Sprout Social (SPT) 10-Q2024 Q3 Quarterly report

Statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (“Quarterly Report”) not based on historical facts are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements include statements about Sprout Social, Inc.’s (“Sprout Social”) plans, objectives, strategies, financial performance and outlook, trends, prospects or future events and involve known and unknown risks that are difficult to predict. As a result, our actual financial results, performance, achievements or prospects may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “can,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “explore,” “intend,” “long-term model,” “may,” “might,” “outlook,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “strategy,” “target,” “will,” “would,” or the negative of these terms and similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements, as they relate to Sprout Social, our business and our management. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Sprout Social and our management based on their knowledge and understanding of the business and industry, are inherently uncertain. These forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results, and stockholders should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. There are a number of risks, uncertainties and other important factors, many of which are beyond our control, that could cause our actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this Quarterly Report. Such risks, uncertainties and other important factors include, among others, the risks, uncertainties and factors set forth under “Part I—Item 2, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K under Part I—Item 1A. “Risk Factors” and the risks and uncertainties related to the following:

These factors are not necessarily all of the important factors that could cause our actual financial results, performance, achievements or prospects to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by any of our forward-looking statements. Other unknown or unpredictable factors also could harm our results. All forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements set forth above. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we do not undertake or assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions, laws or other factors affecting forward-looking information, except to the extent required by applicable laws. If we update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.

Sprout Social, Inc. (“Sprout Social” or the “Company”), a Delaware corporation, began operating on April 21, 2010 to design, develop and operate a web-based comprehensive social media management tool enabling companies to manage and measure their online presence. Customers access their accounts online via a web-based interface or a mobile application. Some customers also purchase the Company’s professional services, which primarily consist of consulting and training services. The Company’s fiscal year end is December 31. The Company’s customers are primarily located throughout the United States, and a portion of customers are located in foreign countries. The Company is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes were prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and the applicable regulations of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) regarding interim financial reporting. The Company has prepared the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements on a basis substantially consistent with the audited consolidated financial statements of the Company as of and for the year ended December 31, 2023, and these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include all normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair statement of the results of the interim periods presented but are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations to be anticipated for the full year or any future period. The consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2023 included herein was derived from the audited consolidated financial statements as of that date but does not include all disclosures including certain disclosures required by GAAP on an annual basis. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the SEC on February 23, 2024.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on other assumptions that its management believes are reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The Company’s estimates and judgments include, but are not limited to, the estimated period of benefit for incremental costs of obtaining a contract with a customer, the incremental borrowing rate for operating leases, calculation of allowance for credit losses, valuation of assets and liabilities acquired as part of business combinations, useful lives of long-lived assets, stock-based compensation, income taxes, commitments and contingencies and litigation, among others. The Company is not aware of any events or circumstances that would require an update to its estimates and judgments or a revision of the carrying value of its assets or liabilities as of November 8, 2024, the date of issuance of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

The Company’s significant accounting policies are discussed in Note 1 - “Nature of Operations and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2023 included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the SEC on February 23, 2024. There have been no significant changes to these policies during the nine months ended September 30, 2024, except as noted below.

Sales commissions earned by our sales force are considered incremental costs of obtaining a contract with a customer. Sales commissions are paid on initial contracts with new customers and for expansion of contracts with existing customers. Commissions are not paid on customer renewals. Sales commissions are deferred and amortized on a straight-line basis over a period of benefit. The Company has historically estimated such period of benefit to be three years.

On an annual basis, the Company assesses the expected period of benefit by taking into consideration the products sold, mix of customers, expected customer life, expected contract renewals, technology life cycle and other factors. Based on the assessment performed during the first quarter of 2024, the Company updated the period of benefit from three years to five years. This change in accounting estimate was effective January 1, 2024 and is being accounted for prospectively in the condensed consolidated financial statements. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, the change in amortization period resulted in a $3.4 million and $11.5 million reduction to sales and marketing expense, respectively, or an increase of $0.06 and $0.20 per share basic and diluted, respectively. The effects of this change in estimate were calculated based on the carrying value of deferred commissions as of December 31, 2023.

In November 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standard Update (“ASU”) No. 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures, which is intended to improve reportable segment disclosure requirements, primarily through enhanced disclosures for significant segment expenses. All disclosure requirements of ASU 2023-07 are required for entities with a single reportable segment. The ASU is effective for the Company’s fiscal year ending December 31, 2024, and interim periods thereafter, and should be applied on a retrospective basis to all periods presented. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating these new disclosure requirements and does not expect the adoption to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures to enhance the transparency and decision usefulness of income tax disclosures. The ASU will be effective for the Company beginning with its annual report for the year ending December 31, 2025 and allows for adoption on a prospective basis, with a retrospective option. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this ASU on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

The Company provides disaggregation of revenue based on geographic region in Note 8 - “Segment and Geographic Data” of the Notes to the Financial Statements (Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report) and based on the subscription versus professional services and other classification on the condensed consolidated statements of operations, as it believes these best depict how the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows are affected by economic factors.

Deferred revenue is recorded upon establishment of unconditional right to payment under non-cancellable contracts and is recognized as the revenue recognition criteria are met. The Company generally invoices customers in advance in monthly, quarterly, semi-annual and annual installments. The deferred revenue balance is influenced by several factors, including the compounding effects of renewals, invoice duration, timing and size. The amount of revenue recognized during the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 that was included in deferred revenue at the beginning of each period was $70.1 million and $53.5 million, respectively. The amount of revenue recognized during the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 that was included in deferred revenue at the beginning of each period was $127.1 million and $87.7 million, respectively.

As of September 30, 2024, including amounts already invoiced and amounts contracted but not yet invoiced, $311.5 million of revenue is expected to be recognized from remaining performance obligations, of which 71% is expected to be recognized in the next 12 months, with the remainder thereafter.

The Company has operating lease agreements for offices in Chicago, Illinois; Seattle, Washington; Santa Monica, California; Dublin, Ireland; and Kraków, Poland. The Chicago lease expires in January 2028, the Seattle lease expires in January 2031, the Santa Monica lease expires in January 2025, the Dublin lease expires in June 2025, and the Kraków lease expires in December 2029. These operating leases require monthly rental payments ranging from approximately $14,000 to $280,000. Under the terms of the lease agreements, the Company is also responsible for its proportionate share of taxes and operating costs, which are treated as variable lease costs. The Company’s operating leases typically contain options to extend or terminate the term of the lease. The Company currently does not include any options to extend leases in its lease terms as it is not reasonably certain to exercise them. As such, it has recorded lease obligations only through the initial optional termination dates above.

In August 2024, the Company entered into a new lease agreement for an office in Kraków, Poland. For accounting purposes under ASC 842, the lease commenced on August 30, 2024, resulting in the recording of a $0.6 million right-of-use operating lease asset and operating lease liability. The lease has an expected expiration date of December 2029.

The provision for income taxes for interim periods is generally determined using an estimate of the Company’s annual effective tax rate, excluding jurisdictions for which no tax benefit can be recognized due to valuation allowances. The Company’s effective tax rate differs from the U.S. federal statutory rate primarily due to a valuation allowance related to the Company’s federal and state deferred tax assets.

There is no provision for domestic income taxes because the Company has historically incurred operating losses and maintains a full valuation allowance against its net deferred tax assets. For the nine months ended September 30, 2024, the Company recognized an immaterial provision related to foreign income taxes.

The Company assesses all available positive and negative evidence to evaluate the realizability of its deferred tax assets and whether or not a valuation allowance is necessary. The Company’s three-year cumulative loss position was significant negative evidence in assessing the need for a valuation allowance. The weight given to positive and negative evidence is commensurate with the extent such evidence may be objectively verified. Given the weight of objectively verifiable historical losses from operations, the Company has recorded a full valuation allowance on its deferred tax assets. The Company may be able to reverse the valuation allowance when sufficient positive evidence exists to support the reversal of the valuation allowance.

On August 1, 2023, the Company entered into a Credit Agreement (the “Credit Agreement”) by and among the Company, the banks and other financial institutions or entities party thereto as lenders and MUFG Bank, LTD. as administrative agent and collateral agent. The Credit Agreement provides for a $100 million senior secured revolving credit facility (the “Facility”), maturing on August 1, 2028. Borrowings under the Facility may be used to finance acquisitions and other investments permitted under the terms of the Credit Agreement, to pay related fees and expenses and for general corporate purposes. At September 30, 2024, the Company had an outstanding balance of $30.0 million under the Facility.

Borrowings under the Facility may be designated as SOFR Loans or ABR Loans (each as defined in the Credit Agreement), subject to certain terms and conditions under the Credit Agreement, and bear interest at a rate of either (i) SOFR (subject to a 1.0% floor), plus 0.10%, plus a margin ranging from 2.75% to 3.25% based on the Company’s liquidity or (ii) ABR (subject to a 2.0% floor) plus a margin ranging from 1.75% to 2.25% based on the Company’s liquidity. The Facility also includes a quarterly commitment fee on the unused portion of the Facility of 0.30% or 0.35% based on the Company’s liquidity. For the nine months ended September 30, 2024, the borrowings under the Facility were designated as SOFR Loans and the weighted average interest rate in effect for the outstanding balance was approximately 8.16%.

Debt issuance costs associated with the Facility were recorded to Other assets, net within the condensed consolidated balance sheets and are being amortized as interest expense on a straight-line basis over the term of the Facility.

The Credit Agreement includes customary conditions to credit extensions, affirmative and negative covenants, and customary events of default. The customary conditions also include restrictions on the Company’s ability to incur liens, incur indebtedness, make or hold investments, execute certain change of control transactions, business combinations or other fundamental changes to its business, dispose of assets, make certain types of restricted payments or enter into certain related party transactions, subject to customary exceptions. In addition, the Credit Agreement contains financial covenants as to (i) minimum liquidity, requiring the maintenance, at all times and measured at the end of each fiscal quarter, of cash and cash equivalents of not less than the greater of (x) $30 million and (y) 30% of the total revolving commitments, and (ii) minimum recurring revenue growth, requiring recurring revenue growth for the trailing four fiscal quarter period, measured at the end of each fiscal quarter, of not less than 115% of the actual recurring revenue for the same period in the prior fiscal year. As of September 30, 2024, the Company was in compliance with the covenants in the Credit Agreement.

Stock-based compensation expense is included in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations as follows:

From time to time in the normal course of business, the Company may be subject to various legal matters such as threatened or pending claims or proceedings.

Beginning on May 13, 2024, the Company and certain of its executives were named in two putative securities fraud class action cases filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois asserting claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Exchange Act and SEC Rule 10b-5. The first action, captioned Munch v. Sprout Social, Inc., et al. (the “Munch Action”), was filed on May 13, 2024 and alleges that the defendants made false or misleading statements and omissions of fact relating to the Company’s business, operations and prospects, including (i) purported integration challenges arising from the Company’s August 2023 acquisition of Tagger Media, Inc. (“Tagger”), (ii) the Company’s ability to service (and the viability of its strategic plan to focus on) the enterprise market, and (iii) as a result, the Company’s 2024 financial guidance was required to be adjusted downward. The plaintiff in the Munch

On July 12, 2024, three purported Company stockholders, including the named plaintiffs in the Securities Actions, filed motions to consolidate the Securities Actions and for appointment as lead plaintiff under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Those motions remain pending. Based on a scheduling order entered by the Court in the first-filed Munch Action, the appointed lead plaintiff will have sixty days following a ruling on these motions to file a consolidated amended and/or consolidated complaint, after which Defendants will have sixty days to respond.

On September 3, 2024, a putative stockholder derivative lawsuit captioned Hannaway v. Sprout Social, Inc. et al., was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against the Company’s directors and certain officers (the “Derivative Action” and, together with the Securities Actions, the “Actions”). The Derivative Action alleges that the defendants failed to disclose (or misrepresented) facts about the Company’s business, operations and prospects, including that (i) the Company’s sales and revenue results were not indicative of its growth as it transitioned to an enterprise sales cycle, (ii) the Company was unable to sell to enterprise customers and thus overpaid for, and faced integration challenges with respect to, Tagger, and (iii) as a result, the Company faced longer sales cycles and a slowing pipeline, requiring a downward revision of its 2024 guidance. Based on these purported disclosure deficiencies and related alleged misconduct, plaintiff asserts federal claims under Sections 10(b), 14(a) and 21D of the Exchange Act and Rules 10b-5 and 14a-9, and state law claims for breach of fiduciary duties, unjust enrichment, corporate waste, aiding and abetting and insider selling, and seeks damages in an unspecified amount on the Company’s behalf. On October 23, 2024, the court in the derivative action entered a stipulation and order staying the derivative action until the earliest of (i) entry of a final, non-appealable order on any summary judgment motions in the Securities Actions; (ii) a settlement or other mediated resolution in the Securities Actions; or (iii) as otherwise agreed to by the Parties.

The Company intends to vigorously defend against the claims asserted in the Actions. The outcomes of these actions are subject to inherent uncertainties, and the actual defense and disposition costs will depend upon many unknown factors. The Company could be forced to expend significant resources in the defense of these actions and may not prevail. The Company currently is not able to estimate the possible cost from these matters, as these actions are currently at an early stage, and the Company cannot be certain how long it may take to resolve these actions or the possible amount of any damages that the Company may be required to pay. Such amounts could be material to the Company’s financial statements. The Company has not established any reserve for any potential liability relating to these actions. It is possible that the Company could, in the future, incur judgments or enter into settlements of claims for monetary damages.

The Company operates as one operating segment. The Company’s chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) is its chief executive officer, who reviews financial information for purposes of making operating decisions, assessing financial performance and allocating resources. The Company’s CODM evaluates financial information on a consolidated basis. As the Company operates as one operating segment, all required segment financial information is found in the condensed consolidated financial statements.

Long-lived assets by geographical region are based on the location of the legal entity that owns the assets. As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, there were no significant long-lived assets held by entities outside of the United States.

Basic net loss per share is calculated by dividing the net loss by the weighted average number of outstanding shares of common stock for each period. Diluted net loss per share is calculated by giving effect to all potential dilutive common stock equivalents, which includes stock options and restricted stock units. Because the Company incurred net losses each period, the basic and diluted calculations are the same. Basic and diluted net loss per share are the same for each class of common stock, as both Class A and Class B stockholders are entitled to the same liquidation and dividend rights.

The Company measures certain financial assets at fair value. Fair value is determined based upon the exit price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants, as determined by either the principal market or the most advantageous market. Inputs used in the valuation techniques to derive fair values are classified based on a three-level hierarchy, as follows:

Marketable securities are classified within Level 2 because they are valued using inputs other than quoted prices that are directly or indirectly observable in the market.

The carrying amounts of certain financial instruments, including cash held in banks, cash equivalents, restricted cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued liabilities, approximate fair value due to their short-term maturities and are excluded from the fair value tables above.

On August 2, 2023, the Company completed its acquisition of all the outstanding equity of Tagger, an influencer marketing and social intelligence platform. The Company acquired Tagger in order to expand into the influencer marketing category. Tagger’s platform enables marketers to discover influencers, plan and manage campaigns, analyze competitor strategies, report on trends and measure return on investment.

The Company acquired Tagger for a total final purchase consideration of $144 million in cash, which incorporates the impact of various customary adjustments such as working capital, cash and indebtedness. The Company funded the purchase consideration with a combination of cash on hand and $75 million borrowed under the Facility further described in Note 5 - “Revolving Line of Credit” of the Notes to the Financial Statements (Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report).

The Company engaged a third-party valuation expert to aid its analysis of the acquired identifiable intangible assets. All estimates, key assumptions and forecasts were either provided by or reviewed by the Company. While the Company chose to utilize a third-party valuation expert for assistance, the fair value analysis and related valuations reflect the conclusions of management and not those of any third party.

The fair values of the acquired technology and the trademark identified intangible assets were determined utilizing the relief from royalty method under the income approach. The fair values of the customer relationships were valued using the multi-period excess-earnings method. The Company applied judgment which involved the use of assumptions with respect to revenue growth rates, customer attrition rate, discount rate, royalty rate, obsolescence rate and total operating expenses.

Acquired intangible assets are being amortized over the estimated useful lives on a straight-line basis. The following table summarizes the estimated fair values (in thousands) and estimated useful lives for the identifiable intangible assets acquired as of the acquisition date:

The Company has included the financial results of Tagger in its condensed consolidated financial statements from the date of acquisition. Separate financial results and pro forma financial information for Tagger have not been presented as the effect of this acquisition was not material to the Company’s financial results.

On January 19, 2023, the Company completed the acquisition of all the outstanding equity of Repustate, Inc. The acquisition has increased the Company’s power, breadth and automation of social listening, messaging, and customer care capabilities with added sentiment analysis, natural language processing (NLP) and artificial-intelligence (AI).

The following table summarizes the estimated fair values (in thousands) and estimated useful lives for the identifiable intangible assets acquired as of the acquisition date:

The Company has included the financial results of Repustate in its condensed consolidated financial statements from the date of acquisition. Separate financial results and pro forma financial information for Repustate have not been presented as the effect of this acquisition was not material to the Company’s financial results.

The changes in the carrying amount of goodwill during the nine months ended September 30, 2024 were as follows (in thousands):

Sprout Social is a powerful, centralized platform that provides the critical business layer to unlock the massive commercial value of social media. We have made it increasingly easy to standardize on Sprout Social as the centralized system of record for social and to help customers maximize the value of this mission critical channel. Currently, approximately 30,000 customers across more than 100 countries rely on our platform.

Introduced in 2011, our cloud software brings together social messaging, data and workflows in a unified system of record, intelligence and action. Operating across major networks, including X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google, Reddit, Glassdoor and YouTube, and commerce platforms Facebook Shops, Shopify and WooCommerce, we provide organizations with a centralized platform to manage their social media efforts across stakeholders and business functions. Virtually every aspect of business has been impacted by social media, from marketing, sales, commerce and public relations to customer service, product and strategy, creating a need for an entirely new category of software. We offer our customers a centralized, secure and powerful platform to manage this broad, complex channel effectively across their organization.

We generate revenue primarily from subscriptions to our social media management platform under a software-as-a-service model. Our subscriptions can range from monthly to one-year or multi-year arrangements and are generally non-cancellable during the contractual subscription term. Subscription revenue is recognized ratably over the contract terms beginning on the date the product is made available to customers, which typically begins on the commencement date of each contract. We also generate revenue from professional services related to our platform provided to certain customers, which is recognized at the time these services are provided to the customer. This revenue has historically represented less than 1% of our revenue and is expected to be immaterial for the foreseeable future.

Our tiered subscription-based model allows our customers to choose among three core plans to meet their needs. Each plan is licensed on a per user per month basis at prices dependent on the level of features offered. Additional product modules, which offer increased functionality depending on a customer’s needs, can be purchased by the customer on a per user per month basis.

We generated revenue of $102.6 million and $85.5 million during the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively, representing growth of 20%. We generated revenue of $298.8 million and $240.1 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively, representing growth of 24%. In the nine months ended September 30, 2024, software subscriptions contributed 99% of our revenue.

As a company with a global footprint, we are subject to risks and exposures caused by significant events and their macroeconomic impacts, including, but not limited to, high levels of inflation, high interest rates, ongoing overseas conflict, volatility in the capital markets and related market uncertainty. We continuously monitor the direct and indirect impacts, and the potential for future impacts, of these circumstances on our business and financial results, as well as the overall global economy and geopolitical landscape.

On January 19, 2023, we completed the acquisition of Repustate, Inc. for a total purchase consideration of $8.3 million, consisting of approximately $6.8 million in cash paid at the closing time of the acquisition and a holdback of $1.5 million in cash to be paid as purchase consideration after the one-year anniversary of the closing of the acquisition, assuming no claims by the Company against the holdback amount for post-closing purchase price adjustments or indemnification matters. The purchase price holdback was paid in full in January 2024.

The fair values of the tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed are based on management’s estimates and assumptions. The allocation of fair value of purchase consideration was finalized in the fourth quarter of 2023.

The Repustate acquisition has increased our power, breadth and automation of social listening, messaging, and customer care capabilities with added sentiment analysis, natural language processing (NLP) and artificial intelligence (AI). We have included the financial results of Repustate in our condensed consolidated financial statements from the date of acquisition. The impact of Repustate’s financial results following the date of acquisition were not significant to Sprout’s condensed consolidated financial

We believe that there is a substantial and largely untapped opportunity for organic growth within our existing customer base. Customers often begin by purchasing a small number of user subscriptions and then expand over time, increasing the number of users or social profiles, as well as purchasing additional product modules. Customers may then expand use-cases between various departments to drive collaboration across their organizations. Our sales and customer success efforts include encouraging organizations to expand use-cases to more fully realize the value from the broader adoption of our platform throughout an organization. We will continue to invest in enhancing awareness of our brand, creating additional uses for our products and developing more products, features and functionality of existing products, which we believe are vital to achieving increased adoption of our platform. We have a history of attracting new customers and we have increased our focus on expanding their use of our platform over time.

Our success is dependent on our ability to sustain product and technology innovation and maintain the competitive advantage of our proprietary technology. We continue to invest resources to enhance the capabilities of our platform by introducing new products, features and functionality of existing products.

We review the following key business metrics to evaluate our business, measure our performance, identify trends, formulate financial projections and make strategic decisions. Consistent with our communications in previous quarters, we no longer believe that ARR and total number of customers are key performance indicators of Sprout Social’s business due to our evolving customer mix and we will no longer publicly disclose these metrics.

We define customers contributing more than $10,000 in ARR as those on a paid subscription plan that had more than $10,000 in ARR as of a period end.

We view the number of customers that contribute more than $10,000 in ARR as a measure of our ability to scale with our customers and attract larger organizations. We believe this represents potential for future growth, including expanding within our current customer base. Over time, larger customers have constituted a greater share of our revenue.

We define customers contributing more than $50,000 in ARR as those on a paid subscription plan that had more than $50,000 in ARR as of a period end.

We view the number of customers that contribute more than $50,000 in ARR as a measure of our ability to scale with our largest customers and attract more sophisticated organizations. We believe this represents potential for future growth, including expanding within our current customer base. Over time, our largest customers have constituted a greater share of our revenue.

While we no longer believe that ARR and total number of customers are key performance indicators of Sprout Social’s business, these metrics are necessary for an understanding of how we define number of customers contributing over $10,000 in ARR and number of customers contributing over $50,000 in ARR. For this purpose, we define ARR as the annualized revenue run-rate of subscription agreements from all customers as of the last date of the specified period and we define a customer as a unique account, multiple accounts containing a common non-personal email domain, or multiple accounts governed by a single agreement or entity.

We generate revenue primarily from subscriptions to our social media management platform under a software-as-a-service model. Our subscriptions can range from monthly to one-year or multi-year arrangements and are generally non-cancellable during the contractual subscription term. Subscription revenue is recognized ratably over the contract terms beginning on the date our product is made available to customers, which typically begins on the commencement date of each contract. Our customers do not have the right to take possession of the online software solution. We also generate a small portion of our subscription revenue from third-party resellers.

We sell professional services consisting of, but not limited to, implementation fees, specialized training, one-time reporting services and recurring periodic reporting services. Professional services revenue is recognized at the time these services are provided to the customer. This revenue has historically represented less than 1% of our revenue and is expected to be immaterial for the foreseeable future.

Cost of revenue primarily consists of expenses related to hosting our platform and providing support to our customers. These expenses are comprised of fees paid to data providers, hosted data center costs and personnel costs directly associated with cloud infrastructure, customer success and customer support, including salaries, benefits, bonuses and allocated overhead. These costs also include depreciation expense and amortization expense related to acquired developed technologies that directly benefit sales. Overhead associated with facilities and information technology is allocated to cost of revenue and operating expenses based on headcount. Although we expect our cost of revenue to increase in absolute dollars as our business and revenue grows, we expect our cost of revenue to decrease as a percentage of our revenue over time.

Cost of professional services primarily consists of expenses related to our professional services organization and are comprised of personnel costs, including salaries, benefits, bonuses and allocated overhead.

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit as a percentage of total revenue. Our gross margin may fluctuate from period to period based on revenue earned, the timing and amount of investments made to expand our hosting capacity, our customer support and professional services teams and in hiring additional personnel, and the impact of acquisitions. We expect our gross profit and gross margin to increase as our business grows over time.

Research and development expenses primarily consist of personnel costs, including salaries, benefits and allocated overhead. Research and development expenses also include depreciation expense and other expenses associated with product development. We plan to increase the dollar amount of our investment in research and development for the foreseeable future as we focus on developing new features and enhancements to our plan offerings.

Sales and marketing expenses primarily consist of personnel costs directly associated with our sales and marketing department, online advertising expenses, as well as allocated overhead, including depreciation expense. Sales commissions and bonuses are considered incremental costs of obtaining a contract with a customer. Sales commissions are earned and recorded at contract commencement for both new customer contracts and expansion of contracts with existing customers. Sales commissions are deferred and amortized on a straight-line basis over the expected period of benefit, which we have determined to be five years. We plan to increase the dollar amount of our investment in sales and marketing for the foreseeable future, primarily for increased headcount for our sales department.

General and administrative expenses primarily consist of personnel expenses associated with our finance, legal, human resources and other administrative employees. Our general and administrative expenses also include professional fees for external legal, accounting and other consulting services, amortization of intangible assets, depreciation and amortization expense, as well as allocated overhead. We expect to increase the size of our general and administrative functions to support the growth of our business. We expect the dollar amount of our general and administrative expenses to increase for the foreseeable future. However, we expect our general and administrative expenses to decrease as a percentage of revenue over time.

Interest income (expense), net consists primarily of interest expense related to the Facility and is offset by interest income earned on our cash and investment balances.

Other expense, net consists of foreign currency transaction gains and losses.

The income tax provision consists of current and deferred taxes for our United States and foreign jurisdictions. We have historically reported a taxable loss in our most significant jurisdiction, the United States, and have a full valuation allowance against our deferred tax assets. We expect this trend to continue for the foreseeable future.