Think Equity: Society Pass (Nasdaq: SOPA) – Path to Profitability

Rhea-AI Summary

Society Pass Inc. (Nasdaq: SOPA) has released a research report from Think Equity, forecasting significant revenue growth from $6 million in 2022 to $42 million in 2023. The company holds a strong cash position of $20 million and aims for operational breakeven by Q2 2023. Society Pass has acquired eight companies to date, pivoting towards an acquisition-based growth strategy. The loyalty platform is set for a hard launch in Q2 2023, complemented by a partnership with Alipay. The valuation target stands at $6 per share, based on a 4x FY23 sales multiple, aligning with its peer group.

Positive

• Projected revenue growth from $6 million in 2022 to $42 million in 2023.
• Strong cash position of $20 million with decreased monthly cash burn from $1.2 million to $150K.
• Acquired eight companies, targeting 7-10 more acquisitions in 2023.
• Beta launched loyalty platform and partnered with Alipay for payment integration.
• Valuation target of $6 per share based on 4x FY23 sales multiple.

Negative

• The company is not investing in food and beverage delivery, indicating unprofitability in that sector.
• Significant reliance on acquisitions for growth raises concerns about integration and operational risks.

NEW YORK, NY, March 14, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire – Think Equity, LLC (“Think Equity”) issues research report on Society Pass Inc. (Nasdaq: SOPA) (“SoPa”), Southeast Asia’s (SEA) next generation, data-driven, loyalty, fintech and e-commerce ecosystem.

Click Here (on Society Pass website) to view the full Think Equity research report.

Summary Points:

• Path to Profitability – Revenues are forecast to grow from $6 million in 2022 to $42 million in 2023. The company is well capitalized, with an estimated cash position of $20 million. Monthly cash burn has declined from an average of $1.2 million for the nine months through September 2022 to $150K by December 2022. The company’s objective is to achieve operational breakeven by the second quarter of 2023. The company’s target EBITDA for 2023 is 10%.

• Holding Company – The group has acquired eight companies, seven of which were in 2022. Management targets 7 to 10 acquisitions in 2023. The company has pivoted away from organically developing a loyalty platform to making acquisitions. The acquisition model focuses on three KPIs – revenues, users, and merchants. Revenues have grown from $10,000 in 2019 to $50,000 in 2020, $520,000 in 2021, and $6.1 million in 2022. In addition, the company has on-boarded 3.3 million registered consumers and 200,000 registered merchants.

• Loyalty – The company beta launched its loyalty platform in June 2022 and plans a hard launch in the second quarter of 2023. The company has an impending digital wallet partnership with Alipay, the payments arm of the Alibaba Group. The company intends to build out the loyalty app with its digital wallet partnership with Alipay into a de facto payments platform for Southeast Asia.

• Lifestyle – Society Pass acquired Leflair, based in Vietnam, out of bankruptcy in 2021. The company has rebuilt the platform, onboarding users and merchants. Up from $500,000 in revenues in 2021, Leflair generated over $2 million in sales in 2022. The company intends to spin out Leflair as a separate publicly listed company in 2023.

• Food and Beverage Delivery – The company acquired three F&B delivery companies in Vietnam and Philippines in 2022. The company generated $100,000 in food and beverage delivery in 2022. The company is not investing in food and beverage delivery as it is inherently an unprofitable business. But the company has on-boarded 700K registered users onto its platform. That’s in addition to the 1.5 million registered users on-boarded via the Leflair acquisition.

• Telcoms – Gorilla is a Singapore-based, blockchain/web3 technology-enabled mobile virtual network operator. Society Pass acquired it for its technology. The company is taking that blockchain/Web three technology and infusing it into the rest of the ecosystem.

• Digital Media – Thoughtful Media, a leading influencer advertising company in Southeast Asia, generated $6.5 million in sales in 2022. Thoughtful Media has over 200 channels on its multi channel network and over 300 influencers. The company targets to grow revenues from $6.5 million in 2022 to $30 million by 2023, with a target 15% EBITDA margin.

• Travel – With NusaTrip acquisition, Society Pass has on-boarded a total of 3.3 million registered users and over 200,000 registered merchants. An estimated 99% of business at NusaTrip is airlines versus 1% hotels. The revenue rate earned from selling airline tickets is 2% - 3% compared to 7% - 20% for hotels. NusaTrip plans to change the revenue mix from 99%/1% to 80%/20% by the end of the year.

• Valuation. Our 12-month price target is $6 based on 4x FY23 sales per share estimate. This valuation multiple is within the peer group valuation range.

About Society Pass Inc.

Founded in 2018 as a data-driven loyalty, fintech and e-commerce ecosystem in the fast-growing markets of Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, which account for more than 80% of the SEA population, and with offices located in Angeles, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Manila, and Singapore, Society Pass Incorporated (Nasdaq: SOPA) is an acquisition-focused holding company operating 6 interconnected verticals (loyalty, digital media, travel, telecoms, lifestyle, and F&B), which seamlessly connects millions of registered consumers and hundreds of thousands of registered merchants/brands across multiple product and service categories throughout SEA.

Society Pass completed an initial public offering and began trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker SOPA in November 2021. SOPA shares were added to the Russell 2000 index in December 2021.

SoPa acquires fast growing e-commerce companies and expands its user base across a robust product and service ecosystem. SoPa integrates these complementary businesses through its signature Society Pass fintech platform and circulation of its universal loyalty points or Society Points, which has entered beta testing and is expected to launch broadly at the beginning of 2023. Society Pass loyalty program members earn and redeem Society Points and receive personalised promotions based on SoPa’s data capabilities and understanding of consumer shopping behaviour. SoPa has amassed more than 3.3 million registered consumers and over 205,000 registered merchants and brands. It has invested 2+ years building proprietary IT architecture to effectively scale and support its consumers, merchants, and acquisitions.

Society Pass leverages technology to tailor a more personalised experience for customers in the purchase journey and to transform the entire retail value chain in SEA. SoPa operates Thoughtful Media Group, a Thailand-based, a social commerce-focused, premium digital video multi-platform network; NusaTrip, a leading Indonesia-based Online Travel Agency; Gorilla Networks, a Singapore-based, web3-enabled mobile blockchain network operator; Leflair.com,Vietnam’s leading lifestyle e-commerce platform; Pushkart.ph, a popular grocery delivery company in Philippines; Handycart.vn, a leading online restaurant delivery service based in Vietnam; and Mangan.ph, a leading local restaurant delivery service in Philippines.

For more information on Society Pass, please visit:

Website at https://www.thesocietypass.com or

LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/societypass  or

Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thesocietypass  or

Twitter at https://twitter.com/society_pass or

Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/societypass/.

Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may include “forward-looking statements,” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release are forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, words such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect”, “intend” and similar expressions, as they relate to us or our management team, identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of management, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, the Company’s management. Actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors detailed in the Company’s filings with the SEC. All subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are qualified in their entirety by this paragraph. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of the Company’s registration statement and prospectus relating to the Company’s initial public offering filed with the SEC. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release, except as required by law.

Media Contacts:
PRecious Communications
sopa@preciouscomms.com

FAQ

What are Society Pass's revenue projections for 2023?

Society Pass projects revenues to grow from $6 million in 2022 to $42 million in 2023.

What is the current cash position of Society Pass?

Society Pass has an estimated cash position of $20 million.

When does Society Pass plan to achieve operational breakeven?

Society Pass aims to achieve operational breakeven by the second quarter of 2023.

What is Society Pass's acquisition strategy for 2023?

Society Pass targets 7 to 10 acquisitions in 2023.

What is Society Pass's valuation target per share?

The 12-month price target for Society Pass is $6 per share.