KULR Technology Group Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

Quartr
Provided by Quartr
August 13, 2026

Key Takeaways

  • Negative Sentiment: Q2 revenue fell to $2.1 million, down sharply from the prior year and first quarter, and the company reported a gross loss. Management attributed the shortfall to supply-chain delays, execution challenges, leadership transitions, and Texas production capacity not yet being operational.
  • Positive Sentiment: KULR exited Bitcoin mining, sold 333 Bitcoin to repay its $20 million credit facility, and released 565 Bitcoin held as collateral. Management said the company now has approximately $60 million in cash and other balance-sheet resources, no debt, and avoided ATM share issuance during the first half.
  • Positive Sentiment: Management expects second-half improvement as delayed shipments recover, the Texas facility and automated battery lines become operational in Q3, and production volumes ramp. The company is also increasing inventory and multi-sourcing components to improve supply-chain resilience and fulfillment capacity.
  • Positive Sentiment: KULR cited expanding demand in U.S. drones, defense, space, maritime, and robotics, including initial defense-drone battery orders from a customer participating in the Drone Dominance initiative representing an opportunity exceeding $5 million. It also highlighted selection by Axiom Space and plans to begin shipping NDA-compliant chargers to U.S. customers by year-end.
  • Neutral Sentiment: The company is conducting an operating review focused on customer and program economics, ERP and data improvements, vendor efficiency, and prioritizing KULR ONE programs with the strongest strategic and financial value. SG&A declined 9% year over year in Q2, while management emphasized that cost reductions must be paired with revenue growth and margin improvement.
AI Generated. May Contain Errors.
Earnings Conference Call
KULR Technology Group Q2 2026
00:00 / 00:00

Transcript Sections

Skip to Participants
Stuart Smith
Owner at 1000 Islands Transport

Welcome everyone to the KULR Technology Group Q2 2026 earnings call. In just a moment, I will be joined by the CEO of the company, Michael Mo, and the CFO of the company, Mike Kimel. Before we can get started, please listen to the following safe harbor statement covering this call. This call may contain certain forward-looking statements based on the company's current expectations, intentions, and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements made on this call are based on the information available to management as of the date hereof.

Stuart Smith
Owner at 1000 Islands Transport

KULR Technology Group's actual results may differ materially from those stated or implied in such forward-looking statements due to risks and uncertainties associated with their business, which include the risk factors disclosed in their Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 31st, 2026, as may be amended or supplemented by other reports filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding the company's expectations, beliefs, intentions, or strategies regarding the future and can be identified by forward-looking words such as anticipate, believe, could, estimate, expect, intend, may, should, and would, or similar words.

Stuart Smith
Owner at 1000 Islands Transport

All such forward-looking statements that are provided by management on this call are based on information available at this time, and management expects that their internal expectations may change over time. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Except as otherwise required by applicable law, the company assumes no obligation to update the information included on this call, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. With that, I will now turn the call over to Michael Mo. Michael, the call is yours.

Michael Mo
Michael Mo
CEO at KULR Technology Group

Thank you, Stuart. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for joining. On our last earnings call, we told you 2026 would be measured by three things: product revenue growth, gross margin improvement, and cost discipline. I want to start today by being direct with you. Q2 fell short. Q2 revenue was $2.1 million, down significantly from both prior year and the first quarter with a gross loss. That's not the quarter we planned, and I'm not going to make excuses. What I'm going to do is walk you through three things. What challenged us in the Q2, what we're doing to resolve those challenges, and the growth we expect to see in the second half of this year, and why.

Michael Mo
Michael Mo
CEO at KULR Technology Group

KULR builds high-power battery systems for the physical AI era, autonomous systems, drones, underwater vehicles, robotics, and telecom critical infrastructure. In June, I wrote to shareholders that battery is infrastructure, and there is no grid in the sky, in orbit, in the ocean, or on the battlefield. Everything we do is in service of that mission, and nothing about this quarter changed it. Four things challenged us this quarter, and I'll name each one. First, supply chain. New programs mean new parts, and in this environment, new parts mean long lead times and critical bottlenecks. These constraints delay the production and delivery of our battery products, and shipments we had planned for the Q2 were delayed.

Michael Mo
Michael Mo
CEO at KULR Technology Group

Second, execution focus. KULR is carrying more customer programs that our resource can execute with the speed and quality our customers demand of us. In one sense, that is a good problem. It reflects real demand. But it's still a problem. In Q2, it costed us. We're evaluating all of our customer engagements and prioritizing on engineering and manufacturing resources towards the highest value opportunities. Third, alignment. The board and management changes during the quarter consumed a significant amount of management bandwidth and slowed decision-making. That transition is now behind us. Mike Kimel, our Chief Financial Officer, will talk about how we're taking this opportunity to step back and reassess some of our business processes.

Michael Mo
Michael Mo
CEO at KULR Technology Group

Fourth, production capacity. Our new Texas facility was not yet contributing in the Q2. The good news is that the facility and the production lines are coming up nicely, and we expect them to be operational in the third quarter. As we work through these challenges, I believe that the demand for our products and services remains strong. Our business shift to the right, and we're in the very early phase of this market growth in the United States. Look underneath the quarterly fluctuations, and you can see that our core energy platform business remained essentially stable on the first half basis. Energy management platform revenue was $4.76 million versus $4.73 million in the prior period, slightly higher year-over-year. Total first half revenue was $6.03 million versus $6.1 million a year ago.

Michael Mo
Michael Mo
CEO at KULR Technology Group

The composition of that revenue shows that demand is broadening. Q2 product sales was driven principally by two large orders, both from new customers and both involving new battery configurations. We're not just selling more of the same product to the same customer base. We're bringing new battery configurations into new accounts, and that's exactly the type of customer expansion we want to see as KULR ONE scales. Now, let me tell you what we're doing to resolve these challenges. Four things, and they map directly what I just described. First, we're prioritizing the operating business above all else. Our priority is clear: deploy our technology, our capital, our people towards scaling KULR ONE and building a world-class energy system platform for Physical AI economy.

Michael Mo
Michael Mo
CEO at KULR Technology Group

That means the same three accountability measures that we laid out in June, product revenue growth, gross margin improvement, and cost discipline, centered around five markets: space and defense, drones and autonomous vehicles, telecom and critical infrastructure, and robotics. Within that, we're qualifying our customer engagements more carefully, concentrating our best engineering and production talent on the programs with the strongest economics and strategic value. Second, we're simplifying. Since the Q2 close, we exited Bitcoin mining, and we repaid our $20 million credit facility in full using proceeds from Bitcoin sales without issuing a single share through our ATM this year.

Michael Mo
Michael Mo
CEO at KULR Technology Group

The board and the management team have decided to divest our Bitcoin treasury to focus our balance sheet on the operating business. Mike Kimel will walk you through the balance sheet logic, but the principle is simple: reduce volatility, preserve flexibility, and then let the management team and investors see the operating business clearly. With approximately $60 million on our balance sheet and no debt, we believe we have the financial resources to execute our growth strategy. We have also brought some early-stage activities to an orderly conclusion with the conservative reserves Mike Kimel will describe. Third, we are fixing alignment and execution. The leadership team is now set, aligned with technology go-to-market strategy oriented, four members, a CFO who is operationally focused, and clear priorities.

Michael Mo
Michael Mo
CEO at KULR Technology Group

On that foundation, a company-wide operating review is underway to standardize our data, refine our workflows, strengthen the systems that give management real operational visibility, and become more selective about the vendors and customers that we partner with. Fourth, we are building capacity. We are building a full stack operation in Texas, design, prototyping, testing, certification, manufacturing, battery management software, and electronics all together under one roof. in May, we signed a lease on approximately 25,000 sq ft facility to expand our manufacturing footprint. A new automated production line for both cylindrical and pouch cells will be operational in that facility. On the supply chain side, we are multi-sourcing components to reduce single supplier as a critical bottleneck.

Michael Mo
Michael Mo
CEO at KULR Technology Group

Our cell-agnostic architecture let us qualify multiple chemistries and form factors. We are investing more in production readiness. Raw materials inventory is up roughly five-fold since end of 2025, and you should expect inventory to increase further in the second half as we position ourselves to meet anticipated demands. The infrastructure we are putting in place is designed to shorten the path from customer requirements to prototype, to qualification, to volume production. That vertical integration is central to how we improve speed, control, and ultimately economics. Now, let me share with you on why we expect the second half to look different. The American drone market is converting from policy to purchase orders. The United States is at the early cycle of its unmanned system build-out.

Michael Mo
Michael Mo
CEO at KULR Technology Group

Europe shows where that curve goes. Ukraine produced roughly 4 million drones last year and is targeting 7 million this year. The United States, by comparison, produced on the order of 100,000 small drones a year. Washington has decided to close that gap. Department awards $1.1 billion Drone Dominance program moved from plan to purchase order this summer. The first delivery order has been accepted. Roughly 30,000 units are being delivered right now, and the department has said it will order 60,000 more in September on the way to hundreds of thousands of drones by 2027. The fiscal 2027 budget requests include more than $70 billion for drones and counter-drone systems, the largest such investment in the U.S. history.

Michael Mo
Michael Mo
CEO at KULR Technology Group

Here is why that matters for KULR. American drone makers are being required to stop using foreign parts, including batteries. That makes American-made power like ours more important every quarter. When drones are classified as consumables, batteries become consumables too, which means recurring demand. The rest of the market tells the same story. One of the largest drone battery cell suppliers in the market reported this month that about 16% of its latest quarterly revenue came from North America, while roughly 70% came from Europe and the Middle East, much of it shipping directly to Ukraine. The overseas cycle is at scale. The American cycle is just beginning to convert to orders. That is a demand wave that KULR is positioned for.

Michael Mo
Michael Mo
CEO at KULR Technology Group

We are executing across dozens of active customer programs, supporting Drone Dominance-related customers, maritime programs, and KULR ONE space programs. In the Q2, we secured initial defense drone battery orders from a U.S. drone maker participating in the Drone Dominance initiative. It is a customer opportunity that exceeds $5 million. We demonstrated KULR ONE Air with next generation solid-state cells at over 350 Wh/kg. We were selected by Axiom Space as battery providers for its orbital transport mission. We are building the ecosystem around batteries, not just the pack itself. We are now sampling NDAA compliant 6S chargers supporting both cylindrical and pouch cells. We have completed our 18S charger prototype, and by the end of 2026, we expect to be shipping NDAA compliant chargers to U.S. customers.

Michael Mo
Michael Mo
CEO at KULR Technology Group

Power, thermal management, BMS, charging, all from one compliant stack, engineered and built by one supplier. That is how we are positioning KULR ONE to be the power platform for Physical AI. Here is how the second half of 2026 could look like in summary. Delay shipments will be recovering. New Texas facility and battery production lines will be operational and contributing to the business. Pack volume starting to ramp, and NDAA compliant power electronics and chargers shipping by the end of the year. While U.S. drone procurement cycles is converting into orders. One quarter doesn't make a turnaround for us in Q1, and one difficult quarter doesn't break the plan. Hold us accountable for the same three measures we set out in June: product revenue growth, gross margin improvement, and cost discipline. The mission has not changed. The market is arriving, and our job is to execute, build more batteries, and sell more batteries. With that, let me turn the call over to Mike Kimel to take you through the financials and operating changes underway.

Mike Kimel
Mike Kimel
CFO at KULR Technology Group

Thank you, Michael. We make batteries, and we sell batteries. That is what I wanted to discuss today. Unfortunately, our Q2 results were below our expectations. Today I want to focus on the actions we are taking to strengthen performance and position the business for growth. We fell short on both revenue and profitability, and we are not satisfied with that outcome. Since quarter end, though, we have moved quickly, sharpening our priorities, simplifying the business, and concentrating our resources on the opportunities we believe can create the most value. There were also meaningful areas of progress during the quarter.

Mike Kimel
Mike Kimel
CFO at KULR Technology Group

We reduced SG&A spending compared with both the Q2 of last year and the first quarter of this year, which reflects real, if early, progress in making this company more efficient. SG&A declined about 9% year-over-year in Q2, and approximately 5% in the first half. First half R&D expense was also about 3% lower. Cost discipline is not enough. A company cannot cut its way to prosperity. We also have to convert demand into revenue, serve our customers well, and execute consistently. That is where we are directing our attention now.

Mike Kimel
Mike Kimel
CFO at KULR Technology Group

We are becoming more deliberate about where every dollar goes. To be clear, the goal is not just to spend less, but to move resources away from activities that are not central to the business and toward the products and programs that can drive revenue and manufacturing scale. Increasingly, that means focusing our capital manufacturing capability and commercial efforts around KULR ONE. These actions reflect a company becoming increasingly focused on production, commercialization, and disciplined capital allocation. From my perspective as CFO, that means maintaining conservative financial practices, strengthening our processes, and building an operating structure that can support a larger business. I also want to talk about our Bitcoin position.

Mike Kimel
Mike Kimel
CFO at KULR Technology Group

The treasury strategy provided financial flexibility, including the ability to repay our $20 million credit facility after quarter end. At the same time, though, carrying a large digital asset position introduces meaningful volatility into both the balance sheet and reported results. Of our approximately $51 million first half net loss, about $31.4 million reflected the non-cash mark-to-market change in the value of our digital asset holdings. That is worth repeating. That movement was unrelated to the operating performance of the battery business. As we evaluated our capital priorities, we determined that simplifying the digital asset position would give us greater flexibility and allow us to concentrate more fully on the operating business.

Mike Kimel
Mike Kimel
CFO at KULR Technology Group

That is why, since the quarter closed, we have exited Bitcoin mining, begun reducing our Bitcoin holdings in a deliberate manner, and taken steps to simplify the balance sheet. We used proceeds from the sale of 333 Bitcoin to fully repay the $20 million Coinbase loan, releasing the 565 Bitcoin pledged as collateral. We also terminated our mining services agreement, eliminating about $2.1 million of remaining operating expense commitments for a $150,000 termination fee. Going forward, the board has authorized management to sell any and all Bitcoin holdings and to focus on the core business. Each of these steps reduces balance sheet volatility and simplifies the business.

Mike Kimel
Mike Kimel
CFO at KULR Technology Group

They also increase our flexibility to allocate capital based on the needs and opportunities of the operating business. The principle behind these decisions is simple: support the operating business, preserve flexibility, and remain mindful of dilution. Consistent with that approach, we were able to avoid issuing any shares through the ATM during the first half of 2026. At the same time, the board and management have been refining the company's strategic priorities and operating structure to support the next stage of KULR's development. The board changes announced on April 28th and the management realignment in June accelerated that work and gave us the opportunity to sharpen priorities, simplify decision-making, and align resources more closely with the core business.

Mike Kimel
Mike Kimel
CFO at KULR Technology Group

That company-wide operating review is underway right now. As part of the review, we have identified opportunities to improve data consistency, increase the use of existing ERP functionality, and strengthen the operational visibility available to management. We have also reviewed our professional services relationships with a clear focus on cost, performance, and value. Depending on the situation, we are evaluating bringing work in-house and renegotiating terms, or moving to a provider that better fits our needs. We are applying the same discipline to how we evaluate customer and program economics. Not every opportunity warrants the same commitment of engineering and manufacturing resources, and we intend to prioritize the programs that offer the strongest combination of economic and strategic value.

Mike Kimel
Mike Kimel
CFO at KULR Technology Group

Our engineering and production resources are valuable, and the resources applied to one program are resources that cannot be deployed elsewhere. As the company grows, we can be increasingly selective about where we deploy those resources. Since quarter end, we have strengthened the way we qualify new opportunities and evaluate existing ones. That doesn't mean walking away from difficult work. It does mean being more thoughtful about whether the economics and strategic value of a program justify the engineering and manufacturing resources it requires. We're standardizing data, rebuilding workflows, and building better systems. As KULR moves from a business historically centered on R&D and highly customized lower volume work toward larger and more repeatable production, our operating infrastructure is evolving with it.

Mike Kimel
Mike Kimel
CFO at KULR Technology Group

We're designing processes to support greater scale, accountability, visibility, and speed. The point of that is not to build more bureaucracy. It's to give our people better information, clearer accountability, and systems that allow the company to grow without adding unnecessary complexity. This is an ongoing process, and a number of changes are already underway. We're building a company that's more focused, more efficient, and better positioned to scale. So where does that leave us? Q2 was a challenging quarter, but our view of the underlying opportunity hasn't changed. Demand remains, our customers are engaged, and we continue to see attractive opportunities across our core markets. Our focus is now straightforward: concentrate our resources around the core battery business with KULR ONE at the center of that effort, and convert demand into revenue more consistently.

Mike Kimel
Mike Kimel
CFO at KULR Technology Group

We believe strongly in our products, our customer relationships, and the markets we serve. The changes we're making are designed to put more of our capital, manufacturing capability, and management attention behind those strengths. Becoming leaner and more focused doesn't mean retreating from growth. It means directing resources toward the programs and customers where we believe they can create the greatest value while building the operating infrastructure necessary to support a larger business. We've also identified additional applications for our battery systems that could open new markets over time. We'll talk about those when they're further along and appropriate to share. The immediate priority is the business already in front of us. Demand remains that the company concentrates resources around KULR ONE. Management's job is now to convert that demand into consistent revenue, improve profitability, and sustainable growth. That's where our attention is focused, where our resources are going, and how we intend to measure our progress. Thank you very much.

Stuart Smith
Owner at 1000 Islands Transport

Thank you, Mike, and thank you very much, Michael Mo. That concludes our call for today. I will now turn the call back over to our operator. Thank you so much for joining us. Operator, the call is yours.

Operator

Thank you. This does conclude today's webcast and conference call. You may disconnect at this time, and have a wonderful day. Thank you once again for your participation.

Executives
    • Michael Mo
      Michael Mo
      CEO
    • Mike Kimel
      Mike Kimel
      CFO
Analysts
    • Stuart Smith
      Owner at 1000 Islands Transport
Powered by Quartr