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Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc. - Quarter Report: 2021 September (Form 10-Q)

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-Q

 

(Mark One)

QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2021

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: 001-40808

 

Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

 

Delaware

 

86-1746728

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

 

 

 

590 Plant Road,

Dresden, NY 14441

 

14441

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (315) 536-2359

 

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

 

Title of each class

Trading symbol(s)

Name of each exchange on which registered

Class A Common Stock, $0.0001 par value

GREE

The Nasdaq Global Select Market

8.50% Senior Notes due 2026

GREEL

The Nasdaq Global Select Market

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, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer

 

 

Accelerated filer

 

Non-accelerated filer

 

 

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

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

As of November 12, 2021, the registrant had 11,605,205 shares of Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, outstanding and 29,040,000 shares of Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, outstanding.

 

 

 


 

Table of Contents

 

 

 

 

Page

PART I.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

 

Item 1.

Financial Statements

 

 

 

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited)

 

5

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Unaudited)

 

6

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity (Unaudited)

 

7

 

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited)

 

8

 

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)

 

9

Item 2.

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

 

29

Item 3.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

 

45

Item 4.

Controls and Procedures

 

45

PART II.

OTHER INFORMATION

 

 

Item 1.

Legal Proceedings

 

46

Item 1A.

Risk Factors

 

46

Item 2.

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

 

72

Item 3.

Defaults Upon Senior Securities

 

73

Item 4.

Mine Safety Disclosures

 

73

Item 5.

Other Information

 

73

Item 6.

Exhibits

 

76

Exhibit Index

 

76

Signatures

 

78

 

1


 

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Form 10-Q includes certain statements that may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements for purposes of federal and state securities laws. These forward-looking statements involve uncertainties that could significantly affect our financial or operating results. These forward-looking statements may be identified by terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “foresee,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “may,” “will,” "would," “could” and “should” and the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance. Forward-looking statements in this document include, among other things, statements regarding our business plan, business strategy and operations in the future. In addition, all statements that address operating performance and future performance, events or developments that are expected or anticipated to occur in the future, including statements relating to creating value for stockholders and benefits of the Merger (as defined below) to our customers, vendors, employees, stockholders and other constituents, are forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Matters and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements include but are not limited to the matters and factors described in Part II, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, as well as statements about or relating to or otherwise affected by:

the ability to recognize the anticipated objectives and benefits of an expansion into multiple data centers in Texas;
the ability to negotiate or execute definitive documentation with respect to potential expansion sites on terms and conditions that are acceptable to Greenidge, whether on a timely basis or at all;
the ability to recognize the anticipated objectives and any benefits of the merger described in Note 1 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) herein (the “Merger”), including the anticipated tax treatment of the Merger;
changes in applicable laws, regulations or permits affecting our operations or the industries in which we operate, including regulation regarding power generation, cryptocurrency usage and/or cryptocurrency mining;
any failure by us to obtain acceptable financing with regard to our growth strategies or operations;
fluctuations and volatility in the price of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies;
loss of public confidence in, or use cases of, bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies;
the potential of cryptocurrency market manipulation;
the economics of mining cryptocurrency, including as to variables or factors affecting the cost, efficiency and profitability of mining;
the availability, delivery schedule and cost of equipment necessary to maintain and grow our business and operations, including mining equipment and equipment meeting the technical or other specifications required to achieve our growth strategy;
the possibility that we may be adversely affected by other economic, business or competitive factors, including factors affecting the industries in which we operate or upon which we rely and are dependent;
the ability to expand successfully to other facilities, mine other cryptocurrencies or otherwise expand our business;
changes in tax regulations applicable to us, our assets or cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin;
any litigation involving us;
costs and expenses relating to cryptocurrency transaction fees and fluctuation in cryptocurrency transaction fees;
the condition of our physical assets, including that our current single operating facility may realize material, if not total, loss and interference as a result of equipment malfunction or break-down, physical disaster, data security breach, computer malfunction or sabotage; and

2


 

the actual and potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are qualified by the information contained herein, including the information contained under this caption and the information in Part II, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. No assurance can be given that these are all of the factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from the forward-looking statements.

You should not put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. No assurances can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do occur, what impact they will have on the results of our operations, financial condition or cash flows. Actual results may differ materially from those discussed in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and we do not assume any duty to update or revise forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, uncertainties or otherwise, as of any future date.

Risk Factor Summary

Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, which illuminate challenges that we face in connection with the successful implementation of our strategy and the growth of our business. The following considerations, among others, may offset our competitive strengths or have a negative effect on our business strategy, which could cause a decline in the price of our class A common stock and result in a loss of all or a portion of your investment:

Our business and operating plan may be altered due to several external factors including but not limited to market conditions, the ability to procure equipment in a quantity, cost and timeline consistent with the business plan and the ability to identify and acquire additional locations to replicate the operating model in place at our existing facility.
 
It may take significant time, expenditure or effort for us to grow our business, including our bitcoin mining operations, through acquisitions, and our efforts may not be successful.
 
The loss of any of our management team, an inability to execute an effective succession plan, or an inability to attract and retain qualified personnel could adversely affect our results of operations, strategy and financial performance.
 
We have been, are currently, and may be in the future, the subject of legal proceedings, including governmental investigations, relating to our products or services.
 
Our ability to use our net operating losses to offset future taxable income may be subject to certain limitations.
 
We have a limited operating history, with operating losses as we have grown. If we are unable to sustain greater revenues than our operating costs of bitcoin mining and power generation, as well as expansion plans, we will resume operating losses, which could negatively impact our results of operations, strategy and financial performance.
While we have multiple sources of revenue from our business and operations, these sources of revenue currently all depend on the single natural gas power generation facility that we operate. Any disruption to our single power plant would have a material adverse effect on our business and operations, as well as our results of operations and financial condition.
As the aggregate amount of computing power, or hash rate, in the bitcoin network increases, the amount of bitcoin earned per unit of hash rate decreases; as a result, in order to maintain our market share, we may have to incur significant capital expenditures in order to expand our fleet of miners.
The properties utilized by us in our bitcoin mining operations may experience damage, including damage not covered by insurance.
Our bitcoin may be subject to loss, theft or restriction on access.
If bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies are determined to be investment securities, and we hold a significant portion of our assets in such cryptocurrency, investment securities or non-controlling equity interests of other entities, we may inadvertently violate the Investment Company Act.

3


 

There has been limited precedent set for financial accounting of digital assets and so it is unclear how we will be required to account for digital asset transactions.
Regulatory changes or actions may alter the nature of an investment in us or restrict the use of bitcoin in a manner that adversely affects our business prospects and our results of operations and financial condition.
We are subject to risks related to Internet disruptions, which could have an adverse effect on our ability to mine bitcoin.
Our future success will depend significantly on the price of bitcoin, which is subject to risk and has historically been subject to wide swings and significant volatility.
We may not be able to compete effectively against other companies, some of whom have greater resources and experience.
The impact of geopolitical and economic events on the supply and demand for bitcoin is uncertain.
Bitcoin miners and other necessary hardware are subject to malfunction, technological obsolescence, the global supply chain and difficulty and cost in obtaining new hardware.
We face risks and disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain issues, including in semiconductors and other necessary mining components, which could significantly impact our operations and financial results.
We may not adequately respond to rapidly changing technology.
A failure to properly monitor and upgrade the bitcoin network protocol could damage the bitcoin network which could, in turn, have an adverse effect on our business.
Over time, incentives for bitcoin miners to continue to contribute processing power to the bitcoin network may transition from a set reward to transaction fees. If the incentives for bitcoin mining are not sufficiently high, we may not have an adequate incentive to continue to mine.
Our operations and financial performance may be impacted by fuel supply disruptions, price fluctuations in the wholesale power and natural gas markets, and fluctuations in other market factors that are beyond our control.
A substantial portion of revenue generated by our Support Services segment is attributable to a limited number of clients. The loss or reduction in business from any of these clients could adversely affect its business and results of operations.
Our Support Services segment's business is based on a relatively new and evolving business model.

The risks described above should be read together with the text of the full risk factors described in Part II, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” and the other information set forth in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including our condensed consolidated financial statements and the related notes, as well as in other documents that we file with the SEC. Our business, prospects, financial condition or operating results could be harmed by any of these risks, as well as other risks not currently known to us or that we currently consider immaterial. Certain statements in “Risk Factors” are forward-looking statements. See “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” above.

 

 

4


Table of Contents

 

PART I—FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements

Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (UNAUDITED)

(Dollars Amounts in thousands, except share and member unit data)

 

 

September 30, 2021

 

 

December 31, 2020

 

ASSETS

 

 

 

 

 

CURRENT ASSETS:

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

$

51,149

 

 

$

5,052

 

Short term investments

 

496

 

 

 

-

 

Digital assets

 

421

 

 

 

254

 

Accounts receivable

 

5,501

 

 

 

390

 

Prepaid expenses

 

5,042

 

 

 

155

 

Emissions and carbon offset credits

 

1,816

 

 

 

1,923

 

Total current assets

 

64,425

 

 

 

7,774

 

LONG-TERM ASSETS:

 

 

 

 

 

Property and equipment, net

 

121,532

 

 

 

56,645

 

Right-of-use assets

 

1,369

 

 

 

-

 

Intangible assets

 

22,493

 

 

 

-

 

Goodwill

 

46,349

 

 

 

-

 

Other long-term assets

 

2,143

 

 

 

148

 

Total assets

$

258,311

 

 

$

64,567

 

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

 

 

 

 

 

CURRENT LIABILITIES:

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts payable

$

3,368

 

 

$

1,745

 

Accrued emissions expense

 

1,674

 

 

 

2,082

 

Accrued expenses

 

9,566

 

 

 

946

 

Accrued interest expense - related party

 

-

 

 

 

20

 

Notes payable, current portion

 

17,994

 

 

 

3,273

 

Notes payable - related party, current portion

 

-

 

 

 

3,573

 

Lease obligations, current portion

 

852

 

 

 

-

 

Total current liabilities

 

33,454

 

 

 

11,639

 

LONG-TERM LIABILITIES:

 

 

 

 

 

Deferred tax liability

 

3,959

 

 

 

-

 

Notes payable, net of current portion

 

7,369

 

 

 

1,364

 

Lease obligations, net of current portion

 

111

 

 

 

-

 

Asset retirement obligations

 

2,380

 

 

 

2,277

 

Environmental trust liability

 

4,994

 

 

 

4,927

 

Other long-term liabilities

 

242

 

 

 

-

 

Total liabilities

 

52,509

 

 

 

20,207

 

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (NOTE 13)

 

 

 

 

 

STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY:

 

 

 

 

 

 Preferred stock, par value $0.0001, 20,000,000 and 0 shares authorized,
  
0 and 0 shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2021 and
  December 31, 2020, respectively

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

Common stock, par value $0.0001, 3,000,000,000 and 0 shares authorized,
 
38,667,705 and 0 shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2021
 and December 31, 2020, respectively

 

4

 

 

 

-

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

233,813

 

 

 

-

 

Members' capital, 0 and 49,978 units outstanding as of September 30, 2021

 

 

 

 

 

 and December 31, 2020, respectively

 

-

 

 

 

69,276

 

Accumulated deficit

 

(28,015

)

 

 

(24,916

)

Total stockholders' equity

 

205,802

 

 

 

44,360

 

Total liabilities and stockholders' equity

$

258,311

 

 

$

64,567

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

5


Table of Contents

 

Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND

COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS) (UNAUDITED)

(in thousands, except per share data)

 

 

Three Months Ended September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

REVENUE:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cryptocurrency mining

$

31,156

 

 

$

3,043

 

 

$

54,217

 

 

$

8,673

 

Power and capacity

 

3,077

 

 

 

3,080

 

 

 

7,255

 

 

 

5,264

 

Services and other

 

1,521

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

1,521

 

 

 

-

 

Total revenue

 

35,754

 

 

 

6,123

 

 

 

62,993

 

 

 

13,937

 

OPERATING COSTS AND EXPENSES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost of revenue - cryptocurrency mining (exclusive of
 depreciation and amortization shown below)

 

5,974

 

 

 

1,027

 

 

 

11,504

 

 

 

2,966

 

Cost of revenue - power and capacity (exclusive of
 depreciation and amortization shown below)

 

2,831

 

 

 

3,045

 

 

 

6,688

 

 

 

5,715

 

Cost of revenue - services and other (exclusive of
 depreciation and amortization shown below)

 

854

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

854

 

 

 

-

 

Selling, general and administrative

 

5,446

 

 

 

1,493

 

 

 

12,017

 

 

 

4,131

 

Merger and other costs (Note 4)

 

29,847

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

31,095

 

 

 

-

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

2,667

 

 

 

1,064

 

 

 

5,531

 

 

 

3,227

 

Total operating costs and expenses

 

47,619

 

 

 

6,629

 

 

 

67,689

 

 

 

16,039

 

Loss from operations

 

(11,865

)

 

 

(506

)

 

 

(4,696

)

 

 

(2,102

)

OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE), NET:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest expense, net

 

(1,009

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

(1,377

)

 

 

-

 

Interest expense - related party

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

(22

)

 

 

(540

)

Gain on sale of digital assets

 

18

 

 

 

36

 

 

 

159

 

 

 

11

 

Other (expense) income, net

 

(29

)

 

 

181

 

 

 

(23

)

 

 

165

 

Total other (expense) income, net

 

(1,020

)

 

 

217

 

 

 

(1,263

)

 

 

(364

)

LOSS BEFORE INCOME TAXES

 

(12,885

)

 

 

(289

)

 

 

(5,959

)

 

 

(2,466

)

Benefit for income taxes

 

(4,989

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

(2,860

)

 

 

-

 

NET LOSS AND TOTAL
   COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

$

(7,896

)

 

$

(289

)

 

$

(3,099

)

 

$

(2,466

)

Loss per share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

$

(0.28

)

 

 

 

 

$

(0.13

)

 

 

 

Diluted

$

(0.28

)

 

 

 

 

$

(0.13

)

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

6


Table of Contents

 

Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (UNAUDITED)

(in thousands, except share and member unit data)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additional

 

 

Common Units

 

 

Preferred Units

 

 

Senior Priority Units

 

 

Total

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preferred Stock

 

 

Common Stock

 

 

Paid - In

 

 

Number

 

 

Members'

 

 

Number

 

 

Members'

 

 

Number

 

 

Members'

 

 

Members'

 

 

Accumulated

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shares

 

 

Amount

 

 

Shares

 

 

Amount

 

 

Capital

 

 

of Units

 

 

Capital

 

 

of Units

 

 

Capital

 

 

of Units

 

 

Capital

 

 

Capital

 

 

Deficit

 

 

Total

 

Balance at January 1, 2021

 

 

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

 

750

 

 

$

-

 

 

 

39,228

 

 

$

39,074

 

 

 

10,000

 

 

$

30,202

 

 

$

69,276

 

 

$

(24,916

)

 

$

44,360

 

Contribution of Preferred Units, Senior
   Priority Units, and notes payable to
   related party for Greenidge class B
   common stock (Note 9)

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

26,800,300

 

 

 

3

 

 

 

72,888

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

(39,228

)

 

 

(39,074

)

 

 

(10,000

)

 

 

(30,202

)

 

 

(69,276

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

3,615

 

Contribution of GGH Common Units for
   Greenidge class B common stock (Note 9)

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

1,199,700

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

(750

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

Proceeds from issuance of preferred
   stock, net of stock issuance costs
   of $
3,387 (Note 9)

 

 

1,620,000

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

37,112

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

37,113

 

Stock-based compensation expense

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

1,063

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

1,063

 

Proceeds from stock options exercised

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

160,000

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

1,000

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

1,000

 

Stock issued to purchase miners

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

160,000

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

991

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

991

 

Net income

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

4,797

 

 

 

4,797

 

Balance at June 30, 2021

 

 

1,620,000

 

 

$

1

 

 

 

28,320,000

 

 

$

3

 

 

$

113,054

 

 

 

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

$

(20,119

)

 

$

92,939

 

Shares issued to Support.com shareholders
   upon Merger, net of issuance costs of
   $
2,296 (Note 9)

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

2,960,731

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

91,588

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

91,588

 

Issuance of shares for investor fee associated
  with successful completion of Merger (Note 9)

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

562,174

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

17,826

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

17,826

 

Issuance of warrants to advisor in connection
  with completion of Merger (Note 9)

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

8,779

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

8,779

 

Conversion of preferred stock (Note 9)

 

 

(1,620,000

)

 

 

(1

)

 

 

6,480,000

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

Shares issued upon exercise of warrants

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

344,800

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

2,155

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

2,155

 

Stock-based compensation expense

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

411

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

411

 

Net loss

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

(7,896

)

 

 

(7,896

)

Balance at September 30, 2021

 

 

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

 

38,667,705

 

 

$

4

 

 

$

233,813

 

 

 

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

$

(28,015

)

 

$

205,802

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additional

 

 

Common Units

 

 

Preferred Units

 

 

Senior Priority Units

 

 

Total

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preferred Stock

 

 

Common Stock

 

 

Paid - In

 

 

Number

 

 

Members'

 

 

Number

 

 

Members'

 

 

Number

 

 

Members'

 

 

Members'

 

 

Accumulated

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shares

 

 

Amount

 

 

Shares

 

 

Amount

 

 

Capital

 

 

of Units

 

 

Capital

 

 

of Units

 

 

Capital

 

 

of Units

 

 

Capital

 

 

Capital

 

 

Deficit

 

 

Total

 

Balance at January 1, 2020

 

 

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

 

750

 

 

$

-

 

 

 

54,228

 

 

$

54,074

 

 

 

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

$

54,074

 

 

$

(20,350

)

 

$

33,724

 

Net loss

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

(2,177

)

 

 

(2,177

)

Balance at June 30, 2020

 

 

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

 

750

 

 

$

-

 

 

 

54,228

 

 

$

54,074

 

 

 

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

$

54,074

 

 

$

(22,527

)

 

$

31,547

 

Net loss

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

(289

)

 

 

(289

)

Balance at September 30, 2020

 

 

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

 

750

 

 

$

-

 

 

 

54,228

 

 

$

54,074

 

 

 

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

$

54,074

 

 

$

(22,816

)

 

$

31,258

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

7


Table of Contents

 

Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (UNAUDITED)

(in thousands)

 

 

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

CASH FLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

$

(3,099

)

 

$

(2,466

)

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash
flow from operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

5,531

 

 

 

3,227

 

Deferred income taxes

 

 

(2,945

)

 

 

-

 

Amortization of debt issuance costs

 

 

54

 

 

 

-

 

Accretion of asset retirement obligations

 

 

103

 

 

 

108

 

Stock-based compensation expense

 

 

1,474

 

 

 

-

 

Investor fee paid in common stock

 

 

17,826

 

 

 

-

 

Advisor fee paid in warrants

 

 

8,779

 

 

 

-

 

Loss on environmental trust liability

 

 

67

 

 

 

-

 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts receivable

 

 

272

 

 

 

(165

)

Emissions and carbon offset credits

 

 

107

 

 

 

(336

)

Prepaids and other assets

 

 

(5,955

)

 

 

(965

)

Accounts payable

 

 

(455

)

 

 

(1,062

)

Accrued emissions

 

 

(408

)

 

 

941

 

Accrued expenses

 

 

5,315

 

 

 

1,506

 

Net cash flow provided by operating activities

 

 

26,666

 

 

 

788

 

CASH FLOW FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purchases of and deposits for property and equipment

 

 

(65,757

)

 

 

(9,738

)

Cash received in Merger

 

 

27,113

 

 

 

-

 

Project deposit

 

 

-

 

 

 

436

 

Net cash flow used in investing activities

 

 

(38,644

)

 

 

(9,302

)

CASH FLOW FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from issuance of preferred stock, net of issuance costs

 

 

37,113

 

 

 

-

 

Proceeds from stock options exercised

 

 

1,000

 

 

 

-

 

Proceeds from warrants exercised

 

 

2,155

 

 

 

-

 

Issuance costs associated with shares issued for Support acquisition

 

 

(2,296

)

 

 

-

 

Proceeds from notes payable, net of issuance costs

 

 

25,112

 

 

 

-

 

Principal payments on notes payable

 

 

(4,440

)

 

 

-

 

Repayments of finance lease obligations

 

 

(569

)

 

 

-

 

Net cash flow provided by financing activities

 

 

58,075

 

 

 

-

 

CHANGE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

 

 

46,097

 

 

 

(8,514

)

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS - beginning of year

 

 

5,052

 

 

 

11,750

 

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS - end of period

 

$

51,149

 

 

$

3,236

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

8


Table of Contents

 

Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc.

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)

1. Organization and Description of Business

 

Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc. (“Greenidge”) and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”) owns and operates a vertically integrated bitcoin mining and power facility located in Dresden, New York. The Company’s bitcoin mining capacity generates revenue in the form of bitcoin, which are then exchanged for U.S. dollars, by earning bitcoin with application-specific integrated circuit computers (“ASICs” or “miners”) that are owned by the Company as rewards and transaction fees for supporting the global bitcoin network. Additionally, the Company generates revenues in U.S. dollars to a lesser extent from third parties for hosting and maintaining their ASICs. The Company also sells surplus electricity generated by its power plant, and not consumed in bitcoin mining operations, to the New York Independent System Operator (“NYISO”) power grid at prices set on a daily basis through the NYISO wholesale market. In addition, the Company receives revenues from the sale of its capacity and ancillary services in the NYISO wholesale market.

 

Merger with Support, Inc.

 

On September 14, 2021, GGH Merger Sub, Inc. (“Merger Sub”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Greenidge, merged with and into Support.com, Inc. (“Support”), with Support continuing as the surviving corporation (the “Merger”) and a wholly owned subsidiary of Greenidge, pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated March 19, 2021 (the “Merger Agreement”), among Greenidge, Support and Merger Sub.

 

The Merger combined the respective businesses of Greenidge and Support through an all-stock transaction and has been accounted for using the acquisition method of accounting in accordance with the provisions of Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 805, Business Combinations, with Greenidge being deemed the acquiring company for accounting purposes (see Note 3). Prior to the Merger, Greenidge's class A common stock was registered pursuant to the Exchange Act and, upon completion of the Merger on September 15, 2021, began trading on Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol “GREE”. Concurrently, Support deregistered its shares pursuant to the Exchange Act.

 

Support provides solutions and technical programs to customers delivered by home-based employees. Support’s homesourcing model, which enables outsourced work to be delivered by people working from home, has been specifically designed for remote work, with attention to security, recruiting, training, delivery, and employee engagement. Since the consummation of the Merger, the Support business operates as a wholly owned subsidiary and segment of Greenidge.

 

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

 

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information. In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring adjusting, considered necessary for a fair presentation of such interim results.

 

Greenidge is the successor entity for accounting purposes to Greenidge Generation Holdings LLC ("GGH") as a result of the corporate restructuring consummated in January 2021. Pursuant to this restructuring, Greenidge was incorporated in the State of Delaware on January 27, 2021 and on January 29, 2021, entered into an asset contribution and exchange agreement with the owners of GGH, pursuant to which Greenidge acquired all of the ownership interests in GGH in exchange for 28,000,000 shares of Greenidge’s class B common stock. As a result of this transaction, GGH became a wholly owned subsidiary of Greenidge. The financial information presented herein are that of GGH for the periods before January 29, 2021 and Greenidge for the period after January 29, 2021.

 

The results for the unaudited interim condensed consolidated statements of operations are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for the year ending December 31, 2021 or for any future interim period. The unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements do not include all of the information and notes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. The accompanying unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020 and accompanying notes.

 

The condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Greenidge and its subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

 

9


Table of Contents

 

Variable Interest Entities

The Company evaluates its interests in variable interest entities (“VIE”) and consolidates any VIE in which it has a controlling financial interest and is deemed to be the primary beneficiary. A controlling financial interest has both of the following characteristics: (1) the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact its economic performance; and (2) the obligation to absorb losses of the VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could be significant to the VIE. If both characteristics are met, the Company considers itself to be the primary beneficiary and therefore will consolidate that VIE into its consolidated financial statements.

 

Consolidation of a Variable Interest Entity

On October 2, 2019, Blocker, a related entity through common ownership, purchased 15,000 preferred units of Greenidge Coin, LLC ("GC") for $15,000. Blocker was formed for the sole purpose of making a capital investment into GC so that GC could then provide a loan to GGH. The purpose of the loan from GC to GGH was to fund the development of infrastructure necessary for the Company to commence its Bitcoin mining operations.

 

Accordingly, Blocker is deemed a VIE because Blocker’s operations consist of its investment in GC and consequently, Blocker relies on the operations of the Company to sustain future operating expenses. The Company is deemed the primary beneficiary of the VIE because it is the sole provider of financial support. Accordingly, as of October 2, 2019, the Company consolidated Blocker’s balance sheet and results of operations. On December 31, 2020, Blocker entered into a liquidating distribution agreement with GGH, effectively dissolving Blocker into GGH.

Use of estimates

 

The preparation of condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements and notes thereto. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Significant estimates made by management include, but are not limited to, estimates of the fair value of goodwill and intangible assets, useful lives of long-lived assets, stock-based compensation, current and deferred income tax assets and liabilities and asset retirement obligations.

 

Significant Accounting Policies

 

For a detailed discussion about the Company’s significant accounting policies, see the Company’s December 31, 2020 consolidated financial statements.

 

Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Investments

All liquid instruments with an original maturity, at the date of purchase, of 90 days or less are classified as cash equivalents. Cash equivalents and short-term investments consist primarily of money market funds, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, corporate notes and bonds, and U.S. government agency securities. The Company's interest income on cash, cash equivalents and investments is included in interest expense, net in the condensed consolidated statements of operations.

 

The Company monitors our investments for impairment on a quarterly basis to determine whether a decline in fair value is other-than-temporary by considering factors such as current economic and market conditions, the credit rating of the security’s issuer, the length of time an investment’s fair value has been below the Company's carrying value, the Company's intent to sell the security and the Company's belief that it will not be required to sell the security before the recovery of its amortized cost. If an investment’s decline in fair value is deemed to be other-than-temporary, the Company reduces its carrying value to the estimated fair value, as determined based on quoted market prices or liquidation values. Declines in value judged to be other-than-temporary, if any, are recorded in operations as incurred.

 

Digital Assets

Digital assets, primarily consisting of bitcoin, are included in current assets in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets. Digital assets are classified as indefinite-lived intangible assets in accordance with ASC 350, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other, and are accounted for in connection with Greenidge’s revenue recognition policy disclosed below. Cryptocurrencies held are accounted for as intangible assets with indefinite useful lives. An intangible asset with an indefinite useful life is not amortized but assessed for impairment annually, or more frequently, when events or changes in circumstances occur indicating that it is more likely than not that the indefinite-lived asset is impaired.

 

10


Table of Contents

 

The Company determines the fair value of its digital assets on a nonrecurring basis in accordance with ASC 820, Fair Value Measurement, based on quoted prices on the active exchange(s) that the Company has determined is its principal market for bitcoin (Level 1 inputs). the Company performs an analysis each period to identify whether events or changes in circumstances, principally decreases in the quoted prices on active exchanges, indicate that it is more likely than not that its digital assets are impaired.

 

Events or circumstances that may trigger an impairment assessment other than annually include but are not limited to material changes in the regulatory environment, potential technological changes in digital assets, and prolonged or material changes in the price of bitcoin below the carrying cost of the asset. Upon determining an impairment exists, the amount of the impairment is determined as the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds its fair value, which is measured using the quoted price of the digital asset at the time its fair value is being measured. To the extent an impairment loss is recognized, the loss establishes the new cost basis of the asset. Subsequent reversal of impairment losses is not permitted. The Company assessed its digital assets for impairment, and determined that no material impairments existed during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020. As of September 30, 2021, the Company’s digital assets consisted of approximately 29.8 bitcoins compared to 26.1 bitcoins as of December 31, 2020.

Digital assets awarded to the Company through its mining activities are included within the operating activities in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of cash flows. The Company accounts for its gains or losses in accordance with the last in, first out (“LIFO”) method of accounting. Gains and losses from the sales of digital assets are recorded in other income (expense) in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations.

 

Emissions Expense and Credits

The Company participates in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (“RGGI”), which requires, by law, that the Company remit credits to offset 50% of the Company’s annual emission expense in the following year, for each of the years in the three year control period (January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020). In February 2021, the Company settled the emissions allowance for the control period. The Company continues to remit credits in accordance with RGGI. The Company recognizes expense on a per ton basis, where one ton is equal to one RGGI credit.

 

The RGGI credits are recorded on a first in, first out (“FIFO”) basis. The Company incurred emissions expense of $860 thousand and $468 thousand for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively, and $1,674 thousand and $941 thousand for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively, which is included in power and capacity cost of revenue in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations.

 

Carbon Offset Credits

The Company announced that effective June 1, 2021, it will operate an entirely carbon neutral bitcoin mining operation at its facility in Dresden, New York. The Company plans to purchase voluntary carbon offsets from a portfolio of U.S. greenhouse gas reduction projects as one method to achieve this carbon neutrality. During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, the Company purchased $0.7 million of voluntary carbon offset credits. The voluntary carbon offset credits will be expensed to cost of revenues on a specific identification basis when the Company applies it to its net zero goals, which is when the credits are surrendered to the applicable agency.

 

Goodwill

Acquisitions are accounted for using the acquisition method which requires allocation of the purchase price to assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on estimated fair values. Any excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the assets and liabilities acquired is recorded as goodwill. Allocations of the purchase price are based on preliminary estimates and assumptions at the date of acquisition and are subject to revision based on final information received, including appraisals and other analyses which support underlying estimates. The Company performs a goodwill impairment test annually in the fourth quarter or more frequently if events or circumstances indicate that an impairment loss may have been incurred. The applicable guidance allows an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine if it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than carrying value. If it is determined that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than carrying value then the company will estimate and compare the fair value of its reporting units to their carrying value, including goodwill. If the carrying value of goodwill is not recoverable, an impairment is recognized for the difference. Fair value is determined through the use of projected future cash flows, multiples of earnings and sales and other factors. Such analysis requires the use of certain market assumptions and discount factors, which are subjective in nature. The Company's goodwill relates to the Merger (see Note 3).

 

11


Table of Contents

 

Intangible Assets

Other intangible assets relate to customer relationships and tradename acquired in the Merger (see Note 3), and are being amortized over the estimated period of benefit. The Company evaluates the recoverability of its intangible assets subject to amortization when facts and circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the asset may not be recoverable. If the carrying value is not recoverable, impairment is measured as the amount by which the carrying value exceeds its estimated fair value. Fair value is generally estimated based on either appraised value or other valuation techniques.

 

Asset Retirement Obligations

Asset retirement obligations are legal obligations associated with the retirement of long-lived assets. The obligations represent the present value of the estimated costs for an asset’s future retirement discounted using a credit-adjusted risk-free rate, and are recorded in the period in which the liability is incurred. The liabilities recognized relate to the decommissioning of a coal ash pond for coal combustion residuals (“CCR”), which are subject to Federal and State regulations.

 

In accordance with Federal law and ASC 410-20, Asset Retirement Obligations, the Company recorded an asset retirement obligation of $2.4 million and $2.3 million at September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. The Company expensed less than $0.1 million to other income and expense, net during both of the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020 for the accretion of interest for the liability and $0.1 during both of the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020. There were no changes to cash flow estimates related to the coal ash pond asset retirement obligation during the three and six months ended September 30, 2021 or 2020. Estimates are based on various assumptions including, but not limited to, closure cost estimates, timing of expenditures, escalation factors, discount rate of 5.00% and methods for complying with CCR regulations. Additional adjustments to the asset retirement obligations are expected periodically due to potential changes in estimates and assumptions.

 

Environmental Trust Liability

The Company owns and operates a landfill. As required by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (“NYSDEC”), landfills are required to fund a trust to cover closure costs and expenses after the landfill has stopped operating.

 

The trust is designed to provide funds for 30 years of expenses to maintain a landfill once it is full and has no further source of revenue or in case the owner is defunct and the NYSDEC has to operate the landfill. The landfill is a fully permitted, operational landfill and also acts as a leachate treatment facility. An annual report is completed by a third-party engineering firm to provide environmental compliance and calculate combined closure and post-closure costs, discounted to current year dollars using a discount rate of 4.50%. In lieu of a trust, the Company has negotiated with its largest equity member to maintain a letter of credit guaranteeing the payment of the liability (see Note 8). In accordance with ASC 410-20, Asset Retirement Obligations, the Company has recorded an environmental liability of $5.0 million and $4.9 million at September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. The letter of credit related to this liability was for $5.0 million at September 30, 2021 (see Note 8).

 

Leases

On January 1, 2021, the Company adopted ASC 842, Leases ("ASC 842"). No lease arrangements were in place as of January 1, 2021. Following guidance in ASC 842, arrangements meeting the definition of a lease are classified as operating or financing leases and are recorded on the condensed consolidated balance sheet. Right-of-use (“ROU”) assets represent the Company’s right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent an obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. ROU assets and lease liabilities are recognized at the lease commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term at the rate implicit in the lease or the Company’s incremental borrowing rate. The ROU asset is amortized over the lease term. Variable lease expenses, if any, are recorded when incurred.

 

In calculating the ROU asset and related lease liability, the Company elected to combine lease and non-lease components. The Company excluded short-term leases having initial terms of 12 months or less from the new guidance as an accounting policy election and recognizes rent expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

 

ASC 842 requires the Company to recognize an ROU asset and a lease liability for all leases with terms greater than 12 months. The Company entered into two immaterial leases during the nine months ended September 30, 2021. The Company entered into a finance lease to finance the purchase of equipment on March 11, 2021, for which, the Company recorded an ROU asset of $1.4 million and a finance lease obligation of $1.2 million at the lease commencement date. The lease for this equipment ends August 31, 2022. The Company also entered into an operating lease for office space, for which the Company recorded an ROU asset and lease liability of $0.1 million.

 

12


Table of Contents

 

Revenue Recognition

 

Cryptocurrency Mining Revenue

Greenidge has entered into digital asset mining pools by executing contracts with the mining pool operators to provide computing power to the mining pool. The contracts are terminable at any time by either party and Greenidge’s enforceable right to compensation only begins when Greenidge provides computing power to the mining pool operator. In exchange for providing computing power, Greenidge is entitled to a theoretical fractional share of the cryptocurrency award the mining pool operator receives less digital asset transaction fees to the mining pool operator. Revenue is measured as the value of the fractional share of the cryptocurrency award received from the pool operator, which has been reduced by the transaction fee retained by the pool operator, for Greenidge’s pro rata contribution of computing power to the mining pool operator for the successful solution of the current algorithm.

Providing computing power in digital asset transaction verification services is an output of Greenidge’s ordinary activities. The provision of providing such computing power is the only performance obligation in Greenidge’s contracts with mining pool operators. The cryptocurrency that Greenidge receives as transaction consideration is noncash consideration, which Greenidge measures at fair value on the date received, which is not materially different than the fair value at the contract inception or the time Greenidge has earned the award from the pools. The consideration is all variable. Because it is not probable that a significant reversal of cumulative revenue will not occur, the consideration is constrained until the mining pool operator successfully places a block (by being the first to solve an algorithm) and Greenidge receives confirmation of the consideration it will receive, at which time revenue is recognized.

Pool fees paid by miners to pooling operators are based on a fixed percentage of the theoretical bitcoin block reward and network transaction fees received by miners. Pooling fees are netted against daily bitcoin payouts. Greenidge does not expect any material future changes in pool fee percentages paid to pooling operators, however as pools become more competitive, these fees may trend lower over time.

Fair value of the cryptocurrency award received is determined using the quoted price on Greenidge’s primary exchange of the related cryptocurrency at the time of receipt.

 

There is currently no specific definitive guidance under GAAP or alternative accounting framework for the accounting for cryptocurrencies recognized as revenue or held, and management has exercised significant judgment in determining the appropriate accounting treatment. In the event authoritative guidance is enacted by the FASB, Greenidge may be required to change its policies, which could have an effect on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial position and results of operations.

Power and capacity revenue

Greenidge recognizes power revenue at a point in time, when the electricity is delivered to the NYISO and its performance obligation is met. Greenidge recognizes revenue on capacity agreements over the life of the contract as its series of performance obligations are met as capacity to provide power is maintained.

 

Sales tax, value-added tax, and other taxes Greenidge collects concurrent with revenue-producing activities are excluded from revenue. Incidental contract costs that are not material in the context of the delivery of goods and services are recognized as expense. There is no significant financing component in these transactions.

 

Services and other revenue

Services revenue is primarily comprised of fees for customer support and technology support services provided by Greenidge's wholly owned subsidiary, Support. Support's service programs are designed for enterprise clients, business and professional services clients, as well as the consumer, and include customer service, sales support, and technical support, including computer and mobile device set-up, security and support, virus and malware removal, wireless network set-up, and automation system onboarding and support.

 

Support offers customer support, technical support, and technology services to large corporations, business and professional services organizations and consumers, directly and through its partners (which include communications providers, retailers, technology companies and others) and, to a lesser degree, directly through its website. Support transacts with customers via reseller programs, referral programs and direct transactions. In reseller programs, the partner generally executes the financial transactions with the customer and pays a fee to Support, which is recognized as revenue when the service is delivered. In referral programs, Support transacts with the customer directly and pays a referral fee to the referring party. In direct transactions, Support sells directly to the customer at the retail price.

 

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The services described above include four types of offerings:

Time-Based Services - In connection with the provisions of certain services programs, fees are calculated based on contracted time-based rates with partners. For these programs, revenue is recognizes as services are performed, based on billable time of work delivered by technology professionals. These services programs also include performance standards, which may result in incentives or penalties, which are recognized as earned or incurred.
Tier-Based Services – In connection with the provisions of certain services programs, fees are calculated on partner subscription tiers based on number of subscribers. For these programs, revenue is recognized as services are performed, and are billed based on the tier level of number of subscribers supported by Support's professional team.
Subscriptions - Customers purchase subscriptions or “service plans” under which certain services are provided over a fixed subscription period. Revenues for subscriptions are recognized ratably over the respective subscription periods.
Incident-Based Services - Customers purchase a discrete, one-time service. Revenue recognition occurs at the time of service delivery. Fees paid for services sold but not yet delivered are recorded as deferred revenue and recognized at the time of service delivery.

 

Partners and corporate customers are generally invoiced monthly. Fees from customers via referral programs and direct transactions are generally paid with a credit card at the time of sale. Revenue is recognized net of any applicable sales tax.

 

Services revenue also includes fees from licensing of Support cloud-based software. In such arrangements, customers receive a right to use Support cloud applications in their own support organizations. Support licenses its cloud-based software using a software-as-a-service (“SaaS”) model under which customers cannot take possession of the technology and pay Support on a per-user or usage basis during the term of the arrangement.

 


Services and other revenue also includes, to a lesser extent, fees for end-user software products provided through direct customer downloads and through the sale of these end-user software products via partners. Support's software is sold to customers primarily on an annual subscription with automatic renewal. Support provides regular, significant upgrades over the subscription period and therefore recognize revenue for these products ratably over the subscription period. Management has determined that these upgrades are not distinct, as the upgrades are an input into a combined output. In addition, management has determined that the frequency and timing of the software upgrades are unpredictable and therefore recognizes revenue consistent with the sale of the subscription. Support generally controls fulfillment, pricing, product requirements, and collection risk and therefore records the gross amount of revenue. Support provides a 30-day money back guarantee for the majority of its end-user software products.

 

Cryptocurrency Mining Cost of Revenue

Cost of revenue - cryptocurrency mining consists primarily of natural gas, emissions, payroll and benefits and other direct production costs associated with the megawatts generated for the digital mining operation. Cost of revenue – cryptocurrency mining does not include depreciation and amortization.

 

Power and Capacity Cost of Revenue

Cost of revenue - power and capacity consists primarily of natural gas, emissions, payroll and benefits and other direct production costs associated with the megawatts generated for the power produced by Greenidge and sold to the grid. Cost of revenue – power and capacity does not include depreciation and amortization.

 

Cost of Services and Other Revenue

Cost of revenue - services and other consists primarily of compensation costs and contractor expenses associated with people providing services, as well as the technology, telecommunications and other personnel-related expenses related to the delivery of services. To a lesser extent, cost of services and other revenue includes third-party royalty fees for end-user software products. Cost of revenue - services and other does not include depreciation and amortization.

 

Selling, General, and Administrative Expenses

Selling, general and administrative expenses consist primarily of administrative payroll and benefits, business development costs, professional fees, and insurance.

 

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Stock-Based Compensation

The Company accounts for share-based payment awards exchanged for services at the estimated grant date fair value of the award. Stock options issued under the Company’s equity incentive plans are granted with an exercise price equal to no less than the market price of the Company’s stock at the date of grant and expire up to ten years from the date of the grants. These options generally vest on the grant date or over a three year period.

 

The Company estimates the fair value of the stock options grants using the Black-Scholes-Merton option pricing model and the assumptions used in calculating the fair value of stock-based awards represent management’s best estimates and involve inherent uncertainties and the application of management’s judgement.

 

Expected Term – The expected term of options represents the period that the Company’s stock-based awards are expected to be outstanding on the simplified method, which is the half-life from vesting to the end of its contractual term.

 

Expected Volatility – The Company computes stock price volatility over expected terms based on reasonable estimates and comparable public companies as the Company had little trading history of its own common stock.

 

Risk-Free Interest Rate– The Company bases the risk-free interest rate on the implied yield available on U.S. Treasury zero-coupon issues with an equivalent remaining term.

 

Expected Dividend – The Company has never declared or paid any cash dividends on its common shares and does not plan to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future, and, therefore, uses an expected dividend yield of zero in its valuation models.

 

Income Taxes

Prior to the formation of Greenidge on January 27, 2021, GGH was treated as a partnership for federal and state income tax purposes. Pursuant to this election, the profit or loss of GGH is reported in the individual income tax returns of the members. Therefore, no provision for Federal or State taxes has been made for the year ended December 31, 2020.

 

Subsequent to the conversion of GGH to Greenidge, the Company calculates the provision for income taxes in accordance with ASC 740, Income Taxes. The current provision for income taxes represents actual or estimated amounts payable or refundable on tax return filings each year. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recorded for the estimated future tax effects of temporary differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and amounts reported in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets, and for operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. The change in deferred tax assets and liabilities for the period measures the deferred tax provision or benefit for the period. Effects of changes in enacted tax laws on deferred tax assets and liabilities are reflected as adjustments to the tax provision or benefit in the period of enactment. A valuation allowance may be provided to the extent management deems it is more likely than not that deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of net deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income, in the appropriate taxing jurisdictions, during the periods in which temporary differences, net operating losses and tax credits become realizable. Management believes that it is more likely than not that the Company will realize the benefits of these temporary differences and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards, net of valuation allowances. The Company recognizes and measures tax positions taken or expected to be taken in its tax return based on their technical merit and assesses the likelihood that the positions will be sustained upon examination based on the facts, circumstances and information available at the end of each period. Interest and penalties on tax liabilities, if any, would be recorded as incurred in interest expense and other expenses, respectively.

 

Earnings Per Share

Basic net income per common share attributable to common shareholders is calculated by dividing net income attributable to common shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted net income per common share attributable to common shareholders is calculated by dividing net income attributable to common shareholders by the diluted weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Basic and diluted income per common share is not provided for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 as the Company was organized as an LLC during that period. The Company used the weighted average method in determining earnings per share in consideration of the conversion of participating securities to common shares due to the reorganization in January 2021.

 

Reclassifications

Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year's presentation.

 

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Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

 

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes (“ASU 2019-12”), which is intended to simplify various aspects related to accounting for income taxes. ASU 2019-12 removes certain exceptions to the general principles in Topic 740 and also clarifies and amends existing guidance to improve consistent application. This guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2020, with early adoption permitted. As an emerging growth company, the Company has elected to adopt this pronouncement following the effective date for private companies beginning with periods beginning after December 15, 2021. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this standard on its condensed consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

 

Any new accounting standards, not disclosed above, that have been issued or proposed by FASB that do not require adoption until a future date are not expected to have a material impact on the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements upon adoption.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements, Adopted

 

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which requires lessees to recognize a right-of-use (“ROU”) asset and a lease liability for all leases with terms greater than 12 months and also requires disclosures by lessees and lessors about the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. Subsequent to the issuance of Topic 842, the FASB clarified the guidance through several ASUs; hereinafter the collection of lease guidance is referred to as “ASC 842”. On January 1, 2021, the Company adopted ASC 842. The Company had no leasing arrangements at the beginning of the period of adoption. As a result, no cumulative impact of adopting ASC 842 was recorded. The Company also elected to exclude leases with a term of 12 months or less in the recognized ROU assets and lease liabilities, when the likelihood of renewal is not probable. Refer to the discussion of Leases within this note for additional information. The Company determines if an arrangement is a lease at inception. ROU assets represent the Company’s right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent an obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. ROU assets and lease liabilities are recognized at the lease commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. The Company uses its incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. The lease terms used to calculate the ROU asset and related lease liability include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise that option.

3. MERGER WITH SUPPORT

 

As described in Note 1, on September 14, 2021, Greenidge and Support combined their respective businesses through an all-stock merger transaction where Support became a wholly owned subsidiary of Greenidge. The merger has been accounted for as a business combination using the acquisition method of accounting in accordance with the provisions of FASB ASC 805, Business Combinations (“ASC 805”). Greenidge was determined to be the acquiring company for accounting purposes.

 

At the effective time of the Merger (“Effective Time”): (i) each share of common stock of Support (the “Support Common Stock”) issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time was cancelled and extinguished and automatically converted into the right to receive 0.115 (the “Exchange Ratio”) shares of class A common stock, par value $0.0001, of the Company, (ii) each outstanding stock option of Support immediately prior to the Effective Time (an “Option”) was accelerated, and the holder of each Option received the right to receive an amount of the Company's class A common stock equal to the Exchange Ratio, multiplied by the number of shares of Support Common Stock underlying such Option, less any shares withheld in satisfaction of the aggregate exercise price of such Option and such holder’s tax withholding obligations and (iii) each outstanding restricted stock unit of Support immediately prior to the Effective Time (an “RSU”) was accelerated, and the holder of each RSU received the right to receive an amount of the Company's class A common stock equal to the Exchange Ratio, multiplied by the number of shares of Support Common Stock underlying such RSU, less any shares and such holder’s tax withholding obligations.

 

Preliminary Allocation of the Purchase Price

 

We have applied the acquisition method of accounting in accordance with ASC 805, with respect to the identifiable assets and liabilities of Support, which have been measured at estimated fair value as of the date of the business combination. Any excess of the acquisition price over the fair value of the assets and liabilities acquired is recorded as goodwill.

 

As required by ASC 805, the acquisition price was determined based on the value of the consideration paid to Support shareholders, calculated to be $93.9 million (see table below). This acquisition price was allocated to the identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed of Support based upon their estimated fair values at the Merger date, primarily using Level 2 and Level 3 inputs. Level 2 inputs are quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets or inputs that are observable, and Level 3 inputs are inputs that are unobservable (for example, cash flow modeling inputs based on assumptions). Due to the timing of the business combination,

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allocations of the acquisition price are based on preliminary estimates and assumptions at the Merger date and are subject to revision based on final information received, including appraisals, projections and other analysis which support underlying estimates. As the Company finalizes the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, additional purchase price allocation adjustments may be recorded during the measurement period, but no later than one year from the date of the Merger. The Company will reflect measurement period adjustments in the period in which the adjustments are determined.

 

The following table summarizes the estimated value of the consideration paid (purchase price):

 

$ in thousands, except per share amount

 

 

Support common stock exchanged

 

25,745,487

 

Exchange ratio

 

0.115

 

Greenidge Class A common stock exchanged

 

2,960,731

 

Greenidge common stock value per share

$

31.71

 

   Consideration paid

$

93,885

 

 

For the period immediately prior to the effective date of the Merger, Greenridge was a private company, and Support’s stock price fluctuated significantly based on factors not representative of the value of its underlying operations; therefore, Greenidge used the average of its closing stock price for the first ten days of trading on the Nasdaq Exchange ($31.71 per share) to measure the value of the consideration paid to Support shareholders.

 

The following table summarizes the preliminary allocation of the purchase price to the identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed by Greenridge, with the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of Support’s net assets recorded as goodwill. As previously discussed, allocations of the acquisition price are based on preliminary estimates and assumptions and the final determination of the fair values may result in further adjustments to the values presented in the following table:

 

$ in thousands

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

$

27,113

 

Short-term investments

 

496

 

Accounts receivable

 

5,383

 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

713

 

Property and equipment

 

1,349

 

Other long-term assets

 

383

 

Accounts payable

 

(117

)

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

 

(3,328

)

Other long-term liabilities

 

(242

)

Intangible assets

 

22,690

 

Deferred tax liability

 

(6,904

)

Goodwill

 

46,349

 

   Total consideration

$

93,885

 

 

For assets and liabilities (excluding identifiable intangible assets and deferred revenues), the Company estimated that the carrying values, net of allowances, represented the fair values at the effective date of the Merger.

 

The fair value estimates for identifiable intangible assets is based on preliminary assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset, based on the most advantageous market for the asset (i.e., its highest and best use). The final fair value determination for identifiable intangibles or estimates of remaining useful lives may differ materially from this preliminary determination. Following is a summary of identifiable intangible assets determined on a preliminary basis and is subject to adjustment during the measurement period, which could be material:

 

$ in thousands

 

 

 

 

 

Identifiable Intangible Asset

 

Useful Life

 

Fair Value

 

Customer relationships

 

5 years

 

$

21,600

 

Tradename

 

10 years

 

 

1,090

 

   Total identifiable intangible assets

 

 

 

$

22,690

 

 

The preliminary fair value of the customer relationships intangible asset was valued using a multi-period excess earnings method, a form of the income approach, which incorporates the estimated future cash flows to be generated from Support’s existing customer base. Excess earnings are the earnings remaining after deducting the market rates of return on the estimated values of contributory

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assets, including debt-free net working capital, tangible assets, and other identifiable intangible assets. The excess earnings are thereby calculated for each year of multi-year projection periods and discounted to present value.

 

The preliminary fair value of the Support tradename was valued using the relief from royalty method under the income approach. This method estimates the cost savings generated by a company related to the ownership of an asset for which it would otherwise have had to pay royalties or license fees on revenues earned through the use of the asset and discounted to present value.

 

Due to the timing of the Merger, the Company is in the early stages of its purchase accounting process. As the Company completes this process, including the finalization of the purchase price, fair value calculations, and a more detailed assessment of Support’s business projections, any measurement period adjustments will be recorded and a goodwill impairment test will be performed. In accordance with ASC 805, Support’s assets and liabilities are recorded at fair value at September 14, 2021, and accordingly, there is no cushion between Support’s fair value and carrying value. Considering that the fair value used to determine the consideration was based upon a stock that experienced significant price fluctuations, it is possible that goodwill and intangible assets may need to be impaired at that time.

 

Results of Support Operations Since the Merger

 

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, the acquired Support business contributed $1.5 million in revenue and an immaterial operating loss, which includes approximately $0.2 million of amortization expenses of acquired intangible assets.

 

Supplemental Pro Forma Financial Information

 

In accordance with ASC 805, the following supplemental unaudited pro forma information gives effect to the Merger as if it had occurred on January 1, 2020. The unaudited pro forma financial information reflects certain adjustments related to the acquisition, such as:

 

Conforming the accounting policies of Support to those applied by Greenidge;
Recording certain incremental expenses resulting from purchase accounting adjustments, such as amortization expense in connection with fair value adjustments to intangible assets; and
Recording the related tax effects of pro forma adjustments.

 

 

Three Months Ended September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

$ in thousands

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Revenues

$

42,448

 

 

$

16,461

 

 

$

87,830

 

 

$

47,258

 

Net (loss) income

$

(11,783

)

 

$

(1,646

)

 

$

(12,602

)

 

$

(6,274

)

 

The pro forma results for three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 include $30.0 million and $32.4 million, respectively, of transaction costs for both Greenidge and Support ($24.5 million and $26.9 million after tax, respectively), such as advisor fees, legal and accounting expenses. These costs will not affect the combined company’s statement of operations beyond 12 months after the closing date, September 14, 2021. See Note 4 for additional information.

 

The unaudited pro forma financial information should not be relied upon as being indicative of the historical results that would have been obtained if the Merger had actually occurred on that date, nor the results of operations of the Company in the future.

 

4. MERGER AND OTHER COSTS

 

The following table provides details of Merger and other costs for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021:

 

 

 

Three Months Ended

 

 

Nine Months Ended

 

$ in thousands

September 30, 2021

 

 

September 30, 2021

 

Merger related costs:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Investor fee paid in common stock (Note 9)

$

17,826

 

 

$

17,826

 

 

Advisor fee paid in warrants (Note 9)

 

8,779

 

 

 

8,779

 

 

Professional and other fees

 

1,140

 

 

 

1,434

 

Total Merger related costs

 

27,745

 

 

 

28,039

 

Public company filing related costs

 

2,102

 

 

 

3,056

 

Total Merger and other costs

$

29,847

 

 

$

31,095

 

 

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5. SEGMENT INFORMATION

 

Effective September 14, 2021, following the completion of the Merger (see Notes 1 and 3), Support began operating within the Greenidge structure as a separate operating and reporting segment; therefore, Greenidge has two operating and reportable segments since the acquisition: i) Cryptocurrency Mining and Power Generation and ii) Support Services as the other. Prior to the Merger, Greenidge operated in one operating and reporting segment, Cryptocurrency Mining and Power Generation.

 

The Cryptocurrency Mining and Power Generation segment operates in the United States and generates revenue primarily by earning bitcoin, with application-specific integrated circuit computers (“ASICs” or “miners”) that are owned by the Company, as rewards and transaction fees for supporting the global bitcoin network. The Cryptocurrency Mining and Power Generation segment also sells surplus electricity generated by its power plant, and not consumed in bitcoin mining operations, to the New York Independent System Operator (“NYISO”) power grid at prices set on a daily basis through the NYISO wholesale market. In addition, the Company receives revenues from the sale of its capacity and ancillary services in the NYISO wholesale market. The Cryptocurrency Mining and Power Generation segment operates in the United States.

 

The Support Services segment provides solutions and technical programs to customers delivered by home-based employees. The Support Services segment provides customer service, sales support , and technical support primarily to large corporations, businesses and professional services organizations. The Support Services segment also earns revenues for end-user software products provided through direct customer downloads and sale via partners. The Support Services segment operates primarily in the United States, but also has employees located in Philippines, India, Mexico, Colombia and Canada, including those staff providing support services.

 

The Company’s measure of profit or loss for segment reporting is income (loss) before income taxes, interest and depreciation and amortization and adjusted for share based compensation and excluding items not indicative of ongoing business trends (referred to as "segment Adjusted EBITDA"). This is the measure used by the Chief Operating Decision Maker (“CODM”) to assess performance and allocate resources.

 

The table below presents information about reportable segments for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively:

 

 

 

Three Months Ended September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

$ in thousands

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Revenues:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cryptocurrency Mining and Power Generation

$

34,233

 

 

$

6,123

 

 

$

61,472

 

 

$

13,937

 

 

Support Services

 

1,521

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

1,521

 

 

 

-

 

Total Revenues

$

35,754

 

 

$

6,123

 

 

$

62,993

 

 

$

13,937

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Segment Adjusted EBITDA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cryptocurrency Mining and Power Generation

$

20,973

 

 

$

775

 

 

$

33,464

 

 

$

1,301

 

 

Support Services

 

204

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

204

 

 

 

-

 

Total Segments Adjusted EBITDA

$

21,177

 

 

$

775

 

 

$

33,668

 

 

$

1,301

 

 

In addition, the table below provides a reconciliation of the total of the segments Adjusted EBITDA to the consolidated Loss before income taxes:

 

 

 

Three Months Ended September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

$ in thousands

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Total Segments Adjusted EBITDA

$

21,177

 

 

$

775

 

 

$

33,668

 

 

$

1,301

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

(2,667

)

 

 

(1,064

)

 

 

(5,531

)

 

 

(3,227

)

Stock-based compensation

 

(411

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

(1,474

)

 

 

-

 

Merger and other costs

 

(29,847

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

(31,095

)

 

 

-

 

Expansion costs

 

(128

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

(128

)

 

 

-

 

Interest expense, net

 

(1,009

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

(1,399

)

 

 

(540

)

Consolidated loss before income taxes

$

(12,885

)

 

$

(289

)

 

$

(5,959

)

 

$

(2,466

)

 

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The table below provides segment assets, which exclude cash and cash equivalents and short term investments, and a reconciliation to the consolidated total assets of the Company:

 

$ in thousands

September 30, 2021

 

Cryptocurrency Mining and Power Generation

 

129,802

 

Support Services

 

76,864

 

 

Total segment assets

 

206,666

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

51,149

 

Short term investments

 

496

 

 

Total assets

$

258,311

 

 

6. PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT

 

Property and equipment, net consisted of the following at September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020:

 

$ in thousands

Estimated Useful
Lives

 

September 30, 2021

 

 

December 31, 2020

 

Plant infrastructure

15 - 39 years

 

$

34,273

 

 

$

33,944

 

Miners

5 years

 

 

36,779

 

 

 

10,236

 

Miner facility infrastructure

15 years

 

 

14,787

 

 

 

8,791

 

Land

N/A

 

 

300

 

 

 

300

 

Equipment

5 years

 

 

948

 

 

 

211

 

Software

3 years

 

 

1,130

 

 

 

66

 

Coal ash impoundment

4 years

 

 

2,135

 

 

 

2,135

 

Construction in process

N/A

 

 

6,869

 

 

 

3,989

 

Miner deposits

N/A

 

 

38,467

 

 

 

5,959

 

 

 

 

 

135,688

 

 

 

65,631

 

Less: Accumulated depreciation

 

 

 

(14,156

)

 

 

(8,986

)

 

 

 

$

121,532

 

 

$

56,645

 

 

Total depreciation expense was $2.7 million and $5.5 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 and was $1.1 million and $3.2 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively.

 

7. NOTES PAYABLE

 

The Company has entered into equipment finance agreements that are secured by the purchased miner equipment. These agreements generally require monthly payments of principal, interest and a risk premium fee. The following table provides information on the equipment financing agreements:

 

$ in thousands

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest

Initial

 

 

Balance as of:

 

Note

Loan Date

Maturity Date

Rate

Financing

 

 

September 30, 2021

 

 

December 31, 2020

 

A

December 2020

June 2022

17.0%

$

4,482

 

 

$

1,992

 

 

$

4,233

 

B

December 2020

June 2022

17.0%

 

428

 

 

 

166

 

 

 

404

 

C

March 2021

November 2022

17.0%

 

2,229

 

 

 

1,733

 

 

 

-

 

D

April 2021

December 2022

17.0%

 

4,012

 

 

 

3,343

 

 

 

-

 

E - H

May 2021

October 2023

15.0%

 

12,080

 

 

 

11,751

 

 

 

-

 

I

July 2021

January 2023

17.0%

 

4,457

 

 

 

3,962

 

 

 

-

 

J

July 2021

March 2023

17.0%

 

2,701

 

 

 

2,415

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

25,363

 

 

 

4,637

 

Less: Current portion

 

 

 

(17,994

)

 

 

(3,273

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

$

7,369

 

 

$

1,364

 

 

The Company incurred interest expense of $1.0 million and $1.4 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively, under the terms of these notes payable.

 

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8. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

 

Notes Payable

The Company entered into a promissory note agreement during 2020 with its largest equity members, Atlas Capital Resources LP and Atlas Capital Resources (P) LP (collectively referred to herein as “Atlas”). Within the agreement, there were two separate loans. One of these related party loans had a June 2021 maturity and a balance of $2.4 million at December 31, 2020, and the other loan had a May 2021 maturity with a balance of $1.2 million at December 31, 2020. The promissory notes bore interest at 8% per annum calculated on a 360-day year, and interest accrued and compounded on a quarterly basis. All accrued but unpaid interest under the notes was due and payable upon the corresponding note maturity date. Under this promissory note agreement, the Company incurred an immaterial amount of interest expense during the nine months ended September 30, 2021. During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company incurred interest expense of $0.5 million associated with the loans that were converted into senior priority units in July 2020.

 

Notes payable to related party consisted of the following:

 

$ in thousands

 

September 30, 2021

 

 

December 31, 2020

 

Note payable to a related party due June 2021

 

$

-

 

 

$

2,382

 

Note payable to a related party due May 2021

 

 

-

 

 

 

1,191

 

 

 

$

-

 

 

$

3,573

 

Less: Current Portion

 

$

-

 

 

$

(3,573

)

 

 

$

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

The related party loans in the table above were converted into Greenidge common stock in January 2021 (see Note 9).

 

Letters of Credit

On March 19, 2021, the Company and Atlas and its affiliates entered into an arrangement pursuant to which Greenidge agreed, upon request, to direct its bank to issue new letters of credit to replace all or a portion of the letters of credit provided by Atlas and certain of its affiliates, upon the consummation of a potential investment in, financing of, or sale of any assets or equity or debt securities of the Company, which results in net proceeds to the Company of at least $10 million.

 

Atlas obtained a letter of credit from a financial institution in the amount of $5.0 million at September 30, 2021, payable to the NYSDEC. This letter of credit guarantees the current value of the Company’s environmental trust liability as discussed in Note 2.

 

Atlas also obtained a letter of credit from a financial institution in the amount of $3.6 million at September 30, 2021, payable to Empire Pipeline Incorporated (“Empire”) in the event the Company should not make contracted payments for costs related to a pipeline interconnection project the Company has entered into with Empire (see Note 13).

 

Guarantee

An affiliate of Atlas has guaranteed the payment obligation of Greenidge in favor of Emera Energy Services, Inc. under an Energy Management Agreement and an ISDA Master Agreement under which Greenidge may enter into various transactions involving the purchase and sale of gas, electricity and other commodities with Emera Energy Services, Inc. This guaranty is limited to $1.0 million. Atlas had no exposure under the guarantee during the period ended September 30, 2021.

Greenidge Coin, LLC Equity Transactions

On October 2, 2019, Blocker, a related entity through common ownership, purchased 15,000 preferred units of GC for $15 thousand.

 

On July 1, 2020, Atlas purchased the preferred units of Blocker for $16.3 million, the amount of the aggregate liquidation preference, and contributed its membership interest in Blocker to GGH in exchange for Senior Priority Units – Tranche 2 (See Note 9) on July 2, 2020.

 

On December 31, 2020, Blocker entered into a liquidating distribution agreement with GGH, effectively dissolving Blocker into GGH.

 

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9. STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

Authorized Shares

On September 13, 2021, Greenidge filed an amendment to its certificate of incorporation to increase the authorized capital stock. Pursuant to the amended and restated certificate of incorporation, Greenidge's authorized capital stock consists of 2,400,000,000 shares of class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 600,000,000 shares of class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share.

 

Contribution and Exchange Agreement

In January 2021, GGH completed a corporate restructuring. Pursuant to this restructuring, Greenidge was formed and incorporated in the State of Delaware on January 27, 2021. On January 29, 2021, Greenidge entered into an asset contribution and exchange agreement with the members of GGH, in which the GGH members’ equity interests and outstanding notes payable to related parties and all accrued but unpaid interest were contributed into Greenidge in exchange for 7,000,000 shares of Greenidge class B common stock (28,000,000 shares following the 4-for-1 stock split noted below) (see Note 8). As a result of this transaction, GGH became a wholly owned subsidiary of Greenidge.

 

Private Placement Offering of Preferred Stock

In January 2021, Greenidge completed a private placement offering in which 1,620,000 shares of series A redeemable convertible preferred stock was sold at $25 per share. Total net proceeds from the private placement offering were $37.1 million.

 

Under the terms of the private placement memorandum in connection with the preferred stock offering, each share of preferred stock was automatically converted to four shares of class B common stock when the Company’s registration statement to register such shares for resale was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission. During September 2021, this preferred stock was converted into 5,760,000 shares of class A common stock and 720,000 shares of class B common stock. There are no outstanding shares of preferred stock as of September 30, 2021.
 

Equity Issuances Associated with the Merger

In connection with the completion of the Merger, we issued 2,960,731 shares of class A common stock in consideration for all of the outstanding shares of Support. The fair value of the common shares issued to Support shareholders was $93.9 million (see Note 3), or $91.6 million, net of issuance costs.

 

Additionally, pursuant to the Merger Agreement, we issued the following equity instruments in connection with the performance of consulting services leading to and in connection with the Merger at the time of the closing, as the issuance of these instruments were contingent upon successful completion of the Merger:

562,174 shares of class A common stock with a fair value of $17.8 million issued to an investor, which owned approximately 16.6% of Support common stock and made a prior investment in Greenidge preferred stock, which was described previously; and
Warrants to purchase 344,800 shares of class A common stock at an exercise price of $6.25 per share of class A common stock to B. Riley Securities, Inc., which were exercised shortly thereafter. The fair value of the warrants at issuance was $8.8 million.

 

For the period immediately prior to the effective date of the Merger, Greenridge was a private company, and Support’s stock price fluctuated significantly based on factors not representative of the value of its underlying operations; therefore, Greenidge used the average of its closing stock price for the first ten days of trading on the Nasdaq Exchange ($31.71 per share) to measure the value of the equity issued associated with the completion of the Merger.

 

Equity Purchase Agreement with B. Riley Principal Capital, LLC

On September 15, 2021, Greenidge entered into a common stock purchase agreement (the "Purchase Agreement") with B. Riley Principal Capital, LLC (the "Investor") pursuant to which Greenidge has the right to "put" or sell to the Investor up to $500 million of shares of class A common stock, subject to certain limitations and conditions set forth in the Purchase Agreement, from time to time during the term of the Purchase Agreement. Under the applicable Nasdaq rules, in no event may Greenidge issue to the Investor under the Purchase Agreement more than 19.99% of the total number of combined shares of its class A common stock and class B common stock that were outstanding immediately prior to the execution of the Purchase Agreement (the “Exchange Cap”), unless Greenidge obtains stockholder approval to issue shares in excess of the Exchange Cap in accordance with applicable Nasdaq rules.
 

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The per share purchase price for the shares of class A common stock that Greenidge elects to sell to the Investor pursuant to the Purchase Agreement will be determined by reference to the volume weighted average price of class A common stock ("VWAP") during the applicable purchase date on which Greenidge has timely delivered written notice to the Investor directing it to purchase shares under the Purchase Agreement, less a fixed 5% discount, which shall be increased to a fixed 6% discount at such time that Greenidge received aggregate cash proceeds of $200 million as payment for all shares of class A common stock purchased by the Investor in all prior sales of class A common stock made under the Purchase Agreement. The Investor will have no obligation to purchase shares pursuant to the Purchase Agreement to the extent that such purchase would cause the Investor to own more than 4.99% of Greenidge's issued and outstanding shares of class A common stock.

In connection with the Purchase Agreement, Greenidge entered into a registration rights agreement with the Investor pursuant to which Greenidge agreed to prepare and file a registration statement registering the resale by the Investor of those shares of Greenidge's class A common stock to be issued under the Purchase Agreement. The registration statement became effective on October 6, 2021 relating to the resale of 3,500,000 shares of Greenidge's class A common stock in connection with this Purchase Agreement.

 

Common Stock

Holders of Greenidge's class A common stock are entitled to one vote per share. Holders of class B common stock are entitled to ten votes per share. Class A and class B shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2021 are 9,627,705 and 29,040,000, respectively.

 

Each share of class B common stock is convertible into one share of class A common stock at the option of the holder upon written notice to the Company. Shares of class B common stock will automatically convert to shares of class A common stock upon a mandatory conversion event as defined in the amended and restated certificate of incorporation dated March 26, 2021.

 

Common Units

In October 2018, GGH adopted an equity incentive plan and allocated 1,250 common units to the plan. In 2018, GGH awarded 750 restricted units to certain board members, subject to various vesting provisions. At December 31, 2020, there were 730 and 20 vested and unvested, respectively, restricted units. In the event of a change in control of the Company, 100% of the awarded units would vest immediately. Common unit holders are entitled to one vote per common unit, except for such votes or consents that are reserved solely for the holders of preferred units. The Company concluded that the value of the units granted in 2018 was insignificant given historical performance of the Company, no public market, and lack of liquidity. As such, the Company did not recognize any expense related to the common restricted units during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020. There were 750 common units issued and outstanding at December 31, 2020. In January 2021, in conjunction with the private placement offering, the 750 GGH common units were converted to shares of Greenidge's class B common stock.

 

Preferred Units

GGH preferred unit holders were entitled to one vote per preferred unit. In the event of liquidation or dissolution of GGH, the holders of preferred units were entitled to receive distributions, prior to and in preference to the holders of common units. At December 31, 2020, all preferred units were issued and outstanding. All preferred units were converted to shares of Greenidge's class B common stock in connection with the contribution and exchange agreement.

 

Senior Priority Units

There were two tranches of GGH Senior Priority Units: Tranche 1 was equal to $13.9 million and Tranche 2 was equal to $16.3 million. Tranche 1 Senior Priority Units were issued to Atlas in July 2020 in exchange for the conversion of certain notes payable due to Atlas and all accrued but unpaid interest thereon. Tranche 2 Senior Priority Units were issued to Atlas in conjunction with Atlas contributing its equity interest in Blocker to GGH. Senior Priority Units had no voting rights.

 

At December 31, 2020, all senior priority units were issued and outstanding. All senior priority units were converted to shares of Greenidge's class B common stock in connection with the contribution and exchange agreement.

 

10. EQUITY BASED COMPENSATION

 

In February 2021, Greenidge adopted an equity incentive plan and reserved 3,831,112 shares of class A common stock for issuance under the plan (the “2021 Equity Plan”).

 

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Restricted Common Stock Unit Awards

During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, the Company awarded 0 and 616,920 restricted common stock units (“RSUs”), respectively, under the 2021 Equity Plan to directors, which are generally eligible to vest over a three-year period.

 

The Company’s unvested restricted common stock unit awards activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 is summarized below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted Average

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grant Date

 

 

 

RSUs

 

 

Fair Value

 

Unvested at December 31, 2020

 

 

-

 

 

$

-

 

Granted

 

 

616,920

 

 

 

6.25

 

Unvested at September 30, 2021

 

 

616,920

 

 

 

6.25

 

 

The value of RSU grants is measured based on their fair market value on the date of grant and amortized over their requisite service periods. There were no RSU grants during the three months ended September 30, 2021. During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, the fair market value of the awards granted totaled $3.9 million and as of September 30, 2021, there was approximately $3.1 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested restricted stock rights, which is expected to be recognized over a remaining weighted-average vesting period of approximately 2.4 years.

 

Common Stock Options

 

The Company’s stock options activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 is summarized below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted Average

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted Average

 

 

Remaining

 

 

Aggregate

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exercise Price

 

 

Contractual Life

 

 

Intrinsic

 

 

 

Options

 

 

Per Share

 

 

(in years)

 

 

Value

 

Outstanding at December 31, 2020

 

 

-

 

 

$

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

Granted

 

 

753,968

 

 

 

6.07

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exercised

 

 

(160,000

)

 

 

6.25

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forfeited

 

 

(10,888

)

 

 

6.25

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outstanding at September 30, 2020

 

 

583,080

 

 

$

6.01

 

 

 

9.43

 

 

$

11,387

 

Exercisable as of September 30, 2021

 

 

257,484

 

 

$

5.80

 

 

 

9.64

 

 

$

5,083

 

 

The value of common stock option grants is measured based on their fair market value on the date of grant and amortized over their requisite service periods. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, the fair market value of the awards granted totaled $0.1 million and $1.2 million, respectively. As of September 30, 2021, there was approximately $0.4 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested options, which is expected to be recognized over a remaining weighted-average vesting period of approximately 1.2 years.

 

The weighted average assumptions relating to the valuation of stock options granted for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 were as follows:

 

Weighted Average fair value of grants

 

$

1.54

 

Expected volatility

 

 

35

%

Expected term (years)

 

 

4.5

 

Risk-free interest rate

 

 

0.4

%

Expected dividend yield

 

 

0.0

%

 

Stock-based Compensation

The Company recognized stock-based compensation expense of $0.4 million and $1.5 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively. No stock-based compensation expense was recognized during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020. Stock-based compensation expense is included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the accompanying unaudited condensed interim consolidated statements of operations.

 

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11. INCOME TAXES

 

The income tax provision for interim periods is determined using an estimate of the annual effective tax rate, adjusted for discrete items, if any, that are taken into account in the relevant period. Each quarter, the estimate of the annual effective tax rate is updated, and if the estimated effective tax rate changes, a cumulative adjustment is made.

 

The effective income tax rate as a percentage of income before income taxes was 38.7% and 48.0% for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively. The effective income tax rates for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 benefitted from a higher tax bases for the deductibility of the equity-based success fees associated with the Merger. The effective tax rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 includes the recognition of a deferred tax liability caused by the reorganization from an LLC to a corporation during the first quarter of 2021. Prior to January 27, 2021, the Company was treated as a partnership for federal and state income tax purposes; therefore, there was no income tax provision or benefit recognized during 2020.

 

12. EARNINGS PER SHARE

 

The Company calculates basic earnings per share by dividing the net income (loss) by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding for the period. The diluted earnings per share is computed by assuming the exercise, settlement, and vesting of all potential dilutive common stock equivalents outstanding for the period using the treasury stock method.

 

The following table sets forth a reconciliation of the numerator and denominator used to compute basic earnings and diluted per share of common stock. Basic earnings per share is applicable only for the period from January 29, 2021 through September 30, 2021, which is the period following the reorganization GGH into Greenidge (see Note 2) and presents the period that the Company had outstanding common stock.

 

 

Three Months

 

 

Nine Months

 

 

Ended

 

 

Ended

 

$ in thousands, except per share amounts

September 30, 2021

 

 

September 30, 2021

 

Numerator

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

$

(7,896

)

 

$

(3,099

)

Less: Net income attributable to the member units
   units before the reorganization

 

(648

)

 

 

(648

)

Net loss attributable to Greenidge

$

(8,544

)

 

$

(3,747

)

Denominator

 

 

 

 

 

Basic weighted average shares outstanding

 

30,116

 

 

 

28,949

 

Dilutive effect of equity awards

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

Dilutive effect of convertible preferred stock

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

Diluted weighted average shares outstanding

 

30,116

 

 

 

28,949

 

Loss per share

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

$

(0.28

)

 

$

(0.13

)

Diluted

$

(0.28

)

 

$

(0.13

)

 

Prior to the reorganization, there were no shares of common stock outstanding, and the LLC structure of GGH consisted of member units. The Company analyzed the calculation of earnings per unit for periods prior to the reorganization and determined that it resulted in values that would not be meaningful to the users of these condensed consolidated financial statements. Therefore, earnings per share information has not been presented for the periods during 2020.

 

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, there was no impact of dilution from any of the outstanding equity awards due to the Net loss, since inclusion of any impact from these awards would be antidilutive.

 

13. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

 

Legal Matters

 

From time-to-time, the Company is involved in legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business.

 

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Table of Contents

 

Merger-Related Litigation.

 

After announcement of the Merger, six complaints were file in various U.S. federal district courts by alleged individual stockholders of Support against Support, the individual directors of Support and, in two of the cases, Greenidge and Merger Sub. Of these six complaints, two were filed in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware: Stein v. Support.com, Inc. et al, Case No. 1:21-cv-00650 (May 5, 2021), and Bell v. Support.com, Inc. et al, Case No. 1:21-cv-00672 (May 7, 2021); three were filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York: Broder v. Support.com, Inc. et al, Case No. 1:21-cv-04262 (May 12, 2021), Salerno v. Support.com, Inc. et al, Case No. 1:21-cv-04584 (May 21, 2021), and Bowen v. Support.com, Inc. et al, Case No. 1:21-cv-04797 (May 28, 2021). The sixth lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York: Steinmetz v. Support.com, Inc. et al, Case No. 1:21-cv-02647 (May 11, 2021). Support and individual members of the Support board were named as defendants in all of the lawsuits; Greenidge and Merger Sub were also named as defendants in Bell and Salerno. The lawsuits generally alleged that Greenidge’s Form S-4 Registration Statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the Merger on May 4, 2021 made misleading omissions of certain material information. The Salerno complaint also alleged that the members of the Support board breached their fiduciary duties in negotiating and approving the Merger Agreement and that Greenidge and Merger Sub aided and abetted that breach. The lawsuits purported to seek to enjoin the Merger, or alternatively, rescission and unspecified damages and costs. On August 2, 2021, lawyers representing a seventh putative stockholder of Support sent a demand letter seeking additional disclosures regarding the proposed transaction and reserving their purported right to seek to enjoin the transaction.

 

All of the lawsuits have since been voluntarily dismissed by plaintiffs.

 

Other Matters

 

Support has received and may in the future receive additional requests for information, including subpoenas, from other governmental agencies relating to the subject matter of a Consent Order and Civil Investigative Demands. The Company intends to cooperate with these information requests and is not aware of any other legal proceedings against the Company by governmental authorities at this time.

 

Commitments

 

As of September 30, 2021, the Company had entered into agreements to purchase miner equipment totaling $142.2 million that required deposits of $38.5 million. The Company entered into agreements for committed secured financing on this equipment totaling $5.2 million that will be funded upon delivery of the miners.

 

The Company entered into a contract with Empire in September 2020 which provides for the transportation to its pipeline of 15,000 dekatherms of natural gas per day, approximately $158 per month. The contract ends in September 2030 and may be terminated by either party with 12 months' notice after the initial 10-year period.

 

14. CONCENTRATIONS

 

The Company has one major power customer, NYISO, that accounted for 9% and 11% of its revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively, and 50% and 38% for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020. 6% and 100% of accounts receivable were due from this customer at September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively.

 

For cryptocurrency mining, Greenidge considers its mining pool operators to be its customers. Greenidge has historically used a limited number of pool operators that have operated under contracts with a one-day term, which allows Greenidge the option to change pool operators at any time. Revenue from one of the Company’s pool operator customers accounted for approximately 62% and 37% of total revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively, and none of the revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020. Revenue from a different pool operator customer accounted for approximately 24% and 46% of total revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively, and approximately 50% and 59% of total revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively.

 

The Support Services segment's largest and second largest customers accounted for approximately 60% and 25%, respectively, of the Company's consolidated accounts receivable balance at September 30, 2021.

 

The Company has one natural gas vendor that accounted for approximately 35% and 57% of cost of revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively, and approximately 55% and 57% of cost of revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively.

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15. SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW INFORMATION

 

Greenidge had the following noncash investing and financing activities during the nine months ended September 30, 2021:

 

$ in thousands

 

 

Shares issued to Support.com shareholders upon Merger (Notes 3 and 9)

$

93,885

 

Stock issued to purchase miners

$

991

 

Contribution of Preferred Units, Senior Priority Units, and notes payable to related
   party for Greenidge class B common stock (Note 9)

$

72,891

 

Issuance of shares for investor fee associated with successful completion
   of Merger (Notes 4 and 9)

$

17,826

 

Issuance of warrants to advisor in connection with completion of Merger (Note 4 and 9)

$

8,779

 

 

16. OTHER RISKS AND CONSIDERATIONS

 

The United States is presently in the midst of a national health emergency related to a virus, commonly known as Novel Coronavirus (“COVID-19”). The overall consequences of COVID-19 on a national, regional and local level are unknown, but it has the potential to result in a significant economic impact. COVID-19 did not have a material impact on the Company’s operations during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020. The future impact of this situation on the Company and its results and financial position is not presently determinable.

 

17. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

 

Subsequent events have been evaluated through November 15, 2021, the date at which the condensed consolidated financial statements were available to be issued, and the Company has concluded that no such events or transactions took place that would require disclosure herein except as stated directly below.

 

Registered Notes Offering

On October 13, 2021, Greenidge completed a registered public offering of $55.2 million of the Company’s 8.50% Senior Notes due 2026 (the “Notes”). The Notes are senior unsecured obligations of the Company and rank equal in right of payment with the Company’s existing and future senior unsecured indebtedness. The Company received net proceeds after discounts and commissions, but before expenses and payment of the structuring fee, of approximately $53.3 million. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the offering of the Notes for general corporate purposes, including funding capital expenditures, future acquisitions, investments and working capital and repaying indebtedness.


Purchase of South Carolina Property

In October 2021, a subsidiary of Greenidge entered into a Purchase and Sale Agreement (the “LSC Agreement”) with a subsidiary of LSC Communications, Inc. (the “Seller”), a Delaware corporation, pursuant to which Greenidge has agreed to purchase from the seller two parcels of land containing approximately 175 acres of land located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, including over 750,000 square feet of industrial buildings (the “Property”). As previously disclosed, LSC Communications, Inc. is a portfolio company of private investment funds managed by Atlas Holdings LLC. Greenidge’s controlling shareholder consists of certain funds associated with Atlas Holdings LLC.

 

The purchase price of the Property is $15.0 million (the “Purchase Price”). Under the terms of the LSC Agreement, Greenidge has deposited $2.5 million in escrow, with such amount to be applied at closing to the Purchase Price. The transaction is expected to close in early December 2021. The LSC Agreement contains customary representations, warranties and covenants of the parties and closing conditions as well as other customary provisions. Greenidge expects to finance the Purchase Price with cash on hand.
 

 

Equity Purchase Agreement with B. Riley Principal Capital, LLC

As discussed in Note 9, on September 15, 2021, Greenidge entered into the Purchase Agreement with the Investor pursuant to which Greenidge has the right to "put" or sell to the Investor up to $500 million of shares of class A common stock, subject to certain limitations and conditions set forth in the Purchase Agreement, from time to time during the term of the Purchase Agreement. Following the effectiveness of Greenidge's registration statement (File No. 333-259637) on Form S-1 on October 6, 2021 relating to the resale of 3,500,000 shares of class A common stock in connection with the Purchase Agreement, the Company began selling

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shares of class A common stock to the Investor from time to time. Through November 12, 2021, Greenidge sold 1,977,500 shares of class A common stock to the Investor for proceeds of approximately $47.9 million, net of discounts.

ERCOT Market Data Centers


In October 2021, we entered into an agreement with a portfolio company of private investment funds managed by Atlas giving us an exclusive right of first refusal at multiple power generation sites comprising over 1,000MW of power generation assets in the ERCOT market. The agreement gives us the exclusive right of first refusal to develop data centers at any current or future power generation sites controlled by the counterparty in the ERCOT market until January 2023. Greenidge’s controlling shareholder consists of certain funds associated with Atlas Holdings LLC.

 

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Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

 

The following discussion should be read together with the audited financial statements and the related notes thereto of Greenidge for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 included in our Prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act on August 10, 2021 and the unaudited interim financial statements and related notes thereto of Greenidge for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020 included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. This discussion contains certain forward-looking statements that reflect plans, estimates and beliefs and involve numerous risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those described in the “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” sections of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Actual results may differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. For purposes of this section, “the Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc. together with its consolidated subsidiaries). You should carefully read “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

 

Overview

 

Greenidge is the successor entity for accounting purposes to GGH as a result of the corporate restructuring consummated in January 2021. Pursuant to this restructuring, Greenidge was incorporated in the State of Delaware on January 27, 2021 and on January 29, 2021, entered into an asset contribution and exchange agreement with GGH, pursuant to which Greenidge acquired all of the ownership interests in GGH in exchange for 28,000,000 shares (on a split-adjusted basis) of Greenidge’s class B common stock. As a result of this transaction, GGH became a wholly owned subsidiary of Greenidge. The financial information presented herein are that of GGH for the periods before January 29, 2021 and Greenidge thereafter. On March 16, 2021, Greenidge effectuated a forward stock split whereby each outstanding share of class B common stock was split into four new shares of class B common stock (and each outstanding share of series A preferred stock would be convertible into four times as many shares of class B common stock as it was previously convertible into).

 

Cryptocurrency Mining and Power Generation Segment

 

Greenidge owns a vertically integrated bitcoin mining and power generation facility in the Town of Torrey, New York with an environmentally-sound approximately 106 MW natural gas power generation facility that has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent years. Greenidge enjoys significant competitive advantages including low fixed costs, an efficient mining fleet, in-house operational expertise and low power costs due to its access to the Millennium Pipeline price hub, which provides relatively low market rates for natural gas. Greenidge is currently mining bitcoin and contributing to the security and transactability of the bitcoin ecosystem while concurrently meeting the power needs of homes and businesses in its region.

 

As of September 30, 2021, Greenidge powered approximately 44 MW of mining capacity, substantially all of which is dedicated to bitcoin mining. Our Cryptocurrency Mining and Power Generation segment generates revenue i) through the exchange of bitcoins earned by ASICs as rewards and transaction fees for U.S. dollars and, to a much lesser extent, through revenue earned from third parties for hosting ASICs owned by third parties and providing operations, maintenance and other blockchain related services to third parties and ii) through the sale of electricity generated by our power plant, and not consumed in bitcoin mining operations, to New York State’s power grid at prices set on a daily basis through the NYISO wholesale market. Greenidge opportunistically increases or decreases the total amount of electricity sold by the power plant based on prevailing prices in the wholesale electricity market.

 

Greenidge’s primary business objective is to grow revenue by further leveraging its capability to own captive power resources and expand its bitcoin mining operations and blockchain services offerings. Greenidge currently internally generates all the power it requires for bitcoin mining and does not purchase power from any third-party suppliers for either its mining or power generation operations. Greenidge believes that this behind-the-meter power generation capability provides a stable, cost-effective source of power for bitcoin mining activities. Greenidge’s behind-the-meter power generation capability provides it with stable delivery due to the absence of any contract negotiation risk with third-party power suppliers, the absence of transmission and distribution cost risk and the firm delivery of gas via Greenidge’s captive pipeline. Notwithstanding the structural stability of its behind-the-meter capabilities, Greenidge does however procure natural gas through a third-party energy manager which schedules delivery of Greenidge’s natural gas needs from the wholesale market which is subject to price volatility. Greenidge procures the majority of its gas at spot prices and enter into fixed price forward contracts from time to time for the purchase of a portion of anticipated natural gas purchases based on prevailing market conditions to partially mitigate the financial impacts of natural gas price volatility. These forward contracts qualify for the normal purchases and sales exception under ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging, as it is probable that these contracts will result in physical delivery.

 

Volatility in the natural gas market may impact Greenidge’s results of operations and financial performance. While natural gas prices decreased in 2020, partially due to COVID-19 related demand reduction, prices have been on an upward trajectory since June of 2021 and are expected to continue rising into 2022 due to low inventory levels. Volatility in the natural gas market may be caused by disruption in the delivery of fuel, including disruptions as a result of weather, transportation difficulties, global demand and supply

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dynamics, labor relations, environmental regulations or the financial viability of fuel suppliers. Greenidge procures the majority of its natural gas supply from the Millennium Pipeline price hub which provides relatively low market rates for natural gas.

 

Current gas prices are also consistent with Millennium East pool forward gas prices and Greenidge expects this trend to continue going forward. The most material factor that causes price volatility in Greenidge natural gas supply is cold weather related increases in demand during the winter months. Greenidge typically hedges a portion of the gas during this period in order to minimize the impact of weather-related gas price volatility on its operations by entering into physically settled natural gas forward contracts with its energy manager. Furthermore, Greenidge has procured firm natural gas transportation capacity at a fixed rate for a portion of its natural gas supply, thereby reducing its exposure to volatility in natural gas transportation costs. Gas transportation is procured through a long-term contract with an expiration date in September 2030. Greenidge believes there are no material renegotiation or counterparty risks for either gas forward contracts or firm transportation.

 

Support Services Segment

 

Our Support Services segment provides solutions and technical programs to customers delivered by home-based employees. The Support Services segment provides customer service, sales support , and technical support primarily to large corporations, businesses and professional services organizations. The Support Services segment also earns revenues for end-user software products provided through direct customer downloads and sale via partners. The Support Services segment operates primarily in the United States, but has international operations that include staff providing support services.

 

Expansion Opportunities

 

We are exploring potential new locations where we intend to replicate our vertically integrated bitcoin mining and power generation business model. Additionally, we are evaluating potential partnerships with owners of low-cost energy sources, with a particular focus on renewable sources, as a potential avenue to grow our bitcoin mining operations.

 

In October 2021, Greenidge announced that it had entered into a Purchase and Sale Agreement (the "Purchase and Sale Agreement") for an industrial site in Spartanburg, South Carolina, including a 750,000 square foot building and 175 acres of land (the "Property"). Greenidge's use of the property would be to develop a bitcoin mining operation, using existing electrical infrastructure at the location. The Purchase and Sale Agreement was entered into by a subsidiary of Greenidge and a portfolio company of private investment funds managed by Atlas Holdings LLC (“Atlas”). Greenidge’s controlling shareholder consists of certain funds associated with Atlas. The purchase price of the Property is $15.0 million. The transaction is expected to close in early December 2021, and Greenidge intends to commence small scale mining operations, using portable equipment, at the Spartanburg facility in late 2021 or early 2022.

 

Additionally, in September 2021, Greenidge entered into an exclusive agreements with a developer for multiple sites in Texas that includes at least six sites in a pipeline that Greenidge and the developer have identified as potential locations for Greenidge data centers. In total, the potential development sites have over 2,000MW of electrical capacity and include several locations surrounded by abundant wind and solar power generation.
 

 

Furthermore, in October 2021, Greenidge entered into an agreement with a portfolio company of private investment funds managed by Atlas giving it an exclusive right of first refusal at multiple power generation sites comprising over 1,000MW of power generation assets in the ERCOT market. The agreement gives Greenidge the exclusive right of first refusal to develop data centers at any current or future power generation sites controlled by the counterparty in the ERCOT market until January 2023. Greenidge’s controlling shareholder consists of certain funds associated with Atlas Holdings LLC.

 

Greenidge intends to develop its next commercial bitcoin mining location at either the South Carolina location or a location in Texas and is evaluating certain factors to determine which state and location is best suited.

 

Merger

 

On September 14, 2021, we consummated the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, by and among Greenidge, Support and Merger Sub. As contemplated by the Merger Agreement, Merger Sub merged with and into Support, the separate corporate existence of Merger Sub ceased and Support survived as a wholly owned subsidiary of Greenidge. At the effective time of the Merger, we issued 2,998,261 shares of class A common stock in exchange for all shares of common stock, par value $0.0001, of Support and all outstanding stock option and restricted stock units of Support. Support's results of operations and balance sheet have been consolidated effective with the Merger.

 

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Increase in Authorized Capital

 

On September 13, 2021, we filed an amendment to our certificate of incorporation to increase our authorized capital stock. Following the amendment, our authorized capital stock consists of 2,400,000,000 shares of class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 600,000,000 shares of class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share.

 

Equity Purchase Agreement with B. Riley Principal Capital, LLC

 

On September 15, 2021, Greenidge entered into a common stock purchase agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with B. Riley Principal Capital, LLC (the “Investor”) pursuant to which Greenidge has the right to “put,” or sell, to the Investor up to $500 million of shares of class A common stock, subject to certain limitations and conditions set forth in the Purchase Agreement, from time to time during the term of the Purchase Agreement. Under the applicable Nasdaq rules, in no event may Greenidge issue to the Investor under the Purchase Agreement more than 19.99% of the total number of combined shares of our class A common stock and class B common stock that were outstanding immediately prior to the execution of the Purchase Agreement (the “Exchange Cap”), unless Greenidge obtains stockholder approval to issue shares in excess of the Exchange Cap in accordance with applicable Nasdaq rules.

 

The per share purchase price for the shares of class A common stock that Greenidge elects to sell to the Investor pursuant to the Purchase Agreement will be determined by reference to the volume weighted average price of our class A common stock ("VWAP") during the applicable purchase date on which we have timely delivered written notice to the Investor directing it to purchase shares under the Purchase Agreement, less a fixed 5% discount, which shall be increased to a fixed 6% discount at such time that Greenidge received aggregate cash proceeds of $200 million as payment for all shares of class A common stock purchased by the Investor in all prior sales of class A common stock made under the Purchase Agreement. The Investor will have no obligation to purchase shares pursuant to the Purchase Agreement to the extent that such purchase would cause the Investor to own more than 4.99% of Greenidge's issued and outstanding shares of class A common stock.

 

In connection with the Purchase Agreement, Greenidge entered into a registration rights agreement with the Investor pursuant to which Greenidge agreed to prepare and file a registration statement registering the resale by the Investor of those shares of our class A common stock to be issued under the Purchase Agreement. The registration statement became effective on October 6, 2021 relating to the resale of 3,500,000 shares of class A common stock in connection with this Purchase Agreement.

 

Registered Notes Offering
On October 13, 2021, Greenidge completed a registered public offering of $55.2 million of the Company’s 8.50% Senior Notes due 2026 (the “Notes”). The Notes are senior unsecured obligations of the Company and rank equal in right of payment with the Company’s existing and future senior unsecured indebtedness.

 

The Company received net proceeds after discounts and commissions, but before expenses and payment of the structuring fee, of approximately $53.3 million. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the offering of the Notes for general corporate purposes, including funding capital expenditures, future acquisitions, investments and working capital and repaying indebtedness.

 

Miner Fleet Growth

 

Greenidge began mining bitcoin in 2019 with the construction of a pilot data center to operate approximately 1 MW of bitcoin mining capacity located at its power generation facility in the Town of Torrey, New York. Greenidge launched a commercial data center for bitcoin mining and blockchain services in January 2020, and as of December 31, 2020, Greenidge had approximately 6,900 miners deployed on its site capable of producing an estimated aggregate hash rate capacity of approximately 0.4 exahash per second (“EH/s”). Although the number of miners deployed provides a sense of scale of cryptocurrency mining operations as compared to Greenidge’s peers, management believes that hash rate, or the number of hashes a miner can perform in each second, typically expressed in EH/s or terahash per second (“TH/s”) and used as a measure of computational power or mining capacity used to mine and process transactions on a blockchain such as bitcoin, provides a more comparable measure of Greenidge’s fleet’s ability to process cryptocurrency transactions as compared to other bitcoin mining operations.

 

During the first nine months of 2021, Greenidge deployed approximately 8,300 additional miners comprised primarily of Bitmain S19 and S19 Pro Bitmain Antminers, as well as MicroBT M30 and M31 Whatsminers, bringing its estimated maximum hash rate to 1.19 EH/s consuming approximately 44 MW of the power plant’s total capacity of approximately 106 MW. As of September 30, 2021, in

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aggregate, Greenidge had approximately 15,300 miners deployed on its site capable of producing an estimated aggregate hash rate capacity of 1.2 EH/s and had entered into additional commitments to acquire:

Approximately 15,900 S19j Pro Bitmain Antminers scheduled for deployment beginning in the first quarter of 2022 and continuing through the third quarter of 2022;
Approximately 800 S19j Bitmain Antminers scheduled for deployment in the fourth quarter of 2021, and;
Approximately 500 MicroBT M30 Whatsminers scheduled for deployment in the fourth quarter of 2021.

 

We have ordered additional miners between September 30 and November 12, 2021 that will bring our committed total capacity to approximately 49,000 miners and 4.7 EH/s, including Greenidge's launch order for Bitmain's new Antminer S19 XP. These new advanced miners have substantially greater hash rate capacities and use electric power more efficiently than Greenidge’s existing miner fleet. With the deployment of the aforementioned miners due in 2021, Greenidge expects to be able to achieve a total hash rate capacity of at least 1.4 EH/s by the end of 2021.

 

Business Environment

 

The third quarter of 2021 saw a continuation of quarterly sequential revenue growth, growth of 121% as compared to the second quarter of 2021, driven by cryptocurrency mining revenue due to the miner fleet growth. Higher average hash rate capacity in the third quarter, combined with an approximate 28% lower level of mining difficulty and a slightly higher average bitcoin value during the third quarter of 2021 fueled the revenue growth as compared to the second quarter of 2021.

 

Significant costs associated with the completion of the Merger caused a Net loss of $16.3 million in the third quarter of 2021 compared to Net income of $3.5 million in the second quarter of 2021; however, Adjusted EBITDA increased significantly to $21.2 million in the third quarter 2021 as compared to $8.1 million in the second quarter of 2021. Adjusted EBITDA is a Non-GAAP financial measure. A reconciliation of reported amounts to adjusted amounts can be found in the "Non-GAAP Measures and Reconciliations" section of this MD&A.

 

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Results of Operations

 

The following table sets forth key components of the results of operations of Greenidge during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020.

 

 

 

Quarters Ended September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

$ in thousands

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Variance

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Variance

 

Total revenue

 

$

35,754

 

 

$

6,123

 

 

 

483.9

%

 

$

62,993

 

 

$

13,937

 

 

 

352.0

%

Cost of revenue (exclusive of
   depreciation and amortization
   shown below)

 

 

9,659

 

 

 

4,072

 

 

 

137.2

%

 

 

19,046

 

 

 

8,681

 

 

 

119.4

%

Selling, general and administrative expenses

 

 

5,446

 

 

 

1,493

 

 

 

264.8

%

 

 

12,017

 

 

 

4,131

 

 

 

190.9

%

Merger and other costs

 

 

29,847

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

31,095

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

2,667

 

 

 

1,064

 

 

 

150.7

%

 

 

5,531

 

 

 

3,227

 

 

 

71.4

%

Loss from operations

 

 

(11,865

)

 

 

(506

)

 

N/A

 

 

 

(4,696

)

 

 

(2,102

)

 

N/A

 

Other (expense) income:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interest expense, net

 

 

(1,009

)

 

 

-

 

 

N/A

 

 

 

(1,377

)

 

 

-

 

 

N/A

 

Interest expense - related party

 

 

-

 

 

 

-

 

 

N/A

 

 

 

(22

)

 

 

(540

)

 

 

-95.9

%

Loss on sale of digital assets

 

 

18

 

 

 

36

 

 

 

-50.0

%

 

 

159

 

 

 

11

 

 

N/A

 

Other (expense) income, net

 

 

(29

)

 

 

181

 

 

 

-116.0

%

 

 

(23

)

 

 

165

 

 

N/A

 

Total other (expense) income, net

 

 

(1,020

)

 

 

217

 

 

 

-570.0

%

 

 

(1,263

)

 

 

(364

)

 

 

247.0

%

Loss before income taxes

 

 

(12,885

)

 

 

(289

)

 

N/A

 

 

 

(5,959

)

 

 

(2,466

)

 

 

141.6

%

(Benefit) provision for income taxes

 

 

(4,989

)

 

 

-

 

 

N/A

 

 

 

(2,860

)

 

 

-

 

 

N/A

 

Net loss

 

$

(7,896

)

 

$

(289

)

 

N/A

 

 

$

(3,099

)

 

$

(2,466

)

 

N/A

 

Adjusted Amounts (a)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Income (loss) from operations

 

$

18,110

 

 

$

(506

)

 

 

 

 

$

26,527

 

 

$

(2,102

)

 

 

 

    Operating margin

 

 

50.7

%

 

 

-8.3

%

 

 

 

 

 

42.1

%

 

 

-15.1

%

 

 

 

    Net income (loss)

 

$

12,166

 

 

$

(289

)

 

 

 

 

$

17,868

 

 

$

(2,466

)

 

 

 

Other Financial Data (a)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    EBITDA

 

$

(9,209

)

 

$

775

 

 

 

 

 

$

971

 

 

$

1,301

 

 

 

 

      as a percent of revenues

 

 

-25.8

%

 

 

12.7

%

 

 

 

 

 

1.5

%

 

 

9.3

%

 

 

 

   Adjusted EBITDA

 

$

21,177

 

 

$

775

 

 

 

 

 

$

33,668

 

 

$

1,301

 

 

 

 

      as a percent of revenues

 

 

59.2

%

 

 

12.7

%

 

 

 

 

 

53.4

%

 

 

9.3

%

 

 

 

(a)
Adjusted Amounts and Other Financial Data are non-GAAP performance measures. A reconciliation of reported amounts to adjusted amounts can be found in the "Non-GAAP Measures and Reconciliations" section of this MD&A.

 

Revenue

 

 

 

Quarters Ended September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

$ in thousands

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Variance

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Variance

 

Cryptocurrency mining

 

$

31,156

 

 

$

3,043

 

 

 

923.9

%

 

$

54,217

 

 

$

8,673

 

 

 

525.1

%

Power and capacity

 

 

3,077

 

 

 

3,080

 

 

 

-0.1

%

 

 

7,255

 

 

 

5,264

 

 

 

37.8

%

Services and other

 

 

1,521

 

 

 

-

 

 

N/A

 

 

 

1,521

 

 

 

-

 

 

N/A

 

Total revenue

 

$

35,754

 

 

$

6,123

 

 

 

483.9

%

 

$

62,993

 

 

$

13,937

 

 

 

352.0

%

 

The components of revenue, expressed as a percentage of total revenue were:

 

 

Quarters Ended September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Cryptocurrency mining

 

87.1

%

 

 

49.7

%

 

 

86.1

%

 

 

62.2

%

Power and capacity

 

8.6

%

 

 

50.3

%

 

 

11.5

%

 

 

37.8

%

Services and other

 

4.3

%

 

N/A

 

 

 

2.4

%

 

N/A

 

Total revenue

 

100.0

%

 

 

100.0

%

 

 

100.0

%

 

 

100.0

%

 

Total revenue increased $29.6 million, or 483.9%, and $49.1 million, or 352.0%, during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively, as compared to their prior year periods. The increase in revenue was driven by the Cryptocurrency Mining and Power Generation segment, specifically cryptocurrency mining, due to our significantly expanded our miner fleet over the last year.

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The acquisition of Support.com increased revenue $1.5 million during the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2021, respectively.

Refer to the "Segment Discussion" of this MD&A for a more detailed discussion of revenues from the Cryptocurrency Mining and Power Generation segment and the Support Services segment. Refer to Note 14 for concentrations of revenue.

 

Cost of revenue (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)

 

 

 

Quarters Ended September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

$ in thousands

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Variance

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Variance

 

Cryptocurrency mining

 

$

5,974

 

 

$

1,027

 

 

 

481.7

%

 

$

11,504

 

 

$

2,966

 

 

 

287.9

%

Power and capacity

 

 

2,831

 

 

 

3,045

 

 

 

-7.0

%

 

 

6,688

 

 

 

5,715

 

 

 

17.0

%

Services and other

 

 

854

 

 

 

-

 

 

N/A

 

 

 

854

 

 

 

-

 

 

N/A

 

Total cost of revenue

 

$

9,659

 

 

$

4,072

 

 

 

137.2

%

 

$

19,046

 

 

$

8,681

 

 

 

119.4

%

   As a percentage of total revenue

 

 

27.0

%

 

 

66.5

%

 

 

 

 

 

30.2

%

 

 

62.3

%

 

 

 

 

Total cost of revenue, exclusive of depreciation and amortization, increased 137.2% to $9.7 million in the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 119.4% to $19.0 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2021 due to the significant increase in cryptocurrency mining fleet requiring an increase in the use of MWh for cryptocurrency mining. Additionally, the cost of revenue per MWh (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) increased significantly for both cryptocurrency mining and power and capacity primarily due to a significant increase in the gas cost per dekatherm, which increased 135% in the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 80% during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 as compared to the same periods in 2020. The acquisition of Support added $0.9 million to cost of revenue, or 21.0% and 9.8% to total cost of revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively.

 

Total cost of revenue as a percentage of total revenue declined significantly due primarily to the change in mix of revenue. Cryptocurrency mining generates significantly higher revenue per MWh than power and capacity.

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses

 

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased $4.0 million, or 264.8%, and $7.9 million, or 190.9%, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 primarily due to costs related to operating costs as a public company and costs of corporate infrastructure to support the Company’s growth, including non-cash stock compensation of $0.4 million and $1.5 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively (as compared to none for the same periods in 2020).

 

Merger and other costs

 

Merger and other costs represented costs associated with the Merger, as well as professional and other fees associated with becoming a publicly traded company. The Merger-related costs included $26.6 million of noncash costs associated with issuance of equity instruments, whose issuance was contingent upon the successful completion of the Merger.

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

Depreciation and amortization increased $1.6 million, or 150.7%, and $2.3 million, or 71.4%, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 primarily due to the purchase and deployment of additional miners. Additionally, the acquisition of Support increased depreciation and amortization by $0.2 million, or 20.3% and 6.7% for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021.

 

Income (Loss) from operations

 

Greenidge reported loss from operations of $11.9 million and $4.7 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 as compared to loss from operations of $0.5 million and $2.1 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020. The loss from operations during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, was driven by the $29.8 million and $31.1 million of Merger-related and other costs, respectively.

 

Adjusted income from operations was $18.1 million and $26.5 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively. The improvement in adjusted operating income as compared to operating loss in the 2020 periods is primarily attributable to an increase in bitcoin mining hash rate as well as operating leverage. Adjusted income from operations is a

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non-GAAP performance measure. A reconciliation of reported amounts to adjusted amounts can be found in the "Non-GAAP Measures and Reconciliations" section of this MD&A.

 

Other (expense) income, net

 

During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, Greenidge incurred other expense as compared to other income in the same periods of 2020, primarily due to increased interest expense associated with the incurrence of debt to finance the expansion of the mining fleet.

 

Benefit for income taxes

 

Prior to January 27, 2021, the Company was treated as a partnership for federal and state income tax purposes. The Company recognized a benefit for income taxes of $5.0 million and $2.9 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively, with an effective tax rate of 38.7% and 48.0%, respectively. The effective income tax rates for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 benefitted from a higher tax bases for the deductibility of the equity-based success fees associated with the Merger. The effective tax rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 also includes the recognition of a deferred tax liability caused by the reorganization from an LLC to a corporation during the first quarter of 2021.

 

Net Income (Loss)

 

As a result of the factors described above, net loss increased to $7.9 million and $3.1 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively, as compared to $0.3 million and $2.5 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, respectively.

 

On an adjusted basis, excluding the after-tax impact of the Merger-related costs, costs associated with becoming a public company and expansions costs, adjusted net income during the three months ended September 30, 2021 would have been $12.2 million as compared to the net loss of $0.3 million in the same period in 2020, and adjusted net income during the nine months ended September 30, 2021 would have been $17.9 million as compared to the net loss of $2.5 million during the same period in 2020. Adjusted net income (loss) is a non-GAAP performance measure. A reconciliation of reported amounts to adjusted amounts can be found in the "Non-GAAP Measures and Reconciliations" section of this MD&A.

 

Segment Discussion

 

The following summary of revenue and segment adjusted EBITDA provides a basis for the discussion that follows. Greenidge evaluates the performance of its reportable segments based on Adjusted EBITDA, which excludes items not indicative of ongoing business trends. The reported amounts in the table below are from the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.

 

 

Quarters Ended September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

$ in thousands

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Variance

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Variance

 

REVENUES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cryptocurrency Mining and
  Power Generation

$

34,233

 

 

$

6,123

 

 

 

459.1

%

 

$

61,472

 

 

$

13,937

 

 

 

341.1

%

Support Services

 

1,521

 

 

 

-

 

 

N/A

 

 

 

1,521

 

 

 

-

 

 

N/A

 

    Total Revenues

$

35,754

 

 

$

6,123

 

 

 

483.9

%

 

$

62,993

 

 

$

13,937

 

 

 

352.0

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SEGMENT ADJUSTED EBITDA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cryptocurrency Mining and
  Power Generation

$

20,973

 

 

$

775

 

 

 

2606.2

%

 

$

33,464

 

 

$

1,301

 

 

 

2472.2

%

Support Services

 

204

 

 

 

-

 

 

N/A

 

 

 

204

 

 

 

-

 

 

N/A

 

    Total Adjusted EBITDA

$

21,177

 

 

$

775

 

 

 

2632.5

%

 

$

33,668

 

 

$

1,301

 

 

 

2487.9

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reconciliation to loss before
   income taxes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

(2,667

)

 

 

(1,064

)

 

 

 

 

 

(5,531

)

 

 

(3,227

)

 

 

 

Stock-based compensation

 

(411

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1,474

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

Merger and other costs

 

(29,847

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

(31,095

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

Expansion costs

 

(128

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

(128

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

Interest expense, net

 

(1,009

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1,399

)

 

 

(540

)

 

 

 

Consolidated loss before income taxes

$

(12,885

)

 

$

(289

)

 

 

 

 

$

(5,959

)

 

$

(2,466

)

 

 

 

 

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Cryptocurrency Mining and Power Generation Segment

 

The following table provides a summary of key metrics associated with the Cryptocurrency Mining and Power Generation segment

 

$ in thousands, except $ per MWh

Quarters Ended September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

   and average Bitcoin price

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Variance

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

Variance

 

Cryptocurrency mining

$

31,156

 

 

$

3,043

 

 

 

923.9

%

 

$

54,217

 

 

$

8,673

 

 

 

525.1

%

Power and capacity

 

3,077

 

 

 

3,080

 

 

 

-0.1

%

 

 

7,255

 

 

 

5,264

 

 

 

37.8

%

Total revenue

$

34,233

 

 

$

6,123

 

 

 

459.1

%

 

$

61,472

 

 

$

13,937

 

 

 

341.1

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MWh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     Cryptocurrency mining

 

87,111

 

 

 

41,960

 

 

 

107.6

%

 

 

199,200

 

 

 

90,746

 

 

 

119.5

%

     Power and capacity

 

44,915

 

 

 

89,028

 

 

 

-49.5

%

 

 

126,990

 

 

 

175,602

 

 

 

-27.7

%

Revenue per MWh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cryptocurrency mining

$

358

 

 

$

73

 

 

 

393.2

%

 

$

272

 

 

$

96

 

 

 

184.8

%

Power and capacity

$

69

 

 

$

35

 

 

 

98.0

%

 

$

57

 

 

$

30

 

 

 

90.6

%

Cost of revenue (exclusive of depreciation
   and amortization)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cryptocurrency mining

$

5,974

 

 

$

1,027

 

 

 

481.7

%

 

$

11,504

 

 

$

2,966

 

 

 

287.9

%

Power and capacity

$

2,831

 

 

$

3,045

 

 

 

-7.0

%

 

$

6,688

 

 

$

5,715

 

 

 

17.0

%

Cost of revenue per MWh (exclusive of
  
 depreciation and amortization)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cryptocurrency mining

$

69

 

 

$

24

 

 

 

180.2

%

 

$

58

 

 

$

33

 

 

 

76.7

%

Power and capacity

$

63

 

 

$

34

 

 

 

84.3

%

 

$

53

 

 

$

33

 

 

 

61.8

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cryptocurrency Mining Metrics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bitcoins mined

 

729

 

 

 

246

 

 

 

189.9

%

 

 

1,257

 

 

 

919

 

 

 

34.4

%

Average Bitcoin price

$

41,937

 

 

$

10,629

 

 

 

294.6

%

 

$

44,614

 

 

$

9,287

 

 

 

380.4

%

Average hash rate (EH/s)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

188.3

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

86.4

%

Average difficulty

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-6.6

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

24.5

%

 

Revenue

 

Cryptocurrency mining revenue

For its cryptocurrency mining revenue, Greenidge generates electricity on-site from its power plant and uses that electricity to power ASIC miners, generating bitcoin which it then exchanges for U.S. dollars or holds in its wallet. Greenidge’s cryptocurrency mining revenue increased by $28.1 million, or 923.9%, during the three months ended September 30, 2021 and increased by $45.5 million, or 525.1%, for the nine months ended September 30, 2021. Such increases were attributable to Greenidge's increased mining fleet resulting in a 188.3% and 86.4% increase in the average hash rate during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively. The increased average hash rate, along with a lower average difficulty during the third quarter of 2021 led to Greenidge mining 729 bitcoins in the third quarter of 2021 as compared to 246 bitcoins in the third quarter of 2020. In comparing the nine months ended September 30, 2021 to the same period in 2020, the number of bitcoins mined increased 34.4% to 1,255 due to the increased average hash rate from the mining fleet expansion, which was partially offset the average difficulty and the halving event that occurred in May 2020 and reduced the block reward from 12.5 bitcoin per block to 6.25 bitcoin per block. The increased number of bitcoins mined along with the significantly higher average bitcoin price in 2021 resulted in the significant growth in cryptocurrency mining revenue.

 

As of September 30, 2021 and September 30, 2020 Greenidge had a power capacity (when not mining) of approximately 106MW and a mining capacity of approximately 44MW and 17MW, respectively. Greenidge’s power capacity is the measure of total rated net MW output of Greenidge’s power plant and represents the maximum useful output of Greenidge’s power generation facilities, whereas mining capacity is the number of rated net MW output from Greenidge’s power generation facilities devoted to bitcoin mining activity.

 

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Power and capacity revenue

Power and capacity revenue is earned when Greenidge sells capacity and energy and ancillary services to the wholesale power grid managed by the NYISO. Through these sales, Greenidge earns revenue in three streams, including: (1) power revenue received based on the hourly price of power, (2) capacity revenue for committing to sell power to the NYISO when dispatched and (3) other ancillary service revenue received as compensation for the provision of operating reserves. Greenidge's power and capacity revenue of $3.1 million during the third quarter of 2021 was relatively consistent with the third quarter of 2020, but increased by $2.0 million, or 37.8%, to $7.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021. Power revenue was comparatively higher in the nine months ended September 30, 2021 due to warmer weather in the month of June of 2021 as compared to 2020 and lower power demand in general in 2020 due to the COVID-19 lockdowns. For the quarter ended September 30, 2021, higher prices, signified by the higher power and capacity revenue per MWh, were offset by a decline in volume, signified by the increase in power and capacity MWh. For the nine months ended September 30, 2021, higher prices were partially offset by a decline in volume. The increase in prices were driven by higher demand caused by more extreme weather during 2021 as compared to the same periods in 2020 that the plant was online and the New York stay-at-home regulations during 2020, which reduced the demand for power. As the COVID-19 regulations are lifted, Greenidge does not anticipate further COVID-19 impacts in the future unless further COVID-19 outbreaks require further statewide shutdowns.

 

Segment Adjusted EBITDA

Segment adjusted EBITDA for the Cryptocurrency Mining and Power Generation segment increased to $21.0 million for the third quarter of 2021 from $0.8 million in the third quarter of 2020, and increased to $33.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 from $1.3 million for the same period in 2020. The significant increase in segment adjusted EBITDA was driven by the significant increase in cryptocurrency mining due to the expansion of our mining fleet and significantly changed the revenue mix of the segment during the 2021 periods as compared to the 2020 periods. The revenue from cryptocurrency mining has resulted in higher adjusted EBITDA margins than power and capacity revenue, as cryptocurrency mining generates higher revenue per MWh and lower cost of revenue per MWh (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) than power and capacity revenue.

 

Cryptocurrency mining revenue per MWh and power and capacity revenue per MWh are used by management to consider the extent to which it will generate electricity to either mine cryptocurrency or sell power to the New York wholesale power market. Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization) per MWh represents a measure of the cost of natural gas, emissions credits, payroll and benefits and other direct production costs associated with the MWhs produced to generate the respective revenue category for each MWh utilized. Depreciation and amortization costs are excluded from the cost of revenue (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) per MWh metric; therefore, not all cost of revenues for cryptocurrency mining and power and capacity are fully reflected. To the extent any other bitcoin miners are public or may go public, the cost of revenue (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) per MWh metric may not be comparable because some competitors may include depreciation in their cost of revenue figures.

 

Support Services Segment

 

Greenidge acquired Support, which constitutes the Support Services segment as of close of business on September 14, 2021. As such, there was less than a month of operations included in Greenidge's consolidated results in 2021, resulting in Support Services revenue of $1.5 million and segment adjusted EBITDA of $0.2 million in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021.

 

In October 2021, Support agreed with a major customer to terminate its contract to provide support services effective in the first quarter of 2022. This major customer represented approximately 22% and 27% of the revenues of the Support business for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively, which includes periods prior to the Merger, which were not included in Greenidge's consolidated results of operations.

 

Non-GAAP Measures and Reconciliations

 

The following non-GAAP measures are intended to supplement investors' understanding of Greenidge's financial information by providing measures which investors, financial analysts and management use to help evaluate the Company's operating performance. Items which the Company does not believe to be indicative of ongoing business trends are excluded from these calculations so that investors can better evaluate and analyze historical and future business trends on a consistent basis. Definitions

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of these non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to similar definitions used by other companies. These results should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for, results reported in accordance with GAAP.

 

 

 

Quarters Ended September 30,

 

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

$ in thousands

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

 

2021

 

 

2020

 

Adjusted operating income (loss)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loss from operations

 

$

(11,865

)

 

$

(506

)

 

$

(4,696

)

 

$

(2,102

)

Add: Merger and other costs

 

 

29,847

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

31,095

 

 

 

-

 

Add: Expansion costs

 

 

128

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

128

 

 

 

-

 

Adjusted income (loss) from operations

 

$

18,110

 

 

$

(506

)

 

$

26,527

 

 

$

(2,102

)

Adjusted operating margin

 

 

50.7

%

 

 

-8.3

%

 

 

42.1

%

 

 

-15.1

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adjusted net income (loss)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

$

(7,896

)

 

$

(289

)

 

$

(3,099

)

 

$

(2,466

)

Add: Merger and other costs, after tax

 

 

19,969

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

20,874

 

 

 

-

 

Add: Expansion costs, after tax

 

 

93

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

93

 

 

 

-

 

Adjusted net income (loss)

 

$

12,166

 

 

$

(289

)

 

$

17,868

 

 

$

(2,466

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

$

(7,896

)

 

$

(289

)

 

$

(3,099

)

 

$

(2,466

)

Provision for income taxes

 

 

(4,989

)

 

 

-

 

 

 

(2,860

)

 

 

-

 

Interest expense, net

 

 

1,009

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

1,399

 

 

 

540

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

 

2,667

 

 

 

1,064

 

 

 

5,531

 

 

 

3,227

 

EBITDA

 

 

(9,209

)

 

 

775

 

 

 

971

 

 

 

1,301

 

Stock-based compensation

 

 

411

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

1,474

 

 

 

-

 

Merger and other costs

 

 

29,847

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

31,095

 

 

 

-

 

Expansion costs

 

 

128

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

128

 

 

 

-

 

Adjusted EBITDA

 

$

21,177

 

 

$

775

 

 

$

33,668

 

 

$

1,301

 

 

EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA

 

“EBITDA” is defined as earnings before interest, taxes, and depreciation and amortization. “Adjusted EBITDA” is defined as EBITDA adjusted for stock-based compensation and other special items determined by management, including, but not limited to costs associated with the Merger, costs of becoming a public company (which included the costs of corporate reorganization from an LLC, public registration of shares and associated costs), business expansion costs, fair value adjustments for certain financial liabilities (including asset retirement obligations), costs associated with debt and equity transactions, and impairment charges as they are not indicative of business operations. Adjusted EBITDA is intended as a supplemental measure of Greenidge’s performance that is neither required by, nor presented in accordance with, GAAP. Greenidge believes that the use of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA provides an additional tool for investors to use in evaluating ongoing operating results and trends and in comparing its financial measures with those of comparable companies, which may present similar non-GAAP financial measures to investors. However, you should be aware that when evaluating EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, Greenidge may incur future expenses similar to those excluded when calculating these measures. In addition, Greenidge’s presentation of these measures should not be construed as an inference that its future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items. Greenidge’s computation of Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures computed by other companies, because all companies may not calculate Adjusted EBITDA in the same fashion.

 

Because of these limitations, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for performance measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. Greenidge compensates for these limitations by relying primarily on its GAAP results and using EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA on a supplemental basis. You should review the reconciliation of net loss to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA below and not rely on any single financial measure to evaluate Greenidge’s business.

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

On September 30, 2021, Greenidge had cash and cash equivalents of $51.1 million and short term investments of $0.5 million. To date, Greenidge has primarily relied on debt and equity financing to fund its operations and to meet ongoing working capital needs and to execute on the initial stages of its business plan. On January 29, 2021, Greenidge completed a private placement offering of 1,620,000 shares of series A preferred stock, at a price per share of $25.00, to certain individuals and investors for an aggregate amount of $40.5 million. On September 15, 2021, Greenidge entered into the Purchase Agreement with the Investor, pursuant to

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Table of Contents

 

which Greenidge has the right to sell to the Investor up to $500 million of shares of class A common stock, subject to certain limitations and conditions set forth in the Purchase Agreement, from time to time during the term of the Purchase Agreement. Through November 12, 2021, Greenidge has sold 1,977,500 shares to the Investor for proceeds of approximately $47.9 million, net of discounts. There can be no assurance that Greenidge will be able to sell additional shares of class A common stock on favorable terms, or at all.

 

On October 13, 2021, Greenidge completed a registered public offering of $55.2 million, in the aggregate, of the Company’s 8.50% Senior Notes due 2026 (the “Notes”). The Notes are senior unsecured obligations of the Company and rank equal in right of payment with the Company’s existing and future senior unsecured indebtedness. The Company received net proceeds after discounts and commissions, but before expenses and payment of the structuring fee, of approximately $53.3 million. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the offering of the Notes for general corporate purposes, including funding capital expenditures, future acquisitions, investments and working capital and repaying indebtedness.
 

 

In addition to the financings noted above, on September 14, 2021, Greenidge completed the Merger, through the issuance of class A common stock, which included cash and cash equivalents of $27.1 million and short term investments of $0.5 million.

 

Greenidge may seek to raise capital through alternative sources, such as a public offering, an additional private placement of its equity or debt securities or traditional or non-traditional credit type facilities. If Greenidge raises additional equity financing, its stockholders may experience significant dilution of their ownership interests, and the per share value of its class A common stock could decline. Furthermore, if Greenidge engages in additional debt financing, the debt holders would likely have priority over its stockholders, on order of payment preference.

 

While Greenidge held a relatively small amount of digital assets for an extended period as of September 30, 2021, Greenidge’s current business strategy is to sell digital assets within a short period after earning such assets. Greenidge may choose to change this strategy in the future. The average period between receipt of bitcoin and the subsequent conversion to cash is less than one day because at least 95% of the bitcoin mined each day is liquidated the same day it is mined. Greenidge’s liquidity is subject to volatility in both number of bitcoins mined and the underlying price of bitcoin.

 

Contractual Obligations and Commitments

 

The following table summarizes Greenidge’s contractual obligations and other commitments as of September 30, 2021, and the years in which these obligations are due:

 

 

 

 

 

Less than

 

 

1 - 3

 

$ in thousands

Total

 

 

1 Year

 

 

Years

 

Notes payable (1)

$

42,932

 

 

$

25,229

 

 

$

17,703

 

Leases (2)

$

943

 

 

$

670

 

 

$

273

 

Natural gas commitments (3)

$

9,187

 

 

$

9,187

 

 

$

-

 

Purchase commitments (4)

$

103,778

 

 

$

103,778

 

 

$

-

 

 

(1)
The notes payable amounts presented in the above table include financed principal obligations plus estimated contractual future interest and risk premium payments.
(2)
Lease obligations include fixed monthly rental payments and exclude estimated revenue sharing payments.
(3)
Represents off balance sheet arrangements to purchase natural gas through March 1, 2022.
(4)
Represents miner purchase commitments as of September 30, 2021 reduced by deposits made as of September 30, 2021.

 

The notes payable are associated with equipment finance and security agreements that financed the purchase of miners that have been delivered. These notes carry an annual interest rate of between 15% - 17%, and are repaid by way of blended payments of interest and principal, as well as an additional risk premium payment, with the final payment due 18 months from delivery date.

 

In March 2021, Greenidge entered into an equipment lease agreement for certain mining units. In conjunction with the lease agreement, Greenidge recorded a finance lease obligation of $1.2 million and a right-of-use asset of $1.4 million. The lease includes obligations for a monthly fixed payment of less than $0.1 million and a revenue sharing obligation of 10% of the revenue attributable to the miners purchased. The lease ends in August 2022, at which point the equipment transfers to Greenidge.

 

As of September 30, 2021 Greenidge had outstanding commitments to purchase an additional 17,200 miners with a remaining cash commitment of $103.8 million, which has been included in the table above. The Company has $5.2 million of committed financing associated with these miners that will be funded upon delivery. These purchase commitments are cancellable only by Greenidge;

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Table of Contents

 

however, if Greenidge were to cancel, Greenidge would forfeit the equipment deposits paid. The $5.2 million of committed financing for the miner purchase commitments are generally for a term of 18 months from delivery date with interest rates between 15% to 17% and require an additional risk premium payment.

 

Since the end of the third quarter through November 15, 2021, Greenidge had ordered an additional 12,500 S19j Pro Bitmain Antminers. The aggregate amount of these additional purchases was approximately $24.3 million.

 

Greenidge announced in October 2021 that it had entered into a Purchase and Sale Agreement for land and a facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina, with a purchase price of $15.0 million.

 

In the next twelve months, Greenidge expects that its operations and committed financing arrangements will provide sufficient cash for its operating expenses, purchase commitments, capital expenditures, interest payments and debt repayments. This is predicated on Greenidge achieving its forecast which could be negatively impacted by items outside of its control, in particular, significant decreases in the price of bitcoin, regulatory changes concerning cryptocurrency or other macroeconomic conditions (including if further COVID-19 outbreaks require further statewide shutdowns) and the other matters identified in Part II, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” of this Quarterly Report on For 10-Q.

 

Summary of Cash Flow

 

The following table provides information about Greenidge’s net cash flow (in thousands) for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020.

 

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

$ in thousands

2021

 

 

2020

 

Net cash provided by operating activities

$

26,666

 

 

$

788

 

Net cash used in investing activities

 

(38,644

)

 

 

(9,302

)

Net cash provided by financing activities

 

58,075

 

 

 

-

 

Net change in cash and cash equivalents

 

46,097

 

 

 

(8,514

)

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year

 

5,052

 

 

 

11,750

 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

$

51,149

 

 

$

3,236

 

 

Net cash provided by operating activities was $26.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, as compared to $0.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. The increase in the operating cash flow during the first nine months of 2021 as compared to 2020 was driven primarily by the cash generated from net income (which is the net income adjusted noncash items impacting net income, such as depreciation and amortization, equity-based Merger-related costs, deferred taxes, accretion of asset retirement obligations, stock-based compensation and loss on environmental liability), which improved by approximately $26.9 million.

 

Net cash used in investing activities was $38.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, as compared to $9.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. For the nine months ended September 30, 2021, purchases of and deposits for property and equipment significantly increased as compared to the prior year due to the Company’s expansion of its miner fleet for cryptocurrency mining. During the third quarter of 2021, Greenidge acquired Support through the issuance of common stock, and as a result acquired $27.1 million of cash held by Support.

 

Net cash provided by financing activities was $58.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, as compared to $0.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2020. For the nine months ended September 30, 2021, the net cash provided by financing activities consisted of $37.1 million in proceeds from issuance of preferred stock, $25.1 million from notes payable and $3.2 million from stock options and warrants exercised, offset by repayments on notes payable and finance lease obligations related to equipment finance agreements of $5.0 million and $2.3 million of costs associated with the issuance of shares for the Merger.

 

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Table of Contents

 

Emerging Growth Company Status

 

Greenidge qualifies as an “emerging growth company” under the Jumpstart our Business Startups Act ("JOBS Act"). As a result, it is permitted to, and intends to, rely on exemptions from certain disclosure requirements. For so long as Greenidge is an emerging growth company, it will not be required to:

have an auditor report on its internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act;
comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (i.e., an auditor discussion and analysis);
submit certain executive compensation matters to shareholder advisory votes, such as “say-on-pay,” “say-on-frequency” and pay ratio; and
disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the CEO’s compensation to median employee compensation.

 

In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards.

 

In other words, an emerging growth company can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. Greenidge has elected to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period. Its financial statements may therefore not be comparable to those of companies that comply with such new or revised accounting standards.

 

Greenidge will remain an “emerging growth company” for up to five years, or until the earliest of (i) the last day of the first fiscal year in which its total annual gross revenues exceed $1.07 billion, (ii) the date that it becomes a “large accelerated filer” as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act, which would occur if the market value of its class A common stock that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the last business day of its most recently completed second fiscal quarter, or (iii) the date on which it has issued more than $1 billion in non-convertible debt during the preceding three year period.

 

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

 

Greenidge believes the following accounting policies are most critical to aid you in fully understanding and evaluating this management discussion and analysis:

 

Goodwill and Intangible Assets
As a result of the merger with Support, Greenidge has recorded $46.3 million of goodwill and $22.7 million of intangible assets based on preliminary estimates and assumptions at the date of acquisition and are subject to revision based on final information received, including appraisals and other analyses which support underlying estimates. Acquisitions are accounted for using the acquisition method which requires allocation of the purchase price to assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on estimated fair values. Any excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the assets and liabilities acquired is recorded as goodwill.

 

For the period immediately prior to the effective date of the Merger, Greenridge was a private company, and Support’s stock price fluctuated significantly based on factors not representative of the value of its underlying operations; therefore, Greenidge used the average of its closing stock price for the first ten days of trading on the Nasdaq Exchange ($31.71 per share) to measure the value of the consideration paid to Support shareholders. As the Company finalizes the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, additional purchase price allocation adjustments may be recorded during the measurement period, but no later than one year from the date of the Merger. The Company will reflect measurement period adjustments in the period in which the adjustments are determined.

 

The Company will be required to perform a goodwill impairment test annually, which will occur in the fourth quarter, or more frequently if events or circumstances indicate that an impairment loss may have been incurred. The applicable guidance allows an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine if it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than carrying value. If it is determined that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than carrying value then the company will estimate and compare the fair value of its reporting units to their carrying value, including goodwill. If the carrying value of goodwill is not recoverable, an impairment is recognized for the difference. Fair value is determined through the use of

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projected future cash flows, multiples of earnings and sales and other factors. Such analysis requires the use of certain market assumptions and discount factors, which are subjective in nature.

 

Due to the timing of the Merger, the Company is in the early stages of our purchase accounting process. As the Company completes this process, including the finalization of the purchase price, fair value calculations, and a more detailed assessment of Support’s business projections, any measurement period adjustments will be recorded and a goodwill impairment test will be performed. In accordance with ASC 805, Support’s assets and liabilities are recorded at fair value at September 14, 2021, and accordingly, there is no cushion between Support’s fair value and carrying value. Considering that the fair value used to determine the consideration was based upon a stock that experienced significant price fluctuations, it is possible that goodwill and intangible assets may need to be impaired at that time.

 

Accounts Receivable

Greenidge provides credit in the normal course of business to its power customer, the NYISO, and to its customers of its Support Services segment. Greenidge performs periodic credit evaluations of its customer’s financial condition and generally does not require collateral. The NYISO makes payments, depending on the type of revenue, within seven days of usage or seven days of month end. The customers of the Support Services segment generally are invoiced monthly and make payments within 30 days of the invoice. There are currently no accounts receivable associated with cryptocurrency mining revenues.

 

Digital Assets

Digital assets are included in current assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Digital assets are classified as indefinite-lived intangible assets in accordance with ASC 350, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other, and are accounted for in connection with Greenidge’s revenue recognition policy disclosed below. Cryptocurrencies held are accounted for as intangible assets with indefinite useful lives. An intangible asset with an indefinite useful life is not amortized but assessed for impairment annually, or more frequently, when events or changes in circumstances occur indicating that it is more likely than not that the indefinite-lived asset is impaired. Events or circumstances that may trigger an impairment assessment other than annually include but are not limited to material changes in the regulatory environment, potential technological changes in digital currencies, and prolonged or material changes in the price of bitcoin below the carrying cost of the asset. Upon determining an impairment exists, the amount of the impairment is determined as the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds its fair value, which is measured using the quoted price of the cryptocurrency at the time its fair value is being measured. In testing for impairment, Greenidge has the option to first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that an impairment exists. If it is determined that it is not more likely than not that an impairment exists, a quantitative impairment test is not necessary. If Greenidge concludes otherwise, it is required to perform a quantitative impairment test. To the extent an impairment loss is recognized, the loss establishes the new cost basis of the asset. Subsequent reversal of impairment losses is not permitted. Greenidge assessed these digital assets and determined no impairment existed as of September 30, 2021. As of September 30, 2021, Greenidge’s digital assets consisted of approximately 29.8 bitcoins compared to 26.1 bitcoins as of December 31, 2020.

 

Digital assets awarded to Greenidge through its mining activities are included within the operating activities in the accompanying consolidated statements of cash flows. Greenidge accounts for its gains or losses in accordance with the last in, first out (“LIFO”) method of accounting. Gains and losses from the sales of digital assets are recorded in other income (expense) in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.

 

While management uses available information to evaluate and recognize impairment losses on digital assets, further reductions in the carrying amounts may be necessary based on the changes in the underlying value of bitcoin

 

Emissions Expense and Credits

Greenidge generates carbon dioxide emissions in conjunction with its energy producing activities. As a result, Greenidge incurs emissions expense and is required to purchase emission credits, which are valued at cost, to offset the liability. Greenidge participates in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (“RGGI”), which requires, by law, that Greenidge remit credits to offset 50% of Greenidge’s annual emission expense in the following year, for each of the years in the three-year control period (January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2023) with final settlement required subsequent to the three-year control period. Greenidge recognizes expense on a per ton basis, where one ton is equal to one RGGI credit. After the control period ends, Greenidge will remit credits to extinguish the remaining emission expense liability. Greenidge recognizes expense on a per ton basis, where one ton is equal to one RGGI credit. The RGGI credits are recorded on a first in, first out basis.

 

Asset Retirement Obligations

Asset retirement obligations are legal obligations associated with the retirement of long-lived assets. The obligations represent the present value of the estimated costs for an asset’s future retirement discounted using a credit-adjusted risk-free rate and are recorded in the period in which the liability is incurred. These liabilities recognized by Greenidge relate to its landfill and the decommissioning costs of a coal ash pond that is currently only used for water discharge.

 

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Greenidge owns and operates a landfill located on its property in the Town of Torrey, NY. As required by the NYSDEC, landfills are required to fund a trust or provide an equivalent financial commitment to cover expenses for approximately 30 years of estimated expenses to maintain the landfill after a landfill has ceased operations. As of September 30, 2021, the landfill owned by Greenidge is a fully permitted, operational landfill and acts as a leachate treatment facility. An annual report is completed by a third-party engineering firm to provide environmental compliance and calculate combined closure and post-closure costs, discounted to current year dollars. In lieu of a trust, Greenidge has negotiated with its largest equity member to maintain a letter of credit guaranteeing the payment of the liability. In accordance with ASC 410-20, Asset Retirement Obligations, Greenidge has recorded an environmental liability of $5.0 million and $4.9 million as of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. The letter of credit related to this liability was for $5.0 million at September 30, 2021.

 

Greenidge has an obligation associated with coal combustion residuals associated with the closure of a coal ash pond located on its property in the Town of Torrey, NY as coal combustion residuals are subject to Federal and State regulations. In accordance with Federal law and ASC 410-20, Asset Retirement Obligations, Greenidge recorded an asset retirement obligation of $2.4 million and $2.3 million as of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. There were no changes to cash flow estimates related to the coal ash pond asset retirement obligation during the first nine months of 2021. Estimates are based on various assumptions including, but not limited to, closure and post-closure cost estimates, timing of expenditures, escalation factors, discount rates and methods for complying with coal combustion residuals regulations. Additional adjustments to the asset retirement obligations are expected periodically due to potential changes in estimates and assumptions.

 

Cryptocurrency Mining Revenue

Greenidge has entered into digital asset mining pools by executing contracts with the mining pool operators to provide computing power to the mining pool. The contracts are terminable at any time by either party and Greenidge’s enforceable right to compensation only begins when Greenidge provides computing power to the mining pool operator. In exchange for providing computing power, Greenidge is entitled to a theoretical fractional share of the cryptocurrency award the mining pool operator receives less digital asset transaction fees to the mining pool operator. Revenue is measured as the value of the fractional share of the cryptocurrency award received from the pool operator, which has been reduced by the transaction fee retained by the pool operator, for Greenidge’s pro rata contribution of computing power to the mining pool operator for the successful solution of the current algorithm.

 

Providing computing power in digital asset transaction verification services is an output of Greenidge’s ordinary activities. The provision of providing such computing power is the only performance obligation in Greenidge’s contracts with mining pool operators. The transaction consideration Greenidge receives, if any, is noncash consideration, which Greenidge measures at fair value on the date received, which is not materially different than the fair value at the contract inception or the time Greenidge has earned the award from the pools. The consideration is all variable. Because it is not probable that a significant reversal of cumulative revenue will not occur, the consideration is constrained until the mining pool operator successfully places a block (by being the first to solve an algorithm) and Greenidge receives confirmation of the consideration it will receive, at which time revenue is recognized.

 

Pool fees paid by miners to pooling operators are based on a fixed percentage of the theoretical bitcoin block reward and network transaction fees received by miners. Pooling fees are netted against daily bitcoin payouts. Greenidge does not expect any material future changes in pool fee percentages paid to pooling operators, however as pools become more competitive, these fees may trend lower over time.

 

Fair value of the cryptocurrency award received is determined using the quoted price on Greenidge’s primary exchange of the related cryptocurrency at the time of receipt.

 

There is currently no specific definitive guidance under GAAP or alternative accounting framework for the accounting for cryptocurrencies recognized as revenue or held, and management has exercised significant judgment in determining the appropriate accounting treatment. In the event authoritative guidance is enacted by the FASB, Greenidge may be required to change its policies, which could have an effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position and results of operations.

 

Power and Capacity Revenue

Greenidge recognizes power revenue at a point in time, when the electricity is delivered to the NYISO and its performance obligation is met. Greenidge recognizes revenue on capacity agreements over the life of the contract as its series of performance obligations are met as capacity to provide power is maintained.

 

Sales tax, value-added tax, and other taxes Greenidge collects concurrent with revenue-producing activities are excluded from revenue. Incidental contract costs that are not material in the context of the delivery of goods and services are recognized as expense. There is no significant financing component in these transactions.

 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

 

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As of September 30, 2021, Greenidge had 1,965,000 mmbtu of natural gas purchased through March 1, 2022 at an average cost of $4.68 / mmbtu, which represents an aggregate commitment of $9.2 million.

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Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

Not required for smaller reporting companies.

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

The Company’s management, including its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, have conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended), as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Based on that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded as of September 30, 2021, that the disclosure controls and procedures are effective in ensuring that all material information required to be filed in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q has been recorded, processed, summarized and reported when required and the information is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

There have not been any changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the third quarter of 2021 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

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PART II—OTHER INFORMATION

From time to time, we may become involved in various lawsuits and legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of business. However, litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties, and an adverse result in these, or other matters, may arise and harm our business. Other than discussed below, and as set forth in Note 9 “Commitments and Contingencies – Merger-Related Litigation” of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, which is incorporated herein by reference, we are currently not aware of any such legal proceedings or claims that we believe will have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition or operating results.

On December 17, 2020, certain parties filed an Article 78 petition with the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Yates County, that challenges the Town of Torrey’s site plan review for the planned expansion of our bitcoin mining data center. We were joined in the petition as a necessary party. The petition asserts two errors, by the Town of Torrey namely (1) a violation of General Municipal Law 239-m for failure to make the necessary referral to the County or Torrey Planning Committee prior to the Town’s approval of the site plan; and (2) a violation of the State of New York Environmental Quality Review Act for, among other things, failing to identify all areas of environmental concern or scrutinizing the potential environmental impacts of the planned expansion of our data center. The matter was adjourned, during which time the General Municipal Law referral issue was rectified, leaving only the SEQRA matter. We have successfully defended similar SEQRA claims brought by the same petitioners in past litigation. Nevertheless, we cannot predict the outcome of this litigation. On April 19, 2021, the Town of Torrey Planning Board once again declared that the site plan application created no significant negative environmental impacts and again approved the proposed site plan. In light of the recent Town action, the petitioners have amended their pleadings against the Town of Torrey and requested that the Court set a new return date to have their claims fully addressed. We believe that the petitioners’ claims against the Town of Torrey have no merit.

 

Item 1A. Risk Factors

In evaluating our company and our business, you should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with the other information in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including our condensed consolidated financial statements and the related notes and in the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”. The occurrence of one or more of the events or circumstances described in these risk factors, alone or in combination with other events or circumstances, may have a material adverse effect on our business, reputation, revenue, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects, in which case the market price of our common stock could decline. Unless otherwise indicated, reference in this section and elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q to our business being adversely affected, negatively impacted or harmed will include an adverse effect on, or a negative impact or harm to, our business, reputation, financial condition, results of operations, revenue and our future prospects. The material and other risks and uncertainties summarized above in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and described below are not intended to be exhaustive and are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business operations. This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q also contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including the risks described below. Certain statements in the Risk Factors below are forward-looking statements. See the section titled “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements”.

Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, which illuminate challenges that we face in connection with the successful implementation of our strategy and the growth of our business. Our business, prospects, financial condition or operating results could be harmed by any of these risks, as well as other risks not currently known to us or that we currently consider immaterial.

Risks Related to Our Business

Risks Related to Our Business Generally

Our business and operating plan may be altered due to several external factors, including market conditions, the ability to procure equipment in a quantity, cost and timeline consistent with our business plan, the ability to identify and acquire additional locations to replicate the operating model in place at our existing cryptocurrency mining and power generation facility and the ability to integrate the Support Services segment within our overall business plan.

 

We have developed a business plan that contemplates the anticipated completion of our build out in the Town of Torrey, New York, expansion into the Spartanburg facility, as well as the acquisition of additional power generation assets where we envision replicating our existing business model. The business plan is predicated on certain assumptions regarding many factors, some of which include no disruption to current operations from regulatory changes requirements, and procurement of additional mining equipment of certain performance specifications at certain future dates and prices, as well as the acquisition of additional locations. Our business plan is

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subject to change to the extent we are not able to achieve the expected outcomes consistent with our current assumptions. There can be no assurance that we will realize the benefits of our growth strategy and business plan, including with respect to our significant capital expenditures relating to orders of mining equipment. Furthermore, we remain in the process of developing other sites to deploy this mining equipment, and any disruption in developing such sites may delay our deployment efforts. Any delay in developing other sites could delay our ability to deploy mining equipment that we receive, and materially adversely affect our results of operation, strategy and financial performance.

 

As we continue to integrate the Support Services segment within our business model, we may elect or may be required to alter our business plans or change our business strategy with respect to the segment. Any change to our business plans or strategy will present risks related to Support’s ability to execute on these changes and may require us to make additional investments in the Support Services segment, all of which could harm our results of operations and financial performance.

 

It may take significant time, expenditure or effort for us to grow our business, including our bitcoin mining operations, through acquisitions, and our efforts may not be successful.

 

The number of bitcoin and other cryptocurrency mining companies has greatly increased in recent years. As we and other bitcoin/cryptocurrency mining companies seek to grow their mining capacity or access additional sources of electricity to power their growing mining operations, the acquisition of existing cryptocurrency mining companies and standalone electricity production facilities may become an attractive avenue of growth. Currently, we source our electricity for our bitcoin mining operations from our captive 106-megawatt power generation facility located in the Town of Torrey, New York. If we determine to expand our operations, we may want to do so through the acquisition of additional bitcoin or other cryptocurrency mining businesses or electricity generating power plants. We expect that operations at a new site will commence in 2022; however, there can be no assurance that operations will commence on the timeline indicated, or that the expected benefits and advantages of such expansion will be realized. Further attractive acquisition targets may not be available to us for a number of reasons, such as growing competition for attractive targets, economic or industry sector downturns, geopolitical tensions, regulatory changes, environmental challenges, increases in the cost of additional capital needed to close business combination or operate targets post-business combination. Our inability to identify and consummate acquisitions of attractive targets could have a material and adverse impact on our long term growth prospects, which could materially adversely affect our results of operations, strategy and financial performance.

 

Additionally, we may engage in the acquisition of other companies, investments, joint ventures and strategic alliances outside of our Support Services segment’s current line of business to design and develop new technologies and products, to strengthen competitiveness by scaling up and to expand our existing business line into new regions. Such transactions, especially in new lines of business, inherently involve risk due to the difficulties in integrating operations, technologies, products and personnel. Integration issues are complex, time-consuming and expensive and, without proper planning and implementation, may adversely affect the existing business. We may incur significant acquisition, administrative and other costs in connection with these transactions, including costs related to integration or restructuring of acquired businesses. These investments may not provide a return or lead to an increase in our Support Services segment’s operating results, and the benefits of these investments may not be obtained. There can be no assurance that these transactions will be beneficial to our Support Services segment’s results of operations or financial condition. Even assuming these transactions are beneficial, there can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully integrate the new business lines acquired or achieve all or any of the initial objectives of these transactions.

 

The loss of any of our management team, an inability to execute an effective succession plan, or an inability to attract and retain qualified personnel could adversely affect our results of operations, strategy and financial performance.

 

Our operations, strategy and business depend to a significant degree on the skills and services of our management, including Jeffrey Kirt, our Chief Executive Officer, Dale Irwin, our President and Timothy Rainey, our Chief Financial Officer.

 

At present, our management team is small, and we will need to continue to grow our management in order to alleviate pressure on our existing management team and in order to continue to develop our business and execute on any future identification and expansion into other potential power generation, cryptocurrency mining and support services opportunities. If our management, including any new hires that we may make, fails to work together effectively or to execute our plans and strategies on a timely basis, our business could be harmed. Furthermore, if we fail to execute an effective contingency or succession plan with the loss of any member of management, the loss of such management personnel may significantly disrupt our business.

 

The loss of key members of management could inhibit our business. Our future success also depends in large part on our ability to attract, retain and motivate key management and operating personnel. As we continue to develop and expand our operations, we may require personnel with different skills and experiences, and who have a sound understanding of our business and the bitcoin industry. The market for highly qualified personnel in the industries in which we operate is very competitive, and we may be unable to attract and retain such personnel. If we are unable to attract and retain such personnel, our business could be harmed.

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We have been, are currently, and may be in the future, the subject of legal proceedings, including governmental investigations, relating to our products or services.

 

We, or certain of our subsidiaries, have been named as a party to several lawsuits, government inquiries or investigations and other legal proceedings, and may be named in additional ones in the future. Litigation may be time consuming, expensive, and disruptive to normal business operations, and the outcome of litigation is difficult to predict. The ultimate outcome of litigation could have a material adverse effect on our and the trading price for our securities. Furthermore, litigation, regardless of the outcome, may result in significant expenditures, diversion of our management’s time and attention from the operation of the business and damage to our reputation or relationship with third parties, which could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, strategy and financial performance.

 

On December 17, 2020, certain parties filed an Article 78 petition with the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Yates County, that challenges the Town of Torrey’s site plan review for the planned expansion of our bitcoin mining data center. We were joined in the petition as a necessary party. The petition asserts, among other things, a violation of the State of New York Environmental Quality Review Act for failing to identify all areas of environmental concern or appropriately review the potential environmental impacts of the planned expansion of our data center. This claim could result in litigation, may be time-consuming and costly, divert management resources, require us to change, postpone or halt the construction of our planned bitcoin mining data center expansion, or have other adverse effects on our business. In addition, costly and time-consuming litigation could be necessary to enforce our approved building rights.

 

Since the announcement of the Merger, six complaints have been filed by alleged individual stockholders of Support against Support, the individual directors of Support and, in two of the cases, Greenidge and Merger Sub in various U.S. federal district courts. The lawsuits generally allege that the Form S-4 Registration Statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the Merger on May 4, 2021 is misleading and/or omits certain material information. In addition, one of the lawsuits also alleges that the members of the Support board breached their fiduciary duties in negotiating and approving the Merger Agreement and that Greenidge and Merger Sub aided and abetted the Support directors’ alleged breaches of fiduciary duty. All six lawsuits seek, among other things, to enjoin the Merger, or in the event that an injunction is not entered and the Merger closes, rescission of the Merger and unspecified money damages, costs and attorneys’ and experts’ fees (see Note 13).

 

Our Support Services segment involves direct sale and licensing of services and software to consumers and small and medium sized businesses, and it typically includes customary indemnification provisions in favor of its partners in its agreements for the distribution of its services and software. As a result, we may be subject to consumer litigation and legal proceedings related to our Support Services segment’s services and software, including putative class action claims and similar legal actions, including, but not limited to, consumer litigation and legal proceedings. We may also be subject to employee litigation and legal proceedings related to our employment practices attempted on a class or representative basis. Such litigation can be expensive and time-consuming regardless of the merits of any action and could divert management’s attention from our business. The cost of defense can be large as can any settlement or judgment in an action. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, strategy and financial performance.

 

Our ability to use our net operating losses to offset future taxable income may be subject to certain limitations.

 

As of December 31, 2020, Support had approximately $145.6 million in U.S. federal tax net operating loss (“NOLs”) carryforwards, the usage of which is subject to Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). If a corporation undergoes an “ownership change” within the meaning of Section 382, the corporation’s net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes arising from before the ownership change are subject to limitations on use after the ownership change. In general, an ownership change occurs if there is a cumulative change in the corporation’s equity ownership by certain stockholders that exceeds fifty percentage points over a rolling three-year period. Similar rules may apply under state tax laws. The Merger resulted in an ownership change for Support. Thus, our existing NOLs may be subject to limitations arising from the previous ownership change, and if we undergo an ownership change in connection with or after this offering, our ability to utilize NOLs could be further limited by Section 382 of the Code. Future changes in our stock ownership, some of which might be beyond our control, could result in additional ownership changes under Section 382 of the Code subjecting our ability to use our NOLs to stricter limitations. For these reasons, we may not be able to utilize a material portion of the NOL carryforwards even if we attain profitability.

 

We have a limited operating history, with operating losses as we have grown. If we are unable to sustain greater revenues than our operating costs of bitcoin mining and power generation, as well as expansion plans, we will resume operating losses, which could negatively impact our operations, strategy and financial performance.

 

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We have undergone a transformation in recent years and began bitcoin mining in May 2019. We have experienced recurring losses from operations in prior years. Our bitcoin mining business is in its early stages, and bitcoin and energy pricing and bitcoin mining economics are volatile and subject to uncertainty. Our current strategy will continue to expose us to the numerous risks and volatility associated with the bitcoin mining and power generation sectors, including fluctuating bitcoin to U.S. dollar prices, the costs of bitcoin miners, the number of market participants mining bitcoin, the availability of other power generation facilities to expand operations and regulatory changes.

 

If, among other things, the price of bitcoin declines or mining economics become prohibitive, we could incur future losses. Such losses could be significant as we incur costs and expenses associated with recent investments and potential future acquisitions, as well as legal and administrative related expenses. While we are closely monitoring our cash balances, cash needs and expense levels, significant expense increases may not be offset by a corresponding increase in revenue or a significant decline in bitcoin prices could significantly impact our financial performance.

While we have multiple sources of revenue from our business and operations, these sources of revenue currently all depend on the single natural gas power generation facility that we operate. Any disruption to our single power plant would have a material adverse effect on our business and operations, as well as our results of operations and financial condition.

We operate a single source natural gas power generation facility that presently comprises and supports all of our business and operations. While we realize multiple sources of revenue from our business and operations, each current source of revenue is dependent on the continuing operation of our natural gas power generation facility in the Town of Torrey, New York. Power plants involve complex operations and equipment, much of which is subject to wear and tear in the normal course of operation. Further, equipment used in the operations of the power plant may also suffer breakdown or malfunction, physical disaster and sabotage. Substantially all of our power plant and bitcoin mining operations are operated with computer systems that may be subject to data security breaches, computer malfunction and viruses, and generally require continual software updates and maintenance. Repairing, replacing or otherwise fixing or addressing any of these or other issues may require the allocation of significant time, capital or other resources, such as technical capability, and during such period of time, we would be unable to operate our power plant and generate revenue. We may not have the adequate capital or other resources to fix or otherwise address these factors or issues in a timely manner or at all, and we may not have access to the necessary parts or equipment that are required to fix or otherwise address such factors or issues. Some of the parts and equipment necessary to operate the power plant may require long lead-times in order to acquire, either due to availability, production time or cycles, shipping or other factors, thereby making such parts or equipment difficult to acquire in a timely manner or on a cost-effective basis, if available at all. Any disruption to our single power plant would cause a suspension of revenue generating activity and would have a material adverse effect on our business and operations, as well as our results of operations and financial condition.

As the aggregate amount of computing power, or hash rate, in the bitcoin network increases, the amount of bitcoin earned per unit of hash rate decreases; as a result, in order to maintain our market share, we may have to incur significant capital expenditures in order to expand our fleet of miners.

The aggregate computing power of the global bitcoin network has generally grown over time and we expect it to continue to grow in the future. To the extent the global hash rate continues to increase, the market share of and the amount of bitcoin rewards paid to any fixed fleet of miners will decrease. Therefore, in order to maintain our market share, we may be required to expand our mining fleet, which may require significant capital expenditures. Such significant capital expenditures could have an adverse effect on our business operations, strategy and financial performance.

The properties utilized by us in our bitcoin mining operations may experience damage, including damage not covered by insurance.

Our current bitcoin mining operation in the Town of Torrey, New York is, and any future bitcoin mining operations that we establish will be, subject to a variety of risks relating to physical condition and operation, including:

the presence of construction or repair defects or other structural or building damage;
any noncompliance with or liabilities under applicable environmental, health or safety regulations or requirements or building permit requirements;
any damage resulting from natural disasters, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, floods and windstorms;
damage caused by criminal actors, such as cyberattacks, vandalism, sabotage or terrorist attacks; and
claims by employees and others for injuries sustained at our properties.

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Any of these could render our bitcoin mining operations and/or power generation inoperable, temporarily or permanently, and the potential impact on our business is currently magnified because we currently operate from a single location. The security and other measures we take to protect against these risks may be insufficient or unavailable. Our property insurance covers approximately $197 million per occurrence on plant, including business interruption, and $50 million for bitcoin mining equipment in all cases, subject to certain deductibles. Our insurance may not be adequate to cover the losses we suffer as a result of these risks, which could materially adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.

Our bitcoin may be subject to loss, theft or restriction on access.

We are subject to the risk that some or all of our bitcoin could be lost or stolen. Cryptocurrencies are stored in cryptocurrency sites commonly referred to as “wallets” which may be accessed to exchange a holder’s cryptocurrency assets. Access to our bitcoin assets could also be restricted by cybercrime (such as a denial of service attack) against a service at which we maintain a hosted hot wallet. A hot wallet refers to any cryptocurrency wallet that is connected to the Internet. In general, hot wallets are easier to set up and access than wallets in cold storage, but they are also more susceptible to hackers and other technical vulnerabilities. Cold storage refers to any cryptocurrency wallet that is not connected to the Internet. Cold storage wallets are generally more secure than hot wallets, but they are not ideal for quick or regular transactions, and we may experience lag time in our ability to respond to market fluctuations in the price of our bitcoin. We currently engage a third-party provider to hold our bitcoin in multi-signature cold storage wallets, and such third party provider maintains secure backups to reduce the risk of malfeasance, but the risk of loss of our bitcoin assets cannot be wholly eliminated. We utilize hot wallets on exchanges to liquidate daily bitcoin mining rewards (and amounts held in hot wallets are limited to one day’s worth of mining revenue, to mitigate risk of loss. Any restrictions on access to our hot wallets due to cybercrime or other reasons could limit our ability to convert bitcoin to cash.

Hackers or malicious actors may attempt to steal, bitcoin, such as by attacking the bitcoin network source code, exchange miners, third-party platforms, cold and hot storage locations or software, our general computer systems or networks, or by other means. As we increase in size, we may become a more appealing target of hackers or other malicious actors. In addition, if in the future we hold more of our generated bitcoin long term for investment purposes, the threat of the loss of our bitcoin to hackers would become a more substantial risk and the potential for substantial losses would grow.

Bitcoin are controlled by the possessor of both the unique public and private keys relating to the local or online digital wallet in which they are held, which wallet’s public key or address is reflected in the network’s public blockchain. We publish the public key relating to digital wallets in use when we verify the receipt of transfers and disseminate such information into the network, but we will need to safeguard the private keys relating to such digital wallets. To the extent such private keys are lost, destroyed or otherwise compromised, we will be unable to access our bitcoin and such private keys may not be capable of being restored. Such events could materially adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.

If bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies are determined to be investment securities, and we hold a significant portion of our assets in such cryptocurrency, investment securities or non-controlling equity interests of other entities, we may inadvertently violate the Investment Company Act. We could incur large losses to modify our operations to avoid the need to register as an investment company or could incur significant expenses to register as an investment company or could terminate operations altogether.

Under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), a company may be deemed an investment company if the value of our investment securities is more than 40% of our total assets (exclusive of government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. At the present time, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") does not deem the bitcoin that we own, acquire or mine as an investment security, and we do not believe any of the bitcoin we own, acquire or mine to be securities. Additionally, we do not currently hold a significant portion of our assets in bitcoin. However, SEC rules and applicable law are subject to change, especially in the evolving world of cryptocurrency, and further, the Investment Company Act analysis may not be uniform across all forms of cryptocurrency that we might mine or hold.

If the SEC or other regulatory body were to determine that bitcoin, or any other cryptocurrency that we may mine or hold in the future, constitutes an investment security subject to the Investment Company Act, and if we were to hold a significant portion of our total assets in such bitcoin or other cryptocurrency as a result of our mining activities and/or in investments in which we do not have a controlling interest, the investment securities we hold could exceed 40% of our total assets, exclusive of cash items. Such a situation could be hastened if we choose to hold more of our mined bitcoin or other cryptocurrency rather than converting our mined bitcoin or cryptocurrency in significant part to U.S. dollars.

In such an event, we could determine that we have become an investment company. Limited exclusions are available under the Investment Company Act, including an exclusion granting an inadvertent investment company a one-year grace period from registration as an investment company. In that year, we would be required to take actions to cause the investment securities held by us to be less than 40% of our total assets, which could include acquiring assets with our cash and bitcoin or other cryptocurrency on hand, liquidating our investment securities or bitcoin or seeking a no-action letter from the SEC if we are unable to acquire sufficient

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assets or liquidate sufficient investment securities in a timely manner. Such actions could require significant cost, disruption to our operations or growth plans and diversion of management time and attention.

If we were unable to qualify for an exemption from registration as an investment company, or fail to take adequate steps within the one-year grace period for inadvertent investment companies, we would need to register with the SEC as an investment company under the Investment Company Act or cease almost all business, and our contracts would become voidable. Investment company registration is time consuming and would require a restructuring of our business. Moreover, the operation of an investment company is very costly and restrictive, as investment companies are subject to substantial regulation concerning management, operations, transactions with affiliated persons and portfolio composition, and Investment Company Act filing requirements. The cost of such compliance would result in us incurring substantial additional expenses, and the failure to register if required would have a materially adverse impact on our operations.

There has been limited precedent set for financial accounting of digital assets and so it is unclear how we will be required to account for digital asset transactions.

While we record digital assets as indefinite-lived intangible assets in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification, or ASC, 350, there is currently no authoritative guidance under U.S. GAAP which specifically addresses the accounting for digital assets, including digital currencies.

We recognize bitcoin related revenue when bitcoins are earned. The receipt of bitcoins is generally recorded as revenue, using the spot price of a prominent exchange at the time of daily reward and bitcoins are recorded on the balance sheet at their cost basis and are reviewed for impairment annually.

A change in financial accounting standards or their interpretation could result in changes in accounting treatment applicable to our bitcoin business, which may have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

If federal or state legislatures or agencies initiate or release tax determinations that change the classification of bitcoins as property for tax purposes (in the context of when such bitcoins are held as an investment), such determination could have a negative tax consequence on us.

Current IRS guidance indicates that digital assets such as bitcoin should be treated and taxed as property, and that transactions involving the payment of bitcoin for goods and services should be treated as barter transactions. While this treatment creates a potential tax reporting requirement for any circumstance where the ownership of a bitcoin passes from one person to another, usually by means of bitcoin transactions (including off-blockchain transactions), it preserves the right to apply capital gains treatment to those transactions which may adversely affect our results of operations.

Risks Related to the Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Industry

Regulatory changes or actions may alter the nature of an investment in us or restrict the use of bitcoin in a manner that adversely affects our business, prospects or operations.

As bitcoin and cryptocurrencies generally have grown in both popularity and market size, governments around the world have reacted differently to them; certain governments have deemed them illegal, and others have allowed their use and trade without restriction. Based on stated efforts to curtail energy usage on mining, to protect investors or to prevent criminal activity, and in part to redirect interest into competing government-created cryptocurrencies, recent regulations have proliferated. In March 2021, a new law was proposed in India to criminalize the mining, transferring or holding of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, and current rules require extensive disclosure to the government of cryptocurrency holdings. At the same time, India is rumored to be developing its own centralized national digital currency. Similarly, China has also limited some mining and trading, although not possession, of cryptocurrency, ostensibly to reduce energy usage in a country representing an estimated 65% of bitcoin mining, but reports suggest such regulation is also designed, in part, to drive appetite for China’s own digital yuan. On April 16, 2021, Turkey imposed bans on the use of cryptocurrency as payment and now requires transactions of a certain size to be reported to a government agency in the wake of alleged fraud at one of Turkey’s largest exchanges. In addition, in May 2021, Iran announced a temporary ban on cryptocurrency mining as a way to reduce energy consumption amid power blackouts. Many jurisdictions, such as the United States, subject bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to extensive, and in some cases overlapping, unclear and evolving regulatory requirements. Further, in January 2021, Russia adopted legislation to identify cryptocurrency as a digital asset and legitimize its trading, but also prohibit its use as a payment method; mining operations have also grown significantly in Russia since this time. Such varying government regulations and pronouncements are likely to continue for the near future.

In the U.S., the Federal Reserve Board, U.S. Congress and certain U.S. agencies (e.g., the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the SEC, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network of the U.S. Treasury Department (“FinCEN”), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation) have begun to examine the operations of the bitcoin network, bitcoin users and the bitcoin exchange market. Increasing

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regulation and regulatory scrutiny may result in new costs for us and our management having to devote increased time and attention to regulatory matters, change aspects of our business or result in limits on the use cases of bitcoin. In addition, regulatory developments and/or our business activities may require us to comply with certain regulatory regimes. For example, to the extent that our activities cause us to be deemed a money service business under the regulations promulgated by FinCEN under the authority of the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act, we may be required to comply with FinCEN regulations, including those that would mandate us to implement certain anti-money laundering programs, make certain reports to FinCEN and maintain certain records.

Ongoing and future regulation and regulatory actions could significantly restrict or eliminate the market for or uses of bitcoin and/or materially and adversely impact our results of operation and financial condition.

We are subject to risks related to Internet disruptions, which could have an adverse effect on our ability to mine bitcoin.

In general, bitcoin and our business of mining bitcoin is dependent upon the Internet. A significant disruption in Internet connectivity could disrupt a currency’s network operations and have an adverse effect on the price of bitcoin and our ability to mine bitcoin, , which could, depending on the duration of the disruption, materially and adversely impact our results of operations.

Our future success will depend significantly on the price of bitcoin, which is subject to risk and has historically been subject to wide swings and significant volatility.

Our operating results will depend significantly on the price of bitcoin. Specifically, our revenues from our bitcoin mining operations are based principally on two factors: (1) our mining payouts from our third-party mining pools; and (2) the price of bitcoin. Accordingly, a decrease in the price of bitcoin will result in a decrease in our revenues. Moreover, the price of bitcoin has historically been subject to wide swings and significant volatility. This means that our operating results may be subject to significant volatility.

Bitcoin prices have historically been volatile and impacted by a variety of factors, including market perception, the degree to which bitcoin is accepted as a means of payment, the volume of purchases and sales of bitcoin by market participants, real or perceived competition from alternative cryptocurrencies as well as those factors discussed in this section “Risk Factors”.

We may not be able to compete effectively against other companies, some of whom have greater resources and experience.

We may not be able to compete effectively against present or future competitors. The bitcoin industry has attracted various high-profile and well-established competitors, some of whom have substantially greater liquidity and financial resources than us. With the limited resources we have available, we may experience great difficulties in expanding and improving our network of computers to remain competitive. In addition, new ways for investors and market participants to invest in bitcoin and cryptocurrencies continue to develop, and we may be adversely affected by competition from other methods of investing in bitcoin. Competition from existing and future competitors, particularly those that have access to competitively priced energy, could result in our inability to secure acquisitions and partnerships and to successfully execute our business plan. If we are unable compete effectively, our business could be negatively affected.

The impact of geopolitical and economic events on the supply and demand for bitcoin is uncertain.

Geopolitical crises may motivate large-scale purchases of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, which could increase the price of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies rapidly. This may increase the likelihood of a subsequent price decrease as crisis-driven purchasing behavior dissipates. Such risks are similar to the risks of purchasing commodities in uncertain times, such as the risk of purchasing, holding or selling gold. Alternatively, as cryptocurrencies are an emerging asset class, global crises and general economic downturns may discourage investment in bitcoin as investors could focus their investment on less volatile asset classes as a means of hedging their investment risk.

Bitcoin is subject to supply and demand forces. How such supply and demand will be impacted by geopolitical events is largely uncertain but could be harmful to us and our shareholders.

Bitcoin miners and other necessary hardware are subject to malfunction, technological obsolescence, the global supply chain and difficulty and cost in obtaining new hardware.

Our bitcoin miners are subject to malfunctions and normal wear and tear, and, at any point in time, a certain number of our bitcoin miners are typically off-line for maintenance or repair. The physical degradation of our miners will require us to replace miners that are no longer functional. Because we utilize many units of the same bitcoin miner models, if there is a model wide component malfunction whether in the hardware or the software that powers these miners, the percentage of offline miners could increase substantially, disrupting our operations. Any major bitcoin miner malfunction out of the typical range of downtime for normal maintenance and repair could cause significant economic damage to us.

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Additionally, as technology evolves, we may need to acquire newer models of miners to remain competitive in the market. New miners can be costly and may be in short supply. Given the long production period to manufacture and assemble bitcoin miners and the current global semiconductor chip shortage, there can be no assurance that we can acquire enough bitcoin mining computers or replacement parts on a cost-effective basis – or at all – for the maintenance and expansion of our bitcoin mining operations. We rely on third parties, principally located in China, to supply us with bitcoin miners and shortages of bitcoin miners or their component parts, material increases in bitcoin miner costs, or delays in delivery of our orders, including due to trade restrictions and COVID-19 supply chain disruptions, could significantly interrupt our plans for expanding our bitcoin mining capacity in the near term and future.

Bitmain, a provider of bitcoin miners, adjusts its prices based on bitcoin mining revenues, so the cost of new machines is unpredictable but could be extremely high. As a result, at times, we may obtain Bitmain miners and other hardware from third parties at premium prices, to the extent they are available. Due to high demand and the limited number of suppliers, we must identify miners on terms we find attractive, negotiate to lock in the purchase and price and wait for delivery. As we wait for such miner delivery, we bear the risk of bitcoin price decreases and mining difficulty increases. Meanwhile, our competitors may be receiving and installing miners purchased at lower cost.

This upgrading and replacement process requires substantial capital investment and we may face challenges in doing so on a timely and cost-effective basis. Shortages of bitcoin mining computers could result in reduced bitcoin mining capacity and increased operating costs, which could materially delay the completion of our planned bitcoin mining capacity expansion and put us at a competitive disadvantage.

We face risks and disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain issues, including in semiconductors and other necessary mining components, which could significantly impact our operations and financial results.

Our business was adversely impacted by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular as a result of a decline in energy prices and the availability of bitcoin miners, and may continue to be adversely impacted in the future.

The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has and may continue to adversely affect the economies of many countries, resulting in an economic downturn that may have an adverse effect on financial markets, energy and bitcoin prices, the demand for bitcoin and other factors that could impact our operating results.

China has also limited the shipment of certain products in and out of its borders, which could negatively impact our ability to receive bitcoin mining equipment from our China-based suppliers. Our third-party manufacturers, suppliers, sub-contractors and customers have been disrupted by worker absenteeism, quarantines, restrictions on employees’ ability to work, office and factory closures, disruptions to ports and other shipping infrastructure, border closures, or other travel or health-related restrictions. Depending on the magnitude of such effects on our supply chain, shipments of parts for our existing miners, as well as any new miners we purchase, may be delayed. As our miners require repair or become obsolete and require replacement, our ability to obtain adequate replacements or repair parts from our manufacturer may therefore be hampered. Supply chain disruptions could therefore negatively impact our operations.

In addition, multiple factors including some related to the COVID-19 pandemic have created a global semiconductor shortage. Since the inception of the pandemic, factory shutdowns and limitations due to employee illness or public health requirements have significantly slowed output, while global demand for products requiring chips increased. These 2020-2021 challenges worsened a pre-existing semiconductor and other supply shortage. Semiconductor supply has not yet rebounded, and manufacturers across all industries are waiting and driving up demand and costs. While we have already purchased the bitcoin miners for our 2021 plans, any delay or disruption in delivery of these purchased miners, or future miners necessary for our success and growth, may have a material and negative impact on our results of operations.

We may not adequately respond to rapidly changing technology.

Competitive conditions within the bitcoin industry require that we use sophisticated technology in the operation of our business. The industry for blockchain technology is characterized by rapid technological changes, new product developments and evolving industry standards. New technologies, techniques or products could emerge that offer better performance than the software and other technologies that we utilize, and we may have to transition to these new technologies to remain competitive. We may not be successful in implementing new technology or doing so in a cost-effective manner. During the course of implementing any such new technology into our operations, we may experience system interruptions. Furthermore, there can be no assurances that we will recognize, in a timely manner or at all, the benefits that we may expect as a result of our implementing new technology into our operations. As a result, our results of operations may suffer.

A failure to properly monitor and upgrade the bitcoin network protocol could damage the bitcoin network which could, in turn, have an adverse effect on our business.

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The open-source structure of the bitcoin network protocol means that the contributors to the protocol are generally not directly compensated for their contributions in maintaining and developing the protocol. As the bitcoin network protocol is not sold and its use does not generate revenues for contributors, contributors are generally not compensated for maintaining and updating the bitcoin network protocol. The lack of guaranteed financial incentive for contributors to maintain or develop the bitcoin network and the lack of guaranteed resources to adequately address emerging issues with the bitcoin network may reduce incentives to address issues adequately or in a timely manner. Because our mining activities rely on the bitcoin network, negative developments with respect to that network may have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

Over time, incentives for bitcoin miners to continue to contribute processing power to the bitcoin network may transition from a set reward to transaction fees. If the incentives for bitcoin mining are not sufficiently high, we may not have an adequate incentive to continue to mine.

In general, as the number of bitcoin rewards awarded for solving a block in a blockchain decreases, our ability to achieve profitability also decreases. Decreased use and demand for bitcoin rewards may adversely affect our incentive to expend processing power to solve blocks. If the bitcoin rewards for solving blocks and transaction fees are not sufficiently high, fewer bitcoin miners will mine. At insufficiently attractive rewards, our costs of operations in total may exceed our revenues from bitcoin mining.

To incentivize bitcoin miners to continue to contribute processing power to the bitcoin network, such network may either formally or informally transition from a set reward to transaction fees earned upon solving for a block. This transition could be accomplished either by bitcoin miners independently electing to record in the blocks they solve only those transactions that include payment of a transaction fee or by the bitcoin network adopting software upgrades that require the payment of a minimum transaction fee for all transactions. If as a result transaction fees paid for bitcoin transactions become too high, bitcoin users may be reluctant to transfer bitcoin or accept bitcoin as a means of payment, and existing users may be motivated to hold existing bitcoin and switch from bitcoin to another digital asset or back to fiat currency for transactions, diminishing the aggregate amount of available transaction fees for bitcoin miners. Such reduction would adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.

Incorrect or fraudulent cryptocurrency transactions may be irreversible.

It is possible that, through computer or human error, theft or criminal action, our cryptocurrency could be transferred in incorrect amounts or to unauthorized third parties or accounts. In general, cryptocurrency transactions are irrevocable, and stolen or incorrectly transferred cryptocurrencies may be irretrievable, and we may have extremely limited or no effective means of recovering such cryptocurrencies. As a result, any incorrectly executed or fraudulent bitcoin transactions could adversely affect our business.

The bitcoin reward for successfully uncovering a block will halve several times in the future, and bitcoin value may not adjust to compensate us for the reduction in the rewards we receive from our bitcoin mining efforts.

Halving is a process designed to control the overall supply and reduce the risk of inflation in cryptocurrencies using a proof of work consensus algorithm. At a predetermined block, the bitcoin mining reward is cut in half, hence the term “halving.” For bitcoin, the reward was initially set at 50 bitcoin currency rewards per block and this was cut in half to 25 on November 28, 2012 at block 210,000, then again to 12.5 on July 9, 2016 at block 420,000. The most recent halving for bitcoin occurred on May 11, 2020 at block 630,000 and the reward was reduced to 6.25. It is expected that the next halving will likely occur in 2024. This process will reoccur until the total amount of bitcoin currency rewards issued reaches 21 million, which is expected around the year 2140. Bitcoin has had a history of price fluctuations around the halving of its rewards, and there can be no assurance that any price change will be favorable or would compensate for the reduction in bitcoin mining reward in connection with a halving. If the award of bitcoin or a proportionate decrease in bitcoin mining difficulty does not follow these anticipated halving events, the revenue we earn from our bitcoin mining operations would see a corresponding decrease, and we may not have an adequate incentive to continue bitcoin mining.

We may not be able to realize the benefits of forks, and forks in a digital asset network may occur in the future which may affect the value of bitcoin held by us.

To the extent that a significant majority of users and miners on a cryptocurrency network install software that changes the cryptocurrency network or properties of a cryptocurrency, including the irreversibility of transactions and limitations on the mining of new cryptocurrency, the cryptocurrency network would be subject to new protocols and software. However, if less than a significant majority of users and miners on the cryptocurrency network consent to the proposed modification, and the modification is not compatible with the software prior to its modification, a “fork” of the network would occur, with one prong of the network running the pre-modified software and the other running the modified software. The effect of such a fork would be the existence of two versions of the cryptocurrency running in parallel, yet lacking interchangeability and necessitating exchange-type transaction to convert currencies between the two forks. After a fork, it may be unclear which fork represents the original asset and which is the new asset.

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If we hold bitcoin at the time of a hard fork into two cryptocurrencies, industry standards would dictate that we would be expected to hold an equivalent amount of the old and new assets following the fork. However, we may not be able to secure or realize the economic benefit of the new asset. Our business may be adversely impacted by forks in the bitcoin network.

The further development and acceptance of digital asset networks and other digital assets, which represent a new and rapidly changing industry, are subject to a variety of factors that are difficult to evaluate. The slowing or stopping of the development or acceptance of digital asset systems may adversely affect an investment in us.

The use of cryptocurrencies to, among other things, buy and sell goods and services and complete transactions, is part of a new and rapidly evolving industry that employs cryptocurrency assets, including bitcoin, based upon a computer-generated mathematical and/or cryptographic protocol. Large-scale acceptance of bitcoin as a means of payment has not, and may never, occur. The growth of this industry in general, and the use of bitcoin in particular, is subject to a high degree of uncertainty, and the slowing or stopping of the development or acceptance of developing protocols may occur unpredictably. The factors include, but are not limited to:

continued worldwide growth in the adoption and use of bitcoin as a medium to exchange;
governmental and quasi-governmental regulation of bitcoin and its use, or restrictions on or regulation of access to and operation of the bitcoin network or similar cryptocurrency systems;
changes in consumer demographics and public tastes and preferences;
the maintenance and development of the open-source software protocol of the network;
the increased consolidation of contributors to the bitcoin blockchain through bitcoin mining pools;
the availability and popularity of other cryptocurrencies and other forms or methods of buying and selling goods and services, including new means of using fiat currencies;
the use of the networks supporting cryptocurrencies for developing smart contracts and distributed applications;
general economic conditions and the regulatory environment relating to cryptocurrencies;
environmental restrictions on the use of electricity to mine bitcoin and a resulting decrease in global bitcoin mining operations;
an increase in bitcoin transaction costs and a resultant reduction in the use of and demand for bitcoin; and
negative consumer sentiment and perception of bitcoin specifically and cryptocurrencies generally.

The outcome of any of these factors could have negative effects on our results of operations and financial condition.

It is possible that cryptocurrencies other than bitcoin could have features that make them more desirable to a material portion of the cryptocurrency user base and this could result in a reduction in demand for bitcoin, which could have a negative impact on the price of bitcoin and adversely affect us.

Bitcoin holds a “first-to-market” advantage over other cryptocurrencies. This first-to-market advantage is driven in large part by having the largest user base and, more importantly, the largest combined mining power in use to secure their respective blockchains and transaction verification systems. More users and miners makes a cryptocurrency more secure, which makes it more attractive to new users and miners, resulting in a network effect that strengthens this first-to-market advantage.

Despite the first-to-market advantage of the bitcoin network over other cryptocurrency networks, it is possible that another cryptocurrency could become comparatively more popular. If an alternative cryptocurrency obtains significant market share—either in market capitalization, mining power or use as a payment technology—this could reduce bitcoin’s market share and value. Substantially all of our mining revenue is derived from mining bitcoin and, while we may mine other cryptocurrencies in the future, we have no plans to do so currently and may incur significant costs if we choose to do so. For example, our current application-specific integrated circuit machines (i.e., our “miners”) are principally utilized for mining bitcoin and cannot mine other cryptocurrencies that are not mined utilizing the SHA-256 algorithm. As a result, the emergence of a cryptocurrency that erodes bitcoin’s market share and value could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

We may be adversely affected by competition from other methods of investing in bitcoin.

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We compete with other users and/or companies that are mining bitcoin or providing investors exposure to bitcoin without direct purchases of bitcoin and with other potential financial vehicles linked to cryptocurrency, including securities backed by or linked to bitcoin through entities similar to it. Market and financial conditions, and other conditions beyond our control, may make it more attractive to invest in such other entities, or to invest in bitcoin or other cryptocurrency directly, as opposed to investing in us. Conversely, given the nascence of cryptocurrency market within the broader investment market, investors may associate entities involved in cryptocurrency mining, trading or related services with each other, and thus, public reports of challenges at any of such other entities may have a negative impact on our business. Finally, the emergence of other financial vehicles and exchange-traded funds have been scrutinized by regulators and such scrutiny and any negative impressions or conclusions resulting from such scrutiny could be applicable to us and impact our business. Such circumstances could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

We are subject to momentum pricing risk.

Momentum pricing typically is associated with growth stocks and other assets whose valuation, as determined by the investing public, accounts for anticipated future appreciation in value. Cryptocurrency market prices are determined primarily using data from various exchanges, over-the-counter markets, and derivative platforms. Momentum pricing may have resulted, and may continue to result, in speculation regarding future appreciation in the value of cryptocurrencies and bitcoin in particular, inflating and making their market prices more volatile. As a result, they may be more likely to fluctuate in value due to changing investor confidence in future appreciation (or depreciation) in their market prices, which could adversely affect the value of bitcoin mined by us, which could lead to an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

Our reliance on third-party mining pool service providers for our mining payouts may have a negative impact on our business.

We use third–party mining pools to receive our mining rewards from the network. Mining pools allow miners to combine their processing power, increasing their chances of solving a block and getting paid by the network. The rewards are distributed by the pool operator, proportionally to our contribution to the pool’s overall mining power used to generate each block. Should a pool operator’s system suffer downtime for any reason, including, as a result of a cyber-attack, software malfunction or other similar issues for any reason, it would negatively impact our ability to receive revenue. Furthermore, we are dependent on the accuracy of the mining pool operator’s record keeping to accurately record the total processing power provided to the pool for a given bitcoin mining application in order to assess the proportion of that total processing power we provided. While we have internal methods of tracking both our power provided and the total used by the pool, the mining pool operator uses our own record-keeping to determine our proportion of a given reward. We have little means of recourse against the mining pool operator if we determine the proportion of the reward paid out to us by the mining pool operator is incorrect, other than leaving the pool. If we are unable to consistently obtain accurate proportionate rewards from our mining pool operators, we may experience reduced reward for our efforts, which would have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

Banks and financial institutions may not provide bank accounts, or may cut off certain banking or other financial services, to cryptocurrency investors or businesses that engage in bitcoin-related activities or that accept bitcoin as payment.

A number of companies that engage in bitcoin and/or other cryptocurrency-related activities have been unable to find banks or financial institutions that are willing to provide them with bank accounts and other services. Similarly, changing governmental regulations about the legality of transferring or holding bitcoin and other cryptocurrency may prompt other banks and financial institutions to close existing bank accounts or discontinue banking or other financial services to such companies in the cryptocurrency industry, or even investors with accounts for transferring, receiving or holding their cryptocurrency. Specifically, China already restricts financial institutions from holding, trading or facilitating transactions in bitcoin. Similarly, other countries have proposed cryptocurrency legislation that could have a significant impact on the ability to utilize banking services in such countries for cryptocurrency. Both India and China, among other countries, are reportedly driving toward the development and adoption of a national digital currency – and taking legislative action that could be viewed as disadvantaging to private cryptocurrencies in the process.

Should such rules and restrictions continue or proliferate, we may not only be unable to obtain or maintain these services for our business but also experience business disruption if our necessary commercial partners, such as bitcoin mining pools or miner manufacturers, cannot conduct their businesses effectively due to such regulations. The difficulty that many businesses that provide bitcoin and/or derivatives on other cryptocurrency-related activities have and may continue to have in finding banks and financial institutions willing to provide them services may diminish the usefulness of bitcoin as a payment system and harm public perception of bitcoin. If we are unable to obtain or maintain banking services for our business as a result of our bitcoin-related activities, our results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

Blockchain technology may expose us to specially designated nationals or blocked persons or cause us to violate provisions of law.

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We are subject to the rules enforced by The Office of Financial Assets Control of the US Department of Treasury (“OFAC”), including regarding sanctions and requirements not to conduct business with persons named on its specially designated nationals list. However, because of the pseudonymous nature of blockchain transactions, we may inadvertently and without our knowledge engage in transactions with persons named on OFAC’S specially designated nationals list.

Risks Related to our Power Generation Operations

Our operations and financial performance may be impacted by fuel supply disruptions, price fluctuations in the wholesale power and natural gas markets, and fluctuations in other market factors that are beyond our control.

Our power generation depends on our purchases of fuel and other products consumed during the production of electricity from a number of suppliers. Our operations and financial performance generally may be impacted by changes in the supply of fuel and other required products, price fluctuations in the wholesale power and natural gas markets, and other market factors beyond our control.

Delivery of these fuels to our facilities is dependent upon fuel transmission or transportation infrastructure, storage and inventory of fuel stocks, as well as the continuing financial viability of contractual counterparties. As a result, we are subject to the risks of disruptions or curtailments in the production of power at our generation facility if fuel is limited or unavailable at any price, if a counterparty fails to perform, or if there is a disruption in the fuel delivery infrastructure. Disruption in the delivery of fuel, including disruptions as a result of weather, transportation difficulties, global demand and supply dynamics, labor relations, environmental regulations or the financial viability of fuel suppliers, could adversely affect our ability to operate our facilities, which could result in lower power sales and/or higher costs to our bitcoin mining operations and thereby adversely affect our results of operations.

Separate from supply, market prices for power, capacity, ancillary services, natural gas, and oil are volatile, unpredictable and tend to fluctuate substantially. Disruptions in our fuel supplies may require us to find alternative fuel sources at higher costs, to find other sources of power to deliver to counterparties at a higher cost, or to pay damages to counterparties for failure to deliver power as contracted. Unlike most other commodities, electric power can only be stored on a very limited basis and generally must be produced concurrently with its use. As a result, power prices and our costs are subject to significant volatility due to supply and demand imbalances, especially in the day-ahead and spot markets. We buy significant quantities of fuel on a short-term or spot market basis. Prices for the natural gas that we purchase fluctuate, sometimes rising or falling significantly over a relatively short period of time. The price we can obtain for the sale of power may not rise at the same rate, or may not rise at all, to match a rise in fuel or delivery costs. Further, any changes in the costs of natural gas or transportation rates, changes in the relationship between such costs and the market prices of power, or an inability to procure fuel for physical delivery at prices that we consider favorable could all adversely affect our operations, the costs of meeting our obligations, and the profitability of our bitcoin mining, and thus, our operations and financial performance. Volatility in market prices for fuel and electricity may result from a number of factors outside of our control, including:

changes in generation capacity in our markets, including the addition of new supplies of power as a result of the development of new plants, expansion of existing plants, the continued operation of uneconomic power plants due to state subsidies, or additional transmission capacity;
disruption to, changes in or other constraints or inefficiencies of electricity, fuel or natural gas transmission or transportation;
electric supply disruptions, including plant outages and transmission disruptions;
changes in market liquidity;
weather conditions, including extreme weather conditions and seasonal fluctuations, including the effects of climate change;
changes in commodity prices and the supply of commodities, including but not limited to natural gas and oil;
changes in the demand for power or in patterns of power usage, including the potential development of demand-side management tools and practices, distributed generation, and more efficient end-use technologies;
development of new fuels, new technologies and new forms of competition for the production of power;
fuel price volatility;
changes in capacity prices and capacity markets.
federal, state and foreign governmental environmental, energy and other regulation and legislation, including changes therein and judicial decisions interpreting such regulations and legislation;

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the creditworthiness and liquidity of fuel suppliers and/or transporters and their willingness to do business with us; and
general economic and political conditions.

Such factors and the associated fluctuations in power and natural gas prices have affected our wholesale power generation profitability and cost of power for bitcoin mining activities in the past and will continue to do so in the future.

Changes in technology may negatively impact the value of our Town of Torrey, New York power plant and any future power plants.

Research and development activities are ongoing in the industry to provide alternative and more efficient technologies to produce power. There are alternate technologies to supply electricity, most notably fuel cells, micro turbines, batteries, windmills and photovoltaic (solar) cells, the development of which are currently being subsidized and expanded by the State of New York, where we currently operate (as well as by state or local governments in areas where we may operate in the future), to address global climate change concerns. It is possible that technological advances will reduce the cost of alternative generation to a level that is equal to or below that of certain central station production. Also, as new technologies are developed and become available, the quantity and pattern of electricity usage by customers could decline, with a corresponding decline in revenues derived by generators. These alternative energy sources could result in a decline to the dispatch and capacity factors of our power plant located in the town of Torrey, New York. As a result of these factors, the value of our generation facilities could be significantly reduced.

We sell capacity, energy and ancillary services to the wholesale power grid managed by the NYISO. Our business may be affected by the actions of nearby states or other governmental actors in the competitive wholesale marketplace.

We sell capacity, energy and ancillary services to the wholesale power grid managed by the NYISO. The competitive wholesale marketplace may be impacted by out-of-market subsidies provided by states or state entities, including bailouts of uneconomic nuclear plants, imports of power from Canada, renewable mandates or subsidies, mandates to sell power below our cost of acquisition and associated costs, as well as out-of-market payments to new or existing generators. These out-of-market subsidies to existing or new generation undermine the competitive wholesale marketplace, which can lead to decreased energy market revenues or premature retirement of existing facilities, including those owned by us. If these measures continue, capacity and energy prices may be suppressed, and we may not be successful in our efforts to insulate the competitive market from this interference. Our wholesale power revenue may be materially impacted by rules or regulations that allow regulated utilities to participate in competitive wholesale markets or to own and operate rate-regulated facilities that provide capacity, energy and ancillary services that could be provided by competitive market participants.

The availability and cost of emission allowances could adversely impact our costs of operations.

We are required to maintain, through either allocations or purchases, sufficient emission allowances for SO2, CO2 and NOx to support our operations in the ordinary course of operating our power generation facilities. These allowances are used to meet the obligations imposed on us by various applicable environmental laws. If our operational needs require more than our allocated allowances, we may be forced to purchase such allowances on the open market, which could be costly. If we are unable to maintain sufficient emission allowances to match our operational needs, we may have to curtail our operations so as not to exceed our available emission allowances or install costly new emission controls. As we use the emission allowances that we have purchased on the open market, costs associated with such purchases will be recognized as operating expense. If such allowances are available for purchase, but only at significantly higher prices, the purchase of such allowances could materially increase our costs of operations in the affected markets.

Our financial performance could be materially and adversely affected if energy market participants continue to construct additional generation facilities (i.e., new-build) or expand or enhance existing generation facilities despite relatively low power prices and such additional generation capacity results in a reduction in wholesale power prices or more competition from bitcoin mining competitors with access to cheaper supplies of electricity.

Given the overall attractiveness of the markets in which we operate, and certain tax benefits associated with renewable energy, among other matters, energy market participants have continued to construct new generation facilities (i.e., new-build) or invest in enhancements or expansions of existing generation facilities despite relatively low wholesale power prices. If this market dynamic continues, and/or if our bitcoin mining competitors begin to build or acquire their own power plants to fuel their bitcoin mining operations, our results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected if such additional generation capacity results in a cheaper supply of electricity to our bitcoin mining competitors or lower prices at which we sell capacity, energy or ancillary services to the wholesale power grid.

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Maintenance, expansion and refurbishment of power generation facilities involve significant risks that could result in unplanned power outages or reduced output and could have a material adverse effect on our revenues, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.

Our facilities require periodic maintenance and repair. Any unexpected failure, including failure associated with breakdowns or forced outages, and any related unanticipated capital expenditures could result in reduced profitability from both loss of bitcoin mining operations and power generation. Such unexpected outages have occurred in the past and may occur in the future, due to factors both within and outside of our control. We can give no assurances that outages involving our power plant will not occur in the future, or that any such outage would not have a negative effect on our business and results of operations. In addition, we cannot be certain of the level of capital expenditures that will be required due to changing environmental laws (including changes in the interpretation or enforcement thereof), needed facility repairs and unexpected events (such as natural disasters or terrorist attacks). Unexpected capital expenditures could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity and financial condition. If we significantly modify power generation equipment, we may be required to install the best available control technology or to achieve the lowest achievable emission rates as such terms are defined under the new source review provisions of the Clean Air Act of 1963, which would likely result in substantial additional capital expenditures.

Operation of power generation facilities involves significant risks and hazards that could disrupt or have a material adverse effect on our revenues and results of operations, and we may not have adequate insurance to cover these risks and hazards. Our employees, contractors, customers and the general public may be exposed to a risk of injury due to the nature of our operations.

The conduct of our operations, including operation of our power plant, information technology systems and other assets is subject to a variety of inherent risks. These risks include the breakdown or failure of equipment, accidents, potential physical injury, hazardous spills and exposures, fires, property damage, security breaches, viruses or outages affecting information technology systems, labor disputes, obsolescence, delivery/transportation problems and disruptions of fuel supply, performance below expected levels or other financial liability, and may be caused to or by employees, customers, contractors, vendors, contractual or financial counterparties, other third parties, weather events or acts of God.

Operational disruptions or similar events may impact our ability to conduct our businesses efficiently and lead to increased costs, expenses or losses. Planned and unplanned outages at our power plants may require us to curtail operation of the plant. Any reduced power supply could also have a negative impact on the cost structure of our bitcoin mining operations.

These and other hazards can cause significant personal injury or loss of life, severe damage to and destruction of property, plant and equipment, contamination of, or damage to, the environment and suspension of operations. Further, the employees and contractors of our operating affiliates work in, and customers and the general public may be exposed to, potentially dangerous environments at or near our operations. As a result, employees, contractors, customers and the general public are at risk for serious injury, including loss of life.

The occurrence of one or more of these events may result in us or our affiliates being named as a defendant in lawsuits asserting claims for substantial damages, including for environmental cleanup costs, personal injury and property damage and fines and/or penalties. We maintain an amount of insurance protection that we consider adequate, but we cannot provide any assurance that our insurance will be sufficient or effective under all circumstances and against all hazards or liabilities to which we may be subject and, even if we do have insurance coverage for a particular circumstance, we may be subject to a large deductible and maximum cap. A successful claim for which we are not fully insured could hurt our financial results and materially harm our financial condition. Further, due to rising insurance costs and changes in the insurance markets, we cannot provide any assurance that our insurance coverage will continue to be available at all or at rates or on terms similar to those presently available. Any losses not covered by insurance could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Our business is subject to substantial energy regulation and may be adversely affected by legislative or regulatory changes relating to climate change or policies regarding cryptocurrency mining, as well as liability under, or any future inability to comply with, existing or future energy regulations or requirements.

Our business is subject to extensive U.S. federal, state and local laws. Compliance with, or changes to, the requirements under these legal and regulatory regimes may cause us to incur significant additional costs or adversely impact our ability to continue operations as usual or compete on favorable terms with competitors. Failure to comply with such requirements could result in the shutdown of a non-complying facility, the imposition of liens, fines, and/or civil or criminal liability and or costly litigations before the agencies and/or in state of federal court. Changes to these laws and regulations could result in temporary or permanent restrictions on certain operations at our facilities, including power generation or use in connection with cryptocurrency mining, and compliance with, or opposing such regulation, may be costly.

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The regulatory environment has undergone significant changes in the last several years due to state and federal policies affecting wholesale competition and the creation of incentives for the addition of large amounts of new renewable generation and, in some cases, transmission. These changes are ongoing, and we cannot predict the future design of the wholesale power markets or the ultimate effect that the changing regulatory environment will have on our business. In addition, in some of these markets, interested parties have proposed material market design changes, including the elimination of a single clearing price mechanism, as well as proposals to reinstate the vertically-integrated monopoly model of utility ownership or to require divestiture by generating companies to reduce their market share. If competitive restructuring of the electric power markets is reversed, discontinued, delayed or materially altered, our business prospects and financial results could be negatively impacted. In addition, since 2010, there have been a number of reforms to the regulation of the derivatives markets, both in the United States and internationally. These regulations, and any further changes thereto, or adoption of additional regulations, including any regulations relating to position limits on futures and other derivatives or margin for derivatives, could negatively impact our ability to hedge our portfolio in an efficient, cost-effective manner by, among other things, potentially decreasing liquidity in the forward commodity and derivatives markets or limiting our ability to utilize non-cash collateral for derivatives transactions.

Obtaining and complying with required government permits and approvals may be time-consuming and costly.

We and our affiliates are required to obtain, and to comply with, numerous permits and licenses from federal, state and local governmental agencies. The process of obtaining and renewing necessary permits and licenses can be lengthy and complex, requiring up to months or years for approval depending on the nature of the permit or license and such process could be further complicated or extended in the event regulations change. In addition, obtaining such permit or license can sometimes result in the establishment of conditions that create a significant ongoing impact to the nature or costs of operations or even make the project or activity for which the permit or license was sought unprofitable or otherwise unattractive. In addition, such permits or licenses may be subject to denial, revocation or modification under various circumstances. Failure to obtain or comply with the conditions of permits or licenses, or failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, may result in the delay or temporary suspension of our operations and electricity sales or the curtailment of our delivery of electricity to our customers and may subject us to penalties and other sanctions. Although various regulators routinely renew existing permits and licenses, renewal of our existing permits or licenses could be denied or jeopardized by various factors, including failure to provide adequate financial assurance for closure, failure to comply with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations or permit conditions, local community, political or other opposition and executive, legislative or regulatory action.

Our inability to procure and comply with the permits and licenses required for these operations, or the cost to us of such procurement or compliance, could have a material adverse effect on us. In addition, new environmental legislation or regulations, if enacted, or changed interpretations of existing laws, may cause activities at our facilities to need to be changed to avoid violating applicable laws and regulations or eliciting claims that historical activities at our facilities violated applicable laws and regulations. In addition to the possible imposition of fines in the case of any such violations, we may be required to undertake significant capital investments and obtain additional operating permits or licenses, which could have a material adverse effect on us.

Our cost of compliance with existing and new environmental laws could have a material adverse effect on us.

We and our affiliates are subject to extensive environmental regulation by governmental authorities, including the United States Environmental Protection Agency (the “EPA”), and state environmental agencies and/or attorneys general. We may incur significant additional costs beyond those currently contemplated to comply with these regulatory requirements. If we fail to comply with these regulatory requirements, we could be forced to reduce or discontinue operations or become subject to administrative, civil or criminal liabilities and fines. Existing environmental regulations could be revised or reinterpreted, new laws and regulations could be adopted or become applicable to us or our facilities, and future changes in environmental laws and regulations could occur, including potential regulatory and enforcement developments related to air emissions, all of which could result in significant additional costs beyond those currently contemplated to comply with existing requirements. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on results of operations and financial condition.

The EPA has recently finalized or proposed several regulatory actions establishing new requirements for control of certain emissions from certain sources, including electricity generation facilities. In the future, the EPA may also propose and finalize additional regulatory actions that may adversely affect our existing generation facilities or our ability to cost-effectively develop new generation facilities. There is no assurance that the currently installed emissions control equipment at the natural gas-fueled generation facilities owned and operated by us will satisfy the requirements under any future EPA or state environmental regulations. Future federal and/or state regulatory actions could require us to install significant additional emissions control equipment, resulting in potentially material costs of compliance for our generation units, including capital expenditures, higher operating and fuel costs and potential production curtailments. These costs could have a material adverse effect on results of operations and financial condition.

We may not be able to obtain or maintain all required environmental regulatory approvals. If there is a delay in obtaining any required environmental regulatory approvals, if we fail to obtain, maintain or comply with any such approval or if an approval is retroactively

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disallowed or adversely modified, the operation of our generation facilities could be stopped, disrupted, curtailed or modified or become subject to additional costs. Any such stoppage, disruption, curtailment, modification or additional costs could have a material adverse effect on results of operations and financial condition.

In addition, we may be responsible for any on-site liabilities associated with the environmental condition of facilities that we have acquired, leased, developed or sold, regardless of when the liabilities arose and whether they are now known or unknown. In connection with certain acquisitions and sales of assets, we may obtain, or be required to provide, indemnification against certain environmental liabilities. Another party could, depending on the circumstances, assert an environmental claim against us or fail to meet its indemnification obligation to us. Such events could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition

We could be materially and adversely affected if current regulations are implemented or if new federal or state legislation or regulations are adopted to address global climate change, or if we are subject to lawsuits for alleged damage to persons or property resulting from greenhouse gas emissions.

There is attention and interest nationally and internationally about global climate change and how greenhouse gas emissions, such as CO2, contribute to global climate change. Over the last several years, the U.S. Congress and state and federal authorities have considered and debated several proposals intended to address climate change using different approaches, including a cap on carbon emissions with emitters allowed to trade unused emission allowances (cap-and-trade), a tax on carbon or greenhouse gas emissions, limits on the use of generated power in connection with cryptocurrency mining, incentives for the development of low-carbon technology and federal renewable portfolio standards. A number of federal court cases have been filed in recent years asserting damage claims related to greenhouse gas emissions, and the results in those proceedings could establish adverse precedent that might apply to companies (including us) that produce greenhouse gas emissions. Our results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected if new federal and/or state legislation or regulations are adopted to address global climate change or if we are subject to lawsuits for alleged damage to persons or property resulting from greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Risks Related to Our Support Services Segment

Our Support Services segment's financial condition and results of operations may vary from quarter to quarter

 

Support’s quarterly results of operations have fluctuated in the past and could do so in the future. Fluctuations in results of operations of our Support Services segment may be due to a number of factors, including, but not limited to, those listed below and those identified throughout this section:

 

The performance of its partners, including the success of its partners in attracting end users of its products, which can impact the amount of revenue it derives;
Change, or reduction in or discontinuance of its programs with clients and partners;
Cancellations, rescheduling or deferrals of significant customer products or service programs;
Its reliance on a small number of partners for a substantial majority of its revenue;
Its ability to successfully license and grow revenue related to its SUPERAntiSpyware® software, Guided Paths®, Support.com Cloud and its service offerings;
The timing of its sales to its clients and its partners’ resale of its products to end users and its ability to enter into new sales with partners and renew existing programs with its clients and partners;
The availability and cost-effectiveness of advertising placements for its software products and services and its ability to respond to changes in the advertising markets in which it participates;
The efficiency and effectiveness of its technology specialists;
Its ability to effectively match staffing levels with service volumes on a cost-effective basis;

 

Its ability to manage contract labor;

 

Its ability to hire, train, manage and retain its home-based customer support specialists and enhance the flexibility of its staffing model in a cost-effective fashion and in quantities sufficient to meet forecast requirements;

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Its ability to manage costs under its self-funded health insurance program;

 

Usage rates on the subscriptions it offers;

 

Its ability to maintain a competitive cost structure for its organization;

 

The rate of expansion of its offerings and its investments therein;

 

Changes in the markets for computers and other technology devices relating to unit volume, pricing and other factors, including changes driven by declines in sales of personal computers and the growing popularity of tablets, and other mobile devices and the introduction of new devices into the connected home;

 

Its ability to adapt to its clients’ needs in a market space defined by frequent technological change;

 

Severe financial hardship or bankruptcy of one or more of its major clients;

 

The amount and timing of operating costs and capital expenditures in its business;

 

Failure to protect its intellectual property; and

 

Public health or safety concerns, medical epidemics or pandemics, such as COVID-19, and other natural- or man-made disasters;

 

A substantial portion of revenue generated by our Support Services segment is attributable to a limited number of clients. The loss or reduction in business from any of these clients could adversely affect its business and results of operations.

 

Our Support Services segment receives a significant amount of its revenue from a limited number of customers. For the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, which was prior to the Merger and not included in the results of operations of Greenidge, its largest customer accounted for over 44% and 63% of Support's total revenue, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, its second largest customer accounted for 43% and 25% of Support's total revenue, respectively. For the nine months ended September 30, 2021, of which only a small portion was included in the results of operations of Greenidge, its largest and second largest customer accounted for 55% and 27% of Support's total revenue, respectively. There were no other customers that accounted for 10% or more of Support's total revenue in any of the periods presented. In October 2021, Support agreed with a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation, its second largest customer to terminate its contract to provide support services to Comcast (the “Comcast Contract”), effective the first quarter of 2022. The Comcast Contract represented approximately $2 million and $7 million of Support’s revenues for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, respectively, of which, only a small portion occurred since the Merger and was included in Greenidge's results of operations. Support’s operating income from the Comcast Contract for each of the aforementioned periods was negative.

 

In the past, sales to Support’s largest customers have fluctuated significantly from period to period and year to year and will likely continue to fluctuate in the future. The loss of these or other significant relationships, the change of the terms or terminations of its arrangements with any of these customers, the reduction or discontinuance of programs or billable hours with any of these customers, or the failure of any of these customers to achieve their targets has in the past adversely affected and could in the future adversely affect our Support Services segment.

 

Our Support Services segment’s business is based on a relatively new and evolving business model.

 

Our Support Services segment provides customer support services by professionals who work from their homes, creating a robust, timely and innovative library of Guided Path® self-support tools, licensing the Support.com Cloud application, and providing end-user consumer software products. We may not be able to offer these services and software products successfully. Our customer support professionals are generally home-based, which requires a high degree of coordination and quality control of employees working from diverse and remote locations. Based on the relatively new and evolving business model of our Support Services segment, as well as its recent integration within our business as a whole, the future revenue and income potential of the Support Services segment is uncertain. Some of these risks and uncertainties related to our Support Services segment concern its ability to, among other things, maintain current relationships and service programs, develop new relationships, reach prospective customers in a cost-effective manner, reduce its dependence on a limited number of partners, successfully license and grow revenue related to its product and service offerings, adapt to changes in the market it serves, respond to government regulations, and manage and respond to

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present, threatened or future litigation. If we are unable to address these risks, our Support Services segment business, results of operations and prospects could suffer.

 

Support is a party to a Consent Order with the Federal Trade Commission which imposes ongoing obligations.

 

On November 6, 2018, Support entered into a Stipulation to Entry of Order for Permanent Injunction and Monetary Judgment (the “Consent Order”), with the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), resolving a multi-year FTC investigation relating to PC Healthcheck, an obsolete software program that Support developed on behalf of a third party for their use with their customers. As part of the Consent Order, Support agreed to pay $10 million and to implement certain new procedures and enhance certain existing procedures. Any violation or alleged violation of the terms of the Consent Order could impose additional financial liability in the form of regulatory fines and/or legal fees, as well as harm Support’s reputation with customers or prospective customers and adversely affect our Support Services segment's results of operations.

 

We may face intellectual property infringement claims that could be costly to defend and result in its loss of significant rights.

 

Our Support Services segment relies on the use and licensing of technology. Other parties may assert intellectual property infringement claims against Support or our customers, and our products may infringe the intellectual property rights of third parties. For example, Support’s products may infringe patents issued to third parties. In addition, as is increasingly common in the technology sector, Support may be confronted with the aggressive enforcement of patents by companies whose primary business activity is to acquire patents for the purpose of offensively asserting them against other companies. From time to time, Support has received allegations or claims of intellectual property infringement, and it may receive more claims in the future. Support may also be required to pursue litigation to protect is intellectual property rights or defend against allegations of infringement. Intellectual property litigation is expensive and time-consuming and could divert management’s attention from our business. The outcome of any litigation is uncertain and could significantly impact our financial results. If there is a successful claim of infringement, we may be required to develop non-infringing technology or enter into royalty or license agreements which may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all. Our failure to develop non-infringing technologies or license proprietary rights on a timely basis could harm our Support Services segment.

 

If we are unable to protect or enforce intellectual property rights, related to our Support Services segment, or we lose our ability to utilize the intellectual property of others, our Support Services segment could be adversely affected.

 

The success of our Support Services segment depends, in part, upon our ability to obtain intellectual property protection for Support's proprietary processes, software and other solutions. Support relies upon confidentiality policies, nondisclosure and other contractual arrangements, and patent, trade secret, copyright and trademark laws to protect its intellectual property rights. These laws are subject to change at any time and could further limit Support’s ability to obtain or maintain intellectual property protection. There is uncertainty concerning the scope of patent and other intellectual property protection for software and business methods, which are fields in which Support relies on intellectual property laws to protect its rights. Even where Support obtains intellectual property protection, its intellectual property rights may not prevent or deter competitors, former employees, or other third parties from reverse engineering its solutions or software. Further, the steps Support takes in this regard might not be adequate to prevent or deter infringement or other misappropriation of its intellectual property by competitors, former employees or other third parties, and it may not be able to detect unauthorized use of, or take appropriate and timely steps to enforce, its intellectual property rights. Enforcing Support’s rights might also require considerable time, money and oversight, and it may not be successful. Further, Support relies on third-party software in providing some of its services and solutions. If Support loses its ability to continue using any such software for any reason, including because it is found to infringe the rights of others, it will need to obtain substitute software or find alternative means of obtaining the technology necessary to continue to provide its solutions. Support’s inability to replace such software, or to replace such software in a timely or cost-effective manner, could materially adversely affect the results of operations of our Support Services segment.

 

Our Support Services segment must comply with a variety of existing and future laws and regulations that could impose substantial costs on it and may adversely impact its business.

 

We are subject to a variety of laws and regulations, which may differ among jurisdictions, affecting our Support Services segment's operations in areas including, but not limited to: intellectual property ownership and infringement; tax; anti-corruption such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the UK Bribery Act; foreign exchange controls and cash repatriation restrictions; data privacy requirements such as the European Economic Area Privacy Regulation, the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”); competition; consent order terms (for example, the recent Consent Order Support entered into with the FTC); advertising; employment; product regulations; health and safety requirements; and consumer laws. If we fail to continue to comply with these regulations, we may be unable to provide products or services to certain customers within our Support Services segment, or we may incur penalties or fines. We are unable to predict the outcome or effects of any of these potential

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actions or any other legislative or regulatory proposals on our business. Any changes to the legal and regulatory framework applicable to our Support Services segment could have an adverse impact on the results of its operations. Although Support’s management systems are designed to maintain compliance, if we violate or fail to comply with any laws or regulations, applicable consent orders or decrees, a range of consequences could result, including fines, sales limitations, criminal and civil liabilities or other sanctions. The costs of complying with these laws (including the costs of any investigations, auditing and monitoring) could adversely affect our Support Services segment’s current or future business.

 

Our product and service offerings are in their early stages and failure to market, sell and develop the offerings effectively and competitively could result in a lack of growth.

 

A number of competitive offerings exist in the market, providing various features that may overlap with our Support.com offerings today or in the future. Some competitors in these markets far exceed its spending on sales and marketing activities and benefit from greater existing brand awareness, channel relationships and existing customer relationships. We may not be able to reach the market effectively and adequately or convey our differentiation as needed to grow our customer base. To reach our target market effectively, we may be required to continue to invest substantial resources in sales and marketing and engineering and IT activities, which could have an adverse effect on our Support Services segment's financial results. In addition, if we fail to develop and maintain competitive features, deliver high-quality products and satisfy existing customers, our Support.com offerings could fail to grow. Disruptions in infrastructure operations could impair our ability to deliver Support.com offerings to customers, thereby affecting our reputation with existing and prospective customers and possibly resulting in monetary penalties or financial losses.

 

The Support Services segment operates in a highly competitive industry, with intense price competition, which may intensify as its competitors expand their operations.

 

The industry in which our Support Services segment operates is highly competitive and includes numerous small companies capable of competing effectively in it markets on a local basis, as well as several large companies that possess substantially greater financial resources than we do. Contracts are traditionally awarded on the basis of competitive bids or direct negotiations with customers.

 

The competitive factors in these markets include, amongst others, product and service quality and availability, responsiveness, experience, technology, equipment quality, reputation for retaining highly skilled agents and price. The competitive environment has intensified as mergers among industry partners have reduced the number of available customers and mergers amongst our competitors have created larger companies for us to compete against. Some of our current and potential competitors have greater resources, longer histories, more customers, and/or greater brand recognition. They may secure better terms from vendors, adopt more aggressive pricing, and devote more resources to technology, infrastructure, fulfillment, and marketing.

 

Competition may intensify, including with the development of new business models and the entry of new and well-funded competitors, and as our competitors enter into business combinations or alliances and established companies in other markets expand to become competitive with our business. Furthermore, we cannot be sure that its competitors will not develop competing products, systems, services or technologies that gain market acceptance in advance of our products, systems, services or technologies, or that our competitors will not develop new products, systems, services or technologies that cause our existing products, systems, services or technologies to become non-competitive or obsolete, which may adversely affect our Support Services segment’s results of operations through the potential reduction of sales and profits.

 

Our Support Services segment’s business is highly dependent upon its brand recognition and reputation, and the failure to maintain or enhance its brand recognition or reputation would likely have a material adverse effect on its business.

 

Support’s brand recognition and reputation are critical aspects of our Support Services segment. We believe that maintaining and further enhancing our Support.com brand as well as our reputation will be critical to retaining existing customers and attracting new customers. We also believe that the importance of Support's brand recognition and reputation will continue to increase as competition in its markets continues to develop. Support’s success in this area will be dependent on a wide range of factors, some of which are out of our control, including the following:

 

the efficacy of our marketing efforts;
its ability to retain existing and obtain new customers and strategic partners;
the quality and perceived value of our services;
actions of its competitors, its strategic partners, and other third parties;

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positive or negative publicity, including material on the Internet;
regulatory and other governmental related developments; and
litigation related developments.

Any of the foregoing could have an adverse effect on our Support Services segment's results of operations.

 

Our Support Services segment’s success depends upon our ability to attract, develop and retain highly qualified employees while also controlling its labor costs in a competitive labor market.

 

Support’s customers expect a high level of customer support and product knowledge from its employees. To meet the needs and expectations of Support’s customers, it must attract, develop and retain a large number of highly qualified employees while at the same time control labor costs. Support’s ability to control labor costs is subject to numerous external factors, including prevailing wage rates and health and other insurance costs, as well as the impact of legislation or regulations governing labor relations, minimum wage, or healthcare benefits. An inability to provide wages and/or benefits that are competitive within the markets in which our Support Services segment operates could adversely affect our ability to retain and attract employees. In addition, Support competes with other retail businesses for many of its employees in hourly positions, and it invests significant resources in training and motivating them to maintain a high level of job satisfaction. These positions have historically had high turnover rates, which can lead to increased training and retention costs, particularly in a competitive labor market. Effective succession planning is also important to our long-term success. Failure to ensure effective transfer of knowledge and smooth transitions involving key employees and executive management could hinder Support’s strategic planning and execution. There is no assurance that Support will be able to attract or retain highly qualified employees in the future. As such, our Support Services segment’s ability to develop and deliver successful products and services may be adversely affected.

 

Disruptions in Support’s information technology and service delivery infrastructure and operations could impair the delivery of its services and harm our Support Services segment's business.

 

Support depends on the continuing operation of its information technology and communication systems and those of its third-party service providers. Any interruption or failure of its internal or external systems could prevent Support or its service providers from accepting orders and delivering services, or cause company and consumer data to be unintentionally lost, destroyed or disclosed. Support’s continuing efforts to upgrade and enhance the security and reliability of its information technology and communications infrastructure could be very costly, and it may have to expend significant resources to remedy problems such as a security breach or service interruption. Interruptions in its services resulting from labor disputes, telephone or Internet failures, power or service outages, natural disasters or other events, or a security breach could reduce its revenue, increase its costs, cause customers and partners and licensees to fail to renew or to terminate their use of its offerings, and harm its reputation and its ability to attract new customers.

 

Costs related to software defects or other errors in Support’s products could have a material adverse effect on our Support Services segment.

 

From time to time, Support may experience software defects, bugs and other errors associated with the introduction and/or use of its complex software products. Despite Support’s testing procedures, errors may occur in new products or releases after commencement of commercial deployments in the future. Such errors could result in:

 

Loss of or delay in market acceptance of its products;

 

Material recall and replacement costs;

 

Delay in revenue recognition or loss of revenue;

 

The diversion of the attention of its engineering personnel from product development efforts;

 

Support having to defend against litigation related to defective products; and

 

Damage to Support’s reputation in the industry that could adversely affect its relationships with its customers.

 

In addition, the process of identifying a software error in software products that have been widely distributed may be lengthy and require significant resources. Support may have difficulty identifying the end customers of the defective products in the field, which may cause it to incur significant replacement costs, contract damage claims from its customers and further reputational harm. Any of

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these problems could materially and adversely affect our Support Services segment’s results of operations. Despite Support’s best efforts, security vulnerabilities may exist with respect to its products. Mitigation techniques designed to address such security vulnerabilities, including software and firmware updates or other preventative measures, may not operate as intended or effectively resolve such vulnerabilities. Software and firmware updates and/or other mitigation efforts may result in performance issues, system instability, data loss or corruption, unpredictable system behavior, or the theft of data by third parties, any of which could significantly harm Support’s business and reputation.

 

Support’s systems collect, access, use, and store personal customer information and enable customer transactions, which poses security risks, requires it to invest significant resources to prevent or correct problems that may be caused by security breaches, and may harm our Support Services segment's business.

 

A fundamental requirement for online communications, transactions and support is the secure collection, storage and transmission of confidential information. Support’s systems collect and store confidential and personal information of its individual customers as well as its partners and their customers’ users, including personally identifiable information and payment card information, and its employees and contractors may access and use that information in the course of providing services. In addition, Support collects and retain personal information of its employees in the ordinary course of its business. Support and its third-party contractors use commercially available technologies to secure this information. Despite these measures, parties may attempt to breach the security of Support’s data or that of its customers. In addition, errors in the storage or transmission of data could breach the security of that information. Support may be liable to its customers for any breach in security and any breach could subject it to governmental or administrative proceedings or monetary penalties, damage its relationships with partners and harm its business and reputation. Also, computers are vulnerable to computer viruses, physical or electronic break-ins and similar disruptions, which could lead to interruptions, delays or loss of data. We may be required to expend significant capital and other resources to comply with mandatory privacy and security standards required by law, industry standard, or contract, and to further protect against security breaches or to correct problems caused by any security breach.

 

A breach of Support’s security systems may have a material adverse effect on our Support Services segment's business.

 

Support’s security systems are designed to maintain the physical security of its facilities and protect its customers’ and employees’ confidential information, as well as its own proprietary information. However, Support is also dependent on a number of third-party cloud-based and other service providers of critical corporate infrastructure services relating to, among other things, human resources, electronic communication services and certain finance functions, and Support is, of necessity, dependent on the security systems of these providers. Accidental or willful security breaches or other unauthorized access by third parties or Support’s employees or contractors of its facilities, its information systems or the systems of its cloud-based or other service providers, or the existence of computer viruses or malware in its or their data or software could expose it to a risk of information loss and misappropriation of proprietary and confidential information, including information relating to its products or customers and the personal information of its employees. In addition, Support has, from time to time, also been subject to unauthorized network intrusions and malware on its own IT networks. Any theft or misuse of confidential, personal or proprietary information as a result of such activities could result in, among other things, unfavorable publicity, damage to Support’s reputation, loss of its trade secrets and other competitive information, difficulty in marketing its products, allegations by its customers that Support has not performed its contractual obligations, litigation by affected parties and possible financial obligations for liabilities and damages related to the theft or misuse of such information, as well as fines and other sanctions resulting from any related breaches of data privacy regulations, any of which could have a material adverse effect on its reputation, business, profitability and financial condition. Since the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access or to sabotage systems change frequently and are often not recognized until launched against a target, We may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures.

 

Data privacy regulations are expanding and compliance with, and any violations of, these regulations may cause us to incur significant expenses.

 

Support’s software and services contain features that allow its technology specialists and other personnel to access, control, monitor, and collect information from computers and other devices. Privacy legislation, enforcement and policy activity in this area are expanding rapidly in many jurisdictions and creating a complex regulatory compliance environment. Costs to comply with and implement these privacy-related and data protection measures could be significant. Even the perception of privacy concerns, whether or not valid, may harm Support’s reputation and inhibit adoption of its solutions by current and future customers. In addition, Support may face claims about invasion of privacy or inappropriate disclosure, use, storage, or loss of information obtained from its customers. In addition, even Support’s inadvertent failure to comply with federal, state or international privacy-related or data protection laws and regulations could result in proceedings against Support by governmental entities or others, and substantial fines and damages. The theft, loss or misuse of personal data collected, used, stored or transferred by Support to run Support’s business could result in significantly increased business and security costs or costs related to defending legal claims.

 

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Our Support Services segment relies on third-party technologies in providing certain of its software and services. Our inability to use, retain or integrate third-party technologies could delay service or software development and could harm the Support Services segment's business.

 

Support licenses technologies from third parties, which are integrated into its services, technology and end user software. Support’s use of commercial technologies licensed on a non-exclusive basis from third parties poses certain risks. Some of the third-party technologies Support licenses may be provided under “open source” licenses, which may have terms that require it to make generally available its modifications or derivative works based on such open source code. Support’s inability to obtain or integrate third-party technologies with its own technology could delay service development until equivalent compatible technology can be identified, licensed and integrated. These third-party technologies may not continue to be available to Support on commercially reasonable terms or at all. If Support’s relationship with third parties were to deteriorate, or if such third parties were unable to develop innovative and saleable products, or component features of its products, it could be forced to identify a new developer and its future revenue could suffer. Support may fail to successfully integrate any licensed technology into its services or software, or maintain it through its own development work, which could harm the business and operating results of our Support Services segment.

 

Risks Related to the Ownership of Our Securities

 

Because we are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the Nasdaq listing rules, our stockholders may not have certain corporate governance protections that are available to stockholders of companies that are not controlled companies.

So long as more than 50% of the voting power for the election of our directors is held by an individual, a group or another company, we will qualify as a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq’s corporate governance standards. As of November 11, 2021, Atlas and its affiliates control 88.8% of the voting power of our outstanding capital stock. As a result, we are a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq’s corporate governance standards and will not be subject to the requirements that would otherwise require us to have: (i) a majority of independent directors; (ii) compensation of our executive officers determined by a majority of the independent directors or a compensation committee comprised solely of independent directors; and (iii) director nominees selected or recommended for our board either by a majority of the independent directors or a nominating committee comprised solely of independent directors. Because we are a “controlled company”, our stockholders may not have these corporate governance protections that are available to stockholders of companies that are not controlled companies.

Atlas and its affiliates may have their interest in us diluted as a result of future equity issuances or their own actions in selling shares of our common stock, in each case, which could result in a loss of the “controlled company” exemption under the Nasdaq listing rules. We would then be required to comply with those provisions of the Nasdaq listing requirements.

The dual class structure of our common stock will have the effect of concentrating voting power with Atlas and its affiliates, which may depress the market value of the class A common stock and will limit a stockholder or a new investor’s ability to influence the outcome of important transactions, including a change in control.

While the economic rights of our common stock are the same, the class A common stock have one (1) vote per share, while class B common stock have ten (10) votes per share. As of September 16, 2021, our class B common stockholders represent approximately 97% of our voting power. Given the 10:1 voting ratio, even a significant issuance of class A common stock, and/or a transaction involving class A common stock as consideration, may not impact Atlas’ significant majority voting position in us.

We have enacted a dual class voting structure to ensure the continuity of voting control in us for the foreseeable future. As a result, for the foreseeable future, Atlas and its affiliates will be able to control matters submitted to stockholders for approval, including the election of directors, amendments of our organizational documents and any merger, consolidation, sale of all or substantially all of our assets or other major corporate transactions.

Atlas and its affiliates may have interests that differ from other stockholders and may vote their class B common stock in a way with which other stockholders may disagree or which may be adverse to such other stockholders’ interests. In addition, this concentrated control will have the effect of delaying, preventing or deterring a change in control of Greenidge, could deprive our stockholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their capital stock as part of a sale of Greenidge, and might have a negative effect on the market price of shares of our class A common stock.

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The market price, trading volume and marketability of our class A common stock may be significantly affected by numerous factors beyond our control.

The market price and trading volume of our class A common stock may fluctuate and/or decline significantly. Many factors that are beyond our control may materially adversely affect the market price of our class A common stock, the marketability of our class A common stock and our ability to raise capital through equity financings. These factors include the following:

the underlying volatility in pricing of, and demand for, energy and/or bitcoin.
price and volume fluctuations in the stock markets generally which create highly variable and unpredictable pricing of equity securities;
significant volatility in the market price and trading volume of securities of companies in the sectors in which our business operates, which may not be related to the operating performance of these companies and which may not reflect the performance of our businesses;
differences between our actual financial and operating results and those expected by investors;
fluctuations in quarterly operating results;
loss of a major funding source;
operating performance of companies comparable to us;
changes in regulations or tax law, including those affecting the holding, transferring or mining of cryptocurrency;
share transactions by principal stockholders;
recruitment or departure of key personnel;
general economic trends and other external factors including inflation and interest rates; and
investor perception of any of the foregoing.

We may need to raise additional capital to grow our business and may not be able to do so on favorable terms, if at all. Future issuances of equity or debt securities may adversely affect the value of our common stock.

We may need to raise additional capital in the future, including to expand our operations and pursue our growth strategies, to respond to competitive pressures or to meet capital needs in response to operating losses or unanticipated working capital requirements. We may not be able to obtain additional debt or equity financing on favorable terms in the future, if at all, which could impair our growth and adversely affect our existing operations. Similarly, in connection with the Purchase Agreement entered into between us and the Investor, because the purchase price per share to be paid by the Investor for the shares of class A common stock that we may elect to sell to the Investor fluctuates based on the market prices of our class A common stock at the time we elect to sell shares, we may not be able to continue to sell shares of class A common stock on favorable terms, or at all.

If we conduct an equity offering, or exercise our right to sell shares of class A common stock to the Investor under the Purchase Agreement, to raise capital or to take advantage of strong capital markets, our stockholders may experience significant dilution of their ownership interests, and the per share value of our class A common stock could materially decline. Furthermore, if we engage in further debt financing, the holders of debt likely would have priority over the holders of our common stock, including the class A common stock, with respect to order of payment. Upon a bankruptcy or liquidation, holders of any such debt securities, and lenders with respect to other borrowings we may make, would receive distributions of our available assets prior to any distributions being made to holders of class A common stock.

Moreover, if we issue preferred stock in the future, the holders of such preferred stock could also be entitled to preferences over holders of class A common stock in respect of the payment of dividends and the payment of liquidating distributions. Further, such securities could require us to accept terms that restrict our ability to incur additional indebtedness, take other actions including terms that require us to maintain specified liquidity or other ratios that could otherwise not be in the interests of our stockholders.

We cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of any such future offerings or borrowings.

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Our obligations associated with being a public company requires significant resources and management attention. We will incur increased costs as a result of being a public company.

As a public company, we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, which requires that we timely file annual, quarterly and current reports with respect to our business and financial condition, and are subject to the rules and regulations implemented by the SEC, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, and the listing requirements of Nasdaq, each of which imposes additional reporting and other obligations on public companies. As a public company, we face increased legal, accounting, administrative and other costs and expenses that we have not previously incurred as a private company, and we may need to hire additional financial and accounting personnel and other experienced staff with the expertise to address complex matters applicable to public companies. In addition, we are required to, among other things:

prepare and distribute periodic reports, proxy statements and other stockholder communications in compliance with the federal securities laws, the Nasdaq listing rules and Delaware law;
expand the roles and duties of our board of directors and committees thereof and management;
institute more comprehensive financial reporting and disclosure compliance procedures;
involve and retain, to a greater degree, outside counsel and accountants to assist us with the activities listed above;
build and maintain an investor relations function; and
establish new internal policies, including those relating to trading in our securities and disclosure controls and procedures.

These rules and regulations, and any future changes thereto, will increase—potentially materially—our legal and financial compliance costs compared to our prior operations and require significant time and attention from our management.

As a public company, it may also be more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain coverage. These increased costs may require us to divert a significant amount of money that we could otherwise use to expand our business and achieve our strategic objectives.

We may not complete our analysis of our internal control over financial reporting in a timely manner, or these internal controls may not be determined to be effective.

We will be required, pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, to furnish an assessment by management on, among other things, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting in the second annual report we file with the SEC. This assessment will need to include disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by management in our internal control over financial reporting. However, our auditors will not be required to formally attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act until we are no longer a smaller reporting company or no longer an emerging growth company.

We are in the early stages of the costly and challenging process of compiling the system and process documentation necessary to perform the evaluation needed to comply with Section 404. In this regard, we will need to continue to dedicate internal resources (including the potential hiring of additional finance staff), engage outside consultants and adopt a detailed work plan to assess and document the adequacy of internal control over financial reporting, continue steps to improve control processes as appropriate, validate through testing that controls are functioning as documented and implement a continuous reporting and improvement process for internal control over financial reporting. We may not be able to complete our evaluation, testing and any required remediation in a timely fashion. During the evaluation and testing process, if we identify one or more material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, we will need to remediate any future material weaknesses and, if we are unable to do so, we may be unable to assert that our internal controls are effective. If we are unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our auditors are unable to express an opinion on the effectiveness of our internal controls when they are required to issue such opinion, investors could lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, which could harm our business and the price of our common stock.

Our management team has limited experience managing a public company.

While certain members of our management team have some experience serving as board members of a public company and interacting with public company investors, these management team members have not previously served as management of a publicly traded company and may not have experience complying with the increasingly complex laws pertaining to public companies. Our management team may not successfully or efficiently manage our immediate transition to being a public company subject to

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significant regulatory oversight and reporting obligations under the federal securities laws as well as the continuous scrutiny of securities analysts and investors. These new obligations and constituents will require significant attention from our senior management and could divert their attention away from the day-to-day management of our business, which could adversely affect our business and financial performance.

We are subject to ongoing public reporting requirements that are less rigorous than Exchange Act rules for companies that are not emerging growth companies or smaller reporting companies, and stockholders could receive less information than they might expect to receive from larger or more mature public companies.

We qualify to publicly report on an ongoing basis as an “emerging growth company” (as defined in the JOBS Act) and a “smaller reporting company” (as defined in SEC rules) under the reporting rules set forth under the Exchange Act. For so long as we remain an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other Exchange Act reporting companies that are not emerging growth companies, including but not limited to:

not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act;
being permitted to include two, not three, years of audited financials in our Forms 10-K and other reduced financial disclosures;
being permitted to comply with reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements; and
being exempt from the requirement to hold a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.

In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. This means that an emerging growth company can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period and so our financial statements may not be comparable to those of companies that comply with such new or revised accounting standards.

We expect to take advantage of these reporting exemptions until we are no longer an emerging growth company or smaller reporting company. We can remain an emerging growth company for up to five years, although if the market value of our class A common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million or more as of any June 30 before that time, we would cease to be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We will qualify as a smaller reporting company until our public float, as of the last day of our second fiscal quarter, exceeds $250 million; because our common stock held by our directors, executive officers and Atlas and its affiliates are excluded from the calculation of public float, we anticipate qualifying as a smaller reporting company for the near future.

Because we will be subject to ongoing public reporting requirements that are less rigorous than Exchange Act rules for companies that are not emerging growth companies or smaller reporting companies, stockholders could receive less information than they might expect to receive from more mature or larger public companies, and the class A common stock may experience less active trading or more price volatility as a result.

Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of us more difficult, and limit attempts by stockholders to replace or remove current management.

Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control or changes in our management, including provisions that:

establish a dual-class common stock structure with ten (10) votes per share for the class B common stock;
vest solely in our board the power to fix the board and fill any vacancies and newly created directorships;
provide that directors may only be removed by the majority in voting power of the shares of stock then outstanding and entitled to vote thereon;
establish advance notice requirements for nominations for election to the board of directors or for proposing matters that can be acted upon by our stockholders at annual stockholder meetings; and

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require, among other things, advance board approval or subsequent approval by the board and holders of 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock not owned by the interested stockholder for any business combination with an interested stockholder, which is defined as a person or entity owning 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock or an affiliate or associate of us that owned 15% or more of the voting power of the outstanding voting stock at any time within a period of three years prior to the date of such determination, subject to certain exceptions.

These provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to effect a change in control, or to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for our stockholders to replace members of the board of directors, which is responsible for appointing the members of management.

Future sales of class A common stock may affect the market price of our class A common stock.

We may raise capital by continuing to exercise our rights under the Purchase Agreement to sell shares of class A common stock to the Investor or through other future equity offerings.

 

Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, we have the right to sell to the Investor up to $500,000,000 of shares of class A common stock, subject to certain limitations and conditions, from time to time during the term of the Purchase Agreement, however, under the applicable Nasdaq rules, in no event may we issue a number of shares of class A common stock that exceeds the Exchange Cap, unless we obtain stockholder approval to issue shares in excess of the Exchange Cap in accordance with applicable Nasdaq rules. We may ultimately decide to sell to the Investor all, some or none of the shares of our class A common stock that may be available for us to sell to the Investor pursuant to the Purchase Agreement. Depending on market liquidity at the time, resales of those shares by the Investor may cause the public trading price of our class A common stock to decrease.

 

We cannot predict what effect, if any, actual or potential future sales of our class A common stock will have on the market price of our class A common stock. Sales of substantial amounts of our class A common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales could occur, could materially adversely affect the market price of our class A common stock.

 

We may incur additional indebtedness.

 

Despite our current level of indebtedness, we and our subsidiaries may be able to incur significant additional indebtedness. The indenture governing our Notes allows us and our subsidiaries to incur additional indebtedness. If new indebtedness is added to our and our subsidiaries’ current debt levels, the related risks that we face would be increased, and we may not be able to meet all our debt obligations, including repayment of the Notes, in whole or in part. If we incur any additional debt that is secured, the holders of that debt will be entitled to share in the proceeds distributed in connection with any enforcement against the collateral or an insolvency, liquidation, reorganization, dissolution or other winding-up of the applicable obligor prior to applying any such proceeds to the notes. As of October 31, 2021, we had $82.9 million of indebtedness, $55.2 million of which was unsecured.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation designates the Delaware Court of Chancery as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders and provides that claims relating to causes of action under U.S. federal securities laws may only be brought in U.S. federal district courts, which could limit the ability of our stockholders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us, our directors, officers or employees, if any, and could discourage lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and employees, if any.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of us, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our current or former directors, officers, employees or stockholders to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or the amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws or as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, or (iv) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine of the laws of the State of Delaware. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation also provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the U.S. federal district courts shall, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under U.S. federal securities laws. Support’s governing documents do not contain any exclusive forum provisions.

 

These exclusive forum provisions may limit the ability of our stockholders to bring a claim in a judicial forum that such stockholders find favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers, or employees, if any, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors, officers, and employees, if any. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provisions contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and operating results.

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Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

 

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On September 13, 2021, we issued 562,174 shares of our class A common stock to 210 Capital, LLC as a consulting fee in connection with the Merger.
 

 

On September 14, 2021, we issued 5,760,000 shares of our class A common stock and 720,000 shares of our class B common stock upon conversion of the 6,480,000 shares of series A preferred stock.
 

 

On September 15, 2021, we entered into a purchase agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”), with B. Riley Principal Capital, LLC (“BRPC”) pursuant to which we have the right to sell to BRPC up to $500 million in shares of class A common stock, subject to certain limitations and the satisfaction of specified conditions in the Purchase Agreement, from time to time over the 24-month period commencing on October 6, 2021. From October 6, 2021 to November 12, 2021, we issued 1,977,500 shares of our class A common stock to BRPC under the Purchase Agreement. We intend to use the net proceeds for general corporate purposes, including funding capital expenditures, future acquisitions, investments and working capital and repaying indebtedness.

 

On September 16 2021, we issued 344,800 shares of our class A common stock to B. Riley Securities, Inc. upon its exercise of our outstanding warrants at an exercise price of $6.25 per share.
 

 

The sales of the above securities were deemed to be exempt from registration under the Securities Act in reliance upon Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act or Regulation D promulgated thereunder, or Rule 701 promulgated under Section 3(b) of the Securities Act as transactions by an issuer not involving any public offering or pursuant to benefit plans and contracts relating to compensation as provided under Rule 701. The recipients of the securities in each of these transactions represented their intentions and appropriate legends were placed upon the stock certificates issued in these transactions.

 

From July 27, 2021 to October 14, 2021 (the date of the filing of our registration statement on Form S-8, File No. 333-260257), we granted stock options to purchase an aggregate of 37,000 shares of our Class A common stock to our [employees] at an exercise price of $7.18 per share under our 2021 Equity Incentive Plan. The offers, sales, and issuances of the securities described in this paragraph were deemed to be exempt from registration under the Securities Act in reliance on Rule 701 promulgated under the Securities Act as transactions by an issuer not involving a public offering or under benefit plans and contracts relating to compensation as provided under Rule 701. The recipients of the securities in each of these transactions represented their intentions to acquire the securities for investment only and not with a view to or for sale in connection with any distribution thereof. All recipients had adequate access through their relationships with us, or otherwise to information about us. The issuances of these securities were made without any general solicitation or advertising.

 

 

Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities

None.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

Item 5. Other Information

On November 12, 2021, the Company and Timothy Rainey, the Company’s current Chief Financial Officer, mutually agreed to transition his role with the Company to Treasurer of the Company and Chief Financial Officer of Greenidge Generation Holdings LLC, a subsidiary of the Company, effective January 1, 2022 (the “Transition Date”). Mr. Rainey will continue to serve as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer until the Transition Date.

On November 12, 2021, the Company also appointed Robert Loughran as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer, effective the Transition Date. Mr. Loughran has been providing consulting services to the Company's finance department and will continue to do so until the Transition Date.

Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Loughran, 57, was employed as Vice President, Corporate Controller at Tronox Holdings plc, a preeminent titanium dioxide pigment, titanium ore and zircon producer. Prior to Tronox, Mr. Loughran was employed as Group Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer at Avon Products, Inc., a multinational cosmetics, skin care, fragrance and personal care company. There are no understandings or arrangements between Mr. Loughran and any other person pursuant to which Mr. Loughran was selected to serve as Chief Financial Officer. There are no existing relationships between Mr. Loughran and any person that would

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require disclosure pursuant to Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K or any familial relationships that would require disclosure under Item 401(d) of Regulation S-K.

In connection with these changes, on November 12, 2021, the Board of Directors of the Company approved and the Company entered into employment agreements with each of Messrs. Rainey and Loughran on November 15, 2021.

Mr. Rainey’s employment agreement (the “Rainey Employment Agreement”), provides that Mr. Rainey will be eligible for (i) an annual base salary of $210,000; (ii) a one-time payment of $450,000 as compensation for Mr. Rainey’s assistance with the Company’s successful listing on the Nasdaq stock exchange, payable on March 31, 2022, subject to Mr. Rainey’s continued employment with the Company through the payment date (the “Listing Achievement Bonus”); and (iii) a target annual bonus opportunity of $387,500 starting with the 2022 fiscal year, subject to such terms and performance conditions as determined by the Company and Mr. Rainey’s continued employment by the Company through the applicable payment date. The term of the Rainey Employment Agreement continues until December 31, 2025, unless earlier terminated pursuant to its terms.


If Mr. Rainey’s employment is terminated by the Company without Cause or Mr. Rainey resigns with Good Reason (as each term is defined in the Rainey Employment Agreement), in addition to any accrued base salary through and including the date of termination and any amounts or benefits required to be paid or provided under applicable law or accrued and vested under the benefit plans of the Company (the “Accrued Amounts”), Mr. Rainey will be entitled to receive, subject to execution of a release and compliance with restrictive covenants: (i) continued payment of his base salary for a period of 12 months following the date of termination; (ii) Company-subsidized COBRA coverage equal to the same portion of the monthly premium the Company pays for active employees until the earlier of (x) the one-year anniversary of the date of termination or (y) the date Mr. Rainey becomes eligible for health insurance coverage under the health plan of another employer; (iii) an amount equal to 50% of Mr. Rainey’s target annual bonus opportunity for the fiscal year in which the termination of employment occurs, payable on the first anniversary of the date of termination; (iv) any earned but unpaid annual bonus for the completed fiscal year that ended prior to the fiscal year in which the termination of employment occurs, payable on the date such annual bonuses are paid to similarly situated employees of the Company; (v) the Listing Achievement Bonus if unpaid, payable within 30 days of the date of termination; and (vi) accelerated vesting of all outstanding unvested stock options granted to Mr. Rainey prior to the execution of the Rainey Employment Agreement (which are scheduled to vest on February 21, 2022) and extended exercisability for up to 18 months after the date of termination. If Mr. Rainey’s employment is terminated due to health or Disability (as defined in the Rainey Employment Agreement), Mr. Rainey will be entitled to receive, subject to the execution of a release and compliance with restrictive covenants, the Accrued Amounts and the items set forth in clauses (v) and (vi) above.

Mr. Loughran’s employment agreement (the “Loughran Employment Agreement”) provides that Mr. Loughran will be eligible for (i) an annual base salary of $400,000, (ii) a target annual bonus opportunity of up to 100% of Mr. Loughran’s annual base salary, 50% of which will be paid in restricted stock units under the Company’s equity incentive plan ("RSUs"), vesting in equal annual installments on the first three anniversaries of the grant date, subject to Mr. Loughran’s continued employment through each vesting date and otherwise subject to approval by the board of directors of the Company and the terms and conditions of the Company’s equity incentive plan and (iii) a promotion grant of RSUs with respect to 15,000 shares of the Company, vesting in equal annual installments on the first three anniversaries of the grant date.
 

If Mr. Loughran’s employment with the Company is terminated by the Company without Cause or Mr. Loughran resigns with Good Reason (as each term is defined in the Loughran Employment Agreement), in addition to the Accrued Amounts, Mr. Loughran will be entitled to receive, subject to execution of a release and compliance with restrictive covenants: (i) continued payment of his annual base salary for a period of 12 months following the date of termination; (ii) Company-subsidized COBRA coverage equal to the same portion of the monthly premium the Company pays for active employees until the earlier of (x) the one-year anniversary of the date of termination or (y) the date Mr. Loughran becomes eligible for health insurance coverage under the health plan of another employer; (iii) an amount equal to 100% of Mr. Loughran’s target annual bonus opportunity for the fiscal year in which the termination of employment occurs, payable on the first anniversary of the date of termination; (iv) any earned but unpaid annual bonus for the completed fiscal year that ended prior to the fiscal year in which the termination of employment occurs, payable on the date such annual bonuses are paid to similarly situated employees of the Company; and (v) continued vesting of any time-vesting RSUs that would have vested in the 12-month period following the date of termination. If Mr. Loughran’s employment is terminated due to death or Disability (as defined in the Loughran Employment Agreement), Mr. Loughran will be entitled to receive, subject to execution of a release and compliance with restrictive covenants, the Accrued Amounts and pro rata vesting of any time-vesting RSUs based on the period employed prior to termination.
 

The Rainey Employment Agreement is furnished herewith as Exhibit 10.2 and the Loughran Employment Agreement is furnished herewith as Exhibit 10.3 and each is incorporated by reference herein. The foregoing descriptions of the Rainey Employment

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Agreement and the Loughran Employment Agreement do not purport to be complete and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the full text of each agreement.

 

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Item 6. Exhibits

The exhibits listed on the Exhibit Index are filed or furnished as part of this Quarterly Report.

 

Exhibit Index

 

Exhibit No.

 

Description

3.1

 

Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed on May 4, 2021)

3.2

 

Amended and Restated Bylaws of Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed on July 16, 2021)

3.3

 

Certificate of Amendment of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc., dated September13, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K furnished on September 15)

 

4.1

 

Indenture dated as of October 13, 2021 between Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc. and Wilmington Savings Fund Society, FSB, as trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on October 13, 2021)

4.2

 

First Supplemental Indenture dated as of October 13, 2021 between Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc. and Wilmington Savings Fund Society, FSB, as trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on October 13, 2021)

4.3

 

Form of 8.50% Senior Note due 2026 (included as Exhibit A to Exhibit 4.2 above)

4.4

 

Stock Purchase Warrant, dated September 14, 2021

4.5

 

Form of Registration Compliance Agreement dated September 1, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.4 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on September 1, 2021)

4.6

 

Investor Agreement by and between 210 Capital, LLC and Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc. filed on September 9, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.5 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on September 14, 2021)

10.1+

 

Purchase and Sale Agreement, dated October 21, 2021, between LSC Communications MCL LLC and 300 Jones Road LLC.

10.2†

 

Employment Agreement, dated November 12, 2021, between Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc. and Timothy Rainey

10.3†

 

Executive Employment Agreement, dated November 12, 2021, between Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc. and Robert Loughran

10.4

 

Purchase Agreement, dated September 15, 2021, between Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc. and B. Riley Principal Capital, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K furnished on September 15, 2021)

10.5

 

Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of September 15, 2021, between Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc. and B. Riley Principal Capital, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K furnished on September 15, 2021)

10.6†

 

Form of Indemnification Agreement with the Directors and Officers of Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc.

10.7†

 

Form of Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement for the Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc. 2021 Equity Incentive Plan

31.1

 

Certification of Jeffrey E. Kirt, Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act

31.2

 

Certification of Timothy Rainey, Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act

32.1*

 

Certification of Jeffrey E. Kirt, Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

32.2*

 

Certification of Timothy Rainey, Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

101

 

Interactive data files pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T: (i) the Balance Sheets, (ii) the Statements of Operations, (iii) the Statements of Cash Flows and (iv) the Notes to Unaudited Condensed Interim Consolidated Financial Statements.

104

 

Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101).

 

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*

Furnished herewith.

+

Certain schedules and exhibits have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(a)(5) or Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation S-K. We hereby undertake to furnish copies of the omitted schedule or exhibit upon request by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.

 

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SIGNATURES

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.

 

 

 

Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc.

 

 

 

 

Date: November 15, 2021

 

By:

/s/ Jeffrey E. Kirt

 

 

 

Jeffrey E. Kirt

 

 

 

Chief Executive Officer

 

 

 

 

Date: November 15, 2021

 

By:

/s/ Timothy Rainey

 

 

 

Timothy Rainey

 

 

 

Chief Financial Officer

 

 

78