Powerfleet, Inc. 10-K

Item 1A. Risk Factors. In addition to the other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the following risk factors should be considered carefully in evaluating the Company’s business. Our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected by any of these risks. Additional risks not presently known to the Company or that the Company currently deems immaterial may also adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. Risk Factor Summary : Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those highlighted in the section titled “Risk Factors” immediately following this summary. These risks include, among others, the following: ● We have incurred significant losses and have a substantial accumulated deficit. If we cannot achieve profitability, the market price of our common stock could decline significantly. ● The inability of our supply chain to deliver certain key components, such as semiconductors, could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. ● We provide no assurance that we will be able to successfully integrate any businesses, products, technologies or personnel that we have acquired or might acquire in the future. ● Our expansion into new products, services, and technologies subjects us to additional risks. ● If we are unable to keep up with rapid technological change, we may be unable to meet the needs of our customers, which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations and reduce our ability to grow our market share. ● We may be subject to breaches of our information technology systems, which could damage our reputation, vendor, and customer relationships, and our customers’ access to our services. ● The industry in which we operate is highly competitive, and competitive pressures from existing and new companies could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. ● We may not be able to successfully execute our strategic initiatives or meet our long-term financial goals. ● We are an international company and may be susceptible to a number of political, economic and geographic risks that could harm our business. ● Conditions and changes in the global economic environment may adversely affect our business and financial results. ● The international scope of our business exposes us to risks associated with foreign exchange rates. ● We may need to obtain additional capital to fund our operations that could have negative consequences on our business. ● If the market for our technology does not develop or become sustainable, expands more slowly than we expect or becomes saturated, our revenues will decline and our financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. 12 ● We may incur additional charges for excess and obsolete inventory, which could adversely affect our cost of sales and gross profit. ● The long and variable sales cycles for our solutions may cause our revenues and operating results to vary significantly from quarter to quarter or year to year. ● We rely significantly on channel partners to sell our products, and disruptions to, or our failure to develop and manage our channel partners would harm our business. ● If we are unable to protect our intellectual property rights, our financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. ● We may become involved in an intellectual property dispute that could subject us to significant liability and divert the time and attention of our management and prevent us from selling our products. ● We rely on subcontractors to manufacture and deliver our products. ● Our manufacturers rely on a limited number of suppliers for several significant components used in our products. ● The federal government or independent standards organizations may implement significant regulations or standards that could adversely affect our ability to produce or market our products. ● Because our products are complex, they may have undetected errors or failures when they are introduced, which could seriously harm our business, and our product liability insurance may not adequately protect us. ● Changes in practices of insurance companies in the markets in which we provide and sell our SVR services and products could adversely affect our revenues and growth potential. ● A decline in sales of consumer or commercial vehicles in the markets in which we operate could result in reduced demand for our products and services. ● A reduction in vehicle theft rates may adversely impact demand for our SVR services and products. ● The increasing availability of handheld general packet radio service GPRS devices may reduce the demand for our products for small fleet management. ● The use of our products is subject to international regulations. ● The adoption of industry standards that do not incorporate the technology we use may decrease or eliminate the demand for our services or products and could harm our results of operations. ● Our financial statements may not reflect certain payments we may be required to make to employees. ● Some of our employees in our subsidiaries are members of labor unions and a dispute between us and any such labor union could result in a labor strike that could delay or preclude altogether our ability to generate revenues in the markets where such employees are located. ● Under the current laws in jurisdictions in which we operate, we may not be able to enforce non-compete covenants and therefore may be unable to prevent our competitors from benefiting from the expertise of some of our former employees. ● Manufacturing of many of our products is highly complex, and an interruption by suppliers, subcontractors or vendors could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. ● Our Israeli subsidiaries have incurred significant indebtedness to finance the Transactions. ● The terms of the Credit Agreement restrict Powerfleet Israel’s and Pointer’s current and future operations, particularly their ability to respond to changes or to take certain actions. ● If we lose our executive officers, or are unable to recruit additional personnel, our ability to manage our business could be materially and adversely affected. ● The unpredictability of our quarterly operating results could adversely affect the market price of our common stock. ● We provide financing to our customers for the purchase of our products, which may increase our credit risks in the event of a deterioration in a customer’s financial condition or in global credit conditions. ● Our cash and cash equivalents could be adversely affected by a downturn in the financial and credit markets. ● Goodwill impairment or intangible impairment charges may affect our results of operations in the future. ● In connection with the preparation of our annual financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, we identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. Any failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could harm us. ● We have operations located in Israel, and therefore our results may be adversely affected by political, military and economic conditions in Israel. ● Many of our employees in Israel are required to perform military reserve duty. ● We may be adversely affected by a change of the Israeli Consumer Price Index. ● The Argentine government may enact or enforce measures to preempt or respond to social unrest or economic turmoil which may adversely affect our business in Argentina. ● Economic uncertainty and volatility in Brazil may adversely affect our business. ● The Brazilian government has exercised, and may continue to exercise, significant influence over the Brazilian economy. ● Political instability in Brazil may adversely affect Brazil’s economy and investment levels and have a material adverse effect on the Company. ● Economic uncertainty and volatility in Mexico may adversely affect our business. ● Holders of our Series A Preferred Stock can exercise significant control over the Company, which could limit the ability of our stockholders to influence the outcome of key transactions, including a change of control. ● The Series A Preferred Stock has rights, preferences and privileges that are not held by, and are preferential to, the rights of holders of our common stock, which could adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition, and may result in the interests of the holders of Series A Preferred Stock differing from those of the holders of our common stock. ● Any issuance of our common stock upon conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock will cause dilution to then existing Company stockholders and may depress the market price of our common stock. ● The concentration of common stock ownership among our executive officers and directors could limit the ability of other stockholders of the Company to influence the outcome of corporate transactions or other matters submitted for stockholder approval. ● Future sales of our common stock, including sales of our common stock acquired upon the exercise of outstanding options, may cause the market price of our common stock to decline. ● Our Charter provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the exclusive forum for certain legal actions between us and our stockholders, which could limit stockholders’ ability to obtain a judicial forum viewed by the stockholders as more favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees, and the enforceability of the exclusive forum provision may be subject to uncertainty. ● The Charter contains a provision renouncing our interest and expectancy in certain corporate opportunities which may prevent us from receiving the benefit of certain corporate opportunities. ● Provisions of Delaware law or the Charter could delay or prevent an acquisition of the Company, even if the acquisition would be beneficial to our stockholders, and could make it more difficult for stockholders to change our management. 13 Risks Related to Our Business: We have incurred significant losses and have a substantial accumulated deficit. If we cannot achieve profitability, the market price of our common stock could decline significantly. As of December 31, 2022, we had cash (including restricted cash) and cash equivalents of $18.0 million and working capital of $35.5 million. Our primary sources of cash are cash flows from operating activities, our holdings of cash, cash equivalents and investments from the sale of our capital stock and borrowings under our credit facility. To date, we have not generated sufficient cash flow solely from operating activities to fund our operations. We incurred net losses of approximately $13.6 million, $18.1 million and $11.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively, and have incurred additional net losses since inception. At December 31, 2022, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $141.4 million. Our ability to increase our revenues from the sale of our solutions will depend on our ability to successfully implement our growth strategy and the continued expansion of our markets. If our revenues do not grow or if our operating expenses continue to increase, we may not be able to become profitable and the market price of our common stock could decline. The inability of our supply chain to deliver certain key components, such as semiconductors, could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our products contain a significant number of components that we source globally. If our supply chain fails to deliver products to us in sufficient quality and quantity on a timely basis, we will be challenged to meet our customer order delivery timelines and could incur significant additional expenses for expedited freight and other related costs. Similarly, many of our customers are dependent on an ever-greater number of global suppliers to manufacture their products. These global supply chains have continued to be, adversely impacted by events outside of our control, including macroeconomic events, trade restrictions, economic recessions and ongoing disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past two years, we have experienced delays in supply chain deliveries, extended lead times and shortages of key components, some raw material cost increases and slowdowns at certain production facilities. These disruptions have delayed and may continue to delay the timing of some orders and expected deliveries of our products, which has impacted our business and results of operations. Many of the products we supply are reliant on semiconductors. Globally, there is an ongoing significant shortage of semiconductors. The semiconductor supply chain is complex, with capacity constraints occurring throughout. We have and will continue to work closely with our suppliers and customers to minimize any potential adverse impacts of the global semiconductor chip shortage and monitor the availability of semiconductor chips and other key components, customer production schedules and any other supply chain inefficiencies that may arise. However, if we are not able to mitigate the impact of the semiconductor chip shortage semiconductor shortage impact, any direct or indirect supply chain disruptions may have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We provide no assurance that we will be able to successfully integrate any businesses, products, technologies or personnel that we have acquired or might acquire in the future. We may, from time to time, consider combinations with or acquisitions of complementary companies, products, or technologies. In the event of any future acquisitions or combinations, we could: ● issue stock that would dilute our current stockholders’ percentage ownership; ● incur debt; ● assume liabilities; ● incur expenses related to the impairment of goodwill; or ● incur large and immediate write-offs. We may not be able to identify suitable acquisition candidates, and if we do identify suitable candidates, we may not be able to make these acquisitions on acceptable terms, or at all. For example, on March 6, 2023, we entered into a definitive share purchase and transfer agreement (the “SPA”) with Swiss Re Reinsurance Holding Company Ltd (“Swiss Re”) to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Movingdots GmbH (“Movingdots”), a leading provider of insurance telematics and sustainable mobility solutions and wholly owned subsidiary of Swiss Re. Our operation of any acquired business, including Movingdots, will involve numerous risks, including: ● problems integrating the acquired operations, personnel, technologies or products; ● unanticipated costs; ● diversion of management’s time and attention from our core businesses; ● adverse effects on existing business relationships with suppliers and customers; ● risks associated with entering markets in which we have no or limited prior experience; and ● potential loss of key employees, particularly those of acquired companies. In addition, if we make changes to our business strategy or if external conditions adversely affect our business operations, we may be required to record an impairment charge for goodwill or intangibles, which would lead to decreased assets and reduced net operating performance. Our expansion into new products, services, and technologies, subjects us to additional risks. We may have limited or no experience in our newer market segments, and our customers may not adopt our product or service offerings. These offerings, which can present new and difficult technology challenges, may subject us to claims if customers of these offerings experience service disruptions or failures or other quality issues. In addition, profitability, if any, in our newer activities may not meet our expectations, and we may not be successful enough in these newer activities to recoup our investments in them. Failure to realize the benefits of amounts we invest in new technologies, products, or services could result in the value of those investments being written down or written off. 14 If we are unable to keep up with rapid technological change, we may be unable to meet the needs of our customers, which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations and reduce our ability to grow our market share. Our market is characterized by rapid technological change and frequent new product announcements. Significant technological changes could render our existing technology obsolete. We are active in the research and development of new products and technologies and in enhancing our current products. However, research and development in our industry is complex and filled with uncertainty. For example, it is common for research and development projects to encounter delays due to unforeseen problems, resulting in low initial volume production, fewer product features than originally considered desirable and higher production costs than initially budgeted, any of which may result in lost market opportunities. In addition, these new products may not adequately meet the requirements of the marketplace and may not achieve any significant degree of market acceptance. If our efforts do not lead to the successful development, marketing and release of new products that respond to technological developments or changing customer needs and preferences, our revenues and market share could be materially and adversely affected. We may expend a significant amount of resources in unsuccessful research and development efforts. In addition, new products or enhancements by our competitors may cause customers to defer or forego purchases of our products. Any of the foregoing could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations and reduce our ability to grow our market share. We may be subject to breaches of our information technology systems, which could damage our reputation, vendor, and customer relationships, and our customers’ access to our services. Our business operations require that we use and store sensitive data, including intellectual property and proprietary business information in our secure data centers and on our networks. We face a number of threats to our data centers and networks in the form of unauthorized access, security breaches and other system disruptions. It is critical to our business strategy that our infrastructure remains secure and is perceived by customers and partners to be secure. We require user names and passwords in order to access our information technology systems. We also use encryption and authentication technologies to secure the transmission and storage of data. Despite our security measures, our information technology systems may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers or other disruptive problems. Any such security breach may compromise information used or stored on our networks and may result in significant data losses or theft of our, our customers’, or our business partners’ intellectual property or proprietary business information. A cybersecurity breach could negatively affect our reputation by adversely affecting the market’s perception of the security or reliability of our products or services. In addition, a cyber-attack could result in other negative consequences, including remediation costs, disruption of internal operations, increased cybersecurity protection costs, lost revenues or litigation, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. The industry in which we operate is highly competitive, and competitive pressures from existing and new companies could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. The industry in which we operate is highly competitive and influenced by the following: ● advances in technology; ● new product introductions; ● evolving industry standards; ● product improvements; ● rapidly changing customer needs; ● intellectual property invention and protection; ● marketing and distribution capabilities; ● ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals; ● competition from highly capitalized companies; ● entrance of new competitors; ● ability of customers to invest in information technology; and ● price competition. 15 The products marketed by us and our competitors are becoming more complex. As the technological and functional capabilities of future products increase, these products may begin to compete with products being offered by traditional computer, network and communications industry participants that have substantially greater financial, technical, marketing and manufacturing resources than we do. Although we are not aware of any current competitors that provide the precise capabilities of our systems, we are aware of competitors that offer similar approaches to address the customer needs that our products address. Those companies include both emerging companies with limited operating histories and companies with longer operating histories, greater name recognition and/or significantly greater financial, technical and marketing resources than ours. We attempt to differentiate our solutions by continuing to innovate and by offering a choice of communication mode, patented battery management technology, sensor options, and installation configurations. If we do not keep pace with product and technology advances, including the development of superior products by our competitors, or if we are unable to otherwise compete successfully against our competitors, there could be a material adverse effect on our competitive position, revenues and prospects for growth. As a result, our financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. We may not be able to successfully execute our strategic initiatives or meet our long-term financial goals. We have been engaged in strategic initiatives to focus on our core business to maximize long-term stockholder value, to improve our cost structure and efficiency and to increase our selling efforts and developing new business. We cannot provide any assurance that we will be able to successfully execute these or other strategic initiatives or that we will be able to execute these initiatives on our expected timetable. We may not be successful in focusing our core business and obtaining operational efficiencies or replacing revenues lost as a result of these strategic initiatives. We are an international company and may be susceptible to a number of political, economic and geographic risks that could harm our business. We are dependent on sales to customers outside the U.S. Our international sales are likely to account for a significant percentage of our products and services revenue for the foreseeable future. As a result, the occurrence of any international, political, economic or geographic event (for example, the COVID-19 pandemic, continued global supply chain disruptions, inflation and other cost increases, and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine) could result in a significant decline in our revenue. In addition, compliance with complex foreign and U.S. laws and regulations that apply to our international operations will increase our cost of doing business in international jurisdictions. These numerous and sometimes conflicting laws and regulations include internal control and disclosure rules, data privacy and filtering requirements, anti-corruption laws, such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and other local laws prohibiting corrupt payments to governmental officials, and anti-competition regulations, among others. Violations of these laws and regulations could result in fines and penalties, criminal sanctions against us, our officers, or employees, prohibitions on the conduct of our business and on our ability to offer our products and services in one or more countries, and could also materially affect our brand, international expansion efforts, ability to attract and retain employees, business, and operating results. Although we plan to implement policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance with these laws and regulations, there can be no assurance that our employees, contractors, or agents will not violate our policies. 16 Some of the risks and challenges of doing business internationally include: ● unexpected changes in regulatory requirements; ● fluctuations in international currency exchange rates including its impact on unhedgeable currencies and our forecast variations for hedgeable currencies; ● imposition of tariffs and other barriers and restrictions; ● management and operation of an enterprise spread over various countries; ● the burden of complying with a variety of laws and regulations in various countries; ● application of the income tax laws and regulations of multiple jurisdictions, including relatively low-rate and relatively high-rate jurisdictions, to our sales and other transactions, which results in additional complexity and uncertainty; ● the conduct of unethical business practices in certain developing countries; ● general economic and geopolitical conditions, including inflation and trade relationships; ● war and acts of terrorism; ● kidnapping and high crime rate; ● natural disasters or pandemics (for example, the COVID-19 pandemic); ● availability of U.S. dollars especially in countries with economies highly dependent on resource exports, particularly oil; and ● changes in export regulations. While these factors and the impacts of these factors are difficult to predict, any one or more of them could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations in the future. Conditions and changes in the global economic environment may adversely affect our business and financial results. The global economy continues to be adversely affected by stock market volatility, tightening of credit markets, concerns of inflation, adverse business conditions and liquidity concerns as well as recent bank failures. These events and the related uncertainty about future economic conditions could negatively impact our customers and, among other things, postpone their decision-making, decrease their spending and jeopardize or delay their ability or willingness to make payment obligations, any of which could adversely affect our business and results of operations. Uncertainty about current global economic conditions, in particular as a result of the continued global supply chain disruptions, inflation and other cost increases, and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and recent bank failures, could also cause volatility of our stock price. During periods of economic downturns, our customers may decrease their demand for wireless technology solutions, as well as the maintenance, support and consulting services we provide. This slowdown may have an adverse effect on the wireless solutions industry in general and on demand for our products and services, but the magnitude of that impact is uncertain. Our future growth is dependent, in part, upon the demand for our products and services. Prolonged weakness in the economy may cause business enterprises to delay or cancel wireless solutions projects, reduce their overall wireless solutions budgets and/or reduce or cancel orders for our services. This, in turn, may lead to longer sales cycles, delays in purchase decisions, and payment and collection issues, and may also result in price pressures, causing us to realize lower revenues and operating margins. Additionally, if our customers cancel or delay their wireless solutions initiatives, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. If the current uncertainty in the general economy does not change or continue to improve, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be harmed. More recently, the closures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank and their placement into receivership with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) created bank-specific and broader financial institution liquidity risk and concerns. Although the Department of the Treasury, the Federal Reserve, and the FDIC jointly released a statement that depositors at Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank would have access to their funds, even those in excess of the standard FDIC insurance limits, future adverse developments with respect to specific financial institutions or the broader financial services industry may lead to market-wide liquidity shortages. The failure of any bank in which we deposit our funds could reduce the amount of cash we have available for our operations or delay our ability to access such funds. Any such failure may increase the possibility of a sustained deterioration of financial market liquidity, or illiquidity at clearing, cash management and/or custodial financial institutions. In the event we have a commercial relationship with a bank that has failed or is otherwise distressed, we may experience delays or other issues in meeting our financial obligations. If other banks and financial institutions enter receivership or become insolvent in the future in response to financial conditions affecting the banking system and financial markets, our ability to access our cash and cash equivalents may be threatened and could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition. 17 The international scope of our business exposes us to risks associated with foreign exchange rates. We report our financial results in U.S. dollars. However, a significant portion of our net sales, assets, indebtedness and other liabilities, and costs are denominated in foreign currencies. These currencies include, among others, the Euro, Israeli shekel, British pound sterling, Mexican peso, Argentine peso, Brazilian real and South African rand. In addition, several emerging market economies are particularly vulnerable to the impact of rising interest rates, inflationary pressures, and large external deficits. Risks in one country can limit our opportunities for growth and negatively affect our operations in another country or countries. As a result, any such unfavorable conditions or developments could have an adverse impact on our operations. Our results of operations and, in some cases, cash flows, have in the past been, and may in the future be, adversely affected by movements in exchange rates. In addition, we may also be exposed to credit risks in some of those markets. We may implement currency hedges or take other actions intended to reduce our exposure to changes in foreign currency exchange rates. If we are not successful in mitigating the effects of changes in exchange rates on our business, any such changes could materially impact our results. We may need to obtain additional capital to fund our operations that could have negative consequences on our business. We may require additional capital in the future to develop and commercialize additional products and technologies or take advantage of other opportunities that may arise, including potential acquisitions. We may seek to raise the necessary funds through public or private equity offerings, debt financings, additional operating improvements, asset sales or strategic alliances and licensing arrangements. To the extent we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities, including pursuant to our shelf registration statement, our existing stockholders may experience substantial dilution. In addition, we may be required to relinquish rights to our technologies or systems, or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us in order to raise additional funds through strategic alliance, joint venture and licensing arrangements. We cannot provide assurance that the additional sources of funds will be available, or if available, would have reasonable terms. If adequate funds are not available, we may be required to delay, reduce the scope of or eliminate one or more of our development programs, and our business, financial condition, results of operations and stock price could be materially and adversely affected. If the market for our technology does not develop or become sustainable, expands more slowly than we expect or becomes saturated, our revenues will decline and our financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. Our success is highly dependent on the continued market acceptance of our solutions. The market for our products and services is new and rapidly evolving. If the market for our products and services does not become sustainable, or becomes saturated with competing products or services, our revenues will decline and our financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. 18 We may incur additional charges for excess and obsolete inventory, which could adversely affect our cost of sales and gross profit. While we strive to effectively manage our inventory, due to rapidly changing technology, and uneven customer demand, product cycles tend to be short and the value of our inventory may be adversely affected by changes in technology that affect our ability to sell the products in our inventory. If we do not effectively forecast and manage our inventory, we may need to write off inventory as excess or obsolete, which in turn, can adversely affect our cost of sales and gross profit. We have previously experienced, and may in the future experience, reductions in sales of older generation products as customers delay or defer purchases in anticipation of new product introductions. The reserves we have established for potential losses due to obsolete inventory may, however, prove to be inadequate and may give rise to additional charges for obsolete or excess inventory. The long and variable sales cycles for our solutions may cause our revenues and operating results to vary significantly from quarter to quarter or year to year, which could adversely affect the market price of our common stock. We expect that many customers who utilize our solutions will do so as part of a large-scale deployment of these solutions across multiple or all divisions of their organizations. A customer’s decision to deploy our solutions throughout its organization will involve a significant commitment of its resources. Accordingly, initial implementations may precede any decision to deploy our solutions enterprise-wide. Throughout this sales cycle, we may spend considerable time and expense educating and providing information to prospective customers about the benefits of our solutions. The timing of the deployment of our solutions may vary widely and will depend on the specific deployment plan of each customer, the complexity of the customer’s organization and the difficulty of such deployment. Customers with substantial or complex organizations may deploy our solutions in large increments on a periodic basis. Accordingly, we may receive purchase orders for significant dollar amounts on an irregular and unpredictable basis. Because of our limited operating history and the nature of our business, we cannot predict the timing or size of these sales and deployment cycles. Long sales cycles, as well as our expectation that customers will tend to place large orders sporadically with short lead times, may cause our revenue and results of operations to vary significantly and unexpectedly from quarter to quarter. These variations could materially and adversely affect the market price of our common stock. We rely significantly on channel partners to sell our products, and disruptions to, or our failure to develop and manage our channel partners would harm our business. Recruiting and retaining qualified channel partners and training them in our technology and product offerings requires significant time and resources. In order to develop and expand our distribution channel, we must continue to scale and improve our processes and procedures that support our channel, including investment in systems and training. Those processes and procedures may become increasingly complex and difficult to manage as we grow our organization. We have no minimum purchase commitments from any of our channel partners, and our contracts with these channel partners do not prohibit them from offering products or services that compete with ours. Our competitors may provide incentives to existing and potential channel partners to favor their products or to prevent or reduce sales of our products. Our channel partners may choose not to offer our products exclusively or at all. Establishing relationships with channel partners who have a history of selling our competitors’ products may also prove to be difficult. Our failure to establish and maintain successful relationships with channel partners would harm our business and operating results. 19 If we are unable to protect our intellectual property rights, our financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. We rely on a combination of patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets and contractual measures to protect our intellectual property rights. Third parties may seek to challenge, invalidate, circumvent or render unenforceable any patents or proprietary rights owned by us. If such challenges are successful, our business will be materially and adversely affected. Our employees, consultants and advisors enter into confidentiality agreements with us that prohibit the disclosure or use of our confidential information. We also have entered into confidentiality agreements to protect our confidential information delivered to third parties for research and other purposes. Despite these efforts, we cannot assure you that we will be able to effectively enforce these agreements or our confidential information will not be disclosed, that others will not independently develop substantially equivalent confidential information and techniques or otherwise gain access to our confidential information or that we can meaningfully protect our confidential information. Disputes may arise in the future with respect to the ownership of rights to any technology developed with advisors or collaborators. These and other possible disagreements could lead to delays in the collaborative research, development or commercialization of our systems, or could require or result in costly and time-consuming litigation that may not be decided in our favor. Any such event could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. Policing the unauthorized use of our intellectual property is difficult, and we cannot assure you that the steps we have taken will prevent unauthorized use of our technology or other intellectual property, particularly in foreign countries where the laws may not protect our proprietary rights as fully as in the United States. Accordingly, we may not be able to protect our proprietary rights against unauthorized third party copying or use. If we are unsuccessful in protecting our intellectual property, we may lose any technological advantages we have over competitors and our financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. We may become involved in an intellectual property dispute that could subject us to significant liability, divert the time and attention of our management and prevent us from selling our products, any of which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. In recent years, there has been significant litigation in the United States and internationally involving claims of alleged infringement of patents and other intellectual property rights. Litigation may be necessary to enforce our intellectual property rights, defend ourselves against alleged infringement and determine the scope and validity of our intellectual property rights. Any such litigation, whether or not successful, could result in substantial costs, divert the time and attention of our management and prevent us from selling our products. If a claim of patent infringement was decided against us, we could be required to, among other things: ● pay substantial damages to the party making such claim; ● stop selling, making, having made or using products or services that incorporate the challenged intellectual property; ● obtain from the holder of the infringed intellectual property right a license to sell, make or use the relevant technology, which license may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all; or ● redesign those products or services that incorporate such intellectual property. The failure to obtain the necessary licenses or other rights could preclude the sale, manufacture or distribution of our products and could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. 20 We rely on subcontractors to manufacture and deliver our products. Any quality or performance failures by our subcontractors or changes in their financial condition could disrupt our ability to supply quality products to our customers in a timely manner, resulting in business interruptions, increased costs, claims for damages, reputation damage and reduced revenue. In order to meet the requirements under our customer contracts, we rely on subcontractors to manufacture and deliver our products to our customers. Any quality or performance failures by our subcontractors or changes in their financial or business condition could disrupt our ability to supply quality products to our customers in a timely manner. If we are unable to fulfill orders from our customers in a timely manner, we could experience business interruptions, increased costs, damage to our reputation and loss of our customers. In addition, we may be subject to claims from our customers for failing to meet our contractual obligations. Although we have several sources for production, the inability to provide our products to our customers in a timely manner could result in the loss of customers and our revenues could be materially reduced. In addition, there is great competition for the most qualified and competent subcontractors. If we are unable to hire qualified subcontractors, the quality of our services and products could decline. Furthermore, third-party manufacturers in the electronic component industry are consolidating. The consolidation of third-party manufacturers may give remaining manufacturers greater leverage to increase the prices that they charge, thereby increasing our manufacturing costs. If this were to occur and we are unable to pass the increased costs onto our customers, our profitability could be materially and adversely affected. Our manufacturers rely on a limited number of suppliers for several significant components and raw materials used in our products. If we or our manufacturers are unable to obtain these components or raw materials on a timely basis, we will be unable to meet our customers’ orders, which could reduce our revenues, subject us to claims for damages and adversely affect our relationships with our customers. We rely on a limited number of suppliers for the components and raw materials used in our products. Although there are many suppliers for most of our component parts and raw materials, we are dependent on a limited number of suppliers for many of our significant components and raw materials. This reliance involves a number of significant risks, including: ● unavailability of materials and interruptions in delivery of components and raw materials from our suppliers, which could result in manufacturing delays; and ● fluctuations in the quality and price of components and raw materials. We currently do not have any long-term or exclusive purchase commitments with any of our suppliers. In addition, our suppliers may enter into exclusive arrangements with our competitors, be acquired by our competitors, or stop selling their products or components to us on commercially reasonable terms or at all. We may not be able to develop alternative sources for the components and raw materials. Even if alternate suppliers are available to us or our manufacturers, identifying them is often difficult and time consuming. If we or our manufacturers are unable to obtain an ample supply of product or raw materials from our existing suppliers or alternative sources of supply, we may be unable to satisfy our customers’ orders, which could reduce our revenues, subject us to claims for damages and adversely affect our relationships with our customers. 21 The federal government or independent standards organizations may implement significant regulations or standards that could adversely affect our ability to produce or market our products. Our products transmit radio frequency waves, the transmission of which is governed by the rules and regulations of the FCC, as well as other federal and state agencies. Our ability to design, develop and sell our products will continue to be subject to these rules and regulations for the foreseeable future. In addition, our products and services may become subject to independent industry standards. The implementation of unfavorable regulations or industry standards, or unfavorable interpretations of existing regulations by courts or regulatory bodies, could require us to incur significant compliance costs, cause the development of the affected products to become impractical or otherwise adversely affect our ability to produce or market our products. The adoption of new industry standards applicable to our products may require us to engage in rapid product development efforts that would cause us to incur higher expenses than we anticipated. In some circumstances, we may not be able to comply with such standards, which could materially and adversely affect our ability to generate revenues through the sale of our products. Because our products are complex, they may have undetected errors or failures when they are introduced, which could seriously harm our business, and our product liability insurance may not adequately protect us. Technical products like ours often contain undetected errors or failures when first introduced. Despite our efforts to eliminate these flaws, there still may be errors or failures in our products, even after the commencement of commercial shipments. We provide a reserve at the time of shipment, which may not be sufficient to cover actual repair costs. Because our products are used in business-critical applications, we could be subject to product liability claims if our systems fail to perform as intended. Even unsuccessful claims against us could result in costly litigation and the diversion of management’s time and resources and could damage our reputation and impair the marketability of our systems. Although we maintain insurance, there are no assurances that: ● our insurance will provide adequate coverage against potential liabilities if our products cause harm or fail to perform as promised; or ● adequate product liability insurance will continue to be available to us in the future on commercially reasonable terms or at all. If our insurance is insufficient to pay any product liability claims, our financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In addition, any such claims could permanently injure our reputation and customer relationships. Changes in practices of insurance companies in the markets in which we provide and sell our SVR services and products could adversely affect our revenues and growth potential. We depend on the practices of insurance companies in the markets in which we provide our SVR services and sell our SVR products. In Israel, which is our main SVR market, most of the insurance companies either mandate the use of SVR services and products for certain cars, or their equivalent, as a prerequisite for providing insurance coverage to owners of certain medium and high-end vehicles, or provide insurance premium discounts to encourage vehicle owners to subscribe to services and purchase products such as ours. Therefore, we rely on insurance companies’ continued practice of accepting vehicle location and recovery technology as a preferred security product. If any of these policies or practices changes, for regulatory or commercial reasons, or if market prices for these services fall, revenues from sales of our SVR services and products, primarily in Israel, could decline, which could adversely affect our revenues and growth potential. 22 A decline in sales of consumer or commercial vehicles in the markets in which we operate could result in reduced demand for our products and services. Our products are primarily installed before or immediately after the initial sale of private or commercial vehicles. Consequently, a reduction in sales of new vehicles could reduce our market for services and products. New vehicle sales may decline for various reasons, including inflation, an increase in new vehicle tariffs, taxes or gas prices, an increased difficulty in obtaining credit or financing in the applicable local or global economy, or the occurrence of natural disasters or public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. A decline in sales of new vehicles in the markets in which we operate could result in reduced demand for our services and products. A reduction in vehicle theft rates may adversely impact demand for our SVR services and products. Demand for our SVR services and products, depends primarily on prevailing or expected vehicle theft rates. Vehicle theft rates may decline as a result of various factors such as the availability of improved security systems, implementation of improved or more effective law enforcement measures, or improved economic or political conditions in markets that have high theft rates. If vehicle theft rates in some of, or entire of, our existing markets decline, or if insurance companies or our other customers believe that vehicle theft rates have declined or are expected to decline, demand for our SVR services and products may decline. The increasing availability of handheld GPRS devices may reduce the demand for our products for small fleet management. The increasing availability of low-cost handheld GPRS devices and smartphones may result in a decrease in the demand for our products by managers of small auto fleets or providers of low-level services. The availability of such devices has expanded considerably in recent years. Any such decline in demand for our products could cause a decline in our revenues and profitability. The use of our products is subject to international regulations. The use of our products is subject to regulatory approvals of government agencies in each of the countries in which our systems are operated, including Israel. Our operators typically must obtain authorization from each country in which our systems and products are installed. While in general, operators have not experienced problems in obtaining regulatory approvals to date, the regulatory schemes in each country are different and may change from time to time. We cannot guarantee that approvals, which our operators have obtained, will remain sufficient in the view of regulatory authorities. In addition, we cannot assure you that third party operators of our systems and products will obtain licenses and approvals in a timely manner in all jurisdictions in which we wish to sell our systems or that restrictions on the use of our systems will not be unduly burdensome. The adoption of industry standards that do not incorporate the technology we use may decrease or eliminate the demand for our services or products and could harm our results of operations. There are no established industry standards in all of the businesses in which we sell our products. For example, vehicle location devices may operate by employing various technologies, including network triangulation, GPS, satellite-based or network-based cellular or direction-finding homing systems. The development of industry standards that do not incorporate the technology we use may decrease or eliminate the demand for our services or products and we may not be able to develop new services and products that are in compliance with such new industry standards on a cost-effective basis. If industry standards develop and such standards do not incorporate our products and we are unable to effectively adapt to such new standards, such development could harm our results of operations. Our financial statements may not reflect certain payments we may be required to make to employees. In certain countries, we are not required to reflect future severance fees in our liabilities. In countries such as Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, companies do not generally dedicate amounts to potential future severance payments. Nonetheless, in such cases, companies must pay a severance payment in cash upon termination of employment. We also do not have a provision in our financial statements for potential future severance payments in the above countries and instead such expenses are recorded when such payments are actually made upon termination of employment. As a result, our financial statements may not adequately reflect possible future severance payments. 23 Some of our employees in our subsidiaries are members of labor unions and a dispute between us and any such labor union could result in a labor strike that could delay or preclude altogether our ability to generate revenues in the markets where such employees are located. Some of our employees in our subsidiaries are members of labor unions. If a labor dispute were to develop between us and our unionized employees, such employees could go on strike and we could suffer work stoppage for a significant period of time. A labor dispute can be difficult to resolve and may require us to seek arbitration for resolution, which can be time-consuming, distracting to management, expensive and difficult to predict. The occurrence of a labor dispute with our unionized employees could delay or preclude altogether our ability to generate revenues in the markets where such employees are located. In addition, labor disputes with unionized employees may involve substantial demands on behalf of the unionized employees, including substantial wage increases, which may not be correlated with our performance, thus impairing our financial results. Furthermore, labor laws applicable to our subsidiaries may vary and there is no assurance that any labor disputes will be resolved in our favor. Under the current laws in jurisdictions in which we operate, we may not be able to enforce non-compete covenants and therefore may be unable to prevent our competitors from benefiting from the expertise of some of our former employees. We currently have non-competition agreements with many of our employees. However, due to the difficulty of enforcing non-competition agreements globally, not all of our employees in foreign jurisdictions have such agreements. These agreements generally prohibit our employees, if they cease working for the Company, from directly competing with us or working for our competitors for a certain period of time following termination of their employment agreements. Israeli courts have required employers seeking to enforce non-compete undertakings of a former employee to demonstrate that the competitive activities of the former employee will harm one of a limited number of material interests of the employer which have been recognized by the courts, such as the secrecy of a company’s confidential commercial information or its intellectual property. If we cannot demonstrate that harm would be caused to us, we may be unable to prevent our competitors from benefiting from the expertise of our former employees. In January 2023, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for a broad ban on non-compete clauses between employers and workers and is currently seeking public comment on the proposed rule. Specifically, the proposed rule would make it illegal for an employer to, among other things, enter into or attempt to enter into a non-compete with a worker; maintain a non-compete with a worker; or represent to a worker, under certain circumstances, that the worker is subject to a non-compete. While we cannot predict whether or when the FTC’s proposed ban on non-compete arrangements will be implemented, or the impact that such ban will have on our operations if implemented, there is now increased uncertainty regarding the long-term enforceability of our non-competition agreements with employees in the U.S. If the enforceability of non-competition agreements is affected by future lawmaking or regulatory action, it may impede our ability to ensure that former employees, who received training and experience through their employment with us, refrain from using their knowledge of our business and operations to compete with us. Manufacturing of many of our products is highly complex, and an interruption by suppliers, subcontractors or vendors could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. Many of our products are the result of complex manufacturing processes and are sometimes dependent on components with a limited source of supply. As a result, we can provide no assurances that supply sources will not be interrupted from time to time. Furthermore, our subcontractors or vendors may fail to obtain supply components and fail to deliver our products. As a result, a failure to deliver by our subcontractors or vendors can result in decreased revenues. Such interruption or delay of our suppliers to deliver components or interruption or delay of our vendors or subcontractors to deliver our products could affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. Our Israeli subsidiaries have incurred significant indebtedness to finance the Transactions. In connection with the Transactions, Powerfleet Israel Ltd. (“Powerfleet Israel”) and Pointer entered into a credit agreement, dated August 19, 2019 (the “Credit Agreement”), with Bank Hapoalim B.M. (“Hapoalim”), pursuant to which Hapoalim agreed to provide Powerfleet Israel with two senior secured term loan facilities denominated in New Israeli Shekel (NIS) in an initial aggregate principal amount of $30,000,000 (comprised of two facilities in the initial aggregate principal amount of $20,000,000 and $10,000,000, (the “Term A Facility” and “Term B Facility,” respectively, and collectively, the “Term Facilities”)) and a five-year revolving credit facility to Pointer in an aggregate principal amount of $10,000,000. On October 31, 2022, Powerfleet Israel and Pointer entered into an amendment to the Credit Agreement with Hapoalim, which provided for, among other things, a new revolving credit facility to Pointer in the aggregate principal amount of $10,000,000 (the “New Revolver”). The outstanding amount under the term loan facilities was NIS 55,298,000, or $15,877,000, as of December 31, 2022. Such indebtedness will have the effect, among other things, of reducing Powerfleet Israel’s and Pointer’s flexibility to respond to changing business and economic conditions, will increase our borrowing costs and, because such indebtedness is subject to floating interest rates and exposed to foreign currency fluctuations, may increase Powerfleet Israel’s and Pointer’s vulnerability to fluctuations in market interest and foreign exchange rates. The Credit Agreement requires Powerfleet Israel and Pointer to satisfy various covenants, including negative covenants that directly or indirectly restrict our ability to engage in certain transactions without the consent of the lender. The indebtedness is secured by first ranking and exclusive fixed and floating charges, including by Powerfleet Israel over the entire share capital of Pointer and by Pointer over all of its assets, and a first ranking fixed pledge and assignment by Pointer over its bank account that was opened in connection with the New Revolver and all of the rights relating thereunder, as well as cross guarantees between Powerfleet Israel and Pointer. This may also make it more difficult for us to engage in future transactions without the consent of the lender. The increased levels of indebtedness could also reduce funds available to fund efforts to integrate I.D. Systems’ and Pointer’s businesses and realize expected benefits of the Transactions and/or engage in investments in product development, capital expenditures and other activities and may create competitive disadvantages for us relative to other companies with lower debt levels. We may be required to raise additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions or other general corporate purposes. Our ability to arrange additional financing will depend on, among other factors, our financial position and performance, as well as prevailing market conditions and other factors beyond its control. We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain additional financing on terms acceptable to us or at all. 24 The terms of the Credit Agreement restrict Powerfleet Israel’s and Pointer’s current and future operations, particularly their ability to respond to changes or to take certain actions. The Credit Agreement contains a number of restrictive covenants that impose significant operating and financial restrictions on Powerfleet Israel and Pointer and limit their ability to engage in acts that may be in their long-term best interest, including restrictions on their ability to: ● incur or guarantee additional indebtedness; ● incur liens; ● sell or otherwise dispose of assets; ● enter into transactions with affiliates; and ● enter into new lines of business. The Credit Agreement also limits the ability of Powerfleet Israel and Pointer to consolidate or merge with or into another person. In addition, the covenants in the Credit Agreement require Powerfleet Israel and Pointer to maintain specified financial ratios, tested quarterly. Their ability to meet those financial ratios can be affected by events beyond their control, and they may be unable to meet them. A breach of the covenants or restrictions under the Credit Agreement could result in an event of default, which may allow the lender to accelerate the indebtedness thereunder. In addition, an event of default under the Credit Agreement would permit the lender to terminate all commitments to extend further credit pursuant to the revolving credit facility. Furthermore, if Powerfleet Israel and Pointer are unable to repay the amounts due and payable under the Credit Agreement, the lender could proceed against the collateral granted to it to secure the indebtedness under the Credit Agreement. In the event the lender accelerates the repayment of borrowings, Powerfleet Israel and Pointer may not have sufficient assets to repay that indebtedness. As a result of these restrictions, we may be: ● limited in our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the markets we serve; ● unable to raise additional debt or equity financing to fund working capital, capital expenditures, new product development expenses and other general corporate requirements; or ● unable to compete effectively or to take advantage of new business or strategic acquisition opportunities. These restrictions may affect our ability to grow in accordance with our strategy. 25 If we lose our executive officers, or are unable to recruit additional personnel, our ability to manage our business could be materially and adversely affected. We are dependent on the continued employment and performance of our executive officers. We currently do not have employment agreements with any of our executive officers. Like other companies in our industry, we face intense competition for qualified personnel. Many of our competitors have greater resources than we have to hire qualified personnel. Accordingly, if we are not successful in attracting or retaining qualified personnel in the future, our ability to manage our business could be materially and adversely affected. The unpredictability of our quarterly operating results could adversely affect the market price of our common stock. Our revenues and operating results may vary significantly from quarter to quarter due to a number of factors, many of which are outside of our control, and any of which could adversely affect the market price of our common stock. The main factors that may affect us include the following: ● variations in the sales of our products to our significant customers; ● variations in the mix of products and services provided by us; ● the timing and completion of initial programs and larger or enterprise-wide purchases of our products by our customers; ● the length and variability of the sales cycle for our products; ● the timing and size of sales; ● changes in market and economic conditions, including fluctuations in demand for our products; and ● announcements of new products by our competitors. As a result of these and other factors, revenues for any quarter are subject to significant variation that could adversely affect the market price for our common stock. We provide financing to our customers for the purchase of our products, which may increase our credit risks in the event of a deterioration in a customer’s financial condition or in global credit conditions. We sell our products to a wide range of customers in the commercial and governmental sectors. We provide financing to customers for a portion of such sales which could be in the form of notes or leases receivable over two to five years. Although these customers are extended credit terms which are approved by us internally, our business could be materially and adversely affected in the event of a deterioration of the financial condition of one or more of our customers that results in such customers’ inability to repay us. This risk may increase during a general economic downturn affecting a large number of our customers or a widespread deterioration in global credit conditions, and in the event our customers do not adequately manage their businesses or properly disclose their financial condition. Our cash and cash equivalents could be adversely affected by a downturn in the financial and credit markets. We maintain our cash and cash equivalents with major financial institutions; however, our cash and cash equivalent balances with these institutions exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance limits. While we monitor on a systematic basis the cash and cash equivalent balances in our operating accounts and adjust the balances as appropriate, these balances could be impacted if one or more of the financial institutions with which we deposit our cash and cash equivalents fails or is subject to other adverse conditions in the financial or credit markets. To date, we have experienced no loss of principal or lack of access to our invested cash or cash equivalents; however, we can provide no assurance that access to our invested cash and cash equivalents will not be affected if the financial institutions in which we hold our cash and cash equivalents fail or the financial and credit markets deteriorate. Goodwill impairment or intangible impairment charges may affect our results of operations in the future. We test goodwill for impairment on an annual basis and more often if events occur or circumstances change that would likely reduce the fair value of a reporting unit to an amount below its carrying value. We also test for other possible intangible impairments if events occur or circumstances change that would indicate that the carrying amount of such intangible may not be recoverable. Any resulting impairment loss would be a non-cash charge and may have a material adverse impact on our results of operations in any future period in which we record a charge. Long-lived assets with determinable useful lives are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Such charges could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations in the period in which they are recorded. 26 In connection with the preparation of our annual financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, we identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. Any failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could harm us. Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. We identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, which have not been remediated (see Item 9A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information). A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Our management has concluded that material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting existed as of December 31, 2022 due to the lack of controls related to the determination of standalone selling price, capitalized software costs and the financial statement close process. We are still considering the full extent of the procedures to implement in order to remediate the material weaknesses described above; however, the current remediation plan includes: (i) implementation of a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system (ii) utilizing external resources to support our efforts to rework certain control gaps across the various processes in Israel and the U.S. with identified deficiencies, (iii) implementing enhanced documentation associated with management review controls and validation of the completeness and accuracy of key reports in Israel and the U.S., and (iv) training relevant personnel to reinforce existing policies and enhancing policies with regard to appropriate steps and procedures required to be performed related to the execution and documentation of internal controls. We cannot assure you that any of our remedial measures will be effective in resolving this material weakness or that we will not suffer from other material weaknesses in the future. If our management is unable to conclude that we have effective internal control over financial reporting, or to certify the effectiveness of such controls, or if additional material weaknesses in our internal controls are identified in the future, we could be subject to regulatory scrutiny and a loss of public confidence, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and our stock price. In addition, if we do not maintain adequate financial and management personnel, processes and controls, we may not be able to manage our business effectively or accurately report our financial performance on a timely basis, which could cause a decline in our common stock price and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. We have operations located in Israel, and therefore our results may be adversely affected by political, military and economic conditions in Israel. Our subsidiaries Powerfleet Israel and Pointer operate in Israel, and therefore our business and operations may be directly influenced by the political, economic and military conditions affecting Israel at any given time. A change in the security and political situation in Israel could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition. Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, a number of armed conflicts have taken place between Israel and its Arab neighbors, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In the last several years, these conflicts have involved missile strikes against civilian targets in various parts of Israel, particularly in southern Israel where Pointer’s main offices and manufacturing facility are located and have negatively affected business conditions in Israel. In addition, political uprisings and conflicts in various countries in the Middle East, including Syria and Iraq, are affecting the political stability of those countries. It is not clear how this instability will develop and how it will affect the political and security situation in the Middle East. In the event that our facilities are damaged as a result of hostile action or hostilities otherwise disrupt the ongoing operation of our facilities or the airports and seaports on which we depend to import and export our supplies and products, our ability to manufacture and deliver products to customers could be materially adversely affected. Additionally, the operations of our Israeli suppliers and contractors may be disrupted as a result of hostile action or hostilities, in which event our ability to deliver products to customers may be materially adversely affected. Furthermore, several countries, principally in the Middle East, restrict doing business with Israel and Israeli companies, and additional countries may impose restrictions on doing business with Israel and Israeli companies if hostilities or political instability in the region continues or intensifies. These restrictions may limit materially our ability to obtain raw materials from these countries or sell our products to companies in these countries. Any hostilities involving Israel or the interruption or curtailment of trade between Israel and its present trading partners could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition. Any downturn in the Israeli economy may also have a significant impact on our business. Israel’s economy has been subject to numerous destabilizing factors, including a period of rampant inflation in the early to mid-1980’s, low foreign exchange reserves, fluctuations in world commodity prices, military conflicts and civil unrest. The revenues of certain of our products and services may be adversely affected if fewer vehicles are used as a result of an economic downturn in Israel, an increase in use of mass transportation, an increase in vehicle related taxes, an increase in the imputed value of vehicles provided as a part of employee compensation or other macroeconomic changes affecting the use of vehicles. In addition, our SVR services significantly depend on Israeli insurance companies mandating subscription to a service such as the Company’s. If Israeli insurance companies cease to require such subscriptions, our business could be significantly adversely affected. We also rely on the renewal and retention of several operating licenses issued by certain Israeli regulatory authorities. Should such authorities fail to renew any of these licenses, suspend existing licenses, or require additional licenses, we may be forced to suspend or cease certain services we provide. Many of our employees in Israel are required to perform military reserve duty. All non-exempt male adult permanent residents of Israel under the age of 40, including some of Pointer’s employees, are obligated to perform military reserve duty and may be called to active duty under emergency circumstances. In the past there have been significant call ups of military reservists, and it is possible that there will be additional call-ups in the future. While Pointer has operated effectively despite these conditions in the past, we cannot assess the impact these conditions may have on it in the future, particularly if emergency circumstances occur. Our operations could be disrupted by the absence for a significant period of one or more of our key employees or a significant number of our other employees due to military service. Any disruption in our operations would harm our business. We may be adversely affected by a change of the Israeli Consumer Price Index. Our exposure to market rate risk for changes in the Israeli Consumer Price Index (the “Israeli CPI”) relates primarily to loans borrowed by us from banks and other lenders. While we do not currently have any loans linked to the Israeli CPI, we may require additional financing by means of loans linked to the Israeli CPI, in which case we will be exposed to the risk that the rate of Israeli CPI, which measures inflation in Israel, will exceed the rate of devaluation of the NIS in relation to the U.S. Dollar or that the timing of this devaluation lags behind inflation in Israel. This would have the effect of increasing the Dollar cost of our borrowings. 27 By administrative order, certain provisions of the collective bargaining agreements between the Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel) and the Coordination Bureau of Economic Organizations, relating primarily to the length of the workday, pension contributions, insurance for work-related accidents, and other conditions of employment are applicable to our employees. In accordance with these provisions, the salaries of the Company’s employees are partially indexed to the Israeli CPI. In the event that inflation in Israel increases, we will have to increase the salaries of our employees in Israel. The Argentine government may enact or enforce measures to preempt or respond to social unrest or economic turmoil which may adversely affect our business in Argentina. Our subsidiary Pointer Argentina operates in Argentina, where the government has historically exercised significant influence over the country’s economy. In recent years, Argentina has faced nationwide strikes that disrupted economic activity and have heightened political tension and there has been a significant devaluation of the Argentine peso relative to the U.S. Dollar. In addition, future government policies to preempt, or in response to, social unrest may include expropriation, nationalization, forced renegotiation or modification of existing contracts, suspension of the enforcement of creditors’ rights, new taxation policies, customs duties and levies including royalty and tax increases and retroactive tax claims, and changes in laws and policies affecting foreign trade and investment. Such policies could destabilize the country and adversely and materially affect the economy, and thereby our business. Additionally, due to agreements with the General Workers’ Union in Argentina and the country’s high inflation rate, we may be required to increase employee salaries at a rate which could adversely affect Pointer Argentina’s business. Economic uncertainty and volatility in Brazil may adversely affect our business. We operate through our wholly owned subsidiary Pointer do Brasil Comercial Ltda. (“Pointer Brazil”) in Brazil, which has periodically experienced extremely high rates of inflation. In 2021, Brazil reached a double-digit inflation rate. Inflation, along with governmental measures to fight inflation and public speculation about possible future measures, has had significant negative effects on the Brazilian economy. In addition, future governmental actions, including actions to adjust the value of the Brazilian real, may trigger increases in inflation. There can be no assurance that inflation will not affect our business in Brazil in the future. In addition, any Brazilian government’s actions to maintain economic stability, as well as public speculation about possible future actions, may contribute significantly to economic uncertainty in Brazil. It is also difficult to assess the impact that turmoil in the credit markets will have on the Brazilian economy and on our future operations and financial results or our operations in Brazil. The Brazilian currency has devalued frequently, including during the last two decades. Throughout this period, the Brazilian government has implemented various economic plans and utilized a number of exchange rate policies, including sudden devaluations and periodic mini-devaluations, during which the frequency of adjustments has ranged from daily to monthly, floating exchange rate systems, exchange controls and dual exchange rate markets. There have been significant fluctuations in the exchange rates between Brazilian currency and the U.S. Dollar and other currencies. Devaluation of the Brazilian real relative to the U.S. Dollar may create additional inflationary pressures in Brazil by generally increasing the price of imported products and requiring recessionary governmental policies to curb aggregate demand. On the other hand, further appreciation of the Brazilian real against the U.S. Dollar may lead to a deterioration of the current account and the balance of payments, as well as dampen export-driven growth. The potential impact of the floating exchange rate and measures of the Brazilian government aimed at stabilizing the Brazilian real is uncertain. In addition, a substantial increase in inflation may weaken investor confidence in Brazil, impacting our ability to finance our operations in Brazil. 28 Our operations in Brazil are also subject to uncertainties in the Brazilian legal and regulatory system. In August 2014, Pointer Brazil received a notice from the Brazilian tax authority alleging that it had not paid an aggregate of $197,000 in value-added tax, the Brazilian ICMS tax, plus $1,057,000 of interest and penalties, resulting in a total amount of $1,254,000 of alleged tax deficiency as of December 31, 2022. In July 2015, Pointer Brazil received another tax deficiency notice alleging that the services provided by Pointer Brazil should be classified as “telecommunication services” and therefore Pointer Brazil should be subject to the state value-added tax. The aggregate amount claimed to be owed under the notice was approximately $11,777,535 as of December 31, 2022. On August 14, 2018, the lower chamber of the State Tax Administrative Court in São Paulo rendered a decision that was favorable to Pointer Brazil in relation to the ICMS demands, but adverse with respect to the clerical obligation of keeping in good order a set of ICMS books and related tax receipts. The state has the opportunity to appeal to the higher chamber of the State Tax Administrative Court. While our legal counsel is of the opinion that it is probable that we will prevail in these proceedings and that no material costs will arise in respect to these claims, litigation is inherently subject to many uncertainties and we cannot provide any assurance that we will ultimately be successful. The Brazilian government has exercised, and may continue to exercise, significant influence over the Brazilian economy. The Brazilian economy has been characterized by significant involvement on the part of the Brazilian government, which often changes monetary, credit and other policies to influence Brazil’s economy. The Brazilian government’s actions to control inflation and affect other policies have often involved wage and price controls, the Central Bank’s base interest rates, as well as other measures. Actions taken by the Brazilian government concerning the economy may have important effects on Brazilian corporations and other entities. Our financial condition and results of operations in Brazil may be adversely affected by the following factors and the Brazilian government’s response to the following factors: ● devaluations and other exchange rate movements; ● inflation; ● investments; ● exchange control policies; ● employment levels; ● social instability; ● price instability; ● energy shortages; ● interest rates; ● liquidity of domestic capital and lending markets; ● tax policy; and ● other political, diplomatic, social and economic developments in or affecting Brazil, including election years for president, governors, and national congress. Political instability in Brazil may adversely affect Brazil’s economy and investment levels and have a material adverse effect on the Company. Brazil’s political environment has historically influenced, and continues to influence, the performance of the country’s economy. Political crises have affected and continue to affect the confidence of investors and the general public and have historically resulted in economic deceleration and heightened volatility in the securities issued by Brazilian companies. The recent economic instability in Brazil has contributed to a decline in market confidence in the Brazilian economy as well as to a deteriorating political environment. Despite the ongoing recovery of the Brazilian economy, weak macroeconomic conditions in Brazil are expected to continue in 2023, political uncertainty can result from the presidential elections and the transition to a new government could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. 29 Any such new policies or changes to current policies may have a material adverse effect on the operations of our business in Brazil. Also, the political uncertainty resulting from the presidential elections and the transition to a new government may have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial. Economic uncertainty and volatility in Mexico may adversely affect our business. Our subsidiaries Pointer Recuperacion Mexico S.A., de C.V. and Pointer Logistica y Monitoreo, S.A. de C.V. operate in Mexico, which has gradually experienced, since 2013, substantial decrease in the value of the Mexican peso against the U.S. dollar, together with growing inflation rates. The devaluation of the Mexican peso and rise in inflation rate has triggered demonstrations and heightened political tension. Severe devaluation may lead to future governmental actions, including actions to adjust the value of the Mexican peso, policies which may trigger further increases in inflation. There can be no assurance that inflation will not affect our business in Mexico in the future. In addition, any Mexican government’s actions to maintain economic stability, as well as public speculation about possible future actions, may contribute significantly to economic uncertainty in Mexico. Economic instability and or government imposition of exchange controls may also result in the disruption of the international foreign exchange markets and may limit our ability to transfer or convert pesos into U.S. Dollars and other currencies. Such policies could destabilize the country and adversely and materially affect the economy, and thereby our business. Additionally, due to agreements with the Confederation of Workers of Mexico in Mexico and the country’s high inflation rate, we may be required to increase employee salaries at a rate which could adversely affect our business. Risks Related to our Securities Holders of our Series A Preferred Stock can exercise significant control over the Company, which could limit the ability of our stockholders to influence the outcome of key transactions, including a change of control. In connection with the closing of the Transactions, we issued Series A Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Series A Preferred Stock”), to ABRY Senior Equity V, L.P., ABRY Senior Equity Co-Investment Fund V, L.P and ABRY Investment Partnership, L.P. (the “Investors”) pursuant to the terms of an Investment and Transaction Agreement, dated as of March 13, 2019 (as such agreement has been amended from time to time, the “Investment Agreement”). The Series A Preferred Stock represents a significant percentage of the aggregate voting power of the Company. Based on an initial conversion price of $7.319, the Investors, who are the initial holders of the Series A Preferred Stock, own approximately 18% of the Company on an as-converted basis as of March 20, 2023. Except as required by applicable law or as otherwise specifically set forth in our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Charter”), the holders of Series A Preferred Stock will not be entitled to vote on any matter presented to our stockholders unless and until any holder of Series A Preferred Stock provides written notification to the Company that such holder is electing, on behalf of all holders of Series A Preferred Stock, to activate their voting rights and in doing so rendering the Series A Preferred Stock voting capital stock of the Company (such notice, a “Series A Voting Activation Notice”). From and after the delivery of Series A Voting Activation Notice, all holders of the Series A Preferred Stock will be entitled to vote with the holders of our common stock as a single class on an as-converted basis unless and until such time as the holders of at least a majority of the outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock provide further written notice to the Company that they elect to deactivate their voting rights. In addition, the aggregate voting power of the Series A Preferred Stock may increase further in connection with the accrual of dividends at an initial minimum rate of 7.5% per annum, which may be payable, at our election, in kind through the issuance of additional shares of Series A Preferred Stock. However, to the extent voting rights of the Series A Preferred Stock have been activated, any holder of Series A Preferred Stock shall not be entitled to cast votes for the number of shares of our common stock issuable upon conversion of shares of Series A Preferred Stock held by such holder that exceeds the quotient of (i) the aggregate Series A Issue Price (as defined below) for such shares of Series A Preferred Stock divided by (ii) $5.57 (subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends, combinations, reclassifications and similar events, as applicable). As a result, the holders of shares of the Series A Preferred Stock have the ability to significantly influence the outcome of any matter submitted for the vote of our stockholders. In addition, the Series A Preferred Stock will have representation on our board of directors and will have significant control over the management and affairs of the Company. So long as shares of Series A Preferred Stock remain outstanding and represent 15% or more, on an as-converted basis, of the voting power of our common stock (irrespective of whether or not a Series A Voting Activation Notice has been delivered to the Company), the holders of at least a majority of the outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock, voting as a separate class, will be entitled to elect two directors (the “Series A Directors”) to our board of directors and any committee or subcommittee thereof (subject to the application of SEC and Nasdaq independence requirements). So long as any shares of Series A Preferred Stock remain outstanding and represent less than 15% but not less than 5%, on an as-converted basis, of the voting power of our common stock (irrespective of whether or not a Series A Voting Activation Notice has been delivered to the Company), the holders of at least a majority of the outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock, voting as a separate class, will be entitled to elect one Series A Director to our board of directors. For so long as any shares of Series A Preferred Stock remain outstanding and there are no Series A Directors on our board of directors, the holders of at least a majority of the outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock, voting as a separate class, will be entitled to designate one non-voting observer to attend all meetings of our board of directors and committees and subcommittees thereof, although the observer may be excluded from executive sessions of any committee at the discretion of such committee. Further, the Series A Preferred Stock will have consent rights over certain significant corporate transactions. So long as shares of Series A Preferred Stock are outstanding and convertible into shares of our common stock that represent at least 10% of the voting power of our common stock, or the Investors or their affiliates continue to hold at least 33% of the aggregate amount of Series A Preferred Stock issued to the Investors on the date on which any shares of Series A Preferred Stock are first issued (the “Original Issuance Date”), the consent of the holders of at least a majority of the outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock will be necessary for us to, among other things, (i) liquidate the Company or any operating subsidiary or effect any Deemed Liquidation Event (as defined in the Charter), except for a Deemed Liquidation Event in which the holders of Series A Preferred Stock receive an amount in cash not less than the Redemption Price (as defined below), (ii) amend our organizational documents in a manner that adversely affects the Series A Preferred Stock, (iii) issue any securities that are senior to, or equal in priority with, the Series A Preferred Stock or issue additional shares of Series A Preferred Stock to any person other than the Investors or their affiliates, (iv) incur indebtedness above the agreed-upon threshold, (v) change the size of our board of directors to a number other than seven, or (vi) enter into certain affiliated arrangements or transactions. 30 The Series A Preferred Stock has rights, preferences and privileges that are not held by, and are preferential to, the rights of holders of our common stock, which could adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition, and may result in the interests of the holders of Series A Preferred Stock differing from those of the holders of our common stock. The Series A Preferred Stock ranks senior to the shares of our common stock, with respect to dividend rights and rights on the distribution of assets on any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company or upon a Deemed Liquidation Event. The Series A Preferred Stock has a liquidation preference equal to the greater of (i) $1,000 (subject to ratable adjustment in the case of stock dividends (other than preferred dividends), stock splits, reverse stock splits, combinations, divisions and reclassifications affecting the Series A Preferred Stock) (the “Series A Issue Price”) per share plus all accrued and unpaid dividends thereon (except in the case of a Deemed Liquidation Event, then 150% of such amount) and (ii) the amount such holder would have received if the Series A Preferred Stock had converted into our common stock immediately prior to such event. In addition, holders of Series A Preferred Stock will be entitled to cumulative dividends at a minimum rate of 7.5% per annum, quarterly in arrears, as set forth in the Charter. Commencing on the 66-month anniversary of the Original Issuance Date, and on each monthly anniversary thereafter, the dividend rate will increase by 100 basis points, until the dividend rate reaches 17.5% per annum, subject to our right to defer the increase for up to three consecutive months on the terms set forth in the Charter. The dividends are payable at our election in kind, through the issuance of additional shares of Series A Preferred Stock, or in cash, provided no dividend payment failure has occurred and is continuing and that there have not previously occurred two or more dividend payment failures. Further, at any time after (i) the 66-month anniversary of the Original Issuance Date, (ii) following delivery of a mandatory conversion notice by us, or (iii) upon a Deemed Liquidation Event, subject to Delaware law governing distributions to stockholders, the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock may elect to require us to redeem all or any portion of the outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock for an amount per share equal to the greater of (i) the product of (x) 1.5 multiplied by (y) the sum of the Series A Issue Price, plus all accrued and unpaid dividends and (ii) the product of (x) the number of shares of our common stock issuable upon conversion of such Series A Preferred Stock multiplied by (y) the volume weighted average price of our common stock during the 30 consecutive trading day period ending on the trading date immediately prior to the date of such redemption notice or, if calculated in connection with a Deemed Liquidation Event, the value ascribed to a share of our common stock in such Deemed Liquidation Event (the “Redemption Price”). If the holders of Series A Preferred Stock elect to redeem all outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock and we have not redeemed all such shares on the applicable date on which the redemption should occur, and such redemption has not been completed on the six month anniversary thereof, the holders of at least a majority of the outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock will have the right to initiate, conduct and direct, subject to the approval of our board of directors, a customary sale process regarding the sale of the Company and/or its subsidiaries. Finally, at any time after the third anniversary of the Original Issuance Date, provided that (i) we are not then in material breach of (or has previously on no more than two occasions materially breached) any of provisions of the Charter, (ii) the terms of any other indebtedness or agreement would not prohibit such redemption, and (iii) we have not previously exercised such redemption right, we may elect to redeem all (but not less than all) shares of Series A Preferred Stock for an amount per share equal to the Redemption Price. These dividend and redemption payment obligations could significantly impact our liquidity and reduce the amount of our cash flows that are available for working capital, capital expenditures, growth opportunities, acquisitions, and other general corporate purposes. Our obligations to the holders of Series A Preferred Stock could also limit our ability to obtain additional financing or increase its borrowing costs, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition. The preferential rights described above could also result in divergent interests between the holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock and the holders of our common stock. Any issuance of our common stock upon conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock will cause dilution to then existing Company stockholders and may depress the market price of our common stock. The Series A Preferred Stock accrues dividends at an initial minimum rate of 7.5% per annum and following the 66-month anniversary of the Original Issuance Date, such dividend rate could increase to as high as 17.5% per annum. Each share of Series A Preferred Stock is convertible, at the option of the holders, into the number of shares of our common stock equal to the quotient (rounded up to the nearest whole number) of (i) the Series A Issue Price, plus any accrued and unpaid dividends, divided by (ii) the Series A Conversion Price, subject to adjustment and certain anti-dilution adjustments. The Series A Conversion Price is initially equal to $7.319. The issuance of our common stock upon conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock will result in immediate and substantial dilution to the interests of holders of our common stock, and such dilution will increase over time in connection with the accrual of dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock. 31 The concentration of common stock ownership among our executive officers and directors could limit the ability of other stockholders of the Company to influence the outcome of corporate transactions or other matters submitted for stockholder approval. As of March 20, 2023, our executive officers and directors beneficially owned, in the aggregate, approximately 3% of our outstanding common stock, not including approximately 6,055,000 shares of common stock that our executive officers and directors may acquire upon the exercise of outstanding options or if they otherwise acquire additional shares of common stock in the future. As a result, our officers and directors may have the ability to influence the outcome of all corporate actions requiring stockholder approval, irrespective of how our other stockholders may vote, including the following actions: ● the election of directors; ● adoption of stock option or other equity incentive compensation plans; ● the amendment of our organizational documents; and ● the approval of certain mergers and other significant corporate transactions, including a sale of substantially all of our assets. Future sales of our common stock, including sales of our common stock acquired upon the exercise of outstanding options, may cause the market price of our common stock to decline. The market price of our common stock could decline as a result of sales by our existing stockholders of shares of common stock in the market, or sales of our common stock acquired upon the exercise of outstanding options, or the perception that these sales could occur. These sales also may make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities at a time and price that we deem appropriate. We have 36,170,299 shares of common stock outstanding as of March 20, 2023, of which 35,088,407 shares are freely transferable without restriction, and 1,081,892 shares are held by our officers and directors and, as such, are subject to the applicable volume, manner of sale, holding period and other limitations of Rule 144 under the Securities Act. In addition, as of December 31, 2022, time-based options and market-based stock options subject to performance-based vesting conditions, to purchase 2,728,000 and 5,065,000 shares of our common stock, respectively, were issued and outstanding, of which 1,247,000 and 0, respectively were vested. The weighted-average exercise price of the vested non-market based stock options is $5.79. We also may issue additional shares of stock in connection with our business, including in connection with acquisitions, and may grant additional stock options to our employees, officers, directors and consultants under our stock option plans or warrants to third parties. If a significant portion of these shares of common stock were sold in the public market, the market value of our common stock could be adversely affected. Our Charter provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the exclusive forum for certain legal actions between us and our stockholders, which could limit stockholders’ ability to obtain a judicial forum viewed by the stockholders as more favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees, and the enforceability of the exclusive forum provision may be subject to uncertainty. Article SIXTEENTH of the Charter provides, subject to certain exceptions enumerated in Article SIXTEENTH, that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall be the sole and exclusive forum for any stockholder to bring (i) any derivative action brought on behalf of the Company, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of fiduciary duty owed by any current or former director, officer or other employee or stockholder of the Company, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to the General Corporation Law of Delaware (the “DGCL”) or the Charter or our Amended and Restated Bylaws or as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction on such court, or (iv) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine, except for, in each of the aforementioned actions, among other things, any claims which are vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or for which the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware does not have subject matter jurisdiction. Accordingly, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to claims arising under the Securities Act the Exchange Act or other federal securities laws for which there is exclusive federal or concurrent federal and state jurisdiction. Article SIXTEENTH provides that any person or entity who acquires an interest in our capital stock will be deemed to have notice of and consented to the provisions of Article SIXTEENTH. Stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Although we believe this exclusive forum provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, this exclusive forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims. Further, in the event a court finds the exclusive forum provision contained in the Charter to be unenforceable or inapplicable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, operating results and financial condition. The Charter contains a provision renouncing our interest and expectancy in certain corporate opportunities which may prevent us from receiving the benefit of certain corporate opportunities. The “corporate opportunity” doctrine provides that corporate fiduciaries, as part of their duty of loyalty to the corporation and its stockholders, may not take for themselves an opportunity that in fairness should belong to the corporation. As such, a corporate fiduciary may generally not pursue a business opportunity which the corporation is financially able to undertake and which, by its nature, falls into the line of the corporation’s business and is of practical advantage to it, or in which the corporation has an actual or expectant interest, unless the opportunity is disclosed to the corporation and the corporation determines that it is not going to pursue such opportunity. Section 122(17) of the DGCL, however, expressly permits a Delaware corporation to renounce in its certificate of incorporation any interest or expectancy of the corporation in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, specified business opportunities or specified classes or categories of business opportunities that are presented to the corporation or its officers, directors or stockholders. Article TWELFTH of the Charter contains a provision that, to the maximum extent permitted under the law of the State of Delaware, the Company renounces any interest or expectancy of the Company in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, business opportunities that are from time to time presented to the Series A Directors, any holder of Series A Preferred Stock (or the Company’s common stock issuable upon the conversion of Series A Preferred Stock) or any partner, manager, member, director, officer, stockholder, employee or agent or affiliate of any such holder. Our board of directors believes that this provision, which is intended to provide that certain business opportunities are not subject to the “corporate opportunity” doctrine, is appropriate, as the Investors, who are the initial holders of the Series A Preferred Stock, and their affiliates invest in a wide array of companies, including companies with businesses similar to the Company, and without such assurances, the Investors would be unwilling or unable to enter into the Investment Agreement. 32 As a result of this provision, we may not be offered certain corporate opportunities which could be beneficial to us and our stockholders. While we are unable at this time to predict how this provision may adversely impact our stockholders, it is possible that we would not be offered the opportunity to participate in a future transaction which might have resulted in a financial benefit to us, which could, in turn, result in a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, or prospects. Provisions of Delaware law or the Charter could delay or prevent an acquisition of the Company, even if the acquisition would be beneficial to our stockholders, and could make it more difficult for stockholders to change our management. The Charter contains provisions that may discourage an unsolicited takeover proposal that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. We are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together, these provisions may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities. These provisions include: the right of the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock to appoint up to two directors; the absence of cumulative voting in the election of directors; the ability of our board of directors to issue up to 50,000 shares of currently undesignated and unissued preferred stock without prior stockholder approval; the consent rights of the holders of Series A Preferred Stock to certain corporate actions and transactions; advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals or nominations of directors; limitations on the ability of stockholders to call special meetings or act by written consent; preemptive rights of the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock to participate in future securities offerings of the Company; the requirement that certain amendments to the Charter be approved by 75% of the voting power of the outstanding shares of our capital stock; and the ability of our board of directors to amend our bylaws without stockholder approval. Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments. None.