RISK FACTORS

An investment in the Company’s common stock involves a high degree of risk. Before you invest you should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below and the other information in this prospectus. Our business, operating results and financial condition could be harmed and the value of our stock could go down as a result of these risk factors. This means you could lose all or a part of your investment. 

Risks Related to Our Business

We have incurred significant operating losses since inception and cannot assure you that we will ever achieve or sustain profitability.

We have incurred losses since inception and as of June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, we had an accumulated deficit of $7.9 million and $5.3 million, respectively, primarily as a result of expenses incurred in connection with our general and administrative expenses associated with our operations and from our research and development programs. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and increasing operating and net losses for the foreseeable future. To date, we have financed our operations primarily through debt and equity financings, and our primary activities have been limited to, and our limited resources have been dedicated to, performing business and financial planning, raising capital, recruiting personnel, negotiating with business partners and the licensors of our intellectual property and conducting development activities.

To implement our business strategy we need to, among other things, successfully complete the development, testing and 510(k) device submission to the FDA for our cortical and strip electrodes for the diagnosis of epilepsy, successfully complete the development, testing and all required steps for regulatory approval of our depth electrodes for sEEG recording in the U.S., develop and introduce a minimally invasive delivery system for our cortical electrodes, develop an all-in-one diagnostic and therapeutic solution, successfully complete the necessary testing and clinical trials required for regulatory approval of our technology for ablation and stimulation therapies, gain approval for other brain or motor related disorders such as Parkinson’s with the therapeutic technologies developed for epilepsy, convince physicians and patients that our technology, if approved, represents an improvement over existing diagnostic or treatment options, hire direct experienced sales representatives to market our technology, if approved, in the United States, evaluate international opportunities and initiate and successfully complete the approval processes in targeted geographies and engage in beneficial partnerships that can leverage our core technology. We have never been profitable and do not expect to be profitable in the foreseeable future. We expect our expenses to increase significantly as we pursue our objectives. The extent of our future operating losses and the timing of profitability are highly uncertain, and we expect to continue incurring significant expenses and operating losses over the next several years. Our prior losses have had, and will continue to have, an adverse effect on our stockholders’ equity and working capital. Any additional operating losses may have an adverse effect on our stockholders’ equity, and we may never generate revenues or achieve profitability.

We are a development stage company with a limited operating history, making it difficult for you to evaluate our business and your investment.

Our operating subsidiary, NeuroOne was incorporated on October 7, 2016, and our predecessor, NeuroOne LLC, had very limited operations. We are an early-stage medical technology company developing comprehensive neuromodulation cEEG and sEEG monitoring, ablation, and brain stimulation solutions to diagnose and treat patients with epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, essential tremors, and other brain related disorders. Our cortical strip technology under development has only been used by Mayo in five patients for research purposes and has not been tested in any clinical trials. Our operations are subject to all of the risks inherent in the establishment of a new business enterprise, including but not limited to the absence of an operating history, lack of fully-developed or commercialized products, insufficient capital, expected substantial and continual losses for the foreseeable future, limited experience in dealing with regulatory issues, lack of manufacturing and marketing experience, need to rely on third parties for the development and commercialization of our proposed products, a competitive environment characterized by well-established and well-capitalized competitors and reliance on key personnel.

Since inception, we have not established any revenues or operations that will provide financial stability in the long term, and there can be no assurance that we will realize our plans on our projected timetable (or at all) in order to reach sustainable or profitable operations.

Investors are subject to all the risks incident to the creation and development of a new business and each investor should be prepared to withstand a complete loss of his, her or its investment. Furthermore, the accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that we will continue as a going concern. We have not emerged from the development stage, and may be unable to raise further equity. These factors raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Our financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

Our ability to continue our operations requires that we raise additional capital and our operations could be curtailed if we are unable to obtain the additional funding as or when needed.

Upon the completion of the audit of our financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2017, and management’s assessment of our ability to continue as a going concern, we concluded there was substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. At June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, we had $22,608 and $26,467, respectively, in cash deposits. Our existing cash and cash equivalents will not be sufficient to fund our operating expenses through December 31, 2018. To continue to fund operations, we will need to secure additional funding. We may obtain additional financing in the future through the issuance of our common stock, through other equity or debt financings or through collaborations or partnerships with other companies. We may not be able to raise additional capital on terms acceptable to us, or at all. Further, we may not be able to modify terms of some of our existing debt that may come due, and any failure to raise capital or to amend existing debt that may be due as and when needed could compromise our ability to execute on our business plan, and we may be forced to liquidate our assets. In such a scenario, the values we receive for our assets in liquidation or dissolution could be significantly lower than the values reflected in our financial statements.

Our outstanding notes require that we complete qualified financings by certain dates. If we are unable to, such notes become immediately due and payable and we may not have sufficient cash to pay the principal and accrued and unpaid interest thereon.

The notes issued by us and our wholly-owned subsidiary, NeuroOne, provide that if we are unable to complete qualified financings by certain dates such notes will become immediately due and payable.

For a description of our outstanding notes, see “Management’s Discussion And Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Historical Capital Resources.” If we fail to complete a qualified financing pursuant to the terms of the Series 3 Notes by December 31, 2018, the Series 3 Notes totaling $1,596,228 as of June 30, 2018 will be immediately due and payable on such date. We may not have sufficient cash to pay the principal and accrued and unpaid interest thereon on such dates.

If our outstanding notes become due and payable and we are unable to pay the principal and accrued and unpaid interest thereon, we may be unable to execute our business plan and may be forced to liquidate our assets. In such a scenario, the values we receive for our assets in liquidation or dissolution could be significantly lower than the values reflected in our financial statements.

We will need to raise substantial additional funds in the future, and these funds may not be available on acceptable terms or at all. A failure to obtain this necessary capital when needed could force us to delay, limit, scale back or cease some or all operations.

The continued growth of our business, including the development, regulatory approval and commercialization of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology, will significantly increase our expenses going forward. As a result, we will be required to seek substantial additional funds in the future. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including:

As a result of these and other factors, we do not know whether and the extent to which we may be required to raise additional capital. We may in the future seek additional capital from public or private offerings of our capital stock, borrowings under credit lines or other sources.

We may not be able to raise additional capital on terms acceptable to us, or at all. Any failure to raise additional capital could compromise our ability to execute on our business plan, and we may be forced to liquidate our assets. In such a scenario, the values we receive for our assets in liquidation or dissolution could be significantly lower than the values reflected in our financial statements.

If we issue equity or debt securities to raise additional funds, our existing stockholders may experience dilution, and the new equity or debt securities may have rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of our existing stockholders. In addition, if we raise additional funds through collaborations, licensing, joint ventures, strategic alliances, partnership arrangements or other similar arrangements, it may be necessary to relinquish valuable rights to our potential future products or proprietary technologies, or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us.

Medical device development involves a lengthy and expensive process, with an uncertain outcome. We may incur additional costs or experience delays in completing, or ultimately be unable to complete, the development and commercialization of any product.

Before obtaining marketing approval from regulatory authorities for the sale of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology under development in the United States or elsewhere, we must complete all pre-clinical testing, clinical trials and other regulatory requirements necessitated by the FDA and foreign regulatory bodies and demonstrate the performance and safety of our technology. Clinical testing is expensive, difficult to design and implement, can take many years to complete and is inherently uncertain as to outcome. A failure of one or more clinical trials can occur at any stage of testing. Further, the outcomes of completed clinical trials may not be predictive of the success of later clinical trials, and interim results of a clinical trial do not necessarily predict final results. Clinical data is often susceptible to varying interpretations and analyses, and many companies that have believed their products performed satisfactorily in clinical trials have nonetheless failed to obtain marketing approval. We have limited resources to complete the expensive process of medical device development, pre-clinical testing and clinical trials, putting us at a disadvantage, particularly compared to some of our larger and established competitors, and we may not have sufficient resources to commercialize our products under development in a timely fashion, if ever.

We may experience numerous unforeseen events during or as a result of clinical trials that could delay or prevent our ability to receive marketing approval or commercialize our products, including:

If we are required to conduct additional clinical trials or other testing of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology under development beyond those that we contemplate, if we are unable to successfully complete clinical trials of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology under development or other testing, if the results of these trials or tests are not favorable or if there are safety concerns, we may:

Our development costs will also increase if we experience delays in testing or marketing approvals. We do not know whether any of our clinical trials will begin as planned, will need to be restructured or will be completed on schedule, or at all. Significant clinical trial delays also could allow our competitors to bring innovative products to market before we do and impair our ability to successfully commercialize our products.

Changes in the configuration of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology under development may result in additional costs or delay.

As products are developed through pre-clinical testing and clinical trials towards approval and commercialization, it is common that various aspects of the development program, such as manufacturing methods and configuration, are altered along the way in an effort to optimize processes and results. Any changes we make carry the risk that they will not achieve the intended objectives. Any of these changes could cause our products to perform differently and affect the results of planned clinical trials or other future clinical trials conducted with the altered device. Such changes may also require additional testing, regulatory notification or regulatory approval. This could delay completion of pre-clinical testing or clinical trials, increase costs, delay approval of our future products and jeopardize our ability to commence sales and generate revenue.

We have no products that are approved for commercial sale. If we are unable to successfully develop, receive regulatory approval for and commercialize our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology under development, or if we experience significant delays in doing so, our business will be harmed.

We have no products that are approved for commercial sale. We initially plan to seek regulatory approval to commercialize our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology under development in the United States and we may seek approval to commercialize in select international geographies. Our ability to generate revenue from our developed products, if any, will depend heavily on their successful development, regulatory approval and eventual commercialization. The success of any products that we develop will depend on several factors, including:

Whether regulatory approval will be granted is unpredictable and depends upon numerous factors, including the substantial discretion of the regulatory authorities. Our success in clinical trials will not guarantee regulatory approval. The FDA and, if we seek to commercialize in select international geographies, other comparable foreign regulatory authorities may require that we conduct additional pre-clinical testing or clinical trials, provide additional data, take additional manufacturing steps, or require other conditions before they will grant us approval. If the FDA or other comparable foreign regulatory authorities require additional clinical trials or data, we would incur increased costs and delays in the marketing approval process, which may require us to expend more resources than we have available. In addition, the FDA or other comparable foreign regulatory authorities may not consider sufficient any additional required clinical trials, data or information that we perform and complete or generate.

In cases where we are successful in obtaining regulatory approval to market one or more of our products, our revenue will be dependent, in part, upon the size of the markets in the territories for which we gain regulatory approval, the accepted price for the product, the ability to obtain coverage and reimbursement, and whether we own the commercial rights for that territory. If the number of people we target is not as significant as we estimate or the treatment population is narrowed by competition, physician choice or treatment guidelines, we may not generate significant revenue from sales of such products, even if approved.

Approval or clearance in the United States by the FDA or by a regulatory agency in another country does not guarantee approval by the regulatory authorities in other countries or jurisdictions or ensure approval for the same conditions of use. In addition, clinical trials conducted in one country may not be accepted by regulatory authorities in other countries. Approval processes vary among countries and can involve additional product testing and validation and additional administrative review periods. It is possible that no product we develop will ever obtain regulatory approval in the United States or any other jurisdiction, even if we expend substantial time and resources seeking such approval. If we do not achieve one or more of these approvals in a timely manner or at all, we could experience significant delays or an inability to fully commercialize any product and achieve profitability.

Both before and after a product is commercially released, we will have ongoing responsibilities under U.S. and foreign regulations. We will also be subject to periodic inspections by the FDA and comparable foreign authorities to determine compliance with regulatory requirements, such as the Quality System Regulation, or QSR, of the FDA, medical device reporting regulations, vigilance in reporting of adverse events and regulations regarding notification, corrections, and recalls. These inspections can result in observations or reports, warning letters or other similar notices or forms of enforcement action. If the FDA or any comparable foreign authority concludes that we are not in compliance with applicable laws or regulations, or that any of our products are ineffective or pose an unreasonable health risk, such authority could ban these products, suspend or cancel our marketing authorizations, impose “stop-sale” and “stop-import” orders, refuse to issue export certificates, detain or seize adulterated or misbranded products, order a recall, repair, replacement, correction or refund of such products, or require us to notify health providers and others that the products present unreasonable risks of substantial harm to the public health. Discovery of previously unknown problems with our product’s design or manufacture may result in restrictions on use, restrictions placed on us or our suppliers, or withdrawal of an existing regulatory clearance. The FDA or comparable foreign authorities may also impose operating restrictions, enjoin and restrain certain violations of applicable law pertaining to medical devices, assess civil or criminal penalties against our officers, employees or us, or recommend criminal prosecution of our Company. Adverse regulatory action may restrict us from effectively marketing and selling our products. In addition, negative publicity and product liability claims resulting from any adverse regulatory action could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and operating results.

Foreign governmental regulations have become increasingly stringent and more extensive, and we may become subject to even more rigorous regulation by foreign governmental authorities in the future. Penalties for a company’s noncompliance with foreign governmental regulation could be severe, including revocation or suspension of a company’s business license and civil or criminal sanctions. In some jurisdictions, such as Germany, a violation of law related to medical devices may also be considered to be a violation of unfair competition law. In such cases, governmental authorities, our competitors and business or consumer associations may file lawsuits to prohibit us from commercializing a product in such jurisdictions. Our competitors may also sue us for damages. Any domestic or foreign governmental law or regulation imposed in the future may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.

Depending on the cost and market opportunity, we may never seek approval to commercialize our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology in the European Union. We anticipate the cost to seek approval to commercialize in the European Union will be significantly greater than the cost to seek approval to commercialize in the United States. This is because we believe commercial approval by the corresponding Notified Body in the European Union and the European Economic Area, or EEA, even for diagnostic purposes, will require human clinical trials, which we do not believe will be required for regulatory approval by the FDA in the United States in order to seek approval of the use of our technology for diagnostic purposes.

Our success depends on our ability to continue to develop, commercialize and gain market acceptance for our product under development, our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology.

Our current business strategy is highly dependent on developing and commercially launching one product, our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology, and achieving and maintaining market acceptance. In order for us to sell cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology to people with epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, essential tremors and other brain related disorders, we must convince them, their caregivers and healthcare providers that cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology is an attractive alternative to competitive products for neuromodulation cEEG and sEEG recording, ablation, and brain stimulation. Market acceptance and adoption of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology depends on educating people with epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, essential tremors and other brain related disorders, as well as their caregivers and healthcare providers, and other perceived benefits of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology as compared to competitive products. We may face challenges convincing physicians, many of whom have extensive experience with competitors’ products and established relationships with other companies, to appreciate the benefits of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology and, in particular, its ability to successfully diagnose and treat epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and other brain related disorders in a way that is superior to and differentiated from currently available technology, and adopt it for treatment of their patients.

Achieving and maintaining market acceptance of cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology could be negatively impacted by many factors, including:

In addition, our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology may be perceived by people with epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, essential tremors and other brain related disorders, their caregivers or healthcare providers to be more complicated or less effective than current technology, and people may be unwilling to change their current regimens.

Moreover, we believe that healthcare providers tend to be slow to change their medical treatment practices because of perceived liability risks arising from the use of new products and the uncertainty of third-party reimbursement. Accordingly, healthcare providers may not recommend our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology until, if ever, there is sufficient evidence to convince them to alter the treatment methods they typically recommend, such as receiving recommendations from prominent healthcare providers or other key opinion leaders in the community.

If we are not successful in convincing people with epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, essential tremors and other brain related disorders of the benefits of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology, or if we are unable to achieve the support of caregivers and healthcare providers or widespread market acceptance for our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology, then our sales potential, strategic objectives and profitability could be negatively impacted, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

We may fail to obtain regulatory approvals to market our products in the United States or in other countries.

Before we can market or sell a new regulated product in the United States, we must obtain either clearance under Section 510(k) of the FDCA or approval of a pre-market approval (“PMA”) application from the FDA, unless an exemption from pre-market review 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, with respect to intended use, technology and safety and effectiveness, in order to clear the proposed device for marketing. Clinical data is sometimes required to support substantial equivalence. The PMA pathway requires an applicant to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of the device based, in part, on extensive data, including, but not limited to, technical, preclinical, clinical trial, manufacturing and labeling data. The PMA process is typically required for devices that are deemed to pose the greatest risk, such as life-sustaining, life-supporting or implantable devices. Both the 510(k) and PMA processes can be expensive and lengthy and require the payment of significant fees, unless exempt. The FDA’s 510(k) clearance process usually takes from three to 12 months, but may last longer. The process of obtaining a PMA is much more costly and uncertain than the 510(k) clearance process and generally takes from one to three years, or even longer, from the time the application is submitted to the FDA until an approval is obtained. The process of obtaining regulatory clearances or approvals to market a medical device can be costly and time-consuming, and we may not be able to obtain these clearances or approvals on a timely basis, if at all.

Even if we obtain clearance or approval by the FDA, said clearance or approval by the FDA does not ensure approval or certification by regulatory authorities in other countries or jurisdictions, and approval or certification by one foreign regulatory authority does not ensure approval or certification by regulatory authorities in other foreign countries or by the FDA. The foreign regulatory approval or certification process may include all of the risks associated with obtaining FDA clearance or approval. We may not obtain foreign regulatory approvals on a timely basis, if at all. We may not be able to file for regulatory approvals or certifications and may not receive necessary approvals to commercialize our products in any market. If we fail to receive necessary approvals or certifications to commercialize our products in foreign jurisdictions on a timely basis, or at all, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Failure to secure or retain coverage or adequate reimbursement for our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology or future versions thereof, including the implantation procedures, by third-party payors could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

We plan to derive nearly all of our revenue from sales of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology under development, if approved, in the United States and potentially select international geographies and expect to do so for the next several years. We anticipate a substantial portion of the purchase price of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology will be paid for by third-party payors, including private insurance companies, preferred provider organizations and other managed care providers. Patients who receive treatment for their medical conditions and their healthcare providers generally rely on third-party payors to reimburse all or part of the costs associated with their medical treatment, including healthcare providers’ services. Coverage and adequate reimbursement from third-party payors, including governmental healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, and commercial payors, is critical to new product acceptance. Future sales of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology will be limited unless people with epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, essential tremors and other brain related disorders can rely on third-party payors to pay for all or part of the cost to purchase our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology. Access to adequate coverage and reimbursement for our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology by third-party payors is essential to the acceptance of our products by people with epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, essential tremors and other brain related disorders.

In the United States, a third-party payor’s decision to provide coverage for our products does not imply that an adequate reimbursement rate will be obtained. Further, one third-party payor’s decision to cover our products does not assure that other payors will also provide coverage for the products or will provide coverage at an adequate reimbursement rate. Healthcare providers may choose not to order a product unless third-party payors pay a substantial portion of the product. Within and outside the United States, reimbursement is obtained from a variety of sources, including government-sponsored and private health insurance plans. These third-party payors determine whether to provide coverage and reimbursement for specific products and procedures. Coverage determinations and reimbursement levels of both our products and the healthcare provider’s performance of the insertion and removal procedures are critical to the commercial success of our product, and if we are not able to secure positive coverage determinations and reimbursement levels for our products or the insertion and removal procedures, our business would be materially adversely affected.

In addition, there may be significant delays in obtaining reimbursement, and coverage may be more limited than the purposes for which the product is cleared by the FDA or other foreign regulatory authorities. Moreover, eligibility for reimbursement does not imply that any product will be paid for in all cases or at a rate that covers our costs, including research, development, manufacture, sale and distribution. Payment rates may vary according to the use of the product and the clinical setting in which it is used, may be based on payments allowed for lower cost products that are already reimbursed, and may be incorporated into existing payments for other services. Net prices for products may be reduced by mandatory discounts or rebates required by government healthcare programs or third-party payors and by any future relaxation of laws that presently restrict imports of products from countries where they may be sold at lower prices than in the United States.

Because there is generally no separate reimbursement for medical devices and other supplies used in such procedures, including our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology, and because we believe that our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology, if approved, would be adequately described by existing DRG and ICD-9 codes for epilepsy surgery, some of our target customers may be unwilling to adopt our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology over more established or lower cost therapeutic alternatives already available or subsequently become available. Further, any decline in the amount payors are willing to reimburse our customers for procedures using our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology could make it difficult for new customers to adopt our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology and could create additional pricing pressure for us, which could adversely affect our ability to invest in and grow our business.

Third-party payors, whether foreign or domestic, or governmental or commercial, are developing increasingly sophisticated methods of controlling healthcare costs. In addition, in the United States, no uniform policy of coverage and reimbursement for medical device products and services exists among third-party payors. Therefore, coverage and reimbursement for medical device products and services can differ significantly from payor to payor. In addition, payors continually review new technologies for possible coverage and can, without notice, deny coverage for these new products and procedures. As a result, the coverage determination process is often a time-consuming and costly process that will require us to provide scientific and clinical support for the use of our products to each payor separately, with no assurance that coverage and adequate reimbursement will be obtained, or maintained if obtained.

Reimbursement systems in international markets vary significantly by country and by region within some countries, and reimbursement approvals must be obtained on a country-by-country basis. In many international markets, a product must be approved for reimbursement before it can be approved for sale in that country. Further, many international markets have government-managed healthcare systems that control reimbursement for new devices and procedures. In most markets there are private insurance systems as well as government-managed systems. If sufficient coverage and reimbursement is not available for our any product we develop, in either the United States or internationally, the demand for our products and our revenues will be adversely affected.

Reimbursement by Medicare is highly regulated and subject to change.

The Medicare program is administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, which imposes extensive and detailed requirements on medical services providers, including, but not limited to, rules that govern how we structure our relationships with physicians, and how and where we provide our solutions. Our failure to comply with applicable Medicare rules could result in discontinuing the ability for physicians to receive reimbursement as they will likely utilize our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology under the Medicare payment program, civil monetary penalties, and/or criminal penalties, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and revenues.

The impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act remains uncertain.

In 2010, significant reforms to the health care system were adopted as law in the United States. The law includes provisions that, among other things, reduce or limit Medicare reimbursement, require all individuals to have health insurance (with limited exceptions) and impose increased taxes. These factors, in turn, could result in reduced demand for our products, if approved, and increased downward pricing pressure. Because other parts of the 2010 health care law remain subject to implementation, the long-term impact on us is uncertain. The new law or any future legislation could reduce medical procedure volumes, lower reimbursement for our products, and impact the demand for our products or the prices at which we sell our products.

In addition, some of the provisions of the ACA have yet to be implemented, and there have been legal and political challenges to certain aspects of the ACA. Since January 2017, President Trump has signed executive orders and other directives designed to delay, circumvent, or loosen certain requirements mandated by the ACA. Concurrently, Congress has considered legislation that would repeal or repeal and replace all or part of the ACA. While Congress has not passed repeal legislation, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 includes a provision repealing, effective January 1, 2019, the tax-based shared responsibility payment imposed by the ACA on certain individuals who fail to maintain qualifying health coverage for all or part of a year that is commonly referred to as the “individual mandate.” Congress may consider other legislation to repeal or replace elements of the ACA. We continue to evaluate the effect that the ACA and its possible repeal and replacement has on our business but expect that the ACA, as currently enacted or as it may be amended in the future, and other healthcare reform measures that may be adopted in the future could have a material adverse effect on our industry generally and on our ability to successfully commercialize our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology, if approved. In addition to the ACA, there will continue to be proposals by legislators at both the federal and state levels, regulators and third party payors to keep healthcare costs down while expanding individual healthcare benefits.

Accordingly, while it is too early to understand and predict the ultimate impact of the ACA on our business, the legislation and resulting regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business, cash flows, financial condition and results of operations.

If our competitors are better able to develop and market products for the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, essential tremors and other brain related disorders that are safer, more effective, less costly, easier to use or otherwise more attractive than our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology, our business will be adversely impacted.

The medical device industry is highly competitive and subject to technological change. Our success depends, in part, upon our ability to establish a competitive position in the market for the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, essential tremors and other brain related disorders by securing broad market acceptance of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology under development. Any product we develop that achieves regulatory clearance or approval will have to compete for market acceptance and market share. If developed as anticipated, we believe that the primary competitive factors of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology under development will be: reduced infections, ability to record additional brain activity, minimally invasive surgical procedure, ease of use and cost effectiveness. We face significant competition in the United States and internationally, which we believe will intensify. For example, our major competitors (i) in the market for diagnosis are PMT Corporation, Ad-Tec Medical and Integra Lifesciences, (ii) in the market for neuro-ablation are Medtronic and Monteris Medical and (iii) in the market for neurostimulation are Medtronic, Boston Scientific, NeuroPace Biotronik and Abbott. Each of the foregoing competitors has systems approved in the United States and certain foreign jurisdictions and has been established for several years. We face a particular challenge overcoming the long-standing practices by some physicians of using the existing technology of our larger, more established competitors. Physicians may be reluctant to try new products from a source with which they are less familiar. If these physicians do not try and subsequently adopt our product, then our revenue growth will slow or decline.

In addition to these major competitors, we may also face competition from other emerging competitors or smaller companies with active development programs that may emerge in the future.

Many of the companies developing or marketing competing products enjoy several advantages over us, including:

Our competitors may develop and patent processes or products earlier than us, obtain patents that may apply to us at any time, obtain regulatory clearance or approvals for competing products more rapidly than us or develop more effective or less expensive products or technologies that render our technology or products obsolete or less competitive. Furthermore, the frequent introduction by competitors of products that are, or claim to be, superior to our products may create market confusion that may make it difficult to differentiate the benefits of our products over competitive products. In addition, the entry of multiple new products may lead some of our competitors to employ pricing strategies that could adversely affect the pricing of any product we may develop and commercialize. We also face fierce competition in recruiting and retaining qualified sales, scientific, and management personnel, establishing clinical trial sites and enrolling patients in clinical studies. If our competitors are more successful than us in these matters, our business may be harmed.

The size and future growth in the market for our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology under development has not been established with precision and may be smaller than we estimate, possibly materially. If our estimates and projections overestimate the size of this market, our sales growth may be adversely affected.

Our estimates of the size and future growth in the market for our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology under development, including the number of people with epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, essential tremors and other brain related disorders who may benefit from and be amenable to using cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology for diagnosis and treatment, is based on a number of internal and third-party studies, reports and estimates. In addition, our internal estimates are based in large part on current treatment patterns by healthcare providers using current generation technology and our belief is that the incidence of epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, essential tremors and other brain related disorders in the United States and worldwide is increasing. While we believe these factors have historically provided and may continue to provide us with effective tools in estimating the total market for cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology, these estimates may not be correct and the conditions supporting our estimates may change at any time, thereby reducing the predictive accuracy of these underlying factors. The actual incidence of brain related disorders, and the actual demand for our products or competitive products, could differ materially from our projections if our assumptions are incorrect. As a result, our estimates of the size and future growth in the market for cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology may prove to be incorrect. If the actual number of people with brain related disorders who would benefit from cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology and the size and future growth in the market for cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology is smaller than we have estimated, it may impair our projected sales growth and have an adverse impact on our business.

We depend on intellectual property licensed from Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation for our technology under development, and the termination of this license would harm our business.

Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, or WARF, has granted us the WARF License, to make, use and sell, in the United States only, products that employ certain licensed patents for a neural probe array or thin-film micro electrode array and method. See “Business — WARF License” for additional information regarding our license agreement with WARF.

We have agreed to diligently develop, manufacture, market and sell products under the WARF License in the United States during the term of the agreement and, specifically, that we would submit a business plan to WARF by February 1, 2018, which we submitted on January 18, 2018 and file an application for 510(k) marketing clearance with the FDA by February 1, 2019. WARF may terminate this license in the event that we fail to meet these milestones on 30 days’ written notice, if we default on the payments of amounts due to WARF or fail to timely submit development reports, actively pursue our development plan or breach any other covenant in the WARF License and fail to remedy such default in 90 days or in the event of certain bankruptcy events involving us. WARF may also terminate this license (i) on 90 days’ notice if we fail to have commercial sales of one or more FDA-approved products under the WARF License by March 31, 2019 or (ii) if, after royalties earned on sales begin to be paid, such earned royalties cease for more than four calendar quarters. The WARF License otherwise expires by its terms on the date that no valid claims on the patents licensed thereunder remain.

Disputes may arise between us and WARF regarding intellectual property subject to this agreement, including with respect to: the scope of rights granted under the WARF License and other interpretation-related issues; whether and the extent to which our technology and processes infringe on intellectual property of WARF that is not subject to the WARF License; the amount and timing of milestones and royalty payments; the rights of WARF under the license; our right to sublicense; and the ownership of inventions and know-how resulting from the WARF License. For example, if we or any of our sublicenses for any reason contest the validity of any patent licensed under the WARF License, the royalty rate will be doubled during the pendency of such contest and, if the contested patent is found to be valid and would be infringed by us if not for the WARF License, the royalty rate will be tripled for the remaining term of the WARF License.

Any disputes with WARF may prevent or impair our ability to maintain our current licensing arrangement. We depend on the intellectual property licensed from WARF to develop our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet the milestones or commercialize a product under the WARF License by the dates required. In fact, the original license agreement entered into with WARF in 2014 required that we meet certain earlier milestones than set forth above and make certain payments to WARF. We failed to do so and were in default under the original license agreement. Furthermore, the LLC was not able to transfer the rights and obligations under the 2014 WARF Agreement to us at the time of the Merger without the consent of WARF. As a result, in February 2017, we signed an amendment to the WARF License which, among other things, modified and removed certain previous milestones and provided WARF’s consent to such transfer. Because of this past breach, WARF may be less likely to waive future defaults or breaches or further amend the WARF License in the future, to the extent we request any waiver or amendment. See “Note 4—Commitments and Contingencies” to the financial statements included in this prospectus.

Termination of our license could result in the loss of significant rights and would harm our ability to further develop our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology. In addition, WARF reserves the right to grant non-profit research institutions and government agencies non-exclusive licenses to practice and use the inventions of the licensed patents for non-commercial research purposes, and we grant WARF a non-exclusive, sub licensable, royalty-free right and license for non-commercial research purposes to use improvements to the licensed patents. In the event that we discontinue use or commercialization of the licensed patents or improvements thereon, we must grant WARF an option to obtain a non-exclusive, sub-licensable royalty-bearing license to use the improvements for commercial purposes. Such rights, if exercised by WARF, could harm our ability to develop and commercialize our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology.

We depend on our partnership with Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research to license certain know how for the development and commercialization of our technology. Termination of this partnership would harm our business, and even if this partnership continues, it may not be successful.

We have entered into the Mayo Development Agreement to (i) exclusively license worldwide certain Mayo improvements for the development and commercialization of products, methods and processes related to flexible circuit technology for the recording and stimulation of tissue and (ii) license, on a non-exclusive basis, worldwide Mayo thin film electrode technology know-how for the development and commercialization of products, methods and processes related to flexible circuit technology for the recording and stimulation of tissue. Mayo has agreed to assist the Company by providing access to the Mayo Principal Investigators in developing a minimally invasive device/delivery system and procedure for a minimally invasive approach for the implantation of any flexible circuit technology developed by the Company, including prototype development, animal testing, protocol development for human and animal use, abstract development and presentation and access to and license of any intellectual property that the Mayo Principal Investigators develop relating to the procedure. See “Business—Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research License and Development Agreement” for additional information regarding our agreement with Mayo.

The Mayo Development Agreement generally will expire in October 2034, unless the Mayo know-how and improvements under the Mayo Development Agreement remain in use, and the Mayo Development Agreement may be terminated by Mayo for cause or under certain circumstances. Mayo and the Company may not be successful in their efforts to develop any product, method, process, device, delivery system or minimally invasive approach by such expiration date or termination, if at all. If no such minimally invasive device or delivery system and procedure for minimally invasive approach is developed, the Company may never receive regulatory approval of its cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology under development or the market may never accept such technology, if approved.

Disputes may arise between us and Mayo regarding intellectual property subject to the Mayo Development Agreement or other matters, including with respect to: the scope of rights granted under the agreement and other interpretation-related issues; the amount and timing of payments; the rights and obligations of Mayo under the license agreement; and the ownership of inventions and know-how resulting from the joint creation or use of intellectual property by Mayo and us.

Any disputes with Mayo may prevent or impair our ability to maintain our current arrangement. We depend on the intellectual property licensed from and development assistance from Mayo to develop our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology. We cannot assure you that we will be able to continue to comply with the Mayo Development Agreement. In fact, the original license and development agreement entered into with Mayo in 2014 required that, upon the Merger with the LLC, we make certain payments and issue shares of common stock to Mayo, which we failed to do at such time. We signed the Mayo Development Agreement in May 2017, which, among other things, modified or removed certain provisions of the original agreement, including those we breached. In addition, pursuant to the Mayo Development Agreement signed in May 2017, we agreed to pay Mayo a cash payment of approximately $92,000 on the earlier of September 30, 2017 or the date we raise a minimum amount of financing. We did not make this payment by September 30, 2017 and breached this provision of the Mayo Development Agreement. Mayo granted us an extension of this deadline to December 31, 2017, and we made this payment within such extended deadline. Because of our past breach, Mayo may be less likely to waive future defaults or breaches or further amend the Mayo Development Agreement in the future, to the extent we request any waiver or amendment. Termination of the Mayo Development Agreement could result in the loss of significant rights and would harm our ability to further develop our technology.

We do not have the sales and marketing personnel necessary to sell any products we may develop, if approved for commercialization. Even if we have our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology approved for commercial sale, if we are unable to establish a sales and marketing infrastructure, we may not be successful in commercializing our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology in the United States.

We are an early stage development company with limited resources. Even if we had products available for sale, which we currently do not, we have not secured sales and marketing staff at this early stage of operations to sell products. To achieve commercial success in the United States for our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology, we will need to establish and expand our sales and marketing infrastructure to drive adoption of our products, which will include a team of educators that will train healthcare providers and people with brain related disorders on the benefits and use of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology. There is significant competition for sales personnel experienced in relevant medical device sales. We expect that we will face significant challenges as we recruit and subsequently grow our sales and marketing infrastructure. If we are unable to attract and retain sufficient, and skilled, sales and marketing representatives, our sales could be adversely affected. If one of our sales or marketing representatives were to depart and be retained by one of our competitors, they could help competitors solicit business from customers, which could further harm our sales. In addition, if our sales and marketing representatives or educators fail to achieve their objectives or if we are not able to recruit and retain a network of educators, we may not be able to successfully train healthcare providers on the use of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology, which could delay new sales and harm our reputation.

As we increase our sales and marketing expenditures with respect to our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology under development, if approved, or future versions thereof, we will need to hire, train, retain and motivate skilled sales and marketing representatives with significant industry-specific knowledge in various areas. Our success will depend largely on the competitive landscape for our products and the ability of our sales personnel to obtain access to healthcare providers and persuade those healthcare providers to recommend our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology. Recently hired sales representatives require training and take time to achieve full productivity. If we fail to train new hires adequately, or if we experience high turnover in our sales force in the future, we cannot be certain that new hires will become as productive as may be necessary to maintain or increase our sales. In addition, the expansion of our sales and marketing personnel will place significant burdens on our management team.

If approved for sale, we anticipate that we will derive nearly all of our U.S. revenue from the sales of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology or future versions thereof. As a result, our financial condition and operating results will be highly dependent on the ability of our sales representatives to adequately promote, market and sell our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology and the ability of our educators to train healthcare providers on the use of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology. If we are unable to establish and expand our sales and marketing capabilities, we may not be able to effectively commercialize our existing or planned products, or enhance the strength of our brand, either of which could impair our projected sales growth and have an adverse impact on our business.

We will depend on a limited number of third-party suppliers for the components of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology under development and the loss of any of these suppliers, or their inability to provide us with an adequate supply of materials, could harm our business.

We will rely on third-party suppliers to supply and manufacture the components of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology. For our business strategy to be successful, our suppliers must be able to provide us with components in sufficient quantities, in compliance with regulatory requirements and quality control standards, in accordance with agreed upon specifications, at acceptable costs and on a timely basis. Future increases in sales of our cortical strip and sheet electrode technology, if approved, whether expected or unanticipated, could strain the ability of our suppliers to deliver an increasingly large supply of components and our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology in a manner that meets these various requirements.

We will likely use a small number of suppliers of components for our products. Depending on a limited number of suppliers exposes us to risks, including limited control over pricing, availability, quality and delivery schedules. We may not have long-term supply agreements with our suppliers and, in many cases, we may make our purchases on a purchase order basis. Our ability to purchase adequate quantities of components or our products may be limited and we may not be able to convince suppliers to make components and products available to us. Additionally, our suppliers may encounter problems that limit their ability to supply components or manufacture products for us, including financial difficulties, damage to their manufacturing equipment or facilities, or product discontinuations. As a result, there is a risk that certain components could be discontinued and no longer available to us. We may be required to make significant “last time” purchases of component inventory that is being discontinued by the supplier to ensure supply continuity. If we fail to obtain sufficient quantities of high quality components to meet demand for our products in a timely manner or on terms acceptable to us, we would have to seek alternative sources of supply. Because of factors such as the proprietary nature of our products, our quality control standards and regulatory requirements, we may not be able to quickly engage additional or replacement suppliers for some of our critical components. Failure of any supplier to deliver components at the level our business requires could disrupt the manufacturing of our products and, if approved, limit our ability to meet our sales commitments, which could harm our reputation and adversely affect our business.

Furthermore, vandalism, terrorism or a natural or other disaster, such as an earthquake, fire or flood, could damage or destroy equipment or our inventory of component supplies or finished products, cause substantial delays in development or our operations, result in the loss of key information, and cause us to incur additional expenses. We do not currently have insurance to cover such losses or expenses and, once we obtain such insurance, it may not cover our losses in any particular case. In addition, regardless of the level of insurance coverage, damage to our or our suppliers’ facilities could harm our business, financial condition and operating results.

We may also have difficulty obtaining similar components from other suppliers that are acceptable to the FDA or other regulatory agencies, and the failure of any supplier to comply with strictly enforced regulatory requirements could expose us to regulatory action including warning letters, product recalls, and termination of distribution, product seizures or civil penalties. It could also require us to cease using the components, seek alternative components or technologies and modify our products to incorporate alternative components or technologies, which could result in a requirement to seek additional regulatory approvals. Any disruption of this nature or increased expenses could harm our development, approval or commercialization efforts and adversely affect our operating results.

We plan to contract with third parties for the manufacture of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology under development and expect to continue to do so for clinical trials and commercialization. Risks associated with the manufacturing of our products could reduce our gross margins and negatively affect our operating results.

We currently rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties for the manufacture of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology during development, for clinical testing, as well as for commercial manufacture if our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology receives regulatory approval. Therefore, our business strategy depends on our third-party manufacturers’ ability to manufacture our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology and future generations thereof in sufficient quantities and on a timely basis so as to meet consumer demand, while adhering to product quality standards, complying with regulatory requirements and managing manufacturing costs. To date, we have only had an initial supply of our product manufactured. As a result, we currently have limited data and experience regarding the quality, reliability and timeliness of our third-party manufacturers.

We are subject to numerous risks relating to the manufacturing capabilities of our third-party manufacturers, including:

These risks are likely to be exacerbated by our limited experience with our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology and its manufacturing process. As demand for our products increases, our third-party suppliers will need to invest additional resources to purchase components, hire and train employees, and enhance their manufacturing processes. If our manufacturers fail to increase production capacity efficiently, our sales may not increase in line with our expectations and our operating margins could fluctuate or decline. In addition, manufacturing any future versions of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology may require the modification of production lines, the identification of new manufacturers for specific components, or the development of new manufacturing technologies. It may not be possible for us to manufacture these products at a cost or in quantities sufficient to make any future versions of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology commercially viable.

If we or our third-party suppliers or manufacturers fail to comply with the FDA’s good manufacturing practice regulations, this could impair our ability to market our products in a cost-effective and timely manner.

We and our third-party suppliers are required to comply with the FDA’s QSR, which covers the methods and documentation of the design, testing, production, control, quality assurance, labeling, packaging, sterilization, storage and shipping of our products. The FDA audits compliance with the QSR through periodic announced and unannounced inspections of manufacturing and other facilities. The FDA may impose inspections or audits at any time. If we or our suppliers or manufacturers have significant non-compliance issues or if any corrective action plan that we or our suppliers propose in response to observed deficiencies is not sufficient, the FDA could take enforcement action against us. Any of the foregoing actions could impair our reputation, business, financial condition and operating results.

Various factors outside our direct control may adversely affect manufacturing, sterilization and distribution of our products.

The manufacture, sterilization and distribution of our products is challenging. Changes that our suppliers may make outside the purview of our direct control can have an impact on our processes, quality of our products and the successful delivery of products to our customers. Necessary materials for our product under development may not be available from our third-party suppliers in a timely fashion or at all. Mistakes and mishandling are not uncommon and can affect supply and delivery. Some of these risks include:

If any of these risks were to materialize, our ability to develop products, conduct clinical trials or provide our products to customers on a timely basis, if approved, would be adversely impacted.

Potential complications from our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology may come to light or may not be revealed by our clinical experience.

Based on our industry experience and the experience of the physicians that use products similar to our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology, complications from use of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology may include post-operative hemorrhage, infection, brain inflammation, brain tissue necrosis, inability to accurately localize the epileptogenic focus (the area of the cerebral cortex responsible for causing epileptic seizures), neurologic deficit (abnormal function of a body area due to weaker function of the brain, spinal cord, muscles or nerves, such as abnormal reflexes, inability to speak and decreased sensation) and extra axial fluid collections (fluid that occurs in the brain after surgery). If these or unanticipated complications or side-effects result from the use of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology, our product development may be delayed, we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for any product, we could be subject to liability and, even if approved, our technology would not be widely adopted. Additionally, we have no clinical experience with use of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology. We cannot assure you that use, even for a limited time, would not result in unanticipated complications, even after the device is removed.

Undetected errors or defects in our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology under development or future versions thereof could harm our reputation, decrease the market acceptance of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology or expose us to product liability claims.

Our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology may contain undetected errors or defects. Disruptions or other performance problems with our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology may delay development, prevent regulatory approval or harm our reputation. If that occurs, we may incur significant costs, the attention of our key personnel could be diverted or other significant customer relations problems may arise. We may also be subject to warranty and liability claims for damages related to errors or defects in our cortical strip and sheet electrode technology or future versions thereof. A material liability claim or other occurrence that harms our reputation or decreases market acceptance of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology could harm our business and operating results. This risk exists even if a device is cleared or approved for commercial sale and manufactured in facilities licensed and regulated by the FDA or an applicable foreign regulatory authority. Our products are designed to affect, and any future products will be designed to affect, important bodily functions and processes. Any side effects, manufacturing defects, misuse or abuse associated with our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology or future versions thereof could result in patient injury or death. The medical device industry has historically been subject to extensive litigation over product liability claims, and we cannot offer any assurance that we will not face product liability lawsuits.

The sale and use of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology or future versions thereof could lead to the filing of product liability claims if someone were to allege that our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology or one of our products contained a design or manufacturing defect. A product liability claim could result in substantial damages and be costly and time consuming to defend, either of which could materially harm our business or financial condition. Product liability claims may be brought against us by patients, healthcare providers or others selling or otherwise coming into contact with our products, among others. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against product liability claims, we will incur substantial liabilities and reputational harm. In addition, regardless of merit or eventual outcome, product liability claims may result in:

Product liability lawsuits and claims, safety alerts or product recalls, with or without merit, could cause us to incur substantial costs, delay our product development efforts, place a significant strain on our financial resources, divert the attention of management from our core business, harm our reputation, increase our product liability insurance rates, once we obtain such insurance, or prevent us from securing such insurance coverage in the future and adversely affect our ability to attract and retain customers, if approved, any of which could harm our business, financial condition and operating results.

We do not currently maintain any product liability insurance and do not anticipate obtaining product liability insurance until we commence clinical trials. Once we obtain such insurance, we cannot assure you that such insurance would adequately protect our assets from the financial impact of defending a product liability claim. Even if any product liability loss is covered by an insurance policy, these policies typically have substantial deductibles for which we are responsible. Product liability claims in excess of applicable insurance coverage would negatively impact our business, financial condition and operating results. Insurance coverage varies in cost and can be difficult to obtain, and we cannot guarantee that we will be able to obtain insurance coverage in the future on terms acceptable to us or at all.

If there are significant disruptions in our information technology systems, our business, financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected.

The efficient operation of our business depends on our information technology systems. We rely on our information technology systems to effectively manage product development tasks, research and development data and accounting and financial functions. We expect in the future we will rely on our information technology systems for inventory management and technical support functions, if and once implemented. Our information technology systems are vulnerable to damage or interruption from earthquakes, fires, floods and other natural disasters, terrorist attacks, attacks by computer viruses or hackers, power losses, and computer system or data network failures. In addition, our data management application and a variety of our software systems are hosted by third-party service providers whose security and information technology systems are subject to similar risks, which could be subject to computer viruses or hacker attacks or other failures. If our or our third-party service provider’s security systems are breached or fail, unauthorized persons may be able to obtain access to sensitive data.

To the extent that any disruption or security breach were to result in a loss of, or damage to, our data or applications, or inappropriate disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, we could incur liability, and the failure of our or our service providers’ information technology systems or our transmitter’s software to perform as we anticipate or our failure to effectively implement new information technology systems could disrupt our entire operation or adversely affect our products and could delay our product development, clinical trial or commercialization efforts, result in increased overhead costs and damage our reputation, all of which could negatively affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

We may enter into collaborations, in-licensing arrangements, joint ventures, strategic alliances or partnerships with third-parties that may not result in the development of commercially viable products or the generation of significant future revenues.

In the ordinary course of our business, we may enter into collaborations, in-licensing arrangements, joint ventures, strategic alliances, partnerships or other arrangements to develop products and to pursue new markets. Proposing, negotiating and implementing collaborations, in-licensing arrangements, joint ventures, strategic alliances or partnerships may be a lengthy and complex process. Other companies, including those with substantially greater financial, marketing, sales, technology or other business resources, may compete with us for these opportunities or arrangements. We may not identify, secure, or complete any such transactions or arrangements in a timely manner, on a cost-effective basis, on acceptable terms or at all. We have limited institutional knowledge and experience with respect to these business development activities, and we may also not realize the anticipated benefits of any such transaction or arrangement. In particular, these collaborations may not result in the development of products that achieve commercial success or result in significant revenues and could be terminated prior to developing any products.

Additionally, we may not be in a position to exercise sole decision making authority regarding the transaction or arrangement, which could create the potential risk of creating impasses on decisions, and our future collaborators may have economic or business interests or goals that are, or that may become, inconsistent with our business interests or goals. It is possible that conflicts may arise with our collaborators, such as conflicts concerning the achievement of performance milestones, or the interpretation of significant terms under any agreement, such as those related to financial obligations or the ownership or control of intellectual property developed during the collaboration. If any conflicts arise with any future collaborators, they may act in their self-interest, which may be adverse to our best interest, and they may breach their obligations to us. In addition, we may have limited control over the amount and timing of resources that any future collaborators devote to our or their future products. Disputes between us and our collaborators may result in litigation or arbitration which would increase our expenses and divert the attention of our management. Further, these transactions and arrangements will be contractual in nature and will generally be terminable under the terms of the applicable agreements and, in such event, we may not continue to have rights to the products relating to such transaction or arrangement or may need to purchase such rights at a premium.

If we enter into in-bound intellectual property license agreements, we may not be able to fully protect the licensed intellectual property rights or maintain those licenses. Future licensors could retain the right to prosecute and defend the intellectual property rights licensed to us, in which case we would depend on the ability of our licensors to obtain, maintain and enforce intellectual property protection for the licensed intellectual property. These licensors may determine not to pursue litigation against other companies or may pursue such litigation less aggressively than we would. Further, entering into such license agreements could impose various diligence, commercialization, royalty or other obligations on us. Future licensors may allege that we have breached our license agreement with them, and accordingly seek to terminate our license, which could adversely affect our competitive business position and harm our business prospects.

We may seek to grow our business through acquisitions of complementary products or technologies, and the failure to manage acquisitions, or the failure to integrate them with our existing business, could harm our business, financial condition and operating results.

From time to time, we may consider opportunities to acquire other companies, products or technologies that may enhance our product platform or technology, expand the breadth of our markets or customer base, or advance our business strategies. Potential acquisitions involve numerous risks, including:

We have no current commitments with respect to any acquisition. We do not know if we will be able to identify acquisitions we deem suitable, whether we will be able to successfully complete any such acquisitions on favorable terms or at all, or whether we will be able to successfully integrate any acquired products or technologies. Our potential inability to integrate any acquired products or technologies effectively may adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

Our future success depends on our ability to retain key executives and to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel.

We are highly dependent on the management, research and development, clinical, financial and business development expertise of David Rosa, Mark Christianson and Thomas Bachinski, as well as our advisory board members. See “Advisory Boards” under “Directors and Executive Officers”. Although we have an employment agreement with David Rosa, he (and each of our other key employees) may terminate his employment with us at any time and will continue to be able to do so. We do not maintain “key person” insurance for any of our executives or employees.

Recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and clinical personnel will also be critical to our success. The loss of the services of our executive officers or other key employees could impede the achievement of our research, development and commercialization objectives and seriously harm our ability to successfully implement our business strategy. Furthermore, replacing executive officers and key employees may be difficult and may take an extended period of time because of the limited number of individuals in our industry with the breadth of skills and experience required to successfully develop, gain regulatory approval of and commercialize our products. Competition to hire from this limited pool is intense, and we may be unable to hire, train, retain or motivate these key personnel on acceptable terms given the competition among numerous medical device companies for similar personnel, many of which have greater financial and other resources dedicated to attracting and retaining personnel. We also experience competition for the hiring of scientific and clinical personnel from universities and research institutions. In addition, we rely on consultants and advisors, including scientific and clinical advisors, to assist us in formulating our research and development and commercialization strategy. Our consultants and advisors may be employed by employers other than us and may have commitments under consulting or advisory contracts with other entities that may limit their availability to us. If we are unable to continue to attract and retain high quality personnel, our ability to pursue our growth strategy will be limited.

Prolonged negative economic conditions could adversely affect us, our customers and third-party partners, manufactures or suppliers, if any, which could harm our financial condition.

We are subject to the risks arising from adverse changes in general economic and market conditions. Uncertainty about future economic conditions could negatively impact our existing and potential customers, adversely affect the financial ability of health insurers to pay claims, adversely impact our expenses and ability to obtain financing of our operations, and cause delays or other problems with key suppliers.

Healthcare spending in Europe and the United States has been, and is expected to continue to be, under significant pressure and there are many initiatives to reduce healthcare costs. As a result, we believe that some insurers are scrutinizing insurance claims more rigorously and delaying or denying coverage and reimbursement more often. Because the sale, if approved, of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology under development will generally depend on the availability of third-party coverage and reimbursement, any delay or decline in coverage and reimbursement will adversely affect our sales.

Risks Related to our Intellectual Property

Our ability to protect our intellectual property and proprietary technology is uncertain.

We rely primarily on patent, trademark and trade secret laws, as well as confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements, to protect our proprietary technologies. Our patent estate consists of three issued United States patents licensed from WARF relating to a neural probe array and thin-film micro electrode array and method, and two pending U.S. provisional patent applications filed by us relating to a wide variety of concepts, ranging from accessories for brain surgery to ablation and stimulation concepts for both cortical and depth electrodes. The licensed issued patents expire between 2025 and 2030, subject to any patent extensions that may be available for such patents. If a patent is issued on our pending patent application, the resulting patent is projected to expire in 2038. We continue to review new technological developments in order to make decisions about what additional filings would be the most appropriate for us. We also plan to seek patent protection for our proprietary technology in select countries internationally. We also have one pending U.S. trademark application and one pending foreign trademark application, as well as one foreign trademark registration. We have applied for patent protection relating to certain existing and proposed products and processes. Currently, several of our issued U.S. patents licensed from WARF as well as our pending U.S. patent application relate to our cortical and depth electrode technologies and are therefore important to the functionality of our products. If we fail to timely file a patent application in any jurisdiction, we may be precluded from doing so at a later date. Furthermore, we cannot assure you that any patent application will be approved in a timely manner or at all. The rights granted to us under our patents, and the rights we are seeking to have granted in our pending patent applications, may not be meaningful or provide us with any commercial advantage. In addition, those rights could be opposed, contested or circumvented by our competitors, or be declared invalid or unenforceable in judicial or administrative proceedings. The failure of our patents to adequately protect our technology might make it easier for our competitors to offer the same or similar products or technologies. Even if we are successful in receiving patent protection for certain products and processes, our competitors may be able to design around our patents or develop products that provide outcomes which are comparable to ours without infringing on our intellectual property rights. Due to differences between foreign and U.S. patent laws, our patented intellectual property rights may not receive the same degree of protection in foreign countries as they would in the United States. Even if patents are granted outside the United States, effective enforcement in those countries may not be available.

We rely on our trademarks and trade names to distinguish our products from the products of our competitors, and have registered or applied to register many of these trademarks. For example, we have one pending application in the United States for the “NeuroOne” trademark. We cannot assure you that our trademark applications will be approved in a timely manner or at all. Third parties also may oppose our trademark applications, or otherwise challenge our use of the trademarks. In the event that our trademarks are successfully challenged, we could be forced to rebrand our products, which could result in loss of brand recognition, and could require us to devote additional resources to marketing new brands. Further, we cannot assure you that competitors will not infringe upon our trademarks, or that we will have adequate resources to enforce our trademarks.

We also rely on trade secrets, know-how and technology, which are not protectable by patents, to maintain our competitive position. We try to protect this information by entering into confidentiality agreements and intellectual property assignment agreements with our officers, employees, temporary employees and consultants regarding our intellectual property and proprietary technology. In the event of unauthorized use or disclosure or other breaches of those agreements, we may not be provided with meaningful protection for our trade secrets or other proprietary information. In addition, our trade secrets may otherwise become known or be independently discovered by competitors. To the extent that our commercial partners, collaborators, employees and consultants use intellectual property owned by others in their work for us, disputes may arise as to the rights in the related or resulting know-how and inventions. If any of our trade secrets, know-how or other technologies not protected by a patent were to be disclosed to or independently developed by a competitor, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

If a competitor infringes upon one of our patents, trademarks or other intellectual property rights, enforcing those patents, trademarks and other rights may be difficult and time-consuming. Patent law relating to the scope of claims in the industry in which we operate is subject to rapid change and constant evolution and, consequently, patent positions in our industry can be uncertain. Even if successful, litigation to defend our patents and trademarks against challenges or to enforce our intellectual property rights could be expensive and time consuming and could divert management’s attention from managing our business. Moreover, we may not have sufficient resources or desire to defend our patents or trademarks against challenges or to enforce our intellectual property rights. Litigation also puts our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and our patent applications at risk of not issuing. Additionally, we may 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 valuable. The occurrence of any of these events may harm our business, financial condition and operating results.

We may not be able to establish or strengthen our brand.

We believe that establishing and strengthening our brand is critical to achieving widespread acceptance of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology. Promoting and positioning our brand will depend largely on the success of our marketing efforts and our ability to provide physicians with a reliable product for successful treatment of brain-related disorders. Additionally, we believe the quality and reliability of our product is critical to building physician support in the United States, and any negative publicity regarding the quality or reliability of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology could significantly damage our reputation in the market. Further, given the established nature of our competitors, it is likely that our future marketing efforts will require us to incur significant additional expenses. These brand promotion activities may not yield increased sales and, even if they do, any sales increases may not offset the expenses we incur to promote our brand. If we fail to successfully promote and maintain our brand, or if we incur substantial expenses in an unsuccessful attempt to promote and maintain our brand, our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology may not be accepted by physicians, which would adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The medical device industry is characterized by patent litigation, and we could become subject to litigation that could be costly, result in the diversion of management’s time and efforts, stop our development and commercialization measures or require us to pay damages.

Our success will depend in part on not infringing the patents or violating the other proprietary rights of third-parties. Significant litigation regarding patent rights exists in our industry. Our competitors in both the United States and abroad, many of which have substantially greater resources and have made substantial investments in competing technologies, may have applied for or obtained or may in the future apply for and obtain, patents that will prevent, limit or otherwise interfere with our ability to make and sell our products. The large number of patents, the rapid rate of new patent issuances, and the complexities of the technology involved increase the risk of patent litigation.

In the future, we could receive communications from various industry participants alleging our infringement of their intellectual property rights. Any potential intellectual property litigation could force us to do one or more of the following:

Patent litigation can involve complex factual and legal questions, and its outcome is uncertain. Any litigation or claim against us, even those without merit, may cause us to incur substantial costs, and could place a significant strain on our financial resources, divert the attention of management from our core business and harm our reputation. Further, as the number of participants in the neurostimulation market increases, the possibility of intellectual property infringement claims against us increases.

We may be subject to damages resulting from claims that we, or our employees, have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of our competitors or are in breach of non-competition or non-solicitation agreements with our competitors.

Some of our current or future employees may have previously been employed at other medical device companies, including those that are our direct competitors or could potentially be our direct competitors. We may be subject to claims that we, or our employees, have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed trade secrets or other proprietary information of these former employers or competitors. In addition, we may in the future be subject to allegations that we caused an employee to breach the terms of his or her non-competition or non-solicitation agreement. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims.

In May 2017, NeuroOne, Inc. received a letter from PMT Corp. (“PMT”), the former employer of Mark Christianson and Wade Fredrickson.  PMT claimed that these officers had breached their restrictive covenant obligations with PMT by virtue of their work for NeuroOne and such officer’s prior work during employment with the prior employer, that these officers had breached their confidentiality and non-disclosure obligations to PMT and federal and state law by misappropriating confidential and trade secret information, and that NeuroOne is responsible for tortious interference with the contracts.  The letter demanded that Mr. Fredrickson (who is no longer with NeuroOne), Mr. Christianson and NeuroOne cease and desist all competitive activities, that Mr. Fredrickson step down from his position and that Mr. Christianson and NeuroOne provide the former employer access to NeuroOne’s systems to demonstrate that it is not using trade secrets or proprietary information nor competing with the former employer.

On March 29, 2018, we were served with a complaint filed by PMT adding NMTC, NeuroOne and Mr. Christianson to its existing lawsuit against Mr. Fredrickson.  In the lawsuit, PMT claims that Mr. Fredrickson and Mr. Christianson breached their non-competition, non-solicitation and non-disclosure obligations, breached their fiduciary duty obligations, were unjustly enriched, engaged in unfair competition, engaged in a civil conspiracy, tortiously interfered with PMT’s contracts and prospective economic advantage, and breached a covenant of good faith and fair dealing.  Against Mr. Fredrickson, PMT also alleges that he intentionally or negligently spoliated evidence, made negligent or fraudulent misrepresentations, misappropriated trade secrets in violation of Minnesota law, and committed the tort of conversion and statutory civil theft. Against NMTC and NeuroOne, PMT alleges that NMTC and NeuroOne were unjustly enriched and engaged in unfair competition.  PMT asks the Court to impose a constructive trust over the shares held by Mr. Fredrickson and Mr. Christianson and to award compensatory damages, equitable relief, punitive damages, attorneys’ fees, costs and interest. NMTC, NeuroOne and Mr. Christianson (who has not worked for PMT since 2012) intend to defend themselves vigorously. Furthermore, Mr. Christianson is a key officer and the loss of him would be detrimental to our operations and prospects.

Even if we successfully defend against these claims, litigation could cause us to incur substantial costs, and could place a significant strain on our financial resources, divert the attention of management from our core business and harm our reputation. If our defense to those claims fails, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel. There can be no assurance that this type of litigation will not occur, and any future litigation or the threat thereof may adversely affect our ability to hire additional employees. A loss of key personnel or their work product could hamper or prevent our ability to develop or commercialize our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology or future versions thereof, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.

We are subject to the patent laws of countries other than the United States, which may not offer the same level of patent protection and whose rules could seriously affect how we draft, file, prosecute and maintain patents, trademarks and patent and trademark applications.

Many countries, including certain countries in Europe, have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner may be compelled to grant licenses to third parties (for example, the patent owner has failed to “work” the invention in that country, or the third party has patented improvements). In addition, many countries limit the enforceability of patents against government agencies or government contractors. In these countries, the patent owner may have limited remedies, which could materially diminish the value of the patent. Moreover, the legal systems of certain countries, particularly certain developing countries, do not favor the aggressive enforcement of patent and other intellectual property protection which makes it difficult to stop infringement.

We cannot be certain that the patent or trademark offices of countries outside the United States will not implement new rules that increase costs for drafting, filing, prosecuting and maintaining patents, trademarks and patent and trademark applications or that any such new rules will not restrict our ability to file for patent protection. For example, we may elect not to seek patent protection in some jurisdictions in order to save costs. We may be forced to abandon or return the rights to specific patents due to a lack of financial resources.

Intellectual property rights do not necessarily address all potential threats to our competitive advantage.

The degree of future protection afforded by our intellectual property rights is uncertain because intellectual property rights have limitations, and may not adequately protect our business, or permit us to maintain our competitive advantage. The following examples are illustrative:

Risks Related to our Legal and Regulatory Environment

Our products and operations are subject to extensive governmental regulation, and failure to comply with applicable requirements could cause our business to suffer.

The medical device industry is regulated extensively by governmental authorities, principally the FDA and corresponding state regulatory agencies in the United States and the European Commission and corresponding Notified Body in the European Union and the EEA. The regulations are very complex and are subject to rapid change and varying interpretations. Regulatory restrictions or changes could limit our ability to carry on or expand our operations or result in higher than anticipated costs or lower than anticipated sales. These governmental authorities enforce laws and regulations that are meant to assure product safety and effectiveness, including the regulation of, among other things:

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 revenues.

Failure to comply with applicable regulations could jeopardize our ability to sell our products and result in enforcement actions such as fines, civil penalties, injunctions, warning letters, recalls of products, delays in the introduction of products into the market, refusal of the regulatory agency or other regulators to grant future clearances or approvals, and the suspension or withdrawal of existing approvals by such regulatory agencies. Any of these sanctions could result in higher than anticipated costs or lower than anticipated sales and harm our reputation, business, financial condition and operating results.

The FDA regulatory clearance process is expensive, time-consuming and uncertain, and the failure to obtain and maintain required regulatory clearances and approvals could prevent us from commercializing our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology under development and future versions thereof.

Our products and operations are subject to extensive and rigorous regulation by the FDA under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or FFDCA, and its implementing regulations, guidances, and standards. The FDA regulates the research, testing, manufacturing, safety, labeling, storage, recordkeeping, promotion, distribution, and production of medical devices in the United States to ensure that medical products distributed domestically are safe and effective for their intended uses. The FDA also regulates the export of medical devices manufactured in the United States to international markets. Any violations of these laws and regulations could result in a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, if there is a change in law, regulation or judicial interpretation, we may be required to change our business practices, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Under the FFDCA, medical devices are classified into one of three classes—Class I, Class II or Class III—depending on the degree of risk associated with each medical device and the extent of control needed to ensure safety and effectiveness.

Class I devices are those for which safety and effectiveness can be assured by adherence to FDA’s “general controls” for medical devices, which include compliance with the applicable portions of the QSR facility registration and product listing, reporting of adverse medical events, and appropriate, truthful and non-misleading labeling, advertising, and promotional materials. Some Class I devices also require premarket clearance by the FDA through the 510(k) premarket notification process described below.

Class II devices are subject to FDA’s general controls, and any other “special controls” deemed necessary by FDA to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the device. Premarket review and clearance by the FDA for Class II devices is accomplished through the 510(k) premarket notification procedure, though certain Class II devices are exempt from this premarket review process. When a 510(k) is required, the manufacturer must submit to the FDA a premarket notification submission demonstrating that the device is “substantially equivalent” to a legally marketed device, which in some cases may require submission of clinical data. A legally marketed device is defined by statute to mean a device that was legally marketed prior to May 28, 1976, the date upon which the Medical Device Amendments of 1976 were enacted, or another commercially available, similar device that was cleared through the 510(k) process. Unless a specific exemption applies, 510(k) premarket notification submissions are subject to user fees. If the FDA determines that the device, or its intended use, is not substantially equivalent to a legally marketed device, the FDA will place the device, or the particular use of the device, into Class III, and the device sponsor must then fulfill much more rigorous premarketing requirements in the form of a premarket approval, or PMA.

A Class III device includes devices deemed by the FDA to pose the greatest risk such as life-supporting or life-sustaining devices, or implantable devices, in addition to a device that has a new intended use or utilizes advanced technology that is not substantially equivalent to that of a legally marketed device. The safety and effectiveness of Class III devices cannot be assured solely by general and special controls. These devices almost always require formal clinical studies to demonstrate safety and effectiveness. Submission and FDA approval of a PMA application is required before marketing of a Class III device can proceed.

We believe our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology under development will be a Class II medical device. The FDA has not made any determination about whether our specific technology is a Class II medical device. While such a determination is not necessary in order for us to list a device with the FDA and bring that device to the U.S. market, we may decide to get clarification from the FDA prior to introducing a product into the market. From time to time, the FDA may disagree with the classification and require us to apply for approval as a Class III medical device. In the event that the FDA determines that our technology should be classified as Class III, we could be precluded from marketing the devices for clinical use within the United States for months, years or longer, depending on the specific change in the classification. Reclassification of our technology as Class III could significantly increase our regulatory costs, including the timing and expense associated with required clinical trials and other costs.

If the FDA requires us to go through more costly, lengthy and uncertain PMA process for our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology, future products or modifications to existing products than we had expected, we may be less likely to receive approval for our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology or such approval may take longer and be more costly.

The FDA can delay, limit or deny clearance or approval of a device for many reasons, including:

When FDA approval of a device requires human clinical trials, and if the device presents a “significant risk” to human health, the device sponsor is required to file an investigational device exemption, or IDE, application with the FDA and obtain IDE approval prior to commencing the human clinical trial. If the device is considered a “non-significant risk,” IDE submission to FDA is not required. Instead, only approval from the Institutional Review Board, or IRB, overseeing the investigation at each clinical trial site is required. Human clinical studies are generally required in connection with approval of Class III devices and may be required for Class I and II devices. The FDA or the IRB at each institution at which a clinical trial is being performed may suspend a clinical trial at any time for various reasons, including a belief that the subjects are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk. We believe that we will need to complete human clinical trials and submit an application for an IDE in order to seek approval to use of our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology for stimulation and ablation but not for diagnostic purposes. Because any IDE, if required, must be cleared by the FDA prior to the start of a clinical investigation, this requirement may delay our product development or clinical trial efforts. Any delay in, or failure to receive or maintain, clearance or approval for our products under development could prevent us from generating revenue from these products or achieving profitability.

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 products under development or impact our ability to modify our currently cleared or approved products on a timely basis.

After the FDA permits a device to enter commercial distribution, numerous regulatory requirements apply. These include: compliance with the QSR, which requires manufacturers to follow elaborate design, testing, control, documentation and other quality assurance procedures during the manufacturing process; labeling regulations; the FDA’s general prohibition against promoting products for unapproved or “off-label” uses; the reports of Corrections and Removals regulation, which requires manufacturers to report recalls and field actions to the FDA if initiated to reduce a risk of health posed by the device or to remedy a violation of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act; and the Medical Device Reporting regulation, which requires that manufacturers report to the FDA if their device 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 it were to reoccur. Manufacturers are also required to register and list their devices with the FDA, based on which the FDA will conduct inspections to ensure continued compliance with applicable regulatory requirements.

The FDA has broad post-market and regulatory and enforcement powers. Failure to comply with the applicable U.S. medical device regulatory requirements could result in, among other things, warning letters; fines; injunctions; consent decrees; civil penalties; repairs, replacements or refunds; recalls, corrections or seizures of products; total or partial suspension of production; the FDA’s refusal to grant future premarket clearances or approvals; withdrawals or suspensions of current product applications; and criminal prosecution. Regulatory enforcement or inquiries, or other increased scrutiny on us, could dissuade some people with brain related disorders from using our products and adversely affect our reputation and the perceived accuracy and safety of our products. If any of these events were to occur, they could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

International sales are subject to regulatory requirements in the countries in which our products are sold. The regulatory review process varies from country to country and may in some cases require the submission of clinical data. In addition, the FDA must be notified of, or approve the export to certain countries of devices that require a PMA, and are not yet approved in the United States.

A recall of our products, or the discovery of serious safety issues with our products, could have a significant negative impact on us.

The FDA has the authority to require the recall of commercialized products in the event of material deficiencies or defects in design or manufacture or in the event that a product poses an unacceptable risk to health. Our third-party suppliers may, under their own initiative, recall a product if any material deficiency in a device is found. A government-mandated or voluntary recall by us or one of our third-party distributors, if any, could occur as a result of an unacceptable risk to health, component failures, manufacturing errors, design or labeling defects or other deficiencies and issues. Recalls of any of our products would divert managerial and financial resources and have an adverse effect on our reputation, financial condition and operating results, which could impair our ability to produce our products in a cost-effective and timely manner.

Further, under the FDA’s medical device reporting regulations, we are required to report to the FDA any incident in which our product may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury or in which our product malfunctioned and, if the malfunction were to recur, would likely cause or contribute to death or serious injury. Repeated product malfunctions may result in a voluntary or involuntary product recall, which could divert managerial and financial resources, impair our ability to manufacture our products in a cost-effective and timely manner and have an adverse effect on our reputation, financial condition and operating results.

Any adverse event involving our products could result in future voluntary corrective actions, such as recalls or customer notifications, or regulatory agency action, which could include inspection, mandatory recall or other enforcement action. Any corrective action, whether voluntary or involuntary, will require the dedication of our time and capital, distract management from operating our business and may harm our reputation and financial results.

We will be subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Bribery Act and other anti-corruption and anti-money-laundering laws, as well as export control laws, customs laws, sanctions laws and other laws governing our future global operations. If we fail to comply with these laws, we could be subject to civil or criminal penalties, other remedial measures and legal expenses, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our future global operations will expose us to trade and economic sanctions and other restrictions imposed by the United States, the European Union and other governments and organizations. The U.S. Departments of Justice, Commerce, State and Treasury and other federal agencies and authorities have a broad range of civil and criminal penalties they may seek to impose against corporations and individuals for violations of economic sanctions laws, export control laws, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or the FCPA, and other federal statutes and regulations, including those established by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC. In addition, the U.K. Bribery Act of 2010, or the Bribery Act, prohibits both domestic and international bribery, as well as bribery across both private and public sectors. An organization that “fails to prevent bribery” by anyone associated with the organization can be charged under the Bribery Act unless the organization can establish the defense of having implemented “adequate procedures” to prevent bribery. Under these laws and regulations, as well as other anti-corruption laws, anti-money-laundering laws, export control laws, customs laws, sanctions laws and other laws governing our operations, various government agencies may require export licenses, may seek to impose modifications to business practices, including cessation of business activities in sanctioned countries or with sanctioned persons or entities and modifications to compliance programs, which may increase compliance costs, and may subject us to fines, penalties and other sanctions. A violation of these laws or regulations could adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We will implement and maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance by us, and our directors, officers, employees, representatives, third-party distributors, if any, consultants and agents with the FCPA, OFAC restrictions, the Bribery Act and other export control, anticorruption, anti-money-laundering and anti-terrorism laws and regulations. We cannot assure you, however, that our policies and procedures will be sufficient or that directors, officers, employees, representatives, third-party distributors, if any, consultants and agents have not engaged and will not engage in conduct for which we may be held responsible, nor can we assure you that our business partners have not engaged and will not engage in conduct that could materially affect their ability to perform their contractual obligations to us or even result in our being held liable for such conduct. Violations of the FCPA, OFAC restrictions, the Bribery Act or other export control, anti-corruption, anti-money-laundering and anti-terrorism laws or regulations may result in severe criminal or civil sanctions, and we may be subject to other liabilities, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

We are subject to additional federal, state and foreign laws and regulations relating to our healthcare business; our failure to comply with those laws could have an adverse impact on our business.

Although we will not provide healthcare services, submit claims for third-party reimbursement, or receive payments directly from government health insurance programs or other third-party payors for our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology, we are subject to healthcare fraud and abuse regulation and enforcement by federal, state and foreign governments, which could adversely impact our business. Healthcare fraud and abuse and health information privacy and security laws potentially applicable to our operations include, but are not limited to:

The risk of our being found in violation of these laws and regulations is increased by the fact that the scope and enforcement of these laws is uncertain, many of them have not been fully interpreted by the regulatory authorities or the courts, their provisions are open to a variety of interpretations, or they vary country by country. We are unable to predict what additional federal, state or foreign legislation or regulatory initiatives may be enacted in the future regarding our business or the healthcare industry in general, or what effect such legislation or regulations may have on us. Federal, state or foreign governments may (i) impose additional restrictions or adopt interpretations of existing laws that could have a material adverse effect on us or (ii) challenge our current or future activities under these laws. Any of these challenges could impact our reputation, business, financial condition and operating results.

If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the laws described above or any other governmental regulations that apply to us now or in the future, we may be subject to penalties, including civil and criminal penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement of profits, exclusion from governmental health care programs, and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our financial results. Any federal, state or foreign regulatory review to which we may become subject, regardless of the outcome, would be costly and time-consuming.

For example, to enforce compliance with the federal laws, the U.S. Department of Justice, or DOJ, has recently increased its scrutiny of interactions between healthcare companies and healthcare providers, which has led to a number of investigations, prosecutions, convictions and settlements in the healthcare industry. Dealing with investigations can be time and resource consuming and can divert management’s attention from our core business. Additionally, if we settle an investigation with law enforcement or other regulatory agencies, we may be forced to agree to additional onerous compliance and reporting requirements as part of a consent decree or corporate integrity agreement. Any such investigation or settlement could increase our costs or otherwise have an adverse effect on our business.

We may be liable if the FDA or another regulatory agency concludes that we have engaged in the off-label promotion of our products.

Our promotional materials and training methods must comply with FDA and other applicable laws and regulations, including the prohibition of the promotion of the off-label use of our products. Healthcare providers may use our products, if approved, off-label, as the FDA does not restrict or regulate a physician’s choice of treatment within the practice of medicine. However, if the FDA determines that our promotional materials or training constitute promotion of an off-label use, it could request that we modify our training or promotional materials or subject us to regulatory or enforcement actions, including the issuance of an untitled letter, a warning letter, injunction, seizure, civil fine and criminal penalties. It is also possible that other federal, state or foreign enforcement authorities might take action if they consider our promotional or training materials to constitute promotion of an unapproved use, which could result in significant fines or penalties. Although we intend to train our marketing and direct sales force to not promote our products for uses outside of their cleared uses and our policy will be to refrain from statements that could be considered off-label promotion of our products, the FDA or another regulatory agency could disagree and conclude that we have engaged in off-label promotion. In addition, the off-label use of our products may increase the risk of product liability claims. Product liability claims are expensive to defend and could result in substantial damage awards against us and harm our reputation.

Further, if we seek commercial approval in Europe, the advertising and promotion of our products is subject to the laws of EEA Member States implementing Directive 93/42/EEC concerning medical devices, Directive 2006/114/EC concerning misleading and comparative advertising, and Directive 2005/29/EC on unfair commercial practices, as well as other EEA Member State legislation governing the advertising and promotion of medical devices. A new Medical Device Regulation (2017/745) that replaced Directive 93/42/EEC was published in 2017, with a three year implementation period, which will impose significant additional premarket and post-market certification requirements on medical devices marketed in the EU. EEA Member State legislation may also restrict or impose limitations on our ability to advertise our products directly to the general public. In addition, voluntary EU and national codes of conduct provide guidelines on the advertising and promotion of our products to the general public and may impose limitations on our promotional activities with healthcare providers harming our business, operating results and financial condition.

Legislative or regulatory healthcare reforms may make it more difficult and costly for us to obtain regulatory clearance or approval of our products.

Recent political, economic and regulatory influences are subjecting the healthcare industry to fundamental changes. The sales of our products depend in part on the availability of coverage and reimbursement from third-party payors such as government health administration authorities, private health insurers, health maintenance organizations and other healthcare-related organizations. Both the federal and state governments in the United States continue to propose and pass new legislation and regulations designed to contain or reduce the cost of healthcare. This legislation and regulation may result in decreased reimbursement for medical devices, which may further exacerbate industry-wide pressure to reduce the prices charged for medical devices. This could harm our ability to market our products and generate sales.

In addition, FDA regulations and guidance are often revised or reinterpreted by the FDA in ways that may significantly affect our business and our products. Any new regulations or revisions or reinterpretations of existing regulations may impose additional costs or lengthen review times of our products. Delays in receipt of or failure to receive regulatory clearances or approvals for our products would harm our business, financial condition and operating results.

While one often stated goal of healthcare reform is to expand coverage to more individuals, it also involves increased government price controls, additional regulatory mandates and other measures designed to constrain medical costs. For example, the ACA was enacted in March 2010. The ACA substantially changes the way healthcare is financed by both governmental and private insurers, encourages improvements in the quality of healthcare items and services and significantly impacts the medical device industries. Among other things, the ACA:

At this time, we cannot predict which, if any, additional healthcare reform proposals will be adopted, when they may be adopted or what impact they, or the ACA, may have on our business and operations, and any of these impacts may be adverse on our operating results and financial condition. Our financial performance may be adversely affected by medical device tax provisions in the healthcare reform laws.

The ACA imposes, among other things, an annual excise tax of 2.3% on any entity that manufactures or imports medical devices offered for sale in the United States beginning in 2013. Due to subsequent legislative amendments, the excise tax has been suspended from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2019, and, absent further legislative action, will be reinstated starting January 1, 2020. We do not believe that our cortical strip, grid electrode and depth electrode technology under development is currently subject to this tax based on the retail exemption under applicable Treasury Regulations. However, the availability of this exemption is subject to interpretation by the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, and the IRS may disagree with our analysis. In addition, future products that we manufacture, produce or import may be subject to this tax. The financial impact this tax may have on our business is unclear and there can be no assurance that our business will not be materially adversely affected by it.

Tax matters, including the changes in corporate tax rates, disagreements with taxing authorities and imposition of new taxes could impact our results of operations and financial condition.

We are subject to income and other taxes in the U.S. and our operations, plans and results are affected by tax and other initiatives. On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R. 1) (the “Tax Act”) was signed into law by President Trump. The Tax Act contains significant changes to corporate taxation, including reduction of the corporate tax rate from a top marginal rate of 35% to a flat rate of 21%, limitation of the tax deduction for interest expense to 30% of earnings (except for certain small businesses), limitation of the deduction for net operating losses to 80% of current year taxable income and elimination of net operating loss carrybacks, one-time taxation of offshore earnings at reduced rates regardless of whether they are repatriated, elimination of U.S. tax on foreign earnings (subject to certain important exceptions), immediate deductions for certain new investments instead of deductions for depreciation expense over time, and modifying or repealing many business deductions and credits. Notwithstanding the reduction in the corporate income tax rate, the overall impact of the new federal tax law is uncertain and our business and financial condition could be adversely affected. While the new federal tax law did not extend the moratorium on the medical device excise tax, the reinstatement of which could negatively impact our operating results as we begin full commercialization of our platforms in the United States, the moratorium was subsequently extended until 2020. It is also unknown if and to what extent various states will conform to the newly enacted federal tax law. The impact of this tax reform on holders of our common stock is likewise uncertain and could be adverse.  The decrease in the corporate tax rate will result in changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities. Any such change in valuation could have a material impact on our income tax expense and deferred tax balances.

We are also subject to regular reviews, examinations, and audits by the Internal Revenue Service and other taxing authorities with respect to our taxes. Although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, if a taxing authority disagrees with the positions we have taken, we could face additional tax liability, including interest and penalties. There can be no assurance that payment of such additional amounts upon final adjudication of any disputes will not have a material impact on our results of operations and financial position.

We also need to comply with new, evolving or revised tax laws and regulations. The enactment of or increases in tariffs, or other changes in the application or interpretation of the Tax Act, or on specific products that we sell or with which our products compete, may have an adverse effect on our business or on our results of operations.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

Because our common stock is not listed on any national securities exchange, investors may find it difficult to buy and sell our shares.

Our common stock is not listed on any national securities exchange. Accordingly, investors may find it more difficult to buy and sell our shares than if our common stock was traded on an exchange. Although our common stock is traded on the OTCQB it is an unorganized, inter-dealer, over-the-counter market which provides significantly less liquidity than the NASDAQ Capital Market or other national securities exchange. There has been limited trading to date in our common stock. These factors may have an adverse impact on the trading and price of our common stock.

The market price of our common stock is, and is likely to continue to be, highly volatile and subject to wide fluctuations .

The market price of our common stock is highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to a number of factors that are beyond our control, including:

Our common stock has in the past been, and may in the future be, considered a “penny stock” and thus may be subject to additional sale and trading regulations that may make it more difficult to buy or sell.

Our common stock, which is traded on the OTCQB, has in the past been, and may in the future be, considered a “penny stock” and securities broker-dealers participating in sales of common stock may be subject to the “penny stock” regulations set forth in Rules 15g-2 through 15g-9 promulgated under the Exchange Act. Generally, brokers may be less willing to execute transactions in securities subject to the “penny stock” rules. This may make it more difficult for investors to dispose of our common stock and cause a decline in the market value of our stock.

We do not intend to pay dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future.

We have paid no dividends on our common stock to date and we do not anticipate paying any dividends to holders of our common stock in the foreseeable future. While our future dividend policy will be based on the operating results and capital needs of the business, we currently anticipate that any earnings will be retained to finance our future expansion and for the implementation of our business plan. Investors should take note of the fact that a lack of a dividend can further affect the market value of our common stock, and could significantly affect the value of any investment in the Company.

Our certificate of incorporation allow for our board to create new series of preferred stock without further approval by our stockholders, which could adversely affect the rights of the holders of our common stock.

Our Board of Directors has the authority to fix and determine the relative rights and preferences of preferred stock. Our Board of Directors has the authority to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of our preferred stock without further stockholder approval. As a result, our Board of Directors could authorize the issuance of a series of preferred stock that would grant to holders the preferred right to our assets upon liquidation, the right to receive dividend payments before dividends are distributed to the holders of common stock and the right to the redemption of the shares, together with a premium, prior to the redemption of our common stock. In addition, our Board of Directors could authorize the issuance of a series of preferred stock that has greater voting power than our common stock or that is convertible into our common stock, which could decrease the relative voting power of our common stock or result in dilution to our existing stockholders. Although we have no present intention to issue any shares of preferred stock or to create any series of preferred stock, we may create such series and issue such shares in the future.

Additional stock offerings in the future may dilute then-existing shareholders’ percentage ownership of the Company.

Given our plans and expectations that we may need additional capital and personnel, we may need to issue additional shares of common stock or securities convertible or exercisable for shares of common stock, including convertible preferred stock, convertible notes, stock options or warrants. The issuance of additional securities in the future will dilute the percentage ownership of then current stockholders.