BIOLARGO, INC. - Quarter Report: 2023 March (Form 10-Q)
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
☒ | QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2023.
or
☐ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the transition period from to
Commission File Number 000-19709
BIOLARGO, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware | 65-0159115 | |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
14921 Chestnut St.
Westminster, CA 92683
(Address of principal executive offices)
(888) 400-2863
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class | Trading symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered |
Common stock | BLGO | OTC Markets (OTCQB) |
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 every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or emerging growth company. See definition of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer ☐ | Accelerated filer ☐ | |
Non-accelerated filer ☒ | Smaller reporting company ☒ | |
Emerging growth company ☐ |
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. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
The number of shares of the Registrant’s Common Stock outstanding as of May 15, 2023 was 284,690,284 shares.
FORM 10-Q
INDEX
Item 1 |
F-1 | |
Item 2 |
Management's Discussion and Analysis and Financial Condition and Results of Operations |
24 |
Item 4 |
35 |
Item 1A | Risk Factors | 36 |
Item 2 |
36 | |
Item 5 |
37 | |
Item 6 |
37 | |
39 |
PART I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1. Financial Statements
BIOLARGO, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
AS OF MARCH 31, 2023 AND DECEMBER 31, 2022
(in thousands, except for share and per share data)
MARCH 31, | DECEMBER 31, | |||||||
2023 (unaudited) | 2022 | |||||||
Assets | ||||||||
Current assets: | ||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 3,264 | $ | 1,851 | ||||
Accounts receivable, net of allowance | 1,380 | 1,064 | ||||||
Inventories, net of allowance | 135 | 120 | ||||||
Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 95 | 118 | ||||||
Total current assets | 4,874 | 3,153 | ||||||
Equipment, net of depreciation | 391 | 287 | ||||||
Other non-current assets | 124 | 124 | ||||||
Investment in South Korean joint venture | 27 | 33 | ||||||
Right of use, operating lease, net of amortization | 837 | 867 | ||||||
Clyra Medical prepaid marketing | 394 | 394 | ||||||
Total assets | $ | 6,647 | $ | 4,858 | ||||
Liabilities and stockholders’ equity | ||||||||
Current liabilities: | ||||||||
Accounts payable and accrued expenses | $ | 1,224 | $ | 940 | ||||
Clyra Medical accounts payable and accrued expenses | 278 | 238 | ||||||
Debt obligations | 66 | 100 | ||||||
Deferred revenue | 21 | 17 | ||||||
Lease liability | 97 | 97 | ||||||
Deposits | 113 | 184 | ||||||
Total current liabilities | 1,799 | 1,576 | ||||||
Long-term liabilities: | ||||||||
Debt obligations, net of current | 302 | 237 | ||||||
Lease liability, net of current | 747 | 773 | ||||||
Clyra Medical debt obligations | 247 | 261 | ||||||
Total long-term liabilities | 1,296 | 1,271 | ||||||
Total liabilities | 3,095 | 2,847 | ||||||
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Note 12) | ||||||||
STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY: | ||||||||
Preferred Series A, $ Par Value, Shares Authorized, - - Shares Issued and Outstanding, at March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 | — | — | ||||||
Common stock, $ Par Value, Shares Authorized, and Shares Issued, at March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively | 190 | 186 | ||||||
Additional paid-in capital | 150,191 | 148,435 | ||||||
Accumulated deficit | (143,841 | ) | (143,594 | ) | ||||
Accumulated other comprehensive loss | (155 | ) | (149 | ) | ||||
Total BioLargo Inc. and subsidiaries stockholders’ equity | 6,385 | 4,878 | ||||||
Non-controlling interest | (2,833 | ) | (2,867 | ) | ||||
Total stockholders’ equity | 3,552 | 2,011 | ||||||
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity | $ | 6,647 | $ | 4,858 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited consolidated financial statements.
BIOLARGO, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS
FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2023 AND 2022
(in thousands, except for share and per share data)
(unaudited)
MARCH 31, 2023 |
MARCH 31, 2022 |
|||||||
Revenue |
||||||||
Product revenue |
$ | 3,548 | $ | 610 | ||||
Service revenue |
194 | 355 | ||||||
Total revenue |
3,742 | 965 | ||||||
Cost of revenue |
||||||||
Cost of goods sold |
(1,797 | ) | (293 | ) | ||||
Cost of service |
(135 | ) | (151 | ) | ||||
Total cost of revenue |
(1,932 | ) | (444 | ) | ||||
Gross profit |
1,810 | 521 | ||||||
Operating expenses: |
||||||||
Selling, general and administrative expenses |
1,722 | 1,839 | ||||||
Research and development |
565 | 392 | ||||||
Total operating expenses |
2,287 | 2,231 | ||||||
Operating loss |
(477 | ) | (1,710 | ) | ||||
Other income (expense): |
||||||||
PPP forgiveness |
— | 174 | ||||||
Grant income |
31 | 5 | ||||||
Interest expense |
(48 | ) | (13 | ) | ||||
Total other (expense) income |
(17 | ) | 166 | |||||
Net loss |
(494 | ) | (1,544 | ) | ||||
Net (loss) income attributable to noncontrolling interest |
(247 | ) | 108 | |||||
Net loss attributable to common stockholders |
$ | (247 | ) | $ | (1,652 | ) | ||
Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders: |
||||||||
Loss per share attributable to stockholders – basic and diluted |
$ | (0.0009 | ) | $ | (0.0063 | ) | ||
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding: |
280,711,278 | 260,805,418 | ||||||
Comprehensive loss attributable to common stockholders |
||||||||
Net loss |
$ | (494 | ) | $ | (1,544 | ) | ||
Foreign currency translation adjustment |
(6 | ) | (8 | ) | ||||
Comprehensive loss |
(500 | ) | (1,552 | ) | ||||
Comprehensive (loss) income attributable to noncontrolling interest |
(247 | ) | 108 | |||||
Comprehensive loss attributable to stockholders |
$ | (253 | ) | $ | (1,660 | ) |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited consolidated financial statements.
BIOLARGO, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT)
FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2023 AND 2022
(in thousands, except for share and per share data)
(unaudited)
Common stock |
Additional paid-in |
Accumulated |
Accumulated other comprehensive |
Non- controlling |
Total stockholders’ |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Shares |
Amount |
capital |
deficit |
Loss |
interest |
equity (deficit) |
||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance, December 31, 2022 |
278,462,706 | $ | 186 | $ | 148,435 | $ | (143,594 | ) | $ | (149 | ) | $ | (2,867 | ) | $ | 2,011 | ||||||||||||
Sale of stock for cash |
4,201,402 | 3 | 797 | — | — | — | 800 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance of common stock for services |
930,490 | 1 | 206 | — | — | — | 207 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance of common stock in exchange for Clyra shares |
527,983 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||
Stock option compensation expense |
— | — | 195 | — | — | — | 195 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Clyra Medical Technologies, Inc. (Clyra) stock options issued for services |
— | — | 61 | — | — | — | 61 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Warrant issued for interest |
— | — | 30 | — | — | — | 30 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Clyra – sales of Series A Preferred Stock |
— | — | — | — | — | 225 | 225 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Clyra – Series A Preferred Stock – dividend |
— | — | — | — | — | (27 | ) | (27 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Biolargo Energy Technology Inc. (BETI) offering |
— | — | — | — | — | 550 | 550 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Noncontrolling interest allocation |
— | — | 467 | — | — | (467 | ) | — | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss |
— | — | — | (247 | ) | — | (247 | ) | (494 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Foreign currency translation |
— | — | — | — | (6 | ) | — | (6 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Balance, March 31, 2023 |
284,122,581 | $ | 190 | $ | 150,191 | $ | (143,841 | ) | $ | (155 | ) | $ | (2,833 | ) | $ | 3,552 |
Common stock |
Additional paid-in |
Accumulated |
Accumulated |
Non- controlling |
Total stockholders’ |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Shares |
Amount |
capital |
deficit |
Loss |
interest |
equity (deficit) |
||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance, December 31, 2021 |
255,893,726 | $ | 171 | $ | 143,718 | $ | (139,121 | ) | $ | (115 | ) | $ | (3,720 | ) | $ | 933 | ||||||||||||
Sale of common stock for cash |
6,703,789 | 4 | 1,198 | — | — | — | 1,202 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Issuance of common stock for service |
86,752 | — | 17 | — | — | — | 17 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Stock option compensation expense |
— | — | 660 | — | — | — | 660 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Clyra Medical stock option expense |
— | — | 141 | — | — | — | 141 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Noncontrolling interest allocation |
— | — | (528 | ) | — | — | 528 | — | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss |
— | — | — | (1,652 | ) | — | 108 | (1,544 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Foreign currency translation |
— | — | — | — | (8 | ) | — | (8 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Balance, March 31, 2022 |
262,684,267 | $ | 176 | $ | 145,205 | $ | (140,773 | ) | $ | (123 | ) | $ | (3,085 | ) | $ | 1,400 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited consolidated financial statements.
BIOLARGO, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2023 AND 2022
(in thousands, except for share and per share data)
(unaudited)
MARCH 31, 2023 |
MARCH 31, 2022 |
|||||||
Cash flows from operating activities |
||||||||
Net loss |
$ | (494 | ) | $ | (1,544 | ) | ||
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: |
||||||||
Stock option compensation expense |
256 | 801 | ||||||
Common stock issued for services |
207 | 17 | ||||||
Interest expense related to amortization of the discount on note payable |
3 | 4 | ||||||
Fair value of warrant issued for interest |
30 | — | ||||||
PPP loan forgiveness |
— | (174 | ) | |||||
Loss on investment in South Korean joint venture |
6 | 8 | ||||||
Depreciation expense |
22 | 2 | ||||||
Changes in assets and liabilities: |
||||||||
Accounts receivable |
(316 | ) | (178 | ) | ||||
Inventories |
(17 | ) | (29 | ) | ||||
Prepaid expenses and other assets |
25 | (59 | ) | |||||
Accounts payable and accrued expenses |
284 | 114 | ||||||
Clyra accounts payable and accrued expenses |
14 | (25 | ) | |||||
Deferred revenue |
4 | (89 | ) | |||||
Right of use and lease liability, net |
4 | — | ||||||
Deposit |
(71 | ) | 12 | |||||
Net cash used in operating activities |
(43 | ) | (1,140 | ) | ||||
Cash flows from investing activities |
||||||||
Equipment purchases |
(48 | ) | (32 | ) | ||||
Net cash used in investing activities |
(48 | ) | (32 | ) | ||||
Cash flows from financing activities |
||||||||
Proceeds from sale of common stock |
800 | 1,202 | ||||||
Proceeds from sale of BETI common stock |
550 | — | ||||||
Repayment of note payable |
(50 | ) | — | |||||
Repayment by Clyra on inventory line of credit |
(15 | ) | (10 | ) | ||||
Proceeds from sale of Clyra Medical preferred stock |
225 | — | ||||||
Net cash provided by financing activities |
1,510 | 1,192 | ||||||
Net effect of foreign currency translation |
(6 | ) | (8 | ) | ||||
Net change in cash |
1,413 | 12 | ||||||
Cash at beginning of year |
1,851 | 962 | ||||||
Cash at end of period |
$ | 3,264 | $ | 974 | ||||
Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information |
||||||||
Cash paid during the year for: |
||||||||
Interest |
$ | 15 | $ | 7 | ||||
Income taxes |
$ | 5 | $ | — | ||||
Short-term lease payments not included in lease liability |
$ | 13 | $ | 52 | ||||
Non-cash investing and financing activities |
||||||||
Equipment added via vehicle loan |
$ | 80 | $ | — | ||||
Conversion of intercompany receivable into Clyra shares |
$ | — | $ | 633 | ||||
Allocation of noncontrolling interest |
$ | 467 | $ | 528 | ||||
Conversion of Clyra common stock to BioLargo common stock |
$ | 100 | $ | — |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited consolidated financial statements.
Note 1. Business and Organization
Description of Business
BioLargo, Inc. (“BioLargo”, or the “Company”) invents, develops, and commercializes innovative platform technologies to solve challenging environmental problems like PFAS contamination (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), advanced water and wastewater treatment, industrial odor control, air quality control, infection control, and myriad environmental remediation challenges. Our business strategy is straightforward: we invent or acquire technologies that we believe have the potential to be disruptive in large commercial markets; we develop and validate these technologies to advance and promote their commercial success as we leverage our considerable scientific, engineering, and entrepreneurial talent; we then monetize these technical assets through a variety of business structures that may include licensure, joint venture, sale, spin off, or by deploying direct to market strategies.
Organization
We are a Delaware corporation formed in 1991. We have five wholly-owned subsidiaries: BioLargo Life Technologies, Inc., organized under the laws of the State of California in 2006; ONM Environmental, Inc., organized under the laws of the State of California in 2009; BioLargo Equipment and Technologies, Inc., organized under the laws of the State of California in 2022; BioLargo Water, Inc. (“Water”), organized under the laws of Canada in 2014; and BioLargo Development Corp., organized under the laws of the State of California in 2016. Additionally, we own 82% (see Note 9) of BioLargo Engineering Science and Technologies, LLC (“BLEST”), organized under the laws of the State of Tennessee in 2017, 58% of Clyra Medical Technologies, Inc. (“Clyra” or “Clyra Medical”), organized under the laws of the State of California in 2012, and 97.1% of BioLargo Energy Technologies, Inc. (“BETI”) organized under the laws of the State of California in 2022. We consolidate the financial statements of our partially owned subsidiaries (see Note 2, subheading “Principles of Consolidation,” and Note 8).
Liquidity / Going concern
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and the settlement of liabilities and commitments in the normal course of our business. For the three months ended March 31, 2023, we generated revenues of $3,742,000 through our subsidiaries (see Note 11), had a net loss of $494,000, used $43,000 cash in operations, and at March 31, 2023, we had working capital of $3,075,000, and current assets of $4,874,000. While our operating loss has decreased in recent quarterly periods, as has our cash used in operations, we expect to continue to need further investment capital to fund operations. We have been, and anticipate that we will continue to be, limited in terms of our capital resources.
During the three months ended March 31, 2023, we (i) sold $105,000 of our common stock to Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC (“Lincoln Park”) (see Note 3), (ii) sold $695,000 of our common stock and warrants to accredited investors (see Notes 3 and 6), (iii) sold $225,000 of Clyra Medical Series A Preferred Stock (see Note 8), and (iv) sold $550,000 of BETI common stock (see Note 10).
As of March 31, 2023, our cash and cash equivalents totaled $3,264,000. Our total liabilities included a $78,000 vehicle loan, $140,000 due in U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loans issued pursuant to the Paycheck Protection Program (see Note 4), $150,000 due to the SBA issued pursuant to the Economic Injury Disaster program (see Note 4), and $247,000 owed by Clyra Medical due in 2024 (see Note 8).
Subsequent to March 31, 2023, we continued to sell common stock to Lincoln Park for working capital as needed (see Note 13).
If we are unable to rely on our current arrangement with Lincoln Park to fund our working capital requirements, we will have to rely on other forms of financing, and there is no assurance that we will be able to do so, or if we do so, it will be on favorable terms.
The foregoing factors raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, unless we are able to continue to raise funds through stock sales to Lincoln Park or other private financings, and in the long term, our ability to attain a reasonable threshold of operating efficiencies and achieve profitable operations by licensing or otherwise commercializing products incorporating our technologies. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might be necessary if we are unable to continue as a going concern.
Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Principles of Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company, its wholly owned subsidiaries, and partially owned subsidiaries BETI, BLEST and Clyra Medical. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.
Foreign Currency
The Company has designated the functional currency of BioLargo Water, Inc., our Canadian subsidiary, to be the Canadian dollar. Therefore, translation gains and losses resulting from differences in exchange rates are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all highly liquid investments with maturities of three months or less when acquired to be cash equivalents. Substantially all cash equivalents are held in short-term money market accounts at one of the largest financial institutions in the United States, Bank of America. From time to time, our cash account balances are greater than the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance limit of $250,000 per owner per bank, and during such times, we are exposed to credit loss for amounts in excess of insured limits in the event of non-performance by the financial institution. We do not anticipate non-performance by our financial institution.
As of March 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022, our cash balances were made up of the following (in thousands):
March 31, 2023 | December 31, | |||||||
BioLargo, Inc. and subsidiaries | $ | 3,171 | $ | 1,685 | ||||
Clyra Medical Technologies, Inc. | 93 | 166 | ||||||
Total | $ | 3,264 | $ | 1,851 |
Accounts Receivable
Trade accounts receivable are recorded net of allowances for doubtful accounts. Estimates for allowances for doubtful accounts are determined based on payment history and individual customer circumstances. The allowance for doubtful accounts as of March 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022 was $12,000.
Credit Concentration
We have a limited number of customers that account for significant portions of our revenue. During the three months ended March 31, 2023, one customer accounted for more than 10% of consolidated revenues, and during the three months ended March 31, 2022, two customers each accounted for more than 10% of consolidated revenues:
March 31, 2023 | March 31, | |||||||
Customer A | 86 | % | % | |||||
Customer B |
| % | % |
At March 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022, one customer accounted for more than 10% of consolidated accounts receivable:
March 31, 2023 | December 31, 2022 | |||||||
Customer A | 70 | % | % |
Inventory
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value using the average cost method. The allowance for obsolete inventory as of March 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022, was $158,000. Inventories consisted of (in thousands):
March 31, 2023 | December 31, | |||||||
Raw material | $ | 52 | $ | 46 | ||||
Finished goods | 83 | 74 | ||||||
Total | $ | 135 | $ | 120 |
Other Non-Current Assets
Other non-current assets consisted of (i) security deposits related to our business offices, (ii) three patents acquired on October 22, 2021, for $34,000, and (iii) tax credit receivables from the Canadian government related to a research and development credit from our Canadian subsidiary for which we’ve applied for and received in prior periods.
March 31, 2023 | December 31, 2022 | |||||||
Patents | $ | 34 | $ | 34 | ||||
Security deposits | 36 | 36 | ||||||
Tax credit receivable | 54 | 54 | ||||||
Total | $ | 124 | $ | 124 |
Equity Method of Accounting
On March 20, 2020, we invested $100,000 into a South Korean entity (Odin Co. Ltd., “Odin”) pursuant to a Joint Venture agreement we had entered into with BKT Co. Ltd. and its U.S. based subsidiary, Tomorrow Water. We received a 40% non-dilutive equity interest, and BKT and Tomorrow Water each received 30% equity interests for an aggregate $150,000 investment.
We account for our investment in the joint venture under the equity method of accounting. We have determined that while we have significant influence over the joint venture through our technology license and our position on the Board of Directors, we do not control the joint venture or are otherwise involved in managing the entity and we own less than a majority of the equity. Therefore, we record the asset on our consolidated balance sheet and record an increase or decrease the recorded balance by our percentage ownership of the profits or losses in the joint venture. The joint venture has incurred a loss since inception and our 40% ownership share reduced our investment interest during the three months ended March 31, 2023, and 2022, by $6,000 and $8,000, respectively.
Impairment
Long-lived and definite lived intangible assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. If the sum of the expected future undiscounted cash flows from the use of the asset and its eventual disposition is less than the carrying amount of the asset, then an impairment loss is recognized. The impairment loss is measured based on the fair value of the asset. Any resulting impairment is recorded as a reduction in the carrying value of the related asset in excess of fair value and a charge to operating results.
Earnings (Loss) Per Share
We report basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share (“EPS”) for common and common share equivalents. Basic EPS is computed by dividing reported earnings by the weighted average shares outstanding. Diluted EPS is computed by adding to the weighted average shares the dilutive effect if convertible notes payable, stock options and warrants were exercised into common stock. For the three months ended March 31, 2023, and 2022, the denominator in the diluted EPS computation is the same as the denominator for basic EPS due to the Company’s net loss which creates an anti-dilutive effect of the convertible notes payable, warrants and stock options.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and revenues and expenses during the period reported. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Estimates are used when accounting for stock-based transactions, debt transactions, derivative liabilities, allowance for bad debt, asset depreciation and amortization, impairment expense, among others.
The methods, estimates and judgments we use in applying these most critical accounting policies have a significant impact on the results of our financial statements.
Share-Based Compensation Expense
We recognize compensation expense for stock option awards on a straight-line basis over the applicable service period of the award, which is the vesting period. Fair value is determined on the grant date. Share-based compensation expense is based on the grant date fair value estimated using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model.
For stock and stock options issued to consultants and other non-employees for services, the Company measures and records an expense as of the earlier of the date at which either: a commitment for performance by the non-employee has been reached or the non-employee’s performance is complete. The equity instruments are measured at the current fair value, and for stock options, the instruments are measured at fair value using the Black Scholes option model.
The following methodology and assumptions were used to calculate share-based compensation for the three months ended March 31, 2023, and 2022:
2023 | 2022 | |||||||||||||||||
Non Plan | 2018 Plan | Non Plan | 2018 Plan | |||||||||||||||
Risk free interest rate | 3.48 | % | 3.48 | % | 2.32 | – | 3.83% |
| 2.32 | – | 3.83% |
| ||||||
Expected volatility | 114 | % | 114 | % | 114 | – | 117% |
| 114 | – | 117% |
| ||||||
Expected dividend yield | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||
Forfeiture rate | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||
Life in years | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Expected price volatility is the measure by which our stock price is expected to fluctuate during the expected term of an option. The expected volatility is derived from the historical daily change in the market price of our common stock, as we believe that historical volatility is the best indicator of future volatility.
The risk-free interest rate used in the Black-Scholes calculation is based on the prevailing U.S. Treasury yield as determined by the U.S. Federal Reserve. We have never paid any cash dividends on our common stock and do not anticipate paying cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future.
Warrants
Warrants issued with our convertible and non-convertible debt instruments are accounted for under the fair value and relative fair value method.
The warrant is first analyzed per its terms as to whether it has derivative features or not. If the warrant is determined to be a derivative and not qualify for equity treatment, then it is measured at fair value using the Black Scholes option model and recorded as a liability on the balance sheet. The warrant is re-measured at its then current fair value at each subsequent reporting date (it is “marked-to-market”).
If the warrant is determined to not have derivative features, it is recorded into equity at its fair value using the Black Scholes option model, however, limited to a relative fair value based upon the percentage of its fair value to the total fair value including the fair value of the convertible note.
Convertible debt instruments are recorded at fair value, limited to a relative fair value based upon the percentage of its fair value to the total fair value including the fair value of the warrant.
The warrant relative fair values are also recorded as a discount to the convertible promissory notes. As present, these equity features of the convertible promissory notes have recorded a discount to the convertible notes that is substantially equal to the proceeds received.
Non-Cash Transactions
We determine the value assigned to each intangible we acquire, and/or services or products received for non-cash consideration of our common stock based on the market price of our common stock issued as consideration, at the date of the agreement of each transaction or when the service is rendered or product is received.
Revenue Recognition
We account for revenue in accordance with ASC 606, “Revenue from Contacts with Customers”. The guidance focuses on the core principle for revenue recognition, which is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. To achieve that core principle, the guidance provides that an entity should apply the following steps:
Step 1: Identify the contract(s) with a customer.
Step 2: Identify the performance obligations in the contract.
Step 3: Determine the transaction price.
Step 4: Allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract.
Step 5: Recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation.
The Company’s products are sold through a contract with the customer and a written purchase order, in which the details of the contract are defined including the transaction price and method of shipment. The only performance obligation is to create and ship the product, and each product has separate pricing. Revenue is recognized at a point in time when the goods are shipped if the agreement is FOB manufacturer, and when goods are delivered if FOB destination. Revenue is recognized with a reduction for sales discounts, as appropriate and negotiated in the customer’s purchase order.
Service contracts are performed through a written contract, which specifies the performance obligations and the rate at which the services will be billed, typically by time and materials. Each service is separately negotiated and priced. Revenue is recognized as services are performed and completed, or, for services related to product installations, at the completion of the installation. A few contracts have called for milestone or fixed cost payments, where we invoice an agreed-to amount per month for the life of the contract. In these instances, completed work, billed hourly, is recognized as revenue. If the billing amount is greater or lesser than the completed work, a receivable or payable is created. These accounts are adjusted upon additional billings as the work is completed. To date, there have been no discounts or other financing terms for the contracts.
The Company has outstanding contract liability obligations of $21,000 as of March 31, 2023, recorded as deferred revenue. We recognized $8,000 in revenue and reduce the deferred revenue balance by the same amount as performance obligations were satisfied in the three months ended March 31 ,2023. The outstanding balance will be recognized over the remaining life of the contracts.
As we generate revenues from royalties or license fees from our intellectual property, a licensee will pay a license fee in one or more installments and ongoing royalties based on their sales of products incorporating or using our licensed intellectual property. We have entered into a licensing agreement for the CupriDyne Clean product, and we recognize royalty and license fees on a quarterly basis as the product is sold through to third parties and reported to us.
Clyra also has certain distribution agreements that call for consigned inventory. Although the product is shipped to a third party, it is not revenue until that consigned inventory is sold to end user customer.
Government Grants
We have been awarded multiple research grants from the private and public Canadian research programs. The income we receive directly from grants is recorded as other income. We have been awarded over 80 grants since our first in 2015. Some of the funds from these grants are given directly to third parties (such as the University of Alberta or a third-party research scientist) to support research on our technology. The grants have terms generally ranging between
and months and support a majority, but not all, of the related research budget costs. This cooperative research allows us to utilize (i) a depth of resources and talent to accomplish highly skilled work, (ii) financial aid to support research and development costs, (iii) independent and credible validation of our technical claims.
The grants typically provide for (i) recurring monthly amounts, (ii) reimbursement of costs for research talent for which we invoice to request payment, and (iii) ancillary cost reimbursement for research talent travel related costs. All awarded grants have specific requirements on how the money is spent, typically to employ researchers. None of the funds may be used for general administrative expenses or overhead in the United States. These grants have substantially increased our level of research and development activities in Canada. We continue to apply for Canadian government and agency grants to fund research and development activities. Not all of our grant applications have been awarded, and no assurance can be made that any pending grant application, or any future grant applications, will be awarded.
Income Taxes
The asset and liability approach is used to recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the carrying amounts and the tax bases of asset and liabilities. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the differences between financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities and are measured using the enacted tax rates and laws that will be in effect when the differences are expected to reverse. The effect on deferred tax asset and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.
We account for uncertainties in income tax law under a comprehensive model for the financial statement recognition, measurement, presentation, and disclosure of uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken in income tax returns as prescribed by generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). Under GAAP, the tax effects of a position are recognized only if it is “more-likely-than-not” to be sustained by the taxing authority as of the reporting date. If the tax position is not considered “more-likely-than-not” to be sustained, then no benefits of the position are recognized. Management believes there are no unrecognized tax benefits or uncertain tax positions as of March 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022.
The Company assessed its earnings history, trends and estimates of future earnings and determined that the deferred tax asset could not be realized as of March 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022. Accordingly, a valuation allowance was recorded against the net deferred tax asset.
The Company recognizes interest and penalties on income taxes as a component of income tax expense, should such an expense be realized.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
Management believes the carrying amounts of the Company’s financial instruments as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 approximate their respective fair values because of the short-term nature of these instruments. Such instruments consist of cash, accounts receivable, prepaid assets, accounts payable, line of credit, and other assets and liabilities. The carrying amount of debt instruments are believed to approximate fair value as the stated interest rates are reflective of the prevailing market rates.
Tax Credits
Our research and development activities in Canada may entitle our Canadian subsidiary to claim benefits under the “Scientific Research and Experimental Development Program”, a Canadian federal tax incentive program designed to encourage Canadian businesses of all sizes and in all sectors to conduct research and development in Canada. Benefits under the program include credits to taxable income. If our Canadian subsidiary does not have taxable income in a reporting period, we instead receive a tax refund from the Canadian Revenue Authority. Those refunds are classified in Other Income on our Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Loss.
Leases
At inception of a lease contract, we assess whether the contract is, or contains, a lease. Our assessment is based on: (1) whether the contract involves the use of a distinct identified asset, (2) whether we obtain the right to substantially all the economic benefit from the use of the asset throughout the period of the contract, and (3) whether we have the right to direct the use of the asset during such time period. At inception of a lease, we allocate the consideration in the contract to each lease component based on its relative stand-alone price to determine the lease payments. Leases are classified as either finance leases or operating leases. A lease must be classified as a finance lease if any of the following criteria are met: the lease transfers ownership of the asset by the end of the lease term, the lease contains an option to purchase the asset that is reasonably certain to be exercised, the lease term is for a major part of the remaining useful life of the asset or the present value of the lease payments equals or exceeds substantially all of the fair value of the asset. A lease is classified as an operating lease if it does not meet any of these criteria. We have no leases classified as finance leases. As of March 31, 2023, the weighted average remaining lease term for our operating leases was
years. The weighted average discount rate for our operating leases was 18%. For all leases at the lease commencement date, a right-of-use asset and a lease liability are recognized. The right-of-use asset represents the right to use the leased asset for the lease term. The lease liability represents the present value of the lease payments under the lease. The right-of-use asset is initially measured at cost, which primarily comprises the initial amount of the lease liability, plus any initial direct costs incurred, consisting mainly of brokerage commissions, less any lease incentives received. All right-of-use assets are reviewed for impairment. The lease liability is initially measured at the present value of the lease payments, discounted using the interest rate implicit in the lease or, if that rate cannot be readily determined, management estimates the incremental borrowing rate, which currently is estimated to be 18%. Lease payments included in the measurement of the lease liability comprise the following: the fixed noncancelable lease payments, payments for optional renewal periods where it is reasonably certain the renewal period will be exercised, and payments for early termination options unless it is reasonably certain the lease will not be terminated early. Lease components are included in the measurement of the initial lease liability. Additional payments based on a change in our portion of the operating expenses, including real estate taxes and insurance, are recorded as a period expense when incurred. Lease modifications result in remeasurement of the lease liability. Lease expense for operating leases consists of the lease payments plus any initial direct costs, primarily brokerage commissions, and is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term. We have elected not to recognize right-of-use assets and lease liabilities for short-term leases that have a term of 12 months or less. The effect of short-term leases on our right-of-use asset and lease liability was not material.
As of March 31, 2023, the right-of-use assets totaled $837,000 and the lease liability totaled $844,000 on our balance sheet related to our operating leases.
Equipment
Equipment is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, which range from 3 - 5 years. Additions, renewals, and betterments that significantly extend the life of the asset are capitalized. Expenditures for repairs and maintenance are charged to expense as incurred. For assets sold or otherwise disposed of, the cost and related accumulated depreciation and amortization are removed from the accounts, and any related gain or loss is reflected in income for the period.
Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, which sets out the principles for the recognition of measurement of credit losses on financial instruments, including trade receivables. The standard eliminates the probable initial recognition threshold and requires an entity to reflect its current estimate of all expected credit losses. The allowance for credit losses is a valuation account that is deducted from the amortized cost basis of the financial assets to present the net amount expected to be collected. The new standard was effective for the Company beginning January 1, 2023 and primarily impacted trade accounts receivable.
Accounts receivable are customer obligations that are unconditional. Accounts receivable are presented net of an allowance for doubtful accounts for expected credit losses, which represents an estimate of amounts that may not be collectible. The Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers and, if necessary, provides an allowance for doubtful accounts and expected credit losses. A provision to the allowances for doubtful accounts for expected credit losses is recorded based on factors including the length of time the receivables are past due, the current business environment, and the Company’s historical experience. Provisions to the allowances for doubtful accounts for expected credit losses are recorded to general and administrative expenses. The Company writes off accounts receivable against the allowance when it determines a balance is uncollectible and no longer actively pursues collection of the receivable. The Company does
have any off-balance-sheet credit exposure related to customers. As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the allowance for doubtful accounts for expected credit losses was $12,000.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Currently there are no recently released pronouncements that are considered applicable to the Company’s financial statements.
Note 3. Sale of Stock for Cash
Lincoln Park Financing
On December 13, 2022, we entered into a stock purchase agreement (the “2022 LPC Purchase Agreement”) with Lincoln Park, pursuant to which Lincoln Park agreed to purchase from us at our request up to an aggregate of $10,000,000 of our common stock (subject to certain limitations) from time to time over a period of three years. The agreement allows us, at our sole discretion, to direct Lincoln Park to purchase shares of our common stock, subject to limitations in both volume and dollar amount. The purchase price of the shares that may be sold to Lincoln Park under the agreement is the lower of (i) the lowest sale price on the date of purchase, or (ii) the average of the three lowest closing prices in the prior 12 business days. There are no restrictions on future financings, rights of first refusal, participation rights, penalties, or liquidated damages other than a prohibition on entering into a “Variable Rate Transaction,” as defined in the agreement. Concurrently with the 2022 LPC Purchase Agreement, we entered into a Registration Rights Agreement, pursuant to which we filed a registration statement on Form S-1 with the SEC on December 23, 2022. This registration statement was declared effective on January 19, 2023.
During the three months ended March 31, 2023, and 2022, we sold 545,402 and 1,506,821 shares of our common stock to Lincoln Park, and received $105,000 and $346,000, respectively, in gross and net proceeds.
Unit Offerings
During the three months ended March 31, 2023, and 2022, we sold 3,656,000 and 5,196,968 shares of our common stock and received $695,000 and $856,000 in gross and net proceeds from accredited investors. In addition to the shares, we issued each investor a
-month and a -year warrant to purchase additional shares. (See Note 6, “Warrants Issued in Unit Offering”.)
Note 4. Debt Obligations
The following table summarizes our debt obligations outstanding as of March 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022 (in thousands). The table does not include debt obligations of our partially owned subsidiary Clyra Medical (see Note 8, “Debt Obligations of Clyra Medical”).
March 31, 2023 |
| |||||||
Current portion of debt: | ||||||||
SBA Paycheck Protection Program loan | $ | 43 | $ | 43 | ||||
Vehicle loan, current portion | 13 | — | ||||||
Convertible note payable, matures March 1, 2023 | — | 50 | ||||||
SBA EIDL Loan, matures July 2053, current portion | 10 | 10 | ||||||
Debt discount, net of amortization | — | (3 | ) | |||||
Total current portion of debt | $ | 66 | $ | 100 | ||||
Long-term debt: | ||||||||
SBA Paycheck Protection Program loans, matures May 2025 | $ | 97 | $ | 97 | ||||
Vehicle loan, matures March 2029 | 65 | — | ||||||
SBA EIDL Loan, matures July 2053 | 140 | 140 | ||||||
Total long-term debt, net of current | $ | 302 | $ | 237 | ||||
Total | $ | 368 | $ | 337 |
For the three months ended March 31, 2023, and 2022, we recorded $48,000 and $13,000 of interest expense related to the amortization of discounts on convertible notes payable and coupon interest from our convertible notes and lines of credit.
Vehicle loan
On February 7, 2023, we entered a loan agreement with Bank of America for the purchase of a vehicle used in operations totaling $80,000, at 5.29% annual interest which matures March 7, 2029. The loan agreement requires monthly payments of $1,118.
Convertible note payable, matures March 1, 2023
On March 6, 2023, we entered into an agreement with the holder of a $50,000 note to convert that note into common stock of BETI (see note 10). As payment for interest, a warrant to purchase 200,000 shares of BioLargo common stock at $0.21 was issued to the investor, expiring
years from the grant date. (See Note 6).
SBA Program Loans
On February 7, 2022, we received notice that the SBA had forgiven $173,821 of ONM Environmental's $217,243 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. ONM has appealed this decision. On May 12, 2022, we received notice that the SBA had denied the forgiveness application of BLEST’s $97,000 PPP loan. We have appealed that decision. During the period upon which a forgiveness decision is on appeal, loan payments are deferred. The maturity date of the BLEST PPP loan was officially extended on our request to May 2025.
In July 2020, ONM Environmental received an Economic Injury Disaster Loan from the SBA in the amount of $150,000. The note has a 3.75% annual interest rate. For the three months ended March 31, 2023, interest expense totaled $2,000.
Note 5. Share-Based Compensation
Issuance of Common Stock in exchange for Services
Payment of Officer Salaries
On March 31, 2023, an officer agreed to convert an aggregate $6,000 of accrued and unpaid salary into 30,747 shares of our common stock at $0.20 per share. Shares issued to Officers are unvested at the date of grant and subject to a lock-up agreement restricting vesting and sale until the earlier of (i) the consummation of a sale (in a single transaction or in a series of related transactions) of BioLargo by means of a sale of (a) a majority of the then outstanding common stock of BioLargo (whether by merger, consolidation, sale or transfer of common stock, reorganization, recapitalization or otherwise) or (b) all or substantially all of the assets of BioLargo; and (ii) the successful commercialization of BioLargo’s products or technologies as demonstrated by its receipt of at least $3,000,000 in cash, or the recognition of $3,000,000 in revenue, over a 12-month period from the sale of products and/or the license of technology; and (iii) the Company’s breach of the employment agreement between the Company and Officer and resulting in Officer’s termination.
Payment of Consultant Fees
On March 31, 2023, we issued 899,743 shares of our common stock at $0.20 per share in lieu of $201,000 of accrued and unpaid obligations to consultants.
On March 31, 2022, we issued 86,752 shares of our common stock at $0.23 per share in lieu of $17,000 of accrued and unpaid obligations to consultants.
All of these offerings and sales were made in reliance on the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(2) of the Securities Exchange Act and/or Regulation D promulgated thereunder as not involving a public offering of securities.
Stock Option Expense
During the three months ended March 31, 2023, and 2022, we recorded an aggregate $256,000 and $801,000, respectively, in selling general and administrative expense related to the issuance of stock options. We issued options through our 2018 Equity Incentive Plan, and outside of this plan. Within these totals, $61,000 and $141,000 were issued by our subsidiary Clyra Medical (see Note 8).
2018 Equity Incentive Plan
On June 22, 2018, our stockholders adopted the BioLargo 2018 Equity Incentive Plan (“2018 Plan”) as a means of providing our directors, key employees, and consultants additional incentive to provide services. Both stock options and stock grants may be made under this plan for a period of 10 years. It is set to expire on its terms on June 22, 2028. Our Board of Director’s Compensation Committee administers this plan. As plan administrator, the Compensation Committee has sole discretion to set the price of the options. The plan authorizes the following types of awards: (i) incentive and non-qualified stock options, (ii) restricted stock awards, (iii) stock bonus awards, (iv) stock appreciation rights, (v) restricted stock units, and (vi) performance awards. The total number of shares reserved and available for awards pursuant to this Plan as of the date of adoption of this 2018 Plan by the Board is 40 million shares. The number of shares available to be issued under the 2018 Plan increases automatically each January 1st by the lesser of (a) 2 million shares, or (b) such number of shares determined by our Board. As of March 31, 2023, 50,000,000 shares are authorized under the plan.
Activity for our stock options under the 2018 Plan during the three months ended March 31, 2023, and 2022, is as follows:
Options Outstanding | Exercise Price per share | Weighted | Aggregate intrinsic Value(1) | ||||||||||||||
Balance, December 31, 2022 | 28,484,549 | $0.12 | – | 0.43 | $ | 0.19 | |||||||||||
Granted | 1,320,498 | $0.20 | $ | 0.2 | |||||||||||||
Balance, March 31, 2023 | 29,805,047 | $0.12 | – | 0.43 | $ | 0.19 | |||||||||||
Unvested | (4,073,761 | ) | $0.12 | – | 0.32 | $ | 0.19 | ||||||||||
Vested, March 31, 2023 | 25,731,286 | $0.12 | – | 0.43 | $ | 0.19 | $ | 678,000 | |||||||||
Balance, December 31, 2021 | 23,186,142 | $0.16 | – | 0.40 | $ | 0.19 | |||||||||||
Granted | 2,621,229 | $0.12 | – | 0.23 | $ | 0.23 | |||||||||||
Balance, March 31, 2022 | 25,807,371 | $0.12 | – | 0.40 | $ | 0.19 |
(1) – Aggregate intrinsic value based on closing common stock price of $0.20 at March 31, 2023.
The options granted to purchase 1,320,498 shares during the three months ended March 31, 2023 with an aggregate fair value of $248,000 were issued to an officer, board of directors, employees and a consultant: (i) we issued options to purchase 347,730 shares of our common stock at an exercise price on the respective grant date of $0.20 per share to members of our board of directors for services performed, in lieu of cash; the fair value of these options totaled
(ii) we issued options to purchase 570,204 shares of our common stock to employees as part of an employee retention plan at an exercise price on the respective date of $0.20 per share; the fair value of employee retention plan options totaled $108,000 and will vest quarterly over years as long as they are retained as employees; (iii) we issued options to purchase 102,564 shares of our common stock to consultants in lieu of cash for expiring options at $0.20 per share totaling $19,000, and (iv) we issued 300,000 options to our Chief Financial Officer with a fair value of $56,000 (see “Chief Financial Officer Contract Extension” immediately below). All stock option expense is recorded on our consolidated statement of operations as selling, general and administrative expense.
The options granted to purchase 2,621,229 shares during the three months ended March 31, 2022 with an aggregate fair value of $564,000 were issued to officers, board of directors, employees and consultants: (i) we issued an option to purchase 39,848 shares of our common stock at an exercise price on the respective grant date of $0.23 per share to our CFO and President to replace options that had expired; the fair value of this option was
(ii) we issued options to purchase 444,092 shares of our common stock at an exercise price on the respective grant date of $0.23 per share to members of our board of directors for services performed, in lieu of cash; the fair value of these options totaled (iii) we issued options to purchase 1,690,257 shares of our common stock to employees as part of an employee retention plan at an exercise price on the respective date of $0.23 per share; the fair value of employee retention plan options totaled $362,000 and will vest quarterly over years as long as they are retained as employees; and (iv) we issued options to purchase 447,032 shares of our common stock to consultants in lieu of cash for expiring options and per agreement totaling $97,000. All stock option expense is recorded on our consolidated statement of operations as selling, general and administrative expense.
Chief Financial Officer Contract Extension
On March 21, 2023, we and our Chief Financial Officer Charles K. Dargan, II formally agreed to extend the engagement agreement dated February 1, 2008 (the “Engagement Agreement”, which had been previously extended multiple times), pursuant to which Mr. Dargan has been and continues to serve as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer. The Engagement Extension Agreement dated as of March 21, 2023 (the “Engagement Extension Agreement”) provides for an additional
-year term to expire January 31, 2024 (the “Extended Term”), at which time Mr. Dargan will continue to serve as CFO, unless and until either party terminates the agreement.
As the sole compensation for the Extended Term, Mr. Dargan was issued an option (“Option”) to purchase 25,000 shares of the Company’s common stock for each month during the Extended Term (thus, an option to purchase 300,000 shares reflecting an extended term of 12 months). The Option vests over the period of the Extended Term, with 25,000 shares having vested as of March 21, 2023, and the remaining shares to vest 25,000 shares monthly beginning March 31, 2023, and each month thereafter, so long as the agreement is in full force and effect. The Option is exercisable at $0.20 per share, the closing price of BioLargo’s common stock on the March 21, 2023 grant date, expires
years from the grant date, and was issued pursuant to the Company’s 2018 Equity Incentive Plan.
The Option is Mr. Dargan’s sole compensation for the Extended Term. As was the case in all prior terms of his engagement, there is no cash component of his compensation for the Extended Term. Mr. Dargan is eligible to be reimbursed for business expenses he incurs in connection with the performance of his services as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer (although he has made no such requests for reimbursement in the past). All other provisions of the Engagement Agreement not expressly amended pursuant to the Engagement Extension Agreement remain the same, including provisions regarding indemnification and arbitration of disputes.
2007 Equity Incentive Plan
On September 7, 2007, and as amended April 29, 2011, the BioLargo, Inc. 2007 Equity Incentive Plan (“2007 Plan”) was adopted as a means of providing our directors, key employees and consultants additional incentive to provide services. Both stock options and stock grants may be made under this plan for a period of 10 years, which expired on September 7, 2017. The Board’s Compensation Committee administers this plan. As plan administrator, the Compensation Committee has sole discretion to set the price of the options. As of September 2017, the Plan was closed to further stock option grants.
Activity for our stock options under the 2007 Plan for the three months ended March 31, 2023, and 2022 is as follows:
Weighted | |||||||||||||||||
Average | Aggregate | ||||||||||||||||
Options | Exercise | Price per | intrinsic | ||||||||||||||
Outstanding | price per share | share | Value(1) | ||||||||||||||
Balance, December 31, 2022 | 1,904,085 | $0.28 | – | 0.69 | $ | 0.56 | |||||||||||
Expired | – | – | – | ||||||||||||||
Balance, March 31, 2023 | 1,904,085 | $0.28 | – | 0.69 | $ | 0.56 | $ | – | |||||||||
Balance, December 31, 2021 | 2,879,246 | $0.23 | – | 0.94 | $ | 0.49 | |||||||||||
Expired | – | – | – | ||||||||||||||
Balance, March 31, 2022 | 2,879,246 | $0.23 | – | 0.94 | $ | 0.49 |
(1) – Aggregate intrinsic value based on closing common stock price of $0.20 at March 31, 2023.
Non-Plan Options issued
Activity of our non-plan stock options issued for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 is as follows:
Weighted | |||||||||||||||||
Non-plan | average | Aggregate | |||||||||||||||
Options | Exercise | price per | intrinsic | ||||||||||||||
outstanding | price per share | share | value(1) | ||||||||||||||
Balance, December 31, 2022 | 19,023,829 | $0.12 | – | 0.83 | $ | 0.39 | |||||||||||
Granted | 48,804 | 0.20 | 0.20 | ||||||||||||||
Balance, March 31, 2023 | 19,072,633 | $0.12 | – | 0.83 | $ | 0.39 | |||||||||||
Unvested | (507,500 | ) | 0.45 | 0.45 | |||||||||||||
Vested, March 31, 2023 | 18,565,133 | $0.12 | – | 0.83 | $ | 0.38 | $ | 88,000 | |||||||||
Balance, December 31, 2021 | 20,119,207 | $0.12 | – | 0.83 | $ | 0.39 | |||||||||||
Granted | 32,609 | 0.23 | 0.23 | ||||||||||||||
Balance, March 31, 2022 | 20,151,816 | $0.12 | – | 0.83 | $ | 0.39 |
(1) – Aggregate intrinsic value based on closing common stock price of $0.20 at March 31, 2023.
During the three months ended March 31, 2023, we issued options to purchase an aggregate 48,804 shares of our common stock at $0.20 per share to vendors for fees for services. The fair value of the options issued totaled an aggregate $9,000 and is recorded in our selling, general and administrative expense.
During the three months ended March 31, 2022, we issued options to purchase an aggregate 32,609 shares of our common stock at $0.23 per share to vendors for fees for services. The fair value of the options issued totaled an aggregate $7,000 and is recorded in our selling, general and administrative expense.
Note 6. Warrants
We have certain warrants outstanding to purchase our common stock, at various prices, as described in the following table:
Weighted | |||||||||||||||||
average | Aggregate | ||||||||||||||||
Warrants | Exercise | price per | intrinsic | ||||||||||||||
outstanding | price per share | share | value(1) | ||||||||||||||
Balance, December 31, 2022 | 49,023,398 | $0.13 | – | 1.00 | $ | 0.26 | |||||||||||
Granted | 7,512,000 | 0.21 | – | 0.29 | 0.25 | ||||||||||||
Expired | (4,684,986 | ) | 0.19 | – | 0.35 | 0.21 | |||||||||||
Balance, March 31, 2023 | 51,850,412 | $0.13 | – | 1.00 | $ | 0.26 | $ | 122,000 | |||||||||
Balance, December 31, 2021 | 36,765,562 | $0.16 | – | 1.00 | $ | 0.27 | |||||||||||
Granted | 10,393,936 | 0.20 | – | 0.25 | 0.22 | ||||||||||||
Expired | (388,889 | ) | 0.22 | 0.22 | |||||||||||||
Balance, March 31, 2022 | 46,770,549 | $0.14 | – | 1.00 | $ | 0.29 |
(1) – Aggregate intrinsic value based on closing common stock price of $0.20 at March 31, 2023.
Warrants issued in Unit Offerings
During the three months ended March 31, 2023, pursuant to our Unit Offerings (see Note 3), we issued
-month stock purchase warrants to purchase an aggregate 3,656,000 shares of our common stock at $0.228 per share, and -year stock purchase warrants to purchase an aggregate 3,656,000 shares of our common stock at $0.285 per share.
During the three months ended March 31, 2022, pursuant to our 2020 Unit Offering (see Note 3), we issued
-month stock purchase warrants to purchase an aggregate 5,196,968 shares of our common stock at $0.204 per share, and -year stock purchase warrants to purchase an aggregate 5,196,968 shares of our common stock at $0.25 per share.
Warrant issued in conjunction with amendment to note payable
On March 6, 2023, we entered into an agreement with the holder of a $50,000 note (see Note 4, “Convertible note payable, matures March 1, 2023”) to convert that note into common stock of BETI. As payment for interest, a warrant to purchase 200,000 shares of BioLargo common stock at $0.21 was issued to the investor, expiring
years from the grant date. The fair value of this warrant totaled $30,000 and was recorded as interest expense on our statement of operations.
Fair Value – Interest Expense
To determine interest expense related to our outstanding warrants issued in conjunction with debt offerings, the fair value of each award grant is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model and the relative fair values are amortized over the life of the warrant. For the determination of expense of warrants issued for services, extinguishment of debt and settlement management also uses the option-pricing model. The principal assumptions we used in applying this model were as follows:
2023 | 2022 | |||||||||
Risk free interest rate | 3.88 | – | 4.27% | 3.69 | – | 3.88% |
| |||
Expected volatility | 40 | – | 95% | 40% |
| |||||
Expected dividend yield | — | — | ||||||||
Forfeiture rate | — | — | ||||||||
Expected life in years | 3 | – | 5 | 3 |
The risk-free interest rate is based on U.S. Treasury yields in effect at the time of grant. Expected volatilities are based on historical volatility of our common stock. The expected life in years is based on the contract term of the warrant.
Note 7. Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses
As of March 31, 2023, accounts payable and accrued expenses included the following (in thousands):
Category | BioLargo | ONM | BLEST | Water | Intercompany | Totals | ||||||||||||||||||
Accounts payable | $ | 169 | $ | 794 | $ | 37 | $ | 121 | $ | (82 | ) | $ | 1,039 | |||||||||||
Accrued payroll | 36 | 49 | 75 | — | — | 160 | ||||||||||||||||||
Accrued interest | 25 | — | — | — | — | 25 | ||||||||||||||||||
Total | $ | 1,224 |
As of December 31, 2022, accounts payable and accrued expenses included the following (in thousands):
Category | BioLargo | ONM | BLEST | Water | Intercompany | Totals | ||||||||||||||||||
Accounts payable | $ | 187 | $ | 486 | $ | 7 | $ | 119 | $ | (82 | ) | $ | 717 | |||||||||||
Accrued payroll | 20 | 58 | 120 | — | — | 198 | ||||||||||||||||||
Accrued interest | 25 | — | — | — | — | 25 | ||||||||||||||||||
Total | $ | 940 |
See Note 8, “Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses”, for the accounts payable and accrued expenses of Clyra Medical.
Note 8. Noncontrolling Interest – Clyra Medical
As discussed in Note 2 above, we consolidate the operations of our partially owned subsidiary Clyra Medical, of which we owned 58% of its outstanding shares as of March 31, 2023.
Debt Obligations of Clyra Medical
Promissory Note
On April 8, 2022, Clyra Medical issued a promissory note in the principal amount of $100,000 to an individual investor, payable April 8, 2024, and bearing 8% annual interest. The note may be converted by its holder at any time prior to the maturity date, and automatically converts to stock upon (i) Clyra’s sale of $5,000,000 or more of its common or preferred stock, or (ii) the maturity date, at a conversion price equal to 70% of the lowest price-per-share of shares sold to a future investor prior to the maturity date.
Line of Credit
On June 30, 2020, Clyra Medical entered into a Revolving Line of Credit Agreement whereby Vernal Bay Capital Group, LLC committed to provide a $1,000,000 inventory line of credit. Clyra Medical received $260,000 in draws and made repayments totaling $113,000. Funds from the line of credit must be used to produce inventory. Additional draws are conditional upon the presentation of invoices or purchase orders to the lender equal to the greater of
-half of principal outstanding on the line of credit, and $200,000. The line of credit note earns interest at 15%, matures in year, and requires Clyra pay interest and principal from gross product sales. For the first 6 months, Clyra is required to pay 30% of gross product sales to reduce amounts owed, and thereafter 60% of gross sales. Clyra issued Vernal Bay 322 shares of its common stock as a commitment fee for the line of credit, valued at $70,000. A security agreement of the same date grants Vernal Bay a security interest in Clyra’s inventory, as that term is defined in the Uniform Commercial Code. Clyra may prepay the note at any time.
On December 13, 2022, we entered into an amendment of the Revolving Line of Credit Agreement whereby the maturity date of the line of credit was extended to September 30, 2024, and the payment terms were modified such that amounts of principal due in each month are capped at a maximum of 15% of the principal amount then due under the note. Additionally, BioLargo agreed to allow Vernal Bay to elect to convert, any time prior to the note’s maturity date, the 322 shares of Clyra common stock it received as consideration for the line of credit into shares of Biolargo common stock at the then market price of BioLargo’s common stock. Vernal Bay elected to convert Clyra shares to 527,983 BioLargo shares of common stock.
As of March 31, 2023, the balance outstanding on this line of credit totals $147,000. As of December 31, 2022, the balance outstanding on this line of credit totaled
Equity Transactions
As of December 31, 2022, Clyra had 91,149 common shares, and 2,800 Series A Preferred shares, outstanding. Of that amount, BioLargo owned 51,571 common shares, and 1,352 Series A Preferred shares. As of March 31, 2023, BioLargo owns 58% of Clyra’s issued and outstanding shares.
Sales of Common Stock
During the three months ended March 31, 2023, Clyra did not sell shares of its common stock. On March 2, 2022, BioLargo converted $633,091 owed to it by Clyra into 2,032 shares of Clyra common stock.
Sales of Series A Preferred Stock
During the three months ended March 31, 2023, Clyra sold 725 shares of its Series A Preferred Stock, and in exchange received $225,000 in gross and net proceeds. On December 20, 2022, Clyra sold 725 shares of its Series A Preferred Stock, and in exchange received $225,000 in gross and net proceeds, from two accredited investors. Purchasers of the Series A Preferred Stock also received a 3-year warrant to purchase the same number of additional shares of common stock for $372 per share. The fair value of the warrants issued totaled $110,000. Shares of Series A Preferred Stock earn a dividend of 15% each year, compounding annually; the company is under no obligation to pay such dividends in cash, and such dividends automatically convert to common stock upon conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock to common stock. Each share of Series A Preferred stock can be converted by the holder at any time for one share of common stock, and automatically convert upon the completion of a public offering of shares in which at least $5,000,000 of gross proceeds is received by the company. Accrued dividends may be converted to common stock at a conversion rate of $310 per share.
Each investor also entered into an agreement with BioLargo whereby the investor may exchange some or all of its Series A Preferred stock, plus accrued dividends, into shares of BioLargo common stock, at a price equal to a 20% discount of the volume weighted average price over the 30 prior trading days. Elections must be made during the 18-month period that begins 18 months after the closing of the Series A Preferred offering (which has not yet taken place), or June 30, 2023, whichever is earlier.
Clyra Stock Options
Weighted | |||||||||||||
Clyra | average | ||||||||||||
Options | Exercise | price per | |||||||||||
Outstanding | price per share | share | |||||||||||
Balance, December 31, 2022 | 15,833 | $1.00 | - | 310 | $ | 5.53 | |||||||
Granted | 426 | 1.00 | - | 271 | 148.27 | ||||||||
Balance, March 31, 2023 | 16,259 | $1.00 | - | 310 | $ | 9.27 | |||||||
Balance, December 31, 2021 | 14,004 | $ | 1.00 | $ | 1.00 | ||||||||
Granted | 648 | 1.00 | 1.00 | ||||||||||
Balance, March 31, 2022 | 14,652 | $ | 1.00 | $ | 1.00 |
Clyra issues options to its employees and consultants in lieu of compensation owed on a regular basis. The fair value of the options issued in the three months ended March 31, 2023, and 2022 totaled $61,000 and $141,000, respectively. We used the Black-Scholes model to calculate the initial fair value, assuming a stock price on date of grant of $310 per share. Because Clyra is a private company with no secondary market for its common stock, the resulting fair value was discounted by 30%.
March 31, 2023 | December 31, 2022 | ||||||||
Risk free interest rate | 3.88 | – | 4.27% |
| 2.32 | % | |||
Expected volatility | 40% |
| 40 | % | |||||
Expected dividend yield | — | — | |||||||
Forfeiture rate | — | — | |||||||
Expected life in years | 10 | 10 |
Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses
At March 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022, Clyra had the following accounts payable and accrued expenses (in thousands):
Category | 2023 | 2022 | ||||||
Accounts payable | $ | 235 | $ | 186 | ||||
Accrued payroll | 6 | 45 | ||||||
Accrued interest | 8 | 7 | ||||||
Accrued dividend | 29 | --- | ||||||
Total | $ | 278 | $ | 238 |
The accrued dividend relates to the Series A Preferred Stock. Clyra is not required to pay accrued dividends in cash. The holder of Series A Preferred Stock may convert accrued dividends to common stock at any time. Any accrued dividends automatically convert to Clyra common stock upon conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock.
Note 9. BioLargo Engineering, Science and Technologies, LLC
In September 2017, we commenced a full-service environmental engineering firm and formed a Tennessee entity named BioLargo Engineering, Science & Technologies, LLC (“BLEST”). In conjunction with the start of this subsidiary we entered into employment agreements with six scientists and engineers. (See Note 11 “Business Segment Information”.) BLEST was capitalized with two classes of membership units: Class A, 100% owned by BioLargo, and Class B, held by management of BLEST, and which initially have no “profit interest,” as that term is defined in Tennessee law. However, over the succeeding
years, the Class B members can earn up to a 30% profit interest. They also have been granted options to purchase up to an aggregate 1,750,000 shares of BioLargo, Inc. common stock. The profit interest and option shares are subject to a year vesting schedule tied to the performance of the subsidiary, including gross revenue targets that increase over time, obtaining positive cash flow by March 31, 2018 (which was not met), collecting 90% of its account receivables, obtaining a profit of 10% in its first year (and increasing in subsequent years) (which was not met), making progress in the scale-up and commercialization of our AOS system, and using BioLargo research scientists (such as our Canadian team) for billable work on client projects. These criteria are to be evaluated annually by BLEST’s compensation committee (which includes BioLargo’s president, CFO, and BLEST’s president), beginning September 2018. Given the significant performance criteria, the Class B units and the stock options will only be recognized in compensation expense if or when the criteria are satisfied.
The BLEST Compensation Committee has met regularly since the subsidiary commenced operations. In 2018, it reviewed the operating performance and determined that the performance metrics were not met and as a result, did
award any Class B units or stock options. In November 2019, it determined that a portion of the performance metrics were met, and that one-half of the eligible profits interests would be vested (2.5% in the aggregate), and therefore one-half of the option interests (10%) would be vested (175,000 options shares in the aggregate). The vesting of option shares resulted in a fair value totaling $44,000, recorded on our consolidated statement of operations as selling, general and administrative expense. The fair value of the profit interest was nominal and not booked. In January 2021, the committee again reviewed the operating performance and determined that a portion of the performance metrics were met. It was agreed that one-half and one-quarter of the eligible profit interests would be vested (3.75% in the aggregate), and therefore one-half of the option interests (15%) would be vested (262,500 options shares in the aggregate). The vesting of option shares resulted in a fair value totaling $65,000, recorded on our consolidated statement of operations as selling, general and administrative expense for the year ended December 31, 2020. In January 2022, the committee again reviewed the operating performance and determined that a portion of the performance metrics were met. It was agreed that an additional one-half and one-quarter of the eligible profits interests would be vested (11.25% in the aggregate), and therefore an additional half of the option interests would be vested (525,000 options shares in the aggregate). The vesting of option shares resulted in a fair value totaling $65,000, recorded on our consolidated statement of operations as selling, general and administrative expense for the year ended December 31, 2021. In December 2022, the committee again reviewed the operating performance and determined that a portion of the performance metrics were met. It was agreed that an additional one-half and one-quarter of the eligible profits interests would be vested (17.75% in the aggregate), and therefore an additional half of the option interests would be vested (1,242,500 options shares in the aggregate). The vesting of option shares resulted in a fair value totaling and is recorded on our consolidated statement of operations as selling, general and administrative expense for the year ended December 31, 2022.
At March 31, 2023, BioLargo owns 82.25% of BLEST.
Note 10. BioLargo Energy Technologies, Inc.
Subsidiary BioLargo Energy Technologies, Inc. (“BETI”) was formed for the purpose of commercializing a sodium-sulfur battery technology.
During the three months ended March 31, 2023, BETI sold 325,000 shares of its common stock to six accredited investors for $2.00 per share. Of that amount, BioLargo purchased 50,000 shares for $100,000, and one investor converted a $50,000 note owed by BioLargo into 25,000 shares. Net proceeds from third parties totaled $550,000.
Each investor also entered into an agreement with BioLargo whereby the investor may exchange some or all of its shares of BETI common stock into shares of BioLargo common stock, at a price equal to a 20% discount of the volume weighted average price over the 20 trading days prior to the election to exchange. Elections must be made during calendar year 2024.
As of March 31, 2023, there are 9,325,000 shares outstanding, of which BioLargo holds 9,050,000.
Note 11. Business Segment Information
BioLargo currently has
operating business segments, plus its corporate entity which is responsible for general corporate operations, including administrative functions, finance, human resources, marketing, legal, etc. The four operational business segments are:
1. | ONM Environmental -- which sells odor and volatile organic control products and services (located in Westminster, California); |
2. | Clyra Medical Technologies (“Clyra Medical”) -- which develops and sells medical products based on our technologies; |
3. | BLEST -- which provides professional engineering services on a time and materials basis for outside clients and supports our internal operations as needed (located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee); and |
4. | BioLargo Water (“Water”) -- which historically focused entirely on R&D, and has now shifted its focus to commercializing the AOS technology (located in Edmonton, Alberta Canada). |
5. | BioLargo Energy Technologies, Inc. (“BETI”) – formed to commercialize a sodium-sulfur battery technology. |
Other than ONM Environmental during the last three quarterly periods, none of our operating business units have operated at a profit, and therefore each required additional cash to meet its monthly expenses, funded through BioLargo’s sales of debt or equity, research grants, and tax credits. BETI and Clyra Medical have also been funded by third party investors who invest directly in exchange for equity ownership in that entity.
The segment information for the three months ended March 31, 2023, and 2022, is as follows (in thousands):
March 31, 2023 | BioLargo | ONM | Clyra | BLEST | Water | BETI | Elimination | Total | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Revenue | $ | — | $ | 3,543 | $ | 6 | $ | 363 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | (170 | ) | $ | 3,742 | |||||||||||||||
Intersegment revenue | — | — | — | (170 | ) | — | — | 170 | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||
R&D expense | (189 | ) | — | (134 | ) | (245 | ) | (135 | ) | (32 | ) | 170 | (565 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Operating income (loss) | (799 | ) | 1,387 | (426 | ) | (368 | ) | (184 | ) | (87 | ) | — | (477 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Grant income | — | — | — | — | 31 | — | — | 31 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Interest expense | (36 | ) | (2 | ) | (10 | ) | — | — | — | — | (48 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) | (835 | ) | 1,385 | (436 | ) | (368 | ) | (153 | ) | (87 | ) | — | (494 | ) |
March 31, 2022 | BioLargo | ONM | Clyra | BLEST | Water | Elimination | Total | |||||||||||||||||||||
Revenue | $ | 2 | $ | 600 | $ | 10 | $ | 545 | $ | — | $ | (188 | ) | $ | 965 | |||||||||||||
Intersegment revenue | (2 | ) | (2 | ) | — | (188 | ) | — | 192 | — | ||||||||||||||||||
Research and development | (265 | ) | — | (16 | ) | (108 | ) | (197 | ) | 194 | (392 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Operating loss | (1,220 | ) | 13 | (240 | ) | (35 | ) | (228 | ) | — | (1,710 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Grant income | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Interest expense | (6 | ) | — | (7 | ) | — | — | — | (13 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) | (1,226 | ) | 187 | (247 | ) | (35 | ) | (223 | ) | — | (1,544 | ) |
As of March 31, 2023 | BioLargo | ONM | Clyra | BLEST | Water | BETI | Elimination | Total | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tangible assets | $ | 530 | $ | 3,392 | $ | 578 | $ | 505 | $ | 223 | $ | 628 | $ | (73 | ) | $ | 5,783 | |||||||||||||||
Right of use (leased assets) | 114 | — | — | 723 | — | — | 837 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Investment in South Korean joint venture | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | 27 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total | $ | 671 | $ | 3,392 | $ | 578 | $ | 1,228 | $ | 223 | $ | 628 | $ | (73 | ) | $ | 6,647 |
As of December 31, 2022 | BioLargo | ONM | Clyra | BLEST | Water | Elimination | Total | |||||||||||||||||||||
Tangible assets | $ | 669 | $ | 2,064 | $ | 631 | $ | 441 | $ | 194 | $ | (41 | ) | $ | 3,958 | |||||||||||||
Right of use (leased assets) | 136 | — | — | 731 | — | — | 867 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Investment in South Korean joint venture | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | 33 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Total | $ | 838 | $ | 2,064 | $ | 631 | $ | 1,172 | $ | 194 | $ | (41 | ) | $ | 4,858 |
Note 12. Commitments and Contingencies
Office Leases
We have long-term operating leases for office, industrial and laboratory space in Westminster, California, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Alberta, Canada. Payments made under operating leases are charged to the Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Loss on a straight-line basis over the term of the operating lease agreement. Short-term leases less than one-year are not included in our analysis. For the three months ended March 31, 2023, and 2022, rental expense was $83,000 and $63,000. The lease of our Westminster facility expires August 2024. Management has not yet determined whether it will exercise its option to extend the lease
years; therefore the four-year extension is not included in the analysis. In September 2022, the lease of our Oak Ridge, Tennessee facility was extended for years. The lease of our Canadian facility is less than one year. None of our leases have additional terms related to the payments or mechanics of the lease. The leases have no additional payment terms such as common area maintenance payments, tax sharing payments or other allocable expenses. Likewise, the leases do not contain other terms and conditions of use, such as variable lease payments, residual value guaranties or other restrictive financial terms. Since there is no explicit interest rate in our leases, management used its incremental borrowing rate, which is estimated to be 18% to determine lease liability.
Note 13. Subsequent Events.
Management has evaluated subsequent events through the date of the filing of this quarterly report and management noted the following for disclosure.
Lincoln Park Capital Purchase of Shares
From April 1, 2023, through May 12, 2023, we sold 567,713 shares of common stock to Lincoln Park pursuant to the 2022 LPC Purchase Agreement (see Note 3) and received $101,000 in gross and net proceeds. These sales were registered with the SEC on Form S-1 (file number 333-268973).
Clyra Medical – Series A Preferred
From April 1, 2023, through May 12, 2023, Clyra Medical sold 401 shares of its Series A Preferred Stock, and in exchange received $124,000 in gross and net proceeds. Purchasers of the Series A Preferred Stock also received a
-year warrant to purchase the same number of additional shares of common stock for $372 per share. Each investor also entered into an agreement with BioLargo whereby the investor may exchange some or all of its Series A Preferred stock, plus accrued dividends, into shares of BioLargo common stock, at a price equal to a 20% discount of the volume weighted average price over the 30 prior trading days. (See Note 8, “Sales of Series A Preferred Stock”.)
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations |
This quarterly report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding BioLargo’s capital needs, business plans and expectations. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties regarding BioLargo’s ability to carry out its planned development and production of products. Forward-looking statements are made, without limitation, in relation to BioLargo’s operating plans, BioLargo’s liquidity and financial condition, availability of funds, operating and exploration costs and the market in which BioLargo competes. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “expect”, “plan”, “intend”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “predict”, “potential” or “continue”, the negative of such terms or other comparable terminology. Actual events or results may differ materially. In evaluating these statements, you should consider various factors, including the risks outlined in our Form most recent annual report on Form 10-K, and, from time to time, in other reports BioLargo files with the SEC. These factors may cause BioLargo’s actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement. BioLargo disclaims any obligation to publicly update these statements, or disclose any difference between its actual results and those reflected in these statements. The information constitutes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Given these uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.
Unless otherwise expressly stated herein, all statements, including forward-looking statements, set forth in this Form 10-Q are as of March 31, 2023, unless expressly stated otherwise, and we undertake no duty to update this information.
As used in this report, “we” and “Company” refers to (i) BioLargo, Inc., a Delaware corporation; and (ii) its partially or wholly-owned subsidiaries BioLargo Life Technologies, Inc., a California corporation which holds our registered patents, ONM Environmental, Inc., a California corporation which manufactures, markets, sells and distributes our odor and volatile organic compound control products, BioLargo Water Investment Group, Inc., a California corporation (which wholly owns BioLargo Water, Inc., a Canadian corporation), BioLargo Development Corp., a California corporation which employs and provides benefits to our employees, BioLargo Engineering, Science & Technologies, LLC, a Tennessee limited liability company (“BLEST”) that provides professional engineering services out of Oak Ridge Tennessee, BioLargo Energy Technologies, Inc., a California corporation (“BETI”) formed to commercialize our proprietary battery technology, BioLargo Equipment Solutions & Technologies, Inc., a California corporation, and Clyra Medical Technologies, Inc., a California corporation (“Clyra Medical”) which commercializes our technologies in the medical and dental fields. All subsidiaries are wholly owned, except for BETI, BLEST and Clyra Medical.
The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with our unaudited consolidated financial statements and the related notes to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.
Our Business - Innovator and Solution Provider
BioLargo, Inc. invents, develops, and commercializes innovative platform technologies to solve challenging environmental problems like PFAS contamination (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), advanced water and wastewater treatment, industrial odor control, air quality control, infection control, and myriad environmental remediation challenges. Having conducted continual and extensive research and development, BioLargo holds a wide array of issued patents, maintains a robust pipeline of products, and provides full-service environmental engineering. With a keen emphasis on partnerships with academic, government, and commercial organizations and associations, BioLargo has proven itself by executing on challenging environmental engineering projects, demonstrating its powerful technologies through pilots, trials, and early commercial adoption, publishing high-impact academic and industry publications, and winning over 90 grants. We monetize our innovations through direct sales and recurring service contracts, as well as through channel partnerships, meaning licensing agreements, exclusive and non-exclusive distribution agreements, brand development partnerships, sale referral partnerships, strategic joint venture formation, and/or the sale of the IP. Channel partnerships allow us to extend the commercial reach of our products and services disproportionately to our core infrastructure and staffing.
Our revenues increased 288% in the three months ended March 31, 2023, as compared with the same period in 2022, having more than doubled in the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared with the year ended December 31, 2021. The standout has been the pet odor product (brand name “Pooph”) sold by our consumer packaged goods partners at Ikigai Marketing Works, whose sales contributed significantly to the record product revenues of our odor and VOC control products division ONM Environmental, and comprised 86% of our revenues in the quarter.
We have several key ongoing projects that Company management believes will stimulate accelerated growth through 2023. These are:
● |
The launch in major retailers of the Pooph pet odor control product by our consumer packaged goods partners at Ikigai. |
● |
Our first PFAS removal project at a large industrial site (announced in August 2022), currently in the initial phase of a multi-phase process, which we expect to continue advancing as we engineer a comprehensive PFAS mitigation plan. |
● |
Expanded commercial roll-out of our PFAS treatment technology through a growing network of sales rep organizations. |
● |
Garratt-Callahan’s launch of the jointly developed minimal liquid discharge wastewater treatment product. |
● |
Our engineering work with Ultra Safe Nuclear. |
● |
Our engineering services division’s engagements as consultants to support large capital projects which are sponsored and or financed by the customers. |
Technology
We have continually advanced our portfolio of technologies since the first acquisition of early iterations of the BioLargo technology in the spring of 2007. Our innovations have primarily been developed through our internal resources, and some through acquisition. These include patents, patents pending, and trade secrets that include solutions for:
● |
Water decontamination, including: |
o |
Removal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and chlorides from drinking and ground water |
o |
Micro-pollutant destruction and removal |
o |
Legionella detection and water treatment solutions |
o |
Minimum and zero liquid discharge systems (MLD/ZLD) |
o |
Disinfection |
o |
Electro-oxidation |
● |
Battery energy storage |
● |
Air quality controls and systems including odor and VOC control |
● |
Mineral processing |
● |
Infection control |
● |
Wound management |
● |
Disinfection |
Talent
We have grown our team to 33 team members and numerous other part-time consultants, including highly qualified PhDs, engineers, MDs and medical professionals, construction professionals, field service technicians, innovators, sales marketing specialists, entrepreneurial and executive leadership.
Purpose
Our mission to make life better drives us to serve others with integrity, knowledge, technology, and solutions that protect the environment, improve quality of life, and protect lives. Most of our technologies were developed from the ground-up to be sustainable, practical solutions to significant global challenges. We are unique in our ability to tailor our offerings to serve our customers with proven expertise, proven technology and, if needed, we often have the ability to develop new technical solutions to meet our customers’ needs.
Combating the PFAS Forever-Chemical Crisis – the AEC
One of the most significant and timely innovations in our portfolio is our per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) removal and collection/disposal solution we call the Aqueous Electrostatic Concentrator (AEC). Our engineers developed and are now commercializing the AEC, which is a novel water treatment system that removes PFAS from water at a lower operating cost and generating only a fraction of the PFAS-laden waste of the most common currently used solutions (carbon filtration, ion exchange, and reverse osmosis). PFAS chemicals have been linked to cancer, immune disorders, liver dysfunction, and many other human health problems, and are contained in a vast range of manufactured goods, common household products (e.g., cleaning products, cookware), and electronics, and contaminate drinking water in unsafe levels all over the globe.
PFAS is often referred to as the “contaminant of the decade”, and as such, it is considered a multi-billion dollar commercial market opportunity. The EPA proposed new drinking water standards on March 14, 2023, limiting certain PFAS chemicals to four parts per trillion – a standard our AEC can meet. We believe these proposed rules will continue to push the market to find and adopt commercially viable solutions to remove PFAS chemicals from water. Additionally, some emerging regulations on PFAS in the U.S. are expected to skew the market toward seeking treatment technologies that produce as little PFAS-laden solid waste as possible, a favorable trend for our AEC that generates very little PFAS-laden waste. Detection of unsafe levels of PFAS around the world has given rise to a number of market opportunities, including in drinking water, industrial wastewater, municipal wastewater, solid waste, organic foods and more.
We have successfully validated the AEC as an effective system to selectively extract and collect PFAS chemicals from contaminated water including performance testing that shows “non-detect” levels of removal, which meets new EPA standards. We have demonstrated more than nine months of continuous operation showing no materially significant degradation of the AEC system’s components or performance over time. As a modular system, we believe the AEC is scalable to a commercial scale, and we believe that our engineering team has the experience to deliver systems to meet the needs of a commercial installation.
In August 2022, we began engineering a comprehensive PFAS mitigation plan for client operating an industrial site. The initial preliminary engineering phase and project budgeting is complete. We recently delivered a proposal for a system that will serve as a mobile commercial pilot, and scoping, preliminary design and budget for the building of the full-scale system.
The AEC’s commercial roll-out will be executed with the help of a network of sales representative organizations whose role will be to market and sell the treatment system, related equipment, and the Company’s engineering services to municipal and industrial customers across the country. We have secured channel partner agreements with several sales representative organizations ensuring coverage for most of the continental United States.
In October 2022, we entered into a channel partner agreement with Product Recovery Management, Inc. to sell, distribute and act as a contract manufacturer for the AEC and other BioLargo water treatment technologies. Product Recovery Management (PRM), based out of Butner, NC, is a UL-certified equipment integrator specializing in remediation services with over 40 years of history serving customers. PRM designs and manufactures treatment systems that address a wide variety of contamination challenges in the remediation and landfill industries, including PFAS contamination. Their Butner operations include a 250,000 square foot manufacturing facility with large-scale fabrication capabilities.
We are also in negotiations with multiple prospective industrial and municipal customers to treat PFAS contaminated water. In light of the fact that we now have our first commercial project under contract, we believe that our expected success with an industrial customer will be a key factor to help advance marketing efforts in the municipal market as well as potentially minimizing the need for small scale field piloting, which can be expensive and time consuming.
ONM Environmental - Industrial Odor and VOC Solutions
ONM Environmental, Inc. is BioLargo’s subsidiary that delivers robust and comprehensive products and services to control and mitigate odor and volatile organic compounds (“VOCs”) emitted from a variety of industrial activities, including landfills and other waste handling facilities. Its flagship product – CupriDyne® Clean – reduces and eliminates tough odors and VOCs in various industrial settings. CupriDyne® Clean is delivered through misting systems, sprayers, water trucks and similar water delivery systems designed, manufactured and installed by ONM. We believe the product is the number-one performing odor-control product in the market, and that it offers substantial savings to our customers compared with competing products. ONM Environmental holds General, Electrical, Plumbing and Low Voltage contractor licenses issued by the California Contractors State License Board, and offers a menu of services to landfills, transfer stations, wastewater treatment facilities as well as facilities in non-waste related industries. These services include engineering design, construction, installation, ongoing maintenance and on-site support services to assist our clients in the implementation and continued use of the various systems that deliver our liquid products in the field (such as misting systems).
We have been and expect to continue selling product to the largest solid waste handling companies in the country, with a portion of chemistry product sales resulting from national purchasing agreements (NPAs), and are also serving municipalities.
In addition to its goal to keep growing its revenues organically through the sale of odor and VOC control chemistry and air quality control systems to its primary market segment (municipal solid waste handling in California), ONM Environmental aims to accelerate its growth through development of new sales and distribution channels without being limited by our own sales and distribution infrastructure, such as through our partnership with Ikigai Marketing Works, LLC (see “Consumer Packaged Goods Products” below).
Consumer Packaged and Private-Label Products
We sell pet odor-control products under the brand “Pooph” to Ikigai Marketing Works, LLC. After a successful test marketing phase, they have been executing a national advertising campaign through extensive television and internet advertising and have launched the product for web sales on their own website and on Amazon. In late 2022, Ikigai launched the Pooph product in a limited number of Walmart retail stores, expanding to Walmart stores nationwide in the second quarter of 2023. Our agreement with Ikigai grants them an exclusive license to sell the Pooph pet odor-control product, and requires, in addition to purchasing product from us at an agreed-upon manufacturing margin, they are required to pay us an additional six percent of their sales.
As Ikigai has expanded their national television advertising, their sales have increased, and correspondingly, their purchase of product from us has increased, such that for the three months ended March 31, 2023, it comprised 86% of our total (company-wide) revenue.
South Korean Joint Venture
In February 2020 we executed a “Joint Venture Framework Agreement” with a leading wastewater treatment solution provider based in South Korea (BKT Co. Ltd., “BKT”), to create a South Korean entity that would manufacture odor and VOC control products based on our CupriDyne® Clean products. We own 40% of the joint venture. Although the joint venture established manufacturing and is marketing the product, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the expected growth of the company. While the management team continues to market the product to industrial clients, their efforts have struggled to gain a foothold, and we are in discussions to expand their license to allow for the sale of consumer products.
Full Service Environmental Engineering
BioLargo Engineering, Science & Technologies, LLC (“BLEST”) offers full service environmental engineering to third parties and provides engineering support services to our internal teams to accelerate the commercialization of our technologies.
BLEST focuses its efforts in three areas:
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providing engineering services to third-party clients; |
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supporting internal product development and business units’ services to customers (e.g., the AOS); and |
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advancing their own technical innovations such as the AEC PFAS treatment technology and the battery energy storage system which was recently added to the portfolio. |
The subsidiary is located in Oak Ridge (a suburb of Knoxville, Tennessee), and employs a group of scientists and engineers, many of whom are owners of the entity (BioLargo owns 82.25%). The team is led by Randall Moore, who served as Manager of Operations for Consulting and Engineering for the Knoxville office of CB&I Environmental & Infrastructure and was formerly a leader at The Shaw Group, Inc., a Fortune 500 global engineering firm. Many of the other team members are also former employees of CB&I and Shaw, with the exception of more recent staff hires. We believe the team is highly experienced across multiple industries and are considered experts in their respective fields, including: chemical engineering, wastewater treatment (including design, operations, data gathering and data evaluation), process safety, energy efficiency, air pollution, design and control, technology evaluation, technology integration, air quality management & testing, engineering management, permitting, industrial hygiene, applied research and development, air testing, environmental permitting, HAZOP review, chemical processing, thermal design, computational fluid dynamics, mechanical engineering, mechanical design, NEPDES permitting, RCRA/TSCA compliance and permitting, project management, storm water design & permitting, computer assisted design (CAD), bench chemistry, continuous emission monitoring system operator, data handling and evaluation and decommissioning and decontamination of radiological and chemical contaminated facilities. The team has decades of high-level experience in the energy industry. The engineering team has also developed an extended network of trusted engineering subcontractors that assist in serving specific client projects as needed.
In association with Garratt-Callahan, a national industrial water treatment company, BLEST developed a “minimal liquid discharge” (MLD) wastewater treatment system based on Garratt-Callahan’s patented technology that is able to reduce industrial wastewater discharge and therefore reduce wastewater discharge fees for customers. Garratt-Callahan is currently marketing the MLD system to its customers. BLEST will serve as the manufacturing partner and Garratt-Callahan will serve as the selling distributor to leverage their national sales force and over one hundred years of providing services and products to customers. BioLargo’s engineers completed the first full-scale prototype of this new technology and tested it with Garratt-Callahan client provided water, with Garratt-Callahan technical staff present on-site at BLEST’s facility. In this “factory acceptance” testing, the system removed over 98% of the target contaminants from water in continuous operation, in line with results achieved by Garratt-Callahan’s original bench-scale and batch processing tests. This factory acceptance testing was a necessary step before commercial trials and/or sales to Garratt-Callahan customers could begin. Garratt-Callahan has identified multiple customer prospects, as has BioLargo, through its own marketing efforts. We remain confident that this innovation and partnership will find commercial success.
In the second quarter of 2022, BLEST was contracted by Ultra Safe Nuclear to assist in producing the first prototype fuel production systems for their new nuclear reactor called the Micro Modular Reactor (MMR®). Ultra Safe Nuclear is a Seattle-based nuclear energy company that has invented a “fission battery” - a fourth generation modular nuclear reactor – that can deliver safe, zero-carbon, cost-effective energy anywhere. The MMR® uses ceramic-encapsulated nuclear fuel – Fully Ceramic Micro-encapsulated (FCM+++) – an extremely rugged and stable fuel with high temperature stability. BioLargo has been retained to provide engineering design support, fabrication, and integration for the company’s prototype fuel production systems. Because of the success of the early phase of the project, this project is expected to expand over the coming months in scope and significance to BioLargo, making them an important customer for BLEST.
Waste-to-Energy Conversion Plant Project
In April 2022, our engineering subsidiary was hired by a Southern California based sustainable energy services company to conduct a comprehensive project plan (i.e., “feasibility study”) for a waste-to-energy (WTE) conversion plant in South America – one of multiple projects in planning stages by the company. Our engineers completed the initial feasibility study and have delivered a proposal for the next phase of the project (front end engineering design, aka FEED). The client has also requested feasibility studies and a FEED proposal for WTE plants in Asia.
BioLargo Water and the Advanced Oxidation System – AOS
BioLargo Water is our wholly owned subsidiary located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, which has and is commercializing our Advanced Oxidation water treatment system (AOS). The AOS is our patented water treatment device that generates highly oxidative and energetic species of iodine and other molecules which allow it to eliminate pathogenic organisms and organic contaminants rapidly and effectively as water passes through the device. The key value proposition of the AOS is its ability to reduce or eliminate a wide variety of waterborne contaminants with high performance while using very little electricity and input chemicals. This is made possible by the highly oxidative iodine compounds and reactive oxygen species generated within the AOS reactor as well as the unique and proprietary physical constitution and geometry of the reactor. Our proof-of-concept studies and on-site pilot projects have generated results that project the AOS will be more cost- and energy-efficient than commonly used advanced water treatment technologies such as UV, electro-chlorination, and ozonation. Furthermore, our technology has been proven capable of removing hard-to-treat organic micropollutants such as pharmaceuticals from water more quickly and energy-efficiently than other technologies. Together, these characteristics make the AOS an economical and versatile tool to enable wastewater treatment and reuse in the face of emerging water contaminants and increasing regulatory scrutiny on industrial wastewater discharge. The capabilities of the AOS as a sustainable water treatment technology have been the subject of several high-impact academic papers in scientific journals. The company pursues a policy of publishing about the technology in academic journals as much as possible in order to promote transparency about the technology’s safety and efficacy while also contributing to the field of advanced water treatment science. In June of 2022, the fourth peer-reviewed scientific paper about the AOS was published, in the journal Environmental Science and Pollution Research.
In the first quarter of 2022, BioLargo Water received a grant from Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen) to support the company’s collaboration with a specialized electrical component designer to assist in optimizing the electrical performance of the AOS with the ultimate goal of maximizing the lifespan of the AOS’ components. In the second quarter of 2022, the development work funded by this grant advanced, focusing on improving the performance of the conductive materials within the AOS which allow for water disinfection and decontamination.
The AOS has been included as a component of treatment train (comprehensive system) for a number of projects being scoped and budgeted through our engineering subsidiary. In addition, it has been included in the catalog of offerings being sold through our independent representatives as well as channel partners.
Municipal Wastewater Treatment Pilot – Montreal
Our commercial-scale AOS demonstration pilot (run in partnership with water experts at the Centre des Technologies de L’Eau) at a municipal wastewater treatment plant near Montreal, Quebec, is ongoing and providing important data that shows the AOS is removing five target pharmaceuticals from the wastewater faster and using less electricity than the ultraviolet (UV) disinfections system used in the facility. Notably, the pilot project also showed that the AOS was able to also remove total coliforms (bacteria) from the municipal wastewater more effectively than the UV disinfection system currently in use at the facility.
In January 2022, BioLargo Water was awarded a grant from the government of Canada’s Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) that allowed for the extension of the pilot project to allow for use of a new, higher flow-rate AOS system, as well as the installation of an AEC system at the pilot to assess its removal of PFAS chemicals from the municipality’s wastewater, which was completed successfully.
Clyra Medical Technologies
Clyra Medical Technologies, Inc. is our partially owned subsidiary creating medical products based on our technology. It is launching a product to be used by surgeons generally, with a first target market aimed toward orthopedic surgeons for use as a wound irrigation solution and to help manage patient care and outcomes and, for wound care. Clyra has secured its first two hospital customers for the product, established a robust quality control system for FDA compliance, recruited a national director of sales, and is negotiating with three separate channel partners to form a commercial alliance. It has secured its first manufacturer’s representatives and is actively expanding these efforts to build out a national rep network. Its other product designs are on hold until such time as it is able to secure the capital and resources to complete any final development and support additional inventory, technical support and sales for these products. There are channel partnerships in development for Clyra’s Bioclynse product in three separate healthcare markets.
BioLargo Energy Technologies, Inc.
BioLargo acquired a proprietary sodium-sulfur battery technology and has formed and secured initial seed capital for a subsidiary – BioLargo Energy Technologies, Inc. (“BETI”) – designed to address the ongoing shift toward renewable energy production and the growth in global electricity demand, and the consequent drastic expansion in energy storage capacity in the US and world-wide that will be needed to accommodate increased demand and the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources like wind and solar.
The initial capital raised – $650,000 – will be used to construct prototype batteries. These batteries will be tested to confirm energy efficiency, useful life expectancy, energy density, safety profile, number of charge/discharge cycles, and other technical claims that differentiate the battery from incumbent technologies. Batteries built based on the underlying technology a decade ago demonstrated features that far surpass comparable lithium-ion batteries, the dominant incumbent technology in the market:
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This sodium-sulfur battery technology demonstrates increased safety, no runaway fire risks, and a more sustainable design – with no rare-earth elements – that is capable of being manufactured completely from the domestic supply chain. |
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Unlike lithium-ion batteries, BioLargo’s battery can charge and discharge completely, with no degradation of performance, ensuring virtually unlimited charge/discharge cycles, without self-discharge. |
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BioLargo’s battery technology also demonstrates increased energy efficiency and energy density in comparison to lithium-ion batteries, and a longer useful life expectancy of at least 10 years. |
BioLargo’s battery uses common, inexpensive, domestically available materials, and through its unique design and manufacturing process, creates an energy storage solution that has higher energy density than lithium virtually unlimited charge/discharge cycles, stable and secure supply chain management, and which is far safer than lithium-ion batteries, the current dominant energy storage technology. While the concept of sodium-sulfur salt batteries is not new (a concept conceived more than 80 years ago), we are not aware of any known ‘salt’ battery that can match the performance metrics of our battery.
Our battery technology operates at higher temperatures, and its casing and materials when combined, are heavier than lithium-ion, making it more suitable for stationary energy storage applications like grid-scale energy storage, electric vehicle charging stations, and commercial and residential energy storage, and believed to be less suitable for placement into electric vehicles or portable electronics. We are currently building out facilities to manufacture prototype batteries in our Oak Ridge Tennessee operations.
Results of Operations
We operate our business in distinct business segments:
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ONM Environmental, which manufactures and sells our odor and VOC control products and services for sale by itself and third parties through private labels; |
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BLEST, our professional engineering services division, advancing innovations like the AEC to remove PFAS contaminants from water, serving outside clients on a fee for service basis, and supporting our internal business units; |
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Clyra Medical, our partially owned subsidiary which develops and sells medical products based on our technology; |
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BioLargo Water, our Canadian division that has been historically pure research and development, and is now transitioning to focus on commercializing our AOS system; and |
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Our corporate operations, which support the operating segments with legal, accounting, human resources, and other services. |
Consolidated revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2023, was $3,742,000, a 288% increase over the same period in 2022, and a 78% increase over the prior quarter (ended December 31, 2022). Our revenue from product sales and related services increased by 482%, while our service revenue decreased by 45%.
ONM Environmental
Our wholly-owned subsidiary ONM Environmental generates revenues through (i) sales of our flagship product CupriDyne Clean, including related design, installation, and maintenance services on the systems that deliver CupriDyne Clean at its clients’ facilities, and (ii) sale of private-label products to third parties.
Revenue (ONM Environmental)
ONM Environmental’s revenues increased 491% (to $3,543,000) in the three months ended March 31, 2023, compared with the same period in the prior year. Revenues in the quarter were comprised primarily of $3,218,000 in revenues to one customer selling private label products, and $431,000 in revenues of its industrial odor-control product CupriDyne Clean.
The increase in revenues was almost entirely due to an increase in the volume of sales of private label odor-control products, specifically the Pooph branded pet-odor product purchased by Ikigai, which comprised 91% of ONM Environmental’s revenue total. Because ONM Environmental has no control over Ikigai’s marketing and sales activity of Pooph, it cannot predict its sales of the product to Ikigai in future periods. Ikigai has indicated their intentions to continue their national advertising campaign as they place the product in national retail chains, including the introduction of the product in Walmart nationally. Their execution of those future plans has inherent risks that are out of our control. (See Part II, Item 1A, and the risk factor titled “A significant portion of our revenue is concentrated with one customer.”) Given the foregoing, management cannot be certain of the continued purchase of the Pooph product by Ikigai. Their failure to continue to purchase product would have a material impact on ONM Environmental’s revenues.
Industrial odor-control revenues increased 42% in the three months ended March 31, 2023, compared with the same period in the prior year, and increased 16% compared with the prior quarter (ended December 31, 2022).
Cost of Goods Sold (ONM Environmental)
ONM Environmental’s cost of goods sold includes costs of raw materials, contract manufacturing, and portions of depreciation, salaries and expenses related to the manufacturing and installation of its products. As a percentage of revenue, ONM Environmental’s costs of goods decreased 3% for the three months ended March 31, 2023, to 49%, compared to the same period in 2022, due to increased sales. Cost of goods sold increased 2% from the prior three months ended December 31, 2022. The fluctuation in cost of goods is due our efforts to improve margins in in our private-label products, and increases in raw material costs.
Selling, General and Administrative Expense (ONM Environmental)
ONM Environmental’s selling, general and administrative expenses increased by 22% ($65,000) during the three months ended March 31, 2023, as compared with the same period in 2022. These expenses increased due to a increase of sales and support staff. We expect these expenses to increase to add support if revenue continues to increase in the year ending December 31, 2023.
Operating Income (ONM Environmental)
ONM Environmental generated operating income of $1,387,000 in the three months ended March 31, 2023, compared to operating income of $13,000 in 2022. The generation of operating income this past quarter was entirely dependent on sale of Pooph product to Ikigai.
BLEST (engineering division)
Revenue (BLEST)
Our engineering segment (BLEST) generated $193,000 of revenue in the three months ended March 31, 2023, net of intersegment revenue, compared to $357,000 in 2022, representing a 45% decrease. The decrease is due to a decrease in the number of client contracts, an increase in intercompany services, and multiple clients delaying the start of projects.
In addition to providing services to third party clients, BLEST provides services to BioLargo and its subsidiaries for internal BioLargo projects. These services are billed internally, are considered intersegment revenue, and are eliminated in the consolidation of our financial statements. In the three months ended March 31, 2023, intersegment revenue for BLEST totaled $170,000, consisting primarily of research and development to further our flagship AOS water filtration system and our AEC PFAS treatment system. In addition, BLEST engineers are performing a critical role in the AOS pilot projects, some of which are supported by third-party research grants and has been instrumental in developing and supporting a professional engineered design service for misting systems being sold by our ONM operating unit.
Cost of Goods (Services) Sold (BLEST)
BLEST’s cost of services includes employee labor as well as subcontracted costs. In the three months ended March 31, 2023, cost of services were 69% of its revenues, versus 42% in the same period in 2022. This increase is due to contracts with reduced margins and the reduction in overall revenue, as well as the recognition of deferred revenue in the three months ended March 31, 2022, which did not occur in the same period in 2023.
Selling, General and Administrative Expense (BLEST)
BLEST SG&A expenses were $184,000 in the three months ended March 31, 2023, compared to $134,000 in 2022, primarily due to increased rental costs and staff.
Operating Loss (BLEST)
BLEST incurred an operating loss of $368,000 in the three months ended March 31, 2023, compared to an operating loss of $35,000 in 2022.
Because the subsidiary had an operating loss, we invested cash during the year to allow it to maintain operations. BLEST’s need for a cash subsidy to support its operations has decreased over time. Our goal for this operation is that it produces a profit and contributes to corporate overhead in a significant way, although predicting when that will happen and other uncertainties in the market, and our limited resources, is difficult.
Clyra Medical
Clyra Medical generated $6,000 in revenues in the three months ended March 31, 2023, total costs and expenses of $431,000, including $134,000 in research and development expenses, and an operating loss of $426,000. In the same period in 2022, it generated $11,000 in revenue, had total costs and expenses of $250,000, including $16,000 in research and development expenses, and an operating loss of $239,000. Clyra has been limited in terms of capital resources, and its level of activity has been largely dependent on available cash.
BETI
Formed to develop and commercialize a sodium-sulfur battery technology, BETI raised $650,000 in investment capital in the three months ended March 31, 2023, did not generate revenue, and incurred $87,000 in expenses, primarily related to the build out of space to manufacture battery prototypes.
Selling, General and Administrative Expense – consolidated
Our Selling, General and Administrative expense (“SG&A”) include both cash (for example, salaries to employees) and non-cash expenses (for example, stock option compensation expense). Our consolidated SG&A decreased in the aggregate by 6% ($113,000) in the three months ended March 31, 2023, to $1,722,000. Our non-cash expenses (through the issuance of common stock, warrants, and stock options) decreased in the three months ended March 31, 2023 compared with 2022 ($463,000 compared to $822,000) , which accounted for the largest decline in salaries and consulting expense. The largest components of our SG&A expenses included (in thousands):
Three months ended |
Three months ended |
|||||||
Salaries and payroll related |
$ | 636 | $ | 809 | ||||
Professional fees |
210 | 149 | ||||||
Consulting |
198 | 316 | ||||||
Office expense |
427 | 310 | ||||||
Board of director expense |
65 | 111 | ||||||
Sales and marketing |
93 | 59 | ||||||
Investor relations |
93 | 85 |
In the three months ended March 31, 2023, our non-cash expenses from stock for service, stock options and warrant expense total $496,000. In the three months ended March 31, 2022, our non-cash expenses from stock for service, stock options and warrant expense total $822,000.
Research and Development
In the three months ended March 31, 2023, we spent $565,000 in the research and development of our technologies and products. This was an increase of 44% ($173,000) compared to 2022. The increase is related to headcount and work at BETI.
Interest expense
Our interest expense for the three months ended March 31, 2023, was $48,000, compared with $13,000 in the same period in 2022. Of our total interest expense in 2023, $15,000 was paid in cash, and the remainder was comprised primarily of non-cash debt discounts related to warrants issued in conjunction with debt instruments being amortized over the life of the debt instrument; for the three months ended March 31, 2023, non-cash interest expense totaled $33,000.
Other Income and Expense
The amount of grant income increased $26,000 in the three months ended March 31, 2023, to $31,000. Primarily through our wholly owned Canadian subsidiary, we have been awarded more than 80 research grants over the years from various public and private agencies, including the Canadian National Research Institute – Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP), the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s Innovative Conservation Program “ICP”. The research grants received are considered reimbursement grants related to costs we incur and therefore are included as Other Income. Grant funds paid directly to third parties are not included as income in our financial statements.
During the three months ended March 31, 2022, we recorded $174,000 in income related to the forgiveness of Paycheck Protection Act loan to ONM Environmental.
Net Loss
Net loss for the three months ended March 31, 2023, was $494,000 a loss of $0.0015 per share, compared to a net loss for the three months ended March 31, 2022, of $1,544,000, a loss of $0.0059 per share, a reduction of 68% . Our net loss this period declined because of the 288% increase in revenues, combined with a reduction in expenses, primarily sales, general and administrative costs.
The net income (loss) per business segment is as follows (in thousands):
Net income (loss) |
March 31, 2023 |
March 31, 2022 |
||||||
ONM Environmental |
$ | 1,385 | $ | 187 | ||||
BLEST |
(368 | ) | (35 | ) | ||||
Clyra Medical |
(436 | ) | (247 | ) | ||||
BioLargo Water |
(153 | ) | (233 | ) | ||||
BETI |
(87 | ) | -- | |||||
BioLargo corporate |
(835 | ) | (1,266 | ) | ||||
Consolidated net loss |
$ | (494 | ) | $ | (1,544 | ) |
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and the settlement of liabilities and commitments in the normal course of our business. For the three months ended March 31, 2023, we generated revenues of $3,742,000 through our subsidiaries (see Note 11), had a net loss of $494,000, used $43,000 cash in operations, and at March 31, 2023, we had working capital of $3,075,000, and current assets of $4,874,000. While our operating loss has decreased in recent quarterly periods, as has our cash used in operations, we expect to continue to need further investment capital to fund operations. We have been, and anticipate that we will continue to be, limited in terms of our capital resources.
During the three months ended March 31, 2023, we (i) sold $105,000 of our common stock to Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC (“Lincoln Park”) (see Note 3), (ii) sold $695,000 of our common stock and warrants to accredited investors (see Notes 3 and 6), (iii) sold $225,000 of Clyra Medical Series A Preferred Stock (see Note 8), and (iv) sold $550,000 of BETI common stock (see Note 10).
As of March 31, 2023, our cash and cash equivalents totaled $3,264,000. Our total liabilities included a $78,000 a vehicle loan, $140,000 due in SBA loans issued pursuant to the Paycheck Protection Program (see Note 14), $150,000 due to the SBA issued pursuant to the Economic Injury Disaster program (EIDL) over 30 years, and $247,000 owed by a subsidiary due in 2024 (see Note 4).
Subsequent to March 31, 2023, we continue to sell common stock to Lincoln Park for working capital as needed (see Note 13).
If we are unable to rely on our current arrangement with Lincoln Park to fund our working capital requirements, we will have to rely on other forms of financing, and there is no assurance that we will be able to do so, or if we do so, it will be on favorable terms.
The foregoing factors raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, unless we are able to continue to raise funds through stock sales to Lincoln Park or other private financings, and in the long term, our ability to attain a reasonable threshold of operating efficiencies and achieve profitable operations by licensing or otherwise commercializing products incorporating our technologies. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might be necessary if we are unable to continue as a going concern.
Critical Accounting Policies
Our discussion and analysis of our results of operations and liquidity and capital resources are based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and judgments, including those related to revenue recognition, valuation of offerings of debt with equity or derivative features which include the valuation of the warrant component, any beneficial conversion feature and potential derivative treatment, and share-based payments. We base our estimates on anticipated results and trends and on various other assumptions that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, including assumptions as to future events. These estimates form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. By their nature, estimates are subject to an inherent degree of uncertainty. Actual results that differ from our estimates could have a significant adverse effect on our operating results and financial position.
Our significant accounting policies and methods used in the preparation of the Company’s consolidated financial statements are described in (i) in Part I, Item 1 of this Form 10-Q, Note 2, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” and (ii) in the Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on March 31, 2023, in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8, and “Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates” in Part II, Item 7. There have been no material changes to the Company’s critical accounting policies and estimates since the filing of its Form 10-K.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures
We conducted an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended – the “Exchange Act”) as of the end of the period covered by this Report. There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended March 31, 2023, which were identified in connection with management’s evaluation required by paragraph (d) of Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act, that have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect our internal control over financial reporting.
Our procedures have been designed to ensure that the information relating to our company, including our consolidated subsidiaries, required to be disclosed in our SEC reports is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms, and is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, as appropriate to allow for timely decisions regarding required disclosure. However, our Company is continuing to grow and evolve, as our product and services sales continues to grow, and as we diversify our clients to include municipalities, increasing strain on our accounting systems. These activities put stress on our overall controls and procedures. As our operations do not yet generate enough cash to fund operations, and we rely on financing activities to maintain our level of operations and fund our anticipated growth, we do not yet have the ability to implement the more sophisticated control systems used by larger companies. Although we have made some improvements, our chief executive officer and chief financial officer have concluded that, as of the evaluation date, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective, due to the material weakness identified below.
It should be noted that the design of any system of controls is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions, regardless of how remote.
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f). Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our chief executive officer and the chief financial officer, we have established internal control procedures in accordance with the guidelines established in the 2013 Framework —Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”). Management evaluated the effectiveness of our internal controls, and concluded that due to our limited financial and personnel resources, the fact that we operate our business in three distinct locations in the U.S. and Canada, and the lack of sophisticated reporting systems, we continue to have a material weakness in our internal controls with respect to the closing our financial statements. Until the Company has the financial resources to implement more robust automated systems, or to hire additional dedicated accounting personnel, we expect this material weakness to continue.
Our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, does not expect that our disclosure controls or our internal control over financial reporting, or any system we design or implement in the future, will prevent or detect all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control system’s objectives will be met. The design of any system of controls is based in part on certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions.
OTHER INFORMATION
Our future results of operations, financial condition and liquidity and the market price for our securities are subject to numerous risks, many of which are driven by factors that we cannot control. The risk factors set forth in our report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on March 31, 2023, and below, discuss risks, uncertainties and assumptions relevant to our business and include factors we believe could cause our actual results to differ materially from expected and historical results. Other factors beyond those listed below, including factors unknown to us and factors known to us which we have not currently determined to be material, could also adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition, prospects and cash flows. Also see “Forward-looking Statements” above.
A significant portion of our revenue is concentrated with a one customer.
In the year ended December 31, 2022, almost 50% of our total revenue was from the sale of Pooph branded pet-odor products to Ikigai. In the three months ended March 31, 2023, sales to Ikigai accounted for 86% of our total revenue. Our contract with Ikigai does not require they purchase a minimum amount of product from us, and their demand for our product is dependent entirely on their customers’ demand. They create customer demand through television and other advertising, and sell directly to consumers as well as to retailers. Any decrease in their advertising is likely to correspondingly decrease their purchase of product from us. We have no control over their advertising budget or methods, and therefore have no control over their need for product from us. Other factors beyond our control may affect customer demand for the Pooph product. Any such decrease in demand for Pooph product would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, or financial condition.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
The following is a report of sales of unregistered securities during the period covered by this report not previously reported in an annual report on Form 10-K, a Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, or a Current Report on Form 8-K.
Unit Offering
During the three months ended March 31, 2023, we sold 2,340,211 shares of our common stock and received $470,000 in gross and net proceeds from eleven accredited investors. In addition to the shares, we issued the investors six-month warrants to purchase an aggregate 2,340,211 additional shares at $0.228 per share, and five-year warrants to purchase an aggregate 2,340,211 additional shares at $0.285 per share.
Clyra Medical
During the three months ended March 31, 2023, Clyra sold 725 shares of its Series A Preferred Stock, and in exchange received $225,000 in gross and net proceeds. Purchasers of the Series A Preferred Stock also received a 3-year warrant to purchase the same number of additional shares of common stock for $372 per share. Shares of Series A Preferred Stock earn a dividend of 15% each year. Each share of Series A Preferred stock can be converted by the holder at any time for one share of common stock. Accrued dividends may be converted to common stock at a conversion rate of $310 per share.
Each investor also entered into an agreement with BioLargo whereby the investor may exchange some or all of its Series A Preferred stock, plus accrued dividends, into shares of BioLargo common stock, at a price equal to a 20% discount of the volume weighted average price over the 30 prior trading days. Elections must be made during the 18-month period that begins 18 months after the closing of the Series A Preferred offering (which has not yet taken place), or June 30, 2023, whichever is earlier.
BETI
During the three months ended March 31, 2023, BETI sold 350,000 shares of its common stock to seven accredited investors for $2.00 per share. Of that amount, BioLargo purchased 50,000 shares for $100,000, and one investor converted a $50,000 note owed by BioLargo into 25,000 shares. Net proceeds from third parties totaled $550,000.
Each investor also entered into an agreement with BioLargo whereby the investor may exchange some or all of its shares of BETI common stock into shares of BioLargo common stock, at a price equal to a 20% discount of the volume weighted average price over the 20 trading days prior to the election to exchange. Elections must be made during calendar year 2024.
As of March 31, 2023, BioLargo holds 9,050,000 shares of BETI common stock, and third parties hold 300,000 shares.
All of these offerings and sales were made in reliance on the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(2) of the Securities Exchange Act and/or Regulation D promulgated thereunder as not involving a public offering of securities.
Lincoln Park
On December 13, 2022, we entered into a purchase agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) and a registration rights agreement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”), with Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC (“Lincoln Park”), pursuant to which Lincoln Park has committed to purchase up to $10.0 million of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.00067 per share (the “Common Stock”), subject to certain limitations and the satisfaction of the conditions set forth in the Purchase Agreement. (See Item 9B titled “Other Information”, and the subheading “Lincoln Park”, for additional information.)
During the three months ended March 31, 2023, we sold 545,142 shares of our common stock to Lincoln Park, and received $105,000 in gross and net proceeds.
See the Exhibit Index for a list of exhibits filed as part of this report and incorporated herein by reference.
Exhibit Index
10.21* |
filed herewith |
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21.1* |
filed herewith |
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31.1* |
filed herewith |
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31.2* |
filed herewith |
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32* |
filed herewith |
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101.INS** |
Inline XBRL Instance |
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101.SCH** |
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema |
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101.CAL** |
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation |
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101.DEF** |
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition |
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101.LAB** |
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels |
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101.PRE** |
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation |
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104 |
Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101) |
* Filed herewith
** Furnished herewith
† Management contract or compensatory plan, contract or arrangement
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
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BIOLARGO, INC. |
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Date: May 17, 2023 |
By: |
/s/ DENNIS P. CALVERT |
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Dennis P. Calvert |
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Chief Executive Officer |
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Date: May 17, 2023 | By: | /s/ CHARLES K. DARGAN, II | |
Chief Financial Officer |