Biolargo, Inc.: Form 10-K for the period ended Dec 31, 2022

USE OF FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS IN THIS REPORT

This annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 (the “Annual Report”) contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included in this Annual Report regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenues, projected costs, prospects and plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, predictions regarding:

• our business plan;
• the commercial viability of our technology and products incorporating our technology;
• the effects of competitive factors on our technology and products incorporating our technology;
• expenses we will incur in operating our business;
• our liquidity and sufficiency of existing cash;
• the success of our financing plans; and
• the outcome of pending or threatened litigation.

You can identify these and other forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “projects,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions, or the negative of such terms, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking statements also include the assumptions underlying or relating to any of the foregoing statements.

We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events. Although we believe that the expectations underlying our forward-looking statements are reasonable, these expectations may prove to be incorrect, and all of these statements are subject to risks and uncertainties. Therefore, you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. We have included important risks and uncertainties in the cautionary statements included in this Annual Report; particularly, the section titled “Risk Factors” incorporated by reference herein. We believe these risks and uncertainties could cause actual results or events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements that we make. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions, projections or expectations prove incorrect, actual results, performance or financial condition may vary materially and adversely from those anticipated, estimated or expected. Our forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, joint ventures or investments that we may make. We do not assume any obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. In the light of these risks and uncertainties, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this report may not occur, and actual results could differ materially from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement made by us in this report is based only on information currently available to us and speaks only as of the date on which it is made.

When we refer in this report to “BioLargo,” the “Company,” “our Company,” “we,” “us” and “our,” we mean BioLargo, Inc., and our subsidiaries, including BioLargo Life Technologies, Inc., which holds our intellectual property; ONM Environmental, Inc., which manufactures, markets, sells and distributes our odor and volatile organic compound control products; BioLargo Energy Technologies, Inc. (“BETI”), formed to commercialize our proprietary battery technology; our Canadian subsidiary BioLargo Water, Inc., which develops and markets our AOS water treatment technologies; BioLargo Engineering, Science & Technologies, LLC (“BLEST”), a professional engineering services division in Oak Ridge Tennessee; BioLargo Equipment Solutions & Technologies, Inc.; BioLargo Development Corp., which employs and provides benefits to our employees; and Clyra Medical Technologies, Inc. (“Clyra Medical”), which commercializes our technologies in the medical and dental fields. All subsidiaries are wholly owned, except for BETI, BLEST and Clyra Medical.

Our Business - Innovator and Solution Provider

BioLargo, Inc. invents, develops, and commercializes innovative platform technologies to solve challenging environmental problems like PFAS contamination (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), advanced water and wastewater treatment, industrial odor control, air quality control, infection control, and myriad environmental remediation challenges. Having conducted continual and extensive research and development, BioLargo holds a wide array of issued patents, maintains a robust pipeline of products, and provides full-service environmental engineering. With a keen emphasis on partnerships with academic, government, and commercial organizations and associations, BioLargo has proven itself by executing on challenging environmental engineering projects, demonstrating its powerful technologies through pilots, trials, and early commercial adoption, publishing high-impact academic and industry publications, and winning over 90 grants. We monetize our innovations through direct sales and recurring service contracts, as well as through channel partnerships, meaning licensing agreements, exclusive and non-exclusive distribution agreements, brand development partnerships, sale referral partnerships, strategic joint venture formation, and/or the sale of the IP. Channel partnerships allow us to extend the commercial reach of our products and services disproportionately to our core infrastructure and staffing.

Our revenues more than doubled in 2022 as compared with 2021, and that trend is continuing in the first quarter of 2023. The standout has been the pet odor product (brand name “Pooph”) sold by our consumer packaged goods partners at Ikigai Marketing Works, whose sales contributed significantly to the record product revenues of our odor and VOC control products division ONM Environmental.

We have several key ongoing projects that Company management believes will stimulate accelerated growth through 2023. These are:

• The launch in major retailers of the Pooph pet odor control product by our consumer packaged goods partners at Ikigai.
• Our first PFAS removal project at a large industrial site (announced in August 2022), currently in the initial phase of a multi-phase process, which we expect to continue advancing as we engineer a comprehensive PFAS mitigation plan.
• Expanded commercial roll-out of our PFAS treatment technology through a growing network of sales rep organizations.
• Garratt-Callahan’s launch of the jointly developed minimal liquid discharge wastewater treatment product.
• Our engineering work with Ultra Safe Nuclear.
• Our engineering services division’s engagements as consultants to support large capital projects which are sponsored and or financed by the customers.

These projects are of a greater commercial significance than projects contracted and executed in previous years. Company management believes BioLargo is now earning more significant commercial opportunities for multiple reasons:

1. Credibility

First, we have built our credibility as cleantech technology innovators and environmental engineering service providers to the point where clients, potential clients, and prospective partners rightfully view us as an effective and reliable means to solve their challenges. We operate with a mandate to serve our customers and partners with technical excellence, provide timely and cost-effective results, and a commitment to helping them make the best choices for any particular challenge.

2. Channel Partner Relationships

We have key relationships that we believe will continue advancing to become high-revenue and profit generating projects with channel partners such as Garratt-Callahan and Ikigai, as well as our new channel partners in the PFAS remediation industry.

3. Investments in Talent and Technology

This “critical mass” of credibility as a cleantech solutions provider is a result of our investments in our talented team of engineers, scientists and team members who have a proven track record of executing complex engineering projects, and our history of developing creative and powerful new technologies that work and are best of class. Secondly, our core patented water treatment technologies – the BioLargo Advanced Oxidation System (AOS) and Aqueous Electrostatic Concentrator (AEC) – have now been demonstrated in successful pilot projects, either on-site at a prospective client’s facility, or in-house with client-provided contaminated waters.

Technology

BioLargo has continually advanced its robust portfolio of technologies since the first acquisition of early iterations of the BioLargo technology in the spring of 2007. Our innovations have primarily been developed through our internal resources, and some through acquisition. These include patents, patents pending, and trade secrets that include solutions for:

• Water decontamination, including:
• Removal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and chlorides from drinking and ground water
• Micro-pollutant destruction and removal
• Legionella detection and water treatment solutions
• Minimum and zero liquid discharge systems (MLD/ZLD)
• Disinfection
• Electro-oxidation
• Battery energy storage
• Air quality controls and systems including odor and VOC control
• Mineral processing
• Infection control
• Wound management
• Disinfection

Talent

We have grown our team to 33 team members and numerous other part-time consultants, including highly qualified PhDs, engineers, MDs and medical professionals, construction professionals, field service technicians, innovators, sales marketing specialists, entrepreneurial and executive leadership.

Purpose

Our mission to make life better drives us to serve others with integrity, knowledge, technology, and solutions that protect the environment, improve quality of life, and protect lives. Most of our technologies were developed from the ground-up to be sustainable, practical solutions to significant global challenges. We are unique in our ability to tailor our offerings to serve our customers with proven expertise, proven technology and, if needed, we often have the ability to develop new technical solutions to meet our customers’ needs.

Combating the PFAS Forever-Chemical Crisis – the AEC

One of the most significant and timely innovations in our portfolio is our per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) removal and collection/disposal solution we call the Aqueous Electrostatic Concentrator (AEC). Our engineers developed and are now commercializing the AEC, which is a novel water treatment system that removes PFAS from water at a lower operating cost and generating only a fraction of the PFAS-laden waste of the most common currently used solutions (carbon filtration, ion exchange, and reverse osmosis). PFAS chemicals have been linked to cancer, immune disorders, liver dysfunction, and many other human health problems, and are contained in a vast range of manufactured goods, common household products (e.g., cleaning products, cookware), and electronics, and contaminate drinking water in unsafe levels all over the globe.

PFAS is often referred to as the “contaminant of the decade”, and as such, it is considered a multi-billion dollar commercial market opportunity. The EPA proposed new drinking water standards on March 14, 2023, limiting certain PFAS chemicals to four parts per trillion – a standard our AEC can meet. We believe these proposed rules will continue to push the market to find and adopt commercially viable solutions to remove PFAS chemicals from water. Additionally, some emerging regulations on PFAS in the U.S. are expected to skew the market toward seeking treatment technologies that produce as little PFAS-laden solid waste as possible, a favorable trend for our AEC that generates very little PFAS-laden waste. Detection of unsafe levels of PFAS around the world has given rise to a number of market opportunities, including in drinking water, industrial wastewater, municipal wastewater, solid waste, organic foods and more.

We have successfully validated the AEC as an effective system to selectively extract and collect PFAS chemicals from contaminated water including performance testing that shows “non-detect” levels of removal, which meets new EPA standards. We have demonstrated more than nine months of continuous operation showing no materially significant degradation of the AEC system’s components or performance over time. We have also successfully demonstrated that the AEC is scalable to a commercial scale and that our engineering team has the proven experience to successfully deliver systems to meet the needs of a commercial installation and sale. Our team has a history of successful execution in the environmental remediation industry and the knowhow to successfully commercialize the AEC.

In August 2022, our engineering division secured its first customer to engineer a comprehensive PFAS mitigation plan for an industrial site. The customer contract is for the first phase of what is expected to be a multi-phase comprehensive PFAS remediation project. The contract was secured in collaboration with a new channel partner, which has been appointed to promote, market, and distribute BioLargo’s water treatment equipment and PFAS-related engineering and project integration services. We recently delivered a proposal for a system that will serve as a mobile commercial pilot, and scoping, preliminary design and budget for the building of the full-scale system.

The AEC’s commercial roll-out will be executed with the help of a network of sales representative organizations whose role will be to market and sell the treatment system, related equipment, and the Company’s engineering services to municipal and industrial customers across the country. We have secured channel partner agreements with several sales representative organizations ensuring coverage for most of the continental United States.

In October 2022, we entered into a channel partner agreement with Product Recovery Management, Inc. to sell, distribute and act as a contract manufacturer for the AEC and other BioLargo water treatment technologies. Product Recovery Management (PRM), based out of Butner, NC, is a UL-certified equipment integrator specializing in remediation services with over 40 years of history serving customers. PRM designs and manufactures treatment systems that address a wide variety of contamination challenges in the remediation and landfill industries, including PFAS contamination. Their Butner operations include a 250,000 square foot manufacturing facility with large-scale fabrication capabilities.

We are also in negotiations with multiple prospective industrial and municipal customers to treat PFAS contaminated water. In light of the fact that we now have our first commercial project under contract, we believe that our expected success with an industrial customer will be a key factor to help advance marketing efforts in the municipal market as well as potentially minimizing the need for small scale field piloting, which can be expensive and time consuming.

ONM Environmental - Industrial Odor and VOC Solutions

ONM Environmental, Inc. is BioLargo’s subsidiary that delivers robust and comprehensive products and services to control and mitigate odor and volatile organic compounds (“VOCs”) emitted from a variety of industrial activities, including landfills and other waste handling facilities. Its flagship product – CupriDyne® Clean – reduces and eliminates tough odors and VOCs in various industrial settings. CupriDyne® Clean is delivered through misting systems, sprayers, water trucks and similar water delivery systems designed, manufactured and installed by ONM. We believe the product is the number-one performing odor-control product in the market, and that it offers substantial savings to our customers compared with competing products. ONM Environmental holds General, Electrical, Plumbing and Low Voltage contractor licenses issued by the California Contractors State License Board, and offers a menu of services to landfills, transfer stations, wastewater treatment facilities as well as facilities in non-waste related industries. These services include engineering design, construction, installation, ongoing maintenance and on-site support services to assist our clients in the implementation and continued use of the various systems that deliver our liquid products in the field (such as misting systems).

We have been and expect to continue selling product to the largest solid waste handling companies in the country, with a portion of chemistry product sales resulting from national purchasing agreements (NPAs), and are also serving municipalities.

In addition to its goal to keep growing its revenues organically through the sale of odor and VOC control chemistry and air quality control systems to its primary market segment (municipal solid waste handling in California), ONM Environmental aims to accelerate its growth through development of new sales and distribution channels without being limited by our own sales and distribution infrastructure, such as through our partnership with Ikigai Marketing Works, LLC (see “Consumer Packaged Goods Products” below).

Consumer Packaged and Private-Label Products

We sell pet odor-control products under the brand “Pooph” to Ikigai Marketing Works, LLC, founded by accomplished industry executives from the consumer-packaged goods industry who have executed successful launches of at least five blockbuster products. After a successful test marketing phase, they have been executing a national advertising campaign through extensive television and internet advertising and have launched the product for web sales on their own website and on Amazon. In late 2022, Ikigai launched the Pooph product in a limited number of Walmart retail stores, to Walmart stores nationwide in the second quarter of 2023. Our agreement with Ikigai grants them an exclusive license to sell the Pooph pet odor-control product, and requires, in addition to purchasing product from us at an agreed-upon manufacturing margin, they are required to pay us an additional six percent of their sales.

As Ikigai has expanded their national television advertising expanding, their sales have increased, and correspondingly, their purchase of product from us has increased, such that for the year ended December 31, 2022, it comprised almost 50% of our total revenue. Ikigai management expects this trend of growth to continue as the product experiences increased adoption in retail stores around the country.

South Korean Joint Venture

On February 12, 2020, we executed a “Joint Venture Framework Agreement” with a leading wastewater treatment solution provider based in South Korea (BKT Co. Ltd., “BKT”), to create a South Korean entity that would manufacture odor and VOC control products based on our CupriDyne® Clean products. We own 40% of the joint venture. Although the joint venture established manufacturing and is marketing the product, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the expected growth of the company. While the management team continues to market the product to industrial clients, their efforts have struggled to gain a foothold, and we are in discussions to expand their license to allow for the sale of consumer products.

Full Service Environmental Engineering

Our subsidiary BioLargo Engineering, Science & Technologies, LLC (“BLEST”) offers full service environmental engineering to third parties and provides engineering support services to our internal teams to accelerate the commercialization of our technologies.

BLEST focuses its efforts in three areas:

• providing engineering services to third-party clients;
• supporting internal product development and business units’ services to customers (e.g., the AOS); and
• advancing their own technical innovations such as the AEC PFAS treatment technology and the battery energy storage system which was recently added to the portfolio.

The subsidiary is located in Oak Ridge (a suburb of Knoxville, Tennessee), and employs a group of scientists and engineers most of whom collectively worked together for almost 30 years and have experience in diverse engineering fields. The team is led by Randall Moore, who served as Manager of Operations for Consulting and Engineering for the Knoxville office of CB&I Environmental & Infrastructure and was formerly a leader at The Shaw Group, Inc., a Fortune 500 global engineering firm. Many of the other team members are also former employees of CB&I and Shaw, with the exception of more recent staff hires. The team is highly experienced across multiple industries and are considered experts in their respective fields, including: chemical engineering, wastewater treatment (including design, operations, data gathering and data evaluation), process safety, energy efficiency, air pollution, design and control, technology evaluation, technology integration, air quality management & testing, engineering management, permitting, industrial hygiene, applied research and development, air testing, environmental permitting, HAZOP review, chemical processing, thermal design, computational fluid dynamics, mechanical engineering, mechanical design, NEPDES permitting, RCRA/TSCA compliance and permitting, project management, storm water design & permitting, computer assisted design (CAD), bench chemistry, continuous emission monitoring system operator, data handling and evaluation and decommissioning and decontamination of radiological and chemical contaminated facilities. The team has decades of high-level experience in the energy industry. The engineering team has also developed an extended network of trusted engineering subcontractors that assist in serving specific client projects as needed.

In association with Garratt-Callahan, a national industrial water treatment company, BLEST developed a “minimal liquid discharge” (MLD) wastewater treatment system based on Garratt-Callahan’s patented technology that is able to reduce industrial wastewater discharge and therefore reduce wastewater discharge fees for customers. Garratt-Callahan is currently marketing the MLD system to its customers. BLEST will serve as the manufacturing partner and Garratt-Callahan will serve as the selling distributor to leverage their national sales force and over one hundred years of providing services and products to customers. BioLargo’s engineers completed the first full-scale prototype of this new technology and tested it with Garratt-Callahan client provided water, with Garratt-Callahan technical staff present on-site at BLEST’s facility. In this “factory acceptance” testing, the system removed over 98% of the target contaminants from water in continuous operation, in line with results achieved by Garratt-Callahan’s original bench-scale and batch processing tests. This factory acceptance testing was a necessary step before commercial trials and/or sales to Garratt-Callahan customers could begin. Garratt-Callahan has identified multiple customer prospects, as has BioLargo, through its own marketing efforts. We remain confident that this innovation and partnership will find commercial success.

In the second quarter of 2022, BLEST was contracted by Ultra Safe Nuclear to assist in producing the first prototype fuel production systems for their revolutionary new nuclear reactor called the Micro Modular Reactor (MMR®). Ultra Safe Nuclear is a Seattle-based nuclear energy innovator, and has invented a “fission battery” - a fourth generation modular nuclear reactor – that can deliver safe, zero-carbon, cost-effective energy anywhere. The MMR® uses ceramic-encapsulated nuclear fuel – Fully Ceramic Micro-encapsulated (FCM+++) – an extremely rugged and stable fuel with extraordinary high temperature stability. BioLargo has been retained to provide engineering design support, fabrication, and integration for the company’s prototype fuel production systems. Because of the success of the early phase of the project, this project is expected to expand over the coming months in scope and significance to BioLargo, making them an important customer for BLEST.

Waste-to-Energy Conversion Plant Project

In April 2022, our engineering subsidiary was hired by a Southern California based sustainable energy services company to conduct a comprehensive project plan (i.e., “feasibility study”) for a waste-to-energy (WTE) conversion plant in South America – one of multiple projects in planning stages by the company. Our engineers completed the initial feasibility study and have delivered a proposal for the next phase of the project (front end engineering design, aka FEED). The client has also requested feasibility studies and a FEED proposal for WTE plants in Asia.

BioLargo Water and the Advanced Oxidation System – AOS

BioLargo Water is our wholly owned subsidiary located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, which has and is commercializing our Advanced Oxidation water treatment system (AOS). The AOS is our patented water treatment device that generates highly oxidative and energetic species of iodine and other molecules which allow it to eliminate pathogenic organisms and organic contaminants rapidly and effectively as water passes through the device. The key value proposition of the AOS is its ability to reduce or eliminate a wide variety of waterborne contaminants with high performance while using very little electricity and input chemicals. This is made possible by the highly oxidative iodine compounds and reactive oxygen species generated within the AOS reactor as well as the unique and proprietary physical constitution and geometry of the reactor. Our proof-of-concept studies and on-site pilot projects have generated results that project the AOS will be more cost- and energy-efficient than commonly used advanced water treatment technologies such as UV, electro-chlorination, and ozonation. Furthermore, our technology has been proven capable of removing hard-to-treat organic micropollutants such as pharmaceuticals from water more quickly and energy-efficiently than other technologies. Together, these characteristics make the AOS an economical and versatile tool to enable wastewater treatment and reuse in the face of emerging water contaminants and increasing regulatory scrutiny on industrial wastewater discharge. The capabilities of the AOS as a sustainable water treatment technology have been the subject of several high-impact academic papers in scientific journals. The company pursues a policy of publishing about the technology in academic journals as much as possible in order to promote transparency about the technology’s safety and efficacy while also contributing to the field of advanced water treatment science. In June of 2022, the fourth peer-reviewed scientific paper about the AOS was published, in the journal Environmental Science and Pollution Research.

In the first quarter of 2022, BioLargo Water received a grant from Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen) to support the company’s collaboration with a specialized electrical component designer to assist in optimizing the electrical performance of the AOS with the ultimate goal of maximizing the lifespan of the AOS’ components. In the second quarter of 2022, the development work funded by this grant advanced, focusing on improving the performance of the conductive materials within the AOS which allow for water disinfection and decontamination.

The AOS has been included as a component of treatment train (comprehensive system) for a number of projects being scoped and budgeted through our engineering subsidiary. In addition, it has been included in the catalog of offerings being sold through our independent representatives as well as channel partners.

Municipal Wastewater Treatment Pilot – Montreal

Our commercial-scale AOS demonstration pilot (run in partnership with acclaimed water experts at the Centre des Technologies de L’Eau) at a municipal wastewater treatment plant near Montreal, Quebec, is ongoing and providing important data that shows the AOS is removing five target pharmaceuticals from the wastewater faster and using less electricity than the ultraviolet (UV) disinfections system used in the facility. Notably, the pilot project also showed that the AOS was able to also remove total coliforms (bacteria) from the municipal wastewater more effectively than the UV disinfection system currently in use at the facility.

In January 2022, BioLargo Water was awarded a grant from the government of Canada’s Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) that allowed for the extension of the pilot project to allow for use of a new, higher flow-rate AOS system, as well as the installation of an AEC system at the pilot to assess its removal of PFAS chemicals from the municipality’s wastewater, which was completed successfully.

Clyra Medical Technologies

Clyra Medical Technologies, Inc. is our partially owned subsidiary creating medical products based on our technology. It is launching a product to be used by surgeons generally, with a first target market aimed toward orthopedic surgeons for use as a wound irrigation solution and to help manage patient care and outcomes and, for wound care. Clyra has secured its first two hospital customers for the product, established a robust quality control system for FDA compliance, recruited a national director of sales, and is negotiating with three separate channel partners to form a commercial alliance. It has secured its first manufacturer’s representatives and is actively expanding these efforts to build out a national rep network. Its other product designs are on hold until such time as it is able to secure the capital and resources to complete any final development and support additional inventory, technical support and sales for these products. There are channel partnerships in development for Clyra’s Bioclynse product in three separate healthcare markets.

BioLargo Energy Technologies, Inc.

BioLargo acquired a proprietary sodium-sulfur battery technology and has formed and secured initial capital for a subsidiary – BioLargo Energy Technologies, Inc. (“BETI”) – designed to address the ongoing shift toward renewable energy production and the growth in global electricity demand, and the consequent drastic expansion in energy storage capacity in the US and world-wide that will be needed to accommodate increased demand and the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources like wind and solar.

BETI will lead the manufacturing, scale-up, and operations for the sodium-sulfur battery technology with the help of one of the technology’s original developers, who has joined BETI. Batteries built based on the underlying technology a decade ago demonstrated features that far surpass comparable lithium-ion batteries, the dominant incumbent technology in the market:

• This sodium-sulfur battery technology demonstrates increased safety, no runaway fire risks, and a more sustainable design – with no rare-earth elements – that is capable of being manufactured completely from the domestic supply chain.
• Unlike lithium-ion batteries, BioLargo’s battery can charge and discharge completely, with no degradation of performance, ensuring virtually unlimited charge/discharge cycles, without self-discharge.
• BioLargo’s battery technology also demonstrates increased energy efficiency and energy density in comparison to lithium-ion batteries, and a longer useful life expectancy of at least 10 years.

BioLargo’s battery uses common, inexpensive, domestically available materials, and through its unique design and manufacturing process, creates an energy storage solution that has higher energy density than lithium virtually unlimited charge/discharge cycles, stable and secure supply chain management, and which is far safer than lithium-ion batteries, the current dominant energy storage technology. While the concept of sodium-sulfur salt batteries is not new (a concept conceived more than 80 years ago), no known competing ‘salt’ battery can match the performance metrics of our battery.

Our battery technology operates at higher temperatures, and its casing and materials when combined, are heavier than lithium-ion, making it more suitable for stationary energy storage applications like grid-scale energy storage, electric vehicle charging stations, and commercial and residential energy storage, and believed to be less suitable for placement into electric vehicles or portable electronics.

Conclusion

BioLargo has advanced its technologies and infrastructure to achieve a critical mass to capitalize on its commercial efforts and have a positive impact around the world with clean water, clean air, and infection control solutions. We have a scalable business model that targets high-impact cleantech market opportunities. We leverage our considerable scientific, engineering, and entrepreneurial talent to monetize our technologies and ensure high-quality customer service and increased revenue potential. We seek to unlock the value of our portfolio of disruptive technologies to advance our mission to “make life better” and continue creating shareholder value.

Intellectual Property

We have 25 patents issued, including 19 in the United States, and multiple pending. We believe these patents provide a foundation from which to continue building our patent portfolio, and we believe that our technology is sufficiently useful and novel that we have a reasonable basis upon which to rely on our patent protections. We also rely on trade secrets and technical know-how to establish and maintain additional protection of our intellectual property. As our capital resources permit, we expect to expand our patent protection as we continue to refine our inventions as well as make new discoveries. See the detailed discussion below of our patent portfolio.

We regard our intellectual property as critical to our ultimate success. Our goal is to obtain, maintain and enforce patent protection for our products and technologies in geographic areas of commercial interest and to protect our trade secrets and proprietary information through laws and contractual arrangements.

We incurred approximately $1,319,000 in expense related to our research and development activities in the year ended December 31, 2022, and $1,367,000 in the year ended December 31, 2021.

The description of our intellectual property, at present, is as follows:

U.S. Patents

• U.S. Patent 11,565,947 issued January 31, 2023, related to the mitigation of microbe buildup within a potable water supply system, incorporating the use of certain BioLargo technologies.
• U.S. Patent 11,457,632, issued October 5, 2022, relating to liquid antimicrobial disinfectant compositions for treatment of coronaviruses and SARS-CoV-2 on skin and surfaces, which have extended antimicrobial and antiviral activity for more than 24 hours, are suitable for personal, clinical and surgical use, and are safe to skin, mucous membranes and wounds.
• U.S. Patent 10,654,731, issued on May 19, 2020, 10,238,990, issued on March 26, 2019, and 10,051,866, issued on August 21, 2018, which protect our AOS system.
• U.S. Patent 10,046,078, issued on August 14, 2018, relating to the misting systems that eliminate odors in waste transfer stations, landfills, and other waste handling facilities.
• U.S. Patent 9,883,653 issued on February 6, 2018, which encompasses a litter composition used in the absorption of animal wastes.
• US Patent 9,414,601 granted August 16, 2016, relating to the use of an article for application to a surface to provide antimicrobial and/or anti-odor activity. At least one of the reagents is coated with a water-soluble, water dispersible or water-penetrable covering that prevents ambient conditions of 50% relative humidity at 25ºC from causing more than 10% of the total reagents exposed to the ambient conditions from reacting in a twenty-four hour period.
• U.S. Patent 8,846,067, issued on September 30, 2014, which encompasses a method of treating a wound or burn on tissue to reduce microbe growth about a wound comprising applying an antimicrobial composition to the wound or burn on tissue using a proprietary stable iodine gel or liquid. This patent covers our technology as used in products being developed by our subsidiary, Clyra Medical Technologies.
• U.S. Patent 8,757,253, issued on June 24, 2014, relating to the moderation of oil extraction waste environments.
• U.S. Patent 8,734,559, issued on May 27, 2014, relating to the moderation of animal waste environments.
• U.S. Patent 8,679,515 issued on March 25, 2014, titled “Activated Carbon Associated with Alkaline or Alkali Iodide,” which provides protection for our BioLargo AOS filter.
• U.S. Patent 8,642,057, issued on February 4, 2014, titled “Antimicrobial and Antiodor Solutions and Delivery Systems,” relating to our liquid antimicrobial solutions, including our gels, sprays and liquids imbedded into wipes and other substrates.
• U.S. Patent 8,574,610, issued on November 5, 2013, relating to flowable powder compositions, including our cat litter additive.
• U.S. Patent 8,257,749, issued on September 4, 2012, relating to the use of our technology as protection of against antimicrobial activity in environments that need to be protected or cleansed of microbial or chemical material. These environments include closed and open environments and absorbent sheet materials that exhibit stability until activated by aqueous environments. The field also includes novel particle technology, coating technology or micro-encapsulation technology to control the stability of chemicals that may be used to kill or inhibit the growth of microbes to water vapor or humidity for such applications.
• U.S. Patent 8,226,964, issued on July 24, 2012, relating to use of our technology as a treatment of residue, deposits or coatings within large liquid carrying structures such as pipes, drains, ducts, conduits, run-offs, tunnels and the like, using iodine, delivered in a variety of physical forms and methods, including using its action to physically disrupt coatings. The iodine’s disruptive activity may be combined with other physical removal systems such as pigging, scraping, tunneling, etching or grooving systems or the like.
• U.S. Patent 8,021,610, issued on September 20, 2011, titled “System providing antimicrobial activity to an environment,” relating to the reduction of microbial content in a land mass. Related to this patent are patents held in Canada and the European Union.
• U.S. Patent 7,943,158, issued on May 17, 2011, titled “Absorbent systems providing antimicrobial activity,” relating to the reduction of microbial content by providing molecular iodine to stabilized reagents.
• U.S. Patent 7,867,510, issued on January 11, 2011, titled “Material having antimicrobial activity when wet,” relating to articles for delivering stable iodine-generating compositions.

Pending Patent Applications

Subject to adequate financing, we intend to continue to expand and enhance our suite of intellectual property through ongoing focus on product development, new intellectual property development and patent applications, and further third-party testing and validations for specific areas of focus for commercial exploitation. We currently anticipate that additional patent applications will be filed during the next 12 months with the USPTO and the PCT, although we are uncertain of the cost of such patent filings, which will depend upon the number of such applications prepared and filed. The expenses associated with seeking patent rights in multiple foreign countries is expensive and will require substantial ongoing capital resources. However, we cannot give any assurance that adequate capital will be available. Without adequate capital resources, we will be forced to abandon patent applications and irrevocably lose rights to our technologies.

Our Company

BioLargo, Inc. is a corporation organized under the laws of the state of Delaware. Our common stock is quoted on the OTC Markets OTCQB “Venture Marketplace” under the trading symbol “BLGO”.

Our corporate offices are located at 14921 Chestnut St., Westminster, California 92683. We have a research facility and offices at the University of Alberta in Canada, and our engineering team is located at 105 Fordham Road in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Our telephone number is (888) 400-2863. We operate through multiple subsidiary entities.

Our principal corporate website is www.BioLargo.com (http://www.BioLargo.com). We also maintain a blog at www.BioLargo.blogspot.com (http://www.BioLargo.blogspot.com). Websites concerning our subsidiaries are www.ONMEnvironmental.com (http://www.ONMEnvironmental.com), www.CupriDyne.com (http://www.CupriDyne.com), www.ClyraMedical.com (http://www.ClyraMedical.com), www.BioLargoWater.com (http://www.BioLargoWater.com), and www.BioLargoEngineering.com (http://www.BioLargoEngineering.com). The information on our websites and blog are not, and shall not be deemed to be, a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Executive Officers

As of December 31, 2022, and as the date of this report, our executive officers were:

• Dennis P. Calvert: Chief Executive Officer, President and Chairman of the Board
• Charles K. Dargan II: Chief Financial Officer
• Joseph L. Provenzano: Corporate Secretary and Vice President of Operations

Our operational subsidiaries are led by:

Employees

As of March 29, 2023, we had 33 employees, of which 32 were full-time. Our employees including professional engineers, masters of engineering, and PhDs, as well as sales, support and administrative personnel. We also utilize consultants and independent contractors on an as-needed basis who provide certain specified services, such as professional engineers used from time to time by our engineering group in Tennessee.

Our future results of operations, financial condition and liquidity and the market price for our securities are subject to numerous risks, many of which are driven by factors that we cannot control. The following cautionary discussion of risks, uncertainties and assumptions relevant to our business includes factors we believe could cause our actual results to differ materially from expected and historical results. Other factors beyond those listed below, including factors unknown to us and factors known to us which we have not currently determined to be material, could also adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition, prospects and cash flows. Also see “Forward-looking Statements” above.

Risks relating to our Financial Condition

We have incurred net losses on an annual basis since our inception and may continue to experience losses and negative cash flow in the future.

We have not yet generated enough revenue or gross profit from operations to fund our expenses, and, accordingly, we have incurred net losses every year since our inception. We recorded net loss of $5,132,000 for the year ended December 31, 2022, and a net loss of $6,894,000 for the year ended December 31, 2021. At December 31, 2022, we had $1,851,000 cash and cash equivalents. We have funded the majority of our activities through the issuance of equity securities, both at corporate level and through direct third-party investments in our subsidiaries. Although we are devoting more energy and money to our sales and marketing activities, and our revenues have increased year-over-year for the last eight years, we continue to anticipate net losses and negative cash flow for the foreseeable future. Our ability to reach positive cash flow depends on many factors, including our ability to fund sales and marketing activities, the rate of client adoption of our products, and the efforts and success of third parties, such as Ikigai Marketing Works that sells an odor-control product for pets based on our technology. We may continue to incur losses and experience negative cash flows from operations for the foreseeable future. If we cannot achieve positive cash flow from operations or net income, we may need to raise additional capital on acceptable terms.

Our cash requirements are significant. We will continue to require additional financing to sustain our operations and without it we may not be able to continue operations.

Our cash requirements and expenses continue to be significant. For the year ended December 31, 2022, we used $2,762,000 cash in operations, and at December 31, 2022, we had working capital of $1,587,000, and current assets of $3,153,000. In order to become profitable, we must significantly increase our revenues. Although our revenues are increasing through sales of our private-label products and from our engineering division, we expect to continue to use cash for the foreseeable future as it becomes available, and expect to continue to need to sell our securities to fund operations.

Our auditor’s report for the year ended December 31, 2022, includes an explanatory paragraph in their audit opinion stating that our recurring losses from operations and working capital deficiency raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. We do not currently have sufficient financial resources to fund our operations or those of our subsidiaries. Therefore, we need additional financing to continue these operations.

We have relied on private securities offerings, as well as sales of stock to Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC (“Lincoln Park”; see Part II, Item 9B), to provide cash needed to close the gap between operational revenue and expenses. Our ability to rely on private financing may change if the United States enters a recession, if the Dow Industrial Average or Nasdaq composite decline significantly, if interest rates rise, if real estate values decline, if international events affect the global economy, or many other factors that impact private investors’ willingness to invest in high-risk companies. Thus, while we have been able to rely on private investments in the past, we may not be able to do so in the near future.

During the year ended December 31, 2022, we relied on our financing agreement with Lincoln Park to sell shares and raise capital, as well as other private investors, and received approximately $2,600,000 in gross proceeds. These sales of our common stock are dilutive to our existing stockholders. We intend to continue these financing activities, and thus intend to continue to dilute existing and future stockholders.

Our ability to access capital markets could be limited.

From time-to-time, we may need to access capital markets to obtain long-term and short-term financing. However, our ability to access capital markets could be limited or adversely affected by, among other things, the performance of the stock market in general, interest rates, our asset base, our track record in the industries in which we operate, our financial condition, and the health or market perceptions of the US or global economy. In addition, many of the factors that affect our ability to access capital markets, including the liquidity of the overall capital markets in general and the lack of liquidity for our common stock and the state of the economy, among others, are outside of our control. No assurance can be given that we will be able to access capital markets on terms acceptable to us when required to do so, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We expect to incur future losses and may not be able to achieve profitability.

Although we are generating revenue from the sale of our products and from providing services, and we expect to generate revenue from new products we are introducing, and eventually from other license or supply agreements, we anticipate net losses and negative cash flow to continue for the foreseeable future until our products are expanded in the marketplace and they gain broader acceptance by resellers and customers. Our current level of sales is not sufficient to support the financial needs of our business. We cannot predict when or if sales volumes will be sufficiently large to cover our operating expenses. We intend to expand our marketing efforts of our products as financial resources are available, and we intend to continue to expand our research and development efforts. Consequently, we will need to generate significant additional revenue or seek additional financings to fund our operations. This has put a proportionate corresponding demand on capital. Our ability to achieve profitability is dependent upon our efforts to deliver a viable product and our ability to successfully bring it to market, which we are currently pursuing. Although our management is optimistic that we will succeed in licensing our technology, we cannot be certain as to timing or whether we will generate sufficient revenue to be able to operate profitably. If we cannot achieve or sustain profitability, then we may not be able to fund our expected cash needs or continue our operations. If we are not able to devote adequate resources to promote commercialization of our technology, then our business plans will suffer and may fail.

Because we have limited resources to devote to sales, marketing and licensing efforts with respect to our technology, any delay in such efforts may jeopardize future research and development of technologies and commercialization of our technology. Although our management believes that it can finance commercialization efforts through sales of our securities and possibly other capital sources, if we do not successfully bring our technology to market, our ability to generate revenues will be adversely affected.

Some of our revenues are dependent on the marketing efforts of third parties.

We manufacture and sell private-labeled odor-control products to third parties who market those products to consumers and retailers. A significant amount of our revenue in the year ended December 30, 2022 (almost 50%), was from sales to one such third party. We have no control over that third-party’s marketing budget or sales activities. If they curtail their marketing efforts, currently through national television advertising, our sales to them could decrease. If they discontinue their marketing campaign, our sales to them would be significantly reduced.

A significant portion of our revenue is concentrated with a select number of customers.

In the last year, almost 50% of our total revenue was from one customer, and an addition 10% from one other customer. In the prior year, three customers made up approximately 36% of our total revenue. A disruption in our relationship with any of these customers could adversely affect our business. Our customers’ demand for our products may fluctuate due to factors beyond our control, including their willingness to spend money on advertising, the success of such advertising, and their success of selling to retail accounts. Our inability to meet our customers’ requirements or to qualify our products with them could adversely impact our revenue. The loss of, or restrictions on our ability to sell to, one or more of our major customers, or any significant reduction in orders from, or a shift in product mix by, customers could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, or financial condition.

Our revenue growth rate may not be indicative of future performance and may slow over time.

Although our revenues have grown over the last several years and in recent quarters, our revenue growth rate may slow over time for a number of reasons, including increasing competition, market saturation, slowing demand for our products and services, increasing regulatory costs and challenges, the impact of COVID-19, and failure to capitalize on growth opportunities.

We do not have contracts with customers that require the purchase of a minimum amount of our products.

Very few of our customers provide us with firm, long-term or short-term volume purchase commitments. As a result, we could have periods during which we have no or limited orders for our products but will continue to have fixed costs. We may not be able to find new customers in a timely manner if we experience no or limited purchase orders. Periods of no or limited purchase orders for our products would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Supply Chain Challenges

As we emerge with new products like our AEC and AOS water treatment systems, and battery storage systems, we will likely face supply chain challenges, including supply and pricing volatility, that will be beyond our control that might include steel, electrodes, membranes, electronic components (like chips), raw chemicals. We predict that at some level we may face delays and or extended delivery times for systems sold to clients and that could lead to delays in our anticipated growth.

We need to outsource and rely on third parties for the manufacture of the chemicals, material components or delivery apparatus used in our technology and products, and part of our future success will be dependent on the timeliness and effectiveness of the efforts of these third parties.

We do not have the required financial and human resources or capability to manufacture the chemicals necessary to make our odor control products. Our business model calls for the outsourcing of the manufacture of these chemicals in order to reduce our capital and infrastructure costs as a means of potentially improving our financial position and the profitability of our business. Accordingly, we must enter into agreements with other companies that can assist us and provide certain capabilities, including sourcing and manufacturing, which we do not possess. We may not be successful in entering into such alliances on favorable terms or at all. Even if we do succeed in securing such agreements, we may not be able to maintain them. Furthermore, any delay in entering into agreements could delay the development and commercialization of our technology or reduce its competitiveness even if it reaches the market. Any such delay related to such future agreements could adversely affect our business. While we have been able to secure materials and supplies like plastic containers through the COVID-19 crisis, we have not assurances that our ability to purchase in large quantities on a continual basis.

If any party to which we have outsourced certain functions fails to perform its obligations under agreements with us, the commercialization of our technology could be delayed or curtailed.

To the extent that we rely on other companies to manufacture the chemicals used in our technology, our products, or sell or market products incorporating our technology, we will be dependent on the timeliness and effectiveness of their efforts. If any of these parties does not perform its obligations in a timely and effective manner, the commercialization of our technology could be delayed or curtailed because we may not have sufficient financial resources or capabilities to continue such efforts on our own.

We rely on a small number of key supply ingredients in order to manufacture our odor control products, including CupriDyne Clean and our private-label products.

The raw ingredients used to manufacture our liquid odor control products are readily available from multiple suppliers. However, commodity prices for these ingredients can vary significantly, and the margins that we are able to generate could decline if prices rise. If our manufacturing costs rise significantly, we may be forced to raise the prices for our products, which may reduce their acceptance in the marketplace. Given the current delays in supply chain delivery on a global scale, we are anticipating and developing strategies to manage the expected increases in our cost of raw goods and potential supply limitations which could impact our business and results of operations.

If our technology or products incorporating our technology do not gain market acceptance, it is unlikely that we will become profitable.

The potential markets for products into which our technology can be incorporated are rapidly evolving, and we have many successful competitors including some of the largest and most well-established companies in the world. The commercial success of products incorporating our technology will depend on the adoption of our technology by commercial and consumer end users in various fields.

Market acceptance may depend on many factors, including:

• the willingness and ability of consumers and industry partners to adopt new technologies from a company with little or no history in the industry;
• our ability to convince potential industry partners and consumers that our technology is an attractive alternative to other competing technologies;
• our ability to license our technology in a commercially effective manner;
• our ability to continue to fund operations while our products move through the process of gaining acceptance, before the time in which we are able to scale up production to obtain economies of scale; and
• our ability to overcome brand loyalties.

If products incorporating our technology do not achieve a significant level of market acceptance, then demand for our technology itself may not develop as expected, and, in such event, it is unlikely that we will become profitable.

If we are not able to manage our anticipated growth effectively, we may not become profitable.

We anticipate that expansion will continue to be necessary to address potential market opportunities for our technologies and our products. Our existing infrastructure is limited. While we believe our current manufacturing processes as well as our office and warehousing provide the basic resources to expand to sales of more than $2 million per month, our infrastructure will need more staffing to support manufacturing, customer service, administration as well as sales/account executive functions. There can be no assurance that we will have the financial resources to create new infrastructure, or that any such infrastructure will be sufficiently scalable to manage future growth, if any. There also can be no assurance that, if we invest in additional infrastructure, we will be effective in expanding our operations or that our systems, procedures or controls will be adequate to support such expansion. In addition, we will need to provide additional sales and support services to our partners if we achieve our anticipated growth with respect to the sale of our technology for various applications. Failure to effectively manage an increase in customer demands could result in a material adverse effect on customer satisfaction, our ability to meet our contractual obligations, and our operating results.

Some of the products incorporating our technology will require regulatory approval.

The products in which our technology may be incorporated have both regulated and non-regulated applications. The regulatory approvals for certain applications may be difficult, impossible, time consuming and/or expensive to obtain. While our Company management believes such approvals can be obtained for the applications contemplated, until those approvals from the FDA or the EPA or other regulatory bodies, at the federal and state levels, as may be required are obtained, we may not be able to generate commercial revenues for regulated products. Certain specific regulated applications and their use require highly technical analysis and additional third-party validation and will require regulatory approvals from organizations like the FDA. Certain applications may also be subject to additional state and local agency regulations, increasing the cost and time associated with commercial strategies. Additionally, most products incorporating our technology that may be sold in the European Union (“EU”) will require EU and possibly individual country’s regulatory approval. All such approvals, including additional testing, are time-consuming, expensive and do not have assured outcomes of ultimate regulatory approval.

Our internal controls are not effective.

We have determined that our disclosure controls and procedures and our internal controls over financial reporting are currently not effective. The lack of effective internal controls, has not yet, but could in the future, materially adversely affect our financial condition and ability to implement our business plan, and the accuracy of our financial statements. As more financial resources become available, we need to invest in additional personnel to better manage the financial reporting processes.

We may not be able to attract or retain qualified senior personnel.

We believe we are currently able to manage our current business with our existing management team. However, as we expand the scope of our operations, we will need to obtain the full-time services of additional senior management and other personnel. Competition for highly-skilled personnel is intense, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to attract or retain qualified senior personnel. Our failure to do so could have an adverse effect on our ability to implement our business plan. As we add full-time senior personnel, our overhead expenses for salaries and related items will increase from current levels and, depending upon the number of personnel we hire and their compensation packages, these increases could be substantial.

If we lose our key personnel or are unable to attract and retain additional personnel, we may be unable to achieve profitability.

Our future success is substantially dependent on the efforts of our senior management, particularly Dennis P. Calvert, our president and chief executive officer. The loss of the services of Mr. Calvert or other members of our senior management may significantly delay or prevent the achievement of product development and other business objectives. Because of the scientific nature of our business, we heavily rely on our ability to attract and retain qualified marketing, scientific and technical personnel. There is intense competition among specialized and technologically-oriented companies for qualified personnel in the areas of our activities. If we lose the services of, or do not successfully recruit, key marketing, scientific and technical personnel, then the growth of our business could be substantially impaired. At present, we do not maintain key man insurance for any of our senior management, although management is evaluating the potential of securing this type of insurance in the future as may be available.

Nondisclosure agreements with employees and others may not adequately prevent disclosure of trade secrets and other proprietary information.

In order to protect our proprietary technology and processes, we rely in part on nondisclosure agreements with our employees, potential licensing partners, potential manufacturing partners, testing facilities, universities, consultants, agents and other organizations to which we disclose our proprietary information. These agreements may not effectively prevent disclosure of confidential information and may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. In addition, others may independently discover trade secrets and proprietary information, and in such cases we could not assert any trade secret rights against such parties. Costly and time-consuming litigation could be necessary to enforce and determine the scope of our proprietary rights, and failure to obtain or maintain trade secret protection could adversely affect our competitive business position. Since we rely on trade secrets and nondisclosure agreements, in addition to patents, to protect some of our intellectual property, there is a risk that third parties may obtain and improperly utilize our proprietary information to our competitive disadvantage. We may not be able to detect unauthorized use or take appropriate and timely steps to enforce our intellectual property rights.

We may become subject to product liability claims.

As a business that manufactures and markets products for use by consumers and institutions, we may become liable for any damage caused by our products, whether used in the manner intended or not. Any such claim of liability, whether meritorious or not, could be time-consuming and/or result in costly litigation. Although we maintain general liability insurance, our insurance may not cover potential claims of the types described above and may not be adequate to indemnify for all liabilities that may be imposed. Any imposition of liability that is not covered by insurance or is in excess of insurance coverage could harm our business and operating results, and you may lose some or all of any investment you have made, or may make, in our company.

Litigation or the actions of regulatory authorities may harm our business or otherwise distract our management.

Substantial, complex or extended litigation could cause us to incur major expenditures and distract our management. For example, lawsuits by employees, former employees, investors, stockholders, partners, customers or others, or actions taken by regulatory authorities, could be very costly and substantially disrupt our business. As a result of our financing activities over time, and by virtue of the number of people that have invested in our company, we face increased risk of lawsuits from investors. Such lawsuits or actions could from time to time be filed against our company and/or our executive officers and directors. Such lawsuits and actions are not uncommon, and we cannot assure you that we will always be able to resolve such disputes or actions on terms favorable to our company.

If we suffer negative publicity concerning the safety or efficacy of our products, our sales may be harmed.

If concerns should arise about the safety or efficacy of any of our products that are marketed, regardless of whether or not such concerns have a basis in generally accepted science or peer-reviewed scientific research, such concerns could adversely affect the market for those products. Similarly, negative publicity could result in an increased number of product liability claims, whether or not those claims are supported by applicable law.

Any revenues that we may earn in the future are unpredictable, and our operating results are likely to fluctuate from quarter to quarter.

We believe that our future operating results will fluctuate due to a variety of factors, including:

• delays in product development by us or third parties;
• market acceptance of products incorporating our technology;
• changes in the demand for, and pricing of, products incorporating our technology;
• competition and pricing pressure from competitive products; and
• expenses related to, and the results of, proceedings relating to our intellectual property.

We expect our operating expenses will continue to fluctuate significantly in 2023 and beyond, as we continue our research and development and increase our marketing and licensing activities. Although we expect to generate revenues from licensing our technology in the future, revenues may decline or not grow as anticipated, and our operating results could be substantially harmed for a particular fiscal period. Moreover, our operating results in some quarters may not meet the expectations of stock market analysts and investors. In that case, our stock price would most likely decline.

The licensing of our technology or the manufacture, use or sale of products incorporating our technology may infringe on the patent rights of others, and we may be forced to litigate if an intellectual property dispute arises.

If we infringe or are alleged to have infringed another party’s patent rights, we may be required to seek a license, defend an infringement action or challenge the validity of the patents in court. Patent litigation is costly and time consuming. We may not have sufficient resources to bring these actions to a successful conclusion. In addition, if we do not obtain a license, do not successfully defend an infringement action or are unable to have infringed patents declared invalid, we may:

• incur substantial monetary damages;
• encounter significant delays in marketing our current and proposed product candidates;
• be unable to conduct or participate in the manufacture, use or sale of product candidates or methods of treatment requiring licenses;
• lose patent protection for our inventions and products; or
• find our patents are unenforceable, invalid or have a reduced scope of protection

Parties making such claims may be able to obtain injunctive relief that could effectively block our company’s ability to further develop or commercialize our current and proposed product candidates in the United States and abroad and could result in the award of substantial damages. Defense of any lawsuit or failure to obtain any such license could substantially harm our company. Litigation, regardless of outcome, could result in substantial cost to, and a diversion of efforts by, our company.

Our patents are expensive to maintain, our patent applications are expensive to prosecute, and thus we are unable to file for patent protection in many countries.

Our ability to compete effectively will depend in part on our ability to develop and maintain proprietary aspects of our technology and either to operate without infringing the proprietary rights of others or to obtain rights to technology owned by third parties. Pending patent applications relating to our technology may not result in the issuance of any patents or any issued patents that will offer protection against competitors with similar technology. We must employ patent attorneys to prosecute our patent applications both in the United States and internationally. International patent protection requires the retention of patent counsel and the payment of patent application fees in each foreign country in which we desire patent protection, on or before filing deadlines set forth by the International Patent Cooperation Treaty (“PCT”). We therefore choose to file patent applications only in foreign countries where we believe the commercial opportunities require it, considering our available financial resources and the needs for our technology. This has resulted, and will continue to result, in the irrevocable loss of patent rights in all but a few foreign jurisdictions.

Patents we receive may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented in the future, or the rights created by those patents may not provide a competitive advantage. We also rely on trade secrets, technical know-how and continuing invention to develop and maintain our competitive position. Others may independently develop substantially equivalent proprietary information and techniques or otherwise gain access to our trade secrets.

We are subject to risks related to future business outside of the United States.

Over time, we may develop business relationships outside of North America, and as those efforts are pursued, we will face risks related to those relationships such as:

• foreign currency fluctuations;
• unstable political, economic, financial and market conditions;
• import and export license requirements;
• trade restrictions;
• increases in tariffs and taxes;
• high levels of inflation;
• restrictions on repatriating foreign profits back to the United States;
• greater difficulty collecting accounts receivable and longer payment cycles;
• less favorable intellectual property laws, and the lack of intellectual property legal protection;
• regulatory requirements;
• unfamiliarity with foreign laws and regulations; and
• changes in labor conditions and difficulties in staffing and managing international operations.

The volatility of certain raw material costs may adversely affect operations and competitive price advantages for products that incorporate our technology.

Most of the chemicals and other key materials that we use in our business, such as minerals, fiber materials and packaging materials, are neither generally scarce nor price sensitive, but prices for such chemicals and materials can be cyclical. Supply and demand factors, which are beyond our control, generally affect the price of our raw materials. We try to minimize the effect of price increases through production efficiency and the use of alternative suppliers, but these efforts are limited by the size of our operations. If we are unable to minimize the effects of increased raw material costs, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows may be materially adversely affected.

Certain of our product sales historically have been highly impacted by fluctuations in seasons and weather.

Industrial odor control products have proven highly effective in controlling volatile organic compounds that are released as vapors produced by decomposing waste material. Such vapors are produced with the highest degree of intensity in temperatures between 40 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius) and 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius). When weather patterns are cold or in times of precipitation, our clients are less prone to use our odor control products, presumably because such vapors are less noticeable or, in the case of precipitation, can be washed away or altered. This leads to unpredictability in use and sales patterns for, especially, our CupriDyne Clean product line which accounts for over one-half our total sales.

If our battery does not gain market acceptance, it is unlikely that we will become profitable.

The commercial success of our sodium-sulfur battery will depend on the adoption of our technology by commercial and consumer end users in various fields.

Market acceptance may depend on many factors, including:

• the willingness and ability of consumers and industry partners to adopt new technologies from a company with little or no history in the industry;
• our ability to convince potential industry partners and consumers that our technology is an attractive alternative to other competing technologies;
• our ability to license our technology in a commercially effective manner;
• our ability to continue to fund operations while our products move through the process of gaining acceptance, before the time in which we are able to scale up production to obtain economies of scale; and
• our ability to overcome brand loyalties.

If products incorporating our technology do not achieve a significant level of market acceptance, then demand for our technology itself may not develop as expected, and, in such event, it is unlikely that we will become profitable.

There may be battery technologies that we are not aware of, and some of them may be subject to patent applications.

We may not be aware of technologies that are similar or identical to our sodium-sulfur battery. We may not be aware of patent applications that have been filed that may include claims that are similar or identical to portions of our molten salt battery or our manufacturing process. No assurance can be made that our sodium-sulfur battery, or our proprietary manufacturing process, does not infringe on the intellectual property rights of third parties. If our technology or manufacturing process infringes on the intellectual property rights of third parties, we may be subject to litigation, or required to pay royalties, to such third parties, and our results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected.

We expect to face strong competition for our products from a growing list of established and new competitors.

The worldwide battery market is highly competitive today and we expect it will become even more so in the future. For example, Tesla is one of the largest companies in the United States as measured by its market capitalization, and sells lithium-ion batteries for grid-scale applications, commercial and home storage, as well as in its vehicles. There are many other well capitalized and established companies that manufacture and/or sell batteries. Many of the companies have significantly greater or better-established resources than we do to devote to the design, development, manufacturing, distribution, promotion, sale and support of their products. This competition may prevent us from entering the marketplace, or if we do, may prevent us from establishing market share.

There may not be a market for our sodium-sulfur battery.

While we believe that there will be customer demand for our sodium-sulfur battery provided that we are able to prove its competitive advantages, there is no assurance that there will be any market acceptance of it, or any broad market acceptance. There also may not be broad market acceptance of our sodium-sulfur battery if competitors offer batteries which are preferred by prospective customers. In such event, there may be a material adverse effect on the company’s results of operations and financial condition, and the company may not be able to achieve its goals.

Business disruptions could seriously harm our future revenue and financial condition and increase our costs and expenses.

Our operations, and those of our contractors and consultants, could be subject to pandemics, earthquakes, power shortages, telecommunications failures, water shortages, floods, hurricanes, typhoons, fires, extreme weather conditions, medical epidemics, acts of terrorism, acts of war and other natural or man-made disasters or business interruptions, for which we are predominantly self-insured. The occurrence of any of these business disruptions could seriously harm our operations and financial condition and increase our costs and expenses. We rely in part on third-party manufacturers to produce and process our products or the raw materials used to make our products. Our ability to obtain supplies of our products or raw materials could be disrupted if the operations of these suppliers are affected by a man-made or natural disaster, pandemics, epidemics, or other business interruption, including the recent novel strain of coronavirus (SARS‑CoV‑2 aka COVID-19) that originally surfaced in Wuhan, China in December 2019. The extent to which COVID‑19 impacts our business will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID‑19 and the actions to contain 2 or treat its impact, among others. Our corporate headquarters and offices of ONM are in Southern California near major earthquake faults and fire zones. Our operations and financial condition could suffer in the event of a major earthquake, fire or other natural disaster.

General Risks

Although it appears to be winding down, the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic could still result in significant disruptions to our clients and/or supply chain which could have a material adverse effect on our business and revenues.

Although the governmental emergency declarations in various states are ending, the COVID-19 pandemic is still evolving and much of its impact remains unknown. It is impossible to predict the impact it or any future respiratory disease or other pandemic may have on the development of our business and on our revenues in the future.

The severity of the coronavirus pandemic could also make access to our existing supply chain difficult or impossible by delaying the delivery of key raw materials used in our product candidates and therefore delay the delivery of our products. Any of these results could materially impact our business and have an adverse effect on our business.

Because of high inflation and increased Federal Reserve interest rates in response, and world events, the effect on the capital markets and the economy is uncertain, and we may have to deal with a recessionary economy and economic uncertainty.

Certain events have affected the global and United States economy including continued inflation, Federal Reserve interest rate increases in response, substantial increases in the prices of oil and gas, dramatic declines in the capital markets, and world events such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and other world power’s developing response to the invasion. The duration of Russia’s war and its impact are at best uncertain. The economy appears to be headed into a recession with uncertain and potentially severe impacts upon public companies and us. We cannot predict how this will affect the market for our products and services, but the impact may be adverse.

The global banking system has recently come under increased pressure and uncertainty about every bank’s ability to maintain solvency in times of crisis and when a ‘run on the bank’ occurs. While the US Government has taken action to stabilize the current banking situation, it is not possible to predict the future and the psychology of the market can be fickle and unpredictable. Our company is not exposed to the risk associated with smaller regional banks like Silicon Valley Bank, but we do maintain balances in excess of the $250,000 FDIC insurance level, at large money center banks and as such should the actions taken by the US Government fail to mitigate the situation, impacts could extend to the largest banks in the world, including ours.

A recession in the United States may affect our business.

If the U.S. economy were to contract into a recession or depression, our existing clients, and potential future clients, may divert their resources to other goods and services, and our business may suffer.

The requirements of being a public company may strain our resources and distract our management, which could make it difficult to manage our business.

The federal securities laws require us to comply with SEC reporting requirements relating to our business and securities following the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Complying with these reporting and other regulatory obligations is time-consuming and will result in increased costs to us which could have a negative effect on our financial condition or business. As a public company, we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. These requirements may place a strain on our systems and resources. We will be required to file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC disclosing certain aspects and developments of our business and financial condition. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting. To maintain and improve the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures, we will need to commit significant resources, hire additional executive officers and personnel and provide for additional management oversight. We intend to implement additional procedures and processes for the purpose of addressing the standards and requirements applicable to SEC reporting companies. Sustaining our growth will also require us to commit additional managerial, operational and financial resources to identifying competent professionals to join our Company and to maintain appropriate operational and financial systems to adequately support our intended expansion. These activities may divert management’s attention from other business concerns, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition or business.

Risks Relating to our Common Stock

If we are not successful, you may lose your entire investment.

Prospective investors in our company should be aware that if we are not successful in our business, their entire investment could become worthless. Even if we are successful, we can provide no assurances that investors will derive a profit from their investment. We need additional capital to meet our obligations and achieve our business objectives, and we cannot guarantee we will be successful in locating additional required capital as and when needed or that any such amounts will be sufficient for us to establish material revenue growth. If we are not successful, you may lose your entire investment.

The sale or issuance of our common stock to Lincoln Park may cause dilution, and the sale of the shares of common stock acquired by Lincoln Park, or the perception that such sales may occur, could cause the price of our common stock to fall.

On December 13, 2022, we entered into a Purchase Agreement with Lincoln Park (see Part II, Item 9B), pursuant to which Lincoln Park agreed to purchase from us at our request up to an aggregate of $10,000,000 of our common stock (subject to certain limitations) from time to time over a period of three years, noted above in our Risks Related to our Business. We generally have the right to control the timing and amount of any sales of our shares to Lincoln Park. Sales of our common stock, if any, to Lincoln Park will depend on market conditions and other factors to be determined by us. We may ultimately decide to sell to Lincoln Park all, some or none of the shares of our common stock that may be available for us to sell pursuant to the LPC Agreement. If and when we do sell shares to Lincoln Park, after Lincoln Park has acquired the shares, Lincoln Park may resell all, some or none of those shares at any time or from time to time in its discretion. Therefore, sales to Lincoln Park by us could result in substantial dilution to the interests of other holders of our common stock, as well as sales of our stock by Lincoln Park into the open market causing reductions in the price of our common stock. Additionally, the sale of a substantial number of shares of our common stock to Lincoln Park, or the anticipation of such sales, could make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and at a price that we might otherwise desire to effect sales.

Our common stock is thinly traded and largely illiquid.

Our stock is currently quoted on the OTC Markets (OTCQB). Being quoted on the OTCQB has made it more difficult to buy or sell our stock and from time to time has led to a significant decline in the frequency of trades and trading volume. Continued trading on the OTCQB will also likely adversely affect our ability to obtain financing in the future due to the decreased liquidity of our shares and other restrictions that certain investors have for investing in OTCQB traded securities. While we intend to seek listing on the Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”) or another national stock exchange when our company is eligible, there can be no assurance when or if our common stock will be listed on Nasdaq or another national stock exchange.

The market price of our stock is subject to volatility.

Our stock price has been and is likely to continue to be volatile. As a result of this volatility, investors may not be able to sell their common stock at or above their purchase price. The market price of our common stock and warrants may fluctuate significantly in response to numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control, including:

• Because our stock is thinly traded, its price can change dramatically over short periods, even in a single day. An investment in our stock is subject to such volatility and, consequently, is subject to significant risk. The market price of our common stock could fluctuate widely in response to many factors, including:
• developments with respect to patents or proprietary rights;
• announcements of technological innovations by us or our competitors;
• announcements of new products or new contracts by us or our competitors;
• actual or anticipated variations in our operating results due to the level of development expenses and other factors;
• changes in financial estimates by securities analysts and whether any future earnings of ours meet or exceed such estimates;
• conditions and trends in our industry;
• new accounting standards;
• the size of our public float;
• short sales, hedging, and other derivative transactions involving our common stock;
• sales of large blocks of our common stock including sales by our executive officers, directors, and significant stockholders, including Lincoln Park;
• general economic, political and market conditions and other factors; and
• the occurrence of any of the risks described herein.

You may have difficulty selling our stock because it is deemed a “penny stock” and not quoted on a national exchange.

Because our common stock is not quoted or listed on a national securities exchange, if the trading price of our common stock remains below $5.00 per share, which we expect for the foreseeable future, trading in our common stock will be subject to the requirements of certain rules promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), which require additional disclosure by broker-dealers in connection with any trades involving a stock defined as a penny stock (generally, any non-Nasdaq equity security that has a market price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exceptions). Such rules require the delivery, before any penny stock transaction, of a disclosure schedule explaining the penny stock market and the risks associated therewith and impose various sales practice requirements on broker-dealers who sell penny stocks to persons other than established customers and accredited investors (generally defined as an investor with a net worth in excess of $1,000,000 or annual income exceeding $200,000 individually or $300,000 together with a spouse). For these types of transactions, the broker-dealer must make a special suitability determination for the purchaser and have received the purchaser’s written consent to the transaction before the sale. The broker-dealer also must disclose the commissions payable to the broker-dealer and current bid and offer quotations for the penny stock and, if the broker-dealer is the sole market-maker, the broker-dealer must disclose this fact and the broker-dealer’s presumed control over the market. Such information must be provided to the customer orally or in writing before or with the written confirmation of trade sent to the customer. Monthly statements must be sent disclosing recent price information for the penny stock held in the account and information on the limited market in penny stocks. The additional burdens imposed on broker-dealers by such requirements could discourage broker-dealers from effecting transactions in our common stock, which could severely limit the market liquidity of our common stock and the ability of holders of our common stock to sell their shares.

Because our shares are deemed a “penny stock,” rules enacted by FINRA make it difficult to sell previously restricted stock.

Rules put in place by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) require broker-dealers to perform due diligence before depositing unrestricted common shares of penny stocks, and as such, some broker-dealers, including many large national firms (such as eTrade and Charles Schwab), are refusing to deposit previously restricted common shares of penny stocks. We routinely issued non-registered restricted common shares to investors, vendors and consultants. The issuance of such shares is subjected to the FINRA-enacted rules. As such, it can be difficult for holders of restricted stock, including those issued in our private securities offerings, to deposit the shares with broker-dealers and sell those shares on the open market.

Because we will not pay dividends in the foreseeable future, stockholders will only benefit from owning common stock if it appreciates.

We have never declared or paid a cash dividend to stockholders. We intend to retain any earnings that may be generated in the future to finance operations. Accordingly, any potential investor who anticipates the need for current dividends from his investment should not purchase our common stock, and must rely on the benefit of owning shares, and presumably a rise in share price. We cannot predict the future price of our stock, and due to the factors enumerated herein, can make no assurance of a future increase in the price of our common stock.

We regularly issue stock, or stock options, instead of cash, to pay some of our operating expenses. These issuances are dilutive to our existing stockholders.

We are party to agreements that provide for the payment of, or permit us to pay at our option, securities rather than cash in consideration for services provided to us. We include these provisions in agreements to allow us to preserve cash. We anticipate that we will continue to do so in the future. All such issuances preserve our cash reserves, but are also dilutive to our stockholders because they increase (and will increase in the future) the total number of shares of our common stock issued and outstanding, even though such arrangements assist us with managing our cash flow. These issuances also increase the expense amount recorded.

Our stockholders face further potential dilution in any new financing.

In the year ended December 31, 2022, we issued approximately 22 million shares of common stock. Our private securities offerings typically offer convertible securities, including notes and warrants. Those warrants often include provisions that require investors to pay for the underlying shares with cash, which if executed would generate working capital for the company. Any additional capital that we raise would dilute the interest of the current stockholders and any persons who may become stockholders before such financing. Given the price of our common stock, such dilution in any financing of a significant amount could be substantial.

Our stockholders face further potential adverse effects from the terms of any preferred stock that may be issued in the future.

Our certificate of incorporation authorizes 50 million shares of preferred stock. None are outstanding as of the date hereof. In order to raise capital to meet expenses or to acquire a business, our board of directors may issue additional stock, including preferred stock. Any preferred stock that we may issue may have voting rights, liquidation preferences, redemption rights and other rights, preferences and privileges. The rights of the holders of our common stock will be subject to, and in many respects subordinate to, the rights of the holders of any such preferred stock. Furthermore, such preferred stock may have other rights, including economic rights, senior to our common stock that could have a material adverse effect on the value of our common stock. Preferred stock, while providing desirable flexibility in connection with possible acquisitions and other corporate purposes, can also have the effect of making it more difficult for a third party to acquire a majority of our outstanding voting stock, thereby delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of our company.

Our company owns no real property. We currently lease approximately 9,000 square feet of office and industrial space at 14921 Chestnut Street, Westminster, California. In addition to serving as our principal offices, it is also a manufacturing facility where we manufacture our products, including our CupriDyne Clean Industrial Odor control product, and the home of our subsidiary ONM Environmental.

We also lease approximately 22,000 square feet of office, warehouse and lab space at 105 Fordham Road, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, for our professional engineering division, BioLargo Engineering, Science & Technologies, LLC.

We also lease approximately 1,500 square feet of office and lab space from the University of Alberta. These offices serve as our primary research and development facilities and is the home of our subsidiary, BioLargo Water.

Our telephone number is (888) 400-2863.

The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes to the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.

This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Such statements, which include statements concerning future revenue sources and concentration, selling, general and administrative expenses, research and development expenses, capital resources, additional financings and additional losses, are subject to risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those discussed above in Part I, Item 1 and elsewhere in this Annual Report, particularly in “Risk Factors,” that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. The forward-looking statements set forth in this Annual Report are as of December 31, 2022, unless expressly stated otherwise, and we undertake no duty to update this information.

Results of Operations—Comparison of the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021

We operate our business in distinct business segments:

• ONM Environmental, which manufactures and sells our odor and VOC control products and services, including our flagship product, CupriDyne Clean;
• BLEST, which provides professional engineering services supporting our internal business units, advancing innovations like the AEC to remove PFAS contaminants from water, and serving outside clients on a fee for service basis;
• Clyra Medical, which develops and sells medical products based on our technology;
• BioLargo Water, located in Edmonton, Alberta Canada, that has been historically pure research and development, and is now transitioning to focus on commercializing our AOS system; and
• Our corporate operations, which support the operating segments with legal, accounting, human resources, and other services.

Our consolidated revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $5,884,000, which is a 133% increase over the same period in 2021. Services revenue increased 53% ($491,000), while revenue from product sales increased by 182% ($2,862,000). The increase in service revenues was related to increased third-party client work by our subsidiary BLEST. The increase in product revenues was almost entirely due to an increase in the volume sales of private-label odor-control products, specifically the Pooph branded pet-odor product.

ONM Environmental

Our wholly-owned subsidiary ONM Environmental generates revenues through sales of our flagship product CupriDyne Clean, by providing design, installation, and maintenance services on the systems that deliver CupriDyne Clean at its clients’ facilities, and through sales of private-label products based on our CupriDyne Clean technology.

Revenue (ONM Environmental)

ONM Environmental’s revenues for the year ended December 31, 2022, were $4,374,000, an increase of $2,862,000 or 182% from the same period in 2021. The increase in revenues was almost entirely due to an increase in the volume of sales of private label odor-control products, specifically the Pooph branded pet-odor product (which increased by $2,712,000). Because ONM Environmental has no control over the marketing and sales activity or levels of Pooph, it cannot predict sales volumes related to it in future periods. Pooph management has indicated their intentions to continue their national advertising campaign as they place the product in national retail chains, including the introduction of the product in Walmart nationally. While they have performed well in the past, their execution of those future plans has inherent risks that are out of our control. (See the Risk Factor above titled “A significant portion of our revenue is concentrated with a select number of customers.”)

Revenues from sales of industrial odor control products (e.g., CupriDyne Clean) were $1,190,000 for the year ended December 31, 2022, $1,000 less than the prior year.

Cost of Goods Sold (ONM Environmental)

ONM Environmental’s cost of goods sold includes costs of raw materials, contract manufacturing, and portions of depreciation, salaries and expenses related to the manufacturing and installation of its products. As a percentage of revenue, ONM Environmental’s costs of goods decreased 2% in 2022 to 45%. The decrease was related to normal price fluctuations for raw materials and increased purchase volume.

Selling, General and Administrative Expense (ONM Environmental)

ONM Environmental’s SG&A expenses were $1,276,000 in 2022, compared to $1,235,000 in 2021. We expect these expenses to remain flat in 2023.

Operating Income (ONM Environmental)

ONM Environmental generated operating income of $1,130,000 in 2022, compared to an operating loss of $511,000 in 2021. Provided that its private-label clients continue to increase their purchase of product, we expect this trend to continue.

BLEST (engineering division)

Revenue (BLEST)

BLEST generated $1,453,000 of revenue from third parties in 2022, compared to $961,000 in 2021, representing a 51% increase from the prior year. The increase is due to an increased number of client contracts, including those as a subcontractor for Bhate pursuant to which BLEST is providing services to U.S. Air Force bases.

In addition to providing service to third party clients, BLEST provides services to BioLargo and its subsidiaries for internal BioLargo projects. These services are billed internally, are considered intersegment revenue, and are eliminated in the consolidation of our financial statements. In the year ended December 31, 2022, it totaled $490,000, primarily used to further engineer and develop our flagship AOS water filtration system and our AEC PFAS treatment system. In addition, BLEST engineers are performing a critical role in the AOS pilot projects, some of which are supported by third-party research grants and has been instrumental in developing and supporting a professional engineered design service for misting systems being sold by our ONM operating unit.

Cost of Goods (Services) Sold (BLEST)

BLEST’s cost of services includes employee labor, materials, as well as subcontracted labor costs. In 2022, its cost of services were 61% of its revenues, versus 69% in 2021. This decrease is due to contracts with better margins. We expect the cost of services to remain consistent in 2023 based on the contracts currently in progress.

Selling, General and Administrative Expense (BLEST)

BLEST SG&A expenses were $549,000 in 2022, compared to $411,000 in 2021, due to increased head-count related expenses. We expect these expenses to continue to increase in the current year as its revenues increase.

Operating Loss (BLEST)

BLEST had an operating loss of $452,000 in 2022, compared to an operating loss of $629,000 in 2021.

BLEST provides substantial support to BioLargo’s other operations. While we are unable to record revenues generated from services by the engineering group to other BioLargo operating divisions for important projects such as the development of the AOS and AEC technologies, it is important to note that its net loss would be eliminated if it were selling these services to a third party at fair market value.

Because the subsidiary had a net loss, we invested cash during the year to allow it to maintain operations. BLEST’s need for a cash subsidy to support its operations has decreased over time. We expect that in 2023 its sales and thus its gross profit will continue to increase. Our goal for this operation is that it produces a profit and contributes to corporate overhead in a significant way, although predicting when that will happen is difficult.

Selling, General and Administrative Expense – consolidated

Our Selling, General and Administrative expense (“SG&A”) include both cash (for example, salaries to employees) and non-cash expenses (for example, stock option compensation expense). Our consolidated SG&A increased by 9% ($559,000) in the year ended December 31, 2022, to $6,731,000. Our non-cash expenses (through the issuance of stock and stock options) were $2,362,000 in 2022, compared with 2021 total of $2,241,000. The largest components of our SG&A expenses included (in thousands):

28

Our salaries and payroll-related increased in the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily related to the implementation of a stock option bonus compensation program for employees and other related stock option compensation expenses, and also the hiring of additional personnel to support increasing operations. Office expense increased due to an increase in square footage of rented space and an increase in general office expenses related to expanded operations. Consulting expense decreased as we have reduced the use of consultants to identify business opportunities. The reduction in professional fees is largely due to the reduced use of outside legal counsel and other service providers. Board of director expense increased due to options issued to two new board members in November 2022, and replacement of expired options.

Impairment Expense

Impairment expense decreased by 42% for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared with the year ended December 31, 2021, due to a one-time impairment expense related to the sale back to Scion Solutions, LLC (“Scion’) of certain intellectual property, recorded on our balance sheet as “In-Process Research and Development” (see Note 9), recorded in the year ended December 31, 2021. During each of the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, management recognized $197,000 impairment of Clyra’s prepaid marketing asset (see Note 9).

Research and Development

In the year ended December 31, 2022, we spent $1,319,000 in the research and development of our technologies and products. This was a decrease of 4% ($48,000) compared to 2021, due to decreased activity and limited liquidity.

Other Income and Expense

Primarily through our wholly owned Canadian subsidiary, we have been awarded more than 80 research grants over the years from various public and private agencies, including the Canadian National Research Institute – Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP), the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s Innovative Conservation Program “ICP”. The research grants received are considered reimbursement grants related to costs we incur and therefore are included as Other Income. The amount of grant income increased $19,000 in the year ended December 31, 2022, to $74,000. Grant funds paid directly to third parties are not included as income in our financial statements.

Our Canadian subsidiary applied for and received a refund on our income taxes pursuant to the “Scientific Research and Experimental Development Program”, a Canadian federal tax incentive program designed to encourage Canadian businesses to conduct research and development in Canada. For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, we recorded a refund of $63,000 and $20,000, respectively.

The U.S. Small Business Administration forgave a portion ($174,000) of the Paycheck Protection Program loan granted to our subsidiary ONM Environmental during the year ended December 31, 2022; in the prior year, a $43,000 Paycheck Protection Program loan granted to our subsidiary Clyra Medical was forgiven. The Company currently has $97,000 outstanding in Paycheck Protection Program loans that were denied forgiveness, and has appealed those decisions.

Interest expense

Our interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2022, was $53,000, a decrease of 77% compared with 2021. The significant decrease in interest expense is related to the significant decrease of our debt obligations and a reduction of debt issued during 2022 versus 2021. Of our interest expense, $36,000 was paid in cash. Our non-cash interest expenses were $17,000 in amortization of debt discounts related to warrants issued in conjunction with debt instruments.

Our outstanding debt as of December 31, 2022, was lower than as of December 31, 2021. We expect our interest expense in the year ending December 31, 2023, to be in line with the prior year, provided we do not issue debt with attached warrants during the remainder of the year. We also are currently selling units of common stock and warrants instead of using convertible debt for financing our working capital needs, which if continued, will continue to reduce our ongoing interest expense as compared with prior years.

Net Loss

Net loss for the year ended December 31, 2022, was $5,132,000 a loss of $0.02 per share, compared to a net loss for the year ended December 31, 2021, of $6,894,000 a loss of $0.03 per share, a decrease in net loss of 26%. Our net loss this year declined because of the 132% increase in revenues, and 159% increase in gross profit.

The net income (loss) per business segment is as follows (in thousands):

In the year ended December 31, 2022, approximately 50% of our net loss was attributable to non-cash expenses, including $2,071,000 of stock option compensation expense, and $291,000 of services paid by the issuance of our common stock.

In the year ended December 31, 2021, approximately 40% of our net loss was attributable to non-cash expenses, including $135,000 in interest expense, $1,872,000 of stock option compensation expense, and $367,000 of services paid by the issuance of our common stock. Clyra Medical’s net income of $593,000 during the year ended December 31, 2021, was not due to operating activities, but rather due to the recent transaction with Scion Solutions (see Note 9).

The change in Clyra Medical’s net income/loss in the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 of $2,005,000 is due to the one-time recognition of gain resulting from the March 1, 2022 Scion transaction (see Note 9). Without the one-time recognition of gain, Clyra Medical’s net loss for the year ended December 31, 2021, was $1,412,000.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and the settlement of liabilities and commitments in the normal course of our business. For the year ended December 31, 2022, we had a net loss of $5,132,000, used $2,762,000 cash in operations, and at December 31, 2022, we had working capital of $1,587,000, and current assets of $3,153,000. We do not believe gross profits in 2023 will be sufficient to fund our current level of operations or pay our debts as they become due during the next 12 months, and therefore we will have to obtain further investment capital to continue to fund operations and seek to refinance our existing debt. We have been, and anticipate that we will continue to be, limited in terms of our capital resources.

During the year ended December 31, 2022, we generated revenues of $5,884,000 through our subsidiaries. (See Note 12.) Other than ONM Environmental, our subsidiaries did not individually or in the aggregate generate enough revenues or gross profits to fund their operations, or fund our corporate operations or other business segments. To meet our cash obligations during the year ended December 31, 2022, we (i) sold 6,011,701 shares of our common stock to Lincoln Park for $1,253,000 (see Part II, Item 9B), and (ii) sold 13,568,524 shares of common stock, and issued warrants to purchase 27,137,048 shares of common stock, to private investors for $2,364,000 (see Notes 3 and 6).

As of December 31, 2022, our cash and cash equivalents totaled $1,851,000, and our total liabilities included: $50,000 in convertible debt that was due in March 2023 (subsequent to year end converted to equity); $261,000 owed by our partially owned subsidiary Clyra Medical Technologies, Inc. (“Clyra”) due in Sept 2024 (see Note 9); $140,000 due in U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”) loans issued pursuant to the Paycheck Protection Program (see Note 4); and $150,000 due on an Economic Injury Disaster program (EIDL) payable to the SBA over 30 years at $800 per month.

Subsequent to December 31, 2022, we continue to sell common stock to Lincoln Park for working capital (see Note 14).

If we are unable to rely on our current arrangement with Lincoln Park to fund our working capital requirements, we will have to rely on other forms of financing, and there is no assurance that we will be able to do so, or if we do so, it will be on favorable terms. To reduce our operational cash burdens, we regularly issue officers and vendors stock or options in lieu of cash, and anticipate that we will continue to be able to do so in the future.

The foregoing factors raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, unless we are able to continue to raise funds through stock sales to Lincoln Park or other private financings, and in the long term, our ability to attain a reasonable threshold of operating efficiencies and achieve profitable operations by licensing or otherwise commercializing products incorporating our technologies. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might be necessary if we are unable to continue as a going concern.

We operate our business in five distinct business segments. Each of these segments obtains cash to fund operations in unique ways. ONM and BLEST generate cash by selling products and services. Clyra Medical obtains cash from revenues, and third-party investments of sales of its common stock. BioLargo Water generates cash through government research grants and tax credits. BioLargo Energy Technologies, Inc. has been capitalized primarily through investments from third parties. Our corporate operations generate cash through private offerings of stock, debt instruments, and warrants.

Although ONM Environmental, BLEST, and Clyra Medical generated revenues in the year ended December 31, 2022, only ONM generated operating and net income. We provided cash subsidies to each of these business segments to allow them to continue operations.

Critical Accounting Policies

Our discussion and analysis of our results of operations and liquidity and capital resources are based on our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and judgments, including those related to revenue recognition, valuation of offerings of debt with equity or derivative features which include the valuation of the warrant component, any beneficial conversion feature and potential derivative treatment, and share-based payments. We base our estimates on anticipated results and trends and on various other assumptions that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, including assumptions as to future events. These estimates form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. By their nature, estimates are subject to an inherent degree of uncertainty. Actual results that differ from our estimates could have a significant adverse effect on our operating results and financial position. We believe that the following significant accounting policies and assumptions may involve a higher degree of judgment and complexity than others.

The methods, estimates and judgments the Company uses in applying these most critical accounting policies have a significant impact on the results of the Company reports in its financial statements.

Revenue Recognition

We adopted ASU 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers”, Topic 606, on January 1, 2018. The guidance focuses on the core principle for revenue recognition.

The core principle of the guidance is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. To achieve that core principle, an entity should apply the following steps:

Step 1: Identify the contract(s) with a customer.

Step 2: Identify the performance obligations in the contract.

Step 3: Determine the transaction price.

Step 4: Allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract.

Step 5: Recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation.

We have revenue from two subsidiaries, ONM and BLEST. ONM identifies its contract with the customer through a written purchase order, in which the details of the contract are defined including the transaction price and method of shipment. The only performance obligation is to create and ship the product and each product has separate pricing. ONM recognizes revenue at a point in time when the order for its goods are shipped if its agreement with the customer is FOB ONM’s warehouse facility, and when goods are delivered to its customer if its agreement with the customer is FOB destination. Revenue is recognized with a reduction for sales discounts, as appropriate and negotiated in the customer’s purchase order. ONM also installs misting systems for which it bills on a time and materials basis. It identifies its contract with the customer through a written purchase order in which the details of the time to be billed and materials purchased and an estimated completion date. The performance obligation is the completion of the installation. Revenue is recognized in arrears as the work is performed.

BLEST identifies services to be performed in a written contract, which specifies the performance obligations and the rate at which the services will be billed. Each service is separately negotiated and priced. Revenue is recognized as services are performed and completed. BLEST’s contracts typically call for invoicing for time and materials incurred for that contract. A few contracts have called for milestone or fixed cost payments where BLEST bills an agreed-to amount per month for the life of the contract. In these instances, completed work, billed hourly, is recognized as revenue. If the billing amount is greater or lesser than the completed work, a receivable or payable is created. These accounts are adjusted upon additional billings as the work is completed. To date, there have been no discounts or other financing terms for the contracts.

Warrants

Warrants issued with our convertible and non-convertible debt instruments are accounted for under the fair value and relative fair value method.

The warrant is first analyzed per its terms as to whether it has derivative features or not. If the warrant is determined to be a derivative and not qualify for equity treatment, then it is measured at fair value using the Black Scholes option model, and recorded as a liability on the balance sheet. The warrant is re-measured at its then current fair value at each subsequent reporting date (it is “marked-to-market”).

If the warrant is determined to not have derivative features, it is recorded into equity at its fair value using the Black Scholes option model, however, limited to a relative fair value based upon the percentage of its fair value to the total fair value including the fair value of the convertible note.

The warrant relative fair values are also recorded as a discount to the convertible promissory notes. At present, these equity features of the convertible promissory notes have recorded a discount to the convertible notes that is substantially equal to the proceeds received.

Share-based Payments

It is the Company’s policy to expense share-based payments as of the date of grant or over the term of the vesting period in accordance with Auditing Standards Codification Topic 718 “Share-Based Payment.” Application of this pronouncement requires significant judgment regarding the assumptions used in the selected option pricing model, including stock price volatility and employee exercise behavior. Most of these inputs are either highly dependent on the current economic environment at the date of grant or forward-looking expectations projected over the expected term of the award.

Fair Value Measurement

Generally accepted accounting principles establishes a hierarchy to prioritize the inputs of valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest ranking to the fair values determined by using unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets (Level 1) and the lowest ranking to fair values determined using methodologies and models with unobservable inputs (Level 3). Observable inputs are those that market participants would use in pricing the assets based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Company. Unobservable inputs reflect the Company’s assumptions about inputs market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability developed based on the best information available in the circumstances. The Company has determined the appropriate level of the hierarchy and applied it to its financial assets and liabilities.

Management believes the carrying amounts of the Company’s financial instruments as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, approximate their respective fair values because of the short-term nature of these instruments. Such instruments include cash, accounts receivable, prepaid assets, accounts payable, line of credit, and other assets and liabilities. The carrying amount of debt instruments are believed to approximate fair value as the stated interest rates are reflective of the prevailing market rates.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies – Recent Accounting Pronouncements”, for the applicable accounting pronouncements affecting the Company.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We conducted an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report.

Our procedures have been designed to ensure that the information relating to our company, including our consolidated subsidiaries, required to be disclosed in our SEC reports is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms, and is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, as appropriate to allow for timely decisions regarding required disclosure. However, our Company is continuing to grow and evolve. The volume of our product sales continues to grow, increasing strain on our accounting systems. And, our operations do not yet generate enough cash to fund operations, and thus we rely on financing activities to maintain our level of operations and fund our anticipated growth. In combination, these activities put stress on our overall controls and procedures. Based on this evaluation, our chief executive officer and chief financial officer concluded that as of the evaluation date our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective, due to the material weakness identified below.

It should be noted that the design of any system of controls is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions, regardless of how remote.

Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f). Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our chief executive officer and the chief financial officer, we have established internal control procedures in accordance with the guidelines established in the 2013 Framework —Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”). Management evaluated the effectiveness of our internal controls, and concluded that due to our limited financial and personnel resources, and the fact that we operate our business in three distinct locations in the U.S. and Canada, we continue to have a material weakness in our internal controls with respect to the closing our financial statements. Until the Company has the financial resources to implement more robust automated systems, or to hire additional dedicated accounting personnel, we expect this material weakness to continue. In reaching this conclusion, management considered that despite this weakness, and others identified in past years, the company has not identified material misstatements in prior financial statements, and believes that the material weakness identified herein is not likely to lead to a material misstatement in the financial statements contained within this report.

Management has concluded that its internal controls over financial reporting are not effective. Management identified a material weakness with respect to deficiencies in its financial closing and reporting procedures. Management believes this is due to a lack of resources. Management intends to add accounting personnel and operating staff and more sophisticated systems in order to improve its reporting procedures and internal controls, subject to available capital. A material weakness is a significant deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected. While management has recognized the material weakness, nothing additionally has changed in internal controls over financial reporting in the fourth quarter or the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.

This Annual Report does not include an attestation report of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management’s report was not subject to attestation by the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm pursuant to rules of the SEC that permit the Company to provide only management’s report in this Annual Report.

Our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, does not expect that our disclosure controls or our internal control over financial reporting, or any system we design or implement in the future, will prevent or detect all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control system’s objectives will be met. The design of any system of controls is based in part on certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting during the fourth quarter of 2022, which were identified in connection with management’s evaluation required by paragraph (d) of Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.