EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 1123494
Filing Year: 2025
Filename: 1123494_10-K_2025_0001171843-25-001472.json

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Item 1.
Business.
Overview
Harvard Bioscience, Inc., a Delaware corporation, is a leading developer, manufacturer and seller of technologies, products and services that enable fundamental advances in life science applications, including research, drug and therapy discovery, bioproduction and preclinical testing for pharmaceutical and therapy development. Our products and services are sold globally to customers ranging from renowned academic institutions and government laboratories to the world’s leading pharmaceutical, biotechnology and contract research organizations (“CROs”). With operations in the United States, Europe and China, we sell through a combination of direct and distribution channels to customers around the world.
Our History and Strategy
Our business began in 1901, under the name Harvard Apparatus. It was founded by Dr. William T. Porter, a Professor of Physiology at Harvard Medical School and a pioneer of physiology education. We have grown over the years with the development and evolution of modern life science research and education. Our early inventions included ventilators based on Dr. Porter’s design, the mechanical syringe pump for drug infusion in the 1950s, and the microprocessor-controlled syringe pump in the 1980s. In 1996, a group of investors acquired a majority of the then existing business of our predecessor, Harvard Apparatus, Inc. Harvard Bioscience, Inc. was incorporated in the State of Delaware in September 2000 and became the successor entity to Harvard Apparatus, Inc. by merger in November 2000. In 2018, we acquired Data Sciences International, Inc. (“DSI”), a global leader in products, services and solutions focused on preclinical testing. The DSI product portfolio, which is largely complementary to our cellular and molecular technology (“CMT”) product portfolio, expanded our product portfolio to address the continuum from research and discovery to preclinical testing with principal applications in drug and therapy testing.
Our strategy for driving revenue growth is focused in the following three areas.
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First, we intend to maintain and strengthen our established base business in the areas of therapy research and pre-clinical testing. This includes expanding our product offerings to address the needs of higher-volume industrial customers such as CROs, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, and government laboratories engaged in the development and testing of new therapeutics, where the ability to reduce costs and improve cycle times in pre-clinical testing has the potential to drive additional demand.
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Second, we are expanding our product offerings for biotechnology and pharmaceutical customers in the field of bioproduction, where we believe there are opportunities to provide innovative products and services that bridge from research and development to production in applications that scale with production volume.
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Third, we are expanding our product offerings in the emerging field of organoid research and testing. Organoids, which serve as in vitro models that emulate human organs, provide new opportunities for academic research and for streamlined testing early in the pharmaceutical development cycle, especially in the area of neurological and cardiac research and testing. We believe that our microelectrode array products, including our recently introduced MeshMEA™ system, will be attractive to a range of customers, including academic researchers as well as biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and CRO customers engaged in therapy, discovery, development and testing.
In addition, we have taken steps to rationalize our product portfolio and improve our operating cost structure. These activities have included the discontinuation of certain non-strategic products, the consolidation of our global operating footprint, and the reduction of our headcount in Europe and North America. In 2024, we also consolidated our enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) system in the United States. We believe that these actions will allow us to focus on product opportunities that drive sustainable revenue growth with attractive gross margins and improved profitability.
Our Products
Our products, consumables, software and services enable fundamental advances in life science applications, including research, pharmaceutical and therapy discovery, bioproduction and preclinical testing.
We have organized our product line activities into two product families, CMT and Preclinical. Our CMT product family is primarily composed of products supporting research related to molecular, cellular, organ and organoid technologies. Our CMT products also have application in the emerging field of bioproduction of pharmaceuticals and therapeutics as well as in in vitro testing of cell lines and organoids in the therapy development. The principal customers for our CMT products include academic and government laboratories, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, and CROs. Our Preclinical product family includes products that support the preclinical research and testing phase for drug development, and in particular testing related to data collection and analysis for safety and regulatory compliance. Preclinical products are primarily sold to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and CROs, as well as to larger academic laboratories.
Our solutions range from simple to complex, and generally consist of hardware/firmware and software products, augmented with consumables, options, upgrades and post-sales (scientific, installation and data) services. Sales prices of these products and services range typically from $1,000 to over $100,000.
Below is a description of each product family.
Cellular and Molecular Technologies (“CMT”) Product Family
Our CMT product family includes products designed primarily to support academic research and the discovery phase of new drug development. The CMT product family includes the Harvard Apparatus, Biochrom, BTX, HEKA, KD Scientific, MCS and Warner brands. CMT products include:
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electroporation and electrofusion instruments, including the bioproduction configuration of our BTX electroporation system, which leverages our electroporation technology to bridge from therapy to production in the emerging field of bioproduction;
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amino acid analyzers which support protein analysis of buffers and solutions in clinical and bioproduction environments;
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spectrophotometers and other equipment which primarily support molecular level testing and research;
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high precision syringe and peristaltic pumps for infusion applications in research;
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precision scientific measuring instrumentation and equipment in the field of electrophysiology such as: data acquisition systems with custom amplifier configurations for cellular analysis, complete micro electrode array solutions for in vivo recordings and in vitro systems for extracellular recordings; and
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our recently introduced MeshMEA™ system, which builds on our existing micro-electrode array technology to support the emerging field of organoid research, especially in the areas of cardiac and neurological research and testing.
Sales of our CMT product family made up approximately 49% of our global revenues for each of the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.
Preclinical Product Family
Our Preclinical product family provides a complete platform to assess physiological data from organisms for research ranging from basic research to drug discovery, and drug development services. The Preclinical product family includes the DSI, Panlab, Hugo Sachs and Buxco brands. It includes:
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implantable and externally worn telemetry systems, which are commonly used in research to collect cardiovascular, central nervous system, respiratory, metabolic data; including our new SoHo™ Small Animal Implantable Telemetry System that enables data collection in high-density group housing environments;
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behavioral products; isolated organ and surgical products, a broad range of instruments and accessories for tissue, organ-based lab research, including surgical products, infusion systems, and behavior research systems;
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turn-key respiratory system solutions encompassing plethysmograph chambers, data acquisition hardware, physiological signal analysis software, and final report generation;
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inhalation and exposure systems providing precise, homogenous aerosol delivery for up to 42 subjects, while integrating respiratory parameters for the ultimate delivered dose system;
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powerful GLP-capable data acquisition and analysis systems, capable of integrating third party sensors for a more comprehensive study design; and
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our VivaMars™ behavioral monitoring system, launched in 2023, which is directed to the high throughput testing needs of higher-volume industrial customers such as CROs, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, and government laboratories engaged in the development and testing of new therapeutics.
Sales of our Preclinical product family made up approximately 51% of our global revenues for each of the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.
Other Products
In addition to our proprietarily manufactured products, we distribute products developed by other manufacturers. Resale of such products enables us to act as a single source for our customers’ research needs. They consist primarily of instruments or accessories as well as consumables used in experiments involving fluid handling, molecular and cell analysis and tissue, organ and animal research. Sales of third-party products that we distribute accounted for approximately 12% and 13% of our revenues for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Customers
Our end-user customers are primarily pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, universities, hospitals, government laboratories, including laboratories operated by the United States National Institutes of Health (“NIH”), U.S. Army and CROs. Our pharmaceutical and biotechnology customers include pharmaceutical companies and research laboratories such as Abbott, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Glaxo Smith Kline, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer and Regeneron. Our academic customers include colleges and universities such as Baylor College of Medicine, Cambridge University, Harvard University, Imperial College of London, Johns Hopkins University, Stanford, the University of California system, University of Pennsylvania, University of Pittsburgh, University of Texas and Yale University. Our CRO customers include Charles River Laboratories, Labcorp and Wuxi AppTec. We have a wide range of U.S. and international customers, and no customer accounted for more than 10% of our revenues in 2024.
Sales
We conduct direct sales and sales through distributors in the United States, China and major European markets. We engage distributors for the sales of our own branded and private label products in certain areas of the world and for certain product lines. For the year ended December 31, 2024, revenues from direct sales to end-users represented approximately 63% of our revenues; and revenues from sales of our products through distributors represented approximately 37% of our revenues.
Marketing
Our marketing activities encompass product management and marketing communications. Marketing maintains value-proposition based product roadmaps, collaborates with research and development on timing and investment for new products, develops marketing and sales strategies, supports direct and distributor sales activities, and sets the global pricing of our products. Our marketing team also maintains digital presence across the web and social media platforms, creates electronic leads and analyzes opportunities for new product portfolio extensions. Our websites and marketing collateral serve as the primary sales tool for our product lines, which includes both proprietary manufactured products and complementary products from various suppliers.
Research and Development
Our research and development activities are focused primarily on maintaining and strengthening our existing product and technology portfolio and expanding our portfolio to support new opportunities consistent with our growth strategy. We maintain development staff in many of our manufacturing facilities to design and develop new products and to re-engineer existing products to bring them to the next generation. Our research and development expenses were approximately $10.4 million and $11.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. We anticipate that we will continue to make investments in research and development activities to advance our position in the industry as a provider of life science equipment, software and services. We plan to pursue a balanced development portfolio strategy of originating new products from internal research and evaluate acquiring products and technologies through business and technology acquisitions or collaborations, as appropriate.
Manufacturing
We manufacture and test the majority of our products in our principal manufacturing facilities located in the United States, Germany and Spain. We have considerable manufacturing flexibility at our various facilities, and each facility can manufacture multiple products at the same time. We maintain in-house manufacturing expertise, technologies and resources. We seek to maintain multiple suppliers for key components that are not manufactured in-house, although some of our products are dependent on sole-source suppliers. The consolidation of our ERP system, which we completed during 2024, is expected to enable operational improvements in our sales and operations planning processes and management of inventory levels and customer service. Our manufacturing operations primarily involve assembly and testing activities along with some machine-based processes. Going forward we will continue to evaluate our manufacturing facilities and operations in order to optimize our manufacturing footprint. See “Part I, Item 2. Properties” of this report for additional information regarding our manufacturing facilities.
Competition
The markets into which we sell our products are highly competitive, and we expect the intensity of competition to continue or increase. We compete with many companies engaged in developing and selling tools for life science research. Many of our competitors have greater financial, operational, sales and marketing resources and more experience in research and development and commercialization than we have. Moreover, our competitors may have broader product offerings and greater name recognition than we do, and many offer discounts as a competitive tactic. These competitors and other companies may have developed or in the future could develop new technologies that compete with our products, which could render our products obsolete. We cannot provide assurance that we will be able to make the enhancements to our technologies necessary to compete successfully with newly emerging technologies. While we provide a broad selection of differentiated products, we have numerous competitors across our product lines. We believe that we compete favorably with our competitors on the basis of product performance, including quality, reliability, speed, technical support, price and delivery time.
We compete with several companies that provide products for life science research including Agilent, Becton, Dickinson and Company, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Danaher Corporation, Emka Technologies, Eppendorf AG, Hitachi, Instem plc, Kent Scientific Corporation, Lonza Group Ltd., PerkinElmer, Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., TSE Systems and Waters Corporation.
We cannot forecast if or when these or other companies may develop competitive products. We expect that other products will compete with our products and potential products based on efficacy, safety, cost and intellectual property positions. While we believe that these will be the primary competitive factors, other factors include, in certain instances, the availability of supply, manufacturing, marketing and sales expertise and capability.
Seasonality
Sales and earnings in our third quarter are usually flat or down from the second quarter primarily because there are a large number of holidays and vacations during such quarter, especially in Europe. Our fourth quarter revenues and earnings are often the highest in any fiscal year compared to the other three quarters, primarily because many of our customers tend to spend budgeted money before their own fiscal year ends.
Intellectual Property
To establish and protect our proprietary technologies and products, we rely on a combination of patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws, as well as confidentiality provisions in our contracts. Patents or patent applications cover certain of our new technologies. Most of our product lines are protected principally by trade names and trade secrets.
We have implemented a patent strategy designed to provide us with freedom to operate and facilitate commercialization of our current and future products. Our success depends, to a significant degree, upon our ability to develop proprietary products and technologies. We intend to continue to file patent applications covering new products and technologies where it is appropriate to do so taking into account factors such as the likely scope of coverage, strategic value, and cost.
Patents provide some degree of protection for our intellectual property. However, the assertion of patent protection involves complex legal and factual determinations and is therefore uncertain. The scope of any of our issued patents may not be sufficiently broad to offer meaningful protection. In addition, our issued patents or patents licensed to us may be successfully challenged, invalidated, circumvented or unenforceable so that our patent rights would not create an effective competitive barrier. Moreover, the laws of some foreign countries may protect our proprietary rights to a greater or lesser extent than the laws of the United States. In addition, the laws governing patentability and the scope of patent coverage continue to evolve, particularly in areas of interest to us. As a result, there can be no assurance that patents will be issued from any of our patent applications or from applications licensed to us. As a result of these factors, our intellectual property positions bear some degree of uncertainty.
We also rely in part on trade secret protection of our intellectual property. We attempt to protect our trade secrets by entering into confidentiality agreements with third parties, employees and consultants. Our employees and consultants also sign agreements requiring that they assign to us their interests in patents and copyrights arising from their work for us. Although many of our United States employees have signed agreements not to compete unfairly with us during their employment and after termination of their employment, through the misuse of confidential information, soliciting employees, soliciting customers and the like, the enforceability of these provisions varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and, in some circumstances, they may not be enforceable. In addition, it is possible that these agreements may be breached or invalidated and if so, there may not be an adequate corrective remedy available. Despite the measures we have taken to protect our intellectual property, we cannot provide assurance that third parties will not independently discover or invent competing technologies or reverse engineer our trade secrets or other technologies. Therefore, the measures we are taking to protect our proprietary rights may not be adequate.
We do not believe that our products infringe on the intellectual property rights of any third party. It is possible, however, that third parties will claim such infringement by us or our licensors with respect to current or future products. Any such claims, with or without merit, could be time-consuming, result in costly litigation and diversion of management’s attention and resources, cause product shipment delays or require us to enter into royalty or licensing agreements. Moreover, such royalty or licensing agreements, if required, may not be on terms advantageous to us, or acceptable at all, which could seriously harm our business or financial condition.
“Harvard” is a registered trademark of Harvard University. The marks “Harvard Apparatus” and “Harvard Bioscience” are being used pursuant to a license agreement entered into in December 2002 between us and Harvard University.
Government Regulation
We are generally not subject to direct governmental regulation other than the laws and regulations generally applicable to businesses in the domestic and foreign jurisdictions in which we operate. Other than our amino acid analyzer products, which are registered with, but otherwise exempt from United States Food and Drug Administration (“U.S. FDA”) pre-clearance requirements, our current products are not subject to pre-market clearance or approval by the U.S. FDA for use on human clinical patients. In addition, we believe we are materially in compliance with all relevant environmental laws.
Human Capital
As of December 31, 2024, we employed 355 employees, which included 330 full-time employees. Some of our employees in Europe have statutory collective bargaining rights. We have never experienced a general work stoppage or strike, and management believes that our relations with our employees are good. Additional information about our employees follows:
Country
Full-time
Part-time
United States
Germany
United Kingdom
Spain
-
China
-
Rest of World
-
Total
Function
Full-time
Part-time
Manufacturing
Sales and marketing
Research and development
General and administrative
Total
We make employment decisions without regard to age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran and military status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. We take steps to employ and advance in employment qualified protected veterans and qualified individuals with disabilities.
Geographic Area
Financial information regarding geographic areas in which we operate is provided in Notes 3 and 6 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in “Part IV, Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules” of this report.
Available Information and Website
Our website address is www.harvardbioscience.com. Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and exhibits and amendments to those reports filed or furnished with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act are available for review on our website and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at www.sec.gov. Any such materials that we file with, or furnish to, the SEC in the future will be available on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. The information on our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Item 1A.
Risk Factors
The following factors should be reviewed carefully, in conjunction with the other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. As previously discussed, our actual results could differ materially from the information included in our forward-looking statements. Our business faces a variety of risks. These risks include those described below and may include additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial. If any of the events or circumstances described in the following risk factors occur or develop, our business operations, financial performance and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected, and the trading price of our common stock could decline.
Risks Related to Going Concern
There is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
As of December 31, 2024, there was indebtedness of $37.4 million outstanding under our term loan and senior revolving credit facility (collectively, the “Credit Agreement”). We were not in compliance with the consolidated net leverage ratio covenant contained in the Credit Agreement as of the December 31, 2024 test date. On March 10, 2025, we entered into an amendment to the Credit Agreement (the “March 2025 Amendment”) pursuant to which the lenders and administrative agent agreed to waive such non-compliance, subject to the terms contained in the March 2025 Amendment. The March 2025 Amendment provides, among other things, that our failure to achieve certain refinancing milestones, including receipt of a term sheet or commitment letter from one or more potential lenders, by the dates provided in the March 2025 Amendment or our failure to consummate a refinancing of the Credit Agreement by June 30, 2025, would, in either case, constitute an event of default under the Credit Agreement. In such event, in addition to other actions our lenders may require, the amounts outstanding under the Credit Agreement may become immediately due and payable. See “Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Liquidity and Capital Resources” of this report for additional information regarding the March 2025 Amendment.
We are exploring alternative sources of capital that would allow us to refinance our outstanding indebtedness by June 30, 2025, in order to avoid default under the Credit Agreement, but our ability to access such other sources of capital is uncertain. There is no assurance that such capital will be available to us, be obtainable on commercially acceptable terms, or provide us with sufficient funds to meet our objectives. Based on our anticipated cash flows from operations, unless we are able to access other sources of capital or extend the date for repayment under the Credit Agreement, we will be unable to pay our debt obligations and fund our operations for at least twelve months from the date of issuance of the consolidated financial statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. As a result, there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
As discussed in Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in “Part IV, Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules” of this report, our consolidated financial statements include an explanatory paragraph that such financial statements were prepared assuming that we will continue as a going concern, continue our operations for the foreseeable future and realize assets and settle liabilities in the normal course of business. The financial statements do not give effect to any adjustments to the amounts and classification of assets and liabilities that may be necessary should we be unable to continue as a going concern. Such adjustments could be material.
Risks Related to Our Industry
The life sciences industry is very competitive.
We expect to encounter increased competition from both established and development-stage companies that continually enter the market. These include companies developing and marketing life science instruments, systems and lab consumables, health care companies that manufacture laboratory-based tests and analyzers, diagnostic and pharmaceutical companies, analytical instrument companies, and companies developing life science or drug discovery technologies. Currently, our principal competition comes from established companies that provide products that perform many of the same functions for which we market our products. Many of our competitors have substantially greater financial, operational, marketing and technical resources than we do. Moreover, these competitors may offer broader product lines and tactical discounts and may have greater name recognition. In addition, we may face competition from new entrants into the field. We may not have the financial resources, technical expertise or marketing, distribution or support capabilities to compete successfully in the future. In addition, we face changing customer preferences and requirements, including increased customer demand for more environmentally friendly products.
The life sciences industry is also subject to rapid technological change and discovery. The development of new or improved products, processes or technologies by other companies may render our products or proposed products obsolete or less competitive. In some instances, our competitors may develop or market products that are more effective or commercially attractive than our current or future products. To meet the evolving needs of customers, we must continually enhance our current products and develop and introduce new products. However, we may experience difficulties that may delay or prevent the successful development, introduction and marketing of new products or product enhancements. In addition, our product lines are based on complex technologies that are subject to change as new technologies are developed and introduced in the marketplace. We may have difficulty in keeping abreast of the changes affecting each of the different markets we serve or intend to serve, and our new products may not be accepted by the marketplace or may generate lower than anticipated revenues. Our failure to develop and introduce products in a timely manner in response to changing technology, market demands, or the requirements of our customers could cause our product sales to decline, and we could experience significant losses.
We offer, and plan to continue to offer, a broad range of products and have incurred, and expect to continue to incur, substantial expenses for the development of new products and enhancements to our existing products. The speed of technological change in our market may prevent us from being able to successfully market some or all of our products for the length of time required to recover development costs. Failure to recover the development costs of one or more products or product lines could decrease our profitability or cause us to experience significant losses.
A portion of our revenues is derived from customers in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries and is subject to the risks faced by those industries. Such risks may materially and adversely affect our financial results.
We derive a significant portion of our revenues from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and CROs serving these companies. We expect that pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and CROs will continue to be a significant source of our revenues for the foreseeable future, including in our CMT and Preclinical product families. As a result, we are subject to risks and uncertainties that affect the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, such as government regulation, ongoing consolidation, uncertainty of technological change, and reductions and delays in research and development expenditures by companies in these industries.
In particular, the biotechnology industry is largely dependent on raising capital to fund its operations. If biotechnology companies that are our customers are unable to obtain the financing necessary to purchase our products, our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In addition, we are dependent, both directly and indirectly, upon general health care spending patterns, particularly in the research and development budgets of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, as well as upon the financial condition and purchasing patterns of various governments and government agencies. As it relates to both the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, many companies have significant patents that have expired or are about to expire, which could result in reduced revenues for those companies. If pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies that are our customers suffer reduced revenues as a result of these patent expirations, they may be unable to purchase our products and our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Changes in government regulations may reduce demand for our products, adversely impact our revenues, or increase our expenses.
We operate in many markets in which we and our customers must comply with federal, state, local and international regulations. We develop, configure and market our products to meet customer needs created by, and in compliance with, those regulations. These requirements include, among other things, regulations regarding manufacturing practices, product labeling, and advertising and post marketing reporting. We must incur expense and spend time and effort to ensure compliance with these complex regulations. Possible regulatory actions for non-compliance could include warning letters, fines, damages, injunctions, civil penalties, recalls, seizures of our products, and criminal prosecution. These actions could result in, among other things, substantial modifications to our business practices and operations; refunds, recalls, or seizures of our products; a total or partial shutdown of production in one or more of our facilities while we or our suppliers remedy the alleged violation; and withdrawals or suspensions of current products from the market. Any of these events could disrupt our business and have a material adverse effect on our revenues, profitability and financial condition.
Risks Related to Our Business
Reductions in customers’ research budgets due to reductions in government funding or delays in government funding may adversely affect our business.
Many of our customers are universities, government research laboratories, private foundations and other institutions whose funding is dependent on both the level and timing of funding from government agencies such as the NIH and similar domestic and foreign agencies. These customers represent a significant portion of our revenue. The level of funding and reimbursement rates under government programs relied on by these customers is subject to the political process and is often unpredictable. For example, the NIH announced on February 7, 2025, a policy significantly reducing research grants by limiting payments for indirect overhead. Further, government proposals to reduce or eliminate budget deficits have sometimes included reduced allocations to the NIH and other government agencies that fund our customers’ activities. Our revenue may be adversely affected if our customers forgo or delay purchases of our products and services as a result of uncertainties resulting from the NIH announcement or other government budget proposals, including reduced allocations to government agencies that fund our customers’ activities. NIH funding may not be directed towards projects and studies that require the use of our products and services. These factors could adversely affect our business and financial results.
Our business is subject to economic, political and other risks associated with international sales and operations.
We manufacture and sell our products internationally and, as a result, our business is subject to risks associated with doing business internationally. A substantial amount of our revenues is derived from international operations, and we anticipate that a significant portion of our sales will continue to come from outside the United States in the future. We anticipate that revenues from international operations will likely continue to increase as a result of our efforts to expand our business in markets abroad. In addition, a number of our manufacturing facilities and suppliers are located outside the United States.
Our foreign operations subject us to certain risks, including: effects of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; the impact of local economic conditions; fluctuations or reductions in economic growth in overseas markets including Asia and Europe; product preferences and seasonality and product requirements in foreign markets; difficulties in effectively establishing and expanding our business and operations in international markets; disruptions in foreign capital markets and trading markets; restrictions and potentially negative tax implications of transfers of capital across borders; differing labor regulations; the imposition of tariffs or import or export restrictions by the United States or foreign governments; other factors beyond our control, including potential political instability, terrorism, acts of war, natural disasters and diseases, pandemics; unexpected changes and increased enforcement of regulatory requirements and various state, federal and international, intellectual property, environmental, antitrust, anti-corruption, fraud and abuse (including anti-kickback and false claims laws) and employment laws; interruption to transportation flows for delivery of parts to us and finished goods to our customers; and laws and regulations on foreign investment in the United States under the jurisdiction of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, and other agencies, including the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act, or FIRRMA.
A small percentage of our products are subject to export control regulations administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) and by the Export Administration Regulations administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”). Based on the nature of the product, its ultimate end use and country of destination, we are sometimes subject to foreign assets control and economic sanctions regulations administered by OFAC, which restrict or prohibit our ability to transact with certain foreign countries, certain individuals and entities identified on the Treasury Department’s “Denied Parties List.” Under the OFAC regulations, the sale or transfer of certain equipment to a location outside the United States may require prior approval in the form of an export license issued by the BIS or the U.S. Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls. Some potential international transactions may also be restricted or prohibited based on the location, nationality or identity of the potential end user, customer or other parties to the transaction or may require prior authorization in the form of an OFAC license. These risks may be exacerbated by geopolitical tensions in various regions of the world such as China, the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East. Any delay in obtaining required governmental approvals could affect our ability to conclude a sale or timely commence a project, and the failure to comply with all such controls could result in criminal and/or civil penalties.
Our overall success as a global business depends, in part, upon our ability to succeed in differing economic, social and political conditions. In order to continue to succeed in our international sales strategy, we must continue developing and implementing policies and strategies that are effective in each location where we do business, which could negatively affect our profitability.
Rising inflation and interest rates could negatively impact our revenues, profitability and borrowing costs. In addition, if our costs increase and we are not able to correspondingly adjust our commercial relationships to account for this increase, our net income would be adversely affected, and the adverse impact may be material.
Sustained or increased inflation may result in decreased demand for our products, increased operating costs (including our labor costs), reduced liquidity, and limitations on our ability to access credit or otherwise raise debt and equity capital. In addition, the United States Federal Reserve has raised interest rates in response to concerns about inflation. Increases in interest rates have had, and could continue to have, a material impact on our borrowing costs. In an inflationary environment, we may be unable to raise the sales prices of our products at or above the rate at which our costs increase, which could reduce our profit margins and have a material adverse effect on our financial results and net income. We also may experience lower than expected sales if there is a decrease in spending on products in our industry in general or a negative reaction to our pricing. A reduction in our revenue would be detrimental to our profitability and financial condition and could also have an adverse impact on our future growth.
We have substantial debt, and our lenders have waived our non-compliance with certain of the covenants in our Credit Agreement. If we fail to comply with the terms and conditions of the waiver, or if we fail to comply with any covenants in the future, our lenders may require the amounts outstanding under the debt to become immediately due and payable.
As of December 31, 2024, we had outstanding borrowings of $37.4 million under the Credit Agreement. We were not in compliance with the consolidated net leverage ratio covenant contained in the Credit Agreement as of the December 31, 2024 test date. Pursuant to the March 2025 Amendment, the lenders and administrative agent agreed to waive such non-compliance subject to the terms contained in the March 2025 Amendment. The March 2025 Amendment provides, among other things, that the lender’s commitment under our revolving credit facility is capped at the amount outstanding thereunder as of the date thereof and thus we are unable to make additional borrowings under our revolving credit facility. The March 2025 Amendment also provides that our failure to achieve certain refinancing milestones, including receipt of a term sheet or commitment letter from one or more potential lenders, by the dates provided in the March 2025 Amendment or our failure to consummate a refinancing of the Credit Agreement by June 30, 2025, would, in either case, constitute an event of default under the Credit Agreement. The lenders also agreed not to assert the financial covenants included in the Credit Agreement for the first quarter of fiscal year 2025 provided that we continue to comply with our payment obligations, achieve the refinancing milestones, provide the administrative agent with certain financial reports and maintain a minimum level of liquidity as defined by the March 2025 Amendment. If we are not able to comply with the terms and conditions of the March 2025 Amendment, or if we are otherwise unable to regain and maintain compliance with the covenants under the Credit Agreement, as amended, or are unsuccessful in obtaining waivers or amendments for any covenant in the future, in addition to other actions our lenders may require, the amounts outstanding under the Credit Agreement may become immediately due and payable. See “Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Liquidity and Capital Resources” of this report for additional information regarding the March 2025 Amendment.
If we fail to satisfy these requirements, there can be no assurance that the lenders will not take action to collect payment of our debt or dispose of collateral securing the debt. Our cash flow and existing capital resources may be insufficient to repay our debt, in which such case prior thereto we would have to repay, refinance and or restructure the obligations under the Credit Agreement, including with proceeds from the sale of assets, and additional equity or debt capital. If we are unsuccessful in obtaining such extension, or entering into such repayment, refinance or restructure prior to maturity or acceleration of repayment, our lenders could foreclose against their collateral or seek other remedies, which would jeopardize our ability to continue our current operations.
Our inability to make additional borrowings under our revolving credit facility could materially affect our ability to fund our existing operations or execute our current business strategy. We may be unable to generate sufficient cash flow, and we may be forced to take actions, which may not be successful, to satisfy our obligations and fund our operations.
Due to the consolidated net leverage ratio requirements in the Credit Agreement and based on the terms of the March 2025 Amendment, we are unable to make additional borrowings under our revolving credit facility. Our financial and operating performance will continue to be subject to prevailing economic conditions and to financial, business and other factors, some of which are beyond our control. Depending on our revenues and operating performance, our inability to make such additional borrowings could materially affect our ability to fund our existing operations and maintain our current liquidity position.
Pursuant to the terms of the March 2025 Amendment, we must restructure or refinance the indebtedness underlying the Credit Agreement or seek additional capital to pay such indebtedness. If we are unable to raise sufficient capital on favorable terms and in a timely manner (if at all), our business and product development efforts could be seriously harmed, and we may be restricted in pursuing potential acquisitions or other business development opportunities as we may be forced to reduce or delay investments and capital expenditures. Our ability to restructure or refinance our debt will depend on, among other things, the condition of the credit markets, capital markets and our financial condition at such time. Any refinancing of our debt could be at higher interest rates and may require us to comply with more onerous covenants, which could further restrict our business operations. The terms of existing or future debt instruments may restrict us from adopting some of these alternatives. In addition, any failure to make payments of interest and principal on our outstanding indebtedness on a timely basis would likely result in a reduction of our credit rating, which could harm our ability to incur additional indebtedness. If we raise additional funds through collaborations or licensing arrangements, we may relinquish rights to certain of our technologies or products or grant licenses to third parties on terms that are unfavorable. In the absence of sufficient cash flows and resources, we could face substantial liquidity problems and might be required to dispose of material assets or operations to meet our debt service and other obligations.
The agreement governing our senior secured credit facility contains financial covenants and other covenants that may restrict our current and future operations, particularly our ability to respond to changes in our business or to take certain actions. Any failure to comply with these covenants could materially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.
Pursuant to the terms of the Credit Agreement, we are subject to various covenants, including negative covenants that restrict our ability to engage in certain transactions, which may limit our ability to respond to changing business and economic conditions. Such negative covenants include, among other things, limitations on our ability and the ability of our subsidiaries to incur debt or liens, make investments (including acquisitions), sell assets, and pay dividends on our capital stock. In addition, the Credit Agreement contains certain financial covenants, including a maximum consolidated net leverage ratio and a minimum consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio, each of which is to be tested at the end of each fiscal quarter of the Company. The March 2025 Amendment contains a minimum liquidity requirement, which will be tested on a biweekly basis. The operating and financial restrictions and covenants in the Credit Agreement and any future financing agreements may adversely affect our ability to finance future operations or capital needs or to engage in other business activities.
Our management has identified material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024. Failure to establish and maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting could have a material adverse effect on our ability to report our financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows accurately and on a timely basis.
As a publicly traded company, we are subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“Sarbanes-Oxley Act”). The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting. As part of its annual review of the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024, our management identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. A material weakness is a deficiency or a combination of deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. The identified material weaknesses relate to the design and operating effectiveness of our internal controls over (i) our order to cash cycle and (ii) our physical count of inventories. As a result of these material weaknesses, our management also concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of December 31, 2024.
We are currently implementing a plan intended to remediate the material weaknesses described above. The identified material weaknesses will be considered remediated once additional internal controls are designed, implemented and operate effectively for a sufficient period of time to allow management to conclude that the material weaknesses have been fully remediated. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to remediate fully the material weaknesses on a timely basis. We may also fail to identify other material weaknesses or significant deficiencies that could impair our ability to report our financial condition and results of operations accurately or on a timely basis.
Continued or future failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could result in financial statements that do not accurately reflect our financial condition or results of operations, may result in material misstatements in our financial statements and may also restrict our future access to the capital markets. Further, because of the inherent limitations in any system of controls, even effective internal control over financial reporting could fail to prevent or detect inaccuracies or misstatements.
For a discussion of our internal control over financial reporting and a description of the identified material weaknesses and remediation plans, see “Part II, Item 9A. Controls and Procedures” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations may have a negative impact on our reported earnings.
We are subject to the risks of fluctuating foreign currency exchange rates, which could have an adverse effect on the sales price of our products in foreign markets, as well as the costs and expenses of our foreign subsidiaries. A substantial amount of our revenues is derived from international operations, and we anticipate that a significant portion of revenues will continue to come from outside the United States in the future. As a result, currency fluctuations among the United States dollar, British pound, euro and the other currencies in which we do business have caused and will continue to cause foreign currency translation and transaction gains and losses. We have not used forward exchange contracts to hedge our foreign currency exposures. We attempt to manage foreign currency risk through the matching of assets and liabilities. In the future, we may undertake to manage foreign currency risk through hedging methods, including foreign currency contracts. We recognize foreign currency gains or losses arising from our operations in the period incurred. We cannot guarantee that we will be successful in managing foreign currency risk or in predicting the effects of exchange rate fluctuations upon our future operating results because of the number of currencies involved, the variability of currency exposure and the potential volatility of currency exchange rates. We cannot predict with certainty any changes in foreign currency exchange rates or the degree to which we can address these risks.
Issues in the development, deployment, and use of artificial intelligence technologies in our business operations, services and products may result in reputational harm, regulatory action, or legal liability, and any failure to adapt to such technological developments or industry trends could adversely affect the competitiveness of our business.
Use of artificial intelligence (“AI”) to improve our internal business operations, or in the development or provision of products or services, poses risks and challenges. The use of AI, particularly generative AI, presents opportunities as well as risks that could negatively impact the business. The development, deployment, and use of AI, including within the life sciences industry, is still in its early stages, where the use of insufficiently developed AI technologies and premature deployment practices could result in unintended outcomes that harm the business. AI technologies may be developed using inaccurate, incomplete, flawed or biased algorithms, training methodologies or data, which could result in competitive harm, regulatory penalties, legal liability, or brand or reputational harm. Further, a failure to timely and effectively use or deploy AI and integrate it into new product offerings and services could negatively impact our competitiveness, particularly ahead of evolving industry trends and evolving consumer demands. We may be unable to devote adequate financial resources to develop or acquire new AI technologies and systems in the future.
AI can pose risks from an intellectual property, confidential data leakage, data protection, privacy perspective, as well as raise ethical concerns, compliance issues, and security risks. The input of confidential information or trade secrets into AI systems may result in the loss of intellectual property, proprietary rights, or attorney-client privilege in such information or trade secrets. The use of AI technologies for developing products or services may adversely affect or preclude the company’s intellectual property rights in such products or services, or may expose the company to liability related to the infringement, misappropriation or other violation of third-party intellectual property. The use of AI technologies with personally identifiable information may also result in legal liability. Further, particularly given the nascent stage of the technology, the use of AI can lead to unintended consequences, including the generation of outputs that appear correct but are factually inaccurate, misleading, or that result in unintended biases and discriminatory outcomes, or are otherwise flawed, which could harm our reputation and business and expose us to risks related to such inaccuracies or errors in these outputs.
Moreover, AI is subject to a dynamic and rapidly evolving legal and regulatory environment, which, without appropriate review, governance and risk management, could expose the company to unforeseen legal or regulatory scrutiny and liabilities. As such, it remains uncertain how AI laws and regulations will impact our business or the associated cost or risks related to compliance therewith or with respect to embedding compliance mechanisms appropriately and effectively into our operations. The use of AI may be subject to new legal or regulatory requirements, the impact of which may be prohibitive or pose further risks from a legal or regulatory action perspective.
Failure or inadequacy of our information technology infrastructure or software could adversely affect our day-to-day operations and decision-making processes and have an adverse effect on our performance.
We depend on accurate and timely information and numerical data from key software applications to aid our day-to-day business, financial reporting and decision-making and, in many cases, proprietary and custom-designed software is necessary to operate our business. Disruption caused by the failure of these systems, the underlying equipment, or communication networks could delay or otherwise adversely impact day-to-day business and decision making, could make it impossible for us to operate critical equipment, and could have an adverse effect on our performance. Our disaster recovery plans may not fully mitigate the effect of any such disruption. Disruptions could be caused by a variety of factors, such as catastrophic events or weather, power outages, or cyber-attacks on our systems by outside parties.
Our ERP systems are critical to our ability to accurately maintain books and records, record transactions, provide important information to our management and prepare our financial statements. The implementation of any IT systems, including ERP systems, has required in the past, and may continue to require investment of significant financial and human resources. In addition, we may not be able to successfully complete the implementation of the ERP systems without experiencing difficulties. Any disruptions, delays or deficiencies in the design and implementation of any information technology (“IT) system, including ERP systems, could adversely affect our ability to process orders, ship products, provide services and customer support, send invoices and track payments, fulfill contractual obligations or otherwise operate our business.
An information security incident, including a cybersecurity breach, could have a negative impact on our business or reputation.
To meet business objectives, we rely on both internal IT systems and networks, and those of third parties and their vendors, to process and store sensitive data, including confidential research, business plans, financial information, intellectual property, and personal data that may be subject to legal protection. The extensive information security and cybersecurity threats, which affect companies globally, pose a risk to the security and availability of these IT systems and networks, and the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of our sensitive data. We continually assess these threats and make investments to increase internal protection, detection, and response capabilities, as well as ensure our third-party providers have the required capabilities and controls to address this risk. We have been, and may continue to be, subject to cybersecurity risks and incidents related to our business. While we have not experienced any material impact to the business or operations resulting from information or cybersecurity incidents, because of the frequently evolving tactics adopted by threat actors, along with the increased volume and sophistication of attacks by such threat actors, there is the potential for us to be materially adversely impacted in the future. This impact could result in reputational, competitive, operational or other business harm as well as financial costs and regulatory action. Additionally, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (the “CCPA”), which became effective on January 1, 2020, provides private rights of action for data breaches and requires companies that process information on California residents to make new disclosures to consumers about their data collection, use and sharing practices and allow consumers to opt out of certain data sharing with third parties. Compliance with the CCPA and other current and future applicable privacy, cybersecurity and related laws can be costly and time-consuming. Significant capital investments and other expenditures could also be required to remedy cybersecurity problems and prevent future breaches, including costs associated with additional security technologies, personnel, experts and credit monitoring services for those whose data has been breached. These costs, which could be material, could adversely impact our results of operations in the period in which they are incurred and may not meaningfully limit the success of future attempts to breach our information technology systems.
We may be unable to renew leases or enter into new leases on favorable terms or at all.
Our facilities are located in leased premises. When such leases expire, we may be unable to renew such leases or enter into new leases on favorable terms or at all. Further, a significant rise in real estate prices or real property taxes could also result in an increase in lease expenses, and thereby negatively impact the Company’s results of operations and cash flow. As a result, we may incur additional costs including increased rent and other costs related to our renegotiation of lease terms for our facilities or for a new lease in a desirable location.
We may incur additional restructuring costs or not realize the expected benefits of our initiatives to reduce operating expenses in the future.
We may not realize the expected benefits from our recent realignment and restructuring initiatives or similar restructuring initiatives that we may undertake in the future. In addition, we may incur additional restructuring costs in implementing such realignment and restructuring plans or other similar future plans in excess of our expectations. The implementation of our restructuring efforts, including the reduction of our workforce, may not improve our operational and cost structure or result in greater efficiency of our organization; and we may not be able to support sustainable revenue growth and profitability following such restructurings.
If we are not able to manage our growth, our operating profits may be adversely impacted.
Our success will depend on the expansion of our operations through organic growth, and we may execute acquisitions in the future to augment this growth. Effective growth management will place increased demands on our management team, operational and financial resources and expertise. To manage growth, we must optimize our operational, financial and management processes and systems, and information technology infrastructure and hire and train additional qualified personnel. While we continue to evaluate potential improvements to and consolidation of many of our processes and systems, we may not be able to implement these changes in an efficient or timely manner. Failure to manage our growth effectively, including failure to improve our systems and processes timely or efficiently, could impair our ability to generate revenues or could cause our expenses to increase more rapidly than revenues, resulting in operating losses or reduced profitability.
We may incur a variety of costs in connection with acquisitions we may seek to consummate in the future, and we may never realize the anticipated benefits of our acquisitions due in part to difficulties integrating the businesses, operations and product lines.
Our business strategy has historically included the acquisition of businesses, technologies, services or products that we believe are a strategic fit with our business. If we were to undertake future acquisitions, the process of integrating the acquired business, technology, service and/or product(s) may result in unforeseen operating difficulties and expenditures and potentially absorb significant management attention that would otherwise be available for ongoing development of our business. Moreover, we may fail to realize the anticipated benefits of an acquisition as rapidly as expected, or at all. Such transactions are inherently risky, and any such recent or future acquisitions could reduce stockholders’ ownership, cause us to incur debt, expose us to future liabilities and result in amortization expenses related to intangible assets with definite lives, which may adversely impact our ability to undertake future acquisitions on substantially similar terms. We may also incur significant expenditures in anticipation of an acquisition that is never realized.
Our ability to achieve the benefits of acquisitions depends in part on the integration and leveraging of technology, operations, sales and marketing channels and personnel. Integration is a complex, time-consuming and expensive process and may disrupt our business if not completed in a timely and efficient manner. We may have difficulty successfully integrating acquired businesses, and their domestic and foreign operations or product lines, and as a result, we may not realize any of the anticipated benefits of the acquisitions we make. We cannot assure that our growth rate will equal the growth rates that have been experienced by us, and these other acquired companies, respectively, operating as separate companies in the past.
If we fail to retain key personnel and hire, train and retain qualified employees, we may not be able to compete effectively, which could result in reduced revenue or increased costs.
Our success is highly dependent on the continued services of key management, technical and scientific personnel. Our management and other employees may voluntarily terminate their employment at any time upon short notice. The loss of the services of any member of the senior management team, including the Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer or any of our managerial, technical or scientific staff, may significantly delay or prevent the achievement of product development, our growth strategies and other business objectives. Our future success will also depend on our ability to identify, recruit and retain additional qualified scientific, technical and managerial personnel. We operate in several geographic locations where labor markets are particularly competitive, including the Boston, Massachusetts and Minneapolis, Minnesota metropolitan areas, England, and Germany where demand for personnel with these skills is extremely high and is likely to remain high. As a result, competition for qualified personnel is intense, particularly in the areas of general management, finance, information technology, engineering and science, and the process of hiring suitably qualified personnel is often lengthy and expensive and may become more expensive in the future. If we are unable to hire and retain a sufficient number of qualified employees, our ability to conduct and expand our business could be seriously reduced.
Our success will depend partly on our ability to operate without infringing on or misappropriating the intellectual property rights of others.
We may be sued for infringing on the intellectual property rights of others, including the patent rights, trademarks and trade names of third parties. Intellectual property litigation is costly, and the outcome is uncertain. If we do not prevail in any intellectual property litigation, in addition to any damages we might have to pay, we could be required to stop the infringing activity or obtain a license to or design around the intellectual property in question. If we are unable to obtain a required license on acceptable terms, or are unable to design around any third-party patent, we may be unable to sell some of our products and services, which could result in reduced revenue.
Third parties may seek to hold us responsible for Harvard Apparatus Regenerative Technologies, Inc.’s (“HRGN”) (formerly known as Biostage, Inc.) liabilities, including liabilities that HRGN has assumed from us.
Third parties may continue to seek to hold us responsible for HRGN’s liabilities, including any of the liabilities that HRGN agreed to retain or assume in connection with the separation of the HRGN business from our businesses, and related spin-off distribution. For example, in April 2022, we and HRGN entered into a settlement of a litigation relating to injuries allegedly caused by products produced by us and HRGN and utilized in connection with surgeries performed by third parties (the “HRGN Settlement”). The HRGN Settlement resolved and dismissed all claims by and between the parties.
Risks Related to Our Common Stock
Our stock price has fluctuated in the past and could experience substantial additional declines in the future.
The market price of our common stock has experienced significant fluctuations and may become volatile and could decline further in the future, perhaps substantially, in response to various factors including, but not limited to:
● the substantial doubt with regard to our ability to continue as a going concern;
●
our business performance;
●
volatility of the financial markets;
●
uncertainty regarding the prospects of the domestic and foreign economies; and
●
technological innovations by competitors or in competing technologies.
In addition, public stock markets have experienced extreme price and trading volatility. The stock market and the Nasdaq Global Market in general, and the biotechnology and life science tools industry and small cap markets in particular, have experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that at times may have been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. These broad market and industry factors may further harm the market price of our common stock, regardless of our operating performance. In the past, securities class action litigation has often been instituted following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities. A securities class action suit against us could result in substantial costs, potential liabilities and the diversion of management’s attention and resources.
If we raise additional funds through the sale of equity or convertible debt or other equity-linked securities, investors may experience significant dilution of their ownership interest.
We may raise additional funds through the sale of equity or convertible debt or other equity-linked securities to repay our existing indebtedness, implement our acquisition strategy, expand our operations or invest in the development of new products. If we raise additional funds through such sales, investors may experience significant dilution of their ownership interest. We may issue securities that have rights, preferences and privileges senior to our common stock. If we raise additional funds by obtaining loans from third parties, the terms of those financing arrangements may include negative covenants or other restrictions on our business that could impair our operational flexibility and would also require us to incur additional interest expense.
General Risks
We are currently operating in a period of economic uncertainty and capital markets disruption, which has been significantly impacted by geopolitical instability due to military conflicts. Our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected by any negative impact on the global economy and capital markets resulting from the conflict in Ukraine, the Middle East or any other geopolitical tensions.
U.S. and global markets are experiencing volatility and disruption following the escalation of geopolitical tensions globally, including military conflicts (such as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the conflicts in Israel and the Middle East). Although the length and impact of these conflicts are highly unpredictable, these conflicts could lead to market disruptions, including significant volatility in commodity prices, credit and capital markets, supply chain interruptions, and additional economic and financial sanctions.
Any of the abovementioned factors could affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and operating results. The extent and duration of the military action, sanctions and resulting market disruptions are impossible to predict, but could be substantial. Any such disruptions may also magnify the impact of other risks described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Epidemics and pandemics have had, and in the future may have, a material adverse impact on our business.
Our operations and financial performance have been, and in the future may be, negatively impacted by public health crises, epidemics and pandemics. Such events have caused, and may in the future cause, impacts such as reductions in economic activity (including volatility in demand for our products, services, and solutions, disruptions in global supply chains, and volatility in financial markets). Additionally, we have in the past experienced, and may in the future experience, operational challenges such as workplace disruptions, restrictions on the movement of people, raw materials, and goods (both at our own facilities and at those of our customers and suppliers), global supply chain disruptions, delays or disruptions in orders and order fulfillment, and price inflation.
If we incur higher costs as a result of trade policies, treaties, government regulations or tariffs, we may become less profitable.
There continues to be uncertainty about the relationship between the United States and foreign countries, including with respect to trade policies, treaties, government regulations and tariffs. The United States has recently instituted or proposed changes in trade policies that include the negotiation or termination of trade agreements, the imposition of higher tariffs on imports into the United States, economic sanctions on individuals, corporations or countries, and other government regulations affecting trade between the United States and other countries where we conduct our business. A number of other nations have proposed or instituted similar measures directed at trade with the United States in response. As a result of these developments, there may be greater restrictions and economic disincentives on international trade that could materially and adversely affect our business.
We may be the subject of lawsuits from counterparties to acquisitions and divestitures, including an acquiring company or its stockholders, an acquired company’s previous stockholders, a divested company’s stockholders or our current stockholders.
We may be the subject of lawsuits from either an acquiring company or its stockholders, an acquired company’s previous stockholders, a divested company’s stockholders or our current stockholders. Such lawsuits could result from the actions of the acquisition or divestiture target prior to the date of the acquisition or divestiture, from the acquisition or divestiture transaction itself or from actions after the acquisition or divestiture. Defending potential lawsuits could cost us significant expense and detract management’s attention from the operation of the business. Additionally, these lawsuits could result in the cancellation of or the inability to renew certain insurance coverage that would be necessary to protect our assets
Rising commodity and precious metals costs could adversely impact our profitability.
Raw material commodities, such as resins, and precious metal commodities, such as platinum, are subject to wide price variations. Increases in the costs of these commodities and the costs of energy, transportation and other necessary services may adversely affect our profit margins if we are unable to pass along any higher costs in the form of price increases or otherwise achieve cost efficiencies such as in manufacturing and distribution.
Provisions of Delaware law, or of our charter and bylaws may make a takeover more difficult, which could cause our stock price to decline.
Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and in the Delaware corporate law may make it difficult and expensive for a third party to pursue a tender offer, change in control or takeover attempt, which is opposed by management and the board of directors. Public stockholders who might desire to participate in such a transaction may not have an opportunity to do so. We have a staggered board of directors that makes it difficult for stockholders to change the composition of the board of directors in any one year. These anti-takeover provisions could substantially impede the ability of public stockholders to change our management and board of directors. Such provisions may also limit the price that investors might be willing to pay for shares of our common stock in the future.

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
Item 1B.
Unresolved Staff Comments.
None.

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Item 2.
Properties.
Our facilities incorporate manufacturing, research and development, sales and marketing, and administration functions. As of December 31, 2024, we leased the following principal facilities:
Approximate
Location
Description of Facility
Square Footage
Expiration
New Brighton, Minnesota
Manufacturing facility
75,000
Holliston, Massachusetts
Manufacturing facility and corporate headquarters
52,000
Reutlingen, Germany
Manufacturing facility
23,000
2025*
Barcelona, Spain
Manufacturing facility
16,000
2025+
March-Hugstetten, Germany
Manufacturing facility
11,000
* After December 31, 2024, this lease was extended through January 2030.
+ This lease is renewed on a month-to-month basis.
We also lease facilities in Cambridge, England; Kista, Sweden; Beijing, China; and Shanghai, China. We believe our current facilities are adequate for our needs for the foreseeable future.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Item 3.
Legal Proceedings.
For information related to legal proceedings, see the discussion in Note 16 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in “Part IV, Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules” of this report, which information is incorporated by reference into this Item 3.

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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
Item 4.
Mine Safety Disclosures
Not Applicable.
PART II

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ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY
Item 5.
Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Market Information
Our common stock is quoted on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “HBIO.”
Stockholders
There were 86 holders of record of our common stock as of March 5, 2025. The number of record holders was determined from the records of our transfer agent and does not include beneficial owners of our common stock whose shares are held in the names of various security brokers, dealers, and registered clearing agencies.
Dividend Policy
We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock in the past and do not intend to pay cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to pay cash dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements and other factors our board of directors deems relevant.

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
Item 6.
[Reserved]

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
Item 7.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
Forward-Looking Statements
The following section of this Annual Report on Form 10-K contains statements that are not statements of historical fact and are forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, financial performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, financial performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are based on assumptions and subject to risks and uncertainties. Factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include those factors described in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. You should carefully review all of these factors, as well as the comprehensive discussion of forward-looking statements on page 1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Overview
Harvard Bioscience is a leading developer, manufacturer and seller of technologies, products and services that enable fundamental advances in life science applications, including research, pharmaceutical and therapy discovery, bioproduction and preclinical testing for pharmaceutical and therapy development. Our products and services are sold globally to customers ranging from renowned academic institutions and government laboratories to the world’s leading pharmaceutical, biotechnology and CROs. With operations in the United States, Europe and China, we sell through a combination of direct and distribution channels to customers around the world.
Restructuring Activities
During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company initiated a restructuring and incurred $0.4 million in inventory charges, severance and other expenses related to the restructuring program. During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company continued and completed additional restructurings and incurred expenses of $0.8 million, primarily consisting of severance recorded in connection with headcount reductions in Europe and North America.
Selected Results of Operations
In the table below, we provide an overview of selected operating metrics for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023.
Year Ended December 31,
(dollars in thousands)
% of revenue
% of revenue
Revenues
$ 94,135
$ 112,250
Gross profit
54,766
58.2 %
66,071
58.9 %
Sales and marketing expenses
22,212
23.6 %
24,060
21.4 %
General and administrative expenses
21,493
22.8 %
22,757
20.3 %
Research and development expenses
10,406
11.1 %
11,764
10.5 %
Amortization of intangible assets
5,255
5.6 %
5,525
4.9 %
Other operating expenses
1,611
1.7 %
0.1 %
Interest expense
3,209
3.4 %
3,591
3.2 %
Loss on equity securities
1,593
1.7 %
0.6 %
Income tax expense
0.8 %
0.8 %
Revenues
Revenues decreased $18.2 million, or 16.1%, to $94.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $112.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The decrease in revenues was primarily due to softening of worldwide demand from distributors, CRO’s and academic medical research institutions. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates had a $0.2 million favorable effect on revenues during the year ended December 31, 2024.
Gross profit
Gross profit decreased $11.3 million, or 17.1%, to $54.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared with $66.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily due to the decreases in revenues. Gross margin decreased to 58.2% for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared with 58.9% for the year ended December 31, 2023. Gross margin was unfavorably impacted by the under-absorption of fixed manufacturing overhead costs due to the decrease in revenues which was partially offset by a better mix of high margin products and lower labor costs.
Sales and marketing expenses
Sales and marketing expenses decreased $1.9 million, or 7.7%, to $22.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $24.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The decrease was primarily due to a decrease in compensation costs of $1.3 million, a decrease in consulting costs of $0.2 million and a decrease in travel costs of $0.2 million, in each case as compared to the year ended December 31, 2023.
General and administrative expenses
General and administrative expenses decreased by $1.3 million, or 5.6%, to $21.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared with $22.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The decrease was primarily due to a decrease in compensation costs of $1.3 million, a decrease of $0.5 million due to the capitalization of labor and consulting expenses associated with our U.S. ERP consolidation project and a decrease in travel and entertainment costs of $0.2 million, partially offset by an increase in professional fees of $0.4 million and an increase in depreciation expense of $0.2 million, in each case as compared to the year ended December 31, 2023.
Research and development expenses
Research and development expenses decreased $1.4 million, or 11.5%, to $10.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared with $11.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The decrease was primarily due to a decrease in compensation costs of $0.9 million and a decrease of $0.3 million due the capitalization of software development costs, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2023.
Amortization of intangible assets
Amortization of intangible assets decreased $0.2 million, or 4.9%, to $5.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared with $5.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023.
Other operating expenses
Other operating expenses for the year ended December 31, 2024, were $1.6 million and included restructuring costs of $0.8 million in connection with headcount reductions, a fee of $0.5 million in connection with the receipt of employee retention tax credits, and $0.3 million related to settlement of an unclaimed property audit. Other operating expenses for the year ended December 31, 2023, were $0.1 million and included restructuring costs in connection with headcount reductions.
Interest expense
Interest expense decreased $0.4 million, or 10.6%, to $3.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared with $3.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The decrease was primarily due to lower average borrowings during the period.
Loss on equity securities
As of December 31, 2023, we held shares of common stock of HRGN with an estimated fair value of $3.5 million. These shares were received in connection with the settlement of indemnification obligations related to litigation which was resolved during the year ended December 31, 2022. During the year ended December 31, 2024, we sold all of our HRGN shares for $1.9 million and recorded a loss on sale of $1.6 million. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we recorded unrealized losses of $0.6 million related to these shares.
Income tax expense
Income tax expense for the year ended December 31, 2024, was $0.7 million compared to $0.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The effective tax rates for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, were (6.3)% and (33.5)%, respectively. The lower effective tax rate during the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to the year ended December 31, 2023, was primarily related to changes to tax attribute carryforwards, a decrease in the Company’s Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (“GILTI”) inclusion, and a difference in the company’s excess tax benefits related to stock compensation. Our effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2024, was different than the U.S. statutory rate primarily due to changes in valuation allowances associated with our assessment of the likelihood of the recoverability of deferred tax assets and the impact of changes to prior year tax accruals. Our effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2023, was different than the U.S. statutory rate primarily due to the mix of forecasted income or losses in the U.S. and foreign tax jurisdictions, a GILTI inclusion to taxable income and the impact of changes to tax attribute carryforwards.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our primary sources of liquidity are cash and cash equivalents, internally generated cash flow from operations and our shelf registration statement that provides for the issuance of common stock, preferred stock, warrants and units up to an amount equal to $100 million (the “2024 Shelf Registration Statement”). Our expected cash outlays relate primarily to cash payments due under our Credit Agreement described below as well as salaries, inventory, and capital expenditures. We held cash and cash equivalents of $4.1 million and $4.3 million as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. Borrowings outstanding were $37.4 million and $37.1 million as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act of 2020 (“CARES Act”) provided an employee retention tax credit (“ERTC”) that was a refundable tax credit against certain employer taxes. The Company received ERTC refunds of $3.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2024. In January 2025, the Company received an additional $1.0 million of ERTC refunds. The Company’s compliance with the program’s qualifications may be subject to audit until May 2028, which is when the statute of limitation expires.
We maintain a Credit Agreement that provides for a term loan of $40.0 million and a $25.0 million revolving credit facility both maturing on December 22, 2025. On March 28, 2024, we entered into an amendment to the Credit Agreement pursuant to which the Lenders and administrative agent modified the definition of Consolidated EBITDA used in the calculation of certain financial covenants to adjust for charges related to an abandoned property audit and commission fees in connection with our employee retention tax credit filings. On August 6, 2024, we entered into an amendment to the Credit Agreement that, among other things, modified the financial covenants relating to the consolidated net leverage ratio and consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio through the period ended December 31, 2024. The amendment also added a net leverage ratio requirement with respect to additional borrowing under our revolving credit facility and restrictions on certain additional indebtedness and investments. In addition, the applicable interest rate margin was increased by 50bps during such time as the consolidated net leverage ratio is greater than 3.0. We paid fees of $0.2 million to the Lenders in connection with the August 6th amendment.
We were not in compliance with the consolidated net leverage ratio covenant contained in the Credit Agreement as of the December 31, 2024 test date. On March 10, 2025, we entered into an amendment to the Credit Agreement (the “March 2025 Amendment”) pursuant to which the lenders and administrative agent agreed to waive such non-compliance, subject to the terms contained in the March 2025 Amendment. The March 2025 Amendment provides, among other things, that the lender’s commitment under our revolving credit facility is capped at the amount outstanding thereunder as of the date thereof and thus we are unable to make additional borrowings under our revolving credit facility. The March 2025 Amendment also establishes certain milestones with respect to the refinancing of the debt underlying the Credit Agreement (the “Refinancing”) and dates by which such milestones must be met. These milestones include: (1) continuing to retain an investment banker for the purpose of assisting with the consummation of the Refinancing; (2) by March 14, 2025, the engagement of a financial advisor acceptable to the administrative agent; (3) by April 30, 2025, the delivery to the administrative agent of an executed bona fide indication of interest from one or more potential lenders with respect to the Refinancing on terms and conditions acceptable to the administrative agent; (4) by May 23, 2025, the delivery to the administrative agent of a term sheet or commitment letter from one or more potential lenders that provides for the Refinancing on terms and conditions acceptable to the administrative agent; (5) by June 13, 2025, delivery to the administrative agent of: (i) a statement of sources and uses of transaction proceeds; and (ii) evidence that the potential lender’s conditions to closing (other than customary closing deliveries) of the Refinancing, such as business commitments, are satisfied; and (6) by June 30, 2025, the closing of the Refinancing. The lenders also agreed not to assert the financial covenants included in the Credit Agreement for the first quarter of fiscal year 2025 provided that we continue to comply with our payment obligations, achieve the refinancing milestones, maintain minimum liquidity (defined as the sum of (a) unrestricted cash and cash equivalents and (b) the amount by which the aggregate amount committed under the Company’s revolving credit facility exceeds the total amount drawn under the credit facility) of $3.5 million and provide the administrative agent with certain financial reports. In addition, pursuant to the terms of the March 2025 Amendment the applicable interest rate margin is increased such that interest rate is equal to a rate per annum based on the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) plus 400 bps and amortization payments were revised so that a proportionate payment must be made on a monthly rather than a quarterly basis.
If we are not able to comply with the terms and conditions of the March 2025 Amendment, or if we are otherwise unable to regain and maintain compliance with the covenants under the Credit Agreement, as amended, or are unsuccessful in obtaining waivers or amendments for any covenant in the future, in addition to other actions our lenders may require, the amounts outstanding under the Credit Agreement may become immediately due and payable. We paid fees of $0.1 million to the Lenders in connection with the March 2025 Amendment.
We continue to take actions intended to improve liquidity, including actions related to cost containment and inventory reduction. Based on its current operating plans, the Company expects that its available cash and cash generated from operations will be sufficient to finance operations and capital expenditures while the Company works to refinance the Credit Agreement.
Condensed Consolidated Cash Flow Statements
Year Ended December 31,
(in thousands)
Cash provided by operating activities
$ 1,440
$ 14,028
Cash used in investing activities
(1,344 )
(1,799 )
Cash used in financing activities
(131 )
(12,134 )
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash
(140 )
(320 )
Decrease in cash and cash equivalents
$ (175 )
$ (225 )
Cash provided by operations was $1.4 million and $14.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Cash flow from operations for the year ended December 31, 2024 was negatively impacted by $8.1 million as a result of a larger net loss for the period adjusted for non-cash items, along with a $7.7 million decrease due to changes in operating assets and liabilities, which was offset by the receipt of $3.2 million of employee retention tax credits.
Cash used in investing activities was $1.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, and consisted of $3.2 million of capital expenditures for manufacturing and information technology infrastructure and software development, offset by $1.9 million in proceeds from the sale of marketable equity securities. Cash used in investing activities was $1.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, and primarily consisted of $2.3 million of capital expenditures in manufacturing, information technology infrastructure, and capitalized software costs, offset by $0.5 million from proceeds from the sale our Hoefer product line.
Cash used by financing activities was $0.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. During this period, debt outstanding under our credit facility increased by $0.2 million, due to net borrowings under our revolver of $6.2 million and payments of $6.0 million against the term loan. Additionally, we paid debt issuance costs of $0.2 million. We also received proceeds of $0.4 million from the exercise of stock options and employee stock purchase plan purchases and paid $0.6 million for taxes related to net share settlement of equity awards.
Cash used in financing activities was $12.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. During this period, we made term loan installments payments under the Credit Agreement of $4.1 million, with net payments of $6.4 million under the revolving credit facility. We also received proceeds of $0.9 million from the exercise of stock options and the employee stock purchase plan and paid $2.5 million for taxes related to net share settlement of equity awards.
Impact of Foreign Currencies
Our international operations in some instances operate as a natural hedge as we sell our products in many countries and a substantial portion of our revenues, costs and expenses are denominated in foreign currencies, primarily the euro and the British pound. During the year ended December 31, 2024, changes in foreign currency exchange rates resulted in a favorable effect on revenues of $0.2 million and an unfavorable effect on expenses of $0.3 million.
During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, the translation of foreign currency into U.S. dollars included as a component of comprehensive loss resulted in a (loss) gain of $(1.4) million and $1.5 million, respectively. In addition, the currency exchange rate fluctuations included as a component of net loss resulted in currency losses of $(0.2) million during both years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.
Going Concern and Management Plans
As of December 31, 2024, there was indebtedness of $37.4 million outstanding under our term loan and senior revolving credit facility (collectively, the “Credit Agreement”). We were not in compliance with the consolidated net leverage ratio covenant contained in the Credit Agreement as of the December 31, 2024 test date. On March 10, 2025, we entered into an amendment to the Credit Agreement (the “March 2025 Amendment”) pursuant to which the lenders and administrative agent agreed to waive such non-compliance, subject to the terms contained in the March 2025 Amendment. The March 2025 Amendment provides, among other things, that our failure to achieve certain refinancing milestones, including receipt of a term sheet or commitment letter from one or more potential lenders, by the dates provided in the March 2025 Amendment or our failure to consummate a refinancing of the Credit Agreement by June 30, 2025, would, in either case, constitute an event of default under the Credit Agreement. In such event, in addition to other actions our lenders may require, the amounts outstanding under the Credit Agreement may become immediately due and payable.
We are exploring alternative sources of capital that would allow us to refinance our outstanding indebtedness by June 30, 2025, in order to avoid default under the Credit Agreement, but our ability to access such other sources of capital is uncertain. There is no assurance that such capital will be available to us, be obtainable on commercially acceptable terms, or provide us with sufficient funds to meet our objectives. Based on our anticipated cash flows from operations, unless we are able to access other sources of capital or extend the date for repayment under the Credit Agreement, we will be unable to pay our debt obligations and fund our operations for at least twelve months from the date of issuance of the consolidated financial statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. As a result, there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
As discussed in Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in “Part IV, Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules” of this report, our consolidated financial statements include an explanatory paragraph that such financial statements were prepared assuming that we will continue as a going concern, continue our operations for the foreseeable future and realize assets and settle liabilities in the normal course of business. The financial statements do not give effect to any adjustments to the amounts and classification of assets and liabilities that may be necessary should we be unable to continue as a going concern. Such adjustments could be material.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
For information on recent accounting pronouncements impacting our business, see “Recent Accounting Pronouncements” included in Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in “Part IV, Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules” of this report.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon 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, revenue and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to revenue recognition, income taxes, litigation and other contingencies. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
We believe the following is one of the more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements:
Impairment of Goodwill and Other Long-Lived Assets
Goodwill is tested for impairment annually or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired. The impairment analysis for goodwill consists of an qualitative assessment potentially followed by a quantitative analysis. If we determine that the carrying value of our reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an impairment charge to goodwill is recorded for the excess. The critical judgments involved in our annual qualitative test of goodwill include an assessment of unfavorable events and a judgment of whether those events put our goodwill at risk of impairment, which if determined to be at risk would require us to perform a quantitative test. The critical judgments and estimates in our quantitative tests for goodwill and long-lived assets include selection and weighting of available valuation methods and the selection of assumptions that may be used in those methods.
During the year ended December 31, 2024, we determined that indicators of impairment were present for our goodwill and certain assets included in a long-lived asset group, including liquidity risk associated with inability to borrow under our Credit Agreement and reduced operating profits. Based on the quantitative analysis, we concluded that our goodwill and certain assets included in a long-lived asset group were not impaired due to the excess of fair value over the carrying value of these assets at December 31, 2024. Based on declines in our stock price subsequent to December 31, 2024, the carrying value of our stockholders’ equity currently exceeds its fair value, which could lead to future impairment.
Income Taxes and Valuation Allowance
We are subject to income taxes in the U.S. and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Our annual tax rate is based on income, statutory tax rates, tax reserve changes and tax planning opportunities available to us in the various jurisdictions in which we operate. We regularly assess the likelihood of tax adjustments in each of the tax jurisdictions in which we have operations and account for the related financial statement implications. We have established tax reserves that we believe are appropriate given the possibility of tax adjustments. Determining the appropriate level of tax reserves requires significant judgment regarding the uncertain application of tax laws. Reserves are adjusted when information becomes available or when an event occurs indicating a change in the reserve is appropriate. Changes in tax reserves could have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.
Significant judgment is also required in determining the amount of deferred tax assets that will ultimately be realized and any corresponding deferred tax asset valuation allowance. When estimating the necessary valuation allowance, we consider all available evidence for each jurisdiction including historical operating results, estimates of future taxable income and the feasibility of ongoing tax planning strategies. If new information becomes available that would alter our estimate of the amount of deferred tax assets that will ultimately be realized, we adjust the valuation allowance through income tax expense. Changes in the deferred tax asset valuation allowance could have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Item 7A.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk.
Not Applicable.

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Item 8.
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
The information required by this item is contained in the financial statements referenced in “Part IV, Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules” of this report, which financial statements are appended to this report. An index of those financial statements is found on page.

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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS
Item 9.
Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.
None.

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ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Item 9A.
Controls and Procedures.
This Report includes the certifications of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer required by Rule 13a-14 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). See Exhibits 31.1 and 31.2. This Item 9A includes information concerning the controls and control evaluations referred to in those certifications.
(a)
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Disclosure controls and procedures refer to controls and other procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in our reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding our required disclosure. In designing and evaluating our disclosure controls and procedures, our management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives, and management was required to apply its judgment in evaluating and implementing possible controls and procedures.
We carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of 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 Exchange Act) as of the end of the period covered in this Report. Based upon the evaluation described above, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded as a result of the material weaknesses described below that they believe that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective, as of December 31, 2024, in providing reasonable assurance that information required to disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures, and is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and forms.
(b)
Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act). Our internal control over financial reporting is a process designed by and under the supervision of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer and effected by our management and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of consolidated financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect transactions and dispositions of assets, (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of consolidated financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, (3) provide reasonable assurance that receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors, and (4) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of assets that could have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements.
Because of inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. It is a process that involves human diligence and compliance and is therefore subject to human error and misjudgment. In general, evaluations of effectiveness for future periods are subject to risk as controls may become inadequate due to changes in conditions or the degree of compliance with key processes or procedures could deteriorate.
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f). Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024, based on the framework in Internal Control - Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on our evaluation under the framework in Internal Control - Integrated Framework, management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective, as of December 31, 2024, as a result of the material weaknesses described below.
Material Weaknesses
A material weakness is a deficiency or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
Based on management’s assessment of our internal control over financial reporting, management determined that we did not design and maintain effective controls over (i) our order to cash cycle and (ii) our physical count of inventories. Specifically, we did not design and maintain effective manual controls over the processing and review of a substantial portion of our revenue transactions. Additionally, we did not design and maintain an effective cycle count program to verify quantities of inventories held at Company locations that account for a substantial portion of inventories. The timeliness, level of precision, and appropriate segregation of duties in our review processes over revenue transactions and our physical counts of inventories were not sufficient to prevent, detect, and correct potential misstatements in a timely manner. These material weaknesses did not result in any identified material misstatement in any of our previously filed interim or annual financial statements.
Because of these material weaknesses, management concluded that the Company did not maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024.
The effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024 has also been audited by Grant Thornton LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report, which is included below in Item 9A(e).
Remediation Activities
In response to the material weaknesses, we implemented, and are continuing to implement, measures designed to improve our internal control over financial reporting. These efforts include:
●
Redesigning and maintaining effective controls over the completeness and accuracy of inputs that are used in the order to cash cycle;
●
Assessing the precision and frequency of the performance of the identified controls;
●
Retraining staff involved in the process to ensure controls are adequately performed on a timely basis;
●
Strengthening, formalizing, documenting and testing accounting processes and internal controls in the order to cash cycle and identify system controls that could supplement the manual reviews; and
●
Strengthening the effectiveness of our cycle count program and controls while providing training on standard operating procedures and internal controls to employees responsible for the supply chain, logistics and inventory processes.
The material weaknesses will not be considered remediated until management completes the design and implementation of the measures described above and the controls operate for a sufficient period of time such that the effectiveness of those changes is demonstrated with an appropriate amount of consistency and management has concluded, through testing, that these controls are effective. We also may conclude that additional measures may be required to remediate the material weaknesses or determine to modify the remediation plans described above. Management believes that the remediation measures described above will be implemented in a manner such that the controls can be tested, and the identified material weaknesses can be determined to be remediated, however, no assurance can be made that such remediation will occur or that additional material weaknesses will not be identified.
Grant Thornton LLP has independently assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and its report is included below.
(c)
Changes in Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting
Except for the remediation measures in connection with the material weaknesses described above, there has been no change in the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024, that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company's internal control over financial reporting.
(d)
Inherent Limitations on Effectiveness of Controls
The design of any system of control is based upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated objectives under all future events, no matter how remote, that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may not deteriorate. Because of their inherent limitations, systems of control may not prevent or detect all misstatements. Accordingly, even effective systems of control can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving their control objectives.
(e)
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Board of Directors and Stockholders
Harvard Bioscience, Inc.
Opinion on internal control over financial reporting
We have audited the internal control over financial reporting of Harvard Bioscience, Inc. (a Delaware corporation) and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2024, based on criteria established in the 2013 Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”). In our opinion, because of the effect of the material weaknesses described in the following paragraphs on the achievement of the objectives of the control criteria, the Company has not maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024, based on criteria established in the 2013 Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by COSO.
A material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of control deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. The following material weaknesses have been identified and included in management’s assessment.
The Company did not design and maintain effective manual controls over the processing and review of a substantial portion of its revenue transactions. Additionally, the Company did not design and maintain an effective cycle count program to verify quantities of a substantial portion of its inventory. The timeliness, level of precision, and appropriate segregation of duties in review processes over revenue transactions and physical counts of inventory were not sufficient to prevent, detect, and correct potential misstatements in the financial statements.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”), the consolidated financial statements of the Company as of and for the year ended December 31, 2024. The material weaknesses identified above were considered in determining the nature, timing, and extent of audit tests applied in our audit of the 2024 consolidated financial statements, and this report does not affect our report dated March 13, 2025 which expressed an unqualified opinion on those financial statements.
Basis for opinion
The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Definition and limitations of internal control over financial reporting
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) 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 of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Other information
We do not express an opinion or any other form of assurance on the remediation activities described in Management’s Report.
/s/ GRANT THORNTON LLP
Hartford, Connecticut
March 13, 2025

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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 9B.
Other Information.
Not applicable.

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ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Item 10.
Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.
Incorporated by reference to our definitive Proxy Statement to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act in connection with our 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Item 11.
Executive Compensation.
Incorporated by reference to our definitive Proxy Statement to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act in connection with our 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

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ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
Item 12.
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.
Incorporated by reference to our definitive Proxy Statement to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act in connection with our 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

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ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Item 13.
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.
Incorporated by reference to our definitive Proxy Statement to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act in connection with our 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

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ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
Item 14.
Principal Accounting Fees and Services.
Incorporated by reference to our definitive Proxy Statement to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act in connection with our 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.
PART IV

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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
Item 15.
Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules.
(a)
The following documents are filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K or incorporated by reference as indicated:
(1)
Financial Statements, Schedules, and Exhibits. We have listed our consolidated financial statements filed as part of this annual report in the index to consolidated financial statements on page.
(2)
Financial Statement Schedules. We have omitted all financial statement schedules because they are not applicable or not required or because we have included the necessary information in our consolidated financial statements or related notes.
(3)
Exhibits. We have listed the exhibits filed as part of this annual report in the accompanying exhibit index, which follows our consolidated financial statements filed as part of this annual report.