As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 8, 2022

Registration No. 333-         

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

BUZZFEED, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

Delaware	85-3022075
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

111 East 18th Street

New York, New York 10003

(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

BUZZFEED, INC. 2021 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

BUZZFEED, INC. 2021 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN

(Full Title of the Plans)

Jonah Peretti

Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board

111 East 18th Street

New York, New York 10003

Telephone: (646) 589-8592

(Name, Address, including Zip Code, and Telephone Number of Agent For Service)

Copies to:

Dawn Belt, Esq.

Aman Singh, Esq.

Fenwick & West LLP

902 Broadway

New York, New York 10010

Telephone: (212) 430-2600

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer	¨	Accelerated filer	¨
Non-accelerated filer	x	Smaller reporting company	¨
		Emerging growth company	x

If an emerging growth company, 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. ¨

PART I

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(A) PROSPECTUS

The information called for by Part I of Form S-8 is omitted from this Registration Statement in accordance with Rule 428 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and the instructions to Form S-8. In accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) and the instructions to Form S-8, such documents are not being filed with the Commission either as part of this Registration Statement or as prospectuses or prospectus supplements pursuant to Rule 424. The documents containing the information specified in Part I of Form S-8 will be delivered to the participants in the equity benefit plans covered by this Registration Statement as specified by Rule 428(b)(1) under the Securities Act.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

The following documents filed by BuzzFeed, Inc. (the “Registrant”) with the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), are incorporated herein by reference:

(a) the Registrant’s Prospectus filed on January 24, 2022 pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, relating to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-262105), which contains audited financial statements for the Registrant’s latest fiscal year for which such statements have been filed;

(b) the Registrant’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarters ended March 31, 2021, June 30, 2021 and September 30, 2021 filed with the Commission on June 7, 2021, August 16, 2021 and, November 15, 2021, respectively;

(c) the Registrant’s Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on January 15, 2021, January 21, 2021, March 4, 2021, May 28, 2021, June 24, 2021, October 29, 2021, November 15, 2021, November 19, 2021, December 2, 2021, December 9, 2021 and January 12, 2022 (in each case excluding “furnished” and not “filed” information); and

(d) the description of the Registrant’s capital stock contained in the Registrant’s Prospectus filed on January 24, 2022 pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act, including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.

All documents subsequently filed by the Registrant with the Commission pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the date of the filing of such documents, except that information furnished to the Commission under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 in Current Reports on Form 8-K and any exhibit relating to such information, shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.

Any statement contained herein or in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained in this Registration Statement, or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement, modifies or supersedes such earlier statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

Item 4. Description of Securities.

Not applicable.

Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

Not applicable.

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law authorizes a court to award, or a corporation’s board of directors to grant, indemnity to directors and officers under certain circumstances and subject to certain limitations. The terms of Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law are sufficiently broad to permit indemnification under certain circumstances for liabilities, including reimbursement of expenses incurred, arising under the Securities Act.

As permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, the Registrant’s certificate of incorporation, as amended (the “Certificate of Incorporation”) contains provisions that eliminate the personal liability of its directors for monetary damages for any breach of fiduciary duties as a director, except liability for the following:

• any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the Registrant or its stockholders;

• acts or omissions not in good faith or that involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law;

• under Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (regarding unlawful dividends and stock purchases); or

• any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit.

As permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, the Registrant’s restated bylaws (the “Bylaws”) provide that:

• the Registrant is required to indemnify its directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, subject to very limited exceptions;

• the Registrant is required to advance expenses, as incurred, to its directors and officers in connection with a legal proceeding to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, subject to limited exceptions; and

• the rights conferred in the Bylaws are not exclusive.

The Registrant has entered into indemnification agreements with its directors and executive officers, which provide for indemnification and advancements by the Registrant of certain expenses and costs under certain circumstances. At present, there is no pending litigation or proceeding involving a director or executive officer of the Registrant for which indemnification is sought. The indemnification provisions in the Registrant’s Certificate of Incorporation, Bylaws and the indemnification agreements entered into between the Registrant and each of its directors and executive officers may be sufficiently broad to permit indemnification of the Registrant’s directors and executive officers for liabilities arising under the Securities Act.

The Registrant has directors’ and officers’ liability insurance for securities matters.

Item 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed.

Not applicable.

Item 8. Exhibits.

Exhibit Number	Exhibit Description	Incorporated by Reference				Filed Herewith
		Form	File No.	Exhibit	Filing Date
4.1	Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of BuzzFeed, Inc.	8-K	001-39877	3.1	December 9, 2021
4.2	Restated Bylaws of BuzzFeed, Inc.	8-K	001-39877	3.2	December 9, 2021
4.3	Specimen Common Stock Certificate	8-K	001-39877	4.1	December 9, 2021
5.1	Opinion of Fenwick & West LLP					X
23.1	Consent of Marcum LLP, independent registered public accounting firm for 890 5th Avenue Partners, Inc.					X
23.2	Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent registered accounting firm for BuzzFeed, Inc.					X
23.3	Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, independent accountants for CM Partners, LLC.					X
23.4	Consent of Fenwick & West LLP (contained in Exhibit 5.1)					X
24.1	Power of Attorney (included on the signature page of this Registration Statement)					X
99.1	2021 Equity Incentive Plan of BuzzFeed, Inc.					X
99.2	Form of Stock Option Grant under the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan	8-K	001-39877	10.10	December 9, 2021
99.3	Form of RSU Agreement under the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan of BuzzFeed, Inc.	8-K	001-39877	10.11	December 9, 2021
99.4	Form of Stock Option Substitution Agreement under the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan of BuzzFeed, Inc.	8-K	001-39877	10.12	December 9, 2021
99.5	Form of RSU Substitution Agreement under the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan of BuzzFeed, Inc.	8-K	001-39877	10.13	December 9, 2021
99.6	Form of Restricted Stock Award Agreement under the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan of BuzzFeed, Inc.	8-K	001-39877	10.14	December 9, 2021
99.7	2021 Equity Employee Stock Purchase Plan of BuzzFeed, Inc.	8-K	001-39877	10.15	December 9, 2021
107.1	Filing Fee Table					X

Item 9. Undertakings.

The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

(1) to file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

(i) to include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;

(ii) to reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective Registration Statement; and

(iii) to include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (1)(i) and (ii) above do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement;

(2) that, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof;

(3) to remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering; and

(4) for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers, and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer, or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit, or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer, or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of New York, State of New York, on the 8th day of February, 2022.

BUZZFEED, INC.
By:	/s/ Jonah Peretti
	Name: Jonah Peretti
	Title: Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Jonah Peretti and Felicia DellaFortuna, and each of them, as his or her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact, proxies and agents, each with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments to this Registration Statement, including post-effective amendments and to file the same, with any exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or any state securities department or any other federal or state agency or governmental authority granting unto such attorneys-in-fact, proxies and agents full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact, proxies and agents, or their or his or her substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Signature	Title	Date
/s/ Jonah Peretti	Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of the Board (Principal Executive Officer)	February 8, 2022
Jonah Peretti
/s/ Felicia DellaFortuna	Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)	February 8, 2022
Felicia DellaFortuna
/s/ Angela Acharia	Director	February 8, 2022
Angela Acharia
/s/ Joan Amble	Director	February 8, 2022
Joan Amble
/s/ Greg Coleman	Director	February 8, 2022
Greg Coleman
/s/ Patrick Kerins	Director	February 8, 2022
Patrick Kerins
/s/ Janet Rollé	Director	February 8, 2022
Janet Rollé
/s/ Adam Rothstein	Director	February 8, 2022
Adam Rothstein