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Risk Overview Q2, 2026
Risk Distribution
31% Finance & Corporate
23% Tech & Innovation
16% Legal & Regulatory
13% Production
9% Macro & Political
8% Ability to Sell
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
This chart displays the stock's most recent risk distribution according to category. TipRanks has identified 6 major categories: Finance & corporate, legal & regulatory, macro & political, production, tech & innovation, and ability to sell.
Risk Change Over Time
S&P500 Average
Sector Average
Risks removed
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Risks changed
908 Devices Risk Factors
New Risk (0)
Risk Changed (0)
Risk Removed (0)
No changes from previous report
The chart shows the number of risks a company has disclosed. You can compare this to the sector average or S&P 500 average.
The quarters shown in the chart are according to the calendar year (January to December). Businesses set their own financial calendar, known as a fiscal year. For example, Walmart ends their financial year at the end of January to accommodate the holiday season.
The quarters shown in the chart are according to the calendar year (January to December). Businesses set their own financial calendar, known as a fiscal year. For example, Walmart ends their financial year at the end of January to accommodate the holiday season.
Risk Highlights Q2, 2026
Main Risk Category
Finance & Corporate
With 20 Risks
Finance & Corporate
With 20 Risks
Number of Disclosed Risks
64
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 31
64
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 31
Recent Changes
0Risks added
0Risks removed
0Risks changed
Since Jun 2026
0Risks added
0Risks removed
0Risks changed
Since Jun 2026
Number of Risk Changed
0
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 1
0
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 1
See the risk highlights of 908 Devices in the last period.
Risk Word Cloud
The most common phrases about risk factors from the most recent report. Larger texts indicate more widely used phrases.
Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 64
Finance & Corporate
Total Risks: 20/64 (31%)Above Sector Average
Share Price & Shareholder Rights7 | 10.9%
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business or if they issue unfavorable commentary or downgrade our common stock, the price of our common stock could decline.Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2
The market price of our common stock has been volatile and could continue to be volatile.Since the shares were sold in our initial public offering in December 2020, the price per share of our common stock has experienced significant fluctuations. Some of the factors that may cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate, many of which may be beyond our control, include:
- actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly financial results or the quarterly financial results of companies perceived to be similar to us;- fluctuations in our revenue as a result of our revenue recognition policy, even during periods of significant sales activity;- the financial guidance that we may provide to the public, any changes in such guidance, or our failure to meet such guidance;- changes in financial estimates by securities analysts, our failure to meet such estimates, or failure of analysts to initiate or maintain coverage of our stock;- the public's response to our press releases or other public announcements by us, including our filings with the SEC;- announcements by us or our competitors of significant technical innovations, products, contracts, acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, or capital commitments;- failure of any of our products to achieve or maintain market acceptance;- introduction of technologies or product enhancements that reduce the need for our products;- changes in our capital structure, such as future issuances of securities or the incurrence of debt;- regulatory developments in the United States, foreign countries or both;- litigation involving our company, our general industry or both;- additions or departures of senior management or key personnel;- changes in market valuations of similar companies in reaction to industry events, even if these events do not directly affect us;- investors' general perception of us;- market volatility or downturns caused by outbreaks, epidemics, pandemics, geopolitical tensions or conflicts, or other macroeconomic dynamics;- the sustainability of an active trading market for our common stock; and - future sales of our common stock by our officers, directors or affiliates.
In addition, if the market for technology stocks or the stock market in general experiences a loss of investor confidence, the trading price of our common stock could decline for reasons unrelated to our business, financial condition or results of operations. If any of the foregoing occurs, it could cause our stock price to fall and may expose us to class action lawsuits that, even if unsuccessful, could be costly to defend and divert management's attention and resources.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3
We are a "smaller reporting company" and, because we have opted to use the reduced reporting requirements available to us, certain investors may find investing in our securities less attractive.We are a "smaller reporting company" under the SEC's disclosure rules, meaning that we have either: (i) a public float of less than $250 million; or (ii) annual revenues of less than $100 million during the most recently completed fiscal year; and no public float; or a public float of less than $700 million.
As a smaller reporting company, we are permitted to comply with scaled-back disclosure obligations in our SEC filings compared to other issuers, including with respect to disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements. We have elected to adopt the accommodations available to smaller reporting companies. Until we cease to be a smaller reporting company, the scaled-back disclosure in our SEC filings will result in less information about our company being available than for other public companies. If investors consider our common shares less attractive as a result of our election to use the scaled-back disclosure permitted for smaller reporting companies, there may be a less active trading market for our common shares and our share price may be more volatile.
We are also a non-accelerated filer under the Exchange Act of 1934, and we are not required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Therefore, our internal controls over financial reporting will not receive the level of review provided by the process relating to the auditor attestation included in annual reports of issuers that are subject to the auditor attestation requirements. In addition, we cannot predict if investors will find our common shares less attractive because we are not required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements. We cannot predict if investors will find our securities less attractive because we rely on these available exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the market price of our securities may be more volatile.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4
Provisions in our certificate of incorporation, our by-laws or Delaware law might discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company or changes in our management and, therefore, depress the trading price of our common stock.Provisions of our certificate of incorporation, our by-laws or Delaware law may discourage, delay or prevent a merger, acquisition or other change in control that stockholders may consider favorable, including transactions in which you might otherwise receive a premium for your shares of our common stock. These provisions may also prevent or frustrate attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our management. These provisions:
- establish a classified board of directors so that not all members of our board are elected at one time;- place limitations on the removal of directors;- eliminate the ability of our stockholders to call special meetings of stockholders;- prohibit stockholder action by written consent, which has the effect of requiring all stockholder actions to be taken at a meeting of stockholders;- establish advance notice requirements for nominations for election to our board of directors or for proposing matters that can be acted upon by stockholders at stockholder meetings; and - enable our board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred stock without stockholder approval, which could be used to institute a rights plan, or a poison pill, which would work to dilute the stock ownership of a potential hostile acquirer, likely preventing acquisitions that have not been approved by our board of directors.
In addition, Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company by prohibiting stockholders owning in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock from merging or combining with us during a specified period unless certain approvals are obtained.
The existence of the foregoing provisions and anti-takeover measures could limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock. They could also deter potential acquirers of our company, thereby reducing the likelihood that you could receive a premium for your common stock in an acquisition.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5
Our sixth amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the exclusive forum for certain disputes between us and our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders' ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees.Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation specifies that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the sole and exclusive forum for most legal actions involving actions brought against us by stockholders; provided that, if and only if the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware dismisses any such action for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, such action may be brought in another state or federal court sitting in the State of Delaware. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation also provides that the federal district courts of the United States will be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action against us or any of our directors, officers, employees or agents and arising under the Securities Act. We believe these provisions may benefit us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law and federal securities laws by chancellors and judges, as applicable, particularly experienced in resolving corporate disputes, efficient administration of cases on a more expedited schedule relative to other forums and protection against the burdens of multi-forum litigation. However, these provisions may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers. The choice of forum provision requiring that the Court of Chancery of the State of
Delaware be the exclusive forum for certain actions would not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act.
There is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provisions, and the enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies' charter documents has been challenged in legal proceedings. While the Delaware courts have determined that such choice of forum provisions are facially valid, a stockholder may nevertheless seek to bring a claim in a venue other than those designated in the exclusive forum provisions, and there can be no assurance that such provisions will be enforced by a court in those other jurisdictions. If a court were to find these types of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable, and if a court were to find the exclusive forum provision in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving the dispute in other jurisdictions, which could materially adversely affect our business.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6
Our fourth amended and restated bylaws designate specific courts in Delaware as the exclusive forum for certain litigation that may be initiated by the Company's stockholders, which could limit our stockholders' ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us.Pursuant to our fourth amended and restated bylaws, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the sole and exclusive forum for state law claims for (1) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; (2) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers, or other employees to us or our stockholders; (3) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law or our sixth amended and restated certificate of incorporation or fourth amended and restated bylaws; (4) any action to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of our certificate of incorporation or bylaws; or (5) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine, or the Delaware Forum Provision. The Delaware Forum Provision would not apply to any causes of action arising under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act. Our amended and restated bylaws further provide that unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts shall be the sole and exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act, or the Federal Forum Provision, as our headquarters are located in Burlington, Massachusetts. In addition, our amended and restated bylaws provide that any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock is deemed to have notice of and consented to the Delaware Forum Provision and the Federal Forum Provision; provided, however, that stockholders cannot and will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
The Delaware Forum Provision and the Federal Forum Provision in our bylaws may impose additional litigation costs on stockholders in pursuing any such claims. Additionally, these forum selection clauses may limit our stockholders' ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that they find favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees, which may discourage the filing of lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and employees, even though an action, if successful, might benefit our stockholders. In addition, while the Delaware Supreme Court ruled in March 2020 that federal forum selection provisions purporting to require claims under the Securities Act be brought in federal court are "facially valid" under Delaware law, there is uncertainty as to whether other courts will enforce our Federal Forum Provision. If the Federal Forum Provision is found to be unenforceable, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters. The Federal Forum Provision may also impose additional litigation costs on stockholders who assert that the provision is not enforceable or invalid. The Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware and the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts may also reach different judgments or results than would other courts, including courts where a stockholder considering an action may be located or would otherwise choose to bring the action, and such judgments may be more or less favorable to us than to our stockholders.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7
Sales of a significant number of shares of our common stock in the public markets, or the perception that such sales could occur, could depress the market price of our common stock.Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public markets, or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of shares of common stock intend to sell shares, could depress the market price of our common stock and impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. We cannot predict the effect that future sales of our common stock would have on the market price of our common stock.
Certain holders of our common stock have rights, subject to conditions, to require us to file registration statements covering their shares or to include their shares in registration statements that we may file for ourselves or other stockholders. We also filed a registration statement on Form S-8 registering the issuance of shares of common stock issued or reserved for future issuance under our equity compensation plans. Shares registered under such registration statement on Form S-8 can be freely sold in the public market upon issuance and once vested, subject to volume limitations applicable to affiliates and the lock-up agreements described above. If any of these additional shares are sold, or if it is perceived that they will be sold, in the public market, the market price of our common stock could decline.
Accounting & Financial Operations7 | 10.9%
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 1
We do not currently intend to pay dividends on our common stock and, consequently, your ability to achieve a return on your investment will depend on appreciation in the price of our common stock.Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 2
Our actual operating results may differ significantly from any operating guidance we may provide.From time to time, we may release guidance in our quarterly or annual earnings conference calls, quarterly or annual earnings releases, or otherwise, regarding our future performance that represents our management's estimates as of the date of release. This guidance, which will include forward-looking statements, will be based on projections prepared by our management. These projections may not be prepared with a view toward compliance with published guidelines of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, or AICPA, and neither our independent registered public accounting firm nor any other independent expert or outside party compiles or examines the projections. Accordingly, no such person will express any opinion or any other form of assurance with respect to the projections.
Projections are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while presented with numerical specificity, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control and are based upon specific assumptions with respect to future business decisions, some of which will change. The principal reason that we may release guidance is to provide a basis for our management to discuss our business outlook with analysts and investors. We do not accept any responsibility for any projections or reports published by any such third parties.
Guidance is necessarily speculative in nature, and it can be expected that some or all of the assumptions underlying the guidance furnished by us will not materialize or will vary significantly from actual results. Accordingly, our guidance is only an estimate of what management believes is realizable as of the date of release. Actual results may vary from our guidance and the variations may be material. Any failure to successfully implement our operating strategy or the occurrence of any of the events or circumstances set forth in this "Risk Factors" section could result in actual operating results being different from our guidance, and the differences may be adverse and material.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 3
If we fail to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting and effective disclosure controls and procedures, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results in a timely manner or prevent fraud, which may adversely affect investor confidence in our company.We are required to comply with the SEC's rules implementing Sections 302 and 404(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which require management to certify financial and other information in our quarterly and annual reports and provide an annual management report on the effectiveness of controls over financial reporting. We are required to disclose changes made in our internal controls and procedures on a quarterly basis to provide our annual management assessment of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(a). Furthermore, if we were to no longer qualify as a "smaller reporting company," our independent registered public accounting firm would be required to issue an annual report that attests the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting.
To comply with the requirements of being a public company, we may need to undertake actions, such as implementing new internal controls and procedures and hiring additional accounting or internal audit staff. Testing and maintaining internal control can divert our management's attention from other matters that are important to the operation of our business. In addition, when evaluating our internal control over financial reporting, we may identify material weaknesses that we may not be able to remediate in time to meet the applicable deadline imposed upon us for compliance with the requirements of Section 404. If we identify any material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting, including in connection with any past or future acquisitions, or we are unable to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner or assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports. As a result, the market price of our common stock could be materially adversely affected.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 4
We generally recognize revenue from extended warranty and service contracts over the contract term, and changes in sales of such contracts may not be immediately reflected in our operating results.We offer our customers the option to purchase extended warranty and service for regular system maintenance and system optimization on a fixed fee basis. We generally recognize revenue from our extended warranty and service plans ratably over the contract terms, which typically range from one additional year to four additional years and could in some cases be subject to an early termination right. A portion of the revenue we report in each quarter is derived from the recognition of deferred revenue relating to extended warranty and service contracts entered into during previous quarters. Consequently, a decline in new or renewed extended warranty and service contracts by our customers in any one quarter may not be immediately reflected in our revenue for that quarter. Such a decline, however, will negatively affect our revenue in future quarters. Accordingly, the effect of significant downturns in sales and market acceptance of our services and potential changes in our rate of renewals may not be fully reflected in our operating results until future periods.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 5
Future interpretations of existing accounting standards could adversely affect our operating results.Generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America ("GAAP"), are subject to interpretation by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, or AICPA, the SEC and various other bodies formed to promulgate and interpret appropriate accounting principles. A change in these principles or interpretations could have a significant effect on our reported financial results, and they could affect the reporting of transactions completed before the announcement of a change.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 6
We have a history of net losses and may not be able to achieve profitability for any period in the future or sustain cash flow from operating activities.We have had a history of net losses since our inception in 2012, and we may never achieve or maintain profitability. We cannot make any assurances that we will be able to increase our revenue to sustain cash flow from operating activities or reach profitability.
As we continue to expand and develop our business, we expect to incur significant expenditures in the areas of sales, marketing, research and development, and customer service and support. Additionally, we may encounter unforeseen issues that require us to incur additional costs. We will have to generate and sustain increased revenue to achieve profitability and positive cash flow as a result of these increased expenditures. Accordingly, if we are not able to achieve or maintain profitability and we incur significant losses in the future, the market price of our common stock may decline, and you could lose part or all of your investment.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 7
Our operating results may fluctuate significantly from period-to-period and may fall below expectations in any particular period, which could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.Our quarterly results of operations may fluctuate significantly from period-to-period. Accordingly, the results of any one quarter should not be relied upon as an indication of future performance. If our revenue or operating results fall below the expectations of investors or any securities analysts that follow our company in any period, the price of our common stock would likely decline. Each of the risks described in this section, as well as other factors, may affect our operating results. For example, factors that may cause our operating results to fluctuate include:
- our dependence on a limited number of large orders from U.S. government agencies for a substantial portion of our revenue in any quarterly period, whereby the loss of or delay in a customer order, including as a result of delays in Federal budget approval, or any delay in our fulfillment of deliverables under a customer order, could significantly reduce our revenue for that quarter;- market volatility or downturns caused by outbreaks, epidemics, pandemics, geopolitical tensions or conflicts, or other macroeconomic dynamics;- the addition of new customers or the loss of existing customers;- the rates at which customers purchase additional products or consumables from us;- our ability to enhance our products with new and better functionality that meets customer requirements;- the length and unpredictability of our product sales cycle;- the productivity and growth of our sales force and customer service team;- the effectiveness of our channel partners in securing new orders and fulfilling existing orders;- service interruptions with any of our single source suppliers or subassembly manufacturers;- our ability to attain and maintain production volumes and quality levels for our products, and to accurately forecast customer demand for our products and consumables;- the timing of our product releases or upgrades or related announcements by us or our competitors;- the possibility of seasonality in demand for our products;- changes in pricing by us or our competitors;- the timing of investments in research and development related to new product releases or upgrades;- our ability to control costs, including operating expenses and the costs of the components used in our products;- future accounting pronouncements and changes in accounting policies;- costs related to the acquisition and integration of companies, assets, or technologies; and - general economic, political, or stock market conditions.
Our operating expenses are heavily based on our anticipated product revenue growth, especially as we continue to invest in the development of future products. As a result, any shortfall in product revenue in relation to our expectations could cause significant changes in our operating results from period-to-period and could result in negative cash flow from operations and a decrease in the price of our common stock.
Debt & Financing2 | 3.1%
Debt & Financing - Risk 1
Our loan and security agreement contains covenants, which restrict our operating activities, and we may be required to repay the outstanding indebtedness in an event of default, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.Debt & Financing - Risk 2
We may need additional capital in the future, which may not be available to us, and if it is available, may dilute your ownership of our common stock and have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.We may need to raise additional funds in the future, through public or private debt or equity financings, if we are presented with unforeseen circumstances or opportunities in order to, among other things:
- develop or enhance our products;- support additional capital expenditures;- respond to competitive pressures;- fund operating losses in future periods; or - take advantage of acquisition or expansion opportunities.
We, and indirectly, our stockholders, will bear the cost of issuing and servicing such securities if required to raise additional funds. Because our decision to issue debt or equity securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing, or nature of any future offerings. Our decision to issue debt or equity securities will also depend on contractual, legal, and other restrictions that may limit our ability to raise additional capital and may require us to obtain stockholder approval, which we may not be able to obtain.
Any required additional financing may not be available on terms acceptable to us, or at all. For instance, debt financing, if available, may involve restrictive covenants and could reduce our operational flexibility or profitability, and any new or refinanced debt may be subject to substantially higher interest rates, which could adversely affect our financial condition and impact our business. Recent quantitative tightening by the U.S. Federal Reserve, along with other central banks around the world, may further negatively affect our short-term ability or desire to incur debt. A failure to obtain additional funding could prevent us from making expenditures that may be required to grow or maintain our operations.
Current capital market conditions, including the impact of inflation, have increased borrowing rates and can be expected to significantly increase our cost of capital as compared to prior periods should we seek additional funding. Moreover, global capital markets have undergone periods of significant volatility and uncertainty in the past, and there can be no assurance that such financing alternatives will be available to us on favorable terms or at all, should we determine it necessary or advisable to seek additional capital.
If we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, you may experience significant dilution of your ownership interest, and the newly-issued securities may have rights senior to those of the holders of our common stock. If we raise additional funds by obtaining loans from third parties, the terms of those financing arrangements may include negative covenants or other restrictions on our business that could impair our operational flexibility and would also require us to fund additional interest expense, which could harm our profitability. Holders of debt would also have rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of holders of our common stock.
Corporate Activity and Growth4 | 6.3%
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 1
We have in the past, and may again in the future, engage in acquisitions or divestures that could disrupt our business, cause dilution to our stockholders and harm our financial condition and operating results.Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 2
We have experienced growth of our business in recent years, and our inability to manage this growth could have a material adverse effect on our business, the quality of our products and services and our ability to retain key personnel.We have experienced growth of our business in recent years. Our growth has placed increased demands on our management and other resources and will continue to do so in the future. We may not be able to maintain or accelerate our current growth rate, manage our expanding operations effectively or achieve planned growth on a timely or profitable basis. Managing our growth effectively will involve, among other things:
- continuing to retain, motivate, and manage our existing employees and attract and integrate new employees, particularly qualified sales personnel;- continuing to provide a high level of service to an increasing number of customers;- maintaining the quality of product and services offerings while controlling our expenses;- meeting end-user requirements for functional performance and product robustness;- growing our direct sales force and channel partners; and - developing, implementing, and improving our operational, financial, accounting, and other internal systems and controls on a timely basis.
If demand for our products increases rapidly, we will need to expand internal production capacity or implement additional outsourcing of components and/or our assembled products. Success in developing, manufacturing and supporting products manufactured in small volumes does not guarantee comparable success in operations conducted on a larger scale. Modifying and reconfiguring our facility to increase production capacity may delay delivery of our products. In addition, component costs as well as additional production, financial, and management control costs may rise. If we are unable to meet the demand of our customers and deliver products quickly and cost effectively, customers may turn to our competitors. The costs associated with implementing new manufacturing technologies, methods and processes, including the purchase of new equipment, and any resulting delays, inefficiencies, and loss of sales, could harm our results of operations.
As we grow, we will also need to make corresponding improvements to other operational functions, such as our customer service and billing systems, compliance programs and our internal quality assurance programs. We will also need additional equipment, manufacturing and warehouse space and trained personnel to process higher volumes of products. We cannot assure you that any increases in scale, related improvements and quality assurance will be successfully implemented or that equipment, manufacturing and warehouse space and appropriate personnel will be available. As we develop additional products, we may need to bring new equipment on-line, implement new systems, technology, controls and procedures and hire personnel with different qualifications.
If we are unable to manage our growth effectively, there could be a material adverse effect on our ability to maintain or increase revenue and profitability, the quality of our products and services and our ability to retain key personnel. These factors could adversely affect our reputation in the market and our ability to generate future sales from new or existing customers.
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 3
We need to continue to build and develop our sales, marketing and customer service organization, and to engage with domestic and international channel partners to support our planned growth.We may not be able to market, sell or distribute our current and future products effectively enough to support our planned growth. Currently, we sell our products through a combination of direct sales efforts and partnerships with channel partners across all of our key markets. During 2025, our channel partners accounted for a significant portion of our total revenue. We are in the process of broadening and diversifying our sales channels across all markets. In the future, if we fail to maintain good relationships with, or fail to successfully motivate any of our large channel partners, our revenue may decline. If we do not diversify our sales channels and effectively utilize our direct sales force, we will continue to be susceptible to risks associated with having a large percentage of revenue concentrated with a limited number of channel partners.
In addition, the time and cost of maintaining a specialized sales, marketing and customer service force for a particular product or service may be difficult to justify in light of the revenue projected to be generated by such additional personnel and resources. We may not be able to attract and retain personnel or be able to build an efficient and effective sales organization, which could negatively impact sales and market acceptance of our products and limit our revenue growth and potential profitability.
We rely on channel partners for the sale of our products in certain countries outside of the United States, and to access certain end customers in the United States. We intend to continue to grow our business internationally and to do so we must attract additional channel partners and retain existing channel partners to maximize the commercial opportunity for our products. We exert limited control over existing channel partners under our agreements with them, and if their sales and marketing efforts for our products in their particular region are not successful, our business would be materially and adversely affected. Locating, qualifying and engaging additional channel partners with local industry experience and knowledge will be necessary in at least the short to mid-term to effectively market and sell our platform in certain countries outside the United States. We may not be successful in finding, attracting and retaining channel partners, or we may not be able to enter into such arrangements on favorable terms.
Most of our channel partner relationships are non-exclusive and permit such channel partners to distribute competing products. As such, our channel partners may not commit the necessary resources to market our products to the level of our expectations or may choose to favor marketing the products of our competitors. If current or future channel partners do not perform adequately or we are unable to enter into effective arrangements with channel partners in particular geographic areas, we may not realize long-term international revenue growth.
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 4
Due to the significant resources required to enable access in new markets, we must make strategic and operational decisions to prioritize certain markets, technology offerings or partnerships and there can be no assurance that we will expend our resources in a way that results in meaningful revenue or capitalizes on potential new markets.We believe our platform has potential applications across a wide range of markets and we have targeted certain markets in which we believe we have a higher probability of success or revenue opportunity or for which the path to commercialize products and realizing or achieving revenue is shorter. For example, we have entered into agreements regarding a specific government program opportunity to develop an aerosol vapor detector. We seek to continue to prioritize opportunities and allocate our resources among our programs to maintain a balance between advancing near-term opportunities and exploring additional markets for our technology. However, due to the significant resources required for the development of workflows for new markets, we must make decisions regarding which markets to pursue and the amount of resources to allocate to each. Our decisions concerning the allocation of research, development, collaboration, management and financial resources toward particular markets or workflows may not lead to the development of any viable product and may divert resources away from better opportunities. Similarly, our potential decisions to delay, terminate or collaborate with third parties in respect of certain markets may subsequently also prove to be suboptimal and could cause us to miss valuable opportunities.
Tech & Innovation
Total Risks: 15/64 (23%)Below Sector Average
Innovation / R&D2 | 3.1%
Innovation / R&D - Risk 1
Our current research and development efforts may not produce significant revenue for several years, if at all.Innovation / R&D - Risk 2
We must develop new products, as well as enhancements to existing products, and adapt to rapid and significant technological change to remain competitive.We sell our products in industries that are characterized by significant product enhancements and evolving industry standards. As a result, our customers' needs are rapidly evolving. If we do not appropriately innovate and invest in new technologies, our offerings may become less desirable in the markets we serve, and our customers could move to new technologies offered by our competitors or make products themselves. To achieve market acceptance for our products, we must effectively anticipate customer requirements, and we must offer products that meet changing customer demands in a timely manner. Customers may require product features and capabilities that our current products do not have. Any of the current plans we have for future developments or enhancements are strategic in nature and not commitments to develop such capabilities for our customers. If we fail to develop products that satisfy customer requirements, our ability to create or increase demand for our products will be harmed.
Without the timely introduction of new products, services and enhancements, our offerings will likely become less competitive over time, in which case our competitive position and operating results could suffer. Accordingly, we focus significant efforts and resources on the development and identification of new technologies, products and markets to further broaden our offerings. In addition, the development cycle for our products and technologies can take multiple years and require significant investment, including substantial research and development, development of different engineering and manufacturing workflows, and adjustments to our data and analytics infrastructure. Even if these efforts are successful, the product or enhancement may not perform as expected. The ultimate success of our new products depends, in large part, on the accuracy of our assessments of the long-term needs of the industries and markets we serve, and it is difficult to quickly change the design or function of a planned new product if the market need does not develop as anticipated. As a result, to the extent we fail to accurately forecast the needs of our customers and timely introduce new and innovative products or services, or fail to obtain desired levels of market acceptance, our business may suffer and our operating results could be adversely affected. The challenge of identifying market trends and customer needs is even more demanding for markets that we have recently entered, or that we intend to enter in the future. There is no certainty that we will effectively identify these trends and needs or introduce products that are successful.
Trade Secrets10 | 15.6%
Trade Secrets - Risk 1
We rely on in-bound licenses granted to us from third parties. If we lose these rights, our business may be materially adversely affected, our ability to develop improvements to our existing products and to develop new products may be negatively and substantially impacted, and if disputes arise, we may be subjected to future litigation as well as the potential loss of or limitations on our ability to develop and commercialize products and technology covered by these license agreements.Trade Secrets - Risk 2
Patent terms may be inadequate to protect our competitive position on our products for an adequate amount of time.Patents have a limited lifespan. In the United States, if all maintenance fees are timely paid, the natural expiration of a patent is generally 20 years from its earliest U.S. non-provisional filing date. Various extensions may be available, but the life of a patent, and the protection it affords, is limited. Even if patents covering our products are obtained, once the patent life has expired, we may be open to competition from competitive products. If one of our products requires extended development, testing, regulatory review and/or examination by a patent granting authority, patents protecting such products might expire before or shortly after such products are commercialized. As a result, our owned and licensed patent portfolio may not provide us with sufficient rights to exclude others from commercializing products similar or identical to ours.
Trade Secrets - Risk 3
Obtaining and maintaining our patent protection depends on compliance with various required procedures, document submissions, fee payments and other requirements imposed by governmental patent agencies, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated for non-compliance with these requirements.Periodic maintenance fees, renewal fees, annuity fees and various other governmental fees on patents and/or applications will be due to be paid to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or the USPTO, and various governmental patent agencies outside of the United States at several stages over the lifetime of the patents and/or applications. We have systems in place to remind us to pay these fees, and we engage an outside service and rely on our outside counsel to pay these fees due to non-U.S. patent agencies. The USPTO and various non-U.S. governmental patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment and other similar provisions during the patent application process. We employ reputable law firms and other professionals to help us comply, and in some cases, an inadvertent lapse can be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules. However, there are situations in which non-compliance can result in abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. In such an event, our competitors may be able to enter the market without infringing our patents and this circumstance may have a material adverse effect on our business.
Trade Secrets - Risk 4
Changes in patent law in the United States and other jurisdictions could diminish the value of patents in general, thereby impairing our ability to protect our products.Changes in either the patent laws or in interpretations of patent laws in the United States or other countries or regions may diminish the value of our intellectual property. We cannot predict the breadth of claims that may be allowed or enforced in our patents or in third party patents. We may not develop additional proprietary products, methods and technologies that are patentable.
Assuming that other requirements for patentability are met, prior to March 16, 2013, in the United States, the first to invent the claimed invention was entitled to the patent, while outside the United States, the first to file a patent application was entitled to the patent. On or after March 16, 2013, under the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, or the America Invents Act, enacted in September 16, 2011, the United States transitioned to a first inventor to file system in which, assuming that other requirements for patentability are met, the first inventor to file a patent application will be entitled to the patent on an invention regardless of whether a third party was the first to invent the claimed invention. A third party that files a patent application in the USPTO on or after March 16, 2013, but before us could therefore be awarded a patent covering an invention of ours, even if we had made the invention before it was made by such third party. This requires us to be cognizant of the time from invention to filing of a patent application. Since patent applications in the United States and most other countries are confidential for a period of time after filing or until issuance, we cannot be certain that we or our licensors were the first to either (i) file any patent application related to our products or (ii) invent any of the inventions claimed in our or our licensor's patents or patent applications.
The America Invents Act also includes a number of significant changes that affect the way patent applications are prosecuted and also affects patent litigation. These include allowing third party submission of prior art to the USPTO during patent prosecution and additional procedures to attack the validity of a patent by USPTO administered post-grant proceedings, including post-grant review, inter partes review and derivation proceedings. Because of a lower evidentiary standard in USPTO proceedings compared to the evidentiary standard in United States federal courts necessary to invalidate a patent claim, a third party could potentially provide evidence in a USPTO proceeding sufficient for the USPTO to hold a claim invalid, even though the same evidence would be insufficient to invalidate the claim if first presented in a district court action. Accordingly, a third party may attempt to use the USPTO procedures to invalidate our patent claims that would not have been invalidated if first challenged by the third party as a defendant in a district court action. Therefore, the America Invents Act and its implementation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of our owned or in-bound licensed patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our owned or in-bound licensed issued patents, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.
Various courts, including the United States Supreme Court have rendered decisions that affect the scope of patentability of certain inventions or discoveries. These decisions state, among other things, that a patent claim that recites an abstract idea, natural phenomenon or law of nature are not themselves patentable. Precisely what constitutes a law of nature or abstract idea is uncertain, and it is possible that certain aspects of our technology could be considered natural laws. Accordingly, the evolving case law in the United States may adversely affect our ability to obtain patents and may facilitate third party challenges to any owned or licensed patents.
Trade Secrets - Risk 5
Our ability to compete and the success of our business could be jeopardized if we are unable to protect our intellectual property adequately.Our success depends to a degree upon the protection of our proprietary technology and obtaining, maintaining and enforcing our intellectual property and other proprietary rights. We rely on a combination of trade secrets, patents, copyrights, trademarks and contractual provisions with employees, contract manufacturers, consultants, customers and other third parties to establish and protect our intellectual property rights, all of which offer only limited protection. Other parties may not comply with the terms of their agreements with us, and we may not be able to enforce our rights adequately against these parties.
Although we enter into confidentiality, assignments of proprietary rights and license agreements, as appropriate, with our employees and third parties, including our contract manufacturers, contract engineering firms, and generally control access to and distribution of our technologies, documentation and other proprietary information, we cannot be certain that the steps we take to prevent unauthorized use of our intellectual property rights are sufficient to prevent their misappropriation, particularly in foreign countries where laws or law enforcement practices may not protect our intellectual property rights as fully as in the United States. In addition, we rely on trade secrets to protect certain of our technologies, especially where we do not believe patent protection is appropriate or obtainable. However, trade secrets are difficult to protect. Although we use reasonable efforts to protect our trade secrets, our employees and third parties to whom our trade secrets are disclosed may unintentionally or willfully disclose our information to competitors. Enforcing a claim that a third party entity illegally obtained and is using any of our trade secrets is expensive and time-consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. In addition, courts outside the U.S. are sometimes less willing to protect trade secrets. Moreover, our competitors may independently develop equivalent knowledge, methods and know-how.
If competitors are able to use our technology, our ability to compete effectively could be harmed. For example, if a competitor were to gain use of certain of our proprietary technology, it might be able to develop and manufacture similarly designed solutions at a reduced cost, which would result in a decrease in demand for our products.
Furthermore, we have adopted a strategy of seeking limited patent protection both in the United States and in foreign countries with respect to the technologies used in or relating to our products. We do not know whether any of our pending patent applications will result in the issuance of patents or whether the examination process will require us to narrow our claims, and even if patents are issued, they may be contested, circumvented or invalidated over the course of our business. Moreover, the rights granted under any issued patents may not provide us with proprietary protection or competitive advantages, and, as with any technology, competitors may be able to develop and obtain patents for technologies that are similar to or superior to our technologies. If that happens, we may need to license these technologies and we may not be able to obtain licenses on reasonable terms, if at all, thereby causing great harm to our business. Additionally, the determination that a patent application or patent claim meets all of the requirements for patentability is a subjective determination based on the application of law and jurisprudence. The ultimate determination by the USPTO or by a court or other trier of fact in the U.S., or corresponding foreign national patent offices or courts, on whether a claim meets all requirements of patentability cannot be assured. Accordingly, we cannot predict the breadth of claims that may be allowed or enforced in our patents or patent applications, in our licensed patents or patent applications or in third party patents.
Even in those instances where we have determined that another party is breaching our intellectual property and other proprietary rights, enforcing our legal rights with respect to such breach may be expensive and difficult. We may need to engage in litigation to enforce or defend our intellectual property and other proprietary rights, which could result in substantial costs and diversion of management resources. Further, many of our current and potential competitors are substantially larger than we are and have the ability to dedicate substantially greater resources to defending any claims by us that they have breached our intellectual property rights.
Failure to protect our intellectual property could affect our ability to secure additional contracts or preserve market advantages when we commercialize our products.
Trade Secrets - Risk 6
We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights throughout the world.Filing, prosecuting and defending patents on our products in all countries throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive, and our intellectual property rights in some countries outside the United States can be less extensive than those in the United States. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States, and we may encounter difficulties in protecting and defending such rights in foreign jurisdictions. Consequently, we may not be able to prevent third parties from practicing our inventions in some or all countries outside the United States, or from selling or importing products made using our inventions in and into the United States or other jurisdictions. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection to develop their own products and may also export infringing products to territories where we have patent protection, but enforcement is not as strong as that in the United States. These products may compete with our products. Our patents or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from competing. In addition, certain countries have compulsory licensing laws under which a patent owner may be compelled to grant licenses to other parties. Furthermore, many countries limit the enforceability of patents against other parties, including government agencies or government contractors. In these countries, the patent owner may have limited remedies, which could materially diminish the value of any patents.
Many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions. The legal systems of many other countries do not favor the enforcement of patents and other intellectual property protection, which could make it difficult for us to stop the misappropriation or other violations of our intellectual property rights including infringement of our patents in such countries. Proceedings to enforce our patent rights in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial cost 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 claims against us. We may not prevail in any lawsuits that we initiate, or that are initiated against us, and the damages or other remedies awarded, if any, may not be commercially meaningful. In addition, changes in the law and legal decisions by courts in the United States and foreign countries may affect our ability to obtain adequate protection for our products, services and other technologies and the enforcement of intellectual property. Accordingly, our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights around the world may be inadequate to obtain a significant commercial advantage from the intellectual property that we develop or license.
Trade Secrets - Risk 7
We may be obligated to disclose our proprietary technology to our customers, which may limit our ability to protect our intellectual property.Certain customer agreements contain provisions permitting the customer to become a party to, or a beneficiary of, a technology escrow agreement under which we place proprietary know-how and source code for our products in escrow with a third party. Under these escrow agreements, the know-how and source code to the applicable product may be released to the customer, typically for its use to further develop, maintain, modify and enhance the product, upon the occurrence of specified events, such as our filing for bankruptcy and breaching our representations, warranties or covenants of our agreements with our customers. Disclosing this know-how and source code may limit the intellectual property protection we can obtain or maintain for that know-how or source code or the products embodying or containing that know-how or source code, and may facilitate intellectual property infringement claims against us. Each of these could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Trade Secrets - Risk 8
Issued patents covering our products could be found invalid or unenforceable if challenged.Although patents granted by the USPTO or other patent granting authority are generally entitled to a presumption of validity and enforceability, a granted patent's scope, validity or enforceability can still be challenged. Some of our patents or patent applications (including in-bound licensed patents) have been or may be challenged at a future point in time in opposition, derivation, reexamination, inter partes review, post-grant review or interference. Any successful third party challenge to our patents in this or any other proceeding could result in the unenforceability or invalidity of such patents, which may lead to increased competition to our business, which could harm our business. In addition, in patent litigation in the United States, defendant counterclaims alleging invalidity or unenforceability are commonplace. The outcome following legal assertions of invalidity and unenforceability during patent litigation is unpredictable. If a defendant were to prevail on a legal assertion of invalidity or unenforceability, we would lose at least part, and perhaps all, of the patent protection on certain aspects of our platform technologies. In addition, if the breadth or strength of protection provided by our patents and patent applications is threatened, regardless of the outcome, it could dissuade companies from collaborating with us to license, develop, or commercialize current or future products.
We may not be aware of all third party intellectual property rights potentially relating to our products. Publications of discoveries in the scientific literature often lag behind the actual discoveries, and patent applications in the United States and other jurisdictions are typically not published until approximately 18 months after filing or, in some cases, not until such patent applications issue as patents. Moreover, we may not search for or identify all relevant third party patents or we may incorrectly interpret the relevance, scope or expiration of a third party patent of which we are aware. We might not have been the first to make the inventions covered by each of our pending patent applications and we might not have been the first to file patent applications for these inventions. To determine the priority of these inventions, we may have to participate in interference proceedings, derivation proceedings or other post-grant proceedings declared by the USPTO that could result in substantial cost to us. The outcome of such proceedings is uncertain. No assurance can be given that other patent applications will not have priority over our patent applications. In addition, changes to the patent laws of the United States allow for various post-grant opposition proceedings that have not been extensively tested, and their outcome is therefore uncertain. Furthermore, if third parties bring these proceedings against our patents, we could experience significant costs and management distraction.
Trade Secrets - Risk 9
Claims by other parties that we infringe or misuse their proprietary technology could subject us to significant liability and could force us to redesign our products or to incur significant costs.Our competitors protect their intellectual property rights by means such as trade secrets, patents, copyrights and trademarks. Although we have not been involved in any litigation related to intellectual property rights of others, from time to time we receive letters from other parties alleging, or inquiring about, breaches of their intellectual property rights. Any party asserting that our products infringe their proprietary rights would force us to defend ourselves, and possibly our customers, against the alleged infringement. These claims and any resulting lawsuit, if successful, could subject us to significant liability for damages and invalidation of our proprietary rights. The risk of such a lawsuit will likely increase as our size and the number and scope of our products increase, as our geographic presence and market share expand and as the number of competitors in our market increases. Any such claims or litigation could:
- be time-consuming and expensive to defend, whether meritorious or not;- require us to stop selling, incorporating or using our products that use the other party's intellectual property;- divert the attention of our technical and managerial resources;- require us to enter into royalty or licensing agreements with third parties, which may not be available on terms that we deem acceptable, if at all;- prevent us from operating all or a portion of our business or force us to redesign our products, which could be difficult and expensive and may degrade performance of our products, or withdraw one or more of our products altogether;- subject us to significant liability for damages or result in significant settlement payments;- require us to indemnify our customers, channel partners or suppliers; and - refund deposits and other amounts received for allegedly infringing technology or products.
Intellectual property litigation can be costly. Even if we prevail, the cost of such litigation could deplete our financial resources. Litigation is also time-consuming and could divert management's attention and resources away from our business. Furthermore, during the course of litigation, confidential information may be disclosed in the form of documents or testimony in connection with discovery requests, depositions or trial testimony. Disclosure of our confidential information and our involvement in intellectual property litigation could materially adversely affect our business. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of complex intellectual property litigation more effectively than we can because they have substantially greater resources. In addition, any uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of any litigation could significantly limit our ability to continue our operations. Any of the foregoing could disrupt our business and have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.
Trade Secrets - Risk 10
In the future we may be involved in litigation related to intellectual property, which could be time-intensive and costly and may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.In recent years, there has been significant litigation in the United States involving intellectual property rights. We may in the future be, involved with litigation or actions at the USPTO or a foreign patent office with various third parties that claim we or our partners or customers using our solutions and services have misappropriated or misused other parties' intellectual property rights. We expect that the number of such claims may increase as the number of our systems, workflows, consumables and kits, and the level of competition in our industry segments, grow. Any infringement claim, regardless of its validity, could harm our business by, among other things, resulting in time-consuming and costly litigation, diverting management's time and attention from the development of the business, requiring the payment of monetary damages (including treble damages, attorneys' fees, costs and expenses) or royalty payments, or result in potential or existing customers delaying purchases of our products or entering into engagements with us pending resolution of the dispute.
As we move into new markets and applications for our products, incumbent participants in such markets may assert their patents and other proprietary rights against us as a means of slowing our entry into such markets or as a means to extract substantial license and royalty payments from us. Our competitors and others may now and in the future have significantly larger and more mature patent portfolios than we currently have. In addition, future litigation may involve patent holding companies or other adverse patent owners who have no relevant product or service revenue and against whom our own patents may provide little or no deterrence or protection. Therefore, our commercial success may depend in part on our non-infringement of the patents or proprietary rights of third parties, or the invalidity of such patents or proprietary rights.
Our research, development and commercialization activities may in the future be subject to claims that we infringe or otherwise violate patents or other intellectual property rights owned or controlled by third parties. There is a substantial amount of litigation and other patent challenges, both within and outside the United States, involving patent and other intellectual property rights, including patent infringement lawsuits, interferences, oppositions and inter partes review proceedings before the USPTO, and corresponding foreign patent offices. Numerous U.S. and foreign issued patents and pending patent applications, which are owned by third parties, exist in the fields in which we are developing products. As more patents are issued, the risk increases that our products may be subject to claims of infringement of the patent rights of third parties. Numerous significant intellectual property issues have been litigated, are being litigated and will likely continue to be litigated, between existing and new participants in our existing and targeted markets, and one or more third parties may assert that our products or services infringe their intellectual property rights as part of a business strategy to impede our successful entry into or growth in those markets.
There can be no assurance that we will prevail in any suit initiated against us by third parties, successfully settle or otherwise resolve patent infringement claims. Third parties making claims against us may be able to obtain injunctive or other relief, which could block our ability to develop, commercialize and sell products or services, and could result in the award of substantial damages against us, including treble damages, attorneys' fees, costs and expenses if we are found to have willfully infringed. In the event of a successful claim of infringement against us, we may be required to pay damages and ongoing royalties, and obtain one or more licenses from third parties, or be prohibited from selling certain products or services. We may not be able to obtain these licenses on acceptable or commercially reasonable terms, if at all, or these licenses may be non-exclusive, which could result in our competitors gaining access to the same intellectual property. In addition, we could encounter delays and incur significant costs, in product or service introductions while we attempt to develop alternative products or services, or redesign our products or services, to avoid infringing third party patents or proprietary rights. Defense of any lawsuit or failure to obtain any of these licenses or to develop a workaround could prevent us from commercializing products or services, and the prohibition of sale or the threat of the prohibition of sale of any of our products or services could materially affect our business and our ability to gain market acceptance for our products or services.
In addition, our agreements with some of our customers, suppliers or other entities with whom we do business require us to defend or indemnify these parties to the extent they become involved in infringement claims, including the types of claims described above. We could also voluntarily agree to defend or indemnify third parties in instances where we are not obligated to do so if we determine it would be important to our business relationships. If we are required or agree to defend or indemnify third parties in connection with any infringement claims, we could incur significant costs and expenses that could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.
Cyber Security2 | 3.1%
Cyber Security - Risk 1
If our information technology systems or our data (or those third parties with whom we work) are or were compromised, we could experience adverse consequences resulting from such compromise, including but not limited to regulatory investigations or actions; litigation; fines and penalties; disruptions of our business operations; reputational harm; loss of revenue or profits; loss of customers or sales; and other adverse consequences.Cyber Security - Risk 2
Artificial intelligence presents risks and challenges that may adversely impact our business including by increasing compliance obligations and posing security risks to our confidential information, proprietary information, and personal data, and other sensitive information.Issues in the development and use of artificial intelligence, combined with an uncertain regulatory environment, may result in reputational harm, liability, or other adverse consequences to our business operations. For instance, if we adopt and integrate generative artificial intelligence tools into our systems for certain use cases this could require the expenditure of significant resources to design, develop, test and maintain such systems in accordance with applicable laws and regulations and in a manner that otherwise mitigates real or perceived harmful impacts, such as risks to our reputation and sensitive information. The use of certain artificial intelligence technologies can also give rise to intellectual property risks, including by disclosing or otherwise compromising our confidential or proprietary intellectual property, or by undermining our ability to assert or defend ownership rights in intellectual property created with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools.
A growing number of legislatures and regulators are adopting laws and regulations and have focused enforcement efforts on the adoption of artificial intelligence, and use of such technologies in compliance with ethical standards and societal expectations. Various jurisdictions around the globe, including Europe and certain U.S. states, have proposed, enacted, or are considering laws governing the development and use of AI technologies, such as the EU's AI Act, the
Colorado Artificial Intelligence Act, California Bot Disclosure Law, the Utah Artificial Intelligence Policy Act, and the CCPA regulations on automated decision-making technology. These developments may increase our compliance burden and costs in connection with the use of artificial intelligence and lead to legal liability if we fail to meet evolving legal standards or if use of such technologies results in harms to third parties or other adverse consequences.
Our vendors may also incorporate generative or other artificial intelligence tools into their offerings without disclosing this use to us, and the providers of these artificial intelligence tools may not meet existing or rapidly evolving regulatory or industry standards with respect to privacy and data protection or may otherwise inhibit our or our vendors' ability to maintain an adequate level of service and security. If we, our vendors, or our third-party partners experience an actual or perceived data breach or cyber security incident because of the use of artificial intelligence, we may lose valuable intellectual property and confidential information and our reputation and the public perception of the effectiveness of our security measures could be harmed. Furthermore, bad actors around the world use increasingly sophisticated methods, including the use of artificial intelligence, to engage in illegal activities involving the theft and misuse of personal information, confidential information, and intellectual property. Any of these outcomes could damage our reputation, result in the loss of valuable property and information, and adversely impact our business.
Our vendors may in turn incorporate generative artificial intelligence tools into their offerings without disclosing this use to us, and the providers of these generative artificial intelligence tools may not meet existing or rapidly evolving regulatory or industry standards with respect to privacy and data protection and may inhibit our or our vendors' ability to maintain an adequate level of service and experience. If we, our vendors, or our third-party partners experience an actual or perceived data breach or cyber security incident because of the use of generative artificial intelligence, we may lose valuable intellectual property and confidential information and our reputation and the public perception of the effectiveness of our security measures could be harmed. Further, bad actors around the world use increasingly sophisticated methods, including the use of artificial intelligence, to engage in illegal activities involving the theft and misuse of personal information, confidential information, and intellectual property. Any of these outcomes could damage our reputation, result in the loss of valuable property and information, and adversely impact our business.
Technology1 | 1.6%
Technology - Risk 1
Our use of open source software could compromise our ability to offer our services and subject us to possible litigation.Legal & Regulatory
Total Risks: 10/64 (16%)Below Sector Average
Regulation4 | 6.3%
Regulation - Risk 1
We and the third parties with whom we work are subject to stringent and evolving U.S. and foreign laws, regulations, and rules, contractual obligations, industry standards, policies and other obligations related to data privacy and security. Our actual or perceived failure (or that of the third parties with whom we work) to comply with such obligations could lead to regulatory investigations or actions; litigation (including class claims) and mass arbitration demands; fines and penalties; disruptions of our business operations; reputational harm; loss of revenue or profits; loss of customers or sales; and other adverse business consequences.Regulation - Risk 2
Our business is subject to laws and regulations that are more restrictive because we are a contractor and subcontractor to the U.S. government.As a contractor and subcontractor to the U.S. government, we are subject to various laws and regulations that are more restrictive than those applicable to non-government contractors, including the Federal Acquisition Regulations and its supplements, which comprehensively regulate the formation, administration and performance of U.S. government contracts, and the Truthful Cost or Pricing Data Act and various other laws, which require certain certifications and disclosures.
These laws and regulations, among other things:
- require that we obtain and maintain material governmental authorizations and approvals to conduct our business as it is currently conducted;- require certification and disclosure of cost and pricing data in connection with certain contract negotiations;- impose rules that define allowable and unallowable costs and otherwise govern our right to reimbursement under certain cost-based U.S. government contracts;- restrict the use and dissemination of information classified for national security purposes and the export of certain products and technical data; and - impose requirements relating to ethics and business practices, which carry penalties for noncompliance ranging from monetary fines and damages to loss of the ability to do business with the U.S. government as a prime contractor or subcontractor.
In addition, we may be subject to industrial security regulations of the U.S. Department of Defense and other federal agencies that are designed to safeguard against unauthorized access by foreigners and others to classified and other sensitive U.S. government information. If we were to come under foreign ownership, control or influence, our U.S.
government customers could terminate, or decide not to renew, our contracts, or we may be subjected to burdensome industrial security compliance measures. Such a situation could impair our ability to obtain new contracts and subcontracts. The government may also change its procurement practices or adopt new contracting rules and regulations that could be costly to satisfy or that could impair our ability to obtain new contracts.
Regulation - Risk 3
Our contracts with the U.S. government may impose requirements that may be unfavorable to us and that may have a material adverse effect on our growth prospects and operating results.There are inherent risks in contracting with the U.S. government. The U.S. government can typically terminate, reduce orders under or otherwise modify any of its contracts with us for its convenience (i.e., without cause) whether or not we have failed to perform under the terms of the applicable contract. In such case, the government would not be required to pay us for the lost profits for the unperformed work. A termination arising out of our default could expose us to liability and harm our ability to compete for future contracts and orders. In addition to unfavorable termination provisions, our U.S. government contracts and related regulations contain provisions that allow the U.S. government to unilaterally suspend us from receiving new contracts pending resolution of alleged violations of procurement laws or regulations, reduce the value of existing contracts, issue modifications to a contract and potentially restrict exports of our products, services and associated materials.
Our contracts with government agencies may subject us to other risks and give the government additional rights and remedies not typically found in commercial contracts, including rights that allow the government to, for example:
- obtain detailed cost or pricing information;- receive "most favored customer" pricing;- perform routine audits;- impose equal employment and hiring standards;- require products to be manufactured in specified countries;- restrict non-U.S. ownership or investment in our company; and/or - pursue administrative, civil or criminal remedies for contractual violations.
These rights and remedies have the potential to limit our sales to, and increase our costs of doing business with both government and commercial customers, which could materially adversely affect our growth prospects and operating results.
Regulation - Risk 4
We could be adversely affected by violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, or the FCPA, and the anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws of the United States or other countries.We are subject to the FCPA, which among other things prohibits U.S. individuals, companies, and their employees, officers, and intermediaries from offering, promising, giving, or authorizing others to give anything of value, either directly or indirectly through third parties, to non-U.S. government officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business or securing any other improper advantage. The FCPA also requires public companies to make and keep books and records that accurately and fairly reflect the transactions of the corporation and to devise and maintain an adequate system of internal accounting controls. We have engaged independent channel partners in the past and currently use independent channel partners to sell our products outside of the United States. Our reliance on independent channel partners to sell our products internationally demands a high degree of vigilance in maintaining our policy against participation in corrupt activity, because these channel partners could be deemed to be our agents and we could be held responsible for their actions. Other U.S. companies in our markets have faced criminal penalties and been held liable under the FCPA for the improper activities of their intermediaries and agents. We are also subject to similar anti-bribery laws in the jurisdictions in which we operate, including the United Kingdom's Bribery Act of 2010, which also prohibits commercial bribery and makes it a crime for companies to fail to prevent bribery, and the People's Republic of China anti-bribery laws, including the PRC Anti-Unfair Competition Law amended in 2017 and the PRC Criminal Law amended in 2017. These laws are complex and far-reaching in nature, and, as a result, we cannot assure you that we would not be required in the future to alter one or more of our practices to be in compliance with these laws or any changes in these laws or the interpretation thereof. Any violations of these laws, or allegations of such violations, could disrupt our operations, involve significant management distraction, involve significant costs and expenses, including legal fees, and could result in a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects. We could also suffer severe penalties, including criminal and civil penalties, disgorgement, and other remedial measures.
Litigation & Legal Liabilities2 | 3.1%
Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 1
If we were to be sued for product liability, we could face substantial liabilities that exceed our resources.Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 2
We are subject to audits by the U.S. government which could adversely affect our business.U.S. government agencies routinely audit and investigate government contractors to monitor performance, cost allocations, cost accounting and compliance with applicable laws, regulations and standards. Since some of our contracts provide for cost reimbursement, the U.S. government has the right to audit our costs even after job completion and after we have billed and recognized the corresponding revenue. The U.S. government also may review the adequacy of, and a contractor's compliance with, its internal control systems and policies, including the contractor's purchasing, property, estimating, compensation and management information systems. Any costs found to be improperly allowed or improperly allocated to a specific contract will not be reimbursed, and any such costs that have already been reimbursed must be refunded, which would affect associated revenue that had already been recognized. While we intend to implement uniform procurement and compliance programs for all of our business, we may be subject to more risks from these audits until we are able to implement such a program effectively.
Responding to governmental audits, inquiries or investigations may involve significant expense and divert the attention of our management. If a government review or investigation uncovers improper or illegal activities, we may be subject to civil and criminal penalties and administrative sanctions, including termination of contracts, forfeiture of profits, suspension of payments, damages, fines and suspension or debarment from doing business with U.S. government agencies. In addition, our reputation could be seriously harmed by allegations of impropriety, even if unfounded. Our internal controls may not prevent or detect all improper or illegal activities.
Taxation & Government Incentives3 | 4.7%
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 1
Our ability to use our net operating losses and certain other tax attributes may be limited.Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 2
Changes in tax laws or regulations that are applied adversely to us or our customers may have a material adverse effect on our business, cash flow, financial condition or results of operations.New income, sales, use or other tax laws, statutes, rules, regulations or ordinances could be enacted at any time, which could affect the tax treatment of our domestic and foreign earnings. Any new taxes could adversely affect our domestic and international business operations and our business and financial performance. Further, existing tax laws, statutes, rules, regulations or ordinances could be interpreted, changed, modified or applied adversely to us. For example, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and other recent tax legislation significantly revised the Code. Future guidance from the Internal Revenue Service and other tax authorities with respect to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and other recent tax legislation may affect us, and certain aspects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act or such tax legislation could be repealed or modified in future legislation. For example, the CARES Act modified certain provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Other tax changes were introduced in the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act (the "OBBB") in 2025. In addition, it is uncertain if and to what extent various states will conform to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the CARES Act, the OBBB or any newly enacted federal tax legislation. Changes in corporate tax rates, the realization of net deferred tax assets relating to our operations, the taxation of foreign earnings, and the deductibility of expenses under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the CARES Act and the OBBB or future tax reform legislation could have a material impact on the value of our deferred tax assets, could result in significant one-time charges, and could increase our future U.S. tax expense.
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 3
We are subject to risks related to taxation in the United States.Significant judgments based on interpretations of existing tax laws or regulations are required in determining our provision for income taxes. Our effective income tax rate could be adversely affected by various factors, including, but not limited to, changes in the mix of earnings in tax jurisdictions with different statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, changes in existing tax policies, laws, regulations or rates, changes in the level of non-deductible expenses (including share-based compensation), changes in the location of our operations, changes in our future levels of research and development spending, mergers and acquisitions or the result of examinations by various tax authorities. Although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, if the United States Internal Revenue Service or another taxing authority disagrees with the positions taken on our tax returns, we could have additional tax liability, including interest and penalties. If material, payment of such additional amounts upon final adjudication of any disputes could have a material impact on our results of operations and financial position.
Environmental / Social1 | 1.6%
Environmental / Social - Risk 1
Our business is subject to environmental regulation and regulations relating to the protection of health and safety matters that could result in compliance costs. Any violation or liability under environmental laws or health and safety regulations could harm our business.Production
Total Risks: 8/64 (13%)Above Sector Average
Manufacturing3 | 4.7%
Manufacturing - Risk 1
Substantially all of our manufacturing operations are currently conducted at one location, and any disruption at this facility could negatively impact our operations and increase our expenses.Manufacturing - Risk 2
Undetected errors or defects in our products, or errors made by the end users of our products, could harm our reputation and decrease market acceptance of our products.Our devices and consumables, as well as the software that accompanies them, may contain undetected errors or defects when first introduced or as new versions are released. Disruptions or other performance problems with our products or software may adversely impact our customers' research or business, harm our reputation and result in reduced revenue or increased costs associated with product repairs or replacements. Further, in the event that an end user makes an error or fails to analyze a particular substance correctly, our product may be associated with a failure to identify a substance that ultimately turns out to be harmful, or, conversely, be associated with a false alarm raised over a substance that turns out to be benign. We also provide customer support services, such as in connection with our "Reachback" program described in the "Business" section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K. It is possible that incorrect or inaccurate information may be delivered to a customer in the context of one or more support consultations. If any such errors or mistakes occur, we may also incur significant costs, the attention of our key personnel could be diverted or other significant customer relations problems may arise. We may also be subject to unwanted media attention, warranty claims or breach of contract for damages related to errors or defects in our products and solutions.
Manufacturing - Risk 3
We may be unable to consistently manufacture our devices and consumables to the necessary specifications or in quantities necessary to meet demand at an acceptable cost or at an acceptable performance level.Our products are integrated solutions with many different components that work together. As such, a quality defect in a single component can compromise the performance of the entire solution. As we continue to grow and introduce new products, and as our products incorporate increasingly sophisticated technology, it will be increasingly difficult to ensure our products are produced in the necessary quantities without sacrificing quality. There is no assurance that we will be able to continue to manufacture our products so that they consistently achieve the product specifications and quality that our customers expect. Any future design issues, unforeseen manufacturing problems, such as contamination of our facilities, equipment malfunctions, aging components, quality issues with components and materials sourced from third party suppliers, or failures to strictly follow procedures or meet specifications, may have a material adverse effect on our brand, business, financial condition and operating results and could result in us losing International Organization for Standardization, or ISO, quality management certifications. If we fail to maintain ISO quality management certifications, our customers might choose not to purchase products from us. Furthermore, we may not be able to increase manufacturing to meet anticipated demand or may experience downtime.
In order to meet our customers' needs, we attempt to forecast demand for our products and components used for the manufacture of our products. If we fail to accurately forecast this demand, we could incur additional costs or experience manufacturing delays and may experience lost sales or significant inventory carrying costs.
The risk of manufacturing defects or quality control issues is generally higher for new products, whether produced by us or a third party manufacturer, products that are transitioned from one manufacturer to another, particularly if manufacturing is transitioned or initiated with a manufacturer we have not worked with in the past, and products that are transferred from one manufacturing facility to another. We cannot assure investors that we will be able to launch new products on time, transition manufacturing of existing products to new manufacturers, transition our manufacturing capabilities to a new location or transition manufacturing of any additional consumables in-house without manufacturing defects. An inability to manufacture products and components that consistently meet specifications, in necessary quantities and at commercially acceptable costs will have a negative impact and may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Employment / Personnel2 | 3.1%
Employment / Personnel - Risk 1
We depend on our key personnel and other highly qualified personnel, and if we are unable to recruit, train and retain our personnel, we may not achieve our goals.Employment / Personnel - Risk 2
Our employees, consultants, channel partners and commercial partners may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including non-compliance with regulatory standards and requirements, and insider trading.We are exposed to the risk of fraud or other misconduct by our employees, consultants, channel partners, and commercial partners. Misconduct by these parties could include intentional failures to comply with the applicable laws and regulations in the United States and abroad, report financial information or data accurately or disclose unauthorized activities to us. These laws and regulations may restrict or prohibit a wide range of pricing, discounting, and other business arrangements. Such misconduct could result in legal or regulatory sanctions and cause serious harm to our reputation. It is not always possible to identify and deter employee misconduct, and any other precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses, or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to comply with these laws or regulations. If any such actions are instituted against us, and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could result in the imposition of significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, which could have a significant impact on our business. Whether or not we are successful in defending against such actions or investigations, we could incur substantial costs, including legal fees, and divert the attention of management in defending ourselves against any of these claims or investigations.
Supply Chain1 | 1.6%
Supply Chain - Risk 1
We depend on a continued supply of components and raw materials for our products from third party suppliers, and if shortages of these components or raw materials arise, we may not be able to secure enough components to build new products to meet customer demand or we may be forced to pay higher prices for these components.Costs2 | 3.1%
Costs - Risk 1
Repair or replacement costs due to warranties we provide on our products and consumables could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.Costs - Risk 2
Our business has inherent operational risks that cannot be adequately covered by insurance or indemnity.We may face unanticipated risks of legal liability for damages caused by the actual or alleged failure of our products. Our products may be deployed in response to an emergency or terrorist attack, which may increase our exposure to third party claims. While we have attempted to secure business liability insurance coverage at appropriate cost, it is impossible to insure against all risks inherent in our industry, nor can we assure you that our insurers will pay a particular claim, or that we will be able to maintain coverage at reasonable rates in the future. Our insurance policies also contain deductibles, limitations and exclusions, which increase our costs in the event of a claim. Substantial claims resulting from an accident in excess of or not otherwise covered by indemnity or insurance could harm our financial condition and operating results.
Macro & Political
Total Risks: 6/64 (9%)Above Sector Average
Economy & Political Environment3 | 4.7%
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 1
We may be subject to governmental export controls and economic sanctions that could impair our ability to compete in international markets.Economy & Political Environment - Risk 2
Uncertainties in global economic conditions or a decline in economic conditions, such as recession, economic downturn, and/or inflationary conditions in the U.S. and other regions of the world in which we do business could impact customer spending patterns and materially and adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.Uncertainties in global economic conditions that are beyond our control have in the past impacted our business and may in the future materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and stock price. These adverse economic conditions include inflation, slower growth or recession, new or increased tariffs and other changes to fiscal and monetary policy, higher interest rates, high unemployment, decreased consumer confidence in the economy, armed hostilities, such as the ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine or the conflicts in the Middle East, foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations, and other matters that influence consumer spending and preferences.
As a result of these economic conditions, our customers may face their own financial difficulties and the demand and sale of our products to end users and the quantity of products our customers decide to purchase from us (or the mix of products demanded) could be adversely affected, and it may become more challenging to forecast our operating results and make business decisions. Our results of operations are sensitive to changes in macroeconomic conditions that impact discretionary spending. Some of the factors adversely affecting consumer spending include impacts of inflation and actions taken by central banks to counter inflation, levels of unemployment, consumer debt levels, changes in net worth based on market changes and uncertainty, fluctuating interest rates, credit availability, government actions, fluctuating fuel and other energy costs, fluctuating commodity prices and general uncertainty regarding the overall future economic environment. Adverse economic changes in any of the regions in which we sell our products could reduce consumer confidence and could negatively affect net revenue and have a material adverse effect on our operating results.
Our global supply chain is large and complex. As a result, our operations and performance depend significantly on global and regional economic conditions. In addition to an adverse impact on demand for our products, uncertainty about, or a decline in, global or regional economic conditions can have a significant impact on our suppliers,manufacturers, logistics providers, channel partners, and other partners. Potential effects include financial instability; inability to obtain credit to finance operations; and insolvency.
A downturn in the economic environment can also lead to increased credit and collectability risk on our receivables; the failure of derivative counterparties and other financial institutions; limitations on our ability to issue new debt; reduced liquidity; and declines in the fair value of our financial instruments. These and other economic factors can materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and stock price.
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 3
U.S. government programs are limited by budgetary constraints and political considerations and are subject to uncertain future funding levels that could result in the termination of programs.U.S. government agency and department purchases are often strategic in nature and large in size. Therefore, reductions in federal funding levels that impact our customers could negatively affect the size of our customers' orders or lead to cancellation of orders. Government contracts are often subject to more extensive scrutiny and publicity than commercial contracts. The number and terms of new government contracts signed can be affected significantly by political and economic factors, such as pending elections and revisions to government tax policies. Negative publicity related to our government contracts, regardless of its accuracy, may damage our business by affecting our ability to compete for new contracts. A decline in security-related government spending for any reason, or a shift away from programs that we address, could hurt our sales, put pressure on our prices and reduce our revenue and margins.
A multi-year U.S. government program may be implemented through the award of many different individual contracts, grants, cooperative agreements and subcontracts or other subawards. For U.S. government programs, program funding is subject to Congressional appropriations. Congress generally appropriates funds on a fiscal year basis even though a program may continue for several years. Government programs are often only partially funded initially, and additional funds are committed only as Congress makes further appropriations. The termination of a program or failure to commit funds to a program would result in a loss of anticipated future revenue attributable to that program, which could materially harm our business.
International Operations1 | 1.6%
International Operations - Risk 1
Our international operations may raise additional risks, which could have an adverse effect on our operating results.Natural and Human Disruptions1 | 1.6%
Natural and Human Disruptions - Risk 1
A pandemic, epidemic or outbreak of an infectious disease may adversely affect our business.Capital Markets1 | 1.6%
Capital Markets - Risk 1
We may face exposure to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuation.Ability to Sell
Total Risks: 5/64 (8%)Below Sector Average
Competition1 | 1.6%
Competition - Risk 1
We face intense and growing competition from leading technology companies as well as from emerging companies. Our inability to compete effectively with any or all of these competitors could affect our ability to achieve our anticipated market penetration and achieve or sustain profitability.Demand1 | 1.6%
Demand - Risk 1
A significant portion of our business depends on sales to the public sector, and our failure to receive and maintain government contracts or changes in the contracting or fiscal policies of the public sector could have a material adverse effect on our business.Sales & Marketing3 | 4.7%
Sales & Marketing - Risk 1
Currently, we derive substantially all of our revenue from our handheld products in the field forensics market. If we fail to maintain significant market acceptance in existing markets or fail to successfully increase our penetration in new and expanding markets, we will not generate expected revenue and our prospects may be harmed.Sales & Marketing - Risk 2
Our sales cycles can be long and unpredictable, and our sales efforts require considerable time and expense, which contribute to the unpredictability and variability of our financial performance and may adversely affect our profitability.The timing of our revenue is difficult to predict as we experience extended sales cycles, due in part to our need to educate our customers about our products, the significant purchase price of our products, the desire of some of our customers to do extended product testing and evaluations, including pilot studies, and our customers' willingness to replace their existing solutions and supplier relationships. Product purchases by our customers are often subject to a variety of other considerations that may extend the length of our sales cycle, including timing of their budget cycles and approval processes, budget constraints, extended negotiations, user surveys, administrative processing and other delays. In particular, government departments and agencies, both in the U.S. and in other countries, generally evaluate our products for critical, strategic applications. As a result, the piloting, testing and evaluation process can be extensive, and orders are often dependent on the availability of sufficient budgeted funds. The procurement processes for orders by government agencies may involve complex and time-consuming competitive bidding processes. Bid specifications and contract awards are subject to challenge by competitors, which can further extend the sales cycle. Furthermore, U.S. state and local hazardous material, emergency management and police organizations must often apply for grants to obtain the funds needed to procure our products, a process which is lengthy and unpredictable, particularly as to when and whether a grant will be awarded. As a result, our sales cycle ranges from several months to over a year, and it is difficult to predict when or if a sale to a potential customer will occur. All of these factors can contribute to fluctuations in our quarterly financial performance and increase the likelihood that our operating results in a particular quarter will fall below investor expectations. If we are unsuccessful in closing sales after expending significant resources, or if we experience delays for any of the reasons discussed above, our future revenue and operating expenses may be materially adversely affected.
Sales & Marketing - Risk 3
If we fail to offer high quality customer service, our business and reputation could suffer.We differentiate ourselves from our competition through our commitment to an exceptional customer experience. Accordingly, high quality customer service is important for the growth of our business and any failure to maintain such standards of customer service, or a related market perception, could affect our ability to sell products to existing and prospective customers. The number of our customers has grown significantly and such growth, as well as any future growth, will put additional pressure on our customer service organization. We may be unable to hire qualified staff quickly enough or to the extent necessary to accommodate increases in demand. Providing an exceptional customer experience requires significant time and resources from our customer service team. Therefore, failure to scale our customer service organization adequately may adversely impact our business results and financial condition.
Customers utilize our service teams and online content for help with a variety of topics, including how to use our products efficiently, how to integrate our products into existing workflows, and how to resolve technical, analysis, and operational issues if and when they arise. While we have developed significant resources for remote training, including an extensive library of online videos, we may need to rely more on these resources for future customer training, or we may experience increased expenses to enhance our online and remote solutions. If our customers do not adopt these resources, we may be required to increase the staffing of our customer service team, which would increase our costs. Also, as our business scales, we may need to engage third party customer service providers, which could increase our costs and negatively impact the quality of the customer experience if such third parties are unable to provide service levels equivalent to ours.
In addition, as we continue to grow our operations and reach a global customer base, we need to be able to provide efficient customer service that meets our customers' needs globally at scale. In geographies where we sell through channel partners, we rely on those channel partners to provide customer service. If these third party channel partners do not provide a high quality customer experience, our business operations and reputation may suffer.
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.