v3.23.2
FORWARD WARRANT AGREEMENT
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2023
FORWARD WARRANT AGREEMENT  
FORWARD WARRANT AGREEMENT

13.

FORWARD WARRANT AGREEMENT

In connection with the execution of the Merger Agreement in October 2021 (See Note 1), Rigetti entered into a warrant subscription agreement (“Forward Warrant Agreement”) with a strategic partner, Ampere Computing LLC (“Ampere”) for the purchase of a warrant for an aggregate purchase price (including amounts from exercise) of $10.0 million. The Forward Warrant Agreement provides for the issuance of a warrant for the purchase of up to an aggregate of 1,000,000 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $0.0001. The purchase of the warrant was conditioned upon, among other things, the consummation of the Business Combination and the entry into a collaboration agreement between Rigetti and Ampere. The parties entered into the collaboration agreement in January 2022. Ampere was required to pay $5.0 million to Rigetti no later than the later of (i) the Closing and (ii) June 30, 2022.

On June 30, 2022, pursuant to the Forward Warrant Agreement, the Company issued the warrant to Ampere upon receipt of an aggregate of $5.0 million (including the exercise price), and upon such payment and issuance, 500,000 shares of the Company’s Common Stock vested under the warrant and were immediately exercised by Ampere pursuant to the terms of the warrant. Ampere is required to pay an additional $5.0 million to Rigetti no later than the closing date of the listing of Ampere’s capital stock on a stock exchange, provided that if the listing has not occurred by the second anniversary of the Forward Warrant Agreement (October 2023), Ampere is not obligated to make the additional payment. Upon the payment of such additional amounts, the warrant will vest and be exercisable with respect to the remaining 500,000 shares. The Forward Warrant Agreement further provides that the Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to file a registration statement to register the resale of the remaining shares underlying the warrant. The Company filed a registration statement registering the resale of the initial 500,000 shares issued under the warrant which was declared effective during the year ended December 31, 2022.

The Company evaluated the Forward Warrant Agreement as a derivative in conjunction with the guidance of ASC 480, “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity”. The Company calculated the fair value of the Forward Warrant Agreement at inception using the Forward Contract Pricing methodology. The Forward Warrant Agreement was subsequently re-

measured at each reporting period using the Forward Contract Pricing methodology with the change in fair value recorded in general and administrative expense in the condensed consolidated statement of operations.

The calculated fair value of the Forward Warrant Agreement was a derivative asset at June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022 of $1.1 million and $2.2 million, respectively. The change in the fair value of the Forward Warrant Agreement is included in selling, general and administrative expense. The change in the fair value of the Forward Agreement in the three and six months ended June 30, 2023 was a loss of less than $0.1 million and a loss of $1.1 million, respectively. The change in the fair value of the Forward Warrant Agreement in the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 was a gain of $2.1 million and $5.1 million, respectively.

The following table represents key valuation assumptions as of June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022:

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Valuation Assumptions

    

June 30, 2023

    

December 31, 2022

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Holding period (in years)

 

​

0.267

 

​

0.767

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​

Risk-free rate

 

​

5.36

%  

​

4.69

%

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Probability of the contingency occurring

 

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25

%  

​

50

%

​

Underlying value per share

​

$

1.18

 

$

0.73

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In the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Company reduced the estimated probability of occurrence for the Forward Warrant Agreement from 50% to 25% due to less than favorable market conditions and reduced time until expiration.