−Removed: Investing in our common stock
−Removed: involves a high degree of risk.
−Removed: Our business, reputation, results of operations, financial condition and stock price can be affected by
−Removed: a number of factors, whether currently known or unknown, including those described below.
−Removed: When any one or more of these risks materialize
−Removed: from time to time, our business, reputation, results of operations, financial condition and stock price can be materially and adversely
−Removed: Because of the following factors,
−Removed: as well as other factors affecting the Company’s results of operations and financial condition, past financial performance should
−Removed: not be considered to be a reliable indicator of future performance, and investors should not use historical trends to anticipate results
−Removed: or trends in future periods.
+Added: in our common stock involves a high degree of risk.
+Added: Our business, reputation, results of operations, financial condition and stock price
+Added: can be affected by a number of factors, whether currently known or unknown, including those described below.
+Added: When any one or more of
+Added: these risks materialize from time to time, our business, reputation, results of operations, financial condition and stock price can be
+Added: materially and adversely affected.
+Added: of the following factors, as well as other factors affecting the Company’s results of operations and financial condition, past
+Added: financial performance should not be considered to be a reliable indicator of future performance, and investors should not use historical
+Added: trends to anticipate results or trends in future periods.
This discussion of risk factors contains forward-looking statements.
−Removed: You should carefully consider
−Removed: the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information in this report, including the consolidated audited
−Removed: financial statements and the related notes appearing at the end of this annual report on Form 10-K, with respect to any investment in
−Removed: shares of our common stock.
−Removed: If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition, results of operations and
−Removed: future prospects would likely be materially and adversely affected.
−Removed: In that event, the market price of our common stock could decline,
−Removed: and you could lose part or all of your investment.
−Removed: These statements, like all statements in this report, speak only as of the date of
−Removed: this report (unless another date is indicated) and we undertake no obligation to update or revise the statements in light of future development.
−Removed: Risks Related to Macroeconomics Conditions and
−Removed: International Operations
−Removed: Our operations and performance depend significantly
−Removed: on global and regional economic conditions and adverse economic conditions can materially adversely affect our business, results of operations
−Removed: and financial condition.
−Removed: Adverse macroeconomic conditions,
−Removed: including slow growth or recession, high unemployment, inflation, tighter credit, higher interest rates, and currency fluctuations, can
−Removed: adversely impact consumer confidence and spending and materially adversely affect demand for our products and services.
−Removed: In addition, consumer
−Removed: confidence and spending can be materially adversely affected in response to changes in fiscal and monetary policy, financial market volatility,
−Removed: declines in income or asset values, and other economic factors.
−Removed: In addition to an adverse impact
−Removed: on demand for our products and services, uncertainty about, or a decline in, global or regional economic conditions can have a significant
−Removed: impact on our suppliers, contract manufacturers, logistics providers, distributors, and other channel partners, and developers.
−Removed: outcomes include financial instability;
+Added: should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information in this report, including
+Added: the consolidated audited financial statements and the related notes appearing at the end of this annual report on Form 10-K, with respect
+Added: to any investment in shares of our common stock.
+Added: If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition, results
+Added: of operations and future prospects would likely be materially and adversely affected.
+Added: In that event, the market price of our common stock
+Added: could decline, and you could lose part or all of your investment.
+Added: These statements, like all statements in this report, speak only as
+Added: of the date of this report (unless another date is indicated) and we undertake no obligation to update or revise the statements in light
+Added: of future development.
+Added: Related to Macroeconomics Conditions and International Operations
+Added: operations and performance depend significantly on global and regional economic conditions and adverse economic conditions can materially
+Added: adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
+Added: macroeconomic conditions, including slow growth or recession, high unemployment, inflation, tighter credit, higher interest rates, and
+Added: currency fluctuations, can adversely impact consumer confidence and spending and materially adversely affect demand for our products
+Added: and services.
+Added: In addition, consumer confidence and spending can be materially adversely affected in response to changes in fiscal and
+Added: monetary policy, financial market volatility, declines in income or asset values, and other economic factors.
+Added: addition to an adverse impact on demand for our products and services, uncertainty about, or a decline in, global or regional economic
+Added: conditions can have a significant impact on our suppliers, contract manufacturers, logistics providers, distributors, and other channel
+Added: partners, and developers.
+Added: Potential outcomes include financial instability;
inability to obtain credit to finance business operations;
and insolvency.
−Removed: Adverse economic conditions can
−Removed: also lead to increased credit and collectability risk on our trade receivables;
−Removed: the failure of derivative counterparties and other financial
−Removed: institutions;
+Added: economic conditions can also lead to increased credit and collectability risk on our trade receivables;
+Added: the failure of derivative counterparties
+Added: and other financial institutions;
limitations on our ability to issue new debt;
reduced liquidity;
−Removed: and declines in the fair values of our financial instruments.
−Removed: These and other impacts can materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and stock price.
−Removed: Our business can be impacted by political events,
−Removed: trade and other international disputes, war, terrorism, natural disasters, public health issues, industrial accidents and other business
−Removed: interruptions.
−Removed: Political events, trade and other
−Removed: international disputes, war, terrorism, natural disasters, public health issues (such as COVID-19), industrial accidents and other business
−Removed: interruptions can harm or disrupt international commerce and the global economy and could have a material adverse effect on us and our
−Removed: customers, suppliers, contract manufacturers, logistics providers, distributors, and other channel partners.
−Removed: Restrictions on international
−Removed: trade, such as tariffs and other controls on imports or exports of goods, technology or data, can materially adversely affect our operations
−Removed: and supply chain and limit our ability to offer and distribute products and services to customers.
−Removed: The impact can be particularly significant
−Removed: if these restrictive measures apply to countries and regions where we derive a significant portion of our revenues and/or have significant
−Removed: supply chain operations.
−Removed: Restrictive measures can require us to take various actions, including changing suppliers and restructuring business
−Removed: relationships.
−Removed: Changing our operations in accordance with new or changed restrictions on international trade can be expensive, time-consuming
−Removed: and disruptive to our operations.
−Removed: Such restrictions can be announced with little or no advance notice and we may not be able to effectively
−Removed: mitigate all adverse impacts from such measures.
−Removed: For example, tensions between governments, including the U.S.
−Removed: and China, have in the
−Removed: past led to tariffs and other restrictions being imposed on our business.
−Removed: If disputes and conflicts further escalate in the future, actions
−Removed: by governments in response could be significantly more severe and restrictive and could materially adversely affect our business.
−Removed: uncertainty surrounding trade and other international disputes could also have a negative effect on consumer confidence and spending,
−Removed: which could adversely affect our business.
−Removed: Many of our operations and facilities,
−Removed: as well as critical business operations of our suppliers and contract manufacturers, are in locations that are prone to earthquakes and
−Removed: other natural disasters.
−Removed: In addition, such operations and facilities are subject to the risk of interruption by fire, power shortages,
−Removed: nuclear power plant accidents and other industrial accidents, terrorist attacks and other hostile acts, ransomware and other cybersecurity
−Removed: attacks, labor disputes, public health issues, including pandemics such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and other events beyond our control.
−Removed: Global climate change is resulting in certain types of natural disasters, such as droughts, floods, hurricanes and wildfires, occurring
−Removed: more frequently or with more intense effects.
−Removed: Such events can make it difficult or impossible for us to manufacture and deliver products
−Removed: to our customers, create delays and inefficiencies in our supply and manufacturing chain, and result in slowdowns and outages to our product
−Removed: and service offerings, and negatively impact consumer spending and demand in affected areas.
−Removed: Following an interruption to our business,
−Removed: we can require substantial recovery time, experience significant expenditures to resume operations, and lose significant sales.
−Removed: Our operations are also subject
−Removed: to the risks of industrial accidents at our suppliers and contract manufacturers.
−Removed: While our suppliers are required to maintain safe working
−Removed: environments and operations, an industrial accident could occur and could result in serious injuries or loss of life, disruption to our
−Removed: business, and harm to our reputation.
−Removed: Major public health issues, including pandemics such as the COVID-19 pandemic, have adversely affected,
−Removed: and could in the future materially adversely affect, us due to their impact on the global economy and demand for consumer products;
−Removed: imposition of protective public safety measures, such as stringent employee travel restrictions and limitations on freight services and
−Removed: the movement of products between regions;
−Removed: and disruptions in our operations, supply chain and sales and distribution channels, resulting
−Removed: in interruptions to the supply of current products and offering of existing services, and delays in production ramps of new products and
−Removed: development of new services.
−Removed: Volatility in currency exchange rates may adversely
−Removed: affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
−Removed: Our international operations accounted
−Removed: for approximately 9.2% of our net sales in 2023.
−Removed: We are exposed to the effects (both positive and negative) that fluctuating exchange rates
−Removed: have on translating the financial statements of our international operations, most of which are denominated in local currencies, into
−Removed: Fluctuations in exchange rates may affect product demand and reported profits in our international operations.
−Removed: currency fluctuations may affect the prices we pay suppliers for materials used in our products, along with other local costs incurred
−Removed: in foreign countries for foreign entities with U.S.
+Added: and declines in the fair values of
+Added: our financial instruments.
+Added: These and other impacts can materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition
+Added: and stock price.
+Added: business can be impacted by political events, trade and other international disputes, war, terrorism, natural disasters, public health
+Added: issues, industrial accidents and other business interruptions.
+Added: events, trade and other international disputes, war, terrorism, natural disasters, public health issues (such as COVID-19), industrial
+Added: accidents and other business interruptions can harm or disrupt international commerce and the global economy and could have a material
+Added: adverse effect on us and our customers, suppliers, contract manufacturers, logistics providers, distributors, and other channel partners.
+Added: on international trade, such as tariffs and other controls on imports or exports of goods, technology or data, can materially adversely
+Added: affect our operations and supply chain and limit our ability to offer and distribute products and services to customers.
+Added: The impact can
+Added: be particularly significant if these restrictive measures apply to countries and regions where we derive a significant portion of our
+Added: revenues and/or have significant supply chain operations.
+Added: Restrictive measures can require us to take various actions, including changing
+Added: suppliers and restructuring business relationships.
+Added: Changing our operations in accordance with new or changed restrictions on international
+Added: trade can be expensive, time-consuming and disruptive to our operations.
+Added: Such restrictions can be announced with little or no advance
+Added: notice, and we may not be able to effectively mitigate all adverse impacts from such measures.
+Added: For example, tensions between governments,
+Added: including the U.S.
+Added: and China, have in the past led to tariffs and other restrictions being imposed on our business.
+Added: If disputes and conflicts
+Added: further escalate in the future, actions by governments in response could be significantly more severe and restrictive and could materially
+Added: adversely affect our business.
+Added: Political uncertainty surrounding trade and other international disputes could also have a negative effect
+Added: on consumer confidence and spending, which could adversely affect our business.
+Added: of our operations and facilities, as well as critical business operations of our suppliers and contract manufacturers, are in locations
+Added: that are prone to earthquakes and other natural disasters.
+Added: In addition, such operations and facilities are subject to the risk of interruption
+Added: by fire, power shortages, nuclear power plant accidents and other industrial accidents, terrorist attacks and other hostile acts, ransomware
+Added: and other cybersecurity attacks , labor disputes, public health issues, including pandemics such as the COVID-19 pandemic,
+Added: and other events beyond our control.
+Added: Global climate change is resulting in certain types of natural disasters, such as droughts, floods,
+Added: hurricanes and wildfires, occurring more frequently or with more intense effects.
+Added: Such events can make it difficult or impossible for
+Added: us to manufacture and deliver products to our customers, create delays and inefficiencies in our supply and manufacturing chain, and
+Added: result in slowdowns and outages to our product and service offerings, and negatively impact consumer spending and demand in affected
+Added: Following an interruption to our business, we can require substantial recovery time, experience significant expenditures to resume
+Added: operations, and lose significant sales.
+Added: operations are also subject to the risks of industrial accidents at our suppliers and contract manufacturers.
+Added: While our suppliers are
+Added: required to maintain safe working environments and operations, an industrial accident could occur and could result in serious injuries
+Added: or loss of life, disruption to our business, and harm to our reputation.
+Added: Major public health issues, including pandemics such as the
+Added: COVID-19 pandemic, have adversely affected, and could in the future materially adversely affect, us due to their impact on the global
+Added: economy and demand for consumer products;
+Added: the imposition of protective public safety measures, such as stringent employee travel restrictions
+Added: and limitations on freight services and the movement of products between regions;
+Added: and disruptions in our operations, supply chain and
+Added: sales and distribution channels, resulting in interruptions to the supply of current products and offering of existing services, and
+Added: delays in production ramps of new products and development of new services.
+Added: in currency exchange rates may adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
+Added: international operations accounted for approximately 5.9% of our net sales in 2024.
+Added: We are exposed to the effects (both positive and
+Added: negative) that fluctuating exchange rates have on translating the financial statements of our international operations, most of which
+Added: are denominated in local currencies, into the U.S.
+Added: Fluctuations in exchange rates may affect product demand and reported profits
+Added: in our international operations.
+Added: In addition, currency fluctuations may affect the prices we pay suppliers for materials used in our
+Added: products, along with other local costs incurred in foreign countries for foreign entities with U.S.
dollar functional currency.
−Removed: As a result, fluctuating exchange rates may adversely
−Removed: impact our results of operations and cash flows.
−Removed: Our business and results of operations may be
−Removed: materially adversely affected by compliance with import and export laws.
−Removed: We must comply with various laws
−Removed: and regulations relating to the import and export of products, services and technology from the U.S.
−Removed: and other countries having jurisdiction
−Removed: over our operations, which may affect our transactions with certain customers, business partners and other persons.
−Removed: In certain circumstances,
−Removed: export control and economic sanctions regulations may prohibit the export of certain products, services, and technologies and in other
−Removed: circumstances, we may be required to obtain an export license before exporting a controlled item.
−Removed: The length of time required by the licensing
−Removed: processes can vary, potentially delaying the shipment of products or performance of services and the recognition of the corresponding
−Removed: In addition, failure to comply with any of these regulations could result in civil and criminal, monetary and non-monetary penalties,
−Removed: disruptions to our business, limitations on our ability to import and export products and services and damage to our reputation.
−Removed: any changes in export control or sanctions regulations may further restrict the export of our products or services, and the possibility
−Removed: of such changes requires constant monitoring to ensure we remain compliant.
−Removed: Any restrictions on the export of our products or product
−Removed: lines could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position, results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
−Removed: Risks Related to Covid-19
−Removed: The global pandemic may disrupt our business
−Removed: or the business of our customers.
−Removed: In December 2019, a novel strain
−Removed: of corona virus, which causes the infectious disease known as COVID-19 was reported.
−Removed: The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a
−Removed: Public Health Emergency and Global Pandemic.
−Removed: COVID-19 has severely impacted economies around the world.
−Removed: The current COVID-19 pandemic
−Removed: has impacted our business operations and the results of our operations in this fiscal year, primarily with delays in expected orders by
−Removed: many customers and new product development, including newer versions of surveillance software since our technical facility in Pune, India
−Removed: has been under lock down on multiple occasions.
−Removed: Bookings and revenue have largely recovered in this calendar year compared to last year.
−Removed: In addition, due to delays in certain supply chain areas, the expected launch times of our new products and new versions has resulted
−Removed: in delays of several months.
−Removed: The broader implications of COVID-19
−Removed: on our results from operations going forward remains uncertain.
−Removed: The COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to cause adverse effects to our
−Removed: customers, suppliers or business partners in locations that have or will experience more pronounced disruptions, which could result in
−Removed: a reduction to future revenue and manufacturing output as well as delays in our new product development activities.
−Removed: However, on the other
−Removed: hand, opportunities in the video surveillance field have been growing for Vicon products.
−Removed: The extent of the pandemic’s
−Removed: effect on our operational and financial performance will depend in large part on future developments, which cannot be reasonably estimated
−Removed: at this time.
−Removed: Future developments include the duration, scope and severity of the pandemic, the emergence of new virus variants that are
−Removed: more contagious or harmful than prior variants, the actions taken to contain or mitigate its impact both within and outside the jurisdictions
−Removed: where we operate, the impact on governmental programs and budgets, the development of treatments or vaccines, and the resumption of widespread
−Removed: economic activity.
−Removed: Due to the inherent uncertainty of the unprecedented and rapidly evolving situation, we are unable to predict with
−Removed: any confidence the likely impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our future operations.
−Removed: This could materially impact our results of operations,
−Removed: cash flows, and financial condition.
−Removed: Risks Related to our Financial Condition
−Removed: There is no guarantee that cash flow from operations and/or debt
−Removed: and equity financings will provide sufficient capital to meet our expansion goals working capital needs or fund our operations.
−Removed: Our current strategic plan includes
−Removed: the expansion of our company both organically and through acquisitions if market conditions and competitive conditions allow.
−Removed: long-term nature of investments in acquisitions and other financial needs to support organic growth, including working capital, we expect
−Removed: our long-term and working capital needs to periodically exceed the short-term fluctuations in cash flow from operations.
−Removed: We anticipate
−Removed: that we may need to raise additional external capital from the sale of common stock, preferred stock and debt instruments as market conditions
−Removed: may allow, in addition to cash flow from operations (which may not always be sufficient), to fund our growth and working capital needs.
−Removed: In the event that we need to raise
−Removed: significant amounts of external capital at any time or over an extended period, we face a risk that we may need to do so under adverse
−Removed: capital market conditions with the result that our existing shareholders, as well as persons who acquire our common stock, may incur significant
−Removed: and immediate dilution should we raise capital from the sale of our common or preferred stock.
−Removed: Similarly, we may need to meet our external
−Removed: capital needs from the sale of secured or unsecured debt instruments at interest rates and with such other debt covenants and conditions
−Removed: as the market then requires.
−Removed: However, there can be no guarantee that we will be able to raise external capital on terms that are reasonable
−Removed: in light of current market conditions.
−Removed: In the event that we are not able to do so, those who acquire our common stock may face significant
−Removed: and immediate dilution and other adverse consequences.
−Removed: Further, debt covenants contained in debt instruments that we issue may limit our
−Removed: financial and operating flexibility with consequent adverse impact on our common stock market price.
−Removed: We have a history of losses and may experience
−Removed: losses in the future, which could result in the market price of our common stock declining.
−Removed: We have incurred net losses, including
−Removed: net losses attributable to Cemtrex, Inc.
−Removed: shareholders of $9.2 million in 2023, $13.0 million in 2022, and $7.8 million in 2021.
−Removed: an accumulated deficit of $64.2 million as of September 30, 2023.
−Removed: We expect to continue to incur significant product development, sales
−Removed: and marketing and administrative expenses.
−Removed: As a result, we will need to generate significant revenues to achieve profitability.
−Removed: be certain that we will achieve profitability in the future or, if we achieve profitability, to sustain it.
−Removed: If we do not achieve and maintain
−Removed: profitability, the market price for our common stock may decline, perhaps substantially.
−Removed: The Company is exposed to credit risk, market risk, and fluctuations
−Removed: in the value of its investment portfolio.
−Removed: The Company may, from time to
−Removed: time invest excess cash that the Company has on hand in large cap securities listed on major exchanges, including stocks and options.
−Removed: The Company’s investments can be negatively affected by liquidity, credit deterioration, financial results, market and economic
−Removed: conditions, political risk, sovereign risk, interest rate fluctuations or other factors.
−Removed: Although we have not recognized
−Removed: any material losses related to our cash equivalents, short-term investments, or long-term investments, future declines in the market values
−Removed: of such investments could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and operating results.
−Removed: As a result, the value and liquidity
−Removed: of the Company’s cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities may fluctuate substantially.
−Removed: Therefore, although the Company
−Removed: has not realized any significant losses on its cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities, future fluctuations in their value could
−Removed: result in significant losses and could have an adverse impact on the Company’s financial condition and operating results.
−Removed: We have substantial debt which could adversely affect our ability
−Removed: to raise additional capital to fund operations and prevent us from meeting our obligations under outstanding indebtedness.
−Removed: As of September 30, 2023, our
−Removed: total indebtedness was approximately $24.4 million, including notes payable of $18.1 million, mortgage payable of $3.4 million, vendor
−Removed: financed purchase of $0.7 million, and bank loans of $2.2 million, including $0.9 million of PPP loans that the Company expects
−Removed: to be forgiven.
−Removed: By comparison, as of September 30, 2022, our total indebtedness was approximately $20.6 million, including notes payable
−Removed: of $17.7 million, mortgage payable of $2.3 million, and bank loans of $0.6 million, including $0.1 million of PPP loans.
−Removed: 2022 approximately $14.5 million and $16.9 million, respectively, of such debt is classified as current.
−Removed: This substantial debt could have
−Removed: important consequences, including the following:
−Removed: (i) a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations may be dedicated to the payment
−Removed: of principal and interest on indebtedness, thereby reducing the funds available for operations, future business opportunities and capital
−Removed: expenditures;
−Removed: (ii) our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, debt service requirements and general corporate purposes
−Removed: in the future may be limited;
−Removed: (iii) we may face a competitive disadvantage to lesser leveraged competitors;
−Removed: (iv) our debt service requirements
−Removed: could make it more difficult to satisfy other financial obligations;
−Removed: and (v) we may be vulnerable in a downturn in general economic conditions
−Removed: or in our business and we may be unable to carry out activities that are important to our growth.
−Removed: Our ability to make scheduled
−Removed: payments of the principal of, or to pay interest on, or to refinance our indebtedness depends on and is subject to our financial and operating
−Removed: performance, which in turn is affected by general and regional economic, financial, competitive, business and other factors beyond management’s
−Removed: If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flow to service our debt or to fund our other liquidity needs, we will need to restructure
−Removed: or refinance all or a portion of our debt, which could impair our liquidity.
−Removed: Any refinancing of indebtedness, if available at all, could
−Removed: be at higher interest rates and may require us to comply with more onerous covenants that could further restrict our business operations.
−Removed: Despite our significant amount of indebtedness, we may need to incur significant additional amounts of debt, which could further exacerbate
−Removed: the risks associated with our substantial debt.
−Removed: Our ability to secure and maintain sufficient credit arrangements
−Removed: is key to our continued operations and there is no assurance we will be able to obtain sufficient additional equity or debt financing
−Removed: in the future.
−Removed: There is no assurance that we
−Removed: will be able to retain or renew our credit agreements and other finance agreements in the future.
−Removed: In the event our company grows rapidly,
−Removed: the uncertain economic climate continues, or we acquire one or more other companies, additional financing resources will likely be necessary
−Removed: in the current or future fiscal years.
−Removed: As a smaller public company with a limited ability to attract and obtain financing, there is no
−Removed: assurance that we will be able to obtain sufficient additional equity or debt financing in the future on terms that are reasonable in
−Removed: light of current market conditions.
−Removed: Risks Related to our Business
−Removed: We are substantially dependent upon the success and continued market
−Removed: acceptance of our technology, the absence of which may significantly reduce our sales, profits and cash flow and adversely impact our
−Removed: financial condition.
−Removed: Competing technologies may be
−Removed: offered by both existing competitors or by those that enter the market, and these competing technologies may offer a better cost-benefit
−Removed: ratio than our products and/or at lower prices with the result that our sales, profits, and cash flow may suffer significantly over an
−Removed: extended period with serious adverse impact on our financial condition.
−Removed: We have taken a multi-operational approach, and some of our business
−Removed: segments have historically failed to benefit our company to date, and there remains a risk that our remaining segments may not prove to
−Removed: be successful.
−Removed: We may divest or expand into new areas that are outside of our current business activities and those activities may not
−Removed: prove to be successful.
−Removed: We continuously assess the composition
−Removed: of our portfolio businesses to ensure it is aligned with our strategic objectives and positioned to maximize growth and return in the
−Removed: coming years.
−Removed: Since our business concerns new and developing technologies, and many of these endeavors fail, some of the businesses in
−Removed: our portfolio may not be successful in generating sufficient revenue to be a viable option for our company.
−Removed: Currently, the Company has the
−Removed: following business segments, consisting of (i) Security, (ii) Industrial Services, and (iii) Cemtrex Corporate.
−Removed: Within these segments
−Removed: there are a number of technologies that we are pursuing, as discussed in this annual report under “Item 1.
−Removed: Business.” There
−Removed: is a risk that one or more of our technologies will not be successful in generating revenue to sustain the expenditures associated with
−Removed: its existence.
−Removed: Moreover, having multiple business segments may present challenges, such as fluctuations in our operating results, using
−Removed: the company’s limited resources on less worthy business pursuits, and distracting management from obtaining its goals with respect
−Removed: to our overall operations.
−Removed: If we are unable to establish our technologies in the market, and overcome the challenges of doing so, we could
−Removed: go out of business.
−Removed: As we continuously review our
−Removed: portfolio of businesses we may exit or enter into new business activities which may ultimately prove to be unsuccessful.
−Removed: Our future operating results depend in part on continued successful
−Removed: research, development and marketing of new and improved products and services through our Security segment, and there can be no assurance
−Removed: that we will successfully introduce new products and services into the market.
−Removed: The success of new and improved
−Removed: products and services through our Security segment depends on our research and development efforts and the initial acceptance of our products
−Removed: and solutions by consumers.
+Added: result, fluctuating exchange rates may adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows.
+Added: business and results of operations may be materially adversely affected by compliance with import and export laws.
+Added: must comply with various laws and regulations relating to the import and export of products, services and technology from the U.S.
+Added: other countries having jurisdiction over our operations, which may affect our transactions with certain customers, business partners
+Added: and other persons.
+Added: In certain circumstances, export control and economic sanctions regulations may prohibit the export of certain products,
+Added: services, and technologies and in other circumstances, we may be required to obtain an export license before exporting a controlled item.
+Added: The length of time required by the licensing processes can vary, potentially delaying the shipment of products or performance of services
+Added: and the recognition of the corresponding revenue.
+Added: In addition, failure to comply with any of these regulations could result in civil
+Added: and criminal, monetary and non-monetary penalties, disruptions to our business, limitations on our ability to import and export products
+Added: and services and damage to our reputation.
+Added: Moreover, any changes in export control or sanctions regulations may further restrict the
+Added: export of our products or services, and the possibility of such changes requires constant monitoring to ensure we remain compliant.
+Added: restrictions on the export of our products or product lines could have a material adverse effect on our competitive position, results
+Added: of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
+Added: international operations subject us to many different and complex laws and rules, and we may face difficulty in compliance.
+Added: to our international operations, we are subject to many laws governing international relations (including but not limited to the Foreign
+Added: Corrupt Practices Act, the U.S.
+Added: Export Administration Act the EU General Data Protection Regulation, and the U.K.
+Added: Modern Anti-Slavery
+Added: which prohibit improper payments to government officials and restrict where and how we can do business, what information or products
+Added: we can supply to certain countries, what personal information we can transfer, and what information we can provide to a non-U.S.
+Added: Although we have procedures and policies in place that should mitigate the risk of violations of these laws, there is no guarantee that
+Added: they will be sufficiently effective.
+Added: If, and when we acquire new businesses, we may not be able to ensure that the pre-existing controls
+Added: and procedures meant to prevent violations of the rules and laws were effective, and we may not be able to implement effective controls
+Added: and procedures to prevent violations quickly enough when integrating newly acquired businesses.
+Added: Acquisitions of new businesses in new
+Added: jurisdictions may also subject us to new regulations and laws, and we may face difficulties ensuring compliance with these new
+Added: requirements.
+Added: Related to our Financial Condition
+Added: report of our independent registered public accounting firm contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about
+Added: our ability to continue as a going concern.
+Added: Company has incurred substantial losses of $7.2 million and $9.2 million for fiscal years 2024 and 2023, respectively, and working capital
+Added: of $8.1 million as at the end of fiscal 2024, that raise substantial doubt with respect to the Company’s ability to continue as
+Added: a going concern.
+Added: our working capital and current debt indicate a substantial doubt regarding the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern,
+Added: the Company has historically, from time to time, satisfied and may continue to satisfy certain short-term liabilities through the issuance
+Added: of common stock, thus reducing our cash requirement to meet our operating needs.
+Added: The Company has approximately $3.9 million in cash as
+Added: of September 30, 2024.
+Added: Additionally, the Company has (i) secured a line of credit for its Vicon brand to fund operations, which as of
+Added: September 30, 2024, has available capacity of $1.9 million, and a line of credit for its AIS brand with a $3.5 million capacity that
+Added: has not been drawn upon, (ii) continually reevaluate our pricing model on our Vicon brand to improve margins on those products and introducing
+Added: new innovative products to grow revenues, (iii) raised approximately $9.0 million in net proceeds through our May 2024 equity financing
+Added: and anticipate an additional $5 to $10 million when the Series B warrants are exercised, and (iv) subsequent to the balance sheet date
+Added: has effected a 60:1 and a 35:1 reverse stock split on our common stock to remain trading on the Nasdaq Capital Markets, and improve our
+Added: ability to potentially raise capital through equity offerings that we may use to satisfy debt.
+Added: In the event additional capital is raised
+Added: through equity offerings and/or debt is satisfied with equity, it may have a dilutive effect on our existing stockholders.
+Added: Company believes these plans if successful, would be sufficient to meet the capital demands of our current operations for at least the
+Added: next twelve months, there is no guarantee that we will succeed.
+Added: Overall, there is no guarantee that cash flow from our existing or future
+Added: operations and any external capital that we may be able to raise will be sufficient to meet our working capital needs.
+Added: The Company currently
+Added: does not have adequate cash or available liquidity/available capacity on our lines of credit to meet our long-term needs and our above
+Added: plans in the short term may prove to be inadequate to continue as a going concern.
+Added: Thus, despite our cash on hand, our ability to draw
+Added: on our credit line, or changes to our pricing models, and other safeguards, we may be unable to meet our obligations as they become due
+Added: over the next twelve months beyond the issuance date .
+Added: is no guarantee that cash flow from operations and/or debt and equity financings will provide sufficient capital to meet our expansion
+Added: goals working capital needs or fund our operations.
+Added: current strategic plan includes the expansion of our company both organically and through acquisitions if market conditions and competitive
+Added: conditions allow.
+Added: Due to the long-term nature of investments in acquisitions and other financial needs to support organic growth, including
+Added: working capital, we expect our long-term and working capital needs to periodically exceed the short-term fluctuations in cash flow from
+Added: We anticipate that we may need to raise additional external capital from the sale of common stock, preferred stock and debt
+Added: instruments as market conditions may allow, in addition to cash flow from operations (which may not always be sufficient), to fund our
+Added: growth and working capital needs.
+Added: the event that we need to raise significant amounts of external capital at any time or over an extended period, we face a risk that we
+Added: may need to do so under adverse capital market conditions with the result that our existing shareholders, as well as persons who acquire
+Added: our common stock, may incur significant and immediate dilution should we raise capital from the sale of our common or preferred stock.
+Added: Similarly, we may need to meet our external capital needs from the sale of secured or unsecured debt instruments at interest rates and
+Added: with such other debt covenants and conditions as the market then requires.
+Added: However, there can be no guarantee that we will be able to
+Added: raise external capital on terms that are reasonable in light of current market conditions.
+Added: In the event that we are not able to do so,
+Added: those who acquire our common stock may face significant and immediate dilution and other adverse consequences.
+Added: Further, debt covenants
+Added: contained in debt instruments that we issue may limit our financial and operating flexibility with consequent adverse impact on our common
+Added: stock market price.
+Added: have a history of losses and may experience losses in the future, which could result in the market price of our common stock declining.
+Added: have incurred net losses, including net losses attributable to Cemtrex, Inc.
+Added: shareholders of $7.2 million in 2024, $9.2 million in 2023,
+Added: and $13.0 million in 2022.
+Added: We have an accumulated deficit of $71.4 million as of September 30, 2024.
+Added: We expect to continue to incur significant
+Added: product development, sales and marketing and administrative expenses.
+Added: As a result, we will need to generate significant revenues to achieve
+Added: profitability.
+Added: We cannot be certain that we will achieve profitability in the future or, if we achieve profitability, to sustain it.
+Added: If we do not achieve and maintain profitability, the market price for our common stock may decline, perhaps substantially.
+Added: Company is exposed to credit risk, market risk, and fluctuations in the value of its investment portfolio.
+Added: Company may, from time to time invest excess cash that the Company has on hand in large cap securities listed on major exchanges, including
+Added: stocks and options.
+Added: The Company’s investments can be negatively affected by liquidity, credit deterioration, financial results,
+Added: market and economic conditions, political risk, sovereign risk, interest rate fluctuations or other factors.
+Added: we have not recognized any material losses related to our cash equivalents, short-term investments, or long-term investments, future
+Added: declines in the market values of such investments could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and operating results.
+Added: result, the value and liquidity of the Company’s cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities may fluctuate substantially.
+Added: Therefore, although the Company has not realized any significant losses on its cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities, future
+Added: fluctuations in their value could result in significant losses and could have an adverse impact on the Company’s financial condition
+Added: and operating results.
+Added: have substantial debt which could adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital to fund operations and prevent us from meeting
+Added: our obligations under outstanding indebtedness.
+Added: of September 30, 2024, our total indebtedness was approximately $21.05 million, including notes payable of $12.4 million, revolving
+Added: line of credit of $3.1 million, mortgage payable of $3.3 million, bank loans of $2.2 million, and $0.05 million of PPP loans.
+Added: comparison, as September 30, 2023, our total indebtedness was approximately $24.4 million, including notes payable of $18.1 million,
+Added: mortgage payable of $3.4 million, vendor financed purchase of $0.7 million, bank loans of $1.3 million, and $0.9 million of PPP
+Added: For 2024 and 2023 approximately $7.9 million and $14.5 million, respectively, of such debt is classified as current.
+Added: substantial debt could have important consequences, including the following:
+Added: (i) a substantial portion of our cash flow from
+Added: operations may be dedicated to the payment of principal and interest on indebtedness, thereby reducing the funds available for
+Added: operations, future business opportunities and capital expenditures;
+Added: (ii) our ability to obtain additional financing for working
+Added: capital, debt service requirements and general corporate purposes in the future may be limited;
+Added: (iii) we may face a competitive
+Added: disadvantage to lesser leveraged competitors;
+Added: (iv) our debt service requirements could make it more difficult to satisfy other
+Added: financial obligations;
+Added: and (v) we may be vulnerable in a downturn in general economic conditions or in our business and we may be
+Added: unable to carry out activities that are important to our growth .
+Added: ability to make scheduled payments of the principal of, or to pay interest on, or to refinance our indebtedness depends on and is subject
+Added: to our financial and operating performance, which in turn is affected by general and regional economic, financial, competitive, business
+Added: and other factors beyond management’s control.
+Added: If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flow to service our debt or to fund
+Added: our other liquidity needs, we will need to restructure or refinance all or a portion of our debt, which could impair our liquidity.
+Added: refinancing of indebtedness, if available at all, could be at higher interest rates and may require us to comply with more onerous covenants
+Added: that could further restrict our business operations.
+Added: Despite our significant amount of indebtedness, we may need to incur significant
+Added: additional amounts of debt, which could further exacerbate the risks associated with our substantial debt.
+Added: ability to secure and maintain sufficient credit arrangements is key to our continued operations and there is no assurance we will be
+Added: able to obtain sufficient additional equity or debt financing in the future.
+Added: is no assurance that we will be able to retain or renew our credit agreements and other finance agreements in the future.
+Added: our company grows rapidly, the uncertain economic climate continues, or we acquire one or more other companies, additional financing
+Added: resources will likely be necessary in the current or future fiscal years.
+Added: As a smaller public company with a limited ability to attract
+Added: and obtain financing, there is no assurance that we will be able to obtain sufficient additional equity or debt financing in the future
+Added: on terms that are reasonable in light of current market conditions.
+Added: Related to our Business
+Added: are substantially dependent upon the success and continued market acceptance of our technology, the absence of which may significantly
+Added: reduce our sales, profits and cash flow and adversely impact our financial condition.
+Added: technologies may be offered by both existing competitors or by those that enter the market, and these competing technologies may offer
+Added: a better cost-benefit ratio than our products and/or at lower prices with the result that our sales, profits, and cash flow may suffer
+Added: significantly over an extended period with serious adverse impact on our financial condition.
+Added: have taken a multi-operational approach, and some of our business segments have historically failed to benefit our company to date, and
+Added: there remains a risk that our remaining segments may not prove to be successful.
+Added: We may divest or expand into new areas that are outside
+Added: of our current business activities and those activities may not prove to be successful.
+Added: continuously assess the composition of our portfolio businesses to ensure it is aligned with our strategic objectives and positioned
+Added: to maximize growth and return in the coming years.
+Added: Since our business concerns new and developing technologies, and many of these endeavors
+Added: fail, some of the businesses in our portfolio may not be successful in generating sufficient revenue to be a viable option for our company.
+Added: the Company has the following business segments, consisting of (i) Security and (ii) Industrial Services.
+Added: In addition, there is Cemtrex
+Added: Corporate, which reports unallocated corporate expenses.
+Added: Within these segments there are a number of technologies that we are pursuing,
+Added: as discussed in this annual report under “Item 1.
+Added: Business.” There is a risk that one or more of our technologies will not
+Added: be successful in generating revenue to sustain the expenditures associated with its existence.
+Added: Moreover, having multiple business segments
+Added: may present challenges, such as fluctuations in our operating results, using the company’s limited resources on less worthy business
+Added: pursuits, and distracting management from obtaining its goals with respect to our overall operations.
+Added: If we are unable to establish our
+Added: technologies in the market, and overcome the challenges of doing so, we could go out of business.
+Added: we continuously review our portfolio of businesses we may exit or enter into new business activities which may ultimately prove to be
+Added: unsuccessful.
+Added: future operating results depend in part on continued successful research, development and marketing of new and improved products and
+Added: services through our Security segment, and there can be no assurance that we will successfully introduce new products and services into
+Added: success of new and improved products and services through our Security segment depends on our research and development efforts and the
+Added: initial acceptance of our products and solutions by consumers.
+Added: Our business is affected by varying degrees of technological change and
+Added: corresponding shifts in customer demand, which result in unpredictable product transitions, shortened life cycles and increased importance
+Added: of being first to market with new products and services.
+Added: We may experience difficulties or delays in the research and development, production
+Added: and/or marketing of new products and services due to lack of capital, which may negatively impact our operating results and prevent us
+Added: from recouping or realizing a return on the investments required to continue to bring new products and services to market.
+Added: future operating results depends in part on the continued successful operation of our Industrial Services segment, and there can be no
+Added: assurance that we will be successful in this business.
+Added: success of selling services through our Industrial Services segment depends on our ability to hire and retain talent, our ability to
+Added: market these services successfully to clients, the overall demand for these services, and the quality of our workmanship by our customers,
+Added: among other factors.
Our business is affected by varying degrees of technological change and corresponding shifts in customer demand,
1 unchanged sentence
and services.
−Removed: We may experience difficulties or delays in the research and development, production and/or marketing of new products and
−Removed: services due to lack of capital, which may negatively impact our operating results and prevent us from recouping or realizing a return
−Removed: on the investments required to continue to bring new products and services to market.
−Removed: Our future operating results depends in part
−Removed: on the continued successful operation of our Industrial Services segment, and there can be no assurance that we will be successful in
−Removed: this business.
−Removed: The success of selling services
−Removed: through our Industrial Services segment depends on our ability to hire and retain talent, our ability to market these services successfully
−Removed: to clients, the overall demand for these services, and the quality of our workmanship by our customers, among other factors.
−Removed: is affected by varying degrees of technological change and corresponding shifts in customer demand, which result in unpredictable product
−Removed: transitions, shortened life cycles and increased importance of being first to market with new products and services.
−Removed: We may experience
−Removed: difficulties or delays in the delivery of services due to lack of capital or lack of adequate talent, which may negatively impact our
−Removed: operating results and prevent us from recouping or realizing a return on the investments required to continue to compete in our markets.
−Removed: Our operating results may fluctuate, which could
−Removed: have a negative impact on our ability to grow our client base, establish sustainable revenues and succeed overall.
−Removed: Our results of operations may
−Removed: fluctuate as a result of a number of factors, some of which are beyond our control including but not limited to:
−Removed: general economic conditions in the geographies and industries where we sell our services and conduct operations;
−Removed: legislative policies where we sell our services and conduct operations;
−Removed: the budgetary constraints of our customers;
−Removed: success of our strategic growth initiatives;
−Removed: costs associated with the launching or integration of new or acquired businesses;
−Removed: timing of new product introductions by us, our suppliers and our competitors;
+Added: We may experience difficulties or delays in the delivery of services due to lack of capital or lack of adequate talent,
+Added: which may negatively impact our operating results and prevent us from recouping or realizing a return on the investments required to
+Added: continue to compete in our markets.
+Added: operating results may fluctuate, which could have a negative impact on our ability to grow our client base, establish sustainable revenues
+Added: and succeed overall.
+Added: results of operations may fluctuate as a result of a number of factors, some of which are beyond our control including but not limited
+Added: economic conditions in the geographies and industries where we sell our services and conduct operations;
+Added: legislative policies where
+Added: we sell our services and conduct operations;
+Added: budgetary constraints of our customers;
+Added: of our strategic growth initiatives;
+Added: associated with the launching or integration of new or acquired businesses;
+Added: of new product introductions by us, our suppliers and our competitors;
product and service mix, availability, utilization and pricing;
−Removed: the mix, by state and country, of our revenues, personnel and assets;
−Removed: movements in interest rates or tax rates;
−Removed: changes in, and application of, accounting rules;
−Removed: changes in the regulations applicable to us;
−Removed: litigation matters.
−Removed: As a result of these factors, we may not succeed in
−Removed: our business, and we could go out of business.
−Removed: We operate in a cyclical business, which could result in significant
−Removed: fluctuations in demand for our products.
−Removed: Cyclical changes in our customers’
−Removed: businesses have, in the past, resulted in, and may in the future result in, significant fluctuations in demand for our products, selling
−Removed: prices, and our profitability.
+Added: mix, by state and country, of our revenues, personnel and assets;
+Added: in interest rates or tax rates;
+Added: in, and application of, accounting rules;
+Added: in the regulations applicable to us;
+Added: a result of these factors, we may not succeed in our business, and we could go out of business.
+Added: operate in a cyclical business, which could result in significant fluctuations in demand for our products.
+Added: changes in our customers’ businesses have, in the past, resulted in, and may in the future result in, significant fluctuations
+Added: in demand for our products, selling prices, and our profitability.
Most of our customers operate in cyclical industries.
−Removed: Their requirements for our technologies fluctuate
−Removed: significantly as a result of changes in general economic conditions, technological changes, customer demand, and other factors.
−Removed: periods of increasing demand, our customers typically seek to increase their inventory of our products to avoid production bottlenecks.
−Removed: When demand for their products peaks and begins to decline, as has happened in the past, they tend to reduce or cancel orders for our
−Removed: products while they use up accumulated inventory.
−Removed: Business cycles vary somewhat in different geographical regions and customer industries.
−Removed: Significant fluctuations in sales of our products affect our unit manufacturing costs and affect our profitability by making it more difficult
−Removed: for us to predict our production, raw materials, and shipping needs.
−Removed: Changes in demand mix, needed technologies, and end-use markets may
−Removed: adversely affect our ability to match our products, inventory, and capacity to meet customer demand and could adversely affect our operating
−Removed: results and financial condition.
−Removed: We are also vulnerable to general economic events or trends beyond our control, and our sales and profits
−Removed: may suffer in periods of weak demand.
−Removed: Our sales and gross margins depend significantly on market demand
−Removed: for our products, as to which there can be no assurance.
−Removed: The uncertainty in the United
−Removed: States and in the international economic and political environment could result in a decline in demand for our products in any industry.
−Removed: Our gross margins are dependent upon our ability to maintain sales volumes at levels that allow us to cover our fixed costs and variable
−Removed: costs per unit.
−Removed: To the extent that one or more product lines experience a significant and protracted decline in sales volume, we may experience
−Removed: significant declines in our gross margins that may result in losses.
−Removed: Further, any adverse changes in tax rates and laws affecting our
−Removed: customers could result in decreases in demand of our products and thus decrease our gross margins.
−Removed: Any of these factors could negatively
−Removed: impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.
−Removed: In these circumstances, we anticipate
−Removed: that we could be required to increase or decrease staffing and more closely manage other expenses in order to meet the anticipated demand
−Removed: of our existing and future customers.
−Removed: Orders from our customers are subject to cancellation, and delivery schedules from our customers
−Removed: fluctuate as a result of changes in our customers’ demand, thereby adversely affecting our results of operations, and may result
−Removed: in higher inventory levels.
−Removed: Higher inventory levels may cause us to need greater external financing, which adversely affects our financial
−Removed: Our products face intense competitive challenges, including rapid
−Removed: technological changes, and pricing pressure from competitors, which could adversely affect our business.
−Removed: All of our product lines are subject
−Removed: to significant competition from existing and future competitors, market conditions and technological change, or a combination of them,
−Removed: and our sales revenues and gross margins may suffer protracted and serious declines with the result that we would likely incur protracted
−Removed: Further, the barriers to entry in several of our lines of business are not so significant that we may be facing competition from
−Removed: others who see significant opportunities to enter the market and undercut our prices with products that possess superior technological
−Removed: attributes at prices that offer our customers a better value.
−Removed: In this instance, we could incur protracted and significant losses and persons
−Removed: who acquire our common stock would suffer losses thereby.
−Removed: From time to time, we may need
−Removed: to reduce our prices in response to competitive and customer pressures and to maintain our market share.
−Removed: Competition and customer pressures
−Removed: may also restrict our ability to increase prices in response to commodity and other input cost increases.
−Removed: Our results of operations will
−Removed: suffer if profit margins decrease, as a result of a reduction in prices, increased input costs or other factors, and if we are unable
−Removed: to increase sales volumes to offset those profit margin decreases.
−Removed: We may also need to increase spending on marketing, advertising and
−Removed: new product innovation to protect existing market share or increase market share.
−Removed: The success of our investments is subject to risks,
−Removed: including uncertainties about trade and consumer acceptance.
−Removed: As a result, our increased expenditures may not maintain or enhance market
−Removed: share and could result in lower profitability.
−Removed: Factors affecting the industries that utilize our products could
−Removed: negatively impact our customers and us.
−Removed: We have no real control over factors
−Removed: affecting the industries that utilize our products and to the extent that any one or more of these industries change dramatically, we
−Removed: may be facing significant financial challenges that are in excess of our existing capabilities.
−Removed: These factors include:
−Removed: increased competition among our customers and their competitors;
−Removed: the inability of our customers to develop and market their products;
−Removed: recessionary periods in our customers’ markets;
−Removed: the potential that our customers’ products become obsolete;
−Removed: our customers’ inability to react to rapidly changing technology;
−Removed: our customers’ inability to pay for our products, which could, in turn, affect the company’s results of operations.
−Removed: If we are unable to develop new products, our competitors may develop
−Removed: and market products with better features that may reduce demand for our existing and potential products or otherwise result in our products
−Removed: becoming obsolete and could materially and adversely affect our ability to sustain profitability.
−Removed: There are many larger competitors
−Removed: who compete directly with us and who have significantly greater financial, technological and research resources.
−Removed: This may serve to severely
−Removed: damage our ability to market and sell our products at price levels that would allow us to achieve and maintain profit margins and positive
−Removed: We are a smaller public company,
−Removed: and we face rapid technological change in many of our product markets and we may not be able to introduce any successful new products
−Removed: or any enhancements to our existing products on a timely basis, or at all.
−Removed: This could result in prolonged and significant losses.
−Removed: our introduction of new products could adversely affect sales of certain of our existing products if these new products directly compete
−Removed: with our existing products.
−Removed: If our competitors develop innovative technologies that are superior to our products or if we fail to accurately
−Removed: anticipate market trends and respond on a timely basis with our own innovations, we may not achieve sufficient growth in its revenues
−Removed: to attain profitability or if we do, we may not be able sustain profitability.
−Removed: The success of new product introductions
−Removed: is dependent on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, timely and successful development of new products, including software
−Removed: development, market acceptance of these products and our ability to manage the risks associated with these introductions.
−Removed: include development and production capabilities, management of inventory levels to support anticipated demand, the risk that new products
−Removed: may have quality defects in the early stages of introduction, and obsolescence risk of existing products.
−Removed: Developing and maintaining a patent
−Removed: portfolio is an expensive and time-consuming process and there is no assurance the Company will successfully develop patents to protect
−Removed: the intellectual property it is working on.
−Removed: We are increasingly dependent on information
−Removed: technology, and if we are unable to protect against service interruptions, data corruption, cyber-based attacks, or network security breaches
−Removed: our operations could be disrupted and we could incur significant costs and reputational harm as a result
−Removed: We rely on information technology
−Removed: networks and systems, including the Internet, to process, transmit, and store electronic and financial information;
−Removed: to manage a variety
−Removed: of business processes and activities;
+Added: Their requirements
+Added: for our technologies fluctuate significantly as a result of changes in general economic conditions, technological changes, customer demand,
+Added: and other factors.
+Added: During periods of increasing demand, our customers typically seek to increase their inventory of our products to avoid
+Added: production bottlenecks.
+Added: When demand for their products peaks and begins to decline, as has happened in the past, they tend to reduce
+Added: or cancel orders for our products while they use up accumulated inventory.
+Added: Business cycles vary somewhat in different geographical regions
+Added: and customer industries.
+Added: Significant fluctuations in sales of our products affect our unit manufacturing costs and affect our profitability
+Added: by making it more difficult for us to predict our production, raw materials, and shipping needs.
+Added: Changes in demand mix, needed technologies,
+Added: and end-use markets may adversely affect our ability to match our products, inventory, and capacity to meet customer demand and could
+Added: adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.
+Added: We are also vulnerable to general economic events or trends beyond our
+Added: control, and our sales and profits may suffer in periods of weak demand.
+Added: sales and gross margins depend significantly on market demand for our products, as to which there can be no assurance.
+Added: uncertainty in the United States and in the international economic and political environment could result in a decline in demand for
+Added: our products in any industry.
+Added: Our gross margins are dependent upon our ability to maintain sales volumes at levels that allow us to cover
+Added: our fixed costs and variable costs per unit.
+Added: To the extent that one or more product lines experience a significant and protracted decline
+Added: in sales volume, we may experience significant declines in our gross margins that may result in losses.
+Added: Further, any adverse changes
+Added: in tax rates and laws affecting our customers could result in decreases in demand of our products and thus decrease our gross margins.
+Added: Any of these factors could negatively impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.
+Added: these circumstances, we anticipate that we could be required to increase or decrease staffing and more closely manage other expenses
+Added: in order to meet the anticipated demand of our existing and future customers.
+Added: Orders from our customers are subject to cancellation,
+Added: and delivery schedules from our customers fluctuate as a result of changes in our customers’ demand, thereby adversely affecting
+Added: our results of operations, and may result in higher inventory levels.
+Added: Higher inventory levels may cause us to need greater external financing,
+Added: which adversely affects our financial performance.
+Added: products face intense competitive challenges, including rapid technological changes, and pricing pressure from competitors, which could
+Added: adversely affect our business.
+Added: of our product lines are subject to significant competition from existing and future competitors, market conditions and technological
+Added: change, or a combination of them, and our sales revenues and gross margins may suffer protracted and serious declines with the result
+Added: that we would likely incur protracted losses.
+Added: Further, the barriers to entry in several of our lines of business are not so significant
+Added: that we may be facing competition from others who see significant opportunities to enter the market and undercut our prices with products
+Added: that possess superior technological attributes at prices that offer our customers a better value.
+Added: In this instance, we could incur protracted
+Added: and significant losses and persons who acquire our common stock would suffer losses thereby.
+Added: time to time, we may need to reduce our prices in response to competitive and customer pressures and to maintain our market share.
+Added: and customer pressures may also restrict our ability to increase prices in response to commodity and other input cost increases.
+Added: results of operations will suffer if profit margins decrease, as a result of a reduction in prices, increased input costs or other factors,
+Added: and if we are unable to increase sales volumes to offset those profit margin decreases.
+Added: We may also need to increase spending on marketing,
+Added: advertising and new product innovation to protect existing market share or increase market share.
+Added: The success of our investments is subject
+Added: to risks, including uncertainties about trade and consumer acceptance.
+Added: As a result, our increased expenditures may not maintain or enhance
+Added: market share and could result in lower profitability.
+Added: affecting the industries that utilize our products could negatively impact our customers and us.
+Added: have no real control over factors affecting the industries that utilize our products and to the extent that any one or more of these
+Added: industries change dramatically, we may be facing significant financial challenges that are in excess of our existing capabilities.
+Added: factors include:
+Added: competition among our customers and their competitors;
+Added: inability of our customers to develop and market their products;
+Added: periods in our customers’ markets;
+Added: potential that our customers’ products become obsolete;
+Added: customers’ inability to react to rapidly changing technology;
+Added: customers’ inability to pay for our products, which could, in turn, affect the company’s results of operations.
+Added: we are unable to develop new products, our competitors may develop and market products with better features that may reduce demand for
+Added: our existing and potential products or otherwise result in our products becoming obsolete and could materially and adversely affect our
+Added: ability to sustain profitability.
+Added: are many larger competitors who compete directly with us and who have significantly greater financial, technological and research resources.
+Added: This may serve to severely damage our ability to market and sell our products at price levels that would allow us to achieve and maintain
+Added: profit margins and positive cash flow.
+Added: are a smaller public company, and we face rapid technological change in many of our product markets and we may not be able to introduce
+Added: any successful new products or any enhancements to our existing products on a timely basis, or at all.
+Added: This could result in prolonged
+Added: and significant losses.
+Added: In addition, our introduction of new products could adversely affect sales of certain of our existing products
+Added: if these new products directly compete with our existing products.
+Added: If our competitors develop innovative technologies that are superior
+Added: to our products or if we fail to accurately anticipate market trends and respond on a timely basis with our own innovations, we may not
+Added: achieve sufficient growth in its revenues to attain profitability or if we do, we may not be able sustain profitability.
+Added: success of new product introductions is dependent on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, timely and successful development
+Added: of new products, including software development, market acceptance of these products and our ability to manage the risks associated with
+Added: these introductions.
+Added: These risks include development and production capabilities, management of inventory levels to support anticipated
+Added: demand, the risk that new products may have quality defects in the early stages of introduction, and obsolescence risk of existing products.
+Added: and maintaining a patent portfolio is an expensive and time-consuming process and there is no assurance the Company will successfully
+Added: develop patents to protect the intellectual property it is working on.
+Added: are increasingly dependent on information technology, and if we are unable to protect against service interruptions, data corruption,
+Added: cyber-based attacks, or network security breaches our operations could be disrupted, and we could incur significant costs and reputational
+Added: harm as a result.
+Added: rely on information technology networks and systems, including the Internet, to process, transmit, and store electronic and financial
+Added: to manage a variety of business processes and activities;
and to comply with regulatory, legal, and tax requirements.
−Removed: We also depend on our information technology
−Removed: infrastructure for digital marketing and sales activities and for electronic communications among our locations, personnel, customers,
−Removed: and suppliers around the world.
−Removed: Many of the information technology systems used by us globally have been in place for many years and not
−Removed: all hardware and software is currently supported by vendors.
−Removed: These information technology systems are susceptible to damage, disruptions,
−Removed: or shutdowns due to failures during the process of upgrading or replacing software, databases or components thereof, power outages, hardware
−Removed: failures, computer viruses, cyber-attacks, telecommunication failures, user errors, or catastrophic events.
−Removed: If our information technology
−Removed: systems suffer severe damage, disruption, or shutdown and our business continuity plans do not effectively resolve the issues in a timely
−Removed: manner, our product sales, financial condition, and results of operations may be materially affected, and we could experience delays in
−Removed: reporting our financial results.
−Removed: We have been, and likely will
−Removed: continue to be, subject to various cyber-attacks.
−Removed: To date, we have seen no material impact on our business or operations from these attacks
−Removed: Any future significant compromise, breach, or misuse of our data security could result in significant costs and damage to our
−Removed: The ever-evolving threats mean us and our third-party service providers must continually evaluate and adapt our respective
−Removed: systems and processes and overall security environment, as well as those of any companies we acquire.
−Removed: There is no guarantee that these
−Removed: measures will be adequate to safeguard against all data security compromises, breaches, or misuses.
−Removed: In addition, as the regulatory environment
−Removed: related to information security, data collection and use, and privacy becomes increasingly rigorous, compliance with those requirements
−Removed: could also result in additional costs.
−Removed: Third-party service providers,
−Removed: such as distributors, subcontractors, vendors, and data processors have access to certain portions of our sensitive data.
−Removed: that these service providers do not appropriately protect our data, the result could be a security breach or loss of our data.
−Removed: loss of data by our third-party service providers could have a material adverse impact on our business and results of operations.
−Removed: In addition, if we are unable
−Removed: to prevent security breaches, we may suffer financial and reputational damage or penalties because of the unauthorized disclosure of confidential
−Removed: information belonging to us or to our customers or suppliers.
−Removed: Furthermore, the disclosure of non-public sensitive information through
−Removed: external media channels could lead to the loss of intellectual property or damage our reputation and brand image.
−Removed: We are also in the process of
−Removed: converting certain information technology networks and systems and consolidating certain global systems.
−Removed: If such projects fail, or if
−Removed: unexpected technical difficulties arise, our operations and financial systems could be adversely affected.
−Removed: Further, we could incur additional
−Removed: costs or require additional technical support to resolve such difficulties.
−Removed: Our operating results are sensitive to raw material
−Removed: and resale product availability, quality, and cost
−Removed: We seek to have many sources of
−Removed: supply for each of our major requirements in order to avoid significant dependence on any one or a few suppliers.
−Removed: However, the supply
−Removed: of materials or other items could be disrupted by natural disasters, international trade tariffs, wars, pandemics, disputes and or other
−Removed: Despite market price volatility for certain requirements and materials pricing pressures at some of our businesses, the raw materials
−Removed: and various purchased components needed for our products have generally been available in sufficient quantities.
−Removed: In some instances, lead
−Removed: times have extended beyond normal due to logistic delays and labor shortages occurring globally.
−Removed: Some of our products, however, require
−Removed: the use of raw materials that are available from only a limited number of regions around the world, are available from only a limited
−Removed: number of suppliers, or may be subject to significant fluctuations in market prices.
−Removed: Our results of operations may be adversely affected
−Removed: if we have difficulty obtaining these raw materials, our key suppliers experience financial difficulties, the quality of available raw
−Removed: materials deteriorates, or there are significant price increases for these raw materials.
−Removed: Our inability to recover increased costs through
−Removed: increased sales prices could have an adverse impact on our results of operations.
−Removed: For periods in which the prices for these raw materials
−Removed: rise, we may be unable to pass on the increased cost to our customers, which would result in decreased sales margins for the products
−Removed: in which they are used.
−Removed: For periods in which prices for these raw materials decline, we may be required, as has occurred in the past,
−Removed: to write down our inventory carrying cost of these raw materials and products.
−Removed: Depending on the extent of the difference between market
−Removed: price and our carrying cost, the write-down could have a significant adverse effect on our results of operations.
−Removed: We resell products manufactured
−Removed: by other component and interconnect product manufacturers.
−Removed: Should these manufacturers experience difficulties supplying the products that
−Removed: we resell, or such suppliers use other channels to market their products, we could experience lower sales, which could have an adverse
−Removed: effect on our results of operations.
−Removed: Risks Related to Legal Uncertainty
−Removed: We could be subject to additional civil penalties
−Removed: or face criminal penalties and sanctions if we violate the terms of settlement with the SEC.
−Removed: On September 30, 2022, acting
−Removed: pursuant to an offer of settlement submitted by the Company, the SEC issued an order pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act, directing
−Removed: the Company to cease and desist from committing or causing any violations and any future violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities
−Removed: Act and Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder (the “SEC Order”).
−Removed: While we have already paid
−Removed: the penalties imposed by the order into which we entered pursuant to the SEC Order, it contains ongoing and continuing requirements that
−Removed: we refrain from violating the Securities Act.
−Removed: Any future violation of applicable securities laws by us or management could result in
−Removed: harsher sanctions and fines, which would have a material adverse effect on our ability to implement our business plans.
−Removed: SEC staff can
−Removed: make reasonable requests from us for further evidence of compliance.
−Removed: Such requests for further information, record-keeping requirements
−Removed: and others generally could divert management’s attention from implementing its business plans and could require additional material
−Removed: expenditures by us to legal counsel or other advisors and service providers.
−Removed: Further issues could reduce investor and shareholder confidence
−Removed: in our company and could result in a failure to execute on our business plan, which would negatively impact our business.
−Removed: A copy of the
−Removed: SEC Order can be found at www.sec .gov.
−Removed: Our global operations subject us to many different
−Removed: and complex laws and rules, and we may face difficulty in compliance.
−Removed: Due to our global operations,
−Removed: we are subject to many laws governing international relations (including but not limited to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.S.
−Removed: Export Administration Act the EU General Data Protection Regulation, and the U.K.
−Removed: Modern Anti-Slavery Act);
−Removed: which prohibit improper payments
−Removed: to government officials and restrict where and how we can do business, what information or products we can supply to certain countries,
−Removed: what personal information we can transfer, and what information we can provide to a non-U.S.
−Removed: Although we have procedures and
−Removed: policies in place that should mitigate the risk of violations of these laws, there is no guarantee that they will be sufficiently effective.
−Removed: If, and when we acquire new businesses, we may not be able to ensure that the pre-existing controls and procedures meant to prevent violations
−Removed: of the rules and laws were effective, and we may not be able to implement effective controls and procedures to prevent violations quickly
−Removed: enough when integrating newly acquired businesses.
−Removed: Acquisitions of new businesses in new non-U.S.
−Removed: jurisdictions may also subject us to
−Removed: new regulations and laws, and we may face difficulties ensuring compliance with these new requirements.
−Removed: Provisions in the Delaware law and our Bylaws
−Removed: could make it very difficult for an investor to bring any legal actions against our directors or officers for violations of their fiduciary
−Removed: duties or could require us to pay any amounts incurred by our directors or officers in any such actions.
−Removed: Members of our board of directors
−Removed: and our officers will have no liability for breaches of their fiduciary duty of care as a director or officer, except in limited circumstances,
−Removed: pursuant to provisions in the Delaware law and our Bylaws.
−Removed: Accordingly, you may be unable to prevail in a legal action against our directors
−Removed: or officers even if they have breached their fiduciary duty of care.
−Removed: In addition, our Bylaws allow us to indemnify our directors and officers
−Removed: from and against any and all costs, charges and expenses resulting from their acting in such capacities with us.
−Removed: This means that if you
−Removed: were able to enforce an action against our directors or officers, in all likelihood, we would be required to pay any expenses they incurred
−Removed: in defending the lawsuit and any judgment or settlement they otherwise would be required to pay.
−Removed: Accordingly, our indemnification obligations
−Removed: could divert needed financial resources and may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows,
−Removed: and adversely affect prevailing market prices for our common stock.
−Removed: If we fail to establish, maintain, and enforce
−Removed: intellectual property rights with respect to our technology, our financial condition, results of operations and business could be negatively
−Removed: Our ability to establish, maintain
−Removed: and enforce intellectual property rights with respect to our proprietary technologies, patents, patent applications, software and other
−Removed: rights will be a significant factor in determining our future financial and operating performance.
−Removed: We seek to protect our intellectual
−Removed: property rights by relying on a combination of patent, trade secret and copyright laws.
−Removed: We also use confidentiality and other provisions
−Removed: in our agreements that restrict access to and disclosure of our confidential know-how and trade secrets.
−Removed: We have filed patent applications
−Removed: with respect to many aspects of our technologies.
−Removed: However, we cannot provide any assurances that any of these applications will ultimately
−Removed: result in issued patents or, if patents are issued, that they will provide sufficient protections for our technology against competitors.
−Removed: Although we have filed various patent applications for some of our core technologies, we currently hold only six issued patents, with
−Removed: two in the United States and four in Canada, and we may face delays and difficulties in obtaining our other filed patents, or we may not
−Removed: be able to obtain such patents at all.
−Removed: Outside of these patent applications,
−Removed: we seek to protect our technology as trade secrets and technical know-how.
−Removed: However, trade secrets and technical know-how are difficult
−Removed: to maintain and do not provide the same legal protections provided by patents.
−Removed: In particular, only patents will allow us to prohibit others
−Removed: from using independently developed technology that are similar.
−Removed: If competitors develop knowledge substantially equivalent or superior
−Removed: to our trade secrets and technical know-how or gain access to our knowledge through other means such as observation of our technology
−Removed: that embodies trade secrets at customer sites which we do not control, the value of our trade secrets and technical know-how would be
−Removed: While we strive to maintain systems
−Removed: and procedures to protect the confidentiality and security of our trade secrets and technical know-how, these systems and procedures may
−Removed: fail to provide an adequate degree of protection.
−Removed: For example, although we generally enter into agreements with our employees, consultants,
−Removed: advisors, and strategic partners restricting the disclosure and use of trade secrets, technical know-how and confidential information,
−Removed: we cannot provide any assurance that these agreements will be sufficient to prevent unauthorized use or disclosure.
−Removed: In addition, some
−Removed: of the technology deployed at customer sites in the future, which we do not control, may be readily observable by third parties who are
−Removed: not under contractual obligations of non-disclosure, which may limit or compromise our ability to continue to protect such technology
−Removed: as a trade secret.
−Removed: Monitoring and policing unauthorized
−Removed: use and disclosure of intellectual property is difficult.
−Removed: If we learned that a third party was in fact infringing or otherwise violating
−Removed: our intellectual property, we may need to enforce our intellectual property rights through litigation.
−Removed: Litigation relating to our intellectual
−Removed: property may not prove successful and might result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention.
−Removed: From our customers’ standpoint,
−Removed: the strength of the intellectual property under which we control can be a critical determinant of the value of our products and services.
−Removed: If we are unable to secure, protect and enforce our intellectual property, it may become more difficult for us to attract new customers.
−Removed: Any such development could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.
−Removed: We may not have sufficient financial resources
−Removed: to defend our intellectual property rights or otherwise successfully defend against claims that we have infringed on a third party’s
−Removed: intellectual property and, as a result, it may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
−Removed: Even if such claims are not valid,
−Removed: they could subject us to significant costs.
−Removed: In addition, it may be necessary in the future to enforce our intellectual property rights
−Removed: to determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others.
−Removed: Litigation may also be necessary to defend against claims of
−Removed: infringement or invalidity by others.
−Removed: We may not have sufficient financial resources to defend our intellectual property rights or otherwise
−Removed: to successfully defend the company against valid or spurious claims that we have infringed upon the intellectual property rights of others.
−Removed: An adverse outcome in litigation or any similar proceedings could force us to take actions that could harm its business.
+Added: also depend on our information technology infrastructure for digital marketing and sales activities and for electronic communications
+Added: among our locations, personnel, customers, and suppliers around the world.
+Added: Many of the information technology systems used by us globally
+Added: have been in place for many years and not all hardware and software are currently supported by vendors.
+Added: These information technology
+Added: systems are susceptible to damage, disruptions, or shutdowns due to failures during the process of upgrading or replacing software, databases
+Added: or components thereof, power outages, hardware failures, computer viruses, cyber-attacks, telecommunication failures, user errors, or
+Added: catastrophic events.
+Added: If our information technology systems suffer severe damage, disruption, or shutdown and our business continuity
+Added: plans do not effectively resolve the issues in a timely manner, our product sales, financial condition, and results of operations may
+Added: be materially affected, and we could experience delays in reporting our financial results.
+Added: have been, and likely will continue to be, subject to various cyber-attacks.
+Added: To date, we have seen no material impact on our business
+Added: or operations from these attacks or events.
+Added: Any future significant compromise, breach, or misuse of our data security could result in
+Added: significant costs and damage to our reputation.
+Added: The ever-evolving threats mean us and our third-party service providers must continually
+Added: evaluate and adapt our respective systems and processes and overall security environment, as well as those of any companies we acquire.
+Added: There is no guarantee that these measures will be adequate to safeguard against all data security compromises, breaches, or misuses.
+Added: In addition, as the regulatory environment related to information security, data collection and use, and privacy becomes increasingly
+Added: rigorous, compliance with those requirements could also result in additional costs.
+Added: service providers, such as distributors, subcontractors, vendors, and data processors have access to certain portions of our sensitive
+Added: In the event that these service providers do not appropriately protect our data, the result could be a security breach or loss
+Added: Any such loss of data by our third-party service providers could have a material adverse impact on our business and results
+Added: of operations.
+Added: addition, if we are unable to prevent security breaches, we may suffer financial and reputational damage or penalties because of the
+Added: unauthorized disclosure of confidential information belonging to us or to our customers or suppliers.
+Added: Furthermore, the disclosure of
+Added: non-public sensitive information through external media channels could lead to the loss of intellectual property or damage our reputation
+Added: and brand image.
+Added: are also in the process of converting certain information technology networks and systems and consolidating certain global systems.
+Added: such projects fail, or if unexpected technical difficulties arise, our operations and financial systems could be adversely affected.
+Added: Further, we could incur additional costs or require additional technical support to resolve such difficulties.
+Added: breaches, denial of service attacks, or other hacking and phishing attacks on our systems or other security breaches, including internal
+Added: security failures, could harm our reputation or subject us to significant liability, and adversely affect our business and financial
+Added: operate in an industry that is prone to cyberattacks.
+Added: Failure to prevent or mitigate security breaches and improper access to or disclosure
+Added: of our data, customer data, or the data of their consumers, could result in the loss or misuse of such data, which could harm our business
+Added: and reputation.
+Added: The security measures we have integrated into our internal networks and platforms are designed to prevent or minimize
+Added: security breaches but may not function as expected or may not be sufficient to protect our internal networks and platforms against certain
+Added: In addition, incidents can originate on our partners’ websites or systems, which can then be leveraged to access our website
+Added: or systems, further preventing our ability to successfully identify and mitigate an attack.
+Added: Threat actors are rapidly evolving the techniques
+Added: used to sabotage or to obtain unauthorized access to networks in which data is stored or through which data is transmitted.
+Added: we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventative measures to prevent an electronic intrusion into our
+Added: While we have established cyberattack remediation plans to guide us in triaging and responding to such attacks, there can be
+Added: no assurance that the measures set forth under such plan will be adequate in all circumstances nor that they will be effective in mitigating,
+Added: or allowing us to recover from, the effects of such attacks.
+Added: While we do not yet have specific insurance coverage and while we plan to
+Added: obtain coverage in the near future, any coverage we acquire may be insufficient to compensate us for all liabilities that we may incur.
+Added: customers’ storage and use of data to operate their businesses and deliver services to their consumers is essential to their use
+Added: of our platform, which stores, transmits and processes our customers’ proprietary information and personal information relating
+Added: to them, their employees and their consumers.
+Added: If a security breach were to occur, as a result of third-party action, employee error,
+Added: breakdown of our internal security processes and procedures, malfeasance or otherwise, and the confidentiality, integrity or availability
+Added: of our customers’ data were disrupted, we could incur significant liability to our customers, to partners and to individuals whose
+Added: information was being stored by our customers, and our platform may be perceived as less desirable, which could negatively affect our
+Added: business and damage our reputation.
+Added: platform and third-party applications available on, or that interface with, our platform have been and, in the future, may be subject
+Added: to distributed denial of service attacks (“DDoS”), a technique used by hackers to take an internet service offline by overloading
+Added: its services.
+Added: Since techniques used to deliver DDoS attacks are evolving, we may be unable to implement adequate preventative measures
+Added: or stop DDoS attacks or security breaches while they are occurring.
+Added: We cannot guarantee that applicable recovery systems, security protocols,
+Added: network protection mechanisms and other procedures are or will be adequate to prevent network and service interruption, system failure
+Added: or data loss.
+Added: In addition, computer malware, viruses, ransomware, extortion, and hacking and phishing attacks or social engineering incidents
+Added: by third parties are prevalent in our industry.
+Added: Any actual or perceived DDoS attack or security breach could damage our reputation and
+Added: brand, expose us to a risk of litigation and possible liability and require us to expend significant capital and other resources to respond
+Added: to and/or alleviate problems caused by the DDoS attack or security breach.
+Added: our platform and third-party applications available on, or that interface with, our platform could be breached if vulnerabilities in
+Added: our platform or third-party applications are exploited by unauthorized third parties or due to employee error, breakdown of our internal
+Added: security processes and procedures, malfeasance, or otherwise.
+Added: If these third parties fail to adhere to adequate data security practices,
+Added: or in the event of a breach of their networks, our own and our customers’ data may be improperly accessed, used or disclosed.
+Added: threat actors may attempt to fraudulently induce employees or customers into disclosing sensitive information such as usernames, passwords
+Added: or other information or otherwise compromise the security of our internal networks, electronic systems and/or physical facilities in
+Added: order to gain access to our data or our customers’ data.
+Added: As a result of our increased visibility, the size of our customer base,
+Added: and the increasing amount of confidential information we process, we believe that we are increasingly a target for such breaches and
+Added: This threat may intensify in the event of retaliatory cyberattacks stemming from geopolitical events such as Russia’s
+Added: invasion of Ukraine.
+Added: In addition to our own platform and applications, some of the third parties we work with may receive information
+Added: provided by us, by our customers, or by our customers’ consumers through web or mobile applications.
+Added: If these third parties fail
+Added: to adhere to adequate data security practices, or in the event of a breach of their networks, our own and our customers’ data may
+Added: be improperly accessed, used or disclosed.
+Added: jurisdictions have enacted laws requiring companies to notify individuals and authorities of data security breaches involving certain
+Added: types of personal or other data and our agreements with certain customers and partners require us to notify them in the event of a security
+Added: Similarly, if our suppliers experience data breaches and do not notify us or honor their notification obligations to authorities
+Added: or users, we could be held liable for the breach.
+Added: We may not be in a position to assess whether a data breach at one of our suppliers
+Added: would trigger an obligation or liability on our part.
+Added: Such mandatory disclosures are costly, could lead to negative publicity, and may
+Added: cause our customers to lose confidence in the effectiveness of our data security measures.
+Added: Moreover, if a high-profile security breach
+Added: occurs with respect to another SaaS provider, customers may lose trust in the security of the SaaS business model generally, which could
+Added: adversely impact our ability to retain revenue from existing customers or attract new ones.
+Added: Similarly, if a high-profile security breach
+Added: occurs with respect to a retailer or eCommerce platform, customers may lose trust in eCommerce more generally, which could adversely
+Added: impact our customers’ businesses.
+Added: Any of these events could harm our reputation or subject us to significant liability, and materially
+Added: and adversely affect our business and financial results.
+Added: operating results are sensitive to raw material and resale product availability, quality, and cost
+Added: seek to have many sources of supply for each of our major requirements in order to avoid significant dependence on any one or a few suppliers.
+Added: However, the supply of materials or other items could be disrupted by natural disasters, international trade tariffs, wars, pandemics,
+Added: disputes and or other events.
+Added: Despite market price volatility for certain requirements and materials pricing pressures at some of our
+Added: businesses, the raw materials and various purchased components needed for our products have generally been available in sufficient quantities.
+Added: In some instances, lead times have extended beyond normal due to logistic delays and labor shortages occurring globally.
+Added: products, however, require the use of raw materials that are available from only a limited number of regions around the world, are available
+Added: from only a limited number of suppliers, or may be subject to significant fluctuations in market prices.
+Added: Our results of operations may
+Added: be adversely affected if we have difficulty obtaining these raw materials, our key suppliers experience financial difficulties, the quality
+Added: of available raw materials deteriorates, or there are significant price increases for these raw materials.
+Added: Our inability to recover increased
+Added: costs through increased sales prices could have an adverse impact on our results of operations.
+Added: For periods in which the prices for these
+Added: raw materials rise, we may be unable to pass on the increased cost to our customers, which would result in decreased sales margins for
+Added: the products in which they are used.
+Added: For periods in which prices for these raw materials decline, we may be required, as has occurred
+Added: in the past, to write down our inventory carrying cost of these raw materials and products.
+Added: Depending on the extent of the difference
+Added: between market price and our carrying cost, the write-down could have a significant adverse effect on our results of operations.
+Added: resell products manufactured by other component and interconnect product manufacturers.
+Added: Should these manufacturers experience difficulties
+Added: supplying the products that we resell, or such suppliers use other channels to market their products, we could experience lower sales,
+Added: which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.
+Added: Related to Legal Uncertainty
+Added: could be subject to additional civil penalties or face criminal penalties and sanctions if we violate the terms of settlement with the
+Added: September 30, 2022, acting pursuant to an offer of settlement submitted by the Company, the SEC issued an order pursuant to Section 8A
+Added: of the Securities Act, directing the Company to cease and desist from committing or causing any violations and any future violations
+Added: of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act and Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder (the “SEC Order”).
+Added: we have already paid the penalties imposed by the order into which we entered pursuant to the SEC Order, it contains ongoing and continuing
+Added: requirements that we refrain from violating the Securities Act.
+Added: Any future violation of applicable securities laws by us or management
+Added: could result in harsher sanctions and fines, which would have a material adverse effect on our ability to implement our business plans.
+Added: SEC staff can make reasonable requests from us for further evidence of compliance.
+Added: Such requests for further information, record-keeping
+Added: requirements and others generally could divert management’s attention from implementing its business plans and could require additional
+Added: material expenditures by us to legal counsel or other advisors and service providers.
+Added: Further issues could reduce investor and shareholder
+Added: confidence in our company and could result in a failure to execute on our business plan, which would negatively impact our business.
+Added: A copy of the SEC Order can be found at www.sec.gov .
+Added: in the Delaware law and our Bylaws could make it very difficult for an investor to bring any legal actions against our directors or officers
+Added: for violations of their fiduciary duties or could require us to pay any amounts incurred by our directors or officers in any such actions.
+Added: of our board of directors and our officers will have no liability for breaches of their fiduciary duty of care as a director or officer,
+Added: except in limited circumstances, pursuant to provisions in the Delaware law and our Bylaws.
+Added: Accordingly, you may be unable to prevail
+Added: in a legal action against our directors or officers even if they have breached their fiduciary duty of care.
+Added: In addition, our Bylaws
+Added: allow us to indemnify our directors and officers from and against any and all costs, charges and expenses resulting from their acting
+Added: in such capacities with us.
+Added: This means that if you were able to enforce an action against our directors or officers, in all likelihood,
+Added: we would be required to pay any expenses they incurred in defending the lawsuit and any judgment or settlement they otherwise would be
+Added: required to pay.
+Added: Accordingly, our indemnification obligations could divert needed financial resources and may adversely affect our business,
+Added: financial condition, results of operations and cash flows, and adversely affect prevailing market prices for our common stock.
+Added: we fail to establish, maintain, and enforce intellectual property rights with respect to our technology, our financial condition, results
+Added: of operations and business could be negatively impacted.
+Added: ability to establish, maintain and enforce intellectual property rights with respect to our proprietary technologies, patents, patent
+Added: applications, software and other rights will be a significant factor in determining our future financial and operating performance.
+Added: seek to protect our intellectual property rights by relying on a combination of patent, trade secret and copyright laws.
+Added: confidentiality and other provisions in our agreements that restrict access to and disclosure of our confidential know-how and trade
+Added: have filed patent applications with respect to many aspects of our technologies.
+Added: However, we cannot provide any assurances that any of
+Added: these applications will ultimately result in issued patents or, if patents are issued, that they will provide sufficient protections
+Added: for our technology against competitors.
+Added: Although we have filed various patent applications for some of our core technologies, we currently
+Added: hold only six issued patents, with two in the United States and four in Canada, and we may face delays and difficulties in obtaining
+Added: our other filed patents, or we may not be able to obtain such patents at all.
+Added: of these patent applications, we seek to protect our technology as trade secrets and technical know-how.
+Added: However, trade secrets and technical
+Added: know-how are difficult to maintain and do not provide the same legal protections provided by patents.
+Added: In particular, only patents will
+Added: allow us to prohibit others from using independently developed technology that are similar.
+Added: If competitors develop knowledge substantially
+Added: equivalent or superior to our trade secrets and technical know-how or gain access to our knowledge through other means such as observation
+Added: of our technology that embodies trade secrets at customer sites which we do not control, the value of our trade secrets and technical
+Added: know-how would be diminished.
+Added: we strive to maintain systems and procedures to protect the confidentiality and security of our trade secrets and technical know-how,
+Added: these systems and procedures may fail to provide an adequate degree of protection.
+Added: For example, although we generally enter into agreements
+Added: with our employees, consultants, advisors, and strategic partners restricting the disclosure and use of trade secrets, technical know-how
+Added: and confidential information, we cannot provide any assurance that these agreements will be sufficient to prevent unauthorized use or
+Added: In addition, some of the technology deployed at customer sites in the future, which we do not control, may be readily observable
+Added: by third parties who are not under contractual obligations of non-disclosure, which may limit or compromise our ability to continue to
+Added: protect such technology as a trade secret.
+Added: and policing unauthorized use and disclosure of intellectual property is difficult.
+Added: If we learned that a third party was in fact infringing
+Added: or otherwise violating our intellectual property, we may need to enforce our intellectual property rights through litigation.
+Added: relating to our intellectual property may not prove successful and might result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management
+Added: our customers’ standpoint, the strength of the intellectual property under which we control can be a critical determinant of the
+Added: value of our products and services.
+Added: If we are unable to secure, protect and enforce our intellectual property, it may become more difficult
+Added: for us to attract new customers.
+Added: Any such development could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition
+Added: and results of operations.
+Added: may not have sufficient financial resources to defend our intellectual property rights or otherwise successfully defend against claims
+Added: that we have infringed on a third party’s intellectual property and, as a result, it may adversely affect our business, financial
+Added: condition and results of operations.
+Added: if such claims are not valid, they could subject us to significant costs.
+Added: In addition, it may be necessary in the future to enforce our
+Added: intellectual property rights to determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others.
+Added: Litigation may also be necessary
+Added: to defend against claims of infringement or invalidity by others.
+Added: We may not have sufficient financial resources to defend our intellectual
+Added: property rights or otherwise to successfully defend the company against valid or spurious claims that we have infringed upon the intellectual
+Added: property rights of others.
+Added: An adverse outcome in litigation or any similar proceedings could force us to take actions that could harm
+Added: its business.
These include:
(i) ceasing to sell products that contain allegedly infringing property;
−Removed: (ii) obtaining licenses to the relevant intellectual property
−Removed: which we may not be able to obtain on terms that are acceptable, or at all;
−Removed: (iii) indemnifying certain customers or strategic partners
−Removed: if it is determined that we have infringed upon or misappropriated another party’s intellectual property;
−Removed: and (iv) redesigning products
−Removed: that embody allegedly infringing intellectual property.
−Removed: Any of these results could adversely and significantly affect our business, financial
−Removed: condition and results of operations.
−Removed: In addition, the cost of defending or asserting any intellectual property claim, both in legal fees
−Removed: and expenses, and the diversion of management resources, regardless of whether the claim is valid, could be significant and lead to significant
−Removed: and protracted losses.
−Removed: Product liability lawsuits against us could
−Removed: cause us to incur substantial liabilities and to limit commercialization of our product or any future products that we may develop.
−Removed: We face an inherent risk of product
−Removed: liability exposure related to the sale of our products and the future sale of planned products.
−Removed: We may be sued if any of our products
−Removed: allegedly causes injury.
−Removed: Any such product liability claims may include allegations of defects in manufacturing, defects in design, a failure
−Removed: to warn of dangers inherent in the product, negligence, strict liability, and a breach of warranties.
−Removed: We may also be subject to liability
−Removed: for a misunderstanding of, or inappropriate reliance upon, the information we provide.
−Removed: If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against
−Removed: claims that our product or planned products caused injuries, we may incur substantial liabilities.
−Removed: Regardless of merit or eventual outcome,
−Removed: liability claims may result in:
−Removed: decreased demand for our product or any planned products that we may develop;
−Removed: injury to our reputation and significant negative media attention;
−Removed: significant costs to defend the related litigation and distraction to our management team;
−Removed: substantial monetary awards to plaintiffs;
−Removed: loss of revenue;
−Removed: the inability to commercialize any future products that we may develop.
−Removed: Such events could subject us to
−Removed: costly litigation, require us to pay substantial amounts of money to injured parties, delay, negatively impact, or end our opportunity
−Removed: to market those products, or require us to suspend or abandon our commercialization efforts.
−Removed: Even in a circumstance in which we do not
−Removed: believe that an adverse event is related to our product, the investigation into the circumstance may be time-consuming or inconclusive.
+Added: (ii) obtaining licenses to the
+Added: relevant intellectual property which we may not be able to obtain on terms that are acceptable, or at all;
+Added: (iii) indemnifying certain
+Added: customers or strategic partners if it is determined that we have infringed upon or misappropriated another party’s intellectual
+Added: and (iv) redesigning products that embody allegedly infringing intellectual property.
+Added: Any of these results could adversely
+Added: and significantly affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
+Added: In addition, the cost of defending or asserting
+Added: any intellectual property claim, both in legal fees and expenses, and the diversion of management resources, regardless of whether the
+Added: claim is valid, could be significant and lead to significant and protracted losses.
+Added: liability lawsuits against us could cause us to incur substantial liabilities and to limit commercialization of our product or any future
+Added: products that we may develop.
+Added: face an inherent risk of product liability exposure related to the sale of our products and the future sale of planned products.
+Added: be sued if any of our products allegedly causes injury.
+Added: Any such product liability claims may include allegations of defects in manufacturing,
+Added: defects in design, a failure to warn of dangers inherent in the product, negligence, strict liability, and a breach of warranties.
+Added: may also be subject to liability for a misunderstanding of, or inappropriate reliance upon, the information we provide.
+Added: successfully defend ourselves against claims that our product or planned products caused injuries, we may incur substantial liabilities.
+Added: Regardless of merit or eventual outcome, liability claims may result in:
+Added: demand for our product or any planned products that we may develop;
+Added: to our reputation and significant negative media attention;
+Added: costs to defend the related litigation and distraction to our management team;
+Added: monetary awards to plaintiffs;
+Added: inability to commercialize any future products that we may develop.
+Added: events could subject us to costly litigation, require us to pay substantial amounts of money to injured parties, delay, negatively impact,
+Added: or end our opportunity to market those products, or require us to suspend or abandon our commercialization efforts.
+Added: Even in a circumstance
+Added: in which we do not believe that an adverse event is related to our product, the investigation into the circumstance may be time-consuming
+Added: or inconclusive.
These investigations may interrupt our sales efforts.
−Removed: As a result of these factors, a product liability claim, even if successfully defended,
−Removed: could harm our business.
−Removed: We currently maintain product
−Removed: liability insurance coverage, which may not be adequate to cover all liabilities that we may incur.
−Removed: Insurance coverage is increasingly
−Removed: We may not be able to maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost or in an amount adequate to satisfy any liability that
−Removed: If we experience material weaknesses in the
−Removed: future or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting in the future, we may not be able
−Removed: to accurately or timely report our financial condition or results of operations, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us
−Removed: and, as a result, the value of our common stock.
−Removed: As a public company, we are required
−Removed: to maintain internal control over financial reporting and to report any material weaknesses in such internal controls.
−Removed: Section 404 of
−Removed: the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and determine the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and
−Removed: provide a management report on internal control over financial reporting.
−Removed: A material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies,
−Removed: in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our financial
−Removed: statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
−Removed: Ensuring that we have adequate internal financial and accounting controls
−Removed: and procedures in place so that we can produce accurate financial statements on a timely basis is a costly and time-consuming effort.
−Removed: Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting
−Removed: and the preparation of financial statements in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.
−Removed: We may not be able to complete
−Removed: our evaluation, testing and any required remediation in a timely fashion.
−Removed: During the evaluation and testing process, if we identify one
−Removed: or more material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, we will be unable to assert that our internal controls are
−Removed: The identification of one or more material weaknesses would preclude a conclusion that we maintain effective internal control
−Removed: over financial reporting.
−Removed: Accordingly, there could continue to be a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our financial
−Removed: statements would not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
−Removed: management, including our principal executive officer and principal accounting officer, conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of
−Removed: our internal control over financial reporting using the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway
−Removed: Commission ( “ COSO ” )
−Removed: in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013).
−Removed: Based on its evaluation, our management concluded that as of September 30, 2023,
−Removed: that our internal control over financial reporting were effective.
−Removed: We are required to disclose changes
−Removed: made in our internal control and procedures on a quarterly basis.
−Removed: However, our independent registered public accounting firm will not
−Removed: be required to report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
−Removed: Act until we are no longer an “smaller reporting company.” At such time, our independent registered public accounting firm
−Removed: may issue a report that is adverse in the event it is not satisfied with the level at which our controls are documented, designed or operating.
+Added: As a result of these factors, a product liability claim, even
+Added: if successfully defended, could harm our business.
+Added: currently maintain product liability insurance coverage, which may not be adequate to cover all liabilities that we may incur.
+Added: coverage is increasingly expensive.
+Added: We may not be able to maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost or in an amount adequate to
+Added: satisfy any liability that may arise.
+Added: we experience material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial
+Added: reporting in the future, we may not be able to accurately or timely report our financial condition or results of operations, which may
+Added: adversely affect investor confidence in us and, as a result, the value of our common stock.
+Added: a public company, we are required to maintain internal control over financial reporting and to report any material weaknesses in such
+Added: internal controls.
+Added: Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and determine the effectiveness of our internal control
+Added: over financial reporting and provide a management report on internal control over financial reporting.
+Added: A material weakness is a deficiency,
+Added: or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material
+Added: misstatement of our financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
+Added: Ensuring that we have adequate internal
+Added: financial and accounting controls and procedures in place so that we can produce accurate financial statements on a timely basis is a
+Added: costly and time-consuming effort.
+Added: Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding
+Added: the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.
+Added: We may not be able to complete our evaluation, testing and any required remediation in a timely fashion.
+Added: During the evaluation and testing
+Added: process, if we identify one or more material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, we will be unable to assert
+Added: that our internal controls are effective.
+Added: The identification of one or more material weaknesses would preclude a conclusion that we maintain
+Added: effective internal control over financial reporting.
+Added: Accordingly, there could continue to be a reasonable possibility that a material
+Added: misstatement of our financial statements would not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
+Added: management, including our principal executive officer and principal accounting officer, conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness
+Added: of our internal control over financial reporting using the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway
+Added: Commission (“COSO”) in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013).
+Added: Based on its evaluation, our management concluded
+Added: that as of September 30, 2024, that our internal control over financial reporting were effective.
+Added: are required to disclose changes made in our internal control and procedures on a quarterly basis.
+Added: However, our independent registered
+Added: public accounting firm will not be required to report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant
+Added: to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act until we are no longer an “smaller reporting company.” At such time, our independent
+Added: registered public accounting firm may issue a report that is adverse in the event it is not satisfied with the level at which our controls
+Added: are documented, designed or operating.
Our remediation efforts may not enable us to avoid a material weakness in the future.
−Removed: If we are unable to assert that our internal control
−Removed: over financial reporting is effective, or when required in the future, if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable
−Removed: to express an unqualified opinion as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, investors may lose confidence
−Removed: in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the market price of our common stock could be adversely affected, and we
−Removed: could become subject to investigations by the stock exchange on which our securities are listed, the SEC, or other regulatory authorities,
−Removed: which could require additional financial and management resources.
−Removed: Risks Related to Acquisitions
−Removed: We have grown through acquisitions and are continuously looking to
−Removed: fund other acquisitions;
−Removed: our failure to raise funds for acquisitions may have the effect of slowing down our growth and our use of funds
−Removed: for acquisitions subjects us to acquisition-related risks.
−Removed: We intend to make acquisitions
−Removed: of complementary (including competitive) businesses, products and technologies.
−Removed: However, any future acquisitions may result in material
−Removed: transaction costs, increased interest and amortization expenses related to goodwill and other intangible assets, increased depreciation
−Removed: expense and increased operating expenses, any of which could have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial position.
−Removed: will require integration of acquired assets and management into our operations to realize economies of scale and control costs.
−Removed: may involve other risks, including diversion of management attention that would otherwise be available for ongoing internal development
−Removed: of our business and risks inherent in entering markets in which we have no or limited prior experience.
−Removed: In connection with future acquisitions,
−Removed: we may make potentially dilutive issuances of equity securities.
−Removed: In addition, consummation of acquisitions may subject us to unanticipated
−Removed: business uncertainties, contingent liabilities or legal matters relating to those acquired businesses for which the sellers of the acquired
−Removed: businesses may not fully indemnify us.
−Removed: There can be no assurance that our business will grow through acquisitions, as anticipated.
−Removed: We may fail to successfully integrate our acquisitions
−Removed: or otherwise be unable to benefit from pursuing acquisitions.
−Removed: We believe there are meaningful
−Removed: opportunities to grow through acquisitions and joint ventures across all product categories and we expect to continue a strategy of selectively
−Removed: identifying and acquiring businesses with complementary products.
−Removed: We may be unable to identify, negotiate, and complete suitable acquisition
−Removed: opportunities on reasonable terms.
−Removed: There can be no assurance that any business acquired by us will be successfully integrated with our
−Removed: operations or prove to be profitable to us.
−Removed: We may incur future liabilities related to acquisitions.
−Removed: Should any of the following problems,
−Removed: or others, occur as a result of our acquisition strategy, the impact could be material:
−Removed: difficulties integrating personnel from acquired entities and other corporate cultures into our business;
−Removed: difficulties integrating information systems;
−Removed: the potential loss of key employees of acquired companies;
−Removed: the assumption of liabilities and exposure to undisclosed or unknown liabilities of acquired companies;
−Removed: the diversion of management attention from existing operations.
−Removed: Risks Related to Our Management and Control Persons
−Removed: The loss of the services of Saagar Govil for any reason would materially
−Removed: and adversely affect our business operations and prospects.
−Removed: Our financial success is dependent
−Removed: to a significant degree upon the efforts of Saagar Govil, our Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer.
−Removed: Saagar Govil possesses
−Removed: management, financial expertise, engineering, sales and marketing experience concerning our company that our other officers do not have.
+Added: unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or when required in the future, if our independent
+Added: registered public accounting firm is unable to express an unqualified opinion as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial
+Added: reporting, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the market price of our common
+Added: stock could be adversely affected, and we could become subject to investigations by the stock exchange on which our securities are listed,
+Added: the SEC, or other regulatory authorities, which could require additional financial and management resources.
+Added: Related to Acquisitions
+Added: have grown through acquisitions and are continuously looking to fund other acquisitions;
+Added: our failure to raise funds for acquisitions
+Added: may have the effect of slowing down our growth and our use of funds for acquisitions subjects us to acquisition-related risks.
+Added: intend to make acquisitions of complementary (including competitive) businesses, products and technologies.
+Added: However, any future acquisitions
+Added: may result in material transaction costs, increased interest and amortization expenses related to goodwill and other intangible assets,
+Added: increased depreciation expense and increased operating expenses, any of which could have an adverse effect on our operating results and
+Added: financial position.
+Added: Acquisitions will require integration of acquired assets and management into our operations to realize economies
+Added: of scale and control costs.
+Added: Acquisitions may involve other risks, including diversion of management attention that would otherwise be
+Added: available for ongoing internal development of our business and risks inherent in entering markets in which we have no or limited prior
+Added: In connection with future acquisitions, we may make potentially dilutive issuances of equity securities.
+Added: In addition, consummation
+Added: of acquisitions may subject us to unanticipated business uncertainties, contingent liabilities or legal matters relating to those acquired
+Added: businesses for which the sellers of the acquired businesses may not fully indemnify us.
+Added: There can be no assurance that our business will
+Added: grow through acquisitions, as anticipated.
+Added: may fail to successfully integrate our acquisitions or otherwise be unable to benefit from pursuing acquisitions.
+Added: believe there are meaningful opportunities to grow through acquisitions and joint ventures across all product categories and we expect
+Added: to continue a strategy of selectively identifying and acquiring businesses with complementary products.
+Added: We may be unable to identify,
+Added: negotiate, and complete suitable acquisition opportunities on reasonable terms.
+Added: There can be no assurance that any business acquired
+Added: by us will be successfully integrated with our operations or prove to be profitable to us.
+Added: We may incur future liabilities related to
+Added: acquisitions.
+Added: Should any of the following problems, or others, occur as a result of our acquisition strategy, the impact could be material:
+Added: integrating personnel from acquired entities and other corporate cultures into our business;
+Added: integrating information systems;
+Added: potential loss of key employees of acquired companies;
+Added: assumption of liabilities and exposure to undisclosed or unknown liabilities of acquired companies;
+Added: diversion of management attention from existing operations.
+Added: Related to Our Management and Control Persons
+Added: loss of the services of Saagar Govil for any reason would materially and adversely affect our business operations and prospects.
+Added: financial success is dependent to a significant degree upon the efforts of Saagar Govil, our Chairman, President and Chief Executive
+Added: Saagar Govil possesses management, financial expertise, engineering, sales and marketing experience concerning our company that
+Added: our other officers do not have.
We have not entered into an employment arrangement with Mr.
−Removed: Govil, and we have not obtained key man insurance over him.
−Removed: There can be no
−Removed: assurance that Saagar Govil will continue to provide services to us.
−Removed: A voluntary or involuntary departure by Saagar Govil could have a
−Removed: materially adverse effect on our business operations if we were not able to attract a qualified replacement for them in a timely manner.
−Removed: If we are unable to attract and retain qualified
−Removed: personnel, especially our design and technical personnel, we may not be able to execute our business strategy effectively.
−Removed: Our future success depends on
−Removed: our ability to retain, attract and motivate qualified personnel, including our management, sales and marketing, finance, and especially
−Removed: our design and technical personnel.
−Removed: As the source of our technological and product innovations, our design and technical personnel represent
−Removed: a significant asset.
−Removed: Any inability to retain, attract or motivate such personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business
−Removed: and results of operations.
−Removed: Our management stockholders have significant stockholdings in and
−Removed: influence over our company which could make it impossible for public stockholders to influence the affairs of our company.
−Removed: We are a “controlled company”
−Removed: under Nasdaq Listing Rules.
−Removed: Approximately 90% of our outstanding voting shares, which includes our common stock, Series C preferred stock
−Removed: and Series 1 preferred stock, are beneficially held by Saagar Govil, our Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer.
−Removed: certificate of designation for our Series C preferred, each outstanding share of Series C Preferred Stock is entitled to the number of
−Removed: votes equal to the result of (i) the total number of shares of Common Stock outstanding at the time of such vote multiplied by 10.01,
−Removed: and divided by (ii) the total number of shares of Series C Preferred Stock outstanding at the time of such vote, at each meeting of our
−Removed: shareholders with respect to any and all matters presented to our shareholders for their action or consideration, including the election
−Removed: of directors.
−Removed: As a result of Saagar Govil’s ownership of our common stock, Series C preferred stock, and Series 1 preferred stock,
−Removed: he controls, and will control in the future, substantially all matters requiring approval by the stockholders of our company, including
−Removed: the election of all directors and approval of significant corporate transactions.
−Removed: This could make it impossible for public stockholders
+Added: Govil, and we have not obtained key man insurance
+Added: There can be no assurance that Saagar Govil will continue to provide services to us.
+Added: A voluntary or involuntary departure by
+Added: Saagar Govil could have a materially adverse effect on our business operations if we were not able to attract a qualified replacement
+Added: for him in a timely manner.
+Added: we are unable to attract and retain qualified personnel, especially our design and technical personnel, we may not be able to execute
+Added: our business strategy effectively.
+Added: future success depends on our ability to retain, attract and motivate qualified personnel, including our management, sales and marketing,
+Added: finance, and especially our design and technical personnel.
+Added: As the source of our technological and product innovations, our design and
+Added: technical personnel represent a significant asset.
+Added: Any inability to retain, attract or motivate such personnel could have a material
+Added: adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
+Added: management stockholders have significant stockholdings in and influence over our company which could make it impossible for public stockholders
to influence the affairs of our company.
−Removed: Risks Related to Our Securities
−Removed: Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market
−Removed: could depress the market price of our common stock.
−Removed: Our common stock and Series 1
−Removed: Preferred Stock are listed for trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market.
−Removed: If our stockholders sell substantial amounts of our securities in
−Removed: the public market, including the shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of our Series 1 warrants and stock options, and shares
−Removed: issued as consideration in future acquisitions, or the market perceives that such sales may occur, the market price of our securities
−Removed: could fall and we may be unable to sell our securities in the future.
−Removed: Our securities may experience extreme price and volume fluctuations,
−Removed: which could lead to costly litigation for us and make an investment in us less appealing.
−Removed: The market price of our securities
−Removed: may fluctuate substantially due to a variety of factors, including:
−Removed: our business strategy and plans;
−Removed: changing factors related to doing business in various jurisdictions within the United States;
−Removed: new regulatory pronouncements and changes in regulatory guidelines and timing of regulatory approvals;
−Removed: general and industry-specific economic conditions;
−Removed: additions to or departures of our key personnel;
−Removed: variations in our quarterly financial and operating results;
−Removed: changes in market valuations of other companies that operate in our business segments or in our industry;
−Removed: lack of trading liquidity;
−Removed: announcements about our business partners;
−Removed: Intellectual property disputes;
−Removed: Operating results below or exceeding expectations or period-to-period fluctuations in our financial results;
−Removed: Whether we achieve profits or not;
−Removed: changes in accounting principles;
−Removed: general market conditions, economic and other external factors.
−Removed: The market prices of the securities
−Removed: of early-stage companies, particularly companies like ours without consistent product revenues and earnings, have been highly volatile
−Removed: and are likely to remain highly volatile in the future.
−Removed: This volatility has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular
−Removed: In the past, companies that experience volatility in the market price of their securities have often faced securities class
−Removed: action litigation.
−Removed: Whether or not meritorious, litigation brought against us could result in substantial costs, divert our management’s
−Removed: attention and resources and harm our financial condition and results of operations.
−Removed: Our Series 1 preferred stock and all of our existing and future indebtedness
−Removed: rank senior to our common stock in the event of a liquidation, winding up or dissolution of our business.
−Removed: In the event of our liquidation, winding up or dissolution,
−Removed: our assets would be available to make payments to holders of all existing and future indebtedness and Series 1 preferred stock before
−Removed: payments to holders of our common stock.
−Removed: In the event of our bankruptcy, liquidation or winding up, there may not be sufficient assets
−Removed: remaining, after paying amounts to the holders of our indebtedness and Series 1 preferred stock, to pay anything to common stockholders.
−Removed: As of September 30, 2023, we had total consolidated debt of approximately $37.8 million and 2,293,116 shares issued and 2,229,016 shares
−Removed: of Series 1 preferred stock outstanding.
−Removed: Any liquidation, winding up or dissolution of our company or of any of our wholly or partially
−Removed: owned subsidiaries would have a material adverse effect on holders of our common stock.
−Removed: Our common stockholders may be adversely affected by the issuance
−Removed: of any subsequent series of preferred stock.
−Removed: Our certificate of incorporation
−Removed: does not restrict our ability to offer one or more additional new series of preferred stock, any or all of which may rank equally with
−Removed: or have preferences over our common stock as to dividend payments, voting rights, rights upon liquidation or other types of rights.
−Removed: would have no obligation to consider the specific interests of the holders of common stock in creating any such new series of preferred
−Removed: stock or engaging in any such offering or transaction.
−Removed: Our creation of any new series of preferred stock or our engaging in any such offering
−Removed: or transaction could have a material adverse effect on holders of our common stock.
−Removed: The public trading market for the common stock may be limited in
−Removed: Our common stock is listed for
−Removed: trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol CETX.
−Removed: The trading volume fluctuates and there have been time periods during which
−Removed: the common stock trading volume has been limited.
−Removed: Management can make no assurances that trading volume will not be similarly limited
+Added: are a “controlled company” under Nasdaq Listing Rules.
+Added: Approximately 90% of our outstanding voting shares, which includes
+Added: our common stock, Series C preferred stock and Series 1 preferred stock, are beneficially held by Saagar Govil, our Chairman, President
+Added: and Chief Executive Officer.
+Added: Pursuant to certificate of designation for our Series C preferred, each outstanding share of Series C Preferred
+Added: Stock is entitled to the number of votes equal to the result of (i) the total number of shares of Common Stock outstanding at the time
+Added: of such vote multiplied by 10.01, and divided by (ii) the total number of shares of Series C Preferred Stock outstanding at the time
+Added: of such vote, at each meeting of our shareholders with respect to any and all matters presented to our shareholders for their action
+Added: or consideration, including the election of directors.
+Added: As a result of Saagar Govil’s ownership of our common stock, Series C preferred
+Added: stock, and Series 1 preferred stock, he controls, and will control in the future, substantially all matters requiring approval by the
+Added: stockholders of our company, including the election of all directors and approval of significant corporate transactions.
+Added: This could make
+Added: it impossible for public stockholders to influence the affairs of our company.
+Added: of directors for breach of duty is limited under Delaware law.
+Added: certificate of incorporation limits the liability of directors to the maximum extent permitted by Delaware law.
+Added: Delaware law provides
+Added: that directors of a corporation will not be personally liable for monetary damages for breach of their fiduciary duties as directors,
+Added: except for liability for any:
+Added: of their duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders;
+Added: or omission not in good faith or that involves intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law;
+Added: payments of dividends or unlawful stock repurchases, or redemptions as provided in Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation
+Added: from which the directors derived an improper personal benefit.
+Added: limitations of liability do not apply to liabilities arising under the federal or state securities laws and do not affect the availability
+Added: of equitable remedies such as injunctive relief or rescission.
+Added: bylaws provide that we will indemnify for our directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by law and may indemnify employees
+Added: and other agents.
+Added: Our bylaws also provide that we are obligated to advance expenses incurred by a director or officer in advance of the
+Added: final disposition of any action or proceeding.
+Added: limitation of liability and indemnification provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may discourage stockholders from
+Added: bringing a lawsuit against directors for breach of their fiduciary duties.
+Added: They may also reduce the likelihood of derivative litigation
+Added: against directors and officers, even though an action, if successful, might provide a benefit to us and our stockholders.
+Added: of operations and financial condition may be harmed to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against directors
+Added: and officers pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
+Added: as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us,
+Added: we have been informed that, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act
+Added: and is therefore unenforceable.
+Added: present, there is no pending litigation or proceeding involving any of our directors or officers as to which indemnification is required
+Added: or permitted, and we are not aware of any threatened litigation or proceeding that may result in a claim for indemnification.
+Added: Related to Our Securities and the Markets for Our Securities
+Added: of substantial amounts of our securities in the public market could depress the market price of our common stock.
+Added: common stock is listed for trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market and our Series 1 Preferred Stock is quoted on the OTC Markets.
+Added: stockholders sell substantial amounts of our securities in the public market, including the shares of common stock issuable upon the
+Added: exercise of our stock options, those under our 2020 Equity Compensation Plan, and shares issued as consideration in future acquisitions,
+Added: or the market perceives that such sales may occur, the market price of our securities could fall and we may be unable to sell our securities
in the future.
−Removed: Without an active trading market, there can be no assurance of any liquidity or resale value of the common stock, and stockholders
−Removed: may be required to hold their shares of common stock for an indefinite period of time.
−Removed: We may not pay cash dividends on our common stock.
−Removed: Our board of directors declared
−Removed: a one-time cash dividend on our common stock in April 2017.
−Removed: The terms of our series 1 preferred stock provide for the payment of semiannual
−Removed: dividends on the last day of March and September in each year, which began in March 2017.
−Removed: No other cash dividends have been declared or
−Removed: paid by us on our stock during either of the two most recent fiscal years or the period through the date of this Annual Report.
−Removed: than with respect to our series 1 preferred stock, our board of directors declares dividends when, in its discretion, it determines that
−Removed: a dividend payment, as opposed to another use of cash, is in the best interests of the stockholders.
−Removed: Such decisions are based on the facts
−Removed: and circumstances then existing including, without limitation, our results of operations, financial condition, contractual restrictions,
−Removed: restrictions imposed by applicable law and other factors our board of directors deems relevant.
−Removed: As a result, we cannot predict when, or
−Removed: whether, another dividend on our common stock will be declared in the future.
−Removed: If our shares become subject to the penny stock
−Removed: rules, it would become more difficult to trade our shares.
−Removed: The SEC has adopted rules that
−Removed: regulate broker-dealer practices in connection with transactions in penny stocks.
−Removed: Penny stocks are generally equity securities with a
−Removed: price of less than $5.00, other than securities registered on certain national securities exchanges or authorized for quotation on certain
−Removed: automated quotation systems, provided that current price and volume information with respect to transactions in such securities is provided
−Removed: by the exchange or system.
−Removed: If the price of our Common Stock is less than $5.00, our Common Stock will be deemed a penny stock.
−Removed: stock rules require a broker-dealer, before a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, to deliver a standardized
−Removed: risk disclosure document containing specified information.
−Removed: In addition, the penny stock rules require that before effecting any transaction
−Removed: in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, a broker-dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock
−Removed: is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive (i) the purchaser’s written acknowledgment of the receipt of a risk disclosure
+Added: securities may experience extreme price and volume fluctuations, which could lead to costly litigation for us and make an investment
+Added: in us less appealing.
+Added: market price of our securities may fluctuate substantially due to a variety of factors, including:
+Added: business strategy and plans;
+Added: factors related to doing business in various jurisdictions within the United States;
+Added: regulatory pronouncements and changes in regulatory guidelines and timing of regulatory approvals;
+Added: and industry-specific economic conditions;
+Added: to or departures of our key personnel;
+Added: in our quarterly financial and operating results;
+Added: in market valuations of other companies that operate in our business segments or in our industry;
+Added: of trading liquidity;
+Added: announcements
+Added: about our business partners;
+Added: property disputes;
+Added: results below or exceeding expectations or period-to-period fluctuations in our financial results;
+Added: we achieve profits or not;
+Added: in accounting principles;
+Added: market conditions, economic and other external factors.
+Added: market prices of the securities of early-stage companies, particularly companies like ours without consistent product revenues and earnings,
+Added: have been highly volatile and are likely to remain highly volatile in the future.
+Added: This volatility has often been unrelated to the operating
+Added: performance of particular companies.
+Added: In the past, companies that experience volatility in the market price of their securities have often
+Added: faced securities class action litigation.
+Added: Whether or not meritorious, litigation brought against us could result in substantial costs,
+Added: divert our management’s attention and resources and harm our financial condition and results of operations.
+Added: have issued Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants in connection with the public offering completed in May 2024 that have provisions
+Added: that can increase the number of warrants and reduce the exercise price if we complete certain transactions.
+Added: public offering completed in May 2024 included Series A and Series B warrants (“Series A Warrants” and “Series B Warrants”)
+Added: to purchase our common stock with initial exercise prices of $0.85 per share.
+Added: As of December 2024, approximately 82,722 and 3,318,556
+Added: Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants, respectively, remain outstanding and the Series A Warrants have a current exercise price of
+Added: $3.1488 and the Series B Warrants have a current exercise price of $3.1488.
+Added: Series A Warrants may be exercised on an alternative cash
+Added: basis where each warrant exercised will result in the Company issuing three shares of common stock.
+Added: Series B Warrants provide, subject to certain exemptions, that if we sell or issue, any common stock or convertible securities, at an
+Added: effective price per share less than the exercise price of the Series B Warrant then in effect, or a Dilutive Issuance, the exercise price
+Added: of the Series B Warrant will be reduced to an amount equal to the lowest daily volume weighted average price (“VWAP”) during
+Added: the period commencing five consecutive trading days following the Dilutive Issuance and the number of shares issuable upon exercise of
+Added: the Series B Warrant shall be proportionally adjusted so that the aggregate exercise price of the Series B Warrant shall remain unchanged.
+Added: if at any time on or after the date of issuance there occurs any share split, share dividend, share combination, recapitalization or
+Added: other similar transaction involving our common stock and the lowest daily VWAP during the five consecutive trading days prior to the
+Added: date of such event and the five consecutive trading days after the date of such event is less than the exercise price then in effect,
+Added: then the exercise price on the Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants shall be reduced to the lowest daily VWAP during such period and
+Added: the number of warrant shares issuable shall be increased such that the aggregate exercise price payable thereunder, after taking into
+Added: account the decrease in the exercise price, shall be equal to the aggregate exercise price on the date of issuance.
+Added: a result of the 1 for 60 reverse stock split we completed on October 2, 2024, the exercise price of approximately 12,059,879 Series A
+Added: Warrants were reset to $0.7466 and 13,529,410 Series B Warrants were reset to $0.7466 based on the lowest VWAP over the course of the
+Added: five day trading period and the new amount of Series A Warrants as of this date became approximately 13,766,999 million, and the new
+Added: amount of Series B Warrants as of this date became approximately 15,444,550.
+Added: a result of the 1 for 35 reverse stock split we completed on November 26, 2024, the exercise price of approximately 1,201,932 Series
+Added: A Warrants were reset to $3.1488 and 15,444,550 Series B Warrants were reset to $3.1488 based on the lowest VWAP over the course of the
+Added: five day trading period and the new amount of Series A Warrants as of this date became approximately 284,225, and the new amount of Series
+Added: B Warrants as of this date became approximately 3,652,206.
+Added: adjustments to the Series A Warrants and Series B Warrant exercise price and number of warrants may occur if we complete any additional
+Added: transactions or complete another reverse stock split per the terms of the Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants.
+Added: some of the holders of Series A and Series B Warrants have ownership limitations, if and when we do issue shares of common stock to holders
+Added: of the Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants upon the exercise by the holder, such stockholders may resell all, some or none of those
+Added: shares of common stock at any time or from time to time at their discretion.
+Added: Resales of our common stock may cause the market price of
+Added: our securities to drop significantly, regardless of the performance of our business.
+Added: of the Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants could discourage an acquisition of us by a third-party.
+Added: provisions of the Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants could make it more difficult or expensive for a third-party to acquire us.
+Added: The Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants prohibit us from engaging in certain transactions constituting “fundamental transactions”
+Added: unless, among other things, the surviving entity assumes our obligations under the Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants.
+Added: other provisions of the Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants could prevent or deter a third-party from acquiring us even where the
+Added: acquisition could be beneficial to you.
+Added: Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock and make it more difficult
+Added: to effect a business combination.
+Added: the extent we issue shares of common stock to effect a future business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number
+Added: of additional shares of common stock upon exercise of the Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants could make us a less attractive acquisition
+Added: vehicle in the eyes of a target business.
+Added: Such Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants, when exercised, will increase the number of issued
+Added: and outstanding shares of common stock and reduce the value of the shares issued to complete the business combination.
+Added: Accordingly, the
+Added: Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring
+Added: a target business.
+Added: Additionally, the sale, or even the possibility of a sale, of the shares of common stock underlying the Series A Warrants
+Added: and Series B Warrants could have an adverse effect on the market price for our securities or on our ability to obtain future financing.
+Added: If and to the extent the Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants are exercised, you may experience dilution to your holdings.
+Added: will likely not receive any additional funds upon the exercise of the Series A Warrants.
+Added: Series A Warrants may be exercised by way of an alternative cashless exercise, meaning that the holder may not pay a cash purchase price
+Added: upon exercise, but instead would receive upon such exercise the net number of shares of our common stock determined according to the
+Added: formula set forth in the Series A Warrants.
+Added: Accordingly, we will likely not receive any additional funds upon the exercise of the Series
+Added: Series 1 preferred stock and all of our existing and future indebtedness rank senior to our common stock in the event of a liquidation,
+Added: winding up or dissolution of our business.
+Added: the event of our liquidation, winding up or dissolution, our assets would be available to make payments to holders of all existing and
+Added: future indebtedness and Series 1 preferred stock before payments to holders of our common stock.
+Added: In the event of our bankruptcy, liquidation
+Added: or winding up, there may not be sufficient assets remaining, after paying amounts to the holders of our indebtedness and Series 1 preferred
+Added: stock, to pay anything to common stockholders.
+Added: As of September 30, 2024, we had total consolidated liabilities of approximately $39.2
+Added: million and 2,456,827 shares issued and 2,392,727 shares of Series 1 preferred stock outstanding.
+Added: Any liquidation, winding up or dissolution
+Added: of our company or of any of our wholly or partially owned subsidiaries would have a material adverse effect on holders of our common
+Added: common stockholders may be adversely affected by the issuance of any subsequent series of preferred stock.
+Added: certificate of incorporation does not restrict our ability to offer one or more additional new series of preferred stock, any or all
+Added: of which may rank equally with or have preferences over our common stock as to dividend payments, voting rights, rights upon liquidation
+Added: or other types of rights.
+Added: We would have no obligation to consider the specific interests of the holders of common stock in creating any
+Added: such new series of preferred stock or engaging in any such offering or transaction.
+Added: Our creation of any new series of preferred stock
+Added: or our engaging in any such offering or transaction could have a material adverse effect on holders of our common stock.
+Added: public trading market for the common stock may be limited in the future.
+Added: common stock is listed for trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol CETX.
+Added: The trading volume fluctuates and there have been
+Added: time periods during which the common stock trading volume has been limited.
+Added: Management can make no assurances that trading volume will
+Added: not be similarly limited in the future.
+Added: Without an active trading market, there can be no assurance of any liquidity or resale value
+Added: of the common stock, and stockholders may be required to hold their shares of common stock for an indefinite period of time.
+Added: may not pay cash dividends on our common stock.
+Added: board of directors declared a one-time cash dividend on our common stock in April 2017.
+Added: The terms of our series 1 preferred stock provide
+Added: for the payment of semiannual dividends on the last day of March and September in each year, which began in March 2017.
+Added: No other cash
+Added: dividends have been declared or paid by us on our stock during either of the two most recent fiscal years or the period through the date
+Added: of this prospectus.
+Added: Other than with respect to our series 1 preferred stock, our board of directors declares dividends when, in its discretion,
+Added: it determines that a dividend payment, as opposed to another use of cash, is in the best interests of the stockholders.
+Added: Such decisions
+Added: are based on the facts and circumstances then existing including, without limitation, our results of operations, financial condition,
+Added: contractual restrictions, restrictions imposed by applicable law and other factors our board of directors deems relevant.
+Added: we cannot predict when, or whether, another dividend on our common stock will be declared in the future.
+Added: securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price
+Added: and trading volume could decline.
+Added: trading market for our Common Stock will depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about
+Added: us or our business.
+Added: Securities and industry analysts do not currently, and may never, publish research on our Company.
+Added: If no securities
+Added: or industry analysts commence coverage of our Company, the trading price for our stock would likely be negatively impacted.
+Added: securities or industry analysts initiate coverage, if one or more of the analysts who covers us downgrades our stock or publishes inaccurate
+Added: or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price may decline.
+Added: If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of our Company
+Added: or fails to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our stock could decrease, which might cause our stock price and trading volume
+Added: our shares become subject to the penny stock rules, it would become more difficult to trade our shares.
+Added: SEC has adopted rules that regulate broker-dealer practices in connection with transactions in penny stocks.
+Added: Penny stocks are generally
+Added: equity securities with a price of less than $5.00, other than securities registered on certain national securities exchanges or authorized
+Added: for quotation on certain automated quotation systems, provided that current price and volume information with respect to transactions
+Added: in such securities is provided by the exchange or system.
+Added: If the price of our Common Stock is less than $5.00, our Common Stock will
+Added: be deemed a penny stock.
+Added: The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, before a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from
+Added: those rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document containing specified information.
+Added: In addition, the penny stock rules
+Added: require that before effecting any transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, a broker-dealer must make a special
+Added: written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive (i) the purchaser’s written acknowledgment
+Added: of the receipt of a risk disclosure statement;
(ii) a written agreement to transactions involving penny stocks;
−Removed: and (iii) a signed and dated copy of a written suitability
−Removed: These disclosure requirements may have the effect of reducing the trading activity in the secondary market for our Common Stock,
−Removed: and therefore shareholders may have difficulty selling their shares.
−Removed: Although our Common Stock and Series 1 Preferred
−Removed: Stock are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, the exchange may subsequently delist our Common Stock or Series 1 Preferred Stock if we
−Removed: fail to comply with ongoing listing standards.
−Removed: Although our Common Stock and
−Removed: Series 1 Preferred Stock are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, the exchange will require us to meet certain financial, public float,
−Removed: bid price and liquidity standards on an ongoing basis in order to continue the listing of our Common Stock and Series 1 Preferred Stock.
−Removed: If we fail to meet these continued listing requirements, our Common Stock and/or our Series 1 Preferred stock may be subject to delisting.
−Removed: If our Common Stock and/or our Series 1 Preferred Stock are delisted and we are not able to list such Common Stock or Series 1 Preferred
−Removed: Stock on another national securities exchange, we expect our securities would be quoted on an over-the-counter market;
−Removed: However, if this
−Removed: were to occur, our stockholders could face significant material adverse consequences, including limited availability of market quotations
−Removed: for our Common Stock and Series 1 Preferred Stock and reduced liquidity for the trading of our securities.
−Removed: In addition, in the event of
−Removed: such delisting, we could experience a decreased ability to issue additional securities and obtain additional financing in the future.
−Removed: Even though our securities are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for our securities
−Removed: will develop or be sustained after our initial listing.
−Removed: UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
−Removed: Cybersecurity
−Removed: Not Applicable.
+Added: and (iii) a signed and
+Added: dated copy of a written suitability statement.
+Added: These disclosure requirements may have the effect of reducing the trading activity in
+Added: the secondary market for our Common Stock, and therefore shareholders may have difficulty selling their shares.
+Added: sales practice requirements may limit a stockholder’s ability to buy and sell our securities.
+Added: June 30, 2020, the SEC implemented Regulation Best Interest requiring that “A broker, dealer, or a natural person who is an associated
+Added: person of a broker or dealer, when making a recommendation of any securities transaction or investment strategy involving securities
+Added: (including account recommendations) to a retail customer, shall act in the best interest of the retail customer at the time the recommendation
+Added: is made, without placing the financial or other interest of the broker, dealer, or natural person who is an associated person of a broker
+Added: or dealer making the recommendation ahead of the interest of the retail customer.” This is a significantly higher standard for
+Added: broker-dealers to recommend securities to retail customers than before under FINRA “suitability rules.
+Added: FINRA suitability rules
+Added: do still apply to institutional investors and require that in recommending an investment to a customer, a broker-dealer must have reasonable
+Added: grounds for believing that the investment is suitable for that customer.
+Added: Prior to recommending securities to their customers, broker-dealers
+Added: must make reasonable efforts to obtain information about the customer’s financial status, tax status, investment objectives and
+Added: other information, and for retail customers determine the investment is in the customer’s “best interest” and meet
+Added: other SEC requirements.
+Added: Both SEC Regulation Best Interest and FINRA’s suitability requirements may make it more difficult for broker-dealers
+Added: to recommend that their customers buy speculative, low-priced securities.
+Added: They may affect investing in our common stock or our preferred
+Added: stock, which may have the effect of reducing the level of trading activity in our securities.
+Added: As a result, fewer broker-dealers may be
+Added: willing to make a market in our common stock or our preferred stock, reducing a stockholder’s ability to resell shares of our common
+Added: stock or our preferred stock.
+Added: sales and issuances of our Common Stock or rights to purchase Common Stock, including pursuant to our equity incentive plans and outstanding
+Added: options could result in additional dilution of the percentage ownership of our stockholders and could cause our stock price to fall.
+Added: expect that significant additional capital may be needed in the future to continue our planned operations, expanded research and development
+Added: activities and costs associated with operating a public company.
+Added: The Company may also require capital to acquire or invest in complementary
+Added: businesses, products, or technologies, or to obtain the right to use such complementary technologies.
+Added: We have no commitments with respect
+Added: to any acquisition or investment;
+Added: however, we seek opportunities and transactions that management believes will be advantageous to the
+Added: Company and its operations or prospects.
+Added: To raise capital, we may sell Common Stock, convertible securities or other equity securities
+Added: in one or more transactions at prices and in a manner we determine from time to time.
+Added: If we sell Common Stock, convertible securities
+Added: or other equity securities, investors may be materially diluted by subsequent sales.
+Added: Such sales may also result in material dilution
+Added: to our existing stockholders, and new investors could gain rights, preferences and privileges senior to the holders of our Common Stock,
+Added: including the securities sold in this offering.
+Added: The aggregate number of shares of our Common Stock that may be issued pursuant to stock
+Added: awards under our 2020 Equity Compensation Plan as of September 30, 2024, is 28 shares.
+Added: Increases in the number of shares available for
+Added: future grant or purchase may result in additional dilution, which could cause our stock price to decline.
+Added: our Common Stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, the exchange may subsequently delist our Common Stock as it has with our Series
+Added: 1 Preferred Stock if we fail to comply with ongoing listing standards.
+Added: previously received a deficiency letter from Nasdaq on our Series 1 Preferred Stock.
+Added: Having failed to meet the ongoing listing requirements,
+Added: on January 18, 2024, the Company received a letter from The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC’s Hearings Panel notifying the Company that
+Added: it has determined to delist the Company’s shares of Series 1 Preferred Stock from the exchange, due to the Company’s inability
+Added: to meet the terms of the exception granted by the Panel on September 8, 2023, as amended.
+Added: Suspension of trading in the Company’s
+Added: Series 1 Preferred Stock was effective at the open of business on January 22, 2024.
+Added: The Series 1 Preferred Stock is now quoted on the
+Added: OTC Markets under the symbol “CETXP”.
+Added: Nasdaq filed a Form 25 on March 21, 2024, and the deregistration of the Company’s
+Added: Series 1 Preferred Stock under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act became effective for 90 days after filing of the Form 25.
+Added: have also received a deficiency letter for our Common Stock.
+Added: On June 14, 2024, the Company received a notification letter from the Listing
+Added: Qualifications Department of Nasdaq notifying the Company that, because the closing bid price for the Company’s common stock listed
+Added: on Nasdaq was below $1.00 for 30 consecutive trading days, the Company no longer meets the minimum bid price requirement for continued
+Added: listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market under Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 5550(a)(2), requiring a minimum bid price of $1.00 per share.
+Added: notification letter also disclosed that in the event the Company does not regain compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement by
+Added: December 11, 2024, the Company may be eligible for additional time.
+Added: To qualify for additional time, the Company would be required to
+Added: meet the continued listing requirement for market value of publicly held shares and all other initial listing standards for The Nasdaq
+Added: Capital Market, with the exception of the bid price requirement, and would need to provide written notice of its intention to cure the
+Added: deficiency during the second compliance period, by effecting a reverse stock split, if necessary.
+Added: August 21, 2024, the Company received a notification letter from the Listing Qualifications Department of Nasdaq notifying the Company
+Added: that, because the stockholder’s equity for the Company was below $2,500,000 as reported on our Form 10-Q for the period ended June
+Added: 30, 2024, the Company no longer meets the minimum shareholder’s equity requirement for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital
+Added: Market under Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 5550(b)(1), requiring a minimum stockholder’s equity of $2,500,000 (the “Minimum Stockholder’s
+Added: Equity Requirement”).
+Added: October 23, 2024, the Company received a letter from Nasdaq that it had been granted an extension to regain compliance with the Minimum
+Added: Stockholder’s Equity Requirement.
+Added: terms of the extension are as follows:
+Added: on or before February 17, 2025, the Company must complete the submitted plan and opt for one of
+Added: the two following alternatives to evidence compliance with the Rule:
+Added: The Company must furnish to the SEC and Nasdaq a publicly available report (e.g., a Form 8-K) including:
+Added: A disclosure of Staff’s deficiency letter and the specific deficiency(ies) cited;
+Added: A description of the completed transaction or event that enabled the Company to satisfy the stockholders’ equity requirement for
+Added: continued listing;
+Added: An affirmative statement that, as of the date of the report, the Company believes it has regained compliance with the stockholders’
+Added: equity requirement based upon the specific transaction or event referenced in Step 2;
+Added: A disclosure stating that Nasdaq will continue to monitor the Company’s ongoing compliance with the stockholders’ equity
+Added: requirement and, if at the time of its next periodic report the Company does not evidence compliance, that it may be subject to delisting.
+Added: The Company must furnish to the SEC and Nasdaq a publicly available report including:
+Added: Steps 1 & 2 set forth above;
+Added: A balance sheet no older than 60 days with pro forma adjustments for any significant transactions or event occurring on or before the
+Added: The pro forma balance sheet must evidence compliance with the stockholders’ equity requirement;
+Added: A disclosure that the Company believes it also satisfies the stockholders’ equity requirement as of the report date and that Nasdaq
+Added: will continue to monitor the Company’s ongoing compliance with the stockholders’ equity requirement and, if at the time of
+Added: its next periodic report the Company does not evidence compliance, that it may be subject to delisting.
+Added: of which alternative the Company chooses, if the Company fails to evidence compliance upon filing its periodic report for the March 31,
+Added: 2025, with the SEC and Nasdaq, the Company may be subject to delisting.
+Added: our Common Stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, the exchange will require us to meet certain financial, public float, bid price
+Added: and liquidity standards on an ongoing basis in order to continue the listing of our Common Stock.
+Added: If we fail to meet these continued
+Added: listing requirements, our Common Stock may be subject to delisting.
+Added: Delisting from the Nasdaq Capital Market could make trading our common
+Added: stock more difficult for investors, potentially leading to declines in our share price and liquidity.
+Added: Without a Nasdaq Capital Market
+Added: listing, stockholders may have a difficult time getting a quote for the sale or purchase of our stock, the sale or purchase of our stock
+Added: would likely be made more difficult and the trading volume and liquidity of our stock could decline.
+Added: Delisting from the Nasdaq Capital
+Added: Market could also result in negative publicity and could also make it more difficult for us to raise additional capital.
+Added: of such a listing may adversely affect the acceptance of our common stock as currency or the value accorded by other parties.
+Added: if we are delisted, we would also incur additional costs under state blue sky laws in connection with any sales of our securities.
+Added: requirements could severely limit the market liquidity of our common stock and the ability of our stockholders to sell our common stock
+Added: in the secondary market.
+Added: If our common stock is delisted by Nasdaq, our common stock may be eligible to trade on an over-the-counter
+Added: quotation system, such as the OTC Pink, OTCQB and OTCQX markets, where an investor may find it more difficult to sell our stock or obtain
+Added: accurate quotations as to the market value of our common stock.
+Added: In the event our common stock is delisted from the Nasdaq Capital Market,
+Added: we may not be able to list our common stock on another national securities exchange or obtain quotation on an over-the counter quotation
+Added: on the OTC Pink Market is volatile and sporadic, which could depress the market price of the Series 1 Preferred Stock and make it difficult
+Added: for the holders to resell their Series 1 Preferred Stock.
+Added: of January 22, 2024, the Series 1 Preferred Stock of the Company is quoted on the OTC Pink Market.
+Added: Trading in securities quoted on the
+Added: OTC Pink Open Market is often thin and characterized by wide fluctuations in trading prices, due to many factors, some of which may have
+Added: little to do with our operations or business prospects.
+Added: This volatility could depress the market price of the Series 1 Preferred Stock
+Added: for reasons unrelated to operating performance.
+Added: Moreover, the OTC Pink Market is not a stock exchange, and trading of securities on the
+Added: OTC Pink Market is often more sporadic than the trading of securities listed on Nasdaq.
+Added: These factors may result in shareholders having
+Added: difficulty reselling any Series 1 Preferred Stock.
Compared sentence by sentence after normalising whitespace, quotation marks, case and digits, so re-formatting and restated figures do not read as changed language. Wording changes appear as one removal and one addition. The current filing and the prior one are authoritative.