M2i Global, Inc. 10-K

Item 1. Business Unless otherwise stated or the context requires otherwise, references in this annual report on Form 10-K to “we,” “us,” “our,” the “Company,” “M2i,” and “our Company” refer to M2i Global, Inc., a Nevada corporation, and its subsidiaries. OUR BUSINESS Our Vision Our vision is to secure reliable access to critical minerals and metals for the U.S., its allies, and partners. We expect to accomplish this by developing a world-class portfolio of critical minerals and materials projects. The diversity of our portfolio will provide an integrated solution to the challenges facing the critical minerals and materials industry in the U.S. Critical Minerals Underpin U.S. Economic Security and National Defense The U.S. relies on critical minerals flow for its National Defense and Economic Security. The defense of our nation is contingent on the ability to manufacture the elements that collectively represent our national military power. Equally important is the critical mineral flow that fuels our nation’s economy, providing the elementary materials that support all technology innovation, manufacturing, and energy sectors, to name only a few. The U.S. is dependent on foreign sources for almost all of the critical minerals that serve as the foundational building blocks for the industries that underpin our nation’s defense as well as those that are serving as the primary engine for our economic strength and growth. These sectors are rapidly exposing vulnerabilities in the current supply chain. Our strategic focus is on securing a reliable supply of critical minerals essential for national defense, economic stability, advanced manufacturing, and energy infrastructure. Recent examples of these vulnerabilities are China’s announcements to ban export of important, dual use minerals, such as the announcement in December 2024 banning antimony, tungsten, and tantalum, as well as additional bans affecting tungsten and indium in February of 2025. In the U.S., the Secretary of Interior pursuant to authority under the Energy Act of 2020, acting through the director of the U.S. Geological Survey, determines the list of critical minerals and materials. The final 2022 list of critical minerals includes the following 50 minerals: Aluminum, antimony, arsenic, barite, beryllium, bismuth, cerium, cesium, chromium, cobalt, dysprosium, erbium, europium, fluorspar, gadolinium, gallium, germanium, graphite, hafnium, holmium, indium, iridium, lanthanum, lithium, lutetium, magnesium, manganese, neodymium, nickel, niobium, palladium, platinum, praseodymium, rhodium, rubidium, ruthenium, samarium, scandium, tantalum, tellurium, terbium, thulium, tin, titanium, tungsten, vanadium, ytterbium, yttrium, zinc, and zirconium. The Energy Act of 2020 also requires the Secretary of Energy, acting through the Undersecretary for Science and Innovation, in conjunction with other departments, to determine the Critical Materials List. The Final 2023 Critical Materials list has 18, of which only four do not appear on the Critical Minerals List. The full list of critical materials includes aluminum, cobalt, copper*, dysprosium, electrical steel* (grain-oriented electrical steel, non-grain-oriented electrical steel, and amorphous steel), fluorine, gallium, iridium, lithium, magnesium, natural graphite, neodymium, nickel, platinum, praseodymium, terbium, silicon*, and silicon carbide* (asterisked materials are unique to the critical materials list). The vital market for critical minerals and metals is the enabling component of the vital transition of the energy market. The infrastructure requirement for clean energy is dependent on the availability of the raw materials that these minerals represent. 3 The ability to generate, transmit, distribute, and store energy is at the center of all U.S. industrial capacity. Key examples that highlight the growing importance that critical minerals play in the increasing demand for energy are renewable energy generation, electric vehicle (EV) market growth, Artificial Intelligence (AI), data center expansion, cryptocurrency mining, among many other existing and developing industries. Nickel, lithium, cobalt, and graphite are used in batteries. Rare-earth minerals such as neodymium and samarium are essential to the magnets of wind turbines and electric motors. supported by copper, nickel, and rare earths are also required for the robust energy infrastructure, power distribution, and thermal management demanded by the increasing demand for energy. Additional essential minerals like aluminum and neodymium are critical for transmission lines, transformers, and high-efficiency motors. An unstable supply of these minerals threatens the ability to meet the continued growth of demand for energy. The chart in figure 1 depicts the projected growth of the demand for specific minerals that provide the base material for the manufacturing of electrical vehicle and energy storage batteries. The growth rate for projected demand in 2050 is presented using 2020 as the base of comparison (Source: https://www.iea.org/reports/the-role-of-critical-minerals-in-clean-energy-transitions; The Role of Critical Minerals in Clean Energy Transitions”) . Figure 1: Energy Storage Minerals Many of these critical minerals are mined and processed in a small number of countries, as illustrated in the chart in Figure 2 (Source: “The global fight for critical minerals is costly and damaging,” Nature, July 19, 2023). 4 Figure 2: Sources of Minerals The current dependence on foreign sources for critical materials supply flow and minerals processing must be addressed in the short and mid-term to create a stable supply chain of these materials to support both the national and economic security of the U.S. The table (Figure 3) depicts the current level of foreign sources for critical minerals by industry (Source: U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey, MINERAL COMMODITY SUMMARIES 2023) . 5 Figure 3: Critical Minerals List Associated with Key Industries Our Organizational Chart M2i’s structure will be built upon three separate business units with standalone P&Ls to carry on the Company’s objectives. Each P&L, led by a vice president, will work with a management team focused on implementing and building each business line and contribute respectively to the overall organization. The vice presidents will report to the president/chief executive officer of the Company. M2i will establish a finance department, staffed by a Director of Finance and Controller to ensure the effective and efficient management of funds, and to implement appropriate accounting controls. 6 M2i Mining, Processing, & Refining The primary business purpose of M2i MPR is to develop and supply the U.S. sanctioned value chain of critical metals needed by the U.S. and its free trade partners. M2i MPR will supply the 50 critical minerals, including the rare earth elements (“REE”) as defined by the U.S. Geologic Survey in 2022, as well as the 18 critical materials defined by the U.S. Department of Energy in 2023. These minerals will be sourced globally from mines adhering to ethical and sustainable extraction principles and guidelines. Strategic Alliances The Company’s focus is to enter strategic alliances (“SAs”) to further its business objectives; namely through multiple mechanisms including asset acquisition and independent supply contracts. The SAs will likely be with companies that can expand our capability to extract minerals from existing mines, assist in implementing new mining projects, and develop and place into production new technologies and processes in extracting and processing minerals. Our efforts, and particularly our SAs will be focused on delivering guaranteed access to critical minerals and metals for national defense and economic security. Currently, we have entered into a strategic alliance (SA) with Reforme Group (“Reforme”), an Australian mining and recycling company (the “SA Agreement”) wherein Reforme and M2i will create an Australian proprietary limited company (“M2iAust”) to source and trade critical metals and strategic minerals. It is currently anticipated that M2i and Reforme Group will each be equal shareholders in M2iAust. It is currently anticipated that the SA Agreement will enable us to capitalize on Reforme’s expertise in critical minerals. Reforme is an innovative Australian mining services, infrastructure, recycling, and renewables company with specialized expertise in the development of green and brown field mining projects with the demonstrated capability in end-to-end management of mine operations, processing, logistics and off-take negotiations. The SA will play a pivotal role in advancing the critical minerals supply chain and contributing to the global energy transformation. We expect that the SA will extract critical minerals from existing brownfield mines’ tailings utilizing a novel extraction technology and process developed by Reforme. Reforme’s technology includes mine remediation methods to return the site to a state that would satisfy government and community concerns. It is anticipated that Reforme will grant M2iAust a right of first refusal to enter into offtake agreements with Reforme or its related corporate bodies for any critical metals and strategic minerals extracted from mining tenements owned or controlled by Reforme. M2i will support the development of strategic resources by Reforme. Together, the companies will refer any third party off take opportunities in the Asia Pacific region for strategic resources to M2iAust. M2iAust will negotiate offtake agreements to secure offtake from Reforme and third parties for offtake which will be sold to M2i in subsequent offtake agreements. The SA has a term of 5 years unless agreed otherwise. By leveraging their combined expertise and resources, the partners intend to establish a more sustainable and efficient critical minerals ecosystem that fully aligns with the objectives outlined in the United States-Australian Climate, Critical Minerals, and Clean Energy Transformation Compact. The Company’s subsidiary, U.S. Minerals and Metals Corp.,(“USMM”) has assigned its two contracts with Lyons Capital, LLC to the parent Company, M2i Global, Inc. On February 23, 2023, USMM, and Lyons Capital, LLC (“Lyons”) entered into a business development agreement wherein Lyons agreed to act as Senior Strategic and Business Development Advisor to USMM for a term of 10 years (the “BDA”). Lyons received, on January 2, 2024, and on the first business day of each year thereafter 10,000,000 shares of USMM’s common stock in exchange for a purchase price of $1,000 per year. The BDA may be terminated by either party for any reason effective upon the first business day of the calendar year following the termination notice provided at least 30 days in advance. Lyons and USMM also entered into the Wall Street Conference Business Development Agreement on February 23, 2023 (the “WSCA”), which was also assigned to the parent Company, M2i Global, Inc. In the WSCA, Lyons agreed, for a term of 5 years, to provide USMM with a yearly event sponsorship, including a speaking slot at the Wall Street Conference organized by Lyons, and introductions to, among others, personnel for business development opportunities. In exchange, Lyons will receive $2,000,000 per year in either cash or shares of USMM.’s common stock (if elected, the issuance of shares will be issued at a purchase price of $200 per year). 7 Pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of May 12, 2023, and entered into by and among Inky, Inc. and U.S. M and M Acquisition Corp. and U.S. Minerals and Metals Corp., which is annexed hereto as exhibit 2.01 below, at the time of consummation of the merger, all shares of USMM were simultaneously converted into shares of M2i Global, Inc.’s common stock, and thus, any shares issued by USMM pursuant to the BDA or WSCA, as referenced above are now issued from M2i Global, Inc. M2i Scrap & Recycling M2i has identified an opportunity to establish a source of critical minerals from scrap and recycling of metals currently reaching their end of life in their current use. Small and medium sized scrap metal recycling yards present an opportunity as many are family owned, with a good solid business, but are reaching the end of their succession plan and will need to close or sell. The scrap and recycling businesses we are considering provide low risk with good cash flow. The S&R Division acquisitions are an early emphasis for M2i and will generate steady revenue and profit. Critical metals are of vital importance for the defense sector across the air, sea, and land domains. For instance, tantalum is needed in warheads, and high-performing alloys used in fuselages of combat aircraft require niobium, vanadium, and molybdenum. We see an opportunity to establish a closed-loop, transparent program for capturing and returning critical metals and minerals in the defense industrial supply chain. This program would encompass both new production and end-of-life systems, ensuring that these valuable resources are reused domestically rather than relying on foreign sources. The defense supply chain presents a significant volume of critical metals that can be effectively recycled and reused. By tapping into this resource and establishing M2i as an efficient supplier of this service, we can capture a considerable market share. This opportunity arises from the fact that no recycling company, to our knowledge, has successfully accomplished this on a large scale thus far. M2i Government and Defense Industrial Base M2i Government and Defense Industrial Base (“DIB”) is the business unit established with the goals of aligning U.S. policy in terms of industry requirements and national interests. The cornerstone of the value proposition of M2i DIB is the creation and management of the Strategic Minerals Reserve (“SMR”) in collaboration with the federal government to enable an uninterrupted supply of the most critical minerals and metals to mitigate the current and future vulnerabilities of this vital supply chain. We expect the SMR to augment or enhance the National Defense Stockpile. M2i DIB will focus on two key efforts, the implementation of the SMR and the ongoing liaison with the government at the federal, state, and local levels. Critical to the success of the SMR will be the continuing dialogue with key congressional members. We have established congressional support in Nevada and are working to receive both an authorization in the annual National Defense Authorization Act as well as an appropriation of funding to enable the implementation of the M2i. DIB also aims to establish a collaboration with Hawthorne Army Depot, located in Hawthorne, Nevada, to obtain storage and administrative space to conduct a pilot demonstration. The ongoing liaison with selected members of the congressional contingent from Nevada will act to ensure that the SMR pilot retains the focus of each respective office. We expect that the conclusion of a successful pilot will lead to the establishment of the second phase of the SMR, which is to build out the SMR to multiple locations, and to stockpile critical minerals that would extend supply beyond the DOD industry to private sector industry organizations in the event of a disruption to the flow of critical minerals. 8 Human Capital Recruiting the right people will be critical to our success. We believe that the team of officers, directors and advisors that we have already assembled will provide a strong foundation for developing our business. Financing Sources We estimate that our first two years of operation will require $20-30 million. Our aim is to augment the capital raised with obtaining government funding to meet this need. Competition The Company, upon achieving its business objectives, believes it will be one of the only companies that operates across the full spectrum of the mineral and metals industry. The rare earths mining and processing markets are capital intensive and competitive. Outside of the six (6) major rare earth producers in China, and those consolidated under their production quotas-there are only two other producers operating at scale, MP Materials and Lynas, which processes its rare earth materials in Malaysia. The Company’s competitors may have greater financial resources, as well as other strategic advantages to maintain, improve and possibly expand their facilities. It is possible that when the Company achieves its anticipated production rates and other planned products, the increased competition could lead competitors to engage in predatory pricing behavior. Any increase in the amount of rare earth products exported from other nations, and increased competition, whether legal or illegal, may result in price reductions, reduced margins and loss of potential market share, any of which could materially and adversely affect our profitability. Additionally, our potential Chinese competitors have historically been able to produce at relatively low costs due to domestic economic and regulatory factors, including less stringent environmental regulations. If we are not able to achieve the projected costs of production, then any strategic advantages that our competitors may have over us, such as lower labor and production costs, could have a material adverse effect on our business. As a result of these factors, we may not be able to compete effectively against current and future competitors. Many of the Company’s competitors, as well as potential competitors, possess substantially greater financial, marketing, personnel and other resources than the Company. The Company’s competitors and potential competitors include far larger, more established companies that have access to capital markets, and to other funding sources that may be unavailable to the Company. There can be no guarantee that the Company will be able to compete successfully against current or future competitors or that competitive pressures faced by the Company will not materially adversely affect its business, operating results, and financial condition. Compliance with Government Regulation Mining operations and exploration activities are subject to various national, state, and local laws and regulations in United States, as well as other jurisdictions, which govern prospecting, development, mining, production, exports, taxes, labor standards, occupational health, waste disposal, protection of the environment, mine safety, hazardous substances and other matters. We believe that we are and will continue to be compliant in all material respects with applicable statutes and the regulations passed in the United States. There are no current orders or directions relating to our Company with respect to the foregoing laws and regulations. 9 Item 1A. Risk Factors Not required for smaller reporting companies.