Spire Global Inc

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended ("Exchange Act"), is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in company reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

We performed an evaluation under the supervision and with the participation of management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule(s) 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) as of December 31, 2023. Based upon that evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of December 31, 2023 because of the material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting described below.

Notwithstanding the material weaknesses described in Management's Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting, our management has concluded that our consolidated financial statements for the periods covered by and included in this Annual Report are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("GAAP") and fairly present, in all material respects, our financial position, results of operations and cash flows for each of the periods presented herein.

Material Weaknesses in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. The following material weaknesses were identified:

We did not design and maintain an effective control environment commensurate with the financial reporting requirements of a public company. Specifically, we lacked a sufficient number of professionals with an appropriate level of internal controls and accounting knowledge, training, and experience to appropriately analyze, record and disclose accounting matters timely and accurately. Additionally, the lack of a sufficient number of professionals resulted in an inability to consistently establish appropriate authorities and responsibilities in pursuit of our financial reporting objectives, as demonstrated by, among other things, insufficient segregation of duties in our finance and accounting functions. This material weakness contributed to the following additional material weaknesses:

i.

We did not design and maintain an effective risk assessment process at a precise enough level to identify new and evolving risks of material misstatement in our financial statements. Specifically, changes to existing controls or the implementation of new controls have not been sufficient to respond to changes to the risks of material misstatement in the financial statements.

ii.

We did not design and maintain effective controls over the segregation of duties related to journal entries and account reconciliations. Specifically, certain personnel have the ability to both (a) create and post journal entries within our general ledger system, and (b) prepare and review account reconciliations.

The material weaknesses above resulted in certain immaterial audit adjustments, which were recorded prior to the issuance of the consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2020. Additionally, these material weaknesses could result in a misstatement of substantially all of our accounts or disclosures that would result in a material misstatement to the annual or interim consolidated financial statements that would not be prevented or detected.

iii.

We did not design and maintain effective controls related to the identification of and accounting for certain non-routine, unusual or complex transactions, including the proper application of GAAP to such transactions. Specifically, we did not design and maintain:

a.

controls to timely identify and account for warrant instruments, which resulted in the restatement of the previously issued financial statements of NavSight related to adjustments to warrant liabilities and equity;

b.

controls to account for business combinations, including the associated valuation estimates and the completeness and accuracy of the opening balance sheet, which did not result in a misstatement to our consolidated financial statements; and

c.

controls to timely identify and account for the fair value of the contingent earnout liability, which resulted in an error in the fair value of the contingent earnout liability in, and the restatement of, our previously issued unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements as of and for each of the interim periods ended September 30, 2021, March 31, 2022 and June 30, 2022 and our consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2021.

Additionally, these material weaknesses could result in a misstatement of substantially all of our accounts or disclosures that would result in a material misstatement to the annual or interim consolidated financial statements that would not be prevented or detected.

iv.

We did not design and maintain effective controls over certain information technology (“IT”) general controls for information systems that are relevant to the preparation of our financial statements. Specifically, we did not design and maintain:

a. user access controls to ensure appropriate segregation of duties and that adequately restrict user and privileged access to financial applications, programs, and data to appropriate company personnel;

b. program change management controls for our financial systems to ensure that IT program and data changes affecting financial IT applications and underlying accounting records are identified, tested, authorized, and implemented appropriately; and

c. testing and approval controls for program development to ensure that new software development is aligned with business and IT requirements.

These IT deficiencies did not result in a misstatement to the financial statements, however, the deficiencies, when aggregated, could impact our ability to maintain effective segregation of duties, as well as the effectiveness of IT-dependent controls (such as automated controls that address the risk of material misstatement to one or more assertions, along with the IT controls and underlying data that support the effectiveness of system-generated data and reports) that could result in misstatements potentially impacting all financial statement accounts and disclosures that would result in a material misstatement to the annual or interim financial statements that would not be prevented or detected. Accordingly, management has determined these deficiencies in the aggregate constitute a material weakness.

Remediation Efforts on Material Weaknesses in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

In response to the material weaknesses identified, we have implemented several changes to our internal control over financial reporting and will continue performing remedial actions in 2024, as described below.

The remediation and ultimate resolution of each of the material weaknesses will be reviewed with the Audit Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors.

We have made progress to address the material weaknesses related to the control environment, as described below:

Key Professionals

In fiscal 2022 and 2023 and continuing to date, we identified and hired a number of professionals with appropriate levels of internal controls and accounting knowledge to improve the overall domestic and international financial accounting and reporting departments. The positions hired include chief accounting officer, director of accounting and Americas controller, director of technical accounting, accounting manager, senior and staff accountants, senior financial systems manager, and system administrator. In addition, we engaged with external consultants and experts to provide technical accounting and financial systems services. The Company continues to monitor personnel requirements and expertise needed to have an effective control environment, including providing necessary ongoing training to its finance and accounting personnel.

Risk Assessment

We engaged a third-party consulting firm to assist in designing and implementing a risk assessment process to identify and evaluate changes in the Company’s business and the impact on its internal controls. During fiscal 2023, we conducted a financial risk assessment to identify key business processes and establish internal materiality thresholds. We performed walkthroughs of all key processes, identified key controls, and developed narratives describing risk points, processes, and corresponding controls. A Risk and Control Matrix (RCM) was created to serve as the basis for a testing program in progress.

We engaged a third-party consulting firm to complete an initial Enterprise Risk Assessment. With the assistance of the consulting firm, we identified key risks for technology-based organizations and interviewed management team members and the Chair of the Audit Committee to discuss key risk areas. We reviewed responses received, compiled a list of identified risks, and developed heat maps to depict the likelihood, impact, and preparedness of the Company to respond to the identified risks. Action and testing plans are being developed to address the risks and testing is in process, after which results will be monitored and reviewed with management.

Segregation of Duties

During fiscal year 2022, we completed our initial assessment on segregation of duties with assistance from a third-party consulting firm and began our analysis across all processes and locations, including establishing appropriate authorities and responsibilities. During 2022, we designed and implemented controls over the segregation of duties related to journal entries and account reconciliations, including the implementation of automated controls, which replaced previously manual detective controls, designed to prevent the ability for the same person to create and post journal entries in our general ledger system. With the hiring of additional personnel including a senior financial system manager in late 2022, and an accounts receivable specialist and a senior accountant in 2023, we were able to implement additional automated controls and to further segregate the preparation and review of account reconciliations during fiscal year 2023. We are in the process of testing the controls designed over segregation of duties.

Non-routine, Unusual or Complex Transactions

Over the course of 2022, we hired key accounting personnel and engaged with third-party technical accounting experts to improve our controls related to the identification of and proper application of GAAP accounting for non-routine, unusual, or complex transactions. Since the Merger that occurred in August 2021, warrant instruments have been accounted for in accordance with the Company’s accounting policies based on GAAP. During the fourth quarter of 2022, Management trained the accounting team and designed new controls to timely identify and account for the fair value of the contingent earnout liability, and hired a third-party technical accounting firm to assist with the proper application of GAAP for non-routine, unusual, or complex transactions, including any business combinations that may arise in the future. We have tested the controls designed for non-routine, unusual or complex transactions and are in the process of monitoring the controls for operating effectiveness.

IT General Controls

Management designed and maintained testing and approval controls for program development to ensure that the software is aligned with business and IT requirements. This includes final approval and testing of the software prior to migration to production. Over the course of 2022 and continuing through 2023, the Company designed and implemented certain IT general controls, including controls over user access rights and privileges and change management.

While the above actions and planned actions are subject to ongoing management evaluation and will require validation and testing of the design and operating effectiveness of internal controls over a sustained period, we are committed to continuous improvement and will continue to diligently review our internal control over financial reporting. The material weaknesses will not be considered remediated until management completes the design and implementation of the measures described above, until the controls operate for a sufficient period of time, and until management has concluded, through testing, that the controls are effective.

Limitations on Effectiveness of Controls and Procedures

Our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, do not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures or our internal control over financial reporting will prevent all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of a simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by management override of the controls. The design of any system of controls is also based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions; over time, controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or the degree of compliance with policies or procedures may deteriorate. Due to inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There have been no changes (other than those described above) in our internal control over financial reporting during our most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.