FORM

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule of the Exchange Act.

 

 

You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. No one has been authorized to provide you with information that is different from that contained in this prospectus. This prospectus is dated as of the date set forth on the cover hereof. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than that date.

 

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This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-1 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) using the “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, the selling securityholders may, from time to time, sell the securities offered by them described in this prospectus. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale by such selling securityholders of the securities offered by them described in this prospectus. This prospectus also relates to the issuance by us of the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants pursuant to this prospectus, except with respect to amounts received by us upon exercise of the warrants for cash.

Neither we nor the selling securityholders have authorized anyone to provide you with any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectuses prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. Neither we nor the selling securityholders take responsibility for, or provide any assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. Neither we nor the selling securityholders will make an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

We may also provide a prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment to the registration statement to add information to, or update or change information contained in, this prospectus. You should read both this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement or post-effective amendment to the registration statement together with the additional information to which we refer you in the sections of this prospectus entitled “Where You Can Find More Information.”

Unless the context indicates otherwise, references in this prospectus to the “Company,” “Rigetti,” “Rigetti Computing,” “we,” “us,” “our” and similar terms refer to Rigetti Computing, Inc. (f/k/a Supernova Partners Acquisition Company II, Ltd.) and its consolidated subsidiaries. References to “Supernova” refer to our predecessor company prior to the consummation of the Business Combination (the “Closing,” and the date of the consummation of the Business Combination, the “Closing Date”). References to “Legacy Rigetti” refer to Rigetti Holdings, Inc. prior to the Closing.

 

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This prospectus contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). This includes, without limitation, statements regarding the financial position, business strategy and the plans and objectives of management for future operations. These statements constitute projections, forecasts and forward-looking statements, and are not guarantees of performance. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events. Any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “will,” “would” or the negative of such terms or other similar expressions.

These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Except as otherwise required by applicable law, we disclaim any duty to update any forward-looking statements, all of which are expressly qualified by the statements in this section, to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this prospectus. We caution you that these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control.

Forward-looking statements in this prospectus may include, for example, statements about:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Given these risks and uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Additional cautionary statements or discussions of risks and uncertainties that could affect our results or the achievement of the expectations described in forward-looking statements may also be contained in any accompanying prospectus supplement.

You should read this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement completely and with the understanding that our actual future results, levels of activity and performance as well as other events and circumstances may be materially different from what we expect. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

 

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Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this prospectus to:

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We are in our early stages and have a limited operating history, which makes it difficult to forecast our future results of operations.

•

We have a history of operating losses and expects to incur significant expenses and continuing losses for the foreseeable future.

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Even if the market in which we compete achieves the forecasted growth, our business could fail to grow at similar rates, if at all.

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We may need additional capital to pursue our business objectives and respond to business opportunities, challenges or unforeseen circumstances, and we cannot be sure that additional financing will be available.

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Our ability to use net operating loss carryforwards and other tax attributes may be limited in connection with the Business Combination or other ownership changes.

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We have not produced quantum computers with high qubit counts or at volume and faces significant barriers in our attempts to produce quantum computers, including the need to invent and develop new technology. If we cannot successfully overcome those barriers, our business will be negatively impacted and could fail.

•

Our future generations of hardware developed to demonstrate narrow quantum advantage and broad quantum advantage, and the release of a 1,000+ qubit system and 4,000+ qubit system, each of which is an important milestone for our technical roadmap and commercialization, may not occur on our anticipated timeline or at all.

•

The quantum computing industry is competitive on a global scale and we may not be successful in competing in this industry or establishing and maintaining confidence in our long-term business prospects among current and future partners and customers.

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Our business is currently dependent upon our relationship with our cloud providers. There are no assurances that we will be able to commercialize quantum computers from our relationships with cloud providers.

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We rely on access to high performance third party classical computing through public clouds, high performance computing centers and on-premises computing infrastructure to deliver performant quantum solutions to customers. We may not be able to maintain high quality relationships and

 

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connectivity with these resources which could make it harder for us to reach customers or deliver solutions in a cost-effective manner.

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Our system depends on the use of certain development tools, supplies, equipment and production methods. If we are unable to procure the necessary tools, supplies and equipment to build our quantum systems, or are unable to do so on a timely and cost-effective basis, and in sufficient quantities, we may incur significant costs or delays which could negatively affect our operations and business.

•

Even if we are successful in developing quantum computing systems and executing on our strategy, competitors in the industry may achieve technological breakthroughs which render our quantum computing systems obsolete or inferior to other products.

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We may be unable to reduce the cost of developing our quantum computers, which may prevent us from pricing our quantum systems competitively.

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The quantum computing industry is in its early stages and volatile, and if it does not develop, if it develops slower than we expect, if it develops in a manner that does not require use of our quantum computing solutions, if we encounter negative publicity or if our solution does not drive commercial engagement, the growth of our business will be harmed.

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If our computers fail to achieve quantum advantage, our business, financial condition and future prospects may be harmed.

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We could suffer disruptions, outages, defects and other performance and quality problems with our quantum computing systems, our production technology partners or with the public cloud, data centers and internet infrastructure on which we rely.

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We have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting and may identify additional material weaknesses in the future. If we fail to remediate the material weakness or if we otherwise fail to establish and maintain effective control over financial reporting, it may adversely affect our ability to accurately and timely report our financial results, and may adversely affect investor confidence and business operations.

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System security and data protection breaches, as well as cyber-attacks, including state-sponsored attacks, could disrupt our operations, which may damage our reputation and adversely affect our business.

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Our failure to obtain, maintain and protect our intellectual property rights could impair our ability to protect and commercialize our proprietary products and technology and cause us to lose our competitive advantage.

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Delaware law, the Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws contain certain provisions, including anti-takeover provisions, that limit the ability of stockholders to take certain actions and could delay or discourage takeover attempts that stockholders may consider favorable.

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Our business will require significant amounts of capital to sustain operations.

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Our warrants are accounted for as liabilities.

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Future issuances of debt securities and equity securities may adversely affect us, our common stock and may be dilutive to existing stockholders.

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Our failure to meet the continued listing requirements of Nasdaq.

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Our warrants may be out of the money at the time they become exercisable and they may expire worthless.

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With the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants, we may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders.

 

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Issuer

Rigetti Computing, Inc. (f/k/a Supernova Partners Acquisition Company II, Ltd.).

Shares of common stock offered by us

Up to 19,354,059 shares of our common stock consisting of (i) 4,450,000 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants by holders thereof, (ii) 8,624,972 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants by holders thereof, and (iii) 6,279,087 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Rigetti assumed warrants by holders thereof.

Shares of common stock outstanding prior to exercise of all warrants and Rigetti assumed warrants

113,810,285 shares (as of March 18, 2022).

Shares of common stock outstanding assuming exercise of all warrants and Rigetti assumed warrants

133,164,344 shares (based on total number of outstanding shares of common stock as of March 18, 2022).

Exercise price of public warrants and private placement warrants

$11.50 per share, with respect to the private placement warrants and public warrants, subject to adjustment as described herein.

Exercise price of Rigetti assumed warrants

The weighted average exercise price of the Rigetti assumed warrants is $0.6628 per share.

Use of proceeds

We will receive up to an aggregate of approximately $155 million from the exercise of the warrants and Rigetti assumed warrants, assuming the exercise in full of all of the warrants and Rigetti assumed warrants for cash. We expect to use the net proceeds from the exercise of the warrants and Rigetti assumed warrants for general corporate purposes. See the section entitled “Use of Proceeds.”

Shares of common stock offered by the selling securityholders

We are registering the resale by the selling securityholders named in this prospectus, or their permitted transferees, and aggregate of up to 96,941,181 shares of common stock, consisting of:

•

14,641,244 shares of common stock issued in the PIPE Financing;

•

8,625,000 Founder Shares (including 3,059,273 Sponsor Vesting Shares subject to vesting and forfeiture);

•

4,450,000 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the private placement warrants;

•

2,446,716 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of Rigetti assumed warrants;

 

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•

6,226,065 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding options;

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6,288,369 shares of common stock issuable in connection with the vesting and settlement of outstanding restricted stock units; and

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54,263,787 shares of common stock issued in connection with the Business Combination to certain of the selling securityholders.

Warrants offered by the selling security holders

Up to 4,450,000 private placement warrants.

Redemption

The public warrants and private placement warrants are redeemable in certain circumstances. See the section entitled “Description of Securities—Warrants” for further discussion.

Use of proceeds

We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of the shares of common stock or warrants by the selling securityholders.

Lock-up agreements

Certain of our securityholders are subject to certain restrictions on transfer until the termination of applicable lock-up periods. See the sections entitled “ Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Sponsor Support Agreement ” and “ Description of Our Securities—Lock-Up Provisions in Bylaws ” for further discussion.

Market for common stock and public warrants

Our common stock and public warrants are currently traded on Nasdaq under the symbols “RGTI” and “RGTIW,” respectively.

Risk factors

Before investing in our securities, you should carefully read and consider the information set forth in “ Risk Factors ” beginning on page 13.

 

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RISK FACTORS

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We have also encountered, and will continue to encounter, risks and uncertainties frequently experienced by growing companies in rapidly changing industries. If our assumptions regarding these risks and uncertainties and our future growth are incorrect or change, or if we do not address these risks successfully, our operating and financial results could differ materially from our expectations, and our business could suffer. Our success as a business ultimately relies upon fundamental research and development breakthroughs in the coming years. There is no certainty these research and development milestones will be achieved as quickly as hoped, or even at all.

We incurred net losses of $38.2 million for the eleven months ended December 31, 2021 and $26.1 million for the year ended January 31, 2021. As of December 31, 2021, we had an accumulated deficit of $207.1 million. We believe that we will continue to incur operating and net losses each quarter until at least the time we begin generating significant revenue from our narrow or broad quantum advantage quantum computers, which may never occur. Even with significant production, our services may never become profitable.

 

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We expect the rate at which we will incur losses to be significantly higher in future periods as we, among other things, continues to incur significant expenses in connection with the design, development and manufacturing of our quantum computers; and as we expands our research and development activities; invest in manufacturing capabilities; build up inventories of components for our quantum computers; increase our sales and marketing activities; develop our infrastructure; and increase our general and administrative functions to support our growing operations and our being a public company. We may find that these efforts are more expensive than we currently anticipate or that these efforts may not result in revenues, which would further increase our losses. If we are unable to achieve and/or sustain profitability, or if we are unable to achieve the growth that we expect from these investments, it could have a material effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Our business model is unproven and may never allow us to cover our costs.

In order to grow our business, we will need to continually evolve and scale our business and operations to meet customer and market demand. Quantum computing technology has never been sold at large-scale commercial levels. Evolving and scaling our business and operations places increased demands on our management as well as our financial and operational resources to:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commercial traction of quantum computing technology may never occur. As noted above, there are significant technological challenges associated with developing, producing, marketing and selling services in the advanced technology industry, including our services, and we may not be able to resolve all of the difficulties that may arise in a timely or cost-effective manner, or at all. We may not be able to cost effectively manage production at a scale or quality consistent with customer demand in a timely or economical manner.

low-noise

If large-scale development of our quantum computers commences, our computers may contain defects in design and manufacture that may cause them to not perform as expected or that may require repair and design changes. Our quantum computers are inherently complex and incorporate technology and components that have

 

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not been used for other applications and that may contain defects and errors, particularly when first introduced. We have a limited frame of reference from which to evaluate the long-term performance of our computers. There can be no assurance that we will be able to detect and fix any defects in our quantum computers in a timely manner that does not disrupt our services to our customers. If our technology fails to perform as expected, customers may seek out a competitor or turn away from quantum computing entirely, each of which could adversely affect our sales and brand and could adversely affect our business, prospects and results of operations. If defects in our technology lead to erroneous outputs, third parties relying on those outputs may draw from them erroneous conclusions, creating a risk that we will be liable to those third parties.

If we cannot evolve and scale our business and operations effectively, we may not be able to execute our business strategies in a cost-effective manner and our business, financial condition, profitability and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our success will depend upon our ability to expand, scale our operations, and increase our sales and support capability. Even if the market in which we compete meets the size estimates and growth forecasted, our business could fail to grow at similar rates, if at all.

Our growth is dependent upon our ability to successfully expand our solutions and services, retain customers, bring in new customers and retain critical talent. Unforeseen issues associated with scaling up and constructing quantum computing technology at commercially viable levels could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our growth is dependent upon our ability to successfully market and sell our quantum computing services and solutions. We do not have experience with the large-scale production and sale of quantum computing technology. Our growth and long-term success will depend upon the development of our sales and retention capabilities.

Moreover, because of our unique technology, our customers will require particular support and service functions, some of which are not currently available, and may never be available. If we experience delays in adding such support capacity or servicing our customers efficiently, or experiences unforeseen issues with the reliability of our technology, we could overburden our servicing and support capabilities. Similarly, increasing the number of our products and services would require us to rapidly increase the availability of these services. Failure to adequately support and service our customers may inhibit our growth and ability to expand.

There is no assurance that we will be able to ramp our business to meet our sales, manufacturing, installation, servicing and quantum computing targets globally, that expected growth levels will prove accurate or that the pace of growth or coverage of our customer infrastructure network will meet customer expectations. Failure to grow at rates similar to that of the quantum computing industry may adversely affect our operating results and ability to effectively compete within the industry.

Our failure to manage growth effectively could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition. We anticipate that a period of significant expansion will be required to address potential growth. This expansion will place a significant strain on our management, operational and financial resources. Expansion will require significant cash investments and management resources and there is no guarantee that they will generate additional sales of our products or services, or that we will be able to avoid cost overruns or be able to hire additional personnel to support us. In addition, we will also need to ensure our compliance with regulatory requirements in various jurisdictions applicable to the sale, installation and servicing of our products. To manage

 

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the growth of our operations and personnel, we must establish appropriate and scalable operational and financial systems, procedures and controls and establish and maintain a qualified finance, administrative and operations staff. We may be unable to acquire the necessary capabilities and personnel required to manage growth or to identify, manage and exploit potential strategic relationships and market opportunities.

Our business and future plans for expansion are capital-intensive, and the specific timing of cash inflows and outflows may fluctuate substantially from period to period. Our operating plan may change because of factors currently unknown, and we may need to seek additional funds sooner than planned, through public or private equity or debt financings or other sources, such as strategic collaborations. Such financings may result in dilution to stockholders, issuance of securities with priority as to liquidation and dividend and other rights more favorable than common stock, imposition of debt covenants and repayment obligations or other restrictions that may adversely affect our business. In addition, we may seek additional capital due to favorable market conditions or strategic considerations even if we believe that we have sufficient funds for current or future operating plans. There can be no assurance that financing will be available to we on favorable terms, or at all. The inability to obtain financing when needed may make it more difficult for us to operate our business or implement our growth plans.

On March 10, 2021, we entered into a Loan and Security Agreement (as amended from time to time, the “Loan Agreement”) with Trinity Capital Inc., or Trinity. The credit facility has an available borrowing capacity of $32.0 million. As of the date of this prospectus, we had total outstanding indebtedness of $32 million consisting of outstanding borrowings under the Loan Agreement. This and future indebtedness incurred under the Loan Agreement may:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The credit facility is secured by substantially all of our assets. In addition, the Loan Agreement contains, and the agreements governing our future indebtedness may contain, restrictive covenants that may limit our ability to engage in activities that may be in our long-term best interest. These restrictive covenants include, among others, financial reporting requirements and limitations on indebtedness, liens, mergers, consolidations, liquidations and dissolutions, sales of assets, dividends and other restricted payments, investments (including acquisitions) and transactions with affiliates. Our failure to comply with those covenants could result in an event of default which, if not cured or waived, could result in the acceleration of substantially all of our debt.

 

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We have incurred losses during our history, do not expect to become profitable in the near future and may never achieve profitability. To the extent that we continue to generate taxable losses, unused losses will carry forward to offset future taxable income, if any, until such unused losses expire, if at all. As of December 31, 2021, we had U.S. federal net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $190.9 million.

Under legislation informally known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”), as modified by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”), U.S. federal net operating loss carryforwards generated in taxable periods beginning after December 31, 2017, may be carried forward indefinitely, but the deductibility of such net operating loss carryforwards in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2020, is limited to 80% of taxable income. It is uncertain if and to what extent various states will conform to the Tax Act or the CARES Act.

In addition, our net operating loss carryforwards are subject to review and possible adjustment by the IRS, and state tax authorities. Under Sections 382 and 383 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), our federal net operating loss carryforwards and other tax attributes may become subject to an annual limitation in the event of certain cumulative changes in the ownership of the Company. An “ownership change” pursuant to Section 382 of the Code generally occurs if one or more stockholders or groups of stockholders who own at least 5% of a company’s stock increase their ownership by more than 50 percentage points over their lowest ownership percentage within a rolling three-year period. Our ability to utilize our net operating loss carryforwards and other tax attributes to offset future taxable income or tax liabilities may be limited as a result of ownership changes, including potential changes in connection with the Business Combination or other transactions. Similar rules may apply under state tax laws. We have not yet determined the amount of the cumulative change in our ownership resulting from the Business Combination or other transactions, or any resulting limitations on our ability to utilize our net operating loss carryforwards and other tax attributes. If we earn taxable income, such limitations could result in increased future income tax liability and our future cash flows could be adversely affected. We have recorded a valuation allowance related to our net operating loss carryforwards and other deferred tax assets due to the uncertainty of the ultimate realization of the future benefits of those assets.

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Even if we complete development and achieve volume production of our quantum computers, if the cost, accuracy, performance characteristics or other specifications of the quantum computer fall short of our expectations, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.

 

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Our successful execution of our technical roadmap is based on the development of multiple generations of quantum computing systems, including hardware that demonstrates narrow quantum advantage and broad quantum advantage, and the release of a 1,000+ qubit system in 2024 and 4,000+ qubit system in 2026. The future success of our technical roadmap will depend upon our ability to continue to increase the number of qubits and decrease error rates in each subsequent generation of our quantum computer. If we are unable to achieve the increase in the number of qubits or decrease in error rates on the timeframe that we anticipate, the availability of future generations of quantum computer systems may be materially delayed, or may never occur. In the past we has failed to meet publicly announced milestones and may fail to meet projected milestones in the future. If our technical roadmap is delayed or never achieved, this would have a material impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

The markets in which we operates are rapidly evolving and highly competitive. As the marketplace continues to mature and new technologies and competitors enter, we expect competition to intensify. Our current competitors include:

 

 

 

 

We compete based on various factors, including technology, performance, multi-cloud availability, brand recognition and reputation, customer support and differentiated capabilities, including ease of administration and use, scalability and reliability, data governance and security. Many of our competitors have substantially greater brand recognition, customer relationships, and financial, technical and other resources, including an experienced sales force and sophisticated supply chain management. They may be able to respond more effectively than us to new or changing opportunities, technologies, standards, customer requirements and buying practices. In addition, many countries are focused on developing quantum computing solutions either in the private or public sector and may subsidize quantum computers which may make it difficult for us to compete. Many of these competitors do not face the same challenges we do in growing our business. In addition, other competitors might be able to compete with us by bundling their other products in a way that does not allow us to offer a competitive solution.

Additionally, we must be able to achieve our objectives in a timely manner lest quantum computing lose ground to competitors, including competing technologies. Because there are a large number of market participants, including certain sovereign nations, focused on developing quantum computing technology, we must dedicate significant resources to achieving any technical objectives on the timelines established by our management team. Any failure to achieve objectives in a timely manner could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

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For all of these reasons, competition may negatively impact our ability to maintain and grow consumption of our platform or put downward pressure on our prices and gross margins, any of which could materially harm the reputation, business, results of operations, and financial condition of the Company.

We currently offer access to quantum computing as a service (“Quantum Computing as a Service,” or “QCaaS”), both directly to our end users with our own Quantum Cloud Services. and indirectly to end users through public cloud providers such as Amazon Braket who integrate our QCS into their own quantum computing platforms. These public cloud partners operate a service in direct competition with our providing direct access to QCS. Currently, a majority of our Quantum Computing as a Service, or QCaaS, business is run through the AWS service, and we intend to partner with additional partners to provide access to our QCaaS. Cloud computing partnerships could be terminated, or not scale as anticipated, or even at all.

There is risk that one or more of the public cloud providers, such as AWS and Azure could use their respective control of their public clouds to control market pricing of the services, restrict access, embed innovations or privileged interoperating capabilities in competing products, bundle competing products and leverage their public cloud customer relationships to exclude us from opportunities. Further, they have the resources to acquire or partner with existing and emerging providers of competing technology and thereby accelerate adoption of those competing technologies. All of the foregoing could make it difficult or impossible for us to provide products and services that compete favorably with those of the public cloud providers.

Further, if our contractual and other business relationships with our partners are terminated, either by the counterparty or by us, suspended or suffer a material change to which we are unable to adapt, such as the elimination of services or features on which we depend, we would be unable to provide our QCaaS business at the same scale and would experience significant delays and incur additional expense in transitioning customers to a different public cloud provider.

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Any material change in our contractual and other business relationships with our partners, could result in reduced use of our systems, increased expenses, including service credit obligations, and harm to our brand and reputation, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our QCS incorporates high performance classical computing through public clouds to provide services to end users and our partners. These services are predominantly on AWS.

 

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Any material change in our contractual and other business relationships with AWS or other cloud provider, could result in reduced use of our systems, increased expenses, including service credit obligations, and harm our brand and reputation, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Further, if our contractual and other business relationships with our partners is terminated, either by the counterparty or by us, suspended or suffer a material change to which we are unable to adapt, such as the elimination of services or features on which we depend, we would be unable to provide our QCaaS business at the same scale and would experience significant delays and incur additional expense in transitioning customers to a different public cloud provider.

We buy our products and supplies from suppliers that manufacture and source products from the United States and abroad. We enter into agreements with many of our suppliers that provide us with exclusive or restrictive distribution rights, limiting our competitors’ ability to source materials from such suppliers. Our ability to identify and develop relationships with qualified suppliers and enter into exclusive or restrictive distribution rights agreements with suppliers who can satisfy our standards for quality and our need to access products and supplies in a timely and efficient manner is a significant challenge. In the eleven months ended December 31, 2021, our top supplier accounted for approximately 3% of our product expenditures. Our top ten largest suppliers accounted for approximately 28% of our total purchases in the eleven months ended December 31, 2021. Any failure to maintain our relationship with any of our top ten largest suppliers, or a failure to replace any such supplier that is lost, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

We may be required to replace a supplier if their products do not meet our quality or safety standards. In addition, our suppliers could discontinue selling products at any time for reasons that may or may not be in our control or the suppliers’ control, including shortages of raw materials, environmental and social supply chain issues, pandemic, labor disputes or weather conditions. Disruptions in transportation lines or the conflict involving Russia and Ukraine may also cause global supply chain issues that affect us or our suppliers. We generally have multiple sources of supply, however, in some cases, materials are provided by a single supplier. The loss of, or substantial decrease in the availability of, products from our suppliers, or the loss of a key supplier, temporarily or permanently, could result in a material shortage of products, which could lead to price escalations that we may be unable to offset by our prices to our customers. When supply chain issues are later resolved and prices return to normal levels, we may be required to reduce the prices at which we sell our products to our customers in order to remain competitive. In addition, even where these risks do not materialize, we may incur costs as we prepare contingency plans to address such risks. Our operating results and inventory levels could suffer if we are unable to promptly replace a supplier who is unwilling or unable to satisfy our requirements with a supplier providing similar products. In addition, our suppliers’ ability to deliver products may also be affected by raw material and commodity cost volatility or financing constraints caused by credit market conditions, which could materially and negatively impact our net sales and operating costs, at least until alternate sources of supply are arranged.

Additionally, our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected by our inability to continue sourcing products from our suppliers. Although we seek to have alternate sources and recover increases in input costs through price increases in our products, shortages, supply chain interruptions or regulatory changes or other governmental actions could result in the need to change suppliers or incur cost increases that cannot, in the short term, or in some cases even in the long-term, be offset by our prices.

 

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We are reliant on third-party suppliers for components necessary to develop and manufacture our quantum computing solutions. Any of the following factors (and others) could have an adverse impact on the availability of these components:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If any of the aforementioned factors were to materialize, it could cause us to halt production of our quantum computing solutions and/or entail higher manufacturing costs, any of which could materially adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition and could materially damage customer relationships.

There are limited suppliers to sources of materials which may be necessary for the production of our technology. We are currently reliant on a single or small number of suppliers for certain resources. While we are currently looking to engage additional suppliers, there is no guarantee we will be able to establish or maintain relationships with such additional suppliers on terms satisfactory to us. Reliance on any single supplier increases the risks associated with being unable to obtain the necessary components because the supplier may have manufacturing constraints, can be subject to unanticipated shutdowns and/or may be affected by natural disasters and other catastrophic events. Some of these factors may be completely out of our and our suppliers’ control. Failure to acquire sufficient quantities of the necessary components in a timely or cost-effective manner could materially harm our business.

Our continued growth and success depend on our ability to innovate and develop quantum computing technology in a timely manner and effectively market these products. Without timely innovation and

 

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development, our quantum computing solutions could be rendered obsolete or less competitive by changing customer preferences or because of the introduction of a competitor’s newer technologies. We believe that many competing technologies will require a technological breakthrough in one or more problems related to science, fundamental physics or manufacturing. While it is uncertain whether such technological breakthroughs will occur in the next several years that does not preclude the possibility that such technological breakthroughs could eventually occur. Any technological breakthroughs which render our technology obsolete or inferior to other products, could have a material effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

The success of our business is dependent upon the cost per qubit decreasing over the next several years as our quantum computers advance, which is based on achieving anticipated economies of scale related to demand for our computer systems, technological innovation and negotiations with third-party parts suppliers. If we do not achieve economies of scale or if the anticipated cost savings do not materialize, we may be unable to achieve a lower cost per qubit, which would make our quantum computing solution less competitive than those produced by our competitors and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

The nascent market for quantum computers is still rapidly evolving, characterized by rapidly changing technologies, competitive pricing and competitive factors, evolving government regulation and industry standards, and changing customer demands and behaviors. If demand for quantum computers in general does not develop as expected, or develops more slowly than expected, our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results could be harmed.

In addition, our growth and future demand for our products is highly dependent upon the adoption by developers and customers of quantum computers, as well as on our ability to demonstrate the value of quantum computing to our customers. Delays in future generations of our quantum computers or technical failures at other quantum computing companies could limit acceptance of our solution. Negative publicity concerning our solution or the quantum computing industry as a whole could limit acceptance of our solution. We believe quantum computing will solve many large-scale problems. However, such problems may never be solvable by quantum computing technology. If our clients and partners do not perceive the benefits of our solution, or if our solution does not drive member engagement, then demand for our products may not develop at all, or it may develop slower than we expect. If any of these events occur, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. If progress towards quantum advantage ever slows relative to expectations, it could adversely impact revenues and customer confidence to continue to pay for testing, access and “quantum readiness.” This would harm or even eliminate revenues in the period before quantum advantage.

Quantum advantage refers to the moment when a quantum computer can compute faster than traditional computers, while quantum supremacy is achieved once quantum computers are powerful enough to complete calculations that traditional supercomputers cannot perform at all. Broad quantum advantage is when quantum advantage is seen in many applications and developers prefer quantum computers to a traditional computer. No current quantum computers, including our quantum hardware, have reached a broad quantum advantage, and may never reach such advantage. Achieving a broad quantum advantage will be critical to the

 

22

success of any quantum computing company, including ours. However, achieving quantum advantage would not necessarily lead to commercial viability of the technology that accomplished such advantage, nor would it mean that such system could outperform classical computers in tasks other than the one used to determine a quantum advantage. Quantum computing technology, including broad quantum advantage, may take decades to be realized, if ever. If we cannot develop quantum computers that have quantum advantage, customers may not continue to purchase our products and services. If other companies’ quantum computers reach a broad quantum advantage prior to the time we reach such capabilities, it could lead to a loss of customers. If any of these events occur, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our business depends on our quantum computing systems being available. We have experienced, and may in the future further experience, disruptions, outages, defects and other performance and quality problems with our systems. We have also experienced, and may in the future further experience, disruptions, outages, defects and other performance and quality problems with the public cloud and internet infrastructure on which our systems rely. These problems can be caused by a variety of factors, including failed introductions of new functionality, vulnerabilities and defects in proprietary and open-source software, hardware components, human error or misconduct, capacity constraints, design limitations or denial of service attacks or other security-related incidents. We do not have a contractual right with our public cloud providers that compensates us for any losses due to availability interruptions in the public cloud.

Any disruptions, outages, defects and other performance and quality problems with our quantum computing system or with the public cloud and internet infrastructure on which we rely, could result in reduced use of our systems, increased expenses, including service credit obligations, and harm to our brand and reputation, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The quantum computing market is characterized by rapid technological change, changing user requirements, uncertain product lifecycles and evolving industry standards. We believe that the pace of innovation will continue to accelerate as technology changes and different approaches to quantum computing mature on a broad range of factors, including system architecture, error correction, performance and scale, ease of programming, user experience, markets addressed, types of data processed, and data governance and regulatory compliance. Our future success depends on our ability to continue to innovate and increase customer adoption of our quantum solutions. If we are unable to enhance our quantum computing system to keep pace with these rapidly evolving customer requirements, or if new technologies emerge that are able to deliver competitive products at lower prices, more efficiently, with better functionality, more conveniently, or more securely than our platform, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our future success is highly dependent on our ability to attract and retain our executive officers, key employees and other qualified personnel. As we build our brand and become more well known, there is increased risk that competitors or other companies may seek to hire our personnel. The loss of the services provided by

 

23

these individuals will adversely impact the achievement of our business strategy. These individuals could leave our employment at any time, as they are “at will” employees. A loss of a member of senior management, or an engineer or other key employee particularly to a competitor, could also place us at a competitive disadvantage. Effective succession planning is also important to our long-term success. Failure to ensure effective transfer of knowledge and smooth transitions involving key employees could hinder our strategic planning and execution.

Our future success also depends on our continuing ability to attract, develop, motivate, and retain highly qualified and skilled employees. The market for highly skilled workers and leaders in the quantum computing industry is extremely competitive. In particular, hiring qualified personnel specializing in supply chain management, engineering and sales, as well as other technical staff and research and development personnel is critical to our business and the development of our quantum computing systems. Some of these professionals are hard to find and we may encounter significant competition in our efforts to hire them. Many of the other companies with which we compete for qualified personnel have greater financial and other resources than we do. The effective operation of our supply chain, including the acquisition of critical components and materials, the development of our quantum computing technologies, the commercialization of our quantum computing technologies and the effective operation of our managerial and operating systems all depend upon our ability to attract, train and retain qualified personnel in the aforementioned specialties. Additionally, changes in immigration and work permit laws and regulations or the administration or interpretation of such laws or regulations could impair our ability to attract and retain highly qualified employees. If we cannot attract, train and retain qualified personnel in this competitive environment, wemay experience delays in the development of our quantum computing technologies and be otherwise unable to develop and grow our business as projected, or even at all.

In the eleven months ended December 31, 2021 and the year ended January 31, 2021, sales to government entities comprised 51.0% and 59.6% of our total revenue, respectively.

end-customers

non-governmental

end-customer

Government agencies and large organizations often undertake a significant evaluation process that results in a lengthy sales cycle. In addition, product purchases by such organizations are frequently subject to budget constraints, multiple approvals and unanticipated administrative, processing and other delays. Finally, these organizations typically have longer implementation cycles, require greater product functionality and scalability, require a broader range of services, demand that vendors take on a larger share of risks, require acceptance provisions that can lead to a delay in revenue recognition and expect greater payment flexibility. All of these factors can add further risk to business conducted with these potential customers.

It is difficult to predict our future revenues and appropriately budget for our expenses, and we may have limited insight into trends that may emerge and affect our business. We anticipate being required to provide forecasts of our demand to our current and future suppliers prior to the scheduled delivery of products to

 

24

potential customers. Currently, there is no historical basis for making judgments on the demand for our quantum computers or our ability to develop, manufacture, and deliver quantum computers, or our profitability, if any, in the future. If we overestimate our requirements, our suppliers may have excess inventory, which indirectly would increase our costs. If we underestimate our requirements, our suppliers may have inadequate inventory, which could interrupt manufacturing of our products and result in delays in shipments and revenues. In addition, lead times for materials and components that our suppliers order may vary significantly and depend on factors such as the specific supplier, contract terms and demand for each component at a given time. If we fail to order sufficient quantities of product components in a timely manner, the delivery of quantum computers and related compute time to our potential customers could be delayed, which would harm our business, financial condition and operating results.

non-U.S.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Additionally, operating in international markets also requires significant management attention and financial resources. We cannot be certain that the investment and additional resources required in establishing operations in other countries will produce desired levels of revenue or profitability.

Compliance with laws and regulations applicable to our global operations also substantially increases our cost of doing business in foreign jurisdictions. We have limited experience in marketing, selling and supporting our platform outside of the United States. Our limited experience in operating our business internationally increases the risk that any potential future expansion efforts that we may undertake will not be successful. If we invest substantial time and resources to expand our international operations and are unable to do so successfully and in a timely manner, our business, financial condition, revenues, results of operations or cash flows will suffer. We may be unable to keep current with changes in government requirements as they change from time to time. Failure to comply with these regulations could harm our business. In many countries, it is common for others to engage in business practices that are prohibited by our internal policies and procedures or other regulations applicable to us. Although we have implemented policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance with these laws and policies, there can be no assurance that all of our employees, contractors, partners and agents will comply with these laws and policies. Violations of laws or key control policies by our employees, contractors, partners or agents could result in delays in revenue recognition, financial reporting misstatements, enforcement actions, reputational harm, disgorgement of profits, fines, civil and criminal penalties, damages, injunctions, other collateral consequences or the prohibition of the importation or exportation of our solutions and could harm our business, financial condition, revenues, results of operations or cash flows.

non-U.S.

 

26

non-U.S.

one-time

low-level

low-

If our customers are unable to achieve compatibility between other software and hardware and our hardware, it could impact our relationships with such customers or with customers, generally, if the incompatibility is more widespread. In addition, the mere announcement of an incompatibility problem relating to our products with higher level software tools could cause us to suffer reputational harm and/or lead to a loss of customers. Any adverse impacts from the incompatibility of our quantum computing solutions could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

27

We have entered into, and may enter into, strategic partnerships to develop and commercialize our current and future research and development programs with other companies to accomplish one or more of the following:

 

 

 

 

 

We may not be successful in establishing or maintaining suitable partnerships, and we may not be able to negotiate collaboration agreements having terms satisfactory to the Company, or at all. Failure to make or maintain these arrangements or a delay or failure in a collaborative partner’s performance under any such arrangements could harm our business and financial condition.

non-technical

Actual or perceived breaches of our security measures or the accidental loss, inadvertent disclosure or unapproved dissemination of proprietary information or sensitive or confidential data about the Company, our partners, our customers or third parties could expose we and the parties affected to a risk of loss or misuse of this information, resulting in litigation and potential liability, paying damages, regulatory inquiries or actions, damage to our brand and reputation or other harm to our business. Our efforts to prevent and overcome these challenges could increase our expenses and may not be successful. If we fail to detect or remediate a security breach in a timely manner, or a breach otherwise affects our customers, or if we suffers a cyber-attack that impacts our ability to operate our platform, we may suffer material damage to our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our results of operations may vary based on the impact of changes in our industry or the global economy on we or our customers and potential customers. Negative conditions in the general economy both in

 

28

COVID-19

Government actions and regulations, such as tariffs and trade protection measures, may limit our ability to obtain products from our suppliers or sell our products and services to customers. Political challenges between the United States and countries in which our suppliers are located, and changes to trade policies, including tariff rates and customs duties, trade relations between the United States and those countries and other macroeconomic issues could adversely impact our business. The United States administration has announced tariffs on certain products imported into the United States, and some countries have imposed tariffs in response to the actions of the United States. There is also a possibility of future tariffs, trade protection measures or other restrictions imposed on our products or on our customers by the United States or other countries that could have a material adverse effect on our business. Our technology may be deemed a matter of national security and as such our customer base may be tightly restricted. We may accept government grants that place restrictions on the business’ ability to operate.

COVID-19

Our development contracts are typically fixed fee arrangements invoiced on a milestone basis. If we underestimate the amount of effort required to deliver on a contract, our profitability could be reduced. Any cost overruns on projects have not had a significant impact on our operations or profitability. However, if the actual costs of completing the contract exceed the agreed upon fixed price, we would incur a loss on the arrangement.

 

29

A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

We identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting related to accounting for complex warrant instruments as a result of an error in not properly recording a liability for the warrant with respect to a warrant to purchase stock issued by us to Trinity Capital Inc. that was subsequently cancelled and reissued for a new warrant in connection with an amendment to our loan and security agreement as described in Note 7 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.

Our management has concluded that this material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting is due to the fact that we are a private company with limited resources and did not have the necessary business processes and related internal controls formally designed and implemented to address the accounting and financial reporting requirements related to this complex transaction.

Our management is in the process of developing a remediation plan and is taking steps to remediate the material weakness. The material weakness will be considered remediated when our management designs and implements effective controls that operate for a sufficient period of time and our management has concluded, through testing, that these controls are effective. Our management will continue to monitor the effectiveness of our remediation plan and will make the changes it determines to be appropriate. Although we intend to complete this remediation process as quickly as practicable, we cannot at this time estimate how long it will take, and our initiatives may not prove to be successful in remediating the material weakness.

Furthermore, we cannot assure that the measures we have taken to date, and actions we may take in the future, will be sufficient to remediate the control deficiencies that led to our material weakness in our internal controls over financial reporting or that they will prevent or avoid potential future material weaknesses. Further, additional weaknesses in our disclosure controls and internal controls over financial reporting may be discovered in the future. Any failure to develop or maintain effective controls or any difficulties encountered in their implementation or improvement could limit our ability to prevent or detect a misstatement of our accounts or disclosures that could result in a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements. In such case, we may be unable to maintain compliance with securities law requirements regarding timely filing of periodic reports in addition to the listing requirements of the Nasdaq, investors may lose confidence in our financial reporting and our stock price may decline as a result.

We may pursue growth opportunities by acquiring complementary businesses, solutions or technologies through strategic transactions, investments or partnerships. The identification of suitable acquisition, strategic investment or strategic partnership candidates can be costly and time consuming and can distract our management team from our current operations. If such strategic transactions require us to seek additional debt or equity financing, we may not be able to obtain such financing on terms favorable to us or at all, and such transactions may adversely affect our liquidity and capital structure. Any strategic transaction might not strengthen our competitive position, may increase some of our risks, and may be viewed negatively by our customers, partners or investors. Even if we successfully complete a strategic transaction, we may not be able to effectively integrate the acquired business, technology, systems, control environment, solutions, personnel or

 

30

operations into our business. We may experience unexpected changes in how we are required to account for strategic transactions pursuant to U.S. GAAP and may not achieve the anticipated benefits of any strategic transaction. We may incur unexpected costs, claims or liabilities that we incur during the strategic transaction or that we assume from the acquired company, or we may discover adverse conditions post acquisition for which we have limited or no recourse.

COVID-19

COVID-19

COVID-19

COVID-19

COVID-19

COVID-19

COVID-19’s

COVID-19

COVID-19

COVID-19’s

break-ins,

 

31

failures, technology platform failures or internet failures, which could cause delays in development and fabrication, the loss or corruption of data or malfunctions of software or hardware as well as adversely affect our ability to provide services.

We are subject to state and federal laws and regulations related to privacy, data use and security. In addition, in recent years, there has been a heightened legislative and regulatory focus on data security, including requiring consumer notification in the event of a data breach. Legislation has been introduced in Congress and there have been several Congressional hearings addressing these issues. From time to time, Congress has considered, and may do so again, legislation establishing requirements for data security and response to data breaches that, if implemented, could affect us by increasing our costs of doing business. In addition, several states have enacted privacy or security breach legislation requiring varying levels of consumer notification in the event of a security breach. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), which enhances consumer protection and privacy rights by granting consumers resident in California new rights with respect to the collection of their personal data and imposing new operational requirements on businesses, went into effect in January 2020. The CCPA includes a statutory damages framework and private rights of action against businesses that fail to comply with certain CCPA terms or implement reasonable security procedures and practices to prevent data breaches. Several other states are considering similar legislation. Foreign governments are raising similar privacy and data security concerns. In particular, the European Union enacted a General Data Protection Regulation. China, Russia, Japan and other countries in Latin America and Asia are also strengthening their privacy laws and the enforcement of privacy and data security requirements. Complying with such laws and regulations may be time-consuming and require additional resources, and could therefore harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We have several contracts with various government entities, including contracts with NASA, the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (“DARPA”), and the Department of Energy (“DOE”), among others, and we may enter into additional contracts with U.S. government entities in the future, which subjects our business to statutes and regulations applicable to companies doing business with the government, including the Federal Acquisition Regulation. These government contracts customarily contain provisions that give the government substantial rights and remedies, many of which are not typically found in commercial contracts and which are unfavorable to contractors. For instance, most U.S. government agencies include provisions that allow the government to unilaterally terminate or modify contracts for convenience, and in that event, the counterparty to the contract may generally recover only its incurred or committed costs and settlement expenses and profit on work completed prior to the termination. If the government terminates a contract for default, the defaulting party may be liable for any extra costs incurred by the government in procuring undelivered items from another source.

In addition, government contracts normally contain additional requirements that may increase our costs of doing business, reduce our profits, and expose us to liability for failure to comply with these terms and conditions. These requirements include, for example:

 

 

 

 

32

Government contracts are also generally subject to greater scrutiny by the government, which can initiate reviews, audits and investigations regarding our compliance with government contract requirements. In addition, if we fail to comply with government contracting laws, regulations and contract requirements, our contracts may be subject to termination, and we may be subject to financial and/or other liability under our contracts, the Federal Civil False Claims Act (including treble damages and other penalties), or criminal law. In particular, the False Claims Act’s “whistleblower” provisions also allow private individuals, including present and former employees, to sue on behalf of the U.S. government. Any penalties, damages, fines, suspension, or damages could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our financial results.

We are subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, the U.S. domestic bribery statute contained in 18 U.S.C. § 201, the U.S. Travel Act, and other anti-bribery, and anti-corruption laws in countries in which we conduct activities. Anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws have been enforced aggressively in recent years and are interpreted broadly to generally prohibit companies, their employees, and their third-party intermediaries from authorizing, promising, offering, providing, soliciting, or accepting, directly or indirectly, improper payments or benefits to or from any person whether in the public or private sector. We may engage with partners and third-party intermediaries to market our services and to obtain necessary permits, licenses, and other regulatory approvals. In addition, we or our third-party intermediaries may have direct or indirect interactions with officials and employees of government agencies or state-owned or affiliated entities. We can be held liable for the corrupt or other illegal activities of these third-party intermediaries, and of our employees, representatives, contractors, partners, and agents, even if we do not explicitly authorize such activities. We cannot provide any assurance that all of our employees and agents will not take actions in violation of our policies and applicable law, for which we may be ultimately held responsible.

Detecting, investigating, and resolving actual or alleged violations of anti-corruption laws can require a significant diversion of time, resources, and attention from senior management. In addition, noncompliance with anti-corruption or anti-bribery laws could subject us to whistleblower complaints, investigations, sanctions, settlements, prosecution, enforcement actions, fines, damages, other civil or criminal penalties, injunctions, suspension or debarment from contracting with certain persons, reputational harm, adverse media coverage, and other collateral consequences.

Our products and technologies are subject to U.S. export control and import laws and regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations, U.S. Customs regulations, and various economic and trade sanctions regulations administered by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Controls. U.S. export control and economic sanctions laws include restrictions or prohibitions on the sale or supply of certain products, technologies, and services to U.S. Government embargoed or sanctioned countries, governments, persons and entities. In addition, certain products and technology may be subject to export licensing or approval requirements. Exports of our products and technology must be made in compliance with export control and sanctions laws and regulations. If we fail to comply with these laws and regulations, we and certain of our employees could be subject to substantial civil or criminal penalties, including the possible loss of export or import privileges; fines, which may be imposed on us and responsible employees or managers; and, in extreme cases, the incarceration of responsible employees or managers.

 

33

In addition, changes in our products or technologies or changes in applicable export or import laws and regulations may create delays in the introduction and sale of our products and technologies in international markets or, in some cases, prevent the export or import of our products and technologies to certain countries, governments or persons altogether. Any change in export or import laws and regulations, shift in the enforcement or scope of existing laws and regulations, or change in the countries, governments, persons or technologies targeted by such laws and regulations, could also result in decreased use of our products and technologies, or in our decreased ability to export or sell our products and technologies to existing or potential customers. Any decreased use of our products and technologies or limitation on our ability to export or sell our products and technologies would likely adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We expect to incur significant costs in complying with these regulations. Regulations related to quantum computing are currently evolving and we face risks associated with changes to these regulations.

We may in the future face legal, administrative and regulatory proceedings, claims, demands and/or investigations involving stockholder, consumer, competition and/or other issues relating to our business on a global basis. Litigation and regulatory proceedings are inherently uncertain, and adverse rulings could occur, including monetary damages, or an injunction stopping us from engaging in certain business practices, or requiring other remedies, such as compulsory licensing of patents. An unfavorable outcome or settlement may result in a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial position and overall trends. In addition, regardless of the outcome, litigation can be costly, time-consuming, and disruptive to our operations. Any claims or litigation, even if fully indemnified or insured, could damage our reputation and make it more difficult to compete effectively or to obtain adequate insurance in the future. In addition, the laws and regulations our business is subject to are complex and change frequently. We may be required to incur significant expense to comply with changes in, or remedy violations of, these laws and regulations.

Furthermore, while we maintain insurance for certain potential liabilities, such insurance does not cover all types and amounts of potential liabilities and is subject to various exclusions as well as caps on amounts recoverable. Even if we believe a claim is covered by insurance, insurers may dispute our entitlement to recovery for a variety of potential reasons, which may affect the timing and, if the insurers prevail, the amount of our recovery.

We may become subject to product liability claims, even those without merit, which could harm our business prospects, operating results, and financial condition. We may face inherent risk of exposure to claims in the event our quantum computers do not perform as expected or malfunction. A successful product liability claim against us could require us to pay a substantial monetary award. Moreover, a product liability claim could generate substantial negative publicity about our quantum computers and business and inhibit or prevent commercialization of other future quantum computers, which would have material adverse effects on our brand, business, prospects and operating results. Any insurance coverage might not be sufficient to cover all potential product liability claims. Any lawsuit seeking significant monetary damages either in excess of our coverage, or outside of our coverage, may have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business and financial condition. We may not be able to secure additional product liability insurance coverage on commercially acceptable terms or at reasonable costs when needed, particularly if we do face liability for our products and are forced to make a claim under our policy.

We are subject to numerous federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations governing, among other things, solid and hazardous waste storage, treatment and disposal, and remediation of releases of

 

34

hazardous materials. There are significant capital, operating and other costs associated with compliance with these environmental laws and regulations. Environmental laws and regulations may become more stringent in the future, which could increase costs of compliance or require us to manufacture with alternative technologies and materials.

Federal, state and local authorities also regulate a variety of matters, including, but not limited to, health, safety and permitting in addition to the environmental matters discussed above. New legislation and regulations may require us to make material changes to our operations, resulting in significant increases to the cost of production.

Our manufacturing process will have hazards such as but not limited to hazardous materials, machines with moving parts, and high voltage and/or high current electrical systems typical of large manufacturing equipment and related safety incidents. There may be safety incidents that damage machinery or product, slow or stop production, or harm employees. Consequences may include litigation, regulation, fines, increased insurance premiums, mandates to temporarily halt production, workers’ compensation claims, or other actions that impact our brand, finances, or ability to operate.

non-disclosure

However, we may not be able to prevent unauthorized use of our intellectual property. Our trade secrets may also be compromised, which could cause us to lose our competitive advantage. Third parties may attempt to copy or otherwise obtain, use or infringe our intellectual property. Monitoring and detecting unauthorized use of our intellectual property is difficult and costly, and the steps we have taken or will take to prevent infringement or misappropriation may not be sufficient. Any enforcement efforts we undertake, including litigation, could be time-consuming and expensive and could divert management’s attention, which could harm Our business, results of operations, and financial condition. In addition, existing intellectual property laws and contractual remedies may afford less protection than needed to safeguard our intellectual property portfolio, and third parties may develop competitive offerings in a manner that leaves us with limited means to enforce our intellectual property rights against them.

Patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws vary significantly throughout the world. A number of foreign countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as do the laws of the United States. Therefore, our intellectual property rights may not be as strong or as easily enforced outside of the United States and efforts to protect against the unauthorized use of our intellectual property rights, technology and other proprietary rights may be more expensive and difficult outside of the United States.

Failure to adequately protect our intellectual property rights could result in our competitors using our intellectual property to offer products, potentially resulting in the loss of some of our competitive advantage and a decrease in our revenue, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

 

35

The application and registration of patents involves complex legal and factual questions. As a result, we cannot be certain that the patent applications that we files will result in patents being issued, or that our patents and any future patents that do issue will afford protection against competitors with similar technology. Numerous patents and pending patent applications owned by others exist in the fields in which we have developed and are developing our technology, and this may make it difficult for us to obtain certain patent coverage on our own. Any of our existing or pending patents may also be challenged by others on the basis that they are otherwise invalid or unenforceable. Furthermore, patent applications filed in foreign countries are subject to laws, rules and procedures that differ from those of the United States, and thus we cannot be certain that foreign patent applications related to issued U.S. patents will be issued.

Even if our patent applications succeed, it is still uncertain whether these patents will be contested, circumvented, invalidated or limited in scope in the future. The rights granted under any issued patents may not provide us with meaningful protection or competitive advantages. The intellectual property rights of others could bar us from licensing and exploiting any patents that issue from our pending applications, and the claims under any patents that issue from our patent applications may not be broad enough to prevent others from developing technologies that are similar or that achieve results similar to ours. In addition, patents issued to us may be infringed upon or designed around by others and others may obtain patents that it needs to license or design around, either of which would increase costs and may adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.

Our success depends, in part, on our ability to develop and commercialize our products, services and technologies without infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the intellectual property rights of third parties. However, we may not be aware that our products, services or technologies are infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating third-party intellectual property rights and such third parties may bring claims alleging such infringement, misappropriation or violation.

non-infringement

Companies that have developed and are developing technology are often required to defend against litigation claims based on allegations of infringement, misappropriation or other violations of intellectual property rights. Our products, services or technologies may not be able to withstand third-party claims against their use. In addition, as compared to us, many companies have the capability to dedicate substantially greater resources to enforce their intellectual property rights and to defend claims that may be brought against them. If a third party is able to obtain an injunction preventing us from using or accessing such third-party intellectual property rights, or if we cannot license or develop alternative technology for any infringing aspect of our business, we may be forced to limit or stop sales of our products, services or technologies or cease business activities related to such intellectual property. Although we carry general liability insurance, our insurance may not cover potential claims of this type or may not be adequate to indemnify us for all liability that may be imposed. We cannot predict the outcome of lawsuits and cannot ensure that the results of any such actions will

 

36

not have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Even if the claims do not result in litigation or are resolved in our favor, these claims, and the time and resources necessary to resolve them, could divert the resources of our management and harm our business and operating results. Further, there could be public announcements of the intellectual property litigation, and if securities analysts, investors or others perceive the potential impact to be negative or risks to be substantial, it could have an adverse effect on the price of our common stock.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The occurrence of infringement claims may grow as the market for our products, services and technologies grows. Accordingly, our exposure to damages resulting from infringement claims could increase and this could further exhaust our financial and management resources.

Our platform utilizes software licensed to us by third-party authors under “open-source” licenses and we expect to continue to utilize open-source software in the future. The use of open-source software may entail greater risks than the use of third-party commercial software, as open-source licensors generally do not provide warranties or other contractual protections regarding infringement claims or the quality of the code. To the extent that our platform depends upon the successful operation of the open-source software we use, any undetected errors or defects in this open-source software could prevent the deployment or impair the functionality of our platform, delay new solution introductions, result in a failure of our platform and injure our reputation. For example, undetected errors or defects in open-source software could render us vulnerable to breaches or security attacks, and, in conjunction, make our systems more vulnerable to data breaches.

Furthermore, some open-source licenses require the release of proprietary source code combined with, linked to or distributed with such open-source software to be released to the public. If we combine, link or distribute our proprietary software with open-source software in a specific manner, we could, under some open-source licenses, be required to release the source code of our proprietary software to the public. This would allow our competitors to create similar solutions with lower development effort and time and ultimately put us at a competitive disadvantage.

re-engineer

 

37

non-exclusive,

non-transferable,

non-exclusive

“march-in”

The price of our common stock and public warrants may fluctuate due to a variety of factors, including, without limitation:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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These market and industry factors may materially reduce the market price of our common stock and our warrants regardless of the operating performance of the Company. In the past, following periods of market volatility, stockholders have instituted securities class action litigation. If we are involved in securities litigation, it could have a substantial cost and divert resources and the attention of executive management from our business regardless of the outcome of such litigation.

As a public company, and particularly after we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” we will incur significant legal, accounting, and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company, including costs resulting from public company reporting obligations under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, and regulations regarding corporate governance practices. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the rules of the SEC, the listing requirements of the Nasdaq, and other applicable securities rules and regulations impose various requirements on public companies, including establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls and corporate governance practices. We have begun to hire additional accounting, finance, and other personnel in connection with our becoming, and our efforts to comply with the requirements of being, a public company, and our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time towards maintaining compliance with these requirements. These requirements will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. We are currently evaluating these rules and regulations and cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs. These rules and regulations are often subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices. We cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we will incur as a result of recently becoming a public company or the timing of such costs. Any changes we make to comply with these obligations may not be sufficient to allow us to satisfy our obligations as a public company on a timely basis, or at all. These reporting requirements, rules and regulations, coupled with the increase in potential litigation exposure associated with being a public company, could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board of directors or board committees or to serve as executive officers, or to obtain certain types of insurance, including directors’ and officers’ insurance, on acceptable terms.

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a detailed work plan to assess and document the adequacy of internal control over financial reporting, continue steps to improve control processes as appropriate, validate through testing that controls are functioning as documented, and implement a continuous reporting and improvement process for internal control over financial reporting. Despite our efforts, there is a risk that we will not be able to conclude, within the prescribed timeframe or at all, that our internal control over financial reporting is effective as required by Sarbanes-Oxley Act Section 404. If we identify one or more material weaknesses in the future, it could result in an adverse reaction in the financial markets due to a loss of confidence in the reliability of our financial statements.

As a public company, we will 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 Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the rules and regulations of the SEC and the listing standards of Nasdaq. The Exchange Act requires, among other things, that we file annual, quarterly, and current reports with respect to our business, financial condition and results of operations. Compliance with these rules and regulations 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 shareholder 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 this prospectus and in filings required of a public company, our business and financial condition are more visible, which may result in threatened or actual litigation, including by competitors.

Our executive officers and directors and their respective affiliates beneficially own, in the aggregate, approximately 35.6% of outstanding common stock as of March 18, 2022. This significant concentration of ownership may have a negative impact on the trading price for our common stock because investors often perceive disadvantages in owning stock in companies where there is a concentration of ownership in a small number of stockholders. In addition, these stockholders will be able to exercise influence over all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and approval of corporate transactions, such as a merger or other sale of us or our assets. This concentration of ownership could limit other stockholders’ ability to influence corporate matters and may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control, including a merger, consolidation or other business combination, or discouraging a potential acquirer from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control, even if that change in control would benefit the other stockholders.

 

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We currently intend to retain future earnings, if any, to finance the further development and expansion of our business and does not intend to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, restrictions contained in future agreements and financing instruments, business prospects and such other factors as our board of directors deems relevant.

Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate significantly because of several factors, including:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Securities research analysts may establish and publish their own periodic projections for us. These projections may vary widely and may not accurately predict the results we actually achieve. Our share price may decline if our actual results do not match the projections of these securities research analysts. Similarly, if one or more of the analysts who write reports on us downgrades our stock or publishes inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our share price could decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of us or fails to publish reports on us regularly, our share price or trading volume could decline. If no analysts commence coverage of us, the market price and volume for our securities could be adversely affected.

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The sale of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales could occur, could harm the prevailing market price of shares of our common stock. These sales, or the possibility that these sales may occur, also might make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and at a price that it deems appropriate. Future resales of common stock may cause the market price of our securities to drop significantly, even if our business is doing well.

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S-8

S-8

We expect that significant additional capital will be needed in the near future to continue our planned operations. In the future, we may incur debt or issue equity ranking senior to our common stock. Those securities will generally have priority upon liquidation. Such securities also may be governed by an indenture or other instrument containing covenants restricting our operating flexibility. Additionally, any convertible or exchangeable securities that we issue in the future may have rights, preferences and privileges more favorable than those of our common stock. Because our decision to issue debt or equity in the future will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing, nature or success of our future capital raising efforts. As a result, future capital raising efforts may reduce the market price of our common stock and be dilutive to existing stockholders.

 

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We may issue a substantial number of shares of common stock, including under the 2022 Plan and the Employee Stock Purchase Plan, or preferred stock.

Any such issuances of additional shares of common stock or preferred stock:

 

 

 

 

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Our Certificate of Incorporation and bylaws of the Company (the “Bylaws”) and the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (“DGCL”) contain provisions that could have the effect of rendering more difficult, delaying, or preventing an acquisition deemed undesirable by the board of directors of Rigetti (the “Board”) and therefore depress the trading price of our common stock. These provisions could also make it difficult for stockholders to take certain actions, including electing directors who are not nominated by the current members of the Board or taking other corporate actions, including effecting changes in our management. Among other things, the Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws include provisions regarding:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These provisions, alone or together, could delay or prevent hostile takeovers and changes in control or changes in the Board or management.

The Certificate of Incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall be the sole and exclusive forum for state law claims for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any current or former director, officer or other employee, or stockholder of Rigetti to Rigetti or our stockholders, (iii) any action or claim against the Company or any current or former

 

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director, officer or other employee or stockholder of the Company, arising out of or pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or the Certificate of Incorporation or the Bylaws, (iv) any action seeking to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of the Certificate of Incorporation or the Bylaws; (v) any action or claim as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware; and (vi) any action against the Company or any current or former director, officer or other employee or stockholder of the Company, governed by the internal-affairs doctrine of the law of the State of Delaware, in all cases to the fullest extent permitted by law. The foregoing provisions will not apply to any claims as to which the Delaware Court of Chancery determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of such court, which is rested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than such court (including claims arising under the Exchange Act), or for which such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction, or to any claims arising under the Securities Act and, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the United States federal district courts will be the sole and exclusive forum for resolving any action asserting a claim arising under the Securities Act.

Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules or regulations thereunder. Accordingly, both state and federal courts have jurisdiction to entertain such Securities Act claims. To prevent having to litigate claims in multiple jurisdictions and the threat of inconsistent or contrary rulings by different courts, among other considerations, the Certificate of Incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, United States federal district courts shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. There is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce the forum provision with respect to claims under the federal securities laws.

This choice of forum provision in our Certificate of Incorporation may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers, or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims. There is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provisions, and the enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ charter documents has been challenged in legal proceedings. It is possible that a court could find these types of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable, and if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in the Certificate of Incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Furthermore, investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and rules and regulations thereunder.

We are subject to complex securities laws and regulations and accounting principles and interpretations. The preparation of our financial statements requires us to interpret accounting principles and guidance and to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, as well as the reported expenses incurred during the reporting periods. We base our interpretations, estimates and judgments on our historical experience and on various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for the preparation of our financial statements. GAAP presentation is subject to interpretation by the SEC, the Financial Accounting Standards Board and various other bodies formed to interpret and create appropriate accounting principles and guidance. If one of these bodies disagrees with our accounting recognition, measurement or disclosure or any of our accounting interpretations, estimates or assumptions, it may have a significant effect on our reported results and may retroactively affect previously reported results.

 

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On April 12, 2021, the Acting Director of the Division of Corporation Finance and Acting Chief Accountant of the SEC together issued a statement regarding the accounting and reporting considerations for warrants issued by special purpose acquisition companies entitled “Staff Statement on Accounting and Reporting Considerations for Warrants Issued by Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (“SPACs”)” (the “SEC Statement”). Specifically, the SEC Statement focused on certain settlement terms and provisions related to certain tender offers following a business combination, which terms are similar to those contained in the warrant agreement governing our warrants. As a result of the SEC Statement, Supernova reevaluated the accounting treatment of the 8,625,000 public warrants and 4,450,000 private placement warrants, and determined to classify the warrants as derivative liabilities measured at fair value, with changes in fair value each period reported in earnings.

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non-cash

No assurance can be given that additional guidance or new regulations or accounting principles and interpretations will not be released that would require us to reclassify our warrants as liabilities measured at fair value, with changes in fair value reported each period in earnings and/or require a restatement of our financial statements with respect to treatment of the warrants.

Any restatement of our financial results could, among other potential adverse effects:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The exercise price for our warrants is $11.50 per share of common stock. There is no guarantee that the warrants will be in the money following the time they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, and as such, the warrants may expire worthless. Our warrants become exercisable on April 1, 2022.

The warrants were issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and Supernova. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision or correct any mistake, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment and, solely with respect to any amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants or any provision of the warrant agreement with respect to the private placement warrants, 50% of the number of the then outstanding private placement warrants. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, convert the warrants into cash, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.

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In addition, we may redeem your warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration at a price of $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants prior to redemption for a number of shares of common stock determined based on the redemption date and the fair market value of our common stock.

The value received upon exercise of the warrants (1) may be less than the value the holders would have received if they had exercised their warrants at a later time where the underlying share price is higher and (2) may not compensate the holders for the value of the warrants, including because the number of shares of common stock received is capped at 0.361 share of common stock per warrant (subject to adjustment) irrespective of the remaining life of the warrants. None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us, subject to certain circumstances, so long as they are held by Supernova Sponsor or its permitted transferees.

 

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The warrant agreement provides that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction will be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. Under the warrant agreement, we also agree that we will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement do not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of the public warrants or private placement warrants will be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our warrant agreement.

If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope of the forum provisions of the warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any holder of the public warrants or private placement warrants, such holder will be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.

The market price of our common stock may be volatile and, in the past, companies that have experienced volatility in the market price of their stock have been subject to securities class action litigation. We may be the target of this type of litigation in the future. Securities litigation against us could result in substantial costs and divert management’s attention from other business concerns, which could seriously harm our business.

 

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All of the common stock and warrants offered by the selling securityholders pursuant to this prospectus will be sold by the selling securityholders for their respective accounts. We will not receive any of the proceeds from these sales.

We will receive up to an aggregate of approximately $155 million from the exercise of the warrants and Rigetti assumed warrants, assuming the exercise in full of all of the warrants and Rigetti assumed warrants for cash. We expect to use the net proceeds from the exercise of the warrants and Rigetti assumed warrants for general corporate purposes. We will have broad discretion over the use of proceeds from the exercise of the warrants and Rigetti assumed warrants. There is no assurance that the holders of the warrants and Rigetti assumed warrants will elect to exercise any or all of such warrants and such Rigetti assumed warrants. To the extent that the warrants or Rigetti assumed warrants are exercised on a “cashless basis,” the amount of cash we would receive from the exercise of the warrants and Rigetti assumed warrants will decrease.

 

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The offering price of the shares of common stock underlying the warrants offered hereby is determined by reference to the exercise price of the warrants of $11.50 per warrant. The public warrants are listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “RGTIW.”

We cannot currently determine the price or prices at which shares of our common stock, the private placement warrants may be sold by the selling securityholders under this prospectus.

 

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Our common stock and public warrants are currently listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “RGTI” and “RGTIW,” respectively. Prior to the consummation of the business combination, Supernova Class A common shares and public warrants were listed on NYSE under the symbols “SNII” and “SNIIW,” respectively. As of March 18, 2022, there were 382 holders of record of our common stock, 1 holder of record of the public warrants and 1 holder of record of the private placement warrants.

We have never declared or paid any dividends on shares of our common stock. We anticipate that we will retain all of our future earnings, if any, for use in the operation and expansion of our business and do not anticipate paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any decision to declare and pay dividends in the future will be made at the sole discretion of our board of directors and will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, cash requirements, financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant.

In connection with the business combination, our stockholders approved the Rigetti Computing, Inc. 2022 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2022 Plan”) on February 23, 2022, which became effective immediately upon the Closing.

We intend to file one or more registration statements on Form S-8 under the Securities Act to register the shares of common stock issued or issuable under the 2022 Plan. Any such Form S-8 registration statement will become effective automatically upon filing. We expect that the initial registration statement on Form S-8 will cover shares of common stock underlying the 2022 Plan. Once these shares are registered, they can be sold in the public market upon issuance, subject to applicable restrictions.

 

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We build quantum computers and the superconducting quantum processors that power them. We believe quantum computing represents one of the most transformative emerging capabilities in the world today. By leveraging quantum mechanics, we believe our quantum computers process information in fundamentally new, more powerful ways than classical computers. When scaled, it is anticipated that these systems will be poised to solve problems of staggering computational complexity at unprecedented speed.

With the goal of unlocking this opportunity, we have developed the world’s first multi-chip quantum processor for scalable quantum computing systems. We believe that this patented and patent pending, modular chip architecture is the building block for new generations of quantum processors that we expect to achieve a clear advantage over classical computers.

Our long-term business model centers on revenue generated from quantum computing systems made accessible via the cloud in the form of Quantum Computing as a Service (“QCaaS”) products. Additionally, we are working to further develop a revenue stream and forging important customer relationships by entering into technology development contracts with various partners.

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chip design and manufacturing through cloud delivery. We believe this full-stack development approach offers both the fastest and lowest risk path to building commercially valuable quantum computers.

We have been generating revenue since 2018 through partnerships with government agencies and commercial organizations; however, we have not yet generated profits. We have incurred significant operating losses since inception. Our net losses were $38.2 million for the 11 months ended December 31, 2021, and $26.1 million for the year ended January 31, 2021, and we expect to continue to incur significant losses for the foreseeable future as we expect to continue to invest in research and development infrastructure. As of December 31, 2021, we had an accumulated deficit of $207.1 million.

On October 6, 2021, Supernova entered into the Merger Agreement by and among Supernova, First Merger Sub, Second Merger Sub, and Legacy Rigetti. On March 2, 2022, the Business Combination was consummated. In connection with the Domestication, Supernova changed its name to “Rigetti Computing, Inc.”

While the legal acquirer in the Merger Agreement is Supernova, for financial accounting and reporting purposes under GAAP, Rigetti is the accounting acquirer and the Merger is accounted for as a “reverse recapitalization.” A reverse recapitalization does not result in a new basis of accounting, and the financial statements of Rigetti represent the continuation of the financial statements of Rigetti in many respects. Under this method of accounting, Supernova is treated as the “acquired” company for financial reporting purposes. For accounting purposes, Rigetti is deemed to be the accounting acquirer in the transaction and, consequently, the transaction is treated as a recapitalization of Rigetti (i.e., a capital transaction involving the issuance of stock by Supernova for the stock of Rigetti).

As a result of the Business Combination, Rigetti became subject to the reporting requirements under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and listing standards of the Nasdaq Capital Market, which will necessitate Rigetti to hire additional personnel and implement procedures and processes to address such public company requirements. Rigetti expects to incur additional annual expenses as a public company for, among other things, directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, director fees, and additional internal and external accounting, legal and administrative resources.

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COVID-19

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Cost of revenue consists primarily of all direct and indirect cost associated with providing QCaaS offerings and development contracts and other services, including employee salaries and employee related costs, including compensation, bonuses, employee taxes and benefit costs of program management and personnel associated with the delivery of goods and services to customers. Cost of revenue also includes an allocation of facility costs, depreciation and amortization directly related to providing the QCaaS offerings and development contracts and other services. We expect cost of revenue to increase as we continue to expand on our operations, enhance our service offerings and expand our customer base.

Our operating expenses consist of sales and marketing, general and administrative and research and development expenses.

Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of compensation including stock-based compensation, employee benefits of sales and marketing employees, outside consultant fees, travel and marketing and promotion costs. We expect selling and marketing expenses to increase as we continue to expand on our operations, enhance our service offerings, expand our customer base, and implement new marketing strategies.

General and administrative expenses include compensation, employee benefits, stock-based compensation, legal, insurance, finance administration and human resources, an allocation of facility costs (including leases),