UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-K
☒
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For
the fiscal year ended August 31 , 2023
☐
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For
the transition period from ______ to ______
Commission
file number 001-41738
PINEAPPLE
FINANCIAL INC.
(Exact
Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
Canada
Not
applicable 00-0000000
(State
or other jurisdiction
of incorporation)
(I.
R. S. Employer
Identification No.)
Unit
200 , 111 Gordon Baker Road
North
York , Ontario M2H 3R1
(Address
of principal executive offices, including ZIP code)
(416)
669-2046
(Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code)
Securities
registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act:
Title
of each class
Trading
Symbol
Name
of exchange on which registered
Common
Shares, no par value $0.0001
PAPL
NYSE
American
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2)
has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule
405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant
was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting
company, or an emerging growth company. See definition of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller
reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large
accelerated filer
☐
Accelerated
filer
☐
Non-accelerated filer
☒
Smaller
reporting company
☒
Emerging
growth company
☒
If
an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying
with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness
of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered
public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐
If
securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant
included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation
received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act) Yes ☐ No ☒
The registrant was no t a public company as of May 31, 2023 the last
business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, and therefore it cannot calculate the aggregate
market value of its voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates at such date. The registrant’s common shares began
trading on the NYSE American on November 2, 2023.
Number
of shares of common shares outstanding as of December 11, 2023 was 7,181,978 .
Documents
Incorporated by Reference: None.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Part
I
Item
1.
Business
1
Item
1A.
Risk Factors
13
Item
1B.
Unresolved Staff Comments
25
Item
IC.
Cybersecurity
25
Item
2.
Properties
25
Item
3.
Legal Proceedings
25
Item
4.
Mine Safety Disclosures
25
Part II
Item
5.
Market For Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
25
Item
6.
[Reserved]
26
Item
7.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
26
Item
7A.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
39
Item
8.
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
41
Item
9.
Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
41
Item
9A.
Controls and Procedures
41
Item
9B.
Other Information
41
Item
9C.
Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections
41
Part III
Item
10.
Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
42
Item
11.
Executive Compensation
48
Item
12.
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
51
Item
13.
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
52
Item
14.
Principal Accountant Fees and Services
53
Part IV
Item
15.
Exhibit and Financial Statement Schedules
54
Item
16.
Form 10-K Summary
54
Signatures
55
i
CAUTIONARY
NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This
Annual Report on Form 10-K contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933,
as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange
Act”). Any statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K about our expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future
events or performance are not historical facts and are forward-looking statements. These statements are often, but not always, made through
the use of words or phrases such as “believe,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,”
“intend,” “plan” and “would.” For example, statements concerning financial condition, possible or
assumed future results of operations, growth opportunities, industry ranking, plans and objectives of management, markets for our common
stock and future management and organizational structure are all forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees
of performance. They involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions that may cause actual results, levels of activity,
performance or achievements to differ materially from any results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied
by any forward-looking statement.
Any
forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the risk factors discussed throughout this Annual Report on
Form 10-K. Some of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from estimates or projections
contained in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:
●
the
timing of the development of future services,
●
projections
of revenue, earnings, capital structure and other financial items,
●
statements
regarding the capabilities of our business operations,
●
statements
of expected future economic performance,
●
statements
regarding competition in our market, and
●
assumptions
underlying statements regarding us or our business.
The
foregoing list sets forth some, but not all, of the factors that could affect our ability to achieve results described in any forward-looking
statements. You should read this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the documents that we reference herein and have filed as exhibits to
the Annual Report on Form 10-K, completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from
what we expect. You should assume that the information appearing in this Annual Report on Form 10-K is accurate as of the date hereof.
Because the risk factors referred to on page 10 of Annual Report on Form 10-K could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially
from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by us or on our behalf, you should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking
statements. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and except as required by law, we
undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement
is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to
predict which factors will arise. In addition, we cannot assess the impact of each factor on our business or the extent to which any
factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.
We qualify all of the information presented in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and particularly our forward-looking statements, by these
cautionary statements.
ii
SUMMARY
OF RISK FACTORS
Our
business is subject to numerous risks described in the section titled “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus. The
main risks set forth below and others you should consider are discussed more fully in the section entitled “Risk Factors”
beginning on page 8, which you should read in its entirety.
●
our operations could be adversely affected by possible future government legislation, policies and controls or by changes in applicable
laws and regulations;
●
public health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic may adversely impact our business;
●
the volatility of global capital markets over the past several years has generally made the raising of capital more difficult;
●
risks associated with political instability and changes to the regulations governing our business operations;
●
our success is largely dependent on the performance of our directors and officers, Field Agents, and employees;
●
our Common Shares may be subject to significant price volatility;
●
internal controls cannot provide absolute assurance with respect to the reliability of financial reporting and financial statement preparation;
●
we may be unable to manage our growth;
●
risks associated with security breaches;
●
risks associated with software errors or defects;
●
our operations depend on information technology systems; and on continuous reliable internet access;
●
our business now or in the future may be adversely affected by risks outside our control;
●
risks associated with the Company’s reliance on strategic partnerships;
●
reputational risk, and
●
risks associated with protection of intellectual property.
iii
ITEM
1. BUSINESS
General
We
are a Canadian-based mortgage technology and brokerage company that provides mortgage brokerage services and technology solutions to
Canadian mortgage agents, brokers, sub-brokers, brokerages and consumers. Through data-driven systems together with cloud-based tools,
we believe we offer competitive advantages in the Canadian mortgage industry relative to alternative mortgage broker arrangements.
We
also provide back office services, together with pre-underwriting support services (collectively the “Brokerage Services”)
to Canadian mortgage brokerages (the “Brokerages”). In connection with the provision of the Brokerage Services, we employ
and engage several licensed mortgage brokers and agents (collectively, “Field Agents”). We have a total of full-time employed
staff of 55. In addition, we also enter into affiliation agreements with certain licensed mortgage brokers (collectively, “Affiliate
Brokers” and, together with Field Agents and Brokerages, the “Users”), pursuant to which the Company and the Affiliate
Broker enter into an affiliation relationship with the intention of jointly marketing mortgage brokerage and other financial services
as affiliated entities, sometimes referred to as “white labelling”, which allows the Affiliate Broker to sell a mortgage
that is branded with its company name to its own client base.
Our
services distribution and fee structure for each stream is detailed hereunder:
1.
The
fee for the subscription service revenue stream is $117 for use of our platforms by our agents to complete the mortgage deal from
initiation to funding by the lender partner and is about 3% of total gross revenue.
2.
Our
pre-risk assessment services revenue is about 1.3% of our total gross revenue and the structure for this service is $390 per deal
for a mortgage funded amount of $390,000 and over. For a mortgage funded amount under $390,000 the fee is $273.
3.
The
balance of our total gross revenue at 95% comes from our lender partner service commissions and the structure varies by rate and
amount based on the season, special promotions at that particular time, bonus applicable, funded volume, etc. The lender partners
comprise of banks, trust companies, mortgage loan companies, building societies and other lending financial institutions, including
but not limited to the Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank), Manulife Bank of Canada, Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD Bank), The Mortgage Alliance
Company of Canada Inc. (MCAP), First National Financial LP, Home Trust Company, The Equitable Trust Company (Equitable Bank), ICICI
Bank Canada and Desjardins Mortgage Financing Services.
We
currently operate exclusively in Canada, specifically in the provinces of Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia,
British Columbia, Prince Edward Island and Alberta. We launched our first brokerage in Ontario in November 2016. We have been approved
by each of the applicable provincial mortgage regulators to operate in 11 provinces and territories namely Alberta, British Columbia,
New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Yukon, and 2
provinces to follow are Manitoba and Saskatchewan. We launched our first brokerage office in Alberta on July 1, 2021. We also launched
our first brokerage office in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island on May 4, 2022. Thereafter,
we expect to open our first British Columbia brokerage office and our first Quebec brokerage office sometime in late 2022 or early 2023.
We provide our Brokerage Services to both residential and commercial mortgage opportunities and, in each case, through a proprietary
technology called MyPineapple, as discussed in further detail below.
MyPineapple
At
the heart of our Brokerage Services is an innovative technology system, MyPineapple, that provides real time data management and reporting,
lead generation opportunities, customer relationship management, deal processing, education and knowledge center, payroll, regulatory
compliance, data analytics, document collection and storage, automated onboarding, lender access, back office support and direct underwriting
support, all in one. MyPineapple offers network management capabilities for Users, including hundreds of qualified Field Agents, to create
an efficient marketplace for the provision of mortgage lending and insurance industry services. MyPineapple integrates directly with
Salesforce, Equifax, OneSpan, G Suite and Filogix and manages Users’ day-to-day business through automated triggers and tasks,
ensuring nothing falls through the cracks. Backed by Salesforce, pursuant to the Salesforce Agreement (defined herein), and built with
proprietary code deep data analytics, MyPineapple syncs up with Users’ calendar and emails, produces robust reporting, advanced
analytics, and real-time notifications on marketing communications, and more. MyPineapple is a sophisticated and fundamental tool for
revenue growth and relationship development. It plays a significant role in what we believe makes our Brokerage Services distinct and
cutting-edge.
MyPineapple
was created to address key issues within the mortgage brokerage industry. We built MyPineapple to create a long-term competitive advantage
relative to traditional service providers, who have comparatively high-touch, labor intensive and costly operations. We believe that,
through MyPineapple, we are able to deliver faster services and with fewer errors. Our MyPineapple platform is completely automated,
simplifying the mortgage process while providing efficiencies to and alleviating pressure on Users’ staff in completing traditional
administrative tasks, which in turn reduces the Users’ cost structure and results in increased profit margins and scalability.
MyPineapple reduces manual processes through robust quality control mechanisms, logistics management capabilities, capacity planning
tools and end-to-end transaction management. MyPineapple also includes a leading education technology platform, which enables Users to
continuously stay informed and educated on what mortgage solutions and market conditions could impact Canadian consumers.
1
Our
primary objectives and goals include, but are not limited to, the following:
●
Grow
our mortgage broker distribution channel to gain further market share and consumer adoption, including increasing organic (non-acquisition
related) market share and to achieve growth on the number of mortgages funded annually;
●
Become
the go-to mortgage experience platform for mortgage agents, lenders and homebuyers;
●
For
Pineapple Insurance to provide an insurance option for all our mortgage approvals;
●
To
ensure that we are providing a well-rounded and custom-tailored approach to insurance solutions that may best suit the clients’
needs;
●
To
leverage the power of our growing database and brand recognition to open further insurance opportunity channel; and
Streamline
the insurance approval and application process for mortgage clients using technology.
Services
and Products
Brokerage
Services
The
following is a detailed description of the Brokerages Services that we offer:
1.
Mortgage
Brokering: We employ and engage a number of licensed Field Agents who originate clients, provide mortgage consultation services,
advise clients on the various mortgage products offered by financial institutions in Canada, offer clients access to rate information
and mortgage options from a range of lenders, including major banks and lending institutions and assist clients in selecting the
most appropriate and effective mortgage solution for their particular needs.
2.
Technology:
MyPineapple is a full spectrum, robust and comprehensive technology system, which allows Users to conduct their brokerage services
more effectively and efficiently. Amongst other things, MyPineapple syncs up with Users’ calendar and emails, produces robust
reporting, advanced analytics, and real-time notifications for email opens, and link clicks. MyPineapple also provides Users with
cloud storage. We also provide marketing support to Users in order to systematically manage the marketing process, segmentation and
client conversions. We ensure that all clients stay well informed with highly relevant information; it also increases the conversion
ratios and engagement metric for its Users. This provides Users the ability to focus on higher probability clients and deliver a
high level of value and service while the system manages the relationship with others.
3.
Back
Office Support Services: Through MyPineapple, we offer our Users back office support services, including digital and automated onboarding
and set up, loan packaging and processing, digital document collection and client portals, loan maintenance activities, payroll,
lender communication, reporting requirements for regulators and business management, cloud services, expense collections, document
preparation, compliance, training, administration and marketing.
4.
Pre-Underwriting
Support: Technology enabled and together with back-office support, we offer our Users pre-underwriting support services that establish
appropriate qualifying processes in a mortgage application, providing borrowers a digital environment ensuring mortgage agents has
the necessary data and providing borrowers with an instant pre-qualification. We use our diverse exposure to the mortgage industry
to save Users from spending valuable resources on mortgage applications that have fewer chances of reaching approval. In particular,
we offer our Users the following pre-underwriting services, aimed at speeding up the underwriting process and helping mortgage lenders
make accurate decisions:
●
Credit
Review: We verify all information that is supplied by the client in vital loan documents and other personal information. Thereafter,
we meticulously review client credit records and tax return documents to ensure the client has the required financial stability to
make monthly payments for the mortgage. We follow checklist-based system to ensure that all the critical aspects pertaining to underwriting
are covered.
2
●
Data
Validation: Our pre-underwriting support services include recording and digitizing our findings in the data validation process. By
digitizing these vital information sets about the client, we are able to establish the accuracy and speed needed to expedite the
underwriting process.
●
Fraud
Analysis and Compliance: We pride ourselves in diligently checking for identity fraud and ensuring that applications are compliant
and contain complete information. Our mortgage experts have the experience and acumen to spot missing or mala fide information. This
obviates the need for the underwriter to send client files back for incomplete information and thereby speeds up the underwriting
process. Our fraud analysis encompasses all aspects of the client file review process including running third-party reports. This
ensures the underwriter has to focus only on decision-making.
●
Appraisal
Ordering and Review: We take charge of title ordering and dispatching verified property information to the appraiser to boost the
turnaround times of the appraisal process. Once the appraisal is over, we carefully review the appraisal report to ensure that the
process has been completed in a fair and error-free manner.
●
Data
Analytics: Through MyPineapple, we are able to use data to analyze customer benefit opportunities as they become available. In particular,
MyPineapple allows us to utilize the data that has been acquired through the mortgage approval process along with real time real
estate and credit data to thereby reduce costs and overall debt process timelines.
Insurance
Products
Pineapple
Insurance Inc. (“Pineapple Insurance”) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Pineapple Financial Inc. This entity is to serve the
insurance needs of our brand mortgage brokers and agents across Canada. Pineapple Insurance is to act as an Managing General Agent (MGA)
supported by Industrial Alliance. This entity will create both a revenue channel and retention strategy for borrowers that live within
our database. This will also allow a growth opportunity and an overall holistic financial services opportunity for us. We are currently
in the early stages of development of Pineapple Insurance Inc. Operational infrastructure and a budget has been prepared alongside technology
modifications to our MyPineapple system in order to manage the delivery of this product. We have also created a sales and marketing plan
alongside assets and materials, which will be used for initial launch. Our next steps are staffing and human capital requirements in
order to execute on the business plan and goals of developing Pineapple Insurance.
Pineapple
Insurance provides the following services:
●
We
will complete a needs analysis on each client to ensure the most suitable product to meet both their needs and their goals. In our
product suite, we will offer term life insurance which will provide a low-cost coverage at a fixed rate of payments for a limited
period of time for the life of the mortgage. The goal of this product is to ensure that in the event of the insurer’s untimely
death with their term policy their beneficiaries will be covered in the amount of the policy during the life of the term. No insurance
will be paid to the beneficiary should the insured pass away after the end of the term or if the insured did not make the required
payments.
●
Whole
Life Insurance is a life insurance policy which is guaranteed to remain in force for the insured’s entire lifetime, provided
required premiums are paid, or to the maturity date. In addition to paying a death benefit, whole life insurance also contains a
savings component in which cash value may accumulate on a tax-advantaged basis. The policies can be leveraged as collateral or an
asset with our lenders through the Company.
3
●
For
both our personal and our business clients, we offer permanent life insurance policies, which offer a death benefit and cash value.
The death benefit is money that is paid to your beneficiaries when you pass away. Cash value is a separate savings component that
you may be able to access while you are still alive. Permanent insurance can help cover the business owner for their entire life.
And unlike term insurance, it includes the potential for a cash accumulation fund. Investments in the fund are tax-preferred, including
at death when the tax-free death benefit is paid out to a named beneficiary. An additional benefit of permanent life insurance is
that allocating funds in a corporation away from taxable investments to a permanent life insurance policy can help reduce overall
annual taxable investment income. Permanent life insurance lasts from the time you buy a policy to the time you pass away, as long
as you pay the required premiums. The policies can be leveraged as collateral or an asset with our lenders through the Company.
●
Critical
Illness Insurance provides additional coverage for medical emergencies like heart attacks, strokes, or cancer. Because these emergencies
or illnesses often incur greater-than-average medical costs, these policies pay out cash to help cover those overruns where traditional
health insurance may fall short and help cover living expenses while the client recovers. These policies come at a relatively low cost.
However, the instances that they will cover are generally limited to a few illnesses or emergencies. The key element is to ensure that
the mortgagor does not fall behind in their mortgage payments.
●
Credit Insurance is a type of life insurance that can cover the remaining amount of your loan in the event of your death. Your insurance
company will use the death benefit to pay down or pay off the remaining balance on the loan, up to a maximum amount outlined in the
certificate of insurance. The money from your death benefit will go to your creditor. The money will not go to your family or beneficiaries.
We
offer a wide range of investment options to suit clients risk tolerance and investment preferences. A financial advisor will review and
assess the needs of each client to determine the short- and long-term goals for financial success. Such options may include segregated
funds or mutual funds for registered (registered education savings plans (RESPs), registered retirement savings plans (RRSPs), tax-free
savings accounts (TFSAs), etc.) and non-registered accounts. A segregated fund, or seg fund, is a type of investment fund administered
by Canadian insurance companies in the form of individual, variable life insurance contracts offering certain guarantees to the policyholder
such as reimbursement of capital upon death and mutual funds. As a regulatory requirement, all Canadian mortgage approvals being presented
by the mortgage broker channel must include the option for a client to consider an insurance option in an effort to protect the liability
in the case of death or disability. Pineapple Insurance Inc. will be presenting this insurance option for a client to accept or not via
the products that we have available. This will be presented to all mortgage approvals being offered via our parent company, Pineapple
Financial Inc.
As
a complementary service to our parent company, Pineapple Financial Inc., this insurance subsidiary was created to easily serve the needs
of the homeowners whose mortgages originate with us. With any mortgage product in Canada, an insurance component is a requirement, hence
the diversification and business development into insurance.
Our
insurance services identified above currently are provided by a third-party insurance company, Industrial Alliance Inc., with whom we
are affiliated as a managing general agent (MGA). We, therefore, act as an agent earning commissions from the premiums charged by the
insurance company.
We
believe the material steps for Pineapple Insurance to grow form its early stages of development are as follow:
1.
To
introduce the services offered by Industrial Alliance and to serve the Users on our platform, MyPineapple, is to market these services,
create a knowledge base for them to understand and pass on the learning to their customers, create a support structure for both Users
and Users’ customers.
2.
Set
up an internal infrastructure for the management and offering of these services i.e. hire a senior management person to manage the
operational affairs and thereafter additional personnel, as needed when the business grows. The additional personnel will be mostly
sales commissionable personnel with a retainer.
The
costs we anticipate relate to mostly the marketing efforts undertaken, human capital which will be a fixed cost for the senior person
and variable for additional personnel. As we develop and progress this business, it is anticipated that our major expenses will be payroll,
marketing, and platform development. We have identified approximately 15% of the use of the proceeds from the shares offering to be dedicated
to developing this business.
4
The
timeline we feel to grow this subsidiary would be approximately 12 to 36 months depending upon the marketing efforts, acceptance of the
products and services offered by Industrial Alliance, the prices / premiums for these products and services, and the understanding of
the products because of the many variations that are inherent in the insurance products and services.
InsurTech
MyPineapple
is a key reason for our success and has the ability to drive interested and timely insurance prospects to a replicated module that we
have built in order to streamline and manage the customer flow for insurance products. The process is designed to create a unique synchronicity
between the client obtaining a mortgage approval and insurance approval.
Combined,
the simplicity of the two platforms with its connectivity and integrations will allow Pineapple Insurance to successfully process and
approve insurance applications.
We
have also created client segmentations and retention programs to ensure that we can maximize our database of over 150,000 potential clients.
Growth
Strategy
Brokerage
Services
We
aim to gain further market share and consumer adoption by focusing on the following areas of growth:
1.
Increase
Agent Revenue From Optimized Analytics: We will continue to analyze past borrower data to determine opportunities to beneficially
re-service them in the future, potentially creating revenue generating activities and significantly enhancing the borrower experience.
2.
Added
Product Suite – Insurance. As discussed above, we are establishing an insurance channel that provides borrowers with a full
suite of insurance products, which we believe will increase revenue.
3.
National
Expansion: We expect to continue to expand our business and operations into current jurisdictions along with new provinces such as
British Colombia and Quebec.
4.
Borrower-Facing
Technology. We believe MyPineapple will be a marketplace where clients can select from a variety of mortgage products that will suit
their individual needs while tracking the progress and status of the transaction for the life of the mortgage and beyond.
Insurance
Products
In
order to achieve our objectives and goals, Pineapple Insurance will focus on four main areas:
1.
Insurance
originations: Our files will be obtained exclusively through the Pineapple Financial referral network. This will be achieved through
technology integration where Pineapple Insurance agents are immediately notified of a mortgage approval which requires an insurance
option. Our agents will be highly trained in an effort to service the growth of our referral network. Consistency in service level
and approach is key to building our brand.
2.
Emphasizing
core values: Servicing our clients, maintaining relationships, ongoing and continued support, education and training, ongoing lines
of communication between mortgage agent and insurance agent and ensuring a smooth and efficient closing process. We expect our agents
to conduct themselves with the highest level of professionalism and carry out the fundamental and core values of Pineapple Insurance
at all times.
5
3.
Hiring
and training insurance agents: We will follow and adhere to strict hiring and training policies as set out in our training manuals.
Development of education and training programs working in conjunction with our partners. Ensuring that we are consistently working
on recruiting top performing insurance agents that will be able to meet the growth and scale of the needs of the Company.
4.
Technologies
and relationship management tools: We will be replicating and customizing our robust MyPineapple system for data transfer and client
management. This will be broken into the following areas:
●
Operational
Excellence: notifying insurance agents at the optimal time to increase conversion metrics and customer satisfaction. Integration
of client data so the process is convenient for all involved parties. Visibility of status and automations of workflow and requirements;
●
Client
Relationship Management (CRM): Advancing client relationships towards application indication, application completion and client retention;
and
●
Acquisition:
marketing funnels to leverage the overall database and identity opportunities from older missed opportunities.
Markets
for our Services
Brokerage
Services
The
clients for our Brokerage Services include mortgage agents, brokers, sub-brokers, brokerages and consumers. Our customer activity is
intrinsically linked to the health of the real estate or commercial markets generally, particularly in Canada.
Strong
housing demand during 2020, 2021 and the first quarter of 2022 positively impacted the seasonal variations. With the onset of inflationary
pressures around the globe, not only the seasonality but the normal trends of the housing markets have declined with the increase of
interest rates. Although our business may be negatively impacted, we believe our multiple channels of revenue helps to mitigate any such
impact.
On
April 7, 2022, the 2022 budget was released by the Government of Canada which focuses on affordable housing alternatives for Canadians
and additional tax measures to assist first time home buyers. With the continual influx of new immigrants as proposed by the Government
of Canada; the renewed demand in home renovations and refurbishments; the users becoming more knowledgeable about additional use of their
home equity, and other varying and creative measures, we plan to capitalize on these growth initiatives into the future.
Insurance
Products
The
insurance market for Pineapple Insurance is focused around growth in the Canadian mortgage landscape as well as market share growth for
Pineapple Financial.
●
Real
estate investors: we are able to consolidate multiple mortgage amounts into one insurance policy to help minimize risk if an investor
has multiple properties.
●
Residential
Home purchase: with Canadian housing prices hitting all-time highs, we will help clients provide insurance to fill the gap between
their current coverage and the mortgage amount
●
Refinance:
can help clients reduce existing coverage or apply/consolidate if they require additional coverage.
●
Reverse
Mortgage: these clients can use the income from the reverse mortgage to help plan their final expense through insurance as well as
enrich their retirement years.
6
●
Switch:
transferring to another lender at renewal. The insurance we offer is not tied to the lender directly and can assist clients in locking
in their rates long term when they can still qualify for insurance
●
Renovation
and construction: Clients will be able to access their cash values in their permanent insurance policies to help fund their renovations
and construction projects. If additional financing is required, we can provide the added insurance coverage needed.
●
Self-Employed:
As large numbers of Canadians move into business for themselves, we have found a great need for an insurance product that can suit
their needs since they generally do not have a company benefits plan. Income protection will also be a key component of our business
here.
●
Commercial
Mortgages: We can provide the proper insurance to clients for the right amount of coverage and timeline for one or multiple investors.
Coverages can go up to $20 million.
●
Private
Lending: Customized insurance can be provided to private lenders who may have a different set of circumstances in terms of investment
type and timeline horizon.
●
High
Risk Health & Uninsurable: We can offer guaranteed issue insurance to clients who may have declining health or were previously
declined for insurance in the past.
Pineapple
Financial Inc. and Mortgage Market Dependency
We
take a long-term view to manage and measure the success of our ongoing business strategy. In this regard, our principal focus is on market
share growth. We seek to achieve increased market share irrespective of residential and commercial mortgage origination market conditions.
Market share growth can be achieved through both the onboarding of new Users to MyPineapple and by increasing market share within its
existing Users, including recently onboarded Users.
We
are confident in our ability to increase the number of Field Agents using MyPineapple in conducting their brokerage services primarily
due to the efficiency that MyPineapple brings to the mortgage brokerage process. From August 1, 2022 to August 1, 2023, our active users
increased at a rate of 9.35%.
The
mortgage market and residential and commercial mortgage originations are subject to the influence of many external factors, such as broader
economic conditions and fluctuating interest rates, over which we have no control. We believe we have substantial growth opportunities
to expand our market share within our existing total addressable market. In particular, we expect to have access to more opportunities
in the commercial mortgage segment through our partnership with MCommercial. Additionally, we expect to gain access to greater market
share opportunities as we continue to develop MyPineapple and improve the efficiency of the mortgage approval process.
Industry
Overview
The
Canadian Mortgage and Mortgage Brokerage Industry
According
to the Bank of Canada, as of May 1, 2022 , Canada’s chartered banks held over $1.523 trillion of residential mortgages
(which amount does not include mortgages held by provincially regulated entities such as credit unions or mortgage investment corporations).
Mortgage lenders typically offer a range of products, with options for fixed or variable rates, varying terms and amortization periods,
as well as differing ancillary terms for pre-payment, incentives or other matters. Interest rates are typically renegotiated every three
(3) years. While mortgage lenders post both fixed and variable interest rates at which the lender offers mortgages of varying terms,
typically most lenders are willing to negotiate interest rates lower than those posted, a practice referred to as “discounting”.
The practice began in Canada in the early 1990s and is considered the norm in today’s mortgage market. The practice of discounting
permits mortgage lenders to improve their ability to price discriminate and offer different rates to different borrowers based on their
willingness to pay. Price discrimination allows lenders to increase their profits through negotiating different rates with individual
borrowers instead of offering a blanket reduction in rates. The advent of price discrimination in the Canadian mortgage market has increased
the importance of the mortgage broker in the lending negotiation process. In return for a fee (paid by the lending institution), the
mortgage broker is typically able to negotiate a better rate than the consumer, or to efficiently reduce the time and effort required
to be applied by the consumer to achieve similar results. Mortgage brokers are provincially regulated and subject to training and licensing
requirements. See “Regulatory Environment” for details. However, there are relatively few barriers to entry in the mortgage
brokerage market. Nevertheless, the ability of a given mortgage broker to erode lender price discrimination and secure rates at the lower
end of the range at which lenders are prepared to lend is dependent upon a number of factors. While experience and negotiating ability
are relevant factors, a key factor in the potential success of a mortgage broker in securing advantageous rates is the bargaining power
of the mortgage broker, which varies directly with the volume of mortgages the broker is able to place with lenders.
7
Industry
Growth Strategy
Our
overall aim has been to increase market share through organic (non-acquisition related) means and to achieve growth on the number of
mortgages funded annually. In an effort to accomplish our growth goals, we maintain a consistent, focus on recruiting Field Agents and
overall Users. We have employed a significant number of recruiters which has resulted in growth rate than most of our competitors. Secondly,
with ongoing concentrated efforts towards recruiting, it has allowed us to gain a strong understanding of the competitive models that
exist and also to continually enhance our offerings in the most effective way to recruit and retain qualified Field Agents. Additionally,
through MyPineapple, we are able to support Field Agents growth in sales volume, productivity and efficiency in delivering mortgage solutions
and increasing corporate revenue. Our aim has always been to have the leading model on which to recruit and support Field Agents, based
on offering them a superior value-proposition.
Competitive
Conditions
Mortgage
Brokerage Market Conditions
Effective
January 1, 2018, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada (“OSFI”) adopted Guideline B-20 - Residential
Mortgage Underwriting Practices and Procedures (the “Guideline B-20”). The revised Guideline B-20 applies to all federally
regulated financial institutions. The changes to Guideline B-20 reinforce OSFI’s expectation that federally regulated mortgage
lenders remain vigilant in their mortgage underwriting practices. As Guideline B-20 made mortgage borrowing more difficult for many Canadians,
management believes more Canadians may have turned to mortgage brokers to help navigate the complex rules. Management expects that mortgage
brokers will increase their market share in the coming years due to the following factors:
●
Mortgage
regulations: Mortgage regulations have become more stringent in recent years, affecting the number of individuals that can qualify
for conventional bank mortgages. As a result, these individuals are turned away from banks and seek out mortgage brokers for assistance
in obtaining a mortgage.
●
Additional
Offerings: With new products to offer, mortgage brokers will tend to appeal to a larger demographic/population base and also retain clients
more effectively.
●
Conditioning
and Habits: Twenty years ago, only a minimal percentage of the Canadian population used mortgage brokers, as brokers were viewed generally
as a last resort to obtaining a mortgage. Over the years, this perception has shifted, and Canadians are now using mortgage brokers to
obtain better mortgage rates and to save money. The generation that was reaching a home-buying age when brokers had little or no market
share is aging and continually being replaced by younger, mortgage broker friendly Canadians.
●
Complexity
of Mortgages: Many consumers are not sufficiently financially literate to ask the right questions when applying for a loan at a bank.
As financial products become more complicated, more Canadians seek assistance to understand the complexities and alternatives.
●
Increased
Broker Business Sophistication: As mortgage broker business sophistication increases, the Company expects the volume of renewal business
funded by mortgage brokers to increase.
●
Interest
Rates May Increase: As interest rates have been at historical lows for a significant period, many believe that interest rates will increase
in years to come. In a higher interest rate environment, the Company anticipates that a growing proportion of consumers will likely shop
for the best mortgage opportunities, driving the more conservative “single-bank” mortgage consumers to use mortgage brokers.
●
Technology:
By utilizing MyPineapple and other available technologies, mortgage brokers have the ability to access client demographic and credit
information and quickly and efficiently disseminate credit applications to various lenders across Canada. Technology provides the
mortgage broker and clients with the ability to efficiently access home specific and third-party data such as appraisals, credit
reports and related credit application information in a highly efficient and cost-effective manner.
8
Primary
Competitors
Our
primary competitors consist of the following 3 categories:
1.
Traditional
Mortgage Brokerages: These mortgage companies provide clients a more traditional way of obtaining mortgages by sourcing business
through referrals while processing loan applications with limited access to technology and face-to-face meetings. As many of these
organizations have been operating for decades, they have had time to cultivate relationships and build strong portfolios of customers.
They access Canada’s leading lenders for their products and services. Examples are: Dominion Lending Centres (TSX: DLCG), Verico,
Mortgage Alliance and Centum.
2.
Digital
Mortgage Companies: A fairly new breed of mortgage company that is sprouting from the digital evolution currently taking place in
our landscape. These companies are focused on a direct-to-consumer model by offering a digital mortgage experience, however, they
are still using a more traditional structure in the back office to fund mortgage solutions through Canada’s largest lenders.
Examples are: Nesto, Homewise and Motus Bank.
3.
Mortgage
Technology Providers: These are companies that provide software and technology solutions to some of the traditional mortgage brokerages
and companies that have not invested or developed their own technology solutions. The providers are typically focused on specific
problems and providing solutions to segments of mortgage workflow. They can be expensive and difficult for traditional companies
to implement. Examples are: Finmo, Lenders and Lender Spotlight.
Competitive
Advantages
We
compete with a number of mortgage brokerage companies. However, we offer competitive advantages relative to alternative mortgage broker
arrangements as a result of the following:
●
Debt
Consolidation: As personal debt levels continue to grow, we offer a unique opportunity of allowing potential borrowers access to
their home equity to consolidate debts at lower interest rates. Interest only payments will provide lower and more flexible payment
terms which will free clients cash flow for savings and help them establish better control over their personal finances.
●
Residential
Home Purchase: With access to Canada’s top lenders, we can help our clients find a mortgage solution best suited for their
individual needs. Our Field Agents are trained at finding a mortgage solution that fits into a client’s overall wealth plan
and helps the client obtain the lowest overall cost of borrowing.
●
Refinance:
We will encourage and assist clients to either take equity out of their homes or refinance into lower interest rates.
●
Switch:
We allow clients to easily transfer to another lender upon renewal.
9
●
Renovation
and Construction: With homebuyers seeing historic appreciation in home values the market has seen the “move up” buyer
decide to stay and renovate existing property with the equity they have quickly grown. This has provided an opportunity for us to
focus on providing the short-term financing required for such home renovation projects, while the major banks have slowly pulled
out or limited their exposure in this area with government regulations changes to the home equity line of credit program.
●
Self
Employed: As large numbers of Canadians move into business for self, we have found an increase demand for a mortgage product that
can suit their needs. Typically these borrowers have good credit ratings and assets but can’t verify their income through traditional
means such as tax filings and pay stubs.
●
Damaged
Credit: Damaged or challenged credit files are something that needs a financing solution. We take a holistic approach in determining
the risk as it maps out a solution. Mortgages for these types of clients will need to improve their situation either by increasing
cash flow, reducing debt load or increasing income potential. We will ask referring brokers to maintain close relationships with
these clients to work on rehabilitation.
●
Private
Lending: With exclusive access and expertise in private lending, we can ensure clients have knowledge of all available resources
in the market.
●
Technology:
We are able to provide advanced technology solutions to differentiate us from our competitors, including:
a)
Data
Analytics – Optimized Retention – Enhanced Customer Experience: As a data driven mortgage company MyPineapple harnesses
the power of data which we acquire through the mortgage process and use it to help make meaningful decisions which save the client
money, time and improve the customer experience.
b)
Unique
Customer Profiling – Optimized Retention: Using a proprietary scoring and profiling process, we are able to uniquely segment
clients and provide most televant information and resources to them at a meaningful point in the mortgage process.
c)
Internal
Processing Centre – Focused Team – Increased Productivity: Having an internal underwriting and mortgage processing center
allows us increased conversion, higher funding ratio’s and maximize productivity of our Field Agents.
d)
Actionable
Signals - Marketing Efforts – Focused Engagement: Driving real-time signals to our Field Agents when conversion opportunities
present themselves.
e)
Knowledge
Transfer – Increased Accuracy – Performance: Comprehensive education technologies platform allows us to align the right
product to the right lender and client.
f)
Data
Integrity – Optimized Decision Making: We have built safeguards to ensure data integrity
and accuracy.
g)
Lead
Generation and Market Segmentation: MyPineapple quickly segments leads for personalized marketing. It then markets on behalf of the agent,
turning cold leads into warm leads for faster customer acquisition. Field Agents receive real-time notifications for email, as well as
reminders and scripts to ensure nothing is missed.
h)
Automated
Triggers and Enhanced Workflow -–MyPineapple directly syncs to calendars and emails. Tasks can easily be inputted into the
system and email reminders ensure Field Agents remember to follow up. Intuitive automation then kicks in to guide Field Agents and
all stakeholders through the entire process.
i)
Live
Community via Chatter: MyPineapple connects Field Agents directly to the underwriting team, as well as other agents throughout the
organization. This creates a support network, sense of work community and ultimately accelerates the response time.
j)
Online
database of educational tools known as KNOWLEDGE – This online information resource is an online library with over 2000 resources,
containing training videos that cover everything, from lender guidelines, sales and marketing tips, to deals training and more.
k)
Advanced
Analytics and Reporting Features that turn data into actionable insights - This maximizes opportunity and creates lifetime customer
value which lowers acquisition costs and significantly increases revenue.
10
Specialized
Skill and Knowledge
Our
business requires specialized skills and knowledge, which include, but are not limited to, expertise related to mortgage underwriting,
mortgage originations, private lending, business development, marketing and business strategy development. Our executive and management
team has a strong background and significant experience and expertise in these areas. Our team also possesses specialized skills in data
architecture, software development, programming and coding, finance and accounting, automations and process, training and education.
Additionally, we currently rely upon, and expect to continue to rely upon, various legal and financial advisors and consultants and others
in the operation and management of our business.
Intangible
Assets
Our
business is substantially dependent on our proprietary technology platform, MyPineapple, which it licenses from Salesforce. While the
Company has not registered any intellectual property rights with respect to MyPineapple, it relies on trade secrets to protect the applicable
proprietary information. Additionally, MyPineapple has been built through various development partners, such that no single developer
has access to the complete technological architecture. See “Business –– Material Contracts” for more information
on the Salesforce Agreement
Additionally,
we rely on confidentiality agreements with its employees, consultants and advisors to protect its trade secrets and other proprietary
information. Nonetheless, these agreements may not effectively prevent disclosure of confidential information and may not provide an
adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. If we are not able to adequately prevent disclosure
of trade secrets and other proprietary information, the value of its business could be significantly diminished.
Material
Contracts
Salesforce
Agreement
In
connection with the development of MyPineapple, we entered into a licensing agreement with Salesforce.com, Inc. dated (NYSE: CRM) December
1, 2020 (the “Salesforce Agreement”) and expires on November 30, 2023. Salesforce is a cloud-based software company headquartered
in San Francisco, California. It provides customer relationship management software and applications focused on sales, customer service,
marketing automation, analytics, and application development. Pursuant to the Salesforce Agreement, we are licensed to use the Salesforce
software as the platform or infrastructure on which we build the various applications such as MyPineapple. The applications we develop
on this platform are the core that drive the operational software and applications used by Field Agents to initiate and process mortgage
originations, which is the primary basis of our revenue generation. The Company is billed annually at a rate of $500,172 per year, which
was during the year ended August 31, 2023
Affiliation
Agreements
We
enter into affiliation agreements with Affiliate Brokers, pursuant to which we and the Affiliate Broker enter into an affiliation relationship
with the intention of jointly marketing mortgage brokerage and other financial services as affiliated entities, sometimes referred to
as “white labelling”, which allows the Affiliate Broker to sell a mortgage that is branded with its company name to its own
client base. Pursuant to these affiliation agreements, we generally receive a fixed commission from the Affiliate Broker for any mortgage
transaction where the Affiliate Broker has acted as the mortgage broker for the borrower. In general, these affiliation agreements have
an indefinite term and may be terminated by either party upon thirty days written notice.
Changes
to Contracts
The
Company does not expect its business to be affected in the current financial year by renegotiation or termination of contracts or sub-contracts.
11
Regulatory
Environment
Brokerage
License Requirements
In
order to operate its mortgage broker business, we must remain duly licensed as a mortgage broker to deal and trade in mortgages in accordance
with the Mortgage Brokerages, Lenders and Administrators Act, 2006 (Ontario), as amended (the “MBLA Act”). We have had our
mortgage brokerage license since November 2016 and it has been renewed each year without issue. We will be subject to similar legislation
and license requirements in the other provinces in Canada where we intend to expand.
In
accordance with the MBLA Act, individuals, including directors, officers, partners, directors and officers of corporate partners, employees
or agents of a mortgage brokerage company, such as the Company, who are engaged in dealing mortgages or trading in mortgages on its behalf
must obtain a mortgage broker or mortgage agent license. A mortgage broker or agent license authorizes an individual to work for only
the mortgage brokerage company named under the license. An individual cannot be licensed to work for more than one mortgage brokerage
company. The Superintendent of Financial Services will use the information obtained in a mortgage broker license application to determine
whether an applicant meets the prescribed eligibility requirements and is suitable for a license. The applicant will be required to submit
documents to support certain pieces of information about the business.
●
Application
Process. The application must be completed and submitted to certain regulatory authorities in the provinces and territories of Canada
(each a “Regulatory Authority”), such as the Financial Services Regulatory Authority Ontario. The Regulatory Authority
will send to the applicant an email acknowledgement upon receipt of the application. The Regulatory Authority will advise the applicant
if the application is in order to proceed to the next step in the process. In the next step, the applicant will prepare and submit
the application to license the mortgage brokerage’s principal broker and prepare and submit the online declarations for all
the directors/officers/partners via The Regulatory Authority’s online licensing system. All directors and officers of the mortgage
brokerage company applicant (“DOPs”) are required to provide confirmation of their suitability for licensing of the mortgage
brokerage. A mortgage brokerage’s license can only be approved or issued when all the declarations from DOPs are received and
reviewed by the Regulatory Authority. Once the brokerage’s license has been approved an email will be sent to the principal
broker to indicate the brokerage’s license number. No paper license will be issued. At this point, the brokerage may prepare
and submit applications to license its other brokers and agents via the online licensing system.
●
Fraud
Prevention Measures. FSRA is required to maintain a public registry of licensed mortgage brokerages. Consistent with FSRA’s
role in protecting the public interest FSRA collaborates with other organizations, including other regulators, fraud prevention organizations
and law enforcement agencies.
●
Fees
and Renewal. Fees are payable in respect of all applications for licenses, other than for the mortgage brokerage’s principal
broker. The fees are based on a one-year cycle. The fee due is prorated based on when the application is submitted. To simplify the
payment and reconciliation process, mortgage brokerages are also required to submit fees on behalf of their agents and brokers. These
fees are paid electronically when the mortgage brokerage submits license applications for its brokers and agents through the online
licensing system. Once licensed, every mortgage brokerage must pay a regulatory fee in respect of each new one-year cycle. This fee
is due every year on March 31. The mortgage brokerage must also pay fees on behalf of each agent and broker, other than the principal
broker, when renewing their broker or agent licenses for the same one-year cycle.
Insurance
Regulation
Pineapple
Insurance is subject to federal, as well as provincial and territorial, regulation in Canada in the provinces and territories in which
they underwrite insurance/reinsurance. The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (“OSFI”) is the federal
regulatory body that, under the Insurance Companies Act (Canada) (the Insurance Companies Act”), prudentially regulates
federal Canadian and non-Canadian insurance and reinsurance companies operating in Canada. Pineapple Insurance is licensed to carry on
insurance business by OSFI and in each province and territory.
Under
the Insurance Companies Act, Pineapple Insurance is required to maintain an adequate amount of capital in Canada, calculated in accordance
with a test promulgated by OSFI called the Minimum Capital Test. Under the Insurance Companies Act, approval of the Minister of Finance
(Canada) is required in connection with certain acquisitions of shares of, or control of, Canadian insurance companies such as Pineapple
Insurance, and notice to and/or approval of OSFI is required in connection with the payment of dividends by or redemption of shares by
Canadian insurance companies such as Pineapple Insurance.
12
Other
Regulations
In
addition, the Company must comply with all federal, provincial and municipal laws that affect a Canadian business including employment,
workers’ compensation, insurance, corporate, and tax laws and regulations.
Bankruptcy
and Similar Procedures
The
Company has not had any bankruptcy (whether voluntary or otherwise), receivership or other similar proceedings instituted by it or against
it since its incorporation nor are any such proceedings being contemplated or threatened in the foreseeable future.
Material Restructuring Transactions
Pineapple
has not completed any material restructuring transactions since incorporation.
Incorporation
The
Company was incorporated under the OBCA on October 16, 2015 under the name “2487269 Ontario Limited” (doing business under
the name of Capital Lending Centre). The Company’s head office is located at Unit 200, 111 Gordon Baker Road, North York, Ontario
M2H 3R1 and its registered and records office is located at 67 Mowat Avenue Suite 122, Toronto, Ontario M6K 3E3. On June 16, 2021, the
Company changed its name to “Pineapple Financial Inc.”
Corporate
Structure
The
Company has two wholly owned subsidiaries: Pineapple Insurance Inc. (“Pineapple Insurance”) and Pineapple National Inc. (“Pineapple
National”). Pineapple Insurance was incorporated under the OBCA on December 14, 2016, under the name “CLC Insurance Inc.”
and changed its name to Pineapple Insurance Inc. on July 12, 2021. Pineapple Insurance has a registered and records office located at
Suite 200, 111 Gordon Baker Road, Suite 200, North York, Ontario M2H 3R1. Pineapple National was incorporated under the Canada Business
Corporations Act on November 9, 2021, with a registered and records office located at 10th Floor, 595 Howe Street, Vancouver, British
Columbia V6C 2T5.
ITEM
1A. RISK FACTORS
Risks
Related to the Company
We
are dependent on the residential real estate market.
Our
financial performance is closely connected to the strength of the residential real estate market, which is subject to a number of general
business and macroeconomic conditions beyond our control.
13
Macroeconomic
conditions that could adversely impact the growth of the real estate market and have a material adverse effect on our business include,
but are not limited to, economic slowdown or recession, increased unemployment, increased energy costs, reductions in the availability
of credit or higher interest rates, increased costs of obtaining mortgages, an increase in foreclosure activity, inflation, disruptions
in capital markets, declines in the stock market, adverse tax policies or changes in other regulations, lower consumer confidence, lower
wage and salary levels, war or terrorist attacks, natural disasters or adverse weather events, or the public perception that any of these
events may occur. Unfavorable general economic conditions, such as a recession or economic slowdown, in the United States, Canada or
other markets the Company enters and operates within could negatively affect the affordability of, and consumer demand for, its services
which could have a material adverse effect on its business and profitability.
In
addition, federal and state governments, agencies and government-sponsored entities could take actions that result in unforeseen consequences
to the real estate market or that otherwise could negatively impact the Company’s business. Some of the above-mentioned economic
factors and conditions are currently adversely affecting Pineapple as the Users and consumer sentiment has waned and has precipitated
fears of a possible economic recession. In the event of a continuing market downturn, our results of operations could be adversely affected
by those factors in many ways, including making it more difficult for us to raise funds if necessary, and our stock price may further
decline.
The
real estate market is substantially reliant on the monetary policies of the federal government and its agencies and is particularly affected
by the policies of the Bank of Canada, which regulates the supply of money and credit in Canada, which in turn impacts interest rates.
The Company’s revenues could be negatively impacted by a rising interest rate environment. As mortgage rates rise, the number of
home sale transactions may decrease as potential home sellers choose to stay with their lower mortgage rate rather than sell their home
and pay a higher mortgage rate with the purchase of another home. Due to a prospective higher debt assumption with the rise in interest
rates, homeowners also may choose to not participate in refinancing or other similar mortgage financing activity that would create revenue
for Pineapple. Potential home buyers may choose to rent rather than pay higher mortgage rates. Changes in the interest rate environment
and mortgage market are beyond the Company’s control, are difficult to predict and could have a material adverse effect on its
business and profitability.
We
may not be able to secure additional capital and achieve adequate liquidity to grow and compete.
We
will require additional capital to operate, grow and compete, and failure to obtain such additional capital could limit our operations
and our growth. When such additional capital is required, we will need to pursue various financing transactions or arrangements, which
may include debt financing, equity financing or other means. Additional financing may not be available when needed or, if available,
the terms of such financing might not be favorable to us and might involve substantial dilution to existing shareholders. In addition,
debt and other debt financing may involve a pledge of assets and may be senior to interests of equity holders. We may incur substantial
costs in pursuing future capital requirements, including investment banking fees, legal fees, accounting fees, securities law compliance
fees, printing and distribution expenses and other costs. The ability to obtain needed financing may be impaired by such factors as the
capital markets (both generally and in the mortgage brokerage industry in particular), our status as a relatively new enterprise with
a limited history and/or the loss of key management personnel.
We
have a limited operating history and, therefore, cannot accurately project our revenues and operating expenses.
We
have a relatively limited operating history. As such, we will be subject to all of the business risks and uncertainties associated with
any new business enterprise, including under-capitalization, cash shortages, limitations with respect to personnel, financial and other
resources. Although we possess an experienced management team, there is no assurance that we will be successful in achieving a return
on shareholders’ investment and the likelihood of our success must be considered in light of the problems, expenses, difficulties,
complications and delays frequently encountered in connection with the establishment of any business. There is no assurance that we can
continue to generate revenues, operate profitably, or provide a return on investment, or that we will successfully implement our business
and growth plans. An investment in our securities carries a high degree of risk and should be considered speculative by investors. Prospective
investors should consider any purchase of our securities in light of the risks, expenses and problems frequently encountered by all companies
in the early stages of their corporate development.
14
We
may continue to incur substantial losses and negative operating cash flows and may not achieve or maintain positive cash flow or profitability
in the future.
Our
financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis under which an entity is considered to be able to realize its assets
and satisfy its liabilities in the ordinary course of business. Our future operations are dependent upon the identification and successful
completion of equity or debt financings and the continued achievement of profitable operations at an indeterminate time in the future.
There can be no assurances that we will be successful in completing equity or debt financings or in achieving profitability. The financial
statements do not give effect to any adjustments relating to the carrying values and classifications of assets and liabilities that would
be necessary should we be unable to continue as a going concern.
Currency
exchange rates fluctuations could adversely affect our operating results.
The
Company is exposed to the effects of fluctuations in currency exchange rates, Our functional currency is in Canadian dollars (CAD) and
our presentation currency is in US dollars (USD). Due to the currency exchange rates fluctuations between the two currencies, there is
a risk the company’s operations and profitability may be affected during the translation. Currently the company does not have many
international transactions and the fluctuations are mostly limited to the financial statements currency translation adjustments relating
to the movements. The financial statements contain a line disclosing this translation amount.
Our
operating results may be subject to seasonality and vary significantly among quarters during each calendar year, making meaningful comparisons
of successive quarters difficult.
Seasons
and weather traditionally impact the real estate industry in the jurisdictions where we operate. Continuous poor weather or natural disasters
negatively impact listings and sales. Spring and summer seasons historically reflect greater sales periods in comparison to fall and
winter seasons. We have historically experienced lower revenues during the fall and winter seasons, as well as during periods of unseasonable
weather, which reduces the Company’s operating income, net income, operating margins and cash flow.
Real
estate listings precede sales and a period of poor listings activity will negatively impact revenue. Past performance in similar seasons
or during similar weather events can provide no assurance of future or current performance, and macroeconomic shifts in the markets we
serve can conceal the impact of poor weather or seasonality.
Home
sales in successive quarters can fluctuate widely due to a wide variety of factors, including holidays, national or international emergencies,
the school year calendar’s impact on timing of family relocations, interest rate changes, speculation of pending interest rate
changes and the overall macroeconomic market. Our revenue and operating margins each quarter will remain subject to seasonal fluctuations,
poor weather and natural disasters and macroeconomic market changes that may make it difficult to compare or analyze our financial performance
effectively across successive quarters.
Our
growth strategy may not achieve the anticipated results.
Our
future growth, profitability and cash flows depend upon our ability to successfully implement our growth strategy, which, in turn, is
dependent upon a number of factors, including our ability to:
●
expand
our customer base;
●
increase
and retain more qualified agents;
●
expand
into additional jurisdictions;
●
support
growth of existing customers;
15
●
continued
financial strength and health;
●
diversify
into additional related businesses;
●
improve
our technological capabilities;
●
ensure
skilled and well-trained employees and agents;
●
enhance
our platforms; and
●
selectively
pursue acquisitions.
There
can be no assurance that we can successfully achieve any or all of the above initiatives in the manner or time period that we expect.
Further, achieving these objectives will require investments which may result in short-term costs without generating any current revenue
and therefore may be dilutive to our earnings. We cannot provide any assurance that we will realize, in full or in part, the anticipated
benefits we expect our strategy will achieve. The failure to realize those benefits could have a material adverse effect on our business,
financial condition and results of operations.
We
may be unable to effectively manage rapid growth in our business.
We
anticipate that growth in demand for our services will place significant demands on our operational infrastructure. The scalability and
flexibility of our platform depends on the functionality of our technology and network infrastructure and its ability to handle increased
traffic and demand for bandwidth. We anticipate that growth in the number of customers using our platform and the number of requests
processed through our platform will increase the amount of data that we process. Any problems with the transmission of increased data
and requests could result in harm to our brand or reputation. Moreover, as our business grows, we will need to devote additional resources
to improving our operational infrastructure and continuing to enhance its scalability in order to maintain the performance of our platform.
As
we grow, we will be required to continue to improve our operational and financial controls and reporting procedures and we may not be
able to do so effectively. Furthermore, some members of our management do not have significant experience managing a large national business
operation, so our management may not be able to manage such growth effectively. In managing our growing operations, we are also subject
to the risks of over-hiring and/or overcompensating our employees and over-expanding our operating infrastructure. As a result, we may
be unable to manage our expenses effectively in the future, which may negatively impact our gross profit or operating expenses.
As
we continue to grow and develop the infrastructure of a public company, we must effectively integrate, develop and motivate a growing
number of new employees. In addition, we must preserve our ability to execute quickly, further developing our platform and implementing
new features and initiatives. As a result, we may find it difficult to maintain our corporate culture, which could limit our ability
to innovate and operate effectively. Any failure to preserve our culture could also negatively affect our ability to recruit and retain
personnel, to continue to perform at current levels or to execute on our business strategy effectively and efficiently.
To
grow our business, we will continue to depend on relationships with third parties, such as insurance companies, financial institutions
and lenders.
To
grow our business, we will continue to depend on relationships with third parties, such as insurance companies, financial institutions
and lenders. Identifying partners, and negotiating and documenting relationships with them, requires significant time and resources.
Our competitors may be effective in providing incentives to third parties to favor their products or services over ours. In addition,
acquisitions our partners by our competitors could result in a decrease in the number of our current and potential customers, as our
partners may no longer facilitate the adoption of our applications by potential customers. Although we do maintain a few fixed-term contracts
with lending partners, we cannot assure you that we can renew them once they expire, or we can renew them with the term we desire. Even
though our business does not substantially depend on any particular third-party lending partner, if we are unsuccessful in establishing
and maintaining our relationships with third parties, or if these third parties are unable or unwilling to provide services to us, our
ability to compete in the marketplace or to generate revenue could be impaired, and its results of operations may suffer. Even if we
are successful, we cannot be sure that these relationships will result in increased customer usage of its services or increased revenue.
16
Our
insurance business is highly regulated, and statutory and regulatory changes may materially adversely affect our business, financial
condition and results of operations.
Life
insurance statutes and regulations are generally designed to protect the interests of the public and policyholders. Those interests may
conflict with the interests of our shareholders. Federal and provincial insurance laws regulate all aspects of our Canadian insurance
business. Changes to federal or provincial statutes and regulations may be more restrictive than current requirements or may result in
higher costs, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. If the O ffice
of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (“OFSI”) determines that our corporate actions do not comply with
applicable Canadian law, Pineapple Insurance could face sanctions or fines, and be subject to increased capital requirements or other
requirements. If OSFI determines Pineapple Insurance is not receiving adequate support from Pineapple under applicable Canadian law,
Pineapple Insurance may be subject to increased capital requirements or other requirements deemed appropriate by OSFI.
If
there are extraordinary changes to Canadian statutory or regulatory requirements, we may be unable to fully comply with or maintain all
required insurance licenses and approvals and the regulatory authorities could preclude or temporarily suspend us from carrying on some
or all of our insurance activities or impose fines or penalties on us, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial
condition and results of operations. We cannot predict with certainty the effect any proposed or future legislation or regulatory initiatives
may have on the conduct of our business.
We
may be subject to fraudulent activity that may negatively impact our operating results, brand and reputation.
Fraudulent
activity could negatively impact our operating results, brand, and reputation, and cause the use of our products and services to decrease.
We are subject to the risk of fraudulent activity associated with handling borrower or lending partner information. Our resources, technologies
and fraud detection tools may be insufficient to accurately detect and prevent fraud. A significant increase in fraudulent activities
could negatively impact our brands and reputation, discourage lending partners from collaborating with us, reduce the total amount of
loans originated by lending partners, and lead us to take additional steps to reduce fraud risk, which could increase our costs. High
profile fraudulent activity could even lead to regulatory intervention and may divert our management’s attention and cause us to
incur additional expenses and costs. Although we have not experienced any material business or reputational harm as a result of fraudulent
activities in the past, we cannot rule out the possibility that fraudulent activities may materially and adversely affect our business,
financial condition, and results of operations in the future.
We
may experience security breaches that could result in the loss or misuse of data, which could harm our business and reputation.
We
operate in an industry that is prone to cyber attacks. Failure to prevent or mitigate security breaches and improper access to or disclosure
of our data or customer data, could result in the loss or misuse of such data, which could harm our business and reputation. The security
measures we have integrated into our internal networks and platform, which are designed to prevent or minimize security breaches, may
not function as expected or may not be sufficient to protect our internal networks and platform against certain attacks. In addition,
techniques used to sabotage or to obtain unauthorized access to networks in which data is stored or through which data is transmitted
change frequently. As a result, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventative measures to prevent
an electronic intrusion into our networks.
If
a security breach were to occur, as a result of third-party action, employee error, breakdown of our internal security processes and
procedures, malfeasance or otherwise, and the confidentiality, integrity or availability of our customers’ data was disrupted,
we could incur significant liability to our customers, and our platform may be perceived as less desirable, which could negatively affect
our business and damage our reputation.
Our
platform may be subject to distributed denial of service attacks (“DDoS”), a technique used by hackers to take an internet
service offline by overloading its servers, and we cannot guarantee that applicable recovery systems, security protocols, network protection
mechanisms and other procedures are or will be adequate to prevent network and service interruption, system failure or data loss. In
addition, computer malware, viruses, and hacking and phishing attacks by third parties are prevalent in our industry.
17
Moreover,
our platform could be breached if vulnerabilities in our platform or third-party applications are exploited by unauthorized third parties
or due to employee error, breakdown of our internal security processes and procedures, malfeasance, or otherwise. Further, third parties
may attempt to fraudulently induce employees or customers into disclosing sensitive information such as user names, passwords or other
information or otherwise compromise the security of our internal networks and electronic systems in order to gain access to our data
or our customers’ data. Since techniques used to obtain unauthorized access change frequently and the size and severity of DDoS
attacks and security breaches are increasing, we may be unable to implement adequate preventative measures or stop DDoS attacks or security
breaches while they are occurring.
Any
actual or perceived DDoS attack or security breach could damage our reputation and brand, expose us to a risk of litigation and possible
liability and require us to expend significant capital and other resources to respond to and/or alleviate problems caused by the DDoS
attack or security breach. Some jurisdictions have enacted laws requiring companies to notify individuals and authorities of data security
breaches involving certain types of personal or other data and our agreements with certain customers and partners require us to notify
them in the event of a security incident. Any of these events could harm our reputation or subject us to significant liability, and materially
and adversely affect our business and financial results.
Our
software systems may contain errors, defects or security vulnerabilities that could interrupt operations or materially impact our ability
to originate, monitor or service customer accounts or comply with contractual obligations.
We
are dependent upon the successful and uninterrupted functioning of our computer and data processing systems and software including MyPineapple
as well as the customized software developed by us as part of our third-party underwriting services. These software and systems may contain
errors, defects, security vulnerabilities or software bugs that are difficult to detect and correct, particularly when first introduced
or when new versions or enhancements are released.
The
failure or unavailability of these systems could interrupt operations or materially impact our ability to originate, monitor or service
customer accounts or comply with contractual obligations to third parties. If sustained or repeated, a system failure or loss of data
could negatively affect our operating results. In addition, we depend on automated software to match the terms of our liabilities and
asset maturities. If such software fails or is unavailable on a prolonged basis, we could be required to manually complete such activities,
which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Since
our customers use our services for decisions that are critical to their financial well-being, errors, defects, security vulnerabilities,
service interruptions or software bugs in our platform could result in losses to our customers. Customers may seek significant compensation
from us for any losses they suffer or cease conducting business with us altogether. Further, a customer could share information about
bad experiences on social media, which could result in damage to our reputation and loss of future sales. There can be no assurance that
provisions typically included in our agreements with our customers that attempt to limit its exposure to claims would be enforceable
or adequate or would otherwise protect us from liabilities or damages with respect to any particular claim. Even if not successful, a
claim brought against us by any of our customers would likely be time-consuming and costly to defend and could seriously damage its reputation
and brand, making it harder for us to sell its solutions.
If
we fail to protect the privacy and personal information of our customers, agents or employees, we may be subject to legal claims, government
action and damage to its reputation.
Our
operations are dependent on our information systems and the information collected, processed, stored, and handled by these systems. We
rely heavily on our computer systems to manage our platform. Throughout our operations, we receive, retain and transmit certain confidential
information, including personally identifiable information that our customers provide to purchase services, interact with our personnel,
or otherwise communicate with us. In addition, for these operations, we depend in part on the secure transmission of confidential information
over public networks. Our information systems are subject to damage or interruption from power outages, facility damage, computer and
telecommunications failures, computer viruses, internet access failures, security breaches, including credit card or personally identifiable
information breaches, coordinated cyber-attacks, vandalism, catastrophic events and human error. Although we deploy a layered approach
to address information security threats and vulnerabilities, including ones from a cyber security standpoint, designed to protect confidential
information against data security breaches, a compromise of our information security controls or of those businesses with whom we interact,
which results in confidential information being accessed, obtained, damaged, or used by unauthorized or improper persons, could harm
our reputation and expose us to regulatory actions and claims from customers and other persons, any of which could adversely affect our
business, financial position, and results of operations. Because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade
service, or sabotage systems change frequently and may not immediately produce signs of intrusion, we may not be able to anticipate these
techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures. In addition, a security breach could require that we expend substantial additional
resources related to the security of information systems and disrupt our businesses.
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We
may need to develop new products and services and rapid technological change could harm our business, results of operations and financial
condition.
We
operate in a competitive industry characterized by rapid technological change and evolving industry standards. Our ability to attract
new customers and generate revenue from existing customers will depend largely on its ability to anticipate industry standards and trends,
respond to technological advances in its industry, and to continue to enhance existing services or to design and introduce new services
on a timely basis to keep pace with technological developments and its customers’ increasingly sophisticated needs. The success
of any enhancement or new services depends on several factors, including the timely completion and market acceptance of the enhancement
or new services. Any new service we develop or acquires might not be introduced in a timely or cost-effective manner and might not achieve
the broad market acceptance necessary to generate significant revenue. If any of our competitors implements new technologies before we
are able to implement them, those competitors may be able to provide more effective services than us at lower prices. Any delay or failure
in the introduction of new or enhanced services could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our
services are expected to embody complex technology that may not meet those standards, changes and preferences. Our ability to design,
develop and commercially launch new services depends on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, its ability to design and
implement solutions and services at an acceptable cost and quality, its ability to attract and retain skilled technical employees, the
availability of critical components from third parties, and its ability to successfully complete the development of services in a timely
manner. There is no guarantee that we will be able to respond to market demands. If we are unable to effectively respond to technological
changes, or fails or delays to develop services in a timely and cost-effective manner, its services may become obsolete, and we may be
unable to recover its development expenses which could negatively impact sales, profitability and the continued viability of its business .
The
failure by us to sustain or increase its current level of mortgage origination from independent mortgage brokers could have a material
adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our
mortgage operations are dependent on a network of mortgage brokers. The mortgage brokers with whom we do business with are not contractually
obligated to do business with us. Further, our competitors also have relationships with the same brokers and actively compete with us
in our efforts to expand our broker network and originate mortgage loans. We may find it difficult to attract new mortgage business from
this network of brokers, or sustain current levels, to meet our needs. The failure by us to sustain or increase its current level of
mortgage origination from these sources could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Increases
in interest rates may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and on the amount of cash
available for dividends to shareholders.
Rising
interest rates generally reduce the demand for credit, including mortgages, increase the cost of borrowing and may discourage potential
borrowers from purchasing new properties, refinancing their existing mortgages or obtaining cash to retire other debt. Consequently,
we may originate fewer mortgages, or a lower dollar amount of mortgages, in a period of rising interest rates. Increases in interest
rates may also cause a lack of liquidity among Pineapple’s institutional investors, potentially reducing the number of mortgages
such purchasers would otherwise buy. Increases in interest rates may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and
results of operations and on the amount of cash available for dividends to shareholders. However, rising interest rates may also result
in a decrease in prepayments on mortgages, which could result in an increase in the number of mortgages under our administration which
would increase the amount of funds received from servicing these mortgages. We believe rising interest rates are currently at a stage
that is close to its maturity level and that core inflation is being contained with the prices of the goods such as groceries and natural
gas not decreasing. As a result, we believe that the Bank of Canada intends to bring core inflation down to a manageable level and is
looking at increasing the interest rates further. If the cycle is almost at maturity, as we believe it is, however, it may take six to
nine months to stabilize and possibly a year to return to pre-Covid 19 levels.
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In
periods of declining interest rates, prepayments on mortgages tend to increase as a result of borrowers taking advantage of lower interest
rates to refinance higher interest rate mortgages, or as a result of borrowers purchasing new properties and prepaying their existing
mortgages. However, a reduction in the number of mortgages under our administration would result in a decrease in the amount of funds
received from servicing these mortgages and may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations
and on the amount of cash available for dividends to shareholders.
If
any of information from third parties is misrepresented and the misrepresentation is not detected before mortgage funding, the value
of the mortgage may be significantly lower than expected.
Upon
originating a new mortgage application, we assess and determine which institutional or non- institutional mortgage provider would accept
the application. This application is then submitted as soon as practical for final approval and underwriting. These mortgages are then
deemed to be “placed” with said lending institution. We place the mortgages that we originate as soon as is practicable after
committing to the mortgages. Mortgage placements are made under agreements with institutional investors and securitization conduits which
are, in many respects, favorable to the mortgage purchaser. When placing mortgages, we make a variety of customary representations and
warranties regarding itself, our mortgage origination activities and the mortgages that are placed. These representations and warranties
survive for the life of the mortgages and relate to, among other things, compliance with laws, mortgage underwriting and origination
practices and standards, the accuracy and completeness of information in the mortgage documents and mortgage files, and the characteristics
and enforceability of the mortgages. In many cases, these provisions do not have any cure periods and are not subject to any materiality
threshold.
Through
our mortgage origination and underwriting processes, we attempt to verify that our mortgages are originated and underwritten in accordance
with the applicable requirements and comply with representations and warranties made by us. There can be no assurance, however, that
we will not make mistakes or that certain employees or brokers will not deliberately violate our underwriting or other policies, and
breaches of representations and warranties may occur from time to time.
When
we send mortgage originations to the lender partners to be funded, we rely heavily upon information supplied by third parties including
the information contained in the mortgage application, property appraisal, title information and employment and income documentation.
If any of this information is misrepresented and the misrepresentation is not detected before mortgage funding, the value of the mortgage
may be significantly lower than expected. Whether the mortgage applicant, the mortgage broker, another third party or one of our employees
makes a misrepresentation, we generally bear the risk of loss associated with the misrepresentation. A mortgage subject to a misrepresentation
may be unsaleable in the ordinary course of business or may be subject to repurchase or substitution if it is sold before detection of
the misrepresentation or may require us to indemnify the mortgage purchaser. The persons and entities that made a misrepresentation are
often difficult to locate and it may be difficult to collect from them any monetary losses we may have suffered. While we have controls
and processes designed to help it identify misrepresented information in its mortgage origination operations, there can be no assurance
these controls and processes have detected or will detect all misrepresented information.
Global
economy risk may negatively impact our business operations and our ability to raise capital.
The
mortgage financing industry in Canada continued to benefit from historically low and stable interest rates in the past as homeowners
took advantage of these rates with purchasing, repurchasing, and refinancing. Due to global inflationary pressures, Central banks all
over the world are adjusting the interest rates upward to address this. There is a risk that an increase in interest rates could slow
the pace of property sales and adversely affect growth in the mortgage market, which could adversely affect our operations and stated
growth initiatives. A decline in general economic conditions could also cause default rates to increase as creditworthiness decreases
for borrowers. This could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and on the amount
of cash available for dividends to shareholders.
20
In
addition, there are economic trends and factors that are beyond our control, which may affect our operations and business. Such trends
and factors include adverse changes in the conditions in the specific markets for our services, the conditions in the broader market
for residential mortgages and the conditions in the domestic or global economy generally. Although our performance is affected by the
general condition of the economy, not all of its service areas are affected equally. It is not possible for management to accurately
predict economic fluctuations and the impact of such fluctuations on performance. There is no guarantee that the revenue, asset and profit
growth that we have historically generated will continue or that any of our targets for distributable cash or other performance expectations
will be achieved.
The
volatility of global capital markets over the past several years has generally made the raising of capital by equity or debt financing
more difficult. We may be dependent upon capital markets to raise additional financing in the future. As such, we are subject to liquidity
risks in meeting its operating expenditure requirements and future cost requirements in instances where adequate cash positions are unable
to be maintained or appropriate financing is unavailable. These factors may impact the ability to raise equity or obtain loans and other
credit facilities in the future and on terms favorable to us and our management. If these levels of volatility persist or if there is
a further economic slowdown, our operations, our ability to raise capital and the trading price of our securities could be adversely
impacted.
Inflationary
pressure on the global and Canadian markets have caused upward pressure on interest rates impacting mortgage qualification and eligibility.
This pressure has immediately impacted Canadian borrower’s ability to get approved for financing, which in turn has created a decrease
in total loan originations. There is currently no indication as to when this inflationary pressure will ease or whether that would change
the current environment that has led to our recent growth.
A
decline in the global macroeconomic outlook, including as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the threat, or outbreak
of more widespread armed conflict in Eastern Europe would cause financial market activity to continue to decrease, which could negatively
affect the Company’s revenues.
The
current year has been marked by significant market volatility and uncertainty. We believe that continued economic growth will be dependent
on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, the continued positive trajectory of the course of the pandemic, a moderation
of the pace of inflation and supply chain issues that developed during 2021, and the nature, magnitude, and duration of hostilities stemming
from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including the effects of sanctions and retaliatory cyber attacks on the world economy and markets.
Beginning in November 2021, Russia began to amass troops along the Ukrainian border, heightening military tensions in Eastern Europe.
In February 2022, Russia sent troops into pro-Russian separatist regions in Ukraine. The U.S. and/or other countries, including Canada
and Israel may impose sanctions or other restrictive actions against governmental or other entities in Russia. The long-term impacts
of the conflict between these nations remains uncertain.
Widespread
concern or doubts in the market about the pace or ability of normal economic activity to resume, the potential for prolonged conflict
in Ukraine or the broader outbreak of armed conflict in Eastern Europe, the pace, impact, or effectiveness of the actions by governments
and centrals banks intended to manage the rate of inflation through interest rate increases and the termination of the quantitative easing
program, or the efficacy or adequacy of government measures enacted to support the domestic and global economy, could erode the outlook
for macroeconomic conditions, economic growth, and business confidence, which could negatively impact the Company.
The
current levels of volatility in global markets due to market participants’ reactions to, and uncertainty surrounding, the magnitude
and timing of government and central bank action to be taken in response to heightened inflation, as well as Russia’s invasion
of Ukraine. This volatility has resulted in a decline in the level of activity in the financial markets. Continued market volatility
or uncertainty related to actions taken or to be taken by central banks, a decline in the global macroeconomic outlook, including as
a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the threat, or outbreak of more widespread armed conflict in Eastern Europe would
cause financial market activity to continue to decrease, which could negatively affect the Company’s revenues. In addition, global
macroeconomic conditions and Canadian, Israeli and U.S. financial markets remain vulnerable to the potential risks posed by exogenous
shocks, which could include, among other things, political or social unrest or financial uncertainty in the United States and the European
Union, complications involving terrorism and armed conflicts around the world, or other challenges to global trade or travel.
21
In
addition, the current outbreak of COVID-19, and any future emergence and spread of similar pathogens, could have a material adverse impact
on global economic conditions, which may adversely impact: the market price of the Common Shares, our operations, our ability to raise
debt or equity financing, and the operations of our business partners, contractors and service providers.
Changes
in regulatory legislation or the interpretation thereof, or the introduction of any new regulatory requirements could have a negative
effect on us and our operating results.
We
are currently regulated under mortgage broker, lending and other legislation in all of the jurisdictions in which it conducts business
and is licensed or registered in those jurisdictions where licensing or registration is required by law. Changes in regulatory legislation
or the interpretation thereof, or the introduction of any new regulatory requirements could have a negative effect on us and our operating
results. There are different regulatory and registration requirements in each of the jurisdictions in Canada. We are registered in the
jurisdictions in which we conduct business, however, we may voluntarily seek additional registration in respect of its activities or
from time to time regulators may adopt a different view that may require us to seek additional registration. Failure to be appropriately
registered could result in enforcement action and potential interruption of certain of our servicing or other activities and may result
in a default under servicing agreements. This could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of
operations.
The
real estate brokerage industry is highly competitive which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition
and results of operations..
Our
products compete with those offered by banks, insurance companies, trust companies and other financial services companies. Some of these
competitors are better capitalized, hold a larger percentage of the Canadian mortgage market, have greater financial, technical and marketing
resources than we do and have greater name recognition than the Pineapple brand. We experience competition in all aspects of our business,
including price competition. If price competition increases, we may not be able to raise the interest rates we charge in response to
a rising cost of funds or may be forced to lower the interest rates that we are able to charge borrowers, which has the potential to
reduce the value of the mortgages we place with institutional mortgage purchasers or securitization vehicles. Price-cutting or discounting
may reduce profits. This could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and on the
amount of cash available for dividends to shareholders .
A
failure in the demand for its services to materialize as a result of competition, technological change or other factors could have a
material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Market
opportunity estimates and growth forecasts, whether obtained from third-party sources or developed internally, are subject to significant
uncertainty and are based on assumptions and estimates that may not prove to be accurate. Our estimates and forecasts relating to the
size and expected growth of its target market, market demand and adoption, capacity to address this demand, and pricing may prove to
be inaccurate. We must rely largely on its own market research to forecast sales as detailed forecasts are not generally obtainable from
other sources. A failure in the demand for its services to materialize as a result of competition, technological change or other factors
could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Reputation
loss may result in decreased customer confidence and an impediment to our overall ability to advance its services with customers, thereby
having a material adverse impact on our financial performance, financial condition, cash flows and growth prospects.
Reputational
damage can result from the actual or perceived occurrence of any number of events, and could include any negative publicity, whether
true or not. The increased usage of social media and other web-based tools used to generate, publish and discuss user-generated content
and to connect with other users has made it increasingly easier for individuals and groups to communicate and share opinions and views,
whether true or not. Reputation loss may result in decreased customer confidence and an impediment to our overall ability to advance
its services with customers, thereby having a material adverse impact on our financial performance, financial condition, cash flows and
growth prospects.
22
The
Company’s intellectual property rights are valuable, and any failure or inability to protect them could adversely affect its business.
Our
commercial success depends to a significant degree upon its ability to develop new or improved technologies, instruments and services,
and to obtain patents and/or industrial designs, where appropriate, or other intellectual property rights or statutory protection for
these technologies and products in Canada and the United States. Despite devoting resources to the research and development of proprietary
technology, we may not be able to develop new technology that is patentable or protectable. Further, patents issued to us, if any, could
be challenged, held invalid or unenforceable, or be circumvented and may not provide us with necessary or sufficient protection or a
competitive advantage. Competitors and other third parties may be able to design around our intellectual property or develop a technology
forward platform similar to its platform that is not within the scope of such intellectual property. Our inability to secure its intellectual
property rights may have a materially adverse effect on its business and results of operations. It is imperative that appropriate licensing
agreements be negotiated with thirds parties to ensure protection of all applicable intellectual property.
Prosecution
and protection of the intellectual property rights sought can be costly and uncertain, often involve complex legal and factual issues
and consume significant time and resources. The laws of certain countries may not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent
as the laws of Canada or the United States.
We
depend on highly skilled personnel to grow and operate its business. If we are not able to hire, retain, and motivate our key personnel,
our business may be adversely affected.
Our
success is currently largely dependent on the performance of its directors and officers. The loss of the services of any of these persons
could have a materially adverse effect on our business and prospects. There is no assurance we can maintain the services of its directors,
officers or other qualified personnel required to operate our business. As our business activity grows, we will require additional key
financial, administrative, and technology personnel as well as additional agents and operations staff. There can be no assurance that
these efforts will be successful in attracting, training and retaining qualified personnel as competition for persons with these skill
sets increase. If we are not successful in attracting, training and retaining qualified personnel, the efficiency of its operations could
be impaired, which could have an adverse impact on our operations and financial condition. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic may cause
us to have inadequate access to an available skilled workforce and qualified personnel, which could have an adverse impact on our financial
performance and financial condition.
It
may be difficult to enforce civil liabilities under Canadian securities laws.
We
and/or our directors and officers may be subject to a variety of civil or other legal proceedings, with or without merit. From time to
time in the ordinary course of its business, we may become involved in various legal proceedings, including commercial, employment and
other litigation and claims, as well as governmental and other regulatory investigations and proceedings. Such matters can be time-consuming,
divert management’s attention and resources and cause us to incur significant expenses. Furthermore, because litigation is inherently
unpredictable, the results of any such actions may have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results or financial condition.
We
have assets located outside of Canada, and therefore it may be difficult to enforce judgments obtained by the Company in foreign jurisdictions
by Canadian courts. Similarly, to the extent that our assets are located outside of Canada, investors may have difficulty collecting
from us any judgments obtained in Canadian courts and predicated on the civil liability provisions of applicable securities legislation.
Furthermore, we may be subject to legal proceedings and judgments in foreign jurisdictions and it may be difficult for U.S. stockholders
to effect service of process against the officers of the Company.
23
Future
acquisitions could result in potentially dilutive issuances of equity securities, the incurrence of debt, contingent liabilities and/or
amortization expenses related to goodwill and other intangible assets, which could materially adversely affect our business, results
of operations and financial condition.
If
appropriate opportunities present themselves, we may complete acquisitions that we believe are strategic. We currently have no understandings,
commitments or agreements with respect to any material acquisition and no other material acquisition is currently being pursued. There
can be no assurance that we will be able to identify, negotiate or finance future acquisitions successfully, or to integrate such acquisitions
with our current business. The process of integrating an acquired company or assets into the Company may result in unforeseen operating
difficulties and expenditures and may absorb significant management attention that would otherwise be available for ongoing development
of our business. Future acquisitions could result in potentially dilutive issuances of equity securities, the incurrence of debt, contingent
liabilities and/or amortization expenses related to goodwill and other intangible assets, which could materially adversely affect our
business, results of operations and financial condition.
Failure
to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in their implementation, could harm our results of operations
or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations.
Effective
internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and to help prevent fraud. Although we will undertake a
number of procedures and will implement a number of safeguards, in each case, in order to help ensure the reliability of its financial
reports, including those imposed on us under Canadian securities law, we cannot be certain that such measures will ensure that we will
maintain adequate control over financial processes and reporting. Failure to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties
encountered in their implementation, could harm our results of operations or cause it to fail to meet its reporting obligations. If we
or our auditors discover a material weakness, the disclosure of that fact, even if quickly remedied, could reduce the market’s
confidence in our consolidated financial statements and materially adversely affect the trading price of our Common Shares.
Our
management will ensure the accounting cycle, payroll administration, operational activities, and financial reporting controls to assess
internal control risks and to ensure proper internal control is in place. The potential risk that flows from the identified deficiencies
and weaknesses is the risk of potential fraud. However, the risk of fraud is considered low as management anticipates taking a number
of measures as stated above to mitigate the potential risk of fraud, including without limitation: (i) all purchase and payment, including
payroll, must be authorized by management; (ii) all capital expenditures must be preapproved by management; (iii) all source documents
in any other language other than English must be translated and scanned for accounting entries and recordkeeping purposes; (iv) and almost
all of our cash will be deposited with a Canadian bank in Ontario, Canada. Bank statements will be reviewed by the CFO of Pineapple regularly.
Our management and Board will continue to monitor our operations of, evaluate the internal controls, and develop measures in the future
to mitigate any potential risks and weaknesses.
Canada
does not have a system of exchange controls, and control of the Company by “non-Canadians” may be subject to review and further
government action.
Canada
has no system of exchange controls. There are no Canadian governmental laws, decrees, or regulations relating to restrictions on the
repatriation of capital or earnings of the Company to non-resident investors. There are no laws in Canada or exchange control restrictions
affecting the remittance of dividends, profits, interest, royalties and other payments by the Company to non-resident holders of the
Common Shares, except as discussed below under “ Certain Canadian Federal Income Tax Consequences to Holders of our Common Shares
that are Non-Resident in Canada ”.
There
are no limitations under the laws of Canada or in the organizing documents of the Company on the right of foreigners to hold or vote
securities of the Company, except that the Investment Canada Act may require that a “non-Canadian” not acquire “control”
of the Company without prior review and approval by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. The acquisition of
one-third or more of the voting shares of the Company would give rise a rebuttable presumption of the acquisition of control, and the
acquisition of more than fifty percent of the voting shares of the Company would be deemed to be an acquisition of control. In addition,
the Investment Canada Act provides the Canadian government with broad discretionary powers in relation to national security to review
and potentially prohibit, condition or require the divestiture of, any investment in the Company by a non-Canadian, including non-control
level investments. “Non-Canadian” generally means an individual who is neither a Canadian citizen nor a permanent resident
of Canada within the meaning of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) who has been ordinarily resident in Canada for not
more than one year after the time at which he or she first became eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship, or a corporation, partnership,
trust or joint venture that is ultimately controlled by non-Canadians.
24
ITEM
1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
Not
applicable.
ITEM
IC. CYBERSECURITY
Not
applicable.
ITEM
2. PROPERTIES
Our
principal executive offices are located at Unit 200, 111 Gordon Baker Road, North York, Ontario M2H 3R1. The Company leases all its office
premises in Ontario, Canada. The Company extended the current premises of 4,894 sq. ft. lease to January 1, 2030 and acquired additional
premises of 8,368 square feet adjacent to the current office premises with the same landlord. The additional premises lease also expires
on January 1, 2030. The total area of use by The Company is 13,262 sq. ft. The Company recognized a right-of-use asset and corresponding
lease liability in respect of this lease. Our registered and records office is located at 67 Mowat Avenue, Suite 122, Toronto, Ontario
M6K 3E3. We believe that our current office space will be adequate for the foreseeable future.
ITEM
3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
From
time to time, we may become involved in various lawsuits and legal proceedings, which arise in the ordinary course of business. Litigation
is subject to inherent uncertainties, and an adverse result in these or other matters may arise from time to time that may harm our business.
We are currently not aware of any such legal proceedings or claims that will have, individually or in the aggregate, a material adverse
effect on our business, financial condition or operating results.
ITEM
4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not
applicable.
PART
II
ITEM
5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Market Information
Our
common shares are listed on the NYSE American under the symbol “PAPL.”
Shareholders
As
of December 12, 2023, we had 90 shareholders of record. This does not include shares held in the name of a broker, bank,
or other nominees (typically referred to as being held in “street name”).
25
Use
of Proceeds from Registered Offering
On
November 3, 2023, we completed the initial public offering, or IPO, of our common shares pursuant to which we issued and sold 875,000
common shares at a price to the public of $4.00 per share. All of the common shares issued and sold in our IPO were registered under
the Securities Act pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-1 (Registration No. 333-268636), which was declared effective by the
SEC on October 12, 2023. We received net proceeds of approximately $2.76 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions
and offering expenses borne by us. None of the expenses incurred by us were direct or indirect payments to any of (i) our directors or
officers or their associates, (ii) persons owning 10% or more of our common shares, or (iii) our affiliates. There has been no material
change in the planned use of proceeds from our IPO as described in our final prospectus filed with the SEC on November 2, 2023 pursuant
to Rule 424(b)(4). EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC, acted as representative of the underwriters of the offering. The
offering commenced on October 31, 2023 and did not terminate before all securities registered in the registration statement were sold.
Dividend
Policy
We
have not, since the date of our incorporation, declared or paid any dividends or other distributions on our Common Shares, and do not
currently have a policy with respect to the payment of dividends or other distributions. We do not currently pay dividends and do not
intend to pay dividends in the foreseeable future. The declaration and payment of any dividends in the future is at the discretion of
the Board and will depend on numerous factors, including compliance with applicable laws, financial performance, working capital requirements
of the Company and its subsidiaries, as applicable and such other factors as its directors consider appropriate..
Unregistered
Sales of Equity Securities
Not
applicable.
ITEM
6. [RESERVED]
Not applicable.
ITEM
7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITIONS AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.
Please
read the following management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations, along with our consolidated
financial statements and the related notes and other information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. It is important to note
that this discussion and analysis contain forward-looking statements with certain risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties
could cause our results to differ materially from anticipated in these forward-looking statements. You can find more information about
these risks and uncertainties under the heading “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” in Part I and elsewhere
in this Form 10-K.
Special
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This
Form 10-K includes forward-looking statements that entail potential risks and uncertainties. These statements are usually identified
by the use of specific terminology such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,”
“expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,”
“should,” “target,” “will,” “would” and other comparable terminology. All the statements
in this Form 10-K that are not about historical facts, including those related to our future operations, financial position, Revenue,
projected costs, strategy, plans, management objectives, and expected market growth, are forward-looking. While reading this Form 10-K,
you should know that these statements do not guarantee our performance or results. They include known and unknown risks, uncertainties,
and assumptions, as mentioned under the “Risk Factors” section in this Form 10-K. We believe that these forward-looking statements
are based on reasonable assumptions. Still, you must be aware that many factors, including those mentioned under the “Risk Factors”
section in this Form 10-K, could affect our financial results or operations and cause actual results to differ from those stated in the
forward-looking statements. These statements were made as of the date of this Form 10-K, and we are not obligated to update or revise
any forward-looking statements made here to reflect any change in our expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances
on which these statements are based. All written or oral forward-looking statements made by us or on our behalf are qualified by the
cautionary statements mentioned in this Form 10-K.
26
Objective
In
this section, we provide an analysis of the Company’s financial condition, cash flows, and results of operations from management’s
perspective. We recommend you read this with the consolidated financial statements and notes in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report
on Form 10K.
Executive
Summary
We
are a fintech company based in Ontario, Canada. Our tech-driven businesses are focused on mortgages and insurance. Our goal is to provide
clients with an industry-leading experience through our trusted digital solutions that are simple and fast.
Recent
Developments
Business
Trends
Throughout
2022 and 2023, the Bank of Canada raised the prime rate several times to curb inflationary pressures. Consequently, the mortgage interest
rates increased significantly, leading to a considerable shrinkage in the mortgage origination market from 2022 to 2023. The rise in
mortgage interest rates, alongside the economic uncertainty, has resulted in a reduced demand for mortgage originations.
Summary
of the Year Ended August 31, 2023.
During
the period under review, we generated $ 1.399 billion in residential mortgage loans compared to $1.790 billion in the previous financial
year, which ended on August 31, 2022. This amount represents a decrease of $386.00 million or 21.63% compared to the same period that
ended on August 31, 2022. Our Net Loss stood at $2.874 million, a lower Net Loss compared to the $3,015 million recorded in the same
period on August 31, 2022. We also generated loss $1.239 million of Adjusted EBITDA, which represents a decrease of $ 0.376 million,
or 23.26%, compared to the $1.615 million generated in the same period on August 31, 2022. For more information on Adjusted EBITDA, please
refer to the “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” section.
Non-GAAP
Financial Measures
We
provide investors with additional information in addition to our GAAP results. We do this by disclosing our non-GAAP financial measures:
Adjusted Revenue, adjusted net (Loss) income, adjusted diluted (Loss) earnings per share, and adjusted EBITDA. These measures, which
GAAP does not calculate, are believed to be useful by management in providing investors with useful information regarding the performance
and value of our business. Our non-GAAP financial measures serve as performance indicators unaffected by fluctuations in certain costs
or other items. While other companies may define these measures differently, they allow for better comparisons of general operating performance
from period to period. It is important to note that our non-GAAP financial measures should not be viewed as substitutes for Revenue,
net Income, or any other operating performance measure calculated by GAAP. Finally, we rely on these non-GAAP financial measures to plan
and forecast for future periods.
27
Our
definition of “Adjusted Revenue” is the sum of all gross revenues. Similarly, we define “Adjusted Net (Loss) Income”
as pre-tax earnings before accounting for share-based compensation expense, impairment loss on investments, accrual of legal fees and
deferred tax accrual, and the applicable tax effects of these adjustments. We add back Salesforce expenses and capitalize them with a
20% depreciation rate. We also add deferred government grants in current Income to arrive at Adjusted EBITDA. Lastly, our definition
of “Adjusted Diluted (Loss) Earnings Per Share” is derived after adjusting for the abovementioned items.
Our
definitions of each non-GAAP financial measure allow us to add back certain cash and non-cash charges and deduct certain gains included
in calculating total revenues, net, and net Income attributable to Pineapple Financial Inc. or net Income. However, these expenses and
gains vary greatly and are difficult to predict. From time to time in the future, we may include or exclude other items if we believe
that doing so is consistent with providing useful information to investors.
Although
we use non-GAAP financial measures to evaluate our business performance, it’s important to note that they do not include certain
necessary costs to operate our business. These measures can help demonstrate the long-term impact of our strategies. Still, they should
not be considered an indication that our future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items. It’s important to
note that non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools and should not be used in isolation or as a substitute for
analyzing our results as reported under U.S. GAAP. These measures cannot be relied upon as a measure of discretionary cash available
to invest in the growth of our business or as a measure of money available to us to meet our obligations.
Limitations
to our non-GAAP financial measures included, but are not limited to:
(a) they
do not reflect every cash expenditure, future requirements for capital expenditures or contractual
commitments;
(b) Adjusted
EBITDA does not reflect the significant interest expense or the cash requirements necessary
to service interest or principal payment on our debt;
(c) although
depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized
will often have to be replaced or require improvements in the future, and Adjusted Revenue,
Adjusted Net Income (Loss) and Adjusted EBITDA do not reflect any cash requirement for such
replacements or improvements; and
(d) they
are not adjusted for all non-cash income or expense items reflected in our Consolidated Statements
of Cash Flows.
To
better evaluate our operating performance, we utilize non-GAAP financial measures and other comparative tools, in addition to U.S. GAAP
measurements, which address certain limitations. The reconciliation of our non-GAAP financial measures to their corresponding U.S. GAAP
measures can be found below. Furthermore, our U.S. GAAP-based measures are available in the consolidated financial statements and related
notes, which are included in Form 10-K.
Reconciliation
of Adjusted Revenue to Total Revenue, net
Year Ended August 31,
2023
2022
Total Revenue, net
2,502,264
3,600,851
Commission expense
13,931,836
16,780,133
Gross Revenue
16,434,100
20,380,984
Reconciliation
of Adjusted Net (Loss) Income to Net Income Attributable to Pineapple Financial Inc.
Year Ended August 31,
2023
2022
Net Income attributable to Pineapple Financial
(2,809,036 )
(2,810,061 )
Share-based compensation
33,091
723,217
Salesforce expenses – net of depreciation
224,683
215,854
Government based incentive
699,627
-
Depreciation
441,159
255,871
Investment impairment
27,143
-
Legal fee accrual
143,947
-
Adjusted EBITDA
(1,239,386 )
(1,615,119 )
28
Reconciliation
of Adjusted Diluted Weighted Average Shares Outstanding to Diluted Weighted Average Shares Outstanding
Year Ended August 31,
2023
2022
Weighted average common shares outstanding
6,306,978
6,306,978
Adjusted EBITDA
(1,239,386 )
(1,615,119 )
Adjusted Diluted (Loss)) Earning per share
(0.20 )
(0.26 )
Key
Performance Indicators
As
part of our business operations, we closely track several key performance indicators (KPIs) that help us measure our performance. We
can evaluate our ability to generate Revenue by monitoring our loan production KPIs and comparing our performance to the mortgage origination
market. Additionally, we use KPIs related to our technology setup and underwriting processes to assess our performance further.
Year Ended August 31,
2023
2022
Mortgage volume
1,398,464,338
1,785,424,632
Sales revenue
15,026,896
19,497,519
Commission expense
13,931,836
16,780,133
Net sales revenue
1,095,060
2,717,385
Underwriting revenue
148,080
266,731
Subscription revenue
736,708
616,734
Other income
522,416
266,731
Description
of Certain Components of Financial Data
Components
of Revenue
Our
sources of Revenue include commissions from lenders, underwriting revenue, membership fees from mortgage agents, and other income.
Sales
revenue
Sales
Revenue is commission collected from financial institutions with whom it has contracts in place. The Company earns revenue based on a
percentage of mortgage amount funded between individual referred by the Company and financial institutions funding the mortgage. We are
an agent in these deals as we provide the platform for other parties to provide services to the end-user. For each contract with a customer,
the Company identifies the contract with a customer; identifies the performance obligations in the contract; determines the transaction
price to the separate performance obligations on the basis of the relative stand-alone selling price of each distinct good or service
to be delivered; and recognizes revenue when or as each performance obligation is satisfied in a manner that depicts the transfer to
the customer of the goods or services promised. The Company recognizes revenue when: a contract exists with a lender party and an agent
broker, the contract identifies the use of the platform service to close a mortgage deal, the mortgage deal has been closed with the
lending financial institution, and commissions paid by the lending financial institution based on various criteria of the mortgage deal
including but not limited to interest rates available at that time, term, seasonality, collateral, income, purpose, etc. Revenue is measured
at the fair value of the consideration received or receivable and represents amounts receivable for services provided in the normal course
of business. Revenue is recognized at the end of the deal upon completion of all the actions listed above. A typical transaction attracts
a commission fee payable to Pineapple Financial Inc.
29
Subscription
Revenue:
Users
access and use our technology platform, MyPineapple, for a flat monthly service fee of $118. In exchange for this fee, users of MyPineapple
have access to a network management system that allows them to perform back-office procedures more efficiently and effectively. This
platform will enable them to process the deal described above prepare, and complete the package for submission to be funded by the financial
institution. We have a strong user base, which has experienced significant growth since our inception. Revenue is recognized at the beginning
of the month when a User is invoiced and pays the fee.
Underwriting
Fee:
Users
can optionally use our expert risk pre-assessment service, which assists them in pre-underwriting their loans before submission to a
lender for approval and funding. This service significantly reduces the time for the lender partners’ assessment of the deal. For
mortgages of $197,475 and less, we charge an underwriting fee of $276; for mortgages greater than $197,475, the Company charges an underwriting
fee of $395. The Company has undertaken a special program to educate and inform Users of this service in further detail. Approximately
40% of the deals originated by Users are using this service. This program intends to further increase the number of deals and improve
the services offered.
Other
Income:
Other
Income includes a technology setup fee and sponsorship fee.
Components
of operating expenses
Our
operating expenses, as presented in the statement of operations data, include salaries, commissions and team member benefits, general
and administrative expenses, marketing and advertising expenses, and others.
Salaries
and commissions and team member benefits
All
payroll expenses include our team members’ salaries, commissions, and benefits.
Selling,
general and administrative expenses
Selling,
general and administrative expenses include software subscriptions, license fees, professional services, marketing expenses, and other
operating expenses.
Share-based
compensation
Share-based
compensation comprises equity awards and is measured and expensed accordingly under Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”)
718 Compensation—Stock Compensation.
30
Comparison
of the years ended August 31, 2023 and 2022
31
Revenue
Gross
Revenue decreased from $20.381 million in the fiscal year ending August 31, 2022, to $16.434 million in the fiscal year ending August
31, 2023, representing a 19.37% decrease from year to year. To control high inflation, The Bank of Canada increased the interest rate
from 2.5% as of September 01, 2022, to 5.00% as of August 31, 2023. This resulted in decreased real estate transactions and, eventually,
in the mortgage business. The number of real estate transactions in Canada fell from 558,591 houses during the year ended August 31,
2022, to 441,536 houses during the year ended August 31, 2023, representing a 21.02% decrease.
Gross
Profit Percentage
Pineapple
Financials’ gross margin decreased to 15.23% during the year ended August 31, 2023, from 17.67% during the year ended August 31,
2022. This decrease was due to more volume by high-volume agents with low margins.
Cost
of Revenue
During
the financial year that ended August 31, 2023, the cost of revenue decreased to $13.932 million from $16.780 million during the previous
year that ended August 31, 2022. The decrease in the cost of Revenue is due to the decline in Revenue.
Selling,
General and Administrative Expenses.
The
breakdown of selling, general and administrative expenses are as follows:
Year
Ended August 31,
Description
2023
($)
2022
($)
Increase/(Decrease)
($)
Increase/(Decrease)
(%)
Software
subscription
816,913
923,137
(106,224 )
(11.51 )
Advertising,
marketing and promotions
649,934
795,588
(145,654 )
(18.31 )
Events
and award shows
194,863
-
194,863
100.00
Office
and general
183,868
259,480
(75,612 )
(29.14 )
Professional
fee
661,265
243,100
418,165
172.01
Dues
and subscriptions
58,366
174,743
(116,377 )
(66.60 )
Rent
165,751
150,141
15,610
10.40
Consulting
fee
210,063
146,554
63,509
43..34
Travel
97,372
104,812
(7,440 )
(7.10 )
Donations
46,002
61,206
(15,204 )
(24.84 )
Lease
expense
7,534
63,425
(55,891 )
(88.12 )
Insurance
(80,934 )
54,867
(135,801 )
(247.51 )
Repair
and maintenance
2,489
223
2,266
1,016.43
Utilities
1,459
-
1,459
100.00
3,014,945
2,977,277
37,668
1.27
Selling,
general and administrative expenses increased by $37,668 from $2,977,277 during the year ended August 31, 2022, to $3,014,945 during
the year ended August 31, 2023. This increase represents a 1.27% increase.
32
Software
subscriptions decreased by $106,224, representing 11.51% from $923,137 during the year ended August 31, 2022, to $816,913. This is due
to less reliance on third-party software as internal software develops more.
Advertising,
marketing and promotions decreased from $795,588 to $649,934, representing a decrease of 18.31% during the year ended August 31, 2022
and August 31, 2023. This decrease is due to a depressed real estate market.
Office
and general expenses decreased to $183,868 during the year ending August 31, 2023, from $259,480 during the year ended August 31, 2022.
This represents a decrease of $75,611 or 29.14% yearly. This decrease is mainly due to reduced revenue.
Professional
fees increased to $661,265 during the financial year ended August 31, 2023, from $243,100 during the year ended August 31, 2022. This
172.01% increase is due to the preparation of our initial public offering (IPO) expenses.
Dues
and subscriptions decreased from $174,743 during the year ended August 31, 2022, to $58,366 for the year ended August 31, 2023, representing
a 66.60% decrease.
The
consulting fee was increased from $146,554 during the year ended August 31, 2022, to $210,063 during the year ended August 31, 2023.
This 43.34% increase was due to hiring consultants for our IPO process.
Salaries,
Wages and benefits
Year
Ended August 31,
Description
2023
($)
2022
($)
Increase/(Decrease)
($)
Increase/(Decrease)
(%)
Salaries,
wages and benefits
2,330,127
2,360,344
(30,218 )
(1.28 )
Salaries,
wages and benefits remain almost the same during the year that ended August 31, 2023 compared to the previous year, which ended on August
31, 2022.
Depreciation
Year
Ended August 31,
Description
2023
($)
2022
($)
Increase/(Decrease)
($)
Increase/(Decrease)
(%)
Depreciation
441,159
255,871
185,287
72.41
Pineapple
financial is actively investing in the development of its software. During the year under review, $1.300 million were added in intangible
assets. This addition represents mostly the salaries, wages and benefits of our staff working on intangible asset. These additions are
the main cause of increase of depreciation during the year ended August 31, 2023.
Share-based
compensation
Year
Ended August 31,
Description
2023
($)
2022
($)
Increase/(Decrease)
($)
Increase/(Decrease)
(%)
Share-based
compensation
33,091
723,217
(690,126 )
(95.42 )
During
the year ended August 31, 2023, no grant of options was granted.
33
Government
based incentive
Year
Ended August 31,
Description
2023
($)
2022
($)
Increase/(Decrease)
($)
Increase/(Decrease)
(%)
Government
based incentive
(591,480 )
-
591,480
100.00
During
the year ended August 31, 2023, the Company claimed Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) from the CRA for the
years ending August 31, 2022 and August 31, 2021. These claims were approved and received during the year ended August 31, 2023.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
Our
primary liquidity needs encompass working capital and capital expenditures, specifically those associated with technological enhancements,
investments in skilled personnel, and marketing services. These three categories have constituted a significant portion of our liquidity
and capital resource demands throughout the year. We primarily utilize cash on hand and cash flows generated from our operations to meet
these requirements.
The
following table summarizes our cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities:
Year
Ended August 31,
Description
2023
($)
2022
($)
Increase/(Decrease)
($)
Cash
(used) provided in operating activities
(2,116,105 )
(1,834,909 )
(281,196 )
Cash
(used) provided by financing activities
349,008
(61,470 )
410,478
Cash
(used) provided in investing activities
(1,362,298 )
(1,052,932 )
(309,367 )
Cash
at the end of the period
720,365
3,896,840
(3,176,475 )
Net
cash flow from (used in) operating activities
Year
Ended August 31,
Description
2023
($)
2022
($)
Operating
activities
Net
loss
(2,809,036 )
(2,810,061 )
Adjustments
for the following non-cash items:
Depreciation
of property and equipment
67,311
42,218
Depreciation
of intangible assets
265,150
79,489
Depreciation
on right of use asset
108,335
90,049
Interest
expense on lease liability
56,316
32,017
Share-based
compensation
33,091
723,217
Write-down
of investment
27,143
-
Net
changes in non-cash working capital balances:
Trade
and other receivables
(26,242 )
(32,284 )
Prepaid
expenses and deposits
265,545
(336,360 )
Accounts
payable and accrued liabilities
(174,795 )
382,294
Income
taxes receivable
71,078
(5,488 )
Deferred
Government Grant
(2,116,105 )
(1,834,909 )
34
Our
primary source of cash flow comes from our core business operations.
During
the year ended August 31, 2023, the Company’s net cash used in operating activities increased to $2,116,105 from $1,834,909 in
the previous year. This increase of outflow of cash was primarily due to a net loss of $2,809,036. Additionally, prepaid expenses and
deposits decreased by $601,905, and accounts payable and accrued liabilities were reduced by $557,089.
Net
cash flow from (used in) financing activities
During
the year ended August 31, 2023, the Company received $430,098 in financing from Easily Financing for working capital support. Additionally,
the Company fulfilled its lease payments during the year.
Net
cash flow from (used in) investing activities
The
Company invested $1,300,225 to develop software for quick and accurate mortgage application filling by field agents during the year ended
August 31, 2023. These investments will help the company acquire more mortgage agents in the future.
As
of August 31, 2023, the Company’s cash balance was $720,365, a decrease from $3,896,839 on August 31, 2022.
The
Company’s capital structure comprises of contributed common shares, an accumulated deficit, additional paid-in capital, and other
comprehensive losses. Its primary sources of liquidity are cash generated through operations and cash received from investors in exchange
for the issuance of common shares. The business aims to meet all its financial and other obligations as they come due.
Future
capital requirements will depend on various factors, including our investment in technology and growth rate. However, certain aspects,
like interest rates and real estate markets, are beyond our control.
The
following table presents our liquidity:
Year
Ended August 31,
Description
2023
($)
2022
($)
Cash
and cash equivalents
720,365
3,896,839
Trade
and other receivables
758,988
33,119
Prepaid
expenses and deposit
218,150
483,695
Income
tax receivable
-
71,078
1,697,503
4,484,731
As
of August 31, 2023, Pineapple has a healthy liquidity position with $720,365 in cash and cash equivalents. The trade and other receivables,
prepaid expenses and deposits indicate that the Company can meet its obligations. However, there was a decrease of $3,176,474 in cash
and cash equivalents from August 31, 2022, to August 31, 2023. This was mainly due to the expansion of our operations and investment
in technology. Additionally, the Canadian real estate market, inflation, and the continuous hike of interest rates by the Bank of Canada
have also affected the Company’s operations and impacted its liquidity.
35
Critical
Accounting Policies and Significant Judgments and Estimates
This
management’s discussion and analysis of the financial condition and results of operations is based on our financial statements,
which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and
assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of
the financial statements, and the reported amounts of Revenue and expenses during the reported period. Per U.S. GAAP, we base our estimates
on historical experience and various other assumptions we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ
from these estimates if conditions differ from our assumptions. While our significant accounting policies are more fully described in
Note 2 in the “Notes to Financial Statements,” we believe the following accounting policies are critical to making effective
judgments and estimates in preparing our financial statements.
Revenue
Recognition
The
Company has adopted ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which provides a single comprehensive model for revenue recognition.
The core principle of the standard is that Revenue should be recognized when goods or services are transferred to customers at an amount
that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The standard introduced
a new contract-based revenue recognition model with a measurement approach that is based on an allocation of the transaction price. It
establishes a five-step model to account for Revenue arising from contracts with customers. Under this standard, Revenue is recognized
at an amount that reflects the consideration to which an entity expects to be entitled in exchange for transferring goods or services
to a customer. The standard requires entities to exercise judgement, taking into consideration all of the relevant facts and circumstances
when applying each step of the model to contracts with customers. Additionally, the standard specifies the accounting for incremental
costs of obtaining a contract and the costs directly related to fulfilling a contract.
When
the Company transfers goods or services to a customer, Revenue is recognized at an amount that reflects the consideration expected to
be received.
The
Company operates an online platform powered by Salesforce, that enables brokers and agents to efficiently close deals.
The
Company’s subsidiary, Pineapple Insurance Inc., generates Revenue by charging premiums for insurance policies and services. Pineapple
Insurance is affiliated with a major insurance company, from which it earns commissions for providing services, primarily mortgage insurance.
Mortgage insurance is a requirement for each mortgage. Pineapple Insurance acts as the agent that supplies insurance services to the
consumer and is paid a commission from the premiums collected by the insurance company whose products and services it provides to the
end consumer. Additionally, Pineapple Insurance has adopted ASC 606.
Basis
of presentation, functional and presentation currency
The
Company’s headquarters is in Ontario, Canada, and the functional currency is in Canadian Dollars (CAD) with the presentation currency
being US Dollars (USD). The Company’s subsidiaries have a functional currency of CAD and presentation currency of USD which have
been applied consistently.
There
will be a foreign currency translation undertaken to report under US GAAP which will be the basis of presentation.
Lease
Accounting
The
relevant criteria applicable is ASC 842. We assess at contract inception whether a contract is, or contains, a lease. That is, if the
contract conveys the right to control the use of an identified asset for a period of time in exchange for consideration. We apply a single
recognition and measurement approach for all leases, except for short-term leases and leases of low-value assets. We recognize lease
liabilities to make lease payments and right-of-use assets representing the right to use the underlying assets.
36
At
the commencement date of the lease, we recognize lease liabilities measured at the present value of lease payments to be made over the
lease term. Lease payments include fixed payments (including in-substance fixed payments) less any lease incentives receivable, variable
lease payments that depend on an index or a rate, and amounts expected to be paid under residual value guarantees. Lease payments also
include the exercise price of a purchase option reasonably certain to be exercised by us and payments of penalties for terminating the
lease, if the lease term reflects us exercising the option to terminate. Variable lease payments that do not depend on an index or a
rate are recognized as expenses in the period in which the event or condition that triggers the payment occurs. In calculating the present
value of lease payments, we use our incremental borrowing rate at the lease commencement date because the interest rate implicit in the
lease is not readily determinable. After the commencement date, the amount of lease liabilities is increased to reflect the accretion
of interest and reduced for the lease payments made. In addition, the carrying amount of lease liabilities is remeasured if there is
a modification, a change in the lease term, a change in the lease payments (e.g., changes to future payments resulting from a change
in an index or rate used to determine such lease payments) or a change in the assessment of an option to purchase the underlying asset.
We
recognize right-of-use assets at the commencement date of the lease (i.e., the date the underlying asset is available for use). Right-of-use
assets are measured at cost, less any accumulated depreciation and impairment losses, and adjusted for any remeasurement of lease liabilities.
The cost of right-of-use assets includes the amount of lease liabilities recognized, initial direct costs incurred, and lease payments
made at or before the commencement date less any lease incentives received. Right-of-use assets are depreciated on a straight-line basis
over the shorter of the lease term and the estimated useful lives of the assets.
Investments
We
invested in a commercial mortgage firm, MCommercial, based in Montreal and Toronto, Canada representing 5% of the total issued and outstanding
shares. This strategic partnership allows Pineapple residential mortgage agents to have access to a leading commercial mortgage firm
and experts, which will expand their product offerings, service levels and corporate Revenue through increased transactions.
The
Company entered into a share purchase agreement with 9142-2964 Quebec Inc. pursuant to which the Company acquired five Class A Shares
of 7326904 Canada Inc. (dba as Mortgage Alliance Corporation) (“Alliance”), representing 5% of the total issued and outstanding
shares of Alliance. Alliance is a mortgage brokerage firm based in Ontario, Canada with locations in Calgary, Vancouver and Halifax.
Both represent a total investment as of May 31, 2023 of $36,830.
The
total amount of both investments was recorded at fair value, and any impairment loss is recognized in profit and loss account.
Share
Based Compensation
Stock-based
compensation is accounted for based on the requirements of the Share-Based Payment Topic of ASC 718, “Compensation — Stock
Compensation” (“ASC 718”), which requires recognition in the financial statements of the cost of employee, non-employee
and director services received in exchange for an award of equity instruments over the period the employee, non-employee or director
is required to perform the services in exchange for the award (presumptively, the vesting period). ASC 718 also requires measurement
of the cost of employee, non-employee, and director services received in exchange for an award based on the grant-date fair value of
the award.
The
Company has a share option plan (the “Plan”) to attract, retain and motivate qualified directors, officers, employees, and
consultants whose present and future contributions are important to the success of the Company by offering them an opportunity to participate
in the Company’s future performance through the award of share options.
37
Each
share option converts into one common share of Pineapple Financial Inc. on exercise. No amounts are paid or payable by the recipient
on receipt of the option. The options carry neither right to dividends nor voting rights. Options may be exercised at any time from the
date of vesting to the date of their expiry.
In
2017, the Plan was amended such that the total number of common shares reserved and available for grant and issuance pursuant to the
Plan is to equal 10% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company.
Options
granted on June 14, 2021, vest over a 2-year period whereby 25% of the options granted vested on the date of grant, and the remaining
unvested options vest in equal installments every 6-months thereafter. The fair value of stock options granted was $1,317,155. A total
stock-based compensation expense was recognized of $57,340 for the vested options (August 31, 2021 - $637,517).
The
Chief Financial Officer was granted 63,821 Stock options on November 15, 2021 as part of his compensation package. The options vest over
a 3-year period whereby 8,974 of the options granted vested on the grant date and the remaining unvested options vest in equal installments
every 6-months thereafter. The fair value of the stock options granted was $141,885. The Chief Financial Officer options were forfeited
and a recovery on stock-based compensation of $24,250 was recognized during the year ended August 31, 2023. For year ended August 31,
2023, stock-based compensation expense of $nil (August 31, 2022 - $85,700) was recognized.
On
July 6, 2023, we completed a 1-for-3.9 reverse stock split, or the Reverse Split, effective immediately. Consequently, all the share
numbers, shares prices, and exercise prices have been retroactively adjusted in these condensed interim consolidated financial statements
for all periods presented.
Controls
and Procedures
Although
we are currently not required to maintain an effective internal controls system, we have assessed and already started creating our internal
controls as we have determined the need to maintain effective and controlled systems including but not limited to:
●
skilled staffing for financial, accounting and external reporting areas, including segregation of duties;
●
reconciliation of accounts as necessary to ensure correct classification, accurate recording and balancing of books;
●
proper recording of expenses, liabilities, and other accounting entries in the period to which they relate as per the matching principle;
●
maintaining a fixed assets register that identifies user, department, and detailed tracking;
●
evidence of internal review and approval of accounting transactions by 2 or more independent personnel;
●
documentation of processes, assumptions and conclusions underlying significant estimates; and
●
documentation of accounting policies and procedures.
The
Company currently uses NetSuite, a proprietary financial accounting software from Oracle Corporation for recording, tracking and financial
reporting. However, external resources may be required such as professional consultants to determine more specific internal controls
to decrease exposure to erroneous financial reporting which the Company is significantly deficient to meet the necessary regulatory requirements
and responsibilities, and ensure compliance in all respects thereby incurring significant expenses in meeting these needs. As of August
31, 2023, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer and principal
financial officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and based on this
assessment, our management concluded that, as of August 31, 2023, our internal controls over financial reporting lacked adequate segregation
of duties within the accounting and system process, inadequate documentation to evidence the operation of controls, inconsistent procedures
and approvals and insufficient written policies and procedures for accounting, IT and financial reporting and record keeping. We are
implementing plans to improve such internal control.
38
Financial
Instruments
As
on August 31, 2023, the Company’s financial instruments consist of cash, trade and other receivables, investments, accounts payable
and accrued liabilities.
As
per ASC 820, Fair value measurement establishes a fair value hierarchy based on the level of independence, objective evidence surrounding
the inputs used to measure fair value. A financial instrument’s categorising within the fair value hierarchy is based upon the
lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement.
i)
Level 1 fair value measurements are those derived from quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities;
ii)
Level 2 fair value measurements are those derived from inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for
the asset or liability, either
directly
(i.e., as prices) or indirectly (i.e., derived from prices); and
iii)
Level 3 fair value measurements are those derived from valuation techniques that include inputs for the asset or liability that are not
based on observable market data (unobservable inputs).
The
following table provides the fair values of the financial assets in the Company’s consolidated statements of financial position,
categorized by hierarchical levels and their related classifications.
As
of August 31, 2023
Level
1
Level
2
Level
3
Total
Assets:
Cash
720,365
720,365
Investment
10,013
10,013
RISKS
AND UNCERTAINTIES
The
Company’s business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those described elsewhere in this MD&A, as well
as general economic and market risks. These risk factors could materially affect the Company’s future operating results and could
cause actual events to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information relating to the Company.
Item
7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
As
part of our regular business operations, we face various risks that can impact our profitability and operations. These risks can be broadly
categorized as interest rate risk, credit risk, counterparty risk, and risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
39
Interest
rate risk
We
do not face interest rate risk as we do not have any variable-rate loans or borrowings.
Credit
risk
Credit
risk is the risk of financial loss to the Corporation if a counterparty to a financial instrument fails to meet its contractual obligations.
The Corporation’s credit risk is mainly attributable to its cash and cash equivalents and trade and other receivables.
The
Corporation has determined that its exposure to credit risk on its cash and cash equivalents is minimal as the Corporation’s cash
and cash equivalents are held with financial institutions in Canada.
Our
primary source of credit risk relates to the possibility of Core Business Operation’s brokerages or other customers not paying
receivables. Core Business Operations manages its credit risk by performing credit risk evaluations on its brokerages and agents and
monitoring overdue trade and other receivables. As of August 31, 2023, $2,572 (August 31, 2022 $1,901) of our trade receivables are greater
than 90 days outstanding. A decline in economic conditions or other adverse conditions experienced by brokerage and agents could impact
the collectability of the Corporation’s accounts receivable.
Our
maximum exposure to credit risk approximates the carrying value of the assets on the Corporation’s consolidated statements of financial
position.
August 31,
2023
2022
Cash and cash equivalents
720,365
3,896,839
Trade, other receivable and other assets
758,988
33,119
Notes receivable
218,150
483,695
Income tax receivable
-
71,078
1,697,503
4,484,731
Liquidity
risk
Liquidity
risk is the risk that the Company will not be able to meet its financial obligations as they become due. The Company’s approach
in managing liquidity is to ensure, to the extent possible, that it will have sufficient liquidity to meet its liabilities when due,
by continuously monitoring actual and forecasted cash flows. As of August 31, 2023, the Company’s contractual cash flow obligations
and their maturities are as follows:
Cash flow under contract.
Within 1 year
Greater than 1 year
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
605,318
605,318
Lease obligations
1,107,961
138,372
969,589
Short term loans
430,098
430,098
ITEM
8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA.
The Company’s consolidated financial statements and report of independent
registered public accounting firm MNP LLP with the PCAOB ID: 1930 is contained in pages F-1 through F-29, which appear at the end of this
Annual Report on Form 10-K.
40
ITEM
9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE.
None.
ITEM
9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.
Evaluation
of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
We
are transitioning to and will maintain disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be
disclosed by us in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and timely reported as provided
in SEC rules and forms and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, as appropriate, to allow for timely
decisions regarding required disclosure. We will periodically review the design and effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures,
including compliance with various laws and regulations that apply to our operations. We will make modifications to improve the design
and effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and may take other corrective action if our reviews identify a need for such
modifications or actions. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, we recognize that any controls and procedures,
no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives, and we will
apply judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures. In addition, the design of any system
of controls also is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that
any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions; over time, controls may become inadequate
because of changes in conditions, or the degree of compliance with policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because of the inherent limitations
in a control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.
Management’s
Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
This
Annual Report does not include a report of management’s assessment regarding internal control over financial reporting due to a
transition period established by the rules of the SEC for newly public companies.
Changes
in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There
have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during our last fiscal quarter that have materially
affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Attestation
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
This
Annual Report does not include an attestation report of our registered independent public accounting firm regarding internal control
over financial reporting due to an exemption established by the JOBS Act for “emerging growth companies.”
ITEM
9B. OTHER INFORMATION.
None.
ITEM
9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS.
Not
applicable.
41
PART
III
ITEM
10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE.
Executive
Officers and Directors
The
following table sets forth the name, age and position of each of our executive officers, key employees and directors.
Name
Age
Position(s)
Date
Appointed
Shubha
Dasgupta
43
Chief
Executive Officer and Director
October
16, 2015
Sarfraz
Habib
52
Chief
Financial Officer
April
10, 2023
Christa
Mitchell
41
Chief
Strategy Officer and Director
April
1, 2020
Kendall
Marin
47
President,
COO, and Director
October
16, 2015
Drew
Green
48
Chairman
of the Board
May
6, 2019
Paul
Baron
60
Director
August
19, 2016
Tasis
Giannoukakis
60
Director
August
19, 2016
Nima
Besharat
42
Director
May
26, 2021
Shubha
Dasgupta , Chief Executive Officer and Director
Since
entering the mortgage industry in 2008, Shubha has been focused on positively disrupting the sector by leveraging technology and putting
people at the heart of the business. Shubha’s unique vision and expertise have allowed him to build and grow the Company (formerly
CLC Network), which now has over 500 brokers in its network. Under his leadership, the company has built a world-class proprietary data-driven
Client Relationship Management (CRM) Platform, which is the first full-circle mortgage process for agents, offering a more personalized
experience for clients. Shubha’s deep understanding of business and industry trends, coupled with the ability to drive best-in-class
customer experience and profitability have enabled him to infuse vision and purpose in his professional endeavors throughout his career.
An award-winning executive and seasoned industry expert, Shubha was recognized among the “2020 Mortgage Global 100” top executives
who are inciting positive change and growth within the field. Since 2018, he has also been featured for four consecutive years in the
annual Canadian Mortgage Professional’s Hot List which highlights the industry’s top leaders. In 2021, he was appointed President
of the Canadian Mortgage Brokers Association (CMBA) Ontario Board of Directors, after serving a second year on the Board of Directors.
An active member in the Toronto community, Shubha is a philanthropic leader for various non-profit organizations. Since 2010, he has
been a devoted advocate in the fight against cancer. Prior to joining the mortgage industry, he headed a group of volunteers for the
Canadian Cancer Society for eight years. In 2017, he also co-founded CMI Cancer Fighters, a group of Canadian mortgage industry professionals
dedicated to the fight against cancer on which he currently chairs.
Mr.
Dasgupta has been the Chief Executive Officer and a director of the Company since October 16, 2015 and before that was a Mortgage Broker
at Bedrock Financial Group between August 2008 and October 2016.
Sarfraz
Habib, Chief Financial Officer
Sarfraz
Habib is a finance executive with over 25 years of expertise in finance and accounting. As the current CFO of Pineapple, Sarfraz oversees
the company’s financial operations and strategy. He is an experienced professional in the finance and accounting arena, with a
notable background working for several large publicly listed organizations. He has extensive knowledge of financial planning and analysis,
budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting. Sarfraz holds Chartered Accountant qualifications. Sarfraz’s experience includes
serving as Controller and a board member of Keystroke Group Inc., where he streamlined the company’s accounting and finance processes
and was twice awarded the Employee of the Year honors. In his current role at Pineapple, Sarfraz oversees all financial operations, including
accounting, financial planning, and analysis.
Mr.
Habib has been the Chief Financial Officer of the Company since April 10, 2023.
42
Christa
Mitchell , Chief Strategy Officer and Director
An
established professional in the mortgage industry, Christa has more than 15 years of experience in sales, technology, and executive management.
In previous roles at Mortgage Alliance, she succeeded in growing and managing a 90-members independently owned affiliate brokerage network
and championing the company’s enterprise technology platform, where she was responsible for sales, education and the support team.
While Vice President of Operations at her previous position, she directed corporate administration, payroll systems, broker recognition
and networking events. In 2020, she was recognized in the Canadian Mortgage Professional’s annual ‘Women of Influence’,
which highlights female leaders who have been breaking down barriers in the mortgage industry and making it more inclusive. Christa brings
over 15 years of sales, technology, and administrative experience in the mortgage industry. Most recently Christa excelled as the company’s
Vice President of Operations where she directed corporate administration, payroll systems, broker recognition and networking events.
Ms.
Mitchell has been the Chief Strategy Officer and a director of the Company since April 2020. Before that, Ms. Mitchell was the Vice President
of Operations and Vice President of Sales, Service and User Experience of Mortgage Alliance between September 2005 and March 2020.
Kendall
Marin , President, Chief Operating Officer and Director
Mr.
Marin has been the President and Chief Operating Officer and a director of the Company since October 16, 2015. Before that, Kendall was
a Mortgage Broker for InTrend Mortgage Inc. between January 2012 and October 2015 and prior to that was a franchise owner at Property
Guys between May 2010 and January 2013.
Kendall
has been leading the growth of the company with regard to fine-tuning of business processes to ensure maximum productivity. His proven
expertise, focus on excellence and dedication have enabled him to build and expand the Company’s network, as well as the company’s
proprietary data-driven Client Relationship Management (CRM) platform.
Kendall
has had a career both in the corporate world and as a seasoned entrepreneur. At the age of 16, he created his own entertainment and promotion
company, which was highly successful in Toronto throughout the 2000s. Later on, when Kendall was ready to take on his next challenge,
he joined Canada’s top telecom company Bell, where he became the youngest Associate Director. In 2012, he made his debut in the
mortgage industry where he has applied his leadership, organizational and management skills to a new industry.
Since
2018, he has been featured for three consecutive years in the annual Canadian Mortgage Professional’s Hot List which recognizes
the industry’s top leaders.
Drew
Green , Chairman of the Board
Drew
Green is President and Chief Executive Officer of INDOCHINO, growing the brand by over 600% between 2015- 2022, delivering nine figures
in revenue in 2018, currently with 86 showrooms across North America and operations globally. Mr. Green has been recognized as Entrepreneur
of the Year by Ernst & Young, US Retailer of the Year, Innovator of the Year, along with other awards during his career. At INDOCHINO,
Mr. Green has established strategic capital from Madrona Venture Partners, Highland Consumer, Dayang Group, Mitsui & Co. (TSE: 8031)
and Postmedia Network, (TSX: PNC.B) along with partnerships with the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Nordstrom, and hundreds of National
Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Baseball (MLB), National Football League (NFL), and National Hockey League (NHL) teams, athletes
and celebrities.
In
addition, Mr. Green is a Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of EMERGE Commerce Ltd. (TSXV: ECOM), a diversified, acquirer
and operator of Direct to Consumer (DTC) e-commerce brands across North America. He also serves as Chairman of Real Luck Group Ltd. (TSXV:
LUCK), a company that offers legal, real-money betting, live streams, and statistics on all major e-sports and sports on desktop and
mobile devices and Chairman American Aires Inc. (CSE: WIFI) a Canadian-based nanotechnology company which has developed proprietary silicon-based
microprocessors that reduce the harmful effects of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) along with being Chairman of Gravitas III (TSXV:TRIG.P).
Through his family office DREWGREEN.CA INC., Mr. Green has become a mentor to dozens of Canadian entrepreneurs, becoming a founder, chairman,
and/ or a shareholder in dozens of private and public companies that drive innovation and growth, including Riverdale Rentals, Pineapple
Financial, Apollo Insurance, Parvis Invest (TSXV: PVIS), OR Collective, Yourika, Cloudrep AI and Between Co., a company founded by York
University alumni.
43
Drew
served as a Director at The Scarborough Hospital Foundation for many years, and has established the Drew Green Thunderbird Award at the
University of British Columbia and The Drew Green Lions Award at York University, providing student-athletes at both institutions with
scholarships. He currently is a director on York University’s Alumni Board, Canada’s fourth-largest university, with approximately
55,700 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, and over 325,000 alumni worldwide.
Paul
Baron , Director
Paul
is a veteran Real Estate Executive with over 30 years of experience working with both residential and commercial properties. In his first
year as a Sales Representative for Family Trust Realty, he sold 37 homes, quickly demonstrating both his sales smarts and entrepreneurial
drive. He has held various positions with increasing responsibility and is currently the owner of Century 21 Leading Edge Realty, a real
estate brokerage with nine offices, six satellite offices, and over 800 agents and employees. He is currently serving as the Central
Brokerage Director on the Toronto Real Estate Board’s (TREB) Board of Directors.
Mr.
Baron has been a Director of the Company since August 19, 2016. Prior to his position with the Company, Mr. Baron was the President of
Century 21 Leading Edge Reality Inc. since November 1994.
Tasis
Giannoukakis , Director
Tasis
is an owner, broker, and manager of Century 21 Leading Edge Realty, a real estate brokerage with nine offices, six satellite offices,
and over 800 agents and employees. In 2019, his team had more sales than any other Century 21 franchise in Canada and broke into the
company’s worldwide top five. He has been with Century 21 Leading Edge Realty for over 20 years, and the firm continues its expansion
through acquisitions of other firms to further solidify their position in the Canadian Real Estate market.
Mr.
Giannoukakis has been a Director of the Company since August 19, 2016. Prior to such, he was a Broker/Owner of Century 21 Leading Edge
Reality Inc. since August 2004.
Nima
Besharat , Director
Nima
currently serves as Director of Investment Banking at Gravitas Securities Inc., a Canadian leading full-service investment dealer where
he helps with the advisory, restructuring, corporate finance, and mergers and acquisitions mandates across the firm’s platform.
Gravitas Securities Inc. is a full-service investment dealer platform registered with Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of
Canada (IIROC) and a member of Canadian Investor Protection Fund. Nima has experience in wealth management and asset management at Scotiabank
(TSX: BNS) and TD Bank Group (TSX: TD).
Nima
holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and History from Western University, a Bachelor of Laws (Hons.) from the University of Sheffield,
a Master of Laws in International Business Law from King’s College London, University of London (Dr. Peter Dyne Scholar), and a
Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice (Corporate Finance) from the University of Law (UK). Nima was called to the bar in Ontario in
2017. He has completed the Canadian Securities Course, Conduct and Practices Handbook Course, Chief Compliance Officers Qualifying Exam
and the Partners, Directors and Senior Officers Course through the Canadian Securities Institute. Nima was nominated for the Investment
Industry Association of Canada (IIAC) Top 40 Under 40 Award in 2020, recognizing professionals whose accomplishments have brought distinction
to the investment/financial industry.
44
Directorships
Some
of the directors of the Company serve on the boards of directors of other reporting issuers (or the equivalent) in Canada or foreign
jurisdictions. The following table lists the directors of the Company who serve on boards of directors of other reporting issuers (or
the equivalent) and the identities of such reporting issuers (or the equivalent).
Name
of Director
Reporting
Issuers (or the Equivalent)
Drew
Green
EMERGE
Commerce Ltd.
American Aires Inc.
Real Luck Group Ltd.
Parvis Invest Inc.
Gravitas III Capital Corp.
The
Board has determined that these inter-locking directorships do not adversely impact the effectiveness of these directors on the Board
or create any potential for conflicts of interest. However, certain of the Company’s directors are, or may become, directors, officers
or shareholders of other companies with businesses which may conflict with the Company’s business.
Orientation
and Continuing Education
The
Company has not yet established a formal orientation or education procedure for newly incoming directors. Board members are encouraged
to communicate with management and auditors, to keep themselves current with industry trends and developments, and to attend related
industry seminars. Board members have full access to the Company’s records.
Family
Relationships
None
of our directors or executive officers has a family relationship as defined in Item 401 of Regulation S-K..
Director
Assessment
The
Board is responsible for ensuring that an appropriate system is in place to evaluate the effectiveness of the Board as a whole, the individual
committees of the Board, and the individual members of the Board and such committees with a view of ensuring that they are fulfilling
their respective responsibilities and duties. In connection with such evaluations, each director is required to provide his assessment
of the effectiveness of the Board and each committee as well as the performance of the individual directors, annually. Such evaluations
take into account the competencies and skills each director is expected to bring to his particular role on the Board or on a committee,
as well as any other relevant factors.
Arrangements
between Officers and Directors
Except
as set forth herein, to our knowledge, there is no arrangement or understanding between any of our officers or directors and any other
person pursuant to which the officer or director was selected to serve as an officer or director.
Involvement
in Certain Legal Proceedings
We
are not aware of any of our directors or officers being involved in any legal proceedings in the past ten years relating to any matters
in bankruptcy, insolvency, criminal proceedings (other than traffic and other minor offenses), or being subject to any of the items set
forth under Item 401(f) of Regulation S-K.
Board
Committees
Our
Board directs the management of our business and affairs and conducts its business through meetings of the Board and its standing committees.
As of the date hereof, the Board has established an Audit Committee, a Compensation Committee and a Nominating and Corporate Governance
Committee. In addition, from time to time, special committees may be established under the direction of the board of directors when necessary
to address specific issues.
Audit
Committee
The
Company has formed an Audit Committee comprised of Paul Baron, Drew Green (Chair) and Tasis Giannoukakis. Our Board has affirmatively
determined that each meets the definition of “independent director” under the listing rules of the NYSE American, and that
they meet the independence standards under Rule 10A-3. Each member of our audit committee can read and understand fundamental financial
statements in accordance with the SEC and the NYSE American audit committee requirements. In arriving at this determination, the Board
has examined each audit committee member’s scope of experience and the nature of their prior and/or current employment.
45
The
Audit Committee provides assistance to the Board in fulfilling its obligations relating to the integrity of the internal financial controls
and financial reporting of the Company. The external auditors of the Company report directly to the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee’s
primary duties and responsibilities set forth in the Audit Committee’s charter include the following: (i) reviewing and reporting
to the Board on the annual audited financial statements (including the auditor’s report thereon) and unaudited interim financial
statements and any related management’s discussion and analysis, if any, and other financial disclosure related thereto that may
be required to be reviewed by the Audit Committee pursuant to applicable legal and regulatory requirements; (ii) overseeing the audit
function, including engaging in required discussions with the Company’s external auditor and reviewing a summary of the annual
audit plan, overseeing the independence of the Company’s external auditor, overseeing the Company’s internal auditor, and
pre-approving any non-audit services to the Company; (iii) reviewing with management and the Company’s external auditors the integrity
of the internal controls over financial reporting and disclosure; (iv) reviewing management reports related to legal or compliance matters
that may have a material impact on the Company and the effectiveness of the Company’s compliance policies; and (v) maintaining,
reviewing and updating the Company’s whistleblowing procedures.
Relevant
Education and Experience
Each
proposed member of the Audit Committee has adequate education and experience that is relevant to their performance as an Audit Committee
member and, in particular, the requisite education and experience that have provided the member with:
(a)
an
understanding of the accounting principles used by the Company to prepare its financial statements and the ability to assess the
general application of those principles in connection with estimates, accruals and reserves;
(b)
experience
preparing, auditing, analyzing or evaluating financial statements that present a breadth and level of complexity of accounting issues
that are generally comparable to the breadth and complexity of issues that can reasonably be expected to be raised by the Company’s
financial statements or experience actively supervising individuals engaged in such activities; and
(c)
an
understanding of internal controls and procedures for financial reporting.
For
a summary of the experience and education of the Audit Committee members see “Directors and Executive Officers”.
Audit
Committee Oversight
At
no time since the commencement of the Company’s financial year was a recommendation of the Audit Committee to nominate or compensate
an external auditor not adopted by the Board.
Pre-Approval
Policies and Procedures
The
Audit Committee mandate requires that the Audit Committee pre-approve any retainer of the auditor of the Company to perform any non-audit
services to the Company that it deems advisable in accordance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements and policies and procedures
of the Board. The Audit Committee is permitted to delegate pre-approval authority to one of its members; however, the decision of any
member of the Audit Committee to whom such authority has been delegated must be presented to the full Audit Committee at its next scheduled
meeting.
46
Compensation
Committee
The
Company has formed a Compensation Committee comprised of Drew Green, Paul Baron and Tasis Giannoukakis. Our Board has affirmatively determined
that each satisfy the “independence” requirements defined under the applicable listing standards of the NYSE American, including
the standards specific to members of a compensation committee and meet the independence standards under Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange
Act. Our Compensation Committee assists the Board in reviewing and approving the compensation structure, including all forms of compensation,
relating to our directors and executive officers. No officer may be present at any committee meeting during which such officer’s
compensation is deliberated upon. The Compensation Committee is responsible for, among other things:
●
reviewing
and approving to the Board with respect to the total compensation package for our most senior executive officers;
●
approving
and overseeing the total compensation package for our executives other than the most senior executive officers;
●
reviewing
and recommending to the Board with respect to the compensation of our directors;
●
reviewing
periodically and approving any long-term incentive compensation or equity plans;
●
selecting
compensation consultants, legal counsel or other advisors after taking into consideration all factors relevant to that person’s
independence from management; and
●
programs
or similar arrangements, annual bonuses, employee pension and welfare benefit plans
Nominating
and Corporate Governance Committee
The
Company has formed a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee comprised of three directors, Drew Green, Paul Baron and Tasis Giannoukakis,
that satisfy the “independence” requirements for independence under the NYSE American listing standards and SEC rules and
regulations. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for overseeing the selection of persons to be nominated
to serve on our Board. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee considers persons identified by its members, management, shareholders,
investment bankers and others.
Code
of Business Code and Ethics Conduct
Our
Board has adopted a written Code of Ethics and Business Conduct which emphasizes the importance of matters relating to honest and ethical
conduct, conflicts of interest, confidentiality of corporate information, protection and proper use of corporate assets and opportunities,
compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations and the reporting of any illegal or unethical behavior. A copy of the code posted
on our website, gopineapple.com . In addition, we intend to post on our website all disclosures that are required by law or rules
concerning any amendments to, or waivers from, any provision of the code.
47
Changes
in Nominating Procedures
None.
ITEM
11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Summary
Compensation Table
The
following table sets out the compensation paid or payable to the Named Executive Officers (“NEO”) of the Company during the
last two fiscal years:
Name and Principal Position
Year
Salary ($)
Bonus ($)
Stock Awards ($)
Option Awards ($)
Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation ($)
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings ($)
All Other Compensation ($)
Total ($)
Shubha Dasgupta,
2023
188,256
$
$ 0
$ 0
$ 0
$ 0
$ 11,357
199,613
Chief Executive Officer
2022
189,288
0
11,357
200,645
Rupen Shah (1),
2023
77,389
$
$ 0
$ 0
$ 0
$ 0
$ 1,508
78,897
Chief Financial Officer
2022
185,344
92,468
6,625
284,437
Christa Mitchell,
2023
188,256
$
$ 0
$ 0
$ 0
$ 0
$ 11,357
199,613
Chief Strategy Officer
2022
189,288
$
$ 0
$ 0
$ 0
$ 0
$ 11,357
200,645
Kendall Marin, President and
2023
188,256
$
$ 0
$
$ 0
0
11,357
199,613
Chief Operating Officer
2022
189,288
$
$ 0
$ 0
$ 0
$ 0
$ 11,357
200,645
(1) Mr.
Shah resigned as CFO of the Company in April 2023.
Outstanding
Equity Awards at 2023 Fiscal Year-End
The
following table sets forth information concerning outstanding equity awards for each of the NEOs and directors as of the end of the fiscal
year ended August 31, 2023.
Option Awards
Stock Awards
Name and Principal Position
Number of Securities. Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Exercisable
Weighted Average Option Exercise Price ($)
Option Expiration Date
Number of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested (#)
Market Value of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested
Shubha Dasgupta,
126,652
$ 3.60
June 14, 2026
N/A
N/A
Chief Executive Officer and Director
Tasis Giannoukakis,
10,214
$ 3.60
June 14, 2026
N/A
N/A
Director
Drew Green,
102,138
$ 3.60
June 14, 2026
N/A
N/A
Chairman of the Board
Kendall Marin,
126,652
$ 3.60
June 14, 2026
N/A
N/A
President, Chief Operating Officer, and Director
Christa Mitchell,
32,684
$ 3.60
June 14, 2026
N/A
N/A
Chief Strategy Officer and Director
Paul Baron,
10,214
$ 3.60
June 14, 2026
N/A
N/A
Director
Nima Besharat,
157,136
$ 3.60
June 14, 2026
N/A
N/A
Director
48
Compensation
Governance
The
Company has not been a reporting issuer during any financial period to date. The significant elements of future compensation to be awarded
or paid to the Company’s directors and/or executive officers, including NEOs, once the Company becomes a reporting issuer is expected
to consist primarily of management fees, stock options and cash bonuses. The amount to be paid for each element of compensation will
not be based on any formula or specific objective criteria but is expected to be the result of a subjective determination of the Board
in consideration of a number of factors, including, but not limited to: the overall financial and operating performance of the Company,
each NEO’s individual performance and contribution towards meeting corporate objectives, each NEO’s level of responsibility,
each NEO’s length of service, industry comparable and the Company’s ability to pay compensation. Payments may be made from
time to time to executive officers, including Named Executive Officers, or companies they control for the provision of consulting or
management services. Such services are paid for by the Company at competitive industry rates for work of a similar nature by reputable
arm’s length services providers. Following the date of Listing, the Company expects to pay fees for management services pursuant
to the terms of the agreement summarized under “ Employment, Consulting and Management Agreements ” below. Other than
the Stock Option Plan, the Company has not established any other long-term incentive plan. Other than 2,206,189 Options under the Stock
Option Plan, the Company has no stock options or other incentive securities outstanding ; however, the Company may issue more stock
options pursuant to its Stock Option Plan. See “ Stock Option Plan ” below and “ Options to Purchase Securities ”.
In addition, it is anticipated that the Board may award bonuses, in its sole discretion, to executive officers, including NEOs, from
time to time.
In
assessing the compensation of its directors and executive officers, including the NEOs, the Company does not have in place any formal
objectives, criteria or analysis. The general objectives of our compensation strategy are to: (a) compensate management in a manner that
encourages and rewards a high level of performance and outstanding results with a view to increasing long term shareholder value; (b)
align management’s interests with the long term interests of shareholders; (c) provide a compensation package that is commensurate
with other companies to enable us to attract and retain talent; and (d) ensure that the total compensation package is designed in a manner
that takes into account the Company’s financial condition and long term interests.
Compensation
payable to executive officers and directors is currently reviewed and recommended by the Board, on an annual basis. See “ Statement
of Corporate Governance – Compensation ”. The Company has not established any specific performance criteria or goals to
which total compensation or any significant element of total compensation to be paid to any NEO is dependent. Specifically, in the most
recently completed financial year, no compensation was directly tied to a specific performance goal such as a milestone or the completion
of a transaction, no significant events occurred that significantly affected compensation, and no peer group was formally used to determine
compensation. NEOs’ performance is reviewed in light of the Company’s objectives from time to time and such officers’
compensation is also compared to that of executive officers of companies of similar size and stage of development in the Company’s
industry. Though the Company does not have pre-existing performance criteria, objectives or goals, it is anticipated that, once the Company
becomes a reporting issuer, the Board will review all compensation arrangements and policies in place and consider the adoption of formal
compensation guidelines.
Director
Compensation
To
date, we have not compensated our directors for their service to the Company, except that Drew Green receives monthly compensation of
$7,887 and Nima Besharat received monthly compensation of $3,943 until his compensation terminated in February 2022.
External
Management Companies
Other
than as disclosed below under “ Employment, Consulting and Management Agreements ”, the Company has not entered into
any agreement with any external management company that employs or retains one or more of the NEOs or directors and, other than as disclosed
below, the Company has not entered into any understanding, arrangement or agreement with any external management company to provide executive
management services to the Company, directly or indirectly, in respect of which any compensation was paid by the Company.
Stock
Options and Other Compensation Securities
As
of the date of this prospectus, the Company has granted 628,510 Options under the Stock Option Plan to directors and/or NEOs of the Company,
62,820 of which were subsequently forfeited, and no other compensation securities were granted or issued to any director and/or NEO for
services provided or to be provided, directly or indirectly, to the Company or any of its subsidiaries.
During
the year ended August 31, 2023 there was no exercise of Options granted under the Stock Option Plan or other rights to acquire
securities of the Company by NEOs or directors of the Company.
Stock
Option Plan
On
June 14, 2021 the Board approved our 2487269 Ontario Ltd. Stock Option Plan (the “Stock Option Plan”). As of the date of
this prospectus, there are 565,689 options outstanding under the Stock Option Plan.
49
The
purpose of the Stock Option Plan is to provide the Company with a share-related mechanism to attract, retain and motivate qualified directors,
officers, employees and consultants, to reward those individuals from time to time for their contributions toward the long-term goals
of the Company and to enable and encourage those individuals to acquire Common Shares as long-term investments. The material features
of the Stock Option Plan are reflected in the disclosure below.
Key
Terms
Summary
Administration
The
Stock Option Plan is administered by the Board, or such director or other senior officer of the Company as may be designated as administrator
by the Board. The Board or such committee may make, amend and repeal at any time, and from time to time, such regulations not inconsistent
with the Stock Option Plan.
Number
of Common Shares
The
maximum number of Common Shares issuable under the Stock Option Plan shall not exceed 10% of the number of Common Shares issued and
outstanding as of each date on which the Board grants the Option (the “ Award Date ”) with certain limits on grants
to Optionees (as defined in the Stock Option Plan), Optionees who are Insiders (as defined in the Stock Option Plan), Eligible Employees
(as defined in the Stock Option Plan) and Optionees conducting Investor Relations Activities (as defined in the Stock Option Plan).
The number of Common Shares underlying Options that have been cancelled, that have expired without being exercised in full, and that
have been issued upon exercise of Options shall not reduce the number of Common Shares issuable under the Stock Option Plan and shall
again be available for issuance thereunder.
Securities
Each
Option entitles the holder thereof (an “ Option Holder ”) to purchase one Common Share at an exercise price determined
by the Board.
Participation
Any
director, senior officer, management company, employee or consultant of the Company (including any subsidiary of the Company), as
the Board may determine.
Exercise
Price
The
exercise price of an option will be determined by the Board in its sole discretion, provided that the exercise price will not be
less than the Discounted Market Price (as defined in the Stock Option Plan).
Exercise
Period
The
exercise period of an Option will be the period from and including the award date through to and including the expiry date that will
be determined by the Board at the time of grant (the “ Expiry Date ”), provided that the Expiry Date of an Option
will be no later than the fifth anniversary of the Award Date of the Option, provided that such date does not fall within a blackout
period imposed by the Company, and any Options granted to any Optionee who is a Director, Eligible Employee, or other Optionee will
expire within 12 months following the date that such Optionee ceases to be engaged in such role.
Cessation
of Employment
Subject
to certain limitations, in the event that an Option Holder ceases to be a director of the
Company or ceases to be employed by the Company, other than by reason of death, the Expiry
Date of the Option will be 90 days after the date of such termination, except as otherwise
provided in any employment contract. Notwithstanding the foregoing or any employment contract,
in no event shall such right be extended beyond the Option Period or one year from the date
of termination.
In
the event that an Option Holder should die while he or she is still director, senior officer, management company, employee or consultant
of the Company, the Expiry Date will be 12 months from the date of death of the Option Holder.
Acceleration
Events
If
a third party makes a bona fide formal offer to the Company or its shareholders which would
constitute an acceleration event, the Board may (i) permit the Option Holders to exercise
their Options, as to all or any of such Options that have not previously been exercised (regardless
of any vesting restrictions), but in no event later than the Expiry Date of the Option, so
that the Option Holders may participate in such transaction; and (ii) require the acceleration
of the time for the exercise of the Options and of the time for the fulfilment of any conditions
or restrictions on such exercise.
Notwithstanding
any other provision of the Stock Option Plan or the terms of any Option, if at any time when Options remains unexercised and the
Company completes any transaction which constitutes an acceleration event, all outstanding unvested Options will automatically vest.
Any
proposed acceleration of vesting provisions is subject to the policies and necessary approvals of the TSXV, if applicable.
Limitations
The
maximum number of Common Shares which may be issued, within any one-year period, to Insiders
under the Stock Option Plan, together with any other share-based compensation arrangements
of the Company, will be 10% of the total number of Common Shares issued and outstanding.
The total number of Options awarded to any one individual in any twelve-month period will
not exceed 5% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares of the Company at the Award Date
unless the Company has obtained disinterested shareholder approval..
The
total number of Options awarded to any one consultant of the Company in any twelve-month period will not exceed 2% of the issued
and outstanding Common Shares of the Company at the Award Date unless consent is obtained as set forth in the Stock Option Plan.
The
total number of Options awarded to all persons retained by the Company to provide Investor Relations Activities will not exceed 2%
of the issued and outstanding Common Shares of the Company, in any twelve-month period, calculated at the Award Date unless consent
is obtained as set forth in the Stock Option Plan. Options granted to persons retained to provide Investor Relations Activities will
vest in stages over not less than twelve months with no more than one quarter of the options vesting in any three-month period.
Amendments
The
Board may from time to time, subject to applicable law and to the prior approval, if required, of the shareholders, relevant stock
exchanges or any other regulatory body having authority over the Company or the Stock Option Plan, suspend, terminate or discontinue
the Stock Option Plan at any time, or amend or revise the terms of the Stock Option Plan or of any Option granted under the Stock
Option Plan and the Option Agreement relating thereto, provided that no such amendment, revision, suspension, termination or discontinuance
shall in any manner adversely affect any Option previously granted to an Optionee under the Stock Option Plan without the consent
of that Optionee.
50
Employment,
Consulting and Management Agreements
As
of the date hereof, other than as described below, the Company does not have any contract, agreement, plan or arrangement that provides
for payments to the named executive officers (the “NEOs”) at, following, or in connection with any termination (whether voluntary,
involuntary or constructive), resignation, retirement, a change in control of the Company or a change in a director or NEO’s responsibilities.
On
April 10, 2023, the Company entered into an executive employment agreement with Sarfraz Habib (the “Sarfraz Employment Agreement”)
pursuant to which Mr. Habib agreed to serve as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer. In consideration of the services provided
by Mr. Habib, the Company agreed to pay a base salary of $133,668 per annum
On
March 1, 2022, we entered into a Consulting Services Agreement with Kia Besharat, pursuant to which we pay a fee of $3,943 per month
for broad financial and securities advisory services.
We
have also entered into an agreement with Drew Green for board fees, pursuant to which we pay a fee of $7,887 per month.
Pension
Plan Benefits
The
Company does not anticipate having any deferred compensation plan or pension plan that provides for payments or benefits at, following
or in connection with retirement.
ITEM
12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
The
following table sets forth certain information regarding beneficial ownership of shares of our common shares as of December 12, 2023
by (i) each person known to beneficially own more than 5% of our outstanding common stock, (ii) each of our directors, (iii) each of
our named executive officers and (iv) all of our directors and named executive officers as a group. Except as otherwise indicated, the
persons named in the table below have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares beneficially owned, subject to community
property laws, where applicable.
Beneficial Owner
Shares (1)
Percentage
Directors and Named Executive Officers
Shubha Dasgupta(2)
998,457
13.6 %
Sarfraz Habib
-
*
Christa Mitchell(3)
275,735
3.8 %
Kendall Marin(4)
998,457
13.6 %
Drew Green (5)
820,097
11.2 %
Paul Baron (6)
74,317
1.0 %
Tasis Giannoukakis (7)
99,558
1.4 %
Nima Besharat (8)
208,439
2.8 %
All Directors and Officers as a group (8 persons)
3,475,460
44.2 %
5% Stockholders
Prodigy Capital Corp. (9)
756,311
10.5 %
*
Represents
beneficial ownership of less than 1%.
(1)
Based
on 7,181,978 common shares outstanding.
(2)
Includes
126,652 options at an exercise price of $3.60 and 25,641 warrants to purchase common shares at an exercise price of CAD$2.93. The
securities beneficially owned by Shubha Dasgupta are directly held by 5032771 Ontario Inc., an entity controlled by Mr. Dasgupta
(3)
Includes
32,684 options at an exercise price of $3.60 and 12,281 warrants to purchase common shares at an exercise price of CAD$2.93.
51
(4)
Includes
126,652 options at an exercise price of $3.60 and 25,651 warrants to purchase common shares at an exercise price of CAD$2.93.
(5)
Includes
102,138 options at an exercise price of $3.60 and 25,651 warrants to purchase common shares at an exercise price of CAD$2.93.The
securities beneficially owned by Drew Green are directly held by DREWGREEN.CA INC., an entity controlled by Mr. Green.
(6)
Includes
10,214 options at an exercise price of $3.60.
(7)
Includes
10,214 options at an exercise price of $3.60.
(8)
Includes
157,136 options at an exercise price of $3.60 and 25,651 warrants to purchase common shares at an exercise price of CAD$2.93. The
shares beneficially owned by Nima Besharat are directly held by Break Point Ventures Ltd., an entity controlled by Mr. Besharat.
(9)
Includes
38,262 warrants to purchase common shares at an exercise price of CAD$2.93. Kia Besharat, principal of Prodigy Capital Corp., has
the power to vote or dispose of the shares held of record by Prodigy Capital Corp., and may be deemed to beneficially own those shares.
Securities
Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
The
following table summarizes information about our equity compensation plans as of August 31, 2023.
Plan Category
Number of securities to
be issued upon exercise
of outstanding options,
warrants and rights
(a)
Weighted average
exercise price of
outstanding options,
warrants and rights
Number of securities remaining
available for future issuance under
equity compensation plans
(excluding securities reflected in
column (a))
Equity compensation plans approved by security holder
2,218,677
$ 3.78
-
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holder
-
-
Total
2,218,677
$ 3.78
ITEM
13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
Transactions
with Related Persons
Except
as described below [ and except for employment arrangements which are described under “Executive Compensation,”] during the
fiscal years ended August 31, 2023 and August 31, 2022, there have not been, nor are there currently proposed, any transaction in which
we are or were a participant, the amount involved exceeds the lesser of $120,000 or 1% of the average of the total assets at August 31,
2023, and any of our directors, executive officers, holders of more than 5% of our common shares, or any immediate family member of any
of the foregoing had or will have a direct or indirect material interest.
Related
Person Transaction Policy
We
expect to adopt a related person transaction policy that sets forth our procedures for the identification, review, consideration and
approval or ratification of related person transactions. The policy will become effective immediately upon the execution of the underwriting
agreement for this offering. For purposes of our policy only, a related person transaction is a transaction, arrangement or relationship,
or any series of similar transactions, arrangements or relationships, in which we and any related person are, were or will be participants
in which the amount involved exceeds the lesser of $120,000 or 1% of our total assets at year-end for our last two completed fiscal years.
Transactions involving compensation for services provided to us as an employee or director are not covered by this policy. A related
person is any executive officer, director or beneficial owner of more than 5% of any class of our voting securities, including any of
their immediate family members and any entity owned or controlled by such persons.
52
Under
the policy, if a transaction has been identified as a related person transaction, including any transaction that was not a related person
transaction when originally consummated or any transaction that was not initially identified as a related person transaction prior to
consummation, our management must present information regarding the related person transaction to our audit committee, or, if audit committee
approval would be inappropriate, to another independent body of our Board, for review, consideration and approval or ratification. The
presentation must include a description of, among other things, the material facts, the interests, direct and indirect, of the related
persons, the benefits to us of the transaction and whether the transaction is on terms that are comparable to the terms available to
or from, as the case may be, an unrelated third party or to or from employees generally. Under the policy, we will collect information
that we deem reasonably necessary from each director, executive officer and, to the extent feasible, significant shareholder to enable
us to identify any existing or potential related-person transactions and to effectuate the terms of the policy. In addition, under our
code of business conduct and ethics, our employees and directors will have an affirmative responsibility to disclose any transaction
or relationship that reasonably could be expected to give rise to a conflict of interest. In considering related person transactions,
our audit committee, or other independent body of our Board, will take into account the relevant available facts and circumstances including,
but not limited to:
●
the risks, costs and benefits to us;
●
the impact on a director’s independence in the event that the related person is a director, immediate family member of a
director or an entity with which a director is affiliated;
● the availability of other sources for comparable services or products; and
●
the terms available to or from, as the case may be, unrelated third parties or to or from employees generally.
The
policy requires that, in determining whether to approve, ratify or reject a related person transaction, our audit committee, or other
independent body of our Board, must consider, in light of known circumstances, whether the transaction is in, or is not inconsistent
with, our best interests and those of our shareholders, as our audit committee, or other independent body of our Board, determines in
the good faith exercise of its discretion.
Director
Independence
The
NYSE American requires that a majority of our board of directors must be composed of “independent directors,” which is defined
generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship,
which, in the opinion of the company’s board of directors would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment
in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. The Board has determined that Paul Baron, Tasis Giannoukakis, Drew Green and Nima
Besharat are considered to be independent. Our Board currently consists of seven directors, four of whom are independent. we
ITEM
14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES
The
following table sets forth the aggregate fees billed by MNP LLP as described below:
2023
2022
Audit Fees
$ 148,057
$ 73,660
Audit Related Fees
$ 39,040
$ -
Tax Fees
$ 5,893
$ -
All Other Fees
$ -
$ -
Total
$ 192,990
$ 73,660
53
Pre-Approval
Policies and Procedures
The
Audit Committee mandate requires that the Audit Committee pre-approve any retainer of the auditor of the Company to perform any non-audit
services to the Company that it deems advisable in accordance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements and policies and procedures
of the Board. The Audit Committee is permitted to delegate pre-approval authority to one of its members; however, the decision of any
member of the Audit Committee to whom such authority has been delegated must be presented to the full Audit Committee at its next scheduled
meeting
PART
IV
ITEM
15. EXHIBIT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
(a)
Financial
Statements
For
a list of the consolidated financial statements included herein, see Index to Consolidated Financial Statements on page F-1 of this Annual
Report, which is incorporated into this Item by reference.
(b)
Exhibits
Exhibit
No.
Description
1.1
Underwriting Agreement between Pineapple Financial Inc and EF Hutton dated October 31, 2023, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 1.1 of the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 6, 2023.
3.1
Articles of Continuance incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Amendment to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-268636) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 28, 2023.
3.2
Bylaws incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Company’s Amendment to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-268636) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 28, 2023.
10.1
Stock Option Plan incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Amendment to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-268636) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 28, 2023.
10.2
Salesforce Agreement, between the Company and Salesforce.com, dated December 1, 2020, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Amendment to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-268636) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 28, 2023.
10.3
Employment Agreement, dated April 4, 2023 between the Company and Sarfraz Habib incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Amendment to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-268636) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 28, 2023.
10.4
Form of Mortgage Broker Affiliation Agreement incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Company’s Amendment to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-268636) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 28, 2023.
21.1
List of Subsidiaries of the Registrant, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 21.1 to the Company’s Amendment to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-268636) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 28, 2023.
31.1
Certification of Principal Executive Officer pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act, as amended.
31.2
Certification of Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act, as amended.
32.1
Certification of Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Rules 13a-14(b) or 15d-14(b) of the Securities Exchange Act, as amended, and 18 U.S.C. Section 1350.
101.INS
Inline
XBRL Instance Document
101.SCH
Inline
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CAL
Inline
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Document
101.DEF
Inline
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB
Inline
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
101.PRE
Inline
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
104
Cover
Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)
ITEM
16. FORM 10-K SUMMARY
None.
54
Pineapple
Financial Inc.
Consolidated
Financial Statements
For
the Years Ended August 31, 2023 and 2022
(Expressed
in US Dollars)
F- 1
REPORT
OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To
the Board of Directors and Shareholders of Pineapple Financial Inc.
Opinion
on the Consolidated Financial Statements
We
have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Pineapple Financial Inc. (the “Company”) as of August 31, 2023
and 2022, and the related consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, shareholders’ equity, and cash
flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended August 31, 2023, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the consolidated
financial statements).
In
our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the
Company as of August 31, 2023 and 2022, and the results of its consolidated operations and its consolidated cash flows for each of the
years in the two-year period ended August 31, 2023, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States
of America.
Basis
for Opinion
These
consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion
on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public
Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance
with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We
conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain
reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud.
The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part
of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not for the purpose of expressing
an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our
audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether
due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence
regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles
used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements.
We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Chartered
Professional Accountants
Licensed Public Accountants
We
have served as the Company’s auditor since 2020.
Mississauga,
Canada
December
14, 2023
F- 2
Pineapple Financial Inc.
Consolidated Balance Sheets
(Expressed
in US Dollars)
August 31, 2023
August 31, 2022
As at:
Assets
Current assets
Cash
$ 720,365
$ 3,896,839
Trade and other receivables
Note 13
758,988
33,119
Prepaid expenses and deposits
218,150
483,695
Income tax receivable
-
71,078
Total current assets
1,697,503
4,484,731
Investments
Note 4
10,013
38,211
Right-of-use asset
Note 11
960,377
954,091
Property and equipment
Note 5
242,091
247,665
Intangible assets
Note 6
1,718,954
702,388
Total Assets
$ 4,628,938
$ 6,427,086
Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity
Current liabilities
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
$ 605,319
$ 780,113
Loan
Note 17
430,098
Current portion of lease liability
Note 11
138,372
2,024
Total current liabilities
1,173,789
782,137
Deferred government grant
Note 13
699,627
Lease liability
Note 11
969,589
1,018,561
Total liabilities
$ 2,843,005
$ 1,800,698
Shareholders’ Equity
Common shares, no par value; unlimited authorized; 6,306,979 issued and outstanding as at August 31, 2023 and 2022
Note 7
4,903,031
4,903,031
Additional paid-in capital
Note 8,9
2,955,944
2,922,853
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
( 417,727 )
( 353,218 )
Accumulated deficit
( 5,655,315 )
( 2,846,278 )
Total stockholders’
equity
1,785,933
4,626,388
TOTAL LIABILITIES
AND STOCKHOLDERS’
$ 4,628,938
$ 6,427,086
Description of business (note 1)
Contingencies and commitments (note 18)
Subsequent events (note 19)
Approved on behalf of Board of Directors
“Shuba Dasgupta”
“Drew Green”
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements
F- 3
Pineapple Financial Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss
(Expressed in US Dollars)
For the year ended:
August 31, 2023
August 31, 2022
Net Revenue
Note 16
$ 2,502,264
$ 3,600,851
Expenses
Selling, general and administrative
Note 12
3,014,945
2,977,277
Salaries, wages and benefits
2,330,127
2,360,344
Interest expense and bank charges
56,316
94,202
Depreciation
Notes 5,6,11
441,159
255,871
Share-based compensation
Note 9
33,091
723,217
Government based incentive
Note 13
( 591,480 )
-
Total expenses
$ 5,284,158
$ 6,410,911
Loss from operations
Writedown of investment
Note 4
( 27,143 )
-
Loss before income taxes
$ ( 2,809,037 )
$ ( 2,810,061 )
Income taxes (recovery) expense
Note 10
-
-
Net loss
( 2,809,037 )
( 2,810,061 )
Foreign currency translation adjustment
( 64,509 )
( 205,223 )
Net loss and comprehensive loss
$ ( 2,873,546 )
$ ( 3,015,284 )
Loss per share - basic and diluted ($)
$ ( 0.45 )
( 0.45 )
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding - basic and diluted
6,306,979
6,306,979
The accompanying notes
are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements
F- 4
Pineapple
Financial Inc.
Consolidated
Statement of Shareholders’ Equity
(Expressed
in US Dollars)
Common
Shares
(note 7)
Additional
Paid in
Capital
(note 8 and 9)
Accumulated
other
comprehensive
loss
Accumulated
(deficit)
earnings
Total
shareholders’
equity
$
$
$
$
$
Balance, August 31, 2021
4,903,031
2,199,636
( 147,995 )
( 36,217 )
6,918,455
Share-based compensation
-
723,217
-
-
723,217
Foreign exchange translation
-
-
( 205,223 )
-
( 205,223 )
Net loss
-
-
-
( 2,810,061 )
( 2,810,061 )
Balance, August 31, 2022
4,903,031
2,922,853
( 353,218 )
( 2,846,278 )
4,626,388
Balance
4,903,031
2,922,853
( 353,218 )
( 2,846,278 )
4,626,388
Share-based compensation
-
33,091
-
-
33,091
Foreign exchange translation
-
-
( 64,509 )
-
( 64,509 )
Net Loss
-
-
-
( 2,809,037 )
( 2,809,037 )
Balance, August 31, 2023
4,903,031
2,955,944
( 417,727 )
( 5,655,315 )
1,785,933
Balance
4,903,031
2,955,944
( 417,727 )
( 5,655,315 )
1,785,933
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements
F- 5
Pineapple
Financial Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(Expressed
in US Dollars)
For the years ended:
August 31, 2023
August 31, 2022
Cash provided by (used for) the following activities
Operating activities
Net (loss) and comprehensive (loss)
( 2,809,037 )
( 2,810,061 )
Adjustments for the following non-cash items:
Depreciation of property and equipment
Note 5
67,674
42,218
Depreciation of intangible assets
Note 6
265,150
79,489
Depreciation on right of use asset
Note 11
108,335
90,049
Interest expense on lease liability
Note 11
56,316
32,017
Share-based compensation
Note 9
33,091
723,217
Writedown of investment
27,143
-
Net changes in non-cash working capital balances:
Trade and other receivables
( 26,242 )
( 32,284 )
Prepaid expenses and deposits
265,545
( 336,360 )
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
( 174,795 )
382,294
Income taxes receivable
70,715
( 5,488 )
Net cash used in operating
activities
( 2,116,105 )
( 1,834,909 )
Financing activities
Issuance costs paid in connection with the private Proceeds from Loan
Note 17
430,098
-
Lease payments
Note 11
( 81,090 )
( 61,470 )
Net cash provided by
financing activity
349,008
( 61,470 )
Investing activities
Investments
Note 4
-
-
Additions to intangible assets
Note 6
( 1,300,225 )
( 803,610 )
Additions to property and equipment
Note 5
( 62,073 )
( 249,322 )
Net cash used in investing
activity
( 1,362,298 )
( 1,052,932 )
Net change in cash
( 3,129,395 )
( 2,949,311 )
Effect of changes in foreign exchange rates
( 47,079 )
( 165,386 )
Cash, beginning of year
3,896,839
7,011,535
Cash, end of year
720,365
3,896,839
Supplementary cash flow information:
Interest paid
-
-
Income taxes paid
-
-
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements
F- 6
Pineapple
Financial Inc.
Notes
to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For
the years ended August 31, 2023 and 2022
(Expressed in US
Dollars)
1. Description of business
Pineapple
Financial Inc. (the” Company”) is a leader in the Canadian mortgage industry, breaking the mould by focusing on both the
long-term success of agents and brokerages, as well as the overall experience of homeowners. With 600 brokers within the network, the
Company utilizes cutting-edge cloud-based tools and AI-driven systems to enable its brokers to help Canadians realize their ultimate
dream, owning a home.
The
Company was incorporated in 2006, under the Ontario Business Corporations Act. The Company’s head office is located at 200-111
Gordon Baker Road, Toronto, Ontario, M2H 3R1 Canada and its securities are publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange American (NYSEAmerican)
under ticker “PAPL”. The Company completed an Initial Public Offering on October 31, 2023 for gross proceeds of $ 3,220,000
and the first day of trading was November 1, 2023.
Impact
from the global inflationary pressures leading to higher interest rates
During
the fiscal year, due to inflationary pressures that were felt around the globe, central banks all over the world increased interest rates
steadily to reduce these pressures. The impact on the real estate market has been to reduce the price wars, bidding, and control over
the runaway prices. This has led to modifications in all businesses associated with real estate including the Company. With the interest
rates increases which reduces prices has led to reduced volume for the Company, seasonality kicked in which is the increase in financing
that is experienced from March to October in Canada has offset the interest rates increase paradigm. It is unknown how long the increased
interest rates will last. The Company determined that there were no material expectations of increased credit losses, and no material
indicators of impairment of long-term assets.
2. Significant accounting policies
Statement
of compliance
These
consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“US
GAAP”).
The
financial statements were authorized for issue by the Board of Directors on December 14, 2023.
Basis
of preparation, functional and presentation currency
The
financial statements have been prepared in accordance with US GAAP applicable to a going concern, which contemplates the realization
of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business on the historical cost basis except for certain financial
instruments that are measured at fair value, as explained in the accounting policies below. Historical cost is generally based on the
fair value of the consideration given in exchange for assets. All financial information is in US Dollars (“USD”) as the Company’s
presentation currency and transactions are conducted in the functional currency of Canadian dollars (“CAD”).
Adjustment
for Reverse Stock Split
In
July 2023, the Board approved a 1-for-3.9 reverse stock split , or the Reverse Split, which was implemented on July 14, 2023. Consequently,
all the share numbers, shares prices, and exercise prices have been retroactively adjusted in these consolidated financial statements
for all periods presented.
Operating
segments
The
Company determines its reporting units in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards
Codification (“ASC”) 280, Segment Reporting. The Company evaluates a reporting unit by first identifying its operating segments
under ASC 280. The Company operates as one operating segment which is reported in a manner consistent with the internal reporting provided
to the chief operating decision-makers. The chief operating decision-makers are responsible for the allocation of resources and assessing
the performance of the operating segment and have been identified as the CEO and CFO of the Company.
F- 7
Pineapple
Financial Inc.
Notes
to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For
the years ended August 31, 2023 and 2022
(Expressed in US
Dollars)
2. Significant
accounting policies (continued from previous page)
Basis
of consolidation
The
consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company, and its wholly owned subsidiary, Pineapple Insurance Inc and Pineapple
National Inc. All transactions with the subsidiary and any intercompany balances, gains or losses have been eliminated upon consolidation.
The subsidiary has a USD presentation currency, and the functional currency is in CAD, and accounting policies have been applied consistently
to the subsidiary.
ASC
842 Leases
At
inception of a contract, the Company assesses whether a contract is, or contains, a lease based on whether the contract conveys the right
to control the use of an identified asset for a period of time in exchange for consideration. The Company recognizes a right-of-use asset
and a lease liability at the lease commencement date. The right-of-use asset is initially measured based on the initial amount of the
lease liability adjusted for any lease payments made at or before the commencement date, less any lease incentives received.
The
right-of-use assets are depreciated to the earlier of the end of the useful life of the right-of-use asset or the lease term using the
straight-line method. The lease term includes periods covered by an option to extend if the Company is reasonably certain to exercise
that option. In addition, the right-of-use asset can be periodically reduced by impairment losses, if any, and adjusted for certain remeasurements
of the lease liability. The lease liability is initially measured at the present value of the lease payments that are not paid at the
commencement date, discounted using the interest rate implicit in the lease or, if that rate cannot be readily determined, the Company’s
incremental borrowing rate.
The
Company recognized a lease liability and right-of-use asset for most leases and applied ASC 842. The lease liability was measured at
the present value of the remaining lease payments, discounted using the Company’s estimated incremental borrowing rate at the date
of initial application, estimated to be 6 %. Right-of-use assets were measured at an amount equal to the lease liability, adjusted by
the amount of any prepaid or accrued lease payments relating to that lease recognized in the consolidated statement of financial position
immediately before the date of initial application.
Financial
instruments
The
following table shows the classification categories under US GAAP ASC 825 for each class of the Company’s financial assets and
financial liabilities.
Asset / liability:
Classification:
Cash
FVTPL
Trade and other receivables
Amortized cost
Investments
FVTPL
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
Amortized cost
Financial
assets
Recognition
and initial measurement
The
Company recognizes financial assets when it becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument. Financial assets are measured
initially at their fair value plus, in the case of financial assets not subsequently measured at fair value through profit or loss, transaction
costs that are directly attributable to their acquisition. Transaction costs attributable to the acquisition of financial assets subsequently
measured at fair value through profit or loss are expensed in profit or loss when incurred.
F- 8
Pineapple
Financial Inc.
Notes
to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For
the years ended August 31, 2023 and 2022
(Expressed in US
Dollars)
2. Significant
accounting policies (continued from previous page)
Classification
and subsequent measurement
On
initial recognition, financial assets are classified and subsequently measured at amortized cost, fair value through other comprehensive
income (“FVOCI”) or fair value through profit or loss (“FVTPL”). The Company determines the classification of
its financial assets, together with any embedded derivatives, based on the business model for managing the financial assets and their
contractual cash flow characteristics.
Financial
assets are classified as follows:
●
Amortized
cost - Assets that are held for collection of contractual cash flows where those cash flows are solely payments of principal and
interest are measured at amortized cost. Interest revenue is calculated using the effective interest method and gains or losses arising
from impairment, foreign exchange and derecognition are recognized in profit or loss. Financial assets measured at amortized cost
are comprised of trade and other receivables.
●
Fair
value through other comprehensive income - Assets that are held for collection of contractual cash flows and for selling the financial
assets, and for which the contractual cash flows are solely payments of principal and interest, are measured at fair value through
other comprehensive income. Interest income calculated using the effective interest method and gains or losses arising from impairment
and foreign exchange are recognized in profit or loss. All other changes in the carrying amount of the financial assets are recognized
in other comprehensive income. Upon derecognition, the cumulative gain or loss previously recognized in other comprehensive income
is reclassified to profit or loss. The Company does not hold any financial assets measured at fair value through other comprehensive
income.
●
Mandatorily
at fair value through profit or loss - Assets that do not meet the criteria to be measured at amortized cost, or fair value through
other comprehensive income, are measured at fair value through profit or loss. All interest income and changes in the financial assets’
carrying amount are recognized in profit or loss. Financial assets mandatorily measured at fair value through profit or loss are
comprised of cash and investments.
●
Designated
at fair value through profit or loss – On initial recognition, the Company may irrevocably designate a financial asset to be
measured at fair value through profit or loss in order to eliminate or significantly reduce an accounting mismatch that would otherwise
arise from measuring assets or liabilities, or recognizing the gains and losses on them, on different bases. All interest income
and changes in the financial assets’ carrying amount are recognized in profit or loss. The Company does not hold any financial
assets designated to be measured at fair value through profit or loss.
Contractual
cash flow assessment
The
cash flows of financial assets are assessed as to whether they are solely payments of principal and interest on the basis of their contractual
terms. For this purpose, ‘principal’ is defined as the fair value of the financial asset on initial recognition. ‘Interest’
is defined as consideration for the time value of money, the credit risk associated with the principal amount outstanding, and other
basic lending risks and costs. In performing this assessment, the Company considers factors that would alter the timing and amount of
cash flows such as prepayment and extension features, terms that might limit the Company’s claim to cash flows, and any features
that modify consideration for the time value of money.
F- 9
Pineapple
Financial Inc.
Notes
to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For
the years ended August 31, 2023 and 2022
(Expressed in US
Dollars)
2. Significant
accounting policies (continued from previous page)
Financial
instruments (continued from previous page)
Impairment
The
Company recognizes a loss allowance for the expected credit losses associated with its financial assets, other than financial assets
measured at fair value through profit or loss. Expected credit losses are measured to reflect a probability-weighted amount, the time
value of money, and reasonable and supportable information regarding past events, current conditions, and forecasts of future economic
conditions.
The
Company applies the simplified approach for trade receivables. Using the simplified approach, the Company records a loss allowance equal
to the expected credit losses resulting from all possible default events over the assets’ contractual lifetime
The
Company assesses whether a financial asset is credit-impaired at the reporting date. Regular indicators that a financial instrument is
credit-impaired include significant financial difficulties as evidenced through borrowing patterns or observed balances in other accounts
and breaches of borrowing contracts such as default events or breaches of borrowing covenants. For financial assets assessed as credit-
impaired at the reporting date, the Company continues to recognize a loss allowance equal to lifetime expected credit losses.
For
financial assets measured at amortized cost, loss allowances for expected credit losses are presented in the statements of financial
position as a deduction from the gross carrying amount of the financial asset.
Financial
assets are written off when the Company has no reasonable expectations of recovering all or any portion thereof.
Derecognition
of financial assets
The
Company derecognizes a financial asset when its contractual rights to the cash flows from the financial asset expire.
Financial
liabilities
Recognition
and initial measurement
The
Company recognizes a financial liability when it becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument. At initial recognition,
the Company measures financial liabilities at their fair value plus transaction costs that are directly attributable to their issuance,
except for financial liabilities subsequently measured at fair value through profit or loss for which transaction costs are immediately
recorded in profit or loss.
Where
an instrument contains both a liability and equity component, these components are recognized separately based on the substance of the
instrument, with the liability component measured initially at fair value and the equity component assigned the residual amount.
Classification
and subsequent measurement
Subsequent
to initial recognition, all financial liabilities are measured at amortized cost using the effective interest rate method. Interest,
gains and losses relating to a financial liability are recognized in profit or loss.
Derecognition
of financial liabilities
The
Company derecognizes a financial liability only when its contractual obligations are discharged, cancelled or expire.
F- 10
Pineapple
Financial Inc.
Notes
to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For
the years ended August 31, 2023 and 2022
(Expressed in US
Dollars)
2. Significant
accounting policies (continued from previous page)
Financial
instruments (continued from previous page)
Impairment
of non-financial assets
Property
and equipment, and intangible assets (other than goodwill) are tested for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate
the carrying value may not be recoverable. When an indication of impairment is identified, the carrying value of the asset or group of
assets is measured against the recoverable amount. The Company evaluates impairments losses, other than goodwill impairment, for potential
reversals when events or circumstances warrant such consideration.
Fair
value
Assets
and liabilities carried at fair value must be classified using a three-level hierarchy that reflects the significance and transparency
of the inputs used in making the fair value measurements.
Level
1
inputs
are unadjusted quoted prices of identical instruments in active markets;
Level
2
inputs
other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly; and
Level
3
inputs
that are not based on observable market data (unobservable data).
Determination
of fair value and the resulting hierarchy requires the use of observable market data whenever available. The classification of a financial
instrument in the hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the measurement of fair value. Cash is recorded
at fair value using level 1 inputs and investments are recorded at fair value using level 3 inputs. During the year, there were no transfers
between the levels of fair value.
Income
taxes
The
liability method is used in accounting for income taxes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recorded for temporary differences between
the tax basis of assets and liabilities and their reported amounts in the consolidated financial statements using the statutory tax rates
in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change
in tax laws or rates is recorded in the results of operations in the period that includes the enactment date under the law.
We
establish valuation allowances for deferred tax assets based on a more likely than not standard. Deferred income tax assets are evaluated
quarterly to determine if valuation allowances are required or should be adjusted. The ability to realize deferred tax assets depends
on the ability to generate sufficient taxable income within the carryback or carryforward periods provided for in the tax law for each
applicable tax jurisdiction. The assessment regarding whether a valuation allowance is required or should be adjusted also considers
all available positive and negative evidence factors. It is difficult to conclude a valuation allowance is not required when there is
significant objective and verifiable negative evidence, such as cumulative losses in recent years. We utilize a rolling three years of
actual and current year results as the primary measure of cumulative losses in recent years.
Income
tax expense (benefit) for the year is allocated between continuing operations and other categories of income such as Other comprehensive
income (loss). In periods in which there is a pre-tax loss from continuing operations and pre-tax income in another income category,
the tax benefit allocated to continuing operations is determined by taking into account the pre-tax income of other categories. We record
Global Intangible Low Tax Income (GILTI) as a current period expense when incurred.
We
record uncertain tax positions on the basis of a two-step process whereby we determine whether it is more likely than not that the tax
positions will be sustained based on the technical merits of the position, and for those tax positions that meet the more likely than
not criteria, we recognize the largest amount of tax benefit that is greater than 50 % likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement
with the related tax authority. We record interest and penalties on uncertain tax positions in Income tax expense (benefit).
F- 11
Pineapple
Financial Inc.
Notes
to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For
the years ended August 31, 2023 and 2022
(Expressed in US
Dollars)
2. Significant
accounting policies (continued from previous page)
Share
Capital
Common
shares are classified as equity. Incremental costs directly attributable to the issuance of shares are recognized as a deduction from
shareholders’ equity.
Earnings
per share
The
Company calculates basic earnings per share amounts for earnings attributable to common shareholders. Basic earnings per share is calculated
by dividing earnings attributable to common shareholders (the numerator) by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding
(the denominator) during the year.
For
the purpose of calculating diluted earnings per share, the Company adjusts the earnings attributable to common shareholders, and the
weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the year, for the effects of all dilutive potential common shares. Potential
common shares are treated as dilutive when, and only when, their conversion to common shares would decrease earnings per share or increase
earnings per share from continuing operations.
Share-based
payment arrangements
Equity-settled
share-based payments to employees and others providing similar services are measured at the fair value of the equity instruments at the
grant date. Details regarding the determination of the fair value of equity-settled share-based transactions are set out in Note 8.
The
fair value determined at the grant date of the equity-settled share-based payments is expensed on a straight-line basis over the vesting
period, based on the Company’s estimate of equity instruments that will eventually vest, with a corresponding increase in equity.
At the end of each reporting period, the Company revises its estimate of the number of equity instruments expected to vest. The impact
of the revision of the original estimates, if any, is recognized in profit or loss such that the cumulative expense reflects the revised
estimate, with a corresponding adjustment to the additional paid-in capital.
Equity-settled
share-based payment transactions with parties other than employees are measured at the fair value of the goods or services received,
except where that fair value cannot be estimated reliably, in which case they are measured at the fair value of the equity instruments
granted, measured at the date the entity obtains the goods or the counterparty renders the service.
Property
and equipment
Property
and equipment are recorded at cost, net of accumulated depreciation and accumulated impairment losses, if any. Cost includes all expenditures
incurred to bring the assets to the location and condition necessary for them to be operated in the manner intended by management.
Depreciation
is calculated using the following terms and methods:
Schedule of estimated useful life of property and equipment
Equipment
5
years
Straight
Line
Furniture
5
years
Straight
Line
IT
Equipment
3
years
Straight
Line
Leasehold
Improvement
5
years
Straight
Line
Laptops
3
years
Straight
Line
An
item of equipment is derecognized upon disposal or when no future economic benefits are expected from its use. Any gain or loss
arising on derecognition of the asset (calculated as the difference between the net disposal proceeds and the carrying value of the
asset) is included in profit or loss in the year the asset is derecognized.
F- 12
Pineapple
Financial Inc.
Notes
to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For
the years ended August 31, 2023 and 2022
(Expressed in US
Dollars)
2. Significant
accounting policies (continued from previous page)
Intangible
Assets
Intangible
assets acquired separately are measured on initial recognition at cost. The cost of intangible assets acquired in a business combination
is their fair value at the date of acquisition. Following initial recognition, intangible assets are carried at cost less any accumulated
depreciation and accumulated impairment losses.
Development
costs for internally-generated intangible assets are capitalized when all of the following conditions are met:
●
The
costs attributable to the asset can be measured reliably.
●
It
is probable that the intangible asset will generate future economic benefits.
●
The
Company can demonstrate the control and ability to use the intangible asset.
The
amount initially recognized for internally-generated intangible assets is the sum of the expenditures incurred from the date when the
intangible asset first meets the recognition criteria listed above. Where no internally-generated intangible asset can be recognized,
development expenditures are charged to the consolidated statement of loss and comprehensive loss in the period in which the expense
is incurred.
Intangible
assets with finite lives are amortised over the estimated useful economic life and assessed for impairment whenever there is an indication
that the intangible asset may be impaired. The depreciation period and the depreciation method for an intangible asset with a finite
useful life are reviewed at least at the end of each reporting period. Changes in the expected useful life or the expected pattern of
consumption of future economic benefits embodied in the asset are considered to modify the depreciation period or method, as appropriate,
and are treated as changes in accounting estimates. The depreciation expense on intangible assets with finite lives is recognised in
the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss and in the expense category that is consistent with the function of
the intangible assets.
Intangible
assets with indefinite useful lives are not depreciated, but are tested for impairment annually, either individually or at the cash-generating
unit level. The assessment of indefinite life is reviewed annually to determine whether the indefinite life continues to be supportable.
If not, the change in useful life from indefinite to finite is made on a prospective basis.
An
intangible asset is derecognised upon disposal (i.e., at the date the recipient obtains control) or when no future economic benefits
are expected from its use or disposal. Any gain or loss arising upon derecognition of the asset (calculated as the difference between
the net disposal proceeds and the carrying amount of the asset) is included in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive
loss.
Intangible
assets are recorded at cost, net of accumulated depreciation and accumulated impairment losses, if any. Cost includes all expenditures
incurred to bring the assets to the location and condition necessary for them to be operated in the manner intended by management.
Depreciation
is calculated using the following terms and methods:
Schedule of estimated useful life of intangible assets
Software
5
years
Straight
Line
An
intangible asset is derecognized upon disposal or termination. Any gain or loss arising on derecognition of the asset (calculated as
the difference between the net disposal proceeds and the carrying value of the asset) is included in profit or loss in the year the asset
is derecognized.
Revenue
recognition
The
Company generates its revenue by charging commissions on mortgages that are applied for through the automation and digitalization process
that the Company has in place.
F- 13
Pineapple
Financial Inc.
Notes
to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For
the years ended August 31, 2023 and 2022
(Expressed in US
Dollars)
2. Significant
accounting policies (continued from previous page)
Revenue
recognition (continued)
The
Company has adopted ASC 606 (Revenue from Contracts with Customers). The standard provides a single comprehensive model for revenue recognition.
The core principle of the standard is that an entity shall recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to
customers at an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services.
The standard introduced a new contract-based revenue recognition model with a measurement approach that is based on an allocation of
the transaction price. It establishes a five-step model to account for revenue arising from contracts with customers. Under ASC 606,
revenue is recognized at an amount that reflects the consideration to which an entity expects to be entitled in exchange for transferring
good or services to a customer. The standard requires entities to exercise judgement, taking into consideration all of the relevant facts
and circumstances when applying each step of the model to contracts with customers. The standard also specifies the accounting for incremental
costs of obtaining a contract and the costs directly related to fulfilling a contract.
Revenue
is recognized at an amount that reflects the consideration to which the Company is expected to be entitled in exchange for transferring
goods or services to a customer.
Rendering
of services – The Company hosts an online website, using Salesforce, that brokers and agents can utilize to close out deals.
The
Company’s subsidiary, Pineapple Insurance Inc., generates its revenue by charging premiums for insurance policies and services.
Pineapple Insurance is associated with a major insurance company from which it earns commissions for the provision of these services,
primarily mortgage insurance. Mortgage insurance is a requirement of each mortgage. Pineapple Insurance has also adopted ASC 606. Typically,
Pineapple Insurance is the agent supplying insurance services to the consumer and paid a commission from the premiums collected by the
insurance company whose products and services it provides to the end consumer.
The
Company has three revenue streams:
a)
Sales
Revenue is commission collected from financial institutions with whom it has contracts in place. The Company earns revenue based
on a percentage of mortgage amount funded between individual referred by the Company and financial institutions funding the mortgage.
We are an agent in these deals as we provide the platform for other parties to provide services to the end-user. For each contract
with a customer, the Company identifies the contract with a customer; identifies the performance obligations in the contract; determines
the transaction price to the separate performance obligations on the basis of the relative stand-alone selling price of each distinct
good or service to be delivered; and recognizes revenue when or as each performance obligation is satisfied in a manner that depicts
the transfer to the customer of the goods or services promised. The Company recognizes revenue when: a contract exists with a lender
party and an agent broker, the contract identifies the use of the platform service to close a mortgage deal, the mortgage deal has
been closed with the lending financial institution, and commissions paid by the lending financial institution based on various criteria
of the mortgage deal including but not limited to interest rates available at that time, term, seasonality, collateral, income, purpose,
etc. Revenue is measured at the fair value of the consideration received or receivable and represents amounts receivable for services
provided in the normal course of business. Revenue is recognized at the end of the deal upon completion of all the actions listed
above. A typical transaction attracts a commission fee payable to Pineapple Financial Inc.
b)
Subscription
Revenue is a flat fee that is charged to the brokers and agents for use of the platform. Revenue is recognized at the beginning of
the month when an agent is invoiced and pays the fee.
c)
Underwriting
Revenue is a flat fee charged for risk pre-assessment of the deal before it is submitted to the Lender Partner for funding. The flat
fee is based on the amount of funded volume being financed in the deal. Revenue is recognized at the end of the deal upon completion
of the actions listed in a).
F- 14
Pineapple
Financial Inc.
Notes
to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For
the years ended August 31, 2023 and 2022
(Expressed in US
Dollars)
2. Significant
accounting policies (continued from previous page)
Principal
versus Agent considerations
Judgement
is required in determining whether the Company is a principal or agent in transactions with the lending financial institutions (“Lender
Partner”). The Company evaluates the presentation of revenue on a gross basis, or a net basis based on whether the Company controls
the service provided to the end user and are the principal (i.e., “Gross”) or the Company arranges the brokers to provide
the service to the end user and are an agent ( i.e., “Net”). This determination impacts the presentation of the commission
payable to the brokers.
For
the transactions with the Lender partner our role is to provide instructions to the brokers on the information required from homeowners
to complete a successful mortgage application that would be presented to the Lender partner to review and accept and pay a commission
to Pineapple for facilitating a successful mortgage application. The Company concluded that the control of the mortgage application is
with brokers as the ultimate information that is to be obtained from the homeowners to provide to the lender partner is controlled by
the broker and the Company only facilitates the information transfer from the broker to the Lender partner to obtain mortgage for the
homeowner as such the Company is an agent.
Provisions
A
provision is recognized when the Company has a present legal or constructive obligation as a result of a past event, it is probable that
an outflow of economic benefits will be required to settle the obligation, and the amount of the obligation can be reliably estimated.
The amount of a provision is the best estimate of the consideration at the end of the reporting period. Provisions measured using estimated
cash flows required to settle the obligation are determined by discounting the expected future cash flows at a pre-tax rate that reflects
current market assessments of the time value of money and, where appropriate, the risks specific to the liability.
A
provision for onerous contracts is recognized when the expected benefits to be derived by the Company from a contract are lower than
the unavoidable cost of meeting its obligations under the contract. The Company had no material provisions as at August 31, 2023 and
2022.
F- 15
Pineapple
Financial Inc.
Notes
to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For
the years ended August 31, 2023 and 2022
(Expressed in US
Dollars)
3. Significant accounting judgments, estimates and assumptions
The
preparation of financial statements requires the directors and management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that affect the
application of policies and reported amounts of assets and liabilities, and revenue and expenses. Actual results may differ from these
estimates. The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognized
in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period or in the period of the revision and future periods
if the revision affects both current and future periods.
The
following are the critical estimates and judgments applied by management that most significantly affect the Company’s financial
statements. Uncertainty about these assumptions and estimates could result in outcomes that require a material adjustment to the carrying
amount of assets or liabilities affected in future periods.
Investments
(level 3)
Where
the fair values of financial assets and financial liabilities recorded on the statements of financial position, cannot be derived from
active markets, they are determined using a variety of valuation techniques. The inputs to these models are derived from observable market
data where possible; where observable market data is not available, Management’s judgment is required to establish fair values.
Share
based compensation
Management
is required to make certain estimates when determining the fair value of stock options awards, and the number of awards that are expected
to vest. These estimates affect the amount recognized as stock-based compensation in the statements of income and comprehensive income
based on estimates of volatility, forfeitures and expected lives of the underlying stock options which are at a maximum of 36 months
vesting period.
Useful
life of Assets
Significant
judgement is involved in determination of useful life for the property plant and equipment and intangible assets. Management assesses
the reasonability of the useful life on an annual basis to record the depreciation of the intangibles and property plant and equipment.
4. Investments
During
the year ended August 31, 2021, the Company purchased an investment in a private company. The Company holds a 5 % interest with no significant
influence. The investment is recorded at FVTPL using level 3 inputs. The valuation of the Company’s investment is determined based
on the most recent private placement financing completed by the investment and the reviewed financial information of the investment.
As at August 31, 2023, the Company recognized an $ 27,143 (August 31, 2023 - $ Nil ) write down of investments in the consolidated statement
of operations and comprehensive loss.
F- 16
Pineapple
Financial Inc.
Notes
to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For
the years ended August 31, 2023 and 2022
(Expressed
in US Dollars)
5. Property and Equipment
The
Company’s property and equipment consist of laptops, furniture and office equipment.
Schedule of property and equipment
Property
and equipment
Cost
Balance,
August 31, 2021
$ 67,377
Additions
249,322
Translation
adjustment
( 19,700 )
Balance,
August 31, 2022
$ 296,999
Additions
62,073
Translation
adjustment
( 9,789 )
Balance,
August 31, 2023
$ 349,283
Accumulated
depreciation
Balance,
August 31, 2021
$ 8,711
Depreciation
$ 42,218
Translation
adjustment
( 1,595 )
Balance,
August 31, 2022
$ 49,334
Depreciation
67,674
Translation
adjustment
( 9,816 )
Balance,
August 31, 2023
$ 107,192
Net
carrying value
August
31, 2022
$ 247,665
August
31, 2023
$ 242,091
F- 17
Pineapple Financial Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended August 31, 2023 and 2022
(Expressed in US Dollars)
6. Intangible Assets
The
intangible assets additions in current year are related to development costs capitalized for internally generated software with a useful
life of 5 years .
Schedule
of cost and accumulated depreciation
Intangible
assets
Cost
Balance,
August 31, 2021
$ -
Additions
803,610
Translation
adjustment
( 24,120 )
Balance,
August 31, 2022
$ 779,490
Additions
1,300,225
Translation
adjustment
( 22,190 )
Balance,
August 31, 2023
$ 2,057,525
Accumulated
depreciation
Balance,
August 31, 2021
$ -
Depreciation
$ 79,489
Translation
adjustment
( 2,387 )
Balance,
August 31, 2022
$ 77,102
Depreciation
$ 265,150
Translation
adjustment
( 3,681 )
Balance,
August 31, 2023
$ 338,571
Net
carrying value
August
31, 2022
$ 702,388
August
31, 2023
$ 1,718,954
F- 18
Pineapple Financial Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended August 31, 2023 and 2022
(Expressed in US Dollars)
7. Share capital
Authorized
share capital
The
authorized share capital of the Company consists of an unlimited number of common shares with a nominal par value.
Schedule
of authorized share capital
#
$
Balance,
August 31, 2020
2,564,103
78
Issue
of common shares and warrants in connection
with the private placement of Units
2,836,164
6,115,978
Issue
of common shares for consulting services received
906,712
2,833,478
Issue
of warrants for consulting services received
-
Issuance
costs:
-
-
paid in cash
( 1,003,373 )
-
paid by issuance of warrants
( 3,043,130 )
Balance,
August 31, 2021, 2022 and 2023
6,306,979
4,903,031
(i) 2021
private placement
In
2021, the Company completed a private placement of 1,548,472 Units for aggregate proceeds of $ 1,973,047 (CAD $ 1.56 per Unit) and 1,287,692
Units for aggregate proceeds of $ 4,142,931 (CAD $ 3.94 per Unit) (the “2021 private placement”). Each Unit consisted of one
common share and one-half of one common share purchase warrant of Pineapple Financial Inc. Each warrant entitles the holder thereof to
acquire one-half of one common share of the Company for a price of $ 2.42 and $ 6.01 for a period of 2 years from the date of the Liquidity
Event; listing of the common shares of the Company on a public exchange, sale of substantially all the assets of the Company or a transfer
of the shares of the Company.
The
allocation of proceeds between common shares and warrants was made when the equity instruments were issued using a relative fair value
method.
The
Company completed a private placement of 2,836,164 units for aggregate proceeds of $ 7,538,024 . There were two private placements one
with the unit price of CAD $ 1.56 per unit and other for unit price of CAD $ 3.94 . Each unit consisted of one common share and one-half
warrant which entitles the holder to purchase a common share for 2 years at an exercise price of CAD $ 2.93 and CAD $ 7.29 .
F- 19
Pineapple Financial Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended August 31, 2023 and 2022
(Expressed in US Dollars)
7. Share
capital (continued from previous page)
(ii) Issue
of common shares for consulting services received
The
Company entered into an arrangement with Gravitas Securities Inc. (“Gravitas”), a related party and shareholder, pursuant
to which Gravitas agreed to act as an agent for and on behalf of the Company in connection with the 2021 private placement.
In
2021, the Company issued 906,712 common shares with a fair value of $ 2,833,478 for services received in obtaining subscriptions for the
2021 private placement.
The
fair value of the services received could not be estimated reliably. Accordingly, the fair value of the services received, and the corresponding
increase in equity, was measured by reference to the fair value of the common shares issued. The corresponding cost of the services received
was recognized as an issuance cost directly in equity. In 2021, $ 212,963 was recognized as a deduction to common shares and $ 48,747 was
recognized as a deduction to the common share purchase warrants reserve (Note 8). The issuance costs were allocated in the same proportion
as how the proceeds from the 2021 private placement were allocated between common shares and warrants.
(iii) Issuance
costs paid in cash
In
2021, the Company paid a total $ 1,003,373 (2020 - $ NIL ) of cash issuance costs in connection with the 2021 private placement. The issuance
costs were allocated in the same proportion as how the proceeds from the 2021 private placement were allocated between common shares
and warrants. The issuance costs paid in cash include $ 788,185 (2020 - $ NIL ) paid to Gravitas in connection with the arrangement described
in Note 7(ii).
The
fair value of the warrants was estimated to be $ 0.27 using the Black-Scholes formula and the following inputs:
Schedule
of Fair Value of Warrants
Issuance
on March 29, 2021
Estimated
fair value per common share
CAD
$ 1.56
Exercise
price of the warrant
CAD
$ 2.93
Expected
volatility of the underlying common share
100 %
Expected
life of the warrant
2.75
years
Expected
dividend yield
0.00 %
Risk-free
interest rate
0.42 %
Issuance
on April 21, 2021
Estimated
fair value per common share
CAD
$ 3.94
Exercise
price of the warrant
CAD
$ 7.29
Expected
volatility of the underlying common share
100 %
Expected
life of the warrant
2.75
years
Expected
dividend yield
0.00 %
Risk-free
interest rate
0.45 %
F- 20
Pineapple Financial Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended August 31, 2023 and 2022
(Expressed in US Dollars)
8.
Common share purchase warrants reserve
Schedule
of common share purchase warrants reserve
#
$
Balance,
August 31, 2020 and 2019
-
-
Issue
of common shares and warrants in connection
with the private placement of Units
1,418,903
1,422,045
Issue
of warrants for consulting services received
234,086
258,400
Share-based
compensation expense
-
567,938
Issuance
costs:
-
paid by issuance of warrants
-
( 48,747 )
Balance,
August 31, 2021
1,652,989
2,199,636
Share-based
compensation expense
-
723,217
Balance,
August 31, 2022
1,652,989
2,922,853
Share-based
compensation expense
-
33,091
Balance,
August 31, 2023
1,652,989
2,955,944
Issue
of warrants for consulting services received
In
2021, the Company issued 234,086 common share purchase warrants with an estimated fair value of $ 258,400 to consultants in connection
with 2021 private placement of which:
● Total
of 100,651 common share purchase warrants entitle the holder thereof to acquire one common
share of the Company for a price of CAD $ 2.93 for a period of 2 years from the date of Liquidity
Event
● Total
of 133,435 common share purchase warrants entitle the holder thereof to acquire one common
share of the Company for a price of CAD $ 7.29 for a period of 2 years from the date of Liquidity
Event
The
fair value of consulting services received, and the corresponding increase in equity, was measured by reference to the fair value of
equity instruments granted.
The
cost of the services received was recognized as an issuance cost directly in equity, of which $ 258,400 was recognized as a deduction
to common shares (Note 7) and $ 60,122 was recognized as a deduction to the common share purchase warrants reserve. The issuance cost
was allocated in the same proportion as how the proceeds from the 2018 private placement were allocated between common shares and warrants.
The
following reconciles the warrants outstanding at the beginning and the end of the year:
Schedule
of Warrants Outstanding
Number
of Warrants
Weighted
Average Exercise Price
#
$
Balance,
August 31, 2020
-
-
Issued
during the year
1,652,988
3.94
Balance,
August 31, 2022 and 2023
1,652,988
3.94
F- 21
Pineapple Financial Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended August 31, 2023 and 2022
(Expressed in US Dollars)
9. Share-based benefits reserve
The
Company has a share option plan (the “Plan”) to attract, retain and motivate qualified directors, officers, employees and
consultants whose present and future contributions are important to the success of the Company by offering them an opportunity to participate
in the Company’s future performance through the award of share options.
Each
share option converts into one common share of Pineapple Financial Inc. on exercise. No amounts are paid or payable by the recipient
on receipt of the option. The options carry neither rights to dividends nor voting rights. Options may be exercised at any time from
the date of vesting to the date of their expiry.
In
2017, the Plan was amended such that the total number of common shares reserved and available for grant and issuance pursuant to the
Plan is to equal 10 % of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company.
Options
granted on June 14, 2021, vest over a 2-year period whereby 25% of the options granted vested on the date of grant, and the remaining
unvested options vest in equal installments every 6-months thereafter. The fair value of stock options granted was $ 1,317,155 . A total
stock-based compensation expense was recognized of $ 57,340 for the vested options (August 31, 2021 - $ 637,517 ).
The
Chief Financial Officer was granted 63,821 Stock options on November 15, 2021 as part of his compensation package. The options vest over
a 3-year period whereby 8,974 of the options granted vested on the grant date and the remaining unvested options vest in equal installments
every 6-months thereafter. The fair value of the stock options granted was $ 141,885 . The Chief Financial Officer options were forfeited
and a recovery on stock-based compensation of $ 24,250 was recognized during the year ended August 31, 2023. For year ended August 31,
2023, stock-based compensation expense of $ nil (August 31, 2022 - $ 85,700 ) was recognized.
The
following reconciles the options outstanding at the beginning and end of the year that were granted to eligible participants pursuant
to the Plan:
Schedule
of Options Outstanding Granted
Number
of Options
Weighted
Average Exercise Price
#
$
Balance,
August 31, 2021
565,689
3.72
Granted
during the year
62,821
3.82
Balance,
August 31, 2022
628,510
3.71
Forfieted
during year
( 62,821 )
3.82
Balance,
August 31, 2023
565,689
3.72
Exercisable,
August 31, 2023
565,689
3.72
The
Company used the Black-Scholes formula to estimate the fair value of share options granted during the year, based on the following inputs:
Schedule of Fair Value Of Share Options Granted
August
31,
2023
August
31,
2022
Weighted
average estimated fair value per common share
$ n/a
3.00
Weighted
average exercise price of the share option
$ n/a
3.20
Weighted
average expected volatility of the underlying common share
n/a
100 %
Weighted
average expected life of the share option
n/a
5
years
Weighted
average expected dividend yield
n/a
0 %
Weighted
average risk-free interest rate
n/a
1.48 %
F- 22
Pineapple Financial Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended August 31, 2023 and 2022
(Expressed in US Dollars)
10. Income taxes
The
reconciliation of the combined federal and state income tax rate of 26.5 % (2022 – 26.5 %) to the effective tax rate is as follows:
Schedule
of Federal and State Income Tax Rate
August
31, 2023
August
31, 2022
$
$
(Loss)
before recovery of income taxes
( 2,809,037 )
( 2,810,061 )
Expected
income tax (recovery) expense
( 744,395 )
( 744,670 )
Non-deductible
expenses
45,338
197,240
Valuation
Allowance
699,057
547,430
Income
tax expense (recovery)
-
-
Deferred
income taxes
The
following table summarizes the components of deferred tax:
Schedule
of Deferred
Income Taxes
August
31, 2023
August
31, 2022
Deferred
tax assets
Property
and equipment
-
18,760
Intangible
assets
-
26,820
Finance
lease liabilities
293,610
270,460
Investments
3,930
-
Share
issuance costs
435,920
651,140
Operating
tax losses carried forward
1,844,180
853,230
SR&ED
Pool from T661
67,569
-
Charitable
donations carryforward
28,990
-
Total
deferred tax assets
2,674,199
1,820,410
Valuation
Allowance
( 2,266,630 )
( 1,567,580 )
Total
net deferred tax assets
407,569
252,830
F- 23
Pineapple Financial Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended August 31, 2023 and 2022
(Expressed in US Dollars)
10. Income
taxes (continued from previous page)
Deferred
tax liabilities
August
31, 2023
August
31, 2022
Property
and equipment
( 41,190 )
-
Right-of-use
asset
( 254,500 )
( 252,830 )
Intangible
Assets
( 110,960 )
-
Loan
( 919 )
-
Total
deferred tax liabilities
( 407,569 )
( 252,830 )
Net
deferred tax liability
-
-
The
Canadian non-capital losses carried forward expire in 2043. The remaining deductible temporary differences may be carried forward indefinitely.
The
Company has adopted the provisions of ASC 740-10, which clarifies the accounting for uncertain tax positions. ASC 740-10 requires that
the Company recognize the impact of a tax position in its financial statements if the position is more likely than not to be sustained
upon examination based on the technical merits of the position. For the year ended August 31, 2023, the Company had no material unrecognized
tax benefits, and based on the information currently available, no significant changes in unrecognized tax benefits are expected in the
next 12 months.
11. Right-of-use asset and lease liability
The
Company leases all its office premises in Ontario and British Columbia, Canada. The Company extended the current Ontario premises of
4,894 sq. ft. lease to January 1, 2030, and acquired additional premises of 8,368 square feet adjacent to the current office premises
with the same landlord. The additional premises lease also expires on January 1, 2030. The total area of use by The Company is 13,262
sq. ft. The Company acquired a 1,454 square feet premise lease in British Columbia commencing August 1, 2023 and expiring on July 31,
2028. The Company recognized a right-of-use asset and corresponding lease liability in respect of this lease. The lease liability was
measured at the present value of the remaining lease payments, discounted using the Company’s estimated incremental borrowing rate
as at September 1, 2017 (date of initial application), estimated to be 6%. The right-of-use asset was measured at an amount equal to
the lease liability, adjusted by the amount of any prepaid or accrued lease payments relating to that lease recognized in the interim
condensed balance sheet immediately before the date of initial application.
F- 24
Pineapple Financial Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended August 31, 2023 and 2022
(Expressed in US Dollars)
11. Right-of-use
asset and lease liability (continued from previous page)
The
following schedule shows the movement in the Company’s right-of-use asset:
Schedule
of Right-Of-Use Asset
Right-of-use
asset
Cost
Balance,
August 31, 2021
$ 297,723
Additions
786,800
Balance,
August 31, 2022
$ 1,084,523
Additions
141,799
Translation
adjustment
( 48,601 )
Balance,
August 31, 2023
$ 1,177,721
Accumulated
Depreciation
Balance,
August 31, 2021
$ 40,383
Depreciation
90,049
Balance,
August 31, 2022
$ 130,432
Depreciation
108,335
Translation
adjustment
( 21,423 )
Balance,
August 31, 2023
$ 217,344
Carrying
Amount
August
31, 2022
$ 954,091
August
31, 2023
$ 960,377
F- 25
Pineapple Financial Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended August 31, 2023 and 2022
(Expressed in US Dollars)
11. Right-of-use
asset and lease liability (continued from previous page)
The
following schedule shows the movement in the Company’s lease liability during the year:
Schedule of Lease Liability
August
31, 2023
August
31, 2022
Balance,
beginning of year
$ 1,020,585
$ 263,238
Additions
141,799
786,800
Interest
Expense
56,316
32,017
Lease
payments
( 81,090 )
( 61,470 )
Translation
Adjustment
( 29,649 )
-
Balance,
end of year
$ 1,107,961
$ 1,020,585
Current
138,372
2,024
Non-Current
969,589
1,018,561
$ 1,107,961
$ 1,020,585
The
following table provides a maturity analysis of the Company’s lease liability. The amounts disclosed in the maturity analysis are
the contractual undiscounted cash flows before deducting interest or finance charges:
Schedule
of Maturity Lease Liability
2024
$
213,288
2025
217,856
2026
219,055
2027
216,476
2028
229,943
2029
201,891
2030
16,824
Total Lease
liability
$
1,315,334
F- 26
Pineapple Financial Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended August 31, 2023 and 2022
(Expressed in US Dollars)
12. Expenses
The
following table provides a breakdown of the selling, general and administrative expenses:
Schedule
of Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
August
31, 2023
August
31, 2022
Software
Subscription
816,913
923,137
Marketing,
Advertising and promotions
649,934
795,588
Events
and award shows
194,863
-
Office
and generai
183,870
259,480
Professional
fees
661,265
243,100
Dues
and Subscriptions
58,366
174,743
Rent
165,750
150,141
Consulting
fees
210,063
146,554
Travel
97,372
104,812
Donations
46,002
61,206
Lease
expense
7,534
63,425
Insurance
( 80,934 )
54,867
Repair
and maintenance
2,489
223
Utilities
1,459
-
Selling,
general and administrative
3,014,945
2,977,277
13. Deferred government grant
The
Company was eligible for the Government of Canada SRED program and received $607,080 as at August 31, 2023 for the historical SRED claimed.
The Company has accrued $ 710,320 of SRED receivable as at August 31, 2023 for the fiscal year 2023 SRED which is recognized in trades
and other receivables in the consolidated balance sheet. A portion of the funds received is related to costs that have been capitalized
for the development of internally generated software recognized as intangible asset in Note 6 as such $ 699,627 of the balance received
and accrued is recognized as deferred government grant balance and will be recognized as recovery in the consolidated statement of operations
and comprehensive loss over the useful life of the intangible assets. As at August 31, 2023, $ 591,480 ($ Nil – August 31, 2022)
has been recognized as recovery of operating expenses in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.
14. Related party transactions
Compensation
of key management personnel includes the CEO, COO, CSO, and CFO:
Schedule
of Related Party Transactions
August
31, 2023
August
31, 2022
$
$
Salaries
and Wages
522,916
776,615
Share-based
compensation
28,989
410,192
F- 27
Pineapple Financial Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended August 31, 2023 and 2022
(Expressed in US Dollars)
15. Risk management arising from financial instruments
a) Credit
risk
Credit
risk is the risk of loss associated with a counterparty’s inability to fulfill its payment obligations. The Company’s principal
financial assets that expose it to credit risk are cash and trade receivables. The Company mitigates this risk by monitoring the credit
worthiness of its customers and holding cash at financial institutions.
The
maximum credit exposure at August 31, 2023 is the carrying amount of cash and trade receivables. The Company’s exposure to credit
risk is considered to be low, given the size and nature of the various counterparties involved and their history of performance.
The
Company has not historically incurred any significant credit loss in respect of its trade receivables. Based on consideration of all
possible default events over the assets’ contractual lifetime, the expected credit loss in respect of the Company’s trade
receivables was minimal as at August 31, 2023 and 2022.
b)
Interest
rate risk
Interest
rate risk is the risk that the fair value or future cash flows of a financial instrument will fluctuate due to changes in market interest
rates. The Company does not have any interest-bearing debt.
c) Liquidity
risk
Liquidity
risk is the risk that the Company will not be able to meet its financial obligations as they become due. The Company’s approach
in managing liquidity is to ensure, to the extent possible, that it will have sufficient liquidity to meet its liabilities when due,
by continuously monitoring actual and forecasted cash flows.
d)
Management
of capital
The
Company’s objective of managing capital, comprising of shareholders’ equity, is to ensure its continued ability to operate
as a going concern. The Company manages its capital structure and makes changes to it based on economic conditions.
Management
and the Board of Directors review the Company’s capital management approach on an ongoing basis and believe this approach, given
the relative size of the Company, is reasonable. The Company is not subject to externally imposed capital requirements. The Company’s
capital management objectives, policies and processes have remained unchanged during the year ended August 31, 2023.
F- 28
Pineapple Financial Inc.
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
For the years ended August 31, 2023 and 2022
(Expressed in US Dollars)
16. Disaggregation of Revenue
Schedule
of Disaggregation of Revenue
August
31, 2023
August
31, 2022
$
$
Sales
revenue
15,026,896
19,497,519
Commission
expense
13,931,836
16,780,133
Net
sales revenue
1,095,060
2,717,385
Subscription
revenue
736,708
616,734
Other
revenue
332,448
-
Sponsorship
revenue
189,968
-
Underwriting
revenue
148,080
266,731
Total
revenue
2,502,264
3,600,851
17. Loan
The
Company entered into a loan on July 31, 2023, with a one-year term and maturity date of July 31, 2024 . The Company obtained a loan of
$ 430,098 with an annual compounded interest rate of 12 % per annum. The Company paid a 2 % advance fee to obtain the loan as at August
31, 2023. The Company obtained the loan based on the qualified SRED amount to be obtained for fiscal year 2023 noted in Note 13. The
Company recognized an interest and accretion expense of $ 8,643 which is recognized as part of interest expense and bank charges in statement
of operations and comprehensive loss.
18. Commitments and contingencies
In
the ordinary course of operating, the Company may from time to time be subject to various claims or possible claims. Management believes
that there are no claims or possible claims that if resolved would either individually or collectively result in a material adverse impact
on the Company’s financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. These matters are inherently uncertain, and management’s
view of these matters may change in the future.
See
note 11 related to lease commitments.
19. Subsequent Events
The
Company was listed on the New York stock exchange (NYSE) subsequent to year under the ticker PAPL. The Company issued 875,000 shares
on the initial public offering and received gross proceeds of $ 3,220,000 on closing of the public offering.
F- 29
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed
on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in City of North York, Province of Ontario, Canada on December 14, 2023.
PINEAPPLE
FINANCIAL INC.
By:
/s/
Shubha Dasgupta
Shubha
Dasgupta
Chief
Executive Officer
By:
/s/
Sarfraz Habib
Sarfraz
Habib
Chief
Financial Officer
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities
and on the dates indicated.
Signature
Title
Date
/s/
Shubha Dasgupta
Chief
Executive Officer
December
14, 2023
Shubha
Dasgupta
(Principal
Executive Officer)
/s/
Sarfraz Habib
Chief
Financial Officer
December
14, 2023
Sarfraz
Habib
(Principal
Accounting and Financial Officer)
/s/
Kendall Marin
President;
Chief Operating Officer; and Director
December
14, 2023
Kendall
Marin
/s/
Christa Mitchell
Chief
Strategy Officer and Director
December
14, 2023
Christa
Mitchell
/s/
Drew Green
Chairman
of the Board
December
14, 2023
Drew
Green
/s/
Paul Baron
Director
December
14, 2023
Paul
Baron
/s/
Tasis Giannoukakis
Director
December
14, 2023
Tasis
Giannoukakis
/s/ Nima Besharat
Director
December
14, 2023
Nima
Besharat
55
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.