Item 1A. Risk Factors

Risk Factors Summary

The following is a summary of the principal risks that could adversely affect our business, operations, and financial results.

Risks Related to Our Business

Risks Related to Product Development, Manufacturing and Commercialization

Risks Related to Intellectual Property and Other Legal Matters

Risks Related to Regulation

Risks Related to Owning Our Securities and Our Financial Results

We operate in a rapidly changing environment that involves a number of risks that could materially affect our business, financial condition or future results, some of which are beyond our control. This discussion highlights some of the risks that may affect future operating results. These are the risks and uncertainties we believe are most important for you to consider. We cannot be certain that we will successfully address these risks. If we are unable to address these risks, our business may not grow, our stock price may suffer, and we may be unable to stay in business. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us, which we currently deem immaterial or which are similar to those faced by other companies in our industry or business in general, may also impair our business operations.

Risks Related to Our Business

We are an early-stage technology company with no history of generating revenue, have a history of operating losses, and we may never achieve or maintain profitability. 

We are a technology company that was formed in January 2018. We have a limited operating history and no revenue and to-date have largely focused our efforts and resources towards research and development activities relating to our development of the Evie Ring and the SoC. The likelihood of success of our business plan must be considered in light of the challenges, substantial expenses, difficulties, complications and delays frequently encountered in connection with developing and expanding early-stage businesses and the regulatory and competitive environment in which we operate. Technology product development is a highly speculative undertaking, involves a substantial degree of risk and is a capital-intensive business.

As of December 31, 2023, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $124.4 million. We expect that our losses will continue for the foreseeable future as we continue to invest significant additional resources toward the commercialization of our products and ongoing research and development. We have experienced these losses and accumulated deficit primarily due to the investments we have made in developing our proprietary technologies and products, building our team and manufacturing capabilities and commercially launching our first product, the Evie Ring. Without additional capital our existing cash and cash equivalents will be insufficient to fully fund our business plan. We expect to continue to incur losses for the foreseeable future, and these losses will likely increase as we prepare for and begin to commercialize our first product. Our ability to achieve revenue-generating operations and, ultimately, achieve profitability will depend on whether we can obtain additional capital when we need it, complete the development of our technology, receive regulatory approval of our technology, potentially find strategic collaborators that can incorporate our technology into applications which can be successfully commercialized and achieve market acceptance. There can be no assurance that we will ever generate revenues or achieve profitability. Even if we achieve profitability in the future, we may not be able to sustain profitability in subsequent periods.

We may be unable to continue as a going concern if we do not successfully raise additional capital on favorable terms, or at all, or if we fail to generate sufficient revenue from operations.

Primarily as a result of our lack of revenue, history of losses to date and our lack of liquidity, there is substantial doubt as to our ability to continue as a going concern. As of December 31, 2023, we had total assets of approximately $9.4 million and total liabilities of approximately $6.0 million. We believe that our cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2023 will not be sufficient to fund our projected operating requirements for the twelve-month period following the issuance of our consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and increasing operating losses for at least the next several years. Our forecast of the period through which our financial resources will be adequate to support our operations is a forward-looking statement and involves risks and uncertainties, and actual results could vary as a result of a number of factors, including the factors discussed elsewhere in this “Risk Factors” section. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could utilize our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect.

We do not have any prospective arrangements or credit facilities as a source of future funds, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to raise sufficient additional capital on acceptable terms, or at all. If we are unable to raise additional capital or if we are unable to generate sufficient revenue from our operations, we may not stay in business. We may seek additional capital through a combination of private and public equity offerings, debt financings and strategic collaborations. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of equity or convertible debt securities, the percentage ownership of our existing stockholders could be significantly diluted and these newly-issued securities may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of holders of the common stock offered hereby. Debt financing, if obtained, may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, which could increase our expenses and require that our assets secure such debt. Moreover, any debt we incur must be repaid regardless of our operating results. However, we do not own any significant assets that we expect could serve as acceptable collateral for a bank or other commercial lender. The above circumstances may discourage some investors from purchasing our stock, lending us money or from providing alternative forms of financing. In addition, the current economic instability in the world’s equity and credit markets may materially adversely affect our ability to sell additional securities and/or borrow cash. There can be no assurance that we will be able to raise additional working capital on acceptable terms or at all.

If we are unable to raise additional capital when needed, we may be required to curtail the development of our technology or materially curtail or reduce our operations. We could be forced to sell or dispose of our rights or assets. Any inability to raise adequate funds on commercially reasonable terms would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operation and financial condition, including the possibility that a lack of funds could cause our business to fail and liquidate with little or no return to investors.

Even if we take these actions, they may be insufficient, particularly if our costs are higher than projected or unforeseen expenses arise. Additionally, if we raise additional funds through collaborations, strategic alliances or marketing, distribution or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams or products or to grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we choose to expand more rapidly than we presently anticipate, we may also need to raise additional capital sooner than expected.

Our efforts may never demonstrate the feasibility of our proposed CGM and blood pressure monitoring solution.

We have developed a working prototype of our proposed solution that is capable of generating data we believe will be able to be used to measure various health vital signs and measurements, including heart rate, HRV, sleep, respiration, temperature, blood oxygen, steps, calories, blood glucose and blood pressure levels, but significant additional research and development activity will be required before we achieve a commercial product. We have conducted limited studies to compare the data our prototype device generates to measurements from conventional blood glucose and blood pressure measuring tools, and we are using the data generated in those studies to refine our product design and to develop the algorithms our product in development will utilize. However, we have not yet conducted any studies that demonstrate that our planned product is able to measure blood glucose or blood pressure levels at any particular accuracy level and we may never be able to complete any clinical studies that demonstrate accuracy levels that would be necessary for a commercial product. Our research and development efforts remain subject to all of the risks associated with the development of new products based on emerging technologies, including unanticipated technical or other problems and the possible insufficiency of funds needed in order to complete development of these products and enable us to execute our business plan. Any such problems may result in delays and cause us to incur additional expenses that would increase our losses. If we cannot complete, or if we experience significant delays in, developing our technology and products and services based on such technology for use in potential commercial applications, particularly after incurring significant expenditures, our business may fail. To our knowledge, the technological concepts we are applying to develop commercial applications have not previously been successfully applied by anyone else.

Accordingly, you should consider our prospects in light of the costs, uncertainties, delays and difficulties frequently encountered by companies in the early stages of development, especially technology companies such as ours. Potential investors should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties that a company with a limited operating history typically faces. In particular, potential investors should consider that we cannot assure you that we will be able to:

If we cannot successfully execute any one of the foregoing, our business may not succeed and your investment will be adversely affected.

We face competition from other technology companies and our operating results will suffer if we fail to compete effectively.

The technology industry, generally, and the general wellness, continuous glucose and blood pressure monitoring markets, in particular, are intensely competitive, subject to rapid change, and significantly affected by new product introductions and other market activities by industry participants. To compete successfully, we will need to demonstrate the advantages of our products and technologies over well-established alternative solutions, products and technologies, as well as newer ones, and convince consumers and enterprises of the advantages of our products and technologies. With respect to our Evie Ring and other planned solutions, we face or will face direct and indirect competition from a number of competitors who have developed or are developing products for general wellness and continuous or periodic monitoring of glucose and blood pressure levels, and we anticipate that other companies will develop additional competitive products in the future. Traditional glucometers and blood pressure monitors remain an inexpensive alternative to our proposed solution. We have existing competitors and potential new competitors, many of which have or will have substantially greater name recognition, financial resources and expertise in research and development, manufacturing, preclinical testing, conducting clinical trials, obtaining regulatory approvals, and sales and marketing of approved products than we have. Mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and diagnostic industries may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of our competitors. Established competitors may invest heavily to quickly discover and develop novel technologies that could make obsolete or uneconomical the technology or the products that we plan to develop. Other small or early stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. Any new product that we develop that competes with a competitor’s existing or future product may need to demonstrate compelling advantages in cost, convenience, quality, and safety to be commercially successful. In addition, new products developed by others could emerge as competitors to our proposed product development candidates. If our technology under development or our future products are not competitive based on these or other factors, our business would be harmed, and our financial condition and operations will suffer.

If we are not successful in attracting and retaining highly qualified personnel, we may not be able to successfully implement our business strategy.

Our ability to implement our business plan depends in large part upon our ability to attract and retain highly qualified managerial and engineering personnel. We will need to hire additional personnel as we further develop our products. Competition for skilled personnel in our market is intense and competition for experienced engineers may limit our ability to hire and retain highly qualified personnel on acceptable terms. Despite our efforts to retain valuable employees, members of our management and engineering teams may terminate their employment with us on short notice. The loss of the services of any of our executive officers or other key employees could potentially harm our business, operating results or financial condition. Currently, we do not maintain key man insurance policies with respect to any of our executive officers or employees.

Our success also depends on our ability to continue to attract, retain and motivate highly skilled junior, mid-level and senior managers as well as junior, mid-level and senior engineering personnel. Other technology companies with which we compete for qualified personnel have greater financial and other resources, different risk profiles and longer histories than we have. They also may provide more diverse opportunities and better chances for career advancement. Some of these characteristics may be more appealing to high-quality candidates than what we have to offer. If we are unable to continue to attract and retain high-quality personnel, the rate and success at which we can develop and commercialize products would be limited.

We are subject to risks associated with our utilization of consultants.

To improve productivity and accelerate our development efforts while we build out our own engineering team, we use experienced consultants to assist in selected business functions, including the development of our integrated circuits. We take steps to monitor and regulate the performance of these independent third parties. However, arrangements with third party service providers may make our operations vulnerable if these consultants fail to satisfy their obligations to us as a result of their performance, changes in their own operations, financial condition or other matters outside of our control. Effective management of our consultants is important to our business and strategy. The failure of our consultants to perform as anticipated could result in substantial costs, divert management’s attention from other strategic activities or create other operational or financial problems for us. Terminating or transitioning arrangements with key consultants could result in additional costs and a risk of operational delays, potential errors and possible control issues as a result of the termination or during the transition.

We will need to grow the size of our organization, and we may experience difficulties in managing this growth.

As we expand our activities, there will be additional demands on our financial, technical, operational and management resources. To manage our anticipated future growth, we must continue to implement and improve our financial, technical, operational and management systems and continue to recruit and train additional qualified personnel. Due to our limited financial resources and operating history, we may not be able to effectively manage the expansion of our operations or recruit and train additional qualified personnel. The expansion of our operations may lead to significant costs and may divert our management and business development resources. Any inability to manage growth could delay the execution of our business plans or disrupt our operations.

We may acquire businesses or products, or form strategic alliances, in the future, and we may not realize the benefits of such acquisitions.

We may acquire additional businesses or products, form strategic alliances or create joint ventures with third parties that we believe will complement or augment our existing business. If we acquire businesses with promising markets or technologies, we may not be able to realize the benefit of acquiring such businesses if we are unable to successfully integrate them with our existing operations and company culture. We may encounter numerous difficulties in developing, manufacturing and marketing any new products resulting from a strategic alliance or acquisition that delay or prevent us from realizing their expected benefits or enhancing our business. We cannot assure you that, following any such acquisition, we will achieve the expected synergies to justify the transaction.

Our business is affected by macroeconomic conditions.

Various macroeconomic factors could adversely affect our business and the results of our operations and financial condition, including changes in inflation, interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates and overall economic conditions and uncertainties, including those resulting from the current and future conditions in the global financial markets. Cost inflation, including increases in raw material prices, labor rates, and transportation costs may impact our profitability. Global financial markets and the banking sector can experience extreme volatility, disruption and credit contraction, which adversely affect global economic conditions. The volatility of the capital markets could also affect the value of our investments and our ability to liquidate our investments or access our cash and cash equivalents in order to fund our operations. For example, on March 10, 2023, Silicon Valley Bank was closed by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or the FDIC, as receiver. Similarly, on March 12, 2023, Signature Bank and Silvergate Capital Corp. were each swept into receivership followed by First Republic Bank on May 1, 2023. While we have not experienced material challenges accessing our cash and cash equivalents to date as a result of these bank failures, we do maintain deposits in excess of federally insured limits at financial institutions as a part of doing business that could be at risk if there are further bank failures or disruptions in the banking sector. Our ongoing cash management strategy is to maintain diversity in our deposit accounts at multiple financial institutions, but there can be no assurance that this strategy will be successful. If our banking partners are negatively impacted by financial conditions affecting the banking system and financial markets, then our ability to access our cash and cash equivalents may be threatened which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

Increasing interest rates, reduced access to capital markets and bank failures could also adversely affect the ability of our suppliers, OEMs, VARs, distributors, licensors, collaborators and other strategic partners to remain effective business partners or to remain in business. The loss of a strategic partner, or a failure to perform by a strategic partner, could have a disruptive effect on our business and could adversely affect our results of operations.

Our business and operations are subject to risks related to climate change.

The effects of global climate change present risks to our business. Natural disasters, extreme weather and other conditions caused by or related to climate change could adversely impact our supply chain, the availability and cost of raw materials and components, energy supply, transportation, or other inputs necessary for the operation of our business. Climate change and natural disasters could also result in physical damage to our facilities as well as those of our suppliers, and strategic partners, which could cause disruption in our business and operations. Our facilities and our equipment would be costly to replace and could require substantial lead time to repair or replace. Although we believe we possess adequate insurance for the disruption of our business related to climate change, such insurance may not be sufficient to cover all of our potential losses and may not continue to be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all.

Our business could be negatively impacted by corporate social responsibility and sustainability matters.

There has been an increased focus from investors, customers, employees and other stakeholders concerning corporate social responsibility and sustainability matters, which may result in increases in our costs to operate our business or restrict certain aspects of our activities. The standards by which corporate social responsibility and sustainability efforts and related matters are measured are developing and evolving, and certain areas are subject to assumptions that could change over time. We could be criticized for the scope of such initiatives or goals or perceived as not acting responsibly in connection with these matters. In addition, with anti-ESG sentiment gaining momentum in some of our markets, we could experience reputational harm if we are targeted by groups or influential individuals who disagree with our positions on social or environmental issues. Additionally, lawsuits or regulatory actions based on allegations that certain public statements regarding ESG-related matters by companies are false and misleading “greenwashing” campaigns could significantly impact our operations and could have an adverse impact on our financial condition. Any such matters could have a material adverse impact on our future results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

Risks Related to Product Development, Manufacturing and Commercialization

We are highly dependent on the success of our first product, the Evie Ring, and cannot give any assurance that it will receive regulatory approval or clearance or be successfully commercialized.

We are highly dependent on the success of our first commercial product, the Evie Ring. There is no guarantee that we will be successful in the commercialization of this or any other future product. While we may successfully commercialize our first iteration of the Evie Ring without FDA clearance, subsequent iterations of the Evie Ring will require substantial additional clinical development, extensive preclinical testing and clinical trials in order to receive regulatory clearance or approval. We cannot give any assurance that the Evie Ring will receive regulatory clearance or approval or be successfully commercialized. Any failure to obtain regulatory clearance or approval of or to successfully commercialize the Evie Ring would have a material adverse effect on our business.

We depend on third parties to design, manufacture, market and distribute our products. If any third party fails to successfully design, manufacture, market or distribute any of our products, our business will be materially harmed.

We depend and expect to continue to depend on strategic partners such as third-party OEMs, VARs and other distributors to complete the design, manufacture, market and distribute the Evie Ring and other future products. If these strategic partners fail to successfully design, manufacture, market or distribute our current or future products, our business will be materially harmed.

The products that we intend to develop are complex and will require the integration of a number of components that are themselves complex. In light of this complexity, we expect that we may determine not to complete the design of or manufacture these products ourselves and instead develop relationships with suitable third-party OEMs to complete these tasks. Similarly, we do not anticipate building a sales or marketing function and instead expect that our products under development will be marketed and sold through strategic partners such as OEMs, VARs or other distributors. We do not currently have a relationship with any OEM, VAR or other distributor, and may never be able to find any OEMs, VARs or other distributors that are willing to work with us on acceptable terms, or at all. We will have limited control over the efforts and resources that any third-party OEMs, VARs and other distributors would devote to designing, manufacturing, marketing or distributing our products under development. An OEM may not be able to successfully design and manufacture our products and such failure by an OEM could substantially harm the value of our business. Similarly, the OEMs, VARS or other distributors we engage with to market and sell our product under development may not be successful at marketing and selling such product. If we cannot find suitable strategic partners or our strategic partners do not perform as expected, our potential for revenue may be dramatically reduced and our business could be harmed.

Our business and operations would suffer in the event of information technology system failures, including cyber-attacks.

Our information technology computer systems, as well as those of our contractors and consultants, are vulnerable to damage from computer viruses, unauthorized access, natural disasters (including earthquakes), terrorism, war and telecommunication and electrical failures. If such an event were to occur and cause interruptions in our operations, it could result in a material disruption of our development programs. In the ordinary course of our business, we collect and store sensitive data, including intellectual property, proprietary business information, personal data and personally identifiable information of our clinical trial subjects and employees, on our networks. The secure processing, maintenance and transmission of this information is critical to our operations. High-profile security breaches at other companies and in government agencies have increased in recent years, and security industry experts and government officials have warned about the risks of hackers and cyber-attacks targeting businesses such as ours. Cyber-attacks are becoming more sophisticated and frequent, and in some cases have caused significant harm. Computer hackers and others routinely attempt to breach the security of technology products, services and systems, and to fraudulently induce employees, customers, or others to disclose information or unwittingly provide access to systems or data. While we devote significant resources to security measures to protect our systems and data, these measures cannot provide absolute security, and our information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers or internal bad actors, or breached due to employee error, a technical vulnerability, malfeasance or other disruptions. Although, to our knowledge, we have not experienced any such material security breach to date, any such breach could compromise our networks and the information stored there could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost or stolen. Any such access, disclosure or other loss of information could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information and significant regulatory penalties, and such an event could disrupt our operations, damage our reputation and cause a loss of confidence in us and our ability to conduct clinical trials, which could adversely affect our reputation and delay our development of our products.

Risks Related to Intellectual Property and Other Legal Matters

It is difficult and costly to protect our intellectual property and our proprietary technologies, and we may not be able to ensure their protection.

Our success depends significantly on our ability to obtain, maintain and protect our proprietary rights to the technologies used in our products. Patents and other proprietary rights provide uncertain protections, and we may be unable to protect our intellectual property. As of December 31, 2023, we own, jointly own, or have exclusive rights to 28 issued and in-force patents (that cover one or more of our products or product candidates for method, system and device development). Furthermore, as of December 31, 2023, we own, jointly own, or have exclusive rights to 18 pending U.S. patent applications, 4 pending foreign patent applications, and one pending PCT International patent application.

While we plan to file additional patent applications, we may never develop any invention that results in any additional issued patents. Even if we obtain patents, we may be unsuccessful in defending our patents (and other proprietary rights) against third party challenges. Although we expect to attempt to obtain patent coverage for our technology where available and where we believe appropriate, there may be aspects of the technology for which patent coverage may never be sought or received. We may not possess the resources to or may not choose to pursue patent protection outside the United States or any or every country other than the United States where we may eventually decide to sell our future products. Our ability to prevent others from making or selling duplicate or similar technologies will be impaired in those countries in which we have no patent protection.

Any patent applications we have filed or may file in the future may never result in issued patents, or patents issued based upon such applications may issue only with limited coverage or may issue and be subsequently successfully challenged by others and held invalid or unenforceable. There may exist prior art that may prevent our patent applications from resulting in issued patents, and there may be other inventors who file patent applications on inventions that are the same or similar to ours or that otherwise may be found to anticipate our inventions before we file patent applications of our own on our inventions, which may result in the issue of patents on our inventions or similar or anticipatory inventions to those other inventors.

Even if patents issue based on our current or any future applications, any issued patents may not provide us with any competitive advantages. Competitors may be able to design around our patents or develop products that provide outcomes comparable or superior to ours. Our patents may be held invalid or unenforceable as a result of legal challenges by third parties, and others may challenge the inventorship or ownership of our patents and pending patent applications. In addition, if we choose to and are able to secure protection in countries outside the United States, the laws of some foreign countries may not protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as do the laws of the United States. In the event a competitor infringes upon our patents or other intellectual property rights, enforcing those rights may be difficult, expensive and time consuming and we may elect not to enforce our patents or other intellectual property rights based on the facts and circumstances known to us at the time. Even if successful, litigation to enforce our intellectual property rights or to defend our patents against challenge could be expensive and time consuming and could divert our management’s attention. We may not have sufficient resources to enforce our intellectual property rights or to defend our patents against a challenge.

If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our proprietary information and know-how, the value of our technology and products could be adversely affected.

In addition to our patent activities, we rely upon, among other things, unpatented proprietary technology, processes, trade secrets and know-how. Any involuntary disclosure to or misappropriation by third parties of our confidential or proprietary information could enable competitors to duplicate or surpass our technological achievements, potentially eroding our competitive position in our market. While we require all of our employees, consultants, advisors and any third parties who have access to our proprietary know-how, information and technology to enter into confidentiality agreements, we cannot be certain that this know-how, information and technology will not be disclosed or that competitors will not otherwise gain access to our trade secrets or independently develop substantially equivalent information and techniques. These agreements may be terminated or breached, and we may not have adequate remedies for any such termination or breach. Furthermore, these agreements may not be enforceable or provide meaningful protection for our trade secrets and know-how in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure. The disclosure of trade secrets or other proprietary information would impair our competitive position and may materially harm our business.

We may in the future be a party to intellectual property litigation or administrative proceedings that could be costly and could interfere with our ability to develop our products.

Because our industry is characterized by competing intellectual property, we may be sued for violating the intellectual property rights of others. Determining whether a product infringes a patent involves complex legal and factual issues, and the outcome of patent litigation actions is often uncertain. We have not conducted any significant search of patents issued to third parties, and no assurance can be given that third party patents containing claims covering our product under development, parts of our product under development, technology or methods do not exist, have not been filed, or could not be filed or issued. Because of the number of patents issued and patent applications filed in our technical areas or fields, our competitors or other third parties may assert that our products and the methods we plan to employ in the use of our products are covered by United States or foreign patents held by them. In addition, because patent applications can take many years to issue and because publication schedules for pending applications vary by jurisdiction, there may be applications now pending of which we are unaware, and which may result in issued patents that our product under development or other future products would infringe. Also, because the claims of published patent applications can change between publication and patent grant, there may be published patent applications that may ultimately issue with claims that we infringe. There could also be existing patents that one or more of our future products or parts may infringe and of which we are unaware. As the number of competitors in our market increases, and as the number of patents issued in this area grows, the possibility of patent infringement claims against us increases. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of complex patent litigation more effectively than we can because they have substantially greater resources. In addition, any uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of any litigation could have a material adverse effect on our ability to raise the funds necessary to continue our operations.

In the event that we become subject to a patent infringement or other intellectual property lawsuit and if the relevant patents or other intellectual property were upheld as valid and enforceable and we were found to infringe or violate the terms of a license to which we are a party, we could be prevented from selling any infringing products of ours unless we could obtain a license or were able to redesign the product to avoid infringement. If we were unable to obtain a license or successfully redesign, we might be prevented from selling our product under development or other future products. If there is an allegation or determination that we have infringed the intellectual property rights of a competitor or other person, we may be required to pay damages, or a settlement or ongoing royalties. In these circumstances, we may be unable to sell our products at competitive prices or at all, and our business could be harmed.

We may be subject to claims that our employees, consultants or independent contractors have wrongfully used or disclosed confidential information of their former employers or other third parties or claims asserting ownership of what we regard as our own intellectual property.

We do and may employ and contract with individuals who were previously employed by other technology companies. Although we seek to protect our ownership of intellectual property rights by ensuring that our agreements with our employees, collaborators and other third parties with whom we do business include provisions requiring such parties to assign rights in inventions to us and to not use the know-how or confidential information of their former employer or other third parties, we cannot guarantee that we have executed such agreements with all applicable parties. We may be subject to claims that we or our employees, consultants or independent contractors have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed confidential information of our employees’ former employers or other third parties. We may also be subject to claims that former employers or other third parties have an ownership interest in our patents. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. There is no guarantee of success in defending these claims, and if we fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable personnel or intellectual property rights, such as exclusive ownership of, or right to use, valuable intellectual property. Even if we are successful, litigation could result in substantial cost and be a distraction to our management and other employees.

In addition, while it is our policy to require our employees, contractors and other third parties who may be involved in the conception or development of intellectual property to execute agreements assigning such intellectual property to us, we may be unsuccessful in executing such an agreement with each party who, in fact, conceives or develops intellectual property that we regard as our own. The assignment of intellectual property rights under such agreements may not be self-executing, or the assignment agreements may be breached, and we may be forced to bring claims against third parties, or defend claims that they may bring against us, to determine the ownership of what we regard as our intellectual property. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We could become subject to product liability claims, product recalls and warranty claims that could be expensive, divert management’s attention and harm our business.

Our business exposes us to potential liability risks that are inherent in the manufacturing, marketing and sale of products used by consumers. We may be held liable if our product under development or other future products cause injury or death or are found otherwise unsuitable during usage. Our future products to be developed are expected to incorporate sophisticated components and computer software. Complex software can contain errors, particularly when first introduced. In addition, new products or enhancements may contain undetected errors or performance problems that, despite testing, are discovered only after installation. While we believe our technology will be safe, because our proposed solution is an RF-based technology that is being designed to be used in close proximity to users, users may allege or possibly prove defects, some of which could be alleged or proved to cause harm to users or others. A product liability claim, regardless of its merit or eventual outcome, could result in significant legal defense costs. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to obtain products liability insurance; if we do, however, the coverage limits of any insurance policies that we may choose to purchase to cover related risks may not be adequate to cover future claims, and the cost of insurance, if obtainable, could be prohibitive. If sales of our products increase or we suffer future product liability claims, we may be unable to maintain product liability insurance in the future at satisfactory rates or with adequate amounts. A product liability claim, any product recalls or excessive warranty claims, whether arising from defects in design or manufacture or otherwise, could negatively affect our sales or require a change in the design or manufacturing process, any of which could harm our reputation and result in a decline in revenue, each of which would harm our business.

In addition, if a product we designed or manufactured is defective, whether due to design or manufacturing defects, improper use of the product or other reasons, we may be required to notify regulatory authorities and/or to recall the product. A required notification to a regulatory authority or recall could result in an investigation by regulatory authorities of our products, which could in turn result in required recalls, restrictions on the sale of the products or other penalties. The adverse publicity resulting from any of these actions could adversely affect the perception of customers and potential customers. These investigations or recalls, especially if accompanied by unfavorable publicity, could result in our incurring substantial costs, losing revenues and damaging our reputation, each of which would harm our business.

Risks Related to Regulation

We are seeking FDA clearance with respect to certain of the Evie Ring’s monitoring capabilities and expect to seek FDA clearance or approval for our planned CGM and blood pressure monitoring solution, which may be difficult to achieve, and existing laws or regulations or future legislative or regulatory changes may affect our business.

While we commercialized our first iteration of the Evie Ring without FDA clearance, we expect subsequent iterations of the Evie Ring and our other future products will be subject to current and future regulation by the FDA and may be subject to regulation by other federal, state and local agencies. These agencies and regulations require manufacturers of medical devices to comply with applicable laws and regulations governing development, testing, manufacturing, labeling, marketing and distribution of medical devices. Devices are generally subject to varying levels of regulatory control, based on the risk level of the device. Governmental regulations specific to medical devices are wide-ranging and govern, among other things:

Before a new medical device or a new intended use for an existing product can be marketed in the United States, a company must first submit and receive either 510(k) clearance or PMA from FDA, unless an exemption applies. The typical duration to receive a 510(k) clearance is approximately nine to twelve months from the date of the initial 510(k) submission and the typical duration to receive a PMA approval is approximately two years from the date of submission of the initial PMA application, although there is no guarantee that the timing will not be longer.

Our end goal is to bring to market a solution that would be classified as a Class II medical device that will require a 510(k) clearance prior to marketing. In some instances, the 510(k) pathway for product marketing may be used with only proof of substantial equivalence in technology for a given indication with a lawfully marketed device (a “predicate device”). In other instances, FDA may require additional clinical work to prove efficacy in addition to technological equivalence and basic safety. Whether clinical data is provided or not, FDA may decide to reject the substantial equivalence argument we present. If that happens, our device would be automatically designated as a Class III device and we would have to fulfill the more rigorous PMA requirements or request a “de novo” reclassification of the device into Class I or II. Thus, although at this time we do not anticipate that we will be required to do so, it is possible that one or more of our planned products may require PMA approval de novo reclassification. 

We may not be able to obtain the necessary clearances or approvals or may be unduly delayed in doing so, which could harm our business. Furthermore, even if we are granted regulatory clearances or approvals, they may include significant limitations on the indicated uses for the product, which may limit the market for the product. Delays in obtaining clearance or approval could increase our costs and harm our revenues and growth.

In addition, we will be required to timely file various reports with FDA, including reports required by the medical device reporting regulations that require us to report to FDA if our devices may have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury or malfunctioned in a way that would likely cause or contribute to a death or serious injury if the malfunction were to recur. If these reports are not filed timely, regulators may impose sanctions and sales of our products may suffer, and we may be subject to regulatory enforcement actions, all of which could harm our business.

If we initiate a correction or removal for one of our devices to reduce a risk to health posed by the device, we would be required to submit a publicly available Correction and Removal report to FDA and, in many cases, similar reports to other regulatory agencies. This report could be classified by FDA as a device recall which could lead to increased scrutiny by FDA, other international regulatory agencies and our customers regarding the quality and safety of our devices. Furthermore, the submission of these reports has been and could be used by competitors against us in competitive situations and cause customers to delay purchase decisions or cancel orders and would harm our reputation.

FDA and FTC also regulate the advertising and promotion of our products to ensure that the claims we make are consistent with our regulatory clearances, that there are adequate and reasonable data to substantiate the claims and that our promotional labeling and advertising is neither false nor misleading in any respect. If FDA or FTC determines that any of our advertising or promotional claims are misleading, not substantiated or not permissible, we may be subject to enforcement actions, including warning letters, and we may be required to revise our promotional claims and make other corrections or restitutions.

FDA and state authorities have broad enforcement powers. Our failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements could result in enforcement action by FDA or state agencies, which may include any of the following sanctions:

If any of these events were to occur, our business and financial condition would be harmed.

The cost of compliance with new laws or regulations governing our technology or future products could adversely affect our financial results. New laws or regulations may impose restrictions or obligations on us that could force us to redesign our technology under development or other future products and may impose restrictions that are not possible or practicable to comply with, which could cause our business to fail. We cannot predict the impact on our business of any legislation or regulations related to our technology or future products that may be enacted or adopted in the future. 

If any OEMs contracted to manufacture our products fail to comply with FDA’s Quality System Regulations or other regulatory bodies’ equivalent regulations, manufacturing operations could be delayed or shut down and the development of our products could suffer.

The manufacturing processes of third-party OEMs are required to comply with FDA’s Quality System Regulations and other regulatory bodies’ equivalent regulations, which cover the procedures and documentation of the design, testing, production, control, quality assurance, labeling, packaging, storage and shipping of our planned non-invasive solution. They may also be subject to similar state requirements and licenses and engage in extensive recordkeeping and reporting and make available their manufacturing facilities and records for periodic unannounced inspections by governmental agencies, including FDA, state authorities and comparable agencies in other countries. If any OEM fails such an inspection, our operations could be disrupted and our manufacturing interrupted. Failure to take adequate corrective action in response to an adverse inspection could result in, among other things, a shut-down of our manufacturing operations, significant fines, suspension of marketing clearances and approvals, seizures or recalls of our products, operating restrictions and criminal prosecutions, any of which would cause our business to suffer. Furthermore, these OEMs may be engaged with other companies to supply and/or manufacture materials or products for such companies, which would expose our OEMs to regulatory risks for the production of such materials and products. As a result, failure to meet the regulatory requirements for the production of those materials and products may also affect the regulatory clearance of a third-party manufacturer’s facility. If FDA determines that any of the facilities that manufacture our proposed solution are not in compliance with applicable requirements, we may need to find alternative manufacturing facilities, which would impede or delay our ability to develop, obtain regulatory clearance or approval for, or market our products, if developed and approved. Additionally, our key component suppliers may not currently be or may not continue to be in compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, which may result in manufacturing delays for our product and cause our results of operations to suffer.

We expect our planned solution to be subject to certain Federal Communication Commission (“FCC”) regulations.

Our RF-based technology involves the transmission of RF energy, and as such, will be subject to regulation by the FCC, including the FCC’s equipment authorization regulations and its regulations governing human exposure to RF energy. In particular, we expect the planned solution to be regulated under Part 18 of the FCC’s rules governing industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) equipment, and to be classified as consumer ISM equipment under that rule part. Based on the expected frequency and power of operation, we expect that the product will comply with the Part 18 technical specifications for these types of devices, which we will be required to verify under FCC equipment authorization procedures. We also expect, based on the device’s frequency and power of operation, that the product will comply with the FCC’s requirements governing human exposure to RF energy. There is the risk that the product, as we expect it to be developed, may not comply with these requirements, which could significantly affect our development costs and delay commercialization of the product. There is also the risk that we will be unable to cost effectively develop and produce a solution using RF technology that complies with these FCC requirements.

Our current or future products may be subject to product recalls that could harm our reputation.

Regulatory agencies have the authority to require the recall of commercialized products in the event of material regulatory deficiencies or defects in design or manufacture. A government-mandated or voluntary recall by us could occur as a result of component failures, manufacturing errors or design or labeling defects. Recalls of our current or future products would divert management’s attention, be expensive, harm our reputation with customers and harm our financial condition and results of operations. A recall announcement would also negatively affect the price of our securities.

Healthcare reform measures could hinder or prevent our commercial success.

There have been, and we expect there will continue to be, a number of legislative and regulatory changes to the healthcare system in ways that could harm our future revenues and profitability and the future revenues and profitability of our potential customers. Federal and state lawmakers regularly propose and, at times, enact legislation that would result in significant changes to the healthcare system, some of which are intended to contain or reduce the costs of medical products and services. For example, one of the most significant healthcare reform measures in decades, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act (the “Affordable Care Act”), was enacted in 2010. The Affordable Care Act contains a number of provisions, including those governing enrollment in federal healthcare programs, reimbursement changes and fraud and abuse measures, all of which may impact existing government healthcare programs and result in the development of new programs. The Affordable Care Act imposed a 2.3 percent excise tax on sales of medical devices. The excise tax was suspended by statute twice before being repealed in December 2019. While this tax has been repealed, Congress could enact future legislation or further change the law related to the medical devise excise tax in a manner that could negatively impact our operating results. The financial impact such future taxes could have on our business is unclear.

Other significant measures contained in the Affordable Care Act include research on the comparative clinical effectiveness of different technologies and procedures, initiatives to revise Medicare payment methodologies, such as bundling of payments across the continuum of care by providers and physicians, and initiatives to promote quality indicators in payment methodologies. The Affordable Care Act also includes significant new fraud and abuse measures, including required disclosures of financial payments to and arrangements with physician customers, lower thresholds for violations and increasing potential penalties for such violations.

Since its enactment, there have been judicial and Congressional challenges to certain aspects of the Affordable Care Act. It remains unclear whether changes will be made to the Affordable Care Act, or whether it will be repealed or materially modified. There likely will continue to be legislative and regulatory proposals at the federal and state levels directed at containing or lowering the cost of healthcare. We cannot predict the initiatives that may be adopted in the future or their full impact. The continuing efforts of the government, insurance companies, managed care organizations and other payers of healthcare services to contain or reduce costs of healthcare may harm our ability to set a price that we believe is fair for our products, our ability to generate revenues and achieve or maintain profitability and the availability of capital.

If we fail to comply with healthcare regulations with respect to our current or future products, we could face substantial penalties and our business, operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Even though we do not and will not control referrals of healthcare services or bill directly to Medicare, Medicaid or other third party payers, certain federal and state healthcare laws and regulations pertaining to fraud and abuse and patients’ rights will be applicable to our business. We could be subject to healthcare fraud and abuse and patient privacy regulation by both the federal government and the states in which we conduct our business. The regulations that will affect how we operate include:

The Affordable Care Act, among other things, amends the intent requirement of the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute and criminal healthcare fraud statutes. A person or entity no longer needs to have actual knowledge of this statute or specific intent to violate it. In addition, the Affordable Care Act provides that the government may assert that a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the False Claims Act.

Efforts to ensure that our business arrangements will comply with applicable healthcare laws may involve substantial costs. It is possible that governmental and enforcement authorities will conclude that our business practices do not comply with current or future statutes, regulations or case law interpreting applicable fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and regulations. If any such actions are instituted against us, and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could have a significant impact on our business, including the imposition of civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, disgorgement, monetary fines, possible exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal and similar foreign healthcare programs, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings and curtailment of our operations, any of which could harm our ability to operate our business and our results of operations.

Failure to comply with privacy and security laws and regulations could result in fines, penalties and damage to our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business.

We are or may become subject to a number of federal and state laws and regulations protecting the use, disclosure, and confidentiality of certain patient health and personal information and restricting the use and disclosure of that protected information, including state breach notification laws, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009, and the California Consumer Privacy Act, among others.

HIPAA extensively regulates the use and disclosure of individually identifiable health information, known as “protected health information,” and require covered entities to implement administrative, physical and technical safeguards to protect the security of such information. Covered entities must report breaches of unsecured protected health information to affected individuals without unreasonable delay and notification must also be made to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office for Civil Rights (the “OCR”) and, in certain situations involving large breaches, to the media. Various U.S. state laws and regulations may also require us to notify affected individuals and state agencies in the event of a data breach involving individually identifiable information.

Compliance with HIPAA privacy regulations and security regulations is costly, and violations of the HIPAA privacy and security regulations may result in criminal and civil penalties. The OCR enforces the regulations and performs compliance audits. In addition to enforcement by OCR, state attorneys general are authorized to bring civil actions seeking either injunction or damages in response to violations that threaten the privacy of state residents. We also are or may become subject to state privacy-related laws, such as the CCPA, that are more restrictive than the privacy regulations issued under HIPAA. These laws vary and could impose additional penalties.

Risks Related to Owning Our Securities and Our Financial Results

Our quarterly and annual results may fluctuate significantly, may not fully reflect the underlying performance of our business and may result in decreases in the price of our securities.

Our financial condition and operating results may fluctuate significantly from quarter-to-quarter and year-to-year due to a variety of factors, some of which are beyond our control. Our operating results will be affected by numerous factors such as:

Any or all of these factors could adversely affect our cash position requiring us to raise additional capital, which may be on unfavorable terms and result in substantial dilution.

Our disclosure controls and procedures may not prevent or detect all errors or acts of fraud.

We are subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, and are required to maintain disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to reasonably assure that information required to be disclosed by us in reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified by the rules and forms of the SEC, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to management to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

As a public company, we are required to maintain internal control over financial reporting and to report any material weaknesses in those internal controls. Such internal controls are designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of a company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. We have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting at December 31, 2023. The material weakness relates to the ineffective design and operation of our financial close and reporting controls. Although we are making efforts to remediate this issue, these efforts may not be sufficient to avoid similar material weaknesses in the future. Designing and implementing internal controls over financial reporting may be time consuming, costly and complicated as we are a small organization with limited management resources.

If the material weakness in our internal controls is not fully remediated or if additional material weaknesses are identified, those material weaknesses could cause us to fail to meet our future reporting obligations, reduce the market’s confidence in our consolidated financial statements, harm our stock price and subject us to sanctions or investigations by Nasdaq, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. In addition, our common stock may not be able to remain listed on Nasdaq or any other securities exchange.

For as long as we are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, or a non-accelerated filer, as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act, our auditors will not be required to attest as to our internal control over financial reporting. If we continue to identify material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, are unable to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner, are unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective or, once required, our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to attest that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the market price of our common stock could decrease. We could also become subject to stockholder or other third-party litigation as well as investigations by the securities exchange on which our securities are listed, the SEC or other regulatory authorities, which could require additional financial and management resources and could result in fines, trading suspensions or other remedies.

Any 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. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that misstatements due to error or fraud will not occur or that all control issues and instances of fraud will be detected.

The issuance of additional stock in connection with financings, acquisitions, our equity incentive plan, upon exercise of outstanding warrants or otherwise will dilute our existing stockholders.

If we issue additional equity securities, our existing stockholders’ percentage ownership will be reduced and these stockholders may experience substantial dilution. We may also issue equity securities that provide for rights, preferences, and privileges senior to those of our common stock. Subject to compliance with applicable rules and regulations, we may issue our shares of common stock in connection with a financing, acquisition, our equity incentive plan, upon exercise of outstanding warrants or otherwise. Any such issuance could result in substantial dilution to our existing stockholders and cause the trading price of our common stock to decline.

Our stock price has fluctuated widely and is likely to continue to be volatile.

The market price for our common stock varied between a high of $2.10 and a low of $0.58 in the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2023. Our stock price is likely to continue to be volatile and subject to significant price and volume fluctuations in response to market and other factors, including those listed in this “Item 1A. Risk Factors” section and other, unknown factors. Among numerous other factors, our stock price also may be affected by:

In particular, the market prices of technology companies like ours have been highly volatile due to factors, including, but not limited to:

Any of these factors may result in large and sudden changes in the volume and trading price of our common stock. The stock market, generally, has from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are not related to the operating performance of particular companies. These market fluctuations may also materially and adversely affect the market price of shares of our common stock.

The daily trading volume of our common stock has historically been relatively low. If we are unable to develop and maintain a liquid market for our common stock, our shareholders may not be able to sell common stock at prices they consider to be fair or at times that are convenient, or at all. This situation may be attributable to a number of factors, including but not limited to the fact that we are a development-stage company that is relatively unknown to stock analysts, stock brokers, institutional investors, and others in the investor community. In addition, investors may be risk averse to investments in development-stage companies. The low trading volume is outside of our control and may not increase or, if it increases, may not be maintained. In addition, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, litigation has often been brought against that company and we may become the target of litigation as a result of price volatility. Litigation could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention and resources from our business. This could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our failure to meet the continued listing requirements of Nasdaq could result in a de-listing of our common stock.

Our common stock is currently traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”). On November 14, 2023, we were notified by Nasdaq that because the closing bid price for the Company’s common stock listed on Nasdaq was below $1.00 for 30 consecutive trading days, the Company no longer meets the minimum bid price requirement for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market under Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 5550(a)(2), requiring a minimum bid price of $1.00 per share (the “Minimum Bid Price Requirement”). In accordance with Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), (1) we will have a period of 180 calendar days from November 14, 2023, or until May 13, 2024, to regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement, (2) if at any time prior to May 13, 2024, the bid price of the Company’s common stock closes at or above $1.00 per share for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days, Nasdaq will provide written notification that the Company has achieved compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement and (3) in the event the Company does not regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement by May 13, 2024, the Company will be eligible for an additional 180-day period to regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement as long as it meets all other continued listing requirements, with the exception of the Minimum Bid Price Requirement. However, there can be no assurance that we will be afforded additional time to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement following the initial 180-day period or that we will regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement. If we are unable to regain compliance with Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 5550(a)(2) in a timely manner, Nasdaq will commence suspension and delisting procedures. If Nasdaq delists our common stock from trading on its exchange, among other things, it could lead to a number of negative implications, including reduced liquidity in our common stock, the loss of federal preemption of state securities laws, fewer business development opportunities and greater difficulty in obtaining financing.

Our Certificate of Incorporation designates specific courts as the exclusive forum for certain litigation that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us.

Our Third Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation specifies that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for most legal actions involving claims brought against us by stockholders; provided that, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, the rules and regulations thereunder or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction; and provided further that, if and only if the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware dismisses any such action for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, such action may be brought in another state or federal court sitting in the State of Delaware. Our Certificate of Incorporation further provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the provisions of our Certificate of Incorporation described above.

We believe these provisions benefit us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law by chancellors particularly experienced in resolving corporate disputes and in the application of the Securities Act by federal judges, as applicable, efficient administration of cases on a more expedited schedule relative to other forums and protection against the burdens of multi-forum litigation. However, the provisions may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors, officers, employees and agents as it may limit any stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that such stockholder finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or agents. The enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that, in connection with any applicable action brought against us, a court could find the choice of forum provisions contained in our Certificate of Incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in such action. If a court were to find the choice of forum provisions contained in our Certificate of Incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We have not paid dividends in the past and have no immediate plans to pay dividends.

We plan to reinvest all of our earnings, to the extent we have earnings, in order to further develop our technology and potential products and to cover operating costs. We do not plan to pay any cash dividends with respect to our securities in the foreseeable future. We may never generate sufficient surplus cash that would be available for distribution to the holders of our common stock as a dividend. Therefore, our shareholders should not expect to receive cash dividends on the common stock.

Concentration of ownership among our existing executive officers, directors and significant stockholders may prevent new investors from influencing significant corporate decisions.

All decisions with respect to the management of the Company will be made by our board of directors and our officers, who beneficially own approximately 10.5% of our common stock, as calculated in accordance with Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). In addition, Peter Appel, Leabman Holdings LLC and Emily Fairbairn beneficially own approximately 9.9%, 7.5% and 6.1%, respectively, as calculated in accordance with Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act. As a result, these stockholders will be able to exercise a significant level of control over all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors, amendment of our Certificate of Incorporation and approval of significant corporate transactions. This control could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of the Company or changes in management, in each case, which other stockholders might find favorable, and will make the approval of certain transactions difficult or impossible without the support of these significant stockholders.

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

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, and we expect to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, (i) being required to present only two years of audited financial statements and related financial disclosure, (ii) not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, (iii) extended transition periods for complying with new or revised accounting standards, (iv) reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and (v) exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. We have taken, and in the future may take, advantage of these exemptions until such time that we are no longer an “emerging growth company. We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive because we rely on these exemptions. 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 the price of our common stock may be more volatile.

We will remain an “emerging growth company” through December 31, 2026, although we will lose that status sooner if our annual revenues exceed $1.07 billion, if we issue more than $1 billion in non-convertible debt in a three-year period, or if the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of any June 30.

We are incurring significant costs as a public company that reports to the SEC and our management is required to devote substantial time to meet compliance obligations.

As a public company listed in the United States, we incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. We are subject to reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, as well as rules subsequently implemented by the SEC and Nasdaq that impose significant requirements on public companies, including requiring the establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls and changes in corporate governance practices. In addition, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Protection Act includes significant corporate governance and executive compensation-related provisions that have and will continue to increase our legal and financial compliance costs, make some activities more difficult, time-consuming or costly and may also place undue strain on our personnel, systems and resources. Our management and other personnel must devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. In addition, these rules and regulations may make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. As a result, it may be more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified people to serve on our board of directors, our board committees or as executive officers.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research reports about our business, or if they issue an adverse opinion about our business, the price of our common stock and trading volume could decline.

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

Our charter documents and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover that stockholders consider favorable.

Our Certificate of Incorporation and bylaws and applicable provisions of Delaware law may delay or discourage transactions involving an actual or potential change in control or change in our management, including transactions in which stockholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares, or transactions that our stockholders might otherwise deem to be in their best interests. The provisions in our Certificate of Incorporation and bylaws:

In addition, section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law may limit our ability to engage in any business combination with a person who beneficially owns 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock unless certain conditions are satisfied. This restriction lasts for a period of three years following the share acquisition. These provisions may have the effect of entrenching our management team and may deprive our shareholders of the opportunity to sell shares to potential acquirers at a premium over prevailing prices. This potential inability to obtain a control premium could reduce the price of our common stock.