Note 5: Convertible Notes

 

On March 8, 2024, the Company issued an aggregate principal amount of $6.0 million of its 8.0% Senior Secured Convertible Promissory Notes (the “Convertible Notes”) in a private placement. The purchasers of the Convertible Notes included immediate family members and family trusts related to Mark Emalfarb, our President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of our Board of Directors, including The Francisco Trust, an existing holder of more than 5% of the Company’s outstanding common stock (collectively, the “Purchasers”). The net proceeds from the sale of Convertible Notes, after deducting offering expenses, were $5,824,326. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the offering of the Convertible Notes for working capital and general corporate purposes.

 

The Convertible Notes are senior, secured obligations of Dyadic and its affiliates, and interest is payable quarterly in cash on the principal amount equal to 8% per annum. The Convertible Notes, as amended, will mature on December 31, 2027 (the “Maturity Date”), unless earlier converted, repurchased, or redeemed in accordance with the terms of the Convertible Notes. The Convertible Notes can be converted into shares of common stock, at the option of the holders of the Convertible Notes (the “Noteholders”) at any time prior to the Maturity Date.

 

The Convertible Notes are secured by a first priority lien on substantially all assets of the Company and Dyadic International (USA), Inc.

 

The Convertible Notes are accounted for in accordance with ASC 470-20, Debt with Conversion and Other Options and ASC 815-15, Derivatives and Hedging. Under ASC 815, contracts that are both indexed to its own stock and classified in stockholders’ equity in its statement of financial position are not considered to be derivative instruments. Based on the Company’s analysis, it is determined that the Convertible Notes contain embedded features that are indexed to the Company’s own stock and are classified in stockholders’ equity in the Company’s statement of financial position, but do not meet the requirements for bifurcation and recognition as derivatives, and therefore, do not need to be accounted for separately. Accordingly, the proceeds received from the issuance of the Convertible Notes were recorded as a single liability in accordance with ASC 470 on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.

 

The Company incurred $175,674 of debt issuance costs associated with the Convertible Notes, which were recorded as a reduction of the Convertible Notes on the consolidated balance sheets. The debt issuance costs are being amortized and recognized as additional interest expense over the expected life of the Convertible Notes using the effective interest method. We determined that the expected life of the debt is equal to the three-year term of the Convertible Notes.

 

On October 4, 2024, the Company entered into an amendment (the “Amendment”) to the Convertible Notes. Under the Amendment, (i) the conversion price at which the Convertible Notes are convertible into shares of the Company’s common stock was set at $1.40 per share, and (ii) the Redemption Date (as defined in the Amendment) was extended to any of the 26, 29 and 32-month anniversaries of the original issue date of the Convertible Notes.

 

On May 1, 2025, the Company amended the Convertible Notes to extend the Redemption Date (as defined in the Convertible Notes) to December 1, 2026.

 

On September 15, 2025, the Company amended the security agreement to reflect updates to the Secured Parties (as defined in the Security Agreement) thereunder, including the addition of a trust for the benefit of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Mark Emalfarb, as a result of his purchase and assignment to him of one of the Notes from an existing note holder in a principal amount of $1,000,000.

 

On December 23, 2025, the Company entered into an additional amendment to the Convertible Notes, pursuant to which (i) the Maturity Date (as defined in the Convertible Notes) was extended from March 8, 2027 to December 31, 2027, (ii) the conversion price at which the Convertible Notes are convertible into shares of the Company’s common stock was set at $1.05 per share of common stock, and (iii) except in the case of an Event of Default (as defined in the Convertible Notes), the holders no longer have the right to elect to have the Company redeem all, or any part, of the principal amount then remaining under the Convertible Note.

 

 

The Company assessed each of the Amendments for a debt extinguishment or modification in accordance with ASC 470-50. As both the changes in the present value of future cash flows of the modified Convertible Notes to that of the original Convertible Notes (including callable features) and the change in fair value of the embedded conversion option to that of the carrying value of the Convertible Notes immediately before modification resulted in a less than 10% change, none of the Amendments were deemed substantial and they are regarded as note modifications. The Company did not incur any gain or loss relating to the modifications and any incremental costs, including legal fees, related to the Amendments were expensed.

 

For the year ended December 31, 2025, $412,573 of interest was paid and debt issuance costs of $48,697 were amortized and recorded in interest expense in the consolidated statements of operations. As of December 31, 2025, accrued interests on the Convertible Notes to related parties and other third parties were $41,800 and $60,000, respectively. As of December 31, 2025, accumulated amortized debt issuance costs were $85,073.

 

For the year ended December 31, 2024, $257,778 of interest was paid and debt issuance costs of $63,020 were amortized and recorded in interest expense in the consolidated statements of operations. As of December 31, 2024, accrued interests on the Convertible Notes to related parties and other third parties were $27,173 and $80,000, respectively. As of December 31, 2024, accumulated amortized debt issuance costs were $36,376.

 

During the year ended December 31, 2024, $910,000 of the Convertible Notes were converted into 556,623 shares of the Company’s common stock. As of December 31, 2025, convertible notes payable consisted of the following:

 

Holder 

Issuance

Date

 

Due

Date

  Interest Rate  

Convertible

Note

Principal

  

Principal

Repayments

  

Conversion to Common

Stock

  

Principal

Outstanding

 
Mark A. Emalfarb Trust (1)  09/15/25  12/31/27   8%  $1,000,000   $   $   $1,000,000 
Francisco Trust dated 2/28/1996 (2)  03/08/24  12/31/27   8%   1,000,000            1,000,000 
Bradley Emalfarb (3)  03/08/24  12/31/27   8%   500,000        (500,000)    
Bradley Scott Emalfarb Irrevocable Trust (3)  03/08/24  12/31/27   8%   410,000        (410,000)    
Emalfarb Descendent Trust (4)  03/08/24  12/31/27   8%   90,000            90,000 
Convertible Notes - Related Party             $3,000,000   $   $(910,000)   2,090,000 
Unamortized Debt Issuance Costs - Related Party                             (26,260)
Net Carrying Amount                            $2,063,740 
                                
Convertible Notes - Third Party (1)  03/08/24  12/31/27   8%  $3,000,000   $   $    3,000,000 
Unamortized Debt Issuance Costs - Third Party                             (37,696)
Net Carrying Amount                            $2,962,304 

 

 

Notes:

 

(1) On September 15, 2025, Mark A. Emalfarb Trust dated October 1, 1987, as amended and restated on June 28, 2019 (the “MAE Trust”), purchased and was assigned $1,000,000 of the Convertible Notes from anther third party holder of the Convertible Notes. Mr. Mark A. Emalfarb, our Chief Executive Officer, is the sole beneficiary and serves as sole trustee of the MAE Trust and has sole voting and dispositive power over the shares of common stock held by the MAE Trust. As of December 31, 2025, the amount of accrued interest for the MAE Trust was $20,000.
(2) Mr. Thomas Emalfarb, nephew of Mr. Mark A. Emalfarb, our Chief Executive Officer, is the trustee of the Francisco Trust. Mr. Thomas Emalfarb may be deemed to have voting, dispositive and investment power with respect to the shares of common stock held by the Francisco Trust and disclaims any such beneficial ownership other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest he may have therein, directly or indirectly. As of December 31, 2025, the amount of accrued interest for the Francisco Trust was $20,000.
(3) Mr. Mark A. Emalfarb, our Chief Executive Officer, is the trustee of the Irrevocable Trust and the brother of Mr. Bradley S. Emalfarb, who is the sole beneficiary of the Irrevocable Trust. Mr. Bradley S. Emalfarb, as sole beneficiary of the Irrevocable Trust, therefore, may be deemed to have voting, dispositive and investment power with respect to the shares of common stock held by the Irrevocable Trust and disclaims any such beneficial ownership other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest he may have therein, directly or indirectly. In 2024, $500,000 of the Convertible Notes held by Mr. Bradley S. Emalfarb were converted into 294,891 shares of the Company’s common stock and $410,000 of the Convertible Notes held by Bradley Scott Emalfarb Irrevocable Trust were converted into 261,732 shares of the Company’s common stock. As of December 31,2025, there was no accrued interest for Bradley Emalfarb and Bradley Scott Emalfarb Irrevocable Trust.
(4) Messrs. Thomas Emalfarb, Scott Emalfarb and Michael Emalfarb, nephews of Mr. Mark A. Emalfarb, our Chief Executive Officer, are co-trustees of the Emalfarb Descendant Trust and may therefore be deemed to have shared voting, dispositive and investment power over the shares of common stock held by the Emalfarb Descendant Trust. As of December 31, 2025, the amount of accrued interest for the Emalfarb Descendant Trust, was $1,800.

 

The Convertible Notes contain customary covenants, and the Securities Purchase Agreement relating to the Convertible Notes also contains certain affirmative and negative covenants (including, without limitation, restrictions on our ability to incur indebtedness, permit liens, make dividends or certain debt payments or consummate certain affiliate transactions). The Company was in compliance with its covenants with respect to the Convertible Notes as of December 31, 2025.

About Debt Disclosures

Debt disclosures detail a company's borrowing structure — the types of instruments, interest rates, maturity schedule, and covenant restrictions that define its financial obligations and flexibility. This section is essential for assessing refinancing risk, interest rate exposure, and the margin of safety against financial distress.

Key signals: the maturity schedule reveals concentration risk — large maturities within 1-2 years during tight credit markets can force dilutive refinancing or asset sales. Compare the fair value of debt against carrying amount to gauge whether the market views the company's credit risk differently than the balance sheet suggests. Watch covenant compliance disclosures for tightening cushions, especially leverage and interest coverage ratios. Variable-rate debt exposure quantifies sensitivity to interest rate changes. Secured versus unsecured mix affects recovery rates and future borrowing capacity. Compare net debt-to-EBITDA against industry peers and covenant limits to assess financial health.