The following important factors, among others, could cause our actual operating results to differ materially from those indicated or suggested by forward-looking statements made in this Form 10-Q or presented elsewhere by management from time to time. Investors should carefully consider the risks described below before making an investment decision. The risks described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently believe are not material may also significantly impair our business operations. Our business could be harmed by any of these risks. The trading price of our common stock could decline due to any of these risks, and investors may lose all or part of their investment.
Risks Associated with Our Business
We may experience significant fluctuations in our quarterly and annual results.
Fluctuations in our quarterly and annual financial results have resulted and will continue to result from numerous factors, including:
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changes in the mix of products we sell;
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strategic actions by us, such as acquisitions of businesses, products, or technologies;
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effects of domestic and foreign economic conditions and exchange rates on our industry and/or customers;
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the divestiture or discontinuation of a product line or other revenue generating activity;
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the relocation and integration of manufacturing operations and other strategic restructuring;
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regulatory actions which may necessitate recalls of our products or warning letters that negatively affect the markets for our products;
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costs incurred by us in connection with the termination of contractual and other relationships, including distributorships;
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our ability to collect outstanding accounts receivable in selected countries outside of the United States;
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the expiration or exhaustion of deferred tax assets such as net operating loss carry-forwards;
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increased product and price competition, due to the regulatory landscape, market conditions or other factors;
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market reception of our new or improved product offerings;
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the loss of any significant customer; and
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timing and number of reimbursements of our products by insurance payors.
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These factors, some of which are not within our control, may cause the price of our common stock to fluctuate substantially. If our quarterly operating results fail to meet or exceed the expectations of securities analysts or investors, our stock price could drop suddenly and significantly. We believe the quarterly comparisons of our financial results are not always meaningful and should not be relied upon as an indication of our future performance.
We currently rely, and in the future will rely, on sales of our MyoPro products for our revenue, and we may not be able to achieve or maintain market acceptance or obtain Medicare or private third-party payer reimbursement for our products.
We currently rely, and in the future will rely, on sales of our MyoPro products for our revenue. MyoPro products are relatively new products, and market acceptance and adoption depend on educating people with limited upper extremity mobility and healthcare providers as to the distinct features, ease-of-use, positive lifestyle impact and other benefits of MyoPro systems compared to alternative technologies and treatments. MyoPro products may not be perceived to have sufficient potential benefits compared with these alternatives, which include rehabilitation therapy or amputation with a prosthetic replacement. Also, we believe that healthcare providers tend to be slow to change their medical treatment practices because of perceived liability risks arising from the use of new products and the uncertainty of third-party reimbursement. Accordingly, healthcare providers may not recommend the MyoPro until there is sufficient evidence to convince them to alter the treatment methods they typically recommend. This evidence may include prominent healthcare providers or other key opinion leaders in the upper extremity paralysis community recommending the MyoPro as effective in providing identifiable immediate and long-term health benefits, and the publication of additional peer-reviewed clinical studies demonstrating its value.
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We are almost entirely dependent on third parties to cover the cost of our products to patients and heavily rely on our distributors’ ability to obtain reimbursement for the cost of our pr
oducts. If Medicare, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, or the VA, health insurance companies and other third-party payers do not provide adequate coverage or reimbursement for our products, then our sales will be limited to clinical facilit
ies and individuals who can pay for our devices without reimbursement. As a result, our sales would be significantly constrained. Currently, reimbursement for the cost of our products is obtained primarily on a case-by-case basis until such time, if any, w
e obtain broad coverage policies with Medicare and third-party payers. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain these broad coverage policies.
In connection with Medicare reimbursement, we have filed the application for a unique Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System, or HCPCS, code applicable to our product line. We believe the receipt of a HCPCS code could expand the pool of potential users of our products because Medicare eligible patients would have greater access to our products, especially those patients who are not able to afford our products without Medicare reimbursement. To our knowledge, as of December 31, 2017, fewer than ten units have been self-paid or funded by non-profit foundations. The process of obtaining an HCPCS code is long and often requires clinical experience to validate the need for a new code specific to the MyoPro. While we received a favorable preliminary decision on our application in May 2018, we cannot make any assurance that a HCPCS code will be issued or that the amount of reimbursement approved will be sufficient to provide a reasonable profit to us or to our distributors.
Reimbursement amounts, whether on a case-by-case basis or pursuant to broader coverage policies, which may be established in the future, may be insufficient to permit us to generate sufficient gross margins to allow us to operate on a profitable basis. Third-party payers also may deny coverage, limit reimbursement or reduce their levels of payment, or our costs of production may increase faster than increases in reimbursement levels. In addition, we may not obtain coverage and reimbursement approvals in a timely manner. Our failure to receive such approvals would negatively impact market acceptance of MyoPro.
Achieving and maintaining market acceptance of MyoPro products could be negatively impacted by many other factors, including, but not limited to:
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lack of sufficient evidence supporting the benefits of MyoPro over competitive products or other available treatment, or lifestyle management to accommodate the disability;
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patient resistance to wearing an assistive device or making required insurance co-payments;
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results of clinical studies relating to MyoPro or similar products;
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claims that MyoPro, or any component thereof, infringes on patent or other intellectual property rights of third-parties;
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perceived risks associated with the use of MyoPro or similar products or technologies;
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the introduction of new competitive products or greater acceptance of competitive products;
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adverse regulatory or legal actions relating to MyoPro or similar products or technologies; and
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problems arising from the outsourcing of our manufacturing capabilities, or our existing manufacturing and supply relationships.
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Any factors that negatively impact sales of MyoPro would adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.
We depend on a single third party to manufacture the MyoPro and a limited number of third-party suppliers for certain components of the MyoPro.
We have contracted with Cogmedix, Inc., or Cogmedix, a contract manufacturer with expertise in the medical device industry, for the manufacture of all of our products and the sourcing of all of our components and raw materials. Pursuant to this contract, Cogmedix manufactures the MyoPro pursuant to our specifications at its facility in Worcester, Massachusetts. We may terminate our relationship with Cogmedix at any time upon sixty (60) days’ written notice. For our business strategy to be successful, Cogmedix must be able to manufacture our products in sufficient quantities, in compliance with regulatory requirements and quality control standards, in accordance with agreed upon specifications, at acceptable costs and on a timely basis. Increases in our product sales, whether forecasted or unanticipated, could strain the ability of Cogmedix to manufacture an increasingly large supply of our current or future products in a manner that meets these various requirements. In addition, although we are not restricted from engaging an alternative manufacturer, the process of moving our manufacturing activities would be time consuming and costly, and may limit our ability to meet our sales commitments, which could harm our reputation and could have a material adverse effect on our business. Further, any new contract manufacturer would need to be compliant with FDA regulations and International Organization for Standardization, or ISO, standard 13485.
We also rely on third-party suppliers, some of which contract directly with Cogmedix, to supply certain components of the MyoPro products. Cogmedix does not have long-term supply agreements with most of their suppliers and, in many cases, makes purchases on a purchase order basis. We do not have any long-term supply agreements directly with Cogmedix’s suppliers. Our ability and Cogmedix’s ability to secure adequate quantities of such products may be limited. Suppliers may encounter problems that limit their ability to manufacture components for our products, including financial difficulties or damage to their manufacturing equipment or facilities. If we, or Cogmedix, fail to obtain sufficient quantities of high quality components to meet demand on a timely basis, we could lose customer orders, our reputation may be harmed, and our business could suffer.
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Cogmedix generally uses a small number of suppliers for the MyoPro products. Depending on a limited number of suppliers exposes us to risks, including limited control over pricing, availability, quality and delivery schedules. If any one or more of our su
ppliers ceases to provide sufficient quantities of components in a timely manner or on acceptable terms, Cogmedix would have to seek alternative sources of supply. It may be difficult to engage additional or replacement suppliers in a timely manner. Failur
e of these suppliers to deliver products at the level our business requires would limit our ability to meet our sales commitments, which could harm our reputation and could have a material adverse effect on our business. Cogmedix also may have difficulty o
btaining similar components from other suppliers that are acceptable to the FDA or other regulatory agencies, and the failure of Cogmedix’s suppliers to comply with strictly enforced regulatory requirements could expose us to regulatory action including wa
rning letters, product recalls, termination of distribution, product seizures or civil penalties. It could also require Cogmedix to cease using the components, seek alternative components or technologies and we could be forced to modify our products to inc
orporate alternative components or technologies, which could result in a requirement to seek additional regulatory approvals. Any disruption of this nature or increased expenses could harm our commercialization efforts and adversely affect our operating re
sults.
We also rely on a limited number of suppliers for the batteries used by the MyoPro and do not maintain any long-term supply agreement with respect to batteries. If we fail to obtain sufficient quantities of batteries in a timely manner, our reputation may be harmed and our business could suffer.
We depend on a related third-party to provide the custom fabrication of the MyoPro.
Currently, we rely on Geauga Rehabilitation Engineering, Inc., or GRE, a small, privately-held firm in Chardon, Ohio, to provide custom fabrication services for all MyoPro orders. GRE also provides product development support for the development and prototyping of new MyoPro product designs. GRE is owned by Jonathan Naft, a Myomo executive. However, another member of the GRE management team oversees the fabrication contract that we have entered into for these services which is at arm’s-length. Since GRE is currently the only provider of MyoPro fabrication services, our business may be impacted by any difficulties GRE has with its suppliers, operating facilities, trained personnel, and any financial issues. In the event GRE fails to fulfill our orders, then we may terminate our contract. In addition, Mr. Naft’s employment with us is at-will and there can be no assurance that we can retain his services to us. If our relationship with GRE or with Mr. Naft were terminated, we might have difficulty finding a replacement for GRE’s services, in particular, with respect to GRE’s prototyping services. This could result in an adverse impact on our business and financial condition.
Our limited operating history makes it difficult for us to evaluate our future business prospects and make decisions based on those estimates of our future performance.
Since inception through June 30, 2018, we have shipped over 750 units for use by patients at home and at clinical facilities. Our latest product line, the MyoPro, was introduced to the market in fall 2012 and we have shipped approximately 450 units since such time. As a result, we have a limited operating history. It is difficult to forecast our future results based upon our historical data. Because of the uncertainties related to our limited historical operations, we may be hindered in our ability to anticipate and timely adapt to increases or decreases in revenues or expenses.
We have a history of operations losses and our financial statements for June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 include disclosures regarding there being substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
We have a history of losses since inception. For the six ended June 30, 2018, we incurred a net loss of $4,974,963, and for the year ended December 31, 2017, we incurred a net loss of $12,097,479. At June 30, 2018, we had an accumulated deficit of $39,947,750. We expect to continue to incur operating and net losses for the foreseeable future as we expand our sales and marketing efforts, invest in product development and establish the necessary administrative functions to support our growing operations and being a public company. Our losses in future periods may be greater than the losses we would incur if we developed our business more slowly. In addition, we may find that these efforts are more expensive than we currently anticipate or that these efforts may not result in increases in our revenues, which would further increase our losses. Therefore, there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue operations in the future as a going concern, as disclosed in the notes to the financial statements for the six months ended June 30, 2018 and the year ended December 31, 2017. Although our financial statements raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, they do not reflect any adjustments that might result if we are unable to continue our business. If we cannot continue as a viable entity, our stockholders may lose some or all of their investment in our company.
We may not have sufficient funds to meet our future capital requirements.
We have cash and cash equivalents of approximately $11.7 million at June 30, 2018. We will need additional capital and we may be unable to obtain additional funds on reasonable terms, or at all. Our ability to secure financing and the cost of raising such capital are dependent on numerous factors, including general economic and capital markets conditions, credit availability from lenders, investor confidence and the existence of regulatory and tax incentives that are conducive to raising capital. Uncertainty in the financial markets has caused banks and financial institutions to decrease the amount of capital available for lending and has significantly increased the risk premium of such borrowings. In addition, such turmoil and uncertainty has significantly limited the ability of companies to raise funds through the sale of equity or debt securities. If we are unable to raise additional funds, we may need to delay, modify or abandon some or all of our business plans or cease operations.
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If we raise funds through the issuance of debt, the amount of any indebtedne
ss that we may raise in the future may be substantial, and we may be required to secure such indebtedness with our assets and may have substantial interest expenses. If we default on any future indebtedness, our lenders could declare all outstanding princi
pal and interest to be due and payable and our secured lenders may foreclose on the facilities securing such indebtedness. The incurrence of indebtedness could require us to meet financial and operating covenants, which could place limits on our operations
and ability to raise additional capital, decrease our liquidity and increase the amount of cash flow required to service our debt. If we raise funds through the issuance of equity securities, such issuance could result in dilution to our stockholders and
the newly-issued securities may have rights senior to those of the holders of our common stock.
Our continuation as a going concern is dependent on our ability to generate sufficient cash flows from operations and to raise additional capital to meet our obligations. Based on our current operating plan, we anticipate that our existing cash and cash equivalents may not be sufficient to enable us to maintain our currently planned operations beyond the next 12 months. We have no additional committed external sources of funds and additional financing may not be available when we need it or may not be available on terms that are favorable to us.
The industries in which we operate are highly competitive and subject to rapid technological change. If our competitors are better able to develop and market products that are safer, more effective, less costly, easier to use, or are otherwise more attractive, we may be unable to compete effectively with other companies.
Industrial and medical robotics is characterized by intense competition and rapid technological change, and we will face competition on the basis of product features, clinical outcomes, price, services and other factors. Competitors may include large medical device and other companies, some of which have significantly greater financial and marketing resources than we do, and firms that are more specialized than we are with respect to particular markets. Our competition may respond more quickly to new or emerging technologies, undertake more extensive marketing campaigns, and have greater financial, marketing and other resources than we do or may be more successful in attracting potential customers, employees and strategic partners.
Our competitive position will depend on multiple complex factors, including our ability to achieve market acceptance for our products, develop new products, implement production and marketing plans, secure regulatory approvals for products under development and protect our intellectual property. In some instances, competitors may also offer, or may attempt to develop, alternative therapies for disease states that may be delivered without a medical device. The development of new or improved products, processes or technologies by other companies may render our products or proposed products obsolete or less competitive. The entry into the market of manufacturers located in low-cost manufacturing locations may also create pricing pressure, particularly in developing markets. Our future success depends, among other things, upon our ability to compete effectively against current technology, as well as to respond effectively to technological advances, and upon our ability to successfully implement our marketing strategies and execute our research and development plan.
We utilize distributors who are free to market products that compete with the MyoPro, and we rely on these distributors to select appropriate patients and provide adequate follow-on care.
We rely heavily on our relationships with O&P practices, the VA and our distribution arrangements, with Ottobock, to market and sell our products. We believe that a meaningful percentage of our sales will continue to be generated through these channels in the future. However, none of these partners are required to sell or provide our products exclusively. If a key independent distributor were to cease to distribute our products, our sales could be adversely affected. In such a situation, we may need to seek alternative independent distributors or increase our reliance on our other independent distributors or our direct sales representatives, which may not prevent our sales from being adversely affected. Additionally, to the extent that we enter into additional arrangements with independent distributors to perform sales, marketing, or distribution services, the terms of the arrangements could cause our profit margins to be lower than if we directly marketed and sold our products.
If these independent distributors do not follow our inclusion/exclusion criteria for patient selection or do not provide adequate follow-on care, then our reputation may be harmed by patient dissatisfaction. This could also lead to product returns and adversely affect our financial condition. When issues with distributors have arisen in the past, we have supplied additional training and documentation and/or ended the distributor relationship.
The market for myoelectric braces is new and the rate of adoption uncertain, and important assumptions about the potential market for our products may be inaccurate.
The market for myoelectric braces, or orthotics, is new and the rate of adoption uncertain. Our estimates of market size are derived from statistics regarding the number of individuals with paralysis, but not necessarily limited to their upper extremities. Accordingly, it is difficult to predict the future size and rate of growth of the market. We cannot be certain whether the market will continue to develop or if orthotics will achieve and sustain a level of market acceptance and demand sufficient for us to continue to generate revenue and achieve profitability.
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Limited sources exist to obtain reliable market data with respect to the number of mobility-impaired individuals and the occurrence of upper extremity paralysis in our target markets. In addition, there are no
third-party reports or studies regarding what percentage of those with upper extremity paralysis would be able to use orthotics in general, or our current or planned future products in particular. In order to use our current products marketed to those with
upper extremity paralysis, users must meet a set of inclusion criteria and not have a medical condition which disqualifies them from being an appropriate candidate. Future products for those with upper extremity paralysis may have the same or other restri
ctions. Our business strategy is based, in part, on our estimates of the number of upper extremity impaired individuals and the incidence of upper extremity injuries in our target markets and the percentage of those groups that would be able to use our cur
rent and future products. Our assumptions and estimates may be inaccurate and may change.
If the upper extremity orthotics market fails to develop or develops more slowly than we expect, or if we have relied on sources or made assumptions or estimates that are not accurate, our business could be adversely affected.
In addition, because we operate in a new market, the actions of our competitors could adversely affect our business. Adverse events such as product defects or legal claims with respect to competing or similar products could cause reputational harm to the market on the whole. Further, adverse regulatory findings or reimbursement-related decisions with respect to other products could negatively impact the entire market and, accordingly, our business.
We may receive a significant number of warranty claims or our MyoPro may require significant amounts of service after sale.
Sales of MyoPro products generally include a three-year warranty for parts and services, other than for normal wear and tear. As the number and complexity of the features and functionalities of our products increase, we may experience a higher level of warranty claims. If product returns or warranty claims are significant or exceed our expectations, we could incur unanticipated expenditures for parts and services, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results.
Defects in our products or the software that drives them could adversely affect the results of our operations.
The design, manufacture and marketing of the MyoPro products involve certain inherent risks. Manufacturing or design defects, unanticipated use of the MyoPro, or inadequate disclosure of risks relating to the use of MyoPro products can lead to injury or other adverse events. In addition, because the manufacturing of our products is outsourced to Cogmedix, we may not be aware of manufacturing defects that could occur. Such adverse events could lead to recalls or safety alerts relating to MyoPro products (either voluntary or required by the FDA or similar governmental authorities in other countries), and could result, in certain cases, in the removal of MyoPro products from the market. A recall could result in significant costs. To the extent any manufacturing defect occurs, our agreement with Cogmedix contains a limitation on Cogmedix’s liability, and therefore we could be required to incur the majority of related costs. Our agreement with GRE does not contain a similar limitation of liability; however, a defect in connection with the fabrication of our products may result in significant costs in connection with lawsuits or refunds. Product defects or recalls could also result in negative publicity, damage to our reputation or, in some circumstances, delays in new product approvals.
MyoPro users may not use MyoPro products in accordance with safety protocols and training, which could enhance the risk of injury. Any such occurrence could cause delay in market acceptance of MyoPro products, damage to our reputation, additional regulatory filings, product recalls, increased service and warranty costs, product liability claims and loss of revenue relating to such hardware or software defects.
The medical device industry has historically been subject to extensive litigation over product liability claims. We have not been subject to such claims to date; however, we may become subject to product liability claims alleging defects in the design, manufacture or labeling of our products in the future. A product liability claim, regardless of its merit or eventual outcome, could result in significant legal defense costs and high punitive damage payments. Although we maintain product liability insurance, the coverage is subject to deductibles and limitations, and may not be adequate to cover future claims. Additionally, we may be unable to maintain our existing product liability insurance in the future at satisfactory rates or adequate amounts.
There is no long-term clinical data with respect to the effects of MyoPro products, and our products could cause unforeseen negative effects.
While short-term clinical studies have established the safety of MyoPro products, there is no long-term clinical data with respect to the safety or physical effects of the MyoPro. Future results and experience could indicate that our products are not safe for long-term use or cause unexpected complications or other unforeseen negative effects. Because MyoPro users generally do not have feeling in their upper extremities, users may not immediately notice damaging effects, which could exacerbate their impact. If in the future MyoPro products are shown to be unsafe or cause such unforeseen effects, we could be subject to mandatory product recalls, suspension or withdrawal of FDA registration, significant legal liability or harm to our business reputation.
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We may enter into collaborations, licensing arrangements, joint ventures, strategic alliances or partnerships with third-parties that may not result in the development of commercially viable products or the generation of significant future revenues
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In the ordinary course of our business, in the future we may enter into collaborations, in-licensing arrangements, joint ventures, strategic alliances or partnerships to develop the MyoPro and to pursue new markets. Proposing, negotiating and implementing collaborations, licensing arrangements, joint ventures, strategic alliances or partnerships may be a lengthy and complex process. We may not identify, secure, or complete any such transactions or arrangements in a timely manner, on a cost-effective basis, on acceptable terms or at all. We have limited institutional knowledge and experience with respect to these business development activities, and we may also not realize the anticipated benefits of any such transaction or arrangement. In particular, these collaborations may not result in the development of products that achieve commercial success or result in significant revenues and could be terminated prior to developing any products. For example, we have entered into an arrangement with Ottobock, effective January 1, 2017, for the distribution of our products in the U.S. and certain other countries. Ottobock has the distribution rights to certain customers in the U.S. as well as other territories.
We recently agreed that there would not be guaranteed minimum purchase requirements in 2018 which gives us the flexibility to enter into distribution agreements with other parties. Ottobock will not be required to purchase a minimum number of our products, and as a result, revenues from Ottobock, which was a major customer in 2017, are expected to significantly decline in 2018 as compared to 2017 revenues from Ottobock.
If we pursue collaborations, licensing arrangements, joint ventures, strategic alliances or partnerships, we may not be in a position to exercise sole decision decision-making authority regarding the transaction or arrangement, which could create the potential risk of creating impasses on decisions, and our collaborators may have economic or business interests or goals that are, or that may become, inconsistent with our business interests or goals. It is possible that conflicts may arise with our collaborators. Our collaborators may act in their self-interest, which may be adverse to our best interest, and they may breach their obligations to us. Any such disputes could result in litigation or arbitration which would increase our expenses and divert the attention of our management. Further, these transactions and arrangements are contractual in nature and may be terminated or dissolved under the terms of the applicable agreements.
If we fail to properly manage our anticipated growth, our business could suffer.
As we expand the number of locations which provide the MyoPro products, including future planned international distribution, we expect that it will place significant strain on our management team and on our financial resources. Failure to manage our growth effectively could cause us to misallocate management or financial resources and result in losses or weaknesses in our infrastructure, systems, processes and controls, which could materially adversely affect our business. Additionally, our anticipated growth will increase the demands placed on our suppliers, resulting in an increased need for us to manage our suppliers and monitor for quality assurance.
Moreover, there are significant costs and risks inherent in selling our products in international markets, including: (a) time and difficulty in building a widespread network of distribution partners; (b) increased shipping and distribution costs, which could increase our expenses and reduce our margins; (c) potentially lower margins in some regions; (d) longer collection cycles in some regions; (e) compliance with foreign laws and regulations; (f) compliance with anti-bribery, anti-corruption, and anti-money laundering laws, such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the Office of Foreign Assets Control regulations, by us, our employees, and our business partners; (g) currency exchange rate fluctuations and related effects on our results of operations; (h) economic weakness, including inflation, or political instability in foreign economies and markets; (i) compliance with tax, employment, immigration, and labor laws for employees living or traveling abroad; (j) workforce uncertainty in countries where labor unrest is more common than in the United States; (k) business interruptions resulting from geopolitical actions, including war and terrorism, or natural disasters, including earthquakes, typhoons, floods and fires; and (l) other costs and risks of doing business internationally, such as new tariffs which may be imposed.
These and other factors could harm our ability to implement planned international operations and, consequently, harm our business, results of operations, and financial condition. Further, we may incur significant operating expenses as a result of our planned international expansion, and it may not be successful. We have limited experience with regulatory environments and market practices internationally, and we may not be able to penetrate or successfully operate in new markets. We may also encounter difficulty expanding into international markets because of limited brand recognition, leading to delayed or limited acceptance of our products by patients in these markets. Accordingly, if we are unable to expand internationally or manage our international operations successfully, we may not achieve the expected benefits of this expansion and our financial condition and results of operations could be harmed.
We depend on the knowledge and skills of our senior management.
We have benefited substantially from the leadership and performance of our senior management and other key employees. We do not carry key person insurance. Our success will depend on our ability to retain our current management and key employees. Competition for these key persons in our industry is intense and we cannot guarantee that we will be able to retain our personnel. The loss of the services of certain members of our senior management or key employees could prevent or delay the implementation and completion of our strategic objectives or divert management’s attention to seeking qualified replacements.
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We may seek to grow our business through acquisitions of complementary products or technologies, and the failure to
manage acquisitions, or the failure to integrate them with our existing business, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.
From time to time, we may consider opportunities to acquire other products or technologies that may enhance our products or technology, or advance our business strategies. Potential acquisitions involve numerous risks, including:
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problems assimilating the acquired products or technologies;
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issues maintaining uniform standards, procedures, controls and policies;
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unanticipated costs associated with acquisitions;
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diversion of management’s attention from our existing business;
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risks associated with entering new markets in which we have limited or no experience; and
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increased legal and accounting costs relating to the acquisitions or compliance with regulatory matters.
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We have no current commitments with respect to any acquisition and no current plans to seek acquisitions; however, depending on industry and market conditions, we may consider acquisitions in the future. If we do proceed with acquisitions, we do not know if we will be able to identify acquisitions we deem suitable, whether we will be able to successfully complete any such acquisitions on favorable terms or at all, or whether we will be able to successfully integrate any acquired products or technologies. Our potential inability to integrate any acquired products or technologies effectively may adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.
Risks Related to Government Regulation
We are subject to extensive governmental regulations relating to the manufacturing, labeling and marketing of our products, and a failure to comply with such regulations could lead to withdrawal or recall of our products from the market.
Our medical products and manufacturing operations are subject to regulation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, and other governmental authorities both inside and outside of the United States. These agencies enforce laws and regulations that govern the development, testing, manufacturing, labeling, storage, installation, servicing, advertising, promoting, marketing, distribution, import, export and market surveillance of our MyoPro products.
Our products are regulated as medical devices in the United States under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, or the FFDCA, as implemented and enforced by the FDA. Under the FFDCA, medical devices are classified into one of three classes–Class I, Class II or Class III–depending on the degree of risk associated with the medical device, what is known about the type of device, and the extent of control needed to provide reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness. Classification of a device is important because the class to which a device is assigned determines, among other things, the necessity and type of FDA pre-market review. This determination is required prior to promoting or advertising the device. See “Business — Government Regulation.”
In 2012, we registered the MyoPro device as a Class I limb orthosis with the FDA. From time to time, the FDA may disagree with classification of a new Class I medical device and require the registered establishment listing that device to apply for approval as a Class II or Class III medical device. As the FDA is now giving more attention to the differentiated performance of myoelectric controlled orthotics, we recently elected to change our classification registration to Class II. In the event that the FDA determines that our medical products should be reclassified as Class III medical devices, we could be precluded from marketing the devices for clinical use within the U.S. for months or longer depending on the requirements of the classification. Reclassification of our products as requiring 510(k) or pre-market approval, or PMA, could significantly increase our regulatory costs, including expense associated with required pre-clinical (animal) and clinical (human) trials, more extensive mechanical and electrical testing and other costs.
We are registered with the FDA as a specifications developer for medical devices. Following the introduction of a product, the governmental agencies will periodically review our product development methodology, quality management systems, and product performance. We are under a continuing obligation to ensure that all applicable regulatory requirements continue to be met. Our facilities are subject to periodic and unannounced inspection by U.S. and foreign regulatory agencies to audit compliance with the FDA’s Quality System Regulation, or QSR, and comparable foreign regulations.
The process of complying with the applicable good manufacturing practices, adverse event reporting and other requirements can be costly and time consuming, and could delay or prevent the production, manufacturing or sale of the MyoPro. If the FDA determines that we fail to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, they may issue a warning letter with one or more citations. This directive, if not closed promptly can result in fines, delays or suspensions of regulatory clearances, closure of manufacturing sites, seizures or recalls of products and damage to our reputation. Recent changes in enforcement practice by the FDA and other agencies have resulted in increased enforcement activity, which increases the compliance risk that we and other companies in our industry are facing.
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In addition, governmental agencies of the United States or other countries may impose new requirements regarding registration, labeling or prohibited materials that may re
quire us to modify or re-register the MyoPro once it is already on the market or otherwise impact our ability to market the MyoPro in the US or other countries. The process of complying with these governmental regulations can be costly and time consuming,
and could delay or prevent the production, manufacturing or sale of the MyoPro. For instance, the FDA may issue mandates, known as 522 orders, requiring us to conduct post-market studies of products. Failure to comply could result in enforcement of the FFD
CA against us or our products including an agency request that we recall our MyoPro products.
If we or our third-party manufacturers or key suppliers fail to comply with the FDA’s Quality System Regulation, our manufacturing operations could be interrupted.
Our key suppliers are also required to comply with the FDA’s QSR which covers the methods and documentation of the production, control, quality assurance, labeling, packaging, storage and shipping of our products. Cogmedix, our electromechanical kit manufacturer, and other key suppliers are also subject to the regulations of foreign jurisdictions regarding the manufacturing process with respect to the market for our products abroad.
We continue to monitor our quality management with our suppliers to improve our overall level of compliance. Our facilities are subject to periodic and unannounced inspection by U.S. and foreign regulatory agencies to audit compliance with the QSR and comparable foreign regulations. If the facilities of our suppliers are found to be in violation of applicable laws and regulations, or if our suppliers fail to take satisfactory corrective action in response to an adverse inspection, the regulatory authority could take enforcement action, including any of the following sanctions:
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untitled letters, warning letters, Form 483 findings (results from quality system inspections), fines, injunctions, consent decrees and civil penalties;
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customer notifications or repair, replacement or refunds;
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detention, recalls or seizure of our products;
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operating restrictions or partial suspension or total shutdown of production;
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withdrawing our FDA registration;
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refusing to provide Certificates to Foreign Governments with respect to exports;
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pursuing criminal prosecution.
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Any of these sanctions could impair our ability to produce the MyoPro in a cost-effective and timely manner in order to meet our customers’ demands and could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, results of operations and financial condition. We may also be required to bear other costs or take other actions that may have a negative impact on our future sales and our ability to generate profits.
If we are found to have violated laws protecting the confidentiality of patient health information, we could be subject to civil or criminal penalties, which could increase our liabilities and harm our reputation or our business.
There are a number of federal, state and foreign laws protecting the confidentiality of certain patient health information, including patient records, and restricting the use and disclosure of that protected information. In particular, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, promulgated patient privacy rules under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA and the General Date Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) across the EU. These privacy rules protect medical records and other personal health information by limiting their use and disclosure, giving individuals the right to access, amend and seek accounting of their own health information and limiting most use and disclosures of health information to the minimum amount reasonably necessary to accomplish the intended purpose. While we have Business Associate Agreements in place with our distributors, if we or any of our service providers are found to be in violation of the promulgated patient privacy rules under HIPAA, we could be subject to civil or criminal penalties, which could increase our liabilities, harm our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.
We face risks in connection with the Affordable Care Act or its possible replacement or modifications.
In March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, which we collectively refer to as the ACA, were signed into U.S. law. The ACA is introducing unprecedented changes into the US healthcare delivery and payment systems, including generally increasing the number of people with health insurance. At the end of 2017, the repeal of the so-called Individual Mandate from the ACA may reduce the overall number of people with insurance. Nevertheless, it is not clear how this change, or other future potential changes to the ACA, will change the reimbursement model and market outlook for O&P devices such as the MyoPro. We intend to monitor industry trends relative to the ACA to assist in our determination of how the MyoPro can fit into patient care protocols with providers such as rehabilitation hospitals and surgery centers. If reimbursement policies change significantly, the demand for MyoPro products may be impacted.
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Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property
We depend on certain patents that are licensed to us. We do not control these patents and any loss of our rights to them could prevent us from manufacturing our products.
We rely on licenses to two core patents that are material to our business, including the development of the MyoPro. We have entered into an exclusive license agreement, which we refer to as the License Agreement, with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT, for those certain patents that cover (i) a powered orthotic device worn on a patient’s elbow or other joint, that senses relatively low level signals in the vicinity of the joint generated by a patient having spinal cord or other nerve damage and (ii) a method of providing rehabilitation movement training for a person suffering from nerve damage, stroke, spinal cord injury, neurological trauma or neuromuscular disorder in attempt to move a body part with a powered orthotic device. Our rights to use these patents will be subject to the continuation of and our compliance with the terms of those licenses.
On November 15, 2016, we entered into a waiver agreement with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT, with regard to certain obligations, or the Obligations Waiver, under the License Agreement. The Obligations Waiver contemplates that we have not met certain revenue obligations, or the Revenue Obligations, and certain commercialization obligation, or the Commercial Obligations, which are required under the License Agreement. Pursuant to the Revenue Obligations, we were originally obligated to have net sales of at least $200,000, $250,000, $500,000 and $750,000 in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 (and each year thereafter), respectively. Pursuant to the Commercialization Obligations, we were originally obligated to introduce a home version of a “licensed product” on or before December 31, 2010, expand distribution of a licensed product to 10 major metropolitan areas on or before December 31, 2011 and expand distribution to at least one country outside of the United States on or before December 31, 2012. The Obligations Waiver waives any and all Revenue Obligations up to the date of the waiver agreement and waives the Commercialization Obligations up to and through the date of the waiver agreement. The Commercialization Obligations have expired as of the date hereof and do not need to be complied with in the future.
Our revenue exceeded $750,000 for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, which satisfied the Revenue Obligations for that fiscal year. The Revenue Obligations are a continuing requirement of the License Agreement., while we expect to exceed the required revenue and satisfy the Revenue Obligations in future years, we cannot make any assurance that we will continue to comply with these obligations. Additionally, MIT has the right to terminate the License Agreement upon any future uncured material breach of the agreement or if we fail to make any payments due under the agreement. If the License Agreement is terminated for any reason, our business will be harmed.
Specifically, if we were to lose access to these licenses, we would be unable to manufacture the MyoPro or develop new products until we obtained access to a comparable technology.
We may not control the prosecution, maintenance or filing of the patents to which we now hold or in the future intend to acquire licenses. Enforcement of our licensed patents or defense of any claims asserting the invalidity of these patents may be subject to the control or cooperation of our licensors. We cannot be certain that our licensors will prosecute, maintain, enforce and defend the licensed patent rights in a manner consistent with the best interests of our business. We also cannot be certain that drafting or prosecution of the licensed patents and patent applications by the relevant licensors have been or will be conducted in compliance with applicable law.
Our success depends in part on our ability to obtain and maintain protection for the intellectual property relating to or incorporated into our products.
Our success depends in part on our ability to obtain and maintain protection for the intellectual property relating to or incorporated into our products. We seek to protect our intellectual property through a combination of patents, trademarks, confidentiality and assignment agreements with our employees and certain of our contractors and confidentiality agreements with certain of our consultants, scientific advisors and other vendors and contractors. In addition, we rely on trade secrets law to protect our proprietary software and product candidates or products in development.
The patent position of myoelectric orthotic inventions can be highly uncertain and involves many new and evolving complex legal, factual and technical issues. Patent laws and interpretations of those laws are subject to change and any such changes may diminish the value of our patents or narrow the scope of protection. In addition, we may fail to apply for or be unable to obtain patents necessary to protect our technology or products or enforce our patents due to lack of information about the exact use of technology or processes by third parties. Also, we cannot be sure that any patents will be granted in a timely manner or at all with respect to any of our patent pending applications or that any patents that are granted will be adequate to protect our intellectual property for any significant period of time or at all.
Litigation to establish or challenge the validity of patents, or to defend against or assert against others infringement, unauthorized use, enforceability or invalidity claims, can be lengthy and expensive and may result in our patents being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and our not being granted new patents related to our pending patent applications. Even if we prevail, litigation may be time consuming and force us to incur significant costs, and any damages or other remedies awarded to us may not be valuable and management’s attention could be diverted from managing our business. In addition, U.S. patents and patent applications may be subject to interference proceedings, and U.S. patents may be subject to re-examination and review in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Foreign patents may also be subject to opposition or comparable proceedings in the corresponding foreign patent offices. Any of these proceedings may be expensive and could result in the loss of a patent or denial of a patent application, or the loss or reduction in the scope of one or more of the claims of a patent or patent application.
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In addition, we seek to protect our trade secrets, know-how and confidential information that is n
ot patentable by entering into confidentiality and assignment agreements with our employees and certain of our contractors and confidentiality agreements with certain of our consultants, scientific advisors and other vendors and contractors. However, we ma
y fail to enter into the necessary agreements, and even if entered into, these agreements may be breached or otherwise fail to prevent disclosure, third-party infringement or misappropriation of our proprietary information, may be limited as to their term
and may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure or use of proprietary information. Enforcing a claim that a third party illegally obtained and is using our trade secrets is expensive and time consuming, and the outcome is unp
redictable.
We also have taken precautions to initiate reasonable safeguards to protect our information technology systems. However, these measures may not be adequate to safeguard our proprietary information, which could lead to the loss or impairment thereof or to expensive litigation to defend our rights against competitors who may be better funded and have superior resources. In addition, unauthorized parties may attempt to copy or reverse engineer certain aspects of our products that we consider proprietary or our proprietary information may otherwise become known or may be independently developed by our competitors or other third parties. If other parties are able to use our proprietary technology or information, our ability to compete in the market could be harmed.
Further, unauthorized use of our intellectual property may have occurred, or may occur in the future, without our knowledge.
If we are unable to obtain or maintain adequate protection for intellectual property, or if any protection is reduced or eliminated, competitors may be able to use our technologies, resulting in harm to our competitive position.
We are not able to protect our intellectual property rights in all countries.
Filing, prosecuting, maintaining and defending patents on each of our products in all countries throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive, and thus our intellectual property rights outside the United States are currently limited to the European Union and Japan. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries, especially developing countries, do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as federal and state laws in the United States. Also, it may not be possible to effectively enforce intellectual property rights in some countries at all or to the same extent as in the United States and other countries. Consequently, we are unable to prevent third parties from using our inventions in all countries, or from selling or importing products made using our inventions in the jurisdictions in which we do not have (or are unable to effectively enforce) patent protection. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection to develop, market or otherwise commercialize their own products, and we may be unable to prevent those competitors from importing those infringing products into territories where we have patent protection, but enforcement is not as strong as in the United States. These products may compete with our products and our patents and other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from competing in those jurisdictions. Moreover, competitors or others in the chain of commerce may raise legal challenges against our intellectual property rights or may infringe upon our intellectual property rights, including through means that may be difficult to prevent or detect.
Many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions. Proceedings to enforce our patent rights in the United States or foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial costs and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business, could put our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and our patent applications at risk of not issuing, and could provoke third parties to assert patent infringement or other claims against us. We may not prevail in any lawsuits that we initiate and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially meaningful. Accordingly, our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights in the United States and around the world may be inadequate to obtain a significant commercial advantage from the intellectual property that we develop or license from third parties.
We may be subject to patent infringement claims, which could result in substantial costs and liability and prevent us from commercializing our current and future products.
The medical device industry is characterized by competing intellectual property and a substantial amount of litigation over patent rights. In particular, our competitors in both the United States and abroad, many of which have substantially greater resources and have made substantial investments in competing technologies, have been issued patents and filed patent applications with respect to their products and processes and may apply for other patents in the future. The large number of patents, the rapid rate of new patent issuances, and the complexities of the technology involved increase the risk of patent litigation.
Determining whether a product infringes a patent involves complex legal and factual issues and the outcome of patent litigation is often uncertain. Even though we have conducted research of issued patents, no assurance can be given that patents containing claims covering our products, technology or methods do not exist, have not been filed or could not be filed or issued. In addition, because patent applications can take years to issue and because publication schedules for pending applications vary by jurisdiction, there may be applications now pending of which we are unaware and may result in issued patents which our current or future products infringe. Also, because the claims of published patent applications can change between publication and patent grant, published applications may issue with claims that potentially cover our products, technology or methods.
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Infringement actions and other intellectual property claims brought against us, with or without me
rit, may cause us to incur substantial costs and could place a significant strain on our financial resources, divert the attention of management and harm our reputation. We cannot be certain that we will successfully defend against any allegations of infri
ngement. If we are found to infringe another party’s patents, we could be required to pay damages. We could also be prevented from selling our products that infringe, unless we could obtain a license to use the technology covered by such patents or could r
edesign our products so that they do not infringe. A license may be available on commercially reasonable terms or none at all, and we may not be able to redesign our products to avoid infringement. Further, any modification to our products could require us
to conduct clinical trials and revise our filings with the FDA and other regulatory bodies, which would be time consuming and expensive. In these circumstances, we may not be able to sell our products at competitive prices or at all, and our business and
operating results could be harmed.
We rely on trademark protection to distinguish our products from the products of our competitors.
We rely on trademark protection to distinguish our products from the products of our competitors. We have registered the trademarks “MyoPro” (Registration No. 4,532,331) and “MYOMO” (Registration No. 4,451,445) in the United States. The MyoPro mark is registered in Canada and in the select EU with pending registration. In jurisdictions where we have not yet registered our trademark and are using it, and as permitted by applicable local law, we seek to rely on common law trademark protection where available. Third parties may oppose our trademark applications, or otherwise challenge our use of the trademarks, and may be able to use our trademarks in jurisdictions where they are not registered or otherwise protected by law. If our trademarks are successfully challenged or if a third party is using confusingly similar or identical trademarks in particular jurisdictions before we do, we could be forced to rebrand our products, which could result in loss of brand recognition, and could require us to devote additional resources to marketing new brands. If others are able to use our trademarks, our ability to distinguish our products may be impaired, which could adversely affect our business. Further, we cannot assure you that competitors will not infringe upon our trademarks, or that we will have adequate resources to enforce our trademarks.
We may be subject to damages resulting from claims that our employees or we have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of their former employers.
Some of our employees were previously employed at other medical device companies, including our competitors or potential competitors, and we may hire employees in the future that are so employed. We could in the future be subject to claims that these employees, or we, have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed trade secrets or other proprietary information of their former employers. If we fail in defending against such claims, a court could order us to pay substantial damages and prohibit us from using technologies or features that are found to incorporate or be derived from the trade secrets or other proprietary information of the former employers. If any of these technologies or features that are important to our products, this could prevent us from selling those products and could have a material adverse effect on our business. Even if we are successful in defending against these claims, such litigation could result in substantial costs and divert the attention of management.
Risks Related to Our Securities
Our stockholders will experience significant dilution if the shares of our common stock underlying our warrants are exercised or converted.
We have a significant number of securities convertible into, or allowing the purchase of, our common stock. Investors could be subject to increased dilution upon the conversion or exercise of these securities. For example, as of June 30, 2018, we had 5,071,887 shares issuable upon the exercise of warrants, with a weighted-average exercise price of $4.05 per share, and 594,861 shares issuable upon the exercise of stock options under our equity incentive plans, with a weighted-average exercise price of $2.53 per share. In addition, we have outstanding 65,803 shares of restricted stock, with an average per share fair value of $6.75 when granted in August 2017, with lapsing forfeiture rights extending up to 48 months. Included in the 5,071,387 of warrants outstanding as of June 30, 2018, are warrants to purchase 3,560,894 shares of our common stock that were issued in our December 2017 follow-on public offering and remain outstanding as of June 30, 2018. These common stock warrants have an exercise price of $2.95 per share and such exercise price is adjustable if we effect a stock split or combination or similar transaction, depending on the relative trading prices before and after the combination. Such common stock warrants also have anti-dilution protection in the event that we issue equity securities in the future below the then-exercise price of such warrants. The issuance of additional shares as a result of such conversion or purchase, or their subsequent sale, could adversely affect the price of our common stock.
There is no public market for our warrants to purchase common stock.
There is no established public trading market for our warrants and we do not expect a market to develop. In addition, we do not intend to apply for listing of the warrants on any securities exchange. Without an active market, the liquidity of such warrants will be limited.
Holders of our warrants have no rights as a common stockholder until such holders exercise their warrants and acquire our common stock.
Until holders of warrants acquire shares of our common stock upon exercise of the warrants, holders of warrants will have no rights with respect to the shares of our common stock underlying such warrants. Upon exercise of the warrants, the holders thereof will be entitled to exercise the rights of a common stockholder only as to matters for which the record date occurs after the exercise date.
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Our principal stockholders and management beneficially own a significant percentage of our stock and will be able to exert significant i
nfluence over matters subject to stockholder approval.
As of June 30, 2018, our executive officers, directors, principal stockholders and their affiliates beneficially owned approximately 21.1% of our outstanding voting stock. Therefore, these stockholders will have the ability to influence us through this ownership position. These stockholders may be able to significantly affect matters requiring stockholder approval, including elections of directors, amendments of our organizational documents, and approval of any merger, sale of assets, or other major corporate transaction. This may prevent or discourage unsolicited acquisition proposals or offers for our common stock that you may believe are in your best interest as one of our stockholders.
The market price of our common stock has been and may continue to be volatile.
The stock market in general, and the market price of our common stock in particular will likely be subject to fluctuation, whether due to, or irrespective of, our operating results, financial condition and prospects. For example, from June 9, 2017 to August 1, 2018, the high and low sales price of our common stock on the NYSE American has fluctuated from a low of $2.07 to a high of $23.20 per share.
Our financial performance, our industry’s overall performance, changing consumer preferences, technologies, government regulatory action, tax laws and market conditions in general could have a significant impact on the future market price of our common stock. Some of the other factors that could negatively affect our share price or result in fluctuations in our share price include:
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actual or anticipated variations in our periodic operating results;
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increases in market interest rates that lead purchasers of our common stock to demand a higher investment return;
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changes in earnings estimates;
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changes in market valuations of similar companies;
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actions or announcements by our competitors;
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adverse market reaction to any increased indebtedness we may incur in the future;
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additions or departures of key personnel;
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actions by stockholders;
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speculation in the media, online forums, or investment community; and
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our intentions and ability to maintain our common stock on the NYSE American.
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We may not be able to maintain a listing of our common stock on the NYSE American.
We must meet certain financial and liquidity criteria to maintain such listing. If we fail to meet any of the NYSE American’s listing standards, our common stock may be delisted. In addition, our board may determine that the cost of maintaining our listing on a national securities exchange outweighs the benefits of such listing. A delisting of our common stock from the NYSE American may materially impair our stockholders’ ability to buy and sell our common stock and could have an adverse effect on the market price of, and the efficiency of the trading market for, our common stock. A delisting of our common stock could significantly impair our ability to raise capital.
We do not expect to declare or pay dividends in the foreseeable future.
We do not expect to declare or pay dividends in the foreseeable future, as we anticipate that we will invest future earnings in the development and growth of our business. Therefore, holders of our common stock will not receive any return on their investment unless they sell their securities, and holders may be unable to sell their securities on favorable terms or at all.
We have elected to publicly report on an ongoing basis as an “emerging growth company” (as defined in the JOBS Act) under the reporting rules set forth under the Exchange Act. For so long as we remain an “emerging growth company,” we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other Exchange Act reporting companies that are not “emerging growth companies,” including but not limited to
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We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act. For as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies,” including exemption from compliance with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in the Annual Report on Form 10-K and our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) in 2022, (b) the date on which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) the date on which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30
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, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.
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Even after we no longer qualify as an emerging growth
company, we may under certain circumstances still qualify as a “smaller reporting company,” which would allow us to take advantage of many of the same exemptions from disclosure requirements including exemption from compliance with the auditor attestation
requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements. We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive because we may
rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may be more volatile.
Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can also delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies. We have elected to avail ourselves of this provision of the JOBS Act.
We are obligated to develop and maintain a system of effective internal control over financial reporting. We may not complete our analysis of our internal control over financial reporting in a timely manner, or these internal controls may not be determined to be effective, which may harm investor confidence in our company and, as a result, the value of our common stock.
We will be required, pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, to furnish a report by management on, among other things, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting in the second annual report we file with the SEC. This assessment will need to include disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by our management in our internal control over financial reporting. However, our auditors will not be required to formally attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 until we are no longer an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act if we take advantage of the exemptions available to us through the JOBS Act.
We are in the very early stages of the costly and challenging process of compiling the system and process documentation necessary to perform the evaluation needed to comply with Section 404. In this regard, we will need to continue to dedicate internal resources, engage outside consultants and adopt a detailed work plan to assess and document the adequacy of internal control over financial reporting, continue steps to improve control processes as appropriate, validate through testing that controls are functioning as documented and implement a continuous reporting and improvement process for internal control over financial reporting. As we transition to the requirements of reporting as a public company, we may need to add additional finance staff. We may not be able to remediate any future material weaknesses, or to complete our evaluation, testing and any required remediation in a timely fashion. During the evaluation and testing process, if we identify one or more material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, we will be unable to assert that our internal controls are effective. If we are unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our auditors are unable to express an opinion on the effectiveness of our internal controls when they are required to issue such opinion, investors could lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, which could harm our stock price.
The preparation of our financial statements involves the use of estimates, judgments and assumptions, and our financial statements may be materially affected if such estimates, judgments or assumptions prove to be inaccurate.
Financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America typically require the use of estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts. Often, different estimates, judgments and assumptions could reasonably be used that would have a material effect on such financial statements, and changes in these estimates, judgments and assumptions may occur from period to period over time. Significant areas of accounting requiring the application of management’s judgment include, but are not limited to, determining the fair value of assets and the timing and amount of cash flows from assets. These estimates, judgments and assumptions are inherently uncertain and, if our estimates were to prove to be wrong, we would face the risk that charges to income or other financial statement changes or adjustments would be required. Any such charges or changes could harm our business, including our financial condition and results of operations and the price of our securities. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for a discussion of the accounting estimates, judgments and assumptions that we believe are the most critical to an understanding of our financial statements and our business.
If securities industry analysts do not publish research reports on us, or publish unfavorable reports on us, then the market price and market trading volume of our common stock could be negatively affected.
Any trading market for our common stock will be influenced in part by any research reports that securities industry analysts publish about us. We do not have any control over these analysts. We currently have limited research coverage by securities industry analysts and we may be unable to maintain analyst coverage or have analysts initiate coverage on us. If securities industry analysts cease coverage of us, the market price and market trading volume of our common stock could be negatively affected. In the event we are covered by analysts, and one or more of such analysts downgrade our securities, or otherwise reports on us unfavorably, or discontinues coverage or us, the market price and market trading volume of our common stock could be negatively affected.
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We are incurring increased costs as a public company and our management team is required to devote su
bstantial time to new compliance initiatives and corporate governance practices.
As a public company, and particularly after we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” we will incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the listing requirements of the NYSE American and other applicable securities rules and regulations impose various requirements on public companies. Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to compliance with these requirements. Moreover, these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly.
Future issuances of our common stock or equity-related securities could cause the market price of our common stock to decline and would result in the dilution of your holdings.
Future issuances of our common stock or securities convertible into our common stock could cause the market price of our common stock to decline. We cannot predict the effect, if any, of future issuances of our common stock or securities convertible into our common stock on the price of our common stock. In all events, future issuances of our common stock would result in the dilution of your holdings. In addition, the perception that new issuances of our common stock, or other securities convertible into our common stock, could occur, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
Future issuances of debt securities, which would rank senior to our common stock upon our bankruptcy or liquidation, and future issuances of preferred stock, which could rank senior to our common stock for the purposes of dividends and liquidating distributions, may adversely affect our common stock price.
In the future, we may attempt to increase our capital resources by offering debt securities. Upon bankruptcy or liquidation, holders of our debt securities, and lenders with respect to other borrowings we may make, would receive distributions of our available assets prior to any distributions being made to holders of our common stock. Moreover, if we issue preferred stock, the holders of such preferred stock could be entitled to preferences over holders of common stock in respect of the payment of dividends and the payment of liquidating distributions. Because our decision to issue debt or preferred securities in any future offering, or borrow money from lenders, will depend in part on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of any such future offerings or borrowings. Holders of our common stock must bear the risk that any future offerings we conduct or borrowings we make may adversely affect the level of return they may be able to achieve from an investment in our common stock.
If our shares of common stock become subject to the penny stock rules, it would become more difficult to trade our shares.
The Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, has adopted rules that regulate broker-dealer practices in connection with transactions in penny stocks. Penny stocks are generally equity securities with a price of less than $5.00, other than securities registered on certain national securities exchanges or authorized for quotation on certain automated quotation systems, provided that current price and volume information with respect to transactions in such securities is provided by the exchange or system. If we do not retain a listing on the NYSE American or another national securities exchange and if the price of our common stock is less than $5.00, our common stock will be deemed a penny stock. The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, before a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document containing specified information. In addition, the penny stock rules require that before effecting any transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, a broker-dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive (i) the purchaser’s written acknowledgment of the receipt of a risk disclosure statement; (ii) a written agreement to transactions involving penny stocks; and (iii) a signed and dated copy of a written suitability statement. These disclosure requirements may have the effect of reducing the trading activity in the secondary market for our common stock, and therefore stockholders may have difficulty selling their shares.
Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of us more difficult, limit attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management and limit the market price of our common stock.
Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control or changes in our management. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws include provisions that:
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authorize our board of directors to issue preferred stock, without further stockholder action and with voting liquidation, dividend and other rights superior to our common stock;
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establish an advance notice procedure for stockholder proposals to be brought before an annual meeting, including proposed nominations of persons for director nominees;
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establish that our board of directors is divided into three classes, with directors in each class serving three-year staggered terms;
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require the approval of holders of two-thirds of the shares entitled to vote at an election of directors to adopt, amend or repeal our bylaws or amend or repeal the provisions of our certificate of incorporation regarding the election and removal of directors and the ability of stockholders to take action by written consent or call a special meeting;
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prohibit cumulative voting in the election of directors; and
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provide that vacancies on our board of directors may be filled only by the vote of a majority of directors then in office, even though less than a quorum or by the holders of at least sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66 2/3%) of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock.
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These provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our board of directors, which is responsible for appointing the members of our management. In addition, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the DGCL, which generally prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in any of a broad range of business combinations with any “interested” stockholder for a period of three years following the date on which the stockholder became an “interested” stockholder. Any of the foregoing provisions could limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock, and they could deter potential acquirers of our company, thereby reducing the likelihood that you would receive a premium for your common stock in an acquisition.