Significant accounting policies (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2019

The condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and include the accounts of Quanterix Corporation and its wholly‑owned subsidiaries. All material intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. In making those estimates and assumptions, the Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions believed to be reasonable. The Company’s significant estimates included in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements are related to revenue recognition, fair value of equity instruments and notes receivable, fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in acquisitions, valuation allowances recorded against deferred tax assets, and stock‑based compensation. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Foreign Currency

The Company translates assets and liabilities of its foreign subsidiaries at rates in effect at the end of the reporting period. Revenues and expenses are translated at average rates in effect during the reporting period. Translation adjustments are included in accumulated other comprehensive loss.

Income taxes

The Company recognizes deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in the Company's consolidated financial statements or tax returns. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences between the consolidated financial statement carrying amounts and the tax bases of the assets and liabilities using the enacted tax rates in effect in the years in which the differences are expected to reverse. A valuation allowance against deferred tax assets is recorded if, based on the weight of the available evidence, it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.

The Company accounts for uncertain tax positions in accordance with the provisions of ASC 740, Income Taxes (ASC 740). When uncertain tax positions exist, the Company recognizes the tax benefit of tax positions to the extent that the benefit will more likely than not be realized. The determination as to whether the tax benefit will more likely than not be realized is based upon the technical merits of the tax position as well as consideration of the available facts and circumstances. As of September 30, 2019 the Company did not have any significant uncertain tax positions.

During the three months ended September 30, 2019, the Company acquired Uman. The Company analyzed the transaction from an income tax perspective and adjusted the deferred tax assets and liabilities related to the Uman acquisition. Of the total goodwill recorded, less than $0.1 million is amortizable related to the historical tax basis that Uman had prior to the acquisition.

Business combinations

Under the acquisition method of accounting, the Company allocates the fair value of the total consideration transferred to the tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their estimated fair values on the date of acquisition. The fair values assigned, defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between willing market participants, are based on estimates and assumptions determined by management. The excess consideration over the aggregate fair value of tangible and intangible assets, net of liabilities assumed, is recorded as goodwill. These valuations require significant estimates and assumptions, especially with respect to intangible assets.

The Company typically uses the discounted cash flow method to value acquired intangible assets. This method requires significant management judgment to forecast future operating results and establish residual growth rates and discount factors. The estimates used to value and amortize intangible assets are consistent with the plans and estimates that are used to manage the business and are based on available historical information and industry estimates and averages. If the subsequent actual results and updated projections of the underlying business activity change compared with the assumptions and projections used to develop these values, the Company could experience impairment charges. In addition, the Company has estimated the economic lives of certain acquired assets and these lives are used to calculate depreciation and amortization expense. If estimates of the economic lives change, depreciation or amortization expenses could be accelerated or slowed.

Restricted Cash

Restricted cash

Restricted cash primarily represents collateral for a letter of credit issued as security for the lease for the Company’s new headquarters. The restricted cash is long term in nature as the Company will not have access to the funds until more than one year from September 30, 2019.

Recent accounting pronouncements

The Company is considered to be an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, as amended (JOBS Act). The JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of an extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards. Thus, an emerging growth company can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. The Company has elected to avail itself of this extended transition period and, as a result, the Company will not be required to adopt new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for other public companies so long as the Company remains an emerging growth company.

On January 1, 2019, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (ASC 606), using the modified retrospective method. Under ASC 606, revenue is recognized upon the transfer of control of goods or services to customers and reflects the amount of consideration to which an entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The adoption of ASC 606 has been applied to customer contracts that were not completed as of January 1, 2019, and did not materially change the pattern of revenue recognition for its current customer contracts. The Company's consolidated financial statements for the prior-year period have not been revised and are reflective of the revenue recognition requirements which were in effect for that period.

The Company recorded an adjustment to the accumulated deficit of $0.4 million as of January 1, 2019 for the cumulative effect primarily related to the deferral of sales commissions.

In accordance with the reporting requirements of ASC 606, the disclosure of the impact on the Company's consolidated balance sheet and statement of operations, as a result of adopting the provisions of ASC 606, was as follows (in thousands):


											Prior to
											adoption of
	As				Adjusted under		As reported				ASC 606
	reported				ASC 606		September 30,				September 30,
	December 31, 2018		Adjustments		January 1, 2019		2019		Adjustments		2019
Assets:
Accounts receivable	$	6,792	$	47	$	6,839	$	11,914	$	—	$	11,914
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		2,330		288		2,618		2,297		290		2,007
Other non-current assets		536		19		555		574		18		592

Liabilities:
Deferred revenue		5,437		43		5,394		4,909		175		5,084
Deferred revenue, net of current portion		520		43		477		357		9		366

Stockholders’ equity:
Accumulated deficit	$	(175,888)	$	(440)	$	(175,448)	$	(205,286)	$	(492)	$	(205,778)


	For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2019						For the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019
					Under ASC						Under ASC
	Under ASC 606		Adjustment		605		Under ASC 606		Adjustment		605
Product revenue	$	10,737	$	(332)	$	10,405	$	29,059	$	(381)	$	28,678
Service revenue		4,207		97		4,304		11,757		228		11,985
COGS		7,911		3		7,914		20,847		6		20,853
Gross profit		7,033		(238)		6,795		19,969		(159)		19,810
Selling general and administrative expenses		13,352		(55)		13,297		38,293		4		38,297
Net loss	$	(9,870)	$	(183)	$	(10,053)	$	(29,838)	$	(163)	$	(30,001)

The adoption of ASC 606 is discussed in further detail in Note 3.

In January of 2019, the Company adopted accounting standards update (ASU) 2016-01, which requires equity investments (except those accounted for under the equity method of accounting or those that result in consolidation of the investee) to be measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income. For equity investments without readily determinable fair values that do not qualify for the practical expedient to estimate fair value using the net asset value per share or its equivalent, the Company has elected to measure these investments at cost minus impairment, if any, plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for the identical or similar investment of the same issuer. This election is made for each investment separately and is reassessed at each reporting period as to whether the investment continues to qualify for this election. Additionally, at each reporting period, the Company makes a qualitative assessment considering impairment indicators to evaluate whether the investment is impaired. The adoption of this standard did not have a material effect.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities (ASU 2016-02), which establishes principles that lessees and lessors shall apply to report useful information to users of financial statements about the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from a lease. Under ASU 2016-02, lessees will be required to recognize a lease liability and a right-of-use asset for all leases (with the exception of short term leases) at the commencement date. ASU 2016-02 is effective for the Company for the year ending December 31, 2020. Early adoption is permitted. In 2018, the FASB modified ASU 2016-02 by issuing ASU 2018-01 and ASU 2018-11, which collectively added two practical expedients, provided a second modified retrospective transition method which does not require retrospective adjustment of prior periods, and provided certain narrow scope improvements to ASU 2016-02. The Company is currently evaluating the expected impact of ASU 2016-2 on its financial statements.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments — Credit Losses: Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (ASU 2016-13), which amends the impairment model by requiring entities to use a forward-looking approach based on expected losses to estimate credit losses on certain types of financial instruments, including trade receivables and available-for-sale debt securities. The standard is effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of 2020, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the expected impact of ASU 2016-13 on its financial statements.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350) - Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment. This ASU eliminates Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. In addition, income tax effects from any tax deductible goodwill on the carrying amount of the reporting unit should be considered when measuring the goodwill impairment loss, if applicable. The amendments also eliminate the requirements for any reporting unit with a zero or negative carrying amount to perform a qualitative assessment and, if it fails that qualitative test, to perform Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test. An entity still has the option to perform the qualitative assessment for a reporting unit to determine if the quantitative impairment test is necessary. This ASU is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019 and interim periods within those annual periods. Early adoption is permitted for interim or annual goodwill impairment tests performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017. The Company does not expect adoption of this ASU to be material to its financial statements.

There have been no other material changes to the significant accounting policies and recent accounting pronouncements previously disclosed in the 2018 Annual Report on Form 10‑K.

- Definition

Disclosure of accounting policy for income taxes, which may include its accounting policies for recognizing and measuring deferred tax assets and liabilities and related valuation allowances, recognizing investment tax credits, operating loss carryforwards, tax credit carryforwards, and other carryforwards, methodologies for determining its effective income tax rate and the characterization of interest and penalties in the financial statements.

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