Stem Inc (5QQ) Risk Analysis

Our Charter provides that, that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the sole and exclusive forum, to the fullest extent permitted by law, for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against us or any director, officer, or other employee arising pursuant to the DGCL, (iv) any action to interpret, apply, enforce, or determine the validity of our Charter or Bylaws, or (v) any other action asserting a claim that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine, shall be the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or another state court or the federal court located within the State of Delaware if the Court of Chancery does not have or declines to accept jurisdiction), in all cases subject to the court's having jurisdiction over indispensable parties named as defendants. In addition, our Charter provides that the federal district courts of the United States will be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act but that the forum selection provision does not apply to claims brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (the "Exchange Act"). Although we believe these provisions benefit us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law for the specified types of actions and proceedings, the provisions may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against us or our directors and officers. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our Charter to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we might incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, financial condition, and operating results. For example, under the Securities Act, federal courts have concurrent jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act, and investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in our shares of capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and consent to this exclusive forum provision, but will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.

These provisions, among other things: - establish a staggered board of directors divided into three classes serving staggered three-year terms, such that not all members of our board of directors will be elected at one time;- authorize our board of directors to issue new series of preferred stock without stockholder approval and create, subject to applicable law, a series of preferred stock with preferential rights to dividends or our assets upon liquidation, or with superior voting rights to our existing common stock;- eliminate the ability of stockholders to call special meetings of stockholders;- eliminate the ability of stockholders to fill vacancies on our board of directors;- establish advance notice requirements for nominations for election to our board of directors or for proposing matters that can be acted upon by stockholders at our annual stockholder meetings;- permit our board of directors to establish the number of directors;- provide that our board of directors is expressly authorized to make, alter or repeal our Second Amended and Restated Bylaws (the "Bylaws");- provide that stockholders can remove directors only for cause and only upon the approval of not less than 66 2/3 of all outstanding shares of our voting stock;- require the approval of not less than 66 2/3 of all outstanding shares of our voting stock to amend specific provisions of our Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended (the "Charter") and for our shareholders to amend our Bylaws; and - limit the jurisdictions in which certain stockholder litigation may be brought. As a Delaware corporation, we are subject to the anti-takeover provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the "DGCL"), which prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in a business combination specified in the statute with an interested stockholder (as defined in the statute) for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person first becomes an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in advance by a majority of the independent directors or by the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding disinterested shares. The application of Section 203 of the DGCL could also have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us. These anti-takeover provisions could make it more difficult for a third-party to acquire us, even if the third-party's offer may be considered beneficial by many of our stockholders. As a result, our stockholders may be limited in their ability to obtain a premium for their shares. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for you and other stockholders to elect directors of your choosing and to cause us to take other corporate actions you desire.

We may issue securities in the future in connection with investments or acquisitions or otherwise. The number of shares of common stock issued in connection with an investment or acquisition could constitute a material portion of our then-outstanding shares of common stock. Any issuance of additional securities in connection with investments or acquisitions may result in additional dilution to our stockholders.

The price of our common stock in 2025 continued to be highly volatile and may fluctuate in response to our results of operations in future periods or due to other factors, including factors specific to companies in our industry, many of which are beyond our control. As a result, our share price may continue to experience significant volatility and may not necessarily reflect the value of our expected performance. These fluctuations could cause you to lose all or part of your investment in our common stock. Factors that could cause fluctuations in the trading price of our common stock include the following: - The addition or loss of significant customers;- results of operations that vary from the expectations of securities analysts and investors;- financial and operating guidance, if any, that we provide to the public, and any changes in this guidance or our failure to meet this guidance;- results of operations that vary from those of our competitors;- volatility in the trading prices and trading volumes of technology stocks;- changes in expectations as to our future financial performance, including financial estimates and investment recommendations by securities analysts and investors;- declines in the market prices of stocks generally;- strategic actions by us or our competitors;- announcements by us or our competitors of significant contracts, acquisitions, joint ventures, other strategic relationships or capital commitments;- any significant change in our senior management;- changes in general macroeconomic or market conditions or trends in our industry or markets, including as a result of a general economic slowdown or a recession, increasing interest rates and changes in monetary policy, or inflationary pressures;- changes in business or regulatory conditions, including new laws or regulations or new interpretations of existing laws or regulations applicable to our business;- future sales of our common stock or other securities or the incurrence of significant debt;- investor perceptions or the investment opportunity associated with our common stock relative to other investment alternatives;- the public's response to press releases or other public announcements by us or third parties, including our filings with the SEC;- litigation involving us, our industry, or both, or investigations by regulators into our operations or those of our competitors;- actions by institutional or activist stockholders;- changes in accounting standards, policies, guidelines, interpretations or principles; and - other events or factors, including those resulting from natural disasters, geopolitical instability or war, acts of terrorism or responses to these events. These broad market and industry fluctuations may adversely affect the market price of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance. In addition, in the past, following periods of market volatility, stockholders have instituted securities class action litigation against companies. For example, in May and July 2023, two putative securities class actions were filed against us and certain of our current and former officers and directors alleging claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Sections 11 and 15 of the Securities Act of 1933. On December 17, 2025, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California entered an order dismissing with prejudice all such claims. Securities litigation against us could result in substantial costs and divert our management's time and attention from other business concerns, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, regardless of the outcome of such litigation. We may be the target of additional litigation of this type in the future.