Item 1.A.Risk Factors.
Summary of Risk Factors
In addition to the other information contained in this Annual Report, the following risks have the potential to impact the business and operations of CXApp. An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described in this Annual Report, together with the other information contained in this Annual Report. These risk factors are not exhaustive and all investors are encouraged to perform their own investigation with respect to the business, financial condition and prospects of CXApp. The occurrence of any of the following risks or additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe are immaterial could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and future growth prospects. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. Such risks include, but are not limited to, the following. Unless the context otherwise requires, all references in this subsection to the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our” refer to the business of CXApp.
14
Table of Contents
Risks Relating to our Business
We have a history of operating losses and there is no assurance that we will ever be able to earn sufficient revenue to achieve profitability or raise additional financing to successfully operate our business plan.
We have a history of operating losses and may not earn sufficient revenue to support our operations. We have incurred recurring net losses of approximately $29.2 million and $42.0 million for the fiscal years ended 2022 and 2021, respectively. Our continuation is dependent upon attaining and maintaining profitable operations and raising additional capital as needed, but there can be no assurance that we will be able to raise any further financing.
Our ability to generate positive cash flow from operations is dependent upon sustaining certain cost reductions and generating sufficient revenues. Our operations have primarily been funded by our previous parent company with proceeds from public and private offerings of capital stock and secured and unsecured debt instruments. Based on our current business plan, we may need additional capital to support our operations, which may be satisfied with additional debt or equity financings. Future financings through equity offerings will be dilutive to existing stockholders. In addition, the terms of securities we may issue in future capital transactions may be more favorable to new investors than our current investors. Newly issued securities may include preferences, superior voting rights, and the issuance of warrants or other derivative securities. We may also issue incentive awards under our equity incentive plans, which may have additional dilutive effects. We may also be required to recognize non-cash expenses in connection with certain securities we may issue in the future such as convertible notes and warrants, which would adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations. Our ability to obtain needed financing may be impaired by factors, including the condition of the economy and capital markets, both generally and specifically in our industry, and the fact that we are not profitable, which could affect the availability or cost of future financing. If the amount of capital we are able to raise from financing activities, together with our revenues from operations, is not sufficient to satisfy our capital needs, we may need to reduce our operations by, for example, selling certain assets or business segments.
Failure to manage or protect growth may be detrimental to our business because our infrastructure may not be adequate for expansion.
Our corporate strategy contemplates potential future acquisitions and to the extent we acquire other businesses, we will also need to integrate and assimilate new operations, technologies and personnel. The integration of new personnel will continue to result in some disruption to ongoing operations. The ability to effectively manage growth in a rapidly evolving market requires effective planning and management processes. We will need to continue to improve operational, financial and managerial controls, reporting systems and procedures, and will need to continue to expand, train and manage our work force. There can be no assurance that we would be able to accomplish such an expansion on a timely basis. If we are unable to effect any required expansion and are unable to perform our contracts on a timely and satisfactory basis, our reputation and eligibility to secure additional contracts in the future could be damaged. The failure to perform could also result in contract terminations and significant liability. Any such result would adversely affect our business and financial condition.
We will need to increase the size of our organization, and we may experience difficulties in managing growth, which could hurt our financial performance.
In order to manage our future growth, we will need to continue to improve our management, operational and financial controls and our reporting systems and procedures. All of these measures will require significant expenditures and will demand the attention of management. If we do not continue to enhance our management personnel and our operational and financial systems and controls in response to growth in our business, we could experience operating inefficiencies that could impair our competitive position and could increase our costs more than we had planned. If we are unable to manage growth effectively, our business, financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected.
15
Table of Contents
Our business depends on experienced and skilled personnel, and if we are unable to attract and integrate skilled personnel, it will be more difficult for us to manage our business and complete contracts.
The success of our business depends on the skill of our personnel. Accordingly, it is critical that we maintain, and continue to build, a highly experienced management team and specialized workforce, including those who create software programs and sales professionals. Competition for personnel with skill sets specific to our industry is high, and identifying candidates with the appropriate qualifications can be costly and difficult. We may not be able to hire the necessary personnel to implement our business strategy given our anticipated hiring needs, or we may need to provide higher compensation or more training to our personnel than we currently anticipate.
Our business is labor intensive and our success depends on our ability to attract, retain, train and motivate highly skilled employees, including employees who may become part of our organization in connection with our acquisitions. The increase in demand for consulting, technology integration and managed services has further increased the need for employees with specialized skills or significant experience in these areas. Our ability to expand our operations will be highly dependent on our ability to attract a sufficient number of highly skilled employees and to retain our employees and the employees of companies that we have acquired. We may not be successful in attracting and retaining enough employees to achieve our desired expansion or staffing plans. Furthermore, the industry turnover rates for these types of employees are high and we may not be successful in retaining, training or motivating our employees. Any inability to attract, retain, train and motivate employees could impair our ability to adequately manage and complete existing projects and to accept new customer engagements. Such inability may also force us to increase our hiring of independent contractors, which may increase our costs and reduce our profitability on customer engagements. We must also devote substantial managerial and financial resources to monitoring and managing our workforce. Our future success will depend on our ability to manage the levels and related costs of our workforce.
In the event we are unable to attract, hire and retain the requisite personnel and subcontractors, we may experience delays in completing contracts in accordance with project schedules and budgets, which may have an adverse effect on our financial results, harm our reputation and cause us to curtail our pursuit of new contracts. Further, any increase in demand for personnel may result in higher costs, causing us to exceed the budget on a contract, which in turn may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results and harm our relationships with our customers.
Any future acquisitions that we may make could disrupt our business, cause dilution to our stockholders and harm our business, financial condition or operating results.
If we are successful in consummating acquisitions, those acquisitions could subject us to a number of risks, including, but not limited to:
16
Table of Contents
We cannot assure you that, following any acquisition, our continued business will achieve sales levels, profitability, efficiencies or synergies that justify the acquisition or that the acquisition will result in increased earnings for us in any future period. These factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.
Insurance and contractual protections may not always cover lost revenue, increased expenses or liquidated damages payments, which could adversely affect our financial results.
Although we maintain insurance and intend to obtain warranties from suppliers, obligate subcontractors to meet certain performance levels and attempt, where feasible, to pass risks we cannot control to our customers, the proceeds of such insurance or the warranties, performance guarantees or risk sharing arrangements may not be adequate to cover lost revenue, increased expenses or liquidated damages payments that may be required in the future.
We may be subject to damages resulting from claims that we or our employees have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of their former employers.
We may be subject to claims that we and our employees may have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed trade secrets or other proprietary information of former employers or competitors. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. We may be subject to unexpected claims of infringement of third party intellectual property rights, either for intellectual property rights of which we are not aware, or for which we believe are invalid or narrower in scope than the accusing party. Even if we are successful in defending against these claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management. If we fail in defending such claims, in addition to paying money claims, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel or be enjoined from selling certain products or providing certain services. A loss of key research personnel or their work product could hamper or prevent our ability to commercialize certain products, which could severely harm our business.
Adverse judgments or settlements in legal proceedings could materially harm our business, financial condition, operating results and cash flows.
We may be a party to claims that arise from time to time in the ordinary course of our business, which may include those related to, for example, contracts, sub-contracts, protection of confidential information or trade secrets, adversary proceedings arising from customer bankruptcies, employment of our workforce and immigration requirements or compliance with any of a wide array of state and federal statutes, rules and regulations that pertain to different aspects of our business. We may also be required to initiate expensive litigation or other proceedings to protect our business interests. There is a risk that we will not be successful or otherwise be able to satisfactorily resolve any such claims or litigation. In addition, litigation and other legal claims are subject to inherent uncertainties. Those uncertainties include, but are not limited to, litigation costs and attorneys’ fees, unpredictable judicial or jury decisions and the differing laws and judicial proclivities regarding damage awards among the states in which we operate. Unexpected outcomes in such legal proceedings, or changes in management’s evaluation or predictions of the likely outcomes of such proceedings (possibly resulting in changes in established reserves), could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Due to recurring losses and net capital deficiency, our current financial status may increase our default and litigation risks and may make us more financially vulnerable in the face of threatened litigation.
The loss of key personnel may adversely affect our operations.
Our success depends to a significant extent upon the operation, experience, and continued services of certain of our officers, and other key personnel. While our key personnel are employed under employment contracts, there is no assurance we will be able to retain their services. The loss of our key personnel could have an adverse effect on us. If certain of our executive officers were to leave we would face substantial difficulty in hiring a qualified successor and could experience a loss in productivity while any successor obtains the necessary training and experience. Furthermore, we do not maintain “key person” life insurance on the lives of any executive officer and their death or incapacity would have a material adverse effect on us. The competition for qualified personnel is intense, and the loss of services of certain key personnel could adversely affect our business.
17
Table of Contents
Internal system or service failures could disrupt our business and impair our ability to effectively provide our services and products to our customers, which could damage our reputation and adversely affect our revenues and profitability.
Any system or service disruptions, on our hosted cloud infrastructure or those caused by ongoing projects to improve our information technology systems and the delivery of services, if not anticipated and appropriately mitigated, could have a material adverse effect on our business including, among other things, an adverse effect on our ability to bill our customers for work performed on our contracts, collect the amounts that have been billed and produce accurate financial statements in a timely manner. We are also subject to systems failures, including network, software or hardware failures, whether caused by us, third-party service providers, cyber security threats, natural disasters, power shortages, terrorist attacks or other events, which could cause loss of data and interruptions or delays in our business, cause us to incur remediation costs, subject us to claims and damage our reputation. In addition, the failure or disruption of our communications or utilities could cause us to interrupt or suspend our operations or otherwise adversely affect our business. Our property and business interruption insurance may be inadequate to compensate us for all losses that may occur as a result of any system or operational failure or disruption and, as a result, our future results could be adversely affected.
Systems failures could damage our reputation and adversely affect our revenues and profitability.
Many of the systems and networks that we develop, install and maintain for our customers on premise or host on our infrastructure involve managing and protecting confidential information and other sensitive corporate and government information. While we have programs designed to comply with relevant privacy and security laws and restrictions, if a system or network that we develop, install or maintain were to fail or experience a security breach or service interruption, whether caused by us, third-party service providers, cyber security threats or other events, we may experience loss of revenue, remediation costs or face claims for damages or contract termination. Any such event could cause serious harm to our reputation and prevent us from having access to or being eligible for further work on such systems and networks. Our errors and omissions liability insurance may be inadequate to compensate us for all of the damages that we may incur and, as a result, our future results could be adversely affected.
We may enter into joint venture, teaming and other arrangements, and these activities involve risks and uncertainties. A failure of any such relationship could have material adverse results on our business and results of operations.
We may enter into joint venture, teaming and other arrangements. These activities involve risks and uncertainties, including the risk of the joint venture or applicable entity failing to satisfy its obligations, which may result in certain liabilities to us for guarantees and other commitments, the challenges in achieving strategic objectives and expected benefits of the business arrangement, the risk of conflicts arising between us and our partners and the difficulty of managing and resolving such conflicts, and the difficulty of managing or otherwise monitoring such business arrangements. A failure of our business relationships could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Our business and operations expose us to numerous legal and regulatory requirements and any violation of these requirements could harm our business.
We are subject to numerous federal, state and foreign legal requirements on matters as diverse as data privacy and protection, employment and labor relations, immigration, taxation, anticorruption, import/export controls, trade restrictions, internal control and disclosure control obligations, securities regulation and anti-competition. Compliance with diverse and changing legal requirements is costly, time-consuming and requires significant resources. We are also focused on expanding our business in certain identified growth areas, such as health information technology, energy and environment, which are highly regulated and may expose us to increased compliance risk. Violations of one or more of these diverse legal requirements in the conduct of our business could result in significant fines and other damages, criminal sanctions against us or our officers, prohibitions on doing business and damage to our reputation. Violations of these regulations or contractual obligations related to regulatory compliance in connection with the performance of customer contracts could also result in liability for significant monetary damages, fines and/or criminal prosecution, unfavorable publicity and other reputational damage, restrictions on our ability to compete for certain work and allegations by our customers that we have not performed our contractual obligations.
18
Table of Contents
If we do not adequately protect our intellectual property rights, we may experience a loss of revenue and our operations and growth prospects may be materially harmed.
We have not registered copyrights on any of the software we have developed, and while we may register copyrights in the software if needed before bringing suit for copyright infringement, such registration can introduce delays before suit of over three years and can constrain damages for infringement. We rely upon confidentiality agreements signed by our employees, consultants and third parties to protect our intellectual property. We cannot assure you that we can adequately protect our intellectual property or successfully prosecute actual or potential infringement of our intellectual property rights. In addition, we cannot assure you that others will not assert rights in, or ownership of, trademarks and other proprietary rights of ours or that we will be able to successfully resolve these types of conflicts to our satisfaction. Our failure to protect our intellectual property rights may result in a loss of revenue and could materially adversely affect our operations and financial condition.
In addition, any patents issued in the future may not provide us with any competitive advantages, and our patent applications may never be granted. The process of obtaining patent protection is expensive and time-consuming, and we may not be able to prosecute all necessary or desirable patent applications at a reasonable cost or in a timely manner. Even if issued, there can be no assurance that these patents will adequately protect our intellectual property, as the legal standards relating to the validity, enforceability and scope of protection of patent and other intellectual property rights are complex and often uncertain and are subject to change that can affect validity of patents issued under previous legal standards, particularly with respect to the law of subject matter eligibility. Our inability to protect our property rights could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and growth prospects.
Our proprietary software is protected by common law copyright laws, as opposed to registration under copyright statutes. We have not registered copyrights on any of the proprietary software we have developed. Our performance and ability to compete are dependent to a significant degree on our proprietary technology. Common law protection may be narrower than that which we could obtain under registered copyrights. As a result, we may experience difficulty in enforcing our copyrights against certain third party infringements. As part of our confidentiality-protection procedures, we generally enter into agreements with our employees and consultants and limit access to, and distribution of, our software, documentation and other proprietary information. There can be no assurance that the steps we have taken will prevent misappropriation of our technology or that agreements entered into for that purpose will be enforceable. The laws of other countries may afford us little or no protection of our intellectual property. We also rely on a variety of technology that we license from third parties. There can be no assurance that these third party technology licenses will continue to be available to us on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. The loss of or inability to maintain or obtain upgrades to any of these technology licenses could result in delays in completing software enhancements and new development until equivalent technology could be identified, licensed or developed and integrated. Any such delays would materially and adversely affect our business.
The growth of our business is dependent on increasing sales to our existing customers and obtaining new customers, which, if unsuccessful, could limit our financial performance.
Our ability to increase revenues from existing customers by identifying additional opportunities to sell more of our products and services and our ability to obtain new customers depends on a number of factors, including our ability to offer high quality products and services at competitive prices, the strength of our competitors and the capabilities of our sales and marketing departments. If we are not able to continue to increase sales of our products and services to existing customers or to obtain new customers in the future, we may not be able to increase our revenues and could suffer a decrease in revenues as well.
Our competitiveness depends significantly on our ability to keep pace with the rapid changes in our industry. Failure to anticipate and meet our customers’ technological needs could adversely affect our competitiveness and growth prospects.
We operate and compete in an industry characterized by rapid technological innovation, changing customer needs, evolving industry standards and frequent introductions of new products, product enhancements, services and distribution methods. Our success depends on our ability to develop expertise with these new products, product enhancements, services and distribution methods and to implement solutions that anticipate and respond to rapid changes in technology, the industry, and customer needs. The introduction of new products, product enhancements and distribution methods could decrease demand for current products or render them obsolete. Sales of products and services can be dependent on demand for specific product categories, and any change in demand for or supply of such products could have a material adverse effect on our net sales if we fail to adapt to such changes in a timely manner.
19
Table of Contents
There can be no assurances that consumer or commercial demand for our future products will meet, or even approach, our expectations. In addition, our pricing and marketing strategies may not be successful. Lack of customer demand, a change in marketing strategy and changes to our pricing models could dramatically alter our financial results. Unless we are able to release location based products that meet a significant market demand, we will not be able to improve our financial condition or the results of our future operations.
If we are unable to sell additional products and services to our customers and increase our overall customer base, our future revenue and operating results may suffer.
Our future success depends, in part, on our ability to expand the deployment of technologies with existing customers and finding new customers to sell our products and services to. This may require increasingly sophisticated and costly sales efforts and may not result in additional sales. In addition, the rate at which our customers purchase additional products and services, and our ability to attract new customers, depends on a number of factors, including the perceived need for indoor mapping products and services, as well as general economic conditions. If our efforts to sell additional products and services are not successful, our business may suffer.
We operate in a highly competitive market and we may be required to reduce the prices for some of our products and services to remain competitive, which could adversely affect our results of operations.
Our industry is developing rapidly and related technology trends are constantly evolving. In this environment, we face, among other things, significant price competition from our competitors. As a result, we may be forced to reduce the prices of the products and services we sell in response to offerings made by our competitors and may not be able to maintain the level of bargaining power that we have enjoyed in the past when negotiating the prices of our products and services.
Our profitability is dependent on the prices we are able to charge for our products and services. The prices we are able to charge for our products and services are affected by a number of factors, including:
● introduction of new products or services by us or our competitors;
● our competitors’ pricing policies;
● procurement practices of our customers; and
● general economic and political conditions.
If we are not able to maintain favorable pricing for our products and services, our results of operations could be adversely affected.
A delay in the completion of our customers’ budget processes could delay purchases of our products and services and have an adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.
We rely on our customers to purchase products and services from us to maintain and increase our earnings, and customer purchases are frequently subject to budget constraints, multiple approvals and unplanned administrative, processing and other delays. If sales expected from a specific customer are not realized when anticipated or at all, our results could fall short of public expectations and our business, operating results and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.
Digital threats such as cyber-attacks, data protection breaches, computer viruses or malware may disrupt our operations, harm our operating results and damage our reputation, and cyber-attacks or data protection breaches on our customers’ networks, or in cloud-based services provided by or enabled by us, could result in liability for us, damage our reputation or otherwise harm our business.
Despite our implementation of network security measures, the products and services we sell to customers, and our servers, data centers and the cloud based solutions on which our data, and data of our customers, suppliers and business partners are stored, are vulnerable to cyber-attacks, data protection breaches, computer viruses, and similar disruptions from unauthorized tampering or human
20
Table of Contents
error. Any such event could compromise our networks or those of our customers, and the information stored on our networks or those of our customers could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost or stolen, which could subject us to liability to our customers, business partners and others, and could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition and may cause damage to our reputation. Efforts to limit the ability of malicious third parties to disrupt the operations of the Internet or undermine our own security efforts may be costly to implement and meet with resistance, and may not be successful. Breaches of network security in our customers’ networks, or in cloud based services provided by or enabled by us, regardless of whether the breach is attributable to a vulnerability in our products or services, could result in liability for us, damage our reputation or otherwise harm our business.
Any failures or interruptions in our services or systems could damage our reputation and substantially harm our business and results of operations.
Our success depends in part on our ability to provide reliable remote services, technology integration and managed services to our customers. The operations of our cloud based applications and analytics are susceptible to damage or interruption from human error, fire, flood, power loss, telecommunications failure, terrorist attacks and similar events. We could also experience failures or interruptions of our systems and services, or other problems in connection with our operations, as a result of:
● damage to or failure of our computer software or hardware or our connections;
● errors in the processing of data by our systems;
● computer viruses or software defects;
● errors by our employees or third-party service providers.
Any production interruptions for any reason, such as a natural disaster, epidemic, capacity shortages, or quality problems, at one of our manufacturing partners would negatively affect sales of product lines manufactured by that manufacturing partner and adversely affect our business and operating results.
Any interruptions in our systems or services could damage our reputation and substantially harm our business and results of operations. While we maintain disaster recovery plans and insurance with coverage we believe to be adequate, claims may exceed insurance coverage limits, may not be covered by insurance or insurance may not continue to be available on commercially reasonable terms.
We rely on a limited number of key customers, the importance of which may vary dramatically from year to year, and a loss of one or more of these key customers may adversely affect our operating results.
Our top three customers accounted for approximately 27% of our gross revenue during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021. One customer accounted for 11% of our gross revenue in 2022, and a separate customer accounted for 12% of our gross revenue in 2021; however, each of these customers may or may not continue to be a significant contributor to revenue in 2023. The loss of a significant amount of business from one of our major customers would materially and adversely affect our results of operations until such time, if ever, as we are able to replace the lost business. Significant customers or projects in any one period may not continue to be significant customers or projects in other periods. To the extent that we are dependent on any single customer, we are subject to the risks faced by that customer to the extent that such risks impede the customer’s ability to stay in business and make timely payments to us.
21
Table of Contents
We may need additional cash financing and any failure to obtain cash financing, could limit our ability to grow our business and develop or enhance our service offerings to respond to market demand or competitive challenges.
While we believe that we have sufficient cash funds to satisfy our working capital needs for the next 12 months, we expect that we may need to raise funds in order to continue our operations and implement our plans to grow our business. However, if we decide to seek additional capital, we may be unable to obtain financing on terms that are acceptable to us or at all. If we are unable to raise the required cash, our ability to grow our business and develop or enhance our service offerings to respond to market demand or competitive challenges could be limited.
If we cannot collect our receivables or if payment is delayed, our business may be adversely affected by our inability to generate cash flow, provide working capital or continue our business operations.
Our business depends on our ability to successfully obtain payment from our customers of the amounts they owe us for products received from us and any work performed by us. The timely collection of our receivables allows us to generate cash flow, provide working capital and continue our business operations. Our customers may fail to pay or delay the payment of invoices for a number of reasons, including financial difficulties resulting from macroeconomic conditions or lack of an approved budget. An extended delay or default in payment relating to a significant account will have a material and adverse effect on the aging schedule and turnover days of our accounts receivable. If we are unable to timely collect our receivables from our customers for any reason, our business and financial condition could be adversely affected.
If our products fail to satisfy customer demands or to achieve increased market acceptance our results of operations, financial condition and growth prospects could be materially adversely affected.
The market acceptance of our products are critical to our continued success. Demand for our products is affected by a number of factors beyond our control, including continued market acceptance, the timing of development and release of new products by competitors, technological change, and growth or decline in the mobile device management market. We expect the proliferation of mobile devices to lead to an increase in the data security demands of our customers, and our products may not be able to scale and perform to meet those demands. If we are unable to continue to meet customer demands or to achieve more widespread market acceptance of these products, our business operations, financial results and growth prospects will be materially and adversely affected.
Defects, errors, or vulnerabilities in our products or services or the failure of such products or services to prevent a security breach, could harm our reputation and adversely affect our results of operations.
Because our location based security products and services are complex, they have contained and may contain design or manufacturing defects or errors that are not detected until after their commercial release and deployment by customers. Defects may cause such products to be vulnerable to advanced persistent threats (“APTs”) or security attacks, cause them to fail to help secure information or temporarily interrupt customers’ networking traffic. Because the techniques used by hackers to access sensitive information change frequently and generally are not recognized until launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques and provide a solution in time to protect customers’ data. In addition, defects or errors in our subscription updates or products could result in a failure to effectively update customers’ hardware products and thereby leave customers vulnerable to APTs or security attacks.
Any defects, errors or vulnerabilities in our products could result in:
● delayed or lost revenue;
● loss of existing or potential customers or partners;
22
Table of Contents
Our current research and development efforts may not produce successful products or features that result in significant revenue, cost savings or other benefits in the near future. If we do not realize significant revenue from our research and development efforts, our business and operating results could be adversely affected.
Developing products and related enhancements in our field is expensive. Investments in research and development may not result in significant design improvements, marketable products or features or may result in products that are more expensive than anticipated. We may not achieve the cost savings or the anticipated performance improvements expected, and we may take longer to generate revenue from products in development, or generate less revenue than expected.
Our future plans include significant investments in research and development and related product opportunities. Our management believes that we must continue to dedicate a significant amount of resources to research and development efforts to maintain a competitive position. However, we may not receive significant revenue from these investments in the near future, or these investments may not yield the expected benefits, either of which could adversely affect our business and operating results.
Global events such as the lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other general economic factors may impact our results of operations.
While the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is generally subsiding, the lasting impact on our business and results of operations continues to remain uncertain. While we were able to continue operations remotely
throughout the pandemic, we have and may continue to see a continued impact of the pandemic in the deployment and implementation of our products and services as return to office initiatives remain ongoing. In addition, other global events, such as the recent military conflict between Russian and Ukraine and other general economic factors that are beyond our control beyond our control may impact our results of operations. These factors can include interest rates; recession; inflation; unemployment trends; the threat or possibility of war, terrorism or other global or national unrest; political or financial instability; and other matters that influence our customers spending. Increasing volatility in financial markets and changes in the economic climate could adversely affect our results of operation. While we have been able to realize growth in the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, the impact that these global events will have on general economic conditions is continuously evolving and the ultimate impact that they will have on our results of operations continues to remain uncertain. There are no assurances that we will be able to continue to experience the same growth or not be materially adversely effected.
Our international business exposes us to geo-political and economic factors, legal and regulatory requirements, public health and other risks associated with doing business in foreign countries.
We provide our products and services to customers worldwide. These risks differ from and potentially may be greater than those associated with our domestic business.
Our international business is sensitive to changes in the priorities and budgets of international customers and geo-political uncertainties, which may be driven by changes in threat environments and potentially volatile worldwide economic conditions, various regional and local economic and political factors, risks and uncertainties, as well as U.S. foreign policy.
Our international sales are also subject to local government laws, regulations and procurement policies and practices, which may differ from U.S. Government regulations, including regulations relating to import-export control, investments, exchange controls and repatriation of earnings, as well as to varying currency, geo-political and economic risks. Our international contracts may include industrial cooperation agreements requiring specific in-country purchases, manufacturing agreements or financial support obligations, known as offset obligations, and provide for penalties if we fail to meet such requirements. Our international contracts may also be subject to termination at the customer’s convenience or for default based on performance, and may be subject to funding risks. We also are exposed to risks associated with using foreign representatives and consultants for international sales and operations and teaming with international subcontractors, partners and suppliers in connection with international programs. As a result of these factors, we could experience award and funding delays on international programs and could incur losses on such programs, which could negatively affect our results of operations and financial condition.
23
Table of Contents
We are also subject to a number of other risks including:
● multiple and possibly overlapping and conflicting tax laws;
● restrictions on movement of cash;
● the burdens of complying with a variety of national and local laws;
● political instability;
● currency fluctuations;
● longer payment cycles;
● restrictions on the import and export of certain technologies;
● price controls or restrictions on exchange of foreign currencies; and
● trade barriers.
In addition, our international operations (or those of our business partners) could be subject to natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, typhoons and volcanic eruptions that disrupt manufacturing or other operations. There may be conflict or uncertainty in the countries in which we operate, including public health issues (for example, an outbreak of a contagious disease such as 2019-Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), avian influenza, measles or Ebola), safety issues, natural disasters, fire, disruptions of service from utilities, nuclear power plant accidents or general economic or political factors. With respect to political factors, the United Kingdom’s 2016 referendum, commonly referred to as “Brexit,” has created economic and political uncertainty in the European Union. Also, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation imposes significant new requirements on how we collect, process and transfer personal data, as well as significant fines for non-compliance. Any of the above risks, should they occur, could result in an increase in the cost of components, production delays, general business interruptions, delays from difficulties in obtaining export licenses for certain technology, tariffs and other barriers and restrictions, longer payment cycles, increased taxes, restrictions on the repatriation of funds and the burdens of complying with a variety of foreign laws, any of which could ultimately have a material adverse effect on our business.
Difficult conditions in the global capital markets and the economy generally may materially adversely affect our business and results of operations, and we do not expect these conditions to improve in the near future.
Our results of operations are materially affected by conditions in the global capital markets and the economy generally, both in the U.S. and elsewhere around the world. Weak economic conditions generally, sustained uncertainty about global economic conditions, or a prolonged or further tightening of credit markets could cause our customers and potential customers to postpone or reduce spending on technology products or services or put downward pressure on prices, which could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows. Concerns over inflation, energy costs, geopolitical issues and the availability of credit, in the U.S. have contributed to increased volatility and diminished expectations for the economy and the markets going forward. These factors, combined with volatile oil prices and wavering business and consumer confidence, have precipitated an economic slowdown and uncertain global outlook. Domestic and international equity markets have been experiencing heightened volatility and turmoil. These events and the continuing market upheavals may have an adverse effect on our business. In the event of extreme prolonged market events, such as the global economic recovery, we could incur significant losses.
24
Table of Contents
Changes in U.S. administrative policy, including changes to existing trade agreements and any resulting changes in international relations, could adversely affect our financial performance and supply chain economics.
As a result of changes to U.S. administrative policy, among other possible changes, there may (i) changes to existing trade agreements; (ii) greater restrictions on free trade generally; and (iii) significant increases in tariffs on goods imported into the United States, particularly those manufactured in China. China is currently a leading global source of hardware products, including the hardware products that we use. In January 2020, the U.S. and China entered into Phase One of the Economic and Trade Agreement Between the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China (the “Phase One Trade Agreement”). The Phase One Trade Agreement takes steps to ease certain trade tensions between the U.S. and China, including tensions involving intellectual property theft and forced intellectual property transfers by China. Although the Phase One Trade Agreement is an encouraging sign of progress in the trade negotiations between the U.S. and China, questions still remain as to the enforcement of its terms, the resolution of a number of other points of dispute between the parties, and the prevention of further tensions. If the U.S.-China trade dispute re-escalates or relations between the United States and China deteriorate, these conditions could adversely affect our ability to source our hardware products and therefore our ability to manufacture our products. Our ability to manufacture our products could also be affected by economic uncertainty, in China or by our failure to establish a positive reputation and relationships in China. The occurrence of any of these events could have an adverse effect on our ability to source the components necessary to manufacture our products, which, in turn, could cause our long-term business, financial condition and operating results to be materially adversely affected.
There is also a possibility of future tariffs, trade protection measures, import or export regulations or other restrictions imposed on our products or on our customers by the United States, China or other countries that could have a material adverse effect on our business. A significant trade disruption or the establishment or increase of any tariffs, trade protection measures or restrictions could result in lost sales adversely impacting our reputation and business. A trade war, other governmental action related to tariffs or international trade agreements, changes in U.S. social, political, regulatory and economic conditions or in laws and policies governing foreign trade, manufacturing, development and investment in the territories and countries where we currently do business or any resulting negative sentiments towards the United States could adversely affect our supply chain economics, consolidated revenue, earnings and cash flow.
We intend to use and leverage open source technology in which may create risks of security weaknesses.
Some parts of our technology may be based on open-source technology. There is a risk that the development team or other third parties may intentionally or unintentionally introduce weaknesses or bugs into the core infrastructure elements of our technology solutions interfering with the use of such technology or causing loss to us.
We may not be able to develop new products or enhance our product to keep pace with our industry’s rapidly changing technology and customer requirements.
The industry in which we operate is characterized by rapid technological changes, new product introductions, enhancements, and evolving industry standards. Our business prospects depend on our ability to develop new products and applications for our technology in new markets that develop as a result of technological and scientific advances, while improving performance and cost-effectiveness. New technologies, techniques or products could emerge that might offer better combinations of price and performance than the blockchain technology solutions that are being developed by us. It is important that we anticipate changes in technology and market demand. If we do not successfully innovate and introduce new technology into our anticipated technology solutions or effectively manage the transitions of our technology to new product offerings, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be harmed.
Domestic and foreign government regulation and enforcement of data practices and data tracking technologies is expansive, broadly defined and rapidly evolving. Such regulation could directly restrict portions of our business or indirectly affect our business by constraining our customers’ use of our technology and services or limiting the growth of our markets.
Federal, state, municipal and/or foreign governments and agencies have adopted and could in the future adopt, modify, apply or enforce laws, policies, and regulations covering user privacy, data security, technologies that are used to collect, store and/or process data, and/or the collection, use, processing, transfer, storage and/or disclosure of data associated with individuals. The categories of data regulated under these laws vary widely, are often broadly defined, and subject to new applications or interpretation by regulators. The uncertainty and inconsistency among these laws, coupled with a lack of guidance as to how these laws will be applied to current and emerging indoor positioning analytics technologies, creates a risk that regulators, lawmakers or other third parties, such as potential plaintiffs, may assert claims, pursue investigations or audits, or engage in civil or criminal enforcement. These actions could limit the
25
Table of Contents
market for our services and technologies or impose burdensome requirements on our services and/or customers’ use of our services, thereby rendering our business unprofitable.
Some features of our services may trigger the data protection requirements of certain foreign jurisdictions, such as the EU General Data Protection Regulation (the “GDPR”), and the EU ePrivacy Directive. In addition, our services may be subject to regulation under current or future laws or regulations. For instance, the EU ePrivacy Directive is soon to be replaced in its entirety by the ePrivacy Regulation, which will bring with it an updated set of rules relevant to many aspects of our business. If our treatment of data, privacy practices or data security measures fail to comply with these current or future laws and regulations in any of the jurisdictions in which we collect and/or process information, we may be subject to litigation, regulatory investigations, civil or criminal enforcement, financial penalties, audits or other liabilities in such jurisdictions, or our customers may terminate their relationships with us. In addition, data protection laws, such as the GDPR, foreign court judgments or regulatory actions could affect our ability to transfer, process and/or receive transnational data that is critical to our operations, including data relating to users, customers, or partners outside the United States. For instance, the GDPR restricts transfers of personal data outside of the European Economic Area, including to the United States, subject to certain requirements. Such data protection laws, judgments or actions could affect the manner in which we provide our services or adversely affect our financial results if foreign customers and partners are not able to lawfully transfer data to us.
This area of the law is currently under intense government scrutiny and many governments, including the U.S. government, are considering a variety of proposed regulations that would restrict or impact the conditions under which data obtained from individuals could be collected, processed, stored, transferred, sold or shared with third parties. In addition, regulators such as the Federal Trade Commission and the California Attorney General are continually proposing new regulations and interpreting and applying existing regulations in new ways. For example, in June 2018, California passed the California Consumer Privacy Act (the “CCPA”), which provides new data privacy rights for consumers and new informational, disclosure and operational requirements for companies, effective January 2020. Fines for non-compliance may be up to $7,500 per violation. The burdens imposed by the GDPR and CCPA, and changes to existing laws or new laws regulating the solicitation, collection, processing, or sharing of personal and consumer information, and consumer protection could affect our customers’ utilization of our services and technology and could potentially reduce demand, or impose restrictions that make it more difficult or expensive for us to provide our services.
In addition, ongoing legal challenges in Europe to the mechanisms allowing companies to transfer personal data from the European Economic Area to the United States could result in further limitations on the ability to transfer data across borders, particularly if governments are unable or unwilling to reach new or maintain existing agreements that support cross-border data transfers, such as the EU-U.S. and Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield frameworks and the European Commission’s Model Contractual Clauses, each of which are currently under particular scrutiny. Additionally, certain countries have passed or are considering passing laws requiring local data residency. The costs of compliance with, and other burdens imposed by, privacy laws, regulations and standards may limit the use and adoption of our services, reduce overall demand for our services, make it more difficult to meet expectations from or commitments to customers, lead to significant fines, penalties or liabilities for noncompliance, impact our reputation, or slow the pace at which we close sales transactions, any of which could harm our business.
Furthermore, the uncertain and shifting regulatory environment and trust climate may cause concerns regarding data privacy and may cause our customers or our customers’ customers to resist providing the data necessary to allow our customers to use our services effectively. Even the perception that the privacy of personal information is not satisfactorily protected or does not meet regulatory requirements could inhibit sales of our products or services and could limit adoption of our cloud-based solutions.
If our customers fail to abide by applicable privacy laws or to provide adequate notice and/or obtain any required consent from end users, we could be subject to litigation or enforcement action or reduced demand for our services.
Our customers utilize our services and technologies to track connected devices anonymously and we must rely on our customers to implement and administer notice and choice mechanisms required under applicable laws. If we or our customers fail to abide by these laws, it could result in litigation or regulatory or enforcement action against our customers or against us directly.
Any actual or perceived failure to comply with our privacy policy or legal or regulatory requirements in one or multiple jurisdictions could result in proceedings, actions or penalties against us.
Any failure or perceived failure to comply with federal, state or foreign laws or regulations, industry standards, contractual obligations or other legal obligations, or any actual or suspected security incident, whether or not resulting in unauthorized access to, or acquisition, release or transfer of personal data or other data, may result in governmental enforcement actions and prosecutions, private litigation, fines and penalties or adverse publicity and could cause our customers to lose trust in us, which could have an adverse effect
26
Table of Contents
on our reputation and business. Any inability to adequately address privacy and security concerns, even if unfounded, or comply with applicable laws, regulations, policies, industry standards, contractual obligations or other legal obligations could result in additional cost and liability to us, damage our reputation, inhibit sales and adversely affect our business.
Evolving and changing definitions of what constitutes “Personal Information” and “Personal Data” within the EU, the United States and elsewhere, may limit or inhibit our ability to operate or expand our business, including limiting technology alliance partners that may involve the sharing of data.
If we are perceived to cause, or are otherwise unfavorably associated with, violations of privacy or data security requirements, it may subject us or our customers to public criticism, financial penalties and potential legal liability. Existing and potential privacy laws and regulations concerning privacy and data security and increasing sensitivity of consumers to unauthorized processing of personal data may create negative public reactions to technologies, products and services such as ours. Public concerns regarding personal data processing, privacy and security may cause some of our customers’ end users to be less likely to visit their venues or otherwise interact with them. If enough end users choose not to visit our customers’ venues or otherwise interact with them, our customers could stop using our platform. This, in turn, may reduce the value of our service, and slow or eliminate the growth of our business, or cause our business to contract.
Around the world, there are numerous lawsuits in process against various technology companies that process personal information and personal data. If those lawsuits are successful, it could increase the likelihood that our company may be exposed to liability for our own policies and practices concerning the processing of personal data and could hurt our business. Furthermore, the costs of compliance with, and other burdens imposed by laws, regulations and policies concerning privacy and data security that are applicable to the businesses of our customers may limit the use and adoption of our technologies and reduce overall demand for it. Privacy concerns, whether or not valid, may inhibit market adoption of our technologies. Additionally, concerns about security or privacy may result in the adoption of new legislation that restricts the implementation of technologies like ours or require us to make modifications to our existing services and technology, which could significantly limit the adoption and deployment of our technologies or result in significant expense.
We may be subject to the excise tax included in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 in connection with redemptions of our common stock on or after January 1, 2023.
On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (H.R. 5376), which, among other things, imposes a 1% excise tax on certain domestic corporations that repurchase their stock on or after January 1, 2023 (the “Excise Tax”). The Excise Tax is imposed on the fair market value of the repurchased stock, with certain exceptions. The Excise Tax is expected to apply to any redemptions of our Class A common stock occurring on or after January 1, 2023, including redemptions in connection with the Business Combination, unless an exemption is available. Issuances of securities in connection with the Business Combination are expected to reduce the amount of the Excise Tax in connection with redemptions occurring in the same calendar year, but the fair market value of securities redeemed may exceed the fair market value of securities issued.
Our cash and cash equivalents may be exposed to failure of our banking institutions.
While we seek to minimize our exposure to third-party losses of our cash and cash equivalents, we hold our balances in a number of large financial institutions. Notwithstanding, those institutions are subject to risk of failure. For example, on March 10, 2023, Silicon Valley Bank (“SVB”) was unable to continue their operations and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation was appointed as receiver for SVB and created the National Bank of Santa Clara to hold the deposits of SVB after SVB was unable to continue their operations. As of March 20, 2023, substantially all of our cash and cash equivalents are held with other large financial institutions, and we do not expect further developments with SVB to have a material impact on our cash and cash equivalents balance, expected results of operations, or financial performance for the foreseeable future. However, if further failures in financial institutions occur where we hold deposits, we could experience additional risk. Any such loss or limitation on our cash and cash equivalents would adversely affect our business.
27
Table of Contents
Risks Relating to Ownership of our Securities
The market price of our common stock may be volatile and fluctuate substantially, which could cause the value of your investment to decline.
The trading price of our common stock, as well as our warrants, is likely to be volatile. The stock market has experienced extreme volatility in the past and may experience similar volatility moving forward. This volatility often has been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of particular companies. You may not be able to resell your shares at an attractive price due to a number of factors including the following:
● results of operations that vary from those of our competitors;
● price and volume fluctuations in the market prices of stocks generally;
● strategic actions by us or our competitors;
● changes in how enterprises perceive the benefits of our platform and products;
● any significant change in our management or departures of key personnel;
● future sales of our common stock or other securities;
● actions by institutional or activist stockholders;
28
Table of Contents
These broad market and industry fluctuations may adversely affect the market price of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance. In addition, price volatility may be greater if the public float and trading volume of our common stock is low.
In the past, following periods of market volatility, stockholders have instituted securities class action litigation. If we were involved in securities litigation, it could have a substantial cost and divert resources and the attention of executive management from our business regardless of the outcome of such litigation.
We qualify as an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies, it could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance to the performance of other public companies.
We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and for as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, we may 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, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in this Annual Report and our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
If we cease to be an emerging growth company, we will no longer be able to take advantage of certain exemptions from reporting, and, absent other exemptions or relief available from the SEC, we will also be required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will incur additional expenses in connection with such compliance and our management will need to devote additional time and effort to implement and comply with such requirements.
We do not intend to pay dividends on our common stock, so any returns will be substantially limited to the value of our common stock.
We have no current plans to pay any cash dividends on our common stock. The declaration, amount and payment of any future dividends on shares of our common stock will be at the sole discretion of our board. We currently anticipate that we will retain future earnings for the development, operation and expansion of our business and do not anticipate declaring or paying any cash dividends from future earnings for the foreseeable future. Our board may take into account general and economic conditions, our financial condition and results of operations, our available cash and current and anticipated cash needs, capital requirements, contractual, legal, tax, and regulatory restrictions, implications on our or our subsidiaries’ payment of dividends to our stockholders and such other factors as our board may deem relevant. In addition, our ability to pay dividends is limited by our indebtedness and may be limited by covenants of any future indebtedness we incur. As a result, you may not receive any return on an investment in our common stock unless you sell our common stock for a price greater than that which you paid for it.
29
Table of Contents
If securities analysts do not publish research or reports about our business or if they publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our common stock, the stock price and trading volume of our common stock could decline.
The trading market for our common stock will rely, in part, on the research and reports that industry or financial analysts publish about us or our business. In addition, some financial analysts may have limited expertise with our model and operations. Furthermore, if one or more of the analysts who do cover us downgrade their evaluations of our common stock, the price of our common stock could decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases to cover us, we could lose visibility in the market for our common stock, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.
Any future sales or offerings of our common stock may cause substantial dilution to stockholders and could cause the price of our common stock to decline.
The sale of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales could occur, could harm the prevailing market price of shares of our common stock. These sales, or the possibility that these sales may occur, also might make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and at a price that it deems appropriate.
Pursuant to the Insider Letter (as defined in the Sponsor Support Agreement), during the Founder Shares Lock-Up Period (as defined in the Insider Letter), KINS’ directors and executive officers will not, subject to the exceptions noted therein, sell, transfer, assign, pledge, encumber, hypothecate or similarly dispose of any shares of our common stock, or any stock options, restricted stock units, or other equity awards outstanding as of immediately following the Closing in respect of our awards outstanding immediately following the Closing. Following the expiration or waiver of the Lockup Period, such shares will be eligible for resale, subject to volume, manner of sale and other limitations under Rule 144. Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales will occur, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock and make it difficult for us to raise funds through securities offerings in the future.
If the stockholders to the Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of December 14, 2020, that was entered into by KINS, the Sponsor and the other parties thereto in connection with the KINS initial public offering exercise their registration rights, the market price of shares of our common stock could drop significantly if the holders of these shares sell them or are perceived by the market as intending to sell them. These factors could also make it more difficult for us to raise additional funds through future offerings of our common stock or other securities.
In addition, the shares of our common stock reserved for future issuance under our equity incentive plans will become eligible for sale in the public market once those shares are issued, subject to provisions relating to various vesting agreements and, in some cases, limitations on volume and manner of sale applicable to affiliates under Rule 144, as applicable.
In the future, we may also issue our securities in connection with investments or acquisitions. The amount of shares of our common stock issued in connection with an investment or acquisition could constitute a material portion of our common stock. Any issuance of additional securities in connection with investments or acquisitions may result in additional dilution to our stockholders.
Anti-takeover provisions in our organizational documents could delay or prevent a change of control.
Certain provisions of our Charter and Bylaws have an anti-takeover effect and may delay, defer or prevent a merger, acquisition, tender offer, takeover attempt or other change of control transaction that a stockholder might consider in its best interest, including those attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares held by our stockholders.
These provisions provide for, among other things:
30
Table of Contents
● certain limitations on convening special stockholder meetings;
● limiting the ability of stockholders to act by written consent;
These anti-takeover provisions could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if the third-party’s offer may be considered beneficial by many of our stockholders. As a result, our stockholders may be limited in their ability to obtain a premium for their shares. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for you and other stockholders to elect directors of your choosing and to cause us to take other corporate actions you desire.
Our Charter designates the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or stockholders.
Our Charter provides that, subject to limited exceptions, any (1) derivative action, suit or proceeding brought on behalf of us, (2) action, suit or proceeding asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our director, officer or stockholder to us or our stockholders, (3) action, suit or proceeding arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or the Charter or the Bylaws (as either may be amended from time to time), (4) any action, suit or proceeding as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or (5) action, suit or proceeding asserting a claim against us or any current or former director, officer or stockholder governed by the internal affairs doctrine of the State of Delaware shall, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, be exclusively brought in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or, if such court lacks subject matter jurisdiction thereof, another state or federal court located within the State of Delaware; provided that, (i) unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America will, 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 and (ii) such exclusive forum provision shall not apply to claims or causes of action brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts of the United States have exclusive jurisdiction. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and to consent to the provisions of the Charter. This choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and employees. Alternatively, if a court were to find these provisions of the Charter inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business and financial condition.
The requirements of being a public company, including compliance with the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and the Nasdaq, require significant resources, increase our costs and distract our management, and we may be unable to comply with these requirements in a timely or cost-effective manner. We will incur increased costs as a result of operating as a public company, and our management will devote substantial time to new compliance initiatives.
Legacy CXApp has previously operated as a privately owned company and expects to incur additional legal, regulatory, finance, accounting, investor relations and other administrative expenses as a result of having publicly traded common stock. In addition, we will be required under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, as well as rules adopted by the SEC and Nasdaq to implement specified corporate governance practices that previously did not apply to Legacy CXApp as a private company.
31
Table of Contents
As a public company with equity securities listed on Nasdaq, we will need to comply with rules and regulations of the SEC and the requirements of Nasdaq. Complying with these rules, regulations and requirements will occupy a significant amount of the time of our board of directors and management and will significantly increase our costs and expenses. Furthermore, if any issues in complying with those requirements are identified (for example, if the auditors identify a material weakness or significant deficiency in the internal control over financial reporting), we could incur additional costs rectifying those issues, and the existence of those issues could adversely affect our reputation or investor perceptions of it. In addition, as a public company we will incur substantial costs to obtain director and officer liability insurance policies. These factors could make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified members of our board of directors, particularly to serve on our audit committee.
We will be required to ensure that we have the ability to prepare financial statements on a timely basis that fully comply with all SEC reporting requirements and maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting. The additional demands associated with being a public company may disrupt regular operations of our business by diverting the attention of some of our senior management team away from revenue producing activities to management and administrative oversight, adversely affecting our ability to attract and complete business opportunities and increasing the difficulty in both retaining professionals and managing and growing our businesses. In addition, failure to comply with any laws or regulations applicable to us as a public company may result in legal proceedings and/or regulatory investigations, and may cause reputational damage. Any of these effects could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Item 1.B.Unresolved Staff Comments.
None.
Item 2.Properties.
Our executive offices are located at Four Palo Alto Square, Suite 200, 3000 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA 94306 and our telephone number is 650-575-4456. The cost for this space is included in the $20,000 per month fee that we pay our Sponsor for office space, administrative and support services. We are considering other potential office spaces for our operations.
Item 3.Legal Proceedings.
We are not currently subject to any material legal proceedings, nor, to our knowledge, is any material legal proceeding threatened against us or any of our officers or directors in their corporate capacity.
Item 4.Mine Safety Disclosures.
None.
32
Table of Contents
PART II.
Item 5.Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
(a)Market Information
Our common stock and warrants currently trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbols “CXAI” and “CXAIW,” respectively. Prior to the consummation of the Business Combination, KINS’ Class A common stock and redeemable warrants that were separated traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbols “KINZ” and “KINZW” respectively.
(b)Holders
As of March 20, 2023, there were approximately 44 holders of record of our shares of Class A common stock, approximately 45 holders of record of shares of Class C common stock and approximately six holders of record of our redeemable warrants.
(c)Dividend Policy
We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends. We anticipate that we will retain all available funds and any future earnings, if any, for use in the operation of our business and do not anticipate paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future. In addition, future debt instruments may materially restrict our ability to pay dividends on our common stock. Payment of future cash dividends, if any, will be at the discretion of the board of directors after taking into account various factors, including our financial condition, operating results, current and anticipated cash needs, the requirements of then-existing debt instruments and other factors the board of directors deems relevant.
(d)Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
None.
(e)Performance Graph
The performance graph has been omitted as permitted under rules applicable to smaller reporting companies.
(f)Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities; Use of Proceeds from Registered Offerings
None.
Item 6.[Reserved].
Item 7.Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the accompanying combined carve-out financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere, including information with respect to its plans and strategy for our business and related financing, includes forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. You should read the “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factor Summary” and “Item 1A. Risk Factors” for a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis.
The following discussion refers to the financial results of Design Reactor, Inc. and subsidiaries, for the years ended December 31, 2022, and December 31, 2021. For purposes of this following discussion the terms “we”, ‘our” or “us” or “the Company” and similar references refers to Design Reactor, Inc. and subsidiaries and its affiliates. The terms defined in this section shall have the meaning ascribed to it in this section only. Except for per share data and as otherwise indicated, all dollar amounts set out herein are in millions.
33
Table of Contents
Overview of Our Business
Design Reactor, Inc. and subsidiaries is in the business of delivering a workplace experience platform for enterprise customers. Our technologies and solutions help enterprise customers deliver a comprehensive business journey in a work ‘from-anywhere’ world for employees, partners, customers and visitors. We offer native mapping, analytics, on-device positioning (or ODP) and applications technologies that aim to bring people together.
Our customers use our enterprise solutions in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, workplace experience, employee engagement, desk and meeting room reservations, workplace analytics, occupancy management, content delivery, corporate communications and notifications, event management, live indoor mapping, wayfinding and navigation.
Our enterprise app platform is the intersection of technology, intelligence, automation and experience for today’s hybrid workplace and the workplace of the future.
Prior to the closing of the Business Combination, Design Reactor, Inc. and subsidiaries were wholly owned subsidiary of Inpixon (“Inpixon”) and the Company’s financial statements consist of Design Reactor, Inpixon Canada, Inpixon Philippines and select assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses of Inpixon and Inpixon India (collectively the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our”), show the historical combined carve-out financial position, results of operations, changes in net investment and cash flows of the Company and should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes thereto. The Company’s combined carve-out financial statements do not necessarily reflect what the results of operations, financial position, or cash flows would have been had the Company been a separate entity nor are they indicative of future results of the Company.
The combined carve-out operating results of the Company have been specifically identified based on the Company’s existing divisional organization. The majority of the assets and liabilities of the Company have been identified based on the existing divisional structure. The historical costs and expenses reflected in the Company’s financial statements include an allocation for certain corporate and shared service functions. Management believes the assumptions underlying our combined carve-out financial statements are reasonable. Nevertheless, our combined carve-out financial statements may not include all of the actual expenses that would have been incurred had we operated as a standalone company during the periods presented and may not reflect our results of operations, financial position and cash flows had we operated as a standalone company during the periods presented. Actual costs that would have been incurred if we had operated as a standalone company would depend on multiple factors, including organizational structure and strategic decisions made in various areas, including information technology and infrastructure. We also may incur additional costs associated with being a standalone, publicly listed company that were not included in the expense allocations and, therefore, would result in additional costs that are not reflected in our historical results of operations, financial position and cash flows.
Recent Events
The Business Combination
On September 25, 2022, an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”), was entered into by and among Inpixon, KINS Technology Group Inc., a Delaware corporation (“KINS”), CXApp Holding Corp., a Delaware corporation and newly formed wholly-owned subsidiary of Inpixon (“CXApp”), and KINS Merger Sub Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of KINS (“Merger Sub”), pursuant to which KINS acquired Inpixon’s enterprise apps business (including its workplace experience technologies, indoor mapping, events platform, augmented reality and related business solutions) (the “Enterprise Apps Business”) in exchange for the issuance of shares of KINS capital stock valued at $69 million (the “Business Combination”). The transaction closed on March 14, 2023.
Immediately prior to the Merger and pursuant to a Separation and Distribution Agreement, dated as of September 25, 2022, among KINS, Inpixon, CXApp and Design Reactor, (the “Separation Agreement”), and other ancillary conveyance documents, Inpixon, among other things and on the terms and subject to the conditions of the Separation Agreement, transferred the Enterprise Apps Business, including certain related subsidiaries of Inpixon, including Design Reactor, to CXApp (the "Reorganization"). Following the Reorganization, Inpixon distributed 100% of the common stock of CXApp, par value $0.00001, to certain holders of Inpixon securities as of the record date (the “Spin-Off”).
Immediately following the Spin-Off, in accordance with and subject to the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement, Merger Sub merged with and into CXApp (the “Merger”), with CXApp continuing as the surviving company and as a wholly-owned subsidiary of KINS.
34
Table of Contents
The Merger Agreement, along with the Separation and Distribution Agreement and the other transaction documents entered into in connection therewith, provided for, among other things, the consummation of the following transactions: (i) Inpixon transferred the Enterprise Apps Business (the “Separation”) to its wholly-owned subsidiary, CXApp, and contributed approximately $4 million in additional cash so that CXApp would have a minimum of $10 million in cash and cash equivalents as of the closing of the Business Combination before deduction of expenses (the “Cash Contribution”), (ii) following the Separation, Inpixon distributed 100% of the shares of CXApp Common Stock to Inpixon securityholders by way of the Distribution and (iii) following the completion of the foregoing transactions and subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain other conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, the parties consummated the Merger. The Separation, Distribution and Merger were intended to qualify as “tax-free” transactions.
At the time the Business Combination was effected (the “Closing”), the outstanding shares of CXApp Common Stock after the Distribution and immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger were converted into an aggregate of 7,035,000 shares of KINS Common Stock which was issued to Inpixon securityholders, subject to adjustment. Each holder’s aggregate merger consideration consisted of approximately 22% KINS Class A Common Stock and approximately 78% KINS Class C Common Stock.
Accounting Treatment for the Business Combination
The Business Combination will be accounted for using the acquisition method (as a forward merger), with goodwill and other identifiable intangible assets recorded in accordance with GAAP, as applicable. Under this method of accounting, CXApp is treated as the “acquired” company for financial reporting purposes. KINS has been determined to be the accounting acquirer because KINS maintains control of the Board of Directors and management of the combined company.
Key Factors Affecting Design Reactor’s Results of Operations
Our financial position and results of operations depend to a significant extent on the following factors:
Customer Base
Our customer base is currently operating within approximately 17 different industries, including approximately 24% in software and technology, 24% in healthcare and 20% in retail. Approximately 85% of our customers are headquartered in the United States; however, our products are deployed across more than 400 customer campuses located in approximately 240 cities and over 55 countries throughout the world.
Our management uses key metrics such as total revenue growth, recurring and non-recurring revenue, existing customer expansion rates, number of customer campuses (which management believes is a more meaningful metric to measure performance than total number of customers), and churn rates to measure customer growth and market penetration. The CXApp carve-out financials show that our revenue has increased from approximately $6.4M for the twelve-month period ending December 2021 to approximately $8.5M for the twelve-month period ending December 31, 2022 (which was as a result of a full year of the acquisition of Design Reactor in April 2021). Approximately 65% of the Company’s revenue was recurring in 2022 and approximately 53% was recurring in 2021. Approximately 40% of our customers have expanded to add additional revenue opportunities with new campuses, features, or integrations within twelve months of initial deployment and we have an average quarterly customer churn rate of less than 5% for the twelve months ended December 31, 2022.
Our ability to increase revenues from existing customers by identifying additional opportunities to sell more of our products and services and our ability to obtain new customers depends on a number of factors, including our ability to offer high quality products and services at competitive prices, the strength of our competitors and the capabilities of our sales and marketing departments. If we are not able to continue to increase sales of our products and services to existing customers or to obtain new customers in the future, we may not be able to increase our revenues and could suffer a decrease in revenues as well.
Our top three customers accounted for approximately 27% of our gross revenue during each of the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021. One customer accounted for 11% of our gross revenue in 2022 and a separate customer accounted for 12% in 2021; however, each of these customers may or may not continue to be a significant contributor to revenue in 2023. The loss of a significant amount of business from one of our major customers would materially and adversely affect our results of operations until such time, if ever, as we are able to replace the lost business. Significant customers or projects in any one period may not continue to be significant customers or projects in other periods. To the extent that we are dependent on any single customer, we are subject to the risks faced by that customer to the extent that such risks impede the customer’s ability to stay in business and make timely payments to us.
35
Table of Contents
Competition
Our industry is developing rapidly and related technology trends are constantly evolving. In this environment, we face, among other things, significant price competition from our competitors. As a result, we may be forced to reduce the prices of the products and services we sell in response to offerings made by our competitors and may not be able to maintain the level of bargaining power that we have enjoyed in the past when negotiating the prices of our products and services.
Our profitability is dependent on the prices we are able to charge for our products and services. The prices we are able to charge for our products and services are affected by a number of factors, including:
●our customers’ perceptions of our ability to add value through our products and services;
●introduction of new products or services by us or our competitors;
●our competitors’ pricing policies;
●our ability to charge higher prices where market demand or the value of our products or services justifies it;
●procurement practices of our customers; and
●general economic and political conditions.
If we are not able to maintain favorable pricing for our products and services, our results of operations could be adversely affected.
Research and Development
Our future plans include investments in research and development and related product opportunities. Our management believes that we must continue to dedicate resources to research and development efforts to maintain a competitive position. However, if we do not receive significant revenue from these investments, if the investments don’t yield expected benefits or if we don’t have the needed funding to invest in the technology, our results of operations could be adversely impacted.
Pandemic and World Environment
Our business has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and general macroeconomic conditions and may continue to be impacted. While we have been able to continue operations remotely, we have and continue to experience impact in the demand of certain products and delays in certain projects and customer orders either because of customer facilities being partially or fully closed during the pandemic or because of the uncertainty of the customer’s financial position and ability to invest in our technology. If we are unable to successfully respond and manage the impact of the pandemic, and the resulting responses to it, our business, operations, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely impacted.
Components of Results of Operations
Revenues
The Company derives revenue from software as a service, design, deployment and implementation services for its enterprise apps business.
Cost of Revenues
Cost of revenues includes the direct costs to deliver the services including labor, overhead, hardware and shipping and freight costs.
36
Table of Contents
Gross Profit
Gross profit, calculated as revenues less costs of revenues, may vary between periods and is primarily affected by various factors including average selling prices, product costs, product mix, customer mix, and production volumes.
Operating Expenses
Operating expenses consist primarily of research and development costs, sales and marketing costs, and general and administrative costs.
Other Income (expense)
Other income (expense) consists primarily of interest expense.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Year Ended December 31, 2022 compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2021
The following table sets forth our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021. This data should be read together with our financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this registration statement, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to such financial statements and related notes in this Report.
For the Years Ended December 31
% of % of
Other income (expense) 3 — % 1 — % 2 200 %
Revenues
Revenues for the year ended December 31, 2022 were $8.5 million, compared to $6.4 million for the comparable period in the prior year for an increase of approximately $2.1 million, or approximately 33%. This increase is primarily the result of the inclusion of a full twelve months of revenue received from smart offie app sales in 2022 as compared to only 8 months of mobile apps sales in 2021 following the acquisition of Design Reactor in 2021.
Gross Margin
Cost of revenues for the year ended December 31, 2022 were $2.1 million compared to $1.6 million for the comparable period in the prior year. This increase in cost of revenues of approximately $0.4 million, or approximately 25%, was primarily attributable to higher hosting fees and costs associated with the sale of professional services as a result of increased CXApp product line sales during the year.
The gross profit margin for the year ended December 31, 2022 was 76% compared to 74% for the year ended December 31, 2021. This increased margin is primarily due to more smart office app sales in 2022 vs. 2021 which has higher overall gross margins.
37
Table of Contents
Operating Expenses
Operating expenses for the year ended December 31, 2022 were $35.4 million and $49.2 million for the comparable period ended December 31, 2021. Of this $13.8 million decrease, there was a decrease of $6.4 million in impairment of goodwill, decrease of $9.4 million for the change in earnout expense, decrease of $2.5 million of stock based compensation offset by an increase of approximately $2.9 million that is attributable to increased operating expenses primarily due to actions taken to consummate the CXApp- acquisition, increased unrealized foreign exchange loss of $1.4 million and an approximate $0.2 million increase in sales and marketing expenses. With the Company’s current liquidity position, the Company has taken steps to reduce operating expenses. Going forward CXApp expects lower acquisition/financing transaction costs, unrealized losses, lower compensation as a result of headcount reductions in Q4 2022 and Q1 2023, as well as lower professional fees and insurance expenses.
Loss From Operations
Loss from operations for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $29.0 million as compared to $44.5 million for the comparable period in the prior year. This decrease in loss of $15.5 million is primarily attributable to decreased operating expenses of $13.8 million as detailed above plus the increased gross profit margin of approximately $1.7 million.
Other Income/(Expense)
Other income/expense for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 were income of approximately $0.03 million and $0.01 million, respectively, and the difference was immaterial.
Provision for Income Taxes
There was an income tax loss of $0.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 and an income tax benefit of approximately $2.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The net income tax benefit for the year ended December 31, 2021 is related to a deferred tax benefit from the release of a valuation allowance following the acquisition of intangibles of Design Reactor.
Net Loss
Net loss for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $29.2 million, compared to $42.0 million for the comparable period in the prior year. This decrease in loss of approximately $12.8 million was primarily attributable to the decrease in operating expenses of $13.8 million and the higher gross margin of $1.7 million, offset by a lower income tax benefit of approximately $2.7 million.
Non-GAAP Financial information
EBITDA
This Report includes a non-GAAP measure that we use to supplement our results presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. EBITDA is defined as earnings before interest and other income, tax and depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA is used by our management as the matrix in which it manages the business. It is defined as EBITDA plus adjustments for other income or expense items, non-recurring items and non-cash stock-based compensation. Adjusted EBITDA is a performance measure that we believe is useful to investors and analysts because it illustrates the underlying financial and business trends relating to our core, recurring results of operations and enhances comparability between periods.
38
Table of Contents
Adjusted EBITDA is not a recognized measure under U.S. GAAP and is not intended to be a substitute for any U.S. GAAP financial measure and, as calculated, may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of performance of other companies in other industries or within the same industry. Investors should exercise caution in comparing our non-GAAP measure to any similarly titled measure used by other companies. This non-GAAP measure excludes certain items required by U.S. GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to information reported in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The table below presents our adjusted EBITDA, reconciled to net income for the periods indicated (in thousands).
For the Years Ended
December 31,
Interest and other income 4 1
Tax expense (benefit) 153 (2,527)
Depreciation and amortization 4,531 3,571
Adjusted for:
Acquisition transaction/financing costs 16 628
Earnout compensation expense/(benefit) (2,827) 6,524
Professional service fees — 683
Unrealized gains on notes, loans, investments 1,478 (185)
Stock-based compensation – compensation and related benefits 1,640 4,120
We rely on Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP financial measure for the following:
● As a basis for allocating resources to various projects;
● To evaluate internally the performance of our personnel.
We have presented Adjusted EBITDA above because we believe it conveys useful information to investors regarding our operating results. We believe it provides an additional way for investors to view our operations, when considered with both our GAAP results and the reconciliation to net income (loss). By including this information, we can provide investors with a more complete understanding of our business. Specifically, we present Adjusted EBITDA as supplemental disclosure because of the following:
39
Table of Contents
Even though we believe Adjusted EBITDA is useful for investors, it does have limitations as an analytical tool. Thus, we strongly urge investors not to consider this metric in isolation or as a substitute for net income (loss) and the other consolidated statement of operations data prepared in accordance with GAAP. Some of these limitations include the fact that:
Because of these limitations, Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered a measure of discretionary cash available to us to invest in the growth of our business or as a measure of performance in compliance with GAAP. We compensate for these limitations by relying primarily on our GAAP results and providing Adjusted EBITDA only as supplemental information.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Liquidity describes the ability of a company to generate sufficient cash flows to meet the cash requirements of its business operations, including working capital needs, debt service, acquisitions, contractual obligations and other commitments. We assess liquidity in terms of our cash flows from operations and their sufficiency to fund our operating and investing activities. As of December 31, 2022, our principal source of liquidity was cash of $6.3 million. As part of the business combination with KINS, our net cash position will increase to $10 million at the closing of the transaction. In addition, the net cash position will further increase with the $1.6 million we will receive from the KINS trust account. The total net cash position will be reduced by the transaction expenses of the business combination.
Financing Obligations and Requirements
As of December 31, 2022, the Company had a working capital surplus of approximately $3.2 million, and cash of approximately $6.3 million. For the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company had a net loss of approximately $29.2 million. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company used approximately $18.9 million of cash for operating activities. As part of the Inpixon (“Inpixon”) group of companies, the Company has historically been dependent upon Inpixon for its working capital and financing requirements until the closing, as Inpixon uses a centralized approach to cash management and financing of its operations. Financial transactions relating to the Company were accounted for through the net parent investment account. Accordingly, none of Inpixon’s cash, cash equivalents or debt at the corporate level has been assigned to the Company in the combined carve-out financial statements other than any such amounts that may already be represented as cash balances of the Design Reactor, Inpixon Canada and Inpixon Philippines bank accounts as of December 31, 2022. Net parent investment represents Inpixon’s interest in the recorded net assets of the Company. All significant transactions between the Company and Inpixon have been included in the accompanying combined carve-out financial statements. Transactions with Inpixon are reflected in the accompanying Combined Statements of Changes in Equity as “Parent’s net investment” and in the accompanying Combined Balance Sheets within “Parent’s net investment.” The income statement of the Company includes revenues and expenses that are specifically identifiable to the Company plus certain allocated corporate overhead or other shared costs based on methodologies that management deems appropriate for the nature of the cost. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions between the businesses comprising the Company have been eliminated in the accompanying combined financial statements. As part of the spint-off transaction, Inpixon contributed the cash needed so that the Company has a $10 million cash balance at the time of the closing of the transaction.
40
Table of Contents
The Company cannot assure you that we will ever earn revenues sufficient to support our operations, or that we will ever be profitable. To the extent that our resources from the business combination are insufficient to satisfy our cash requirements, we may enter into equity or debt financing transactions. These transactions are expected to provide us additional cash to fund our capital and liquidity requirements in the short and long-term. If the financing is not available, or if the terms of financing are less desirable than we expect, we may be forced to take actions to reduce our capital or operating expenditures, including by not seeking potential acquisition opportunities, or eliminating redundancies, which may adversely affect our business, operating results, financial condition and prospects. Our business has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and general macroeconomic conditions and may continue to be impacted. While we have been able to continue operations remotely, we have and continue to experience impact in the demand of certain products and delays in certain projects and customer orders either because of customer facilities being partially or fully closed during the pandemic or because of the uncertainty of the customer’s financial position and ability to invest in our technology.
Despite these challenges, we were able to realize growth in total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022 when compared to the year ended 2021, as a result of the addition of the new CXApp product line during the second quarter of 2021. The total impact that COVID-19 and general macroeconomic conditions may continue to impact our results of operations continues to remain uncertain and there are no assurances that we will be able to continue to experience the same growth or not be materially adversely affected. The Company’s recurring losses and utilization of cash in its operations are indicators of going concern; however, with the company’s current liquidity position the company has taken action to reduce operating expenses and extend its runway. This, along with the capital it will receive in the KINS transaction, leads the company to believe it has the ability to mitigate such concerns for a period of at least one year from the date these combined carve-out financials statements were issued.
Liquidity and Capital Resources as of December 31, 2022 Compared With December 31, 2021
The Company’s net cash flows used in operating, investing and financing activities for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 and certain balances as of the end of those periods are as follows (in thousands):
For the Years Ended
December 31,
Net cash used in operating activities $ (18,895) $ (16,919)
Net cash used in investing activities (482) (15,469)
Net cash provided by financing activities 20,728 37,330
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash (71) (61)
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents $ 1,280 $ 4,881
As of December 31,
Cash and cash equivalents $ 6,308 $ 5,028
Working capital surplus (deficit) $ 3,154 $ (9,702)
Operating Activities for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
Net cash used in operating activities during the period consisted of the following (in thousands):
For the Years Ended
December 31,
Net change in operating assets and liabilities 147 1,471
Net cash used in operating activities $ (18,895) $ (16,919)
41
Table of Contents
The non-cash income and expense for the year ended December 31, 2022 of approximately $10.1 million consisted primarily of the following (in thousands):
$ 4,531 Depreciation and amortization
266 Amortization of right of use asset
1,478 Unrealized loss on note
5,540 Impairment of goodwill
(2,827) Earnout payment expense
$ 10,133 Total non-cash expenses
The net cash used in the change in operating assets and liabilities for the year ended December 31, 2022 aggregated approximately $0.1 million and consisted primarily of the following (in thousands):
$ 109 Decrease in accounts receivable and other receivables
244 Decrease in inventory, other current assets and other assets
400 Increase in accounts payable
583 Increase in accrued liabilities and other liabilities
(257) Decrease in operating lease liabilities
(932) Decrease in deferred revenue
$ 147 Net cash used in the changes in operating assets and liabilities
The non-cash income and expense for the year ended December 31, 2021 of approximately $23.6 million consisted primarily of the following (in thousands):
$ 3,571 Depreciation and amortization
257 Amortization of right of use asset
(185) Unrealized gain/loss on note
(2,591) Deferred income tax
11,897 Impairment of goodwill
6,524 Earnout payment expense
(8) Other
$ 23,585 Total non-cash expenses
The net cash used in the change in operating assets and liabilities for the year ended December 31, 2021 aggregated approximately $1.5 million and consisted primarily of the following (in thousands):
$ 255 Decrease in accounts receivable and other receivables
(427) Increase in inventory, other current assets and other assets
69 Increase in accounts payable
892 Increase in accrued liabilities and other liabilities
(275) Decrease in operating lease liabilities
957 Increase in deferred revenue
$ 1,471 Net cash used in the changes in operating assets and liabilities
Cash Flows from Investing Activities as of December 31, 2022 and 2021
Net cash flows used in investing activities during 2022 was approximately $0.5 million compared to net cash flows used in investing activities during 2021 of approximately $15.5 million. Cash flows related to investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2022 include $0.1 million for the purchase of property and equipment and $0.4 million for investment in capitalized software. Cash flows related to investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2021 include $0.2 million for the purchase of property and equipment, $0.2 million for investment in capitalized software, $15.0 million paid for the acquisition of CXApp, $0.01 million for the acquisition of intangible assets and $0.1 million paid for acquisition of Visualix.
42
Table of Contents
Cash Flows from Financing Activities as of December 31, 2022 and 2021
Net cash flows provided by financing activities during the year ended December 31, 2022 was $20.7 million. Net cash flows provided by financing activities during the year ended December 31, 2021 was $37.3 million. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company received incoming cash flows from Inpixon of $26.0 million, paid $0.1 million of taxes related to the net share settlement of restricted stock units, and paid a $5.1 million liability related to the CXApp acquisition. During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company received incoming cash flows from Inpixon of $39.0 million, paid $0.7 million of taxes related to the net share settlement of restricted stock units, paid a $0.5 million liability related to the CXApp acquisition, and paid a $0.5 million acquisition liability to the pre-acquisition stockholders of Locality Systems Inc.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We do not have any off-balance sheet guarantees, interest rate swap transactions or foreign currency contracts. We do not engage in trading activities involving non-exchange traded contracts.
Contractual Obligations and Commitments
Contractual obligations are cash that we are obligated to pay as part of certain contracts that we have entered during our course of business. Our contractual obligations consists of operating lease liabilities and acquisition liabilities that are included in our combined balance sheet. As of December 31, 2022, the total obligation for operating leases is approximately $0.7 million, of which approximately $0.3 million is expected to be paid in the next twelve months. As of December 31, 2022, our obligation for acquisition liabilities related to CXApp is approximately $0.2 million of which all is expected to be paid in the next twelve months.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
We have not experienced any significant losses in such accounts, nor does management believe it is exposed to any significant credit risk. The risk-free interest rate is based on a treasury instrument whose term is consistent with the expected term of the stock options. We use an assumed dividend yield of zero as we have never paid dividends and have no current plans to pay any dividends on our common stock. We account for forfeitures as they occur.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”). In connection with the preparation of our combined carve-out financial statements, we are required to make assumptions and estimates about future events, and apply judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, expenses and the related disclosures. We base our assumptions, estimates and judgments on historical experience, current trends and other factors that management believes to be relevant at the time our consolidated financial statements are prepared. On a regular basis, we review the accounting policies, assumptions, estimates and judgments to ensure that our combined carve-out financial statements are presented fairly and in accordance with GAAP. However, because future events and their effects cannot be determined with certainty, actual results could differ from our assumptions and estimates, and such differences could be material.
Our significant accounting policies are discussed in Note 2 of the combined carve-out financial statements that are included elsewhere in this filing. We believe that the following accounting estimates are the most critical to aid in fully understanding and evaluating our reported financial results, and they require our most difficult, subjective or complex judgments, resulting from the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. There have been no changes to estimates during the periods presented in the filing. Historically changes in management estimates have not been material.
Revenue Recognition
The Company recognizes revenue when control of the promised products or services is transferred to its customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those products or services. The Company derives revenue from software as a service, design and implementation services for its enterprise apps systems, and professional services for work performed in conjunction with its systems.
43
Table of Contents
Our contracts with customers often include promises to transfer multiple distinct products and services. Our licenses are sold as perpetual or term licenses and the arrangements typically contain various combinations of maintenance and professional services, which are accounted for as separate performance obligations. In determining how revenue should be recognized, a five-step process is used, which requires judgment and estimates within the revenue recognition process. The most critical judgements required in applying ASC 606 Revenue Recognition from Customers, and our revenue recognition policy relate to the determination of distinct performance obligations.
We also consider whether an arrangement has any discounts, material rights, or specified future upgrades that may represent additional performance obligations. We offer discounts in the form of prompt payment discounts and rebates for a decrease in service level percentages. We have determined that the most-likely-amount method is most useful for contracts that provide these discounts and rebates as the contracts have two potential outcomes and a significant reversal in the amount of cumulative revenue recognized is not expected to occur. Discounts have not historically been significant, but we continue to monitor and evaluate these estimates based on historical experience, anticipated performance, and our best judgment. Renewals or extensions of licenses are evaluated as distinct licenses (i.e., a distinct good or service), and revenue attributed to the distinct good or service cannot be recognized until (1) the entity provides the distinct license (or makes the license available) to the customer and (2) the customer is able to use and benefit from the distinct license. If any of these judgments were to change it could cause a material increase or decrease in the amount of revenue we report in a particular period.
Goodwill, Acquired Intangible Assets and Other Long-Lived Assets — Impairment Assessments
Long-lived assets are grouped for recognition and measurement of impairment at the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of the cash flows of other assets. The impairment test for long-lived assets requires us to assess the recoverability of our long-lived assets by comparing their net carrying value to the sum of undiscounted estimated future cash flows directly associated with and arising from our use and eventual disposition of the assets. If the net carrying value of a group of long-lived assets exceeds the sum of related undiscounted estimated future cash flows, we would be required to record an impairment charge equal to the excess, if any, of net carrying value over fair value.
When assessing the recoverability of our long-lived assets, which include property and equipment and finite-lived intangible assets, we make assumptions regarding estimated future cash flows and other factors. Some of these assumptions involve a high degree of judgment and bear a significant impact on the assessment conclusions. Included among these assumptions are estimating undiscounted future cash flows, including the projection of comparable sales, operating expenses, capital requirements for maintaining property and equipment and residual value of asset groups. We formulate estimates from historical experience and assumptions of future performance, based on business plans and forecasts, recent economic and business trends, and competitive conditions. In the event that our estimates or related assumptions change in the future, we may be required to record an impairment charge. Based on our evaluation we did not record a charge for impairment related to long-lived assets for the years ended December 31, 2022 or 2021.
44
Table of Contents
We evaluate the remaining useful lives of long-lived assets and identifiable intangible assets whenever events or circumstances indicate that a revision to the remaining period of amortization is warranted. Such events or circumstances may include (but are not limited to): the effects of obsolescence, demand, competition, and/or other economic factors including the stability of the industry in which we operate, known technological advances, legislative actions, or changes in the regulatory environment. If the estimated remaining useful lives change, the remaining carrying amount of the long-lived assets and identifiable intangible assets would be amortized prospectively over that revised remaining useful life. We have determined that there were no events or circumstances during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, which would indicate a revision to the remaining amortization period related to any of our long-lived assets. Accordingly, we believe that the current estimated useful lives of long-lived assets reflect the period over which they are expected to contribute to future cash flows and are therefore deemed appropriate.
We have recorded goodwill and other indefinite-lived assets in connection with our acquisitions of Locality, Jibestream, and CXApp. Goodwill, which represents the excess of acquisition cost over the fair value of the net tangible and intangible assets of the acquired company, is not amortized. Indefinite-lived intangible assets are stated at fair value as of the date acquired in a business combination.
The recoverability of goodwill is evaluated at least annually and when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable.
We analyzed goodwill first to assess qualitative factors, such as macroeconomic conditions, changes in the business environment and reporting unit specific events, to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform a detailed goodwill impairment test as required. The more-likely-than-not threshold is defined as having a likelihood of more than 50%. If we bypass the qualitative assessment or conclude that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, then we perform a quantitative impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. We calculate the estimated fair value of a reporting unit using a weighting of the income and market approaches. For the income approach, we use internally developed discounted cash flow models that include the following assumptions, among others made by management: projections of revenues, expenses, and related cash flows based on assumed long-term growth rates and demand trends; expected future investments to grow new units; and estimated discount rates. For the market approach, we use internal analyses based primarily on market comparables. We base these assumptions on historical data and experience, third-party appraisals, industry projections, micro and macro general economic condition projections, and expectations. Due to the variables inherent in our estimates of fair value, differences in assumptions may have a material effect on the result of our impairment analysis. For example, a 100 basis points increase or decrease in only the discount rate utilized as part of the discounted cash flow method (income approach) related to the Indoor Intelligence reporting unit could impact the overall fair value of the reporting unit, on a weighted average, by approximately $2.0 million (decrease) and $2.5 million (increase), respectively.
We performed impairment testing during the period and have recorded impairment of goodwill of $5.5 million and $11.9 million during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. As of December 31, 2022, cumulative impairment changes are approximately $17.4 million.
Deferred Income Taxes
In accordance with ASC 740 “Income Taxes” (“ASC 740”), management routinely evaluates the likelihood of the realization of its income tax benefits and the recognition of its deferred tax assets. In evaluating the need for any valuation allowance, management will assess whether it is more likely than not that some portion, or all, of the deferred tax asset may not be realized on a jurisdictional basis. Ultimately, the realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during those periods in which temporary differences become deductible and/or tax credits and tax loss carry-forwards can be utilized. In performing its analyses, management considers both positive and negative evidence including historical financial performance, previous earnings patterns, future earnings forecasts, tax planning strategies, economic and business trends and the potential realization of net operating loss carry-forwards within a reasonable timeframe. To this end, management considered (i) that we have had historical losses in the prior years and cannot anticipate generating a sufficient level of future profits in order to realize the benefits of our deferred tax asset; (ii) tax planning strategies; and (iii) the adequacy of future income as of and for the year ended December 31, 2022, based upon certain economic conditions and historical losses through December 31, 2022. After consideration of these factors, management deemed it appropriate to establish a full valuation allowance with respect to the deferred tax assets for Design Reactor and Inpixon Philippines as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, and no liability for unrecognized tax benefits was required to be reported.
45
Table of Contents
The guidance also discusses the classification of related interest and penalties on income taxes. The Company’s policy is to record interest and penalties on uncertain tax positions as a component of income tax expense. No interest or penalties were recorded during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.
Business Combinations
We account for business combinations using the acquisition method of accounting, and accordingly, the assets and liabilities of the acquired business are recorded at their fair values at the date of acquisition. The excess of the purchase price over the estimated fair value is recorded as goodwill. Any changes in the estimated fair values of the net assets recorded for acquisitions prior to the finalization of more detailed analysis, but not to exceed one year from the date of acquisition, will change the amount of the purchase price allocable to goodwill. Any subsequent changes to any purchase price allocations that are material to our combined financial results will be adjusted. All acquisition costs are expensed as incurred and in-process research and development costs are recorded at fair value as an indefinite-lived intangible asset and assessed for impairment thereafter until completion, at which point the asset is amortized over its expected useful life. Separately recognized transactions associated with business combinations are generally expensed subsequent to the acquisition date. The application of business combination and impairment accounting requires the use of significant estimates and assumptions.
Upon acquisition, the accounts and results of operations are combined as of and subsequent to the acquisition date and are included in our Combined Financial Statements from the acquisition date.
JOBS Act Accounting Election
Following the transaction, Design Reactor will be an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act. As such, Design Reactor will be eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that apply to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including compliance with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the requirements to hold a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and any golden parachute payments not previously approved. Design Reactor has not made a decision whether to take advantage of any or all of these exemptions. If Design Reactor does take advantage of some or all of these exemptions, some investors may find Design Reactor’s common stock less attractive. The result may be a less active trading market for Design Reactor’s common stock and its stock price may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company may take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 13(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), for complying with new or revised accounting standards, meaning that Design Reactor, as an emerging growth company, can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. Design Reactor has elected to take advantage of this extended transition period, and therefore our financial statements may not be comparable to those of companies that comply with such new or revised accounting standards. Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that our decision not to opt out of the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards is irrevocable.
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure About Market Risk.
We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and are not required to provide the information otherwise required under this item.
Item 8.Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
This information appears following Item 15 of this Report and is included herein by reference.
Item 9.Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.
None.
46
Table of Contents
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Disclosure controls are procedures that are designed with the objective of ensuring that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time period specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls are also designed with the objective of ensuring that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including the chief executive officer and chief financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
As required by Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2022. Based upon their evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) were effective. Accordingly, management believes that the consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report present fairly in all material respects our financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the period presented.
Management’s Report on Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting
As required by SEC rules and regulations implementing Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of our consolidated financial statements for external reporting purposes in accordance with GAAP. Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect errors or misstatements in our consolidated financial statements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree or compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting at December 31, 2022. In making these assessments, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013). Based on our assessments and those criteria, management determined that we did maintain effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022.
This Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include an attestation report of our independent registered public accounting firm due to our status as an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
47
Table of Contents
Item 9.B.Other Information.
None.
Item 9.C.Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspection.
Not applicable.
PART III.
Item 10.Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.
Our officers and directors are as follows:
Name Age Title
Khurram Sheikh 51 Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Director
Michael Angel 67 Chief Financial Officer
Leon Papkoff 50 Chief Product Officer
Di-Ann Eisnor 50 Director
Camillo Martino 60 Director
George Mathai 56 Director
Shanti Priya 52 Director
Mr. Khurram Sheikh has served as the Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of KINS since its inception and Chief Financial Officer since August 2020. Mr. Sheikh has been at the forefront of innovation in the technology, mobile, semiconductor, telecom and media industries for the past 25 years with CEO and CTO roles at leading technology companies. Since March 2020, Mr. Sheikh has been the Founder, Executive Chairman & CEO of Aijaad, a boutique strategic advisory firm where he advises both large private equity firms as well as boards of public companies on the future of 5G, IoT, Edge Computing and AI technologies and is actively involved in M&A, technology strategy and market development. From 2016 to early 2020, Mr. Sheikh was the CEO of kwikbit, a private company building a “network as a service” solution using gigabit radios, edge compute, virtualization, and artificial intelligence. Prior to kwikbit, in 2014, Mr. Sheikh was appointed as the Chief Strategy and Technology Officer for Silicon Image (SIMG) and the President/CEO of its millimeter wave/5G subsidiary SiBEAM. SIMG was acquired by Lattice Semiconductor (Nasdaq:LSCC) in 2015 for $600 million after which Mr. Sheikh was appointed the Chief Strategy and Technology Officer of the combined company responsible for corporate strategy, roadmap, M&A and technology development and was there until 2016. From 2007 onwards, he was the CTO for Powerwave Technologies, a large wireless infrastructure vendor. Powerwave filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January 2013, and in April 2013 Mr. Sheikh was appointed as the CEO of Powerwave to help with the sale of the company. Later that year, Mr. Sheikh successfully facilitated the sale of approximately 1,400 patents owned by Powerwave to private equity firm Gores Group. From 2005 to 2007, Mr. Sheikh was Vice President, Wireless Strategy and Development at Time Warner Cable leading the cable company’s entry into the wireless space. From 1996 to 2005, Mr. Sheikh held senior technology roles at Sprint including CTO Mobile Broadband responsible for deploying the world’s first 4G system and acquisition of multi-billion dollar spectrum assets at 2.5GHz. Mr. Sheikh holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering with highest honors from the University of Engineering & Technology in Pakistan, as well as a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. Mr. Sheikh is well qualified to serve as Chairman of our board because of his extensive experience advising boards of directors of public and private companies and his extensive professional experience.
Mr. Michael Angel has served in numerous senior financial positions mainly focused on technology businesses headquartered in Silicon Valley since 1984. Since 2021, Mr. Angel has been a fractional and interim “CFO” consultant, primarily for several SaaS and other subscription model businesses as an independent consultant of Burkland Associates, LLC. From 2018 to 2021, he was the Chief Financial Officer of Digilens Inc., an IP/ patent licensing, materials company, focused on augmented reality waveguide technologies. From 2013 to 2018, he was an independent fractional or interim “CFO” consultant to a number of venture capital backed technology companies, including businesses focused on SaaS, AI, wireless systems, 3D imaging, IP/ patent licensing, through his consulting firm Angel Financial Management. His experience prior to 1999, includes senior financial positions with National Semiconductor and Hitachi Data Systems, and he was a Senior Audit Manager in the technology practice of Price Waterhouse. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration: Accounting concentration from California State University, Chico.
48
Table of Contents
Mr. Leon Papkoff has served as Inpixon’s Executive Vice President of Experience Apps since April 2021. Currently, Mr. Papkoff is responsible for establishing the product vision, strategy and overall execution of Inpixon’s product team for the Enterprise Apps Business. Mr. Papkoff is the Founder of Design Reactor and from March 1998 until Inpixon’s acquisition of Design Reactor in April 2021, Mr. Papkoff was the Chief Financial Officer of Design Reactor. From June 2015 until April 2021, Mr. Papkoff was also the Chief Strategist of Design Reactor responsible for setting corporate strategy for the company. Mr. Papkoff has over 20 years of executive leadership, entrepreneurship, fiscal management and innovation experience, setting product vision and corporate strategy, driving innovation and scaling operations. Mr. Papkoff received a Bachelor of Science degree from Charles H. Lundquist College of Business at the University of Oregon in 1996. He has also taught Web Programing and Design at the San Jose State University.
Ms. Di-Ann Eisnor has served as a member of our board of directors since August 2020. Since November 2019, Ms. Eisnor has served as Co-Founder and CEO of Core, a venture-backed construction labor marketplace. Before that, from February 2019 until October 2019, she was an executive of The We Company, a part of the We Work Companies, where she was responsible for development of their cities platform. Prior to that, Ms. Eisnor served as Director of Urban Systems at Google, from June 2018 until February 2019. Previously, Ms. Eisnor was with Waze, Inc., a crowd-sourced navigation and real-time traffic application owned by Alphabet, Inc., for 10 years, most recently serving as the VP Platform and Director of Growth. Prior to joining Waze, Ms. Eisnor was co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Platial Inc., a collaborative, user-generated cartographic website. Ms. Eisnor currently serves on the board of Saia Inc. (Nasdaq: SAIA) and Gray Area Foundation for the Arts. She is a venture partner at Obvious Ventures and is co-founder with Lupe Fiasco of Neighborhood Start Fund, a neighborhood-based micro-fund in underserved urban neighborhoods. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Studio Art and Business Administration from New York University. She is a 2014 Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. Ms. Eisnor is well qualified to serve on our board because of her extensive experience advising boards of directors of public and private companies and her extensive professional experience.
Mr. Camillo Martino has served as a member of our Board of Directors since August 2020. Mr. Martino was a senior global semiconductor company executive and now serves as a board member and executive advisor to many global technology companies. Prior to his current board roles, Mr. Martino was a chief executive officer and C-suite executive of a number of high technology companies worldwide. He is currently Chair of the Board of Directors of Magnachip Semiconductor (NYSE: MX) and has served on this Board since August 2016. Since 2018, he has also served on the Board of Directors at Sensera (ASX: SE1). Mr. Martino also serves on the Board of Directors at multiple privately-held companies, including VVDN Technologies (fastest growing ODM based in India with a focus on Wireless, Networking & IoT) and Sakuu Corporation (multi-material, multi-process Additive Manufacturing platform). Mr. Martino’s prior board service includes serving on the boards of Cypress Semiconductor from June 2017 through the sale of the company to Infineon in April 2020 and Moschip Technologies (BOM: 532407) from April 2017 to May 2019. As an operating executive, Mr. Martino served as Chief Executive Officer of Silicon Image, Inc. (where he also served as a director) from 2010 until the completion of its sale to Lattice Semiconductor Corporation (Nasdaq: LSCC) in March 2015, Chief Operating Officer of SAI Technology Inc. from January 2008 to December 2009 (where he also served as director from 2006 to 2010), and Chief Executive Officer of Cornice Inc. from 2005 to 2007 (where he also served as a director). From August 2001 to July 2005, Mr. Martino served as the executive vice president and chief operating officer at Zoran Corporation, a global SoC semiconductor company. Prior to that, Mr. Martino held multiple positions with National Semiconductor Corporation for a total of nearly 14 years. Mr. Martino holds a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Melbourne and a Graduate Diploma (in Digital Communications) from Monash University in Australia. Mr. Martino is well qualified to serve on our board because of his extensive experience advising boards of directors of public and private companies and his extensive professional experience.
Mr. George Mathai has enjoyed decades working, consulting, and investing in early stage and small businesses at the crossroads of distinct technologies, multiple industries and novel markets. A technically trained business professional, his early experience in bridge design and infrastructure repair was at Edwards & Kelcey in New York, now Jacobs Engineering. In January 1993, Mr. Mathai transitioned to managing renovations projects and gaining strong communications and project execution skills, while driving revenue and profitability, at a small New York construction company. As a founder, he later parlayed his prior management and technical expertise in leading the biosensor development program at GenoRx in June 2000, an early stage, venture-backed concern in Hayward, California. His team accomplished a manufacturable process for detecting DNA electronically on a silicon biochip with the eventual sale of the technology to Bridger Technologies in April 2011. Thereafter, Mr. Mathai helped raise financing for an innovative antibiotic skin care start-up and worked to fundraise for an early-stage immune-mediated cancer therapeutic while at a boutique brokerage firm Objective Equity LLC. Overlapping these endeavors, were local business interests in retail, as well as due diligence consulting for mergers and acquisitions. The above broad and varied interests are also reflected in his educational history which includes bachelors and masters in civil engineering from University of California, Berkeley (May 1989) and City College of New York (June 1992), respectively, as well as, most recently upskilling at CalTech’s cybersecurity program (December 2020). Mr. Mathai’s extensive experience in several diverse industries, markets and customer types will bring a unique and inestimable resource to the board.
49
Table of Contents
Ms. Shanti Priya has been the CFO of Maxfield Enterprises, Inc., a luxury retail company based in Los Angeles and has been leading the organization’s finance and operations since February 2018. Prior to that, Ms. Priya worked for over 12 years in corporate finance at Gap Inc. with her last role at the company as the Global Director of FP&A and Control overseeing the North American, European, and Asian markets. Before transitioning into a career in finance, Ms. Priya worked as a Producer managing content creation at a tech start-up, Knowledge Kids Network, an online educational media site. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Honors English Literature with a minor in Biology from Scripps College. In addition, she holds a Master of Arts in Print Journalism and a Master of Business Administration both from the University of Southern California. Ms. Priya also serves on the board and as treasurer of Secular Student Alliance, a non-profit organization that educates high school and college students regarding secularism and scientific reasoning. She has previously served on the board of Sequoyah School, a non-profit private school serving the ages from K-8. Ms. Priya is well qualified to serve on our board of directors because of her substantial financial and operations experience.
Family Relationships
There are no family relationships between any of our directors and executive officers.
Director Independence
Our board consists of five (5) members. Our directors, other than Mr. Sheikh, are independent directors in accordance with the listing requirements of Nasdaq. The Nasdaq independence definition includes a series of objective tests, including that the director is not, and has not been for at least three years, one of our employees and that neither the director nor any of his, her or their family members has engaged in various types of business dealings with us. There are no family relationships among any of our directors or executive officers.
Classified Board of Directors
Our board is divided into three classes with staggered, three-year terms, in accordance with the terms of the Charter. At each annual meeting of stockholders, the directors whose terms then expire will be eligible for reelection until the third annual meeting following reelection. The directors are divided among the three classes as follows:
The Charter provides that the authorized number of directors may be changed only by resolution of our board. Any additional directorships resulting from an increase in the number of directors will be distributed among the three classes so that, as nearly as possible, each class will consist of one-third of the directors. The division of our board into three classes with staggered three-year terms may delay or prevent a change of our board or a change in control of us. Our directors may be removed only for cause by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of our outstanding voting stock then entitled to vote in an election of directors.
Board Leadership Structure
Our board does not anticipate implementing a policy requiring the positions of the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer to be separate or held by the same individual. Any further determination to create such a policy is expected to be based on circumstances existing from time to time, based on criteria that are in our best interests and the best interests of our stockholders, including the composition, skills and experience of our board and its members, specific challenges faced by us or the industry in which it operates, and governance efficiency. We elected Mr. Sheikh as Chairman of the Board because of Mr. Sheikh’s strategic vision for the business, his in-depth knowledge of our operations, and his experience in capital markets make him well qualified to serve as both Chairman of the board and Chief Executive Officer. Combining the roles of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer will help provide strong and consistent leadership for the management team and our board. However, our board may decide in the future to separate the roles of Chairman and Chief Executive Officers if it determines that such structure provides better and more effective oversight and management. If our board convenes for a meeting, it is expected that the non-management directors will meet in one or more executive
50
Table of Contents