Item 1A. Risk Factors
ITEM
1A. RISK FACTORS
Below
is a summary of our risk factors with a more detailed discussion following. The risks below are those that we believe are the material
risks that we currently face, but are not the only risks facing us and our business. If any of these risks actually occur, our business,
financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
● The
success of our consumer applications is principally dependent on our active users and our
engagement with our user base.
● We
operate in an intensely competitive industry and any failure to attract new users could diminish
or suspend our development and possibly cease our operations.
● The
online live video industry is characterized by rapid technological change and the development
of enhancements and new applications, and if we fail to keep pace with technological developments
or launch new applications, our business may be adversely affected.
● We
may make or attempt to make acquisitions in the future, which could require significant management
attention, disrupt our business, dilute our stockholders and seriously harm our business.
● The
COVID-19 pandemic may adversely affect our revenues, results of operations and financial
condition.
● The
COVID-19 pandemic likely contributed to an increase in our subscription revenue in certain
geographic areas for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to the fiscal year
ended December 31, 2020. However, we may not be able to sustain our subscription revenue
growth rate in such geographic areas or any other areas in the future.
● Our
mobile applications are substantially dependent on interaction with mobile platforms and
operating systems that we do not control.
● Our
business depends on developing, establishing and maintaining strong brands. If we are unable
to maintain and enhance our brands, we may be unable to expand or retain our active user
and paying subscriber bases.
● Our
future success is dependent, in part, on the performance and continued service of our executive
officers. Without their continued service, we may be forced to interrupt or eventually cease
our operations.
● We
plan to continue expanding our operations internationally and may be subject to increased
business and economic risks that could seriously harm our business.
● Currently,
there are a limited number of regulated trading markets for cryptocurrency tokens, and therefore
our ability to sell such tokens, if any, may be limited.
● Digital
tokens and other cryptocurrencies that we may hold may be subject to loss, theft or restriction
on access.
● Foreign
governments restricting access to our applications could materially adversely impact our
business.
● If
our goodwill or other intangible assets become impaired, we may be required to record a significant
charge to earnings, which could seriously harm our operating results.
● Our
mobile applications rely on high-bandwidth data capabilities, which are subject to hardware,
networks, regulations and standards that we do not control.
● Security
breaches, computer viruses and cybersecurity incidents could harm our business, results of
operations or financial condition.
● We
have faced, and we expect that we will continue to face, chargeback liability when our credit
card providers resolve chargebacks in favor of their customers. We cannot accurately anticipate
the extent of these liabilities, and if not properly addressed, these liabilities could increase
our operating expenses or preclude us from accepting certain credit cards as a method of
payment, either of which would materially adversely affect our results of operations and
financial condition.
● We
face certain risks related to the physical and emotional safety of users and third parties.
● Our
subscription metrics and other estimates are subject to inherent challenges in measurement,
and real or perceived inaccuracies in those metrics may seriously harm and negatively affect
our reputation and our business.
● Because
we recognize revenue from subscriptions over the term of the subscription, the full impact
of downturns or upturns in subscription sales may not be immediately reflected in our results
of operations or financial condition.
● A
portion of our revenue is dependent on third-party resellers, the efforts of which we do
not control.
● Our
business depends in large part upon the availability of cost-effective advertising space
through a variety of media and keeping pace with trends in consumer behavior.
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● Interruption,
maintenance or failure of our programming code, servers or technological infrastructure could
hurt our ability to effectively provide our applications, which could damage our reputation
and harm our results of operations.
● Because
there has been limited precedent set for financial accounting of cryptocurrencies and other
digital assets, the determination that we have made for how to account for our tokens and
any other digital assets we may acquire may be subject to change.
● We
may be liable as a result of information retrieved from or transmitted over the internet.
● Changes
in laws or regulations, including laws and regulations that impact the use of the internet,
such as internet neutrality laws, or laws that relate to content provided over the internet
or monitoring such content, could adversely affect our business, results of operations or
financial condition.
● If
we are subject to intellectual property infringement claims, it could cause us to incur significant
expenses, pay substantial damages or royalties and prevent us from offering our applications.
● If
we are unable to protect our intellectual property rights, we may be unable to compete with
competitors developing similar technologies.
● If
we fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls over financial reporting, we
may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud and our business
may be harmed and our stock price may be adversely impacted.
● Our
common stock is historically thinly traded, stockholders may be unable to sell at or near
ask prices or at all and the price of our common stock may be volatile.
● The
ownership of our common stock is significantly concentrated in a small number of investors,
some of whom are affiliated with our Board of Directors and management, which could prevent
stockholders from having input on the course of our operations or otherwise lead to actual
or potential conflicts of interest.
Risks
Related to Our Business
The
success of our consumer applications is principally dependent on our active users and our engagement with our user base.
On an annual basis the Company has millions of
users, however, compared to the total number of users in any given period, only a small portion of our users are active users or purchasers
of virtual currency. We primarily generate revenue through the sale of subscriptions and virtual currency to this small portion of users
and secondarily generate revenue through paid advertisements. Accordingly, the success of our consumer applications is substantially dependent
on our ability to convert our users into active users and to sell our users virtual currency.
Users
discontinue the use of our applications in the ordinary course of business, and to sustain our revenue levels, we must attract, retain
and increase the number of users or more effectively monetize our existing users. Falling user retention, growth or engagement could
also make our applications less attractive to advertisers, which could harm our business.
There
are a number of factors that could negatively impact user retention, growth and engagement, including, among other things:
● users
may adopt competing products instead of ours;
● we
may fail to introduce new products and services or improve upon our existing applications,
or those new products and services or improvements we introduce may be poorly received;
● our
products may fail to operate effectively on mobile or other platforms;
● we
may be unable to combat spam or other hostile or inappropriate usage on our products or free
speech;
● there
may be adverse changes in user sentiment about the quality or usefulness of our existing
products;
● there
may be concerns about the privacy implications, safety or security of our products;
● technical
or other problems may frustrate the experience of our users, particularly if those problems
prevent us from delivering our products in a fast and reliable manner;
● we
may fail to provide adequate service to our users;
● we
or other companies in our industry may be the subject of adverse media reports or other negative
publicity;
● we
may not maintain our brand image or our reputation may be damaged; and
● we
may be subject to denial of service or other attacks from hackers that result in service
downtime.
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To
retain existing users, and particularly those users who are paying subscribers, we must devote significant resources so that our applications
retain their interest. If we fail to grow or sustain the number of our users, or if the rates at which we attract and retain existing
users declines or the rate at which users become paying subscribers declines, it could have a material adverse effect on our business,
results of operations or financial condition.
We
operate in an intensely competitive industry and any failure to attract new users could diminish or suspend our development and possibly
cease our operations.
The
industry in which we compete is highly competitive and has few barriers to entry. If we are unable to efficiently and effectively attract
new users as a result of intense competition or a saturated market, we may not be able to continue the provision, development and enhancement
of our consumer applications or become profitable on a consistent basis in the future.
Important
factors affecting our ability to successfully compete include:
● the
usefulness, novelty, performance, ease of use, and reliability of our consumer applications compared to our competitors;
● the
timing and market acceptance of our consumer applications, including developments and enhancements
of our competitors’ consumer applications;
● our
ability to effectively monetize our consumer applications and the availability of free or
cheaper alternatives from our competitors;
● our
ability to hire and retain talented employees, including technical employees, executives,
and marketing experts;
● the
success of our customer service and support efforts;
● our
reputation and brand strength compared to our competitors;
● competition
for acquiring users that could result in increased user acquisition costs;
● reliance
upon the platforms through which our consumer applications are accessed and the platform
owner’s ability to control our activities on such platforms;
● the
effectiveness of the marketing and advertisement of our services and consumer applications;
● our
ability to maintain advertisers’ interest in advertising through our consumer applications;
● our
ability to innovate in the ever-changing consumer applications industry in which we operate;
● changes
as a result of new legislation or regulation within the consumer applications industry; and
● acquisitions
or consolidations within the consumer applications industry.
Many
of our current and potential competitors offer similar services, have longer operating histories, significantly greater capital, financial,
technical, marketing and other resources and larger user or subscriber bases than we do. These factors may allow our competitors to more
quickly respond to new or emerging technologies and changes in client or consumer preferences. These competitors may engage in more extensive
research and development efforts, undertake more far-reaching marketing campaigns and adopt more aggressive pricing strategies that may
allow them to build larger user bases consisting of greater numbers of clients or paying users. Our competitors may develop applications
and software that are equal or superior to our applications and software or that achieve greater market or industry acceptance. It is
possible that a new application developed or offered by one of our competitors could gain rapid scale at the expense of existing brands
through harnessing a new technology or distribution channel, creating a new approach to servicing clients or connecting people.
Certain
entities that we do not directly compete with but that have large or dominant positions in one or more markets could use those positions
to gain a competitive advantage against us by integrating competing video chat or social media platforms into products they control,
such as search engines, web browsers or mobile device operating systems.
Costs
for consumers to switch between products in the video chat industry are generally low, and consumers have a propensity to try new products
to connect with new people. As a result, new entrants and business models are likely to continue to emerge in our industry. These activities
could attract users and subscribers away from our applications and reduce our market share.
If we are unable to effectively compete, we may fail to obtain new
clients for our products or our users may discontinue the use of our products and we may lose active users, either of which would have
a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
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The
online live video industry is characterized by rapid technological change and the development of enhancements and new applications, and
if we fail to keep pace with technological developments or launch new applications, our business may be adversely affected.
The
online live video industry is characterized by rapid change, and our future success is dependent upon our ability to adopt and innovate.
To attract new users and increase revenues from existing users, we need to enhance, add new features to and improve our existing applications
and introduce new applications in the future. The success of any enhancements or new features and applications depends on several factors,
including timely completion, introduction and market acceptance. Building a new brand or product is generally an iterative process that
occurs over a meaningful period of time and involves considerable resources and expenditures, and we may expend significant time and
resources developing and launching an application that may not result in revenues in the anticipated timeframe or at all, or may not
result in revenue growth that is sufficient to offset increased expenses. If we are unable to successfully develop enhancements, new
features or new applications to meet user trends and preferences, our business and operating results could be adversely affected.
In
addition, our applications are designed to operate on a variety of network, hardware and software platforms using internet tools and
protocols and we need to continuously modify and enhance our applications to keep pace with technological changes. If we are unable to
respond in a timely and cost-effective manner, our current and future applications may become less marketable and less competitive or
even obsolete.
The
COVID-19 pandemic may adversely affect our revenues, results of operations and financial condition.
The
World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020. The global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the various
attempts to contain it have created significant volatility, uncertainty and economic disruption. The various precautionary as well as
on going measures taken by many governmental authorities around the world in order to limit the spread of COVID-19 have had, and could
continue to have, an adverse effect on the global markets and its economy, including on the availability and pricing of employees and
resources, and other aspects of the global economy. Therefore, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic could disrupt and cause delays in
our software, disrupt the marketplace in which we operate, slow down the overall economy, curtail consumer spending, make it hard to
adequately staff our operations or enter into agreements with independent contractors and have a material adverse effect on our operations.
In addition, disruptions in the operations of the third parties with whom we do business have caused and could in the future cause such
third parties to fail to perform under their respective contracts or commitments with us. For instance, we were party to a sublease agreement
with Telecom for office space located at 122 East 42nd Street in New York, NY, pursuant to which Telecom was required to pay us $11,164
per month. Due to the COVID-19, Telecom was unable to make its monthly payments under the sublease agreement, and as a result, on June
18, 2020, we entered into an agreement with Telecom to terminate the sublease agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, Telecom vacated
the offices on June 30, 2020. In addition, on June 22, 2020, we entered into an agreement to terminate our lease for this office space.
Pursuant to the terms of the agreement, we vacated the offices on June 30, 2020 and agreed to forfeit our security deposit of $133,968.
To
the extent that the COVID-19 pandemic and any subsequent outbreaks cause a substantial reduction or change in timing of our cash provided
by operating activities, we may be required to seek additional capital through the incurrence of debt or the issuance equity securities.
For instance, on April 13, 2020, to help ensure adequate liquidity in light of the uncertainties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, we applied
for a loan under the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) Paycheck Protection Program under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief,
and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”), and on May 3, 2020, we entered into a promissory note with an aggregate principal
amount of $506,500 (the “Note”) in favor of Citibank, N.A., as lender (the “Lender”). On January 13, 2021, the
Note was fully forgiven by the SBA and the Lender in compliance with the provisions of the CARES Act. While we do not currently expect
to incur additional indebtedness under the CARES Act, any inability to obtain additional liquidity as and when needed would have a material
adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
The
extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic and any subsequent outbreaks continue to impact our results will depend on future developments,
which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted. Despite recent progress in the administration of COVID-19 vaccines, the outbreak
of recent variants such as Delta and Omicron, the possible emergence of any new variants, and the related containment and mitigation
measures are likely to continue to have a serious adverse impact on the global economy, the severity and duration of which are uncertain.
The COVID-19 pandemic likely contributed
to an increase in our subscription revenue in certain geographic areas for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2020. However, we may not be able to sustain our subscription revenue growth rate in such geographic areas
or any other areas in the future.
The
COVID-19 pandemic likely led to an increase in our subscription revenue for the 2021 fiscal year relative to our 2020 subscription revenue
in certain geographic areas. You should not rely on the subscription revenue growth of any prior quarterly or annual period as an indication
of our future performance. Our subscription revenue may decline in certain geographic areas in future periods if the impact of the COVID-19
pandemic dissipates. These results, as well as other metrics such as total revenues, net income, net cash provided by operating activities
and other financial and operating data, may not be indicative of results for future periods.
Our
business is subscription based, and users are not obligated to, and may choose not to, renew their subscriptions after their existing
subscriptions expire. Renewals of subscriptions to our applications may decline or fluctuate because of several factors, such as dissatisfaction
with our products and support, a user no longer having a need for our products, including any new users that have subscribed to our services
during the COVID-19 pandemic that may subsequently reduce or discontinue their use after the impact of the pandemic has tapered, or the
perception that competitive products provide better, more secure, or less expensive options. If we are not able to continue to expand
our user base, our revenue may grow more slowly than expected or decline. Similar to the uncertainty of users renewing their subscriptions,
the number of new subscribers may slow or decline once the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, particularly as a vaccine becomes
widely available, and users return to work or school or are otherwise no longer subject to COVID-related travel restrictions.
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Our
mobile applications are substantially dependent on interaction with mobile platforms and operating systems that we do not control.
A
portion of our revenue, primarily our revenue from mobile platforms, is derived from the Apple iOS platform and the Google Android platform.
Although we believe that we have a good relationship with Apple and Google, any deterioration in our relationship with either could materially
harm our business, results of operations or financial condition.
We
are subject to each of Apple’s and Google’s standard terms and conditions for application developers, which govern the promotion,
distribution and operation of our applications on their respective storefronts. Each of Apple and Google has broad discretion to change
its standard terms and conditions. In addition, these standard terms and conditions can be vague and subject to changing interpretations
by Apple or Google. In addition, each of Apple and Google has the right to prohibit a developer from distributing applications on the
storefront if the developer violates the standard terms and conditions. In the event that either Apple or Google ever determines that
we are in violation of its standard terms and conditions and prohibits us from distributing our applications on its storefront, it could
materially harm our business, results of operations or financial condition.
The
number of people who access the internet through devices other than personal computers, including smart phones, cell phones and handheld
tablets, has increased dramatically in the past several years and is projected to continue to increase. Accordingly, we are substantially
dependent on interoperability with popular mobile platforms that we do not control, including the Apple App Store and the Google Play
Store, and a portion of our revenue is derived from these two digital storefronts. There have been occasions in the past when these digital
storefronts were unavailable for short periods of time or where there have been issues with the in-App purchasing functionality from
the storefront. In the event that either the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store is unavailable or if in-App purchasing functionality
from the storefront is non-operational for a prolonged period of time, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results
of operations or financial condition.
In
addition, each of the Apple App Store and Google Play Store provides consumers with products that compete with ours. If either of these
platforms give preferential treatment to competitive products, it could seriously harm the usage of our products on mobile devices.
Our
business depends on developing, establishing and maintaining strong brands. If we are unable to maintain and enhance our brands, we may
be unable to expand or retain our user and paying subscriber bases.
We
believe that developing, establishing and maintaining awareness of our application brands is critical to our efforts to achieve widespread
acceptance of our applications and is an important element to expanding our client and subscriber bases. Successful promotion of our
application brands will depend largely on the effectiveness of our advertising and marketing efforts and on our ability to provide reliable
and useful applications at competitive prices. If clients and users do not perceive our products to be of high quality, or if our products
are not favorably received by clients and users, the value of our brands could diminish, thereby decreasing the attractiveness of our
software, services and applications to clients and users. In addition, advertising and marketing activities may not yield increased revenue,
and even if they do, any increased revenue may not offset the expenses we incurred in building our brands.
If
we fail to successfully promote and maintain our application brands, or incur substantial expenses in unsuccessfully attempting to promote
and maintain our brands, we may fail to attract enough new clients or subscribers or retain our existing clients and subscribers to the
extent necessary to realize a sufficient return on our advertising and marketing activities, and it could have a material adverse effect
on our business, results of operations or financial condition.
If
our goodwill or other intangible assets become impaired, we may be required to record a significant charge to earnings, which could seriously
harm our operating results.
We
are required to test goodwill for impairment at least annually or more frequently if there are indicators that the carrying amount of
the goodwill exceeds its carried value. As of December 31, 2021, we had recorded a total of $6.3 million of goodwill and $0.2 million
of other intangible assets. An adverse change in domestic or global market conditions, particularly if such change has the effect of
changing one of our critical assumptions or estimates made in connection with the impairment testing of goodwill or intangible assets,
could result in a change to the estimation of fair value that could, in turn, result in an impairment charge to our goodwill or other
intangible assets. If we divest or discontinue product categories or products that we previously acquired, or if the value of those parts
of our business become impaired, we also may need to evaluate the carrying value of our goodwill. Any such material charges may have
a negative impact on our operating results.
Our
future success is dependent, in part, on the performance and continued service of our executive officers. Without their continued service,
we may be forced to interrupt or eventually cease our operations.
We
are dependent to a great extent upon the experience, abilities and continued service of Jason Katz, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman
of the Board of Directors, and Kara B. Jenny, our Chief Financial Officer and director. The loss of the services of these individuals
would substantially affect our business or operations and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations
or financial condition.
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Our
subscription metrics and other estimates are subject to inherent challenges in measurement, and real or perceived inaccuracies in those
metrics may seriously harm and negatively affect our reputation and our business.
We
regularly review metrics to evaluate growth trends, measure our performance, and make strategic decisions. These metrics are calculated
using internal Company data and have not been validated by an independent third party. While these numbers are based on what we believe
to be reasonable estimates of our user base for the applicable period of measurement, there are inherent challenges in measuring how
our products are used across large populations globally.
Some
of our demographic data may be incomplete or inaccurate. For example, because users self-report their dates of birth, our age-demographic
data may differ from our users’ actual ages. If our users provide us with incorrect or incomplete information regarding their age
or other attributes, our estimates may prove inaccurate.
In
addition, our business strategy is guided by data analytics that we compute internally based on data collection, data processing, cloud-based
platforms, statistical projections and forecasting, mobile computing, social media analytics and other applications and technologies.
We use these internally derived data analytics to guide decisions concerning the development and modification of features on our applications,
monetization strategies for our applications and the development of new applications, among other things.
The inability to accurately derive our metrics or data analytics could
result in incorrect business decisions and inefficiencies. For instance, if a significant understatement or overstatement of our active
users were to occur, we may expend resources to implement unnecessary business measures or fail to take required actions to attract a
sufficient number of subscribers to satisfy our growth strategies. If advertisers or investors do not perceive our subscription, geographic
or other demographic metrics to be accurate representations of our user base, or if we discover material inaccuracies in our subscription,
geographic or other demographic metrics, our reputation may be seriously harmed. At the same time, advertisers may be less willing to
allocate their budgets or resources to our products, which could seriously harm our business, results of operation or financial condition.
Because
we recognize revenue from subscriptions over the term of the subscription, the full impact of downturns or upturns in subscription sales
may not be immediately reflected in our results of operations or financial condition.
We
recognize subscription revenue from customers monthly over the term of the subscription, and subscriptions are generally offered in one-,
three-, six-, twelve-, and fifteen-month terms, depending on the particular product. As a result, much of the subscription revenue we
report in each period is deferred revenue from subscription agreements entered into during previous periods. Consequently, a decline
in new or renewed subscriptions in any one quarter will negatively affect our revenue in future quarters. In addition, we might not be
able to immediately adjust our costs and expenses to reflect these reduced revenues. Accordingly, the effect of significant downturns
in user acceptance of our applications may not be fully reflected in our results of operations until future periods. Our subscription
model also makes it difficult for us to quickly increase our revenue through additional sales in any period, as revenue from new subscribers
must be recognized over the term of the subscription. As a result, you should not rely on the amount of subscription revenue generated
in prior quarters as an indication of future results.
We
plan to continue expanding our operations internationally and may be subject to increased business and economic risks that could seriously
harm our business.
Presently, we derive a significant portion
of revenue from international territories and we plan to continue expanding our business operations abroad. In addition, we rely on
outsourced development services from companies with employees and consultants based in Russia, India and elsewhere. The recent
invasion of Ukraine by Russia has escalated tensions among the United States, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization member states, and Russia.
The United States, other North Atlantic Treaty Organization member states, as well as non-member states, have announced new
sanctions against Russia and certain Russian banks, enterprises and individuals. These and any future additional sanctions and any
resulting conflict between Russia, the United States and other countries may, on a short term, disrupt, or in the future could
disrupt, the consulting services provided by our third-party developers residing in Russia. This conflict may increase our costs
with respect to any current or future planned development services in Russia, or could result in negative publicity.
We may enter new international markets where we
have limited or no experience in marketing, selling and deploying our products. If we fail to deploy or manage our operations in international
markets successfully, our business may suffer. As our international operations increase our operating results may become more greatly
affected by fluctuations in the exchange rates of the currencies in which we do business. In addition, we are subject to a variety of
risks inherent in doing business internationally, including:
● political,
social, and economic instability;
● risks
related to the legal and regulatory environment in foreign jurisdictions, including with
respect to privacy, free speech and unexpected changes in laws, regulatory requirements,
and enforcement;
● potential
damage to our brand and reputation due to compliance with local laws, including potential
censorship and requirements to provide user information to local authorities;
● fluctuations
in currency exchange rates;
● higher
levels of credit risk and payment fraud;
● complying
with multiple tax jurisdictions;
● reduced
protection for intellectual-property rights in some countries;
● difficulties
in staffing and managing global operations and the increased travel, infrastructure and compliance
costs associated with multiple international locations;
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● regulations
that might add difficulties in repatriating cash earned outside the United States and otherwise
preventing us from freely moving cash;
● import
and export restrictions and changes in trade regulation;
● complying
with statutory equity requirements;
● complying
with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Bribery Act and similar laws in other
jurisdictions;
● the
impact of the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union; and
● export
controls and economic sanctions administered by the Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry
and Security and the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.
If
we are unable to expand internationally and manage the complexity of our global operations successfully, our business could be seriously
harmed.
A
portion of our revenue is dependent on third-party resellers, the efforts of which we do not control.
We
are dependent on the efforts of third parties who resell our subscriptions for a portion of our revenue. In particular, video chat users
in certain international territories have an option to purchase subscriptions through local resellers. These local resellers prepay in
bulk for services and debit the prepaid balance as one-time subscriptions and virtual currency are sold to end users.
We
do not control the efforts of these resellers. If they fail to market or sell our subscriptions successfully, merge or consolidate with
other businesses, declare bankruptcy or depart from their respective industries, our business could be harmed. If we are unable to maintain
or replace our contractual relationships with resellers, efficiently manage our relationships with them or establish new contractual
relationships with other third parties, we may fail to retain subscribers or acquire potential new subscribers and may experience delays
and increased costs in adding or replacing subscribers that were lost, any of which could materially affect our business, operating results
and financial condition.
Foreign
governments restricting access to our applications could materially adversely impact our business.
We
have continued to focus on increasing the international presence of our applications by expanding the localized and translated versions
for additional international countries that are culturally aligned with our products. Foreign data protection, privacy, consumer protection,
content regulation, and other laws and regulations are often more restrictive than those in the United States. Foreign governments may
censor our products in their countries, restrict access to our products from their countries entirely, or impose other restrictions that
may affect their citizens’ ability to access our products for an extended period of time or even indefinitely. If foreign governments
think we are violating their laws, or for other reasons, they may seek to restrict access to our products, which would give our competitors
an opportunity to penetrate geographic markets that we cannot access. As a result, our ability to grow our international user base would
be impaired, and we may not be able to maintain or grow our revenue as anticipated and our business could be seriously harmed.
Our
mobile applications rely on high-bandwidth data capabilities, which are subject to hardware, networks, regulations and standards that
we do not control.
Our
mobile applications require high-bandwidth data capabilities. If the costs of data usage increase or access to cellular networks is limited,
our user growth and retention on mobile platforms may be seriously harmed. Additionally, to deliver high-quality video and other content
over mobile cellular networks, our products must work well with a range of mobile technologies, systems, networks, regulations and standards
that we do not control, and any changes to those mobile technologies, systems, networks, regulations or standards could impact the usability
of our mobile applications, which would materially adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition.
Our
business depends in large part upon the availability of cost-effective advertising space through a variety of media and keeping pace
with trends in consumer behavior.
We depend upon the availability of advertising space through a variety
of media, including third-party applications on platforms such as Facebook, to recruit new users and subscribers, generate activity from
existing users and subscribers and direct traffic to our application. Historically, we have had to increase our marketing expenditures
in order to attract and retain users and sustain our growth. The availability of advertising space varies, and a shortage of advertising
space in any particular media or on any particular platform, or the elimination of a particular medium on which we advertise, could limit
our ability to generate new subscribers, generate activity from existing subscribers or direct traffic to our applications, any of which
could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, evolving consumer behavior
can affect the availability of profitable marketing opportunities. For example, as consumers communicate less via email and more via text
messaging and other virtual means, the reach of email campaigns designed to attract new and repeat users (and retain current users) for
our applications is adversely impacted. To continue to reach potential users and grow our business, we must devote more of our overall
marketing expenditures to newer advertising channels, which may be unproven and undeveloped, and we may not be able to continue to manage
and fine-tune our marketing efforts in response to these trends. In addition, during the first quarter of 2022, we engaged two marketing
agencies to help us drive consumer engagement through the Paltalk and Camfrog applications. However, these marketing efforts may be ineffective
or inadequate to attract potential users or retain existing users.
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Interruption,
maintenance or failure of our programming code, servers or technological infrastructure could hurt our ability to effectively provide
our applications, which could damage our reputation and harm our results of operations.
The
availability of our applications depends on the continued operation of our programming code, databases, servers and technological infrastructure.
Any damage to, or failure of, our systems could result in interruptions in service for our applications, which could damage our brands
and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition. Our systems are vulnerable to damage
or interruption from terrorist attacks, floods, fires, power loss, telecommunications failures, computer viruses, computer denial of
service attacks or other attempts to harm our systems. Some of our systems are not fully redundant, and our disaster recovery planning
cannot account for all eventualities.
In
addition, from time to time we experience limited periods of server downtime due to maintenance or enhancements. If our applications
are unavailable during these periods of downtime or if our users are unable to access our applications within a reasonable amount of
time, users may not return to our applications in the future, or at all. As our user base and the volume and types of information shared
on our applications continues to grow, we will need an increasing amount of technology infrastructure, including network capacity and
computing power, to continue to satisfy our users’ needs. It is possible that we may fail to effectively scale and grow our technology
infrastructure to accommodate these increased demands. Any failure to support and scale our technology infrastructure could adversely
impact the reputation of our brands and harm our results of operations.
Security
breaches, computer viruses and cybersecurity incidents could harm our business, results of operations or financial condition.
We
receive, process, store and transmit a significant amount of personal user and other confidential information, including credit card
information, and enable our users to share their personal information with each other. In some cases, we retain third party vendors to
store this information. We continuously develop and maintain systems to protect the security, integrity and confidentiality of this information,
but cannot guarantee that inadvertent or unauthorized use or disclosure will not occur or that third parties will not gain unauthorized
access to this information despite our efforts. If any such event were to occur, we may not be able to remedy the event, and we may have
to expend significant capital and resources to mitigate the impact of such an event, and to develop and implement protections to prevent
future events of this nature from occurring.
Security
breaches, computer malware and cybersecurity incidents have become more prevalent in our industry and may occur on our systems in the
future. Although it is difficult to determine what, if any, harm may directly result from an interruption or attack, any security breach
caused by hacking, including efforts to gain unauthorized access to our applications, servers or websites, or to cause intentional malfunctions
or loss or corruption of data, software, hardware or other computer equipment, and the inadvertent transmission of computer viruses could
harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. If a breach of our security (or the security of our vendors and partners)
occurs, the perception of the effectiveness of our security measures and our reputation may be harmed, we could lose current and potential
users and the recognition of our various brands and their competitive positions could be diminished, any or all of which could adversely
affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Spammers
may attempt to use our products to send targeted and untargeted spam messages to users, which may embarrass or annoy users and make our
products less user friendly. We cannot be certain that the technologies that we have developed to repel spamming attacks will be able
to eliminate all spam messages from our products. Our actions to combat spam may also require diversion of significant time and focus
of our engineering team from improving our products. As a result of spamming activities, our users may use our products less or stop
using them altogether, and result in continuing operational cost to us.
Similarly,
terror and other criminal groups may use our products to promote their goals and encourage users to engage in terror and other illegal
activities. We expect that as more people use our products, these groups will increasingly seek to misuse our products. Although we invest
resources to combat these activities, including by suspending or terminating accounts we believe are violating our Terms of Service,
we expect these groups will continue to seek ways to act inappropriately and illegally on our products. Combating these groups requires
our engineering team to divert significant time and focus from improving our products. In addition, we may not be able to control or
stop our products from becoming the preferred application of use by these groups, which may become public knowledge and seriously harm
our reputation or lead to lawsuits or attention from regulators. If these activities increase, our reputation, user growth and user engagement,
and operational cost structure could be seriously harmed. Furthermore, many governments have enacted laws requiring companies to provide
notice of data security incidents involving certain types of personal data. Such laws are inconsistent, and compliance in the event of
a widespread data breach is costly.
As
a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we adopted a work-from-home policy in March 2020, and we expect this practice to continue for the
foreseeable future. Remote work and remote access increases our vulnerability to cybersecurity attacks. We may see an increase in cyberattack
volume, frequency and sophistication driven by the global enablement of remote workforces. We seek to detect and investigate unauthorized
attempts and attacks against our network, products and services and to prevent their recurrence where practicable through changes to
our internal processes and tools and changes or updates to our products and services; however, we remain potentially vulnerable to additional
known or unknown threats. In some instances, we and the users of our applications can be unaware of an incident or its magnitude and
effects.
Our
existing general liability insurance coverage and the coverage we carry for cyber-related liabilities may not continue to be available
on acceptable terms or be available in sufficient amounts to cover one or more large claims or that the insurer will not deny coverage
as to any future claim. The successful assertion of one or more large claims against us that are not covered or exceed available insurance
coverage, or the occurrence of changes in our insurance policies, including premium increases or the imposition of large deductible or
co-insurance requirements, could harm our business.
14
We
have faced, and we expect that we will continue to face, chargeback liability when our credit card providers resolve chargebacks in favor
of their customers. We cannot accurately anticipate the extent of these liabilities, and if not properly addressed, these liabilities
could increase our operating expenses or preclude us from accepting certain credit cards as a method of payment, either of which would
materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
We
depend on the ability to accept credit and debit card payments from our subscribers and our ability to maintain the good standing of
our merchant account with our credit card providers to process subscription payments. In the event that one of our customers initiates
a billing dispute and one of our credit card providers resolves the dispute in the customer’s favor, the transaction is normally
charged back to us and the purchase price is credited or otherwise refunded to the customer. In addition, under current credit card practices,
a merchant is liable for fraudulent credit card transactions when, as is the case with the transactions we process, that merchant does
not obtain a cardholder’s signature.
We
have suffered losses and we expect that we will continue to suffer losses as a result of subscriptions placed with fraudulent credit
card data, as well as users who chargeback their purchases. Any failure to adequately control fraudulent credit card transactions or
keep our chargebacks under an acceptable threshold would result in significantly higher credit card-related costs and, therefore, materially
increase our operating expenses.
We
face certain risks related to the physical and emotional safety of users and third parties.
We
cannot control the actions of our users in their communications or physical actions. There is a possibility that users or third parties
could be physically or emotionally harmed following interaction with another user. We warn our users that we do not screen other users
and, given our lack of physical presence, we do not take any action to ensure personal safety on a meeting between users or subscribers
arranged following contact initiated via our applications or ensure personal safety of our users against self-harming following contact
with other users initiated via our applications. If an unfortunate incident of this nature occurred in a meeting of two people following
contact initiated on our applications or that of one of our competitors, any resulting negative publicity could materially and adversely
affect us or the online video chat industry in general. Any such incident involving our applications could damage our reputation and
our brand, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition. In addition, the
affected users or third parties could initiate legal action against us, which could divert management attention from operations, cause
us to incur significant expenses, whether we are successful or not, and damage our reputation.
We
may need additional capital to execute our business plan. If we do not obtain additional financing, it could have a material adverse
effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.
We
might need to raise additional capital or financing through debt or equity offerings to support our expansion, marketing efforts and
application development programs in the future. For instance, we might require additional capital or financing to:
● hire
and retain talented employees, including technical employees, executives, and marketing experts;
● effectuate
our long-term growth strategy and expand our application development programs; and
● market
and advertise our applications to attract more paying subscribers.
We
may be unable to obtain future capital or financing on favorable terms or at all. If we cannot obtain additional capital or financing,
we may need to reduce, defer or cancel application development programs, planned initiatives, marketing or advertising expenses or costs
and expenses. The failure to obtain necessary additional capital or financing on favorable terms, if at all, could have a material adverse
effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.
If
the distribution of our products through application stores increases, we may incur additional fees from the developers of application
stores.
As
the user base of our consumer applications continues to shift to mobile solutions, we increasingly rely on the Apple iOS and Google Android
platforms to distribute our products. While our products are free to download from these stores, we offer our users the opportunity to
purchase paid memberships and certain premium features through our products. We determine the prices at which these memberships and features
are sold and, in exchange for facilitating the purchase of these memberships and features through our products to users who download
our products from these stores, we pay Apple or Google, as applicable, a share, which is currently up to 30% of the revenue we receive
from these transactions. In the future, other distribution platforms that we utilize may charge us fees for the distribution of our applications.
If the distribution of our products through application stores increases, the amount of fees that we must pay to the developers of these
application stores will also increase. Unless we find a way to offset these fees, our business, financial condition and results of operations
could be adversely affected.
15
We
may make or attempt to make acquisitions in the future, which could require significant management attention, disrupt our business, dilute
our stockholders and seriously harm our business.
As
part of our business strategy, we have made and intend to make acquisitions to add specialized employees and complementary companies,
products and technologies. In the future, we may not be able to find other suitable acquisition candidates, and we may not be able to
complete acquisitions on favorable terms, if at all. Our previous and future acquisitions may not achieve our goals, and any future acquisitions
we complete could be viewed negatively by users, advertisers or investors. In addition, if we fail to successfully close transactions
or integrate new teams, or integrate the products and technologies associated with these acquisitions into our company, our business
could be seriously harmed. Any integration process may require significant time and resources, and we may not be able to manage the process
successfully. We may not successfully evaluate or use the acquired products, technology and personnel, or accurately forecast the financial
impact of an acquisition transaction, including accounting charges. We may also incur unanticipated liabilities that we assume as a result
of acquiring companies. We may have to pay cash, incur debt or issue equity securities to pay for any acquisition, any of which could
negatively impact our business and financial condition. Issuing equity to finance any such acquisitions would also dilute our existing
stockholders. Incurring debt would increase our fixed obligations and could also include covenants or other restrictions that would impede
our ability to manage our operations.
We
may conduct a portion of our operations through informal relationships, partnerships, strategic alliances or joint ventures, and our
failure to continue such relationships or resolve any material disagreements with these third parties could have a material adverse effect
on the success of these operations, our financial condition and our results of operations.
We
may conduct a portion of our operations through partnerships, strategic alliances or joint ventures. For instance, at the end of 2019,
we launched our consumer application platform strategy, under which we plan to co-brand our video chat applications and promote them
in partnership with third-party communities, with the expectation of entering into revenue sharing arrangements with potential partners.
We
may depend on third parties for elements of these arrangements that are important to the success of the relationship, such as the development
of features or technologies to be incorporated into our applications. The performance of these third-party obligations or the ability
of third parties to meet their obligations under these arrangements would be outside of our control. If these third parties do not meet
or satisfy their obligations under these arrangements, the performance and success of these arrangements, and their value to us, would
be adversely affected. If our current or future partners are unable to meet their obligations, we may be forced to undertake the obligations
ourselves and/or incur additional expenses in order to have some other party perform such obligations. In such cases we may also be required
to seek legal enforcement of our rights, the outcome of which would be uncertain. If any of these events occur, they may adversely impact
us, our financial performance and results of operations, and/or adversely impact our ability to enter into similar relationships in the
future.
Strategic
arrangements with third parties could involve risks not otherwise present when we directly manage our operations, including, for example:
● third
parties may share certain approval rights over major decisions within the scope of the relationship;
● the
possibility that these third parties might become insolvent or bankrupt;
● the
possibility that we may incur liabilities as a result of an action taken by one of these
third parties;
● these
third parties may be in a position to take action contrary to our instructions or requests
or contrary to our policies or objectives; and
● disputes
between us and these third parties may result in litigation or arbitration that would increase
our expenses, delay or terminate projects and prevent our officers and directors from focusing
their time and effort on our business.
Risks
Related to Our Ownership of Cryptocurrencies
Because
there has been limited precedent set for financial accounting of cryptocurrencies and other digital assets, the determination that we
have made for how to account for our tokens and any other digital assets we may acquire may be subject to change.
Because
there has been limited precedent set for the accounting classification and measurement of cryptocurrency and other digital tokens and
related revenue recognition, it is unclear how companies may in the future be required to account for digital asset transactions and
assets and related revenue recognition. We are currently accounting for our tokens as indefinite-lived intangible assets in accordance
with Accounting Standard Codification No. 350: Intangibles—Goodwill and Other . Indefinite-lived intangible assets are recorded
at cost and are not subject to amortization, but shall be tested for impairment annually and more frequently if events or changes in
circumstances indicate that it is more likely than not that the asset is impaired. Our management has exercised significant judgment
in determining the appropriate accounting treatment, and in the event that authoritative guidance is enacted by the Financial Accounting
Standards Board, we may be required to change our policies or restate our financial statements, which could have an effect on our consolidated
financial position and results from operations. Such a restatement or change in policies could adversely affect the accounting for our
tokens or other cryptocurrencies that we may acquire and may more generally negatively impact our business, prospects, financial condition
and results of operation.
16
Legal
and Regulatory Risks
We
may be liable as a result of information retrieved from or transmitted over the internet.
We
may be sued for defamation, civil rights infringement, negligence, copyright or trademark infringement, invasion of privacy, personal
injury, product liability or under other legal theories relating to information that is published or made available on our websites or
applications. These types of claims have been brought, sometimes successfully, against online services in the past. We also offer messaging
services on our applications and we send emails directly and through third parties to our users, which may subject us to potential risks,
such as liabilities or claims resulting from unsolicited email or spamming, lost or misdirected messages, security breaches, illegal
or fraudulent use of email or personal information or interruptions or delays in email service. Our insurance does not specifically provide
for coverage of these types of claims and, therefore, may be inadequate to protect us against them. In addition, we could incur significant
costs in investigating and defending such claims, even if we ultimately are not held liable. If any of these events occur, our revenue
could be materially adversely affected or we could incur significant additional expense, and the market price of our securities may decline.
Changes
in laws or regulations, including laws and regulations that impact the use of the internet, such as internet neutrality laws, or laws
that relate to content provided over the internet or monitoring such content, could adversely affect our business, results of operations
or financial condition.
The
adoption of any laws or regulations that adversely affect the growth or use of the internet, including laws governing internet neutrality,
could decrease the demand for our products and increase our cost of doing business. In January 2018, the Federal Communications Commission
(the “FCC”) released an order that repealed the “open internet rules,” often known as “net neutrality,”
which prohibit internet providers in the United States from impeding access to most content, or otherwise unfairly discriminating against
content providers like us. These rules also prohibited mobile providers from entering into arrangements with specific content providers
for faster or better access over their data networks. The FCC order repealing the open internet rules went into effect in June 2018.
In response to this decision, California and a number of states implemented their own net neutrality rules which largely mirrored the
repealed federal regulations. The U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) has filed suit to bar implementation of these state
laws and their application remains uncertain. For instance, on February 8, 2021, the DOJ voluntarily dismissed its suit against California’s
net neutrality bill. We cannot predict the outcome of similar litigation or whether the FCC order or state initiatives regulating providers
will be modified, overturned, or vacated by other legal action, federal legislation, or the FCC, or the degree to which this repeal would
adversely affect our business, if at all. The European Union similarly requires equal access to internet content. If the FCC, Congress,
the European Union or courts modify these open internet rules, mobile providers may be able to limit our users’ ability to access
our applications or make our applications a less attractive alternative to our competitors’ applications, which could materially
adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
In
addition, it is possible that a number of additional laws and regulations may be adopted or construed to apply to us, including gambling
laws. Some of the video card games that we offer on our Paltalk application are based upon traditional casino games, such as poker and
blackjack. We have structured and operate these games and features with gambling laws in mind and believe that these games and features
do not constitute gambling. Our games are offered for entertainment purposes only and do not offer an opportunity to win real money.
However, our video card games could in the future become subject to gambling-related laws and regulations and expose us to civil and
criminal penalties. If were to become subject to such laws and regulations, we might be required to seek licenses, authorizations or
approvals from relevant regulators, the granting of which may be dependent on us meeting certain capital and other requirements, and
we may be subject to additional regulation and oversight, such as reporting to regulators, all of which could significantly increase
our operating costs. Changes in current laws or regulations or the imposition of new laws and regulations in the United States, Europe
or elsewhere regarding these activities may lessen the growth of video card game services and impair our business.
If
there are changes in laws or regulations regarding privacy and the protection of user data, or if we fail to comply with such laws or
regulations, we may face claims brought against us by regulators or users that could adversely affect our business, results of operations
or financial condition.
State,
federal and international laws and regulations govern the collection, use, retention, sharing and security of data that we receive from
and about our users. These laws can be particularly restrictive in certain states and in countries outside of the United States. In addition,
the application and interpretation of these laws and regulations are often uncertain, particularly in the new and rapidly evolving industries
in which we operate.
17
Any
failure, or perceived failure, by us to comply with such laws and regulations, including Federal Trade Commission requirements or industry
self-regulatory principles, could result in proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities or others, which could potentially
have an adverse effect on our business. As a result of such a failure, or perceived failure, we may be subject to a claim or class-action
lawsuit regarding our online services. The successful assertion of a claim against us, or a regulatory action against us, could result
in significant monetary damages, diversion of management resources and require us to make significant payments and incur substantial
legal expenses. Any claims with respect to violation of privacy or misappropriation of user data brought against us may have a material
adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Several
proposals are pending before federal, state, and foreign legislative and regulatory bodies or have recently been enacted that could significantly
affect our business. For example, the California legislature enacted the CCPA, which became effective on January 1, 2020, and the CPRA,
which expands upon the CCPA and was passed in the recent California election in November 2020. Likewise, the New York legislature enacted
the New York Stop Hacks and Improve Electronic Data Security (SHIELD) Act, which went into effect on March 21, 2020. Further, the GDPR,
which applies to the European Economic Area and went into effect on May 25, 2018, required us to change our policies and procedures regarding
the handling of personal and sensitive data in the European Economic Area. The failure to comply with the GDPR could, in certain instances,
result in penalties of up to 4% of our worldwide revenues. Any failure, or perceived failure to comply with the GDPR or other state,
federal or international laws could seriously harm our business.
Continued
privacy concerns may result in new or amended laws and regulations. Future laws and regulations with respect to the collection, compilation,
use and publication of information and consumer privacy could result in limitations on our operations, increased compliance or litigation
expense, adverse publicity or loss of revenue, which any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition
and results of operations. It is also possible that we could be prohibited from collecting or disseminating certain types of data, which
could affect our ability to meet our users’ needs.
Risks
Related to Our Intellectual Property
If
we are unable to protect our intellectual property rights, we may be unable to compete with competitors developing similar technologies.
Historically,
our defense of our intellectual property rights has been a significant aspect of our business and has meaningfully contributed to our
results of operations. Accordingly, our success and ability to compete are often dependent upon the development of intellectual property
for our applications.
We
aim to protect our confidential proprietary information, in part, by entering into confidentiality agreements and invention assignment
agreements with all our employees, consultants, advisors and any third parties who access or contribute to our proprietary know-how,
information, or technology. We also rely on trademark, copyright, patent, trade secret, and domain-name-protection laws to protect our
proprietary rights. We have filed various applications to protect aspects of our intellectual property, and we currently hold a number
of issued patents. In the future we may acquire additional patents or patent portfolios, which could require significant cash expenditures.
However, third parties may knowingly or unknowingly infringe our proprietary rights, third parties may challenge proprietary rights held
by us, and pending and future trademark and patent applications may not be approved. In addition, effective intellectual property protection
may not be available in every country in which we operate or intend to operate our business.
In
any of these cases, we may be required to expend significant time and expense to prevent infringement or to enforce our rights. Although
we have taken measures to protect our proprietary rights, others may offer products or concepts that are substantially similar to ours
and compete with our business. If we are unable to protect our proprietary rights or prevent unauthorized use or appropriation by third
parties, the value of our brand and other intangible assets may be diminished, and competitors may be able to more effectively mimic
our service and methods of operations. Any of these events could seriously harm our business.
If
we are subject to intellectual property infringement claims, it could cause us to incur significant expenses, pay substantial damages
or royalties and prevent us from offering our applications.
From
time to time, third parties may claim that our applications infringe or violate their intellectual property rights. Any claims of infringement
could cause us to incur significant expenses and, if successfully asserted against us, could require that we pay substantial damages
and prevent us from using licensed technology that may be fundamental to our applications. Even if we were to prevail, any litigation
regarding intellectual property could be costly and time-consuming and divert the attention of our management and key personnel from
our business operations. We maintain insurance to protect against intellectual property infringement claims and resulting litigation,
but such insurance may not cover or may not be sufficient to cover all potential claims, liability or expenses. We may also be obligated
to indemnify our business partners in any such litigation, which could further exhaust our resources. Furthermore, as a result of an
intellectual property challenge, we may be prevented from offering our applications unless we enter into royalty, license or other agreements.
We may not be able to obtain such agreements at all or on terms acceptable to us, and as a result, we may be precluded from offering
our applications and services.
18
Risks
Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock
Our
common stock is historically thinly traded, stockholders may be unable to sell at or near ask prices or at all and the price of our common
stock may be volatile.
Historically,
shares of our common stock were thinly-traded on the OTCQB and have usually been thinly-traded following our uplist to The Nasdaq Capital
Market (“Nasdaq”), meaning that the number of persons interested in purchasing our common stock at or near ask prices at
any given time may be relatively small or non-existent. This situation is attributable to a number of factors, including the fact that
we are a small company that is relatively unknown to stock analysts, stock brokers, institutional investors and others in the investment
community that generate or influence sales volume. As a consequence, there may be periods of several days or more when trading activity
in our shares is minimal or non-existent, as compared to a seasoned issuer that has a large and steady volume of trading activity that
will generally support continuous sales without an adverse effect on stock price.
However,
during certain periods we have received, and may continue to receive, a high degree of media coverage that is published or otherwise
disseminated by third parties, including blogs, articles, message boards and social and other media. This may include coverage that is
not attributable to statements made by the Company or our Board of Directors. Information provided by third parties may not be reliable
or accurate and could materially impact the trading price of our common stock which could cause stockholders to lose their investments.
The
market prices and trading volume of our common stock have recently experienced, and may continue to experience, extreme volatility, which
could cause purchasers of our common stock to incur substantial losses. For example, during 2021, the market price of our common stock
fluctuated from an intra-day low of $1.48 per share on January 4, 2021 to an intra-day high on Nasdaq of $15.20 on September 29, 2021.
The last reported sale price of our common stock on Nasdaq on December 31, 2021 was $2.84 per share. From June 2021 to September 2021,
daily trading volume ranged from approximately 100 to 133,244,100 shares. We believe that the recent volatility and our current market
prices reflect market and trading dynamics unrelated to our underlying business, or macro or industry fundamentals, and we do not know
if these dynamics will continue.
Although
our common stock is now listed for trading on Nasdaq, a broader or more active public trading market for our common stock may not develop
or be sustained, and the current trading level of our common stock may not be sustained. Due to these conditions, you may be unable to
sell your common stock at or near ask prices or at all if you desire to sell shares of common stock.
The
stock markets in general have experienced substantial volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of individual
companies. These broad market fluctuations may also adversely affect the trading price of our common stock, especially in light of the
COVID-19 pandemic. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, stockholders have
often instituted class action securities litigation against those companies. Such litigation, if instituted, could result in substantial
costs and diversion of management attention and resources, which could significantly harm our profitability and reputation.
Because
of the limited trading market for our common stock, and because of the possible price volatility, you may not be able to sell your shares
of common stock when you desire to do so. The inability to sell your shares in a rapidly declining market may substantially increase
your risk of loss because of such illiquidity and because the price for our common stock may suffer greater declines because of its price
volatility
The
ownership of our common stock is significantly concentrated in a small number of investors, some of whom are affiliated with our Board
of Directors and management, which could prevent stockholders from having input on the course of our operations or otherwise lead to
actual or potential conflicts of interest.
As of March 21, 2022, Jason Katz, our Chairman of the Board of Directors,
Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer and President, beneficially owned approximately 7.1% of our outstanding common stock,
including shares of common stock held directly by Mr. Katz’s spouse, and The J. Crew Delaware Trust A, a trust formed by Mr. Katz
for the benefit of certain of his family members, also beneficially owned approximately 24.0% of our outstanding common stock as of March
21, 2022. Mr. Katz is not a beneficiary of the trust and does not hold voting or dispositive power over the shares held by the trust.
19
Mr.
Katz, The J. Crew Delaware Trust A and others that have significant beneficial ownership of our common shares have substantial influence
regarding matters submitted for stockholder approval, including proposals regarding:
● any
merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets;
● the
election of members of our Board of Directors; and
● any
amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation, as amended (the “Certificate of Incorporation”).
The
current or increased ownership position of any of these stockholders and/or their respective affiliates could delay, deter or prevent
a change of control or adversely affect the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for our common shares. In addition,
the interests of these stockholders and/or their respective affiliates may significantly differ from the interests of our other stockholders
and they may vote the common shares they beneficially own in ways with which our other stockholders disagree.
If
we fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial
results or prevent fraud and our business may be harmed and our stock price may be adversely impacted.
Effective
internal controls over financial reporting are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and to effectively prevent fraud.
Any inability to provide reliable financial reports or to prevent fraud could harm our business. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the
“Sarbanes-Oxley Act”) requires management to evaluate and assess the effectiveness of our internal control over financial
reporting. In order to continue to comply with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, we are required to continuously evaluate and,
where appropriate, enhance our policies, procedures and internal controls. We have in the past failed, and may in the future fail, to
maintain the adequacy of our internal controls over financial reporting. Such failure could subject us to litigation or regulatory scrutiny
and investors could lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports. We cannot provide any assurance that in
the future we will be able to fully comply with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act or that management will conclude that our
internal control over financial reporting is effective. If we fail to fully comply with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, our
business may be harmed and our stock price may decline.
Our
results of operations are volatile and difficult to predict, and our stock price may decline if we fail to meet the expectations of stockholders.
Our
revenue and results of operations could vary significantly from period-to-period and year-to-year and may fail to match our past performance
because of a variety of factors, many of which are outside of our control. Any of these events could cause the market price of our common
stock to fluctuate. Factors that may contribute to the variability of our results of operations include:
● changes
in expectations as to our future financial performance;
● announcements
by us or our competitors of significant contracts, acquisitions, strategic partnerships or
capital commitments;
● market
acceptance of our new applications and enhancements to our existing applications;
20
● the
amount of advertising and marketing that is available and spent on user acquisition campaigns;
● disruptions
in the availability of our applications on third party platforms;
● actual
or perceived violations of privacy obligations and compromises of subscriber data;
● the
entrance of new competitors in our market whether by established companies or the entrance
of new companies;
● additions
or departures of key personnel and the cost of attracting and retaining application developers
and other software engineers; and
● general
market conditions, including market volatility and the impact of inflation.
Given
the rapidly evolving industry in which we operate, our historical results of operations may not be useful in predicting our future results
of operations. In addition, metrics available from third parties regarding our industry and the performance of our applications may not
be indicative of our future financial performance.
The
issuance of shares upon the exercise of stock options and unvested shares of restricted common stock may cause immediate and substantial
dilution to our existing stockholders.
As
of December 31, 2021, we had approximately 394,075 shares of common stock that were issuable upon the exercise of vested outstanding
stock options. The issuance of shares upon the exercise of these options may result in substantial dilution to the equity interest and
voting power of holders of our common stock.
In
the future, we may also issue additional shares of common stock or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of common
stock. Our Certificate of Incorporation currently authorizes us to issue up to 25,000,000 shares of common stock, of which 9,832,157
were outstanding as of December 31, 2021, which includes 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock with such designations, preferences and
rights as determined by our Board of Directors, of which none were outstanding as of December 31, 2021. The issuance of additional shares
of our common stock may substantially dilute the ownership interests of our existing stockholders. Furthermore, sales of a substantial
amount of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that these sales may occur, could reduce the market price of our common
stock. This could also impair our ability to raise additional capital through the sale of our securities.
Because
we have no current plans to pay cash dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future, a stockholder might not receive any return
on investment unless the stockholder sold its shares of common stock for a price greater than that for which the shares were purchased.
We
do not anticipate that we will declare or pay any dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. Consequently, stockholders
will only realize an economic gain on their investment in our common stock if the price appreciates. Stockholders should not purchase
our common stock expecting to receive cash dividends. Because we currently do not pay dividends, and there may be limited trading in
our common stock, stockholders may not have any manner to liquidate or receive any payment on their common stock. Therefore, our failure
to pay dividends may cause stockholders to not see any return on their common stock even if we are successful in our business operations.
In addition, because we do not pay dividends we may have trouble raising additional funds which could affect our ability to expand our
business operations.
Our
Certificate of Incorporation designates the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types
of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable
judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees, or stockholders.
Our
Certificate of Incorporation provides that, subject to limited exceptions, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the
sole and exclusive forum for any (i) derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of our Company, (ii) action asserting a claim
of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, employee, agent, or stockholder of our Company to the Company or the Company’s
stockholders, (iii) action asserting a claim against the Company or any director, officer, employee, agent, or stockholder of the Company
arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law or our Certificate of Incorporation or our Amended and Restated
By-Laws, as amended, or (iv) action asserting a claim against the Company or any director, officer, employee, agent, or stockholder of
the Company governed by the internal affairs doctrine. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares
of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the provisions of our amended and restated certificate
of incorporation described above.
21
This
exclusive forum provision applies to state and federal law claims, although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance
with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. In addition, this exclusive forum selection provision will
not apply to claims under the Exchange Act. Moreover, Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and
state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.
Accordingly, there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce our forum selection provision as written in connection with claims
arising under the Securities Act. This choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial
forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers, or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits
against us and our directors, officers and employees.
Investor
relations activities, nominal “float” and supply and demand factors may affect the price of our common stock.
We
have engaged an investor relations firm to create investor awareness for our Company. These campaigns may include non-deal road shows
and personal, video and telephone conferences with investors and prospective investors in which our business and business practices are
described. We provide compensation to our investor relations firm, and may in the future provide compensation to additional investor
relations firms or financial advisory firms, for these services, and pay for newsletters, websites, mailings and email campaigns that
are produced by third parties based upon publicly available information concerning us. We do not intend to review or approve of the content
of such analyst reports or other writings and communications that are based upon analysts’ own research or methods. Investor relations
firms are generally required to disclose when they are compensated for their efforts and the source of such compensation, but whether
such disclosure is made or in compliance with applicable laws is not under our control. In addition, our investors may, from time to
time, take steps to encourage investor awareness through similar activities that may be undertaken at the expense of such investors.
Investor awareness activities may also be suspended or discontinued, which may impact the trading market of our common stock.
The
SEC and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority enforce various statutes and regulations intended to prevent manipulative or deceptive
devices in connection with the purchase or sale of any security and carefully scrutinize trading patterns and company news and other
communications for false or misleading information, particularly in cases where the hallmarks of “pump and dump” activities
may exist, such as rapid share price increases or decreases. We and our stockholders may be subjected to enhanced regulatory scrutiny
due to the fact that our affiliates hold a majority of our outstanding common stock and we have a limited number of shares of common
stock that are publicly available for resale.
The
Supreme Court of the United States has stated that manipulative action is a term of art connoting intentional or willful conduct designed
to deceive or defraud investors by controlling or artificially affecting the price of securities. Often times, manipulation is associated
by regulators with forces that upset the supply and demand factors that would normally determine trading prices. Securities regulators
have often cited thinly-traded markets, small numbers of holders and awareness campaigns as components of their claims of price manipulation
and other violations of law when combined with manipulative trading, such as wash sales, matched orders or other manipulative trading
timed to coincide with false or touting press releases. There can be no assurance that our activities or the activities of third parties,
or the small number of potential sellers or small percentage of stock in our public float, or determinations by purchasers or holders
as to when or under what circumstances or at what prices they may be willing to buy or sell stock, will not artificially impact (or would
be claimed by regulators to have affected) the normal supply and demand factors that determine the price of our common stock.
If
we are not able to comply with the applicable continued listing requirements or standards of Nasdaq, Nasdaq could delist our securities.
Our
common stock was approved for listing on Nasdaq under the symbol “PALT” and began trading on Nasdaq on August 3, 2021. We
cannot assure you that our securities will continue to be listed on Nasdaq in the future. In order to maintain that listing, we must
satisfy minimum financial and other continued listing requirements and standards, including those regarding director independence and
independent committee requirements, minimum stockholders’ equity, minimum share price, and certain corporate governance requirements.
We may not be able to comply with the applicable listing standards and Nasdaq could delist our securities as a result.
We
cannot assure you that our common stock, if delisted from Nasdaq, will be listed on another national securities exchange. If our common
stock is delisted by Nasdaq, our common stock would likely trade on the OTCQB where an investor may find it more difficult to sell our
shares or obtain accurate quotations as to the market value of our common stock.
22
ITEM
1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
Not
applicable.
ITEM
2. PROPERTIES
Our
principal executive office is located at 30 Jericho Executive Plaza in Jericho, New York 11753. The lease for the 30 Jericho Executive
Plaza office space expires on November 30, 2024. We currently do not own any real property.