11. Notes Payable

Financing Agreement

On July 17, 2023, the Company entered into a financing agreement (as amended from time to time and last amended August 13, 2024, the “Financing Agreement”) among the Company, as the Borrower, certain subsidiaries of the Company (collectively, “Guarantors”), lenders (the “Lenders”) and U.S. Bank Trust Company, N.A., as administrative agent and collateral agent (“Agent”). The Financing Agreement provided term loans in the aggregate principal amount of $136.1 million, comprised of $103.5 million principal amount of term A loans (the “Term A Loans”) and $32.6 million principal amount of term B loans (the “Term B Loans,” and together with the Term A Loans, and along with the incremental term loans from subsequent amendments from time to time, the “Term Loans”). The Term Loans mature on July 17, 2028 (the “Term Loan Maturity Date”).

All obligations under the Financing Agreement were guaranteed by the Company and Guarantors, comprised of all wholly owned domestic subsidiaries of the Company other than certain excluded subsidiaries, and were secured by substantially all of the Company’s assets.

An AON Insurance Policy was issued to the Agent on behalf of the Lenders, which indemnified the Lenders up to $103.5 million of the Term A Loans for any loss incurred if the Company fails to pay the Term Loans when due. The Company paid the initial insurance

premium of $15.0 million using the proceeds from the Term Loans. The Company was required to pay the insurer an exit fee equal to 0.75% of the principal amount of the Term A Loans on the date on which the loans were prepaid.

The Financing Agreement required the Company to fund certain collateral accounts, comprised of interest reserve accounts and an insurance premium reserve account. Cash interest due but not paid from available unrestricted cash was payable from the interest reserve accounts, and funds deposited in the insurance premium account were used to pay the insurance premiums when due.

The Company paid $18.7 million in debt issuance costs, including both lender fees and third-party costs, using the proceeds of the Term Loans.

The Term Loans bore fixed interest rates. The interest rate for the Term A Loans was 13.875% per annum. The interest rate for the Term B Loans is 13.875% per annum from the initial closing date to the third anniversary of the initial closing date and 19.135% per annum thereafter until the Term Loan Maturity Date. Interest was computed on the basis of a 360‑day year for the actual number of days elapsed and payable monthly in cash and in arrears on the last business day of each calendar month.

Mandatory prepayments were required to be made upon the occurrence of certain events. Voluntary prepayments were permitted in whole or in part at any time. All prepayments were subject to a specified premium that applies for the first 24 months following the initial closing date, calculated as the present value of the sum of the amounts of each unpaid interest payment due during the specified premium period computed using a discount rate equal to the treasury rate on the day one business day prior to the date of prepayment, plus 0.5%.

The Financing Agreement contained certain covenants including a requirement for a minimum cash balance, financial covenants, and negative covenants customary for transactions of this type, including a specific covenant to the interest reserve accounts to maintain a minimum interest reserve amount equal to 7.9% of the aggregate balance of the Term Loans.

The initial debt issuance costs, including the insurance premium paid, estimated second premium and final premium, exit fee and discount created by allocating proceeds to the fair value of the Series J Warrants issued in connection with the issuance of the Term Loans (refer to Note 9. Fair Value Measurement for further detail), were deferred and amortized to interest expense over the contractual term of the Term Loans using the effective interest method.

The subsequent amendments of the Financing Agreement following the initial closing date did not result in a troubled debt restructuring and were all accounted for as debt modifications. As a result, the third-party costs incurred were expensed and newly incurred lender fees, along with the previously deferred and unamortized issuance costs of the Term Loans prior to the amendments, were deferred and amortized over the remaining contractual term of the Term Loans.

Term Loans Extinguishment

On August 8, 2025, the Company completed its IPO and used a portion of the net proceeds to fully repay the outstanding Term Loans under the Financing Agreement. The repayment included the principal amounts of the outstanding Term Loans, accrued interest, and applicable prepayment premiums.

The Company recognized a loss on extinguishment of debt of $30.4 million, which includes the write-off of unamortized debt issuance costs, specified premium, and the exit fee associated with the Term A Loans and Term B Loans. The specified premium applicable to the prepayment was calculated in accordance with the terms of the Financing Agreement.

Following the repayment, all obligations under the Financing Agreement, including guarantees and collateral arrangements, were terminated. The interest reserve accounts and insurance premium reserve account were released, and the related restricted cash balances were reclassified to unrestricted cash.

Interest expense recognized related to the Term Loans was as follows:

 

 

For the Year Ended December 31,

 

 

 

2025

 

 

2024

 

 

2023

 

Contractual interest expense

 

$

11,605

 

 

$

19,068

 

 

$

6,995

 

Amortization of debt issuance costs

 

 

4,315

 

 

 

6,173

 

 

 

2,155

 

Total interest expense

 

$

15,920

 

 

$

25,241

 

 

$

9,150

 

 

Convertible Notes

On August 13, 2024, the Company issued $25.0 million in subordinated convertible promissory notes (the “Convertible Notes”) to AE Industrial as the lender. The Convertible Notes accrued 15% interest per annum payable at maturity or upon early prepayment and had an original maturity date of August 18, 2028. The Convertible Notes were subordinated to all other senior indebtedness of the Company.

Pursuant to the terms of the Convertible Notes, the outstanding principal and accrued interest of the Convertible Notes would automatically share settle into the same preferred stock issued to investors at the closing of a qualified financing event, at a settlement price equal to the price of such preferred stock being offered in such financing event. A qualified financing event is a transaction in which the Company sells and issues new preferred shares, including to investors other than AE Industrial or its affiliates.

In the event of a consolidation, or merger of the Company where there is a change of control or a sale, lease or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company (“Sale”) prior to a qualified financing event, the Company was required to redeem the Convertible Notes for cash equal to the greater of the outstanding principal plus accrued interest and the amount the lender would have received if the entire outstanding principal amount and all accrued and unpaid interest on the Convertible Notes had been converted into Series C-1 Preferred Stock shares of the Company at the Series C-1 Conversion Price immediately prior to, but contingent upon, the closing of such event.

If neither a qualified financing event or a Sale event occurred prior to the maturity date, the outstanding principal and accrued interest of the Convertible Notes would automatically convert into Series C-1 Preferred Stock of the Company at a conversion price equal to the original issue price of the Series C Preferred Stock (subject to certain adjustments). Series C-1 Preferred Stock would have the same terms as to the Series C Preferred Stock. The outstanding principal and accrued interest of the Convertible Notes could be accelerated by the lender upon the occurrence and continuation of an event of default.

The redemption upon a Sale event feature required bifurcation as an embedded derivative. However, such embedded derivative only had de minimis value given that the probability of the triggering event was considered remote.

The Company did not incur material debt issuance costs. As a result, the effective interest rate of the Convertible Notes is equal to the contractual interest rate of 15% per annum.

The outstanding principal of $25.0 million and accrued interest of $0.8 million of the Convertible Notes automatically share settled into 1.5 million shares of Series D-1 Preferred Stock when the Company closed on the Series D Preferred Stock financing on October 31, 2024. Such settlement was accounted for as a debt extinguishment transaction with no gain or loss being recognized given that the settlement price was at par amount and there was no unamortized debt issuance cost at the time of settlement (Refer to Note 13. Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit) and Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock for further detail on the Series D-1 Preferred Stock).

Revolving Line of Credit

On August 8, 2025, following the completion of the IPO, the Company entered into a new revolving credit agreement providing for a senior secured revolving credit facility (the “Revolving Credit Facility”) in the aggregate principal amount of $125.0 million, which includes a sublimit for the issuance of letters of credit in an amount up to $15.0 million and a sublimit for swingline loans in an amount up to $7.5 million.

The Revolving Credit Facility matures on August 8, 2028. The loans under the Revolving Credit Facility bear interest at a variable rate per annum equal to, at the Company's option, either (a) term SOFR plus a 3.00% spread or (b) an alternative base rate (as set forth in the credit agreement) plus a 2.00% spread. A commitment fee of 0.375% per annum is applied on the unused commitments under the Revolving Credit Facility.

In connection with the execution of the Revolving Credit Facility, the Company incurred $2.4 million in lender fees, which was deferred and capitalized in other noncurrent assets on the consolidated balance sheets.

On November 7, 2025, the Company amended the revolving credit agreement, which provides the Company with the Revolving Credit Facility. The amendment, among other things, increased the commitments under the Revolving Credit Facility by $135.0 million for an aggregate principal amounts of $260.0 million. The amendment was structured to provide additional borrowing capacity to support the acquisition of SciTec, Inc. and to further enhance the Company’s liquidity position. The maturity date of the Revolving Credit Facility remains unchanged. On November 10, 2025, the Company drew upon the entire $260.0 million principal amount of the loan from the Revolving Credit Facility. The loan bears interest at variable rate per annum equal to term SOFR plus a 3.00% spread and the accrued interest is payable in arrears at the end of each month. At December 31, 2025, $260.0 million remains drawn under the Revolving Credit Facility.

In connection with the amendment of the Revolving Credit Facility, the Company incurred additional $1.4 million debt issuance cost, which was deferred and capitalized in other noncurrent assets on the consolidated balance sheets, along with the unamortized debt issuance costs incurred for the execution of the Revolving Credit Facility.

The capitalized debt issuance cost is amortized into interest expense over the term of the Revolving Credit Facility on a straight-line basis. The unamortized debt issuance costs for the Revolving Facility totaled $3.4 million as of December 31, 2025. The interest expense recognized related to the Revolving Facility is $3.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, including $2.7 million of contractual interest expense and $0.4 million in amortization of debt issuance costs.

The following table presents the Company's outstanding debt:

 

 

For the Year Ended December 31,

 

Notes

 

2025

 

 

2024

 

4.50% due 2026

 

$

184

 

 

$

359

 

7.71% due 2029(2)

 

 

18,403

 

 

 

22,697

 

8.31% due 2031(2)

 

 

8,692

 

 

 

9,936

 

13.875% due 2028

 

 

 

 

 

136,117

 

Other notes

 

 

1,530

 

 

 

1,736

 

Outstanding borrowings on Revolving Credit Facility

 

 

260,000

 

 

 

 

Total debt

 

 

288,809

 

 

 

170,845

 

Less: Unamortized issuance costs(1)

 

 

(269

)

 

 

(22,893

)

Total debt, net

 

 

288,540

 

 

 

147,952

 

Less: Current portion

 

 

7,099

 

 

 

6,349

 

Long-term debt, net

 

$

281,441

 

 

$

141,603

 

(1) The unamortized issuance costs do not include the $3.4 million in debt issuance costs related to the Revolving Credit Facility included in other long term assets.

(2) Includes obligations related to various equipment recorded as failed sale leaseback transactions. Refer to Note 10. Leases for further detail.

The following table summarizes the future principal payments on notes payable in each of the next five years and thereafter:

2026

 

$

7,189

 

2027

 

 

6,913

 

2028

 

 

267,078

 

2029

 

 

5,084

 

2030

 

 

1,882

 

Thereafter

 

 

663

 

Total

 

 

288,809

 

Less: Unamortized issuance costs(1)

 

 

(269

)

Total debt, net

 

$

288,540

 

(1) The unamortized issuance costs do not include the $3.4 million in debt issuance costs related to the Revolving Credit Facility included in other long term assets.

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.