Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (this “Quarterly Report”) contains “forward-looking statements” which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this Quarterly Report are forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking.
The forward-looking statements are based on the current expectations of the Company and its management of and are inherently subject to uncertainties and changes in circumstances and their potential effects and speak only as of the date of such statement. There can be no assurance that future developments will be those that have been anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to:
•our ability to obtain funding for our operations;
•our ability to successfully commercialize and market BT-001 and our other product candidates, if approved, and the timing of any commercialization and marketing efforts;
•the rate and degree of market acceptance of BT-001 and our other product candidates by physicians, patients, third-party payors and others in the medical community;
•the willingness of insurance companies to reimburse the use of prescription digital therapeutics (“PDTs”);
•our ability to build our own sales and marketing capabilities to commercialize our product candidates, if approved, and to advance awareness of PDTs for the treatment of disease among patients and providers;
•our expectations regarding the sufficiency of our existing cash and cash equivalents to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements;
•the pricing, reimbursement and cost-effectiveness of our product candidates, if approved;
•the accuracy of our estimates regarding expenses, future revenue, capital requirements and needs for additional financing;
•the implementation of our business model, strategic plans for our business, product candidates and technology;
•the effect of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the foregoing;
•our financial performance; and
•other risks and uncertainties detailed under the section entitled “Risk Factors” included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 (the “2021 Annual Report”).
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The forward-looking statements contained in this Quarterly Report are based on current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors” included in our 2021 Annual Report. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. Some of these risks and uncertainties may in the future be amplified by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and there may be additional risks that we consider immaterial or which are unknown. It is not possible to predict or identify all such risks. We do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
Overview
Our mission is to address unmet needs for treatment of cardiometabolic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. The U.S. spends approximately $4.0 trillion per year on healthcare, and approximately 90% of that spending is for the treatment of chronic diseases. Most chronic diseases are caused predominantly by behaviors, including cardiometabolic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. The root causes of cardiometabolic diseases are behaviors relating to diet, physical activity, and other lifestyle factors, yet current treatments are focused on reducing the effects of those diseases rather than addressing the root causes.
In response to addressing the root causes of cardiometabolic diseases, we developed a proprietary platform for the development of U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") regulated, software-based, PDTs for treating diabetes, heart disease, and other cardiometabolic conditions. Our PDTs deliver a novel form of cognitive behavioral therapy that enables changes in neural pathways of the brain so that lasting changes in behavior become possible. We screened the first patient into our potentially pivotal unblinded study of BT-001 in February 2021 and completed full enrollment in November 2021, enrolling a total of 669 patients. The study includes individuals with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes (baseline A1c 7% or above and below 11%) who will each participate for six months. Prior to the start of the study, we discussed core aspects of the design of the trial with the FDA during several formal meeting interactions. During these formal meeting interactions, we aligned with the FDA that an appropriate endpoint is a clinically meaningful change in A1c as determined by the mean change in A1c in the BT-001 group compared to the mean change in the control group. The primary endpoint was evaluated at 90 days, and it will also be evaluated as a secondary endpoint at 180 days. The study is powered to detect a 0.4% or greater change in A1c at 90 days, between BT-001 and control and a statistically significant change (p<0.05) in A1c at 180 days. The study assessed a safety endpoint (the occurrence, relatedness and severity of Adverse Events) at day 90 and will assess a safety endpoint again at day 180. We will use the data from this study to prepare a de novo classification submission to the FDA. We believe a single potentially pivotal trial of BT-001, if successful and its results viewed favorably by the FDA, will be sufficient for the FDA to grant marketing authorization of BT-001 for the treatment of diabetes. We announced primary endpoint data from our clinical trial of BT-001 in March 2022. The primary efficacy endpoint was the difference in mean change from baseline in A1c after 90 days of treatment between the two groups and showed highly statistically significant improvement in A1c between the intervention and control groups (-0.4%, p <0.001). Clinically meaningful changes (A1c reductions of 0.4% or more) occurred in 42.7% of the group receiving standard of care and BT-001 versus 25.4% in the group receiving standard of care alone (difference of 17.3%, p <0.001). The six-month trial is ongoing and is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2022.
We believe this demonstrates that the use of BT-001 significantly improved A1c compared to standard of care alone. The unique characteristics of prescription digital therapeutics and cardiometabolic diseases ("CMDx"), may make it possible for us to launch multiple products now in development for the treatment of other CMDx over the next few years.
We are building a fully integrated PDTs company focused on treating the root causes of cardiometabolic diseases. Our therapeutics are intended to fill a known gap in the treatment of cardiometabolic diseases and integrate within the existing healthcare system. We expect primary care providers to prescribe our therapeutics and insurers to reimburse them much like they would a drug, and for the patient to remain in the care of their provider while using them.
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Impact of COVID-19
In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has not had a significant impact on our operations. Management is unable to estimate the future financial effects, if any, to our business as a result of COVID-19 because of the high level of uncertainties and unpredictable outcomes of this disease.
We are continuing to evaluate the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including the emergence of new variants of COVID-19, on our business and are taking proactive measures to protect the health and safety of our employees, as well as to maintain business continuity. Based on guidance issued by federal, state and local authorities, we transitioned to a fully remote work model for our employees, effective July 2020. We believe that the measures we are implementing are appropriate, reflecting both regulatory and public health guidance, to maintain business continuity. We will continue to closely monitor and seek to comply with guidance from governmental authorities and adjust our activities as appropriate.
The ultimate impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic or a similar health epidemic is highly uncertain and subject to change. We do not yet know the full extent of potential delays or impacts on our business, our clinical trial, healthcare systems or the global economy as a whole. However, these effects could harm our operations, and we will continue to monitor the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic closely.
Components of Results of Operations
Revenue
Since our inception in 2015, we have recognized an immaterial amount of revenue resulting from a pilot program with a private health insurer. We expect that our primary sources of revenue will be through reimbursement coverage for our treatments by commercial insurers, Medicare, and Medicaid in the U.S. and our near-term plan is to obtain broad reimbursement coverage for our first PDT for treating type 2 diabetes, BT-001. We expect to be successful in obtaining a broad reimbursement coverage through demonstrating and generating a comprehensive set of evidence to substantiate the value of BT-001 based on its impact on clinical outcomes, total cost of care, and durability of effect. Obtaining a broad reimbursement coverage and timing of obtaining such coverage for BT-001 and our other product candidates is highly uncertain. As a result, the timing and the amount of revenue we expect to recognize from monetizing our product candidates may vary based on various factors.
We also may explore opportunities to partner with pharmaceutical companies marketing traditional drug therapies for cardiometabolic diseases that may benefit from an increase in efficacy and durability when combined with our prescription digital therapeutic.
Operating Expenses
We classify operating expenses into three main categories: (i) research and development (ii) sales and marketing and (iii) general and administrative.
Research and Development
Our research and development expenses consist of external and internal expenses incurred in connection with our research activities and development programs. These expenses include external expenses, including expenses associated with contract research organizations engaged to manage and conduct clinical trials; and other research and development expenses associated with software development and licenses, and other external development spend. Additionally, our research and development expenses include internal personnel expenses, including expenses for salaries, benefits and stock-based compensation, and allocation of certain overhead expenses.
Research and development costs incurred to develop software and our platform for internal use are capitalized and separately presented on the balance sheet as capitalized software development costs. Costs incurred during the preliminary planning and evaluation stage of the project are expensed as incurred. Costs incurred during the application development stage of the project are capitalized. To date, the majority of these expenses have been incurred to advance our lead product candidate, BT-001.
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We expect our research and development expenses to increase substantially for the foreseeable future as we continue to invest in research and development activities related to developing our platform and our product candidates, as our product candidates advance into later stages of development, and as we continue to conduct clinical trials. The successful development of our platform and our product candidates is highly uncertain. As a result, we are unable to determine the duration and completion costs of our research and development projects or when and to what extent we will generate revenue from the commercialization and sale of any of our product candidates.
Sales and Marketing
Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of advertising and public relations costs and consulting services. We expect our sales and marketing expenses to increase for the foreseeable future as we prepare to prepare for commercialization of BT-001. Our sales and marketing efforts are expected to focus on targeting patients and primary care physicians through general awareness and branded promotional activities. We expect to incur significant investments in building a primary care sales force, and our plan and expectation is to have recruited and deployed such sales force during the first year of commercialization of our initial product candidate.
General and Administrative
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of personnel-related costs and professional services including legal, audit and accounting services. Personnel-related costs consist of salaries, benefits, and stock-based compensation. We expect our general and administrative expenses to increase for the foreseeable future due to anticipated increases in headcount to advance our product candidates and as a result of operating as a public company, including expenses related to compliance with the rules and regulations of the SEC, additional insurance expenses, investor relations activities and other administrative and professional services.
Interest Expense, Net
Interest expense, net primarily consists of interest expense related to convertible notes and long-term debt entered into in 2021.
Results of Operations
Comparisons of the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021
The following table summarizes our results of operations for the periods presented (in thousands):
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three Months Ended March 31, |
|
|
|
2022 |
|
|
2021 |
|
|
Change |
|
|
% Change |
|
Operating expenses: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Research and development |
|
$ |
3,673 |
|
|
$ |
1,378 |
|
|
$ |
2,295 |
|
|
|
167 |
% |
Sales and marketing |
|
|
2,044 |
|
|
|
43 |
|
|
|
2,001 |
|
|
N/M |
|
General and administrative |
|
|
3,628 |
|
|
|
1,566 |
|
|
|
2,062 |
|
|
|
132 |
% |
Total operating expenses |
|
|
9,345 |
|
|
|
2,987 |
|
|
|
6,358 |
|
|
|
213 |
% |
Loss from operations |
|
|
(9,345 |
) |
|
|
(2,987 |
) |
|
|
(6,358 |
) |
|
|
213 |
% |
Interest expense, net |
|
|
(317 |
) |
|
|
(2 |
) |
|
|
(315 |
) |
|
N/M |
|
Change in fair value of SAFEs |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(2,492 |
) |
|
|
2,492 |
|
|
N/M |
|
Loss before benefit from income taxes |
|
|
(9,662 |
) |
|
|
(5,481 |
) |
|
|
(4,181 |
) |
|
|
76 |
% |
Benefit from income taxes |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(151 |
) |
|
|
151 |
|
|
N/M |
|
Net loss |
|
$ |
(9,662 |
) |
|
$ |
(5,330 |
) |
|
$ |
(4,332 |
) |
|
|
81 |
% |
N/M – The percentage change is not meaningful
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses were $3.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022, compared to $1.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021, representing an increase of $2.3 million. The increase was primarily due to a $1.8 million increase in personnel costs related to advancing research in conjunction with the Company's prescription digital therapeutic, BT-001 and a $557 thousand increase in amortization of capitalized software related costs.
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Sales and Marketing Expenses
Sales and marketing expenses were $2.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022, compared to $43 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2021, representing an increase of $2.0 million. The increase was primarily due to an increase in personnel, marketing and consulting expenses associated with pre-launch preparations of BT-001.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses were $3.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022, compared to $1.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021, representing an increase of $2.1 million. The overall increase in general and administrative expenses was primarily related to an increase of $814 thousand in personnel related costs and $1.1 million in business related insurance to support company growth and additional costs of being a public company.
Interest Expense, Net
Interest expense, net was $317 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2022, compared to $2 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2021, representing an increase of $315 thousand. The increase in interest expense, net was the result of the interest incurred on our secured term loan agreement with Hercules Capital.
Change in Fair Value of SAFEs
The expense related to the change in fair value of our SAFEs was zero for the three months ended March 31, 2022, compared to a loss of $2.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2021. The change in expense was a result of the business combination and the conversion of SAFEs to common stock.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We have primarily funded our operations through the sale of preferred stock, convertible notes, SAFEs and funding from the merger with Mountain Crest Acquisition Corp. II ("MCAD").
On April 6, 2021, we entered into a merger agreement with MCAD. In connection with the merger agreement, MCAD entered into Subscription Agreements with certain institutional and accredited investors, pursuant to which, among other things, MCAD agreed to issue and sell, in a private placement immediately prior to the closing of the Business Combination, an aggregate of 5.0 million PIPE Shares. On October 28, 2021, we completed the merger with MCAD. We raised $59.0 million in funding upon the completion of the merger with MCAD. Under the merger Agreement, MCAD acquired all of the outstanding shares of Legacy BTX in exchange for 15.2 million shares of MCAD.
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On August 18, 2021, we entered into a $50.0 million secured term loan agreement with Hercules Capital. The term loan has a maturity date of August 1, 2025, which can be extended to February 1, 2026, and is secured by substantially all of our assets. Payments due for the term loan are interest-only until March 1, 2023 (subject to extension to September 1, 2023 or September 1, 2024 upon the achievement of certain milestones), after which principal shall be repaid in equal monthly installments. Interest is payable monthly in arrears. The outstanding principal bears interest at the greater of (a) 8.95% or (b) 8.95% plus the prime rate minus 3.25%. Prepayment of the outstanding principal is permitted under the secured term loan agreement and subject to certain prepayment fees. The Company incurred $518 thousand of debt issuance costs related to the borrowings under the secured term loan agreement. Debt issuance costs are being amortized through the maturity date of the secured term loan and are reported as a direct reduction of long-term debt on the balance sheet. Amortization expense, included in interest expense, net on the accompanying statements of operations and comprehensive loss totaled $98 thousand and zero for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. In addition, we will be required to pay an end of term charge of the greater of (a) $893 thousand or (b) 5.95% of the aggregate outstanding principal upon repayment of the loan. The secured term loan agreement contains customary representations, warranties, non-financial covenants, and events of default. We are permitted to borrow the loans in four tranches based on the completion of certain milestones which include, as set forth more fully in the secured term loan agreement: (i) $15.0 million upon the closing of the Business Combination, (ii) $10.0 million when we achieve certain positive clinical trial results sufficient to submit a de-novo classification request with respect to BT-001 and have initiated a second pivotal trial prior to September 15, 2022, (iii) $10.0 million when we have received FDA approval for such marketing of BT-001 for the improvement of glycemic control and initiated a pivotal trial for a new indication in people with type 2 diabetes and received, prior to March 15, 2023, net cash proceeds of at least $40.0 million from equity financings, and (iv) $15.0 million on or before June 15, 2023, subject to Hercules Capital's approval. In October 2021, we borrowed $10.0 million under the secured term loan agreement.
As of March 31, 2022, we had $31.7 million in cash, and an accumulated deficit of $81.4 million. Our primary use of cash is to fund operating expenses, which consist of research and development expenses related to our lead product candidate, BT-001, and preclinical programs and general and administrative expenses. Cash used to fund operating expenses is impacted by the timing of when we pay these expenses, as reflected in the change in our outstanding accounts payable and accrued expenses.
We have incurred negative cash flows from operating activities and investing activities and significant losses from operations in the past. We expect to continue to incur operating losses at least for the next 12 months due to the investments that we intend to make in our business and, as a result, we will require additional capital resources to grow our business.
We expect to incur substantial expenses in the foreseeable future for the development and potential commercialization of our product candidates and ongoing internal research and development programs. At this time, we cannot reasonably estimate the nature, timing or aggregate amount of costs for our development, potential commercialization, and internal research and development programs. However, in order to complete our planned product development, and to complete the process of obtaining regulatory authorization or clearance for our product candidates, as well as to build the sales, marketing and distribution infrastructure that we believe will be necessary to commercialize our product candidates, if approved, we will require substantial additional funding in the future. In the event that additional financing is required from outside sources, we may not be able to raise it on terms acceptable to us, or at all. If we are unable to raise additional capital when desired, our business, results of operations, and financial condition would be adversely affected. Under our current operating plan, we believe we have sufficient capital to fund our operations into the first quarter of 2023. These factors raise substantial doubt regarding the Company's ability to continue as a going concern.
Summary Statement of Cash Flows
The following table sets forth the primary sources and uses of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash for the periods presented below (in thousands):
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Three Months Ended March 31, 2022 |
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Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 |
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Cash used in operating activities |
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$ |
(8,855 |
) |
|
$ |
(2,617 |
) |
Cash used in investing activities |
|
|
(39 |
) |
|
|
(582 |
) |
Cash provided by financing activities |
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
4,675 |
|
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents |
|
$ |
(8,893 |
) |
|
$ |
1,476 |
|
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Cash Used in Operating Activities
During the three months ended March 31, 2022, net cash used in operating activities was $8.9 million, which consisted of a net loss of $9.6 million, a net change of $231 thousand in our net operating assets and liabilities and $1.0 million in non-cash charges. The net change in our operating assets and liabilities was primarily due a net decrease in accounts payable and accrued expenses of $1.5 million, offset by a decrease in prepaid expenses and other assets of $1.2 million. The non-cash charges of $1.0 million consisted of depreciation and amortization expense, share-based compensation expense, and loss on fixed asset disposal.
During the three months ended March 31, 2021, net cash used in operating activities was $2.6 million, which consisted of a net loss of $5.3 million and a net change of $323 thousand in our net operating assets and liabilities. The net change in our operating assets and liabilities was primarily due to an increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses of $926 thousand. The non-cash charges are related to change in fair value of SAFEs, shared based compensation expense, depreciation expense and deferred income taxes.
Cash Used in Investing Activities
During the three months ended March 31, 2022, cash used in investing activities was $39 thousand and was primarily related to capital expenditures.
During the three months ended March 31, 2021, cash used in investing activities was $582 thousand and was primarily related to capitalized internal-use software costs offset by capital expenditures.
Cash Provided by Financing Activities
During the three months ended March 31, 2022, cash used in financing activities was $1 thousand related to proceeds received from the exercise of common stock options.
During the three months ended March 31, 2021, cash provided by financing activities was $4.7 million consisting of net proceeds from the issuance of convertible notes and SAFEs.
Contractual Obligations and Commitments
Contractual obligations are cash amounts that we are obligated to pay as part of certain contracts that we have entered into during the normal course of business. We do not have any contractual obligations and other commitments as of March 31, 2022.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
Since the date of our incorporation, we have not engaged in any off-balance sheet arrangements, as defined in Regulation S-K, Item 303(a)(4)(ii).
Reclassification
Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified for consistency with the current period presentation. These reclassifications had no effect on the reported results of operations. An adjustment has been made to the Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Loss for three months ended March 31, 2021 to reclassify $155 thousand of cost of sales into research and development expense to align with industry standards. This change in classification does not affect previously reported net loss in the Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Loss.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
There have been no significant changes to our critical accounting policies from those described in "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," disclosed in our 2021 Annual Report, except for the significant accounting policies related to the adoption of FASB ASC Topic 842, Leases, effective January 1, 2022. There was no material impact to our financial statements due to the adoption of the lease guidance.
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The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make certain estimates, judgments, and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the related disclosures at the date of the financial statements, as well as the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the periods presented. The estimates and assumptions used in the accompanying financial statements are based upon management’s evaluation of the relevant facts and circumstances. Such estimates, judgments, and assumptions include estimated costs and useful life for capitalized internal-use software, fair values of stock-based awards and valuation allowance for deferred tax assets. Actual results could be different from these estimates. To the extent there are material differences between these estimates, judgments, or assumptions and actual results, our financial statements will be affected. We believe the following critical accounting policies involve the most significant estimates and judgements used in the preparation of our financial statements.
Fair Value Measurements
The carrying value of our financial instruments, including cash equivalents, accounts payable, accrued liabilities and notes payable approximates fair value due to their short-term nature. The Company’s investment portfolio consists of money market funds, which are carried at fair value. The company has determined the carrying value to be equal to the fair value and has classified these investments as Level 1 financial instruments.
We measure financial assets and liabilities at fair value at each reporting period using a fair value hierarchy that requires the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs. We define fair value as the price that would be received from selling an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Fair value is estimated by applying the following hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value into three levels and bases the categorization within the hierarchy upon the lowest level of input that is available and significant to the fair value measurement:
Level 1 — Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
Level 2 — Observable inputs other than quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in inactive markets, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.
Level 3 — Inputs that are generally unobservable and typically reflect management’s estimate of assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability.
Property and Equipment, Net
Property and equipment, net, which include computer, equipment and software are stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is calculated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of 3 years. Expenditures for repairs and maintenance are expensed in the period incurred.
Capitalized Internal-Use Software Costs
Costs incurred to develop software and our platform for internal use consist primarily of direct employee-related and third-party contractor costs and are accounted for pursuant to ASC 350-40, Internal Use Software. Costs incurred during the preliminary planning and evaluation stage of the project are expensed as incurred. Costs incurred during the application development stage of the project are capitalized and amortized over an estimated useful life of 3 years.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
We review long-lived assets for impairment when circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of these assets is measured by a comparison of the carrying amounts to the sum of the future un-discounted cash flows the assets are expected to generate over the remaining useful lives of the assets. If a long-lived asset fails a recoverability test, we measure the amount by which the carrying value of the asset exceeds its fair value. There were no events or changes in business circumstances during the three months ended March 31, 2022 that indicated the carrying amounts of any long-lived assets were not fully recoverable.
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Equity-Based Compensation
We account for equity-based compensation arrangements granted to employees in accordance with ASC 718, “Compensation: Stock Compensation”, by measuring the grant date fair value of the award and recognizing the resulting expense over the period during which the employee is required to perform service in exchange for the award. Equity-based compensation expense is only recognized for awards subject to performance conditions if it is probable that the performance condition will be achieved.
We account for equity-based compensation arrangements issued to non-employees using the fair value approach prescribed by ASU 2018-07, “Compensation-Stock Compensation (ASC 718): Improvements to Non-employee Share-Based Payment Accounting”. The value of non-employee equity-based compensation is measured at the grant date using a fair value-based measure.
We estimate the fair value of each equity-based award on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The determination of the fair value of each stock award using this option-pricing model is affected by our assumptions regarding a number of complex and subjective variables. These variables include, but are not limited to, the fair value of the common stock at the date of grant, the expected term of the awards, the expected stock price volatility over the term of the awards, risk-free interest rate, and dividend yield as follows:
Fair Value of Common Stock — We determined the fair value of common stock based on the closing price of our common stock on the date of the grant.
Expected Term — The expected term represents the period that the equity-based awards are expected to be outstanding. We determine the expected term using the simplified method. The simplified method deems the term to be the average of the time-to-vesting and the contractual life of the options. For stock options granted to non-employees, the expected term equals the remaining contractual term of the option from the vesting date.
Expected Volatility — As we had no trading history for our common stock when we granted our option awards prior to the Business Combination, the expected volatility was estimated by taking the average historic price volatility for industry peers, consisting of several public companies in our industry that are either similar in size, stage, or financial leverage, over a period equivalent to the expected term of the awards. Due to our limited trading history, we will continue to determine expected volatility using estimate of industry peers.
Risk-Free Interest Rate — The risk-free interest rate is calculated using the average of the published interest rates of U.S. Treasury zero-coupon issues with maturities that are commensurate with the expected term.
Dividend Yield — The dividend yield assumption is zero, as we have no history of, or plans to make, dividend payments.
We account for forfeitures when they occur. For awards forfeited before completion of the requisite service period, previously recognized compensation cost is reversed in the period the award is forfeited.
Income Taxes
We account for income taxes using the asset and liability method under which deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities with consideration given to net operating losses and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using the enacted tax rates that are expected to be in effect when the differences are expected to reverse.
We assess the likelihood that deferred tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income and a valuation allowance is established when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to the amounts more likely than not expected to be realized. We adopted Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2015-17, Income Taxes — Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes, and classified our deferred income taxes as non-current in the balance sheets.
We recognize and measure uncertain tax positions using a two-step approach. The first step is to evaluate the tax position taken or expected to be taken by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates that it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained in an audit, after resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes. The second step is to measure the tax benefit as the largest amount that is more than 50% likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement. Significant judgment is required to evaluate uncertain tax positions. We evaluate our uncertain tax positions on a regular basis. Our evaluations are based on a number of factors, including changes in facts and circumstances, changes in tax law, correspondence with tax authorities during the course of the audit, and effective settlement of audit issues.
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Net Loss Per Share Attributable to Common Stockholders
Basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common stock is presented in conformity with the two-class method required for participating securities. Under the two-class method, the net loss attributable to common stock is not allocated to the preferred stock as the holders of our convertible preferred stock did not have a contractual obligation to share in our losses. Under the two-class method, net loss is attributed to common stock and participating securities based on their participation rights. Basic net loss per share attributable to common stock is computed by dividing the net loss attributable to common stock by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Cumulative dividends attributable to participating securities are subtracted from net loss in determining net loss attributable to common stockholders. As we have reported net losses for all periods presented, all potentially dilutive securities are antidilutive and, accordingly, basic net loss per share equals diluted net loss per share.
Emerging Growth Company and Smaller Reporting Company Status
We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). As such, we are eligible for and intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies for as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, including (i) the exemption from the auditor attestation requirements with respect to internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), (ii) the exemptions from say-on-pay, say-on- frequency and say-on-golden parachute voting requirements and (iii) reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of: (i) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the closing of our initial public offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer” under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), which would occur if the market value of our common equity held by non-affiliates exceeds $700.0 million as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter; or (ii) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
In addition, the JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of an extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards. This allows an emerging growth company to delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected to avail ourselves of this extended transition period and, as a result, we may adopt new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-public companies instead of the dates required for other public companies.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (i) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30, or (ii) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30.