Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Long-Term Debt

v3.22.4
Long-Term Debt
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2022
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]  
Long-Term Debt
8.
Long-Term Debt and Convertible Notes

Long-term debt consisted of the following:

 

 

 

December 31,

 

 

 

2022

 

 

2021

 

Blue Torch term loan

 

$

100,511

 

 

$

 

FP term loan

 

 

 

 

 

71,512

 

Other

 

 

4,857

 

 

 

4,464

 

Total long-term debt

 

 

105,368

 

 

 

75,976

 

Less: Debt issuance costs

 

 

(6,893

)

 

 

(24,852

)

Non-current portion of long-term debt

 

$

98,475

 

 

$

51,124

 

 

The Company recorded $13,955 and $8,368 of interest expense which included amortization of deferred issuance costs of $3,781 and $3,471 from long-term debt for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Blue Torch Credit Agreement

On June 13, 2022, the Company, as borrower, and Spire Global Subsidiary, Inc. and Austin Satellite Design, LLC, as guarantors, entered into a Financing Agreement (the “Blue Torch Financing Agreement”) with Blue Torch Finance LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Blue Torch”), as administrative agent and collateral agent, and certain lenders (the “Lenders”). The Blue Torch Financing Agreement provides for, among other things, a term loan facility in an aggregate principal amount of up to $120,000 (the “Blue Torch Credit Facility”). A portion of the proceeds of the term loan was used to repay the Company’s then-existing $70,000 credit facility with FP Credit Partners, L.P., and the remainder of the proceeds of the term loan may be used for general corporate purposes.

The Blue Torch Credit Facility is scheduled to mature on June 13, 2026, upon which the Company must repay the outstanding principal amount of any outstanding loans thereunder, together with all accrued but unpaid interest, fees and other obligations owing under the Blue Torch Credit Facility. Subject to certain exceptions, prepayments of the Blue Torch Credit Facility will be subject to early termination fees in an amount equal to 3.0% of the principal prepaid if prepayment occurs on or prior to the first anniversary of the closing date, 2.0% of principal prepaid if prepayment occurs after the first anniversary of the closing date but on or prior to the second anniversary of the closing date and 1.0% of principal prepaid if prepayment occurs after the second anniversary of the closing date but on or prior to the third anniversary of the closing date, plus if prepayment occurs on or prior to the first anniversary of the closing date, a make-whole amount equal to the amount of interest that would have otherwise been payable through the maturity date of the Blue Torch Credit Facility.

The $120,000 term loan was available and drawn at closing, of which $19,735 was placed in an escrow account by Blue Torch with such amount to be released upon the Company achieving certain metrics related to annualized recurring revenue and a total annualized recurring revenue leverage ratio. These metrics were achieved and the $19,735 was released from the escrow account and delivered to the Company in February 2023 (Note 16). The term loan accrues interest at a floating rate, to be based, at the Company's election, on either a reference rate or a 3-month Term Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR") (subject to a 1.0% floor), plus an interest rate margin of 7.0% for reference rate borrowings and 8.0% for 3-month Term SOFR borrowings, plus an incremental Term SOFR margin of 0.26161%. The Company elected the Term SOFR rate which was 12.75713% as of December 31, 2022. Principal on the term loan is only payable at maturity and interest on the term loan is due and payable monthly for reference rate borrowings and quarterly for Term SOFR borrowings. The Company is also required to pay other customary fees and costs in connection with the Blue Torch Credit Facility, including a commitment fee in an amount equal to $2,400 on the closing date, a $250 agency fee annually and an exit fee in an amount equal to $1,800 upon termination of the Blue Torch Financing Agreement.

The Company’s obligations under the Blue Torch Financing Agreement are or will be guaranteed by certain of its domestic and foreign subsidiaries meeting materiality thresholds set forth in the Blue Torch Financing Agreement. Such obligations, including the guarantees, are secured by substantially all of the personal property of the Company and the Company's subsidiary guarantors, including pursuant to a Security Agreement entered into on June 13, 2022 among the Company, Spire Global Subsidiary, Inc., Austin Satellite Design, LLC and Blue Torch. As of the closing date, such subsidiary guarantors were Spire Global Subsidiary, Inc., Austin Satellite Design, LLC, Spire Global Canada Subsidiary Corp. and exactEarth Ltd.

The Blue Torch Financing Agreement contains customary affirmative covenants and customary negative covenants limiting the Company's ability and the ability of its subsidiaries to, among other things, dispose of assets, undergo a change in control, merge or consolidate, make acquisitions, incur debt, incur liens, pay dividends, repurchase stock and make investments, in each case subject to certain exceptions. The Company must also comply with a maximum debt to annualized recurring revenue leverage ratio financial covenant tested monthly during the first two years of the Blue Torch Financing Agreement, a maximum debt to EBITDA leverage ratio financial covenant tested monthly during the third and fourth years of the Blue Torch Financing Agreement and a minimum liquidity financial covenant tested at all times.

The Blue Torch Financing Agreement also contains customary events of default that include, among other things, certain payment defaults, cross defaults to other indebtedness, inaccuracy of representations and warranties, covenant defaults, change of control defaults, judgment defaults, and bankruptcy and insolvency defaults. If an event of default exists, Blue Torch as agent on behalf of the Lenders may require immediate payment of all obligations under the Blue Torch Financing Agreement and may exercise certain other rights and remedies provided for under the Blue Torch Financing Agreement, the other loan documents and applicable law. Under certain circumstances, a default interest rate will apply on all obligations during the existence of an event of default under the Blue Torch Financing Agreement at a per annum rate equal to 2.00% above the applicable interest rate.

On June 13, 2022, in connection with the Blue Torch Financing Agreement, the Company granted warrants to affiliates of the Lenders to purchase fully paid and non-assessable shares of Class A common stock (the “Blue Torch Warrants”), which are exercisable for an aggregate of 3,496,205 shares of the Company’s Class A common stock with a per share exercise price of $2.01.

In addition, on June 13, 2022, in connection with the closing of the financing, the Company paid Urgent Capital LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, a fee for introducing the Company to the Lenders, for the purpose of loan financing, in the amount equal to $600 in cash and a warrant to purchase fully paid and non-assessable shares of Class A common stock (the “GPO Warrant” and, collectively with the Blue Torch Warrants, the “Credit Agreement Warrants”), which is exercisable for an aggregate of 198,675 shares of the Company's Class A common stock with a per share exercise price of $2.01.

The Company evaluated the Credit Agreement Warrants and concluded that they do not meet the criteria to be classified within stockholders’ equity. The agreements governing the Credit Agreement Warrants include a provision that could result in a different settlement value for the Credit Agreement Warrants depending on their holder. The exercise price is $2.01 per share subject to standard stock split, dividend, and routine anti-dilution adjustment provisions. Because the holder of an instrument is not an input into the pricing of a fixed-for-fixed option on the Company’s Class A common stock, the Credit Agreement Warrants are not considered to be indexed to the Company’s Class A common stock.

As the Credit Agreement Warrants meet the definition of a derivative, the Company recorded these warrants as liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets at fair value (Note 10) based on the Black-Scholes model as of June 13, 2022 with inputs that include the Company’s Class A common stock price in an actively traded market, making this fair value classified as a Level 2 financial instrument. The other significant assumptions used in the model are the exercise price, expected term, volatility, interest rate, and dividend yield. Subsequent changes in their respective fair values are recognized in the consolidated statements of operations at each reporting date. Changes in the fair value of the warrant liabilities will continue to be recognized until the warrants are exercised, expire, or qualify for equity classification.

The Company incurred $4,516 of debt issuance costs, inclusive of fees paid to the Lenders, and issued Credit Agreement Warrants with an estimated fair value of $3,579 at the date of issuance, the total of which has been presented as a deduction from the carrying amounts of the Blue Torch Credit Facility on the consolidated balance sheets and is being amortized to interest expense over the term of the Blue Torch Credit Facility.

The Credit Agreement Warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis. The Credit Agreement Warrants are exercisable for a term beginning on the date of issuance and ending on the earlier to occur of ten years from the date of issuance or the consummation of certain of the Company's acquisitions as set forth in the Credit Agreement Warrants. The number of shares for which the Credit Agreement Warrants are exercisable and the associated exercise price are subject to certain proportional adjustments as set forth in the Credit Agreement Warrants.

FP Term Loan Facility

On April 15, 2021, the Company entered into a credit agreement with FP Credit Partners, L.P., as agent for several lenders (the “FP Lenders”), for a $70,000 term loan facility (as amended on May 17, 2021, the “FP Term Loan”). The FP Term Loan included covenants that limited the Company’s ability to, among other things, make investments, dispose of assets, consummate mergers and acquisitions, incur additional indebtedness, grant liens, enter into transactions with affiliates, or pay dividends or other distributions without preapproval by the FP Lenders. The Company was required to maintain minimum unrestricted cash of at least $15,000 as of each fiscal quarter end, except for the quarter immediately following the first quarter where the Company reports positive earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), until the closing of a qualifying initial public offering (IPO), which included the Merger.

On June 13, 2022, the Company repaid in full all obligations and all amounts borrowed, and all obligations have terminated, under the FP Term Loan, which was replaced by the Blue Torch Financing Agreement. The outstanding principal and interest under the FP Term Loan in an aggregate amount equal to approximately $72,835 was repaid with proceeds of the term loan under the Blue Torch Credit Facility. The Company recognized $22,510 as a loss on extinguishment of debt on the consolidated statements of operations during the year ended December 31, 2022, upon extinguishing the FP Term Loan facility. The Company incurred no early termination penalties in connection with the termination of the FP Term Loan.

During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company recognized $4,954 as a loss on extinguishment of debt in the consolidated statements of operations, resulting from cash settlement of then-existing loan facilities from European Investment Bank and Eastward Fund Management, LLC using the proceeds received from the FP Term Loan facility. The loss on extinguishment of debt was partially offset by a $1,699 gain from extinguishment of debt resulting from the U.S. government’s forgiveness of the Company’s loan under the Paycheck Protection Program established as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

Government Loan

In November 2021, the Company completed the Acquisition and assumed an interest free loan agreement with the Strategic Innovation Fund ("SIF") which was recorded at an amount equal to the proceeds received. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, $4,857 and $4,464, respectively, was included in long-term debt, non-current on the consolidated balance sheets related to the SIF loan agreement. Under this agreement and subsequent amendment, the Company is eligible to receive funding for certain expenditures incurred from February 13, 2018 to May 12, 2023 to a maximum of $5,701. Any amount outstanding under this loan is repayable in 15 annual payments beginning February 28, 2026.

Convertible Notes

Between July 2019 and October 2020, the Company entered into several subordinated convertible note purchase agreements for gross proceeds totaling $42,884 (the “2019 and 2020 Convertible Notes”). The 2019 and 2020 Convertible Notes accrued interest at 8% per annum, compounded quarterly. The accretion of the carrying value of the Convertible Notes for the additional balloon payment was recorded as additional interest expense over the term of the 2019 and 2020 Convertible Notes. In connection with securing the 2019 and 2020 Convertible

Notes, the Company incurred debt issuance costs of $392 that were recorded as a deduction of the carrying amount of convertible debt and were being amortized to interest expense over the term of the 2019 and 2020 Convertible Notes.

From January 2021 through February 2021, the Company issued and sold several convertible promissory notes in the aggregate amount of $20,000 (the “2021 Convertible Notes”, and together with the 2019 and 2020 Convertible Notes, the “Convertible Notes”). The 2021 Convertible Notes would have matured four years from the date of issuance and accrued interest at 8% per annum, compounded quarterly. In connection with securing the 2021 Convertible Notes, the Company incurred debt issuance costs of $62 that were recorded as a deduction of the carrying amount of convertible debt and were amortized to interest expense over the life of the 2021 Convertible Notes.

Conversion of the 2019, 2020 and 2021 Convertible Notes could be automatic based on events such as an IPO by the Company or voluntary based on events such as a change of control or maturity. Immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger, the Convertible Notes were automatically converted into shares of Legacy Spire Common Stock. The conversion ratio to Legacy Spire Common Stock for the 2019 and 2020 Convertible Notes was 2.4808 whereas the conversion ratio to Legacy Spire Common Stock for the 2021 Convertible Notes was 13.6466. This conversion then gave the right to receive shares of New Spire Class A common stock equal to the number of shares of Legacy Spire Common Stock received from such conversion multiplied exchange ratio of 1.7058.

After the conversion of the Convertible Notes, the balloon interest accrual of $1,698 was reversed in August 2021, which was only payable upon full maturity of the Convertible Notes. The Company recorded $2,103 of interest expense on the Convertible Notes for the year ended December 31, 2021 and no interest expense was recorded for the year ended. December 31, 2022.