In the table below, we provide you with summary financial data of our company. The selected consolidated statement of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2018,2019 and2020 and the selected consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 are derived from our audited consolidated financial statements, which are included elsewhere in this Annual Report. Historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for any future period. When you read this historical selected financial data, it is important that you read it along with the historical statements and notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report.

The following table sets forth information concerning exchange rates between the RMB and the U.S. dollar for the periods indicated. On April 26, 2021, the buying rate announced by the Federal Reserve Statistical Release was RMB 6.4966 to $1.00.

Source: Federal Reserve Statistical Release.

Not required.

Not required.

You should carefully consider the following risk factors, together with all of the other information included in this Annual Report.

Risk Related to Our Business

Legal claims by vendors could impair our ability to continue as a going concern.

Since November 2019, the Company has been a subject of 57 lawsuits by its raw material supplies, printing and packaging supplies, transportation companies and other vendors. The claims raised in these lawsuits pertain to the Company’s non-payment of various invoices for supplier and vendor services rendered, with related interest and costs. As of the date of this report, in 44 cases, the creditors have reached civil conciliation letters with our company, and in 9 cases, the court has issued civil judgments. With respect to the remaining 4 cases, the plaintiffs withdrew the lawsuit because of lack of evidence. The mediation and judgment involved total claims of RMB13.86 million (USD$2.12 million). Such liabilities have been accrued and reflected in the consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2020. On March 13, 2021, a land use right and a factory building on the land owned by Qingdao Tiandihui Foodstuffs Co., Ltd. were auctioned by the court for $5,098,461 (RMB33.14 million). We plan to use $1.3 million in auction proceeds to partially settle the legal claims with some of the vendors and also seek other possible mediation plan to further settle the legal claims with vendors. As of the date of this filing, the settlement with vendors is still in progress and we anticipate to reach agreements with the vendors soon.

Various pending lawsuits, legal claims, proceedings and arbitrations could impair our ability to continue as a going concern.

As of December 31, 2020, we had the following pending lawsuits, legal claims, proceedings and arbitrations:

Labor arbitration claims by former employees could impair our ability to continue as a going concern.

The Company dismissed certain employees in 2019 and 2020 and only intends to maintain 54 full-time employees. As a result of the employee layoffs, certain of the Company’s former employees commenced arbitration proceedings against the Company under applicable labor rules and standards, claiming, among others, lost wages, severance payments and/or social security obligations totaling RMB3.68 million (USD0.56 million). As of the reporting date, there were 98 labor arbitrations, of which 6 cases has been settled and the trial court has issued decisions on the remaining 92 cases. The Company accrued approximately $0.4 million contingent liabilities in other current liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2019 and recognized contingent losses of approximately $0.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. Following the issuance of rulings in these cases, the Company further accrued approximately $0.1 million wage and/or severance payables in other current liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2020 and recognized losses of approximately $0.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. On March 13, 2021, the land and factory buildings above the land owned by Qingdao Tiandihui Foodstuffs Co., Ltd. were actioned by the court for $5,098,461 (RMB 33.14 million), we plan to use $0.56 million auction proceeds to settle the labor arbitration cases with our former employees. There can be no assurance that our efforts will be successful. Failure to successfully settle the claims could impair our ability to continue as a going concern.

We are experiencing a serious working capital deficit and may not be able to continue as a going concern unless it raises a substantial amount of debt and/or equity capital.

To date, we have funded our operations primarily through the initial public offering proceeds received in 2017, proceeds from private placements, borrowings from related parties, and our lines of credit obtained from various financial institutions. We anticipate incurring additional operating losses and may not be able to regain profitability in the foreseeable near future. We are experiencing a serious working capital deficit. Our working capital deficit as of December 31, 2020 was approximately $8.55 million and our cash balance and revenues generated are not currently sufficient and cannot be projected to cover our operating expenses and meet our obligations as they become due. In the absence of an infusion of substantial additional capital, our ability to continue to operate will be impaired, and we may not be able to continue as a going concern. Additionally, even if we raise sufficient capital through equity or debt financing, strategic alliances or otherwise, there can be no assurances that future revenue or capital infusion will be sufficient to enable us to develop our business to a level where it will be profitable or to generate positive cash flows.

We have incurred recurring losses and anticipate continuing to incur losses in the future.

Due to the sharp rise in market price of raw materials, the lack of operational efficiency of our production facilities and our inability to make bank loan repayment to financial institutions upon maturity, we have temporarily suspended our production and normal business operations and we were involved in certain legal proceedings since November 2019. The COVID-19 outbreak and spread further disrupted our business activities during the period from the beginning of 2020 up to May 2020 when we resumed our business operations. As a result, our net losses were $8,625,427 in 2019 and $ 874,668 in 2020. As of December 31, 2020, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $22.85 million. Although we resumed our business operations since May 2020 and we are currently trying to implement our business strategies in order to manage the future growth of our business, we cannot assure our current efforts may achieve the anticipated results and we may continue to incur operating losses in the near term. We cannot guarantee that going forward we will operate profitably. In order to achieve profitability, among other factors, management must successfully execute our growth and operations in the markets on which we are focused. If we are unable to successfully take necessary steps, we may be unable to sustain or increase our profitability in the future.

The report of our independent registered public accounting firm expresses substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.

Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming we will continue as a going concern, which contemplates the realization of assets and liquidation of liabilities in the normal course of business. However, for the year ended December 31, 2020, we have incurred a net loss of approximately $0.87 million and cash used in operating activities amounted to approximately $2.63 million. As of December 31, 2020, we had a working capital deficit of approximately $8.55 million and our cash balance and revenues generated are not currently sufficient and cannot be projected to cover our operating expenses and meet our obligations as they become due for the next twelve months after the date that our financial statements are issued. These factors raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.

Management’s plan to alleviate the substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern include attempting to improve its business profitability, its ability to generate sufficient cash flow from its operations to meet its operating needs on a timely basis, obtain additional working capital funds through debt and equity financings to eliminate inefficiencies in order to meet its anticipated cash requirements. However, there can be no assurance that these plans and arrangements will be sufficient to fund the Company’s ongoing capital expenditures, working capital, and other requirements. If we are unable to achieve these goals, our business would be jeopardized and the Company may not be able to continue. If we ceased operations, it is likely that all of our investors would lose their investment.

If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud. As a result, current and potential shareholders could lose confidence in our financial reporting, which would harm our business and the trading price of our stock.

Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and effectively prevent fraud. As of the end of the most recently completed fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, our SOX certifying officers concluded that, as of December 31, 2020, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective due to the presence of material weakness in internal control over financial reporting (Refer to Item 15 of this Annual Report). We intend to carry out a number of measures to address and remediate the material weakness in our internal controls. This work is ongoing and we intend to complete it on or before December 31, 2021. If we cannot provide financial reports or prevent fraud, our business reputation and operating results could be harmed. Inferior internal controls also could cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our stock.

The continued uncertainties associated with the global spread of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) may further adversely impact the Company’s business operations.

Beginning in late 2019, there were reports of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak originating in China, prompting government-imposed quarantines, cessation of certain travel and business closures. Following this outbreak, in February 2020, the Company temporarily shut down its main office and its remaining production facilities. Following the previously reported temporary cessation of its production capabilities and the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company expects to continue to incur significant delays, reductions in revenue and increases in expenses. The Company’s revenues remain negligible following the gradual resumption of its operations in mid May 2020. Moreover, the Company expects that the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the domestic and global economic environment will continue to have a material adverse effect on the demand for its products and its ability to generate revenue in the near terms. Nevertheless, due to the uncertainty on future developments, which cannot be predicted with confidence at this time, we are not able to assess the overall or long-term effect the COVID-19 outbreak may have on our financial results and business operations. Any and all of the foregoing could have a material adverse impact on its business, operating results and financial condition. Further, there can be no assurance that we would be able to secure commercial financing in the future in the event that we require additional capital.

The Company is party to various legal proceedings by its vendors and lenders, which proceedings distract our management, are expensive to conduct and could result in significant damage award against the Company.

During the period from November 2019 to April 2021, the Company has been named as a defendant in 57 lawsuits by its raw material supplies, printing and packaging supplies, transportation companies and other vendors. The claims raised in these lawsuits pertain to the Company’s non-payment of various invoices for supplier and vendor services rendered, with interest and costs. As of the date of this Annual Report, the creditors of 44 cases have reached civil conciliation letters with the Company, and the court has issued civil judgments in 9 cases, another 4 claimants withdrew their cases for various reasons including lack of evidence. The mediation and judgment costs are estimated approximately RMB13.86 million (USD$2.12 million). In addition, several lending institutions have instituted legal proceedings to recover loans made to the Company. Finally, there are several labor arbitration claims against the Company brought by its former employees following the layoffs, claiming, among others, lost wages, severance payments and/or social security obligations totaling RMB3.68 million (USD$0.56 million), which has been accrued in other current liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2020. On March 13, 2021, the land and factory buildings above the land owned by Qingdao Tiandihui Foodstuffs Co., Ltd. were auctioned by the court for $5,098,461 (RMB 33.14 million), among which, approximately $3.2 million has been used to repay the defaulted loan to China Construction Bank, and the Company plans to use $560,000 (RMB3,707,546) to settle the liabilities associated with most of these labor arbitrations. These proceedings distract our management, are expensive to conduct and could result in significant damage award against the Company.

The turnaround of our business depends on our ability to accurately predict consumer trends and demand and successfully introduce new products and product line extensions and improve existing products.

Due to the sharp rise in market price of raw materials, the lack of operational efficiency of our production facilities and our inability to make bank loan repayment upon maturity, we have suspended our production and normal business operations and we were involved in certain legal proceedings since November 2019. The COVID-19 outbreak and spread further disrupted our business activities from the beginning of 2020 up to May 2020 when we resumed our business operations. These factors led to significant decrease in our revenue by 93.6% or $11.8 million in 2020 as compared to 2019, and we suffered recurring net loss of approximately $0.87 million in 2020. We are currently facing the challenges to recover our production and normal business operations.

Our turnaround depends, in part, on our ability to successfully introduce new products and product line extensions and improve and reposition our existing products to meet the requirements of pet owners and the dietary needs of their pets. This, in turn, depends on our ability to predict and respond to evolving consumer trends, demands and preferences. The development and introduction of innovative new products and product line extensions involve considerable costs. In addition, it may be difficult to establish new supplier relationships and determine appropriate product selection when developing a new product or product line extension. Any new product or product line extension may not generate sufficient customer interest and sales to become a profitable product or to cover the costs of its development and promotion and may reduce our operating income. In addition, any such unsuccessful effort may adversely affect our brand. If we are not able to anticipate, identify or develop and market products that respond to changes in requirements and preferences of pet parents and their pets or if our new product introductions or repositioned products fail to gain consumer acceptance, we may not grow our business as anticipated, our sales may decline and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

We may not be able to successfully implement our turning loss into profits strategy on a timely basis or at all.

Our future success depends, in large part, on our ability to implement our turning loss into profits strategy, including expanding distribution and improving placement of our products in the stores of our retail partners, attracting new consumers to our brands, introducing new products and product line extensions and expanding into new markets. Our ability to implement this strategy depends, among other things, on our ability to:

These initiatives require significant capital expenditures and investment of valuable management and financial resources. There are no guarantees that we will be able to effectively manage any future growth in an efficient, cost-effective and timely manner, or at all. We may not be able to successfully implement our turning loss into profits strategy and may need to change our strategy. If we fail to implement our turning loss into profits strategy or if we invest resources in a turning loss into profits strategy that ultimately proves unsuccessful, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

Any damage to our reputation or our brand may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Maintaining our strong reputation with consumers, our retail partners and our suppliers is critical to our success. Our brands may suffer if our marketing plans or product initiatives are not successful. The importance of our brands may increase if competitors offer more products with formulations similar to ours. Further, our brands may be negatively impacted due to real or perceived quality issues or if consumers perceive us as being untruthful in our marketing and advertising, even if such perceptions are not accurate. Product contamination, the failure to maintain high standards for product quality, safety and integrity, including raw materials and ingredients obtained from suppliers, or allegations of product quality issues, mislabeling or contamination, even if untrue or caused by our third-party contract manufacturers or raw material suppliers, may reduce demand for our products or cause production and delivery disruptions. We maintain guidelines and procedures to ensure the quality, safety and integrity of our products. However, we may be unable to detect or prevent product and/or ingredient quality issues, mislabeling or contamination, particularly in instances of fraud or attempts to cover up or obscure deviations from our guidelines and procedures. If any of our products become unfit for consumption, cause injury or are mislabeled, we may have to engage in a product recall and/or be subject to liability. Damage to our reputation or our brands or loss of consumer confidence in our products for any of these or other reasons could result in decreased demand for our products and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

Our business is dependent on trends that may change or not continue, and our historical growth may not be indicative of our future results.

The growth of the global pet food industry and the market in China, in particular, depends primarily on the continuance of current trends in humanization of pets and premiumization of pet foods as well as on general economic conditions, the size of the pet population and average dog size. These trends may not continue or may change. In the event of a decline in the overall number or average size of pets, a change in the humanization, premiumization or health and wellness trends or during challenging economic times, we may be unable to persuade our customers and consumers to purchase our branded products instead of lower-priced products, and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

There may be decreased spending on pets globally in a challenging economic climate.

Our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected by a challenging economic climate, including adverse changes in interest rates, volatile commodity markets and inflation, contraction in the availability of credit in the market and reductions in consumer spending. In addition, a slow-down in the general economy and/or PRC economy or a shift in consumer preferences for economic reasons or otherwise to less expensive products may result in reduced demand for our products which may affect our profitability. The keeping of pets and the purchase of pet-related products may constitute discretionary spending for some of our consumers and any material decline in the amount of consumer discretionary spending may reduce overall levels of pet ownership or spending on pets. As a result, a challenging economic climate may cause a decline in demand for our products which could be disproportionate as compared to competing pet food brands since our products command a price premium. In addition, we cannot predict how current or worsening economic conditions in the PRC and globally will affect our partners, suppliers and distributors. If economic conditions result in decreased spending on pets and have a negative impact on our retail partners, suppliers or distributors, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

Our business depends, in part, on the sufficiency and effectiveness of our marketing and trade promotion programs.

Due to the competitive nature of our industry, we must effectively and efficiently promote and market our products through advertisements as well as trade promotions and incentives to sustain our competitive position in our market. Marketing investments may be costly. In addition, we may, from time to time, change our marketing strategies and spending, including the timing or nature of our trade promotions and incentives. We may also change our marketing strategies and spending in response to actions by our competitors and other pet food companies. The sufficiency and effectiveness of our marketing and trade promotions and incentives are important to our ability to retain and/or improve our market share and margins. If our marketing and trade promotions and incentives are not successful or if we fail to implement sufficient and effective marketing and trade promotions and incentives or adequately respond to changes in our competitors’ marketing strategies, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

We depend on our key personnel, and our business and growth prospects may be severely disrupted if we lose their services.

Our future success depends heavily upon the continued service of our key executives. We rely on their business, industry, financial and capital markets knowledge and experience. If our CEO or CFO became unable or unwilling to continue in their present positions, we may not be able to replace them easily, our business may be significantly disrupted and our financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

We do not maintain key man life insurance on any of our senior management or key personnel.

The loss of any one of them would have a material adverse effect on our business and operations. Competition for senior management and our other key personnel is intense and the pool of suitable candidates is limited. We may be unable to locate a suitable replacement for any senior management or key personnel that we lose. In addition, if any member of our senior management or key personnel joins a competitor or forms a competing company, they may compete with us for customers, business partners and other key professionals and staff members of our Company. In addition, we compete for qualified personnel with other companies, and we face competition in attracting skilled personnel and retaining the members of our senior management team. These personnel possess technical and business capabilities which are difficult to replace. There is intense competition for experienced senior management with technical and industry expertise in our industry, and we may not be able to retain our key personnel. Intense competition for these personnel could cause our compensation costs to increase, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. Our future success and ability to grow our business will depend in part on the continued service of these individuals and our ability to identify, hire and retain additional qualified personnel. If we are unable to attract and retain qualified employees, we may be unable to meet our business and financial goals.

If we are unable to maintain or increase prices, we may fail to generate a positive margin.

We rely in part on price increases to offset cost increases and improve the profitability of our business. Our ability to maintain prices or effectively implement price increases may be affected by a number of factors, including raw material market price fluctuation, competition, effectiveness of our marketing programs, the continuing strength of our brands, market demand and general economic conditions, including inflationary pressures. In particular, in response to increased promotional activity by other pet food companies, we may have to increase our promotional spending, which may resulted in a lower average price per pound for our products and adversely impacted our gross margins. During challenging economic times, consumers may be less willing or able to pay a price premium for our branded products and may shift purchases to lower-priced or other value offerings, making it more difficult for us to maintain prices and/or effectively implement price increases. In addition, our retail partners and distributors may pressure us to rescind price increases that we have announced or already implemented, whether through a change in list price or increased promotional activity. If we are unable to maintain or increase prices for our products or must increase promotional activity, our margins may be adversely affected. Furthermore, price increases generally result in volume losses, as consumers purchase fewer units. If such losses are greater than expected or if we lose distribution due to a price increase, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

If our products are alleged to cause injury or illness or fail to comply with PRC or other applicable governmental regulations, we may need to recall our products and may experience product liability claims.

Our products may be exposed to product recalls, including voluntary recalls or withdrawals, if they are alleged to pose a risk of injury or illness, or if they are alleged to have been mislabeled, misbranded or adulterated or to otherwise be in violation of governmental regulations. We may also voluntarily recall or withdraw products in order to protect our brand or reputation if we determine that they do not meet our standards, whether for palatability, appearance or otherwise. If there is any future product recall or withdrawal, it could result in substantial and unexpected expenditures, destruction of product inventory, damage to our reputation and lost sales due to the unavailability of the product for a period of time, and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected. We also may be subject to claims if the consumption or use of our products is alleged to cause injury or illness. If there is a judgment against us or a settlement agreement related to a claim, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

We are dependent on a limited number of retailer customers for a significant portion of our sales.

We sell our products to retail partners and distributors in specialty channels. Our ten largest retail partners, accounted for 56% of our net sales for the year ended December 31, 2017, 54% in 2018, 44% in 2019, and 40% in 2020. Since our suspension of our production in November 2019 to deal with various vendor claims, legal proceedings and labor arbitrations as discussed above, with additional challenges brought in by the global spread of COVID-19 in 2020, our customer base has been reduced in 2020. If we were to continue to lose any of our key customers, if any of our retail partners continue to reduce the amount of their orders or if any of our key customers consolidate, reduce their store footprint and/or gain greater market power, or if we fail to attract a sufficient number of customers in a cost-effective manner, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected. In addition, we may be similarly adversely impacted if any of our key customers experience any operational difficulties or generate less traffic.

We rely upon a limited number of contract manufacturers to provide a significant portion of our supply of products.

There is limited available manufacturing capacity that meets our quality standards. We have agreements with a network of contract manufacturers that require them to provide us with specific finished products. Most of our agreements with our contract manufacturers are up to three years. During the years ended December 31, 2018, and 2019, approximately 58% and 60% of our cost of sales, respectively, was derived from products purchased from contract manufacturers. In 2020, our business operations were largely disrupted by the COVID-19 outbreak and spread as well as by our struggling to deal with pending claims, lawsuits, legal proceedings and labor arbitrations, which led to our reduced business activities and limited fulfillment of customer orders. As a result of significant decrease in our revenue, 0% of our cost of sales was derived from products purchased from contract manufacturers in 2020. The manufacture of our products may not be easily transferable to other sites in the event that any of our contract manufacturers experience breakdown, failure or substandard performance of equipment, disruption of supply or shortages of raw materials and other supplies, labor problems, power outages, adverse weather conditions and natural disasters or the need to comply with environmental and other directives of governmental agencies. From time to time, a contract manufacturer may experience financial difficulties or other business disruptions, which could disrupt our supply of finished goods or require that we incur additional expense by providing financial accommodations to the contract manufacturer or taking other steps to seek to minimize or avoid supply disruption, such as establishing a new contract manufacturing arrangement with another provider. The loss of any of these contract manufacturers or the failure for any reason of any of these contract manufacturers to fulfill their obligations under their agreements with us, including a failure to meet our quality controls and standards, may result in disruptions to our supply of finished goods. We may be unable to locate an additional or alternate contract manufacturing arrangement that meets our quality controls and standards in a timely manner or on commercially reasonable terms, if at all.

To the extent our retailer customers purchase products in excess of consumer consumption in any period, our sales in a subsequent period may be adversely affected as our customers seek to reduce their inventory levels.

From time to time, our retailer customers may purchase more product than they expect to sell to consumers during a particular time period. Our retailer customers may grow their inventory in anticipation of, or during, our promotional events, which typically provide for reduced prices during a specified time or other customer or consumer incentives. Our retailer customers may also grow inventory in anticipation of a price increase for our products, or otherwise over-order our products as a result of overestimating demand for our products. If a retailer customer increases its inventory during a particular reporting period as a result of a promotional event, anticipated price increase or otherwise, then sales during the subsequent reporting period may be adversely impacted as our customers seek to reduce their inventory to customary levels. This effect may be particularly pronounced when the promotional event, price increase or other event occurs near the end or beginning of a reporting period or when there are changes in the timing of a promotional event, price increase or similar event, as compared to the prior year. To the extent our retailer customers seek to reduce their usual or customary inventory levels or change their practices regarding purchases in excess of consumer consumption, our net sales and results of operations may be materially adversely affected in that period.

We operate in a highly competitive industry and may lose market share or experience margin erosion if we are unable to compete effectively.

We compete on the basis of product quality and palatability, brand awareness and loyalty, product variety and ingredients, interesting product names, product packaging and package design, reputation, price and promotional efforts. We compete with a significant number of companies of varying sizes, including divisions or subsidiaries of larger companies who may have greater financial resources and larger customer bases than we have. As a result, these competitors may be able to identify and adapt to changes in consumer preferences more quickly than us due to their resources and scale. They may also be more successful in marketing and selling their products, better able to increase prices to reflect cost pressures and better able to increase their promotional activity, which may impact us and the entire pet food industry. If these competitive pressures cause our products to lose market share or experience margin erosion, our business, financial conditions and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

We may face issues with respect to raw materials and other supplies, including increased costs, disruptions of supply, shortages, contaminations, adulterations or mislabeling.

The Company’s key raw material ingredients include meat and fish. We and our contract manufacturers use various raw materials and other supplies in our business, including ingredients, packaging materials and fuel. The prices of our raw materials and other supplies are subject to fluctuations attributable to, among other things, changes in supply and demand of crops or other commodities, weather conditions, agricultural uncertainty or governmental incentives and controls. We generally do not have long-term supply contracts with our ingredient suppliers. The length of the contracts is fixed for a period of time, typically up to a year or for a season and/or a crop year. In addition, some of our raw materials are sourced from a limited number of suppliers. We may not be able to renew or enter into new contracts with our existing suppliers following the expiration of such contracts on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. If commodity prices increase, we may not be able to increase our prices to offset these increased costs. Moreover, our competitors may be better able than we are to implement productivity initiatives or effect price increases or to otherwise pass along cost increases to their customers. Some of the raw materials we use are vulnerable to adverse weather conditions and natural disasters, such as floods, droughts, frosts, earthquakes and pestilences and may be impacted by climate change and other factors. Adverse weather conditions and natural disasters can reduce crop size and crop quality, which in turn could reduce supplies of raw materials, increase the prices of raw materials, increase costs of storing raw materials and interrupt or delay our production schedules if harvests are delayed. Our competitors may not be impacted by such weather conditions and natural disasters depending on the location of their suppliers and operations. If any of our raw materials or supplies are alleged or proven to include contaminants affecting the safety or quality of our products, we may need to find alternate materials or supplies, delay production of our products, discard or otherwise dispose of our products, or engage in a product recall, all of which may have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We may be unable to detect or prevent the use of ingredients which do not meet our quality standards if our ingredient suppliers engage in fraud or attempt to cover up or obscure deviations from our guidelines and procedures. Any such conduct by any of our suppliers may result in a loss of consumer confidence in our brand and products and a reduction in our sales if consumers perceive us as being untruthful in our marketing and advertising and may materially adversely affect our brand, reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations. If our sources of raw materials and supplies are terminated or affected by adverse prices, weather conditions or quality concerns, we may not be able to identify alternate sources of raw materials or other supplies that meet our quality controls and standards to sustain our sales volumes or on commercially reasonable terms, or at all.

We may not be able to manage our manufacturing and supply chain effectively which may adversely affect our results of operations.

We must accurately forecast demand for our products in order to ensure we have adequate available manufacturing capacity. Our forecasts are based on multiple assumptions which may cause our estimates to be inaccurate and affect our ability to obtain adequate manufacturing capacity (whether our own manufacturing capacity or contract manufacturing capacity) in order to meet the demand for our products, which could prevent us from meeting increased customer or consumer demand and harm our brand and our business. However, if we overestimate our demand and overbuild our capacity, we may have significantly underutilized assets and may experience reduced margins. If we do not accurately align our manufacturing capabilities with demand, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected. In addition, we must continuously monitor our inventory and product mix against forecasted demand. If we underestimate demand, we risk having inadequate supplies. We also face the risk of having too much inventory on hand that may reach its expiration date and become unsaleable, and we may be forced to rely on markdowns or promotional sales to dispose of excess or slow-moving inventory. If we are unable to manage our supply chain effectively, our operating costs could increase and our profit margins could decrease.

Our market size estimate may prove to be inaccurate.

Data for the PRC and global pet food retail sales is collected for most, but not all channels, and as a result, it is difficult to estimate the size of the market and predict the rate at which the market for our products will grow, if at all. While our market size estimate was made in good faith and is based on assumptions and estimates we believe to be reasonable, this estimate may not be accurate.

Relocating some of our production facilities may adversely affect our results of operations.

The Company’s Canning Facility and Pude Facility are located in the old city of Huangdao District, Qingdao. The Company has learned that the local governmental authorities proposed plans to redevelop certain portions of the old city to allow for more residential dwellings in the area. In March 2018, we terminated the lease of the Canning facility in light of the implementation of this plan. The relocation of Canning facility had adverse material effect on the Company’s operations by, among other things, causing a decrease in our production capacity from 18 tons per day to 4.6 tons per day since March 2018. If and to the extent we may be required to relocate the Pude Facility in the future, our results of operations may also be adversely affected.

We may face difficulties as we expand into countries in which we have no prior operating experience.

We intend to continue to expand our domestic and global footprint by entering into new markets. As we expand our business in China and into new countries we may encounter foreign economic, political, regulatory, personnel, technological, language barriers and other risks that increase our expenses or delay our ability to become profitable in such countries. These risks include:

In addition, our expansion into new countries may require significant resources and the efforts and attention of our management and other personnel, which will divert resources from our existing business operations. We may seek to grow our business through acquisitions of or investments in new or complementary businesses, facilities, technologies or products, or through strategic alliances, and the failure to manage acquisitions, investments or strategic alliances, or the failure to integrate them with our existing business, could have a material adverse effect on us. From time to time we may consider opportunities to acquire or make investments in new or complementary businesses, facilities, technologies or products, or enter into strategic alliances, that may enhance our capabilities, expand our manufacturing network, complement our current products or expand the breadth of our markets.

Potential and completed acquisitions and investments and other strategic alliances involve numerous risks, including:

We do not know if we will be able to identify acquisitions or strategic relationships we deem suitable, whether we will be able to successfully complete any such transactions on favorable terms or at all or whether we will be able to successfully integrate any acquired business, facilities, technologies or products into our business or retain any key personnel, suppliers or customers. Our ability to successfully grow through strategic transactions depends upon our ability to identify, negotiate, complete and integrate suitable target businesses, facilities, technologies and products and to obtain any necessary financing. These efforts could be expensive and time-consuming and may disrupt our ongoing business and prevent management from focusing on our operations. If we are unable to integrate any acquired businesses, facilities, technologies and products effectively, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

Our online activities are dependent on our ability to access the Internet and operate online in a fast, secure and reliable manner.

We utilize online sale and multi-brand, multi-store brand sale strategies which use Tmall.com, JD.com and 1688 as our marketing platforms. Although we suspended our overseas e-commerce business since 2019, we are still preparing to expand our domestic e-commerce business in the near future. Our PRC marketing group has established a comprehensive network of various brand shops. Our online activities are dependent on our ability to operate online in a fast, secure and reliable manner which may be adversely affected as a result of PRC governmental regulations of e-commerce and other services, electronic devices, and competition and restrictive governmental actions. In addition, we may face risks relating to the governmental laws and regulations regarding consumer and data protection, privacy, network security, payments, and restrictions on pricing or discounts, as well as lower levels of consumer access, use of and spending on the Internet. Occurrence of any of the foregoing events (or a combination thereof) could have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct online business, our financial condition and results of operations.

Failure to protect our intellectual property could harm our competitive position or require us to incur significant expenses to enforce our rights.

Our trademarks are valuable assets that support our brand and consumers’ perception of our products. We rely on trademark, copyright, trade secret, patent and other intellectual property laws, as well as nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements and other methods, to protect our trademarks, trade names, proprietary information, technologies and processes. Our non-disclosure agreements and confidentiality agreements may not effectively prevent disclosure of our proprietary information, technologies and processes and may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure of such information, which could harm our competitive position. In addition, effective patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret protection may be unavailable or limited for some of our trademarks and patents in some foreign countries. We may need to engage in litigation or similar activities to enforce our intellectual property rights, to protect our trade secrets or to determine the validity and scope of proprietary rights of others. Any such litigation could require us to expend significant resources and divert the efforts and attention of our management and other personnel from our business operations. If we fail to protect our intellectual property, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

We may be subject to intellectual property infringement claims or other allegations, which could result in substantial damages and diversion of management’s efforts and attention.

While we believe that our products do not infringe in any material respect upon proprietary rights of other parties and/or that meritorious defenses would exist with respect to any assertions to the contrary, we may from time to time be found to infringe on the proprietary rights of others. If patents later issue on these applications, we may be found liable for subsequent infringement. Any claims that our products or processes infringe these rights, regardless of their merit or resolution, could be costly and may divert the efforts and attention of our management and technical personnel. We may not prevail in such proceedings given the complex technical issues and inherent uncertainties in intellectual property litigation. If such proceedings result in an adverse outcome, we could, among other things, be required to:

If any of the foregoing occurs, our ability to compete could be affected or our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.

Our success depends on our ability to attract and retain key employees and the succession of senior management.

Due to decreased business scale since late 2019 which was further affected by COVID-19, the Company dismissed certain employee and currently only maintains 54 full-time employees as of the date of this filing. However, in order to recover our business operations and achieve our turnaround goal, we may need effectively recruit, train and motivate a large number of new employees. Our continued growth and success require us to hire, retain and develop our leadership bench. If we are unable to attract and retain talented, highly qualified senior management and other key executives, as well as provide for the succession of senior management, our growth and results of operations may be adversely impacted.

We are dependent on the state of the PRC’s economy and a general economic downturn, a recession or a sudden disruption in business conditions in the PRC would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Significant slowdowns in the PRC economy may cause our customers to reduce expenditures on our products. This may in turn lead to a decline in the demand for the services we provide. Any such decline would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Consumer spending is generally affected by a number of factors, including general economic conditions, the level of unemployment, inflation, interest rates, energy costs, gasoline prices and consumer confidence generally, all of which are beyond our control. Consumer purchases of discretionary items tend to decline during recessionary periods, when disposable income is lower, and may impact sales of our services. In addition, sudden disruption in business conditions as a result of a terrorist attack, retaliation and the threat of further attacks or retaliation, war, adverse weather conditions and climate changes or other natural disasters, pandemic situations or large scale power outages can have a short or, sometimes, long-term impact on consumer spending. A downturn in the economy in the PRC, including any recession or a sudden disruption of business conditions in the PRC, could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operation.

Since our operations and assets are located in the PRC, shareholders may find it difficult to enforce a U.S. judgment against the assets of our company, our directors and executive officers.

Our operations and assets are located in the PRC. In addition, most of our executive officers and directors are non-residents of the U.S., and substantially all the assets of such persons are located outside the U.S. As a result, it could be difficult for investors to effect service of process in the U.S., or to enforce a judgment obtained in the U.S. against us or any of these persons.

We hold certain of our cash balances in RMB in uninsured bank accounts in China.

We maintain certain our 2020 cash and deposit balances in bank accounts at financial institutions in China which accounts which are not insured. While we have not experienced any losses in uninsured bank deposits and do not believe that we are exposed to significant risks on cash held in bank accounts, if and to the extent we do experience such losses in the future, our access to financial liquidity and working capital could be adversely affected.

We may be subject to PRC regulatory limitations on merger and acquisition (M&A) activities.

Foreign enterprises that engage in M&A activities inside and outside China are subject to different regulatory limitations under Chinese laws and regulations. The key regulations governing such activities within PRC are Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise Law, the Interim Provisions on the Domestic Investment of Foreign-Funded Enterprise, the Catalogue for the Guidance of Foreign Investment Industries (amended in 2017) and other relevant Chinese laws and regulations. Under these laws and regulations, conducting M&A in China requires that our WFOE be profitable, and a timely application with and approval by of local regulatory agencies of any proposed M&A transaction. The M&A activities outside the PRC are governed by several rules and regulations, including PRC Administrative Measures on Offshore Investment, the Regulation on Foreign Exchange Administration of the PRC, the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Issuing the Provisions on the Foreign Exchange Administration of the Overseas Direct Investment of Domestic Institutions, the Circular on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Control on Domestic Resident’s Financing and Round-trip Investment Through Offshore Special Purpose Vehicles. Under these laws and regulations, our WFOE must get approval from the PRC Ministry of Commerce or its branch offices for any proposed offshore M&A transaction, and complete its foreign exchange registration. We cannot offer any assurance that in the event we seek such approvals or registrations we will be able to secure them in a timely fashion or will be able to receive them at all; negative feedback from the regulatory agencies or our failure to register such proposed transactions may have material adverse impact on our business expansion and could materially affect our business operation and finance condition. In addition, since approval and/or registration procedures required time to complete, these processes may cause additional delays to our onshore or offshore M&A projects, which, in turn, may have adverse impact on our business and operations.

Fluctuation of the Renminbi may indirectly affect our financial condition by affecting the volume of cross-border money flow.

The value of the RMB fluctuates and is subject to changes in the PRC’s political and economic conditions. We do not currently engage in hedging activities to protect against foreign currency risks. Even if we choose to engage in such hedging activities, we may not be able to do so effectively. Future movements in the exchange rate of the RMB could adversely affect our financial condition as we may suffer financial losses when transferring money raised outside of China into the country or paying vendors for services performed outside of China. The value of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar and other currencies may fluctuate and is affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions. On July 21, 2005, the PRC government changed its decade-old policy of pegging the value of the Renminbi to the U.S. dollar. Under the new policy, the Renminbi is permitted to fluctuate within a narrow and managed band against a basket of certain foreign currencies. This change in policy has resulted in an appreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar. While the international reaction to the Renminbi revaluation has generally been positive, there remains international pressure on the PRC government to adopt an even more flexible currency policy, which could result in a further and more rapid appreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar. Any material revaluation of Renminbi may materially and adversely affect our cash flows, revenues, earnings and financial position, and the value of, and any dividends payable on, our common shares in U.S. dollars. For example, an appreciation of Renminbi against the U.S. dollar would make any new Renminbi denominated investments or expenditures more costly to us, to the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars into Renminbi for such purposes.

If any dividend is declared in the future and paid in a foreign currency, you may be taxed on a larger amount in U.S. dollars than the U.S. dollar amount that you will actually ultimately receive.

If you are a United States holder, you will be taxed on the U.S. dollar value of your dividends, if any, at the time you receive them, even if you actually receive a smaller amount of U.S. dollars when the payment is in fact converted into U.S. dollars. Specifically, if a dividend is declared and paid in a foreign currency, the amount of the dividend distribution that you must include in your income as a U.S. holder will be the U.S. dollar value of the payments made in the foreign currency, determined at the spot rate of the foreign currency to the U.S. dollar on the date the dividend distribution is includible in your income, regardless of whether the payment is in fact converted into U.S. dollars. Thus, if the value of the foreign currency decreases before you actually convert the currency into U.S. dollars, you will be taxed on a larger amount in U.S. dollars than the U.S. dollar amount that you will actually ultimately receive.

We may become a passive foreign investment company, which could result in adverse U.S. tax consequences to U.S. investors.

Based on the nature of our business activities, we may be classified as a passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”), by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Such characterization could result in adverse U.S. tax consequences to you if you are a U.S. investor. For example, if we are a PFIC, a U.S. investor will become subject to burdensome reporting requirements. The determination of whether or not we are a PFIC is made on an annual basis and will depend on the composition of our income and assets from time to time. Specifically, we will be classified as a PFIC for U.S. tax purposes if either:

The calculation of the value of our assets is based, in part, on the then market value of our common shares, which is subject to change. We cannot assure that we will not be a PFIC for any taxable year.

Introduction of new laws or changes to existing laws by the PRC government may adversely affect our business.

The PRC legal system is a codified legal system made up of written laws, regulations, circulars, administrative directives and internal guidelines. Unlike common law jurisdictions such as the U.S., decided cases (which may be taken as reference) do not form part of the legal structure of the PRC and thus have no binding effect. Furthermore, in line with its transformation from a centrally planned economy to a more market-oriented economy, the PRC government is still in the process of developing a comprehensive set of laws and regulations. As the legal system in the PRC is still evolving, laws and regulations or their interpretation may be subject to further changes. Such uncertainty and prospective changes to the PRC legal system could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Governmental control of currency conversion may affect the value of your investment.

The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of the Renminbi into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of the PRC, which may take as long as six months in the ordinary course. We receive the majority of our revenues in Renminbi. Under our current corporate structure, our income is derived from payments from WFOE. The October 8, 2016 Provisional Measures for Filling Administration of Establishment and Changes of Foreign-Investment Enterprise (the “Establishment and Changes Provision”) promulgated by the PRC Ministry of Commerce and was amended on July 30, 2017, regulates the recordation procedures with respect to the establishment and changes of a foreign-invested enterprise which do not fall within the scope of special administration measures for foreign investment admission as stipulated by the state; for those entities that do fall within the regulatory reach of special administration measures must go through approval procedures according to relevant laws and regulations governing foreign investment. We do not believe that such measures will have any impact on our income derived from payment from our WFOE because:

Shortages in the availability of foreign currency may restrict the ability of WFOE to remit sufficient foreign currency to pay dividends or other payments to us, or otherwise satisfy their foreign currency denominated obligations. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and expenditures from trade-related transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval from the PRC SAFE by complying with certain procedural requirements. However, approval from appropriate PRC government authorities is required where Renminbi is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of bank loans denominated in foreign currencies. The PRC government may also at its discretion restrict access in the future to foreign currencies for current account transactions. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currency to satisfy our currency demands, we may not be able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to our shareholders.

PRC’s labor law restricts our ability to reduce our workforce in the PRC in the event of an economic downturn and may increase our production costs.

In June 2007, the National People’s Congress of the PRC enacted new labor law legislation called the Labor Contract Law, which became effective on January 1, 2008 and was amended on December 28, 2012, to clarify certain details in connection with the implementation of the Labor Contract Law, the PRC State Council promulgated the Implementing Rules for the Labor Contract Law on September 18, 2008, which came into effect immediately (collectively as “new laws”). The legislation formalized workers’ rights concerning overtime hours, pensions, layoffs, employment contracts and the role of trade unions. Considered one of the strictest labor laws in the world, among other things, these new laws provide for specific standards and procedures for the termination of an employment contract and places the burden of proof on the employer. In addition, the new laws require the payment of a statutory severance pay upon the termination of an employment contract in most cases, including the case of the expiration of a fixed-term employment contract. Further, the new laws require an employer to conclude an “employment contract without a fixed-term” with any employee who either has worked for the same employer for 10 consecutive years or more or has had two consecutive fixed-term contracts with the same employer. An “employment contract without a fixed term” can no longer be terminated on the ground of the expiration of the contract, although it can still be terminated pursuant to the standards and procedures set forth under the new laws. Because of the lack of precedent for the enforcement of such a law, the standards and procedures set forth under the new laws in relation to the termination of an employment contract have raised concerns among foreign investment enterprises in the PRC that such an “employment contract without a fixed term” might in fact become a “lifetime, permanent employment contract.” Finally, under the new laws, downsizing of either more than 20 people or more than 10% of the workforce may occur only under specified circumstances, such as a restructuring undertaken pursuant to the PRC’s Enterprise Bankruptcy Law, or where a company suffers serious difficulties in production and/or business operations, or where there has been a material change in the objective economic circumstances relied upon by the parties at the time of the conclusion of the employment contract, thereby making the performance of such employment contract not possible. To date, there has been very little guidance or precedent as to how such specified circumstances for downsizing will be interpreted and enforced by the relevant PRC authorities. All of our employees working for us exclusively within the PRC are covered by the new laws and thus, our ability to adjust the size of our operations when necessary in periods of recession or less severe economic downturns may be curtailed. Accordingly, if we face future periods of decline in business activity generally or adverse economic periods specific to our business, these new laws can be expected to exacerbate the adverse effect of the economic environment on our results of operations and financial condition.

Changes in PRC’s political and economic policies could harm our business.

Our results of operations, financial condition and prospects are subject to economic, political and legal developments in the PRC. China’s economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including with respect to the amount of government involvement, level of development, growth rate, and control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. The PRC economy has historically been a planned economy subject to governmental plans and quotas and has, in certain aspects, been transitioning to a more market-oriented economy. Although we believe that the economic reform and the macroeconomic measures adopted by the PRC government have had a positive effect on the economic development of PRC, we cannot predict the future direction of these economic reforms or the effects these measures may have on our business, financial position or results of operations. In addition, the PRC economy differs from the economies of most countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (“OECD”). These differences include, without limitation:

As a result of these differences, our business may not develop in the same way or at the same rate as might be expected if the PRC economy were similar to those of the OECD member countries. Since 1979, the Chinese government has promulgated many new laws and regulations covering general economic matters. Despite these efforts to develop a legal system, the PRC’s system of laws is not yet complete. Even where adequate law exists in the PRC, enforcement of existing laws or contracts based on existing law may be uncertain or sporadic, and it may be difficult to obtain swift and equitable enforcement or to obtain enforcement of a judgment by a court of another jurisdiction. The relative inexperience of the PRC’s judiciary, in many cases, creates additional uncertainty as to the outcome of any lawsuit. In addition, interpretation of statutes and regulations may be subject to government policies reflecting domestic political changes. Our activities in the PRC will also be subject to administration review and approval by various national and local agencies of the PRC’s government. Because of the changes occurring in the PRC’s legal and regulatory structure, we may not be able to secure the requisite governmental approval for our activities. Although we have obtained all required governmental approvals to operate our business as currently conducted, to the extent we are unable to obtain or maintain required governmental approvals, the PRC government may, in its sole discretion, prohibit us from conducting our business.

If relations between the United States and China worsen, our share price may decrease and we may have difficulty accessing U.S. capital markets.

At various times during recent years, the United States and China have had disagreements over political and economic issues. Controversies may arise in the future between these two countries. Any political or trade controversy between the United States and China could adversely affect the market price of our common shares and our ability to access U.S. capital markets.

The Chinese government could change its policies toward private enterprise or even nationalize or expropriate private enterprises, which could result in the total loss of our investment in that country.

Our business is subject to political and economic uncertainties and may be adversely affected by political, economic and social developments in the PRC. Over the past several years, the PRC government has pursued economic reform policies including the encouragement of private economic activity and greater economic decentralization. The PRC government may not continue to pursue these policies or may alter them to our detriment from time to time with little, if any, prior notice. Changes in policies, laws and regulations or in their interpretation or the imposition of confiscatory taxation, restrictions on currency conversion, restrictions or prohibitions on dividend payments to shareholders, devaluations of currency or the nationalization or other expropriation of private enterprises could have a material adverse effect on our business. Nationalization or expropriation could even result in the total loss of our investment in the PRC and in the total loss of any investment in us.

Because our operations are located in the PRC, information about our operations is not readily available from independent third-party sources.

Our shareholders may have greater difficulty in obtaining information about them on a timely basis than would shareholders of a U.S.-based company. Their operations will continue to be conducted in the PRC and shareholders may have difficulty in obtaining information about them from sources other than the companies themselves. Information available from newspapers, trade journals, or local, regional or national regulatory agencies such as issuance of construction permits and contract awards for development projects will not be readily available to shareholders and, where available, will likely be available only in Chinese. Shareholders will be dependent upon management for reports of their progress, development, activities and expenditure of proceeds.

If our financial condition deteriorates as a NASDAQ listed company, we may not meet continued listing standards on the NASDAQ Capital Market.

On October 29, 2019, the Company received Nasdaq confirmation of the Company’s regaining technical compliance with the minimum stockholders’ equity rule and with other applicable requirements as set forth in the Panel’s decision following an oral hearing in August 2019. In connection with this confirmation, the Nasdaq Panel imposes a Panel Monitor under Listing Rule 5815(d)(4)(A) until October 30, 2020 for the purposes of monitoring the Company’s continued compliance with the stockholders’ equity requirement. The decision provided that if and to the extent the Company’s stockholders’ equity fell below $2.5 million and the Company did not qualify for listing under an alternative to the stockholders’ equity rule, the Panel (or a newly convened Panel if the initial Panel is unavailable) would promptly conduct a hearing with respect to this deficiency, and the Company’s securities could be delisted from Nasdaq. During the monitoring period, the Company was obligated to notify the Panel, in writing, in the event its stockholders’ equity fell below $2.5 million for any reason, or if the Company otherwise fell out of compliance with any other applicable listing requirement. In the event that the Company failed to comply with any other requirement for continued listing during the monitoring period, the Company would have been provided written notice of the deficiency and an opportunity to present a definitive plan to regain compliance to the Panel. The Panel would thereafter render a determination with respect to the Company’s continued listing on Nasdaq. On November 12, 2020, the Company, was informed that, following a 12-month compliance monitoring period under a Panel Monitor pursuant to a Compliance with Monitor letter dated October 29, 2019, the Company was currently in compliance with applicable Nasdaq Listing Rules, and the Panel has determined to continue the listing of the Company’s securities on The Nasdaq Stock Market. There is no assurance that the Company will remain in compliance with the continued listing criteria. If it fails to remain in compliance its securities could be delisted. If the Company is delisted from Nasdaq, its common shares may be traded over-the-counter on the OTC Bulletin Board or in the “pink sheets” if one or more market makers seeks and obtains approval by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority to continue quoting in the Company’s common shares.

However, if our shares are listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market but are delisted from the NASDAQ Capital Market at some later date, our shareholders could find it difficult to sell our shares. In addition, if our common shares are delisted from the NASDAQ Capital Market at some later date, we may apply to have our common shares quoted on the Bulletin Board or in the “pink sheets” maintained by the National Quotation Bureau, Inc. The Bulletin Board and the “pink sheets” are generally considered to be less efficient markets than the NASDAQ Capital Market. In addition, if our common shares are not so listed or are delisted at some later date, our common shares may be subject to the “penny stock” regulations. These rules impose additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers that sell low-priced securities to persons other than established customers and institutional accredited investors and require the delivery of a disclosure schedule explaining the nature and risks of the penny stock market. As a result, the ability or willingness of broker-dealers to sell or make a market in our common shares might decline. If our common shares are delisted from the NASDAQ Capital Market at some later date or become subject to the penny stock regulations, it is likely that the price of our shares would decline and that our shareholders would find it difficult to sell their shares.

We are a “foreign private issuer,” and our disclosure obligations differ from those of U.S. domestic reporting companies. As a result, we may not provide you the same information as U.S. domestic reporting companies or we may provide information at different times, which may make it more difficult for you to evaluate our performance and prospects.

We are a foreign private issuer and, as a result, we are not subject to the same requirements as U.S. domestic issuers. Under the Exchange Act, we will be subject to reporting obligations that, to some extent, are more lenient and less frequent than those of U.S. domestic reporting companies. For example, we will not be required to issue quarterly reports or proxy statements. We will not be required to disclose detailed individual executive compensation information. Furthermore, our directors and executive officers will not be required to report equity holdings under Section 16 of the Exchange Act and will not be subject to the insider short-swing profit disclosure and recovery regime. As a foreign private issuer, we will also be exempt from the requirements of Regulation FD (Fair Disclosure) which, generally, are meant to ensure that select groups of investors are not privy to specific information about an issuer before other investors. However, we will still be subject to the anti-fraud and anti-manipulation rules of the SEC, such as Rule 10b-5 under the Exchange Act. Since many of the disclosure obligations imposed on us as a foreign private issuer differ from those imposed on U.S. domestic reporting companies, you should not expect to receive the same information about us and at the same time as the information provided by U.S. domestic reporting companies.

As a relatively new public company, we incur increased costs and are subject to additional regulations and requirements, and our management is required to devote substantial time to new compliance matters, which could lower our profits or make it more difficult to run our business.

As a relatively newly public company, we incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we have not incurred as a private company, including costs associated with public company reporting requirements and costs of recruiting and retaining non-executive directors. We also have incurred and will incur costs associated with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and related rules implemented by the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, and NASDAQ. The expenses incurred by public companies generally for reporting and corporate governance purposes have been increasing. We expect these rules and regulations to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make some activities more time-consuming and costlier, although we are currently unable to estimate these costs with any degree of certainty. Our management will need to devote a substantial amount of time to ensure that we comply with all of these requirements. These laws and regulations also could make it more difficult or costly for us to obtain certain types of insurance, including director and officer liability insurance, and we may be forced to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. These laws and regulations could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our Board of Directors, our board committees or as our executive officers. Furthermore, if we are unable to satisfy our obligations as a public company, we could be subject to delisting of our common shares, fines, sanctions and other regulatory action and potentially civil litigation.

The market price of shares may be volatile, which could cause the value of your investment to decline.

Worldwide market volatility, as well as general economic, market or political conditions, could reduce the market price of shares of our stock in spite of our operating performance. In addition, our results of operations could be below the expectations of public market analysts and investors due to a number of potential factors, including variations in our quarterly results of operations, additions or departures of key management personnel, failure to meet analysts’ earnings estimates, publication of research reports about our industry, litigation and government investigations, changes or proposed changes in laws or regulations or differing interpretations or enforcement thereof affecting our business, adverse market reaction to any indebtedness we may incur or securities we may issue in the future, changes in market valuations of similar companies or speculation in the press or investment community, announcements by our competitors of significant contracts, acquisitions, dispositions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments, adverse publicity about our industry in or individual scandals, and in response the market price of our common shares could decrease significantly. In the past few years, stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations. In the past, following periods of volatility in the overall market and the market price of a 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, or at all.

As the rights of shareholders under British Virgin Islands law differ from those under U.S. law, you may have fewer protections as a shareholder.

Our corporate affairs will be governed by our memorandum and articles of association, the BVI Business Companies Act, 2004 (as amended), referred to below as the “BVI Act”, and the common law of the British Virgin Islands. The rights of shareholders to take legal action against our directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under British Virgin Islands law are governed by the BVI Act and the common law of the British Virgin Islands. The common law of the British Virgin Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the British Virgin Islands as well as from the common law of England and the wider Commonwealth, which has persuasive, but not binding, authority on a court in the British Virgin Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under British Virgin Islands law are largely codified in the BVI Act, but are potentially not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedents in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the British Virgin Islands has a less developed body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and some states (such as Delaware) have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. As a result of all of the above, holders of our shares may have more difficulty in protecting their interests through actions against our management, directors or major shareholders than they would as shareholders of a U.S. company.

British Virgin Islands companies may not be able to initiate shareholder derivative actions, thereby depriving shareholders of the ability to protect their interests.

Shareholders of British Virgin Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a federal court of the United States Shareholders of a British Virgin Islands company could, however, bring a derivative action in the British Virgin Islands courts, and there is a clear statutory right to commence such derivative claims under Section 184C of the BVI Act. The circumstances in which any such action may be brought, and the procedures and defenses that may be available in respect to any such action, may result in the rights of shareholders of a British Virgin Islands company being more limited than those of shareholders of a company organized in the United States. Accordingly, shareholders may have fewer alternatives available to them if they believe that corporate wrongdoing has occurred. The British Virgin Islands courts are also unlikely to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts in the United States based on certain liability provisions of U.S. securities law; and to impose liabilities against us, in original actions brought in the British Virgin Islands, based on certain liability provisions of U.S. securities laws that are penal in nature. There is no statutory recognition in the British Virgin Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, although the courts of the British Virgin Islands will generally recognize and enforce the non-penal judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits. This means that even if shareholders were to sue us successfully, they may not be able to recover anything to make up for the losses suffered.

The laws of the British Virgin Islands may provide less protection for minority shareholders than those under U.S. law, so minority shareholders may have less recourse than they would under U.S. law if the shareholders are dissatisfied with the conduct of our affairs.

Under the laws of the British Virgin Islands, the rights of minority shareholders are protected by provisions of the BVI Act dealing with shareholder remedies and other remedies available under common law (in tort or contractual remedies). The principal protection under statutory law is that shareholders may bring an action to enforce the constitutional documents of the company (i.e. the memorandum and articles of association) as shareholders are entitled to have the affairs of the company conducted in accordance with the BVI Act and the memorandum and articles of association of the company. A shareholder may also bring an action under statute if he feels that the affairs of the company have been or will be carried out in a manner that is unfairly prejudicial or discriminating or oppressive to him. The BVI Act also provides for certain other protections for minority shareholders, including in respect of investigation of the company and inspection of the company books and records. There are also common law rights for the protection of shareholders that may be invoked, largely dependent on English common law, since the common law of the British Virgin Islands for business companies is limited.

We may not be able to pay any dividends on our shares in the future due to British Virgin Islands law.

Under British Virgin Islands law, we may only pay dividends to our shareholders if the value of our assets exceeds our liabilities and we are able to pay our debts as they become due. We cannot give any assurance that we will declare dividends of any amounts, at any rate or at all in the future. Future dividends, if any, will be at the discretion of our board of directors, and will depend upon our results of operations, cash flows, financial condition, payment to us of cash dividends by our subsidiaries, capital needs, future prospects and other factors that our directors may deem appropriate.

We are an “emerging growth company” and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to “emerging growth companies” will make our shares less attractive to investors.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions and relief from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies.” In particular, while we are an “emerging growth company” (1) we will not be required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, (2) we will be exempt from any rules that may be adopted by the PCAOB requiring mandatory audit firm rotations or a supplement to the auditor’s report on financial statements, (3) we will be subject to reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and (4) we will not be required to hold nonbinding advisory votes on executive compensation or stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. We currently intend to take advantage of the reduced disclosure requirements regarding executive compensation. If we remain an “emerging growth company” after fiscal 2017, we may take advantage of other exemptions, including the exemptions from the advisory vote requirements and executive compensation disclosures under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Customer Protection Act, or the Dodd-Frank Act, and the exemption from the provisions of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards, meaning that the company can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have irrevocably elected not to avail ourselves of this exemption from new or revised accounting standards and, therefore, will be subject to the same new or revised accounting standards as other public companies that are not emerging growth companies. We may remain an “emerging growth company” until the fiscal year-end following the fifth anniversary of the completion of our initial public offering, though we may cease to be an “emerging growth company” earlier under certain circumstances, including (1) if we become a large accelerated filer, (2) if our gross revenue exceeds $1.07 billion in any fiscal year or (3) if we issue more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible notes in any three year period. The exact implications of the JOBS Act are still subject to interpretations and guidance by the SEC and other regulatory agencies, and we cannot assure you that we will be able to take advantage of all of the benefits of the JOBS Act. In addition, investors may find our shares less attractive if we rely on the exemptions and relief granted by the JOBS Act. If some investors find our shares less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our shares and our stock price may decline and/or become more volatile.