ITEM 2 - MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations section should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. This discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements, such as statements of our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. When used, the words “believe,” “plan,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “target,” “estimate,” “expect,” “will,” “continue,” “project,” “forecast,” “goal,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “potential,” and the like, and/or future tense or conditional constructions (“will,” “may,” “could,” “should,” etc.), or similar expressions, identify certain of these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including those described under Part I “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 and elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Our actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors. See “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
For purposes of this discussion, “Rigetti,” “the Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” refer to Rigetti Computing, Inc. and its subsidiaries unless the context otherwise requires.
Overview
On March 2, 2022 (the “Closing Date”), we consummated the transactions contemplated by that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger dated as of October 6, 2021, as amended on December 23, 2021 and January 10, 2022 (as amended, the “Merger Agreement”), by and among Supernova Partners Acquisition Company II, Ltd., a Cayman Islands exempted company (“Supernova”), Supernova Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Supernova (the “First Merger Sub”), Supernova Romeo Merger Sub, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Supernova (the “Second Merger Sub”), and Rigetti Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Legacy Rigetti”). As contemplated by the Merger Agreement, on March 1, 2022 Supernova was domesticated as a Delaware corporation and changed its name to “Rigetti Computing, Inc.” (the “Domestication”). On the Closing Date, (i) First Merger Sub merged with and into Legacy Rigetti, the separate corporate existence of First Merger Sub ceased and Legacy Rigetti survived as a wholly owned subsidiary of Rigetti Computing, Inc. (the “Surviving Corporation” and, such merger, the “First Merger”), and (ii) immediately following the First Merger, the Surviving Corporation merged with and into the Second Merger Sub, the separate corporate existence of the Surviving Corporation ceased and Second Merger Sub survived as a wholly owned subsidiary of Rigetti Computing, Inc. and changed its name to “Rigetti Intermediate LLC” (such merger transaction, the “Second Merger” and, together with the First Merger, the “Merger”, and, collectively with the Domestication, the “PIPE Financing” (as defined below) and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, the “Business Combination”). The closing of the Business Combination is herein referred to as “the Closing.”
We build quantum computers and the superconducting quantum processors that power them. We believe quantum computing represents one of the most transformative emerging capabilities in the world today. By leveraging quantum mechanics, we believe our quantum computers process information in fundamentally new, more powerful ways than classical computers. When scaled, it is anticipated that these systems will be poised to solve problems of staggering computational complexity at unprecedented speed.
With the goal of unlocking this opportunity, we have developed the world’s first multi-chip quantum processor for scalable quantum computing systems. We believe that this patented and patent pending, modular chip architecture is the building block for new generations of quantum processors that we expect to achieve a clear advantage over classical computers. Our long-term business model centers on revenue generated from sales of quantum processing units (QPUs) and quantum computing systems made accessible via the cloud in the form of Quantum Computing as a Service (“QCaaS’) products. However, the substantial majority of our revenues are derived from development contracts, and we anticipate this market opportunity will continue to represent an important source of revenue for at least the next several years as we work to ramp up sales of QPUs and our QCaaS business. Additionally, we are working to further