PicoCELA, Inc. ADR (PCLA) Risk Analysis

When our board of directors proposes to the shareholders, subject to the existing shareholders' special approval, we can issue classes of shares in the future that may have greater or more senior voting rights compared to holders of our Common Shares. As of the date of this annual report, each Common Share represents one vote, and each ADS is converted to one Common Share, and we do not have multiple classes of shares or different voting rights among different shareholders. However, subject to shareholders special approval including the holders of Common Shares, any future issuances of classes of shares that may have greater or more senior voting rights may be dilutive to the voting power of holders of Common Shares. Any conversions of such Senior Voting Shares into Common Shares may dilute the percentage ownership of the existing holders of Common Shares. Such conversions may increase the aggregate voting power of the existing holders of Common Shares. In the event that we have multiple holders of Senior Voting Shares in the future and certain of them convert shares into Common Shares, the remaining holders who retain their Senior Voting Shares may experience increases in their relative voting power. Furthermore, certain shareholder advisory firms have announced changes to their eligibility criteria for inclusion of shares of public companies on certain indices, including the S&P 500, to exclude companies with multiple classes of shares and companies whose public shareholders hold no more than 5% of total voting power from being added to such indices. In addition, several shareholder advisory firms have announced their opposition to the use of multiple class structures. As a result, the potential of us issuing any Senior Voting Shares may prevent the inclusion of the ADSs representing Common Shares in such indices and may cause shareholder advisory firms to publish negative commentary about our corporate governance practices or otherwise seek to cause us to change our capital structure. Any such exclusion from indices could result in a less active trading market for the ADSs. Any actions or publications by shareholder advisory firms critical of our corporate governance practices or capital structure could also adversely affect the value of the ADSs.

As of the date of this annual report, our directors and executive officers together beneficially own approximately 74.62% of our Common Shares issued and outstanding. As a result, these shareholders, acting together, will have significant influence over all matters that require approval by our shareholders, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions. Corporate action might be taken even if other shareholders oppose them. This concentration of ownership might also have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of our Company that other shareholders may view as beneficial.

Any trading market for the ADSs may depend in part on the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us or our business. We do not have any control over these analysts. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade us, the price of the ADSs would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our Company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause the price of the ADSs and the trading volume to decline.

The market price of the ADSs may fluctuate significantly in response to numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control, including: - actual or anticipated fluctuations in our revenue and other operating results;         - the financial projections we may provide to the public, any changes in these projections, or our failure to meet these projections;         - actions of securities analysts who initiate or maintain coverage of us, changes in financial estimates by any securities analysts who follow our company, or our failure to meet these estimates or the expectations of investors;         - announcements by us or our competitors of significant products, technical innovations, acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, or capital commitments;         - price and volume fluctuations in the overall stock market, including as a result of trends in the economy as a whole;         - the trading volume of the ADSs on Nasdaq;         - sales of the ADSs or Common Shares by us, our executive officers and directors, or our shareholders or the anticipation that such sales may occur in the future;         - lawsuits threatened or filed against us; and         - other events or factors, including those resulting from war or incidents of terrorism, or responses to these events. In addition, the stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies. Stock prices of many companies have fluctuated in a manner unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. In the past, stockholders have filed securities class action litigation following periods of market volatility. If we were to become involved in securities litigation, it could subject us to substantial costs, divert resources and the attention of management from our business, and adversely affect our business.

There have been instances of extreme stock price run-ups followed by rapid price declines and strong stock price volatility with companies that have recently publicly issued shares, especially among those with relatively smaller public floats. As a relatively small-capitalization company with a relatively small public float, we may experience greater share price volatility, extreme price run-ups, lower trading volume, and less liquidity than large-capitalization companies. In particular, the ADSs may be subject to rapid and substantial price volatility, low volumes of trades, and large spreads in bid and ask prices. Such volatility, including any stock run-ups, may be unrelated to our actual or expected operating performance and financial condition or prospects, making it difficult for prospective investors to assess the rapidly changing value of the ADSs. In addition, if the trading volumes of the ADSs are low, persons buying or selling in relatively small quantities may easily influence the price of the ADSs. This low volume of trades could also cause the price of the ADSs to fluctuate greatly, with large percentage changes in price occurring in any trading day session. Holders of the ADSs may also not be able to readily liquidate their investment or may be forced to sell at depressed prices due to low volume trading. Broad market fluctuations and general economic and political conditions may also adversely affect the market price of the ADSs. As a result of this volatility, investors may experience losses on their investment in the ADSs. A decline in the market price of the ADSs also could adversely affect our ability to issue additional ADSs or other securities and our ability to obtain additional financing in the future. No assurance can be given that an active market in the ADSs will be sustained. If an active market is not sustained, holders of the ADSs may be unable to readily sell the ADSs they hold or may not be able to sell their ADSs at all.

We may agree with the depositary to amend the deposit agreement without consent from holders of ADSs. If an amendment increases fees to be charged to ADS holders or prejudices a substantial existing right of ADS holders, it will not become effective until 30 days after the depositary notifies ADS holders of the amendment. At the time an amendment becomes effective, ADS holders are considered, by continuing to hold their ADSs, to have agreed to the amendment and to be bound by the amended deposit agreement. If holders of ADSs do not agree with an amendment to the deposit agreement, their choices will be limited to selling the ADSs or cancelling and withdrawing the underlying Common Shares. No assurance can be given that a sale of ADSs could be made at a price satisfactory to the holder in such circumstances.

We are incorporated in Japan as a joint-stock corporation with limited liability. All of our directors are non-U.S. residents, and all of our assets and the personal assets of our directors and executive officers are located outside the United States. As a result, when compared to a U.S. company, it may be more difficult for investors to effect service of process in the United States upon us or to enforce against us, our directors or executive officers, judgments obtained in U.S. courts predicated upon civil liability provisions of the federal or state securities laws of the U.S. or similar judgments obtained in other courts outside Japan. There is doubt as to the enforceability in Japanese courts, in original actions or in actions for enforcement of judgments of U.S. courts, of civil liabilities predicated solely upon the federal and state securities laws of the United States.

Cash dividends, if any, in respect of our Common Shares represented by the ADSs will be paid to the depositary in Japanese yen and then converted by the depositary or its agents into U.S. dollars, subject to certain conditions and the terms of the deposit agreement. Accordingly, fluctuations in the exchange rate between the Japanese yen and the U.S. dollar will affect, among other things, the amounts a holder of ADSs will receive from the depositary in respect of dividends, the U.S. dollar value of the proceeds that a holder of ADSs would receive upon sale in Japan of our Common Shares obtained upon cancellation and surrender of ADSs and the secondary market price of ADSs. Such fluctuations will also affect the U.S. dollar value of dividends and sales proceeds received by holders of our Common Shares.

As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from the rules under the Exchange Act prescribing the furnishing and content of proxy statements, and our executive officers, directors, and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act. In addition, we are not required under the Exchange Act to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as United States domestic issuers, and we are not required to disclose in our periodic reports all of the information that United States domestic issuers are required to disclose. We may cease to qualify as a foreign private issuer in the future, in which case we would incur significant additional expenses that could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Nasdaq Listing Rules require listed companies to have, among other things, a majority of its board members be independent. As a foreign private issuer, however, we are permitted to, and we have followed home country practice in lieu of the above requirements. The corporate governance practice in our home country, Japan, does not require a majority of our board to consist of independent directors. Thus, although a director must act in the best interests of the company, it is possible that fewer board members will be exercising independent judgment and the level of board oversight on the management of our company may decrease as a result. In addition, Nasdaq Listing Rules also require U.S. domestic issuers to have an audit committee, a compensation committee, and a nominating/corporate governance committee composed entirely of independent directors, and an audit committee with a minimum of three members. We, as a foreign private issuer, are not subject to these requirements. Consistent with corporate governance practices in Japan, we do not have a standalone compensation committee or nomination and corporate governance committee of our board. As a result of these exemptions, investors would have less protection than they would have if we were a domestic issuer. Nasdaq Listing Rules may require shareholder approval for certain corporate matters, such as requiring that shareholders be given the opportunity to vote on all equity compensation plans and material revisions to those plans, certain share issuances. We intend to comply with the requirements of Nasdaq Listing Rules in determining whether shareholder approval is required on such matters.

We are an "emerging growth company" within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This will make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.

Our articles of incorporation and the Companies Act of Japan (Act No. 86 of 2005, as amended), or the Companies Act, govern our corporate affairs. Legal principles relating to matters such as the validity of corporate procedures, directors' and executive officers' fiduciary duties, and obligations and shareholders' rights under Japanese law may be different from, or less clearly defined than, those that would apply to a company incorporated in any other jurisdiction. Shareholders' rights under Japanese law may not be as extensive as shareholders' rights under the law of other countries. For example, under the Companies Act, only holders of 3% or more of our total voting rights or our outstanding shares are entitled to examine our accounting books and records. Furthermore, there is a degree of uncertainty as to what duties the directors of a Japanese joint-stock corporation may have in response to an unsolicited takeover bid, and such uncertainty may be more pronounced than that in other jurisdictions.

The rights of shareholders under Japanese law to take actions, including voting their shares, receiving dividends and distributions, bringing derivative actions, examining our accounting books and records, and exercising appraisal rights, are available only to shareholders of record. ADS holders are not shareholders of record. The depositary, through its custodian or their respective nominees, is the record holder of our Common Shares underlying the ADSs. ADS holders will not be able to bring a derivative action, examine our accounting books and records, or exercise appraisal rights through the depositary. Holders of ADSs may exercise their voting rights only in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement. If we instruct the depositary to ask for your voting instructions, upon receipt of voting instructions from the ADS holders in the manner set forth in the deposit agreement, the depositary will make efforts to vote the Shares underlying the ADSs in accordance with the instructions of the ADS holders. The depositary and its agents may not be able to send voting instructions to ADS holders or carry out their voting instructions in a timely manner. Furthermore, the depositary and its agents will not be responsible for any failure to carry out any instructions to vote, for the manner in which any vote is cast, or for the effect of any such vote. As a result, holders of ADSs may not be able to exercise their right to vote.

Under recent amendments in 2019 to the Japanese Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act and related regulations (which we refer to as "FEFTA"), direct acquisition of our Common Shares by a foreign investor (as defined herein under "Japanese Foreign Exchange Controls and Securities Regulations") could be subject to the prior filing requirement under FEFTA. A foreign investor wishing to acquire direct ownership of our Common Shares will be required to make a prior filing with the relevant governmental authorities through the Bank of Japan and wait until clearance for the acquisition is granted by the applicable governmental authorities, which approval may take up to 30 days and could be subject to further extension. Without such clearance, the foreign investor will not be permitted to acquire our Common Shares directly. We cannot assure you that the applicable Japanese governmental authorities will grant such clearance in a timely manner or at all. The discussion above is not exhaustive of all possible foreign exchange controls requirements that may apply to a particular investor, and potential investors are advised to satisfy themselves as to the overall foreign exchange controls consequences of the acquisition, ownership, and disposition of our Common Shares or the ADSs by consulting their own advisors. For a more detailed discussion on the requirements and procedures regarding the prior notifications under the Foreign Exchange Regulations, see "Item 10. Additional Information-D. Exchange Controls."

The deposit agreement governing the ADSs representing our Common Shares provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, beneficial owners and holders of ADSs irrevocably waive the right to a jury trial for any claim that they may have against us or the depositary arising from or relating to our Common Shares, the ADSs, any ADR, or the deposit agreement, including any claim under the U.S. federal securities laws. However, ADS beneficial owners and holders will not be deemed, by agreeing to the terms of the deposit agreement, to have waived our or the depositary's compliance with U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. In fact, ADS beneficial owners and holders cannot waive our or the depositary's compliance with U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. If we or the depositary opposed a demand for jury trial relying on the jury trial waiver mentioned above, it is up to the court to determine whether such waiver was enforceable considering the facts and circumstances of that case in accordance with the applicable state and federal law. If this jury trial waiver provision is prohibited by applicable law, an action could nevertheless proceed under the terms of the deposit agreement with a jury trial. To our knowledge, the enforceability of a jury trial waiver under the federal securities laws has not been finally adjudicated by a federal court or by the United States Supreme Court. Nonetheless, we believe that a jury trial waiver provision is generally enforceable under the laws of the State of New York, which govern the deposit agreement, or by a federal or state court in the City of New York, which has non-exclusive jurisdiction over matters arising under the deposit agreement. In determining whether to enforce a jury trial waiver provision, New York courts will consider whether the visibility of the jury trial waiver provision within the agreement is sufficiently prominent such that a party has knowingly waived any right to trial by jury. We believe that this is the case with respect to the deposit agreement and the ADSs. In addition, New York courts will not enforce a jury trial waiver provision in order to bar a viable setoff or counterclaim sounding in fraud or one which is based upon a creditor's negligence in failing to liquidate collateral upon a guarantor's demand, or in the case of an intentional tort claim, none of which we believe are applicable in the case of the deposit agreement or the ADSs. If you or any other beneficial owners or holders of ADSs bring a claim against us or the depositary relating to the matters arising under the deposit agreement or the ADSs, including claims under federal securities laws, you or such other beneficial owner or holder may not have the right to a jury trial regarding such claims, which may limit and discourage lawsuits against us or the depositary. If a lawsuit is brought against us or the depositary under the deposit agreement, it may be heard only by a judge or justice of the applicable trial court, which would be conducted according to different civil procedures and may have different outcomes compared to that of a jury trial, including results that could be less favorable to the plaintiff(s) in any such action. Nevertheless, if the jury trial waiver provision is not enforced, to the extent a court action proceeds, it would proceed under the terms of the deposit agreement with a jury trial. No condition, stipulation, or provision of the deposit agreement or ADSs serves as a waiver by any beneficial owner or holder of ADSs or by us or the depositary of compliance with any substantive provision of U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.