SideChannel (SDCH) Risk Analysis

Sales of significant amounts of shares of common stock by our officers and directors, or the prospect of such sales, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock. Our management's stock ownership may discourage a potential acquirer from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us, which in turn could reduce our stock price or prevent our stockholders from realizing a premium over our stock's market price.

The trading market for our common stock will rely in part on the research and reports that industry or financial analysts publish about us, our business, our markets and our competitors. We do not currently have any securities or industry analysts that have initiated research coverage on our business. If and when any securities or industry analysts initiate research coverage on our business, we will not control these analysts. If securities analysts do not cover our common stock, the lack of research or other coverage may adversely affect the market price and decrease the trading volume of our common stock. Furthermore, if one or more of the analysts who do cover us downgrade our stock, or if those analysts issue other unfavorable commentary about us or our business, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fails to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the market, and interest in our stock could decrease, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline and may also impair our ability to expand our business and attract new clients and customers to purchase our cybersecurity products and services.

As of the date of this report, we had approximately 87,628,920 shares of our common stock reserved or designated for future issuance upon the exercise of outstanding warrants. Further, we may from time to time make an offer to our warrant holders to exchange their outstanding warrants for shares of our common stock, a fewer number of warrants with more favorable terms, or a combination thereof, subject to applicable rules and requirements. The warrants issued in the recent private placement contain provisions that, subject to certain exceptions, reset the exercise price of such warrants if at any time while such warrants are outstanding we sell or issue (or are deemed to sell or issue) shares of our common stock or rights, warrants, options or other securities or debt convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for shares of our common stock at a price below the then current exercise price per share for such warrants ($0.36 per share for the warrants issued to investors and $0.18 per share for the warrants issued to the placement agent). Any future resets to the exercise price of those warrants will have a further dilutive effect on our existing stockholders and could result in a decrease in our stock price. As of September 30, 2022 no resets of warrant exercise prices has occurred. The Second Tranche, should the Company achieve the Milestone prior to June 30, 2026, will increase outstanding shares of common stock by 59.9 million.

Our common stock is quoted on the OTCQB Market, operated by the OTC Markets Group. The OTCQB is often highly illiquid, in part because it does not have a national quotation system by which potential investors can follow the market price of shares, except through information received and generated by a limited number of broker-dealers that make markets in particular stocks. There is a greater chance of volatility for securities that trade on the OTCQB, as compared to a national exchange or quotation system. This volatility may be caused by a variety of factors, including the lack of readily available price quotations, the absence of consistent administrative supervision of bid and ask quotations, lower trading volume, and market conditions. Investors in our common stock may experience high fluctuations in the market price and volume of the trading market for our securities. These fluctuations, when they occur, have a negative effect on the market price for our securities. Accordingly, our stockholders may not be able to realize a fair price for their shares when they determine to sell them or may have to hold them for a substantial period of time until the liquidity of the market for our common stock improves.

Our common stock is subject to Rules 15g-1 through 15g-9 under the Exchange Act, which impose certain sales practice requirements on broker-dealers who sell our common stock to persons other than established customers and "accredited investors" (as defined in Rule 501(a) of the Securities Act). For transactions covered by this rule, a broker-dealer must make a special suitability determination for the purchaser and receive the purchaser's written consent to the transaction prior to the sale. This rule adversely affects the ability of broker-dealers to sell our common stock and holders of our common stock to sell their shares of our common stock. Additionally, our common stock is subject to SEC regulations applicable to "penny stocks." Penny stocks include any non-Nasdaq equity security that has a market price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exceptions. The regulations require that, prior to any non-exempt buy/sell transaction in a penny stock, a disclosure schedule proscribed by the SEC relating to the penny stock market must be delivered by a broker-dealer to the purchaser of such penny stock. This disclosure must include the amount of commissions payable and the current price quotations for our common stock. The regulations also require that monthly statements be sent to holders of a penny stock that disclose recent price information for the penny stock and information regarding the limited market for penny stocks. These requirements adversely affect the market liquidity of our common stock.

We expect that we will need significant additional capital in the future to continue our planned operations, including research and development, increased marketing, hiring new personnel, commercializing our products, and continuing activities as an operating public company. To the extent that we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities, our existing stockholders may experience substantial dilution. We may sell common stock, convertible securities or other equity securities in one or more transactions, at prices and in a manner that we determine from time to time, in our discretion. If we sell common stock, convertible securities or other equity securities in more than one transaction, investors may be materially diluted by subsequent sales. Such sales may also result in material dilution to our existing stockholders, and new investors could gain rights superior to our existing stockholders.

As of September 30, 2022, we had 148,724,056 shares of common stock outstanding and total warrants issued for 87,628,920 shares of common stock. If all 87,628,920 warrants are exercised in full for cash, then they would represent 37% of the total shares outstanding. The Second Tranche, should the Company achieve the Milestone prior to June 30, 2026, will increase outstanding shares of common stock by 59.9 million. Sales of a significant number of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the potential or expectation of such sales, could harm the market price of our common stock. As large numbers of our common stock are sold, it would increase the supply of our common stock, which would thereby cause a decrease in its price. In addition, the shares of our common stock that have been registered for resale and/or are issuable upon exercise of the warrants issued in the private placement may represent an overhang that may also adversely affect the market price of our common stock. Overhang occurs when there is a greater supply of a company's stock in the market than there is demand for that stock. When this happens, the price of a company's stock will decrease, and any additional shares that stockholders attempt to sell in the market will only further decrease the share price. The exercise price of our outstanding warrants may be less than the trading price of our common stock or may create an artificial ceiling on the price of our common stock. In the event of such overhang, the holders of those warrants will have an incentive to sell their common stock as quickly as possible. If the share volume of our common stock cannot absorb the new shares issuable upon exercise of those warrants or made available for sale pursuant to the registration statement, then the value of our common stock will likely decrease.

We cannot predict the extent to which an active public market for our common stock will develop or be sustained due to a number of factors, including the fact that we are a small company that is relatively unknown to stock analysts, stock brokers, institutional investors and others in the investment community that generate or influence sales volume, and that even if we came to the attention of such persons, they tend to be risk-averse and would be reluctant to follow an unproven company such as ours or purchase or recommend the purchase of our shares until such time as we become more seasoned and viable. As a consequence, there may be periods of several days or more when trading activity in our shares is minimal or non-existent, as compared to a seasoned issuer that has a large and steady volume of trading activity that will generally support continuous sales without an adverse effect on its share price. We cannot give you any assurance that a broader or more active public trading market for our common stock will develop or be sustained, or that even current trading levels will be sustained. You may be unable to sell your common stock at or above your purchase price, if at all, which may result in substantial losses to you. As a consequence of this lack of liquidity, the trading of relatively small quantities of shares by our stockholders may disproportionately influence the price of those shares in either direction. The price for our shares could, for example, decline precipitously in the event that a large number of our common shares are sold on the market without commensurate demand, as compared to a seasoned issuer that could better absorb those sales without adverse impact on its share price. As a consequence of this enhanced risk, more risk-averse investors may, under the fear of losing all or most of their investment in the event of negative news or lack of progress, be more inclined to sell their shares on the market more quickly and at greater discounts than would be the case with the stock of a seasoned issuer.

The warrants to purchase 55,549,615 shares of our common stock issued to investors in a private placement transaction that closed on April 16, 2021 contain anti-dilution rights such that if we issue, or are deemed to have issued, common stock or common stock equivalents at a price less than the then exercise price of those warrants, the exercise price of those warrants will automatically be reduced to such lower value, and the number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise thereafter will be adjusted proportionately, so that the aggregate exercise price payable upon exercise of such warrants is the same prior to and after such reduction in exercise price. As a result, the effect of the anti-dilution right may cause significant dilution to our other stockholders. The warrants to purchase 8,332,439 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants issued to the placement agent in the private placement include a weighted average anti-dilution right in the event we issue any shares of common stock or equivalents with a value less than the then exercise price. As a result, the effect of the anti-dilution right may cause significant dilution to our other stockholders. The triggering of the anti-dilution rights in the warrants issued in the private placement may result in such securities being exercisable for a significant number of additional shares of common stock and/or exercisable for a reduced exercise price. As a result, the number of shares issuable could prove to be significantly greater than they are currently and could result in substantial dilution to our other stockholders. As of September 30, 2022, no anti-dilution triggers have occurred.

The exercise of outstanding options and warrants to purchase our common stock will dilute existing stockholders' ownership percentage. We currently have outstanding warrants to purchase 87,628,920 shares of our common stock, with a weighted average exercise price of $0.56. On September 13, 2021, our stockholders approved an employee stock option plan authorized by our Board of Directors under which we may issue options to purchase or grant up to an aggregate of 8,000,000 shares of common stock plus annual increases on the first day of each calendar year beginning with the first January 1 following May 12, 2021 and ending with the last January 1, 2031 up to five percent (5%) of the fully diluted shares outstanding. Annual increases are subject to the approval by the Board of Directors. In the future, we may grant additional stock options, warrants, preferred stock or convertible securities. The exercise or conversion of stock options, warrants, preferred stock, or convertible securities will dilute the ownership percentage of our then existing stockholders. The dilutive effect of the exercise or conversion of these securities may adversely affect our ability to obtain additional capital. The holders of these securities may be expected to exercise or convert their securities when we are able to obtain additional equity capital on terms more favorable than these securities. The Second Tranche, should the Company achieve the Milestone prior to June 30, 2026, will increase outstanding shares of common stock by 59.9 million.

We cannot predict whether future issuances of our common stock, or resale of shares in the open market, will decrease the market price of our common stock. The consequence of any such issuances or resale of our common stock on our market price may be increased as a result of the fact that our common stock is thinly, or infrequently, traded. The exercise of any outstanding options, or the vesting of any restricted stock, that we may grant to directors, executive officers and other employees in the future, or the issuance of common stock in connection with acquisitions and other issuances of our common stock, may decrease the market price of our common stock.

You should consider an investment in our common stock to be risky, and you should invest in our common stock and securities convertible into our common stock only if you can withstand a complete loss and wide fluctuations in the market value of your investment. Some factors that may cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate, in addition to the other risks mentioned in this "Risk Factors" section and elsewhere are: - sale of our common stock by our stockholders, executives, and directors;         - volatility in price and level of trading volumes of our shares of common stock;         - our ability to obtain financings to conduct and complete research and development activities and other business activities;         - the timing and success of introductions of new products and services by us or our competitors or any other change in the competitive dynamics of our industry, including consolidation among competitors;         - Our ability to attract new customers, clients, licensees, and resellers;         - changes in the development status of our products and services;- changes in our capital structure, future issuances of securities, sales of large blocks of common stock by our stockholders;         - our cash position;         - announcements and events surrounding financing efforts, including debt and equity securities;         - our inability to enter into new markets or develop new products and services;         - reputational issues;         - announcements of acquisitions, partnerships, collaborations, joint ventures, new products and services, capital commitments, or other events by us or our competitors;         - changes in industry conditions or perceptions;         - our ability to attract analyst to initiate research coverage and once obtained, having such analysts issue research reports, recommendations and any changes in recommendations, price targets, and withdrawals of coverage;         - departures and additions of key personnel;         - disputes and litigations related to intellectual properties, proprietary rights, and contractual obligations;         - changes in applicable laws, rules, regulations, or accounting practices and other dynamics; and         - other events or factors, many of which may be out of our control. In addition, if the market for stock of companies in our industry or industries related to our industry, 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 and results of operations. If any of the foregoing occurs, it could cause our stock price to fall and may expose us to lawsuits that, even if unsuccessful, could be costly to defend and a distraction to management.