iPower Inc. 10-K

ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES As required by Rule 13a-15 of the Exchange Act, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, we evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report. Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures We maintain disclosure controls and procedures as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted to the SEC under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified by the SEC’s rules and forms, and that information is accumulated and communicated to management, including the principal executive and principal financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures. Our principal executive officer and principal financial officer evaluated the effectiveness of disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report (the “Evaluation Date”), pursuant to Rule 13a-15(b) under the Exchange Act. Based on that evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that, as of the Evaluation Date, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective due to material weaknesses described in our report on internal control over financial reporting below. Notwithstanding the existence of the material weaknesses, we believe that the consolidated financial statements included in this report fairly present in accordance with U.S. GAAP, in all material respects, our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented in this Annual Report. Limitations on the Effectiveness of Controls A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Because of the inherent limitations in all controls systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within a company have been detected. Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to provide reasonable assurance of achieving its objectives. Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting Our principal executive officer and our principal accounting and financial officer are responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f). Management conducted an assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of June 30, 2023. In making this assessment, management used the criteria described in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Based upon such assessment and due to the existence of the material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting described below, our principal executive officer and our principal accounting and financial officer have concluded that, as of June 30, 2023, our internal control over financial reporting was not effective because, among other things, (i) we lack effective communication and reconciliation procedures in our controlled subsidiaries, and (ii) our controls related to the financial statements closing process were not adequately designed or appropriately implemented to identify material misstatements in our financial reporting on a timely basis. Management has evaluated remediation plans to address these deficiencies and is implementing changes to address the material weakness identified, including hiring additional accountants and consultants and implementing controls and procedures over the financial reporting process. 43 It should be noted that any system of controls, however well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable and not absolute assurance that the objectives of the system are met. In addition, the design of any control system is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of certain events. Because of these and other inherent limitations of control systems, there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions, regardless of how remote. In light of the material weaknesses described above, we performed additional analysis and other post-closing procedures to ensure our financial statements were prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Accordingly, we believe that the consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report fairly present in accordance with U.S. GAAP, in all material respects, our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented in this Annual Report. Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting There have been no changes in our internal controls over financial reporting that occurred during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal controls over financial reporting. UHY LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, is not required to and has not provided an assessment over the design or effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting. ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION None. ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS Not applicable. 44 PART III ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MANAGEMENT Executive Officers and Directors All of our directors hold office for one-year terms until the election and qualification of their successors. Officers are appointed by our board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, subject to applicable employment agreements. The following table sets forth information relating to our executive officers and members of our board of directors. Name Age Position Chenlong Tan 41 Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, President, and Director Kevin Vassily 56 Chief Financial Officer and Director Bennet Tchaikovsky 54 Independent Director Hanxi Li 36 Independent Director Kevin Liles 54 Independent Director Chenlong Tan . Mr. Tan cofounded our Company in 2018 and is the Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President. He has held the position of Chief Executive Officer since April 2018 and assumed the positions of Chairman, President and Interim Chief Financial Officer in January 2020. Mr. Tan held the position of Interim Chief Financial Officer until January 2021. From 2010 until 2018, Mr. Tan was the cofounder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Information Officer at our predecessor, BizRight LLC, where he built the business from the ground up to achieve $20 million in sales through data driven development. From 2002 until 2010, Mr. Tan served as a Solution Architect and Senior Software Engineer at various companies, where he took a lead role, managing consultants, business architects and project managers, in working with healthcare companies in completing scoping requirements, solution gathering and project management, among other things. Mr. Tan received his B. Sc. at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, where he graduated with honors. Kevin Vassily. Mr. Vassily was appointed as our Chief Financial Officer in January 2021. Mr. Vassily was also appointed as a member of our board of directors in March 2021. Mr. Vassily also serves as a director at Aimfinity Investment Corp. commencing March 15, 2023. Prior to joining iPower, from 2019 to January 2021, Mr. Vassily served as Vice President of Market Development for Facteus, a financial analytics company focused on the Asset Management industry. From October 2018 through its acquisition in 2020, Mr. Vassily served as an advisor at Go Capture, where he was responsible for providing strategic, business development, and product development advisory services for the company’s emerging “Data as a Service” platform. Since February 2020, Mr. Vassily has served as a director of Zhongchao Inc., a provider of healthcare information, education and training services to healthcare professionals and the public in China. Since July 2018, Mr. Vassily has also served as an advisor at Prometheus Fund, a Shanghai- based merchant bank/PE firm focused on the “green” economy. And from 2015 through 2018, Mr. Vassily served as an associate director of research at Keybanc Capital Markets, and helped to co-manage the Technology Research vertical. From 2010 to 2014, he served as the director of research at Pacific Epoch (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pacific Crest Securities), where he was responsible for a complete overhaul of product and a complete business model restart post-acquisition, re focusing the firm around a “data-first” research offering. From 2007 to 2010, he served as the Asia Technology business development representative and as a senior analyst at Pacific Crest Securities, responsible for establishing the firm’s presence and relevance covering Asia Technology. From 2003 to 2006, he served as senior research analyst in the semiconductor technology group at Susquehanna International Group, responsible for research in semiconductor and related technologies. From 2001 to 2003, Mr. Vassily served as the vice president and senior research analyst for semiconductor capital equipment at Thomas Weisel Partners, responsible for publishing research and maintaining financial models on each of the companies under coverage. Mr. Vassily began his career on Wall Street in 1998, as a research associate covering the semiconductor industry at Lehman Brothers. He holds a B.A. in liberal arts from Denison University and an M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. 45 Bennet Tchaikovsky. Mr. Tchaikovsky serves as a member of our board of directors, a position he has held since May 2021, following completion of our initial public offering, and serves as chair of the audit committee. Since August 2014, Mr. Tchaikovsky has been a full-time professor at Irvine Valley College. Since January 2022, Mr. Tchaikovsky has been a part-time accounting instructor at California State University, Fullerton. From January 2020 through December 2021, Mr. Tchaikovsky served as a member of the board of directors for Oriental Culture Holding Group, Ltd. (NASDAQ: OCG). From February 2021 through July 2022, Mr. Tchaikovsky served as a member of the board of directors for Industrial Human Capital, Inc. (NYSE: AXH). From September 2020 through December 2021, Mr. Tchaikovsky served as a part-time accounting instructor at Long Beach City College. From August 2018 to May 2019, Mr. Tchaikovsky was a part-time instructor at Chapman University. From November 2013 to August 2019, Mr. Tchaikovsky served as a board member and chairman of the audit committee of Ener-Core, Inc. (OTCMKTS: ENCR). From August 2013 to May 2014, Mr. Tchaikovsky was a part-time faculty member of Irvine Valley College and a part-time faculty member of Pasadena City College. Mr. Tchaikovsky has served as a director on the board of directors of China Jo-Jo Drugstores, Inc. (NASDAQ: CJJD) from August 2011 to January 2013 and as its chief financial officer from September 2009 to July 2011. From April 2010 to August 2013, Mr. Tchaikovsky has served as chief financial officer of VLOV, Inc. From May 2008 to April 2010, Mr. Tchaikovsky has served as chief financial officer of Skystar Bio-Pharmaceutical Company. From March 2008 to November 2009, Mr. Tchaikovsky served as a director on the board of directors of Ever-Glory International Group (NASDAQ: EVK), where he served as chairman of the audit committee and was a member of the compensation committee. From December 2008 through November 2009, Mr. Tchaikovsky served as a director of Sino Clean Energy, Inc. Mr. Tchaikovsky received his Juris Doctorate degree from Southwestern Law School in December 1996 and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara in August 1991. Mr. Tchaikovsky is an actively licensed Certified Public Accountant in California and is an actively licensed member of the California State Bar. We believe that Mr. Tchaikovsky’s extensive experience in accounting and business will benefit the Company’s business and operations and make him a valuable member of the board of directors and its committees. Hanxi Li . Ms. Li was appointed to serve as a director on our board of directors on December 23, 2021 and serves as chair of our compensation committee. Ms. Li has more than a decade of marketing experience working with Fortune 50 companies and international conferences. Since 2019, Ms. Li has served as Vice President of Marketing for Elegantz Productions LLC. In this role, she executed branding and marketing campaigns targeting the United States region for Sequoia Capital and Xiaomi. She also formed a long-term partnership with ByteDance Ltd. and Ciwen Media. From 2017 to 2018, she was the marketing director of the Company’s predecessor, Bizright LLC, where she was in charge of the company’s branding and marketing strategies, including the expansion of the company’s social media marketing. From 2013 to 2016, Ms. Li was a partner at a private video studio where she worked with top companies across industries, including Bluefocus, and executed a performance project in China National Olympic Park. From 2011 to 2014, as publicity supervisor for the China National Convention Center, Ms. Li led efforts for branding and media channels for national and international meetings. Her long track record as a successful marketing leader makes her ideally suited to serving as a member of our board of directors. Kevin Liles . Mr. Liles was appointed to serve as a member of our board of directors commencing May 2021, upon completion of our initial public offering, and serves as chair of the nominating and corporate governance committee. Since 2012, Mr. Liles has been co-founder of 300 Entertainment, a music company whose roster includes acts across multiple genres including hip-hop, rock, pop, electronic, and alternative. From 2009 until present, Mr. Liles is a founder of KWL Enterprise, a niche brand management solutions company. From 2004 until 2009, Mr. Liles was an executive vice president of Warner Music, where he oversaw global strategy and was pivotal in building the artist services division into what is now a $200 million business. From 1998 until 2004, Mr. Liles was president of Def Jam Recordings and executive vice president of The Island Def Jam Music Group, where he amplified the brand’s influence through introducing Def College Jam, opening five international offices, launching successful video game franchises, and doubling revenue to $400 million. Mr. Liles has long been focused on philanthropic work, with a focus on global education and entrepreneurship, culminating in his receipt of the 2010 Medaille de la Ville de Paris award for his contribution to Parisian culture. Mr. Liles holds an honorary Doctor of Law degree from Morgan State University, where he studied engineering and electrical engineering as an undergraduate. We believe Mr. Liles’ extensive entrepreneurial and business experience, as well as his extensive knowledge in the area of social media, will assist us in our growth plans going forward. Family Relationships There are no family relationships among any of our officers or directors. 46 Involvement in Certain Legal Proceedings To our knowledge, during the past ten years, none of our directors, executive officers, promoters, control persons, or nominees has: · had any bankruptcy petition filed by or against the business or property of the person, or of any partnership, corporation or business association of which he was a general partner or executive officer, either at the time of the bankruptcy filing or within two years prior to that time; · been convicted in a criminal proceeding or been subject to a pending criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations and other minor offenses); · been subject to any order, judgment, or decree, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, of any court of competent jurisdiction or federal or state authority, permanently or temporarily enjoining, barring, suspending or otherwise limiting, his involvement in any type of business, securities, futures, commodities, investment, banking, savings and loan, or insurance activities, or to be associated with persons engaged in any such activity; · been found by a court of competent jurisdiction in a civil action or by the SEC or the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to have violated a federal or state securities or commodities law, and the judgment has not been reversed, suspended, or vacated; · been the subject of, or a party to, any federal or state judicial or administrative order, judgment, decree, or finding, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated (not including any settlement of a civil proceeding among private litigants), relating to an alleged violation of any federal or state securities or commodities law or regulation, any law or regulation respecting financial institutions or insurance companies including, but not limited to, a temporary or permanent injunction, order of disgorgement or restitution, civil money penalty or temporary or permanent cease-and-desist order, or removal or prohibition order, or any law or regulation prohibiting mail or wire fraud or fraud in connection with any business entity; or · been the subject of, or a party to, any sanction or order, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, of any self-regulatory organization (as defined in Section 3(a)(26) of the Exchange Act), any registered entity (as defined in Section 1(a)(29) of the Commodity Exchange Act), or any equivalent exchange, association, entity or organization that has disciplinary authority over its members or persons associated with a member. Board Committees Our board of directors has established an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee and a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Each of these committees operates under a charter that has been approved by our board of directors, as set forth below. Audit Committee . Our Audit Committee consists of three independent directors. The members of the Audit Committee are Mr. Tchaikovsky, Ms. Li and Mr. Liles. The Audit Committee consists exclusively of directors who are financially literate and Mr. Tchaikovsky serves as chair of the Audit Committee. As a licensed certified public accountant, Mr. Tchaikovsky is considered an “audit committee financial expert” as defined by the SEC’s rules and regulations. The audit committee responsibilities include: · overseeing the compensation and work of and performance by our independent auditor and any other registered public accounting firm performing audit, review or attestation services for us; · engaging, retaining and terminating our independent auditor and determining the terms thereof; · assessing the qualifications, performance and independence of the independent auditor; · evaluating whether the provision of permitted non-audit services is compatible with maintaining the auditor’s independence; · reviewing and discussing the audit results, including any comments and recommendations of the independent auditor and the responses of management to such recommendations; · reviewing and discussing the annual and quarterly financial statements with management and the independent auditor; · producing a committee report for inclusion in applicable SEC filings; · reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of internal controls and procedures; · establishing procedures regarding the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received regarding the accounting, internal accounting controls, or auditing matters and conducting or authorizing investigations into any matters within the scope of the responsibility of the audit committee; and · reviewing transactions with related persons for potential conflict of interest situations. 47 Compensation Committee . Our Compensation Committee consists of three independent directors. The members of the Compensation Committee are Ms. Li, Mr. Tchaikovsky and Mr. Liles. Ms. Li serves as the chair of the Compensation Committee. The committee has primary responsibility for: · reviewing and recommending all elements and amounts of compensation for each executive officer, including any performance goals applicable to those executive officers; · reviewing and recommending for approval the adoption, any amendment and termination of all cash and equity-based incentive compensation plans; · once required by applicable law, causing to be prepared a committee report for inclusion in applicable SEC filings; · approving any employment agreements, severance agreements or change of control agreements that are entered into with the Chief Executive Officer and certain executive officers; and · reviewing and recommending the level and form of non-employee director compensation and benefits. Nominating and Governance Committee . The Nominating and Governance Committee consists of three independent directors. The members of the Nominating and Governance Committee are Mr. Liles, Ms. Li and Mr. Tchaikovsky. Mr. Liles serves as chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee’s responsibilities include: · recommending persons for election as directors by the stockholders; · recommending persons for appointment as directors to the extent necessary to fill any vacancies or newly created directorships; · reviewing annually the skills and characteristics required of directors and each incumbent director’s continued service on the board of directors; · reviewing any stockholder proposals and nominations for directors; · advising the board of directors on the appropriate structure and operations of the board of directors and its committees; · reviewing and recommending standing board committee assignments; · developing and recommending to the board of directors the Corporate Governance Guidelines, a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and other corporate governance policies and programs and reviewing such guidelines, code and any other policies and programs at least annually; · making recommendations to the board of directors as to determinations of director independence; and · making recommendations to the board of directors regarding corporate governance based upon developments, trends, and best practices. The Nominating and Governance Committee will consider stockholder recommendations for candidates for the board of directors. Code of Business Conduct and Ethics The Company maintains a formal Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (the “Code”) that is applicable to every officer, director, employee and consultant (the “Employees”) of the Company and its affiliates. The Code reaffirms the high standards of business conduct required of all of the Company’s Employees. Insider Trading Policy The Company maintains an insider trading policy to help the Company’s Employees comply with federal and state securities laws, prevent insider trading and govern the terms and conditions at which the Employees can trade in the Company’s securities. 48 Limitation of Directors Liability and Indemnification The Nevada Revised Statutes (“NRS”) authorizes corporations to limit or eliminate, subject to certain conditions, the personal liability of directors to corporations and their stockholders for monetary damages for breach of their fiduciary duties. iPower maintains stand-alone director and officer liability insurance to cover liabilities our directors and officers may incur in connection with their services to us, including matters arising under the Securities Act. In addition, Nevada law and our bylaws provide that we will indemnify our directors and officers who, by reason of the fact that he or she is an officer or director, is involved in a legal proceeding of any nature. There is no pending litigation or proceeding against any of our directors, officers, employees or agents in which indemnification will be required or permitted. We are not aware of any threatened litigation or proceeding which may result in a claim for such indemnification. Indemnification Agreements To date, we have no specific indemnification agreements with our directors or executive officers. However, our officers and directors are entitled to indemnification through our bylaws and to the extent allowed pursuant to the NRS, federal securities law and our directors and officers liability insurance. SECTION 16(A) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our executive officers and directors, and persons who own more than 10% of our common stock, to file reports regarding ownership of, and transactions in, our securities with the SEC and to provide us with copies of those filings. Based solely on our review of the copies of such forms furnished to us and written representations by our officers and directors regarding their compliance with applicable reporting requirements under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act, we believe that all Section 16(a) filing requirements for our executive officers, directors and 10% stockholders were met during the year ended June 30, 2023, except for the following: Name Late Reports Transactions Covered Number of Shares Hanxin Li Form 4 COMMON STOCK 51,724 Kevin Liles Form 4 COMMON STOCK 24,800 Bennet Tchaikovsky Form 4 COMMON STOCK 24,800 49 ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION EXECUTIVE OFFICE COMPENSATION Summary Compensation Table The following table presents information regarding the total compensation earned by our executive officers who were serving as executive officers as of June 30, 2023 for services rendered in all capacities to us for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022. Name and Principal Position Year Salary ($USD) Bonus ($USD) Stock Based Awards ($USD) Others ($USD) Total ($USD) Chenlong Tan 2023 264,000 – – 62,647 (1) 326,647 Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, President 2022 264,000 94,250 – 62,647 (1) 420,897 Kevin Vassily 2023 240,000 – – – 240,000 Chief Financial Officer 2022 240,000 120,000 60,000 – 420,000 _________________________ (1) Consists of the costs of leasing a car. Employment Agreement with Chenlong Tan On July 1, 2020, we entered into an employment agreement with our Chief Executive Officer, Chenlong Tan. Under Mr. Tan’s employment agreement, Mr. Tan receives base compensation of $20,000 per month, is entitled to performance cash bonus compensation based on achievement of certain pre-determined goals, and from time to time may be granted restricted common shares and/or options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock, subject to the board of directors or Compensation Committee approval. In addition, during the term of Mr. Tan’s employment agreement, we are also leasing a motor vehicle for Mr. Tan’s daily use. Mr. Tan is not entitled to any severance rights under his employment agreement. Mr. Tan’s employment agreement has a term of five years, is thereafter renewable on an annual basis, and may be terminated upon 30 days’ notice upon the mutual agreement of Mr. Tan and the Company. Employment Agreement with Kevin Vassily On January 29, 2021, we entered into an employment agreement with our Chief Financial Officer, Kevin Vassily. Under Mr. Vassily’s employment agreement, Mr. Vassily receives base compensation of $240,000, is entitled to an annual guaranteed bonus of $60,000 upon achievement of certain milestones and up to an additional $60,000 annually in the sole discretion of the Company’s board of directors. Mr. Vassily is also entitled to 12,000 restricted stock units upon completion of our IPO. Thereafter, stock grants will be adjusted based on the awards from each prior year. Mr. Vassily is not entitled to any severance rights under his employment agreement and may be terminated upon 30 days’ written notice by either party. 50 Outstanding Equity Awards Outstanding Equity Awards at June 30, 2023 The following table provides information regarding outstanding equity awards held by our named executive officers as of June 30, 2023. Options Restricted Stock Unit Awards Name Grant Date Number of securities Underlying Options (#) Vested Number of Securities Underlying Options (#) Unvested Option Exercise Price ($) Option Expiration date Number of Securities Underlying RSUs (#) Vested Number of Securities Underlying RSUs(#) Unvested Chenlong Tan 5/13/2022 0 3,000,000 $ 1.12 5/12/2032 – – Kevin Vassily (1) 5/11/2021 – – – – 12,000 – 5/13/2022 0 330,000 $ 1.12 5/12/2032 – – (1) Total number of RSUs granted was 12,000, all of which had vested as of June 30, 2023. Director Compensation We reimburse all members of our board of directors for their direct out of pocket expenses incurred in attending meetings of our board of directors. This table summarizes the compensation paid to each of our independent directors who served in such capacity during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023. Name Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($USD) Stock Based Awards ($USD) Others ($USD) Total ($USD) Bennet Tchaikovsky $ 30,000 $ 30,000 $ – $ 60,000 Kevin Liles $ 25,000 $ 30,000 $ – $ 55,000 Hanxi Li* $ 25,000 $ 30,000 $ – $ 55,000 Our independent directors each receive (i) $25,000 annual cash compensation, payable in equal quarterly installments, and (ii) $30,000 in restricted stock units (“RSUs”), which were issued pursuant to our 2020 Amended Equity Incentive Plan. Aside from 51,724 shares of RSUs which were issued to one of our directors, Ms. Hanxi Li on April 19, 2023, all other directors’ stock compensation has fully vested. In addition, the chairman of our audit committee is entitled to receive an additional $5,000 annual retainer for his additional responsibilities, which retainer will be payable in equal quarterly installments. Directors will also be reimbursed for reasonable expenses incurred in connection with the performance of their duties. No compensation has been awarded to any directors who were not executive officers for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022. 51 Equity Incentive Plan On October 15, 2020, the Company’s board of directors adopted, and its stockholders approved and ratified, the iPower Inc. 2020 Equity Incentive Plan. Further on May 5, 2021, the Company’s board of directors adopted, and its stockholders approved and ratified, the 2020 Amended Equity Incentive Plan. The 2020 Amended Equity Incentive Plan allows for the issuance of up to 5,000,000 shares of common stock, whether in the form of options, restricted stock, restricted stock units, stock appreciation rights, performance units, performance shares and other stock or cash awards. The general purpose of the 2020 Amended Equity Incentive Plan is to provide an incentive to the Company’s directors, officers, employees, consultants and advisors by enabling them to share in the future growth of the Company’s business. The board of directors believes that granting equity-based compensation serves to promote continuity of management and provide for a shared interest in the welfare, growth and development of the Company. The Company believes that the 2020 Amended Equity Incentive Plan will serve to advance the Company’s interests by enhancing its ability to (i) attract and retain employees, consultants, directors and advisors who are able to contribute to the Company’s ongoing success and development, (ii) reward those employees, consultants, directors and advisors for their contributions to the Company, and (iii) encourage employees, consultants, directors and advisors to participate in the Company’s long-term growth and success. In addition to the RSU grants referenced above, on May 13, 2022, the Company granted stock options (the “Option Grants”) in the amount of (i) 3,000,000 shares to Chenlong Tan, our Chief Executive Officer and (ii) 330,000 shares to Kevin Vassily, our Chief Financial Officer. The Option Grants have an exercise price of $1.12 per share (the closing price on the grant date) and have a term of 10 years, will vest in stages upon the Company’s achievement of certain pre-determined market capitalization and revenue or operating income targets set forth in the grant agreements. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, the Company granted an additional 131,130 RSUs to out directors and employees. ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS The following table sets forth the number of shares of common stock beneficially owned as of September 14, 2023 by: · each of our stockholders who is known by us to beneficially own 5% or more of our common stock; · each of our executive officers; · each of our directors; and · all of our directors and current executives as a group. Beneficial ownership is determined based on the rules and regulations of the SEC. A person has beneficial ownership of shares if such individual has the power to vote and/or dispose of shares. This power may be sole or shared and direct or indirect. Applicable percentage ownership in the following table is based on the total of 29,764,374 shares of common stock outstanding as of September 14, 2023. In computing the number of shares beneficially owned by a person and the percentage ownership of that person, shares of common stock that are subject to options or warrants held by that person and exercisable as of, or within sixty (60) days of, the date of this Annual Report. These shares, however, are not counted as outstanding for the purposes of computing the percentage ownership of any other person(s). Except as may be indicated in the footnotes to this table and pursuant to applicable community property laws, each person named in the table has sole voting and dispositive power with respect to the shares of common stock set forth opposite that person’s name. Unless indicated below, the address of each individual listed below is c/o iPower Inc., 2397 Bateman Avenue, Duarte, CA 91010. 52 Name of Beneficial Owner No. of Shares Common Stock Beneficially Owned Total Percentage of Common Stock Owned Chenlong Tan (1) 8,043,334 27.02% Kevin Vassily (2) 22,000 *% Bennet Tchaikovsky (3) 55,600 *% Kevin Liles (4) 55,600 *% Hanxi Li (5) 64,941 *% All Officers and Directors (5 Persons) 8,241,475 27.67% Beneficial Owners of more than 5% Allan Huang (6) 8,023,334 26.96% White Cherry Limited (7) 2,629,515 8.83% __________________________ * Less than 0.1% (1) Chenlong Tan is our co-Founder, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President. Mr. Tan’s holding consists of (i) 4,043,334 shares directly held by Mr. Tan and (ii) 4,000,000 shares held by a trust for the benefit of Mr. Tan and certain of his family members. The aforementioned holdings do not include options to purchase 3,000,000 shares of common stock which remain subject to certain vesting conditions. (2) Kevin Vassily is our Chief Financial Officer. The aforementioned holdings do not include options to purchase 330,000 shares of common stock which remain subject to certain vesting conditions. (3) Mr. Tchaikovsky is a member of our board of directors. His holdings consist of (i) 30,800 shares of common stock and (ii) 24,800 restricted stock units (“RSUs”) which remain subject to vesting. (4) Mr. Liles is a member of our board of directors. His holdings consist of (i) 30,800 shares of common stock and (ii) 24,800 RSUs which remain subject to vesting. (5) Ms. Li is a member of our board of directors. Her reported holdings consist of (i) 26,147 shares of common stock and (ii) 38,794 RSUs which remain subject to vesting. (6) Allan Huang is our co-Founder and a consultant and was previously our Chief Executive Officer, President and a director. (7) White Cherry Limited was the former owner of our subsidiary in Hongkong. ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE Unless described below, during the last two fiscal years, there are no transactions or series of similar transactions to which we were a party or will be a party, in which: · the amounts involved exceed or will exceed $120,000; and · any of our directors, executive officers or holders of more than 5% of our capital stock, or any member of the immediate family of any of the foregoing had, or will have, a direct or indirect material interest. On April 27, 2021, Mr. Chenlong Tan, our Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer and a beneficial owner more than 5% of our common stock, has agreed to reimburse us for any judgments, fines and amounts paid or actually incurred by us or an indemnitee in connection with such legal action or in connection with any settlement agreement entered into by us or an indemnitee up to a maximum of $3.5 million in the aggregate, with the sole source of funding of such reimbursement to come from sales of shares then owned by Mr. Tan, against any damages that the Company may owe Boustead or the underwriters, should Boustead be successful in any action against the Company related to this initial public offering. 53 Starting March 1, 2022, the Company subleases 50,000 square feet of its warehouse space to Box Harmony, LLC (“Box Harmony”), which is a 40% owned joint venture of the Company as disclosed in Note 1 and Note 2 to our audited consolidated financial statements. For the year ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, the Company received and recorded sublease fee of $359,373 and $330,000 as other non-operating income, respectively. As of June 30, 2023 and 2022, other receivables due from Box Harmony was $0 and 51,762, respectively. The Company discontinued the sublease to Box Harmony on January 1, 2023. On February 15, 2022, the Company assumed $92,246 of advance payments from shareholders of DHS as a result of the Company’s acquisition of Anivia. These advance payments were for capital injections pending capital inspection by the local government in accordance with the PRC rules. As of June 30, 2022, the balance of advance from shareholders was $92,246. As of June 30, 2023, the balance of advance from shareholders was $85,200. ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES The following table represents fees for professional audit services for the audit of the Company’s annual financial statements for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, rendered by UHY LLP. Fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 2022 Audit fees 1 $ 405,276 $ 338,150 Audit-related fees 2 – – Total fees $ 405,276 $ 338,150 _________________________ 1. Audit fees consist of fees for professional services rendered by the principal accountant for the audit of the Company’s annual financial statements and review of the financial statements included in the Company’s Form 10-K and Form 10-Q and for services that are normally provided by the accountant in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements. 2. Audit-related fees consist primarily of fees for assurance and related services by the accountant that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of the Company’s financial statements. Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policies The Audit Committee is tasked with pre-approving any non-audit services proposed to be provided to the Company by the independent auditors. 54 PART IV ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES Exhibit No. Description 3.1 Sixth Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of iPower Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.3 to Amendment No. 3 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed May 5, 2021). 3.2 Second Amended and Restated Bylaws of iPower Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.3 to Amendment No. 2 the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed April 27, 2021). 4.1 Certificate of Designation of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed February 2, 2021). 10.1 2020 Amended and Restated Equity Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Amendment No. 3 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed May 5, 2021). 10.2 Form of Sublease Agreement, dated as of December 1, 2018, between BZRTH, Inc. and BizRight, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed February 2, 2021). 10.3 Asset Purchase Agreement, dated December 1, 2018, between BZRTH, Inc. and BizRight, LLC (incorporated by Reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed February 2, 2021). 10.4 Loan and Security Agreement, dated May 3, 2019, between BZRTH, Inc. and WFC Fund, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed February 2, 2021). 10.5 Consulting Agreement, dated February 1, 2020, between BZRTH, Inc. and Allan Huang (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed April 15, 2021). 10.6 Note for PPP Loan, dated April 13, 2020, issued to Royal Business Bank (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed February 1, 2021). 10.7 Loan Authorization and Agreement, dated April 18, 2020, between BZRTH, Inc. and U.S. Small Business Administration (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed February 1, 2021). 10.8 Employment Agreement, dated July 1, 2020, between iPower Inc. and Chenlong Tan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.7 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed February 2, 2021). 10.9 Standard Industrial Multi-Tenant Lease, dated as of September 1, 2020, between BZRTH, Inc. and Nelson, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.8 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed February 2, 2021). 10.10 Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement, dated September 4, 2020, between iPower Inc. and Global Product Marketing Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.9 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed February 2, 2021). 10.11 Restricted Stock Purchase Agreement, dated October 20, 2020, between iPower Inc. and Allan Huang (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed February 2, 2021). 10.12 Restricted Stock Purchase Agreement, dated October 20, 2020, between iPower Inc. and Chenlong Tan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.11 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed February 2, 2021). 10.13 Amended and Restated Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement, dated October 26, 2020, between iPower Inc. and E Marketing Solution Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.12 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed February 2, 2021). 10.14 Receivables Purchase Agreement, dated November 16, 2020, between BZRTH, Inc. and WFC Fund, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.13 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed February 2, 2021). 55 10.15 Form of Subscription Agreement for Series A Preferred Stock Offering (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.14 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed February 2, 2021). 10.16 Board Letter Agreement, dated January 26, 2021, between iPower Inc. and Danilo Cacciamatta (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.15 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed February 2, 2021). 10.17 Board Letter Agreement, dated January 26, 2021, between iPower Inc. and Bennet Tchaikovsky (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.16 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed February 2, 2021). 10.18 Form of Subscription Agreement for 6% Convertible Note and Warrants (incorporated by reference to exhibit 10.17 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed February 2, 2021). 10.19 Convertible Note, dated January 27, 2021, issued to Wiseman Capital Management LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.18 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed February 2, 2021). 10.20 Convertible Note, dated January 27, 2021, issued to Bright Century Investment LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.19 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed February 2, 2021). 10.21 Board Letter Agreement, dated January 28, 2021, between iPower Inc. and Kevin Liles (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.20 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed February 2, 2021). 10.22 Employment Agreement, dated January 29, 2021, between iPower Inc. and Kevin Vassily (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.21 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed February 2, 2021). 10.23 Indemnification Agreement, dated as of April 27, 2021, by and among iPower Inc. and D.A. Davidson & Co., Roth Capital Partners, LLC and US Tiger Securities, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.23 to Amendment No. 3 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed May 5, 2021). 10.24 Indemnification and Lock-Up Agreement, dated as of April 27, 2021, entered into by Chenlong Tan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.24 to Amendment No. 3 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed May 5, 2021). 10.25 E Marketing Solutions Inc. Equity Purchase Agreement, dated May 18, 2021, between iPower Inc. and Shanshan Huang (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed May 21, 2021). 10.26 Global Products Marketing Inc. Equity Purchase Agreement, dated May 18, 2021, between iPower Inc. and Chenlong Tan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed May 21, 2021). 10.27 Lease Agreement, dated July 28, 2021, between iPower Inc. and 9 th and Vineyard LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Current Report filed August 2, 2021). 10.28 Form of Credit Agreement, dated as of November 12, 2021, between iPower Inc., its subsidiaries and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed November 15, 2021). 10.29 Form of Trademark Security Agreement, dated as of November 12, 2021, between iPower Inc., its subsidiaries and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed November 15, 2021). 10.30 Form of Pledge and Security Agreement, dated as of November 12, 2021, between iPower Inc., its subsidiaries and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed November 15, 2021). 10.31 Joint Venture Agreement (incorporated by Reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed January 20, 2022). 10.32 Box Harmony LLC Agreement (incorporated by Reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed January 20, 2022). 10.33 Facility and Use Access Agreement (incorporated by Reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed January 20, 2022). 10.34 Consulting Agreement (incorporated by Reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed January 20, 2022). 10.35 License Agreement (incorporated by Reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed January 20, 2022). 10.36 Director Offer Letter (incorporated by Reference to Exhibit 10.6 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed January 20, 2022). 56 10.37 Joint Venture Agreement, dated February 10, 2022, between iPower Inc., Bro Angel LLC, Jie Shan and Bing Luo (incorporated by Reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed February 14, 2022). 10.38 Amended & Restated Limited Liability Company Operating Agreement of Global Social Media LLC, dated February 10, 2022, between Global Social Media LLC, iPower Inc., and Bro Angel LLC (incorporated by Reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed February 14, 2022). 10.39 Intellectual Property License Agreement, dated February 10, 2022, between Bro Angel LLC and Global Social Media LLC (incorporated by Reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed February 14, 2022). 10.40 Share Transfer Agreement, dated February 15, 2022, between iPower Inc., White Cherry Limited, Li Zanyu, Xie Jing, Anivia Limited, Fly Elephant Limited, Dayou Renzai (Shenzhen) Technology Co., Ltd. and Daheshou (Shenzhen) Information Technology Co., Ltd. (incorporated by Reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed February 22, 2022). 10.41 $3,500,000 Promissory Note, dated February 15, 2022, from iPower, Inc. to White Cherry Limited (incorporated by Reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed February 22, 2022). 10.42 Exclusive Business Cooperation Agreement, dated December 15, 2021, between Dayaorenzai (Shenzhen) Technology Co., Ltd. and Daheshou (Shenzhen) Information Technology Co., Ltd. (incorporated by Reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed February 22, 2022). 10.43 Exclusive Equity Interest Pledge Agreement, dated December 15, 2021, between Dayao Renzai (Shenzhen) Technology Co., Ltd., Daheshou (Shenzhen) Information Technology Co., Ltd. and its equity holders (incorporated by Reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed February 22, 2022). 10.44 Exclusive Option Agreement, dated December 15, 2021, between Dayao Renzai (Shenzhen) Technology Co., Ltd., Daheshou (Shenzhen) Information Technology Co., Ltd. and its equity holders (incorporated by Reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed February 22, 2022). 10.45 Power of Attorney of Li Zanyu, dated December 15, 2021 (incorporated by Reference to Exhibit 10.6 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed February 22, 2022). 10.46 JP Morgan Chase Consent Agreement, dated February 16, 2022 (incorporated by Reference to Exhibit 10.7 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed February 22, 2022). 10.47 Amendment to Pledge and Security Agreement, dated February 16, 2022 (incorporated by Reference to Exhibit 10.8 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed February 22, 2022). 10.48 Employment Contract, dated February 15, 2022, between Dayao Renzai (Shenzhen) Technology Co., Ltd. and Li Zanyu (incorporated by Reference to Exhibit 10.9 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed February 22, 2022). 10.49 Second Amendment to the Credit Agreement, dated October 7, 2022, between iPower Inc., its subsidiaries and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (incorporated by Reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed October 13, 2022). 10.50 Amendment to Subordination Agreement, dated October 7, 2022, between White Cherry Limited and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (incorporated by Reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed October 13, 2022). 14.1 Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 14.1 to Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed April 15, 2021). 21.1 Subsidiaries (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 21 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on September 28, 2022) 23.1* Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 31.1* Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 31.2* Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 32.1** Certification of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, As Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 32.2** Certification of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, As Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 101.INS Inline XBRL Instance Document – the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document. 101.SCH Inline XBRL Taxonomy Schema Document 101.CAL Inline XBRL Taxonomy Calculation Linkbase Document 101.DEF Inline XBRL Taxonomy Definition Linkbase Document 101.LAB Inline XBRL Taxonomy Label Linkbase Document 101.PRE Inline XBRL Taxonomy Presentation Linkbase Document 104 Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document) * Filed herewith. ** Furnished herewith. 57 SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this amendment to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized. iPOWER INC. By: /s/ Chenlong Tan Chenlong Tan Chairman of the Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer and President Date: September 14, 2023 Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated. Signature Title Date /s/ Chenlong Tan Chairman of the Board of Directors, September 14, 2023 Chenlong Tan Chief Executive Officer and President (principal executive officer) /s/ Kevin Vassily Chief Financial Officer September 14, 2023 Kevin Vassily (principal financial and accounting officer) /s/ Bennet Tchaikovsky Director September 14, 2023 Bennet Tchaikovsky /s/ Kevin Lies Director September 14, 2023 Kevin Liles /s/ Hanxi Li Director September 14, 2023 Hanxi Li 58