blze-20211213
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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 205490

FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 OR 15(d) of The Securities Exchange Act of 1934

December 13, 2021
Date of Report (date of earliest event reported)

Backblaze, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware001-4102620-8893125
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)(Commission File Number)(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
500 Ben Franklin Ct, San Mateo, California
94401
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)(Zip Code)
(650) 352-3738
Registrant's telephone number, including area code

Not Applicable
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR240.14d-2(b))
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each classTrading Symbol(s)Name of each exchange on which registered
Common stock, par value $0.0001per shareBLZEThe Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
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.



Item 2.02 Results of Operations and Financial Condition.

On December 13, 2021, Backblaze, Inc. (the “Company”) issued a press release announcing its financial results for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2021. A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.

This information is intended to be furnished under Item 2.02 and Item 9.01 of Form 8-K, “Results of Operations and Financial Condition” and shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits.

Exhibit No.Description
99.1





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 hereunto duly authorized.

Date:December 13, 2021Backblaze, Inc.
By:/s/ Frank Patchel
Frank Patchel, Chief Financial Officer

Document

Backblaze Announces Third Quarter 2021 Financial Results

59% Revenue Growth in B2 Cloud Storage, 25% Revenue Growth Overall

San Mateo, CA (December 13, 2021)—Backblaze, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLZE), a leading storage cloud platform, today announced results for its third quarter ended September 30, 2021.

“We delivered continued strong Q3 growth overall, led by rapid 59% revenue growth in B2 Cloud Storage and consistent double-digit growth of 13% in Computer Backup,” said Gleb Budman, CEO of Backblaze. “Our successful IPO in November was an important milestone for the company and a recognition by the markets of the mid-market public cloud storage opportunity. We believe the future is being built on independent clouds, and we plan to use our IPO proceeds to help accelerate future growth in this large and fast-growing market,” continued Mr. Budman.
Third Quarter 2021 Financial Highlights:

Revenue was $17.3 million, an increase of 25% year-over-year (YoY).
B2 Cloud Storage revenue was $6.0 million, an increase of 59% YoY.
Computer Backup revenue was $11.2 million, an increase of 13% YoY.
Gross profit of $8.8 million, or 51% of revenue, compared to $6.7 million and 49% of revenue, in Q3 2020.
Adjusted gross profit of $12.8 million, or 74% of revenue, compared to $10.0 million and 72% of revenue in Q3 2020.
Net loss was $6.0 million compared to $1.9 million in Q3 2020.
Net loss per share was $(0.32) compared to $(0.10) in Q3 2020.
Adjusted EBITDA was $0.8 million, or 5% of revenue, compared to $2.8 million and 20% of revenue in Q3 2020.
Cash and cash equivalents were $4.7 million as of September 30, 2021. This does not include net cash proceeds of $103 million from our IPO in November 2021.

Third Quarter 2021 Operational Highlights:

Annual recurring revenue (ARR) was $70.8 million, an increase of 28% YoY.
B2 Cloud Storage ARR was $24.6 million, an increase of 58% YoY.
Computer Backup ARR was $46.2 million, an increase of 16% YoY.
Net revenue retention (NRR) rate was 110% compared to 116% in Q3 2020.
B2 Cloud Storage NRR was 129% compared to 139% in Q3 2020.
Computer Backup NRR was 103% compared to 109% in Q3 2020.
Gross customer retention rate was 91% compared to 90% in Q3 2020.
B2 Cloud Storage gross customer retention rate was 92% in both Q3 2021 and Q3 2020.
Computer Backup gross customer retention rate was 91% compared to 90% in Q3 2020.

Financial Outlook

Based on information available as of December 13, 2021, for the fourth quarter of 2021 we expect:

Revenue between $17.7 million to $18.2 million.
Adjusted EBITDA margin between -10% to -6%.

Conference Call Information:

Backblaze will host a conference call today, December 13, 2021, at 2 p.m. PT (5 p.m. ET) to review its financial results.

Attend the webcast here: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/ds4nhqpx
Register and listen via phone here: http://www.directeventreg.com/registration/event/1851278
Phone 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.
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About Backblaze

Backblaze is a leading independent cloud provider that makes it astonishingly easy for businesses and consumers to store, use, and protect their data. With nearly two billion gigabytes of data storage under management, the company currently helps approximately 500,000 customers in over 175 countries to back up & archive data, protect it from ransomware, host content, manage media, build their applications, and more. Founded in 2007, the company is headquartered 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; the impact of COVID-19 and its variants on our business and the business of our customers, vendors, supply chain and partners; effectively managing growth; disruption in our service or loss of availability of customers’ data; cyberattacks; ability to attract and retain customers; continued growth consistent with historical levels; offer new features on a timely basis; material defects or errors in our software; supply chain disruption; relationships with partners; ability to remediate and prevent material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting; 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 final prospectus dated November 10, 2021 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4) on November 12, 2021 (the “Final Prospectus”), 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 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-generally accepted accounting principles (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.

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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, income tax provision, unrealized loss on SAFE and gain on extinguishment of debt. 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.

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.
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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 during the last month of the corresponding quarter in the prior year.

Investors Contact

James Kisner,
Vice President of Investor Relations
ir@backblaze.com
 
Press Contact

Jeremy Milk
Senior Director of Marketing
press@backblaze.com





BACKBLAZE, INC.
CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
(unaudited)
September 30,
2021
December 31,
2020
Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents$4,684 $6,076 
Accounts receivable, net115 209 
Prepaid expenses and other current assets4,004 2,947 
Total current assets8,803 9,232 
Property and equipment, net40,395 38,746 
Capitalized internal-use software, net7,719 5,682 
Other assets3,480 809 
Total assets$60,397 $54,469 
Liabilities, Convertible Preferred Stock and Stockholders’ Deficit
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable$1,403 $1,710 
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities4,089 3,596 
Accrued value-added tax (“VAT”) liability2,275 1,533 
Capital lease liability and lease financing obligation, current11,966 11,320 
Deferred revenue, current21,127 17,587 
Debt, current— 628 
Total current liabilities40,860 36,374 
Capital lease liability and lease financing obligation, non-current
17,238 17,886 
Deferred revenue, non-current3,367 1,801 
Other long-term liabilities698 820 
Simple agreement for future equity (“SAFE”) notes10,359 — 
Debt, non-current— 1,644 
Total liabilities$72,522 $58,525 
Commitments and contingencies
Convertible Preferred Stock
Convertible preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 9,000,000 shares authorized as of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020; 3,359,195 issued and outstanding with aggregate liquidation preference of $2,852 as of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively
2,784 2,784 
Stockholders’ Deficit
Common stock, $0.001 par value; 36,000,000 shares authorized as of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020; 18,936,698 and 18,614,905 shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively
Additional paid-in capital11,824 7,794 
Accumulated deficit(26,738)(14,639)
Total stockholders’ deficit(14,909)(6,840)
Total liabilities, convertible preferred stock and stockholders’ deficit
$60,397 $54,469 

5


BACKBLAZE, INC.
CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
(unaudited)

Three Months Ended September 30,Nine Months Ended September 30,
2021202020212020
Revenue$17,320 $13,817 $48,782 $39,196 
Cost of revenue8,519 7,097 24,275 18,775 
Gross profit8,801 6,720 24,507 20,421 
Operating expenses:
Research and development5,338 3,300 14,314 9,132 
Sales and marketing5,025 2,956 13,149 8,379 
General and administrative3,104 1,519 8,261 4,157 
Total operating expenses13,467 7,775 35,724 21,668 
Loss from operations(4,666)(1,055)(11,217)(1,247)
Interest expense(968)(793)(2,686)(1,946)
Gain on extinguishment of debt— — 2,299 — 
Unrealized loss on SAFE(359)— (359)— 
Loss before provision for income taxes(5,993)(1,848)(11,963)(3,193)
Income tax provision— (12)(136)(12)
Net loss$(5,993)$(1,860)$(12,099)$(3,205)
Net loss per share, basic and diluted$(0.32)$(0.10)$(0.64)$(0.17)
Weighted average shares used in computing net loss per share, basic and diluted
18,936,698 18,614,869 18,775,908 18,607,705 

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BACKBLAZE, INC.
CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in thousands)
(unaudited)

Nine Months Ended September 30,
20212020
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Net loss$(12,099)$(3,205)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating activities:
Gain on extinguishment of Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loan
(2,299)— 
Unrealized loss on SAFE359 — 
Depreciation and amortization12,041 9,111 
Stock-based compensation3,611 1,214 
Amortization of deferred contract costs579 489 
(Gain) loss on disposal of assets and other(17)12 
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable94 (11)
Prepaid expenses and other current assets(1,985)(1,546)
Other assets(256)272 
Accounts payable(258)(449)
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities444 1,297 
Accrued VAT liability742 43 
Deferred revenue5,105 1,743 
Other long-term liabilities(97)596 
Net cash provided by operating activities5,964 9,566 
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Proceeds from disposal of property and equipment17 — 
Purchases of property and equipment, net(6,893)(1,776)
Capitalized internal-use software costs(3,013)(2,163)
Net cash used in investing activities(9,889)(3,939)
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Principal payments on capital lease and lease financing obligations
(8,715)(7,701)
Payments of deferred offering costs(1,807)— 
Proceeds from PPP— 2,272 
Proceeds from SAFE10,000 — 
Proceeds from lease financing2,907 — 
Proceeds from exercises of stock options148 19 
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities2,533 (5,410)
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents(1,392)217 
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period6,076 6,978 
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period$4,684 $7,195 
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION:
Cash paid for interest$2,578 $1,955 
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF NON-CASH INVESTING AND FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Stock-based compensation capitalized internal-use software$271 $159 
Equipment acquired through capital lease obligations$8,895 $20,538 
Accruals related to purchases of property and equipment$250 $
Extinguishment of PPP loan$2,299 $— 
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BACKBLAZE, INC.
RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP DATA
(in thousands)
(unaudited)

Adjusted Gross Profit and Adjusted Gross Margin

For the Three Months Ended
September 30,
For the Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2021 20202021 2020
Gross profit$8,801  $6,720  $24,507  $20,421 
Adjustments:     
Stock-based compensation
139  34  333  57 
Depreciation and amortization
3,896  3,224  11,580  8,758 
Adjusted gross profit
12,836  9,978  36,420  29,236 
Gross margin
51 % 49 % 50 % 52 %
Adjusted gross margin
74 % 72 % 75 % 75 %



Adjusted EBITDA

For the Three Months Ended
September 30,
For the Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2021 20202021 2020
Net loss
$(5,993) $(1,860) $(12,099) $(3,205)
Adjustments:
   
Depreciation and amortization
4,059  3,362  12,041  9,111 
Stock-based compensation
1,448  471  3,611  1,214 
Interest expense
968  793  2,686  1,946 
Income tax provision
—  12  136  12 
Unrealized loss on SAFE
359  —  359  — 
Gain on extinguishment of debt
— — (2,299)— 
Adjusted EBITDA
$841  $2,778  $4,435  $9,078 
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BACKBLAZE, INC.
SUPPLEMENTAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION
(in thousands)
(unaudited)

Stock-based Compensation

For the Three Months Ended September 30,
For the Nine Months Ended September 30,
2021
2020
2021
2020
Cost of revenue
$139 $34 $333 $57 
Research and development
466
195
1,377
536
Sales and marketing
489
137
1,057
386
General and administrative
354
105
844
235
Total stock-based compensation expense
$1,448 $471 $3,611 $1,214 
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