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Black Titan (BTTC) Risk Analysis

Public companies are required to disclose risks that can affect the business and impact the stock. These disclosures are known as “Risk Factors”. Companies disclose these risks in their yearly (Form 10-K), quarterly earnings (Form 10-Q), or “foreign private issuer” reports (Form 20-F). Risk factors show the challenges a company faces. Investors can consider the worst-case scenarios before making an investment. TipRanks’ Risk Analysis categorizes risks based on proprietary classification algorithms and machine learning. Black Titan disclosed 29 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Black Titan reported the most risks in the “Finance & Corporate” category.

Risk Overview Q3, 2024

Source: the company's latest filing for the period ended Sep 30, 2024, filed Jan 03, 2025

Risk Distribution
29Risks
Sector Avg.Finance & CorporateTech & InnovationLegal & RegulatoryProductionAbility to SellMacro & Political
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy

Risk Change Over Time

Black Titan disclosed risks per quarterNo. of Risks15202530Q3Q4Q12023Q2Q4Q12024Q2Q3Showing: Q3, 2024
Risks removedRisks addedRisks changedBlack Titan Risk Factors
  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1
    The ordinary shares of BSKE to be received by Titan stockholders as a result of the Merger will have different rights from shares of Titan common stock.

    Following completion of the Merger, Titan stockholders will no longer hold shares of Titan common stock but will instead be shareholders of BSKE. There will be important differences between your current rights as a Titan stockholder and your rights as a BSKE shareholder.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2
    There are risks to the Titan stockholders becoming shareholders of BSKE through the Merger rather than acquiring securities of TalenTec directly in an underwritten public offering, including no independent due diligence review by an underwriter and conflicts of interest of the Titan officers and directors.

    Because there is no independent third-party underwriter involved in the Merger or the issuance of ordinary shares of BSKE in connection therewith, investors will not receive the benefit of any outside independent review of Titan's and TalenTec's respective finances and operations. Underwritten public offerings of securities conducted by a licensed broker-dealer are subjected to a due diligence review by the underwriter or dealer manager to satisfy statutory duties under the Securities Act, the rules of Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. ("FINRA") and the national securities exchange where such securities are listed. Additionally, underwriters or dealer-managers conducting such public offerings are subject to liability for any material misstatements or omissions in a registration statement filed in connection with the public offering. As no such review will be conducted in connection with the Merger, the Titan stockholders must rely on the information in the proxy statement/prospectus related to the Merger and will not have the benefit of an independent review and investigation of the type normally performed by an independent underwriter in a public securities offering. Although Titan performed a due diligence review and investigation of TalenTec in connection with the Merger and obtained a Fairness Opinion that the consideration to be paid pursuant to the Merger is fair to unaffiliated stockholders of Titan, from a financial point of view, Titan has different incentives and objectives in the Merger than an underwriter would in a traditional initial public offering. The lack of an independent due diligence review and investigation may increase the risk of an investment in BSKE because it may not have uncovered facts that would be important to a potential investor. In addition, because BSKE will not become a public reporting company by means of a traditional underwritten initial public offering, securities or industry analysts may not provide, or may be less likely to provide, coverage of BSKE. Investment banks may also be less likely to agree to underwrite securities offerings on behalf of BSKE than they might if BSKE became a public reporting company by means of a traditional underwritten initial public offering, because they may be less familiar with BSKE as a result of more limited coverage by analysts and the media. The failure to receive research coverage or support in the market for the ordinary shares of BSKE could have an adverse effect on BSKE's ability to develop a liquid market for ordinary shares of BSKE.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3
    Since Titan's officers and directors have interests that are different, or in addition to (and which may conflict with), the interests of the Titan stockholders, a conflict of interest may have existed in determining whether the Merger is appropriate.

    Titan's officers and directors have interests that are different from, or in addition to, those of the Titan stockholders and warrant holders generally. Our Board was aware of and considered these interests, among other matters, in evaluating and negotiating the Merger and transaction agreements and in recommending to Titan stockholders that they vote in favor of the Merger. These interests include, among other things: - Mr. Seow, our previous Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Titan, was previously the holder of 47.4% of the outstanding shares of TalenTec. In addition, Mr. Seow was previously the sole shareholder of Sire, which is the holder of 150,087 shares of Titan common stock issued upon conversion of our Series AA Preferred Stock. Sire intends to vote its Titan common stock in favor of the Merger. By virtue of the Merger, Sire's remaining Series AA Preferred Stock will be exchanged for the right to receive 869,226 ordinary shares of BSKE, in addition to the ordinary shares of BSKE that Sire will have the right to receive in exchange for its Titan common stock;- the fact that Titan's existing officers and directors will be eligible for continued indemnification and continued coverage under a directors' and officers' liability insurance policy after the Merger and pursuant to the Merger Agreement; and - Brynner Chiam, Avraham Ben-Tzvi, Firdauz Edmin Bin Mokhtar and Francisco Osvaldo Flores García will continue to serve on the board of BSKE, and Brynner Chiam will be appointed chief financial officer. The existence of financial and personal interests of one or more of Titan's directors may result in a conflict of interest on the part of such director(s) between what he or they may believe is in the best interests of Titan and its stockholders and what he or they may believe is best for himself or themselves in determining to recommend that stockholders vote for the Merger. The financial and personal interests of Titan's affiliates, including its officers and directors, may have influenced their motivation in identifying and selecting TalenTec as a business combination target, completing an initial business combination with TalenTec and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination. In considering the recommendations of our Board to vote for the Merger, its stockholders should consider these interests. The existence of the interests described above may result in a conflict of interest on the part of Titan's officers and directors or other affiliates in entering into the Merger Agreement and making their recommendation that you vote in favor of the approval of the Merger. In particular, the existence of the interests described above may incentivize Titan's officers and directors to complete an initial business combination, even if on terms less favorable to Titan's stockholders.

  • Debt & Financing - Risk 4
    Titan may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete the Merger, which may adversely affect Titan's leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of Titan stockholders' investments.

    Although Titan has no commitments to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt following the Merger, Titan may choose to incur substantial debt to complete its Merger. The incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including: - default and foreclosure on assets if operating revenues after a Merger are insufficient to repay debt obligations;- acceleration of Titan obligations to repay the indebtedness even if Titan makes all principal and interest payments when due if Titan breaches certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;- our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt is payable on demand;- our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting Titan's ability to obtain such financing while the debt is outstanding;- using a substantial portion of cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;- limitations on Titan's flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in its business and in the industry in which Titan operates;- increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and - limitations on Titan's ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of its strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to companies with less debt.

  • Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 5
    The exercise of our Board's discretion in agreeing to changes or waivers in the terms of the Merger Agreement and related agreements, including closing conditions, may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether such changes to the terms or waivers of conditions are appropriate and in the Titan stockholders' best interest.

    In the period leading up to the Merger Closing, events may occur that, pursuant to the Merger Agreement, would require Titan to agree to amend the Merger Agreement to consent to certain actions taken by TalenTec or to waive rights that Titan is entitled to under the Merger Agreement, including those related to Merger Closing conditions. Such events could arise because of changes in TalenTec's businesses, a request by Titan to undertake actions that would otherwise be prohibited by the terms of the Merger Agreement, or the occurrence of other events that would have a material adverse effect on TalenTec's business and would entitle Titan to terminate the Merger Agreement. In any of such circumstances, it would be at Titan's discretion, acting through our Board, to grant its consent or waive those rights. The existence of financial and personal interests of one or more of the directors described in the preceding risk factors (and described elsewhere in the proxy statement/prospectus related to the Merger) may result in a conflict of interest on the part of such director(s) between what he, she or they may believe is best for Titan and its stockholders and what he, she or they may believe is best for himself, herself or themselves in determining whether or not to take the requested action. Titan does not believe there will be any changes or waivers that our Board would be likely to make after stockholder approval of the Merger has been obtained. While certain changes could be made without further stockholder approval, Titan will circulate a new or amended proxy statement/prospectus and resolicit Titan stockholders if changes to the terms of the transaction that would have a material impact on its stockholders are required prior to the vote on the Merger.

  • Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 6
    If the conditions to the Merger Agreement are not met, the Merger may not occur.

    Even if the Merger Agreement is approved by Titan stockholders, specified conditions must be satisfied or waived before the parties to the Merger Agreement are obligated to complete the Merger. BSKE and TalenTec may not satisfy all of the closing conditions in the Merger Agreement. If the closing conditions are not satisfied or waived, the Merger will not occur, or will be delayed pending later satisfaction or waiver, and such non-occurrence or delay may cause Titan and TalenTec to each lose some or all of the intended benefits of the Merger.

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Risk Highlights Q3, 2024

Main Risk Category
Finance & Corporate
With 11 Risks
Number of Disclosed Risks
29
+11
From last report
S&P 500 Average: 32
Recent Changes
11Risks added
0Risks removed
0Risks changed
Since Sep 2024
Number of Risk Changed
0
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 1

Risk Word Cloud

provisions in our corporate charter documents and under delaware law could make an acquisition of our company, which may be beneficial to our stockholders, more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.beneficial to our stockholdersprovisions in our corporate charter documents and under delaware law could make an acquisition of our company, which may be beneficial to our stockholders, more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.our corporate charter documentsprovisions in our corporate charter documents and under delaware law could make an acquisition of our company, which may be beneficial to our stockholders, more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.acquisition of our companywe face risks associated with third parties conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials of our products.parties conducting preclinical studieswe depend on a small number of employees and consultants.small number of employeeswe may be unable to protect our patents and proprietary rights.unable to protect our patentswe face risks associated with third parties conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials of our products.clinical trials of our productswe face potential liability related to the privacy of health information we obtain from clinical trials sponsored by us or our collaborators, from research institutions and our collaborators, and directly from individuals.privacy of health informationour development program is at a very early stage and will require substantial additional resources that may not be available to us.require substantial additional resourcesprovisions in our corporate charter documents and under delaware law could make an acquisition of our company, which may be beneficial to our stockholders, more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.remove our current management

Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 29

Share Price & Shareholder Rights6 | 20.7%
  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1Added
    The ordinary shares of BSKE to be received by Titan stockholders as a result of the Merger will have different rights from shares of Titan common stock.

    Following completion of the Merger, Titan stockholders will no longer hold shares of Titan common stock but will instead be shareholders of BSKE. There will be important differences between your current rights as a Titan stockholder and your rights as a BSKE shareholder.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2Added
    There are risks to the Titan stockholders becoming shareholders of BSKE through the Merger rather than acquiring securities of TalenTec directly in an underwritten public offering, including no independent due diligence review by an underwriter and conflicts of interest of the Titan officers and directors.

    Because there is no independent third-party underwriter involved in the Merger or the issuance of ordinary shares of BSKE in connection therewith, investors will not receive the benefit of any outside independent review of Titan's and TalenTec's respective finances and operations. Underwritten public offerings of securities conducted by a licensed broker-dealer are subjected to a due diligence review by the underwriter or dealer manager to satisfy statutory duties under the Securities Act, the rules of Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. ("FINRA") and the national securities exchange where such securities are listed. Additionally, underwriters or dealer-managers conducting such public offerings are subject to liability for any material misstatements or omissions in a registration statement filed in connection with the public offering. As no such review will be conducted in connection with the Merger, the Titan stockholders must rely on the information in the proxy statement/prospectus related to the Merger and will not have the benefit of an independent review and investigation of the type normally performed by an independent underwriter in a public securities offering. Although Titan performed a due diligence review and investigation of TalenTec in connection with the Merger and obtained a Fairness Opinion that the consideration to be paid pursuant to the Merger is fair to unaffiliated stockholders of Titan, from a financial point of view, Titan has different incentives and objectives in the Merger than an underwriter would in a traditional initial public offering. The lack of an independent due diligence review and investigation may increase the risk of an investment in BSKE because it may not have uncovered facts that would be important to a potential investor. In addition, because BSKE will not become a public reporting company by means of a traditional underwritten initial public offering, securities or industry analysts may not provide, or may be less likely to provide, coverage of BSKE. Investment banks may also be less likely to agree to underwrite securities offerings on behalf of BSKE than they might if BSKE became a public reporting company by means of a traditional underwritten initial public offering, because they may be less familiar with BSKE as a result of more limited coverage by analysts and the media. The failure to receive research coverage or support in the market for the ordinary shares of BSKE could have an adverse effect on BSKE's ability to develop a liquid market for ordinary shares of BSKE.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3Added
    Since Titan's officers and directors have interests that are different, or in addition to (and which may conflict with), the interests of the Titan stockholders, a conflict of interest may have existed in determining whether the Merger is appropriate.

    Titan's officers and directors have interests that are different from, or in addition to, those of the Titan stockholders and warrant holders generally. Our Board was aware of and considered these interests, among other matters, in evaluating and negotiating the Merger and transaction agreements and in recommending to Titan stockholders that they vote in favor of the Merger. These interests include, among other things: - Mr. Seow, our previous Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Titan, was previously the holder of 47.4% of the outstanding shares of TalenTec. In addition, Mr. Seow was previously the sole shareholder of Sire, which is the holder of 150,087 shares of Titan common stock issued upon conversion of our Series AA Preferred Stock. Sire intends to vote its Titan common stock in favor of the Merger. By virtue of the Merger, Sire's remaining Series AA Preferred Stock will be exchanged for the right to receive 869,226 ordinary shares of BSKE, in addition to the ordinary shares of BSKE that Sire will have the right to receive in exchange for its Titan common stock;- the fact that Titan's existing officers and directors will be eligible for continued indemnification and continued coverage under a directors' and officers' liability insurance policy after the Merger and pursuant to the Merger Agreement; and - Brynner Chiam, Avraham Ben-Tzvi, Firdauz Edmin Bin Mokhtar and Francisco Osvaldo Flores García will continue to serve on the board of BSKE, and Brynner Chiam will be appointed chief financial officer. The existence of financial and personal interests of one or more of Titan's directors may result in a conflict of interest on the part of such director(s) between what he or they may believe is in the best interests of Titan and its stockholders and what he or they may believe is best for himself or themselves in determining to recommend that stockholders vote for the Merger. The financial and personal interests of Titan's affiliates, including its officers and directors, may have influenced their motivation in identifying and selecting TalenTec as a business combination target, completing an initial business combination with TalenTec and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination. In considering the recommendations of our Board to vote for the Merger, its stockholders should consider these interests. The existence of the interests described above may result in a conflict of interest on the part of Titan's officers and directors or other affiliates in entering into the Merger Agreement and making their recommendation that you vote in favor of the approval of the Merger. In particular, the existence of the interests described above may incentivize Titan's officers and directors to complete an initial business combination, even if on terms less favorable to Titan's stockholders.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4
    Provisions in our corporate charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of our company, which may be beneficial to our stockholders, more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.

    Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and our bylaws may discourage, delay or prevent a merger, acquisition or other change in control of our company that stockholders may consider favorable, including transactions in which you might otherwise receive a premium for your shares. These provisions could also limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock, thereby depressing the market price of our common stock. In addition, because our Board is responsible for appointing the members of our management team, 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. Among other things, these provisions provide that: - the authorized number of directors can be changed only by resolution of our Board;- our bylaws may be amended or repealed by our Board or our stockholders;- stockholders may not call special meetings of the stockholders or fill vacancies on the Board;- our Board is authorized to issue, without stockholder approval, preferred stock, the rights of which will be determined at the discretion of the Board and that, if issued, could operate as a "poison pill" to dilute the stock ownership of a potential hostile acquirer to prevent an acquisition that our Board does not approve;- our stockholders do not have cumulative voting rights, and therefore our stockholders holding a majority of the shares of common stock outstanding will be able to elect all of our directors; and - our stockholders must comply with advance notice provisions to bring business before or nominate directors for election at a stockholder meeting. If we cannot continue to satisfy the Nasdaq Capital Market continued listing standards and other Nasdaq rules, our common stock could be delisted, which would harm our business, the trading price of our common stock, our ability to raise additional capital and the liquidity of the market for our common stock. Our Common Stock is currently listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market ("Nasdaq"). The listing standards of Nasdaq require that a company maintain stockholders' equity of at least $2.5 million and a minimum bid price subject to specific requirements of $1.00 per share. There is no assurance that we will be able to maintain compliance with the minimum closing price requirement or the minimum stockholders' equity requirement. Should we fail to comply with the minimum listing standards applicable to issuers listed on Nasdaq, our common stock may be delisted from Nasdaq. If our common stock is delisted, it could reduce the price of our common stock and the levels of liquidity available to our stockholders. If our common stock were to be delisted from Nasdaq and was not eligible for quotation or listing on another market or exchange, trading of our common stock could be conducted only in the over-the-counter market or on an electronic bulletin board established for unlisted securities such as the Pink Sheets or the OTC Bulletin Board. In such event, it could become more difficult to dispose of, or obtain accurate price quotations for, our common stock, and there would likely also be a reduction in our coverage by securities analysts and the news media, which could cause the price of our common stock to decline further. In addition to the foregoing, if our common stock is delisted from Nasdaq and it trades on the over-the- counter market, the application of the "penny stock" rules could adversely affect the market price of our common stock and increase the transaction costs to sell those shares. The SEC has adopted regulations which generally define a "penny stock" as an equity security that has a market price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to specific exemptions. If our common stock is delisted from Nasdaq and it trades on the over-the- counter market at a price of less than $5.00 per share, our common stock would be considered a penny stock. The SEC's penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, before a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from the rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document that provides information about penny stocks and the risks in the penny stock market. The broker-dealer must also provide the customer with current bid and offer quotations for the penny stock, the compensation of the broker-dealer and the salesperson in the transaction, and monthly account statements showing the market value of each penny stock held in the customer's account. In addition, the penny stock rules generally require that before a transaction in a penny stock occurs, the broker-dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive the purchaser's agreement to the transaction. If applicable in the future, these rules may restrict the ability of brokers-dealers to sell our common stock and may affect the ability of investors to sell their shares, until our common stock no longer is considered a penny stock. Future sales of our common stock, or the perception that future sales may occur, may cause the market price of our common stock to decline, even if our business is doing well. Sales by our stockholders of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could occur in the future. These sales, or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of shares of common stock intend to sell shares, could reduce the market price of our common stock. We will seek to raise additional funds and may finance acquisitions or develop strategic relationships by issuing securities that would dilute your ownership. Depending on the terms available to us, if these activities result in significant dilution, it may negatively impact the trading price of our shares of common stock. We have financed our operations, and we expect to continue seeking to finance our operations, acquisitions, if any, and the development of strategic relationships by issuing equity and/or convertible securities, which could significantly reduce the percentage ownership of our existing stockholders. Further, any additional financing that we secure, including any debt financing, may require the granting of rights, preferences or privileges senior to, or pari passu with, those of our common stock. Any issuances by us of equity securities may be at or below the prevailing market price of our common stock and in any event may have a dilutive impact on your ownership interest, which could cause the market price of our common stock to decline. We may also raise additional funds through the incurrence of debt or the issuance or sale of other securities or instruments senior to our shares of common stock. The holders of any securities or instruments we may issue may have rights superior to the rights of our common stockholders. If we experience dilution from the issuance of additional securities and we grant superior rights to new securities over common stockholders, it may negatively impact the trading price of our shares of common stock, and you may lose all or part of your investment. Certain of our stockholders have significant voting power over our common stock and may vote their shares in a manner that is not in the best interest of other stockholders. One of our stockholders, Choong Choon Hau, controls approximately 26.42% of the voting power represented by our outstanding shares of common stock. In addition, The Sire Group Ltd. ("Sire") owns 950,000 shares of Series AA Convertible Preferred Stock. Each share of Series AA Preferred Stock is convertible into shares of our common stock, subject to ownership limitations set forth in the Certificate of Designations, Preferences and Rights of Series AA Convertible Preferred Stock (the "Certificate of Designations"). The Series AA Preferred Stock has certain voting rights set forth in the Certificate of Designations. Such stockholders may be able to exert significant control over our management and affairs requiring stockholder approval, including approval of significant corporate transactions. This concentration of ownership may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control and might adversely affect the market price of our common stock. This concentration of ownership may not be in the best interests of all of our stockholders. We identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023 and this or other material weaknesses could continue to materially impair our ability to report accurate financial information in a timely manner. Our management, with the participation of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, evaluated the effectiveness of its disclosure controls and procedures as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act for the year ended December 31, 2023. Based on such evaluation, the principal executive officer and principal financial officer has concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of December 31, 2023 due to the identified material weakness in internal control over financial reporting as discussed below. Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act). Our management, under the supervision and with the participation of the principal executive officer and principal financial officer, conducted an assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, based on the framework and criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (the COSO framework). Based on this assessment, management concluded that, as of December 31, 2023, its internal control over financial reporting was not effective due to the existence of the material weakness described below. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that a reasonable possibility exists that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements would not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Our management identified a deficiency in our internal control over financial reporting that gave rise to a material weakness. The deficiency primarily related to limited finance and accounting staffing levels not commensurate with our complexity and our financial accounting and reporting requirements. We underwent organizational changes in 2023 and 2022, including multiple reductions in our workforce, and operate with a very lean finance and accounting department. This limited staffing resulted in a lack of resources to fully monitor and operate our internal controls over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, resulting in a deficiency being discovered during our annual auditing process. Our management continues to evaluate the material weakness discussed above and is implementing its remediation plan as further described in Item 9A below. However, assurance as to when the remediation efforts will be complete cannot be provided and the material weakness cannot be considered remedied until the applicable controls have operated for a sufficient period of time and management has concluded, through testing, that these controls are operating effectively. Our management cannot provide assurances that the measures that have been taken to date, and are continuing to be implemented, will be sufficient to remediate the material weakness identified or to avoid potential future material weaknesses. If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results in a timely manner or prevent fraud, which would adversely affect investor confidence in our company and harm our business. Effective internal controls over financial reporting are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and, together with adequate disclosure controls and procedures, are designed to prevent fraud. Any failure to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in their implementation, could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations in a timely manner, or at all. Testing by us conducted in connection with Section 404(a) of the Sarbanes Oxley Act may reveal material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting related to our limited finance, accounting and IT staffing levels. While we are implementing our remediation plan as further described in Item 9A below, we cannot provide assurances that the measures that have been taken to date, and are continuing to be implemented, will be sufficient to remediate the material weakness identified or to avoid potential future materials weaknesses. Subsequent testing by our independent registered public accounting firm in connection with Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes Oxley Act may reveal continued or additional deficiencies in our internal controls over financial reporting that are deemed to be significant deficiencies or material weaknesses or that may require prospective or retroactive changes to our financial statements or identify other areas for further attention or improvement. Ineffective internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our common stock. We are required to disclose material changes made in our internal controls over financing reporting and procedures on a quarterly basis and our management are required to assess the effectiveness of these controls annually. We are also required to make a formal assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, and once we cease to be an emerging growth company or a non-accelerated filer, we will be required to include an attestation report on internal control over financial reporting issued by our independent registered public accounting firm. However, for as long as we are a smaller reporting company under the JOBS Act or a non-accelerated filer, our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. To achieve compliance with Section 404(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, we engage in a process to document and evaluate our internal control over financial reporting, which is both costly and challenging. In this regard, we will need to implement our remediation plan, continue to dedicate internal resources, potentially engage additional outside consultants to assess the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting, continue steps to improve control processes as appropriate, validate through testing that controls are designed and operating effectively and implement a continuous reporting and improvement process for internal control over financial reporting. We have determined that, as of December 31, 2023, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective due to the identified material weakness in internal control and financial reporting as described herein. The effectiveness of our internal controls in future periods is subject to the risk that our controls may become further inadequate because of changes in conditions. We may be unable to timely remediate our material weakness and may discover additional weaknesses in our system of internal financial and accounting controls and procedures that could result in a material misstatement of our financial statements. Our internal control over financial reporting will not prevent or detect all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control system's objectives will be met. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that misstatements due to error or fraud will not occur or that all control issues and instances of fraud will be detected. If we are not able to comply with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in a timely manner, or if we are unable to maintain proper and effective internal controls over financial reporting, we may not be able to produce timely and accurate financial statements. If that were to happen, our investors could lose confidence in our reported financial information, the market price of our stock could decline, and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the SEC or other regulatory authorities including equivalent foreign authorities. We have never paid any cash dividends and have no plans to pay any cash dividends in the future. Our common stockholders are entitled to receive such dividends as may be declared by our Board. To date, we have paid no cash dividends on our shares of our preferred or common stock, and we do not expect to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future. In addition, the declaration and payment of cash dividends is restricted under the terms of our existing Loan Agreement. We intend to retain future earnings, if any, to provide funds for operations of our business. Therefore, any return investors in our preferred or common stock may have will be in the form of appreciation, if any, in the market value of their shares of common stock.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5
    If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our share price and trading volume could decline.

    The trading market for our common stock will depend on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. We do not have any control over these analysts. There can be no assurance that analysts will cover us or provide favorable coverage. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our stock or change their opinion of our stock, our share price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our share price or trading volume to decline.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6
    Our share price may be volatile, which could prevent you from being able to sell your shares at or above your purchase price.

    The market price of shares of our common stock has been and may continue to be subject to wide fluctuations in response to many risk factors listed in this section, and others beyond our control, including: - results of our product development efforts;- regulatory actions with respect to our products under development or our competitors' products;- actual or anticipated fluctuations in our financial condition and operating results;- actual or anticipated fluctuations in our competitors' operating results or growth rate;- announcements by us, our potential future collaborators or our competitors of significant acquisitions, strategic collaborations, joint ventures, or capital commitments;- issuance of new or updated research or reports by securities analysts;- fluctuations in the valuation of companies perceived by investors to be comparable to us;- inconsistent trading volume levels of our shares;- additions or departures of key personnel;- disputes or other developments related to proprietary rights, including patents, litigation matters and our ability to obtain patent protection for our technologies;- announcement or expectation of additional financing efforts;- sales of our common stock by us, our insiders or our other stockholders;- market conditions for biopharmaceutical stocks in general; and - general economic and market conditions. The stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies. These fluctuations often have been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. These broad market and industry fluctuations, as well as general economic, political and market conditions such as recessions, interest rate changes or international currency fluctuations, may negatively impact the market price of shares of our common stock and could subject us to securities class action litigation.

See a full breakdown of risk according to category and subcategory. The list starts with the category with the most risk. Click on subcategories to read relevant extracts from the most recent report.

FAQ

What are “Risk Factors”?
Risk factors are any situations or occurrences that could make investing in a company risky. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires that publicly traded companies disclose their most significant risk factors. This is so that potential investors can consider any risks before they make an investment. They also offer companies protection, as a company can use risk factors as liability protection. This could happen if a company underperforms and investors take legal action as a result. It is worth noting that smaller companies, that is those with a public float of under $75 million on the last business day, do not have to include risk factors in their 10-K and 10-Q forms, although some may choose to do so.
How do companies disclose their risk factors?
Publicly traded companies initially disclose their risk factors to the SEC through their S-1 filings as part of the IPO process. Additionally, companies must provide a complete list of risk factors in their Annual Reports (Form 10-K) or (Form 20-F) for “foreign private issuers”. Quarterly Reports also include a section on risk factors (Form 10-Q) where companies are only required to update any changes since the previous report. According to the SEC, risk factors should be reported concisely, logically and in “plain English” so investors can understand them.
How can I use TipRanks risk factors in my stock research?
Use the Risk Factors tab to get data about the risk factors of any company in which you are considering investing. You can easily see the most significant risks a company is facing. Additionally, you can find out which risk factors a company has added, removed or adjusted since its previous disclosure. You can also see how a company’s risk factors compare to others in its sector. Without reading company reports or participating in conference calls, you would most likely not have access to this sort of information, which is usually not included in press releases or other public announcements. A simplified analysis of risk factors is unique to TipRanks.
What are all the risk factor categories?
TipRanks has identified 6 major categories of risk factors and a number of subcategories for each. You can see how these categories are broken down in the list below. 1. Financial & Corporate Accounting & Financial Operations - risks related to accounting loss, value of intangible assets, financial statements, value of intangible assets, financial reporting, estimates, guidance, company profitability, dividends, fluctuating results. Share Price & Shareholder Rights – risks related to things that impact share prices and the rights of shareholders, including analyst ratings, major shareholder activity, trade volatility, liquidity of shares, anti-takeover provisions, international listing, dual listing. Debt & Financing – risks related to debt, funding, financing and interest rates, financial investments. Corporate Activity and Growth – risks related to restructuring, M&As, joint ventures, execution of corporate strategy, strategic alliances. 2. Legal & Regulatory Litigation and Legal Liabilities – risks related to litigation/ lawsuits against the company. Regulation – risks related to compliance, GDPR, and new legislation. Environmental / Social – risks related to environmental regulation and to data privacy. Taxation & Government Incentives – risks related to taxation and changes in government incentives. 3. Production Costs – risks related to costs of production including commodity prices, future contracts, inventory. Supply Chain – risks related to the company’s suppliers. Manufacturing – risks related to the company’s manufacturing process including product quality and product recalls. Human Capital – risks related to recruitment, training and retention of key employees, employee relationships & unions labor disputes, pension, and post retirement benefits, medical, health and welfare benefits, employee misconduct, employee litigation. 4. Technology & Innovation Innovation / R&D – risks related to innovation and new product development. Technology – risks related to the company’s reliance on technology. Cyber Security – risks related to securing the company’s digital assets and from cyber attacks. Trade Secrets & Patents – risks related to the company’s ability to protect its intellectual property and to infringement claims against the company as well as piracy and unlicensed copying. 5. Ability to Sell Demand – risks related to the demand of the company’s goods and services including seasonality, reliance on key customers. Competition – risks related to the company’s competition including substitutes. Sales & Marketing – risks related to sales, marketing, and distribution channels, pricing, and market penetration. Brand & Reputation – risks related to the company’s brand and reputation. 6. Macro & Political Economy & Political Environment – risks related to changes in economic and political conditions. Natural and Human Disruptions – risks related to catastrophes, floods, storms, terror, earthquakes, coronavirus pandemic/COVID-19. International Operations – risks related to the global nature of the company. Capital Markets – risks related to exchange rates and trade, cryptocurrency.