EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 829323
Filing Year: 2022
Filename: 829323_10-K_2022_0000829323-22-000015.json

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
ITEM 1. BUSINESS.
Company Overview
Inuvo is a technology company that develops and sells information technology solutions for marketing and advertising. These solutions predictively identify and message online audiences for any product or service across devices, formats, and channels including video, mobile, connected TV, linear TV, display, social, search and native. These solutions allow Inuvo’s clients to engage with their customers and prospects in a manner that drives responsiveness. Inuvo facilitates the delivery of hundreds of millions of marketing messages to consumers every single month and counts among its clients numerous world-renowned names across industries.
The Inuvo solution incorporates a proprietary form of artificial intelligence, or AI, branded the IntentKey. This patented machine learning technology uses interactions with Internet content as a source of information from which to predict consumer intent. The AI can identify and advertise to the reasons why consumers are purchasing products and services not who those consumers are. In this regard, the technology is designed for a privacy conscious future and is focused on the components of the advertising value chain most responsible for return on advertising spend, the intelligence behind the advertising decision.
Inuvo technology can be consumed both as a managed service and software-as-a-service. For clients, Inuvo has also developed a collection of proprietary websites collectively branded as Bonfire Publishing where content is created specifically to attract qualified consumer traffic for clients through the publication of information across a wide range of topics including health, finance, travel, careers, auto, education and lifestyle. These sites also provide the means to market test various Inuvo advertising technologies.
There are many barriers to entry associated with the Inuvo business model, including a proficiency in large scale information processing, predictive software development, marketing data products, analytics, artificial intelligence, integration to the internet of things ("IOT"), and the relationships required to execute within the IOT. Inuvo’s intellectual property is protected by 17 issued and eight pending patents.
Products and Services
The Inuvo platforms use analytics, data and artificial intelligence in a manner that optimizes the purchase and placement of advertising in real time. These products and services include:
•ValidClick: A marketing and advertising service provided directly to brands and large consolidators of advertising demand where a collection of data, analytics, software and publishing gets used to align merchant advertising messages with anonymous consumers across various websites online. The service includes Think Relevant, a wholly owned marketing agency and Bonfire publishing, a wholly owned collection of websites; and
•IntentKey: An artificial intelligence-based consumer intent recognition system designed to reach highly targeted mobile and desktop In- Market audiences with precision. The platform can serve multiple creative formats including display, video, audio and native across multiple device types including desktop, mobile, tablet, connected/smart TV and game consoles. The product is sold as both a fully managed service and/or a Software as a Service ("SaaS") solution.
Key Relationships
The company maintains long-standing relationships with Yahoo! and Google who provide access to hundreds of thousands of advertisers from which a majority of the ValidClick revenue originates. When an advertisement is clicked, the ValidClick platform effectively sells that click to these partners who then sell it to their advertisers. We maintain multi-year service contracts with these companies. In 2021, these customers accounted for 48.6% of our total revenue as compared to 60.5% in 2020. We also have major contracts with Xandr, Inc. who, in exchange for a fee, provides access to publishers' advertising inventory for the IntentKey.
In addition to our key customer relationships, we maintain important distribution relationships with owners and publishers of websites and mobile applications. We provide these partners with advertisements which they use to monetize their websites and mobile applications. We continuously monitor consumer traffic with a variety of proprietary and patent protected software tools that can determine the quality of the traffic viewing and clicking on Inuvo served advertisements as a part of our service to our biggest clients.
Strategy
Our business strategy has been to develop data processing and advertising technologies that can displace intermediaries within the online advertising ecosystem, while cultivating relationships that can provide access to media spend (advertisers) and media inventory (websites). In this regard, we have proprietary demand (media spend) and supply (media inventory) technologies, targeting technologies, on-page or in-app ad-unit technologies, proprietary data and data management technologies, and advertising fraud detection technologies. We have both direct and indirect relationships at some of the largest media buyers and/or consolidators in the industry. For the ValidClick platform, where the focus is search and social advertising channels, the immediate strategy is to maintain relationships with existing partners and expand the business by supporting IntentKey customers. For the IntentKey platform, where the focus is programmatic advertising channels, the immediate strategy is to scale through the hiring of additional sales professionals and partnerships, growing existing accounts and expanding our market footprint. In an increasingly privacy conscious world, we are focused on replacing the current technologies used by advertisers with our artificial intelligence solution, which does not rely on the use of consumer data.
Our business strategy is focused on providing differentiation through the AI analytics and data products we own and protect through patents. For the marketing and advertising industries we serve, this strategy aligns with the components of the value chain that are the principal drivers of value to our clients. As part of our growth strategy, we evaluate acquisition candidates from time to time as opportunities arise with a focus on companies that have either advertisers or advertising relationships we do not possess or publishers or publishing partners who have content we do not possess.
Sales and Marketing
We drive general awareness of our brands through various marketing channels including our websites, social media, blogs, public relations, trade shows and conferences. Sales and marketing for our products differs based on whether they are demand or supply facing.
The demand side of our business includes sales executives who create interest from agencies, trading desks and brands directly. Leveraging our IntentKey and ValidClick technology to highlight our differentiation, our sales executives explain how we identify the most relevant audiences so we can, on behalf of our clients, target those audiences at a time when they are most prone to engage / respond / subscribe / tune-in or watch our clients' message.
The supply side of our business includes relationships with and integrations to platforms that make available for auction, advertising inventory the IntentKey can use to identify advertising placements for Inuvo clients. We pay a fee to the platform for this service. Within ValidClick, a series of web properties and content have been developed within the wholly owned Bonfire publishing where unique technology and content experiences can be created in a manner that aligns with the objectives of our advertising clients.
Competition
We face significant competition in our industry. Competitors continue to increase their suite of offerings across marketing channels to better compete for total advertising dollars. There are many barriers to entry to Inuvo’s business that would require proficiency in large scale data center management, software development, data products, analytics, artificial intelligence, integration to the internet of things, or IOT, the relationships required to execute within the IOT and the ability to process tens of billions of transactions daily.
We compete, both directly and indirectly with companies who offer demand side platforms (DSP’s), direct marketing platforms (DMP’s), Data Suppliers and Aggregators, Media Planners and various Measurement and Analytics companies. The companies within these categories are defined by LUMA @ https://lumapartners.com/content/lumascapes/display-ad-tech-lumascape.
Our primary competitive advantages include: patented, proprietary technology for the categorization and storage of consumer intent (data used to discover and match online audiences to product or service); real time visibility of a marketing event (recognizing that there is currently a transaction where a match exists between our advertising clients and an interested party for their product on a website) where our technology is capable of responding to over 200,000 events per second; and patented advertising fraud prevention. Many competitors have greater name recognition and are better capitalized than we are. Our ability to remain competitive in our market segment depends upon our ability to be innovative and to efficiently provide unique solutions to our demand and supply customers. There are no assurances we will be able to remain competitive in our markets in the future.
Technology Platforms
Our proprietary applications are constructed from established, readily available technologies. Some of the basic elements of our products are built on components from leading software and hardware providers such as Oracle, Microsoft, Sun, Dell, EMC, and Cisco, while some components are constructed from leading open-source software projects such as Apache Web Server, Apache Spark, HAProxy, MySQL, Java, Perl, and Linux. By seeking to strike the proper balance between using commercially available software and open-source software, our technology expenditures are directed toward maintaining our technology platforms while minimizing third-party technology supplier costs.
We strive to build high-performance, availability and reliability into our product offerings. We safeguard against the potential for service interruptions at our third-party technology vendors by engineering controls into our critical components. We deliver our hosted solutions from facilities, geographically disbursed throughout the United States and maintain ready, on-demand services through third-party cloud providers Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services to enhance our business continuity. Our applications are monitored 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by specialized monitoring systems that aggregate alarms to a human-staffed network operations center. If a problem occurs, appropriate engineers are notified, and corrective action is taken.
Intellectual Property Rights
We own intellectual property (IP) and related IP rights that relate to our products, services and assets. Our IP portfolio includes patents, trade secrets and trademarks. We actively seek to protect our IP rights and to deter unauthorized use of our IP and other assets. While our IP rights are important to our success, our business is not significantly dependent on any single patent, trademark, or other IP right.
Our trademarks include the U.S. Federal Registration for our consumer facing brand ALOT® in the United States. Our intellectual property portfolio includes 17 patents issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) and eight pending patent applications.
To distinguish our products and services from our competitors’ products, we have obtained trademarks and trade names for our products. We also protect details about our processes, products, and strategies as trade secrets, keeping confidential the information that we believe provides us with a competitive advantage.
Employees and Human Capital Resources
As of January 31, 2022, we had 81 full-time employees, none of which are covered by a collective bargaining agreement.
Human capital management is critical to Inuvo’s ongoing business success, which requires investing in our people. Our aim is to create a highly engaged and motivated workforce where employees are inspired by leadership, engaged in purpose-driven, meaningful work and have opportunities for growth and development. We are an equal opportunity employer and we are fundamentally committed to creating and maintaining a work environment in which employees are treated with respect and dignity. All human resources policies, practices and actions related to hiring, promotion, compensation, benefits and termination are administered in accordance with the principles of equal employment opportunity and other legitimate criteria without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, age, mental or physical disability, genetic information, any veteran status, any military status or application for military service, or membership in any other category protected under applicable laws.
An effective approach to human capital management requires that we invest in talent, development, culture and employee engagement. We aim to create an environment where our employees are encouraged to make positive contributions and fulfill their potential. We instill our core values of innovation, encouragement, motivation, and curiosity with our employees to instill culture and create this environment of growth and positivity.
Our Board of Directors is also actively involved in reviewing and approving executive compensation, selections and succession plans so that we have leadership in place with the requisite skills and experience to deliver results the right way.
Seasonality
Our future results of operations may be subject to fluctuation because of seasonality. Historically, the second half of the year is typically stronger than the first half because of the changes in demand for marketing placements leading into the holiday season. If we are not able to appropriately adjust to seasonal or other factors, it could have a material adverse effect on our financial results.
History
The Company was incorporated under the laws of the state of Nevada in October 1987 and originally operated within the oil and gas industry. This endeavor was not profitable, and as a result from 1993 to 1997 the Company had essentially no operations. In 1997, the business was reorganized and through 2006 a number of companies were acquired from within the advertising and internet marketing industry. In 2009, following the weakness in the economy, a new team was called in to assess the array of businesses that had been acquired in the preceding years and as a result between 2009 and 2011, that team sold and/or retired eleven businesses as a part of the restructure.
In March 2012, as part of a longer-term strategy, the Company acquired Vertro, Inc., which owned and operated the ALOT product portfolio. That acquisition included the ALOT brand, as well as a long-standing relationship with Google. In 2013, with a grant funded by the State of Arkansas, the Company moved its headquarters to Arkansas where we have remained.
In February 2017, the Company entered into an asset purchase agreement with NetSeer, Inc. which advanced the Company's technology strategy while also increasing the number of advertiser and publisher relationships. We exchanged 3,529,000 shares of Inuvo common stock and assumed approximately $6.8 million of specified liabilities in this business combination.
More Information
Our website address is www.inuvo.com. We file with, or furnish to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports, as well as various other information. This information can be found on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. In addition, we make available free of charge through the Investor Relations page of our website our annual reports, quarterly reports, and current reports, and all amendments to any of those reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after providing such reports to the SEC.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS.
An investment in our common stock involves a significant degree of risk. Many of the risk factors are, and will continue to be, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and any worsening of the economic environment. You should not invest in our common stock unless you can afford to lose your entire investment. You should consider carefully the following risk factors and other information in this report before deciding to invest in our common stock. If any of the following risks and uncertainties develops into actual events, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected and you could lose your entire investment in our Company.
Business Risks
We have a history of losses. We cannot anticipate with any degree of certainty what our revenues will be in future periods. While our revenues increased approximately 34% in 2021 as compared to 2020, our gross profit margin decreased to 73.4% in 2021 from 81.4% in 2020. We reported an operating loss of approximately $7.8 million in 2021 as compared to an operating loss of approximately $8.1 million in 2020. The lower gross margin in 2021 was primarily due to the change of revenue mix. Though we have a credit facility dependent upon receivables, the negative cash flows generated from operating activities introduces potential risk of an interruption to operating activities.
The COVID-19 pandemic could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition. In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus disease (“COVID-19”) was first reported in Wuhan, China. Less than four months later, on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic-the first pandemic caused by a coronavirus. The outbreak has resulted in the implementation of significant governmental measures, including lockdowns, closures, quarantines and travel bans, intended to control the spread of the virus. The COVID-19 outbreak has already caused severe global disruptions. Beginning in late April 2020, we experienced a significant reduction in demand (marketing budgets) within the ValidClick platform and a modest decline in demand within the IntentKey platform, the combination of which resulted in a significant reduction in our revenue run rate. Generally, marketing budgets tend to decline in times of a recession. During 2020, we curtailed expenses, including compensation and travel and issued a work from home policy to protect our employees and their families from virus transmission associated with co-workers and we began to experience interruptions in our daily operations, as a result of these policies. During 2021, we changed our policies and reopened our offices on a limited basis and our revenue has returned to growth on a year over year basis. We maintain long-standing relationships with Yahoo! and Google that provide access to hundreds of thousands of advertisers from which most of our ValidClick and digital publishing revenue originates. Any adverse impact on the operations of those companies would have a correspondingly adverse impact on our revenues in future periods. We will continue to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our Company, however, at this time we are unable to predict all possible impacts on our Company, operations and
revenues. Should revenues turn downwards or fail to return to historical levels on a consistent basis, we may not be able to offset expenses quickly enough which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows and adversely impact the trading price of our common stock.
We rely on three customers for a significant portion of our revenues. We are reliant upon Google, Yahoo! and Sovrn for a significant portion of our revenue. During 2021 these customers accounted for 33.0%, 15.6% and 14.3% of our revenues, respectively. In 2020, Yahoo! and Google accounted for 33.3% and 27.2% of our revenues, respectively. The amount of revenue we receive from these customers is dependent on a number of factors outside of our control, including the amount they charge for advertisements, the depth of advertisements available from them, and their ability to display relevant ads in response to end-user queries. We would likely experience a significant decline in revenue and our business operations could be significantly harmed if these customers do not approve our new websites and applications, or if we violate their guidelines or they change their guidelines. In addition, if any of these preceding circumstances were to occur, we may not be able to find a suitable alternate paid search results provider or otherwise replace the lost revenues. The loss of any of these customers or a material change in the revenue or gross profit they generate would have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition in future periods.
We are exposed to credit risk on our accounts receivable and this risk is heightened during periods when economic conditions worsen. We sell some of our solutions directly to advertisers and advertising agencies on credit. Our outstanding accounts receivables to advertisers and advertising agencies are not covered by collateral, third-party financing arrangements or credit insurance. Our exposure to credit and collectability risk on our accounts receivables is higher with some customers and our ability to mitigate such risks may be limited. As we continue to add new customers and expand our direct relationships with advertisers and advertising agencies our credit risk increases. Additionally, our credit risk increases during periods when economic conditions worsen. While we have procedures to monitor and limit exposure to credit risk on our accounts receivables there can be no assurance such procedures will effectively limit our credit risk and avoid losses.
Our success is dependent upon our ability to establish and maintain direct relationships with advertisers and advertising agencies. Some of our solutions generate revenue directly from advertisers and advertising agencies. Accordingly, our ability to generate revenue for our solutions is dependent upon our ability to attract new advertisers, maintain relationships with existing advertisers and fulfill our advertisers’ orders. Our programs to attract advertisers include direct sales, agency sales, online promotions, referral agreements and participation in tradeshows. We attempt to maintain relationships with our advertisers through providing quality customer service and delivering on campaign goals. Our advertisers and advertising agency clients can generally terminate their contracts with us at any time and with limited or no advance notice. We believe that advertisers and advertising agencies will not continue to do business with us if their investment in advertising with us does not generate sales leads, and ultimately customers, or if we do not deliver their advertisements in an appropriate and effective manner. If we are unable to remain competitive and provide value to our advertisers, they may stop placing ads with us, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.
We are dependent upon relationships with and the success of our supply partners. Our supply partners are very important to our success. We must recruit and maintain partners who are able to drive traffic successfully to their websites and mobile applications, resulting in clicks on advertisements we have delivered. These partners may experience difficulty in attracting and maintaining users for a number of reasons, including competition, rapidly changing markets and technology, industry consolidation and changing consumer preferences. We have experienced a decrease in the number of supply partners and quantity of Internet traffic from supply partners within ValidClick beginning in late April 2020. Additionally, we are experiencing turnover in our supply partner network and there can be no assurance traffic levels will increase to prior levels or that we will be able to replace supply partners that have left our network. Further, we may not be able to further develop and maintain relationships with distribution partners. They may be able to make their own deals directly with advertisers, may view us as competitors or may find our competitors offerings more desirable. Any of these potential events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations.
The success of our owned sites is dependent on our ability to acquire traffic in a profitable manner. Our ALOT-branded websites are dependent on our ability to attract traffic in a profitable manner. We use a predictive model to calculate the rate of return for marketing campaigns, which includes estimates and assumptions. If these estimates and assumptions are not accurate, we may not be able to effectively manage our marketing decisions and could acquire traffic in an unprofitable manner. In addition, we may not be able to maintain and grow our traffic for a number of reasons, including, but not limited to, acceptance of our websites by consumers, the availability of advertising to promote our websites, competition, and sufficiency of capital to purchase advertising. We advertise on search engine websites to drive traffic to our owned and operated websites. Our keyword advertising is done primarily with Google and Facebook, but also with Yahoo!. If we are unable to maintain and grow traffic to our sites in a profitable manner, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Because competition for our target employees is intense, we may not be able to attract and retain the highly skilled employees we need to support our operations and increasing customer base. In the technology industry, there is substantial and continuous competition for engineers with high levels of experience in designing, developing and managing software and Internet-related services, as well as competition for executives and sales and operations personnel. Many of our competitors have substantially more resources than we do and have the ability to compensate highly skilled personnel at higher levels than we can. We may not be successful in attracting and retaining qualified highly skilled personnel. We have from time to time experienced, and we expect to continue to experience, difficulty in hiring and retaining highly skilled employees with appropriate qualifications. In addition, job candidates and existing employees often consider the value of the stock awards they receive in connection with their employment. If our stock price performs poorly, it may adversely affect our ability to retain highly skilled employees. If we fail to attract new personnel or fail to retain and motivate our current personnel, our business and future growth prospects could be severely harmed.
Technological Risks
Our business must keep pace with rapid technological change to remain competitive. Our business operates in a market characterized by rapidly changing technology, evolving industry standards, frequent new product and service announcements, enhancements, and changing customer demands. We must adapt to rapidly changing technologies and industry standards and continually improve the speed, performance, features, ease of use and reliability of our services. This includes making our products and services compatible and maintaining compatibility with multiple operating systems, desktop and mobile devices, and evolving network infrastructure. If we fail to do this, our results of operations and financial position could be adversely affected.
Our services may be interrupted if we experience problems with our network infrastructure. The performance of our network infrastructure is critical to our business and reputation. Because our services are delivered solely through the Internet, our network infrastructure could be disrupted by a number of factors, including, but not limited to:
•unexpected increases in usage of our services;
•computer viruses and other security issues;
•interruption or other loss of connectivity provided by third-party Internet service providers;
•natural disasters or other catastrophic events; and
•server failures or other hardware problems.
While we have data centers in multiple, geographically dispersed locations and active back-up and disaster recovery plans, we cannot assure you that serious interruptions will not occur in the future. If our services were to be interrupted, it could cause loss of users, customers and business partners, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial position.
We are subject to risks from publishers who could fabricate clicks either manually or technologically.
Our business involves the establishment of relationships with website owners and publishers. In exchange for their consumer traffic, we provide an advertising placement service and share a portion of the revenue we collect with that website publisher. Although we have click fraud detection software in place, we cannot guarantee that we will identify all fraudulent clicks or be able to recover funds distributed for fabricated clicks. This risk could materially impact our ability to borrow, our cash flow and the stability of our business.
Regulatory Risks
Regulatory and legal uncertainties could harm our business. While there are currently relatively few laws or regulations directly applicable to Internet-based commerce or commercial search activity, there is increasing awareness of such activity and interest from state and federal lawmakers in regulating these services. New regulation of activities in which we are involved or the extension of existing laws and regulations to Internet-based services could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial position.
Failure to comply with federal, state and international privacy and data security laws and regulations, or the expansion of current or the enactment of new privacy and data security laws or regulations, could adversely affect our business. A variety of federal, state and international laws and regulations govern the collection, use, retention, sharing and security of consumer data. In addition, various federal, state and foreign legislative and regulatory bodies may expand current or enact new laws regarding privacy matters. For example, recently there have been Congressional hearings and increased attention to the capture and use of location-based information relating to users of smartphones and other mobile devices, and internationally the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) went into effect in May 2018. We have posted privacy policies and practices concerning the collection, use and disclosure of subscriber data on our websites and applications. The existing and soon to be enacted privacy and data security related laws and regulations are evolving and subject to potentially differing
interpretations. Several Internet companies have incurred penalties for failing to abide by the representations made in their privacy policies and practices. In addition, several states have adopted legislation that requires businesses to implement and maintain reasonable security procedures and practices to protect sensitive personal information and to provide notice to consumers in the event of a security breach. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to comply with our posted privacy policies or with any data-related consent orders, Federal Trade Commission requirements or orders or other federal, state or international privacy or consumer protection-related laws, including the GDPR, regulations or industry self-regulatory principles could result in claims, proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities or others or other liabilities, which could adversely affect our business.
We are subject to the continued listing standards of the NYSE American and our failure to satisfy these criteria may result in delisting of our common stock. Our common stock is listed on the NYSE American. In order to maintain this listing, we must maintain a certain share price, financial and share distribution targets, including maintaining a minimum amount of shareholders’ equity and a minimum number of public shareholders. In addition to these objective standards, the NYSE American may delist the securities of any issuer (i) if, in its opinion, the issuer’s financial condition and/or operating results appear unsatisfactory; (ii) if it appears that the extent of public distribution or the aggregate market value of the security has become so reduced as to make continued listing on the NYSE American inadvisable; (iii) if the issuer sells or disposes of principal operating assets or ceases to be an operating company; (iv) if an issuer fails to comply with the NYSE American’s listing requirements; (v) if an issuer’s securities sell at what the NYSE American considers a “low selling price” which the exchange generally considers $0.20 per share and the issuer fails to correct this via a reverse split of shares after notification by the NYSE American; or (vi) if any other event occurs or any condition exists which makes continued listing on the NYSE American, in its opinion, inadvisable. There are no assurances how the market price of our common stock will be impacted in future periods as a result of the general uncertainties in the capital markets and any specific impact on our Company as a result of the coronavirus. If the NYSE American delists our common stock, investors may face material adverse consequences, including, but not limited to, a lack of trading market for our common stock, reduced liquidity, decreased analyst coverage of our common stock, and an inability for us to obtain any additional financing to fund our operations that we may need.
Failure to comply with the covenants and restrictions in our grant agreement with the State of Arkansas could result in the repayment of a portion of the grant, which we may not be able to repay or finance on favorable terms. In January 2013, we entered into an agreement with the State of Arkansas whereby we were granted $1,750,000 for the relocation of the Company to Arkansas and for the purchase of equipment. The grant was contingent upon us having at least 50 full-time equivalent permanent positions within four years, maintaining at least 50 full-time equivalent permanent positions for the following six years and paying those positions an average total compensation of $90,000 per year. In March 2021, we received an amendment to the agreement that revised the position maintenance requirement for the reporting period of March 31, 2022 to 43 full-time equivalent permanent positions. The agreement also extended the reporting period and position maintenance period an additional year to a total of six years ending on March 31, 2024. As of December 31, 2021, we had 41 full-time employees located in Arkansas. Failure to meet the requirements of the grant after the initial four-year period, may require us to repay a portion of the grant, up to but not to exceed the full amount of the grant. At December 31, 2021, we accrued a contingent liability of $10,000 for the lower than required employment.
Financial Risks
Our business is seasonal and our financial results may vary significantly from period to period. Our future results of operations may vary significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year because of numerous factors, including seasonality. Historically, in the later part of the fourth quarter and the earlier part of the first quarter we experience lower Revenue Per Click (“RPC”) due to a decline in demand for inventory on website and app space and the recalibrating of advertiser’s marketing budgets after the holiday selling season. If we are not able to appropriately adjust to seasonal or other factors, it could have a material adverse effect on our financial results
.
Our quarterly operating results can be difficult to predict and can fluctuate substantially, which could result in volatility in the price of our common stock. Our quarterly revenues and other operating results have varied in the past and are likely to continue to vary significantly from quarter to quarter. Our agreements with distribution partners and key customers do not require minimum levels of usage or payments, and our revenues therefore fluctuate based on the actual usage of our service each quarter by existing and new distribution partners. In addition to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our revenues, quarterly fluctuations in our operating results also might be due to numerous other factors, including:
•our ability to attract new distribution partners, including the length of our sales cycles, or to sell increased usage of our service to existing distribution partners;
•technical difficulties or interruptions in our services;
•changes in privacy protection and other governmental regulations applicable to our industry;
•changes in our pricing policies or the pricing policies of our competitors;
•the financial condition and business success of our distribution partners;
•purchasing and budgeting cycles of our distribution partners;
•acquisitions of businesses and products by us or our competitors;
•competition, including entry into the market by new competitors or new offerings by existing competitors;
•discounts offered to advertisers by upstream advertising networks;
•our history of litigation;
•our ability to hire, train and retain sufficient sales, client management and other personnel;
•timing of development, introduction and market acceptance of new services or service enhancements by us or our competitors;
•concentration of marketing expenses for activities such as trade shows and advertising campaigns;
•expenses related to any new or expanded data centers; and
•general economic and financial market conditions.
Ability to maintain our credit facility could impact our ability to access capital in the future. On March 12, 2020 we closed a Loan and Security Agreement with Hitachi Capital America Corp. ("Hitachi") the terms of which are described in this report which replaced our credit facility with Western Alliance Bank. Under the terms of the Loan and Security Agreement, Hitachi has provided us with a $5,000,000 line of credit commitment which permits us to borrow against eligible accounts receivable and unbilled receivables. The Hitachi Loan and Security Agreement contains certain affirmative and negative covenants to which we are subject. As of December 31, 2021, we were in compliance with these covenants. There are no assurances that we will be able to comply with all the covenants. In the event we violate a covenant, Hitachi may limit or demand all amounts due under the credit facility at any time, including upon an event of default outstanding, if any, to be due and payable. If this occurs and if we have outstanding obligations and are not able to repay, Hitachi could require us to apply all of our available cash to repay the debt amounts and could then proceed against the underlying collateral. Should this occur, we cannot assure you that our assets would be sufficient to repay our debt in full, we would be able to borrow sufficient funds to refinance the debt. In such an event, our ability to conduct our business as it is currently conducted would be in jeopardy.
Significant dilution will occur when outstanding restricted stock unit grants vest. As of December 31, 2021, we had 3,960,001 restricted stock units outstanding. If the restricted stock units vest, dilution will occur to our stockholders, which may be significant.
Our financial condition may be adversely affected if we are unable to identify and complete future acquisitions, fail to successfully integrate acquired assets or businesses, or are unable to obtain financing for acquisitions on acceptable terms. The acquisition of assets or businesses that we believe to be complementary to our business is an important component of our strategy. We believe that acquisition opportunities may arise from time to time, and that any such acquisitions could be significant. At any given time, discussions with one or more potential sellers may be at different stages. However, any such discussions may not result in the consummation of an acquisition transaction, and we may not be able to identify or complete any acquisitions. We cannot predict the effect, if any, that any announcement or consummation of an acquisition would have on the trading price of our ordinary shares. Our business is capital intensive and any such transactions could involve the payment by us of a substantial amount of cash and/or equity securities. We may need to raise additional capital through public or private debt or equity financings to execute our growth strategy and to fund acquisitions. Adequate sources of capital may not be available when needed on favorable terms. If we raise additional capital by issuing additional equity securities or use equity securities for acquisitions, existing shareholders may be diluted. If our capital resources are insufficient at any time in the future, we may be unable to fund acquisitions, take advantage of business opportunities or respond to competitive pressures, any of which could harm our business. Any usage of capital to fund an acquisition could lead to a decrease in liquidity.
Any future acquisitions could present a number of risks, including:
•the risk of using management time and resources to pursue acquisitions that are not successfully completed;
•the risk of incorrect assumptions regarding the future results of acquired operations;
•the risk that the amount and timing of the expected benefits of any acquisition, including potential synergies, are subject to uncertainties;
•the risk of unexpected losses of key employees, customers and suppliers of the acquired business;
•the risk of increasing the scope, geographic diversity, and complexity of our business;
•the risk of unfavorable accounting treatment and unexpected increases in taxes;
•the risk of difficulty in conforming standards, controls, procedures, policies, business cultures, and compensation structures;
•the risk of failing to integrate the operations or management of any acquired operations or assets successfully and in a timely manner; and
•the risk of diversion of management’s attention from existing operations or other priorities.
If we are unsuccessful in completing acquisitions of other operations or assets, our financial condition could be adversely affected and we may be unable to implement an important component of our business strategy successfully. In addition, if we
are unsuccessful in integrating our acquisitions in a timely and cost-effective manner, our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS.
Not applicable to a smaller reporting company.

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES.
Our corporate headquarters are located in Little Rock, AR where we entered into a five-year agreement to lease office space on October 1, 2015 and amended the lease as of July 2020 and February 1, 2021. In July 2020, the lease was amended and renewed for an additional three years. On February 1, 2021, the lease was amended to expire on January 31, 2024. The amended lease is for 7,831 square feet. We also have office space in San Jose, CA where in June 2017, we entered into a five-year agreement to lease 4,801 square feet of office space.
In addition to our office space, we maintain data center operations in third-party collocation facilities in Los Angeles, CA and Secaucus, NJ.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.
We may be subject to legal proceedings, investigations and claims incidental to the conduct of our business from time to time. We are not currently a party to any material litigation or other legal proceedings brought against us. We are also not aware of any legal proceeding, investigation or claim, or other legal exposure that has a more than remote possibility of having a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES.
Not applicable.
PART II

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ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES.
Market Information
Our common stock is listed on the NYSE American LLC under the symbol "INUV.” As of March 11, 2022, there were approximately 414 record owners of our common stock. This amount does not reflect persons or entities that hold our common stock in nominee or “street” name through various brokerage firms.
Dividends
We have not declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock since our inception. Under Nevada law, we are prohibited from paying dividends if the distribution would result in our Company not being able to pay its debts as they become due in the normal course of business if our total assets would be less than the sum of our total liabilities plus the amount that would be needed to pay the dividends, or if we were to be dissolved at the time of distribution to satisfy the preferential rights upon dissolution of stockholders whose preferential rights are superior to those receiving the distribution. Our Board of Directors has complete discretion on whether to pay dividends subject to compliance with applicable Nevada law. Even if our Board of Directors decides to pay dividends, the form, the frequency, and the amount will depend upon our future operations and earnings, capital requirements and surplus, general financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors that the Board of Directors may deem relevant. While our Board of Directors will make any future decisions regarding dividends, as circumstances surrounding us change, it currently does not anticipate that we will pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
None, except as previously reported.
Repurchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers
None.

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
ITEM 6. RESERVED

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations for 2021 and 2020 should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the notes to those statements that are included elsewhere in this report. Our discussion includes forward-looking statements based upon current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties, such as our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including those set forth under Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information, Part I. Item 1. Business and Item 1A. Risk Factors. We use words such as "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "project," "continuing," "ongoing," "expect," "believe," "intend," "may," "will," "should," "could," and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements.
Company Overview
Inuvo is a technology company that develops and sells information technology solutions for marketing and advertising. These solutions predictively identify and message online audiences for any product or service across devices, formats, and channels including video, mobile, connected TV, linear TV, display, social, search and native. These solutions allow Inuvo’s clients to engage with their customers and prospects in a manner that drives responsiveness. Inuvo facilitates the delivery of hundreds of millions of marketing messages to consumers every single month and counts among its clients numerous world- renowned names across industries.
The Inuvo solution incorporates a proprietary form of artificial intelligence, or AI, branded the IntentKey. This patented machine learning technology uses interactions with Internet content as a source of information from which to predict consumer intent. The AI can identify and advertise to the reasons why consumers are purchasing products and services not who those consumers are. In this regard, the technology is designed for a privacy conscious future and focused on the components of the advertising value chain most responsible for return on advertising spend, the intelligence behind the advertising decision.
Inuvo technology can be consumed both as a managed service and software-as-a-service. For clients, Inuvo has also developed a collection of propriety websites collectively branded as Bonfire Publishing where content is created specifically to attract qualified consumer traffic for clients through the publication of information across a wide range of topics including health, finance, travel, careers, auto, education and lifestyle. These sites also provide the means to market test various Inuvo advertising technologies.
There are many barriers to entry associated with the Inuvo business model, including a proficiency in large scale information processing, predictive software development, marketing data products, analytics, artificial intelligence, integration to the internet of things ("IOT"), and the relationships required to execute within the IOT. Inuvo’s intellectual property is protected by 17 issued and eight pending patents.
Hitachi Credit Agreement
On March 12, 2020, we closed on the Loan and Security Agreement dated February 28, 2020 with Hitachi. Under the terms of
the Loan and Security Agreement, Hitachi has provided us with a $5,000,000 line of credit commitment. We are permitted to
borrow (i) 90% of the aggregate Eligible Accounts Receivable, plus (ii) the lesser of (A) 75% of the aggregate Unbilled
Accounts Receivable or (B) 50% of the amount available to borrow under (i), up to the maximum credit commitment. The
interest rate under the Hitachi agreement is 2% in excess of the Wall Street Journal Prime Rate, with a minimum rate of 6.75%
per annum, on outstanding amounts. The principal and all accrued but unpaid interest are due on demand. In the event of a default under the terms of the Loan and Security Agreement, the interest rate increases to 6% greater than the interest rate in effect from time to time prior to a default. The Loan and Security Agreement contains certain affirmative and negative covenants to which we are also subject.
We agreed to pay Hitachi a commitment fee of $50,000, with one half due upon the execution of the agreement and the balance
due six months thereafter. We are obligated to pay Hitachi a commitment fee of $15,000 annually. We are also obligated to
pay Hitachi a quarterly service fee of 0.30% on the monthly unused amount of the maximum credit line. In addition to a $2,000
document fee we have paid to Hitachi, if we exited our relationship with Hitachi before March 1, 2022, we are obligated to pay
Hitachi an exit fee of $50,000. On March 12, 2020, we drew $5,000,000 under this agreement, using $2,959,573 of these
proceeds to satisfy all of our obligations under a credit agreement with Western Alliance Bank. The balance was used for working capital and was repaid in 2020. At December 31, 2021 and 2020, there were no outstanding balances due under the Loan and Security Agreement with Hitachi.
2021 Overview
We had an extraordinary year in 2021 despite recurring pandemic induced disruptions occurring across supply chains and labor markets. Year-over-year (YOY) revenue was up 34% closing out the fourth quarter of the year at $19.7 million, an increase of 53% YOY and 17% quarter-over-sequential quarter. Both the ValidClick and IntentKey platforms had strong YOY revenue gains; ValidClick by 22% and the IntentKey by 75%. For the first time in 2021, our strategy of bringing together the capabilities of both platforms to serve joint clients was realized. Gross margins declined slightly in 2021 compared to 2020. We reported gross margins of 73.4% in 2021 compared to 81.4% in 2020, primarily due to change in revenue mix.
The ValidClick and IntentKey platforms provide a similar service to clients, where ultimately their purpose is the delivery of high converting consumers to maximize return on advertising spend. The distinction between the platforms is mostly related to the channels each platform serves, social and search for ValidClick and programmatic for the IntentKey. As the number of joint clients grows, the need to distinguish between the platforms diminishes.
Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic
First identified in late 2019 and known now as COVID-19, the outbreak has impacted millions of individuals and businesses
worldwide. In response, many countries have implemented measures to combat the outbreak which has had an unprecedented
economic consequence. We did not experience an impact from COVID-19 through the end of fiscal year 2019 and had only
minor impact from COVID-19 in the first quarter of 2020. Because we operate in the digital advertising industry, unlike a brick
and mortar-based company, predicting the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on our company is difficult. Beginning in late
April 2020, we experienced a significant reduction in marketing budgets and a decrease in monetization rates which impacted
ValidClick more severely than IntentKey. This resulted in a significant reduction in our overall revenue run rates during 2020
with the low point occurring during May 2020.
In response to COVID-19, we curtailed expenses, including compensation and travel throughout 2020 in addition to other
actions. Additionally, in April 2020, we obtained the $1.1 million PPP Loan which we used primarily for payroll costs. The
PPP Loan was fully forgiven by the SBA on November 2, 2020.
Beginning mid-June 2020, we began to experience an improvement in overall daily revenue. Due to the unprecedented
sustainability of COVID-19 on our business, we were unable to predict with any certainty how our clients would adapt their
business strategies within the context of COVID-19 and therefore how our revenue run rate would change as a result. We,
therefore, focused our resources on areas we believed could have more immediate revenue potential, attempting to reduce
expenses and raising additional capital so as to mitigate operating disruptions while the impact of COVID-19 abates. Since the
start of 2021 with the roll out of vaccinations, we have seen an increase in our client’s willingness to spend on advertising and thereby an improvement in our revenue run rates.
Results of Operations
For the Years Ended December 31,
2021 2020 Change % Change
Net Revenue $ 59,830,688 $ 44,640,007 $ 15,190,681 34.0 %
Cost of Revenue 15,925,837 8,296,483 7,629,354 92.0 %
Gross Profit $ 43,904,851 $ 36,343,524 $ 7,561,327 20.8 %
Net Revenue
We experienced 34% higher year over year revenue for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to the same period in 2020. Revenue from both platforms, ValidClick and IntentKey, exceeded the prior year. ValidClick YOY revenue was up by 22% and IntentKey YOY revenue by 75%. Both platforms acquired new customers within the year, benefiting from the agreement with a business development partner discussed in Note 11 to our Consolidated Financial Statements and because of the economic improvements associated with the COVID-19 pandemic recovery. Revenue in 2020 was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic which had a material impact on advertising budgets beginning in April of 2020. The renegotiation of payment terms and conditions as a trade-off for higher gross margins with ValidClick marketing clients in the quarter ended June 30, 2020 also contributed to the lower revenue in 2020.
Cost of Revenue
Cost of revenue for the year ended December 31, 2021 was primarily generated by payments to advertising exchanges that provide access to a supply of advertising inventory where we serve advertisements using information predicted by the IntentKey platform and, to a lesser extent, payments to website publishers and app developers that host advertisements we serve through ValidClick. Cost of revenue for the year ended December 31, 2020 time periods was primarily generated by payments to website publishers and app developers that host advertisements we serve through ValidClick. The components of the cost of revenue have shifted, as the IntentKey platform revenue becomes a greater percentage of net revenue and as the ValidClick service has continued to expand its owned and operated publishing assets. The increase in the cost of revenue was largely due to the acquisition of new customers as mentioned in the Net Revenue section above and the renegotiation of payment terms and conditions with a ValidClick marketing partner in the quarter ended June 30, 2020.
Operating Expenses
For the Year Ended December 31,
2021 2020 Change % Change
Marketing costs $ 33,096,000 $ 27,410,284 $ 5,685,716 20.7 %
Compensation 11,381,279 9,350,831 2,030,448 21.7 %
Selling, general and administrative 7,198,213 7,630,990 (432,777) (5.7 %)
Operating expenses $ 51,675,492 $ 44,392,105 $ 7,283,387 16.4 %
Marketing costs consists mostly of traffic acquisition costs (“TAC”) and includes those expenses required to attract an audience to the ValidClick platform. The increase in marketing costs was largely due to higher TAC that resulted in the increase in ValidClick revenue discussed above in the Net Revenue section.
Compensation expense was higher for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the same time period in 2020 due primarily to higher stock-based compensation expense and to a lesser extent to salaries, benefits, commissions and incentive pay. Our total employment, both full and part-time, was 78 at December 31, 2021 compared to 75 at December 31, 2020.
Selling, general and administrative costs were lower for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the same time period in 2020 primarily due to lower IT costs and lower depreciation and amortization costs. In addition, professional fees were lower in 2021 than the prior year.
Interest Expense, net
Interest expense, net, was approximately $87 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2021 and was primarily composed of interest expense on finance lease obligations, the Hitachi Loan and Security Agreement and our marketable securities.
For the year ended December 31, 2020, interest expense, net, was approximately $254 thousand and composed of interest expense on financed receivables, finance lease obligations and the PPP loan.
Other income, net
Other income, net, was approximately $257 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2021 and included the reversal of deferred revenue from the contract cancellation discussed in Note 11 to our Consolidated Financial Statements of
approximately $415 thousand and reversal of an accrued sales reserve of $50 thousand, partially offset by the unrealized losses on trading securities discussed in Note 3 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.
For the year ended December 31, 2020, other income, net, was $997 thousand and was primarily due to the $1.1 million PPP loan being fully forgiven on November 2, 2020. The PPP loan helped fund compensation expenses. Partially offsetting the PPP loan was a $103 thousand other expense due to the change of the fair market value of the derivative liability associated with convertible promissory notes that were extinguished by May 2020.
I
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2021, we have approximately $13.3 million in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities. Our net working capital was $12.4 million. We have encountered recurring losses and cash outflows from operations, which historically we have funded through equity offerings and debt facilities. In addition, our investment in internally developed software consists primarily of labor costs which are of a fixed nature. Through December 31, 2021, our accumulated deficit was $144.0 million.
Our principal sources of liquidity are the sale of our common stock and our credit facility with Hitachi described in Note 7 to
our Consolidated Financial Statements. During March 2020 and April 2020, we raised approximately $1.5 million in gross
proceeds, before expenses, through sales of our common stock and in April 2020 we received a $1.1 million PPP Loan. On June
8, 2020, we raised an additional $5.5 million in gross proceeds, before expenses, through the sale of our common stock and on
July 27, 2020, we raised an additional $10.75 million in gross proceeds, before expenses, through sales of our common stock.
On January 19, 2021, we raised an additional $8 million in gross proceeds, before expenses, through the sale of our common
stock, and on January 22, 2021, we raised an additional $6.25 million in gross proceeds, before expenses, through sales of our
common stock.
In March 2021, we contracted with an investment management company to manage our cash in excess of current operating
needs. We placed $2 million in cash equivalent accounts and $10 million in an interest-bearing account. At December 31, 2021,
our funds with the investment management company were approximately $8 million and were invested in cash equivalent accounts and marketable debt and equity securities. A detail of the activity is described in Note 3 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.
On May 28, 2021, we entered into a Sales Agreement (the "Sales Agreement") with A.G.P./Alliance Global Partners, as sales agent (the "Sales Agent"), pursuant to which we may offer and sell through or to the Sales Agent shares of our common stock (the "ATM Program") up to an aggregate amount of gross proceeds of $35,000,000. During the year ended December 31, 2021, we did not issue any shares of common stock or receive any aggregate proceeds from the ATM Program, and we did not pay any commissions to the Sales Agent. Any shares of common stock offered and sold in the ATM Program will be issued pursuant to our universal shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (the “Shelf Registration Statement”). The ATM Program will terminate upon (a) the election of the Sales Agent upon the occurrence of certain adverse events, (b) 10 days’ advance notice from one party to the other, or (c) the sale of the balance available under our Shelf Registration Statement. Under the terms of the Sales Agreement, the Sales Agent is entitled to a commission at a fixed rate of 3.0% of the gross proceeds from each sale of shares under the Sales Agreement.
We have focused our resources behind a plan to grow our AI technology, the IntentKey, where we have a technological advantage and higher margins. If we are successful in implementing our plan, we expect to return to a positive cash flow from operations. However, there is no assurance that we will be able to achieve this objective.
We believe our current cash position and credit facility will be sufficient to sustain operations for at least the next twelve
months from the date of this filing. If our plan to grow the IntentKey product is unsuccessful, we may need to fund operations through private or public sales of securities, debt financings or partnering/licensing transactions over the long term.
In April 2020, the Company experienced a significant reduction in advertiser marketing budgets across both the ValidClick and
IntentKey platforms as a direct consequence of COVID-19. These reductions adversely impacted our overall revenue
throughout 2020. As a result, in May 2020 and June 2020 we implemented a temporary compensation change for senior
officers and employees. Certain employees with salaries in excess of $100,000 per year had forgone a percentage of the cash portion of their salary and instead received an equivalent restricted stock grant. We curtailed expenses, including compensation and travel and issued a work from home policy to protect our employees and their families from virus transmission associated with co-workers. Though we continue to monitor the pandemic and related government guidelines and regulations, we have returned to a hybrid working model where employees are working partially from the office and partially from home.
Cash Flows
The table below sets forth a summary of our cash flows for the years ended 2021 and 2020:
2021 2020
Net cash used in operating activities
$(5,276,257) $(5,599,335)
Net cash used in investing activities
$(4,597,885) $(1,185,335)
Net cash provided by financing activities
$12,459,441 $14,302,346
Cash Flows - Operating
Net cash used in operating activities was $5,276,257 during 2021. We reported a net loss of $7,600,649, which included non-cash expenses; depreciation and amortization of $3,143,168, amortization of right of use assets $322,746 and stock-based compensation of $2,179,254; partially offset by the $1.4 million referral agreement and the reversal of $420,000 in deferred revenue discussed in Note 11 to our Consolidated Financial Statements. The change in operating assets and liabilities was a net use of cash of $3,077,525 primarily due to an increase in accrued liabilities of $1,264,687 and the accounts payable balance by $796,456, offset by an increase in the accounts receivable balance by $3,045,690. Our terms are such that we generally collect receivables prior to paying trade payables. Our Media sales arrangements typically have slower payment terms than the terms of related payables.
During 2020, cash used in operating activities was $5,599,335. We reported a net loss of $7,304,569 which included the non-cash expenses of depreciation and amortization of $3,237,930, amortization of right of use assets $367,981 and stock-based compensation expenses of $858,683. The change in operating assets and liabilities was a net use of cash of $656,529.
Cash Flows - Investing
Net cash used in investing activities was $4,597,885 and $1,185,335 for 2021 and 2020, respectively. Cash used in investing activities in 2021 consisted of capitalized internal development costs and purchase of marketable securities. Cash used in investing activities in 2020 consisted of capitalized internal development costs.
Cash Flows - Financing
Net cash provided by financing activities was $12,459,441 and $14,302,346 during 2021 and 2020, respectively, primarily from proceeds from the sale of common stock.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reported periods. The following disclosure supplements the descriptions of our accounting policies, which are described in Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements regarding significant areas of judgement. The estimates and assumptions that management makes affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, net revenues and expenses and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. The estimates and assumptions used are based upon management’s regular evaluation of the relevant facts and circumstances as of the date of the consolidated financial statements. Actual results may differ from the estimates and assumptions used in preparing the accompanying consolidated financial statements, and such differences could be material. A discussion of some of our more significant accounting policies and estimates follows.
Revenue recognition - Both of our platforms generate revenue from ad placements and clicks on advertisements on websites, some of which we own. We recognize revenue from ad placements and clicks in the period in which they occur. We also recognize revenue from serving impressions when we complete all or a part of an order from an advertiser. The revenue is recognized in the period that the impression is served. Revenues are recognized net of adjustments based on the traffic generated and is billed monthly. We subsequently settle these transactions with our business partners at which time adjustments for invalid traffic may impact the amount collected. Payments to publishers who display advertisements on our behalf and payments to ad exchanges are recognized as cost of revenue. There have been no material changes to our estimates of revenue for the periods presented within this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Accounts receivable - Accounts receivable consists of trade receivables from customers. We record accounts receivable at its net realizable value, recognizing an allowance for doubtful accounts based on our best estimate of probable credit losses on our existing accounts receivable. Balances are written off against the allowance after all means of collection have been exhausted and the possibility of recovery is considered remote.
Goodwill - Goodwill is recorded as the difference, if any, between the aggregate consideration paid for an acquisition and the fair value of the net tangible and intangible assets acquired. We perform an impairment test annually as of December 31, 2021. As a result, we perform our annual goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of our reporting unit with its carrying amount. We generally determine the fair value of our reporting unit using the income approach methodology of valuation that includes the undiscounted cash flow method as well as other generally accepted valuation methodologies. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value, the amount it exceeds fair value is equivalent to the amount of impairment loss.
Intangible Assets - We allocate a portion of the purchase price of acquisitions to identifiable intangible assets and we amortize definite-lived assets over their estimated useful lives. We consider our indefinite-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Trade names are not amortized as they are believed to have an indefinite life. Trade names are reviewed annually for impairment under ASC 350. We also acquire intangible assets outside of acquisitions and record them at their fair value and amortize them over their estimated useful lives. We recorded no impairment of intangible assets during 2021 or 2020.
Capitalized Software Costs - We capitalize certain costs related to internally developed software and amortize these costs using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the software, generally two years. We do not sell internally developed software. Certain development costs not meeting the criteria for capitalization, in accordance with ASC 350-40 Internal-Use Software, are expensed as incurred.

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK.
Not applicable to a smaller reporting company.

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA.
Our Consolidated Financial Statements begin on page at the end of this annual report.

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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS
ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE.
None.

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ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
We maintain “disclosure controls and procedures” as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and procedures designed to reasonably assure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, such as this report, is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods prescribed by SEC rules and regulations, and to reasonably assure that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Our management does not expect that our disclosure controls will prevent all errors and fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. In addition, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within a company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people or by management override of the control. The design of any systems of controls also is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any
design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. Over time, controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because of these inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.
As required by Rule 13a-15 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as of December 31, 2021, the end of the period covered by this report, our management concluded their evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures. As of the evaluation date, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that we maintain disclosure controls and procedures that are effective in providing reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed in our reports under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods prescribed by SEC rules and regulations, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Rule 13a-15(f). Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:
•pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of our assets;
•provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors; and
•provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of the inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Our management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021. In making this assessment, our management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the 2013 Treadway Commission (“COSO”) in Internal Control-Integrated Framework. Based upon this assessment, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that as of December 31, 2021 our internal controls over financial reporting were effective.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal controls over financial reporting that occurred during our most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION.
None

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ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE.
The information required by this Item will be contained in our proxy statement for our 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be filed on or prior to April 30, 2022 (the “Proxy Statement”) and is incorporated herein by this reference.

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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION.
The information required by this item will be contained in our Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by this reference.

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ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS.
The information required by this item will be contained in our Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by this reference.

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ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE.
The information required by this item will be contained in our Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by this reference.

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ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES.
The information required by this item will be contained in our Proxy Statement and is incorporated herein by this reference.
PART IV

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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES.
1. Financial Statements
The consolidated financial statements and Report of Independent Registered Accounting Firm are listed in the “Index to Financial Statements and Schedules” beginning on page and included on pages through.
2. Financial Statement Schedules
All schedules for which provision is made in the applicable accounting regulations of the SEC are either not required under the related instructions, are not applicable (and therefore have been omitted), or the required disclosures are contained in the consolidated financial statements herein.
3. Exhibits (including those incorporated by reference).
*** Portions of this exhibit have been omitted pursuant to a request for confidential treatment filed with the Commission under Rule 24b-2. The omitted material has been filed separately with the Commission. Certain portions of this exhibit have also been redacted pursuant to Item 601(b)(10)(iv) of Regulation S-K. The omitted information is (i) not material and (ii) would likely cause competitive harm to Inuvo if publicly disclosed. The location of the omitted confidential information is indicated in the exhibit with asterisks (***).
No. Exhibit Description Form Date Filed Number Filed or Furnished Herewith
2.1 Agreement and Plan of Merger dated June 5, 2009 between Inuvo, Inc. and Kowabunga! Inc.
8-K 7/24/09 2.4
2.2 Agreement and Plan of Merger dated October 16, 2011 between Inuvo, Inc., Anhinga Merger Subsidiary, Inc. and Vertro, Inc.
8-K 10/17/11 2.5
3(i).1 Articles of Incorporation, as amended
10-KSB 3/1/04 4
3(i).2 Amended to Articles of Incorporation filed March 14, 2005
10-KSB 3/31/06 3.2
3(i).3 Articles of Merger between Inuvo, Inc. and Kowabunga! Inc.
8-K 7/24/09 3.4
3(i).4 Certificate of Change Filed Pursuant to NRS 78.209
8-K 12/10/10 3(i).4
3(i).5 Certificate of Merger as filed with the Secretary of State of Nevada on February 29, 2012
10-K 3/29/12 3(i).5
3(i).6 Articles of Amendment to Amended Articles of Incorporation as filed on February 29, 2012
10-K 3/29/12 3(i).6
3(i).7 Articles of Amendment to Articles of Incorporation as filed on October 31, 2019
10-Q 5/15/20 3(i).7
3(i).8 Certificate of Validation of Amendment to Amended Articles of Incorporation as filed October 16, 2020
10-Q 11/9/20 3(i)8
3(i).9 Articles of Amendment to Articles of Incorporation as filed January 7, 2021
10-K 2/11/21 3(i).9
3(i).10 Articles of Amendment to Articles of Incorporation as filed on August 19, 2021
10-Q 11/12/21 3(i).10
3(ii).1 Amended and Restated By-Laws
10-K 3/31/10 3(ii).4
3(ii).2 Bylaw amendment adopted February 29, 2012
8-K 3/6/12 3(ii).1
4.1 Description of Securities
10-K 2/11/21 4.1
10.1 Google Services Agreement effective March 1, 2017 by and between Vertro, Inc. and Google Inc. ***
8-K/A 6/7/17 10.27
10.2 Google Services Agreement by and between Vertro, Inc. and Google LLC, dated as of February 24, 2021 and effective as of March 1, 2021*
8-K 3/1/21 10.1
10.3 Amendment Number One to Google Services Agreement effective March 1, 2019 ***
10-K 3/15/19 10.19
10.4 Yahoo! Publisher Network Contract, dated April 4, 2009, as amended with Amendment No. 1, Amendment No. 2, Amendment No. 3, Amendment No. 4, Amendment No. 5 and Amendment No. 6 ***
10-Q 5/15/12 10.1
10.5 Yahoo! Publisher Network Contract, dated April 4, 2009, as amended. ***
10-Q/A 12/28/12 10.1
10.6 Amendment No. 8 to Yahoo! Publisher Network Contract effective as of September 1, 2013, executed and delivered October 10, 2013 ***
10-Q/A 1/6/14 10.28
10.7 Amendment #11 to Yahoo! Publisher Network Contract, effective January 15, 2016, executed and delivered January 26, 2015
10-K 2/12/16 10.24
10.8 Amendment #12 to Yahoo! Publisher Network Contract, effective March 2, 2016 ***
10-Q 4/27/16 10.25
10.9 Amendment #14 to Yahoo! Publisher Contract dated February 28, 2018
8-K 3/6/18 10.1
10.10 Amendment #15 to Yahoo! Publisher Contract dated May 9, 2018
8-K 5/15/18 10.1
10.11 Amendment # 16 dated August 28, 2018 to Yahoo! Publisher Network Contract ***
10-Q 11/7/18 10.1
10.12 Amendment #18 dated January 24, 2019 to Yahoo! Publisher Contract
10-K 3/15/19 10.6
10.13 Amendment #28 to the Yahoo! Publisher Network Contract #1-19868214, dated as of November 11, 2020***
8-K 11/16/20 10.1
10.14 Form of Indemnification Agreement with Directors of Inuvo, Inc.
10-Q 11/7/18 10.5
10.15 2010 Equity Compensation Plan
DEF14A 4/30/10 A
10.16 Amendment No. 1 to 2010 Equity Compensation Plan dated February 29, 2012
S-8 2/29/12 99.2
10.17 2017 Equity Compensation Plan
DEF14A 4/28/17 A
10.18 Amendment No. 1 to the 2017 Equity Compensation Plan
DEF14 9/3/19 B
10.19 Quick Action Closing Fund Grant Agreement, dated January 25, 2013, with the Arkansas Economic Development Commission
10-K 3/13/13 10.23
10.20 Grant Reimbursement Agreement, dated January 25, 2013, with the Arkansas Economic Development Commission..
10-K 3/13/13 10.24
10.21 Amendment to Grant Reimbursement Agreement, dated March 2021, with the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.
Filed
10.22 Employment Agreement dated March 1, 2012 between Inuvo, Inc. and Richard K. Howe
8-K 3/6/12 10.2
10.23 Employment Agreement dated March 1, 2012 between Inuvo, Inc. and Wallace D. Ruiz
8-K 3/6/12 10.4
10.24 Employment Agreement dated March 1, 2012 between Inuvo, Inc. and John B. Pisaris
8-K 3/6/12 10.5
10.25 Loan and Security Agreement dated February 28, 2020 effective March 12, 2020 by and between Inuvo, Inc. and its subsidiaries and Hitachi Capital America Corp.
8-K 3/17/20 10.1
10.26 Form of Insider Offering Subscription Agreement
8-K 3/20/20 10.1
10.27 Form of Subscription Agreement
8-K 4/01/20 10.1
10.28 2017 Equity Compensation Plan Restricted Stock Unit Agreement
10-K 2/11/21 10.29
10.29 Sales Agreement, dated May 28, 2021 by and between A.G.P./Alliance Global Partners and Inuvo, Inc.
8-K 5/28/21 1.1
16.1 Letter of Mayer Hoffman McCann P.C. dated November 23, 2021
8-K 11/24/21 16.1
21.1 Subsidiaries of the Registrant
10-K 2/11/21 21.1
23.1 Consent of EisnerAmper LLP, PCAOB FIRM ID 274
Filed
23.2 Consent of Mayer Hoffman McCann P.C., PCAOB FIRM ID 199
Filed
31.1 Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) certification of Chief Executive Officer
Filed
31.2 Rule 13a-14(Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) certification of Chief Financial Officer)/15d-14(a) certification of Chief Financial Officer
Filed
32.1 Section 1350 certification of Chief Executive Officer
Filed
32.2 Section 1350 certification of Chief Financial Officer
Filed
101.INS XBRL Instance Document Filed
101.SCH XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document Filed
101.CAL XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document Filed
101.DEF XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document Filed
101.LAB XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document Filed
101.PRE XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document Filed
104 The cover page for Inuvo, Inc.’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, formatted in Inline XBRL (included within Exhibit 101 attachments). Filed
* The Company has omitted schedules and similar attachments to the subject agreement pursuant to Item 601(b) of Regulation S-K. The Company will furnish a copy of any omitted schedule or similar attachment to the SEC upon request.