Viant Technology Inc. (DSP) FY 2024 MD&A
This page reproduces the company's own Item 7 MD&A text from the linked SEC filing. It is filer text, not grepcent analysis, scoring, or investment advice.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations of Viant Technology Inc. and its subsidiaries (“Viant,” “we,” “us,” “our” or the “Company”) should be read in conjunction with, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to, our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included within this Annual Report on Form 10-K ("Annual Report"). In addition to historical financial information, the following discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties which could cause our actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the risks and uncertainties discussed under the heading “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” and discussed elsewhere in this Annual Report. Additionally, our historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any period in the future.
The following discusses our financial condition and results of operations for our fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 compared to our fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 as well as discussions of our financial condition and results of operations for our fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 compared to our fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.
Overview
We are an advertising technology company. Our cloud-based demand side platform ("DSP") enables the programmatic purchase of advertising, which is the electronification of the digital advertising buying process. Programmatic advertising is rapidly taking market share from traditional ad sales channels, which require more staffing, offer less transparency and involve higher costs to buyers.
Our DSP is used by marketers and their advertising agencies to centralize the planning, buying and measurement of their digital advertising across most channels. Through our omni-channel platform, a marketer can easily buy ads on connected TV ("CTV"), streaming audio, digital out-of-home, mobile and desktop.
Our DSP is an easy-to-use self-service platform that provides our customers with transparency and control over their advertising campaigns. Our platform offers customers unique visibility across a variety of inventory, allowing them to create customized audience segments and leverage our Household ID ("HHID") and strategic partner data to reach target audiences at scale. Our platform delivers a full suite of forecasting, reporting and built-in automation that provides our customers with insights into available inventory based on the desired target audience. We offer advanced forecasting and reporting that empowers our customers with functionality designed to ensure they can accurately measure and improve their return on advertising spend ("ROAS") across channels, a feature we believe helps us grow our customer base as more customers recognize its benefits.
We generate revenue by charging platform fees and service fees pursuant to agreements that enable a wide variety of marketers and their agencies to select the mix of pricing and service options that suits their unique business and advertising budget.
These options consist of a percentage of spend pricing option and a fixed cost per mille (“CPM”) pricing option. Customers who prefer to use our platform on a self-service basis to execute their advertising campaigns enter into master service agreements (“MSAs”) with us, and we generate revenue under these arrangements by charging a platform fee that is primarily a percentage of spend. Customers who prefer to use our fixed CPM pricing option enter into insertion order (“IO”) arrangements with us, and we generate revenue by charging these customers a platform fee at a price for every 1,000 impressions an ad receives. We also offer additional service options to customers accessing our platform under an MSA or an IO, which enables them to use our services to aid them in data management, media execution and advanced reporting. When customers utilize these service options, we generate revenue by charging a service fee separate from the platform fee consisting of (1) a fee that represents a percentage of spend; (2) a flat monthly fee; or (3) a fixed CPM.
We believe that offering a mix of pricing and service options provides greater flexibility and access to our platform for marketers and their advertising agencies seeking to plan, buy and measure programmatic campaigns.
Our financial results for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, include:
•Revenue of $289.2 million and $222.9 million, representing an increase of 29.7%;
•Gross profit of $132.1 million and $102.5 million, representing an increase of 28.9%;
•Contribution ex-TAC(1) of $177.4 million and $143.4 million, representing an increase of 23.7%;
•Net income (loss) of $12.5 million and $(9.9) million, representing an improvement of 225.2%;
•Non-GAAP net income(1) of $34.7 million and $21.7 million, representing an increase of 59.4%; and
•Adjusted EBITDA(1) of $44.4 million and $29.1 million, representing an increase of 52.7%.
(1)Contribution ex-TAC, non-GAAP net income and adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP financial measures. For a detailed discussion of our key operating and financial performance measures and a reconciliation of contribution ex-TAC, non-
46
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for per share data)
GAAP net income and adjusted EBITDA to the most directly comparable financial measures calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America ("GAAP"), see “—Key Operating and Financial Performance Measures—Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”
Factors Affecting Our Performance
Attract, Retain and Grow our Customer Base
Our future growth depends on our ability to enhance and improve our offerings and platform to increase our customers' usage of our platform and add new customers. We believe many advertisers are in the early stages of moving a greater percentage of their advertising budgets to programmatic channels. By providing solutions for the planning, buying and measuring of their media spend across most channels, we believe we are well positioned to capture more of our customers’ programmatic budgets. We also continue to add functionality to our platform to encourage our customers to increase their usage. For instance, we continue to leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning in our platform to help our customers improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their advertising campaigns. We expect ViantAI to accelerate market share gains and expand our total addressable market. Further, we intend to continue to grow our sales and marketing efforts to increase awareness of our DSP and highlight the advantages of our HHID and strategic partner data as a superior option to cookie-based targeting.
We evaluate our customers' usage of our platform and assess our market penetration and scale based on changes in revenue, contribution ex-TAC and advertiser spend. We define advertiser spend as the total amount billed to our customers for activity on our platform inclusive of the costs of advertising media, third-party data, other add-on features and our platform fee that we charge customers. For the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, our revenue grew 29.7%. We believe growing customer adoption of our newer products and platform features continued to drive incremental revenue, gross profit and contribution ex-TAC during the year. For a detailed discussion of our key operating measures, see “—Key Operating and Financial Performance Measures—Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”
Investment in Growth
We believe that the advertising market is in the early stages of a shift toward programmatic advertising. We plan to invest for long-term growth. We anticipate that our operating expenses will continue to increase over the long-term as we invest in platform operations, technology and development to enhance our product capabilities including the integration of new advertising channels, and in sales and marketing to acquire new customers and increase our customers’ usage of our platform. We believe that these investments will contribute to our long-term growth, although they may have a negative impact on our profitability in the near-term.
Impact of Macroeconomic and Geopolitical Conditions
Macroeconomic conditions and geopolitical events, such as pandemics, inflation, high interest rates, tariffs, tightening of credit markets, recession risks, labor shortages, supply chain disruptions, political election cycles, changes in laws and interpretations of laws, changes in the volume and relative mix of U.S. government spending, cost-cutting and efficiency initiatives and potential disruptions from international conflicts and acts of terrorism, have impacted and may continue to impact our business and the business of our customers, while also disrupting sales channels and advertising and marketing activities. We continue to actively monitor the impact of these macroeconomic factors on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows, and on our clients, partners, industry and employees. The extent to which these factors impact our operational and financial performance, including our ability to execute our business strategies and initiatives in the expected time frame, will depend on future developments, which are uncertain and cannot be predicted. Due to the nature of our business, the effect of these macroeconomic conditions and geopolitical events may not be fully reflected in our results of operations until future periods.
In the fourth quarter of 2022, we initiated a cost reduction plan aimed at reducing our operating expenses and sharpening our focus on key growth priorities in light of macroeconomic conditions. This included a reduction of our employee headcount by approximately 13% resulting in restructuring charges of $1.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, consisting primarily of cash severance payments, employee benefits and related costs.
Growth of the Digital Advertising Market
We expect to continue to benefit from overall adoption of programmatic advertising by marketers and their agencies. Any material change in the growth rate of digital advertising or the rate of adoption of programmatic advertising, including expansion of new programmatic channels, could affect our performance. Recent years have shown that advertising spend is closely tied to advertisers’ financial performance, and a downturn, either generally or in one or more of the industries in which our customers operate, could adversely impact the digital advertising market and our operating results.
47
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for per share data)
Seasonality
In the advertising industry, companies commonly experience seasonal fluctuations in revenue, as many marketers allocate the largest portion of their budgets to the fourth quarter of the calendar year in order to coincide with increased holiday purchasing. Historically, the fourth quarter has reflected our highest level of advertising activity and related revenue for the year. We generally expect the subsequent first quarter to reflect lower activity levels, but this trend may be masked due to the continued growth of our business. In addition, historical seasonality may not be predictive of future results given the potential for changes in advertising buying patterns and consumer activity due to the potential impacts of the evolving macroeconomic and geopolitical conditions discussed above. Political advertising could also cause our revenue to increase during election cycles and decrease during other periods, making it difficult to predict our revenue, cash flow and operating results, all of which could fall below our expectations. We expect our revenue to continue to fluctuate based on seasonal factors that affect the advertising industry as a whole.
Components of Our Results of Operations
We have one primary business activity and operate in a single operating and reportable segment.
Revenue
We generate revenue by providing marketers and their advertising agencies with the ability to plan, buy and measure their digital advertising campaigns using our DSP. We charge platform fees and service fees pursuant to agreements with our customers that enable them to select their preferred mix of pricing and service options.
We generate platform fees pursuant to MSAs, which allow customers to use our platform on a self-service basis in connection with our percentage of spend pricing option, and IOs, where we charge customers a platform fee at a price for every 1,000 impressions an ad receives in connection with the fixed CPM pricing option. We also generate service fees pursuant to MSAs and IOs for data management, media execution and advanced reporting service options that are available to customers under our percentage of spend and fixed CPM pricing options.
We recognize revenue when we transfer control of promised services directly to our customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which we expect to be entitled in exchange for those services. For the percentage of spend pricing option, we recognize platform fees as revenue at the point in time when a purchase by the customer occurs through our platform. Revenue is generally reported net of amounts incurred and payable to suppliers for the cost of advertising media, third-party data and other add-on features (collectively, “traffic acquisition costs” or “TAC”) since we arrange for the transfer of TAC from the supplier to the customer through the use of our platform and do not control such features prior to transfer to the customer. In certain percentage of spend arrangements, revenue is reported on a gross basis because we control the advertising inventory before it is transferred to our customers.
For the fixed CPM pricing option, we recognize platform fees as revenue at the point in time when the advertising impressions are delivered to the customer. This revenue is reported gross of any amounts incurred and payable to suppliers for TAC, since we control such features prior to transfer to the customer.
See “Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates—Revenue Recognition” for a description of our revenue recognition policies.
Operating Expenses
We classify our operating expenses into the following four categories. Each expense category includes overhead such as rent and occupancy charges, which is allocated based on headcount.
Platform Operations. Platform operations expense represents our cost of revenues, which consists of TAC, hosting costs, personnel costs, depreciation of capitalized software development costs related to our platform, customer support costs and allocated overhead. TAC recorded in platform operations consist of amounts incurred and payable to suppliers for costs associated with our fixed CPM pricing option and certain arrangements related to our percentage of spend pricing option. Personnel costs within platform operations include salaries, bonuses, stock-based compensation and employee benefit costs primarily attributable to personnel who directly support our platform.
Other than TAC, many of the costs included in platform operations expense do not increase or decrease proportionately with increases or decreases in our revenue. We expect platform operations expenses to increase in future periods, primarily as a result of depreciation of capitalized software development costs, hosting costs and personnel costs as we continue to invest in the development of our platform to add new features and functions, increase the number of advertising media and data suppliers, ramp up the volume of advertising spend on our platform resulting in increased volumes of transactions, and hire additional personnel to support our customers.
Sales and Marketing. Sales and marketing expense consists primarily of personnel costs, including salaries, bonuses, stock-based compensation, employee benefit costs and commissions for our sales personnel. Sales and marketing expense also includes costs
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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for per share data)
for market development programs, advertising, promotional and other marketing activities and allocated overhead. Commissions are expensed as incurred.
Our sales and marketing organization focuses on marketing our platform to increase its adoption by existing and new customers. As a result, we expect sales and marketing expenses to increase in future periods as we increase our sales and marketing team and our focus on market development programs. Sales and marketing expense as a percentage of revenue may fluctuate from period to period based on revenue levels and the timing of our investments in our sales and marketing functions as these investments may vary in scope and scale over time.
Technology and Development. Technology and development expense consists primarily of personnel costs, including salaries, bonuses, stock-based compensation and employee benefit costs associated with the ongoing development and maintenance of our platform and allocated overhead. Technology and development costs are expensed as incurred, except to the extent that such costs are associated with software development that qualifies for capitalization, which are then recorded as capitalized software included in "Property, equipment, and software, net", on the consolidated balance sheets. We record depreciation for capitalized software development costs not related to our platform within technology and development expense.
We believe that continued investment in our platform is critical to attaining our strategic objectives and long-term growth. We therefore expect technology and development expense to increase as we continue to invest in the development of our platform to support and maintain additional features and functions, increase the number of advertising media and data suppliers, and ramp up the volume of advertising spend on our platform.
General and Administrative. General and administrative expense consists primarily of personnel costs, including salaries, bonuses, stock-based compensation and employee benefit costs associated with our executive, accounting, finance, legal, human resources and other administrative personnel. Additionally, this includes accounting, legal and other professional services fees, business insurance expense, bad debt expense and allocated overhead.
Total Other Expense (Income), Net
Interest expense (income), net. Interest expense (income), net primarily consists of interest income on our cash and cash equivalents and interest expense on our long-term debt and revolving credit facility under the Amended Loan Agreement (as defined below) with PNC Bank.
Other expense, net. Other expense, net primarily consists of miscellaneous expenses not attributable to operations and foreign currency exchange gains and losses.
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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for per share data)
Results of Operations
The following tables present our consolidated results of operations, our consolidated results of operations as a percentage of revenue, and the impact of stock-based compensation, depreciation and amortization on each operating expense line item for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||
| Consolidated Statements of Operations Data: | ||||||
| Revenue | $ | 289,235 | $ | 222,934 | ||
| Operating expenses(1): | ||||||
| Platform operations | 157,164 | 120,479 | ||||
| Sales and marketing | 53,750 | 50,650 | ||||
| Technology and development | 23,740 | 24,756 | ||||
| General and administrative | 51,103 | 45,345 | ||||
| Total operating expenses | 285,757 | 241,230 | ||||
| Income (loss) from operations | 3,478 | (18,296) | ||||
| Total other expense (income), net | (9,223) | (8,504) | ||||
| Income (loss) before income taxes | 12,701 | (9,792) | ||||
| Provision for (benefit from) income taxes | 249 | 151 | ||||
| Net income (loss) | 12,452 | (9,943) | ||||
| Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests | 10,090 | (6,500) | ||||
| Net income (loss) attributable to Viant Technology Inc. | $ | 2,362 | $ | (3,443) |
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | ||||
| (% of revenue*) | |||||
| Consolidated Statements of Operations Data: | |||||
| Revenue | 100 | % | 100 | % | |
| Operating expenses(1): | |||||
| Platform operations | 54 | % | 54 | % | |
| Sales and marketing | 19 | % | 23 | % | |
| Technology and development | 8 | % | 11 | % | |
| General and administrative | 18 | % | 20 | % | |
| Total operating expenses | 99 | % | 108 | % | |
| Income (loss) from operations | 1 | % | (8) | % | |
| Total other expense (income), net | (3) | % | (4) | % | |
| Income (loss) before income taxes | 4 | % | (4) | % | |
| Provision for (benefit from) income taxes | — | % | — | % | |
| Net income (loss) | 4 | % | (4) | % | |
| Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests | 3 | % | (3) | % | |
| Net income (loss) attributable to Viant Technology Inc. | 1 | % | (2) | % |
*Percentages may not sum due to rounding
50
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for per share data)
(1)Stock-based compensation, depreciation and amortization included in operating expenses are as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||
| Stock-based compensation: | ||||||
| Platform operations | $ | 2,114 | $ | 4,104 | ||
| Sales and marketing | 4,238 | 9,729 | ||||
| Technology and development | 2,717 | 5,752 | ||||
| General and administrative | 11,965 | 12,706 | ||||
| Total stock-based compensation | $ | 21,034 | $ | 32,291 |
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||
| Depreciation: | ||||||
| Platform operations | $ | 13,782 | $ | 12,129 | ||
| Sales and marketing | — | — | ||||
| Technology and development | 1,759 | 1,559 | ||||
| General and administrative | 737 | 577 | ||||
| Total depreciation | $ | 16,278 | $ | 14,265 |
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||
| Amortization: | ||||||
| Platform operations | $ | 60 | $ | 58 | ||
| Sales and marketing | — | — | ||||
| Technology and development | — | — | ||||
| General and administrative | 123 | 408 | ||||
| Total amortization | $ | 183 | $ | 466 |
Comparison of the Fiscal Years Ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022
Revenue
| Year Ended December 31, | 2024 vs 2023 Change | 2023 vs 2022 Change | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | $ | % | $ | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 289,235 | $ | 222,934 | $ | 197,168 | $ | 66,301 | 30 | % | $ | 25,766 | 13 | % |
Revenue increased by $66.3 million, or 30%, during the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase was primarily due to a 62% increase in revenue from marketers in the public services, consumer goods, travel, healthcare and automotive industry verticals and a net 12% increase in all other industry verticals.
Revenue increased by $25.8 million, or 13%, during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase was primarily due to a 57% increase in revenue from marketers in the retail and public services industry verticals and a net 4% decrease in all other industry verticals.
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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for per share data)
Operating Expenses
Platform Operations
| Year Ended December 31, | 2024 vs 2023 Change | 2023 vs 2022 Change | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | $ | % | $ | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Traffic acquisition costs | $ | 111,845 | $ | 79,552 | $ | 72,440 | $ | 32,293 | 41 | % | $ | 7,112 | 10 | % | |||||||||||
| Other platform operations | 45,319 | 40,927 | 44,285 | 4,392 | 11 | % | (3,358) | (8) | % | ||||||||||||||||
| Total platform operations | $ | 157,164 | $ | 120,479 | $ | 116,725 | $ | 36,685 | 30 | % | $ | 3,754 | 3 | % | |||||||||||
| Percentage of revenue | 54 | % | 54 | % | 59 | % |
Platform operations expense increased by $36.7 million, or 30%, during the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023. This increase was primarily due to a $32.3 million increase in TAC, a variable function of revenue related to our fixed CPM pricing option and certain arrangements related to our percentage of spend pricing option. The increase was also due to higher other platform operations expense which was driven by a $2.8 million increase in cloud and data center services in support of our DSP, a $1.7 million increase in depreciation driven by our continued investment in developed technology, a $1.3 million increase in platform costs related to non-operational media purchases and a $0.8 million increase in personnel costs, partially offset by a $2.0 million decrease in stock-based compensation and a $0.2 million decrease in facilities expense.
Platform operations expense increased by $3.8 million, or 3%, during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. This increase was driven by a $7.1 million increase in TAC, a variable function of revenue related to our fixed CPM pricing option and certain arrangements related to our percentage of spend pricing option. The increase was partially offset by a decrease in other platform operations expense due to a $2.0 million decrease in personnel costs, a $1.1 million decrease in third-party costs in support of our DSP, a $0.7 million decrease in cloud costs due to recognized cloud infrastructure efficiencies, a $0.7 million decrease in stock-based compensation and a $0.3 million decrease related to disposals in the prior period, partially offset by a $1.6 million increase in depreciation and amortization, net, related to our continued investment in developed technology.
Sales and Marketing
| Year Ended December 31, | 2024 vs 2023 Change | 2023 vs 2022 Change | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | $ | % | $ | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | $ | 53,750 | $ | 50,650 | $ | 63,957 | $ | 3,100 | 6 | % | $ | (13,307) | (21) | % | |||||||||||
| Percentage of revenue | 19 | % | 23 | % | 32 | % |
Sales and marketing expense increased by $3.1 million, or 6%, during the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023. This increase was primarily due to a $5.3 million increase in personnel costs, a $2.8 million increase in advertising expense and a $0.6 million increase in travel and entertainment expense, partially offset by a $5.4 million decrease in stock-based compensation and a $0.2 million decrease in facilities expense.
Sales and marketing expense decreased by $13.3 million, or 21%, during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. This decrease was due to an $8.8 million decrease in personnel costs and a $5.9 million decrease in advertising expense, partially offset by a $0.7 million increase in stock-based compensation and a $0.6 million increase in travel and entertainment expense.
Technology and Development
| Year Ended December 31, | 2024 vs 2023 Change | 2023 vs 2022 Change | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | $ | % | $ | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Technology and development | $ | 23,740 | $ | 24,756 | $ | 21,294 | $ | (1,016) | (4) | % | $ | 3,462 | 16 | % | |||||||||||
| Percentage of revenue | 8 | % | 11 | % | 11 | % |
Technology and development expense decreased by $1.0 million, or 4%, during the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023. This decrease was primarily due to a $3.0 million decrease in stock-based compensation and a
52
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for per share data)
$0.2 million decrease in facilities expense, partially offset by a $1.3 million increase in personnel costs, a $0.4 million increase in technology costs in support of our DSP, a $0.3 million increase in professional services and a $0.2 million increase in depreciation expense.
Technology and development expense increased by $3.5 million, or 16%, during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. This increase was due to a $2.8 million increase in personnel costs, a $0.5 million increase in facilities expense and a $0.4 million increase in stock-based compensation, partially offset by a $0.2 million decrease in cloud costs due to recognized cloud infrastructure efficiencies.
General and Administrative
| Year Ended December 31, | 2024 vs 2023 Change | 2023 vs 2022 Change | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | $ | % | $ | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | $ | 51,103 | $ | 45,345 | $ | 44,452 | $ | 5,758 | 13 | % | $ | 893 | 2 | % | |||||||||||
| Percentage of revenue | 18 | % | 20 | % | 23 | % |
General and administrative expense increased by $5.8 million, or 13%, during the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023. This increase was primarily due to a $3.1 million increase in accounting, legal, and consulting expenses associated with general corporate and compliance matters, a $2.0 million increase in personnel costs, a $1.3 million increase in bad debt expense, a $0.9 million increase in travel and entertainment expense, a $0.2 million increase in charitable contributions expense and a $0.2 million increase in facilities expense, partially offset by a $0.9 million decrease in business insurance, licenses and taxes expense, a $0.6 million decrease in stock-based compensation and a $0.4 million decrease in recruiting services.
General and administrative expense increased by $0.9 million, or 2%, during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. This increase was due to a $2.9 million increase in stock-based compensation and a $1.7 million increase in personnel costs, partially offset by a $1.9 million decrease in business insurance and tax, accounting, legal, and consulting expenses associated with general corporate and compliance matters, a $1.2 million decrease in bad debt reserves and a $0.7 million decrease in recruiting services.
Total Other Expense (Income), Net
| Year Ended December 31, | 2024 vs 2023 Change | 2023 vs 2022 Change | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | $ | % | $ | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total other expense (income), net | $ | (9,223) | $ | (8,504) | $ | (1,171) | $ | (719) | 8 | % | $ | (7,333) | 626 | % | |||||||||||
| Percentage of revenue | (3) | % | (4) | % | (1) | % |
Total other income, net increased by $0.7 million, or 8%, during the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023. This increase was primarily attributable to higher interest income on cash and cash equivalents driven by higher cash balances.
Total other income, net increased by $7.3 million, or 626%, during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. This increase was primarily attributable to higher interest income on cash and cash equivalents driven by higher interest rates and lower interest expense as a result of paying off the full outstanding balance under our Amended Loan Agreement with PNC Bank.
During the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, interest expense incurred was $0.4 million, $0.4 million and $0.5 million, respectively. Interest costs capitalized during the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022 were de minimis.
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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for per share data)
Provision For (Benefit From) Income Taxes
| Year Ended December 31, | 2024 vs 2023 Change | 2023 vs 2022 Change | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | $ | % | $ | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Provision for (benefit from) income taxes | $ | 249 | $ | 151 | $ | — | $ | 98 | 65 | % | $ | 151 | — | % | |||||||||||
| Percentage of revenue | — | % | — | % | — | % |
The U.S. federal statutory tax rate was 21% for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023. The provision for income taxes increased by $0.1 million, or 65%, during the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023. This increase was primarily due to state tax liabilities attributable to Viant Technology LLC.
The U.S. federal statutory tax rate was 21% for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022. The provision for income taxes increased by $0.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. This increase was attributable to federal and state taxes resulting from Viant Technology Inc.'s pro-rata share of taxable income from Viant Technology LLC.
54
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for per share data)
Quarterly Results of Operations
The following tables present our unaudited quarterly condensed consolidated statements of operations data for each quarter of our fiscal years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023. The information for each of these quarters has been prepared on a basis consistent with our consolidated financial statements and, in our opinion, includes all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments necessary for the fair presentation of the financial information contained in those statements. The following unaudited quarterly condensed consolidated financial data should be read in conjunction with our annual audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report. These quarterly results are not necessarily indicative of our operating results for a full year or any future period.
| Three Months Ended, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 31, 2024 | September 30, 2024 | June 30, 2024 | March 31, 2024 | December 31, 2023 | September 30, 2023 | June 30, 2023 | March 31, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 90,054 | $ | 79,922 | $ | 65,866 | $ | 53,393 | $ | 64,406 | $ | 59,585 | $ | 57,223 | $ | 41,720 | |||||||||||||||
| Operating expenses(1): | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platform operations | 47,564 | 44,598 | 35,122 | 29,880 | 32,654 | 30,965 | 33,523 | 23,337 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | 14,756 | 13,007 | 13,088 | 12,899 | 12,644 | 14,146 | 11,691 | 12,169 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technology and development | 7,062 | 5,631 | 5,815 | 5,232 | 6,539 | 6,151 | 6,172 | 5,894 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 14,769 | 12,648 | 12,612 | 11,074 | 11,687 | 11,142 | 11,088 | 11,428 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 84,151 | 75,884 | 66,637 | 59,085 | 63,524 | 62,404 | 62,474 | 52,828 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Income (loss) from operations | 5,903 | 4,038 | (771) | (5,692) | 882 | (2,819) | (5,251) | (11,108) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total other expense (income), net | (2,080) | (2,406) | (2,358) | (2,379) | (2,396) | (2,328) | (2,048) | (1,732) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Income (loss) before income taxes | 7,983 | 6,444 | 1,587 | (3,313) | 3,278 | (491) | (3,203) | (9,376) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Provision for (benefit from) income taxes | 263 | (14) | 99 | (99) | (30) | 181 | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income (loss) | 7,720 | 6,458 | 1,488 | (3,214) | 3,308 | (672) | (3,203) | (9,376) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests | 5,973 | 4,951 | 1,433 | (2,267) | 2,682 | (146) | (2,140) | (6,896) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income (loss) attributable to Viant Technology Inc. | $ | 1,747 | $ | 1,507 | $ | 55 | $ | (947) | $ | 626 | $ | (526) | $ | (1,063) | $ | (2,480) | |||||||||||||||
| Earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock—basic(2) | $ | 0.11 | $ | 0.09 | $ | 0.00 | $ | (0.06) | $ | 0.04 | $ | (0.03) | $ | (0.07) | $ | (0.17) | |||||||||||||||
| Earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock—diluted(2) | $ | 0.10 | $ | 0.09 | $ | 0.00 | $ | (0.06) | $ | 0.04 | $ | (0.03) | $ | (0.07) | $ | (0.17) |
55
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for per share data)
| Three Months Ended, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 31, 2024 | September 30, 2024 | June 30, 2024 | March 31, 2024 | December 31, 2023 | September 30, 2023 | June 30, 2023 | March 31, 2023 | |||||||||||||||||
| (percentage of revenue*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Revenue | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % | 100 | % | ||||||||
| Operating expenses(1): | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platform operations | 53 | % | 56 | % | 53 | % | 56 | % | 51 | % | 52 | % | 59 | % | 56 | % | ||||||||
| Sales and marketing | 16 | % | 16 | % | 20 | % | 24 | % | 20 | % | 24 | % | 20 | % | 29 | % | ||||||||
| Technology and development | 8 | % | 7 | % | 9 | % | 10 | % | 10 | % | 10 | % | 11 | % | 14 | % | ||||||||
| General and administrative | 16 | % | 16 | % | 19 | % | 21 | % | 18 | % | 19 | % | 19 | % | 27 | % | ||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 93 | % | 95 | % | 101 | % | 111 | % | 99 | % | 105 | % | 109 | % | 127 | % | ||||||||
| Income (loss) from operations | 7 | % | 5 | % | (1) | % | (11) | % | 1 | % | (5) | % | (9) | % | (27) | % | ||||||||
| Total other expense (income), net | (2) | % | (3) | % | (4) | % | (4) | % | (4) | % | (4) | % | (4) | % | (4) | % | ||||||||
| Income (loss) before income taxes | 9 | % | 8 | % | 2 | % | (6) | % | 5 | % | (1) | % | (6) | % | (22) | % | ||||||||
| Provision for (benefit from) income taxes | — | % | — | % | — | % | — | % | — | % | — | % | — | % | — | % | ||||||||
| Net income (loss) | 9 | % | 8 | % | 2 | % | (6) | % | 5 | % | (1) | % | (6) | % | (22) | % | ||||||||
| Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests | 7 | % | 6 | % | 2 | % | (4) | % | 4 | % | — | % | (4) | % | (17) | % | ||||||||
| Net income (loss) attributable to Viant Technology Inc. | 2 | % | 2 | % | — | % | (2) | % | 1 | % | (1) | % | (2) | % | (6) | % |
*Percentages may not sum due to rounding
(1)Depreciation, amortization, and stock-based compensation included in operating expenses for each quarter of our fiscal years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 are as follows:
56
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for per share data)
| Three Months Ended, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 31, 2024 | September 30, 2024 | June 30, 2024 | March 31, 2024 | December 31, 2023 | September 30, 2023 | June 30, 2023 | March 31, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Depreciation: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platform operations | $ | 3,342 | $ | 3,383 | $ | 3,531 | $ | 3,526 | $ | 3,360 | $ | 3,147 | $ | 2,910 | $ | 2,712 | |||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technology and development | 456 | 432 | 440 | 431 | 397 | 386 | 383 | 393 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 217 | 203 | 176 | 141 | 141 | 145 | 144 | 147 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total depreciation | $ | 4,015 | $ | 4,018 | $ | 4,147 | $ | 4,098 | $ | 3,898 | $ | 3,678 | $ | 3,437 | $ | 3,252 | |||||||||||||||
| Amortization: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platform operations | $ | 60 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 58 | |||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technology and development | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 35 | 20 | 20 | 48 | 102 | 102 | 102 | 102 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total amortization | $ | 95 | $ | 20 | $ | 20 | $ | 48 | $ | 102 | $ | 102 | $ | 102 | $ | 160 | |||||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platform operations | $ | 601 | $ | 553 | $ | 554 | $ | 406 | $ | 917 | $ | 1,171 | $ | 1,124 | $ | 892 | |||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | 1,164 | 1,180 | 1,139 | 755 | 2,109 | 2,588 | 2,520 | 2,512 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technology and development | 873 | 693 | 651 | 500 | 1,389 | 1,529 | 1,507 | 1,327 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 3,090 | 2,903 | 3,193 | 2,779 | 3,141 | 3,446 | 3,378 | 2,741 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total stock-based compensation | $ | 5,728 | $ | 5,329 | $ | 5,537 | $ | 4,440 | $ | 7,556 | $ | 8,734 | $ | 8,529 | $ | 7,472 |
See Note 4, Note 6 and Note 9 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report for more information regarding depreciation, amortization and stock-based compensation expense, respectively.
(2)See Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report for a description of the earnings (loss) per share—basic and diluted computations.
57
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for per share data)
Quarterly Non-GAAP Financial Measures
We monitor certain non-GAAP financial measures such as contribution ex-TAC, non-GAAP operating expenses, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of contribution ex-TAC, and non-GAAP net income when evaluating our quarterly results of operations to help us evaluate growth trends, establish budgets, measure the effectiveness of our sales and marketing efforts and assess our operational efficiencies. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures for each quarter of our fiscal years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 to the most directly comparable financial measures calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP are provided in the financial tables presented below. For a description of management’s use of each non-GAAP financial measure contained in this Annual Report, see “—Key Operating and Financial Performance Measures—Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”
| Three Months Ended, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 31, 2024 | September 30, 2024 | June 30, 2024 | March 31, 2024 | December 31, 2023 | September 30, 2023 | June 30, 2023 | March 31, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating and Financial Performance Measures | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gross profit | $ | 42,490 | $ | 35,324 | $ | 30,744 | $ | 23,513 | $ | 31,752 | $ | 28,620 | $ | 23,700 | $ | 18,383 | |||||||||||||||
| Contribution ex-TAC | $ | 54,359 | $ | 47,352 | $ | 41,558 | $ | 34,121 | $ | 42,601 | $ | 39,102 | $ | 33,688 | $ | 27,991 | |||||||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | $ | 84,151 | $ | 75,884 | $ | 66,637 | $ | 59,085 | $ | 63,524 | $ | 62,404 | $ | 62,474 | $ | 52,828 | |||||||||||||||
| Non-GAAP operating expenses | $ | 37,268 | $ | 32,677 | $ | 31,958 | $ | 31,046 | $ | 29,594 | $ | 29,434 | $ | 26,872 | $ | 28,381 | |||||||||||||||
| Net income (loss) | $ | 7,720 | $ | 6,458 | $ | 1,488 | $ | (3,214) | $ | 3,308 | $ | (672) | $ | (3,203) | $ | (9,376) | |||||||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 17,091 | $ | 14,675 | $ | 9,600 | $ | 3,075 | $ | 13,007 | $ | 9,668 | $ | 6,816 | $ | (390) | |||||||||||||||
| Net income (loss) as a percentage of gross profit | 18 | % | 18 | % | 5 | % | (14) | % | 10 | % | (2) | % | (14) | % | (51) | % | |||||||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of contribution ex-TAC | 31 | % | 31 | % | 23 | % | 9 | % | 31 | % | 25 | % | 20 | % | (1) | % | |||||||||||||||
| Non-GAAP net income (loss) | $ | 13,831 | $ | 12,283 | $ | 7,207 | $ | 1,348 | $ | 10,845 | $ | 7,609 | $ | 5,095 | $ | (1,814) |
Contribution ex-TAC
The following table presents the calculation of gross profit and reconciliation of gross profit to contribution ex-TAC for the periods presented:
| Three Months Ended, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 31, 2024 | September 30, 2024 | June 30, 2024 | March 31, 2024 | December 31, 2023 | September 30, 2023 | June 30, 2023 | March 31, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 90,054 | $ | 79,922 | $ | 65,866 | $ | 53,393 | $ | 64,406 | $ | 59,585 | $ | 57,223 | $ | 41,720 | |||||||||||||||
| Less: Platform operations | (47,564) | (44,598) | (35,122) | (29,880) | (32,654) | (30,965) | (33,523) | (23,337) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gross profit | 42,490 | 35,324 | 30,744 | 23,513 | 31,752 | 28,620 | 23,700 | 18,383 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Add: Other platform operations | 11,869 | 12,028 | 10,814 | 10,608 | 10,849 | 10,482 | 9,988 | 9,608 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Contribution ex-TAC | $ | 54,359 | $ | 47,352 | $ | 41,558 | $ | 34,121 | $ | 42,601 | $ | 39,102 | $ | 33,688 | $ | 27,991 |
58
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for per share data)
Non-GAAP Operating Expenses
The following table presents a reconciliation of total operating expenses to non-GAAP operating expenses for the periods presented:
| Three Months Ended, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 31, 2024 | September 30, 2024 | June 30, 2024 | March 31, 2024 | December 31, 2023 | September 30, 2023 | June 30, 2023 | March 31, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating expenses: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platform operations | $ | 47,564 | $ | 44,598 | $ | 35,122 | $ | 29,880 | $ | 32,654 | $ | 30,965 | $ | 33,523 | $ | 23,337 | |||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | 14,756 | 13,007 | 13,088 | 12,899 | 12,644 | 14,146 | 11,691 | 12,169 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technology and development | 7,062 | 5,631 | 5,815 | 5,232 | 6,539 | 6,151 | 6,172 | 5,894 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 14,769 | 12,648 | 12,612 | 11,074 | 11,687 | 11,142 | 11,088 | 11,428 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 84,151 | 75,884 | 66,637 | 59,085 | 63,524 | 62,404 | 62,474 | 52,828 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Add: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other expense, net | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 87 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Less: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traffic acquisition costs | (35,695) | (32,570) | (24,308) | (19,272) | (21,805) | (20,483) | (23,535) | (13,729) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | (5,728) | (5,329) | (5,537) | (4,440) | (7,556) | (8,734) | (8,529) | (7,472) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | (4,110) | (4,038) | (4,167) | (4,146) | (4,000) | (3,780) | (3,539) | (3,412) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Restructuring and other(1) | — | — | (284) | (183) | (570) | 26 | — | 79 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Transaction expense(2) | (1,358) | — | (384) | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Non-operational media purchases(3) | — | (1,271) | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Non-GAAP operating expenses | $ | 37,268 | $ | 32,677 | $ | 31,958 | $ | 31,046 | $ | 29,594 | $ | 29,434 | $ | 26,872 | $ | 28,381 |
(1)Restructuring and other includes severance and other charges related to aligning our workforce with our strategic performance goals for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.
(2)Transaction expense consists of costs incurred related to our recent acquisition, as well as contemplated or completed securities offerings for the year ended December 31, 2024.
(3)Non-operational media purchases reflects costs incurred for one-time and non-operating supplier purchases that are not billable to the customer for the year ended December 31, 2024.
59
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for per share data)
Adjusted EBITDA
The following table presents a reconciliation of net income (loss) to adjusted EBITDA for the periods presented:
| Three Months Ended, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 31, 2024 | September 30, 2024 | June 30, 2024 | March 31, 2024 | December 31, 2023 | September 30, 2023 | June 30, 2023 | March 31, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income (loss) | $ | 7,720 | $ | 6,458 | $ | 1,488 | $ | (3,214) | $ | 3,308 | $ | (672) | $ | (3,203) | $ | (9,376) | |||||||||||||||
| Add back (less): | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Interest expense (income), net | (2,088) | (2,407) | (2,359) | (2,381) | (2,397) | (2,329) | (2,049) | (1,819) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Provision for (benefit from) income taxes | 263 | (14) | 99 | (99) | (30) | 181 | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 4,110 | 4,038 | 4,167 | 4,146 | 4,000 | 3,780 | 3,539 | 3,412 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | 5,728 | 5,329 | 5,537 | 4,440 | 7,556 | 8,734 | 8,529 | 7,472 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Restructuring and other(1) | — | — | 284 | 183 | 570 | (26) | — | (79) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Transaction expense(2) | 1,358 | — | 384 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Non-operational media purchases(3) | — | 1,271 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 17,091 | $ | 14,675 | $ | 9,600 | $ | 3,075 | $ | 13,007 | $ | 9,668 | $ | 6,816 | $ | (390) |
(1)Restructuring and other includes severance and other charges related to aligning our workforce with our strategic performance goals for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.
(2)Transaction expense consists of costs incurred related to our recent acquisition, as well as contemplated or completed securities offerings for the year ended December 31, 2024.
(3)Non-operational media purchases reflects costs incurred for one-time and non-operating supplier purchases that are not billable to the customer for the year ended December 31, 2024.
Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of contribution ex-TAC
The following table presents the calculation of net income (loss) as a percentage of gross profit and the calculation of adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of contribution ex-TAC for the periods presented:
| Three Months Ended, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 31, 2024 | September 30, 2024 | June 30, 2024 | March 31, 2024 | December 31, 2023 | September 30, 2023 | June 30, 2023 | March 31, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gross profit | $ | 42,490 | $ | 35,324 | $ | 30,744 | $ | 23,513 | $ | 31,752 | $ | 28,620 | $ | 23,700 | $ | 18,383 | |||||||||||||||
| Net income (loss) | $ | 7,720 | $ | 6,458 | $ | 1,488 | $ | (3,214) | $ | 3,308 | $ | (672) | $ | (3,203) | $ | (9,376) | |||||||||||||||
| Net income (loss) as a percentage of gross profit | 18 | % | 18 | % | 5 | % | (14) | % | 10 | % | (2) | % | (14) | % | (51) | % | |||||||||||||||
| Contribution ex-TAC(1) | $ | 54,359 | $ | 47,352 | $ | 41,558 | $ | 34,121 | $ | 42,601 | $ | 39,102 | $ | 33,688 | $ | 27,991 | |||||||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA(2) | $ | 17,091 | $ | 14,675 | $ | 9,600 | $ | 3,075 | $ | 13,007 | $ | 9,668 | $ | 6,816 | $ | (390) | |||||||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of contribution ex-TAC | 31 | % | 31 | % | 23 | % | 9 | % | 31 | % | 25 | % | 20 | % | (1) | % |
(1)For a reconciliation of contribution ex-TAC to the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, see “—Contribution ex-TAC."
(2)For a reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA to the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, see “—Adjusted EBITDA."
60
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for per share data)
Non-GAAP net income (loss)
The following table presents a reconciliation of net income (loss) to non-GAAP net income (loss) for the periods presented:
| Three Months Ended, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 31, 2024 | September 30, 2024 | June 30, 2024 | March 31, 2024 | December 31, 2023 | September 30, 2023 | June 30, 2023 | March 31, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income (loss) | $ | 7,720 | $ | 6,458 | $ | 1,488 | $ | (3,214) | $ | 3,308 | $ | (672) | $ | (3,203) | $ | (9,376) | |||||||||||||||
| Add back (less): | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | 5,728 | 5,329 | 5,537 | 4,440 | 7,556 | 8,734 | 8,529 | 7,472 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Restructuring and other(1) | — | — | 284 | 183 | 570 | (26) | — | (79) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Transaction expense(2) | 1,358 | — | 384 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Non-operational media purchases(3) | — | 1,271 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Income tax benefit (expense) related to Viant Technology Inc.'s share of income (loss) after adjustments(4) | (975) | (775) | (486) | (61) | (589) | (427) | (231) | 169 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Non-GAAP net income (loss) | $ | 13,831 | $ | 12,283 | $ | 7,207 | $ | 1,348 | $ | 10,845 | $ | 7,609 | $ | 5,095 | $ | (1,814) |
(1)Restructuring and other includes severance and other charges related to aligning our workforce with our strategic performance goals for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.
(2)Transaction expense consists of costs incurred related to our recent acquisition, as well as contemplated or completed securities offerings for the year ended December 31, 2024.
(3)Non-operational media purchases reflects costs incurred for one-time and non-operating supplier purchases that are not billable to the customer for the year ended December 31, 2024.
(4)The estimated income tax effect of our share of income (loss) after non-GAAP reconciling items is calculated using quarterly assumed blended tax rates, which represent our expected corporate tax rates, excluding discrete and non-recurring tax items.
61
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for percentages and per share data)
Key Operating and Financial Performance Measures
Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
We monitor certain non-GAAP financial measures to help us evaluate growth trends, establish budgets, measure the effectiveness of our sales and marketing efforts and assess our operational efficiencies. We believe these measures enhance an understanding of our overall performance and investors’ ability to review our business from the same perspective as management and facilitate comparisons of this period’s results with prior periods on a consistent basis by excluding items that management does not believe are indicative of our ongoing operating performance. These non-GAAP financial measures include contribution ex-TAC, non-GAAP operating expenses, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of contribution ex-TAC, non-GAAP net income (loss), and non-GAAP earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock—basic and diluted, each of which are discussed immediately following the table below. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable financial measures calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP are provided in the financial tables presented below. There are limitations in using non-GAAP financial measures which are not prepared in accordance with GAAP, as they may be different from non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies and may exclude certain items that may have a material impact upon our reported financial results. The presentation of this additional information is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the directly comparable financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP.
| Year Ended December 31, | Change (%) | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2024 v 2023 | 2023 v 2022 | |||||||||||||
| NM = Not Meaningful | |||||||||||||||||
| Operating and Financial Performance Measures | |||||||||||||||||
| Gross profit | $ | 132,071 | $ | 102,455 | $ | 80,443 | 29 | % | 27 | % | |||||||
| Contribution ex-TAC | $ | 177,390 | $ | 143,382 | $ | 124,728 | 24 | % | 15 | % | |||||||
| Total operating expenses | $ | 285,757 | $ | 241,230 | $ | 246,428 | 18 | % | (2) | % | |||||||
| Non-GAAP operating expenses | $ | 132,949 | $ | 114,281 | $ | 130,860 | 16 | % | (13) | % | |||||||
| Net income (loss) | $ | 12,452 | $ | (9,943) | $ | (48,089) | 225 | % | 79 | % | |||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 44,441 | $ | 29,101 | $ | (6,132) | 53 | % | 575 | % | |||||||
| Net income (loss) as a percentage of gross profit | 9 | % | (10) | % | (60) | % | NM | NM | |||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of contribution ex-TAC | 25 | % | 20 | % | (5) | % | NM | NM | |||||||||
| Non-GAAP net income (loss) | $ | 34,661 | $ | 21,743 | $ | (15,810) | 59 | % | 238 | % | |||||||
| Earnings (loss) per share—basic | $ | 0.15 | $ | (0.23) | $ | (0.84) | 165 | % | 73 | % | |||||||
| Earnings (loss) per share—diluted | $ | 0.14 | $ | (0.23) | $ | (0.84) | 161 | % | 73 | % | |||||||
| Non-GAAP earnings (loss) per share—basic | $ | 0.41 | $ | 0.26 | $ | (0.17) | 58 | % | 253 | % | |||||||
| Non-GAAP earnings (loss) per share—diluted | $ | 0.39 | $ | 0.26 | $ | (0.17) | 50 | % | 253 | % |
Contribution ex-TAC
Contribution ex-TAC is a non-GAAP financial measure. Gross profit is the most comparable GAAP financial measure, which is calculated as revenue less platform operations expense. In calculating contribution ex-TAC, we add back other platform operations expense to gross profit. Contribution ex-TAC is a key profitability measure used by our management and board of directors to understand and evaluate our operating performance and trends, develop short- and long-term operational plans and make strategic decisions regarding the allocation of capital. In particular, we believe that contribution ex-TAC can provide a measure of period-to-period comparisons for all pricing options within our business. Accordingly, we believe that this measure provides information to investors and the market in understanding and evaluating our operating results in the same manner as our management and board of directors.
Our use of contribution ex-TAC has limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider it in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our financial results as reported under GAAP. A potential limitation of this non-GAAP financial measure is that other companies, including companies in our industry that have similar business arrangements, may define contribution ex-TAC differently, which may make comparisons difficult. Because of this and other potential limitations, you should consider our non-GAAP financial measures only as supplemental to other GAAP-based financial performance measures, including revenue, gross profit, net income (loss) and cash flows.
62
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for percentages and per share data)
The following table presents the calculation of gross profit and reconciliation of gross profit to contribution ex-TAC for the periods presented:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | ||||||||
| Revenue | $ | 289,235 | $ | 222,934 | $ | 197,168 | ||||
| Less: Platform operations | (157,164) | (120,479) | (116,725) | |||||||
| Gross profit | 132,071 | 102,455 | 80,443 | |||||||
| Add: Other platform operations | 45,319 | 40,927 | 44,285 | |||||||
| Contribution ex-TAC | $ | 177,390 | $ | 143,382 | $ | 124,728 |
Non-GAAP operating expenses
Non-GAAP operating expenses is a non-GAAP financial measure. Total operating expenses is the most comparable GAAP financial measure. Non-GAAP operating expenses is defined by us as total operating expenses plus other expense (income), net, less TAC, stock-based compensation, depreciation, amortization and certain other items that are not related to our core operations, such as restructuring and other charges, transaction expense and non-operational media purchases. Non-GAAP operating expenses is a key component in calculating adjusted EBITDA, which is one of the measures we use to provide our business outlook to the investment community. Additionally, non-GAAP operating expenses is used by our management and board of directors to understand and evaluate our operating performance and trends, to prepare and approve our annual budget and to develop short- and long-term operational plans. We believe that the elimination of TAC, stock-based compensation, depreciation, amortization and certain other items not related to our core operations provides another measure for period-to-period comparisons of our business, provides additional insight into our core controllable costs and is a useful metric for investors because it allows them to evaluate our operational performance in the same manner as our management and board of directors.
Our use of non-GAAP operating expenses has limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider it in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our financial results as reported under GAAP. A potential limitation of this non-GAAP financial measure is that other companies, including companies in our industry that have similar business arrangements, may define non-GAAP operating expenses differently, which may make comparisons difficult. Because of this and other potential limitations, you should consider our non-GAAP financial measures only as supplemental to other GAAP-based financial performance measures, including revenue, gross profit, net income (loss) and cash flows.
63
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for percentages and per share data)
The following table presents a reconciliation of total operating expenses to non-GAAP operating expenses for the periods presented:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | ||||||||
| Operating expenses: | ||||||||||
| Platform operations | $ | 157,164 | $ | 120,479 | $ | 116,725 | ||||
| Sales and marketing | 53,750 | 50,650 | 63,957 | |||||||
| Technology and development | 23,740 | 24,756 | 21,294 | |||||||
| General and administrative | 51,103 | 45,345 | 44,452 | |||||||
| Total operating expenses | 285,757 | 241,230 | 246,428 | |||||||
| Add: | ||||||||||
| Other expense, net | 12 | 90 | 310 | |||||||
| Less: | ||||||||||
| Traffic acquisition costs | (111,845) | (79,552) | (72,440) | |||||||
| Stock-based compensation | (21,034) | (32,291) | (28,901) | |||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | (16,461) | (14,731) | (13,131) | |||||||
| Restructuring and other(1) | (467) | (465) | (1,406) | |||||||
| Transaction expense(2) | (1,742) | — | — | |||||||
| Non-operational media purchases(3) | (1,271) | — | — | |||||||
| Non-GAAP operating expenses | $ | 132,949 | $ | 114,281 | $ | 130,860 |
(1)Restructuring and other includes severance and other charges related to aligning our workforce with our strategic performance goals for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, and severance and other charges related to a reduction in force for the year ended December 31, 2022.
(2)Transaction expense consists of costs incurred related to our recent acquisition, as well as contemplated or completed securities offerings for the year ended December 31, 2024.
(3)Non-operational media purchases reflects costs incurred for one-time and non-operating supplier purchases that are not billable to the customer for the year ended December 31, 2024.
Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of contribution ex-TAC
Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure defined by us as net income (loss) before interest expense (income), net, income tax benefit (expense), depreciation, amortization, stock-based compensation and certain other items that are not related to our core operations, such as restructuring and other charges, transaction expense and non-operational media purchases. Net income (loss) is the most comparable GAAP financial measure. Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of contribution ex-TAC is a non-GAAP financial measure we calculate by dividing adjusted EBITDA by contribution ex-TAC for the period or periods presented. Net income (loss) as a percentage of gross profit is the most comparable GAAP financial measure.
Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of contribution ex-TAC are used by our management and board of directors to understand and evaluate our core operating performance and trends, to prepare and approve our annual budget and to develop short- and long-term operational plans. In particular, we believe that the exclusion of the amounts eliminated in calculating adjusted EBITDA can provide a measure for period-to-period comparisons of our business. Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of contribution ex-TAC, a non-GAAP financial measure, is used by our management and board of directors to evaluate adjusted EBITDA relative to our profitability after costs that are directly variable to revenues, which comprise TAC. Accordingly, we believe that adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of contribution ex-TAC provide information to investors and the market in understanding and evaluating our operating results in the same manner as our management and board of directors.
64
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for percentages and per share data)
Our use of adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of contribution ex-TAC has limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider these measures in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our financial results as reported under GAAP. Some of these potential limitations include:
•other companies, including companies in our industry that have similar business arrangements, may report adjusted EBITDA or adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of contribution ex-TAC, or similarly titled measures, but calculate them differently, which reduces their usefulness as comparative measures;
•although depreciation and amortization are noncash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized may have to be replaced in the future, and adjusted EBITDA does not reflect cash capital expenditure requirements for such replacements or for new capital expenditure requirements; and
•adjusted EBITDA does not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, our working capital needs or the potentially dilutive impact of stock-based compensation.
Because of these and other potential limitations, you should consider our non-GAAP financial measures only as supplemental to other GAAP-based financial performance measures, including revenue, net income (loss) and cash flows.
The following table presents a reconciliation of net income (loss) to adjusted EBITDA for the periods presented:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | ||||||||
| Net income (loss) | $ | 12,452 | $ | (9,943) | $ | (48,089) | ||||
| Add back (less): | ||||||||||
| Interest expense (income), net | (9,235) | (8,594) | (1,481) | |||||||
| Provision for income taxes | 249 | 151 | — | |||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 16,461 | 14,731 | 13,131 | |||||||
| Stock-based compensation | 21,034 | 32,291 | 28,901 | |||||||
| Restructuring and other(1) | 467 | 465 | 1,406 | |||||||
| Transaction expense(2) | 1,742 | — | — | |||||||
| Non-operational media purchases(3) | 1,271 | — | — | |||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 44,441 | $ | 29,101 | $ | (6,132) |
(1)Restructuring and other includes severance and other charges related to aligning our workforce with our strategic performance goals for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, and severance and other charges related to a reduction in force for the year ended December 31, 2022.
(2)Transaction expense consists of costs incurred related to our recent acquisition, as well as contemplated or completed securities offerings for the year ended December 31, 2024.
(3)Non-operational media purchases reflects costs incurred for one-time and non-operating supplier purchases that are not billable to the customer for the year ended December 31, 2024.
The following table presents the calculation of net income (loss) as a percentage of gross profit and the calculation of adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of contribution ex-TAC for the periods presented:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | ||||||||
| Gross profit | $ | 132,071 | $ | 102,455 | $ | 80,443 | ||||
| Net income (loss) | $ | 12,452 | $ | (9,943) | $ | (48,089) | ||||
| Net income (loss) as a percentage of gross profit | 9 | % | (10) | % | (60) | % | ||||
| Contribution ex-TAC(1) | $ | 177,390 | $ | 143,382 | $ | 124,728 | ||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 44,441 | $ | 29,101 | $ | (6,132) | ||||
| Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of contribution ex-TAC | 25 | % | 20 | % | (5) | % |
65
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for percentages and per share data)
(1)For a reconciliation of contribution ex-TAC to the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, see “—Contribution ex-TAC.”
Non-GAAP net income (loss)
Non-GAAP net income (loss) is a non-GAAP financial measure defined by us as net income (loss) adjusted to eliminate the impact of stock-based compensation and certain other items that are not related to our core operations, such as restructuring and other charges, transaction expense and non-operational media purchases, as well as the income tax effect of these adjustments. Net income (loss) is the most comparable GAAP financial measure. Non-GAAP net income (loss) is a key measure used by our management and board of directors to evaluate operating performance, generate future operating plans and make strategic decisions regarding the allocation of capital. In particular, we believe that the elimination of stock-based compensation and certain other items that are not related to our core operations provides measures for period-to-period comparisons of our business and additional insight into our core controllable costs. Accordingly, we believe that non-GAAP net income (loss) provides information to investors and the market generally in understanding and evaluating our results of operations in the same manner as our management and board of directors.
Our use of non-GAAP net income (loss) has limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider this measure in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our financial results as reported under GAAP. A potential limitation of this non-GAAP financial measure is that other companies, including companies in our industry that have similar business arrangements, may define non-GAAP net income (loss) differently, which may make comparisons difficult. Because of this and other potential limitations, you should consider our non-GAAP financial measures only as supplemental to other GAAP-based financial performance measures, including revenue, gross profit, net income (loss) and cash flows.
The following table presents a reconciliation of net income (loss) to non-GAAP net income (loss) for the periods presented:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | ||||||||
| Net income (loss) | $ | 12,452 | $ | (9,943) | $ | (48,089) | ||||
| Add back (less): | ||||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | 21,034 | 32,291 | 28,901 | |||||||
| Restructuring and other(1) | 467 | 465 | 1,406 | |||||||
| Transaction expense(2) | 1,742 | — | — | |||||||
| Non-operational media purchases(3) | 1,271 | — | — | |||||||
| Income tax benefit (expense) related to Viant Technology Inc.’s share of income (loss) after adjustments(4) | (2,305) | (1,070) | 1,972 | |||||||
| Non-GAAP net income (loss) | $ | 34,661 | $ | 21,743 | $ | (15,810) |
(1)Restructuring and other includes severance and other charges related to aligning our workforce with our strategic performance goals for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, and severance and other charges related to a reduction in force for the year ended December 31, 2022.
(2)Transaction expense consists of costs incurred related to our recent acquisition, as well as contemplated or completed securities offerings for the year ended December 31, 2024.
(3)Non-operational media purchases reflects costs incurred for one-time and non-operating supplier purchases that are not billable to the customer for the year ended December 31, 2024.
(4)The estimated income tax effect of our share of income (loss) after non-GAAP reconciling items for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022 is calculated using assumed blended tax rates of 25%, 21% and 45%, respectively, which represent our expected corporate tax rates, excluding discrete and non-recurring tax items.
Non-GAAP earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock—basic and diluted
Non-GAAP earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock—basic and diluted is a non-GAAP financial measure defined by us as earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock—basic and diluted, adjusted to eliminate the impact of stock-based compensation and certain other items that are not related to our core operations, such as restructuring and other charges, transaction expense and non-operational media purchases, as well as the income tax effect of these adjustments. Earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock—basic and diluted is the most comparable GAAP financial measure. Non-GAAP earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock—basic and diluted is used by our management and board of directors to evaluate operating performance, generate future operating plans and make strategic decisions regarding the allocation of capital. In particular, we believe that the elimination of
66
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for percentages and per share data)
stock-based compensation and certain other items that are not related to our core operations provides measures for period-to-period comparisons of our business and provides additional insight into our core controllable costs. Accordingly, we believe that non-GAAP earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock—basic and diluted provides information to investors and the market generally that aids in the understanding and evaluation of our results of operations in the same manner as our management and board of directors.
Our use of non-GAAP earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock—basic and diluted has limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider it in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our financial results as reported under GAAP. A potential limitation of this non-GAAP financial measure is that other companies, including companies in our industry that have similar business arrangements, may report non-GAAP earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock—basic and diluted or similarly titled measures, but calculate them differently, which reduces their usefulness as comparative measures. Because of this and other potential limitations, you should consider our non-GAAP financial measures only as supplemental to other GAAP-based financial performance measures, including earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock—basic and diluted.
Basic non-GAAP earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock is calculated by dividing the non-GAAP net income (loss) attributable to Class A common stockholders by the number of weighted-average shares of Class A common stock outstanding. Shares of our Class B common stock do not share in our earnings or losses and are therefore not participating securities. As such, separate presentation of basic and diluted non-GAAP earnings (loss) of Class B common stock under the two-class method has not been presented.
Diluted non-GAAP earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock adjusts the basic non-GAAP earnings (loss) per share for the potential dilutive impact of shares of Class A common stock such as equity awards using the treasury-stock method and Class B common stock using the if-converted method. Diluted non-GAAP earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock considers the impact of potentially dilutive securities except in periods in which there is a loss because the inclusion of the potential common shares would have an anti-dilutive effect. Shares of our Class B common stock, RSUs and nonqualified stock options are considered potentially dilutive shares of Class A common stock. For the year ended December 31, 2024, Class B common stock has been excluded from the computation of diluted earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock because the effect would have been anti-dilutive under the if-converted method. For the year ended December 31, 2023, Class B common stock, restricted stock units, and nonqualified stock options have been excluded from the computation of diluted earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock because the effect would have been anti-dilutive under both the if-converted and treasury stock method.
67
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for percentages and per share data)
The following tables present the reconciliation of earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock—basic and diluted to non-GAAP earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock—basic and diluted for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022.
| Year Ended December 31, 2024 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings (Loss) per Share | Adjustments | Non-GAAP Earnings (Loss) per Share | ||||||||
| Numerator | ||||||||||
| Net income | $ | 12,452 | $ | — | $ | 12,452 | ||||
| Adjustments: | ||||||||||
| Add back: Stock-based compensation | — | 21,034 | 21,034 | |||||||
| Add back: Restructuring and other(1) | — | 467 | 467 | |||||||
| Add back: Transaction expense(2) | — | 1,742 | 1,742 | |||||||
| Add back: Non-operational media purchases(3) | — | 1,271 | 1,271 | |||||||
| Income tax benefit (expense) related to Viant Technology Inc.’s share of income (loss) after adjustments(4) | — | (2,305) | (2,305) | |||||||
| Non-GAAP net income | 12,452 | 22,209 | 34,661 | |||||||
| Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests(5) | 10,090 | 17,857 | 27,947 | |||||||
| Net income attributable to Viant Technology Inc.—basic | 2,362 | 4,352 | 6,714 | |||||||
| Add back: Reallocation of net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interest from the assumed exchange of RSUs and NQSOs for Class A common stock | 712 | 1,013 | 1,725 | |||||||
| Income tax benefit (expense) from the assumed exchange of RSUs and NQSOs for Class A common stock | (177) | (252) | (429) | |||||||
| Net income attributable to Viant Technology Inc.—diluted | $ | 2,897 | $ | 5,113 | $ | 8,010 | ||||
| Denominator | ||||||||||
| Weighted-average shares of Class A common stock outstanding—basic | 16,221 | 16,221 | ||||||||
| Effect of dilutive securities: | ||||||||||
| Restricted stock units | 2,125 | 2,125 | ||||||||
| Nonqualified stock options | 2,120 | 2,120 | ||||||||
| Weighted-average shares of Class A common stock outstanding—diluted | 20,466 | 20,466 | ||||||||
| Earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock—basic | $ | 0.15 | $ | 0.41 | ||||||
| Earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock—diluted | $ | 0.14 | $ | 0.39 | ||||||
| Anti-dilutive shares excluded from earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock—diluted: | ||||||||||
| Restricted stock units | — | — | ||||||||
| Nonqualified stock options | — | — | ||||||||
| Shares of Class B common stock | 46,754 | 46,754 | ||||||||
| Total shares excluded from earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock—diluted | 46,754 | 46,754 |
(1)Restructuring and other includes severance and other charges related to aligning our workforce with our strategic performance goals for the year ended December 31, 2024.
(2)Transaction expense consists of costs incurred related to our recent acquisition, as well as contemplated or completed securities offerings for the year ended December 31, 2024.
(3)Non-operational media purchases reflects costs incurred for one-time and non-operating supplier purchases that are not billable to the customer for the year ended December 31, 2024.
68
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for percentages and per share data)
(4)The estimated income tax effect of our share of income (loss) after non-GAAP reconciling items for the year ended December 31, 2024 is calculated using an assumed blended tax rate of 25%, which represents our expected corporate tax rate, excluding discrete and non-recurring tax items.
(5)The adjustment to net income attributable to noncontrolling interests represents stock-based compensation, restructuring and other charges, transaction expense and non-operational media purchases attributed to the noncontrolling interests outstanding during the period.
| Year Ended December 31, 2023 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings (Loss) per Share | Adjustments | Non-GAAP Earnings (Loss) per Share | ||||||||
| Numerator | ||||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (9,943) | $ | — | $ | (9,943) | ||||
| Adjustments: | ||||||||||
| Add back: Stock-based compensation | — | 32,291 | 32,291 | |||||||
| Add back: Restructuring and other(1) | — | 465 | 465 | |||||||
| Income tax benefit (expense) related to Viant Technology Inc.'s share of income (loss) after adjustments(2) | — | (1,070) | (1,070) | |||||||
| Non-GAAP net income (loss) | (9,943) | 31,686 | 21,743 | |||||||
| Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests(3) | (6,500) | 24,296 | 17,796 | |||||||
| Net income (loss) attributable to Viant Technology Inc.—basic | (3,443) | 7,390 | 3,947 | |||||||
| Add back: Reallocation of net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interest from the assumed exchange of RSUs and NQSOs for Class A common stock | — | — | — | |||||||
| Income tax benefit (expense) from the assumed exchange of RSUs and NQSOs for Class A common stock | — | — | — | |||||||
| Net income (loss) attributable to Viant Technology Inc.—diluted | $ | (3,443) | $ | 7,390 | $ | 3,947 | ||||
| Denominator | ||||||||||
| Weighted-average shares of Class A common stock outstanding—basic | 15,224 | 15,224 | ||||||||
| Effect of dilutive securities: | ||||||||||
| Restricted stock units | — | — | ||||||||
| Nonqualified stock options | — | — | ||||||||
| Weighted-average shares of Class A common stock outstanding—diluted | 15,224 | 15,224 | ||||||||
| Earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock—basic | $ | (0.23) | $ | 0.26 | ||||||
| Earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock—diluted | $ | (0.23) | $ | 0.26 | ||||||
| Anti-dilutive shares excluded from earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock—diluted: | ||||||||||
| Restricted stock units | 3,647 | 3,647 | ||||||||
| Nonqualified stock options | 5,736 | 5,736 | ||||||||
| Shares of Class B common stock | 47,032 | 47,032 | ||||||||
| Total shares excluded from earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock—diluted | 56,415 | 56,415 |
(1)Restructuring and other includes severance and other charges related to aligning our workforce with our strategic performance goals for the year ended December 31, 2023.
(2)The estimated income tax effect of our share of income (loss) after non-GAAP reconciling items for the year ended December 31, 2023 is calculated using an assumed blended tax rate of 21%, which represents our expected corporate tax rate, excluding discrete and non-recurring tax items.
69
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for percentages and per share data)
(3)The adjustment to net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests represents stock-based compensation and restructuring and other charges attributed to the noncontrolling interests outstanding during the period.
| Year Ended December 31, 2022 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings (Loss) per Share | Adjustments | Non-GAAP Earnings (Loss) per Share | ||||||||
| Numerator | ||||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (48,089) | $ | — | $ | (48,089) | ||||
| Adjustments: | ||||||||||
| Add back: Stock-based compensation | — | 28,901 | 28,901 | |||||||
| Add back: Restructuring and other(1) | — | 1,406 | 1,406 | |||||||
| Income tax benefit (expense) related to Viant Technology Inc.'s share of income (loss) after adjustments(2) | — | 1,972 | 1,972 | |||||||
| Non-GAAP net income (loss) | (48,089) | 32,279 | (15,810) | |||||||
| Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests(3) | (36,176) | 22,811 | (13,365) | |||||||
| Net income (loss) attributable to Viant Technology Inc.—basic | (11,913) | 9,468 | (2,445) | |||||||
| Add back: Reallocation of net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interest from the assumed exchange of RSUs for Class A common stock | — | — | — | |||||||
| Income tax benefit (expense) from the assumed exchange of RSUs for Class A common stock | — | — | — | |||||||
| Net income (loss) attributable to Viant Technology Inc.—diluted | $ | (11,913) | $ | 9,468 | $ | (2,445) | ||||
| Denominator | ||||||||||
| Weighted-average shares of Class A common stock outstanding—basic | 14,185 | 14,185 | ||||||||
| Effect of dilutive securities: | ||||||||||
| Restricted stock units | — | — | ||||||||
| Nonqualified stock options | — | — | ||||||||
| Weighted-average shares of Class A common stock outstanding—diluted | 14,185 | 14,185 | ||||||||
| Earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock—basic | $ | (0.84) | $ | (0.17) | ||||||
| Earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock—diluted | $ | (0.84) | $ | (0.17) | ||||||
| Anti-dilutive shares excluded from earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock—diluted: | ||||||||||
| Restricted stock units | 3,928 | 3,928 | ||||||||
| Nonqualified stock options | 3,661 | 3,661 | ||||||||
| Shares of Class B common stock | 47,082 | 47,082 | ||||||||
| Total shares excluded from earnings (loss) per share of Class A common stock—diluted | 54,671 | 54,671 |
(1)Restructuring and other includes severance and other charges related to a reduction in force for the year ended December 31, 2022.
(2)The estimated income tax effect of our share of income (loss) after non-GAAP reconciling items for the year ended December 31, 2022 is calculated using an assumed blended tax rate of 45%, which represents our expected corporate tax rate, excluding discrete and non-recurring tax items.
(3)The adjustment to net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests represents stock-based compensation and restructuring and other charges attributed to the noncontrolling interests outstanding during the period.
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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for percentages and per share data)
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2024, we had cash and cash equivalents of $205.0 million and working capital, consisting of current assets less current liabilities, of $217.0 million, compared to cash and cash equivalents of $216.5 million and working capital of $231.6 million as of December 31, 2023.
Our primary sources of cash are revenues derived from the programmatic purchase of advertising on our platform and our existing cash and cash equivalents, although we have addressed, and may in the future address, our liquidity needs by utilizing our borrowing capacity under the asset-based revolving credit and security agreement we have with PNC Bank (as amended in April 2023) (the "Amended Loan Agreement"), obtaining debt financing from other sources or raising additional funds by issuing equity.
Our primary uses of cash are capital expenditures to develop our technology in support of enhancing our platform; purchases of property and equipment in support of our expanding headcount as a result of our growth; the payment of debt obligations used to finance our operations, capital expenditures, platform development and rapid growth; future minimum payments under our non-cancelable operating leases; repurchases under the stock repurchase program; and acquisitions. We intend to continue investing in critical areas of our business in 2025 to further accelerate demand for our product and growth across the platform.
We assess our liquidity in terms of our ability to generate cash sufficient to fund our short- and long-term cash requirements. As such, we project our anticipated cash requirements as well as cash flows generated from operating activities to meet those needs. We believe our existing cash and cash equivalents, cash flow from revenues derived from the programmatic purchase of advertising on our platform and the undrawn availability under our revolving credit facility will be sufficient to meet our cash requirements over the next 12 months from the date of this report. We believe we will meet longer-term expected future cash requirements and obligations beyond the next 12 months through a combination of existing cash and cash equivalents, cash flow from operations, the undrawn availability under our revolving credit facility and issuances of equity securities or debt offerings. Our ability to fund longer-term operating needs will depend on our ability to generate positive cash flows through programmatic advertising purchases on our platform, our ability to access the capital markets and other factors, including those discussed under the section titled “Risk Factors” in this Annual Report.
Commitments
As of December 31, 2024, our material cash requirements from non-cancelable contractual obligations with an original duration of over one year included future minimum payments under our non-cancelable operating leases, which we estimate will be approximately $5.7 million in 2025, $5.4 million in 2026, $5.4 million in 2027, $4.1 million in 2028, and $3.6 million in 2029 and non-cancelable contractual agreements primarily related to the hosting of our data storage processing, storage, and other computing services, which we estimate will be approximately $15.4 million in 2025, $15.0 million in 2026, $10.5 million in 2027, and $2.1 million in 2028.
We did not have any other off-balance sheet arrangements as of December 31, 2024 other than the minimum payments under the operating leases, hosting arrangements, and the indemnification agreements described above and in Note 13—Commitments and Contingencies to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Tax Receivable Agreement
In connection with our initial public offering ("IPO"), we entered into a Tax Receivable Agreement (the "TRA") with Viant Technology LLC, continuing members of Viant Technology LLC (our “pre-IPO owners”) and the TRA Representative (as defined in the TRA), as described under Note 10—Income Taxes and Tax Receivable Agreement to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report. From time to time, our subsidiary, Viant Technology LLC, makes cash distributions on a pro rata basis to its members to the extent necessary to cover the members’ tax liabilities with respect to their share of earnings of Viant Technology LLC. These payments are reflected within “Payment of member tax distributions” on the consolidated statements of cash flows. As of December 31, 2024 we concluded that it was more likely than not that our deferred tax assets subject to the TRA would not be realized. Therefore, the Company has not recorded a liability related to the remaining tax savings it may realize from utilization of such deferred tax assets. As of December 31, 2024, the total unrecorded liability for our TRA is approximately $11.2 million. If utilization of the deferred tax asset subject to the TRA becomes more likely than not in the future, the Company will record a liability related to the TRA which will be recognized as an expense within its consolidated statements of operations.
Shelf Registration Statement
On March 22, 2024, we filed a “shelf” registration statement on Form S-3 (Reg. No. 333-278177) with the SEC, which was declared effective on April 23, 2024. This shelf registration statement, which includes a base prospectus, allows us at any time to offer any combination of securities described in the prospectus in one or more offerings for our own account in an aggregate amount up to $100 million and allows certain selling securityholders to offer and sell up to 10,000,000 shares of Class A common stock in one or more offerings. The Form S-3 is intended to provide us flexibility to conduct registered sales of our securities, subject to market
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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for percentages and per share data)
conditions and our future capital needs. The terms of any future offering under the shelf registration statement will be established at the time of such offering and will be described in a prospectus supplement filed with the SEC prior to the completion of any such offering. We would not receive any proceeds from any sale of our Class A common stock by the selling security holders.
Stock Repurchase Program
On April 23, 2024, our board of directors approved a stock repurchase program with authorization to purchase up to $50 million in shares of our Class A common stock or Class B units of Viant Technology LLC. For the year ended December 31, 2024, we repurchased 1.8 million shares of our Class A common stock, which includes unsettled repurchases as of December 31, 2024, for an aggregate amount of $21.7 million, including costs associated with the repurchases. As of December 31, 2024, $28.3 million remained available under the stock repurchase program for Class A common stock and Class B unit repurchases. For additional information related to share repurchases, refer to Note 9—Stockholders' Equity to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Revolving Credit Facility
As of December 31, 2024, our Amended Loan Agreement provided us with access to a $75.0 million senior secured revolving credit facility with a maturity date of April 4, 2028 that is collateralized by security interests in substantially all of our assets. As of December 31, 2024, there was no outstanding balance and up to $74.1 million of undrawn availability under the revolving credit facility.
The Amended Loan Agreement contains customary conditions to borrowings, events of default and covenants, and also contains a financial covenant requiring us to maintain a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio of 1.40 to 1 when undrawn availability under the Amended Loan Agreement is less than 25%. As of December 31, 2024, the Company was in compliance with all applicable covenants under the Amended Loan Agreement. We do not believe this covenant or any other provision in the Amended Loan Agreement will materially impact our liquidity or otherwise restrict our ability to execute on our business plan during or beyond the next 12 months.
We are a holding company with no operations of our own and are dependent on distributions from Viant Technology LLC to pay our taxes and satisfy any current or future cash requirements. Our Amended Loan Agreement imposes, and any future credit facilities may impose, limitations on our ability and the ability of Viant Technology LLC to pay dividends to third parties.
For further discussion of our Amended Loan Agreement, refer to Note 8—Revolving Credit Facility to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Cash Flows
Cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, as reflected in the consolidated statements of cash flows included in Item 8 of this Annual Report, are summarized in the following table:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||
| Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows Data | ||||||
| Cash flows provided by operating activities | $ | 51,767 | $ | 37,752 | ||
| Cash flows used in investing activities | (27,744) | (13,476) | ||||
| Cash flows used in financing activities | (35,433) | (14,391) | ||||
| Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents | $ | (11,410) | $ | 9,885 |
Cash Flows Provided by Operating Activities
Our cash flows from operating activities have been primarily influenced by growth in our operations, increases or decreases in collections from our customers and related payments to our suppliers of advertising media and data. Cash flows from operating activities have been affected by changes in our working capital, particularly changes in accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued liabilities. The timing of cash receipts from customers and payments to suppliers can significantly impact our cash flows from operating activities. We typically pay suppliers in advance of collections from our customers. Our collection and payment cycles can vary from period to period. In addition, we expect seasonality to impact cash flows from operating activities on a quarterly basis.
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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for percentages and per share data)
Our cash flows provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $51.8 million, a net increase of $14.0 million, or 37%, from cash flows provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 of $37.8 million. Cash flows provided by operating activities during the year ended December 31, 2024 resulted primarily from:
•an increase of $12.5 million from net income;
•an increase of $43.0 million due to noncash add back adjustments to net income primarily comprised of $21.0 million for stock-based compensation, $16.5 million for depreciation and amortization, $4.0 million of noncash lease expense and $1.4 million for the provision for doubtful accounts;
•a decrease of $1.5 million from changes in working capital (excluding deferred revenue, other liabilities, and operating lease liabilities), including a net decrease of $34.1 million in accounts receivable, prepaid assets and other assets primarily related to higher sales and timing of customer collections due to seasonal fluctuations as well as an increase of $32.6 million in accounts payable, accrued liabilities and accrued compensation primarily related to timing of payments;
•a decrease in operating lease liabilities of $4.1 million; and
•an increase in other liabilities of $1.8 million.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, cash provided by operating activities of $37.8 million resulted primarily from a net loss of $9.9 million; an increase of $51.2 million primarily due to noncash add back adjustments to net loss of $32.3 million for stock-based compensation, $14.7 million for depreciation and amortization and $4.0 million of noncash lease expense; a decrease in net working capital (excluding deferred revenue, operating lease liabilities and other liabilities) of $0.6 million; an increase in deferred revenue of $0.2 million; a decrease in operating lease liabilities of $3.8 million; and an increase in other liabilities of $0.7 million.
Cash Flows Used in Investing Activities
Our primary investing activities have consisted of capital expenditures to develop our technology in support of enhancing our platform, purchases of property and equipment in support of our growth, and acquisitions. We capitalize certain costs associated with creating and enhancing internally developed software related to our technology infrastructure that are recorded within property, equipment, and software, net. These costs include personnel and related employee benefit expenses for employees who are directly associated with and who devote time to platform development projects. Purchases of property and equipment and capitalized software development costs may vary from period-to-period due to the timing of the expansion of our operations, the addition or reduction of headcount and the timing of our platform development cycles. As a result of capitalization of stock-based compensation in future periods and the growth of our business, we expect our capital expenditures and our investment activity to continue to increase.
Our cash flows used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $27.7 million, a net increase of $14.3 million, or 106%, from cash flows used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 of $13.5 million. Cash flows used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 resulted primarily from:
•$15.2 million of investments in capitalized software to develop our technology in support of enhancing our platform;
•$10.0 million of cash paid related to the acquisition of IRIS.TV; and
•$2.5 million of purchases of property and equipment.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, cash used in investing activities of $13.5 million resulted from $12.3 million of investments in capitalized software development costs and $1.2 million of purchases of property and equipment.
Cash Flows Used in Financing Activities
Our financing activities have consisted primarily of repayments of our debt, issuances of our equity and payments of member distributions in accordance with their assumed tax liabilities, repurchases of stock in connection with the taxes paid related to the vesting of equity awards and repurchases of stock related to the stock repurchase program. Net cash provided by or used in financing activities has been and will be used to finance our operations, capital expenditures, platform development and growth.
Our cash flows used in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $35.4 million, a net increase of $21.0 million, or 146%, from cash flows used in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 of $14.4 million. Cash flows used in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 resulted primarily from:
•$21.6 million for the repurchase of stock related to the stock repurchase program;
•$10.7 million for the repurchase of stock in connection with the taxes paid related to the vesting of equity awards;
•$6.0 million for payments related to member tax distributions; and partially offset by
•$3.1 million of proceeds related to the exercise of stock options.
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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for percentages and per share data)
During the year ended December 31, 2023, cash used in financing activities of $14.4 million resulted from $10.2 million for payments related to member tax distributions and $4.2 million for the repurchase of stock in connection with the taxes paid related to the vesting of equity awards.
Fiscal 2023 Changes in Cash Flows
For the comparison of fiscal 2023 to fiscal 2022, refer to Part II, Item 7 "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations— Liquidity and Capital Resources" included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for our fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the SEC on March 4, 2024 under the subheading "Liquidity and Capital Resources".
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, expenses and related disclosures. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Our estimates are based on historical experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Our actual results could differ from these estimates.
An accounting policy is deemed to be critical if it requires an accounting estimate to be made on assumptions about matters that are highly uncertain at the time the estimate is made and have had or are reasonably likely to have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations. We believe that the assumptions and estimates associated with the evaluation of revenue recognition criteria, including the determination of revenue recognition net versus gross assessment in our revenue arrangements, the assumptions used in the valuation models to determine the fair value of common stock and stock-based compensation, and internal use software have the greatest potential impact on our consolidated financial statements. Therefore, we consider these to be our critical accounting policies and estimates.
See Note 2—Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report for additional information on the significant accounting policies and methods used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.
Revenue Recognition
We generate our revenue by providing marketers and advertising agencies with the ability to plan, buy and measure their digital advertising campaigns using our DSP. Our platform enables marketers and their advertising agencies to reach their target audience across CTV, streaming audio, digital out-of-home, mobile and desktop.
We apply a five-step approach as defined in Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”), in determining the amount and timing of revenue to be recognized:
•Identification of a contract with a customer;
•Identification of the performance obligations in the contract;
•Determination of the transaction price;
•Allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and
•Recognition of revenue when or as the performance obligations are satisfied.
We make our platform available through different pricing options to tailor to multiple customer types and customer needs. These options consist of a percentage of spend option and a fixed CPM option. “CPM” refers to a payment option in which customers pay a price for every 1,000 impressions an ad receives. We generate revenue when our platform is used on a self-service basis by charging a platform fee that is a percentage of spend. We also offer our customers the ability to use our services to aid in data management, media execution and advanced reporting. When customers utilize these services, we generate revenue by charging (1) a separate service fee that represents a percentage of spend in addition to the platform fee; (2) a flat monthly fee; or (3) a fixed CPM.
We maintain agreements with our customers in the form of MSAs in connection with the percentage of spend pricing option, as well as instances where we charge our customers a flat monthly fee. We maintain IOs in connection with the fixed CPM pricing option, which set out the terms of the relationship and use of our platform. The nature of our performance obligations is to enable customers to plan, buy and measure advertising campaigns using our platform and provide campaign execution services as requested.
For the percentage of spend pricing option, we typically bill customers a platform fee, and in certain instances an additional service fee, which is based on a specified percentage of the customer’s purchases through the platform as well as fees for additional
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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for percentages and per share data)
features such as data and advanced reporting, plus the cost of TAC. We recognize revenue at the point in time when a purchase by the customer occurs through our platform.
The determination of whether revenue for the percentage of spend pricing option should be reported on a gross or net basis is based on an assessment of whether we are acting as the principal or an agent in the transaction. In determining whether we are acting as the principal or an agent, we follow the accounting guidance for principal-agent considerations. Making such determinations involves judgment and is based on an evaluation of the terms of each arrangement, none of which are considered presumptive or determinative.
In instances discussed above related to the percentage of spend pricing option, we typically act as an agent because we arrange for the transfer of such costs from the supplier to the customer through the use of our platform and do not control such features prior to transfer to the customer. We do not have primary responsibility for meeting customer specifications and do not have discretion in establishing the price of TAC related to this pricing option. As we act as the agent in these arrangements, we report revenue on a net basis. In certain percentage of spend arrangements, we act as a principal because we control the advertising inventory before it is transferred to the customer, and we bear sole responsibility for fulfillment of the advertising promise and inventory risks. As we act as the principal in these arrangements, we report revenue and the related costs incurred on a gross basis.
For the fixed CPM pricing option, we typically bill customers a fixed CPM price based on advertising impressions delivered through the platform and recognize revenue at the point in time when the advertising impressions are delivered. In certain cases, we also provide third party data segments and measurement reporting, which are recognized at the point in time they are delivered to the customer. We have the primary responsibility for meeting customer specifications and have discretion in establishing the price of TAC related to this pricing option. As we act as the principal in these arrangements, we report revenue and the related costs incurred on a gross basis.
We invoice our customers on a monthly basis for all pricing options. Invoice payment terms, negotiated on a customer-by-customer basis, are typically 30 to 60 days. Advertising agency customers typically have sequential liability terms, which means payments are not due to us from our advertising agency customer until the advertising agency customer has received payment from its customer, the advertiser.
There are no contract assets recorded on the consolidated balance sheets because our right to any unbilled consideration for performance obligations satisfied is only conditional upon the passage of time. Contract liabilities, or deferred revenue, are recorded for amounts that are collected in advance of the satisfaction of performance obligations. These liabilities are classified as current if the respective performance obligations are anticipated to be satisfied during the succeeding 12-month period per the terms of the contract, and the remaining portion is recorded as non-current deferred revenue in the consolidated balance sheets.
ASC 606 provides various optional practical expedients. We elected the use of the practical expedient relating to the disclosure of remaining performance obligations within a contract and will not disclose remaining performance obligations for contracts with an original expected duration of one year or less.
Internal Use Software
We capitalize certain costs associated with creating and enhancing internally developed software. These costs include personnel and related employee benefits expenses for employees who are directly associated with and who devote time to software development projects. Software development costs that do not qualify for capitalization are expensed as incurred and recorded in technology and development expense in the consolidated statements of operations.
Software development activities typically consist of three stages: (1) the planning stage; (2) the application and infrastructure development stage; and (3) the post-implementation stage. Costs incurred in the planning and post-implementation stages, including costs associated with training and repairs and maintenance of the developed technologies, are expensed as incurred. We capitalize costs associated with software developed when the preliminary project stage is completed, management implicitly or explicitly authorizes and commits to funding the project and it is probable that the project will be completed and perform as intended. Costs incurred in the application and infrastructure development stages, including significant enhancements and upgrades, are capitalized. Capitalization ends once a project is substantially complete and the software is ready for its intended purpose, at which point the software begins to be depreciated over its estimated useful life.
Stock-Based Compensation
Stock-based compensation relates to equity awards granted under the Company’s 2021 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “LTIP”), which is measured and recognized in the consolidated financial statements based on the fair value of the equity awards granted. Since inception of the LTIP, the Company has only granted restricted stock units (“RSUs”) and nonqualified stock options ("NQSOs"). The fair value of RSUs is calculated using the closing market price of the Company’s Class A common stock on the date of grant. The fair value of nonqualified stock options is estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The Black-Scholes option pricing model is impacted by the fair value of the Company’s Class A common stock, as well as changes in certain assumptions, including but
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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
(tabular dollars in thousands, except for percentages and per share data)
not limited to, the expected Class A common stock price volatility over the term of the nonqualified stock options, the expected term of the nonqualified stock options, the risk-free interest rate, and the expected dividend yield. The Company records compensation for all equity awards under the LTIP under the straight-line attribution method over the requisite service period. The Company has elected the accounting policy for stock-based compensation to account for forfeitures as they occur.
JOBS Act Accounting Election
On April 5, 2012, the JOBS Act was signed into law. The JOBS Act contains provisions that, among other things, reduce certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. As an “emerging growth company,” we may, under Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), delay adoption of new or revised accounting standards applicable to public companies until such standards would otherwise apply to private companies. An “emerging growth company” is one with less than $1.235 billion in annual gross revenues, has issued less than $1 billion of non-convertible debt over a three-year period and is not deemed to be a large accelerated filer under the rules of the SEC. We will remain an emerging growth company until December 31, 2026, or sooner if we no longer qualify. We may take advantage of this extended transition period until the first to occur of the date that we (i) are no longer an “emerging growth company” or (ii) affirmatively and irrevocably opt out of this extended transition period.
We have elected to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period. Until the date that we are no longer an “emerging growth company” or affirmatively and irrevocably opt out of the exemption provided by Securities Act Section 7(a)(2)(B), upon issuance of a new or revised accounting standard that applies to our consolidated financial statements and that has a different effective date for public and private companies, the Company will disclose the date on which adoption is required for non-emerging growth companies and the date on which we will adopt the recently issued accounting standard.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
For information regarding recently issued accounting pronouncements, see Note 2—Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
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