NNDM Nano Dimension Ltd

ITEM 3. KEY INFORMATION

A. [Removed and reserved]

B. CAPITALIZATION AND INDEBTEDNESS

Not applicable.  

C. REASONS FOR THE OFFER AND USE OF PROCEEDS

Not applicable.  

D. RISK FACTORS

You should carefully consider the risks described below, together with all of the other information in this annual report on Form 20-F. The risks described below are not the only risks facing us. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial may also materially and adversely affect our business operations. If any of these risks actually occurs, our business and financial condition could suffer and the price of our ADSs could decline.

Summary of Risk Factors

Risks Related to Our Financial Condition and Capital Requirements

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

Risks Related to the Ownership of the ADSs or our Ordinary Shares

Risks Related Israeli Law and Our Operations in Israel

Risks Related to Our Financial Condition and Capital Requirements

We are investing significant resources in research and development of our products and have a limited operating history on which to assess the prospects for our business, have incurred significant losses since the date of inception of Nano Dimension Technologies Ltd., and anticipate that we will continue to incur significant losses until we are able to successfully commercialize our products.

We have been operating as a development-stage company since August 25, 2014 and have a limited operating history on which to assess the prospects for our business, have incurred significant losses, and anticipate that we will continue to incur significant losses for the foreseeable future.

Since the date of inception of Nano Dimension Technologies Ltd., or the Subsidiary, and as of December 31, 2021, we have incurred net losses of approximately $309 million.

Since the date of the Merger, we have devoted substantially all of our financial resources to develop our products and in our acquisitions. To date, we have generated limited revenues from the sale and lease of our products. Since the Merger, we have financed our operations primarily through the issuance of equity securities. The amount of our future net losses and our ability to finance our operations will depend, in part, on completing the development of our products, the rate of our future expenditures, our ability to generate significant revenues from the sales of our products and our ability to obtain funding through the issuance of our securities, strategic collaborations or grants. We expect to continue to incur significant losses until we are able to generate significant revenues from the sales of our products. We anticipate that our expenses will increase substantially if and as we:

We have generated limited revenues from the sale of our current products and may never be profitable.

We began commercializing our products in the fourth quarter of 2017 and have generated limited revenues since the date of the Merger. Our ability to generate significant revenues and achieve profitability depends on our ability to successfully complete the development of, and to commercialize, our products. Our ability to generate future revenue from product sales depends heavily on our success in many areas, including but not limited to:

Our non-financial assets may continue to lead to significant impairments in the future.

We regularly review our non-financial assets, including intangible assets, goodwill and property, plant and equipment, for impairment. Goodwill is subject to impairment review on an annual basis and whenever potential impairment indicators are present. In addition, we also review our cash-generating units, or CGUs, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances (triggering events) indicate that the carrying amount of such CGUs may not be recoverable. The amount of goodwill, intangible assets and property, plant and equipment on our consolidated balance sheet may increase following acquisitions or other collaboration agreements. Changes in market conditions or other changes in the future outlook of value may lead to further impairments in the future.

The market price of our ADSs has been, and may continue to be, highly volatile, and such volatility could cause the market price of our ADSs to decrease and could cause you to lose some or all of your investment in our ADSs.

During 2021, the market price of our common stock fluctuated from a high of $16.72 per share to a low of $3.76 per ADS, and our share price continues to fluctuate. The market price of our ADSs may continue to fluctuate significantly in response to numerous factors, some of which are beyond our control, such as:

These and other market and industry factors may cause the market price and demand for our ADSs to fluctuate substantially, regardless of our actual operating performance, which may limit or prevent investors from readily selling their ADSs and may otherwise negatively affect the liquidity of our ADSs. In addition, the stock market in general, and technology-based companies in particular, have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of these companies. In the past, when the market price of a security has been volatile, holders of that security have sometimes instituted securities class action litigation against the issuer. If any of the holders of our ADSs were to bring such a lawsuit against us, we could incur substantial costs defending the lawsuit and the attention of our senior management would be diverted from the operation of our business. Any adverse determination in litigation could also subject us to significant liabilities.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

We depend on the commercial success of our DragonFly IV system and ink products, as well as the commercial success of other products sold by our subsidiaries, and we may not be able to successfully scale up their commercialization.

We have invested the majority of our efforts and financial resources in the research and development of our products. As a result, our business is entirely dependent on our ability to successfully commercialize our DragonFly IV system and ink products. In the fourth quarter of 2017, we initiated commercial sales of our DragonFly system and in November 2021 we launched our DragonFly IV system and FLIGHT software platform. We cannot assure you that our commercialization efforts will lead to meaningful sales of our products.

We may not be able to introduce products acceptable to customers and we may not be able to improve the technology used in our current systems in response to changing technology and end-user needs.

The markets in which we operate are subject to rapid and substantial innovation and technological change, mainly driven by technological advances and end-user requirements and preferences, as well as the emergence of new standards and practices. Our ability to compete in the 3D printing and electronics production markets will depend, in large part, on our future success in enhancing our existing products and developing new 3D printing systems that will address the increasingly sophisticated and varied needs of prospective end-users, and respond to technological advances and industry standards and practices on a cost-effective and timely basis or otherwise gain market acceptance.

It is likely that new systems and technologies that we develop will eventually supplant our existing systems or that our competitors will create systems that will replace our systems. As a result, any of our products may be rendered obsolete or uneconomical by our or others’ technological advances.

We may not be able to successfully manage our planned growth and expansion.

We expect to continue to make investments in our DragonFly IV system and our related ink products. We are also expecting to develop additional 3D printers in order to deliver environmentally responsible and economically efficient solutions for industry 4.0. We expect that our annual operating expenses will continue to increase as we invest in sales and marketing, research and development, manufacturing and production infrastructure, and develop customer service and support resources for future customers. Our failure to expand operational and financial systems timely or efficiently could result in operating inefficiencies, which could increase our costs and expenses more than we had planned and prevent us from successfully executing our business plan. We may not be able to offset the costs of operation expansion by leveraging the economies of scale from our growth in negotiations with our suppliers and contract manufacturers. Additionally, if we increase our operating expenses in anticipation of the growth of our business and this growth does not meet our expectations, our financial results will be negatively impacted.

If our business grows, we will have to manage additional product design projects, materials procurement processes, and sales efforts and marketing for an increasing number of products, as well as expand the number and scope of our relationships with suppliers, distributors and end customers. If we fail to manage these additional responsibilities and relationships successfully, we may incur significant costs, which may negatively impact our operating results. Additionally, in our efforts to be first to market with new products with innovative functionality and features, we may devote significant research and development resources to products and product features for which a market does not develop quickly, or at all. If we are not able to predict market trends accurately, we may not benefit from such research and development activities, and our results of operations may suffer.

As our future development and commercialization plans and strategies develop, we expect to need additional managerial, operational, sales, marketing, financial and legal personnel. Our management may need to divert a disproportionate amount of its attention away from our day-to-day activities and devote a substantial amount of time to managing these growth activities. We may not be able to effectively manage the expansion of our operations, which may result in weaknesses in our infrastructure, operational mistakes, loss of business opportunities, failure to deliver and timely deliver our products to customers, loss of employees and reduced productivity among remaining employees. Our expected growth could require significant capital expenditures and may divert financial resources from other projects, such as the development of additional new products. If our management is unable to effectively manage our growth, our expenses may increase more than expected, our ability to generate and/or grow revenue could be reduced, and we may not be able to implement our business strategy.

Our operating results and financial condition may fluctuate.

Even if we are successful in introducing our products to the market, the operating results and financial condition of our company may fluctuate from quarter to quarter and year to year and are likely to continue to vary due to a number of factors, many of which will not be within our control. If our operating results do not meet the guidance that we provide to the market place or the expectations of securities analysts or investors, the market price of our Ordinary Shares will likely decline. Fluctuations in our operating results and financial condition may be due to a number of factors, including those listed below and those identified throughout this “Risk Factors” section:

Due to all of the foregoing factors, and the other risks discussed in this annual report on Form 20-F, you should not rely on quarter-to-quarter comparisons of our operating results as an indicator of our future performance.

The markets in which we participate are competitive. Our failure to compete successfully could cause any future revenues and the demand for our products not to materialize or to decline over time.

We aim to compete for customers with a wide variety of manufacturers that create a variety of Hi-PEDs®. Our principal current competition consists of companies that produce prototype Printed Circuit Board, or PCBs, by traditional reductive manufacturing means, which include etching, pressing and drilling. Many of these companies have extensive track records and relationships within the electronics industry. While we are not aware of any other company that currently offers an in-house 3D printer that is capable of printing multilayer electronics devices, there are a large number of companies engaged in additive manufacturing and 3D printing solutions.

Many of our current and potential competitors have longer operating histories and more extensive name recognition than we have and may also have greater financial, marketing, manufacturing, distribution and other resources than we have. Current and future competitors may be able to respond more quickly to new or emerging technologies and changes in end-user demands and to devote greater resources to the development, promotion and sale of their products than we can. Our current and potential competitors may develop and market new technologies that render our existing or future products obsolete, unmarketable or less competitive (whether from a price perspective or otherwise). We cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain a competitive position or to compete successfully against current and future sources of competition.

Defects in products could give rise to product returns or product liability, warranty or other claims that could result in material expenses, diversion of management time and attention, and damage to our reputation.

Even if we are successful in introducing our products to the market, our products may contain undetected defects or errors that, despite testing, are not discovered until after a product has been used. This could result in delayed market acceptance of those products, claims from distributors, end-users or others, increased end-user service and support costs and warranty claims, damage to our reputation and business, or significant costs to correct the defect or error. We may from time to time become subject to warranty or product liability claims that could lead to significant expenses as we need to compensate affected end-users for costs incurred related to product quality issues.

This risk of product liability claims may also be greater due to the use of certain hazardous chemicals used in the manufacture of certain of our products. In addition, we may be subject to claims that our additive manufacturing systems have been, or may be, used to create parts that are not in compliance with legal requirements.

Any claim brought against us, regardless of its merit, could result in material expense, diversion of management time and attention, and damage to our reputation, and could cause us to fail to retain or attract customers. Currently, we maintain minimal product liability insurance. Our product liability insurance is subject to significant deductibles and there is no guarantee that such insurance will be available or adequate to protect against all such claims. Costs or payments made in connection with warranty and product liability claims and product recalls or other claims could materially affect our financial condition and results of operations.

If our relationships with suppliers for our products and services, especially with single source suppliers of components of our products, were to terminate or our manufacturing arrangements were to be disrupted, our business could be interrupted.

We purchase component parts and raw materials that are used in our DragonFly IV system and ink products from third-party suppliers, some of whom may compete with us. While there are several potential suppliers of most of these component parts and raw materials that we use, we currently choose to use only one or a limited number of suppliers for several of these components and materials. Our reliance on a single or limited number of vendors involves a number of risks, including:

In addition, we require any new supplier to become “qualified” pursuant to our internal procedures. The qualification process involves evaluations of varying durations, which may cause production delays if we were required to qualify a new supplier unexpectedly. We generally assemble our systems and parts based on our internal forecasts and the availability of raw materials, assemblies, components and finished goods that are supplied to us by third parties, which are subject to various lead times. If certain suppliers were to decide to discontinue production of an assembly, component or raw material that we use, the unanticipated change in the availability of supplies, or unanticipated supply limitations, could cause delays in, or loss of, sales, increased production or related costs and consequently reduced margins, and damage to our reputation. If we were unable to find a suitable supplier for a particular component, material or compound, we could be required to modify our existing products or the end-parts that we offer to accommodate substitute components, material or compounds.

Discontinuation of operations at our manufacturing sites could prevent us from timely filling customer orders and could lead to unforeseen costs for us.

We currently assemble and test the systems that we sell, and produce consumables for our systems, at a single facility. Because of our reliance on all of these production facilities, a disruption at any of those facilities could materially damage our ability to supply systems or consumable materials to the marketplace in a timely manner. Depending on the cause of the disruption, we could also incur significant costs to remedy the disruption and resume product shipments. Such disruptions may be caused by, among other factors, earthquakes, fire, flood and other natural disasters. Accordingly, any such disruption could result in a material adverse effect on our revenue, results of operations and earnings, and could also potentially damage our reputation.

Our international operations expose us to additional market and operational risks, and failure to manage these risks may adversely affect our business and operating results.

We derive a substantial percentage of our sales from international markets. Accordingly, we face significant operational risks from doing business internationally, including:

Our failure to manage the market and operational risks associated with our international operations effectively could limit the future growth of our business and adversely affect our operating results.

Under applicable employment laws, we may not be able to enforce covenants not to compete and therefore may be unable to prevent our competitors from benefiting from the expertise of some of our former employees.

We generally enter into non-competition agreements with our employees. These agreements prohibit our employees from competing directly with us or working for our competitors or clients for a limited period after they cease working for us. We may be unable to enforce these agreements under the laws of the jurisdictions in which our employees work and it may be difficult for us to restrict our competitors from benefiting from the expertise that our former employees or consultants developed while working for us. For example, Israeli courts have required employers seeking to enforce non-compete undertakings of a former employee to demonstrate that the competitive activities of the former employee will harm one of a limited number of material interests of the employer that have been recognized by the courts, such as the secrecy of a company’s confidential commercial information or the protection of its intellectual property. If we cannot demonstrate that such interests will be harmed, we may be unable to prevent our competitors from benefiting from the expertise of our former employees or consultants and our ability to remain competitive may be diminished.

We are subject to environmental laws due to the import and export of our products, which could subject us to compliance costs and/or potential liability in the event of non-compliance.

The export of our products internationally from our production facilities subjects us to environmental laws and regulations concerning the import and export of chemicals and hazardous substances such as the U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act and the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemical Substances. These laws and regulations require the testing and registration of some chemicals that we ship along with, or that form a part of, our systems and other products. If we fail to comply with these or similar laws and regulations, we may be required to make significant expenditures to reformulate the chemicals that we use in our products and materials or incur costs to register such chemicals to gain and/or regain compliance. Additionally, we could be subject to significant fines or other civil and criminal penalties should we not achieve such compliance.

Our future success depends in part on our ability to retain our executive officers and to attract, retain and motivate other qualified personnel.

We are highly dependent on Yoav Stern, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Zivi Nedivi, our President, Hanan Gino, our Chief Product Officer and Head of Strategic M&A, and Zvi Peled, our Chief Operating Officer. The loss of their services without a proper replacement may adversely impact the achievement of our objectives. Messrs. Stern, Nedivi, Gino, and Peled may leave our employment at any time subject to contractual notice periods, as applicable. Recruiting and retaining other qualified employees, consultants, and advisors for our business, including scientific and technical personnel, will also be critical to our success. There is currently a shortage of skilled personnel in our industry, which is likely to continue. As a result, competition for skilled personnel is intense and the turnover rate can be high. We may not be able to attract and retain personnel on acceptable terms given the competition in the industry in which we operate. The inability to recruit and retain qualified personnel, or the loss of the services of our executive officers, without proper replacement, may impede the progress of our development and commercialization objectives. There is no assurance that any equity or other incentives that we grant to our employees will be adequate to attract, retain and motivate employees in the future. Moreover, certain of our competitors or other technology businesses may seek to hire our employees.

We face business disruption and related risks resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Our operations and business have been disrupted and affected by COVID-19. The pandemic has caused states of emergency to be declared in various countries, travel restrictions imposed globally, quarantines established in certain jurisdictions and various institutions and companies being closed. The COVID-19 has also adversely affected our ability to conduct our business effectively due to disruptions to our capabilities, availability and productivity of personnel, while we simultaneously attempt to comply with rapidly changing restrictions, such as travel restrictions, curfews and others. In particular, in November 2021, the Government of Israel announced that non-Israeli residents or citizens, except for non-nationals whose lives are based in Israel, are not allowed to enter Israel. Simultaneously, the Ministry of Health in the State of Israel issued guidelines to clarify that, effective from November 29, 2021, a Green Pass will be required for indoor gatherings of more than 50 people.

Employers (including us) are also required to prepare and increase as much as possible the capacity and arrangement for employees to work remotely. In addition, effective November 29, 2021, the U.S. government has restricted travel to the United States from foreign nationals who were physically present in Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe during the 14-day period preceding their entry or attempted entry into the United States. Although to date these restrictions have not impacted our operations, the effect on our business, from the spread of COVID-19 and the actions implemented by the governments of the State of Israel, the United States and elsewhere across the globe, may worsen over time.

The spread of COVID-19 may also result in the inability of our suppliers to deliver supplies to us on a timely basis. In addition, as a result of COVID-19, our sales and operations, and those of our customers and suppliers, have experienced delays or disruptions, such as difficulty obtaining components and temporary delay in sales. Although, as of the date of this annual report on Form 20-F, we do not expect any material impact on our long-term activity, the extent to which COVID-19 impacts our business will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. We are actively monitoring the pandemic and we are taking any necessary measures to respond to the situation in cooperation with the various stakeholders.

We have been engaged, and will continue to engage, in mergers and acquisitions to diversify or expand our business, which may pose risks to our business and dilute the ownership of our existing shareholders, and we may not realize the anticipated benefits of these mergers or acquisition.

As part of our growth and product diversification strategy, we have engaged in mergers and acquisitions and will continue to evaluate opportunities to acquire or invest in other businesses or existing businesses, intellectual property or technologies and expand the breadth of markets we can address or enhance our technical capabilities. For example, we acquired all of the issued and outstanding share capital of DeepCube Ltd., or DeepCube, and NanoFabrica Ltd., or NanoFabrica, in April 2021, all of the issued and outstanding share capital of Essemtec AG, or Essemtec, in November 2021, and all of the issued and outstanding share capital of Global Inkjet Systems Ltd., or GIS, in January 2022. Mergers or acquisitions, such as the DeepCube, NanoFabrica, Essemtec and GIS share acquisitions, that we have entered into and may enter into in the future entail a number of risks that could materially and adversely affect our business, operating and financial results, including, among others:

Our failure to address these risks successfully may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Any such acquisition or investment will likely require a significant amount of capital investment, which would decrease the amount of cash available for working capital or capital expenditures. In addition, if we use our equity securities to pay for acquisitions, the value of our ADSs and the underlying Ordinary Shares may be diluted. If we borrow funds to finance acquisitions, such debt instruments may contain restrictive covenants that can, among other things, restrict us from distributing dividends. Please refer to “Item 4. Information on the Company—4.A. History and Development of the Company” for further details about the DeepCube, NanoFabrica, Essemtec and GIS share acquisitions.

Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

If we are unable to obtain and maintain effective patent rights for our products, we may not be able to compete effectively in our markets. If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets or know-how, such proprietary information may be used by others to compete against us.

Since October 2014, we have sought patent protection for certain of our products, systems, designs and applications. Our success depends in large part on our ability to obtain, maintain, monitor and enforce patent and other intellectual property protection in the United States and in other countries with respect to our proprietary technology and new products.

We have sought to protect our proprietary position and sustain our competitive advantage by filing patent applications in the United States and in other countries, where our production and sales take place. Patent prosecution in the United States and the rest of the world is uncertain, expensive and time consuming, and we may not be able to file and prosecute all necessary or desirable patent applications at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner. It is also possible that we will fail to identify patentable aspects of our research and development output before it is too late to obtain patent protection.

We have an ever growing portfolio of 116 provisional and non-provisional pending patent applications, with a robust pipeline. These are filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, the World Intellectual Property Organization, or WIPO, and various patent offices around the world, such as China, Japan, Taiwan, Europe, and South Korea. The patent applications, where available, were filed through the Paris Convention Treaty, or PCT, and nine for which we have issued U.S., Chinese, and South Korean patents, with three more applications that were indicated as allowed but have not issued yet. We cannot offer any assurances about which, if any of the pending patent applications will issue, the scope of protection of any such patent or whether any issued patents will be found invalid and/or unenforceable or will be threatened by third parties. Any successful opposition to these patents or any other patents owned by or licensed to us after patent issuance could deprive us of rights necessary for the successful commercialization of any new products that we may develop.

We have two patents and their continuations and foreign counterparts licensed exclusively from the Hebrew University covering some of our underlying core technology. To the extent the licensed patents are found to be invalid or unenforceable, we may be limited in our ability to compete and market our products. The terms of our license with Hebrew University leave full control of any and all enforcement of the licensed patents with Hebrew University. If Hebrew University elects to not enforce any or all of the licensed patents it could significantly undercut the value of any of our products, which would materially adversely affect our future revenue, financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, fluctuating currency rates may create inconsistencies in the royalty payments we have under the license.

Further, there is no assurance that all potentially relevant prior art relating to our patent applications has been found, which can invalidate a patent or prevent a patent from issuing from a pending patent application. Even if patents do successfully issue, and even if such patents cover our products, third parties may challenge their validity, enforceability, or scope, which may result in such patents being narrowed, found unenforceable or invalidated. Furthermore, even if they are unchallenged, our patent applications and any future patents may not adequately protect our intellectual property, provide exclusivity for our new products, or prevent others from designing around our claims. Any of these outcomes could impair our ability to prevent competition from third parties, which may have an adverse impact on our business.

If we cannot obtain and maintain effective patent rights for our products, we may not be able to compete effectively, and our business and results of operations would potentially be harmed.

If we are unable to maintain effective proprietary rights for our products, we may not be able to compete effectively in our markets.

In addition to the protection afforded by any patents currently owned and that may be granted, historically, we have relied on trade secret protection and confidentiality agreements to protect proprietary know-how that is not patentable or that we elect not to patent, processes and helpful devices (jigs) that are not easily known, knowable or easily ascertainable, and for which patent infringement is difficult to monitor and/or enforce and any other elements of our product development processes, that involve proprietary know-how, as well as information or technology that is not covered by patents. However, trade secrets can be difficult to protect. We seek to protect our proprietary technology and processes, in part, by entering into confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants, scientific advisors, and contractors. We also seek to preserve the integrity and confidentiality of our data, trade secrets and intellectual property by maintaining physical security of our premises and physical and electronic security of our information technology systems, as well as implementing various operating procedures designed to maintain that integrity. Agreements or security measures may be breached, and we may not have adequate remedies for any breach. In addition, our trade secrets and intellectual property may otherwise become known or be independently discovered by competitors.

We cannot provide any assurances that our trade secrets and other confidential proprietary information will not be disclosed in violation of our confidentiality agreements or that competitors will not otherwise gain access to our trade secrets or independently develop substantially equivalent information and techniques. Also, misappropriation or unauthorized and unavoidable disclosure of our trade secrets and intellectual property could impair our competitive position and may have a material adverse effect on our business. Additionally, if the steps taken to maintain our trade secrets and intellectual property are deemed inadequate, we may have insufficient recourse against third parties for misappropriating any trade secret.

Intellectual property rights of third parties could adversely affect our ability to successfully commercialize our products, and we might be required to litigate or obtain licenses from third parties in order to develop or market our product candidates. Such litigation or licenses could be costly or not available on commercially reasonable terms.

It is inherently difficult to conclusively assess our freedom to operate without infringing on third party rights. Our competitive position may be adversely affected if existing patents or patents resulting from patent applications issued to third parties or other third party intellectual property rights are held to cover our products or elements thereof, or our manufacturing or uses relevant to our development plans. In such cases, we may not be in a position to develop or commercialize products or our product candidates unless we successfully pursue litigation to nullify or invalidate the third party intellectual property right concerned, or enter into a license agreement with the intellectual property right holder, if available on commercially reasonable terms. There may also be pending patent applications that if they result in issued patents, could be alleged to be infringed by our new products. If such an infringement claim should be brought and be successful, we may be required to pay substantial damages, be forced to abandon our new products or seek a license from any patent holders. No assurances can be given that a license will be available on commercially reasonable terms, if at all.

It is also possible that we have failed to identify relevant third-party patents or applications. For example, U.S. patent applications filed before September 29, 2018 and certain U.S. patent applications filed after that date that will not be filed outside the United States remain confidential until patents issue. Patent applications in the United States and elsewhere are published approximately 18 months after the earliest filing for which priority is claimed, with such earliest filing date being commonly referred to as the priority date. Therefore, patent applications covering our new products or platform technology could have been filed by others without our knowledge. Additionally, pending patent applications which have been published can, subject to certain limitations, be later amended in a manner that could cover our platform technologies, our new products or the use of our new products. Third party intellectual property right holders may also actively bring infringement claims against us. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to successfully settle or otherwise resolve such infringement claims. If we are unable to successfully settle future claims on terms acceptable to us, we may be required to engage in or continue costly, unpredictable and time-consuming litigation and may be prevented from or experience substantial delays in pursuing the development of and/or marketing our new products. If we fail in any such dispute, in addition to being forced to pay damages, we may be temporarily or permanently prohibited from commercializing our new products that are held to be infringing. We might, if possible, also be forced to redesign our new products so that we no longer infringe the third-party intellectual property rights. Any of these events, even if we were ultimately to prevail, could require us to divert substantial financial and management resources that we would otherwise be able to devote to our business.

Third-party claims of intellectual property infringement may prevent or delay our development and commercialization efforts.

Our commercial success depends in part on our avoiding infringement of the patents and proprietary rights of third parties. Numerous U.S. and foreign issued patents and pending patent applications, which are owned by third parties, exist in the fields in which we are developing new products. As our industries expand and more patents are issued, the risk increases that our products may be subject to claims of infringement of the patent rights of third parties.

Third parties may assert that we are employing their proprietary technology without authorization. There may be third-party patents or patent applications with claims to materials, designs or methods of manufacture related to the use or manufacture of our products. There may be currently pending patent applications that may later result in issued patents that our products may infringe. In addition, third parties may obtain patents in the future and claim that use of our technologies infringes upon these patents.

If any third-party patents were held by a court of competent jurisdiction to cover aspects of our formulations, processes for designs, or methods of use, the holders of any such patents may be able to block our ability to develop and commercialize the applicable product candidate unless we obtain a license or until such patent expires or is finally determined to be invalid or unenforceable. In either case, such a license may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all.

Parties making claims against us may obtain injunctive or other equitable relief, which could effectively block our ability to further develop and commercialize one or more of our products. Defense of these claims, regardless of their merit, would involve substantial litigation expense and would be a substantial diversion of employee resources from our business. In the event of a successful claim of infringement against us, we may have to pay substantial damages, including treble damages and attorneys’ fees for willful infringement, pay royalties, redesign our infringing products or obtain one or more licenses from third parties, which may be impossible or require substantial time and monetary expenditure.

Patent policy and rule changes could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our patent applications and the enforcement or defense of any issued patents.

Changes in either the patent laws or interpretation of the patent laws in the United States and other countries may diminish the value of any patents that may issue from our patent applications, or narrow the scope of our patent protection. The laws of foreign countries may not protect our rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. Publications of discoveries in the scientific literature often lag behind the actual discoveries, and patent applications in the United States and other jurisdictions are typically not published until 18 months after filing, or in some cases not at all. We therefore cannot be certain that we were the first to file the invention claimed in our owned and licensed patent or pending applications, or that we or our licensor were the first to file for patent protection of such inventions. Assuming all other requirements for patentability are met, in the United States prior to 2013, the first to make the claimed invention without undue delay in filing, was entitled to the patent, while outside the United States, the first to file a patent application is entitled to the patent. Since 2013, the United States has moved to a first to file system. Changes in the way patent applications will be prosecuted could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our patent applications and the enforcement or defense of any issued patents, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

We may be involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our intellectual property, which could be expensive, time consuming, and unsuccessful.

Competitors may infringe our intellectual property. If we were to initiate legal proceedings against a third party to enforce a patent covering one of our new products, the defendant could counterclaim that the patent covering our product candidate is invalid and/or unenforceable. In patent litigation in the United States, defendant counterclaims alleging invalidity and/or unenforceability are commonplace. Grounds for a validity challenge could be an alleged failure to meet any of several statutory requirements, including lack of novelty, obviousness or non-enablement. Grounds for an unenforceability assertion could be an allegation that someone connected with prosecution of the patent withheld relevant information from the USPTO, or made a misleading statement, during prosecution. The validity of U.S. patents may also be challenged in post-grant proceedings before the USPTO. The outcome following legal assertions of invalidity and unenforceability is unpredictable.

Derivation proceedings initiated by third parties or brought by us may be necessary to determine the priority of inventions and/or their scope with respect to our patent or patent applications or those of our licensors. An unfavorable outcome could require us to cease using the related technology or to attempt to license rights to it from the prevailing party. Our business could be harmed if the prevailing party does not offer us a license on commercially reasonable terms. Our defense of litigation or interference proceedings may fail and, even if successful, may result in substantial costs and distract our management and other employees. In addition, the uncertainties associated with litigation could have a material adverse effect on our ability to raise the funds necessary to continue our clinical trials, continue our research programs, license necessary technology from third parties, or enter into development partnerships that would help us bring our new products to market.

Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during this type of litigation. There could also be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions, or other interim proceedings or developments. If securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a material adverse effect on the price of our Ordinary Shares.

We have been subject, and may in the future be subject to further claims that our employees, consultants, or independent contractors have wrongfully or unavoidably used or disclosed confidential information of third parties or that our employees have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of their former employers.

In the past, we have been subject to litigation disputes involving the ownership of our intellectual property. In 2015, a claim was filed in the District Court in Tel-Aviv Jaffa alleging that certain of our officers and employees misappropriated commercial secrets and technology while employed at a previous employer. While this claim was settled without material effects to our business, we continue to employ individuals who were previously employed at our competitors or potential competitors. We try to ensure that our employees, consultants, and independent contractors do not use the proprietary information or know-how of others in their work for us, but we may nevertheless be subject to claims that we or our employees, consultants, or independent contractors have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed intellectual property, including trade secrets or other proprietary information, of any of our employees’ former employers or other third parties. Litigation may result and be necessary to defend against these claims. If we fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel, which could adversely impact our business. Even if we are successful in defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management and other employees.

We may be subject to claims challenging the inventorship of our intellectual property.

We may be subject to claims that former employees, collaborators or other third parties have an interest in, or right to compensation, with respect to our current patent and patent applications, future patents or other intellectual property as an inventor or co-inventor. For example, we may have inventorship disputes arise from conflicting obligations of consultants or others who are involved in developing our products. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these and other claims challenging inventorship or claiming the right to compensation. If we fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights, such as exclusive ownership of, or right to use, valuable intellectual property. Such an outcome could have a material adverse effect on our business. Even if we are successful in defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management and other employees.

We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world.

Filing, prosecuting, and defending patents on products, processes, and computerized business methods, as well as monitoring their infringement in all countries throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive, and our intellectual property rights in some countries can be less restrictive than those in the United States. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as federal and state laws in the United States.

Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection to develop their own products and may also export otherwise infringing products to territories where we have patent protection, but enforcement is not as strong as that in the United States and our ability to stop that importation may be limited. These products may compete with our products. Future patents or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from competing.

Many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions. The legal systems of certain countries, particularly certain developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents, trade secrets, and other intellectual property protection, which could make it difficult for us to stop the marketing of competing products in violation of our proprietary rights generally. Proceedings to enforce our patent rights in foreign jurisdictions, whether or not successful, could result in substantial costs and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business, could put our future patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and our patent applications at risk of not issuing and could provoke third parties to assert claims against us. We may not prevail in any lawsuits that we initiate and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially meaningful. Accordingly, our efforts to monitor and enforce our intellectual property rights around the world may be inadequate to obtain a significant commercial advantage from the intellectual property that we develop or license.

Risks Related to the Ownership of Our ADSs or Ordinary Shares

We do not anticipate paying any dividends.

No dividends have been paid on our Ordinary Shares. We do not intend to pay cash dividends on our Ordinary Shares in the foreseeable future, and anticipate that profits, if any, received from operations will be reinvested in our business. Any decision to pay dividends will depend upon our profitability at the time, cash available and other relevant factors including, without limitation, the conditions set forth in the Israeli Companies Law of 1999, or the Companies Law.

As a “foreign private issuer” we follow certain home country corporate governance practices instead of otherwise applicable SEC and Nasdaq requirements, which may result in less protection than is accorded to investors under rules applicable to domestic U.S. issuers.

Our status as a foreign private issuer also exempts us from compliance with certain SEC laws and regulations and certain regulations of the Nasdaq Stock Market, including the proxy rules, the short-swing profits recapture rules, and certain governance requirements such as independent director oversight of the nomination of directors and executive compensation. In addition, we will not be required under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, to file current reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as U.S. domestic companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act and we will generally be exempt from filing quarterly reports with the SEC. Also, although the Companies Law, requires us to disclose the annual compensation of our five most highly compensated senior officers on an individual basis, this disclosure is not as extensive as that required of a U.S. domestic issuer. For example, the disclosure required under Israeli law would be limited to compensation paid in the immediately preceding year without any requirement to disclose option exercises and vested stock options, pension benefits or potential payments upon termination or a change of control. Furthermore, as a foreign private issuer, we are also not subject to the requirements of Regulation FD (Fair Disclosure) promulgated under the Exchange Act.

These exemptions and leniencies will reduce the frequency and scope of information and protections to which you are entitled as an investor.

We may be a “passive foreign investment company”, or PFIC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes in the current taxable year or may become one in any subsequent taxable year. There generally would be negative tax consequences for U.S. taxpayers that are holders of our ADSs or Ordinary Shares if we are or were to become a PFIC.

Based on the projected composition of our income and valuation of our assets, we do not expect to be a PFIC for 2021, and we do not expect to become a PFIC in the future, although there can be no assurance in this regard. The determination of whether we are a PFIC is made on an annual basis and will depend on the composition of our income and assets from time to time. We will be treated as a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes in any taxable year in which either (1) at least 75% of our gross income is “passive income” or (2) on average at least 50% of our assets by value produce passive income or are held for the production of passive income. Passive income for this purpose generally includes, among other things, certain dividends, interest, royalties, rents and gains from commodities and securities transactions and from the sale or exchange of property that gives rise to passive income. Passive income also includes amounts derived by reason of the temporary investment of funds, including those raised in a public offering. In determining whether a non-U.S. corporation is a PFIC, a proportionate share of the income and assets of each corporation in which it owns, directly or indirectly, at least a 25% interest (by value) is taken into account. The tests for determining PFIC status are applied annually, and it is difficult to make accurate projections of future income and assets which are relevant to this determination. In addition, our PFIC status may depend in part on the market value of our ADSs or Ordinary Shares. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that we currently are not or will not become a PFIC in the future. If we are a PFIC in any taxable year during which a U.S. taxpayer holds our ADSs or Ordinary Shares, such U.S. taxpayer would be subject to certain adverse U.S. federal income tax rules. In particular, if the U.S. taxpayer did not make an election to treat us as a “qualified electing fund,” or QEF, or make a “mark-to-market” election, then “excess distributions” to the U.S. taxpayer, and any gain realized on the sale or other disposition of our ADSs or Ordinary Shares by the U.S. taxpayer: (1) would be allocated ratably over the U.S. taxpayer’s holding period for the ADSs or Ordinary Shares; (2) the amount allocated to the current taxable year and any period prior to the first day of the first taxable year in which we were a PFIC would be taxed as ordinary income; and (3) the amount allocated to each of the other taxable years would be subject to tax at the highest rate of tax in effect for the applicable class of taxpayer for that year, and an interest charge for the deemed deferral benefit would be imposed with respect to the resulting tax attributable to each such other taxable year. In addition, if the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, determines that we are a PFIC for a year with respect to which we have determined that we were not a PFIC, it may be too late for a U.S. taxpayer to make a timely QEF or mark-to-market election. U.S. taxpayers that have held our ADSs or Ordinary Shares during a period when we were a PFIC will be subject to the foregoing rules, even if we cease to be a PFIC in subsequent years, subject to exceptions for U.S. taxpayer who made a timely QEF or mark-to-market election. A U.S. taxpayer can make a QEF election by completing the relevant portions of and filing IRS Form 8621 in accordance with the instructions thereto. We do not intend to notify U.S. taxpayers that hold our ADSs or Ordinary Shares if we believe we will be treated as a PFIC for any taxable year in order to enable U.S. taxpayers to consider whether to make a QEF election. In addition, we do not intend to furnish such U.S. taxpayers annually with information needed in order to complete IRS Form 8621 and to make and maintain a valid QEF election for any year in which we or any of our subsidiaries are a PFIC. U.S. taxpayers that hold our ADSs or Ordinary Shares are strongly urged to consult their tax advisors about the PFIC rules, including tax return filing requirements and the eligibility, manner, and consequences to them of making a QEF or mark-to-market election with respect to our ADSs or Ordinary Shares in the event that we are a PFIC. See “Item 10.E. Taxation — U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — Passive Foreign Investment Companies” for additional information.

ADSs holders may not be entitled to a jury trial with respect to claims arising under the deposit agreement, which could result in less favorable results to the plaintiff(s) in any such action.

The deposit agreement governing the ADSs representing our Ordinary Shares provides that holders and beneficial owners of ADSs irrevocably waive the right to a trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to the deposit agreement or the ADSs, including claims under federal securities laws, against us or the depositary to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. If this jury trial waiver provision is prohibited by applicable law, an action could nevertheless proceed under the terms of the deposit agreement with a jury trial. To our knowledge, the enforceability of a jury trial waiver under the federal securities laws has not been finally adjudicated by a federal court. However, we believe that a jury trial waiver provision is generally enforceable under the laws of the State of New York, which govern the deposit agreement, by a court of the State of New York or a federal court, which have non-exclusive jurisdiction over matters arising under the deposit agreement, applying such law. In determining whether to enforce a jury trial waiver provision, New York courts and federal courts will consider whether the visibility of the jury trial waiver provision within the agreement is sufficiently prominent such that a party has knowingly waived any right to trial by jury. We believe that this is the case with respect to the deposit agreement and the ADSs. In addition, New York courts will not enforce a jury trial waiver provision in order to bar a viable setoff or counterclaim sounding in fraud or one which is based upon a creditor’s negligence in failing to liquidate collateral upon a guarantor’s demand, or in the case of an intentional tort claim (as opposed to a contract dispute), none of which we believe are applicable in the case of the deposit agreement or the ADSs. No condition, stipulation or provision of the deposit agreement or ADSs serves as a waiver by any holder or beneficial owner of ADSs or by us or the depositary of compliance with any provision of the federal securities laws. If you or any other holder or beneficial owner of ADSs brings a claim against us or the depositary in connection with matters arising under the deposit agreement or the ADSs, you or such other holder or beneficial owner may not be entitled to a jury trial with respect to such claims, which may have the effect of limiting and discouraging lawsuits against us and / or the depositary. If a lawsuit is brought against us and / or the depositary under the deposit agreement, it may be heard only by a judge or justice of the applicable trial court, which would be conducted according to different civil procedures and may result in different results than a trial by jury would have had, including results that could be less favorable to the plaintiff(s) in any such action, depending on, among other things, the nature of the claims, the judge or justice hearing such claims, and the venue of the hearing.

ADS holders may not have the same voting rights as the holders of our Ordinary Shares and may not receive voting materials in time to be able to exercise the right to vote.

Holders of the ADSs are not be able to exercise voting rights attaching to the Ordinary Shares underlying the ADSs on an individual basis. Instead, holders of the ADSs will only be able to exercise the voting rights attaching to the Ordinary Shares represented by ADSs indirectly by giving voting instructions to the depositary in accordance with and subject to the provisions of the deposit agreement. Holders of ADSs may not receive voting materials in time to instruct the depositary to vote, and it is possible that they, or persons who hold their ADSs through brokers, dealers or other third parties, will not have the opportunity to exercise a right to vote. Furthermore, the depositary will not be liable for any failure to carry out any instructions to vote, for the manner in which any vote is cast or for the effect of any such vote. As a result, you may not be able to exercise voting rights and may lack recourse if your ADSs are not voted as requested.

ADS holders may be subject to limitations on transfer of their ADSs.

ADSs are transferable on the books of the depositary. However, the depositary may close its transfer books at any time or from time to time when it deems expedient in connection with the performance of its duties. In addition, the depositary may refuse to deliver, transfer or register transfers of ADSs generally when our books or the books of the depositary are closed, or at any time if we or the depositary deems it advisable to do so because of any requirement of law or of any government or governmental body, or under any provision of the deposit agreement, or for any other reason in accordance with the terms of the deposit agreement.

ADS holders may not receive the same distributions or dividends as those we make to the holders of our Ordinary Shares, and, in some limited circumstances, they may not receive dividends or other distributions on our Ordinary Shares and they may not receive any value for them, if it is illegal or impractical to make them available to ADS holders.

The depositary for the ADSs has agreed to pay to you the cash dividends or other distributions it or the custodian receives on our Ordinary Shares or other deposited securities underlying the ADSs, after deducting its fees and expenses. You will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of Ordinary Shares your ADSs represent. However, the depositary is not responsible if it decides that it is unlawful or impractical to make a distribution available to any holders of ADSs. For example, it would be unlawful to make a distribution to a holder of ADSs if it consists of securities that require registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, but that are not properly registered or distributed under an applicable exemption from registration. In addition, conversion into U.S. dollars from foreign currency that was part of a dividend or distribution made in respect of deposited Ordinary Shares may require the approval or license of, or a filing with, a government or an agency thereof, which may be unobtainable. In these cases, the depositary may determine not to distribute such property and hold it as “deposited securities” or may seek to effect a substitute dividend or distribution, including net cash proceeds from the sale of the dividends or distributions in accordance with the terms of the deposit agreement. We have no obligation to register under U.S. securities laws any ADSs, Ordinary Shares, rights or other securities received through such distributions. We also have no obligation to take any other action to permit the distribution of ADSs, Ordinary Shares, rights or anything else to holders of ADSs. In addition, the depositary may withhold from such dividends or distributions its fees and an amount on account of taxes or other governmental charges. This means that you may not receive the same distributions or dividends as those we make to the holders of our Ordinary Shares, and, in some limited circumstances, you may not receive any value for such distributions or dividends if it is illegal or impractical for us to make them available to you. These restrictions may cause a material decline in the value of the ADSs.

Risks Related to Israeli Law and Our Operations in Israel

Our operations are subject to currency and interest rate fluctuations.

We incur expenses in U.S. dollars and NIS, but our functional currency is the U.S. dollar and our financial statements are denominated in U.S. dollars. The U.S. dollar is the currency that represents the principal economic environment in which we operate. As a result, we are affected by foreign currency exchange fluctuations through both translation risk and transaction risk. As a result, we are exposed to the risk that the U.S. dollar may appreciate relative to the NIS, or, if the U.S. dollar instead devalues relative to the NIS, that the inflation rate in Israel may exceed such rate of devaluation of the NIS, or that the timing of such devaluation may lag behind inflation in Israel. In any such event, the NIS cost of our operations in Israel would increase and our dollar-denominated results of operations would be adversely affected.

Provisions of Israeli law and our amended and restated articles of association may delay, prevent or otherwise impede a merger with, or an acquisition of, our company, which could prevent a change of control, even when the terms of such a transaction are favorable to us and our shareholders.

Provisions of Israeli law and our amended and restated articles of association could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control and may make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us or our shareholders to elect different individuals to our board of directors, even if doing so would be considered to be beneficial by some of our shareholders, and may limit the price that investors may be willing to pay in the future for our ordinary shares. Among other things:

Further, Israeli tax considerations may make potential transactions undesirable to us or to some of our shareholders whose country of residence does not have a tax treaty with Israel granting tax relief to such shareholders from Israeli tax. With respect to mergers, Israeli tax law allows for tax deferral in certain circumstances but makes the deferral contingent on the fulfillment of numerous conditions, including a holding period of two years from the date of the transaction during which certain sales and dispositions of shares of the participating companies are restricted. See “Item 10.E. Taxation—Israeli Tax Considerations and Government Programs” for additional information.

It may be difficult to enforce a judgment of a United States court against us and our officers and directors in Israel or the United States, to assert United States securities laws claims in Israel or to serve process on our officers and directors and these experts.

We were incorporated in Israel. Most of our executive officers and directors reside outside of the United States, and all of our assets and most of the assets of these persons are located outside of the United States. Service of process upon us or our non-U.S. resident directors and officers and enforcement of judgments obtained in the United States against us or our non-U.S. our directors and executive officers may be difficult to obtain within the United States. We have been informed by our legal counsel in Israel that it may be difficult to assert claims under U.S. securities laws in original actions instituted in Israel, or obtain a judgment based on the civil liability provisions of U.S. federal securities laws. Israeli courts may refuse to hear a claim based on a violation of U.S. securities laws against us or our non-U.S. officers and directors because Israel may not be the most appropriate forum to bring such a claim. In addition, even if an Israeli court agrees to hear a claim, it may determine that Israeli law and not U.S. law is applicable to the claim. If U.S. law is found to be applicable, the content of applicable U.S. law must be proved as a fact, which can be a time-consuming and costly process. Certain matters of procedure will also be governed by Israeli law. There is little binding case law in Israel addressing the matters described above. Israeli courts might not enforce judgments rendered outside Israel, which may make it difficult to collect on judgments rendered against us or our non-U.S. officers and directors.

Moreover, an Israeli court will not enforce a non-Israeli judgment if it was given in a state whose laws do not provide for the enforcement of judgments of Israeli courts (subject to exceptional cases), if its enforcement is likely to prejudice the sovereignty or security of the State of Israel, if it was obtained by fraud or in the absence of due process, if it is at variance with another valid judgment that was given in the same matter between the same parties, or if a suit in the same matter between the same parties was pending before a court or tribunal in Israel at the time the foreign action was brought.

Our headquarters and other significant operations are located in Israel, and, therefore, our results may be adversely affected by political, economic and military instability in Israel.

Our executive offices are located in Israel. In addition, most of our officers and directors are residents of Israel. Accordingly, political, economic and military conditions in Israel may directly affect our business. Any armed conflicts, political instability, terrorism, cyberattacks or any other hostilities involving Israel or the interruption or curtailment of trade between Israel and its present trading partners could affect adversely our operations. Ongoing and revived hostilities in the Middle East or other Israeli political or economic factors, could harm our operations and solution development and cause any future sales to decrease.

In addition, instability in the region may lead to deterioration in the political and trade relationships that exist between the State of Israel and certain other countries. Any armed conflicts, terrorist activities or political instability in the region could adversely affect business conditions, could harm our results of operations and could make it more difficult for us to raise capital. Parties with whom we do business may sometimes decline to travel to Israel during periods of heightened unrest or tension, forcing us to make alternative arrangements when necessary in order to meet our business partners face to face. Several countries, principally in the Middle East, still restrict doing business with Israel and Israeli companies, and additional countries may impose restrictions on doing business with Israel and Israeli companies if hostilities in Israel or political instability in the region continues or increases. Similarly, Israeli companies are limited in conducting business with entities from several countries. For instance, in 2008, the Israeli legislature passed a law forbidding any investments in entities that transact business with Iran. In addition, the political and security situation in Israel may result in parties with whom we have agreements involving performance in Israel claiming that they are not obligated to perform their commitments under those agreements pursuant to force majeure provisions in such agreements.

Our war, terrorism and political violence insurance covers losses that may occur as a result of events associated with war, malicious damage, riots, strikes, civil commotion, invasion, acts of foreign enemies, hostilities and terrorism in the sum of NIS 10 million (approximately $3 million) for any occurrence and in the aggregate. Additionally, the Israeli government currently covers the reinstatement value of direct damages that are caused by terrorist attacks or acts of war. However, we cannot assure you that this government coverage will be maintained or that it will sufficiently cover our potential damages in case our war, terrorism and political violence insurance does not provide sufficient coverage. Any losses or damages incurred by us could have a material adverse effect on our business. Any armed conflicts or political instability in the region would likely negatively affect business conditions and could harm our results of operations.

Further, in the past, the State of Israel and Israeli companies have been subjected to economic boycotts. Several countries still restrict business with the State of Israel and with Israeli companies. These restrictive laws and policies may have an adverse impact on our operating results, financial conditions or the expansion of our business. A campaign of boycotts, divestment and sanctions has been undertaken against Israel, which could also adversely impact our business.

Finally, many Israeli citizens are obligated to perform several days, and in some cases more, of annual military reserve duty each year until they reach the age of 40 (or older, for reservists who are military officers or who have certain occupations) and, in the event of a military conflict, may be called to active duty. In response to increases in terrorist activity, there have been periods of significant call-ups of military reservists. It is possible that there will be military reserve duty call-ups in the future. Our operations could be disrupted by such call-ups, which may include the call-up of members of our management. Such disruption could materially adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

Your rights and responsibilities as a shareholder will be governed by Israeli law, which differs in some material respects from the rights and responsibilities of shareholders of U.S. companies.

We are incorporated under Israeli law. The rights and responsibilities of holders of our Ordinary Shares are governed by our amended and restated articles of association and the Companies Law. These rights and responsibilities differ in some respects from the rights and responsibilities of shareholders in typical U.S. corporations. In particular, pursuant to the Companies Law, each shareholder of an Israeli company has to act in good faith and in a customary manner in exercising his or her rights and fulfilling his or her obligations toward the Company and other shareholders and to refrain from abusing his or her power in the Company, including, among other things, in voting at the general meeting of shareholders, on amendments to a company’s articles of association, increases in a company’s authorized share capital, mergers and certain transactions requiring shareholders’ approval under the Companies Law. In addition, a controlling shareholder of an Israeli company or a shareholder who knows that it possesses the power to determine the outcome of a shareholder vote or who has the power to appoint or prevent the appointment of a director or officer in the Company, or has other powers toward the Company has a duty of fairness toward the Company. However, Israeli law does not define the substance of this duty of fairness. There is little case law available to assist in understanding the implications of these provisions that govern shareholder behavior.

We received Israeli government grants for certain of our research and development activities. The terms of those grants may require us to pay royalties and to satisfy specified conditions in order to manufacture products and transfer technologies outside of Israel. We may be required to pay penalties in addition to repayment of the grants.

Our research and development efforts have been financed in part through royalty-bearing grants in an aggregate amount of approximately $3,843,000 that we received from Israel’s Innovation Authority, or the IIA, as of March 30, 2022. As of December 31, 2021, our contingent liabilities regarding IIA grants received by us were in an aggregate amount of $1,988,000. With respect to the royalty-bearing grants we are committed to pay royalties at a rate of 3% to3.5% on sales proceeds from our products that were developed under IIA programs up to the total amount of grants received, linked to the U.S. dollar and bearing interest at an annual rate of London Interbank Offered Rate, or LIBOR, applicable to U.S. dollar deposits. The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority, or the FCA, which regulates the LIBOR, announced in July 2017 that it will no longer persuade or require banks to submit rates for LIBOR after 2021. In March 2021, the FCA confirmed that all of the LIBOR settings for Euro and Swiss Francs and some of the LIBOR settings for Japanese Yen, Sterling and U.S. dollars will cease in December 2021 and the remainder of the LIBOR settings for U.S. dollars will cease in June 2023. In September 2021, the Bank of Israel, which determines annual interest rates, published a directive which stated that annual interest at a variable rate linked to the LIBOR rate for loans in U.S. dollars will be replaced by the Secured Overnight Financing Rate, or the SOFR, in June 2023. While it is not currently possible to determine precisely whether, or to what extent, the replacement of LIBOR with SOFR would affect us, the implementation of SOFR may increase our financial liabilities to the IIA. This reform may cause such liabilities to perform differently than in the past, or to have consequences which cannot be predicted. Any such consequence could have a material adverse effect on us. Management continues to monitor the status and discussions regarding SOFR. We are not yet able to reasonably estimate the expected impact.

Regardless of any royalty payment, we are further required to comply with the requirements of the Israeli Encouragement of Industrial Research and Development Law, 5744-1984, as amended, and related regulations, or the Research Law, with respect to those past grants. When a company develops know-how, technology or products using IIA grants, the terms of these grants and the Research Law restrict the transfer of such know-how, and the transfer of manufacturing or manufacturing rights of such products, technologies or know-how outside of Israel, without the prior approval of the IIA. Therefore, the discretionary approval of an IIA committee would be required for any transfer to third parties inside or outside of Israel of know-how or manufacturing or manufacturing rights related to those aspects of such technologies. We may not receive those approvals. Furthermore, the IIA may impose certain conditions on any arrangement under which it permits us to transfer technology or development out of Israel.

The transfer of IIA-supported technology or know-how outside of Israel may involve the payment of significant amounts, depending upon the value of the transferred technology or know-how, our research and development expenses, the amount of IIA support, the time of completion of the IIA-supported research project and other factors. These restrictions and requirements for payment may impair our ability to sell or otherwise transfer our technology assets outside of Israel or to outsource or transfer development or manufacturing activities with respect to any product or technology outside of Israel. Furthermore, the consideration available to our shareholders in a transaction involving the transfer outside of Israel of technology or know-how developed with IIA funding (such as a merger or similar transaction) may be reduced by any amounts that we are required to pay to the IIA.

General Risk Factors

Raising additional capital would cause dilution to our existing shareholders, and may affect the rights of existing shareholders.

We may seek additional capital through a combination of private and public equity offerings, debt financings and collaborations and strategic and licensing arrangements. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the issuance of equity or convertible debt securities, your ownership interest will be diluted, and the terms may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect your rights as a holder of our ADSs.

Significant disruptions of our information technology systems or breaches of our data security could adversely affect our business.

A significant invasion, interruption, destruction or breakdown of our information technology systems and/or infrastructure by persons with authorized or unauthorized access could negatively impact our business and operations. We could also experience business interruption, information theft and/or reputational damage from cyber-attacks, which may compromise our systems and lead to data leakage either internally or at our third party providers. Our systems have been, and are expected to continue to be, the target of malware and other cyber-attacks. Although we have invested in measures to reduce these risks, we cannot assure you that these measures will be successful in preventing compromise and/or disruption of our information technology systems and related data.

We may be subject to securities litigation, which is expensive and could divert management attention.

In the past, companies that have experienced volatility in the market price of their stock have been subject to securities class action litigation. We may be the target of this type of litigation in the future. Litigation of this type could result in substantial costs and diversion of management’s attention and resources, which could seriously hurt our business. Any adverse determination in litigation could also subject us to significant liabilities.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish or cease publishing research or reports about us, our business or our market, or if they adversely change their recommendations or publish negative reports regarding our business or our ADSs or Ordinary Shares, and the price and trading volume of our ADSs or Ordinary Shares could decline.

The trading market for our ADSs or Ordinary Shares will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts may publish about us, our business, our market or our competitors. We do not have any control over these analysts and we cannot provide any assurance that analysts will cover us or provide favorable coverage. If any of the analysts who may cover us adversely change their recommendation regarding our ADSs or Ordinary Shares, or provide more favorable relative recommendations about our competitors, the price of our ADSs or Ordinary Shares would likely decline. If any analyst who may cover us were to cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause the price or trading volume of our ADSs or Ordinary Shares to decline.