| Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Basis of Presentation | SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION Basis of Presentation The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP). The Company has issued shares of Class A common stock, herein referred to as “Class A common stock” or “Class A,” and Class B common stock, herein referred to as “Class B common stock” or “Class B,” and collectively as “common stock.” The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Seer, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated. The condensed consolidated balance sheets at December 31, 2020 have been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements of the Company at that date. Certain information and footnote disclosures typically included in the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements have been condensed or omitted. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as the annual consolidated financial statements and, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments, which include only normal recurring adjustments, necessary to state fairly the Company’s financial position, results of operations, comprehensive loss and cash flows for the periods presented, but are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations to be anticipated for any future annual or interim period. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and notes should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and related notes for the year ended December 31, 2020 included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 29, 2021. Use of Estimates The preparation of unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. On an ongoing basis, the Company evaluates its estimates and assumptions, including, but not limited to, those related to the fair value of common stock, stock-based compensation, accrued research and development expenses, useful lives and valuation of property and equipment, income tax uncertainties, and tax valuation allowances. Management bases its 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 materially from those estimates. Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic (COVID-19), the Company’s operations experienced disruptions and restrictions on employees’ ability to work and on the hiring of additional personnel, particularly as a result of preventive and precautionary measures taken by the Company and some of its suppliers and other service providers. In particular, some of the Company’s laboratory material and equipment suppliers, collaborators, and service providers used in the performance of its research activities and phased commercial launch plan have been similarly impacted by COVID-19, which may limit the Company’s ability to achieve its planned progress. COVID-19 has adversely affected the broader economy, which could affect the Company’s financing prospects. Continued disruptions from COVID-19 could harm the Company’s operations and the Company cannot anticipate all the ways in which it could be adversely impacted by health epidemics such as COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic has mainly impacted the progress of research and development activities due to the limited ability of the Company’s employees to access laboratories during times of statewide quarantine and on some of its suppliers who have experienced a surge in demand for their products resulting in supply delays for critical hardware, instrumentation and medical and testing supplies used for product development. The Company continues to monitor and assess the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on its business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash The Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less at the date of purchase to be cash equivalents. As of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, all amounts recorded as cash and cash equivalents consist of money market funds and are stated at fair value. Restricted cash as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020 represents cash held by a financial institution as security for a letter of credit issued to the lessor for one of the Company’s operating leases and is classified as non-current. The following table provides a reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash reported within the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets that sum to the total of the same amounts shown in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of cash flows (in thousands): March 31, December 31, 2021 2020 Cash and cash equivalents $ 445,763 $ 333,585 Restricted cash 343 343 Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $ 446,106 $ 333,928 Revenue Recognition Research Revenue The Company recognizes revenue when control of the services is transferred to its customers in an amount that reflects the consideration it expects to receive from its customers in exchange for those services. This process involves identifying the contract with a customer, determining the performance obligations in the contract, determining the contract price, allocating the contract price to the distinct performance obligations in the contract, and recognizing revenue when the performance obligations have been satisfied. A performance obligation is considered distinct from other obligations in a contract when it provides a benefit to the customer either on its own or together with other resources that are readily available to the customer and is separately identified in the contract. The Company considers a performance obligation satisfied once it has transferred control of a good or service to the customer, meaning the customer has the ability to use and obtain the benefit of the good or service. The Company recognizes revenue for research and development services contracts when control is transferred, which is upon completion of the services and when results of the services have been transferred to the customer. Upfront payments and fees received are recorded as deferred revenue until the Company performs its obligations under its arrangements. Amounts payable to the Company are recorded as other receivables when its right to consideration is unconditional. The Company does not assess whether a contract has a significant financing component if the expectation at contract inception is such that the period between payment by the customer and the transfer of the promised goods or services to the customer will be one year or less. Grant Revenue Grant revenue represents funding under cost reimbursement programs from federal foundation sources for qualified research and development activities performed by the Company and are not based on estimates that are subject to change. Grants received are assessed to determine if the agreement should be accounted for as an exchange transaction or a contribution. An agreement is accounted for as a contribution if the resource provider does not receive commensurate value in return for the assets transferred. Such amounts are recorded as revenue as grant-funded activities are performed up to the amount of expenses incurred. Any advance funding payments are recorded as deferred revenue until the activities are performed. Stock-Based Compensation The Company accounts for stock-based compensation, including from restricted common stock awards (RSAs), grants of restricted stock units (RSUs), and stock options that may be settled in shares of our common stock, based on the fair values of the equity instruments issued. The fair value is determined on the measurement date, which is generally the date of grant. The fair value of RSAs is the difference between the fair value of the underlying stock at the measurement date and the purchase price. The fair value of RSUs is the fair value of the underlying stock at the measurement date. The fair value for our stock option awards is determined at the grant date using the Black-Scholes valuation model. The fair value of share-based payment awards is recognized as expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period in which the awards are expected to vest. Forfeitures are accounted for in the period in which they occur. Share-based payment awards that include a service condition and a performance condition are expected to vest when the performance condition is probable of being met. The Black-Scholes model considers several variables and assumptions in estimating the fair value of stock-based awards that require judgment, for which changes if they occur can materially affect the resulting estimates of fair value. These assumptions include the per share fair value of the underlying common stock, exercise price, expected term, risk-free interest rate, expected annual dividend yield, and the expected stock price volatility over the expected term as follows: Fair Value of Common Stock For grants prior to the Company’s IPO in December 2020, the grant-date fair market value of the shares of common stock underlying stock options was determined by the Company’s Board of Directors with assistance of third-party valuation specialists. Because there has been no public market for the Company’s common stock, the Board of Directors exercises reasonable judgment and considers a number of objective and subjective factors to determine the best estimate of the fair market value, which include important developments in the Company’s operations, the prices at which the Company sold shares of its convertible preferred stock, the rights, preferences and privileges of the Company’s convertible preferred stock relative to those of the Company’s common stock, actual operating results, financial performance, external market conditions in the life sciences industry, general U.S. market conditions, equity market conditions of comparable public companies, and the lack of marketability of the Company’s common stock. For all grants subsequent to the IPO, the fair value of common stock was determined by using the closing price per share of common stock as reported on the Nasdaq Global Select Market. Expected Volatility The Company had no publicly available stock price information prior to its IPO and limited publicly available stock price information subsequent to its IPO and therefore the Company has used the historical volatility of the stock price of similar publicly traded peer companies. The historical volatility is calculated based on a period of time commensurate with the expected term assumptions. Expected Term For stock options granted to employees and directors, the expected term is calculated using the simplified method for “plain vanilla” stock option awards. The expected term for stock options granted to non-employees is the contractual term. Risk-Free Interest Rate The risk-free interest rate is based on the yield available on U.S. Treasury zero-coupon issues similar in duration to the expected term of the equity-settled award. Expected Dividends The expected dividend yield is assumed to be zero as the Company has never paid dividends and has no current plans to pay dividends on its common stock. Net Loss Per Share Attributable to Common Stockholders Net loss per share of common stock is computed using the two-class method required for multiple classes of common stock and participating securities based upon their respective rights to receive dividends as if all income for the period has been distributed. The rights, including the liquidation and dividend rights and sharing of losses, of the Class A and Class B common stock are identical, other than voting rights. As the liquidation and dividend rights and sharing of losses are identical, the undistributed earnings are allocated on a proportionate basis and the resulting net loss per share attributed to common stockholders is therefore the same for Class A and Class B common stock on an individual or combined basis. The Company’s participating securities include the Company’s convertible preferred stock, as the holders are entitled to receive noncumulative dividends on a pari passu basis in the event that a dividend is paid on common stock. The Company also considers any shares issued on the early exercise of stock options subject to repurchase to be participating securities because holders of such shares have non-forfeitable dividend rights in the event a dividend is paid on common stock. The holders of convertible preferred stock, as well as the holders of early exercised shares subject to repurchase, do not have a contractual obligation to share in losses. Basic net loss per share attributable to common stockholders is calculated by dividing the net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period, adjusted for outstanding shares that are subject to repurchase. Diluted net loss per share is computed by giving effect to all potentially dilutive securities outstanding for the period using the treasury stock method or the if-converted method based on the nature of such securities. For periods in which the Company reports net losses, diluted net loss per common share attributable to common stockholders is the same as basic net loss per common share attributable to common stockholders, because potentially dilutive common shares are not assumed to have been issued if their effect is anti-dilutive. Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes, which is intended to simplify the accounting for income taxes. This standard removes certain exceptions to the general principles in Topic 740 and also clarifies and amends existing standards to improve consistent application. The Company adopted this standard as of January 1, 2021, which did not have a material impact on its financial statements as of the adoption date. In January 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-01, Investments—Equity Securities (Topic 321), Investments—Equity Method and Joint Ventures (Topic 323), and Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815) . This standard clarifies the interaction between accounting standards related to equity securities, equity method investments, and certain derivative instruments. The Company adopted this standard as of January 1, 2021, which did not have a material impact on its financial statements as of the adoption date. Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) . This standard clarifies the definition of a lease and requires a lessee to recognize in the statement of financial position a liability to make lease payments (the lease liability) and a right-to-use asset representing its right to use the underlying asset for the lease term. In November 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-10 which extends the effective date of ASU No. 2016-02 for non-public business entities, including smaller reporting companies, to fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022. While the Company has not yet quantified the impact, these adjustments will increase total assets and total liabilities relative to such amounts reported prior to adoption. |
