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Backblaze (BLZE)
NASDAQ:BLZE
Risk Overview Q4, 2025
Risk Distribution
42% Finance & Corporate
18% Tech & Innovation
16% Ability to Sell
9% Legal & Regulatory
9% Production
5% Macro & Political
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
This chart displays the stock's most recent risk distribution according to category. TipRanks has identified 6 major categories: Finance & corporate, legal & regulatory, macro & political, production, tech & innovation, and ability to sell.
Risk Change Over Time
S&P500 Average
Sector Average
Risks removed
Risks added
Risks changed
Backblaze Risk Factors
New Risk (0)
Risk Changed (0)
Risk Removed (0)
No changes from previous report
The chart shows the number of risks a company has disclosed. You can compare this to the sector average or S&P 500 average.
The quarters shown in the chart are according to the calendar year (January to December). Businesses set their own financial calendar, known as a fiscal year. For example, Walmart ends their financial year at the end of January to accommodate the holiday season.
The quarters shown in the chart are according to the calendar year (January to December). Businesses set their own financial calendar, known as a fiscal year. For example, Walmart ends their financial year at the end of January to accommodate the holiday season.
Risk Highlights Q4, 2025
Main Risk Category
Finance & Corporate
With 23 Risks
Finance & Corporate
With 23 Risks
Number of Disclosed Risks
55
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 31
55
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 31
Recent Changes
4Risks added
1Risks removed
5Risks changed
Since Dec 2025
4Risks added
1Risks removed
5Risks changed
Since Dec 2025
Number of Risk Changed
5
+3
From last reportS&P 500 Average: 3
5
+3
From last reportS&P 500 Average: 3
See the risk highlights of Backblaze in the last period.
Risk Word Cloud
The most common phrases about risk factors from the most recent report. Larger texts indicate more widely used phrases.
Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 55
Finance & Corporate
Total Risks: 23/55 (42%)Above Sector Average
Share Price & Shareholder Rights7 | 12.7%
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1
We are an emerging growth company, which provides, among other things, reduced disclosure requirements, and any decision on our part to comply only with reduced reporting and disclosure requirements applicable to such companies could make our common stock less attractive to investors.Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2
Anti-takeover provisions contained in our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws, as well as provisions of Delaware law, could impair a takeover attempt.Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, Amended and Restated Bylaws, and Delaware law contain provisions which could have the effect of rendering more difficult, delaying, or preventing an acquisition deemed undesirable by our Board of Directors. Among other things, our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws include provisions:
- creating a classified Board of Directors whose members serve staggered three-year terms;- authorizing "blank check" preferred stock, which could be issued by our Board of Directors without stockholder approval and may contain voting, liquidation, dividend, and other rights superior to our common stock;- limiting the liability of, and providing indemnification to, our directors and officers;- limiting the ability of our stockholders to call and bring business before special meetings;- requiring advance notice of stockholder proposals for business to be conducted at meetings of our stockholders and for nominations of candidates for election to our Board of Directors; and - controlling the procedures for the conduct and scheduling of Board of Directors and stockholder meetings.
These provisions, alone or together, could delay or prevent hostile takeovers and changes in control or changes in our management.
As a Delaware corporation, we are also subject to provisions of Delaware law, including Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation law, which prevents certain stockholders holding more than 15% of our outstanding capital stock from engaging in certain business combinations without approval of the holders of at least two-thirds of our outstanding common stock not held by such stockholder. Any provision of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, Amended and Restated Bylaws, or Delaware law that has the effect of delaying, preventing, or deterring a change in control could limit the opportunity for our stockholders to receive a premium for their shares of our capital stock, and could also affect the price that some investors are willing to pay for our common stock.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3
The market price of our common stock has been, and will likely continue to be, volatile, and you could lose all or part of your investment.Prior to the listing of our common stock, there was no public market for shares of our common stock. Since our initial public offering, the stock price of our common stock has experienced very high volatility and the market prices of securities of other newly public companies have historically been highly volatile. The market price of our common stock could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors, including those listed in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, some of which are beyond our control and may not be related to our operating performance.
Fluctuations in the price of our common stock could cause you to lose all or part of your investment because you may be unable to sell your shares at or above the price you paid. Factors that could cause fluctuations in the market price of our common stock include the following:
- price and volume fluctuations in the overall stock market from time to time;- volatility in the market prices and trading volumes of technology stocks;- changes in operating performance and stock market valuations of other technology companies generally or those in our industry in particular;- sales of shares of our common stock by us or our stockholders;- failure of securities analysts to maintain coverage of us, changes in financial estimates by securities analysts who follow us, or our failure to meet these estimates or the expectations of investors;- the financial projections we may provide to the public, any changes in those projections or our failure to meet those projections;- announcements by us or our competitors of new products or services;- the public's reaction to our press releases, other public announcements, and filings with the SEC;- rumors and market speculation involving us or other companies in our industry;- actual or anticipated changes in our operating results or fluctuations in our operating results;- actual or anticipated developments in our business, our competitors' businesses, or the competitive landscape generally;- litigation involving us, our industry, or both, or investigations by regulators into our operations or those of our competitors;- developments or disputes concerning our intellectual property or other proprietary rights;- announced or completed acquisitions of businesses or technologies by us or our competitors;- new laws or regulations or new interpretations of existing laws or regulations applicable to our business;- changes in accounting standards, policies, guidelines, interpretations, or principles;- outbreaks of war or other hostilities;- any significant change in our management;- a return of pandemic conditions; and - general economic conditions and slow or negative growth of our markets.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4
Sales of a substantial number of our common stock in the public market could cause our share price to fall.The market price of our common stock could decline as a result of sales of a large number of shares of our common stock in the market, and the perception that these sales could occur may also depress the market price of our common stock. In addition, our daily trading volume may be limited and significantly less than the amount of shares available for sale. In the event that the number of our common stock shares offered for sale on any given day exceeds the existing demand for our shares, it may cause our stock price to fall.
We may also issue additional shares of our common stock, convertible securities or other equity, including pursuant to our equity compensation plans. Such issuances could be dilutive to investors and could cause the price of shares of our common stock to decline. New investors in such issuances could also receive rights senior to those of holders of shares of our common stock.
The above factors may make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and at a price that we deem appropriate. Any such sales also could cause the market price of our common stock to fall and make it more difficult for you to sell shares of our common stock.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5
If securities or industry analysts do not publish or cease publishing research or reports about us, our business, our market, or our competitors, or if they adversely change their recommendations regarding our common stock, the market price of our common stock and trading volume could decline.The trading market for our common stock will be influenced by the research and reports that securities or industry analysts may publish about us, our business, our market, or our competitors. If any of the analysts who may cover us adversely change their recommendations regarding our common stock or provide more favorable recommendations about our competitors, the market price of our common stock would likely decline. If any of the analysts who may cover us were to cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause the market price of our common stock or trading volume to decline.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6
Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware and the federal district courts of the United States of America are the exclusive forums for substantially all disputes between us and our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders' ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, or employees.Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware and the federal district courts of the United States of America are the exclusive forum for substantially all disputes between us and our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders' ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, or employees. Specifically, our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the exclusive forum provision for: (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of us; (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty; (iii) any action arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or Amended and Restated Bylaws (as either may be amended from time to time); (iv) any action to interpret, apply, enforce, or determine the validity of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or our Amended and Restated Bylaws; (v) any action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine; or (vi) any action asserting an "internal corporate claim" as defined in the DGCL.
These exclusive forum provisions would not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act.
Furthermore, Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all such Securities Act actions. Accordingly, both state and federal courts have jurisdiction to entertain such claims. To prevent having to litigate claims in multiple jurisdictions and the threat of inconsistent or contrary rulings by different courts, among other considerations, our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation further provides that the U.S. federal district courts are the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. While the Delaware courts have determined that such choice of forum provisions are facially valid, a stockholder may nevertheless seek to bring a claim in a venue other than those designated in the exclusive forum provisions. In such instance, we would expect to vigorously assert the validity and enforceability of the exclusive forum provisions of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. This may require significant additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions and there can be no assurance that the provisions will be enforced by a court in those other jurisdictions.
These exclusive-forum provisions may limit a stockholder's ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers, or other employees. If a court were to find any of the exclusive forum provisions of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to be inapplicable to or unenforceable in an action, we may incur further significant additional costs associated with resolving the dispute in other jurisdictions, all of which could seriously harm our business.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7
Our stock and business may be adversely affected by the actions of third parties attempting to manipulate our share price.Added
We believe our stock and business has been, and may in the future be, subject to short sellers or other third parties who manipulate our share price through false or misleading reports to spark fear and drive down our share price for their personal financial gain at the expense of other stockholders. This technique is also referred to as "short and distort." These activities are often accompanied by announcements from various fee-chasing law firms trolling for potential plaintiffs and threatening litigation, often without conducting a thorough investigation. Even when there is no merit to the underlying allegations, these campaigns, which may involve social media, anonymous sources, or coordinated trading activity, can materially impact investor sentiment, depress our stock price, harm our reputation and business, and divert management's attention.
Accounting & Financial Operations10 | 18.2%
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 1
We have a history of cumulative losses, and we do not expect to be profitable for the foreseeable future.Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 2
As a public company, we are obligated to develop and maintain proper and effective internal control over financial reporting, and if we fail to develop and maintain an effective system of disclosure controls and internal control over financial reporting, our ability to produce timely and accurate financial statements or comply with applicable laws and regulations could be impaired.Changed
As a public company, we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the "Dodd-Frank Act"), the listing requirements of the Nasdaq Global Market ("Nasdaq"), and other applicable securities rules and regulations. Compliance with these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs, make some activities more difficult, time consuming, or costly, and increase demand on our systems and resources, particularly after we are no longer an emerging growth company. The Exchange Act requires, among other things, that we file annual, quarterly, and current reports with respect to our business and operating results. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. It may require significant resources and management oversight to maintain and, if necessary, improve our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting to meet this standard. As a result, management's attention may be diverted from other business concerns, which could adversely affect our business and operating results. To comply with these requirements, we may need to hire more employees in the future or engage outside consultants, which would increase our costs and expenses.
As a public company, we are required, pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act ("Section 404"), to furnish a report by management on, among other things, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. However, we are currently exempt from the requirement for an independent registered public accounting firm to attest to and report on management's assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting under Section 404 until our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2026. Effective internal control over financial reporting is necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and, together with adequate disclosure controls and procedures, are designed to prevent fraud. Any failure to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in their implementation, could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. Ineffective internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our common stock.
This assessment will need to include disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by our management in our internal control over financial reporting, as well as a statement that our independent registered public accounting firm has issued an opinion on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. We expect to incur significant expenses and devote substantial management effort toward ensuring compliance with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404. Furthermore, if and when we are deemed to be a "large accelerated filer", we will also be required to file a more expansive proxy statement and be subject to shorter filing deadlines, which will require additional time and expense.
An independent assessment of the effectiveness of our internal controls could detect problems that our management's assessment might not. Undetected material weaknesses in our internal controls could lead to financial statement restatements and require us to incur costs to remediate them. We will be required to disclose changes made in our internal control and procedures on a quarterly basis. To comply with the requirements of being a public company, we have undertaken and may need to continue to undertake various actions, such as implementing new internal controls and procedures, hiring risk professionals, accounting and internal audit staff, and engaging outside consultants, which will increase our operating expenses.
We are in the early stages of the costly and challenging process of compiling the system and processing documentation necessary to perform the evaluation needed to comply with Section 404. We may not be able to complete our evaluation, testing, and any required remediation in a timely fashion. During the evaluation and testing process, if we identify material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, we will be unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective.
If we are unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an unqualified opinion on the effectiveness of our internal control, including as a result of a material weakness, we could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, which could cause the price of our common stock to decline, and we may be subject to investigation or sanctions by the SEC. In addition, if we are unable to continue to meet these requirements, we may not be able to remain listed on Nasdaq.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 3
We do not expect to declare any dividends in the foreseeable future.We do not anticipate declaring any cash dividends to holders of our common stock in the foreseeable future. Consequently, investors may need to rely on sales of our common stock after price appreciation, which may never occur, as the only way to realize any future gains on their investment. Investors seeking cash dividends should not purchase shares of our common stock.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 4
Certain of our market opportunity estimates, growth forecasts, and other metrics included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K could prove to be inaccurate, and any real or perceived inaccuracies may harm our reputation and negatively affect our business.Certain estimates and information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including general expectations concerning our industry and the market in which we operate, market opportunity, and market size, are subject to significant uncertainty and are based on assumptions and estimates that may not prove to be accurate. Moreover, much of this information is based on information provided by third-party providers. Although we believe the information from such third-party sources is reliable, we have not independently verified the accuracy or completeness of the data contained in such third-party sources or the methodologies for collecting such data, and such information may also not prove to be accurate. If there are any limitations or errors with respect to such data or methodologies, our business opportunities may be limited, which could negatively affect our shares of common stock. Even if the markets in which we compete meet the size estimates and growth forecasted in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, our business could fail to grow at similar rates, if at all.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 5
Our quarterly results may fluctuate significantly and may not fully reflect the underlying performance of our business.Our quarterly results of operations have fluctuated in the past and may vary significantly in the future. Accordingly, the results of any one quarter should not be relied upon as an indication of future performance. Our quarterly results of operations fluctuate as a result of a variety of factors, many of which are outside of our control, and as a result may not fully reflect the underlying performance of our business. Fluctuation in quarterly results may negatively impact the trading price of our Class A common stock. Factors that may cause fluctuations in our quarterly results of operations include, without limitation:
- our ability to attract new customers;- the amount of customer churn;- fluctuations in the amount of data customers store with us;- the amount and timing of operating expenses and equipment purchases related to the maintenance and expansion of our business;- interruptions or loss of service of our offerings;- the timing and success of new product features and service introductions by us or our competitors;- our ability to retain and increase revenue from customers;- changes in deferred revenue balances;- changes in or timing of cash flows;- changes in the competitive dynamics of our industry, including consolidation among competitors;- security breaches of our systems;- our involvement in litigation, or the threat thereof;- the length of the sales cycle;- the amount and timing of sales commissions, particularly with respect to pipeline, that may precede or exceed the actual corresponding revenue we receive;- outbreaks of war or other hostilities, such as the Russia-Ukraine, the joint U.S-Israeli strikes on Iran in February 2026 and other conflicts in the Middle East;- inflation in the United States and other regions;- the impact of pandemics on our business or that of our customers and partners;- the timing of expenses and receipt of perceived benefits related to any acquisitions;- changes in laws and regulations that impact our business; and - general economic and market conditions.
Further, as we continue to grow and scale our business to meet the needs of our customers, we may overestimate or underestimate our infrastructure capacity requirements, which could adversely affect our results of operations. The costs associated with leasing and maintaining our custom-built infrastructure in data center spaces and third-party data center spaces already constitute a significant portion of our capital and operating expenses. We continuously evaluate our short and long-term infrastructure capacity requirements and seek to ensure adequate capacity for new and existing users while minimizing unnecessary excess capacity costs. However, we may not be able to sufficiently predict future demand, or the availability of hardware or infrastructure necessary to support increased demand on a timely basis. If we overestimate the demand for our platform and therefore secure excess infrastructure capacity or equipment, our gross margins could be reduced. If we underestimate our infrastructure capacity requirements or availability of necessary hardware or infrastructure, we may not be able to service the needs of new and existing customers; durability, reliability, and performance could suffer; our costs could rise; and our business could be harmed.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 6
We may fail to meet our publicly announced guidance or other expectations about our business, which could cause our stock price to decline.We may provide from time to time guidance regarding our expected financial and business performance, which may include projections regarding sales and production, as well as anticipated future revenues, gross margins, profitability, and cash flows. Correctly identifying key factors affecting business conditions and predicting future events is inherently an uncertain process, and our guidance may not ultimately be accurate and has in the past been inaccurate in certain respects, such as the timing of new products. Our guidance is based on certain assumptions such as those relating to anticipated production and sales, average sales prices, supplier and commodity costs, and planned cost reductions. If our guidance is not accurate or varies from actual results due to our inability to meet our assumptions or the impact on our financial performance that could occur as a result of various risks and uncertainties, the market value of our common stock could decline significantly.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 7
Our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be limited.As of December 31, 2025, we had net operating loss carryforwards for U.S. federal income tax purposes of $172.5 million available to offset future U.S. federal taxable income. Also, as of December 31, 2025, we had net operating loss carryforwards for state income tax purposes of $109.7 million available to offset future state taxable income. If not utilized, the federal and state net operating loss carryforwards will begin to expire in 2029. As of December 31, 2025, we also have federal research and development ("R&D") credit carryforwards of $13.1 million which will begin to expire in 2032 and California R&D credit carryforwards of $6.6 million which do not expire. The Company also has $0.1 million of California enterprise zone credits which will begin to expire in 2028.
Utilization of our net operating loss carryforwards and other tax attributes, such as research and development tax credits, may be subject to annual limitations, or could be subject to other limitations on utilization or benefit due to the ownership change limitations provided by Sections 382 and 383 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), and other similar provisions. Under Sections 382 and 383 of the Code, if a corporation undergoes an "ownership change," our ability to use pre-change net operating loss carryforwards and other pre-change attributes, such as research tax credits, to offset post-change income may be limited. Similar rules may apply under state tax laws. We have performed a Section 382 analysis through December 31, 2024. We may experience ownership changes in the future as a result of subsequent changes in our stock ownership, some of which may be outside our control. Accordingly, our ability to utilize the aforementioned carryforwards may be limited.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 8
If our estimates or judgments relating to our critical accounting estimates prove to be incorrect, our results of operations could be adversely affected.The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, as provided in the section titled "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Critical Accounting Estimates." The results of these estimates form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets, liabilities, and equity, and the amount of revenue and expenses that are not readily apparent from other sources. Significant estimates and assumptions involve those related to costs to be capitalized as internal-use software, which include determining whether projects will result in new or additional functionality. We also regularly review long-lived assets, including property and equipment, and intangible assets, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that their carrying value may not be recoverable. If parts of our business, including products or features, market conditions or business opportunities change in ways that negatively impact these assets, we may be required to record impairment charges. Any such charges could be material and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Our results of operations may be adversely affected if our assumptions change or if actual circumstances differ from those in our assumptions.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 9
The failure to maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting could harm our business and negatively impact the value of our common stock.We have previously identified material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting, which we remediated. However, if we are not able to maintain an effective system of internal controls over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or timely file our periodic reports. As a result, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, and the market price of our common stock may be materially impacted.
Our independent registered public accounting firm is not required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting until after we are no longer an "emerging growth company" as defined in the JOBS Act. At such time, our independent registered public accounting firm may issue a report that is adverse in the event it is not satisfied with the level at which our internal controls over financial reporting is documented, designed, or operating. Any failure to maintain effective disclosure controls and internal controls over financial reporting could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition and could cause a decline in the trading price of our Class A common stock.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 10
Because we recognize revenue from our subscription services over the term of the subscription, downturns or upturns in new business may not be immediately reflected in our operating results.We generally recognize revenue from customers of our subscription agreements related to data backup services ratably over the terms of their subscription agreements, a majority of which are one or two-year agreements. Accordingly, the corresponding revenue we report in each quarter from such arrangements is the result of subscription agreements entered into during previous quarters. Consequently, a decline in new or renewed subscriptions in any one quarter may only be partially reflected in our revenue results for that quarter. However, any such decline will negatively affect our revenue in future quarters. Accordingly, the effect of significant downturns in sales and market acceptance of our cloud services, and potential changes in our retention rate may not be fully reflected in our operating results until future periods. This subscription model also makes it difficult for us to rapidly increase our revenue through additional subscription sales in any period as part of new growth initiatives or otherwise, as revenue from new customers must be recognized over the applicable subscription term.
Debt & Financing2 | 3.6%
Debt & Financing - Risk 1
We may require additional capital to support our operations or the growth of our business, and we cannot be certain that this capital will be available on reasonable terms when required, or at all.Debt & Financing - Risk 2
Restrictive covenants under our credit facility may constrain our strategic and operational flexibility.Added
On June?4,?2025, we entered into a senior secured revolving credit agreement with Citizens Bank, N.A. (the "Lender") providing borrowing capacity of up to $20?million, of which up to $3?million is available through a letter-of-credit (the "Revolving Credit Facility"). While we believe the credit facility generally strengthens our overall financial position, the credit agreement imposes various affirmative and negative covenants, including financial covenants requiring us to maintain specified minimum liquidity, minimum consolidated EBITDA, and maximum total leverage ratios, as well as limitations on our ability to incur additional indebtedness, create liens on our assets, make certain investments, and take other corporate actions, including mergers and acquisitions, without prior approval from the lender. As a result, our operating and financial flexibility may be materially restricted by these provisions. If we fail to comply with any covenant or other terms and conditions, the lender may accelerate amounts outstanding under the facility, require mandatory prepayment or repayment, terminate access to additional borrowings, or foreclose on any or all of the Company's assets secured or otherwise pledged as collateral under the credit agreement. These restrictions may limit our ability to respond effectively to changing market or economic conditions, pursue acquisitions, investments, or strategic transactions that we otherwise believe are value enhancing, return capital to stockholders via dividends, share repurchases or other distributions; or make capital expenditures or other internal reinvestments, including investing in product enhancements or scaling key infrastructure. Our ability to comply with these covenants, and to avoid defaults, may be adversely affected by changes in our liquidity position, profitability, working capital, or capital structure that arise due to factors outside of our control, including economic downturns, competitive pressures, or unexpected expense events. A default under the agreement could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Corporate Activity and Growth4 | 7.3%
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 1
Future acquisitions and investments could disrupt our business and harm our financial condition and operating results.Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 2
The requirements of being a public company, particularly after we are no longer an "emerging growth company," may strain our resources, require us to incur substantial costs and will require substantial management attention.As a public company, and particularly after we cease to be an "emerging growth company", we have incurred and will continue to incur substantial legal, accounting, and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. For example, we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Act, the rules and regulations of the SEC, and the listing standards of Nasdaq. For example, the Exchange Act requires, among other things, we file annual, quarterly, and current reports with respect to our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Compliance with these rules and regulations has increased and will continue to increase our legal and financial compliance costs, and increase demand on our systems, particularly after we are no longer an emerging growth company. In addition, as a public company, we may be subject to stockholder activism, which can lead to additional substantial costs, distract management, and impact the manner in which we operate our business in ways we cannot currently anticipate. As a result of disclosure of information in filings required of a public company, our business and financial condition has become more visible, which may result in threatened or actual litigation, including by competitors.
Some members of our management team also have limited experience managing a publicly traded company, interacting with public company investors, and complying with the increasingly complex laws pertaining to public companies. Our management team may not successfully or efficiently manage the increased regulatory oversight and reporting obligations under the federal securities laws and the continuous scrutiny of securities analysts and investors. These obligations and constituents require significant attention from our senior management and could divert their attention away from the day-to-day management of our business, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 3
Our corporate culture has contributed to our success, and if we cannot maintain this culture as we grow, we could lose the innovation, creativity, and teamwork fostered by our culture, and our business may be harmed.We have a culture that encourages employees to be open, collaborate, strive to do the right thing, and develop and launch new and innovative solutions, which we believe is essential to attracting customers and partners and serving the best, long-term interests of our company. As our business grows and becomes more complex, it may become more difficult to maintain culture aligned across the company. Any failure to preserve our culture and core values could negatively affect our ability to retain and recruit personnel, which is critical to our growth, and to effectively focus on and pursue our strategies. If we fail to maintain our company culture, our business and competitive position may be harmed.
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 4
Our business depends, in part, on the success of our strategic relationships with third parties.To maintain and grow our business, we anticipate that we will continue to depend on relationships with third parties, such as channel partners and integrators, which are becoming an increasingly important part of our business and our sales and marketing strategy. Identifying partners and negotiating and building relationships with them requires significant time and resources. Our competitors may be effective in providing incentives to third parties to favor their services over us. In addition, any industry consolidation of such partners or integrators by our competitors or others could result in a decrease in the number of our current and potential customers, as these partners or integrators may no longer facilitate the adoption of our applications by potential customers. Interoperability between our platform and other third-party platforms is also important to our business. Further, some of our partners or integrators are or may become competitive with certain aspects of our cloud services and may elect to no longer integrate with, or support, our platform and cloud services. If we are unsuccessful in establishing or maintaining our relationships with such third parties and maintaining interoperability, our ability to compete in the marketplace or to grow our revenue could be impaired, and our business may suffer. Even if we are successful, we cannot assure you that these relationships will result in increased customer usage of our cloud services or increased revenue.
Tech & Innovation
Total Risks: 10/55 (18%)Above Sector Average
Trade Secrets2 | 3.6%
Trade Secrets - Risk 1
Assertions by a third-party that our cloud services infringe, misappropriate, or otherwise violate their intellectual property could subject us to costly and time-consuming litigation and adversely impact our business.Trade Secrets - Risk 2
If we are unable to adequately establish, maintain, protect, and enforce our intellectual property and proprietary rights, our reputation may be harmed, we may be subject to litigation, and our business may be adversely affected.Our future success and competitive position depend in large part on our ability to establish, maintain, protect, and enforce our intellectual property and proprietary rights. We do not currently own any issued patents and rely on a combination of trademark, copyright, and trade secret laws, as well as confidentiality procedures and contractual restrictions, to establish and protect our proprietary rights, all of which provide only limited protection and may not now or in the future provide us with a competitive advantage. While we currently have patent applications pending, we may be unable to obtain patent protection for the technology covered in our patent applications, the patent protection may not be obtained quickly enough to meet our business needs, any patents issued in the future may not provide us with competitive advantages or they may be successfully challenged by third parties. Additionally, the steps we have taken and will take may not prevent unauthorized use, reverse engineering, or misappropriation of our technologies and we may be unable to detect any of the foregoing. Furthermore, effective trademark, copyright, and trade secret protection may not be available in every country in which our cloud services are available. Our lack of patent protection may restrict our ability to protect our technologies and processes from competition. Defending and enforcing our intellectual property rights may result in litigation, which can be costly and divert management attention and resources. If our efforts to protect our technologies and intellectual property are inadequate, the value of our brand and other intangible assets may be diminished and competitors may be able to mimic our cloud services. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business.
With respect to our technology platform, we consider trade secrets and know-how to be one of our primary sources of intellectual property. However, trade secrets and know-how can be difficult to protect. The use of generative AI tools could also expose us to inadvertently disclosing trade secrets or other confidential information or inadvertently cause us to violate third party intellectual property rights. We seek to protect these trade secrets and other proprietary technology, in part, by internal controls and policies as well as entering into non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements with parties who have access to them, such as our employees, outside contractors, consultants, advisors, and other third parties. We also enter into confidentiality and invention assignment agreements with our employees and consultants. The confidentiality agreements are designed to protect our proprietary information and, in the case of agreements or clauses containing invention assignment, to grant us ownership of technologies that are developed through a relationship with employees or third parties. We cannot guarantee that we have entered into such agreements with each party that may have or has had access to our trade secrets or proprietary information, including our technology and processes. Despite these efforts, no assurance can be given that the confidentiality agreements we enter into or our other internal controls and policies will be effective in controlling access to such proprietary information and trade secrets. The confidentiality agreements on which we rely to protect certain technologies may be breached, and these and other actions that we take may not be adequate to protect our confidential information, trade secrets, and proprietary technologies and may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure of our confidential information, trade secrets or proprietary technology. Further, these actions do not prevent our competitors or others from independently developing the same or similar technologies and processes, which may allow them to provide a service similar or superior to ours, which could harm our competitive position.
Cyber Security1 | 1.8%
Cyber Security - Risk 1
If our information technology systems, including the data of our customers stored in our systems, are breached or subject to cybersecurity attacks, our reputation and business may be harmed.Technology7 | 12.7%
Technology - Risk 1
Any significant disruption in our service or loss, or delay in availability of our customers' data, could damage our reputation and harm our business and operating results.Technology - Risk 2
Material defects or errors in our software or hardware failures could negatively impact our business, harm our reputation, result in significant costs to us, and negatively impact our ability to sell our cloud services.The software underlying our cloud services is inherently complex and may contain material defects or errors, particularly when first introduced or when new versions or enhancements are released. We have from time to time found defects or errors in our cloud services, and new defects or errors in our existing solutions may be detected in the future by us, our customers or partners, or other third parties. The costs incurred in correcting such defects or errors may be substantial and could negatively impact our business. For example, to the extent that the encryption keys for encrypted customer data stored by us were to be deleted or corrupted, the data could become unrecoverable. In addition, we rely on hardware purchased or leased and software licensed from third parties to offer our cloud services. Hardware is susceptible to failures and may require ongoing maintenance and periodic replacement throughout its useful life. Any defects in, or unavailability of, our software or hardware failures that cause interruptions to the availability of our cloud services or that otherwise impact our business could, among other things:
- require us to issue refunds or credits to our customers or expose us to claims for damages,- cause us to lose existing customers and make it more difficult to attract new customers,- divert our development resources or require us to make extensive changes to our cloud services or software,- harm our reputation and brand, and - negatively impact our results of operations.
Technology - Risk 3
If we are unable to provide successful enhancements, new features, and modifications to our cloud services, our business could be adversely affected.Our industry is marked by rapid technological developments and new and enhanced applications and cloud services. If we are unable to provide enhancements and new features for our existing services or develop new services that achieve market acceptance, our business could be adversely affected. We have recently launched various new solutions, product features and other changes, including B2 Overdrive. We cannot be certain whether such features and other changes will achieve a desired level of market adoption and return on investment. We have also launched product features that utilize AI, and may offer additional AI related solutions in the future. Embedding AI in our solutions exposes us to additional risks for potential inaccuracies or bias in AI outputs as well as data privacy, intellectual property, or other regulatory and compliance requirements. In addition, because our cloud services are designed to operate on a variety of systems, we will need to continuously modify and enhance our cloud services to keep pace with changes in internet-related hardware, operating systems, and other software, communication, browser, and database technologies, including the systems of our partners, vendors, and competitors. We also have limited internal resources and thus need to selectively prioritize features and other development and infrastructure projects, and de-prioritize certain other projects. Although we seek to prioritize the projects that we believe are the most important and de-prioritize projects of lesser importance based on the information available to us at any given time, there is no guarantee that our prioritization efforts will achieve the desired market adoption or infrastructure improvements and we may not be successful in either developing these modifications and enhancements or in bringing them to market in a timely fashion. In addition, any failure of our cloud services to operate effectively and on a timely basis with network platforms and technologies could reduce the demand for our cloud services, result in customer dissatisfaction and adversely affect our business. Furthermore, any enhancements, new features or offerings generally require upfront investments before any potential return on investment, and may increase our research and development expenses and infrastructure costs, which could adversely impact our pricing advantage, undermine our ease of use, make it more difficult to attract and retain customers, and harm our results of operations.
Technology - Risk 4
Our business could be materially harmed to the extent that we do not effectively manage our data center capacity and the costs associated with our data center spaces.Changed
We must continue to effectively manage our infrastructure, including capital expenditures to maintain and expand our data center capacity, servers and equipment, and locations. The costs of building out and maintaining our data center spaces, including the purchase and leasing of equipment, constitute a significant portion of our capital and operating expenses. To manage our data center capacity and the associated capital expenditures, we continuously evaluate our short and long-term data center capacity requirements. However, because our customer retention and the amount of data that they store with us may increase, decline or fluctuate as a result of a number of factors, potentially with little or no advance notice, it is difficult to accurately predict our capacity needs over time. If we underestimate the data center capacity needed to address increases in volume usage, or there is not enough capacity at the data centers at commercially acceptable rates, or at all, we may be unable to increase our data center capacity in an expedient and cost-effective manner, which could result in materially adverse effects on our business and our results of operations. For example, if we are not able to obtain sufficient data center capacity on a timely basis, the ability for customers to upload or download data could be negatively impacted. As a result, we might be unable to attract new customers or retain existing customers and could cause existing customers to reduce the amount of data that they store with us. In such a scenario, we may also be required to enter into leases or other agreements for data center spaces, servers and other equipment that are more expensive than they otherwise would be as a result of the increased demand and competition in the market for data center capacity.
The competition for data center space, infrastructure and equipment has intensified significantly, particularly due to increased demand from AI and other compute-intensive workloads. As a result, available capacity in key markets is limited, and data center and other vendors have implemented, and may in the future implement, more stringent qualification and other requirements. These heightened requirements may favor larger, better-capitalized companies and could make it more difficult or costly for us to secure additional data center space or renew existing agreements on favorable terms. Adding data center capacity, whether at existing locations or new locations, requires significant lead time, capital investment, and coordination with third-party providers. As a result, our ability to scale infrastructure in line with the storage demands of our customers may be constrained, particularly during periods of accelerated data growth or supply chain disruption. In addition, many of our data center spaces are subject to multi-year leases. If our capacity needs are reduced, or if we decide to close a data center space, we may nonetheless be committed to perform our obligations under the applicable leases including, among other things, paying the base rent for the balance of the lease term and continuing to pay for any servers or other equipment. If we overestimate our data center capacity requirements, and therefore secure excess data center capacity and servers or other equipment, then our capital expenditures could be materially increased, and our operating margins could be materially reduced. To the extent we pursue any expansion of our data center footprint, our infrastructure and maintenance costs will increase. In addition, we will generally incur expenses in advance of receiving any increase in customers, revenue or other benefits. Any expansion outside of the United States will also increase the costs of compliance with local laws and regulations. As a result, we may not be able to recover the cost of those investments, which could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations. We may also be subject to risks and unanticipated increases in energy costs as a result of: regulations intended to regulate carbon emissions and other pollutants, laws requiring enhanced energy efficiency measures, surcharges related to recovering the cost of extreme weather events and natural disasters, geopolitical conflicts, military conflicts, grid modernization charges, as well as other charges. If we are unable to obtain sufficient data center capacity, or if we are forced to accept less favorable terms, our ability to scale, maintain service levels, or otherwise grow our business could be adversely affected.
Technology - Risk 5
We use AI technologies internally to increase employee productivity and efficiency, but our business is also increasingly exposed to risks related to our customers, including neocloud partners and AI model builders, and their use of AI on our platform, any of which could harm our business.Added
A significant and growing part of our strategy is to serve data-heavy workloads, including AI model builders and neocloud platforms through our Powered by Backblaze program, who use our Backblaze Storage Cloud to store data for their AI workflows, such as model training. We are investing in capabilities to serve this market, including our B2 Neo solution, a high-performance storage offering designed for AI and neocloud workloads, and a substantial portion of our growth strategy depends on attracting and retaining these customers. This reliance exposes us to risks arising from their business practices and the evolving regulatory landscape governing AI use. The legal and regulatory landscape around AI is rapidly evolving, including issues of data usage, intellectual property (e.g., training data provenance), and algorithmic transparency. For example, the European Union's AI Act, which took effect in 2024, imposes significant obligations on AI systems and could affect how our customers develop, train, or deploy AI models using data stored on our platform. In the United States, states such as California and Colorado have enacted AI-specific legislation, and additional federal or state regulations may follow. New or stricter laws or regulations, or new interpretations of existing laws, could impact our customers' ability to use our platform for their AI model training or data storage, which could negatively affect the growth and adoption of B2 Cloud Storage. Furthermore, if an AI model developed by a customer is found to produce discriminatory, harmful, or legally questionable outputs, or is subject to an intellectual property infringement claim related to its training data (which is stored on our platform), our brand and reputation could be harmed. While our contracts seek to limit our liability, we could still be drawn into litigation or regulatory actions against our customers, incurring defense costs and management distraction. Additionally, our growth strategy depends on attracting these data-intensive neocloud customers and AI model builders; factors that negatively affect their business, such as failure to successfully commercialize their AI products, migration to alternative storage, or broader market downturns affecting AI investment, could materially impact our revenue growth and financial condition. Because revenue from these customers can be concentrated among a small number of large agreements, the loss of even one significant neocloud customer could have a disproportionate effect on our results.
We also use AI, including generative AI tools, in our internal operations, such as for software development, content generation, and streamlining business workflows. While this has the potential to enhance efficiency, AI models can produce inaccurate, biased, or incomplete outputs that may affect critical internal decision-making. If we fail to effectively monitor and validate AI-generated outcomes, we could inadvertently introduce bugs or security vulnerabilities into our proprietary software, or disseminate flawed customer communications, which could harm our platform performance, reliability, or customer trust. Moreover, our reliance on third-party AI tools may involve the processing of sensitive company or customer data. Despite contractual obligations for data protection, we face risks related to inadvertent data leakage, the training of third-party models on our proprietary information, or noncompliance with evolving data privacy and security regulations. Our reliance on third-party AI services also exposes us to potential service disruptions, price increases, or changes in terms that could increase our operating costs or require us to find alternative solutions. Our use of generative AI in coding and content creation may also introduce intellectual property risks, including uncertainty around ownership of AI-generated materials and inadvertent incorporation of third-party proprietary content. The intellectual property rights surrounding AI-generated outputs have not been fully addressed by U.S. courts or federal law, and we could face claims that our use of AI tools infringes third-party rights or that we lack clear ownership of AI-assisted work product. As AI regulation develops globally, we may face increased compliance burdens and restrictions on how we deploy AI internally. We may also fail to achieve anticipated efficiency gains, fall behind competitors who more successfully adopt these technologies, or incur additional costs without realizing expected benefits. Our failure to manage these evolving risks related to both customer and internal use of AI could adversely impact our operations, business, and financial results.
Technology - Risk 6
Our use of "open-source" software could negatively affect our ability to sell our cloud services and subject us to possible litigation.A portion of the technologies used by us incorporates "open-source" software, and we may incorporate open-source software in the future. Such open-source software is generally licensed by its authors or other third parties under open-source licenses. Companies that incorporate open-source software into their solutions have, from time to time, faced claims challenging the use of open-source software and compliance with open-source license terms. These licenses may subject us to certain unfavorable conditions, including requirements that we offer all or parts of our technology or services that incorporate the open-source software at no cost, that we make publicly available source code for modifications or derivative works we create based upon, incorporating, or using the open-source software, and/or that we license such modifications or derivative works under the terms of the particular open-source licensor other license granting third parties certain rights of further use. Although we monitor our use of open-source software, we cannot assure you that all open-source software is reviewed prior to use in our cloud services, that our developers have not incorporated open-source software into our technology platform or services, or that they will not do so in the future. In the event that we become subject to such claims, we could be subject to significant damages, enjoined from the sale of our solutions that contained the open-source software, and required to comply with onerous conditions. In addition, the terms of open-source software licenses may require us to provide software that we develop using such open-source software to others on unfavorable license terms. As a result of our current or future use of open-source software, we may face claims or litigation, be required to release our proprietary source code, pay damages for breach of contract, re-engineer our solutions, discontinue making our solutions available in the event re-engineering cannot be accomplished on a timely basis or take other remedial action. Any such re-engineering or other remediation efforts could require significant additional research and development resources, and we may not be able to successfully complete any such re-engineering or other remediation efforts on a timely basis, or at all. Any of these risks could be difficult to eliminate or manage, and, if not addressed, could disrupt the distribution and sale of our solutions and have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results.
Technology - Risk 7
Our ability to maintain customer adoption and satisfaction depends in part on the ease of use of our cloud services, and any such failure could have an adverse effect on our business.Our success in retaining existing customers and obtaining new customers is dependent in part on the ease of use of our cloud services. If our platform and cloud services, including new service offerings and features as they become available, become more complicated and less easy-to-use, customers could experience increased difficulties or disruption with storing or accessing their data, and we may lose existing customers or experience increased challenges obtaining new customers or existing customers may not choose to use additional features of our cloud services. In addition, our customers sometimes depend on our technical support services to resolve issues relating to our platform. If we do not succeed in helping our customers quickly resolve issues or provide effective ongoing education related to our platform, our reputation and business may be harmed.
Ability to Sell
Total Risks: 9/55 (16%)Above Sector Average
Competition1 | 1.8%
Competition - Risk 1
The markets in which we participate are intensely competitive, and if we do not compete effectively, our operating results would be harmed.Demand3 | 5.5%
Demand - Risk 1
To the extent we target different types of customers, we may face increased demands and challenges that adversely impact our business and operations.Demand - Risk 2
We are dependent on a small number of service offerings, and any reduced market adoption of these offerings would result in lower revenue and harm our business.As a specialized cloud vendor, we are dependent on a small number of offerings focused on cloud storage and computer backup, and a limited number of corresponding use cases. Our B2 Cloud Storage and Computer Backup offerings have accounted for substantially all of our total revenue to date and we anticipate that they will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. As a result, our revenue could be reduced as a result of any general or industry decline in demand for cloud-based storage solutions, particularly given that we would not have meaningful revenue from other market sectors to offset any temporary or longer-term downturn in demand for cloud-based storage solutions.
Demand - Risk 3
Our business is substantially dependent on mid-market organizations, which may be more vulnerable to market fluctuations and other economic factors, and their vulnerability to such factors could negatively impact our business.If we are unable to successfully market and sell our cloud services to mid-market organizations, our ability to grow our revenue and achieve profitability will be harmed. We expect it will be more difficult and expensive to attract and retain mid-market organization customers than other customers because mid-market organizations are more frequently forced to curtail or cease operations due to the sale or failure of their business; can be more difficult to identify and may require more expensive, targeted sales campaigns; and generally have lesser amounts of data to store than larger organizations, thus requiring us to successfully sell to and support more mid-market organizations for meaningful revenue impact. In addition, mid-market organizations frequently have limited budgets and are more likely to be significantly affected by economic downturns than larger, more established companies. For example, high inflation and recession concerns in the United States could have a greater adverse impact on mid-market organizations. As a result, mid-market organizations may choose to spend funds on items other than our cloud services, particularly during difficult economic times. If we do not achieve continued success among mid-market organizations, our business, operating results, and future growth would be adversely affected.
Sales & Marketing3 | 5.5%
Sales & Marketing - Risk 1
Our business is exposed to risks associated with online payment processing methods.Sales & Marketing - Risk 2
Our business depends on our ability to retain and increase revenue from customers, and if we are unable to do so, our revenue and operating results would be adversely affected.It is important for our business that our customers continue to use, and even increase their use of, our cloud services. Many of our customers can terminate their use of our cloud services at will with little-to-no advance notice. Even though some of our customers enter into longer-term multi-year agreements, they generally have no obligation to renew their subscriptions or increase usage. Due to our varied customer base and lack of long-term customer and usage commitments, it can be difficult to accurately predict our customer retention rate on a quarterly basis or long-term basis. Our customer retention and the amount of data that they store with us may decline or fluctuate as a result of a number of factors, including potential customer dissatisfaction with our cloud services and offerings; pricing plans; our customers' own business conditions; customer decisions to delete unneeded or redundant data; the perception, whether or not accurate, that competitive products provide better options; changes in our brand or reputation; and overall general economic conditions. The consumer portion of the market for our Computer Backup has also been experiencing downward pressure as the market for standalone consumer backup solutions has matured. Future price increases for Computer Backup and B2 Cloud Storage could make it more difficult to attract new customers and retain existing customers or cause existing customers to reduce the amount of data that they store with us or subscriptions they purchase from us. Our future financial performance also depends in part on our ability to continue to increase revenue from our customers through new features and additional paid products, such as B2 Overdrive, Enterprise Control and multi-region selection. Our customers' decision whether to opt for additional paid products is driven by a number of factors. If our customers do not perceive the value in such additional paid offerings, we may not realize the anticipated benefits of our investments in such additional features, and our financial results could be harmed. If we cannot successfully retain our existing customers and add new customers consistent with historical rates, including maintaining or growing the amount of data that our customers store with us, our revenue and ability to grow may be adversely affected.
Sales & Marketing - Risk 3
If we are unable to attract and retain customers on a cost-effective basis, our revenue and operating results would be adversely affected.We generate substantially all of our revenue from the sale of our cloud services either on a consumption or subscription model. To grow, we must continue to attract customers on a cost-effective basis. Any price increases could make it more difficult to attract new customers and retain existing customers or cause existing customers to reduce the amount of data that they store with us, thus negatively impacting our revenue and business. We have historically used, and plan to increase our use of, a variety of advertising and marketing programs to promote our cloud services. Our sales and marketing investments intended to accelerate the scaling of our business, including any expansion of existing programs and new programs to promote our cloud services, may not be successful or provide a reasonable return on investment within a desired timeframe. Significant increases in the pricing of one or more of our advertising channels would increase our advertising and marketing costs or cause us to choose less expensive and perhaps less effective channels. We may also need to expand into channels with significantly higher costs, which could adversely affect our operating results. We may also incur increased sales and marketing expenses and engineering and operating expenses, including infrastructure expenditures, significantly in advance of the time we anticipate recognizing any revenue generated by such expenses, and we may only at a later date, or never, experience an increase in revenue or other benefits as a result of such expenditures. For example, in April 2025 we announced B2 Overdrive, a premium priced high-performance cloud storage solution,which is intended to meet the demands of data-intensive workloads such as AI and ML training, high-performance computing, large-scale analytics, and media processing. While this expansion opens new market opportunities, it also introduces risks associated with entering a competitive and rapidly evolving sector, including the need for substantial investment in infrastructure, often in advance of corresponding revenue generation, and potential challenges in meeting specialized customer requirements. If we are unable to achieve effective advertising and marketing programs or successfully expand our solution offerings and operations, our ability to attract new customers could be adversely affected, our advertising and marketing expenses could increase substantially, and our operating results may suffer.
A portion of our potential customers locate our website through search engines and social media platforms. Our ability to maintain the number of visitors directed to our website is not entirely within our control. If search engine companies modify their search algorithms in a manner that reduces the prominence of our listing, or if our competitors' search engine optimization efforts are more successful than ours, or if AI technologies replace traffic from search engines, fewer potential customers may click through to our website. In addition, the cost of purchased listings has increased in the past and may increase in the future. A decrease in website traffic or an increase in promoted search result costs could adversely affect our customer acquisition efforts and our operating results. In addition, we also rely on our blog and word of mouth to drive additional customers. To the extent our blog does not continue to attract readers or if our reputation is harmed, these additional means of attracting customers may no longer provide significant numbers of customers in the future.
In addition, because we offer our Computer Backup cloud service at a fixed price, the amount of data our customers back up affects our costs and gross margins. Subject to certain limitations, we also offer free egress for our B2 Cloud Storage customers. To the extent current or future customers back up unusually large amounts of data, use an excessive amount of egress or growth in the amount of data backed up per customer outpaces decreases in storage costs, our costs and gross margins and infrastructure could be adversely affected.
Brand / Reputation2 | 3.6%
Brand / Reputation - Risk 1
If we are unable to maintain our brand and reputation, our business, results of operations, and financial condition may be adversely affected.Brand / Reputation - Risk 2
The material stored using our cloud services may subject us to negative publicity, legal liability, and harm our business.We are not aware of the contents of the data that customers store using our cloud services. While we do have a detailed process to address any third-party complaint regarding illegal or other inappropriate use of our cloud services by a customer that would violate our terms of service, for security and privacy reasons we do not actively monitor the content of data that is being stored with us. To the extent that sensitive, personally identifiable, illegal, or controversial data is stored in our servers and that becomes known publicly, particularly given the highly volatile nature of the political landscape throughout the world and immediate access by individuals to social media platforms with a broad outreach, it may create negative publicity and adversely impact our reputation and harm our business.
Legal & Regulatory
Total Risks: 5/55 (9%)Below Sector Average
Regulation1 | 1.8%
Regulation - Risk 1
Our operations and those of our customers, vendors and suppliers outside the United States, are subject to increased business, regulatory and economic risks that could impact our results of operations.Litigation & Legal Liabilities1 | 1.8%
Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 1
Any future litigation against us could be costly and time-consuming to defend.Taxation & Government Incentives2 | 3.6%
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 1
Changes in tax laws and related matters could materially affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 2
Our operating results may be harmed if we are required to collect sales or other related taxes for our cloud services in jurisdictions where we have not historically done so.We collect sales and value-added tax in connection with our cloud services in a number of jurisdictions. One or more states or countries may seek to impose incremental or new sales, use, or other tax collection obligations on us, including for past sales by us or our resellers and other partners. Online sellers can be required to collect sales and use tax despite not having a physical presence in the buyer's state. A successful assertion by a state, country, or other jurisdiction that we should have been or should be collecting additional sales, use, or other taxes on our cloud services could, among other things, result in substantial tax liabilities for past sales, create significant administrative burdens for us, discourage users from purchasing our platform, or otherwise harm our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Environmental / Social1 | 1.8%
Environmental / Social - Risk 1
We store personal information and other customer data, which subjects us to various data privacy laws, governmental regulations, and other related legal obligations, and any actual or perceived failure to comply with such requirements could harm our business.Production
Total Risks: 5/55 (9%)Below Sector Average
Employment / Personnel3 | 5.5%
Employment / Personnel - Risk 1
The failure to attract and retain additional qualified personnel could prevent us from executing our business strategy.Employment / Personnel - Risk 2
We rely on the performance of key personnel, including our management and other key employees, and the loss of one or more of such personnel, or of a significant number of our team members, could harm our business.We believe our success has depended, and continues to depend, on the efforts and talents of senior management and other key personnel. Substantially all of our employees, including our senior management, are employed on an at-will basis. We cannot ensure that we will be able to retain the services of any member of our senior management or other key employees, particularly given that some of these employees may hold equity of the Company that is largely vested, or that we would be able to timely replace members of our senior management or other key employees should any of them depart. Various personnel actions, including the restructurings and reductions in force we previously announced in November 2025 and November 2024, can also create disruption and result in additional turnover. Changes in key personnel may result in a loss of institutional knowledge, delay near term decision making, and create uncertainty for employees, customers and partners. The loss of experienced personnel, or delays in hiring and onboarding qualified successors, could adversely affect our go to market success, product development, engineering execution, and overall business performance.
Employment / Personnel - Risk 3
If we fail to effectively manage our workforce and operational needs, our business would be harmed.Changed
Our business requires that we continuously evaluate and align our workforce, operational capacity, and organizational structure with evolving strategic priorities and market conditions. In 2024 and 2025, we initiated measures to reduce headcount, implemented a hiring freeze, and took other actions to pursue greater cost efficiency and align strategic initiatives. While we believe these actions were necessary to position the company for long-term success, they involve inherent risks, including the loss of institutional knowledge, reduced capacity to execute on strategic initiatives, challenges retaining key employees during periods of organizational uncertainty, and potential adverse effects on employee morale, productivity, and company culture.
Our headcount needs fluctuate, and we may continue to seek to adjust our workforce from time to time in response to changing business needs, market conditions, and other factors. It may be difficult to manage these workforce transitions effectively or on a timely basis. If our workforce reductions or hiring constraints are too aggressive, we may lack the personnel necessary to support customer commitments, deliver on our product roadmap, or capitalize on emerging opportunities, including those related to AI and neocloud. If they are insufficient, we may not achieve the cost efficiencies required to sustain the business through periods of slower growth.
At the same time, the amount of data stored with us and the storage infrastructure deployed by us has continued to increase, and customer demands on our platform, including the complexity of workloads we support, continue to grow. Managing this operational growth with a constrained workforce places additional strain on our management, administrative, operational, security, and financial infrastructure.
If and when we resume headcount expansion, we will need to effectively recruit, onboard, and integrate new employees while maintaining the operational discipline and cost structure we have worked to establish. Our success will depend in part on our ability to manage these workforce dynamics effectively, which will require that we continue to improve our administrative, operational, financial, and management systems and controls. If we fail to appropriately align our workforce and operational capacity with the needs of our business, the quality of our services may suffer, which could negatively affect our brand and reputation and harm our ability to retain and attract customers and employees.
Supply Chain2 | 3.6%
Supply Chain - Risk 1
We rely on third-party systems for certain essential financial and operational services, and a failure or disruption in these services could materially and adversely affect our ability to manage our business effectively.Changed
Supply Chain - Risk 2
We rely on third-party vendors and suppliers, including data center and hard drive providers, which may have limited sources of supply, and this reliance exposes us to potential supply and service disruptions that could harm our business.We depend on a limited number of third-party data centers and other providers to safely house our equipment and provide sufficient power, bandwidth, and other infrastructure needs to support our operations and cloud services. To support our anticipated growth and as we develop and implement new product features we may require more computing infrastructure, which may include the establishment and expansion of data center spaces. The risks we face in connection with the establishment and expansion of data center spaces include:
- we may not be able to expand or find new suitable third-party data center locations with sufficient power, or bandwidth, or such expansion options or new data center locations may not be available on commercially reasonable terms;- we will be required to commit substantial operational and financial resources to establish new data center spaces, and we may not have sufficient customer demand in those markets to support the new data center spaces;- unanticipated delays in the completion of such projects or availability of components may lead to increased project costs, operational inefficiencies, or interruptions in the delivery or degradation of quality of our service;- issues that are not identified during the testing phases of design and implementation, which may only become evident after we have started to fully utilize the underlying equipment, could disrupt the delivery of our cloud services to customers or increase our costs; and - unanticipated technological changes could affect customer requirements for data center spaces, and we may not have built such requirements into our new data center spaces.
We also rely on key components for our platform, including hard drives and semiconductors, which come from limited sources of supply. Any decrease in hard drive availability could negatively impact our operations. Various events, including without limitation, periodic semiconductor industry shortages, a pandemic or fluctuating demands in AI, could impact our ability to source components in a timely and cost-effective manner from third-party suppliers. From time to time, we may also seek to mitigate the impact of potential supply chain disruptions by acquiring additional hard drives and related infrastructure, which can result in a higher balance of capital equipment and related lease liability, an increase in cash used in financing activities from principal payments, as well as a higher ongoing interest and depreciation expense related to any additional lease agreements. Current or future supply chain interruptions could be triggered or exacerbated by global political tensions, such as the imposition, or threat of potential imposition, of tariffs or other trade restrictions, hostilities or tensions such as the joint United States-Israeli strikes on Iran in February 2026 along with other conflicts in the Middle East, and conflicts between Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Hamas, and China-Taiwan, particularly if those tensions escalate into an armed conflict or directly or indirectly involve other countries, which may include the implementation of trade barriers, including boycotts or the use of economic sanctions and export control restrictions, any of which could negatively impact our ability to acquire hard drives and semiconductors. In addition, our business could be harmed in the event of any industry consolidations, acquisitions, other restructuring events or bankruptcies. For example, in September 2023, Toshiba Corp., one of our hard drive suppliers, announced the completion of a buy-out by various private equity firms and others. Also, in October 2023, Western Digital, another one of our hard drive suppliers, announced that it would spin-out its hard drive and other selected businesses into a separate company. One of our data center vendors also went through bankruptcy proceedings in 2022. Although none of these prior examples resulted in any material impact to our business, such industry consolidations, acquisitions or other restructuring events of third-party vendors or partners could result in disruptions to the company, and access to customer data may become unavailable or customer data could be lost, and it may take a significant period of time to achieve full resumption of our cloud services. Any shortage of key components, including hard drives, could materially and adversely affect our ability to provide our cloud services, as well as negatively impact our financial results by increasing our costs, lease liabilities, interest and depreciation expenses, and inventory levels. Shortages or pricing fluctuations could be material in the future. In the event of a shortage, supply interruption, material pricing change or other significant events involving one of our suppliers, we may be unable to develop alternate sources in a timely manner or at all. Developing alternate sources of supply for these infrastructure needs and transitioning our customers' data from one provider to another, may result in loss of availability of our services for a period of time, be time-consuming, costly, difficult, and increase the risk of damage and loss. We may also be unable to source them on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all, which may undermine our ability to operate or scale our platform and harm our business.
Macro & Political
Total Risks: 3/55 (5%)Below Sector Average
Economy & Political Environment1 | 1.8%
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 1
Uncertainty in general economic conditions may adversely impact our revenue and profitability.Changed
Capital Markets2 | 3.6%
Capital Markets - Risk 1
Changes in global trade policies, including the imposition of tariffs and other trade restrictions, may adversely affect our business.Added
Capital Markets - Risk 2
We are exposed to fluctuations in currency exchange rates, which could negatively affect our results of operations.All of our sales contracts, and substantially all of our operations and related financial arrangements, are currently denominated in U.S. dollars and therefore, our revenue and business operations are not directly subject to significant foreign currency risk. We do, however, earn revenue, pay expenses, and incur liabilities in countries using currencies other than the U.S. dollar, which primarily includes the British pound, the Canadian dollar, and the Euro. A strengthening of the U.S. dollar could increase the real cost of our cloud services to our customers outside of the United States, which could reduce demand for our cloud services and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, as we expand our international operations, we may become more exposed to foreign currency risk and may have some of our sales and other operations denominated in one or more currencies other than the U.S. dollar. If we become more exposed to currency fluctuations and are unable to successfully hedge against the risks associated with currency fluctuations, our results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
See a full breakdown of risk according to category and subcategory. The list starts with the category with the most risk. Click on subcategories to read relevant extracts from the most recent report.
FAQ
What are “Risk Factors”?
Risk factors are any situations or occurrences that could make investing in a company risky.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires that publicly traded companies disclose their most significant risk factors. This is so that potential investors can consider any risks before they make an investment.
They also offer companies protection, as a company can use risk factors as liability protection. This could happen if a company underperforms and investors take legal action as a result.
It is worth noting that smaller companies, that is those with a public float of under $75 million on the last business day, do not have to include risk factors in their 10-K and 10-Q forms, although some may choose to do so.
How do companies disclose their risk factors?
Publicly traded companies initially disclose their risk factors to the SEC through their S-1 filings as part of the IPO process.
Additionally, companies must provide a complete list of risk factors in their Annual Reports (Form 10-K) or (Form 20-F) for “foreign private issuers”.
Quarterly Reports also include a section on risk factors (Form 10-Q) where companies are only required to update any changes since the previous report.
According to the SEC, risk factors should be reported concisely, logically and in “plain English” so investors can understand them.
How can I use TipRanks risk factors in my stock research?
Use the Risk Factors tab to get data about the risk factors of any company in which you are considering investing.
You can easily see the most significant risks a company is facing. Additionally, you can find out which risk factors a company has added, removed or adjusted since its previous disclosure. You can also see how a company’s risk factors compare to others in its sector.
Without reading company reports or participating in conference calls, you would most likely not have access to this sort of information, which is usually not included in press releases or other public announcements.
A simplified analysis of risk factors is unique to TipRanks.
What are all the risk factor categories?
TipRanks has identified 6 major categories of risk factors and a number of subcategories for each. You can see how these categories are broken down in the list below.
1. Financial & Corporate
- Accounting & Financial Operations - risks related to accounting loss, value of intangible assets, financial statements, value of intangible assets, financial reporting, estimates, guidance, company profitability, dividends, fluctuating results.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights – risks related to things that impact share prices and the rights of shareholders, including analyst ratings, major shareholder activity, trade volatility, liquidity of shares, anti-takeover provisions, international listing, dual listing.
- Debt & Financing – risks related to debt, funding, financing and interest rates, financial investments.
- Corporate Activity and Growth – risks related to restructuring, M&As, joint ventures, execution of corporate strategy, strategic alliances.
2. Legal & Regulatory
- Litigation and Legal Liabilities – risks related to litigation/ lawsuits against the company.
- Regulation – risks related to compliance, GDPR, and new legislation.
- Environmental / Social – risks related to environmental regulation and to data privacy.
- Taxation & Government Incentives – risks related to taxation and changes in government incentives.
3. Production
- Costs – risks related to costs of production including commodity prices, future contracts, inventory.
- Supply Chain – risks related to the company’s suppliers.
- Manufacturing – risks related to the company’s manufacturing process including product quality and product recalls.
- Human Capital – risks related to recruitment, training and retention of key employees, employee relationships & unions labor disputes, pension, and post retirement benefits, medical, health and welfare benefits, employee misconduct, employee litigation.
4. Technology & Innovation
- Innovation / R&D – risks related to innovation and new product development.
- Technology – risks related to the company’s reliance on technology.
- Cyber Security – risks related to securing the company’s digital assets and from cyber attacks.
- Trade Secrets & Patents – risks related to the company’s ability to protect its intellectual property and to infringement claims against the company as well as piracy and unlicensed copying.
5. Ability to Sell
- Demand – risks related to the demand of the company’s goods and services including seasonality, reliance on key customers.
- Competition – risks related to the company’s competition including substitutes.
- Sales & Marketing – risks related to sales, marketing, and distribution channels, pricing, and market penetration.
- Brand & Reputation – risks related to the company’s brand and reputation.
6. Macro & Political
- Economy & Political Environment – risks related to changes in economic and political conditions.
- Natural and Human Disruptions – risks related to catastrophes, floods, storms, terror, earthquakes, coronavirus pandemic/COVID-19.
- International Operations – risks related to the global nature of the company.
- Capital Markets – risks related to exchange rates and trade, cryptocurrency.