AUDIOEYE INC (AEYE) FY 2024 MD&A

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

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 that appear elsewhere in this annual report on Form 10-K. The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect our plans, estimates and beliefs. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include but are not

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limited to those discussed below and elsewhere in this annual report on Form 10-K, particularly in “Risk Factors.” The forward-looking statements included in this annual report on Form 10-K are made only as of the date hereof.

Executive Overview

AudioEye is an industry-leading digital accessibility platform delivering Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and WCAG compliance at scale. Our solutions advance accessibility with patented technology that reduces barriers, expands access for individuals with disabilities, and enhances the user experience for a broader audience. In 2024, we continued to focus on product innovation, expanding revenue and managing expenses.

We have two sales channels to deliver our product, the Partner and Marketplace channel and the Enterprise channel. AudioEye continues to focus on recurring revenue growth in both channels, while still offering our website and mobile application reporting services and PDF remediation services that provide non-recurring revenue.

For the year ended December 31, 2024, total revenue increased by 12% over the prior year. As of December 31, 2024, Annual Recurring Revenue (“ARR”) was approximately $36.6 million, which represented an increase of 17% from December 31, 2023. Refer to “Other Key Operating Metrics” below for details on how we calculate ARR.

As of December 31, 2024, AudioEye had approximately 127,000 customers, an increase from 110,000 customers at December 31, 2023. The increase in customer count is attributed to both our Partner and Marketplace and Enterprise channels.

In the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, revenue from our Partner and Marketplace grew 12% over the prior year. This channel represented about 58% of ARR at the end of December 2024. In the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, total Enterprise revenue, inclusive of revenue from ADA Site Compliance acquired in September 2024, increased by 13% over the prior year. The Enterprise channel represented about 42% of ARR at the end of December 2024.

We had one major customer (including the customer’s affiliates reflecting multiple contracts and a partnership with the Company) which accounted for approximately 15% and 17% of our revenue in the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

The Company continued to invest in research and development in 2024. Total research and development cost, as defined under the “Research and Development” section in the “Results of Operations” below, was 19% of total revenue in 2024. Total research and development cost decreased from the prior year due to the completion of significant initiatives in research and development.

In the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, both selling and marketing expense and general and administrative expense increased over the prior year. This increase in selling and marketing expense was due to additional costs associated with ADA Site Compliance, which was acquired in September 2024, as well as higher third-party marketing and stock compensation expenses. The increase in general and administrative expense was mainly driven by increases in litigation and stock compensation expenses, as well as transaction costs incurred in connection with the acquisition of ADA Site Compliance.

We provide further commentary on our Results of Operation below.

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Results of Operations

Our consolidated financial statements are stated in United States Dollars and are prepared in accordance with United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“U.S. GAAP” or “GAAP”). The discussion of the results of our operations compares the year ended December 31, 2024 with the year ended December 31, 2023. Our results of operations in these periods are not necessarily indicative of the results which may be expected for any subsequent period. Due to rounding, numbers presented throughout this document may not add up precisely to the totals provided and percentages may not precisely reflect the absolute figures.

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Revenue

The following table presents our revenues disaggregated by sales channel:

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The Partner and Marketplace channel consists of our CMS partners, platform & agency partners, authorized resellers and the Marketplace. This channel serves small and medium sized businesses that are on a partner or reseller’s web-hosting platform or that purchase our solutions from our Marketplace.

The Enterprise channel consists of our larger customers and organizations, including those with non-platform custom websites, who generally engage directly with AudioEye sales personnel for custom pricing and solutions. This channel also includes federal, state and local government agencies and revenue attributable to ADA Site Compliance, which was acquired in September 2024.

For the year ended December 31, 2024, total revenue increased by 12% over the prior year. The increase in Partner and Marketplace channel revenue was the result of continued expansion with existing partners and the execution of new partnerships agreements in the year. The increase in Enterprise channel revenue was driven primarily by an increase in Enterprise customers.

Cost of Revenue and Gross Profit

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Cost of revenue consists primarily of compensation and related benefits costs for our customer experience team, as well as a portion of our technology operations team that supports the delivery of our services, fees paid to our managed hosting and other third-party service providers, amortization of capitalized software development costs and patent costs, and allocated overhead costs.

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For the year ended December 31, 2024, cost of revenue increased by 4% over the prior year. The increase in cost of revenue was primarily due to higher service delivery costs associated with increased revenue, amortization of our capitalized software development costs and additional costs attributable to ADA Site Compliance, which was acquired in September 2024.

For the year ended December 31, 2024, gross profit increased by 15% over the prior year. The increase in gross profit was a result of increased revenue.

Selling and Marketing Expenses

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Selling and marketing expenses consist primarily of compensation and benefits related to our sales and marketing staff, as well as third-party advertising and marketing expenses.

For the year ended December 31, 2024, selling and marketing expenses increased by 8% over the prior year. The increase in selling and marketing expenses resulted primarily from additional cost associated with ADA Site Compliance, which was acquired in September 2024, as well as higher third-party marketing and stock compensation expense.

Research and Development

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Research and development (“R&D”) expenses consist primarily of compensation and related benefits related to our employees involved in research and development activities. Total research and development cost includes the amount of research and development expense reported within operating expenses as well as development cost that was capitalized during the fiscal period.

For the year ended December 31, 2024, R&D expenses decreased by 27% from the prior year. This decrease was driven by lower personnel cost associated with a realignment in our product and development teams following the completion of significant initiatives in R&D. For the year ended December 31, 2024, capitalized R&D cost decreased by 9% from the prior year. The decrease in capitalized R&D cost was the result of engineering personnel spending less time on product development than in previous comparable periods. Total R&D cost, which includes both R&D expenses and capitalized R&D costs, decreased 23% from 2023 to 2024.

General and Administrative Expenses

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General and administrative expenses consist primarily of compensation and benefits related to our executives, directors and corporate support functions, general corporate expenses including legal fees, occupancy and transaction costs.

For the year ended December 31, 2024, general and administrative expenses increased by 18% over the prior year. The increase in general and administrative expenses was due primarily to an increase in litigation expenses of $2.1 million, as well as increased stock compensation expense and transaction costs incurred in connection with the acquisition of ADA Site Compliance.

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Interest Income (Expense)

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For the year ended December 31, 2024, interest expense, net consisted primarily of interest on our term loan borrowed in the fourth quarter of 2023, which was partially offset by interest income from investment in money market funds. For the year ended December 31, 2023, interest income, net consisted primarily of income from investment in money market funds.

Other Key Operating Metrics

We consider annual recurring revenue (“ARR”) as a key operating metric and a key indicator of our overall business. We also use ARR as one of the primary methods for planning and forecasting overall expectations and for evaluating, on at least a quarterly and annual basis, actual results against such expectations.

We define ARR as the sum of (i) for our Enterprise channel, the total of the annualized recurring fee at the date of determination under each active contract, plus (ii) for our Partner and Marketplace channel, the annual or monthly recurring fee for all active customers at the date of determination, in each case, assuming no changes to the subscription, multiplied by 12 if applicable. Recurring fees are defined as revenues expected to be generated from services typically offered as a subscription service or annual service offering such as our automation and platform, periodic auditing, human-assisted technological fixes, legal support and professional service offerings and other services that reoccur on a multi-year contract. This determination includes both annual and monthly contracts for recurring products. Some of our contracts are terminable prior to the expected term, which may impact future ARR. ARR excludes non-recurring fees, which are defined as revenue expected to be generated from services typically not offered as a subscription service or annual service offering such as our PDF remediation services business, one-time mobile application reports, and other miscellaneous services that are offered as non-subscription services or are expected to be one-time in nature. As of December 31, 2024, ARR was $36.6 million, which represents an increase of 17% year-over-year, driven by growth in both our Partner and Marketplace channel and Enterprise channel.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Working Capital

As of December 31, 2024, we had $5.7 million in cash and cash equivalents, and working capital of $549,000. The $2.7 million decrease in working capital in 2024 was primarily due to the acquisition of ADA Site Compliance, for which we made payments totaling $5.3 million in 2024, net of cash received.

In November 2023, the Board of Directors adopted a share repurchase program authorizing the repurchase of up to $5 million of our common stock through December 31, 2025. Shares repurchased under the program are subsequently retired and restored to the status of authorized but unissued shares of common stock. In the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, we paid $2.02 million in cash to repurchase 299,371 shares of our common stock. As of December 31, 2024, we had $1.86 million remaining for the repurchase of shares. In March 2025, this share repurchase program was terminated. No shares were repurchased under this program between December 31, 2024 and the date it was terminated.

In January 2025, the Board of Directors adopted a share repurchase program authorizing the repurchase of up to $12.5 million of our common stock through January 24, 2027. The program may be amended, suspended, or discontinued at any time and does not commit the Company to repurchase any shares of its common stock. No repurchases have been made under this program to date.

In the second quarter of 2024, the Company initiated an At The Market offering (“ATM offering”), under which the Company may offer and sell shares of its common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $7.0 million from time to time. As of  December 31, 2024, we had issued 292,746 shares of our common stock and raised $6,634,000, net of transaction expenses, utilizing the ATM offering in full.

In the second quarter of 2024, we made a $2.4 million cash payment to settle the contingent consideration associated with the Bureau of Internet Accessibility Inc. (“BOIA”) acquisition in full.

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As of December 31, 2024, we had $1.4 million in noncurrent contingent consideration liability recognized in connection with the acquisition of ADA Site Compliance, and $7.0 million in noncurrent term loan which matures on November 30, 2026.

As of March 12, 2025, we have no off-balance sheet arrangements, and we believe that the Company has sufficient liquidity to continue as a going concern through the next twelve months. We expect to continue to invest in our product and in sales and marketing to capture market demand. In 2024, cash provided by operating activities totaled $2.7 million, and we were able to raise $6.6 million through an ATM offering, net of transaction costs. We expect cash provided by operating activities to continue to improve in 2025, driven mainly by the anticipated revenue growth.

While the Company has been successful in raising capital, there is no assurance that it will be successful at raising additional capital in the future. Additionally, if the Company’s plans are not achieved and/or if significant unanticipated events occur, the Company may have to further modify its business plan, which may require us to raise additional capital or reduce expenses.

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Cash Flows

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For the year ended December 31, 2024, in relation to the prior year, cash provided by operating activities increased primarily due to increased revenue and cost efficiencies associated with lower personnel expense following a realignment in our product and development teams.

For the year ended December 31, 2024, in relation to the prior year, cash used in investing activities increased primarily due to the acquisition of ADA Site Compliance in 2024, for which we paid $5.3 million, net of cash acquired. Cash used for investing activities in 2023 related primarily to cash outlays for software development costs.

For the year ended December 31, 2024, in relation to the prior year, cash provided by financing activities decreased due to an increase in payments related to settlement of employee stock-based awards and common stock repurchases, as well as higher payouts towards the contingent consideration in connection with the acquisition of BOIA. For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, we raised $6.6 million and $6.9 million, respectively, through an ATM offering and a term loan, respectively, net of transaction costs.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with the accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of consolidated financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported and disclosed in our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes. Actual results could differ materially from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

The critical accounting estimates discussed below are estimates made in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles that involve a significant level of estimation uncertainty and have had or are reasonably likely to have a material impact on the financial condition or results of operations.

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Goodwill, Intangible Assets and Contingent Consideration recognized in connection with a Business Combination

We recognize intangible assets acquired in connection with business combinations based on their fair value at acquisition, which is determined by management with the assistance a third-party valuation specialist. Acquired intangible assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful life.

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We also recognize the contingent consideration liability resulting from a business combination based on its fair value, which is determined both initially and in each reporting period preceding the end of the measurement period using the Monte-Carlo simulation model. The model incorporates key assumptions, including non-recurring and recurring revenue metrics. Changes in estimated revenue and outcomes different from estimates could cause a significant adjustment to earnings in a reporting period as the fair value of the liability is highly dependent on management’s estimate.

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Goodwill is recorded based on the excess of purchase price over the estimated fair value of net assets acquired and is not amortized. The value of goodwill is highly dependent on the assessed fair value of intangible assets and contingent consideration liability at acquisition. Both intangible assets and goodwill are evaluated periodically for impairment.

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Refer to Note 2 - Significant Accounting Policies to our consolidated financial statements for a complete discussion of the significant accounting policies and methods used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements, including our accounting policies related to intangible assets.

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