# EDGAR Filing Document

**Accession Number:** 0001818644
**File Stem:** 0000947871-25-000721
**Filing Date:** 2025-8
**Character Count:** 19445
**Document Hash:** d80f7a7d28fde0df6bd83271f3787bb6
**Contains OCR:** False
**Source Format:** 

## Filing Content

## Filing Summary
**0000947871-25-000721.hdr.sgml**: 20250805

**ACCESSION NUMBER**: 0000947871-25-000721

**CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE**: 8-K

**PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT**: 16

**CONFORMED PERIOD OF REPORT**: 20250805

**ITEM INFORMATION**: Regulation FD Disclosure

**ITEM INFORMATION**: Financial Statements and Exhibits

**FILED AS OF DATE**: 20250805

**DATE AS OF CHANGE**: 20250805

**FILER**: 

**COMPANY DATA:**
- **COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:** AEye, Inc.
- **CENTRAL INDEX KEY:** 0001818644
- **STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION:** MOTOR VEHICLE PARTS & ACCESSORIES [3714]
- **ORGANIZATION NAME:** 04 Manufacturing
- **EIN:** 371827430
- **STATE OF INCORPORATION:** DE
- **FISCAL YEAR END:** 1231

**FILING VALUES:**
- **FORM TYPE:** 8-K
- **SEC ACT:** 1934 Act
- **SEC FILE NUMBER:** 001-39699
- **FILM NUMBER:** 251182624

**BUSINESS ADDRESS:**
- **STREET 1:** 4670 WILLOW ROAD, SUITE 125
- **CITY:** PLEASANTON
- **STATE:** CA
- **ZIP:** 94588
- **BUSINESS PHONE:** 925-400-4366

**MAIL ADDRESS:**
- **STREET 1:** 4670 WILLOW ROAD, SUITE 125
- **CITY:** PLEASANTON
- **STATE:** CA
- **ZIP:** 94588

**FORMER COMPANY:**
- **FORMER CONFORMED NAME:** CF Finance Acquisition Corp. III
- **DATE OF NAME CHANGE:** 20200717

?xml version='1.0' encoding='ASCII'?

**UNITED STATES**

**SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION**

**Washington, D.C. 20549**

**FORM 8-K**

**CURRENT REPORT**

**Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934**

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): **August 5, 2025**

**AEYE, INC.**

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Delaware** | **001-39699** | **37-1827430** |
| (State or other jurisdiction | (Commission File Number) | (IRS Employer Identification No.) |
| of incorporation) |  |  |

---

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| **4670 Willow Road, Suite 125, Pleasanton, California** | **94588** |
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |

---

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: **(925) 400-4366**

  <br> (Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligations of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

☐&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

☐&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

☐&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

☐&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Title of each class** | **Trading Symbol(s)** | **Name of each exchange on which registered** |
| Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share | LIDR | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
| Warrants to receive one share of Common Stock | LIDRW | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☒

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| **Item 7.01.** | **Regulation FD Disclosure.** |

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On August 5, 2025, AEye, Inc. (the "Company") issued a letter to shareholders (the "Shareholder Letter") from Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Matt Fisch. A copy of the Shareholder Letter is furnished herewith as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.

The information provided in Item 7.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K (including Exhibit 99.1) is being furnished and shall not be deemed "filed" for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| **Item 9.01.** | **Financial Statement and Exhibits.** |

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(d)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Exhibits.

<u>Exhibit Number</u> <u>Description</u> <br>99.1 [Shareholder Letter dated August 5, 2025.](ss5170628_ex9901.htm)

104 Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101).

**SIGNATURES**

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
|  | **AEye, Inc.** | **AEye, Inc.** |
| Dated: August 5, 2025 |  |  |
|  | By: | /s/ Andrew S. Hughes |
|  |  | Andrew S. Hughes |
|  |  | Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary |

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## Exhibit 99.1

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|:---|:---|
| ![](image_001.jpg) | *4670 Willow Road, Suite 125*<br> *Pleasanton, CA 94588*<br> *(925) 400-4366* |

---

August 5, 2025

Dear Fellow Shareholders,

With momentum building and our business development engine firing on all cylinders, we'd like to share where AEye stands today, and how we're positioning the company for what's next. AEye's valuation has surged over the past five weeks, which we believe is an encouraging signal of market confidence in our strategy and the strength of our technology. Your continued trust and support have been instrumental, and we're thrilled to be entering this next chapter of growth together.

18 months ago, AEye faced considerable constraints, including limited capital and an operating model unsuited for long-term success. Since then, we quickly stabilized operations and embraced a capital-light, partnership-driven strategy with a clear commercialization path centered on Apollo, our flagship lidar product. Following that shift, we advanced Apollo from prototype to full production. We haven't stopped there – we've continued to push the boundaries of innovation, achieving what we believe are unmatched sensing capabilities at distances of up to one kilometer.

With deployments underway, we have visibility to scaled adoption in high-value verticals. Backed by strategic partnerships, an active manufacturing line, and strong demand, we believe we're well positioned to convert this momentum into sustained growth. Thanks to what we see as growing market enthusiasm for our technology, we believe we've attracted the capital needed to ramp production and continue executing on our strategic plan.

**Validated Technology, Ready to Scale**

Our progress is being recognized broadly amongst industry leaders, opening the door to major new commercial channels.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· <u>Strengthened NVIDIA Partnership</u>: Apollo's certification on the NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Orin platform is an
 important component of our future strategy, potentially unlocking new OEM engagements and
 creating a powerful channel to expand our presence across the automotive market. Apollo demonstrates
 standout performance, and we are thrilled to be listed in the DRIVE AGX Orin ecosystem (<u>https://developer.nvidia.com/drive/ecosystem-orin#lidars</u>),
 reinforcing our leadership in high-performance, software-defined sensing.

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|:---|:---|
| ![](image_001.jpg) | *4670 Willow Road, Suite 125*<br> *Pleasanton, CA 94588*<br> *(925) 400-4366* |

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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· <u>Selection by the WinTOR Project</u>: AEye was selected to support WinTOR, a cutting-edge initiative led by the University of Toronto
and sponsored by GM, aimed at enabling reliable autonomous performance in adverse weather. We believe our involvement with WinTOR reinforces
AEye's position as a leader in defining and delivering lidar functionality that meets OEM needs both today and in the future.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· <u>Production and Real-World Validation</u>: Since launching initial production with our Tier 1 partner LITEON in Q1, we've
conducted live test drives with leading automotive OEMs throughout North America and Europe. The response from OEMs appears to have cemented
Apollo's clear differentiation and unique ability to fit within existing vehicle packaging, which we believe is a key enabler to broader
lidar adoption across vehicle lines that will in turn unlock industry leading scale for our company.

**Accelerating Commercial Traction and Expanding Market Reach**

We continue to make meaningful progress on the commercial front, with strong customer engagement and an expanding product portfolio driving momentum in key markets:

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· <u>Breakthrough Customer Win</u>: A top global transportation OEM selected Apollo for a critical autonomous safety program, representing a potential $30 million opportunity expected to begin contributing to revenue this year.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· <u>Strengthening Customer Pipeline and Revenue Visibility</u>: Our sales funnel has grown exponentially, leading to 30 new high-potential
customer engagements. We've already signed six revenue-generating contracts and have line of sight into additional orders that could
potentially total thousands of units.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;· <u>OPTIS™ Platform Unlocking New Markets</u>: We launched OPTIS™, our next-generation, full-stack lidar platform,

 integrate with a broad set of third-party software developers, OPTIS™ combines Apollo's advanced sensing with AI-driven
 analytics to deliver an end-to-end physical AI solution. We recently secured contracts for multiple deployments in varied
 applications like airport safety and security, perimeter monitoring, and transportation logistics, and we believe we are on a high
 confidence path to several more potential wins this year.

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|:---|:---|
| ![](image_001.jpg) | *4670 Willow Road, Suite 125*<br> *Pleasanton, CA 94588*<br> *(925) 400-4366* |

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**Advancing Together**

Over the past several years, during some of the most challenging times in AEye's journey, our leadership team and board have significantly increased their ownership in the company. This personal investment reflects our unwavering conviction in AEye's future and reinforces our deep alignment with shareholders. We've built our business with long-term value creation at the core, and our entire team is energized by the road ahead.

Our focus is clear: extend the reach of Apollo and OPTIS™ across high-value commercial opportunities. Through our collaboration with partners like NVIDIA and LITEON, we expect to accelerate deployment while staying true to our capital-light model. Backed by strong market interest and a clear path to scale, we're anticipating unlocking the next phase of growth.

The future for AEye has never been brighter. With our proven technology, trusted partners, and a committed team, we believe we are well-positioned to lead in the markets where intelligent sensing is redefining mobility and safety.

Thank you for your continued support as we shape the future of AEye.

Sincerely,

![](image_002.jpg)

Matt Fisch

CEO and Chairman

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|:---|:---|
| ![](image_001.jpg) | *4670 Willow Road, Suite 125*<br> *Pleasanton, CA 94588*<br> *(925) 400-4366* |

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**Forward-Looking Statements**

Certain statements included in this shareholder letter that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including the safe harbor provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are sometimes accompanied by words such as "believe," "continue," "project," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "predict," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," "potential," "seem," "seek," "outlook," and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends, or that are not statements of historical matters. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections, and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this shareholder letter include, without limitation, statements about the anticipated future performance of AEye, the strategic direction of AEye and the expectation of revenue generation in the future, the strategic relationships AEye has entered into and the expected outcomes from such relationships, among others. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this shareholder letter. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as and must not be relied on by an investor as a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction, or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are very difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from the assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of AEye. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ from the forward-looking statements in this shareholder letter, including but not limited to: (i) the risks that the surge in AEye's valuation over the past five weeks may not be a signal of market confidence or of the strength of AEye's technology to the extent anticipated, or at all; (ii) the risks that Apollo's sensing capabilities at distances of up to one kilometer may not be unmatched now or in the future; (iii) the risks that the visibility to scaled adoption in high-value verticals may not be realized to the extent anticipated, or at all; (iv) the risks that the growing market enthusiasm for AEye's technology may not continue to the extent anticipated, or at all; (v) the risks that the capital AEye has attracted may not be sufficient to ramp production or allow AEye to continue to execute on its strategic plan to the extent anticipated, or at all; (vi) the risks that Apollo's certification on the NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Orin platform may not unlock new OEM engagements nor unlock a powerful channel to extend AEye's presence across the automotive market to the extent anticipated, or at all; (vii) the risks that AEye's involvement in the WinTOR initiative may not position AEye as a leader in defining and delivering lidar functionality that meets OEM needs today or in the future to the extent anticipated, or at all; (viii) the risks that the responses received from OEMs regarding Apollo's differentiation and unique ability to fit within existing vehicle packaging may not be a key enabler to broader lidar adoption across vehicle lines to the extent anticipated, or at all; (ix) the risks that AEye may not realize some or all of the $30 million in revenue from the top global transportation OEM due to program delays, program cancellation, or otherwise; (x) the risks that AEye may not receive revenue this year from the top global transportation OEM due to program delays, program cancellation, or otherwise; (xi) the risks that some or all of the 30 new high-potential customer engagements may not lead to revenue generation to the extent or in the time frame anticipated, or at all; (xii) the risk that the line of sight into additional orders that could potentially total thousands of units may not materialize to the extent or in the time frame anticipated, or at all, due to program changes or cancellations, or otherwise;

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|:---|:---|
| ![](image_001.jpg) | *4670 Willow Road, Suite 125*<br> *Pleasanton, CA 94588*<br> *(925) 400-4366* |

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(xiii) the risks that the high confidence path to several more potential wins this year for the OPTIS™ product may not result in revenue to the extent or in the time frame anticipated, or at all; (xiv) the risks that AEye's collaboration with partners like NVIDIA and LITEON may not continue to the extent anticipated, nor accelerate deployment of AEye's products to the extent or in the time frame anticipated, or at all; (xv) the risks that AEye may not be well-positioned to lead in the markets where intelligent sensing is redefining mobility and safety to the extent or in the time frame anticipated, or at all; (xvi) the risks that market conditions may create delays in the demand for commercial lidar products beyond AEye's expectations, if at all; (xvii) the risks that lidar adoption occurs slower than anticipated or fails to occur at all; (xviii) the risks that AEye's products may not meet the diverse range of performance and functional requirements of target markets and customers; (xix) the risks that AEye's products may not function as anticipated by AEye, or by target markets and customers; (xx) the risks that AEye may not be in a position to adequately or timely address either the near or long-term opportunities that may or may not exist in the evolving autonomous transportation industry; (xxi) the risks that laws and regulations are adopted impacting the use of lidar that AEye is unable to comply with, in whole or in part; (xxii) the risks associated with changes in competitive and regulated industries in which AEye operates, variations in operating performance across competitors, and changes in laws and regulations affecting AEye's business; (xxiii) the risks that AEye is unable to adequately implement its business plans, forecasts, and other expectations, and identify and realize additional opportunities; (xxiv) the risk that AEye's capital-light, partnership-driven strategy may not be sufficient to enable us to scale efficiently and achieve long-term sustainability and (xxv) the risks of economic downturns and a changing regulatory landscape in the highly competitive and evolving industry in which AEye operates. These risks and uncertainties may be amplified by current or future global conflicts and current and potential trade restrictions, trade tensions, and tariffs, all of which continue to cause economic uncertainty. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in the "Risk Factors" section of the periodic report that AEye has most recently filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, and other documents filed by us or that will be filed by us from time to time with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made.

Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements; AEye assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. AEye gives no assurance that AEye will achieve any of its expectations.