ACV Auctions Inc. (ACVA) FY 2023 MD&A

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10- K. This discussion, particularly information with respect to our financial condition or results of operations, business strategy and plans and objectives of management for future operations, includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties as described under the heading “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. You should review the disclosure under the heading “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis.

A discussion regarding our financial condition and results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 is presented below. A discussion regarding our financial condition and results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021 can be found in “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our 2022 Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 1, 2023.

Overview

Our mission is to build and enable the most trusted and efficient marketplace platform for buying and selling used vehicles with transparency and comprehensive data that was previously unimaginable.

We provide a highly efficient and vibrant marketplace platform for wholesale vehicle transactions and data services that offer transparent and accurate vehicle information to our customers. Our marketplace platform leverages data insights and technology to power our digital marketplace and data services, enabling our dealers and commercial partners to buy, sell, and value vehicles with confidence and efficiency. We strive to solve the challenges that the used automotive industry has faced for generations and provide powerful technology-enabled capabilities to our dealers and commercial partners who fulfill a critical role in the automotive ecosystem. We help dealers source and manage inventory and accurately price their vehicles as well as process payments, transfer titles, manage arbitrations, and finance and transport vehicles. Our marketplace platform encompasses:

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Digital Marketplace. Connects buyers and sellers of wholesale vehicles in an intuitive and efficient manner. Our core marketplace offerings are auctions in varying formats, which facilitate real time transactions of wholesale vehicles, and are accessible across multiple platforms including mobile apps, desktop, and directly through API integration. We also offer transportation, financing and assurance services to facilitate the entire transaction journey.

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Remarketing Centers. Provides an additional channel to provide dealers and commercial partners with auction services. At remarketing centers, vehicles may be auctioned onsite and/or launched into the digital marketplace. Additional services are offered at remarketing centers that are important to servicing commercial partners.

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Data Services. Offer insights into the condition and value of used vehicles for transactions both on and off our marketplace and help dealers, their end consumers, and commercial partners make more informed decisions and transact with confidence and efficiency. We enable dealers to manage their inventory and set pricing more effectively while turning vehicles faster and maximizing profit by leveraging predictive analytics informed by artificial intelligence, machine learning, and market data.

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Data and Technology. Underpins everything we do, and powers our vehicle inspections, comprehensive vehicle intelligence reports, digital marketplace, inventory management software, and operations automation.

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We have historically generated the majority of our revenue from our digital marketplace where we earn auction and ancillary fees from both buyers and sellers in each case only upon a successful auction. Buyer auction fees are variable based on the price of the vehicle, while seller auction fees include a fixed auction fee and an optional fee for the elective condition report associated with the vehicle. We also earn ancillary fees through additional value-added services to buyers and sellers in connection with the auction.

Our customers include participants on our marketplace and purchasers of our data services. Certain dealers and commercial partners purchase data services in connection with vehicle assessments, software subscriptions, and transactions that do not occur on our marketplace. Our dealer customers include a majority of the top 100 used vehicle dealers in the United States.

We had 598,767 and 546,088 Marketplace Units sold on our marketplace, representing a total Marketplace Gross Merchandise Value, or Marketplace GMV, of $8.8 billion and $9.0 billion, for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. In the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, we generated revenue of $481.2 million and $421.5 million, net loss of $75.3 million and $102.2 million, and adjusted EBITDA of $(18.2) million and $(56.4) million, respectively. We continue to invest in growth to scale our company responsibly and drive towards sustained profitability. See the section titled “—Key Operating and Financial Metrics” for additional information on Marketplace Units, Marketplace GMV and Adjusted EBITDA.

Key Operating and Financial Metrics

We regularly monitor a number of operating and financial metrics in order to measure our current performance and estimate our future performance. Our business metrics may be calculated in a manner different than similar business metrics used by other companies.

Marketplace Units

Marketplace Units is a key indicator of our potential for growth in Marketplace GMV and revenue. It demonstrates the overall engagement of our customers on the marketplace platform, the vibrancy of our marketplace platform and our market share of wholesale transactions in the United States. We define Marketplace Units as the number of vehicles transacted on our marketplace platform within the applicable period. Marketplace Units transacted includes any vehicle that successfully reaches sold status, even if the auction is subsequently unwound, meaning the buyer or seller does not complete the transaction. These instances have been immaterial to date. Marketplace Units exclude vehicles that were inspected by ACV, but not sold on our marketplace. Since the launch of our marketplace platform, Marketplace Units have generally increased as we have expanded our territory coverage, added new Marketplace Buyers and Marketplace Sellers to our marketplace platform and increased our share of wholesale transactions from existing customers. Because we only earn auction and ancillary fees in the case of a successful auction, Marketplace Units will remain a critical driver of our revenue growth.

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Marketplace GMV

Marketplace GMV is primarily driven by the volume and dollar value of Marketplace Units transacted on our marketplace platform. We believe that Marketplace GMV acts as an indicator of the success of our marketplace, signaling satisfaction of dealers and buyers on our marketplace, and the health, scale, and growth of our business. We define Marketplace GMV as the total dollar value of vehicles transacted through our marketplace platform within the applicable period, excluding any auction and ancillary fees. Because our definition of Marketplace Units does not include vehicles inspected but not sold on our marketplace platform, and because the value of the vehicle sold is not recognized as revenue, GMV does not represent revenue earned by us. We expect that Marketplace GMV will continue to grow as Marketplace Units grow, though at a varying rate within a given applicable period, as Marketplace GMV is also impacted by the value of each vehicle transacted. In periods of declining used vehicle values, Marketplace GMV may decline even while Marketplace Units increase.

Marketplace Buyers

We define Marketplace Buyers as dealers or commercial partners with a unique customer ID that have transacted at least once in the last 12 months as a buyer on our marketplace platform. Marketplace Buyers include independent and franchise dealers buying on our marketplace.

Marketplace Sellers

We define Marketplace Sellers as dealers or commercial partners with a unique customer ID that have transacted at least once in the last 12 months as a seller on our marketplace platform. Marketplace Sellers include independent and franchise dealers selling on our marketplace, as well as commercial partners, consisting of commercial leasing companies, rental car companies, bank or other finance companies, who use our marketplace to sell their inventory.

We monitor the growth in both Marketplace Buyers and Marketplace Sellers as they each promote a more vibrant and healthy marketplace. We believe that our growth in Marketplace Sellers and Marketplace Buyers over time has been driven by the value proposition of our offerings, and our sales and marketing success, including our ability to attract new dealers and commercial partners to our marketplace platform. Based on our current position in the market, we believe that we have significant opportunity to continue to increase the number of Marketplace Buyers and Marketplace Sellers.

Adjusted EBITDA

Adjusted EBITDA is a performance measure that we use to assess our operating performance and the operating leverage in our business. We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss), adjusted to exclude: depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation expense, interest (income) expense, provision for income taxes, and other one-time, non-recurring items, when applicable, such as acquisition-related and restructuring expenses. We monitor Adjusted EBITDA as a non-GAAP financial measure to supplement the financial information we present in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, to provide investors with additional information regarding our financial results. For further explanation of the uses and limitations of this measure and a reconciliation of our Adjusted EBITDA to the most directly comparable GAAP measure, net income (loss), please see “—Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”

We expect Adjusted EBITDA to fluctuate in the near term as we continue to invest in our business and improve over the long term as we achieve greater scale in our business and efficiencies in our operating expenses.

Factors Affecting Our Performance

We believe that the growth and future success of our business depend on many factors. While each of these factors presents significant opportunities for our business, they also pose important challenges that we must successfully address in order to sustain our growth, improve our results of operations, and increase profitability.

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Increasing Marketplace Units

Increasing Marketplace Units is a key driver of our revenue growth. The transparency, efficiency and vibrancy of our marketplace is critical to our ability to grow our share of wholesale transactions from existing customers and attract new buyers and sellers to our marketplace platform. Failure to increase the number of Marketplace Units would adversely affect our revenue growth, operating results, and the overall health of our marketplace.

Grow Our Share of Wholesale Transactions from Existing Customers

Our success depends in part on our ability to grow our share of wholesale transactions from existing customers, increasing their engagement and spend on our marketplace platform. We remain in the early stages of penetrating our Marketplace Buyers' and Sellers’ total number of wholesale transactions. As we continue to invest in eliminating key risks of uncertainty related to the auction process through our trusted and efficient marketplace platform, we expect that we will capture an increasing share of transactions from our existing buyers and sellers. Our ability to increase share from existing customers will depend on a number of factors, including our customers’ satisfaction with our marketplace platform, competition, pricing and overall changes in our customers’ engagement levels.

Add New Marketplace Buyers and Marketplace Sellers

We believe we have a significant opportunity to add new marketplace participants. As we expand our presence within our existing territories, we are able to drive increased liquidity and greater vehicle selection, which in turn improves our ability to attract new Marketplace Buyers and Marketplace Sellers. Additionally, we intend to add more commercial consignors to our marketplace platform and capture a greater share of vehicles in the wholesale market that are sold to dealers by commercial consignors through auctions and private sales.

Our ability to attract new Marketplace Buyers and Marketplace Sellers will depend on a number of factors including: the ability of our sales team to onboard dealers and commercial consignors onto our marketplace platform and ensure their satisfaction, the ability of our territory managers to build awareness of our brand, the ability of our vehicle condition inspectors, or VCIs, to cultivate relationships with our customers in their respective territories, and the effectiveness of our marketing efforts.

Grow Awareness for Our Offerings and Brand

Wholesale vehicle online penetration is in the early stages, lagging the consumer automotive market, and we expect more dealers and commercial partners to source and manage their inventory online. As the digitization of the wholesale automotive market accelerates, we believe that our digital marketplace is well positioned to capture a disproportionate share of that growth. We use targeted sales and marketing efforts to educate potential Marketplace Buyers and Marketplace Sellers as to the benefits of our offerings and drive adoption of our marketplace platform. Our ability to grow awareness of our offerings and brand depend on a number of factors, including:

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Secure Trusted Supply. The more trusted supply on our marketplace, the more buyers we can attract to our marketplace platform.

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Deepen Relationships with Dealers and Commercial Partners. We have a team of VCIs who work on our customers’ lots to not only provide inspection services, but also to develop strong client relationships and ensure the highest quality service.

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Drive Customer Loyalty. Our loyal customers and referrals serve as a highly effective customer acquisition tool, and help drive our growth in a given territory.

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Grow Brand Awareness. We invest in promoting our brand via targeted marketing spend to increase customer awareness in the territories in which we operate.

Our future success is dependent on our ability to successfully grow our market presence and market and sell products to both new and existing customers.

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Grow Value-Added and Data Services

We continue to drive customer adoption of our existing value-added and data services and introduce new and complementary products. Our ability to drive higher attachment rates of existing value-added services, such as ACV Transportation and ACV Capital, will help grow our revenue. In 2019 we launched our financing arm, ACV Capital. In 2021, we added ACV MAX (formerly doing business as MAX Digital) flagship inventory management system to our portfolio of data services offerings. We continue to drive customer adoption of our data services such as our True360 Reports that bring transparency and offer insights into the condition and value of used vehicles as well as our inventory management system, which enables dealers to accurately price wholesale and retail inventory while maximizing profit by leveraging predictive analytics informed by artificial intelligence. These data services enable our customers to make more informed inventory management decisions both on and off our digital marketplace. In addition, we will continue to focus on developing new products and services that enhance our marketplace platform in areas including new data-powered products. Our ability to drive customer adoption of these products and services is dependent on the pricing of our products, the offerings of our competitors and the effectiveness of our marketing efforts.

Investment in Growth

We are actively investing in our business. In order to support our future growth and expanded product offerings, we expect this investment to continue. We anticipate that our operating expenses will increase as we continue to build our sales and marketing efforts, expand our employee base and invest in our technology development. The investments we make in our marketplace platform are designed to grow our revenue opportunity and to improve our operating results in the long term, but these investments could also delay our ability to achieve profitability or reduce our profitability in the near term. Our success is dependent on making value-generative investments that support our future growth.

Used Car Demand

Our success depends in part on sufficient demand for used vehicles. Our recent growth over the last several years has coincided with a rising consumer demand for used vehicles. Since early 2020 demand for cars has outpaced supply. During this period we have seen new car supply have a significant impact on the supply of wholesale vehicles available within our marketplace. More recently, new vehicle supply has begun to increase, although still below 2019 levels. However, this increase in new vehicle supply has been coupled with an increase in interest rates which has made both new and used vehicles more expensive for retail consumers utilizing financing. Used car demand will be in part dependent on the economic health of the retail consumer and their ability to afford a vehicle purchase.

Used vehicle sales are also seasonal. Sales typically peak late in the first quarter and early in the second quarter, with the lowest relative level of industry vehicle sales occurring in the fourth quarter. Due to our growth since launch, our sales patterns to date have not been entirely reflective of the general seasonality of the used vehicle market, but we expect this to normalize as our business matures. Seasonality also impacts used vehicle pricing, with used vehicles depreciating at a faster rate in the last two quarters of each year and a slower rate in the first two quarters of each year. We may experience seasonal and other fluctuations in our quarterly results of operations, which may not fully reflect the underlying performance of our business. See the section titled “Seasonality” for additional information on the impacts of seasonality on our business.

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Components of Results of Operations

Revenue

Marketplace and Service Revenue

We have historically generated the majority of our revenue from our digital marketplace where we earn auction and ancillary fees from both buyers and sellers, in each case only upon a successful auction. Our marketplace and service revenue consists principally of revenue earned from facilitating auctions and arranging for the transportation of vehicles purchased in such auctions.

We act as an agent when facilitating a vehicle auction through the marketplace. Auction and related fees charged to the buyer and seller are reported as revenue on a net basis, excluding the price of the auctioned vehicle in the transaction.

We act as a principal when arranging for the transportation of vehicles purchased on the marketplace and leverage our network of third-party transportation carriers to secure the arrangement. Transportation fees charged to the buyer are reported on a gross basis.

We also generate data services revenue through our True360 reports and ACV MAX inventory management software subscriptions and offer short-term inventory financing to eligible customers purchasing vehicles through the marketplace.

Customer Assurance Revenue

We also generate revenue by providing our Go Green assurance to sellers on the condition of certain vehicles sold on the marketplace, which is considered a guarantee under GAAP. This assurance option is only available for Go Green sellers on qualifying vehicles for which we have prepared the vehicle condition report. Customer assurance revenue also includes revenue from other price guarantee products offered to sellers. Customer assurance revenue is measured based upon the fair value of the guarantees that we provide. We expect the fair value per vehicle assured to decrease over time as we continue to improve the quality of our inspection product, which in turn reduces the costs of satisfying such assurance.

Operating Expenses

Marketplace and Service Cost of Revenue

Marketplace and service cost of revenue consists of third-party transportation carrier costs, titles shipping costs, customer support, website hosting costs, inspection costs related to data services and various other costs. These costs include salaries, benefits, bonuses and related stock-based compensation expenses, which we refer to as personnel expenses. We expect our marketplace and service cost of revenue to continue to increase in absolute dollars as we continue to scale our business and introduce new product and service offerings.

Customer Assurance Cost of Revenue

Customer assurance cost of revenue consists of the costs related to satisfying claims against the vehicle condition guarantees, and other price guarantees.

Operations and Technology

Operations and technology expense consists of costs for wholesale auction inspections, personnel costs related to payments and titles processing, transportation processing, product and engineering and other general operations and technology expenses. These costs include personnel-related expenses and other allocated facility and office costs. We expect that our operations and technology expense will increase in absolute dollars as our business grows, particularly as we incur additional costs related to continued investments in our marketplace, transportation capabilities and other technologies.

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Selling, General and Administrative

Selling, general and administrative expense consists of costs resulting from sales, accounting, finance, legal, marketing, human resources, executive, and other administrative activities. These costs include personnel-related expenses, legal and other professional services expenses and other allocated facility and office costs. Also included in selling, general and administrative expense is advertising and marketing costs to promote our services. We expect that our selling, general and administrative expense will increase in absolute dollars as our business grows. However, we expect that our selling, general and administrative expense will decrease as a percentage of our revenue as our revenue grows over the longer term.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization expense consists of depreciation of fixed assets, and amortization of acquired intangible assets and internal-use software.

Other Income (Expense)

Other income (expense) consists primarily of interest income earned on our marketable securities and cash and cash equivalents. Other income (expense) also includes interest expense on our borrowings.

Provision for Income Taxes

Provision for income taxes consists of U.S. federal, state and foreign income taxes.

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Results of Operations

The following table sets forth our Consolidated Statements of Operations data expressed as a percentage of total revenue for the periods presented:

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Comparison of the Years Ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022

Revenue

Marketplace and Service Revenue

The increase was primarily driven by an increase in auction marketplace revenue from our buyers and sellers, as well as increases in revenue earned from arranging for the transportation of vehicles to buyers and an increase in revenue earned from the financing of vehicles sold on our marketplace. Revenue increases in the current year were primarily volume-driven. Additionally, we raised the buyer fees charged on our marketplace effective in September 2023 which further contributed to the increase in revenue year-over-year, and specifically within the fourth quarter. For the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, auction marketplace revenue increased to $210.9 million from $175.7 million, other marketplace revenue increased to $179.0 million from $153.0 million, and data services revenue decreased to $32.6 million from $32.9 million.

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Customer Assurance Revenue

Customer assurance revenue decrease was primarily driven by a decrease in Go Green assurance revenue. For the year ended December 31, 2023, Go Green assurance revenue decreased to $52.1 million from $53.8 million in the year ended December 31, 2022 as a result of a lower fair value per guaranteed unit. Other assurance revenue increased to $6.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 from $6.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 as a result of increased unit volume of other guarantees.

Operating Expenses

Marketplace and Service Cost of Revenue

The increase consisted of higher costs related to generating marketplace and other marketplace revenue. For the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, total cost attributed to generating auction marketplace revenue increased to $35.8 million from $29.1 million. The increase in auction marketplace cost of revenue is primarily due to increased units sold through our marketplace. Other marketplace cost of revenue increased to $135.3 million from $132.8 million due to a higher number of units adding other marketplace services to the auction transaction. The cost of generating data services revenue decreased to $21.6 million from $22.1 million. Marketplace and service cost of revenue as a percentage of revenue decreased during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 as we continued to grow revenue and scale our business.

Customer Assurance Cost of Revenue

The decrease primarily consisted of costs attributable to our Go Green and other assurance offerings and was primarily driven by lower costs to settle guarantees. For the year ended December 31, 2023, Go Green assurance cost of revenue decreased to $46.5 million from $47.0 million in the year ended December 31, 2022, and other assurance cost of revenue decreased to $5.2 million from $5.7 million. Customer assurance cost of revenue as a percentage of revenue decreased during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 as we continued our efforts to effectively manage costs.

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Operations and Technology Expenses

The increase primarily consisted of higher software and technology expenses and personnel-related costs. For the year ended December 31, 2023, personnel and related costs increased to $118.8 million from $117.7 million in the year ended December 31, 2022 as a result of increased headcount. Software and technology expenses increased to $15.2 million from $13.9 million in the year ended December 31, 2022 as a result of continued investment in our technology and infrastructure. Other expenses increased to $7.0 million from $4.9 million in the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. Operations and technology expense as a percentage of revenue decreased during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 as we continued our efforts to effectively manage costs while investing in future growth.

Selling, General, and Administrative Expenses

The increase primarily consisted of higher personnel-related costs. For the year ended December 31, 2023, personnel related costs increased to $138.7 million from $117.7 million in the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily as a result of headcount increases and increased stock-based compensation. Non-personnel expenses increased to $27.8 million in the year ended December 31, 2023 from $25.9 million in the year ended December 31, 2022. Selling, general, and administrative expense as a percentage of revenue remained consistent during the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 as we continue to invest in our business to support future growth.

Depreciation and Amortization

The increase was primarily due to an increase of $6.5 million in amortization of internal-use software costs. The remaining year-over-year increase is due to $0.6 million of acquired intangible asset amortization and $0.9 million of depreciation. The increase in depreciation and amortization as a percentage of revenue is due to the placing of internal-use software projects into service and the subsequent recognition of amortization expense.

Interest Income

The increase was primarily driven by higher interest rates and bond yields on our marketable securities portfolio as well as higher average balances of marketable securities during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022.

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Interest Expense

The increase was primarily driven by an increase in borrowings and interest rates during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022.

Provision for Income Taxes

Our effective tax rate was (0.7)% for the year ended December 31, 2023 and (0.1)% for the year ended December 31, 2022, respectively. The principal differences between the federal statutory rate and the effective tax rate are related to state income taxes, net of federal income tax benefit, foreign taxes and credits, executive compensation disallowance and the non-recognition of tax benefits for certain entities in a loss position for which a full valuation allowance has been recorded.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Adjusted EBITDA

We report our financial results in accordance with GAAP. However, management believes that Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, provides investors with additional useful information in evaluating our performance.

Adjusted EBITDA is a financial measure that is not presented in accordance with GAAP. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA, when taken together with our financial results presented in accordance with GAAP, provides meaningful supplemental information regarding our operating performance and facilitates internal comparisons of our historical operating performance on a more consistent basis by excluding certain items that may not be indicative of our business, results of operations or outlook. In particular, we believe that the use of Adjusted EBITDA is helpful to our investors as it is a measure used by management in assessing the health of our business and evaluating our operating performance, as well as for internal planning and forecasting purposes.

Adjusted EBITDA is presented for supplemental informational purposes only, has limitations as an analytical tool and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for financial information presented in accordance with GAAP. Some of these limitations include that: (i) it does not properly reflect capital commitments to be paid in the future; (ii) although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the underlying assets may need to be replaced and Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect these capital expenditures; (iii) it does not consider the impact of stock-based compensation expense; (iv) it does not reflect other non-operating income and expenses, including interest income and expense; (v) it does not consider the impact of any contingent consideration liability valuation adjustments; (vi) it does not reflect tax payments that may represent a reduction in cash available to us; and (vii) it does not reflect other one-time, non-recurring items, when applicable, such as acquisition-related and restructuring expenses. In addition, our use of Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies because they may not calculate Adjusted EBITDA in the same manner, limiting its usefulness as a comparative measure. Because of these limitations, when evaluating our performance, you should consider Adjusted EBITDA alongside other financial measures, including our net loss and other results stated in accordance with GAAP.

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The following table presents a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss), the most directly comparable financial measure stated in accordance with GAAP, for the periods presented:

Non-GAAP Net income (loss)

We report our financial results in accordance with GAAP. However, management believes that Non-GAAP Net income (loss), a financial measure that is not presented in accordance with GAAP, provides investors with additional useful information to measure operating performance and current and future liquidity when taken together with our financial results presented in accordance with GAAP. By providing this information, we believe management and the users of the financial statements are better able to understand the financial results of what we consider to be our organic, continuing operations.

In the calculation of Non-GAAP Net income (loss), we exclude stock-based compensation expense because of varying available valuation methodologies, subjective assumptions and the variety of equity instruments that can impact our non-cash expense. We believe that providing non-GAAP financial measures that exclude stock-based compensation expense allows for more meaningful comparisons between our operating results from period to period.

We exclude amortization of acquired intangible assets from the calculation of Non-GAAP Net income (loss). We believe that excluding the impact of amortization of acquired intangible assets allows for more meaningful comparisons between operating results from period to period as the underlying intangible assets are valued at the time of acquisition and are amortized over several years after the acquisition.

We exclude contingent consideration liability valuation adjustments associated with the purchase consideration of transactions accounted for as business combinations. We also exclude certain other one-time, non-recurring items, when applicable, such as acquisition-related and restructuring expenses, because we do not consider such amounts to be part of our ongoing operations nor are they comparable to prior periods nor predictive of future results.

Non-GAAP Net income (loss) is presented for supplemental informational purposes only, has limitations as an analytical tool and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for financial information presented in accordance with GAAP. Some of these limitations include that: (i) it does not consider the impact of stock-based compensation expense; (ii) although amortization is a non-cash charge, the underlying assets may need to be replaced and Non-GAAP Net income (loss) does not reflect these capital expenditures; (iii) it does not consider the impact of any contingent consideration liability valuation adjustments; and (iv) it does not consider the impact of other one-time charges, such as acquisition-related and restructuring expenses, which could be material to the results of our operations. In addition, our use of Non-GAAP Net income (loss) may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies because they may not calculate Non-GAAP Net income (loss) in the same manner, limiting its usefulness as a comparative measure. Because of these limitations, when evaluating our performance, you should consider Non-GAAP Net income (loss) alongside other financial measures, including our net loss and other results stated in accordance with GAAP.

The following table presents a reconciliation of Non-GAAP Net income (loss) to net loss, the most directly comparable financial measure stated in accordance with GAAP, for the periods presented:

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

We have financed operations since our inception primarily through our marketplace revenue and proceeds from sales of equity securities.

As of December 31, 2023, our principal sources of liquidity were cash and cash equivalents totaling $182.6 million, and investments in marketable securities totaling $228.8 million. We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities, and cash flow from operations will be sufficient to support working capital and capital expenditure requirements for at least the next 12 months and for the long-term. Our future capital requirements over the long-term will depend on many factors, including volume of sales with existing customers, expansion of sales and marketing activities to acquire new customers, timing and extent of spending to support development efforts and introduction of new and enhanced services. We may, in the future, enter into arrangements to acquire or invest in complementary businesses, products, and technologies. We may be required to seek additional equity or debt financing. In the event that we require additional financing, we may not be able to raise such financing on terms acceptable to us or at all. If we are unable to raise additional capital or generate cash flows necessary to expand our operations and invest in continued innovation, we may not be able to compete successfully, which would harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

As of December 31, 2023, our principal commitments primarily consist of long-term debt and leases for facilities. We have $3.2 million of lease obligations due within a year, and an additional $25.1 million of lease obligations due at various dates through 2038. Refer to Note 10. Leases, of our consolidated financial statements for more information.

In order to compete successfully and sustain operations at current levels over the next 12 months, we will be required to devote a significant amount of operating cash flow to our human capital in the form of salaries and wages. Additionally, we enter into purchase commitments for goods and services made in the ordinary course of business. These purchase commitments include goods and services received and recorded as liabilities as of December 31, 2023 as well as goods and services which have not yet been delivered or performed and have, therefore, not been reflected in our Consolidated Balance Sheets and Consolidated Statements of Operations. These commitments typically become due after the delivery and completion of such goods or services.

We settle transactions among buyers and sellers using the marketplace, and as a result the value of the vehicles passes through our balance sheet. Because our receivables typically have been, on average, settled faster than our payables, our cash position at each balance sheet date has been bolstered by marketplace float. Changes in working capital vary from quarter-to-quarter as a result of GMV and the timing of collections and disbursements of funds related to auctions held near period end.

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Our Debt Arrangements

We entered into a revolving credit facility with Credit Suisse AG, New York Branch, or the 2019 Revolver, in December 2019. On June 26, 2023, we entered into an agreement to extinguish the 2019 Revolver.

We also entered into a revolving credit facility with JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., or the 2021 Revolver, on August 24, 2021. On June 1, 2023, we entered into an Amendment on the 2021 Revolver which modified the rate at which interest payments are indexed from LIBOR to SOFR.

The 2021 Revolver provides for a revolving line of credit in the aggregate principal amount of up to $160.0 million. The 2021 Revolver also includes a sub facility that provides for the issuance of letters of credit up to $20.0 million outstanding at any time. The 2021 Revolver is guaranteed by substantially all of our material domestic subsidiaries and is secured by substantially all of our and such subsidiaries’ assets except for ACV Capital Receivables. The interest rate applicable to the 2021 Revolver is, at our option, either (a) SOFR (or a replacement rate established in accordance with the terms of the credit agreement for the 2021 Revolver) (subject to a 0.00% SOFR floor), plus a margin of 2.75% per annum plus an additional credit spread adjustment of 0.11% for daily and one-month terms, 0.26% for three-month terms and 0.43% for six-month terms or (b) the Alternate Base Rate plus a margin of 1.75% per annum. The Alternate Base Rate is the highest of (a) the Wall Street Journal prime rate, (b) the NYFRB rate plus 0.5% and (c)(i) 1.00% plus (ii) the adjusted SOFR rate for a one-month interest period. The 2021 Revolver has a maturity date of August 24, 2026. The 2021 Revolver contains customary covenants that limit our ability to enter into indebtedness, make distributions and make investments, among other restrictions. The 2021 Revolver also contains financial covenants that require us to maintain a minimum liquidity level and achieve specified trailing four quarter revenue targets.

We were in compliance with all such applicable covenants as of December 31, 2023, and believe we are in compliance as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. As of December 31, 2023, $115.0 million was drawn under the 2021 Revolver, and there was an outstanding letter of credit issued under the 2021 Revolver in the amount of $2.1 million.

Cash Flows from Operating, Investing, and Financing Activities

The following table shows a summary of our cash flows for the periods presented:

Operating Activities

Our largest source of operating cash is cash collection from fees earned on our marketplace. Our primary uses of cash from operating activities are for personnel expenses, marketing expenses and overhead expenses. In the year ended December 31, 2023, net cash used in operating activities was $17.9 million. In the year ended December 31, 2022, net cash used in operating activities was $75.2 million. The decrease in net cash used in operating activities during the year ended December 31, 2023 relative to the year ended December 31, 2022 was primarily driven by a year-over-year decrease in net loss, an increase in non-cash activity, and a decrease in operating asset and liability cash outflow.

Investing Activities

In the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, net cash used in investing activities was $111.0 million and $283.0 million, respectively, primarily related to purchasing marketable securities, along with capitalized software development costs to support continued technology innovation, increases in finance receivables, and the use of cash for the acquisition of businesses.

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The decrease in net cash used in investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2023 relative to the year ended December 31, 2022 was primarily driven by a reduced amount of cash outflows for purchases of marketable securities, and greater cash inflows from maturities and redemptions of marketable securities. This resulted in a decrease in cash used by investing activities offset by an increase in business acquisitions, finance receivables and capitalized software development costs.

Financing Activities

In the years ended December 31, 2023, and 2022, net cash provided by financing activities was $30.6 million and $72.9 million, respectively. The decrease was primarily the result of lower net proceeds from long term debt, net of repayments of long term debt during the period, and an increase in payments of RSU tax withholdings in exchange for shares of common stock surrendered by RSU holders.

Acquisitions

On August 22, 2023, the Company completed its acquisition of all of the ownership interests of a business (“the August 2023 acquisition”) for estimated cash consideration of $16.6 million. The aggregate purchase price was preliminarily allocated to $5.9 million of goodwill, $14.2 million of intangible assets, and $3.6 million of net liabilities assumed. The purchase price allocations are subject to adjustments as they are finalized over the 12-month measurement period. Goodwill acquired in connection with this acquisition will be deductible for tax purposes in the United States and will be amortized on a straight-line basis over 15 years.

On April 24, 2023, the Company completed its acquisition of all of the ownership interests of a business (“the April 2023 acquisition”) for total cash consideration of $12.5 million. The aggregate purchase price was preliminarily allocated to $5.3 million of goodwill, $6.0 million of intangible assets and $1.2 million of net assets assumed. The purchase price allocations are subject to adjustments as they are finalized over the 12-month measurement period. Goodwill acquired in connection with this acquisition will be deductible for tax purposes in the United States and will be amortized on a straight-line basis over 15 years.

During the first quarter of 2022, we completed an acquisition of Monk SAS for total consideration of approximately $18.6 million, net of cash acquired and expected working capital settlements. The transaction was accounted for using the acquisition method and, accordingly, the results of the acquired business have been included in our results of operations from the acquisition date. The acquisition of Monk enables the Company to enhance its service offerings and inspection capabilities for dealers and commercial partners.

Seasonality

The volume of vehicles sold through our auctions generally fluctuates from quarter to quarter. This seasonality is caused by several factors, including holidays, weather, the seasonality of the retail market for used vehicles and the timing of federal tax returns, which affects the demand side of the auction industry. As a result, revenue and operating expenses related to volume will fluctuate accordingly on a quarterly basis. In the fourth quarter, we typically experience lower used vehicle auction volume as well as additional costs associated with the holidays. Seasonally depressed used vehicle auction volume typically continues during the winter months through the beginning part of the first quarter. Typical seasonality trends may not be observed in periods where other external factors more significantly impact the industry.

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Critical Accounting Estimates

We believe that the following accounting policies involve a high degree of judgment and complexity. Accordingly, these are the policies we believe are the most critical to aid in fully understanding and evaluating our consolidated financial condition and results of our operations. See Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a description of our other significant accounting policies. The preparation of our consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the amounts reported in those financial statements and accompanying notes. Although we believe that the estimates we use are reasonable, due to the inherent uncertainty involved in making those estimates, actual results reported in future periods could differ from those estimates.

Revenue Recognition of Auction and Other Marketplace Revenue

We generate auction and other marketplace revenue from contracts with customers. Revenue is recognized when control of the promised services is transferred to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration that we expect to receive in exchange for those services. Determining whether performance obligations should be accounted for separately or combined may require significant judgment. For each performance obligation within a contract, we evaluate whether we act as the principal or as an agent. When we act as the principal, revenue is recognized in the gross amount of the consideration received from the customer recognized at the point in time the services are completed. When we act as the agent, revenue is recognized net of the consideration due to a third party at the point in time when the services are provided.

In contracts with multiple performance obligations, we allocate the transaction price to each distinct performance obligation proportionately based on the estimated stand-alone selling price, or SSP, of each performance obligation. We use an observable price to determine the SSP for each performance obligation. Where observable prices are not available, an expected cost-plus margin approach is used. We then determine how the services are transferred to the customer to determine the timing of revenue recognition.

From time to time, we provide promotions and incentives to buyers and sellers in various forms including discounts on fees, credits and rebates. Promotions and incentives which are consideration payable to a customer are recognized as a reduction of revenue when revenue is recognized.

We have utilized the practical expedient available under ASC 606-10-50-14 and do not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for contracts with an original expected length of one year or less.

General Guarantees

We provide certain guarantees to Sellers in the marketplace in the ordinary course of business, which are accounted for under ASC 460, Guarantees, or ASC 460, as a general guarantee.

Vehicle Condition Guarantees—We offer guarantees to sellers in qualifying situations where we performed a vehicle inspection and prepared the vehicle condition report. The guarantee provides us with the right to retain proceeds from the subsequent liquidation of the vehicle covered under the guarantee. The fair value of vehicle condition guarantees issued is estimated based on historical results and other qualitative factors. The vehicle condition guarantee revenue is recognized on the earlier of the guarantee expiration date or the guarantee settlement date.

Internal-Use Software Costs

We capitalize internal-use software costs during the application development stage. Costs related to preliminary project activities and post implementation activities are expensed as incurred. This software is amortized on a straight-line basis over its estimated useful life, generally three years. We evaluate the useful lives of these assets on an annual basis, or more frequently when warranted.

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Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

For information on recently issued accounting pronouncements, refer to Note 1. Nature of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies in our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.