Upstart Holdings (855) Risk Analysis

The market price of our common stock could decline as a result of sales of a large number of shares of our common stock, or the perception that such sales could occur. Subject to applicable vesting conditions and compliance with our insider trading policies, shares issued upon the settlement of equity awards or other equity issuances may be available for resale in the open market. In addition, shares may be sold into the market in connection with "sell-to-cover" transactions to satisfy tax withholding obligations upon the vesting of equity awards, which could increase selling pressure on our common stock. We may from time to time register shares for resale or issue shares in connection with financings or other transactions. We have an effective shelf registration statement on Form S-3ASR that permits us to offer and sell shares of our common stock, including through an ATM Program. Sales of our shares could make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at times and prices that we deem appropriate, could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline, and could make it more difficult for stockholders to sell their shares.

We may issue additional shares of our common stock in the future in connection with financings, acquisitions, investments, our equity incentive plans or otherwise. We expect to continue granting equity awards to employees, directors and consultants under our equity incentive plans, and we may also raise capital through equity financings in the future. Any common stock that we issue pursuant to equity incentive plans, financings or acquisitions could dilute the percentage ownership held by existing stockholders and could result in a decline in the per-share value of our common stock.

Our status as a Delaware corporation and the anti-takeover provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law may discourage, delay, or prevent a change in control by prohibiting us from engaging in a business combination with an interested stockholder for a period of three years after the person becomes an interested stockholder unless certain conditions are met, even if a change of control would be beneficial to our existing stockholders. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that may make the acquisition of our company more difficult, including the following: - our Board of Directors is classified into three classes with staggered three-year terms and directors may only be removed for cause;- vacancies and newly-created seats on our Board of Directors will be able to be filled only by our Board of Directors and not by stockholders;- only the Chair of our Board of Directors, our Chief Executive Officer, our president, or a majority of our entire Board of Directors are authorized to call a special meeting of stockholders;- certain litigation against us or our directors, stockholders, officers or employees can only be brought in Delaware;- advance notice procedures apply for stockholders to nominate candidates for election as directors or to bring matters before an annual meeting of stockholders; and - any amendment of the above anti-takeover provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or amended and restated bylaws will require the approval of at least 66 2/3% of the combined voting power of our then-outstanding shares of our capital stock. These anti-takeover defenses could discourage, delay, or prevent a transaction involving a change in control of our company. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for stockholders to elect directors of their choosing and to cause us to take other corporate actions they desire, any of which, under certain circumstances, could limit the opportunity for our stockholders to receive a premium for their shares of our capital stock, and could also affect the price that some investors are willing to pay for our common stock.

Our amended and restated bylaws provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, stockholders, officers, or other employees to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, or our amended and restated bylaws, or (iv) 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, if the Court of Chancery does not have jurisdiction, another state court in Delaware or the federal district court for the District of Delaware), in all cases subject to the court having jurisdiction over the claims at issue and the indispensable parties; provided that the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act. Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all such Securities Act actions. Accordingly, both state and federal courts have jurisdiction to entertain such claims. To prevent having to litigate claims in multiple jurisdictions and the threat of inconsistent or contrary rulings by different courts, among other considerations, our amended and restated bylaws also provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United are the sole and exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. Although we believe these provisions are enforceable, there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such forum-selection provisions, and if a court were to find them unenforceable, we could incur additional costs associated with resolving disputes in other jurisdictions. Any person or entity purchasing, holding or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our securities shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to this provision. This exclusive-forum provision may limit a stockholder's ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum of its choosing for disputes with us or our directors, officers, or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits against us and our directors, officers, and other employees. This exclusive forum provision does not apply to any causes of action arising under the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal or other courts have exclusive jurisdiction. If a court were to find either of the exclusive-forum provisions in our amended and restated bylaws to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving the dispute in other jurisdictions, which could harm our results of operations.

The trading market for our common stock will depend in part on the research and reports that equity or industry analysts publish about us or our business. The analysts' estimates are based upon their own opinions and are often different from our estimates or expectations. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our common stock or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the price of our securities would likely decline. If few securities analysts commence coverage of us, or if one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our securities could decrease, which could cause the price and trading volume of our common stock to decline.

The trading price of our common stock may be volatile and could fluctuate significantly in response to various factors, many of which are beyond our control. These fluctuations could cause you to lose all or part of your investment. Factors that could affect the trading price of our common stock include general market and economic conditions, volatility in the trading prices of financial technology and technology companies, changes in interest or inflation rates, a reduction in the availability of loan funding and liquidity from lending partners and institutional investors, quarterly fluctuations in demand for the loans we facilitate through our marketplace, changes in our operating performance or results of operations, sales or issuances of shares of our common stock, whether in connection with an acquisition or upon conversion of some or all of the outstanding Notes, analyst coverage or reports, announcements by us or our competitors, litigation or regulatory actions, data security incidents, changes in laws or accounting standards, developments relating to our intellectual property, market perception of our AI models, changes in the competitive landscape, and other events or factors beyond our control. The stock market has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of individual companies. As a result, the market price of our common stock may be affected by factors unrelated to our operating performance. In addition, securities class action litigation such as the litigation we are subject to has often been instituted following periods of market volatility, which could result in substantial costs and divert management's attention and resources, potentially harming our business.