ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Future results of operations of Applied Energetics involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Factors that could affect future operating results and cash flows and cause actual results to vary materially from historical results include, but are not limited to those risks set forth below:
Risk Related to Our Company
Our independent registered public accounting firm has expressed substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, which may hinder our ability to obtain future financing.
In their report accompanying our financial statements, our independent registered public accounting firm stated that our financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2025, were prepared assuming that we would continue as a going concern, and that they have substantial doubt as to our ability to continue as a going concern. Our auditors have noted that our recurring losses and negative cash flow from operations and the concern that we may incur additional losses due to the reduction in government contract activity raises substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
Our business has generated only limited revenues during the past two fiscal years and had a net operating loss during each period.
For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, we had revenues of $461,727 and $2,426,609, respectively, and we had net losses of $14,872,730 and $9,174,958, respectively. We can give no assurances that our planned operations will generate revenues in the future or whether any such revenues will result in profitability.
We may need additional financing to fund our operations going forward. If we are unable to obtain additional financing on acceptable terms, we may need to modify or curtail our development plans and operations.
As of December 31, 2025, we had $6,436,082 in available cash and cash equivalents and working capital of $6,129,118. We periodically conduct private bridge financings to cover certain short-term expenses, including raising approximately $10.8 million, in the aggregate, between the second and third quarters of 2025. We believe our cash position is sufficient for the next several months, but we will likely need to raise additional capital in order to fund our operations beyond that. We must allocate funds toward SEC compliance as well as Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA), International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and other federal regulatory compliance. We also need funds for general and administrative expenses, including salaries, benefits, supplies and equipment, lease expense on our headquarters, accounting, legal, and other professional fees and other miscellaneous expenses. Failure to secure sufficient financing could render us unable to fund these necessary costs and expenses. We also will require additional funding for research and development before we are able to commercialize our technology. We may secure additional government contracts or sub-contracts with larger contractors to fund additional research and development. However, we may need to raise additional capital to supplement these contracts even if we are able to secure them.
Our operating plans and capital requirements are subject to change based on how we determine to proceed with respect to development programs and if we pursue any strategic alternatives. We may seek to raise additional funds through the issuance of equity securities, but such financing may not be available on terms acceptable to us if at all. Any equity financing would cause the percentage ownership by our current stockholders to be diluted, and such dilution may be substantial. Also, any additional equity securities issued may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of existing stockholders. If such financing is not available when required or is not available on acceptable terms, we may be required to modify or curtail our operations, which could cause investors to lose the entire amount of their investment.
Risk Related to Our Industry and Business Activities
Economic, geopolitical and other factors beyond our control can affect our business.
Our business, operating results, financial condition and liquidity may be adversely affected by changes in global economic conditions and geopolitical risks, including the ongoing military action in Iran, the inflationary environment in the United States and internationally, oil and other commodity prices, supply chain challenges, exchange rates, potential changes in policy positions or priorities, levels of government spending and deficits, the availability and cost of labor, the threat environment, trade policies, political conditions, national or international crises, including recurring global health emergencies, tariffs, trade embargoes, and other challenges that could affect the global economy, the demand for our technology and our ability to source materials and equipment. In recent years, inflationary pressures have increased labor and material costs at a higher rate than in prior years. Due to the nature of our government business, and the customer and supplier contracts within that business, we may not be able to increase our contract value or pricing to offset these cost increases, particularly with grants or fixed price contracts. This could adversely affect our operating profits and margins particularly if increased inflation continues. Similarly, increases in interest rates from recent historical lows in the U.S. and internationally could negatively impact financial markets and tighten the availability of, and increase our cost of, capital, which could have an adverse effect on our operating results, financial condition and liquidity. Tightening credit in financial markets also could adversely affect the ability of our customers and suppliers to obtain financing for significant purchases and operations. Similarly, such tightening credit may adversely affect our supplier base and increase the potential for one or more of our suppliers to experience financial distress or bankruptcy. In addition, geopolitical and security risks could affect government priorities, budgets and policies, which could impact sales of defense and other products and services.
Changes in US government spending could negatively affect our business.
Substantially all of our current and planned near-term revenues are or may be from US government contracts and grants awarded under various programs, primarily with the DoW, prime contractors to the U.S. government, and, possibly, with intelligence, national security and other departments and agencies. Changes in US government spending for various reasons, including as a result of potential changes in policy positions or priorities, could negatively impact our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity. Our programs are subject to US government policies, budget decisions and appropriation processes which are driven by macroeconomic and geopolitical factors as well as Congress’s ability to enact, and the administration’s willingness to execute, appropriations bills and other legislation. In recent years, the US government has been unable to complete its budget process before the end of its fiscal year, resulting in government shutdowns and Continuing Resolutions emergency funding only at prior-year levels. In addition, failure to raise the debt ceiling could cause the U.S. government to default on debts which it has already incurred. U.S. government spending levels and available program funding are thus hard to estimate in the medium- and long-term. Significant changes in U.S. government spending or changes in U.S. government priorities, policies and requirements could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
The establishment of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) whose mission was to sharply reduce federal spending, including reviewing defense spending for possible waste, fraud and abuse has made securing funding for existing and new government contracts challenging. Although DOGE was disbanded in November 2025, many of its functions and personnel were absorbed into various federal agencies, including the DoW, and its principles and agenda to cut spending may continue in other forms. The termination of government employees responsible for payment of invoices can slow down payments under our contracts and disrupt our cash flows from operating activities which, if prolonged, could cause the loss of our business. The current budgetary and deficit funding environment, continuing inflation, tariffs and other ongoing supply chain disruptions, and DOGE, among other items, pose significant risks to the company.
During the quarter ended June 30, 2025, the company received notifications regarding loss of funding on two contracts. Funding ceased for one of these contracts although it is still in effect, and no stop-work order was received. With respect to the second of these contracts, the company was notified that no further funds are available and advised to stop work on it. Receipt of additional amounts under this contract, including for any work to be performed, is in doubt. The company has ceased working under and recording revenue for each of these contracts, and receipt of additional amounts under them is in doubt. The company intends to continue working in parallel on this technology as part of its ongoing internal research and development program.
We face risks relating to performance of our US government contracts and our ability to secure additional contracts and/or grants.
Our success depends on our ability to complete timely and satisfactory performance on our existing customer projects and to secure additional grants and contracts. Performance delays, cost overruns, technology failures, materials or components shortages, or contract delays, could negatively impact our business prospects, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity. U.S. government contracts generally permit the government to terminate the contract, in whole or in part, without prior notice, at the U.S. government’s convenience or for default based on performance. Correspondingly, subcontracts which we may seek to enter with prime government contractors, may be terminable by the prime contractor upon government termination of the prime contract. We may be unable to secure additional contracts to offset any revenues lost as a result of the termination of any such contracts.
Because the funding of U.S. government programs is subject to congressional appropriations made on a fiscal year basis even for multi-year programs, programs are often only partially funded initially and may not continue to be funded in future years. Appropriations bills may be delayed, which may result in delays to funding, the collection of receivables and our contract performance due to lack of authorized funds to procure related products and services. Under certain circumstances, we may use our own funds to meet our customers’ delivery dates or other requirements, and we may not be reimbursed. If appropriations for programs are reduced or delayed, the U.S. government may terminate any contract or subcontract under that program.
During the quarter ended June 30, 2025, the company received notifications regarding loss of funding on two contracts. Funding ceased for one of these contracts although it is still in effect, and no stop-work order was received. With respect to the second of these contracts, the company was notified that no further funds are available and advised to stop work on it. The company intends to continue working in parallel on this technology as part of its ongoing internal research and development program, but the company ceased recording revenue for each of these contracts, and receipt of additional amounts under them is in doubt.
The growth of our business depends on the development, application and manufacture of advanced technology and products aimed at achieving challenging goals. New technologies may be untested or unproven and, in some instances, product requirements or specifications need to be developed. This could result in performance difficulties, delays, cost overruns or failures which could require additional resources to address. Any failure to execute timely and effectively on our current programs could hamper future contracting opportunities. We may also need to invest in internal research and development projects in order to achieve certain grants or contracts, as our customers may demand proven concepts and solutions. These expenditures may not pay off if we are not awarded the intended grants or contracts.
Under certain types of government contracts, if we are unable to control costs or if our initial cost estimates are incorrect, our profitability could be negatively affected, particularly under fixed-price development contracts. We may also experience cost underruns which would reduce contract value and related expected revenues, and we may be unable to expand the contract scope or secure additional work to offset the resulting lost revenues. Contracts for development programs with complex design and technical challenges may be cost reimbursable. However, if they are firm fixed price or fixed price incentive contracts, such challenges and unexpected cost increases may impact our results of operations. US government contracts also require compliance with extensive and evolving procurement and other rules and regulations and subject us to potential audits, investigations, and disputes. We may also become involved in programs that are classified or otherwise restricted by the US government, which place limits on our ability to discuss our performance on these programs, including any risks, disputes and claims.
We may be unable to protect our intellectual property rights adequately, which could affect our ability to sustain the value of such assets.
Protecting our intellectual property rights is critical to our ability to maintain and protect the value of our intellectual property portfolio. We hold a number of United States patents and patent applications, as well as trademarks, and registrations which are necessary and contribute significantly to the preservation of our competitive position in the market. Any of these patents or future patent applications and other intellectual property could be challenged, invalidated or circumvented by third parties. In some instances, we may seek to augment our technology base by licensing the proprietary intellectual property of others, but we may be unable to obtain necessary licenses or to secure them on commercially reasonable terms. We have entered into confidentiality and invention assignment agreements with employees and consultants and nondisclosure agreements with suppliers, potential job candidates, and appropriate customers so as to limit access to and disclosure of our proprietary information. These measures may not suffice to deter misappropriation or independent third-party development of similar technologies. Based on our current financial condition, we may not have the funds available to enforce and protect our intellectual properties. Certain of our patents are Government Sensitive Patent Applications, meaning they are held under secrecy orders of the US government which limits our ability to develop technology under them although their expiration date is extended until such time as they are no longer classified. We also hold many of our intellectual property in the form of trade secrets, which may be difficult or impossible to protect in certain circumstances. In order to manufacture products, we may need to contract with third parties who have manufacturing capabilities which we do not have. In such instances, we may face the risk of our intellectual property being misappropriated.
We may face claims of infringement of proprietary rights.
There is a risk that a third party may claim our products and technologies infringe on their proprietary rights. Whether or not our products infringe on proprietary rights of third parties, infringement or invalidity claims may be asserted or prosecuted against us and we could incur significant expense in defending them. If any claims or actions are asserted against us, we may not have the funds necessary to defend against such claims. Our failure to do so could adversely affect the value of our intellectual property.
We may face liability for injury to persons within or outside of the company, or damage to property, and incur obligations, liabilities and costs under environmental, health and safety (EHS) laws, if we fail to adhere to laser safety standards or broader EHS requirements.
As we test and develop laser products, we are subject to laser safety regulations and industry standards. We are also subject to workplace regulations and safety standards for employees working with and around laser products and technology. These regulations and standards may include, among others, regulations promulgated by the US Federal Aviation Administration, the US Food and Drug Administration, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Arizona Radiation and Regulatory Agency, and standards set forth by the Laser Institute of America and approved by the American National Standards Institute, Inc. (ANSI). We are also subject to various state and local safety regulations. We currently use, handle, store, and periodically dispose of relatively small quantities of chemicals used in our development process, such as acetone and isopropyl alcohol. We are subject to regulations regarding their disposal. Any increase in the type or use of such chemicals could subject us to increased regulation.
We have appointed a Laser Safety Officer (LSO) who works with senior members of our scientific and engineering staff to ensure that our employees understand and follow relevant regulations and standards. However, these regulations and standards can be complex, may require specialized facilities, equipment and training, vary significantly with different laser products, processes and materials, and are subject to change from time to time (including through the adoption of more stringent EHS requirements). Our failure to comply with one or more of these regulations or standards could result in civil or criminal penalties, including significant fines or bans, liability for injury to persons or damage to property, some of which could be severe, or loss of business. In addition, future developments, such as more aggressive enforcement policies from the U.S. federal government, or the discovery of presently unknown environmental conditions, may require expenditures that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We may also face more stringent regulations if our operations require the use, handling, storage, transportation and disposal of hazardous materials.
As we progress from primarily conducting research to outdoor demonstration and product development, we could become subject to product liability claims which could be expensive, divert management’s attention and harm our business. If we ultimately undertake to manufacture our own laser products, we could face costly product recalls or warranty claims.
As we work to develop and demonstrate prototypes and eventually produce and sell products to customers, our business exposes us to potential liability risks that are inherent in the production, demonstration, manufacturing, marketing and sale of laser products to customers. We may be held liable if any of our products under development or other future products cause injury or death or are otherwise malfunction during demonstration or usage.
Our products under development are expected to incorporate sophisticated laser components and computer software. Complex software can contain errors, particularly when first introduced. In addition, new products or enhancements may contain undetected errors or performance problems that, despite testing, are discovered only after delivery and use by customers. While we believe our technology will be safe, users may allege or possibly prove defects, some of which could be alleged or proved to cause harm to users or others. While most of our laser technology is considered “eye-safe,” certain of our products under development are designed to operate in bands that could cause harm to vision or even total blindness. These products will require safety precautions and procedures, both by our internal team during product development and demonstrations and by prospective customers during demonstrations or customers using these products.
In addition to the foregoing, we have begun testing our prototypes at testing ranges outside of our laboratory facilities. These facilities are general in remote areas and configured so as to make testing relatively safe if certain protocols identified by our LSO are followed. While we endeavor to comply with all applicable safety regulations promulgated by the relevant agencies, including without limitation, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), the Federal Aviation Administration and the Food and Drug Administration, as well as any applicable requirements under state law, we cannot be certain that testing of our lasers will not cause serious harm or injury either to personnel involved with the testing or third parties.
A product liability claim, regardless of its merit or eventual outcome, could result in significant legal defense costs. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to obtain products liability insurance; if we do, however, the coverage limits of any insurance policies that we may choose to purchase to cover related risks may not be adequate to cover future claims, and the cost of insurance, if obtainable, could be prohibitive. If sales of our products increase or we suffer future product liability claims, we may be unable to maintain product liability insurance in the future at satisfactory rates or with adequate amounts. Similarly, the potential risks associated with some of our lasers could result in substantial premiums for workers compensation insurance.
We intend to advance our products to manufacture, whether in contract with one or more third parties or in our own facilities, we could also face product recalls or warranty claims. A product liability claim, any product recalls or excessive warranty claims, whether arising from defects in design or manufacture or otherwise, could negatively affect our sales or require a change in the design or manufacturing process, any of which could harm our reputation and result in a decline in revenue, each of which would harm our business.
Moreover, if a product we designed or manufactured is defective, whether due to design or manufacturing defects, improper use of the product or other reasons, we may be required to notify regulatory authorities and/or to recall the product. A required notification to a regulatory authority or recall could result in an investigation by regulatory authorities of our products, which could in turn result in required recalls, restrictions on the sale of the products or other penalties. The adverse publicity resulting from any of these actions could adversely affect the perception of customers and potential customers. These investigations or recalls, especially if accompanied by unfavorable publicity, could result in our incurring substantial costs, losing revenues and damaging our reputation, each of which would harm our business.
Security breaches, cyber-attacks, or other disruptions or incidents could expose us to liability and severely damage our operations and business development efforts.
We depend heavily on information technology systems and infrastructure for our business. We, our collaborators and our service providers collect, store, and transmit sensitive information including intellectual property, proprietary business information, and research results and related data, in connection with our business operations. The secure maintenance of this information is critical to our operations and business strategy. Some of this information could be an attractive target of criminal attacks by third parties with a wide range of motives and expertise, including organized criminal groups, “hacktivists,” disgruntled current or former employees, terrorist organizations, nation-state and nation-state supported actors, and others. The level of sophistication of cyber threats continues to grow over time.
We have cybersecurity systems in place to protect our and our customers’ proprietary information and sensitive data against the risk of inappropriate and unauthorized external use and disclosure and other types of compromise. However, these measures may prove inadequate to detect, prevent or mitigate security breaches and other incidents and we may be subject to data breaches through cyber-attacks, including ransomware, malicious code (such as viruses and worms), phishing schemes, social engineering schemes, and theft or misuse of data from inside the company. Any such breach could compromise our networks and the information stored there could be accessed, modified, destroyed, publicly disclosed, lost or stolen. If our systems become compromised, we may be unable to discover the intrusion promptly enough to mitigate any damage.
A cybersecurity breach or other incident could cause our credibility to suffer with customers. Any investigation, response, or remediation of such a breach, would result in costs in addition to possibly significant legal claims or proceedings, and possibly liability under our customer contracts. Any one of these events could cause material harm to our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Management has broad discretion over the selection of our business and prospective business opportunities.
Any person who invests in our securities will do so without an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of our prospective business and business opportunities. As a result, investors will be entirely dependent on the broad discretion and judgment of management in connection with the selection of a prospective business. The business decisions made by our management may not be successful.
We depend on the recruitment and retention of qualified personnel, and failure to attract and retain such personnel could seriously harm our business.
Due to the specialized nature of our businesses, our future performance is highly dependent upon the continued services of our key engineering and scientific personnel. Our prospects for obtaining government contracts or significant commercial contracts depend upon our ability to attract and retain qualified engineering, scientific and manufacturing personnel for our operations. Given intense competition, we may not be successful in attracting or retaining qualified personnel. Our failure to compete for these personnel could seriously harm our business, results of operations and financial condition. Additionally, since much of our business involves technologies that are or may be classified or otherwise restricted for national security reasons, we must hire U.S. citizens who have the ability to obtain a security clearance. This further reduces our potential labor pool.
Our future success will depend on our ability to develop and commercialize technologies and applications that address the needs of our markets.
Both our defense and commercial markets are characterized by rapidly changing technologies and evolving industry standards. Accordingly, our future performance depends on a number of factors, including our ability to identify emerging technological trends in our target markets; develop and maintain competitive products; enhance our products by improving performance and adding innovative features that differentiate our products from those of our competitors; develop and manufacture and bring products to market on-time and on-budget; and enter into suitable arrangements for volume production of mature products.
We believe that, to be competitive in the future, we will need to continue to develop and commercialize technologies and products, which will require the investment of financial and engineering resources. Due to the design complexity of our products, we may in the future experience delays in completing development and introduction on a commercial scale of new products. Any delays could result in increased costs of development, deflection of resources from other projects or loss of contracts.
In addition, the market for our technologies and products may not develop or expand as we currently anticipate. The failure of our technology to gain market acceptance could significantly reduce any ability to generate revenue and harm our business. Furthermore, we cannot be sure that our competitors will not develop competing or differing technologies which gain market acceptance in advance of our products. The possibility that our competitors might develop new technology or products might cause our existing technology and products to become obsolete or create significant price competition. If we fail in our new product development and commercialization efforts, or our products fail to achieve market acceptance more rapidly than our competitors, our revenue will decline and our business, financial condition and results of operations will be negatively affected. We rely on testing ranges owned and operated by third parties for outdoor testing of our technology. These outdoor testing facilities can be shut down, expensive, or offer only limited time slots for their use.
We heavily depend on key personnel for the successful execution of our business plan. The loss of one or more key members of our management team could have a material adverse effect on our business prospects.
We are highly dependent upon Christopher Donaghey, our President and Chief Executive Officer and Stephen McCahon, our Chief Science Officer. We depend on Dr. McCahon’s decades of expertise for the marketing and development of our technology. We also depend upon their global visibility and outreach as well as Mr. Donaghey’s and our directors’ networks of contacts and experience to recruit key talent to the company. We do not have key-person insurance on any of these individuals. Loss of the services of any of these key members of our management team, or of our Board of Directors’ ability to identify and hire key talent, could have a material adverse effect on our business prospects, financial condition and results of operations. Although a key component of our growth strategy is succession planning and hiring additional key personnel, we may be unable to achieve this in the near term given constraints in the labor market and our interest in recruiting highly qualified professionals.
If we are unable to hire additional qualified personnel, our business prospects may suffer.
Our success and achievement of our business plans depend upon our ability to recruit, hire, train and retain additional highly qualified technical and managerial personnel. Competition for qualified employees among high technology companies is intense, and any inability to attract, retain and motivate additional highly skilled employees required for the implementation of our business plans and activities could strongly impact our business. Our inability to attract and retain the necessary technical and managerial personnel and scientific, regulatory and other consultants and advisors could materially damage our business prospects, financial condition and results of operations.
The market for our technology has a limited number of potential customers.
Given the highly specialized nature of our technology, the potential market for our products is limited to a relative few potential customers who tend to allocate significant budgeted amounts to selected projects. Currently, we are marketing our technology and focusing our research and development on the defense sector, in which demand is ultimately determined primarily by the US federal defense budget and the needs and priorities of the DoW and its various agencies. The potential customers in this area are defense agencies for direct contracts and major defense contractors for subcontracts. Thus, the demand for our products depends on their needs for our technology and selecting us for research and development. Although we intend to diversify into other applications for our technology and markets, we cannot be certain that opportunities in those markets will present themselves when we are ready, or that we will otherwise be able, to do so.
Our reliance for our business on a single facility subjects us to concentration risks.
We currently operate our business from a single location in Tucson, Arizona. Due to the lack of diversification in our assets and geographic location, an adverse development at or impacting our facility or in local or regional economic or political conditions could have a significantly greater impact on our results of operations and financial condition than if we maintained more diverse assets and locations. While we implement preventative and proactive maintenance at our facility, it is possible that we could experience prolonged periods of reduced production and increased maintenance and repair costs due to equipment failures. In addition, because of our single facility and location, in certain cases we rely on limited or single suppliers for significant inputs, such as electricity. We are also reliant on the adequacy of the local skilled labor force to support our operations. Supply interruptions to or labor shortages or stoppages at our facility could be caused by any of the aforementioned factors, many of which are beyond our control, and would adversely affect our operations and we would not have any ability to offset this concentrated impact with activities at any alternative facilities or locations.
We are subject to certain regulations and requirements for our facility and personnel security clearances, which are prerequisites to our ability to perform on classified contracts for the U.S. Government.
A facility security clearance is required for a company to perform on classified contracts for the DoW and certain other agencies of the U.S. Government. Security clearances are subject to regulations and requirements including the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (“NISPOM”), which specifies the requirements for the protection of classified information released or disclosed in connection with classified U.S. Government contracts.
We require certain facility and personnel security clearances to perform any anticipated classified U.S. government related business. As such, we must comply with the requirements of the NISPOM and any other applicable U.S. Government industrial security regulations. If we were to violate the terms and requirements of the NISPOM or any other applicable U.S. Government industrial security regulations (which apply to us under the terms of classified contracts), any of our cleared facilities could lose its facility security clearance. We cannot be certain that we will be able to maintain our facility security clearance. If for some reason our facility security clearance is invalidated or terminated, we would not be able to continue to perform on classified contracts and would not be able to enter into new classified contracts, which could adversely affect our ability to generate revenues. Failure to comply with the NISPOM or other security requirements may subject us to civil or criminal penalties, loss of access to classified information, inability to obtain further U.S. government contract, or potentially debarment as a government contractor
We currently maintain significant cash balances at a commercial bank which could exceed the FDIC insurance limits and do not always earn a significant return.
We maintain a large percentage of our cash balances with Western Alliance Bank. At times, our bank balances exceed FDIC limits. As of December 31, 2025, $6,180,178 of our cash balance was uninsured. From time to time, significant portions of our cash balance earn little, if any, interest. We continue to monitor our banking arrangement and have taken measures to diversify our cash holdings into interest-bearing cash equivalents and auxiliary cash accounts to maximize our insurance coverage. We continue to monitor our banking arrangement and have taken measures to diversify our cash holdings into interest bearing cash equivalents and auxiliary cash accounts to maximize our insurance coverage.
Risks Related to Our Securities
We are subject to the penny stock rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission that require brokers to provide extensive disclosure to their customers prior to executing trades in penny stocks. These disclosure requirements, coupled with our status as a former shell company, may cause a reduction in the trading activity of our common stock, and make it difficult for our stockholders to sell their securities.
Rule 3a51-1 of the Exchange Act establishes the definition of a “penny stock,” for purposes relevant to us, as any equity security that has a minimum bid price of less than $5.00 per share or with an exercise price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to a limited number of exceptions which are not available to us. This classification would severely and adversely affect any market liquidity for our common stock.
For any transaction involving a penny stock, unless exempt, the penny stock rules require that a broker or dealer approve a person’s account for transactions in penny stocks and 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. In order to approve a person’s account for transactions in penny stocks, the broker or dealer must obtain financial information and investment experience and objectives of the person and make a reasonable determination that the transactions in penny stocks are suitable for that person and that that 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 prepared by the SEC relating to the penny stock market, which, in highlight form, sets forth:
The basis on which the broker or dealer made the suitability determination; and
That the broker or dealer received a signed, written agreement from the investor prior to the transaction
Disclosure also has to be made about the risks of investing in penny stocks in both public offerings and in secondary trading and commission payable to both the broker-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.
Because of these regulations and restrictions, broker-dealers may not wish to engage in the above-referenced necessary paperwork and disclosures and/or may encounter difficulties in their attempt to sell shares of our common stock, which may affect the ability of selling stockholders or other holders to sell their shares in any secondary market and have the effect of reducing the level of trading activity in any secondary market. These additional sales practice and disclosure requirements could impede the sale of our common stock. In addition, the liquidity for our common stock may decrease, with a corresponding decrease in the price of our common stock. Our common stock, in all probability, will be subject to such penny stock rules and other restrictions for the foreseeable future and our stockholders will, in all likelihood, find it difficult to sell their shares of common stock.
Because we are a former shell company, our stockholders face restrictions on their reliance on rule 144 to sell their shares.
Historically, the SEC staff has taken the position that Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) is not available for the resale of securities initially issued by companies that are, or previously were, shell companies, like AE. The SEC has codified and expanded this position in certain amendments to Rule 144 by prohibiting the use of Rule 144 for resale of securities issued by any shell companies (other than business combination related shell companies) or any issuer that has been at any time previously a shell company. The SEC has provided an important exception to this prohibition, however, if the following conditions are met:
the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company;
the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act;
the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and material required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Current Reports on Form 8-K; and
at least one year has elapsed from the time that the issuer filed current comprehensive disclosure with the SEC reflecting its status as an entity that is not a shell company.
We expect that we will be able to meet all of these requirements in the future, but unknown future events and circumstances could change that outcome. As a result, pursuant to Rule 144, stockholders who receive our restricted securities in a private placement or a business combination may not be able to sell our shares without registration for up to one year after we have completed the private placement or business combination.
A large number of shares of our common stock could be sold in the market in the near future, which could depress our stock price, particularly in light of the limited trading volume and volatility in the market for our common stock which can make it illiquid.
As of March 27, 2026, we had outstanding 223,836,331 shares of common stock. Approximately 100 million of our shares are currently freely trading without restriction under the Securities Act. Most of the remaining shares have been held by their holders for over one year and are thus eligible for sale under Rule 144(k) of the Securities Act. Sale of these shares into the market could depress our stock price. This is particularly true in an illiquid market characterized by limited trading volume. The market for shares of our common stock is subject to a limited trading volume and at times is volatile. The thinly traded nature of our common stock could make it difficult to sell shares at or near ask prices, if at all, particularly as additional shares enter the market for sale.
Provisions of our corporate charter documents could delay or prevent change of control.
Our Certificate of Incorporation authorizes our Board of Directors to issue up to 2,000,000 shares of “blank check” preferred stock without stockholder approval, in one or more series and to fix the dividend rights, terms, conversion rights, voting rights, redemption rights and terms, liquidation preferences, and any other rights, preferences, privileges, and restrictions applicable to each new series of preferred stock. In addition, our Certificate of Incorporation divides our board of directors into three classes, serving staggered three-year terms. At least two annual meetings, instead of one, will be required to effect a change in a majority of our board of directors. The designation of preferred stock in the future and the classification of our Board of Directors, could make it difficult for third parties to gain control of our company, prevent or substantially delay a change in control, discourage bids for our common stock at a premium, or otherwise adversely affect the market price of our common stock. Moreover, the holders of our outstanding Series A Preferred Stock have a right to put their shares to the company for an amount equal to the liquidation preference of approximately $340,000 plus unpaid dividends (approximately $433,000 as of December 31, 2025), in the event of a change of control. Such right could hinder our ability to sell our assets or merge with another company.
The redemption and dividend provisions of our outstanding preferred stock are onerous due to our current financial condition.
The company has redeemed substantially all of its outstanding preferred stock. At December 31, 2025, 13,602 shares were outstanding with a liquidation preference of approximately $340,000 and unpaid dividends of approximately $431,000. As of March 27, 2026, the liquidation preference of our outstanding preferred stock plus unpaid dividends thereon was approximately $442,000. If an event occurs that would require us to redeem the preferred stock, we may not have the required cash to do so.
In addition, our annual dividend payment on the preferred stock is approximately $34,000, which will further deplete our cash. We have not paid the dividends commencing with the quarterly dividend due August 1, 2013, and, as a result, the dividend rate has increased to 10% per annum and will remain at that level until such failure no longer continues. These terms may also make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities or complete an acquisition.
Any issuance of additional securities in conjunction with a business or financing opportunity which will result in a dilution of present stockholders’ ownership.
Our certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of 500,000,000 shares of common stock. As of March 27, 2026, we had approximately 223,836,331 shares of common stock issued and outstanding. If funding opportunities present themselves on favorable terms, we may issue additional shares to fund our business or in connection with our pursuit of new business opportunities and new business operations. To the extent that additional shares of common stock are issued, our stockholders would experience dilution of their respective ownership interests. If we issue shares of common stock in connection with our intent to pursue new business opportunities, a change in control of our company could occur. The issuance of additional shares of common stock may also adversely affect the market price of our common stock, particularly given the historically low trading volume in the market for our common stock.
