Snail, Inc. Class A (SNAL) Risk Analysis

On June 27, 2024, we received a deficiency letter from the Listing Qualifications Department (the "Staff") of the Nasdaq Stock Market ("Nasdaq") notifying us that, for thirty (30) consecutive business days (from May 10, 2024 to June 26, 2024), the bid price for our Class A common stock had closed below the minimum $1.00 per share requirement for continued inclusion on the Nasdaq Capital Market pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) (the "Bid Price Rule"). In accordance with Nasdaq rules, we were provided an initial period of 180 calendar days, or until December 24, 2024 (the "Compliance Date"), to regain compliance with the Bid Price Rule. The Staff informed the Company that if, at any time before the Compliance Date, the bid price for the Class A common stock closed at $1.00 or more for a minimum of ten (10) consecutive business days, the Staff would provide written notification to the Company that it complied with the Bid Price Rule and the matter will be closed. On October 18, 2024, Nasdaq notified the Company that the Staff had determined that for ten (10) consecutive business days, from October 4, 2024, to October 17, 2024, the closing bid price of our Class A common stock has been at $1.00 per share or greater. Accordingly, the Staff informed us that we had regained compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) and this matter is now closed. If at any time we do not satisfy the continued listing requirements of the Nasdaq, including compliance with the Bid Price Rule, within the time frame granted by Nasdaq, our Class A common stock will be delisted from the Nasdaq. Any perception that we may not regain compliance or a delisting of our Class A common stock by Nasdaq could adversely affect our ability to attract new investors, decrease the liquidity of the outstanding shares of our Class A common stock, reduce the price at which such shares trade and increase the transaction costs inherent in trading such shares with overall negative effects for our stockholder. In addition, delisting of our Class A common stock from Nasdaq could deter broker-dealers from making a market in or otherwise seeking or generating interest in our Class A common stock, and might deter certain institutions and persons from investing in our Class A common stock. In addition, if our Class A common stock was delisted, our Class A common stock would be subject to rules that impose additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers who sell our securities. The additional burdens imposed upon broker-dealers by these requirements could discourage broker-dealers from effecting transactions in our Class A common stock. This would adversely affect the ability of investors to trade our Class A common stock and would adversely affect the value of our Class A common stock. These factors could contribute to lower prices and larger spreads in the bid and ask prices for our Class A common stock. The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as "covered securities." Because our Class A common stock is listed on Nasdaq, our shares of Class A common stock are "covered securities". Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of covered securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. Further, if we were to be delisted from Nasdaq, our shares of Class A common stock would cease to be recognized as covered securities and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities. As mentioned above, in the event of a delisting, we would take actions to restore our compliance with the Nasdaq listing requirements, but we can provide no assurance that any such action taken by us would allow our Class A common stock to become listed again, stabilize the market price or improve the liquidity of our Class A common stock or prevent our Class A common stock from meeting the mandatory Nasdaq listing requirements.

Our management will have broad discretion with respect to the use of proceeds from the sale of any shares of our common stock to the Equity Line Investor. You will be relying on the judgment of our management regarding the application of the proceeds from the sale of any shares of our common stock to the Equity Line Investor. The results and effectiveness of the use of proceeds are uncertain, and we could spend the proceeds in ways that you do not agree with or that do not improve our results of operations or enhance the value of our common stock. Our failure to apply these funds effectively could harm our business, delay the development of our pipeline product candidates and cause the price of our common stock to decline.

Investors who purchase shares of common stock at different times will likely pay different prices, and so may experience different levels of dilution and different outcomes in their investment results. In connection with the Equity Line of Credit Financing, we will have discretion, subject to market demand, to vary the timing, prices, and numbers of shares of common stock sold to the Equity Line Investor. Similarly, the Equity Line Investor may sell such shares of common stock at different times and at different prices. Investors may experience a decline in the value of the shares they purchase from the Equity Line Investor because of sales made by us in future transactions to the Equity Line Investor at prices lower than the prices they paid. Sales to the Equity Line Investor by us could result in substantial dilution to the interests of other holders of our Class A common stock. Additionally, the sale of a substantial number of shares of our Class A common stock to the Equity Line Investor, or the anticipation of such sales, could make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and at a price that we might otherwise wish to effect sales, which could have a materially adverse effect on our business and operations.

We are an "emerging growth company," as defined in the JOBS Act. We could continue to be considered an emerging growth company for up to five years, although we would lose that status sooner if our annual gross revenues exceed $1.235 billion, if we issue more than $1.0 billion in nonconvertible debt in a three-year period or if the fair value of our Class A common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700.0 million (and we have been a public company for at least 12 months and have filed at least one Annual Report on Form 10-K). For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, our total net revenue was $60.9 million. For as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. It is unclear whether investors will find our Class A common stock less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our Class A common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our Class A common stock and the trading price of our Class A common stock may be more volatile.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation specifies that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, to the fullest extent permitted by law, 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, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the U.S. federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction; and provided further 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 of America is 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 of 1933, as amended, or 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 enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies' certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that, in connection with any applicable action brought against us, a court could find the choice of forum provisions contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in such action.

Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws may discourage, delay or prevent a merger, acquisition or other change in control of us that stockholders may consider favorable, including transactions in which stockholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares. These provisions could also limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our Class A common stock, thereby depressing the market price of our Class A common stock. In addition, these provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our board of directors. Because our board of directors is responsible for appointing the members of our management team, these provisions could in turn affect any attempt by our stockholders to replace current members of our management team.

Our stock price and trading volume may be heavily influenced by the way analysts and investors interpret our financial information and other disclosures. If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, delay publishing reports about our business, or publish negative reports about our business, regardless of accuracy, our Class A common stock price and trading volume could decline. The trading market for our Class A common stock is influenced to some extent by the research and reports that industry or financial analysts publish about us and our business. We do not control these analysts. As a newly public company, we may be slow to attract research coverage and the analysts who publish information about our Class A common stock may have relatively little experience with us or our industry, which could affect their ability to accurately forecast our results and could make it more likely that we fail to meet their estimates. If any of the analysts who cover us provide inaccurate or unfavorable research or issue an adverse opinion regarding our stock price, our stock price could decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports covering us regularly, we could lose visibility in the market, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline. Even if our Class A common stock is actively covered by analysts, we do not have any control over the analysts or the measures that analysts or investors may rely upon to forecast our future results. Over-reliance by analysts or investors on any particular metric to forecast our future results may lead to forecasts that differ significantly from our own.

We cannot predict whether our dual class structure will result in a lower or more volatile market price of our Class A common stock or in adverse publicity or other adverse consequences. For example, certain index providers have restrictions on including companies with multiple-class share structures in certain of their indexes. In July 2017, FTSE Russell and Standard & Poor's announced that they would cease to allow most newly public companies utilizing dual or multi-class capital structures to be included in their indices. Affected indices include the Russell 2000 and the S&P 500, S&P MidCap 400, and S&P SmallCap 600, which together make up the S&P Composite 1500. Under these policies, our dual class capital structure would make us ineligible for inclusion in certain indices, and as a result, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and other investment vehicles that attempt to passively track those indices will not be investing in our stock. Because of our dual class structure, we will likely be excluded from certain of these indexes and we cannot assure you that other stock indexes will not take similar actions. Given the sustained flow of investment funds into passive strategies that seek to track certain indexes, exclusion from stock indexes would likely preclude investment by many of these funds and could make our Class A common stock less attractive to other investors. As a result, the market price of our Class A common stock could be adversely affected.

Hua Yuan International Limited, which beneficially owned 8.7% of our common stock and controlled 1.1% of our voting power during the year ended December 31, 2023, is indirectly controlled by China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park Ventures Co., Ltd., a Chinese state-owned entity. Recent political and economic tensions between the United States and China have negatively impacted certain public companies with stockholders that are Chinese state-owned entities. For example, in May 2021, three telecommunications companies with controlling stockholders that are Chinese state-owned entities?-?China Mobile Limited, China Unicom and China Telecom Corp., Ltd.?-?announced they would be delisted by the New York Stock Exchange pursuant to U.S. investment restrictions enacted in 2020. In addition, the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, enacted in December 2020, requires SEC registrants to disclose whether an issuer is owned or controlled by a governmental entity in a foreign jurisdiction that does not allow inspection by the Public Group Accounting Oversight Board, principally including issuers based in China. Although Hua Yuan International Limited does not own a controlling interest in us, its investment may subject us to risks related to having an indirect principal stockholder that is a Chinese state-owned entity as well as risks arising from political and economic tensions between the United States and China generally.

Mr. Shi controls shares representing a majority of our combined voting power. As long as Mr. Shi continues to control shares representing a majority of our voting power, he will generally be able to determine the outcome of all corporate actions requiring stockholder approval, including the election and removal of directors (unless supermajority approval of such matter is required by applicable law and our amended and restated certificate of incorporation). In the ordinary course of his business activities, Mr. Shi may engage in activities where his interests may not be the same as, or may conflict with, the interests of our other stockholders. Even if Mr. Shi were to control less than a majority of our voting power, he may be able to influence the outcome of corporate actions so long as he controls a significant portion of our voting power. Our stockholders are not able to affect the outcome of any stockholder vote while Mr. Shi controls the majority of our voting power (or, in the case of removal of directors, two-thirds of our voting power). Due to his ownership and rights under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws, Mr. Shi controls, subject to applicable law, the composition of our board of directors, which in turn controls all matters affecting us, including, among other things: - any determination with respect to our business direction and policies, including the appointment and removal of officers and, in the event of a vacancy on our board of directors, additional or replacement directors;         - any determinations with respect to mergers, business combinations or dispositions of assets;         - determination of our management policies;         - determination of the composition of the committees on our board of directors;         - our financing policy;         - our compensation and benefit programs and other human resources policy decisions;         - changes to any other agreements that may adversely affect us;         - the payment of dividends on our common stock; and         - determinations with respect to our tax returns. In addition, the concentration of Mr. Shi's ownership could also discourage others from making tender offers, which could prevent holders from receiving a premium for their common stock. Because Mr. Shi's interests may differ from ours or from those of our other stockholders, actions that he takes with respect to us, as our controlling stockholder, may not be favorable to us or to you or our other stockholders.