Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Description of the Business

v3.23.1
Description of the Business
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2022
Description of the Business [Abstract]  
Description of the Business

1. Description of the Business

 

Nauticus Robotics, Inc. (the “Company”, “our”, or “we”) is a developer of ocean robots, software, and services delivered in a modern business model to the ocean industry. We were initially incorporated as CleanTech Acquisition Corp. (“CLAQ”) under the laws of the State of Delaware on June 18, 2020. The Company’s principal corporate offices are located in Webster, Texas. Our robotics products and services are delivered to commercial and government-facing customers through a Robotics as a Service (“RaaS”) business model and direct product sales for both hardware platforms and software licenses. Besides a standalone service offering and forward-facing products, our approach to ocean robotics has also resulted in the development of a range of technology products for retrofit/upgrading legacy systems and other 3rd party vehicle platforms. Our services provide customers with the necessary data collection, analytics, and subsea manipulation capabilities to support and maintain assets while reducing their operational footprint, operating cost, and greenhouse gas emissions, to improve offshore health, safety, and environmental exposure.

 

Business Combination - On September 9, 2022 (the “Closing Date”), Nauticus Robotics, Inc. consummated its business combination pursuant to that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement,” and together with the other agreements and transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, the “Business Combination”) with CleanTech Merger Sub, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of CLAQ (“Merger Sub”), and Nauticus Robotics, Inc., a Texas corporation (prior to the Closing Date, “Nauticus Robotics Holdings, Inc.”). Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, a business combination between CLAQ and Nauticus Robotics Holdings, Inc. was affected through the merger of Merger Sub with and into Nauticus Robotics Holdings, Inc., with Nauticus Robotics Holdings, Inc. surviving the merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of CLAQ. On the Closing Date, CLAQ was renamed “Nauticus Robotics, Inc.” and the previous Nauticus Robotics, Inc. was renamed “Nauticus Robotics Holdings, Inc.”.

 

At the closing, among other things, (a) each share of Nauticus Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share, that was issued and outstanding immediately prior to the closing converted into shares of Nauticus Common stock, par value $0.01 per share, (“Nauticus Preferred Stock Conversion”); (b) each of Nauticus Robotic Holdings, Inc.’s unsecured convertible note obligations outstanding was converted into shares of Nauticus Common Stock in accordance with the terms of each such Nauticus Convertible Note; and (c) each share of Nauticus Common Stock (including shares of Nauticus Common Stock outstanding as a result of the Nauticus Preferred Stock Conversion and Nauticus Convertible Notes Conversion) was converted into the right to receive (i) the per share merger consideration and (ii) Earnout Shares.

 

Shares issued at closing is summarized as follows (i) an aggregate of 36,650,778 shares of Common Stock, par value $0.0001 (the “Common Stock” of CLAQ prior to the Closing, and the Common Stock of Nauticus following the Closing) shares were issued to holders of Nauticus Common Stock in the Business Combination (ii) the right to receive 7,499,993 additional shares of Common Stock held in escrow pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement and as further described below (such additional escrowed shares, the “Earnout Shares”) and (iii) the issuance of 3,100,000 shares of Common Stock for the Equity Financing (as described below). An aggregate of 47,250,771 shares of Common Stock (inclusive of the Earnout Shares) was issued after the Business Combination.

 

Former holders of Nauticus Common Stock are entitled to receive their pro rata share of up to 7,499,993 additional shares of Common Stock (the “Earnout Shares”) held in escrow. The Earnout Shares will be released upon occurrence of the following (each, a “Triggering Event”):

 

i. one-half of the Earnout Shares will be released if, within a 5-year period, the volume-weighted average price of our Common Stock equals or exceeds $15.00 per share over any 20 trading days within a 30-day trading period;

 

ii. one-quarter of the Earnout Shares will be released if, within a 5-year period, the volume-weighted average price of our Common Stock equals or exceeds $17.50 per share over any 20 trading days within a 30-day trading period; and

 

iii. one-quarter of the Earnout Shares will be released if, within a 5-year period, the volume-weighted average price of our Common Stock equals or exceeds $20.00 per share over any 20 trading days within a 30-day trading period.

 

At closing, we received proceeds from Private Investment in a Public Entity subscribers (“PIPE Investment”) consisting of:

 

the issuance of 3,100,000 shares of Common Stock, for a purchase price of $10.00 per share and an aggregate purchase price of $31 million (the “Equity Financing”), and

 

the issuance of secured Debentures with warrants having an aggregate principal amount of $36,530,320 (the “Debentures”) pursuant to a securities purchase agreement with certain investors providing net proceeds of $35,800,000 inclusive of a 2% original issue discount. The fair value of the SPA Warrants was estimated to be $20,949,110 using a Monte Carlo valuation model incorporating future projections of the various potential outcomes and any exercise price adjustments based on future financing events. The Debentures are convertible into 2,922,425 shares of Common Stock and associated warrants for an additional 2,922,425 shares with an exercise price equal to $20 per share, subject to adjustment (“SPA Warrants”).

 

The Business Combination was accounted for as a reverse recapitalization under generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”). Nauticus Robotics Holdings Inc. was determined to be the accounting acquirer and CLAQ was treated as the acquired company for financial reporting purposes. Accordingly, the financial statements of the combined company represent a continuation of the financial statements of Nauticus Robotics Holdings Inc.

 

On September 9, 2022, the Company received from the Business Combination with CLAQ net cash of $14,947,875. The Company also assumed $30,157 in prepaids, $14,796,942 in accounts payable and accrued liabilities, $850,333 in notes payable and net equity of $(669,243).

 

CLAQ’s net cash at the Closing Date totaled $14,947,875. This amount, together with proceeds of the PIPE Investment, were available to repay certain indebtedness, transaction costs and for general corporate purposes.

 

The Company incurred $12,582,000 in direct and incremental costs associated with the Equity Financing, which primarily consisted of investment banking, legal, accounting, and other professional fees.

 

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Business – The global spread of COVID-19 has created significant market volatility and economic uncertainty and disruption during 2021 and continuing into 2022. The Company was adversely affected by the deterioration and increased uncertainty in the macroeconomic outlook as a result of the impact of COVID-19. We have experienced and may continue to experience disruptions in our supply chain, due in part to the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Depending upon the duration of the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated business interruptions, our customers, suppliers, manufacturers and partners may suspend or delay their engagements with us, which could result in a material adverse effect on our financial condition and ability to meet current timelines. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected and may continue to affect our ability to recruit skilled employees to join our team. The conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have adversely affected and may continue to adversely affect, among other things, demand for our products and the ability to test and assess our robotic systems with potential customers, any of which adversely affects our business, results of operations, and financial condition. The duration and extent of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts cannot be accurately predicted at this time, and the ultimate direct and indirect impacts on our business, results of operations and financial condition will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain.

 

Liquidity – The Company has had recurring losses and negative cash flows since inception. As such, the Company has been dependent on debt and equity funding to meet its development efforts. The Company continues to develop its principal products and conducts extensive research and development activities.

 

We anticipate needing additional capital to continue expanding our business operations, which may include acquisitions and capital expenditures. Currently, the Company does not generate sufficient revenue to cover operating expenses, working capital and capital expenditures. We have historically financed our operations through equity and debt financing. We do not have any commitments for equity funding at this time, and additional funding may not be available to us on favorable terms, if at all. If additional financing is not raised, it would likely lead to the company reducing discretionary spending and other cost cutting measures. The Company has not considered cost-cutting measures at this time but will assess as needed to meet capital requirements for our business operations. The Company have sufficient cash and cash generated from operations along with access to debt funding as necessary to meet its obligations for at least one year from the issuance date of this report.

 

On March 8, 2023, and subsequent to the filing of the Company’s Form 10-Q/A on such date, Triumph countersigned an agreement that amended the original agreement to accommodate staggered deposits and payments for each of the four contracted units, with deliveries taking place between 2024 and 2027. Triumph’s initial non-refundable deposit of $5,420,000 is due on October 31, 2023. Any failure by Triumph to make the initial deposit when due will be deemed breached by Triumph for failure to perform under the terms of the Agreement as amended. Management has carefully considered all facts surrounding the Triumph contract and its ability to secure financing for its capital projects, and as such, the Company has removed the contract from its internal projections and excluded all associated revenues and costs. Accordingly, we have excluded Triumph from the unfulfilled performance obligation table in Note 3.