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Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2024

The accompanying consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, including the formation of Backblaze Netherlands B.V. and Backblaze Worldwide, Inc. subsidiaries in 2023. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Segment Information

The Company has a single operating and reportable segment. In reaching this conclusion, management considers the definition of the chief operating decision maker (“CODM”), how the business is defined by the CODM, the nature of the information provided to the CODM and how that information is used to make operating decisions, allocate resources and assess performance. The Company’s chief operating decision maker is its Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”), who reviews financial information presented on an aggregated basis for purposes of making operating decisions, assessing financial performance and allocating resources.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported and disclosed in the consolidated financial statements and the

accompanying notes. Such estimates and assumptions include the costs to be capitalized as internal-use software, which include determining whether projects will result in new or additional functionality, the useful lives of other long-lived assets, impairment considerations for long-lived assets, the incremental borrowing rate for lease agreements, lease and non-lease component allocation, estimates related to variable consideration, valuation of the Company’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”) expense, and accounting for income taxes, including estimates for deferred tax assets, valuation allowance, and uncertain tax positions. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on assumptions that management considers reasonable. Future actual results could differ materially from these estimates.

Foreign Currency

The reporting currency of the Company is the United States dollar (“USD”). The functional currency of the Company and its subsidiaries is USD. Transaction gains and losses that arise from exchange rate fluctuations on monetary transactions denominated in a currency other than the functional currency are included in general and administrative on the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss when realized.

Concentrations and Risks and Uncertainties

Credit risk. Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to credit risk primarily consist of cash, cash equivalents, accounts receivable, short-term investments, and unbilled accounts receivable. The Company maintains its cash, restricted cash, and short-term investments with high-quality financial institutions with investment-grade ratings. In the event of a failure of any financial institutions where the Company maintains deposits, it may lose timely access to its funds at such institutions and incur significant losses to the extent its funds exceed the $250,000 limit insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Deposits with these financial institutions may exceed the amount of insurance provided on such deposits. For accounts receivable, the Company is exposed to credit risk in the event of nonpayment by customers to the extent of the amount recorded on the consolidated balance sheets. The Company does not have separate collateral requirements to support financial instruments subject to credit risk.

Vendors. The Company acquires infrastructure equipment from third party vendors. Vendors may have limited sources of equipment and supplies, which may expose the Company to potential supply and service disruptions that could harm the Company’s business.

The following table presents concentrations related to the Company’s cash disbursements, accounts payable transactions, and accounts receivable transactions.


	For the Years Ended December 31
	2024	2023
Cash disbursement concentration
Number of vendors	3	2
Total cash disbursements represented by vendors listed above	36%	21%

	December 31,
	2024	2023
Accounts payable concentration
Number of vendors	1	2
Total accounts payable balance represented by vendors listed above	14%	30%

Accounts Receivable Concentration
Number of customers	2	2
Total accounts receivable balance represented by customers listed above	35%	36%

Revenue. The Company derives substantially all of its revenue from the services operating on its Backblaze Storage Cloud platform: its Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage (“B2 Cloud Storage”) and Backblaze Computer Backup (“Computer Backup”) offerings. The potential for severe impact to the Company’s business could result if the Company was unable to operate its platform or serve customers through its platform, for an extended period of time. No customer accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s revenues during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.

Restructuring

Restructuring charges are comprised of severance costs related to workforce reductions and facilities costs related to the Company’s partial exit from leased space at its corporate headquarters. The Company recognizes restructuring charges when the liability is incurred. For involuntary terminations, employee termination benefits are accrued at the date (i) management has committed to a plan of termination, which includes identification of employees to be terminated and related information, (ii) actions required to complete the plan indicate that it is unlikely that significant changes to the plan will be made or that the plan will be withdrawn, and (iii) employees have been notified of their termination dates and expected severance payments. For voluntary terminations, the Company recognizes a liability when the termination benefit has been irrevocably accepted by the employee.

Revenue Recognition, Cost of Revenue

Revenue Recognition

The Backblaze Storage Cloud provides the core platform for the Company’s B2 Cloud Storage and its Computer Backup offerings. The Company derives its revenue primarily from fees earned from customers accessing these offerings through its platform. These fees are primarily paid monthly in arrears for its consumption-based, or capacity based, arrangements related to its B2 Cloud Storage offering, or charged upfront for subscription-based arrangements related to its Computer Backup and B2 Cloud Storage offerings. The Company provides services to its customers under Computer Backup subscription-based arrangements of one month, one-year, and two-years, which automatically renew at the end of the respective term. The Company generally provides services to its customers under its B2 Cloud Storage subscription-based offering arrangements of one-year to five-years.

The Company also recognizes revenue from products offered to its customers for the ability to securely restore data using a USB drive (“USB Restore”) and for migrating large data sets to its platform using its proprietary Fireball device. The Company refers to these products as its “Physical Media revenue”. Physical Media revenue was less than 1% of the Company’s revenue for each of the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.

The Company’s monthly subscription arrangements do not provide customers with refund rights. One to five-year subscription arrangements are eligible for a full refund up to 30 days after subscribing. For its Physical Media revenue, the Company offers a full refund to its customers restoring data using a USB drive, if the drives are returned to the Company within 30 days of receipt. The Company recognizes revenue net of its estimate of expected customer cancellations, returns, and discounts. These estimates involve inherent uncertainties and use of management’s judgment.

While the majority of the Company’s customers pay via credit card, amounts that have been invoiced are recorded in accounts receivable and in revenue, or deferred revenue, depending on whether appropriate revenue recognition criteria have been met. As the Company provides its offerings as a hosted service, it does not provide customers the contractual right to take possession of the software at any time, does not incur set up costs, and does not charge an installation fee for its new customers.

The Company determines revenue recognition through the following five steps:

1. Identify the contract with a customer. The Company considers the terms and conditions of the contracts and its customary business practices in identifying its contracts under Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 606. The Company determines it has a contract with a customer when:

•the contract has been approved by both parties;

•it can identify each party’s rights regarding the services to be transferred and the payment terms for the services;

•it has determined the customer to have the ability and intent to pay;

•the contract has commercial substance; and

•it is probable the Company will collect substantially all of the consideration in the contract.

The Company applies judgment in determining the customer’s ability and intent to pay, which is based on a variety of factors; however, as a substantial portion of the Company’s revenue was generated from customers paying via credit card during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, the risk of non-payment is low and historical write-offs having been immaterial.

2. Identify the performance obligations in the contract. Performance obligations promised in a contract are identified based on the services and products that will be transferred to the customer that are both capable of being distinct and are distinct in the context of the contract. The Company’s contracts typically contain a single distinct performance obligation representing one of its Backblaze Storage Cloud platform offerings, which includes either B2 Cloud Storage or Computer Backup services and related customer support. Customers also have the option to purchase a USB device for USB Restore and rental of its Fireball device at the standalone selling price (“SSP”).

3. Determine the transaction price. The transaction price is determined based on the consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for transferring services and products to the customer. Variable consideration is included in the transaction price if, in the Company’s judgment, it is probable that a significant future reversal of cumulative revenue recognized under the contract will not occur. The Company’s variable consideration includes consumption-based revenue and revenue arrangements that offer the right of return. The Company offers a 30 day right of return for its 1 to 5-year subscription-based arrangements and records a refund liability based on historical return data. Certain fees that are considered consideration payable to a customer are accounted for as a reduction of the transaction price. None of the Company’s contracts contain a significant financing component. Revenue is recognized net of any taxes collected from customers, which are subsequently remitted to governmental entities (e.g., sales and other indirect taxes).

4. Allocate the transaction price to performance obligations in the contract. Contracts that contain multiple distinct performance obligations require an allocation of the transaction price to each performance obligation based on a relative SSP. The Company determines SSP for performance obligations based on the price it sells a service or product separately.

5. Recognize revenue when or as the Company satisfies a performance obligation. Revenue is recognized based on the output method when control of the services is transferred to the customer and in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for those services. Performance obligations are satisfied over time when the customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefits as the Company performs. Revenue is generally recognized over the common measure of progress (i.e., time-based or consumption-based) for the entire performance obligation. Revenue from subscription-based arrangements is recognized on a straight-line basis over the contractual term beginning on the date that the service commences, as customers are entitled to the same benefits throughout the contractual term. Fees from consumption-based arrangements are generally recognized as services are delivered based on the amount of daily storage consumed. Revenue for USB Restore is recognized as USB devices are delivered to customers, and recognition of the Company’s Fireball device rental is time-based.

The Company also offers a 15-day free trial period for its Computer Backup subscription-based arrangements and it does not enter into a contract with the customer during this trial period. Separately, under its consumption-based arrangements, the Company does not charge customers until at least 10 gigabytes of data have been stored.

The non-current deferred revenue balance of $5.1 million on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2024 will be recognized starting in 2026 and going forward. As of December 31, 2023, the Company’s non-current deferred revenue balance was $4.1 million, which will be recognized in 2025.

For revenue generated from arrangements that involve third-parties, the Company evaluates whether it is the principal or the agent based on maintaining control over the services being provided and maintaining the relationship with the end-customer. The Company’s revenue is reported on a gross basis, as the Company is the principal.

Cost of Revenue

Cost of revenue includes costs directly associated with the delivery of services and products, which consists of expenses for providing Backblaze’s platform to its customers. These expenses include rent and utilities for operating in co-location facilities, personnel costs, network and bandwidth costs, shipping and handling for Physical Media revenue, depreciation of the Company’s equipment and capital lease assets in co-location facilities and other infrastructure expenses incurred in connection with its customers’ use of its services. The Company periodically receives discounts from third-party vendors that are recorded as a reduction to cost of revenue on its consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. Personnel-related costs associated with customer support and maintaining service availability include salaries, benefits, bonuses and stock-based compensation. Cost of revenue also includes credit card processing fees, amortization of capitalized internal-use software development costs and allocated overhead costs.

Research and Development Costs

Research and development costs consist primarily of personnel-related expenses associated with the Company’s research and development staff, including salaries, benefits, bonuses and stock-based compensation. Research and development costs also include consultants or professional services fees, costs related to the support and maintenance of systems used in product development, subscription services for use by its research and development organization and an allocation of its overhead costs. Research and development costs are generally expensed as incurred, unless they qualify as capitalized internal-use software.

Advertising Cost

Advertising Costs

Advertising costs are expensed as incurred and are included in sales and marketing expenses in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method. Deferred income taxes are recognized by applying the enacted statutory tax rates applicable to future years to differences between the carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases and net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in the period that includes the enactment date. The measurement of deferred tax assets is reduced, if necessary, by a valuation allowance to amounts that are more likely than not to be realized.

Where interpretation of the tax law may be uncertain, the Company recognizes, measures and discloses income tax uncertainties. The Company accounts for interest expense and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense in its consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. The Company is subject to periodic audits by the Internal Revenue Service and other taxing authorities, which may challenge tax positions taken by the Company.

Stock-based Compensation

All stock-based compensation to employees is measured on the grant date, based on the fair value of the awards on the date of grant. The Company recognizes compensation cost for its awards on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is generally a vesting period of one to four years, except for the awards granted under the Company’s 2022 Bonus Plan (see Note 14). Stock-based compensation includes restricted stock units (“RSUs”), stock option grants and stock purchase rights under the Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”).

The Company uses the Black-Scholes option pricing model to measure the fair value of its stock options and the stock purchase rights under the ESPP. The Black-Scholes option pricing model requires the use of complex assumptions, which determine the fair value of stock-based awards. If an award contains a provision whereby vesting is accelerated upon a change in control, the Company recognizes stock-based compensation expense on a straight-line basis, as a change in control is considered to be outside of its control and is not considered probable until it occurs. Forfeitures are accounted for in the period in which they occur.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include cash and certain highly liquid investments with maturities of 90 days or less at the date of purchase. Cash equivalents are primarily recorded at cost, which approximates fair value due to their short maturities. The classification of the Company’s cash and cash equivalents is Level 1 within the valuation hierarchy.

Restricted Cash

The Company had restricted cash of $4.1 million related to the line of credit agreement with City National Bank as of December 31, 2023. The Company did not have a restricted cash balance as of December 31, 2024. See Note 12 for further details.

Investments, net

The Company holds all investments on a held-to-maturity basis, and they are reported at amortized cost with realized gains or losses reported in earnings. The Company determines the appropriate classification of its investment in debt securities at the time of purchase and re-evaluates such determination at each balance sheet date.

The Company will recognize an allowance for estimated credit losses on its held-to-maturity securities, using a forward-looking expected loss model, which reflects losses that are expected to be incurred over the life of the financial instrument. The Company uses a roll-rate method to determine the estimated credit losses using factors including historical global average default rates and expected recovery rates on similar credit quality, bond maturity and duration, along with historical experience, current conditions, and forecasts of future economic conditions, if available. The Company monitors the credit profile of its held-to-maturity securities on a periodic basis, using third party data to assess their credit ratings as well as any adverse conditions specifically related to the security. The allowance for credit losses was a nominal amount for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.

The Company’s short-term investments include investment grade commercial paper with original maturities of 365 days or less at the date of purchase. Short-term investments are recorded at amortized cost on the consolidated balance sheet.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company measures financial assets and liabilities at fair value at each reporting date. Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Fair value measurements are reported under a three-level valuation hierarchy. The classification of the Company’s financial assets within the hierarchy is as follows:

Level 1 — Inputs to the valuation methodology are unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2 — Other than quoted prices included in Level 1 inputs that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the asset or liability.

Level 3 — Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability used to measure fair value to the extent that observable inputs are not available, thereby allowing for situations in which there is little, if any, market activity for the asset or liability at the measurement date.

The carrying amounts reflected in the consolidated balance sheets for accounts receivable, prepaid expenses and other current assets, accounts payable, accrued liabilities and other liabilities and deferred revenue, current approximate their respective fair values due to the short maturities of those instruments.

Accounts Receivable, Net

Accounts receivable are recorded net of an allowance when the Company has an unconditional right to payment. Under the current expected credit losses model, accounts receivable are carried at the original invoiced amount less an estimated allowance for expected credit losses based on the probability of future collection. The allowance is estimated based on the Company’s assessment of its ability to collect on customer accounts receivable. The allowance was a nominal amount as of December 31, 2024 and 2023. The provision, direct write-offs, and recoveries were also nominal for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023. The Company regularly reviews the allowance by considering certain factors such as historical experience, credit quality, age of accounts receivable balances and other known conditions that may affect a customer’s ability to pay.

Unbilled Accounts Receivable

Unbilled accounts receivable represents recognized and unbilled revenue for consumption-based contracts that is billed monthly in arrears. Substantially all of the Company’s unbilled accounts receivable is charged via a credit card upon billing. Unbilled accounts receivable is included in prepaid expenses and other current assets on the consolidated balance sheets. The balance of unbilled accounts receivable as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 is presented in Note 6.

Deferred Contract Costs

Sales commissions and related taxes and benefits earned by our sales force as well as sales commission earned by marketing affiliates are considered incremental and recoverable costs of obtaining a contract with a customer. Sales commissions for new contracts are deferred and then amortized on a straight-line basis over a period of benefit that we have estimated to be five years. We determined the period of benefit by taking into consideration the duration of our customer contracts, our customer retention rate and the technology development life cycle. Sales commissions for renewal contracts are deferred and then amortized on a straight-line basis over the related contractual renewal period. Amortization expense is included in sales and marketing expenses on the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

Property and Equipment, Net

Property and equipment, both owned and under capital leases, are stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation, which is computed on a straight-line basis over the asset’s estimated useful life. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of the useful life of the asset or expected lease term. Improvements that increase functionality of the asset are capitalized and depreciated over the asset’s remaining useful life. Construction-in-progress is not depreciated. Fully depreciated assets are retained in property and equipment until removed from service.

Capitalized Internal-Use Software, Net

The Company capitalizes qualifying software development costs related to new features and enhancements to the functionality of its platform and related products. The costs consist of personnel costs (including related benefits and stock-based compensation) that are incurred during the application development stage. Capitalization of costs begins when two criteria are met: (i) the preliminary project stage is completed, and (ii) it is probable that the software will be completed and used for its intended function. Capitalization ceases when the software is substantially complete and ready for its intended use, including the completion of all significant testing. Costs related to preliminary project activities and post-implementation operating activities are expensed as incurred.

The Company reviews its capitalization criteria for each project individually. Capitalized costs are amortized over the estimated useful life of the software, which is generally five years, on a straight-line basis, and represents the manner in which the expected benefit will be derived. The Company determines the useful lives of identifiable project assets after considering the specific facts and circumstances related to each project. The amortization of costs related to the platform applications is included in cost of revenue in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

Significant judgments related to the capitalization of software costs include determining whether it is probable that projects will result in new or additional functionality.

Impairment of Long-lived Assets

Long-lived assets with finite lives include property and equipment, capitalized internal-use software, certain implementation costs incurred for cloud computing arrangements, and right-of-use assets. The Company evaluates these long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets held and used is measured by comparison of the carrying amount of an asset or an asset group to estimated undiscounted future net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset or asset group. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds these estimated future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized in the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value of the asset or asset group during the quarter in which the determination is made.

Deferred Revenue

The Company records deferred revenue when customer payments are received in advance of satisfying the performance obligations on the Company’s contracts. Subscription-based arrangements are generally billed and paid in advance of satisfaction of these performance obligations. Deferred revenue relating to the Company’s subscription-based arrangements that have a contractual expiration date of less than 12 months are classified as current. The Company classifies deferred revenue from services that will be provided in more than 12 months as non-current on its consolidated balance sheets.

Leases

The Company enters into finance lease arrangements for hard drives and related equipment, and operating leases for rental of co-location space in data centers and offices. The Company determines if an arrangement is or contains a lease at inception by evaluating various factors, including if the contract conveys the right to control the use of an identified asset for a period of time in exchange for consideration and other facts and circumstances. As a majority of the Company’s operating leases do not provide an implicit rate, the Company uses an incremental borrowing rate based on the information available as of the commencement date for each lease component. The discount rate used is the rate of interest that a lessee would have to pay to borrow an amount equal to the lease payments on a collateralized basis over a similar term in a similar economic environment.

For finance leases, the lease term generally begins on the date of initial possession of the leased asset, and for operating leases the term begins when the Company has the right to use the leased space and obtain the economic benefits. The Company does not assume renewals in its determination of the lease term unless the renewals are deemed to be reasonably assured at lease inception. Lease classification is determined at the lease commencement date. The Company records an asset and lease liability on its consolidated balance sheets for leases that have yet to commence when it has the ability to control the underlying asset as that creates a significant right and obligation to the Company. The underlying assets of finance leases are included in property and equipment, net, on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. Variable lease payments are expensed as incurred and include certain non-lease components, such as maintenance and other services provided by the lessor to the extent the charges are variable.

The Company has elected the short-term lease practical expedient for all asset classes, which allows the lessee to not apply the recognition requirements of ASC 842 to short-term leases (leases with original terms of 12 months or less and that do not include a purchase option that the lessee is reasonably certain to exercise).

The Company has elected the practical expedient to combine lease and non-lease components for all of its leases, with the exception of its leases belonging to the colocation lease agreement asset class. For its colocation lease agreements, the Company only recognizes fixed minimum payments for tangible components as right-of-use assets and operating lease liabilities, as this class of agreements may include significant intangible components.

Accounting Pronouncements Recently Adopted And Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

Accounting Pronouncements Recently Adopted

In November 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2023-07, “Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosure.” The ASU updates reportable segment disclosure requirements, primarily through requiring enhanced disclosures about significant segment expenses and information used to assess segment performance. These disclosures are required quarterly and also applies to public entities with a single reportable segment. The ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023 and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. It is required to be adopted retrospectively for all prior periods presented in the financial statements. We adopted the provisions of ASU 2023-07 in the fourth quarter of 2025, which resulted in additional disclosures in the notes to our consolidated financial statements. See Note 17, Segment Reporting. The adoption of this standard did not have an impact on the Company’s financial position or results of operations.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In November 2024, the FASB issued ASU 2024-03, “Income Statement (Subtopic 220-40) - Reporting Comprehensive Income - Expense Disaggregation Disclosures.” The ASU requires disclosure of specified information about certain costs and expenses, including (i) certain amounts already required to be disclosed in the same disclosure as the other disaggregation requirements, (ii) a qualitative description of amounts remaining in relevant expense captions that are not separately disaggregated quantitatively, and (iii) the total amount of selling expenses and an entity’s definition of such

expenses. This ASU is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2026, and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2027 on either a prospective or retrospective basis. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of this standard.

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, “Income Taxes (Topic 740) - Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures” requiring enhancements and further transparency to certain income tax disclosures, most notably the tax rate reconciliation and income taxes paid. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024 on a prospective basis and retrospective application is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of this standard.