Artiva Biotherapeutics, Inc. Commitments Disclosure
10. Commitments and Contingencies
Operating Leases
The Company has multiple facility leases in San Diego, California, for office and laboratory space, including a cGMP manufacturing center, under non-cancellable operating leases with various expiration dates through 2029.
The Company leased certain office space in San Diego, California, under a non-cancelable operating lease, with a term through December 2025 (the Executive Drive Lease). The lease agreement for 13,405 square feet commenced on December 23, 2019, with a six-year initial term and included aggregate monthly payments to the lessor of $2.8 million. The Executive Drive Lease also provided for rent abatements and scheduled increases in base rent. In connection with the lease, the Company made a one-time cash security deposit in the amount of $0.4 million, of which $0.2 million was refunded in October 2021, and the remaining $0.2 million is refundable at the end of the lease term and is included in prepaid expenses and other current assets in the Company’s balance sheets. The Executive Drive Lease included a renewal option, which included an option to renew for five additional years. The Company did not exercise the option and, as such, the Executive Drive Lease ended in December 2025.
In June 2021, the Company entered into a lease agreement for 51,621 square feet of office and laboratory space, and a cGMP manufacturing center in San Diego, California (the Morehouse Lease), which represented a portion of a new facility that was under construction. The construction and design of the asset was the primary responsibility of the lessor. The Company was involved in certain aspects of construction and design for certain interior features and leasehold improvements that will be beneficial to the Company to better suit its business needs and intended purpose of the space. The Morehouse Lease is accounted for as an operating lease and commenced in the second quarter of 2022 (office and laboratory space) and in the third quarter 2022 (cGMP manufacturing center). The Morehouse Lease has an initial term of 88 months and includes aggregate monthly payments to the lessor of approximately $23.2 million with a rent escalation clause, and a tenant improvement allowance of approximately $12.3 million. The lease agreement required the Company to provide an unconditional and irrevocable letter of credit in the amount of $0.2 million, which is recorded as restricted cash on the Company’s balance sheets as of December 31, 2025 and 2024.
In August 2022, the Company entered into a lease agreement to use designated laboratory and vivarium space in San Diego, California (the Explora Lease). The Explora Lease is accounted for as an operating lease and commenced in August 2022. The Explora Lease had an initial term of 36 months with automatic one-year renewals for up to three additional years and includes aggregate monthly payments to the lessor of approximately $0.8 million with a rent escalation clause. The Company extended the lease through August 2026.
In March 2025, the Company entered into a lease agreement with Eastgate Bend Two for a warehouse and storage facility space in San Diego, California (the Eastgate Lease). The Eastgate Lease is accounted for as an operating lease and commenced on March 1, 2025. The Eastgate Lease has an initial term of 54 months and includes aggregate monthly payments to the lessor of approximately $0.5 million for the 54 month term with scheduled increases in base rent.
The following table presents operating rent expense and related short-term lease costs (in thousands):
|
|
YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, |
|
|||||
|
|
2025 |
|
|
2024 |
|
||
Rent expense |
|
$ |
4,007 |
|
|
$ |
4,052 |
|
Variable lease expense |
|
|
2,149 |
|
|
|
2,029 |
|
Amount of rent expense related to short-term leases |
|
|
629 |
|
|
|
— |
|
Future minimum annual obligations under the Company’s operating leases with terms in excess of one year are as follows (in thousands):
YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, |
|
|
|
|
2026 |
|
|
3,143 |
|
2027 |
|
|
3,497 |
|
2028 |
|
|
3,603 |
|
2029 |
|
|
2,284 |
|
Total minimum lease payments |
|
|
12,527 |
|
Less: amount representing interest |
|
|
(1,629 |
) |
Present value of operating lease liabilities |
|
|
10,898 |
|
Less: operating lease liabilities, current |
|
|
(3,015 |
) |
Operating lease liabilities, net of current portion |
|
$ |
7,883 |
|
As the Company’s leases do not provide an implicit rate, the Company uses an incremental borrowing rate based on average discount rate, which were as follows:
|
|
AS OF |
|
|||||
|
|
DECEMBER 31, |
|
|
DECEMBER 31, |
|
||
Weighted-average remaining |
|
3.6 years |
|
|
4.4 years |
|
||
Weighted-average discount rate |
|
|
8.0 |
% |
|
|
7.7 |
% |
On July 22, 2022, the Company entered into a sublease (the Sublease Agreement) with Origis Operating Services, LLC, (the Sublessee), whereby the Company agreed to sublease to Sublessee all of the 13,405 rentable square feet of office space in San Diego, California previously leased by the Company under the Executive Drive Lease. The sublease commenced on August 1, 2022, and had a term through December 31, 2025. The aggregate base rent was approximately $2.6 million commencing August 1, 2022. The Company recorded sublease income as a reduction of general and administrative expense.
The Company recognized sublease income of $0.8 million for each of the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024.
Historical Timeline
| Fiscal Year | Filed | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Mar 10, 2026 | Showing above |
| 2024 | Mar 24, 2025 | |
About Commitments Disclosures
Commitments and contingencies disclosures catalog a company's off-balance-sheet obligations and legal exposures — purchase commitments, guarantee arrangements, pending litigation, and regulatory proceedings. These items represent potential future cash outflows that may not appear as liabilities on the balance sheet until they become probable and estimable.
Key signals: litigation reserves and disclosed loss ranges quantify management's estimate of legal exposure, but unquantified "reasonably possible" losses often represent the larger risk. Watch for changes in language around pending cases — shifts from "remote" to "reasonably possible" or increases in estimated loss ranges signal deteriorating outcomes. Unconditional purchase obligations and take-or-pay contracts create fixed cost structures that reduce operational flexibility. Guarantee arrangements for subsidiaries or joint ventures can create cascading obligations. Compare the total commitment schedule against projected free cash flow to assess whether the company can meet its obligations without additional financing.