Technology
Ginkgo Bioworks Reports Second Quarter 2024 Financial Results
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2 years agoon
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Ginkgo provides update on its restructuring process including estimated annualized cost savings of over $85 million from reduction in force
BOSTON, Aug. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: DNA, “Ginkgo”), which is building the leading platform for cell programming and biosecurity, today announced its results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2024. The update, including a webcast slide presentation with additional details on the second quarter and supplemental financial information, will be available at investors.ginkgobioworks.com.
Second Quarter 2024 Financial Results
Second quarter 2024 Total revenue of $56 million, down from $81 million in the comparable prior year period, a decrease of 30% primarily driven by the expected ramp down of K-12 testing in Ginkgo’s Biosecurity segmentSecond quarter 2024 Cell Engineering revenue of $36 million, down from $45 million in the comparable prior year period, a decrease of 20% driven by a decline in revenue from early stage customers partially offset by growth from large/enterprise customersSecond quarter 2024 Biosecurity revenue of $20 million with gross profit margin of 41%Second quarter 2024 Loss from operations of $(223) million (inclusive of stock-based compensation expense of $38 million and M&A and restructuring related costs, including asset impairments, of $72 million), compared to Loss from operations of $(184) million (inclusive of stock-based compensation expense of $62 million and M&A and restructuring related costs, including asset impairments, of $26 million) in the comparable prior year periodSecond quarter 2024 Adjusted EBITDA of $(99) million, down from $(80) million in the comparable prior year period, driven by the decrease in Total revenue partially offset by a decrease in certain operating expensesCash and cash equivalents balance as of the end of the second quarter of $730 million
“This past quarter was a quarter of focused execution for Ginkgo,” said Jason Kelly, co-founder and CEO of Ginkgo. “During the Q1 2024 earnings call, we announced that we were taking decisive action to reduce costs in order to reach Adjusted EBITDA breakeven by the end of 2026 and, in June, we commenced a reduction in force impacting 35% of the workforce. Alongside the RIF, we continued to deliver well for customers as reflected in our second quarter revenue and I’m happy we have gained initial traction with our new lab data as a service (“LDaaS”) offering, including our first few deals with a large cap tech company.”
Recent Business Highlights & Strategic Positioning
Cell Engineering worked to close deals as Ginkgo’s new commercial terms begin to gain tractionAdded 18 new programs and other customer contracts to the Cell Engineering platform in Q2 2024, of which 10 were comparable in size and scope to historically reported New Programs and an additional 8 contracts that represent a variety of smaller deal archetypes, such as LDaaS projectsSigned first LDaaS deals with a large cap tech company in protein characterizationDelivered on a major technical milestone for a large pharmaceutical customerAnnounced a new collaboration with Syngenta Crop Protection aimed at accelerating the launch of a new biological solution to develop and optimize a microbial strain that can meet the productivity targets of a secondary metabolite from the Syngenta Biologicals pipelineGinkgo Biosecurity continues to work towards creating solutions that offer persistent, pervasive monitoringGinkgo has put forth a proposed Genomic Analysis Program to address the threat of H5N1. The program builds upon existing practices of pooling and sampling milk for food safety, and integrates novel capabilities to generate genomic analysis of H5N1 if it spreads and evolvesGinkgo began executing on its plan to reach Adjusted EBITDA breakeven by the end of 2026The reduction in force is estimated to achieve over $85 million in annualized savings by mid-2025Ginkgo is also implementing significant non-people cost cutting measures, including rationalizing third-party costs and site consolidation
Full Year 2024 Outlook
Ginkgo reaffirms Total revenue of $170–$190 million in 2024Ginkgo continues to expect Cell Engineering services revenue of $120-140 million in 2024Ginkgo continues to expect Biosecurity revenue of at least $50 million in 2024
Conference Call Details
Ginkgo will host a videoconference today, Thursday, August 8, 2024, beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET. The presentation will include an overview of second quarter financial performance, recent business updates, a discussion on Ginkgo’s outlook, as well as a moderated question and answer session.
To ask a question ahead of the presentation, please submit your questions to @Ginkgo on X (hashtag #GinkgoResults) or by sending an e-mail to investors@ginkgobioworks.com.
A webcast link is available on Ginkgo’s Investor Relations website and a replay will be made available following the presentation.
Ginkgo Investor Website: https://investors.ginkgobioworks.com/events/
Audio-Only Dial Ins:
+1 646 876 9923 (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 (Chicago)
+1 669 900 6833 (San Jose)
+1 253 215 8782 (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 (Houston)
+1 408 638 0968 (San Jose)
Webinar ID: 991 5650 6740
If you experience technical difficulties with any of these dial-ins or if you need international dial-in numbers, please visit our website at https://investors.ginkgobioworks.com/events/ for updated dial-in information.
About Ginkgo Bioworks
Ginkgo Bioworks is the leading horizontal platform for cell programming, providing flexible, end-to-end services that solve challenges for organizations across diverse markets, from food and agriculture to pharmaceuticals to industrial and specialty chemicals. Ginkgo Biosecurity is building and deploying the next-generation infrastructure and technologies that global leaders need to predict, detect, and respond to a wide variety of biological threats. For more information, visit ginkgobioworks.com and ginkgobiosecurity.com, read our blog, or follow us on social media channels such as X (@Ginkgo and @Ginkgo_Biosec), Instagram (@GinkgoBioworks), Threads (@GinkgoBioworks) or LinkedIn.
Forward-Looking Statements of Ginkgo Bioworks
This press release, the presentation, and the conference call and webcast contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements regarding our plans, strategies, including with respect to our balance sheet and cash runway, current expectations, operations and anticipated results of operations, both business and financial, including the timing for attaining Adjusted EBITDA breakeven and profitability, the success of our new LDaaS offering and anticipated impacts on our results, our planned reduction in workforce and anticipated impacts thereof, the timing and structuring of our planned site consolidation and the potential financial impact thereof, opportunities for and timing of increased operational efficiency and the expected impact on our operational expenditures, our manufacturing capabilities, potential customer success, including successful application of our offerings by our customers, the capabilities and potential operational and financial success of our acquisitions, partnerships and collaborations, and expected timing thereof, expectations with regard to revenue, the nature of such revenue and any related downstream value share associated with such revenue, funding that is contingent upon Ginkgo’s achievement of milestones, expenses, including our stock-based compensation expenses, our full year 2024 outlook, the expansion, timing and potential capabilities of our biosecurity monitoring, surveillance and detection systems, and the market environment, all of which are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, market trends, or industry results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “believe,” “can,” “project,” “potential,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “strategy,” “future,” “opportunity,” “plan,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this document, including but not limited to: (i) our ability to realize near-term and long-term cost savings associated with our site consolidation plans, including the ability to terminate leases or find sub-lease tenants for unused facilities, (ii) volatility in the price of Ginkgo’s securities due to a variety of factors, including changes in the competitive and highly regulated industries in which Ginkgo operates and plans to operate, variations in performance across competitors, and changes in laws and regulations affecting Ginkgo’s business, (iii) the ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations, and to identify and realize additional business opportunities, (iv) the risk of downturns in demand for products using synthetic biology, (v) the uncertainty regarding the demand for passive monitoring programs and biosecurity services, (vi) changes to the biosecurity industry, including due to advancements in technology, emerging competition and evolution in industry demands, standards and regulations, (vii) the outcome of any pending or potential legal proceedings against Ginkgo, (viii) our ability to realize the expected benefits from and the success of our Foundry platform programs, (ix) our ability to successfully develop engineered cells, bioprocesses, data packages or other deliverables, (x) the product development or commercialization success of our customers, and (xi) the potential negative impact on our business of our planned reduction in force or the failure to realize the anticipated savings associated therewith. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in the “Risk Factors” section of Ginkgo’s annual report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 29, 2024 and other documents filed by Ginkgo from time to time with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Ginkgo assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Ginkgo does not give any assurance that it will achieve its expectations.
Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Certain of the financial measures included in this release, including Adjusted EBITDA, have not been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), and constitute “non-GAAP financial measures” as defined by the SEC. Ginkgo has included these non-GAAP financial measures because it believes they provide an additional tool for investors to use in evaluating Ginkgo’s financial performance and prospects. Due to the nature and/or size of the items being excluded, such items do not reflect future gains, losses, expenses or benefits and are not indicative of our future operating performance. These non-GAAP financial measures are supplemental to, and should not be considered in isolation from, or as an alternative to, financial measures determined in accordance with GAAP. In addition, these non-GAAP financial measures may differ from non-GAAP financial measures with comparable names used by other companies. See the reconciliation below for additional information regarding certain of the non-GAAP financial measures included in this release, including a description of these non-GAAP financial measures and a reconciliation of the historic measures to Ginkgo’s most comparable GAAP financial measures.
Ginkgo Bioworks Contacts:
INVESTOR CONTACT:
investors@ginkgobioworks.com
MEDIA CONTACT:
press@ginkgobioworks.com
Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(in thousands, except per share data, unaudited)
As of June 30, 2024
As of December 31, 2023
Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents
$ 730,367
$ 944,073
Accounts receivable, net
18,589
17,157
Accounts receivable – related parties
302
742
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
34,104
39,777
Total current assets
783,362
1,001,749
Property, plant, and equipment, net
210,582
188,193
Operating lease right-of-use assets
418,008
206,801
Investments
62,490
78,565
Intangible assets, net
90,602
82,741
Goodwill
—
49,238
Other non-current assets
60,211
58,055
Total assets
$ 1,625,255
$ 1,665,342
Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable
$ 23,029
$ 9,323
Deferred revenue
26,007
44,486
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities
117,118
110,051
Total current liabilities
166,154
163,860
Non-current liabilities:
Deferred revenue, net of current portion
152,869
158,062
Operating lease liabilities, non-current
452,265
221,835
Other non-current liabilities
20,895
24,433
Total liabilities
792,183
568,190
Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders’ equity:
Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value
—
—
Common stock, $0.0001 par value
206
199
Additional paid-in capital
6,508,209
6,385,997
Accumulated deficit
(5,673,620)
(5,290,528)
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income
(1,723)
1,484
Total stockholders’ equity
833,072
1,097,152
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity
$ 1,625,255
$ 1,665,342
Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss
(in thousands, except per share data, unaudited)
Three Months Ended June 30,
Six Months Ended June 30,
2024
2023
2024
2023
Cell Engineering revenue
$ 36,205
$ 45,283
$ 64,094
$ 79,379
Biosecurity revenue:
Product
—
10,788
—
22,454
Service
20,001
24,497
30,056
59,437
Total revenue
56,206
80,568
94,150
161,270
Costs and operating expenses:
Cost of Biosecurity product revenue
—
2,034
—
6,575
Cost of Biosecurity service revenue
11,807
16,062
21,009
33,896
Cost of other revenue
1,914
—
1,914
—
Research and development (1)
134,221
144,282
270,678
306,921
General and administrative (1)
66,285
102,341
136,572
213,774
Goodwill impairment
47,858
—
47,858
—
Restructuring charges
17,066
—
17,066
—
Total operating expenses
279,151
264,719
495,097
561,166
Loss from operations
(222,945)
(184,151)
(400,947)
(399,896)
Other (expense) income:
Interest income, net
10,313
14,349
22,024
28,894
Loss on equity method investments
—
(67)
—
(1,516)
Loss on investments
(6,826)
(2,121)
(9,370)
(8,491)
Change in fair value of warrant liabilities
3,233
(4,482)
4,173
(3,278)
Other income (expense), net
(766)
3,224
1,249
6,152
Total other income
5,954
10,903
18,076
21,761
Loss before income taxes
(216,991)
(173,248)
(382,871)
(378,135)
Income tax expense
190
67
221
149
Net loss
(217,181)
(173,315)
(383,092)
(378,284)
Net loss per share, basic and diluted
$ (0.11)
$ (0.09)
$ (0.19)
$ (0.20)
Weighted average common shares outstanding:
Basic
2,054,801
1,933,437
2,029,630
1,924,251
Diluted
2,055,024
1,933,437
2,029,853
1,924,251
Comprehensive loss:
Net loss
$ (217,181)
$ (173,315)
$ (383,092)
$ (378,284)
Other comprehensive (loss) income:
Foreign currency translation adjustment
(172)
314
(3,207)
1,332
Total other comprehensive (loss) income
(172)
314
(3,207)
1,332
Comprehensive loss
$ (217,353)
$ (173,001)
$ (386,299)
$ (376,952)
(1)
Total stock-based compensation expense, inclusive of employer payroll taxes, was allocated as follows (in thousands):
Three Months Ended June 30,
Six Months Ended June 30,
2024
2023
2024
2023
Research and development
$ 20,693
$ 40,569
$ 44,814
$ 88,110
General and administrative
17,533
21,908
35,809
49,567
Total
$ 38,226
$ 62,477
$ 80,623
$ 137,677
Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(in thousands, unaudited)
Six Months Ended June 30,
2024
2023
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net loss
$ (383,092)
$ (378,284)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization
30,199
36,610
Stock-based compensation
77,928
134,474
Goodwill impairment
47,858
—
Restructuring related impairment charges
4,823
—
Loss on investments and equity method investments
9,370
10,007
Change in fair value of warrant liabilities
(4,173)
3,278
Change in fair value of contingent consideration liability
2,284
8,453
Non-cash lease expense
13,070
16,327
Non-cash in-process research and development
19,795
3,981
Impairment loss on assets held for sale
—
9,001
Other non-cash activity
2,097
2,429
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable
(1,102)
15,397
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
1,770
12,087
Operating lease right-of-use assets
14,373
4,096
Other non-current assets
(833)
(2,426)
Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other current liabilities
10,864
(4,004)
Deferred revenue, current and non-current
(17,012)
(21,372)
Operating lease liabilities, current and non-current
(3,866)
(13,250)
Other non-current liabilities
1,998
(922)
Net cash used in operating activities
(173,649)
(164,118)
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchases of property and equipment
(33,742)
(32,974)
Business acquisition
(5,400)
—
Proceeds from sale of equipment
191
2,926
Other
—
(590)
Net cash used in investing activities
(38,951)
(30,638)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from exercise of stock options
84
24
Principal payments on finance leases
(494)
(648)
Contingent consideration payment
(661)
(1,042)
Other
—
(603)
Net cash used in financing activities
(1,071)
(2,269)
Effect of foreign exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents
(173)
(495)
Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash
(213,844)
(197,520)
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period
944,073
1,315,792
Restricted cash, beginning of period
45,511
53,789
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period
989,584
1,369,581
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period
730,367
1,105,787
Restricted cash, end of period
45,373
66,274
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period
$ 775,740
$ 1,172,061
Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings, Inc.
Selected Non-GAAP Financial Measures
(in thousands, unaudited)
Three Months Ended June 30,
Six Months Ended June 30,
2024
2023
2024
2023
Net loss
$ (217,181)
$ (173,315)
$ (383,092)
$ (378,284)
Interest income, net
(10,313)
(14,349)
(22,024)
(28,894)
Income tax expense
190
67
221
149
Depreciation and amortization
17,330
17,652
30,199
36,610
EBITDA
(209,974)
(169,945)
(374,696)
(370,419)
Stock-based compensation (1)
38,226
62,477
80,623
137,677
Impairment expense (2)
47,858
9,001
47,858
9,001
Restructuring charges (3)
17,066
—
17,066
—
Merger and acquisition related expenses (4)
4,512
12,212
6,906
30,874
Loss on equity method investments
—
67
—
1,516
Loss on investments
6,826
2,121
9,370
8,491
Change in fair value of warrant liabilities
(3,233)
4,482
(4,173)
3,278
Change in fair value of convertible notes
(480)
(152)
846
(196)
Adjusted EBITDA
$ (99,199)
$ (79,737)
$ (216,200)
$ (179,778)
(1)
Includes $1.1 million and $1.0 million in employer payroll taxes for the three months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and $2.7 and $3.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
(2)
Impairment expense includes $47.9 million related to goodwill impairment in the three and six months ended June 30, 2024 and $9.0 million related to lab equipment acquired as part of the Zymergen acquisition in the three and six months ended June 30, 2023.
(3)
Restructuring charges include $12.2 million in employee termination costs from the reduction in force commenced in June 2024 and $4.8 million in impairment of right-of-use asset relating to facilities consolidation.
(4)
Represents transaction and integration costs directly related to mergers and acquisitions, including: (i) due diligence, legal, consulting and accounting fees associated with acquisitions, (ii) post-acquisition employee retention bonuses and severance payments, (iii) the fair value adjustments to contingent consideration liabilities resulting from acquisitions, (iv) costs associated with the Zymergen Bankruptcy, as well as securities litigation costs, net of insurance recovery. Not included in this adjustment are non-cash charges for acquired in-process research and development expenses, which totaled $3.0 million and $4.0 million in the three months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and $19.8 million and $4.0 million in the six months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings, Inc.
Segment Information
(in thousands, unaudited)
Three Months Ended June 30,
Six Months Ended June 30,
2024
2023
2024
2023
Revenue:
Cell Engineering
$ 36,205
$ 45,283
$ 64,094
$ 79,379
Biosecurity
20,001
35,285
30,056
81,891
Total revenue
56,206
80,568
94,150
161,270
Segment cost of revenue:
Cell Engineering
1,914
—
1,914
—
Biosecurity
11,807
18,096
21,009
40,471
Segment research and development expense:
Cell Engineering
96,487
86,083
196,588
184,605
Biosecurity
458
528
578
1,095
Total segment research and development expense
96,945
86,611
197,166
185,700
Segment general and administrative expense:
Cell Engineering
33,615
50,907
73,848
112,599
Biosecurity
11,179
16,699
23,130
30,655
Total segment general and administrative expense
44,794
67,606
96,978
143,254
Segment operating (loss) income:
Cell Engineering
(95,811)
(91,707)
(208,256)
(217,825)
Biosecurity
(3,443)
(38)
(14,661)
9,670
Total segment operating loss
(99,254)
(91,745)
(222,917)
(208,155)
Operating expenses not allocated to segments:
Stock-based compensation (1)
38,226
62,477
80,623
137,677
Depreciation and amortization
17,330
17,652
30,199
36,610
Impairment expense (2)
47,858
9,001
47,858
9,001
Restructuring charges
17,066
—
17,066
—
Change in fair value of contingent consideration liability
3,211
3,276
2,284
8,453
Loss from operations
$ (222,945)
$ (184,151)
$ (400,947)
$ (399,896)
(1)
Includes $1.1 million and $1.0 million in employer payroll taxes for the three months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and $2.7 million and $3.2 million in employer payroll taxes for the six months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
(2)
Includes $47.9 million related to goodwill impairment in the three and six months ended June 30, 2024 and $9.0 million related to impairment of lab equipment acquired as part of the Zymergen acquisition in the three and six months ended June 30, 2023.
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SOURCE Ginkgo Bioworks
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As soccer continues its unprecedented rise in popularity across the United States, with MLS seeing a 62% year-over-year increase in viewership to kick off the 2026 season, the unique partnership positions the Earthquakes to modernize their GTM, accelerate revenue and capitalize on the sport’s expanding global audience.
In the partnership, Apollo will serve as both a brand sponsor with its logo featured prominently on the right sleeve of the Earthquakes’ jersey, and as a technology partner, powering the club’s GTM strategy. The club will deploy Apollo’s system across key revenue-generating functions, including group ticket sales, sponsorship pipeline management, inbound lead routing and season ticket renewals, creating a modern GTM system designed to drive fan engagement and commercial growth.
“We see this partnership as a natural extension of Apollo’s mission to make world-class go-to-market accessible to everyone by bringing it to the world’s most popular game,” said Matt Curl, CEO of Apollo. “Soccer is entering an incredible growth phase in the U.S., creating a once-in-a-generation opportunity for clubs to deepen fan relationships and accelerate commercial growth. Every professional sports team is running a revenue business focused on finding customers, engaging fans, growing sponsorships and driving renewals. By bringing together data, intelligence and execution into one system, we’re helping the Earthquakes build a modern commercial operation that will become a model for the future of sports.”
The partnership reflects Apollo’s broader vision that every organization can benefit from its AI GTM system. With the rise in soccer’s popularity, clubs face increasing pressure to convert fan interest into lasting relationships, ticket sales, sponsorships and recurring revenue. While sports organizations have historically relied on fragmented tools across ticketing, sponsorship sales, CRM and marketing, Apollo brings those workflows together into one connected system to help organizations capitalize on this moment.
For the Earthquakes, that means:
Modernizing group ticket sales workflowsImproving inbound lead managementGrowing sponsorship pipelineStreamlining season ticket renewal campaignsGiving sales and marketing teams a unified system
“While excitement around soccer continues to grow across the country, we’re investing in the technology and systems that will help us better engage our supporters and continue growing our commercial business,” said Earthquakes President Jared Shawlee. “I started my career in sales and have never seen the kind of technology that Apollo provides. This will transform our approach to sales and marketing by giving us one system to connect data, automate workflows and create a more connected experience for Quakes fans throughout their journey with the club.”
“We are excited to roll out the Apollo AI GTM system to revenue teams across our organization,” added Earthquakes Chief Strategy Officer Ian Anderson. “Apollo is at the forefront of AI-powered GTM and the Quakes are committed to being ahead of the technology curve for our industry.”
The Earthquakes become Apollo’s first official sports partner, laying the foundation for a broader strategy to bring modern GTM technology to sports organizations worldwide. Apollo plans to use the partnership as a blueprint for working with hundreds of professional sports organizations facing similar revenue and commercial challenges.
“This is just the beginning,” added Curl. “Professional sports organizations have the same GTM challenges as fast-growing businesses. We’re excited to demonstrate what’s possible when data, intelligence, and execution come together in a single system to help teams build stronger relationships with fans, partners, and customers.”
The partnership will officially debut ahead of the Earthquakes’ annual California Clasico match on Saturday, July 25, against the LA Galaxy at Stanford Stadium, with Apollo and the club jointly celebrating the launch through customer events, social activations and in-stadium experiences.
About Apollo
Apollo is the AI GTM System that uniquely combines data, intelligence, and execution in one loop helping every business find and win their next customer. Trusted by millions of users and over 600,000 companies worldwide, Apollo combines one of the industry’s largest B2B contact databases with a purpose built GTM intelligence engine and a full execution stack, in an all-in-one system. Learn more at apollo.io.
About San Jose Earthquakes
The San Jose Earthquakes, one of Major League Soccer’s original teams, are the epicenter for soccer in Northern California, playing at the highest professional level in the United States. The club won MLS Cups in 2001 and 2003 and took home Supporters’ Shields in 2005 and 2012. The Earthquakes are based out of PayPal Park, an 18,000-seat soccer-specific stadium that opened in 2015 and is the first cloud-enabled venue in MLS. The organization was originally founded in 1974 in the North American Soccer League, and in 2024, celebrated its 50th anniversary of positively impacting communities around Northern California. The club’s nonprofit arm, the Quakes Foundation, focuses on health and fitness initiatives for local underserved youth and fighting food insecurity. For more information about the Earthquakes, visit sjearthquakes.com.
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SOURCE Apollo.io
Technology
CIQ Arms Federal Agencies and Contractors with Kernel-Level Detection and BOD 26-04-Compliant Remediation
Published
51 minutes agoon
July 23, 2026By
RLC Pro Hardened and Ascender Pro together give federal teams kernel exploitation detection as it happens and CVE remediation before it wipes out an entire fleet
RENO, Nev., July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — CIQ, the founding commercial sponsor of Rocky Linux, today announced the launch of an RLC Pro Hardened and Ascender Pro deployment that gives federal agencies real-time kernel exploit detection, audit-ready compliance, and automated remediation in a single deployment. The pairing gives federal teams a stronger position inside the three-day remediation window Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 26-04 sets for the highest-risk vulnerabilities on federal systems.
On June 10, 2026, CISA issued BOD 26-04, and the three-day clock starts when a flaw enters the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, not when a patch ships. For the most dangerous vulnerabilities, the exploit often arrives before the patch does, leaving agencies with a compliance deadline and no fix to apply yet. Non-compliance penalties can include a range of administrative consequences, including greater regulatory oversight and asset disconnection.
RLC Pro Hardened, CIQ’s federal-ready Enterprise Linux distribution, answers that gap. It is the first Enterprise Linux distribution to ship runtime kernel exploitation detection enabled and supported by default, giving agencies a record of what happened during the window before a fix shipped. CIQ delivered that capability well before BOD 26-04 put federal agencies on a three-day clock.
“A single critical vulnerability can impact an entire federal fleet before it’s even confirmed as a CVE,” said Gregory Kurtzer, founder and CEO of CIQ. “RLC Pro Hardened’s LKRG catches the exploit behavior at the kernel the moment it happens, patch or no patch. Once remediation is required, Ascender Pro orchestrates it across the entire fleet and proves it happened, system by system. Agencies get both sides covered without rebuilding their infrastructure.”
RLC Pro Hardened ships with Linux Kernel Runtime Guard (LKRG), which validates kernel integrity continuously and records kernel-level exploitation as it happens. The distribution also arrives audit-ready, with FIPS 140-3 validated cryptography and CIQ-engineered lockdown playbooks for DISA STIG, CIS and NIST 800-171.
Ascender Pro adds Reaqt, an event-driven engine that watches fleet logs, matches them against rule sets, and fires the right Ansible playbook automatically. Across a fleet, that closes issues faster than manual, ticket-driven review.
More About BOD 26-04
BOD 26-04 replaced the severity-score deadlines of BOD 22-01 and BOD 19-02 with a risk model. It scores each vulnerability on four factors: public exposure, presence in the KEV catalog, exploit automation and technical impact. A vulnerability that meets all four carries a three-calendar-day remediation deadline, the shortest CISA has set in a Binding Operational Directive. Agency remediation policies must support the directive by August 7, 2026.
About CIQ
CIQ is the founding support and services partner for Rocky Linux and a leading provider of enterprise Linux infrastructure. CIQ delivers commercially supported Linux offerings, high-performance computing solutions and AI infrastructure to enterprises, government agencies, research institutions and supercomputing centers worldwide. CIQ’s products include the Rocky Linux from CIQ (RLC Pro) family of operating systems, Ascender Pro for IT automation, Fuzzball job-based container orchestration, Warewulf cluster provisioning and Apptainer, the leading container system for high-performance computing. For more information, visit ciq.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Cristin Connelly
Cathey Communications for CIQ
cristin@cathey.co
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SOURCE CIQ
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Apollo and San Jose Earthquakes Announce Official Sleeve and Go-to-Market Partnership, Bringing the AI GTM System to Major League Soccer
CIQ Arms Federal Agencies and Contractors with Kernel-Level Detection and BOD 26-04-Compliant Remediation
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