Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2023

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

(2) Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

A summary of the significant accounting policies applied in preparation of the accompanying condensed financial statements is set forth below.

Basis of presentation

The financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) and include all adjustments necessary for the fair presentation of the Company’s financial position for the periods presented.

Emerging growth company status

The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart our Business Startups Act of 2012, (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies

including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.

Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has 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, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.

Principles of consolidation

The accompanying condensed financial statements include the results of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries, SAB Sciences, Inc., SAB Capra, LLC, Aurochs, LLC, and SAB Australia. Intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Significant risks and uncertainties

The Company’s operations are subject to a number of factors that can affect its operating results and financial condition. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the results of research and development efforts, clinical trial activities of the Company’s product candidates, the Company’s ability to obtain regulatory approval to market its product candidates, competition from products manufactured and sold or being developed by other companies, and the Company’s ability to raise capital.

The Company currently has no commercially approved products and there can be no assurance that the Company’s research and development will be successfully commercialized. Developing and commercializing a product requires significant time and capital and is subject to regulatory review and approval as well as competition from other biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. The Company operates in an environment of rapid change and is dependent upon the continued services of its employees and obtaining and protecting intellectual property. Additional funding may be needed to cover operational costs as the Company moves forward with the Company’s efforts to develop a commercially approved product.

Use of estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities in the financial statements. The Company has used significant estimates in its determination of stock-based compensation assumptions, determination of the fair value of the Company’s common stock prior to becoming a public company, determination of the fair value of the Company’s warrants, determination of the incremental borrowing rate (“IBR”) used in the calculation of the Company’s right of use assets and lease liabilities, the valuation allowance on deferred tax assets, and research and development expenses related to clinical trial accruals. Actual amounts realized may differ from these estimates.

Fair Value Measurements

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. The following fair value hierarchy classifies the inputs to valuation techniques that would be used to measure fair value into one of three levels:

Level 1: Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2: Inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. These include quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets and quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active.

Level 3: Unobservable inputs that reflect the reporting entity’s own assumptions.

Certain of the Company’s financial instruments are not measured at fair value on a recurring basis but are recorded at amounts that approximate their fair value due to the short-term nature of their maturities, such as cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable and accrued expenses.

The Company accounts for warrants to purchase its common stock pursuant to ASC Topic 470, Debt, and ASC Topic 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity, and classifies warrants for common stock as liabilities or equity. The warrants classified as liabilities are reported at their estimated fair value (see Note 12, Fair Value Measurements) and any changes in fair value are reflected in other income and expense. The warrants classified as equity are reported at their estimated relative fair value with no subsequent remeasurement. The Company’s outstanding warrants are discussed in more detail in Note 12, Fair Value Measurements.

Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash

Cash equivalents include short-term, highly liquid instruments, consisting of money market accounts and short-term investments with original maturities at the date of purchase of 90 days or less.

Accounts receivable

Accounts receivable are carried at original invoice amount, less an allowance for doubtful accounts. The Company estimates an allowance for doubtful accounts for potential credit losses that are expected to be incurred, based on management’s assessment of the collectability of specific accounts, the aging of the accounts receivable, historical information and other currently available evidence. Receivables are written off when deemed uncollectible. To date, no receivables have been written off. The Company had no allowance for doubtful accounts as of September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022.

Concentration of credit risk

The Company maintains its cash and cash equivalent balances in the form of business checking accounts and money market accounts, the balances of which, at times, may exceed federally insured limits. Although the Company currently believes that the financial institutions with whom it does business will be able to fulfill their commitments to the Company, there is no assurance that those institutions will be able to continue to do so. The Company has not experienced any credit losses associated with its balances in such accounts for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022.

Lease liabilities and right-of-use assets

The Company is party to certain contractual arrangements for equipment, lab space, and an animal facility, which meet the definition of leases under Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 842, Leases (“ASC 842”). In accordance with ASC 842, the Company recorded right-of-use assets and related lease liabilities for the present value of the lease payments over the lease terms. The Company’s IBR was used in the calculation of its right-of-use assets and lease liabilities.

The Company elected not to apply the recognition requirements of ASC 842 to short-term leases, which are deemed to be leases with a lease term of twelve months or less. Instead, the Company recognized lease payments in the Condensed Statements of Operations on a straight-line basis over the lease term and variable payments in the period in which the obligation for these payments was incurred. The Company elected this policy for all classes of underlying assets.

Research and development expenses

Costs incurred in connection with research and development activities are expensed as incurred. These include licensing fees to use certain technology in the Company’s research and development projects, fees paid to consultants and various entities that perform certain research and testing on behalf of the Company, and expenses related to animal care, research-use equipment depreciation, salaries, benefits, and stock-based compensation granted to employees in research and development functions.

During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, the Company had contracts with multiple contract research organizations (“CRO”) to complete studies as part of research grant agreements. These costs include upfront, milestone and monthly expenses as well as reimbursement for pass through costs. All research and development costs are expensed as incurred except when the Company is accounting for nonrefundable advance payments for goods or services to be used in future research and development activities. In these cases, these payments are capitalized at the time of payment and expensed in the period the research and development activity is performed. As actual costs become known, the Company will adjust the accrual; such changes in estimate may be a material change in the Company’s clinical study accrual, which could also materially affect reported results of operations. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, there were no material adjustments to the Company’s prior period estimates of accrued expenses for clinical trials.

Property, Plant and Equipment

The Company records property, plant, and equipment at cost less depreciation and amortization. Depreciation is calculated using straight-line methods over the following estimated useful lives:


Animal facility equipment	7 years
Laboratory equipment	7 years
Leasehold improvements	Shorter of asset life or lease term
Office furniture and equipment	5 years
Vehicles	5 years

Repairs and maintenance expenses are expensed as incurred.

Impairment of long-lived assets

The Company reviews the recoverability of long-lived assets, including the related useful lives, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of a long-lived asset may not be recoverable. If necessary, the Company compares the estimated undiscounted future net cash flows to the related asset’s carrying value to determine whether there has been an impairment. If an asset is considered impaired, the asset is written down to fair value, which is based either on discounted cash flows or appraised values in the period the impairment becomes known. The Company believes that long-lived assets are recoverable, and no impairment was deemed necessary, during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022.

Stock-based compensation

FASB ASC Topic 718, Compensation– Stock Compensation, prescribes accounting and reporting standards for all share-based payment transactions in which employee and non-employee services are acquired. The Company recognizes compensation cost relating to stock-based payment transactions using a fair-value measurement method, which requires all stock-based payments to employees, directors, and non-employee consultants, including grants of stock options, to be recognized in operating results as compensation expense based on fair value over the requisite service period of the awards. The Company determines the fair value of common stock based on the closing market price at closing on the date of the grant.

In determining the fair value of stock-based awards, the Company utilizes the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, which uses both historical and current market data to estimate fair value. The Black-Scholes option-pricing model incorporates various assumptions, such as the value of the underlying common stock, the risk-free interest rate, expected volatility, expected dividend yield, and expected life of the options. For awards with performance-based vesting criteria, the Company estimates the probability of achievement of the performance criteria and recognizes compensation expense related to those awards expected to vest. No awards may have a term in excess of ten years. Forfeitures are recorded when they occur. Stock-based compensation expense is classified in the condensed statements of operations based on the function to which the related services are provided. The Company recognizes stock-based compensation expense over the vesting period.

Income taxes

Deferred income taxes reflect future tax effects of temporary differences between the tax and financial reporting basis of the Company’s assets and liabilities measured using enacted tax laws and statutory tax rates applicable to the periods when the temporary differences will affect taxable income. When necessary, deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance, to reflect realizable value, and all deferred tax balances are reported as long-term on the condensed balance sheet. Accruals are maintained for uncertain tax positions, as necessary.

Income tax expense includes the current tax liability from operations and the change in deferred income taxes during the year. Current tax liabilities or receivables are recognized for estimated income tax payable and/or refundable for the current year.

The Company uses a recognition threshold and measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken, or expected to be taken, in a tax return. The Company has elected to treat interest and penalties related to income taxes, to the extent they arise, as a component of income taxes.

Revenue recognition

The Company’s revenue is primarily generated through grants from government and other (non-government) organizations.

Grant revenue is recognized during the period that the research and development services occur, as qualifying expenses are incurred, or conditions of the grants are met. The Company concluded that payments received under these grants represent conditional, nonreciprocal contributions, as described in ASC 958, Not-for-Profit Entities, and that the grants are not within the scope of ASC 606,

Revenue from Contracts with Customers, as the organizations providing the grants do not meet the definition of a customer. Expenses for grants are tracked by using a project code specific to the grant, and the employees also track hours worked by using the project code.

Deferred grant income represents grant proceeds received by the Company prior to the period in which the research and development services occur, as qualifying expenses are incurred, or conditions of the grants are met.

The Company received 100% of its total revenue through grants from government organizations during three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022.

Comprehensive income (loss)

The Company had no items of comprehensive income (loss) during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, other than its net loss.

Litigation

From time to time, the Company is involved in legal proceedings, investigations and claims generally incidental to its normal business activities. In accordance with U.S. GAAP, the Company accrues for loss contingencies when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. Legal costs in connection with loss contingencies are expensed as incurred.

Earnings per share

In accordance with ASC 260, Earnings per Share (“ASC 260”), basic net income (loss) per share attributable to common stockholders is computed by dividing net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted net income (loss) per share attributable to common stockholders is computed by dividing the diluted net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of common stock outstanding for the period including potential dilutive common shares such as stock options.

Segment reporting

In accordance with ASC 280, Segment Reporting, the Company’s business activities are organized into one reportable segment, as only the Company’s operating results in their entirety are regularly reviewed by the Company’s chief operating decision maker to make decisions about resources to be allocated and to assess performance.

Australian Research and Development Tax Credit

The Company recognizes other income from Australian research and development incentives when there is reasonable assurance that the income will be received, the relevant expenditure has been incurred, and the consideration can be reliably measured. The research and development incentive is one of the key elements of the Australian Government’s support for Australia’s innovation system and is supported by legislative law primarily in the form of the Australian Income Tax Assessment Act 1997, as long as eligibility criteria are met. Under the program, a percentage of eligible research and development expenses incurred by the Company through its subsidiary in Australia are reimbursed.

Management has assessed the Company’s research and development activities and expenditures to determine which activities and expenditures are likely to be eligible under the research and development incentive regime described above. At each period end, management estimates the refundable tax offset available to the Company based on available information at the time and it is included in other income in the condensed statements of operations.