Dutch Bros (BROS) FY Conference June 03, 2025 03:40 PM ET Speaker0 In to the afternoon session. So really happy to have with us from today Dutch Bros. We have Christine Barone, CEO, and Joss Gensler, CFO. I'm Sharon Zackfia from William Blair. I should have said that to start, but we're getting late in day one. Hopefully, of you know Dutch. If you don't, I think you're going be really pleased with what you hear today. We're going to have Christine go over a little bit of a lay of the land and set the menu h ...

Ess Tech (GWH) Q1 2025 Earnings Call May 15, 2025 05:00 PM ET Company Participants Erik Bylin - Head-Investor RelationsKelly Goodman - Interim CEOAnthony Rabb - Chief Financial OfficerThomas Boyes - VP - Equity Research Conference Call Participants Justin Clare - MD & Research AnalystBen Kallo - Senior Research Analyst Operator Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for standing by. At this time, all participants are in listen only mode. Later, we will conduct a question and answer session. I would now like to tur ...

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported GAAP revenue of $600,000 for Q1 2025, with a cost of revenue of $8,700,000, reflecting the final deliveries of energy centers to a Florida utility [19][20] - Non-GAAP operating expenses for Q1 were $9,400,000, with R&D spending of $2,300,000 focused on cost reduction initiatives and technology improvements [21][22] - Adjusted EBITDA for Q1 was negative $15,000,000, but the company expects this loss to narrow as production ramps up in 2025 and beyond [21][22] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The first quarter revenue was primarily tied to equipment (65%) and site preparation (35%) for battery systems [6] - The company is pivoting from energy warehouse and energy center products to a more focused strategy on energy-based products, which has already shown early momentum [7][8] - Proposal activity has increased significantly, totaling approximately 1.2 gigawatt hours and $400,000,000 in the last two quarters, with over 70% representing the energy base [10] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company secured a contract for a 50 megawatt hour pilot project with an Arizona public power utility, beating over 10 competitors [8][9] - The project is expected to lead to a significant follow-on RFP opportunity, indicating strong demand for non-lithium ion longer duration storage technologies [9][10] - The company is experiencing increased inquiries and proposal activity due to the growing demand for alternatives to lithium-ion batteries [52][54] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focusing on executing its energy-based product launch and gaining commercial momentum, with plans to demonstrate longer duration storage capabilities [6][11] - Strategic partnerships, particularly with Honeywell, are being leveraged to enhance product development and manufacturing capabilities [12][17] - The company aims to reduce costs and improve product performance to compete effectively with lithium-ion technologies [22] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management acknowledged the challenging capital markets environment and is actively pursuing options to extend the company's cash runway [17][24] - The company is optimistic about the legislative support for domestic battery manufacturing, which could benefit its operations [15][17] - Management expects to transition to EBITDA and cash flow positive in the next few years based on the anticipated ramp of energy-based production and sales [21][22] Other Important Information - The company ended Q1 2025 with $12,800,000 in cash and short-term investments, with a reduced cash burn rate compared to previous quarters [23][24] - The company is exploring various strategic financing alternatives to strengthen its balance sheet and extend its cash runway [25] Q&A Session Summary Question: Outlook for Q2 sales and ramp in the second half - Management confirmed that Q2 sales are expected to be similar to Q1, with a ramp in the second half contingent upon successful capital raising [27][28] Question: Cash runway and operational support - Management indicated that the current cash runway is supported by lower cash burn rates and ongoing discussions for interim financing solutions [29][32] Question: Details on the Arizona RFP requirements - The RFP required non-lithium solutions, and the company's ability to deliver over 10 hours of storage and operate in various temperatures contributed to its success [34][35] Question: Customer deposits for booked orders - Historical deposit ranges for booked orders are between 5% to 20%, with expectations to push towards the higher end for future contracts [38] Question: Status of the Australian project - The project is delayed due to government funding not coming through, with no further updates on timing [46] Question: Discussions with strategic partners - Ongoing discussions with Honeywell and other investors are productive, with a focus on strategic capital raising [49][50] Question: Impact of tariffs on customer inquiries - The company has seen a positive increase in inquiries due to tariff impacts and the drive for electrification growth [52][54]

Product & Strategy - ESS launched the Energy Base, a new product configuration scalable from 5 MW to 100+ MW with a duration of 10+ to 22 hours, utilizing the Iron Core technology[14,32] - The Energy Base is designed to be more capital efficient for both ESS and its customers, shifting manufacturing mix to higher margin components and lowering working capital burden[32,47] - ESS partners with Honeywell to optimize Energy Base design for quality, cost-efficiency, and scale, exploring product collaboration and procurement leverage[30] - ESS's product line is evolving to meet a broader range of use cases at larger scales, with the same core technology across all products[31] Market & Opportunities - Data centers' electricity demand is estimated to grow to 800 TWh by 2026, putting extreme pressure on aging infrastructure and increasing the risk of failure[37] - Power disruption accounts for 54% of impactful data center outages, highlighting the need for resilient power solutions[40] - ESS Energy Base enables fast deployment of additional grid capacity and increases grid balancing and resilience for data center customers[38] Financial Performance - Q1 2025 revenue was $0.6 million, a 78% decrease compared to $2.7 million in Q1 2024[53] - Q1 2025 net loss was $18.0 million, a 2% improvement compared to $18.3 million in Q1 2024[53] - Adjusted EBITDA for Q1 2025 was a loss of $15.0 million, a 3% improvement compared to a loss of $15.4 million in Q1 2024[53]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - For the fiscal year 2024, the company reported revenue of $6.3 million, which was below the guidance range of $9 to $11 million, primarily due to a partner's inability to secure funding for orders [11][46] - The cost of revenue for the full year was $51.7 million, reflecting challenges in achieving expected revenue guidance [46] - The company achieved a nearly 60% reduction in its NOV adjustment per unit year-over-year, indicating progress in cost management [48] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company delivered six Energy Center (EC) systems to a Florida utility customer in December 2024, contributing significantly to revenue [14][44] - The Energy Center design achieved breakeven on a non-GAAP gross margin basis by the end of Q4 2024, hitting the target almost a year earlier than expected [19][50] - The company reported a 35% reduction in costs for the Energy Warehouse (EW) and a 26% reduction for the EC [52] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The demand for electricity in the U.S. is expected to grow by 35% to 50% between 2024 and 2040, driven by economic growth and the electrification of transport and heating [33] - The company is actively bidding on projects with the new energy base product, which is designed to meet increasing energy demands [34] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company plans to accelerate its strategic shift towards the Energy Center product deployment and the new energy base product in 2025 [13][20] - The energy base product is designed to be modular and scalable, allowing for greater flexibility in manufacturing and deployment [25][32] - The company aims to leverage partnerships, such as with Honeywell, to enhance manufacturing capabilities and reduce costs [24][98] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management acknowledged challenges in the current operating environment, including capital raising and geopolitical uncertainties [5][37] - The company is focused on extending its cash runway through securing new capital and efficient management of expenses [66] - Management expressed optimism about the long-term potential of the energy storage market and the company's positioning within it [67] Other Important Information - The company is in the process of raising capital to bolster its balance sheet and support growth objectives [37][63] - The company received notice of falling below the NYSE market cap requirement of $50 million and is taking action to remedy this situation [40][41] Q&A Session Summary Question: Revenue growth trajectory and 2025 expectations - Management indicated that they will not provide guidance for 2025 but expect moderate revenue growth in the first half of the year, with a scale-up in the second half [73] Question: Trends in gross margins for 2025 - Management stated that they do not anticipate being U.S. GAAP gross margin positive in 2025 but expect to achieve that post-2025 [77] Question: Capital raising needs and Export-Import Bank financing - Management is looking to raise at least $50 million to access the full amount of the Export-Import Bank loan and anticipates drawing on it in the second quarter [79] Question: Performance metrics of products in the field - Management acknowledged operational issues with new technology deployments but highlighted improvements in software and documentation to enhance user experience [84][86] Question: Future operating expenses - Management indicated that operating expenses are expected to be slightly lower than the previous year, with a focus on reallocating resources to key initiatives [90][92] Question: Energy base product and manufacturing partners - Management clarified that the energy base product will involve manufacturing core components while potentially leveraging external partners for balance of system components [96][98]