave abcnews.com and individual ABC network affiliate Web sites (e.g., WABC's 7online.com, KOMO's komotv.com) CBS cbs.com and individual CBS network affiliate Web sites (e.g., WBBM's cbs2chicago.com, KCBS's kcbs.cbsnow.com) Paxson Communications affiliate television station Web sites (e.g., pax.net/WCPX) Ask Jeeves askjeeves.com Deja News dejanews.com Disney OnLine family.com Dow Jones wsj.com FindLaw findlaw.com Market Guide marketguide.com Microsoft Expedia expedia.com Morris Online savannah.com Playboy playboy.com World Now worldnow.com
48 The Company's content services are designed to be highly flexible and customizable, enabling affiliates to select from among the Company's broad range of content services only those desired and to specify the placement of the selected content within their own Web sites and devices. For example, one of the Company's affiliates, local television station WABC's 7online.com, has selected the Company's yellow pages directory information and classifieds information and offers this content on its Web site. Lycos, another affiliate, uses the Company's smart-shopping feature service on the Lycos home page. In response to user queries originating from an affiliated Web site or device, the Company's automated publishing engine dynamically builds a page to conform to the display format and look and feel and navigation features specific to that affiliate. This feature helps its affiliates build and maintain their brands by creating the impression to end users that they have not left the affiliate's site. The Company manages the access of content and processes user queries from its own Web server until ultimate delivery of its services to an affiliate, serving as a cost-effective single source supplier of content. The Company's agreements typically provide for sharing a portion of the revenues generated by advertising on the Web pages that deliver the Company's content services. Both the Company and the affiliate typically retain the rights to sell such advertising. The Company's distribution arrangements with its affiliates typically are for limited durations of between six months and two years and are generally terminable after six months. There can be no assurance that such arrangements will be renewed upon expiration of their terms. The Company has also entered into strategic alliances with AOL and Netscape (which announced in November 1998 that it would be acquired by AOL), two of the largest Internet portals measured in terms of user traffic. Netscape. Under its July 1998 agreements with Netscape, each of which has a one-year term with automatic renewal provisions, the Company is the exclusive provider of co-branded yellow pages and white pages directory services on the Netscape home page (Netcenter). In addition, Netscape will include a link for these services in the bookmark section of future versions of the U.S. English- language version of Netscape Communicator client software. The Company paid trademark licensing fees to Netscape in connection with these agreements and is obligated to make additional payments to Netscape based on the number of click throughs to the Company's services. Netscape guarantees to the Company a certain minimum level of use of the Company's yellow pages and white pages directory services. AOL. The Company recently entered into agreements with AOL to provide white pages directory services and classifieds information services to AOL. Under the terms of the agreement related to the Company's white pages directory services, the Company has agreed to place its white pages directory services on AOL's NetFind home page and throughout various other parts of AOL's proprietary service, its Digital City service and AOL.com. The white pages directory services are to be provided to AOL for a three-year term, beginning on November 19, 1998, which term may be extended for an additional year and subsequently renewed for up to three successive one-year terms at AOL's discretion. This agreement may be terminated by AOL upon the acquisition by AOL of a competing white pages directory services business or for any reason after 18 months, upon payment of a termination fee, or at any time in the event of a change of control of the Company. Under this agreement, the Company will pay to AOL a quarterly carriage fee and share with AOL revenues generated by advertising on the Company's white pages directory services delivered to AOL. Under the terms of the agreement related to the Company's classifieds information services, the Company has agreed to provide classified advertising development and management services to AOL for two years, with up to three one-year extensions at AOL's discretion. AOL will pay to the Company a quarterly fee and share with the Company revenues generated by payments by individuals and commercial listing services for listings on the AOL classifieds service. In connection with these agreements, AOL received a warrant to purchase Common Stock and has certain rights of first negotiation in the event of a proposed sale of the Company. See "Description of Capital Stock--Warrants" and "--Antitakeover Effects of Certain Provisions of Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Washington and Delaware Law; Right of First Negotiation." 49 Internet Access Devices The Company is working with a number of leading PC manufacturers that are incorporating Internet access as part of the start-up menu of the PC. In addition, the Company believes that the growing number of non-PC Internet access devices presents a significant potential distribution channel for the Company's content services. Numerous suppliers of cellular telephones, pagers, screen telephones, television set-top boxes, online kiosks and personal digital assistants are adapting familiar appliances to provide user-friendly access to the Internet. The Company has entered into agreements with numerous providers of Internet access devices, including the following: SELECTED INTERNET ACCESS DEVICE AFFILIATES
MEANS OF INTERNET ACCESS COMPANY ------------------------ ------- PCs Acer America; Gateway 2000; Pixel (for Packard Bell NEC) Cellular Phones AT&T Wireless; Unwired Planet Pagers WolfeTech (for Motorola PageWriter) Screen Telephones InfoGear; Mitel; Mitsui; Lucent Television Set-Top Boxes American Interactive Media; @Home; @World; Lucent; On Command; Planetweb; Source Media King kiosk platform; Lexitech kiosk software Online Kiosks platform Personal Digital Assistants AT&T Wireless; InfoGear; Unwired Planet
The Company believes that users of Internet access devices, in particular, seek useful information of everyday relevance and are more likely to access the Internet for specific real-world information. Since providers of Internet access devices generally do not generate their own content or have less content available to them than Web sites, the Company believes there is an opportunity for its content services to be an integral part of the information services bundled with these access devices. The Company is working with these affiliates to identify, acquire and integrate new information services that bring additional value to their devices. The Company's technology allows it to readily adapt the delivery of its services to the individual format and display features of its Internet access device affiliates. Typically, the Company's agreements with Internet access device affiliates have terms of between one and three years and, in some cases, provide for the sharing of revenues between the affiliate and the Company generated by advertising included with the delivery of its content services. In other cases, the Company receives license fees on a per query or per device basis or through other arrangements for use of its content services. The Company's ability to generate revenues from national advertising and promotions depends on its ability to secure and maintain distribution for its content services on acceptable commercial terms through a range of affiliates. The Company's affiliate relationships are in an early stage of development, and there can be no assurance that affiliates, especially major affiliates, will not demand a greater portion of advertising revenues or require the Company to pay carriage fees for access to their sites or devices. The loss of any major affiliate or an adverse change in the Company's pricing model or revenue-sharing arrangements could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. See "Risk Factors--Reliance on Affiliate Relationships." ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONS The Company derives substantially all of its revenues from national advertising, with pricing based on CPMs, non-CPM-based promotions and local Internet yellow pages advertising. The Company's clients 50 include a broad range of businesses that advertise on the Internet, including certain of the Company's content providers and affiliates. National Advertising Banner Advertisements. A banner advertisement is prominently displayed at the top and, in some cases, at the bottom of each Web page generated for delivery of the Company's content services. From each banner advertisement, users can hyperlink directly to an advertiser's Web site, thus enabling the advertiser to directly interact with an interested consumer. Mass market placements deliver general rotation banner advertisements throughout the Company's content services. Targeted placements deliver banner advertisements to specified audiences. For example, advertisers can reach consumers in general by placing banner advertisements that rotate throughout the Company's directory services, classifieds and electronic commerce services. Alternatively, advertisers can narrow their target audience by category of information or service requested by users or by geographic location. For example, advertisers can target investors by advertising only on pages containing the Company's real-time stock quotes or potential used car buyers by advertising only on pages containing the Company's automobile classifieds. Other National Advertising. The Company also sells CPM-based national advertising other than banner advertisements. The most common of these advertisements are known as "button advertisements" and "textlinks," but can also include customized advertising solutions developed for specific advertisers. Button advertisements are smaller than banner advertisements and can be placed anywhere on a Web page. Textlinks appear on a Web page as highlighted text, usually containing the advertiser's name. Multiple button advertisements and textlinks can appear on the same Web page along with banner advertisements. Both button advertisements and textlinks typically feature click-through hyperlinks to the advertiser's own Web site. The Company's national advertising agreements generally have terms of less than six months and guarantee a minimum number of impressions or click throughs. The Company charges fees for banner advertising based on the specificity of the target audience, generally ranging from $10 to $20 CPM for general rotation across undifferentiated users to $50 or greater CPM for targeted category or geographic advertisements. The Company's rates for button advertisements and textlinks are lower than those for banner advertisements. Actual CPMs depend on a variety of factors, including, without limitation, the degree of targeting, the duration of the advertising contract and the number of impressions purchased, and are often negotiated on a case-by-case basis. Because of these factors, actual CPMs experienced by the Company may fluctuate. The guarantee of minimum levels of impressions or click throughs exposes the Company to potentially significant financial risks, including the risk that the Company may fail to deliver required minimum levels of user impressions or click throughs, in which case the Company typically continues to provide advertising without compensation until such levels are met. See "Risk Factors--Reliance on Advertising and Promotion Revenues." Promotions In addition to its CPM-based national advertising, the Company also sells promotions, which are integrated packages of advertising that bundle such features as button and textlink advertisements, sponsorships of specific categories of content or content services and electronic commerce features. Promotions also include distribution and co-branding services that the Company provides to content providers, for which the Company receives a carriage fee. These arrangements are individually negotiated by the Company with each advertiser and have a range of specially adapted features involving various compensation structures (such as guaranteed fee payments), none of which are based on CPMs. One of the most common forms of the Company's promotions are "sponsorships," which allow advertisers to sponsor a specific category of content on the Company's content services. These sponsorships consist of a button advertisement or textlink which appears prominently on the page each time that content category is queried by a user. In some cases, the Company has entered into exclusive sponsorship arrangements for certain 51 categories of content. Promotions may also include an electronic commerce feature, in which a button advertisement offers the end user an opportunity to make an immediate online purchase. The Company's promotions are specifically designed to allow advertisers to integrate various forms of online advertising, such as button advertisements and textlinks, content sponsorship and electronic commerce links and also include innovative specially-designed advertising campaigns to fully exploit the reach of the Company's content services. For example, the Company has entered into an agreement with BarnesandNoble.com, Inc. ("BarnesandNoble.com") under which BarnesandNoble.com is the exclusive bookseller on a majority of the Company's content services. Pursuant to this agreement, a button advertisement appears on Web pages for certain categories of content, which offers the end user the opportunity to purchase a book related to that category. For example, a search for local restaurants in New York City results in a BarnesandNoble.com button advertisement that, when clicked, lists restaurant guides and cookbooks for New York City restaurants. Promotion arrangements vary in terms and duration, but generally have longer terms than arrangements for the Company's CPM-based advertising. The fee arrangements are individually negotiated with advertisers and are based on the range and the extent of customization. These arrangements typically include minimum monthly payments. To the extent that the advertiser offers an electronic commerce opportunity in its promotion, the Company may derive transaction revenues based on the level of transactions made through its promotion for the advertiser. In addition, the Company works with advertisers to develop customized advertising solutions that may include both CPM-based national advertising and non-CPM-based promotions. For example, the Company's campaign for 800-U.S. Search involves a variety of targeted banner advertisements, button advertisements and textlinks, as well as co-branding of 800-U.S. Search services with the Company's content services, such as the "Find Anyone!" service. The Company's advertising agreement with 800-U.S. Search has a four- year term. Revenues generated from 800-U.S. Search accounted for approximately 20.1% of the Company's revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 1998. As of September 30, 1998, the Company had agreements with over 35 advertisers for national advertising or promotions. The following is a representative list of brands or companies for which advertisers purchased national advertising or promotions on the Company's content services during the nine months ended September 30, 1998: 800-U.S. Search IBM Apartments for Rent InsWeb AT&T iVillage BarnesandNoble.com Leisure Planet CareerPath Locate-Me Dell Computers MasterCard International Delta Air Lines Microsoft E-loan Information Services Net-Temps Excite NextCard goodcompany.com QSpace Goto.com Women.com Local Internet Yellow Pages Advertising The Company believes that local Internet advertising represents an attractive and largely unexploited market opportunity. Spending on Internet advertising by local businesses is currently a very small percentage 52 of their overall advertising expenditures. The Company believes that its affiliate network provides an attractive Internet platform for local advertisers to reach a broader audience and extend the reach of their advertising beyond their geographic area, as well as to achieve targeted advertising within their geographic area. The Company generates an Internet yellow pages listing free of charge for all U.S. local business listings provided by infoUSA. This listing includes name, address and telephone number information, as well as maps and door-to- door directions. Similar to traditional yellow pages industry practices, the Company generates revenues by selling enhancements to this basic listing. Enhancement options include boldface type, enlarged type size, multi-category listings, preferred placement, email listings and Web site links, display advertisements and category sponsorships. Internet yellow pages advertising agreements provide for terms of one year, with pricing comparable to print yellow pages advertising, typically paid in monthly installments. Costs to the local advertiser generally range from $50 to $300 or greater per year, depending on the types of enhancements selected. For convenience, these payments usually accompany the local advertiser's monthly payment for its print advertising. The Company has formed cooperative sales relationships with leading independent yellow pages publishers, including TransWestern Publishing Company, Ltd. and McLeodUSA Publishing Company, and media companies, including Guy Gannett Communications and E.W. Scripps, which provide access to over 1,300 salespeople and their local sales contacts. Further, the Company has started to build relationships with direct marketing companies, whose mail and telephone solicitations complement the sales forces of the independent yellow pages publishers and media companies. The Company's agreements with these companies typically have terms of one to five years and provide for revenue sharing, which varies from relationship to relationship. In addition, the Company typically agrees that the yellow pages publisher will be the Company's exclusive provider of Internet yellow pages advertising within a particular geographic region. The local sales forces of these companies are empowered to sell Internet yellow pages advertising on the Company's directory services, which are generally bundled with the traditional print advertising they sell. As such, the Company believes its Internet yellow pages advertising offers these sales forces attractive incremental revenue opportunities from their existing client bases. These companies maintain, as part of their existing print advertising infrastructure, the systems necessary for generating online display advertisements, processing invoices and collecting payments from advertisers. To assist in their efforts, the Company provides the technology to streamline the transmission of data necessary to generate the enhanced Internet yellow pages listings. This technology allows advertising data files to be rapidly posted and integrated directly into the Company's directory services. The Company believes that these relationships provide local expertise and access to local advertisers, as well as established advertising production capabilities, that give it an advantage over competitors while minimizing its investment in its own sales force and operations. The Company currently derives substantially all of its revenues from the sale of advertisements and promotions on the Web pages that deliver the Company's content, and expects that advertising and promotion revenues will continue to account for substantially all of its revenues in the foreseeable future. The Company's dependence on advertising and promotion revenues involves a number of risks. See "Risk Factors--Reliance on Advertising and Promotion Revenues," "--Dependence on Sales by Third Parties," "--Uncertain Adoption of the Internet as an Advertising Medium" and "--Risks Associated With Short-Term National Advertising Contracts." TECHNOLOGY AND INFRASTRUCTURE One of the Company's principal strengths is its internally developed technology, which has been designed specifically for the Company's Internet- based content services. The Company's technology architecture features specially adapted capabilities to enhance performance, reliability and scalability, consisting of multiple proprietary software modules that support the core functions of the Company's operations. These modules include Web Server Technology, Database Technology and a Remote Data Aggregation Engine. 53 Web Server Technology The Company's Web Server Technology is designed to enable rapid development and deployment of information over multiple platforms and formats. It incorporates an automated publishing engine that dynamically builds a page to conform to the look and feel and navigation features of each affiliate. As such, the Company's technology enables it to deliver content in a manner optimized to the unique display formats of existing and emerging Internet access devices, such as cellular phones, pagers, screen phones, television set-top boxes, online kiosks and personal digital assistants. The Company's Web Server Technology includes other features that are designed to optimize the performance of the Company's content services, including: (i) an HTML compressor that enables modifications of file content to reduce size, thereby reducing download time for users; (ii) an "Adaptive Keep-Alive" feature that maximizes the time during which client server connections are kept open, based on current server load, thereby increasing user navigation and Web site traversal speed; and (iii) a Proxy Server that provides the capability for real-time integration and branding of content that resides remotely with third-party content providers. Database Technology The Company has developed proprietary database technology to address the specific requirements of the Company's business strategy and content services. The Company's Co-operative Database Architecture is designed to function with a high degree of efficiency within the unique operating parameters of the Internet, whereas commonly used database systems were developed prior to the widespread acceptance of the Internet. The architecture is tightly integrated with the Company's Web Server Technology and incorporates the following features: Heterogeneous Database Clustering. The Company's Heterogeneous Database Clustering allows disparate data sources to be combined and accessed through a single uniform interface, regardless of data structure or content. These clusters facilitate database bridging, which allows a single database query to produce a single result set containing data extracted from multiple databases, a vital component of the Company's ability to aggregate content from multiple sources. Database clustering in this manner reduces dependence on single data sources, facilitates easy data updates and reduces integration efforts. In addition, the Company's pre-search and post-search processing capabilities enable search parameters to be modified in real time before and after querying a database. Dynamic Parallel Index Traversal. The Company's Dynamic Parallel Index Traversal mechanism utilizes the search parameters supplied by the user to determine the appropriate database index (from among multiple indices) to efficiently locate the data requested. Further, an index compression mechanism allows the Company to achieve an efficient balance between disk space and compression/decompression when storing or accessing data. Automatic Query State Recovery. In a response to a database query, conventional databases access previously displayed results in order to display successive results to a given query, thus increasing response time by performing redundant operations. The Company's Automatic Query State Recovery mechanism decreases response time by maintaining the state of a query to allow the prompt access of successive results. This feature is particularly important, for example, when an end-user query retrieves a large number of results. Natural Language Interface. The Company incorporates a natural word search interpreter, which successfully utilizes familiar category and topic headings traditional to print directory media to generate relevant and related results to information queries. By incorporating a familiar navigation feature into its services, the Company believes it provides end users with a more intuitive mechanism to search for and locate information. 54 Remote Data Aggregation Engine The Company has developed its Remote Data Aggregation Engine to allow data from a variety of sources on the Internet to be retrieved, parsed and presented as a single virtual database result, either in real-time or at predetermined intervals. The Company's Template-Driven Profiling system catalogs the data on each source site, which is later accessed by the Company's Remote Data Aggregation Engine for real-time retrieval. Data results can be internally cached to reduce network traffic and deliver the fastest possible results to the end user. The Remote Data Aggregation Engine has numerous applications, one of which is collecting real-time information from multiple sources in a manner that eliminates the need for a data provider to perform any local modifications. This technology is currently being applied in the Company's price comparison service. Various other potential uses of the technology have been identified, including the collection and real-time updating of event data such as concert information, performing arts schedules and sporting events, and the aggregation of classified listings, such as employment listings from corporate Web sites. Data Network Infrastructure The Company maintains a carrier-class data network center designed to ensure high-level performance and reliability of its content services. The Company connects directly to the Internet from its facilities in Redmond, Washington through redundant, dedicated DS-3 communication lines provided by multiple telecommunication service providers. The Company's hardware resides in a secure climate-controlled room, with local directors providing load balancing and failover. In addition to the facilities located at the Company headquarters, the Company contracts for co-location facilities with Exodus Communications and Savvis Communications at two locations in Seattle, Washington. As the Company expands its operations, it expects to locate server facilities at various strategic geographic locations. Product Development The Company believes that strong product development capabilities are essential to developing the technology necessary to successfully implement its strategy of expanding its affiliate network, acquiring value-added content to add to its content services, expanding internationally and into other services and maintaining the attractiveness and competitiveness of its content services. The Company has invested significant time and resources in creating its proprietary technology. Product development expenses were $109,671, $212,677 and $307,262 for the period from March 1, 1996 (inception) to December 31, 1996, the year ended December 31, 1997 and the nine months ended September 30, 1998, respectively. The market for Internet products and services and the online commerce industry are characterized by rapidly changing technology, evolving industry standards and customer demands and frequent new product and service introductions and enhancements. The Company's future success will depend in significant part on its ability to improve the performance, content and reliability of the Company's content services in response to both the evolving demands of the market and competitive product offerings, and there can be no assurance that the Company will be successful in such efforts. See "Risk Factors--Rapid Technological Change." INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION The Company intends to capitalize on what it perceives to be a significant opportunity for its content services in international markets. The Company expects to reduce the costs and risks of international expansion by entering into strategic alliances with partners able to provide local directory information, as well as local sales forces and contacts. The Company has entered into a joint venture with Thomson to form TDL InfoSpace to replicate the Company's content services in Europe. TDL InfoSpace has targeted the United Kingdom as its first market, and content services were launched in the third quarter of 1998. Pursuant to the terms of the joint venture 55 agreement, both the Company and Thomson entered into license agreements with TDL InfoSpace for offsetting payments to each of the Company and Thomson of (Pounds)50,000. These amounts were not intended to represent the fair market value of the license agreements to an unrelated third party. Under the license agreement between Thomson and TDL InfoSpace, Thomson licenses its U.K. directory information database to TDL InfoSpace. Under the joint venture agreement, Thomson also sells Internet yellow pages advertising of the joint venture through its local sales force. Under the license agreement between the Company and TDL InfoSpace, the Company licenses its technology and provides hosting services to TDL InfoSpace. In addition, under the Company's license agreement, TDL InfoSpace is obligated to reimburse the Company for any incremental costs incurred by the Company for its efforts with respect to the hosting services. In the event that TDL InfoSpace expands into other countries, it is required to pay to the Company an additional technology license fee of $50,000 per additional country. The Company's license agreement also provides that, in the event that the Company no longer holds any ownership interest in the joint venture, TDL InfoSpace and the Company will negotiate an arm's-length license fee for the Company's technology, not to exceed $1 million. Each of the Company and Thomson purchased a 50% interest in TDL InfoSpace and are required to provide reasonable working capital to TDL InfoSpace. The Company expects that TDL InfoSpace will expand its content services to other European countries in 1999. Under the joint venture agreement, each of the Company and Thomson is obligated to negotiate with TDL InfoSpace and the other party to jointly offer content services in other European countries prior to offering such services independently or with other parties. In addition, the Company is currently investigating additional international opportunities. The expansion into international markets involves a number of risks. See "Risk Factors--Risks Associated With International Expansion." INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY The Company's success depends significantly upon its proprietary technology. The Company currently relies on a combination of copyright and trademark laws, trade secrets, confidentiality procedures and contractual provisions to protect its proprietary rights. All Company employees have executed confidentiality and nonuse agreements which provide that any rights they may have in copyrightable works or patentable technologies to the Company. In addition, prior to entering into discussions with potential content providers and affiliates regarding the Company's business and technologies, the Company generally requires that such parties enter into a nondisclosure agreement. If these discussions result in a license or other business relationship, the Company also generally requires that the agreement setting forth the parties' respective rights and obligations include provisions for the protection of the Company's intellectual property rights. For example, the Company's standard affiliate agreement provides that the Company retains ownership of all patents and copyrights in the Company's technology and requires its customers to display the Company's copyright and trademark notices. The Company has applied for registration of certain service marks and trademarks, including "InfoSpace," "InfoSpace.com" and its logo in the United States and in other countries, and will seek to register additional service marks and trademarks, as appropriate. There can be no assurance that the Company will be successful in obtaining the service marks and trademarks for which it has applied. In addition, a patent is pending in the United States relating to the Company's electronic commerce technology and the Company is filing patent applications relating to other aspects of its technology, including the methods by which information is obtained and provided to end users of its content services. There can be no assurance that any patent with respect to the Company's technology will be granted or that if granted such patent will not be challenged or invalidated. There also can be no assurance that the Company will develop proprietary products or technologies that are patentable, that any issued patent will provide the Company with any competitive advantages or will not be challenged by third parties, or that the patents of others will not have a material adverse effect on the Company's ability to conduct business. Despite the Company's efforts to protect its proprietary rights, unauthorized parties may copy aspects of the Company's products or services or obtain and use information that the Company regards as proprietary. The laws of some foreign countries do not protect proprietary rights to as great an extent as do the laws of the United States, and the Company does not currently have any patents or patent applications pending in any foreign country. There can be no assurance 56 that the Company's means of protecting its proprietary rights will be adequate or that the Company's competitors will not independently develop similar technology or duplicate the Company's products or design around patents issued to the Company or other intellectual property rights of the Company. The failure of the Company to adequately protect its proprietary rights or its competitors' successful duplication of its technology could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. There has been frequent litigation in the computer industry regarding intellectual property rights. The Company has in the past been subject to claims regarding its intellectual property rights. While all such claims have been resolved, there can be no assurance that third parties will not in the future claim infringement by the Company with respect to current or future products, trademarks or other proprietary rights. Any such claims could be time-consuming, result in costly litigation, diversion of management's attention, cause product or service release delays, require the Company to redesign its products or services or require the Company to enter into royalty or licensing agreements. These royalty or licensing agreements, if required, may not be available on terms acceptable to the Company, or at all, any of which occurrences could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. COMPETITION The market for Internet products and services is highly competitive, with no substantial barriers to entry, and the Company expects that competition will continue to intensify. The market for the Company's content services has only recently begun to develop, is rapidly evolving and is likely to be characterized by an increasing number of market entrants with competing products and services. Although the Company believes that the diversity of the Internet market may provide opportunities for more than one provider of content services similar to those of the Company, it is possible that one or a few suppliers may dominate one or more market sectors. The Company believes that the primary competitive factors in the market for Internet content services are (i) the ability to provide content of broad appeal, which is likely to result in increased user traffic and increase the brand name value of the Internet point-of-entry to which the services are provided; (ii) the ability to meet the specific content demands of a particular Internet point- of-entry; (iii) the cost-effectiveness and reliability of the content services; (iv) the ability to provide content that is attractive to advertisers; (v) the ability to achieve comprehensive coverage of a particular category of content; and (vi) the ability to integrate related content to increase the utility of the content services offered. There can be no assurance that the Company's competitors will not develop content services that are superior to those of the Company or achieve greater market acceptance than the Company's services. Any failure of the Company to provide services that achieve success in the short term could result in an insurmountable loss in market share and brand acceptance and could, therefore, have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. While the Company is unaware of any companies that compete with all of the Company's content services, there are companies that offer services addressing certain of the Company's target markets. In addition, some of these competitors are currently members of the Company's affiliate network or currently provide content included in the Company's content services. The Company's directory services compete with other Internet yellow pages and white pages directory services, including AnyWho?, a division of AT&T, GTE SuperPages, Switchboard, ZIP2, directory services offered by the RBOCs, including Big Yellow by Bell Atlantic/NYNEX, infoUSA's Lookup USA, Microsoft Sidewalk and Yahoo! Yellow Pages and White Pages. In addition, specific services provided by the Company compete with specialized content providers. TDL InfoSpace's directory services will compete with British Telecom's YELL service and Scoot (UK) Limited in the United Kingdom and, as the Company expands internationally into other markets, it expects to face competition from other established providers of directory services. In the future, the Company may encounter competition from providers of Web browser software, including Netscape and Microsoft, online services and other providers of Internet services that elect to syndicate their own product and service offerings, such as AOL, Yahoo!, Excite, Infoseek, Lycos, HotBot, MetaCrawler, Snap! and traditional media companies expanding onto the Internet, such as Time/Warner, ABC, CBS, NBC, Dow Jones, Disney and Fox. 57 A number of the Company's current advertising customers have established relationships with certain of the Company's competitors and future advertising customers may establish similar relationships. In addition, the Company competes with online services and other Web site operators, as well as traditional offline media such as print (including print yellow pages directories) and television for a share of advertisers' total advertising budgets. Competition among current and future suppliers of Internet content services, as well as competition with other media for advertising placements, could result in significant price competition and reductions in advertising revenues. Many of the Company's current competitors, as well as a number of potential new competitors, have significantly greater financial, technical, marketing, sales and other resources than the Company. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to compete successfully against its current and future competitors. The Company's failure to compete with its competitors' product and service offerings or for advertising revenues would have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. GOVERNMENTAL REGULATION The Company is not currently subject to direct regulation by any domestic or foreign governmental agency, other than regulations applicable to businesses generally, and laws or regulations directly applicable to access to online commerce. However, due to the increasing popularity and use of the Internet and other online services, it is possible that laws and regulations may be adopted with respect to the Internet or other online services covering issues such as user privacy, pricing, content, taxation, copyrights, distribution and characteristics and quality of products and services. Such regulation could limit growth in the use of the Internet generally and decrease the acceptance of the Internet as a communications and commercial medium, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. The Company may be subject to Sections 5 and 12 of the FTC Act, which regulate advertising in all media, including the Internet, and require advertisers to have substantiation for advertising claims before disseminating advertisements. The FTC Act prohibits the dissemination of false, deceptive, misleading and unfair advertising, and grants the FTC enforcement powers to impose and seek civil and criminal penalties, consumer redress, injunctive relief and other remedies upon persons who disseminate prohibited advertisements. The Company could be subject to liability under the FTC Act if it were found to have participated in creating and/or disseminating a prohibited advertisement with knowledge, or reason to know that the advertising was false or deceptive. The FTC recently brought several actions charging deceptive advertising via the Internet, and is actively seeking new cases involving advertising via the Internet. The Company may also be subject to the provisions of the recently enacted the CDA, which, among other things, imposes substantial monetary fines and/or criminal penalties on anyone who distributes or displays certain prohibited material over the Internet or knowingly permits a telecommunications device under its control to be used for such purpose. Although the manner in which the CDA will be interpreted and enforced and its effect on the Company's operations cannot yet be fully determined, the CDA could subject the Company to substantial liability. The CDA could also limit the growth of the Internet generally and decrease the acceptance of the Internet as an advertising medium. Other federal, state, local or foreign laws, regulations and policies, either now existing or that may be adopted in the future, may apply to the business of the Company and may subject the Company to significant liability, significantly limit growth in Internet usage, prevent the Company from offering certain Internet products or services, or otherwise have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. These laws, regulations and policies may apply to matters such as, but not limited to, copyright, trademark, unfair competition, antitrust, property ownership, negligence, defamation, indecency, obscenity, personal privacy, trade secrecy, encryption, taxation and patents. Moreover, the applicability to the Internet and other online services of existing laws in various jurisdictions governing issues such as property ownership, sales and other taxes, libel and personal privacy is uncertain and may take years to resolve. Any such new legislation or regulation, the application of laws and 58 regulations from jurisdictions whose laws do not currently apply to the Company's business, or the application of existing laws and regulations to the Internet and other online services could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. EMPLOYEES As of September 30, 1998, the Company had 48 employees. None of the Company's employees is represented by a labor union, and the Company considers its employee relations to be good. Competition for qualified personnel in the Company's industry is intense, particularly among software development and other technical staff. The Company believes that its future success will depend in part on its continued ability to attract, hire and retain qualified personnel. See "Risk Factors--Management of Growth; New Management Team; Limited Senior Management Resources" and "--Dependence on Key Personnel; Need for Additional Personnel." FACILITIES The Company's principal administrative, engineering, marketing and sales facilities total approximately 14,850 square feet and are located in Redmond, Washington. Under the current lease, which commenced on July 13, 1998, and expires on August 31, 2003, the Company pays a monthly base rent of $17,670 during the first three years of the lease and $19,678 during the final two years of the lease. The Company has both the right to extend the term of this lease for an additional 60 months and the right of first opportunity on adjacent expansion space. The Company also maintains a sales office housed in an approximately 630-square-foot space in Sausalito, California under a lease that expires on February 14, 1999 with a monthly base rent of $1,489. Under the lease at its former location in Redmond, the Company paid an aggregate rent of $28,840 for the first seven months of 1998 and an aggregate rent of $49,440 during 1997. The Company does not own any real estate. Substantially all of the Company's computer and communications hardware is located at the Company's facilities in Redmond, Washington and the Company also leases redundant network facilities at two locations in Seattle, Washington under agreements that expire in June 1999 and July 2001. The Company intends to install additional hardware and high-speed Internet connections at a location outside the West Coast and in the United Kingdom to support the Company's joint venture, TDL InfoSpace. The Company's systems and operations at these locations are vulnerable to damage or interruption from fire, flood, power loss, telecommunications failure, break-ins, earthquake and similar events. While the Company maintains redundant systems, it does not maintain a formal disaster recovery plan and does not carry sufficient business interruption insurance to compensate it for losses that may occur. Despite the implementation of network security measures by the Company, its servers are vulnerable to computer viruses, physical or electronic break-ins and similar disruptions, which could lead to interruptions, delays, loss of data or the inability to accept and fulfill customer queries of the Company's database, although the proprietary, customized nature of its software helps to reduce the risks posed by computer viruses and electronic break-ins. The occurrence of any of the foregoing risks could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations. See "Risk Factors--Risk of System Failures, Delays and Inadequacies." LEGAL PROCEEDINGS From time to time the Company has been, and expects to continue to be, subject to legal proceedings and claims in the ordinary course of its business, including claims of alleged infringement of third-party trademarks and other intellectual property rights by the Company. Such claims, even if not meritorious, could require the expenditure of significant financial and managerial resources. On April 15, 1998, a former employee of the Company filed a complaint in the Superior Court for Santa Clara County, California alleging, among other things, that he has the right in connection with his employment to purchase shares of Common Stock representing up to 5% of the equity of the Company as of an unspecified date. In addition, the former employee is also seeking compensatory damages, plus interest, punitive damages, 59 emotional distress damages and injunctive relief preventing any capital reorganization or sale that would cause the plaintiff not to be a 5% owner of the equity of the Company. The Company removed the suit to the Federal District Court for the District of Northern California. The Company has answered the complaint and denied the claims. Nevertheless, while the Company believes its defenses to the former employee's claims are meritorious, litigation is inherently uncertain, and there can be no assurance that the Company will prevail in the suit. The Company has accrued a liability of $240,000 for estimated settlement costs. To the extent the Company is required to issue shares of Common Stock or options to purchase Common Stock as a result of the suit, the Company would recognize an expense equal to the number of shares issued multiplied by the fair value of the Common Stock on the date of issuance, less the exercise price of any options required to be issued, to the extent that this amount exceeds the expense already accrued. This could have a material adverse effect on the Company's results of operations, and any such issuance would be dilutive to existing stockholders, the impact of which may be mitigated to the extent it is offset by shares of Common Stock in the escrow account described below. The exercise price of any options which the Company may be required to issue as a result of the suit is unknown, but could be as low as $0.01 per share. See Note 5 of the Company's Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. On December 14, 1998, the Company received a copy of a complaint on behalf of an alleged former employee ostensibly filed in Superior Court for Suffolk County in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts alleging that he was terminated without cause and that he entered into an agreement with the Company which entitles him to an option to purchase 2,000,000 shares of Common Stock or 10% of the Company. The complaint alleges breach of contract, breach of the covenant of good faith, breach of fiduciary duty, misrepresentation, promissory estoppel, intentional interference with contractual relations and unfair and deceptive acts and practices, seeking specific performance of the alleged agreement for 10% of the stock of the Company, damages equal to the value of 10% of the stock of the Company, punitive damages and attorneys' fees and costs and treble damages under the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act (Mass. G.L. Chapter 93A). (The Company believes the alleged former employee's claims do not reflect the one-for-two reverse stock split of the Common Stock consummated in August 1998.) The Company is currently investigating the claims and believes it has meritorious defenses to such claims. Nevertheless, litigation is inherently uncertain and, should litigation ensue, there can be no assurance that the Company would prevail in such a suit. To the extent the Company is required to issue shares of Common Stock or options to purchase Common Stock as a result of the claims, the Company would recognize an expense equal to the number of shares issued multiplied by the fair value of the Common Stock on the date of issuance, less the exercise price of any options required to be issued. This could have a material adverse effect on the Company's results of operations, and any such issuances would be dilutive to existing stockholders, the impact of which may be mitigated to the extent it is offset by shares of Common Stock in the escrow account described below. The Company had discussions with a number of individuals in the past regarding employment by the Company and also hired and subsequently terminated a number of individuals as employees or consultants. Furthermore, primarily at the Company's early stage of development, the Company's procedures with respect to the manner of granting options to new employees were not clearly documented. As a result of these factors, and in light of the receipt of the above claims, there can be no assurance that the Company will not receive similar claims in the future from one or more individuals asserting rights to acquire Common Stock or to receive cash compensation. The Company cannot predict whether such claims will be made or the ultimate resolution of any such claim. Naveen Jain, the Company's Chief Executive Officer, has agreed to place into escrow 1,000,000 shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by him to indemnify the Company and its directors for a period of five years for certain known and contingent liabilities relating to events prior to September 30, 1998. Satisfaction of such liabilities through the issuance of escrowed shares could result in the recognition of future expenses, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company's results of operations. 60 MANAGEMENT EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS The following table sets forth certain information with respect to the executive officers and directors of the Company:
NAME AGE POSITION - ---- --- -------- Naveen Jain.................. 39 Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board Bernee D. L. Strom........... 51 President, Chief Operating Officer and Director Ellen B. Alben............... 36 Vice President, Legal and Business Affairs and Secretary Douglas A. Bevis............. 53 Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Tammy D. Halstead............ 35 Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer John E. Cunningham, IV (1)... 41 Director Peter L. S. Currie (2)....... 42 Director Gary C. List (1)(2).......... 47 Director Rufus W. Lumry, III.......... 51 Director Carl Stork................... 38 Director
- --------------------- (1) Member of Compensation Committee (2) Member of Audit Committee Naveen Jain founded the Company in March 1996. Mr. Jain has served as the Company's Chief Executive Officer since its inception, as its President since its inception to November 1998 and as its sole director from its inception to June 1998, when he was appointed Chairman of the Board upon the Board's expansion to five directors. From June 1989 to March 1996, Mr. Jain held various positions at Microsoft Corporation, including Group Manager for MSN, Microsoft's online service. From 1987 to 1989, Mr. Jain served as Software Development Manager for Tandon Computer Corporation, a PC manufacturing company. From 1985 to 1987, Mr. Jain served as Software Manager for UniLogic, Inc., a PC manufacturing company and from 1982 to 1985, he served as Product Manager and Software Engineer at Unisys Corporation/Convergent Technologies, a computer manufacturing company. Mr. Jain holds a B.S. from the University of Roorkee and an M.B.A. from St. Xavier's School of Management. Bernee D. L. Strom joined the Company in November 1998 as President and Chief Operating Officer and became a director of the Company in December 1998. Since 1990, Ms. Strom served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Strom Group, a venture investment and business advisory firm specializing in high technology. From April 1995 through June 1997, Ms. Strom served as President and Chief Executive Officer of USA Digital Radio, LP, a partnership of Westinghouse Electric Corporation and Gannett Co., Inc. that develops technology for AM and FM digital radio broadcasting. From 1990 through 1994, she was President and Chief Executive Officer of MBS Technologies, Inc., a software company. Ms. Strom was a founder of Gemstar Development Corporation, which developed the VCRPlus+(R) Instant Programmer, and served as its Vice President from its founding in 1989 to 1993. Ms. Strom serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Polaroid Corporation, Krug International Corporation, MilleCom, an Internet-based communications company, Walker Digital, an intellectual property studio, and Quantum Development, a software and services company. She is a trustee of the National Public Radio Foundation and a member of CIGNA's Telecommunications Board of Advisors. She also serves as a member of the Board of Advisors of the J. L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. Ms. Strom holds a B.S., M.A. and Ph.D. from New York University and an M.B.A. from the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA. Ellen B. Alben joined the Company in May 1998 as Vice President, Legal and Business Affairs and Secretary. From April 1997 to May 1998, she was a senior attorney with Perkins Coie LLP. From September 1996 to April 1997, Ms. Alben served as a consultant to Paragon Trade Brands, Inc. ("Paragon Trade Brands"), a private-label diaper manufacturer, and as special securities counsel to companies raising private financing. From September 1995 through June 1996, she served as Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Paragon Trade Brands. Paragon Trade Brands filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in January 1997. From July 1994 to September 1995, she served as Senior Associate Counsel 61 of The Hillhaven Corporation ("Hillhaven"), a nursing home provider, and from June 1993 to July 1994 she served as Associate Counsel of Hillhaven. Prior to joining Hillhaven, Ms. Alben practiced law with private law firms for seven years, specializing in corporate securities, finance, and mergers and acquisitions. She holds a B.A. from Duke University and a J.D. from Stanford Law School. Douglas A. Bevis joined the Company in August 1998 as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. From September 1996 until July 1998, he served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Apex PC Solutions, Inc. ("Apex"), a manufacturer of stand-alone switching systems and integrated server cabinet solutions for the client/server computing market, and served as Secretary of Apex from December 1996 to March 1998. From September 1990 to February 1996, Mr. Bevis was employed at CH2M HILL, Inc., a national environmental engineering consulting firm, where he served as Vice President and Treasurer from September 1990 to April 1993 and as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from April 1993 to February 1996. Mr. Bevis holds a B.A. from Beloit College, a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Minnesota and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration. Tammy D. Halstead joined the Company in July 1998 as Corporate Controller. In December 1998, she was appointed Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer. From March 1997 to June 1998, she worked at the Seattle office of USWeb Corporation, an Internet professional services firm, where she served as Director of Finance and Administration and later as Vice President, Finance and Administration. From April 1996 to March 1997, she was the Director of Finance and Administration at Cosmix, Inc., which was acquired by USWeb Corporation in March 1997. From December 1993 to February 1996, she served as Controller of ConnectSoft, Inc., a software development company. Prior to joining ConnectSoft, Inc., she spent eight years in private industry with a division of Gearbulk Ltd., an international shipping company, and in public accounting with Ernst & Whinney (now Ernst & Young LLP). She holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Idaho State University and is a licensed CPA. John E. Cunningham, IV has served as a director of the Company since July 1998. Since April 1995 he has served as President of Kellett Investment Corporation, an investment fund for later-stage, high-growth private companies. He is on the Board of Directors of Petra Capital, LLC. and Real Time Data ("Real Time Data"), a consolidator of the vending services industry utilizing proprietary wireless information systems. During 1997, Mr. Cunningham was interim Chief Executive Officer of Real Time Data. From December 1994 to August 1996, he was President of Pulson Communications, Inc. From February 1991 to November 1994, he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of RealCom Office Communications, a privately held telecommunications company that merged with MFS Communications Company, Inc., and was subsequently acquired by WorldCom, Inc. Mr. Cunningham holds a B.A. from Santa Clara University and an M.B.A. from the University of Virginia. Peter L. S. Currie has served as a director of the Company since July 1998. Mr. Currie is Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Netscape Communications Corporation, where he has held various management positions since April 1995. From April 1989 to April 1995, Mr. Currie held various management positions at McCaw Cellular Communications, Inc. ("McCaw Cellular"), including Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Corporate Development. Before joining McCaw Cellular, he was a Principal at Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated. Mr. Currie holds a B.A. from Williams College and an M.B.A. from Stanford University. Gary C. List has served as a director of the Company since July 1998. Since June 1997, Mr. List has served as Chief Executive of TDL Group Limited and Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of its primary subsidiary, Thomson Directories Limited, a print directory publishing company. From October 1987 to June 1997, Mr. List held various executive positions with US West, Inc., including President of US West International Information Services and Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of US West Marketing Resources Group. Rufus W. Lumry, III has served as a director of the Company since December 1998. Since 1992, Mr. Lumry has served as President of Acorn Ventures, Inc., a venture capital firm he founded. Prior to founding Acorn Ventures, Mr. Lumry served as a director and Chief Financial Officer of McCaw Cellular 62 Communications ("McCaw"). Mr. Lumry was one of the founders of McCaw in 1982, and retired from McCaw in 1990 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Lumry holds an A.B. from Harvard University and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration. Carl Stork has served as a director of the Company since September 1998. Since May 1997, Mr. Stork has been General Manager, Hardware Strategy and Business Development, at Microsoft Corporation. Mr. Stork has held various other management positions at Microsoft since 1981. Mr. Stork holds a B.S. from Harvard University and an M.B.A. from the University of Washington. BOARD OF DIRECTORS The Company's Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Restated Bylaws provide that the Board of Directors shall be composed of not less than five or more than nine directors, with the specific number to be set by resolution of the Board. The Company currently has five directors. At the first election of directors following this offering, the Board of Directors will be divided into three classes, with each class to be as equal in number as possible. Each Class 1 director will be elected to serve until the next ensuing annual meeting of stockholders, each Class 2 director will be elected to serve until the second ensuing annual meeting of stockholders and each Class 3 director will be elected to serve until the third ensuing annual meeting of stockholders. Thereafter, each newly elected director will serve for a term ending at the third annual meeting of stockholders following such election. All directors hold office until the annual meeting of stockholders at which their terms expire and their successors are elected and qualified. Directors may be removed by stockholders only for cause. COMMITTEES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS The Compensation Committee consists of Messrs. List and Cunningham. The Compensation Committee reviews and approves the compensation and benefits for the Company's executive officers, administers the Company's 1996 Plan and makes recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding such matters. The Audit Committee consists of Messrs. Currie and List. Among other functions, the Audit Committee makes recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding the selection of independent auditors, reviews the results and scope of the audit and other services provided by the Company's independent auditors, reviews the Company's balance sheet, statement of operations and cash flows and reviews and evaluates the Company's internal control functions. COMPENSATION COMMITTEE INTERLOCKS AND INSIDER PARTICIPATION The Compensation Committee currently consists of Messrs. List and Cunningham. No member of the Board of Directors or of the Compensation Committee serves as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving as a member of the Company's Board of Directors or Compensation Committee. DIRECTOR COMPENSATION Directors of the Company are paid $750 for each Board of Directors meeting attended in person, $500 for each Board of Directors meeting attended by telephone and $500 for each committee meeting attended. The Company also reimburses directors for travel expenses incurred to attend meetings of the Board of Directors or committee meetings. Directors of the Company are eligible to participate in the 1996 Plan and the ESPP. See "--Benefit Plans-- Stock Option Program for Nonemployee Directors." LIMITATION OF LIABILITY AND INDEMNIFICATION MATTERS The Company's Restated Certificate of Incorporation limits the liability of directors to the full extent permitted by Delaware law. Delaware law provides that a corporation's certificate of incorporation may contain a provision eliminating or limiting the personal liability of directors for monetary damages for breach 63 of their fiduciary duties as directors, except for liability (i) for any breach of their duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) for unlawful payments of dividends or unlawful stock repurchases or redemptions as provided in Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the "DGCL"), or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. The Company's Restated Bylaws provide that the Company shall indemnify its directors and officers and may indemnify its employees and agents to the full extent permitted by law. The Company believes that indemnification under its Restated Bylaws covers at least negligence and gross negligence on the part of indemnified parties. The Company has entered into agreements to indemnify its directors and executive officers. These agreements, among other things, indemnify the Company's directors and officers for certain expenses (including attorneys' fees), judgments, fines and settlement amounts incurred by such persons in any action or proceeding, including any action by or in the right of the Company, arising out of such person's services as a director or officer of the Company, any subsidiary of the Company or any other company or enterprise to which the person provides services at the request of the Company. The Company believes that these agreements are necessary to attract and retain qualified directors and officers. On December 11, 1998, Naveen Jain, the Company's Chief Executive Officer, the Company and all of the Company's current and future directors entered into an Indemnification Agreement whereby Mr. Jain agreed to place 1,000,000 shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by him in an escrow account to indemnify the Company and its directors for certain known and unknown liabilities that may have arisen prior to September 30, 1998. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION No executive officer of the Company earned more than $100,000 in salary and bonus from the Company in the fiscal year ended December 31, 1997. Naveen Jain, the Company's Chief Executive Officer, received no salary or compensation from the Company for his services from the time of the Company's inception to July 1998. Beginning July 1998, Mr. Jain will receive an annual salary of $125,000. Mr. Jain does not currently hold options to purchase capital stock of the Company. EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT Pursuant to an employment agreement with Bernee D. L. Strom, the Company's President and Chief Operating Officer, the Company has agreed to provide Ms. Strom with (i) an annual salary of $250,000, (ii) insurance and other employee benefits, (iii) options to purchase 500,000 shares of Common Stock which vest over a period of four years and (iv) options to purchase an additional 250,000 shares of Common Stock which vest on the sixth anniversary of Ms. Strom's start date or earlier if specified revenue and net income criteria are met. In addition, the agreement contains a severance arrangement whereby Ms. Strom is entitled to receive a payment equal to one year of her base salary and benefits in the event the Company terminates her employment for any reason other than for cause. BENEFIT PLANS Restated 1996 Flexible Stock Incentive Plan The Company adopted the Restated 1996 Flexible Stock Incentive Plan in 1996. The purpose of the 1996 Plan is to provide an opportunity for employees, officers, directors, independent contractors and consultants of the Company to acquire Common Stock of the Company. The 1996 Plan provides for grants of stock options, stock appreciation rights ("SARs") and stock awards. An aggregate of 3,000,000 shares of Common Stock have been authorized for issuance under the 1996 Plan. As of September 30, 1998, options to purchase 1,494,425 shares of Common Stock were outstanding under the 1996 Plan, with exercise prices ranging from $.02 to $12.00 per share and options to purchase 1,505,450 shares were available for future grant. 64 Stock Option Grants. The Board or the Compensation Committee (the "Plan Administrator") has the authority to select individuals who are to receive options under the 1996 Plan and the terms and conditions of each option so granted, including the type of option granted (incentive or nonqualified), the exercise price (which must be at least equal to the fair market value of the Common Stock on the date of grant with respect to incentive stock options), vesting provisions and the option term. Stock Appreciation Rights. The Plan Administrator may grant SARs to selected individuals separately or in tandem with a stock option award. An SAR is an incentive award that permits the holder to receive, for each share covered by the SAR, an amount equal to the amount by which the fair market value of a share of Common Stock on the date of exercise exceeds the exercise price of such share. The SAR may contain such terms, provisions and conditions not inconsistent with the 1996 Plan as may be established by the Plan Administrator. Stock Awards. The Plan Administrator is authorized under the 1996 Plan to issue shares of Common Stock to eligible individuals on such terms and conditions and subject to such restrictions, if any, as the Plan Administrator may determine. Adjustments. Proportional adjustments to the aggregate number of shares issuable under the 1996 Plan and to outstanding awards are made for stock splits and other capital adjustments. Corporate Transactions. In the event of certain Corporate Transactions (as defined below), each outstanding option, SAR or stock award that would otherwise vest within twelve months from the effective date of the Corporate Transaction will vest and become exercisable, or nonforfeitable, as applicable, immediately prior to the effective date of the Corporate Transaction. The remainder of each outstanding option, SAR or stock award will terminate and any restricted stock will be reconveyed to or repurchased by the Company prior to the effective date of the Corporate Transaction. However, acceleration, termination or repurchase of any option, SAR or stock award will not occur if such award is, in connection with the Corporate Transaction, to be assumed by the successor corporation or parent thereof. "Corporate Transaction," as defined in the 1996 Plan, includes (i) a merger or consolidation in which the Company is not the surviving entity (other than a transaction to change the state of the Company's incorporation or a transaction in which holders of the Company's outstanding securities immediately before such transaction own more than 50% of the voting power of the entity following such transaction); (ii) the disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company (other than a disposition in which stockholders immediately before such transaction own more than 50% of the total voting power of the purchaser or other transferee following such transaction); and (iii) certain reverse mergers in which the Company is the surviving entity but the Company's stockholders immediately prior to such merger do not hold more than 50% of the total voting power of the Company immediately following such merger. Stock Option Program for Nonemployee Directors Under the 1996 Plan, the Company grants a nonqualified stock option to purchase 10,000 shares of Common Stock to each nonemployee director on the date the director is first appointed or elected to the Board of Directors. Nonemployee directors serving at the time of the adoption of the program each received an option to purchase 1,250 shares of Common Stock. On November 19, 1998, each nonemployee director received a supplemental option to purchase 10,000 shares of Common Stock. Commencing with the Company's 1999 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, the Company will grant to each nonemployee director an additional nonqualified stock option to purchase 2,500 shares of Common Stock immediately following such Annual Meeting of Stockholders, except for those nonemployee directors who were elected to the Board of Directors at such Annual Meeting of Stockholders or within the three-month period prior to such Annual Meeting of Stockholders. All options granted under the program for nonemployee directors fully vest on the first anniversary of the date of such grant. 65 1998 Employee Stock Purchase Plan The Company adopted the 1998 Employee Stock Purchase Plan in August 1998. The ESPP will be implemented upon the effectiveness of this offering. The ESPP is intended to qualify under Section 423 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and permits eligible employees of the Company and its subsidiaries to purchase Common Stock through payroll deductions of up to 15% of their compensation. Under the ESPP, no employee may purchase Common Stock worth more than $25,000 in any calendar year, valued as of the first day of each offering period. In addition, owners of 5% or more of the Company's or a subsidiary's Common Stock may not participate in the ESPP. An aggregate of 450,000 shares of Common Stock are authorized for issuance under the ESPP. The ESPP will be implemented with six-month offering periods, the first such period to commence upon the effectiveness of this offering. Thereafter, offering periods will begin on each January 1 and July 1. The price of Common Stock purchased under the ESPP will be the lesser of 85% of the fair market value on the first day of an offering period and 85% of the fair market value on the last day of an offering period, except that the purchase price for the first offering period will be equal to the lesser of 100% of the initial public offering price of the Common Stock offered hereby and 85% of the fair market value on December 31, 1998. The ESPP does not have a fixed expiration date, but may be terminated by the Company's Board of Directors at any time. No shares of Common Stock have been issued under the ESPP. In the event of a merger, consolidation, or acquisition by another corporation of all or substantially all of the Company's assets, or the liquidation or dissolution of the Company, the last day of an offering period on which a participant may purchase stock will be the business day immediately preceding the effective date of such event, unless the plan administrator provides for the assumption or substitution of the outstanding purchase rights. 66 CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS On April 10, 1996, Naveen Jain purchased 10,000,000 shares of Common Stock for an aggregate price of $2,000. In April 1996, Mr. Jain made an interest- free loan to the Company in the amount of $150,000, which has been fully repaid by the Company. On April 10, 1996, the Company granted an option to purchase 250,000 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $0.02 per share to Anuradha Jain, Mr. Jain's wife, in connection with her employment as the Company's Director of Human Resources, and granted an option to purchase 150,000 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $0.02 per share to Punam Agrawal, Mr. Jain's sister-in-law, in connection with her employment as the Company's Director of Marketing. In a private placement with other investors on May 21, 1998, the Company sold 25,000 shares of Common Stock at $4.00 per share to Siddarth Agrawal, Mr. Jain's brother-in-law, and 100,000 shares of Common Stock to TEOCO Corporation at $4.00 per share. Atul Jain, Mr. Jain's brother, is President of TEOCO Corporation. On May 21, 1998, the Company sold shares of Common Stock in a private placement transaction as follows (the "May 1998 Stock Purchase"): 937,500 shares of Common Stock at $4.00 per share and warrants to purchase up to 1,688,729 shares of Common Stock at a weighted average exercise price of $5.87 per share to Acorn Ventures-IS, LLC ("Acorn Ventures"); 156,250 shares of Common Stock at $4.00 per share and warrants to purchase up to 230,281 shares of Common Stock at a weighted average exercise price of $5.87 per share to Kellett Partners, LLP ("Kellett Partners"); and 31,250 shares of Common Stock at $4.00 per share and warrants to purchase up to 76,762 shares of Common Stock at a weighted average exercise price of $5.87 per share to John and Carolyn Cunningham. Rufus W. Lumry, III, a director of the Company, is the principal stockholder, sole director and President of Acorn Ventures, Inc., the sole member of Acorn Ventures. John E. Cunningham, IV, a director of the Company, is President of Kellett Investment Corporation, an affiliate of Kellett Partners. Mr. Cunningham disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares held by Kellett Partners. Carolyn Cunningham is John Cunningham's spouse. Pursuant to the terms of the May 1998 Stock Purchase, on August 6, 1998, the Company issued Common Stock and warrants to purchase Common Stock in exchange for the termination of certain anti-dilution rights as follows: 16,680 shares of Common Stock and warrants to purchase up to 30,047 shares of Common Stock at a weighted average exercise price of $5.87 to Acorn Ventures; 2,427 shares of Common Stock and warrants to purchase up to 3,578 shares of Common Stock at a weighted average exercise price of $5.87 to Kellett Partners; and 482 shares of Common Stock and warrants to purchase up to 1,186 shares of Common Stock at a weighted average exercise price of $5.87 to John and Carolyn Cunningham. Acorn Ventures, Kellett Partners and John and Carolyn Cunningham are entitled to certain registration rights with respect to the shares of Common Stock and the Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants purchased in the private placement. See "Description of Capital Stock--Registration Rights." On May 21, 1998, the Company entered into Consulting Agreements with Acorn Ventures, John E. Cunningham, IV and Kellett Partners, pursuant to which the Company is required to pay reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with such persons' services as consultants. In addition, the Company has entered into agreements to indemnify Acorn Ventures, John E. Cunningham, IV and Kellett Partners against expenses (including attorneys' fees), judgments, fines and settlement amounts incurred by such persons in any action or proceeding in which such persons are parties or participants arising out of such persons' services as consultants. These consulting services include assistance in defining the Company's business strategy, identifying and meeting with sources of financing and assisting the Company in structuring and negotiating such financings. The Consulting Agreements have terms of five years and are terminable by either party upon breach of the Consulting Agreement by the other party or on 30 days' notice. Other than the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses, there is no other cash compensation under the Consulting Agreements. In July 1998, the Company sold 25,000 shares of Common Stock at $8.00 per share in a private placement transaction to the Bevis Family Trust. Douglas A. Bevis, the Company's Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, is Trustee of the Bevis Family Trust and is a beneficiary of the Bevis Family Trust, along with his four siblings. Mr. Bevis disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares except as to the extent of his 67 proportionate interest in the trust. In addition, in July 1998, the Company sold 80,000 shares of Common Stock at $7.50 per share to Mr. Bevis pursuant to the Company's 1998 Stock Purchase Rights Plan. In July 1998, the Company sold 12,500 shares of Common Stock at $8.00 per share to Steven Brady in a private placement with other investors. Mr. Brady is the brother of Ellen B. Alben, the Company's Vice President, Legal and Business Affairs and Secretary. Thomson Directories Limited entered into a joint venture agreement with the Company in July 1998. Gary C. List, a director of the Company, is Chief Executive Officer of Thomson and a beneficial shareholder and the Chief Executive Officer of TDL Group Limited, the holding company of Thomson. The Company sold Mr. List 12,500 shares of Common Stock at $8.00 per share in a private placement with other investors in July 1998. On August 6, 1998, the Company sold shares of Common Stock in a private placement as follows: 62,500 shares at $8.00 per share to Acorn Ventures; 140,625 shares at $8.00 per share to Kellett Partners; and 15,625 shares at $8.00 per share to John and Carolyn Cunningham. John E. Cunningham, IV, a director of the Company, is President of Kellett Investment Corporation, an affiliate of Kellett Partners. Mr. Cunningham disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares held by Kellett Partners. Acorn Ventures, Kellett Partners and John and Carolyn Cunningham are entitled to certain registration rights with respect to the shares purchased in the private placement. See "Description of Capital Stock--Registration Rights." The Company believes that all the transactions set forth above were made on terms no less favorable to the Company than could have been obtained from unaffiliated third parties. Any future transactions, including loans, between the Company and its officers, directors and principal stockholders and their affiliates will be approved by a majority of the Board of Directors, including a majority of the independent and disinterested directors, and will be on terms no less favorable to the Company than could be obtained from unaffiliated third parties. The Company has entered into indemnification agreements with each of its executive officers and directors. See "Management--Limitation of Liability and Indemnification Matters." The Company has entered into an employment agreement with Bernee D. L. Strom, the Company's President and Chief Operating Officer. See "Management-- Employment Agreement." On December 11, 1998, Naveen Jain, the Company, and all the Company's current and future directors entered into an Indemnification Agreement. See "Management--Limitation of Liability and Indemnification Matters." 68 PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS The following table sets forth certain information with respect to the beneficial ownership of the Company's outstanding Common Stock as of September 30, 1998 and as adjusted to reflect the sale of the 5,000,000 shares of Common Stock offered hereby for (i) each person or entity known by the Company to beneficially own more than 5% of the Common Stock, (ii) each director of the Company, (iii) the Company's Chief Executive Officer, and (iv) all of the Company's directors and executive officers as a group. Except as otherwise indicated, the Company believes that the beneficial owners of the Common Stock listed below, based on information furnished by such owners, have sole voting and investment power with respect to such shares.
PERCENTAGE OF SHARES OUTSTANDING ---------------------- NUMBER OF SHARES PRIOR TO AFTER NAME OF BENEFICIAL OWNER BENEFICIALLY OWNED (1) OFFERING OFFERING - ------------------------ ---------------------- --------- --------- Naveen Jain (2).............. 10,128,124 66.3% 49.9% c/o InfoSpace.com, Inc. 15375 N.E. 90th Street Redmond, WA 98052 Acorn Ventures-IS, LLC (3)... 2,735,456 16.2 12.5 1309 114th Avenue S.E. Suite 200 Bellevue, WA 98004 Rufus W. Lumry, III (3)...... 2,735,456 16.2 12.5 John E. Cunningham, IV (4)... 658,466 4.3 3.2 Gary C. List................. 12,500 * * Peter L. S. Currie........... -- -- -- Carl Stork................... -- -- -- Bernee D. L. Strom (5)....... 50,000 * * All directors and executive officers as a group (10 persons) (6)................ 13,689,546 78.9 61.2
- --------------------- * Less than 1% (1) Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission. In computing the number of shares beneficially owned by a person and the percentage ownership of that person, shares of Common Stock subject to options or warrants held by that person that are currently exercisable or will become exercisable within 60 days are deemed outstanding, while such shares are not deemed outstanding for purposes of computing the percentage ownership of any other person. Unless otherwise indicated in the footnotes below, the persons and entities named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares beneficially owned, subject to community property laws where applicable. (2) Represents 7,466,666 shares of Common Stock held in the name of Naveen and Anuradha Jain, 500,000 shares of Common Stock held by the Jain Family Irrevocable Trust, 1,000,000 shares of Common Stock held by Naveen Jain GRAT No. 1, 1,000,000 shares of Common Stock held by Anuradha Jain GRAT No. 1 and 161,458 shares subject to options exercisable by Anuradha Jain within 60 days of September 30, 1998. Anuradha Jain is Mr. Jain's spouse. Mr. Jain has placed 1,000,000 shares of Common Stock held by Naveen Jain GRAT No. 1 in escrow pursuant to an Indemnification Agreement dated as of December 11, 1998 by and among the Company and Naveen Jain. Mr. Jain retains voting control over those shares placed in escrow. See "Certain Transactions." (3) Includes 1,718,776 shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of warrants currently exercisable. Rufus W. Lumry, III is the principal stockholder, sole director and President of Acorn Ventures, Inc., the sole member of Acorn Ventures. (4) Includes 77,948 shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of warrants currently exercisable. Also includes 533,161 shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by Kellett Partners, LLP (consisting of 69 283,677 shares of Common Stock and 233,859 shares of Common Stock upon exercise of warrants currently exercisable held by Kellett Partners, LLP and 15,625 shares of Common Stock held by Clear Fir Partners, LP, an affiliate of Kellett Partners, LLP). Mr. Cunningham is President of Kellett Investment Corporation, an affiliate of Kellett Partners, LLP. Mr. Cunningham disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares beneficially held by Kellett Partners, LLP. (5) Includes 50,000 shares subject to options exercisable within 60 days of September 30, 1998. (6) Includes 2,242,041 shares subject to options and warrants exercisable within 60 days of September 30, 1998. 70 DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK The authorized capital stock of the Company consists of 50,000,000 shares of Common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share, and 15,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock, $0.0001 par value per share. The following summary of certain provisions of the Common Stock and Preferred Stock does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, the provisions of the Company's Restated Certificate of Incorporation, which is included as an exhibit to the Registration Statement of which this Prospectus is a part, and by the provisions of applicable law. COMMON STOCK As of September 30, 1998, there were 15,116,012 shares of Common Stock outstanding held of record by approximately 96 stockholders. There will be 20,116,012 shares of Common Stock outstanding (assuming no exercise of the Underwriters' over-allotment option and no exercise of outstanding options after September 30, 1998) after giving effect to the sale of Common Stock offered to the public hereby. The holders of Common Stock are entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders. There are no cumulative voting rights. Subject to preferences that may be applicable to any outstanding shares of Preferred Stock, the holders of Common Stock are entitled to receive ratably such dividends, if any, as may be declared by the Board of Directors out of funds legally available for the payment of dividends. In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, the holders of Common Stock are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining after payment of liabilities and liquidation preferences of any outstanding shares of Preferred Stock. Holders of Common Stock have no preemptive rights or rights to convert their Common Stock into any other securities. There are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the Common Stock. All outstanding shares of Common Stock are fully paid and nonassessable, and the shares of Common Stock to be issued upon completion of this offering will be fully paid and nonassessable. See "Risk Factors--Control by Principal Stockholder and His Family" and "Dividend Policy." PREFERRED STOCK There are no shares of Preferred Stock outstanding. Pursuant to the Company's Restated Certificate of Incorporation, the Board of Directors has the authority, without further action by the stockholders, to issue up to 15,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock in one or more series and to fix the designations, powers, preferences, privileges and relative, participating, optional or special rights and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, any or all of which may be greater than the rights of the Common Stock. The Board of Directors, without stockholder approval, can issue Preferred Stock with voting, conversion or other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of Common Stock. Preferred Stock could thus be issued quickly with terms calculated to delay or prevent a change of control of the Company or make removal of management more difficult. Additionally, the issuance of Preferred Stock may have the effect of decreasing the market price of the Common Stock, and may adversely affect the voting and other rights of the holders of Common Stock. The Company has no plans to issue any Preferred Stock. See "Risk Factors--Antitakeover Effect of Certain Charter Provisions and Applicable Law; Right of First Negotiation." WARRANTS As of September 30, 1998, there were outstanding warrants to purchase 3,531,719 shares of Common Stock. Five investors hold warrants to purchase an aggregate of 2,028,523 and 35,313 shares of Common Stock, which expire on May 21, 2008 and August 6, 2008, respectively, at a weighted average exercise price of $5.87 per share. One investor holds a warrant to purchase 477,967 shares at an exercise price of $0.02 per 71 share. This warrant expires on October 30, 2002. On August 24, 1998, in connection with the agreement relating to the Company's white pages directory services, the Company issued to AOL warrants to purchase up to 989,916 shares of Common Stock, which warrants vest in 16 equal quarterly installments over four years, based on the delivery by AOL of a minimum number of searches on the Company's white pages directory service, and have an exercise price of $12.00 per share. ANTITAKEOVER EFFECTS OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION AND WASHINGTON AND DELAWARE LAW; RIGHT OF FIRST NEGOTIATION As noted above, the Company's Board of Directors, without stockholder approval, has the authority under the Company's Restated Certificate of Incorporation to issue Preferred Stock with rights superior to the rights of the holders of Common Stock. As a result, Preferred Stock could be issued quickly and easily, could adversely affect the rights of holders of Common Stock and could be issued with terms calculated to delay or prevent a change of control of the Company or make removal of management more difficult. Election and Removal of Directors. Effective with the first annual meeting of stockholders following this offering, the Company's Restated Bylaws provide for the division of the Company's Board of Directors into three classes, as nearly equal in number as possible, with the directors in each class serving for a three-year term, and one class being elected each year by the Company's stockholders. See "Management--Board of Directors." Directors may be removed only for cause. This system of electing and removing directors may tend to discourage a third party from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of the Company and may maintain the incumbency of the Board of Directors, as it generally makes it more difficult for stockholders to replace a majority of directors. Approval for Certain Business Combinations. The Company's Restated Certificate of Incorporation requires that certain business combinations (including a merger, share exchange and the sale, lease, exchange, mortgage, pledge, transfer or other disposition or encumbrance of a substantial part of the Company's assets other than in the usual and regular course of business) be approved by the holders of not less than two-thirds of the outstanding shares, unless such business combination has been approved by a majority of the Board of Directors, in which case the affirmative vote required shall be a majority of the outstanding shares. Stockholder Meetings. Under the Company's Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Restated Bylaws, the stockholders may call a special meeting only upon the request of holders of at least 30% of the outstanding shares. Additionally, the Board of Directors, the Chairman of the Board and the President may call special meetings of stockholders. Requirements for Advance Notification of Stockholder Nominations and Proposals. The Company's Restated Bylaws establish advance notice procedures with respect to stockholder proposals and the nomination of candidates for election as directors, other than nominations made by or at the direction of the Board of Directors or a committee thereof. The laws of the Washington, where the Company's principal executive offices are located, impose restrictions on certain transactions between certain foreign corporations and significant stockholders. Chapter 23B.19 of the Washington Business Corporation Act (the "WBCA") prohibits a "Target Corporation," with certain exceptions, from engaging in certain "Significant Business Transactions" with a person or group of persons which beneficially owns 10% or more of the voting securities of the Target Corporation (an "Acquiring Person") for a period of five years after such acquisition, unless the transaction or acquisition of shares is approved by a majority of the members of the Target Corporation's board of directors prior to the time of acquisition. Such prohibited transactions include, among other things, a merger or consolidation with, disposition of assets to, or issuance or redemption of stock to or from, the Acquiring Person, termination of 5% or more of the employees of the Target Corporation as a result of the Acquiring Person's acquisition of 10% or more of the shares or allowing the Acquiring Person to receive any disproportionate benefit as a stockholder. After the five-year period, a Significant Business Transaction may take place as long as it complies 72 with certain fair price provisions of the statute or is approved at an annual or special meeting of stockholders. A Target Corporation includes a foreign corporation if (i) the corporation has a class of voting stock registered pursuant to Section 12 or 15 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (ii) the corporation's principal executive office is located in Washington, (iii) any of (a) more than 10% of the corporation's stockholders of record are Washington residents, (b) more than 10% of its shares of record are owned by Washington residents or (c) 1,000 or more of its stockholders of record are Washington residents, (iv) a majority of the corporation's employees are Washington residents or more than 1,000 Washington residents are employees of the corporation and (v) a majority of the corporation's tangible assets are located in Washington or the corporation has more than $50 million of tangible assets located in Washington. A corporation may not "opt out" of this statute. If the Company meets the definition of a Target Corporation, Chapter 23B.19 of the WBCA may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of the Company. The Company is subject to Section 203 of the DGCL ("Section 203"), which prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a "business combination" with an "interested stockholder" for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless (i) prior to such date, the board of directors of the corporation approves either the business combination or the transaction that resulted in the stockholder's becoming an interested stockholder, (ii) upon consummation of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder's becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owns at least 85% of the outstanding voting stock, excluding shares held by directors, officers and certain employee stock plans, or (iii) on or after the consummation date the business combination is approved by the board of directors and by the affirmative vote at an annual or special meeting of stockholders of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested stockholder. For purposes of Section 203, a "business combination" includes, among other things, a merger, asset sale or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder, and an "interested stockholder" is generally a person who, together with affiliates and associates of such person, (i) owns 15% or more of the corporation's voting stock or (ii) is an affiliate or associate of the corporation and was the owner of 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation at any time within the prior three years. Pursuant to certain agreements with AOL, if the Company receives an unsolicited proposal, or the Company determines to solicit proposals or otherwise enter into discussions that would result in a sale of a controlling interest in the Company or other merger, asset sale or other disposition that effectively results in a change of control of the Company (a "Disposition"), then the Company is required to give written notice to AOL, and AOL has seven days to provide notice to the Company of its desire to negotiate in good faith with the Company regarding a Disposition involving AOL. In the event that AOL timely delivers such a notice, then the Company will negotiate exclusively and in good faith with AOL regarding a Disposition for a period of 30 days from the date of delivery of the Company's initial notice to AOL, after which the Company will be free to negotiate a Disposition with other third parties if the Company and AOL cannot in good faith come to terms. If such a Disposition is not consummated within five months from the date of delivery of the Company's initial notice to AOL, the process described above will again apply. AOL's right of first negotiation could have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change of control of the Company. These charter provisions, provisions of Washington and Delaware law and AOL's right of first negotiation may have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change of control of the Company. REGISTRATION RIGHTS Pursuant to certain Investor Rights Agreements with the Company, dated as of May 21, 1998, three investors holding an aggregate of 1,144,589 shares of Common Stock and warrants to purchase 2,030,583 shares of Common Stock (the "Holders") are entitled to certain rights with respect to the registration of such shares under the Securities Act. If the Company proposes to register any of its securities under the Securities Act, either for its own account or for the account of other security holders, the Holders are entitled to notice of such registration and to include shares of Common Stock in such registration at the 73 Company's expense. Additionally, the Holders are entitled to certain demand registration rights pursuant to which they may require the Company to file a registration statement under the Securities Act at the Company's expense with respect to their shares of Common Stock, and the Company is required to use its commercially reasonable efforts to effect such registration. Further, the Holders may require the Company to file up to three additional registration statements on Form S-3 (and no more than two in any calendar year), with the Company bearing the expense for up to one such registration in any calendar year. All of these registration rights are subject to certain conditions and limitations, among them the right of the underwriters of an offering to limit the number of shares included in such registration. Pursuant to a Stockholder Rights Agreement with the Company, dated as of August 6, 1998, six investors holding an aggregate of 492,500 shares of Common Stock are entitled to notice of registration if the Company proposes to register any of its securities under the Securities Act, either for its own account or for the account of other security holders, and are entitled to include shares of Common Stock in such registration at the Company's expense. These registration rights are subject to certain conditions and limitations, among them the right of the underwriters of an offering to limit the number of shares included in such registration. In connection with the acquisition of all the outstanding membership units of YPI, the former members of YPI holding an aggregate of 85,000 shares of Common Stock may require the Company to file additional registration statements on Form S-3 at the expense of those stockholders requesting such registration. AOL, which holds a warrant to purchase 989,916 shares of Common Stock, is entitled to notice of registration if the Company proposes to register any of its securities under the Securities Act, either for its own account or for the account of other security holders, and is entitled to include shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of such warrant in such registration at the Company's expense. Further, AOL may require the Company to file up to four additional registration statements on Form S-3, with the Company bearing the expense for such registrations. These registration rights are subject to certain conditions and limitations, among them the right of the underwriters of an offering to limit the number of shares included in such registration. TRANSFER AGENT AND REGISTRAR The transfer agent and registrar for the Common Stock is ChaseMellon Shareholder Services, Seattle, Washington. NASDAQ NATIONAL MARKET LISTING The Common Stock has been approved for listing on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol "INSP." 74 SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for the Common Stock of the Company and there can be no assurance that a significant public market for the Common Stock will be developed or be sustained after this offering. Sales of substantial amounts of Common Stock in the public market after this offering, or the possibility of such sales occurring, could adversely affect prevailing market prices for the Common Stock or the future ability of the Company to raise capital through an offering of equity securities. After this offering, the Company will have outstanding an aggregate of 20,116,012 shares of Common Stock. Of these shares, the 5,000,000 shares offered hereby will be freely tradable in the public market without restriction under the Securities Act, unless such shares are held by "affiliates" of the Company, as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act. The remaining 15,116,012 shares of Common Stock outstanding upon completion of this offering will be "restricted securities," as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act (the "Restricted Shares"). The Restricted Shares were issued and sold by the Company in private transactions in reliance upon exemptions from registration under the Securities Act. Restricted Shares may be sold in the public market only if they are registered or if they qualify for an exemption from registration, such as Rule 144 or 701 under the Securities Act, which are summarized below. Pursuant to certain "lock-up" agreements, all the executive officers, directors and certain stockholders and employees of the Company, who collectively hold an aggregate of approximately 15,057,288 Restricted Shares of the Company, have agreed not to offer, sell, contract to sell, grant any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of any such shares for a period of 180 days from the date of this Prospectus. Hambrecht & Quist LLC may, in its sole discretion and at any time without prior notice, release all or any portion of the Common Stock subject to these lock-up agreements. Hambrecht & Quist LLC currently has no plans to release any portion of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements. When determining whether or not to release shares from the lock-up agreements, Hambrecht & Quist LLC will consider, among other factors, market conditions at the time, the number of shares proposed to be released or for which the release is being requested and a stockholder's reasons for requesting the release. The Company has also entered into an agreement with Hambrecht & Quist LLC that the Company will not offer, sell or otherwise dispose of Common Stock for a period of 180 days from the date of this Prospectus. Taking into account the lock-up agreements, the number of shares that will be available for sale in the public market under the provisions of Rules 144, 144(k) and 701 will be as follows: (i) no shares will be eligible for sale as of the date of this Prospectus, (ii) approximately 308,724 shares may be saleable at various times between 90 and 180 days after the date of this Prospectus, (iii) approximately 14,012,918 shares will be eligible for sale 180 days after the date of this Prospectus upon the expiration of lock-up agreements with the Underwriters and (iv) approximately 1,044,370 shares will become eligible for sale thereafter at various times upon the expiration of their respective one-year holding periods. Following the expiration of such lock-up periods, certain shares issued upon exercise of options granted by the Company prior to the date of this Prospectus will also be available for sale in the public market pursuant to Rule 701 under the Securities Act. Rule 701 permits resales of such shares in reliance upon Rule 144 but without compliance with certain restrictions, including the holding period requirement, imposed under Rule 144. In general, under Rule 144 as in effect at the closing of this offering, beginning 90 days after the date of this Prospectus, a person (or persons whose shares of the Company are aggregated) who has beneficially owned Restricted Shares for at least one year (including the holding period of any prior owner who is not an affiliate of the Company) would be entitled to sell within any three-month period a number of shares that does not exceed the greater of (i) one percent of the then outstanding shares of Common Stock (approximately 201,160 shares immediately after this offering) or (ii) the average weekly trading volume of the Common Stock during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a Form 144 with respect to such 75 sale. Sales under Rule 144 are also subject to certain manner of sale and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about the Company. Under Rule 144(k), a person who is not deemed to have been an affiliate of the Company at any time during the 90 days preceding a sale and who has beneficially owned the shares proposed to be sold for at least two years (including the holding period of any prior owner who is not an affiliate of the Company) is entitled to sell such shares without complying with the manner of sale, public information, volume limitation or notice provisions of Rule 144. The Company intends to file after the effective date of this offering a Registration Statement on Form S-8 to register approximately 3,490,499 shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding stock options or reserved for issuance under the 1996 Plan and the ESPP. Such Registration Statement will become effective automatically upon filing. Shares issued under the foregoing plans, after the filing of a Registration Statement on Form S-8, may be sold in the open market, subject, in the case of certain holders, to the Rule 144 limitations applicable to affiliates, the above-referenced lock- up agreements and vesting restrictions imposed by the Company. Following this offering, the holders of an aggregate of 1,722,089 shares of outstanding Common Stock and up to 3,020,499 shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of warrants will, under certain circumstances, have rights to require the Company to register their shares for future sale. See "Description of Capital Stock--Registration Rights." 76 UNDERWRITING Subject to the terms and conditions of the Underwriting Agreement, the Underwriters named below, through their Representatives, Hambrecht & Quist LLC, NationsBanc Montgomery Securities LLC and Dain Rauscher Wessels, a division of Dain Rauscher Incorporated, have severally agreed to purchase from the Company the following respective number of shares of Common Stock:
NUMBER OF NAME SHARES ---- --------- Hambrecht & Quist LLC............................................ 1,631,250 NationsBanc Montgomery Securities LLC............................ 1,087,500 Dain Rauscher Wessels............................................ 906,250 Bear Stearns & Co. Inc. ......................................... 125,000 CIBC Oppenheimer Corp. .......................................... 125,000 Morgan Stanley Dean Witter....................................... 125,000 Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. ...................................... 125,000 S.G. Cowen Securities............................................ 125,000 Warburg Dillon Read LLC.......................................... 125,000 Allen & Company Incorporated..................................... 62,500 First Albany Corporation......................................... 62,500 Jefferies & Company Inc. ........................................ 62,500 Needham & Co. Inc. .............................................. 62,500 Pacific Crest Securities......................................... 62,500 Ragen MacKenzie Incorporated..................................... 62,500 SoundView Technology Group, Inc. ................................ 62,500 Sutro & Company Inc. ............................................ 62,500 C. E. Unterberg, Towbin.......................................... 62,500 Wedbush Morgan Securities........................................ 62,500 --------- Total............................................................ 5,000,000 =========
The Underwriting Agreement provides that the obligations of the Underwriters are subject to certain conditions precedent, including the absence of any material adverse change in the Company's business and the receipt of certain certificates, opinions and letters from the Company, its counsel and independent auditors. The nature of the Underwriters' obligation is such that they are committed to purchase all shares of Common Stock offered hereby if any of such shares are purchased. The Underwriters propose to offer the shares of Common Stock directly to the public at the initial public offering price set forth on the cover page of this Prospectus and to certain dealers at such price less a concession not in excess of $0.60 per share. The Underwriters may allow and such dealers may reallow a concession not in excess of $0.10 per share to certain other dealers. After the initial public offering of the shares, the offering price and other selling terms may be changed by the Representatives of the Underwriters. The Representatives have advised the Company that the Underwriters do not intend to confirm discretionary sales in excess of five percent of the shares of Common Stock offered hereby. The Company has granted to the Underwriters an option, exercisable no later than 30 days after the date of this Prospectus, to purchase up to 750,000 additional shares of Common Stock at the initial public offering price, less the underwriting discount, set forth on the cover page of this Prospectus. To the extent that the Underwriters exercise this option, each of the Underwriters will have a firm commitment to purchase approximately the same percentage thereof which the number of shares of Common Stock to be purchased by it shown in the above table bears to the total number of shares of Common Stock offered hereby. The Company will be obligated, pursuant to the option, to sell shares to the Underwriters to the extent the option is exercised. The Underwriters may exercise such option only to cover over-allotments made in connection with the sale of Common Stock offered hereby. 77 The offering of the shares is made for delivery when, as and if accepted by the Underwriters and subject to prior sale and to withdrawal, cancellation or modification of the offering without notice. The Underwriters reserve the right to reject an order for the purchase of shares in whole or in part. The Company has agreed to indemnify the Underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and to contribute to payments the Underwriters may be required to make in respect thereof. Certain stockholders of the Company, including all executive officers and directors, who own in the aggregate 15,057,288 shares of Common Stock have agreed that they will not, without the prior written consent of Hambrecht & Quist LLC, offer, sell, or otherwise dispose of any shares of Common Stock, options or warrants to acquire shares of Common Stock or securities exchangeable for or convertible into shares of Common Stock owned by them during the 180-day period following the date of this Prospectus. The Company has agreed that it will not, without the prior written consent of Hambrecht & Quist LLC, offer, sell or otherwise dispose of any shares of Common Stock, options or warrants to acquire shares of Common Stock or securities exchangeable for or convertible into shares of Common Stock during the 180-day period following the date of this Prospectus, except that the Company may issue shares upon the exercise of options granted prior to the date hereof, and may grant additional options under its stock option plans, provided that, without the prior written consent of Hambrecht & Quist LLC, such additional options shall not be exercisable during such period. Prior to the offering, there has been no public market for the Common Stock. The initial public offering price for the Common Stock was determined by negotiation among the Company and the Representatives. Among the factors considered in determining the initial public offering price were prevailing market and economic conditions, revenues and results of operations of the Company, market valuations of other companies engaged in activities similar to the Company, estimates of the business potential and prospects of the Company, the present state of the Company's business operations, the Company's management and other factors deemed relevant. Certain persons participating in this offering may over-allot or effect transactions which stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the market price of the Common Stock at levels above those which might otherwise prevail in the open market, including by entering stabilizing bids, effecting syndicate covering transactions or imposing penalty bids. A stabilizing bid means the placing of any bid or effecting of any purchase for the purpose of pegging, fixing or maintaining the price of the Common Stock. A syndicate covering transaction means the placing of any bid on behalf of the underwriting syndicate or the effecting of any purchase to reduce a short position created in connection with this offering. A penalty bid means an arrangement that permits the Underwriters to reclaim a selling concession from a syndicate member in connection with this offering when shares of Common Stock sold by the syndicate member are purchased in syndicate covering transactions. Such transactions may be effected on the Nasdaq Stock Market, in the over-the- counter market, or otherwise. Such stabilizing, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time. At the request of the Company, the Underwriters have reserved for sale, at the initial public offering price, not more than ten percent of the shares of Common Stock offered hereby (not including shares subject to the Underwriters' over-allotment option) for certain parties, including certain officers and directors of the Company, who have expressed an interest in purchasing such shares in this offering. The number of shares of Common Stock available for sale to the general public will be reduced to the extent that such persons purchase such reserved shares. Any reserved shares which are not so purchased will be offered by the Underwriters to the general public on the same basis as other shares offered hereby. In August 1998, H & Q InfoSpace Investors, LP and Hambrecht & Quist California purchased 175,000 and 75,000 shares of Common Stock, respectively, at $8.00 per share as part of an equity financing on the same terms pursuant to which all other participants in the financing purchased their shares. Certain of the interests of H & Q InfoSpace Investors, LP and Hambrecht & Quist California are beneficially owned by persons affiliated with Hambrecht & Quist LLC. 78 In August 1998, InfoSpace Investors General Partners purchased 23,750 shares of Common Stock at $8.00 per share as part of an equity financing on the same terms pursuant to which all other participants in the financing purchased their shares. All of such shares are beneficially owned by persons affiliated with NationsBanc Montgomery Securities LLC. In August 1998, Acorn Ventures purchased 62,500 shares of Common Stock at $8.00 per share as part of an equity financing on the same terms pursuant to which all other participants in the financing purchased their shares. See "Certain Transactions." LEGAL MATTERS Certain legal matters in connection with the issuance of the securities being offered hereby will be passed on for the Company by Perkins Coie LLP, Seattle, Washington. Certain legal matters in connection with this offering will be passed on for the Underwriters by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation, Palo Alto, California. EXPERTS The consolidated financial statements of InfoSpace.com, Inc. as of December 31, 1996, December 31, 1997 and September 30, 1998 and for the period from March 1, 1996 (date of inception) through December 31, 1996, the year ended December 31, 1997, and the nine-month period ended September 30, 1998, included in this Prospectus have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent auditors, as stated in their report appearing elsewhere herein, and have been so included in reliance upon the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing. The financial statements of Outpost Network, Inc. as of December 31, 1996 and December 31, 1997, and for the years then ended, included in this Prospectus have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent auditors, as stated in their report appearing elsewhere herein, and have been so included in reliance upon the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") a Registration Statement on Form S-1, of which this Prospectus is a part, under the Securities Act with respect to the shares of Common Stock offered hereby. This Prospectus omits certain information contained in the Registration Statement, and reference is made to the Registration Statement and the exhibits thereto for further information with respect to the Company and the Common Stock offered hereby. Statements contained herein concerning the provisions of any documents are not necessarily complete, and in each instance reference is made to the copy of such document filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. Each such statement is qualified in its entirety by such reference. The Registration Statement, including exhibits filed therewith, may be inspected without charge at the public reference facilities maintained by the Commission at Room 1024, Judiciary Plaza, 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549 and at the regional offices of the Commission located at 7 World Trade Center, Suite 1300, New York, New York 10048 and Citicorp Center, 500 West Madison Street, Suite 1400, Chicago, Illinois 60661. Copies of such materials may be obtained from the Public Reference Section of the Commission, Room 1024, Judiciary Plaza, 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549 at prescribed rates. The Commission maintains a Web site (http://www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding registrants, such as the Company, that file electronically with the Commission. Statements contained in this Prospectus as to the contents of any contract, agreement or other document referred to are not necessarily complete, and in each instance reference is made to the copy of such contract, agreement or other document filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, each such statement being qualified in all respects by such reference. The Company intends to furnish its stockholders with annual reports containing audited consolidated financial statements and an opinion thereon expressed by independent auditors and may furnish its stockholders with quarterly reports for the first three quarters of each fiscal year containing unaudited summary consolidated financial information. 79 INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
PAGE ---- UNAUDITED PRO FORMA COMBINED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS: Pro Forma Combined Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 1998....................................................... F-2 Pro Forma Combined Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Year Ended December 31, 1997........................................................ F-3 Notes to Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Consolidated Financial Statements... F-4 INFOSPACE.COM, INC.: Independent Auditors' Report.............................................. F-6 Consolidated Balance Sheets............................................... F-7 Consolidated Statements of Operations..................................... F-8 Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders' Equity................ F-9 Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows..................................... F-10 Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements................................ F-11 OUTPOST NETWORK, INC.: Independent Auditors' Report.............................................. F-26 Balance Sheets............................................................ F-27 Statements of Operations.................................................. F-28 Statements of Changes in Shareholders' Equity (Deficiency)................ F-29 Statements of Cash Flows.................................................. F-30 Notes to Financial Statements............................................. F-31
F-1 INFOSPACE.COM, INC. AND OUTPOST NETWORK, INC. PRO FORMA COMBINED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS FOR THE NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 1998 (UNAUDITED)
INFOSPACE.COM JANUARY 1, 1998- OUTPOST NETWORK SEPTEMBER 30, JANUARY 1, 1998- PRO FORMA PRO FORMA 1998 JUNE 2, 1998 ADJUSTMENTS COMBINED ---------------- ---------------- ----------- ----------- Revenues................ $ 5,373,860 $ 61,610 $(142,601)(1) $ 5,292,869 Cost of revenues........ 1,108,438 152,778 66,665 (2) 1,327,881 ----------- ----------- --------- ----------- Gross profit (loss)... 4,265,422 (91,168) (209,266) 3,964,988 Operating expenses: Product development.... 307,262 69,822 3,335 (3) 380,419 Sales and marketing.... 2,438,842 128,069 (107,601)(1) 2,459,310 General and administrative........ 2,383,713 733,383 343,600 (1),(4) 3,460,696 Write-off of in-process research and development........... 2,800,000 2,800,000 ----------- ----------- --------- ----------- Total operating expenses........... 7,929,817 931,274 239,334 9,100,425 Loss from operations.... (3,664,395) (1,022,442) (448,600) (5,135,437) Other income (expense), net.................... 76,633 (24,355) 52,278 ----------- ----------- --------- ----------- Net loss................ $(3,587,762) $(1,046,797) $(448,600) $(5,083,159) =========== =========== ========= =========== Basic and diluted net loss per share......... $ (0.28) $ (0.38) =========== =========== Shares used in computing basic and diluted net loss per share calculations........... 12,638,507 840,653 (5) 13,479,160 =========== ========= ===========
(1),(2),(3),(4),(5)refers to relevant notes in Note 4 to the Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Consolidated Financial Statements. See accompanying notes to the Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Consolidated Financial Statements. F-2 INFOSPACE.COM, INC. AND OUTPOST NETWORK, INC. PRO FORMA COMBINED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1997 (UNAUDITED)
OUTPOST PRO FORMA PRO FORMA INFOSPACE.COM NETWORK ADJUSTMENTS COMBINED ------------- ------------ ------------ ------------ Revenues................ $1,685,096 $ 293,963 $ (63,069)(1) $ 1,915,990 Cost of revenues........ 410,895 412,964 159,996 (2) 983,855 ---------- ------------ ------------ ------------ Gross profit (loss). 1,274,201 (119,001) (223,065) 932,135 Operating expenses: Product development... 212,677 356,218 8,004 (3) 576,899 Sales and marketing... 830,054 201,244 (63,069)(1) 968,229 General and administrative....... 681,456 921,391 908,640 (4) 2,511,487 ---------- ------------ ------------ ------------ Total operating expenses........... 1,724,187 1,478,853 853,575 4,056,615 Loss from operations.... (449,986) (1,597,854) (1,076,640) (3,124,480) Other income (expense), net.................... 21,296 (27,148) (5,852) ---------- ------------ ------------ ------------ Net loss................ $ (428,690) $ (1,625,002) $ (1,076,640) $ (3,130,332) ========== ============ ============ ============ Basic and diluted net loss per share......... $ (0.04) $ (0.25) ========== ============ Shares used in computing basic net loss per share calculations .... 10,941,490 1,499,988 (5) 12,441,478 ========== ============ ============ Shares used in computing diluted net loss per share calculations..... 10,998,157 1,499,988 12,498,145 ========== ============ ============
(1),(2),(3),(4),(5)refers to relevant notes in Note 4 to the Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Consolidated Financial Statements. See accompanying notes to the Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Consolidated Financial Statements. F-3 INFOSPACE.COM, INC. AND OUTPOST NETWORK, INC. NOTES TO UNAUDITED PRO FORMA COMBINED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 1. THE PERIODS COMBINED The InfoSpace.com, Inc. consolidated statements of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 1998 and the year ended December 31, 1997 have been combined with the Outpost Networks, Inc. statements of operations for the period from January 1, 1998 to June 2, 1998, and the year ended December 31, 1997, respectively, as if the Merger had occurred as of the beginning of each period presented under the purchase method of accounting. The results of Outpost Networks, Inc. for the period June 3, 1998 to September 30, 1998 have already been consolidated into the InfoSpace.com, Inc. consolidated statement of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 1998 as the Merger was effected on June 2, 1998. 2. PRO FORMA BASIS OF PRESENTATION These Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Consolidated Financial Statements are based on estimates and assumptions. The pro forma adjustments made in connection with the development of the pro forma information are preliminary and have been made solely for purposes of developing such pro forma information as necessary to comply with the disclosure requirements of the Securities Exchange Commission. The Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Consolidated Financial Statements do not purport to be indicative of the combined financial position or results of operations of future periods or indicative of the results of operations of future periods or indicative of the results that actually would have been realized had the entities been a single entity during these periods. The Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Consolidated Financial Statements as of December 31, 1997 reflect the issuance of 1,499,988 shares of InfoSpace.com, Inc. Common Stock in exchange for 34,972,768 shares of Outpost Networks, Inc. Common Stock outstanding as of June 2, 1998. These shares are already included as outstanding for the period June 3, 1998 to September 30, 1998 in the historical Consolidated Financial Statements of InfoSpace.com, Inc., as of September 30, 1998 as the Merger was effected on June 2, 1998. The pro forma adjustments reflect the additional shares that would be used in computing basic and diluted earnings per share as if the Merger had occurred at the beginning of the period. 3. PRO FORMA EARNINGS PER SHARE The Pro Forma Combined Consolidated Financial Statements for InfoSpace.com, Inc. have been prepared as if the Merger was completed at the beginning of the periods presented. The pro forma basic net loss per share is based on the combined weighted average number of shares of InfoSpace.com, Inc. Common Stock outstanding during the period and the number of InfoSpace.com, Inc. Common Stock to be issued in exchange as discussed in Note 2. The Pro Forma diluted loss per share is computed using the weighted average number of InfoSpace.com, Inc. Common Stock and dilutive common equivalent shares outstanding during the period and the number of shares of InfoSpace.com, Inc. Common Stock to be issued in exchange. Common equivalent shares consist of the incremental common shares issuable upon conversion of the exercise of stock options and warrants using the treasury stock method. Common equivalent shares are excluded from the computation if their effect is antidilutive. The combined Company had a pro forma net loss for all periods presented herein; therefore, none of the options and warrants outstanding during each of the periods presented were included in the computation of pro forma dilutive earnings per share as they were antidilutive. 4. PRO FORMA STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS ADJUSTMENTS The objective of the pro forma information is to show what the significant effects on the historical financial information might have been had the Companies been merged for the periods presented. F-4 INFOSPACE.COM, INC. AND OUTPOST NETWORK, INC. NOTES TO UNAUDITED PRO FORMA COMBINED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(CONTINUED) Accordingly, all intercompany transactions between the two entities have been included as eliminations in the pro forma adjustments column. Additionally, under the purchase method of accounting, the purchase price is allocated to the net assets acquired based upon their estimated fair value. The following represents the purchase price allocation for Outpost Networks, Inc.: Book value of net liabilities acquired...................... $ (191,000) Core technology............................................. 800,000 In-process research and development......................... 2,800,000 Assembled workforce......................................... 40,000 ---------- Fair value of net assets acquired........................... 3,449,000 ========== Cash paid................................................... 35,000 Fair value of shares issued................................. 6,000,000 Acquisition costs........................................... 1,957,000 ---------- Purchase price.............................................. 7,992,000 ========== Excess of purchase price over net assets acquired........... $4,543,000 ==========
Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the assets acquired. The goodwill will be capitalized and amortized over a period of five years. The core technology and assembled workforce will be capitalized and amortized over a period of five years. The Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Consolidated Statements of Operations reflect adjustments for such amortization. Amortization of the core technology is recorded as cost of revenues, the workforce is recorded as product development, and goodwill is recorded as general and administrative expense. Detail of the specific pro forma adjustments are as follows: (1) Pro Forma Adjustment represents the elimination of intercompany revenue and expense for the respective period. For the period from January 1, 1998 to June 2, 1998 intercompany revenue and expense was $142,601. For the year ended December 31, 1997, intercompany revenue and expense was $63,069. (2) Pro Forma Adjustment represents the amortization of core technology. For the period from January 1, 1998 to June 2, 1998, the expense would have been $66,665. For the year ended December 31, 1997, the expense would have been $159,996. (3) Pro Forma Adjustment represents the amortization of assembled workforce. For the period from January 1, 1998 to June 2, 1998, the expense would have been $3,335. For the year ended December 31, 1997, the expense would have been $8,004. (4) Pro Forma Adjustment represents the amortization of goodwill. For the period from January 1, 1998 to June 2, 1998, the expense would have been $378,600. For the year ended December 31, 1997, the expense would have been $908,640. (5) Pro Forma Adjustment represents the issuance of 1,499,988 shares of InfoSpace.com, Inc. Common Stock in exchange for 34,972,768 shares of Outpost Networks, Inc. Common Stock outstanding as of June 2, 1998. The pro forma adjustments reflect the additional shares that would be used in computing basic and diluted earnings per share as if the Merger had occurred at the beginning of each period. A portion of these shares are already included as outstanding for the period June 3, 1998 to June 30, 1998 in the historical Consolidated Financial Statements of InfoSpace.com, Inc., as of June 30, 1998 as the Merger was effected on June 2, 1998. F-5 INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' REPORT InfoSpace.com., Inc. Redmond, Washington We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of InfoSpace.com, Inc. and subsidiary (the Company) as of December 31, 1996 and 1997, and September 30, 1998, and the related consolidated statements of operations, changes in stockholders' equity, and cash flows for the period from March 1, 1996 (inception) to December 31, 1996, the year ended December 31, 1997, and the nine months ended September 30, 1998. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion. In our opinion, such consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of InfoSpace.com, Inc. and subsidiary as of December 31, 1996 and 1997, and September 30, 1998, and results of their operations and their cash flow for the period from March 1, 1996 (inception) to December 31, 1996, the year ended December 31, 1997, and the nine months ended September 30, 1998, in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles. DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP Seattle, Washington November 17, 1998 (December 14, 1998 as to Note 10) F-6 INFOSPACE.COM, INC. CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS DECEMBER 31, 1996 AND 1997, AND SEPTEMBER 30, 1998
DECEMBER 31, DECEMBER 31, SEPTEMBER 30, 1996 1997 1998 ------------ ------------ ------------- ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents............ $ 690,174 $ 324,415 $10,288,969 Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $-0-, $47,000 and $478,000, respectively.. 126,574 467,187 1,564,683 Receivable from joint venture........ 54,487 Inventory............................ 4,509 Prepaid trademark license............ 2,250,000 Prepaid expenses and other assets.... 59,334 121,573 1,203,785 ---------- ---------- ----------- Total current assets............... 876,082 913,175 15,366,433 Property and equipment, net............ 195,862 216,439 897,975 Prepaid carriage fees--long term portion............................... 234,727 Other assets--long term portion........ 36,346 Deferred offering costs................ 868,621 Intangible assets: Goodwill............................. 310,583 4,860,671 Purchased technology................. 800,000 Advertising contracts................ 85,417 85,417 Trademark............................ 290,000 Other................................ 100,000 Less: Accumulated amortization....... (127,580) (562,707) ---------- ---------- ----------- Intangible assets, net............. -- 268,420 5,573,381 Investment in Joint Venture............ 419,632 ---------- ---------- ----------- Total.................................. $1,071,944 $1,398,034 $23,397,115 ========== ========== =========== LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Current liabilities: Accounts payable..................... $ 39,553 $ 85,814 $ 1,603,169 Accrued expenses..................... 4,663 204,311 885,827 Deferred revenues.................... 7,239 50,000 247,314 Notes payable........................ 30,000 ---------- ---------- ----------- Total current liabilities.......... 51,455 370,125 2,736,310 Commitments and contingencies (Notes 5 and 10) Shareholders' equity: Preferred stock, par value $.0001 Authorized, 15,000,000 shares; no shares issued or outstanding........ Common stock, par value $.0001 Authorized, 30,000,000, 30,000,000 and 50,000,000 shares, respectively; issued and outstanding, 10,945,253, 11,030,253 and 15,116,012 shares, respectively........................ 1,095 1,103 1,511 Additional paid-in capital........... 1,471,355 1,998,255 25,440,098 Accumulated deficit.................. (380,524) (809,214) (4,396,976) Unearned compensation................ (71,437) (162,235) (383,828) ---------- ---------- ----------- Total stockholders' equity......... 1,020,489 1,027,909 20,660,805 ---------- ---------- ----------- Total.................................. $1,071,944 $1,398,034 $23,397,115 ========== ========== ===========
See notes to consolidated financial statements. F-7 INFOSPACE.COM, INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS PERIOD FROM MARCH 1, 1996 (INCEPTION) TO DECEMBER 31, 1996, YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1997, AND THE NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 1998
PERIOD FROM NINE MONTHS NINE MONTHS MARCH 1 TO YEAR ENDED ENDED ENDED DECEMBER 31, DECEMBER 31, SEPTEMBER 30, SEPTEMBER 30, 1996 1997 1997 1998 ------------ ------------ ------------- ------------- (UNAUDITED) Revenues................. $ 199,372 $1,685,096 $ 931,727 $ 5,373,860 Cost of revenues......... 96,641 410,895 247,956 1,108,438 --------- ---------- ---------- ----------- Gross profit........... 102,731 1,274,201 683,771 4,265,422 Operating expenses: Product development..... 109,671 212,677 157,954 307,262 Sales and marketing..... 230,774 830,054 590,878 2,438,842 General and administrative......... 163,896 681,456 318,783 2,383,713 Write-off of in-process research and development............ -- -- -- 2,800,000 --------- ---------- ---------- ----------- Total operating expense............. 504,341 1,724,187 1,067,615 7,929,817 Income (loss) from operations.............. (401,610) (449,986) (383,844) (3,664,395) Other income, net........ 21,086 21,296 18,233 76,633 --------- ---------- ---------- ----------- Net income (loss)........ $(380,524) $ (428,690) $ (356,611) $(3,587,762) ========= ========== ========== =========== Basic and diluted net loss per share.......... $ (0.04) $ (0.04) $ (0.03) $ (0.28) ========= ========== ========== =========== Shares used in computing basic net loss per share................... 9,280,163 10,941,490 10,939,704 12,638,507 ========= ========== ========== =========== Shares used in computing diluted net loss per share .................. 9,280,163 10,998,157 10,987,341 12,638,507 ========= ========== ========== ===========
See notes to consolidated financial statements. F-8 INFOSPACE.COM, INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY PERIOD FROM MARCH 1, 1996 (INCEPTION) TO DECEMBER 31, 1996, YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1997, AND THE NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 1998
COMMON STOCK ----------------- PAID-IN ACCUMULATED UNEARNED SHARES AMOUNT CAPITAL DEFICIT COMPENSATION TOTAL ---------- ------ ----------- ----------- ------------ ----------- Balance, March 1, 1996 (inception)............ -- $ -- $ -- $ -- $ -- $ -- Common stock issued.... 10,945,253 1,095 1,370,105 1,371,200 Unearned compensation-- Stock options......... 101,250 (101,250) Compensation expense-- Stock options......... 29,813 29,813 Net loss............... (380,524) (380,524) ---------- ------ ----------- ----------- --------- ----------- Balance, December 31, 1996................... 10,945,253 1,095 1,471,355 (380,524) (71,437) 1,020,489 Common stock issued for acquisition........... 85,000 8 292,180 292,188 Unearned compensation-- Stock options......... 234,720 (234,720) Compensation expense-- Stock options......... 143,922 143,922 Net loss............... (428,690) (428,690) ---------- ------ ----------- ----------- --------- ----------- Balance, December 31, 1997................... 11,030,253 1,103 1,998,255 (809,214) (162,235) 1,027,909 Common stock and warrants issued for acquisition........... 1,499,988 150 7,902,159 7,902,309 Common stock issued to investors............. 2,362,395 236 13,438,322 13,438,558 Common stock issued to employees............. 223,251 22 1,674,372 1,674,394 Warrants issued........ 40,161 40,161 Exercise of stock options............... 125 -- 375 375 Unearned compensation-- Stock options......... 386,454 (386,454) Compensation expense-- Stock options......... 164,861 164,861 Net loss............... (3,587,762) (3,587,762) ---------- ------ ----------- ----------- --------- ----------- Balance, September 30, 1998................... 15,116,012 $1,511 $25,440,098 $(4,396,976) $(383,828) $20,660,805 ========== ====== =========== =========== ========= ===========
See notes to consolidated financial statements. F-9 INFOSPACE.COM, INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS PERIOD FROM MARCH 1, 1996 (INCEPTION) TO DECEMBER 31, 1996, YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1997, AND THE NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 1998
PERIOD FROM NINE MONTHS NINE MONTHS MARCH 1 TO YEAR ENDED ENDED ENDED DECEMBER 31, DECEMBER 31, SEPTEMBER 30, SEPTEMBER 30, 1996 1997 1997 1998 ------------ ------------ ------------- ------------- (UNAUDITED) Operating Activities: Net loss............... $(380,524) $(428,690) $(365,611) $(3,587,762) Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided (used) by operating activities: Depreciation and amortization....... 23,513 224,270 144,325 575,515 Write-off of in- process research and development.... 2,800,000 Trademark amortization....... 750,000 Compensation expense--stock options............ 29,813 143,922 102,643 164,861 Noncash issuance of common stock....... 70,000 Noncash services exchanged.......... (60,000) (37,500) (5,785) Bad debt expense.... 47,000 18,000 500,602 Equity in loss in joint venture...... 76,134 Loss (gain) on disposal of fixed assets............. 3,743 (3,771) Cash provided (used) by changes in operating assets and liabilities; net of assets acquired: Accounts receivable........ (126,574) (387,613) (150,538) (1,598,098) Receivable from joint venture .... (54,487) Inventory.......... 491 Prepaid expense.... (59,334) (33,152) (65,200) (1,082,212) Other Assets....... (271,072) Other intangibles.. (66,865) Accounts payable... 39,553 46,261 (9,268) 1,517,355 Accrued expenses... 4,663 199,648 (1,747) 657,300 Deferred revenue... 7,239 42,761 126,094 197,314 --------- --------- --------- ----------- Net cash provided (used) by operating activities........ (461,651) (201,850) (238,802) 639,520 Investing Activities: Business acquisitions, net of cash acquired.. (14,000) (14,000) (311,951) Purchase of Netscape trademark............. (3,000,000) Purchase of trademark.. (290,000) Purchase of property and equipment......... (219,375) (120,822) (98,371) (767,112) Investment in joint venture............... (495,767) Proceeds from sale of fixed assets.......... 4,997 Other.................. (29,087) (9,770) --------- --------- --------- ----------- Net cash used by investing activities........ (219,375) (163,909) (122,141) (4,859,833) Financing Activities: Proceeds from issuance of common stock to investors............. 1,371,200 13,338,586 Proceeds from issuance of common stock to employees............. 1,674,394 Payment to shareholders for fractional shares. (28) Deferred offering costs................. (868,621) Proceeds from sale of warrants.............. 40,161 Proceeds from exercise of stock options...... 375 --------- --------- --------- ----------- Net cash provided by financing activities........ 1,371,200 -- -- 14,184,867 Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents............ 690,174 (365,759) (360,943) 9,964,554 Beginning of period.... -- 690,174 690,174 324,415 --------- --------- --------- ----------- End of period.......... $ 690,174 $ 324,415 329,231 $10,288,969 ========= ========= ========= =========== Supplemental Disclosure of Noncash Financing and Investing Activities: Acquisition of membership interest of Yellow Pages on the Internet, LLC (YPI) through the issuance of common stock and assumption of $90,000 payable............... $ -- $ 382,188 $ 638,677 $ -- Acquisition of common stock of Outpost Network, Inc. through the issuance of common stock and warrants and assumption of liabilities of $191,000.............. 7,932,000 Stock issued for legal and consulting services.............. 50,000 Stock issued for settlement of legal claim................. 50,000
See notes to consolidated financial statements. F-10 INFOSPACE.COM, INC. NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS PERIOD FROM MARCH 1, 1996 (INCEPTION) TO DECEMBER 31, 1996, YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1997, AND THE NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 1998 NOTE 1: SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Description of business: InfoSpace.com, Inc. (the Company or InfoSpace), previously known as InfoSpace, Inc., a Delaware corporation, was founded in 1996. The Company is an aggregator and integrator of content services that it syndicates to a broad network of affiliates, including existing and emerging Internet portals, destination sites and suppliers of PCs and other Internet access devices, such as cellular phones, pagers, screen phones, television set-top boxes, online kiosks and personal digital assistants. The Company focuses on content with broad appeal, such as yellow pages and white pages, maps, classified advertisements, real-time stock quotes, information on local businesses and events, weather forecasts and horoscopes. The Company derives revenues from the sale of national advertising, promotions and local Internet yellow pages advertising. Principles of consolidation: The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiary. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated. The consolidated financial information contained herein includes the accounts of Outpost Network, Inc. (Outpost), as of September 30, 1998, and for the period from June 2, 1998, to September 30, 1998 (see Note 4). Cash and cash equivalents: The Company considers all highly liquid debt instruments with an original maturity of 90 days or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. Inventory: Inventory consists primarily of cards and stamps and is stated at the lower of cost or market, on a first-in, first-out basis. Property and equipment: Property and equipment are stated at cost. Depreciation is computed under the straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives: Computer equipment................................................ 3 years Office furniture and equipment.................................... 7 years
Intangible assets: Goodwill, purchased technology and other intangibles are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful life. All goodwill and purchased technology currently recorded are amortized over five years. Other intangibles, primarily consisting of purchased domain name licenses, are amortized over an estimated useful life of three years. Other assets: Management periodically reevaluates long-lived assets, consisting primarily of purchased technology, goodwill, property and equipment, to determine whether there has been any impairment of the value of these assets and the appropriateness of their estimated remaining life. No impairment loss has been recognized through September 30, 1998. Revenue recognition: The Company's revenues are derived from short-term advertising agreements in which the Company receives a fixed fee or a fee based on a per impression or click through basis. Local advertising: Guaranteed minimum payments are recognized over the term of cooperative sales agreements between the Company and independent yellow pages publishers. Revenue earned above the guaranteed minimum payments are recognized over the term of local advertising agreements between yellow pages advertisers and independent yellow pages publishers. National advertising: Revenues from contracts based on the number of impressions displayed or click throughs provided are recognized as the services are rendered. F-11 INFOSPACE.COM, INC. NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(CONTINUED) Promotions: Revenues from fixed fee or carriage fee agreements are recognized ratably over the related contract term. Commissions and transaction fees in excess of the guaranteed minimums are recognized in the period the transaction occurred and was reported by the content providers. For carriage fee contracts that are performance based with an established maximum, the Company recognizes revenues as the services are rendered, not to exceed the maximum amount over the fixed term. Also included in revenues are barter revenues from the exchange by the Company with another company of advertising space for reciprocal advertising space or applicable goods and services. Barter revenues are recorded as advertising revenues at the lower of the estimated fair value of goods and services received or impressions given, and are recognized when the Company's advertisements are run. In cases where there is not sufficient evidence of fair market value, no revenue is recognized. For barter agreements, the Company records a receivable or liability at the end of a reporting period for the difference in the fair value of the services provided or received. Deferred revenues are primarily comprised of billings in excess of recognized revenues relating to advertising agreements and payments received pursuant to advertising agreements in advance of revenue recognition. The Company records a liability at month-end for any shortfalls of minimum impressions or click throughs that were not attained during the period of the agreement. Cost of revenues: Cost of revenues consist primarily of direct personnel expenses, content license fees, amortization of purchased advertising agreements, equipment depreciation, communications expense and costs of aggregation and syndication of content, which is the amounts paid pursuant to revenue-sharing arrangements. Costs associated with revenue-sharing arrangements are accrued monthly. Fees paid for content licenses are capitalized and amortized under the straight-line method over the license period. Product development: Product development costs are generally charged to operations as incurred. Costs in this classification include the development of new products and enhancements of existing products. Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 86, Accounting for the Costs of Computer Software to be Sold, Leased, or Otherwise Marketed, requires capitalization of certain software development costs subsequent to the establishment of technological feasibility. Based upon the Company's product development process, technological feasibility is established upon completion of a working model. Costs incurred by the Company between completion of a working model and the point at which the product is ready for general release have been insignificant. Advertising costs: Costs for print advertising are recorded as expense the first time an advertisement appears. Advertising costs related to electronic impressions are recorded as expense as impressions are provided. Advertising expense totaled $8,908 and $217,798 for the years ended December 31, 1996 and 1997, and $597,959 for the nine months ended September 30, 1998, respectively. Unearned compensation: Unearned compensation represents the unamortized difference between the option exercise price and the fair market value of the Company's common stock for shares subject to grant at the grant date, for options issued under the Company's stock incentive plan (see Note 3). The amortization of deferred compensation is being charged to operations and is being amortized over the vesting period of the options. Concentration of credit risk: Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash equivalents and trade receivables. The Company places its cash equivalents with major financial institutions. The Company operates in one business segment and sells advertising to various companies across several industries. Accounts receivable are typically unsecured and are derived from revenues earned from customers primarily located in the United States operating in a wide F-12 INFOSPACE.COM, INC. NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(CONTINUED) variety of industries and geographic areas. The Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers and maintains reserves for potential credit losses. For the periods ended December 31, 1996 and 1997, no one customer accounted for more than 10% of revenues. For the nine months ended September 30, 1998, one customer accounted for approximately 20% of revenues. At December 31, 1996, one customer accounted for approximately 20% of accounts receivable and three customers accounted for approximately 42% of accounts receivable. At December 31, 1997, one customer accounted for approximately 14% of accounts receivable. At September 30, 1998, one customer accounted for approximately 38% of accounts receivable. Income taxes: The Company has adopted SFAS No. 109, Accounting for Income Taxes. Under SFAS No. 109, deferred tax assets, including net operating losses, and liabilities are determined based on temporary differences between the book and tax bases of assets and liabilities. A valuation allowance is established for deferred tax assets that are unlikely to be realized. Reclassifications: Certain reclassifications have been made to the 1996 and 1997 financial statements to conform with the 1998 presentation. Reverse stock split: A one-for-two reverse stock split of the Company's common stock was effected on August 25, 1998. All references in the financial statements to shares, share prices, per share amounts and stock plans have been adjusted retroactively for the one-for-two reverse stock split. Use of estimates: The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual amounts may differ from estimates. Recent accounting pronouncements: In June 1997 the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued SFAS No. 130, Reporting Comprehensive Income. SFAS No. 130 establishes the standards for reporting comprehensive income and its components in financial statements. Comprehensive income as defined includes all changes in equity (net assets) during a period from non-owner sources. Examples of items to be included in comprehensive income, which are excluded from net income, include foreign currency translation adjustments and unrealized gains/losses on available-for-sale securities. The disclosure prescribed by SFAS No. 130 must be made for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 1997. Reclassification of financial statements for earlier periods provided for comparative purposes is required upon adoption. The Company had no comprehensive income items to report for the period from March 1, 1996 (inception) to December 31, 1996, the year ended December 31, 1997, and the nine months ended September 30, 1998. In June 1997, the FASB issued SFAS No. 131, Disclosures about Segments of an Enterprise and Related Information. SFAS No. 131 establishes standards for the way that companies report information about operating segments in annual financial statements. It also establishes standards for related disclosures about products and services, geographic areas, and major customers as well as the reporting of selected information about operating segments in interim financial reports to stockholders. SFAS No. 131 is effective for financial statements for periods beginning after December 15, 1997. The Company will adopt the reporting requirements of SFAS No. 131 in its financial statements for the year ending December 31, 1998. F-13 INFOSPACE.COM, INC. NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(CONTINUED) NOTE 2: BALANCE SHEET COMPONENTS
DECEMBER 31, DECEMBER 31, SEPTEMBER 30, 1996 1997 1998 ------------ ------------ ------------- Property and equipment: Computer equipment................. $207,817 $ 308,741 $1,029,698 Office equipment................... 3,044 7,105 51,108 Office furniture................... 8,514 19,534 76,273 -------- --------- ---------- 219,375 335,380 1,157,079 Accumulated depreciation........... (23,513) (118,941) (259,104) -------- --------- ---------- $195,862 $ 216,439 $ 897,975 ======== ========= ========== Accrued expenses: Salaries and related expenses...... $ 2,215 $ 33,777 $ 37,689 Accrued license fees............... 16,736 40,952 Accrued legal fees................. 1,400 12,717 115,000 Accrued commissions................ 77,392 Accrued taxes...................... 3,890 60,776 Accrued settlement costs........... 695 137,000 240,000 Accrued rent....................... 40,726 Accrued offering costs............. 85,000 Other.............................. 353 191 188,292 -------- --------- ---------- $ 4,663 $ 204,311 $ 885,827 ======== ========= ==========
NOTE 3: STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Authorized shares: At incorporation, the Company was authorized to issue 25,000,000 shares, consisting of 20,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $.0001 per share and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $.0001 per share. The preferred stock may be issued in one or more series. On June 17, 1996, the Certificate of Incorporation was amended to increase the authorized number of shares of all classes of Company stock to 45,000,000 shares, consisting of 30,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $.0001 per share and 15,000,000 shares of preferred stock with par value of $.0001 per share. On May 1, 1998, the Certificate of Incorporation was amended to increase the authorized number of shares of all classes of Company stock to 55,000,000 shares, consisting of 40,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $.0001 per share and 15,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $.0001 per share. On August 25, 1998, the Board of Directors approved and the Company effected a one-for-two reverse stock split of the Company's common stock. All references in the financial statements to shares, share prices, per share amounts and stock plans have been adjusted retroactively for the one-for-two reverse stock split. On August 25, 1998, the Company filed a Restated Certificate of Incorporation. The effect was to change the authorized number of all classes of Company Stock to 65,000,000 shares, consisting of 50,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $.0001 per share and 15,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $.0001 per share after giving effect to the one-for-two reverse stock split. Restated 1996 Flexible Stock Incentive Plan: On June 3, 1998, the Board of Directors approved the Restated 1996 Flexible Stock Incentive Plan (the Plan). The Plan provides employees (including officers and directors who are employees) of the Company an opportunity to purchase shares of stock pursuant to options which may qualify as incentive stock options under Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as F-14 INFOSPACE.COM, INC. NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(CONTINUED) amended (the Code), and employees, officers, directors, independent contractors and consultants of the Company an opportunity to purchase shares of stock pursuant to options which are not described in Section 422 of the Code (nonqualified stock options). The Plan also provides for the sale or bonus of stock to eligible individuals in connection with the performance of service for the Company. Finally, the Plan authorizes the grant of stock appreciation rights, either separately or in tandem with stock options, which entitle holders to cash compensation measured by appreciation in the value of the stock. Not more than 3,000,000 shares of stock shall be available for the grant of options or the issuance of stock under the Plan. If an option is surrendered or for any other reason ceases to be exercisable in whole or in part, the shares which were subject to option but on which the option has not been exercised shall continue to be available under the Plan. The Plan is administered by the Board of Directors. Options granted under the Plan typically vest over four years, 25% one year from the date of grant and ratably thereafter on a monthly basis. On June 3, 1998, the Board of Directors approved the Option Exchange Program and the Option Replacement Program, allowing employees of the Company to exchange their nonqualified stock options for incentive stock options. Nonqualified stock options to purchase a total of 362,553 shares were exchanged for incentive stock options to purchase the equivalent number of shares with an exercise price equal to the fair market value at the date of exchange. Included in the table below as outstanding at September 30, 1998 are options to purchase 310,605 shares that were issued outside of the Plan, 290,292 of which were exercisable as of September 30, 1998. Activity and price information regarding the options are summarized as follows:
WEIGHTED AVERAGE EXERCISE OPTIONS PRICE --------- -------- Outstanding, March 1, 1996 (inception).................... -- $ -- Granted................................................. 1,031,731 0.13 --------- Outstanding, December 31, 1996............................ 1,031,731 0.13 Granted................................................. 351,250 3.07 --------- Outstanding, December 31, 1997............................ 1,382,981 0.87 Granted................................................. 855,102 4.14 Cancelled............................................... (362,553) 1.53 Exercised............................................... (125) 3.00 Forfeited............................................... (70,375) 4.00 --------- Outstanding, September 30, 1998........................... 1,805,030 2.17 ========= Options exercisable, September 30, 1998................... 896,331 1.26 =========
Information regarding stock option grants during the period from March 1 (inception) to December 31, 1996, the year ended December 31, 1997, and the nine months ended September 30, 1998, is summarized as follows:
MARCH 1 TO YEAR ENDED NINE MONTHS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1996 DECEMBER 31, 1997 SEPTEMBER 30, 1998 ------------------------- ------------------------- ------------------------- WEIGHTED WEIGHTED WEIGHTED WEIGHTED WEIGHTED WEIGHTED AVERAGE AVERAGE AVERAGE AVERAGE AVERAGE AVERAGE EXERCISE FAIR EXERCISE FAIR EXERCISE FAIR SHARES PRICE VALUE SHARES PRICE VALUE SHARES PRICE VALUE ------- -------- -------- ------- -------- -------- ------- -------- -------- Exercise price exceeds market price........... 55,000 $2.00 $0.04 250,000 $4.00 $ -- -- $ -- $ -- Exercise price equals market price........... 900,000 0.02 596,102 5.35 0.80 Exercise price is less than market price. 76,731 0.05 1.60 101,250 0.77 2.66 259,000 1.37 2.75
F-15 INFOSPACE.COM, INC. NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(CONTINUED) The Company has elected to follow the measurement provisions of Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25, under which no recognition of expense is required in accounting for stock options granted to employees for which the exercise price equals or exceeds the fair value of the stock at the grant date. The Company recognizes compensation expense over the vesting period using the aggregated percentage of compensation accrued method as prescribed by Financial Standards Accounting Board Interpretation No. 28. Compensation expense of $29,813, $143,922, and $164,861 was recognized during the period from March 1, 1996 (inception) to December 31, 1996, the year ended December 31, 1997, and the nine months ended September 30, 1998, respectively, for options granted with exercise prices less than grant date fair value. To estimate compensation expense which would be recognized under SFAS No. 123, Accounting for Stock-based Compensation, the Company uses the modified Black-Scholes option-pricing model with the following weighted-average assumptions for options granted through September 30, 1998: risk-free interest rate ranging from 5.39% to 6%, expected dividend yield of -0-%; no volatility; and expected life of six years. Had compensation expense for the Plan been determined based on fair value at the grant dates for awards under the Plan consistent with SFAS No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation, the Company's net losses for the periods presented would have been adjusted to the following pro forma amounts:
NINE MONTHS MARCH 1 TO YEAR ENDED ENDED DECEMBER 31, DECEMBER 31, SEPTEMBER 30, 1996 1997 1998 ------------ ------------ ------------- Net loss as reported.............. $(380,524) $(428,690) $(3,587,762) Net loss--Pro forma............... (380,859) (430,180) (3,675,955) Basic net loss per share--Pro forma............................ (0.04) (0.04) (0.29)
Additional information regarding options outstanding as of September 30, 1998, is as follows:
OPTIONS OUTSTANDING OPTIONS EXERCISABLE -------------------------------- -------------------- WEIGHTED AVERAGE WEIGHTED WEIGHTED REMAINING AVERAGE AVERAGE RANGE OF NUMBER CONTRACTUAL EXERCISE NUMBER EXERCISE EXERCISE PRICES OUTSTANDING LIFE (YRS.) PRICE EXERCISABLE PRICE --------------- ----------- ----------- -------- ----------- -------- $ 0.02.............. 1,003,874 7.58 $ 0.02 596,580 $0.02 0.20.............. 14,231 7.92 0.20 14,231 0.20 2.00-3.00......... 24,323 8.48 2.41 14,375 2.00 4.00-6.00......... 604,552 5.42 4.02 271,145 4.00 7.50-8.00......... 116,500 9.81 7.76 12.00............. 41,550 9.97 12.00 --------- ------- 1,805,030 7.07 2.17 896,331 1.26 ========= =======
At September 30, 1998, 1,505,450 shares were available for future grants under the Plan. In connection with the May and August 1998 private placement offering, the Company issued warrants to purchase 2,063,836 shares of common stock to five third-party participants for consulting services performed in identifying, structuring and negotiating future financings. These warrants expire between May 21, 2008 and August 6, 2008. The exercise prices are as follows:
SHARES PRICE ------ ------ 1,100,712........................................................... $ 4.00 481,562........................................................... 6.00 481,562........................................................... 10.00
F-16 INFOSPACE.COM, INC. NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(CONTINUED) In July 1998, the Company issued warrants to purchase 477,967 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.02 to a former consultant in conjunction with the acquisition of Outpost (see Note 4). These warrants expire on October 30, 2002. On August 24, 1998, the Company issued to AOL warrants to purchase up to 989,916 shares of common stock, which warrants vest in 16 equal quarterly installments over four years, conditioned on the delivery by AOL of a minimum number of searches each quarter on the Company's white pages directory service. The warrants have an exercise price of $12.00 per share. Stock purchase rights plan: On June 26, 1998, the Board of Directors approved the InfoSpace, Inc. Stock Purchase Rights Plan. The plan is offered to employees of the Company and its subsidiaries. The purpose of the plan is to provide an opportunity for employees to invest in the Company and increase their incentive to remain with the Company. A maximum of 500,000 shares of common stock are available for issuance under the plan. During July 1998 the Company offered shares to employees under the plan, resulting in the sale of 223,251 shares at $7.50 per share. The plan was terminated on August 24, 1998. 1998 Employee Stock Purchase Plan: The Company adopted the 1998 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the ESPP) in August 1998. The ESPP will be implemented upon the effectiveness of an initial public offering. The ESPP is intended to qualify under Section 423 of the Code, and permits eligible employees of the Company and its subsidiaries to purchase common stock through payroll deductions of up to 15% of their compensation. Under the ESPP, no employee may purchase common stock worth more than $25,000 in any calendar year, valued as of the first day of each offering period. In addition, owners of 5% or more of the Company's or subsidiary's common stock may not participate in the ESPP. An aggregate of 450,000 shares of common stock are authorized for issuance under the ESPP. The ESPP will be implemented with six-month offering periods, the first such period to commence upon the effectiveness of an initial public offering. Thereafter, offering periods will begin on each January 1 and July 1. The price of common stock purchased under the ESPP will be the lesser of 85% of the fair market value on the first day of an offering period and 85% of the fair market value on the last day of an offering period, except that the purchase price for the first offering period will be equal to the lesser of 100% of the initial public offering price of the common stock offered hereby and 85% of the fair market value on December 31, 1998. The ESPP does not have a fixed expiration date, but may be terminated by the Company's Board of Directors at any time. No shares have been issued under the ESPP. NOTE 4: BUSINESS COMBINATIONS YPI: On May 16, 1997, the Company acquired all outstanding Membership Interest Units of YPI, a limited liability company. YPI operations began to be included in the Company's financial statements on the effective date of the acquisition, May 1, 1997. The YPI advertising agreements provided yellow pages directory publishers with an Internet distribution channel and had terms of one month to one year. YPI is a yellow pages sales consortium business. In conjunction with the acquisition, the Company acquired certain advertising agreements and assumed a note payable for $90,000. In connection with the acquisition of YPI during May 1997, 1,000,000 shares of common stock were placed into an escrow account. The aggregate number of shares of the escrow stock to be delivered was derived from revenues generated by the business during the measurement period. Before December 31, 1997, the number of shares to be released from escrow was finalized and a total of 85,000 escrow shares were issued to the sellers on January 2, 1998. These shares were included in the calculation of basic earnings per share as of January 1, 1998, and in the calculation of diluted earnings per share as of the effective date of acquisition, May 1, 1997. The remaining 915,000 common shares were returned to the Company for cancellation. The F-17 INFOSPACE.COM, INC. NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(CONTINUED) Company acquired YPI primarily to obtain rights to its advertising agreements and the services of its founder to further develop the Company's business. YPI's shareholders have represented that YPI had no significant operations and that detailed YPI financial information is not available. The allocation of purchase price, as determined after the release of shares from escrow was finalized, is summarized as follows:
BOOK AND FAIR VALUE -------- Book value of net liabilities acquired at cost.................. $(90,000) Fair value adjustments: Fair value of purchased advertising contracts................. 85,417 -------- Fair value of net assets acquired............................... (4,583) Purchase price: Acquisition costs............................................. 14,000 Fair value of 85,000 shares issued............................ 292,000 -------- Excess of purchase price over net assets acquired, allocated to goodwill (amortized over five years)........................... $310,583 ========
Outpost Network, Inc.: On June 2, 1998, the Company acquired all of the common stock of Outpost, a privately held company, for a purchase consideration of 1,499,988 shares of the Company's common stock, cash of $35,000, assumed liabilities of $264,000, and acquisition expenses of $1,957,000. In conjunction with the acquisition, the Company was required to issue warrants valued at $1,902,000 to a former consultant, which are included in acquisition costs. The exercise price of the warrants was specified in the consulting agreement between the Company and the former consultant dated October 30, 1997. Pursuant to this agreement, the former consultant rendered advice to the Company regarding the structure and terms of the Outpost merger and the warrants were earned based on the completion of the merger. Therefore, the warrant value was determined on June 2, 1998, the effective date of the merger. The transaction was accounted for as a purchase for accounting purposes. The allocation of purchase price is summarized as follows:
BOOK AND FAIR VALUE ---------- Book value of net liabilities acquired at cost.................. $ (191,000) Fair value adjustments: Fair value of purchased technology, including in-process research and development..................................... 3,600,000 Fair value of assembled workforce............................. 40,000 ---------- Fair value of net assets acquired............................... 3,449,000 Purchase price: Cash paid..................................................... 35,000 Fair value of shares issued................................... 6,000,000 Acquisition costs (including the warrants issued with a fair value of $1,902,000)......................................... 1,957,000 ---------- Excess of purchase price over net assets acquired, allocated to goodwill (amortized over five years).................................... $4,543,000 ==========
F-18 INFOSPACE.COM, INC. NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(CONTINUED) The $3,600,000 value of purchased technology includes purchased in-process research and development for future InfoSpace products. Generally accepted accounting principles require purchased in-process research and development with no alternative future use to be recorded and charged to expense in the period acquired. Accordingly, the results of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 1998, include the write-off of $2,800,000 of purchased in- process research and development. The remaining $800,000 represents the purchase of core technology and existing products which are being amortized over an estimated useful life of five years. The following unaudited pro forma information shows the results of the Company for the year ended December 31, 1997, and the nine months ended September 30, 1998, as if the acquisition of Outpost occurred on January 1, 1997. The pro forma information includes adjustments relating to the financing of the acquisition, the effect of amortizing goodwill and other intangible assets acquired, as well as the related tax effects, and assumes that Company shares issued in conjunction with the acquisition were outstanding as of January 1, 1997. The pro forma results of operations are unaudited, have been prepared for comparative purposes only, and do not purport to indicate the results of operations which would actually have occurred had the combination been in effect on the date indicated or which may occur in the future:
NINE MONTHS YEAR ENDED ENDED DECEMBER 31, SEPTEMBER 30, 1997 1998 ------------ ------------- (UNAUDITED) (UNAUDITED) Revenue........................................ $ 1,915,990 $ 5,292,869 Net loss....................................... (3,130,332) (5,083,159) Basic and diluted net loss per share........... (0.25) (0.38)
NOTE 5: COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES The Company has noncancellable operating leases for corporate facilities. The leases expire through 2003. Rent expense under operating leases totalled $36,000, $83,000, and $113,000, for the period from March 1, 1996 (inception) to December 31, 1996, the year ended December 31, 1997, and the nine months ended September 30, 1998, respectively. Future minimum rental payments required under noncancellable operating leases are as follows for the years ending December 31: October 1 to December 31, 1998................................. $ 57,480 1999........................................................... 213,530 2000........................................................... 212,040 2001........................................................... 224,088 2002........................................................... 236,136 2003........................................................... 137,746 ---------- $1,081,020 ==========
F-19 INFOSPACE.COM, INC. NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(CONTINUED) Future payments required under noncancellable affiliate carriage fee agreements are as follows for the years ending December 31: October 1 to December 31, 1998................................ $ 1,842,333 1999.......................................................... 5,005,651 2000.......................................................... 2,807,143 2001.......................................................... 1,750,000 2002.......................................................... 750,000 ----------- $12,155,127 ===========
Trademark license agreements: Effective as of July 1, 1998, the Company entered into two trademark license agreements with Netscape Communications Corporation (Netscape) to license two of Netscape's trademarks for one-time nonrefundable license fees totalling $3.0 million. The trademark license fees will be capitalized and amortized over one year, the expected useful life of the trademarks. Directory services agreements: The Company entered into two directory services agreements with Netscape effective as of July 1, 1998. Under these agreements, which provide for a one-year term, with automatic renewal, the Company serves as the exclusive provider of co-branded yellow pages and white pages directory services on the Netscape home page (Netcenter). Netscape has guaranteed the Company a minimum level of use of the Company's yellow pages and white pages directories, and the Company has agreed to pay Netscape a carriage fee each quarter equal to the product of (x) the cost per click through as specified in the applicable directory services agreement and (y) the number of click throughs delivered by Netscape, up to a specified maximum. The Company accrues monthly a liability for the estimated click throughs delivered. Netscape reports the number of click throughs by month on a quarterly basis and invoices the Company on a quarterly basis. Payments to Netscape will be recorded as sales and marketing expenses during the quarter in which the click throughs occur. This minimum payment is included in the noncancellable affiliate carriage fee payments disclosed in Note 5. The Company expects Netscape to meet the minimum guaranteed click throughs during the period of the directory services agreements. In the event that Netscape fails to deliver the guaranteed minimum number of click throughs, Netscape has agreed to either continue the link to the Company's content services beyond the term of the agreement until the guaranteed minimum click throughs have been achieved or deliver to the Company a program of equivalent value as a remedy for the shortfall in click throughs. Netscape and the Company will share advertising revenue generated from a search of the Company's directory services initiated on Netscape's home page. White pages and classifieds agreements: On August 24, 1998, the Company entered into agreements with America Online, Inc. (AOL) to provide white pages directory and classifieds information services to AOL. Pursuant to the white pages directory services agreement, the Company has agreed to provide to AOL white pages listings and directory service. The Company is required to pay to AOL a quarterly carriage fee, the retention of which is conditioned on the quarterly achievement of a minimum number of searches on the AOL white pages site. The quarterly carriage fee is paid in advance at the beginning of the quarter in which the searches are expected to occur and is recorded as a prepaid expense in the quarter it is paid. The fee is refundable if the minimum number of searches on the AOL white pages site for such quarter is not achieved. In addition, AOL has guaranteed to the Company a minimum number of searches over the term of the agreement. In the event that AOL does not deliver the guaranteed minimum number of searches over the term of the agreement, AOL has agreed to pay to the Company a cash penalty payment. The Company will share with AOL revenues generated by advertising on the Company's white pages directory services delivered to AOL. The Company is entitled to a greater percentage of advertising revenues than is AOL if the amount of such revenues received by the Company is less than the carriage fees paid to AOL. F-20 INFOSPACE.COM, INC. NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(CONTINUED) The Company has agreed to provide white pages directory services to AOL for a three-year term beginning on November 19, 1998, which term may be extended for four additional one-year terms at AOL's discretion. The agreement may be terminated by AOL for any reason after 18 months or at any time upon the acquisition by AOL of a competing white pages directory services business. In the event of any such termination, AOL is required to pay a termination fee to the Company. In addition, without the payment of a termination fee, AOL has the right to terminate the agreement in the event of a change of control of the Company. The Company has agreed to provide classifieds information services to AOL for a two-year term, with up to three one-year extensions at AOL's discretion. AOL has agreed to pay to the Company a quarterly fee and will share with the Company revenues generated from payments by individuals and commercial listing services for listings on the AOL classifieds service. Pursuant to the terms of these agreements, the Company has granted AOL the right to negotiate with the Company exclusively and in good faith for a period of 30 days with respect to proposals or discussions that would result in a sale of a controlling interest of the Company or other merger, asset sale or other disposition that effectively results in a change of control of the Company. In connection with the agreements, on August 24, 1998, the Company issued to AOL warrants to purchase up to 989,916 shares of Common Stock, which warrants vest in 16 equal quarterly installments over four years, conditioned on the delivery by AOL of a minimum number of searches each quarter on the Company's white pages directory service. The warrants have an exercise price of $12.00 per share. The revenue and revenue sharing under the agreements with AOL will be accounted for under the Company's existing revenue recognition policies described in these Notes. The Company expects AOL to meet the minimum number of searches each quarter. Accordingly, the total carriage fee payments to be made under the white pages directory services agreement will be recognized ratably over the term of the agreement as sales and marketing expense. However, if AOL does not deliver the minimum searches on the AOL white pages during that quarter, then AOL is obligated to refund the quarterly carriage fee paid for that specific quarter, in which case the Company would credit prepaid expense and reduce the total cost of the white pages directory services agreement by the amount of the refund. The adjusted total cost of the agreement would be recognized ratably over the remaining term of the agreement as sales and marketing expense, which term would include the quarter in which AOL did not deliver the minimum number of searches. For at least the first two years of the white pages agreement, the Company expects that actual carriage fee payments will exceed the sales and marketing expense recorded for the quarter in which the payment is made. As such, the Company expects to experience increases in its prepaid expense account during this time. These fees are included in the noncancellable affiliate carriage fee payments disclosed in Note 5. Any termination fee paid to the Company by AOL will be recognized as revenue when paid. The warrants will be valued under the fair value method, as required under SFAS No. 123, and amortized ratably over the four-year vesting period. The fair value of the warrants is approximately $3.3 million. The underlying assumptions used to determine the value of the warrants are an expected life of six years and a 5.5% risk-free interest rate. Litigation: On April 15, 1998, a former employee of the Company filed a complaint in the Superior Court for Santa Clara County, California alleging, among other things, that he has the right in connection with his employment to purchase shares of common stock representing up to 5% of the equity of the Company as of an unspecified date. In addition, the former employee is also seeking compensatory damages, plus interest, punitive damages, emotional distress damages and injunctive relief preventing any capital reorganization or sale that would cause the plaintiff not to be a 5% owner of the equity of the Company. The Company removed the suit to the Federal District Court for the District of Northern California. The Company has answered the complaint and denied the claims. Nevertheless, while the Company believes its F-21 INFOSPACE.COM, INC. NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(CONTINUED) defenses to the former employee's claims are meritorious, litigation is inherently uncertain, and there can be no assurance that the Company will prevail in the suit. As of September 30, 1998, the Company has accrued a liability of $240,000 for estimated settlement costs. To the extent the Company is required to issue shares of common stock or options to purchase common stock as a result of the suit, the Company would recognize an expense equal to the number of shares issued multiplied by the fair value of the common stock on the date of issuance, less the exercise price of any options required to be issued, to the extent that this amount exceeds the expense already accrued as of September 30, 1998. This could have a material adverse effect on the Company's results of operations, and any such issuance would be dilutive to existing stockholders. The exercise price of any shares which the Company may be required to issue as a result of the suit is unknown, but could be as low as $0.01 per share. No estimate of the possible range of loss can be made at this time. Contingencies: In the Company's early stage of development, the Company did not clearly document arrangements with employees and consultants, including matters relating to the issuance of stock options. As a result of this incomplete documentation, the Company may receive claims in the future asserting rights to acquire common stock. NOTE 6: INCOME TAXES No provision for federal income tax has been recorded as the Company has incurred net operating losses through September 30, 1998. The tax effects of temporary differences and net operating loss carryforwards that give rise to the Company's deferred tax assets and liabilities are as follows:
DECEMBER 31, -------------------- SEPTEMBER 30, 1996 1997 1998 --------- --------- ------------- Deferred tax assets: Net operating loss carryforward........ $ 111,000 $ 106,000 $ -- Intangible amortization................ 10,000 37,000 51,000 Compensation expense--Stock options.... 10,000 59,000 115,000 Allowance for bad debt................. 16,000 163,000 Litigation accrual..................... 47,000 82,000 Depreciation........................... 12,000 Other, net............................. 1,000 10,000 28,000 --------- --------- --------- Gross deferred tax assets............ 132,000 275,000 451,000 Deferred tax liabilities: Depreciation........................... 4,000 2,000 Other.................................. 1,000 2,000 Purchased technology................... 267,000 --------- --------- --------- Gross deferred tax liabilities....... 5,000 4,000 267,000 --------- --------- --------- Net deferred tax assets.............. 127,000 271,000 184,000 Valuation allowance...................... (127,000) (271,000) (184,000) --------- --------- --------- Deferred tax balance..................... $ -- $ -- $ -- ========= ========= =========
F-22 INFOSPACE.COM, INC. NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(CONTINUED) At December 31, 1996 and 1997, and September 30, 1998, the Company fully reserved its deferred tax assets. The Company believes sufficient uncertainty exists regarding the realizability of the deferred tax assets such that a full valuation allowance is required. The net change in the valuation allowance during the period from March 1 to December 31, 1996, the year ended December 31, 1997, and the nine months ended September 30, 1998, was $127,000, $144,000, and $(87,000), respectively. NOTE 7: NET LOSS PER SHARE The Company has adopted SFAS No. 128, Earnings per Share. Basic earnings per share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per share is computed using the weighted average number of common and common equivalent shares outstanding during the period. Common equivalent shares consist of the incremental common shares issuable upon conversion of the exercise of stock options and warrants (using the treasury stock method). Common equivalent shares are excluded from the computation if their effect is antidilutive. The Company had a net loss for all periods presented herein; therefore, none of the options and warrants outstanding during each of the periods presented, as discussed in Note 3, were included in the computation of diluted earnings per share as they were antidilutive. Options and warrants to purchase a total of 1,012,500, 1,363,000, and 5,316,768 shares of common stock were excluded from the calculations of diluted earnings per share for the period from March 1 to December 31, 1996, the year ended December 31, 1997, and the nine months ended September 30, 1998, respectively. 85,000 contingently issuable shares of common stock have been excluded from the calculation of basic earnings per share for the year ended December 31, 1997 (see Note 4). NOTE 8: RELATED-PARTY TRANSACTIONS During the period from March 1, 1996 (inception) to December 31, 1996, the year ended December 31, 1997, and the nine months ended September 30, 1998, the Company sold advertising to other entities in which the Company's president has equity interests resulting in revenues of $10,000, $200,000, and $140,000, respectively. NOTE 9: INVESTMENT IN JOINT VENTURE Joint venture agreement: On July 16, 1998, the Company established InfoSpace Investments, Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary incorporated in England and Wales. On July 16, 1998, the Company and InfoSpace Investments, Ltd. entered into a joint venture agreement (the Joint Venture Agreement) with another party forming a new company, TDL InfoSpace (Europe) Limited (TDL InfoSpace), with the purpose of carrying on the business of the aggregation and syndication of content on the Internet initially in the United Kingdom. Pursuant to the terms of the Joint Venture Agreement, both the Company and its joint venture partner entered into license agreements with TDL InfoSpace for offsetting payments to each of the Company and its joint venture partner of (Pounds)50,000. These amounts were not intended to represent the fair market value of the license agreements to an unrelated third party. Under the license agreement between the joint venture partner and TDL InfoSpace, the joint venture partner licenses its U.K. directory information database to TDL InfoSpace. Under the Joint Venture Agreement, the joint venture partner also sells Internet yellow pages advertising of the joint venture through its local sales force. Under the license agreement between the Company and TDL InfoSpace, the Company licenses its technology and provides hosting services to TDL InfoSpace. In addition, under the Company's license agreement, TDL InfoSpace is obligated to reimburse the Company for any incremental costs incurred by the Company for its efforts with respect to the hosting services. In the event that TDL InfoSpace expands into other countries, it is required to pay to the Company an additional technology license fee of $50,000 per additional country. The Company's license agreement also provides that, in the event that the Company no longer holds any ownership interest in the joint venture, TDL F-23 INFOSPACE.COM, INC. NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(CONTINUED) InfoSpace and the Company will negotiate an arm's-length license fee for the Company's technology, not to exceed $1 million. On July 17, 1998, the Company transferred $496,000 to InfoSpace Investments, Ltd. InfoSpace Investments, Ltd. utilized these funds to acquire 475,000 shares of TDL InfoSpace, which represents a noncontrolling 50% interest. Under the terms of the Joint Venture Agreement, the Company has certain obligations as guarantor, principally to guarantee the performance by InfoSpace Investments, Ltd. of its obligations under the Joint Venture Agreement. The Company will account for its investment in the joint venture under the equity method. NOTE 10: SUBSEQUENT EVENTS White pages distribution agreement: On October 19, 1998, the Company entered into a White Pages Distribution Agreement with an internet portal company. Under the agreement, which provides for a one-year term, the Company serves as the exclusive provider of co-branded white pages directory services on the internet portal company's home page. The internet portal company has committed to deliver a minimum number of impressions to the Company, which minimum number increases each quarter of the agreement. The Company has agreed to pay a carriage fee equal to the product of (x) the cost per impressions as specified in the White Pages Distribution Agreement and (y) the number of impressions delivered by the internet portal company, up to a specified maximum. The Company is obligated to pay the carriage fees under the White Pages Distribution Agreement as scheduled prepayments over the term of the agreement, based on the minimum committed impressions under the agreement. The carriage fee prepayments will be recorded as prepaid expense and are included in the noncancellable affiliate carriage fee payments disclosed in Note 5. The Company expects the internet portal company to deliver the minimum number of impressions during the period of the agreement. To the extent that internet portal company delivers more impressions than has been committed, the Company makes additional carriage fee payments for such impressions. Carriage fees are recorded as a sales and marketing expense in the period in which the impressions are delivered. Option exercise: On October 28, 1998, a former consultant of the Company exercised an option to purchase 250,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $4.00 per share. Employment Agreement. Bernee D. L. Strom joined the Company as President and Chief Operating Officer in November 1998. The Company has agreed to provide Ms. Strom with (i) an annual salary of $250,000, (ii) insurance and other employee benefits, (iii) options to purchase 500,000 shares of Common Stock which vest over a period of four years and (iv) options to purchase an additional 250,000 shares of Common Stock which vest on the sixth anniversary of Ms. Strom's start date or earlier if specified revenue and net income criteria are met. In addition, the agreement contains a severance arrangement whereby Ms. Strom is entitled to receive a payment equal to one year of her base salary and benefits in the event the Company terminates her employment for any reason other than for cause. Employment Claim: On December 14, 1998, the Company received a copy of a complaint on behalf of an alleged former employee ostensibly filed in Superior Court for Suffolk County in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts alleging that he was terminated without cause and that he entered into an agreement with the Company which entitles him to an option to purchase 2,000,000 shares of Common Stock or 10% of the Company. The complaint alleges breach of contract, breach of the covenant of good faith, breach of fiduciary duty, misrepresentation, promissory estoppel, intentional interference with contractual relations and unfair and deceptive acts and practices, seeking specific performance of the alleged agreement for 10% of the stock of the Company, damages equal to the value of 10% of the stock of the Company, punitive damages and attorneys' fees and costs and treble damages under the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act (Mass. G.L. Chapter 93A). (The Company believes the alleged former employee's claims do not reflect the one-for-two reverse stock split of the Common Stock consummated in August 1998.) The Company is currently F-24 INFOSPACE.COM, INC. NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(CONTINUED) investigating the claims and believes it has meritorious defenses to such claims. Nevertheless, litigation is inherently uncertain and, should litigation ensue, there can be no assurance that the Company would prevail in such a suit. To the extent the Company is required to issue shares of Common Stock or options to purchase Common Stock as a result of the claims, the Company would recognize an expense equal to the number of shares issued multiplied by the fair value of the Common Stock on the date of issuance, less the exercise price of any options required to be issued. This could have a material adverse effect on the Company's results of operations, and any such issuances could be dilutive to existing stockholders. F-25 INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' REPORT Outpost Network, Inc. Redmond, Washington We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of Outpost Network, Inc. (the Company) as of December 31, 1996 and 1997, and the related statements of operations, changes in shareholders' equity (deficiency), and cash flows for the years ended December 31, 1996 and 1997. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion. In our opinion, such financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Outpost Network, Inc. as of December 31, 1996 and 1997, and the results of its operations and cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles. DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP Seattle, Washington July 27, 1998 F-26 OUTPOST NETWORK, INC. BALANCE SHEETS DECEMBER 31, 1996 AND 1997, AND JUNE 2, 1998
JUNE 2, 1996 1997 1998 ----------- ----------- ----------- (UNAUDITED) ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents............. $ 144,098 $ 18,385 $ 11,967 Receivables from employees............ 2,855 1,102 -- Other receivables..................... 1,351 2,499 Inventory, net of reserve of $-0-, $28,437 and $58,826.................. 31,771 16,000 5,000 Prepaid expenses...................... 14,576 668 -- ----------- ----------- ----------- Total current assets................ 193,300 37,506 19,466 Property and equipment, net............. 90,485 77,730 56,037 Other assets............................ 4,765 4,566 -- ----------- ----------- ----------- Total................................... $ 288,550 $ 119,802 $ 75,503 =========== =========== =========== LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (DEFICIENCY) Current liabilities: Accounts payable...................... $ 75,295 $ 268,915 $ -- Accrued expenses...................... 121,035 29,472 Notes payable......................... 544,000 263,918 ----------- ----------- ----------- Total current liabilities........... 75,295 933,950 293,390 Commitments and contingencies (Note 6) Shareholders' equity (deficiency): Series A Convertible Preferred stock, $.01 par value-- Authorized, 1,700,000, -0- and -0- shares; issued and outstanding, 1,327,750, -0- and -0- shares; liquidation preference of $213,255, $-0- and $-0-........................ 13,278 Series B Convertible Preferred stock, $.01 par value-- Authorized, 11,000,000 shares; no shares issued and outstanding........ Common stock, $.01 par value-- Authorized, 10,000,000, 20,000,000 and 35,000,000 shares; issued and outstanding, 2,155,000, 3,482,750 and 34,972,768 shares.................... 21,550 34,828 349,728 Paid-in capital....................... 1,899,331 2,496,930 3,825,088 Accumulated deficit................... (1,720,904) (3,345,906) (4,392,703) ----------- ----------- ----------- Total shareholders' equity (deficiency)....................... 213,255 (814,148) (217,887) ----------- ----------- ----------- Total................................... $ 288,550 $ 119,802 $ 75,503 =========== =========== ===========
See notes to financial statements. F-27 OUTPOST NETWORK, INC. STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1996 AND 1997, AND THE PERIOD FROM JANUARY 1, 1998 TO JUNE 2, 1998
PERIOD FROM JAN. 1 TO JUNE 2, 1996 1997 1998 ----------- ----------- ----------- (UNAUDITED) Revenues................................. $ 47,611 $ 293,963 $ 61,610 Cost of revenues......................... 220,092 412,964 152,778 ----------- ----------- ----------- Gross loss........................... (172,481) (119,001) (91,168) Operating expenses: Product development.................... 273,467 356,218 69,822 Sales and marketing.................... 213,706 201,244 128,069 General and administrative............. 430,705 921,391 733,383 ----------- ----------- ----------- Total operating expenses............. 917,878 1,478,853 931,274 ----------- ----------- ----------- Loss from operations..................... (1,090,359) (1,597,854) (1,022,442) Other income (expense)................... 18,947 (27,148) (24,355) ----------- ----------- ----------- Net loss................................. $(1,071,412) $(1,625,002) $(1,046,797) =========== =========== ===========
See notes to financial statements. F-28 OUTPOST NETWORK, INC. STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (DEFICIENCY) YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1996 AND 1997 AND THE PERIOD FROM JANUARY 1, 1998 TO JUNE 2, 1998
PARTNERS' CAPITAL PREFERRED STOCK COMMON STOCK --------- -------------------- ------------------- PAID-IN ACCUMULATED AMOUNT SHARES AMOUNT SHARES AMOUNT CAPITAL DEFICIT TOTAL --------- ---------- -------- ---------- -------- ---------- ----------- ----------- Balance, January 1, 1996................... $ 631,274 -- $ -- -- $ -- $ -- $ (649,492) $ (18,218) Issuance of common stock in exchange for member interests...... (631,274) 2,155,000 21,550 609,724 Issuance of Series A Preferred stock, net of issuance costs..... 1,327,750 13,278 1,289,607 1,302,885 Net loss............... (1,071,412) (1,071,412) --------- ---------- -------- ---------- -------- ---------- ----------- ----------- Balance, December 31, 1996................... 1,327,750 13,278 2,155,000 21,550 1,899,331 (1,720,904) 213,255 Conversion of Series A Preferred stock to common stock.......... (1,327,750) (13,278) 1,327,750 13,278 Compensation expense-- Stock warrants........ 597,599 597,599 Net loss............... (1,625,002) (1,625,002) --------- ---------- -------- ---------- -------- ---------- ----------- ----------- Balance, December 31, 1997................... 3,482,750 34,828 2,496,930 (3,345,906) (814,148) Exercise of common stock warrants........ 9,056,000 90,560 90,560 Conversion of debt for stock................. 13,196,480 131,965 575,735 707,700 Issuance of common stock................. 6,087,538 60,875 243,502 304,377 Noncash issuance of common stock.......... 3,150,000 31,500 508,921 540,421 Net loss............... (1,046,797) (1,046,797) --------- ---------- -------- ---------- -------- ---------- ----------- ----------- Balance, June 2, 1998 (unaudited)............ $ -- $ -- $ -- 34,972,768 $349,728 $3,825,088 $(4,392,703) $ (217,887) ========= ========== ======== ========== ======== ========== =========== ===========
See notes to financial statements. F-29 OUTPOST NETWORK, INC STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1996 AND 1997 AND THE PERIOD FROM JANUARY 1, 1998 TO JUNE 2, 1998
PERIOD FROM JAN. 1 TO 1996 1997 JUNE 2, 1998 ----------- ----------- ------------ (UNAUDITED) Operating Activities: Net loss............................... $(1,071,412) $(1,625,002) $(1,046,797) Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used by operating activities: Depreciation and amortization...... 29,681 49,753 21,693 Inventory obsolescence expense..... -- 28,437 30,389 Compensation expense--Stock Warrant Grants............................ -- 597,599 -- Compensation expense--Stock Grants. -- -- 540,421 Loss on disposal of fixed assets... 663 -- -- Cash provided (used) by changes in operating assets and liabilities: Employee and other receivables.... (2,855) 402 (46) Inventory......................... (27,940) (12,666) (19,389) Prepaid expenses and other current assets........................... (14,576) 13,908 668 Other assets...................... (4,765) 199 4,566 Accounts payable.................. 47,217 193,620 (129,915) Accrued expenses.................. (18,500) 121,035 (43,687) ----------- ----------- ----------- Net cash used by operating activities...................... (1,062,487) (632,715) (642,097) Investing Activities: Acquisition of property and equipment.. (97,036) (36,998) -- ----------- ----------- ----------- Net cash used by investing activities...................... (97,036) (36,998) -- Financing Activities: Proceeds from issuance of notes payable............................... -- 544,000 250,242 Proceeds from issuance of common stock. -- -- 304,377 Proceeds from issuance of preferred stock................................. 1,302,885 -- -- Proceeds from exercise of warrants..... -- -- 81,060 ----------- ----------- ----------- Net cash provided by financing activities...................... 1,302,885 544,000 635,679 ----------- ----------- ----------- Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents............................ 143,362 (125,713) (6,418) Cash and cash equivalents: Beginning of period.................... 736 144,098 18,385 ----------- ----------- ----------- End of period.......................... $ 144,098 $ 18,385 $ 11,967 =========== =========== =========== Supplemental Disclosure of Noncash Financing and Investing Activities: Conversion of debt to common stock.... 707,700 Issuance of common stock for services. 540,421 Noncash exercise of warrants.......... 9,500
See notes to financial statements. F-30 OUTPOST NETWORK, INC. NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1996 AND 1997 AND THE PERIOD FROM JANUARY 1, 1998 TO JUNE 2, 1998 NOTE 1: THE COMPANY AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES The Company: Outpost Network, Inc. (the Company) provides greeting card and related retail sale items to its Internet-using customers solely through its worldwide websites. The Company develops software needed to support its business and holds patents, trademarks, Uniform Resource Locators (URLS) and copyrights in connection with its business. The Company's first website opened on September 18, 1995. Since that time, the Company has developed a number of additional websites. The Company's basic business is to provide the Internet user the ability to order and send greeting cards through the Company's websites. The Company was founded on April 19, 1995, as a limited liability company and was incorporated in Washington on January 2, 1996. Business combination: During May 1998, the Company entered into a stock purchase agreement to exchange all outstanding capital stock for 1,499,988 shares of InfoSpace.com, Inc.'s common stock. The transaction was consummated on June 2, 1998. Revenue recognition: Revenues consist of sales of cards and related retail items and is recognized at the time of shipment. Product development: Costs incurred in the development of new products and enhancements of existing products are classified as product development and are charged to expense as incurred. Cash and cash equivalents: The Company considers all highly liquid debt instruments with an original maturity of 90 days or less to be cash equivalents. Inventory: Inventory consists primarily of cards and stamps and is stated at the lower of cost or market, determined on a first-in, first-out basis. Property and equipment: Property and equipment are stated at cost. Depreciation is computed under the straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives of the assets: Computers and equipment.......................................... 3 years Software......................................................... 3 years Furniture and fixtures........................................... 5 years
Other assets: Management periodically reevaluates long-lived assets, consisting primarily of property and equipment, to determine whether there has been any impairment of the value of these assets and the appropriateness of their estimated remaining life. No impairment has been recognized as of December 31, 1997. Income taxes: The Company has adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 109, Accounting for Income Taxes. Under SFAS No. 109, deferred tax assets, including net operating losses, and liabilities are determined based on temporary differences between the book and tax bases of assets and liabilities. A valuation allowance is established for deferred tax assets that are unlikely to be realized. Use of estimates: The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported F-31 OUTPOST NETWORK, INC. NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(CONTINUED) amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual amounts may differ from those estimates. Interim financial information: The interim financial information as of June 2, 1998, and for the period from January 1, 1998 to June 2, 1998, was prepared by the Company in a manner consistent with audited financial statements and pursuant to the rules and requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The unaudited information, in management's opinion, reflects all adjustments that are of a normal recurring nature and that are necessary to present fairly the results for the periods presented. The results of operations for the period from January 1, 1998 to June 2, 1998, are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the entire year. Recent accounting pronouncements: In June 1997, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued SFAS No. 130, Reporting Comprehensive Income. SFAS No. 130 establishes standards for reporting comprehensive income and its components in a financial statement. Comprehensive income as defined includes all changes in equity (net assets) during a period from non-owner sources. Examples of items to be included in comprehensive income, which are excluded from net income, include foreign currency translation adjustments and unrealized gains/losses on available-for-sale securities. The disclosure prescribed by SFAS No. 130 must be made for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 1997. Reclassifications of financial statements for earlier periods provided for comparative purposes is required upon adoption. The Company will adopt the reporting requirements of SFAS No. 130 in its financial statements for the year ending December 31, 1998. Additionally, in June 1997, the FASB issued SFAS No. 131, Disclosures About Segments of an Enterprise and Related Information. This statement establishes standards for the way companies report information about operating segments in annual financial statements. It also establishes standards for related disclosures about products and services, geographic areas, and major customers, as well as the reporting of selected information about operating segments in interim financial reports to stockholders. SFAS No. 131 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 1997. The Company will adopt the reporting requirements of SFAS No. 131 in its financial statements for the year ending December 31, 1998. NOTE 2: PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT Property and equipment consist of the following as of December 31:
1996 1997 -------- -------- Computers and equipment................................ $116,050 $152,539 Software............................................... 5,088 5,088 Furniture and fixtures................................. 5,066 5,574 -------- -------- 126,204 163,201 Accumulated depreciation............................... (35,719) (85,471) -------- -------- $ 90,485 $ 77,730 ======== ========
NOTE 3: NOTES PAYABLE The Company had $544,000 of unsecured convertible notes outstanding at December 31, 1997. This consists of the following: . $344,000 issued to related and unrelated parties at various dates during 1997 bearing interest at 10%. These notes were convertible into senior convertible debentures upon the event of a F-32 OUTPOST NETWORK, INC. NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(CONTINUED) convertible debt financing closing between the Company, the holder, and an outside investor, within 90 days of issuance of the notes. . $200,000 convertible note issued to a related party during 1997 bearing interest at 9%. Upon closing of an equity financing in the amount of $1,500,000 or more, this note is convertible into shares or other equity of the Company issued in the financing. The debt and equity financings specified above did not occur; however, $540,000 of the convertible notes outstanding as of December 31, 1997 and $119,824 of notes payable issued subsequent to December 31, 1997, were converted into shares of common stock subsequent to year end in conjunction with the merger with InfoSpace.com, Inc. The weighted average interest rate for the year ended December 31, 1997 is 9.06%. No interest was paid during 1997. NOTE 4: SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY Authorized shares: The Company was originally founded as a limited liability company on April 19, 1995, and equity at December 31, 1995, consisted of members' interest. The Company was incorporated on January 2, 1996, at which time it was authorized to issue 5,000,000 shares, consisting of 3,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $.001 and 2,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $.001. The preferred stock may be issued in one or more series. On January 24, 1996, the articles of incorporation were amended to increase the authorized number of shares of all classes of Company stock to 11,700,000 shares, consisting of 10,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $.01 and 1,700,000 shares of preferred stock at a par value of $.01. A series of preferred stock was designated as Series A Preferred stock, consisting of 1,700,000 shares. On October 30, 1997, the articles of incorporation were amended to increase the authorized number of shares of all classes of Company stock to 31,000,000 shares, consisting of 20,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $.01 and 11,000,000 shares preferred stock at a par value of $.01. All shares of Series A Preferred stock were converted into common stock at a ratio of 1:1. The Company also designated 11,000,000 shares as Series B Preferred stock. On May 7, 1998, the articles of incorporation were amended to increase the authorized number of shares of common stock to 35,000,000 shares with a par value of $.01 per share. Preferred stock: During January and February 1996, the Company sold 1,327,750 shares of $.01 par value Series A Preferred stock at a price of $1.00 per share. On October 30, 1997 all outstanding shares of Series A Preferred stock were converted to common stock at a ratio of 1:1. Stock warrants: On November 18, 1997, the Company granted warrants to purchase 9,056,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $.01 per share to employees, outside consultants, and certain shareholders. These warrants vested immediately and expire if not exercised on or before May 20, 1998. All warrants outstanding at December 31, 1997, were exercised in May 1998. The Company recorded F-33 OUTPOST NETWORK, INC. NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS--(CONTINUED) compensation expense totalling $597,599 related to these warrants. The following table summarizes information about stock warrants outstanding as of December 31, 1997:
WARRANTS OUTSTANDING WARRANTS EXERCISABLE -------------------------------- -------------------- WEIGHTED AVERAGE WEIGHTED WEIGHTED REMAINING AVERAGE AVERAGE RANGE OF NUMBER CONTRACTUAL EXERCISE NUMBER EXERCISE EXERCISE PRICES OUTSTANDING LIFE (YRS.) PRICE EXERCISABLE PRICE --------------- ----------- ----------- -------- ----------- -------- $0.01............. 9,056,000 0.4 $0.01 9,056,000 $0.01
The 9,056,000 stock warrants were exercised at $.01 per share during May 1998. Other: 3,150,000 shares of common stock were issued to outside consultants and employees for services rendered during May 1998 valued at $540,421. NOTE 5: INCOME TAXES No provision for federal and state income taxes has been recorded as the Company has incurred net operating losses through December 31, 1997. The following table sets forth the primary components of deferred tax assets:
DECEMBER 31, -------------------- 1996 1997 --------- --------- Net operating loss carryforwards..................... $ 360,090 $ 699,636 Nondeductible reserves and expenses.................. 3,482 9,680 --------- --------- Gross deferred tax assets............................ 363,572 709,316 Valuation allowance.................................. (363,572) (709,316) --------- --------- $ -- $ -- ========= =========
At December 31, 1996 and 1997, the Company believes it more likely than not that the full benefit of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. As such, a full valuation allowance has been recorded. At December 31, 1997, the Company has tax basis federal net operating loss carryforwards of $2,057,753 which expire beginning in 2011. NOTE 6: COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES In January 1998, the Company began sharing office space with InfoSpace, Inc., which subsequently acquired the Company (Note 1). As a result, the Company had no significant lease obligations as of December 31, 1997. Rent expense under operating leases totalled $27,000 and $56,000 for the years ended December 31, 1996 and 1997, respectively. NOTE 7: RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS Notes payable at December 31, 1997 include $400,000 payable to a shareholder, $4,000 payable to an employee and $65,000 payable to an individual who holds warrants to purchase stock in the Company. Accrued but unpaid interest and interest expense on these notes as of and for the year ended December 31, 1997, is $17,919, $-0-, and $2,753, respectively. Interest rates range from 9% to 10%. F-34 INSIDE BACK COVER [ARTWORK] ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONS [InfoSpace.com web screen displaying banner ads, and sponsorships and featured listings] Text: Banner ads and national promotion are sold by InfoSpace direct advertising sales representatives. [InfoSpace.com web screen displaying yellow pages ad for attorney] Text: Promotions and preferred listings are sold to local advertisers by sales representatives at affiliated yellow pages publishers. [Ultimate Product Search web page] Text: InfoSpace.com's Ultimate Product Search enables shoppers to quickly compare availability and prices online. [Web page showing search results from Ultimate Product Search] Text: When shoppers click through to buy, the merchant generally shares transaction revenue with the Company. [InfoSpace.com web screen displaying apartment rental information.] Text: Information suppliers like these apartment guides pay promotional fees to InfoSpace.com to merchandise their content--similar to the way they pay traditional retailers for "rack space." - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NO DEALER, SALESPERSON OR OTHER PERSON HAS BEEN AUTHORIZED TO GIVE ANY INFOR- MATION OR TO MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS OTHER THAN THOSE CONTAINED IN THIS PRO- SPECTUS AND, IF GIVEN OR MADE, SUCH INFORMATION OR REPRESENTATIONS MUST NOT BE RELIED UPON AS HAVING BEEN AUTHORIZED BY THE COMPANY OR THE UNDERWRITERS. THIS PROSPECTUS DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR A SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY TO ANY PERSON IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH OFFER OR SOLICITATION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL OR TO ANY PERSON TO WHOM IT IS UNLAWFUL. NEITHER THE DELIVERY OF THIS PROSPECTUS NOR ANY OFFER OR SALE MADE HEREUNDER SHALL, UNDER ANY CIR- CUMSTANCES, CREATE ANY IMPLICATION THAT THERE HAS BEEN NO CHANGE IN THE AFFAIRS OF THE COMPANY OR THAT THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN IS CORRECT AS OF ANY TIME SUBSEQUENT TO THE DATE HEREOF. ----------- TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE ---- Prospectus Summary...................................................... 3 Risk Factors............................................................ 5 The Company............................................................. 23 Use of Proceeds......................................................... 23 Dividend Policy......................................................... 23 Capitalization.......................................................... 24 Dilution................................................................ 25 Selected Consolidated Financial Data.................................... 26 Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.......................................................... 27 Business................................................................ 40 Management.............................................................. 61 Certain Transactions.................................................... 67 Principal Stockholders.................................................. 69 Description of Capital Stock............................................ 71 Shares Eligible for Future Sale......................................... 75 Underwriting............................................................ 77 Legal Matters........................................................... 79 Experts................................................................. 79 Additional Information.................................................. 79 Index to Consolidated Financial Statements.............................. F-1
----------- UNTIL JANUARY 9, 1999 (25 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF THIS PROSPECTUS), ALL DEALERS EFFECTING TRANSACTIONS IN THE COMMON STOCK, WHETHER OR NOT PARTICIPATING IN THIS DISTRIBUTION, MAY BE REQUIRED TO DELIVER A PROSPECTUS. THIS IS IN ADDITION TO THE OBLIGATION OF DEALERS TO DELIVER A PROSPECTUS WHEN ACTING AS UNDERWRITERS AND WITH RESPECT TO THEIR UNSOLD ALLOTMENTS OR SUBSCRIPTIONS. - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5,000,000 SHARES [LOGO OF INFO SPACE.COM APPEARS HERE] COMMON STOCK -------------- PROSPECTUS -------------- HAMBRECHT & QUIST NATIONSBANC MONTGOMERY SECURITIES LLC DAIN RAUSCHER WESSELS A DIVISION OF DAIN RAUSCHER INCORPORATED DECEMBER 15, 1998 - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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