Backblaze(BLZE) - 2025 Q4 - Earnings Call Transcript

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - For Q4 2025, total revenue was $37.8 million, in line with guidance, and adjusted EBITDA margin reached 28%, doubling from the prior year [6][17] - Full year revenue grew 14% year-over-year, with B2 Cloud Storage growing 26% [6][17] - Adjusted Free Cash Flow was positive $4 million in Q4, representing a margin of 11% [20][23] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - B2 revenue grew 24% year-over-year in Q4, up from 22% in the prior year [17] - B2 net revenue retention (NRR) was 111%, down from 116% in the prior quarter, reflecting variability from a large customer [18] - The number of customers generating over $50,000 in ARR increased by 35% year-over-year, with their ARR growing 73% year-over-year to $26 million [8][18] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The market for NeoClouds is projected to reach $237 billion within the next five years, with Backblaze estimating a $14 billion opportunity in NeoCloud storage by 2030 [13] - The company added 12,000 customers in its self-serve platform this year, indicating strong demand from AI developers [15] Company Strategy and Development Direction - Backblaze is focusing on a go-to-market transformation to drive growth, including initiatives to increase awareness, drive pipeline consistency, and expand revenue within the existing customer base [9][10] - The company is positioning itself to take advantage of the AI opportunity by becoming the storage backbone for AI workflows [11][12] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the long-term growth opportunity presented by AI, despite potential market volatility [11] - The company anticipates some pressure on gross margins due to increased costs but is launching a gross margin optimization initiative [19] Other Important Information - The company closed its largest contract in history with over $15 million in total contract value, validating product-market fit at scale [17] - Management is shifting part of compensation to Performance-Based Stock Units to align incentives with shareholders [21] Q&A Session Summary Question: Can you explain how B2 Neo differs from B2 and the demand patterns? - B2 Neo is a white label offering designed for NeoClouds, allowing them to manage storage for their customers through APIs, while B2 is sold directly to end customers [27][28] Question: What is the duration of the $50 million contract? - The contract is a three-year deal [75] Question: What is the expected decline in the computer backup business? - The computer backup business is expected to decline by 5% year-over-year, with a -3% decline in Q1 [32] Question: What factors are affecting gross margins? - Increased data center costs and the need to accelerate capital expenditures are expected to reduce gross margins by a few hundred basis points [52] Question: What is the outlook for NRR in 2026? - NRR could drop to around 100% for 1 or 2 quarters due to the lumpiness of a large customer, but is expected to stabilize around 110% by year-end [61][63]