Risks Related to the Company’s Business and Industry
We have [no] [a limited] operating history upon which you can evaluate our performance, and accordingly, our prospects must be considered in light of the risks that any new company encounters.
We were incorporated under the laws of New Jersey on November 30, 2021. Accordingly, we have no history upon which an evaluation of our prospects and future performance can be made. Our proposed operations are subject to all business risks associated with a new enterprise. The likelihood of our creation of a viable business must be considered in light of the problems, expenses, difficulties, complications, and delays frequently encountered in connection with the inception of a business, operation in a competitive industry, and the continued development of advertising, promotions, and a corresponding client base. We anticipate that our operating expenses will increase for the near future. There can be no assurances that we will ever operate profitably. You should consider the Company’s business, operations and prospects in light of the risks, expenses and challenges faced as an early-stage company.
We may face potential difficulties in obtaining capital.
We may have difficulty raising needed capital in the future as a result of, among other factors, our lack of an approved product and revenues from sales, as well as the inherent business risks associated with our company and present and future market conditions. Our business currently does not generate any sales and future sources of revenue may not be sufficient to meet our future capital requirements. We will require additional funds to execute our business strategy and conduct our operations. If adequate funds are unavailable, we may be required to delay, reduce the scope of or eliminate one or more of our [research, development or commercialization programs, product launches or marketing efforts,] any of which may materially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In order for the Company to compete and grow, it must attract, recruit, retain and develop the necessary personnel who have the needed experience.
Recruiting and retaining highly qualified personnel is critical to our success. These demands may require us to hire additional personnel and will require our existing management personnel to develop additional expertise. We face intense competition for personnel. The failure to attract and retain personnel or to develop such expertise could delay or halt the development and commercialization of our product candidates. If we experience difficulties in hiring and retaining personnel in key positions, we could suffer from delays in product development, loss of customers and sales and diversion of management resources, which could adversely affect operating results. Our consultants and advisors may be employed by third parties and may have commitments under consulting or advisory contracts with third parties that may limit their availability to us.
The development and commercialization of our [products/services] is highly competitive.
We face competition with respect to any products that we may seek to develop or commercialize in the future. Our competitors include major companies worldwide. Many of our competitors have significantly greater financial, technical and human resources than we have and superior expertise in research and development and marketing approved [products/services] and thus may be better equipped than us to develop and commercialize [products/services]. These competitors also compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified personnel and acquiring technologies. Smaller or early stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. Accordingly, our competitors may commercialize products more rapidly or effectively than we are able to, which would adversely affect our competitive position, the likelihood that our [products/services] will achieve initial market acceptance and our ability to generate meaningful additional revenues from our products.
As a distributor of [DESCRIBE PRODUCTS], our business depends on developing and maintaining close and productive relationships with our vendors.
We depend on our vendors to sell us quality products at favorable prices. Many factors outside our control, including, without limitation, raw material shortages, inadequate manufacturing capacity, labor disputes, transportation disruptions or weather conditions, could adversely affect our vendors’ ability to deliver to us quality merchandise at favorable prices in a timely manner. Furthermore, financial or operational difficulties with a particular vendor could cause that vendor to increase the cost of the products or decrease the quality of the products we purchase from it. Vendor consolidation could also limit the number of suppliers from which we may purchase products and could materially affect the prices we pay for these products. We would suffer an adverse impact if our vendors limit or cancel the return privileges that currently protect us from inventory obsolescence.
We [may] [plan to] implement new lines of business or offer new products and services within existing lines of business.
There are substantial risks and uncertainties associated with these efforts, particularly in instances where the markets are not fully developed. In developing and marketing new lines of business and/or new products and services, we may invest significant time and resources. Initial timetables for the introduction and development of new lines of business and/or new products or services may not be achieved and price and profitability targets may not prove feasible. We may not be successful in introducing new products and services in response to industry trends or developments in technology, or those new products may not achieve market acceptance. As a result, we could lose business, be forced to price products and services on less advantageous terms to retain or attract clients, or be subject to cost increases. As a result, our business, financial condition or results of operations may be adversely affected.
In general, demand for our products and services is highly correlated with general economic conditions.
A substantial portion of our revenue is derived from discretionary spending by individuals, which typically falls during times of economic instability. Declines in economic conditions in the U.S. or in other countries in which we operate may adversely impact our consolidated financial results. Because such declines in demand are difficult to predict, we or the industry may have increased excess capacity as a result. An increase in excess capacity may result in declines in prices for our products and services.
Security breaches and other disruptions could compromise our information and expose us to liability, which would cause our business and reputation to suffer.
We [collect and] store sensitive data, including intellectual property, our proprietary business information and that of our customers, [suppliers and business partners,] and personally identifiable information of our [customers and] employees, in our data centers and on our networks. The secure [processing,] maintenance [and transmission] of this information is critical to our operations [and business strategy]. Despite our security measures, our information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers or breached due to employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions. Any such breach could compromise our networks and the information stored there could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost or stolen. Any such access, disclosure or other loss of information could result in legal claims or proceedings, [liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information,] [and regulatory penalties,] [disrupt our operations [and the services we provide to customers],] [and] damage our reputation, [and cause a loss of confidence in our products and services], which could adversely affect our [business/operating margins, revenues and competitive position].
[The secure [processing,] maintenance [and transmission] of this information is critical to our operations [and business strategy], and we devote significant resources to protecting our information [by [DESCRIBE ADDITIONAL SECURITY MEASURES.]] The expenses associated with [protecting our information/ these steps] could reduce our operating margins.]
An intentional or unintentional disruption, failure, misappropriation or corruption of our network and information systems could severely affect our business.
Such an event might be caused by computer hacking, computer viruses, worms and other destructive or disruptive software, "cyber attacks" and other malicious activity, as well as natural disasters, power outages, terrorist attacks and similar events. Such events could have an adverse impact on us and our customers, including degradation of service, service disruption, excessive call volume to call centers and damage to our plant, equipment and data. In addition, our future results could be adversely affected due to the theft, destruction, loss, misappropriation or release of confidential customer data or intellectual property. Operational or business delays may result from the disruption of network or information systems and the subsequent remediation activities. Moreover, these events may create negative publicity resulting in reputation or brand damage with customers.
We are required to comply with various import laws and export control and economic sanctions laws, which may affect our transactions with certain customers, business partners and other persons and dealings between our employees and subsidiaries.
In certain circumstances, export control and economic sanctions regulations may prohibit the export of certain products, services and technologies. In other circumstances, we may be required to obtain an export license before exporting the controlled item. Compliance with the various import laws that apply to our businesses can restrict our access to, and increase the cost of obtaining, certain products and at times can interrupt our supply of imported inventory.
The Company’s success depends on the experience and skill of the board of directors, its executive officers and key employees.
In particular, the Company is dependent on Michael Calderone who are CEO of the Company. The Company has or intends to enter into employment agreements with Michael Calderone although there can be no assurance that it will do so or that they will continue to be employed by the Company for a particular period of time. The loss of Michael Calderone or any member of the board of directors or executive officer could harm the Company’s business, financial condition, cash flow and results of operations.
The amount of capital the Company is attempting to raise in this Offering is not enough to sustain the Company’s current business plan.
In order to achieve the Company’s near and long-term goals, the Company will need to procure funds in addition to the amount raised in the Offering. There is no guarantee the Company will be able to raise such funds on acceptable terms or at all. If we are not able to raise sufficient capital in the future, we will not be able to execute our business plan, our continued operations will be in jeopardy and we may be forced to cease operations and sell or otherwise transfer all or substantially all of our remaining assets, which could cause an Investor to lose all or a portion of his or her investment.
The Company intends to use the proceeds from the Offering for unspecified working capital.
This means that the Company has ultimate discretion to use the proceeds as it sees fit and has chosen not to set forth any specific uses for you to evaluate. The net proceeds from this Offering will be used for the purposes, which our management deems to be in our best interests in order to address changed circumstances or opportunities. As a result of the foregoing, our success will be substantially dependent upon our discretion and judgment with respect to application and allocation of the net proceeds of this Offering. The Company may choose to use the proceeds in a manner that you do not agree with and you will have no recourse. A use of proceeds that does not further the Company’s business and goals could harm the Company and its operations and ultimately cause an Investor to lose all or a portion of his or her investment.
Although dependent on certain key personnel, the Company does not have any key man life insurance policies on any such people.
The Company is dependent on Michael Calderone in order to conduct its operations and execute its business plan, however, the Company has not purchased any insurance policies with respect to those individuals in the event of their death or disability. Therefore, if any of Michael Calderone die or become disabled, the Company will not receive any compensation to assist with such person’s absence. The loss of such person could negatively affect the Company and its operations.
We have not prepared any audited financial statements.
Therefore, you have no audited financial information regarding the Company’s capitalization or assets or liabilities on which to make your investment decision. If you feel the information provided is insufficient, you should not invest in the Company.
We are subject to income taxes as well as non-income based taxes, such as payroll, sales, use, value-added, net worth, property and goods and services taxes, in both the U.S. [and various foreign jurisdictions].
Significant judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes and other tax liabilities. In the ordinary course of our business, there are many transactions and calculations where the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. Although we believe that our tax estimates are reasonable: (i) there is no assurance that the final determination of tax audits or tax disputes will not be different from what is reflected in our income tax provisions, expense amounts for non-income based taxes and accruals and (ii) any material differences could have an adverse effect on our financial position and results of operations in the period or periods for which determination is made.
We are not subject to Sarbanes-Oxley regulations and lack the financial controls and safeguards required of public companies.
We do not have the internal infrastructure necessary, and are not required, to complete an attestation about our financial controls that would be required under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. There can be no assurance that there are no significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in the quality of our financial controls. We expect to incur additional expenses and diversion of management’s time if and when it becomes necessary to perform the system and process evaluation, testing and remediation required in order to comply with the management certification and auditor attestation requirements.
The Company has indicated that it has engaged in certain transactions with related persons.
Please see the section of this Memorandum entitled "Transactions with Related Persons and Conflicts of Interest" for further details.
Changes in employment laws or regulation could harm our performance.
Various federal and state labor laws govern our relationship with our employees and affect operating costs. These laws include minimum wage requirements, overtime pay, healthcare reform and the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, unemployment tax rates, workers’ compensation rates, citizenship requirements, union membership and sales taxes. A number of factors could adversely affect our operating results, including additional government-imposed increases in minimum wages, overtime pay, paid leaves of absence and mandated health benefits, mandated training for employees, increased tax reporting and tax payment [requirements for employees who receive tips, a reduction in the number of states that allow tips to be credited toward minimum wage requirements,] changing regulations from the National Labor Relations Board and increased employee litigation including claims relating to the Fair Labor Standards Act.
The Company’s business operations may be materially adversely affected by a pandemic such as the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus was reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China, which spread throughout other parts of the world, including the United States. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.” On January 31, 2020, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II declared a public health emergency for the United States to aid the U.S. healthcare community in responding to COVID-19, and on March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization characterized the outbreak as a “pandemic.” COVID-19 resulted in a widespread health crisis that adversely affected the economies and financial markets worldwide. The Company’s business could be materially and adversely affected. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts the Company’s business will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global concern continue for an extended period of time, the Company’s operations may be materially adversely affected.
We face risks related to health epidemics and other outbreaks, which could significantly disrupt the Company’s operations and could have a material adverse impact on us.
The outbreak of pandemics and epidemics could materially and adversely affect the Company’s business, financial condition, and results of operations. If a pandemic occurs in areas in which we have material operations or sales, the Company’s business activities originating from affected areas, including sales, materials, and supply chain related activities, could be adversely affected. Disruptive activities could include the temporary closure of facilities used in the Company’s supply chain processes, restrictions on the export or shipment of products necessary to run the Company’s business, business closures in impacted areas, and restrictions on the Company’s employees’ or consultants’ ability to travel and to meet with customers, vendors or other business relationships. The extent to which a pandemic or other health outbreak impacts the Company’s results will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of a virus and the actions to contain it or treat its impact, among others. Pandemics can also result in social, economic, and labor instability which may adversely impact the Company’s business.
If the Company’s employees or employees of any of the Company’s vendors, suppliers or customers become ill or are quarantined and in either or both events are therefore unable to work, the Company’s operations could be subject to disruption. The extent to which a pandemic affects the Company’s results will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted.
We face risks relating to public health conditions such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which could adversely affect the Company’s customers, business, and results of operations.
Our business and prospects could be materially adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic or recurrences of that or any other such disease in the future. Material adverse effects from COVID-19 and similar occurrences could result in numerous known and currently unknown ways including from quarantines and lockdowns which impair the Company’s business including: [marketing and sales efforts, supply chain, etc.]. [Describe how a quarantine has or may in the future negatively affect your employees and their ability to perform their duties]. [Describe how a quarantine has or may in the future negatively affect your suppliers, their employees, and overall ability to fulfill orders]. If the Company purchases materials from suppliers in affected areas, the Company may not be able to procure such products in a timely manner. The effects of a pandemic can place travel restrictions on key personnel which could have a material impact on the business. In addition, a significant outbreak of contagious diseases in the human population could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets of many countries, resulting in an economic downturn that could reduce the demand for the Company’s products and impair the Company’s business prospects including as a result of being unable to raise additional capital on acceptable terms to us, if at all.
Changes in government regulation could adversely impact our business.
The [cable/media/television/internet/entertainment] industry is subject to extensive legislation and regulation at the federal and local levels and, in some instances, at the state level. Additionally, our [name specific product or service] are also subject to regulation, and additional regulation is under consideration. Many aspects of such regulation are currently the subject of judicial and administrative proceedings, legislative and administrative proposals, and lobbying efforts by us and our competitors. Legislation under consideration could entirely rewrite our principal regulatory statute, and the FCC and/or Congress may attempt to change the classification of or change the way that our [name specific product or service] are regulated and/or change the framework under which broadcast signals are carried, remove the copyright compulsory license and changing rights and obligations of our competitors. We expect that court actions and regulatory proceedings will continue to refine our rights and obligations under applicable federal, state and local laws, which cannot be predicted. Modifications to existing requirements or imposition of new requirements or limitations could have an adverse impact on our business.
Net neutrality could have an adverse impact on our business and results of operations.
On February 26, 2015, the United States FCC ruled in favor of net neutrality by reclassifying Internet broadband access as a telecommunications service and thus applying Title II of the Communications Act of 1934 to Internet service providers. On June 11, 2018, the FCC’s Restoring Internet Freedom Order took effect, effectively repealing the 2015 net neutrality ruling. On April 10, 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Save the Internet Act of 2019, which would restore net neutrality; the Act is awaiting U.S. Senate floor action as of the date of this document.
Net neutrality could hurt the Company’s ability to reach a wide audience through the streaming platforms to which it intends to distribute its products, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We may not be able to adapt to new content distribution platforms and to changes in consumer behavior resulting from these new technologies.
We must successfully adapt to technological advances in our industry, including the emergence of alternative distribution platforms. Our ability to exploit new distribution platforms and viewing technologies will affect our ability to maintain or grow our business and may increase our capital expenditures. Additionally, we must adapt to changing consumer behavior driven by advances such as DVRs, video-on-demand, online based content delivery, Blu-ray™ players, game consoles and mobile devices. Such changes may impact the revenue we are able to generate from our traditional distribution methods by decreasing the viewership of our networks on cable and other MVPD systems. If we fail to adapt our distribution methods and content to emerging technologies, our appeal to our targeted audiences might decline and there would be a materially adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
New technologies may make our products and services obsolete or unneeded.
New and emerging technological advances, such as mobile computing devices that allow consumers to obtain information and view content may adversely impact or eliminate the demand for our products and services. The increasing availability of content on such devices, the improved video quality of the content on such devices and faster wireless delivery speeds may make individuals less likely to purchase our services. Our success can depend on new product development. The entertainment and communications industry is ever-changing as new technologies are introduced. Advances in technology, such as new video formats, downloading or alternative methods of product delivery and distribution channels, such as the Internet, or certain changes in consumer behavior driven by these or other technologies and methods of delivery, could have a negative effect on our business. These changes could lower cost barriers for our competitors desiring to enter into, or expand their presence in, the interactive services business. Increased competition may adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We face risks relating to competition for the leisure time and discretionary spending of audiences, which has intensified in part due to advances in technology and changes in consumer expectations and behavior.
Our business is subject to risks relating to increasing competition for the leisure time and discretionary spending of consumers. We compete with all other sources of entertainment and information delivery. Technological advancements, such as new video formats and Internet streaming and downloading of programming that can be viewed on televisions, computers and mobile devices have increased the number of entertainment and information delivery choices available to consumers and intensified the challenges posed by audience fragmentation. The increasing number of choices available to audiences, including low-cost or free choices, could negatively impact not only consumer demand for our products and services, but also advertisers’ willingness to purchase advertising from us. Our failure to effectively anticipate or adapt to new technologies and changes in consumer expectations and behavior could significantly adversely affect our competitive position and its business and results of operations.
Piracy of the Company’s content may decrease the revenues received from the sale of our content and adversely affect our businesses.
The piracy of our content, products and other intellectual property poses significant challenges for us. Technological developments, such as the proliferation of cloud-based storage and streaming, increased broadband Internet speed and penetration and increased speed of mobile data transmission have made it easier to create, transmit, distribute and store high quality unauthorized copies of content in unprotected digital formats, which has in turn encouraged the creation of highly scalable businesses that facilitate, and in many instances financially benefit from, such piracy. Piracy is particularly prevalent in many parts of the world that lack effective copyright and technical legal protections or enforcement measures, and illegitimate operators based in these parts of the world can attract viewers from anywhere in the world. The proliferation of unauthorized copies and piracy of the Company’s content, products and intellectual property or the products it licenses from others could result in a reduction of the revenues that the Company receives from the legitimate sale, licensing and distribution of its content and products. The Company devotes substantial resources to protecting its content, products and intellectual property, but there can be no assurance that the Company’s efforts to enforce its rights and combat piracy will be successful.
Our success depends on consumer acceptance of our content and we may be adversely affected if our content fails to achieve sufficient consumer acceptance or the costs to create or acquire content increase.
We create and acquire media and entertainment content, the success of which depends substantially on consumer tastes and preferences that change in often unpredictable ways. The success of these businesses depends on our ability to consistently create, acquire, market and distribute [cable network and broadcast television programming, filmed entertainment, news articles, written content, literature, music] and other content that meet the changing preferences of the broad domestic [and international] consumer market. We have invested, and will continue to invest, substantial amounts in our content, including in the production of original content, before learning the extent to which it would earn consumer acceptance.
We also obtain a significant portion of our content from third parties, such as [movie studios, television production companies, sports organizations, freelance writers, photographers] and other suppliers. Competition for popular content is intense, and we may have to increase the price we are willing to pay or be outbid by our competitors for popular content. Entering into or renewing contracts for such programming rights or acquiring additional rights may result in significantly increased costs. There can be no assurance that revenue from these contracts will exceed our cost for the rights, as well as the other costs of producing and distributing the content. If our content does not achieve sufficient consumer acceptance, or if we cannot obtain or retain rights to popular content on acceptable terms, or at all, our businesses may be adversely affected.
Our business could be adversely affected if there is a decline in advertising spending.
A decline in the economic prospects of advertisers or the economy in general could cause current or prospective advertisers to spend less on advertising or spend their advertising dollars in other media. Advertising expenditures also could be negatively affected by (i) increasing audience fragmentation caused by increased availability of alternative forms of leisure and entertainment activities; (ii) [the increased use of digital video recorders to skip advertisements;] (iii) pressure from public interest groups to reduce or eliminate advertising of certain products; (iv) new laws and regulations that prohibit or restrict certain types of advertisements; and (v) natural disasters, extreme weather, acts of terrorism, political uncertainty or hostilities, because there may be uninterrupted news coverage of such events that disrupts regular ad placement. In addition, advertisers’ willingness to purchase advertising time from the Company may be adversely affected by a decline in [users/customers/audience ratings] for our content. [Finally, if the television ratings system is not changed so that it captures the viewership of programming through digital video recorders, VOD and mobile devices, advertisers may not be willing to pay advertising rates based on the increasing viewership that occurs after the initial airing of a program and on digital platforms.]
We derive substantial revenues from the sale of advertising, and a decrease in overall advertising expenditures could lead to a reduction in the amount of advertising that companies are willing to purchase and the price at which they purchase it.
Expenditures by advertisers tend to be cyclical and have become less predictable in recent years, reflecting domestic and global economic conditions. If the economic prospects of advertisers or current economic conditions worsen, such conditions could alter current or prospective advertisers’ spending priorities. In particular, advertisers in certain industries that are more susceptible to weakness in domestic and global economic conditions, such as beauty, fashion and retail and food, account for a significant portion of our advertising revenues, and weakness in these industries could have a disproportionate negative impact on our advertising revenues. Declines in consumer spending on advertisers’ products due to weak economic conditions could also indirectly negatively impact our advertising revenues, as advertisers may not perceive as much value from advertising if consumers are purchasing fewer of their products or services. As a result, our advertising revenues are less predictable.
The Company could be negatively impacted if found to have infringed on intellectual property rights.
Technology companies, including many of the Company’s competitors, frequently enter into litigation based on allegations of patent infringement or other violations of intellectual property rights. In addition, patent holding companies seek to monetize patents they have purchased or otherwise obtained. As the Company grows, the intellectual property rights claims against it will likely increase. The Company intends to vigorously defend infringement actions in court and before the U.S. International Trade Commission. The plaintiffs in these actions frequently seek injunctions and substantial damages. Regardless of the scope or validity of such patents or other intellectual property rights, or the merits of any claims by potential or actual litigants, the Company may have to engage in protracted litigation. If the Company is found to infringe one or more patents or other intellectual property rights, regardless of whether it can develop non-infringing technology, it may be required to pay substantial damages or royalties to a third-party, or it may be subject to a temporary or permanent injunction prohibiting the Company from marketing or selling certain products. In certain cases, the Company may consider the desirability of entering into licensing agreements, although no assurance can be given that such licenses can be obtained on acceptable terms or that litigation will not occur. These licenses may also significantly increase the Company’s operating expenses.
Regardless of the merit of particular claims, litigation may be expensive, time-consuming, disruptive to the Company’s operations and distracting to management. In recognition of these considerations, the Company may enter into arrangements to settle litigation. If one or more legal matters were resolved against the Company’s consolidated financial statements for that reporting period could be materially adversely affected. Further, such an outcome could result in significant compensatory, punitive or trebled monetary damages, disgorgement of revenue or profits, remedial corporate measures or injunctive relief against the Company that could adversely affect its financial condition and results of operations.
Indemnity provisions in various agreements potentially expose us to substantial liability for intellectual property infringement and other losses.
Our agreements with advertisers, advertising agencies, customers and other third parties may include indemnification provisions under which we agree to indemnify them for losses suffered or incurred as a result of claims of intellectual property infringement, damages caused by us to property or persons, or other liabilities relating to or arising from our products, services or other contractual obligations. The term of these indemnity provisions generally survives termination or expiration of the applicable agreement. Large indemnity payments would harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, any type of intellectual property lawsuit, whether initiated by us or a third party, would likely be time consuming and expensive to resolve and would divert management’s time and attention.
We rely heavily on our technology and intellectual property, but we may be unable to adequately or cost-effectively protect or enforce our intellectual property rights, thereby weakening our competitive position and increasing operating costs.
To protect our rights in our services and technology, we rely on a combination of copyright and trademark laws, patents, trade secrets, confidentiality agreements with employees and third parties, and protective contractual provisions. We also rely on laws pertaining to trademarks and domain names to protect the value of our corporate brands and reputation. Despite our efforts to protect our proprietary rights, unauthorized parties may copy aspects of our services or technology, obtain and use information, marks, or technology that we regard as proprietary, or otherwise violate or infringe our intellectual property rights. In addition, it is possible that others could independently develop substantially equivalent intellectual property. If we do not effectively protect our intellectual property, or if others independently develop substantially equivalent intellectual property, our competitive position could be weakened.
Effectively policing the unauthorized use of our services and technology is time-consuming and costly, and the steps taken by us may not prevent misappropriation of our technology or other proprietary assets. The efforts we have taken to protect our proprietary rights may not be sufficient or effective, and unauthorized parties may copy aspects of our services, use similar marks or domain names, or obtain and use information, marks, or technology that we regard as proprietary. We may have to litigate to enforce our intellectual property rights, to protect our trade secrets, or to determine the validity and scope of others’ proprietary rights, which are sometimes not clear or may change. Litigation can be time consuming and expensive, and the outcome can be difficult to predict.
We rely on agreements with third parties to provide certain services, goods, technology, and intellectual property rights necessary to enable us to implement some of our applications.
Our ability to implement and provide our applications and services to our clients depends, in part, on services, goods, technology, and intellectual property rights owned or controlled by third parties. These third parties may become unable to or refuse to continue to provide these services, goods, technology, or intellectual property rights on commercially reasonable terms consistent with our business practices, or otherwise discontinue a service important for us to continue to operate our applications. If we fail to replace these services, goods, technologies, or intellectual property rights in a timely manner or on commercially reasonable terms, our operating results and financial condition could be harmed. In addition, we exercise limited control over our third-party vendors, which increases our vulnerability to problems with technology and services those vendors provide. If the services, technology, or intellectual property of third parties were to fail to perform as expected, it could subject us to potential liability, adversely affect our renewal rates, and have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
We depend on profitable royalty-bearing licenses of our technology, and if we are unable to maintain and generate such license agreements, then we may not be able to sustain existing levels of revenue or increase revenue.
We depend upon the identification, investment in and license of new patents for our revenues. If we are unable to maintain such license agreements and to continue to develop new license arrangements, then we may not have the resources to identify new technology-based opportunities for future patents and inventions in order to maintain sustainable revenue and growth.
Our current or future license agreements may not provide the volume or quality of royalty revenue to sustain our business. In some cases, other technology sources may compete against us as they seek to license and commercialize technologies. These and other strategies may reduce the number of technology sources and potential clients to whom we can market our services. Our inability to maintain current relationships and sources of technology or to secure new licensees, may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
If we fail to maintain or expand our relationships with our suppliers[, in some cases single-source suppliers,] we may not have adequate access to new or key technology necessary for our products, which may impair our ability to deliver leading-edge products.
In addition to the technologies we develop, our suppliers develop product innovations at our direction that are requested by our customers. Further, we rely heavily on our component suppliers, such as [name of suppliers], to provide us with leading-edge components that conform to required specifications or contractual arrangements on time and in accordance with a product roadmap. If we are not able to maintain or expand our relationships with our suppliers or continue to leverage their research and development capabilities to develop new technologies desired by our customers, our ability to deliver leading-edge products in a timely manner may be impaired and we could be required to incur additional research and development expenses. Also, disruption in our supply chain or the need to find alternative suppliers could impact the costs and/or timing associated with procuring necessary products, components and services. Similarly, suppliers have operating risks that could impact our business. These risks could create product time delays, inventory and invoicing problems, staging delays, and other operational difficulties.
We must acquire or develop new products, evolve existing ones, address any defects or errors, and adapt to technology change.
Technical developments, client requirements, programming languages, and industry standards change frequently in our markets. As a result, success in current markets and new markets will depend upon our ability to enhance current products, address any product defects or errors, acquire or develop and introduce new products that meet client needs, keep pace with technology changes, respond to competitive products, and achieve market acceptance. Product development requires substantial investments for research, refinement, and testing. We may not have sufficient resources to make necessary product development investments. We may experience technical or other difficulties that will delay or prevent the successful development, introduction, or implementation of new or enhanced products. We may also experience technical or other difficulties in the integration of acquired technologies into our existing platform and applications. Inability to introduce or implement new or enhanced products in a timely manner could result in loss of market share if competitors are able to provide solutions to meet customer needs before we do, give rise to unanticipated expenses related to further development or modification of acquired technologies as a result of integration issues, and adversely affect future performance.
Our failure to deliver high quality server solutions could damage our reputation and diminish demand for our products, and subject us to liability.
Our customers require our products to perform at a high level, contain valuable features and be extremely reliable. The design of our server solutions is sophisticated and complex, and the process for manufacturing, assembling and testing our server solutions is challenging. Occasionally, our design or manufacturing processes may fail to deliver products of the quality that our customers require. For example, a vendor may provide us with a defective component that failed under certain heavy use applications. As a result, our product would need to be repaired. The vendor may agree to pay for the costs of the repairs, but we may incur costs in connection with the recall and diverted resources from other projects. New flaws or limitations in our products may be detected in the future. Part of our strategy is to bring new products to market quickly, and first-generation products may have a higher likelihood of containing undetected flaws. If our customers discover defects or other performance problems with our products, our customers’ businesses, and our reputation, may be damaged. Customers may elect to delay or withhold payment for defective or underperforming products, request remedial action, terminate contracts for untimely delivery, or elect not to order additional products. If we do not properly address customer concerns about our products, our reputation and relationships with our customers may be harmed. In addition, we may be subject to product liability claims for a defective product. Any of the foregoing could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Cyclical and seasonal fluctuations in the economy, in internet usage and in traditional retail shopping may have an effect on our business.
Both cyclical and seasonal fluctuations in internet usage and traditional retail seasonality may affect our business. Internet usage generally slows during the summer months, and queries typically increase significantly in the fourth quarter of each year. These seasonal trends may cause fluctuations in our quarterly results, including fluctuations in revenues.
The products we sell are advanced, and we need to rapidly and successfully develop and introduce new products in a competitive, demanding and rapidly changing environment.
To succeed in our intensely competitive industry, we must continually improve, refresh and expand our product and service offerings to include newer features, functionality or solutions, and keep pace with price-to-performance gains in the industry. Shortened product life cycles due to customer demands and competitive pressures impact the pace at which we must introduce and implement new technology. This requires a high level of innovation by both our software developers and the suppliers of the third-party software components included in our systems. In addition, bringing new solutions to the market entails a costly and lengthy process, and requires us to accurately anticipate customer needs and technology trends. We must continue to respond to market demands, develop leading technologies and maintain leadership in analytic data solutions performance and scalability, or our business operations may be adversely affected.
We must also anticipate and respond to customer demands regarding the compatibility of our current and prior offerings. These demands could hinder the pace of introducing and implementing new technology. Our future results may be affected if our products cannot effectively interface and perform well with software products of other companies and with our customers’ existing IT infrastructures, or if we are unsuccessful in our efforts to enter into agreements allowing integration of third-party technology with our database and software platforms. Our efforts to develop the interoperability of our products may require significant investments of capital and employee resources. In addition, many of our principal products are used with products offered by third parties and, in the future, some vendors of non-Company products may become less willing to provide us with access to their products, technical information and marketing and sales support. As a result of these and other factors, our ability to introduce new or improved solutions could be adversely impacted and our business would be negatively affected.
Industry consolidation may result in increased competition, which could result in a loss of customers or a reduction in revenue.
Some of our competitors have made or may make acquisitions or may enter into partnerships or other strategic relationships to offer more comprehensive services than they individually had offered or achieve greater economies of scale. In addition, new entrants not currently considered to be competitors may enter our market through acquisitions, partnerships or strategic relationships. We expect these trends to continue as companies attempt to strengthen or maintain their market positions. The potential entrants may have competitive advantages over us, such as greater name recognition, longer operating histories, more varied services and larger marketing budgets, as well as greater financial, technical and other resources. The companies resulting from combinations or that expand or vertically integrate their business to include the market that we address may create more compelling service offerings and may offer greater pricing flexibility than we can or may engage in business practices that make it more difficult for us to compete effectively, including on the basis of price, sales and marketing programs, technology or service functionality. These pressures could result in a substantial loss of our customers or a reduction in our revenue.
Our business could be negatively impacted by cyber security threats, attacks and other disruptions.
Like others in our industry, we continue to face advanced and persistent attacks on our information infrastructure where we manage and store various proprietary information and sensitive/confidential data relating to our operations. These attacks may include sophisticated malware (viruses, worms, and other malicious software programs) and phishing emails that attack our products or otherwise exploit any security vulnerabilities. These intrusions sometimes may be zero-day malware that are difficult to identify because they are not included in the signature set of commercially available antivirus scanning programs. Experienced computer programmers and hackers may be able to penetrate our network security and misappropriate or compromise our confidential information or that of our customers or other third-parties, create system disruptions, or cause shutdowns. Additionally, sophisticated software and applications that we produce or procure from third-parties may contain defects in design or manufacture, including "bugs" and other problems that could unexpectedly interfere with the operation of the information infrastructure. A disruption, infiltration or failure of our information infrastructure systems or any of our data centers as a result of software or hardware malfunctions, computer viruses, cyber attacks, employee theft or misuse, power disruptions, natural disasters or accidents could cause breaches of data security, loss of critical data and performance delays, which in turn could adversely affect our business.
If we do not respond to technological changes or upgrade our websites and technology systems, our growth prospects and results of operations could be adversely affected.
To remain competitive, we must continue to enhance and improve the functionality and features of our websites and technology infrastructure. As a result, we will need to continue to improve and expand our hosting and network infrastructure and related software capabilities. These improvements may require greater levels of spending than we have experienced in the past. Without such improvements, our operations might suffer from unanticipated system disruptions, slow application performance or unreliable service levels, any of which could negatively affect our reputation and ability to attract and retain customers and contributors. Furthermore, in order to continue to attract and retain new customers, we are likely to incur expenses in connection with continuously updating and improving our user interface and experience. We may face significant delays in introducing new services, products and enhancements. If competitors introduce new products and services using new technologies or if new industry standards and practices emerge, our existing websites and our proprietary technology and systems may become obsolete or less competitive, and our business may be harmed. In addition, the expansion and improvement of our systems and infrastructure may require us to commit substantial financial, operational and technical resources, with no assurance that our business will improve.
We currently obtain components from single or limited sources, and are subject to significant supply and pricing risks.
Many components, including those that are available from multiple sources, are at times subject to industry-wide shortages and significant commodity pricing fluctuations. While the Company has entered into agreements for the supply of many components, there can be no assurance that we will be able to extend or renew these agreements on similar terms, or at all. A number of suppliers of components may suffer from poor financial conditions, which can lead to business failure for the supplier or consolidation within a particular industry, further limiting our ability to obtain sufficient quantities of components. The follow-on effects from global economic conditions on our suppliers, also could affect our ability to obtain components. Therefore, we remain subject to significant risks of supply shortages and price increases.
Our products often utilize custom components available from only one source. Continued availability of these components at acceptable prices, or at all, may be affected for any number of reasons, including if those suppliers decide to concentrate on the production of common components instead of components customized to meet our requirements. The supply of components for a new or existing product could be delayed or constrained, or a key manufacturing vendor could delay shipments of completed products to us adversely affecting our business and results of operations.
The Company depends on the performance of distributors, carriers and other resellers.
The Company distributes its products through [cellular network carriers,] wholesalers, national and regional retailers, and value-added resellers, many of whom distribute products from competing manufacturers. The Company also sells its products and third-party products in most of its major markets directly to education, enterprise and government customers, and consumers and small and mid-sized businesses through its online and retail stores.
[Carriers providing cellular network service for iPhone typically subsidize users’ purchases of the device. There is no assurance that such subsidies will be continued at all or in the same amounts upon renewal of the Company’s agreements with these carriers or in agreements the Company enters into with new carriers.]
Many resellers have narrow operating margins and have been adversely affected in the past by weak economic conditions. Some resellers have perceived the expansion of the Company’s direct sales as conflicting with their business interests as distributors and resellers of the Company’s products. Such a perception could discourage resellers from investing resources in the distribution and sale of the Company’s products or lead them to limit or cease distribution of those products. The Company has invested and will continue to invest in programs to enhance reseller sales, including [staffing selected resellers’ stores with Company employees and contractors, and] improving product placement displays. These programs could require a substantial investment while providing no assurance of return or incremental revenue. The financial condition of these resellers could weaken, these resellers could stop distributing the Company’s products, or uncertainty regarding demand for the Company’s products could cause resellers to reduce their ordering and marketing of the Company’s products.
Risks Related to the Securities
The Units of Common Stock will not be freely tradable until one year from the initial purchase date. Although the Units of Common Stock may be tradable under federal securities law, state securities regulations may apply and each Purchaser should consult with his or her attorney.
You should be aware of the long-term nature of this investment. There is not now and likely will not be a public market for the Units of Common Stock. Because the Units of Common Stock have not been registered under the Securities Act or under the securities laws of any state or non-United States jurisdiction, the Units of Common Stock have transfer restrictions and cannot be resold in the United States except pursuant to Rule 501 of Regulation CF. It is not currently contemplated that registration under the Securities Act or other securities laws will be effected. Limitations on the transfer of the Units of Common Stock may also adversely affect the price that you might be able to obtain for the Units of Common Stock in a private sale. Purchasers should be aware of the long-term nature of their investment in the Company. Each Purchaser in this Offering will be required to represent that it is purchasing the Securities for its own account, for investment purposes and not with a view to resale or distribution thereof.
Neither the Offering nor the Securities have been registered under federal or state securities laws, leading to an absence of certain regulation applicable to the Company.
No governmental agency has reviewed or passed upon this Offering, the Company or any Securities of the Company. The Company also has relied on exemptions from securities registration requirements under applicable state securities laws. Investors in the Company, therefore, will not receive any of the benefits that such registration would otherwise provide. Prospective investors must therefore assess the adequacy of disclosure and the fairness of the terms of this Offering on their own or in conjunction with their personal advisors.
No Guarantee of Return on Investment
There is no assurance that a Purchaser will realize a return on its investment or that it will not lose its entire investment. For this reason, each Purchaser should read the Form C and all Exhibits carefully and should consult with its own attorney and business advisor prior to making any investment decision.
A portion of the proceeds from the Offering will be used to pay accrued and unpaid wages of [list individuals or positions of people].
These proceeds will not be available for the ongoing operations of the Company but will instead be paid to these insiders as unpaid compensation for prior service to the Company.
A portion of the proceeds from the Offering will be used to pay the accrued and unpaid expenses of [list individuals or positions of people].
These proceeds will not be available for the ongoing operations of the Company but will instead be paid to these insiders as repayment for expenses incurred prior to the Offering and owed to them by the Company.
A portion of the proceeds from the Offering will used to repay obligations of the Company currently in arrears.
These proceeds will not be available for the ongoing operations of the Company but will instead be paid to creditors for amounts which are currently overdue.
A majority of the Company is owned by a small number of owners.
Prior to the Offering the Company’s current owners of 20% or more beneficially own up to 100.0% of the Company. Subject to any fiduciary duties owed to our other owners or investors under New Jersey law, these owners may be able to exercise significant influence over matters requiring owner approval, including the election of directors or managers and approval of significant Company transactions, and will have significant control over the Company’s management and policies. Some of these persons may have interests that are different from yours. For example, these owners may support proposals and actions with which you may disagree. The concentration of ownership could delay or prevent a change in control of the Company or otherwise discourage a potential acquirer from attempting to obtain control of the Company, which in turn could reduce the price potential investors are willing to pay for the Company. In addition, these owners could use their voting influence to maintain the Company’s existing management, delay or prevent changes in control of the Company, or support or reject other management and board proposals that are subject to owner approval.
The Company has the right to extend the Offering deadline.
The Company may extend the Offering deadline beyond what is currently stated herein. This means that your investment may continue to be held in escrow while the Company attempts to raise the Minimum Amount even after the Offering deadline stated herein is reached. Your investment will not be accruing interest during this time and will simply be held until such time as the new Offering deadline is reached without the Company receiving the Minimum Amount, at which time it will be returned to you without interest or deduction, or the Company receives the Minimum Amount, at which time it will be released to the Company to be used as set forth herein. Upon or shortly after release of such funds to the Company, the Securities will be issued and distributed to you.
Your ownership of the shares of stock will be subject to dilution.
Owners of do not have preemptive rights. If the Company conducts subsequent Offerings of or Securities convertible into , issues shares pursuant to a compensation or distribution reinvestment plan or otherwise issues additional shares, investors who purchase shares in this Offering who do not participate in those other stock issuances will experience dilution in their percentage ownership of the Company’s outstanding shares. Furthermore, shareholders may experience a dilution in the value of their shares depending on the terms and pricing of any future share issuances (including the shares being sold in this Offering) and the value of the Company’s assets at the time of issuance.
The Securities will be equity interests in the Company and will not constitute indebtedness.
The Securities will rank junior to all existing and future indebtedness and other non-equity claims on the Company with respect to assets available to satisfy claims on the Company, including in a liquidation of the Company. Additionally, unlike indebtedness, for which principal and interest would customarily be payable on specified due dates, there will be no specified payments of dividends with respect to the Securities and dividends are payable only if, when and as authorized and declared by the Company and depend on, among other matters, the Company’s historical and projected results of operations, liquidity, cash flows, capital levels, financial condition, debt service requirements and other cash needs, financing covenants, applicable state law, federal and state regulatory prohibitions and other restrictions and any other factors the Company’s board of directors deems relevant at the time. In addition, the terms of the Securities will not limit the amount of debt or other obligations the Company may incur in the future. Accordingly, the Company may incur substantial amounts of additional debt and other obligations that will rank senior to the Securities.
There can be no assurance that we will ever provide liquidity to Purchasers through either a sale of the Company or a registration of the Securities.
There can be no assurance that any form of merger, combination, or sale of the Company will take place, or that any merger, combination, or sale would provide liquidity for Purchasers. Furthermore, we may be unable to register the Securities for resale by Purchasers for legal, commercial, regulatory, market-related or other reasons. In the event that we are unable to effect a registration, Purchasers could be unable to sell their Securities unless an exemption from registration is available.
In addition to the risks listed above, businesses are often subject to risks not foreseen or fully appreciated by the management. It is not possible to foresee all risks that may affect us. Moreover, the Company cannot predict whether the Company will successfully effectuate the Company’s current business plan. Each prospective Purchaser is encouraged to carefully analyze the risks and merits of an investment in the Securities and should take into consideration when making such analysis, among other, the Risk Factors discussed above.
THE SECURITIES OFFERED INVOLVE A HIGH DEGREE OF RISK AND MAY RESULT IN THE LOSS OF YOUR ENTIRE INVESTMENT. ANY PERSON CONSIDERING THE PURCHASE OF THESE SECURITIES SHOULD BE AWARE OF THESE AND OTHER FACTORS SET FORTH IN THIS FORM C AND SHOULD CONSULT WITH HIS OR HER LEGAL, TAX AND FINANCIAL ADVISORS PRIOR TO MAKING AN INVESTMENT IN THE SECURITIES. THE SECURITIES SHOULD ONLY BE PURCHASED BY PERSONS WHO CAN AFFORD TO LOSE ALL OF THEIR INVESTMENT.