ASPEN AEROGELS INC - Annual Report: 2017 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017

OR

For the transition period from                      to

Commission file number: 001-36481

ASPEN AEROGELS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (508) 691-1111

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes   ☐     No   ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.    Yes   ☐     No   ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes   ☒    No   ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes   ☒     No   ☐

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.     ☒

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).     Yes   ☐     No   ☒

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 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☒

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant (without admitting that any person whose shares are not included in such calculation is an affiliate) computed by reference to the price at which the common stock was last sold as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter was approximately $86.6 million.

As of February 27, 2018, the registrant had 23,643,189 shares of common stock outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement for its Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on June 20, 2018 are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K to the extent stated herein.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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PART I

Aspen Aerogels, Inc. is an aerogel technology company that designs, develops and manufactures innovative, high-performance aerogel insulation used primarily in the energy infrastructure and building materials markets. The Company also conducts research and development related to aerogel technology supported by funding from several agencies of the U.S. government and other institutions. When used in this report, the terms “we,” “us,” “our” and “the Company” refer to Aspen Aerogels, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

We design, develop and manufacture innovative, high-performance aerogel insulation. We believe our aerogel blankets deliver the best thermal performance of any widely used insulation product available on the market today and provide a combination of performance attributes unmatched by traditional insulation materials. Our products provide two to five times the thermal performance of widely used traditional insulation in a thin, easy-to-use and durable blanket form. Our end-use customers select our products where thermal performance is critical, and to save money, improve resource efficiency, preserve operating assets and protect workers.

Our technologically advanced products are targeted at the estimated $3.1 billion annual global market for energy infrastructure insulation materials. Our aerogel insulation has undergone rigorous technical validation and is used by many of the world’s largest oil producers and the owners and operators of refineries, petrochemical plants, liquefied natural gas facilities and power generating and distribution assets, such as ExxonMobil, PTT LNG, Dominion Resources and Royal Dutch Shell. Our products replace traditional insulation in existing facilities during regular maintenance, upgrades and capacity expansions. In addition, our aerogel products are increasingly being specified for use in new-build energy infrastructure facilities.

We introduced our two key product lines, Pyrogel and Cryogel in 2008. Our product revenue has grown from $17.2 million in 2008 to $109.6 million in 2017, representing a nine year compound annual growth rate of 23%. During this period, we have sold more than $719 million of our products globally, representing an installed base of more than 279 million square feet of insulation. We believe that this initial success positions us for future growth and continued gain in market share.

We currently focus our commercial efforts in the energy infrastructure market, where we believe our products have the highest value applications. We also market and sell aerogel products for use within the building materials market. As we continue to enhance our aerogel technology platform, we believe we will have opportunities to address additional high value applications in the global insulation market and in a diverse set of new markets.

We have grown our business by forming technical and commercial relationships with industry leaders, which has allowed us to optimize our products to meet the particular demands of targeted market sectors. We have benefited from our technical and commercial relationships with ExxonMobil in the oil refinery and petrochemical sector, with TechnipFMC in the offshore oil sector and with BASF in the building materials market. We will continue our strategy of working with innovative companies to target and penetrate additional market opportunities.

Our patented aerogel product and manufacturing technologies are significant assets. Aerogels are complex structures in which 97% of the volume consists of air trapped between intertwined clusters of amorphous silica solids. These extremely low density solids provide superior insulating properties. Although aerogels are usually fragile materials, we have developed innovative and proprietary manufacturing processes that enable us to produce industrially robust aerogel insulation cost-effectively and at commercial scale.

Our products help customers to improve the resource efficiency and sustainability of their operations. Our products also enable compact system design, reduce installation time and costs, promote freight and logistics cost savings, reduce system weight and required storage space and enhance job site safety. Our products reduce the incidence of corrosion under insulation, which is a significant maintenance cost and safety issue in energy infrastructure facilities. Many of our products also offer strong fire protection, which is a critical performance requirement in our markets. We believe our array of product attributes provides strong competitive advantages over traditional insulation. Although competing insulation materials may have one or more comparable attributes, we believe that no single insulation material currently available offers all of the properties of our aerogel insulation products.

Total revenue for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 was $111.6 million, $117.7 million and $122.5 million, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, based on shipment destination or research services location, our U.S. revenue was $51.4 million, $35.7 million and $44.5 million, respectively, and our international revenue was $60.2 million, $82.0 million and $78.0 million, respectively.

We manufacture our products using proprietary technology at our facility in East Providence, Rhode Island. We have operated the East Providence facility since 2008 and have significantly increased manufacturing capacity and productivity since that date. We

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commenced operation of our third production line in the East Providence facility in 2015 which increased our annual nameplate capacity to 50 million square feet of aerogel blankets. We have initiated a series of projects designed to increase this capacity to 60 million square feet of aerogel blankets by the end of 2020. We have also completed the design and engineering of the first production line in a planned second manufacturing facility to be located in Statesboro, Georgia supported by a package of incentives from the State of Georgia and local governmental entities. We have elected to delay construction of the Statesboro facility to better align the timing of this capacity expansion with our assessment of future demand.

Financial information about our product and research services revenues, net loss per share and our total assets are provided in our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Our Markets and Competition

Our core market is the energy infrastructure insulation market. This market is global, well-established and includes large and well-capitalized end-users. This market includes companies operating refinery, petrochemical, oil production, LNG production and storage facilities. The market also includes firms operating gas, coal, nuclear, hydro and solar thermal power generating plants and district energy systems. Insulation systems in the energy infrastructure market are designed to maintain hot and cold process equipment, piping and storage tanks at optimal temperatures, to protect plant and equipment from the elements and from the risk of fire, and to protect workers. The market is served by a well-organized, well-established, worldwide network of distributors, contractors and engineers.

Demand for insulation in the energy infrastructure market is composed of demand associated with new-build construction of facilities, capital expansions and related capital projects, as well as with routine, non-discretionary maintenance programs within existing facilities. Capital expansions and related capital projects in the energy infrastructure market are driven primarily by overall economic growth and projected growth in energy demand. Maintenance programs are essential to optimal operation of process equipment, to protect workers and to minimize the risk of a catastrophic loss. Accordingly, we believe that demand for insulation for maintenance purposes in comparison to capital projects is less affected by volatility associated with economic cycles, energy prices and other macroeconomic factors.

The major end-use markets that drive demand for our products include oil refining, petrochemical, natural gas and LNG production and storage, onshore oil production, offshore oil production and power generation. Global energy demand is expected to increase in the long-term and, in order to serve this growing demand, we believe our end-use customers will continue to invest in major energy infrastructure projects.

We also sell our products for use in the building materials and other end markets, including for the fabrication of insulation parts by original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs. These OEMs develop products incorporating our aerogel blankets for applications as diverse as military and commercial aircraft, trains, buses, appliances, apparel, footwear and outdoor gear. While these are not presently our core markets, we anticipate that we will allocate a growing portion of our manufacturing capacity to serve these markets in the long term. We believe the key performance criteria for insulation in these markets and applications include thermal performance, compact design, durability and fire resistance.

We operate in a highly competitive environment. In general, we compete with traditional insulation materials based on product performance, price, availability and proximity to the customer. Customers may choose among a variety of insulation materials that offer a range of characteristics including thermal performance, durability, vapor permeability, moisture resistance, ease of installation and upfront and lifecycle costs. Within each type of insulation material, there is also competition between the manufacturers of that material. Most types of traditional insulation materials are produced by a number of different manufacturers and once customers have chosen the type of insulation material that they intend to use, they will choose a manufacturer of that material based primarily on each manufacturer’s price and delivery schedule. Insulation manufacturers include a range of large, high-volume, multinational manufacturers offering branded products and strong technical support services to small, low-volume, local manufacturers offering low prices and limited customer support.

We believe the primary competitive factors in our market are:

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Our products are priced at a premium to traditional insulation materials. While our competitors offer many traditional insulation products that are priced below our products on a per-unit basis, we believe our products have superior performance attributes and may have the lowest cost on a fully-installed basis or offer significant life-cycle cost savings.

We compete in the aerogel insulation market with Cabot Corporation and a growing number of other competitors, including Guangdong Alison Hi-Tech Co., Ltd. and Nano Tech Co., Ltd. that manufacture and sell aerogel insulation products. We expect to face increasing competition in the aerogel insulation market over the next several years as existing competitors and new entrants seek to develop and market their own aerogel products.

Within each of our target markets, we encounter one or more of these organizations or their resellers and a significant number of other aggressive national, regional and local suppliers of traditional insulation products. Our competitors are seeking to enhance traditional insulation materials and to develop and introduce new and emerging insulation technologies. Competing technologies that outperform our insulation products in one or more performance attributes could be developed and successfully introduced. See “Risk Factors —The energy infrastructure insulation market is highly competitive; if we are unable to compete successfully, we may not be able to increase or maintain our market share and revenues.”

Our market share in 2017 was less than 4% of the estimated $3.1 billion annual global market for energy infrastructure insulation materials. Many of our competitors have greater market presence, larger market share, longer operating histories, stronger name recognition, larger customer bases and significantly greater financial, technical, sales and marketing, manufacturing and other resources than we have and may be better able to withstand volatility within the industry and throughout the economy as a whole while retaining greater operating and financial flexibility. If our competitors lower their prices, or develop new products with better performance, or if we are unable to compete effectively, our growth opportunities, share of the market, margins and profitability may decline.

Our Competitive Strengths

Because insulation is used in a wide variety of demanding applications, insulation materials must satisfy a wide range of performance criteria on a cost-effective basis. We believe that our aerogel technology has allowed us to create superior insulation products for our core markets that will allow us to continue to grow our share of the global insulation market. We believe that the potential for significant technological innovation in traditional insulation materials is limited and that new high-performance materials will be required to meet evolving market requirements for energy efficient insulation systems. Our line of high-performance aerogel blankets is positioned to meet these requirements. Our solution is driven by our innovative and proprietary technology that produces aerogels in a flexible and industrially robust blanket form and is supported by over 20 years of research and development dedicated to new aerogel compositions, form factors and manufacturing technologies. We believe our aerogel blankets deliver a superior combination of performance attributes that enable end-users to save money, improve resource efficiency, preserve operating assets and protect workers across a wide range of applications in our target markets.

We believe the following combination of capabilities distinguishes us from our competitors and positions us to continue to gain market share in the energy infrastructure insulation market:

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Our Growth Strategy

We are targeting continued expansion of the use of our products within energy infrastructure facilities during regular maintenance, upgrades and expansions. In addition to opportunities to replace traditional insulation at existing facilities, we are also pursuing insulation applications at new-build and large capacity expansion projects around the world.

Our strategy is to create economic value by leveraging our technological and market leadership in aerogels to be the premier provider of high-performance insulation products serving global energy infrastructure customers. We also will pursue high-value opportunities for our aerogel products within other segments of the global insulation market, including the building materials market. In addition, we will leverage our aerogel technology platform to develop innovative, aerogel enhanced products for applications outside the global insulation market. During 2018, we intend to invest approximately $6.0 million in incremental manufacturing and operating expense with the objective of restoring long-term growth in our existing markets and to develop new business opportunities. This incremental expense is associated, in large part, with our plan to add 49 new employees to our team during the year.

Key elements of our strategy include:

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Our Products

Aerogels are highly porous structures in which 97% of the volume consists of air trapped between intertwined clusters of amorphous silica solids. Aerogels are a very low density solids and are extremely fragile materials. However, our proprietary manufacturing process produces aerogels in a flexible, resilient, durable and easy-to-use blanket form.

The core raw material in the production of our aerogel products is silica precursors. Our manufacturing process initially creates a semi-solid alcogel in which the silica structure is filled with ethanol. We produce aerogel by means of a supercritical extraction process that removes ethanol from the gel and replaces it with air. Our process allows the ethanol to be extracted without causing the solid matrix in the gel to collapse from capillary forces.

Our material costs were 45%, 41% and 45% of product revenue for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. We are seeking to lower our manufacturing costs and to improve the per square foot costs of our aerogel blankets by optimizing our formulations and manufacturing processes to improve yields, by realizing price reductions from existing vendors, by qualifying new vendors for certain materials and by reducing shipping costs. Our objective is both to reduce costs to enhance our competitive advantage and to ensure we deliver high quality products to our customers.

The materials used in the production of our products consist primarily of fiber battings, silica precursors and ethanol, which is used in the delivery of the silica precursors. Multiple sources of supply exist for all of our raw materials, and we believe the markets for these products are competitive and prices are relatively stable. We purchase silica precursors from several suppliers. Based on the current level of demand for our products, we believe that an adequate long-term supply of silica precursors is available. However, if demand for our products increases rapidly, we will need to work with suppliers to ensure that an adequate long-term supply of silica precursors will be available at competitive prices. Suppliers of silica precursors include industrial companies that produce it directly or that produce it as a byproduct of other industrial processes. We are working with a number of these suppliers to plan for our potential future needs and to develop processes to reduce the long-term cost of these materials. See “Risk Factors — Shortages of the raw materials used in the production of our products, increases in the cost of such materials or disruptions in our supply chain could adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations.”

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Our aerogel blankets are reinforced with fiber batting. We manufacture and sell our blankets in 60 inch wide, three foot diameter rolls with a standard range of thickness of 5 millimeters to 10 millimeters. Our base products are all flexible, hydrophobic, vapor permeable, compression resistant and able to be cut and fabricated using conventional tools. We have specifically developed our line of aerogel blankets to meet the requirements of a broad set of applications within our target markets. The composition and attributes of our standard aerogel blankets are described below:

Energy Infrastructure Markets

Other Markets

R-Values by Material

Insulation is a material or combination of materials that slows the transfer of heat from one side of the material to the other. The composition of our aerogel products minimizes the three mechanisms of thermal transport:

We believe our aerogel products offer the lowest levels of thermal conductivity, or best insulating performance, of any widely used insulation available on the market today.

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The lower a material’s thermal conductivity, the more slowly heat is transferred through the material. R-values are a commonly used measure of an insulating material’s resistance to heat transfer. R-value is calculated as the thickness of an insulation material divided by the thermal conductivity of the insulation material. Materials with higher R-values have lower thermal conductivity and are better insulators. Traditional and specialty insulation materials provide a range of R-values. Aerogels have the highest R-value per unit of thickness in comparison to traditional insulation materials.

Qualification for Use

Our products have undergone rigorous testing and are now qualified for global usage in both routine maintenance and in capital projects at many of the world’s largest oil producers, refiners and petrochemical companies. These end-users of our products have well defined practices, codes, specification and standards for materials and systems installed or used in their facilities. These specifications include insulation system design standards, material qualification and selection processes, and insulation application practices. As part of the material qualification process established by these companies, a new insulation product must meet general industry standards, such as consensus standards developed by ASTM International, and, in some cases, company-specific internal standards to be considered for use. In addition, most of these companies require one or more field trials to evaluate fitness for use in specific applications. The companies either run these qualification processes and field trials internally or through third parties engaged by them, and they generally do not publicly disclose the results of their testing. While the specific processes and timelines vary from company to company, in general, upon successful completion of the qualification process for an insulation product, an end-user will typically deem the product to be qualified for use in its facilities on a local, regional or global basis for one or more applications. Because our end-use customers are typically businesses with very large operations in multiple sites, our insulation sales likely represent only a small portion of the total insulation used by any one of these companies. Accordingly, once our products are qualified at a company, we continue to seek to expand use of our products by the end-use customer in additional applications and at multiple locations.

Our Sales Channel

We market and sell our products primarily through our global sales force. Our sales personnel are based in North America, Europe and Asia and travel extensively to market and sell our products to new and existing customers. The efforts of our sales force are supported by a small number of sales consultants with extensive knowledge of a particular market or region. Our sales force establishes and maintains customer and partner relationships, delivers highly technical information and provides first class customer service. We plan to expand our sales force globally to support anticipated growth in customers and demand for our products.

Our sales force calls on and maintains relationships with participants at all levels of the insulation industry supply chain. We have established a network of insulation distributors to ensure rapid delivery of our products in critical regions. Our sales personnel work to educate insulation contractors about the technical and operating cost advantages of aerogel blankets. Our sales force works directly with end-users and engineering firms to promote qualification, specification and wider acceptance of our products in existing and new applications. In the energy infrastructure market, we rely heavily on the existing and well-established channel of distributors and contractors to deliver products to our customers. In addition, our sales personnel work with OEMs and strategic partners to create new products and solutions to expand our market reach.

The sales cycle for a new insulation material is typically lengthy. Our sales cycle from initial customer trials to widespread use can take from one to three years, although we typically realize increasing revenue at each stage in the cycle. We believe our relationships with technically sophisticated customers and strategic partners serve to validate our technology, products and value proposition within a target market. These relationships have proven to accelerate the sales cycle with other customers within specific markets and to facilitate growth in market share. We have focused our marketing efforts on developing technical support materials, installation guides, case studies and general awareness of the superior performance of our aerogel blankets. We rely on our website, printed technical materials, participation in industry conferences and tradeshows and presentation of technical papers to communicate our message to existing and potential customers. We also receive strong word-of-mouth support from the growing network of distributors, installation contractors, OEMs, strategic partners and end-users that understand the benefits of our products.

As of December 31, 2017, we had 38 sales and marketing professionals worldwide. Their efforts were supported by a team of eight sales consultants.

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Our Customers and End-Users

Customers

Our primary customers are distributors, installation contractors and OEMs that stock, install and fabricate insulation products, components and systems for technically sophisticated end-users that require high-performance insulation.

Distribution International, Inc. and TechnipFMC plc represented 15% and 12%, respectively, of our total revenue for 2017 and were our only customers representing 10% or more of our revenue for that period.

Our product revenue is generated by sales to customers around the world. In 2017, 46% of our product revenue was generated in the United States, 32% in Asia-Pacific, 15% in Europe, 4% in Latin America, 2% in Canada, and less than 1% in the Middle East based on shipment destination.

A substantial portion of our sales are to shipment destinations located outside the United States, including Korea, India, Hong Kong, Norway, Brazil, Taiwan, Australia, Great Britain, Germany and the Netherlands based on our shipment destination. Total revenue generated from outside of the United States amounted to $60.2 million or 54% of total revenue, $82.0 million or 70% of total revenue and $78.0 million or 64% of total revenue, in the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. In addition, we may expand our operations outside the United States. As a result, we are subject to a number of risks; see “Risk Factors — A substantial portion of our revenue comes from sales in foreign countries and we may expand our operations outside of the United States, which subjects us to increased economic, foreign exchange, operational and political risks that could increase our costs and make it difficult for us to operate profitably.”

End-Users

The end-users of our aerogel blankets include some of the largest and most well capitalized companies in the world. Our products are installed in more than 40 countries worldwide.

Energy Infrastructure

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Building Materials and Other Markets

Traditionally, we have relied on the efforts of a small network of partners, OEMs and fabrication houses to serve the building materials, transportation, apparel and appliance markets. These partners, OEMs and fabricators are manufacturers of components and systems for buildings, refrigerated and hot appliances, cold storage equipment, automobiles, aircraft, trains and electronic sectors and manufacturers of outdoor gear and apparel. In addition, we have partnered with BASF to develop and commercialize innovative products optimized to meet the needs of the building materials market. While our products have not yet been widely adopted in these markets, we expect that the end-users of our products in these markets will include a wide range of institutions, businesses, individuals, and government agencies.

Manufacturing

We manufacture our products using our proprietary technology at our facility located in East Providence, Rhode Island. We have operated the East Providence facility since 2008 and have significantly increased manufacturing capacity and productivity during the period. Our manufacturing process is proven, scalable and can meet increasing demand.

Our manufacturing group is led by a seasoned team with management experience at global industrial and specialty chemical companies. Our manufacturing workforce is experienced and, to date, we have experienced employee turnover consistent with others in our industry. We have well-defined maintenance, environmental, health and safety programs and operating processes in place. We employ statistical processes and quality controls in our manufacturing systems. We measure and monitor thermal conductivity, hydrophobicity and other key properties of our aerogel blankets during the manufacturing process. We are ISO 9001:2015 certified.

We successfully commenced operation of our third production line at the East Providence facility in 2015, which increased our annual nameplate capacity to 50 million square feet of aerogel blankets. We have initiated a series of projects designed to increase the nameplate capacity of the East Providence facility by an additional 10 million square feet of aerogel blankets by the end of 2020 at a projected cost of between $15 million and $20 million. This series of projects is designed to improve manufacturing productivity and capital efficiency through a phased deployment of enhanced chemical and process technologies.

In addition, we have completed the design and engineering of a planned first production line in a second manufacturing facility to be constructed on a 43 acre site in Statesboro, Georgia. The site is served by rail and provides convenient access to local ports. State and local governmental authorities have agreed to provide us with a package of incentives including outright grants, free land, infrastructure support, tax credits and abatements, training programs and related benefits.

Based on our plans for the second facility, our projected cost to construct plant infrastructure and a first production line in two phases is between $120 million and $130 million. We currently expect the first line will increase our estimated annual nameplate capacity by 40 million square feet of aerogel blankets. The plant site, layout and design will support future development of two additional similar production lines. We have elected to delay construction of the Statesboro facility to better align the timing of this capacity expansion with our assessment of future demand.

We directly control all stages in the manufacture of our aerogel blankets. Our direct ownership of manufacturing operations allows us to maintain control of proprietary process technologies and to control product quality. Our production of aerogel blankets utilizes a continuous process and consists of the following key steps:

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Our material costs were the equivalent of 45%, 41% and 45% of product revenue for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. The materials used in the production of our products consist primarily of fiber battings, silica precursors and ethanol, which is used in the delivery of the silica precursors. Multiple sources of supply exist for all of our raw materials, and we believe the markets for these products are competitive and prices are relatively stable. We purchase silica precursors from several suppliers. Based on the current level of demand for our products, we believe that an adequate long-term supply of silica precursors is available. However, if demand for our products increases rapidly, we will need to work with suppliers to ensure that an adequate long-term supply of silica precursors will be available. Suppliers of silica precursors include industrial companies that produce it directly or that produce it as a byproduct of other industrial processes. We are working with a number of suppliers to plan for our potential future needs and to develop processes to reduce the long-term cost of the silica precursors used in our products. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Business and Strategy — Shortages of the raw materials used in the production of our products, increases in the cost of such materials or disruptions in our supply chain could adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations.”

We are seeking to lower our manufacturing costs and to improve the per square foot costs of our aerogel blankets by optimizing our formulations and manufacturing processes to improve yields, by obtaining material price reductions from existing vendors, by qualifying new vendors for certain materials and by optimizing shipping costs. In addition, we believe additional opportunities to realize production efficiencies and to reduce per unit overhead costs will arise with growth in the scale of our manufacturing operations. Our objective is both to reduce costs to enhance our competitive advantage and to ensure we deliver high quality finished products to our customers.

Research and Development

The mission of our research and development team is to leverage our aerogel technology platform in support of our commercial objectives. In our existing markets, research and development personnel design new and improved insulation products to enhance our value to customers and to expand our revenue potential. Our materials scientists and engineers also seek to develop enhanced chemical and process technologies to improve yields, lower manufacturing costs and improve product performance. In new markets, research and development personnel seek to exploit the unique characteristics of aerogels, including low thermal conductivity, high surface area, high electrical conductivity, and tunable porosity, to develop aerogel enhanced products and next generation technology addressing complex and unmet market needs.

Our research and development expenditures were $6.2 million, $5.3 million and $5.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. In addition, we spent $0.9 million, $1.3 million and $1.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively, on research and development activities sponsored by federal and other government agencies.

Contract Research and Government Support

We regularly seek funding from a number of federal and other government agencies in support of our research and development and manufacturing activities. Research performed under contract to the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy and other institutions allows us to develop and leverage technologies into broader commercial applications. We also work closely with customers in government and industry to develop potential aerogel solutions that leverage not only the thermal insulation performance but other benefits of aerogels as well. The research and development activities that we conduct under such contracts may produce intellectual property to which we may not have ownership or exclusive rights and will be unable to protect or monetize.

Under our contracts, the U.S. government generally has the right not to exercise options to extend or expand our contracts and may modify, curtail or terminate the contracts at its convenience. Our government customers may not renew our existing contracts after the conclusion of their terms and we may not be able to enter into new contracts with U.S. government agencies. Any decision by the U.S. government not to exercise contract options or to modify, curtail or terminate our contracts or not to renew our contracts or enter into new contracts with us would adversely affect our revenues.

We have received $53.7 million in funding under government contracts from inception through December 31, 2017. Our contract research revenue was $2.0 million, $2.2 million and $2.0 million for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

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Intellectual Property

Our success depends in part upon our ability to obtain, maintain and enforce intellectual property rights that cover our aerogel technology platform, including, product forms, applications and/or manufacturing technologies and the technology or know-how that enables these product forms, applications, technologies and specifications, to avoid and defend against claims that we infringe the intellectual property rights of others, and to prevent the unauthorized use of our intellectual property. Since aerogels were developed more than 80 years ago, there has been a wide range of research, development and publication on aerogels and related technologies, which make it difficult to establish intellectual property rights to many key elements of aerogel technology and to obtain meaningful patent protection. Where appropriate, we seek to protect our rights by filing patent applications in United States and other key foreign jurisdictions related to products, processes, technology and improvements that we consider patentable and important to our business and, in particular, our aerogel technology, product forms and their applications in promising markets and our manufacturing technologies. We also rely on trade secrets, trademarks, licensing agreements, confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements and continuing technological innovation to safeguard our intellectual property rights and develop and maintain our competitive advantage.

As of December 31, 2017, we owned 39 issued U.S. patents, 23 pending U.S. patent applications (including three issued U.S. patents and one pending U.S. patent application that we co-own with third parties), 68 issued foreign patents and 71 pending foreign patent applications (including 18 issued foreign patents and three pending foreign patent applications that we co-own with third parties). The U.S. patents that we own are generally effective for 20 years from the filing date of the earliest application to which each U.S. patent claims priority. The scope and duration of each of our foreign patents varies in accordance with local law. Our early patents start to expire in December 2021.

In May, 2016, we filed a complaint for patent infringement against Nano Tech Co., Ltd., or Nano, and Guangdong Alison Hi-Tech., Ltd., or Alison and together with Nano, the Respondents, in the United States International Trade Commission, or the ITC. The ITC complaint alleged that these two China-based companies have engaged and are engaging in unfair trade practices by importing aerogel products in the United States that infringe, and/or are manufactured by processes that infringe, several of our patents in violation of Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, or the Tariff Act. In the ITC complaint, we sought exclusion orders from the ITC that direct the United States Customs and Border Protection to stop the importation of these infringing products. In June 2016, the ITC instituted an investigation based on our complaint. In September 2017, the Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) presiding over the ITC investigation issued an Initial Determination finding that Alison and Nano have infringed three of our patents relating to aerogel insulation and/or methods of manufacturing aerogel insulation. As part of the Initial Determination, the ALJ found that Alison and Nano infringed all of the patent claims asserted against each of them across the three asserted patents, and that Alison and Nano failed to prove the asserted claims were invalid. The ALJ also recommended a limited exclusion order as a remedy to prevent the importation of infringing aerogel products into the United States. On February 5, 2018, the ITC issued its final determination confirming the ALJ’s infringement and validity determinations except with respect to one dependent product claim where the ITC found the claim not infringed. The ITC also revised some of the ALJ’s claim constructions. However, the ITC affirmed that Alison and Nano have each violated Section 337 of the Tariff Act and therefore issued a limited exclusion order prohibiting importation of infringing aerogel insulation products manufactured by Alison and Nano. The exclusion order, which will be enforced by United States Customs and Border Protection, is subject to a 60-day presidential review period, but is otherwise expected to be in full effect starting on April 6, 2018. Upon a request by a party, the final determination may be appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. In addition to Respondents’ contention at the ITC that the asserted patents were invalid, Alison also filed petitions with United States Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, requesting Inter-Partes Review to cancel certain claims in three of Aspen’s manufacturing process patents and one product patent. A three member panel of Administrative Patent Judges at the USPTO denied all of Alison’s petitions to institute Inter-Partes Review challenging the validity of these Aspen patents. Alison has also filed similar requests with the Chinese Patent Office, or SIPO, seeking to invalidate two of our Chinese manufacturing process patents and two of our Chinese product patents. After the conclusion of the oral proceedings and before any decision issued by the SIPO, Alison withdrew all of its requests for invalidation of our Chinese patents.

In April 2016, we filed a patent infringement suit at the District Court in Mannheim, Germany against the Respondents and two European resellers asserting their infringement of one of our German patents. We subsequently asserted infringement of another three patents against Nano and a European reseller of Alison’s products at the Mannheim court. In 2016, we settled with one of the European resellers in exchange for a commitment not to procure infringing products and cooperation with our case. In January 2018, the court issued a series of judgments by acknowledgement (German, “Anerkenntnisurteil”) finding the second reseller, Hiltex Techniche Weefsels b.v., or Hiltex, liable for infringement and issued injunctions against Hiltex preventing its resale of infringing Chinese aerogels. The judgments resulted from a settlement agreement whereby Hiltex agreed not to resell infringing products in Europe where at least one of the asserted patents is active. The litigation against the other defendants is ongoing. Nano has also initiated a nullity action in German Federal Patent Court against one of our asserted German manufacturing process patents. Alison likewise filed an opposition to one of the asserted patents at the European Patent Office, or EPO, and also initiated nullity actions against two other patents. Nano also filed an opposition against the same patent at the EPO.

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Due to their nature, it is difficult to predict the outcome or the costs involved in any litigation. Furthermore, the Respondents may have significant resources and interest to litigate and therefore, these litigation matters could be protracted and may ultimately involve significant legal expenses. We have incurred approximately $7.3 million of expenses related to this litigation through December 31, 2017. In addition to the foregoing, we have been and may be from time to time party to other legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of business and to other patent enforcement actions to assert our patent rights.

We believe that having distinctive names is an important factor in marketing our products, and therefore we use trademarks to brand some of our products, including Pyrogel, Cryogel and Spaceloft. As of December 31, 2017, we had five trademark registrations in the United States and 48 trademark registrations in foreign jurisdictions, including the European Union, Japan, China, Canada, South Korea and Brazil. Although we have a foreign trademark registration program for selected marks, our approach may not be comprehensive enough or we may not be able to register or use such marks in each foreign country in which we seek registration.

Cross License Agreement with Cabot Corporation

In April 2006, we entered into a cross license agreement with Cabot Corporation, as amended in September 2007, in which each party granted certain intellectual property rights to the other party. The cross license agreement remains in effect until the expiration of the last to expire of the issued patents or patent applications and acquired patents licensed thereunder. We hold a non-exclusive, worldwide license to those patents and patent applications owned or licensed by Cabot that are necessary for us to (i) practice our manufacturing technology within a field of use, which is defined in accordance with the specific chemistry of our aerogel products and the supercritical fluid technology that we use in our manufacturing technology and (ii) use and sell the resulting aerogel blanket and derivative products. We paid Cabot $38 million over a period of approximately seven years, with the last payment made in March 2013, in connection with this license agreement. We have granted to Cabot a reciprocal, non-exclusive, worldwide license to certain patents and patent applications that we own that are necessary for Cabot to practice its processes within a field of use defined in accordance with the specific chemistry in its aerogel products and the drying technology that it uses to manufacture its products. The grant of license to each party covers issued patents, patent applications and patents issued from such counterpart applications, as well as patents licensed or acquired during a specified period, in each case that claim aerogels, or methods, materials of manufacture, or uses of aerogels.

Our Company

We are a corporation organized under the laws of Delaware. In June 2008, we completed a reorganization pursuant to which our predecessor company merged with and into a newly formed Delaware corporation, renamed Aspen Aerogels, Inc. We own three wholly owned subsidiaries: Aspen Aerogels Rhode Island, LLC, Aspen Aerogels Germany, GmbH and Aspen Aerogels Georgia, LLC, which was formed in August 2016. We maintain our corporate offices in Northborough, Massachusetts.

On June 18, 2014, we completed our initial public offering, or IPO, of 7,500,000 shares of our common stock at a public offering price of $11.00 per share. As of February 27, 2018, we had 23,643,189 shares of our common stock outstanding.

We are required to file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information required by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. You may read and copy the reports and other information we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. You may also obtain copies of this information by mail from the public reference section of the SEC, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549, at prescribed rates. You may obtain information regarding the operation of the public reference room by calling 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains a website that contains reports, proxy statements and other information about issuers, like us, who file electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is http://www.sec.gov.

We maintain a public website at http://www.aerogel.com and use our website as a means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Our website includes an Investors section through which we make available, free of charge, our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, Proxy Statements and Forms 3, 4 and 5 filed on behalf of directors and executive officers, as well as any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. We also make available on our website the charters for our Board of Directors’ Audit Committee, Compensation and Leadership Development Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, as well as our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, our Corporate Governance Guidelines and other related materials. The information on our website is not part of this annual report.

Our Investor Relations Department can be contacted at Aspen Aerogels, Inc., 30 Forbes Road, Building B, Northborough, MA 01532, Attention: Investor Relations; telephone: 508-691-1111; e-mail: ir@aerogel.com.

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Employees

As of December 31, 2017, we had 263 full-time employees and one part-time employee, with 29 in research and development, 172 in manufacturing operations and supply chain, 38 in sales and marketing and 24 in general and administrative functions. Of our employees, 251 are located in the United States and twelve are located abroad. We consider our current relationship with our employees to be of good standing. None of our employees are represented by labor unions or have collective bargaining agreements.

Seasonality

Our industry and product offering makes us less susceptible to seasonal patterns as our operating results are generated in part by demand for insulation associated with new-build construction of facilities, capital expansions and related capital projects, and larger maintenance-related projects in the energy infrastructure market. Historically, our second and fourth quarter results have shown increased levels of revenue, which we believe is associated with our end-use customers’ maintenance schedules and timing of capital projects.

Environmental Matters

We are subject to federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations designed to protect the environment and to regulate the discharge of materials into the environment. We believe that our policies, practices, and procedures are properly designed to prevent unreasonable risk of environmental damage and associated financial liability. To date, environmental control regulations have not had a significant adverse effect on our overall operations. See “Risk Factors — We may incur significant costs complying with environmental, health and safety laws and related claims, and failure to comply with these laws and regulations could expose us to significant liabilities, which could adversely affect our results of operations.”

Risks Related to Our Business and Strategy

We have incurred annual net losses since our inception, and we may continue to incur net losses in the future and may never reach profitability.

We have a history of losses, and we may not ever achieve full year profitability. We experienced net losses of $19.3 million, $12.0 million and $6.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. As of December 31, 2017, our accumulated deficit was $437.1 million. We expect to continue to incur operating losses as a result of expenses associated with the continued development and expansion of our business. Our expenses include research and development, sales and marketing, and general and administrative costs. Furthermore, these expenses are not the only factors that may contribute to our net losses. For example, interest expense on any future financing arrangements that we incur could contribute to our net losses. Any failure to increase revenue or manage our cost structure as we implement initiatives to grow our business could prevent us from achieving profitability, or sustaining profitability if we do achieve it. In addition, our ability to achieve profitability is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties discussed below, many of which are beyond our control. Failure to become and remain profitable may adversely affect the market price of our common stock and our ability to raise capital and continue operations.

We have yet to achieve positive total cash flow, and our ability to generate positive cash flow is uncertain.

To develop and expand our business, we have made significant up-front investments in our manufacturing capacity and incurred research and development, sales and marketing and general and administrative expenses. In addition, our growth has required a significant investment in working capital. We experienced negative cash flows from operating activities of $4.6 million and $0.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, and positive cash flows from operating activities of $5.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2015. The cumulative cash flows from operating activities during the three year period were insufficient to offset cash flows used in investing activities principally to expand our manufacturing capacity during the same time period. As a result, we experienced negative total cash flows during the three year period.

We expect that for the foreseeable future our total cash flow will remain negative. In particular, we will need cash to fund our significant planned future capital expenditures to expand manufacturing capacity in our East Providence, Rhode Island manufacturing facility and with the planned construction of our second manufacturing plant. We will also require significant amounts of working capital to support our growth and we will need to increase our inventories of raw materials and our products as we seek to grow our business. In addition, to the extent we incur long-term debt, we may have debt maturities from time to time that will require cash in order to repay those obligations. We may not achieve sufficient revenue growth to generate positive future cash flow and, therefore,

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we may need to raise additional capital from investors to achieve our expected growth. An inability to generate positive cash flow for the foreseeable future or raise additional capital on reasonable terms, if at all, may decrease our long-term viability.

We are dependent on a single manufacturing facility. Any significant disruption to this facility or the failure of any one of our three production lines in this facility to operate according to our expectation could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

We have three production lines in a single manufacturing facility located in East Providence, Rhode Island. Our ability to meet the demands of our customers depends on efficient, proper and uninterrupted operations at this manufacturing facility. In the event of a significant disruption to our sole manufacturing facility or breakdown of any of the production lines, we currently do not expect that we would have sufficient inventory in stock to meet demand until the production lines return to operation.

Power failures or disruptions, the breakdown, failure or substandard performance of equipment, or the damage or destruction of buildings and other facilities due to fire or natural disasters could severely affect our ability to continue our operations. In the event of such disruptions, we are unlikely to find suitable alternatives or may not be able to make needed repairs on a timely basis and at reasonable cost, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. In particular, our manufacturing processes include the use of high pressures, high temperatures and flammable chemicals, which subjects us to a significant risk of loss resulting from fire, spill or related event. We had occasional incidences of fires at our initial facility in Northborough, Massachusetts that preceded our current manufacturing facility in East Providence, Rhode Island.

If our manufacturing facility or any equipment therein were to be damaged or cease operations, it may reduce revenue, cause us to lose customers and otherwise adversely affect our business. The insurance policies we maintain to cover losses caused by fire or natural disaster, including business interruption insurance, may not adequately compensate us for any such losses and will not address a loss of customers that we expect would result. If our existing manufacturing facility was damaged or destroyed we would be unable to operate our business for an extended period of time and our business and results of operations may be materially adversely affected, potentially even threatening our viability.

If the expected growth in the demand for our products does not follow after each of our planned capacity expansions, then our business will be materially adversely affected.

Our long-term growth plan requires that we continue to increase our production capacity. As we pursue our capacity expansion plans, we will incur significant capital expenditures and increased levels of manufacturing expenses in anticipation of expected growth in demand for our products. In particular, we expect that these substantial additional expenditures will be made by us significantly in advance of the existence of the level of demand that would ensure the most efficient use of our planned new capacity. As a result, if the expected growth in demand for our products fails to materialize within a reasonable amount of time following each of our planned capacity expansions, whether because of low oil and gas prices, the loss of a significant customer, the failure to develop new markets or for any other reason, then we would suffer decreased levels of cash flow and our financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.

If we fail to achieve the increase in production capacity that our long-term growth requires in a timely manner, or at all, our growth may be hindered and our business or results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

If, for any reason, including our inability to obtain financing, our planned expansion of capacity in our existing East Providence, Rhode Island facility or in our planned second manufacturing facility to be constructed in Statesboro, Georgia should fail to be completed in a timely manner, or at all, or any of the production lines in our existing or future manufacturing facilities do not operate according to our expectations, sales and or profitability may be impeded, our growth may be hindered and our business or results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

Many factors could delay, impede or prevent the expansion of our existing manufacturing facility or construction and operation of a second manufacturing facility or cause us to reduce the scale or scope of the expansion projects, including:

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Many factors could prevent our existing and future manufacturing facilities from producing at expected, projected or targeted nameplate capacities or could cause us to reduce the scale or scope of future capacity expansions or facilities, including:

Any such capacity expansion will place a significant strain on our senior management team and our financial and other resources. The costs associated with and the resources necessary for our capacity expansion plans could exceed our expectations and result in a materially adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

If we are unable to complete the projects as contemplated, the costs incurred in connection with such projects may not be recoverable. For example, during 2013, we redesigned and reduced the planned scale of the third production line in our East Providence, Rhode Island facility. We recorded an associated $3.4 million impairment charge during 2013 related to the write-off of construction in progress assets. As of December 31, 2017, we have capitalized approximately $7.2 million related to engineering designs and other pre-construction costs related to our planned second manufacturing facility in Statesboro, Georgia. A redesign of, change in scale of, or failure to complete the construction of second manufacturing facility and other similar impairments of our assets in the future could result in a materially adverse impact on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

We will require significant additional capital to pursue our growth strategy, but we may not be able to obtain additional financing on acceptable terms or at all.

The growth of our business will depend on substantial amounts of additional capital for expansion of existing production lines or construction of new production lines or facilities, for ongoing operating expenses, for continued development of our aerogel technology platform, or for introduction of new product lines. Our capital requirements will depend on many factors, including the rate of our revenue growth, our introduction of new products, our enhancements to existing products, and our expansion of sales and marketing and product development activities. In particular, our plans to expand our existing facility in East Providence, Rhode Island and to construct a planned second manufacturing facility in Statesboro, Georgia are dependent on our ability to raise debt and potentially issue equity. There is no assurance that we will be able obtain any such type of financing on terms acceptable to us or at all.

In addition, we may consider strategic acquisitions of complementary businesses or technologies to grow our business, which would require significant capital and could increase our capital requirements related to future operation of the acquired business or technology.

We may not be able to obtain loans or raise additional capital on acceptable terms or at all. Our loan and security agreement with Silicon Valley Bank, under which we have the ability to borrow up to $20.0 million, contains restrictions on our ability to incur additional indebtedness, which, if not waived, could prevent us from obtaining needed capital. In addition, our revolving credit facility with Silicon Valley Bank will mature on April 28, 2018. Any future credit facilities or debt instruments would likely contain similar restrictions. We may not be able to obtain bank credit arrangements or effect an equity or debt financing on terms acceptable to us or at all in order to fund our future capacity expansion plans. A failure to obtain additional financing when needed could adversely affect our ability to maintain and grow our business.

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A sustained downturn in the energy industry, due to lower oil and gas prices or reduced energy demand, could decrease demand for some or all of our products and services, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Demand for a significant portion of our products and services depends on the level of capital expenditure by companies in the energy industry, which depends, in part, on current and expected energy prices. Prices of oil and gas have been highly volatile in the past several years with oil prices reaching a high above $100 per barrel in mid-2014 to a low below $30 per barrel in early 2016. The volatility in oil prices and declines in oil prices have resulted, from time to time, in a reduction in capital expenditures by many companies in the energy industry, and in particular by end-users of our products involved in the construction and expansion of offshore and onshore oil and gas production facilities. Sustained lower energy prices may also reduce our end-users’ need to improve energy savings by using premium-priced insulation products like ours, thus reducing demand for our products and causing downward pressure on the pricing of our products. A sustained downturn in the capital expenditures of our customers, whether due to periods of lower energy prices or a further decrease in the market price of oil and gas or otherwise, and including the perception that such a downturn might occur or continue, may delay capital projects, decrease demand for our products and cause downward pressure on the prices we charge for our products, which, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Such downturns, including the perception that they might occur or continue, could have a significant negative impact on the market price of our common stock.

The markets we serve are subject to general economic conditions and cyclical demand, which could harm our business and lead to significant shifts in our results of operations from quarter to quarter that make it difficult to project long-term performance.

Our results of operations have been, and may in the future be, adversely affected by general economic conditions and the cyclical pattern of certain industries in which our customers and end-users operate. Demand for our products and services depends in large part upon the level of capital and maintenance expenditures by many of our customers and end-users, in particular those in the energy, petrochemical and power generation industries, and firms that design, construct and operate facilities for these industries.

These customers’ expenditures historically have been cyclical in nature and vulnerable to economic downturns. In particular, profitability in the energy industry is highly sensitive to supply and demand cycles and commodity prices, which historically have been volatile; and our customers in this industry historically have tended to delay large capital projects, including expensive maintenance and upgrades, during industry downturns. Delays in customer projects may cause fluctuations in the timing or the amount of revenue earned and our results of operations in a particular period. Prolonged periods of little or no economic growth could decrease demand for oil and gas which, in turn, could result in lower demand for our products and a negative impact on our results of operations and cash flows. In addition, this historically cyclical demand and potential customer project delays may lead to significant shifts in our results of operations from quarter to quarter, which limits our ability to make accurate long-term predictions about our future performance. We estimate that sales to end-use customers in the energy industry accounted for approximately 95% of our 2017 revenues and we expect that they will continue to account for a significant portion of our future revenues.

If we fail to meet required project, investment and job requirement goals for the second manufacturing facility in a timely fashion, the package of incentives offered by governmental entities may be terminated or we may be required to repay the value of incentives received from governmental entities, which could have a material adverse impact our financial condition and results of operations.

We have been offered incentives by the State of Georgia, Bulloch County Development Authority and the City of Statesboro to locate and operate our planned second manufacturing facility in Statesboro, Georgia. These incentives include a cash grant, income and withholding tax credits, training assistance, the gift of a 43 acre site, a 10 year property tax abatement, infrastructure improvements, reduced fees, site preparation services, and temporary office space. If we do not commence construction of the second manufacturing facility by February 15, 2019, the governmental entities may terminate the agreement under which the incentives are to be provided. There can be no assurance that we will be able to commence construction prior to that date or that the parties to the agreement will agree to extend such date. In addition, if we do not achieve specific investment and job creation goals at the Statesboro, Georgia site by 2021, and maintain such levels for a period of seven years thereafter, we will be required to repay the value of any incentives received to the governmental entities, which could adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations.

We have elected to delay the second manufacturing facility to better align the timing of this capacity expansion with our assessment of future demand. As a result, we have not yet incurred an obligation to repay any incentives that may be provided by the government entities.

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Growth has placed significant demands on our management systems and our infrastructure. If we fail to manage our long-term growth effectively, we may be unable to execute our business plan, address competitive challenges and meet applicable product specifications and technical and delivery requirements.

We may be unable to manage our growth. To manage our anticipated future growth, we must continue to:

All of these measures will require significant expenditures and will demand the attention of management. At certain points in the past, significant growth in demand for our products has put our management and operating systems under strain. In addition, the physical expansion of our operations may lead to significant costs and may divert our management and business development resources. Furthermore, we compete for personnel and advisors with other companies and other organizations, many of which are larger and have greater name recognition and financial and other resources than we do. Due to our limited resources, we may not be able to effectively manage the expansion of our operations or adequately recruit, train and retain qualified personnel. Any inability to manage growth could result in a loss of existing customers and revenues, delays in the execution of our business plans, and disruption of our operations. If we fail to achieve the necessary level of efficiency in our organization as it grows, it could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial conditions.

We allocate our manufacturing operations, sales and marketing, research and development, general and administrative and financial resources based on our business plan, which includes assumptions about current and future orders and revenues from customers. However, the factors involved in such projections are uncertain. If our assumptions regarding these factors prove to be incorrect or if competing products gain further market share, then actual demand for our aerogel products could be significantly less than the demand we anticipate and we may not be able to grow our revenue or achieve profitability.

Shortages of the raw materials used in the production of our products, increases in the cost of such materials or disruptions in our supply chain could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

The raw materials used in the production of our products consist primarily of fiber battings, silica precursors and additives. In addition, the production process requires the use of process gases and other materials typical to the chemical processing industry, as well as access to electricity, natural gas, water and other basic utilities. Although we are not dependent on a single supplier, we are dependent on the ability of our third-party suppliers to supply such materials on a timely and consistent basis. While these materials and utilities are available from numerous sources, they may be subject to fluctuations in availability and price.

Our third-party suppliers may not dedicate sufficient resources to meet our scheduled delivery requirements or our suppliers may not have sufficient resources to satisfy our requirements during any period of sustained or growing demand. Failure of suppliers to supply, delays in supplying or disruptions in the supply chain for our raw materials, or adverse allocations in the supply of certain high demand raw materials could materially adversely affect the results of our operations. Supply disruptions may affect our ability to meet our delivery schedules on a timely basis and materially negatively impact our results of operations. For example, in September 2015, pursuant to a force majeure notification, our primary carbon dioxide gas supplier temporarily curtailed supply of carbon dioxide to us due to a feedstock issue impacting the northeastern United States. During this period, the supply disruption required that we intermittently idle a portion of our manufacturing equipment thereby reducing our production volume.

Most of our raw materials are procured through individual purchase orders or short-term contracts and not through long-term contracts that ensure a fixed price or guaranteed supply for an extended period of time. This procurement strategy may not support sustained long-term supply chain stability. Fluctuations in the prices of these raw materials could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. Our ability to pass increases in raw material prices on to our customers is limited due to competitive pricing pressure and the time lag between increased costs and implementation of related price increases.

In particular, we purchase a variety of silica precursors from several suppliers, mostly pursuant to individual purchase orders or short-term contracts and not pursuant to long-term contracts. We do not have a secure, long-term supply of silica precursors. We may not be able to establish arrangements for secure, long-term silica precursor supplies at prices consistent with our current costs or may incur a delay in supply while we seek alternative sources. In addition, fluctuations in ethanol prices may affect the cost of silica precursors. Any inability to continue to purchase silica precursors without long-term agreements in place, or to otherwise establish a

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long-term supply of silica precursors at prices consistent with our current costs, would have a material adverse effect on our ability to increase our sales and achieve profitability.

From time to time we have had difficulty in consistently producing products that meet applicable product specifications and technical and delivery requirements, and such difficulties could expose us to financial, contractual or other liabilities.

Our insulation products are technologically advanced and require a precise and complex manufacturing process. Because of the precision and complexity of this manufacturing process and the high-performance characteristics of our products, from time to time we have had difficulty in consistently producing products that meet applicable specifications and technical and delivery requirements, including, our customers’ and the end-users’ specifications and requirements. At certain times in the past, the growth in demand for our products has contributed to this difficulty by putting significant pressure on our management, our personnel and our production facilities. See “Risk Factors — Growth has placed significant demands on our management systems and our infrastructure. If we fail to manage our long-term growth effectively, we may be unable to execute our business plan, address competitive challenges and meet applicable product specifications and technical and delivery requirements.”

Any failure to meet these product specifications or technical and delivery requirements could result in the termination of existing customer contracts or purchase orders, the elimination or reduction of future purchase orders, the impairment of customer relationships, and the incurrence of financial, contractual or other liabilities. Products that do not meet these specifications or requirements may also expose us to warranty and product liability claims and associated adverse publicity. Any such termination, reduction, impairment, liability or publicity could result in a broader loss of existing customers and revenues and delay the execution of our business plans, disrupt our operations and could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

The market for insulation products incorporating aerogel blankets is relatively undeveloped and our products may never be widely adopted, which would have a material adverse effect on our business.

The market for insulation products utilizing aerogel blankets is relatively undeveloped. Accordingly, our future results of operations will depend in large part on our ability to gain market share of the global energy infrastructure insulation market. Our ability to gain market share in this market is highly dependent on the acceptance of our products by large, well-established end-users, distributors, contractors and OEMs. The insulation market has historically been slow to adopt new technologies and products. Most insulation types currently in use in these markets have been in use for over 50 years. In addition, there is a tendency of end-users in some of our markets to opt for the lower short-term costs associated with traditional insulation materials. If we fail to successfully educate existing and potential end-users, distributors, contractors and OEMs regarding the benefits and value of our aerogel products, or if existing users of our products no longer rely on aerogel insulation for their insulation needs, our ability to sell our products and grow our revenue could be limited.

Our business strategy also includes the development of next generation products with the performance characteristics and price points required by markets outside the energy infrastructure market, including the building materials market. In the event that we are unable to develop products that meet market needs, we may be unable to successfully penetrate such markets. In addition, the innovative product development process requires the dedication of significant human, technical and financial resources, with no certainty of success or recovery of our related expenses. As a result, we may be unable to grow our business in markets outside of the energy infrastructure market, which could adversely affect the demand for our products.

Because we are often a new supplier to our end-use customers, we also may face concerns from these end-use customers about our reliability and our ability to produce our products in a volume sufficient to meet their supply needs. As a result, we may experience a reluctance or unwillingness by existing end-use customers to expand their use of our products and by potential end-use customers to begin using our products. Our products may never reach mass adoption, and changes or advances in technologies could adversely affect the demand for our products.

A failure to increase, or a decrease in, demand for aerogel insulation products caused by lack of end-user, market or distribution channel acceptance, technological challenges or competing technologies and products would result in a lower revenue growth rate or decreased revenue, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and our results of operations.

Our products are expensive relative to other insulation products, which could make it more difficult for us to grow our revenue and achieve broader adoption of our aerogel products.

While we believe our products have superior performance attributes and may sometimes have the lowest cost on a fully-installed basis or offer life-cycle cost savings, our competitors offer many traditional insulation products that are priced below our products. Our products are expensive relative to other insulation products and end-use customers may not value our products’ performance

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attributes sufficiently to pay their premium price. This could make it more difficult for us to grow our revenue and achieve broader adoption of our aerogel products. In addition, some of the benefits of our products are based on reduced installation time and related labor expense. In regions where labor costs are significantly lower than in the United States and Europe, the cost benefits of reduced installation times may not be adequate to overcome the relatively high price of our products and may make it more difficult for us to grow our revenue in those regions.

The insulation market we serve is highly competitive; if we are unable to compete successfully, we may not be able to increase or maintain our market share and revenues.

We face strong competition primarily from established manufacturers of traditional insulation materials. Large producers of traditional insulation materials, such as Johns Mansville, Saint-Gobain, Knauf Gips, Owens Corning and Rockwool, dominate the insulation market. In addition, we face increasing competition from other companies seeking to develop high-performance insulation materials, including aerogel insulation. For example, Cabot Corporation manufactures, markets and sells a different form of aerogel insulation that is competitive with our products, particularly in the offshore oil and gas sector for use in pipe-in-pipe applications. In addition, we are aware of competitors in China, including Guangdong Alison Hi-Tech Co, Ltd and Nano Tech Co, Ltd, which manufacture and market aerogel insulation products in blanket form. Many of our competitors are substantially larger and better capitalized than we are and possess greater financial resources. Our competitors could focus their substantial financial resources to develop new or additional competing products or develop products that are more attractive to potential customers than the products that we offer. We expect to face an increasing amount of competition in the aerogel insulation market over the next several years as existing competitors and new entrants seek to develop and market their own aerogel products.

Because some insulation manufacturers are substantially larger and better capitalized than we are, they may have the ability to sell their products at substantially lower costs to a large, existing customer base. Our products are expensive relative to other insulation products and end-use customers may not value our products’ superior performance attributes sufficiently to pay their premium price. In addition, from time to time we may increase the prices for our products and these price increases may not be accepted by our end-use customers and could result in a decreased demand for our products. Similarly, we may make changes to our products in order to respond to customer demand or to improve their performance attributes and these changes may not be accepted by our end-use customers and could result in a decrease in demand for our products. These competitive factors could:

Any of these outcomes could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

A substantial portion of our revenue comes from sales in foreign countries and we may expand our operations outside of the United States, which subjects us to increased economic, trade, foreign exchange, operational and political risks that could materially adversely impact our business, financial conditions and results of operations and also increase our costs and make it difficult for us to operate profitably.

A substantial portion of our sales are to shipment destinations outside the United States, including Korea, India, Hong Kong, Norway, Brazil, Taiwan, Australia, Great Britain, Germany and the Netherlands. Total revenue generated from outside of the United States, based on our shipment destination, amounted to $60.2 million or 54% of total revenue, $82.0 million or 70% of total revenue and $78.0 million or 64% of total revenue, for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. As a result, we are subject to a number of risks, including, but not limited to:

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In addition, sales of our products are generally conducted in U.S. dollars and we also bid for foreign projects in U.S. dollars. The strengthening of the U.S. dollar against the local currencies in the countries into which we sell our products may result in our products becoming more expensive relative to competing insulation products priced in the local currency. If the U.S. dollar strengthens, our sales into foreign countries with relatively weaker currencies may be adversely impacted and we may be less competitive in bidding for projects in those markets.

Our success will depend in large part on our ability to manage the effects of continued global political and economic uncertainty, especially in our international markets.

Because of our significant international operations, we could be materially adversely affected by violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar anti-corruption, anti-bribery and anti-kickback laws.

We operate on a global basis, with 54% of our product sales in 2017 being made to destinations outside the United States, including Canada, Mexico, Europe, Asia, South America and the Middle East. Our business operations and sales in countries outside the United States are subject to anti-corruption, anti-bribery and anti-kickback laws and regulations, including restrictions imposed by the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, as well as the United Kingdom Bribery Act of 2010, or UK Bribery Act. The FCPA, UK Bribery Act, and similar anti-corruption, anti-bribery and anti-kickback laws in other jurisdictions generally prohibit companies, their intermediaries and their agents from making improper payments to government officials or any other persons for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. We operate and sell our products in many parts of the world that have experienced governmental corruption to some degree and, in certain circumstances, strict compliance with anti-corruption, anti-bribery and anti-kickback laws may conflict with local customs and practices. We train our employees concerning anti-corruption, anti-bribery and anti-kickback laws and have policies in place that prohibit employees from making improper payments. We continue to implement internal controls and procedures designed to ensure that we comply with anti-corruption, anti-bribery and anti-kickback laws, rules and regulations and mitigate and protect against corruption risks. We cannot provide assurance that our internal controls and procedures will protect us from reckless, criminal or other acts committed by our employees or third-parties with whom we work. If we are found to be liable for violations of the FCPA or similar anti-corruption, anti-bribery and anti-kickback laws in international jurisdictions, either due to our own acts or out of inadvertence, or due to the acts or inadvertence of others, we could suffer criminal or civil fines or penalties or other repercussions, including reputational harm, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

A failure to comply with export control or economic sanctions laws and regulations could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations or financial condition. We may be unable to ensure that our distributors comply with applicable sanctions and export control laws.

We operate on a global basis, with 54% of our product sales in 2017 being made to destinations outside the United States, including Canada, Mexico, Europe, Asia, South America and the Middle East. We face several risks inherent in conducting business internationally, including compliance with applicable economic sanctions laws and regulations, such as laws and regulations administered by the United States Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, the United States Department of State and the United States Department of Commerce. We must also comply with all applicable export control laws and regulations of the United States and other countries. Violations of these laws or regulations could result in significant additional

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sanctions including criminal or civil fines or penalties, more onerous compliance requirements, more extensive debarments from export privileges or loss of authorizations needed to conduct aspects of our international business.

In certain countries, we may engage third party agents or intermediaries, such as customs agents, to act on our behalf and if these third party agents or intermediaries violate applicable laws, their actions may result in criminal or civil fines or penalties or other sanctions being assessed against us. We take certain measures designed to ensure our compliance with U.S. export and economic sanctions law and we believe that we have never sold our products to Iran, Cuba, Sudan or Syria through third party agents or intermediaries or made any effort to attract business from any of these countries. However, it is possible that some of our products were sold or will be sold to distributors or other parties that, without our knowledge or consent, re-exported or will re-export such products to these countries. Although none of our non-U.S. distributors are located in, or to our knowledge, conduct business with Iran, Cuba, Sudan or Syria, we may not be successful in ensuring compliance with limitations or restrictions on business with these or other countries subject to economic sanctions. There can be no assurance that we will be in compliance with export control or economic sanctions laws and regulations in the future.

Any such violation could result in significant criminal or civil fines, penalties or other sanctions and repercussions, including reputational harm that could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations or financial condition.

We rely on sales to a limited number of direct customers, including distributors, contractors, OEMs, partners and end-use customers for the substantial majority of our revenue, and the loss of one or more significant direct customers or several of our smaller direct customers could materially harm our business. In addition, we understand from our direct customers that a substantial majority of their sales of our products are to a small number of end-use customers and the loss of one or more significant end-use customers or several of our smaller end-use customers could materially harm our business.

A substantial majority of our revenue is generated from sales to a limited number of direct customers, including distributors, contractors, OEMs, partners and end-use customers. For the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, total revenue from our top ten direct customers represented 69%, 67% and 64% of our revenues, respectively. Distribution International, Inc. and TechnipFMC represented 15% and 12% of our total revenue in 2017, respectively, Reliance Industries Limited and Distribution International, Inc. represented 25% and 12% of our total revenue in 2016, respectively; and Reliance Industries Limited and Distribution International, Inc. represented 14% and 12% of our total revenue in 2015, respectively. Although the composition of our significant distributors, contractors, OEMs, partners and end-use customers will vary from period to period, we expect that most of our revenues will continue, for the foreseeable future, to come from sales to a relatively small number of direct customers. In addition, we understand from our direct customers that a substantial majority of their sales of our products are to a small number of end-use customers.

Our direct customer concentration also creates accounts receivable concentrations and related risks. As of December 31, 2017, Reliance Industries Limited, Distribution International, Inc. and Qualiman Engenharia accounted for 19%, 14% and 11% of our accounts receivable, respectively.

The substantial majority of our sales to distributors are transacted on a purchase order basis. The contracts we enter into with our direct customers generally do not include long-term commitments or minimum volumes that ensure future sales of our products. In addition, we understand that our direct customers’ contracts with end-use customers also generally do not include such commitments or minimums. Consequently, our results of operations may fluctuate significantly from period-to-period based on the actions of one or more significant direct customers or end-use customers.

A direct customer may take actions that affect us for reasons that we cannot anticipate or control, such as reasons related to an end-use customer’s financial condition, changes in business strategy or operations, the introduction of alternative competing products, or as the result of the perceived quality or cost-effectiveness of our products. Our agreements with these direct customers may be cancelled if we fail to meet certain product specifications or materially breach the agreement or for other reasons outside of our control. In addition, our direct customers may seek to renegotiate the terms of current agreements or renewals. The loss of, or a reduction in sales or anticipated sales to, one or more of our significant direct customers or end-use customers or several of our smaller direct customers or end-use customers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If we are unable to maintain our technological advantage over our competitors, our business may be materially adversely affected.

We research, develop, manufacture and sell high-performance aerogel insulation products. Rapid and ongoing changes in technology and product standards could quickly render our products less competitive, or even obsolete, particularly if we fail to continue to improve the performance of our insulation products. We are currently developing new applications for our existing products as well as new aerogel technologies; however, we may not be successful in doing so and new applications or technologies

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may not be commercially useful. Other companies that are seeking to enhance traditional insulation materials have recently introduced or are developing other emerging insulation technologies. These competitors are engaged in significant development work on these various insulation products. Competing technologies that outperform our insulation in one or more performance attributes could be developed and successfully introduced.

We are also aware of certain companies, including Guangdong Alison Hi-Tech Co, Ltd and Nano Tech Co, Ltd, that have developed or are developing products using aerogel technology similar to our technology and these or other companies have introduced or could introduce aerogel products that compete directly with our products and could in the future outperform them in one or more performance attributes, could be offered to our customers as a cheaper alternative to our products or may result in pricing pressure on us. As a result of this increasing current competition and potential future competition, our products may not compete effectively in our target markets.

Negative perceptions regarding the safety, quality or other attributes of our products or a failure or a perceived failure of our products could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and could make us unable to continue our business.

Given the history of asbestos as an insulation material, we believe that there is an elevated level of attention towards perceived health and safety risks in the insulation industry. As a consequence, it is essential to our existing business and to our future growth that our products are considered safe. Even modest perceptions by existing or potential distributors, contractors or end-use customers in our target markets that our products are not safe could have a critical impact on our ability to sell our products and to continue as a business. Further, our competitors have in the past, and may in the future, seek to create or perpetuate such perceptions. There is risk of an actual or perceived failure of our products or other negative perceptions regarding our products, such as perceived health hazards. For example, dust is produced by our products during their installation and use, which increases the likelihood of the perception of a hazard. Another example is the potential in very high temperature applications for material failure. Like most insulation products, our Pyrogel XT and XT-E products will normally go through a controlled burn-in process immediately after exposure to high temperatures. If installed improperly, the burn-in may proceed too rapidly and the material may become damaged. In addition, the thermal performance of our materials may degrade over time due to a variety of operational or environmental conditions. We take steps to educate our distributors, contractors, OEMs and end-use customers on the nature of our products and the proper installation and operating procedures in order to mitigate these risks. Such an event, or the perception of such an event, could quickly result in our direct and end-use customers replacing our products with traditional insulation materials which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Our activities and operations are subject to numerous health and safety laws and regulations. If we violate such regulations, we could face penalties and fines or be required to curtail or cease operations.

We are subject to numerous health and safety laws and regulations in each of the jurisdictions in which we operate. These health and safety laws and regulations apply to us including with regard to hazardous substances that we use in our manufacturing process and that certain of our products contain. These substances include titanium dioxide, iron oxide, ethanol and carbon black, each of which has been determined, in certain forms, with certain contaminants and at certain levels, to be hazardous, possibly carcinogenic or otherwise harmful to humans. We may also consider and adopt the use of other hazardous substances or substances potentially containing hazardous contaminants, with similar or higher risks in connection with new products or modifications to our current products and related manufacturing.

Our processes also require the use of other regulated substances in raw material delivery and manufacturing, including among others, ethanol. Applicable laws and regulations require us to obtain and maintain permits and approvals and implement health and safety programs and procedures to control risks associated with our operations. Compliance with those laws and regulations can require us to incur substantial costs. Moreover, if our compliance programs are not successful, we could be subject to penalties or to revocation of our permits, which may require us to curtail or cease operations of the affected facilities. In particular, the construction of our second manufacturing facility will require us to obtain and maintain new permits from various regulatory authorities and if the issuance of such permits is delayed or denied, it would slow or potentially prevent the expansion of our manufacturing capacity. Violations of laws, regulations and permit requirements may also result in criminal sanctions, injunctions and the denial or revocation of our various permits.

While we use hazardous substances, including titanium dioxide and carbon black, in forms and at levels that are subject to current rules and regulations, such rules and regulations may become more stringent such that we are required to modify our manufacturing process and such that our customers’ use of our products may be impacted. Changes in the products or manufacturing processes may require the customers to perform an extensive re-qualification process, which our customers may not want to undertake for various reasons, resulting in the customer switching to competing products. In addition, changes in our production or manufacturing process may result in uses above currently permitted levels. Such uses or changes in rules or regulations could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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Health and safety laws, regulations and permit requirements may become more stringent or otherwise change. Any such changes could require us to incur materially higher costs than we currently have. Our costs of complying with current and future health and safety laws, regulations and permit requirements, and any liabilities, fines or other sanctions resulting from violations of them, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may face certain product liability or warranty claims on our products, including from improper installation of our products by third parties. As a consequence, we could lose existing and future business and our ability to develop, market and sell our insulation could be harmed.

The design, development, production and sale of our products involve an inherent risk of product liability claims and associated adverse publicity. We may be named directly in product liability suits relating to our products, even for defects resulting from errors of our distributors, contractors, OEMs, partners or end-use customers. These claims could be brought by various parties, including distributors, contactors, OEMs, partners and other direct end-use customers who are purchasing products directly from us, or end-use customers who purchase our products from our distributors. We could also be named as co-parties in product liability suits that are brought against the distributors, contractors, OEMs, partners and end-use customers. Our products are often installed in our end-use customers’ complex and capital intensive facilities in inherently hazardous or dangerous environments, including in the energy, petrochemical and power generation industries, where the potential liability from risk of loss could be substantial. The failure of our products to perform to customer expectations, whether or not because of improper installation, could give rise to warranty claims against us. We take steps to educate our distributors, contractors, OEMs, partners and end-use customers about the proper installation procedures to mitigate the risk of an uncontrolled burn-in for very high temperature applications of Pyrogel XT and XT-E. However, installation of our products is handled by third parties over whom we have no control and errors or defects in their installation may also give rise to claims against us, diminish our brand or divert our resources from other purposes. Any of these claims, even if without merit, could result in costly litigation or divert management’s attention and resources. In addition, many of our products are integrated into the final products of our customers. The integration of our products may entail the risk of product liability or warranty claims based on malfunctions or hazards from both our products and the final products of our customers.

A material product liability claim may seriously harm our results of operations, as well as damage our customer relationships and reputation. Although we carry general liability insurance, our current insurance coverage could be insufficient to protect us from all liability that may be imposed under these types of claims. Insurance coverage is expensive, may be difficult to obtain and may not be available in the future on acceptable terms or at all. Our distributors, contractors, OEMs, partners and end-use customers may not have adequate insurance to cover against potential claims. This insurance may not provide adequate coverage against potential losses, and if claims or losses exceed our liability insurance coverage, we may go out of business. In addition, insurance coverage may become more expensive, which would harm our results of operations.

We may incur significant costs complying with environmental, health and safety laws and related claims, and failure to comply with these laws and regulations could expose us to significant liabilities, which could materially adversely affect our results of operations.

Costs of compliance with regional, national, state and local existing and future environmental, health and safety laws and regulations could adversely affect our cash flow and results of operations. We are required to comply with numerous environmental laws and regulations and to obtain numerous governmental permits in order to operate our facilities and in connection with the design, development, manufacture and transport of our products and the storage, use, handling and disposal of hazardous substances, including environmental, health and safety laws, regulations and permits governing air emissions. We may incur significant additional costs to comply with these requirements. If we fail to comply with these requirements, we could be subject to civil or criminal liability, damages and fines, and our operations could be curtailed, suspended or shutdown. In addition, certain foreign laws and regulations may affect our ability to export products outside of the United States. Existing environmental, health and safety laws and regulations could be revised or reinterpreted and new laws and regulations could be adopted or become applicable to us or our products, and future changes in environmental, health and safety laws and regulations could occur. These factors may materially increase the amount we must invest to bring our processes into compliance and impose additional expense on our operations.

Among the changes to environmental laws and regulations that could occur is the adoption of regulatory frameworks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which a number of countries, particularly in the European Union, have adopted, or are considering adopting, including the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. These include adoption of cap and trade regimes, carbon taxes, restrictive permitting, increased efficiency standards, and incentives or mandates for renewable energy, any of which could increase the costs of manufacturing our products and increase our compliance costs, which could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.

In addition, private lawsuits, including claims for remediation of contamination, personal injury or property damage, or actions by regional, national, state and local regulatory agencies, including enforcement or cost-recovery actions, may materially increase our

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costs. Certain environmental laws make us potentially liable on a joint and several basis for the remediation of contamination at or emanating from properties or facilities that we currently or formerly owned or operated or properties to which we arranged for the disposal of hazardous substances. Such liability may require us to pay more than our fair share and could require us to address contamination caused by others. For example, the site of our East Providence facility contains certain levels of contamination caused by prior third-party activities on and near the site. Such contamination remains in place under a state-approved deed restriction, and we are required to comply with such deed restriction and the accompanying soil management plan. In general, the deed restriction prohibits the residential use of the property and the use of groundwater as potable water, and requires the maintenance of engineering controls and annual inspections to help prevent exposure to contaminated soils. The soil management plan requires us to notify the state environmental agency with respect to any soil excavation, stockpiling, sampling and off-site disposal of excavated soil. Although we have not had to make material expenditures to satisfy these requirements to date, in the future, we may incur additional costs to comply with these requirements and failure to do so could disrupt the operation of our facility or could subject us to liability for environmental remediation. We may incur liability relating to the remediation of contamination, including contamination we did not cause. Furthermore, ethanol, one of the materials that we handle in large quantities in our manufacturing process is subject to additional laws and regulations including those administered by the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. While we seek to comply with the stringent requirements of these laws and regulations, these laws and regulations are complex and are subject to interpretation. Any changes in these laws or regulations or changes in our manufacturing processes may require us to request changes to our existing permits or obtain new permits. Any requests to change our existing permits or obtain new permits may be delayed or denied and may require us to modify our manufacturing processes, which could be costly and time consuming and could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

We may not be able to obtain or maintain, from time to time, all required environmental regulatory approvals. A delay in obtaining any required environmental regulatory approvals or failure to obtain and comply with them could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Failure by us to develop, maintain and strengthen strategic relationships with industry leaders to commercialize our products, particularly in the building materials market, may adversely affect our results of operations and our ability to grow our business.

Our business strategy requires us to align the design and performance attributes of our products to the evolving needs of the market. To facilitate this process, we have sought out partnerships and relationships with industry leaders in order to assist in the development and commercialization of our products. We face competition from other manufacturers of insulation in seeking out and entering into such partnerships and relationships with industry leaders in our target markets and we may therefore not be successful in establishing strategic relationships in those markets.

In the building materials market, we have entered into a supply agreement and a side agreement (together, the supply agreement) with BASF Polyeurathanes GmbH (BASF) and a joint development agreement with BASF SE. Pursuant to the supply agreement, we will sell exclusively to BASF our Spaceloft A2 product at annual volumes to be specified by BASF, subject to certain volume limits. The joint development agreement is designed to facilitate the collaboration between the parties on the development and commercialization of new products.

In addition to the customary terms associated with supply agreements, in support of our capacity expansion plan, process optimization projects, and research and development activities, BASF, in its sole discretion, may make advances, or prepayments, to us in the aggregate amount of up to $22 million during the term of the Supply Agreement. BASF has agreed to make a prepayment in the amount of $5 million to us in two installments in 2018. We have secured our obligation to repay the prepayment with a first priority security interest in real estate, machinery and equipment located at our existing manufacturing facility in East Providence, Rhode Island. Additionally, we have granted non-exclusive licenses to our subsidiaries under our intellectual property as necessary to operate such machinery and equipment.

After January 1, 2019, we will credit 25.3% of any amounts that we invoice for Spaceloft A2 product sold to BASF against the outstanding balance of the 2018 prepayment, if any, with such credits limited to a specified annual amount. BASF has no obligation to purchase Product under the supply agreement. If any of the 2018 prepayment remains uncredited as of December 31, 2021, BASF may request that we repay the uncredited amount to BASF. The amounts and terms of additional prepayment installments, if any, are subject to further negotiation between us and BASF.

Although BASF has placed orders for product under the supply agreement, there can be no assurance that BASF will ever be a significant customer for our products. Furthermore, there can be no assurance that we or BASF will be able to perform under the supply agreement or the joint development agreement or achieve our or its respective goals with respect to the supply agreement, the joint development agreement or the broader relationship between us and BASF. In addition, our grant of a security interest to BASF may make it more difficult for us to pledge our assets to secure other obligations, including to potential lenders, and as a result may impede our ability to incur additional indebtedness in the future.

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In the event that we are unable to develop products that meet market needs or maintain our relationship with BASF, we may be required to find less prominent partners in the building materials market and we may be less able or unable to successfully penetrate that market. As a result of any of the above, we may lessen or lose our ability to grow our business in the building materials market which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations, including impairing our profitability.

We have entered into and may enter into future agreements that may limit our ability to broadly market our products or could involve future obligations, which could make it more difficult for us to commercialize certain of our products and negatively affect our business and results of operations.

We have a joint development agreement with BASF to develop products in the building materials market. In order to develop and commercialize our products, we may enter into additional joint development agreements or commercial arrangements. We cannot be certain that any products will be successfully developed under any such agreement or, even if developed, that they will be successfully produced or commercialized. These agreements may contain exclusivity, ownership and other terms that may limit our ability to commercialize any products or technology developed in connection with such agreements, including in ways that we do not envision at the time of entering into the agreement. In addition, these agreements may not obligate either party to make any purchases and may contain technical specifications that must be achieved to the satisfaction of our partner, which we cannot be certain we will be able to achieve. If our ability to commercialize products or technology developed in connection with these agreements is limited or if we fail to achieve the technical specifications that may be required, then our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

If we do not continue to develop and maintain distribution channels for our products and to meet our customers’ demand for our products, our results of operations could be adversely affected.

For a significant portion of our revenues, we rely on sales to distributors who then sell our products to end-users in our target markets. Our success depends, in part, on our maintaining satisfactory relationships with these distributors. Our distributors require us to meet expectations of delivery, quality and pricing of our products, at both the distribution channel level and at the level of the end-user of our products. If we fail to meet expected standards, our revenues would decline and this could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, we have been unable at times to produce sufficient amounts of our products to meet demand from our customers and we may not be able to avoid capacity constraints in the future if demand exceeds our expectations or we fail to expand the capacity of our existing East Providence, Rhode Island manufacturing facility or bring into operation as planned the second manufacturing facility to be located in Statesboro, Georgia. If we are unable to deliver our products within such short timeframes, we may be at risk of losing direct or end-use customers. Accordingly, shortfalls in sales could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.

The qualification process for our products can be lengthy and unpredictable, potentially delaying adoption of our products and causing us to incur significant expense potentially without recovery.

Qualification of our products by many of our direct and end-use customers can be lengthy and unpredictable and many of these direct and end-use customers have extended budgeting and procurement processes. This extended sales process requires the dedication of significant time by our personnel and our use of significant financial resources, with no certainty of success or recovery of our related expenses. Furthermore, even after an extensive qualification process, our products may fail to meet the standards sought by our end-use customers and may not be qualified for use by such end-use customers. Additionally, our continued process improvements and cost-reduction efforts may require us or the end-users to re-qualify our products. Failure to qualify or re-qualify our products may result in us losing such companies as end-users of our products, which would cause a decrease in our revenue or revenue growth rate either of which could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Our revenue may fluctuate, which may result in a high degree of variability in our results of operations and make it difficult for us to plan based on our future outlook and to forecast our future performance.

Our revenue may fluctuate from period to period due to a wide variety of factors. Since we rely on sales to a limited number of direct customers and end-use customers, changes in demand from one or more direct customers or end-users can significantly impact our revenue from period to period. In addition, the sales cycles for our products, including their qualification for use, are long and can result in unpredictability in our revenues. We expect to have an increasing percentage of our products sold for use in capital projects, which orders tend to be larger and more sporadic, that will further increase this unpredictability and the difficulty for us in forecasting quarterly or annual performance. Because of these factors, we have a limited basis on which to predict our quarterly revenue. Our profitability from period-to-period may also vary due to the mix of products that we sell in different periods. These factors may result in a high degree of variability in our results of operations and will make it difficult for us to accurately evaluate and plan based on our future outlook and to forecast quarterly or annual performance.

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Our results of operations could be materially adversely affected if our operating expenses incurred do not correspond with the timing of our revenues.

Most of our operating expenses, such as manufacturing facility expenses, employee compensation and research expenses, are either relatively fixed in the short-term or incurred in advance of sales. In addition, our spending levels are based in part on our expectations regarding future revenues. As a result, if revenues for a particular quarter are below expectations, we may not be able to proportionately reduce operating expenses for that quarter. Our reliance on sales to a limited number of direct customers and end-use customers, the length of our sales cycles and the potentially increasing percentage of our products sold for use in capital projects each can cause sporadic demand for our products which would limit our ability to predict future sales. This limitation could result in our being unable to reduce spending quickly enough to compensate for reductions in sales and could therefore adversely affect our results of operations for any particular operating period.

We are exposed to the credit risk of some of our direct customers, including distributors, contractors and OEMs, which subjects us to the risk of non-payment for our products.

We distribute our products through a network of distributors, contractors and OEMs, some of which may not be well-capitalized and may be of a lower credit quality. This direct customer network subjects us to the risk of non-payment for our products. During 2017, we wrote off $0.5 million in accounts receivable due to non-payment of amounts due by a single customer. In addition, during periods of economic downturn in the global economy, our exposure to credit risks from our direct customers may increase, and our efforts to monitor and mitigate the associated risks may not be effective. In the event of non-payment by one or more of our direct customers, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

Our working capital requirements involve estimates based on demand and production expectations and may decrease or increase beyond those currently anticipated, which could materially harm our results of operations and financial condition.

In order to fulfill the product delivery requirements of our direct and end-use customers, we plan for working capital needs in advance of customer orders. As a result, we base our funding and inventory decisions on estimates of future demand. If demand for our products does not increase as quickly as we have estimated or drops off sharply, our inventory and expenses could rise, and our business and results of operations could suffer. Alternatively, if we experience sales in excess of our estimates, our working capital needs may be higher than those currently anticipated. Our ability to meet this excess customer demand depends on our ability to arrange for additional financing for any ongoing working capital shortages, since it is likely that cash flow from sales will lag behind these investment requirements. In addition, we plan to increase our inventory in the longer term in order to meet our expected future demand. This would result in an increase in our working capital requirements that could harm our results of operations and financial condition.

Breakdowns, security breaches, loss of data and other disruptions of our information technology systems could compromise sensitive information related to our business, prevent us from accessing critical information and expose us to liability, which would cause our business and reputation to suffer.

In the ordinary course of our business, we collect and store sensitive data, including intellectual property, our proprietary business information and that of our suppliers, customers and business partners, and personally identifiable information about our employees. We manage and maintain our applications and data utilizing on-site and off-site systems. These applications and data encompass a wide variety of business critical information including research and development information, commercial information and business and financial information.

The secure processing, storage, maintenance and transmission of this critical information is vital to our operations and business strategy, and we devote resources to protecting such information. Although we take measures to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access or disclosure, our information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to breakdowns, attacks by hackers, viruses, breaches or interruptions due to employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions, or lapses in compliance with privacy and security mandates. Any such virus, breakdown, attack, breach or interruption could compromise our networks and the information stored there could be accessed by unauthorized parties, publicly disclosed, lost or stolen. We have measures in place that are designed to detect and respond to such security incidents and breaches of privacy and security mandates, but there can be no assurance that our management or diligence efforts will prevent such breakdowns or breaches in our systems. Any such access, disclosure or other loss of information could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information or other laws, government enforcement actions and regulatory penalties. Unauthorized access, loss or dissemination could also disrupt our operations, customer support services, research and development activities, capture of company financial information, various general and administrative aspects of our business and damage our reputation, any of which could adversely affect our business.

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Our contracts with U.S. government agencies may subject us to audits, criminal penalties, sanctions and other expenses and fines.

We perform contract research services for U.S. government agencies and our products are sold to customers that may incorporate them into government projects. U.S. government agencies, including the Defense Contract Audit Agency and the Department of Labor, routinely audit government contractors. These agencies review a contractor’s compliance with contract terms and conditions, performance under its contracts, cost structure and compliance with applicable laws, regulations and standards. The U.S. government also may review the adequacy of a contractor’s systems and policies, including a contractor’s purchasing, property, estimating, billing, accounting, compensation and management information systems. Any costs found to be overcharged or improperly allocated to a specific contract or any amounts improperly billed or charged for products or services will be subject to reimbursement to the government. As a government contractor, we are required to disclose to the U.S. government credible evidence of certain violations of law and contract overpayments. If we are found to have participated in improper or illegal activities, we may be subject to civil and criminal penalties and administrative sanctions, including termination of contracts, forfeiture of profits, suspension of payments, fines and suspension or prohibition from doing business with the U.S. government. Any negative publicity related to such contracts, regardless of the accuracy of such publicity, may adversely affect our business or reputation.

Our contracts with U.S. government agencies may not be funded by future appropriations and are subject to modification or termination at any time prior to their completion.

Our contracts with U.S. government agencies are subject to the availability of appropriated funds. The U.S. government funds our contract research work through a variety of funding programs that rely on monies appropriated by Congress. At any point, the availability of funding could change, thus reducing the opportunities for new or continued revenues to us from government contract work. Revenue from contracts with U.S. government agencies constituted 2% of our total revenue in each of 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. We expect that our revenue under such contracts will decline due to the recent trend toward tightening of federal spending guidelines and programs.

In addition, under our contracts, the U.S. government generally has the right not to exercise options to extend or expand our contracts and may modify, curtail or terminate the contracts at its convenience. Our government customers may not renew our existing contracts after the conclusion of their terms and we may not be able to enter into new contracts with U.S. government agencies. Any decision by the U.S. government not to exercise contract options or to modify, curtail or terminate our contracts or not to renew our contracts or enter into new contracts with us would adversely affect our revenues.

Our revolving credit facility contains financial and operating restrictions that may limit our access to credit. In addition, our revolving credit facility expires on April 28, 2018 and we may not be able to renew, extend or replace the expiring facility. If we fail to comply with covenants in our revolving credit facility or if facility is terminated, we may be required to repay our indebtedness thereunder, which may have an adverse effect on our liquidity.

Provisions governing our revolving credit facility impose restrictions on our ability to operate, including, for some of the agreements and instruments, but not for others, our ability to:

Our revolving credit facility also contains other customary covenants. We may not be able to comply with these covenants in the future. Our failure to comply with these covenants may result in the declaration of an event of default and could cause us to be unable to borrow funds under our revolving credit facility. In addition to preventing additional borrowings under our revolving credit facility, an event of default, if not cured or waived, may result in the acceleration of the maturity of indebtedness outstanding under the revolving credit facility, which would require us to pay all amounts outstanding. Such an event may also lead our lender to exercise its security interest in our assets, including all of our real property and equipment at our East Providence facility. If an event of default occurs, we may not be able to cure it within any applicable cure period, if at all. If the maturity of our indebtedness is accelerated, we may not have sufficient funds available for repayment or we may not have the ability to borrow or obtain sufficient funds to replace the accelerated indebtedness on terms acceptable to us, or at all.

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If we lose key personnel upon whom we are dependent, or if we are unable to successfully recruit and retain skilled employees, we may not be able to manage our operations and meet our strategic objectives.

Our continued success depends to a considerable degree upon the continued services of a small number of our employees with critical knowledge of our products, our manufacturing process, our intellectual property, our customers and our global operations. The loss or unavailability of any of these individuals could harm our ability to execute our business plan, maintain important business relationships and complete certain product development initiatives, which could harm our business. In the event that any of these key individuals leave their employment with us or take new employment with a competitor, our business and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. In addition, our continued success depends upon the availability, contributions, vision, skills, experience and effort of our senior management, financial, sales and marketing, engineering and production teams. We do not maintain “key person” insurance on any of our employees. We have entered into employment agreements with certain members of our senior management team, but none of these agreements guarantee the services of the individual for a specified period of time. All of the agreements with members of our senior management team provide that employment is at-will and may be terminated by the employee at any time and without notice.

Although we do not have any reason to believe that we may lose the services of any our employees with critical knowledge of our products, our manufacturing processes, our customers and our global operations or any of our senior management, financial, sales and marketing, engineering and production teams in the foreseeable future, the loss of the services of any of these individuals might impede our operations or the achievement of our strategic and financial objectives. The loss or interruption of the service of any of these individuals or our inability to attract or retain other qualified personnel or advisors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and could significantly reduce our ability to manage our operations and implement our strategy.

Our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards may be subject to limitation, which could result in a higher effective tax rate and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

During 2014, we performed analyses pursuant to Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Internal Revenue Code, as well as similar state provisions, in order to determine whether any limitations might exist on the utilization of net operating losses and other tax attributes. Generally, a change of more than 50% in the ownership of a company’s stock, by value, over a three year period constitutes an ownership change for U.S. federal income tax purposes. An ownership change may limit a company’s ability to use its net operating loss carryforwards attributable to the period prior to such change. Based on these analyses, we determined that it is more likely than not that an ownership change occurred on June 18, 2014 upon the closing of our IPO, resulting in an annual limitation on the use of our net operating losses and other tax attributes as of such date. As a result, our prior net operating losses were limited to $155.2 million, including built-in gains of $42.0 million at the date of that ownership change. The use of our net operating loss carryforwards may be restricted further in the event of any future changes in our ownership.

We may not be able to successfully develop and introduce new products in a timely manner at competitive prices, which would limit our ability to grow and maintain our competitive position and could adversely affect our financial conditions, results of operations and cash flow.

Our growth depends, in part, on continued sales of existing products, including by improving the performance of existing products, as well as the successful development and introduction of new products, which face the uncertainty of customer acceptance and reaction from competitors. New product development requires considerable resources and attention that may shift our focus from and may disrupt our current operations, given that we have fewer resources than many of our competitors. We may not be able to sustainably manufacture new products with attractive margins and we may experience higher yield losses than expected. Any delay in the development or launch of a new product could result in our not being the first to market, which could compromise our competitive position. Even if we manage to develop and introduce new products, such products may not address market needs or otherwise compete with third party products. Even if our new products are adopted by the market, we may not achieve the growth in revenue that we expect from such new products and our investment in these efforts may not be proportional to our expected or actual revenue growth. If we are unable to develop and introduce new products in a cost-effective manner or otherwise manage effectively the operations related to new products, our results of operations and financial condition could be adversely impacted.

Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

Our inability to protect our intellectual property rights could negatively affect our business and results of operations.

Our ability to compete effectively depends in part upon developing, maintaining and/or protecting intellectual property rights relevant to our aerogel product forms, applications, manufacturing technologies and brand names. We rely principally on a combination of patent protection, trade secret laws, confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements, trademark registrations, common

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law rights and licensing arrangements to establish and protect the intellectual property rights relevant to our business. However, these measures may not be adequate in every given case to permit us to gain or keep any competitive advantage, particularly in those countries where the laws do not protect our proprietary rights as fully as or where the enforcement tools are weaker or less effective than those in the United States. In particular, since aerogels were developed approximately 80 years ago, there has been a wide range of research, development and publication related to aerogels, which makes it difficult to establish intellectual property rights to many key elements of aerogel technology and to obtain patent protection. Accordingly, much of the general technology that we use in our manufacture of aerogel blankets is not protected by patents.

Where we consider it appropriate, our strategy is to seek patent protection in the United States and other countries on technologies used in or relating to our aerogel product forms, applications and manufacturing technologies. As of December 31, 2017, we had 39 issued U.S. patents and 68 issued foreign patents, including three U.S. patents and 18 foreign patents that we co-own with third parties. The issuance of a patent is not conclusive as to its scope, validity or enforceability. Thus, any patent held by us or to be issued to us from a pending patent application, could be challenged, invalidated or held unenforceable in litigation or proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, and/or other patent tribunals. Third parties could develop technologies that circumvent the patent protection we have secured. No consistent policy regarding the breadth of patent claims has emerged to date in the United States and the landscape could become more uncertain in view of future rule changes by the USPTO, the introduction of patent reform legislation and decisions in patent law cases by the federal courts including the United States Supreme Court.

The patent landscape outside the United States is even less predictable. As a result, the validity and enforceability of patents cannot be predicted with certainty. For example, we are aware of competitors that manufacture and market aerogel insulation products in China, where it may be difficult for us to enforce our intellectual property rights against these or other competitors. In May 2016, we filed a complaint for patent infringement against Nano Tech Co., Ltd. (Nano) and Guangdong Alison Hi-Tech., Ltd., (Alison) which we refer to collectively as the Respondents, in the United States International Trade Commission, or ITC. In addition to Respondents’ contention at the ITC that the patents we asserted there are invalid, Alison also filed petitions with United States Patent and Trademark Office requesting Inter-Partes Review to cancel certain claims in three of our manufacturing process patents and a product patent. A three-member panel of Administrative Patent Judges at the USPTO denied all of Alison’s petitions to institute Inter-Partes Review challenging the validity of Aspen patents. Alison also filed similar requests with the Chinese Patent Office (SIPO) seeking to invalidate two of our Chinese manufacturing process patents and two of our Chinese product patents. After the conclusion of the oral proceedings and before any decision issued by the SIPO, Alison withdrew all of its requests for invalidation of our Chinese patents. In September 2017, the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) presiding over the ITC investigation issued an Initial Determination finding that Alison and Nano infringed our patents relating to aerogel insulation and/or methods of manufacturing aerogel insulation. As part of the Initial Determination, the ALJ found that Alison and Nano infringed all of the patent claims asserted against each of them across the three asserted patents, and that Alison and Nano failed to prove that the asserted claims were invalid. The ALJ also recommended a limited exclusion order as a remedy to prevent the importation of infringing aerogel products manufactured by Respondents into the United States. In February 2018, the ITC issued its final determination confirming the ALJ’s infringement and validity determinations except with respect to one dependent product claim where the ITC found that the claim was not infringed. The ITC also revised some of the ALJ’s claim constructions. In addition, the ITC issued a limited exclusion order prohibiting importation of infringing aerogel insulation products manufactured by Alison and Nano. The Respondents may appeal the final determination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

We also filed a patent infringement suit in April 2016 at the District Court in Mannheim, Germany against the Respondents and two European distributors. During 2016, we settled with one European distributor in exchange for a commitment not to procure infringing products and cooperation with our case. In January 2018, the court issued a series of judgments by acknowledgement (German, Anerkenntnisurteil) finding the second reseller, Hiltex Techniche Weefsels b.v. (Hiltex), liable for infringement and also issued injunctions against Hiltex. The judgments resulted from a settlement agreement in which Hiltex agreed not to resell infringing products in Europe where at least one of the asserted patents are active. Nano initiated nullity actions in German Federal Court against three of our manufacturing process patents in Germany. Alison likewise filed an opposition to one of the asserted patents at the European Patent Office (“EPO”) and also initiated nullity action against two other patents. Nano also filed an opposition against the same patent at the EPO. The litigation against the defendants, Alison and Nano, is ongoing. See “Risk Factors —We have initiated intellectual property litigation that will be costly, and could limit or invalidate our intellectual property rights, divert time and efforts away from business operations, require us to pay damages and/or costs and expenses and/or otherwise have an adverse material impact on our business, and we could become subject to additional intellectual property litigation in the future” below.

In addition, we may fail to apply for patents on important technologies or innovative products in a timely fashion, if at all, and our existing and future patents may not be sufficiently broad to prevent others from practicing our technologies or from developing competing products or technologies, in particular given the long history of aerogel development. Furthermore, third parties could practice our intellectual property rights in territories where we do not have patent protection. Such third parties may then try to import products made using our intellectual property rights into the United States or other countries. Our strategy is to seek registration of trademarks for our brands in many, but not all, of the jurisdictions in which we sell our products based on various factors, including

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our sales volumes in the jurisdiction, our ability to enforce local laws and cost. Our strategy may not be adequate to protect our brands in all circumstances, especially in foreign jurisdictions.

As of December 31, 2017, we had 23 pending U.S. patent applications and 71 pending foreign patent applications, including one pending U.S. patent application and three foreign pending patent applications that we co-own with other third parties. Our pending patent applications are directed to various enabling technologies for the product forms, applications and manufacturing technologies that support our current business, as well as aspects of products under development or contemplated for the future. The issuance of patents from these applications involves complex legal and factual questions and, thus, we cannot provide assurance that any of our pending patent applications will result in the issuance of patents to us. The USPTO, relevant foreign patent offices and other relevant patent tribunals may deny or require significant narrowing of claims in our pending patent applications. Patents issued as a result of any of our pending patent applications may not cover our enabling technology and/or the products or processes that support our current or future business or afford us with significant commercial protection against others with similar technology. Proceedings before the USPTO could result in adverse decisions as to the priority of our inventions and the narrowing or invalidation of claims in issued patents. In addition, our pending patent applications filed in foreign countries are subject to laws, rules and procedures that differ from those of the United States, and thus foreign patent applications may not be granted even if counterpart United States patents are issued.

We have initiated intellectual property litigation that is and will continue to be costly, and could limit or invalidate our intellectual property rights, divert time and efforts away from business operations, require us to pay damages and/or costs and expenses and/or otherwise have an material adverse impact on our business, and we could become subject to additional such intellectual property litigation in the future.

The success of our business is highly dependent on protecting our intellectual property rights. Unauthorized parties may attempt to copy or otherwise obtain and use our products and/or enabling technology. Policing the unauthorized use of our intellectual property rights is difficult and expensive, as is enforcing these rights against unauthorized use by others. Identifying unauthorized use of our intellectual property rights is difficult because we may be unable to monitor the technologies and/or materials being employed by other parties. The steps we have taken or will take may not prevent unauthorized use of our intellectual property rights, particularly in foreign countries where enforcement of intellectual property rights may be more difficult than in the United States.

In May 2016, we filed a complaint for patent infringement against Nano Tech Co., Ltd. and Guangdong Alison Hi-Tech., Ltd., which we refer to collectively as the Respondents, in the United States International Trade Commission. The ITC complaint alleged that these two China-based companies have engaged and are engaging in unfair trade practices by importing and selling aerogel products in the United States that infringe, and/or are manufactured by processes that infringe, several of our patents. In the ITC complaint, we sought exclusion orders from the ITC that direct the United States Customs and Border Protection to stop the importation of infringing products. In June 2016, the ITC instituted an investigation based on our complaint. In September 2017, the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) presiding over the ITC investigation issued an Initial Determination finding that Alison and Nano infringed three of our patents relating to aerogel insulation and/or methods of manufacturing aerogel insulation. As part of the Initial Determination, the ALJ found that Alison and Nano infringed all the patent claims asserted against each of them and that Alison and Nano failed to prove that the asserted claims were invalid. The ALJ also recommended a limited exclusion order as a remedy to prevent the importation of infringing aerogel products into the United States. In February 2018, the ITC issued its final determination confirming the ALJ’s infringement and validity determinations except with respect to one dependent product claim where the ITC found that the claim was not infringed. The ITC also revised some of the ALJ’s claim construction. In addition, the ITC issued a limited exclusion order prohibiting importation of infringing aerogel insulation products manufactured by Alison and Nano. The Respondents may appeal the final determination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

In addition to Respondents’ contention at the ITC that the patents we asserted there are invalid, Alison also filed petitions with USPTO requesting Inter-Partes Review to cancel certain claims in three of Aspen’s manufacturing process patents and one product patent. A three-member panel of Administrative Patent Judges at the USPTO denied all of Alison’s petitions to institute Inter-Partes Review challenging the validity of these Aspen patents. Alison also filed similar requests with the Chinese Patent Office (“SIPO”) seeking to invalidate two of our Chinese manufacturing process patents and two of our Chinese product patents. After the conclusion of the oral proceedings and before any decision issued by the SIPO, Alison withdrew all of its requests for invalidation of our Chinese patents.

We also filed a patent infringement suit in April 2016 at the District Court in Mannheim, Germany against the Respondents and two European distributors. During 2016, we settled with one of the European distributors in exchange for a commitment not to procure infringing products and cooperation with our case. In January 2018, the court issued a series of judgments by acknowledgement (German, Anerkenntnisurteil) finding the second reseller, Hiltex Techniche Weefsels b.v. (Hiltex), liable for infringement and also issued injunctions against Hiltex. The judgments resulted from a settlement agreement in which Hiltex agreed not to resell infringing products in Europe where at least one of the asserted patents are active. The litigation against Nano and Alison remains ongoing. Nano

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has initiated nullity actions in German Federal Court against three of our manufacturing process patents in Germany. Alison likewise filed an opposition to one of the asserted patents at the European Patent Office (EPO) and also initiated nullity action against two other patents. Nano also filed an opposition against the same patent at the EPO. As Alison and Nano have already sought to invalidate our patents in various jurisdictions, we expect defendants to bring similar actions in additional jurisdictions or against additional patents and that we will incur additional costs to defend such actions. Due to their nature, it is difficult to predict the outcome or the costs involved in any litigation or administrative proceeding. Furthermore, the defendants may have significant resources and interest to litigate and, therefore, this litigation could be protracted and may ultimately involve significant legal expenses.

Our continued commercial success will also depend in part upon not infringing the patents or violating other intellectual property rights of third parties. We are aware of patents and patent applications generally relating to aspects of our technologies filed by, and issued to, third parties. Our knowledge of the patent landscape with respect to the technologies currently embodied within our aerogel products and the technologies that we practice in manufacturing those products indicates that the third-party patent rights most relevant to our business are those owned by Cabot and licensed to us under the cross license agreement with Cabot. Nevertheless, we cannot determine with certainty whether patents or patent applications of other parties may materially affect our ability to conduct our business. There may be existing patents of which we are unaware that we may inadvertently infringe, resulting in claims against us or our customers. In recent years, Chinese, Japanese and South Korean entities have filed a significant number of patent applications related to aerogel products in both their home countries and in foreign countries. These patents in application areas of aerogels may make it more difficult for OEMs and end-use customers in these countries to use our products in new and different applications, which in turn may limit our ability to penetrate new markets.

In the event that the manufacture, use and/or sale of our products or technologies is challenged, or if our product forms or technologies conflict with patent rights of others or our operations conflict with trademark or similar rights of others, third parties could bring legal actions against us in the United States, Europe or other countries, claiming damages and seeking to enjoin the manufacturing and/or marketing of our products. In addition, it is not possible to predict with certainty what patent claims may arise from pending patent applications of third parties. In the United States, for example, patent prosecution can proceed in secret prior to issuance of a patent, provided such application is not filed in a foreign jurisdiction. For U.S. patent applications that are also filed in foreign jurisdictions, such patent applications will not be published until 18 months from the filing date of the application. As a result, third parties may be able to obtain patents with claims relating to our product forms, applications and/or manufacturing processes which they could attempt to assert against us or our end-users.

In the case of any of the above, litigation may be necessary to enforce, protect or defend our intellectual property rights or to determine the validity and scope of the intellectual property rights of others. Any such litigation, including our ongoing patent enforcement actions described above, could be unsuccessful, cause us to incur substantial costs, divert resources and the efforts of our personnel away from daily operations, harm our reputation and/or result in the impairment of our intellectual property rights. In some cases, litigation may be threatened or brought by a patent holding company (otherwise known as non-practicing entities or patent “trolls”) or other adverse patent owner who has no relevant product revenues and against which our patents may provide little or no deterrence. If we are found to infringe any patents, regardless of whether litigation is brought against us by third parties or, as in the case of our ongoing patent enforcement actions described above, brought by us against third parties, we could be required to:

In the actions brought by us against third parties, including our ongoing patent enforcement actions described above, we may be required to pay costs and expenses of opposing parties, including attorney fees, if we lose.

If our competitors are able to use our technology without payment to us, our ability to compete effectively could be materially harmed. Our contracts generally indemnify our customers for third-party claims of intellectual property infringement related to the manufacture and use of our products, and typically up to the amount of the purchase price paid for the product, which could cause us to become involved, and subject to liability, in litigation between our customers and third parties. The expense of defending these claims may adversely affect our results of operations.

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Patents covering technologies that are similar or superior to our technologies may be developed or obtained by third parties. We may need to seek licenses to these technologies, which could limit our ability to manufacture our products and have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Competitors or other third parties may independently develop and obtain patents covering technologies that are similar or superior to the product forms, applications or manufacturing technologies that we employ. In such event, we may need to obtain licenses for these technologies. However, we may not be able to obtain licenses on reasonable terms, if at all, which could limit our ability to manufacture our current and/or future products and operate our business.

Our contracts with the U.S. government and other third parties could negatively affect our intellectual property rights.

To further our product development efforts, our scientists and engineers work closely with customers, the U.S. government and other third parties to research and develop advancements in aerogel product forms, applications and manufacturing technologies. We have entered into agreements with private third parties and have been awarded numerous research contracts with the U.S. government to independently or jointly research, design and develop new devices and systems that incorporate aerogel material. We also expect to enter into similar private agreements and be awarded similar government contracts in the future. In some instances, the research and development activities that we conduct under contract with the U.S. government and/or with private third parties may produce intellectual property to which we may not have ownership or exclusive rights and will be unable to protect or monetize.

Moreover, when we develop new technologies using U.S. government funding, the government may obtain certain rights in any resulting patents, technical data and/or other confidential and proprietary information, generally including, at a minimum, a non-exclusive license authorizing the U.S. government to use the invention, technical data or software for non-commercial purposes. Federal government funding may limit when and how we can deploy our technology developed under those contracts. In addition, inventions must be reported promptly to the funding agencies, the federal funding must be disclosed in any resulting patent applications, and our rights in such inventions will normally be subject to government license rights, periodic post-contract utilization reporting, foreign manufacturing restrictions and “march-in” rights. March-in rights refer to the right of the U.S. government to require us to grant a license to the technology to a responsible applicant or, if we refuse, the government may grant the license itself. The U.S. government may exercise its march-in rights if it determines that action is necessary because we fail to achieve practical application of any technology developed under contract with the government or because action is necessary to alleviate health or safety needs, to meet requirements of federal regulations or to give preference to United States industry. The U.S. government may also have the right to disclose our confidential and proprietary information to third parties. In addition, failure to comply with all the government contract requirements may result in us losing the patent rights.

Our U.S. government-sponsored research contracts are also subject to audit and require that we provide regular written technical updates on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis, and, at the conclusion of the research contract, a final report on the results of our technical research. Because these reports are generally available to the public, third parties may obtain some aspects of our confidential and proprietary information relating to our product forms, applications and/or manufacturing processes. If we fail to provide these reports or to provide accurate and complete reports, the U.S. government could obtain rights to any intellectual property arising from the related research.

Furthermore, there could be disputes between us and a private third party as to the ownership rights to any inventions that we develop in collaboration with such third party. Any such dispute may cause us to incur substantial costs including potential license obligations, and could place a significant strain on our financial resources, divert the attention of management from our core business and harm our reputation.

We rely on trade secrets to protect our technology, and our failure to obtain or maintain trade secret protection could materially adversely affect our competitive business position.

We rely in part on trade secret protection to protect confidential and proprietary information relating to our technology, particularly where we do not believe patent protection is appropriate or obtainable. We continue to develop and refine the manufacturing technologies used to produce our aerogel products and believe that we have already developed, and will continue to develop, significant know-how related to these technologies. However, trade secrets can be difficult to protect. We may not be able to maintain the secrecy of this information and competitors may develop or acquire equally or more valuable information related to the manufacture of comparable aerogel products. Our strategy for scale-up of commercial production will continue to require us to share confidential and proprietary information with the U.S. government and other third parties. While we take reasonable efforts to protect our trade secrets, our employees, consultants, contractors or scientific and other advisors, or those of our business partners, may intentionally or inadvertently disclose our confidential and proprietary information to competitors. Any enforcement of claims by us that a third party has obtained and is using our trade secrets is expensive, time consuming and uncertain. In addition, foreign courts are sometimes less willing than United States courts to protect trade secrets.

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We require all employees and consultants to execute confidentiality and/or nondisclosure agreements upon the commencement of an employment or consulting arrangement with us, which agreements generally require that all confidential and proprietary information developed by the individual or made known to the individual by us during the course of the individual’s relationship with us be kept confidential and not disclosed to third parties. These agreements further generally provide that inventions conceived by the individual in the course of rendering services to us will be our exclusive property. Nevertheless, these agreements may not be honored and our confidential and proprietary information may be disclosed, or these agreements may be unenforceable or difficult to enforce. We also require customers and vendors to execute confidentiality and/or nondisclosure agreements. However, we have not obtained such agreements from all of our customers and vendors. Moreover, some of our customers may be subject to laws and regulations that require them to disclose information that we would otherwise seek to keep confidential. Our confidential and proprietary information may be otherwise disclosed without our authorization or knowledge. Moreover, third parties could reverse engineer our manufacturing processes, independently develop substantially equivalent confidential and proprietary information or otherwise gain access to our trade secrets. Failure to maintain trade secret protection could enable others to produce competing products and adversely affect our competitive business position.

Loss of the intellectual property rights that we license from Cabot Corporation would have a material adverse impact on our business.

We have licensed certain intellectual property rights from Cabot under a cross license agreement. These intellectual property rights have been critical to the manufacture of our existing products and may also be important to our research, development and manufacture of new products. Any loss of the intellectual property rights granted to us thereunder, including as a result of ineffective protection of such rights by Cabot, abandonment or expiration of the involved patents or a breach of or dispute under the agreement by either party would have a material adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects, and might prevent us from continuing our business.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

We have incurred and will continue to incur costs and demands upon management as a result of complying with the laws and regulations affecting public companies in the United States, which may adversely affect our results of operations.

We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act that require us to file, among other things, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and annual reports on Form 10-K. Under Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, as a part of each of these reports, our chief executive officer and chief financial officer are required to evaluate and report their conclusions regarding the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and to certify that they have done so. Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and prevent fraud. Under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, we have included a report of management on our internal control over financial reporting in our Form 10-K for our fiscal year ended December 31, 2017. In addition, upon the first annual report required to be filed with the SEC following the date we are no longer an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, or JOBS Act, the independent registered public accounting firm auditing our financial statements will be required to attest to and report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. The process of improving and documenting our internal controls and complying with Section 404 is expensive and time consuming, and requires significant attention of management.

Complying with these requirements applicable to public companies may place a strain on our personnel, information technology systems and resources while diverting management’s attention from other business concerns. We have engaged outside service providers with appropriate public company compliance experience and technical accounting knowledge to support our compliance efforts. We may need to engage additional service providers to ensure compliance which may cause us to incur additional operating costs.

These and other requirements may also make it more difficult or more costly for us to obtain or maintain certain types of insurance, including directors’ and officers’ liability insurance. We may be forced to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage.

The impact of these requirements could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board of directors, our board committees or as executive officers. Any one of these requirements could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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Because we are a public company, we are obligated to develop and maintain proper and effective internal control over financial reporting. If our internal controls over financial reporting are determined to be ineffective, or if our auditors are otherwise unable to attest to their effectiveness when required, investor confidence in our company, and our common stock price, may be adversely affected.

Pursuant to Section 404a of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, we have furnished a report by management on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 and will continue to do so in each year thereafter. This assessment will be required to include disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by our management in our internal control over financial reporting. Our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to formally attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting until the first annual report required to be filed with the SEC following the date we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act.

We continue to assess our system of internal controls over financial reporting and successfully completed documentation necessary to perform the annual evaluation required to comply with Section 404. In future periods, we may discover, and not be able to remediate timely, significant deficiencies or material weaknesses. During the evaluation and testing process in 2017, we did not identify any material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting. In future periods, if we were to identify one or more material weaknesses in our internal control, we may be unable to assert that our internal controls are effective. If we are unable to assert that our internal controls over financial reporting are effective, we could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports or it could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations, which could have a material adverse effect on the price of our common stock. In addition, any failure to comply with Section 404 could subject us to a variety of administrative sanctions, including SEC action, ineligibility for short form resale registration, the suspension or delisting of our common stock from The New York Stock Exchange, and the inability of registered broker-dealers to make a market in our common stock, which would further reduce our stock price and could harm our business.

We are eligible to be treated as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act, and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies makes or will make our common stock less attractive to investors.

We are an “emerging growth company”, as defined in the JOBS Act. For as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including:

We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest to occur of (i) the end of the fiscal year for which we report $1.0 billion or more in annual revenues, (ii) the end of the fiscal year in which the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter, (iii) our issuance, in a three year period, of more than $1.0 billion of non-convertible debt, and (iv) December 31, 2019. We cannot predict if investors find or will find our common stock less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may be more volatile.

The trading market in our common stock has been limited and substantially less liquid than the average trading market for a stock quoted on The New York Stock Exchange.

Since our initial listing on The New York Stock Exchange on June 13, 2014, the trading market in our common stock has been limited and substantially less liquid than the average trading market for companies listed on The New York Stock Exchange. The listing of our common stock on The New York Stock Exchange does not assure that a meaningful, consistent and liquid trading market currently exists or will exist in the future. We cannot predict whether a more active market for our common stock will develop in the future. An absence of an active trading market could adversely affect our stockholders’ ability to sell our common stock at current market prices in short time periods, or possibly at all. An inactive market may also impair our ability to raise capital by selling our common stock and may impair our ability to acquire other companies, products or technologies by using our common stock as consideration. Additionally, analyst coverage of our common stock may be limited and such lack of coverage may have a depressive effect on the market price for our common stock. As of December 31, 2017, approximately 20.6% of our outstanding shares of common stock were held by our executive officers, directors, principal stockholders and their respective affiliates, which may adversely affect the liquidity of the trading market for our common stock, in as much as federal securities laws restrict sales of our

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shares by these stockholders. If our affiliates continue to hold their shares of common stock, there will be a more limited trading volume in our common stock, which may make it more difficult for investors to sell their shares or increase the volatility of our stock price.

We expect that the price of our common stock will fluctuate substantially, which could subject us to securities class action litigation and result in substantial losses to our stockholders.

The price of our common stock may fluctuate substantially due to a number of factors, including the following, some of which are beyond our control:

Furthermore, the U.S. stock market has at times experienced extreme volatility that in some cases has been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of particular companies. These broad market and industry fluctuations may adversely affect the market price of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance.

In the past, following periods of market volatility, stockholders have instituted securities class action litigation. If we become involved in securities litigation, it could have a substantial cost and divert resources and the attention of our senior management team from our business regardless of the outcome of such litigation.

Securities analysts may not continue coverage of our common stock or may issue negative reports, which may have a negative impact on the market price of our common stock.

The trading market for our common stock relies in part on the research and reports that industry or financial analysts publish about us or our business. Securities analysts may elect not to provide research coverage of our common stock. If securities analysts do not cover or continue to cover our common stock, the lack of research coverage may cause the market price of our common stock to decline. If one or more of the analysts who elects to cover us downgrades our stock, our stock price would likely decline substantially. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of us, we could lose visibility in the market, which in turn could cause our stock price to decline. In addition, rules mandated by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and a global settlement reached in 2003 between the SEC, other regulatory agencies and a number of investment banks have led to a number of fundamental changes in how analysts are reviewed and compensated. In particular, many investment banking firms are required to contract with independent financial analysts for their stock research. It may be difficult for companies such as ours, with smaller market capitalizations, to attract independent financial analysts that will cover our common stock. This could have a negative effect on the market price of our stock.

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Our directors, officers and principal stockholders have significant voting power and may take actions that may not be in the best interests of our other stockholders.

As of December 31, 2017, our executive officers, directors and principal stockholders and their affiliates collectively controlled approximately 20.6% of our outstanding shares of common stock. As a result, these stockholders, if they act together, may be able to control the management and affairs of our company and certain matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions. This concentration of ownership may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control and might adversely affect the market price of our common stock. This concentration of ownership may not be in the best interests of our other stockholders.

Anti-takeover provisions in our restated certificate of incorporation and restated bylaws, and Delaware law, could delay or discourage a takeover.

Anti-takeover provisions in our restated certificate of incorporation and restated bylaws and Delaware law may have the effect of deterring or delaying attempts by our stockholders to remove or replace management, engage in proxy contests and effect changes in control. The provisions of our charter documents include:

In addition, as a Delaware corporation, we are subject to Delaware law, including Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. In general, Section 203 prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in any business combination with any interested stockholder for a period of three years following the date that the stockholder became an interested stockholder unless certain specific requirements are met as set forth in Section 203. These provisions, alone or together, could have the effect of deterring or delaying changes in incumbent management, proxy contests or changes in control.

Our restated certificate of incorporation designates a state or federal court located within the State of Delaware as the exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees.

Our restated certificate of incorporation provides that, subject to limited exceptions, a state or federal court located within the State of Delaware will be the exclusive forum for (1) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (2) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers or other employees to us or our stockholders, (3) any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law, our restated certificate of incorporation or our restated bylaws, or (4) any other action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the provisions of our restated certificate of incorporation described above. This choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and employees. Alternatively, if a court were to find these provisions of our restated certificate of incorporation inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business and financial condition.

Our shareholders may experience future dilution as a result of future equity offerings.

In the future, we may offer additional shares of our common stock or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock in order to raise additional capital. We cannot assure our shareholders that we will be able to sell shares or other securities in any other offering at a price per share that is equal to or greater than the price per share our shareholders paid for our shares. Investors purchasing shares or other securities in the future could have rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of our shareholders and our shareholders may experience dilution. Our shareholders may incur additional dilution upon the exercise of any outstanding stock options or warrants, the issuance of shares of restricted stock, the vesting of restricted stock units, or the issuance, vesting or exercise of other equity awards.

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We do not intend to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future and, consequently, our shareholders’ ability to achieve a return on your investment will depend on appreciation in the price of our common stock.

We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock and we do not intend to pay any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. We currently expect to retain all available funds and any future earnings for use in the operation and expansion of our business. In addition, the terms of our revolving credit facility restrict our ability to pay dividends and any future credit facilities, loan agreements, debt instruments or other agreements may further restrict our ability to pay dividends. Payments of future dividends, if any, will be at the discretion of our board of directors after taking into account various factors, including our business, results of operations and financial condition, current and anticipated cash needs, plans for expansion and any legal or contractual limitations on our ability to pay dividends. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our common stock will be our shareholders’ sole source of potential gain for the foreseeable future.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This report includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act that relate to future events or our future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Words such as, but not limited to, “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “seek,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “targets,” “likely,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “continue,” and similar expressions or phrases, or the negative of those expressions or phrases, are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Although we believe that we have a reasonable basis for each forward-looking statement contained in this report, we caution you that these statements are based on our projections of the future that are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, to differ. The description of our Business set forth in Item 1, the Risk Factors set forth in this Item 1A and our Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations set forth in Item 7 as well as other sections in this report, discuss some of the factors that could contribute to these differences. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements about:

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We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements we make. We have included important cautionary statements in this report, particularly in the Risk Factors set forth in Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, that we believe could cause actual results or events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements that we make. Our forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, joint ventures or investments we may make.

You should read this report and the documents that we reference in this report and have filed as exhibits to this report completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. The forward-looking statements contained in this report are made as of the date of this report, and we do not assume, and specifically disclaim, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

None.

Our corporate headquarters are located in Northborough, Massachusetts, where we occupy approximately 51,650 square feet under a lease expiring on December 31, 2026. We also own an approximately 143,000 square foot manufacturing facility in East Providence, Rhode Island. In addition, we lease a 10,500 square foot facility, a 24,000 square foot facility and a 128,000 square foot facility in East Providence, Rhode Island, which leases expire on March 31, 2021, March 31, 2021 and March 31, 2019, respectively. We also intend to construct a second manufacturing facility to be located in Statesboro, Georgia.

In May 2016, we filed a complaint for patent infringement against Nano and Alison in the ITC. The ITC complaint alleged that these two China-based companies engaged in unfair trade practices by importing aerogel products in the United States that infringed, and/or are manufactured by processes that infringe, several of the Company’s patents in violation of Section 337 of the Tariff Act. In the ITC complaint, we sought exclusion orders from the ITC that direct the United States Customs and Border Protection to stop the importation of these infringing products. In June 2016, the ITC instituted an investigation based on our complaint. In September 2017, the ALJ presiding over the ITC investigation issued an Initial Determination finding that Alison and Nano infringed our patents relating to aerogel insulation and/or the methods of manufacturing aerogel insulation. As part of the Initial Determination, the ALJ found that Alison and Nano infringed all the patent claims asserted against each of them across the three asserted patents and that Alison and Nano failed to prove that the asserted claims were invalid. The ALJ also recommended a limited exclusion order as a remedy to prevent the importation of infringing aerogel products into the United States. In February 2018, the ITC issued its final determination confirming the ALJ’s infringement and validity determinations except with respect to one dependent product claim where the ITC found the claim not infringed. The ITC also revised some of the ALJ’s claim constructions. However, the ITC affirmed

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that Alison and Nano each violated Section 337 of the Tariff Act and issued a limited exclusion order prohibiting importation of infringing aerogel insulation products manufactured by Alison and Nano. The exclusion order, which will be enforced by the United States Customs and Border Protection, is subject to a 60-day presidential review period, but is otherwise expected to be in full effect starting on April 6, 2018. Upon a request by a party, the final determination may be appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. In addition to Respondents’ contention at the ITC that the asserted patents were invalid, Alison also filed petitions with the USPTO requesting Inter-Partes Review to cancel certain claims in three of the Company’s manufacturing process patents and one product patent. A three-member panel of Administrative Patent Judges at the USPTO denied all of Alison’s petitions to institute Inter-Partes Review challenging the validity of these Aspen patents. Alison also filed similar requests with the SIPO seeking to invalidate two of our Chinese manufacturing process patents and two of our Chinese product patents. After the conclusion of the oral proceedings and before any decision issued by the SIPO, Alison withdrew all of its requests for invalidation of our Chinese patents.

In April 2016, we also filed a patent infringement suit at the District Court in Mannheim, Germany against the Respondents and two European resellers asserting their infringement of one of our German patents. We subsequently asserted infringement of another three patents against Nano and a European reseller of Alison’s products at the Mannheim court. We have since settled with one European reseller in exchange for a commitment not to procure infringing products and cooperation with our case. In January 2018, the court issued a series of judgments by acknowledgement (German, “Anerkenntnisurteil”) finding the second reseller, Hiltex, liable for infringement and also issued injunctions against Hiltex. The judgments resulted from a settlement agreement in which Hiltex agreed not to resell the infringing products in Europe where at least one of the asserted patents are active. The litigation against Alison and Nano remains ongoing. Nano also initiated a nullity actions in German Federal Patent Court against three of our asserted German manufacturing process patents. Alison likewise filed an opposition to one of the asserted patents at the EPO and also initiated nullity action against two other patents. Nano also filed an opposition against the same patent at the EPO.

Due to their nature, it is difficult to predict the outcome or the costs involved in any litigation or administrative proceedings, including any appeals process. Furthermore, the Respondents may have significant resources and interest to litigate and therefore, these litigation matters could be protracted and may ultimately involve significant legal expenses. In addition to the foregoing, we have been and may be from time to time party to other legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of business and to other patent enforcement actions to assert our patent rights.

Not applicable.

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PART II

Market Information and Dividend Policy

Our common stock is trading on The New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE, under the symbol “ASPN.” The following table sets forth, for the period indicated, the high and low sales prices of our common stock as reported by the NYSE:

As of January 31, 2018, there were 63 stockholders of record of our common stock. We have not paid dividends to our stockholders since our inception and we do not plan to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future. We currently intend to retain earnings, if any, to finance the development and expansion of our business.

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Stock Performance Graph

The following graph and table compare the cumulative total stockholder return for our common stock during the period from June 13, 2014 (the date our common stock commenced trading on the NYSE) through December 31, 2017 in comparison to the S&P Oil & Gas Equipment Select Industry Index and the Russell 2000. The graph and the table below assume (i) that $100 was invested at the market close on June 13, 2014 in the common stock of Aspen Aerogels, Inc., the S&P Oil & Gas Equipment Select Industry Index and the Russell 2000, and (ii) reinvestment of dividends. The comparisons in the graph and table are not intended to be indicative of the possible future performance of our common stock.

The performance graph and table above are being furnished and shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, or otherwise subject to the liabilities under that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference into any registration statement or other filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

(a) Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities. Not applicable.

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(b) Use of Proceeds from Initial Public Offering of Common Stock. We registered shares of our common stock in connection with our initial public offering pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-195523), which was declared effective by the SEC on June 12, 2014, and a registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-196719) filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) of the Securities Act.

We received aggregate net proceeds from the offering of approximately $74.7 million, after deducting $4.3 million of underwriting discounts and approximately $3.5 million of offering expenses.

As of December 31, 2017, we used $19.8 million of the net proceeds of the offering to repay all amounts outstanding under our subordinated notes and our revolving credit facility; $31.0 million of the net proceeds of the offering for capital expenditures related to our third production line in East Providence, Rhode Island; and $7.2 million of the net proceeds of the offering for the design of our planned second manufacturing facility in Statesboro, Georgia. The remainder of the net proceeds are held in a deposit account and money market account with a major financial institution in North America. We have broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds from our initial public offering and could spend the proceeds in ways that do not improve our results of operations or enhance the value of our stock. There has been no material change in our planned use of the balance of the net proceeds from the offering as described in our final prospectus filed with the SEC on June 16, 2014.

(c) Purchases of Equity Securities By the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers. We did not repurchase any of our equity securities during the year ended December 31, 2017.

The following table sets forth our selected consolidated financial data for the periods, and as of the dates, indicated. You should read the following selected consolidated financial data in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” section of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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We derived the consolidated statement of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, and the consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, from our audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report, which financial statements have been audited by KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm. We derived the consolidated statement of operations data for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, from our audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto that are not included in this Annual Report, which financial statements have been audited by KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm.

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The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the “Selected Financial Data” and our consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. In addition to historical information, some of the information contained in the following discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this report, including information with respect to our plans and strategy for our business, includes forward looking information that involves risks, uncertainties and assumptions. You should read the Risk Factors set forth in Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis. Our actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated by these forward looking statements.

Overview

We design, develop and manufacture innovative, high-performance aerogel insulation used primarily in the energy infrastructure and building materials markets. We believe our aerogel blankets deliver the best thermal performance of any widely used insulation product available on the market today and provide a combination of performance attributes unmatched by traditional insulation materials. Our end-use customers select our products where thermal performance is critical and to save money, improve resource efficiency, preserve operating assets and protect workers.

Our insulation is used by oil producers and the owners and operators of refineries, petrochemical plants, liquefied natural gas facilities, power generating assets and other energy infrastructure. Our Pyrogel and Cryogel product lines have undergone rigorous technical validation by industry leading end-users and achieved significant market adoption. We also derive product revenue from the building materials and other end markets. Customers in these markets use our products for applications as diverse as wall systems, military and commercial aircraft, trains, buses, appliances, apparel, footwear and outdoor gear.

We generate product revenue through the sale of our line of aerogel blankets. We market and sell our products primarily through a sales force based in North America, Europe and Asia. The efforts of our sales force are supported by a small number of sales consultants with extensive knowledge of a particular market or region. Our sales force is responsible for establishing and maintaining customer and partner relationships, delivering highly technical information and ensuring high-quality customer service.

Our salespeople work directly with end-use customers and engineering firms to promote the qualification, specification and acceptance of our products. We also rely on an existing and well-established channel of qualified insulation distributors and contractors in more than 40 countries around the world to ensure rapid delivery of our products and strong end-user support. Our salespeople also work to educate insulation contractors about the technical and operating cost advantages of our aerogel blankets.

We also perform research services under contracts with various agencies of the U.S. government, including the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy, and other institutions. Research performed under contract with government agencies and other institutions enables us to develop and leverage technologies into broader commercial applications.

We manufacture our products using our proprietary technology at our facility in East Providence, Rhode Island. We commenced operation of a third production line in the East Providence facility during 2015 which increased our annual nameplate capacity to 50 million square feet of aerogel blankets. We have initiated a series of projects designed to increase this nameplate capacity to 60 million square feet of aerogel blankets by the end of 2020. We have also completed the design and engineering of a first line in a planned second manufacturing facility to be located in Statesboro, Georgia supported by a package of incentives from the State of Georgia and local governmental authorities. We have elected to delay construction of the Statesboro facility to better align the timing of this capacity expansion with our assessment of future demand.

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We have entered into a strategic partnership with BASF to develop and commercialize products for the building materials and other markets. The strategic partnership includes a supply agreement governing the sale of our Spaceloft A2 product to BASF and a joint development agreement targeting innovative products and technologies. Pursuant to the Supply Agreement, BASF may, in its sole discretion, make prepayments to the Company in the aggregate amount of up to $22 million in support of our capacity expansion plans, our process improvement initiatives and our new business development efforts. BASF has agreed to make a prepayment to us in the amount of $5 million in two installments during 2018. The 2018 prepayment will be either credited against amounts invoiced to BASF for Spaceloft A2 or repaid by us to BASF on or after December 31, 2021.

In July 2017, we announced the launch of a new product, Pyrogel HPS, a high-temperature aerogel blanket engineered to provide superior thermal conductivity and economic performance at service temperatures between 400°C and 650°C.

Our revenue for the year ended December 31, 2017 was $111.6 million, which represented a decrease of 5% from the year ended December 31, 2016. Net loss for the year ended December 31, 2017 was $19.3 million and net loss per share was $0.83.

Key Metrics and Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We regularly review a number of metrics, including the following key metrics, to evaluate our business, measure our performance, identify trends affecting our business, formulate financial projections and make strategic decisions.

Square Foot Operating Metric

We price our product and measure our product shipments in square feet. We estimate our annual nameplate capacity was 50 million square feet of aerogel blankets at December 31, 2017. We believe the square foot operating metric allows us and our investors to measure our manufacturing capacity and product shipments on a uniform and consistent basis. The following chart sets forth product shipments associated with recognized revenue in square feet for the periods presented:

Adjusted EBITDA

We use Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, as a means to assess our operating performance. We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) before interest expense, taxes, depreciation, amortization, stock-based compensation expense and other items, which occur from time to time, that we do not believe are indicative of our core operating performance. Adjusted EBITDA is a supplemental measure of our performance that is not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as an alternative to net income (loss) or any other measure of financial performance calculated and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. In addition, our definition and presentation of Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies.

We use Adjusted EBITDA:

We also believe that the presentation of Adjusted EBITDA provides useful information to investors with respect to our results of operations and in assessing the performance and value of our business. Various measures of EBITDA are widely used by investors to measure a company’s operating performance without regard to items that can vary substantially from company to company depending upon financing and accounting methods, book values of assets, capital structures and the methods by which assets were acquired.

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Although measures similar to Adjusted EBITDA are frequently used by investors and securities analysts in their evaluation of companies, we understand that Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider it in isolation or as a substitute for net income, income from operations, net cash provided by (used in) operating activities or an analysis of our results of operations as reported under U.S. GAAP. Some of these limitations are:

Because of these limitations, our Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as a measure of discretionary cash available to us to reinvest in the growth of our business or as a measure of cash available for us to meet our obligations.

To properly and prudently evaluate our business, we encourage you to review the GAAP financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and not to rely on any single financial measure to evaluate our business.

The following table presents a reconciliation of net loss, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, to Adjusted EBITDA for the years presented:

The following table presents a reconciliation of net loss, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, to Adjusted EBITDA for the quarters presented:

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Our financial performance, including such measures as net income (loss), earnings per share and Adjusted EBITDA, are affected by a number of factors including volume and mix of aerogel products sold, average selling prices, our material and manufacturing costs, the costs associated with and timing of capacity expansions and start-up of additional production capacity, and the amount and timing of operating expenses, including patent enforcement costs. As we build out our manufacturing capacity in new facilities in the longer term, we expect increased manufacturing expenses will periodically have a negative impact on net income (loss), earnings per share and Adjusted EBITDA, but will set the framework for improved performance in the long term. Accordingly, we expect that our net income (loss), earnings per share and Adjusted EBITDA will vary from period to period, in particular as and when we expand our manufacturing capacity in new facilities.

As a result of the conclusion of a multiyear petrochemical project with Reliance Industries Limited and an expected decline in the volume of subsea projects, which together comprised 19% of our product revenue during 2017, we may experience a decrease in revenue, an increase in net loss and loss per share and a decrease in Adjusted EBITDA during 2018. In addition, we plan to increase investment in new initiatives and personnel by approximately $6.0 million during 2018 with the objective of restoring long-term growth in our existing markets and developing new business opportunities. This investment is associated, in large part, with our plan to add 49 new employees to our team during the year. As a result of a planned increase in manufacturing and operating expenses associated with these new initiatives and personnel, we may experience an increase in net loss and loss per share and a decrease in Adjusted EBITDA during 2018 even in the event that we experience an increase in revenue during the year.

Emerging Growth Company Status

The JOBS Act permits an “emerging growth company” such as us to take advantage of an extended transition period to comply with new or revised accounting standards applicable to public companies. We have opted out of this provision and, as a result, we comply with new or revised accounting standards as required when they are adopted. This decision to opt out of the extended transition period under the JOBS Act is irrevocable.

Components of Our Results of Operations

Revenue

We recognize product revenue from the sale of our line of aerogel products and research services revenue from the provision of services under contracts with various agencies of the U.S. government and other institutions. Product revenue is recognized upon transfer of title and risk of loss, which is upon shipment or delivery. The following table sets forth the total revenue for the periods presented:

Product revenue accounted for 98% of total revenue for each of the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015. In the near term, we may experience a decrease in product revenue due to an anticipated decrease in project related revenue in the subsea market and as a result of the conclusion of the major petrochemical project with Reliance Industries. However, we expect a resumption of growth in product revenue in the long term due to increasing market adoption of our line of aerogel blankets in the energy infrastructure market, particularly in the power generation, LNG and district energy markets, and increasing penetration of new markets, including the building materials market. We expect that research services revenue will remain a small percentage of total revenue due to limitations on our eligibility to receive contract awards under federal guidelines.

A substantial majority of our revenue is generated from a limited number of direct customers, including distributors, contractors, OEMs, partners and end-use customers. Our 10 largest customers accounted for approximately 69% of our total revenue during the year ended December 31, 2017, and we expect that most of our revenue will continue to come from a relatively small number of customers for the foreseeable future. In 2017, sales to Distribution International, Inc. and TechnipFMC represented 15% and 12% of our total revenue, respectively. In 2016, sales to Reliance Industries Limited and Distribution International, Inc. represented 25% and 15% of our total revenue, respectively. In 2015, sales to Distribution International, Inc. and Reliance Industries Limited represented 14% and 12% of total revenue, respectively. For each of the noted periods, there were no other customers that represented 10% or more of our total revenues.

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We conduct business across the globe and a substantial portion of our revenue is generated outside of the United States. Total revenue from outside of the United States, based on shipment destination, amounted to $60.2 million, or 54% of our total revenue, $82.0 million, or 70% of our total revenue, and $78.0 million or 64% of our total revenue, in the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Cost of Revenue

Cost of product revenue consists primarily of materials and manufacturing expense, including labor, utilities, maintenance expense and depreciation on manufacturing assets. Cost of product revenue is recorded when the related product revenue is recognized. Cost of product revenue also includes stock-based compensation of manufacturing employees and shipping costs.

Material is our most significant component of cost of product revenue and includes fibrous batting, silica materials and additives. Material costs as a percentage of product revenue were 45%, 41% and 45% for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Material costs as a percentage of product revenue vary from product to product due to differences in average selling prices, material requirements, product thicknesses and manufacturing yields. In addition, we provide warranties for our products and record the estimated cost within cost of sales in the period that the related revenue is recorded. As a result, material costs as a percentage of revenue will vary from period to period due to changes in the mix of aerogel products sold or the estimated cost of warranties. However, in general, we expect material costs in the aggregate to decline as a percentage of revenue as we seek to achieve higher selling prices, material sourcing improvements, quality improvements and manufacturing yield enhancements for our aerogel products.

Manufacturing expense is also a significant component of cost of revenue. Manufacturing expense as a percentage of product revenue was 39%, 39% and 36% for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. During 2017, product revenue and manufacturing expense each declined by 5%. As a result, manufacturing expense as a percentage of product revenue remained flat to the comparable period in 2016. The decrease in manufacturing expense in absolute dollars during 2017 reflected a reduction in manufacturing personnel and expense associated with our plan to decrease output during the period to control inventory balances.

As we increase manufacturing capacity in our East Providence, Rhode Island facility through 2020 and, over time, through the anticipated construction, operation and expansion of a second manufacturing facility, we expect manufacturing expense as a percentage of product revenue will increase following each such expansion but will decrease in the long-term with increased revenues supported by the effect of completed capacity expansions.

We expect that cost of product revenue in absolute dollars and as a percentage of product revenue will decrease during 2018 versus 2017. The projected decrease in cost of product revenue in absolute dollars and as a percentage of product revenue reflects the impact of a planned increase in manufacturing output and an expected favorable mix of products sold, offset, in part, by a planned increase in personnel and expense in support of our capacity expansion and growth initiatives.

Cost of research services revenue consists of direct labor costs of research personnel engaged in the contract research, third-party consulting expense, and associated direct material costs. This cost of revenue also includes overhead expenses associated with project resources, development tools and supplies. Cost of research services revenue is recorded when the related research services revenue is recognized.

Gross Profit

Our gross profit as a percentage of revenue is affected by a number of factors, including the volume of aerogel products produced and sold, the mix of aerogel products sold, average selling prices, our material and manufacturing costs, realized capacity utilization and the costs associated with expansions and start-up of production capacity. Accordingly, we expect our gross profit in absolute dollars and as a percentage of revenue to vary significantly from period to period. As and when we build out our manufacturing capacity, we expect increased manufacturing expenses will periodically have a negative impact on gross profit in the periods following any such expansion.

As a result of the conclusion of a multiyear petrochemical project with Reliance Industries Limited and an expected decrease in the volume of subsea projects, which together comprised 19% of our product revenue during 2017, we may experience a decrease in revenue and an associated decrease in gross profit in absolute dollars and as a percentage of revenue during 2018. In addition, we plan to increase investment in manufacturing personnel and expenses during 2018 in support of our objective to increase the capacity of our East Providence manufacturing facility, operational improvement initiatives and our new business development efforts. As a result of this planned increase in manufacturing expense, we may experience a decrease in gross profit even in the event that we experience an increase in revenue during the year.

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However, in the longer term, we expect gross profit to improve as a percentage of revenue due to expected increases in manufacturing productivity and production volumes, supported by expected capacity expansions, improvements in manufacturing yields and realization of material purchasing efficiencies.

Operating Expenses

Operating expenses consist of research and development, sales and marketing, and general and administrative expenses. Operating expenses include personnel costs, legal fees, professional fees, service fees, insurance premiums, travel expense, facilities related costs and other costs and fees. The largest component of our operating expenses is personnel costs, consisting of salaries, benefits, incentive compensation and stock-based compensation. In any particular period, the timing and extent of personnel additions or reductions, legal activities, including patent enforcement actions, marketing programs, research efforts and a range of similar activities or actions could materially affect our operating expenses, both in absolute dollars and as a percentage of revenue.

We plan to increase investment in new initiatives and personnel during 2018 with the objective of restoring long-term growth in our existing markets and to develop new business opportunities. As a result of this planned increase in operating expenses for new initiatives and personnel, we expect to experience an increase in operating expenses both in absolute dollars and as a percentage of revenue during 2018.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses consist primarily of expenses for personnel engaged in the development of next generation aerogel compositions, form factors and manufacturing technologies. These expenses also include testing services, prototype expenses, consulting services, equipment depreciation, facilities costs and related overhead. We expense research and development costs as incurred. We expect to continue to devote substantial resources to the development of new aerogel technologies. We believe that these investments are necessary to maintain and improve our competitive position. We expect to continue to invest in research and engineering personnel and the infrastructure required in support of their efforts. While we expect that our research and development expenses will increase in absolute dollars but decrease as a percentage of revenue in the longer term, in the nearer term we expect such expenses will increase as a percentage of revenue.

Sales and Marketing Expenses

Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of personnel costs, incentive compensation, marketing programs, travel and related costs, consulting expenses and facilities related costs. We plan to expand our sales force and sales consultants globally to drive anticipated growth in customers and demand for our products. While we expect that sales and marketing expenses will increase in absolute dollars but decrease as a percentage of revenue in the longer-term, in the nearer term we expect such expenses will increase as a percentage of revenue.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of personnel costs, legal expenses, consulting and professional services, audit and tax consulting costs, and expenses for our executive, finance, legal, human resources and information technology organizations. General and administrative expenses have increased as we have incurred additional costs related to operating as a publicly-traded company, which include costs of compliance with securities, corporate governance and related laws and regulations, investor relations expenses, increased insurance premiums, including director and officer insurance, and increased audit and legal fees. In addition, we expect our general and administrative expenses to increase as we add general and administrative personnel to support the anticipated growth of our business and continued expansion of our manufacturing operations. We also expect that the patent enforcement actions, described in more detail under “Legal Proceedings” in Part I, Item 3 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, if protracted, could result in significant legal expense over the medium to long-term. During 2018, we expect general and administrative expense will decrease both in absolute dollars and as a percentage of revenue due to an anticipated reduction in patent enforcement costs. In the longer term, however, we expect that general and administrative expenses will increase in absolute dollars but continue to decline as a percentage of revenue.

Other Expense, Net

For the year ended December 31, 2017, other expense, net consisted primarily of fees and interest expense related to our revolving credit facility. For the year ended December 31, 2016, other expense, net consisted primarily of postponed financing costs and fees related to our revolving credit facility. For the year ended December 31, 2015, other expense, net consisted primarily of fees related to our revolving credit facility.

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Provision for Income Taxes

We have incurred net losses since inception and have not recorded benefit provisions for U.S. federal income taxes or state income taxes since the tax benefits of our net losses have been offset by valuation allowances due to the uncertainty associated with the utilization of net operating loss carryforwards.

For the year ended December 31, 2014, we performed an analysis pursuant to Internal Revenue Code Section 382, as well as similar state provisions, in order to determine whether any limitations might exist on the utilization of net operating losses and other tax attributes. Based on this analysis, we have determined that an ownership change occurred as a result of our initial public offering in June 2014, resulting in an annual limitation on the use of our net operating losses and other tax attributes as of such date. As a result, our prior net operating losses were limited to $155.2 million, including built-in gains of $42.0 million at the date of that ownership change. At December 31, 2017, we had $194.2 million of net operating losses available to offset future federal income, if any, and which expire on various dates through December 31, 2037.

On December 22, 2017, the President of the United States signed into law the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) tax reform legislation. This legislation makes significant change in U.S. tax law including a reduction in the corporate tax rates, changes to net operating loss carryforwards and carrybacks, and a repeal of the corporate alternative minimum tax. The legislation reduced the U.S. corporate tax rate from the current rate of 34% to 21% for the year ending 2018. As a result of the enacted law, the Company was required to revalue deferred tax assets and liabilities at the 21% rate. This results in a decrease in the Company’s net deferred tax asset and corresponding valuation allowance of $26.7 million. As the Company maintains a full valuation allowance against its net deferred tax asset position in the United States, this revaluation does not result in an income tax expense or benefit in the current period. The provisions of the TCJA related to the one-time mandatory transition tax on deemed repatriation did not have an impact on the Company’s results of operations during the year ended December 31, 2017. The other provisions of the TCJA did not have a material impact on the Company’s 2017 consolidated financial statements.

Results of Operations

The following tables set forth our results of operations for the periods presented:

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Year ended December 31, 2017 compared to year ended December 31, 2016

The following tables set forth our results of operations for the periods presented: