Non-GAAP Financial Measures
In addition to financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP, this press release and the accompanying tables contain, and the conference call will contain, non-GAAP financial measures, including free cash flow, non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP research and development, non-GAAP sales and marketing, non-GAAP general and administrative expenses, non-GAAP operating loss, EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA, non-GAAP net loss, and non-GAAP net loss per share. Spire’s management uses these non-GAAP financial measures internally in analyzing its financial results and believes they are useful to investors, as a supplement to the corresponding GAAP financial measures, in evaluating its ongoing operational performance and trends and in comparing its financial measures with other companies in the same industry, many of which present similar non-GAAP financial measures to help investors understand the operational performance of their businesses. However, it is important to note that the particular items Spire excludes from, or includes in, its non-GAAP financial measures may differ from the items excluded from, or included in, similar non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies in the same industry. In addition, other companies may utilize metrics that are not similar to Spire’s. The non-GAAP financial information is presented for supplemental informational purposes only and is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for, or superior to, financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. There are material limitations associated with the use of non-GAAP financial measures since they exclude significant expenses and income that are required by GAAP to be recorded in Spire’s financial statements. Investors should note that the excluded items may have had, and may in the future have, a material impact on our reported financial results. Please see the reconciliation tables at the end of this release for the reconciliation of GAAP and non-GAAP results. Management encourages investors and others to review Spire’s financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure.
Spire adjusts the following items from one or more of its non-GAAP financial measures:
Loss on satellite deorbit, launch failure and decommissioning. Spire excludes loss on satellite deorbit, launch failure and decommissioning because if there was no loss, the expense would be accounted for as depreciation and would also be excluded as part of its EBITDA calculation.
Change in fair value of warrant liabilities and contingent earnout liability. Spire excludes these items as they do not reflect the underlying cash flows or operational results of the business.
Other income (expense), net. Spire excludes other income (expense), net because it includes one-time and other items that do not reflect the underlying operational results of the business.
Stock-based compensation. Spire excludes stock-based compensation expenses primarily because they are non-cash expenses that it excludes from its internal management reporting processes. Spire also finds it useful to exclude these expenses when management assesses the appropriate level of various operating expenses and resource allocations when budgeting, planning, and forecasting future periods. Moreover, because of varying available valuation methodologies, subjective assumptions and the variety of award types that companies can use under FASB ASC Topic 718, Stock Compensation, Spire believes excluding stock-based compensation expenses allows investors to make meaningful comparisons between its recurring core business operating results and those of other companies.
Amortization of purchased intangibles. Spire incurs amortization expense for purchased intangible assets in connection with acquisitions of certain businesses and technologies. Amortization of intangible assets is a non-cash expense and is inconsistent in amount and frequency because it is significantly affected by the timing, size of acquisitions and the inherent subjective nature of purchase price allocations. Because these costs have already been incurred and cannot be recovered, and are non-cash expenses, Spire excludes these expenses for its internal management reporting processes. Spire's management also finds it useful to exclude these charges when assessing the appropriate level of various operating expenses and resource allocations when budgeting, planning and forecasting future periods.
Other acquisition accounting amortization. Spire incurs amortization expense for purchased data rights in connection with the acquisition of exactEarth and certain technologies. Amortization of this asset is a non-cash expense that can be significantly affected by the inherent subjective nature of the assigned value and useful life. Because this cost has already been incurred and cannot be recovered, and is a non-cash expense, Spire excludes this expense for its internal management reporting processes. Spire's management also finds it useful to exclude this charge when assessing the appropriate level of various operating expenses and resource allocations when budgeting, planning and forecasting future periods.
Mergers and acquisition related expenses. Spire excludes these expenses as they are transaction costs and expenses associated with the transaction that are generally one time in nature and not reflective of the underlying operational results of Spire’s business. Examples of these types of expenses include legal, accounting, regulatory, other consulting services, severance, and other employee costs.
Loss on extinguishment of debt. Spire excludes this as it does not reflect the underlying cash flows or operational results of the business.
Foreign exchange gain/loss. Spire is exposed to foreign currency gains or losses on outstanding foreign currency denominated receivables and payables related to certain customer sales agreements, product costs and other operating expenses. As Spire does not actively hedge these currency exposures, changes in the underlying currency rates relative to the U.S. dollar may result in realized and unrealized foreign currency gains and losses between the time these receivables and payables arise and the time that they are settled in cash. Since such realized and unrealized foreign currency gains and losses are the result of macro-economic factors and can vary significantly from one period to the next, Spire believes that exclusion of such realized and unrealized gains and losses is useful to management and investors in evaluating the performance of its ongoing operations on a period-to-period basis.
Other unusual and infrequent costs. Spire excludes these as they are unusual items that do not reflect the ongoing operational results of its business. Examples of these types of expenses include accounting, legal and other professional fees associated with the preparation and filing of Spire’s September 2022 Form S-3 shelf registration statement and “at-the-market” offering prospectus supplement, and the December 2022 warrant exchange.
Our additional non-GAAP measures include:
Free Cash Flow. Spire defines free cash flow as net cash used in operating activities reduced by purchases of property and equipment.
EBITDA. Spire defines EBITDA as net income (loss), plus depreciation and amortization expense, plus interest expense, and plus the provision for (or minus benefit from) income taxes.
Adjusted EBITDA. Spire defines Adjusted EBITDA as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, further adjusted for loss on satellite deorbit and launch failure, change in fair value of warrant liabilities, change in fair value of contingent earned liability, other (expense) income, net, stock-based compensation, loss on extinguishment of debt, foreign exchange gain/loss, other acquisition accounting amortization, mergers and acquisition related expenses, and other unusual and infrequent costs. Spire believes Adjusted EBITDA can be useful in providing an understanding of the underlying operating results and trends and an enhanced overall understanding of its financial performance and prospects for the future. While Adjusted EBITDA is not a recognized measure under GAAP, management uses this financial measure to evaluate and forecast business performance. Adjusted EBITDA is not intended to be a measure of liquidity or cash flows from operations or a measure comparable to net income as it does not take into account certain requirements, such as capital expenditures and related depreciation, principal and interest payments, and tax payments. Adjusted EBITDA is not a presentation made in accordance with GAAP, and Spire’s use of the term Adjusted EBITDA may vary from the use of similarly titled measures by others in its industry due to the potential inconsistencies in the method of calculation and differences due to items subject to interpretation.
Other Definitions
Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR). We define ARR as our expected annualized revenue from customers that are under contracts with us at the end of the reporting period with a binding and renewable agreement for our subscription solutions, or customers that are under a binding multi-year contract that can range from components of our Space Services solution to a project-based customer solution. Customers with project-based contracts are considered recurring when there is a multi-year binding agreement that has a renewable component in the contract. Customers are also considered recurring when they have multiple contracts over multiple years. Customer contracts for data trials and one-time transactions are excluded from the calculation of ARR.
