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Backblaze Announces Second Quarter 2023 Financial Results
Source: Nasdaq GlobeNewswire / 08 Aug 2023 15:05:02 America/Chicago
SAN MATEO, Calif., Aug. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Backblaze, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLZE), the leading specialized storage cloud, today announced results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2023.
“In Q2 we were pleased to continue moving up-market, growing the number of customers generating over $50,000 in annual recurring revenue by 54% year-over-year and increasing engagement with other larger potential customers. We also signed our biggest computer backup deal ever with a leading global social media company,” said Gleb Budman, CEO of Backblaze. “We are excited to assist more businesses in moving out of the walled gardens of traditional cloud providers to an open cloud where customers are empowered to store and use data as they choose.”
Second Quarter 2023 Financial Highlights:
- Revenue of $24.6 million, an increase of 19% year-over-year (YoY).
- B2 Cloud Storage revenue was $10.8 million, an increase of 39% YoY.
- Computer Backup revenue was $13.8 million, an increase of 7% YoY.
- Gross profit of $12.1 million, or 49% of revenue, compared to $11.1 million and 54% of revenue, in Q2 2022.
- Adjusted gross profit of $18.4 million, or 75% of revenue, compared to $15.9 million and 77% of revenue in Q2 2022.
- Net loss of $14.3 million compared to a net loss of $11.6 million in Q2 2022.
- Net loss per share of $0.41 compared to a net loss per share of $0.37 in Q2 2022.
- Adjusted EBITDA of $(1.8) million, or (7%) of revenue, compared to $(1.9) million and (9%) of revenue in Q2 2022.
- Non-GAAP net loss of $8.3 million compared to non-GAAP net loss of $7.2 million in Q2 2022.
- Non-GAAP net loss per share of $0.24 compared to a non-GAAP net loss per share of $0.23 in Q2 2022.
- Cash, short-term investments and restricted cash, non-current totaled $44.7 million as of June 30, 2023.
Second Quarter 2023 Operational Highlights:
- Annual recurring revenue (ARR) was $97.3 million, an increase of 18% YoY.
- B2 Cloud Storage ARR was $43.5 million, an increase of 39% YoY.
- Computer Backup ARR was $53.8 million, an increase of 5% YoY.
- Net revenue retention (NRR) rate was 110% compared to 114% in Q2 2022.
- B2 Cloud Storage NRR was 121% compared to 127% in Q2 2022.
- Computer Backup NRR was 103% compared to 107% in Q2 2022.
- Gross customer retention rate was 91% in Q2 2023 and Q2 2022.
- B2 Cloud Storage gross customer retention rate was 90% in Q2 2023 and Q2 2022.
- Computer Backup gross customer retention rate was 91% in Q2 2023 and Q2 2022.
Eliminated Dual-Class Share Structure
In July 2023, following approval by the Company’s Class B stockholders, all outstanding shares of Class B common stock were converted into shares of Class A common stock (on a 1:1 basis), thereby eliminating the Company’s dual-class share structure and providing all shareholders equal voting rights. The change underscores Backblaze’s commitment to good corporate governance and being a shareholder-friendly company by simplifying the capital structure and administration processes.
Recent Business Highlights:
- Drove Up-Market Momentum: Customers contributing over $50,000 in ARR grew 54% to 74 as of Q2 2023 from 48 as of Q2 2022
- Won Largest Computer Backup Customer: Most initial licenses purchased in a single contract, with a leading global social media company
- Overhauled Website: Launched new Content Management System to enable rapid optimization, enhance the customer onboarding experience, and help increase self-serve conversion rates
- Upgraded Developer Experience: Updated over 300 articles in newly developed resource hub, with upgraded API documentation to further support developers innovating on Backblaze’s Storage Cloud
- Enabled Disaster Recovery Solution: Built on Backblaze B2, Cloud Instant Business Recovery was developed with disaster recovery partner Continuity Centers to allow Veeam users access to enterprise grade disaster recovery services
Financial Outlook:
Based on information available as of the date of this press release,
For the third quarter of 2023 we expect:
- Revenue between $25.0 million to $25.4 million
- Adjusted EBITDA margin between (8)% to (4)%
- Basic weighted average shares outstanding of 36.5 million to 37.5 million shares
For full-year 2023 we expect:
- Revenue between $98 million to $102 million (unchanged)
- Adjusted EBITDA margin between (8.5)% to (4.5)% (improved versus the prior range of (10)% to (6)%)
Conference Call Information:
Backblaze will host a conference call today, August 8, 2023 at 1:30 p.m. PT (4:30 p.m. ET) to review its financial results.
Attend the webcast here: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/bhjsu3u8
Register to listen by phone here: https://dpregister.com/sreg/10179186/f981290646Phone registrants will receive dial-in information via email.
An archive of the webcast will be available shortly after its completion on the Investor Relations section of the Backblaze website at https://ir.backblaze.com.
About Backblaze
Backblaze makes it astonishingly easy to store, use, and protect data. The Backblaze Storage Cloud provides a foundation for businesses, developers, IT professionals, and individuals to build applications, host content, manage media, back up and archive data, and more. With over three billion gigabytes of data storage under management, the company currently works with over 500,000 customers in over 175 countries. Founded in 2007, the company is based in San Mateo, CA. For more information, please go to www.backblaze.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which involve risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are frequently identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “likely,” “may,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would,” or other similar terms or expressions that relate to our future performance, expectations, strategy, plans or intentions, and include statements in the section titled “Financial Outlook” and statements regarding the use and impact of our IPO proceeds.
Our actual results could differ materially from those stated in or implied by the forward-looking statements in this press release due to a number of factors, including but not limited to: market competition, including competitors that may have greater size, offerings and resources; effectively managing growth; disruption in our service or loss of availability of customers’ data; cyberattacks; ability to attract and retain customers, including increasingly larger customers and the continued growth of data stored by our customers; continued growth consistent with historical levels; ability to offer new features on a timely basis; material defects or errors in our software; supply chain disruption; ability to maintain existing relationships with partners and to enter into new partnerships; ability to remediate and prevent material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting; retention of key employees; the impact of a pandemic, war or other significant world or regional event on our business and the business of our customers, vendors, supply chain and partners; litigation and other disputes; and general market, political, economic, and business conditions. Further information on these and additional risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those included in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this release are included under the caption “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2023, and other filings and reports we make with the SEC from time to time.
The forward-looking statements made in this release reflect our views as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
To supplement the financial measures prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), we use non-GAAP adjusted gross margin and adjusted EBITDA margin. These non-GAAP financial measures exclude certain items and are not prepared in accordance with GAAP; therefore, the information is not necessarily comparable to other companies and should be considered as a supplement to, not a substitute for, or superior to, the corresponding measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. We present these non-GAAP measures because management believes they are a useful measure of the company’s performance and provide an additional basis for assessing our operating results. Please see the appendix attached to this press release for a reconciliation of non-GAAP adjusted gross margin and adjusted EBITDA margin to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures.
A reconciliation of non-GAAP guidance measures to corresponding GAAP measures is not available on a forward-looking basis without unreasonable effort due to the uncertainty regarding, and the potential variability of, expenses and other factors in the future. For example, stock-based compensation expense-related charges are impacted by the timing of employee stock transactions, the future fair market value of our common stock, and our future hiring and retention needs, all of which are difficult to predict with reasonable accuracy and subject to constant change.
Adjusted Gross Profit (and Margin)
We believe adjusted gross profit (and margin), when taken together with our GAAP financial results, provides a meaningful assessment of our performance and is useful to us for evaluating our ongoing operations and for internal planning and forecasting purposes.
We define adjusted gross margin as gross profit, exclusive of stock-based compensation expense, depreciation expense of our property and equipment, and amortization expense of capitalized internal-use software included within cost of revenue, as a percentage of adjusted gross profit to revenue. We exclude stock-based compensation, which is a non-cash item, because we do not consider it indicative of our core operating performance. We exclude depreciation expense of our property and equipment and amortization expense of capitalized internal-use software, because these may not reflect current or future cash spending levels to support our business. We believe adjusted gross margin provides consistency and comparability with our past financial performance and facilitates period-to-period comparisons of operations, as this metric eliminates the effects of depreciation and amortization.
Adjusted EBITDA
We define adjusted EBITDA as net loss adjusted to exclude depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation, interest expense, investment income, income tax provision, and workforce reduction and related severance charges. We use adjusted EBITDA to evaluate our ongoing operations and for internal planning and forecasting purposes. We believe that adjusted EBITDA, when taken together with our GAAP financial results, provides meaningful supplemental information regarding our operating performance by excluding certain items that may not be indicative of our business, results of operations, or outlook. We consider adjusted EBITDA to be an important measure because it helps illustrate underlying trends in our business and our historical operating performance on a more consistent basis.
Non-GAAP Net Income (Loss)
We define non-GAAP net income (loss) as net income adjusted to exclude stock-based compensation and other items we deem non-recurring. We believe that non-GAAP net income (loss), when taken together with our GAAP financial results, provides meaningful supplemental information regarding our operating performance by excluding certain items that may not be indicative of our business, results of operations, or outlook.
Key Business Metrics:
Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR)
We define annual recurring revenue (ARR) as the annualized value of all Backblaze B2 and Computer Backup arrangements as of the end of a period. Given the renewable nature of our business, we view ARR as an important indicator of our financial performance and operating results, and we believe it is a useful metric for internal planning and analysis. ARR is calculated based on multiplying the monthly revenue from all Backblaze B2 and Computer Backup arrangements, which represent greater than 98% of our revenue for the periods presented (and excludes Physical Media revenue), for the last month of a period by 12. Our annual recurring revenue for Computer Backup and B2 Cloud Storage is calculated in the same manner as our overall annual recurring revenue based on the revenue from our Computer Backup and B2 Cloud Storage solutions, respectively.
Net Revenue Retention Rate (NRR)
Our overall net revenue retention rate (NRR) is a trailing four-quarter average of the recurring revenue from a cohort of customers in a quarter as compared to the same quarter in the prior year. We calculate our overall net revenue retention rate for a quarter by dividing (i) recurring revenue in the current quarter from any accounts that were active at the end of the same quarter of the prior year by (ii) recurring revenue in the current corresponding quarter from those same accounts. Our overall net revenue retention rate includes any expansion of revenue from existing customers and is net of revenue contraction and customer attrition, and excludes revenue from new customers in the current period. Our net revenue retention rate for Computer Backup and B2 Cloud Storage is calculated in the same manner as our overall net revenue retention rate based on the revenue from our Computer Backup and B2 Cloud Storage solutions, respectively.
Gross Customer Retention Rate
We use gross customer retention rate to measure our ability to retain our customers. Our gross customer retention rate reflects only customer losses and does not reflect the expansion or contraction of revenue we earn from our existing customers. We believe our high gross customer retention rates demonstrate that we serve a vital service to our customers, as the vast majority of our customers tend to continue to use our platform from one period to the next. To calculate our gross customer retention rate, we take the trailing four-quarter average of the percentage of cohort of customers who were active at the end of the quarter in the prior year that are still active at the end of the current quarter. We calculate our gross customer retention rate for a quarter by dividing (i) the number of accounts that generated revenue in the last month of the current quarter that also generated recurring revenue during the last month of the corresponding quarter in the prior year, by (ii) the number of accounts that generated recurring revenue.
Customers
We define a customer at the end of any period as a distinct account, as identified by a unique account identifier, that has paid for our cloud services, which makes up substantially all of our user base.
Investors Contact
James Kisner, CFA
Vice President, Investor Relations and Financial Planning
ir@backblaze.comMimi Kong
Director, Investor Relations and Corporate Development
ir@backblaze.comPress Contact
Jeanette Foster
Communications Manager
press@backblaze.comBACKBLAZE, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands, except share and per share data)June 30, December 31, 2023 2022 (unaudited) Assets Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 5,886 $ 6,690 Accounts receivable, net 826 856 Short-term investments, net 30,933 58,733 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 7,081 8,120 Total current assets 44,726 74,399 Restricted cash, non-current 7,833 4,306 Property and equipment, net 51,581 49,375 Operating lease right-of-use assets 5,672 6,881 Capitalized internal-use software, net 24,260 16,704 Other assets 483 793 Total assets $ 134,555 $ 152,458 Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 2,456 $ 3,283 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 5,805 9,418 Finance lease liabilities and lease financing obligations, current 18,179 18,531 Operating lease liabilities, current 1,372 2,130 Deferred revenue, current 23,230 22,912 Total current liabilities 51,042 56,274 Finance lease liabilities and lease financing obligations, non-current 14,585 15,487 Operating lease liabilities, non-current 4,358 5,032 Deferred revenue, non-current 2,552 2,611 Debt facility, non-current 7,833 4,306 Total liabilities $ 80,370 $ 83,710 Commitments and contingencies Stockholders’ Equity Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value; 113,000,000 shares authorized as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively; 22,901,289 and 16,198,333 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. 2 2 Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value; 37,000,000 shares authorized as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively; 13,083,212 and 17,195,404 shares issued and outstanding as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. 2 2 Additional paid-in capital 173,372 156,485 Accumulated deficit (119,191 ) (87,741 ) Total stockholders’ equity 54,185 68,748 Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $ 134,555 $ 152,458 BACKBLAZE, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in thousands, except share and per share data)Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 (unaudited) Revenue $ 24,589 $ 20,688 $ 47,983 $ 40,178 Cost of revenue 12,538 9,556 24,963 19,237 Gross profit 12,051 11,132 23,020 20,941 Operating expenses: Research and development 9,925 8,400 20,458 16,341 Sales and marketing 9,875 8,369 20,434 16,398 General and administrative 6,165 5,182 12,842 10,710 Total operating expenses 25,965 21,951 53,734 43,449 Loss from operations (13,914 ) (10,819 ) (30,714 ) (22,508 ) Investment income 519 120 1,129 195 Interest expense (942 ) (913 ) (1,865 ) (1,861 ) Loss before provision for income taxes (14,337 ) (11,612 ) (31,450 ) (24,174 ) Income tax benefit — (37 ) — (69 ) Net loss $ (14,337 ) $ (11,575 ) $ (31,450 ) $ (24,105 ) Net loss per share, basic and diluted $ (0.41 ) $ (0.37 ) $ (0.91 ) $ (0.78 ) Weighted average shares used in computing net loss per share attributable to Class A and Class B common stockholders, basic and diluted 35,149,000 31,182,914 34,539,229 30,864,199 BACKBLAZE, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in thousands)Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 2022 (unaudited) CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES Net loss $ (31,450 ) $ (24,105 ) Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: Net accretion of discount on investment securities (966 ) (172 ) Noncash lease expense on operating leases 1,293 1,129 Depreciation and amortization 11,864 9,361 Stock-based compensation 10,712 8,181 (Gain) loss on disposal of assets and other adjustments (1 ) 10 Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Accounts receivable 30 (82 ) Prepaid expenses and other current assets 941 (211 ) Other assets 134 (49 ) Accounts payable (245 ) (757 ) Accrued expenses and other current liabilities (1,600 ) (858 ) Deferred revenue 259 519 Operating lease liabilities (1,399 ) (1,089 ) Other long-term liabilities — (69 ) Net cash used in operating activities (10,428 ) (8,192 ) CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES Purchases of marketable securities (9,734 ) (92,667 ) Maturities of marketable securities 38,500 12,000 Proceeds from disposal of property and equipment 78 — Purchases of property and equipment, net (4,719 ) (1,501 ) Capitalized internal-use software costs (7,098 ) (2,838 ) Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities 17,027 (85,006 ) CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES Principal payments on finance leases and lease financing obligations (9,734 ) (7,212 ) Payments of deferred offering costs — (658 ) Proceeds from debt facility 3,529 — Principal payments on insurance premium financing (1,024 ) — Employee payroll taxes paid related to net settlement of equity awards — (130 ) Proceeds from exercises of stock options 2,182 2,063 Proceeds from ESPP 1,171 1,529 Net cash used in financing activities (3,876 ) (4,408 ) Net increase (decrease) in cash, restricted cash and restricted cash, non-current 2,723 (97,606 ) Cash and restricted cash at beginning of period 11,165 105,012 Cash, restricted cash and restricted cash, non-current at end of period $ 13,888 $ 7,406 SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION: Cash paid for interest $ 1,816 $ 1,888 Cash paid for income taxes $ 58 $ 26 Cash paid for operating lease liabilities $ 1,458 $ 1,184 SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF NON-CASH INVESTING AND FINANCING ACTIVITIES Stock-based compensation included in capitalized internal-use software $ 2,030 $ 1,005 Accrued bonus settled in restricted stock units $ 1,848 $ — Accrued bonus classified as stock-based compensation $ 929 $ 1,043 Equipment acquired through finance lease and lease financing obligations $ 8,705 $ 11,595 Accruals related to purchases of property and equipment $ 224 $ 698 Lease liabilities arising from right-of-use assets upon adoption of ASC 842 $ — $ 5,220 Assets obtained in exchange for operating lease obligations $ 268 $ — Receivable recorded due to stock option exercises pending settlement $ 29 $ — RECONCILIATION OF CASH AND RESTRICTED CASH Cash $ 5,886 $ 7,237 Restricted cash - included in prepaid expenses and other current assets $ 169 $ — Restricted cash - included in other assets $ — $ 169 Restricted cash, non-current $ 7,833 $ — Total cash, restricted cash and restricted cash, non-current $ 13,888 $ 7,406 BACKBLAZE, INC.
RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP DATA
(unaudited)Adjusted Gross Profit and Adjusted Gross Margin
Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 (in thousands, except percentages) Gross profit $ 12,051 $ 11,132 $ 23,020 $ 20,941 Adjustments: Stock-based compensation 387 348 803 624 Depreciation and amortization 5,985 4,377 11,555 9,047 Adjusted gross profit $ 18,423 $ 15,857 $ 35,378 $ 30,612 Gross margin 49 % 54 % 48 % 52 % Adjusted gross margin 75 % 77 % 74 % 76 % Adjusted EBITDA
Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 (in thousands, except percentages) Net loss $ (14,337 ) $ (11,575 ) $ (31,450 ) $ (24,105 ) Adjustments: Depreciation and amortization 6,131 4,570 11,864 9,433 Stock-based compensation(1) 4,884 4,346 10,587 8,181 Interest expense and investment income 423 793 736 1,666 Income tax benefit — (37 ) — (69 ) Workforce reduction and related severance charges 1,147 — 3,604 — Adjusted EBITDA $ (1,752 ) $ (1,903 ) $ (4,659 ) $ (4,894 ) Adjusted EBITDA margin (7 )% (9 )% (10 )% (12 )% (1) $125 thousand of stock-based compensation expense is classified as Workforce reduction and related severance charges in the table above as it was incurred as part of our restructuring program.
Non-GAAP Net Loss
Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 (in thousands, except share and per share data) Net loss $ (14,337 ) $ (11,575 ) $ (31,450 ) $ (24,105 ) Adjustments: Stock-based compensation(1) 4,884 4,346 10,587 8,181 Workforce reduction and related severance charges 1,147 — 3,604 — Non-GAAP net loss $ (8,306 ) $ (7,229 ) $ (17,259 ) $ (15,924 ) Non-GAAP net loss per share, basic and diluted $ (0.24 ) $ (0.23 ) $ (0.50 ) $ (0.52 ) Weighted average shares used in computing net loss per share attributable to Class A and Class B common stockholders, basic and diluted 35,149,000 31,182,914 34,539,229 30,864,199 (1) $125 thousand of stock-based compensation expense is classified as Workforce reduction and related severance charges in the table above as it was incurred as part of our restructuring program.
BACKBLAZE, INC.
SUPPLEMENTAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION
(unaudited)Stock-based Compensation
Three Months Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 (In thousands, unaudited) Cost of revenue $ 387 $ 348 $ 803 $ 624 Research and development 1,788 1,683 3,921 3,238 Sales and marketing 1,717 1,233 3,869 2,367 General and administrative 992 1,082 2,119 1,952 Total stock-based compensation expense $ 4,884 $ 4,346 $ 10,712 $ 8,181
- Revenue of $24.6 million, an increase of 19% year-over-year (YoY).