You should read the following discussion and analysis together with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included in "Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. For a complete discussion of forward-looking statements, see the section above entitled "Forward Looking Statements." Our actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth under the caption "Item 1A. Risk Factors."

Overview

We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing our novel class of highly specific and selective antibody-based therapeutics for the treatment of solid tumor cancer. Our CABs capitalize on our proprietary discoveries with respect to tumor biology, enabling us to target known and widely validated tumor antigens that have previously been difficult or impossible to target. Our novel CAB therapeutic candidates exploit characteristic pH differences between the tumor microenvironment and healthy tissue. Unlike healthy tissue, the tumor microenvironment is acidic, and we have designed our antibodies to selectively bind to their targets on tumor cells under acidic pH conditions but not on targets in normal tissues. Our approach is to identify the necessary targeting and potency required for cancer cell destruction, while aiming to eliminate or greatly reduce on-target, off-tumor toxicity-one of the fundamental challenges of existing cancer therapies.

We are a United States-based company with research facilities in San Diego, California and, through our contractual relationship with BioDuro, a provider of preclinical development services, in Beijing, China. Since the commencement of our operations, we have focused substantially all of our resources on conducting research and development activities, including drug discovery, preclinical studies and clinical trials of our product candidates, including the ongoing Phase 2 clinical trials of BA3011 and BA3021, establishing and maintaining our intellectual property portfolio, manufacturing clinical and research material through third parties, hiring personnel, establishing product development and commercialization collaborations with third parties, raising capital and providing general and administrative support for these operations. Since 2014, such research and development activities have exclusively related to the research, development, manufacture and Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical testing of our CAB antibody-based product candidates and the strengthening of our proprietary CAB technology platform and pipeline. We do not have any products approved for sale, and we have not generated any revenue from product sales.

In July 2020, BioAtla, LLC completed a series of transactions, or the Corporate Reorganization, in connection with which it converted from a limited liability company into a Delaware corporation, spun-off Himalaya Therapeutics SEZC, and completed a Series D convertible preferred stock financing. Following the Corporate Reorganization, BioAtla, Inc. continued to hold all operations, employees, property and assets of BioAtla, LLC (excluding Himalaya Therapeutics SEZC) and assumed all of the obligations of BioAtla, LLC (exclusive of the profits interest liability related to awards granted under BioAtla, LLC's profits interest plan). In addition, following the Corporate Reorganization, BioAtla, Inc. is a single legal entity with no consolidated variable interest entities, or VIEs, or subsidiaries. Except as otherwise noted, the consolidated financial statements discussed in this section and included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K are those of BioAtla, LLC and its consolidated subsidiaries prior to the Corporate Reorganization and those of BioAtla, Inc. subsequent to the Corporate Reorganization.

In July 2020, we entered into a Series D Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement pursuant to which we issued and sold 140,626,711 shares of Series D convertible preferred stock at $0.51554931 per share, for aggregate cash proceeds of $72.5 million. We incurred $4.3 million of issuance costs in connection with our Series D financing.

We have incurred significant losses to date. Our ability to generate product revenue sufficient to achieve profitability will depend on the successful development and eventual commercialization of one or more of our





                                      121

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Table of Contents

current and future product candidates. Our net losses were $35.9 million and $29.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. As of December 31, 2020, we had an accumulated deficit of $90.9 million. These losses have resulted primarily from costs incurred in connection with research and development activities and general and administrative costs associated with our operations. We do not expect to generate meaningful revenue from product sales for the foreseeable future, and we expect to continue to incur significant operating expenses for the foreseeable future due to the cost of research and development, including identifying and designing product candidates and conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials, and the regulatory approval process for our product candidates. We expect our expenses, and the potential for losses, to increase substantially as we conduct clinical trials of our lead product candidates and seek to expand our pipeline.

We expect our expenses and capital requirements will increase substantially in connection with our ongoing activities as we:





  •   advance the clinical development of BA3011;




  •   advance the clinical development of BA3021;




     •    expand our pipeline of bispecific and other CAB antibody-based product
          candidates;




  •   continue to invest in our CAB technology platform;




     •    maintain, protect and expand our intellectual property portfolio,
          including patents, trade secrets and know-how;




     •    seek marketing approvals for any product candidates that successfully
          complete clinical trials;




     •    establish additional product collaborations and commercial manufacturing
          relationships with third parties;




     •    build sales, marketing and distribution infrastructure and relationships
          with third parties to commercialize product candidates for which we may
          obtain marketing approval;




     •    continue to expand our operational, financial and management information
          systems; and




     •    attract, hire and retain additional clinical, scientific, management,
          administrative and commercial personnel.

Furthermore, we expect to incur additional costs associated with operating as a public company, including significant legal, accounting, insurance, investor relations and other administrative and professional services expenses that we did not incur as a private company.

As a result, we will require substantial additional capital to develop our product candidates and fund operations for the foreseeable future. Until such time as we can generate significant revenue from product sales, if ever, we expect to finance our operations through a combination of public or private equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations and other similar arrangements. The amount and timing of our future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including the pace and results of our development efforts. We cannot assure you that we will ever be profitable or generate positive cash flow from operating activities.

Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with product development, we are unable to accurately predict the timing or amount of increased expenses or when, or if, we will be able to achieve profitability. Even if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. If we fail to become profitable or are unable to sustain profitability on a continuing basis, then we may be unable to raise capital, maintain our research and development efforts, expand our business or continue our operations at planned levels, and as a result we may be forced to substantially reduce or terminate our operations.

Through the date of our initial public offering, or IPO, in December 2020, we had funded our operations primarily through the receipt of $71.0 million from our collaboration agreements, $27.6 million from the





                                      122

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Table of Contents

issuance of convertible debt and $138.3 million from the issuance of equity securities. In December 2020, we completed our initial public offering in which we sold 12,075,000 shares of our common stock at the initial public offering price to the public of $18.00 per share, which included the exercise in full of the underwriters' option to purchase additional shares, for aggregate cash proceeds of $217.4 million. We incurred $19.0 million of issuance costs in connection with our initial public offering. Upon the closing of our initial public offering, all outstanding shares of our convertible preferred stock converted into 13,876,510 shares of our common stock and 1,492,059 shares of our Class B common stock. As of December 31, 2020, our cash and cash equivalents totaled approximately $238.6 million. Based on our current operating plan, our current cash and cash equivalents are expected to be sufficient to fund our ongoing operations at least through the end of 2022. However, we have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could utilize our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect.

BioAtla was formed in April 2007 as a Delaware limited liability corporation. We initially operated as a service provider and service-related partnered drug developer for primarily human therapeutic proteins and simultaneously refined our proprietary CAB technology platform and related technologies. Since 2013, we transitioned away from our services business to focus on internal development of our own proprietary products.

Impact of COVID-19 on our business

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of COVID-19 caused by a novel strain of coronavirus as a pandemic, which continues to spread throughout the United States and around the world. The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic may affect our ability to complete our current preclinical studies and clinical trials, initiate and complete our planned preclinical studies and clinical trials, disrupt regulatory activities or have other adverse effects on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects. In addition, the pandemic has caused substantial disruption in the financial markets and may adversely impact economies worldwide, both of which could adversely affect our business, operations and ability to raise funds to support our operations. To date, we have not experienced material business disruptions, including with respect to any of the clinical trials we are conducting, or impairments of any of our assets as a result of the pandemic. We are following, and plan to continue to follow, recommendations from federal, state and local governments regarding workplace policies, practices and procedures. In March 2020, we implemented a remote working policy for many of our employees, began restricting non-essential travel and temporarily reduced salaries of our employees from March 2020 to July 2020. We are complying with all applicable guidelines for our clinical trials, including remote clinical monitoring. In April 2020, we borrowed $0.7 million under the Paycheck Protection Program under the CARES Act, as discussed further under "-Liquidity and capital resources." We are continuing to monitor the potential impact of the pandemic, but we cannot be certain what the overall impact will be on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Financial operations overview

Revenue

To date, we have not generated any revenue from the sale of products and do not expect to generate meaningful revenue in the near future. In December 2015, we entered into a four-year preclinical research agreement with Pfizer, which expired according to its terms in December 2019.

In April 2019, we entered into a Global Co-Development and Collaboration Agreement with BeiGene, Ltd. which, as amended in December 2019 and October 2020, provides for the development, manufacturing and commercialization of BA3071. Under the terms of our BeiGene collaboration, BeiGene is generally responsible for developing BA3071 and is responsible for global regulatory filings and commercialization. Subject to the terms of the agreement, BeiGene holds an exclusive license with us to develop and manufacture the product candidate globally. BeiGene is responsible for all costs of development, manufacturing and commercialization globally. In addition, we may in the future seek third-party collaborators or joint venture partners for





                                      123

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Table of Contents

development and commercialization of additional CAB product candidates. At the time of execution of the BeiGene collaboration, we received a $20.0 million upfront payment and in December 2019, we received an additional $5.0 million for the reimbursement of manufacturing costs. We are eligible to receive up to $225.5 million in subsequent development and regulatory milestones globally and commercial milestones in the BeiGene territory, together with tiered royalties, ranging from the high-single digits to the low twenties, on sales worldwide. Pursuant to the terms of the October 2020 amendment, we agreed to transfer certain know-how and materials to BeiGene related to the manufacture of BA3071.

During 2020, we recognized revenue only from our collaboration with BeiGene. During 2019, we recognized revenue from our collaboration with BeiGene and, to a much lesser degree, from our collaboration with Pfizer.

Operating expenses

Research and development

Research and development expenses consist primarily of costs incurred in the discovery and development of our product candidates.





  •   External expenses consist of:




         •   Fees paid to third parties such as contractors, clinical research
             organizations (CROs) and consultants, including through our
             relationship with BioDuro, and other costs related to preclinical and
             clinical trials;




         •   Fees paid to third parties such as contract manufacturing
             organizations (CMOs) and other vendors for manufacturing research and
             clinical trial materials; and




  •   Expenses related to laboratory supplies and services.




  •   Unallocated expenses consist of:




         •   Personnel-related expenses, including salaries, benefits and
             equity-based compensation expenses, for personnel in our research and
             development functions; and




  •   Related equipment and facilities depreciation expenses.

We expense research and development costs in the periods in which they are incurred. Nonrefundable advance payments for goods or services to be received in future periods for use in research and development activities are deferred and capitalized. The capitalized amounts are then expensed as the related goods are delivered and service are performed.

We expect our research and development expenses to increase substantially for the foreseeable future as we continue to invest in research and development activities to advance our product candidates and our clinical programs and expand our product candidate pipeline. The process of conducting the necessary preclinical and clinical research to obtain regulatory approval is costly and time-consuming. Product candidates in later stages of clinical development generally have higher development costs than those in earlier stages of clinical development, primarily due to the increased size and duration of later-stage clinical trials. Accordingly, to the extent that our product candidates continue to advance into clinical trials, including larger and later-stage clinical trials, our expenses will increase substantially and may become more variable. The actual probability of success for our product candidates may be affected by a variety of factors, including the safety and efficacy of our product candidates, the quality and consistency in their manufacture, investment in our clinical programs and competition with other products. As a result of these variables, we are unable to determine the duration and completion costs of our research and development projects and programs or when and to what extent we will generate revenue from the commercialization and sale of our product candidates. We may never succeed in achieving regulatory approval for any of our product candidates.





                                      124

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Table of Contents

General and administrative

Our general and administrative expenses consist primarily of personnel-related expenses for personnel in our executive, finance, corporate and other administrative functions, intellectual property and patent costs, facilities and other allocated expenses, other expenses for outside professional services, including legal, human resources, audit and accounting services and insurance costs. Personnel-related expenses consist of salaries, benefits and equity-based compensation. We expect our general and administrative expenses to increase as a result of operating as a public company, including additional costs (i) to comply with the rules and regulations of the SEC and those of The Nasdaq Global Market, (ii) for legal and auditing services, (iii) for additional insurance, (iv) for investor relations activities and (v) for other administrative and professional services. We also expect our intellectual property expenses to increase as we expand our intellectual property portfolio.

Interest income

Interest income consists primarily of interest earned on our cash and cash equivalent balances. Our interest income has not been significant to date, but we expect interest income to increase as we invest the net proceeds from our initial public offering.

Interest expense

Interest expense consists primarily of interest incurred on our outstanding convertible debt, including coupon interest and the amortization of debt discounts, including those related to beneficial conversion features and embedded derivatives. We expect our interest expense to decline subsequent to the settlement of our outstanding convertible debt in July 2020.

Change in fair value of derivative liability

The convertible promissory notes we issued during 2019 and 2020 contained redemption features which we determined were embedded derivatives to be recognized as liabilities and measured at fair value. At the end of each reporting period, changes in the estimated fair value during the period were recorded as a change in the fair value of derivative liability. The embedded derivative liability was recorded at fair value utilizing an income approach that identified the cash flows using a "with-and-without" valuation methodology. The inputs used to determine the estimated fair value of the derivative instrument were based primarily on the probability of an underlying event triggering the embedded derivative occurring and the timing of such event. We will no longer record changes in the fair value of the derivative liability subsequent to the settlement of the derivative liability in connection with the conversion of our outstanding convertible debt in July 2020.

Extinguishment of convertible debt

In April 2020, we amended the terms of certain outstanding convertible promissory notes that we concluded were extinguishments. In July 2020, in connection with our Corporate Reorganization, we settled all of our outstanding convertible promissory notes and recognized extinguishment losses for the difference between the fair value of the consideration given to the noteholders and the carrying value of the related convertible promissory notes.

Other income (expense)

Other income (expense) primarily includes miscellaneous items of income and expense that were not significant for the periods presented.





                                      125

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Table of Contents

Results of operations

Comparison of the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019





                                                 Years Ended December 31,
                                                 2020                 2019             Change
                                                              (in thousands)
Collaboration revenue                        $        429         $      5,200        $ (4,771 )
Operating expenses:
Research and development                           19,933               25,919          (5,986 )
General and administrative                         10,595                7,549           3,046

Total operating expenses                           30,528               33,468          (2,940 )

Loss from operations                              (30,099 )            (28,268 )        (1,831 )
Other income (expense):
Interest income                                       100                  128             (28 )
Interest expense                                   (1,389 )             (1,630 )           241
Change in fair value of derivative
liability                                          (1,581 )                (63 )        (1,518 )
Extinguishment of convertible debt                 (2,883 )                 -           (2,883 )
Other income (expense)                                 (1 )                (22 )            21

Total other income (expense)                       (5,754 )             (1,587 )        (4,167 )

Consolidated net loss and comprehensive
loss                                              (35,853 )            (29,855 )        (5,998 )
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling
interests                                              -                    61             (61 )

Net loss attributable to BioAtla,
Inc./BioAtla LLC.                            $    (35,853 )       $    (29,794 )      $ (6,059 )



Collaboration revenue

Collaboration revenue of $0.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 consisted of $0.4 million of revenue recognized under our collaboration with BeiGene. BeiGene collaboration revenue decreased to $0.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 from $4.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 primarily due to the amendment of the collaboration and transfer of development obligations to BeiGene. Under the amended collaboration agreement with BeiGene, the remaining $19.8 million of deferred revenue is expected to be earned upon transfer of the know-how and materials to BeiGene related to the manufacture of BA3071.

Collaboration revenue of $5.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 consisted of $4.7 million of revenue recognized under our collaboration with BeiGene and $0.5 million of revenue recognized under our collaboration with Pfizer, which expired according to its terms in December 2019.





                                      126

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Table of Contents

Research and development expense

The following table summarizes our research and development expenses allocated by CAB program for the periods indicated:





                                                   Years Ended December 31,
                                                 2020                   2019               Change
                                                                (in thousands)
External expenses:
BA3011 (AXL-ADC)                             $       7,845          $       4,409         $  3,436
BA3021 (ROR2-ADC)                                    3,190                  6,451           (3,261 )
Other CAB Programs                                   3,718                 10,643           (6,925 )

Total external expenses                             14,753                 21,503           (6,750 )

Personnel and related                                5,120                  5,265             (145 )
Equity-based compensation                           (2,252 )               (2,997 )            745
Facilities and other                                 2,312                  2,148              164

Total research and development expenses $ 19,933 $ 25,919 $ (5,986 )

Research and development expenses were $19.9 million and $25.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The decrease of $6.0 million was primarily driven by a $6.8 million decrease in external costs as we were nearing completion of manufacturing activities for our clinical candidates and nearing completion of Phase 1 clinical trials for both BA3011 and BA 3021 in late 2019, and a $0.1 million decrease in personnel-related expenses. These decreases were offset by an increase of $0.7 million in equity-based compensation due to awards issued in connection with the IPO, and $0.2 million in facility and related expenses.

General and administrative expense

General and administrative expenses were $10.6 million and $7.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The increase of $3.1 million was primarily driven by a $2.3 million increase in stock-based compensation due to awards issued in connection with the December 2020 IPO , a $0.8 million increase in personnel related expenses as we expanded our administrative functions in support of our development activities, a $0.5 million increase in professional fees related to accounting and audit services, a $0.3 million increase in facility and related expenses, a $0.2 million increase in depreciation expense and a $0.1 million increase in insurance expense. These increases were offset by a $0.6 million decrease in travel related expense and a $0.5 million decrease in equity-based compensation related to a decrease in the fair value of awards under our profits interest plan.

Interest income

Interest income was $0.1 million for both the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019.

Interest expense

Interest expense was $1.4 million and $1.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The decrease of $0.2 million was primarily due to reduced interest expense as a result of the settlement of all of our convertible debt in July 2020, offset by the impact of the timing of new convertible debt issuances in 2019 and 2020.

Change in fair value of derivative liability

Change in fair value of derivative liability was $1.6 million and $0.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The increase of $1.5 million was primarily due to changes in the fair value of embedded derivatives issued in connection with our outstanding convertible promissory notes.





                                      127

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Table of Contents

Extinguishment of convertible debt

Extinguishment of convertible debt was $2.9 million and $0 for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The increase of $2.9 million was primarily due to $2.7 million of losses on extinguishment we recognized in July 2020, in connection with our Corporate Reorganization, when we settled all of our outstanding convertible promissory notes and recognized extinguishment losses for the difference between the fair value of the consideration given to the noteholders and the carrying value of the related convertible promissory notes. In addition, in April 2020, we recognized $0.2 million of losses on extinguishment related to the amendment of the terms of certain outstanding convertible promissory notes that we concluded were extinguishments.

Other income (expense)

We had minimal other expense with $1,000 and $22,000 for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Liquidity and capital resources

We have incurred aggregate net losses and negative cash flows from operations since our inception and anticipate we will continue to incur net losses for the foreseeable future. As of December 31, 2020, we had cash and cash equivalents of $238.6 million.

Convertible and promissory notes

As of December 31, 2019, we had outstanding convertible notes with an aggregate principal balance of $19.0 million and issued an additional $2.8 million of convertible notes between March and April of 2020. All principal and accrued interest under the convertible notes was converted into our Series D preferred stock in July 2020.

On April 22, 2020, we received proceeds from a loan, or PPP Loan, in the amount of $0.7 million from City National Bank, as lender, pursuant to the Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, of the CARES Act. The PPP Loan is evidenced by a promissory note, or Note, which contains customary events of default relating to, among other things, payment defaults and breaches of representations, warranties or terms of the PPP Loan documents. The PPP Loan matures on April 22, 2022 and bears interest at an annual rate of approximately 1%. Beginning in August 2021, we are required to begin making monthly payments of principal and interest. We may prepay the PPP Loan at any time prior to maturity with no prepayment penalties.

The proceeds from the PPP Loan may only be used for payroll costs (including benefits), rent and utility obligations, and interest on certain of our other debt obligations.

All or a portion of the PPP Loan may be forgiven by the U.S. Small Business Administration, or SBA, upon application by us beginning 60 days after loan approval and upon documentation of expenditures in accordance with the SBA requirements. In the event the PPP Loan, or any portion thereof, is forgiven pursuant to the PPP, the amount forgiven is applied to outstanding principal. If it is determined that we were not eligible to receive the PPP Loan, we may be subject to penalties and could be required to repay the PPP Loan in its entirety.

Future funding requirements

Our primary uses of cash are to fund operating expenses, which consist primarily of research and development expenses related to our programs and related personnel costs. The timing and amount of future funding requirements depends on many factors, including the following:





     •    the initiation, scope, rate of progress, results and costs of our
          preclinical studies, clinical trials and other related activities for our
          product candidates;




                                      128

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


  Table of Contents
     •    the costs associated with manufacturing our product candidates and
          establishing commercial supplies and sales, marketing and distribution
          capabilities;




     •    the timing and costs of capital expenditures to support our research and
          development efforts;




  •   the number and characteristics of other product candidates that we pursue;




     •    our ability to maintain, expand and defend the scope of our intellectual
          property portfolio, including the amount and timing of any payments we
          may be required to make in connection with the licensing, filing, defense
          and enforcement of any patents or other intellectual property rights;




  •   the timing, receipt and amount of sales from our potential products;




     •    our need and ability to hire additional management, scientific and
          medical personnel;




     •    the effect of competing products that may limit market penetration of our
          product candidates;




     •    our need to implement additional internal systems and infrastructure,
          including financial and reporting systems;




     •    the economic and other terms, timing and success of any collaboration,
          licensing, or other arrangements into which we may enter in the future,
          including the timing of receipt of any milestone or royalty payments
          under these agreements;




     •    the compliance and administrative costs associated with being a public
          company; and




     •    the extent to which we acquire or invest in businesses, products or
          technologies, although we have no commitments or agreements relating to
          any of these types of transactions.

Based on our current operating plan, our current cash and cash equivalents are expected to be sufficient to fund our ongoing operations at least through the end of 2022. However, we have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could utilize our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect.

In addition, we will require additional funding in order to complete development of our product candidates and commercialize our products, if approved. We may seek to raise any necessary additional capital through a combination of public or private equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, strategic alliances, licensing arrangements and other marketing and distribution arrangements. We cannot assure you that, in the event we require additional financing, such financing will be available at acceptable terms to us, if at all. Failure to generate sufficient cash flows from operations, raise additional capital, and reduce discretionary spending should additional capital not become available could have a material adverse effect on our ability to achieve our intended business objectives. Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with the development and commercialization of our product candidates, we are unable to estimate the amounts of increased capital outlays and operating expenditures associated with our current and anticipated preclinical studies and clinical trials. To the extent that we raise additional capital through collaborations, strategic alliances or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our product candidates. We may also have to forego future revenue streams of research programs at an earlier stage of development or on less favorable terms than we would otherwise choose, or have to grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. Our ability to raise additional funds will depend on financial, economic and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. For example, market volatility resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic could adversely impact our ability to access capital as and when needed. We may choose to raise additional capital through the issuance of equity or convertible debt securities due to market conditions or strategic considerations even if we believe we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans. To the extent we issue additional shares of common stock or other equity or convertible debt securities in the future, there will be further dilution to our investors and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect our stockholders' rights. If we raise additional capital through debt financing, we may be subject to covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making





                                      129

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Table of Contents

capital expenditures, acquiring other businesses, products or technology, or declaring dividends. If we are unable to obtain additional funding from these or other sources, it may be necessary to significantly reduce our rate of spending through reductions in staff and delay, scale back or stop certain research and development programs.

Cash flows

The following summarizes our cash flows for the periods indicated:





                                                               Years Ended December 31,
                                                              2020                   2019
                                                                    (in thousands)
Net cash provided by (used in):
Operating activities                                      $     (36,334 )        $     (9,645 )
Investing activities                                               (590 )              (1,509 )
Financing activities                                            271,825                 3,995

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents $ 234,901 $ (7,159 )

Cash used in operating activities

Net cash used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $36.3 million, which consisted of a consolidated net loss of $35.9 million, a net change of $2.5 million in our net operating assets and liabilities and $2.0 million of non-cash transactions. The net change in our operating assets and liabilities was primarily due to a decrease in accounts payable and accrued expenses of $1.7 million, an increase in prepaid expenses and other assets of $1.3 million, an increase in accrued interest of $0.9 million on our outstanding convertible debt prior to its settlement in July 2020, and a decrease in deferred revenue of $0.4 million as we recognized deferred revenue related to our collaboration with BeiGene. The non-cash transactions primarily consisted of $3.0 million of stock-based compensation related to the issuance of RSUs and stock options in the fourth quarter of 2020, a $2.9 million loss on extinguishment of convertible debt, a $1.6 million change in the fair value of our derivative liability, non-cash charges of $1.0 million related to depreciation and amortization and $0.5 million of non-cash interest, offset by a decrease in the fair value of our profits interest liability and pushdown from our affiliate of $6.9 million and $0.2 million of deferred rent.

Net cash used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $9.6 million, which consisted of a consolidated net loss of $29.9 million and a net change of $25.1 million in our net operating assets and liabilities, and $4.9 million in non-cash transactions. The net change in our operating assets and liabilities was primarily due to an increase in deferred revenue of $19.8 million as we recognized as revenue only a small portion of the $25.0 million of upfront payment and cost reimbursements we received from BeiGene, a decrease in prepaid expenses of $0.9 million, a decrease in accounts payable and accrued expenses of $3.1 million and an increase in accrued interest of $1.3 million on our outstanding convertible debt. The $4.9 million change in non-cash transactions primarily consisted of a decrease in the profits interest liability of $6.4 million primarily due to a decrease in the fair value of the underlying awards, offset by non-cash charges of $0.9 million related to depreciation and amortization, $0.1 million related to the change in fair value of derivative liability, $0.4 million of non-cash interest and $0.2 million of deferred rent.

Cash used in investing activities

Cash used in investing activities was $0.6 million and $1.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, related to the purchase of property and equipment.

Cash provided by financing activities

Net cash provided by financing activities was $271.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, which consisted primarily of $200.2 million of net proceeds from our initial public offering, $68.2 million of net





                                      130

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Table of Contents

proceeds from our issuance of Series D convertible preferred stock, $2.8 million of proceeds from the issuance of convertible promissory notes and $0.7 million of proceeds from a PPP loan.

Net cash provided by financing activities was $4.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, which consisted primarily of proceeds from the issuance of convertible notes.

Critical accounting policies and estimates

Our management's discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions 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 revenue generated, and reported expenses incurred during the reporting periods. Our estimates are based 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 making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions and conditions.

While our significant accounting policies are described in the Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we believe that the following critical accounting policies are most important to understanding and evaluating our reported financial results.

Accrued expenses

As part of the process of preparing our consolidated financial statements, we accrue expenses as of each balance sheet date. This process involves reviewing open contracts and purchase orders, communicating with our personnel to identify services that have been performed on our behalf and estimating the level of service performed and the associated cost incurred for the service when we have not yet been invoiced or otherwise notified of the actual cost. We make estimates of our accrued expenses as of each balance sheet date based on facts and circumstances known to us at that time. The estimates in our accrued research and development expenses include the costs incurred for services performed by our vendors in connection with research and development activities for which we have not yet been invoiced. We periodically confirm the accuracy of our estimates with the service providers and make adjustments if necessary.

We base our expenses related to research and development activities on our estimates of the services received and efforts expended pursuant to quotes and contracts with vendors that conduct research and development on our behalf. The financial terms of these agreements are subject to negotiation, vary from contract to contract and may result in uneven payment flows. There may be instances in which payments made to our vendors will exceed the level of services provided and result in a prepayment of the research and development expense. In accruing service fees, we estimate the time period over which services will be performed and the level of effort to be expended in each period. If the actual timing of the performance of services or the level of effort varies from our estimate, we adjust the accrual or prepaid expense accordingly. Advance payments for goods and services that will be used in future research and development activities are expensed when the activity has been performed or when the goods have been received rather than when the payment is made.

Although we do not expect our estimates to be materially different from amounts actually incurred, if our estimates of the status and timing of services performed differ from the actual status and timing of services performed, it could result in us reporting amounts that are too high or too low in any particular period. To date, there have been no material differences between our estimates of such expenses and the amounts actually incurred.





                                      131

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Table of Contents

Collaboration revenue

Effective January 1, 2019, we adopted Accounting Standards Update, or ASU, 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), or Topic 606, using the modified retrospective method. Topic 606 supersedes the revenue recognition requirements in ASC Topic 605, Revenue Recognition, or Topic 605. There was no material cumulative effect of adopting Topic 606. All periods prior to the adoption date of Topic 606 have not been restated to reflect the impact of the adoption of Topic 606, but are accounted for and presented under Topic 605.

Revenue recognition under Topic 606

We recognize revenue in a manner that depicts the transfer of control of a product or a service to a customer and reflects the amount of the consideration we are entitled to receive in exchange for such product or service. In doing so, we follow a five-step approach: (i) identify the contract with a customer, (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract, (iii) determine the transaction price, (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations, and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) the customer obtains control of the product or service. We consider the terms of a contract and all relevant facts and circumstances when applying the revenue recognition standard.

A customer is a party that has entered into a contract with us, where the purpose of the contract is to obtain a product or a service that is an output of our ordinary activities in exchange for consideration. To be considered a contract, (i) the contract must be approved (in writing, orally, or in accordance with other customary business practices), (ii) each party's rights regarding the product or the service to be transferred can be identified, (iii) the payment terms for the product or the service to be transferred can be identified, (iv) the contract must have commercial substance (that is, the risk, timing or amount of future cash flows is expected to change as a result of the contract), and (v) it is probable that we will collect substantially all of the consideration to which we are entitled to receive in exchange for the transfer of the product or the service.

A performance obligation is defined as a promise to transfer a product or a service to a customer. We identify each promise to transfer a product or a service (or a bundle of products or services, or a series of products and services that are substantially the same and have the same pattern of transfer) that is distinct. A product or a service is distinct if both (i) the customer can benefit from the product or the service either on its own or together with other resources that are readily available to the customer and (ii) our promise to transfer the product or the service to the customer is separately identifiable from other promises in the contract. Each distinct promise to transfer a product or a service is a unit of accounting for revenue recognition. If a promise to transfer a product or a service is not separately identifiable from other promises in the contract, such promises should be combined into a single performance obligation.

The transaction price is the amount of consideration we are entitled to receive in exchange for the transfer of control of a product or a service to a customer. To determine the transaction price, we consider the existence of any significant financing component, the effects of any variable elements, noncash considerations and consideration payable to the customer. If a significant financing component exists, the transaction price is adjusted for the time value of money. If an element of variability exists, we must estimate the consideration it expects to receive and uses that amount as the basis for recognizing revenue as the product or the service is transferred to the customer. There are two methods for determining the amount of variable consideration: (i) the expected value method, which is the sum of probability-weighted amounts in a range of possible consideration amounts, and (ii) the mostly likely amount method, which identifies the single most likely amount in a range of possible consideration amounts.

If a contract has multiple performance obligations, we allocate the transaction price to each distinct performance obligation in an amount that reflects the consideration we are entitled to receive in exchange for satisfying each distinct performance obligation. For each distinct performance obligation, revenue is recognized when (or as) we transfer control of the product or the service applicable to such performance obligation.





                                      132

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Table of Contents

In those instances where we first receive consideration in advance of satisfying our performance obligation, we classify such consideration as deferred revenue until (or as) we satisfy such performance obligation. In those instances where we first satisfy our performance obligation prior to receipt of consideration, the consideration is recorded as accounts receivable.

We expense incremental costs of obtaining and fulfilling a contract as and when incurred if the expected amortization period of the asset that would be recognized is one year or less, or if the amount of the asset is immaterial. Otherwise, such costs are capitalized as contract assets if they are incremental to the contract and amortized to expense proportionate to revenue recognition of the underlying contract.

Profits interest liability

Before the Corporate Reorganization, we had a profits interest plan which we determined was a liability award plan in accordance with authoritative guidance. We measured the fair value of each award on the grant date and recognized such fair value over the requisite service period (usually the vesting period) on a straight-line basis, net of estimated forfeitures. The fair value of the award was remeasured at each reporting date until the award was settled, with a true-up of compensation cost for changes in fair value prorated for the portion of the requisite service period rendered. Once vested, any subsequent change in fair value was recognized immediately. The fair value of any awards that expired or were forfeited or cancelled for no value was adjusted to zero, such that any previously recorded compensation cost was fully reversed.

We were required to estimate the fair value of the Class B units issued in connection with our profits interest plan. The fair value of our Class B units was determined on each reporting date by our management, taking into account input from independent third-party valuation analysis. In the absence of a public trading market for our Class B units, on each reporting date we developed an estimate of the fair value of our Class B units in order to calculate the profit interest liability. Our determinations of the fair value of our Class B units were made using methodologies, approaches and assumptions consistent with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Audit and Accounting Practice Aid Series: Valuation of Privately Held Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation, or the Practice Aid.

We considered various objective and subjective factors to determine the fair value of our Class B units, including:





     •    contemporaneous valuations of our Class B units performed by independent
          third-party valuation specialists;




     •    our stage of development and business strategy, including the status of
          research and development efforts of our product candidates, and the
          material risks related to our business and industry;




     •    our results of operations and financial position, including our levels of
          available capital resources;




     •    the valuation of publicly traded companies in the life sciences and
          biopharmaceutical sectors, as well as recently completed mergers and
          acquisitions of peer companies;




  •   the lack of liquidity of our Class B units;




     •    the rights, preferences and privileges of our Class C Preferred units and
          Class A units relative to those of our Class B units;




     •    the likelihood and timing of achieving a liquidity event for the holders
          of our Class B units, given prevailing market conditions;




  •   trends and developments in our industry; and




     •    external market conditions affecting the life sciences and
          biopharmaceutical industry sectors.




                                      133

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Table of Contents

In connection with the Corporate Reorganization, Himalaya Parent LLC assumed $1.0 million of profits interest liability of BioAtla, LLC. Subsequent to the Corporate Reorganization, we will reflect compensation cost and a corresponding capital contribution associated with equity-based compensation provided to our employees by Himalaya Parent LLC.

Valuation methodologies and methods used to allocate our enterprise value to classes of securities

Our valuations were prepared in accordance with the guidelines in the Practice Aid, which prescribes several valuation approaches for setting the value of an enterprise, such as the cost, income and market approaches, and various methodologies for allocating the value of an enterprise to its common stock. The cost approach establishes the value of an enterprise based on the cost of reproducing or replacing the property less depreciation and functional or economic obsolescence, if present. The income approach establishes the value of an enterprise based on the present value of future cash flows that are reasonably reflective of our company's future operations, discounting to the present value with an appropriate risk adjusted discount rate or capitalization rate. The market approach is based on the assumption that the value of an asset is equal to the value of a substitute asset with the same characteristics. Each valuation methodology was considered in our valuations. We utilized a market approach in 2018, 2019 and 2020. In 2020, in connection with our Corporate Reorganization and Series D preferred stock financing, our market approach included the back-solve method that assigns an implied enterprise value based on the most recent round of funding or investment and allows for the incorporation of the implied future benefits and risks of the investment decision assigned by an outside investor. In accordance with the Practice Aid, we considered the various methods for allocating the enterprise value across our classes and series of equity to determine the fair value of our equity instruments at each valuation date. We applied a hybrid method of the probability weighted expected return method, or PWERM, where the non-IPO scenario is modeled using an option pricing model to reflect the full distribution of possible non-IPO outcomes. Under the option pricing model, units are valued by creating a series of call options with exercise prices based on the liquidation preferences and conversion terms of each equity class. The values of each class of units are inferred by analyzing these options. In the IPO scenario, we used the fully-diluted shares outstanding to allocate value to each class of units. The hybrid method is useful when certain discrete future outcomes can be predicted, but also accounts for uncertainty regarding the timing or likelihood of specific alternative exit events.

Stock-based compensation

In October 2020 we adopted our 2020 Equity Incentive Plan and began to grant stock options and RSUs. We began to recognize stock-based compensation expense in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Stock-based compensation expense represents the grant date fair value of equity awards over the requisite service period of the awards (usually the vesting period) on a straight-line basis. We estimate the fair value of stock option grants using the Black-Scholes option pricing model and the fair value of RSUs is the fair value of our common stock on the date of grant. See Note 6 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report for information concerning certain of the specific assumptions we used in applying the Black-Scholes option pricing model to determine the estimated fair value of our stock option grants. Given the proximity of the 2020 awards to our initial public offering, the fair value of our common stock for all 2020 stock-based compensation awards was based on our initial public offering price of $18.00 per share. Following the completion of our initial public offering, our board of directors will determine the fair value of our common stock based on its closing price as reported on the date of grant on the primary stock exchange on which our common stock is traded. Equity award forfeitures are recognized as they occur.

Other company information

Emerging growth company status

We are an emerging growth company, as defined in the JOBS Act. Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can delay adopting new or revised accounting standards issued subsequent to the enactment of the





                                      134

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Table of Contents

JOBS Act until such time as those standards apply to private companies. We have elected not to "opt out" of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard and may do so until such time that we either (i) irrevocably elect to "opt out" of such extended transition period or (ii) no longer qualify as an emerging growth company. We also intend to rely on other exemptions provided by the JOBS Act, including without limitation, providing an auditor's attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (i) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of our initial public offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700.0 million as of the prior June 30th, and (ii) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 1 to the audited financial statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Off-balance sheet arrangements

We have not entered into any off-balance sheet arrangements, as defined in the rules and regulations of the SEC.

© Edgar Online, source Glimpses