ITEM 1A. Risk Factors
Investing in our securities is speculative and involves a high degree of risk . You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information contained in this Report, before deciding to invest in our securities. If any of the following risks materialize, our business, financial condition, results of operation and prospects will likely be materially and adversely affected. In that event, the market price of our common stock could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Related to Our Industry and Business
We have incurred losses and have not generated any revenue since our inception. We anticipate that we will continue to incur losses, and expect that we will not generate meaningful revenue for the foreseeable future.
We have incurred significant operating losses since inception and have an accumulated deficit of $57.5 million as of September 30, 2025 and had negative operating cash flow for the year ended September 30, 2025. We expect that operating losses and negative cash flows will increase in the coming years because of additional costs and expenses related to our research and development (which we refer to herein as R&D), business development activities and our status as a publicly traded company.
To date, we have not generated any revenue. We do not expect to generate any revenue unless and until we are able to commercialize our reactors and/or other lines of business. As we have incurred losses and experienced negative operating cash flows since our inception, and accordingly we have undertaken equity financing from investors to satisfy our funding needs, and we will consider applications for government grants; however, we may not raise adequate funding to offset our expenses and losses. Moreover, we may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays, and other unknown factors that may adversely affect our business. The magnitude of our future net losses will depend, in part, on the rate of future growth of our expenses and our ability to generate and grow revenue. We cannot predict the outcome of the actions to generate liquidity to fund our operations, whether such actions would generate the expected liquidity to fund our operations as currently planned or whether the costs of such actions will be available on reasonable terms or at all. Our continued solvency is dependent upon our ability to obtain additional working capital to complete our reactor development, to successfully market our reactors and to achieve commerciality for our reactors. Our prior losses and expected future losses have had and may continue to have adverse effects on our stockholders’ equity (deficit) and working capital and may lead to the failure of our business.
We are a pre-revenue company in an emerging market with an unproven business model, new and unproven technologies, and a short operating history, which makes it difficult to evaluate our current business and prospects and may increase the risk of your investment.
We only have a limited operating history upon which to base an evaluation of our current and future business prospects. We were founded in February 2022 and are currently in the process of developing our nuclear microreactors and other lines of business as more fully described in the “ Business ” section of this Report. We anticipate that it will take several years for us to commence generating meaningful revenues. Moreover, we will be required to make significant expenditures over the near and long term just to achieve any level of revenues.
Over the next twelve months, we will continue to progress the development of our advanced microreactors and our vertically integrated fuel processing business, with estimated expenditures to be approximately $65 million. This allocation comprises approximately $43 million dedicated to the research, development, quality assurance, licensing, and physical test work of our microreactors and other technologies, such as our fuel transportation system. A further allocation of approximately $12 million will be allocated to the development of our planned fuel processing facilities alongside LIST, the related-party uranium enrichment company with whom we collaborate and in which we’ve made a strategic investment. The remaining approximate $10 million is earmarked for miscellaneous costs essential to propelling the progress of our microreactors, encompassing the support of current personnel engaged in executive, finance, accounting, and other administrative functions. We may also utilize our cash resources raised in 2024 and 2025 for acquisitions of complementary businesses or assets.
We estimate that the development, construction, testing and licensing of our microreactors (notably the KRONOS MMR) will continue from 2026 to 2030, with the full-scale, first-of-its-kind KRONOS energy system expected to be fully operational and licensed by 2030. Our microreactor construction permit application (CPA) for KRONOS is expected to be filed in 2026, with full construction activities commencing after NRC approval of our CPA is completed. Our KRONOS microreactors are expected to be commercially launched around 2030. We also plan on providing nuclear service support and consultation services for the expanding and resurgent nuclear energy industry in 2026, both domestically and internationally. As part of our domestic initiatives, following our collaboration with Digihost in December 2024, we provided consulting services to Digihost from April to June 2025, despite not having formally launched our consulting service offerings. Our consulting support contributed to the planning and execution of the Digihost project and included regulatory advice, site assessment, roadmap development, and stakeholder engagement. We are currently evaluating strategic acquisitions or collaborations to expand our business operations and formally establish our consulting services, and have commenced several material discussions with potential targets for such acquisitions or collaborations, but as of the date of this Report, we have not entered into any definitive agreements for such acquisitions or collaborations. In combination with our intention to acquire existing revenue generating consultancy businesses, we are focusing on building our own internal nuclear consultation business in coordination with certain outside academic institutions, which we anticipate would require approximately $2 million over the next twelve months to recruit additional staff and build corresponding infrastructure to be capable of providing these services. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the outlined expenditures and our anticipated timelines are estimations only. These estimates are inherently subject to significant risks and change due to unforeseen circumstances, operational challenges, adjustments in the development plans for our microreactors and other technologies and uncertainties associated with the governmental licensing approval process, and other factors beyond our control. Given that these elements may exceed our initial expectations or lie beyond our control, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the actual expenditures and timelines.
An evaluation of our business and prospects may be difficult in light of the risks we encounter as a company in the new and rapidly evolving market of the nuclear energy industry. These risks and difficulties include, but are not limited to, the following:
Obtaining the necessary permits and licenses can be a lengthy and complex process, subject to rigorous safety and environmental regulations. Delays or denials in obtaining these approvals can significantly impact a project’s timeline and cost.
Ensuring the safety of the reactor during operation and in case of accidents is paramount. Microreactors must be designed with robust safety features to prevent accidents, and emergency response plans must be in place to mitigate any potential incidents.
Security concerns, including the risk of theft or sabotage, need to be addressed through physical security measures and cybersecurity protocols.
Microreactor and fuel supply chain projects are very capital-intensive, and securing adequate financing can be a significant hurdle. Economic risks related to cost overruns, construction delays, or market uncertainties must be managed effectively.
The demand for microreactor-generated power may be uncertain, especially in the early stages of the business. Market fluctuations and changing energy policies can affect the profitability of the venture.
Microreactors rely on specialized components and materials, which may have limited availability or long lead times. Supply chain disruptions can impact project timelines and costs.
Addressing environmental concerns, including radioactive waste management and minimizing environmental impact, is essential for regulatory compliance and public acceptance. Proper disposal and management of radioactive waste and decommissioning plans need to be in place from the outset. Failing to account for these end-of-life considerations can lead to significant liabilities. Additionally, any adverse environmental impact can lead to public opposition and regulatory penalties.
Public perception of nuclear energy and technology can be a challenge. Overcoming public skepticism or opposition and gaining social acceptance for the microreactor project is important.
We may not be able to successfully address any of these risks or others. Failure to adequately do so could seriously harm our business and cause our operating results to suffer.
Our microreactors are still at the development stage and have not been put into production yet. Developing, producing, and commercializing nuclear reactors is a complex and challenging endeavor due to various technical, regulatory, financial, and public perception obstacles, which may adversely and materially affect our business, financial condition and results of operation. No assurances can be given that we will be able to develop and commercialize our microreactors and other technologies on the timelines we currently anticipate, or at all, and our failure to do so would likely lead to the loss of your investment in our company.
Our business plans will require us to raise substantial additional amounts of capital. Future capital needs will require us to sell additional equity or debt securities that will dilute or subordinate the rights of our common stockholders. In addition, we may be unable to secure government grants as part of our funding strategy.
Our business plan is very costly. To develop and implement our businesses as currently planned, we will need to raise substantial amounts of additional capital, potentially hundreds of millions of dollars. We expect that we will need to make substantial investments in research and development of our products and technologies and other substantial investments before we can generate meaningful revenues. Moreover, our costs and expenses may be even greater than currently anticipated, and there may be investments or expenses that are presently unforeseen. In any case, we may be unable to raise sufficient capital to fund these costs and achieve significant revenue generation. In addition, given the relatively early stage of our company, our future capital requirements are also difficult to predict with precision, and our actual capital requirements may differ substantially from those we currently anticipate.
As a result, we will need to seek equity or debt financing to finance a large portion of our future capital requirements. Such financing might not be available to us when needed or on terms that are acceptable, or at all. We will likely issue additional equity securities and may issue debt securities or otherwise incur debt in the future to fund our business plan. If we issue equity or convertible debt securities to raise additional funds, our existing stockholders will experience dilution, and the new equity (including preferred equity) or debt securities or other indebtedness may have rights, preferences, and privileges senior to those of our existing stockholders. If we incur additional debt, it may increase our leverage relative to our earnings or to our equity capitalization, requiring us to pay additional interest expenses.
Our ability to obtain the necessary capital in the form of equity or debt to carry out our business plan is subject to several risks, including general economic and market conditions, as well as investor sentiment regarding our planned business. These factors may make the timing, amount, terms and conditions of any such financing unattractive or unavailable to us. The prevailing macroeconomic environment may increase our cost of financing or make it more difficult to raise additional capital on favorable terms, if at all. If we are unable to raise sufficient capital, we may have to significantly reduce our spending and/or delay or cancel our planned activities.
Finally, we plan to apply for government funding in the form of grants or other funding from agencies such as the DOE. We may not receive such funding for a variety of reasons, including the size of our company and the government’s assessment of our prospects. Even if we do receive such funding, the government could condition such funding on contractual provisions such as granting the government rights to our technology or products. Moreover, federal funding is subject to at least annual Congressional appropriations, which may not be forthcoming. The federal budget process is complex — the budget justification and Presidential budget requests are often incomplete; Congress may appropriate different amounts than those requested; and the DOE has varying degrees of discretion to reprogram or transfer appropriated funds. Nonetheless, to the extent Presidential budget requests or DOE budget justifications result in a shift of Congressional appropriations away from SMR funding generally or projects we are developing specifically, those shifts could materially and adversely affect the amount of DOE funding available to us and our business.
As a result of the foregoing, we might not be able to obtain any financing, and we might not have sufficient capital to conduct our business as projected, both of which could mean that we would be forced to curtail or discontinue our operations. If we cannot raise additional capital when we need or want to, our operations and prospects could be negatively affected, and our business could fail.
We and our officers and directors are presently parties to securities law and fiduciary duty lawsuits relating to our public statements made since our initial public offering. Our reputation may be damaged by these suits, and if we are unable to have them dismissed or should we receive adverse outcomes, our business and results of operations may suffer, including as a result of our indemnification obligations to our directors and officers.
On August 9, 2024, a putative securities class action lawsuit was filed against us and certain of our officers in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, captioned Yvette Yang v. Nano Nuclear Energy Inc., et al., No. 1:24-cv-06057 (S.D.N.Y.). On October 28, 2024, the court entered an order appointing Hongyu Xie as lead plaintiff. On January 6, 2025, lead plaintiff filed an amended complaint, naming as defendants the Company, Jay Yu, James Walker, and Jaisun Garcha. The amended complaint asserts claims for alleged violations of Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 on behalf of persons who purchased or otherwise acquired our securities from May 8, 2024 through July 30, 2024. The claims in the amended complaint relate to statements made by us and/or our directors or officers concerning the Company’s business and prospects, including our progress toward development of nuclear microreactors and fuel manufacturing facilities. On February 21, 2025, all defendants filed a motion to dismiss the amended complaint pursuant to Rules 12(b)(6) and 9(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. On February 24, 2025, the court sua sponte entered an order permitting lead plaintiff to file a second amended complaint or stand on her amended complaint. On March 14, 2025, lead plaintiff filed a second amended complaint, asserting the same claims asserted in the amended complaint. On April 11, 2025, all defendants filed a motion to dismiss the second amended complaint pursuant to Rules 12(b)(6) and 9(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. A hearing on the motion has not been scheduled. We dispute the allegations in the amended complaint and intend to defend the case vigorously. The case is at an early stage and we cannot reasonably estimate the amount of any potential financial loss or cost that could result from the lawsuit.
In addition, on August 23, 2024, a putative shareholder derivative lawsuit was filed purportedly on behalf of our company, as nominal defendant, against certain of our directors and officers in the Eighth Judicial District Court of Clark County, Nevada, captioned William Latza, Derivatively on Behalf of Nano Nuclear, Inc. v. James Walker, et al., No. A-24-900423-C. On December 20, 2024, plaintiff filed an amended complaint, alleging claims for alleged breach of fiduciary duties, corporate waste, market manipulation, and racketeering, among others. The claims asserted in the amended complaint relate to our management, business and prospects, including, among others, our progress toward microreactor development, the qualifications of our management, and our investment in LIS Technologies Inc. On behalf of our company, the plaintiff seeks damages from the director and officer defendants and an order directing our company to take actions to reform and improve corporate governance and internal procedures. On February 4, 2025, our company filed a motion to dismiss the amended complaint pursuant to Rule 23.1 of the Nevada Rules of Civil Procedure for failure to make a demand or alleged demand futility, and our directors and officers filed a motion to dismiss the amended complaint pursuant to Rules 12(b)(5) and 23.1 of the Nevada Rules of Civil Procedure for failure to state a claim on which relief can be granted and plaintiff’s lack of standing. On April 24, 2025, the court heard and granted both the Company’s motion to dismiss and the directors’ and officers’ motion to dismiss without leave to amend. On October 30, 2025, the court entered a formal written order and statement of decision granting the motions to dismiss. On November 21, 2025, plaintiff filed a notice of appeal with the Nevada Supreme Court. No briefing dates for the appeal have been scheduled. The director and officer defendants deny all allegations of liability and intend to continue vigorously defending against all claims.
Ongoing securities law and fiduciary duty lawsuits may divert significant financial and human resources away from our core business operations, increasing legal expenses and reducing available capital for other strategic initiatives. If the lawsuits result in adverse outcomes, such as judgments or settlements, we could face substantial monetary damages, penalties, or fines, which could negatively impact our financial position, cash flow, and overall business operations. These lawsuits may harm our reputation with investors, suppliers, and business partners. Even if we successfully defend against the claims, the mere existence of these lawsuits may erode confidence in our management, corporate governance, and financial reporting. The uncertainty surrounding the outcome of these lawsuits could create volatility in our stock price, leading to a decrease in investor confidence and possible difficulties in raising future capital.
Our officers and directors, who are critical to our leadership and decision-making, may be distracted by these lawsuits, which could lead to delays or inefficiencies in executing our business strategy. If these lawsuits persist or lead to unfavorable publicity, it may become more challenging to attract and retain qualified employees, including key executives, due to perceived instability or legal risk associated with our company.
The current lawsuits may encourage other parties to file additional claims or lawsuits, increasing our legal risks and further burdening our resources. The case is still at an early stage and we cannot reasonably estimate the amount of any potential financial loss or cost that could result from this lawsuit. If we are unable to have them dismissed or should we receive adverse outcomes, our business and results of operations may suffer. The lawsuits may prompt increased scrutiny from regulatory authorities, leading to additional investigations, fines, or compliance requirements, which could further affect our business.
Further, under certain circumstances, we may have contractual or other legal obligations to indemnify and to incur legal expenses on behalf of investors, directors, officers, employees, or other third parties. Our business contractual and legal obligations related to indemnification and the coverage of legal expenses for investors, directors, officers, employees, and other third parties are critical components of our risk management and corporate governance. These obligations are typically outlined in various agreements, contracts, and corporate bylaws.
In our company, the key aspects of indemnification will be included in our directors and officers (D&O) insurance, our corporate governing documents, and investor agreements and other relevant arrangements. Nuclear companies often purchase director and officer insurance policies to indemnify their directors and officers against personal liability for actions taken in their roles. These policies provide financial protection for individuals in the event of lawsuits, regulatory actions, or other legal proceedings related to their corporate duties. The corporate governing documents may include provisions that obligate our company to indemnify its directors, officers, and sometimes employees to the extent allowed by law, with some conditions or limitations on indemnification as applicable. In cases where investors, such as venture capitalists or private equity firms, are involved, investment agreements may include indemnification clauses that protect the investors from certain liabilities related to their investment in our company. In our agreements with third parties, such as suppliers, partners, or service providers, indemnification provisions may also be included to specify who is responsible for indemnifying the other party in the event of specified breaches, disputes, or liabilities.
We may also be required to cover the legal expenses and other costs on behalf of individuals or third parties incurred during any applicable legal proceedings, which may divest our company’s resources and the management’s attention, thus materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in our inability to establish and grow our business.
The failure of production and commercialization of nuclear micro reactors as planned, including within the timelines we currently anticipate, will adversely and materially affect our business, financial condition, and result of operations.
We are in the process of developing the next-generation advanced nuclear microreactors. With these products, we are advancing the development of the next generation of portable, on-demand capable, advanced microreactors. Considering construction timelines, licensing timeframes, sourcing key materials and fuel, we currently estimate that our KRONOS MMR reactor will be commercially ready in the early 2030s. Given the priority we are placing on KRONOS, our other reactor projects will lag behind in the timing for their development. However, the development, licensing, construction and testing of advanced nuclear reactors is highly uncertain. Even if KRONOS or our other reactor designs receive regulatory approval, we may be unable for a variety of reasons to commercial launch the business of selling our reactors and scaling revenues from such sales. If our core plan to develop, and ultimately manufacture or commercialize KRONOS or any of our other products is delayed, suspended, interrupted, or cancelled for whatever reason, our business, financial condition, and results of operations will be adversely and materially disrupted, and the value of our securities may significantly decline or become worthless.
We are in the process of developing nuclear fuel facilities designed to supply products and materials necessary for the successful operation of the growing advanced nuclear energy industry. The failure of completion and operation of any such facility as planned will adversely and materially affect our business, financial condition, and result of operations.
Building nuclear fuel processing facilities to produce commercial nuclear material involves a highly specialized and regulated process. There will be specific challenges at each stage of development, including but not limited to the following:
Obtaining the necessary licenses and permits from regulatory authorities can be a complex and time-consuming process. Compliance with stringent safety, security, and environmental regulations is crucial.
Ensuring the safety and security of the facilities and the nuclear materials within it is of utmost importance. Robust safety measures and security protocols must be implemented to prevent accidents, theft, or unauthorized access.
Fabricating nuclear fuel and components requires specialized knowledge and expertise in nuclear materials, metallurgy, and manufacturing processes. Recruiting and retaining a skilled workforce can be a challenge.
Maintaining strict quality control and assurance processes is essential to ensure the reliability and safety of the nuclear fuel. Any defects or substandard materials can have serious consequences.
Building and operating a nuclear fuel cycle facility can be capital-intensive. Managing costs, including construction, operational, and maintenance expenses, is essential for the facility’s financial viability.
Construction delays, regulatory approvals, and unforeseen technical challenges can extend the timeline for facility development, potentially affecting market entry and revenue generation.
The demand for nuclear fuel can fluctuate based on the deployment of SMRs and Microreactors. Competition from other fuel suppliers and alternative energy sources can also affect market share and profitability.
In 2023, we established a subsidiary, HALEU Energy, to concentrate specifically on creating a domestic HALEU fuel processing facility to supply the next generation of advanced nuclear reactors. In February 2023, we were selected as an official founding member of the DOE’s new HALEU Consortium to develop the U.S.’ domestic capability for the manufacture of HALEU and its processing. Currently we are still in the process of developing such facility and target to have such facility in operation early next decade.
In November 2024, we announced a $2 million strategic investment in and entry into a collaboration with a laser-based uranium enrichment technology company, LIST, which is a related party. Through this investment and related collaboration, we aim to assist in advancing LIST’s technologies to secure a reliable low enriched uranium fuel supply for our future operations and the broader nuclear energy industry. The parties intend that LIST will provide us with enriched UF6 at no cost to be fabricated and sold to customers, with LIST to receive compensation as part of a profit-sharing arrangement to be agreed to between the companies in the future. Through collaboration with LIST, we intend to construct some supporting facilities alongside LIST’s enrichment facility, including the deconversion facility. The construction of these facilities and related activities are subject to similar risks to those outlined above with respect to our own HALEU fuel processing facility. Further, there is a risk that LIST’s technology will itself not advance to commercial viability or secure applicable regulatory approvals. All of the foregoing creates the risk of loss with respect to our investment in and collaboration with LIST.
If our plan to complete and operate any fuel cycle facilities is delayed, suspended, interrupted, or cancelled for whatever reason, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be adversely and materially disrupted, and the value of our securities may significantly decline or become worthless.
We plan to produce a regulatorily licensed, high-capacity HALEU transportation system, capable of moving commercial quantities of HALEU fuel around North America and worldwide. The failure of production and commercialization of such products as planned will adversely and materially affect our business, financial condition, and result of operations.
We intend to produce a regulatorily licensed, high-capacity HALEU transportation system, capable of moving commercial quantities of HALEU fuel around North America and beyond. We received an exclusive license for a high capacity HALEU fuel transportation basket design in April 2024, which will form the basis of a complete transportation package able to move the most commonly utilized fuel. The license grants us, as the licensee, exclusive rights for the use and development of certain transportation technology. If developed and commercialized, we believe this product would be the only one of its kind in North America and would serve as the basis for a domestic HALEU transportation company capable of providing commercial quantities of HALEU fuel.
In September 2024, we signed an agreement with GNS to undertake a wide-ranging project to produce an optimized HALEU transportation system solution based on our exclusively licensed fuel transportation basket design. The GNS agreement encompasses a study for the transport of multiple HALEU nuclear fuel types, including uranium oxide, TRISO particles, uranium-zirconium hydride, uranium mononitride, and salt fuel for molten salt reactors, thus optimizing the quantity of material that can be transported and developing a conceptual package design that will accommodate the new basket design. We are targeting to have our fuel transportation business in operation by 2028. However, there is no assurance that we can successfully produce such a product and operate such a business as planned. If our plan to produce and commercialize such product is delayed, suspended, interrupted or cancelled for whatever reason, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be adversely and materially disrupted, and the value of our securities may significantly decline or become worthless.
We aim to provide nuclear service support and consultation services for the expanding and resurgent nuclear energy industry, both domestically and internationally. Failure to do so as planned will adversely and materially affect our business, financial condition, and result of operations.
We aim to provide nuclear service support and consultation services for the expanding and resurgent nuclear energy industry, both domestically and internationally. This business opportunity represents our most near-term revenue generating opportunity and we provided initial consulting services in 2025. Our goal is more formally establish, launch and scale our consulting services business, both domestically and internationally, in 2026. As part of our domestic initiatives, following our collaboration with Digihost in December 2024, we provided consulting services to Digihost from April to June 2025, despite not having formally launched our consulting service offerings. Our consulting support contributed to the planning and execution of the Digihost project and included regulatory advice, site assessment, roadmap development, and stakeholder engagement. We are currently evaluating strategic acquisitions or collaborations to expand our business operations and formally establish our consulting services, and have commenced several material discussions with potential targets for such acquisitions or collaborations, but as of the date of this Report, we have not entered into any definitive agreements for such acquisitions or collaborations. In combination with our intention to acquire existing revenue generating consultancy businesses, we are focusing on building our own internal nuclear consultation business in coordination with certain outside academic institutions, which we anticipate would require approximately $2 million over the next twelve months to recruit additional staff and build corresponding infrastructure to be capable of providing these services. No assurances can be given that we will be able to successfully acquire or establish and thereafter grow our own consultation business, and our failure to do so would adversely affect our near-term revenue prospects. Moreover, the outlined expenditures and the timelines are estimations only. These estimates are inherently subject to significant risks and change due to unforeseen circumstances, operational challenges, adjustments in the microreactor development plan and uncertainties associated with the licensing approval process, and other factors beyond our control. Given that these elements may exceed our initial expectations or lie beyond our control, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the actual expenditures and timelines.
The current upsurge in interest in nuclear energy, combined with the increased investment from both private and governmental sources within the nuclear space, as well as the global push for zero carbon technologies, has created a demand for nuclear energy expertise which exceeds supply. The increased demand in personnel and nuclear related business activity will create increased demand for personnel involved in the licensing and regulatory aspects of the industry, which provide us with potential to root in this area. We have already identified several nuclear services and consultancy providers, which have been assessed as potentially suitable for acquisition by our company. However, there is no assurance that we can acquire them successfully or as planned. If our plan to start the consulting services is delayed, suspended, interrupted or cancelled for whatever reason, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be adversely and materially disrupted, and the value of our securities may significantly decline or become worthless.
Providing a nuclear consulting service as a business comes with a unique set of difficulties and challenges due to the complexity and sensitivity of the nuclear industry. These challenges and difficulties include, but are not limited to:
Providing valuable nuclear consulting services requires a deep understanding of nuclear science, engineering, and technology. Maintaining a team with the necessary expertise can be difficult.
Consulting on nuclear projects involves addressing safety and security issues. Ensuring that clients are compliant with safety protocols and security measures is a critical responsibility.
Handling sensitive nuclear information and data requires strict security measures and confidentiality protocols to protect classified or proprietary information.
As a consultant, we may face liability issues if our advice leads to undesirable outcomes or non-compliance with regulations. Managing and mitigating these risks is essential.
The nuclear consulting market can be competitive, with established consulting firms and experts in the field. Standing out and securing clients can be challenging, especially for newcomers.
The nuclear industry is evolving with new technologies, safety standards, and market dynamics. Staying updated and adapting to these changes is vital to remain relevant and competitive.
Managing multiple projects for different clients with varying timelines and needs can be challenging. Effective project management is essential to meet deadlines and deliver quality results.
Meeting and managing client expectations can be demanding. Clients may have high expectations for the outcomes of their nuclear projects, and effective communication is essential to align expectations with reality.
Leveraging data analytics and technological advancements can be challenging, especially when dealing with legacy system in the nuclear industry.
For our nuclear consulting business to be viable and grow, it will be crucial for us to build a strong team with diverse expertise, stay current with industry trends and regulations, prioritize security and confidentiality, and maintain high ethical standards. Effective communication, networking, and relationship-building with our clients and the regulatory authorities are also essential for establishing our credibility and trust in the industry. Notwithstanding the foregoing, there is no assurance we can address these or similar challenges and difficulties, the failure of which may adversely and materially affect our business, financial condition and results of operation.
We have undertaken and will continue to pursue strategic acquisitions. These acquisitions may be difficult to consummate and integrate and may create losses for us or not provide us with the anticipated benefits. We may not be able to successfully integrate our previous and future acquisitions or generate sufficient revenues or earnings from future acquisitions, which could cause our business to suffer.
We have undertaken (as in the case of our acquisition of the ALIP technology, and our acquisition of the USNC Assets and GFPL) and will continue to pursue strategic acquisitions of complimentary or additive businesses or assets to both diversify and further vertically integrate our business lines and accelerate our growth. If we buy a company, a division of a company or assets that we feel are complementary to our business, there can be no assurance that we will be able to profitably manage such business or successfully integrate such business or assets without substantial costs, delays or other operational or financial problems.
We are also faced with the risk that the businesses or assets we acquire will not achieve anticipated benefits, revenues and earnings. Additionally:
the key personnel of the acquired business may decide not to work for us;
changes in management at an acquired business may impair its relationships with employees and customers;
we may be unable to maintain uniform standards, controls, procedures and policies among acquired businesses;
we may be unable to successfully implement infrastructure, logistics and system integration;
we may be held liable for legal claims (including environmental claims) arising out of activities of the acquired businesses prior to our acquisitions, some of which we may not have discovered during our due diligence, and we may not have indemnification claims available to us or we may not be able to realize on any indemnification claims with respect to those legal claims;
we will assume risks associated with deficiencies in the internal control of acquired businesses;
we may encounter unexpected accounting challenges which could adversely impact our ability to consummate acquisitions or achieve the anticipated benefits to our company of acquisitions;
we may not be able to realize the cost savings or other financial benefits we anticipated; and
our ongoing business may be disrupted or receive insufficient management attention.
We face these and similar risks in connection with our already completed acquisitions. With respect to our ALIP technology, we may not be able to successfully integrate the ALIP technology into our microreactor designs, which could lead to a loss of our investment in this technology. We also faced personnel challenges with this asset, which has delayed our timing for the ALIP project. Moreover, we anticipate, pending the successful completion of the SBIR III program for the ALIP technology (which we are funding), that we will seek to separately commercialize the ALIP technology as a means of generating revenues. Although we anticipate commercializing ALIP in 2026, there is no assurance that we can commercialize ALIP within the estimated timeline, if at all. We are thus faced with the risks that the SBIR Phase III may not be completed on a timely basis or at all, and further that we may be unable to commercially sell or license the technology (or products derived from the technology) to third parties.
With respect to our acquisition of the USNC Assets, these assets have become the lead projects of our company, notably with respect to the KRONOS MMR reactor design. We are placing significant emphasis on developing and ultimately commercializing KRONOS MMRs, and our inability to do so for any reason could lead to the loss of our investments in acquiring and developing such assets.
Also, future acquisitions may require us to obtain additional, perhaps substantial, equity or debt financing, which may not be available on attractive terms. Moreover, to the extent an acquisition transaction financed by non-equity consideration results in additional goodwill, it will reduce our tangible net worth, which might have an adverse effect on our credit and bonding capacity.
If we experience significant fluctuations in our operating results and rate of growth and fail to meet revenue and earnings expectations, our stock price may fall rapidly and without advance notice.
Due to our limited operating history, our evolving business model and the unpredictability of our emerging industry, we may not be able to accurately forecast our future revenues and earnings or our rate of growth. We base our current and future expense levels and our investment plans on estimates of future revenue and future rate of growth. Our expenses and investments are, to a large extent, not fixed and we expect that these expenses will increase in the future. We may not be able to adjust our spending quickly enough if our revenue falls short of our expectations.
Our results of operations depend on both the growth of demand for the products and services we are going to offer in the future and the general economic and business conditions throughout the world. A softening of demand for our products and services for any reason will harm our operating results. Terrorist attacks, armed hostilities and wars in the past created, and may in the future create economic and business uncertainty that may also adversely affect our results of operations.
Our revenue and operating results may also fluctuate due to other factors, including:
our ability of design, developing, manufacturing and sales of smaller, simpler, and safer advanced portable clean energy solutions, including nuclear reactors.
our ability to develop domestic fuel cycle facilities to supply the next generation of advanced nuclear reactors with fuel.
our ability to produce a regulatorily licensed, high-capacity HALEU transportation system, capable of moving commercial quantities of a variety of HALEU fuels.
our ability to provide nuclear service support and consultation services for the expanding and resurgent nuclear energy industry, both domestically and internationally.
assumptions relating to the size of the market for our nuclear reactors.
unanticipated regulations of nuclear energy that add barriers to our business and have a negative effect on our operations.
our estimates of expenses, future revenue, capital requirements and our needs for, or ability to obtain, additional financing.
new product and service introductions by our competitors.
technical difficulties or interruptions in our service.
general economic conditions in our geographic markets.
additional investment in our service or operations.
regulatory compliance costs.
As a result of these and other factors, we expect that our operating results may fluctuate significantly on a quarterly basis. We believe that period-to-period comparisons of our operating results may not be meaningful, and you should not rely upon them as an indication of future performance.
Federal budget delays, federal debt ceiling limitations, or reductions in government spending could adversely impact government spending for the products and services we provide.
Federal government spending reductions could adversely impact U.S. government programs related to our products or services. While we believe many of our programs do not conflict with the U.S. government’s strategic priorities, government spending on these programs can be subject to negative publicity, political factors and public scrutiny. The risk of future budget delays or reductions is uncertain, and it is possible that spending cuts may be applied to U.S. government programs across the board, regardless of how programs align with those priorities. There are many variables in how budget reductions could be implemented that will determine its specific impact; however, reductions in federal government spending could adversely impact programs in which we provide products or services. In addition, these cuts could adversely affect the viability of the suppliers and subcontractors under our programs. These and similar risks are associated with our participation with LIST in the DOE’s LEU Acquisition Program. Such program could be eliminated or subject to reduction, and no assurances can be given that we will be allocated any material funding from the LEU Acquisition Program.
The cost of electricity generated from nuclear sources may not be cost competitive with other electricity generation sources in some markets, which could materially and adversely affect our business.
Some electricity markets experience very low power prices due to a combination of subsidized renewables and low-cost fuel sources, and we may not be able to compete in these markets unless the benefits of the carbon-free, reliable and/or resilient energy generation are sufficiently valued in the market. Given the relatively lower electricity prices in the United States when compared to many international markets, the risk may be greater with respect to business in the United States.
The market for SMRs generating nuclear power is not yet established and may not achieve the growth potential we expect or may grow more slowly than expected.
The market for SMRs has not yet been established. Our estimates for the total addressable market are based on a number of internal and third-party estimates, including our potential contracted revenue, the number of potential customers, assumed prices and production costs, our ability to leverage our current logistical and operational processes, and general market conditions. However, our assumptions and the data underlying our estimates may not be correct and the conditions supporting our assumptions or estimates may change at any time, thereby reducing the predictive accuracy of these underlying factors. As a result, our estimates of the annual total addressable market for our services, as well as the expected growth rate for the total addressable market for our services, may prove to be incorrect.
Two of our executive officers are presently engaged by us on an independent contractor basis, and two of our executive officers are engaged by us as employees. Jay Jiang Yu, our founder, President, Secretary and Treasurer, and Chairman of the Board, and Dr. Florent Heidet, our Chief Technology Officer and Head of Reactor Development, are employed under employment agreements. Almost all of our executive officers have management, advisory or directorship positions with other companies and may allocate their time to other businesses, which may pose certain risks in fulfilling their obligations with us.
Except for Jay Jiang Yu, our founder, President, Secretary and Treasurer, and Chairman of the Board, and Dr. Florent Heidet, our Chief Technology Officer and Head of Reactor Development, with each of whom we have an employment agreement, all of our other executive officers are presently engaged by us as independent contractors due to the fact that they each have management, advisory or directorship positions with other companies and may allocate their time to other businesses. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Mr. Yu has concurrently served on the board and management team of several companies and currently allocates at least 15 hours per week to his roles at other companies. Mr. Yu also concurrently serves as president and chairman of the board of LIST.
Mr. James Walker, our Chief Executive Officer, currently allocates at least five hours per week to support Ares, where he is responsible for the construction of plants, purchases of land, operations, marketing, financing, safety regulation compliance, and shareholder relations. He is also concurrently serving on the board of directors of several small-cap publicly traded companies and a consultant to LIST. Jaisun Garcha, our Chief Financial Officer, is currently, and will continue to, work full-time with us, and is currently also working as a consultant to LIST.
Our executive officers are not employees of our company (Mr. Yu and Dr. Heidet excepted), instead, they serve as independent contractors and can be terminated by either party at any time. They may pursue any other activities and engagements during their terms of agreements with us. The existing external commitments and any future commitments of our officers to other companies may potentially divert their significant time and attention away from the strategic and operational needs of our company. Their divided focus could lead to delays in decision-making, hinder effective communication within our organization, give rise to potential conflicts of interest, and introduce a divergence in priorities, consequently impacting the overall efficacy of leadership. Additionally, the potential for conflicting interests arising from commitments to multiple entities may pose challenges in aligning those officers’ priorities with the long-term goals and interests of our company, thereby introducing an element of uncertainty and potential disruption to our operations. It is essential to acknowledge and address these complexities to ensure that our officers can effectively balance their responsibilities and fulfill their commitments to our company while maintaining transparency and integrity in their various roles. Failure to do so may adversely affect our business, financial conditions, and results of operations.
We may be unable to manage our future growth effectively, which could make it difficult to execute our business strategy.
If our operations grow as planned, we expect to be required to expand our sales and marketing, research and development, supply and manufacturing functions, and there is no guarantee that we will be able to scale our business as planned. For example, in 2025 we launched an initiative to recruit engineers in the Midwest area of the U.S. to support our KRONOS efforts at UIUC. If we are not able to grow our company as our business requires, or achieve and maintain cost-competitiveness in the United States or elsewhere, our business could be materially and adversely affected.
We and our target customers operate in a politically sensitive environment, and the public perception of nuclear energy can affect our target customers and us.
Nuclear energy is closely tied to government policies and regulations due to its potential risks and benefits. Governments often play a central role in the approval, regulation, and funding of nuclear projects. Changes in political leadership or shifts in public sentiment can lead to shifts in nuclear energy policies, which can affect the viability and profitability of nuclear businesses. The regulatory framework for nuclear energy is stringent and subject to public scrutiny. Regulatory decisions can influence the cost, timeline, and feasibility of nuclear projects. Public concerns and political pressure can lead to tighter regulations or stricter enforcement of existing ones. Government policies and incentives, often influenced by public opinion and political considerations, can directly impact the growth and competitiveness of nuclear energy. Favorable policies such as subsidies, tax credits, or incentives for clean energy can attract more customers to the nuclear energy sector.
In addition, public perception of nuclear energy can range from positive to highly skeptical or negative, often influenced by historical events, accidents, and media coverage. Negative public sentiment can lead to protests, legal challenges, and public resistance to new nuclear projects, potentially delaying or preventing their development. Nuclear facilities often need to engage with local communities where they operate. Building and maintaining trust with these communities is crucial for obtaining social acceptance. Public opposition, fueled by concerns about safety or environmental impact, can hinder a company’s ability to establish a presence in a particular location. Public perception of nuclear safety and viability can also influence the willingness of investors and financial institutions to fund nuclear projects. Negative public sentiment can increase financing costs and make it more difficult to secure the necessary capital. However, public preferences for energy sources can influence the demand for nuclear energy. A positive perception of nuclear power as a clean and reliable energy source can boost its market appeal. Conversely, public concerns about nuclear safety and waste disposal can lead to decreased demand, impacting a nuclear company’s customer base. Additionally, public perception of a country’s nuclear industry can affect its ability to export nuclear technology, reactors, and fuel assemblies to international customers. International perceptions of safety and reliability play a role in export decisions.
As a result, the risks associated with nuclear energy materials and the public perception of those risks can affect our business. Opposition by third parties can delay or prevent the construction of new nuclear power plants and can limit the operation of nuclear reactors. Adverse public reaction to developments in the use of nuclear power could directly affect our customers and indirectly affect our business. In the past, adverse public reaction, increased regulatory scrutiny and litigation have contributed to extended construction periods for new nuclear reactors, sometimes delaying construction schedules by decades or more or even shutting down operations. Adverse public reaction could also lead to increased regulation or limitations on the activities of our customers, more onerous operating requirements or other conditions that could have a material adverse impact on our target customers and our business.
Accidents involving nuclear power facilities, including but not limited to events like the Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accidents, or terrorist acts or other high-profile events involving radioactive materials could materially and adversely affect our target customers and the markets in which we operate and increase regulatory requirements and costs that could materially and adversely affect our business.
Our future prospects are dependent upon a certain level of public support for nuclear power. Nuclear power faces strong opposition from certain competitive energy sources, individuals and organizations. The accident that occurred at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan in 2011 increased public opposition to nuclear power in some countries, resulting in a slowdown in, or, in some cases, a complete halt to new construction of nuclear power plants, an early shut down of existing power plants or a dampening of the favorable regulatory climate needed to introduce new nuclear technologies, all of which could negatively impact our business and prospects. As a result of the Fukushima accident, some countries that were considering launching new domestic nuclear power programs delayed or cancelled the preparatory activities they were planning to undertake as part of such programs. If accidents similar to the Fukushima disaster or other events, such as terrorist attacks involving nuclear facilities, occur, public opposition to nuclear power may increase, regulatory requirements and costs could become more onerous, which could materially and adversely affect our business and operations.
Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property
If we fail to develop, gain approval for, protect or enforce our intellectual property or proprietary rights, our business and operating results could be harmed.
We currently own the rights to the significant majority of our intellectual property. We received an exclusive license for a high capacity HALEU fuel transportation basket design in April 2024, which will form the basis of a complete transportation system to move a range of fuel types. The license grants us, as the licensee, exclusive rights for use and development of the technology. In addition, the licensor is not permitted to license the technology to any other parties within the specified scope. We may enter into other license agreements in the future for our business development. There is no assurance that we, as the licensee, will be able to obtain or renew, if at all or in a timely manner, any of the license agreements upon their expiration. Failure to obtain or renew, or early termination of, any such agreement may materially and adversely affect our business, financial conditions and results of operations.
We regard the protection of our trade secrets, trademarks, licenses, trade dress, patents and copyrights (if any, in future), domain names and other intellectual property or proprietary rights as critical to our success. We strive to protect our intellectual property rights by relying on federal, state and common law rights, as well as contractual restrictions. We seek to protect our confidential proprietary information, in part, by entering into consulting agreements, and/or services or employment agreements that contain non-disclosure and non-use provisions with our employees, consultants, advisors and any third parties who have access to our proprietary know-how, information or technology. However, we cannot be certain that we have executed such agreements with all parties who may have helped to develop our intellectual property or who had access to our proprietary information, nor can we be certain that our agreements will not be breached. Any party with whom we have executed such an agreement could potentially breach that agreement and disclose our proprietary information, including our trade secrets, and we may not be able to obtain adequate remedies for such breaches. We cannot guarantee that our trade secrets and other confidential proprietary information will not be disclosed or that competitors will not otherwise gain access to our trade secrets or independently develop substantially equivalent information and techniques. Detecting the disclosure or misappropriation of a trade secret and enforcing a claim that a party illegally disclosed or misappropriated a trade secret is difficult, time-consuming and could result in substantial costs and the outcome of such a claim is unpredictable. Further, the laws of certain foreign countries do not protect proprietary rights to the same extent or in the same manner as the laws of the United States. As a result, we may encounter significant problems in protecting and defending our intellectual property or proprietary rights both in the United States and abroad. If we are unable to prevent the disclosure of our trade secrets to third parties, or if our competitors independently develop any of our trade secrets, we may not be able to establish or maintain a competitive advantage in our market, which could harm our business.
We currently have nineteen issued patents related to our technology both in the United States and in foreign jurisdictions. Detecting infringement and enforcing patent rights both in the United States and abroad can be difficult, time-consuming, and could result in substantial costs, and the outcome of enforcement is unpredictable. We also believe that developing technology more comprehensively before patenting can provide our company with certain potential strategic advantages. We are balancing the advantages of comprehensive development with the risk of potential delays in or inability of securing patent protection, and we continue to consult qualified intellectual property counsel so we can make informed decisions regarding the timing of other patent filings and the overall protection strategy. Patent laws, and scope of coverage afforded by them, are in constant flux. Under “first-to-file” patent systems both in the United States and abroad, inventors and companies may be compelled to file patent applications more frequently to preserve rights in their inventions, which may favor larger competitors that have the resources to file more patent applications. Current patent laws may incentivize third parties to challenge any issued patent at the USPTO, as opposed to having to bring such an action in U.S. federal court. Any invalidation of a patent claim could have a significant impact on our ability to protect the innovations contained within our products and could harm our business.
The USPTO and various foreign governmental patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment and other provisions to maintain patent applications and issued patents. We may fail to take the necessary actions and to pay the applicable fees to obtain or maintain our patents in the future. Non-compliance with these requirements can result in abandonment or lapse of a patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. In such an event, competitors might be able to use our technologies and enter the market earlier than would otherwise have been the case.
We pursue the registration of our domain names, trademarks and service marks in the United States. We may seek to protect our trademarks, patents and domain names in an increasing number of jurisdictions in future, a process that is expensive and time-consuming and may not be successful or which we may not pursue in every location.
Litigation may be necessary to enforce our intellectual property or proprietary rights, protect our trade secrets or determine the validity and scope of proprietary rights claimed by others. Any litigation of this nature, regardless of outcome or merit, could result in substantial costs, adverse publicity or diversion of management and technical resources, any of which could adversely affect our business and operating results. If we fail to maintain, protect and enhance our intellectual property or proprietary rights, our business may be harmed.
We rely on our unpatented proprietary technology, trade secrets, designs, experiences, workflows, data, processes, software and know-how.
We rely on proprietary information (such as trade secrets, know-how and confidential information) being maintained in confidence to protect intellectual property that may not be patentable or subject to copyright, trademark, trade dress or service mark protection, or that we believe is best protected by means that do not require public disclosure. We generally seek to protect this proprietary information by entering into consulting agreements, and/or services or employment agreements that contain non-disclosure and non-use provisions with our employees, consultants, contractors and third parties. However, we may fail to enter into the necessary agreements, and even if entered into, these agreements may be breached or may otherwise fail to prevent disclosure, third-party infringement or misappropriation of our proprietary information, may be limited as to their term and may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure or use of proprietary information. We have limited control over actions by our current or future partners and suppliers and could lose trade secret protection if any unauthorized disclosure of such information occurs. In addition, our proprietary information may otherwise become known or be independently developed by our competitors or other third parties. To the extent that our employees, consultants, contractors, advisors and other third parties use intellectual property owned by others in their work for us, disputes may arise as to the rights in related or resulting know-how and inventions. Costly and time-consuming litigation could be necessary to enforce and determine the scope of our proprietary rights, and failure to obtain or maintain protection for our proprietary information could adversely affect our competitive business position. Furthermore, laws regarding trade secret rights in certain markets where we operate may afford little or no protection to our trade secrets.
We also rely on physical and electronic security measures to protect our proprietary information, but we cannot provide assurance that these security measures will not be breached or provide adequate protection for our property. There is a risk that third parties may obtain and improperly utilize our proprietary information to our competitive disadvantage. We may not be able to detect or prevent the unauthorized use of such information or take appropriate and timely steps to enforce our intellectual property rights.
We may be accused of infringing intellectual property rights of third parties and be subject to content restrictions under relevant laws, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Third parties may claim that the technology used in the operation of our business infringes upon their intellectual property rights. Although we have not faced any litigation involving direct claims of infringement by us in the past, the possibility of intellectual property claims against us increases as we continue to grow. Such claims, regardless of merit, may result in our expenditure of significant financial and management resources, injunctions against us, or payment of damages. We may need to obtain licenses from third parties who allege that we have infringed their rights, and such licenses may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. These risks have been amplified by the increase in third parties whose sole or primary business is to assert such claims.
The outcome of any claims, investigations and proceedings is inherently uncertain, and in any event defending against these claims could be both costly and time-consuming and could significantly divert the efforts and resources of our management and other personnel. An adverse determination in any such litigation or proceedings could cause us to pay damages, as well as legal and other costs, limit our ability to conduct business or require us to change the manner in which we operate and our products.
Risks Related to Regulation and Compliance
Our business is subject to a wide variety of extensive and evolving government laws and regulations. Changes in and/or failure to comply with such laws and regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business.
We are subject to new or changing international, federal, state, and local regulations, including laws relating to the design, development, manufacturing, marketing, servicing, or sales of our nuclear-fuel related products. Such laws and regulations may require us to pause sales and modify our products, which could result in a material adverse effect on our ability to generate revenues (or any future revenues) and our financial condition generally. Such laws and regulations can also give rise to liability such as fines and penalties, property damage, bodily injury, and cleanup costs. Failure to comply with such laws and regulations could lead to the withdrawal or recall of our products from the market, delay our projected revenues, increase cost, or make our business unviable if we are unable to modify our products to comply. Capital and operating expenses needed to comply with laws and regulations can be significant, and violations may result in substantial fines and penalties, third-party damages, suspension of production or a cessation of our operations.
Regulatory risk factors associated with our business also include our ability to obtain additional applicable approvals, licenses or certifications from regulatory agencies, if required, and to maintain current approvals, licenses or certifications. Any regulatory delays, delays imposed as a result of regulatory inspections and changing regulatory requirements, may impede our planned actions from being implemented or completed, many of which may be out of our control. Any natural disasters, changes in governmental regulations or in the status of our regulatory approvals or applications or other events that force us to cancel or reschedule our product development and production, could have an adverse impact on our business and financial condition.
We are subject to U.S. and foreign anti-corruption and anti-money laundering laws and regulations. We can face criminal liability and other serious consequences for violations, which can harm our business.
We are subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.S. domestic bribery statute contained in 18 U.S.C. § 201, the U.S. Travel Act, the Money Laundering Control Act 18 U.S.C. §§ 1956 and 1957, and other anti-bribery and anti-money laundering laws in countries in which we conduct activities. Anti-corruption laws are interpreted broadly and prohibit companies and their employees, agents, contractors and other collaborators from authorizing, promising, offering or providing, directly or indirectly, improper payments or anything else of value to recipients in the public or private sector, and require that we keep accurate books and records and maintain internal accounting controls designed to prevent any such actions. We can be held liable for the corrupt or other illegal activities of our employees, agents, contractors and other collaborators, even if we do not explicitly authorize or have actual knowledge of such activities.
As we intend to conduct international cross-border business and expand our operations abroad, we may engage business partners and third-party intermediaries to market our products and to obtain necessary permits, licenses and other regulatory approvals overseas. In addition, we or our third-party intermediaries may have direct or indirect interactions with officials and employees of government agencies or state-owned or affiliated entities. We can be held liable for the corrupt or other illegal activities of these third-party intermediaries, our employees, representatives, contractors, partners and agents, even if we do not explicitly authorize or have actual knowledge of such activities. We cannot assure you that all of our employees and agents will not take actions in violation of our policies and applicable law, for which we may be ultimately held responsible. As we intend to expand our international business, our risks under these laws may increase.
Detecting, investigating and resolving actual or alleged violations of anti-corruption laws can require a significant diversion of time, resources and attention from our management. In addition, non-compliance with anti-corruption or anti-bribery laws could subject us to whistleblower complaints, investigations, sanctions, settlements, prosecution, enforcement actions, fines, damages, other civil or criminal penalties, injunctions, suspension or debarment from contracting with certain persons, reputational harm, adverse media coverage and other collateral consequences. If any subpoenas are received or investigations are launched, or governmental or other sanctions are imposed, or if we do not prevail in any possible civil or criminal proceeding, our business, operating results and financial condition could be materially harmed.
If we fail to comply with the laws and regulations relating to the collection of sales tax and payment of income taxes in the various states in which we do business, we could be exposed to unexpected costs, expenses, penalties and fees as a result of our non-compliance, which could harm our business.
By engaging in business activities in the United States, we become subject to various state laws and regulations, including requirements to collect sales tax from our sales within those states, and the payment of income taxes on revenue generated from activities in those states. A successful assertion by one or more states that we were required to collect sales or other taxes or to pay income taxes where we did not could result in substantial tax liabilities, fees and expenses, including substantial interest and penalty charges, which could harm our business.
General Risks Associated with Our Company
We are highly dependent on our senior management team and other highly skilled personnel. If we are unable to attract, retain and maintain highly qualified personnel, including our senior management team, we may not be able to implement our business strategy and our business and results of operations could be harmed.
Our business and prospect are highly dependent on the continued services of our senior management team, particularly our Chief Executive Officer James Walker, our President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Chairman of the Board Jay Jiang Yu, our Chief Financial Officer Jaisun Garcha, and our Chief Technology Officer and Head of Reactor Development Dr. Florent Heidet. Our senior management team has extensive experience in the energy and finance industries, and we believe that their depth of experience is instrumental to our continued success. See “ ITEM 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance ” for further details. The loss of any one or more members of our senior management team, for any reason, including resignation or retirement, could impair our ability to execute our business strategy and have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition if we are unable to successfully attract and retain qualified and highly skilled replacement personnel.
In addition, our ability to execute our plans and grow our company will depend in large part on our ability to attract, motivate, develop, retain and maintain a sufficient number of other highly skilled personnel, including engineers, nuclear energy professionals, finance, marketing and sales personnel. Maintaining a diverse team of skilled personnel who can collectively address the technical, regulatory, financial, and operational aspects of our business, including but not limited to, nuclear engineers and scientists, regulatory and licensing experts, safety and security experts, quality control and assurance managers, environmental and waste management experts, and financial and legal professionals, is also essential to our business. Our goal is to build a well-rounded and experienced team with expertise in these areas to ensure the development, operation, and commercialization of our business, while ensuring safety, regulatory compliance, and long-term viability.
However, if we are unable to attract, retain, and maintain our senior management team and other highly skilled personnel, we may not be able to implement our business strategy, and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely and materially affected. If any of our senior management team members were to terminate his or her employment with us, there can be no assurance that we would be able to find suitable replacements in a timely manner, at acceptable cost or at all. The loss of services of senior management team members or the inability to identify, hire, train and retain other qualified and managerial personnel in the future may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Mr. Jay Jiang Yu, our President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Chairman of the Board, has a significant influence over our company due to his ownership of a material percentage of our outstanding common stock. Also, his interests may not always be aligned with the interests of our other stockholders, which may lead to conflicts of interest that harm our company.
As of December 16, 2025, Mr. Jay Jiang Yu, our President and Chairman, beneficially owns an aggregate of approximately 21.37% shares of our common stock. Due to his ownership of a material percentage of our outstanding common stock, Mr. Yu could have significant influence in determining the outcome of any corporate transaction or other matter submitted to the stockholders for approval, including mergers, consolidations, the appointment of directors and other significant corporate actions. Without the consent of Mr. Yu, we may be prevented from entering into transactions that could be beneficial to us or our other stockholders. Moreover, our interests and the interests of Mr. Yu may not always be aligned, which could create conflicts of interest of Mr. Yu and may not be resolved in favor of all of our stockholders or may otherwise harm our company. For more information regarding Mr. Yu’s ownership of our company, see “ Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters. ”
Failure to establish and maintain effective internal control in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act could have a material adverse effect on our business and stock price.
Prior to the completion of our initial public offering in May 2024, we were a private company with limited accounting personnel to adequately execute our accounting processes and limited supervisory resources with which to address our internal control over financial reporting. As a private company, we did not design or maintain an effective control environment as required of public companies under the rules of the SEC implementing Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and therefore were not required to make a formal assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting for that purpose.
Upon becoming a publicly traded company, we became required to comply with the SEC’s rules implementing Sections 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which require our management to certify financial and other information in our quarterly and annual reports and provide an annual management report on the effectiveness of controls over financial reporting. Importantly, given the growth of our market valuation in 2025, we ceased to be a “smaller reporting company” for SEC reporting purposes as of October 1, 2025. If in the future we qualify as an “accelerated filer” or “large accelerated filer,” in addition to management providing an assessment of our control over financial reporting, our independent auditors will be required to audit that assessment, which will add a layer of cost and complexity to our accounting processes.
As previously disclosed in Item 4. Controls and Procedures in our third quarter Form 10-Q for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025, we identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting related to ineffective general information technology controls applicable to certain cloud-based information technology systems that were relevant to our financial reporting processes and system of internal control over financial reporting. As a result, our business process automated and manual controls that were dependent on the affected general information technology controls were also ineffective because they could have been adversely impacted. During the fourth quarter of 2025, we implemented our remediation plan, including (i) created robust management review controls to assess the completeness, accuracy and reasonableness of key information used in financial reporting; and (ii) formalized the preparation and review of information used in financial reporting to ensure the completeness and accuracy of reports at fiscal year-end. We completed the necessary testing and we believe that the material weakness outlined above has been remediated as of September 30, 2025.
Under the supervision and with the participation of our CEO and CFO, our management conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Based on that evaluation, management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of September 30, 2025. Additionally, we believe that we have sufficient in-house accounting personnel to maintain appropriate segregation of duties, and we have implemented a number of new internal control procedures that we believe are adequate as of the date of this Report. However, our assessment of the effectiveness of these controls is based on management’s judgment, and there can be no assurance that these measures will operate as intended or will be sufficient to prevent or detect material misstatements, errors, or control deficiencies in the future. Proper systems of internal control over financial accounting and disclosure controls and procedures are critical to the operation of a public company. We may be unable to effectively maintain such systems in future, especially in light of the inherent pressures associated with operating as a publicly reporting company and the growth of our company. If we are unable to establish and improve our systems over time, this could leave us without the ability to reliably assimilate and compile financial information about our company and significantly impair our ability to prevent error and detect fraud, all of which would have a negative impact on our company from many perspectives.
During the course of documenting and testing our internal control procedures, we may identify other weaknesses and deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting in the future. In addition, if we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting, as these standards are modified, supplemented or amended from time to time, we may not be able to conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal control over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404. If we fail to achieve and maintain an effective internal control environment, we could suffer material misstatements in our financial statements and fail to meet our reporting obligations, which would likely cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information. This could in turn limit our access to capital markets, harm our results of operations, and lead to a decline in the trading price of our shares.
Moreover, we do not expect that disclosure control or internal control over financial reporting, even if further established and improved as needed, will prevent all errors and all frauds. 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 the control system, 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 system to prevent error or fraud could materially adversely impact us.
Our ability to effectively manage our anticipated growth and expansion of our operations will also require us to enhance our operational, financial and management controls and infrastructure, human resources policies and reporting system. These enhancements and improvements will require significant capital expenditures and allocation of valuable management and employee resources.
We have experienced significant growth in the scope and nature of our operations, and we expect this growth to continue. In particular, as our business has expanded, we have hired more employees and engaged in multiple strategic efforts to add technologies or expertise to our company. To achieve our goal of becoming a vertically integrated advanced nuclear energy company, we will need to expand our operations across not only our microreactor business, but in our additional business lines such as fuel processing, fuel transportation and nuclear consulting. Our ability to manage our these operations and future growth will require us to continue to improve our operational, financial and management controls, compliance programs and reporting system. We may not be able to implement improvements in an efficient or timely manner and may discover deficiencies in existing controls, programs, systems and procedures, which could have an adverse effect on our business, reputation and financial results. Additionally, rapid growth in our business may place a strain on our human and capital resources.
Furthermore, we expect to continue to conduct our business internationally and anticipate increased business operations in the United States, Asia, and Europe. Asia and Europe are obvious destinations to launch manufacturing operations given the high demand for clean technologies, developed technical workforce, and strong manufacturing bases with nuclear experience. We will also be targeting developing countries that could benefit from the introduction of mobile, remote, power sources able to unlock a lot of economic resources. These diversified, global operations place increased demands on our limited resources and require us to substantially expand the capabilities of our administrative and operational resources and to attract, train, manage and retain qualified management, technical, experts, engineering, sales and other personnel, the failure of which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are subject to cybersecurity risks.
Like other businesses, we face cybersecurity risks. Threat sources continue to seek to exploit potential vulnerabilities. These cyberattacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated and dynamic. We expect these cyberattacks to continue to occur in the future and we are constantly managing efforts to infiltrate and compromise our information technology systems and data. Given the highly regulated and sensitive industry in which we operate, cybersecurity threats pose a particular risk for our company. While we develop and maintain systems seeking to prevent security breaches from occurring, the development and maintenance of these systems is costly and requires ongoing monitoring and updating as techniques used in such attacks become more sophisticated and change frequently. We, and the third parties on which we rely, may be unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventive measures.
A cybersecurity breach, including physical or electronic break-ins, computer viruses, malware, attacks by hackers, ransomware attacks, phishing attacks, supply chain attacks, breaches due to employee error or misconduct and other similar breaches, of our physical assets or information systems, or those of our vendors, business partners and interconnected entities or regulators could impact our operations or result in the theft or inappropriate release of certain types of information, including critical infrastructure information, sensitive customer, vendor and employee data, trading or other confidential data. The risk of these system-related events and cybersecurity breaches occurring continues to intensify, and while we have not directly experienced a material breach or disruption to our network or information systems or our operations to-date, such cyberattacks continue to increase in sophistication and frequency, and we may be unable to prevent all such cyberattacks in the future.
If a significant breach were to occur, our reputation could be negatively affected, customer confidence in us or others in the industry could be diminished, or we could be subject to legal claims, loss of revenues, increased costs or operations shutdown. In addition, our network and information systems are vulnerable to damage or interruption from power outages, telecommunications failures, accidents, natural disasters (including extreme weather arising from short-term or any long-term changes in weather patterns), terrorist attacks and similar events. Our system redundancy may be ineffective or inadequate, and our disaster recovery planning may not be sufficient for all eventualities. Moreover, the amount and scope of insurance maintained against losses resulting from any such events or security breaches may not be sufficient to cover losses or otherwise adequately compensate for any disruptions to business that could result. Furthermore, in the future, such insurance may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all.
In addition, new or updated security regulations or unforeseen threat sources could require changes in current measures taken by us or our business operations and could adversely affect our consolidated financial statements.
We will continue to incur significantly increasing costs as a result of, and devote substantial management time to operating as, a public company.
We only became a public company in May 2024, and we have grown significantly since then. As such, we have incurred and will continue to incur significant legal, accounting, and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. For example, we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and will be required to comply with the applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, as well as rules and regulations subsequently implemented by the SEC, including the establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls, changes in corporate governance practices and required filing of annual, quarterly and current reports with respect to our business and operating results. These requirements have and will continue to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. In addition, our management and other personnel need to divert attention from operational and other business matters to devote substantial time to these public company requirements. We will also need to hire additional accounting and financial staff with appropriate public company experience and technical accounting knowledge and will need to establish an internal audit function. Operating as a public company makes it more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain coverage. This could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified people to serve on our board of directors, our board committees or as executive officers.
In addition, after we no longer qualify as an “emerging growth company,” as defined under the JOBS Act we expect to incur additional management time and cost to comply with the more stringent reporting requirements applicable to companies that are deemed “accelerated filers” or “large accelerated filers,” including complying with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. As a result of the increase in our market capitalization during 2025, we no longer qualify as a “smaller reporting company” for the fiscal year ending in 2026. If our market capitalization remains at or above current levels during 2026, we expect that, for the fiscal year ending in 2027, we may qualify as an “accelerated filer” or a “large accelerated filer.” As a result, we would be subject to more extensive reporting, disclosure and compliance requirements under the federal securities laws, which would significantly increase our regulatory and compliance costs and impose additional administrative burdens on our management and operations. We are still at the relatively early stages of compiling the system and processing documentation needed to comply with such requirements. We may not be able to complete our system creation, evaluation, testing and any required remediation in a timely fashion. In that regard, we currently do not have an internal audit function, and we will need to hire or contract additional accounting and financial staff with appropriate public company experience and technical accounting knowledge.
We cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we may continue to incur as a result of operating as a public company and complying with the foregoing requirements, or the timing of such costs.
We are an “emerging growth company,” and we cannot be certain if the reduced reporting and disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will make our common stock less attractive to investors.
As of September 30, 2025, we are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies,” including the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. Pursuant to Section 107 of the JOBS Act, as an emerging growth company, we have elected to use the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to the financial statements of issuers who are required to comply with the effective dates for new or revised accounting standards that are applicable to public companies, which may make our common stock less attractive to investors. In addition, if we cease to be an emerging growth company, we will no longer be able to use the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of: (1) the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of our listing; (2) the last day of the first fiscal year in which our annual gross revenues exceed $1.235 billion; (3) the date on which we have, during the previous rolling three-year period, issued more than $1 billion in non-convertible debt securities; or (4) the date on which we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer” under the rules of the SEC.
We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive if we choose to rely on these exemptions. For example, if we do not adopt a new or revised accounting standard, our future results of operations may not be comparable to the results of operations of certain other companies in our industry that adopted such standards. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock, and our stock price may be more volatile.
If our estimates or judgments relating to our critical accounting policies prove to be incorrect, our results of operations could be adversely affected.
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in our financial statements and accompanying notes appearing elsewhere in this Report. We base our estimates on short duration historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, as provided in the section titled “ Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates .” The results of these estimates form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets, liabilities, and equity, and the amount of revenue and expenses. Significant estimates and judgments involve: legal contingencies; valuation of our common stock and equity awards; and income taxes. 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 securities analysts and investors, resulting in a decline in the market price of our common stock.
Our current insurance coverage may not be adequate, and we may not be able to obtain insurance at acceptable rates, or at all.
We currently have director and officer liability insurance for our officers and certain directors. We do not carry any key-man life insurance, business liability and other professional liability insurance. Neither have we purchased any property insurance or business interruption insurance. Even if we purchase these kinds of insurance, the insurance may not fully protect us from the financial impact of defending against product liability or professional liability claims that may occur in future. As we are still at the development stage and we have not produced any products yet, we have determined that our current insurance coverage is sufficient for our business operations in the U.S. However, the local government may take an opposite position against us and we may need to purchase additional insurance to operate our business. If we fail to obtain the insurance as required by the local government, or if we were to incur substantial losses or liabilities due to fire, explosions, floods, other natural disasters or accidents or business interruption, our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Our business is subject to the risks of earthquakes, fire, floods and other natural catastrophic events, global pandemics, and interruptions by man-made problems, such as network security breaches, computer viruses or terrorism. Material disruptions of our business or information system resulting from these events could adversely affect our operating results.
We are vulnerable to damage from catastrophic events, such as natural disasters, power loss, and similar unforeseen events beyond our control. The global pandemics or fear of spread of contagious diseases, such as COVID-19, Ebola virus disease (EVD), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), H1N1 flu, H7N9 flu, and avian flu, as well the catastrophic events could disrupt our business operations, reduce or restrict our supply of products and services, incur significant costs to protect our employees and facilities, or result in regional or global economic distress, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Actual or threatened war, terrorist activities, political unrest, civil strife, and other geopolitical uncertainty could have a similar adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Any one or more of these events may adversely affect our operation results, or even for a prolonged period of time, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We cannot assure you that we are adequately protected from the effects of earthquakes, fire, floods, typhoons, earthquakes, global pandemics, power loss, telecommunications failures, break-ins, war, riots, network security breaches, computer viruses, terrorist attacks, or similar events. Any of the foregoing events may give rise to interruptions, damage to our property, delays in production, breakdowns, system failures, technology platform failures, or internet failures, which could cause the loss or corruption of data or malfunctions of our internet system as well as adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
If a natural disaster, power outage or other event occurred that prevented us from using all or a significant portion of our headquarters, damaged critical infrastructure, or otherwise disrupted operations, it may be difficult or, in certain cases, impossible for us to continue our business for a substantial period of time. The disaster recovery and business continuity plans we have in place are unlikely to provide adequate protection in the event of a serious disaster or similar event. We may incur substantial expenses as a result of the limited nature of our disaster recovery and business continuity plans, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock
The trading market for our common stock is relatively new, and consistently robust and liquid trading market may not develop or be sustained over the long term.
We only recently conducted our initial public offering in May 2024, and so the trading market for our common stock is relatively new and unestablished. If a consistently robust and liquid trading market for our common stock does not develop, you may not be able to sell your shares quickly or at the market price. Our ability to raise capital to continue to fund operations by selling our securities and our ability to acquire other companies or technologies by using our securities as consideration may also be impaired.
The trading price of our common stock has been and may continue to be volatile, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Since our initial public offering in May 2024, the market for our common stock has been very volatile, including significant increases and decreases in the price of our stock. The trading price of our common stock is likely to continue to be volatile and could continue to be subject to fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control. These fluctuations could cause you to lose all or part of your investment in our common stock as you might be unable to sell your shares at or above the price you paid in this offering. Factors that could cause fluctuations in the trading price of our common stock include the following:
price and volume fluctuations in the overall stock market from time to time;
volatility in the trading prices and trading volumes of nuclear energy stocks;
changes in operating performance and stock market valuations of other nuclear energy companies generally, or those in our industry in particular;
sales of shares of our common stock by us or our stockholders;
failure of securities analysts to maintain coverage of us, changes in financial estimates by securities analysts who follow our company, or our failure to meet these estimates or the expectations of investors;
the financial projections we may provide to the public, any changes in those projections, or our failure to meet those projections;
announcements by us or our competitors of new products, features, or services;
the public’s reaction to our press releases, other public announcements and filings with the SEC;
rumors and market speculation involving us or other companies in our industry;
actual or anticipated changes in our results of operations or fluctuations in our results of operations;
actual or anticipated developments in our business, our competitors’ businesses or the competitive landscape generally;
litigation involving us, our industry, or both, or investigations by regulators into our operations or those of our competitors;
developments or disputes concerning our intellectual property or other proprietary rights;
announced or completed acquisitions of businesses, products, services or technologies by us or our competitors;
new laws or regulations or new interpretations of existing laws or regulations applicable to our business;
changes in accounting standards, policies, guidelines, interpretations or principles;
any significant change in our management; and
general economic conditions and slow or negative growth of our markets.
Notwithstanding the foregoing potential causes of volatility, you are cautioned that specific causes of volatility are never perfectly clear. Moreover, our relatively small public float may amplify the impact the actions taken by a few stockholders have on the price of our common stock, which may cause the price of our common stock to deviate, potentially significantly, from a price that better reflects the underlying performance of our business.
Also, in recent years, the stock markets generally have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of listed companies. Broad market and industry factors may significantly affect the market price of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance. These fluctuations may be even more pronounced in the trading market for our common stock shortly after your investment. Volatility in our common stock could lead to the loss of some or all of your investment.
In addition, in the past, following periods of volatility in the overall market and in the market price of a particular company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against these companies. This litigation, if instituted against us, could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our management’s attention and resources.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our common stock will depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. If only a limited number of securities or industry analysts commence coverage of our company, the trading price for our stock could be negatively impacted. If one or more of the analysts who covers us downgrades our stock or publishes inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of us or fails to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our stock could decrease, which could cause our stock price and trading volume to decline.
Future sales of our securities or warrants exercisable for our common stock may depress our stock price.
Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock or securities convertible into our common stock in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock and could materially impair our ability to raise capital through equity offerings in the future. In particular, as described in Part II, Item 9B, certain of our officers and directors have implemented pre-arranged “10b5-1” trading plans which will likely lead to sales by such persons over both the near and longer term.
In addition, we have issued underwriter’s warrants to purchase shares in connection with our May 2024 initial public offering, and two underwritten follow-on offerings in July and October 2024 (“July and October Offerings”), respectively, to purchase up to an aggregate of 364,139 shares of common stock. In connection with the July and October Offerings and our November 2024 private placement offering, we issued warrants to investors to purchase up to an aggregate of 4,235,148 shares of common stock with a weighted-average exercise price of $22.68 per share. If a large number of shares of our common stock are issued upon exercise of the outstanding warrants in the public market, this could reduce the trading price of our common stock, perhaps significantly, and impede our ability to raise future capital.
Our failure to meet the continued listing requirements of Nasdaq could result in a delisting of our common stock.
If we fail to satisfy the continued listing requirements of Nasdaq, such as the corporate governance requirements or the minimum closing bid price requirement, Nasdaq may take steps to delist our common stock. Such a delisting would likely have a negative effect on the price of our common stock and would impair your ability to sell or purchase our common stock when you wish to do so. In the event of a delisting, we can provide no assurance that any action taken by us to restore compliance with listing requirements would allow our common stock to become listed again, stabilize the market price or improve the liquidity of our common stock, prevent our common stock from dropping below the Nasdaq minimum bid price requirement or prevent future non-compliance with Nasdaq’s listing requirements.
Our directors, executive officers and principal stockholders have substantial control over us and could delay or prevent a change of corporate control.
Our directors, executive officers and holders of more than 5% of our common stock, together with their affiliates, beneficially own, in the aggregate, approximately 25.54% of our outstanding common stock as of December 16, 2025. As a result, these stockholders, acting together, have the ability to control the outcome of matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, including the election of directors and any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. In addition, these stockholders, acting together, have the ability to control the management and affairs of our company. Accordingly, this concentration of ownership could harm the market price of our common stock by:
delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of us;
impeding a merger, consolidation, takeover or other business combination involving us; or
discouraging a potential acquiror from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us.
See “ Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters ” below for more information regarding the ownership of our outstanding stock by our executive officers, directors and holders of more than 5% of our common stock, together with their affiliates.
If we issue equity securities in the future, your ownership in us could be diluted.
Any issuance of equity we may undertake in the future to raise additional capital could cause the price of our common stock to decline and result in significant dilution for holders of our common stock. For example, from October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2025, we have issued 8,824,183 shares of common stock through equity financings, 1,254,512 shares of our common stock related to warrant exercises and 944,000 shares of our common stock related to stock option exercises. In addition, the vesting of restricted stock units and the exercise of outstanding stock options and warrants may result in further dilution of your investment.
Sales of a significant number of shares of our common stock in the public markets, or the perception that such sales could occur, could depress the market price of our common stock.
Sales of a significant number of shares of our common stock in the public markets, or the perception that such sales could occur, could depress the market price of our common stock and impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. We cannot predict the effect that future sales of our common stock or the market perception that we are permitted to sell a significant number of our securities would have on the market price of our common stock.
We have a limited number of authorized shares of our common stock available for issuance which may limit our ability to issue securities in connection with capital raises, for acquisitions or strategic partnerships or as compensation to our employees and directors in the future, unless we obtain stockholder approval to amend our amended articles of incorporation, referred to herein as our charter. Our inability to issue shares of our common stock could materially adversely affect our business and strategy.
We have historically used our shares of common stock to raise capital, consummate acquisitions and compensate our employees and directors. We are currently authorized to issue 300,000,000 shares of common stock. As of December 16, 2025, 50,474,294 shares of common stock were outstanding. Additionally, as of December 16, 2025, there were 2,987,150 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants, 3,669,000 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding stock options, and 774,514 shares of common stock issuable upon vesting of restricted stock units. We may not be able to continue issuing securities to meet our business objectives in future, unless we increase the number of shares we are authorized to issue. There can be no assurance that we will elect to seek stockholder approval to increase our authorized shares of common stock under our charter or, if we do, that we will be able to secure the necessary stockholder approval to increase our authorized shares of common stock under our charter. Our inability to issue shares of our common stock could materially adversely affect our business and strategy.
Unanticipated changes in effective tax rates or adverse outcomes resulting from examination of our income or other tax returns could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
We will be subject to income taxes in the United States, and our domestic tax liabilities will be subject to the allocation of expenses in differing jurisdictions. Our future effective tax rates could be subject to volatility or adversely affected by a number of factors, including:
changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities;
expected timing and amount of the release of any tax valuation allowances;
tax effects of stock-based compensation;
costs related to intercompany restructurings; or
changes in tax laws, regulations or interpretations thereof.
In addition, we may be subject to audits of our income, sales and other transaction taxes by federal, state and local authorities. Outcomes from these audits could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Anti-takeover provisions in Nevada law could discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company and may affect the trading price of our common stock.
Some of the provisions of Nevada law may have the effect of delaying, deferring or discouraging another person from acquiring control of our company or removing our incumbent officers and directors. These provisions are expected to discourage certain types of coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids. These provisions are also designed to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to first negotiate with our board of directors. We believe that the benefits of increased protection against an unfriendly or unsolicited proposal to acquire or restructure us outweigh the disadvantages of discouraging such proposals.
We have never paid dividends on our capital stock, and we do not anticipate paying dividends for the foreseeable future.
We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our capital stock, and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. The payment of dividends, if any, in the future is within the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our earnings, capital requirements and financial condition and other relevant facts. We currently intend to retain all future earnings, if any, to finance the development and growth of our business. Accordingly, you must rely on the sale of your common stock after price appreciation, which may never occur, as the only way to realize any future gain on your investment.
Our bylaws designate certain courts as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, or employees.
Our bylaws provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, a state or federal court located in the State of Nevada shall be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of our company, (ii) any action asserting a claim for breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee of our company to us or our stockholders, (iii) any actions asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the NRS, our Articles of Incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws, in each case as amended, or (iv) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine, in each such case subject to such court having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants therein (the “Nevada Forum Provision”). This, however, shall not apply to claims or causes of action brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Our bylaws further provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the sole and exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Federal Forum Provision”). In addition, our bylaws provide that any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our common stock is deemed to have notice of and consented to the Nevada Forum Provision and the Federal Forum Provision.
Section 27 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, 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 Nevada 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. 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.
We recognize that the Nevada Forum Provision and the Federal Forum Provision in our bylaws may impose additional litigation costs on stockholders in pursuing any such claims, particularly if the stockholders do not reside in or near the State of Nevada. Additionally, the Nevada Forum Provision and the Federal Forum Provision may limit our stockholders’ ability to bring a claim in a forum that they find favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and employees even though an action, if successful, might benefit our stockholders. If the Federal Forum Provision is found to be unenforceable, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters. The Federal Forum Provision may also impose additional litigation costs on stockholders who assert that the provision is not enforceable or invalid. The competent courts of the State of Nevada and the United States District Court may also reach different judgments or results than would other courts, including courts where a stockholder considering an action may be located or would otherwise choose to bring the action, and such judgments may be more or less favorable to us than our stockholders.
