XDSL MPhase Technologies Inc (CE)

Summary of Risk Factors

Our business and our ability to execute our business strategy are subject to a number of risks of which you should be aware of before you decide to buy our securities. In particular, you should carefully consider following risks, which are discussed more fully in “Risk Factors” beginning on page 16 of this prospectus:

We are a smaller reporting company within the meaning of the rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to smaller reporting companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.

We are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Rule 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our Common Stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the end of the prior June 30^th, or (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our Common Stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30^th. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.

We have elected to take advantage of certain of the reduced disclosure obligations in the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part and may elect to take advantage of other reduced reporting requirements in future filings. As a result, the information that we provide to our stockholders may be different from what you might receive from other public reporting companies in which you hold equity interests. References herein to “smaller reporting company” shall have the meaning associated with it in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K.

RISK FACTORS

Investing in our securities involves a great deal of risk. Careful consideration should be made of the following factors as well as other information included in this prospectus before deciding to purchase our securities. There are many risks that affect our business and results of operations, some of which are beyond our control. Our business, financial condition or operating results could be materially harmed by any of these risks. This could cause the trading price of our securities to decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment. Additional risks that we do not yet know of or that we currently think are immaterial may also affect our business and results of operations.

We intend to effect a reverse stock split of our Common Stock in order to uplist our Common Stock on Nasdaq in connection with this offering. However, we cannot guarantee that such reverse stock split will occur based on any specific ratio or that Nasdaq will approve our initial listing application for our Common Stock upon such reverse stock split. If such reverse stock split is not effected or if our listing application is not approved by Nasdaq, we will not be able to consummate this offering and will terminate this offering.

Risks Relating to Our Business

Global or regional health pandemics or epidemics, including COVID-19, could negatively impact our business operations, financial performance and results of operations.

Our business and financial results could be negatively impacted by the recent outbreak of COVID-19 or other pandemics or epidemics. The severity, magnitude and duration of the current COVID-19 pandemic is uncertain, rapidly changing and hard to predict. During 2020, 2021, and 2022 to date, COVID-19 has significantly impacted economic activity and markets around the world, and it can unpredictably negatively impact our business in numerous ways, including but not limited to those outlined below:  

These and other impacts of the COVID-19 or other global or regional health pandemics or epidemics can have an unpredictable effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section. We might not be able to predict or respond to all impacts on a timely basis to prevent near- or long-term adverse impacts to our results. The ultimate impact of these disruptions also depends on events beyond our knowledge or control, including the duration and severity of any outbreak and actions taken by parties other than us to respond to them. Any of these disruptions could have a negative impact on our business operations, financial performance and results of operations, which impact could be material.

We have reported net operating losses for each of our fiscal years from our inception in 1996 through the present and may not be able to operate profitability in the future.

As of December 31, 2021, we have had net losses of approximately $225,867,206 since our inception in 1979 and cannot be certain when or if we will ever be profitable. If we continue to incur losses as we have in the past, investors may not receive any return on their investment and may lose their entire investment. Our prospects must be considered speculative in light of the risks, expenses and difficulties frequently encountered by companies with new products in their early stages of development, particularly in light of the uncertainties relating to the new, competitive and rapidly evolving markets in which we operate. To attempt to address these risks, we must, among other things, further develop our technologies, products and services, successfully implement our research, development, marketing and commercialization strategies, respond to competitive developments and attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel. A substantial risk is involved in investing in us because, as a company we have fewer resources than an established company, and we may be more vulnerable operationally and financially to external factors beyond our control.

We generated net income of $194,203 and $1,725,706 for the six months ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. If we are unable to maintain profitability, we may be unable to continue our operations.

We will require additional financing in the future to fund our operations which may cause dilution to our existing stockholders or restrict our operations.

We will need additional capital in the future to continue to execute our business plan. Therefore, we will be dependent upon additional capital in the form of either debt or equity to continue our operations. At the present time, we do not have arrangements to raise all of the needed additional capital, and we will need to identify potential investors and negotiate appropriate arrangements with them. Our ability to obtain additional financing will be subject to a number of factors, including market conditions, our operating performance and investor sentiment. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the ownership interests of our stockholders will be diluted, and the terms of such financings may include liquidation or other preferences, anti-dilution rights, and other provisions that may adversely affect the rights of our stockholders, including rights, preferences and privileges that are senior to those of our holders of Common Stock in the event of a liquidation. In addition, debt financing, if available, could include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take certain actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures, or declaring dividends and may require us to grant security interests in our assets. If we are unable to raise additional capital when required or on acceptable terms we may need to curtail or cease our operations.

Our indebtedness and liquidity needs could restrict our operations and make us more vulnerable to adverse economic conditions.

Our existing indebtedness may adversely affect our operations and limit our growth, and we may have difficulty repaying our debt when due. If market or other economic conditions deteriorate, our ability to comply with covenants contained in our debt instruments may be impaired. If we violate any of the restrictions or covenants set forth in our debt instruments, all or a significant portion of our indebtedness may become immediately due and payable. Our inability to make payments on our indebtedness when due may have a material adverse effect on our operations and financial condition.

We may not be able to raise the required capital to conduct our operations and develop and commercialize our products.

We require substantial additional capital resources in order to conduct our operations and develop and commercialize our products and run our facilities. We will need significant additional funds or collaborative partners, or both, to finance the research and development activities of our potential products. Accordingly, we are continuing to pursue additional sources of financing. Our future capital requirements will depend upon many factors, including:

Additional financing through strategic collaborations, public or private equity financings or other financing sources may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. Our prior failure to be timely in our required periodic filings of quarterly and annual financial reports with the SEC may significantly limit our ability to raise additional capital. Additional equity financing could result in significant dilution to our shareholders. Further, if additional funds are obtained through arrangements with collaborative partners, these arrangements may require us to relinquish rights to some of our technologies, product candidates or products that we would otherwise seek to develop and commercialize on our own. If sufficient capital is not available, we may be required to delay, reduce the scope of or eliminate one or more of our programs or potential products, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or business prospects.

We depend on one customer and the loss of this customer would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

At December 31, 2021 and 2020, approximately 100% and 100%, respectively, of accounts receivable were concentrated with one customer located outside the United States. For the six months ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, approximately 100% and 100%, respectively, of revenue were concentrated with the same customer. The loss of this customer, or a substantial decrease in demand by this customer for our products, would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. During December 2021, the Company began invoicing its consumer engagement locations. Although immaterial at December 31, 2021, as these locations continue to grow, the aforementioned one customer will become less of the Company’s total revenue and accounts receivable, thus decreasing the Company’s revenue risk concentrations.

We depend on one primary vendor and the loss of this vendor would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

At December 31, 2021 and 2020, approximately 80% and 97%, respectively, of accounts payable were concentrated with one vendor located in the United States. For the years ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, approximately 100% and 100%, respectively, of cost of revenue were concentrated with the same vendor. The loss of this vendor would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We operate in highly competitive industries.

The artificial intelligence, machine learning, consumer engagement, and EV charging industries are highly competitive. We face competition in the areas of brand recognition, price, convenience and service. A number of our competitors are larger than us and have substantial financial, marketing and other resources as well as substantial operations. In addition, reduced barriers to entry are creating new competition. Furthermore, in order to protect our existing market share or capture increased market share in this highly competitive environment, we may be required to increase expenditures for advertising and continue to introduce and establish new products. Due to inherent risks in the marketplace associated with advertising and new product introductions, including uncertainties about consumer acceptance, increased expenditures may not prove successful in maintaining or enhancing our market share and could impact our operating results. In addition, we may incur increased credit and other business risks because we operate in a highly competitive environment.

All of our business segments face competition that includes both public and private organizations and collaborations among academic institutions and large companies, most of which have significantly greater experience and financial resources than we do.

Private and public academic and research institutions also compete with us in the research and development of products that could affect our patent portfolio. In the past several years, the nanotechnology industry has selectively entered into collaborations with both public and private organizations to explore the development of new products evolving out of research in micro-fluid dynamics.

We depend on certain third parties to assist us in the development of new products, and any failure of those parties to fulfill their obligations could result in costs and delays and prevent us from successfully commercializing our products on a timely basis, if at all.

We engage consultants and contract research organizations to help design, develop and manufacture our products. The consultants and contract research organizations we engage provide us critical skills, resources and finished products for sale that we do not have within our own company. As a result, we depend on these consultants and contract research and product supply organizations to deliver our existing automotive products and to perform the necessary research and development to create new products. We may face delays in developing and bringing new products to market if these parties do not perform their obligations in a timely or competent fashion or if we are forced to change service providers.

We depend on our collaborators to help us develop and test our proposed products, and our ability to develop and commercialize products may be impaired or delayed if collaborations are unsuccessful.

Our strategy for the development, testing and commercialization of certain of our proposed products requires that we enter into collaborations with corporate partners, licensors, licensees and others. Some of these collaborators will be located in India and other countries outside of the United States which pose additional legal and economic risks. We are dependent upon the subsequent success of these other parties in performing their respective responsibilities and the continued cooperation of our partners. Under agreements with collaborators, we may rely significantly on such collaborators to, among other things:

Our collaborators may not cooperate with us or perform their obligations under our agreements with them. We cannot control the amount and timing of our collaborators’ resources that will be devoted to our research and development activities related to our collaborative agreements with them. Our collaborators may choose to pursue existing or alternative technologies in preference to those being developed in collaboration with us.

If various outside vendors and collaborators do not achieve milestones set forth in our agreements, or if our collaborators breach or terminate their collaborative agreements with us, our business may be materially harmed.

Our reliance on the activities of our non-employee consultants, research institutions, and scientific contractors, whose activities are not wholly within our control, may lead to delays in development of our proposed products.

From time to time, we rely upon and have relationships with outside consultants and companies having specialized skills to conduct research. These consultants are not our employees and may have commitments to, or consulting or advisory contracts with, other entities that may limit their availability to us. We have limited control over the activities of these consultants and, except as otherwise required by our collaboration and consulting agreements to the extent they exist, can expect only limited amounts of their time to be dedicated to our activities. These research facilities may have commitments to other commercial and non-commercial entities. We have limited control over the operations of these collaborators and can expect only limited amounts of time to be dedicated to our research and product development goals.

We are dependent upon key personnel whose loss may adversely impact our business. 

Due to the specialized nature of our business, we are highly dependent on our ability to identify, hire, train and retain highly qualified scientific and technical personnel for the research and development activities we conduct or sponsor. The loss of one or more certain key executive officers, or scientists, would be significantly detrimental to us. In addition, recruiting and retaining qualified scientific personnel to perform research and development work is critical to our success. Our anticipated growth and expansion into areas and activities requiring additional expertise, such as new applications for “smart surfaces”, manufacturing and marketing, will require the addition of new management personnel and the development of additional expertise by existing management personnel. Despite the current economic conditions and job market there is significant competition for qualified personnel in the areas of our present and planned activities, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to continue to attract and retain the qualified personnel necessary for the development of our business. Any difficulties in obtaining and retaining qualified personnel could have a material adverse effect on our results of operation or financial condition.

Our acquisition strategy creates risks for our business.

We expect that we may pursue acquisitions of other businesses, assets or technologies to grow our business. We might not be able to raise enough cash to compete for attractive acquisition targets. If we are unable to complete acquisitions in the future, our ability to grow our business at our anticipated rate may be impaired.

We may pay for acquisitions by issuing additional shares of our Common Stock, which would dilute our stockholders, or by issuing debt, which could include terms that restrict our ability to operate our business or pursue other opportunities and subject us to meaningful debt service obligations. We may also use significant amounts of cash to complete acquisitions. Acquisitions involve numerous other risks, including:

Mergers and acquisitions are time intensive, requiring significant commitment of our management team’s focus and resources. If our management team spends too much time focused on recent acquisitions or on potential acquisition targets, our management team may not have sufficient time to focus on our existing business and operations. This diversion of attention could have material and adverse consequences on our operations and our ability to be profitable.

We may fail to realize all of the anticipated benefits of any entities which we acquire, such benefits may take longer to realize than expected or we may encounter significant difficulties integrating acquired businesses into our operations. If our acquisitions do not achieve their intended benefits, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

We believe that businesses we acquire will result in certain benefits, including certain cost synergies and operational efficiencies; however, to realize these anticipated benefits, the businesses we acquire must be successfully combined with our business. The combination of independent businesses is a complex, costly, and time-consuming process that will require significant management attention and resources. The integration process may disrupt the businesses and, if implemented ineffectively, would limit the expected benefits of these acquisitions to us. The failure to meet the challenges involved in integrating acquired businesses and realizing anticipated benefits could cause an interruption of, or a loss of momentum in, our activities and could adversely affect our results of operations.

The overall integration of acquired businesses may result in material unanticipated problems, expenses, liabilities, competitive responses, loss of customer and other business relationships, and diversion of management’s attention. The difficulties of combining the operations of companies include, among others:

Many of these factors are outside of our control and any one of these factors could result in, among other things, increased costs and decreases in the amount of expected revenues, which could materially adversely impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations. In addition, even if we are able to successfully integrate acquired businesses, the full benefits, including the synergies, cost savings, revenue growth, or other benefits that are expected, may not be achieved within the anticipated time frame, or at all. All of these factors could decrease or delay the expected accretive effect of the acquisitions, and negatively impact our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Our insurance policies are limited in scope and coverage and may potentially expose us to unrecoverable risks.

We have limited commercial insurance policies. Any significant insurance claims would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Insurance availability, coverage terms and pricing continue to vary with market conditions. We endeavor to obtain appropriate insurance coverage for insurable risks that we identify, however, we may, due to limited financial resources, be unable to correctly cover those risks that we can anticipate or quantify as insurable risks. We may not be able to obtain appropriate insurance coverage, and insurers may not respond as we intend to cover insurable events that may occur. We have observed rapidly changing conditions in the insurance markets relating to nearly all areas of traditional corporate insurance. Such conditions have resulted in higher premium costs, higher policy deductibles, and lower coverage limits. For some risks, we may not have or maintain insurance coverage because of cost or availability.

Existing coverage may be cancelled while the Company remains exposed to the risk and it is not possible to obtain insurance to protect against all operational risks, natural hazards and liabilities. Although the Company maintains insurance policies that it believes to be adequate, it cannot provide assurance that this insurance will be adequate to protect it from all material judgments and expenses related to potential future claims or that these levels of insurance will be available in the future at economical prices or at all. A successful liability claim could result in substantial cost to the Company. Even if the Company is fully insured as it relates to a claim, the claim could nevertheless diminish the Company’s brand and divert management’s attention and resources, which could have a negative impact on the Company’s business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We have limited product liability insurance within the business liability coverage, which may leave us vulnerable to future claims we will be unable to satisfy. 

The testing, manufacturing, marketing and sale of consumer products entail an inherent risk of product liability claims, and we cannot assure you that substantial product liability claims will not be asserted against us. We have limited product liability insurance. In the event we are forced to expend significant funds on defending product liability actions, and in the event those funds come from operating capital, we will be required to reduce our business activities, which could lead to significant losses.

We cannot assure you that adequate insurance coverage will be available in the future on acceptable terms, if at all, or that, if available, we will be able to maintain any such insurance at sufficient levels of coverage or that any such insurance will provide adequate protection against potential liabilities. Whether or not a product liability insurance policy is obtained or maintained in the future, any product liability claim could harm our business or financial condition.

A portion of our operations is located outside of the United States, which subjects us to additional risks, including increased complexity and costs of managing international operations and geopolitical instability.

We have channel partners and customers that are primarily located in India and U.K. In addition, we conduct research and development activities in the United States and India, and work with third-party contractors in U.K. We also conduct marketing and administrative functions globally. In addition, consultants and employees are located in the United States, India, and the United Kingdom. As a result of our international focus, we face numerous challenges and risks, including:

These risks could harm our international operations, delay new product releases, increase our operating costs, and hinder our ability to grow our operations and business and, consequently, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could suffer. This in turn has led to travel restrictions and may otherwise impact companies’ international operations. At this point, the extent to which the coronavirus may impact our business is uncertain.

Government Regulation

We operate globally and in a rapidly evolving regulatory environment characterized by a heightened regulatory focus on all aspects of the Company’s industry.

We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly.

Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination and results of operations.

Failure to comply with laws relating to labor and employment could subject us to penalties and other adverse consequences.

We are subject to various employment-related laws in the jurisdictions in which we operate and our employees are based. We face risks if we fail to comply with applicable U.S. federal or state wage law or applicable U.S. federal or state labor and employment laws, or wage, labor or employment laws applicable to our employees outside of the United States. Any violation of applicable wage laws or other labor- or employment-related laws could result in complaints by current or former employees, adverse media coverage, investigations, and damages or penalties, which could have a materially adverse effect on our reputation, business, operating results, and prospects. In addition, responding to any such proceeding may result in a significant diversion of management’s attention and resources, significant defense costs, and other professional fees. Further, any legislative or regulatory changes that impact our relationship with our workforce, such as changes to minimum wage requirements or health insurance or other employee benefits mandates, could increase our expenses and adversely affect our operations. While it is our policy and practice to comply with legal and regulatory requirements and our procedures and internal controls are designed to promote such compliance, we cannot assure that all of our operations will comply with all such legal and regulatory requirements. Further, laws and regulations change over time and we may be required to incur significant expenses or to modify our operations in order to ensure compliance. Complying with new legislation or regulations could be time consuming and expensive, and if we are unable to offset increased labor costs related to our retail store operations by increased sales or improved gross margins, this could harm our profitability or financial condition. Moreover, if we are found to be in violation of any laws or regulations, we could become subject to fines, penalties, damages or other sanctions as well as potential adverse publicity or litigation exposure. This could adversely impact our business, reputation, sales, profitability, cash flows or financial condition.

The Company’s business is subject to a wide variety of additional extensive and evolving government laws and regulations. Failure to comply with such laws and regulations could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business.

The Company is subject to a wide variety of laws and regulations relating to various aspects of its business, including with respect to its EV Charging operations, employment and labor, health care, tax, privacy and data security, health and safety, and environmental issues. Laws and regulations at the foreign, federal, state and local levels frequently change, especially in relation to new and emerging industries, and the Company cannot reasonably predict the impact from, or the ultimate cost of compliance with, current or future regulatory or administrative changes. The Company monitors these developments and devotes a significant amount of management’s time and external resources towards compliance with these laws, regulations and guidelines, and such compliance places a significant burden on management’s time and other resources, and it may limit the Company’s ability to expand into certain jurisdictions. Moreover, changes in law, the imposition of new or additional regulations or the enactment of any new or more stringent legislation that impacts the Company’s business could require the Company to change the way it operates and could have a material adverse effect on its sales, profitability, cash flows and financial condition. Failure to comply with these laws or regulations or failure to satisfy any criteria or other requirement under such laws or regulations, such as with respect to obtaining and maintaining licenses, certificates, authorizations and permits critical for the operation of the Company’s business, may result in civil penalties or private lawsuits, or result in a delay or the denial, suspension or revocation of licenses, certificates, authorizations or permits, which would prevent the Company from operating its business.

Any changes in applicable laws could adversely affect the Company’s business and financial condition. Any material failure to comply with applicable laws could result in contract termination, price or fee reductions or suspension or debarment from contracting.

Other Potential Future U.S. Regulation

As we grow our U.S. business and to the extent we become a U.S. governmental contractor, our business will be subject to various additional U.S. regulation and related requirements, including routine investigations and reviews relating to compliance with various U.S. laws and regulations, including those associated with organizational conflicts of interest, procurement integrity, bid integrity and claim presentation, among others.

Our business is subject to the risks of international operations, including movements in foreign currency exchange rates.

The international operations of the company represented approximately 0% and 100% on December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, and may be impacted by currencies other than the U.S. Dollar, including the British Pound and Indian Rupee. Our business and financial results could be adversely affected due to a variety of factors, including:

Control regulations, particularly in emerging markets.

In foreign countries, particularly in those with developing economies, certain business practices may exist that are prohibited by laws and regulations applicable to us, such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Bribery Act and other anti-corruption laws. Although our policies and procedures require compliance with these laws and are designed to facilitate compliance with these laws, our employees, contractors and agents may take actions in violation of applicable laws or our policies. Any such violation, even if prohibited by our policies, could have a material adverse effect on our business and reputation.

We have businesses in emerging markets that may experience significant economic volatility.

We have operations in emerging markets, primarily in the United States, United Kingdom, and India. These emerging market economies tend to be more volatile than the more established markets, which could add volatility to our future revenues and earnings.

Cyber incidents or attacks directed at us could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.

We depend on digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructure and cloud applications and services, including those of third parties with which we may deal. Sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure, or the systems or infrastructure of third parties or the cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data. As an early-stage company without significant investments in data security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences. We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have adverse consequences on our ability to consummate a business combination and lead to financial loss.

Data breaches or incidents involving the Company’s technology or products could damage its business, reputation and brand and substantially harm its business and results of operations.

If the Company’s data and network infrastructure were to fail, or if the Company were to suffer an interruption or degradation of services, or other infrastructure environments, it could lose important manufacturing and technical data, which could harm its business. The Company’s facilities, as well as the facilities of third parties that maintain or have access to the Company’s data or network infrastructure, are vulnerable to damage or interruption from earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, fires, cyber security attacks, terrorist attacks, power losses, telecommunications failures and similar events. In the event that the Company’s or any third-party provider’s systems or service abilities are hindered by any of the events discussed above, the Company’s ability to operate may be impaired and its business could be adversely affected. A decision to close facilities without adequate notice, or other unanticipated problems, could adversely impact the Company’s operations. The Company’s infrastructure also could be subject to break-ins, cyber-attacks, sabotage, intentional acts of vandalism and other misconduct, from a spectrum of actors ranging in sophistication from threats common to most industries to more advanced and persistent, highly organized adversaries. Any security breach, including personal data breaches, or incident, including cybersecurity incidents, that the Company experiences could result in unauthorized access to, misuse of or unauthorized acquisition of its internal sensitive corporate data, such as financial data, intellectual property, or data related to contracts with commercial or government customers or partners. Such unauthorized access, misuse, acquisition, or modification of sensitive data may result in data loss, corruption or alteration, interruptions in the Company’s operations or damage to the Company’s computer hardware or systems or those of its employees and customers. Moreover, negative publicity arising from these types of disruptions could damage the Company’s reputation.

Threats from malicious persons and groups, new vulnerabilities and advanced new attacks against information systems create risk of cybersecurity incidents. These incidents can include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service, or sabotage systems change frequently and may not immediately produce signs of intrusion, the Company may be unable to anticipate these incidents or techniques, timely discover them, or implement adequate preventative measures.

Over the past several years, cyber-attacks have become more prevalent and much harder to detect and defend against. The Company’s network and storage applications may be vulnerable to cyber-attack, malicious intrusion, malfeasance, loss of data privacy or other significant disruption and may be subject to unauthorized access by hackers, employees, consultants or other service providers. In addition, hardware, software or applications the Company develops or procures from third parties may contain defects in design or manufacture or other problems that could unexpectedly compromise information security. Unauthorized parties may also attempt to gain access to the Company’s systems or facilities through fraud, trickery or other forms of deceiving the Company’s employees, contractors and temporary staff. As cyber threats continue to evolve, the Company may be required to expend significant additional resources to continue to modify or enhance its protective measures or to investigate and remediate any cybersecurity vulnerabilities. The Company does not currently have a cyber liability insurance policy and even if a policy is purchased, the Company cannot be certain that its coverage will be adequate for liabilities actually incurred or that insurance will continue to be available to it on economically reasonable terms, or at all.

Significant unavailability of the Company’s services due to attacks could cause users to cease using the Company’s services and materially adversely affect the Company’s business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations. The Company uses software which it has developed, which the Company seeks to continually update and improve. Replacing such systems is often time-consuming and expensive and can also be intrusive to daily business operations. Further, the Company may not always be successful in executing these upgrades and improvements, which may occasionally result in a failure of its systems. The Company may experience periodic system interruptions from time to time. Any slowdown or failure of the Company’s underlying technology infrastructure could harm its business, reputation and ability to execute on its business plan, which could materially adversely affect its results of operations. The Company’s disaster recovery plan or those of its third-party providers may be inadequate.

We must continually maintain, protect and/or upgrade our information technology systems, including protecting our sensitive information from internal and external cybersecurity threats.

Information technology enables us to operate efficiently, interface with customers, maintain financial accuracy and efficiency and accurately produce our financial statements. If we do not appropriately allocate and effectively manage the resources necessary to build and sustain the proper technology infrastructure, we could be subject to transaction errors, processing inefficiencies, the loss of customers, business disruptions, and/or the loss of and/or damage to intellectual property through security breaches, including internal and external cybersecurity threats. cybersecurity attacks are evolving and include, but are not limited to, malicious software (malware, ransomware and viruses), phishing and social engineering, attempts to gain unauthorized access to networks, computer systems and data, malicious or negligent actions of employees (including misuse of information they are entitled to access) and other forms of electronic security breaches that could lead to disruptions in business systems, an inability to process customer orders and/or lost customer orders, unauthorized release of confidential or otherwise protected information and corruption of data.

We rely on relationships with third parties, including suppliers, distributors, contractors, cloud data storage and other information technology service providers and other external business partners, for certain functions or for services in support of our operations. These third-party service providers and partners, with whom we may share data, are subject to similar risks relating to cybersecurity, privacy violations, business interruption, and systems, as well as employee failures. While we strive to have procedures in place for selecting and managing our relationships with third-party service providers and other business partners, we do not have control over their business operations or governance and compliance systems, practices and procedures, which increases our financial, legal, reputational and operational risk. These third parties may experience cybersecurity incidents that may involve data we share with them or rely on them to provide to us, and the need to coordinate with such third parties, including with respect to timely notification and access to personnel and information concerning an incident, may complicate our efforts to resolve any issues that arise.

Given the unpredictability of the timing, nature and scope of such disruptions, we could potentially be subject to operational interruption, damage to our brand image and private data exposure.

Moreover, if our data management systems do not effectively collect, store, process and report relevant data for the operation of our business (whether due to equipment malfunction or constraints, software deficiencies, cybersecurity attack and/or human error), our ability to effectively plan, forecast and execute our business plan and comply with applicable laws and regulations will be impaired, perhaps materially. Any such impairment could materially and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and the timeliness with which we report our internal and external operating results.

If we fail to comply with data privacy and personal data protection laws, we could be subject to adverse publicity, government enforcement actions and/or private litigation, which may negatively impact our business and operating results.

We receive, process, transmit and store information relating to certain identified or identifiable individuals (“personal data”), including current and former employees, in the ordinary course of business. As a result, we are subject to various U.S. federal and state and foreign laws and regulations relating to personal data. These laws are subject to change, and new personal data legislation may be enacted in other jurisdictions at any time. The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”), which was enacted in June 2018 and came into effect on January 1, 2020, provides a new private right of action and statutory damages for certain data breaches and imposes operational requirements on companies that process personal data of California residents, including making new disclosures to consumers about data collection, processing and sharing practices and allowing consumers to opt out of certain data sharing with third parties.

Changes introduced by the CCPA, as well as other changes to existing personal data protection laws and the introduction of such laws in other jurisdictions, subject the Company to, among other things, additional costs and expenses and may require costly changes to our business practices and security systems, policies, procedures and practices. There can be no assurances that our security controls over personal data, training of personnel on data privacy and data security, vendor management processes, and the policies, procedures and practices we implement will prevent the improper processing or breaches of personal data. Data breaches or improper processing, or breaches of personal data in violation of the CCPA and/or of other personal data protection or privacy laws and regulations, could harm our reputation, cause loss of consumer confidence, subject us to government enforcement actions (including fines), or result in private litigation against us, which may result in potential loss of revenue, increased costs, liability for monetary damages or fines and/or criminal prosecution, thereby negatively impacting our business and operating results.

Increasing regulatory focus on privacy issues and expanding laws may impact the Company’s business or expose it to increased liability.

The Company collects and processes customer data, which may include personal data. Due to the sensitivity of the information and data the Company expects to manage in the future, as well as the nature of its customer base, the security features of its information systems are critical. A variety of U.S. federal, state and foreign laws and regulations govern the collection, use, retention, sharing and security of this information. Laws and regulations relating to privacy, data protection and consumer protection are evolving and subject to potentially differing interpretations. These requirements may not be harmonized, may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another or may conflict with other rules or the Company’s practices. As a result, the Company’s practices may not have complied or may not comply in the future with all such laws, regulations, requirements and obligations.

The Company expects that new industry standards, laws and regulations will continue to be proposed regarding privacy, data protection and information security in many jurisdictions, Additionally, the Company stores customer information and content and if its customers fail to comply with their contractual obligations or applicable laws, it could result in litigation or reputational harm to the Company. Laws, regulations, standards and self-regulatory codes may affect the Company’s ability to reach current and prospective customers, understand how the Company’s offerings and services are being used, respond to customer requests allowed under the laws, and implement its new business models effectively. These new laws and regulations would similarly affect the Company’s competitors as well as its customers. These requirements could impact demand for the Company’s offerings and services and result in more onerous contract obligations.

Our internal computer systems, or those of our collaborators or other contractors or consultants, may fail or suffer security breaches, which could result in a material disruption of our product development programs.

Our internal computer systems and those of our current and any future collaborators and other contractors or consultants are vulnerable to damage from computer viruses, unauthorized access, natural disasters, terrorism, war and telecommunication and electrical failures. Such a material system failure, accident or security breach could result in a disruption of our development programs and our business operations, whether due to a loss of our trade secrets or other proprietary information or other similar disruptions. 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, our competitive position could be harmed, and the further development and commercialization of our product candidates could be delayed.

We could be subject to risks caused by misappropriation, misuse, leakage, falsification or intentional or accidental release or loss of information maintained in the information systems and networks of our company and our vendors, including personal information of our employees and study subjects, and company and vendor confidential data. In addition, outside parties may attempt to penetrate our systems or those of our vendors or fraudulently induce our personnel or the personnel of our vendors to disclose sensitive information in order to gain access to our data and/or systems. We may experience threats to our data and systems, including malicious codes and viruses, phishing and other cyberattack. The number and complexity of these threats continue to increase over time. If a material breach of, or accidental or intentional loss of data from, our information technology systems or those of our vendors occurs, the market perception of the effectiveness of our security measures could be harmed and our reputation and credibility could be damaged. We could be required to expend significant amounts of money and other resources to repair or replace information systems or networks. In addition, we could be subject to regulatory actions and/or claims made by individuals and groups in private litigation involving privacy issues related to data collection and use practices and other data privacy laws and regulations, including claims for misuse or inappropriate disclosure of data, as well as unfair or deceptive practices. The development and maintenance of these systems, controls and processes is costly and requires ongoing monitoring and updating as technologies change and efforts to overcome security measures become increasingly sophisticated. Moreover, despite our efforts, the possibility of these events occurring cannot be eliminated entirely. As we outsource more of our information systems to vendors, engage in more electronic transactions with payors and patients, and rely more on cloud-based information systems, the related security risks will increase and we will need to expend additional resources to protect our technology and information systems. In addition, there can be no assurance that our internal information technology systems or those of our third-party contractors, or our consultants’ efforts to implement adequate security and control measures, will be sufficient to protect us against breakdowns, service disruption, data deterioration or loss in the event of a system malfunction, or prevent data from being stolen or corrupted in the event of a cyberattack, security breach, industrial espionage attacks or insider threat attacks which could result in financial, legal, business or reputational harm.

Computer malware, viruses, ransomware, hacking, phishing attacks and similar disruptions could result in security and privacy breaches and interruptions and delays in services and operations, which could harm our business.

Computer malware, viruses, physical or electronic break-ins and similar disruptions could lead to interruptions and delays in our services and operations and loss, misuse or theft of data. Computer malware, viruses, ransomware, hacking, phishing, and other attacks against online networks have become more prevalent and may occur on our systems in the future. We have implemented security measures, such as multi-factor authentication and security incident and event management tools. But any attempts by cyber attackers to disrupt our services or systems, if successful, could harm our business, introduce liability to data subjects, result in the misappropriation of funds, be expensive to remedy and damage our reputation or brand. Insurance may not be sufficient to cover significant expenses and losses related to cyber-attacks. As cyber-attacks evolve, the cost of measures designed to prevent such attacks continues to increase, and we may not be able to cause the implementation or enforcement of such preventions with respect to our third-party vendors. Though it is difficult to determine what, if any, harm may directly result from any specific interruption or attack, any failure to maintain performance, reliability, security and availability of systems and technical infrastructure may, in addition to other losses, harm our reputation, brand and ability to attract customers.

Service disruptions, outages and other performance problems can be caused by a variety of factors, including infrastructure changes, cyber-security threats, third-party service providers, human or software errors and capacity constraints. If our services are unavailable when users attempt to access them, they may seek other services, which could reduce demand for our solutions from target customers.

We have processes and procedures in place designed to enable us to recover from a disaster or catastrophe and continue business operations. However, there are several factors ranging from human error to data corruption that could materially impact the efficacy of such processes and procedures, including by lengthening the time services are partially or fully unavailable to customers and users. It may be difficult or impossible to perform some or all recovery steps and continue normal business operations due to the nature of a particular disaster or catastrophe, especially during peak periods, which could cause additional reputational damages, or loss of revenues, any of which could adversely affect our business and financial results.

Risks related to the EV Market

Changes to fuel economy standards or the success of alternative fuels may negatively impact the EV market and thus impact our products and services.

As regulatory initiatives have required an increase in the mileage capabilities of cars, consumption of renewable transportation fuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, and consumer acceptance of EVs and other alternative vehicles has been increasing. If fuel efficiency of non-electric vehicles continues to rise, whether as the result of regulations or otherwise, and affordability of vehicles using renewable transportation fuels improves, the demand for electric and high energy vehicles could diminish. In addition, the EV fueling model is different than gas or other fuel models, requiring behavior change and education of influencers, consumers and others such as regulatory bodies. Developments in alternative technologies, such as advanced diesel, ethanol, fuel cells or compressed natural gas, or improvements in the fuel economy of the internal combustion engine, may materially and adversely affect demand for EVs and EV charging stations. For example, fuel which is abundant and relatively inexpensive in the United States, such as compressed natural gas, may emerge as a preferred alternative to petroleum-based propulsion. Regulatory bodies may also adopt rules that substantially favor certain alternatives to petroleum-based propulsion over others, which may not necessarily be EVs. This may impose additional obstacles to the purchase of EVs or the development of a more ubiquitous EV market. Finally, the current litigation between the state of California and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) could impact other’s ability to set fuel economy standards that encourage the adoption of EVs and could be followed by many other states. If any of the above cause or contribute to consumers or businesses to no longer purchase EVs or purchase them at a lower rate, it would materially and adversely affect our business, operating results, financial condition and prospects.

If we are unable to keep up with advances in EV technology, we may suffer a decline in our competitive position.

The EV industry is characterized by rapid technological change. If we are unable to keep up with changes in EV technology, our competitive position may deteriorate which would materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, operating results and financial condition. As technologies change, we plan to upgrade or adapt our equipment in order to continue to provide EV charging services with the latest technology. However, due to our limited cash resources, our efforts to do so may be limited. As a result, we may be unable to grow, maintain and enhance the equipment.

Our future growth and success is highly correlated with and thus dependent upon the continuing rapid adoption of EVs for passenger and fleet applications.

Our future growth is dependent upon the adoption of EVs by businesses and consumers. The market for EVs is still rapidly evolving, characterized by rapidly changing technologies, competitive pricing and competitive factors, evolving government regulation and industry standards and changing consumer demands and behaviors, changing levels of concern related to environmental issues and governmental initiatives related to climate change and the environment generally. Although demand for EVs has grown in recent years, there is no guarantee of continuing future demand. If the market for EVs develops more slowly than expected, or if demand for EVs decreases, our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results would be harmed. The market for EVs could be affected by numerous factors, such as: perceptions about EV features, quality, safety, performance and cost; perceptions about the limited range over which EVs may be driven on a single battery charge; competition, including from other types of alternative fuel vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and high fuel-economy internal combustion engine vehicles; volatility in the cost of oil and gasoline; concerns regarding the stability of the electrical grid; the decline of an EV battery’s ability to hold a charge over time; availability of service for EVs; consumers’ perception about the convenience and cost of charging EVs; increases in fuel efficiency; government regulations and economic incentives, including adverse changes in, or expiration of, favorable tax incentives related to EVs, EV charging stations or decarbonization generally; relaxation of government mandates or quotas regarding the sale of EVs; and concerns about the future viability of EV manufacturers. In addition, sales of vehicles in the automotive industry can be cyclical, which may affect growth in acceptance of EVs. It is uncertain how macroeconomic factors will impact demand for EVs, particularly since they can be more expensive than traditional gasoline-powered vehicles, when the automotive industry globally has been experiencing a recent decline in sales. Furthermore, because fleet operators often make large purchases of EVs, this cyclicality and volatility in the automotive industry may be more pronounced with commercial purchasers, and any significant decline in demand from these customers could reduce demand for EV charging and our products and services in particular. Demand for EVs may also be affected by factors directly impacting automobile prices or the cost of purchasing and operating automobiles, such as sales and financing incentives, prices of raw materials and parts and components, cost of fuel and governmental regulations, including tariffs, import regulation and other taxes. Volatility in demand may lead to lower vehicle unit sales, which may result in reduced demand for EV charging solutions and therefore adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

The EV market currently benefits from the availability of rebates, tax credits and other financial incentives from governments, utilities and others to offset the purchase or operating cost of EVs and EV charging stations.

In particular, our marketing efforts have heavily relied upon federal tax credits available to purchasers of its EV charging stations that effectively provide purchasers with a significantly discounted purchase price. The reduction, modification, or elimination of such benefits could cause reduced demand for EVs and EV charging stations, which would adversely affect our financial results. The U.S. federal government, foreign governments and some state and local governments provide incentives to end users and purchasers of EVs and EV charging stations in the form of rebates, tax credits and other financial incentives, such as payments for regulatory credits. The EV market relies on these governmental rebates, tax credits and other financial incentives to significantly lower the effective price of EVs and EV charging stations to customers. However, these incentives may expire on a particular date, end when the allocated funding is exhausted, or be reduced or terminated as a matter of regulatory or legislative policy. The EV charging market is characterized by rapid technological change, which requires us to continue to develop new products and product innovations. Any delays in such development could adversely affect market adoption of its products and our financial results. Continuing technological changes in battery and other EV technologies could adversely affect adoption of current EV charging technology and/or our products. Our future success will depend upon its ability to develop and introduce a variety of new capabilities and innovations to its existing product offerings, as well as introduce a variety of new product offerings, to address the changing needs of the EV charging market. As new products are introduced, gross margins tend to decline in the near term and improves as the product become more mature and with a more efficient manufacturing process. As EV technologies change, we may need to upgrade or adapt to different EV charging stations and introduce new products and services in order to serve vehicles that have the latest technology, in particular battery cell technology, which could involve substantial costs. Even if we are able to keep pace with changes in technology and develop new products and services, its research and development expenses could increase, its gross margins could be adversely affected in some periods and its prior products could become obsolete more quickly than expected.

This prospectus includes estimates of the addressable market for our solutions and the EV market in general. Market opportunity estimates and growth forecasts, whether obtained from third-party sources or developed internally, are subject to significant uncertainty and are based on assumptions and estimates that may prove to be inaccurate. This is especially so at the present time due to the uncertain and rapidly changing projections of the severity, magnitude and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. The estimates and forecasts in this prospectus relating to the size and expected growth of the target market, market demand and adoption, capacity to address this demand and pricing may also prove to be inaccurate. In particular, estimates regarding the current and projected market opportunity are difficult to predict. The estimated addressable market may not materialize for many years, if ever, and even if the markets meet the size estimates and growth forecasted in this prospectus, our business could fail to grow at similar rates.

Some of our products contain open-source software, which may pose particular risks to our proprietary software, products and services in a manner that could harm our business.

We use open-source software in its products and anticipates using open-source software in the future. Some open-source software licenses require those who distribute open-source software as part of their own software product to publicly disclose all or part of the source code to such software product or to make available any derivative works of the open-source code on unfavorable terms or at no cost, and we may be subject to such terms. The terms of many open-source licenses have not been interpreted by U.S. or foreign courts, and there is a risk that open-source software licenses could be construed in a manner that imposes unanticipated conditions or restrictions on our ability to provide or distribute our products or services. In addition, we rely on some open-source software and libraries issued under the General Public License (or similar “copyleft” licenses) for development of its products and may continue to rely on similar copyleft licenses. Third parties may assert a copyright claim against us regarding its use of such software or libraries, which could lead to the adverse results listed above. Use of such software or libraries may also force us to provide third parties, at no cost, the source code to its proprietary software, which may decrease revenue and lessen any competitive advantage we have due to the secrecy of its source code. We could face claims from third parties claiming ownership of, or demanding release of, the open-source software or derivative works that we developed using such software, which could include our proprietary source code, or otherwise seeking to enforce the terms of the applicable open-source license. These claims could result in litigation and could require us to make its software source code freely available, purchase a costly license or cease offering the implicated products or services unless and until we can re-engineer them to avoid infringement, which may be a costly and time-consuming process, and we may not be able to complete the re-engineering process successfully. Additionally, the use of certain open-source software can lead to greater risks than use of third-party commercial software, as open-source licensors generally do not provide warranties or controls on the origin of software. There is typically no support available for open-source software, and we cannot ensure that the authors of such open-source software will implement or push updates to address security risks or will not abandon further development and maintenance. Many of the risks associated with the use of open-source software, such as the lack of warranties or assurances of title or performance, cannot be eliminated, and could, if not properly addressed, could have an adverse effect on our business and results.

Existing and future environmental health and safety laws and regulations could result in increased compliance costs or additional operating costs or construction costs and restrictions. Failure to comply with such laws and regulations may result in substantial fines or other limitations that may adversely impact our financial results or results of operation.

Our operations, as well as those of our contractors, suppliers and customers, are subject to certain environmental laws and regulations, including laws related to the use, handling, storage, transportation and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes as well as electronic wastes and hardware, whether hazardous or not. These laws may require us or others in our value chain to obtain permits and comply with procedures that impose various restrictions and obligations that may have material effects on our operations. If key permits and approvals cannot be obtained on acceptable terms, or if other operational requirements cannot be met in a manner satisfactory for our operations or on a timeline that meets our commercial obligations, it may adversely impact our business. Environmental and health and safety laws and regulations can be complex and may be subject to change, such as through new requirements enacted at the supranational, national, sub-national and/or local level or new or modified regulations that may be implemented under existing law. The nature and extent of any changes in these laws, rules, regulations and permits may be unpredictable and may have material effects on our business. Future legislation and regulations or changes in existing legislation and regulations, or interpretations thereof, including those relating to hardware manufacturing, electronic waste or batteries, could cause additional expenditures, restrictions and delays in connection with our operations as well as other future projects, the extent of which cannot be predicted. Further, we would rely on third parties to ensure compliance with certain environmental laws, including those related to the disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous wastes. Any failure to properly handle or dispose of such wastes, regardless of whether such failure is ours or our contractors, may result in liability under environmental laws, including, but not limited to, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (“CERCLA”), under which liability may be imposed without regard to fault or degree of contribution for the investigation and clean-up of contaminated sites, as well as impacts to human health and damages to natural resources. Additionally, we may not be able to secure contracts with third parties to continue their key supply chain and disposal services for the Company’s business, which may result in increased costs for compliance with environmental laws and regulations.

Interruptions, delays in service or inability to increase capacity, including internationally, at third party data center facilities could impair the use or functionality of our subscription services, harm its business and subject it to liability.  

We might serve customers from third party data center facilities operated by Amazon Web Services (“AWS”) located in the United States, Europe and Canada. Any outage or failure of such data centers could negatively affect our product connectivity and performance. Our primary environments are behind the Content Delivery Network operated by Cloudflare, Inc. (“Cloudflare”), and any interruptions of Cloudflare’s services could negatively affect our product connectivity and performance. Furthermore, we depend on connectivity from its charging stations to its data centers through cellular service providers, such as Verizon. Any incident affecting a data center facility’s or a cellular service provider’s infrastructure or operations, whether caused by fire, flood, severe storm, earthquake, power loss, telecommunications failures, breach of security protocols, computer viruses and disabling devices, failure of access control mechanisms, natural disasters, war, criminal act, military actions, terrorist attacks and other similar events could negatively affect the use, functionality or availability of our services. Any damage to, or failure of, our systems, or those of its third-party providers, could interrupt or hinder the use or functionality of its services. Impairment of or interruptions in our services may reduce revenue, subject it to claims and litigation, cause customers to terminate their subscriptions, and adversely affect renewal rates and its ability to attract new customers. Our business will also be harmed if customers and potential customers believe its products and services are unreliable.

Our business will depend on customers renewing their services subscriptions. If customers do not continue to use its subscription offerings or if they fail to add more stations, its business and operating results will be adversely affected.

In addition to selling charging station hardware, we also depend on customers continuing to subscribe to its EV charging services and extended warranty coverages. Therefore, it is important that customers renew their subscriptions when the contract term expires and add additional charging stations and services to their subscriptions. Customers may decide not to renew their subscriptions with a similar contract period, at the same prices or terms or with the same or a greater number of users, stations or level of functionality. Customer retention may decline or fluctuate as a result of a number of factors, including satisfaction with software and features, functionality of the charging stations, prices, features and pricing of competing products, reductions in spending levels, mergers and acquisitions involving customers and deteriorating general economic conditions.

If customers do not renew their subscriptions, if they renew on less favorable terms or if they fail to add products or services, our business and operating results will be adversely affected.

Changes in subscriptions or pricing models may not be reflected in near-term operating results. We generally recognize subscription revenue from customers ratably over the terms of their contracts. As a result, most of the subscription revenue reported in each quarter is derived from the recognition of deferred revenue relating to subscriptions entered into during previous quarters. Consequently, a decline in new or renewed subscriptions in any single quarter will likely have only a small impact on revenue for that quarter. However, such a decline will negatively affect revenue in future quarters. In addition, the severity and duration of events may not be predictable, and their effects could extend beyond a single quarter. Accordingly, the effect of significant downturns in sales and market acceptance of subscription services, and potential changes in pricing policies or rate of renewals, may not be fully apparent until future periods.

We may face risks related to companies in the technology sector.

Business combinations with companies in the technology sector entail special considerations and risks. If we are successful in completing a business combination with such a target business, we may be subject to, and possibly adversely affected by, the following risks:

Any of the foregoing could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations following a business combination.

Past performance by our management team may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us.

Past performance by our management team is not a guarantee either (i) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate or (ii) that we will be able to locate a suitable candidate for our initial business combination. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team’s performance as indicative of our future performance of an investment in the company or the returns the company will, or is likely to, generate going forward. Additionally, in the course of their respective careers, members of our management team have been involved in businesses and deals that were unsuccessful.

We may be subject to an increased rate of tax on our income if we are treated as a personal holding company.

Depending on the date and size of our initial business combination, it is possible that we could be treated as a “personal holding company” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A U.S. corporation generally will be classified as a personal holding company for U.S. federal income tax purposes in a given taxable year if more than 50% of its ownership (by value) is concentrated, within a certain period of time, in five or fewer individuals (without regard to their citizenship or residency and including as individuals for this purpose certain entities such as certain tax-exempt organizations, pension funds, and charitable trusts), and at least 60% of its income is comprised of certain passive items. See the section titled “Material U.S. Federal Tax Considerations — Personal Holding Company Status” for more detailed information. 

Risks Related to Intellectual Property

Certain aspects of our technology are not protectable by patent or copyright.

Certain parts of our know-how and technology are not patentable. To protect our proprietary position in such know-how and technology, we require all employees, consultants, advisors and collaborators with access to our technology to enter into confidentiality and invention ownership agreements with us. We cannot ensure that these agreements will provide meaningful protection for our trade secrets, know-how or other proprietary information in the event of any unauthorized use or disclosure. Further, in the absence of patent protection, competitors who independently develop substantially equivalent technology may harm our business.

We may not be able to adequately defend against piracy of intellectual property in foreign jurisdictions.

Considerable research in the areas of micro fluid dynamics is being performed in countries outside of the United States, and a number of potential competitors are located in these countries. The laws protecting intellectual property in some of those countries may not provide adequate protection to prevent our competitors from misappropriating our intellectual property. Several of these potential competitors may be further along in the process of product development and also operate large, company-funded research and development programs. As a result, our competitors may develop more competitive or affordable products, or achieve earlier patent protection or product commercialization than we are able to achieve. Competitive products may render any products or product candidates that we develop obsolete.

We may not be able to protect our proprietary technology, which could harm our ability to operate profitably.

Patent and trade secret protection is critical for the new technologies we utilize, artificial intelligence, machine learning and nanotechnology and microfluidics, as well as the products and processes derived through them. Our success will depend, to a substantial degree, on our ability to obtain and enforce patent protection for our products, preserve any trade secrets and operate without infringing the proprietary rights of others. We cannot assure you that:

The fields in which we operate have been characterized by significant efforts by competitors to establish dominant or blocking patent rights to gain a competitive advantage, and by considerable differences of opinion as to the value and legal legitimacy of competitors’ purported patent rights and the technologies they actually utilize in their businesses.

We may incur substantial expenditures in the future in order to protect our intellectual property.

We believe that our intellectual property with respect to our Smart NanoBattery, our proprietary rights with respect to the Company’s permeable membrane design consisting of both micro and nano scale silicon features that are coated with a monolayer chemistry used to repel liquids, and our recent entry into the area of artificial intelligence and machine learning are critical to our future success. The Company’s current battery related patent portfolio consists of Smart Surfaces technologies. Our pending patent applications may never be granted for various reasons, including the existence of conflicting patents or defects in our applications. Even if additional U.S. patents are ultimately granted, there are significant risks regarding enforcement of patents in international markets. There are many patents being filed as the science of nanotechnology develops and the Company has limited financial resources compared to large, well established companies to bring patent litigation based upon claims of patent infringement.

In the event litigation over patent matters with one or more of our competitors arise, we could incur substantial litigation or interference costs in defending ourselves against suits brought against us or in suits in which we may assert our patents against others. If the outcome of any such litigation is unfavorable, our business could be materially adversely affected. To determine the priority of inventions, we may also have to participate in interference proceedings declared by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, which could result in substantial cost to us. Without additional capital, we may not have the resources to adequately defend or pursue this litigation.

Patents obtained by other persons may result in infringement claims against us that are costly to defend and which may limit our ability to use the disputed technologies and prevent us from pursuing research and development or commercialization of potential products.

If third party patents or patent applications contain claims infringed by either our technology or other technology required to make and use our potential products and such claims are ultimately determined to be valid, there can be no assurance that we would be able to obtain licenses to these patents at a reasonable cost, if at all, or be able to develop or obtain alternative technology. If we are unable to obtain such licenses at a reasonable cost, we may not be able to develop some products commercially. We may be required to defend ourselves in court against allegations of infringement of third-party patents. Patent litigation is very expensive and could consume substantial resources and create significant uncertainties. Any adverse outcome in such a suit could subject us to significant liabilities to third parties, require disputed rights to be licensed from third parties, or require us to cease using such technology.

Our current “smart surface technology” is at an early stage of development and we may not develop products that can be commercialized. 

Our smart surface technology has derived very limited revenue from a Phase I Army Grant of approximately $100,000 and a Phase II Army Grant of approximately $750,000 with respect to our Smart NanoBattery product from inception of development in February 2004 through the date hereof. Other material revenue was derived from our series of battery “Jump Starters” in the fiscal years ended 2014 and 2015; products that the Company discontinued beginning in April 2016 owing to contracting margins and increased competition.

Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with our product development and commercialization efforts, we are unable to predict the extent of our future losses or when or if we will become profitable, which, in turn, would result in a loss of investment.

Our failure to continue successful commercialization of our new products in the fields of machine learning and artificial intelligence or successfully commercialize our Smart Nano Battery or to become and remain profitable could depress the market price of our Common Stock and impair our ability to raise capital, expand our business, diversify our product offerings and continue our operations.

Forces outside our control which cannot be predicted, including, but not limited to, general economic conditions and other such forces which include the success of our research and field testing, the availability of collaborative partners to finance our work in pursuing applications of artificial intelligence, machine learning and “smart surfaces” or other developments in the field which, due to efficiencies or technological breakthroughs may render one or more areas of commercialization more attractive, obsolete or competitively unattractive. It is possible that one or more areas of commercialization will not be pursued at all if a collaborative partner or entity willing to fund research and development cannot be located. Our decisions regarding the ultimate products and/or services we pursue could have a significant adverse effect on our ability to earn revenue if we misinterpret trends, underestimate development costs and/or pursue wrong products or services. Any of these factors either alone or in concert could materially harm our ability to earn revenues or could result in a loss of any investment in us.

Our products may not be accepted in the marketplace.

The degree of market acceptance of our products will depend on many factors, including:

We cannot predict or guarantee that either commercial or military entities, in general, will accept or utilize any of our product candidates. Failure to achieve market acceptance would limit our ability to generate revenue and would have a material adverse effect on our business. In addition, if any of our product candidates achieve market acceptance, we may not be able to maintain that market acceptance over time if competing products or technologies are introduced that are received more favorably or are more cost-effective.

If we are unable to keep up with rapid technological changes in our field or compete effectively, we will be unable to operate profitably.

We are engaged in activities in the artificial intelligence, machine learning, nanotechnology and microfluidics field, which is characterized by extensive research efforts and rapid technological progress. If we fail to anticipate or respond adequately to technological developments, our ability to operate profitably could suffer. We cannot assure you that research and discoveries by other companies will not render our technologies or potential products or services uneconomical or result in products superior to those we develop or that any technologies, products or services we develop will be preferred to any existing or newly developed technologies, products or services.

Risks Relating to Our Securities

If we fail to comply with the rules under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“Sarbanes-Oxley”) related to internal controls and procedures in the future, or, if we discover material weaknesses and other deficiencies in our internal controls over financial reporting, our stock price could decline significantly and raising capital could be more difficult.

Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley requires annual management assessments of the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting. If we fail to comply with the rules under Sarbanes-Oxley related to disclosure controls and procedures in the future, or, if we discover material weaknesses and other deficiencies in our internal controls over financial reporting, our stock price could decline significantly and raising capital could be more difficult. If material weaknesses or significant deficiencies are discovered or if we otherwise fail to achieve and maintain the adequacy of our internal controls, we may not be able to ensure that we can conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal controls over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley. Moreover, effective internal controls are necessary for us to produce reliable financial reports and are important to helping prevent financial fraud. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our business and operating results could be harmed, investors could lose confidence in our reported financial information, and the trading price of our Common Stock could drop significantly.

There is no assurance that an active and liquid trading market in our Common Stock will develop.

This offering will close only if our Common Stock and Warrants are accepted to be listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market. There can be no assurance any broker will be interested in trading our Common Stock and/or Warrants. Therefore, it may be difficult to sell any securities you purchase in this offering if you desire or need to sell them. Neither we nor the underwriters can provide any assurance that an active and liquid trading market in our Common Stock and/or Warrants will develop or, if developed, that such markets will continue.

There is no guarantee that we will successfully have our Common Stock and Warrants listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, in which case we will not complete this offering. Even if our Common Stock and Warrants are accepted for listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market, upon our satisfaction of the exchange’s initial listing criteria, the exchange may subsequently delist our Common Stock and/or Warrants if we fail to comply with ongoing listing standards.

In the event we are able to list our Common Stock and Warrants on the Nasdaq Capital Market upon our satisfaction of the exchange’s initial listing criteria, the exchange will require us to meet certain financial, public float, bid price and liquidity standards on an ongoing basis in order to continue the listing of our Common Stock and/or Warrants. If we fail to meet these continued listing requirements, our Common Stock and/or Warrants may be subject to delisting. If our Common Stock and/or Warrants are delisted and we are not able to list such Common Stock and /or Warrants on another national securities exchange, we expect our securities would be quoted on an over-the-counter market; however, if this were to occur, our stockholders could face significant material adverse consequences, including limited availability of market quotations for our Common Stock and /or Warrants and reduced liquidity for the trading of our securities. In addition, in the event of such delisting, we could experience a decreased ability to issue additional securities and obtain additional financing in the future. Even if our Common Stock and/or Warrants are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for our Common Stock and/or Warrants will develop or be sustained after our initial listing.

Restrictions on foreign investment in India may prevent us from making future acquisitions or investments in India, which may adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and financial performance.

India regulates ownership of Indian companies by foreigners, although some restrictions on foreign investment have been relaxed in recent years. These regulations and restrictions may apply to acquisitions by us or our affiliates, including India and affiliates which are not resident in India, of shares in Indian companies or the provision of funding by us or any other entity to Indian companies within our group. For example, under its consolidated foreign direct investment policy, the Government of India has set out additional requirements for foreign investments in India, including requirements with respect to downstream investments by Indian companies owned or controlled by foreign entities and the transfer of ownership or control of Indian companies in sectors with caps on foreign investment from resident Indian persons or entities to foreigners. These requirements, which currently include restrictions on valuations and sources of funding for such investments and may include prior approval from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board, may adversely affect our ability to make investments in India, including through India. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain any required approvals for future acquisitions or investments in India, or that we will be able to obtain such approvals on satisfactory terms.

Our business and activities are regulated by The Competition Act, 2002.

The Competition Act, 2002, as amended, or the Competition Act, several provisions of which have recently come into force, seeks to prevent practices that could have an appreciable adverse effect on competition. Under the Competition Act, any arrangement, understanding or action between enterprises, whether formal or informal, which causes or is likely to cause an appreciable adverse effect on competition, is void and will be subject to substantial penalties. Any agreement that directly or indirectly determines purchase or sale prices, limits or controls production, or creates market sharing by way of geographical area or number of customers in the market is presumed to have an appreciable adverse effect on competition. Provisions relating to the regulations of certain acquisitions, mergers or amalgamations which have an appreciable adverse effect on competition are not yet in force. Such provisions could, if brought into force in the future, be applicable to us.

The effect of the Competition Act on the business environment in India is unclear. If we or any member of our group, including India, are affected, directly or indirectly, by the application or interpretation of any provision of the Competition Act or any enforcement proceedings initiated by the Competition Commission of India or any adverse publicity that may be generated due to scrutiny or prosecution by the Competition Commission of India, our business and financial performance may be materially and adversely affected.

There is no assurance that the Company will maintain its Nasdaq listing and may be subject to “Penny Stock Rules.”

There is no assurance that the Company will be able to maintain its Nasdaq listing, and if it cannot, the Common Stock or Warrants would likely be quoted again on one of the over-the-counter markets operated by the OTC Markets Group, Inc., making it subject to the “penny stock rules.” Rule 15g-9 under the Exchange Act establishes the definition of a “penny stock,” for the purposes relevant to us, as any equity security that has a market price of less than $5.00 per share or with an exercise price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exceptions. For any transaction involving a penny stock, unless exempt, the rules require: (a) that a broker or dealer approve a person’s account for transactions in penny stocks; and (b) the broker or dealer receive from the investor a written agreement to the transaction, setting forth the identity and quantity of the penny stock to be purchased. Although not yet listed on Nasdaq, the Common Stock may still be subject to the Penny Stock rules.

In order to approve a person’s account for transactions in penny stocks, the broker or dealer must: (a) obtain financial information and investment experience objectives of the person and (b) make a reasonable determination that the transactions in penny stocks are suitable for that person and the person has sufficient knowledge and experience in financial matters to be capable of evaluating the risks of transactions in penny stocks.

The broker or dealer must also deliver, prior to any transaction in a penny stock, a disclosure schedule prescribed by the SEC relating to the penny stock market, which, in highlight form: (a) sets forth the basis on which the broker or dealer made the suitability determination; and (b) confirms that the broker or dealer received a signed, written agreement from the investor prior to the transaction. 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 Common Stock.

Disclosure also has to be made about the risks of investing in penny stocks in both public offerings and in secondary trading and about the commissions payable to both the broker or dealer and the registered representative, current quotations for the securities and the rights and remedies available to an investor in cases of fraud in penny stock transactions. Finally, monthly statements have to be sent disclosing recent price information for the penny stock held in the account and information on the limited market in penny stocks

Moreover, if our Common Stock returns to being quoted on OTC Pink, the quotation of our shares on the OTC Pink may result in a less liquid market available for existing and potential stockholders to trade shares of our Common Stock, could depress the trading price of our Common Stock and could have a long-term adverse impact on our ability to raise capital in the future.

We have never paid cash dividends and have no plans to pay cash dividends in the future.

Holders of shares of our Common Stock are entitled to receive such dividends as may be declared by our Board of Directors. To date, we have paid no cash dividends on our capital stock and we do not expect to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future. We intend to retain future earnings, if any, to provide funds for operations of our business. Therefore, any return investors in our capital stock may have will be in the form of appreciation, if any, in the market value of their shares of Common Stock.

Our stock price has fluctuated in the past, has recently been volatile and may be volatile in the future, and as a result, investors in our Common Stock securities could incur substantial losses.

Our stock price has fluctuated in the past, has recently been volatile and may be volatile in the future. We may incur rapid and substantial decreases in our stock price in the foreseeable future that are unrelated to our operating performance or prospects. In addition, the recent COVID-19 pandemic has caused broad stock market and industry fluctuations. The stock market has experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. As a result of this volatility, investors may experience losses on their investment in our Common Stock. The market price for our Common Stock may be influenced by many factors, including the following:

These broad market and industry factors may seriously harm the market price of our Common Stock, regardless of our operating performance. Since the stock price of our Common Stock has fluctuated in the past, has been recently volatile and may be volatile in the future, investors in our Common Stock could incur substantial losses. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market, securities class-action litigation has often been instituted against companies. Such litigation, if instituted against us, could result in substantial costs and diversion of management’s attention and resources, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. There can be no guarantee that our stock price will remain at current prices or that future sales of our Common Stock will not be at prices lower than those sold to investors.

There is no assurance that, if our Common Stock or Warrants become listed on Nasdaq, we will not continue to experience volatility in the prices of our securities.

The OTC Pink, where our Common Stock had been quoted, prior to this offering, is an inter-dealer, over-the-counter market that provides significantly less liquidity than Nasdaq. Our Common Stock is thinly traded due to the limited number of shares available for trading on the OTC Pink thus causing large swings in price. As such, investors and potential investors may find it difficult to obtain accurate stock price quotations, and holders of our Common Stock or Warrants may be unable to resell their securities at or near their original purchase price or at any price. If an active market for our Common securities develops and continues, the prices of our securities may nevertheless be volatile. If our securities experiences volatility as it has in the past, investors may not be able to sell their securities at or above their original purchase price or at any price. Sales of substantial amounts of our securities, or the perception that such sales might occur, could adversely affect prevailing market prices of our securities and our securities price may decline substantially in a short period of time. As a result, our stockholders could suffer losses or be unable to liquidate their holdings. No assurance can be given that the price of our Common Stock and/or Warrants will become less volatile when listed on Nasdaq.

Market prices for our Common Stock and Warrants will be influenced by a number of factors, including:

Market price fluctuations may negatively affect the ability of investors to sell our shares at consistent prices. Additionally, recently, securities of certain companies have experienced significant and extreme volatility in stock price due to short sellers of shares of Common Stock, known as a “short squeeze.” These short squeezes have caused extreme volatility in those companies and in the market and have led to the price per share of those companies to trade at a significantly inflated rate that is disconnected from the underlying value of the company. Many investors who have purchased shares in those companies at an inflated rate face the risk of losing a significant portion of their original investment as the price per share has declined steadily as interest in those stocks have abated. While we have no reason to believe our shares would be the target of a short squeeze, there can be no assurance that we won’t be in the future, and you may lose a significant portion or all of your investment if you purchase our shares at a rate that is significantly disconnected from our underlying value.

Financial reporting obligations of being a public company in the United States are expensive and time-consuming, and our management will be required to devote substantial time to compliance matters.

As a public company we incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses. The obligations of being a public company in the United States require significant expenditures and places significant demands on our management and other personnel, including costs resulting from public company reporting obligations under the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations regarding corporate governance practices, including those under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. These rules require the establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls and procedures, internal control over financial reporting and changes in corporate governance practices, among many other complex rules that are often difficult to implement, monitor and maintain compliance with. Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to ensure that we comply with all of these requirements and to keep pace with new regulations, otherwise we may fall out of compliance and risk becoming subject to litigation, among other potential problems.

The ownership by our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman will likely limit your ability to influence corporate matters.

Mr. Anshu Bhatnagar, our chief executive officer, is the beneficial owner of one thousand (1,000) shares of the outstanding shares of the Company’s Series A Preferred Stock. The 1,000 shares of Series A Preferred Stock shall have that number of votes (identical in every other respect to the voting rights of the holders of Common Stock entitled to vote at any regular or special meeting of stockholders) equal to such number of shares of Common Stock which is not less than fifty-one percent (51%) of the vote required to approve any action, which New Jersey law provides may or must be approved by vote or consent of the holders of Common Stock or the holders of other securities entitled to vote, if any.  As a result, our chief executive officer would have significant influence over most matters that require approval by our stockholders, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions, even if other stockholders oppose them. In addition, Mr. Bhatnagar beneficially owns approximately 47.8% of our issued and outstanding Common Stock. In total, Mr. Bhatnagar presently controls voting power in the amount of approximately 51%. This concentration of ownership might also have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of our company that other stockholders may view as beneficial.

Risks Relating to India

We may be subject to intellectual property infringement claims, which may be expensive to defend and may disrupt our business and operations.

We cannot be certain that our operations or any aspects of our business do not or will not infringe upon or otherwise violate trademarks, patents, copyrights, know-how, or other intellectual property rights held by third parties. We may be from time to time in the future subject to legal proceedings and claims relating to the intellectual property rights of others. In addition, there may be third-party trademarks, patents, copyrights, know-how or other intellectual property rights that are infringed by our products, services or other aspects of our business without our awareness. Holders of such intellectual property rights may seek to enforce such intellectual property rights against us in India, the United States or other jurisdictions. If any third-party infringement claims are brought against us, we may be forced to divert management’s time and other resources from our business and operations to defend against these claims, regardless of their merits. Additionally, the application and interpretation of India’s intellectual property right laws and the procedures and standards for granting trademarks, patents, copyrights, know-how or other intellectual property rights in India are still evolving and are uncertain, and we cannot assure you that Indian courts or regulatory authorities would agree with our analysis. If we were found to have violated the intellectual property rights of others, we may be subject to liability for our infringement activities or may be prohibited from using such intellectual property, and we may incur licensing fees or be forced to develop alternatives of our own. As a result, our business and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

Our results of operations could be adversely affected by health outbreaks such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

A significant outbreak, epidemic or pandemic of contagious diseases in any geographic area in which we operate or plan to operate could result in a health crisis adversely affecting the economies, financial markets and overall demand for our services in such areas. In addition, any preventative or protective actions that governments implement or that we take in response to a health crisis, such as travel restrictions, quarantines, or site closures, may interfere with the ability of our employees, suppliers and customers to perform their responsibilities. Such results could have a material adverse effect on our business development.

The continued global COVID-19 pandemic has created significant volatility, uncertainty and economic disruption. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact our business, operations and financial results will depend on numerous evolving factors that we may not be able to accurately predict, including: the duration and scope of the pandemic; governmental, business and individuals’ actions, including vaccination requirements, that have been and continue to be taken in response to the pandemic; the impact of the pandemic on economic activity and actions taken in response; the effect on future suppliers demand for our processing technologies and our future customers’ demand for our products; any closures of our and our suppliers’ or customers’ offices and facilities; and the need for enhanced health and hygiene requirements or social distancing or other measures in attempts to counteract future outbreaks in our offices and facilities. Potential business partners may also slow down decision-making, delay planned work or seek to terminate existing agreements. Any of these events could adversely affect our business development and financial condition.

To the extent the COVID-19 pandemic or a similar public health threat has an impact on our business, it is likely to also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section.

A portion of our developmental business operations are located in India and we are subject to regulatory, economic, social and political uncertainties in India.

A substantial portion of our business and employees are located in India. Consequently, our financial performance and the market price of our shares of Common Stock will be affected by changes in exchange rates and controls, interest rates, changes in government policies, including taxation policies, social and civil unrest and other political, social and economic developments in or affecting India.

The Government of India has exercised and continues to exercise significant influence over many aspects of the Indian economy. Since 1991, successive Indian governments have generally pursued policies of economic liberalization and financial sector reforms, including by significantly relaxing restrictions on the private sector. Nevertheless, the role of the Indian central and state governments in the Indian economy as producers, consumers and regulators has remained significant and we cannot assure you that such liberalization policies will continue. The present government, formed in May 2009, has announced policies and taken initiatives that support the continued economic liberalization policies that have been pursued by previous governments. However, the present government is a multiparty coalition and therefore there is no assurance that it will be able to generate sufficient cross-party support to implement such policies or initiatives. The rate of economic liberalization could change, and specific laws and policies affecting travel service companies, foreign investments, currency exchange rates and other matters affecting investments in India could change as well. A significant change in India’s policy of economic liberalization and deregulation or any social or political uncertainties could adversely affect business and economic conditions in India generally and our business and prospects.

Risks Related to the Offering

Investors in this offering will experience immediate and substantial dilution in net tangible book value.

The public offering price will be substantially higher than the net tangible book value per share of our outstanding shares of Common Stock. As a result, investors in this offering will incur immediate dilution of $                  per share. See “Dilution” for a more complete description of how the value of your investment will be diluted upon the completion of this offering.

We may need additional capital, and the sale of additional shares or equity or debt securities could result in additional dilution to our stockholders.

We believe that our current cash and cash used in operations, together with the net proceeds from this offering, will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs for the next 12 months. We may, however, require additional cash resources due to changed business conditions or other future developments. If these resources are insufficient to satisfy our cash requirements, we may seek to sell additional equity or debt securities or obtain one or more credit facilities. The sale of additional equity securities could result in additional dilution to our stockholders. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased debt service obligations and could result in operating and financing covenants that would restrict our operations. It is uncertain whether financing will be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all.

We have broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds from this offering and may not use them effectively.

Our management will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds, including for any of the purposes described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Use of Proceeds.” You will be relying on the judgment of our management with regard to the use of these net proceeds, and you will not have the opportunity, as part of your investment decision, to assess whether the net proceeds are being used appropriately. The failure by our management to apply these funds effectively could result in financial losses that could have a material adverse effect on our business, cause the price of our securities to decline and delay the development of our product candidates. Pending the application of these funds, we may invest the net proceeds from this offering in a manner that does not produce income or that loses value.

Warrants are speculative in nature.

The Warrants offered in this offering do not confer any rights of Common Stock ownership on their holders, such as voting rights or the right to receive dividends, but rather merely represent the right to acquire shares of Common Stock at a fixed price for a limited period of time. Specifically, commencing on the date of issuance, holders of the Warrants may exercise their right to acquire the shares of Common Stock and pay an exercise price of $ per share (with an exercise price no less than 100% of the public offering price of a Unit), prior to five years from the date of issuance, after which date any unexercised Warrants will expire and have no further value. In addition, there is no established trading market for the Warrants and there is no assurance such a market will develop.

Holders of the Warrants will have no rights as a common stockholder until they acquire our shares of Common Stock.

Until holders of the Warrants acquire shares of Common Stock upon exercise of the Warrants, the holders will have no rights with respect to the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants. Upon exercise of the Warrants, the holder will be entitled to exercise the rights of a common stockholder as to the security exercised only as to matters for which the record date occurs after the exercise.

There is no established market for the Warrants to purchase our Common Stock being offered in this offering.

There is no established trading market for the Warrants and there is no assurance a market will develop. Although we have applied to list the Warrants on the Nasdaq Capital Market there can be no assurance that there will be an active trading market for the Warrants. Without an active trading market, the liquidity of the Warrants will be limited.

Provisions of the Warrants offered by this prospectus could discourage an acquisition of us by a third party.

In addition to the discussion of the provisions of our governing organizational documents, certain provisions of the Warrants offered by this prospectus could make it more difficult or expensive for a third party to acquire us. The Warrants prohibit us from engaging in certain transactions constituting “fundamental transactions” unless, among other things, the surviving entity assumes our obligations under the Warrants. These and other provisions of the Warrants offered by this prospectus could prevent or deter a third party from acquiring us even where the acquisition could be beneficial to you. 

There is no current public market for the Units.

There is no established public trading market for the Units of Common Stock or Warrants offered hereby, and we do not expect a market to develop for the Units. The Units have no stand-alone rights and will not be certified or issued as stand-alone securities. The shares of Common Stock and Warrants comprising the Units are immediately separable and will be issued separately in this offering. We do not intend to apply for listing of the Units on any securities exchange or other nationally recognized trading system.

Risks Related to Our Reverse Stock Split

We intend to effect a reverse stock split of our outstanding Common Stock prior to the closing of this offering; however, the reverse stock split may not increase our stock price sufficiently and we may not be able to list our Common Stock and Warrants on Nasdaq, in which case this offering will not be completed.

We expect that the reverse stock split of our outstanding Common Stock will increase the market price of our Common Stock so that we will be able to meet the minimum bid price requirement of the Listing Rules of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC; however, the effect of a reverse stock split upon the market price of our Common Stock cannot be predicted with certainty, and the results of reverse stock splits by companies in similar circumstances have been varied. It is possible that the market price of our Common Stock following the reverse stock split will not increase sufficiently for us to be in compliance with the minimum bid price requirement. If we are unable meet the minimum bid price requirement, we may be unable to list our Common Stock and/or Warrants on The Nasdaq Capital Market, in which case this offering will not be completed.

Even if the reverse stock split achieves the requisite increase in the market price of our Common Stock, we cannot assure you that we will be able to continue to comply with the minimum bid price requirement of Nasdaq.

Even if the reverse stock split achieves the requisite increase in the market price of our Common Stock to be in compliance with the minimum bid price of The Nasdaq Capital Market, there can be no assurance that the market price of our Common Stock following the reverse stock split will remain at the level required for continuing compliance with that requirement. It is not uncommon for the market price of a company’s Common Stock to decline in the period following a reverse stock split. If the market price of our Common Stock declines following the effectuation of a reverse stock split, the percentage decline may be greater than would occur in the absence of a reverse stock split. In any event, other factors unrelated to the number of shares of our Common Stock outstanding, such as negative financial or operational results, could adversely affect the market price of our Common Stock and jeopardize our ability to meet or maintain The Nasdaq Capital Market’s minimum bid price requirement. In addition to specific listing and maintenance standards, the Nasdaq Capital Market has broad discretionary authority over the initial and continued listing of securities, which it could exercise with respect to the listing of our Common Stock and Warrants.

Even if the reverse stock split increases the market price of our Common Stock, there can be no assurance that we will be able to comply with other continued listing standards of The Nasdaq Capital Market.

Even if the market price of our Common Stock increases sufficiently so that we comply with the minimum bid price requirement, we cannot assure you that we will be able to comply with the other standards that we are required to meet in order to maintain a listing of our Common Stock and Warrants on The Nasdaq Capital Market. Our failure to meet these requirements may result in our Common Stock and/or Warrants being delisted from The Nasdaq Capital Market, irrespective of our compliance with the minimum bid price requirement.

The reverse stock split may decrease the liquidity of the shares of our Common Stock.

The liquidity of the shares of our Common Stock may be affected adversely by the reverse stock split given the reduced number of shares that will be outstanding following the reverse stock split, especially if the market price of our Common Stock does not increase as a result of the reverse stock split. In addition, the reverse stock split may increase the number of stockholders who own odd lots (less than 100 shares) of our Common Stock, creating the potential for such stockholders to experience an increase in the cost of selling their shares and greater difficulty effecting such sales.

Following the reverse stock split, the resulting market price of our Common Stock may not attract new investors, including institutional investors, and may not satisfy the investing requirements of those investors. Consequently, the trading liquidity of our Common Stock may not improve.

Although we believe that a higher market price of our Common Stock may help generate greater or broader investor interest, there can be no assurance that the reverse stock split will result in a share price that will attract new investors, including institutional investors. In addition, there can be no assurance that the market price of our Common Stock will satisfy the investing requirements of those investors. As a result, the trading liquidity of our Common Stock may not necessarily improve.

If our listing applications for our Common Stock and Warrants are not approved by Nasdaq, we will not be able to consummate the offering and will terminate this offering.

An approval of our listing application by Nasdaq will be subject to, among other things, our fulfillment of the following conditions: (i) the offering is completed and closed; and (ii) we have raised a sufficient amount of equity necessary to qualify for the minimum equity requirements necessary to list on Nasdaq. Currently there are two standards for admission onto Nasdaq that we are endeavoring to satisfy: either $5 million in stockholders’ equity and $15 million market value of publicly held shares of Common Stock; or $4 million in stockholders’ equity, $15 million market value of publicly held shares and $50 million market value of publicly listed securities. If we fail to meet the minimum requirements for listing on Nasdaq, we will not be able to consummate the offering and will terminate this offering. Failure to have our Common Stock listed on Nasdaq would make it more difficult for our stockholders to dispose of our Common Stock and more difficult to obtain accurate price quotations on our Common Stock. Our ability to issue additional securities for financing or other purposes, or otherwise to arrange for any financing we may need in the future, may also be materially and adversely affected if our Common Stock is not traded on a national securities exchange.

As a result of the timing of the reverse stock split, uplist to Nasdaq and pricing of this offering, potential investors will not have an opportunity to check the actual post-split market price before confirming their purchases in this offering.

We plan to file an amendment to our certificate of incorporation, as amended, to effect the reverse stock split following the SEC declaring the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, effective and prior to closing of this offering. Because such reverse stock split will occur following the SEC declaring such registration statement effective and concurrently with the pricing of this offering, potential investors will not be able to check the actual post-split market price of our Common Stock on Nasdaq before confirming purchases in the offering.