FORM 10-K

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Annual Report”) 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 statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or our future financial or operating performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “could,” “intends,” “target,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” or “continue” or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions that concern our expectations, strategy, plans, or intentions.

We have based the forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report primarily on our current expectations and projections about future events and trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. The outcome of the events described in these forward-looking statements is subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors described in the section of this Annual Report entitled “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report. Moreover, we operate in a highly competitive, dynamic and challenging environment. New risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all risks and uncertainties that could have an impact on the forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report. We cannot assure you that the results, events and circumstances reflected, or that the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed, in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur, and actual results, events or circumstances could differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements made in this Annual Report relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements made in this Annual Report to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this Annual Report, new information or the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law.

PART I

Item 1. Business.

See the sections contained within this Annual Report entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Risk Factors” for further information.

About Aterian

Aterian, Inc. (“Aterian”, the “Company”, “we”, “us”, and “our”) is a technology-enabled consumer products company that predominantly operates through online retail channels such as Amazon and Walmart. The Company operates its owned brands, which were either incubated or purchased, selling products in multiple categories, including home and kitchen appliances, kitchenware, air quality appliances, health and wellness products and essential oils.

Our primary brands include Squatty Potty; hOmeLabs; Mueller; Pursteam; Healing Solutions; and Photo Paper Direct. We generate revenue primarily through the online sales of our various consumer products with substantially all of our sales being made through the Amazon U.S. marketplace.

Products

The Company sells a wide-range of products across multiple categories, including home and kitchen appliances, kitchenware, cooling and air quality appliances such as dehumidifiers, health and beauty products, essential oils and more. These products are sold under the Company’s owned brands, which were either incubated or acquired. Our primary brands include Squatty Potty; hOmeLabs; Mueller; Pursteam; Healing Solutions; and Photo Paper Direct "(PPD)". We generate revenue primarily through the online sales of our various consumer products with substantially all of our sales being made through the Amazon U.S. marketplace.

While we pursue growth from our existing product portfolio and from new product launches, we also intend to pursue growth through strategic acquisitions of brands that we believe will integrate well with our business.

Intellectual Property and Technology

We rely primarily on a combination of trade secrets, trademarks, employee and third-party nondisclosure agreements and licensing arrangements (including open source software) to protect our intellectual property. We generally do not pursue patent applications as a means of protecting our intellectual property. We have applied to register or have registered certain of our trademarks in the U.S. and other jurisdictions, and we will pursue additional trademark registrations to the extent we believe they would be beneficial and cost-effective.

We believe that the use of technology allows us to automate and ingest data to create efficiencies within our sales and marketing and our supply chain. This ability to leverage technology is important for our business considering that predominately all our net revenue is generated via e-commerce marketplaces.    Historically, we developed the majority of our technology internally. However, in February 2024, we announced that we have shifted our technology platform away from a fully internally developed model to an integrated third-party, best-of-breed model.

Customers

Our customers are mainly individual online consumers who purchase our products primarily on Amazon US, and to a lesser extent on our owned and operated websites and other marketplaces, such as Walmart. In 2022 and 2023, approximately 89% and 88% of our revenue was through the Amazon sales platform, respectively.

Seasonality

Our individual product categories are typically affected by seasonal sales trends primarily resulting from the timing of the summer season for certain of our environmental appliance products and the fall and holiday season for our small kitchen appliances and accessories. With our current mix of environmental appliances, the sales of those products tend to be significantly higher in the summer season. Further, our small kitchen appliances and accessories tend to have higher sales during the fourth quarter, which includes Thanksgiving and the December holiday season. As a result, our operational results, cash flows, cash and inventory positions may fluctuate materially in any quarterly period depending on, among other things, adverse weather conditions, shifts in the timing of certain holidays and changes in our product mix.

Sales and Marketing

Our sales and marketing strategy and approach is focused on online channels and e-commerce platforms. Currently our primary focus on advertising spend is online across Amazon, Google and Facebook.

Third-Party Manufacturing & Logistics

During 2023, we purchased the substantial majority of our finished products from suppliers in China. We do not maintain long-term purchase contracts with suppliers and operate mainly on a purchase order basis. We negotiate purchases from our foreign suppliers in U.S. dollars. We purchased our inventory from approximately 59 suppliers, four of which represented more than 10% of purchases during the year-ended December 31, 2023. While we believe the loss of any one supplier would not have a long-term material adverse effect on our business due to the availability of other suppliers, the loss of a supplier could, in the short term, materially and adversely impact our business.

The principal raw materials used by our third-party suppliers to manufacture our products are plastic, glass, steel, copper, aluminum and packaging materials. We believe adequate quantities of raw materials are available from various suppliers.

We use a combination of Amazon warehouses, other third-party warehouse and logistics partners to fulfill direct-to-consumer orders, through agreements or terms of services. In addition to fulfillment by Amazon warehouses, we use geographically distributed third-party warehouses in the U.S. to deliver orders within one to two days through ground shipment to most customers.

Competition

The consumer goods and e-commerce markets are highly competitive and dynamic. We compete primarily against numerous third-party brands and sellers on marketplaces for each of our products. Competition is based on price, product features and quality, strong ratings and reviews, effective marketing, visibility and location on the online shelf and supply chain excellence, which is mostly the ability to deliver products to customers in one to two days. In certain instances, we compete directly with our third party suppliers who sell their own brands directly to customers, including with respect to certain of our material products such as dehumidifiers.

Government Regulation

We are subject to a variety of U.S. federal, state and local laws and international laws, including but not limited to those governing the processing of payments, consumer protection, the privacy of consumer information and other laws regarding unfair and deceptive trade practices. We are also subject to various environmental laws, rules and regulations, such as California’s Proposition 65.

The products sold by us are also subject to regulation by U.S. governmental agencies, including the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, United States Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy and similar state and international regulatory authorities, such as the California Energy Commission. We do not estimate any significant capital expenditures for environmental control matters either in the current fiscal year or in the near future.

We are also subject to regulations relating to our supply chain. For example, the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act requires retail sellers that do business in California to disclose their efforts to eradicate slavery and human trafficking in their supply chains. As part of our vendor qualification process, we review suppliers’ operations for compliance with applicable labor and workplace standards and other applicable laws, including laws prohibiting child labor, forced labor and unsafe working conditions.

A significant portion of our products are currently manufactured in China. The enactment of new legislation, executive actions, or changes in current laws related to international trade affecting trade agreements, changes in tariffs, trade barriers, price and exchange controls and other regulatory requirements or changes in sourcing patterns could adversely affect the Company’s operations and result in additional expenses.

Although we have not suffered any material restrictions from doing business in the past due to government regulations, significant impediments may arise in the future as we expand product offerings.

From time to time, we dispose of or donate obsolete inventory in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

People

The human capital objectives we focus on in managing our business include attracting, developing, and retaining key personnel. We believe our management team has the experience necessary to effectively implement our growth strategy and continue to drive stockholder value. We provide competitive compensation, which includes a focus on stock-based compensation, and benefits to attract and retain key personnel, while also providing a safe, inclusive and respectful workplace. As of December 31, 2023, we had 114 full-time employees, and 52 independent contractors. As of December 31, 2023, our employees and contractors are based in offices, shared workspaces and remote work locations in the U.S., China, the U.K., the Philippines, and in Poland. We also contract with 21 consultants, in Ukraine, Serbia, Israel, and Costa Rica.

On February 8, 2024, the Company committed to a fixed cost-cutting plan, including a reduction in workforce which will result in the termination of approximately 21 employees and 27 contractors globally. The Company expects to substantially complete this reduction by the end of the first quarter of 2024.

Available Information

The Company’s corporate website is located at https://ir.aterian.io. The Company files reports and other information with the SEC pursuant to the information requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). The Company makes available free of charge, on or through its website, the Company’s annual, quarterly and current reports, and any amendments to those reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after electronically filing such reports with the SEC. Information contained on the Company’s website is not part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K or any other report filed with the SEC. Readers may also read and copy any document the Company files at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

We operate in a dynamic and rapidly changing environment that involves numerous risks and uncertainties. Certain factors may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, and you should carefully consider them. Accordingly, in evaluating our business, we encourage you to consider the following discussion of risk factors, in its entirety, in addition to other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other public filings with the SEC. Other events that we do not currently anticipate or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Risks Relating to Our Business

We have historically operated at a loss and we may never achieve or sustain profitability or positive cash flows. Further we and our independent registered public accounting firm have expressed substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

We have experienced significant after tax losses for the years-ended December 31, 2022 and 2023, respectively. In addition, our costs have increased historically and may increase further in future periods, which could negatively affect our future operating results and ability to achieve and sustain profitability. For example, we may need to continue to expend substantial financial and other resources on the ideation, sourcing and development of products, our technology infrastructure, research and development, sales and marketing, international expansion and general administration, including expenses related to being a public company. We have had to rely on a combination of cash flow from operations and new capital in order to sustain our business. Despite the fact that we have raised significant capital, there can be no assurance that we will ever achieve profitability. Even if we do, there can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. Failure to achieve or sustain profitability could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Our growth strategy has resulted in operating losses and negative cash flows from operations that raised substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Our independent registered public accounting firm included an explanatory paragraph in its report on our financial statements as of and for the year-ended December 31, 2023, that raised substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. If we are unable to continue as a going concern or maintain our financial covenants with our lenders, we may have to make significant changes to our operating plan, such as delay expenditures, reduce investments in new products, delay the development of our software, reduce our sale and distribution infrastructure, or significantly reduce our business. Further, if we are unable to continue as a going concern, we may be forced to liquidate our assets and the values we receive for our assets in liquidation or dissolution could be significantly lower than the values reflected in our financial statements.

We face intense competition and if we are unable to compete effectively, our market share and revenue could be diminished which may delay or otherwise hinder our efforts to achieve or maintain profitability.

We cannot assure you that our products will continue to compete favorably or that we will be successful in the face of increasing competition and from new products and enhancements introduced by existing competitors or new companies entering the markets in which we operate. We sell our products primarily on marketplaces and primarily on Amazon in the U.S. Unlike traditional brick and mortar retailers, the customer who is shopping on marketplaces has a significant number of competing products to select from as there are limited barriers to entry. In addition, the Internet facilitates competitive entry and comparison shopping, which enhances the ability of new and existing businesses to compete against us. A number of our current and potential competitors have greater resources, longer histories, and/or greater brand recognition. As a result, they may be able to secure better terms from vendors and devote more resources to technology, infrastructure, fulfillment, and marketing than we may be able to. In addition, some of our competitors aggressively discount their products in order to gain market share, which has resulted in pricing pressures, reduced profit margins and lost market share. Further, social proof for products sold on marketplaces in the form of product ratings and reviews is highly important to our success. In certain instances, we have been unable to maintain such social proof, and we may be unable to maintain such social proof in the future, or competitors may be able to attain better social proof for their products which could have a material impact on our operating results.

For certain significant products in our portfolio such as certain of the dehumidifiers we sell, we compete directly with our contract manufacturer who sells its own competing private label products on the marketplaces we sell and who has a lower cost structure and significantly better R&D capabilities. These manufacturers could take aggressive actions against us including limiting the availability of productive capacity or limiting our access to newer, more innovative models, which we have experienced from time to time. For other certain products, due to our inventory long position and other factors we continued to sell our older versions of SKUs rather than order newer versions with innovations that some of our competitors are currently selling, which has had and may continue to have a material impact on our business. In the interim we have lost and may continue to lose market share for such SKUs.

As a result of competition, our product offerings, whether in new or existing markets, may not be successful, we may fail to gain or may lose business, and we may be required to increase our marketing spending or lower prices, either of which could materially impact our operating results.

Our financial projections are highly subjective in nature and our future financial results could vary significantly from our projections and also from quarter-to-quarter.

From time to time, we may provide financial projections to our shareholders, lenders, investment community, and other stakeholders and these projections are highly subjective. Our quarterly revenue and other operating results have varied in the past and are likely to continue to vary significantly from quarter-to-quarter in the future. It is difficult for us to accurately predict the demand for many of our products, or the amount and timing of our future revenue and operating results. Our projections are based on management’s best estimate of sales using historical sales data and other relevant information available at the time. These projections are highly subjective since product sales can fluctuate substantially. Additionally, changes in consumer demand, affected by competitors, transportation, supplier lead times, costs and availability, raw material costs and availability, and other factors could make our inventory management and sales forecasting more difficult. Further, we base our expense levels and investment plans on sales estimates. A significant portion of our expenses and investments are fixed, and we are not able to adjust our spending quickly if our sales are less than expected. Due to these and other factors described elsewhere in this section, our future operating results could vary materially from our projections and from quarter-to-quarter. Further, we believe that quarter-to-quarter comparisons of our operating results are not necessarily meaningful. Moreover, our operating results may not meet the expectations of our equity research analysts or investors. If this occurs, the trading price of our common stock could fall substantially, either suddenly or over time.

Our business is sensitive to the strength of the United States consumer market to a meaningful extent and changes in consumer spending and economic conditions could adversely affect our business.

The strength of the U.S. economy has a significant impact on our performance. We are dependent on discretionary spending, which is affected by, among other things, unemployment rates, economic and political conditions worldwide, consumer confidence, energy and gasoline prices, interest and mortgage rates, the level of consumer debt and taxation, and financial markets, which are all outside of our control. A continuing softening of demand, whether caused by changes in customer preferences or a weakening of the U.S. or global economies, may result in decreased revenue. We believe we have sustained a decline in the sales of our products in part due to the factors mentioned above, and any continued economic downturn or uncertainties in the U.S or in other parts of the world could materially and adversely affect our business, operating results, financial condition, and cash flows.

Demand for our products is highly seasonal and dependent on weather conditions, which could result in significant variations in our inventory levels, financial condition and operating results.

Weather and other conditions can materially impact the demand for our products. Demand for our air quality products primarily occurs during the summer months and demand for our essential oils, kitchen appliances and accessories primarily occurs during the fall and holiday season. Natural disasters (such as wildfires, hurricanes and ice storms), public health crises (such as pandemics and epidemics), or an unusually mild or short summer season may result in unanticipated material fluctuations in consumer demand. These factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial condition, and cash flows.

If we are unable to manage our inventory effectively, our operating results, financial condition, and cash flows could be adversely affected.

In the past, we have not always accurately forecasted consumer demand for our products resulting in inventory shortages, excess inventory write offs and lower gross margins. We are exposed to significant inventory risks that have or may adversely affect our operating results, financial condition, and cash flows as a result of seasonality, new product launches, rapid changes in product cycles and pricing, defective merchandise, shrinkage, changes in customer demand and consumer spending patterns, changes in consumer tastes with respect to our products, spoilage, adverse actions taken by marketplaces to remove our products, and other factors. Demand for products can change significantly between the time inventory is ordered and the date of sale. In addition, when we begin selling a new product, it may be difficult to establish vendor relationships, determine appropriate product or component selection, and accurately forecast demand. We carry a broad selection of products and at times we are unable to sell our products in sufficient quantities or to meet demand during the relevant selling seasons. Any one of the inventory risk factors set forth above may adversely affect our operating results, financial condition, and cash flows.

Increased costs of raw materials, energy, labor, transportation and platform fees charged by marketplaces may adversely affect our business, operating results, financial condition, and cash flows.

Significant increases in the cost and/or reductions in the availability of raw materials, energy, labor, transportation, and increases in tariffs and platform fees charged by marketplaces have negatively impacted our business, operating results, financial condition, and cash flows and may continue to negatively impact such items in the future. Our contract manufacturers purchase significant amounts of metals, plastics and other materials to manufacture our products. In addition, they also purchase significant amounts of electricity to supply the energy required in their production processes. Global political instabilities may result in higher metal, plastic, electric, transportation and product costs, or could impair our ability to obtain products at marketable rates or at all. We are heavily dependent on inbound sea, rail and truck freight. Disruptions in the global supply chain and freight networks, has, and may continue to limit inbound and outbound shipment capacity and increase our cost of goods sold and certain operating expenses. Further, the marketplaces on which we sell our products charge fees for selling, storage, advertising and fulfillment, all of which have historically increased and we expect will continue to increase. The cost of raw materials, energy, labor, transportation, and the platform fees charged by marketplaces in the aggregate, represents a significant portion of our cost of goods sold and certain other operating expenses, which are not within our control and we have had limited success passing these on to customers. Our business, operating results, financial condition, and cash flows could be adversely affected by future increases in any of these costs. Additionally, the loss or disruption of essential manufacturing and supply elements such as raw materials or other finished product components, restricted transportation or increased freight costs, reduced workforce, or other manufacturing and distribution disruption could adversely impact our ability to meet our customers’ needs. Furthermore, it is not practical for us to mitigate our exposure to, nor are we able to accurately project the possible effect of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations on our operating results due to our constantly changing exposure to various foreign currencies and the difficulty in predicting fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates relative to the U.S. Dollar.

We depend on third-party suppliers for all of our products, most of which are located in Asia, and any inability or delay in obtaining products from such suppliers could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial condition, and cash flow.

We are dependent on third-party suppliers such as contract manufacturers and third-party logistics providers and carriers for the manufacturing and distribution of our products and any disruption to our supply chain, even for a relatively short period of time, could cause a loss of revenue, which could adversely affect our business, operating results, financial condition, and cash flows. Our ability to select reliable suppliers that provide timely deliveries of quality products will impact our success in meeting customer demand. Further, for a number of our significant products, we only have a single-source of supply (such as for certain dehumidifiers) and in general we do not have contracts with our contract manufacturers covering costs and production that we believe we can enforce without undue effort or cost. Any supplier’s inability or unwillingness to timely deliver products that meet desired specifications or any unanticipated changes in suppliers could be disruptive and costly and it is unlikely that we will be able to effect alternative arrangements on a timely basis, or in the case of manufacturing certain of our significant products, at all. Any significant failure by us to obtain quality products, in sufficient quantities, on a timely basis, and at an affordable cost or any significant delays or interruptions of supply would have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial condition, and cash flows.

As most of our product suppliers are based in China, our business is subject to additional risks including, among others: currency fluctuations; labor unrest; potential political, economic and social instability; restrictions on transfers of funds; import duties and quotas; changes in domestic and international customs and tariffs, including embargoes and customs restrictions; uncertainties involving the costs to transport and warehouse products due to the dynamic nature of the global supply chain; unexpected changes in regulatory environments; regulatory issues involved in dealing with foreign suppliers and in exporting and importing products. The foregoing factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial condition, and cash flows.

A significant majority of our revenue results from sales of products on Amazon’s U.S. Marketplace and any change, limitation, or restriction on our ability to operate on Amazon’s platform could have a material adverse impact on our business, operating results, financial condition, and cash flows.

A substantial percentage of our revenue is from sales of products on Amazon’s U.S. marketplace and we are subject to Amazon’s terms of service (“ToS”) and various other Amazon seller policies. Amazon has the right to terminate or suspend our ability to sell on its platform at any time and for any reason. Amazon may also take other actions against us such as suspending or terminating our seller accounts or product listings and withholding payments owed to us indefinitely. From time to time in the past, we have experienced such adverse actions for products we have launched and products we have acquired and we can provide no assurance that we will be able to comply with Amazon's ToS. Further, in the event any of our seller accounts or product listings are suspended, or our product listings are required to be changed, for noncompliance or any other reason, our reinstatement efforts may take significant time and attention or could fail, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial condition, and cash flows. In addition, Amazon has made, and we expect will continue to make, changes to its platform that could require us to change the manner in which we operate, limit our ability to successfully market existing products and to launch new products or increase our costs to operate. Such changes and the efforts required to maintain compliance therewith could have an adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial condition, and cash flows. Examples of past changes from Amazon have included platform fee increases (i.e., storage, advertising, fulfillment and selling commissions), inventory warehouse limitations, restrictions on certain marketing activities and changes to listing requirements that limit the variations of products that can be included in a single listing. Any change, limitation or restriction on our ability to sell on Amazon’s platform, even if temporary, could have a material impact on our business, operating results, financial condition, and cash flows. We also rely on services provided by Amazon’s fulfillment platform, including its Prime badge program, in which Amazon guarantees expedited shipping of products we sell to the consumer, an important factor in the consumer’s buying decision. Further, Amazon allows us to fulfill from our own third-party warehouses directly to customers under the same Prime badge guarantee. Amazon may at any time decide to discontinue allowing us to fulfill sales of our products directly from our warehouse network or limit our ability to advertise on our product listings that such products will receive expedited shipping under its Prime badge program. Any such inability or limitation, could have a material impact on our business, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows. We have historically experienced Amazon’s removal of the Prime badge guarantee from certain of our seller accounts and in those cases we have had limited success having the Prime badge guarantee reinstated in a timely manner or at all.

Our Credit Facility contains various restrictions and covenants that could limit our operating flexibility and we may be unable to refinance or repay our Credit Facility. We also rely on credit export insurance for our vendors in China, the unavailability of which could have a material adverse impact on our business, operating results, financial condition, and cash flows.

On December 22, 2021, we obtained a revolving credit facility from Midcap Funding IV Trust (the “Credit Facility”). Our Credit Facility contains covenants and other restrictions that, among other things, requires us to satisfy certain liquidity and borrowing availability tests, restricts our ability to execute M&A transactions and to incur additional indebtedness. These restrictions and covenants, and those in other future financing arrangements, may limit our ability to respond to market conditions, to provide for capital investment needs or to take advantage of business opportunities.

On February 23, 2024, the Company amended the Credit Facility to extend the term to December 2026 and provide us with access to $17 million in current commitments which can be increased, subject to certain conditions, to $30.0 million. 

There is no guarantee that we will be available to repay or refinance our Credit Facility. Further, at any time, if we violate the terms of the Credit Facility, we may not be able to obtain a waiver from our lender under satisfactory terms, or at all, which would limit our operating flexibility and/or liquidity and which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial condition, and cash flows.

We also rely on the availability of export credit insurance from the China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation (“Sinosure”), a Chinese state-owned enterprise, that provides export credit insurance to our contract manufacturers. From time to time, our contract manufacturers have experienced reductions in the availability of such credit from Sinosure as a result of our failure to timely pay them. While we currently believe our contract manufacturers have insurance at levels that we believe are sufficient to fund our operations, there can be no assurance that such insurance will be available at levels we require for our business, or at all, whether or not we make timely payments to our vendors, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial condition, and cash flows.

In addition, the Company has cash deposits at financial institutions in excess of the insured amount of $0.3 million by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

Our efforts to grow our business through new products, marketplace and geographic expansion may not be successful and may place a significant strain on our management and operational, financial and other resources.

Our long-term success depends on our ability to develop and commercialize a continuing stream of new products, to expand both to new marketplaces and geographies and to leverage new technologies we may incorporate into our business. We have entered and expect to continue to enter new product categories and both new marketplaces and geographies for which we have limited or no experience. In part we rely on Amazon’s global reviews program for success in our international expansion. If that program were to be limited, reduced or discontinued, our international expansion would be negatively affected. Our efforts to grow our business place significant strain on our management, personnel, operations, systems, financial resources, and internal financial control and reporting functions, among other things. We face the risk that we will be unable to disrupt incumbents and that our competitors will introduce new and better products that compete with us. There are numerous uncertainties inherent in successfully developing and commercializing new products on a continuing basis and new product launches may not deliver expected growth in sales or operating results. Any new product that we develop and market may not be introduced in a timely or cost-effective manner, may contain defects, errors, quality or other issues, or may not achieve the market acceptance necessary to generate sufficient revenue or may never become profitable. If we are unable to develop and introduce a continuing stream of competitive new products, it may have an adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial condition, and cash flows. Our failure to successfully execute on our growth initiatives can negatively impact our financial results, financial condition, and cash flows.

We may be unsuccessful in making investments and in making and integrating acquisitions or in maintaining or growing the financial performance of any investees or acquired businesses which may adversely affect our business and operating results and could impact the price of our common stock and result in dilution to shareholders.

Acquisitions and investments are an important aspect of our growth strategy and we expect to continue to pursue brand and other strategic acquisitions and investments. We have acquired a number of companies, and we may in the future acquire or invest in or enter into joint ventures with additional companies. Such acquisitions have in the past required, and in the future may require, the attention of management in integrating those businesses including increased attention to managing the supply chain of certain acquisitions. In addition, we have been required to in the past, and may be required to in the future, make significant impairment charges relating to the goodwill and intangible assets of such acquired businesses. The market for acquisitions has historically been highly competitive. Our growth strategy may be adversely affected if we face increased competition for or fail to identify suitable targets. In addition, pursuing or completing any such acquisitions or investments could divert management’s attention, and otherwise disrupt our operations and adversely affect our operating results, financial condition, and cash flows. Any acquisition or investment, if not favorably received by consumers, shareholders, analysts, and others in the investment community, could have a material adverse effect on the price of our common stock. In addition, any acquisition involves numerous risks, including: failing to identify problems during due diligence, liabilities or other shortcomings or challenges that could cause a target to under-perform post-closing; difficulties in the assimilation of the operations, technologies, products, and personnel associated with the acquisition and unanticipated expenses related to such integration; challenges in integrating distribution channels; diversion of management's attention from other business concerns; difficulties in transitioning and preserving customer, contractor, supplier, and other important third-party relationships; challenges realizing anticipated cost savings, synergies and other benefits; the potential impairment of tangible and intangible assets and goodwill; risks of entering markets in which we have no or limited experience; risks associated with subsequent losses including potential unknown liabilities associated with a company we acquire; and problems retaining key personnel. We provide no assurances that we will be able to complete any acquisitions or that any acquired businesses will experience the same or better level of financial performance as prior to the acquisition.

In order to complete any future acquisitions, we may need to use our cash on hand, and we will likely need to raise additional equity or incur or assume debt, any of which could harm our business, only be available on unfavorable terms, if at all, and result in significant additional dilution to our stockholders.

We may be unable to attract, retain or motivate key personnel, which could harm our business.

Our future success depends on our continuing ability to attract, motivate and retain well qualified employees. Competition for well-qualified employees in all aspects of our business is intense globally. The loss of one or more of our key personnel or our inability to promptly identify a suitable successor to a key role, including through a succession plan, could have an adverse effect on our business. Each of our executive officers, key personnel and other employees could terminate their employment relationship with us at any time. Moreover, we rely on stock-based compensation as a method to attract, retain and motivate our employees. If our common stock continues to be volatile or depressed, we may be unable to attract, retain and motivate employees, and if this occurs, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial condition, and cash flows. We do not currently maintain key person life insurance policies on any member of our senior management team or any other key employees.

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

We have $222.2 million net operating loss carryforwards as of December 31, 2023, which have a full valuation allowance against them. In general, under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), a corporation that undergoes an ownership change, which is generally defined as a greater than 50-percentage-point cumulative change by value in the equity ownership of certain stockholders over a rolling three-year period, is subject to limitations on its ability to utilize its pre-change net operating losses (“NOLs”) to offset post-change taxable income. Our existing NOLs may be subject to limitations arising from previous ownership changes, and if we undergo an ownership change, our ability to utilize NOLs could be further limited by Section 382 of the Code and similar state provisions. Future changes in our stock ownership, some of which may be outside of our control, could result in an ownership change under Section 382 of the Code. Furthermore, our ability to utilize NOLs of companies that we may acquire in the future may be subject to limitations. There is also a risk that due to regulatory changes, such as limitations on the use of NOLs, our existing NOLs could expire, decrease in value or otherwise be unavailable to offset future income tax liabilities. For example, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act resulted in a reduction in the economic benefit of the NOLs and other deferred tax assets available to us. For these reasons, we may not be able to realize a tax benefit from the use of our NOLs, even if we attain profitability. We have not performed a detailed analysis to determine whether an ownership change under Section 382 of the Code has occurred. The effect of a Section 382 ownership change would be the imposition of an annual limitation on the use of net operating loss carryforwards attributable to periods before the change. Any limitation may result in expiration of all, or a portion of the NOLs or other tax attributes, such as research and development credit carryforwards, before utilization.

We have recently undergone a management change and reevaluated various aspects of our business including but not limited to a reduction in the number of products we sell, a change in our technology infrastructure and a cost and a fixed cost reduction plan including a reduction in workforce; each of which, individually or in the aggregate, could have a material impact on our results of operations, financial condition, and business.

During the year-ended December 31, 2023, the Company implemented a strategy of rationalizing certain less profitable products and reducing its product offering. Further, on July 26, 2023, Yaniv Sarig resigned as CEO of Aterian, and Arturo Rodriguez and Joseph Risico were promoted to Co-CEOs of Aterian. As a result of this change in leadership, we enacted a number of strategic initiatives that could impact certain aspects of how we currently do business including a further rationalization of our product portfolio to improve our operations and potential future profitability, a change in our technology infrastructure and a reduction of our workforce . This reduction in our product portfolio has led to and will continue to lead to a decline in revenue in upcoming quarters. Executing on any of these decisions is complex and entails a number of potential risks, including but not limited to uncertainties, disruptions and challenges in our business and business model, a decline in revenues and profitability, market share erosion, inventory write-offs and other restructuring related charges, impacts to our relationships with our various vendors and could potentially impact employee morale. Further, pursuing or completing any such strategic initiative could divert management’s attention, and otherwise disrupt our operations and technology platform which could adversely affect our operating results, financial condition, and cash flows.

Risks Relating to Information and Cyber Security

We rely on data provided by third parties and any loss, reduction in access or increased costs related thereto of which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We use a combination of technology in various aspects of our business including for new product launches, forecasting, fulfillment and the automation of sales and marketing of our products, among other things. Our ability to successfully use our technology depends to a large extent on our ability to analyze and utilize data, including search engine results, provided by unaffiliated third parties, primarily, Google and Amazon. In the future, these third parties could change their data sharing policies, including making them more restrictive or expensive, or could alter their algorithms, any of which could result in the loss of, or significant impairment to, our ability to analyze useful data. These third parties could also interpret our service providers’ data collection policies or practices as being inconsistent with their policies, which could result in the loss of our ability to collect and use this data.

Our business, operating results, financial condition, and cash flows could be adversely impacted if our information technology systems or those of third-parties become subject to a data security breach, are disrupted or cease to operate effectively.

We rely heavily on information technology systems to operate our business and we collect, maintain, transmit and store sensitive data including data about our consumers. We also engage and rely upon third parties who engage in the same activities on our behalf. Accordingly, it is vital to maintain constant operation of these systems and to maintain cybersecurity. Our systems and those of third parties that we use in our operations are vulnerable to security risks, including from viruses and worms, phishing attacks, social engineering, hacking, distributed denial-of-service attacks, ransomware, and similar disruptions from the unauthorized tampering with our servers and computer systems or those of third parties that we use in our operations, which could lead to interruptions, delays, loss of critical and sensitive data, and loss of consumer confidence. In addition, insider actors-malicious or otherwise-could cause technical disruptions and/or confidential data leakage. In addition, if a ransomware attack or other cybersecurity incident occurs, either internally or at our third-party technology service providers, we could be prevented from accessing our data or systems, which may cause interruptions or delays in our business operations, cause us to incur material remediation costs, and could subject us to demands to pay a ransom or damage our reputation. Our failure to prevent or mitigate data loss, theft, misuse, or other security breaches or vulnerabilities affecting our or our vendors’ technology and systems, could: expose us or our customers to a risk of loss, disclosure, or misuse of such information; result in litigation, fines, liability, or regulatory action (including under laws related to privacy, data use, data protection, data security, network security, and consumer protection); deter customers from using our stores to buy our products; and harm our business, operating results, financial condition and reputation. We use third party technology and systems for a variety of reasons, including, without limitation, encryption and authentication technology, employee email, content delivery to customers, back-office support, hosting, payment processing and other functions. Despite our security efforts, some of our systems have experienced past security breaches, and, although they did not have a material adverse effect on our operations or financial results, there can be no assurance that future incidents, which we expect to have, will not have material adverse effects on our business, operating results or financial condition. For example, on April 25, 2022 we were alerted by a payment processor of a data security incident regarding one of our UK websites. This has not resulted in a material impact on our business. In addition, because the techniques, tools and tactics used in cyber-attacks frequently change and may be difficult to detect for periods of time, we may face difficulties in anticipating and implementing adequate preventative measures or fully mitigating harms after such an attack. It is possible for security vulnerabilities to remain undetected for an extended time period, up to and including several years as was the case in the prior non-material security breach identified in April 2022. The Company’s adoption of remote working, initially driven by the pandemic, may also introduce additional threats or disruptions to our information technology networks and infrastructure. Although we have developed systems and processes that we believe are reasonably designed to protect customer data and prevent such incidents, including systems and processes designed to reduce the impact of a security breach at a third-party vendor or customer, such measures cannot provide absolute security and may fail to operate as intended or be circumvented. In addition, our insurance may not provide sufficient coverage to compensate for related losses.

Additionally, we use open source software in our technology platform and our other sophisticated information technologies and systems, and we expect to continue to use open source software in the future. In addition to risks related to license requirements, use of certain open source software can lead to greater risks than use of third-party commercial software, as open source licensors generally do not provide warranties, indemnities or other contractual protections with respect to the software (for example, non-infringement or functionality). Our use of open source software may also present additional security risks because the source code for open source software is publicly available, which may make it easier for hackers and other third parties to determine how to breach our sites and systems that rely on open source software.

Our information technology systems and those of our third parties may be vulnerable from time to time to damage, interruptions and other technical malfunctions including but not limited to breaches, human error, power outages, telecommunication or utility failures, systems failures, natural disasters or other catastrophic events. In addition, growth in our transaction volume or surges in online traffic place additional demands on our systems and could cause or exacerbate slowdowns or interruptions. If any such systems are damaged, or fail to function properly, we may have to make monetary investments to repair or replace the systems and could endure delays in operations. From time to time, we have experienced disruptions to our systems and we expect to continue to experience disruptions. Any material disruption or slowdown of such systems, including the failure to successfully upgrade systems, could have a material impact on many aspects of our operations including our ability to operate on e-commerce marketplaces. Such a loss or delay could have a material adverse impact on our business, operating results, financial condition, and cash flows. Our systems are not fully redundant and our disaster recovery planning may not be sufficient.

Risks Relating to the Litigation and Government Regulation

Claims, litigation, government investigations, product liability and recalls, and other proceedings may adversely affect our business, operating results, financial condition, and cash flows.

We are, from time to time, involved in various claims, litigation matters and regulatory proceedings that could have a material adverse effect on us. These matters may include personal injury and other tort claims, deceptive trade practice disputes, intellectual property disputes, product recalls, contract disputes, employment and tax matters and other proceedings and litigation, including class actions lawsuits. It is not possible to predict the outcome of pending or future litigation and any such claims, with or without merit, could be time consuming and expensive, and may require the Company to incur substantial costs and divert the resources of management.

We face exposure to product liability and other claims in the event that one of our products is alleged to have resulted in property damage, bodily injury or other adverse effects. In addition, if we are required to, or voluntarily, repair, replace or refund one or more of our products, it could have a material impact on our business, operating results, financial condition and reputation.

In the summer of 2021, the Company received informal notice from a third-party alleging patent infringement with respect to certain transfer paper products sold by the Company.

In February 2022, the Company received a notice disputing the Company’s calculation of the earn-out payment to be paid to the prior owners of a transfer paper business acquired by the Company. A motion to compel arbitration was filed in the Southern District of New York on September 14, 2022, which was granted on May 18, 2023. The parties engaged an independent accountant to resolve the dispute, as required by the PPD Stock Purchase Agreement and the Southern District of New York. In February 2024, the independent accountant ruled in favor of the Company and determined that the Company owes no earn-out. Therefore, the Company believes it has no liability to the sellers.

Determining legal reserves or possible losses from claims against us involves judgment and may not reflect the full range of uncertainties and unpredictable outcomes. Until the final resolution of such matters, we may be exposed to losses in excess of the amount recorded, and such excess amounts could have a material effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows. In addition, it is possible that a resolution of any claim, including as a result of a settlement, could require us to make substantial future payments, prevent us from offering certain products or services, or require us to change our business practices each of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial condition, and cash flows.

We must successfully manage compliance with current and expanding laws and regulations, as well as manage new and pending legal and regulatory matters in the U.S. and abroad.

We are subject in the ordinary course of our business, in the U.S. and internationally, to many statutes, ordinances, rules and regulations that, if violated by us or the third parties we work with, could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial condition, and cash flows. These laws and regulations include but are not limited to accounting and financial reporting, advertising, anti-bribery and anti-corruption, consumer protection, data security and privacy, electronic commerce, employment, intellectual property, product liability, and trade (including tariffs). In addition, increasing governmental and societal attention to environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters, including expanding mandatory and voluntary reporting, diligence and disclosure on topics such as climate change, waste production, water usage, human capital, labor and risk oversight, could expand the nature, scope and complexity of matters that we are required to control, assess and report, each of which can be challenging given our reliance on third party suppliers. These and other rapidly changing laws, regulations, policies and related interpretations as well as increased enforcement actions by various governmental and regulatory agencies, create challenges for us, including our compliance and ethics programs, may alter the environment in which we do business and may increase the ongoing costs of compliance, which could adversely impact our business, operating results, financial condition, and cash flows. If we are unable to continue to meet these challenges and to comply with all laws, regulations, policies and related interpretations, it could negatively impact our reputation and our business, operating results, financial condition, and cash flows. Additionally, we may in the future be subject to inquiries, investigations, claims, proceedings and requests for information from governmental agencies or private parties, the adverse outcomes of which could harm our business. Failure to successfully manage these new or pending regulatory and legal matters and to resolve such matters without significant liability or damage to our reputation may materially adversely impact our operating results, financial condition, and cash flows. Furthermore, if new legal or regulatory matters result in fines or costs in excess of the amounts accrued to date, that may also materially impact our operating results and financial position.

U.S. government trade actions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, and results of operation.

Over the past several years, the U.S. government has taken a number of trade actions that impact or could impact our operations, including imposing tariffs on certain goods imported into the United States. As the majority of our products are imported into the United States from China, many of our products are subject to the tariffs imposed under Section 301 of U.S. trade law that have been applied to separate lists of Chinese goods imported into the United States, beginning during the Trump Administration and continuing in the Biden Administration. A number of lawsuits and other legal challenges with respect to the Section 301 tariff actions have been filed and remain pending, which could result in changes to the tariffs. To date, the Biden Administration has effectively maintained and has continued to defend and to enforce these particular trade actions. We are continually evaluating the impact of the current and any possible new tariffs on our supply chain, costs and sales and are considering strategies to mitigate such impact, including reviewing sourcing options, filing requests for exclusion from the tariffs for certain product lines and working with our suppliers. We can provide no assurance that any strategies we implement to mitigate the impact of such tariffs or other trade actions will be successful. Given the uncertainty regarding the scope and duration of these trade actions by the U.S. government or other countries, as well as the potential for additional trade actions, the impact on our operations and results remains uncertain.

Risks Relating to the Ownership of our Common Stock

We are an “emerging growth company” and a "smaller reporting company" and the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies and smaller reporting companies may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies and make our common stock less attractive to investors.

We are an “emerging growth company”, as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (“JOBS Act”), and we take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public 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, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. In addition, we also take advantage of an extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards. This may make comparison of our financial statements with those of another public company that has complied with such new or revised accounting standards difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used. We will lose our status as an emerging growth company no later than December 31, 2024.

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 consolidated 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 common stock held by nonaffiliates 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 common stock held by non affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparisons of our consolidated financial statement with other public companies difficult or impossible.

The market price and trading volume of our common stock may fluctuate significantly.

The market price and trading volume of our common stock has at times experienced substantial price volatility. There has been, and we expect will continue to be, significant volatility in the market price and trading volume of our common stock. In certain instances, these fluctuations have been unrelated or disproportionate to our operating performance, financial condition, and cash flows. In addition, the market price of our common stock may be, and we believe has been, significantly impacted by investors covering large short positions in our common stock. In addition, there are many other factors that have caused and may continue to cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate, including: actual or anticipated variations in our quarterly operating results, or the operating results, financial condition, and cash flows of companies perceived to be similar to us; deterioration and decline in general economic, industry and/or market conditions; changes in estimates of our financial results or recommendations by equity research analysts, including any decision by equity research analysts to initiate or discontinue coverage; announcements by us or our competitors of significant acquisitions, strategic alliances or joint ventures; and changes in our capital structure, such as future issuances of securities or the incurrence of additional debt.

We may be limited by our ability to raise the funding we need to support our growth or to maintain our existing business. Also, such funding may be available only by diluting existing stockholders.

The success of our business depends in part on our ability to invest significant resources in various aspects of our business including acquisitions and other strategic investments. Our success also depends on our ability to grow through acquisitions. To support our business growth, we will likely require additional funds to maintain, grow and respond to business challenges. Accordingly, from time to time we need to engage in equity or debt financings to secure additional funds. If we raise additional funds through issuances of equity or convertible debt securities, that would result in significant dilution to our existing stockholders, and any new equity securities we issue could have rights, preferences and privileges superior to those of holders of our common stock. Any debt we may incur may negatively impact our business, financial condition and operating results. We have in the past and may in the future incur debt that allows us to repay such debt using our common stock, which could result in significant dilution. Further, we may not be able to obtain additional financing on terms favorable to us, or at all, whether due to issues related to the Company or unrelated to the Company including but not limited to bank failures. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing or financing on terms satisfactory to us, when we require it, our ability to grow or to respond to business challenges would be significantly limited, and our business could fail or our operating results, financial condition, and cash flows could be adversely affected.

Any debt financing secured by us in the future could involve restrictive covenants relating to our capital-raising activities and other financial and operational matters, which may make it more difficult for us to obtain additional capital and to pursue business opportunities. In addition, we may not be able to continue to acquire the financing needed in order to pursue future acquisitions or similar transactions or we may not be able to raise sufficient equity or equity-like capital without first seeking stockholder approval, which could limit our ability to complete such financing, or to complete any related transaction on a timely basis.

Future sales of our common stock by our insiders, or the perception that these sales may occur, may cause the market price of our common stock to decline.

Our employees, directors and officers, and their affiliates, hold substantial amounts of shares of our common stock. Sales of a substantial number of such shares by these stockholders, or the perception that such sales will occur, may cause the market price of our common stock to decline. Other than our stock ownership guidelines and our restrictions on trading that arise under securities laws (or pursuant to our securities trading policy that is intended to facilitate compliance with securities laws), including the prohibition on trading in securities by or on behalf of a person who is aware of nonpublic material information, we have no restrictions on the right of our employees, directors and officers, and their affiliates, to sell their unrestricted shares of common stock. Our officers and directors periodically sell shares of common stock to cover tax liabilities from prior restricted stock awards.

Future sales and issuances of our capital stock, or the perception that such sales may occur, could cause our stock price to decline.

Future sales and issuances of our capital stock or rights to purchase our capital stock could result in substantial dilution to our existing stockholders. We may sell common stock, convertible securities and other debt or equity securities in one or more transactions at prices and in a manner as we may determine from time to time. If we sell any such securities in subsequent transactions, the ownership of existing stockholders will be diluted, possibly materially. New investors in subsequent transactions could also gain rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of existing holders of our common stock. In addition, we issue to our employees equity awards under our equity incentive plans which could be material in amount.

If our existing stockholders sell a large number of shares of our common stock, or the public market perceives that those existing stockholders might sell shares of common stock, the market price of our common stock could decline significantly. Existing stockholder sales might also make it more difficult for us to sell additional equity securities at a time and price that we deem appropriate, or at all.

There is no guarantee of a continuing public market for you to resell our common stock.

There is no guarantee that we will continue to meet all requirements for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market.

On April 24, 2023, we received a letter (the "Bid Price Notice") from the Listing Qualifications Staff of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC indicating that, based upon the closing bid price of our common stock for the last 30 consecutive business days, the Company is not currently in compliance with the requirement to maintain a minimum bid price of $1.00 per share for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market, as set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) (the "Minimum Bid Price Rule"). The Bid Price Notice provided a compliance period of 180 calendar days from the date of the Bid Price Notice, or until October 23, 2023, to regain compliance with the minimum closing bid requirement, pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A). Following a request we made on October 13, 2023, on October 24, 2023, we received a letter from Nasdaq granting the Company an additional 180 days, or until April 22, 2024, to regain compliance with the minimum closing bid requirement.

The Bid Price Notice has no immediate effect on the continued listing status of our common stock on The Nasdaq Capital Market, and, therefore, our listing remains fully effective.

If at any time before April 22, 2024, the closing bid price of our common stock closes at or above $1.00 per share for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days, subject to Nasdaq’s discretion to extend this period pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(H) to 20 consecutive business days, Nasdaq will provide written notification that the Company has achieved compliance with the minimum bid price requirement, and the matter would be resolved.

The Company will continue to monitor the closing bid price of its Common Stock and seek to regain compliance with all applicable Nasdaq requirements within the allotted compliance period. If the Company does not regain compliance within the allotted compliance period, Nasdaq will provide notice that the Common Stock will be subject to delisting. The Company would then be entitled to appeal that determination to a Nasdaq hearings panel. There can be no assurance that the Company will regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement during the compliance period, or maintain compliance with the other Nasdaq listing requirements.

In the future, if our common stock remains below the continued listing standard of $1.00 per share or otherwise fails to satisfy any of the Nasdaq continued listing requirements, and if we are unable to cure such deficiency during any subsequent cure period, our common stock could be delisted from the Nasdaq. If our common stock ultimately were to be delisted for any reason, we could face a number of significant material adverse consequences, including limited availability of market quotations for our common stock; limited news and analyst coverage; decreased ability to obtain additional financing or failure to comply with the covenants with our current lenders; limited liquidity for our stockholders due to thin trading; and the potential loss of confidence by investors, employees and other third parties who we do business with.

In order to regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Rule, we plan to effect a reverse split of our common stock which could impact the market price for our stock, limit our ability to raise capital or otherwise limit our ability to execute acquisition transactions and there is no assurance that the market price or trading volume for our common stock will not further decline after effecting such split.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.

None.

Item 1C. Cybersecurity

We have processes in place for assessing, identifying, and managing material risks from potential unauthorized occurrences on or through our information systems that could adversely affect the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of our information systems or the information residing on those systems. These include a wide variety of mechanisms, controls, technologies, methods, systems, and other processes that are designed to prevent, detect, or mitigate data loss, theft, misuse, unauthorized access, or other security incidents or vulnerabilities affecting the data. The data includes confidential, proprietary, and business and personal information that we collect, process, store, and transmit as part of our business, including on behalf of third parties. We also use systems and processes designed to reduce the impact of a security incident at a third-party vendor or customer, including assessment and monitoring of security standards and control procedures for external suppliers and vendors, with enhanced engagement or internal controls depending on the results of the assessment.

Additionally, we use processes to oversee and identify material risks from cybersecurity threats associated with our use of third-party technology and systems, including: technology and systems we use for encryption and authentication; employee email; content delivery to customers; back-office support; and other functions. As part of our risk management process, we conduct application security assessments, vulnerability management, security audits, and ongoing risk assessments. We also maintain a variety of incident response plans that are utilized when incidents are detected. We require employees with access to information systems, including all corporate employees, to undertake data protection and cybersecurity training and compliance programs annually. We have a unified and centrally coordinated team, led by our Chief Technology Officer and our General Counsel, that is responsible for implementing and maintaining centralized cybersecurity and data protection practices at Aterian in close coordination with senior leadership and other teams across Aterian. In addition to our in-house cybersecurity capabilities, at times we also engage assessors, consultants, auditors, or other third parties to assist with assessing, identifying, and managing cybersecurity risks. These third parties also consult on best practices to address new challenges upon request. Our cybersecurity risks and associated mitigations are evaluated by senior leadership, including as part of our risk assessments that are reviewed by the Audit Committee and our Board of Directors. As of the date of this report, the Company is not aware of any material risks from cybersecurity threats that have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect the Company, including its business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition. Despite the extensive approach we take to cybersecurity, we may not be successful in preventing or mitigating a cybersecurity incident that could have a material adverse effect on the Company or its stakeholders.

Additional information about cybersecurity risks we face is discussed in Item 1A of Part I, “Risk Factors,” under the heading “Risks Related to Information and Cyber Security,” which should be read in conjunction with the information above. The Audit Committee, which is comprised of independent directors, oversees our policies and procedures for protecting our cybersecurity infrastructure and for compliance with applicable data protection and security regulations, and related risks. The Audit Committee receives reports regarding such risks from management, including our Chief Technology Officer, and reports to the Board at least quarterly. The Audit Committee also oversees the Board’s response to any significant cybersecurity incidents. Our Chief Technology Officer, who has extensive cybersecurity knowledge and skills gained from over ten years working in the technology industry, heads the team responsible for implementing and maintaining cybersecurity and data protection practices at Aterian, working closely with our General Counsel who has a certification in Data Security and Privacy Policy from Cornell University. Both our Chief Technology Officer and General Counsel report directly to one of our co-CEOs.

Item 2. Properties.

As of December 31, 2023, our principal place of business and corporate headquarters was our Summit, New Jersey office which is leased for a term of one year expiring April 2024. Our UK office is a building we own, and our China office is leased for a term of two years expiring in May 2024. 

Our other offices are either shared workspaces or leases with a short-term commitment (month to month).

Item 3. Legal Proceedings.

From time to time, we may be involved in various claims and legal proceedings relating to claims arising out of our operations, primarily with respect to the sale of our consumer products. We believe that there are no pending lawsuits or claims that, individually or in the aggregate, may have a material effect on our business, financial condition or operating results.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.

None.

PART II

Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

Market Information

Our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “ATER”.

Holders of Record

As of December 31, 2023, there were approximately 136 holders of record of our common stock. Many shares of common stock are held by brokerage firms, banks, other financial institutions as nominees for beneficial owners. Accordingly, we are unable to estimate the total number of stockholders represented by these record holders.

Dividends

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our capital stock. We intend to retain any future earnings, if any, to finance the operation and expansion of our business, and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to pay dividends will be made at the discretion of our board of directors or any authorized committee thereof after considering our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, business prospects and other factors our board of directors or such committee deems relevant, and subject to the restrictions contained in our current or future financing instruments. Pursuant to the Credit Agreement, dated as of December 22, 2021 and amended as of February 23, 2024, with Midcap Funding IV Trust as Agent (“MidCap”) and the lenders party thereto, we are restricted from declaring any dividends or other distributions, subject to exceptions for certain of our subsidiaries.

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

See Item 12 of Part III of this Annual Report regarding information about securities authorized for issuance under our equity compensation plans.

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities

None

Purchase of Equity Securities

None

Item 6. [Reserved]

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Actual events or results may differ materially from our expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated or implied by our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those set forth in Part I, “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in this Annual Report. All forward-looking statements included in this Annual Report are based on information available to us as of the time we file this Annual Report and, except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements.

Overview

We are a technology-enabled consumer products company that predominantly operates through online retail channels such as Amazon and Walmart. The Company operates its owned brands, which were either incubated or purchased, selling products in multiple categories, including home and kitchen appliances, kitchenware, air quality appliances, health and beauty products and essential oils.

Our primary brands include Squatty Potty; hOmeLabs; Aussie Health; Mueller; Pursteam; Healing Solutions; and Photo Paper Direct "(PPD)". We generate revenue primarily through the online sales of our various consumer products with substantially all of our sales being made through the Amazon U.S. marketplace.

Seasonality of Business and Product Mix

Our individual product categories are typically affected by seasonal sales trends primarily resulting from the timing of the summer season for certain of our environmental appliance products and the fall and holiday season for our small kitchen appliances and accessories. With our current mix of environmental appliances, the sales of those products tend to be significantly higher in the summer season. Further, our essential oils, small kitchen appliances and accessories tend to have higher sales during the fourth quarter, which includes Thanksgiving and the December holiday season. As a result, our operational results, cash flows, cash and inventory positions may fluctuate materially in any quarterly period depending on, among other things, adverse weather conditions, shifts in the timing of certain holidays and changes in our product mix.

Product mix can affect our gross profit and the variable portion of our sales and distribution expenses. We rely heavily on a global supply chain in which the cost, lead times, and delays, as well as global and geopolitical events can ultimately have a direct impact to our margins. Further, impacts on our supply chain may force us to hold more inventory, which not only affects working capital but also requires us to increase our storage capacity, through our warehouse network, which of itself has a capital impact.

Financial Operations Overview

Net Revenue—We derive our revenue from the sale of consumer products, primarily in the U.S. We sell products directly to consumers through online retail channels and through wholesale channels. Direct-to-consumer sales (i.e., direct net revenue), which is currently the majority of our revenue, is done through various online retail channels. We sell on Amazon.com, Walmart.com, and our own websites, with substantially all of our sales made through Amazon.com. For all of our sales and distribution channels, revenue is recognized when control of the product is transferred to the customer (i.e., when our performance obligation is satisfied), which typically occurs at the shipment date.

Cost of Goods Sold—Cost of goods sold consists of the book value of inventory sold to customers during the reporting period and the amortization of inventory step-up from acquisitions. Book value of inventory includes the amounts we pay manufacturers for product, tariffs and duties associated with transporting product across national borders, and freight costs associated with transporting the product from our manufacturers to our warehouses, as applicable. Shrinkage costs are also recognized within the cost of goods sold. When circumstances dictate that we use net realizable value as the basis for recording inventory, we base our estimates on expected future selling prices, less expected disposal costs.

Expenses:

Research and Development Expenses—Research and development expenses include compensation and employee benefits for technology development employees, travel-related costs and fees paid to outside consultants related to the development of our intellectual property.

Sales and Distribution Expenses— Sales and distribution expenses consist of online advertising costs, marketing and promotional costs, sales and e-commerce platform commissions, fulfillment, including shipping and handling, and warehouse costs (i.e., sales and distribution variable expenses). Sales and distribution expenses also include employee compensation and benefits and other related fixed costs. Shipping and handling expenses are included in our consolidated statements of operations in sales and distribution expenses. This includes inbound, pick and pack costs and outbound transportation costs to ship goods to customers performed by e-commerce platforms or incurred directly by us, through our own direct fulfillment platform, which leverages our technology platform and third-party logistics partners. Our sales and distribution expenses, specifically our logistics expenses and online advertising, will vary quarter to quarter as they are dependent on our sales volume, our product mix and whether we fulfill products ourselves, i.e., fulfillment by merchant (“FBM”), or through e-commerce platform service providers, i.e., fulfillment by Amazon (“FBA”) or fulfilled by Walmart (“WFS”). Products with less expensive fulfillment costs as a percentage of net revenue may allow for a lower gross margin, while still maintaining their targeted profitability level. Conversely, products with higher fulfillment costs will need to achieve a higher gross margin to maintain their targeted level of profitability. We are FBM One Day and Two Day Prime certified, allowing us to deliver our sales through Amazon to most customers within one or two days. We continually review the locations and capacity of our third-party warehouses to ensure we have the appropriate geographic reach, which helps to reduce the average last mile shipping zones to the end customer and as such our speed of delivery improves while our shipping costs to customers decrease, prior to the impacts on shipping providers’ rates.

General and Administrative Expenses—General and administrative expenses include compensation and employee benefits for executive management, finance administration, legal, and human resources, facility costs, insurance, travel, professional service fees and other general overhead costs, including the costs of being a public company.

Interest Expense, Net—Interest expense, net includes the interest cost from our credit facility and term loans, and includes amortization of deferred finance costs and debt discounts from our credit facility (the “Credit Facility”) with MidCap Funding IV Trust (“MidCap”).

Results of Operations

Comparison of Years-Ended December 31, 2022 and 2023

The following table summarizes our results of operations for the years-ended December 31, 2022 and 2023, together with the changes in those items in dollars and percentage:

The following table sets forth the components of our results of operations as a percentage of net revenue:

Net Revenue

Revenue by Product Categories:

The following table sets forth our net revenue disaggregated by product categories:

Net revenue decreased $78.6 million, or 35.5%, during the year-ended December 31, 2023 to $142.6 million, compared to $221.2 million for the year-ended December 31, 2022. The decrease in net revenue was primarily attributable to a decrease in direct net revenue of $75.8 million, or a 35.4% decrease, which was due to softness in consumer demand due to the current macroeconomic environment and due to competitive pricing pressure and other competitive dynamics on marketplaces, partially offset by liquidation of higher priced excess inventory during the year ended December 31, 2023.

Direct net revenue consists of both organic net revenue and net revenue from our mergers and acquisitions (“M&A”). For the year-ended December 31, 2023, organic revenue was $138.2 million and revenue from our M&A businesses was $0.2 million. For the year-ended December 31, 2022, organic revenue was $201.9 million and revenue from our M&A businesses was $11.5 million. 

Net revenue decreased $78.6 million, or 35.5%, during the year-ended December 31, 2023 to $142.6 million, compared to $221.2 million for the year-ended December 31, 2022. Every category of business had a reduction in sales compared to the prior year primarily relating to softness in consumer demand due the macroeconomic environment and as a result of the SKU rationalization that took place during the year-ended December 31, 2023. In addition, there were competitive pricing pressures coupled with certain key products losing their prominent positioning on Amazon due to competition, specifically in the heating, cooling, air quality and kitchen appliance businesses. These factors resulted in a reduction of units sold and a reduction in retail sales prices generally for each category of business.

Cost of Goods Sold and Gross Margin

Cost of goods sold decreased by $43.4 million from $115.7 million for the year-ended December 31, 2022 to $72.3 million for the year-ended December 31, 2023 primarily from reduced sales volume. The decrease in cost of goods sold was primarily attributable to a decrease of $38.4 million in cost of goods sold from our organic businesses, a decrease of $3.8 million from our M&A businesses, and a decrease of $1.1 million in cost of goods sold from our wholesale businesses.

Gross profit increased from 47.7% for the year-ended December 31, 2022 to 49.3% for the year-ended December 31, 2023. The increase in gross profit was due primarily to a change of product mix, improved shipping container rates during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year-ended December 31, 2022, and a reduction in liquidation of high priced excess inventory at reduced prices compared to the prior year.

Sales and Distribution Expenses

Sales and distribution expenses which included e-commerce platform commissions, online advertising and logistics expenses (i.e., variable sales and distribution expense), decreased to $81.9 million for the year-ended December 31, 2023 from $121.1 million for the year-ended December 31, 2022. This decrease is primarily attributable to the decrease in the volume of products sold during the year-ended December 31, 2023, as our e-commerce platform commissions, online advertising, selling and logistics expenses decreased to $68.9 million for the year-ended December 31, 2023 as compared to $103.3 million in the prior year.

Our sales and distribution fixed costs (e.g., salary and office expenses) decreased to $13.0 million for the year-ended December 31, 2023 from $17.9 million for the year-ended December 31, 2022. This decrease is primarily attributable to lower stock-compensation expense of $2.6 million and lower salary expense of $1.8 million due to the restructuring activities that occurred during the year-ended December 31, 2023, partially offset by an increase in restructuring costs of $0.6 million.

As a percentage of net revenue, sales and distribution expenses increased to 57.5% for the year-ended December 31, 2023 from 54.8% for the year-ended December 31, 2022. E-commerce platform commissions, online advertising, selling and logistic expenses included within sales and distribution expenses, as a percentage of net revenue, were 48.3% for the year-ended December 31, 2023 compared to 46.7% for the year-ended December 31, 2022. This increase in sales and distribution expenses as a percentage of revenue is predominantly due to product mix, an increase in provider fulfillment fees, and an increase in online advertising costs.

Research and Development Expenses

The decrease in research and development expenses was primarily the result of a decrease in headcount expense of $1.5 million and a decrease in stock compensation expense of $0.5 million, partially offset by an increase in restructuring expense of $0.5 million.

General and Administrative Expenses

The decrease in general and administrative expenses was primarily the result of  a decrease of $3.7 million in professional fees, a decrease of $3.5 million in depreciation and amortization, a decrease in stock compensation expense of $3.2 million, a decrease of $2.7 million relating to litigation settlements, a decrease in other miscellaneous expenses of $2.3 million, a decrease of $1.4 million in inventory donations, and a decrease of $1.1 in headcount expense, partially offset by an increase in restructuring expense of $0.4 million. (See note 18 of our Consolidated Financial Statements in this annual report on form 10-K for additional details) 

Impairment loss on Goodwill

We evaluated current economic conditions during 2022, including the impact of the Federal Reserve further increasing the risk-free interest rate, as well as the inflationary pressure on product and labor costs and operational impacts attributable to continued global supply chain disruptions. We believe that these conditions were factors in our market capitalization falling below the book value of net assets during 2022. Accordingly, we concluded a triggering event had occurred and performed interim goodwill impairment analyses during the three months ended March 31, 2022 and September 30, 2022 which resulted in impairment charges of $29.0 million and $90.9 million, respectively. There was no remaining goodwill on the balance sheet as of September 30, 2022.

On October 4, 2022, the Company acquired Step and Go, a brand in the health and wellness category, for $0.7 million. As part of the purchase price allocation of the acquisition, $0.5 million was attributed to goodwill. As our market capitalization was further reduced below net assets as of December 31, 2022, an impairment loss on goodwill of $0.5 million was recorded for the three months ended December 31, 2022, which is included in impairment loss on goodwill in the Consolidated Statement of Operations for the year-ended December 31, 2022.

As a result of these analyses, we recorded a total goodwill impairment charge of approximately $120.4 million for the year-ended December 31, 2022.

There is no remaining goodwill as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2023.

Impairment loss on Intangibles

Certain asset groups experienced a significant decrease in sales and contribution margin through December 31, 2022. This was considered an interim triggering event for the year-ended December 31, 2022. Based on the analysis of comparing the undiscounted cash flow to the carrying value of the asset group, one group tested indicated that the assets may not be recoverable. For this asset group, we compared the fair value to the carrying amount of the asset group and recorded an intangible impairment charge of $3.1 million in the year-ended December 31, 2022.

On March 20, 2023, the Company made certain leadership changes in our essential oil business resulting in a change in strategy and outlook for the business and reduced portfolio offering. This reduction in the portfolio will be impactful to our essential oil business's future revenues and profitability and as a result the Company made revisions to our internal forecasts. The Company concluded that this change was an interim triggering event for the three months ending March 31, 2023 indicating the carrying value of our essential oil business's long-lived assets including trademarks may not be recoverable. Accordingly, the Company performed an interim impairment test of the trademark and assessed the recoverability of the related intangible assets by using level 3 inputs and comparing the carrying value of an asset group to the net undiscounted cash flow expected to be generated. The recoverability test indicated that certain definite-live trademark intangible assets were impaired. The Company concluded the carrying value of the trademark exceeded its estimated fair value which was determined utilizing the relief-from-royalty method to determine discounted projected future cash flows which resulted in an impairment charge. The Company recorded an intangible impairment charge of $16.7 million in the three months ending March 31, 2023 within impairment loss on intangibles on the condensed consolidated statement of operations.

During the three months ended June 30, 2023, the Company had a substantial decrease in its market capitalization, primarily relating to a decrease in share price. Further, the Company continued to see reduced net revenues across its portfolio due to the current macroeconomic environment reducing demand for consumer goods. Finally, during the three months ending June 30, 2023, the Company implemented a strategy of rationalizing certain less profitable products and reducing its product offering, specifically related to its kitchen appliance products. As a result of this rationalization, along with the reduced demand for its products, the Company has made certain revisions to its internal forecasts for its Paper business and Kitchen appliance business. The Company concluded that these factors were an interim triggering event for the three months ending June 30, 2023 indicating the carrying value of our Paper and Kitchen appliance business’s long-lived assets, including trademarks, may not be recoverable. Accordingly, the Company performed an interim impairment test of the trademark and assessed the recoverability of the related intangible assets by using level 3 inputs and comparing the carrying value of an asset group to the net undiscounted cash flow expected to be generated. The recoverability test indicated that certain definite-live trademark intangible assets were impaired. The Company concluded the carrying value of the trademark exceeded its estimated fair value which was determined utilizing the relief-from-royalty method to determine discounted projected future cash flows which resulted in an impairment charge. The Company recorded an intangible impairment charge of $22.8 million for the Paper business and Kitchen appliance business during the three months ending June 30, 2023 within impairment loss on intangibles on the condensed consolidated statement of operations.

During the three months ended December 31, 2023, the Company continued to see reduced revenue in its paper business resulting in certain revisions to its internal forecasts. Due to these revisions in forecast due to reduced demand, the Company concluded this was an interim triggering event for the three months ending December 31, 2023 indicating the carrying value of our Paper business’s long-lived assets, including trademarks, may not be recoverable. Accordingly, the Company performed an interim impairment test of the trademark and assessed the recoverability of the related intangible assets by using level 3 inputs and comparing the carrying value of an asset group to the net undiscounted cash flow expected to be generated. The recoverability test indicated that certain definite-live trademark intangible assets were impaired. The Company concluded the carrying value of the trademark exceeded its estimated fair value which was determined utilizing the relief-from-royalty method to determine discounted projected future cash flows which resulted in an impairment charge. The Company recorded an intangible impairment charge of $0.3 million for the Paper business during the three months ending December 31, 2023 within impairment loss on intangibles on the consolidated statement of operations. 

The Company recorded an impairment charge of $39.7 million and $3.1 million for the year-ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022.

Change in fair value of contingent earn-out liabilities

The change in fair value of contingent earn-out liabilities was related to our M&A, which includes a re-assessment of the estimated fair value of contingent consideration as part of the purchase price, primarily driven by the fluctuation in our share price since the date of each acquisition and contribution margin projections. As of December 31, 2023, we no longer have any contingent earn-out liabilities.

Interest expense, net

The decrease in interest expense, net of $1.2 million is primarily relating to a decrease in interest expense of $0.6 million due to lower average borrowings compared to the prior period and an increase in interest income of $0.6 million compared to the prior period.

Gain on extinguishment of seller note

The gain on extinguishment of seller note during the year-ended December 31, 2022 was attributable to the settlement of the Truweo seller note, which resulted in a $2.0 million gain on extinguishment of seller note upon the extinguishment of debt.

Loss on initial issuance of equity

The loss on initial issuance of equity is attributable to the issuance of common shares and initial valuation of the prefunded warrants and common stock warrants from our March 2022 equity raise of $5.8 million in March 2022. Further, in September 2022, we recorded a charge related to the September 29, 2022 securities purchase agreement for common stock and associated warrants for the three months ended September 30, 2022 as we deemed the agreement non-cancellable. The $12.8 million expense is derived from the anticipated fair-value of the issuances of equity attributable to the expected issuance of common shares and common stock warrants versus the anticipated proceeds to be received by us. We closed and issued the common stock and associated warrants on October 4, 2022.

Change in fair market value of warrant liability

The 2022 and 2023 activity is related to the change in fair market value of the warrant liabilities from the prefunded warrants and common stock warrants from our March 2022 equity raise of capital. The change in fair value of warrant liabilities for the year-ended December 31, 2023 primarily relates to the reduced share price compared to the prior period.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Cash Flows for Years-Ended December 31, 2022 and 2023

The following table provides information regarding our cash flows for the years-ended December 31, 2022 and 2023:

Net Cash Used in Operating Activities

Net cash used by operating activities was $17.5 million for the year-ended December 31, 2022, resulting from our net cash losses from operations of $37.2 million, offset by cash from working capital of $19.7 million from changes in accounts receivable, purchase of inventory and insurance and payments of accounts payable and accrued expenses. The reduction of inventory and accounts payable in 2022 relate to the decrease in inventory purchases in 2022 compared to 2021 and our efforts to normalize inventory levels by liquidating higher cost inventory. The decrease in accounts receivable year over year relates to a reduction in sales volume during the last month of the quarter, December 2021 versus December 2022, and timing from a significant wholesale receivable from 2021 collected in 2022.

Net cash used in operating activities was $13.4 million for the year-ended December 31, 2023, resulting primarily from our net cash losses from operations of $28.9 million, offset by an inflow from working capital of $15.5 million from changes in accounts receivable, purchases of inventory and payments of accounts payable. The reduction of gross inventory of $26.4 million from December 31, 2022 to December 31, 2023 primarily relates to the liquidation of high priced excess inventory and a reduction of purchases for the period.

Net Cash Used in Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities for the year-ended December 31, 2022 was primarily from the acquisition of Step and Go for $0.6 million.

Net cash used in investing activities was $0.2 for the year-ended December 31, 2023, resulting primarily from the remaining payment for the purchase of Step and Go assets which was acquired during the three months ending December 31, 2022.

Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities

For the year-ended December 31, 2022, cash provided by financing activities of $27.0 million was primarily from the net proceeds from the March and October 2022 equity raise of $46.8 million partially offset by the net repayment of borrowings from the Midcap credit facility of $12.2 million, the payment of earn-out to Squatty Potty of $4.0 million, and the repayment of note to Smash of $3.4 million.

For the year-ended December 31, 2023, cash used by financing activities of $11.1 million primarily from the net repayments for our MidCap credit facility of $10.4 million, repayment of note payable to Smash of $0.6 million and net payments of insurance financing of $0.1 million.

Liquidity and Going Concern

As an emerging growth company in the early commercialization stage of its lifecycle, we are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties associated with the development of our enterprise. In this regard, substantially all of our efforts to date have been devoted to the development and sale of our products in the marketplace, which includes our investment in organic growth at the expense of short-term profitably, our investment in incremental growth through mergers & acquisitions (“M&A strategy”), our recruitment of management and technical staff, and raising capital to fund the development of our enterprise. As a result of these efforts, we have incurred significant losses and negative cash flows from operations since our inception and expect to continue to incur such losses, at a reduced level, and negative cash flows for the foreseeable future until such time that we reach a scale of profitability to sustain our operations. We have also experienced declining revenues due to macroeconomic factors, including increased interest rates and reduced consumer discretionary spending, and other factors, and we intend to focus our efforts on a more limited number of products. In addition, our recent financial performance has been adversely impacted by inflationary pressures and reduced consumer spending.

In order to execute our growth strategy, we have historically relied on outside capital through the issuance of equity, debt, and borrowings under financing arrangements (collectively “outside capital”) to fund our cost structure, and we expect to continue to rely on outside capital for the foreseeable future, specifically for our M&A strategy. While we believe we will eventually reach a level of profitability to sustain our operations, there can be no assurance we will be able to achieve such profitability or do so in a manner that does not require our continued reliance on outside capital. Moreover, while we have historically been successful in raising outside capital, there can be no assurance we will be able to continue to obtain outside capital in the future or do so on terms that are acceptable to us.

As of the date the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements were issued (the “issuance date”), we evaluated the significance of the following adverse financial conditions in accordance with Accounting Standard Codification 205-40, Going Concern:

The Company has initiated two restructuring programs over the last 12 months to reduce operating costs and right size the workforce to align with the scale of our streamlined operations.  In addition, we have reduced the SKU count to solely focus on profitable products that are core to the Company’s strategy.  Subsequent to December 31, 2023, we extended the term with Midcap Credit Facility until December 2026 (See Note 9, Credit Facility, Term Loans and Warrants) and amended key terms which will add more flexibility to liquidity and strengthen our balance sheet.  In consideration of these factors, the Company will monitor profitability and cash flow over the next several quarters to evaluate our ability to continue as a going concern.

Although significant strides have been made in reducing our operating losses and strengthening our balance sheet, uncertainties persist in our business operations and the forecasting of our business. These uncertainties raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared on the basis that we will continue to operate as a going concern, which contemplates that we will be able to realize assets and settle liabilities and commitments in the normal course of business for the foreseeable future. Accordingly, the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements do not include any adjustments that may result from the outcome of these uncertainties.

Nasdaq Listing —On April 24, 2023, we received a letter (the "Bid Price Notice") from the Listing Qualifications Staff of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC indicating that, based upon the closing bid price of our common stock for the last 30 consecutive business days, the Company is not currently in compliance with the requirement to maintain a minimum bid price of $1.00 per share for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market, as set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) (the "Minimum Bid Price Rule"). The Bid Price Notice provided a compliance period of 180 calendar days from the date of the Bid Price Notice, or until October 23, 2023, to regain compliance with the minimum closing bid requirement, pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A). Following a request we made on October 13, 2023, on October 24, 2023, we received a letter from Nasdaq granting the Company an additional 180 days, or until April 22, 2024, to regain compliance with the minimum closing bid requirement.

The Bid Price Notice has no immediate effect on the continued listing status of our common stock on The Nasdaq Capital Market, and, therefore, our listing remains fully effective.

If at any time before April 22, 2024, the closing bid price of our common stock closes at or above $1.00 per share for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days, subject to Nasdaq’s discretion to extend this period pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(H) to 20 consecutive business days, Nasdaq will provide written notification that the Company has achieved compliance with the minimum bid price requirement, and the matter would be resolved.

The Company will continue to monitor the closing bid price of its Common Stock and seek to regain compliance with all applicable Nasdaq requirements within the allotted compliance period. If the Company does not regain compliance within the allotted compliance period, Nasdaq will provide notice that the Common Stock will be subject to delisting. The Company would then be entitled to appeal that determination to a Nasdaq hearings panel. There can be no assurance that the Company will regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement during the compliance period, or maintain compliance with the other Nasdaq listing requirements.

In the future, if our common stock remains below the continued listing standard of $1.00 per share or otherwise fails to satisfy any of the Nasdaq continued listing requirements, and if we are unable to cure such deficiency during any subsequent cure period, our common stock could be delisted from the Nasdaq. If our common stock ultimately were to be delisted for any reason, we could face a number of significant material adverse consequences, including limited availability of market quotations for our common stock; limited news and analyst coverage; decreased ability to obtain additional financing or failure to comply with the covenants with our current lenders; limited liquidity for our stockholders due to thin trading; and the potential loss of confidence by investors, employees and other third parties who we do business with.

In order to comply with the Minimum Bid Price Rule, we plan to effect a reverse split of our common stock which could impact the market price for our stock, limit our ability to raise capital or otherwise limit our ability to execute acquisition transactions and there is no assurance that the market price or trading volume for our common stock will not further decline after effecting such split.

Restructuring—On May 9, 2023, the Company announced a plan to reduce expenses by implementing a reduction in its current workforce impacting approximately 50 employees and 15 contractors, primarily in the Philippines. The Company recognized restructuring charges $1.6 million for the year-ended December 31, 2023, respectively.

On February 8, 2024, the Company committed to a fixed cost-cutting plan, including a reduction in workforce which will result in the termination of approximately 21 employees and 27 contractors globally. The Company expects to substantially complete this reduction by the end of the first quarter of 2024. The Company expects to recognize restructuring charges in connection with the plan, primarily related to severance, of $0.6 million. The Company expects the charges will be recognized primarily in the first quarter of 2024, with the majority of such charges anticipated to be paid by the end of the first quarter of 2024. As part of this plan, the Company has shifted the architecture of its technology platform away from a fully internally developed model to an integrated third-party, best-of-breed model. 

MidCap Credit Facility —On December 22, 2021, we entered into an asset backed credit facility with MidCap (the "Credit Facility"), pursuant to which, among other things, (i) the lenders party thereto as lenders (the “Lenders”) agreed to provide a revolving credit facility in a principal amount of up to $40.0 million subject to a borrowing base consisting of, among other things, inventory and sales receivables (subject to certain reserves), and (ii) we agreed to issue to MidCap Funding XXVII Trust a warrant to purchase up to an aggregate of 200,000 shares of our common stock, in exchange for the Lenders extending loans and other extensions of credit to us under the Credit Facility.

The Credit Facility contained a financial covenant that required us to maintain a minimum unrestricted cash balance of (a) $12.5 million during the period from February 1st through and including May 31st of each calendar year, and (b) $15.0 million at all other times. The MidCap credit facility was scheduled to mature in December 2024.

The outstanding balance on the MidCap credit facility as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2023 was $21.1 million and $11.1 million, respectively. The Company had $1.1 million of availability on the Midcap credit facility as of December 31, 2023. We are in compliance with the financial covenants contained within the Credit Agreement as of December 31, 2023.

On February 23, 2024, the Company amended its asset backed credit facility with MidCap Financial Trust. The Credit Facility term has been extended to December 2026 and gives Aterian access to $17 million in current commitments which can be increased, subject to certain conditions, to $30.0 million. The Credit Facility extension reduces the minimum liquidity financial covenant from a peak of $15.0 million to $6.8 million of cash on hand and/or availability in the Credit Facility. The extension fee was less than $0.1 million. At our election, we may elect to comply with an alternative financial covenant that would require us to maintain a minimum borrowing availability under the credit facility of $5.0 million at all times. We currently do not anticipate electing the alternative financial covenant over the next twelve months and are in compliance with the minimum liquidity covenant as of the date these Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements were issued.

Contingent earn-out liability considerations—As part of the acquisition of the assets of Squatty Potty, LLC (the “Squatty Potty Assets”), Squatty Potty is entitled to earn-out payments based on the achievement of certain contribution margin thresholds on certain products of the acquired business. If the earn-out consideration event occurred in the 12 months ending December 31, 2022, the earn-out payment amount was to be $3.9 million and if the parties terminate the transition service agreement prior to the date that is nine months following the Closing Date, we are to pay an additional $3.9 million.

In connection with the Squatty Potty acquisition on May 5, 2021, the Company paid $4.0 million of earn-out payment in 2022.  There is no further earnout payment owed related to this acquisition as this was fully paid in 2022.

As of May 5, 2021, the acquisition date of Photo Paper Direct Ltd. (“Photo Paper Direct”), the initial fair value amount of the earn-out payment with respect to Photo Paper Direct was appropriately $0.9 million. As of December 31, 2022 and 2023, the fair value amount of the earn-out payment with respect to the Photo Paper Direct acquisition was $0.0 million as we believe the earnout was not achieved. Photo Paper Direct’s sellers disagreed with our determination and filed a motion to compel arbitration in the Southern District of New York on September 14, 2022, which was granted on May 18, 2023. In February 2024, the independent accountant ruled in favor of the Company and determined that the Company owes no earn-out. Therefore, the Company believes it has no liability to the sellers.

Open Inventory Purchase Orders—As of December 31, 2022 and 2023, the Company had open inventory purchase orders of $13.5 million and $6.5 million, respectively, placed with vendors waiting to be fulfilled.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We believe that our financial statements and the other financial data included in this Annual Report have been prepared in a manner that complies, in all material respects, with generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. (“GAAP”). However, for the reasons discussed below, we have presented certain non-GAAP measures herein.

We have presented the following non-GAAP measures to assist investors in understanding our core net operating results on an on-going basis: (i) Contribution margin; (ii) Contribution margin as a percentage of net revenue; (iii) EBITDA (iv) Adjusted EBITDA; and (v) Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of net revenue. These non-GAAP financial measures may also assist investors in making comparisons of our core operating results with those of other companies.

As used herein, Contribution margin represents gross profit less e-commerce platform commissions, online advertising, selling and logistics expenses (included in sales and distribution expenses). As used herein, Contribution margin as a percentage of net revenue represents Contribution margin divided by net revenue. As used herein, EBITDA represents net loss plus depreciation and amortization, interest expense, net and provision for income taxes. As used herein, Adjusted EBITDA represents EBITDA plus stock-based compensation expense, changes in fair-market value of earn-outs, profit and loss impacts from the issuance of common stock and/or warrants, changes in fair-market value of warrant liability, litigation settlements, impairment on goodwill and intangibles, gain from extinguishment of seller note, restructuring expenses, reserve on barter credits, and other expenses, net. As used herein, Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of net revenue represents Adjusted EBITDA divided by net revenue. Contribution margin, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not represent and should not be considered as alternatives to loss from operations or net loss, as determined under GAAP.

We present Contribution margin and Contribution margin as a percentage of net revenue, as we believe each of these measures provides an additional metric to evaluate our operations and, when considered with both our GAAP results and the reconciliation to gross profit, provides useful supplemental information for investors. Specifically, Contribution margin and Contribution margin as a Non-GAAP Financial Measure percentage of net revenue are two of our key metrics in running our business. All product decisions made by us, from the approval of launching a new product and to the liquidation of a product at the end of its life cycle, are measured primarily from Contribution margin and/or Contribution margin as a percentage of net revenue. Further, we believe these measures provide improved transparency to our stockholders to determine the performance of our products prior to fixed costs as opposed to referencing gross profit alone.

In the reconciliation to calculate contribution margin, we add e-commerce platform commissions, online advertising, selling and logistics expenses (“sales and distribution variable expense”) to gross profit to inform users of our financial statements of what our product profitability is at each period prior to fixed costs (such as sales and distribution expenses such as salaries as well as research and development expenses and general administrative expenses). By excluding these fixed costs, we believe this allows users of our financial statements to understand our products performance and allows them to measure our products performance over time.

We present EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of net revenue because we believe each of these measures provides an additional metric to evaluate our operations and, when considered with both our GAAP results and the reconciliation to net loss, provide useful supplemental information for investors. We use these measures with financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP, such as sales and gross margins, to assess our historical and prospective operating performance, to provide meaningful comparisons of operating performance across periods, to enhance our understanding of our operating performance and to compare our performance to that of our peers and competitors. We believe EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of net revenue are useful to investors in assessing the operating performance of our business without the effect of non-cash items.

Contribution margin, Contribution margin as a percentage of net revenue, EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of net revenue should not be considered in isolation or as alternatives to net loss, loss from operations or any other measure of financial performance calculated and prescribed in accordance with GAAP. Neither EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA or Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of net revenue should be considered a measure of discretionary cash available to us to invest in the growth of our business. Our Contribution margin, Contribution margin as a percentage of net revenue, EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of net revenue may not be comparable to similar titled measures in other organizations because other organizations may not calculate Contribution margin, Contribution margin as a percentage of net revenue, EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA or Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of net revenue in the same manner as we do. Our presentation of Contribution margin and Adjusted EBITDA should not be construed as an inference that our future results will be unaffected by the expenses that are excluded from such terms or by unusual or non-recurring items.

We recognize that EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of net revenue, have limitations as analytical financial measures.

For example, neither EBITDA nor Adjusted EBITDA reflects:

Additionally, Adjusted EBITDA excludes non-cash stock-based compensation expense, which is and is expected to remain a key element of our overall long-term incentive compensation package.

We also recognize that Contribution margin and Contribution margin as a percentage of net revenue have limitations as analytical financial measures. For example, Contribution margin does not reflect:

Contribution Margin

The following table provides a reconciliation of Contribution margin to gross profit and Contribution margin as a percentage of net revenue to gross profit as a percentage of net revenue, which are the most directly comparable financial measures presented in accordance with GAAP:

Adjusted EBITDA

The following table provides a reconciliation of EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to net loss, which is the most directly comparable financial measure presented in accordance with GAAP:

Critical Accounting Estimates

Our management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. The preparation of these Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses and the related disclosures. We base our estimates on historical experience and on other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. These estimates and assumptions form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

While our significant accounting policies are described in more detail in the notes to our financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report, we believe the following accounting policies used in the preparation of our financial statements require the most significant judgments and estimates.

Inventory valuation—Inventories, consisting of products available for sale, are primarily accounted for using the first-in first-out method, and are valued at the lower of cost and net realizable value. This valuation requires us to make judgments, based on available information such as historical data, about the likely method of disposition, such as through sales to individual customers or liquidations, and expected recoverable values of each disposition category. Changes to the relevant assumptions and projections would impact our consolidated financial results in periods subsequent to recording these estimates. If we anticipate a change in assumptions such as future demand or market conditions to be less favorable than our previous estimates, additional inventory write-downs may be required. Conversely, if we are able to sell inventories that had been written down to a level below the ultimate realized selling price in a previous period, sales would be recorded with a lower or no offsetting charge to cost of sales. A 10% change to our current reserve for excess and obsolete inventory would not result in a material change to our consolidated financial statements; however, given the value of inventory on hand, a significant change in demand or market conditions could result in a material adjustment to our reserve in future periods. 

Warrant Liability—The fair values of the outstanding warrants were measured using the Black Scholes model. Inputs used to determine estimated fair value of the warrant liabilities include the fair value of the underlying stock at the valuation date, the term of the warrants, and the expected volatility of the underlying stock. The significant unobservable input used in the fair value measurement of the warrant liabilities is the estimated term of the warrants. Generally, increases (decreases) in the fair value of the underlying stock and estimated term result in a directionally similar impact to the periodic fair value measurement of the outstanding warrant liability, and are recorded within the Change in fair market value of warrant line item on the statement of operations.

The fair value of warrant liability was $3.5 million and $1.0 million at December 31, 2022 and 2023, respectively.

Accounting for contingent consideration—Our acquisitions may include contingent consideration as part of the purchase price. The fair value of the contingent consideration is estimated as of the acquisition date based on the present value of the contingent payments to be made using a weighted probability of possible payments.

The unobservable inputs used in the determination of the fair value of the contingent consideration include management’s assumptions about the likelihood of payment based on the established benchmarks and discount rates based on internal rate of return analysis. The fair value measurement includes inputs that are Level 3 measurement as discussed in Note 6 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report. Should actual results increase or decrease as compared to the assumption used in our analysis, the fair value of the contingent consideration obligations will increase or decrease, up to the contracted limit, as applicable. Changes in the fair value of the contingent earn-out consideration could cause a material impact and volatility in our operating results.

There were no contingent earn-out liabilities at December 31, 2022 and 2023.

Goodwill Valuation —We operate under one business component which is the same as our reporting unit based on the guidance in ASC Topic 350-20.

We assess goodwill for impairment at least annually during the fourth quarter and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. During 2022, we had events and conditions in the first and third quarter that required an interim assessment of goodwill.

We evaluated current economic conditions, including the impact of the Federal Reserve further increasing the risk-free interest rate, as well as the inflationary pressure on product and labor costs and operational impacts attributable to continued global supply chain disruptions. We believe that these conditions were factors in our market capitalization falling below the book value of net assets. Accordingly, we concluded a triggering event had occurred and performed interim goodwill impairment analyses and determined that our goodwill impaired during the three months ended March 31, 2022 and three months ended September 30, 2022.

We engaged a third-party valuation specialist to assist management in performing an interim goodwill impairment test. For goodwill, impairment testing is based upon the best information available using a combination of the discounted cash flow method (a form of the income approach) and the guideline public company method, while also taking into consideration our market capitalization. Under the income approach, or discounted cash flow method, the significant assumptions used are projected net revenue, projected contribution margin (product operating margin before fixed costs), fixed costs and terminal growth rates. Projected net revenue, projected contribution margin and terminal growth rates were determined to be significant assumptions because they are the three primary drivers of the projected cash flows in the discounted cash flow fair value model. Under the guideline public company method, significant assumptions relate to the selection of appropriate guideline companies, the valuation multiples used in the market analysis and our market capitalization.

Due to the sustained decline in our stock price leading up to and subsequent to March 31, 2022 and September 30, 2022, we used the market capitalization to determine the fair value of the reporting unit. As a result, we recorded impairment charges of $29.0 million and $90.0 million during the three months ending March 31, 2022 and September 30, 2022, respectively. There was no remaining goodwill on the balance sheet as of September 30, 2022.

While we believe our conclusions regarding the estimates of fair value of our reporting unit are appropriate, these estimates are subject to uncertainty and by nature include judgments and estimates regarding various factors. These factors include the rate and extent of growth in the markets that our reporting unit serves, the realization of future sales price and volume increases, fluctuations in price and availability of key raw materials, future operating efficiencies and, as it pertains to discount rates, the volatility in interest rates and costs of equity.

Some of the inherent estimates and assumptions used in determining fair value of our reporting unit are outside the control of management, including interest rates, tax rates, credit ratings and industry growth. Given the current COVID-19 global pandemic and the uncertainties regarding the financial potential impact on our business, there can be no assurance that our estimates and assumptions regarding the impact of COVID-19 and the recovery period made for purposes of the goodwill impairment testing performed will prove to be accurate predictions of the future.

On October 4, 2022, the Company acquired Step and Go, a brand in the health and Wellness category, for $0.7 million. As part of the purchase price allocation of the acquisition, $0.5 million was attributed to goodwill. As our market capitalization was further reduced below net assets as of December 31, 2022, an impairment loss on goodwill of $0.5 million was recorded for the three months ended December 31, 2022.

As a result of these analyses, we recorded a total goodwill impairment charge of approximately $120.4 million for the year-ended December 31, 2022.

There is no remaining goodwill balance as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2023.

We believe that the assumptions and estimates made are reasonable and appropriate, and changes in the assumptions and estimates could have a material impact on our reported financial results.

Intangible asset valuation —We review long-lived assets for impairment when performance expectations, events, or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset's carrying value may not be recoverable. The evaluation is performed at the lowest level of identifiable cash flows by comparing the carrying value of the asset group to the undiscounted cash flows. If the evaluation indicates that the carrying amount of the assets may not be recoverable, any potential impairment is measured based upon the fair value of the related asset or asset group as determined by an appropriate market appraisal or other valuation technique.

On March 20, 2023, the Company made certain leadership changes in our essential oil business resulting in a change in strategy and outlook for the business which will result in a reduced portfolio offering. This reduction in the portfolio will be impactful to our essential oil business's future revenues and profitability and as a result the Company made revisions to our internal forecasts. The Company concluded that this change was an interim triggering event for the three months ending March 31, 2023 indicating the carrying value of our essential oil business's long-lived assets including trademarks may not be recoverable. Accordingly, the Company performed an interim impairment test of the trademark and assessed the recoverability of the related intangible assets by using level 3 inputs and comparing the carrying value of an asset group to the net undiscounted cash flow expected to be generated. The recoverability test indicated that certain definite-live trademark intangible assets were impaired. The Company concluded the carrying value of the trademark exceeded its estimated fair value which was determined utilizing the relief-from-royalty method to determine discounted projected future cash flows which resulted in an impairment charge. The Company recorded an intangible impairment charge of $16.7 million in the three months ending March 31, 2023 within impairment loss on intangibles on the condensed consolidated statement of operations.

During the three months ended June 30, 2023, the Company had a substantial decrease in its market capitalization, primarily relating to a decrease in share price. Further, the Company continues to see reduced net revenues across its portfolio due to the current macroeconomic environment reducing demand for consumer goods. Finally, during the three months ending June 30, 2023, the Company implemented a strategy of rationalizing certain less profitable products and reducing its product offering, specifically related to its kitchen appliance products. As a result of this rationalization, along with the reduced demand for its products, the Company has made certain revisions to its internal forecasts for its Paper business and Kitchen appliance business. The Company concluded that these factors were an interim triggering event for the three months ending June 30, 2023 indicating the carrying value of our Paper and Kitchen appliance business’s long-lived assets, including trademarks, may not be recoverable. Accordingly, the Company performed an interim impairment test of the trademark and assessed the recoverability of the related intangible assets by using level 3 inputs and comparing the carrying value of an asset group to the net undiscounted cash flow expected to be generated. The recoverability test indicated that certain definite-live trademark intangible assets were impaired. The Company concluded the carrying value of the trademark exceeded its estimated fair value which was determined utilizing the relief-from-royalty method to determine discounted projected future cash flows which resulted in an impairment charge. The Company recorded an intangible impairment charge of $22.8 million for the Paper business and Kitchen appliance business during the three months ending June 30, 2023 within impairment loss on intangibles on the condensed consolidated statement of operations. 

During the three months ended December 31, 2023, the Company continued to see reduced revenue in its paper business resulting in certain revisions to its internal forecasts. Due to these revisions in forecast due to reduced demand,, The Company concluded this was an interim triggering event for the three months ending December 31, 2023 indicating the carrying value of our Paper business’s long-lived assets, including trademarks, may not be recoverable. Accordingly, the Company performed an interim impairment test of the trademark and assessed the recoverability of the related intangible assets by using level 3 inputs and comparing the carrying value of an asset group to the net undiscounted cash flow expected to be generated. The recoverability test indicated that certain definite-live trademark intangible assets were impaired. The Company concluded the carrying value of the trademark exceeded its estimated fair value which was determined utilizing the relief-from-royalty method to determine discounted projected future cash flows which resulted in an impairment charge. The Company recorded an intangible impairment charge of $0.3 million for the Paper business during the three months ending December 31, 2023 within impairment loss on intangibles on the consolidated statement of operations. 

These fair value measurements require significant judgements using Level 3 inputs, such as discounted projected future cash flows, which are not observable from the market, directly or indirectly. There is uncertainty in the projected future cash flows used in the Company’s impairment analysis, which requires the use of estimates and assumptions. If actual performance does not achieve the projections, or if the assumptions used in the analysis change in the future, the Company may be required to recognize additional impairment charges in future periods. Key assumptions in the impairment models included a discount and royalty rate. The Company believes our procedures for determining fair value are reasonable and consistent with current market conditions as of December 31, 2023.

For the year-ended December 31, 2022 and 2023, total impairment loss on intangibles were approximately $3.1 million and $39.7 million, respectively.

We will continue to closely monitor actual results versus expectations as well as whether and to what extent any significant changes in current events or conditions result in corresponding changes to our expectations about future estimated cash flows. If our adjusted expectations of the operating results do not materialize, we may be required to record intangible impairment charges, which may be material.

While we believe our conclusions regarding the estimates of recoverability of our asset groupings are appropriate, these estimates are subject to uncertainty and by nature include judgments and estimates regarding various factors. These factors include the rate and extent of growth in the markets that our asset groups serve, the realization of future sales price and volume increases, fluctuations in exchange rates, fluctuations in price and availability of key raw materials, fluctuations in discount rate, and future operating efficiencies.

JOBS Act

In April 2012, the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”) was enacted. Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that an “emerging growth company” (“EGC”) can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, for complying with new or revised accounting standards. We have elected to avail ourselves of this exemption and, as a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to the financial statements of issuers who are required to comply with the effective dates for new or revised accounting standards that are applicable to public companies. Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that we can elect to opt out of the extended transition period at any time, which election is irrevocable.

In addition, as an EGC, we have taken advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public 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, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.

We will remain an EGC until the earlier of (i) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenues of $1.07 billion or more; (ii) the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the completion of our initial public offering, or December 31, 2024; (iii) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the previous three years; or (iv) the date on which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer under the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) (i.e., the first day of the fiscal year after we have (1) more than $700.0 million in outstanding common equity held by our non-affiliates, measured each year on the last day of our second fiscal quarter, (2) been public for at least 12 months, and (3) are not eligible to be deemed a “smaller reporting company” because we do not meet the revenue test of the definition of “smaller reporting company”, which includes an initial determination that our annual revenues are more than $100.0 million for the most recently completed fiscal year).

Adopted Accounting Standards and Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies for more information.

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

We are exposed to market risk related to changes in interest rates. Our primary exposure to market risk is interest rate sensitivity, which is affected by changes in the general level of U.S. interest rates, particularly because our investments, including cash equivalents, are in the form, or may be in the form of, money market funds or marketable securities and are or may be invested in U.S. Treasury and U.S. government agency obligations. Due to the short-term maturities and low risk profiles of our investment, an immediate 100 basis point change in interest rates would not have a material effect on the fair market value of our investments. We do not currently use or plan to use financial derivatives in our investment portfolio or engage in hedging transactions to manage our exposure to interest rate risk.

In addition, we have outstanding debt under the Credit Facility with MidCap that bears interest. As of December 31, 2023, our outstanding indebtedness under the Credit Facility was $11.1 million, which bears interest at a rate of Term Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("Term SOFR"), which is defined as SOFR plus 0.10%, plus 5.50%. We do not believe that an immediate 10% increase in interest rates would have a material effect on interest expense for the Credit Facility, and therefore we do not expect our operating results or cash flows to be materially affected to any degree by a sudden change in market interest.

We are currently exposed to market risk related to changes in foreign currency exchange rates. We do not currently engage in hedging transactions to manage our exposure to foreign currency exchange rate risk as we do not currently believe our exposure is material. Sales outside of the U.S. represented approximately 2% and 4% of our net revenue for the years-ended December 31, 2022 and 2023, respectively. Currently, our revenue-producing transactions are primarily denominated in U.S. dollars; however, as we continue to expand internationally, our results of operations and cash flows may increasingly become subject to fluctuations due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates. In periods when the U.S. dollar declines in value as compared to foreign currencies in which we incur expenses, our foreign-currency based expenses will increase when translated into U.S. dollars. In addition, future fluctuations in the value of the U.S. dollar may affect the price at which we sell our products outside the U.S. To date, our foreign currency risk has been minimal, and we have not historically hedged our foreign currency risk; however, we may consider doing so in the future.

Inflation would generally affect us by increasing our cost of labor and overhead costs. We do not believe that inflation had a material effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations for the years-ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2023.

ATERIAN, INC.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

See notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

ATERIAN, INC.

Consolidated Statements of Operations

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

See notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

ATERIAN, INC.

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss

(in thousands)

See notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

ATERIAN, INC.

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

See notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

ATERIAN, INC.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(in thousands)