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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
FORM
10-K/A
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
(Mark One)
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☒
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ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
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For the fiscal year ended
December 31,
2022
OR
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☐
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TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM TO
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Commission File Number:
001-36247
Meta Materials Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
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Nevada
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74-3237581
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(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
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(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
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60 Highfield Park Drive,
Dartmouth,
Nova Scotia,
Canada
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B3A 4R9
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(Address of principal executive offices)
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(Zip Code)
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Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:
(902)
482-5729
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the
Act:
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Title of each class
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Trading
Symbol(s)
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Name of each exchange
on which registered
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Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share
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MMAT
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Nasdaq Capital
Market
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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None
Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned
issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.
Yes
☐
No
☒
Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file
reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act.
Yes
☐
No
☒
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant: (1) has filed all
reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or
for a such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file
such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements
for the past 90 days.
Yes
☒
No
☐
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has submitted
electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted
pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter)
during the preceding 12 months (or for a such shorter period that
the Registrant was required to submit such files).
Yes
☒
No
☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large
accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a
smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the
definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,”
“smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
|
|
|
|
Large accelerated filer
|
☐
|
Accelerated filer
|
☐
|
Non-accelerated filer
|
☒
|
Smaller reporting company
|
☒
|
|
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Emerging growth company
|
☐
|
If an emerging growth company, indicate by a check mark if the
registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period
for complying with any new or revised financial accounting
standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on
and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness
of its internal control over financial reporting under Section
404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the
registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit
report.
☐
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act,
indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the
registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an
error to previously issued financial statements.
☐
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are
restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based
compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers
during the relevant recovery period pursuant to
§240.10D-1(b).
☐
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company
(as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
Yes
☐
No
☒
The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common
equity held by non-affiliates of the Registrant, based on the
closing price of the shares of common stock on June 30,
2022,
was $371,634,314.
The number of shares of Registrant’s Common Stock
outstanding
as of March 20, 2023 is
382,152,643.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
The information called for by Part III of this Form 10-K will be
included in an amendment to this Form 10-K, which will be filed
within 120 days after the registrant’s fiscal year
ended.
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Meta Materials Inc. (the “Company”) filed its Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2022 (the "2022 Form 10-K") with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on March 23, 2023.
The Company is filing this Amendment No. 1 on Form 10-K/A to
correct the date of the Section 302 and 906 Certifications
furnished in the 2022 Form 10-K as Exhibits 31.1, 31.2, 32.1 and
32.2; the initial Exhibits 31.1, 31.2, 32.1 and 32.2 were dated
March 23, 2022, rather than the March 23, 2023 filing date. This
Amendment No. 1 also contains minor edits to Exhibits 4.5.2 and
4.6.
Except as expressly set forth herein, this Form 10-K/A does not
reflect events occurring after the date of the 2022 Form 10-K
filing or modify or update any of the other disclosures contained
therein in any way other than as required to reflect the amendments
discussed above. Other than the changes in exhibits referred to
above, all other information in the 2022 Form 10-K remains
unchanged.
2
Table of Contents
3
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements
within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended. All statements contained in this Annual Report on Form
10-K other than statements of historical fact, including statements
regarding our future results of operations and financial position,
its business strategy and plans, and its objectives for future
operations, are forward-looking statements. The words "believe,"
"may," "will," "estimate," "continue," "anticipate," "intend,"
“potential," “expect," and similar expressions are intended to
identify forward-looking statements. We have based these
forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and
projections about future events and trends that we believe may
affect our financial condition, results of operations, business
strategy, short-term and long-term business operations and
objectives, and financial needs. These forward-looking statements
are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions,
including those described in Part I, Item 1A, "Risk Factors" in
this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Moreover, we operate in a very
competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from
time to time. It is not possible for us to predict all risks, nor
can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the
extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause
actual results to differ materially from those contained in any
forward-looking statements we may make. In light of these risks,
uncertainties and assumptions, the future events and trends
discussed in this Annual Report on Form 10-K may not occur and
actual results could differ materially and adversely from those
anticipated or implied in the forward-looking
statements.
4
Item 1. Business.
Business Overview
Meta Materials Inc. (also referred to herein as the “Company”,
“META®”, “META” “we”, “us”, “our”, or “Resulting Issuer”) is a
developer of high-performance functional materials and
nanocomposites. We are developing materials that we believe can
improve the performance and efficiency of many current products as
well as allow new products to be developed that cannot otherwise be
developed without such materials. We believe META is positioned for
growth, by pioneering a new category of intelligent surfaces, which
will allow us to become the metamaterials industry leader. We
enable our potential customers across a range of industries -
consumer electronics, 5G communications, healthcare, aerospace,
automotive, and clean energy - to deliver improved products to
their customers. For example, our nano-optic metamaterial
technology provides anti-counterfeiting security features for
Central Bank customers and currencies and authentication for Global
brands. We currently have over 500 active patent documents, of
which 315 patents have issued.
Our principal executive office is located at 60 Highfield Park
Drive, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada.
At META, we create nanostructures on the surfaces that everyone is
surrounded by and interacts with - windows, windshields, screens on
our devices, even the glasses we wear on our heads – and we believe
that the materials we are developing can open up an entirely new
world of performance and efficiency.
We specialize in the design and fabrication of metamaterials, a new
class of multi-functional surfaces that require less raw material
and energy compared to traditional solutions and are able to do
things that were previously unachievable.
•
We help aerospace companies to keep their pilots and passengers
safe from laser strikes.
•
We help defense companies to equip aircraft with lighter weight,
more efficient solar technology.
•
We help cellular communications companies embed nanostructures that
turn glass windows into 5G antennas and reflectors to receive,
amplify or distribute cellular signals.
•
We are exploring opportunities with auto industry leaders to de-ice
and defog LiDAR, Radar and Camera sensors using a fraction of the
energy currently needed without affecting the core sensor
function.
•
We are exploring opportunities with battery OEMs applications to
increase the safety and performance of lithium-ion batteries using
a fraction of the materials or replacing them with nanocomposites
that are several times more stable under heat than conventional
materials.
META in the last decade has developed and acquired a portfolio of
intellectual property, and we are now moving toward commercializing
products at a performance and price point combination that we
believe have the potential to be disruptive in multiple market
verticals. Our platform technology includes holography,
lithography, electro-optics, nano-optics, battery materials, and
medical wireless sensing. In 2021, we acquired the assets and IP
which comprise ARfusion®,
our platform technology for smart, augmented reality (AR)
prescription eyewear, and we added nano-optic security products
with the acquisition of Nanotech Security Corp. In 2022, we
acquired nanoporous ceramic battery separator technology and
high-speed vacuum coating capabilities. The underlying approach
that powers our platform technologies comprises advanced materials,
metamaterials and functional surfaces. These materials include
structures that are patterned in ways that manipulate light, heat,
and electromagnetic waves in unusual ways. Our advanced structural
design technologies and scalable manufacturing methods provide a
path to broad commercial opportunities in aerospace and defense,
automotive, energy, healthcare, consumer electronics, and data
transmission.
Throughout 2022, we focused our resources on the pilot scale
manufacturing of our
NANOWEB®
transparent conductive film
applications, expansion of our production capacity in our ARfusion®
smart lenses for AR eyewear, as well as the banknote and brand
security lines, and more aggressive design, development and
pre-clinical testing of certain medical products.
We have product concepts currently in various stages of development
with multiple potential customers in diverse market verticals. Our
business model is to co-develop innovative products or applications
with industry leaders that add value. This approach enables us to
understand market dynamics and ensure the relevance and need for
our products.
5
META’s customers
can benefit from:
▪
Rapid design:
Using artificial intelligence and machine learning to mine our
library of nanopatterns allows META to create functional prototypes
much faster than traditional chemical synthesis.
▪
Multi-physics modeling:
Our analysis tools allow us to build rapid prototypes in software
to model how changing one parameter affects the entire system
before implementation in physical form, saving millions of dollars
in trial and error prototypes as compared to our competitor’s
traditional chemical synthesis.
▪
Mass customization:
Bringing together our core capabilities—holography, lithography,
wireless sensing, battery materials and coating technologies—into a
device or system allows us to create a smart material that performs
multiple functions.
2.
Manufacturing at Scale.
▪
Large area solutions: Our manufacturing facilities house
proprietary production equipment that can produce nanocomposites
with dimensions suitable for use in many high-volume applications
such as vehicles and energy.
▪
High volume production: Our nanofabrication and coating
technologies allow new materials to be produced at high speed and
large quantities (e.g. batch wise or roll-to-roll) enabling META to
fabricate metamaterial products at higher volume than our
competitors with semi-conductor quality.
▪
Quality: The very precise and demanding quality standards of
advanced nanofabrication is why META adheres to the ISO 9001
Quality Management System (“QMS”) standard.
3.
Breakthrough Performance.
▪
Multi-functional applications:
We are a technology platform company that can design and build
multi-functional products uniquely combining more than one
capability across a customer application – e.g. a head-mounted
display (holography) with an electrochromic dimmable surface
(lithography) into an ophthalmic grade casted lens
(ARfusion).
▪
Breakthrough solutions:
Our advanced capabilities in both design and manufacturing of
metamaterials are why some of the world’s best-known companies
consider us to co-develop breakthrough solutions.
What is a Metamaterial?
Over the past 20 years, techniques for producing nanostructures
have matured, resulting in a wide range of groundbreaking solutions
that can control light, heat, and electromagnetic waves at very
small scales. Some of the areas of advancement that have
contributed to these techniques are photonic crystals,
nanolithography, plasmonic phenomena and nanoparticle manipulation.
From these advances, a new branch of material science has emerged –
metamaterials. Metamaterials are composite structures, consisting
of conventional materials such as metals and plastics, which are
engineered by scientists to exhibit new or enhanced properties
relating to reflection, refraction, diffraction, filtering,
conductance and other properties that have the potential for
multiple commercial applications.
A metamaterial typically consists of a multitude of structured unit
nano-cells that are comprised of multiple individual elements.
These are referred to as meta-atoms. The individual elements are
usually arranged in periodic patterns that, together, can
manipulate light, heat, or electromagnetic waves. Development
strategies for metamaterials and functional surfaces focus on
structures that produce unusual and exotic electromagnetic
properties by manipulating light and other forms of energy in ways
that have never been naturally possible. They gain their properties
not as much from their composition as from their exactingly
designed structures. The precise shape, geometry, size,
orientation, and arrangement of these nanostructures affect the
light and other electromagnetic waves to create material properties
that are not easily achievable with conventional
materials.
Controlling light, heat, electricity, and radio waves have played
key roles in technological advancements throughout history.
Advances in electrical and electromagnetic technologies,
semiconductors, wireless communications, lasers, and computers have
all been made possible by challenging the understanding of how
light and other types of energy naturally behave, and how it is
possible to manipulate them.
Holography Technology
Holography is a technique where collimated visible wavelength
lasers are used to directly write an interference pattern inside
the volume of light-sensitive material (photopolymer) in order to
produce highly transparent optical filters and holographic optical
elements. For
6
some product lines that require large surface areas, this is
combined with a proprietary scanning technique, where the lasers,
optically or mechanically, directly write nano-patterns to cover
large surface areas with nanometer accuracy.
META’s principal products that employ holography technology are its
metaAIR®
laser glare protection eyewear, metaAIR®
laser glare protection films for law enforcement and
holoOPTIX®
notch filters. META co-developed its metaAIR®
laser glare protection eyewear product with Airbus S.A.S. It has
been engineered to provide laser glare protection for pilots,
military and law enforcement using META’s holography technology.
metaAIR®
is a holographic optical filter developed using nano-patterned
designs that block and deflect specific colors or wavelengths of
light. META launched metaAIR®
with strategic and exclusive distribution partner, Satair, a wholly
owned Airbus company and started producing and selling
metaAIR®
in April 2019. The scale-up and specification for the raw
photopolymer material used to produce the eyewear was successfully
finalized in late 2019 and commercialized in 2020. META launched
its laser glare protection films for law enforcement use in late
2020. These films are designed to be applied to face shields and
helmet visors providing the wearer with the same type of laser
glare eye protection afforded to pilots by
metaAIR®
glasses while preserving peripheral vision critical to law
enforcement duties. holoOPTIX®
notch filters are optical filters that selectively reject a portion
of the spectrum, while transmitting all other wavelengths. They are
used in applications where it is necessary to block light from a
laser, as in machine vision applications and in confocal or
multi-photon microscopy, laser-based fluorescence instrumentation,
or other life science applications. We commercially launched
holoOPTIX®
notch filters in November 2020.
META has additional products in development that utilize its
proprietary holography technology. Included in the
holoOPTIX®
family of products are holographic optical elements (“HOEs”). HOEs
are a core component in the display of augmented reality smart
glasses products, as well as (in their larger version) in Heads-Up
Displays (“HUDs”), in automobiles and aircraft.
Additionally, our ARfusion®
technology combines precision cast lens fabrication tools with
functional metamaterials and volume holograms, to provide AR
wearable developers with a platform for seamlessly integrating
smart technologies into thin lightweight prescription glasses. To
achieve widespread commercial adoption and ultimately become as
ubiquitous as smartphones, AR glasses must be comfortable,
affordable, natural looking, and easy to use. A successful solution
needs to achieve high-quality images and a large field of view
(FOV) in a fashionable, compact form factor, without adding excess
weight. This means that the smart technologies (displays, filters,
active dimming) must be embedded within a rugged, cast prescription
lens.
Our ARfusion®
system was first developed by a Swiss company, Interglass
Technology (“Interglass”), which we acquired in February 2021.
Interglass designed the automated lens casting system as a more
sustainable solution to producing prescription lenses, using a
fraction of the material and energy compared to conventional
processes. The lenses were directly cast into the final correction
using an extensive library of reusable front and back molds.
Acrylic monomer injected between the two molds is cured with UV
light in seconds. The molds are automatically separated, and the
lens substrate is ready in as quick as 1 minute, with no cleaning,
polishing or post-production for a simple corrective lens. To
accommodate precisely formed and embedded smart AR elements in
prescription lenses, ARfusion®
produces an optimized, minimal thickness, semi-finished blank lens,
ready to be ground to the final curvature on standard ophthalmic
processing equipment.
In a traditional cast plastic lens, up to 80% of the original lens
blank material is wasted as the prescription is ground into the
blank. With the same amount of material,
ARfusion®
can produce several optimized semi-finished lenses. In a standard
thermal process, curing of semi-finished lens blanks for up to 50
hours requires much more energy and process time compared to the UV
curable materials and associated processes used by
ARfusion®.
Lithography Technology
Lithography is a process commonly used in the fabrication of
integrated circuits, in which a light-sensitive polymer
(photoresist), is exposed and developed to form 3D relief images on
the substrate, typically a silicon wafer of up to 300mm (11.8
inches) in diameter. In order to meet the performance,
fabrication-speed, and/or cost criteria required for many potential
applications that require large area and low cost nanopatterning,
we have developed a new nanolithography method called “Rolling
Mask” lithography (registered trademark RML®),
which combines the best features of photolithography, soft
lithography and roll-to-plate/roll-to-roll printing capability
technologies. Rolling Mask Lithography utilizes a proprietary UV
light exposure method where a master pattern is provided in the
form of a cylindrical mask. These master patterns are designed by
us and over the years they have become part of a growing library of
patterns, enriching the intellectual property (“IP”) of the
Company. The nanostructured pattern on the mask is then rolled over
a flat surface area writing a nano-pattern into the volume of a
photoresist, creating patterned grooves, metal is then evaporated
and fills the patterned grooves. The excess metal is then removed
by a known post-process called lift-off. The result is conductive
metal mesh-patterned surface (registered trademark
NANOWEB®)
that is not visible to the unaided eye, and which can be fabricated
onto any glass or plastic transparent surface in order to offer
high transparency, high conductivity and low haze smart
materials.
7
Our current principal prototype product in lithography technology
is transparent conductive film, NANOWEB®.
The lithography division operates out of our wholly owned U.S.
subsidiary, Metamaterial Technologies USA Inc. ("MTI US"). MTI US
can produce meter-long samples of NANOWEB®,
at a small volumes scale, for industry customers/partners.
Throughout 2021 and 2022, we have been ordering and upgrading our
equipment at MTI US's California facility to efficiently supply
NANOWEB®
samples in larger volumes. In early 2022, we installed our first
roll-to-roll, NANOWEB®
pilot scale production line at our Pleasanton, California facility.
The line is configured for 300mm-wide rolls of substrate. Our
roll-to-roll production now matches or exceeds functional
performance of wafer-based samples. We have achieved cosmetic
uniformity and transparency in our samples and they now exceed
customer specifications for transmission, haze and sheet
resistance.
There are six NANOWEB®-enabled
applications that are currently in early stages of development
including:
•
NANOWEB®
for Transparent EMI Shielding.
•
NANOWEB®
for Transparent Antennas.
•
NANOWEB®
for 5G Signal Enhancement.
•
NANOWEB®
for Touch Screen Sensors.
•
NANOWEB®
for Solar Cells.
•
NANOWEB®
for Transparent Heating to de-ice and de-fog.
We have entered into a collaboration agreement with Crossover
Solutions Inc. to assist with commercialization of the
NANOWEB®
enabled products and applications for the automotive industry and
with ADI Technologies to help secure contracts with the US
Department of Defense.
Nano-optic Structures and Color-shifting Foils
During 2021 we acquired Nanotech Security Corp. "Nanotech" which
specializes in designing, originating, recombining, and
mass-producing nanotechnology-based films with application for a
wide variety of products and markets. Nanotech develops and
produces nano-optic structures and color-shifting foils used in
authentication and brand protection applications including
banknotes, secure government documents, and commercial branding.
Our nano-optic security technology platforms include:
•
KolourOptik®,
a patented visual technology that is exclusive to the government
and banknote market and combines sub-wavelength nanostructures and
microstructures to create modern overt security features with a
unique and customizable optical effect.
KolourOptik®
pure plasmonic color pixels produce full color, 3D depth, and
movement used in security stripes and threads that are nearly
impossible to replicate.
•
LiveOptik™,
a patented visual technology that utilizes innovative nano-optics
one tenth the size of traditional holographic structures to create
next generation overt security features customized to Nanotech’s
customers’ unique requirements. LiveOptik™
delivers multi-color, 3D depth, movement and image switches for
secure brand protection stripes, threads and labels that are nearly
impossible to replicate.
•
LumaChrome™
optical thin film security features are manufactured using
precision engineered nanometer thick layers of metals and ceramics
to form filters designed to uniquely manipulate visible and
non-visible light. This unique manipulation of light properties is
used to create specialized security features in the form of
threads, stripes, and patches that are applied to banknotes and
other secure documents. By using sophisticated electron beam and
sputtered deposition methods, Nanotech precisely controls the
construction and inherent properties to provide custom
color-shifting solutions. An individual looking at these threads,
stripes and patches sees an obvious color shift (e.g. green to
magenta) when the document or bank note is tilted or
rotated.
8
Wireless Sensing and Radio Wave Imaging Technology
META’s Wireless Sensing platform uses infrared and radio frequency
(RF) transmitters and receivers to collect and measure a variety of
biological information enabling non-invasive and safe medical
diagnostics. The platform requires the ability to cancel
reflections (anti-reflection) from the skin to reduce the natural
impedance the skin provides to such signals and increase the
Signal-to-Noise Ratio (“SNR”) of certain diagnostic instruments
used in conjunction with the platform. This reflection-cancelling
requirement is satisfied using META’s proprietary metamaterial
films that employ patterned designs, printed on metal-dielectric
structures on flexible substrates that act as anti-reflection
(impedance-matching) coatings when placed over the human skin in
combination with medical diagnostic modalities, such as MRI,
ultrasound systems, non-invasive glucometers etc.
We are developing a number of medical products that employ this
proprietary technology, which are subject to FDA approval prior to
marketing as described in more detail below.
glucoWISE®,
is in development as a completely non-invasive glucose measurement
device. It is being developed first as a tabletop system for use in
the home or clinic, followed by a portable, pocket-size product and
ultimately as a wearable. In magnetic resonance imaging (MRI),
increasing the SNR by orders of magnitude has been demonstrated to
produce much higher resolution images with significant increases in
imaging speed resulting in better patient throughput and
potentially more accurate diagnoses in imaging clinics. For
example, we began developing metaSURFACE™ (also known as radiWISE™)
an innovation which allows an improvement in SNR of up to 40 times
for MRI scans. The metaSURFACE™ device consists of proprietary
non-ferrous metallic and dielectric layers that are exactingly
designed to interact (resonate) with radio waves increasing the
SNR. META is also researching the use of its Radio Wave Imaging
technology in breast cancer and stroke diagnosis. We also are
developing wireless sensing and radio wave imaging applications
from our London, UK and Athens, Greece offices.
During 2022, we developed new prototypes utilizing
glucoWISE®
technology for new pre-clinical studies and human trials. These
prototypes are for a non-invasive glucose monitor that incorporates
metamaterial antireflective film as well as dual radio wave and
optical sensors which provides for enhanced signal penetration
through the skin.
Battery Materials
We acquired the assets and IP of Optodot Corporation, a developer
of advanced materials technologies in June 2022, and we began
focusing on developing and licensing ceramic separator
technology for lithium-ion batteries. The separator is a critical
component for battery performance and safety. Ceramic coated
plastic
separators (CCS) are widely used today. They are prone to failure
at high temperatures, leading to battery fires thus aggravating a
tenuous safety profile as energy density and battery size increase.
Our next-generation NPORE®is
the world’s first flexible, free-standing ceramic nanoporous
membrane separator for lithium-ion batteries.
NPORE®
separators eliminate the use of plastic substrate, provide superior
functionality and outstanding heat resistance for current and next
generation lithium-ion batteries. NPORE®all-ceramic
separators (CSP) offer increased safety and performance by
eliminating the plastic layer entirely, and exhibit less than 1%
heat shrinkage at temperatures up to 200 degrees C. Our third
generation electrode coated separators (ECS) combine what are
presently two discrete functions in Lithium-ion batteries and offer
a simpler, faster, lower-cost assembly process compatible with
current and future battery chemistries (siliconanode, lithium
metal, and solid state).
The global market for Lithium-ion battery separators was estimated
at $5.1 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach $9.0 billion in
2025 (Source: Yano Research Institute Ltd.). Separator shipments
were about 5.5 billion square meters in 2021 and are projected to
reach 15.9 billion square meters in 2025 (Source: SNE Research).
About 15 million square meters are required per GWh of battery
capacity.
Additionally, electric vehicle (EV) consumers desire increased
range and fast charging to get back on the road quickly. Storing
more energy relative to weight and volume and accepting higher
charge rates increase the requirements for material performance,
stability, and safety. Wider EV adoption demands improved material
utilization along the supply chain.
In April 2022, we acquired UK-based Plasma App Ltd., developer of a
proprietary, high-speed, pulsed plasma deposition technology. With
the combination of these acquired technologies, we plan to develop
new battery materials and manufacturing techniques to address all
these challenges. PLASMAfusion®
high-speed vacuum coating technology has been used to produce
prototype NCORE™ thin polymer-metal composite copper current
collectors, significantly reducing weight, with a fuse-like feature
for increased safety. Lighter batteries increase energy density and
vehicle range. Lower copper content makes battery production and
recycling more sustainable.
High Speed Coating
PLASMAfusion®
is a first of its kind, patented manufacturing platform technology
developed by our Oxford, UK based Plasma App Ltd, a wholly owned
subsidiary which was acquired during 2022.
PLASMAfusion®
enables high speed coating of any solid material on any substrate.
It uniquely enables doping, multilayering, or mixing of materials
in vacuum with controlled stoichiometry distribution within the
deposited film at low substrate temperature.
We expect to apply PLASMAfusion®
to the metallization step in our roll-to-roll production process
for NANOWEB®
films as well as KolourOptik®
security films. This is expected to significantly accelerate line
speed and increase annual capacity. Large scale and efficient
metallization is a critical step for volume production of
NANOWEB®
and many other high volume potential applications such
9
as lithium-ion battery components. Large scale metallization is
expected to leverage capital equipment investment and substantially
reduce cost per square meter of output. META intends to continue to
industrialize and scale up PLASMAfusion®
including applications for its high volume factory in Thurso,
Quebec. Additionally, PLASMAfusion®
will be available for licensing and co-development for strategic
partners.
PLASMAfusion®
creates unprecedented new high-performance nanocomposites in real
time by using multiple, time sequenced targets. We believe this is
a unique process enabler, likely to facilitate META’s entry into
multiple high-growth markets. High energy beam deposition of
materials, at low temperature, without solvents and other toxic
chemicals, promises highly sustainable, breakthrough performance.
Compared to traditional coating technologies, we estimate
PLASMAfusion®
is approximately 60x more energy efficient compared to Plasma Laser
Deposition (PLD) and 8x more efficient compared to Magnetron
Sputtering to produce each 100nm of coating on each square cm area
of the substrate, while also offering higher adhesion, deposition
rates, and overall coating uniformity.
PLASMAfusion®
enables design of surfaces and a path to industrial surface
manufacturing for a variety of applications including batteries,
semiconductors and metamaterials, printed circuit boards and
protective optical coatings.
Electro-Optic and IR
We produce high-precision thin film coatings, optics, holographic
and lithographic gratings, and optomechanical assemblies for
ultraviolet, visible, and infrared applications. For example, we
are developing an advanced, electro-optical motion imagery system
with applications in the aerospace and defense sectors, and for
potential smart city, disaster recovery, wildlife preservation and
natural resource monitoring applications.
Customers
Our customers are OEM providers in multiple industries including
aerospace, automotive, consumer electronics, communications,
energy, banknote and brand security, and medical devices. We
organize our development and support efforts around these different
vertical markets to enable us to effectively penetrate these
markets and to develop products specific to the needs of these OEM
customers.
Marketing and Sales
We operate under a Business-to-Business model. Our marketing and
sales functions are organized to support and grow this operating
model. We utilize a combination of field-based and in-house selling
resources to promote and sell our standard off-the-shelf products
and a vertical market focused Business Development group to develop
and support long-term customer relationships in the vertical market
of interest. Our marketing efforts are focused on technical
education of our customer base regarding our products, support of a
meaningful presence at trade shows and industry events and routine
production of collateral materials to support our sales and
business development efforts throughout the year.
Manufacturing
We employ a hybrid model for manufacturing our high-performance
functional materials and nanocomposites.
We provide research scale production of our products in-house to
our customers in the lithography and holography business areas. We
are scaling up pilot scale production of in our Pleasanton and
Highfield Park facilities. We have current capacity in our Thurso
facility to produce 7.5 million square meters per year of our
banknote security and brand security product at commercial scale
and we are expanding this capacity. In certain instances where
volume warrants, we will make available on a license basis, our
equipment and proprietary processes to our customers or to third
party contractors to produce our products for their
needs.
We are constantly improving and investing in our manufacturing
capabilities and the associated quality control and resource
planning infrastructure. We hold ISO9001 certification for our
Highfield Park facility and our Thurso facility.
Research And Development
We operate in a rapidly evolving industry subject to significant
technological change and new product introductions and
enhancements. We believe that our continued commitment to research
and development is a critical element of our ability to introduce
new and enhanced products and technologies. In 2022 we invested
approximately twenty-five percent (25%) of our operating expenses
in our research and development efforts and these activities are
integral to maintaining and enhancing our competitive position. We
also increasingly seek to deploy our resources to solve fundamental
challenges that are both common to, and provide competitive
advantage across, our high-performance functional materials and
nanocomposites.
10
We believe that our success depends in part on our ability to
achieve the following in a cost-effective and timely
manner:
•
Enable our OEM customers to integrate our functional films into
their products.
•
Develop new technologies that meet the changing needs of the
vertical markets we have chosen to pursue.
•
Improve our existing technologies to enable growth into new
application areas; and expand our intellectual property
portfolio.
Intellectual Property
During 2022, we significantly expanded our patent and trademark
portfolios in a wide range of applications including holography,
lithography, wireless sensing technology, nano-optic structures as
well as battery safety, battery separator technology, and
high-speed coating capabilities. We added more than 10 patent
documents from the Plasma acquisition, and 101 patent documents
from the Optodot acquisition. We currently have over 500 active
patent documents, of which 315 patents have issued, compared with
269 active patent documents and 163 issued patents one year ago.
Our patent portfolio is comprised of 126 patent families, of which
68 include at least one issued patent. During 2022 we also filed 44
trademark registration applications and 15 trademarks were
registered, resulting in a total of 60 registered trademarks and 98
pending applications. We believe that our combination of patents,
trademarks, and trade secrets provides us with an important
competitive advantage, marketing benefits, and licensing revenue
opportunities.
Regulation
We are subject to significant regulation by local, state, federal
and international laws in all jurisdictions in which we operate.
Compliance with these requirements can be costly and time
consuming. We believe that our operations, products, services, and
actions substantially comply with applicable regulations in all
jurisdictions. However, the risk of non-compliance cannot be
eliminated and therefore there is no assurance that future costs
related to these regulations will not be incurred. There is also
the possibility that regulations will be retroactively applied,
interpreted, or applied differently to our operations, products,
services, and actions which will require significant time and
resources.
The development, testing, manufacturing, marketing, post-market
surveillance, distribution, advertising, and labeling of certain
medical devices are subject to regulation in the United States by
the Center for Devices and Radiological Health of the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) under the Federal Food, Drug, and
Cosmetic Act (FDCA) and comparable state and foreign regulatory
agencies. FDA defines a medical device as an instrument, apparatus,
implement, machine, contrivance, implant, in vitro reagent, or
other similar or related article, including any component part or
accessory, which is (i) intended for use in the diagnosis of
disease or other conditions, or in the cure, mitigation, treatment,
or prevention of disease, in man or other animals, or (ii) intended
to affect the structure or any function of the body of man or other
animals and which does not achieve any of its primary intended
purposes through chemical action within or on the body of man or
other animals and which is not dependent upon being metabolized for
the achievement of any of its primary intended purposes. Medical
devices to be commercially distributed in the United States must
receive from the FDA either clearance of a premarket notification,
known as 510(k), or premarket approval pursuant to the FDC Act
prior to marketing, unless subject to an exemption.
In the U.S., if we market our products for medical purposes, such
products would be subject to regulation by the FDA under premarket
and post-market control as medical devices, unless an exemption
applies, and we would be required to obtain either prior 510(k)
clearance or prior premarket approval from the FDA before
commercializing the product. Obtaining the requisite regulatory
approvals can be expensive and may involve considerable delay. Some
countries have regulatory review processes that are substantially
longer than U.S. processes. Failure to obtain regulatory approval
in a timely manner and meet all of the local regulatory
requirements where we plan to market our products could prevent us
from marketing products in such countries or subject us to
sanctions and fines. Changes to the current regulatory framework,
including the imposition of additional or new regulations, could
arise at any time during the development or marketing of our
products.
FDA classifies medical devices into one of three classes. Devices
deemed to pose lower risk to the patient are placed in either class
I or II, which, unless an exemption applies, requires the
manufacturer to submit a premarket notification requesting FDA
clearance for commercial distribution pursuant to Section 510(k) of
the FDCA. This process, known as 510(k) clearance, requires that
the manufacturer demonstrate that the device is substantially
equivalent to a previously cleared and legally marketed 510(k)
device or a “pre-amendment” class III device for which premarket
approval applications (“PMAs”) have not been required by the FDA.
This FDA review process typically takes from four to twelve months,
although it can take longer. Most Class I devices are exempted from
this 510(k) premarket submission requirement. If no legally
marketed predicate can be identified for a new device to enable the
use of the 510(k) pathway, the device is automatically classified
under the FDCA as Class III, which generally requires premarket
approval, or PMA approval. However, the FDA can reclassify or use
“de novo classification” for a device that meets the FDCA standards
for a Class II device, permitting the device to be marketed without
PMA approval. To grant such a reclassification, FDA must determine
that the
11
FDCA’s general controls alone, or general controls and special
controls together, are sufficient to provide a reasonable assurance
of the device’s safety and effectiveness. The de novo
classification route is generally less burdensome than the PMA
approval process. Devices deemed by the FDA to pose the greatest
risk, such as life-sustaining, life-supporting, or implantable
devices, or those deemed not substantially equivalent to a legally
marketed predicate device, are placed in class III. Class III
devices typically require PMA approval. To obtain PMA approval, an
applicant must demonstrate the reasonable safety and effectiveness
of the device based, in part, on data obtained in clinical studies.
All clinical studies of investigational medical devices to
determine safety and effectiveness must be conducted in accordance
with the FDA’s investigational device exemption (“IDE”)
regulations, including the requirement for the study sponsor to
submit an IDE application to the FDA, unless exempt, which must
become effective prior to commencing human clinical studies. PMA
reviews generally last between one and two years, although they can
take longer. Both the 510(k) and the PMA processes can be expensive
and lengthy and may not result in clearance or approval. If we are
required to submit our products for premarket review by the FDA, we
may be required to delay marketing and commercialization while we
obtain premarket clearance or approval from the FDA. There would be
no assurance that we could ever obtain such clearance or
approval.
All medical devices that are regulated by the FDA are also subject
to the quality system regulation. Obtaining the requisite
regulatory approvals, including the FDA quality system inspections
that are required for PMA approval, can be expensive and may
involve considerable delay. The regulatory approval process for
such products may be significantly delayed, may be significantly
more expensive than anticipated, and may conclude without such
products being approved by the FDA. Without timely regulatory
approval, we will not be able to launch or successfully
commercialize such diagnostic products. Changes to the current
regulatory framework, including the imposition of additional or new
regulations, could arise at any time during the development or
marketing of our products. This may negatively affect our ability
to obtain or maintain FDA or comparable regulatory clearance or
approval of our products in the future. In addition, regulatory
agencies may introduce new requirements that may change the
regulatory requirements for us or our customers, or
both.
If our products become subject to FDA regulation as medical
devices, the regulatory clearance or approval and the maintenance
of continued and postmarket regulatory compliance for such products
will be expensive, time-consuming, and uncertain both in timing and
outcome. Commercialization of such regulated medical devices can
increase our exposure under additional laws. For example, medical
device companies are subject to additional healthcare regulation
and enforcement by the federal government and by authorities in the
states and foreign jurisdictions in which they conduct their
business and may constrain the financial arrangements and
relationships through which we research, as well as sell, market
and distribute any medical products for which we obtain marketing
authorization. Such laws include, without limitation, state and
federal anti-kickback, fraud and abuse, false claims, data privacy
and security, and transparency laws and regulations related to
payments and other transfers of value made to physicians and other
healthcare providers. If our operations are found to be in
violation of any of such laws or any other governmental regulations
that apply, we may be subject to penalties, including, without
limitation, administrative, civil, and criminal penalties, damages,
fines, disgorgement, the curtailment or restructuring of
operations, integrity oversight and reporting obligations,
exclusion from participation in federal and state healthcare
programs and imprisonment.
Additionally, we must comply with complex foreign and U.S. laws and
regulations, such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the
U.K. Bribery Act, and other local laws prohibiting corrupt payments
to governmental officials, anti-competition regulations and
sanctions imposed by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control, and
other similar laws and regulations. Violations of these laws and
regulations could result in fines and penalties, criminal
sanctions, restrictions on our business conduct, and on our ability
to offer our products in one or more countries, and could also
materially affect our brand, our ability to attract and retain
employees, our international operations, our business, and our
operating results. As we continue to expand our business into
multiple international markets, our success will depend, in large
part, on our ability to anticipate and effectively manage these and
other risks associated with our international operations. Any of
these risks could harm our international operations and negatively
impact our sales, adversely affecting our business, results of
operations, financial condition, and growth prospects.
Human Capital Resources
As of February 28, 2023, we had 239 employees. Approximately 86% of
our employees are located in Canada and the United States. Of the
total workforce, 114 employees are involved in research and
development; 45 employees are involved in operations,
manufacturing, service and quality assurance; and 80 employees are
involved in sales and marketing, information technology, general
management and other administrative functions.
Available Information
Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q,
Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports and
proxy and information statements are accessible free of charge on
our website at www.metamaterial.com as soon as reasonably
practicable after we electronically file such material with, or
furnish them to, the SEC. The SEC also maintains an internet site
that
12
contains reports, proxy and information statements and other
information regarding our filings at www.sec.gov. The reference to
our company website does not constitute incorporation by reference
of the information contained at the site.
Business Combinations
Torchlight RTO
On December 14, 2020, the Company (formerly known as “Torchlight
Energy Resources, Inc.” or “Torchlight”) and its subsidiaries,
Metamaterial Exchangeco Inc. (formerly named 2798832 Ontario Inc.,
“Canco”) and 2798831 Ontario Inc. (“Callco”), entered into an
Arrangement Agreement (the “Arrangement Agreement”) with
Metamaterial Inc. ("MMI"), an Ontario corporation headquartered in
Nova Scotia, Canada, to acquire all of the outstanding common stock
of MMI by way of a statutory plan of arrangement (the
“Arrangement”) under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario), on
and subject to the terms and conditions of the Arrangement
Agreement (the “Torchlight RTO”). On June 25, 2021, we implemented
a reverse stock split, changed our name from “Torchlight Energy
Resources, Inc.” to “Meta Materials Inc.” and changed our trading
symbol from “TRCH” to “MMAT”. On June 28, 2021, following the
satisfaction of the closing conditions set forth in the Arrangement
Agreement, the Arrangement was completed.
On June 28, 2021, and pursuant to the completion of the Arrangement
Agreement, we began trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the
symbol “MMAT” while MMI common stock was delisted from the Canadian
Securities Exchange (“CSE”). At the same time, Metamaterial
Exchangeco Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of META, started trading
under the symbol “MMAX” on the CSE. Certain previous shareholders
of MMI elected to convert their common stock of MMI into
exchangeable shares in Metamaterial Exchangeco Inc. These
exchangeable shares, which can be converted into common stock of
META at the option of the holder, are similar in substance to
common shares of META and have been included in the determination
of outstanding common shares of META.
For accounting purposes MMI, the legal subsidiary, has been treated
as the accounting acquirer and we the legal parent, have been
treated as the accounting acquiree. The transaction has been
accounted for as a reverse acquisition in accordance with ASC
805
Business Combination.
Accordingly, the consolidated financial statements are a
continuation of MMI consolidated financial statements prior to June
28, 2021 and exclude the balance sheets, statements of operations
and comprehensive loss, statement of changes in stockholders’
equity and statements of cash flows of Torchlight prior to June 28,
2021. See note 4 of our audited consolidated financial statements
for additional information.
On December 14, 2022, we distributed all of our 165,472,241
outstanding shares of Common Stock of Next Bridge Hydrocarbons Inc.
(“Next Bridge”) to holders of our Series A Non-Voting Preferred
Stock on a pro rata basis. Next Bridge was originally incorporated
in Nevada on August 31, 2021 as OilCo. Holdings, Inc. (and changed
its name to Next Bridge Hydrocarbons, Inc. pursuant to its Amended
and Restated Articles of Incorporation filed on June 30, 2022) and
was previously our wholly owned subsidiary. Immediately after the
distribution, Next Bridge became an independent company, and as a
result, we have deconsolidated the financial results of Next Bridge
from our consolidated financial results from December 14, 2022
onwards. See note 5 of our audited consolidated financial
statements for additional information on this
transaction.
Nanotech acquisition
On August 5, 2021, we announced the signing of a definitive
agreement to acquire Nanotech. On October 5, 2021, a wholly owned
subsidiary of META purchased 100% of Nanotech’s common stock at
CA$1.25 per share. In addition, the transaction price included the
settlement of certain Nanotech share awards outstanding immediately
prior to the closing of the agreement, including the repurchase and
cancellation of 303,391 Nanotech restricted share units ("RSU") at
a purchase price of CA$1.25 per RSU and the settlement of 4,359,000
Nanotech in-the-money stock options at a purchase price equal to
CA$1.25 per option, less the exercise price thereof. The
consideration payable to securityholders under the arrangement was
payable in cash, resulting in a total purchase price of $72.1
million.
Nanotech is incorporated under the laws of British Columbia,
Canada. Nanotech’s head office is located at #505 - 3292 Production
Way, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 4R4. In addition, Nanotech owns and
operates a manufacturing facility located in Thurso,
Quebec.
Plasma App Ltd acquisition
On April 1, 2022, we completed the purchase of 100% of the issued
and outstanding shares of Plasma App Ltd. ("PAL"). PAL is the
developer of PLASMAfusion®,
a proprietary manufacturing platform technology, which enables high
speed coating of any solid material on any type of substrate. PAL’s
team is located at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratories in Oxford,
UK.
We issued an aggregate of 9,677,419 shares of our common stock to
PAL's shareholders at closing, representing a number of shares of
common stock equal to $18,000,000 divided by $1.86 (the volume
weighted average price for the ten trading days ending on March 31,
2022), with an additional deferral of common stock equal to
$2,000,000 divided by $1.86 to be issued subject to satisfaction of
certain claims and warranties.
13
Optodot acquisition
We completed an asset purchase agreement with Optodot Corporation
(“Optodot”) on June 22, 2022). Optodot, based in Devens,
Massachusetts, USA, is a developer of advanced materials
technologies for the battery and other industries.
The consideration transferred included the following: A cash
payment of $3,500,000 as well as unrestricted common stock equal to
$37,500,000 divided by our common stock's daily volume weighted
average trading price per share on the Nasdaq Capital Market for a
period of twenty trading days ending on June 21, 2022 and
restricted common stock, subject to milestones as set forth in the
Purchase Agreement, equal to $7,500,000 divided by the daily volume
weighted average trading price per share of our Common Stock on the
Nasdaq Capital Market for the consecutive period of twenty trading
days ending on June 21, 2022.
14
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
The following factors could materially affect our business,
financial condition or results of operations and should be
carefully considered in evaluating us and our business, in addition
to other information presented elsewhere in this report.
SUMMARY OF RISK FACTORS
Below is a summary of the principal factors that could materially
harm our business, operating results and/or financial condition,
impair our future prospects or cause the price of our common stock
to decline. This summary does not address all of the risks that we
face. Additional discussion of the risks summarized in this risk
factor summary, and other risks that we face, can be found below
after the summary of risk factors and should be carefully
considered, together with other information in this Annual Report
on Form 10-K and our other filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission ("SEC") before making an investment decision regarding
our common stock.
•
We have a limited operating history, which can make it difficult
for investors to evaluate our operations and prospects and may
increase the risks associated with investing in us.
•
We have a history of net losses, and we expect to continue to incur
losses for the foreseeable future. If we ever achieve
profitability, we may not be able to sustain it.
•
We expect to continue to incur losses from operations and negative
cash flows, which raise substantial doubt about our ability to
continue as a going concern.
•
We will need additional financing to execute our business plan and
fund operations, for which additional financing may not be
available on reasonable terms or at all.
•
Our ability to obtain financing, if and when necessary, may be
impaired by such factors as the capital markets and our limited
operating history.
•
We may be unable to develop new products, applications, and end
markets for our products.
•
Our research and marketing development activities and investments
may not result in profitable, commercially viable or successfully
produced and marketed products.
•
Disruption in supply from our single source supplier of our
holographic raw materials may cause a material adverse effect on
our Holography-related products.
•
Impairment of our goodwill or other intangible assets could
materially and adversely affect our business, operating results,
and financial condition.
•
We depend on our OEM customers and system integrators to
incorporate our products into their systems.
•
Our revenues may be concentrated in a few customers, and if we lose
any of these customers, or these customers do not pay us, our
revenues could be materially adversely affected.
•
Our agreements with various national governments and suppliers to
such governments subject us to unique risks.
•
We are subject to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar
anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws, as well as governmental
export and import controls, all of which could subject us to
liability or impair our ability to compete in international
markets.
•
We may experience delays in providing sufficient product for future
testing of our products due to ongoing supply chain
limitations.
•
Change in laws, regulations or guidelines relating to our business
plan and activities could adversely affect our
business.
•
If we are unable to make acquisitions, or successfully integrate
them into our business, our results of operations and financial
condition could be adversely affected.
•
The regulatory approval process for our medical products in the
United States and other countries around the world is
time-consuming and complicated, and we may not obtain the approval
required to market a product within the timeline required, or at
all. Additionally, we may lose regulatory approval and/or our
products may become subject to new and anticipated foreign
regulations.
15
•
Development of medical devices and related operations are subject
to extensive government regulation and oversight both in the United
States and abroad, and our failure to comply with applicable
requirements could harm our business.
•
Healthcare policy changes, including recently enacted legislation
reforming the U.S. healthcare system, could harm our business,
financial condition, and results of operations.
•
If coverage and reimbursement from third-party payors for
procedures using our medical products, if authorized by a
regulatory authority, significantly decline, physicians, hospitals,
and other healthcare providers may be reluctant to use our products
and our sales may decline.
•
If we or our contractors fail to comply with healthcare and other
governmental regulations, we could face substantial fines and
penalties and our business, results of operations and financial
condition could be adversely affected.
•
If we fail to obtain and maintain necessary regulatory clearances,
approvals, or certifications for our products, or if clearances,
approvals or certifications for future products and indications are
delayed or not issued, our commercial operations would be
harmed.
•
We are exposed to risks that our employees, consultants, or other
commercial partners and business associates may engage in
misconduct or other improper activities, including non-compliance
with regulatory standards and requirements.
•
Compliance with environmental laws and regulations could be
expensive, and failure to comply with these laws and regulations
could subject us to significant liability.
•
Our insurance coverage strategy may not be adequate to protect us
from all business risks.
•
The risk of loss of our intellectual property, trade secrets or
other sensitive business or customer confidential information or
disruption of operations due to cyberattacks or data breaches could
negatively impact our financial results.
•
Cybersecurity breaches and information technology failures could
harm our business by increasing our costs and negatively impacting
our business operations.
•
Changes in laws or regulations relating to privacy, information
security and data protection, or any actual or perceived failure by
us to comply with such laws and regulations or any other
obligations, could adversely affect our business.
•
We are subject to taxation-related risks in multiple jurisdictions,
and the adoption and interpretation of new tax legislation, tax
regulations, tax rulings, or exposure to additional tax liabilities
could materially affect our business, financial condition and
results of operations.
•
Our ability to use our deferred tax assets to offset future taxable
income is subject to certain limitations, which may have a material
impact on our business, financial condition or results of
operations.
Risks Related to our Business
We have a limited operating history, which can make it difficult
for investors to evaluate our operations and prospects and may
increase the risks associated with investing in us.
We have incurred recurring consolidated net losses since our
inception and expects our operating costs to continue to increase
in future periods as we expend substantial financial and other
resources on, among other things, business and headcount expansion
in operations, sales and marketing, research and development, and
administration as a public company. These expenditures may not
result in additional revenues or the growth of our business. If we
fail to grow revenues or to achieve profitability while our
operating costs increase, our business, financial condition,
results of operations and growth prospects will be materially,
adversely affected.
We are expected to be subject to many of the risks common to
early-stage enterprises for the foreseeable future, including
challenges related to laws, regulations, licensing, integrating and
retaining qualified employees; making effective use of limited
resources; achieving market acceptance of existing and future
products; competing against companies with greater financial and
technical resources; acquiring and retaining customers; and
developing new solutions; and challenges relating to identified
material weaknesses in internal control.
We have a history of net losses, and we expect to continue to incur
losses for the foreseeable future. If we ever achieve
profitability, we may not be able to sustain it.
We have incurred losses from operations since our inception and
expect to continue to incur losses from operations for the
foreseeable future. We reported net losses of $79.1 million and
$91.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021,
respectively. As a
16
result of these losses, as of December 31, 2022, we had an
accumulated deficit of $207.5 million. We expect to continue to
incur significant sales and marketing, research and development,
regulatory and other expenses as we grow our business. In addition,
we expect our general and administrative expenses to increase due
to the additional costs associated with being a public company. The
net losses that we incur may fluctuate significantly from period to
period. We will need to generate significant additional revenue in
order to achieve and sustain profitability. Even if we achieve
profitability, we cannot be sure that we will remain profitable for
any substantial period of time.
We expect to continue to incur losses from operations and negative
cash flows, which raise substantial doubt about our ability to
continue as a going concern.
We anticipate incurring additional losses until such time, if ever,
we can achieve profitability. Substantial additional financing will
be needed to fund our development, marketing and sales activities
and generally to commercialize our technology. These factors raise
substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going
concern.
We will seek to obtain additional capital through the issuance of
debt or equity financings or other arrangements to fund operations;
however, there can be no assurance we will be able to raise needed
capital under acceptable terms, if at all. The sale of additional
equity may dilute existing shareholders and newly issued shares may
contain senior rights and preferences compared to currently
outstanding shares of common stock. Issued debt securities may
contain covenants and limit our ability to pay dividends or make
other distributions to shareholders. If we are unable to obtain
such additional financing, future operations would need to be
scaled back or discontinued. Due to the uncertainty in our ability
to raise capital, we believe that there is substantial doubt as to
our ability to continue as a going concern.
We will need additional financing to execute our business plan and
fund operations, which additional financing may not be available on
reasonable terms or at all.
We will need to raise additional capital to expand the
commercialization of our products, fund our operations and further
our research and development activities. We will pursue sources of
additional capital through various financing transactions or
arrangements, including the sale/leaseback of certain properties,
joint venturing of projects, debt financing, equity financing, or
other means. We may not be successful in identifying suitable
financing transactions in the time period required or at all, and
we may not obtain the capital we require by other means.
Our ability to obtain financing, if and when necessary, may be
impaired by such factors as the capital markets and our limited
operating history.
Any additional capital raised through the sale of equity may dilute
the ownership percentage of our stockholders. Raising any such
capital could also result in a decrease in the fair market value of
our equity securities because our assets would be owned by a larger
pool of outstanding equity. The terms of securities we issue in
future capital transactions may be more favorable to our new
investors, and may include preferences, superior voting rights and
the issuance of other derivative securities, and issuances of
incentive awards under equity employee incentive plans, which may
have a further dilutive effect.
In addition, we may incur substantial costs in pursuing future
capital financing, including investment banking fees, legal fees,
accounting fees, securities law compliance fees, printing and
distribution expenses and other costs. We may also be required to
recognize non-cash expenses in connection with certain securities
we may issue, which may adversely impact our financial
condition.
If we are unable to maintain effective disclosure controls and
procedures, our business, financial position and results of
operations could be adversely affected
We are subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the
Exchange Act. We designed our disclosure controls and procedures to
reasonably assure that information we must disclose in reports we
file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and
communicated to management, and recorded, processed, summarized and
reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms
of the SEC. We believe that any disclosure controls and procedures
or internal controls and procedures, no matter how well-conceived
and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance
that the objectives of the control system are met. Our management
has concluded that a material weakness in our internal control over
financial reporting exists at December 31, 2022. Management has
further concluded that this material weakness resulted in our
disclosure controls and procedures not being effective as of
December 31, 2022. Please see Item 9A of Part II, Controls and
Procedures, for more information about the material weakness that
we identified.
17
We may be unable to develop new products, applications, and end
markets for our products.
Our future success will depend in part on our ability to generate
sales of our products as well as generating development revenue.
Current and potential customers may have substantial investment in,
and know-how related to our technologies. Customers may be
reluctant to change from incumbent suppliers or cease using their
own solutions, or our products may miss the design and procurement
cycles of our customers. Many target markets have historically been
slow to adopt new technologies. These markets often require long
testing and qualification periods or lengthy government approval
processes before admitting new suppliers or adopting new
technologies.
Introduction of new products and product enhancements will require
that we effectively transfer production processes from research and
development to manufacturing and coordinate efforts with those
suppliers to achieve increased production volume rapidly. If we are
unable to implement this strategy to develop new applications and
end markets for products or develop new products, the business,
financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects
could be materially adversely affected. In addition, any newly
developed or enhanced products may not achieve market acceptance or
may be rendered obsolete or less competitive by the introduction of
new products by other companies.
Our research and marketing development activities and investments
may not result in profitable, commercially viable or successfully
produced and marketed products.
Although we, ourselves and through our investments, are committed
to researching and developing new markets and products and
improving existing products, there can be no assurances that such
research and market development activities will prove profitable or
that the resulting markets and/or products, if any, will be
commercially viable or successfully produced and marketed. A
failure in the demand for products to materialize as a result of
competition, technological change or other factors could have a
material adverse effect on the business, results of operations and
financial condition of the companies in which we have or will
invest in, and consequently, on us.
Disruption in supply from our single source supplier of our
holographic raw materials may cause a material adverse effect on
our Holography-related products.
We purchase our holographic raw materials from a tier 1 German
manufacturer, which is a single source supplier. Disruption in
supply from this supplier for any number of factors may cause a
material adverse effect on our Holography-related products, which
would negatively impact our financial condition and results of
operations.
Impairment of our goodwill or other intangible assets could
materially and adversely affect our business, operating results,
and financial condition.
Events or changes in circumstances, such as declines in our stock
price or market capitalization, could increase the likelihood that
we will be required to recognize an impairment charge against our
goodwill and/or intangible assets. In particular, these or other
adverse events or changes in circumstances may affect the estimated
undiscounted future operating cash flows expected to be derived
from our goodwill and intangible assets. We have recently
experienced substantial declines in our stock price, and continued
weakness or further declines in our stock price increase the
likelihood that we may be required to recognize impairment charges.
Any impairment charges could have a material adverse effect on our
operating results and net asset value in the quarter in which we
recognize the impairment charge. We cannot provide assurances that
we will not in the future be required to recognize impairment
charges. Please see Item 7 of Part II, Management’s Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation –
Goodwill,
for more information.
For example, a sustained decline in market capitalization below
book value is an indicator that goodwill and other intangible
assets should be tested for impairment under ASC 350
Intangibles – Goodwill and Other.
During the period from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022, our
stock price ranged between a high of $2.95 and a low of $0.63 and
as of December 31, 2022 our market capitalization was $431.1
million and the book value of our goodwill was $281.7 million.
While our market capitalization exceeded the book value of our
goodwill as of December 31, 2022, as of March 17, 2023, our market
capitalization is approximately $191.1 (based on a closing price of
$0.50 per share) million and the book value of our goodwill is
$281.7 million, and as such we may be required to recognize an
impairment loss in the future if the drop in our market
capitalization is deemed to be sustained.
We depend on our OEM customers and system integrators to
incorporate our products into their systems.
Our revenues depend, in part, on our ability to maintain existing
and secure new OEM customers. Our revenues also depend, in part, on
the ability of our current and potential OEM customers and system
integrators to incorporate our products into their systems, and to
sell such systems successfully. Limited marketing resources,
reluctance to invest in research and development and other factors
affecting these OEM customers and third-party system integrators
could have a substantial impact upon demand for our products, and
in turn upon our revenues and financial results. If OEM customers
or integrators are not able to adapt existing tools or develop new
systems to
18
take advantage of the features and benefits of our products or if
they perceive us to be an actual or potential competitor, then the
opportunities to expand our revenues and increase our margins may
be severely limited or delayed. In addition, some of our OEM
customers are developing their own competitive products. If they
are successful, this may reduce our revenues from these
customers.
Our revenues may be concentrated in a few customers, and if we lose
any of these customers, or these customers do not pay us, our
revenues could be materially adversely affected.
We rely on a few customers for a significant portion of our
revenues. For the year ended December 31, 2022, revenue from one
customer accounted for $8.6 million or 84% of total
revenue.
We currently derive a significant portion of our revenue from
contract services with a G10 central bank. Although we are
developing a new security feature under a framework contract with
this customer, there can be no assurance that this project will be
successful, or that will result in long-term production revenue for
this security feature.
Our agreements with various national governments and suppliers to
such governments subject us to unique risks.
We must comply with, and are affected by, laws and regulations
relating to the award, administration, and performance of various
national government contracts. Awards received from such
governments may be cancelled or lose funding. Such government
contracting parties may require us to increase or decrease
production of certain products sold to such governments due to
changes in strategy, priorities or other reasons, which could
impact production of other products or sales to other customers to
meet the requirements of such governments. In addition, such
governments routinely retain rights to intellectual property
developed in connection with government contracts. Such governments
could exercise these rights in certain circumstances in the future,
which could have the effect of decreasing the benefit we are able
to realize commercially from such intellectual property.
National government agencies routinely audit and investigate
government contractors and can decrease or withhold certain
payments when it deems systems subject to its review to be
inadequate. Additionally, any costs found to be misclassified may
be subject to repayment. If an audit or investigation uncovers
improper or illegal activities, we may be subject to civil or
criminal penalties and administrative sanctions, including
reductions of the value of contracts, contract modifications or
terminations, forfeiture of profits, suspension of payments,
penalties, fines and suspension, or prohibition from doing business
with such governments. In addition, we could suffer serious
reputational harm if allegations of impropriety were made against
it. Any such imposition of penalties, or the loss of such
government contracts, could materially adversely affect our
business, financial condition, results of operations and growth
prospects
We are subject to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar
anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws, as well as governmental
export and import controls, all of which could subject us to
liability or impair our ability to compete in international
markets.
Our business activities may be subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt
Practices Act (the FCPA), and similar anti-bribery or
anti-corruption laws, regulations or rules of other countries in
which we operate. These laws generally prohibit companies and their
employees and third-party business partners, representatives and
agents from engaging in corruption and bribery, including offering,
promising, giving or authorizing the provision of anything of
value, either directly or indirectly, to a government official or
commercial party in order to influence official action, direct
business to any person, gain any improper advantage, or obtain or
retain business. The FCPA also requires public companies to make
and keep books and records that accurately and fairly reflect the
transactions of the corporation and to devise and maintain an
adequate system of internal accounting controls. Our business is
heavily regulated and therefore involves significant interaction
with government officials, including potentially officials of
non-U.S. governments.
In addition to our own employees, we may in the future leverage
third parties to conduct our business abroad, such as obtaining
government licenses and approvals. We and our third-party business
partners, representatives and agents may have direct or indirect
interactions with officials and employees of government agencies,
state-owned or affiliated entities and we may be held liable for
the corrupt or other illegal activities of our employees, our
third-party business partners, representatives and agents, even if
we do not explicitly authorize such activities. There is no
certainty that our employees or the employees of our third-party
business partners, representatives and agents will comply with all
applicable laws and regulations, particularly given the high level
of complexity of these laws. Violations of these laws and
regulations could result in whistleblower complaints, adverse media
coverage, investigations, loss of export privileges, debarment from
U.S. government contracts, substantial diversion of management’s
attention, significant legal fees and fines, severe criminal or
civil sanctions against us, our officers, or our employees,
disgorgement and other sanctions and remedial measures, and
prohibitions on the conduct of our business. Any such violations
could include prohibitions on our ability to offer our products in
one or more countries and could materially damage our reputation,
our brand, our international expansion efforts, our ability to
attract and retain employees, and our business, prospects,
operating results, financial condition and stock price.
19
The U.S. and various foreign governments have imposed controls,
export license requirements and restrictions on the import or
export of certain products, technologies, and software. We must
export our products in compliance with U.S. export controls and we
may not always be successful in obtaining necessary export
licenses. Our failure to obtain required import or export approval
for our products or limitations on our ability to export or sell
our products imposed by these laws may harm our international and
domestic revenues. Noncompliance with these laws could have
negative consequences, including government investigations,
penalties and reputational harm.
Changes in our products or changes in export, import and economic
sanctions laws and regulations may delay our introduction of new
products in international markets, prevent our customers from
deploying our products internationally or, in some cases, prevent
the export or import of our products to or from certain countries
altogether. In addition to the tariffs imposed by the U.S.
Government on certain items imported from China, it is possible
that additional sanctions or restrictions may be imposed by the
United States on items imported into the United States from China.
Similarly, in addition to the tariffs imposed by China on certain
items imported from the United States, it is possible that
additional sanctions or restrictions may be imposed by China on
items imported into China from the United States. Any such measures
could further adversely affect our ability to sell our products to
existing or potential customers and harm our ability to compete
internationally and grow our business. In addition, generally,
tariffs may materially increase the cost of our raw materials and
finished goods, may negatively impact our margins as we may not be
able to pass on the additional cost through increasing the prices
of our products, and may cause the contraction of certain
industries, including the Industrial market. Any change in export
or import regulations or legislation, shift or change in
enforcement, or change in the countries, persons or technologies
targeted by these regulations, could result in decreased use of our
products by, or in our decreased ability to export or sell our
products to, existing or potential customers with international
operations. In such event, our business, financial condition,
results of operations and growth prospects could be materially
adversely affected.
We may experience delays in providing sufficient product for future
testing of our products due to ongoing supply chain
limitations.
Due to current supply chain disruptions, our contract manufacturing
organizations may experience an inability to manufacture and
produce sufficient quantities of our products as we progress
through our regulatory testing and/or approval. Should this happen,
we may not be able to provide sufficient quantities of our products
which could delay our ability to bring products to market. Such a
delay would cause us to use more capital than currently planned
which may have a material adverse effect on our projected timing of
product launches and financials.
20
Change in laws, regulations or guidelines relating to our business
plan and activities could adversely affect our business.
Our current and proposed operations are subject to a variety of
laws, regulations and guidelines relating to production, the
conduct of operations, transportation, storage, health and safety,
medical device regulation and the protection of the environment.
These laws and regulations are broad in scope and subject to
evolving interpretations, which could require us to incur
substantial costs associated with compliance or alter certain
aspects of our business plan. In addition, violations of these
laws, or allegations of such violations, could disrupt certain
aspects of our business plan and result in a material adverse
effect on certain aspects of our planned operations.
As an example, we launched a new product metaAIR®
in March 2019 to provide laser glare protection to pilots in the
airline industry. Currently, metaAIR®
is not subject to any Federal Aviation Administration regulations.
However, metaAIR®
has yet to receive FDA approval/clearance and could become subject
to evolving regulation by governmental authorities as the
metaAIR®
market evolves further.
If we are unable to make acquisitions, or successfully integrate
them into our business, our results of operations and financial
condition could be adversely affected.
We have completed a number of acquisitions during our operating
history. We have spent and may continue to spend significant
resources identifying and pursuing future acquisition
opportunities. Acquisitions involve numerous risks including: (1)
difficulties in integrating the operations, technologies and
products of the acquired companies; (2) the diversion of
management’s attention from other business concerns; and (3) the
potential loss of key employees of the acquired companies. Failure
to achieve the anticipated benefits of any prior and future
acquisitions or to successfully integrate the operations of the
acquired companies could have a material and adverse effect on our
business, financial condition, and results of operations. Any
future acquisitions could also result in potentially dilutive
issuance of equity securities, acquisition or divestiture-related
write-offs or the assumption of debt and contingent
liabilities.
The regulatory approval process for our medical products in the
United States and other countries around the world is
time-consuming and complicated, and we may not obtain the approval
required to market a product within the timeline required, or at
all. Additionally, we may lose regulatory approval and/or our
products may become subject to new and unanticipated foreign
regulations.
Our wireless sensing technologies to enhance MRI and
glucoWISE®
non-invasive glucose_monitoring
are under research and development. We have performed many
pre-clinical experiments and we are preparing to perform clinical
experiments as needed to continue the development of the related
products. These products have not yet entered the clinical phase,
and we have not engaged with any regulatory authorities regarding
any medical uses subject to regulatory approval processes. We can
provide no assurance that any clinical trials we commence will be
successful, or that we will be successful in obtaining any
regulatory approvals for any medical products we may develop in the
future.
Development of medical devices and related operations are subject
to extensive government regulation and oversight both in the United
States and abroad, and our failure to comply with applicable
requirements could harm our business.
Any medical devices that we may develop in the future and related
operations are subject to extensive regulation in the United States
and elsewhere, including by the FDA and by the FDA’s foreign
counterparts. The FDA and foreign regulatory agencies regulate,
among other things, with respect to medical devices: design,
development, manufacturing, and release; laboratory, preclinical,
and clinical testing; labeling, packaging, content, and language of
instructions for use and storage; product safety and efficacy
claims; establishment, registration, and device listing; marketing,
sales, and distribution; pre-market clearances, approvals, and
certifications; service operations; record keeping procedures;
advertising and promotion; recalls and field safety corrective
actions; post-market surveillance, including reporting of deaths or
serious injuries and malfunctions that, if they were to recur,
could lead to death or serious injury; post-market studies; and
product import and export.
The regulations to which we are subject are complex and have tended
to become more stringent over time. Regulatory changes could result
in restrictions on our ability to carry on or expand our
operations, higher than anticipated costs or lower than anticipated
sales. The FDA and foreign counterparts enforce these regulatory
requirements through, among other means, periodic unannounced
inspections and periodic reviews of public marketing and promotion
materials. We do not know whether we will be found compliant in
connection with any future FDA or foreign counterparts’ inspections
or reviews. Failure to comply with applicable regulations could
jeopardize our ability to sell our medical devices and result in
enforcement actions such as: warning letters; untitled letters;
fines; injunctions; civil penalties; termination of distribution;
recalls or seizures of products; delays in the introduction of
products into the market; total or partial suspension of
production; refusal to grant future clearances, approvals, or
certifications; withdrawals or suspensions of current approvals or
certifications, resulting in prohibitions on sales of our medical
devices; and in the most serious cases, criminal
penalties.
21
Legislative or regulatory reforms in the United States or other
countries may make it more difficult and costly for us to obtain
regulatory clearances, approvals, or certifications for our
products or to manufacture, market, or distribute our products
after clearance, approval, or certification is obtained.
From time to time, legislation is drafted and introduced in
Congress that could significantly change the statutory provisions
governing the regulation of medical devices. In addition, the FDA
may change its clearance and approval policies, adopt additional
regulations, or revise existing regulations, or take other actions,
which may prevent or delay approval or clearance of our future
products under development or impact our ability to modify our
currently cleared products on a timely basis. The FDA’s and other
regulatory authorities’ policies may change, and additional
government regulations may be promulgated that could prevent,
limit, or delay regulatory clearance or approval of our product
candidates. We cannot predict the likelihood, nature, or extent of
government regulation that may arise from future legislation or
administrative action, either in the United States or abroad. If we
are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or
the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we are not able
to maintain regulatory compliance, we may lose any marketing
approval that we may have obtained and we may not achieve or
sustain profitability.
Healthcare policy changes, including recently enacted legislation
reforming the U.S. healthcare system, could harm our business,
financial condition, and results of operations.
In the United States, there have been, and continue to be, a number
of legislative initiatives to contain healthcare costs. In March
2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by
the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act
(ACA) was enacted in the United States, which made a number of
substantial changes in the way healthcare is financed by both
governmental and private insurers. We expect additional state and
federal healthcare policies and reform measures to be adopted in
the future. Any of these could make it more difficult and costly
for us to obtain regulatory clearances or approvals for our
products or to manufacture, market, or distribute our products
after clearance or approval is obtained. Any such reforms could
have a material adverse effect on our industry generally and on our
customers. In addition, any healthcare reforms that expand the
government’s role in the U.S. healthcare industry may result in
decreased sale of our products and lower reimbursement by payors
for procedures using our products, any of which could affect demand
for our products and/or result in additional pricing pressure,
which in turn could impact our ability to successfully
commercialize our products and could have an adverse material
effect on our business, financial condition, and results of
operations. Changes and reforms in the EU and other countries where
we may decide to commercialize could have similar
effects.
If coverage and reimbursement from third-party payors for
procedures using our medical products, if authorized by a
regulatory authority, significantly decline, physicians, hospitals,
and other healthcare providers may be reluctant to use our products
and our sales may decline.
In the United States, healthcare providers who purchase medical
products generally rely on third-party payors, including Medicare,
Medicaid, and private health insurance plans, to pay for all or a
portion of the cost of the medical products that we may
commercialize upon regulatory approval or clearance. Any decline in
the amount payors are willing to reimburse our medical products, if
cleared or approved for commercial use and distribution, may make
it difficult for customers to adopt our products and could create
additional pricing pressure for us. We may be unable to sell our
products on a profitable basis if third-party payors deny coverage
or reduce their current levels of reimbursement.
To contain costs of new technologies, governmental healthcare
programs and third-party payors are increasingly scrutinizing new
and existing treatments by requiring extensive evidence of
favorable clinical outcomes. Physicians, hospitals, and other
healthcare providers may not purchase our products if they do not
receive satisfactory reimbursement from these third-party payors
for the cost of using our products. If third-party payors issue
non-coverage policies or if our customers are not reimbursed at
adequate levels, this could adversely affect sales of our products.
Outside of the United States, reimbursement systems vary
significantly by country. The marketability of our products may
suffer if government and commercial third-party payors fail to
provide adequate coverage and reimbursement. Even if favorable
coverage and reimbursement status is attained, less favorable
coverage policies and reimbursement rates may be implemented in the
future.
If we or our contractors fail to comply with healthcare and other
governmental regulations, we could face substantial fines and
penalties and our business, results of operations and financial
condition could be adversely affected.
We are subject to certain federal, state, and foreign fraud and
abuse laws, health information privacy and security laws, and
transparency laws regarding payments and other transfers of value
made to physicians and other healthcare professionals that could
subject us to substantial penalties. Additionally, any challenge
to, or investigation into, our practices under these laws could
cause adverse publicity and be costly to respond to, and thus could
harm our business. Our arrangements with physicians, hospitals and
medical centers could expose us to broadly applicable fraud and
abuse laws and other laws and regulations that may restrict the
financial arrangements and relationships through which we may
market, sell, and distribute our medical products after we receive
the applicable marketing authorization. Our employees, consultants,
and commercial partners may engage in misconduct or other improper
activities, including
22
non-compliance with regulatory standards and requirements. Federal
and state healthcare laws and regulations that may affect our
ability to conduct business, include, without
limitation:
•
FDA, Department of Justice, and other government authority
prohibitions against the advertisement, promotion, and labeling of
our products for off-label uses, or uses outside the specific
indications approved by the FDA;
•
the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which broadly prohibits, among
other things, any person from knowingly and willfully offering,
soliciting, receiving, or providing remuneration, directly or
indirectly, in exchange for or to induce either the referral of an
individual for, or the purchase, order, or recommendation of, any
good or service for which payment may be made under federal
healthcare programs, such as Medicare or Medicaid. A person or
entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or
specific intent to violate it to have committed a
violation;
•
the federal False Claims Act, which prohibits, among other things,
individuals or entities from knowingly presenting, or causing to be
presented, false claims, or knowingly using false statements, to
obtain payment from the federal government. These laws have been
interpreted to apply to arrangements between medical device
manufacturers, on the one hand, and prescribers, purchasers, and
other healthcare-related professionals on the other. They can apply
to manufacturers who provide inaccurate information on coverage,
coding, and reimbursement of their products to persons who bill
third-party payors. In addition, medical device companies have been
prosecuted or faced civil and criminal liability under these laws
for a variety of alleged promotional and marketing activities,
including violations of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and
engaging in off-label promotion that caused claims to be submitted
for non-covered off-label uses. Private individuals can bring False
Claims Act “qui tam” actions, on behalf of the government and such
individuals, commonly known as “whistleblowers,” may share in
amounts paid by the entity to the government in fines or
settlement;
•
HIPAA, which among other things, also created criminal liability
for knowingly and willfully falsifying or concealing a material
fact or making a materially false statement in connection with the
delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services.
Similar to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, a person or entity
does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific
intent to violate it in order to have committed a
violation;
•
federal criminal laws that prohibit executing a scheme to defraud
any healthcare benefit program or making, or causing to be made,
false statements relating to healthcare matters;
•
the federal Civil Monetary Penalties Law, which prohibits, among
other things, offering or transferring remuneration to a federal
healthcare beneficiary that a person knows or should know is likely
to influence the beneficiary’s decision to order or receive items
or services reimbursable by the government from a particular
provider or supplier;
•
the FCPA and other local anti-corruption laws that apply to our
international activities;
•
the federal Physician Payment Sunshine Act (Open Payments) and its
implementing regulations, which require applicable manufacturers of
covered drugs, devices, biologicals and medical supplies for which
payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s
Health Insurance Program (with certain exceptions) to report
annually to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
information related to payments or other transfers of value made to
physicians (defined to include doctors, dentists, optometrists,
podiatrists and chiropractors), non-physician healthcare
professionals (such as physician assistants and nurse
practitioners, among others) and teaching hospitals, as well as
ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their
immediate family members;
•
analogous state law equivalents of each of the above federal laws,
such as anti-kickback and false claims laws which may apply to
items or services reimbursed by any third-party payor, including
commercial insurers or patients; state laws that require medical
device companies to comply with the industry’s voluntary compliance
guidelines and the applicable compliance guidance promulgated by
the federal government or otherwise restrict payments that may be
made to healthcare providers and other potential referral sources;
state laws that require medical device manufacturers to report
information related to payments and other transfers of value to
physicians and other healthcare providers or marketing
expenditures; consumer protection and unfair competition laws,
which broadly regulate marketplace activities and activities that
potentially harm customers, state laws, governing the privacy and
security of health information in certain circumstances, many of
which differ from each other in significant ways and may not have
the same effect, thus complicating compliance efforts; and state
laws related to insurance fraud in the case of claims involving
private insurers.
•
the scope and enforcement of each of the laws applicable to our
business and products are uncertain and subject to rapid change in
the current environment of healthcare reform. The U.S. Department
of Justice has increased its scrutiny of interactions between
manufacturers and healthcare providers, which has led to a number
of investigations, prosecutions, convictions, and settlements in
the healthcare industry. Responding to a government investigation
is time and resource intensive and may cause harm to our business
and reputation even if we are able to successfully defend against
it. Any action brought against us for violations of these laws or
regulations, even successfully defended, could cause us to
incur
23
significant legal expenses and divert our management’s attention
from the operation of our business. We may be subject to private
“qui tam” actions brought by individual whistleblowers on behalf of
the federal or state governments.
If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the
federal, state and foreign laws described above or any other
current or future fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and
regulations that apply to us, we may be subject to penalties,
including significant criminal, civil, and administrative
penalties, damages, fines, imprisonment for individuals, exclusion
from participation in government programs, such as Medicare and
Medicaid, and we could be required to curtail or cease our
operations. Any of the foregoing consequences could seriously harm
our business and our financial results.
If we fail to obtain and maintain necessary regulatory clearances,
approvals, or certifications for our products, or if clearances,
approvals or certifications for future products and indications are
delayed or not issued, our commercial operations would be
harmed.
Our medical products are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA
in the United States and by regulatory agencies in other countries
outside of the United States. Government regulations specific to
medical devices are wide ranging and govern, among other
things:
•
Product design, development, and manufacture.
•
Laboratory, preclinical and clinical testing, labeling, packaging,
storage, and distribution.
•
Premarketing clearance, approval, or certification.
•
Product marketing, promotion and advertising, sales, and
distribution.
•
Post marketing surveillance, including reporting of deaths or
serious injuries and recalls and correction and
removals.
Before a new medical device, or a new intended use for an existing
product, can be marketed in the United States, a company must first
submit and receive 510(k) clearance pursuant to Section 510(k) of
the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), approval of a PMA by the
FDA, or grant of a de novo classification request from the FDA,
unless an exemption applies.
In the 510(k) clearance process, the FDA must determine that a
proposed device is “substantially equivalent” to a device legally
on the market, known as a “predicate” device, in order to clear the
proposed device for marketing. To be “substantially equivalent,”
the proposed device must have the same intended use as the
predicate device, and either have the same technological
characteristics as the predicate device or have different
technological characteristics and not raise different questions of
safety or effectiveness than the predicate device. Clinical data is
sometimes required to support substantial equivalence. In the PMA
approval process, the FDA must determine that a proposed device is
safe and effective for its intended use based on extensive data,
including technical, pre-clinical, clinical trial, manufacturing,
and labeling data. The PMA process is typically required for
devices for which the 510(k) process cannot be used and that are
deemed to pose the greatest risk, such as life sustaining, life
supporting, or implantable devices. In the de novo classification
process, a manufacturer whose novel device under the FDCA would
otherwise be automatically classified as Class III and require the
submission and approval of a PMA prior to marketing is able to
request down-classification of the device to Class I or Class II on
the basis that the device presents a low or moderate risk. If the
FDA grants the de novo classification request, the applicant will
receive authorization to market the device. This device type may be
used subsequently as a predicate device for future 510(k)
submissions. Modifications to products that are approved through a
PMA application generally need prior FDA approval of a PMA
supplement. Similarly, some modifications made to products cleared
through a 510(k) submission may require a new 510(k) clearance, or
such modification may put the device into Class III and require PMA
approval or the grant of a de novo classification
request.
The PMA approval, 510(k) clearance, and de novo classification
processes can be expensive, lengthy, and uncertain. Any delay or
failure to obtain necessary regulatory approvals, clearances or
certifications would have a material adverse effect on our
business, financial condition, and results of
operations.
The FDA and foreign bodies can delay, limit, or deny clearance,
approval, or certification of a device for many reasons,
including:
•
our inability to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the FDA or the
applicable regulatory entity or notified body that our products are
safe or effective for their intended uses or substantially
equivalent to a predicate device;
•
the disagreement of the FDA or the applicable foreign body with the
design, conduct or implementation of our clinical trials or
investigations or the analyses or interpretation of data from
pre-clinical studies or clinical trials or
investigations;
•
serious and unexpected adverse device effects experienced by
participants in our clinical trials or investigations;
24
•
the data from our pre-clinical studies and clinical trials or
investigations may be insufficient to support clearance, de novo
classification, approval, or certification, where
required;
•
our inability to demonstrate that the clinical and other benefits
of the device outweigh the risks;
•
the applicable regulatory authority or notified body may identify
significant deficiencies in our manufacturing processes,
facilities, or analytical methods or those of our third-party
contract manufacturers;
•
the potential for approval policies or regulations of the FDA or
applicable foreign regulatory bodies to change significantly in a
manner rendering our clinical data or regulatory submissions
insufficient for clearance, de novo classification, approval, or
certification; and
•
the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities or bodies may audit our
clinical trial or investigation data and conclude that the data is
not sufficiently reliable to support approval, clearance, or
certification.
Upon commercialization of any medical devices for which we receive
FDA clearance or approval, we are required to investigate all
product complaints we receive, and timely file reports with the
FDA, including MDRs that require that we report to regulatory
authorities if our products may have caused or contributed to a
death or serious injury or malfunctioned in a way that would likely
cause or contribute to a death or serious injury if the malfunction
were to recur. If these reports are not submitted in a timely
manner, regulators may impose sanctions and we may be subject to
product liability or regulatory enforcement actions, including
warning letters, untitled letters, fines, civil penalties, recalls,
seizures, operating restrictions, denial of requests for 510(k)
clearance or premarket approval of new products, new intended uses
or modifications to existing products, withdrawal of current 510(k)
clearances or premarket approvals, and narrowing of approved or
cleared product labeling, all of which could harm our business. In
addition, the FDA may provide notice of and conduct additional
inspections, such as “for cause” inspections, of our business,
sites, and facilities as part of its review process. Similar
requirements may apply in foreign countries.
If we initiate a correction or removal action for our products to
reduce a significant risk to health posed by our products, we would
be required to submit a publicly available correction and removal
report to the FDA and, in many cases, similar reports to other
regulatory agencies. This report could be classified by the FDA as
a device recall which could lead to increased scrutiny from the
FDA, other international regulatory agencies, and our customers
regarding the quality and safety of our products. Furthermore, the
submission of these reports could be used by competitors against us
and cause physicians to delay or cancel orders, which could harm
our reputation.
The FDA and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also regulate the
advertising, promotion, and labeling of our products to ensure that
the claims we make are consistent with our regulatory
authorizations, that there is adequate and reasonable scientific
data to substantiate the claims, and that our promotional labeling
and advertising is neither false nor misleading in any respect. If
the FDA or FTC determines that any of our advertising or
promotional claims are misleading, not substantiated, or not
permissible, we may be subject to enforcement actions, including
adverse publicity and/or warning letters, and we may be required to
revise our promotional claims and make other corrections or
restitutions.
The FDA, state authorities, and foreign counterparts have broad
investigation and enforcement powers. Our failure to comply with
applicable regulatory requirements could result in enforcement
action by the FDA, state agencies, or foreign counterparts, which
may include any of the following sanctions:
•
adverse publicity, warning letters, fines, injunctions, consent
decrees, and civil penalties;
•
repair, replacement, refunds, recalls, termination of distribution,
administrative detention, or seizure of our products;
•
operating restrictions, partial suspension, or total shutdown of
production; lawsuit
•
denial of our requests for marketing authorizations or
certifications for new products, new intended uses, or
modifications to existing products;
•
withdrawal of marketing authorizations or certifications that have
already been granted; and
If any of these events were to occur, our business and financial
condition could be harmed. In addition, the FDA’s and other
regulatory authorities’ policies may change and additional
government regulations may be enacted that could prevent, limit, or
delay regulatory approval of our products. If we are slow or unable
to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the adoption of new
requirements or policies, or if we are not able to maintain
regulatory compliance, we may lose any marketing approval or
certification that we may have obtained and we may not achieve or
sustain profitability, which would adversely affect our business,
financial condition, and results of operations.
25
We are exposed to risks that our employees, consultants, or other
commercial partners and business associates may engage in
misconduct or other improper activities, including non-compliance
with regulatory standards and requirements.
We are exposed to the risk that our employees, consultants, and
other commercial partners and business associates may engage in
fraudulent or illegal activity. Misconduct by these parties could
include intentional, reckless, or negligent conduct or other
unauthorized activities that violate the regulations of the FDA and
other regulators (both domestic and foreign), including those laws
requiring the reporting of true, complete, and accurate information
to such regulators, manufacturing standards, healthcare fraud and
abuse laws, and regulations in the United States and
internationally or laws that require the true, complete, and
accurate reporting of financial information or data. In particular,
sales, marketing, and business arrangements in the healthcare
industry, including the sale of medical devices, are subject to
extensive laws and regulations intended to prevent fraud,
misconduct, kickbacks, self-dealing, and other abusive practices.
These laws and regulations may restrict or prohibit a wide range of
pricing, discounting, marketing and promotion, sales commission,
customer incentive programs, and other business arrangements. It is
not always possible to identify and deter misconduct by our
employees, consultants, and other third parties, and the
precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be
effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in
protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or
lawsuits stemming from a failure to comply with these laws or
regulations. If any such actions are instituted against us and we
are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights,
those actions could result in the imposition of significant fines
or other sanctions, including the imposition of civil, criminal,
and administrative penalties, damages, monetary fines, possible
exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid, and other
federal healthcare programs, contractual damages, reputational
harm, diminished profits and future earnings, and curtailment of
operations, any of which could adversely affect our business,
financial condition and results of operations. Whether or not we
are successful in defending against such actions or investigations,
we could incur substantial costs, including legal fees and
reputational harm, and divert the attention of management in
defending ourselves against any of these claims or
investigations.
Compliance with environmental laws and regulations could be
expensive, and failure to comply with these laws and regulations
could subject us to significant liability.
Our research and development and manufacturing operations involve
the use of some hazardous substances and are subject to a variety
of federal, state, local, and foreign environmental laws and
regulations relating to the storage, use, discharge, disposal,
remediation of, and human exposure to, hazardous substances and the
sale, labeling, collection, recycling, treatment, and disposal of
products containing hazardous substances. Liability under
environmental laws and regulations can be joint and several and
without regard to fault or negligence. Compliance with
environmental laws and regulations may be expensive and
noncompliance could result in substantial liabilities, fines and
penalties, personal injury and third-party property damage claims
and substantial investigation and remediation costs. Environmental
laws and regulations could become more stringent over time,
imposing greater compliance costs, and increasing risks and
penalties associated with violations. We cannot assure you that
violations of these laws and regulations will not occur in the
future or have not occurred in the past as a result of human error,
accidents, equipment failure or other causes. The expense
associated with environmental regulation and remediation could harm
our financial condition and operating results.
Our insurance coverage strategy may not be adequate to protect us
from all business risks.
We will require insurance coverage for numerous risks related to
our business. Although our management believes that the events and
amounts of liability covered by our insurance policies will be
reasonable, taking into account the risks relevant to our business,
and the fact that agreements with users contain limitations of
liability, there can be no assurance that such coverage will be
available or sufficient to cover claims to which we may become
subject. If insurance coverage is unavailable or insufficient to
cover any such claims, our financial resources, results of
operations and prospects could be adversely affected.
The risk of loss of our intellectual property, trade secrets or
other sensitive business or customer confidential information or
disruption of operations due to cyberattacks or data breaches could
negatively impact our financial results.
Cyberattacks or data breaches could compromise confidential,
business-critical information, cause disruptions in our operations,
expose us to potential litigation, or harm our reputation. We have
important assets, including intellectual property, trade secrets,
and other sensitive, business-critical and/or confidential
information which may be vulnerable to such incidents. While we are
in the process of implementing a cybersecurity program that is
continually reviewed, maintained, and upgraded, no assurance can be
made that we are invulnerable to cyberattacks and data breaches
which, if significant, could negatively impact our business and
financial results.
Cybersecurity breaches and information technology failures could
harm our business by increasing our costs and negatively impacting
our business operations.
We rely extensively on information technology systems, including
internet sites, computer software, data hosting facilities and
other hardware and platforms, some of which are hosted by third
parties, to assist in conducting our business. Our information
technology systems, as well as those of third parties we use in our
business operations, may be vulnerable to a variety of evolving
cybersecurity
26
risks, such as those involving unauthorized access or control,
malicious software, data privacy breaches by employees or others
with authorized access, cyber or phishing-attacks, ransomware and
other security issues. Moreover, cybersecurity threat actors,
whether internal or external, are becoming more sophisticated and
coordinated in their attempts to access companies’ information
technology systems and data, including the information technology
systems of cloud providers and other third parties with whom we
conduct our business.
Changes in laws or regulations relating to privacy, information
security and data protection, or any actual or perceived failure by
us to comply with such laws and regulations or any other
obligations, could adversely affect our business.
Personal privacy, information security and data protection are
significant issues worldwide. The regulatory framework governing
the collection, use, and other processing of personal data and
other information is rapidly evolving. The United States federal
and various state and foreign governments have adopted or proposed
requirements regarding the collection, distribution, use, security
and storage of personally identifiable information and other data
relating to individuals, and federal and state consumer protection
laws are being applied to enforce regulations related to the online
collection, use and dissemination of data.
The costs of compliance with and other burdens imposed by laws,
regulations, standards and other actual or asserted obligations
relating to privacy, data protection and information security may
be substantial, and they may require us to modify our data
processing practices and policies. Any actual or alleged
noncompliance with any of these laws, regulations, standards, and
other actual or asserted obligations may lead to claims and
proceedings by governmental actors and private parties, and
significant fines, penalties or liabilities.
We are subject to taxation-related risks in multiple jurisdictions,
and the adoption and interpretation of new tax legislation, tax
regulations, tax rulings, or exposure to additional tax liabilities
could materially affect our business, financial condition and
results of operations.
We are a U.S. parented multinational group subject to income and
other taxes in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and
other jurisdictions in which we do business. As a result, our
provision for (benefit from) income taxes is derived from a
combination of applicable tax rates in the various jurisdictions in
which we operate. Significant judgment is required in determining
our global provision for (benefit from) income taxes, value added
and other similar taxes, deferred tax assets or liabilities and in
evaluating our tax positions on a worldwide basis. It is possible
that our tax positions may be challenged by tax authorities, which
may have a significant impact on our global provision for (benefit
from) income taxes. If such a challenge were to be resolved in a
manner adverse to us, it could have a material adverse effect on
our business, financial condition and results of
operations.
Recent or future changes to U.S., Canadian, United Kingdom and
other non-U.S. tax laws could impact the tax treatment of our
earnings. For example, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, enacted
on August 16, 2022, imposes a one-percent non-deductible excise tax
on repurchases of stock that are made by U.S. publicly traded
corporations on or after January 1, 2023. In addition, as of
January 1, 2022, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 requires
research and experimental expenditures attributable to research
conducted within the United States to be capitalized and amortized
ratably over a five-year period. Any such expenditures attributable
to research conducted outside the United States must be capitalized
and amortized over a 15-year period. We generally conduct our
international operations through wholly owned subsidiaries and
report our taxable income in various jurisdictions worldwide based
upon our business operations in those jurisdictions. The
intercompany relationships between our legal entities are subject
to complex transfer pricing regulations administered by taxing
authorities in various jurisdictions. Although we believe we are
compliant with applicable transfer pricing and other tax laws in
the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and other relevant
countries, due to changes in such laws and rules, we may have to
modify our international structure in the future, which will incur
costs and may adversely affect our business, financial condition
and results of operations.
If U.S., Canadian, United Kingdom or other non-U.S. tax laws change
further, if our current or future structures and arrangements are
challenged by a taxing authority, or if we are unable to
appropriately adapt the manner in which we operate our business, we
may have to undertake further costly modifications to our
international structure, which may cause our tax liabilities to
increase and adversely affect our business, financial condition and
results of operations.
Our ability to use our deferred tax assets to offset future taxable
income is subject to certain limitations, which may have a material
impact on our business, financial condition or results of
operations.
As of December 31, 2022, a valuation allowance has been recorded
against our deferred tax assets that are more likely than not to be
realized in the U.S. federal and state tax jurisdictions. We assess
the available positive and negative evidence to estimate if
sufficient future taxable income will be generated to utilize the
existing deferred tax assets. Certain of our deferred tax assets
may expire unutilized or underutilized, which could prevent us from
offsetting future taxable income. We continue to assess the
realizability of our deferred tax assets in the future. Future
adjustments in our valuation allowance may be required, which may
have a material impact on our quarterly and annual operating
results.
27
Risks Related to Intellectual Property
If we fail to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights
and our confidential information, our business could be adversely
affected.
We rely on a combination of nondisclosure agreements and other
contractual provisions and patent, trade secret and copyright laws
to protect our technologies, products, product development and
manufacturing activities from unauthorized use by third parties.
Our patents do not cover all of our technologies, systems, products
and product components and our competitors or others may design
around our patented technologies. We cannot guarantee that these
mechanisms will adequately protect our technology and intellectual
property, nor can we guarantee that a court will enforce our
intellectual property rights.
In addition, the laws and enforcement regimes of certain countries
do not protect our technology and intellectual property to the same
extent as do the laws and enforcement regimes of the U.S. In
certain jurisdictions, we may be unable to protect our technology
and intellectual property adequately against unauthorized use,
which could adversely affect our business.
We may become involved in material legal proceedings in the future
to enforce or protect our intellectual property rights, which could
harm our business.
From time to time, we may identify products that we believe
infringes on our patents and may have to initiate litigation to
enforce our patent rights against those products. Litigation
stemming from such disputes could harm our ability to gain new
customers, who may postpone licensing decisions pending the outcome
of the litigation or who may, as a result of such litigation,
choose not to adopt our technologies. Such litigation may also harm
our business relationships with existing customers, who may,
because of such litigation, cease making royalty or other payments
to us or challenge the validity and enforceability of our patents
or the scope of our related agreements.
In addition, the costs associated with legal proceedings are
typically high, relatively unpredictable and not completely within
our control. These costs may be materially higher than expected,
which could adversely impair our working capital, affect our
operating results and lead to volatility in the price of our common
stock. Whether or not determined in our favor or ultimately
settled, litigation would divert managerial, technical, legal and
financial resources from our business operations. Furthermore, an
adverse decision in any of these legal actions could result in a
loss of our proprietary rights, subject us to significant
liabilities, require us to seek licenses from others, limit the
value of our technology or otherwise negatively impact the price of
our common stock, business and financial position, results of
operations and cash flows.
Even if we prevail in a legal action, significant contingencies may
exist to the settlement and final resolution, including the scope
of the liability of each party, our ability to enforce judgments
against the parties, the ability and willingness of the parties to
make any payments owed or agreed upon, and the dismissal of the
legal action by the relevant court, none of which are completely
within our control. Parties that may have financial obligations to
us could be insolvent or decide to alter their business activities
or corporate structure, which could affect our ability to collect
royalties from such parties.
Our technologies may infringe on the intellectual property rights
of others, which could lead to costly disputes or
disruptions.
Various business segments in which we operate are characterized by
frequent allegations of intellectual property infringement. Any
allegation of infringement could be time consuming and expensive to
defend or resolve, result in substantial diversion of management
resources, cause suspension of operations or force us to enter into
royalty, license, or other agreements rather than dispute the
merits of such allegation. Furthermore, third parties making such
claims may be able to obtain injunctive or other equitable relief
that could block our ability to further develop or commercialize
some or all of our technologies, and the ability of our customers
to develop or commercialize their products incorporating our
technologies, in the U.S. and abroad. If patent holders or other
holders of intellectual property initiate legal proceedings, we may
be forced into protracted and costly litigation. We may not be
successful in defending such litigation and may not be able to
procure any required royalty or license agreements on acceptable
terms or at all.
Risk Related to Industry Adoption of our Products
We cannot provide assurance that markets will accept our various
products at the expected market penetration rates, which may
adversely affect our business operations and financial
position.
We launched our first product, a laser glare protection eyewear
named metaAIR®,
in March 2019, with a primary focus on the aviation market. We have
co-developed this product with Airbus through a strategic
partnership. Airbus further extended its support by introducing us
to Satair, an Airbus-owned company, which became the global
distribution partner for metaAIR®
to the aviation market.
28
Since 2016, Airbus and Satair have invested a total of $2,000,000
for the product development and exclusive distribution rights to
metaAIR®.
Despite our close collaboration with the Airbus Group and future
plans for marketing and sales expansion, there can be no assurance
that the aviation market will accept the metaAIR®
product at the expected market penetration rates and a slower than
forecasted market acceptance may have a material adverse effect on
Holography laser glare protection related products and our
financial position.
Slower than forecasted market acceptance of Lithography related
products, partially in the automotive market, may have a material
adverse effect on our financial position.
Our NANOWEB®
applications have not yet reached the required manufacturing scale
to enable us to address the volume demands of a number of our
target vertical markets. We currently have only our first pilot
scale, 300mm wide, roll-to-roll line, and we will need to add
additional capacity and wider substrates to support our target
applications. Broader sales and production are expected to be
launched in two to three years’ time after successful completion of
automotive and other vertical market product qualification and
product introductions. We believe that the automotive market is a
strategic high growth opportunity however, despite our close
collaboration with automotive partners, there can be no assurance
that the automotive market will accept the
NANOWEB®
product at the expected market penetration rates and a slower than
forecasted market acceptance may have a material adverse effect on
Lithography de-icing/de-fogging, transparent antenna and other
related products and our financial position.
If products incorporating our technologies are used in defective
products, we may be subject to product liability or other
claims.
If our technology is used in defective or malfunctioning products,
we could be sued for damages, especially if the defect or
malfunction causes physical harm to people. While we will endeavor
to carry product liability insurance, contractually limit our
liability and obtain indemnities from our customers, there can be
no assurance that we will be able to obtain insurance at
satisfactory rates or in adequate amounts or that any insurance and
customer indemnities will be adequate to defend against or satisfy
any claims made against us. The costs associated with legal
proceedings are typically high, relatively unpredictable and not
completely within our control. Even if we consider any such claim
to be without merit, significant contingencies may exist, similar
to those summarized in the above risk factor concerning
intellectual property litigation, which could lead us to settle the
claim rather than incur the cost of defense and the possibility of
an adverse judgment. Product liability claims in the future,
regardless of their ultimate outcome, could have a material adverse
effect on our business, financial condition and reputation, and on
our ability to attract and retain customers.
We participate in markets that are subject to rapid technological
change and require significant research and development expenses to
develop and maintain products that can achieve market
acceptance.
We operate in a rapidly evolving industry subject to significant
technological change and new product introductions and
enhancements. Our future performance depends in part on the
successful development, introduction and market acceptance of new
and enhanced products that address these changes and current and
potential customer requirements. To the extent customers defer or
cancel orders for existing products due to a slowdown in demand or
in the expectation of a new product release, or if there is any
delay in development or introduction of our new products or
enhancements of our products, our business and financial
conditions, results of operations, and growth prospects would be
materially adversely affected. We also may not be able to develop
the underlying core technologies necessary to create new products
and enhancements, or to license these technologies from third
parties.
Risks Related to Facilities and Human Resources
We have ongoing environmental costs, which could have a material
adverse effect on our financial position or results of
operations.
Certain of our operations and assets are subject to extensive
environmental, health and safety regulations, including laws and
regulations related to waste disposal and remediation of
contaminated sites. The nature of our operations and products,
including the raw materials we handle, exposes us to the risk of
liabilities, obligations or claims under these laws and regulations
due to the production, storage, use, transportation and sale of
materials that can adversely impact the environment or cause
personal injury, including, in the case of chemicals, unintentional
releases into the environment. Environmental laws may have a
significant effect on the costs of use, transportation and storage
of raw materials and finished products, as well as the costs of
storage, transportation and disposal of wastes.
The ultimate costs and timing of environmental liabilities are
difficult to predict. Liabilities under environmental laws relating
to contaminated sites can be imposed retroactively and on a joint
and several basis. One liable party could be held responsible for
all costs at a site, regardless of fault, percentage of
contribution to the site or the legality of the original disposal.
We could incur significant costs, including clean-up costs, natural
resource damages, civil or criminal fines and sanctions and
third-party lawsuits claiming, for example, personal injury and/or
property damage, as a result of past or future violations of, or
liabilities under, environmental or other laws.
29
In addition, future events, such as changes to or more rigorous
enforcement of environmental laws, could require us to make
additional expenditures, modify or curtail our operations and/or
install additional pollution control equipment. It is possible that
regulatory agencies may enact new or more stringent clean-up
standards for chemicals of concern, including chlorinated organic
products that we manufacture. This could lead to expenditures for
environmental remediation in the future that are additional to
existing estimates.
We may incur claims relating to our use, manufacture, handling,
storage or disposal of hazardous materials.
Our research and development and manufacturing processes require
the transportation, storage and use of hazardous materials,
including chemicals, and may result in the generation of hazardous
waste. National and local laws and regulations in many of the
jurisdictions in which we operate impose substantial potential
liability for the improper use, manufacture, handling, storage,
transportation and disposal of hazardous materials as well as for
land contamination, and, in some cases, this liability may continue
over long periods of time. Despite our compliance efforts, we
cannot eliminate the risk of industrial accidents that may lead to
discharges or releases of hazardous materials and any resultant
injury, property damage or environmental contamination from these
materials. For example, real properties that we owned or used in
the past or that we own or use now or in the future may contain
detected or undetected contamination resulting from our operations
at those sites or the activities of prior owners or occupants. We
may suffer from expenses, claims or liability which may fall
outside of or exceed our insurance coverage.
Furthermore, changes to current environmental laws and regulations
may impose further compliance requirements on us that may impair
our research, development and production efforts as well as our
other business activities. New and evolving regulatory requirements
include producer responsibility frameworks and regulations related
to addressing climate change or other emerging environmental areas.
Increased environment, health and safety laws, regulations and
enforcement could result in substantial costs and liabilities to us
and could subject our use, manufacture, handling, storage,
transportation, and disposal of hazardous materials to additional
constraints. Consequently, compliance with these laws could result
in capital expenditures as well as other costs and liabilities,
thereby adversely affecting business, financial position and
results of operations.
Our failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations material
to our operations, such as export control, environmental and
climate related laws and regulations, or the inability to timely
obtain requisite approvals necessary for the conduct of our
business, such as fab land and construction approvals, could harm
our business and operational results or subject us to potential
significant legal liability.
Because we engage in manufacturing activities in multiple
jurisdictions and conduct business with our customers located
worldwide, such activities are subject to a myriad of governmental
regulations. Our failure to comply with any such laws or
regulations, as amended from time to time, and our failure to
comply with any information and document sharing requests from the
relevant authorities in a timely manner could result in:
•
Significant penalties and legal liabilities, such as the denial of
import or export permits or third party private lawsuits, criminal
or administrative proceedings;
•
The temporary or permanent suspension of production of the affected
products;
•
The temporary or permanent inability to procure or use certain
production critical chemicals or materials;
•
Unfavorable alterations in our manufacturing, assembly and test
processes.;
•
Challenges from our customers that place us at a significant
competitive disadvantage, such as loss of actual or potential sales
contracts in case we are unable to satisfy the applicable legal
standard or customer requirement.;
•
Restrictions on our operations or sales;
•
Loss of tax benefits, including termination of current tax
incentives, disqualification of tax credit application and
repayment of the tax benefits that we are not
entitled;
•
Damages to our goodwill and reputation
Complying with applicable laws and regulations, such as
environmental and climate related laws and regulations, could also
require us, among other things, to do the following: (a) purchase,
use or install remedial equipment; (b) implement remedial programs
such as climate change mitigation programs; (c) modify our product
designs and manufacturing processes, or incur other significant
expenses such as obtaining renewable energy sources, renewable
energy certificates or carbon credits, substitute raw materials or
chemicals that may cost more or be less available for our
operations.
Our inability to timely obtain approvals necessary for the conduct
of our business could impair our operational and financial results.
For example, if we are unable to timely obtain environmental
related approvals needed to undertake the development and
construction of a
30
new fab or expansion project, then such inability may delay, limit,
or increase the cost of our expansion plans that could also in turn
adversely affect our business and operational results. In light of
increased public interest in environmental issues, our operations
and expansion plans may be adversely affected or delayed responding
to public concern and social environmental pressures even if we
comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
Delays in setting up facilities or receiving required permits could
have an adverse effect on our financial position.
We are in the process of moving into a larger facility suitable to
host the scale-up of production relating to Holography and
Lithography. Lithography requires specific local government
approvals to allow use of certain chemicals and their disposal. Any
delay in setting up the facility and receiving permits may impact
launch and/or development of related products and may have a
material adverse effect on related products and consequently on our
financial position.
We are highly dependent on our key personnel, and if we are not
successful in attracting and retaining highly qualified personnel,
we may not be able to successfully implement our business
strategy.
Our ability to successfully manage and grow the business and to
develop new products depends, in large part, on our ability to
recruit and retain qualified employees, particularly highly skilled
technical, sales, service, management, and key staff personnel.
Competition for qualified resources is intense and other companies
may have greater resources available to provide substantial
inducements and to offer more competitive compensation packages. If
we are not successful in attracting and retaining highly qualified
personnel, it could have a material adverse effect on our business,
financial condition, and results of operations.
Our results of operations could be adversely affected by labor
shortages, turnover, labor cost increases and inflation.
A number of factors may adversely affect the labor force available
to us in one or more of our geographies, including high employment
levels, increasing market wages and other compensation costs,
federal unemployment subsidies, and other government regulations,
which include laws and regulations related to workers’ health and
safety, wage and hour practices and immigration. These factors can
also impact the cost of labor. Increased turnover rates within our
employee base can lead to decreased efficiency and increased costs,
such as increased overtime to meet demand and increased wage rates
to attract and retain employees. An overall labor shortage or lack
of skilled labor, increased turnover or labor inflation could have
a material adverse effect on results of operations.
Certain directors and officers may be subject to conflicts of
interest.
Certain of our directors and officers may be involved in other
business ventures through their direct and indirect participation
in corporations, partnerships, joint ventures, etc. that may become
potential competitors of the technologies, products and services we
intend to provide. Situations may arise in connection with
potential acquisitions or opportunities where the other interests
of these directors' and officers' conflict with or diverge from our
interests. In accordance with applicable corporate law, directors
who have a material interest in or who are a party to a material
contract or a proposed material contract with us are required,
subject to certain exceptions, to disclose that interest and
generally abstain from voting on any resolution to approve the
contract. In addition, the directors and officers are required to
act honestly and in good faith with a view to our best interests.
However, in conflict-of-interest situations, our directors and
officers may owe the same duty to another company and will need to
balance their competing interests with their duties to us.
Circumstances (including with respect to future corporate
opportunities) may arise that may be resolved in a manner that is
unfavorable to us.
Risks Related to Legal Matters
We are, and may in the future become, subject to various legal
proceedings and claims that arise in or outside the ordinary course
of business and which could adversely affect our
business.
We are, and may in the future become, subject to various legal
proceedings and claims that arise in or outside the ordinary course
of business. We cannot predict the outcome of these proceedings or
provide an estimate of potential damages, if any. We believe that
the claims in the securities class actions are without merit and
intend to defend against them vigorously. Regardless, failure by us
to obtain a favorable resolution of the claims set forth in the
complaints could require us to pay damage awards or otherwise enter
into settlement arrangements for which our insurance coverage may
be insufficient. Any such damage awards or settlement arrangements
in current or future litigation could have a material adverse
effect on our business, operating results or financial condition.
Even if plaintiffs’ claims are not successful, defending against
class action litigation is expensive and could divert management’s
attention and resources, all of which could have a material adverse
effect on our financial condition and operations, operating results
and financial condition and negatively affect the price of our
common stock. In addition, such lawsuits may make it more difficult
for us to finance our operations in the future. See Part 1, Item 3,
"Legal Proceedings" in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more
information regarding our legal proceedings.
31
Current and future investigations by the SEC have and could
continue to have an adverse impact on our business.
We are cooperating and intend to continue to cooperate with the
SEC’s investigation as described elsewhere in this Annual Report on
Form 10-K. Investigations can be inherently uncertain and their
results and timing cannot be predicted. Regardless of the outcome,
SEC investigations have and could continue to have an adverse
impact us by resulting in legal costs, diversion of management
resources, and other negative factors. SEC investigations could
also result in reputational harm to us, which, among other things,
may limit our ability to obtain new customers and enter into new
agreements with our existing customers, or our ability to obtain
financing, and have a material adverse effect on our current and
future business, financial condition, results of operations and
prospects. See Part 1, Item 3, "Legal Proceedings" in this Annual
Report on Form 10-K for more information regarding the SEC’s
investigation.
Risks Related to our Common Stock
You may experience future dilution as a result of future equity
offerings or other equity issuances.
We will have to raise additional capital in the future. To raise
additional capital, we may in the future offer additional shares of
our common stock or other securities convertible into or
exchangeable for our common stock at prices that may be lower than
the price you paid per share. In addition, investors purchasing
shares or other securities in the future could have rights superior
to those of other investors. Any such issuance could result in
substantial dilution to investors.
Subject to various spending levels approved by our board of
directors, our management will have broad discretion in the use of
the net proceeds from our capital raises and may not use them
effectively.
Our management will have broad discretion in the application of the
net proceeds from our capital raises, and our stockholders will not
have the opportunity as part of their investment decision to assess
whether the net proceeds from our capital raises are being used
appropriately. Because of the number and variability of factors
that will determine our use of the net proceeds from our capital
raises, their ultimate use may vary substantially from their
currently intended use. You may not agree with our decisions, and
our use of the proceeds from our capital raises may not yield any
return to stockholders. Our failure to apply the net proceeds of
our capital raises effectively could compromise our ability to
pursue our growth strategy and we might not be able to yield a
significant return, if any, on our investment of those net
proceeds. Stockholders will not have the opportunity to influence
our decisions on how to use our net proceeds from our capital
raises. Pending their use, we may invest the net proceeds from our
capital raises in interest and non-interest-bearing cash accounts,
short-term, investment-grade, interest-bearing instruments and U.S.
government securities. These temporary investments are not likely
to yield a significant return.
An active, liquid and orderly trading market may not be sustained
for our common stock, and, as a result, it may be difficult for you
to sell your shares of our common stock.
The trading market for our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital
Market may not be sustained. If the market for our common stock is
not sustained, it may be difficult for you to sell your shares of
common stock at an attractive price or at all. We cannot predict
the prices at which our common stock will trade. It is possible
that in one or more future periods our results of operations may
not meet the expectations of public market analysts and investors,
and, as a result of these and other factors, the price of our
common stock may fall.
Our failure to satisfy certain Nasdaq listing requirements may
result in our common stock being delisted from the Nasdaq Capital
Market, which could eliminate the trading market for our common
stock.
On March 20, 2023, we received written notice (“The Bid Price
Letter”) from The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) indicating
that we are not in compliance with the $1.00 minimum bid price
requirement for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market, as
set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) (the “Bid Price Rule”).
In accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), we have a
period of 180 calendar days, or until September 18, 2023, to regain
compliance with the Bid Price Rule. To regain compliance, the
closing bid price of our common stock must meet or exceed $1.00 per
share for a minimum of ten consecutive business days during this
180-day period. The Bid Price Letter was a notice of deficiency,
not delisting, and does not currently affect the listing or trading
of shares of our common stock on The Nasdaq Capital Market, which
continues to trade under the symbol “MMAT.” We intend to continue
actively monitoring the closing bid price of shares of our common
stock and may, if appropriate, consider implementing available
options to regain compliance with the Bid Price Rule.
If we do not regain compliance within the allotted compliance
periods, including any extensions that may be granted by Nasdaq,
Nasdaq will provide notice that our common stock will be subject to
delisting. We would then be entitled to appeal that determination
to a Nasdaq hearings panel. If the stock is delisted, we may trade
on the over-the-counter market, or even in the pink sheets, which
would significantly decrease the liquidity of an investment in our
common stock. In addition, the stock may be deemed to be penny
stock. If
32
our common stock is considered penny stock, we would be subject to
rules that impose additional sales practices on broker-dealers who
sell our securities. For example, broker-dealers would have to make
a special suitability determination for the purchaser and have
received the purchaser’s written consent to the transaction prior
to sale. Also, a disclosure schedule must be prepared prior to any
transaction involving a penny stock and disclosure is required
about sales commissions payable to both the broker-dealer and the
registered representative and current quotations for the
securities. Monthly statements are also required to be sent
disclosing recent price information for the penny stock held in the
account and information on the limited market in penny stock.
Because of these additional obligations, some brokers may be
unwilling to effect transactions in penny stocks. This could have
an adverse effect on the liquidity of our common stock and the
ability of investors to sell the common stock.
If equities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports
about our company, or if they issue adverse or misleading opinions
regarding us or our stock, our stock price and trading volume could
decline.
The trading market for our common stock will rely in part on the
research and reports that industry or financial analysts publish
about us or our business. If no or few analysts commence coverage
of us or if such coverage is not maintained, the market price for
our stock may be adversely affected. Our stock price also may
decline if any analyst who covers us issues an adverse or erroneous
opinion regarding us, our business model, our intellectual property
or our stock performance, or if our operating results fail to meet
analysts’ expectations. If one or more analysts cease coverage of
us or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose
visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our stock
price or trading volume to decline and possibly adversely affect
our ability to engage in future financings.
The market price of our common stock has been and may continue to
be volatile, and the value of your investment could decline
significantly.
The trading price of our common stock has been and is likely to
continue to be volatile. The trading price of our common stock
since June 28, 2021 (the date of completion of the Arrangement) up
to March 17, 2023, has ranged from a high of $ 7.96 to a low of
$0.48. Factors that have caused, and could continue to cause,
fluctuations in the trading price of our common stock include, but
are not limited to, the following:
•
sales of our common stock, or securities exercisable for or
convertible into our common stock, or the perception that such
sales or conversions could occur in the future;
•
the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other public health crises,
including on macroeconomic conditions and our business, results of
operations and financial condition;
•
price and volume fluctuations in the overall stock market from time
to time;
•
changes in operating performance, stock market valuations and
volatility in the market prices of other industry
peers;
•
actual or anticipated quarterly variations in our results of
operations or those of our competitors;
•
actual or anticipated changes in our growth rate relative to our
competitors;
•
announcements by us or our competitors of acquisitions, new
products, significant contracts, commercial relationships or
capital commitments;
•
manufacturing, labor or supply interruptions;
•
developments with respect to intellectual property
rights;
•
developments with respect to litigation;
•
our ability to develop and market new and enhanced products on a
timely basis;
•
commencement of, or our involvement in, litigation;
•
major changes in our board of directors or management;
•
changes in governmental regulations or in the status of our
regulatory approvals;
•
actual or perceived privacy, data protection or cybersecurity
breaches or incidents;
•
the trading volume of our common stock;
•
failure of financial analysts to maintain coverage of us, changes
in financial estimates by any analysts who follow us, or our
failure to meet these estimates or the expectations of
investors;
•
fluctuations in the values of companies perceived by investors to
be comparable to and peers of us;
33
•
the financial projections we may provide to the public, any changes
in these projections or our failure to meet these projections;
and
•
general economic conditions and slow or negative growth of related
markets.
The stock market in general, and market prices for the securities
of similar companies in particular, have from time to time
experienced volatility that often has been unrelated to the
operating performance of the underlying companies. These broad
market and industry fluctuations may adversely affect the market
price of our common stock, regardless of our operating performance,
which might make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities
in the future at a time and at a price that we deem appropriate. In
several recent situations when the market price of a stock has been
volatile, holders of that stock have instituted securities class
action litigation. If any of our stockholders were to bring a
lawsuit against us, the defense and disposition of the lawsuit
could be costly and divert the time and attention of our management
and materially adversely affect our results of operations. We
currently have ongoing lawsuits. See Part 1, Item 3, "Legal
Proceedings" in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more
information regarding these lawsuits and the SEC’s
investigation.
Future sales and issuances of a substantial number of shares of our
common stock or rights to purchase common stock by our stockholders
in the public market could result in additional dilution of the
percentage ownership of our stockholders and cause our stock price
to fall.
If our stockholders sell, or indicate an intention to sell,
substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, the
trading price of our common stock could decline.
We have and will continue to issue equity, convertible securities
or other securities to investors in public and private offerings.
In addition, we currently have effective resale shelf registration
statements which enable the selling stockholders thereunder to sell
shares in the public market pursuant thereto.
We also have outstanding as of December 31, 2022, warrants to
purchase 39,920,919 shares of our common stock at a weighted
average exercise price of $1.93 per share. These warrants include
37,037,039 warrants issued in the June 2022 registered direct
offering with an exercise price of $1.75 per share that are now
eligible for exercise, and, if exercised, will have a dilutive
effect on the percentage ownership held by holders of our common
stock.
Further, additional capital will be needed in the future to
continue our planned operations, including commercialization
efforts, expanded research and development activities and costs
associated with operating a public company. To raise capital, we
may sell common stock, convertible securities or other equity
securities in one or more transactions at prices and in a manner,
we determine from time to time. If we sell common stock,
convertible securities or other equity securities, investors may be
materially diluted by subsequent sales. Such sales may also result
in material dilution to our existing stockholders, and new
investors could gain rights, preferences and privileges senior to
the holders of our common stock. Additional issuances and sales of
our common stock, including shares of our common stock available
for issuance to our employees, directors and consultants, or a
perception that such shares will be sold in the public market,
could result in additional dilution and the trading price of our
common stock could decline.
We may issue preferred stock whose terms could adversely affect the
voting power or value of our common stock.
Our board of directors is authorized, without further stockholder
action, and subject to Nasdaq rules, to issue preferred stock in
one or more series and to designate the dividend rate, voting
rights and other rights, preferences and restrictions of each such
series. The terms of one or more classes or series of preferred
stock could adversely impact the voting power or value of our
common stock. Also, we might grant holders of preferred stock the
right to elect some number of our directors in all events or on the
happening of specified events or the right to veto specified
transactions. Similarly, the repurchase or redemption rights or
liquidation preferences we might assign to holders of preferred
stock could affect the residual value of our common
stock.
Anti-takeover provisions in our articles of incorporation and
bylaws, as amended, as well as provisions in Nevada law, might
discourage, delay, or prevent a change of control of us or changes
in our management and, therefore, depress the trading price of our
securities.
Our articles of incorporation and bylaws, as amended, as well as
provisions in Nevada law, contain provisions that could have the
effect of rendering more difficult or discouraging an acquisition
deemed undesirable by our board. Our corporate governance documents
include provisions:
•
authorizing blank check preferred stock, which could be issued with
voting, liquidation, dividend and other rights superior to our
common stock;
34
•
limiting the liability of, and providing indemnification to, our
directors, including provisions that require us to advance payment
for defending pending or threatened claims;
•
limiting the ability of our stockholders to call and bring business
before special meetings and to take action by written consent in
lieu of a meeting;
•
controlling the procedures for the conduct and scheduling of board
and stockholder meetings;
•
limiting the determination of the number of directors on our board
and the filling of vacancies or newly created seats on the board to
our Board then in office; and
•
providing that directors may be removed by stockholders at any
time.
These provisions, alone or together, could delay hostile takeovers
and changes in control or changes in our management.
As a Nevada corporation, we are also subject to provisions of
Nevada corporate law, including Section 78.411, et seq. of the
Nevada Revised Statutes, which, among other things, prohibits a
publicly-held Nevada corporation from engaging in a business
combination with an interested stockholder, generally a person
which together with its affiliates owns, or within the last two
years has owned, 10% of our voting stock, for a period of three
years after the date of the transaction in which the person became
an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is
approved in a prescribed manner, and, unless otherwise provided in
our articles of incorporation or by-laws, restricts the ability of
an acquiring person to obtain a controlling interest of 20% or more
of our voting shares. Our articles of incorporation and by-laws, as
amended, do not contain any provision which would currently keep
the change of control restrictions of Section 78.378 from applying
to it.
The existence of the foregoing provisions and anti-takeover
measures could limit the price that investors might be willing to
pay in the future for shares of our common stock. They could also
deter potential acquirers of us, thereby reducing the likelihood
that our stockholders could receive a premium for their common
stock in an acquisition.
We are a smaller reporting company. We cannot be certain whether
the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to smaller reporting
companies will make our common stock less attractive to investors
or otherwise limit our ability to raise additional
funds.
As of December 31, 2022, we are a “smaller reporting company” under
applicable U.S. securities regulations. A smaller reporting company
is a company that, as of the last business day of its most recently
completed second fiscal quarter, has (i) an aggregate market value
of the company’s voting stock held by non-affiliates, or public
float, of less than $250 million or (ii) less than $100 million in
revenue and less than $700 million in public float. In addition, a
smaller reporting company is able to provide simplified executive
compensation disclosures in our filings and has certain other
reduced disclosure obligations in our SEC filings, including, among
other things, only being required to provide two years of audited
financial statements in annual reports. Reduced disclosure in our
SEC filings due to our status as a smaller reporting company may
make it harder for investors to analyze our results of operations
and financial prospects.
We have not paid cash dividends in the past and have no immediate
plans to pay dividends.
Our current plan is to reinvest earnings, if any, to cover
operating costs and otherwise remain competitive. We do not plan to
pay any cash dividends with respect to our securities in the
foreseeable future. We cannot assure you that we would, at any
time, generate sufficient surplus cash that would be available for
distribution to the holders of our common stock as a dividend.
Therefore, you should not expect to receive cash dividends on our
common stock.
General Risk Factors
We are exposed to fluctuations in currency exchange
rates.
Our revenues and expenses are denominated in U.S. dollars, Canadian
dollars, EURO, and Great British Pounds, and therefore are exposed
to significant currency exchange fluctuations. Recent events in the
global financial markets have been coupled with increased
volatility in the currency markets. Fluctuations in the exchange
rate between the U.S. dollar, the Canadian dollar and the British
Pound may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial
condition, and operating results. We may, in the future, establish
a program to hedge a portion of our foreign currency exposure with
the objective of minimizing the impact of adverse foreign currency
exchange movements. With appropriate risk management and oversight
this may be able to offset future risk, however a hedging strategy
will result in additional operating costs.
35
Operating as a public company requires us to incur substantial
costs and requires substantial management attention. In addition,
certain members of our management team have limited experience
managing a public company.
As a public company, we incur substantial legal, accounting and
other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. For
example, we are subject to the reporting requirements of the
Exchange Act, the applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act,
the rules and regulations of the SEC and the listing standards of
the Nasdaq Stock Market. For example, the Exchange Act requires,
among other things, that we file annual, quarterly and current
reports with respect to our business, financial condition and
results of operations. We are also required to maintain effective
disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over
financial reporting. Compliance with these rules and regulations
has increased and will continue to increase our legal and financial
compliance costs and increase demand on our systems. In addition,
as a public company, we may be subject to stockholder activism,
which can lead to additional substantial costs, distract management
and impact the manner in which we operate our business in ways we
cannot currently anticipate. As a result of disclosure of
information in filings required of a public company, our business
and financial condition will become more visible, which may result
in threatened or actual litigation, including by
competitors.
Additionally, certain members of our management team have limited
experience managing a publicly traded company, interacting with
public company investors and complying with the increasingly
complex laws pertaining to public companies. Our management team
may not successfully or efficiently manage our transition to being
a public company subject to significant regulatory oversight and
reporting obligations under the federal securities laws and the
continuous scrutiny of securities analysts and investors. These
obligations and constituents will require significant attention
from our senior management and could divert their attention away
from the day-to-day management of our business, which could
adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of
operations.
Increased scrutiny of our environmental, social and governance
responsibilities and practices may result in additional costs,
liability risks, and may adversely impact our reputation, our
ability to attract and retain a skilled workforce and willingness
of customers and suppliers to do business with us.
Investor advocacy groups, institutional investors, proxy advisory
services, stockholders, government, regulators, employees,
customers and other stakeholders are increasingly focused on
environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) practices of
companies. Additionally, public interest and legislative pressure
related to public companies’ ESG practices continues to grow. If
our ESG practices fail to meet regulatory requirements or investor
or other stakeholders' evolving expectations and standards for
responsible business practices in numerous areas, including climate
change and greenhouse gas emissions, environmental stewardship,
support for communities where we operate, human and civil rights,
director and employee diversity, human capital management, employee
health and safety practices, product quality and safety, data
security, supply chain management, regulatory compliance corporate
governance and transparency and employing ESG strategies within
business operations, our brand, reputation and employee retention
may be negatively impacted and customers and suppliers may be
unwilling to do business with us. As we work to align our ESG
practices with industry standards, we will be dealing with
uncertainties and risks resulting from the forward-looking nature
of many ESG issues, In addition, we will continue to expand our
disclosures in these areas and doing so may result in additional
costs and require additional resources to monitor, report, and
comply with our various ESG practices. If we fail to adopt ESG
standards or practices as quickly as stakeholders desire, report on
our ESG efforts or practices accurately, or satisfy the
expectations of stakeholders, our reputation, business, financial
performance and growth may be adversely impacted.
36
None.
37
Item 2. Properties.
Our principal executive office is located at 60 Highfield Park
Drive, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Our principal facilities include the following:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Location
|
Lease expiration
|
Approximate size
(sqft)
|
|
Primary functions
|
Boxborough, Massachusetts
|
September 30, 2023
|
|
4,414
|
|
Administration
|
Highfield Park, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
|
August 31, 2031
|
|
68,000
|
|
Administration, Research and Development, and
Production
|
Pleasanton, California
|
September 30, 2026
|
|
19,506
|
|
Research and Development and Production
|
London, United Kingdom
|
October 19, 2027
|
|
742
|
|
Research and Development
|
Burnaby, British Columbia
|
April 30, 2025
|
|
7,860
|
|
Administration and Research and Development
|
Thurso, Quebec
|
Owned
|
|
105,000
|
|
Production and Research and Development
|
Maroussi, Athens
|
October 31, 2031
|
|
15,457
|
|
Research and Development
|
Oxford, United Kingdom
|
June 30, 2023
|
|
1,065
|
|
Research and Development
|
Columbia, Maryland
|
August 31, 2033
|
|
11,642
|
|
Research and Development and Production
|
Billerica, Boston
|
March 31, 2028
|
|
12,655
|
|
Research and Development and Production
|
Item 3. Legal Proceedings.
In December 2022 we completed the spin-off of our oil and gas
assets and operations by distributing shares of common stock of our
wholly owned subsidiary, Next Bridge, to the holders of our Series
A Preferred Stock. All previously disclosed legal proceedings
relating to our oil and gas assets and related operations were
assumed by NBH and no longer involve us.
SEC Subpoena
In September 2021, we received a subpoena from the Securities and
Exchange Commission, Division of Enforcement, in a matter captioned
In the Matter of Torchlight Energy Resources, Inc. The subpoena
requests that we produce certain documents and information related
to, among other things, the merger involving Torchlight Energy
Resources, Inc. and Metamaterial Inc. We are cooperating and intend
to continue to cooperate with the SEC’s investigation. We can offer
no assurances as to the outcome of this investigation or its
potential effect, if any, on us or our results of
operation.
Securities Class Action
On January 3, 2022, a putative securities class action lawsuit was
filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New
York captioned Maltagliati v. Meta Materials Inc., et al., No.
1:21-cv-07203, against us, our Chief Executive Officer, our Chief
Financial Officer, Torchlight’s former Chairman of the Board of
Directors, and Torchlight’s former Chief Executive Officer. On
January 26, 2022, a similar putative securities class action
lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern
District of New York captioned McMillan v. Meta Materials Inc., et
al., No. 1:22-cv-00463. The McMillan complaint names the same
defendants and asserts the same claims on behalf of the same
purported class as the Maltagliati complaint. The complaints,
purportedly brought on behalf of all purchasers of our publicly
traded securities from September 21, 2020 through and including
December 14, 2021, assert claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) arising
primarily from a short-seller report and statements related to our
business combination with Torchlight. The complaints seek
unspecified compensatory damages and reasonable costs and expenses,
including attorneys’ fees. On July 15, 2022, the Court consolidated
these actions under the caption In re Meta Materials Inc.
Securities Litigation, No. 1:21-cv-07203, appointed lead plaintiffs
and approved the lead plaintiffs’ selection of lead counsel. Lead
plaintiffs filed a consolidated complaint on August 29, 2022. We
moved to dismiss that complaint on October 13, 2022. The motion was
fully briefed on January 12, 2023. The Court held a hearing on the
motion to dismiss on February 27, 2023 and took the motion under
submission.
38
Shareholder Derivative Action
On January 14, 2022, a shareholder derivative action was filed in
the U.S. District Court for the Easter District of New York
captioned Hines v. Palikaras, et al., No. 1:22-cv-00248. The
complaint names as defendants certain of our current officers and
directors, certain former Torchlight officers and directors, and us
(as nominal defendant). The complaint, purportedly brought on
behalf of the Company, asserts claims under Section 14(a) of the
Exchange Act, contribution claims under Sections 10(b) and 21D of
the Exchange Act, and various state law claims such as breach of
fiduciary duties and unjust enrichment. The complaint seeks, among
other things, unspecified compensatory damages in favor of the
Company, certain corporate governance related actions, and an award
of costs and expenses to the derivative plaintiff, including
attorneys’ fees. On March 9, 2022, the Court entered a stipulated
order staying this action until there is a ruling on a motion to
dismiss in the securities class action.
Westpark Capital Group
On July 25, 2022, WestPark Capital Group, LLC filed a complaint in
Los Angeles County Superior Court against us for breach of
contract, alleging that it is owed a $450,000 commission as a
placement agent with respect to our June 2022 registered direct
offering. On August 31, 2022, we filed an answer to the complaint.
We dispute that WestPark Capital Group placed the investor in the
direct registered offering and is owed a commission.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
Not Applicable.
39
PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder
Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
Market Information for Common Stock
Our common stock is quoted on the NASDAQ Stock Market LLC
("NASDAQ") under the symbol, “MMAT”. As of December 31, 2022, we
had outstanding common shares of 362,247,867 which includes
79,605,384 Exchangeable Shares held by certain shareholders in
Canada and which are traded on the Canadian Securities Exchange
("CSE") under the symbol "MMAX", and that are exchangeable for
shares of MMAT on a 1-for-1 basis.
The Exchangeable Shares were listed in connection with the
completion of the Torchlight RTO where former holders of
Metamaterial Inc.’s common shares (that were previously traded on
the CSE) were entitled to receive 1.845 of our common shares for
each previously held common share of Metamaterial Inc. or in
Exchangeable Shares of a wholly-owned subsidiary of META that
reflect the same exchange ratio on issuance.
Holders of Record
As of December 31, 2022, there were 154 holders of record of the
Company's common stock listed on NASDAQ the majority of our common
stock is held by brokers and other institutions on behalf of
stockholders, accordingly, we are unable to estimate the total
number of beneficial owners of our common stock.
Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share
held of record on all matters submitted to a vote of
stockholders.
Holders of our common stock have no preemptive rights and no right
to convert their common stock into any other securities. There are
no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the common
stock.
Dividend Policy
We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our capital
stock. We currently intend to retain any future earnings and do not
expect to pay any dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future
determination to declare cash dividends will be made at the
discretion of our Board, subject to applicable laws, and will
depend on a number of factors, including our financial condition,
results of operations, capital requirements, contractual
restrictions, general business conditions, and other factors that
our Board may deem relevant.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
None.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
There were no unregistered securities issued by us during the
fiscal year 2022 not previously reported on a Form 8-K or Form
10-Q.
40
Item 6.
[Reserved]
41
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations.
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition
and results of operations should be read in conjunction with its
consolidated financial statements and related notes, each included
elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion
contains forward-looking statements based upon current plans,
expectations and beliefs that involve risks and uncertainties. Our
actual results and the timing of certain events could differ
materially from those anticipated in or implied by these
forward-looking statements as a result of several factors,
including those discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors”
included under Part I, Item 1A and elsewhere in this Annual Report.
See “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” in this
Annual Report.
This Report on Form 10-K contains references to our trademarks and
to trademarks belonging to other entities. Solely for convenience,
trademarks and trade names referred to in this Report on Form 10-K,
including logos, artwork and other visual displays, may appear
without the
®
or TM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in
any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under
applicable law, our rights or the rights of the applicable licensor
to these trademarks and trade names. We do not intend for our use
or display of other companies’ trade names or trademarks to imply a
relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by any other
companies.
OVERVIEW
Meta Materials Inc. (also referred to herein as the “Company”,
“META”, “we”, “us”, “our”, or “Resulting Issuer”) is a developer of
high-performance functional materials and nanocomposites
specializing in metamaterial research and products,
nanofabrication, and computational electromagnetics. Our principal
executive office is located at 60 Highfield Park Drive, Dartmouth,
Nova Scotia, Canada.
BUSINESS AND OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
Throughout 2022, we emphasized new investments in pilot scale
manufacturing of our NANOWEB®
applications, expansion of our production capacity in our banknote
and brand security lines, and more aggressive design, development
and testing of our broad array of medical products. For more
information regarding our business, see Part I, Item I (Business).
of this Form 10-K.
As of December 31, 2022, we have substantially completed the
construction of our Highfield Park Facility in Dartmouth, Nova
Scotia and expanding our facility in Thurso, Quebec.
Nasdaq Potential Delisting
On March 20,2023, we received a notice (the “Notice”) from The
Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (the "Nasdaq Exchange”) informing us that
for the last 30 consecutive business days, the bid price of our
common stock had closed below $1.00 per share, which is the minimum
required closing bid price for continued listing on the Nasdaq
Exchange pursuant to Listing Rule 5450(a)(1). The Notice has no
immediate effect on our Nasdaq listing or trading of our common
stock. We have 180 calendar days, or until September 18, 2023 (the
“Compliance Date”), to regain compliance. To regain compliance, the
closing bid price of our common stock must be at least $1.00 per
share for a minimum of ten consecutive business days. If we do not
regain compliance by the Compliance Date, we may be eligible for
additional 180 days to regain compliance or if we are otherwise not
eligible, we may request a hearing before a Nasdaq Hearings
Panel.
Known Trends and Uncertainties
Inflation
A prolonged period of inflation in Europe, for energy costs in
particular, could cause shortages or material cost increases for
certain key raw materials, for which we depend on European
suppliers. In particular, shortages or cost increases in certain
polymers used in our Holography products could result in higher
costs for these products that may not be able to be passed on to
our customers.
Inflation in North America, for labor costs and transportation
costs in particular, could elevate our costs of hiring new team
members and cause increases in our labor costs for existing team
members. In addition, rising transportation costs are likely to
increase our costs for shipping our products and the costs
associated with our material purchases. Further, inflation could
cause increases in the cost of routine borrowing for the purchase
of equipment.
42
Vehicle Electrification
The transition from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to
electric vehicles (EVs) may be accelerated by recent disruptions in
global oil supply, reduced investment in new domestic oil
exploration, and increased government support for domestic EV
production, battery and battery materials supply chain, and EV
charging infrastructure. This may increase the opportunity for META
to scale up battery materials production, acquire new battery
component customers, and obtain government funding for capital
projects. It could also accelerate demand for certain of our
NANOWEB®
products targeting EV’s.
Global Chip Shortage
A global shortage of computer chips has triggered significant
delays in product launches in the automotive industry. Should these
shortages continue, META could experience on-going delays in orders
for our NANOWEB®
applications from this vertical market since these products are
intended to be incorporated into planned new models.
Expanding Operations, Facilities and Staffing
META is expanding capacity and facilities to support a growing
range of market opportunities. This includes a new headquarters
facility in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; expanded production capacity in
Thurso, Quebec; and new development facilities in Maryland for
Electro Optics and IR, and in Massachusetts for the Battery
Materials team. These activities require capital investments,
increased overhead for leased facilities, and higher operating
expenses for personnel additions. The timing of new customer
programs and revenues associated with these expansions is uncertain
and META will require additional financing to support the related
cash consumption.
Expanding Focus and Emphasis on Information Technology
With the rapid growth of our global business, our data protection
and cyber security needs have become a significant element of our
business. Failure on our part to invest in the tools, equipment and
personnel required to adequately manage these elements could result
in regulatory issues, claims by customers and potential financial
liabilities. Further, customer prospects identifying such failures
could decide to delay or abandon orders from us.
NANOWEB® Capacity
Our NANOWEB® products have not yet reached the required
manufacturing scale to enable us to address the volume demands of a
number of our target vertical markets. We must either design,
develop and procure additional internal capacity to produce
NANOWEB® in higher volume and larger formats or identify outsourced
suppliers capable of producing our designs. Internal capacity
expansion may require higher capital expenditures and faces risk of
supply chain delays. Outsourced production may increase variable
costs and put pressure on gross margins as we scale
volumes.
Recent Acquisitions
Plasma App Ltd
On April 1, 2022, we completed the purchase of 100% of the issued
and outstanding shares of Plasma App Ltd. ("PAL"). PAL is the
developer of PLASMAfusion®,
a proprietary manufacturing platform technology, which enables high
speed coating of any solid material on any type of substrate. PAL’s
team is located at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratories in Oxford,
UK.
We issued an aggregate of 9,677,419 shares of our common stock to
PAL's shareholders at closing, representing a number of shares of
common stock equal to $18,000,000 divided by $1.86 (the volume
weighted average price for the ten trading days ending on March 31,
2022), with an additional deferral of common stock equal to
$2,000,000 divided by $1.86 to be issued subject to satisfaction of
certain claims and warranties.
Optodot
We completed an asset purchase agreement with Optodot Corporation
("Optodot") on June 22, 2022. Optodot, based in Devens,
Massachusetts, USA, is a developer of advanced materials
technologies for the battery and other industries.
The consideration transferred included the following: A cash
payment of $3,500,000 as well as unrestricted common stock equal to
$37,500,000 divided by our common stock's daily volume weighted
average trading price per share on the Nasdaq Capital Market for a
period of twenty trading days ending on June 21, 2022 and
restricted common stock, subject to milestones as set forth in the
Purchase
43
Agreement, equal to $7,500,000 divided by the daily volume weighted
average trading price per share of our Common Stock on the Nasdaq
Capital Market for the consecutive period of twenty trading days
ending on June 21, 2022.
RESULTS OF
OPERATIONS
We have incurred recurring losses to date, and we anticipate
incurring additional losses until such time, if ever, we can
achieve profitability. Substantial additional financing will be
needed to fund our development, marketing and sales activities and
generally to commercialize our technology, and we expect to raise
additional capital through various financing transactions or
arrangements, including sale/leaseback of certain properties, joint
venturing of projects, debt financing, equity financing, or other
means. These factors raise substantial doubt about our ability to
continue as a going concern. Our financial statements have been
prepared assuming that we will continue as a going concern and,
accordingly, do not include adjustments relating to the
recoverability and realization of assets and classification of
liabilities that might be necessary should we be unable to continue
in operation.
Revenue and Gross Profit
Our revenue is generated from product sales as well as development
revenue. We recognize revenue when we satisfy performance
obligations under the terms of our contracts, and control of our
products is transferred to our customers in an amount that reflects
the consideration we expect to receive from our customers in
exchange for those products or services.
Product Sales
Product sales include products, components, and samples sold to our
customers. Revenue from the sale of prototypes and finished
products is recognized at the point in time when control of the
asset is transferred to the customer, generally on delivery of
goods. We consider whether there are other obligations in the
contract that are separate performance obligations to which a
portion of the transaction price needs to be allocated. In
determining the transaction price for the sale of prototypes, we
consider the effects of variable consideration, the existence of
significant financial components, non-cash consideration and
consideration payable to the customer (if any).
Development Revenue
Development Revenue consists of revenues from contract services and
research services, including non-recurring engineering services.
Revenue from development activities is recognized over time, using
an output method to measure progress towards complete satisfaction
of the research activities and whether associated performance
obligations identified within each contract have been
satisfied.
Cost of Goods Sold
Cost of Goods Sold consists of direct material used in production,
depreciation expenses of machinery and equipment used in
production, salaries and benefits relating to the production staff,
and other overhead costs allocated to production.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2022
|
|
|
2021
|
|
|
Change
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
%
|
|
Product sales
|
|
|
1,211,746
|
|
|
|
407,915
|
|
|
|
803,831
|
|
|
|
197
|
%
|
Development revenue
|
|
|
8,988,421
|
|
|
|
3,674,602
|
|
|
|
5,313,819
|
|
|
|
145
|
%
|
Total Revenue
|
|
|
10,200,167
|
|
|
|
4,082,517
|
|
|
|
6,117,650
|
|
|
|
150
|
%
|
Cost of goods sold
|
|
|
3,036,190
|
|
|
|
675,973
|
|
|
|
2,360,217
|
|
|
|
349
|
%
|
Gross Profit
|
|
|
7,163,977
|
|
|
|
3,406,544
|
|
|
|
3,757,433
|
|
|
|
110
|
%
|
Gross Profit percentage
|
|
|
70
|
%
|
|
|
83
|
%
|
|
|
-13
|
%
|
|
|
|
Product Sales
The increase in product sales of $0.8 million for the year ended
December 31, 2022, as compared to the same period of 2021, is
primarily due to increase in sales revenue from our
nanoimprint-lithography revenue - banknotes
applications.
Development Revenue
The increase in development revenue for the year ended December 31,
2022, of $5.3 million compared to the year ended December 31, 2021,
is mainly due to our nanoimprint-lithography revenue - banknotes
applications during 2022 of $6.8 million, offset by $1.5 million
decrease due to the completion of certain development contracts in
2021. We derive a significant portion of our revenue from
contract
44
services with a confidential G10 central bank. In 2021, we acquired
Nanotech which had a development contract for up to $41.5 million
over a period of up to five years. These contract services
incorporate both nano-optic and optical thin film technologies and
are focused on developing authentication features for future
banknotes.
Cost of Goods Sold
The increase in cost of goods sold for the year ended December 31,
2022, of $2.4 million compared to the year ended December 31, 2021,
is mainly due our production cost associated with the
nanoimprint-lithography revenue - banknotes
applications.
Gross Profit
The increase in gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2022,
of $3.8 million compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, is
again mainly due to our increased revenue from contract services
with a confidential G10 central bank during 2022.
Operating expenses
|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2022
|
|
|
2021
|
|
|
Change
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
%
|
|
Operating Expenses
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Selling & Marketing
|
|
|
6,244,883
|
|
|
|
2,267,354
|
|
|
|
3,977,529
|
|
|
|
175
|
%
|
General & Administrative
|
|
|
61,543,282
|
|
|
|
29,699,601
|
|
|
|
31,843,681
|
|
|
|
107
|
%
|
Research & Development
|
|
|
22,640,495
|
|
|
|
9,497,427
|
|
|
|
13,143,068
|
|
|
|
138
|
%
|
Total operating expenses
|
|
|
90,428,660
|
|
|
|
41,464,382
|
|
|
|
48,964,278
|
|
|
|
118
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Selling & Marketing
The increase in selling & marketing expenses for the year ended
December 31, 2022, of $4.0 million compared to the year ended
December 31, 2021, is mainly due to a $3.1 million increase in
salaries and benefits, including a $0.5 million increase in
non-cash equity compensation due to increases in headcount in the
latter part of 2021, and early part of 2022, to acquire talent and
grow the sales and marketing team. The remaining increase of $0.9
million is due to increases in travel and other sales and marketing
costs year over year.
General & Administrative
The increase in general & administrative expenses for the year
ended December 31, 2022 ,of $31.8 million compared to the year
ended December 31, 2021, is primarily due to a $15.1 million
increase in salaries and benefits including a $6.8 million increase
in non-cash equity compensation due to 1) management and support
functions growth to keep pace with our overall growth and
acquisitions, 2) the acquisition of Nanotech in Q4 2021, PAL and
Optodot in Q2 2022, and 3) Contractors hired in Q3 2021, to manage
the disposition of our O&G assets, a $7.9 million increase in
professional fees due to the ongoing SEC investigation and
lawsuits, acquisition related costs and consulting fees, $5.2
million in depreciation and amortization expenses mainly due to
acquired intangible assets in Q4 2021, as part of the Nanotech
acquisition as well as the increase in depreciation expense due to
acquired equipment in different facilities, a $1.5 million increase
in insurance and stock exchange costs associated with our listing
on Nasdaq in June 2021, a $0.5 million increase in rent due to
lease expansion of different locations, and $1.4 million increase
in travel, subscription and other expenses.
Research & Development
The increase in research & development expenses for the year
ended December 31, 2022, of $13.1 million compared to the year
ended December 31, 2021, is primarily due to an $8.1
million increase in salaries and benefits including a $4.1 million
increase in non-cash equity compensation due to increase in our
head count through all locations as a result of (i) expansion in
facilities and laboratories, and (ii) the acquisition of Nanotech
in Q4 2021, PAL and Optodot in Q2 2022, a $2.0 million increase in
R&D materials, Intellectual Property
45
maintenance fees and consulting expense, a $1.3 million in rent due
to lease expansion in different R&D facilities in Canada, USA
and Greece, as well as a $1.7
million increase in travel, depreciation, subscription and other
expenses.
Other Expenses
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2022
|
|
|
2021
|
|
|
Change
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
%
|
|
Other expenses, net:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest expense, net
|
|
|
(174,234
|
)
|
|
|
(1,106,445
|
)
|
|
|
932,211
|
|
|
|
-84
|
%
|
Loss on foreign exchange, net
|
|
|
(2,054,447
|
)
|
|
|
(205,882
|
)
|
|
|
(1,848,565
|
)
|
|
|
898
|
%
|
Gain on deconsolidation of subsidiaries
|
|
|
3,990,737
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
3,990,737
|
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
Loss on financial instruments, net
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
(40,540,091
|
)
|
|
|
40,540,091
|
|
|
|
-100
|
%
|
Other expenses, net
|
|
|
(3,433,757
|
)
|
|
|
(11,939,068
|
)
|
|
|
8,505,311
|
|
|
|
-71
|
%
|
Total other expense, net
|
|
|
(1,671,701
|
)
|
|
|
(53,791,486
|
)
|
|
|
52,119,785
|
|
|
|
-97
|
%
|
Interest Expense, net
The decrease in net interest expense for the year ended December
31, 2022, of $0.9 million compared to the year ended December 31,
2021, is primarily due to settlement of the convertible debentures
and promissory notes in the first half of year 2021.
Loss on Foreign Exchange, net
The change in net loss on foreign exchange of $1.8 million for the
year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December
31, 2021, is primarily driven by revaluations of intercompany
balances in different currencies, mainly as a result of the
devaluation of different currencies against the US dollar during
2022.
Gain on deconsolidation of wholly-owned subsidiary
A gain of $4.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 was
recognized as a result of the deconsolidation of Next Bridge on
December 14, 2022. The gain is comprised of the recognition of a
note receivable at estimated fair value from Next Bridge for $2.2
million and a $1.8 million gain resulting from the derecognition of
Next Bridge working capital (or a decrease in our consolidated net
liabilities) on December 14, 2022. See note 5 to the Consolidated
Financial Statements for further details.
Loss on Financial Instruments, net
No loss on financial instruments was recorded for the year ended
December 31, 2022, as there were no revaluations of financial
instruments during the period. The losses in 2021 were due to
non-cash gains/losses resulting from remeasurement of the fair
value of convertible financial liabilities at each balance sheet
date or on conversion date using the fair value option.
Other expenses, net
The decrease in other expenses of $8.5 million for the year ended
December 31, 2022,, as compared to the year ended December 31,
2021, is primarily due to a reduction of $10.3 million in costs
incurred in relation to certain drilling activity we carried out at
our O&G properties, to remain in compliance with all aspects of
our lease obligations and to satisfy the Continuous Drilling Clause
("CDC") with University Lands net of $1.5 million decrease in cash
and non-cash government grants received.
Deferred Tax recovery
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2022
|
|
|
2021
|
|
|
Change
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
%
|
|
Income tax recovery
|
|
|
5,834,160
|
|
|
|
852,063
|
|
|
|
4,982,097
|
|
|
|
585
|
%
|
46
Income Tax recovery
The increase in our income tax recovery for the year ended December
31, 2022 of $5.0 million, as compared to the year ended December
31, 2021, was driven by:
a) utilization of previously fully reserved tax assets in relation
to the Optodot acquisition. We recognized a deferred tax liability
as of acquisition date of $4.9 million in accordance with ASC Topic
740, and in conjunction, reduced our valuation allowance resulting
in a net income tax recovery of $4.9 million.
b) income tax recovery of $0.1 million as a result of purchase
price allocation adjustments in relation to the Nanotech and PAL
acquisitions and subsequent recovery.
We have provided a valuation allowance for various jurisdictions as
a result of our historical net losses. We continue to assess our
future taxable income by jurisdiction based on our recent
historical operating results, the expected timing of reversal of
temporary differences, various tax planning strategies that we may
be able to implement, the impact of potential operating changes on
our business and our forecast results from operations in future
periods based on available information at the end of each reporting
period.
To the extent that we are able to reach the conclusion that
deferred tax assets are realizable based on any combination of the
above factors in a single, or multiple, taxing jurisdictions, a
reversal of the related portion of our existing valuation
allowances may occur.
We have not yet been able to establish profitability or other
sufficient significant positive evidence, to conclude that our
deferred tax assets are more likely than not to be realized.
Therefore, we continue to maintain a valuation allowance against
our deferred tax assets.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL
RESOURCES
Liquidity risk is the risk that we will not meet our financial
obligations as they become due after use of currently available
cash. We have a planning and budgeting process to monitor operating
cash requirements, including amounts projected for capital
expenditures, which are adjusted as input variables change. These
variables include, but are not limited to, our ability to plan for
and generate revenue from current and prospective customers, our
general and administrative requirements and the availability of
equity or debt capital and government funding. As these variables
change, we may be required to issue equity or obtain debt
financing.
On December 31, 2022, we had cash, cash equivalents and short-term
investments of $11.8 million including $1.7 million in restricted
cash and $Nil in short-term investments compared to $50.3 million
in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments on December
31, 2021, including $0.8 million in restricted cash and $2.9
million in short-term investments.
During the year ended December 31, 2022, our principal sources of
liquidity included $46.3 million of net proceeds obtained through
the issuance of common stock and warrants, proceeds from a
below-market capital government loan of $1.1 million and revenue of
approximately $10.2 million.
During the year ended December 31, 2022, our primary uses of
liquidity included $26.5 million in salaries, $25.1 million mainly
in legal, consulting, investor relations, auditing and accounting
fees, $19.6 million in capital expenditures, $4.6 million in
acquisitions cost, $4.0 million in rent and utilities, $3.5 million
in R&D material and patent fees, $3.1 million in travel,
advertising, travel show cost and dues and subscriptions, and $2.5
million in insurance.
June 2022 Registered Direct Offering
On June 24, 2022, we entered into a securities purchase agreement,
as amended and restated on June 27, 2022, with certain
institutional investors (the “SPA”) for the purchase and sale in a
registered direct offering of 37,037,039 shares of our common stock
at a purchase price of $1.35 per share and warrants to purchase
37,037,039 shares at an exercise price of $1.75 per share. This
resulted in gross proceeds from the offering of $50.0 million and
net proceeds of $46.3 million.
Shelf Registration
On November 9, 2022, we filed a “universal” shelf registration
statement File No. (333-268282) on Form S-3 allowing us to issue
certain securities with an aggregate offering price not to exceed
$250 million. This registration statement was declared effective by
the SEC on November 18, 2022.
On February 10, 2023, we entered into a sales agreement (the "ATM
Agreement") with investment banks to establish an “at-the-market”
offering program under which we may sell up to an aggregate of $100
million of shares of common stock (the “ATM Shares”)
from
47
time to time. The sales agents are entitled to compensation at a
fixed commission rate of 3.0% of the gross proceeds of each sale of
shares of our common stock.
Under the ATM Agreement, we set the parameters for the sale of ATM
Shares, including the number of ATM Shares to be issued, the time
period during which sales are requested to be made, limitations on
the number of ATM Shares that may be sold in any one trading day
and any minimum price below which sales may not be made. Sales of
the ATM Shares, if any, under the ATM Agreement may be made in
transactions that are deemed to be “at-the-market offerings” as
defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act.
As of March 20, 2023, we have sold an aggregate of 17,573,969
shares of our common stock pursuant to the ATM Agreement for
aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $10.5 million.
Going Concern
In accordance with Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC")
205-40, going concern, we evaluated whether there are conditions
and events, considered in the aggregate, that raise substantial
doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern within one
year after the date that the consolidated financial statements
included in this Form 10-K are issued. This evaluation initially
does not take into consideration the potential mitigating effect of
management’s plans that have not been fully implemented as of the
date the financial statements are issued. When substantial doubt
exists under this methodology, management evaluates whether the
mitigating effect of its plans sufficiently alleviates substantial
doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The
mitigating effect of management’s plans, however, is only
considered if both (1) it is probable that the plans will be
effectively implemented within one year after the date that the
financial statements are issued, and (2) it is probable that the
plans, when implemented, will mitigate the relevant conditions or
events that raise substantial doubt about the entity’s ability to
continue as a going concern within one year after the date that the
consolidated financial statements are issued. In performing its
analysis, management excluded certain elements of its operating
plan that cannot be considered probable. Under ASC 205-40, the
receipt of potential funding from future partnerships, equity or
debt issuances, potential achievement of milestones from customer
agreements and reductions in workforce cannot be considered
probable at this time because these plans are not entirely within
our control and/or have not been approved by our Board of Directors
as of the date of issuance of the consolidated financial
statements.
Our expectation to generate operating losses and negative operating
cash flows in the future and the need for additional funding to
support our planned operations, raise substantial doubt regarding
our ability to continue as a going concern. Management's plans to
alleviate the conditions that raise substantial doubt include
reduced spending, and the pursuit of additional capital. Management
has concluded the likelihood that its plan to successfully obtain
sufficient funding from one or more of these sources, or adequately
reduce expenditures, while highly possible, is less than probable.
Accordingly, we have concluded that substantial doubt exists about
our ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least
12 months from the date of issuance of the consolidated financial
statements.
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared on a going
concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and
satisfaction of liabilities in the ordinary course of business. The
financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the
recoverability and classification of recorded asset amounts or the
amounts and classification of liabilities that might result from
the outcome of the uncertainties described above.
The following table summarizes META’s cash flows for the periods
presented:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2022
|
|
|
2021
|
|
Net cash used in operating activities
|
|
|
(62,244,794
|
)
|
|
|
(34,764,911
|
)
|
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities
|
|
|
(19,472,250
|
)
|
|
|
65,144,545
|
|
Net cash provided by financing activities
|
|
|
46,367,012
|
|
|
|
15,655,863
|
|
Net (decrease) increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted
cash
|
|
|
(35,350,032
|
)
|
|
|
46,035,497
|
|
Net cash used in operating activities
During the year ended December 31, 2022, net cash used in operating
activities of $62.2 million was primarily driven by a net loss of
$79.1 million for the period, and non-cash adjustments of $17.2
million mainly due to depreciation and amortization of $9.3
million, stock-based compensation of $13.9 million, and unrealized
foreign exchange loss of $2.1 million offset by $4.0 million gain
on deconsolidation of Next Bridge, and $5.8 million deferred income
tax recovery, along with other less material line items. In
addition, there was $0.4 million cash used by working capital
primarily due to a $5.4 million increase of trade and other
payables, offset by decrease in prepaid and other current assets
$4.8 million, along with other changes in working
capital.
48
During the year ended December 31, 2021, net cash used in operating
activities of $34.8 million was primarily driven by a $91.0 million
net loss reported for the year, and non-cash adjustments of $51.6
million mainly due to $40.5 million in fair value losses on
financial instruments, $8.1 million stock based compensation and
non-cash consulting fees, $3.7 million in depreciation,
amortization and impairment, and non-cash interest and accretion of
$0.9 million, along with other less material line items. Change in
operating assets and liabilities totaled $4.7 million primarily due
to a $6.9 million increase of trade and other payables.
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities
During the year ended December 31, 2022, net cash used in investing
activities of $19.5 million was primarily driven by proceeds from
short-term investments of $2.8 million and proceeds from
below-market capital government loan of $1.1 million offset by
$19.6 million of capital expenditure associated with the
construction of the Highfield Park Facility in Canada as well as
the equipment purchases for our facility in Pleasanton, California,
United States and $3.5 million cash consideration for the Optodot
acquisition.
During the year ended December 31, 2021, net cash provided by
investing activities of $65.1 million was primarily driven by cash
acquired as a result of the Torchlight RTO of $147.0 million,
offset by $66.1 million in cash paid for the Nanotech acquisition,
$2.9 million purchase of short-term investments, $11.7 million in
property plant and equipment purchases associated with the
construction of the Highfield Park Facility as well as equipment
purchases for both the Highfield Park and Pleasanton facilities,
and a $1.1 million increase in intangibles as a result of
capitalized legal cost for certain patents, as well as the
acquisition of certain intellectual property assets from Interglass
Technology AG (Switzerland).
Net cash provided by financing activities
During the year ended December 31, 2022, net cash provided by
financing activities of $46.4 million was primarily driven by the
cash obtained through the proceeds from the issuance of common
stock and warrants through the Securities Purchase Agreements with
institutional investors for the purchase and sale in a registered
direct offering, $0.4 million from stock option exercises net of
$0.6 million loan repayments.
During the year ended December 31, 2021, net cash provided by
financing activities of $15.7 million was primarily driven by $10.0
million in proceeds received from the issuance of unsecured
convertible promissory notes to Torchlight, subsequently eliminated
upon consolidation at December 31, 2021, $4 million in proceeds
from the issuance of unsecured convertible promissory notes to an
affiliate that was subsequently converted into common stock during
the year and $1.4 million in proceeds from options and warrants
exercise net of $1.1 million loan repayments.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S.
GAAP requires us to make estimates, judgments and assumptions that
affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial
statements. These estimates, judgments and assumptions are
evaluated on an ongoing basis. We base our estimates on historical
experience and on various other assumptions that we believe are
reasonable at that time, 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. The
accounting policies that reflect our more significant estimates,
judgments and assumptions and which we believe are the most
critical to aid in fully understanding and evaluating our reported
financial results include the following:
Going Concern
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been
prepared on a going concern basis of accounting, which contemplates
continuity of operations, realization of assets and liabilities and
commitments in the normal course of business. The accompanying
consolidated financial statements do not reflect any adjustments
that might result if we are unable to continue as a going concern.
In connection with the preparation of the consolidated financial
statements for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, we
conducted an evaluation as to whether there were conditions and
events, considered in the aggregate, which raised substantial doubt
as to our ability to continue as a going concern within one year
after the date of the issuance of such financial statements, and
concluded that substantial doubt existed as to our ability to
continue as a going concern as further discussed in Note 2 to the
consolidated financial statements.
Under ASC 205-40, the receipt of potential funding from future
partnerships, equity or debt issuances, potential achievement of
milestones from customer agreements and reductions in workforce
cannot be considered probable at this time because these plans are
not entirely within our control and/or have not been approved by
our Board of Directors as of the date of issuance of the
consolidated financial statements.
49
Our expectation to generate operating losses and negative operating
cash flows in the future and the need for additional funding to
support our planned operations, raise substantial doubt regarding
our ability to continue as a going concern. Management's plans to
alleviate the conditions that raise substantial doubt include
reduced spending, and the pursuit of additional capital. Management
has concluded the likelihood that its plan to successfully obtain
sufficient funding from one or more of these sources, or adequately
reduce expenditures, while highly possible, is less than
probable.
Goodwill
We have one operating segment in accordance with ASC 280
Segment Reporting.
We have similarly determined that we have one reporting unit, to
which all goodwill is assigned, in accordance with ASC 350
Intangibles – Goodwill and Other.
Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price in a business
combination over the fair value of net tangible and intangible
assets acquired. The carrying amount of goodwill is periodically
reviewed for impairment and at a minimum annually and whenever
events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value
of this asset may not be recoverable.
We first perform a qualitative assessment to test the reporting
unit's goodwill for impairment. Based on the qualitative
assessment, if it is determined that the fair value of our
reporting unit is more likely than not (i.e. a likelihood of more
than 50 percent) to be less than its carrying amount, the
quantitative assessment of the impairment test is performed. In the
quantitative assessment, we compare the fair value of our reporting
unit to its carrying value. If the fair value of the reporting unit
exceeds its carrying value, goodwill is not considered impaired and
we are not required to perform further testing. If the carrying
value of the net assets of the reporting unit exceeds its fair
value, then an impairment loss equal to the difference, but not
exceeding the total carrying value of goodwill allocated to the
reporting unit, would be recorded.
For example, a sustained decline in market capitalization below
book value is an indicator that goodwill and other intangible
assets should be tested for impairment under ASC 350
Intangibles – Goodwill and Other.
During the period from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022, our
stock price ranged between a high of $2.95 and a low of $0.63 and
as of December 31, 2022 our market capitalization was $431.1
million and the book value of our goodwill was $281.7 million.
While our market capitalization exceeded the book value of our
goodwill as of December 31, 2022, as of March 17, 2023, our market
capitalization is approximately $191.1 (based on a closing price of
$0.50 per share) million and the book value of our goodwill is
$281.7 million, and as such we may be required to recognize an
impairment loss in the future if the drop in our market
capitalization is deemed to be sustained.
Next Bridge Note Receivable
Notes receivable consists of an amount due from Next Bridge, which
was previously a wholly-owned subsidiary of Meta, until the
completion of the spin-off transaction on December 14, 2022. One
note is partially secured by a combination of Meta’s common shares
and an interest in the Orogrande Project Property. The note
receivables have been recognized at their fair value, as of
December 14, 2022, subsequent to the deconsolidation of Next Bridge
from our consolidated financial results.
We have assessed the fair value of the notes receivable on the
deconsolidation date in accordance with ASC 820, Fair Value
Measurement. In particular, we assessed the likelihood of our
ability to receive the aggregate amount of the $24.2
million of notes receivable and determined that except for the
security interest in our shares held by the Pledgor for the secured
loan, the other collateral is not substantive and therefore should
not serve as the basis for concluding that that loan is well
secured and collateralized; the other loan is unsecured. As a
result, we reserved $22 million of the Next Bridge note
receivables, resulting in $2.2 million being shown on our balance
sheet as of December 31, 2022.
At subsequent reporting periods to December 14, 2022, including
December 31, 2022, the note is measured net of any credit losses in
accordance with ASC 326 Financial Instruments – Credit Losses. If
our judgment regarding these note receivables is incorrect and such
notes are repaid in full or in an amount more than we show on our
balance sheet, we will record a recovery of these notes upon
receiving repayment. See note 5 for further details.
We are currently in negotiations with Next Bridge to extend the
maturity date of each Next Bridge note receivable.
Revenue recognition
– Our revenue is generated from product sales as well as
development revenue. We recognize revenue when it satisfies
performance obligations under the terms of its contracts, and
control of its products is transferred to its customers in an
amount that reflects the consideration we expect to receive from
our customers in exchange for those products or
services.
Revenue from the sale of prototypes and finished products is
recognized at the point in time when control of the asset is
transferred to the customer, generally on delivery of goods. We
consider whether there are other obligations in the contract that
are separate performance obligations to which a portion of the
transaction price needs to be allocated. In determining the
transaction price for the
50
sale of prototypes, we consider the effects of variable
consideration, the existence of significant financial components,
non-cash consideration and consideration payable to the customer
(if any).
Revenue from development activities is recognized over time, using
an output method to measure progress towards complete satisfaction
of the research activities and whether associated performance
obligations identified within each contract have been
satisfied.
Acquired intangibles
- In accordance with ASC 805
Business Combinations,
we allocate the purchase price of acquired companies to the
tangible and intangible assets acquired and the liabilities assumed
based on their estimated fair values. Such valuations may require
management to make significant estimates and assumptions,
especially with respect to intangible assets. Acquired intangible
assets consist of acquired technology and customer relationships.
In valuing acquired intangible assets, we make assumptions and
estimates based in part on projected financial information, which
makes assumptions and estimates inherently uncertain,