(1) Organization and Description of Business

The Company

Skillsoft Corp. (“Successor”)

On October 12, 2020, Software Luxembourg Holding S.A. (“Software Luxembourg” or “Predecessor (SLH)”) and Churchill Capital Corp II, a Delaware corporation (“Churchill”), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Skillsoft Merger Agreement”). Pursuant to the terms of the Skillsoft Merger Agreement, a business combination between Churchill and Software Luxembourg was affected through the merger of Software Luxembourg with and into Churchill (the “Skillsoft Merger”), with Churchill being the surviving company. At the effective time of the Skillsoft Merger (the “Effective Time”), (a) each Class A share of Software Luxembourg (“SLH Class A Shares”) outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time, was automatically canceled and Churchill issued as consideration therefor (i) such number of shares of Churchill’s Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Churchill Class A common stock”) as would be transferred pursuant to the Class A First Lien Exchange Ratio (as defined in the Skillsoft Merger Agreement), and (ii)Churchill’s Class C common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Churchill Class C common stock”), as would be transferred pursuant to the Class C Exchange Ratio (as defined in the Skillsoft Merger Agreement), and (b) each Class B share of Software Luxembourg was automatically canceled and Churchill issued as consideration therefor such number of shares of Churchill Class A common stock equal to the Per Class B Share Merger Consideration (as defined in the Skillsoft Merger Agreement). Immediately following the Effective Time, Churchill redeemed all of the shares of Class C common stock issued to the holders of SLH Class A Shares for an aggregate redemption price of (i) $505,000,000 in cash and (ii) indebtedness under the Existing Second Out Credit Agreement (as defined in the Skillsoft Merger Agreement), as amended by the Existing Second Out Credit Agreement Amendment (as defined in the Skillsoft Merger Agreement), in the aggregate principal amount equal to $20,000,000.

As part of the closing of the Skillsoft Merger, the Company (as defined below) consummated PIPE investments and issued 53,000,000 shares of its Class A common stock and warrants to purchase 16,666,667 shares of its Class A common Stock for aggregate gross proceeds of $530 million. In connection with the consummation of these investments, the Company reclassified amounts recorded for stock subscriptions and warrants which previously had been accounted for as liabilities of $78.2 million as additional paid in capital.

On June 11, 2021 (“acquisition date”), Churchill completed its acquisition of Software Luxembourg, and changed its corporate name from Churchill to Skillsoft Corp. (“Skillsoft”). In addition, the Company changed its fiscal year end from December 31 to January 31. Also on June 11, 2021, the Company completed the acquisition of Albert DE Holdings Inc. (“Global Knowledge” or “GK” and such acquisition, the “Global Knowledge Merger”), a worldwide leader in IT and professional skills development.

Software Luxembourg Holding (“Predecessor (SLH)”)

Software Luxembourg, a public limited liability company incorporated and organized under the laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, was established on August 27, 2020, for the purpose of acquiring the ownership interest in Pointwell Limited (“Pointwell”), an Irish private limited company, through a plan of reorganization under Chapter 11 subsequent to August 27, 2020.

Successor and Predecessor Periods

The Skillsoft Merger was considered a business combination under ASC 805, Business Combinations and is accounted for using the acquisition method of accounting, whereby Churchill was determined to be the accounting acquirer and Software Luxembourg Holding was determined to be the predecessor for financial reporting purposes. References to “Successor” or “Successor Company” relate to the condensed consolidated financial position and results of operations of Skillsoft subsequent to June 11, 2021, the date when the acquisitions of Predecessor (SLH) and Global Knowledge were completed. References to “Predecessor (SLH)” relate to the condensed consolidated financial position and results of operations of Software Luxembourg Holding S.A. between August 28, 2020, and June 11, 2021 (its last date of operations prior to the merger). Operating results for the acquired business on June 11, 2021, were credited to the Predecessor (SLH) in the accompanying condensed consolidated statement of operations. The funds received from the PIPE investments and transferred for the business combinations closing on June 11, 2021, were recorded in the Successor period of the condensed consolidated statement of cash flows.

In the accompanying footnotes references to “the Company” relate to Successor, Predecessor (SLH) and Predecessor (PL) for the same periods.

Description of Business

The Company provides, through a portfolio of quality content, a platform that is personalized and connected to customer needs, and a broad ecosystem of partners, Skillsoft drives continuous growth and performance for employees and their organizations by overcoming critical skill gaps, unlocking human potential, and transforming the workforce. With 150,000+ expert-led skills-building courses in modalities ranging from video and audio to instructor-led training and practice labs, Skillsoft offers inclusive options for all, from leaders to frontline workers, readers to hands-on learners.

Skillsoft supports more than 70% of the Fortune 1000 with today's sought-after competencies: leadership and business skills, technology and developer skills, and essential safety and risk management compliance. We leverage content modalities adaptable to different preferences, schedules, and learning styles — from books to videos, full courses to micro-learning, audiobooks to live bootcamps. Content is continuously updated with the latest insights, information, and training methods.

Today's learners want the right learning experience, delivered when, where, and how they want it. That's why our approach is mobile-first, and our expert-curated, cloud-based content is served on an open platform that reaches learners wherever they are.

Our community of 86 million learners in 150+ countries around the globe learn in more than 30 languages. As often as they need or want to, typical learners turn to Skillsoft to acquire critical job skills in the flow of work, and grow as leaders, employees, and people. We've helped fuel performance and career growth for more than 20 years.

References in the accompanying footnotes to the Company’s fiscal year refer to the fiscal year ended January 31 of that year (e.g., fiscal 2023 is the fiscal year ended January 31, 2023).

Basis of Financial Statement Preparation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Skillsoft (Successor), Software Luxembourg (Predecessor (SLH)) and Pointwell (Predecessor (PL)) and their wholly owned subsidiaries. We prepared the accompanying consolidated financial statements in accordance with the instructions for Form 10‑K and Article 10 of Regulation S-X and, therefore, include all information and footnotes necessary for a complete presentation of operations, comprehensive income (loss), financial position, changes in stockholders’ equity (deficit) and cash flows in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”).

The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS” Act”), and has and may in the future take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. In addition, the Company is a “smaller reporting company”, as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Regulation S-K, therefore is eligible to take advantage of less burdensome disclosure and reporting requirements, which include delaying the timing of adoption of certain accounting guidance.

Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All material intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reported periods. Actual results could differ from our estimates.