BASA Basanite Inc (QB)

An investment in our common stock is highly speculative and involves a significant degree of risk, including the risks described below. You should carefully consider the risks described below before purchasing our common stock. The risks highlighted here are not the only ones that we may face. For example, additional risks presently unknown to us or that we currently consider immaterial or unlikely to occur could also impair our operations. If any of the risks or uncertainties described below or any such additional risks and uncertainties actually occur, our business, prospects, financial condition, or results of operations could be negatively affected, and you might lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Business and Company

We have a history of operating losses and may never achieve significant revenues, positive cash flow, or profitable results of operations.

Since the inception of current business in 2017, we have generated minimum revenues, have not been profitable and have incurred significant losses and cash flow deficits. For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2021, and 2020, we reported net losses of $16,079,961 and $4,199,331 respectively, and negative cash flow from operating activities of $4,407,270 and $2,799,499, respectively. As of December 31, 2021, we had an aggregate accumulated deficit of $46,121,210. We anticipate that we will continue to report losses and negative cash flow. There is therefore a risk that we will be unable to operate our business in a manner that generates positive cash flow or profit, and our failure to operate our business profitably would damage our reputation and stock price.

We have extremely limited cash resources with which to operate our business, and we may have difficulty in raising capital and may consume resources faster than expected.

We presently have extremely limited cash resources to meet our current or future capital requirements. We do not expect to generate significant revenues for the foreseeable future, and we may not be able to raise the funds we require immediately or in the future, which would leave us without resources to continue our operations. We have faced difficulties recently in raising needed capital, and may continue to have difficulty raising needed capital in the near or longer term as a result of, among other factors, the very early stage of our business plan. Further, we may consume any available cash resources more rapidly than currently anticipated, resulting in the need for additional funding sooner than anticipated. Our inability to raise funds could lead to decreases in the price of our common stock and the failure of our businesses.

There is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

We have generated nominal revenues to date in our current BRFP business model and have generated significant losses from operations. Our revenues are not significant enough to be able to generate profits, and this condition is expected to continue for the foreseeable as we seek to raise funding and invest in our manufacturing capabilities as well as our sales and marketing efforts.  We have incurred operating losses since our inception of our basalt fiber business and will continue to incur net losses until we can produce sufficient revenues to cover our costs. In addition, a number of factors continue to hinder our ability to attract capital investment, and no assurances can be given that we will be able to raise capital in the future on acceptable terms, or at all.  We have concluded that these conditions, in aggregate, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.  Our independent auditors have included in their audit reports for our most recent fiscal years an explanatory paragraph that states that our net loss and working capital deficiency raises substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. If we are unable to increase our revenues and establish profitable operations over time, our business might fail.

We have a limited operating history and we have incurred net losses in the past and expect to incur additional losses in the future.

We have a limited operating history in our current business model and have not generated meaningful revenues and have not recorded a profit since inception of our current business model. As a result of this limited and overall negative operating history, and the uncertainty of our business model, investors have limited ability to assess our future prospects, and we cannot reliably forecast our future results of operations. We expect to increase our operating expenses in the future as a result of refining and upgrading our manufacturing and other internal processes, as well as implementing our sales and marketing strategies. In addition, we expect our operating expenses to increase in the future as we expand our operations. If our operating expenses exceed our expectations, or if we do not generate revenues according to our plans, our financial performance would be adversely affected. If our revenue does not grow to offset these increased expenses, we will likely not be profitable for the foreseeable future. The continuation of losses over time could impair our ability to implement our business plan and finance our company, which could lead to the failure of our business.

We have a short operating history and a new business model in an emerging market. This makes it difficult to evaluate our future prospects and increases the risk of your investment.

Our limited operating history in our current BRFP rebar business model also makes it difficult for investors to evaluate our future prospects. You must consider our business and prospects in light of the significant risks and difficulties we have encountered and will continue encounter as an early-stage company in a new market. We may not be able to successfully address these risks and difficulties, which could materially harm our business and operating results. In addition, we do not know if our current business model will operate effectively now or in the future. There is a risk, therefore, that current economic conditions or worsening economic conditions, or a prolonged or recurring recession, or any other factors (some of which we may not yet have experienced or anticipated) that have an adverse impact on the construction industry and the potential demand for our rebar product, would have a significant adverse impact on our operating and financial results.

We currently have very limited cash resources and need substantial additional capital to fund our operations, which, even if obtained, could result in substantial dilution or significant debt service obligations. We may not be able to obtain additional capital on commercially reasonable terms, which could adversely affect our liquidity and financial position.

We currently have very little limited cash resources as all of our fundraising in the last year have been expended on operating our business. We will thus require substantial additional capital to fund the anticipated growth and expansion of our business and to pursue targeted revenue opportunities. Due to many factors, including the early stage of our business and the lack of liquidity in our publicly traded stock, as well as other uncertainties, we have had difficulties in raising necessary capital and there is a material risk that we will be unable to raise additional capital on acceptable terms, or at all. Even if we are presented with opportunities to raise additional capital, we do not know ahead of time the terms of any such capital raising. In addition, any future sale of our equity securities would dilute the ownership and control of your shares and could be at prices substantially below prices at which our shares currently trade. We may seek to increase our cash reserves through the sale of additional equity or debt securities, including securities convertible into or exercisable for shares of our common stock. The sale of convertible debt securities or additional equity securities could result in additional and potentially substantial dilution to our shareholders. The incurrence of convertible or non-convertible indebtedness would result in increased debt service obligations and could result in operating and financial covenants that would restrict our operations and liquidity. Any failure to raise additional funds on favorable terms could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity and financial condition and require us to significantly curtail or terminate our operations.

We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting.

Give the early-stage nature of our company, we have limited accounting and financial reporting personnel (including the current lack of a full-time Chief Financial Officer) and other resources with which to address our internal controls and related procedures. We and our independent registered public accounting firm have identified material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting related to (i) the U.S. GAAP expertise and experience of our internal accounting personnel and (ii) a lack of segregation of duties within accounting functions. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. If we are unable to remedy our material weaknesses, or if we generally fail to establish and maintain effective internal controls appropriate for a public company, we may be unable to produce timely and accurate financial statements, and we may conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is not effective, which could adversely impact our investors’ confidence and our stock price.

We may be unable to repay our outstanding indebtedness, which is past due, which could further strain our allocation of limited cash resources or force us to declare bankruptcy.

We currently owe approximately $1,690,000 plus $338,000 of accrued interest under a 20% Convertible Promissory Note held by The Richard A. LoRicco Sr. and Lucille M. LoRicco Irrevocable Insurance Trust DTD 4/28/95, which is a related party associated with our director Ronald J. LoRicco, Sr.. This note matured on February 12, 2022, and as of the date of this Annual Report, no event of default has been called by the note holder.

In addition, in April 2021, we entered into six simple Promissory Notes with certain related parties and their associates for total proceeds $595,000. These notes each carried a 12-month term at 18% simple interest and are now due or about to come due.  The accumulated interest under these notes is approximately $107,000.

Given our limited cash resources at this time, we have been unable to repay this indebtedness, and interest on this indebtedness continues to accrue. If all or any of these note holders elect to call an event of default under these notes, we may have increased difficulty raising additional funds and we could be forced into bankruptcy.

Inflationary pressures have and may continue to hamper our business.

Inflationary pressures, shortages in the labor market, and increased competition within and outside our industry for talented employees have increased our labor costs, which could negatively impact our profitability. Particularly in light of our highly specialized manufacturing processes, labor shortages or lack of skilled labor have led and could in the future lead to increases in costs to meet demand as we roll out incremental programs to attract and retain talent. Labor shortages may also negatively impact us from servicing any demand that exists for our products or operating our manufacturing facility efficiently. Further, inflationary pressures could increase our labor costs and other key costs, such as the cost of raw materials, which would make it harder to operate our business, particularly given our lack of capital resources. Additionally, we distribute our products and receive vital components for our business through the freight transportation market, and reduced trucking capacity due to shortages of drivers has led to increased costs and reduced service levels due to lack of freight transportation availability.

We expect to derive a substantial portion of our future revenue from sales of BasaFlex and other BFRP products, which leaves us reliant on the commercial viability of such products.

Currently, our primary product is BasaFlex^TM. We are also developing and marketing secondary sources of basalt fiber-based product revenue, band we expect that sales of BasaFlex^TM and other basalt fiber and BFRP products will account for a significant amount of our anticipated revenue potential for the foreseeable future. We currently market and sell BasaFlex^TM and these other products on a limited basis in the United States given our limited resources and manufacturing capacity. Because BFRP products are different from traditional steel rebar and similar traditional products, we cannot assure you that BasaFlex^TM and/or our other basalt fiber products will be widely accepted in the market, and demand may not increase as quickly as we expect. Also, we cannot assure you that BasaFlex^TM and our other products will compete effectively as an alternative to other more well-known and well-established alternatives such as products made from steel. Since BasaFlex currently represents our primary product, and our other products are BFRP-based, we are significantly reliant on the level of recurring sales of BasaFlex^TM and decreased or lower than expected sales of BasaFlex^TM for any reason would cause us to lose substantially all of our revenue.

We may be unable to derive the benefits that we currently anticipate from the Supplier Agreement with CPPB and the Distributor Agreement with USS, and Manuel A. Rodriguez, an affiliate of CPPB and USS, may become subject to conflicts of interest as a result of these agreements.

On December 10, 2021, we entered into a strategic commercial relationship, comprised of two principal five year agreements: the Supplier Agreement CPPB and the Distribution Agreement with USS. CPPB and USS are related parties via the common control of Manuel A. Rodriguez (who has been appointed to our Board of Directors). As a result of these agreements, our business will be dependent on the efforts of CPPB and USS in both purchasing and distributing our products as well as having our products gain qualification for use in construction materials. We may be unable to derive the benefits we currently anticipate from these agreements for several reasons, including, without limitation: (i) failure of CPPB to purchase sufficient quantities of our products, (ii) failure of USS to find new customers for our products, (iii) the inability of CPPB, USS and our company to have our products qualified for use in construction materials and construction projects and (iv) we may generated extraordinary losses in our results of operations due to the pricing arrangements we have agreed to with CPPB and USS. In the event we do not derive the benefits we anticipate from these agreements or generate losses as a result of them, our results of operations will suffer and our business might fail.

Moreover, Manuel A. Rodriguez, an affiliate of CPPB and USS who became a member of our Board of Directors in December 2021, may become subject to conflicts of interest as a result of these agreements or in connection with efforts to raise funding for our company if his interests as the principal of CPPB and/or USS diverge from his duties as a director of our company. Such conflicts of interest may not be resolved in favor of our shareholders in general, and the existence of such conflicts of interest could cause our business and results of operations to suffer.

Our operating results may fluctuate in unanticipated ways and for reasons beyond our control.

Our operating results may fluctuate from period to period as a result of a number of factors, many of which are outside of our control. The following and similar factors may affect our operating results:

These and similar factors could cause our results of operations to fluctuate in unanticipated ways and deviate from our forecasts.

We may be unable to develop the manufacturing capability and infrastructure necessary to achieve the potential sales growth.

Achieving revenue and subsequent growth will require that we develop additional infrastructure in our manufacturing capability as well as in sales, technical and client support functions. Our lack of capital resources has delayed our plans to augment our manufacturing capacity, and there is a risk that we will not have the capital to develop and maintain the capacity or other capabilities necessary for us to implement our business plan. We will continue to design plans to establish growth; adding manufacturing, technical, sales and sales support resources as capital permits. If we are unable to scale our manufacturing capability or use any of our current marketing initiatives or the cost of such initiatives were to significantly increase, or such initiatives are not successful, we may not be able to attract new customers or retain customers and clients on a cost-effective basis, and as a result, our revenue and results of operations would be affected adversely.

Additionally, our plans for manufacturing expansion through augmentation of new equipment and technology are of concern because they are proprietary in nature, and only available from a limited number of suppliers. Any interruption in sourcing through this supply chain will have an adverse impact to our ability to meet a growing market demand. 

Our relationships with our channel partners may be terminated or may not continue to be beneficial in generating new clients, which could adversely affect our ability to increase our client base.

We are developing a network of active channel partners which refer clients to us within different business verticals and geographies. This includes our relationship with USS. If we are unable to obtain and maintain contractual relationships with key channel partners, or establish new contractual relationships with potential channel partners, we may experience loss of sales and increased costs and resource constraints in adding customers, which could have a material adverse effect on us. The number of clients we are able to add through these marketing relationships is dependent on the marketing efforts of our partners over which we exercise limited control.

Our sales and marketing efforts may not be successful.

We currently market and sell BasaFlex on a very limited basis, mainly through distribution partners but also directly. We plan to significantly increase the scope of our sales and marketing activities, as we grow to include approvals and new material specifications with all major federal, state and local agencies and design-build firms. In particular, we are seeking to develop concrete industry partnerships, targeting large concrete manufacturers and contractors. For specific marketing purposes, we have begun to develop industry specific educational materials, such as white papers and other collaterals to further educate our markets on the use and value of our products versus traditional steel rebar. We are participating in industry committees and associations such as ASTM International (formerly the American Society for Testing and Materials) and the Advisory Council of Managing Agents (known as ACMA). The commercial success of BasaFlex™ and our other basalt fiber products ultimately depends upon a number of factors, including ultimate material acceptance and necessary specifications required to drive demand generation. BasaFlex™ and our other products may not gain significant increased market acceptance in the construction industry. While positive customer experiences can be a significant driver of future sales, it is impossible to influence the way this information is transmitted and received amongst participants in the construction industry.

In addition, we may not be able to establish or maintain a suitable sales force or enter into or maintain satisfactory marketing and distribution arrangements with others. Our marketing and sales efforts may not be successful in increasing awareness and sales of BasaFlex or our other products. Furthermore, other marketing efforts like advertising, trade shows and educational seminars may not increase revenue to the extent we currently anticipate.

We may not be able to respond in a timely and cost-effective manner to changes in consumer preferences.

Our products, notably BasaFlex™, is and will be subject to changing consumer preferences. A shift in customer demand or expectations away from the products we offer would result in significantly reduced revenue. Our future success depends in part on our ability to anticipate and develop innovative products to respond to those changes. Failure to anticipate and respond to changing consumer preferences in the products we market could lead to, among other things, lower sales of products, significant markdowns or write-offs of inventory, increased product returns and lower margins. If we are not successful in anticipating, adapting, and responding to changes in consumer demand, our results of operations in future periods will be materially adversely impacted.

Competition for employees in our industry is intense, and we may not be able to attract and retain the highly skilled employees whom we need to support our business.

Our success depends on our ability to attract, train and retain qualified personnel. Competition for qualified technical and business personnel in the construction products industry is intense and we may not be able to hire sufficient personnel to support the anticipated growth of our business. If we fail to attract and retain qualified personnel, our business will suffer. We may not be able to hire and retain such personnel at compensation levels consistent with our market. Many of the companies with which we compete for experienced employees have greater resources and are able to offer more attractive terms of employment. In particular, candidates making employment decisions with respect to publicly traded companies often consider the value of any equity they may receive in connection with their employment. As a result, any lack of liquidity or significant volatility in the price of our publicly traded common stock may adversely affect our ability to attract or retain highly skilled personnel.

In addition, we invest significant time and expense in training employees, which increases their value to competitors who may seek to recruit them. If we fail to retain our employees, we could incur significant expenses in hiring and training their replacements and the quality of our services and our ability to serve our clients could diminish, resulting in a material adverse effect on our business.

We may be unable to protect our intellectual property rights, and any inability to protect them could reduce the value of our products and brand.

We are pursuing intellectual property rights for all our proprietary and confidential product and process information and will control access to the same. We have applied for a patent on our BasaFlex™ product line, which includes both the product design itself and the specific process for its manufacture. In addition, we expect to file for a patent for our new proprietary BasaMax™ pultrusion equipment. This system would add a layer of intellectual property protection through its electronics, and we believe this is protectable intellectual property. We’ve also secured trademark registrations for our key product names to further protect our brands. However, patents and trademarks may not be granted from our applications, and even if granted, they may not afford adequate protection domestically, or in foreign countries where the laws may not protect our proprietary rights as fully as in the United States, and there can be no assurance that others will not independently develop similar know-how and trade secrets. We will be able to protect our proprietary rights from unauthorized use by third parties only to the extent that our proprietary technologies, protocols, and any future products are covered by valid and enforceable patents or are effectively maintained as trade secrets. There is a risk that future patents will be challenged, invalidated, or circumvented, that the scope of any of our patents will not exclude competitors or that the patent rights granted to us will not provide us any competitive advantage. If we do not secure registered intellectual property protection for our products and processes, or if we are otherwise unable to protect our proprietary technology, protocols, systems, trade secrets and know-how, the value of our products and brand may be reduced and our ability to complete effectively and our results of operations could suffer.

We may be unable to create new proprietary technology and related intellectual property, which could harm our business.

Our business depends, in part, on our ability to innovate and create new or improved products and processes, including relating to manufacturing, as well as related trade secrets and know-how. There is a risk that we may be unable to innovate due to lack of financial or personnel resources, and even if we do innovate, we may be unable to file new patent or trademark applications, or that if filed, any future patent or trademark applications will result in granted patents and trademarks. Our inability to innovate could harm our ability to compete effectively.

Our patents and other intellectual property are subject to challenges by third parties, and if our intellectual property is successfully challenged or invalidated, our business could be harmed.

Any patents we have obtained or will obtain, may be challenged by re-examination, or otherwise invalidated or eventually found unenforceable. Both the patent application process and the process of managing patent disputes can be time consuming and expensive. If we were to initiate legal proceedings against a third party to enforce a patent related to one of our products, the defendant in such litigation could counterclaim that our patent is invalid and/or unenforceable. In patent litigation in the U.S., defendant counterclaims alleging invalidity and/or unenforceability are commonplace, as are validity challenges by the defendant against the subject patent or other patents before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”). Grounds for a validity challenge could be an alleged failure to meet any of several statutory requirements, including lack of novelty, obviousness or non-enablement, failure to meet the written description requirement, indefiniteness, and/or failure to claim patent eligible subject matter. Grounds for an unenforceability assertion could be an allegation that someone connected with prosecution of the patent intentionally withheld material information from the USPTO, or made a misleading statement, during prosecution. Additional grounds for an unenforceability assertion include an allegation of misuse or anticompetitive use of patent rights, and an allegation of incorrect inventorship with deceptive intent. Third parties may also raise similar claims before the USPTO even outside the context of litigation. The outcome is unpredictable following legal assertions of invalidity and unenforceability. With respect to the validity question, for example, and even though we’ve had a third party conduct a search of the subject matter and provide a right to proceed, we cannot be certain that no invalidating prior art existed of which we and the patent examiner were unaware during prosecution. These assertions may also be based on information known to us or the USPTO. If a defendant or third party were to prevail on a legal assertion of invalidity and/or unenforceability, we would lose at least part, and perhaps all, of the claims of the challenged patent. Such a loss of patent protection would or could have a material adverse impact on our business.

The standards that the USPTO (and foreign equivalents) use to grant patents are not always applied predictably or uniformly and can change. There is also no uniform, worldwide policy regarding the subject matter and scope of claims granted or allowable in device patents. Accordingly, we do not know the degree of future protection for our proprietary rights or the breadth of claims that will be allowed in any patents issued to us or to others.

However, there can be no assurance that our technology will not be found in the future to infringe upon the rights of others or be infringed upon by others. Moreover, patent applications are in some cases maintained in secrecy until patents are issued. The publication of discoveries in the scientific or patent literature frequently occurs substantially later than the date on which the underlying discoveries were made, and patent applications were filed. Because patents can take many years to issue, there may be currently pending applications of which we are unaware that may later result in issued patents that our products or product candidates infringe. For example, pending applications may exist that provide support or can be amended to provide support for a claim that results in an issued patent that our product infringes. In such a case, others may assert infringement claims against us, and should we be found to infringe upon their patents, or otherwise impermissibly utilize their intellectual property, we might be forced to pay damages, potentially including treble damages, if we are found to have willfully infringed on such parties’ patent rights. In addition to any damages, we might have to pay, we may be required to obtain licenses from the holders of this intellectual property. We may fail to obtain any of these licenses or intellectual property rights on commercially reasonable terms. Even if we are able to obtain a license, it may be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors access to the same technologies licensed to us. In that event, we may be required to expend significant time and resources to develop or license replacement technology. If we are unable to do so, we may be unable to develop or commercialize the affected products, which could materially harm our business and the third parties owning such intellectual property rights could seek either an injunction prohibiting our sales, or, with respect to our sales, an obligation on our part to pay royalties and/or other forms of compensation. Conversely, we may not always be able to successfully pursue our claims against others that infringe upon our technology. Thus, the proprietary nature of our technology or technology licensed by us may not provide adequate protection against competitors.

In addition to patents, we rely on trademarks to protect the recognition of our company and products in the marketplace. We also rely on trade secrets, know-how, and proprietary knowledge that we seek to protect, in part, through confidentiality agreements with employees, consultants and others. We cannot assure you that our proprietary information will not be shared, our confidentiality agreements will not be breached, that we will have adequate remedies for any breach, or that our trade secrets will not otherwise become known to or independently developed by competitors.

Confidentiality agreements with employees and others may not adequately prevent disclosure of trade secrets and other proprietary information and disclosure of our trade secrets or proprietary information could compromise any competitive advantage that we have, which could have a materially adverse effect on our business.

Our success depends, in part, on our ability to protect our proprietary rights to the technologies used in our products and our proprietary scientific protocols. We depend heavily upon confidentiality agreements with our current and former officers, employees, consultants, and subcontractors to maintain the proprietary nature of our technology and our manufacturing processes. These measures may not afford us complete or even sufficient protection and may not afford an adequate remedy in the event of an unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. If we fail to protect and/or maintain our intellectual property, third parties may be able to compete more effectively against us, we may lose our technological or competitive advantage, and/or we may incur substantial litigation costs in our attempts to recover or restrict use of our intellectual property. In addition, others may independently develop technology similar to ours, otherwise avoiding the confidentiality agreements, or produce patents that would materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.

Damage to our reputation or our brand, could negatively impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We must grow the value of our brand in order to generate and grow our revenues. We intend to develop a reputation based on the high quality of our rebar and related products as well as on our culture and the experience of our customers. If we do not make investments in areas such as education, marketing, and brand awareness, as well as personnel training, the value of our brand may not increase or may be diminished. Any incident, real or perceived, regardless of merit or outcome, that adversely affects our brand, such as, but not limited to, product failure, accidents, and failure to comply with federal, state, or local regulations, could significantly reduce the value of our brand, expose us to negative publicity and damage our overall business and reputation and negatively impact our financial condition and results of operations.

We depend on certain key personnel and need to attract and retain additional personnel.

We substantially rely on the efforts of our current senior management, including Simon R. Kay, our Chief Executive Officer and President and acting interim Chief Financial Officer. Our business would be impeded or harmed if we were to lose his services. In addition, we currently need to fill key officer and other positions, such a permanent Chief Financial Officer. if we are unable to attract, train and retain highly skilled finance, accounting, technical, managerial, manufacturing, product development, sales, and marketing personnel, we may be at a competitive disadvantage and unable to increase revenue. The failure to attract, train, retain and effectively manage employees could negatively impact our research and development, sales and marketing and reimbursement efforts. In particular, the loss of sales personnel could lead to lost sales opportunities as it can take several months to hire and train replacement sales personnel. Uncertainty created by turnover of key employees could adversely affect our business.

Our independent directors and executive officers have limited experience in the management of public companies which poses a risk for us from a corporate governance perspective.

Our directors and executive officers are inexperienced with respect to corporate governance of public companies.  Our directors are often required to make decisions regarding related parties, such as the approval of related party transactions, compensation levels, and oversight of our accounting function. Our directors and executive officer also exercise substantial control over all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the nomination of directors and the approval of significant corporate transactions. We do not have a majority of independent directors and we have not yet been able to implement certain corporate governance measures, the absence of which may cause stockholders to have more limited protections against transactions implemented by our Board of Directors, conflicts of interest and similar matters. Stockholders should bear in mind our current lack of corporate governance measures in formulating their investment decisions.

There is a risk that our PPP loan will not be forgiven in whole or in part.

In February 2021, we received loan proceeds in the amount of approximately $165,000 under the Paycheck Protection Program (or PPP), established as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which provides economic relief to businesses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The loan and accrued interest are forgivable after 24 weeks as long as we use the loan proceeds for eligible purposes, including payroll, benefits, rent and utilities, and our employee head count remains consistent with our baseline period over the 24-week period after the loan was received. The amount of loan forgiveness will be reduced if we terminate employees or reduce salaries during the 24-week period. The unforgiven portion of the PPP loan is payable over two years at an interest rate of 1%, with a deferral of payments for the first six months. While we believe that our use of the loan proceeds will meet the conditions for forgiveness of the loan, there is a risk that the loan will not be forgiven or that we will take actions that could cause us to be ineligible for forgiveness of the loan, there is a risk that (i) the loan will not be forgiven, in whole or in part, (ii) we will take actions that could cause us to be ineligible for forgiveness of the loan, in whole or in part or (iii) we may be required to repay the loan, in whole or in part, upon event of default under the loan or upon a breach of applicable PPP regulations. We applied for forgiveness of our February 2021 PPP loan on January 17, 2022. No assurances can be given that our application will be approved.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has and could continue to adversely impact our business by delaying our ability to receive raw materials and manufacture our product or otherwise effectively conduct and manage our business.

The pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus (known as “COVID-19”) and governmental and other efforts to curb the spread of the pandemic has caused great disruption to the U.S. national and international economies. We have been adversely impacted by COVID-19 in that we have been required to temporarily suspend operations during 2020 due to necessary quarantines, and the impact of COVID-19 on the construction industry we service has been significant. Government mandated shutdowns and other measures held less of an impact on our business during 2021, although we did have personnel absent for periods during the year due to COVID-19. Moreover, the continued prevalence of COVID-19 or outbreaks of new variants thereof could disrupt our supply chain, as well as our own operations due to absenteeism by infected or ill members of management or other employees, or absenteeism by members of management and other employees who elect not to come to work due to illness affecting others in our office or plant, or due to additional necessary quarantines. COVID-19 could also impact members of our Board of Directors as well as key providers of services to us, which could adversely impact the management of our affairs. Additionally, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to develop, we may be required to continue to spend time and resources in monitoring and adhering to government regulations that impact both our company and our customers and potential customers as necessary, which could also adversely impact our business and results of operations. We continue to monitor our operations and applicable government recommendations and requirements.

Risks Related to Our Industry

We compete with larger, more established companies, and our size and stage of development creates a significant risk for us in our ability to compete.

We are a small, early-stage company competing in a mature industry populated by much larger, more established, and better capitalized companies. Our BFRP products for concrete reinforcement compete as an alternative to traditional steel reinforcement, as well as a direct replacement for other FRP rebar and industry established fiber products. The steel rebar industry is price commoditized, very mature and entrenched within our potential customers. Due in part to our early stage and size, we may be unable to convince customers and design professionals that our BFRP products and higher value proposition are a better choice than long-established, lower cost steel, or other accepted FRP products. Our inability to compete with traditional steel rebar, and the larger, more established, and better capitalized companies that produce traditional steel or non-basalt FRP rebar, would cause our business and results of operations to suffer.

Our inability to comply with numerous regulatory requirements that govern our industry could harm our business.

Our products typically require certain approvals and certifications to satisfy regulatory and building code requirements for use as concrete reinforcement. The American Concrete Institute (ACI), ASTM International (formerly the American Society for Testing and Materials), and the International Code Council (ICC) each have very specific testing regimen for FRP materials and strict guidelines regarding the acceptance criteria and product certification process. These include not only the products themselves, but the facility, the equipment and quality control measures used in process as part of the overall approval. There is a risk that we will be unable to secure and maintain such approvals and certifications in the future.  Furthermore, we are dependent on third party independent facilities, such as university laboratories and/or other certifying bodies, to obtain such approvals and certifications, and these come at a significant cost. Our inability to secure approvals and certifications and/or an extended period of time required to obtain such approvals could materially harm our ability to generate revenue.

Our products, which are all made using igneous basalt rock that must be mined from the ground, may become subject to future government laws, rules, and regulations and/or taxation for environmental reasons associated with mining. Such regulatory actions are beyond our control and could result in increases in the cost of basalt stock and/or restrict or prevent raw material availability, and either action would materially harm our ability to meet demand and generate revenue.

We are dependent on the availability of basalt fiber and other raw materials.

We will depend on the timely availability of various raw materials, including basalt fiber, for the manufacture of our products from various different suppliers. Our suppliers are located in the United States and abroad. We are subject to the risk that our suppliers will be unable to provide us with sufficient or satisfactory supply of raw materials for us to maintain production levels necessary to satisfy customers. The processes used to produce extremely fine denier, high tenacity basalt fiber is extremely meticulous and slow, and can be adversely affected by myriad issues which can affect the delicate melting process, the platinum bushings, or other advanced process elements. Additionally, such issues could adversely impact our suppliers’ ability to provide quality raw materials on a timely basis, which in turn could adversely affect our ability to obtain raw materials and conduct business.

Volatility in prices for raw materials may materially, adversely impact our prices.

Depending on our customer demand and availability of raw materials, we may be faced with having to source and purchase raw materials from alternative suppliers, and/or at prices that are above the current market price, or in greater volumes than available. Additionally, other factors such as added capacity of competing steel and/or alternative FRP’s could create negative pricing pressure, which would negatively affect our profit margins.

There are risks associated with the limited number of basalt fiber manufacturers worldwide, who possess a finite capacity to produce fine micron basalt roving that is incorporated into BasaFlex. In the event these manufacturers lack the desire or ability to invest in additional capacity on a timely basis, we may be faced with an inadequate supply of raw material to meet our growth plan. In such an event, it may become necessary to develop a controlled source of basalt fiber, including acquiring or developing a smelting plant to meet our own demand, which will be a costly process and take time and may not be consummated on desirable terms, or at all.

In addition, socioeconomic and political events beyond our control could lead to a shortage of basalt or volatility in the prices for basalt. The recent war in Ukraine has led the world to issue sanctions on the government of Russia. This has shut down our ability to procure basalt fiber material from our secondary supplier, UWF/Kamenny Vek. While we are managing through this particular challenge, similar or worse shortages of, or volatility in the price of, basalt could adversely eaffect our business and results of operations.

Government contracts generally are subject to a variety of governmental regulations, requirements and statutes, the violation or alleged violation of which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Our business plan will be driven in material part by our ability to enter into contracts funded by federal, state and local governmental agencies. Our contracts with these governmental agencies would generally be subject to specific procurement regulations, contract provisions and a variety of socioeconomic requirements relating to their formation, administration, performance, and accounting and often include express or implied certifications of compliance. Further, government contracts typically provide for termination at the convenience of the customer with requirements to pay us for work performed through the date of termination. We may be subject to claims for civil or criminal fraud for actual or alleged violations of these various governmental regulations, requirements, or statutes. Further, if we fail to comply with any of these various governmental regulations, requirements, or statutes or if we have a substantial number of accumulated Occupational Safety and Health Administration or similar workplace safety violations, any government contracts to which we are a party could be terminated, and we could be suspended from government contracting or subcontracting, including federally funded projects at the state level. Even if we have not violated these various governmental regulations, requirements or statutes, allegations of violations could harm our reputation and require us to incur material costs to defend any such allegations or lawsuits. Should one or more of these events occur, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

If we do not comply with certain federal or state laws, we could be suspended or debarred from government contracting, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Various statutes to which our operations are or may in the future be subject, including laws prescribing a minimum wage and regulating overtime and working conditions, provide for mandatory suspension and/or debarment of contractors in certain circumstances involving statutory violations. In addition, the federal and various state statutes provide for discretionary suspension and/or debarment in certain circumstances, including as a result of being convicted of, or being found civilly liable for, fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a public contract or subcontract. The scope and duration of any suspension or debarment may vary depending upon the facts of a particular case and the statutory or regulatory grounds for debarment. Any suspension or debarment from government contracting could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Our industry is seasonal and subject to adverse weather conditions, which can adversely impact our business.

Construction operations occur outdoors. As a result, seasonal changes and adverse weather conditions can adversely affect our business operations through a decline in both the need for and use of our products. Adverse weather conditions such as extended rainy and cold weather in the spring and fall could reduce demand for our products and reduce sales. Major weather events such as hurricanes, tornadoes, tropical storms, and heavy snows could also adversely affect our ability and the ability of our customers to conduct business. In addition, construction materials production and shipment levels follow activity in the construction industry, which typically occurs in the spring, summer and fall. Thus, our business is likely to be seasonal and subject to fluctuation accordingly.

Changes in the global, national, and local economic environment impacting the construction industry may lead to declines in the construction industry and the demand for our products by our customers.

We plan to sell our products primarily to the construction industry. The construction industry is cyclical and can exhibit a great deal of sensitivity to general economic conditions.  Low demand from the construction industry could adversely impact our financial position, results of operations and/or our cash flows. Economic or other conditions that adversely impact the global, national, or local construction industry may be novel and singular, in nature, such as the COVID 19 virus, or more seasonal and recurring, such global building supply chain shortages, interest rate fluctuations which impact new construction, lack of government funding for construction initiatives. These conditions, most of which will be beyond our control, could adversely impact business and results of operations.

Changes to accepted trade practices, trade agreements, or imposition of tariffs may adversely impact supply and pricing of certain raw materials.

Political events, such as the imposition of tariffs or the dissolution of trade agreements, may negatively impact supply chain and other factors related to our business.  Such events could materially impact supply and pricing of critically necessary raw materials for manufacture of our products. For example, the basalt fiber roving, the primary raw material used in the manufacture of BasaFlex, and our other products is sourced from many parts of the world, and any such events could materially impact our supply and/or pricing. These events could also adversely impact the construction industry and demand for our products in general. Impacts from such events could adversely impact business and results of operations.

General Business Risks Associated with Our Company

There may be legacy issues (including potential liabilities) arising from or associated with prior management and prior business operations, including potential litigation.

Our company has been in operation since 2006 and as a public company since 2009. During this time, our company has entered and exited several businesses and has undergone three name changes. Current management has only been engaged since with our company since 2019, and in that time has had to address several legacy issues which arose under our previous management, including the recent settlement of the lawsuit with Raw Energy, and the resolution of the judgment awarded to the California State Teachers Retirement System, among others. As such, we face the risk that all prior issues and resulting potential liabilities have not been identified, resolved, or accounted for, and if we are required to addresses any new issues as they arise, our management may become distracted from fulfilling our business objectives and we may be faced with unforeseen costs, expenses and liabilities which could damage our reputation and adversely impact our results of operations.

If we fail to manage our anticipated growth, our business and operating results could be harmed.

If we do not effectively manage our anticipated growth, the quality of our products and services could suffer, which could negatively affect our brand and operating results. To effectively manage our potential growth, we will need to improve our operational, financial and management controls and our reporting systems and procedures. These systems enhancements and improvements may require significant capital expenditures and allocation of valuable management resources, especially as we add additional manufacturing capacity to our primary facility in Pompano Beach, Florida or invest in satellite manufacturing facilities. We also need to manage our sub-tier suppliers of the equipment necessary to support our growth. If planned or additional required improvements are not implemented on a timely or cost-effective basis, or they are not implemented at all for any reason, our ability to manage our growth will be impaired and we may have to make significant additional expenditures to address these issues, which could harm our financial position.

We are subject to risks relating to our information technology systems, and any failure to adequately protect our critical information technology systems could materially affect our operations.

We rely on information technology systems across our operations, including for management, supply chain and financial information and various other processes and transactions. As our manufacturing equipment is wirelessly controlled and operated, and the tracing data (which is required for necessary certifications) our equipment produces is stored electronically, our business depends on the security, reliability, and capacity of these systems. Information technology system failures, network disruptions or breaches of security could disrupt our operations, causing delays or cancellation of customer orders or impeding the manufacture or shipment of products, processing of transactions or reporting of financial results. An attack or other problem with our systems could also result in the disclosure of proprietary information about our business or confidential information concerning our customers or employees, which could result in significant damage to our business and our reputation. Advanced cybersecurity threats, such as computer viruses, attempts to access information, and other security breaches, are persistent and continue to evolve, making them increasingly difficult to identify and prevent. Protecting against these threats may require significant resources, and we may not be able to implement measures that will protect against all the significant risks to our information technology systems. In addition, we rely on third party service providers to execute certain business processes and maintain certain information technology systems and infrastructure, and any breach of security on their part could impair our ability to effectively operate. Any breach of our security measures could result in unauthorized access to and misappropriation of our information, corruption of data or disruption of operations or transactions, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We will not be insured against all potential losses and could be seriously harmed by natural disasters, catastrophes, pandemics, theft, or sabotage.

Our products are currently produced at a single location, and many of our business activities involve or will involve substantial investments in manufacturing. Our facility could be materially damaged by natural disasters such as floods, tornados, hurricanes (particularly given our location in South Florida), fires, earthquakes, pandemics or by theft or sabotage. We could incur uninsured losses and liabilities arising from such events, including damage to our reputation, and/or suffer material losses in operational capacity, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We could face potential product liability and warranty claims, we may not accurately estimate costs related to such claims, and we may not have sufficient insurance coverage available to cover such claims.

Our products are anticipated to be used in a wide variety of residential, commercial, and industrial applications. We face an inherent business risk of exposure to product liability or other claims in the event our products are alleged to be defective or that the use of our products is alleged to have resulted in harm to others or to property. We may, in the future, incur liability if product liability lawsuits against us are successful. Moreover, any such lawsuits, whether successful or not, could result in adverse publicity to us, which could cause our sales to decline. We maintain insurance coverage to protect us against product liability claims, but that coverage may not be adequate to cover all claims that may arise, or we may not be able to maintain adequate insurance coverage in the future at an acceptable cost. Any liability not covered by insurance or that exceeds our established reserves could materially and adversely impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations. In addition, consistent with industry practice, we provide warranties on many of our products. We may experience costs of warranty claims (limited to replacement) when the product is not performing to the satisfaction of the claimant even though it has not caused harm to others or property. We estimate our future warranty costs based on historical trends and product sales, but we may fail to accurately estimate those costs and thereby fail to establish adequate warranty reserves for them. Warranty claims are not insurable.

Risks Related to Our Securities

There is a risk that we may not be able to consummate our contemplated Re-IPO.

Under the terms of our August 2021 Private Placement, we are required to conduct a Re-IPO whereby we will seek to raise additional funding in a registered underwritten offering and concurrently list our common stock on a national securities exchange. We are presently in default of our obligations under the terms of the August 2021 Private Placement to file a registration statement for the Re-IPO, and are accruing liquidated damages as a result to the investors in the August 2021 Private Placement, which we may not have the cash resources to pay. Moreover, investors are cautioned that the Re-IPO may not take for any number of reasons, many of which are beyond our control. You should not invest in our company in reliance on the fact that the Re-IPO will take place. If the Re-IPO does not occur, our common stock would still be quoted on the OTCQB Market, but your opportunity for liquidity in your common stock would be significantly limited.

Future sales of our common stock in the public market could lower the price of our common stock and impair our ability to raise funds in future securities offerings.

We may issue a significant number of shares of common stock upon conversion of outstanding convertible notes, or upon exercise of warrants, including the Warrant As and Warrant Bs issued in our August 2021 Private Placement and our early 2022 private placement. As of the date of this Annual Report, approximately 153,131,931 shares of common stock are reserved for issuance under our outstanding convertible notes, options, and warrants. Future sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales may occur, could adversely affect the then prevailing market price of our common stock, and could make it more difficult for us to raise funds in the future through private or public offerings of our securities.

Because the market for our common stock is limited, persons who purchase our common stock may not be able to resell their shares at or above the purchase price paid for them.

Our common stock is listed for quotation on the OTCQB Market, which is not as liquid a market as a national securities exchange such as NASDAQ. There is currently only a limited public market for our common stock. We cannot assure you that an active public market for our common stock will develop or be sustained in the future. If an active market for our common stock does not develop or is not sustained, the price may decline. 

Trading in our common stock is subject to special sales practices and may be difficult to sell.

Our common stock is subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rule, which imposes special sales practice requirements upon broker-dealers who sell such securities to persons other than established distributors or accredited investors. Penny stocks are generally defined to be an equity security that has a market price of less than $5.00 per share. For transactions covered by the rule, the broker-dealer must make a special suitability determination for the purchaser and receive the purchaser’s written agreement to the transaction prior to the sale. Consequently, the rule may affect the ability of broker-dealers to sell our securities and also may affect the ability of our stockholders to sell their securities in any market that might develop.

Stockholders should be aware that, according to the SEC, the market for penny stocks has suffered from patterns of fraud and abuse. Such patterns include:

Our management is aware of the abuses that have occurred historically in the penny stock market. Although we do not expect to be in a position to dictate the behavior of the market or of broker-dealers who participate in the market, management will strive within the confines of practical limitations to prevent the described patterns from being established with respect to our common stock.

Because we may not be able to attract the attention of major brokerage firms, it could have a material impact upon the price of our common stock.

It is not likely that securities analysts of major brokerage firms will provide research coverage for our common stock since the firm itself cannot recommend the purchase of our common stock under the penny stock rules referenced in an earlier risk factor. The absence of such coverage limits the likelihood that an active market will develop for our common stock. It may also make it more difficult for us to attract new investors at times when we acquire additional capital.

The conversion of our outstanding secured convertible promissory note will result in dilution to existing stockholders and could negatively affect the market price of our common stock.

At the date of this Annual Report, we have an outstanding 20% secured promissory note in the aggregate principal amount of $1,689,745, convertible at the option of the principal holder (a trust associated with one of our directors, Ronald J. LoRicco, Sr., which trust acts as agent for all noteholders) into shares of our common stock at a price per share equal to $0.275. If this note is converted into shares of common stock, our issued and outstanding shares would increase. In the event a market for our common stock develops, to the extent that the holder of this note converts such note, our existing shareholders will experience dilution to their ownership interest in our company. In addition, to the extent that the holder converts such note and then sell the underlying shares of common stock in the open market, our common stock price may decrease.

The principal holder of our outstanding secured convertible promissory note (which holder is associated with one of our directors) has rights which are senior to the rights of our common stockholders, and which may impair our financing efforts.

The principal holder of the $1,689,745 convertible note mentioned above (a trust associated with one of our directors, Ronald J. LoRicco, Sr., which trust acts as agent for all noteholders) is party to a security agreement with us granting such holder a secured interest in all of our assets. In addition, our agreements with this principal note holder contain a negative covenant explicitly requiring such holder’s consent in order for us to incur any debt or issue of any equity securities. The interests of such debt holder are senior to the rights of our common stockholders and may impede our ability to obtain new financing. Furthermore, such holder’s interest may not coincide with the interests of other stockholders, and such holder may become subject to conflicts of interest given its affiliation with one of our directors. These conflicts may not be resolved in favor of our common stockholders.

The interests of our principal stockholders, officers, and directors, who collectively and beneficially own approximately 35.11% of our stock, may not coincide with yours and such stockholders will have the ability to substantially influence decisions with which you may disagree.

As of the date of this Annual Report, our principal stockholders, officers, and directors beneficially owned approximately 35.11% of our common stock. As a result, our principal stockholders, officers, and directors will have the ability to substantially influence matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions. In addition, this concentration of ownership may delay or prevent a change in control of our company and make some future transactions more difficult or impossible without the support of our controlling stockholders. The interests of such stockholders may not coincide with your interests or the interests of other stockholders.

Certain accredited investors control large blocks of restricted common stock.  Sale of large blocks of common stock could materially impact our stock price.

Historically, we have raised funds from accredited investors through the sale of restricted common stock.  Generally, common stock sold privately to accredited investors has certain resale restrictions under the securities laws that include elements of minimum holding periods, certain other requirements with respect to financial filings of our company and other requirements.  Once these requirements are met, holders of the restricted common stock are able to remove resale restrictions and sell freely in the open market. As our common stock has a limited market for resale, substantial additional supply of stock caused by previously restricted stock coming into the market for resale could have a materially, negative impact on our stock price.

The issuance of preferred stock could grant rights to investors that are not enjoyed by the holders of our common stock.

Our articles of incorporation authorize the Board of Directors, without approval of the shareholders, to cause shares of preferred stock to be issued in one or more series, with the numbers of shares of each series to be determined by the Board of Directors. Our articles of incorporation further authorize the Board of Directors to fix and determine the powers, designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other rights (including, without limitation, voting powers, preferential rights to receive dividends or assets upon liquidation, rights of conversion or exchange into common stock or preferred stock of any series, redemption provisions and sinking fund provisions) between series and between the preferred stock or any series thereof and the common stock, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions of such rights. In the event of issuance, preferred stock could be used, under certain circumstances, as a method of discouraging, delaying, or preventing a change of control of our company. Although we have no present plans to issue additional series or shares of preferred stock, we can give no assurance that we will not do so in the future.

Our inability to remain current on our required securities filings may impact liquidity for certain shareholders and our ability to raise funds.

We rely on third parties to assist us with the preparation of our public filings. Our financial resources may not be sufficient from time to time to be able to cover the costs associated with these third parties’ services.  Failure to remain current on certain public filings may limit the ability of shareholders to avail themselves of safe harbors when attempting to sell their shares, for example under Rule 144 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.  In addition, our inability to present current financial information may impact our ability to raise additional funds and would further require us to pay cash liquidated damages to the investors in the August 2021 Private Placement.

The number of shares of our common stock issuable upon the exercise outstanding warrants is substantial.

As of the date of this Annual Report, we had warrants outstanding that were exercisable for an aggregate of 142,434,090 shares of common stock. The shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants is substantial, currently constituting approximately 57% of the total number of shares of common stock currently issued and outstanding. Therefore, the exercise of a large number of these warrants and public sales of the shares of common stock underlying these warrants would cause substantial dilution to our stockholders and could adversely impact the price of our common stock from time to time. The timing for such dilution and adversely price impact is uncertain as we have no control over when warrants held by third parties will be exercised. For more information regarding the terms of our warrants, please refer to the footnotes accompanying the audited and unaudited financial statements included as part of this Annual Report.

Adjustments to the conversion price for certain of our warrants will dilute the ownership interests of our existing stockholders.

Under the terms of certain of our outstanding warrants (notably the Warrant As and Warrant Bs issued in our August 2021 and January 2022 private placements), the exercise price of such warrants may be adjusted downward in certain circumstances. If a downward adjustment were to occur in the exercise price of such warrants, the exercise of such warrants would result in the issuance of a significant number of additional shares of our common stock and cause significant dilution. Moreover, the public sale of such shares could adversely impact the price of our common stock from time to time.

Even if a market for our common stock develops, the market price of our common stock may be significantly volatile, which could result in substantial losses for purchasers.

The market price for our common stock may be significantly volatile and subject to wide fluctuations in response to factors, including the following:

In some cases, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, stockholders have often instituted class action securities litigation against those companies. Such litigation, if instituted, could result in substantial costs and diversion of management attention and resources, which could significantly harm our business operations and reputation.

Future sales of our common stock in the public market could lower the price of our common stock and impair our ability to raise funds in future securities offerings.

We may issue a significant amount of shares of common stock in the future, including shares of common stock upon conversion of preferred stock or convertible notes we have or may issue, or upon the exercise of warrants currently outstanding or which we may issue in the future. Future sales of a substantial number of shares of these shares of common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales may occur, could adversely affect the then prevailing market price of our common stock, and could make it more difficult for us to raise funds in the future through public or private offerings of our securities.

You may face significant restrictions on the resale of your shares due to state “blue sky” laws.

Each state has its own securities laws, often called “blue sky” laws, which (1) limit sales of securities to a state’s residents unless the securities are registered in that state or qualify for an exemption from registration, and (2) govern the reporting requirements for broker-dealers doing business directly or indirectly in the state. Before a security is sold in a state, there must be a registration in place to cover the transaction, or it must be exempt from registration. The applicable broker-dealer must also be registered in that state.

We do not know whether our securities will be registered or exempt from registration under the laws of any state. A determination regarding registration will be made by those broker-dealers, if any, who agree to serve as market makers for our common stock. We have not yet applied to have our securities registered in any state and will not do so until we receive expressions of interest from investors resident in specific states after they have viewed this Annual Report. There may be significant state blue sky law restrictions on the ability of investors to sell, and on purchasers to buy, our securities. You should therefore consider the resale market for our common stock to be limited, as you may be unable to resell your shares without the significant expense of state registration or qualification.

Actions of activist shareholders could be disruptive and potentially costly and the possibility that activist shareholders may seek changes that conflict with our strategic direction could cause uncertainty about the strategic direction of our business.

Activist investors or other stockholders who disagree with our management (including legacy stockholders of our company from a time prior to the commencement of our current business plan) may attempt to effect changes in our strategic direction and how our company is governed or may seek to acquire control over our company. Some investors (commonly known as “activist investors”) seek to increase short-term stockholder value by advocating corporate actions such as financial restructuring, increased borrowing, special dividends, stock repurchases, or even sales of assets or the entire company. Activist campaigns can also seek to change the composition of our Board of Directors, and campaigns that contest or conflict with our strategic direction could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition as responding to proxy contests and other actions by activist shareholders can disrupt our operations, be costly and time-consuming, and divert the attention of our Board of Directors and senior management from the pursuit of our business strategies. In addition, perceived uncertainties as to our future direction that can arise from potential changes to the composition of our Board of Directors sought by activists may lead to the perception of a change in the direction of the business, instability or lack of continuity which may be exploited by our competitors, may cause concern to our current or potential customers or other partners, may result in the loss of potential business opportunities and may make it more difficult to attract and retain qualified personnel and business partners. These types of actions could divert our management’s attention from our business or cause significant fluctuations in our stock price based on temporary or speculative market perceptions or other factors that do not necessarily reflect the underlying fundamentals and prospects of our business, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our company.

Our ability to use our net operating losses and research and development credit carryforwards to offset future taxable income may be subject to certain limitations.

In general, under Sections 382 and 383 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (or the Code), a corporation that undergoes an “ownership change,” generally defined as a greater than 50% change by value in its equity ownership over a three-year period, is subject to limitations on its ability to utilize its pre-change net operating losses (or NOLs) and its research and development credit carryforwards to offset future taxable income. Our existing NOLs and research and development credit carryforwards may be subject to limitations arising from previous ownership changes, and if we undergo an ownership change, our ability to utilize NOLs and research and development credit carryforwards could be further limited by Sections 382 and 383 of the Code. In addition, our ability to deduct net interest expense may be limited if we have insufficient taxable income for the year during which the interest is incurred, and any carryovers of such disallowed interest would be subject to the limitation rules similar to those applicable to NOLs and other attributes. Future changes in our stock ownership, some of which might be beyond our control, could result in an ownership change under Section 382 of the Code. For these reasons, in the event we experience a change of control, we may not be able to utilize a material portion of the NOLs, research and development credit carryforwards or disallowed interest expense carryovers, even if we attain profitability.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they change their recommendations regarding our stock adversely, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us or our business. We do not currently have and may never obtain research coverage by industry or financial analysts. If no or few analysts commence coverage of us, the trading price of our stock would likely decrease. Even if we do obtain analyst coverage, if one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our stock, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.

Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and Nevada law could discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company and may affect the trading price of our common stock.

We are a Nevada corporation, and the anti-takeover provisions of the Nevada law may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control by, among other things: (i) prohibiting us from engaging in a business combination with an interested stockholder for a period of three years after the person becomes an interested stockholder, even if a change in control would be beneficial to our existing stockholders and (ii) making it more difficult to remove our directors and officers, which might discourage transactions that could involve payment to stockholders of a premium over the market price of our securities.

In addition, our certificate of incorporation, as amended, and our amended and restated bylaws may discourage, delay, or prevent a change in our management or control over us that stockholders may consider favorable. In particular, our certificate of incorporation, as amended, and our amended and restated bylaws, among other matters:

The financial and operational projections that we may make from time to time are subject to inherent risks.

The projections that our management may provide from time to time (including, but not limited to, those relating to potential peak sales amounts, product approval, production and supply dates, commercial launch dates, and other financial or operational matters) reflect numerous assumptions made by management, including assumptions with respect to our specific as well as general business, economic, market and financial conditions and other matters, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control. Accordingly, there is a risk that the assumptions made in preparing the projections, or the projections themselves, will prove inaccurate. There will be differences between actual and projected results, and actual results may be materially different from those contained in the projections. The inclusion of the projections in this Annual Report should not be regarded as an indication that we or our management or representatives considered or consider the projections to be a reliable prediction of future events, and the projections should not be relied upon as such.

We do not intend to pay dividends on our common stock.

We have never declared or paid any cash dividend on our common stock. We currently intend to retain any future earnings and do not expect to pay any dividends for the foreseeable future. Therefore, you should not invest in our common stock in the expectation that you will receive dividends.