Item 1A. Risk Factors
Investing in our securities includes a high degree of risk. Prior to making a decision about investing in our securities, you should consider carefully the specific factors discussed below, together with all of the other information contained in this prospectus. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects would likely be materially and adversely affected. This could cause the market price of our Common Stock to decline and could cause you to lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Relating to Our Business, Growth Prospects and Operating Results
We are recently formed and only in the early development stages. Although we have generated some revenue, we are not in volume production for any of our product offerings. Our lack of operating history makes it difficult to evaluate our business and prospects, and may increase the risks associated with an investment in our Common Stock.
Biond Photonics, now Aeluma, was formed in 2019. Although the Company has generated some revenue, the Company is subject to the risks involved with any speculative early-stage enterprise. There is no assurance that the Company will successfully offer, market and distribute its products or services. The Company may experience continuing net losses and negative cash flows from operations. The extent of continuing losses and negative cash flows from operations and the time required to reach profitability are highly uncertain. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to achieve profitability or that profitability, if achieved, can be sustained on an ongoing basis. There is no assurance that actual cash requirements will not exceed our estimates. Such risks for the Company include, but are not limited to:
an evolving, unpredictable and unproven business model;
an intensely competitive developing market;
rapidly changing technology;
managing development and growth;
dependence on key personnel;
dependence on outsourced resources, materials and equipment;
limited operating capital and limited access to credit; and
other unforeseen changes and developments in operations, the product, and markets.
In order to address these risks, the Company must, among other things:
implement and successfully execute its business strategy;
provide superior customer service;
respond to competitive developments;
attract, retain, and motivate qualified personnel; and
respond to unforeseen and changing circumstances.
The Company cannot make an assurance that it will succeed in addressing these risks.
Our failure to raise additional capital or generate cash flows necessary to expand our operations and invest in new enterprises in the future could reduce our ability to compete successfully and harm our results of operations .
Historically, we have funded our operations and capital expenditures primarily through equity issuances and cash generated from our operations. Although we currently anticipate that our existing cash and cash equivalents and cash flow from operations will be sufficient to meet our cash needs for the foreseeable future, our business may not always generate sufficient cash flow from operations to fund our activities and we may require additional financing, which we may not be able to obtain on favorable terms. If we raise equity financing to fund operations or on an opportunistic basis, our stockholders may experience significant dilution of their ownership interests. If we engage in debt financing, we may be required to accept terms that restrict our ability to incur additional indebtedness, force us to maintain specified liquidity or other ratios or restrict our ability to pay dividends or make acquisitions. Additionally, if we need such financing and it is not available to us, or is not available to us on satisfactory terms, our ability to operate and expand our business or to respond to competitive pressures would be limited and we could be required to delay, significantly curtail, or eliminate planned operations or other elements of our growth strategy. To reduce this risk, we filed the Shelf S3, which allows us to sell any combination of the securities described in the registration statement in one or more offerings up to a total dollar amount of proceeds of $100,000,000; however, there is no guarantee that we will sell any shares pursuant to the Shelf S3.
We may not be able to successfully implement our growth strategy on a timely basis or at all. Our future growth, profitability and cash flows depend upon our ability to successfully implement our growth strategy, which, in turn, is dependent upon a number of factors, including our ability to:
expand our eco-system of partners for our technology and products ;
acquire new customers;
scale our business model, including scaling our technology for commercial deployment;
ensure a consistent and timely supply chain;
expand our presence within verticals;
continue to innovate our product offerings; and
selectively pursue strategic and value-enhancing acquisitions.
There can be no assurance that we can successfully achieve any or all of the above initiatives in the manner or time period that we expect. Further, achieving these objectives will require investments that may result in short-term costs without generating any current revenue and therefore may be dilutive to our earnings. We cannot provide any assurance that we will realize, in full or in part, the anticipated benefits we expect our strategy will achieve. The failure to realize those benefits could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The timelines of adoption for our technologies might be longer than we anticipate.
As a semiconductor company, we develop technologies and components that our customers incorporate into their end-products and systems, which may require development effort that may involve development risk for our customers; these products would then be subject to market adoption and selling lead-times. In some cases, there may be one or more additional intermediate participants in the supply chain. Collectively, the sequential nature of development and adoption of our products may take longer than expected and could potentially delay revenue growth and adversely impact our business.
Changes to regulatory agencies could pose risks related to our business operations and financial outlook.
On January 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump issued Executive Order No. 14158 entitled “Establishing and Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” or “DOGE”, which is tasked with making changes to eliminate regulations, cut expenditures, and restructure federal agencies, some of which could impact public companies and companies in our industry. Through DOGE or similar recently issued Executive Orders and initiatives, it is possible the Trump administration could institute significant changes to certain regulatory agencies. These changes could result in a significant reduction in staff and/or federal funding, which may cause backlogs or other interruptions to regulatory reviews and approvals causing a delay to our operations and/or special projects. As such, these changes to regulatory agencies could negatively impact our business operations and financial outlook.
Compliance with federal securities laws, rules, and regulations, as well as Nasdaq requirements, has become increasingly complex, and the significant attention and expense we must devote to those areas may have an adverse impact on our business.
Federal securities laws, rules, and regulations, as well as Nasdaq rules and regulations, require companies to maintain extensive corporate governance measures, impose comprehensive reporting and disclosure requirements, set strict independence and financial expertise standards for audit and other committee members, and impose civil and criminal penalties for companies and their chief executive officers, chief financial officers, and directors for securities law violations. These laws, rules and regulations have increased, and in the future are expected to continue to increase, the scope, complexity, and cost of our corporate governance, reporting and disclosure practices, which could harm our results of operations and divert management’s attention from business operations.
We generate a substantial portion of our revenue from contracts with U.S. federal government agencies, which are subject to a number of challenges and risks that may adversely impact our business, prospects, financial condition, and operating results.
Contracts with U.S. federal governmental agencies, or prime contractors of these agencies, have in the past accounted for, and may in the future account for, a substantial portion of our revenue. Contracts with government entities or prime contractors are subject to the following risks:
selling to and contracting with governmental agencies can be highly competitive, expensive, and time consuming, often requiring significant upfront time and expense without any assurance that such efforts will generate sales or revenue. Our existing contracts typically expire after some period of time and must be “re-competed.” There is no guarantee that we will win such re-compete efforts;
government certification requirements applicable to our products and services may change, and in doing so, may restrict our ability to sell into the U.S. federal government sector until we have attained the revised certification;
government demand and payment for our products and services may be impacted by public sector budgetary cycles and funding authorizations, with funding reductions or delays adversely affecting public sector demand for our products and services;
governments can generally terminate our contracts “for convenience”, meaning we could lose part or all of our revenue on short notice. The potential impact of the DOGE on government spending may adversely impact our business and may lead to an increase in the frequency of events of terminating contracts for convenience;
governments routinely investigate and audit government contractors’ administrative processes, and any unfavorable audit could result in the government refusing to continue buying our products or services, which would adversely impact our revenue and results of operations, or institute fines or civil or criminal liability if the audit uncovers improper or illegal activities; and
when we are a subcontractor, we have less control over the execution and success of the contract with the government.
If we were suspended or debarred from contracting with the U.S. government, if our reputation or relationship with government agencies was impaired, or if the government otherwise ceased doing business with us or significantly decreased the amount of business it does with us, our business, prospects, financial condition, and operating results would be materially and adversely affected.
We rely on our management team and other key employees and will need additional personnel to grow our business. The loss of one or more key employees or our inability to attract and retain qualified personnel could harm our business.
Our future success is substantially dependent on our ability to attract, retain and motivate the members of our management team and other key employees throughout our organization. The loss of one or more members of our management team or other key employees could materially impact our sales or our R&D programs and materially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. We do not maintain key person life insurance policies on any of our management team members or key employees. Competition for highly skilled personnel is intense. We may not be successful in attracting or retaining qualified personnel to fulfill our current or future needs. For positions in our offices near Santa Barbara in particular, we may experience challenges hiring new and mid-level employees in part due to the high local housing costs. Our competitors may be successful in recruiting and hiring members of our management team or other key employees, and it may be difficult for us to find suitable replacements on a timely basis, on competitive terms, or at all.
If our estimates or judgments relating to our critical accounting policies are based on assumptions that change or prove to be incorrect, our results of operations could fall below the expectations of investors, resulting in a decline in the market price of our common stock.
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in our financial statements. Significant assumptions and estimates used in preparing our financial statements include those related to assets, liabilities, revenue, expenses, and related disclosures. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets, liabilities, equity, revenue, and expenses that are not readily apparent from other sources. Our results of operations may be adversely affected if our assumptions change or if actual circumstances differ from those in our assumptions, which could cause our results of operations to fall below the expectations of investors, resulting in a decline in the market price of our common stock.
Changes in accounting rules and regulations, or interpretations thereof, could result in unfavorable accounting charges or require us to change our compensation policies.
Accounting methods and policies for companies such as ours, including policies governing revenue recognition, leases, R&D and related expenses, and accounting for stock-based compensation, are subject to review, interpretation and guidance from our auditors and relevant accounting authorities, including the SEC. Changes to accounting methods or policies, or interpretations thereof, may require us to reclassify, restate or otherwise change or revise our historical financial statements, including those contained in this prospectus.
Our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards and certain other tax attributes may be limited.
We do not expect to become profitable in the near future and may never achieve profitability. To the extent that we continue to generate taxable losses, unused losses will carry forward to offset future taxable income, if any, until such unused losses expire. Under Sections 382 and 383 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change,” generally defined as a greater than 50% change (by value) in its equity ownership over a three-year period, the corporation’s ability to use its pre-change net operating loss carryforwards (“NOLs”), and other pre-change tax attributes (such as research tax credits) to offset its post-change income or taxes may be limited. The merger, our prior equity offerings and other changes in our stock ownership may have resulted in ownership changes. In addition, we may experience ownership changes in the future as a result of subsequent shifts in our stock ownership, some of which are outside of our control. As a result, if we earn net taxable income, our ability to use our pre-change net operating loss carryforwards to offset U.S. federal taxable income may be subject to limitations, which could potentially result in increased future tax liability to us. In addition, at the state level, there may be periods during which the use of NOLs is suspended or otherwise limited, which could accelerate or permanently increase state taxes owed.
We will depend on a limited number of customers and the loss of one or more of these customers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Currently, Aeluma has customer engagements that involve R&D, development of wafers, and delivery of engineering samples for evaluation. There is no assurance that any of these potential customers will purchase our product after they complete their analysis. Since we cannot predict how many of these evaluations will turn into sales, if any, we cannot guarantee that we will generate sufficient revenue to be profitable.
In addition, we cannot assure that any of our future customers will not cease purchasing products from us in favor of products produced by other suppliers, significantly reduce orders, or seek price reductions in the future, and any such event could have a material adverse effect on our revenue, profitability, and results of operations.
Furthermore, if a significant portion of our revenue is derived from customers in certain industries, a downturn or lower sales to customers in such industries could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations. If we cannot successfully market our products, we will not receive revenue.
Due to the concentration and ongoing consolidation within the semiconductor industry, we may also find that over the longer term, our revenues are dependent on relatively few customers. If we lose any of these customers, or these customers do not pay us, our revenues could be materially adversely affected.
Customer concentration could potentially result in volatility of revenues and stock prices.
While we are targeting a broad and diverse customer base of both private and public customers as well as U.S. government agencies across multiple high-volume mass market opportunities, our initial phases of volume production may be limited in diversity of customers. As a result, revenues during these phases may be volatile. Such revenue volatility may potentially result in higher-than-average volatility in the price of our Common Stock.
Some of our business may be dependent on a royalty-based business model, which is inherently risky.
The long-term success of our business model may be dependent on future royalties paid to us by licensee-customers. We will depend on our ability to structure, negotiate and enforce agreements for the determination and payment of royalties, as well as upon our licensees’ compliance with their agreements. We face risks inherent in a royalty-based model, many of which are outside our control, such as the following:
the rate of adoption and incorporation of our technology by semiconductor designers and manufacturers and the manufacturers of semiconductor fabrication equipment;
the length of the design cycle and the ability to successfully integrate our technology into manufacturing processes;
the demand for products incorporating semiconductors that use our licensed technology;
the cyclicality of supply and demand for products using our licensed technology;
the impact of economic downturns; and
the timing of receipt of royalty reports may not meet our revenue recognition criteria resulting in fluctuation in our results of operations;
Uncertainties regarding the timing and amount of customer orders could lead to excess inventory and write-downs of inventory that could materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
We expect that our sales will be typically made pursuant to individual purchase orders or customer agreements, and we do not expect to have long-term supply arrangements with our customers requiring a commitment to purchase. We expect that the agreements with our customers may allow them to cancel orders prior to shipment for standard products and, generally prior to start of production for custom products without incurring a penalty. We anticipate to routinely generate inventory based on customers’ estimates of end-user demand for their products, which is difficult to predict. In times of under supply for certain products, some customers could respond by inflating their demand signals. As markets level off and supply capacity begins to match actual market demands, we could experience an increased risk of inventory write-downs, which may materially adversely affect our results of operations and our financial condition. In addition, our customers may change their inventory practices on short notice for any reason. Furthermore, short customer lead times are standard in the industry due to overcapacity. The cancellation or deferral of product orders, the return of previously sold products, or overproduction of products due to the failure of anticipated orders to materialize could result in excess obsolete inventory, which could result in write-downs of inventory or the incurrence of significant cancellation penalties under our arrangements with our raw materials and equipment suppliers. Unsold inventory, canceled orders, and cancellation penalties may materially adversely affect our results of operations, and inventory write-downs, which may materially adversely affect our financial condition.
Our customers may require our products to undergo a lengthy and expensive qualification process without any assurance of product sales.
Prior to purchasing our products, our customers may require that our products undergo an extensive qualification process, which involves testing of the products in the customer’s system, as well as rigorous reliability testing. This qualification process may continue for a few months or longer, and we cannot guarantee that products will pass the required tests. However, qualification of a product by a customer does not ensure any sales of the product to that customer. Even after successful qualification and sales of a product to a customer, a subsequent revision to the product or software, changes in the product’s manufacturing process or the selection of a new supplier by us may require a new qualification process, which may result in delays and in us holding excess or obsolete inventory. After our products are qualified, additional time may be required before the customer commences volume production of components or devices that incorporate our products. Despite these uncertainties, we will devote substantial resources, including design, engineering, sales, marketing and management efforts, toward qualifying our products with customers in anticipation of sales. If we are unsuccessful or delayed in qualifying any of our products with a customer, such failure or delay would preclude or delay sales of such product to the customer, which may impede our growth and cause our business to suffer.
Our business operations could suffer in the event of information technology systems’ failures or security breaches.
While we believe that we have implemented adequate security measures within our internal information technology and networking systems, our information technology systems may be subject to security breaches, damages from computer viruses, natural disasters, terrorism, and telecommunication failures. Any system failure or security breach could cause interruptions in our operations in addition to the possibility of losing proprietary information and trade secrets. To the extent that any disruption or security breach results in inappropriate disclosure of our confidential information, our competitive position may be adversely affected, and we may incur liability or additional costs to remedy the damages caused by these disruptions or security breaches.
If we fail to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights and our confidential information, our business will suffer.
We rely primarily on a combination of nondisclosure agreements and other contractual provisions, and patent, trade secret and copyright laws to protect our technology and intellectual property. If we fail to protect our technology and intellectual property, our customers, licensees, and others may seek to use our technology and intellectual property without the payment of license fees and royalties, which could weaken our competitive position, reduce our operating results and increase the likelihood of costly litigation. The growth of our business depends in large part on our ability to secure intellectual property rights in a timely manner, our ability to convince third parties of the applicability of our intellectual property rights, and our ability to enforce our intellectual property rights. In certain instances, we attempt to obtain patent protection for portions of our technology, and our agreements may include both issued patents and pending patent applications. If we fail to obtain patents in a timely manner or if the patents issued to us do not cover all of the inventions disclosed in our patent applications, others could use portions of our technology and intellectual property without the payment of license fees and royalties.
We also rely on trade secret laws rather than patent laws to protect other portions of our proprietary technology. However, trade secrets can be difficult to protect. The misappropriation of our trade secrets or other proprietary information could seriously harm our business. We protect our proprietary technology and processes, in part, through confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants, suppliers and customers. We cannot be certain that these contracts have not been and will not be breached, that we will be able to timely detect unauthorized use or transfer of our technology and intellectual property, that we will have adequate remedies for any breach, or that our trade secrets will not otherwise become known or be independently discovered by competitors. If we fail to use these mechanisms to protect our technology and intellectual property, or if a court fails to enforce our intellectual property rights, our business will suffer. We cannot be certain that these protection mechanisms can be successfully asserted in the future or will not be invalidated or challenged.
Further, the laws and enforcement regimes of certain countries do not protect our technology and intellectual property to the same extent as do the laws and enforcement regimes of the U.S. In certain jurisdictions we may be unable to protect our technology and intellectual property adequately against unauthorized use, which could adversely affect our business.
A court invalidation or limitation of our key patents could significantly harm our business.
Our patent portfolio contains some patents that are particularly significant to our technology and other business prospects. If any of these key patents are invalidated, or if a court limits the scope of the claims in any of these key patents, the likelihood that companies will take licenses could be significantly reduced. The resulting loss in license fees and royalties could significantly harm our business. Moreover, our stock price may fluctuate based on developments in the course of ongoing litigation.
We may be involved in material legal proceedings in the future to enforce or protect our intellectual property rights, which could harm our business.
From time to time, we may identify products that we believe infringe our patents. In that event, we may initially seek to license the manufacturer of the infringing products; however, if the manufacturer is unwilling to enter into a license agreement, we may have to initiate litigation to enforce our patent rights against those products. Litigation stemming from disputes could harm our ability to gain new customers, who may postpone commitments to us pending the outcome of the litigation or who may, as a result of such litigation, choose not to procure or adopt our technologies. Such litigation may also harm our relationships with existing customers, who may, as a result of such litigation, cease making payments to us or challenge the validity and enforceability of our patents or the scope of our agreements.
In addition, the costs associated with legal proceedings are typically high, relatively unpredictable, and not completely within our control. These costs may be materially higher than expected, which could adversely affect our operating results and lead to volatility in the price of our common stock. Whether or not determined in our favor or ultimately settled, litigation diverts our managerial, technical, legal, and financial resources from our business operations. Furthermore, an adverse decision in any of these legal actions could result in a loss of our proprietary rights, subject us to significant liabilities, require us to seek licenses from others, limit the value of our technology or otherwise negatively impact our stock price or our business and consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
Even if we prevail in our legal actions, significant contingencies may exist to their settlement and final resolution, including the scope of the liability of each party, our ability to enforce judgments against the parties, the ability and willingness of the parties to make any payments owed or agreed upon and the dismissal of the legal action by the relevant court, none of which are completely within our control. Parties that may be obligated to pay us royalties could be insolvent or decide to alter their business activities or corporate structure, which could affect our ability to collect royalties from such parties.
Our technologies may infringe on the intellectual property rights of others, which could lead to costly disputes or disruptions.
The semiconductor industry is characterized by frequent allegations of intellectual property infringement. Any allegation of infringement could be time- consuming and expensive to defend or resolve, result in substantial diversion of management resources, cause suspension of operations or force us to enter into royalty, license, or other agreements rather than dispute the merits of such allegation. Furthermore, third parties making such claims may be able to obtain injunctive or other equitable relief that could block our ability to further develop or commercialize some or all of our technologies, and the ability of our customers to develop or commercialize their products incorporating our technologies, in the U.S. and abroad. If patent holders or other holders of intellectual property initiate legal proceedings, we may be forced into protracted and costly litigation. We may not be successful in defending such litigation and may not be able to procure any required royalty or license agreements on acceptable terms or at all.
If the Company cannot effectively manage growth by implementing and improving its operational and financial systems, the Company’s business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
In order to maximize the potential growth in the Company’s market opportunities, the Company may have to expand rapidly and significantly. The impetus for expansion could place a significant strain on the management, operational and financial resources of the Company. In order to manage growth, the Company will be required to implement and continually improve its operational and financial systems, expand operations, attract and retain superior management and train, manage and expand its employee base. The Company can give no assurance that it will effectively manage its operations, that its system, procedures, or controls will adequately support operations or that management of the Company will successfully implement its business plan. If the Company cannot effectively manage growth, the Company’s business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
If our estimates related to expenditures are inaccurate, our business may fail.
Our success is dependent in part upon the accuracy of our management’s estimates of expenditures for the next twelve months and beyond. If such estimates are inaccurate, or we encounter unforeseen expenses and delays, we may not be able to carry out our business plan, which could result in the failure of our business.
We may not obtain insurance coverage to adequately cover all significant risk exposures.
We will be exposed to liabilities that are unique to the products and services we provide. There can be no assurance that we will acquire or maintain insurance for certain risks, that the amount of our insurance coverage will be adequate to cover all claims or liabilities, or that we will not be forced to bear substantial costs resulting from risks and uncertainties of business. It also may not be possible to obtain insurance to protect against all operational risks and liabilities. The failure to obtain adequate insurance coverage on terms favorable to us, or at all, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our insurance coverage strategy may not be adequate to protect us from all business risks.
We may be subject, in the ordinary course of business, to losses resulting from product liability, accidents, acts of God and other claims against us, for which we may have inadequate insurance coverage. Our insurance policies may include significant deductibles or self-insured retentions, policy limitations and exclusions, and we cannot be certain that our insurance coverage will be sufficient to cover all future losses or claims against us. A loss that is uninsured or that exceeds applicable coverage limits may require us to pay substantial amounts, which may harm our financial condition and operating results.
If product liability lawsuits are brought against us, we may incur substantial liabilities.
We face a potential risk of product liability as a result of any of the products that we develop, manufacture and/or offer for sale. For example, we may be sued if any product we develop, manufacture and/or sell allegedly causes injury or is found to be otherwise unsuitable during product testing, manufacturing, marketing, or sale. Any such product liability claims may include allegations of defects in manufacturing, defects in design, a failure to warn of dangers inherent in the product, negligence, strict liability, and a breach of warranties. Claims could also be asserted under state consumer protection acts. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against product liability claims, we may incur substantial liabilities. Even a successful defense would require significant financial and management resources. Regardless of the merits or eventual outcome, liability claims may result in:
decreased demand for products that we may offer for sale;
injury to our reputation;
costs to defend the related litigation;
a diversion of management’s time and our resources;
substantial monetary awards to trial participants, or patients; and
product recalls, withdrawals or labeling, marketing or promotional restrictions.
We currently do not maintain any product liability insurance. We may obtain insurance when we commence commercial operations. However, there is no guarantee that we will be able to obtain product liability insurance or that such insurance will be affordable or sufficient. If we are unable to obtain or retain sufficient product liability insurance coverage, it could prevent or inhibit the commercialization of products we develop. Even if we obtain product liability insurance in the future, we may have to pay amounts awarded by a court or negotiated in a settlement that exceed our coverage limitations or that are not covered by our insurance, and we may not have, or be able to obtain, sufficient capital to pay such amounts.
Warranty claims, product liability claims and product recalls could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Manufacturing semiconductors is a highly complex and precise process, requiring production in a tightly controlled, clean environment. Minute impurities in our manufacturing materials, contaminants in the manufacturing environment, manufacturing equipment failures, and other defects can cause our products to be non-compliant with customer requirements or otherwise nonfunctional. We face an inherent business risk of exposure to warranty and product liability claims in the event that our products fail to perform as expected or such failure of our products results is alleged to result in bodily injury or property damage (or both). In addition, if any of our designed products are or are alleged to be defective, we may be required to participate in their recall. A successful warranty or product liability claim against us in excess of our available insurance coverage, if any, and established reserves, or a requirement that we participate in a product recall, could have material adverse effects on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Additionally, in the event that our products fail to perform as expected or such failure of our products results in a recall, our reputation may be damaged, which could make it more difficult for us to sell our products to existing and prospective customers and could materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Since a defect or failure in our product could give rise to failures in the goods that incorporate them (and claims for consequential damages against our customers from their customers), we may face claims for damages that are disproportionate to the revenue and profits we receive from the products involved. We plan to attempt to limit our liability through our standard terms and conditions of sale and other customer contracts in certain instances; however, there is no assurance that such limitations will be effective. To the extent that we are liable for damages in excess of the revenue and profits we received from the products involved, our results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.
We may be subject to litigation from time to time during the normal course of business, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
From time to time in the normal course of business or otherwise, we may become subject to litigation that may result in liability material to our financial statements as a whole or may negatively affect our operating results if changes to business operations are required. The cost to defend such litigation may be significant and may require a diversion of our resources. There also may be adverse publicity associated with litigation that could negatively affect customer perception of our products and business, regardless of whether the allegations are valid or whether we are ultimately found liable. As a result, litigation may adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Natural disasters and other business disruptions could cause significant harm to our business operations and facilities and could adversely affect our supply chain and our customer base, any of which may materially adversely affect our business, results of operation, and financial condition.
We expect that our manufacturing and other facilities, as well as the operations of our third-party suppliers, are susceptible to losses and interruptions caused by floods, fires, hurricanes, earthquakes, typhoons, and similar natural disasters, as well as power outages, telecommunications failures, industrial accidents, pandemics, and similar events. The occurrence of natural disasters in any of the regions in which we or our suppliers will operate could severely disrupt the operations of our businesses by negatively impacting our supply chain, our ability to deliver products, and the cost of our products. Such events can negatively impact revenue and earnings and can significantly impact cash flow, both from decreased revenue and from increased costs associated with the event. In addition, these events could cause consumer confidence and spending to decrease. We may carry insurance to generally compensate for losses of the type noted above, however, even if we obtain such insurance, it may not be adequate to cover all losses that may be incurred or continue to be available in the affected area at commercially reasonable rates and terms. To the extent any losses from natural disasters or other business disruptions are not covered by insurance, any costs, write-downs, impairments, and decreased revenue can materially adversely affect our business, our results of operations and our financial condition.
There is no assurance on the future successful completion of strategic transactions by us to successfully implement our business strategies.
Our ability to complete future strategic transactions could be important to the successful implementation of our business strategies, including our strategies to strengthen our geographic diversity and broaden its customer base. Successful completion of a strategic manufacturing partnership agreement or other similar transaction depends on a number of factors that are not entirely within our control, including our ability to negotiate acceptable terms, conclude satisfactory agreements and obtain all necessary regulatory approvals. In seeking to partner with another company, we may require capital investment, funding for operations, or dedicated personnel with special skills. If we need to finance this activity, we may not be able to obtain the necessary financing on satisfactory terms and within the timeframe that would permit the transaction to proceed. If any of these factors prevent us from completing one or more strategic transactions, we may not be able to expand our business in the manner and on the schedule that we plan. In addition, we may incur significant costs arising from our efforts to engage in strategic transactions. These costs may exceed the returns that we realize from a given transaction. Moreover, these expenditures may not result in the successful completion of a transaction.
Even if we complete one or more strategic partnership agreements, we may be unable to work effectively with the partner company, which may impact our ability to reach the goals of the partnership. Further, such a partnership could disrupt ongoing business, distract management and employees, or lead to increased expenses.
Our business could be adversely affected by natural disasters, public health crises, political crises, economic downturns or other unexpected events.
A significant natural disaster, such as an earthquake, fire, hurricane, tornado, flood, or significant power outage, could disrupt our operations, mobile networks, the internet or the operations of our third-party technology providers. In addition, any further outbreaks of COVID-19 or other unforeseen public health crises, or political crises, such as terrorist attacks, war and other political instability, or other catastrophic events, whether in mainland China or abroad, could adversely affect our operations or the economies of the markets where we operate. The COVID-19 pandemic adversely affected the semiconductor industry between 2020 and 2021, and we cannot assure you that new outbreaks, particularly with new variants, will not occur. Any such occurrences could cause severe disruption to our daily operations. Any natural disaster, act of terrorism or other disruption to us or our business partners’ abilities could result in decreased demand for our product and service offerings or a delay in the provision of our offerings, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. All of the aforementioned risks may be further increased if our disaster recovery plans prove to be inadequate. Disruptions or downturns in global or national or local economic conditions may cause demand for our products and services to decline. An economic downturn resulting in a prolonged recessionary period would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and operating results.
Our current operations are concentrated in one location and in the event of an earthquake, terrorist attack or other disaster affecting this location or those of our major suppliers, our operations may be interrupted, and our business may be harmed.
Our principal executive offices and operating facilities are situated near Santa Barbara, California, and many of our major suppliers, vendors, and manufacturing partners are located in areas that have been subject to severe earthquakes and are susceptible to other disasters such as tropical storms, fires, typhoons or tsunamis. In the event of a disaster, we or one or more of our major suppliers, vendors, or manufacturing partners may be temporarily unable to continue operations and may suffer significant property damage. Any interruption in our ability, or that of our major suppliers, to continue operations could delay the development and shipment of our products and have a substantial negative impact on our financial results. As part of our risk management policy, we maintain insurance coverage at levels that we believe are appropriate for our business. However, in the event of an accident or incident at these facilities, we cannot assure you that the amounts or coverage of insurance will be sufficient to satisfy any damages and losses.
Our officers and directors allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to carry out all of our operations and goals.
Our officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and their other occupations. Our officers may be engaged in other business endeavors for which they may be entitled to substantial compensation and our officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. Our directors also serve or may serve as officers or board members for other entities. If our officers’ or directors’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs, which may have a negative impact on our ability to carry out our operations and goals. For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs, please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Management.”
Risks Relating to the Semiconductor Industry
We will rely on limited sources of wafer fabrication, packaged products fabrication and product testing, the loss of which could delay and limit our product shipments.
We expect to subcontract wafer fabrication services to third-party suppliers. These suppliers also offer such services to other companies, which may lead to us not having access to adequate capacity for our needs and our customers’ needs. We may have less control over delivery schedules and overall support versus other customers and users of those facilities. If the wafer foundries we use are unable or unwilling to manufacture our products in our required volumes, or at specified times, we may have to identify and qualify acceptable additional or alternative foundries. This qualification process could require significant time and capital, and we may not find sufficient capacity in a timely manner or at an acceptable cost to satisfy our production requirements.
Some companies that supply products to our customers are similarly dependent on a limited number of suppliers. These other companies’ products may represent important components of camera systems or sensor assemblies and other products into which our products are designed. If these companies are unable to produce the volumes demanded by our customers, our customers may be forced to slow down or halt production on the equipment for which our products are designed, which could materially impact our order levels.
Because we will depend on third-party manufacturers to build portions of our products, we will be susceptible to manufacturing delays and pricing fluctuations that could prevent us from shipping customer orders on time, if at all, or on a cost-effective basis, which may result in the loss of sales, income, and customers.
We will depend on third-party manufacturers to build several stages of our products. Our reliance on these third-party manufacturers reduces our control over the manufacturing process and exposes us to risks, including reduced control over quality assurance, product costs, and product supply and timing. Any manufacturing disruption by these third-party manufacturers could severely impair our ability to fulfill orders. Our reliance on third-party manufacturers also creates the potential for infringement or misappropriation of our intellectual property. If we are unable to manage our relationships with third-party manufacturers effectively, or if our third-party manufacturers experience delays or disruptions for any reason, increased manufacturing lead-times, capacity constraints or quality control problems in their manufacturing operations, or if they otherwise fail to meet our future requirements for timely delivery, our ability to ship products to our customers would be severely impaired, and our business and results of operations would be seriously harmed.
Downturns or volatility in general economic conditions could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
In recent years, worldwide semiconductor industry sales have tracked the impact of the financial crisis, subsequent recovery, and persistent economic uncertainty. We believe that the state of economic conditions in the United States is particularly uncertain due to recent and expected shifts in legislative and regulatory conditions concerning, among other matters, international trade and taxation, and that an uneven recovery or a renewed global downturn may put pressure on our sales due to reductions in customer demand as well as customers deferring purchases. Volatile and/or uncertain economic conditions, including inflation and interest rate fluctuations, can adversely impact sales and profitability and make it difficult for us and our competitors to accurately forecast and plan our future business activities. To the extent we incorrectly plan for favorable economic conditions that do not materialize or take longer to materialize than expected, we may face oversupply of our products relative to customer demand. Reduced customer spending may in the future drive us and our competitors, to reduce product pricing, which will result in a negative effect on gross profit. Moreover, volatility in revenue as a result of unpredictable economic conditions may alter our anticipated working capital needs and interfere with our short-term and long-term strategies. To the extent that our sales, profitability, and strategies are negatively affected by downturns or volatility in general economic conditions, our business and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.
The semiconductor industry is highly cyclical, and significant downturns or upturns in customer demand can materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.
The semiconductor industry is highly cyclical and, as a result, is subject to significant downturns and upturns in customer demand for semiconductors and related products. We cannot accurately predict the timing of future downturns and upturns in the semiconductor industry or how severe and prolonged these conditions might be. Significant downturns often occur in connection with, or in anticipation of, maturing product cycles (for semiconductors and for the end-user products in which they are used) or declines in general economic conditions and can result in reduced product demand, production overcapacity, high inventory levels and accelerated erosion of average selling prices, any of which could materially adversely affect our operating results as a result of increased operating expenses outpacing decreased revenue, reduced margins, underutilization of our manufacturing capacity and/or asset impairment charges. On the other hand, significant upturns can cause us to be unable to satisfy demand in a timely and cost-efficient manner. In the event of such an upturn, we may not be able to expand our workforce and operations in a sufficiently timely manner, procure adequate resources and raw materials, or locate suitable third-party suppliers to respond effectively to changes in demand for our existing products or to the demand for new products requested by our customers, and our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Rapid innovation and short product life cycles in the semiconductor industry can result in price erosion of older products, which may materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.
The semiconductor industry is characterized by rapid innovation and short product life cycles, which often results in price erosion, especially with respect to products containing older technology. Products are frequently replaced by more technologically advanced substitutes and, as demand for older technology falls, the price at which such products can be sold drops, in some cases precipitously. In addition, our and our competitors’ excess inventory levels can accelerate general price erosion.
Shortages or increased prices of raw materials could materially adversely affect our results of operations.
Our manufacturing processes will rely on many raw materials. Generally, we expect that our agreements with suppliers of raw materials will impose no minimum or continuing supply obligations, and we will obtain our raw materials and supplies from a large number of sources on a just-in-time basis. From time to time, suppliers of raw materials may extend lead times, limit supplies, or increase prices due to capacity constraints or other factors beyond our control. Shortages could occur in various essential raw materials due to interruption of supply or increased demand. If we are unable to obtain adequate supplies of raw materials in a timely manner, the costs of our raw materials increase significantly, their quality deteriorates or they give rise to compatibility or performance issues in our products, our results of operations could be materially adversely affected. Geopolitical conflicts might unfavorably impact the availability of rare earths or rare minerals such as indium, gallium, arsenic, etc., which are used in our manufacturing processes or in the manufacturing of other components in our customers’ systems. If any country or entity decided to reduce or ration the volumes available to us, our supplier eco-system or our customers’ supply-chains, our business could be materially adversely impacted.
Changes in administration may lead to changes in import tariffs, which could impact the semiconductor industry that relies on imports of raw materials and other supplies or equipment.
When a new administration takes power and changes import tariffs, key risk factors include increased costs for businesses due to higher tariffs, disruption to supply chains, uncertainty in the market leading to delayed investment decisions, potential retaliatory tariffs from other countries, price increases for consumers, and potential impacts on specific industries heavily reliant on imports; all of which can negatively affect profitability and economic stability. Impacts may include higher import costs, supply chain disruptions, market uncertainty, retaliatory tariffs, tariff changes, price increases, currency fluctuations, and legal challenges, all of which could adversely affect our ability to conduct business.
Moreover, the emergence of a trade war between major trading nations could have broader economic repercussions, potentially affecting consumer spending, market stability, and overall demand in the semiconductor sector. As our operations may rely on goods or services affected by international trade dynamics, any unfavorable changes in trade relations could pose significant risks to our profitability and strategic growth.
Our facilities and processes may be interdependent and an operational disruption at any particular facility could have a material adverse effect on our ability to produce our products, which would materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We may utilize an integrated manufacturing platform in which multiple facilities may each produce one or more components necessary for the assembly of a single product. If we do, an operational disruption at a facility toward the front-end of our manufacturing process may have a disproportionate impact on our ability to produce our products. For example, if our multiple facilities rely predominantly on one third-party for manufacturing at the front-end of its manufacturing process, in the event of any operational disruption, natural or man-made disaster or other extraordinary event at such third-party facility, we may be unable to effectively source replacement components on acceptable terms from qualified third parties, in which case our ability to produce our products could be materially disrupted or delayed.
Conversely, if our facilities are single-source facilities that only produce one of our end-products, a disruption at any such facility would materially delay or cease production of the related product. In the event of any such operational disruption, we may experience difficulty in beginning production of replacement components or products at new facilities (for example, due to construction delays) or transferring production to other existing facilities (for example, due to capacity constraints or difficulty in transitioning to new manufacturing processes), any of which could result in a loss of future revenues and materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We may be unable to maintain manufacturing efficiency, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
We believe that our success will materially depend on our ability to maintain or improve our margin levels related to manufacturing. Semiconductor manufacturing requires advanced equipment and significant capital investment, leading to high fixed costs, which include depreciation expenses. Manufacturing semiconductor components also involves highly complex processes that we and our competitors are continuously modifying to improve yields and product performance. In addition, impurities, waste, or other difficulties in the manufacturing process can lower production yields. Our manufacturing efficiency will be an important factor in our future profitability, and we cannot assure you that we will be able to manufacture efficiently, increase manufacturing efficiency to the same extent as our competitors, or be successful in our manufacturing rationalization plans. If we are unable to utilize manufacturing and testing facilities at expected levels, or if production capacity increases while revenue does not, the fixed costs and other operating expenses associated with these facilities will not be fully absorbed, resulting in higher average unit costs and lower gross profits, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
The failure to successfully implement cost reduction initiatives, including through restructuring activities, could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.
From time to time, we may implement cost reduction initiatives in response to significant downturns in our industry, including relocating manufacturing to lower cost regions, transitioning higher-cost external supply to internal manufacturing, working with our material suppliers to lower costs, implementing personnel reductions and voluntary retirement programs, reducing employee compensation, temporary shutdowns of facilities with mandatory vacation and aggressively streamlining our overhead.
We cannot assure you that any cost reduction initiatives will be successfully or timely implemented or that they will materially and positively impact profitability.
If we are unable to identify and make the substantial R&D investments required to remain competitive in our business, our business, financial condition, and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.
The semiconductor industry requires substantial investment in R&D in order to develop and bring to market new and enhanced technologies and products. The development of new products is a complex and time-consuming process and often requires significant capital investment and lead time for development and testing. We cannot assure you that we will have sufficient resources to maintain the level of investment in R&D that is required to remain competitive.
In addition, the lengthy development cycle for our products will limit our ability to adapt quickly to changes affecting the product markets and requirements of our customers and end-users. There can be no assurance that we will win competitive bid selection processes, known as “design wins,” for new products. In addition, design wins do not guarantee that we will make customer sales or that we will generate sufficient revenue to recover design and development investments, as expenditures for technology and product development are generally made before the commercial viability for such developments can be assured. There is no assurance that we will realize a return on the capital expended to develop new products, that a significant investment in new products will be profitable or that we will have margins as high as we anticipate at the time of investment or have experienced historically. To the extent that we underinvest in our R&D efforts, or that our investments and capital expenditures in R&D do not lead to sales of new products, we may be unable to bring to market technologies and products that are attractive to our customers, and as a result our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.
We may be unable to develop new products to satisfy changing customer demands or regulatory requirements, which may materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.
The semiconductor industry is characterized by rapidly changing technologies, evolving regulatory and industry standards and certifications, changing customer needs and frequent new product introductions. Our success will be largely dependent on our ability to accurately predict, identify and adapt to changes affecting the requirements of our customers in a timely and cost-effective manner. Additionally, the emergence of new industry or regulatory standards and certification requirements may adversely affect the demand for our products. We plan to focus our new product development efforts on market segments and applications that we anticipate will experience growth, but there can be no assurance that we will be successful in identifying high-growth areas or develop products that meet industry standards or certification requirements in a timely manner. A fundamental shift in technologies, the regulatory climate or consumption patterns and preferences in our existing product markets or the product markets of our customers or end-users could make our current products obsolete, prevent or delay the introduction of new products that we planned to make or render our current or new products irrelevant to our customers’ needs. If our new product development efforts fail to align with the needs of our customers, including due to circumstances outside of our control like a fundamental shift in the product markets of our customers and end users or regulatory changes, our business and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
The semiconductor industry is highly competitive, and our inability to compete effectively could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.
The semiconductor industry is highly competitive, and our ability to compete successfully depends on elements both within and outside of our control. We will face significant competition from major global semiconductor companies as well as smaller companies focused on specific market niches. In addition, companies not currently in direct competition with us may introduce competing products in the future.
Our inability to compete effectively could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations. Products or technologies developed by competitors that are larger and have more substantial R&D budgets, or that are smaller and more targeted in their development efforts, may render our products or technologies obsolete or noncompetitive. We also may be unable to market and sell our products if they are not competitive on the basis of price, quality, technical performance, features, system compatibility, customized design, innovation, availability, delivery timing and reliability. If we fail to compete effectively on developing strategic relationships with customers and customer sales and technical support, our sales and revenue may be materially adversely affected. Competitive pressures may limit our ability to raise prices, and any inability to maintain revenue or raise prices to offset increases in costs could have a significant adverse effect on our gross margin. Reduced sales and lower gross margins would materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.
The semiconductor industry has experienced rapid consolidation and our inability to compete with large competitors or failure to identify attractive opportunities to consolidate may materially adversely affect our business.
The semiconductor industry is characterized by the high costs associated with developing marketable products and manufacturing technologies as well as high levels of investment in production capabilities. As a result, the semiconductor industry has experienced, and may continue to experience, significant consolidation among companies and vertical integration among customers. Larger competitors resulting from consolidations may have certain advantages over us, including, but not limited to substantially greater financial and other resources with which to withstand adverse economic or market conditions and pursue development, engineering, manufacturing, marketing, and distribution of their products; longer independent operating histories; presence in key markets; patent protection; and greater name recognition. In addition, we may be at a competitive disadvantage to our peers if we fail to identify attractive opportunities to acquire companies to expand our business. Consolidation among our competitors and integration among our customers could erode our market share, negatively impact our capacity to compete and require us to restructure our operations, any of which would have a material adverse effect on our business.
We will be dependent on the services of third-party suppliers and contract manufacturers, and any disruption in or deterioration of the quality of the services delivered by such third parties could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We plan to use third-party contractors for certain of our manufacturing activities. Our agreements with these manufacturers may require us to commit to purchase services based on forecasted product needs, which may be inaccurate, and, in some cases, require longer-term commitments. We will also be dependent upon a limited number of highly specialized third-party suppliers for required components and materials for certain of our key technologies. Arranging for replacement manufacturers and suppliers can be time-consuming and costly, and the number of qualified alternative providers can be extremely limited. Our business operations, productivity and customer relations could be materially adversely affected if these contractual relationships were disrupted or terminated, the cost of such services increased significantly, the quality of the services provided deteriorated, or our forecasted needs proved to be materially incorrect.
Sales through distributors and other third parties will expose us to risks that, if realized, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
We may sell a significant portion of our products through distributors. Distributors may sell products that compete with our products, and we may need to provide financial and other incentives to focus distributors on the sale of our products. We may rely on one or more key distributors for a product, and the loss of these distributors could reduce our revenue. Distributors may face financial difficulties, including bankruptcy, which could harm our collection of accounts receivable and financial results. Violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) or similar laws by distributors or other third-party intermediaries could have a material impact on our business. Failure to manage risks related to our use of distributors may reduce sales, increase expenses, and weaken our competitive position, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
Our potential future global operations may subject us to risks inherent in doing business on a global level that could adversely impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
If our long-term expansion plans are realized, we anticipate that a certain amount of our total revenue may be derived from countries outside of the United States in the future, and we might maintain certain operations in these regions. In addition, we may rely on a number of contract manufacturers whose operations are primarily located outside of the United States. Risks inherent in doing business on a global level include, among others, the following:
economic and geopolitical instability (including as a result of the threat or occurrence of armed international conflict or terrorist attacks);
changes in regulatory requirements, international trade agreements, tariffs, customs, duties, and other trade barriers;
licensing requirements for the import or export of certain products;
exposure to different legal standards, customs, business practices, tariffs, duties, and other trade barriers, including changes with respect to price protection, competition practices, IP, anti-corruption and environmental compliance, trade and travel restrictions, pandemics, import and export license requirements and restrictions, and accounts receivable collections;
transportation and other supply chain delays and disruptions;
power supply shortages and shutdowns;
difficulties in staffing and managing foreign operations, including collective bargaining agreements and workers councils, exposure to foreign labor laws and other employment and labor issues;
currency fluctuations;
currency convertibility and repatriation;
taxation of our earnings and the earnings of our personnel;
limitations on the repatriation of earnings and potential additional taxation of foreign profits in the U.S.;
potential violations by our international employees or third-party agents of international or U.S. laws relevant to foreign operations (e.g., FCPA);
difficulty in enforcing intellectual property rights;
restrictions on our employee’s ability to travel and potential changes in our ability to obtain temporary work visas or work permits; and
other risks relating to the administration of or changes in, or new interpretations of, the laws, regulations, and policies of the jurisdictions in which we conduct our business.
We cannot assure you that we will be successful in overcoming the risks that relate to or arise from operating in international markets, the materialization of any of which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Special authorizations, permits, licenses may be required for our operations, which if delayed or denied could materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
The semiconductor industry commonly uses various hazardous materials in the manufacture of products. These materials may be incorporated in end products, be waste products of the manufacturing process, or be released accidentally. Such hazardous materials are regulated by state, local, and federal law and applicable policies, regulations, or other requirements. Furthermore, the semiconductor industry commonly utilizes equipment that can increase the risk of fire, water damage, electric shock to personnel, in addition to other risks. Semiconductor operations generally require permits, licenses, and other authorizations from government agencies. Since we have not yet commenced any of these operations, no permits or other authorizations have been obtained. Any delay or denial of such authorizations could have a material adverse effect on our operations and financial condition.
Environmental and health and safety liabilities and expenditures could materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Our future manufacturing operations may be subject to various environmental laws and regulations relating to the management, disposal and remediation of hazardous substances and the emission and discharge of pollutants into the air, water, and ground, and we may be identified as either a primary responsible party or a potentially responsible party at sites where we or our predecessors operated or disposed of waste in the past. Our operations may also be subject to laws and regulations relating to workplace safety and worker health, which, among other requirements, regulate employee exposure to various hazards including hazardous substances. We do not currently maintain environmental insurance to cover certain claims related to historical contamination and future releases of hazardous substances. Moreover, we cannot assure you that even if such insurance is purchased, that it will cover any or all of our material environmental costs. In addition, the nature of our future operations may expose us to the continuing risk of environmental and health and safety liabilities including:
changes in U.S. state and federal, and international environmental or health and safety laws or regulations, including, but not limited to, future laws or regulations imposed in response to climate change concerns;
the manner in which environmental or health and safety laws or regulations will be enforced, administered or interpreted;
our ability to enforce and collect under indemnity agreements and insurance policies relating to environmental liabilities;
the cost of compliance with future environmental or health and safety laws or regulations or the costs associated with any future environmental claims, including the cost of clean-up of currently unknown environmental conditions; or
the cost of fines, penalties, or other legal liability, should we fail to comply with environmental or health and safety laws or regulations.
To the extent that we face unforeseen environmental or health and safety compliance costs or remediation expenses or liabilities that are not covered by insurance, we may bear the full effect of such costs, expenses, and liabilities, which could materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
We may be subject to disruptions or breaches of our secured network that could irreparably damage our reputation and our business, expose us to liability and materially adversely affect our results of operations.
We may routinely collect and store sensitive data, including IP and other proprietary information about our business and our customers, suppliers, and business partners. The secure processing, maintenance and transmission of this information will be critical to our operations and business strategy. We may be subject to disruptions or breaches of our secured network caused by computer viruses, illegal hacking, criminal fraud, or impersonation, acts of vandalism or terrorism or employee error. Our security measures and/or those of our third-party service providers and/or customers may not detect or prevent such security breaches. The costs to us to reduce the risk of or alleviate cyber security breaches and vulnerabilities could be significant, and our efforts to address these problems may not be successful and could result in interruptions and delays that may materially impede our sales, manufacturing, distribution, or other critical functions. Any such compromise of our information security could result in the misappropriation or unauthorized publication of our confidential business or proprietary information or that of other parties with which we do business, an interruption in our operations, the unauthorized transfer of cash or other of our assets, the unauthorized release of customer or employee data or a violation of privacy or other laws. In addition, computer programmers and hackers also may be able to develop and deploy viruses, worms and other malicious software programs that attack our systems, or that otherwise exploit any security vulnerabilities, and any such attack, if successful, could expose us to liability to customer claims. Any of the foregoing could irreparably damage our reputation and business, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
The failure to comply with the terms and conditions of our contracts could result in, among other things, damages, fines, or other liabilities.
We expect to have a diverse customer base consisting of both private sector clients and public sector clients, including the U.S. government. Sales to our private sector clients are generally expected to be based on stated contractual terms, the terms and conditions on our website or terms contained in purchase orders on a transaction-by-transaction basis. Sales to our public sector clients are generally expected to be derived from sales to federal, state, and local governmental departments and agencies through various contracts and programs, which may require compliance with regulations covering many areas of our operations, including, but not limited to, accounting practices, IP rights, information handling, and security. Noncompliance with contract terms, particularly with respect to highly regulated public sector clients, or with government procurement regulations could result in fines or penalties against us, termination of such contracts, or civil, criminal, and administrative liability to the Company. With respect to public sector clients, the government’s remedies may also include suspension or debarment from future government business. The effect of any of these possible actions or the adoption of new or modified procurement regulations or practices could materially adversely affect our business, financial position, and results of operations.
Risks Relating to Intellectual Property
If we are unable to protect the intellectual property we use, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.
We have filed several patent applications that are in various stages of progress. Some applications have issued, but there can be no assurance that all of the applications will be issued. The enforceability of any patents, trademarks, copyrights, software licenses and other IP we own or may own may be uncertain in certain circumstances. Effective IP protection may be unavailable, limited or not applied for in the U.S. and internationally. The various laws and regulations governing registered and unregistered IP assets, patents, trade secrets, trademarks, mask works and copyrights to protect products and technologies are subject to legislative and regulatory change and interpretation by courts. With respect to our IP generally, we cannot assure you that:
any of the U.S. or foreign patents and pending patent applications that we may employ in our business will not lapse or be invalidated, circumvented, challenged, abandoned, or licensed to others;
any of our pending or future patent applications will be issued, have the coverage originally sought or be enforceable against third party infringers;
any of the trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, know-how or mask works that we employ or will employ in our business will not lapse or be invalidated, circumvented, challenged, abandoned, or licensed to others; or
any of our pending or future trademark, copyright, or mask work applications will be issued or have the coverage originally sought.
If we seek to enforce our rights, we may be subject to claims that the IP right is invalid, is otherwise not enforceable or is licensed to the party against whom we are asserting a claim. In addition, our assertion of IP rights may result in the other party seeking to assert alleged IP rights of its own against us, which may materially adversely impact our business. An unfavorable ruling in these sorts of matters could include money damages or an injunction prohibiting us from manufacturing or selling one or more products, which could in turn negatively affect our business, results of operations or cash flows.
In addition, some of our products and technologies may not be covered by any patents or pending patent applications. We intend to protect our proprietary technologies, including technologies that may not be patented or patentable, in part by confidentiality agreements and, if applicable, inventors’ rights agreements with our collaborators, advisors, employees and consultants. We cannot assure you that these agreements will not be breached, that we will have adequate remedies for any breach or that persons or institutions will not assert rights to IP arising out of our research. Should we be unable to protect our IP, competitors may develop products or technologies that duplicate our products or technologies, benefit financially from innovations for which we bore the costs of development and undercut the sales and marketing of our products, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
If our technologies are subject to claims of infringement on the intellectual property rights of third parties, efforts to address such claims could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
We may from time to time be subject to claims that we may be infringing third-party intellectual property (“IP”) rights. If necessary or desirable, we may seek licenses under such IP rights. However, we cannot assure you that we will obtain such licenses or that the terms of any offered licenses will be acceptable to us. The failure to obtain a license from a third-party for IP we use could cause us to incur substantial liabilities or to suspend the manufacture or shipment of products or our use of processes requiring such technologies. Further, we may be subject to IP litigation, which could cause us to incur significant expense, materially adversely affect sales of the challenged product or technologies and divert the efforts of our technical and management personnel, whether or not such litigation is resolved in our favor. In the event of an adverse outcome in any such litigation, we may be required to:
pay substantial damages;
indemnify customers or distributors;
cease the manufacture, use, sale or importation of infringing products;
expend significant resources to develop or acquire non-infringing technologies;
discontinue the use of processes; or
obtain licenses, which may not be available on reasonable terms, to the infringing technologies.
The outcome of IP litigation is inherently uncertain and, if not resolved in our favor, could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Risks Relating to Our Common Stock
We are a smaller reporting company, and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to smaller reporting companies will make our common stock less attractive to investors.
We are currently a “smaller reporting company,” meaning that we are not an investment company, an asset-backed issuer, or a majority-owned subsidiary of a parent company that is not a smaller reporting company, and we had a public float of less than $250 million and annual revenues of less than $100 million as of the last business day of our second fiscal quarter during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025, which is when such determination is made. In the event that we are still considered a smaller reporting company at such time as we cease being an “emerging growth company,” we will be required to provide additional disclosure in our SEC filings. However, similar to emerging growth companies, smaller reporting companies are able to provide simplified executive compensation disclosures in their filings; are exempt from the provisions of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requiring that independent registered public accounting firms provide an attestation report on the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting; and have certain other decreased disclosure obligations in their SEC filings, including, among other things, only being required to provide two years of audited financial statements in annual reports and in a registration statement under the Exchange Act on Form 10. Decreased disclosures in our SEC filings due to our status as a smaller reporting company may make it harder for investors to analyze our results of operations and financial prospects. We will remain exempt from the provisions of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act until we no longer qualify as a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. Depending on when our filer status changes and we lose our ability to rely on the exemption from Section 404(b), we may not have procedures and systems in place to immediately comply with its requirements.
We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting that, if not properly remediated, could result in material misstatements in our consolidated financial statements in future periods.
Our management identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting as of June 30, 2025, and concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were ineffective as of June 30, 2025. Management concluded that there was a material weakness in our internal controls because there was an insufficient number of personnel with appropriate technical accounting and SEC reporting expertise to adhere to certain control disciplines and to evaluate and properly record certain non-routine and complex transactions. As of August 4, 2025, we hired a full-time Chief Financial Officer who we believe will help resolve the identified material weaknesses and mitigate any material weaknesses in future periods.
A material weakness in internal control over financial reporting is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements would not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. If we fail to (1) remediate the significant deficiencies identified in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting, (2) maintain the adequacy of internal control over our financial reporting with regard to the financial condition and results of operations of the Company, or (3) remediate the material weakness identified in our internal controls over financial reporting, we probably will not be able to conclude that we have effective internal control over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404 of Sarbanes Oxley, as such standards are modified, supplemented or amended from time to time. Also, such ineffective controls could impair our ability to report quarterly and annual financial results, or other information required to be disclosed, in a timely and accurate manner and could cause our financial reporting to be unreliable, leading to misinformation being disseminated to the public. In addition, other material weaknesses may be identified in the future. If we are unable to correct deficiencies in internal controls in a timely manner, our ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information accurately and within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms will be adversely affected. These failures could negatively affect the market price and trading liquidity of our common stock, cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, subject us to civil and criminal investigations and penalties, and generally materially and adversely impact our business and financial condition.
There may be limitations on the effectiveness of our internal controls, and a failure of our control systems to prevent error or fraud may materially harm our company.
Proper systems of internal controls over financial accounting and disclosure are critical to the operation of a public company. As we are a start-up company, we are at the very early stages of establishing, and we may be unable to effectively establish such systems, especially in light of the fact that we expect to operate as a publicly reporting company. This would leave us without the ability to reliably assimilate and compile financial information about the Company and significantly impair our ability to prevent error and detect fraud, all of which would have a negative impact on the Company from many perspectives.
Moreover, we do not expect that disclosure controls or internal control over financial reporting, even if established, will prevent all error and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control system’s objectives will be met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, have been detected. Failure of our control systems to prevent error or fraud could materially adversely impact us.
Our officers, directors, and 5%+ stockholders own a significant percentage of our outstanding voting securities, which could reduce the ability of minority stockholders to effect certain corporate actions.
Collectively, our officers and directors own an aggregate of 2,066,250 shares of our common stock, or approximately 13% of our outstanding voting securities. We also have two stockholders who own over 5% of our common stock on an individual basis. As a result, such persons may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and approval of major corporate transactions. Such persons are expected to have significant influence over a decision to enter into any corporate transaction. Such concentration of voting power could have the effect of delaying, deterring, or preventing a change of control or other business combination, which could, in turn, have an adverse effect on the market price of our Common Stock or prevent our shareholders from realizing a premium over the then-prevailing market price for their Common Stock.
In addition, our board of directors is and will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. As a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, only a minority of the board of directors will be considered for election and our officers and directors, because of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome.
We do not currently intend to pay dividends on our Common Stock in the foreseeable future, and consequently, your ability to achieve a return on your investment will depend on appreciation in the price of our Common Stock.
We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our Common Stock and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends to holders of our Common Stock in the foreseeable future. Consequently, investors must rely on sales of their shares after price appreciation, which may never occur, as the only way to realize any future gains on their investments. There is no guarantee that shares of our Common Stock will appreciate in value or even maintain the price at which our stockholders have purchased their shares.
We may be subject to penny stock regulations and restrictions and if we are subject to such regulations and restrictions you may have difficulty selling shares of our Common Stock.
The Commission has adopted regulations that generally define so-called “penny stocks” as an equity security that has a market price of less than $5.00 per share or an exercise price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exemptions. Our Common Stock has been and may again be considered a “penny stock,” and when it is we are subject to Rule 15g-9 under the Exchange Act, or the Penny Stock Rule. This rule imposes additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers that sell such securities to persons other than established customers and “accredited investors” (generally, individuals with a net worth in excess of $1,000,000 or annual income exceeding $200,000, or $300,000 together with their spouses). For transactions covered by Rule 15g-9, a broker-dealer must make a special suitability determination for the purchaser and receive the purchaser’s written consent to the transaction prior to sale. As a result, this rule can affect the ability of broker-dealers to sell our securities and affects the ability of purchasers to sell any of our securities in the secondary market.
For any transaction involving a penny stock, unless exempt, the rules require delivery, prior to any transaction in a penny stock, of a disclosure schedule prepared by the Commission relating to the penny stock market. Disclosure is also required to be made about sales commissions payable to both the broker-dealer and the registered representative and current quotations for the securities. Finally, monthly statements are required to be sent disclosing recent price information for the penny stock held in the account and information on the limited market in penny stock.
There can be no assurance how long our shares of Common Stock will not be considered a “penny stock” because of its price or qualification for exemption from the Penny Stock Rule. In any event, even when our Common Stock is exempt from the Penny Stock Rule, we would remain subject to Section 15(b)(6) of the Exchange Act, which gives the Commission the authority to restrict any person from participating in a distribution of penny stock if the Commission finds that such a restriction would be in the public interest.
In addition to the “penny stock” rules described above, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) has adopted similar rules that may also limit a stockholder’s ability to buy and sell our Common Stock. FINRA rules require that in recommending an investment to a customer, a broker-dealer must have reasonable grounds for believing that the investment is suitable for such customer. Prior to recommending speculative low-priced securities to their non-institutional customers, broker-dealers must make reasonable efforts to obtain information about the customer’s financial status, tax status, investment objectives and other information. Under interpretations of these rules, FINRA believes that there is a high probability that speculative low-priced securities will not be suitable for at least some customers. The FINRA requirements make it more difficult for broker-dealers to recommend that their customers buy our Common Stock, which may limit your ability to buy and sell our stock and have an adverse effect on the market for our shares.
Substantial future sales of shares of our common stock could cause the market price of our common stock to decline.
We will finance our immediate cash needs (and expect to finance our future cash needs until we become profitable, if ever) through equity offerings, debt financings or other third-party funding, marketing and distribution arrangements and other collaborations, strategic alliances, and licensing arrangements. We will require substantial funding to fund our business. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, your ownership interest will be diluted.
Sales of substantial amounts of Common Stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales could occur, could materially adversely affect the market price of the Common Stock, and may make it more difficult for you to sell your securities at a time and price that you deem appropriate.
The market price of our Common Stock could decline as a result of sales of substantial amounts of our Common Stock in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur. In addition, these factors could make it more difficult for us to raise funds through future offerings of our Common Stock.
Sales of our shares of Common Stock in the public market by investors may cause the market price of our Common Stock to decline.
Sales of our shares, as well as the issuance of shares of Common Stock in future offering could result in resales of our Common Stock by our current shareholders concerned about the potential dilution of their holdings. In turn, these resales could have the effect of depressing the market price for our Common Stock. If and when we issue shares of Common Stock through the Shelf S3, it would further dilute your ownership.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they issue an adverse or misleading opinion regarding our stock, 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. In addition, because we did not become a reporting company by conducting an underwritten initial public offering of our common stock, security analysts of brokerage firms may not provide coverage of our company. We cannot assure you that brokerage firms will provide analyst coverage of our company in the future or continue such coverage if started. In addition, investment banks may be less likely to agree to underwrite secondary offerings on our behalf than they might if we became a public reporting company by means of an underwritten initial public offering, because they may be less familiar with our company as a result of more limited coverage by analysts and the media, which could harm our ability to raise additional funding in the future. The failure to receive research coverage or support in the market for our shares will have an adverse effect on our ability to develop a liquid market for our common stock, which will negatively impact the trading price of our common stock.
If any of the analysts who cover us issue an adverse or misleading opinion regarding us, or if our operating results fail to meet the expectations of analysts, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.
Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, amended and restated bylaws and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our common stock.
Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contains provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred shares, which may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities and the division of our board of directors into three classes, serving staggered terms of three years each.
We are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together these provisions may make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
Our bylaws require, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders for breach of fiduciary duty and certain other actions may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware and, if brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will, subject to certain exceptions, be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel, which may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders .
Our bylaws will require, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders for breach of fiduciary duty and certain other actions may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware and, if brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel except any action (A) as to which the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (B) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery or (C) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the forum provisions in our amended and restated bylaws. This choice of forum provision may limit or make more costly a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers, other employees, or stockholders, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our bylaws to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, operating results, and financial condition.
Our bylaws will provide that the exclusive forum provision will be applicable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, subject to certain exceptions. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As a result, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. In addition, our bylaws provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act, or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. We note, however, that there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce this provision and that investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for state and federal courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.
Upon dissolution of the Company, you may not recoup all or any portion of your investment.
In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of our company, whether voluntary or involuntary, the proceeds and/or assets of the Company remaining after giving effect to such transaction, and the payment of all of our debts and liabilities will be distributed to the stockholders of Common Stock on a pro rata basis. There can be no assurance that we will have available assets to pay to the holders of Common Stock, or any amounts, upon such a liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of our Company. In this event, you could lose some or all of your investment.
The market price and trading volume of our common stock may be volatile.
The quotation systems and stock exchanges, including Nasdaq, on which our common stock is quoted, have from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations. Even if our common stock is quoted on the Nasdaq, the market price of our common stock may be volatile and could decline significantly. In addition, the trading volume in our common stock may fluctuate and cause significant price variations to occur. If the market price of our common stock declines significantly, you may be unable to resell your shares at or above the market price of our common stock. We cannot assure you that the market price of common stock will not fluctuate widely or decline significantly in the future in response to a number of factors, including, among others, the following:
the realization of any of the risk factors presented in this prospectus;
actual or anticipated differences in our estimates, or in the estimates of analysts, for our revenues, results of operations, level of indebtedness, liquidity, or financial condition;
additions and departures of key personnel;
failure to comply with the requirements of Nasdaq;
failure to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act or other laws or regulations;
future issuances, sales, resales or repurchases or anticipated issuances, sales, resales or repurchases, of our common stock;
publication of research reports about us, or the semiconductor and sensors industries generally;
the performance and market valuations of other similar companies;
broad disruptions in the financial markets, including sudden disruptions in the credit markets;
speculation in the press or investment community;
actual, potential, or perceived control, accounting or reporting problems; and
changes in accounting principles, policies, and guidelines.
In the past, securities class-action litigation has often been instituted against companies following periods of volatility in the market price of their shares. This type of litigation could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention and resources, which could have a material adverse effect on us.
We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company, and any decision on our part to comply only with certain reduced reporting and disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies and smaller reporting companies could make our common stock less attractive to investors.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, and, for as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, we may choose to take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies but not to emerging growth companies, including:
not being required to have our independent registered public accounting firm audit our internal control over financial reporting under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act;
reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and annual report on Form 10-K; and
exemptions from the requirements of holding non-binding advisory votes on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years following the completion of our initial public offering. Our status as an emerging growth company will end as soon as any of the following takes place:
the last day of the fiscal year in which we have more than $1.235 billion in annual revenues;
the date we qualify as a “large accelerated filer,” with at least $700 million of equity securities held by non-affiliates;
the date on which we have issued, in any three-year period, more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities; or
the last day of the fiscal year ending after the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering.
We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive if we choose to rely on any of the exemptions afforded emerging growth companies. If some investors find our common stock less attractive because we rely on any of these exemptions, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and the market price of our common stock may be more volatile.
Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can also delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies. We have elected to avail ourselves of this provision of the JOBS Act. As a result, we will not be subject to new or revised accounting standards at the same time as other public companies that are not emerging growth companies. Therefore, our consolidated financial statements may not be comparable to those of companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.
We are also a “smaller reporting company” as defined in the Exchange Act. We may continue to be a “smaller reporting company” even after we are no longer an emerging growth company. We may take advantage of certain of the scaled disclosures available to smaller reporting companies and will be able to take advantage of these scaled disclosures for so long as our voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates is less than $250 million measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter, or our annual revenues is less than $100 million during the most recently completed fiscal year and our voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates is less than $700 million measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter.
We may face risks related to securities litigation that could result in significant legal expenses and settlement or damage awards.
We may in the future become subject to claims and litigation alleging violations of the securities laws or other related claims, which could harm our business and require us to incur significant costs. Significant litigation costs could impact our ability to comply with certain financial covenants under our credit agreement. We are generally obliged, to the extent permitted by law, to indemnify our current and former directors and officers who are named as defendants in these types of lawsuits. Regardless of the outcome, litigation may require significant attention from management and could result in significant legal expenses, settlement costs or damage awards that could have a material impact on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
FINRA sales practice requirements may limit a stockholder’s ability to buy and sell our stock.
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) has adopted rules requiring that, in recommending an investment to a customer, a broker-dealer must have reasonable grounds for believing that the investment is suitable for that customer.
Prior to recommending speculative or low-priced securities to their non-institutional customers, broker-dealers must make reasonable efforts to obtain information about the customer’s financial status, tax status, investment objectives and other information. Under interpretations of these rules, FINRA has indicated its belief that there is a high probability that speculative or low-priced securities will not be suitable for at least some customers. If these FINRA requirements are applicable to us or our securities, they may make it more difficult for broker-dealers to recommend that at least some of their customers buy our common stock, which may limit the ability of our stockholders to buy and sell our common stock and could have an adverse effect on the market for and price of our common stock.
If we are unable to comply with the continued listing requirements of The Nasdaq Capital Market, our Common Stock could be delisted, which would adversely affect our common stock market price and liquidity and reduce our ability to raise capital.
The listing of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market is contingent on our compliance with the Nasdaq Capital Market’s conditions for continued listing. While we are currently in compliance with Nasdaq listing requirements and diligently attempt to remain in compliance, there is no guarantee that we will remain in compliance. If we were to fail to meet a Nasdaq Capital Market listing requirement, we may be subject to delisting by the Nasdaq Capital Market. In the event our common stock is no longer listed for trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market, our trading volume and share price may decrease and we may experience further difficulties in raising capital which could materially affect our operations and financial results. Further, delisting from the Nasdaq Capital Market could also have other negative effects, including potential loss of confidence by investors, employees, and fewer business development opportunities. Finally, delisting could make it harder for us to raise capital and sell securities.
