As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 18, 2019

Registration No. 333-                

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM F-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

GSX Techedu Inc.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

Not Applicable

(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)

 

 

 

Cayman Islands		8200		Not Applicable
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)		(Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number)		(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)

Tower C, Beyondsoft Building, 7 East Zone,

10 Xibeiwang East Road

Haidian District, Beijing 100193

People’s Republic of China

+86 10 8282-6826

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of Registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

 

Puglisi & Associates

850 Library Avenue, Suite 204

Newark, Delaware 19711

+1-302-738-6680

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

 

Copies to:

Z. Julie Gao, Esq. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP c/o 42/F, Edinburgh Tower, The Landmark 15 Queen’s Road Central Hong Kong +852 3740-4700		Dan Ouyang, Esq. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Professional Corporation Unit 2901, 29F, Tower C, Beijing Yintai Center No. 2 Jianguomenwai Avenue Chaoyang District, Beijing 100022 The People’s Republic of China +86 10-6529-8300   Weiheng Chen, Esq. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Suite 1509, 15F, Jardine House 1 Connaught Place, Central Hong Kong +852 3972-4955

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public:

as soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box.  ☐

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933.

Emerging growth company  ☒

If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards† provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.  ☒

†    The term “new or revised financial accounting standard” refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.

 

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

Title of each class of securities to be registered		Amount to be registered(2)(3)		Proposed maximum offering price per share(3)		Proposed maximum aggregate offering price(2)(3)		Amount of registration fee
Class A Ordinary Shares, par value US$0.0001 per share(1)		11,500,000		US$22.23		US$255,645,000		US$33,182.73

(1)	American depositary shares issuable upon deposit of Class A ordinary shares registered hereby have been registered under a separate registration statement on Form F-6 (Registration No. 333-231726). Every three American depositary share represents two Class A ordinary shares.

(2)

Includes Class A ordinary shares that are issuable upon the exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional ADSs. Also includes Class A ordinary shares initially offered and sold outside the United States that may be resold from time to time in the United States either as part of their distribution or within 40 days after the later of the effective date of this registration statement and the date the shares are first bona fide offered to the public. These Class A ordinary shares are not being registered for the purpose of sales outside the United States.

(3)

Estimated solely for the purpose of determining the amount of registration fee in accordance with Rule 457(c) under the Securities Act of 1933, based on the average of the high and low trading prices on November 15, 2019 of the Registrant’s American depositary shares listed on the New York Stock Exchange, with every three American depositary shares representing two Class A ordinary shares of the Registrant.

 

 

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 

 

The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. These securities may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell nor does it seek an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS (Subject to Completion) Issued November 18, 2019.

15,000,000 American Depositary Shares

 

GSX Techedu Inc.

Representing 10,000,000 Class A Ordinary Shares

 

 

This is a public offering of American depositary shares, or ADSs, of GSX Techedu Inc. or GSX. We are not selling any ADSs. The selling shareholders identified in this prospectus are selling 15,000,000 ADSs. Every three ADSs represent two of our Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of ADSs by the selling shareholders.

Our ADSs are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, or the NYSE, under the symbol “GSX.” On November 15, 2019, the closing trading price for our ADSs, as reported on the NYSE, was US$14.91 per ADS.

Our outstanding share capital consists of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Holders of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares have the same rights except for voting and conversion rights. Each Class A ordinary share is entitled to one vote, and each Class B ordinary share is entitled to ten votes and is convertible into one Class A ordinary share. Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances.

We are an “emerging growth company” under applicable U.S. federal securities laws and are eligible for reduced public company reporting requirements. We are, and following the completion of this offering will continue to be, a “controlled company” as defined under the Corporate Governance Rules of the NYSE. Mr. Larry Xiangdong Chen, our founder, chairman of board of directors and chief executive officer, beneficially owns all of our outstanding Class B ordinary shares, representing 89.7% of our total voting power of our issued and outstanding share capital, immediately following the completion of this offering. See “Principal and Selling Shareholders.”

See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 14 for factors you should consider before buying the ADSs.

 

 

PRICE US$                 PER ADS

 

 

Neither the United States Securities and Exchange Commission nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

Price to Public

Underwriting Discounts and Commissions(1)

Proceeds to the Selling Shareholders

Per ADS

US$

US$

US$

Total

US$

US$

US$

 

(1)	See “Underwriting” for additional information regarding compensation payable to the underwriters.

Certain selling shareholders have granted the underwriters the right to purchase up to 2,250,000 additional ADSs within 30 days after the date of this prospectus at the offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions.

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission and state regulators have not approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The underwriters expect to deliver the ADSs to purchasers on                 , 2019.

 

 

 

Credit Suisse		Goldman Sachs (Asia) L.L.C.		BofA Securities		Deutsche Bank Securities

Prospectus dated                 , 2019.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Prospectus Summary			1
Summary Consolidated Financial and Operating Data			11
Risk Factors			14
Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements			50
Use of Proceeds			51
Dividend Policy			52
Capitalization			53
Enforceability of Civil Liabilities			54
Corporate History and Structure			56
Selected Consolidated Financial Data			61
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations			64
Industry			87
Business			92
Regulation			110
Management			132
Principal and Selling Shareholders			139
Related Party Transactions			142
Description of Share Capital			143
Description of American Depositary Shares			153
Shares Eligible for Future Sale			163
Taxation			165
Underwriting			172
Expenses Related to this Offering			182
Legal Matters			183
Experts			184
Where You Can Find Additional Information			185
Index to the Consolidated Financial Statements			F-1

 

 

We have not authorized anyone to provide any information other than that contained in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we may have referred you. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. We and the underwriters have not authorized any other person to provide you with different or additional information. We and the selling shareholders are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy the ADSs, only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The information contained in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of the ADSs.

We have not taken any action to permit a public offering of the ADSs outside the United States or to permit the possession or distribution of this prospectus outside the United States. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus must inform themselves about and observe any restrictions relating to the offering of the ADSs and the distribution of the prospectus outside the United States.

 

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RISK FACTORS

An investment in the ADSs involves significant risks. You should consider carefully all of the information in this prospectus, including the risks and uncertainties described below, before making an investment in the ADSs. Any of the following risks could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial may also materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and ability to pay dividends, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

We have a limited operating history with our current business model, which makes it difficult to predict our prospects and our business and financial performance.

We have a short operating history with our current business model focusing on providing online live large-classes. We transitioned from a membership-based service platform connecting teaching staff and students to our current business model in March 2017. Our limited history of operating under the current business model may not serve as an adequate basis for evaluating our prospect and operating results, including gross billings, net revenues, cash flows and operating margins. We have encountered, and may continue to encounter in the future, risks, challenges and uncertainties associated with operating an internet-based education business, such as building and managing reliable and secure IT systems and infrastructure, addressing regulatory compliance and uncertainty, engaging, training and retaining high quality employees such as our teaching staff and IT support staff, and improving and expanding our education content offering. If we do not manage these risks successfully, our operating and financial results may differ materially from our expectations and our business and financial performance may suffer.

If we are not able to continue to attract students to purchase our course packages and to increase the spending of our students, our business and prospects will be materially and adversely affected.

Our ability to continue to attract students to purchase our course packages and to increase their spending are critical to the continued success and growth of our business. This in turn will depend on several factors, including our ability to engage, train and retain high quality teaching staff, continue to develop, adapt or enhance quality of our course offerings to meet the evolving demands of our existing or prospective students, and effectively market our course offerings and enhance our brand awareness to a broader base of prospective students. We may not always be able to meet our students’ expectations in terms of academic performance due to a variety of reasons, many of which are outside of our control. We may face student dissatisfaction due to our students’ perceptions of our failure to help them achieve their anticipated academic goals, our students’ overall dissatisfaction with the quality of our education content offerings and our teaching staff, as well as changing views of the value of the diplomas, degrees and qualifications they are pursuing through taking our courses. We must also manage our growth while maintaining consistent and high teaching quality, and respond effectively to competitive pressures. If we are unable to continue to attract students to purchase our course packages and to increase the spending of our students, our gross billings and net revenues may decline, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We have grown rapidly and expect to continue to invest in our growth for the foreseeable future. If we fail to manage this growth effectively, the success of our business model will be compromised.

We have experienced rapid growth in recent years. Our rapid growth has placed, and will continue to place, a significant strain on our demand for more teaching staff and IT support staff, administrative and operating infrastructure, educational content development, sales and marketing capacities, facilities and other resources. To maintain our growth, we need to continue to attract more students, scale up our education content offerings, increase our educational content development professionals and employees of other functions, as well as strengthen our technology and infrastructure, such as our live broadcasting technology and BOSS system. We

 

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will also be required to refine our operational, financial and management controls and reporting systems and procedures. If we fail to efficiently manage this expansion of our business, our costs and expenses may increase more than we plan and we may not successfully attract a sufficient number of students and teaching staff in a cost-effective manner, respond to competitive challenges, or otherwise execute our business strategies.

Our ability to effectively implement our strategies and manage any significant growth of our business will depend on a number of factors, including our ability to: (i) effectively recruit, train, retain and motivate a large number of new employees, particularly our teaching staff, IT support staff and educational content development professionals; (ii) continue to improve our operational, financial and management controls and efficiencies; (iii) successfully implement enhancements and improvements to the systems and infrastructures; (iv) improve education contents to make them appealing to existing and prospective students, particularly K-12 students; (v) maintain and increase our paid course enrollments; (vi) improve our sales and marketing efficiency; (vii) protect and further develop our intellectual property rights; and (viii) make sound business decisions in light of the scrutiny associated with operating as a public company. These activities require significant capital expenditures and investment of valuable management and financial resources, and our growth will continue to place significant demands on our management. There are no guarantees that we will be able to effectively manage any future growth in an efficient, cost-effective and timely manner, or at all. Our growth in a relatively short period of time is not necessarily indicative of results that we may achieve in the future. If we do not effectively manage the growth of our business and operations, our reputation, results of operations and overall business and prospects could be negatively impacted.

If we are not able to continue to engage, train and retain high quality teaching staff, we may not be able to maintain consistent teaching quality, and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

We have adopted a dual-teacher system, comprised of high quality instructors and professional tutors. Our teaching staff is critical to the learning experience of our students and our reputation. We seek to engage high quality teaching staff with strong education background and teaching skills. We must provide competitive pay and offer attractive career development opportunities to attract and retain them. We must also provide ongoing training to our teaching staff to ensure that they stay abreast of changes in course materials, student demands and other changes and trends necessary to teach effectively. Furthermore, as we continue to develop new education content, we may need to engage additional high quality teaching staff with appropriate skill sets or backgrounds to deliver instructions effectively. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to effectively engage and train such teaching staff quickly, or at all. Furthermore, given other potential more attractive opportunities for our quality teaching staff, over time some of them may choose to leave us. Departure of quality teaching staff may reduce the attractiveness of our course offerings and negatively impact our paid course enrollments. Furthermore, in the event such quality teaching staff join our competitors, students may decide to follow such quality teaching staff and enroll in their courses offered through other online education companies, which may further weaken our competitive position in the industry. Although we have not experienced major difficulties in engaging, training or retaining high quality teaching staff in the past, we may not always be able to engage, train and retain enough high quality teaching staff to keep pace with our growth while maintaining consistent education quality. We may also face significant competition in engaging high quality teaching staff from our competitors or from other opportunities that are perceived as more desirable. A shortage of high quality teaching staff, a decrease in the quality of our teaching staff’s performance, whether actual or perceived, or a significant increase in the cost to engage or retain high quality teaching staff would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We face risks associated with our reliance on certain top quality instructors.

We rely on certain top quality instructors to deliver our course offerings. We generated 46.6%, 40.5% and 34.6%, respectively, of our total net revenues from courses delivered by our top 10 instructors, ranked by net revenues generated from courses taught by each instructor in a given period, in 2018, in the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and in the three months ended September 30, 2019. Our reliance on certain top quality

 

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instructors may expose us to concentration risks. If we lose our top quality instructors to competitors, the attractiveness of our course offerings may be adversely affected, which could have an adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

We have incurred net losses in the past, and we may not remain profitable or increase profitability in the future.

We generated a net income of RMB52.2 million (US$7.3 million) in the nine months ended September 30, 2019, compared to net loss of RMB3.3 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2018. We incurred a net loss of RMB87.0 million in 2017 and generated a net income of RMB19.7 million (US$2.8 million) in 2018. We cannot assure you that we will be able to continue generate net profits or positive cash flow from operating activities in the future. Our ability to maintain profitability will depend in large part on our ability to maintain or increase our operating margin, either by growing our revenues at a rate faster than our costs and operating expenses increase, or by reducing our costs and operating expenses as a percentage of our net revenues. Accordingly, we intend to continue to invest to attract new students, hire high quality teaching staff, and strengthen our technologies and data analytics capabilities to enhance student experience. As a result of the foregoing, we may not remain profitable or increase our profitability in the future.

We face intense competition, which could divert students to our competitors, lead to pricing pressure and loss of market shares, and significantly reduce our net revenues.

The online education industry in China is intensely competitive, and we expect competition in this sector to persist and intensify. We face competition in each part of our service offerings from other online educational service providers. Some of our current or future competitors may have longer operating histories, greater brand recognition, or greater financial, technical or marketing resources than we do. We compete with these online education service providers across a range of factors, including, among others, high quality instructors in the education industry, technology infrastructure and data analytics capabilities, quality of our education services and students’ learning experience, brand recognition and scope of our course offerings. Our competitors may adopt similar curricula and marketing approaches, with different pricing and service packages that may have greater appeal than our offerings. In addition, some of our competitors may have more resources than we do and may be able to devote greater resources than we can to the development and promotion of their services and respond more quickly than we can to the changes in student preferences, testing materials, admission standards, market needs or new technologies. If we reduce course fees or increase spending in response to competition in order to retain or attract students and high quality teaching staff, or pursue new market opportunities, our net revenues may decrease and our costs and expenses may increase as a result of such actions which may adversely affect our operating margins. If we are unable to successfully compete for students, maintain or increase our level of course fees, attract and retain competent teaching staff or other key personnel, maintain our competitiveness in terms of the quality of our education services in a cost-effective manner, our net revenues may be materially and adversely affected.

If we are not able to improve or maintain our sales and marketing efficiency, our business and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

Selling expenses represent a significant portion of our operating expenses. We incurred RMB75.3 million and RMB121.5 million (US$17.0 million) in selling expenses in 2017 and 2018, respectively, and RMB63.3 million and RMB598.9 million (US$83.8 million) in selling expenses in the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2019, respectively. Our sales and marketing activities may not be well received by students and may not result in the levels of sales that we anticipate and our trial courses may not be attractive to our prospective students. For example, if our students attending trial courses do not purchase our standard courses, our business and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may not be able to maintain or further improve our operational efficiency. We also may not be able to retain or recruit experienced sales staff, or to efficiently train junior sales staff. In addition, marketing and branding approaches

 

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and tools in the online education market in China are evolving. This further requires us to enhance our marketing and branding approaches and experiment with new methods to keep pace with industry developments and student preferences. Failure to refine our existing marketing and branding approaches or to introduce new marketing and branding approaches in a cost-effective manner may reduce our market share, cause our revenues to decline and negatively impact our operating margins.

Uncertainties exist in relation to new legislation or proposed changes in the PRC regulatory requirements regarding online private education, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The private education industry in the PRC is subject to regulations in various aspects. Relevant rules and regulations are relatively new and evolving and could be changed to accommodate the development of the education, in particular, the online private education, markets from time to time.

Pursuant to the amended Law for Promoting Private Education, or the amended Private Education Law, a private school must obtain a private school operating permit. See “Regulation—The Law for Promoting Private Education and its Implementing Rules.” However, we are an online tutoring service provider, which is different from traditional offline education service providers, and it remains unclear in practice as to whether and how an online tutoring service provider like us needs to comply with the operating permit requirement under the amended Private Education Law. In August 2018, the Ministry of Justice, or MOJ, published the draft amendment to the Regulations on the Implementation of the Law for Promoting Private Education of the PRC, or MOJ Draft, for public comment. According to the MOJ Draft, we must file with the department of education at the provincial level, as we provide online non-diploma-awarding education services. The MOJ Draft further stipulates that an internet technology service platform that provides the training and educational activities must review and register the identity information of the entities or individuals applying for access to the platform. See “Regulations—The Law for Promoting Private Education and its Implementing Rules”. As of the date of this prospectus, the MOJ Draft is still pending for final approval and has not come into effect. It remains uncertain when and how the MOJ Draft would come into effect, and whether and how local governments would promulgate rules related to the filing or licensing requirement applicable to online education service providers like us. If we are not able to comply with the filing or licensing requirement in a timely manner or at all, we may be subject to fines, confiscation of the gains derived from our non-compliant operations, suspension of our non-compliant operations or claims for compensation of any economic loss suffered by our students or other relevant parties.

In addition, the PRC government authorities have recently issued a series of circulars aiming to strength its regulation of after-school training institutions, which could bring about uncertainties to online after-school training institutions like us. These circulars require, among other things, that (i) training services beyond the scope or higher than the level of the school textbooks shall be banned; (ii) an after-school training institution shall not provide tutoring to students after 8:30 p.m. each day; (iii) fees shall not be collected at one time for courses longer than three months; (iv) teachers providing after-school tutoring services related to academic curriculum shall have the corresponding teaching qualification licenses; (v) provincial education departments shall be responsible for the filing of training institutions that provide online training to students in primary and middle schools and shall regulate the online after-school training institutions based on the management policies governing offline after-school training institutions; (vi) online after-school training institutions shall file the information related to their courses with the provincial education departments, and (vii) online after-school training institutions shall publish the name, photograph, class schedule and certificate number of the teacher qualification of each teacher on their websites. See “Regulation—Regulation Related to Private Education—Regulation Related to After-school Tutoring”.

Further, the Ministry of Education, or the MOE, jointly with certain other PRC government authorities, promulgated the Implementation Opinions on Regulating Online After-School Training, or the Online After-School Training Opinions, effective on July 12, 2019. The Online After-School Training Opinions are intended

 

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to regulate academic after-school training involving internet technology provided to students in primary and secondary schools. Among other things, the Online After-School Training Opinions require that online after-school training institutions shall file with the competent provincial education regulatory authorities before October 31, 2019 and that such education regulatory authorities and other provincial government authorities shall jointly review these filings and the qualifications of the institutions making these filings. The Online After-School Training Opinions also impose a number of new regulations requiring, among other things, that (i) each class shall not last longer than 40 minutes and shall be taken at intervals of not less than 10 minutes; (ii) live streaming courses provided to students receiving compulsory education shall not end later than 9:00 p.m.; (iii) fees shall not be collected in a lump sum for more than 60 classes when charged based on the number of classes, or for a course length of more than three months when charged based on the length of the course; and (iv) instructors are required to obtain the necessary teaching qualification licenses. According to the Online After-School Training Opinions, provincial education regulatory authorities shall promulgate local implementing rules regarding these filing requirements. On September 29, 2019, the education regulatory authority in Beijing promulgated the Trial Implementation Rules on Filings of Beijing Online After-School Training, or the Beijing Online After-School Training Implementation Rules. The Beijing Online After-School Training Implementation Rules are applicable to training institutions that are registered in Beijing or complete ICP filings with the competent authorities in Beijing and provide online academic after-school training to students in primary and secondary schools. Pursuant to the Beijing Online After-School Training Implementation Rules, online after-school training institutions shall submit filings for providing online after-school training services via an online national platform for online after-school administration services before October 31, 2019, and the education regulatory authorities in Beijing and other government authorities shall jointly complete review of such filings before December 31, 2019. See “Regulations—Regulation Related to Private Education—Regulation Related to After-School Tutoring.”

We have made the filings in accordance with the Online After-School Training Opinions and the Beijing Online After-School Training Implementation Rules. As of the date of this prospectus, approximately 68% of our K-12 instructors have obtained teaching qualification licenses, and approximately 13% have passed the teaching qualification exam, which is the prerequisite for obtaining teaching qualification license. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not received any written warning or been subject to any penalties from the relevant government authorities regarding our possible failure to comply with the relevant circulars, opinions or implementation rules. We have notified our K-12 instructors of the requirement to obtain the teaching qualification licenses. It is uncertain, however, whether and how PRC government authorities would further promulgate new laws and regulations applying the requirements under these circulars, opinions or implementation rules to online training institutions like us. There is no assurance that we can comply with any newly promulgated laws and regulations in a timely manner or at all, and any failure to comply may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Moreover, the MOE, jointly with certain other PRC government authorities, issued the Opinions on Guiding and Regulating the Orderly and Healthy Development of Educational Mobile Apps on September 5, 2019, or the Opinions on Educational Apps, which requires, among others, mobile apps that offer services for school teaching and management, student learning and student life, or home-school interactions, with school faculty, students or parents as the main users, and with education or learning as the main application scenarios, be filed with the competent provincial regulatory authorities for education before the end of 2019. As of the date of this prospectus, the MOE has not yet promulgated any guidelines or implementation rules in relation to the filing requirements. We cannot assure you that we will be able to comply with the filing requirements under such guidelines or implementation rules when and if promulgated. If we are not able to comply with the filing requirements, we may be subject to rectification measures from the administrative authorities, which could have adverse effects on our business, financial condition and results of operations. See “Regulations—Regulation Related to Private Education—Regulation Related to After-School Tutoring.”

Given the foregoing, the interpretation and application of the existing laws and regulations and the newly promulgated implementation rules and interpretations, if any, that governs the online private education industry

 

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would create substantial uncertainties regarding the legality of our business operation, which create risks that we may be found to violate the existing laws and regulations and any newly promulgated implementation rules and interpretations.

We face uncertainties with respect to the development of regulatory requirements on operating licenses and permits for our online education services in China. Failure to renew requested licenses or permits in a timely manner or obtain newly required ones due to adverse changes in regulations or policies could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The internet industry and education industry in China are highly regulated by the PRC government. As an internet-based education service provider, we are required to obtain and maintain all necessary approvals, licenses or permits applicable to our business operations and make all necessary registration and filings for our education services in China, and we may be required to apply for and obtain additional licenses or permits for our operations as the interpretation and implementation of current PRC laws and regulations are still evolving, and new laws and regulations may also be promulgated.

Our VIE, Beijing BaiJiaHuLian and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Shanghai Jinyou Education Technology Co., Ltd., each currently holds a Value-added Telecommunications Business Operating License for internet information service and our VIE, Beijing BaiJiaHuLian currently holds an Internet Cultural Business Operating License. We may be required to apply for and obtain additional licenses, permits or recordation, given the significant uncertainties of the interpretation and implementation of certain regulatory requirements applicable to online education business. As of the date of this prospectus, online education institutions are not explicitly required to obtain the License for Online Transmission of Audio-Visual Programs or the Permit for Production and Operation of Radio and TV Programs primarily because there are no implementation rules, explicit interpretation from government authorities or prevailing enforcement practice deeming internet education services as “internet audio-visual program” and “radio and television program” as defined in relevant rules and regulations promulgated by relevant government authorities. In addition, as of the date of this prospectus, there are no implementation rules, explicit interpretation from government authorities or prevailing enforcement practice deeming the provision of our educational content to our students through our online platform as “online publishing” which requires an Online Publishing Service Permit. See “Regulation.” However, there is no assurance that local PRC authorities will not adopt different enforcement practice, or any PRC government will not issue more explicit interpretation and rules or promulgate new laws and regulations from time to time to further regulate the online education industry, which may subject us to additional licensing requirements to continue to operate our business. We also print and provide physical education materials to our students. If the government authorities deem such activities as “publication distribution” under Administrative Provisions on the Publications Market, we may be required to obtain the Publication Operation License and failure to obtain such license may subject us to fines and we may be ordered by the competent government authorities to suspend printing and providing such offline educational materials to our students, which will materially and adversely affect our business operation. See “Regulation—Regulation Related to Publication Distribution.” As of the date of this prospectus, no material fines or other penalties have been imposed on us for failure to obtain such additional licenses, permits or recordation, including, among other things, License for Online Transmission of Audio-Visual Programs, Permit for Production and Operation of Radio and TV Programs, Online Publishing Services Permit and Publication Operation License.

There can be no assurance that once required, we will be able to obtain all the required approvals, licenses, permits and complete all necessary filings, recordations renewals and registrations on a timely basis for our online education services, given the significant amount of discretion the PRC authorities may have in interpreting, implementing and enforcing relevant rules and regulations, as well as other factors beyond our control and anticipation. If we fail to obtain required permits in a timely manner or obtain or renew any permits and certificates, or fail to complete the necessary filings, recordations renewals or registrations on a timely basis, we may be subject to fines, confiscation of the gains derived from our non-compliant operations, suspension of our non-compliant operations or claims for compensation of any economic loss suffered by our students or other relevant parties.

 

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We may not be able to maintain or increase our course fee level.

Our results of operations are affected by the pricing of our education services. We determine our course fees primarily based on the demand for our educational programs, the cost of our operations, the course fees charged by our competitors, our pricing strategy to gain market share and general economic conditions in the PRC. We believe our high quality course offerings have enabled us to charge above-market course fees. Although we charge premium course fees for our courses compared with our competitors, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to maintain or increase our course fee in the future without adversely affecting the demand for our education services.

Refunds or potential refund disputes of our course fees may negatively affect our cash flows, financial condition, and reputation.

For our online courses, we offer refunds for any remaining classes in a course to students who withdraw from the course. The refund is equal to the amount related to the undelivered classes. The number of refund requests and the amount of refunds could be affected by a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control. These factors include, without limitation to, student dissatisfaction with our teaching quality and our education content offerings, privacy concerns relating to our online platforms, negative publicity regarding us or online education in general, and any change or development in PRC laws and regulations with respect to fees and tuitions charged by online education service providers like us. Any refund payments that we may be required to make to our students, as well as the expenses we could incur for processing refunds and resolving refund disputes, could be substantial and could adversely affect our business operations and financial condition. A high volume of refunds and refund disputes may also generate negative publicity that could harm our reputation.

Any significant disruption to or failures of our information technology systems, including events beyond our control, could reduce student satisfaction and could harm our reputation and cause our education services to be less attractive to our students.

The performance and reliability of our information technology system is critical to our operations and reputation. Our network infrastructure is currently deployed and our data is currently mainly maintained through a third-party cloud computing service provider in China. Our operations depend on the service provider’s ability to protect its and our system in its facilities against events such as damage or interruption from natural disasters, power or telecommunications failures, air quality issues, environmental conditions, computer viruses or attempts to harm our systems, criminal acts and similar events, which events are beyond our control. If our arrangement with such service provider is terminated or if there is a lapse of service or damage to their facilities, we could experience interruptions in our service. Any interruptions in the accessibility of or deterioration it the quality of access to our system could reduce students’ satisfaction and result in reduction in the number of students using our services, which would reduce the attractiveness of our education content offering services. We have experienced a system outage in 2017 caused by the IT issue encountered by our third-party cloud computing service provider, resulting in the deterioration in the quality of access to, and interruption of access to our system for about half an hour. No students have claimed damages for such system outage. Although we have reported the issue to the service provider in a timely basis, and the service provider and us each has optimized its system, we cannot assure you that similar issues will not happen in the future.

In addition, we rely on third-party mobile app distribution channels, such as Apple’s App Store and Android application stores, to distribute our mobile apps to students. As such, the promotion, distribution and operation of our mobile apps are subject to such distribution channels’ standard terms and policies for app developers, which are subject to the interpretation of, and frequent changes by, these distribution channels. For example, our mobile app, Genshuixue, was temporarily removed from Apple’s App Store for two days in September 2019. We promptly implemented the required measures to meet Apple’s requirements for in app purchases and reinstated our Genshuixue app downloads from Apple’s App Store. If Apple’s App Store or any other major distribution channel interprets or changes its standard terms and conditions in a manner that is detrimental to us in the future, or terminate its existing relationship with us, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

 

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If we fail to adopt new technologies that are important to our business, in particular the technology upgrade related to live broadcasting, our competitive position and ability to generate revenues may be materially and adversely affected.

The technology used in internet and value-added telecommunications services in general, and in online education services in particular, may evolve and change over time. As a technology-driven education company, we must anticipate and adapt to such technological changes, in particular the technology upgrade related to live broadcasting, and adopt new technologies in a timely fashion. If we fail to do so, our market share and our business development could suffer, which in turn would have a material and adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. If we are unsuccessful in addressing any of the risks relating to failure to adopt new technologies, our business may be materially and adversely affected.

Our failure to protect our intellectual property rights may undermine our competitive position, and litigation to protect our intellectual property rights or defend against third-party allegations of infringement may be costly and ineffective.

We believe that our copyrights, trademarks and other intellectual property are essential to our success. We have devoted considerable time and energy to the development and improvement of our websites, mobile apps, our system infrastructure and our course materials.

We rely primarily on copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets and other contractual restrictions for the protection of the intellectual property used in our business. Nevertheless, these provide only limited protection and the actions we take to protect our intellectual property rights may not be adequate. Our trade secrets may become known or be independently discovered by our competitors. Third parties may in the future pirate our course materials and may infringe upon or misappropriate our other intellectual property. Infringement upon or the misappropriation of, our proprietary technologies or other intellectual property could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Although we have taken measures to monitoring and policing the unauthorized use of our copyrighted course materials, policing the unauthorized use of intellectual property rights can be difficult and expensive. In addition, we and our instructors whom we have signed exclusive contracts with and engage in content development may be deemed to have joint ownership over intellectual properties relating to our course content. Our instructors may continue to use these course content if they resign with us and join our competitors, which may negatively impact the attractiveness of our courses to prospective students and parents. Although we have entered into agreements with certain instructors to prohibit them from using our course content without our prior consent, we cannot ensure compliance of instructors with such agreement.

Also, litigation may be necessary to enforce our intellectual property rights, protect our trade secrets or determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others. Such litigation may be costly and divert management’s attention away from our business. An adverse determination in any such litigation would impair our intellectual property rights and may harm our business, prospects and reputation. Enforcement of judgments in China is uncertain, and even if we are successful in litigation, it may not provide us with an effective remedy. In addition, we have no insurance coverage against litigation costs and would have to bear all costs arising from such litigation to the extent we are unable to recover them from other parties. The occurrence of any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may be involved in legal and other disputes from time to time arising out of our operations, in particular for allegations relating to our infringement of intellectual property rights of third parties.

We have and may continue to be involved in legal and other disputes in the ordinary courses of our business, including allegations against us for potential infringement of third-party’s copyrights or other intellectual property rights. For example, we have been, and are now subject to allegations on the grounds of intellectual property rights infringement and other legal theories based on the content of the materials that we or our teaching staff distribute or use in our business operation. We may encounter disputes from time to time over

 

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rights and obligations concerning intellectual property rights and other legal rights, in particular third-party’s copyrights that may be infringed by us or our teaching staff in our business operation, and we may not prevail in those disputes.

Any claims against us, with or without merit, could be time consuming and costly to defend or litigate, divert our management’s attention and resources or result in the loss of goodwill associated with our brand. If a lawsuit against us is successful, we may be required to pay substantial damages and/or enter into royalty or license agreements that may not be based upon commercially reasonable terms, or we may be unable to enter into such agreements at all. We may also lose, or be limited in, the rights to offer some of our programs, parts of our platform and products or be required to make changes to our course materials or websites. As a result, the scope of our course materials could be reduced, which could adversely affect the effectiveness of our curriculum, limit our ability to attract new students, harm our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

If our security measures are breached or failed and result in unauthorized disclosure or unintended leakage of data, we could lose existing students, fail to attract new students and be exposed to protracted and costly litigation.

Maintaining platform security is of critical importance to us because we store and transmits proprietary and confidential information, which includes proprietary and confidential student, parent and teaching staff information, such as names, addresses, ID card number, bank account number and other personal information, which is primarily stored in our digital database. To ensure the confidentiality and integrity of our data, we maintain a comprehensive and rigorous data security program. For example, we anonymize and encrypt confidential personal information and take other technological measures to ensure the secure processing, transmission and usage of data. See “Business—Data Privacy and Security.” These measures, however, may not be as effective as we anticipate. If our security measures are breached or fail and result in unauthorized disclosure or unintended leakage of data, third parties may receive or be able to access student, parent, teaching staff and other records, which could subject us to liabilities, interrupt our business and adversely impact our reputation. Furthermore, we currently face certain legal obligations regarding the manner in which we treat such information. Increased regulation of data utilization practices, including self-regulation or findings under existing laws that limit our ability to collect, transfer and use data, could have an adverse effect on our business. If we were to disclose data about our students, parents and teaching staff in a manner that was objectionable to them, our business reputation could be adversely affected, and we could face potential legal claims that could impact our operating results. Failure to comply with these obligations could subject us to liability, and to the extent that we need to alter our business model or practices to adapt to these obligations, we could incur additional expenses.

Any of these issues could harm our reputation, adversely affect our ability to attract and enroll prospective students, cause prospective students not to enroll or stay enrolled, or subject us to third-party lawsuits, regulatory fines or other action or liability. Further, any reputational damage resulting from breach of our security measures could create distrust of our company by prospective students or investors. We may be required to expend significant additional resources to protect us against the threat of security measures breaches or to alleviate problems caused by such disruptions or breaches.

Our advertising content may subject us to penalties and other administrative actions.

Under PRC advertising laws and regulations, we are obligated to monitor our advertising content to ensure that such content is true and accurate and in full compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Violation of these laws and regulations may subject us to penalties, including fines, confiscation of our advertising income, orders to cease dissemination of the advertisements and orders to publish an announcement correcting the misleading information. In circumstances involving serious violations by us, PRC governmental authorities may force us to terminate our advertising operations or revoke our licenses. See “Regulation—Regulation Related to Advertising.”

 

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While we have made significant efforts to ensure that our advertisements are in full compliance with applicable PRC laws and regulations, we cannot assure you that all the content contained in such advertisements is true and accurate as required by the advertising laws and regulations, especially given the uncertainty in the interpretation of these PRC laws and regulations. If we are found to be in violation of applicable PRC advertising laws and regulations, we may be subject to penalties and our reputation may be harmed, which may negatively affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Failure to adequately and promptly respond to changes in examination systems, admission standards, test materials, teaching methods and regulation changes in the PRC could render our courses and services less attractive to students.

In China, school admissions rely heavily on examination results, and students’ performance in these exams is critical to their education and future employment prospects. It is therefore common for students to take after-school tutoring classes to improve their test performance, and the success of our business to a large extent depends on the continued use of entrance exams or tests by schools in their admissions. However, such heavy emphasis on examination scores may decline or fall out of favor with educational institutions or government authorities in China.

Admission and assessment processes undergo continuous changes, in terms of subject and skill focus, question type, examination format and the manner in which the processes are administered. We are therefore required to continually update and enhance our curricula, course materials and teaching methods. Any failure to respond to the changes in a timely and cost-effective manner will adversely impact the marketability of our services and products, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Regulations and policies that decrease the weight of scholastic competition achievements in the admissions process mandated by government authorities or adopted by schools may have an impact on our enrollments. For example, the MOE issued certain implementation guidelines in January 2014 to clarify that local educational administrative departments at all levels, public schools and private schools are not allowed to use examinations to select their students for admission to middle schools from primary schools. Public schools may not use various competitions or examination certificates as the criteria or basis for enrollment. Failure to track and respond to these changes in a timely and cost-effective manner would render our courses, services and products less attractive to students, which may materially and adversely affect our reputation and ability to continue to attract students.

We may not be able to timely develop our education content offerings in a cost-effective manner to make them appealing to existing and prospective students, or at all.

Our educational content development team work closely with our instructors on developing, updating and improving our course materials to stay abreast of the latest educational trends in their respective subject areas. The adjustments, updates and expansions of our existing education content offerings and the development of new course materials may not be accepted by existing or prospective students. Even if we are able to develop acceptable new course materials, we may not be able to introduce them as quickly as students require or as quickly as our competitors introduce competing offerings. Furthermore, offering new courses materials or upgrading existing ones may require us to commit significant resources and make significant investments in educational content development. If we are unsuccessful in pursuing educational content development and upgrading opportunities due to the financial constraints, failure to attract educational content development professionals or qualified instructors, or other factors, our ability to attract and retain students could be impaired and our financial results could suffer.

 

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We cannot assure you that we will not be subject to liability claims for any inappropriate or illegal content in our education content offerings, which could cause us to incur legal costs and damages our reputation.

We implement strict monitoring procedures to remove inappropriate or illegal content. However, we cannot assure you that there will be no inappropriate or illegal materials included in our education contents. In addition, our quiz questions designed internally based on our understanding of the relevant examination requirements may be investigated by the regulatory authorities. Therefore, we may face civil, administrative or criminal liability if an individual or corporate, governmental or other entity believes that our education content offering violates any laws, regulations or governmental policies or infringes upon its legal rights. Even if such a claim were not successful, defending such a claim may cause us to incur substantial costs. Moreover, any accusation of inappropriate or illegal content in our education content offerings could lead to significant negative publicity, which could harm our reputation and future business prospects.

The recognition of our brand may be adversely affected by any negative publicity concerning us and our business, shareholders, affiliates, directors, officers, teaching staff and other employees, as well as the industry in which we operate, regardless of its accuracy, that could harm our reputation and business.

We believe that the market recognition of our brand has significantly contributed to the success of our business and that maintaining and enhancing our brand recognition is critical to sustaining our competitive advantages. Negative publicity about us and our business, shareholders, affiliates, directors, officers, teaching staff and other employees, as well as the industry in which we operate, can harm the recognition of our brand. For instance, Mr. Xin Fan, our independent director, was named as a co-defendant in an ongoing securities class action lawsuit against UP Fintech Holdings Limited. The action remains in its preliminary stages and no conclusive judicial decision has been made with respect to this lawsuit. Negative publicity, regardless of merits, could be related to a wide variety of matters, including but not limited to:

 

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alleged misconduct or other improper activities committed by our students or our directors, officers, teaching staff and other employees, including misrepresentation made by our employees to potential students during sales and marketing activities, and other fraudulent activities to artificially inflate the popularity of our services or course offerings;

 

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false or malicious allegations or rumors about us or our directors, shareholders, affiliates, officers, and teaching staff and other employees;

 

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complaints by our students about our education services and sales and marketing activities;

 

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refund disputes of course fees between us and our students or administrative penalties;

 

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employment-related claims relating to alleged employment discrimination, wage and hour violations;

 

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governmental and regulatory investigations or penalties resulting from our failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations; and

 

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governmental or regulatory penalties imposed on our shareholders for any misconduct, whether or not it involves us or our business operations.

In addition to traditional media, there has been an increasing use of social media platforms and similar devices in China, including instant messaging applications, social media websites and other forms of internet-based communications that provide individuals with access to a broad audience of consumers and other interested persons. The availability of information on instant messaging applications and social media platforms is virtually immediate as is its impact without affording us an opportunity for redress or correction. The opportunity for dissemination of information, including inaccurate information, is seemingly limitless and readily available. Information concerning our company, shareholders, affiliates, directors, officers, teaching staff and other employees, may be posted on such platforms at any time. The risks associated with any such negative publicity or incorrect information cannot be completely eliminated or mitigated and may materially harm the recognition of our brand, our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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If our senior management and other key personnel is unable to work together effectively or efficiently or if we lose their services, our business may be severely affected.

The continued services of our senior management and other key personnel is important to our continued success. In particular, we rely on the expertise and experience of Mr. Larry Xiangdong Chen, our founder, chairman and CEO. We also rely on the experience and services from other senior management. If they cannot work together effectively or efficiently, our business may be severely disrupted. If one or more of our senior management were unable or unwilling to continue in their present positions, we might not be able to replace them easily or at all, and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. If any of our senior management joins a competitor or forms a competing business, we may lose students, teaching staff, and other key professionals and staff members. Our senior management has entered into employment agreements with us which contain confidentiality clauses, as well as standalone confidentiality and non-compete agreements. However, if any dispute arises between our senior management and us, we may have to incur substantial costs and expenses in order to enforce such agreements in China or we may be unable to enforce them at all.

We are subject to third-party payment processing-related risks.

We accept payments through major third-party online payment channels in China, as well as bank transfers for our customers. We may also be susceptible to fraud, user data leakage and other illegal activities in connection with the various payment methods we offer. In addition, our business depends on the billing, payment and escrow systems of the third-party payment service providers to maintain accurate records of payments by customers and collect such payments. If the quality, utility, convenience or attractiveness of these payment processing and escrow services declines, or if we have to change the pattern of using these payment services for any reason, the attractiveness of our company could be materially and adversely affected. We are also subject to various rules, regulations and requirements, regulatory or otherwise, governing electronic funds transfers which could change or be reinterpreted to make it difficult or impossible for us to comply. If we fail to comply with these rules or requirements, we may be subject to fines and higher transaction fees and become unable to accept the current online payments solutions from our customers, and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. Business involving online payment services is subject to a number of risks that could materially and adversely affect third-party online payment service providers’ ability to provide payment processing and escrow services to us, including:

 

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dissatisfaction with these online payment services or decreased use of their services;

 

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increasing competition, including from other established Chinese internet companies, payment service providers and companies engaged in other financial technology services;

 

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changes to rules or practices applicable to payment systems that link to third-party online payment service providers;

 

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breach of customers’ personal information and concerns over the use and security of information collected from buyers;

 

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service outages, system failures or failures to effectively scale the system to handle large and growing transaction volumes;

 

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increasing costs to third-party online payment service providers, including fees charged by banks to process transactions through online payment channels, which would also increase our costs of revenues; and

 

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failure to manage funds accurately or loss of funds, whether due to employee fraud, security breaches, technical errors or otherwise.

 

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Our brand image, business and results of operations may be adversely impacted by students and employees’ misconduct, improper activities and misuse of our platform, many of which are beyond our control.

We allow teaching staff to engage in real-time communication with our students. Our courses undergo multiple rounds of internal review and pilot testing before being broadly released. Our tutors and quality assurance team monitor our live courses, chat messages and other content on our platform to ensure that we are able to identify content that may be deemed inappropriate or violation of laws, regulations and government policies. When any inappropriate or illegal content is identified, we promptly remove the content. However, since we have limited control over the real-time and offline behavior of our students, teaching staff, to the extent any improper behavior is associated with our platforms, our ability to protect our brand image and reputation may be limited. In addition, if any of our students, teaching staff suffer or allege to have suffered physical, financial or emotional harm following contact initiated on our platform, we may face civil lawsuits or other liabilities initiated by the affected student, teaching staff, or governmental or regulatory actions against us. In response to allegations of illegal or inappropriate activities conducted on our platform or any negative media coverage about us, PRC governmental authorities may intervene and hold us liable for non-compliance with PRC laws and regulations concerning the dissemination of information on the internet and subject us to administrative penalties or other sanctions, such as requiring us to restrict or discontinue some of the features and services provided on our platform. As a result, our business may suffer and our brand image, student base, results of operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.

We are exposed to the risk of other types of employee fraud or other misconduct. Other types of employee misconduct include intentionally failing to comply government regulations, engaging in unauthorized activities and misrepresentation to our prospective students during marketing activities, which could harm our reputation. It is not always possible to deter employee misconduct, and the precautions we take to prevent and detect this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses, which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may not be able to achieve the benefits we expect from recent and future investments and acquisitions.

We have made and may continue to make equity investments or acquisition in additional businesses that complement our existing business. We may not be able to successfully integrate acquired businesses and we may not have control over the businesses or operations of our minority equity investments, the value of which may decline over time. As a result, our business and results of operations could be harmed. In addition, if the businesses we acquire or invest in do not subsequently generate the anticipated financial performance or if any goodwill impairment test triggering event occurs, we may need to revalue or write down the value of goodwill and other intangible assets in connection with such acquisitions or investments, which would harm our results of operations. In addition, we may be unable to identify appropriate acquisition or strategic investment targets when it is necessary or desirable to make such acquisition or investment to remain competitive or to expand our business. Even if we identify an appropriate acquisition or investment target, we may not be able to negotiate the terms of the acquisition or investment successfully, finance the proposed transaction or integrate the relevant businesses into our existing business and operations. Furthermore, as we often do not have control over the companies in which we only have minority stake, we cannot ensure that these companies will always comply with applicable laws and regulations in their business operations. Material non-compliance by our investees may cause substantial harms to our reputations and the value of our investment.

Our results of operations are subject to seasonal fluctuations.

Seasonal fluctuations have affected, and are likely to affect our business in the future. Historically, we typically generate the highest growth in net revenues in the second and fourth quarters because of the increased paid course enrollments during summer vacation and beginning of the fall semester. Overall, the historical seasonality of our business has been relatively mild due to our rapid growth but seasonality may increase in the

 

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future. Due to our limited operating history, the seasonal trends that we have experienced in the past may not be indicative of our future operating results. Our financial condition and results of operations for future periods may continue to fluctuate. As a result, the trading price of our ADSs may fluctuate from time to time due to seasonality.

We have granted, and expect to continue to grant, share-based awards under our share incentive plan, which may result in increased share-based compensation expenses.

We have granted options and restricted share units, and recorded RMB1.0 million and RMB2.3 million (US$0.3 million) in 2017 and 2018, respectively, and RMB1.3 million and RMB36.9 million (US$5.2 million) in the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2019, respectively, in share-based compensation expenses in relation to such share-based award grants. We expect to continue to grant awards under our share incentive plan, which we believe is of significant importance to our ability to attract and retain key personnel and employees. As a result, our expenses associated with share-based compensation may increase, which may have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

If we cannot maintain our corporate culture as we grow, we could lose the innovation, collaboration and focus that contribute to our business.

We believe that a critical component of our success is our corporate culture, which fosters innovations and has roots in a deep understanding of our students and the evolving education industry in China. As we continue to expand and grow our business, we may find it difficult to maintain these valuable aspects of our corporate culture. Any failure to preserve our culture could undermine our reputation in the marketplace and negatively impact our ability to attract and retain employees and students, which would in turn jeopardize our future success.

We face risks related to natural and other disasters, including severe weather conditions or outbreaks of health epidemics, and other extraordinary events, which could significantly disrupt our operations.

China has in the past experienced significant natural disasters, including earthquakes, extreme weather conditions, as well as health scares related to epidemic diseases, and any similar event could materially impact our business in the future. If a disaster or other disruption were to occur in the future that affects the regions where we operate our business, our operations could be materially and adversely affected due to loss of personnel and damages to property.

In addition, our business could be affected by public health epidemics, such as the outbreak of avian influenza, severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, Zika virus, Ebola virus or other disease. If any of our employees is suspected of having contracted a contagious disease, we may be required to apply quarantines or suspend our operations. Furthermore, any future outbreak may restrict economic activities in affected regions, resulting in reduced business volume, temporary closure of our offices or otherwise disrupt our business operations and adversely affect our results of operations.

We currently do not have any business insurance coverage.

Insurance companies in China currently do not offer as extensive an array of insurance products as insurance companies in more developed economies. We do not maintain any liability insurance or property insurance policies covering students, equipment and facilities for injuries, death or losses due to fire, earthquake, flood or any other disaster. Consistent with customary industry practice in China, we do not maintain business interruption insurance, nor do we maintain key-man life insurance. We have determined that the costs of insuring for these risks and the difficulties associated with acquiring such insurance on commercially reasonable terms make it impractical for us to have such insurance. Any uninsured business disruptions may result in our incurring substantial costs and the diversion of resources, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

 

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In connection with the audits of our consolidated financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2018, we and our independent registered public accounting firm identified one material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. If we fail to develop and maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may be unable to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud.

In connection with the auditing of our consolidated financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2018, we and our independent registered public accounting firm identified one material weakness as well as other control deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting. As defined in the standards established by the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or PCAOB, a “material weakness” is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. One material weakness that has been identified related to our lack of comprehensive accounting policies and procedures manual in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We have implemented and are continuing to implement a number of measures to remedy this material weakness and the other control deficiencies.

Neither we nor our independent registered public accounting firm undertook a comprehensive assessment of our internal control for purposes of identifying and reporting material weaknesses and other control deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting. Had we performed a formal assessment of our internal control over financial reporting or had our independent registered public accounting firm performed an audit of our internal control over financial reporting in order to satisfy the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, additional deficiencies may have been identified.

Following the identification of the material weakness and other control deficiencies, we have taken measures and plan to continue to take remedial measures. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Internal Control over Financial Reporting.” However, the implementation of these measures may not fully address these weakness and deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting, and we cannot conclude that they have been fully remedied. Our failure to correct these weakness and deficiencies or our failure to discover and address any other weakness and deficiencies could result in inaccuracies in our financial statements and impair our ability to comply with applicable financial reporting requirements and related regulatory filings on a timely basis. Moreover, ineffective internal control over financial reporting could significantly hinder our ability to prevent fraud.

Since our initial public offering, we have become subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we include a report from management on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting in our annual report on Form 20-F beginning with our annual report for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2020. In addition, once we cease to be an “emerging growth company” as such term is defined in the JOBS Act, our independent registered public accounting firm must attest to and report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Our management may conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is not effective. Moreover, even if our management concludes that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, our independent registered public accounting firm, after conducting its own independent testing, may issue a report that is qualified if it is not satisfied with our internal controls or the level at which our controls are documented, designed, operated or reviewed, or if it interprets the relevant requirements differently from us. In addition, as a public company, our reporting obligations may place a significant strain on our management, operational and financial resources and systems for the foreseeable future. We may be unable to timely complete our evaluation testing and any required remediation.

During the course of documenting and testing our internal control procedures, in order to satisfy the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, we may identify weaknesses and deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting. In addition, if we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting, as these standards are modified supplemented or amended from time to time, we may not be able to conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal control over financial reporting

 

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in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Generally, if we fail to achieve and maintain an effective internal control environment, we could suffer material misstatements in our financial statements and fail to meet our reporting obligations, which would likely cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information. This could in turn limit our access to capital markets, harm our results of operations, and lead to a decline in the trading price of our ADSs. Additionally, ineffective internal control over financial reporting could expose us to increased risk of fraud or misuse of corporate assets and subject us to potential delisting from the stock exchange on which we list, regulatory investigations and civil or criminal sanctions.

The audit report included in this prospectus is prepared by auditor who is not inspected by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, and, as such, you are deprived of the benefits of such inspection.

Our independent registered public accounting firm that issues the audit report included in our prospectus filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, as auditors of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or the PCAOB, is required by the laws of the United States to undergo regular inspections by the PCAOB to assess its compliance with the laws of the United States and professional standards.

Because we have substantial operations within the PRC and the PCAOB is currently unable to conduct inspections of the work of our independent registered public accounting firm as it relates to those operations without the approval of the Chinese authorities, our independent registered public accounting firm is not currently inspected fully by the PCAOB. This lack of PCAOB inspections in the PRC prevents the PCAOB from regularly evaluating our independent registered public accounting firm’s audits and its quality control procedures. As a result, investors may be deprived of the benefits of PCAOB inspections.

On May 24, 2013, PCAOB announced that it had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding on Enforcement Cooperation with the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, and the Ministry of Finance which establishes a cooperative framework between the parties for the production and exchange of audit documents relevant to investigations in the United States and China. On inspection, it appears that the PCAOB continues to be in discussions with the Mainland China regulators to permit inspections of audit firms that are registered with PCAOB in relation to the audit of Chinese companies that trade on U.S. exchanges. On December 7, 2018, the SEC and the PCAOB issued a joint statement highlighting continued challenges faced by the U.S. regulators in their oversight of financial statement audits of U.S.-listed companies with significant operations in China. The joint statement reflects a heightened interest in this issue. However, it remains unclear what further actions the SEC and PCAOB will take and its impact on Chinese companies listed in the U.S.

Inspections of other firms that the PCAOB has conducted outside the PRC have identified deficiencies in those firms’ audit procedures and quality control procedures, which may be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. The inability of the PCAOB to conduct full inspections of auditors in the PRC makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our independent registered public accounting firm’s audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of the PRC that are subject to PCAOB inspections. Investors may lose confidence in our reported financial information and procedures and the quality of our financial statements.

As part of a continued regulatory focus in the United States on access to audit and other information currently protected by national law, in particular China’s, in June 2019, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced bills in both houses of the U.S. Congress that would require the SEC to maintain a list of issuers for which PCAOB is not able to inspect or investigate an auditor report issued by a foreign public accounting firm. The Ensuring Quality Information and Transparency for Abroad-Based Listings on our Exchanges (EQUITABLE) Act prescribes increased disclosure requirements for these issuers and, beginning in 2025, the delisting from U.S. national securities exchanges such as the New York Stock Exchange of issuers included on the SEC’s list for three consecutive years. Enactment of this legislation or other efforts to increase U.S. regulatory access to audit information could cause investor uncertainty for affected issuers, including us, and the market price of our ADSs could be adversely affected. It is unclear if this proposed legislation would be enacted.

 

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Furthermore, there have been recent media reports on deliberations within the U.S. government regarding potentially limiting or restricting China-based companies from accessing U.S. capital markets. If any such deliberations were to materialize, the resulting legislation may have material and adverse impact on the stock performance of China-based issuers listed in the U.S.

Proceedings instituted by the SEC against Chinese affiliates of the “big four” accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm, could result in financial statements being determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act.

In late 2012, the SEC commenced administrative proceedings under Rule 102(e) of its Rules of Practice and also under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 against the mainland Chinese affiliates of the “big four” accounting firms (including our independent registered public accounting firm). A first instance trial of the proceedings in July 2013 in the SEC’s internal administrative court resulted in an adverse judgment against the firms. The administrative law judge proposed penalties on the Chinese accounting firms including a temporary suspension of their right to practice before the SEC, although that proposed penalty did not take effect pending review by the Commissioners of the SEC. On February 6, 2015, before a review by the Commissioner had taken place, the Chinese accounting firms reached a settlement with the SEC whereby the proceedings were stayed. Under the settlement, the SEC accepted that future requests by the SEC for the production of documents would normally be made to the CSRC. The Chinese accounting firms would receive requests matching those under Section 106 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, and would be required to abide by a detailed set of procedures with respect to such requests, which in substance require them to facilitate production via the CSRC. The CSRC for its part initiated a procedure whereby, under its supervision and subject to its approval, requested classes of documents held by the accounting firms could be sanitized of problematic and sensitive content so as to render them capable of being made available by the CSRC to US regulators.

Under the terms of the settlement, the underlying proceeding against the four PRC-based accounting firms was deemed dismissed with prejudice at the end of four years starting from the settlement date, which was on February 6, 2019. Despite the final ending of the proceedings, the presumption is that all parties will continue to apply the same procedures, where the SEC will continue to make its requests for the production of documents to the CSRC, and the CSRC will normally process those requests applying the sanitization procedure. We cannot predict whether, in cases where the CSRC does not authorize production of requested documents to the SEC, the SEC will further challenge the four PRC-based accounting firms’ compliance with U.S. law. If additional challenges are imposed on the Chinese affiliates of the “big four” accounting firms, we could be unable to timely file future financial statements in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act.

In the event that the SEC restarts the administrative proceedings, depending upon the final outcome listed companies in the United States with major PRC operations may find it difficult or impossible to retain auditors in respect of their operations in the PRC, which could result in financial statements being determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, including possible delisting. Moreover, any negative news about any such future proceedings against these accounting firms may cause investor uncertainty regarding China-based, United States-listed companies and the market price of our ADSs may be adversely affected.

If the Chinese affiliate of our independent registered public accounting firm were denied, even temporarily, the ability to practice before the SEC and we were unable to timely find another registered public accounting firm to audit and issue an opinion on our financial statements, our financial statements could be determined not to be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act. Such a determination could ultimately lead to the delisting of the ADSs from the New York Stock Exchange or deregistration from the SEC, or both, which would substantially reduce or effectively terminate the trading of our ADSs in the United States.

Increases in labor costs in the PRC may adversely affect our business and results of operations.

The currently effective PRC Labor Contract Law was taking effect from January 1, 2008 and later amended on December 28, 2012. The PRC Labor Contract Law has reinforced the protection of employees who, under the PRC Labor Contract Law, have the right, among others, to have written labor contracts, to enter into labor

 

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contracts with no fixed term under certain circumstances, to receive overtime wages and to terminate or alter terms in labor contracts. Furthermore, the PRC Labor Contract Law sets forth additional restrictions and increases the costs involved with dismissing employees. To the extent that we need to significantly reduce our workforce, the PRC Labor Contract Law could adversely affect our ability to do so in a timely and cost-effective manner, and our results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our operations depend on the performance of the internet infrastructure and telecommunications networks in China.

The successful operation of our business depends on the performance of the internet infrastructure and telecommunications networks in China. Almost all access to the internet is maintained through state-owned telecommunications operators under the administrative control and regulatory supervision of the MIIT. Moreover, we have entered into contracts with various subsidiaries of a limited number of telecommunications service providers at provincial level and rely on them to provide us with data communications capacity through local telecommunications lines. We have limited access to alternative networks or services in the event of disruptions, failures or other problems with China’s internet infrastructure or the telecommunications networks provided by telecommunications service providers. We regularly serve a large number of students. With the expansion of our business, we may be required to upgrade our technology and infrastructure to keep up with the increasing traffic on our online platform. However, we have no control over the costs of the services provided by telecommunications service providers. If the prices we pay for telecommunications and internet services rise significantly, our results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. If internet access fees or other charges to internet users increase, our user traffic may decline and our business may be harmed.

Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure

If the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for operating certain of our operations in China do not comply with PRC regulations relating to the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations.

Foreign ownership in entities that provide value-added telecommunication services (except for e-commerce, domestic multi-party communications, store-and-forward and call center), such as provision of internet video, is subject to restrictions under current PRC laws and regulations. Specifically, foreign ownership of an internet information service provider may not exceed 50%, and the major foreign investor is required to have a record of good performance and operating experience in managing value-added telecommunications business. We are a company registered in the Cayman Islands. Beijing Lexuebang is our PRC subsidiary and a foreign-invested enterprise under PRC laws. To comply with PRC laws and regulations, we conduct our business in China primarily through Beijing BaiJiaHuLian, our consolidated variable interest entity, or our VIE, and its subsidiaries, based on a series of contractual arrangements by and among Beijing Lexuebang, our VIE and its shareholders. For a description of these contractual arrangements, see “Corporate History and Structure.” As a result of these contractual arrangements, we exert control over our VIE and consolidate financial results of our VIE and its subsidiaries in our financial statements under U.S. GAAP. Our VIE holds the licenses, approvals and key assets that are essential for our operations.

In the opinion of our PRC counsel, Tian Yuan Law Firm, (i) the ownership structure of our VIE and Beijing Lexuebang in China does not result in any violation of PRC laws and regulations currently in effect; and (ii) the contractual arrangements among Beijing Lexuebang, our VIE and its shareholders governed by PRC law will not result in any violation of PRC laws or regulations currently in effect. However, we have been further advised by our PRC counsel that there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current or future PRC laws and regulations. Thus, the PRC government may ultimately take a view contrary to the opinion of our PRC counsel. If the PRC government otherwise find that we are in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations or lack the necessary permits or licenses to operate our business, the relevant governmental authorities would have broad discretion in dealing with such violation, including, without limitation:

 

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revoking the business licenses and/or operating licenses of such entities;

 

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imposing fines on us;

 

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confiscating any of our income that they deem to be obtained through illegal operations;

 

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discontinuing or placing restrictions or onerous conditions on our operations;

 

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placing restrictions on our right to collect revenues; and

 

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shutting down our servers or blocking our app/websites.

Any of these events could cause significant disruption to our business operations and severely damage our reputation, which would in turn materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. If occurrences of any of these events results in our inability to direct the activities of our VIE in China that most significantly impact its economic performance, and/or our failure to receive the economic benefits from our consolidated variable interest entity, we may not be able to consolidate its financial results in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

We rely on contractual arrangements with our VIE and its shareholders for our business operations, which may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing operational control.

We have relied and expect to continue to rely on contractual arrangements with our VIE, and its shareholders to operate our business in China. These contractual arrangements may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing us with control over our VIE. For example, our VIE and its shareholders could breach their contractual arrangements with us by, among other things, failing to conduct the operations of our VIE in an acceptable manner or taking other actions that are detrimental to our interests.

If we had direct ownership of our VIE in China, we would be able to exercise our rights as a shareholder to effect changes in the board of directors of our VIE, which in turn could implement changes, subject to any applicable fiduciary obligations, at the management and operational level. However, under the current contractual arrangements, we rely on the performance by our VIE and its shareholders of their obligations under the contracts to exercise control over our VIE. The shareholders of our VIE may not act in the best interests of our company or may not perform their obligations under these contracts. Such risks exist throughout the period in which we intend to operate certain portion of our business through the contractual arrangements with our VIE. If any dispute relating to these contracts remains unresolved, we will have to enforce our rights under these contracts through the operations of PRC law and arbitration, litigation and other legal proceedings and therefore will be subject to uncertainties in the PRC legal system. See “—Any failure by our VIE or its shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material and adverse effect on our business.” Therefore, our contractual arrangements with our VIE may not be as effective in ensuring our control over the relevant portion of our business operations as direct ownership would be.

Any failure by our VIE or its shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material and adverse effect on our business.

If our VIE or its shareholders fail to perform their respective obligations under the contractual arrangements, we may have to incur substantial costs and expend additional resources to enforce such arrangements. We may also have to rely on legal remedies under PRC law, including seeking specific performance or injunctive relief, and contractual remedies, which we cannot assure you will be sufficient or effective under PRC law. For example, if the shareholders of our VIE were to refuse to transfer their equity interests in our VIE to us or our designee if we exercise the purchase option pursuant to these contractual arrangements, or if they were otherwise to act in bad faith toward us, then we may have to take legal actions to compel them to perform their contractual obligations.

All the agreements under our contractual arrangements are governed by PRC law and provide for the resolution of disputes through arbitration in China. Accordingly, these contracts would be interpreted in accordance with PRC law and any disputes would be resolved in accordance with PRC legal procedures. The legal system in the PRC is not as developed as in some other jurisdictions, such as the United States. As a result,

 

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uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit our ability to enforce these contractual arrangements. Meanwhile, there are very few precedents and little formal guidance as to how contractual arrangements in the context of a consolidated variable interest entity should be interpreted or enforced under PRC law. There remain significant uncertainties regarding the ultimate outcome of such arbitration should legal action become necessary. In addition, under PRC law, rulings by arbitrators are final, parties cannot appeal the arbitration results in courts, and if the losing parties fail to carry out the arbitration awards within a prescribed time limit, the prevailing parties may only enforce the arbitration awards in PRC courts through arbitration award recognition proceedings, which would require additional expenses and delay. In the event we are unable to enforce these contractual arrangements, or if we suffer significant delay or other obstacles in the process of enforcing these contractual arrangements, we may not be able to exert effective control over our VIE, and our ability to conduct our business may be negatively affected. See “—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could adversely affect us.”

The shareholders of our VIE may have actual or potential conflicts of interest with us, which may materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition.

The shareholders of our VIE may have actual or potential conflicts of interest with us. These shareholders may breach, or cause our VIE to breach, or refuse to renew, the existing contractual arrangements we have with them and our VIE, which would have a material and adverse effect on our ability to effectively control our VIE and receive economic benefits from it. For example, the shareholders may be able to cause our agreements with our VIE to be performed in a manner adverse to us by, among other things, failing to remit payments due under the contractual arrangements to us on a timely basis. We cannot assure you that when conflicts of interest arise any or all of these shareholders will act in the best interests of our company or such conflicts will be resolved in our favor. Currently, we do not have any arrangements to address potential conflicts of interest between these shareholders and our company. If we cannot resolve any conflict of interest or dispute between us and these shareholders, we would have to rely on legal proceedings, which could result in disruption of our business and subject us to substantial uncertainty as to the outcome of any such legal proceedings.

Contractual arrangements in relation to our VIE may be subject to scrutiny by the PRC tax authorities and they may determine that we or our PRC consolidated variable interest entity owes additional taxes, which could negatively affect our financial condition and the value of your investment.

Under applicable PRC laws and regulations, arrangements and transactions among related parties may be subject to audit or challenge by the PRC tax authorities. We could face material and adverse tax consequences if the PRC tax authorities determine that the contractual arrangements in relation to our VIE, our consolidated variable interest entity, were not entered into on an arm’s length basis in such a way as to result in an impermissible reduction in taxes under applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations, and adjust income of our VIE in the form of a transfer pricing adjustment. A transfer pricing adjustment could, among other things, result in a reduction of expense deductions recorded by our VIE for PRC tax purposes, which could in turn increase its tax liabilities without reducing our PRC subsidiary’s tax expenses. In addition, the PRC tax authorities may impose late payment fees and other penalties on our VIE for the adjusted but unpaid taxes according to the applicable regulations. Our financial position could be materially and adversely affected if our VIE’s tax liabilities increase or if it is required to pay late payment fees and other penalties.

We may lose the ability to use and enjoy assets held by our VIE that are material to the operation of certain portion of our business if the entity goes bankrupt or becomes subject to a dissolution or liquidation proceeding.

As part of our contractual arrangements with our VIE, our VIE holds certain assets that are material to the operation of certain portion of our business, including permits, domain names and most of our IP rights. If our VIE goes bankrupt and all or part of its assets become subject to liens or rights of third-party creditors, we may be unable to continue some or all of our business activities, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Under the contractual arrangements, our VIE may not, in

 

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any manner, sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of its assets or legal or beneficial interests in the business without our prior consent. If our VIE undergoes a voluntary or involuntary liquidation proceeding, the independent third-party creditors may claim rights to some or all of these assets, thereby hindering our ability to operate our business, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Uncertainties exist with respect to the interpretation and implementation of the newly enacted Foreign Investment Law and its Draft Implementation Rules and how they may impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance, business, financial condition and results of operations.

On March 15, 2019, the National People’s Congress promulgated the Foreign Investment Law, which will come into effect on January 1, 2020 and replace the trio of existing laws regulating foreign investment in China, namely, the Sino-foreign Equity Joint Venture Enterprise Law, the Sino-foreign Cooperative Joint Venture Enterprise Law and the Wholly Foreign-invested Enterprise Law, together with their implementation rules and ancillary regulations. The Foreign Investment Law embodies an expected PRC regulatory trend to rationalize its foreign investment regulatory regime in line with prevailing international practice and the legislative efforts to unify the corporate legal requirements for both foreign and domestic investments. However, since it is relatively new, uncertainties still exist in relation to its interpretation and implementation, and failure to take timely and appropriate measures to cope with the regulatory-compliance challenges could result in material and adverse effect on us. For instance, though the Foreign Investment Law does not explicitly classify contractual arrangements as a form of foreign investment, it contains a catch-all provision under the definition of “foreign investment”, which includes investments made by foreign investors in China through means stipulated in laws or administrative regulations or other methods prescribed by the State Council. Therefore, it still leaves leeway for future laws, administrative regulations or provisions promulgated by the Stale Council to provide for contractual arrangements as a form of foreign investment, at which time it will be uncertain whether our contractual arrangements will be deemed to be in violation of the market access requirements for foreign investment in the PRC and if yes, how our contractual arrangements should be dealt with. In addition, if future laws, administrative regulations or provisions prescribed by the State Council mandate further actions to be taken by companies with respect to existing contractual arrangements, we may face substantial uncertainties as to whether we can complete such actions in a timely manner, or at all. In the worst-case scenario, we may be required to unwind our existing contractual arrangements and/or dispose of the relevant business operations, which could have a material and adverse effect on our current corporate structure, corporate governance, business, financial condition and results of operations. On November 1, 2019, MOJ published the Draft Implementation Rules of Foreign Investment Law to solicit public comments. Since the Draft Implementation Rules of Foreign Investment Law is still pending for public comments, substantial uncertainties exist with respect to whether the Draft Implementation Rules of Foreign Investment Law will be amended before enacted, and how the relevant government authorities would implement such rules in practice, which may incur additional costs for us to comply with such rules.

We may rely on dividends paid by our PRC subsidiary to fund cash and financing requirements. Any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiary to pay dividends to us could have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business and to pay dividends to holders of the ADSs and our ordinary shares.

We are a holding company, and we may rely on dividends to be paid by our PRC subsidiary for our cash and financing requirements, including the funds necessary to pay dividends and other cash distributions to the holders of the ADSs and our ordinary shares and service any debt we may incur. If our PRC subsidiary incurs debt on its own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict its ability to pay dividends or make other distributions to us.

Under PRC laws and regulations, wholly foreign-owned enterprises in the PRC, such as Beijing Lexuebang, may pay dividends only out of their accumulated profits as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, a wholly foreign-owned enterprise is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year, after making up previous years’ accumulated losses, if any, to fund certain statutory reserve funds, until the aggregate amount of such a fund reaches 50% of its registered capital. At the

 

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discretion of the board of directors of the wholly foreign-owned enterprise, it may allocate a portion of its after-tax profits based on PRC accounting standards to staff welfare and bonus funds. These reserve funds and staff welfare and bonus funds are not distributable as cash dividends. Any limitation on the ability of our wholly-owned PRC subsidiary to pay dividends or make other distributions to us could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our business, pay dividends, or otherwise fund and conduct our business.

Risks Related to Doing Business in China

Changes in China’s economic, political or social conditions or government policies could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.

Our revenues are all sourced from China. Accordingly, our results of operations, financial condition and prospects are influenced by economic, political and legal developments in China. Economic reforms begun in the late 1970s have resulted in significant economic growth. However, any economic reform policies or measures in China may from time to time be modified or revised. China’s economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including with respect to the amount of government involvement, level of development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. While the PRC economy has experienced significant growth in the past 30 years, growth has been uneven across different regions and among different economic sectors.

The PRC government exercises significant control over China’s economic growth through strategically allocating resources, controlling the payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies. Although the PRC economy has grown significantly in the past decade, that growth may not continue, as evidenced by the slowing of the growth of the PRC economy since 2012. Any adverse changes in economic conditions in China, in the policies of the PRC government or in the laws and regulations in China could have a material adverse effect on the overall economic growth of China. Such developments could adversely affect our business and results of operations, lead to reduction in demand for our services and adversely affect our competitive position.

Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could adversely affect us.

The PRC legal system is based on written statutes and court decisions have limited precedential value. The PRC legal system is evolving rapidly, and the interpretations of many laws, regulations and rules may contain inconsistencies and enforcement of these laws, regulations and rules involves uncertainties.

From time to time, we may have to resort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce our legal rights. However, since PRC judicial and administrative authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, it may be more difficult to predict the outcome of a judicial or administrative proceeding than in more developed legal systems. Furthermore, the PRC legal system is based, in part, on government policies and internal rules, some of which are not published in a timely manner, or at all, but which may have retroactive effect. As a result, we may not always be aware of any potential violation of these policies and rules. Such unpredictability towards our contractual, property (including intellectual property) and procedural rights could adversely affect our business and impede our ability to continue our operations.

Fluctuations in exchange rates could have a material and adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.

The value of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar and other currencies is affected by changes in China’s political and economic conditions and China’s foreign exchange policies, among other things. In 2005, the PRC government changed its decades-old policy of pegging the value of the Renminbi to the U.S. dollar, and the Renminbi appreciated more than 20% against the U.S. dollar over the following three years. Between July 2008 and June 2010, this appreciation halted and the exchange rate between Renminbi and the U.S. dollar remained

 

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within a narrow band. Since June 2010, Renminbi has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. With the development of the foreign exchange market and progress towards interest rate liberalization and Renminbi internationalization, the PRC government may in the future announce further changes to the exchange rate system and we cannot assure you that Renminbi will not appreciate or depreciate significantly in value against the U.S. dollar in the future. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between Renminbi and the U.S. dollar in the future.

Significant revaluation of the Renminbi may have a material and adverse effect on your investment. For example, to the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars into Renminbi for our operations, appreciation of the RMB against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the Renminbi amount we would receive from the conversion. Conversely, if we decide to convert our Renminbi into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our ordinary shares or the ADSs or for other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the Renminbi would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amount available to us.

Very limited hedging options are available in China to reduce our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. To date, we have not entered into any material hedging transactions in an effort to reduce our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk. While we may decide to enter into hedging transactions in the future, the availability and effectiveness of these hedges may be limited and we may not be able to adequately hedge our exposure or at all. In addition, our currency exchange losses may be magnified by PRC exchange control regulations that restrict our ability to convert Renminbi into foreign currency.

Governmental control of currency conversion may limit our ability to utilize our revenues effectively and affect the value of your investment.

The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of the Renminbi into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China. We receive substantially all of our revenues in Renminbi. Under our current corporate structure, our Cayman Islands holding company may rely on dividend payments from our PRC subsidiary to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE, by complying with certain procedural requirements. Specifically, under the existing exchange restrictions, without prior approval of SAFE, cash generated from the operations of our PRC subsidiary in China may be used to pay dividends to our company. However, approval from or registration with appropriate government authorities is required where Renminbi is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies. As a result, we need to obtain SAFE approval to use cash generated from the operations of our PRC subsidiary and consolidated variable interest entity to pay off their respective debt in a currency other than Renminbi owed to entities outside China, or to make other capital expenditure payments outside China in a currency other than Renminbi.

In light of the flood of capital outflows of China in 2016 due to the weakening Renminbi, the PRC government has imposed more restrictive foreign exchange policies and stepped up scrutiny of major outbound capital movement including overseas direct investment. More restrictions and substantial vetting process are put in place by SAFE to regulate cross-border transactions falling under the capital account. If any of our shareholders regulated by such policies fails to satisfy the applicable overseas direct investment filing or approval requirement timely or at all, it may be subject to penalties from the relevant PRC authorities. The PRC government may at its discretion further restrict access in the future to foreign currencies for current account transactions. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currencies to satisfy our foreign currency demands, we may not be able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to our shareholders, including holders of the ADSs.

 

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The M&A Rules and certain other PRC regulations establish complex procedures for some acquisitions of Chinese companies by foreign investors, which could make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions in China.

The Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Companies by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, adopted by six PRC regulatory agencies in 2006 and amended in 2009, and some other regulations and rules concerning mergers and acquisitions established additional procedures and requirements that could make merger and acquisition activities by foreign investors more time consuming and complex, including requirements in some instances that the Ministry of Commerce, or the MOC, be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise. Moreover, the Anti-Monopoly Law requires that the MOC shall be notified in advance of any concentration of undertaking if certain thresholds are triggered. In addition, the security review rules issued by the MOC that became effective in September 2011 specify that mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors that raise “national defense and security” concerns and mergers and acquisitions through which foreign investors may acquire de facto control over domestic enterprises that raise “national security” concerns are subject to strict review by the MOC, and the rules prohibit any activities attempting to bypass a security review, including by structuring the transaction through a proxy or contractual control arrangement. In the future, we may grow our business by acquiring complementary businesses. Complying with the requirements of the above-mentioned regulations and other relevant rules to complete such transactions could be time consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval from the MOC or its local counterparts may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions, which could affect our ability to expand our business or maintain our market share.

PRC regulation of loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies and governmental control of currency conversion may delay or prevent us from using the proceeds of this offering to make loans to or make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiary and consolidated variable interest entity, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

We are an offshore holding company conducting our operations in China through our PRC subsidiary, our consolidated variable entity and its subsidiaries. We may make loans to our PRC subsidiary, consolidated variable entity and its subsidiaries, or we may make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiary, or we may establish new PRC subsidiaries and make capital contributions to these new PRC subsidiaries, or we may acquire offshore entities with business operations in China in an offshore transaction.

Most of these ways are subject to PRC regulations and approvals. For example, loans by us to our wholly owned PRC subsidiary to finance its activities cannot exceed statutory limits and must be registered with the local counterpart of SAFE. If we decide to finance our wholly owned PRC subsidiary by means of capital contributions, these capital contributions are subject to the requirement of making necessary filings in the Foreign Investment Comprehensive Management Information System and registration with other governmental authorities in China. Due to the restrictions imposed on loans in foreign currencies extended to PRC domestic companies, we are not likely to make such loans to our consolidated variable interest entity, which is a PRC domestic company. Further, we are not likely to finance the activities of our consolidated variable interest entity by means of capital contributions due to regulatory restrictions relating to foreign investment in PRC domestic enterprises engaged in value-added telecommunication services and certain other businesses.

SAFE promulgated the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming the Administration of Foreign Exchange Settlement of Capital of Foreign-invested Enterprises, or SAFE Circular 19, effective June 2015, in replacement of the Circular on the Relevant Operating Issues Concerning the Improvement of the Administration of the Payment and Settlement of Foreign Currency Capital of Foreign-Invested Enterprises, the Notice from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Relevant Issues Concerning Strengthening the Administration of Foreign Exchange Businesses, and the Circular on Further Clarification and Regulation of the Issues Concerning the Administration of Certain Capital Account Foreign

 

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Exchange Businesses. According to SAFE Circular 19, the flow and use of the RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company is regulated such that RMB capital may not be used for the issuance of RMB entrusted loans, the repayment of inter-enterprise loans or the repayment of banks loans that have been transferred to a third-party. Although SAFE Circular 19 allows RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested enterprise to be used for equity investments within China, it also reiterates the principle that RMB converted from the foreign currency-denominated capital of a foreign-invested company may not be directly or indirectly used for purposes beyond its business scope. Thus, it is unclear whether SAFE will permit such capital to be used for equity investments in China in actual practice. SAFE promulgated the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming and Standardizing the Foreign Exchange Settlement Management Policy of Capital Account, or SAFE Circular 16, effective on June 9, 2016, which reiterates some of the rules set forth in SAFE Circular 19, but changes the prohibition against using RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company to issue RMB entrusted loans to a prohibition against using such capital to issue loans to non-associated enterprises. Violations of SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16 could result in administrative penalties. SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16 may significantly limit our ability to transfer any foreign currency we hold, including the net proceeds from this offering, to our PRC subsidiary, which may adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business in China. On October 25, 2019, the SAFE promulgated the Notice for Further Advancing the Facilitation of Cross-border Trade and Investment, or the SAFE Circular 28, which, among other things, allows all foreign-invested companies to use Renminbi converted from foreign currency-denominated capital for equity investments in China, as long as the equity investment is genuine, does not violate applicable laws, and complies with the negative list on foreign investment. However, since the SAFE Circular 28 is newly promulgated, it is unclear how SAFE and competent banks will carry this out in practice.

In light of the various requirements imposed by PRC regulations on loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies, we cannot assure you that we will be able to complete the necessary government registrations or obtain the necessary government approvals on a timely basis, if at all, with respect to future loans by us to our PRC subsidiary or with respect to future capital contributions by us to our PRC subsidiary. If we fail to complete such registrations or obtain such approvals, our ability to use the proceeds we received from this offering and to capitalize or otherwise fund our PRC operations may be negatively affected, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

PRC regulations relating to the establishment of offshore special purpose companies by PRC residents may subject our PRC resident beneficial owners or our PRC subsidiary to liability or penalties, limit our ability to inject capital into our PRC subsidiary, limit our PRC subsidiary’s ability to increase its registered capital or distribute profits to us, or may otherwise adversely affect us.

The SAFE promulgated the Circular on Relevant Issues Relating to Domestic Resident’s Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37, in July 2014 that requires PRC residents or entities to register with SAFE or its local branch in connection with their establishment or control of an offshore entity established for the purpose of overseas investment or financing with such PRC residents or entities’ legally owned assets or equity interests in domestic enterprises or offshore assets or interests. On February 13, 2015, SAFE issued SAFE Circular No. 13, which took effect on June 1, 2015, pursuant to which, the power to accept SAFE registration was delegated from local SAFE to local qualified banks where the assets or interest in the domestic entity was located. In addition, such PRC residents or entities must update their SAFE registrations when the offshore special purpose vehicle undergoes material events relating to any change of basic information (including change of such PRC citizens or residents, name and operation term), increases or decreases in investment amount, transfers or exchanges of shares, or mergers or divisions.

SAFE Circular 37 is issued to replace the Notice on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration for PRC Residents Engaging in Financing and Roundtrip Investments via Overseas Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 75.

 

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If our shareholders who are PRC residents or entities do not complete their registration with the local SAFE branches, our PRC subsidiary may be prohibited from distributing its profits and proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation to us, and we may be restricted in our ability to contribute additional capital to our PRC subsidiary. Moreover, failure to comply with the SAFE registration described above could result in liability under PRC laws for evasion of applicable foreign exchange restrictions.

We have used our best efforts to notify PRC residents or entities who directly or indirectly hold shares in our Cayman Islands holding company and who are known to us as being PRC residents to complete the foreign exchange registrations. However, we may not be informed of the identities of all the PRC residents or entities holding direct or indirect interest in our company, nor can we compel our beneficial owners to comply with SAFE registration requirements. As of the date of this prospectus, our founder, Mr. Larry Xiangdong Chen, and six other PRC residents known to us that currently hold direct or indirect ownership interests in our company have conducted the initial registrations with the SAFE as required by the SAFE Circular 37. After transferring all shares in Ebetter International Group Limited to The Better Learner Trust, a trust of which himself is a beneficiary, Mr. Larry Xiangdong Chen, as well as the other beneficiaries of the trust who are PRC residents shall register or amend existing registrations with the local branch of SAFE regarding the shares of our company beneficially owned by them through the trust. Please refer to the beneficial ownership table in the section captioned “Principal and Selling Shareholders” for more information regarding the trust. We cannot assure you that all shareholders or beneficial owners of ours who are PRC residents or entities, including the beneficiaries of the trust schemes directly or indirectly holding interests in our Cayman Islands holding company, have complied with, and will in the future make, obtain or update any applicable registrations or approvals required by, SAFE regulations. Failure by such shareholders or beneficial owners to comply with SAFE regulations, or failure by us to amend the foreign exchange registrations of our PRC subsidiary, could subject us to fines or legal sanctions, restrict our overseas or cross-border investment activities, limit our PRC subsidiary’s ability to make distributions or pay dividends to us or affect our ownership structure, which could adversely affect our business and prospects.

Failure to comply with PRC regulations regarding the registration requirements for employee stock ownership plans or share option plans may subject the PRC plan participants or us to fines and other legal or administrative sanctions.

Pursuant to SAFE Circular 37, PRC residents who participate in share incentive plans in overseas non-publicly-listed companies due to their position as director, senior management or employees of the PRC subsidiaries of the overseas companies may submit applications to SAFE or its local branches for the foreign exchange registration with respect to offshore special purpose companies. Our directors, executive officers and other employees who are PRC residents and who have been granted share-based awards may follow SAFE Circular 37 to apply for the foreign exchange registration before our company becomes an overseas listed company. In February 2012, SAFE promulgated the Notices on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plans of Overseas Publicly-Listed Companies, or SAFE Circular 7. Under SAFE Circular 7 and other relevant rules and regulations, PRC residents who participate in stock incentive plan in an overseas publicly-listed company are required to register with SAFE or its local branches and complete certain other procedures. Participants of a stock incentive plan who are PRC residents must retain a qualified PRC agent, which could be a PRC subsidiary of such overseas publicly listed company or another qualified institution selected by such PRC subsidiary, to conduct the SAFE registration and other procedures with respect to the stock incentive plan on behalf of its participants. Such participants must also retain an overseas entrusted institution to handle matters in connection with their exercise of share-based awards, the purchase and sale of corresponding shares or interests and fund transfers. In addition, the PRC agent is required to amend the SAFE registration with respect to the stock incentive plan if there is any material change to the stock incentive plan, the PRC agent or the overseas entrusted institution or other material changes. We and our PRC employees who have been granted share-based awards are subject to SAFE Circular 7 and other relevant rules and regulations. Failure of our PRC share-based award holders to complete their SAFE registrations may subject these PRC residents to fines and legal sanctions and may also limit our ability to contribute additional capital into our PRC subsidiary, limit our PRC subsidiary’s ability to distribute dividends to us, or otherwise materially adversely affect our business.

 

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If we are classified as a PRC resident enterprise for PRC income tax purposes, such classification could result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders or the ADS holders.

Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules, an enterprise established outside of the PRC with its “de facto management body” within the PRC is considered a “resident enterprise” and will be subject to PRC enterprise income tax on its global income at the rate of 25%. The implementation rules define the term “de facto management body” as the body that exercises full and substantial control and overall management over the business, productions, personnel, accounts and properties of an enterprise. The State Administration of Taxation issued a circular in April 2009, known as SAT Circular 82 and as amended in January 2014 and December 2017, which provides certain specific criteria for determining whether the “de facto management body” of a PRC-controlled enterprise that is incorporated offshore is located in China. Although this circular only applies to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups, not those controlled by PRC individuals or foreigners, the criteria set forth in the circular may reflect the State Administration of Taxation’s general position on how the “de facto management body” text should be applied in determining the tax resident status of all offshore enterprises. According to SAT Circular 82, an offshore incorporated enterprise controlled by a PRC enterprise or a PRC enterprise group will be regarded as a PRC tax resident by virtue of having its “de facto management body” in China and will be subject to PRC enterprise income tax on its global income only if all of the following conditions are met: (i) the primary location of the day-to-day operational management is in the PRC; (ii) decisions relating to the enterprise’s financial and human resource matters are made or are subject to approval by organizations or personnel in the PRC; (iii) the enterprise’s primary assets, accounting books and records, company seals, and board and shareholder resolutions, are located or maintained in the PRC; and (iv) at least 50% of voting board members or senior executives habitually reside in the PRC.

We believe none of our entities outside of China is a PRC resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes. However, the tax resident status of an enterprise is subject to determination by the PRC tax authorities and uncertainties remain with respect to the interpretation of the term “de facto management body.” If the PRC tax authorities determine that GSX Techedu Inc. is a PRC resident enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes, we may be required to withhold a 10% withholding tax from dividends we pay to our shareholders that are non-resident enterprises, including the holders of the ADSs. In addition, non-resident enterprise shareholders (including the ADS holders) may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of 10% on gains realized on the sale or other disposition of ADSs or ordinary shares at a rate of 10%, if such income is treated as sourced from within the PRC. Furthermore, if PRC tax authorities determine that we are a PRC resident enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes, dividends paid to our non-PRC individual shareholders (including the ADS holders) and any gain realized on the transfer of ADSs or ordinary shares by such shareholders may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of 20% (which, in the case of dividends, may be withheld at source by us), if such gains are deemed to be from PRC sources. These rates may be reduced by an applicable tax treaty, but it is unclear whether non-PRC shareholders of GSX Techedu Inc. would be able to claim the benefits of any tax treaties between their country of tax residence and the PRC in the event that GSX Techedu Inc. is treated as a PRC resident enterprise. Any such tax may reduce the returns on your investment in the ADSs.

We face uncertainties with respect to indirect transfer of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises by their non-PRC holding companies.

We face uncertainties regarding the reporting on and consequences of previous private equity financing transactions involving the transfer and exchange of shares in our company by non-resident investors. In February 2015, the State Administration of Taxation, or SAT, issued the Bulletin on Issues of Enterprise Income Tax on Indirect Transfers of Assets by Non-PRC Resident Enterprises or Bulletin 7. Pursuant to Bulletin 7, an ‘‘indirect transfer’’ of PRC assets, including a transfer of equity interests in an unlisted non-PRC holding company of a PRC resident enterprise, by non-PRC resident enterprises may be re-characterized and treated as a direct transfer of the underlying PRC assets, if such arrangement does not have a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of avoiding payment of PRC enterprise income tax. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax, and the transferee or other person who is

 

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obligated to pay for the transfer is obligated to withhold the applicable taxes, currently at a rate of 10% for the transfer of equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise. On October 17, 2017, the SAT issued the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Issues Concerning the Withholding of Non-resident Enterprise Income Tax at Source, or Bulletin 37, which came into effect on December 1, 2017. The Bulletin 37 further clarifies the practice and procedure of the withholding of nonresident enterprise income tax.

There is uncertainty as to the application of Bulletin 37 or previous rules under Bulletin 7. We face uncertainties on the reporting and consequences of private equity financing transactions, share exchanges or other transactions involving the transfer of shares in our company by investors that are non-PRC resident enterprises. Our company may be subject to filing obligations or taxes if our company is the transferor in such transactions, and may be subject to withholding obligations if our company is the transferee in such transactions, under Bulletin 37 and Bulletin 7.

The enforcement of the PRC Labor Contract Law and other labor-related regulations in the PRC may adversely affect our business and results of operations.

The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress enacted the Labor Contract Law in 2008, and amended it on December 28, 2012. The Labor Contract Law introduced specific provisions related to fixed-term employment contracts, part-time employment, probationary periods, consultation with labor unions and employee assemblies, employment without a written contract, dismissal of employees, severance, and collective bargaining to enhance previous PRC labor laws. Under the Labor Contract Law, an employer is obligated to sign an unlimited-term labor contract with any employee who has worked for the employer for ten consecutive years. Further, if an employee requests or agrees to renew a fixed-term labor contract that has already been entered into twice consecutively, the resulting contract, with certain exceptions, must have an unlimited term, subject to certain exceptions. With certain exceptions, an employer must pay severance to an employee where a labor contract is terminated or expires. In addition, the PRC governmental authorities have continued to introduce various new labor-related regulations since the effectiveness of the Labor Contract Law.

Under the PRC Social Insurance Law and the Administrative Measures on Housing Fund, employees are required to participate in pension insurance, work-related injury insurance, medical insurance, unemployment insurance, maternity insurance, and housing funds and employers are required, together with their employees or separately, to pay the social insurance premiums and housing funds for their employees. If we fail to make adequate social insurance and housing fund contributions, we may be subject to fines and legal sanctions, and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected. See “Regulation—Regulation Related to Employment, Social Insurance and Housing Fund.”

These laws designed to enhance labor protection tend to increase our labor costs. In addition, as the interpretation and implementation of these regulations are still evolving, our employment practices may not be at all times be deemed in compliance with the regulations. As a result, we could be subject to penalties or incur significant liabilities in connection with labor disputes or investigations.

Risks Related to The ADSs and This Offering

The trading price of the ADSs is likely to be volatile, which could result in substantial losses to investors.

The trading price of our ADSs has been volatile since our ADSs started to trade on the New York Stock Exchange on June 6, 2019. The trading price of our ADSs could fluctuate widely due to multiple factors, some of which are beyond our control. This may happen because of broad market and industry factors, including the performance and fluctuation of the market prices of other companies with business operations located mainly in China that have listed their securities in the United States. In addition to market and industry factors, the price and trading volume for the ADSs may be highly volatile for factors specific to our own operations, including the following:

 

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variations in our revenues, earnings, cash flow and data related to our student base or student engagement;

 

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announcements of new investments, acquisitions, strategic partnerships or joint ventures by us or our competitors;

 

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announcements of new product and service offerings, solutions and expansions by us or our competitors;

 

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changes in financial estimates by securities analysts;

 

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detrimental adverse publicity about us, our products and services or our industry;

 

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additions or departures of key personnel;

 

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release of lock-up or other transfer restrictions on our outstanding equity securities or sales of additional equity securities; and

 

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actual or potential litigation or regulatory investigations.

Any of these factors may result in large and sudden changes in the volume and price at which the ADSs will trade. Furthermore, the stock market in general has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of companies like us. These broad market and industry fluctuations may adversely affect the market price of our ADSs. Volatility or a lack of positive performance in our ADS price may also adversely affect our ability to retain key employees, most of whom have been granted equity incentives.

In the past, shareholders of public companies have often brought securities class action suits against those companies following periods of instability in the market price of their securities. If we were involved in a class action suit, it could divert a significant amount of our management’s attention and other resources from our business and operations and require us to incur significant expenses to defend the suit, which could harm our results of operations. Any such class action suit, whether or not successful, could harm our reputation and restrict our ability to raise capital in the future. In addition, if a claim is successfully made against us, we may be required to pay significant damages, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they adversely change their recommendations regarding the ADSs, the market price for the ADSs and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for the ADSs will be influenced by research or reports that industry or securities analysts publish about our business. If one or more analysts who cover us downgrade the ADSs, the market price for the ADSs would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease to cover us or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause the market price or trading volume for the ADSs to decline.

The sale or availability for sale of substantial amounts of the ADSs could adversely affect their market price.

Sales of substantial amounts of the ADSs in the public market after the completion of this offering, or the perception that these sales could occur, could adversely affect the market price of the ADSs and could materially impair our ability to raise capital through equity offerings in the future. The ADSs sold in this offering will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, and shares held by our existing shareholders may also be sold in the public market in the future subject to the restrictions in Rule 144 and Rule 701 under the Securities Act and the applicable lock-up agreements. In connection with this offering, we, our directors and executive officers and the selling shareholders have agreed not to sell, transfer or dispose of any ordinary shares, ADSs or similar securities for 90 days after the date of this prospectus without the prior written consent of the underwriters, subject to certain exceptions. However, the underwriters may release these securities from these restrictions at any time, subject to applicable regulations of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. We cannot predict what effect, if any, market sales of securities held by our significant shareholders or any other shareholder or the availability of these securities for future sale will have on the market price of the ADSs. See “Underwriting” and “Shares Eligible for Future Sale” for a more detailed description of the restrictions on selling our securities after this offering.

 

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Our dual-class voting structure will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any change of control transactions that holders of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may view as beneficial.

We have a dual-class share structure such that our ordinary shares consist of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. (with certain shares remaining undesignated, with power for our directors to designate and issue such classes of shares as they think fit). Holders of Class A ordinary shares are entitled to one vote per share, while holders of Class B ordinary shares are entitled to ten votes per share. We and the selling shareholders will sell Class A ordinary shares in the form of ADSs in this offering. Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof, while Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances.

Mr. Larry Xiangdong Chen, our founder, chairman of board of directors and chief executive officer, beneficially owns all of our issued Class B ordinary shares. These Class B ordinary shares will constitute approximately 46.7% of our total issued and outstanding share capital immediately after the completion of this offering and 89.7% of the aggregate voting power of our total issued and outstanding share capital immediately after the completion of this offering due to the disparate voting powers associated with our dual-class share structure. As a result of the dual-class share structure and the concentration of ownership, holders of Class B ordinary shares have considerable influence over matters such as decisions regarding mergers and consolidations, election of directors and other significant corporate actions. Such holders may take actions that are not in the best interest of us or our other shareholders. This concentration of ownership may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company, which could have the effect of depriving our other shareholders of the opportunity to receive a premium for their shares as part of a sale of our company and may reduce the price of the ADSs. This concentrated control will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any potential merger, takeover or other change of control transactions that holders of Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may view as beneficial.

The dual-class structure of our ordinary shares may adversely affect the trading market for our ADSs.

Certain shareholder advisory firms have announced changes to their eligibility criteria for inclusion of shares of public companies on certain indices, including the S&P 500, to exclude companies with multiple classes of shares and companies whose public shareholders hold no more than 5% of total voting power from being added to such indices. In addition, several shareholder advisory firms have announced their opposition to the use of multiple class structures. As a result, the dual class structure of our ordinary shares may prevent the inclusion of our ADSs representing Class A ordinary shares in such indices and may cause shareholder advisory firms to publish negative commentary about our corporate governance practices or otherwise seek to cause us to change our capital structure. Any such exclusion from indices could result in a less active trading market for our ADSs. Any actions or publications by shareholder advisory firms critical of our corporate governance practices or capital structure could also adversely affect the value of our ADSs.

Because we do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future after this offering, you must rely on price appreciation of the ADSs for return on your investment.

We currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings after this offering to fund the development and growth of our business. As a result, we do not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Therefore, you should not rely on an investment in the ADSs as a source for any future dividend income.

Our board of directors has complete discretion as to whether to distribute dividends, subject to certain restrictions under Cayman Islands law, namely that our company may only pay dividends out of profits or share premium account, and provided always that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if this would result in our company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. In addition, our shareholders may by ordinary resolution declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount

 

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recommended by our board of directors. Even if our board of directors decides to declare and pay dividends, the timing, amount and form of future dividends, if any, will depend on our future results of operations and cash flow, our capital requirements and surplus, the amount of distributions, if any, received by us from our subsidiaries, our financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors. Accordingly, the return on your investment in the ADSs will likely depend entirely upon any future price appreciation of the ADSs. There is no guarantee that the ADSs will appreciate in value after this offering or even maintain the price at which you purchased the ADSs. You may not realize a return on your investment in the ADSs and you may even lose your entire investment in the ADSs.

We will not receive any proceeds from this offering. However, we continue to retain broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds from our initial public offering.

We will not receive any proceeds from this offering, however, we will continue to retain broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds from our initial public offering and could spend the proceeds in ways that do not produce income or increase our ADS price. We have not determined a specific use for a portion of the net proceeds of our initial public offering, and our management will have considerable discretion in deciding how to apply these proceeds. You will not have the opportunity to assess whether the proceeds from our initial public offering are being used appropriately before you make your investment decision. You must rely on the judgment of our management regarding the application of the net proceeds of our initial public offering. We cannot assure you that the net proceeds from our initial public offering will be used in a manner that would improve our results of operations or increase the ADS price, nor that these net proceeds will be placed only in investments that generate income or appreciate in value.

Our memorandum and articles of association contain anti-takeover provisions that could have a material adverse effect on the rights of holders of our ordinary shares and the ADSs.

Our memorandum and articles of association contain certain provisions to limit the ability of others to acquire control of our company or cause us to engage in change-of-control transactions. These provisions could have the effect of depriving our shareholders of an opportunity to sell their shares at a premium over prevailing market prices by discouraging third parties from seeking to obtain control of our company in a tender offer or similar transaction. Our board of directors has the authority, without further action by our shareholders, to issue preferred shares in one or more series and to fix their designations, powers, preferences, privileges, and relative participating, optional or special rights and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, any or all of which may be greater than the rights associated with our ordinary shares, in the form of ADS or otherwise. Preferred shares could be issued quickly with terms calculated to delay or prevent a change in control of our company or make removal of management more difficult. If our board of directors decides to issue preferred shares, the price of the ADSs may fall and the voting and other rights of the holders of our ordinary shares and ADSs may be materially and adversely affected.

You may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through U.S. courts may be limited, because we are incorporated under Cayman Islands law.

We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. Our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Law (2018 Revision) of the Cayman Islands and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against our directors, actions by our minority shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from the common law of England, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding, on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some

 

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jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws than the United States. Some U.S. states, such as Delaware, have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law than the Cayman Islands. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a federal court of the United States.

Shareholders of Cayman Islands exempted companies like us have no general rights under Cayman Islands law to inspect corporate records (other than the memorandum and articles of association and any special resolutions passed by such companies, and the registers of mortgages and charges of such companies) or to obtain copies of lists of shareholders of these companies. Our directors have discretion under our articles of association to determine whether or not, and under what conditions, our corporate records may be inspected by our shareholders, but are not obliged to make them available to our shareholders. This may make it more difficult for you to obtain the information needed to establish any facts necessary for a shareholder motion or to solicit proxies from other shareholders in connection with a proxy contest.

Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, differ significantly from requirements for companies incorporated in other jurisdictions such as the United States. Currently, we do not plan to rely on home country practice with respect to any corporate governance matter. To the extent we choose to follow home country practice with respect to corporate governance matters, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would under rules and regulations applicable to U.S. domestic issuers.

As a result of all of the above, our public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by our management, members of our board of directors or our controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a company incorporated in the United States. For a discussion of significant differences between the provisions of the Companies Law of the Cayman Islands and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders, see “Description of Share Capital—Differences in Corporate Law.”

Certain judgments obtained against us by our shareholders may not be enforceable.

We are a Cayman Islands company and substantially all of our assets are located outside of the United States. All of our current operations are conducted in China. In addition, all of our current directors and officers are nationals and residents of countries other than the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for you to bring an action against us or against these individuals in the United States in the event that you believe that your rights have been infringed under the U.S. federal securities laws or otherwise. Even if you are successful in bringing an action of this kind, the laws of the Cayman Islands and of China may render you unable to enforce a judgment against our assets or the assets of our directors and officers. For more information regarding the relevant laws of the Cayman Islands and China, see “Enforceability of Civil Liabilities.”

The voting rights of holders of ADSs are limited by the terms of the deposit agreement, and you may not be able to exercise your right to direct how the Class A ordinary shares which are represented by your ADSs are voted.

Holders of ADSs do not have the same rights as our registered shareholders. As a holder of the ADSs, you will not have any direct right to attend general meetings of our shareholders or to cast any votes at such meetings. You will only be able to exercise the voting rights which are carried by the Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs indirectly by giving voting instructions to the depositary in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement. Under the deposit agreement, you may vote only by giving voting instructions to the depositary. If we instruct the depositary to ask for your instructions, then upon receipt of your voting instructions, the depositary will try, as far as is practicable, to vote the underlying Class A ordinary shares which are represented by your ADSs in accordance with your instructions. If we do not instruct the depositary to ask for your instructions, the depositary may still vote in accordance with instructions you give, but it is not required to

 

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do so. You will not be able to directly exercise your right to vote with respect to the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs unless you withdraw the shares and become the registered holder of such shares prior to the record date for the general meeting. Under our currently effective third amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the minimum notice period required to be given by our company to our registered shareholders to convene a general meeting will be ten days. When a general meeting is convened, you may not receive sufficient advance notice of the meeting to withdraw the Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs and become the registered holder of such shares to allow you to attend the general meeting and to vote directly with respect to any specific matter or resolution to be considered and voted upon at the general meeting. In addition, under our third amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, for the purposes of determining those shareholders who are entitled to attend and vote at any general meeting, our directors may close our register of members and/or fix in advance a record date for such meeting, and such closure of our register of members or the setting of such a record date may prevent you from withdrawing the Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs and becoming the registered holder of such shares prior to the record date, so that you would not be able to attend the general meeting or to vote directly. If we ask for your instructions, the depositary will notify you of the upcoming vote and will arrange to deliver our voting materials to you. We have agreed to give the depositary at least 30 days’ prior notice of shareholder meetings. Nevertheless, we cannot assure you that you will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that you can instruct the depositary to vote the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs. In addition, the depositary and its agents are not responsible for failing to carry out voting instructions or for their manner of carrying out your voting instructions. This means that you may not be able to exercise your right to direct how the Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs are voted and you may have no legal remedy if the Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs are not voted as you requested.

You may experience dilution of your holdings due to inability to participate in rights offerings.

We may, from time to time, distribute rights to our shareholders, including rights to acquire securities. Under the deposit agreement, the depositary will not distribute rights to holders of ADSs unless the distribution and sale of rights and the securities to which these rights relate are either exempt from registration under the Securities Act with respect to all holders of ADSs, or are registered under the provisions of the Securities Act. The depositary may, but is not required to, attempt to sell these undistributed rights to third parties, and may allow the rights to lapse. We may be unable to establish an exemption from registration under the Securities Act, and we are under no obligation to file a registration statement with respect to these rights or underlying securities or to endeavor to have a registration statement declared effective. Accordingly, holders of ADSs may be unable to participate in our rights offerings and may experience dilution of their holdings as a result.

You may be subject to limitations on transfer of your ADSs.

Your ADSs are transferable on the books of the depositary. However, the depositary may close its books at any time or from time to time when it deems expedient in connection with the performance of its duties. The depositary may close its books from time to time for a number of reasons, including in connection with corporate events such as a rights offering, during which time the depositary needs to maintain an exact number of ADS holders on its books for a specified period. The depositary may also close its books in emergencies, and on weekends and public holidays. The depositary may refuse to deliver, transfer or register transfers of the ADSs generally when our share register or the books of the depositary are closed, or at any time if we or the depositary thinks it is advisable to do so because of any requirement of law or of any government or governmental body, or under any provision of the deposit agreement, or for any other reason.

ADSs holders may not be entitled to a jury trial with respect to claims arising under the deposit agreement, which could result in less favorable outcomes to the plaintiff(s) in any such action.

The deposit agreement governing the ADSs representing our Class A ordinary shares provides that, subject to the depositary’s right to require a claim to be submitted to arbitration, the federal or state courts in the City of

 

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New York have exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine claims arising under the deposit agreement and in that regard, to the fullest extent permitted by law, ADS holders waive the right to a jury trial of any claim they may have against us or the depositary arising out of or relating to our Class A ordinary shares, the ADSs or the deposit agreement, including any claim under the U.S. federal securities laws.

If we or the depositary opposed a jury trial demand based on the waiver, the court would determine whether the waiver was enforceable based on the facts and circumstances of that case in accordance with the applicable U.S. state and federal law. To our knowledge, the enforceability of a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver in connection with claims arising under the federal securities laws has not been finally adjudicated by the United States Supreme Court. However, we believe that a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver provision is generally enforceable, including under the laws of the State of New York, which govern the deposit agreement. In determining whether to enforce a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver provision, courts will generally consider whether a party knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily waived the right to a jury trial. We believe that this is the case with respect to the deposit agreement and the ADSs. It is advisable that you consult legal counsel regarding the jury waiver provision before investing in the ADSs.

If you or any other holders or beneficial owners of ADSs bring a claim against us or the depositary in connection with matters arising under the deposit agreement or the ADSs, including claims under U.S. federal securities laws, you or such other holder or beneficial owner may not be entitled to a jury trial with respect to such claims, which may have the effect of limiting and discouraging lawsuits against us and/or the depositary. If a lawsuit is brought against us and/or the depositary under the deposit agreement, it may be heard only by a judge or justice of the applicable trial court, which would be conducted according to different civil procedures and may result in different outcomes than a trial by jury would have had, including results that could be less favorable to the plaintiff(s) in any such action.

Nevertheless, if this jury trial waiver provision is not enforced, to the extent a court action proceeds, it would proceed under the terms of the deposit agreement with a jury trial. No condition, stipulation or provision of the deposit agreement or ADSs serves as a waiver by any holder or beneficial owner of ADSs or by us or the depositary of compliance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act, and as such we are exempt from certain provisions applicable to United States domestic public companies.

Because we are a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we are exempt from certain provisions of the securities rules and regulations in the United States that are applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, including: (i) the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or current reports on Form 8-K with the SEC; (ii) the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents, or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act; (iii) the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their stock ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and (iv) the selective disclosure rules by issuers of material nonpublic information under Regulation FD.

We are required to file an annual report on Form 20-F within four months of the end of each fiscal year. In addition, we intend to publish our results on a quarterly basis through press releases, distributed pursuant to the rules and regulations of the New York Stock Exchange. Press releases relating to financial results and material events will also be furnished to the SEC on Form 6-K. However, the information we are required to file with or furnish to the SEC will be less extensive and less timely compared to that required to be filed with the SEC by U.S. domestic issuers. As a result, you may not be afforded the same protections or information, which would be made available to you, were you investing in a U.S. domestic issuer.

 

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We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act and may take advantage of certain reduced reporting requirements.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from requirements applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, most significantly, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 for so long as we remain an emerging growth company. As a result, if we elect not to comply with such auditor attestation requirements, our investors may not have access to certain information they may deem important.

We will incur increased costs after we cease to qualify as an “emerging growth company.”

As a public company, we expect to incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as rules subsequently implemented by the SEC and New York Stock Exchange, impose various requirements on the corporate governance practices of public companies. As a company with less than US$1.07 billion in revenues for our last fiscal year, we qualify as an “emerging growth company” pursuant to the JOBS Act. An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include exemption from the auditor attestation requirement under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, in the assessment of the emerging growth company’s internal control over financial reporting. The JOBS Act also permits an emerging growth company to delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies. However, we have elected to “opt out” of this provision and, as a result, we will comply with new or revised accounting standards as required when they are adopted for public companies. This decision to opt out of the extended transition period under the JOBS Act is irrevocable.

We expect these rules and regulations to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make some corporate activities more time-consuming and costly. After we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” we expect to incur significant expenses and devote substantial management effort toward ensuring compliance with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the other rules and regulations of the SEC. For example, as a public company, we will need to increase the number of independent directors and adopt policies regarding internal controls and disclosure controls and procedures. Operating as a public company also makes it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. In addition, we will incur additional costs associated with our public company reporting requirements. It may also be more difficult for us to find qualified persons to serve on our board of directors or as executive officers. We are currently evaluating and monitoring developments with respect to these rules and regulations, and we cannot predict or estimate with any degree of certainty the amount of additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs.

As a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands, we are permitted to adopt certain home country practices in relation to corporate governance matters that differ significantly from the NYSE corporate governance listing standards; these practices may afford less protection to shareholders than they would enjoy if we comply fully with the NYSE corporate governance listing standards.

As a Cayman Islands company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, we are subject to the NYSE corporate governance listing standards. However, NYSE rules permit a foreign private issuer like us to follow the corporate governance practices of its home country. Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, may differ significantly from the NYSE corporate governance listing standards. Currently, we do not plan to rely on home country practice with respect to our corporate governance after we complete this offering. However, if we choose to follow home country practice in the future, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they would otherwise enjoy under the NYSE corporate governance listing standards applicable to U.S. domestic issuers.

 

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We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the New York Stock Exchange listing rules and, as a result, can rely on exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements that provide protection to shareholders of other companies.

We are a “controlled company” as defined under the New York Stock Exchange listing rules because Mr. Larry Xiangdong Chen, our founder, chairman of board of directors and chief executive officer, owns more than 50% of our total voting power. For so long as we remain a controlled company under that definition, we are permitted to elect to rely, and may rely, on certain exemptions from corporate governance rules. As a result, you may not have the same protection afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to these corporate governance requirements.

We may be a passive foreign investment company, which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors owning the ADSs or our ordinary shares.

A non-U.S. corporation, such as our company, will be considered a passive foreign investment company, or “PFIC,” for any taxable year if either (i) at least 75% of its gross income is passive income or (ii) at least 50% of the value of its assets (based on an average of the quarterly values of the assets during a taxable year) is attributable to assets that produce or are held for the production of passive income. Although the law in this regard is not entirely clear, we treat our consolidated VIE as being owned by us for U.S. federal income tax purposes because we control its management decisions and are entitled to substantially all of the economic benefits associated with it. As a result, we consolidate its results of operations in our consolidated U.S. GAAP financial statements. If it were determined, however, that we are not the owner of our consolidated VIE for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we would likely be treated as a PFIC for the current taxable year and any subsequent taxable year.

Assuming that we are the owner of our consolidated VIE for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and based upon our current and projected income and assets and projections as to the value of our assets, we do not expect to be a PFIC for the current taxable year or the foreseeable future. However, no assurance can be given in this regard because the determination of whether we will be or become a PFIC is a factual determination made annually that will depend, in part, upon the composition of our income and assets. Fluctuations in the market price of the ADSs may cause us to be classified as a PFIC for the current or future taxable years because the value of our assets for purposes of the asset test, including the value of our goodwill and unbooked intangibles, may be determined by reference to the market price of the ADSs from time to time (which may be volatile). If our market capitalization subsequently declines, we may be or become classified as a PFIC for the current taxable year or future taxable years. Under circumstances where our revenue from activities that produce passive income significantly increases relative to our revenue from activities that produce non-passive income, or where we determine not to deploy significant amounts of cash for active purposes, our risk of becoming classified as a PFIC may substantially increase.

If we were treated as a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. investor held an ADS or an ordinary share, certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences could apply to the U.S. Holder. See “Taxation—United States Federal Income Tax Considerations—Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations.”

 

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus contains forward-looking statements that reflect our current expectations and views of future events. The forward looking statements are contained principally in the sections entitled “Prospectus Summary,” “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Business.” Known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including those listed under “Risk Factors,” may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

You can identify some of these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “is/are likely to,” “potential,” “continue” or other similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. These forward-looking statements include statements relating to:

 

•

our mission, goals and strategies;

 

•

our future business development, financial condition and results of operations;

 

•

the expected growth of the online education industry in China;

 

•

our expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of our services;

 

•

our expectations regarding keeping and strengthening our relationships with students, teachers, strategic partners and other stakeholders;

 

•

competition in our industry;

 

•

our proposed use of proceeds; and

 

•

relevant government policies and regulations relating to our industry.

These forward-looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties. Although we believe that our expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, our expectations may later be found to be incorrect. Our actual results could be materially different from our expectations. Important risks and factors that could cause our actual results to be materially different from our expectations are generally set forth in “Prospectus Summary—Our Challenges,” “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Business,” “Regulation” and other sections in this prospectus. You should read thoroughly this prospectus and the documents that we refer to with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from and worse than what we expect. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

This prospectus contains certain data and information that we obtained from various government and private publications. Statistical data in these publications also include projections based on a number of assumptions. Our industry may not grow at the rate projected by market data, or at all. Failure of this market to grow at the projected rate may have a material and adverse effect on our business and the market price of the ADSs. In addition, the rapidly evolving nature of this industry results in significant uncertainties for any projections or estimates relating to the growth prospects or future condition of our market. Furthermore, if any one or more of the assumptions underlying the market data are later found to be incorrect, actual results may differ from the projections based on these assumptions. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements made in this prospectus relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this prospectus. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. You should read this prospectus and the documents that we refer to in this prospectus and have filed as exhibits to the registration statement, of which this prospectus is a part, completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

The selling shareholders will receive from this offering gross proceeds of approximately US$223.7 million without deducting underwriting discounts. These estimates are based upon an assumed offering price of US$14.91 per ADS, the closing trading price of our ADSs on November 15, 2019.

We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of ADSs by the selling shareholders.

 

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DIVIDEND POLICY

Our board of directors has discretion on whether to distribute dividends, subject to certain requirements of Cayman Islands law. In addition, our shareholders may by ordinary resolution declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our board of directors. In either case, all dividends are subject to certain restrictions under Cayman Islands law, namely that our company may only pay dividends out of profits or share premium account, and provided always that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if this would result in our company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. Even if we decide to pay dividends, the form, frequency and 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.

We do not have any present plan to pay any cash dividends on our ordinary shares in the foreseeable future after this offering. We currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings to operate and expand our business.

We are a holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. We may rely on dividends from our subsidiary in China for our cash requirements, including any payment of dividends to our shareholders. PRC regulations may restrict the ability of our PRC subsidiary to pay dividends to us. See “Regulation—Regulations on Dividend Distribution.”

If we pay any dividends on our ordinary shares, we will pay those dividends which are payable in respect of the Class A ordinary shares underlying the ADSs to the depositary, as the registered holder of such Class A ordinary shares, and the depositary then will pay such amounts to the ADS holders in proportion to the Class A ordinary shares underlying the ADSs held by such ADS holders, subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, including the fees and expenses payable thereunder. See “Description of American Depositary Shares.” Cash dividends on our ordinary shares, if any, will be paid in U.S. dollars.

 

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CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our capitalization as of September 30, 2019:

You should read this table together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus and the information under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

 

		As of September 30, 2019
		(in thousands)
		RMB				US$
Shareholders’ equity
Class A ordinary shares (US$0.0001 par value; 800,000,000 Class A ordinary shares authorized as of September 30, 2019; 83,832,712 Class A ordinary shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2019)			56				8
Class B ordinary shares (US$0.0001 par value; 100,000,000 Class B ordinary shares authorized as of September 30, 2019; 73,305,288 Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2019)			48				7
Additional paid-in capital			1,875,721				262,423
Accumulated other comprehensive income			35,494				4,966
Accumulated deficit			(447,363	)			(62,588	)
Total shareholders’ equity			1,463,956				204,816
Total capitalization			1,463,956				204,816

 

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ENFORCEABILITY OF CIVIL LIABILITIES

We are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands as an exempted company with limited liability. We are incorporated in the Cayman Islands to take advantage of certain benefits associated with being a Cayman Islands exempted company, such as:

 

•

political and economic stability;

 

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an effective judicial system;

 

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a favorable tax system;

 

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the absence of exchange control or currency restrictions; and

 

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the availability of professional and support services.

However, certain disadvantages accompany incorporation in the Cayman Islands. These disadvantages include but are not limited to:

 

•

the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws as compared to the United States and these securities laws provide provides significantly less protection to investors as compared to the United States; and

 

•

Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to sue before the federal courts of the United States.

Our constituent documents do not contain provisions requiring that disputes, including those arising under the securities laws of the United States, between us, our officers, directors and shareholders, be arbitrated.

All of our operations are conducted in China, and substantially all of our assets are located in China. A majority of our directors and executive officers are nationals or residents of jurisdictions other than the United States and most of their assets are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for a shareholder to effect service of process within the United States upon these individuals, or to bring an action against us or these individuals in the United States, or to enforce against us or them judgments obtained in United States courts, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States.

We have appointed Puglisi & Associates, located at 850 Library Avenue, Suite 204, Newark, Delaware 19711, as our agent upon whom process may be served in any action brought against us under the securities laws of the United States.

We have been informed by Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP that the United States and the Cayman Islands do not have a treaty providing for reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments of U.S. courts in civil and commercial matters and that there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands would (i) recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained against us or our directors or officers, predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States, or (ii) entertain original actions brought in the Cayman Islands against us or our directors or officers, predicated upon the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States. We have also been advised by Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP that a judgment obtained in any federal or state court in the United States will be recognized and enforced in the courts of the Cayman Islands at common law, without any re-examination of the merits of the underlying dispute, by an action commenced on the foreign judgment debt in the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, provided such judgment (i) is given by a foreign court of competent jurisdiction, (ii) imposes on the judgment debtor a liability to pay a liquidated sum for which the judgment has been given, (iii) is final, (iv) is not in respect of taxes, a fine or a penalty, and (v) was not obtained in a manner and is not of a kind the enforcement of which is contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands.

 

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However, the Cayman Islands courts are unlikely to enforce a judgment obtained from the United States courts under the civil liability provisions of the securities laws if such judgment is determined by the courts of the Cayman Islands to give rise to obligations to make payments that are penal or punitive in nature. Because the courts of the Cayman Islands have yet to rule on whether such judgments are penal or punitive in nature, it is uncertain whether such civil liability judgments from U.S. courts would be enforceable in the Cayman Islands.

Tian Yuan Law Firm, our counsel as to PRC law, has advised us that there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of China would:

 

•

recognize or enforce judgments of United States courts obtained against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States; or

 

•

entertain original actions brought in each respective jurisdiction against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States.

Tian Yuan Law Firm has further advised us that the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedures Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Civil Procedures Law and other applicable laws and regulations based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on principles of reciprocity between jurisdictions. China does not have any treaties or other form of reciprocity with the United States or the Cayman Islands that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, courts in the PRC will not enforce a foreign judgment against us or our directors and officers if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC law or national sovereignty, security or public interest. As a result, it is uncertain whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the United States or in the Cayman Islands. Under the PRC Civil Procedures Law, foreign shareholders may originate actions based on PRC law against a company in China for disputes if they can establish sufficient nexus to the PRC for a PRC court to have jurisdiction, and meet other procedural requirements, including, among others, the plaintiff must have a direct interest in the case, and there must be a concrete claim, a factual basis and a cause for the suit. It will be, however, difficult for U.S. shareholders to originate actions against us in the PRC in accordance with PRC laws because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands and it will be difficult for U.S. shareholders, by virtue only of holding the ADSs or ordinary shares, to establish a connection to the PRC for a PRC court to have jurisdiction as required under the PRC Civil Procedures Law.

 

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CORPORATE HISTORY AND STRUCTURE

We commenced operations through Beijing BaiJiaHuLian Technology Co., Ltd., or Beijing BaiJiaHuLian, in June 2014. Our holding company, BaiJiaHuLian Group Holdings Limited, was incorporated in August 2014 in the Cayman Islands to facilitate financing and offshore listing. In January 2019, we renamed our company as GSX Techedu Inc.

In August 2014, we established a wholly-owned subsidiary in Hong Kong, BaiJiaHuLian HK Holdings Limited. In January 2015, BaiJiaHuLian HK Holdings Limited established a wholly-owned subsidiary in China, Beijing Lexuebang Network Technology Co., Ltd., or Beijing Lexuebang.

In April 2015, we gained control over Beijing BaiJiaHuLian through Beijing Lexuebang by entering into a series of contractual arrangements with Beijing BaiJiaHuLian and its shareholders. The contractual arrangements with Beijing BaiJiaHuLian were subsequently amended and restated in March 2019.

On June 6, 2019, our ADSs commenced trading on the NYSE under the symbol “GSX.” We raised from our initial public offering and from exercising the over-allotment option by the underwriters approximately US$191.2 million in net proceeds after deducting underwriting commissions and the offering expenses payable by us.

 

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The following diagram illustrates our corporate structure, including our subsidiaries, our VIE and its subsidiaries, as of the date of this prospectus:

 

 

 

Notes:

(1)

Represents 73,305,288 Class B ordinary shares held by Ebetter International Group Limited, a British Virgin Islands company ultimately owned by The Better Learner Trust, as of the date of this prospectus. Please refer to the beneficial ownership table in the section captioned “Principal and Selling Shareholders” for more information.

(2)	Shareholders of Beijing BaiJiaHuLian and their respective shareholdings in the VIE and relationship with our company are Larry Xiangdong Chen (98.28%), chairman of our board of directors and our chief executive officer, and Bin Luo (1.72%), our employee.

 

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The following diagram sets forth the shareholding structure of our company immediately after this offering.

 

 

Notes:

*

The computation of beneficial ownership percentages assumes that the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option. See “Principal and Selling Shareholders.” The shareholding percentages do not take into account the different votes that Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares are entitled to.

(1)	We expect the shareholding structure of our subsidiaries and variable interest entities will remain the same immediately after the completion of this offering.

Contractual Arrangements with Our VIE and Its Shareholders

Current PRC laws and regulations impose certain restrictions or prohibitions on foreign ownership of companies that engage in value-added telecommunication services and certain other businesses. We are a company registered in the Cayman Islands. Beijing Lexuebang is our PRC subsidiary and a foreign-invested enterprise under PRC laws. To comply with PRC laws and regulations, we primarily conduct our business in China through Beijing BaiJiaHuLian, our consolidated variable interest entity in the PRC which we refer to as our VIE in this prospectus, based on a series of contractual arrangements by and among Beijing Lexuebang, our VIE and its shareholders.

Our contractual arrangements with our VIE and its shareholders allow us to (i) exercise effective control over our VIE, (ii) receive substantially all of the economic benefits of our VIE, and (iii) have an exclusive call option to purchase all or part of the equity interests in our VIE when and to the extent permitted by PRC law.

As a result of our direct ownership in Beijing Lexuebang and the contractual arrangements with our VIE, we are regarded as the primary beneficiary of our VIE, and we treat our VIE and its subsidiaries as our consolidated entities under U.S. GAAP. We have consolidated the financial results of our VIE and its subsidiaries in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

The following is a summary of the currently effective contractual arrangements by and among Beijing Lexuebang, our VIE and its shareholders.

Agreements that provide us with effective control over our VIE

Powers of Attorney. Pursuant to the powers of attorney executed by our VIE’s shareholders, each of them irrevocably authorized Beijing Lexuebang or its designee(s) to act on their respective behalf as exclusive agent and attorney, to the extent permitted by law, with respect to all rights of shareholders concerning all the equity interest held by each of them in our VIE, including but not limited to proposing to convene or attend shareholder meetings, signing the resolutions and minutes of such meetings, exercising all the rights as shareholders (including but not limited to voting rights, nomination rights, appointment rights, the right to receive dividends and the right to sell, transfer, pledge or dispose of all the equity held in part or in whole).

 

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Equity Interest Pledge Agreement. Under the equity interest pledge agreement among Beijing Lexuebang, our VIE and its shareholders, our VIE’s shareholders pledged all of their equity interests of our VIE to Beijing Lexuebang as security for performance of the obligations of our VIE and its shareholders under the exclusive call option agreement, the exclusive management services and business cooperation agreement and the powers of attorney. If any of the specified events of default occurs, Beijing Lexuebang may exercise the right to enforce the pledge immediately. Beijing Lexuebang may transfer all or any of its rights and obligations under the equity interest pledge agreement to its designee(s) at any time. The agreement will remain in effect until the fulfillment of all the obligations under the exclusive call option agreement, the exclusive management services and business cooperation agreement and the powers of attorney.

We have registered the equity interest pledge under the equity interest pledge agreement in relation to our VIE with the relevant office of the State Administration for Market Regulation in accordance with the PRC Property Rights Law.

Agreements that allow us to receive economic benefits from our VIE

Exclusive Management Services and Business Cooperation Agreement. Pursuant to the exclusive management services and business cooperation agreement among Beijing Lexuebang, our VIE and the shareholders of our VIE, Beijing Lexuebang has the exclusive right to provide or designate any third-party to provide, among other things, education management consultancy services, permission of intellectual property rights, technological support and business support to our VIE and its subsidiaries. In exchange, our VIE and its subsidiaries pay service fees to Beijing Lexuebang in an amount determined by Beijing Lexuebang in its sole discretion. Without the prior written consent of Beijing Lexuebang, our VIE and its subsidiaries cannot accept services provided by or establish similar cooperation relationship with any third-party. Beijing Lexuebang owns the exclusive intellectual property rights created as a result of the performance of this agreement unless otherwise provided by PRC laws or regulations. The agreement will remain effective unless unanimously agreed by the parties concerned or unilaterally terminated by Beijing Lexuebang with a written notice. Unless otherwise required by applicable PRC laws, our VIE and its shareholders do not have any right to terminate the agreement.

Agreements that provide us with the call option to purchase the equity interests in our VIE

Exclusive Call Option Agreement. Under the exclusive call option agreement among Beijing Lexuebang, our VIE and its shareholders, each of the shareholders of our VIE irrevocably granted Beijing Lexuebang a right to purchase, or designate a third-party to purchase, all or any part of their equity interests in our VIE at a purchase price equal to the lowest price permissible by the then-applicable PRC laws and regulations at Beijing Lexuebang’s sole and absolute discretion to the extent permitted by PRC law. The shareholders of our VIE shall promptly give all considerations they received from the exercise of the options to Beijing Lexuebang or its designee(s). Our VIE and its shareholders covenant that, without Beijing Lexuebang’s prior written consent, they will not, among other things, (i) create any pledge or encumbrance on their equity interests in our VIE; (ii) transfer or otherwise dispose of their equity interests in our VIE; (iii) change our VIE’s registered capital; (iv) amend our VIE’s articles of association; (v) sell, transfer, license or otherwise dispose of any of our VIE’s assets or allow any encumbrance of any assets, except for the disposal or the encumbrances of the assets that are treated as necessary for their daily business operations with the value of the assets involved in a single transaction not exceeding RMB100,000; (vi) cause our VIE to enter into any major contracts or terminate any material contracts to which our VIE is a party; (vii) declare or distribute dividends; (viii) terminate, liquidate or dissolve our VIE; or (ix) allow our VIE to incur, inherit, guarantee or permit any debts, except for those payables incurred in the ordinary or usual course of business but not incurred by way of borrowing. The agreement will remain effective until terminated by Beijing Lexuebang at its discretion or the entire equity interests in our VIE have been transferred to Beijing Lexuebang or its designee(s).

Spousal Consent Letters. Pursuant to the spousal consent letters executed by the spouses of certain shareholders of our VIE, the signing spouses unconditionally and irrevocably agreed that the equity interest in our VIE held by and registered in the name of their spouses be disposed of in accordance with the exclusive call

 

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option agreement, the exclusive management services and business cooperation agreement, the equity interest pledge agreement and the powers of attorney described above, and that their spouses may perform, amend or terminate such agreements without their additional consent. Additionally, the signing spouses agreed not to assert any rights over the equity interest in our VIE held by their spouses. In addition, in the event that the signing spouses obtains any equity interest in our VIE held by their spouses for any reason, they agree to be bound by and sign any legal documents substantially similar to the contractual arrangements described above, as may be amended from time to time.

In the opinion of Tian Yuan Law Firm, our PRC legal counsel:

 

•

the ownership structures of our VIE and Beijing Lexuebang in China, both currently and immediately after giving effect to this offering, are not in violation of applicable PRC laws and regulations currently in effect; and

 

•

the contractual arrangements between Beijing Lexuebang, our VIE and its shareholders governed by PRC law are valid, binding and enforceable, and will not result in any violation of applicable PRC laws and regulations currently in effect.

However, our PRC legal counsel has also advised us that there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, regulations and rules. Accordingly, the PRC regulatory authorities may take a view that is contrary to the opinion of our PRC legal counsel. It is uncertain whether any new PRC laws or regulations relating to variable interest entity structures will be adopted or if adopted, what they would provide. If we or our VIE is found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations, or fail to obtain or maintain any of the required permits or approvals, the relevant PRC regulatory authorities would have broad discretion to take action in dealing with such violations or failures. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—If the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for operating certain of our operations in China do not comply with PRC regulations relating to the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations”, “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—Uncertainties exist with respect to the interpretation and implementation of the newly enacted Foreign Investment Law and how it may impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance, business, financial condition and results of operations” and “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could adversely affect us.”

 

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SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA

The following selected consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2018, selected consolidated balance sheets data as of December 31, 2017 and 2018, and selected consolidated cash flow data for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2018 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The summary consolidated statements of operation for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2019, summary consolidated balance sheet data as of September 30, 2019 and summary consolidated cash flow data for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2019 have been derived from our unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. We have prepared the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements on the same basis as our audited consolidated financial statements. Our consolidated financial statements are prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Our historical results do not necessarily indicate results expected for any future periods. You should read this Selected Consolidated Financial Data section together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

		For the Year Ended December 31,												For the Nine Months Ended September 30,
		2017				2018								2018				2019
		RMB				RMB				US$				RMB				RMB				US$
		(in thousands, except for share amounts and per share data)
Summary Consolidated Statements of Operations:
Net revenues			97,580				397,306				55,585				215,041				1,179,828				165,064
Cost of revenues(1)			(25,023	)			(142,753	)			(19,972	)			(84,815	)			(339,925	)			(47,557	)
Gross profit			72,557				254,553				35,613				130,226				839,903				117,507
Operating expenses
Selling expenses(1)			(75,325	)			(121,518	)			(17,001	)			(63,329	)			(598,919	)			(83,792	)
Research and development expenses(1)			(52,451	)			(74,050	)			(10,360	)			(47,503	)			(128,698	)			(18,006	)
General and administrative expenses(1)			(37,208	)			(39,831	)			(5,573	)			(24,013	)			(64,148	)			(8,975	)
Total operating expenses			(164,984	)			(235,399	)			(32,934	)			(134,845	)			(791,765	)			(110,773	)
(Loss) income from operations			(92,427	)			19,154				2,679				(4,619	)			48,138				6,734
Interest income			189				2,193				307				529				6,923				969
Realized gains from investments			—				—				—				—				3,368				471
Other income			2,004				495				69				291				2,300				322
Other expenses			(50	)			(445	)			(62	)			(341	)			(213	)			(30	)
Impairment loss on equity method investment			(1,070	)			—				—				—				—				—
(Loss) income before provision for income tax and (loss) income from equity method investments			(91,354	)			21,397				2,993				(4,140	)			60,516				8,466
Income tax benefits (expenses)			4,620				(2,616	)			(366	)			506				(9,086	)			(1,270	)
(Loss) income from equity method investments			(221	)			869				122				310				737				103
Net (loss) income			(86,955	)			19,650				2,749				(3,324	)			52,167				7,299
Series A convertible redeemable preferred shares redemption value accretion			(38,930	)			(38,930	)			(5,447	)			(29,198	)			(16,772	)			(2,346	)
Undistributed earnings allocated to the participating preferred shares			—				—				—				—				(3,851	)			(539	)
Net (loss) income attributable to GSX Techedu Inc.’s ordinary shareholders			(125,885	)			(19,280	)			(2,698	)			(32,522	)			31,544				4,414
Net (loss) income per ordinary share
Basic			(1.36	)			(0.21	)			(0.03	)			(0.35	)			0.25				0.04
Diluted			(1.36	)			(0.21	)			(0.03	)			(0.35	)			0.23				0.03
Weighted average shares used in net (loss) income per share
Basic			92,224,998				92,224,998				92,224,998				92,224,998				125,462,376				125,462,376
Diluted			92,224,998				92,224,998				92,224,998				92,224,998				134,511,454				134,511,454
Non-GAAP Financial Measures(2)
Gross billings			121,843				655,128				91,656				337,013				1,779,510				248,963

 

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Notes:

(1)	Share-based compensation expenses are in cost of revenues and operating expenses as follows:

 

		For the Year Ended December 31,												For the Nine Months Ended September 30,
		2017				2018								2018				2019
		RMB				RMB				US$				RMB				RMB				US$
		(in thousands)
Share-based compensation expenses:
Cost of revenues			3				283				40				125				10,241				1,433
Selling expenses			373				429				60				245				3,780				529
Research and development expenses			276				782				109				265				8,727				1,221
General and administrative expenses			5,136				4,423				619				649				14,174				1,983
Total			5,788				5,917				828				1,284				36,922				5,166

 

(2)	For discussions of gross billings and reconciliation of gross billings to net revenues, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Non-GAAP Financial Measure.”

The following table presents our selected consolidated balance sheets data as of December 31, 2017 and 2018 and September 30, 2019:

 

		As of December 31,												As of September 30,
		2017				2018								2019
		RMB				RMB				US$				RMB				US$
		(in thousands)
Selected Consolidated Balance Sheets Data:
Cash and cash equivalents			19,294				33,259				4,653				32,042				4,483
Short-term investments			7,974				197,991				27,700				1,014,633				141,952
Total current assets			52,345				280,801				39,286				1,235,131				172,801
Long-term investments			7,604				5,221				730				1,063,256				148,755
Total assets			103,213				338,203				47,316				2,624,239				367,145
Current liabilities			155,013				355,912				49,794				1,008,186				141,050
Total liabilities			155,500				364,682				51,021				1,160,283				162,329
Total mezzanine equity			427,130				466,060				65,204				—				—
Total shareholders’ (deficit) equity			(479,417	)			(492,539	)			(68,909	)			1,463,956				204,816

 

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The following table presents our selected consolidated cash flow data for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2018 and for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2019:

 

		For the Year Ended December 31,												For the Nine Months Ended September 30,
		2017				2018								2018				2019
		RMB				RMB				US$				RMB				RMB				US$
		(in thousands)
Selected Consolidated Cash Flow Data:
Net cash (used in) generated from operating activities			(49,643	)			241,869				33,840				92,473				546,296				76,432
Net cash used in investing activities			(10,140	)			(198,720	)			(27,802	)			(63,369	)			(1,895,336	)			(265,167	)
Net cash generated from (used in) financing activities			56,531				(29,193	)			(4,085	)			(18,040	)			1,332,804				186,466
Effect of exchange rate changes			(40	)			9				1				6				15,019				2,101
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents			(3,292	)			13,965				1,954				11,070				(1,217	)			(168	)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year			22,586				19,294				2,699				19,294				33,259				4,651
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year			19,294				33,259				4,653				30,364				32,042				4,483

This prospectus contains translations of RMB amounts into U.S. dollars at specific rates solely for the convenience of the reader. The conversion of RMB into U.S. dollars in this prospectus is based on the rate certified for customs purposes by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to U.S. dollars and from U.S. dollars to RMB in this prospectus are made at RMB7.1477 to US$1.00, the rate in effect as of September 30, 2019, as applicable. We make no representation that any RMB or U.S. dollar amounts could have been, or could be, converted into U.S. dollars or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate, the rates stated below, or at all. The PRC government imposes control over its foreign currency reserves in part through direct regulation of the conversion of RMB into foreign exchange and through restrictions on foreign trade. On November 8, 2019, the rate was RMB6.9954 to US$1.00.

The following table sets forth information concerning exchange rates between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar for the periods indicated. These rates are provided solely for your convenience and are not necessarily the exchange rates that we used in this prospectus or will use in the preparation of our periodic reports or any other information to be provided to you.

 

		Exchange Rate
Period		Period-End				Average(1)				Low				High
		(RMB per U.S. Dollar)
For the year ended December 31, 2017			6.5063				6.7350				6.9575				6.4773
For the year ended December 31, 2018			6.8755				6.6090				6.9737				6.2649
Nine months ended September 30, 2019			7.1477				6.8651				7.1786				6.6822

 

Source: Federal Reserve Statistical Release

(1)	Averages for each period are calculated using the average of the exchange rates on the last day of each month during the relevant period.

 

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