Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Company revenue grew 14% year over year, reaching $37.2 million, exceeding the high end of guidance of $37.1 million [13] - Adjusted EBITDA margin reached 23%, almost double the 12% from a year ago [18] - GAAP net loss improved to $3.8 million, a 70% improvement from a loss of $12.8 million in the prior year [17] - Adjusted free cash flow was negative $3.5 million, improving by roughly $500,000 year over year [18] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - B2 Cloud Storage revenue grew 28% year over year, compared to organic growth of 19% in the same period last year [13] - Computer Backup revenue was flat year over year, reflecting the final rolloff of the price increase implemented in 2023 [14] - Net revenue retention (NRR) for B2 improved to 116% in Q3 from 109% in Q2 [15] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company is seeing diversification within B2 across core use cases, including live application hot storage, backup, media, and AI-related workloads [14] - Industry-wide demand for data storage is expected to grow rapidly, positioning the company well to support expanding needs [14] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is launching phase two of its go-to-market transformation to accelerate sales velocity and improve efficiency [12] - Focus on moving upmarket with larger deals while also increasing the core base of smaller deals for consistency [26] - The company aims to achieve a rule of 40 profile, with a current score of 9 expected to triple by Q4 [20] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management acknowledges variability in data usage from large AI customers, impacting growth expectations [26][30] - The company remains confident in its ability to deliver consistent, durable growth over time despite not reaching the 30% B2 growth goal [20] - Management emphasizes the importance of AI workloads and the company's positioning to support these transformative needs [72] Other Important Information - The company ended the quarter with $50 million in cash and marketable securities, largely unchanged from the previous quarter [18] - A modest share repurchase program was initiated, with $1.2 million of shares repurchased in Q3 [19] Q&A Session Summary Question: Sales evolution in phase two - Management discussed the focus on driving execution velocity and moving upmarket while supporting larger deals [25] Question: B2 growth expectations - Management noted that variability from a large AI customer and longer execution times for larger deals impacted growth expectations [26] Question: Data variability from customers - Management explained that AI use cases are evolving rapidly, leading to fluctuations in data storage needs [30] Question: Long-term growth expectations for B2 and CBU - Management indicated that B2 is on track for mid-20s growth in 2025, while Computer Backup is expected to contract in low to mid-single digits [35] Question: Phase two initiative investments - Management clarified that sales and marketing expenses should remain stable as a percentage of revenue, with restructuring costs being one-time charges [52] Question: Larger deals in the pipeline - Management noted that larger deals are more complex and can take longer to close due to various internal factors [57] Question: Improvements in self-serve motion - Management highlighted efforts to enhance the self-serve experience for data-heavy AI use cases [59] Question: Powered By white-label solution - Management expressed excitement about the Powered By initiative and its potential in the Neo Cloud market [67] Question: Uptick in AI video companies - Management confirmed an increase in customers from the AI video sector, reflecting the growing data needs associated with video generation [72]

Core Insights - BackBlaze (BLZE) is expected to report third-quarter 2025 results on November 6, with revenues estimated at $36.95 million, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 13.37% [1] - The consensus estimate for loss is projected at one cent per share, indicating a 90% improvement from the previous year's loss of ten cents [1] - The company has shown a strong earnings surprise history, with an average positive surprise of 51.02% over the last four quarters [2] Revenue Estimates - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for third-quarter 2025 B2 Cloud Storage revenues is $20.9 million, representing a growth of 29.17% year over year [9] - The estimate for Computer Backup revenues is $16.05 million, indicating a decline of 2.2% from the previous year [9] Operational Momentum - Backblaze has entered the third quarter with solid operational momentum, particularly in its B2 Cloud Storage business, which saw a 29% year-over-year revenue increase [4] - The company aims for third-quarter revenue between $36.7 million and $37.1 million, with adjusted EBITDA margins of 17-19% [4] Growth Drivers - The company's sales pipeline has doubled year over year, contributing to growth [5] - Backblaze added its first six-figure B2 Overdrive customer, indicating strong product fit for high-throughput AI workloads [5][6] Competitive Landscape - Challenges persist in the Computer Backup segment, which has been experiencing low-to-mid single-digit declines [8] - Competition from established players like Dropbox, Datadog, and Snowflake has intensified, impacting market share [8] Stock Performance - Backblaze has seen a 72.9% surge year-to-date, outperforming the Zacks Internet-Software industry and the Computer and Technology sector [10] - The stock is currently trading at 3.58X forward 12-month price-to-sales, below the industry average of 5.34X, indicating attractive valuation [13] Investment Considerations - The company is positioned for growth in its B2 Cloud Storage business and AI workloads, supported by new enterprise security features [15] - However, the stock's sharp year-to-date rally may have priced in much of the optimism, and competition could temper near-term gains [15][16]

Core Insights - The explosive growth of enterprise data presents significant opportunities for cloud infrastructure providers, specifically Backblaze (BLZE) and Snowflake (SNOW), which cater to different segments of the market [1][2] Market Overview - The global cloud analytics market was valued at $35.39 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $130.63 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 25.5%, benefiting both BLZE and SNOW as organizations modernize their data architecture [2] Backblaze (BLZE) Analysis - Backblaze has transitioned from a consumer backup provider to an enterprise-focused cloud storage company, with its B2 Cloud Storage business targeting developers and mid-sized enterprises [3] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BLZE's Q3 2025 revenues is $36.9 million, indicating a 17% year-over-year growth, while the loss per share is expected to improve by 90% year-over-year [4] - Backblaze faces competitive pressure from major players like AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure, while balancing its legacy Computer Backup business with its growing enterprise cloud segment [5] Snowflake (SNOW) Analysis - Snowflake has become integral to enterprise data strategy, enabling organizations to analyze large datasets through its AI-native cloud platform [6] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Snowflake's Q3 2025 revenues is $1.18 billion, reflecting a 25.39% year-over-year growth, with EPS projected to increase by 55% year-over-year [8] - Snowflake's AI-driven innovations, such as Snowflake Intelligence and Cortex AI, enhance customer engagement and platform adoption [7] Performance Comparison - Year-to-date, BLZE shares have risen 78% due to optimism around its cloud storage turnaround, while SNOW shares have increased 73% supported by consistent revenue growth and AI integration [9][12] - Snowflake's forward price-to-sales ratio is 16.89x, significantly higher than Backblaze's 3.7x, indicating stronger investor confidence in Snowflake's scale and profitability [10] Conclusion - Both companies are well-positioned to benefit from the growing demand for cloud data infrastructure and AI analytics, but Snowflake's scale, profitability, and consistent execution provide a competitive advantage over Backblaze [15]

Core Insights - Backblaze is committed to the open cloud movement and will participate as a Silver sponsor at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America in Atlanta from November 10-13 [1][2] - The conference is expected to attract over 9,000 attendees and focuses on cloud-native developments, particularly in AI applications, allowing Backblaze to showcase its high-throughput cloud object storage [2][4] Company Highlights - Backblaze provides a modern alternative to traditional cloud providers, emphasizing fast, affordable, and independent cloud storage solutions [3] - The company serves over 500,000 customers across 175 countries, offering high-performance, secure cloud object storage for various applications including AI workflows and media management [4] Industry Context - Kubernetes is utilized by 70% of enterprise companies operating in the cloud, highlighting the significance of cloud-native technologies in the current market [2] - The conference will feature a dedicated learning track on AI and machine learning advancements in cloud-native settings, indicating a growing trend in the integration of AI with cloud infrastructure [4]

Company Overview - Backblaze, Inc. (BLZE) shares increased by 7.6% to $10.75 in the last trading session, with a notable trading volume and a 21.5% gain over the past four weeks [1] - The company is experiencing accelerated B2 revenue growth, AI-driven opportunities, and innovative product offerings such as B2 Overdrive and enhanced security features [1] Financial Expectations - Backblaze is projected to report a quarterly loss of $0.01 per share, reflecting a year-over-year improvement of +90% [2] - Expected revenues for the upcoming quarter are $36.95 million, which is a 13.4% increase compared to the same quarter last year [2] Earnings Estimates and Stock Performance - The consensus EPS estimate for Backblaze has remained unchanged over the last 30 days, indicating that stock price movements may not continue without trends in earnings estimate revisions [3] - The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy), suggesting positive sentiment in the market [3] Industry Comparison - Backblaze operates within the Zacks Internet - Software industry, where Reddit Inc. (RDDT) also competes, having closed 2.6% lower at $257.56 in the last trading session [3] - Reddit Inc. has seen a +212.5% change in its EPS estimate year-over-year, with a current Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) [4]