Note 3 – Significant Transactions 

Business Combinations

On July 7, 2020, we completed the acquisition of Ample Organics (“Ample”), Ample provides a seed-to-sale platform to clients in Canada, which offers tracking, reporting, and compliance tools to cannabis cultivators, processors, sellers, and clinics. We acquired 100% of the stock of Ample Organics by issuing 3.3 million exchangeable shares of one of our wholly-owned subsidiaries. The exchangeable shares may be exchanged, at the option of the holder, for shares of Akerna common stock on a one-for-one basis, therefore the exchangeable shares issued were valued at $7.65 per share, the closing price of an equivalent share of Akerna common stock, for an aggregate value of $25.2 million. The exchangeable shares are economically equivalent to shares of Akerna common stock. In addition to the stock consideration, we paid $5.7 million in cash, which was used to settle all of Ample's then outstanding debt and transaction costs. The agreement provides for contingent consideration of up to CAD$10,000,000, payable in exchangeable shares, payable if Ample's Recurring Revenue recognized during the 12 months after the acquisition date is CAD$9,000,000 or more. The contingent consideration amount is reduced by an amount equal to the product of CAD$6.67 multiplied by the difference between CAD$9,000,000 and the amount of Recurring Revenue realized during the 12 months following the acquisition. The contingent consideration was recorded as the estimated fair value of $0.8 million as of the acquisition date and will be adjusted to the estimated fair value in each subsequent reporting period until settlement. The preliminary fair value of consideration transferred consisted of the following (in thousands):

We incurred $1.0 million of transaction costs directly related to the acquisition that is reflected in selling, general and administrative expenses in our condensed consolidated statements of operations. 

The following table summarizes the preliminary fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed as of the date of acquisition (in thousands): 

The excess of purchase consideration over the preliminary fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed was recorded as goodwill, which is primarily attributed to the assembled workforce and expanded market opportunities, for which there is no basis for U.S. income tax purposes. The fair values assigned to identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed are preliminary based on management’s estimates and assumptions and will change as additional information is received. We expect to finalize the valuation as soon as practicable, but no later than one year from the acquisition date. 

The amounts of Ample’s revenue and net loss included in our condensed consolidated statement of operations from the acquisition date of July 7, 2020, to September 30, 2020 were $1.2 million and $0.4 million, respectively.

Pro Forma Financial Information

The following unaudited pro forma financial information summarizes the combined results of operations for Akerna, Trellis, Solo, and Ample as though the companies were combined as of the beginning of our fiscal 2019 (in thousands): 

The pro forma financial information for all periods presented above has been calculated after adjusting the results of Solo, Trellis, and Ample to reflect the business combination accounting effects resulting from this acquisition, including the amortization expense from acquired intangible assets as though the acquisition occurred as of the beginning of the Company’s fiscal year 2019. As noted above, the allocation is preliminary and changes to the value of the contingent consideration and finalization of our valuation could result in changes to the amount of amortization expense from acquired intangible assets included in the pro forma financial information presented above. The Akerna historical condensed consolidated financial statements have been adjusted in the pro forma combined financial statements to give effect to pro forma events that are directly attributable to the business combination and factually supportable. The pro forma financial information is for informational purposes only and is not indicative of the results of operations that would have been achieved if the acquisition had taken place at the beginning of the Company’s fiscal 2019.

Special Voting Preferred Stock and Exchangeable Shares

In connection with the Ample acquisition, we entered into agreements with our wholly-owned subsidiary and the Ample shareholder representative that resulted in the issuance of a single share of our special voting preferred stock, for the purpose of ensuring that each Exchangeable Share is substantially the economic and voting equivalent of a share of Akerna common stock, and, following the registration of the Akerna shares issuable upon exchange of the Exchangeable Shares under the Securities Act of 1933, ensuring that each Exchangeable Share is exchangeable on a one-for-one basis for a share of Akerna common stock, subject to certain limitations. As a result of these agreements and the issuance of the special voting preferred stock, each holder of Exchangeable Shares effectively has the ability to cast votes along with holders of Akerna common stock. Additionally, these agreements grant exchange rights to the holders of exchangeable shares upon the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up.

The special voting preferred stock has a par value of $0.0001 per share and a preference in liquidation of $1.00. The special voting preferred stock entitles the holder to an aggregate number of votes equal to the number of the exchangeable shares issued and outstanding from time to time and which we do not own. The holder of the special voting preferred stock and the holders of shares of Akerna common stock will both together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders. At such time as the special voting preferred stock has not votes attached to it, the share shall be automatically cancelled. The exchangeable shares do not have a par value. 

On September 1, 2020, several Ample shareholders exchanged a total of 627,225 exchangeable shares with a value of $4,798,271 for the same number of shares of Akerna common stock. The exchange was accounted for as an equity transaction and we did not recognize a gain or loss on this transaction. As of September 30, 2020, there were a total of 2,667,349 Exchangeable Shares issued and outstanding.