Item 1A. Risk Factors
Item 1A. Risk Factors
The following discussion of risk factors contains
forward-looking statements. These risk factors may be important to understanding other statements in this Report. The following information
should be read in conjunction with Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results
of Operations” and the consolidated financial statements and related notes in Part II, Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary
Data” of this Form 10-K.
The business, financial condition and operating
results of the Company can be affected by a number of factors, whether currently known or unknown, including but not limited to those
described below, any one or more of which could, directly or indirectly, cause the Company’s actual financial condition and operating
results to vary materially from past, or from anticipated future, financial condition and operating results. Any of these factors, in
whole or in part, could materially and adversely affect the Company’s business, financial condition, operating results and stock
price. In particular, our risks include, but are not limited to, the following:
Risks Related to Our Business
●
We are an early stage company with a limited operating history. Our limited operating history may not provide an adequate basis to judge our future prospects and results of operations.
●
We face intense competition and could lose market share to our competitors, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
●
We could be subject to claims from riders, drivers or third parties that are harmed whether or not our service or platform is in use, which could adversely affect our business, brand, financial condition and results of operations.
●
We rely on other third-party service providers and if such third parties do not perform adequately or terminate their relationships with us, our costs may increase and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
●
If we are not able to successfully develop new offerings and enhance our existing offerings, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
●
Any failure to offer high-quality user support may harm our relationships with users and could adversely affect our reputation, brand, business, financial condition and results of operations.
●
Our business could be adversely impacted by changes in the Internet and mobile device accessibility of users and unfavorable changes in or our failure to comply with existing or future laws governing the Internet and mobile devices.
●
The impact of any kind of epidemic, such as the coronavirus, on our operations, and the operations of the car fleet companies, may harm our business.
●
We rely on mobile operating systems and application marketplaces to make our apps available to the drivers and riders on our platform, and if we do not effectively operate with or receive favorable placements within such application marketplaces and maintain high rider reviews, our usage or brand recognition could decline and our business, financial results and results of operations could be adversely affected.
●
We have significant customer concentration, with a limited number of customers accounting for a substantial portion of our revenues. Failure to attract, grow and retain a diverse and balanced customer base could harm our business and operating results.
●
We depend on the interoperability of our platform across third-party applications and services that we do not control.
●
Failure to protect or enforce our intellectual property rights could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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Our platform contains third-party open source software components, and failure to comply with the terms of the underlying open source software licenses could restrict our ability to provide our offerings.
●
Failure to maintain our reputation and brand image could negatively impact our business.
●
Our success is dependent on retaining key personnel who would be difficult to replace.
●
The legal requirements associated with being a public company, including those contained in and issued under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, may make it difficult for us to retain or attract qualified officers and directors, which could adversely affect the management of our business and our ability to obtain listing of our common stock
●
If we fail to establish and maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may not be able to report our financial results accurately or prevent fraud. Any inability to report and file our financial results accurately and timely could harm our business and adversely impact the trading price of our common stock.
●
Operating as a public company requires us to incur substantial costs and requires substantial management attention. In addition, key members of our management team have limited experience managing a public company.
●
As an “emerging growth company” under applicable law, we will be subject to lessened disclosure requirements, which could leave our shareholders without information or rights available to shareholders of more mature companies.
●
Because we have elected to use the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards for an “emerging growth company,” our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with public company effective dates.
Risks Related to Doing Business in China
●
Changes in the political and economic policies of the PRC government may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and may result in our inability to sustain our growth and expansion strategies.
●
There are uncertainties regarding the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws, rules and regulations.
●
The PRC government exerts substantial influence over the manner in which we conduct our business activities. The PRC government may also intervene or influence our operations and this offering at any time, which could result in a material change in our operations and our common stock could decline in value or become worthless.
●
The CSRC has enacted the draft rules for China-based companies seeking to conduct initial public offerings in foreign markets. While such rules have not yet gone into effect and we have determined we are not subject to the measures, the CSRC may exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and foreign investment in China-based issuers, which could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer our common stock to investors and could cause the value of our common stock to significantly decline or become worthless.
●
Failure to make adequate contributions to various employee benefit plans and withhold individual income tax on employees’ salaries as required by PRC regulations may subject us to penalties.
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We must remit the offering proceeds to China before they may be used to benefit our business in China, and we cannot assure that we can finish all necessary governmental registration processes in a timely manner.
●
If relations between the United States and China worsen, investors may be unwilling to hold or buy our stock and our stock price may decrease.
●
The fluctuation of the Renminbi may have a material adverse effect on your investment.
●
Restrictions on currency exchange may limit our ability to receive and use our revenue effectively.
●
The PRC’s legal and judicial system may not adequately protect our business and operations and the rights of foreign investors.
●
Because our principal assets are located outside of the United States, it may be difficult for you to enforce your rights based on U.S. federal securities laws against us or to enforce a U.S. court judgment against us or our operating subsidiaries in the PRC and in Hong Kong
●
Our operations could be adversely affected, directly or indirectly, by future PRC laws and regulations relating to our business or industry, if we inadvertently conclude that such approvals or permissions, including business licenses, are not required when they are, or applicable laws, regulations, or interpretations change and we are required to obtain approvals or permissions in the future.
●
You may face difficulties in protecting your interests and exercising your rights as our stockholder since we conduct the bulk of our operations in China.
●
We and our shareholders face uncertainties with respect to indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises or other assets attributed to a Chinese establishment of a non-Chinese company, or immovable properties located in China owned by non-Chinese companies.
●
The future development of national
security laws and regulations in Hong Kong could materially impact our business by possibly triggering sanctions and other measures
which can cause economic harm to our business.
●
Changes in the political and
economic policies of the PRC government may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations
and may result in our inability to sustain our growth and expansion strategies.
●
There
are uncertainties regarding the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws, rules and regulations.
●
The PRC government exerts substantial
influence over the manner in which we conduct our business activities. The PRC government may also intervene or influence our operations
and this offering at any time, which could result in a material change in our operations and our common stock could decline in value
or become worthless.
●
The CSRC has enacted the draft
rules for China-based companies seeking to conduct initial public offerings in foreign markets. While such rules have not yet gone
into effect and we have determined we are not subject to the measures, the CSRC may exert more oversight and control over offerings
that are conducted overseas and foreign investment in China-based issuers, which could significantly limit or completely hinder our
ability to offer or continue to offer our common stock to investors and could cause the value of our common stock to significantly
decline or become worthless.
●
Failure to make adequate contributions
to various employee benefit plans and withhold individual income tax on employees’ salaries as required by PRC regulations
may subject us to penalties.
●
We must remit the offering
proceeds to China before they may be used to benefit our business in China, and we cannot assure that we can finish all necessary
governmental registration processes in a timely manner.
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●
If relations between the United
States and China worsen, investors may be unwilling to hold or buy our stock and our stock price may decrease.
●
The fluctuation of the Renminbi
may have a material adverse effect on your investment.
●
Restrictions on currency exchange
may limit our ability to receive and use our revenue effectively.
●
The PRC’s legal and judicial
system may not adequately protect our business and operations and the rights of foreign investors.
●
Because our principal assets
are located outside of the United States, it may be difficult for you to enforce your rights based on U.S. federal securities laws
against us or to enforce a U.S. court judgment against us or our operating subsidiaries in the PRC and in Hong Kong
●
Our operations could be adversely
affected, directly or indirectly, by future PRC laws and regulations relating to our business or industry, if we inadvertently conclude
that such approvals or permissions, including business licenses, are not required when they are, or applicable laws, regulations,
or interpretations change and we are required to obtain approvals or permissions in the future.
●
You may face difficulties in
protecting your interests and exercising your rights as our stockholder since we conduct the bulk of our operations in China.
●
We and our shareholders face
uncertainties with respect to indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises or other assets attributed to a
Chinese establishment of a non-Chinese company, or immovable properties located in China owned by non-Chinese companies.
●
The future development of national security laws and regulations in Hong Kong could materially impact our business by possibly triggering sanctions and other measures which can cause economic harm to our business.
●
Potential political and economic instability in Hong Kong may adversely impact our results of operations. We may also face the risk that changes in the policies of the PRC government could have a significant impact upon the business we conduct in Hong Kong and the profitability of such business.
●
Our Hong Kong and Shenzhen subsidiaries may be subject to restrictions on paying dividends or making other payments to us, which may restrict its ability to satisfy liquidity requirements, conduct business and pay dividends to holders of our common stock. Dividends payable to our foreign investors and gains on the sale of our shares of common stock by our foreign investors may become subject to tax by the PRC.
●
Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCAA, and the related regulations are evolving quickly. Further implementations and interpretations of our amendments to the HFCAA or the related regulations, or a PCAOB’s determination of its lack of sufficient access to inspect our auditor, might pose regulatory risks to and impose restrictions on us because of our operations in mainland China that PCAOB may not be able to inspect or investigate completely such audit documentation and, as such, you may be deprived of the benefits of such inspection and our ordinary share could be delisted from the stock exchange pursuant to the HFCAA.
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Risks Related to Our Common Stock
●
Our majority stockholders will control our company for the foreseeable future, including the outcome of matters requiring shareholder approval.
●
No public market for our common stock currently exists, and an active trading market may not develop or be sustained following this offering.
●
While we believe our revenues and cash on hand are adequate to meet our immediate needs, we may require additional funding in order to progress our business in the future. If we are unable to raise additional capital, we could be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate portions of our business.
●
There is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
●
Raising additional capital may cause dilution to our stockholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights to our technologies or product candidates.
●
Even if our common stock becomes publicly-traded and an active trading market develops, the market price for our common stock may be volatile.
●
Our common stock may be thinly traded and you may be unable to sell at or near ask prices or at all if you need to sell your shares to raise money or otherwise desire to liquidate your shares.
●
Our common stock may be considered a “penny stock,” and thereby be subject to additional sale and trading regulations that may make it more difficult to sell.
●
FINRA sales practice requirements may also limit your ability to buy and sell shares of our common stock, which could depress the price of shares of our common stock.
●
You may face significant restrictions on the resale of your shares of our common stock due to state “blue sky” laws.
●
Potential future sales under Rule 144 may depress the market price for the common stock.
●
Volatility in our common stock price may subject us to securities litigation.
●
We are not likely to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future.
●
U.S. investors may experience difficulties in attempting to effect a service of process and enforce judgments based upon U.S. Federal Securities Laws against the company and its non U.S. resident officer and director.
●
The Company is selling shares without an underwriter and may not be able to sell all or any of the shares offered herein.
●
The exclusive forum provision in our subscription agreement may have the effect of limiting a purchaser’s ability to bring legal action against the company and could limit a purchaser’s ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes.
●
Purchasers in this offering may not be entitled to a jury trial with respect to claims arising under the subscription agreement, which could result in less favorable outcomes to the plaintiff(s) in any such action.
Because
of the following factors, as well as other factors affecting the Company’s financial condition and operating results, past financial
performance should not be considered to be a reliable indicator of future performance, and investors should not use historical
trends to anticipate results or trends in future periods.
●
Our majority stockholders will
control our company for the foreseeable future, including the outcome of matters requiring shareholder approval.
●
No public market for our common
stock currently exists, and an active trading market may not develop or be sustained following this offering.
●
While we believe our revenues
and cash on hand are adequate to meet our immediate needs, we may require additional funding in order to progress our business in
the future. If we are unable to raise additional capital, we could be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate portions of our business.
●
There is substantial doubt
about our ability to continue as a going concern.
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●
Raising additional capital
may cause dilution to our stockholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights to our technologies or product
candidates.
●
Even if our common stock becomes
publicly-traded and an active trading market develops, the market price for our common stock may be volatile.
●
Our common stock may be thinly
traded and you may be unable to sell at or near ask prices or at all if you need to sell your shares to raise money or otherwise
desire to liquidate your shares.
●
Our common stock may be considered
a “penny stock,” and thereby be subject to additional sale and trading regulations that may make it more difficult to
sell.
●
FINRA sales practice requirements
may also limit your ability to buy and sell shares of our common stock, which could depress the price of shares of our common stock.
●
You may face significant restrictions
on the resale of your shares of our common stock due to state “blue sky” laws.
●
Potential future sales under
Rule 144 may depress the market price for the common stock.
●
Volatility in our common stock
price may subject us to securities litigation.
●
We are not likely to pay cash
dividends in the foreseeable future.
●
U.S. investors may experience
difficulties in attempting to effect a service of process and enforce judgments based upon U.S. Federal Securities Laws against the
company and its non U.S. resident officer and director.
●
The Company is selling shares
without an underwriter and may not be able to sell all or any of the shares offered herein.
●
The exclusive forum provision
in our subscription agreement may have the effect of limiting a purchaser’s ability to bring legal action against the company
and could limit a purchaser’s ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes.
●
Purchasers in this offering
may not be entitled to a jury trial with respect to claims arising under the subscription agreement, which could result in less favorable
outcomes to the plaintiff(s) in any such action.
Because
of the following factors, as well as other factors affecting the Company’s financial condition and operating results, past financial
performance should not be considered to be a reliable indicator of future performance, and investors should not use historical trends
to anticipate results or trends in future periods.
●
Our majority stockholders will
control our company for the foreseeable future, including the outcome of matters requiring shareholder approval.
●
No public market for our common
stock currently exists, and an active trading market may not develop or be sustained following this offering.
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●
While we believe our revenues
and cash on hand are adequate to meet our immediate needs, we may require additional funding in order to progress our business in
the future. If we are unable to raise additional capital, we could be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate portions of our business.
●
There is substantial doubt
about our ability to continue as a going concern.
●
Raising additional capital
may cause dilution to our stockholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights to our technologies or product
candidates.
●
Even if our common stock becomes
publicly-traded and an active trading market develops, the market price for our common stock may be volatile.
●
Our common stock may be thinly
traded and you may be unable to sell at or near ask prices or at all if you need to sell your shares to raise money or otherwise
desire to liquidate your shares.
●
Our common stock may be considered
a “penny stock,” and thereby be subject to additional sale and trading regulations that may make it more difficult to
sell.
●
FINRA sales practice requirements
may also limit your ability to buy and sell shares of our common stock, which could depress the price of shares of our common stock.
●
You may face significant restrictions
on the resale of your shares of our common stock due to state “blue sky” laws.
●
Potential future sales under
Rule 144 may depress the market price for the common stock.
●
Volatility in our common stock
price may subject us to securities litigation.
●
We are not likely to pay cash
dividends in the foreseeable future.
●
U.S. investors may experience
difficulties in attempting to effect a service of process and enforce judgments based upon U.S. Federal Securities Laws against the
company and its non U.S. resident officer and director.
●
The Company is selling shares
without an underwriter and may not be able to sell all or any of the shares offered herein.
●
The exclusive forum provision
in our subscription agreement may have the effect of limiting a purchaser’s ability to bring legal action against the company
and could limit a purchaser’s ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes.
●
Purchasers in this offering
may not be entitled to a jury trial with respect to claims arising under the subscription agreement, which could result in less favorable
outcomes to the plaintiff(s) in any such action.
Because
of the following factors, as well as other factors affecting the Company’s financial condition and operating results, past financial
performance should not be considered to be a reliable indicator of future performance, and investors should not use historical trends
to anticipate results or trends in future periods.
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Risks Related to Our Business
We are an early stage company with a limited operating history.
Our limited operating history may not provide an adequate basis to judge our future prospects and results of operations.
We have a limited operating history. Our first
operating subsidiary, Pony Limousine Services Limited was established in Hong Kong on April 28, 2018 to engage in providing car services
to travelers between Guangdong Province and Hong Kong. Pony Group Inc. was established in the State of Delaware on January 7, 2019. We
have limited experience and operating history in the travel industry. Our limited history may not provide a meaningful basis for investors
to evaluate our business, financial performance and prospects.
We face intense competition and could lose market share to our
competitors, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The
market for car services is intensely competitive and characterized by rapid changes in technology, shifting rider needs and frequent introductions
of new services and offerings. We expect competition to continue, both from current competitors and new entrants in the market that may
be well-established and enjoy greater resources or other strategic advantages. If we are unable to anticipate or react to these competitive
challenges, our competitive position could weaken, or fail to improve, and we could experience a decline in revenue or growth stagnation
that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results
of operations.
Our main competitors in mainland China and Hong
Kong include Shenzhen Anxun Automobile Rental Co., Ltd., The Motor Transport Company of Guangdong and Hong Kong Limited and China Comfort
(Shenzhen) Travel Services Co., Ltd.
Certain
of our competitors have greater financial, technical, marketing, research and development, manufacturing and other resources, greater
name recognition, longer operating histories or a larger user base than we do. They may be able to devote greater resources to the development,
promotion and sale of offerings and offer lower prices than we do, which could adversely affect our results of operations. Further, they
may have greater resources to deploy towards the research, development and commercialization of new technologies, or they may have other
financial, technical or resource advantages. These factors may allow our competitors to derive greater revenue and profits from their
existing user bases, attract and retain new qualified drivers and new riders at lower costs or respond more quickly to new and emerging
technologies and trends. Our current and potential competitors may also establish cooperative or strategic relationships amongst themselves
or with third parties that may furt her enhance their resources and offerings.
We believe that our ability to compete effectively
depends upon many factors both within and beyond our control, including:
●
the popularity, utility, ease of use, performance and reliability of our offerings compared to those of our competitors;
●
our reputation and brand strength relative to our competitors;
●
the prices of our offerings and the fees we charge drivers on our platform;
●
our ability to attract and retain qualified drivers and riders;
●
our ability, and the ability of our competitors, to develop new offerings;
●
our ability to establish and maintain relationships with partners;
●
changes mandated by, or that we elect to make, to address, legislation, regulatory authorities or litigation, including settlements, judgments, injunctions and consent decrees;
●
our ability to attract, retain and motivate talented employees;
●
our ability to raise additional capital; and
●
acquisitions or consolidation within our industry.
If we are unable to compete successfully, our business,
financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
●
our ability to establish and
maintain relationships with partners;
●
changes mandated by, or that we elect to make, to address,
legislation, regulatory authorities or litigation, including settlements, judgments, injunctions and consent decrees;
●
our ability to attract, retain and motivate talented
employees;
●
our ability to raise additional capital; and
●
acquisitions or consolidation within our industry.
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If
we are unable to compete successfully, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
●
our ability to establish and maintain relationships
with partners;
●
changes mandated by, or that we elect to make, to address,
legislation, regulatory authorities or litigation, including settlements, judgments, injunctions and consent decrees;
●
our ability to attract, retain and motivate talented
employees;
●
our ability to raise additional capital; and
●
acquisitions or consolidation within our industry.
If
we are unable to compete successfully, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
We could be subject
to claims from riders, drivers or third parties that are harmed whether or not our service or platform is in use, which could adversely
affect our business, brand, financial condition and results of operations.
We could be subject to claims, lawsuits, investigations
and other legal proceedings relating to injuries to, or deaths of, riders, drivers or third parties that are attributed to us through
our offerings. We may also be subject to claims alleging that we are directly or vicariously liable for the acts of the drivers from the
car fleet companies that we collaborated with. We may be subject to personal injury claims whether or not such injury actually occurred
as a result of activity on our platform. Regardless of the outcome of any legal proceeding, any injuries to, or deaths of, any riders,
drivers or third parties could result in negative publicity and harm to our brand, reputation, business, financial condition and results
of operations. Any of the foregoing risks could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We rely on other third-party service
providers and if such third parties do not perform adequately or terminate their relationships with us, our costs may increase and our
business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Our success depends in part on our relationships
with other third-party service providers, such as CHANGYING BUSINESS LIMITED and Huatai
travel co., Ltd. Further, from time to time, we enter into collaboration arrangement in connection with car fleets and drivers. If any
of our partners terminates its relationship with us or refuses to renew its agreement with us on commercially reasonable terms, we would
need to find an alternate provider, and may not be able to secure similar terms or replace such providers in an acceptable timeframe.
We also rely on other software and services supplied by third parties, such as communications and internal software, and our business
may be adversely affected to the extent such software and services do not meet our expectations, contain errors or vulnerabilities, are
compromised or experience outages. Any of these risks could increase our costs and adversely affect our business, financial condition
and results of operations. Further, any negative publicity related to any of our third-party partners, including any publicity related
to quality standards or safety concerns, could adversely affect our reputation and brand, and could potentially lead to increased regulatory
or litigation exposure.
If we are not able to successfully develop
new offerings and enhance our existing offerings, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Our
ability to attract new riders, retain existing riders and increase utilization of our offerings will depend in part on our ability to
successfully create and introduce new offerings and to improve upon and enhance our existing offerings. As a result, we may introduce
significant changes to our existing offerings or develop and introduce new and unproven offerings. Furthermore, new rider demands regarding
service, the availability of superior competitive offerings or a deterioration in the quality of our offerings or our ability to bring
new or enhanced offerings to market quickly and efficiently could negatively affect the attractiveness of our service and the economics
of our business and require us to make substantial changes to and additional investments in our offerings or our business model. In addition,
we frequently experiment with and test different offerings and marketing strategies. If these experiments and tests are unsuccessful,
or if the offerings and strategies we introduce based on the resu lts of such experiments and tests do not perform as expected,
our ability to attract new qualified drivers and new riders, retain existing qualified drivers and existing riders and maintain or increase
utilization of our offerings may be adversely affected.
Developing
and launching new offerings or enhancements to the existing offerings involves significant risks and uncertainties, including risks related
to the reception of such offerings by existing and potential future riders, increases in operational complexity, unanticipated delays
or challenges in implementing such offerings or enhancements, increased strain on our operational and internal resources (including an
impairment of our ability to accurately forecast rider demand) and negative publicity in the event such new or enhanced offerings are
perceived to be unsuccessful. We have scaled our business rapidly, and significant new initiatives have in the past resulted in, and in
the future may result in, operational challenges affecting our business. In addition, developing and launching new offerings and enhancements
to our existing offerings may involve significant upfront capital investments and such investments may not generate return on investment.
Any of the foregoing risks and challenges could negati vely impact our ability to attract and retain qualified drivers and riders,
our ability to increase utilization of our offerings and our visibility into expected results of operations, and could adversely affect
our business, financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, since
we are focused on building our community and ecosystems for the long-term, our near-term results of operations may be impacted by our
investments in the future.
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Any failure to offer high-quality user
support may harm our relationships with users and could adversely affect our reputation, brand, business, financial condition and results
of operations.
Our
ability to attract and retain riders is dependent in part on the ease and reliability of our offerings, including our ability to provide
high-quality support. Our customers depend on our support organization to resolve any issues relating to our offerings, such as being
overcharged for a ride, leaving something in a driver’s vehicle or reporting a safety incident. Our ability to provide effective
and timely support is largely dependent on our ability to attract and retain service providers who are qualified to support users and
s ufficiently knowledgeable regarding our offerings. As we continue to
grow our business and improve our offerings, we will face challenges related to providing quality support services at scale. If we grow
our international rider base, our support organization will face additional challenges, including those associated with delivering support
in languages other than Chinese. Any failure to provide efficient user support, or a market perception that we do not maintain high-quality
s upport, could adversely affect our reputation, brand, business, financial condition
and results of operations.
Systems failures and resulting interruptions
in the availability of our website, applications, platform or offerings could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results
of operations.
Our systems, or those of third parties upon which
we rely, may experience service interruptions or degradation because of hardware and software defects or malfunctions, distributed denial-of-service and
other cyberattacks, human error, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, fires, natural disasters, power losses, disruptions in telecommunications
services, fraud, military or political conflicts, terrorist attacks, computer viruses, ransomware, malware or other events. Our systems
also may be subject to break-ins, sabotage, theft and intentional acts of vandalism, including by our own employees. Some of
our systems are not fully redundant and our disaster recovery planning may not be sufficient for all eventualities. Our business interruption
insurance may not be sufficient to cover all of our losses that may result from interruptions in our service as a result of systems failures
and similar events.
We will likely continue to experience system failures
and other events or conditions from time to time that interrupt the availability or reduce or affect the speed or functionality of our
offerings. These events have resulted in, and similar future events could result in, losses of revenue. A prolonged interruption in the
availability or reduction in the availability, speed or other functionality of our offerings could adversely affect our business and reputation
and could result in the loss of users. Moreover, to the extent that any system failure or similar event results in harm or losses to the
users using our platform, we may make voluntary payments to compensate for such harm or the affected users could seek monetary recourse
or contractual remedies from us for their losses and such claims, even if unsuccessful, would likely be time-consuming and costly for
us to address.
Our business could be adversely impacted
by changes in the Internet and mobile device accessibility of users and unfavorable changes in or our failure to comply with existing
or future laws governing the Internet and mobile devices.
Our business depends on users’ access to
our platform via a mobile device and the Internet. We may operate in jurisdictions that provide limited Internet connectivity, particularly
as we expand internationally. Internet access and access to a mobile device are frequently provided by companies with significant market
power that could take actions that degrade, disrupt or increase the cost of users’ ability to access our platform. In addition,
the Internet infrastructure that we and users of our platform rely on in any particular geographic area may be unable to support the demands
placed upon it. Any such failure in Internet or mobile device accessibility, even for a short period of time, could adversely affect our
results of operations.
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Moreover,
we are subject to a number of laws and regulations specifically governing the Internet and mobile devices that are constantly evolving.
Existing and future laws and regulations, or changes thereto, may impede the growth and availability of the Internet and online offerings,
require us to change our business practices or raise compliance costs or other costs of doing business. These laws and regulations, which
continue to evolve, cover taxation, privacy and data protection, pricing, copyrights, distribution, mobile and other communicati ons,
advertising practices, consumer protections, the provision of online payment services, unencumbered Internet access to our offerings and
the characteristics and quality of online offerings, among other things. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to comply with any of
these laws or regulations could result in damage to our reputation and brand a loss in business and proceedings or actions against us
by governmental entities or others, which could adversely impact our results of operations.
We rely on mobile operating systems
and application marketplaces to make our apps available to the drivers and riders on our platform, and if we do not effectively operate
with or receive favorable placements within such application marketplaces and maintain high rider reviews, our usage or brand recognition
could decline and our business, financial results and results of operations could be adversely affected.
We
depend in part on mobile operating systems, such as Android and iOS, and their respective application marketplaces to make
our apps available to the drivers and riders on our platform. Any changes in such systems and application marketplaces that degrade the
functionality of our apps or give preferential treatment to our competitors’ apps could adversely affect our platform’s usage
on mobile devices. If such mobile operating systems or application marketplaces limit or prohibit us from making our apps available to
drivers and riders, make changes that degrade the functionality of our apps, increase the cost of using our apps, impose terms of use
unsatisfactory to us or modify their search or ratings algorithms in ways that are detrimental to us, or if our competitors’ placement
in such mobile operating systems’ application marketplace is more prominent than the placement of our apps, overall growth in our
rider or driver base could slow. Our apps have experienced fluctuations in number of downloads in the past, and we anticipate similar
fluctuations in the future. Any of the foregoing risks could adversely affect our business, financial condition
and results of operations.
As
new mobile devices and mobile platforms are released, there is no guarantee that certain mobile devices will continue to support our platform
or effectively roll out updates to our apps. Additionally, in order to deliver high-quality apps, we need to ensure that our offerings
are designed to work effectively with a range of mobile technologies, systems, networks and standards. We may not be successful in developing
or maintaining relationships with key participants in the mobile industry that enhance drivers’ and riders’ experience. If
drivers or riders on our platform encounter any difficulty accessing or using our apps on their mobile devices or if we are unable to
adapt to changes in popular mobile operating sys tems, our business, financial condition
and results of operations could be adversely affected.
We depend on the interoperability of
our platform across third-party applications and services that we do not control.
We
have integrations with AutoNavi Maps (also known as Gaode Maps) and a variety of other productivity, collaboration, travel, data management
and security vendors. As our offerings expand and evolve, including as we develop autonomous technology, we may have an increasing number
of integrations with other third-party applications, products and services. Third-party applications, products and services are constantly
evolving, and we may not be able to maintain or modify our platform to ensure its compatibility with third-party offerings following development
changes. As our mobile application and respective products evolve, we expect the types and levels of competition to increase. Should any
of our competitors or technology partners modify their products, standards or terms of use in a manner that degrades the functionality
or performance of our platform or is otherwise unsatisfactory to us or gives preferential treatment to competitive products or services,
our products, platform, business, financial condit ion and results of operations could be adversely affected.
21
We
have significant customer concentration, with a limited number of customers accounting for a substantial portion of our revenues. Failure
to attract, grow and retain a diverse and balanced customer base could harm our business and operating results.
We have a limited number of
customers that account for a substantial portion of our revenues, which carries risks. Three of our customers, accounted for approximately
54% of our revenues for the year ended December 31, 2023. It is not possible for us to predict the level of demand that will be generated
by any of these customers in the future. In addition, revenues from these larger customers may fluctuate from time to time based on these
customers’ business needs and customer experience, the timing of which may be affected by market conditions or other factors outside
of our control. These customers could also potentially pressure us to reduce the prices we charge, which could have an adverse effect
on our margins and financial position and could negatively affect our revenues and results of operations. However, there is no assurance
that if any of our large customers terminates their relationship with us or materially reduces the services they acquire from us, such
termination or reduction could negatively affect our revenues and results of operations.
Our ability to attract, grow
and retain a diverse and balanced customer base may affect our ability to maximize our revenues. Our ability to attract customers depends
on a variety of factors, including our service offerings. If we are unable to develop or improve our service offerings, we may fail to
develop, grow and retain a diverse and balanced customer base, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results
of operations.
Failure to protect or enforce our intellectual property rights
could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our
success is dependent in part upon protecting our intellectual property rights and technology (such as code, information, data, processes
and other forms of information, knowhow and technology), or intellectual property. We rely on a combination of patents, copyrights,
trademarks, service marks, trade secret laws and contractual restrictions to establish and protect our intellectual property. However,
the steps we take to protect our intellectual property may not be sufficient or effective. Even if we do detect violations, we may need
to engage in litigation to enforce our rights. Any enforcement efforts we undertake, including litigation, could be time-consuming and
expensive and could divert management attention. While we take precautions designed to protect our intellectual property, it may still
be possible for competitors and other unauthorized third parties to copy our technology and use our proprietary information to create
or enhance competing solutions and services, which could adversely affect our position in our rapidly evolving and highly competitive
industry.
We
may be required to spend significant resources in order to monitor and protect our intellectual property rights, and some violations may
be difficult or impossible to detect. Litigation to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights could be costly, time-consuming
and distracting to management and could result in the impairment or loss of portions of our intellectual property. Our efforts to enforce
our intellectual property rights may be met with defenses, counterclaims and countersuits attacking the validity and enforceability of
our intellectual property rights. Our inability to protect our proprietary technology against unauthorized copying or use, as well as
any costly litigation or diversion of our management’s attention and resources, could impair the functio nality of our platform,
delay introductions of enhancements to our platform, result in our substituting inferior or more costly technologies into our platform
or harm our reputation or brand. In addition, we may be required to license additional technology from third parties to develop and market
new offerings or platform features, which may not be on commercially reasonable terms or at all and could adversely affect our ability
to compete.
Our industry has also been subject to
attempts to steal intellectual property, particularly regarding autonomous vehicle development, including by foreign actors. We, along
with others in our industry, have been the target of attempted thefts of our intellectual property and may be subject to such attempts
in the future. Although we take measures to protect our property, if we are unable to prevent the theft of our intellectual property or
its exploitation, the value of our investments may be undermined and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be
negatively impacted.
Our platform contains third-party open
source software components, and failure to comply with the terms of the underlying open source software licenses could restrict our ability
to provide our offerings.
Our platform contains software modules
licensed to us by third-party authors under “open source” licenses. Use and distribution of open source software may entail
greater risks than use of third-party commercial software, as open source licensors generally do not provide support, warranties, indemnification
or other contractual protections regarding infringement claims or the quality of the code. In addition, the public availability of such
software may make it easier for others to compromise our platform.
Some open source
licenses contain requirements that we make available source code for modifications or derivative works we create based upon the type
of open source software we use, or grant other licenses to our intellectual property. If we combine our proprietary software with open
source software in a certain manner, we could, under certain open source licenses, be required to release the source code of our proprietary
software to the public. This would allow our competitors to create similar offerings with lower development effort and time and ultimately
could result in a loss of our competitive advantages. Alternatively, to avoid the public release of the affected portions of our source
code, we could be required to expend substantial time and resources to re-engineer some or all of our software. If we are held
by the court to have breached or failed to fully comply with all the terms and conditions of an open source software license, we could
face infringement or other liability, or be required to seek costly licenses from third parties to continue providing our offerings on
terms that are not economically feasible, to re-engineer our platform, to discontinue or delay the provision of our offerings
if re-engineering could not be accomplished on a timely basis or to make generally available, in source code form, our proprietary
code, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our business and results of operations
are also subject to global economic conditions, including any resulting effect on spending by us or our riders. If general economic conditions
deteriorate in China or in other markets where we operate, discretionary spending may decline and demand for ridesharing may be reduced.
An economic downturn resulting in a prolonged recessionary period may have a further adverse effect on our revenue.
22
Failure to maintain our reputation and brand image could negatively
impact our business.
Our brand has received a certain level
of recognition in mainland China, Hong Kong. Our success depends on our ability to maintain and enhance our brand image and reputation.
We could be adversely affected if our brand is tarnished or receives negative publicity. In addition, adverse publicity about regulatory
or legal action against us could damage our reputation and brand image, undermine consumer confidence in us, and reduce long-term demand
for our products, even if the regulatory or legal action is unfounded or not material to our operations.
In addition, our success in maintaining,
extending and expanding our brand image depends on our ability to adapt to a rapidly changing media and internet environment, including
our reliance on online advertising. Negative posts or comments about us on social networking websites could seriously damage our reputation
and brand image. If we do not maintain, extend and expand our brand image, our product sales, financial condition or results of operations
could be materially and adversely affected.
Our success is dependent on retaining key personnel who would
be difficult to replace.
Our success depends largely on the continued
services of our key management members. In particular, our success depends on the continued efforts of Ms. Wenxian Fan, our founder and
Chief Executive Officer, President and Director. There can be no assurance that Ms. Fan will continue in her present capacities for any
particular period of time. The loss of the services of Ms. Fan could materially and adversely affect our business development and our
ability to expand and grow.
The legal requirements associated with being a public company,
including those contained in and issued under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, may make it difficult for us to retain or attract qualified officers
and directors, which could adversely affect the management of our business and our ability to obtain listing of our common stock .
We
may be unable to attract and retain qualified officers and directors necessary to provide for our effective management because of the
rules and regulations that govern publicly listed companies, including, but not limited to, certifications by principal executive officers. Currently,
our Chief Executive Officer does not have extensive experience in operating a U.S. public company. Moreover, the actual and perceived
personal risks associated with compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other public company requirements may deter qualified individuals
from accepting roles as directors and executive officers. At present, we do not maintain an independent board of directors. Further,
the requirements for board or committee membership, particularly with respect to an individual’s independence and level of experience
in finance and accounting matters, may make it difficult to attract and retain qualified board members going forward. If
we are unable to attract and retain qualified officers and directors, the management of our business and our ability to obtain or retain
the listing of our common stock on any stock exchange (assuming we are able to obtain such listing) could be adversely affected.
If
we fail to establish and maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may not be able to report our financial results accurately
or prevent fraud. Any inability to report and file our financial results accurately and timely could harm our
business and adversely impact the trading price of our common stock .
We
are required to establish and maintain internal controls over financial reporting, disclosure controls and to comply with other requirements
of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the rules promulgated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) thereunder.
Our senior management, which currently consists of Ms. Fan, cannot guarantee that our internal controls and disclosure procedures will
prevent all possible errors or all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not
absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. In addition, the design of a control system must reflect the fact
that there are resource constraints and the benefit of controls must be relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in
all control systems, no system of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within
our company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty and that
breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Further, controls can be circumvented by individu al acts of some persons,
by collusion of two or more persons, or by management’s override of the controls. The design of any system of controls is also 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, a
control may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or the degree of compliance with policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Because of inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and may not be detected.
23
Operating as a public company requires us to incur substantial
costs and requires substantial management attention. In addition, key members of our management team have limited experience managing
a public company.
As
a public company, we will incur substantial legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. For example,
we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank
Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the rules and regulations of the SEC. For example, the Exchange Act requires, among other
things, we file annual, quarterly and current reports with respect to our business, financial condition and results of operations. Compliance
with these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs, and increase demand on our systems, particularly
after we are no longer an emerging growth company. In addition, as a public company, we may be subject to stockholder activism, which
can lead to additional substantial costs, distract management and impact the manner in which we operate our business in ways we cannot
currently anticipate. As a result of disclosure of informati on in this prospectus and in filings required of a public company,
our business and financial condition will become more visible, which may result in threatened or actual litigation, including by competitors.
Our current management has limited experience
managing a publicly traded company, interacting with public company investors and complying with the increasingly complex laws pertaining
to public companies. Our management team may not successfully or efficiently manage our transition to being a public company subject to
significant regulatory oversight and reporting obligations under the federal securities laws and the continuous scrutiny of securities
analysts and investors. These new obligations and constituents will require significant attention from our senior management and could
divert their attention away from the day-to-day management of our business, which could adversely affect our business, financial
condition and results of operations.
As an “emerging growth company” under applicable
law, we will be subject to lessened disclosure requirements, which could leave our shareholders without information or rights available
to shareholders of more mature companies.
For as long as we remain an “emerging
growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (which we refer to herein as the JOBS Act), we have
elected to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that
are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to:
●
not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act;
●
taking advantage of an extension of time to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards;
●
reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements; and
●
exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
We expect to take advantage of these
reporting exemptions until we are no longer an “emerging growth company.” Because of these lessened regulatory requirements,
our shareholders would be left without information or rights available to shareholders of more mature companies.
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Because we have elected to use the extended transition period
for complying with new or revised accounting standards for an “emerging growth company,” our financial statements may not
be comparable to companies that comply with public company effective dates.
We have elected to use the extended transition
period for complying with new or revised accounting standards under Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act. This election allows us to delay
the adoption of new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until those standards
apply to private companies. As a result of this election, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with
public company effective dates. Consequently, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with public company
effective dates. As such, investors may have difficulty evaluating or comparing our business, performance or prospects in comparison to
other public companies, which may have a negative impact on the value and liquidity of shares of our common stock.
Risks Related to Doing Business in China
Changes in the political and economic policies of the PRC government
may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and may result in our inability to sustain
our growth and expansion strategies.
Most of our operations are conducted
in the PRC and a significant percentage of our revenue is sourced from the PRC. Accordingly, our financial condition and results of operations
are affected to a significant extent by economic, political and legal developments in the PRC or changes in government relations between
China and the United States or other governments. There is significant uncertainty about the future relationship between the United States
and China with respect to trade policies, treaties, government regulations and tariffs.
The
PRC economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including the extent of government involvement, level
of development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. Although the PRC government has implemented measures
emphasizing the utilization of market forces for economic reform, the reduction of state ownership of productive assets, and the establishment
of improved corporate governance in business enterprises, a substantial portion of productive assets in China is still owned by the government.
In addition, the PRC government continues to play a significant role in regulating industry development by imposing industrial policies.
The PRC government also exercises significant control over China’s economic growth by allocating resources, controlling payment
of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy, regulating financial services and institutions and providing preferential
treatment to particular industries or companie s.
While
the PRC economy has experienced significant growth in the past three decades, growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various
sectors of the economy. The PRC government has implemented various measures to encourage economic growth and guide the allocation of resources.
Some of these measures may benefit the overall PRC economy, but may also have a negative effect on us. Our financial condition and results
of operation could be materially and adversely affected by government control over capital investments or changes in tax regulations
that are applicable to us. In addition, the PRC government has implemented in the past certain measures, including interest rate increases,
to control the pace of economic growth. These measures may cause decreased economic activity, which in turn could lead to a reduction
in demand for our services and consequently have a material adverse effect on our businesses, financial condition
and results of operations.
In
July 2021, the Chinese government provided new guidance on China-based companies raising capital outside of China, including through VIE
arrangements. In light of such developments, the SEC has imposed enhanced disclosure requirements on China-based companies seeking to
register securities with the SEC. As substantially all of our operations are based in China, any future Chinese, U.S. or other rules and
regulations that place restrictions on capital raising or other activities by China based companies could adversely affect our business
and results of operations. If the business environment in China deteriorates from the perspective of domestic or international investment,
or if relations between China and the United States or other governments deteriorate, the Chinese government may intervene with our operations
and our busine ss in China and United States, as well as the market price of our common stock, may also be adversely affected.
25
There are uncertainties regarding the interpretation and enforcement
of PRC laws, rules and regulations.
Most of our operations are conducted in the PRC,
and are governed by PRC laws, rules and regulations. Our PRC subsidiary are subject to laws, rules and regulations applicable to foreign
investment in China. The PRC legal system is a civil law system based on written statutes. Unlike the common law system, prior court decisions
may be cited for reference but have limited precedential value.
In
1979, the PRC government began to promulgate a comprehensive system of laws, rules and regulations governing economic matters in general.
The overall effect of legislation over the past four decades has significantly enhanced the protections afforded to various forms of foreign
investment in China. However, China has not developed a fully integrated legal system, and recently enacted laws, rules and regulations
may not sufficiently cover all aspects of economic activities in China or may be subject to significant degrees of interpretation by PRC
regulatory agencies. In particular, because these laws, rules and regulations are relatively new, and because of the limited number of
published decisions and the nonbinding nature of such decisions, and because the laws, rules and regulations often give the relevant regulator
significant discretion in how to enforce them, the interpretation and enforcement of these laws, rules and regulations involve uncertainties
and can be inconsistent and unpredictable. In addi tion, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal
rules, some of which are not published on a timely basis or at all, and which may have a retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be
aware of our violation of these policies and rules until after the occurrence of the violation.
Any administrative and court proceedings in China
may be protracted, resulting in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention. Since PRC administrative and court
authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, it may be more difficult to
evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy than in more developed legal systems.
These uncertainties may impede our ability to enforce the contracts we have entered into and could materially and adversely affect our
business, financial condition and results of operations.
Recently, the General Office of the Central Committee
of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued the “Opinions on Severely Cracking Down
on Illegal Securities Activities According to Law,” or the Opinions, which was made available to the public on July 6, 2021. The
Opinions emphasized the need to strengthen the administration over illegal securities activities, and the need to strengthen the supervision
over overseas listings by Chinese companies. Effective measures, such as promoting the construction of relevant regulatory systems will
be taken to deal with the risks and incidents of China-concept overseas listed companies, and cybersecurity and data privacy protection
requirements and similar matters. The Opinions remain unclear on how the law will be interpreted, amended and implemented by the relevant
PRC governmental authorities, but the Opinions and any related implementing rules to be enacted may subject us to compliance requirements
in the future.
On July 10, 2021, the Cyberspace Administration
of China issued a revised draft of the Measures for Cybersecurity Review for public comments, which required that, among others, in addition
to “operator of critical information infrastructure”, any “data processor” controlling personal information of
no less than one million users which seeks to list in a foreign stock exchange should also be subject to cybersecurity review, and further
elaborated the factors to be considered when assessing the national security risks of the relevant activities.
On November 14, 2021, the Cyberspace Administration
of China released the Regulations on Network Data Security (draft for public comments) and accepted public comments until December 13,
2021. The draft Regulations on Network Data Security provide that data processors refer to individuals or organizations that autonomously
determine the purpose and the manner of processing data. If a data processor that processes personal data of more than one million users
intends to list overseas, it shall apply for a cybersecurity review. In addition, data processors that process important data or are listed
overseas shall carry out an annual data security assessment on their own or by engaging a data security services institution, and the
data security assessment report for the prior year should be submitted to the local cyberspace affairs administration department before
January 31 of each year.
26
On December 28, 2021, the Measures for Cybersecurity
Review (2021 version) was promulgated and took effect on February 15, 2022, which iterates that any “online platform operators”
controlling personal information of more than one million users which seeks to list in a foreign stock exchange should also be subject
to cybersecurity review. Further, Measures for Cybersecurity Review (2021 version) was recently adopted and the Network Internet Data
Protection Draft Regulations (draft for comments) is in the process of being formulated and the Opinions remain unclear on how it will
be interpreted, amended and implemented by the relevant PRC governmental authorities.
On
February 24, 2023, the CSRC, the Ministry of Finance, the National Administration of State Secrets Protection and the National Archives
Administration jointly issued the Provisions on Strengthening Confidentiality and Archives Administration of Overseas Securities Offering
and Listing by Domestic Companies, or the Confidentiality and Archives Provisions (the “CAP”), which will take effective from
March 31, 2023. The Confidentiality and Archives Provisions specify that during the overseas issuance of securities and listing activities
of domestic enterprises, domestic enterprises and securities companies and securities service institutions that provide relevant securities
services shall, by strictly abiding by the relevant laws and regulations of the PRC and the requirements therein, establish sound confidentiality
and archives management systems, take necessary measures to implement confidentiality and archives management responsibilities, and shall
not leak national secrets, work secrets of governmental ag encies and undermine national and public interests. Work manuscripts
generated in the PRC by securities companies and securities service institutions that provide relevant securities services for overseas
issuance and listing of securities by domestic enterprises shall be kept in the PRC. Without the approval of relevant competent authorities,
it shall not be transferred overseas. Where archives or copies need to be transferred outside of the PRC, it shall be subject to the approval
procedures in accordance with relevant PRC regulations.
Based on the Company’s understanding of the
current PRC laws, as of the date of this report, we are of the view as a result of: (i) we do not hold personal information on more than
one million users in our business operations and (ii) data processed in our business does not have a bearing on national security and
thus may not be classified as core or important data by the authorities, we are not required to apply for a cybersecurity review under
the Measures for Cybersecurity Review (2021 version). Further, the business of our Hong Kong subsidiary, Pony HK is not subject to cybersecurity
review with the CAC, given that PRC laws on data protection and cybersecurity do not currently apply to Hong Kong. In addition, the CSRC
currently has not issued any definitive rule or interpretation concerning whether we are subject to the CAP.
On December 24, 2021, the CSRC released the Administrative
Provisions of the State Council Regarding the Overseas Issuance and Listing of Securities by Domestic Enterprises (Draft for Comments)
and the Measures for the Overseas Issuance of Securities and Listing Record-Filings by Domestic Enterprises (Draft for Comments) (both,
the “Draft Rules”), both of which had a comment period that expired on January 23, 2022, and if enacted, may subject us to
additional compliance requirement in the future.
On
February 17, 2023, the CSRC promulgated the Trial Administrative Measures of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies
(the “Trial Measures”), which will take effect on March 31, 2023. The Trial Measures supersede the Draft Rules and clarified
and emphasized several aspects, which include but are not limited to: (1) comprehensive determination of the “indirect overseas
offering and listing by PRC domestic companies” in compliance with the principle of “substance over form” and particularly,
an issuer will be required to go through the filing procedures under the Trial Measures if the following criteria are met at the same
time: a) 50% or more of the issuer’s operating revenue, total profit, t otal assets or net assets as documented in its audited
consolidated financial statements for the most recent accounting year is accounted for by PRC domestic companies, and b) the main parts
of the issuer’s business activities are conducted in mainland China, or its main places of business are located in mainland China,
or the senior managers in charge of its business operation and management are mostly Chinese citizens or domiciled in mainland China;
(2) exemptions from immediate filing requirements for issuers that a) have already been listed or registered but not yet listed in foreign
securities markets, including U.S. markets, prior to the effective date of the Trial Measures, and b) are not required to re-perform the
regulatory procedures with the relevant overseas regulatory authority or the overseas stock exchange, and c) whose such overseas securities
offering or listing shall be completed before September 30, 2023, provided however that such issuers shall carry out filing procedures
as required if they conduct refinancing or are involved in other circumstances that require filing with the CSRC; (3) a negative list
of types of issuers banned from listing or offering overseas, such as (a) issuers whose listing or offering overseas have been recognized
by the State Council of the PRC as possible threats to national security, (b) issuers whose affiliates have been recently convicted of
bribery and corruption, (c) issuers under ongoing criminal investigations, and (d) issuers under major disputes regarding equity ownership;
(4) issuers’ compliance with web security, data security, and other national security laws and regulations; (5) issuers’ filing
and reporting obligations, such as obligation to file with the CSRC after it submits an application for initial public offering to overseas
regulators, and obligation after offering or listing overseas to report to the CSRC material events including change of control or voluntary
or forced delisting of the issuer; and (6) the CSRC’s authority to fine both issuers and their shareholders between 1 and 10 million
RMB for failure to comply with the Trial Measures, including failure to comply with filing obligations or committing fraud and misrepresentation.
27
As a China-based issuer, we have determined that
we and our subsidiaries will not be required to comply with the filing requirements or procedures set forth in Trial Measures given that
we are already listed on an overseas exchange before the effective date of the Trial Measures of March 31, 2023.
Nevertheless, if the CSRC or other regulatory agencies
later promulgate new rules or explanations requiring that we obtain their approvals for this offering and any follow-on offering, we may
be unable to obtain such approvals which could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities
to our investors.
Furthermore, the PRC government authorities may
strengthen oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers like us.
Such actions taken by the PRC government authorities may intervene or influence our operations at any time, which are beyond our control.
Therefore, any such action may adversely affect our operations and significantly limit or hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer
securities to you and reduce the value of such securities.
Uncertainties regarding the enforcement of laws
and the fact that rules and regulations in China can change quickly with little advance notice, along with the risk that the Chinese government
may intervene or influence our operations at any time, or may exert more control over offerings conducted overseas and/or foreign investment
in China-based issuers could result in a material change in our operations, financial performance and/or the value of our common stock
or impair our ability to raise money.
The PRC government exerts substantial influence over the manner
in which we conduct our business activities. The PRC government may also intervene or influence our operations and this offering at any
time, which could result in a material change in our operations and our common stock could decline in value or become worthless.
As
advised by our PRC counsel, Beijing Haotai Law Firm, we currently have not received any notice or administrative order which require the
Company to obtain approval from Chinese authorities to list on U.S exchanges, however, if our holding company or any of our PRC
subsidiary were required to obtain approval in the future and were denied permission from Chinese authorities to list on U.S. exchanges,
we will not be able to continue listing on U.S. exchange, continue to offer securities to investors, or materially affect the interest
of the investors and cause significantly depreciation of our price of common stock.
The
Chinese government has exercised and continues to exercise substantial control over virtually every sector of the Chinese economy through
regulation and state ownership. Our ability to operate in China may be harmed by changes in its laws and regulations, including those
relating to taxation, environmental regulations, land use rights, property and other matters. The central or local governments of these
jurisdictions may impose new, stricter regulations or interpretations of existing regulations that would require additional expenditures
and efforts on our part to ensure our compliance with such regulations or interpretations. Accordingly, government actions in the future,
including any decision not to continue to support recent economic reforms and to return to a more centrally planned economy or regional
or local variations in the implementati on of economic policies, could have a significant effect on economic conditions in China
or particular regions thereof, and could require us to divest ourselves o f
any interest we then hold in our operations in China.
For example, the Chinese cybersecurity regulator
announced on July 2, 2021, that it had begun an investigation of Didi Global Inc. (NYSE: DIDI) and two days later ordered that the company’s
app be removed from smartphone app stores. Similarly, our business segments may be subject to various government and regulatory interference
in the regions in which we operate. We could be subject to regulation by various political and regulatory entities, including various
local and municipal agencies and government sub-divisions. We may incur increased costs necessary to comply with existing and newly adopted
laws and regulations or penalties for any failure to comply.
Furthermore,
it is uncertain when and whether we will be required to obtain permission from the PRC government to list on U.S. exchanges in the future,
and even when such permission is obtained, whether it will be denied or rescinded. Although we and our subsidiaries are currently not
required to obtain permission or approvals from any of the PRC or Hong Kong government or regulatory agencies, we have not received any
denial to list on the U.S. exchange, our operations could be adversely affected, directly or indirectly, by existing or future laws and
regulations relating to our business or industry. Recent statements by the Chinese government indicating an intent, and the PRC government
may take actions to exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based
issuers, which could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause
the value of our securities to significantly decline or become worthless.
28
The CSRC has enacted the draft rules for China-based companies
seeking to conduct initial public offerings in foreign markets. While such rules have not yet gone into effect and we have determined
we are not subject to the measures, the CSRC may exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and foreign
investment in China-based issuers, which could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer our
common stock to investors and could cause the value of our common stock to significantly decline or become worthless.
On December 24, 2021, the CSRC released the Draft
Rules Regarding Overseas Listing (the “Draft Rules”), which had a comment period that expired on January 23, 2022. The Draft
Rules Regarding Overseas Listing lay out the filing regulation arrangement for both direct and indirect overseas listing, and clarify
the determination criteria for indirect overseas listing in overseas markets.
On
February 17, 2023, the CSRC promulgated the Trial Administrative Measures of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies
(the “Trial Measures”), which will take effect on March 31, 2023. The Trial Measures supersede the Draft Rules and clarified
and emphasized several aspects, which include but are not limited to: (1) comprehensive determination of the “indirect overseas
offering and listing by PRC domestic companies” in compliance with the principle of “substance over form” and particularly,
an issuer will be requi red to go through the filing procedures under the Trial Measures if the following criteria are met at the
same time: a) 50% or more of the issuer’s operating revenue, total profit, total assets or net assets as documented in its audited
consolidated financial statements for the most recent accounting year is accounted for by PRC domestic companies, and b) the main parts
of the issuer’s business activities are conducted in mainland China, or its main places of business are located in mainland China,
or the senior managers in charge of its business operation and management are mostly Chinese citizens or domiciled in mainland China;
(2) exemptions from immediate filing requirements for issuers that a) have already been listed or registered but not yet listed in foreign
securities markets, including U.S. markets, prior to the effective date of the Trial Measures, and b) are not required to re-perform the
regulatory procedures with the relevant overseas regulatory authority or the overseas stock exchange, and c) whose such overseas securities
offering or listing shall be completed before September 30, 2023, provided however that such issuers shall carry out filing procedures
as required if they conduct refinancing or are involved in other circumstances that require filing with the CSRC; (3) a negative list
of types of issuers banned from listing or offering overseas, such as (a) issuers whose listing or offering overseas have been recognized
by the State Council of the PRC as possible threats to national security, (b) issuers whose affiliates have been recently convicted of
bribery and corruption, (c) issuers under ongoing criminal investigations, and (d) issuers under major disputes regarding equity ownership;
(4) issuers’ compliance with web security, data security, and other national security laws and regulations; (5) issuers’ filing
and reporting obligations, such as obligation to file with the CSRC after it submits an application for initial public offering to overseas
regulators, and obligation after offering or listing overseas to report to the CSRC material events including change of control or voluntary
or forced delisting of the issuer; and (6) the CSRC’s authority to fine both issuers and their shareholders between 1 and 10 million
RMB for failure to comply with the Trial Measures, including failure to comply with filing obligations or committing fraud and misrepresentation.
As a China-based issuer, we have determined that
we and our subsidiaries will not be required to comply with the filing requirements or procedures set forth in Trial Measures given that
we are already listed on an overseas exchange before the effective date of the Trial Measures of March 31, 2023.
Nevertheless, if the CSRC or other regulatory agencies
later promulgate new rules or explanations requiring that we obtain their approvals for this offering and any follow-on offering, we may
be unable to obtain such approvals which could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities
to our investors.
Furthermore, the PRC government authorities may
strengthen oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers like us.
Such actions taken by the PRC government authorities may intervene or influence our operations at any time, which are beyond our control.
Any failure of us to fully comply with new regulatory requirements may significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or
continue to offer our common stock, cause significant disruption to our business operations, and severely damage our reputation, which
would materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations and cause our common stock to significantly decline
in value or become worthless.
Failure to make adequate contributions to various employee benefit
plans and withhold individual income tax on employees’ salaries as required by PRC regulations may subject us to penalties.
Companies
operating in China are required to participate in various government-mandated employee benefit contribution plans, including certain social
insurance, housing funds and other welfare-oriented payment obligations, and contribute to the plans in amounts equal to certain percentages
of salaries, including bonuses and allowances, of our employees up to a maximum amount specified by the local government from time to
time at locations where we operate our businesses. The requirement of employee benefit contribution plans has not been implemented consistently
by the local governments in China given the different levels of economic development in different locations. Companies operating in China
are also required to withhold individual income tax on employees’ salaries based on the actual salary of each employee upon payment.
We may be subject to late fees and fines in relation to the underpaid employee benefits and under-withheld individual income tax, our
financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.
29
We must remit the offering proceeds
to China before they may be used to benefit our business in China, and we cannot assure that we can finish all necessary governmental
registration processes in a timely manner.
As
an offshore holding company of our PRC operating subsidiary, we may make loans to our PRC subsidiary subject to the approval, registration,
and filing with governmental authorities and limitation of amount, or we may make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiary.
Any shareholder loan to our PRC subsidiary, which is treated as a foreign-invested enterprise under PRC law, is subject to foreign exchange
loan registration with the local counterpart of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE. Furthermore, loans by us to our
PRC subsidiary to finance its activities cannot exceed statutory limits and must be registered with the local counterpart of the SAFE
and capital contributions to our PRC subsidiary are subject to the requirement of making necessary filings in the Foreign Investment Comprehensive
Management Information System of the MOFCOM, registration with the local counterpart of the State Administration for Market Regulation,
or the SAMR, and the SAFE registration through loca l commercial banks in China. In addition, a foreign invested enterprise shall
use its capital pursuant to the principle of authenticity and self-use within its business scope. The
capital of a foreign invested enterprise shall not be used for the following purposes: (i)directly or indirectly used for payment beyond
the business scope of the enterprises or the payment prohibited by relevant laws and regulations; (ii) directly or indirectly used
for investment in securities or investments other than banks’ principal secured products unless otherwise provided by relevant laws
and regulations; (iii) the granting of loans to non-affiliated enterprises, except where it is expressly permitted in the business license;
and (iv) paying the expenses related to the purchase of real estate that is not for self-use (except for the foreign-invested real estate
enterprises).
In light of the various requirements
imposed by PRC regulations on loans to, and direct investment in, PRC entities by offshore holding companies, we cannot assure you that
we will be able to complete the necessary government registrations or obtain the necessary government approvals on a timely basis, if
at all, with respect to future loans by us to our PRC subsidiary or with respect to future capital contributions by us to our PRC subsidiary.
If we fail to complete such registrations or obtain such approvals, our ability to use the proceeds from this offering and to capitalize
or otherwise fund our PRC operations may be negatively affected, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity, our ability
to fund and expand our business and our common stock.
If relations between the United States and China worsen, investors
may be unwilling to hold or buy our stock and our stock price may decrease .
At various times during recent years,
the U.S and China have had significant disagreements over political and economic issues. Controversies may arise in the future between
these two countries that may affect our economic outlook both in the U.S and in China. Any political or trade controversies between the
U.S and China, whether or not directly related to our business, could reduce the price of our common stock.
The fluctuation of the Renminbi may have a material adverse effect
on your investment.
The
exchange rates between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar and other foreign currencies are affected by, among other things, changes in China’s
political and economic conditions. In July 2005, the PRC government changed its policy of pegging the value of the Renminbi to the U.S.
dollar, and the Renminbi was permitted to fluctuate within a band against a basket of certain foreign currencies. As a result, the Renminbi
appreciated more than 20% against the U.S. dollar over the following three years. However, the People’s Bank of China regularly
intervenes in the foreign exchange market to limit fluctuations in Renminbi exchange rates and achieve policy goals. For almost two years
after July 2008, the Renminbi traded within a very narrow range against the U.S. dollar, remaining within 1% of its July 2008 high. As
a consequence, the Renminbi fluctuated significantly during that period against other freely traded currencies, in tandem with the U.S.
dollar. In June 2010, the PRC government announced that it would i ncrease exchange rate flexibility of the Renminbi. However, it
remains unclear how this flexibility might be implemented. There remains significant international pressure on the PRC government to adopt
a more flexible currency policy, which could result in a further and more significant appreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar.
30
As
we rely on fees paid to us by our subsidiary and affiliated consolidated entities in China, any significant revaluation of the Renminbi
could adversely affect our cash flows, revenues, earnings and financial position, and the value of, and any dividends payable on, shares
of our common stock in foreign currency terms. To the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars we received from our offering into Renminbi
for our operations, appreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the Renminbi amount we would
receive from the conversion. Conversely, if we decide to convert our Renminbi into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for
dividends on our common stock or for other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the Renminbi would have a negative
effect on the U.S. dollar amount available to us. In addition, since our functional and reporting currency is the U.S. dollar while the
functional currency of our subsidiary and consolidated affiliated entities in China is Renminbi, appreciation
or depreciation in the value of the Renminbi relative to the U.S. dollar would have a positive or negative effect on our reported financial
results, which might not reflect any underlying change in our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Restrictions on currency exchange may limit our ability to receive
and use our revenue effectively.
Substantially
all of our revenue is denominated in Renminbi. Renminbi is currently convertible under the “current account,” which includes
dividends, trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, but not under the “capital account,” which includes foreign
direct investment and loans, including loans we may secure from our onshore subsidiaries. Currently, Universe Travel may purchase foreign
currency for settlement of “current account transactions,” including payment of dividends to us, without the approval of the
State Administration of Foreign Exchange (“SAFE”) by complying with certain procedural requirements. However, the relevant
PRC government al authorities may limit or eliminate our ability to purchase foreign currencies in the future for current account
transactions. Since a significant amount of our future revenue will be denominated in Renminbi, any existing and future restrictions on
currency exchange may limit our ability to utilize revenue generated in Renminbi to fund our business activities outside of the PRC or
pay dividends in foreign currencies to our shareholders, including holders of our common stock. Foreign exchange transactions under the
capital account remain subject to limitations and require approvals from, or registration with, SAFE and other relevant PRC governmental
authorities. This could affect our ability to obtain foreign currency through debt or equity financing for our subsidiaries.
Our subsidiaries and affiliated entities in China are subject
to restrictions on making dividends and other payments to us.
We are a holding company, and we rely
on dividends and other equity distributions paid by our PRC subsidiary for our cash and financing requirements, including the funds necessary
to pay dividends and other cash distributions to our shareholders and service any debt we may incur. If our PRC subsidiary incurs debt
on its own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other distributions
to us.
Under
PRC laws and regulations, Universe Travel is a wholly foreign-owned enterprise in China. As such, Universe Travel may pay dividends only
out of its accumulated after-tax profits as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, a wholly
foreign-owned enterprise is required to set aside at least 10% of its accumulated after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund certain
statutory reserve funds until the aggregate amount of such funds reaches 50% of its registered capital. At its disc retion, a wholly
foreign-owned enterprise may allocate a portion of its after-tax profits based on PRC accounting standards to staff welfare and bonus
funds. These reserve funds and staff welfare and bonus funds are not distributable as cash dividends.
Any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiary
to pay dividends or make other distributions to us could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions
that could be beneficial to our business, pay dividends, or otherwise fund and conduct our business.
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The PRC’s legal and judicial system may not adequately
protect our business and operations and the rights of foreign investors.
The PRC legal and judicial system may
negatively impact foreign investors. In 1982, the National People’s Congress amended the Constitution of China to authorize foreign
investment and guarantee the “lawful rights and interests” of foreign investors in the PRC. However, the PRC’s system
of laws is not yet comprehensive. The legal and judicial systems in the PRC are still rudimentary and enforcement of existing laws is
inconsistent. As a result, it may be impossible to obtain swift and equitable enforcement of laws that do exist, or to obtain enforcement
of the judgment of one court by a court of another jurisdiction. The PRC’s legal system is based on the civil law regime, that is,
it is based on written statutes. A decision by one judge does not set a legal precedent that is required to be followed by judges in other
cases. In addition, the interpretation of Chinese laws may be varied to reflect domestic political changes.
The promulgation of new laws, changes
to existing laws and the pre-emption of local regulations by national laws may adversely affect foreign investors. There can be no assurance
that a change in leadership, social or political disruption, or unforeseen circumstances affecting the PRC’s political, economic
or social life, will not affect the PRC government’s ability to continue to support and pursue these reforms. Such a shift could
have a material adverse effect on our business and prospects.
Because our principal assets are located outside of the United
States, it may be difficult for you to enforce your rights based on U.S. federal securities laws against us or to enforce a U.S. court
judgment against us or our operating subsidiaries in the PRC and in Hong Kong
A substantial portion of our operations
and assets are located outside of the United States. It may therefore be difficult for investors in the United States to enforce their
legal rights against us based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws against us in the courts of either
the U.S. or the PRC and, even if civil judgments are obtained in U.S. courts, it may be difficult to enforce such judgments in PRC courts.
Our operations could be adversely affected, directly or indirectly,
by future PRC laws and regulations relating to our business or industry, if we inadvertently conclude that such approvals or permissions,
including business licenses, are not required when they are, or applicable laws, regulations, or interpretations change and we are required
to obtain approvals or permissions in the future.
Our
operations in China are governed by PRC and Hong Kong laws and regulations. As of the date of this report, as advised our PRC legal
counsel, Beijing Haotai Law Firm, none of our nor our subsidiaries are
currently required to obtain any permission approval or business licenses from the CSRC, the CAC, the trading of our securities on the
OTCQB and the offering of our securities to foreign investors, or any other governmental agency that is required to approve our or our
subsidiaries’ operations. The business of our Hong Kong subsidiary, Pony HK is not subject to cybersecurity review with the CAC,
given that PRC laws on data protection and cybersecurity do not currently apply to Hong Kong. Further, for our Shenzhen subsidiary, Universe
Travel, and to the extent that if we become subject to such PRC laws in the future. As advised by our PRC counsel, we do not believe we
are required to conduct a cybersecurity review because (i) we do not possess a large amount of personal information on more than one million
users in our business operations; and (ii) data processed in our business does not have a bearing on national security and thus may not
be classified as core or important data by the authorities. However, our operations could be adversely affected, directly or indirectly,
by future laws and regulations relating to our business or industry, if we inadvertently conclude that such approvals or permissions are
not required when they are, or applicable laws, regulations, or interpretations change and we are required to obtain approvals or permissions
in the future. We may be subject to penalties and sanctions imposed by the PRC or Hong Kong regulatory agencies, including the CSRC, if
we fail to comply with such rules and regulations, which could adversely affect the ability of the Company’s securities to continue
to trade on the OTCQB, which may cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or become worthless.
Given the uncertainties of
interpretation and implementation of laws and regulations and the enforcement practice of government authorities, we may be required to
obtain additional licenses, permits, filings or approvals for the functions and services of our platform in the future. For more detailed
information, see “ Item 1. Business-Regulatory Permissions and Developments”
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You may face difficulties in protecting your interests and exercising
your rights as our stockholder since we conduct the bulk of our operations in China.
We conduct the bulk of our operations
in China through our PRC-subsidiary Universe Travel. Because of this factor, it may be difficult for you to conduct due diligence on the
Company, our executive officers or director and attend stockholders meetings if the meetings are held in China. As a result, our public
stockholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests through actions against our management, our director or major stockholders
than would stockholders of a corporation doing business entirely or predominantly within the United States.
We and our shareholders face uncertainties with respect to indirect
transfers of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises or other assets attributed to a Chinese establishment of a non-Chinese company,
or immovable properties located in China owned by non-Chinese companies.
On
February 3, 2015, the State Administration of Taxation, or SAT, issued the Bulletin on Issues of Enterprise Income Tax on Indirect Transfers
of Assets by Non-PRC Resident Enterprises, or Bulletin 7, which replaced or supplemented previous rules under the Notice on Strengthening
Administration of Enterprise Income Tax for Share Transfers by Non-PRC Resident Enterprises, or Circular 698, issued by the State Administration
of Taxation, on December 10, 2009. Pursuant to this Bulletin, an “indirect transfer” of assets, including equity interests
in a PRC resident enterprise, by non-PRC resident enterprises may be re-characterized and treated as a direct transfer of PRC taxable
assets, if such arrangement does not have a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of avoiding payment of PRC
enterprise income tax. As a result, gains derived from such an indirect transfer may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax. According
to Bulletin 7, “PRC taxable assets” include assets attributed to an establishment in China, immoveable properties located
in China, and equity investments in PRC resident enterprises, in respect of which gains from their transfer by a direct holder, being
a non-PRC resident enterprise, would be subject to PRC enterprise income taxes. When determining whether there is a “reasonable
commercial purpose” of the transaction arrangement, features to be taken into consideration include: whether the main value of the
equity interest of the relevant offshore enterprise derives from PRC taxable assets; whether the assets of the relevant offshore enterprise
mainly consists of direct or indirect investment in China or if its income mainly derives from China; whether the offshore enterprise
and its subsidiaries directly or indirectly holding PRC taxable assets have a real commercial nature which is evidenced by their actual
function and risk exposure; the duration of existence of the business model and organizational structure; the replicability of the transaction
by direct transfer of PRC taxable assets; and the tax situation of such indirect transfer and applicable tax treaties or similar arrangements.
In respect of an indirect offshore transfer of assets of a PRC establishment, the resulting gain is to be included with the enterprise
income tax filing of the PRC establishment or place of business being transferred,
and would consequently be subject to PRC enterprise income tax at a rate of 25%. Where the underlying transfer relates to the immoveable
properties located in China or to equity investments in a PRC resident enterprise, which is not related to a PRC establishment or place
of business of a non-resident enterprise, a PRC enterprise income tax of 10% would apply, subject to available preferential tax treatment
under applicable tax treaties or similar arrangements, and the party who is obligated to make the transf er payments has the withholding
obligation. Where the payer fails to withhold any or withholds insufficient tax, the transferor shall declare and pay such tax to the
tax authority by itself within the statutory time limit. Late payment of applicable tax will subject the transferor to default interest.
Bulletin 7 does not apply to transactions of sale of shares by investors through a public stock exchange where such shares were acquired
from a transaction through a public stock exchange.
In
October 2017, SAT issued an Announcement on Issues Relating to Withholding at Source of Income Tax of Nonresident Enterprises, or SAT
Circular 37. Effective from December 2017, SAT Circular 37, among others, repealed the Circular 698 and amended certain provisions in
Bulletin 7. According to SAT Circular 37, where the non-resident enterprise fails to declare the tax payable pursuant to Article 39 of
the Enterprise Income Tax, the tax authority may order it to pay the tax due within required time limits, and the non-resident enterprise
shall declare and pay the tax paya ble within such time limits specified by the tax authority. However, if the non-resident enterprise
voluntarily declares and pays the tax payable before the tax authority orders it to do so within required time limits, it shall be deemed
that such enterprise has paid the tax in time.
33
We
face uncertainties as to the reporting and other implications of certain past and future transactions where PRC taxable assets are involved,
such as offshore restructuring, sale of the shares in our offshore subsidiaries and investments. Our company may be subject to filing
obligations or taxed if our company is transferor in such transactions, and may be subject to withholding obligations if our company is
transferee in such transactions, under Bulletin 7 and SAT Circular 37. For transfer of shares in our company by investors who are non-PRC
resident enterprises, our PRC subsidiary may be requested to assist in the filing under the SAT circulars. As a result, we may be required
to expend valuable resources to comply with the SAT circulars or to request the relevant transferors from whom we purchase taxable assets
to comply with these circulars, or t o establish that our company should not be taxed under these circulars, which may have a material
adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
The future development of national security laws and regulations
in Hong Kong could materially impact our business by possibly triggering sanctions and other measures which can cause economic harm to
our business.
On
June 30, 2020, the National People’s Congress of China passed a national security law (the “National Security Law”),
which criminalizes certain offenses, including secession, subversion of the Chinese government, terrorism and collusion with foreign entities.
On March 19, 2024, the Legislative Council of Hong Kong enacted the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (the “SNSO”)
which became in force on March 23, 2024. The SNSO is the second national security law applicable to Hong Kong that criminalizes treason,
espionage, sedition and external interference in Hong Kong’s internal affairs. Both the National Security Law and the SNSO also
applies to non-permanent residents. Although the extra-territorial reach of the National Security Law and the SNSO remains unclear, there
is a risk that its application to conduct outside Hong Kong by non-permanent residents of Hong Kong could limit the activities of or negatively
impact us. On July 14, 2020, in response to the enactment of the National Security Law, the United States Congress passed the Hong Kong
Autonomy Act which, among other things, sanction on officials and entities in Hong Kong as well as in China that are deemed to help violate
Hong Kong’s autonomy, and punishes financial institutions that do business with them. The United States and other countries may
further take action against China, its leaders and leaders of Hong Kong, which may include the imposition of wider sanctions. Escalation
of tensions resulting from the National Security Law and the SNSO, including conflict between China and other countries, protests and
other government measures, as well as other economic, social or political unrest in the future, could negatively impact the security and
stability of the region and have a material adverse effect on our business. The aforementioned risks, including an expansionary application
of the National Security Law or the SNSO in unpredictable circumstances by either the Chinese or Hong Kong authorities, and any downturn
in Hong Kong’s economy could negatively impact the industries in which we participate, negatively impact our business operations
and have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flow.
Potential political and economic instability in Hong Kong may
adversely impact our results of operations. We may also face the risk that changes in the policies of the PRC government could have a
significant impact upon the business we conduct in Hong Kong and the profitability of such business.
Our operational activities are conducted in Hong
Kong and through our wholly owned subsidiary Universe Travel in Shenzhen in Guangdong Province. Accordingly, political and economic conditions
in Hong Kong and the surrounding region, including Guangdong Province, may directly affect our business. Since early 2019, a number of
political protests and conflicts have occurred in Hong Kong in connection with proposed legislation that would allow local authorities
to detain and extradite people who are wanted in territories that Hong Kong does not have extradition agreements with, including mainland
China and Taiwan. The economy of Hong Kong has been negatively impacted, including our retail market, property market, stock market, and
tourism, from such protests.
Under the Basic Law, Hong Kong is exclusively in
charge of its internal affairs and external relations, while the government of the PRC is responsible for its foreign affairs and defense.
As a separate customs territory, Hong Kong maintains and develops relations with foreign states and regions. We cannot assure you that
the Hong Kong protests will not affect Hong Kong’s status as a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China
and thereby affecting its current relations with foreign states and regions.
It is unclear whether there will be other political
or social unrest in the near future or that there will not be other events that could lead to the disruption of the economic, political
and social conditions in Hong Kong. If such events persist for a prolonged period of time or that the economic, political and social conditions
in Hong Kong are to be disrupted, our overall business and results of operations may be adversely affected.
34
In
addition, economic, political and legal developments and social conditions in the PRC may significantly affect our business, financial
condition, results of operations and prospects. The PRC economy is in transition from a planned economy to a market-oriented economy subject
to plans adopted by the government that set national economic development goals. Policies of the PRC government can have significant effects
on economic conditions in the PRC and Hong Kong. While we believe that the PRC will continue to strengthen its economic and trading relationships
with foreign countries and that business development in the PRC will continue to follow market forces, we cannot assure you that this
will be the case. Our business operations and prospects, financial condition, and results of operations may be adversely affected by changes
in policies by the PRC government, including:
●
changes in laws, regulations or their interpretation;
●
confiscatory taxation;
●
restrictions on currency conversion, imports or sources of supplies, or ability to continue as a for-profit enterprise;
●
expropriation or nationalization of private enterprises; and
●
the allocation of resources.
Our Hong Kong and Shenzhen subsidiaries may be subject to restrictions
on paying dividends or making other payments to us, which may restrict its ability to satisfy liquidity requirements, conduct business
and pay dividends to holders of our common stock. Dividends payable to our foreign investors and gains on the sale of our shares of common
stock by our foreign investors may become subject to tax by the PRC.
Pony
Group Inc is a holding company incorporated in Delaware with its operating subsidiaries located in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Most of our
cash is maintained in Chinese Yuan. We conduct no other business and, as a result, we depend entirely upon our Hong Kong and Shenzhen
operating subsidiaries’ earnings and cash flow. If we decide in the future to pay dividends, as a holding company, our ability to
pay dividends and meet other obligations depends upon the receipt of dividends or other payments from our operating subsidiary. There
are currently no restrictions of transferring funds between our Delaware holding company and our operating subsidiaries in Hong Kong and
Shenzhen or limitations on the ability of our Hong Kong and Shenzhen subsidiary to issue dividends or other distributions to its overseas
shareholders. However, we cannot assure you that the oversight of the PRC government will not be extended to companies operating
in Hong Kong and Shenzhen like our Hong Kong and Shenzhen subsidiaries. There is a possibility that the PRC government could prevent our
cash maintained in Hong Kong or Shenzhen from leaving or the PRC could restrict the deployment of the cash into our business or for the
payment of dividends. However, we do not expect that a restriction into the deployment
of cash into our business to affect the use of our assets in our ordinary course of business. Nevertheless, any such controls or restrictions
in the future could adversely affect our ability to finance our cash requirements, service debt or make dividend or other distributions
to our stockholders and could result in a material adverse change to our business operations, our prospects, financial condition, and
results of operations, and could cause our common stock to significantly decline in value or become worthless.
Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCAA, and
the related regulations are evolving quickly. Further implementations and interpretations of our amendments to the HFCAA or the related
regulations, or a PCAOB’s determination of its lack of sufficient access to inspect our auditor, might pose regulatory risks to
and impose restrictions on us because of our operations in mainland China that PCAOB may not be able to inspect or investigate completely
such audit documentation and, as such, you may be deprived of the benefits of such inspection and our ordinary share could be delisted
from the stock exchange pursuant to the HFCAA
The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act,
or the HFCA Act, was enacted on December 18, 2020. The HFCA Act states if the SEC determines that a company has filed audit reports issued
by a registered public accounting firm that has not been subject to inspection by the PCAOB for three consecutive years beginning in 2021,
the SEC shall prohibit such common stock from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over the counter trading market
in the U.S.
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On March 24, 2021, the SEC adopted interim final
rules relating to the implementation of certain disclosure and documentation requirements of the HFCA Act. A company will be required
to comply with these rules if the SEC identifies it as having a “non-inspection” year under a process to be subsequently established
by the SEC. The SEC is assessing how to implement other requirements of the HFCA Act, including the listing and trading prohibition requirements
described above.
On June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the Accelerating
Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or AHFCAA, which proposes to reduce the period of time for foreign companies to comply with
PCAOB audits from three to two consecutive years, thus reducing the time period before the securities of such foreign companies may be
prohibited from trading or delisted. On December 29, 2022, the AHFCAA was signed into law.
On
September 22, 2021, the PCAOB adopted a final rule implementing the HFCA Act, which provides a framework for the PCAOB to use when determining,
as contemplated under the HFCA Act, whether the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms
located in a foreign jurisdiction because of a position taken by one or more authorities in that jurisdiction. On December 2, 2021, the
SEC issued amendments to finalize rules implementing the submission and disclosure requirements in the HFCA Act. The rules apply to registrants
that the SEC identifies as having filed an annual report with an audit report issued by a registered public accounting firm that is located
in a foreign jurisdiction and that PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in
foreign jurisdictions. The final amendments are effective on January 10, 2022. The SEC will begin to identify and list Commission-Identified
Issuers on its website shortly after registra nts begin filing their annual reports for 2021.
On December 16, 2021, PCAOB announced the PCAOB Holding Foreign Companies
Accountable Act determinations (the “2021 PCAOB Determinations”) relating to the PCAOB’s inability to inspect or investigate
completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China of the PRC or Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region
and dependency of the PRC, because of a position taken by one or more authorities in the PRC or Hong Kong. Our auditor, YCM CPA, Inc.,
is not headquartered in China or Hong Kong and was not identified in this report as a firm subject to the PCAOB’s determination.
The lack of access to the PCAOB inspection in China
prevents the PCAOB from fully evaluating audits and quality control procedures of the auditors based in China. As a result, the investors
may be deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspections. The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of auditors in China makes
it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of these accounting firms’ audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared
to auditors outside of China that are subject to the PCAOB inspections, which could cause existing and potential investors in our stock
to lose confidence in our audit procedures and reported financial information and the quality of our financial statements.
Our
auditor, the independent registered public accounting firm that issues the audit report included elsewhere in this prospectus, as an auditor
of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the PCAOB, is subject to laws in the United States
pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular inspections to assess its compliance with the applicable professional standards. Our auditor’s
registration with the PCAOB took effect in September 2020 and it is currently subject to PCAOB inspections. The PCAOB currently has access
to inspect the working papers of our auditor. However, the recent developments would add uncertainties to our offering and we cannot assure
you whether regulatory authorities would apply additional and more stringent criteria to us after considering the effectiveness of our
auditor’s audit procedures and quality control procedures, adequacy of personnel and training, or sufficiency of resources, geographic
reach or experience as it relates to the audit of our financial statements.
36
On August 26, 2022, the PCAOB announced and signed
a Statement of Protocol (the “Protocol”) with the China Securities Regulatory Commission and the Ministry of Finance of the
People’s Republic of China. The Protocol provides the PCAOB with: (1) sole discretion to select the firms, audit engagements and
potential violations it inspects and investigates, without any involvement of Chinese authorities; (2) procedures for PCAOB inspectors
and investigators to view complete audit work papers with all information included and for the PCAOB to retain information as needed;
(3) direct access to interview and take testimony from all personnel associated with the audits the PCAOB inspects or investigates.
The PCAOB reassessed the 2021 PCAOB Determinations
that the positions taken by PRC authorities prevented the PCAOB from inspecting and investigating in mainland China and Hong Kong completely.
The PCAOB sent its inspectors to conduct on-site inspections and investigations of firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong
from September to November 2022.
On
December 15, 2022, the PCAOB announced its determination (the “2022 Determination”) that the PCAOB was able to secure complete
access to inspect and investigate accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong, and the PCAOB Board voted to vacate
previous determinations to the contrary. Should the PCAOB again encounter impediments to inspections and investigations in mainland China
or Hong Kong as a result of positions taken by any authority in either jurisdiction, including by the CSRC or the Ministry of Finance,
the PCAOB will make determinations under the HFCAA as and when appropriate. We cannot assure you whether OTC or regulatory authorities
would apply additional and more string ent criteria to us after considering the effectiveness of our auditor’s audit procedures
and quality control procedures, adequacy of personnel and training, or sufficiency of resources, geographic reach, or experience as it
relates to the audit of our financial statements. There is a risk that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely the Company’s
auditor because of a position taken by an authority in a foreign jurisdiction or any other reasons, and that the PCAOB may re-evaluate
its determinations as a result of any obstruction with the implementation of
the Protocol. Such lack of inspection or re-evaluation could cause trading in the Company’s securities to be prohibited under the
HFCAA ultimately result in a determination by a securities exchange to delist the Company’s securities. In addition, under the HFCAA
as amended by the AHFCAA, our securities may be prohibited from trading on the OTC or other U.S. stock exchanges if our auditor is not
inspected by the PCAOB for two consecutive years, and this ultimately could result in our ordinary shares being delisted by and exchange.
Such
recent developments would add uncertainties to our offering and we cannot assure you whether the SEC, the PCAOB, OTC, or other regulatory
authorities would apply additional and more stringent criteria to us after considering the effectiveness of our auditor’s audit
procedures and quality control procedures, adequacy of personnel and training, or sufficiency of resources, geographic reach or experience
as it relates to the audit of our financial statements. It remains unclear what further actions the SEC, the PCAOB or OTC will take to
address these issues and what i mpact those actions will have on U.S. companies that have significant operations in the PRC and
have securities listed on a U.S. stock exchange (including a national securities exchange or over-the-counter stock market). In addition,
any additional actions, proceedings, or new rules resulting from these efforts to increase U.S. regulatory access to audit information
could create some uncertainty for investors, the market price of our common stock could be adversely affected, and we could be delisted
if we and our auditor are unable to meet the PCAOB inspection requirement or being required to engage a new audit firm, which would require
significant expense and management time. If trading in our common stock is prohibited under the HFCAA in the future because the PCAOB
determines that it cannot inspect or fully investigate our auditor at such future
time, OTC may determine to delist our common stock. If shares of our common stock are unable to be listed on another securities exchange
by then, such a delisting would substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our ordinary shares when you wish to do so, and
the risk and uncertainty associated with a potential delisting would have a negative impact on the price of our common stock.
37
Risks Related to Our Common Stock
Our majority stockholders will control our company for the foreseeable
future, including the outcome of matters requiring shareholder approval.
Ms.
Fan, our Chief Executive Officer, President and director have over 78.3% beneficial ownership of our Company, through Pony Group Ltd,
KERUIDA Investment Limited, Synionm Investments Limited and Wisdom Travel Service Investments Limited, which is beneficially owned by
Ms. Fan. As a result, Ms. Fan will have the ability to control the election of our directors and the outcome of corporate actions requiring
shareholder approval, such as: (i) a merger or a sale of our Company, (ii) a sale of all or substantially all of our assets, and (iii)
amendments to our articles of incorporation and bylaws. This concentration of voting power and control could have a significant effect
in delaying, deferring or preventing an action that might otherwise be beneficial to our other shareholders and be disadvantageous to
our shareholders with interests different from those individuals. Certain of these individuals also have significant control over our
business, policies and affairs as officers or directors of our company. Th erefore, you should not invest in reliance on your ability
to have any control over our company.
No public market for our common stock currently exists, and an
active trading market may not develop or be sustained following this offering.
As
we are in our early stages of development, an investment in our Company will likely require a long-term commitment, with no certainty
of return. We have applied for quotation of our common stock on the OTC Market. Even if our common stock is quoted on the OTC Market,
there is no guarantee that there will be any trading in our common stock. In addition, there is a risk that we will not be able to have
our stock listed or quoted on a more established market, and even if we are able to do so (of which no assurance can be given), we cannot
predict whether an active market for our common stock will ever develop in the future. In
the absence of an active trading market:
●
investors may have difficulty buying and selling or obtaining market quotations;
●
market visibility for shares of our common stock may be limited; and
●
a lack of visibility for shares of our common stock may have a depressive effect on the market price for shares of our common stock.
While we believe our revenues and cash on hand are adequate to
meet our immediate needs, we may require additional funding in order to progress our business in the future. If we are unable to raise
additional capital, we could be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate portions of our business.
While we believe our cash, cash equivalents
on hand and cash from operations are adequate to meet our liquidity needs and capital expenditure requirements for at least the next 12
months, we may require an additional infusion of funds in the future to grow our business. In the event we were to experience an economic
recession or a slow growth period, such an event could adversely affect our business, liquidity and future growth. In addition, should
we experience instability in or a tightening of the capital markets, such an event could adversely affect our ability to obtain additional
capital to grow our business on terms acceptable to us or at all.
38
There is substantial doubt about our ability
to continue as a going concern.
Our
audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2023 were
prepared assuming that we will continue as a going concern. In addition, as discussed in Note 3
of the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2023 , the
Company has suffered recurring losses from operations. These conditions raise substantial doubt on our ability to continue as a going
concern. The report of our independent registered public accounting firm on our financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2023
included an explanatory paragraph on the doubt of our ability to continue as
a going concern in order to draw prospective investors’ attention to the relevant note in the financial statements for the year
ended December 31, 2023 .
In
order to continue as a going concern, the Company will need, among other things, additional capital resources. Management’s plans
to obtain such resources for the Company include (1) obtaining capital from the sale of its equity securities, (2) sales of the
Company’s services, (3) short-term and long-term borrowings from banks, and (4) short-term borrowings from stockholders or other
related party( ies) when needed. However, management cannot provide any assurance
that the Company will be successful in accomplishing any of its plans. The ability of the Company to continue a s a going concern
is dependent upon its ability to successfully accomplish the plans described in the preceding paragraph and eventually to secure other
sources of financing and attain profitable operations. If we are unable to raise additional capital in debt or equity financing on terms
favorable to us, then we may be unable to achieve our objectives.
Raising additional capital may cause
dilution to our stockholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights to our technologies or product candidates.
We may need to raise funding in the future
to further develop our business. There can be no assurance that we will be able to raise sufficient capital on acceptable terms, or at
all. If such financing is not available on satisfactory terms, or is not available at all, we may be required to delay, scale back or
eliminate the development of business opportunities and our operations and financial condition may be adversely affected to a significant
extent.
If we raise additional capital by issuing
equity securities, the percentage and/or economic ownership of our existing stockholders may be reduced, and accordingly these stockholders
may experience substantial dilution. We may also issue equity securities that provide for rights, preferences and privileges senior to
those of our common stock.
Debt financing, if obtained, may involve
agreements that include liens on our assets, covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring
additional debt, increases in our expenses and requirements that our assets be provided as a security for such debt. Debt financing would
also be required to be repaid regardless of our operating results.
Funding from any source may be unavailable
to us on acceptable terms, or at all. If we do not have sufficient capital to fund our operations and expenses, our business opportunities
could be substantially diminished.
39
Assuming we can find market makers to
establish quotations for our common stock, and assuming all applicable approvals are obtained, we expect that our common stock will be
quoted on the OTC Market. This market is a relatively unorganized, inter-dealer, over-the-counter markets that provide significantly less
liquidity than any tier of the NASDAQ or the New York Stock Exchange. No assurances can be given that our common stock, even if quoted
on such markets, will ever trade on such markets, much less a senior market like NASDAQ or the New York Stock Exchange. In this event,
there would be a highly illiquid market for our common stock and you may be unable to dispose of your common stock at desirable prices
or at all. Moreover, there is a risk that our common stock could be delisted from the OTC Market, in which case it might be listed on
OTC Pink, which is even more illiquid than the OTC Market.
The lack of an active market impairs
your ability to sell your shares of our common stock at the time you wish to sell them or at a price that you consider reasonable. The
lack of an active market may also reduce the fair market value of your shares of our common stock. An inactive market may also impair
our ability to raise capital to continue to fund operations by selling shares of our common stock and may impair our ability to expand
our operations through acquisitions by using our shares as consideration.
Even
if our common stock becomes publicly-traded and an active trading market develops, the market price for our common
stock may be volatile.
Even if our securities become publicly-traded
and even if an active market for our common stock develops, of which no assurance can be given, the market price for our common stock
may be volatile and subject to wide fluctuations due to factors such as:
●
the perception of U.S. investors and regulators of U.S. listed Chinese companies;
●
actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly operating results;
●
changes in financial estimates by securities research analysts;
●
negative publicity, studies or reports;
●
our capability to match and compete with technology innovations in the industry;
●
changes in the economic performance or market valuations of other companies in the same industry;
●
announcements by us or our competitors of acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments;
●
addition or departure of key personnel;
●
fluctuations of exchange rates between RMB and the U.S. Dollar; and
●
general economic or political conditions in or influencing China.
In
addition, the securities market has from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are not related to the
operating performance of particular companies. These market fluctuations may also materially and adversely affect the
market price of our common stock.
40
Our common stock may be thinly traded and you may be unable to
sell at or near ask prices or at all if you need to sell your shares to raise money or otherwise desire to liquidate your shares.
Assuming our common stock trades over-the-counter,
our common stock will be “thinly-traded,” meaning that the number of persons interested in purchasing our common stock at
or near bid prices at any given time may be relatively small or non-existent. This situation may be attributable to a number of factors,
including the fact that we are relatively unknown to stock analysts, stock brokers, institutional investors and others in the investment
community that generate or influence sales volume, and that even if we came to the attention of such persons, they tend to be risk-averse
and might be reluctant to follow an unproven company such as ours or purchase or recommend the purchase of our shares until such time
as we became more seasoned. As a consequence, there may be periods of several days or more when trading activity in our shares is
minimal or non-existent, as compared to a seasoned issuer which has a large and steady volume of trading activity that will generally
support continuous sales without an adverse effect on share price. Broad or active public trading market for our common stock may
not develop or be sustained.
Our common stock may be considered a “penny stock,”
and thereby be subject to additional sale and trading regulations that may make it more difficult to sell.
Our
common stock, which we plan to have quoted for trading on the OTC Market, may be considered to be a “penny stock” if it does
not qualify for one of the exemptions from the definition of “penny stock” under Section 3a51-1 of the Exchange Act, as amended. Our
common stock may be a “penny stock” if it meets one or more of the following conditions: (i) the stock trades at a price less
than $5.00 per share; (ii) it is not traded on a “recognized” national exchange; (iii) it is not quoted on the Nasdaq Capital
Market or, even if so, has a price of less than $5.00 per share; or (iv) is issued by a company that has been in business less than three
years with net tangible assets less than $5 million. The principal
result or effect of being designated a “penny stock” is that securities broker-dealers participating in sales of our common
stock will be subject to the “penny stock” regulations set forth in Rules 15g-2 through 15g-9 promulgated under the Exchange
Act. For example, Rule 15g-2 requires broker-dealers dealing
in penny stocks to provide potential investors with a document disclosing the risks of penny stocks and to obtain a manually signed and
dated written receipt of the document at least two business days before effecting any transaction in a penny stock for the investor’s
account. Moreover, Rule 15g-9 requires broker-dealers in penny
stocks to approve the account of any investor for transactions in such stocks before selling any penny stock to that investor. This
procedure requires the broker-dealer to: (i) obtain from the investor information concerning his or her financial situation, investment
experience and investment objectives; (ii) reasonably determine, based on that information, that transactions in penny stocks are suitable
for the investor and that the investor has sufficient knowledge and experience as to be reasonably capable of evaluating the risks of
penny stock transactions; (iii) provide the investor with a written statement setting forth the basis on which the broker-dealer made
the determination in (ii) above; and (iv) receive a signed and dated copy of such statement from the investor, confirming that it accurately
reflects the investor’s financial situation, investment experience and investment objectives. Compliance
with these requirements may make it more difficult and time consuming for holders of our common stock to resell their shares to third
parties or to otherwise dispose of them in the market or otherwise.
FINRA sales practice requirements may also limit your ability
to buy and sell shares of our common stock, which could depress the price of shares of our common stock.
FINRA rules require broker-dealers to
have reasonable grounds for believing that an investment is suitable for a customer before recommending that investment to the customer.
Prior to recommending speculative low-priced securities to their non-institutional customers, broker-dealers must make reasonable efforts
to obtain information about the customer’s financial status, tax status and investment objectives, among other things. Under interpretations
of these rules, FINRA believes that there is a high probability such speculative low-priced securities will not be suitable for at least
some customers. Thus, FINRA requirements make it more difficult for broker-dealers to recommend that their customers buy our common stock,
which may limit your ability to buy and sell shares of our common stock, have an adverse effect on the market for shares of our common
stock, and thereby depress price of our common stock.
41
You may face significant restrictions on the resale of your shares
of our common stock due to state “blue sky” laws.
Each state has its own securities laws,
often called “blue sky” laws, which (1) limit sales of securities to a state’s residents unless the securities are registered
in that state or qualify for an exemption from registration, and (2) govern the reporting requirements for broker-dealers doing business
directly or indirectly in the state. Before a security is sold in a state, there must be a registration in place to cover the transaction,
or it must be exempt from registration. The applicable broker-dealer must also be registered in that state.
We do not know whether our securities
will be registered or exempt from registration under the laws of any state. A determination regarding registration will be made by those
broker-dealers, if any, who agree to serve as market makers for our common stock. We have not yet applied to have our securities registered
in any state and will not do so until we receive expressions of interest from investors resident in specific states after they have viewed
this offering document. There may be significant state blue sky law restrictions on the ability of investors to sell, and on purchasers
to buy, our securities. You should therefore consider the resale market for our common stock to be limited, as you may be unable to resell
your shares without the significant expense of state registration or qualification.
Potential future sales under Rule 144 may depress the market
price for the common stock.
In general, under SEC Rule 144, a person
who has satisfied a minimum holding period of between six months to one-year, as well as meeting any other applicable requirements of
Rule 144, may thereafter sell such shares publicly. Therefore, the possible sale of unregistered shares may, in the future, have a depressive
effect on the price of our common stock in the over-the-counter market.
Volatility in our common stock price may subject us to securities
litigation.
The
market for our common stock may have, when compared to seasoned issuers, significant price volatility and we expect that our share price
may continue to be more volatile than that of a seasoned issuer for the indefinite future. In the past, plaintiffs have often initiated
securities class action litigation against a company following periods of volatility in the market price of its securities. We may, in
the future, be the target of similar litigation. Securities litigation could result in substantial costs and liabilities and could
divert management’s attention and resources.
We are not likely to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future.
We currently intend to retain any future
earnings for use in the operation and expansion of our business. Accordingly, we do not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable
future, but will review this policy as circumstances dictate. Should we determine to pay dividends in the future, our ability to do so
will depend upon the receipt of dividends or other payments from Universe Travel. Universe Travel may, from time to time, be subject to
restrictions on its ability to make distributions to us, including restrictions on the conversion of RMB into U.S. dollars or other hard
currency and other regulatory restrictions.
42
U.S. investors may experience difficulties in attempting to effect
a service of process and enforce judgments based upon U.S. Federal Securities Laws against the company and its non U.S. resident officer
and director.
We are a Delaware corporation and, as
such, are subject to the jurisdiction of the State of Delaware and the United States courts for purposes of any lawsuit, action or proceeding
by investors herein. An investor would have the ability to effect service of process in any action on the company within the United States.
However, Ms. Wenxian Fan, our sole officer and director, resides in China and substantially all of our assets are located in China. As
a result, it may not be possible for investors to:
●
Effect service of process within the United States against our non-U.S. resident officers or directors;
●
Enforce U.S. court judgments based upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws against any of the above referenced foreign persons in the United States;
●
Enforce in foreign courts U.S. court judgments based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws against the above foreign persons; and
●
Bring an original action in foreign courts to enforce liabilities based upon the U.S. federal securities laws against the above foreign persons.
Shareholder
claims that are common in the United States, including securities law class actions and fraud claims, generally are difficult to pursue
as a matter of law or practicality in China. For example, in China, there are significant legal and other obstacles to obtaining information
needed for shareholder investigations or litigation outside China or otherwise with respect to foreign entities. Although the local authorities
in China may establish a regulatory cooperation mechanism with the securities regulatory authorities of another country or region to implement
cross-border supervision and administration, such regulatory cooperation with the securities regulatory authorities in the Unities States
have not been efficient in the absence of mutual and practical cooperation mechanism. According to Article 177 of the PRC Securities Law,
which became effective in March 2020, no overseas securities regulator is allowed to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection
activities within the territory of the PRC. Accordingly, without the consent of the competent PRC securities regulators and relevant
authorities, no organization or individual may provide the documents and materials relating to securities business activities to overseas
parties. Further, there is uncertainty as to whether PRC courts would (i) recognize or enforce judgments of United States courts obtained
against us or our director and officer predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any
state in the United States, or (ii) entertain original actions brought in each respective jurisdiction against us or our director and
officer predicated upon the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States.
The
Company is selling shares without an underwriter and may not be able to sell all or any of the shares offered herein.
Shares of
common stock are hereby being offered on our behalf by our officers and directors, on a best-efforts basis. No broker-dealer has
been retained as an underwriter and no broker-dealer is under any obligation to purchase any shares of
common stock. There are no firm commitments to purchase any of the shares in the direct public offering. Consequently, there
is no guarantee that the Company, through its officers and directors, are capable of selling all, or any, of the shares of
common stock offered hereby. The sale of a small number of shares increases the likelihood that no market will ever develop
for our common stock. We will likely need to raise additional capital in the near future to finance our intended growth.
43
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.