SUMMIT, N.J., April 28, 2026, 13:01 EDT
Shares of Aterian Inc. surged Tuesday, as the consumer-products firm struck a deal to sell its signature e-commerce brand portfolio to Trademark Global LLC for $18 million in cash. The company also secured a separate $7 million investment from David Lazar.
This deal has real urgency for Aterian. The company launched a strategic alternatives review back in December, and its most recent annual filing flagged “substantial doubt” about whether it can stay afloat, thanks to ongoing losses and heavy cash burn. A Nasdaq deadline also looms in June for Aterian to lift its share price back above $1 and regain compliance with the exchange’s rules. Aterian
Aterian shares jumped to $1.24 in early afternoon action, rising roughly 89%, after hitting an intraday peak of $1.49, according to market data. More than 189 million shares had changed hands. With a quoted market cap near $12.5 million, the $18 million asset sale — before adjustments and costs — stands out as a significant deal for a company this size.
The sale includes brands like Mueller Living, PurSteam, hOmeLabs, Squatty Potty, Healing Solutions and Photo Paper Direct. According to Aterian, Trademark Global is set to take on the global sourcing, marketing, and sales operations for those brands—inventory as well as some liabilities are being transferred too.
Aterian still needs a green light from its stockholders for the deal. According to the company, a proxy statement is slated for early May, with plans to close the sale sometime in the second quarter. Stockholders could see net proceeds hit their accounts in the third quarter, after accounting for transaction costs, debt paydown, and working-capital tweaks.
Aterian intends to hand out one non-transferable contingent value right, or CVR, for every share of its common stock. CVRs, essentially, are contracts that may entitle holders to future payments if certain assets generate cash. Here, Aterian flagged potential proceeds tied to tariff refunds the company receives beginning in 2025, along with other assets it aims to liquidate within the coming 12 months.
No dividend or CVR so far—nothing declared, no record date either. That’s the catch for would-be buyers: just because the sale was announced doesn’t mean investors will pocket that amount. Actual cash left over for shareholders could shift, depending on debt paydown, adjustments for working capital, assorted fees, or if closing drags out.
Lazar is putting $7 million into the company by way of convertible preferred stock, split into two $3.5 million tranches. The first tranche wrapped up on April 27. The second, pending stockholder approval, is set to close along with the asset sale. Notably, Lazar joined Aterian’s board ahead of the deal and is now in line to step in as chief executive after the second tranche, replacing Arturo Rodriguez.
Rodriguez said the company set out in late 2025 to deliver value for shareholders and safeguard its brand portfolio. “We believe that we have delivered on both counts,” he said. The sale hands Aterian’s brands to an experienced e-commerce supplier and distributor, which gives them a shot at further growth. GlobeNewswire
Bill Kurtz, chair of Aterian’s board, said he was “grateful for his support of our vision and investment in the Company’s future” as he welcomed Lazar to the company. According to Aterian, Lazar and his affiliates have waived any rights to distributions from the asset sale or the CVR. GlobeNewswire
This sale moves further from the strategy popular during the boom years of snapping up and growing online marketplace brands. In its annual report, Aterian noted that nearly all its sales came via Amazon’s U.S. marketplace. Thrasio, another Amazon aggregator, filed for bankruptcy in 2024, then exited Chapter 11, redirecting its efforts toward profitability.
The case for the board’s decision is right there in Aterian’s 2025 numbers. Net revenue slid to $69.0 million, down 30.4% from $99.1 million the prior year—management pointed to new tariffs, raised prices, and weaker demand at steeper price points. Net loss expanded, reaching $19.0 million compared with $11.9 million.
Aterian plans to hang onto a handful of smaller legacy brands, Vremi and Xtava among them, after the sale. Details on what Lazar intends for that business remain sparse. The company said it would spell out more about the transactions in a Form 8-K, which it expects to file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission around April 29.
