Summary of Business and Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2022
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Description of Business	Description of Business FiscalNote Holdings, Inc. (“FiscalNote,” or the “Company”) is a technology and data company delivering critical legal data and insights in a rapidly evolving economic, political and regulatory world. By combining artificial intelligence (“AI”), machine learning and other technologies with analytics, workflow tools, and expert research, FiscalNote seeks to reinvent the way that organizations minimize risks and capitalize on opportunities associated with rapidly changing legal and policy environments. Through a number of its products, FiscalNote ingests unstructured legislative and regulatory data, and employs AI and data science to deliver structured, relevant and actionable information that facilitates key operational and strategic decisions by global enterprises, midsized and smaller businesses, government institutions, trade groups, and nonprofits. FiscalNote delivers that intelligence through its suite of public policy and issues management products, coupled with expert research and analysis of markets and geopolitical events, as well as powerful tools to manage workflows, advocacy campaigns, and constituent relationships. The Company is headquartered in Washington, D.C. On July 29, 2022 (the “Closing Date”), the Company consummated the transactions contemplated by the Agreement and Plan of Business Combination, dated November 7, 2021, as amended on May 9, 2022, (the “Merger Agreement”), by and among FiscalNote Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Old FiscalNote”), Duddell Street Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (“DSAC”), and Grassroots Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware Corporation and a wholly owned direct subsidiary of DSAC (“Merger Sub” and, together with DSAC, the “DSAC Parties”). Pursuant to these transactions, Merger Sub merged with and into Old FiscalNote, with Old FiscalNote becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of DSAC (the “Business Combination” and, collectively with the other transactions described in the Business Combination Agreement, the “Transactions”). In connection with the closing of the Transactions (the “Closing”), DSAC domesticated and continued as a Delaware corporation under the name of “FiscalNote Holdings, Inc.” (“New FiscalNote”). Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q to the “Company,” “FiscalNote,” “we,” “us,” or “our” refer to the business of Old FiscalNote, which became the business of New FiscalNote and its subsidiaries following the Closing.
Basis of Presentation and Interim Financial Information	Basis of Presentation and Interim Financial Information We accounted for the Business Combination as a reverse recapitalization whereby Old FiscalNote was determined as the accounting acquirer and DSAC as the accounting acquiree. This determination was primarily based on: • Old FiscalNote stockholders having the largest voting interest in New FiscalNote; • the board of directors of New FiscalNote having ten members, and Old FiscalNote’s former stockholders having the ability to nominate the majority of the members of the board of directors; • Old FiscalNote management continuing to hold executive management roles for the post-combination company and being responsible for the day-to-day operations; • the post-combination company assuming the Old FiscalNote name; • New FiscalNote maintaining the pre-existing Old FiscalNote headquarters; and • the intended strategy of New FiscalNote being a continuation of Old FiscalNote’s strategy. Accordingly, the Business Combination was treated as the equivalent of Old FiscalNote issuing stock for the net assets of DSAC, accompanied by a recapitalization. The net assets of DSAC are stated at historical cost, with no goodwill or other intangible assets recorded. While DSAC was the legal acquirer in the Business Combination, because Old FiscalNote was determined as the accounting acquirer, the historical financial statements of Old FiscalNote became the historical financial statements of the combined company, upon the consummation of the Business Combination. As a result, the financial statements included in the accompanying unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements reflect (i) the historical operating results of Old FiscalNote prior to the Business Combination; (ii) the combined results of the Company and Old FiscalNote following the closing of the Business Combination; (iii) the assets and liabilities of Old FiscalNote at their historical cost; and (iv) the Company’s equity structure for all periods presented. In connection with the Business Combination, the Company has converted the equity structure for the periods prior to the Business Combination to reflect the number of shares of New FiscalNote’s common stock issued to Old FiscalNote’s stockholders in connection with the recapitalization transaction. As such, the shares, corresponding capital amounts and earnings per share, as applicable, related to Old FiscalNote’s, convertible preferred stock, and common stock prior to the Business Combination have been retroactively converted as shares by applying the exchange ratio established in the Business Combination. The accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, the condensed consolidated statements of temporary equity and stockholders' equity (deficit) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, and the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 are unaudited. These condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information. Accordingly, they do not include all of the financial information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of the Company’s management, the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include all adjustments necessary for the fair presentation of the Company’s balance sheets as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, and its results of operations, including its comprehensive loss, temporary equity, stockholders' equity (deficit) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, and its cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021. All adjustments are of a normal recurring nature. The results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for any subsequent quarter or for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022. These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Liquidity	Liquidity The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern, which contemplates continuity of operations, realization of assets, and satisfaction of liabilities in the ordinary course of business. The propriety of using the going-concern basis is dependent upon, among other things, the achievement of future profitable operations, the ability to generate sufficient cash from operations and potential other funding sources, in addition to cash on-hand, to meet its obligations as they become due. The Company received approximately $65.6 million of net cash proceeds from the Transactions. The Company’s cash and cash equivalents were $78.0 million at September 30, 2022, compared with $32.2 million at December 31, 2021. Further, the Company had a negative working capital balance of $38.2 million (excluding cash) at September 30, 2022 and had an accumulated deficit of $658.2 million and $481.4 million as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively, and has incurred net losses of $175.7 million and $88.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Management expects that significant on-going operating and capital expenditures will be necessary to continue to implement the Company’s business plan of entering new markets, future acquisitions, and infrastructure and product development. The Company's future capital requirements also depend on many factors, including sales volume, the timing and extent of spending to support research and development (“R&D”) efforts, investments in information technology systems, the expansion of sales and marketing activities, and execution on our acquisition strategy. Historically the Company’s cash flows from operations have not been sufficient to fund its current operating model. The Company believes with the cash on hand at September 30, 2022, and available borrowings under the New Senior Term Loan, it has sufficient liquidity to fund operations, capital expenditures, and certain capital acquisition activity for at least the next twelve months. The Company's ability to fund its cash interest requirements under the New Senior Term Loan, acquisition strategy, operating expenses, and capital expenditure requirements will depend in part on general economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory and other conditions that may be beyond the Company's control. Depending on these and other market conditions, the Company may seek additional financing. Volatility in the credit markets may have an adverse effect on the Company's ability to obtain debt financing as interest rates continue to increase. If the Company raises additional funds through the issuance of equity, equity-linked or debt securities, those securities may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to the rights of the Company's common stock, or may require the Company to agree to unfavorable terms, and the Company's existing stockholders may experience significant dilution. On April 13, 2020, the Company received funding in the principal amount of $8,000 under the Paycheck Protection Program (the “PPP”) provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) (the “PPP Loan”). The PPP Loan provided additional liquidity and instant funding for the Company to meet the unplanned working capital needs in its effort to transition the majority of its workforce into a remote-work setting due to the COVID-19 outbreak. On February 24, 2022, the U.S. Small Business Administration forgave $7,667 of the PPP Loan with the remaining balance of $333 to be repaid over five years. The Company recognized the forgiveness of the PPP Loan as a gain on debt extinguishment. Under the CARES Act, employers were allowed to defer the deposit and payment of the employer’s share of the Social Security Tax that would otherwise be due on or after March 27, 2020, and before January 1, 2021. Starting in April 2020, on a monthly basis, the Company deferred paying the employer’s share of the Social Security Tax for a total amount of $1,326 as of December 31, 2020. In compliance with current guidelines, the Company made a payment of $663 relating to the deferred Social Security Tax in December 2021, the remaining $663 of deferred Social Security Tax will be paid by December 31, 2022 and has been recorded as other current liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheets as of September 30, 2022.
Use of Estimates	Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the Company to make estimates and assumptions in the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements and notes thereto. Significant estimates and assumptions made by management include the determination of: • revenue recognition; • the average period of benefit associated with costs capitalized to obtain revenue contracts; • the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed for business combinations; • the useful lives of intangible assets; • capitalization of software development costs; • valuation of financial instruments; • the fair value of certain stock awards issued; • the fair value of certain consideration issued as part of business combinations; • the recognition, measurement, and valuation of current and deferred income taxes and uncertain tax positions; and • the incremental borrowing rate used to calculate lease balances. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable, which forms the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities.
Principles of Consolidation	Principles of Consolidation The condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances have been eliminated in consolidation.
Segments	Segments The Company operates as one operating segment. Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise for which separate financial information is evaluated regularly by the chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) in deciding how to allocate resources and assess performance. Over the past several years, the Company has completed a number of acquisitions. These acquisitions have allowed the Company to expand its offerings, presence, and reach in various market segments. While the Company has offerings in multiple market segments and operates in multiple countries, the Company’s business operates in one operating segment because the Company’s CODM evaluates the Company’s financial information and resources, and assesses the performance of these resources, on a consolidated basis.
Concentration Risks	Concentrations of Risks Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist principally of cash and cash equivalents and accounts receivable. The Company generally maintains its cash and cash equivalents with various nationally recognized financial institutions. The Company’s cash and cash equivalents at times exceed amounts guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The Company does not require collateral for accounts receivable. The Company maintains an allowance for its doubtful accounts receivable due to estimated credit losses. This allowance is based upon historical loss patterns, the number of days billings are past due, an evaluation of the potential risk of loss associated with delinquent accounts and current market conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts of future economic conditions to inform adjustments to historical loss patterns. The Company records the allowance against bad debt expense through the condensed consolidated statements of operations, included in sales and marketing expense, up to the amount of revenues recognized to date. Any incremental allowance is recorded as an offset to deferred revenue on the condensed consolidated balance sheets. Receivables are written off and charged against the recorded allowance when the Company has exhausted collection efforts without success. No single customer accounted for more than 10% of the Company's accounts receivable balance as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021. No single customer accounted for 10% or more of total revenues during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021. As of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, assets located in the United States were approximately 92% percent of total assets. Two vendors individually accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s accounts payable as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, one vendor represented more than 10% of the total purchases made.
Revenue Recognition	Revenue Recognition The Company recognizes revenues upon the satisfaction of its performance obligation(s) (upon transfer of control of promised goods or services to its customers) in an amount that reflects the consideration to which it expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. The Company has elected to exclude sales and similar taxes from the transaction price. The Company determines the amount of revenue to be recognized through the application of the following steps: (i) identification of contracts with customers, (ii) identification of distinct performance obligations in the contract, (iii) determination of contract transaction price, (iv) allocation of contract transaction price to the performance obligations, and (v) determination of revenue recognition based on timing of satisfaction of the performance obligation(s). The Company derives its revenues from subscription revenue arrangements and advisory, advertising, and other revenues. Subscription Revenue Subscription revenue consists of revenue earned from subscription-based arrangements that provide customers the right to use the Company’s software and products in a cloud-based infrastructure. Subscription revenue is driven primarily by the number of active licenses, the types of products and the price of the subscriptions. The Company also earns subscription-based revenue by licensing to customers its digital content, including transcripts, news and analysis, images, video, and podcast data. Subscription revenue is generally non-refundable regardless of the actual use and is recognized ratably over the non-cancellable contract term beginning on the commencement date of each contract, which is the date the Company’s service is first made available to customers. The Company's contracts with customers may include promises to transfer multiple services. For these contracts, the Company accounts for individual promises separately if they are distinct performance obligations. Determining whether services are considered distinct performance obligations may require significant judgment. Judgment is also required to determine the standalone selling price (“SSP”) for each distinct performance obligation. In instances where SSP is not directly observable, such as when the Company does not sell the services separately, the Company determines the SSP using available information, including market conditions and other observable inputs. The Company typically invoices its customers annually. Typical payment terms provide that customers pay within 30 days of invoice. Amounts that have been invoiced are recorded in accounts receivable and in deferred revenue, depending on whether transfer of control to customers has occurred. Deferred revenue results from amounts billed to or cash received from customers in advance of the revenue being recognized. Contract assets represent a conditional right to consideration for satisfied performance obligations that become a receivable when the conditions are satisfied. Contract assets are generated when contractual billing schedules differ from the timing of revenue recognition or cash collection and are included in other current assets in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets. Advisory, Advertising, and Other Revenues Advisory revenue is typically earned under contracts for specific deliverables and is non-recurring in nature, although the Company may sell different advisory services to repeat customers. One-time advisory revenue is invoiced according to the terms of the contract, usually delivered to the customer over a short period of time, during which revenue is recognized. Advertising revenue is primarily generated by delivering advertising in its own publications (Roll Call and CQ) in both print and digital formats. Revenue for print advertising is recognized upon publication of the advertisement. Revenue for digital advertising is recognized over the period of the advertisement or, if the contract contains impression guarantees, based on delivered impressions. Book revenue is recognized when the product is shipped to the customer, which is when control of the product is transferred to the customer. Shipping and handling costs are treated as a fulfillment activity and are expensed as incurred. Events revenue is deferred and only recognized when the event has taken place and is included in other revenues
Costs Capitalized to Obtain Revenue Contracts	Costs Capitalized to Obtain Revenue Contracts The Company capitalizes incremental costs of obtaining a contract. Certain sales commissions are considered incremental and recoverable costs of obtaining a contract with a customer. Sales commissions incurred for obtaining new contracts are deferred and then amortized as selling and marketing expenses on a straight-line basis over a period of benefit that the Company has determined to be approximately four years. The four-year amortization period was determined based on several factors, including the nature of the technology and proprietary data underlying the services being purchased, customer contract renewal rates and industry competition. The Company updates its estimate of the period of benefit periodically and whenever events or circumstances indicate that the period of benefit could change significantly. Such changes, if any, are accounted for prospectively as a change in estimate. The Company has elected to use a practical expedient to expense commissions for renewal contracts when the renewal period is 12 months or less. The Company does not have material costs to fulfill contracts with customers.
Cost of Revenues	Cost of Revenues Cost of revenues primarily consists of expenses related to hosting the Company’s service, the costs of data center capacity, amortization of developed technology and capitalized software development costs, certain fees paid to various third parties for the use of their technology, services, or data, costs of compensation, including bonuses, stock compensation, benefits and other expenses for employees associated with providing professional services and other direct costs of production. Also included in cost of revenues are costs related to develop, publish, print, and deliver publications.
Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash	Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash The Company considers cash on deposit and all highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less to be cash and cash equivalents. In 2017, as an incentive for entering into a lease and building out the Company’s head office in Washington, D.C., the District granted to the Company $750 to finance the security deposit of the new office. The Company is required to meet certain covenants, such as maintaining its headquarters in Washington, D.C., and may have to reimburse the District if the covenants are not met. The amount of the grant is reflected as restricted cash, including any interest earned, in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets.
Property and Equipment	Property and Equipment Property and equipment are stated at cost and depreciated on a straight-line basis over the assets’ estimated useful lives, which generally are five years for furniture and fixtures, three years for equipment, and the shorter of the useful life or the lease term for leasehold improvements. Software license fees for externally purchased software are capitalized and amortized over the life of the license. Property and equipment are evaluated for impairment in accordance with management’s policy for finite-lived intangible assets and other long-lived assets (see Note 6). Depreciation expense was $311 and $297 for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, and $892 and $870 for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and is recorded as part of the general and administrative expenses on the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.
Capitalized Software Development Costs	Capitalized Software Development Costs The Company capitalizes costs to develop software for internal use, including website development costs, when it is determined the development efforts will result in new or additional functionality or new products. Costs incurred prior to meeting these criteria and costs associated with implementation activities and ongoing maintenance are expensed as incurred and included in operating expenses in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. Costs capitalized as internal use software are amortized on a straight-line basis over an estimated useful life that the Company has determined to be three years. Amortization of capitalized software development costs is included in the costs of revenues in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. Software development costs are evaluated for impairment in accordance with management’s policy for finite-lived intangible assets and other long-lived assets (see Note 6).
Business Combinations	Business Combinations The Company must estimate the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination at the acquisition date. During the measurement period, which may be up to one year from the acquisition date, the Company may record adjustments to the fair values of the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed, with the corresponding offset to goodwill. Upon the conclusion of the measurement period or final determination of the fair value of the assets acquired or liabilities assumed, whichever comes first, any subsequent adjustments are recognized in the condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss.
Acquisition-Related Intangibles and Other Long-Lived Assets	Acquisition-Related Intangibles and Other Long-Lived Assets The Company recognizes acquisition-related intangible assets, such as customer relationships and developed technology, in connection with business combinations. The Company amortizes the cost of acquisition-related intangible assets that have finite useful lives generally on a straight-line basis. The Company evaluates acquisition-related intangibles and other long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset group may not be recoverable. Recoverability of asset groups are measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset group to future undiscounted net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset group. This includes assumptions about future prospects for the business that the asset group relates to and typically involves computations of the estimated future cash flows to be generated by these businesses. Based on these judgments and assumptions, the Company determines whether the Company needs to take an impairment charge to reduce the value of the asset group stated on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheets to reflect its estimated fair value. When the Company considers such assets to be impaired, the amount of impairment the Company recognizes is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset group exceeds its fair value.
Goodwill Impairment	Goodwill Impairment Goodwill is not amortized, but is evaluated for impairment annually, or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. For purposes of assessing potential impairment, the Company estimates the fair value of its reporting units based on the price a market participant would be willing to pay in a potential sale of the reporting unit, and compares this amount to the carrying value of the reporting unit. If the Company determines that the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an impairment charge would be required. The annual goodwill impairment test is performed on October 1st. There were no impairments of long-lived assets and goodwill during 2021 and the nine months ended September 30, 2022.
Leases	Leases The Company determines if an arrangement is a lease or contains a lease at the inception of the contract. The Company’s leases include certain variable lease payments associated with non-lease components, such as common area maintenance costs and real estate taxes, which are generally charged based on actual amounts incurred by the lessor. The non-lease components are combined with the lease component to account for both as a single lease component. Lease liabilities, which represent the Company's obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease, and corresponding right-of-use assets, which represent the Company's right to use an underlying asset for the lease term, are recognized at the commencement date of the lease based on the present value of fixed future payments over the lease term. The Company calculates the present value of future payments using a discount rate equal to the Company’s incremental borrowing rate. For operating leases, lease expense relating to fixed payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term and lease expense relating to variable payments is expensed as incurred. The Company did not have any finance leases at both January 1, 2022 (date of adoption) and at September 30, 2022. The Company records costs associated with leases within general and administrative expenses on the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. The Company subleases certain leased office spaces to third parties and recognizes sublease income on a straight-line basis over the sublease term as an offset to lease expense as part of the general and administrative expense in the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.
Warrant Liabilities	Warrant Liabilities The Company evaluates its financial instruments, including its outstanding warrants, to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives. The Company has outstanding public and private warrants, both of which do not meet the criteria for equity classification and are accounted for as liabilities. Accordingly, the Company recognizes the warrants as liabilities at fair value and adjusts the warrants to fair value at each reporting period. The warrant liabilities are subject to re-measurement at each balance sheets date until exercised, and any change in fair value is recognized in the Company’s condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. The fair value of the public warrants is estimated based on the quoted market price of such warrants. The fair value of the private warrants is estimated using a binomial option pricing model.
Stock-Based Compensation	Stock-Based Compensation Stock-based compensation awards consist of stock options and restricted stock units (collectively “stock-based awards”). The Company has historically issued stock options with exercise prices equal to the fair value of the underlying stock price. Prior to the completion of the Business Combination and listing of the Company’s Class A common stock on the public stock exchange, the fair value of Old FiscalNote common stock underlying the stock options was determined based on then-current valuation estimates at the time of grant. Because such grants occurred prior to the public trading of the Company’s Class A common stock, the fair value of Old FiscalNote common stock was typically determined with assistance of periodic valuation analyses from an independent third-party valuation firm. The Company calculates the fair value of stock options using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. For share-based awards with performance conditions, the Company periodically assesses whether the performance conditions have been met or are probable of being met in order to determine the timing and amount of compensation expense to be recognized for each reporting period. Compensation expense for all option awards is recorded on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the awards, which is generally the option’s vesting period. These amounts are reduced by the forfeitures as the forfeitures occur.
Income Taxes	Income Taxes The Company uses the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on temporary differences between the condensed consolidated financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax laws is recognized in the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss in the period that includes the enactment date. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amounts that are expected to be realized based on the weighting of positive and negative evidence. Future realization of deferred tax assets ultimately depends on the existence of sufficient taxable income of the appropriate character (for example, ordinary income or capital gain) within the carryback or carryforward periods available under the applicable tax law. The Company regularly reviews the deferred tax assets for recoverability based on historical taxable income, projected future taxable income, the expected timing of the reversals of existing temporary differences and tax planning strategies. The Company’s judgments regarding future profitability may change due to many factors, including future market conditions and the ability to successfully execute its business plans and/or tax planning strategies. Should there be a change in the ability to recover deferred tax assets, the tax provision would increase or decrease in the period in which the assessment is changed. The Company’s tax positions are subject to income tax audits by multiple tax jurisdictions throughout the world. The Company recognizes the tax benefit of an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not that the position is sustainable upon examination by the taxing authority, solely based on its technical merits. The tax benefit recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit which is greater than 50 percent likely to be realized upon settlement with the taxing authority. The Company recognizes interest accrued and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in the income tax provision.
Foreign Currency Transaction	Foreign Currency Translation The functional currency of the Company’s major foreign subsidiaries is generally the local currency. All assets and liabilities denominated in a foreign currency are translated into U.S. dollars at the exchange rate on the balance sheet date. Revenues and expenses are translated at the average exchange rate during the period. Equity transactions are translated using historical exchange rates. Adjustments resulting from translating foreign functional currency financial statements into U.S. dollars are recorded as a separate component on the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. Foreign currency transaction gains and losses are included in other expense, net in the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss for the period and historically have not been material. Currency gains and losses on the translation of intercompany loans made to foreign subsidiaries that are of a long-term investment nature are included in accumulated other comprehensive loss.
Related Party Transactions	Related Party Transactions From time to time the Company has entered into related party transactions with certain of the Company's directors and officers. These transactions have historically included term loans, convertible debt, and convertible preferred stock.
Fair Value Measurement	Fair Value Measurements The Company accounts for assets and liabilities in accordance with accounting standards that define fair value and establish a consistent framework for measuring fair value on either a recurring or a nonrecurring basis. Fair value is an exit price representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset, or paid to transfer a liability, in an orderly transaction between market participants. As such, fair value is a market-based measurement that should be determined based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability. Accounting standards include disclosure requirements relating to the fair values used for certain financial instruments and establish a fair value hierarchy. The hierarchy prioritizes valuation inputs into three levels based on the extent to which inputs used in measuring fair value are observable in the market. Each fair value measurement is reported in one of three levels: Level 1: Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. Level 2: Assets or liabilities valued based on observable market data for similar instruments, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities. Level 3: Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity; instruments valued based on the best available data, some of which is internally developed, and considers risk premiums that a market participant would require.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Effective	Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Effective In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13 Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (ASC 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments guidance with respect to measuring credit losses on financial instruments, including trade receivables. The guidance eliminates the probable initial recognition threshold that was previously required prior to recognizing a credit loss on financial instruments. The credit loss estimate can now reflect an entity's current estimate of all future expected credit losses. Under the previous guidance, an entity only considered past events and current conditions. The guidance will be effective for the Company’s year beginning January 1, 2023. The Company is currently evaluating the impact on the condensed consolidated financial statements upon adoption. In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-06 Debt – Debt with Conversion and Other Options (ASC 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging – Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (ASC 815-40) guidance modifying the requirements for the accounting for convertible instruments and contracts in an entity’s own equity. The modifications eliminate certain accounting models for convertible debt instruments, eliminate certain requirements for equity classification of embedded derivatives and align earnings per share calculations for convertible instruments. The guidance is effective for the Company’s year beginning January 1, 2024. The Company is currently evaluating the impact on the condensed consolidated financial statements upon adoption. The Company has evaluated all other issued and unadopted Accounting Standards Updates and believes the adoption of these standards will not have a material impact on its condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, balance sheets, or cash flows.
Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements	Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02 Leases (ASC 842) guidance for the accounting for leases. Under the new guidance, lessees are required to recognize lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheets for all leases with terms longer than 12 months. Leases will be classified as either finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the income statement. The Company adopted ASU 2016-02 on January 1, 2022 using the effective date method. By applying ASU 2016-02 at the adoption date, as opposed to at the beginning of the earliest period presented, the Company's reporting for periods prior to January 1, 2022 continues to be in accordance with Leases (ASC 840). The Company elected the package of practical expedients which permits carrying forward historical accounting positions around lease identification, lease classification and initial direct costs for all leases commencing prior to January 1, 2022. The Company also made a policy election to not separate lease and non-lease components for all of its leases and to exclude leases with a term of 12 months or less at the commencement date from the lease asset and lease liability recognition and measurement requirements under ASC 842. Adoption of the standard on January 1, 2022 resulted in the recording of $25,912 of operating lease assets and $42,324 of operating lease liabilities. The difference between the operating lease assets and operating lease liabilities at transition represented previously recognized deferred rent, lease incentives, and sublease loss liabilities. The Company did not adjust the prior period balance sheets. Adoption of the standard did not impact our condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss and condensed consolidated statements of cash flows. See Note 5 for required disclosures related to leases. In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12 Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes guidance modifying the requirements for the accounting for income taxes. The simplifications include changes in the accounting for (i) intra-period tax allocations, (ii) outside basis differences in business combinations, (iii) interim provisions, (iv) step-up in tax basis goodwill and (v) franchise and other taxes partially based on income, among other changes. The Company adopted ASC 2019-12 on January 1, 2022. The adoption of this new guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements. In October 2021, the FASB issued ASU 2021-08 Business Combinations (ASC 805) Accounting for Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities from Contracts with Customers guidance requiring entities to apply ASC 606 to recognize and measure contract assets and contract liabilities in a business combination. Under current GAAP, an acquirer generally recognizes assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination, including contract assets and contract liabilities arising from revenue contracts with customers and other similar contracts that are accounted for in accordance with ASC 606, at fair value on the acquisition date. Under the new guidance the acquirer will recognize contract assets and contract liabilities at the same amounts recorded by the acquiree. The modifications improve comparability for both the recognition and measurement of acquired revenue contracts with customers at the date of and after a business combination. The Company adopted ASC 2021-08 on January 1, 2022. The adoption of this new guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements.

Summary of Business and Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2022

FiscalNote Holdings, Inc. (“FiscalNote,” or the “Company”) is a technology and data company delivering critical legal data and insights in a rapidly evolving economic, political and regulatory world. By combining artificial intelligence (“AI”), machine learning and other technologies with analytics, workflow tools, and expert research, FiscalNote seeks to reinvent the way that organizations minimize risks and capitalize on opportunities associated with rapidly changing legal and policy environments. Through a number of its products, FiscalNote ingests unstructured legislative and regulatory data, and employs AI and data science to deliver structured, relevant and actionable information that facilitates key operational and strategic decisions by global enterprises, midsized and smaller businesses, government institutions, trade groups, and nonprofits. FiscalNote delivers that intelligence through its suite of public policy and issues management products, coupled with expert research and analysis of markets and geopolitical events, as well as powerful tools to manage workflows, advocacy campaigns, and constituent relationships. The Company is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

On July 29, 2022 (the “Closing Date”), the Company consummated the transactions contemplated by the Agreement and Plan of Business Combination, dated November 7, 2021, as amended on May 9, 2022, (the “Merger Agreement”), by and among FiscalNote Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Old FiscalNote”), Duddell Street Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (“DSAC”), and Grassroots Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware Corporation and a wholly owned direct subsidiary of DSAC (“Merger Sub” and, together with DSAC, the “DSAC Parties”). Pursuant to these transactions, Merger Sub merged with and into Old FiscalNote, with Old FiscalNote becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of DSAC (the “Business Combination” and, collectively with the other transactions described in the Business Combination Agreement, the “Transactions”). In connection with the closing of the Transactions (the “Closing”), DSAC domesticated and continued as a Delaware corporation under the name of “FiscalNote Holdings, Inc.” (“New FiscalNote”). Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q to the “Company,” “FiscalNote,” “we,” “us,” or “our” refer to the business of Old FiscalNote, which became the business of New FiscalNote and its subsidiaries following the Closing.

Basis of Presentation and Interim Financial Information

We accounted for the Business Combination as a reverse recapitalization whereby Old FiscalNote was determined as the accounting acquirer and DSAC as the accounting acquiree. This determination was primarily based on:

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Old FiscalNote stockholders having the largest voting interest in New FiscalNote;

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the board of directors of New FiscalNote having ten members, and Old FiscalNote’s former stockholders having the ability to nominate the majority of the members of the board of directors;

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Old FiscalNote management continuing to hold executive management roles for the post-combination company and being responsible for the day-to-day operations;

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the post-combination company assuming the Old FiscalNote name;

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New FiscalNote maintaining the pre-existing Old FiscalNote headquarters; and

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the intended strategy of New FiscalNote being a continuation of Old FiscalNote’s strategy.

Accordingly, the Business Combination was treated as the equivalent of Old FiscalNote issuing stock for the net assets of DSAC, accompanied by a recapitalization. The net assets of DSAC are stated at historical cost, with no goodwill or other intangible assets recorded.

While DSAC was the legal acquirer in the Business Combination, because Old FiscalNote was determined as the accounting acquirer, the historical financial statements of Old FiscalNote became the historical financial statements of the combined company, upon the consummation of the Business Combination. As a result, the financial statements included in the accompanying unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements reflect (i) the historical operating results of Old FiscalNote prior to the Business Combination; (ii) the combined results of the Company and Old FiscalNote following the closing of the Business Combination; (iii) the assets and liabilities of Old FiscalNote at their historical cost; and (iv) the Company’s equity structure for all periods presented.

In connection with the Business Combination, the Company has converted the equity structure for the periods prior to the Business Combination to reflect the number of shares of New FiscalNote’s common stock issued to Old FiscalNote’s stockholders in connection with the recapitalization transaction. As such, the shares, corresponding capital amounts and earnings per share, as applicable, related to Old FiscalNote’s, convertible preferred stock, and common stock prior to the Business Combination have been retroactively converted as shares by applying the exchange ratio established in the Business Combination.

The accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, the condensed consolidated statements of temporary equity and stockholders' equity (deficit) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, and the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 are unaudited.

These condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information. Accordingly, they do not include all of the financial information and footnotes

required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of the Company’s management, the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include all adjustments necessary for the fair presentation of the Company’s balance sheets as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, and its results of operations, including its comprehensive loss, temporary equity, stockholders' equity (deficit) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, and its cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021. All adjustments are of a normal recurring nature. The results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for any subsequent quarter or for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022. These condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2021.

Liquidity

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern, which contemplates continuity of operations, realization of assets, and satisfaction of liabilities in the ordinary course of business. The propriety of using the going-concern basis is dependent upon, among other things, the achievement of future profitable operations, the ability to generate sufficient cash from operations and potential other funding sources, in addition to cash on-hand, to meet its obligations as they become due.

The Company received approximately $65.6 million of net cash proceeds from the Transactions. The Company’s cash and cash equivalents were $78.0 million at September 30, 2022, compared with $32.2 million at December 31, 2021. Further, the Company had a negative working capital balance of $38.2 million (excluding cash) at September 30, 2022 and had an accumulated deficit of $658.2 million and $481.4 million as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively, and has incurred net losses of $175.7 million and $88.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Management expects that significant on-going operating and capital expenditures will be necessary to continue to implement the Company’s business plan of entering new markets, future acquisitions, and infrastructure and product development.

The Company's future capital requirements also depend on many factors, including sales volume, the timing and extent of spending to support research and development (“R&D”) efforts, investments in information technology systems, the expansion of sales and marketing activities, and execution on our acquisition strategy. Historically the Company’s cash flows from operations have not been sufficient to fund its current operating model. The Company believes with the cash on hand at September 30, 2022, and available borrowings under the New Senior Term Loan, it has sufficient liquidity to fund operations, capital expenditures, and certain capital acquisition activity for at least the next twelve months.

The Company's ability to fund its cash interest requirements under the New Senior Term Loan, acquisition strategy, operating expenses, and capital expenditure requirements will depend in part on general economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory and other conditions that may be beyond the Company's control. Depending on these and other market conditions, the Company may seek additional financing. Volatility in the credit markets may have an adverse effect on the Company's ability to obtain debt financing as interest rates continue to increase. If the Company raises additional funds through the issuance of equity, equity-linked or debt securities, those securities may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to the rights of the Company's common stock, or may require the Company to agree to unfavorable terms, and the Company's existing stockholders may experience significant dilution.

On April 13, 2020, the Company received funding in the principal amount of $8,000 under the Paycheck Protection Program (the “PPP”) provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) (the “PPP Loan”). The PPP Loan provided additional liquidity and instant funding for the Company to meet the unplanned working capital needs in its effort to transition the majority of its workforce into a remote-work setting due to the COVID-19 outbreak. On February 24, 2022, the U.S. Small Business Administration forgave $7,667 of the PPP Loan with the remaining balance of $333 to be repaid over five years. The Company recognized the forgiveness of the PPP Loan as a gain on debt extinguishment.

Under the CARES Act, employers were allowed to defer the deposit and payment of the employer’s share of the Social Security Tax that would otherwise be due on or after March 27, 2020, and before January 1, 2021. Starting in April 2020, on a monthly basis, the Company deferred paying the employer’s share of the Social Security Tax for a total amount of $1,326 as of December 31, 2020. In compliance with current guidelines, the Company made a payment of $663 relating to the deferred Social Security Tax in December 2021, the remaining $663 of deferred Social Security Tax will be paid by December 31, 2022 and has been recorded as other current liabilities on the condensed consolidated balance sheets as of September 30, 2022.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the Company to make estimates and assumptions in the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements and notes thereto. Significant estimates and assumptions made by management include the determination of:

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revenue recognition;

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the average period of benefit associated with costs capitalized to obtain revenue contracts;

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the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed for business combinations;

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the useful lives of intangible assets;

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capitalization of software development costs;

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valuation of financial instruments;

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the fair value of certain stock awards issued;

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the fair value of certain consideration issued as part of business combinations;

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the recognition, measurement, and valuation of current and deferred income taxes and uncertain tax positions; and

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the incremental borrowing rate used to calculate lease balances.

Actual results could differ materially from those estimates. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable, which forms the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities.

Principles of Consolidation

The condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

Segments

The Company operates as one operating segment. Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise for which separate financial information is evaluated regularly by the chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) in deciding how to allocate resources and assess performance. Over the past several years, the Company has completed a number of acquisitions. These acquisitions have allowed the Company to expand its offerings, presence, and reach in various market segments. While the Company has offerings in multiple market segments and operates in multiple countries, the Company’s business operates in one operating segment because the Company’s CODM evaluates the Company’s financial information and resources, and assesses the performance of these resources, on a consolidated basis.

Concentration Risks

Concentrations of Risks

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist principally of cash and cash equivalents and accounts receivable. The Company generally maintains its cash and cash equivalents with various nationally recognized financial institutions. The Company’s cash and cash equivalents at times exceed amounts guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

The Company does not require collateral for accounts receivable. The Company maintains an allowance for its doubtful accounts receivable due to estimated credit losses. This allowance is based upon historical loss patterns, the number of days billings are past due, an evaluation of the potential risk of loss associated with delinquent accounts and current market conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts of future economic conditions to inform adjustments to historical loss patterns. The Company records the allowance against bad debt expense through the condensed consolidated statements of operations, included in sales and marketing expense, up to the amount of revenues recognized to date. Any incremental allowance is recorded as an offset to deferred revenue on the condensed consolidated balance sheets. Receivables are written off and charged against the recorded allowance when the Company has exhausted collection efforts without success.

No single customer accounted for more than 10% of the Company's accounts receivable balance as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021. No single customer accounted for 10% or more of total revenues during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021. As of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, assets located in the United States were approximately 92% percent of total assets.

Two vendors individually accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s accounts payable as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, one vendor represented more than 10% of the total purchases made.

Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenues upon the satisfaction of its performance obligation(s) (upon transfer of control of promised goods or services to its customers) in an amount that reflects the consideration to which it expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. The Company has elected to exclude sales and similar taxes from the transaction price.

The Company determines the amount of revenue to be recognized through the application of the following steps:

(i)

identification of contracts with customers,

(ii)

identification of distinct performance obligations in the contract,

(iii)

determination of contract transaction price,

(iv)

allocation of contract transaction price to the performance obligations, and

(v)

determination of revenue recognition based on timing of satisfaction of the performance obligation(s).

The Company derives its revenues from subscription revenue arrangements and advisory, advertising, and other revenues.

Subscription Revenue

Subscription revenue consists of revenue earned from subscription-based arrangements that provide customers the right to use the Company’s software and products in a cloud-based infrastructure. Subscription revenue is driven primarily by the number of active licenses,

the types of products and the price of the subscriptions. The Company also earns subscription-based revenue by licensing to customers its digital content, including transcripts, news and analysis, images, video, and podcast data. Subscription revenue is generally non-refundable regardless of the actual use and is recognized ratably over the non-cancellable contract term beginning on the commencement date of each contract, which is the date the Company’s service is first made available to customers.

The Company's contracts with customers may include promises to transfer multiple services. For these contracts, the Company accounts for individual promises separately if they are distinct performance obligations. Determining whether services are considered distinct performance obligations may require significant judgment. Judgment is also required to determine the standalone selling price (“SSP”) for each distinct performance obligation. In instances where SSP is not directly observable, such as when the Company does not sell the services separately, the Company determines the SSP using available information, including market conditions and other observable inputs.

The Company typically invoices its customers annually. Typical payment terms provide that customers pay within 30 days of invoice. Amounts that have been invoiced are recorded in accounts receivable and in deferred revenue, depending on whether transfer of control to customers has occurred.

Deferred revenue results from amounts billed to or cash received from customers in advance of the revenue being recognized.

Contract assets represent a conditional right to consideration for satisfied performance obligations that become a receivable when the conditions are satisfied. Contract assets are generated when contractual billing schedules differ from the timing of revenue recognition or cash collection and are included in other current assets in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets.

Advisory, Advertising, and Other Revenues

Advisory revenue is typically earned under contracts for specific deliverables and is non-recurring in nature, although the Company may sell different advisory services to repeat customers. One-time advisory revenue is invoiced according to the terms of the contract, usually delivered to the customer over a short period of time, during which revenue is recognized.

Advertising revenue is primarily generated by delivering advertising in its own publications (Roll Call and CQ) in both print and digital formats. Revenue for print advertising is recognized upon publication of the advertisement. Revenue for digital advertising is recognized over the period of the advertisement or, if the contract contains impression guarantees, based on delivered impressions.

Book revenue is recognized when the product is shipped to the customer, which is when control of the product is transferred to the customer. Shipping and handling costs are treated as a fulfillment activity and are expensed as incurred.

Events revenue is deferred and only recognized when the event has taken place and is included in other revenues

Costs Capitalized to Obtain Revenue Contracts

The Company capitalizes incremental costs of obtaining a contract. Certain sales commissions are considered incremental and recoverable costs of obtaining a contract with a customer. Sales commissions incurred for obtaining new contracts are deferred and then amortized as selling and marketing expenses on a straight-line basis over a period of benefit that the Company has determined to be approximately four years. The four-year amortization period was determined based on several factors, including the nature of the technology and proprietary data underlying the services being purchased, customer contract renewal rates and industry competition. The Company updates its estimate of the period of benefit periodically and whenever events or circumstances indicate that the period of benefit could change significantly. Such changes, if any, are accounted for prospectively as a change in estimate. The Company has elected to use a practical expedient to expense commissions for renewal contracts when the renewal period is 12 months or less. The Company does not have material costs to fulfill contracts with customers.

Cost of Revenues

Cost of revenues primarily consists of expenses related to hosting the Company’s service, the costs of data center capacity, amortization of developed technology and capitalized software development costs, certain fees paid to various third parties for the use of their technology, services, or data, costs of compensation, including bonuses, stock compensation, benefits and other expenses for employees associated with providing professional services and other direct costs of production. Also included in cost of revenues are costs related to develop, publish, print, and deliver publications.

Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash

The Company considers cash on deposit and all highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less to be cash and cash equivalents.

In 2017, as an incentive for entering into a lease and building out the Company’s head office in Washington, D.C., the District granted to the Company $750 to finance the security deposit of the new office. The Company is required to meet certain covenants, such as maintaining its headquarters in Washington, D.C., and may have to reimburse the District if the covenants are not met. The amount of the grant is reflected as restricted cash, including any interest earned, in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost and depreciated on a straight-line basis over the assets’ estimated useful lives, which generally are five years for furniture and fixtures, three years for equipment, and the shorter of the useful life or the lease term for leasehold improvements. Software license fees for externally purchased software are capitalized and amortized over the life of the license. Property

and equipment are evaluated for impairment in accordance with management’s policy for finite-lived intangible assets and other long-lived assets (see Note 6).

Depreciation expense was $311 and $297 for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, and $892 and $870 for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and is recorded as part of the general and administrative expenses on the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

Capitalized Software Development Costs

The Company capitalizes costs to develop software for internal use, including website development costs, when it is determined the development efforts will result in new or additional functionality or new products. Costs incurred prior to meeting these criteria and costs associated with implementation activities and ongoing maintenance are expensed as incurred and included in operating expenses in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. Costs capitalized as internal use software are amortized on a straight-line basis over an estimated useful life that the Company has determined to be three years. Amortization of capitalized software development costs is included in the costs of revenues in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. Software development costs are evaluated for impairment in accordance with management’s policy for finite-lived intangible assets and other long-lived assets (see Note 6).

Business Combinations

The Company must estimate the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination at the acquisition date. During the measurement period, which may be up to one year from the acquisition date, the Company may record adjustments to the fair values of the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed, with the corresponding offset to goodwill. Upon the conclusion of the measurement period or final determination of the fair value of the assets acquired or liabilities assumed, whichever comes first, any subsequent adjustments are recognized in the condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss.

The Company recognizes acquisition-related intangible assets, such as customer relationships and developed technology, in connection with business combinations. The Company amortizes the cost of acquisition-related intangible assets that have finite useful lives generally on a straight-line basis. The Company evaluates acquisition-related intangibles and other long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset group may not be recoverable. Recoverability of asset groups are measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset group to future undiscounted net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset group. This includes assumptions about future prospects for the business that the asset group relates to and typically involves computations of the estimated future cash flows to be generated by these businesses. Based on these judgments and assumptions, the Company determines whether the Company needs to take an impairment charge to reduce the value of the asset group stated on the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheets to reflect its estimated fair value. When the Company considers such assets to be impaired, the amount of impairment the Company recognizes is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset group exceeds its fair value.

Goodwill Impairment

Goodwill is not amortized, but is evaluated for impairment annually, or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. For purposes of assessing potential impairment, the Company estimates the fair value of its reporting units based on the price a market participant would be willing to pay in a potential sale of the reporting unit, and compares this amount to the carrying value of the reporting unit. If the Company determines that the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an impairment charge would be required. The annual goodwill impairment test is performed on October 1st. There were no impairments of long-lived assets and goodwill during 2021 and the nine months ended September 30, 2022.

Leases

The Company determines if an arrangement is a lease or contains a lease at the inception of the contract. The Company’s leases include certain variable lease payments associated with non-lease components, such as common area maintenance costs and real estate taxes, which are generally charged based on actual amounts incurred by the lessor. The non-lease components are combined with the lease component to account for both as a single lease component.

Lease liabilities, which represent the Company's obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease, and corresponding right-of-use assets, which represent the Company's right to use an underlying asset for the lease term, are recognized at the commencement date of the lease based on the present value of fixed future payments over the lease term. The Company calculates the present value of future payments using a discount rate equal to the Company’s incremental borrowing rate. For operating leases, lease expense relating to fixed payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term and lease expense relating to variable payments is expensed as incurred. The Company did not have any finance leases at both January 1, 2022 (date of adoption) and at September 30, 2022. The Company records costs associated with leases within general and administrative expenses on the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

The Company subleases certain leased office spaces to third parties and recognizes sublease income on a straight-line basis over the sublease term as an offset to lease expense as part of the general and administrative expense in the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

Warrant Liabilities

The Company evaluates its financial instruments, including its outstanding warrants, to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives. The Company has outstanding public and private warrants, both of which do not meet the criteria for equity classification and are accounted for as liabilities. Accordingly, the Company recognizes the warrants as liabilities at fair value and adjusts the warrants to fair value at each reporting period. The warrant liabilities are subject to re-measurement at each balance sheets date until exercised, and any change in fair value is recognized in the Company’s condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss.

The fair value of the public warrants is estimated based on the quoted market price of such warrants. The fair value of the private warrants is estimated using a binomial option pricing model.

Stock-Based Compensation

Stock-based compensation awards consist of stock options and restricted stock units (collectively “stock-based awards”). The Company has historically issued stock options with exercise prices equal to the fair value of the underlying stock price. Prior to the completion of the Business Combination and listing of the Company’s Class A common stock on the public stock exchange, the fair value of Old FiscalNote common stock underlying the stock options was determined based on then-current valuation estimates at the time of grant. Because such grants occurred prior to the public trading of the Company’s Class A common stock, the fair value of Old FiscalNote common stock was typically determined with assistance of periodic valuation analyses from an independent third-party valuation firm.

The Company calculates the fair value of stock options using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. For share-based awards with performance conditions, the Company periodically assesses whether the performance conditions have been met or are probable of being met in order to determine the timing and amount of compensation expense to be recognized for each reporting period. Compensation expense for all option awards is recorded on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the awards, which is generally the option’s vesting period. These amounts are reduced by the forfeitures as the forfeitures occur.

Income Taxes

The Company uses the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on temporary differences between the condensed consolidated financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax laws is recognized in the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss in the period that includes the enactment date.

Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amounts that are expected to be realized based on the weighting of positive and negative evidence. Future realization of deferred tax assets ultimately depends on the existence of sufficient taxable income of the appropriate character (for example, ordinary income or capital gain) within the carryback or carryforward periods available under the applicable tax law. The Company regularly reviews the deferred tax assets for recoverability based on historical taxable income, projected future taxable income, the expected timing of the reversals of existing temporary differences and tax planning strategies. The Company’s judgments regarding future profitability may change due to many factors, including future market conditions and the ability to successfully execute its business plans and/or tax planning strategies. Should there be a change in the ability to recover deferred tax assets, the tax provision would increase or decrease in the period in which the assessment is changed.

The Company’s tax positions are subject to income tax audits by multiple tax jurisdictions throughout the world. The Company recognizes the tax benefit of an uncertain tax position only if it is more likely than not that the position is sustainable upon examination by the taxing authority, solely based on its technical merits. The tax benefit recognized is measured as the largest amount of benefit which is greater than 50 percent likely to be realized upon settlement with the taxing authority. The Company recognizes interest accrued and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in the income tax provision.

Foreign Currency Transaction

Foreign Currency Translation

The functional currency of the Company’s major foreign subsidiaries is generally the local currency. All assets and liabilities denominated in a foreign currency are translated into U.S. dollars at the exchange rate on the balance sheet date. Revenues and expenses are translated at the average exchange rate during the period. Equity transactions are translated using historical exchange rates. Adjustments resulting from translating foreign functional currency financial statements into U.S. dollars are recorded as a separate component on the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. Foreign currency transaction gains and losses are included in other expense, net in the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss for the period and historically have not been material.

Currency gains and losses on the translation of intercompany loans made to foreign subsidiaries that are of a long-term investment nature are included in accumulated other comprehensive loss.

Related Party Transactions

From time to time the Company has entered into related party transactions with certain of the Company's directors and officers. These transactions have historically included term loans, convertible debt, and convertible preferred stock.

Fair Value Measurement

Fair Value Measurements

The Company accounts for assets and liabilities in accordance with accounting standards that define fair value and establish a consistent framework for measuring fair value on either a recurring or a nonrecurring basis. Fair value is an exit price representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset, or paid to transfer a liability, in an orderly transaction between market participants. As such, fair value is a market-based measurement that should be determined based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability.

Accounting standards include disclosure requirements relating to the fair values used for certain financial instruments and establish a fair value hierarchy. The hierarchy prioritizes valuation inputs into three levels based on the extent to which inputs used in measuring fair value are observable in the market. Each fair value measurement is reported in one of three levels:

Level 1: Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2: Assets or liabilities valued based on observable market data for similar instruments, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities.

Level 3: Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity; instruments valued based on the best available data, some of which is internally developed, and considers risk premiums that a market participant would require.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Effective

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13 Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (ASC 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments guidance with respect to measuring credit losses on financial instruments, including trade receivables. The guidance eliminates the probable initial recognition threshold that was previously required prior to recognizing a credit loss on financial instruments. The credit loss estimate can now reflect an entity's current estimate of all future expected credit losses. Under the previous guidance, an entity only considered past events and current conditions. The guidance will be effective for the Company’s year beginning January 1, 2023. The Company is currently evaluating the impact on the condensed consolidated financial statements upon adoption.

In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-06 Debt – Debt with Conversion and Other Options (ASC 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging – Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (ASC 815-40) guidance modifying the requirements for the accounting for convertible instruments and contracts in an entity’s own equity. The modifications eliminate certain accounting models for convertible debt instruments, eliminate certain requirements for equity classification of embedded derivatives and align earnings per share calculations for convertible instruments. The guidance is effective for the Company’s year beginning January 1, 2024. The Company is currently evaluating the impact on the condensed consolidated financial statements upon adoption.

The Company has evaluated all other issued and unadopted Accounting Standards Updates and believes the adoption of these standards will not have a material impact on its condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, balance sheets, or cash flows.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02 Leases (ASC 842) guidance for the accounting for leases. Under the new guidance, lessees are required to recognize lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheets for all leases with terms longer than 12 months. Leases will be classified as either finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the income statement. The Company adopted ASU 2016-02 on January 1, 2022 using the effective date method. By applying ASU 2016-02 at the adoption date, as opposed to at the beginning of the earliest period presented, the Company's reporting for periods prior to January 1, 2022 continues to be in accordance with Leases (ASC 840). The Company elected the package of practical expedients which permits carrying forward historical accounting positions around lease identification, lease classification and initial direct costs for all leases commencing prior to January 1, 2022. The Company also made a policy election to not separate lease and non-lease components for all of its leases and to exclude leases with a term of 12 months or less at the commencement date from the lease asset and lease liability recognition and measurement requirements under ASC 842. Adoption of the standard on January 1, 2022 resulted in the recording of $25,912 of operating lease assets and $42,324 of operating lease liabilities. The difference between the operating lease assets and operating lease liabilities at transition represented previously recognized deferred rent, lease incentives, and sublease loss liabilities. The Company did not adjust the prior period balance sheets. Adoption of the standard did not impact our condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss and condensed consolidated statements of cash flows. See Note 5 for required disclosures related to leases.

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12 Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes guidance modifying the requirements for the accounting for income taxes. The simplifications include changes in the accounting for (i) intra-period tax allocations, (ii) outside basis differences in business combinations, (iii) interim provisions, (iv) step-up in tax basis goodwill and (v) franchise and other taxes partially based on income, among other changes. The Company adopted ASC 2019-12 on January 1, 2022. The adoption of this new guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements.

In October 2021, the FASB issued ASU 2021-08 Business Combinations (ASC 805) Accounting for Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities from Contracts with Customers guidance requiring entities to apply ASC 606 to recognize and measure contract assets and contract liabilities in a business combination. Under current GAAP, an acquirer generally recognizes assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination, including contract assets and contract liabilities arising from revenue contracts with customers and other similar contracts that are accounted for in accordance with ASC 606, at fair value on the acquisition date. Under the new guidance the acquirer will recognize contract assets and contract liabilities at the same amounts recorded by the acquiree. The modifications improve comparability for both the recognition and measurement of acquired revenue contracts with customers at the date of and after a business combination. The Company adopted ASC 2021-08 on January 1, 2022. The adoption of this new guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements.