UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-K
(Mark
One)
☒
ANNUAL
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For
the fiscal year ended: December 31 , 2022
☐
TRANSITION
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For
the transition period from _____________ to _____________
Commission
File No. 000-33383
CREEK
ROAD MINERS, INC.
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
98-0357690
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
35
E Horizon Ridge Pkwy , Suite 110-502
Henderson ,
Nevada
89002
(Address
of principal executive offices)
(Zip
Code)
(435)
900-1949
(Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code)
Securities
registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title
of each Class
Trading
Symbol(s)
Name
of each Exchange on which registered
Common
stock, $0.0001 par value
CRKR
OTC
Markets
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2)
has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule
405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).
Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting
company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,”
“smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large
accelerated filer ☐
Accelerated
filer ☐
Non-accelerated
filer ☒
Smaller
reporting company ☒
Emerging
growth company ☐
If
an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying
with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness
of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered
public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐
If
securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant
included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation
received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b).
☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
The
aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 30, 2022, the last
business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was $ 2,676,535 based on the closing price of $0.31
per share as reported on the OTC Markets as of that date.
Indicate
the number of shares outstanding of each of the registrant’s classes of common stock as of the latest practicable date.
Title
of Class
Number
of Shares Outstanding on March 31, 2023
Common
Stock, $0.0001 par value
12,246,036
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
PART I
Item
1.
Business
2
Item
1A.
Risk Factors
6
Item
1B.
Unresolved Staff Comments
19
Item
2.
Properties
19
Item
3.
Legal Proceedings
19
Item
4.
Mine Safety Disclosures
19
PART II
Item
5.
Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
20
Item
6.
[Reserved]
22
Item
7.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
23
Item
7A.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
31
Item
8.
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
32
Item
9.
Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
69
Item
9A.
Controls and Procedures
69
Item
9B.
Other Information
70
Item
9C.
Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections
70
PART III
Item
10.
Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
71
Item
11.
Executive Compensation
73
Item
12.
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
76
Item
13.
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
77
Item
14.
Principal Accounting Fees and Services
78
PART IV
Item
15.
Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules
79
Item
16.
Form 10-K Summary
81
Creek
Road Miners, Inc.
As
used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 (this “Annual Report on Form 10-K”),
(i) the terms “we,” “us,” “our,” the “Company,” the “Registrant,” “Creek
Road Miners,” and “CRM” mean Creek Road Miners, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, and (ii) the term “common
stock” refers to the common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of Creek Road Miners, Inc., unless otherwise indicated.
Cautionary
Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This
Annual Report on Form 10-K contains certain statements that are, or may be deemed to be, “forward-looking statements” within
the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). These forward-looking statements (such as when we describe what “will,”
“may,” or “should” occur, what we “plan,” “intend,” “estimate,” “believe,”
“expect” or “anticipate” will occur, and other similar statements) include all statements that are not based
on historical fact, but rather reflect our current expectations concerning future results and events. We make certain assumptions when
making forward-looking statements, any of which could prove inaccurate, including assumptions about our future operating results and
business plans. However, the inclusion of forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by the Company or any
other person that future events, plans or expectations contemplated by the Company will be achieved. These forward-looking statements
are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those described in Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors,”
of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and under the section entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations,” as well as those disclosed in subsequent reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”). The foregoing list sets forth some, but not all, of the factors that could affect our ability to achieve results
described in any forward-looking statements.
●
the
availability and adequacy of cash flow to meet our requirements;
●
the
availability of additional capital;
●
the
ability to close the Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”), pursuant to which Merger Sub will merge with and into Prairie
(the “Merger”), with Prairie surviving and continuing to exist as a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly-owned
subsidiary of the Company;
●
changes
in our business and growth strategy, including our ability to successfully operate and expand our cryptocurrency mining activities;
●
changes
or developments in laws, regulations or taxes in the cryptocurrency mining industry; and
●
actions
taken or not taken by third-parties, including our contractors and competitors
Moreover,
we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment and new risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for our
management to predict all risks, nor can we comprehensively assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any
factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements
we may make. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the future events and trends discussed in this Annual Report on
Form 10-K may not occur and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking
statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, the reader should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.
All
forward-looking statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are made only as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K,
and we do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or correct any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances
that subsequently occur, or of which we hereafter become aware, except as required by law. You should read this document completely and
with the understanding that our actual future results or events may be materially different from what we expect. All forward-looking
statements attributable to us are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements.
1
PART
I
Item
1. Business
Company
Overview
Creek
Road Miners, Inc. (formerly known as Wizard Brands, Inc., Wizard Entertainment, Inc., Wizard World, Inc., and GoEnergy, Inc.) was incorporated
in Delaware on May 2, 2001. Prior to cryptocurrency mining operations that began in October 2021, the Company produced live and virtual
pop culture conventions and events and sold a gelatin machine and related consumables that were discontinued in 2021. In addition, the
Company operated an eCommerce site selling pop culture memorabilia that was discontinued on June 30, 2022 (known collectively as “legacy
operations”).
Merger
Agreement
On
October 24, 2022, the Company, Creek Road Merger Sub, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company,
and Prairie Operating Co., LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Prairie”), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger
(the “Merger Agreement”), pursuant to which Merger Sub will merge with and into Prairie (the “Merger”), with
Prairie surviving and continuing to exist as a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company.
At
the effective time of the Merger (the “Effective Time”), the Company will (a) deliver the greater of (A) 2,000,000 shares
of its common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“common stock”), and (B) the product of (x) the number of issued and outstanding
shares of common stock immediately following the consummation of the Restructuring Transactions (as defined below) by the Company multiplied
by (y) 33.33% to the members of Prairie (the “Prairie Members”) and (b) convert certain options to purchase membership interests
of Prairie into restricted performance-based options to purchase, in the aggregate, 8,000,000 shares of common stock for $0.25 per share
only exercisable if specific production hurdles are achieved.
In
connection with the Merger, the Company will cause the following restructuring transactions (the “Restructuring Transactions”):
(1) all holders of the Company’s outstanding shares of Series A preferred stock, Series B preferred stock, Series C preferred stock,
and 12% senior secured convertible debentures (the “Convertible Debentures”), and holders of certain warrants, certain convertible
promissory notes and certain other accrued liabilities, will convert their respective shares of Series A preferred stock, Series B preferred
stock, Series C preferred stock and Convertible Debentures, and respective warrants, convertible promissory notes and accrued liabilities
into shares of common stock and (2) thereafter, the Company shall effect a reverse stock split of the common stock at a ratio between
1-23 and 1-30 (the “Reverse Stock Split”).
Nature
of Business
Cryptocurrency
Mining
We
generate substantially all our revenue through cryptocurrency we earn through our mining activities. We have historically mined and held
Bitcoin exclusively, which we may sell to fund our operating and capital expenditures. Our mining operations commenced on October 24,
2021. We use special cryptocurrency mining computers (known as “miners”) to solve complex cryptographic algorithms to support
the Bitcoin blockchain and, in return, receive Bitcoin as our reward. Miners measure their processing power, which is known as “hashing”
power, in terms of the number of hashing algorithms solved (or “hashes”) per second, which is the miner’s “hash
rate.” We participate in mining pools that pool the resources of groups of miners and split cryptocurrency rewards earned according
to the “hashing” capacity each miner contributes to the mining pool. Since June 30,
2022 the Company is neither receiving meaningful cryptocurrency awards nor generating meaningful revenue from cryptocurrency mining.
Mining
Equipment
All
of our miners were manufactured by Bitmain, and incorporate application-specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”) chips specialized
to solve blocks on the Bitcoin blockchains using the 256-bit secure hashing algorithm (“SHA-256”) in return for Bitcoin cryptocurrency
rewards. As of December 31, 2022, we had 510 Bitmain S19J Pro miners with 51.0 Ph/s of hashing capacity and 270 Bitmain S19 miners with
24.3 Ph/s of hashing capacity, none of which were in service.
2
On
December 17, 2021 the Company entered into a Non-Fixed Price Sales and Purchase Agreement (the “Bitmain Agreement”) with
Bitmain Technologies Limited (“Bitmain”) for 600 Bitmain S19XP miners with a reference price of approximately $11,250 per
miner. The miners have a total of 84 Ph/s of hashing capacity and an initial estimated purchase commitment of $6,762,000 (the “total
reference price”), subject to price adjustments and related offsets, including potential adjustments related to the market price
of miners. As of December 31, 2022, the Company has made payments of $3,969,000 (classified as deposits on mining equipment) to Bitmain
pursuant to the Bitmain Agreement, and the remaining amount due under the Bitmain Agreement is $47,600 and presented in the table below:
Market Price
per Miner
Total Amount
July 2022 batch (100 miners)
$ 7,756
$ 775,600
August 2022 batch (100 miners)
7,140
714,000
September 2022 batch (100 miners)
7,140
714,000
October 2022 batch (100 miners)
6,510
651,000
November 2022 batch (100 miners)
5,810
581,000
December 2022 batch (100 miners)
5,810
581,000
Estimated total amount due
4,016,600
Less: Payments made
3,969,000
Remaining amount due
$ 47,600
As
of December 31, 2022, all 600 miners purchased from Bitmain have not been delivered to the Company, and will remain undelivered until
all fees are paid to ship the miners from the Bitmain facility to the Company.
Mining
Results
The
Company measures its operations by the number and U.S. Dollar (US$) value of the cryptocurrency rewards it earns from its cryptocurrency
mining activities. The following table presents additional information regarding our cryptocurrency mining operations:
Quantity of Bitcoin
US$ Amounts
Balance September 30, 2021
—
$ —
Revenue recognized from cryptocurrency mined
6.7
369,804
Mining pool operating fees
(0.1 )
(7,398 )
Impairment of cryptocurrencies
—
(59,752 )
Balance December 31, 2021
6.6
$ 302,654
Revenue recognized from cryptocurrency mined
8.3
343,055
Mining pool operating fees
(0.2 )
(6,868 )
Impairment of cryptocurrencies
—
(106,105 )
Balance March 31, 2022
14.7
$ 532,736
Revenue recognized from cryptocurrency mined
4.6
166,592
Mining pool operating fees
(0.1 )
(3,428 )
Proceeds from the sale of cryptocurrency
(18.9 )
(564,205 )
Realized loss on the sale of cryptocurrency
—
(131,075 )
Impairment of cryptocurrencies
—
(34 )
Balance June 30, 2022 (1)
0.3
$ 586
Revenue recognized from cryptocurrency mined
0.3
7,955
Mining pool operating fees
—
(156 )
Impairment of cryptocurrencies
—
(1,035 )
Balance September 30, 2022 (1)
0.6
$ 7,350
Revenue recognized from cryptocurrency mined
—
—
Mining pool operating fees
—
—
Proceeds from the sale of cryptocurrency
(0.6 )
(11,203 )
Realized gain on the sale of cryptocurrency
—
3,853
Balance December 31, 2022 (1)
—
$ —
(1) Since
June 30, 2022 the Company is neither receiving meaningful cryptocurrency awards nor generating
meaningful revenue from cryptocurrency mining.
3
Factors
Affecting Profitability
Our
business is heavily dependent on the market price of Bitcoin. The prices of cryptocurrencies, specifically Bitcoin, have experienced
substantial volatility. Further affecting the industry, and particularly for the Bitcoin blockchain, the cryptocurrency reward for solving
a block is subject to periodic incremental halving. Halving is a process designed to control the overall supply and reduce the risk of
inflation in cryptocurrencies using a Proof-of-Work consensus algorithm. At a predetermined block, the mining reward is cut in half,
hence the term “halving”. For Bitcoin the reward was initially set at 50 Bitcoin currency rewards per block. The Bitcoin
blockchain has undergone halving three times since its inception as follows: (1) on November 28, 2012 at block 210,000; (2) on July 9,
2016 at block 420,000; and (3) on May 11, 2020 at block 630,000, when the reward was reduced to its current level of 6.25 Bitcoin per
block. The next halving for the Bitcoin blockchain is anticipated to occur in March 2024 at block 840,000, when the reward will be reduced
to 3.125 Bitcoin per block. This process will reoccur until the total amount of Bitcoin currency rewards issued reaches 21 million and
the theoretical supply of new Bitcoin is exhausted. Many factors influence the price of Bitcoin, and potential increases or decreases
in prices in advance of, or following, a future halving is unknown.
We
have historically mined and held Bitcoin exclusively, which we may sell to fund our operating and capital expenditures. S ince
June 30, 2022 the Company is neither receiving meaningful cryptocurrency awards nor generating meaningful revenue from cryptocurrency
mining.
Our
business is heavily dependent on the market price of Bitcoin, which has experienced substantial volatility and has recently dropped to
its lowest price since December 2020. As of December 31, 2022 the market price of Bitcoin was $16,547, which reflects a decrease of approximately
60% since the beginning of 2022, and of approximately 75% from its all-time high of approximately $67,000. In addition, the cost of natural
gas that we use to produce electricity to power our miners has increased substantially. The cost of natural gas in the United States
during 2022 has increased by as much as approximately 260% since the beginning of 2022. These price movements result in decreased cryptocurrency
mining revenue and increased cryptocurrency mining costs, both of which have a material adverse effect on our business and financial
results.
Government
Regulation
Cryptocurrency
is increasingly becoming subject to governmental regulation, both in the U.S. and internationally. State and local regulations also may
apply to our activities and other activities in which we may participate in the future. Numerous regulatory bodies have shown an interest
in regulating blockchain or cryptocurrency activities. For example, on March 9, 2022 President Biden signed an executive order on cryptocurrencies.
While the executive order does not mandate any specific regulations, it instructs various federal agencies to consider potential regulatory
measures, including the evaluation of the creation of a U.S. Central Bank digital currency. Future changes to existing regulations or
entirely new regulations may affect our business in ways it is not presently possible for us to predict with any reasonable degree of
reliability. As the regulatory and legal environment evolves, we may become subject to new laws and regulation which may affect our mining
and other activities. For additional discussion regarding our belief about the potential risks existing and future regulation pose to
our business, see the Section entitled “Risk Factors”.
Intellectual
Property
We
do not currently own any patents in connection with our existing and planned blockchain and cryptocurrency related operations.
Liquidity
and Ability to Continue as a Going Concern
Historically,
we have relied upon cash from financing activities to fund substantially all of the cash requirements of our activities and have incurred
significant losses and experienced negative cash flow. The Company had net losses from continuing operations of $13,401,076, and $19,202,114,
for the years ended December 2022 and 2021, respectively. We cannot predict if we will be profitable. We may continue to incur losses
for an indeterminate period of time and may be unable to achieve profitability. An extended period of losses and negative cash flow may
prevent us from successfully operating and expanding our business. We may be unable to achieve or sustain profitability on a quarterly
or annual basis. On December 31, 2022, we had cash and cash equivalents of $246,358, a working capital deficit of approximately $8.1
million, and an accumulated deficit of approximately $61 million.
We
have evaluated the significance of the uncertainty regarding the Company’s financial condition in relation to our ability to meet
our obligations, which has raised substantial doubts about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. While it is very
difficult to estimate our future liquidity requirements the Company believes that if it is unable close the Merger, or obtain debt and/or
equity financing, existing cash resources will be depleted in early 2023. The Company may be able to generate cash through the sale of
fixed assets, specifically cryptocurrency miners. However, the total cash generated would be significantly less that the total of the
Company’s liabilities. There are no assurances that the Merger will close, that debt and/or equity financing can be obtained, or
that the sale of fixed assets, specifically cryptocurrency miners can be achieved.
4
The
accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. The consolidated
financial statements do not include any adjustments to reflect the possible future effects on the recoverability and classification of
assets, or the amounts and classification of liabilities that may result from the matters discussed herein.
The
Company’s ability to continue as a going concern is dependent upon the Company’s ability to close the merger with Prairie,
or obtain debt and/or equity financing, and there are no assurances that either can occur.
Employees
As
of March 31, 2023, we had 2 full time employees.
Corporate
Information and History
Creek
Road Miners, Inc. (formerly known as Wizard Brands, Inc., Wizard Entertainment, Inc., Wizard World, Inc., and GoEnergy, Inc.) was incorporated
in Delaware on May 2, 2001. Prior to cryptocurrency mining operations that began in October 2021, the Company produced live and virtual
pop culture conventions and events and sold a gelatin machine and related consumables that were discontinued in 2021. In addition, the
Company operated an eCommerce site selling pop culture memorabilia that was discontinued on June 30, 2022 (known collectively as “legacy
operations”).
On
August 6, 2021, we entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement (the “Informa Agreement”) with Informa Pop Culture Events, Inc.,
a Delaware corporation (“Informa”). Pursuant to the Informa Agreement, Creek Road Miners Corp. (fka Kick the Can Corp.) sold,
transferred, and assigned certain assets, properties, and rights to Informa related to the business of operating and producing live pop
culture events. The Company released deferred revenue and other liabilities totaling $722,429 and
recognized other income of this amount.
On
September 15, 2021, we sold our wholly owned subsidiary which contained our Jevo assets and all rights to our Jevo operations for $1,500,000
and recognized a gain on the transaction of approximately $1,130,740.
We
implemented a 1-for-20 reverse stock split of our outstanding shares of common stock that was effective on January 23, 2020. Unless otherwise
noted, all share and related option, warrant, and convertible security information presented has been retroactively adjusted to reflect
the reduced number of shares, and the increase in the share price which resulted from this action.
Merger
Agreement
On
October 24, 2022, the Company, Creek Road Merger Sub, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company,
and Prairie, entered into the Merger Agreement, pursuant to which Merger Sub will merge with and into Prairie, with Prairie surviving
and continuing to exist as a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company.
At
the Effective Time, the Company will (a) deliver the greater of (A) 2,000,000 shares of its common stock, par value $0.0001 per share
(“common stock”), and (B) the product of (x) the number of issued and outstanding shares of common stock immediately following
the consummation of the Restructuring Transactions (as defined below) by the Company multiplied by (y) 33.33% to the members of Prairie
(the “Prairie Members”) and (b) convert certain options to purchase membership interests of Prairie into restricted performance-based
options to purchase, in the aggregate, 8,000,000 shares of common stock for $0.25 per share only exercisable if specific production hurdles
are achieved.
In
connection with the Merger, the Company will cause the following restructuring transactions (the “Restructuring Transactions”):
(1) all holders of the Company’s outstanding shares of Series A preferred stock, Series B preferred stock, Series C preferred stock,
and 12% senior secured convertible debentures (the “Convertible Debentures”), and holders of certain warrants, certain convertible
promissory notes and certain other accrued liabilities, will convert their respective shares of Series A preferred stock, Series B preferred
stock, Series C preferred stock and Convertible Debentures, and respective warrants, convertible promissory notes and accrued liabilities
into shares of common stock and (2) thereafter, the Company shall effect a reverse stock split of the common stock at a ratio between
1-23 and 1-30 (the “Reverse Stock Split”).
Where
You Can Find More Information
Our
website address is www.creekroadminers.com. We do not intend our website address to be an active link or to otherwise incorporate by
reference the contents of the website into this Report. The public may read and copy any materials the Company files with the U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549. The
public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0030. The SEC maintains an
Internet website (http://www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers
that file electronically with the SEC.
5
Item
1A. Risk Factors
An
investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk, and an investor should only purchase the Company’s securities if he
or she can afford to suffer the loss of his or her entire investment. Certain factors may have a materially adverse effect on our business,
financial condition and results of operations, including the risk factors described below. You should carefully consider all of the risks
and uncertainties described below and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as those risks disclosed in the Company’s
other public filings, together with the other information contained in this report and the Company’s other public filings before
making an investment decision regarding the Company’s securities. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only
ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe are not material may also become
important factors that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations, perhaps materially. If any
of the following risks actually occur, our business, financial condition, results of operation and future prospects could be materially
and adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of shares of our common stock could decline, and you could lose part or all
your investment. The risks discussed below also include forward-looking statements, and actual results and events may differ substantially
from those discussed or highlighted in those forward-looking statements. For more information regarding forward-looking statements in
this Annual Report, please see the Section entitled “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” of this Annual
Report on Form 10-K.
Risks
Related to Our Company
We
have historically incurred significant losses, and may be unable to maintain profitability. If we continue to incur significant losses,
we may have to curtail our operations, which may prevent us from successfully operating and expanding our business.
Historically,
we have relied upon cash from financing activities to fund substantially all of the cash requirements of our activities and have incurred
significant losses and experienced negative cash flow. For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, we incurred a net loss of $13,418,814
and $17,270,703, respectively. We had stockholders’ deficit of $6,525,056 as of December 31, 2022, and stockholders’ equity
of $4,197,847 as of December 31, 2021. We cannot predict if we will be profitable. We may continue to incur losses for an indeterminate
period of time and may be unable to sustain profitability. An extended period of losses and negative cash flow may prevent us from successfully
operating and expanding our business. We may be unable to sustain or increase our profitability on a quarterly or annual basis.
The
Merger is subject to closing conditions and may not be completed and the Merger Agreement may be terminated in accordance with its terms.
The
Merger is subject to closing conditions that must be satisfied or waived prior to the completion of the Merger. Many of the closing conditions
are not within our control. No assurance can be given that the required conditions to the closing of the Merger will be satisfied in
a timely manner or at all. Any delay in completing the Merger could cause the combined company not to realize, or to be delayed in realizing,
some or all of the benefits that we expect to achieve if the Merger is successfully completed within its expected time frame.
Additionally,
either party may terminate the Merger Agreement under certain circumstances. Moreover, if the Merger is not completed for any reason,
our ongoing business may be adversely affected and, without realizing any of the expected benefits of having completed the Merger, we
would be subject to a number of risks, including the following:
●
we
may experience negative reactions from the financial markets, including negative impacts on our stock price;
●
we
may experience negative reactions from our customers, suppliers, distributors and employees;
●
we
will be required to pay our costs relating to the Merger, such as financial advisory, legal, financing and accounting costs and associated
fees and expenses, whether or not the Merger is completed;
●
the
market price of our common stock could decline to the extent that the current market price reflects a market assumption that the
Merger will not be completed;
●
the
Merger Agreement places certain restrictions on the conduct of our business prior to completion of the transactions to be undertaken
in connection with the Merger and such restrictions, the waiver of which are subject to the consent of Prairie, may prevent us from
taking actions during the pendency of the Merger that would be beneficial; and
●
matters
relating to the Merger will require substantial commitments of time and resources by management, which could otherwise have been
devoted to day-to-day operations or to other opportunities that may have been beneficial to us as an independent company.
6
We
may waive one or more of the conditions to the Merger.
We
may agree to waive, in whole or in part, one or more of the conditions to our obligations to complete the Merger, to the extent permitted
by our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, bylaws and applicable laws. For example, it is a condition to our obligation
to close the Merger that certain of Prairie’s representations and warranties be true and correct to the standards applicable to
such representations and warranties. However, if the Board determines that it is in our best interests to proceed with the Merger, then
the Board may elect to waive that condition and close the Merger.
We
may not achieve the perceived benefits of the Transactions and the market price of our Common Stock following the Transactions may decline.
The
market price of our common stock may decline as a result of the Merger for a number of reasons, including if: investors react negatively
to the prospects of the Company’s business; the effect of the Merger on the Company’s business and prospects is not consistent
with the expectations of our management or of financial or industry analysts; or the Company does not achieve the perceived benefits
of the Merger as rapidly or to the extent anticipated by our management or financial or industry analysts.
Our
stockholders may not realize a benefit from the Merger commensurate with the ownership dilution they will experience in connection with
the Merger.
If
the Company is unable to realize the strategic and financial benefits currently anticipated from the Merger, our pre-closing stockholders
will have experienced substantial dilution of their ownership interests without receiving the expected commensurate benefit, or only
receiving part of the commensurate benefit to the extent the Company is able to realize only part of the expected strategic and financial
benefits currently anticipated from the Merger.
Our
ability to continue as a going concern is contingent on the completion of the Merger or obtaining debt and/or equity financing, and if
the Merger is not completed for any reason, we may not be able to obtain sufficient financing and may be forced to sell our cryptocurrency
miners.
We
do not have sufficient capital to fund our future operations without significant additional capital investments. If the Merger is not
completed and adequate additional financing is not available on reasonable terms or at all, we may be forced to sell our fixed assets,
specifically cryptocurrency miners, which would adversely affect our b usiness and prospects .
Such sales would materially adversely affect our ability to compete.
We
may require significant additional capital to fund our growing operations, we may not be able to obtain sufficient capital and may be
forced to limit the scope of our operations.
We
may not have sufficient capital to fund our future operations without significant additional capital investments. If adequate additional
financing is not available on reasonable terms or at all, we may not be able to carry out our corporate strategy and we would be forced
to modify our business plans (e.g., limit our growth, and/or decrease or eliminate capital expenditures), any of which may adversely
affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flow. Such reduction could materially adversely affect our business and
our ability to compete.
We
may need to undertake equity, equity-linked or debt financings to secure additional funds. If we raise additional funds through future
issuances of equity or convertible debt securities, our existing stockholders could suffer significant dilution, and any new equity securities
we issue could have rights, preferences and privileges superior to those of holders of our common stock. Any debt financing that we secure
in the future could involve restrictive covenants relating to our capital raising activities and other financial and operational matters,
including the ability to pay dividends. This may make it more difficult for us to obtain additional capital and to pursue business opportunities.
We may not be able to obtain additional financing on terms favorable to us, if at all. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing
or financing on terms satisfactory to us when we require it, our ability to continue to support our business growth and respond to business
challenges could be significantly impaired, and our business may be adversely affected.
7
Our
capital needs will depend on numerous factors, including, without limitation, our profitability, and the amount of our capital expenditures,
including acquisitions. Moreover, the costs involved may exceed those originally contemplated. Failure to obtain intended economic benefits
could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating performances.
The
cost of obtaining new cryptocurrency mining equipment is capital intensive, and may increase.
The
cost of obtaining new cryptocurrency mining equipment is capital intensive, and may increase in the future. If we are unable to obtain
adequate numbers of new and replacement miners at scale, we may not be able to mine cryptocurrency as efficiently or in similar amounts
as our competition and, as a result, our business and financial results could suffer. The price of new miners may be linked to the market
price of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, and, our costs of obtaining new and replacement miners may increase, which may have a material
and adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Our
reliance on a third-party mining pool service provider for our mining revenue payouts may have a negative impact on our operations.
We
receive cryptocurrency mining rewards from our mining activity through a third-party mining pool operator. Mining pools allow miners
to combine their processing power, increasing their chances of solving a block and getting paid by the network. The rewards are distributed
by the pool operator, proportionally to our contribution to the pool’s overall mining power, used to generate each block. Should
the pool operator’s system suffer downtime due to a cyber-attack, software malfunction or other similar issues, it will negatively
impact our ability to mine and receive revenue. Furthermore, we are dependent on the accuracy of the mining pool operator’s record
keeping to accurately record the total processing power provided to the pool for a given Bitcoin mining application in order to assess
the proportion of that total processing power we provided. If we are unable to consistently obtain accurate proportionate rewards from
our mining pool operators, we may experience reduced reward for our efforts, which would have an adverse effect on our business and operations.
Bitcoin
is subject to halving; and will halve several times in the future and Bitcoin value may not adjust to compensate us for the reduction
in the rewards we receive from our mining efforts.
The
primary currency for which we mine, Bitcoin, is subject to “halving,” which is the process by which the cryptocurrency reward
for solving a block is cut in half. While Bitcoin prices have had a history of price fluctuations around the halving of their respective
cryptocurrency rewards, there is no guarantee that the price change will be favorable or would compensate for the reduction in mining
reward. We plan to keep our operating costs low by, among other means, acquiring our own energy-producing assets and more efficient mining
machines, but there can be no assurance that the price of Bitcoin will sufficiently increase upon the next halving to justify the increasingly
high costs of mining for Bitcoin. If a corresponding and proportionate increase in the trading price of these cryptocurrencies does not
follow these anticipated halving events, the revenue we earn from our mining operations would see a corresponding decrease, which would
have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.
We
need to manage growth in operations to maximize our potential growth and achieve our expected revenues. Our failure to manage growth
can cause a disruption of our operations that may result in the failure to generate revenues at levels we expect.
In
order to maximize potential growth, we may have to expand our operations. Such expansion will place a significant strain on our management
and our operations. Our failure to manage our growth could disrupt our operations and ultimately prevent us from generating the revenues
we expect.
Our
mining operating costs could outpace our mining revenues, which could materially impact our business.
Our
mining operations expenses may increase in the future, and may not be offset by a corresponding increase in revenue. Our expenses may
be greater than we anticipate, and our investments to make our business more efficient may not succeed and may outpace monetization efforts.
Increases in our costs without a corresponding increase in our revenue would increase our losses and could have a material adverse effect
on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Insiders
have substantial control over the Company, and they could delay or prevent a change in our corporate control even if our other stockholders
want it to occur.
As
of the date of this filing, our executive officers, and directors, collectively beneficially own approximately 90% of our outstanding
shares of common stock. These stockholders are able to exercise significant control over all matters requiring stockholder approval,
including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions. This could delay or prevent an outside party
from acquiring or merging with our Company even if our other stockholders want it to occur. This may also limit your ability to influence
the Company in other ways.
8
We
rely on a small number of cryptocurrency mining equipment suppliers, and the loss of any supplier might significantly reduce our revenue
and adversely affect our results of operations.
We
rely on a small number of cryptocurrency mining equipment suppliers, which is essential to our cryptocurrency mining revenue. The loss
of any or all of these suppliers would significantly reduce our revenue, which would have a material adverse effect on our results of
operations. We can provide no assurance that these suppliers will continue to supply us cryptocurrency mining equipment in the future.
We
are exposed to credit risk on our prepayments to cryptocurrency mining equipment suppliers. This risk is heightened during periods when
economic conditions worsen.
We
have made prepayments to suppliers of cryptocurrency mining equipment, and there can be no assurance that we will effectively limit our
credit risk and avoid losses, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We
may not be able to secure adequate insurance, or any insurance at all, on our cryptocurrency mining equipment that are subject to physical
and environmental damage.
Our
miners and mobile data centers are located in areas where we may not be able to secure adequate insurance, or any insurance at all. Our
miners and mobile data centers are subject to physical and environmental damage and any damage, including a complete loss, if it occurs
without being adequately insured, or insured at all, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and
financial condition.
Additionally,
although we seek to control our insurance risk and costs, the premiums we pay to obtain insurance coverage have increased over time and
are likely to continue to increase in the future. These increases in insurance premiums can occur unexpectedly and without regard to
our efforts to limit them, and, because of these rising costs, we may not be able to obtain similar levels of insurance coverage on reasonable
terms, or at all. If this occurs, we may choose or be forced to self-insure our assets, which could expose us to significant financial
risk due to the high cost of new miners. If insurance costs become unacceptably high and we elect to self-insure, and we experience a
significant casualty event resulting in the loss of some or all of our miners, we could be forced to expend significant capital resources
to acquire new miners to replace those we lose.
Furthermore,
if such casualty loss of our miners is not adequately covered by insurance and we do not have access to sufficient capital resources
to acquire replacement miners, we may not be able to compete in our rapidly evolving and highly competitive industry, which could materially
and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations, and our business could suffer.
We
may lose our private key to our digital wallet, causing a loss of all of our digital assets.
Digital
assets, such as cryptocurrencies, are stored in a so-called “digital wallet”, which may be accessed to exchange a holder’s
digital assets, and is controllable by the processor of both the public key and the private key relating to this digital wallet in which
the digital assets are held, both of which are unique. We will publish the public key relating to digital wallets in use when we verify
the receipt of transfers and disseminate such information into the network, but we will need to safeguard the private keys relating to
such digital wallets, which are stored in the possession of certain of our officers. If the private key is lost, destroyed, or otherwise
compromised, we may be unable to access our cryptocurrencies held in the related digital wallet which will essentially be lost. If the
private key is acquired by a third party, then this third party may be able to gain access to our cryptocurrencies. Any loss of private
keys relating to digital wallets used to store our cryptocurrencies could have a material adverse effect on our ability to continue as
a going concern or could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, and operating results.
The
storage and custody of our Bitcoin assets and any other cryptocurrencies that we may potentially acquire or hold in the future are subject
to cybersecurity breaches and adverse software events.
In
addition to the risk of a private key loss to our digital wallet, see “—We may lose our private key to our digital wallet,
destroying all of our digital assets,” the storage and custody of our digital assets could also be subject to cybersecurity breaches
and adverse software events. In order to minimize risk, we plan to establish processes to manage wallets, or software programs where
assets are held, that are associated with our cryptocurrency holdings.
9
A
“hot wallet” refers to any cryptocurrency wallet that is connected to the Internet. Generally, hot wallets are easier to
set up and access than wallets in “cold” storage, but they are also more susceptible to hackers and other technical vulnerabilities.
“Cold storage” refers to any cryptocurrency wallet that is not connected to the Internet. Cold storage is generally more
secure than hot storage, but is not ideal for quick or regular transactions and we may experience lag time in our ability to respond
to market fluctuations in the price of our digital assets.
We
plan to hold the majority of our cryptocurrencies in cold storage to reduce the risk of malfeasance; however we may also use third-party
custodial wallets and, from time to time, we may use hot wallets or rely on other options that may develop in the future. If we use a
custodial wallet, there can be no assurance that such services will be more secure than cold storage or other alternatives. Human error
and the constantly evolving state of cybercrime and hacking techniques may render present security protocols and procedures ineffective
in ways which we cannot predict.
Regardless
of the storage method, the risk of damage to or loss of our digital assets cannot be wholly eliminated. If our security procedures and
protocols are ineffective and our cryptocurrency assets are compromised by cybercriminals, we may not have adequate recourse to recover
our losses stemming from such compromise. A security breach could also harm our reputation. A resulting perception that our measures
do not adequately protect our digital assets could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, and
operating results.
We
are subject to risks associated with our need for significant power for our miners. Government regulators may potentially restrict the
ability of electricity suppliers to provide electricity to mining operations.
Our
Bitcoin mining operations have required significant amounts of power, and, as we continue to expand, we anticipate our demand for power
will continue to grow. If we are unable to continue to obtain sufficient power to operate our miners on a cost-effective basis, we may
not realize the anticipated benefits of our significant capital investments in new miners. There may be significant competition for suitable
mine locations, and government regulators may potentially restrict the ability of electricity suppliers to provide electricity to mining
operations in times of electricity shortage, or may otherwise potentially restrict or prohibit the provision or electricity to mining
operations. Additionally, our mining operations could be materially adversely affected by prolonged power outages. Our cryptocurrency
mining operations require that our miners and mining equipment function without interruption. If we experience and any unplanned or prolonged
outages that re not remediated in a timely manner, or at all, could disrupt our operations. Given the power requirement, it would not
be feasible to run miners on back-up power generators in the event of a government restriction on electricity or a power outage. If we
are unable to receive adequate power supply and are forced to reduce our operations due to the availability or cost of electrical power,
it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Interruptions
to our internet access could disrupt our operations, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Our
cryptocurrency mining operations require access to high-speed internet to be successful. If we lose internet access for a prolonged period,
we may be required to reduce our operations or cease them altogether. If this occurs, it could have a material adverse effect on our
business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our
reliance primarily on a single model of miner may subject our operations to increased risk.
We
currently only use Bitmain Antminer type miners, if there are issues with those machines, such as a design flaw in the ASIC chips they
employ, our entire system could be affected. Any system error or failure may significantly delay response times or even cause our system
to fail. Any disruption in our ability to continue mining could result in lower yields and harm our reputation and business. Any exploitable
weakness, flaw, or error common to Bitmain miners affects all our miners; therefore, if a defect or other flaw exists and is exploited,
our entire mine could go offline simultaneously. Any interruption, delay or system failure could have a material adverse effect on our
business, results of operations and financial condition.
We
may not be able to find suitable locations, or any locations at all, for our mobile data centers.
Our
mobile data centers are located close to natural gas wellheads, and we may be forced to leave our current location, not be able to find
suitable locations, or any locations at all, for our current and/or future mobile data centers. If this occurs it could have a material
adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
10
We
depend on the services of a small number of key personnel, and may not be able to operate and grow our business effectively if we lose
their services or are unable to attract qualified personnel in the future.
Our
success depends in part upon the continued service of a small number of key personnel. They are critical to the overall management of
our company, and our strategic direction. We rely heavily on them because they have substantial experience with our company and business
strategies. Our ability to retain them is therefore very important to our future success. We have employment agreements with our key
personnel, but these employment agreements do not ensure that they will not voluntarily terminate their employment with us. The loss
of any key personnel would require the remaining key personnel to divert immediate attention to seeking a replacement. Competition for
senior management personnel is intense, and our inability to find a suitable replacement for any departing key personnel in a timely
basis could adversely affect our ability to operate and grow our business.
Our
future success depends upon, in large part, our continuing ability to attract and retain qualified personnel.
Expansion
of our business and operations may require additional managers and employees with industry experience, in which case our success will
be dependent on our ability to attract and retain experienced management personnel and other employees. There can be no assurance that
we will be able to attract or retain qualified personnel. Competition may also make it more difficult and expensive to attract, hire
and retain qualified managers and employees. If we fail to attract, train and retain sufficient numbers of the qualified personnel, our
prospects, business, financial condition and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected.
We
rely on key contracts and business relationships, and if our current or future business partners or contracting counterparties fail to
perform or terminate any of their contractual arrangements with us for any reason or cease operations, or should we fail to adequately
identify key business relationships, our business could be disrupted and our reputation may be harmed.
If
any of our business partners or contracting counterparties fails to perform or terminates their agreement(s) with us for any reason,
or if our business partners or contracting counterparties with which we have short-term agreements refuse to extend or renew the agreement
or enter into a similar agreement, our ability to carry on operations may be impaired. In addition, we depend on the continued operation
of our long-term business partners and contracting counterparties and on maintaining good relations with them. If one of our long-term
partners or counterparties is unable (including as a result of bankruptcy or a liquidation proceeding) or unwilling to continue operating
in the line of business that is the subject of our contract, we may not be able to obtain similar relationships and agreements on terms
acceptable to us or at all. If a partner or counterparty fails to perform or terminates any of the agreements with us or discontinues
operations, and we are unable to obtain similar relationships or agreements, such events could have an adverse effect on our operating
results and financial condition.
Breaches
of our data systems or unintended disclosure of data could result in large expenditures to repair or replace such systems, to remedy
any security breaches and to protect us from similar events in the future.
Our
infrastructure may be vulnerable to physical or electronic break-ins, computer viruses, or similar disruptive problems. In addition to
shutdowns, our systems are subject to risks caused by misappropriation, misuse, leakage, falsification and accidental release or loss
of information. Disruptions or security compromises of our systems could result in large expenditures to repair or replace such systems,
to remedy any security breaches and protect us from similar events in the future. We also could be exposed to negligence claims or other
legal proceedings, and we could incur significant legal expenses and our management’s attention may be diverted from our operations
in defending ourselves against and resolving lawsuits or claims. In addition, if we were to suffer damage to our reputation as a result
of any system failure or security compromise, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial
condition.
We
are exposed to risks associated with PCI compliance.
The
PCI Data Security Standard (“PCI DSS”) is a specific set of comprehensive security standards required by credit card brands
for enhancing payment account data security, including but not limited to requirements for security management, policies, procedures,
network architecture, and software design. PCI DSS compliance is required in order to maintain credit card processing services. Compliance
does not guarantee a completely secure environment and notwithstanding the results of this assessment there can be no assurance that
payment card brands will not request further compliance assessments or set forth additional requirements to maintain access to credit
card processing services. Compliance is an ongoing effort and the requirements evolve as new threats are identified. In the event that
we were to lose PCI DSS compliance status (or fail to renew compliance under a future version of the PCI DSS), we could be exposed to
increased operating costs, fines and penalties and, in extreme circumstances, may have our credit card processing privileges revoked,
which would have a material adverse effect on our business.
11
Our
failure to comply with the terms contained in our loan agreements could result in an event of default that could adversely affect our
financial condition and ability to operate our business as planned.
Our
failure to comply with terms contained in our loan agreements in the future may adversely affect our ability to operate our business
and we may not be able to continue operations as planned, implement our planned growth strategy, or react to opportunities for, or downturns
in, our business.
Government
regulations related to the Internet could increase our cost of doing business, affect our ability to grow or may otherwise negatively
affect our business.
Governmental
agencies and federal and state legislatures have adopted, and may continue to adopt, new laws and regulatory practices in response to
the increasing use of the Internet and other online services. These new laws may be related to issues such as online privacy and data
protection requirements, copyrights, trademarks and service mark, sales taxes, fair business practices, domain name ownership, and the
requirement that our operating units register to do business as foreign entities or otherwise be licensed to do business in jurisdictions
where they have no physical location or other presence. In addition, these new laws, regulations or interpretations relating to doing
business through the Internet could increase our costs materially and adversely affect our revenue and results of operations.
Regulatory
changes or actions may restrict the use of cryptocurrencies in a manner that adversely affects an investment in us.
As
cryptocurrencies have grown in popularity and in market size, the Federal Reserve Board, U.S. Congress and certain U.S. agencies (e.g.,
the CFTC, the Commission, FinCEN and the Federal Bureau of Investigation) have begun to examine cryptocurrencies. On March 9, 2022 President
Biden signed an executive order on cryptocurrencies. While the executive order did not mandate any specific regulations, it instructs
various federal agencies to consider potential regulatory measures, including the evaluation of the creation of a U.S. Central Bank digital
currency. Future changes to existing regulations or entirely new regulations may affect our business in ways it is not presently possible
for us to predict with any reasonable degree of reliability.
Digital
assets currently face an uncertain regulatory landscape in not only the United States but also in such foreign jurisdictions as the European
Union and China. While certain governments such as Germany, have issued guidance as to how to treat cryptocurrencies, most regulatory
bodies have not issued specific policy determinations.
Future
changes to existing regulations or entirely new regulations may affect our business in ways it is not presently possible for us to predict
with any reasonable degree of reliability, but such change could be substantial and adverse to us and could adversely affect an investment
in us.
Unfavorable
general economic conditions in the United States, Europe, Asia, or in other major markets could negatively impact our financial performance.
Unfavorable
general economic conditions, such as a recession or economic slowdown in the United States, Europe, Asia, or in one or more of our other
major markets, could negatively affect demand for our services and our results of operations. Under difficult economic conditions, businesses
may seek to reduce spending on our services, or shift away from our services to in-house alternatives.
We
encounter competition in our business, and any failure to compete effectively could adversely affect our results of operations.
We
anticipate that our competitors will continue to expand and aggressive expansion of our competitors or the entrance of new competitors
into our markets could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Acquisitions,
joint ventures or similar strategic relationships may disrupt or otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business and financial
results.
As
part of our strategy, we may explore strategic acquisitions and combinations, or enter into joint ventures or similar strategic relationships.
These transactions are subject to the following risks:
●
Acquisitions,
joint ventures or similar relationships may cause a disruption in our ongoing business, distract our management and make it difficult
to maintain our standards, controls and procedures;
●
We
may not be able to integrate successfully the services, products, and personnel of any such transaction into our operations;
●
We
may not derive the revenue improvements, cost savings and other intended benefits of any such transaction; and
●
There
may be risks, exposures and liabilities of acquired entities or other third parties with whom we undertake a transaction, that may
arise from such third parties’ activities prior to undertaking a transaction with us.
12
Acquisitions
may result in significant impairment charges and may operate at losses. We can provide no assurance that future acquisitions, joint ventures
or strategic relationships will be accretive to our business overall or will result in profitable operations.
The
COVID-19 pandemic could negatively impact our future operations and results.
We
are subject to risks and uncertainties as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our
business is highly uncertain and difficult to predict, as the responses that we, other businesses and governments are taking continue
to evolve. Furthermore, capital markets and economies worldwide have also been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is
possible that it could cause a local and/or global economic recession. Policymakers around the globe have responded with fiscal policy
actions to support the healthcare industry and economy as a whole. The magnitude and overall effectiveness of these actions remain uncertain.
The
severity of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business will depend on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, the
duration and severity of the pandemic and the extent and severity of the impact on our service providers and suppliers, all of which
are uncertain and cannot be predicted. As of the date of issuance of our financial statements, the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic
may in the future materially impact our financial condition, liquidity or results of operations is uncertain.
Our
Certificate of Incorporation provides for indemnification of officers and directors at our expense and limits their liability, which
may result in a major cost to us and hurt the interests of our stockholders because corporate resources may be expended for the benefit
of officers and/or directors.
Our
Certificate of Incorporation and applicable Delaware law provide for the indemnification of our directors and officers against attorney’s
fees and other expenses incurred by them in any action to which they become a party arising from their association with or activities
on our behalf. This indemnification policy could result in substantial expenditures by us that we will be unable to recoup.
We
have been advised that, in the opinion of the SEC, indemnification for liabilities arising under federal securities laws is against public
policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and is, therefore, unenforceable. In
the event that a claim for indemnification for liabilities arising under federal securities laws, other than the payment by us of expenses
incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding, is asserted
by a director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, we will (unless in the opinion of our
counsel, the matter has been settled by controlling precedent) submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction, the question whether indemnification
by us is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. The legal
process relating to this matter, if it were to occur, is likely to be very costly and may result in us receiving negative publicity,
either of which factors is likely to materially reduce the market and price for our shares if such a market ever develops.
Risks
Relating to Ownership of Our Common Stock
The
beneficial ownership by Mr. Paul L. Kessler, Executive Chairman of the Board, of our common stock and other convertible securities, will
likely limit the ability of minority stockholders to influence corporate matters.
Mr.
Paul L. Kessler, Executive Chairman of the Board, is the beneficial owner of a substantial amount of the issued and outstanding shares
of the Company’s common stock, Series A Convertible Preferred Stock, stock options and warrants, and a secured convertible debenture,
and beneficially owns approximately 78% of the shares of our Common Stock. As a result, Mr. Kessler has significant influence over most
matters that require approval by our stockholders, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions,
even if other stockholders oppose them. This concentration of ownership might also have the effect of delaying or preventing a change
of control of our Company that other stockholders may view as beneficial.
In
order to raise sufficient funds to expand our operations, we may have to issue additional securities at prices which may result in substantial
dilution to our shareholders.
If
we raise additional funds through the sale of equity or convertible debt, our current stockholders’ percentage ownership will be
reduced. In addition, these transactions may dilute the value of our common shares outstanding. We may also have to issue securities
that may have rights, preferences and privileges senior to our common stock.
13
Our
common stock is quoted on the OTCQB, which may have an unfavorable impact on our stock price and liquidity.
Our
common stock is quoted on the OTCQB. The quotation of our shares on the OTCQB may result in a less liquid market available for existing
and potential stockholders to trade shares of our Common Stock, could depress the trading price of our common stock and could have a
long-term adverse impact on our ability to raise capital in the future.
There
is limited liquidity on the OTCQB, which enhances the volatile nature of our equity.
When
fewer shares of a security are being traded on the OTCQB, volatility of prices may increase and price movement may outpace the ability
to deliver accurate quote information. Due to lower trading volumes in shares of our Common Stock, there may be a lower likelihood that
orders for shares of our Common Stock will be executed, and current prices may differ significantly from the price that was quoted at
the time of entry of the order.
Our
stock price is likely to be highly volatile because of our limited public float.
The
market price of our common stock is likely to be highly volatile because there has been a relatively thin trading market for our stock,
which causes trades of small blocks of stock to have a significant impact on our stock price. You may not be able to resell shares of
our Common Stock following periods of volatility because of the market’s adverse reaction to volatility. Other factors that could
cause such volatility may include, among other things: actual or anticipated fluctuations in our operating results; the absence of securities
analysts covering us and distributing research and recommendations about us; overall stock market fluctuations; economic conditions generally;
announcements concerning our business or those of our competitors; our ability to raise capital when we require it, and to raise such
capital on favorable terms; conditions or trends in the industry; litigation; changes in market valuations of other similar companies;
announcements by us or our competitors of significant contracts, acquisitions, strategic partnerships or joint ventures; future sales
of common stock; actions initiated by the SEC or other regulatory bodies; and general market conditions. Any of these factors could have
a significant and adverse impact on the market price of our common stock. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the trading
price of our common stock.
Our
common stock may be subject to significant price volatility which may have an adverse effect on your ability to liquidate your investment
in our common stock.
The
market for our common stock may be characterized by significant price volatility when compared to seasoned issuers, and we expect that
our share price will be more volatile than a seasoned issuer for the indefinite future. The potential volatility in our share price is
attributable to a number of factors. First, our common shares may be sporadically and/or thinly traded. As a consequence of this lack
of liquidity, the trading of relatively small quantities of shares by our stockholders may disproportionately influence the price of
those shares in either direction. The price for our shares could, for example, decline precipitously in the event that a large number
of our common shares are sold on the market without commensurate demand, as compared to a seasoned issuer that could better absorb those
sales without adverse impact on its share price. Secondly, an investment in us is a speculative or “risky” investment due
to our lack of meaningful profits to date and uncertainty of future profits. As a consequence of this enhanced risk, more risk-adverse
investors may, under the fear of losing all or most of their investment in the event of negative news or lack of progress, be more inclined
to sell their shares on the market more quickly and at greater discounts than would be the case with the stock of a seasoned issuer.
Our
stock is thinly traded, so an investor may be unable to sell at or near ask prices or at all.
The
shares of our Common Stock are traded on the OTCQB and are thinly traded, meaning that the number of persons interested in purchasing
our common stock at or near ask prices at any given time may be relatively small or non-existent. This situation is attributable to a
number of factors, including the fact that we are a smaller reporting company that is relatively unknown to stock analysts, stockbrokers,
institutional investors and others in the investment community who generate or influence sales volume. Even in the event that we come
to the attention of such persons, they would likely be reluctant to follow an unproven company such as ours or purchase or recommend
the purchase of our shares until such time as we become more seasoned and viable. As a consequence, our stock price may not reflect an
actual or perceived value. Also, there may be periods of several days or more when trading activity in our shares is minimal or non-existent,
as is currently the case, as compared to a seasoned issuer that has a large and steady volume of trading activity that will generally
support continuous sales without an adverse effect on share price. A broader or more active public trading market for our common shares
may not develop or if developed, may not be sustained. Due to these conditions, you may not be able to sell your shares at or near ask
prices or at all if you need money or otherwise desire to liquidate your shares.
14
Currently,
there is a limited public market for our securities, and there can be no assurances that any public market will ever develop and, even
if developed, it is likely to be subject to significant price fluctuations.
We
have a trading symbol for our common stock, namely ‘CRKR’. However, our stock has been thinly traded, if at all. Consequently,
there can be no assurances as to whether:
●
any
market for our shares will develop;
●
the
prices at which our common stock will trade; or
●
the
extent to which investor interest in us will lead to the development of an active, liquid trading market. Active trading markets
generally result in lower price volatility and more efficient execution of buy and sell orders for investors.
Until
our common stock is fully distributed and an orderly market develops in our common stock, if ever, the price at which it trades is likely
to fluctuate significantly. Prices for our common stock will be determined in the marketplace and may be influenced by many factors,
including the depth and liquidity of the market for shares of our Common Stock, developments affecting our business, including the impact
of the factors referred to elsewhere in these risk factors, investor perception of our Company and general economic and market conditions.
No assurances can be given that an orderly or liquid market will ever develop for the shares of our Common Stock.
We
cannot predict the extent to which an active public trading market for our common stock will develop or be sustained. If an active public
trading market does not develop or cannot be sustained, you may be unable to liquidate your investment in our common stock.
We
cannot predict the extent to which an active public market for our common stock will develop or be sustained due to a number of factors,
including the fact that we are a small company that is relatively unknown to stock analysts, stock brokers, institutional investors,
and others in the investment community that generate or influence sales volume, and that even if we came to the attention of such persons,
they tend to be risk-averse and would be reluctant to follow an unproven company such as ours or purchase or recommend the purchase of
our shares of common stock until such time as we became more seasoned and viable. 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. We cannot give you
any assurance that an active public trading market for our common stock will develop or be sustained. If such a market cannot be sustained,
you may be unable to liquidate your investment in our common stock.
Other
factors which could cause volatility in the market price of our common stock include, but are not limited to:
●
actual
or anticipated fluctuations in our financial condition and operating results or those of companies perceived to be similar to us;
●
actual
or anticipated changes in our growth rate relative to our competitors;
●
commercial
success and market acceptance of blockchain, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies;
●
actions
by our competitors, such as new business initiatives, acquisitions and divestitures;
●
strategic
transactions undertaken by us;
●
integration
of new businesses and opportunities into our existing business;
●
implementation
of new technologies in the industry;
●
additions
or departures of key personnel;
●
prevailing
economic conditions;
●
sales
of our common stock by our officers, directors or significant stockholders;
●
other
actions taken by our stockholders;
●
future
sales or issuances of equity or debt securities by us;
●
business
disruptions caused by earthquakes, tornadoes or other natural disasters;
●
legal
proceedings involving our company, our industry or both;
●
changes
in market valuations of companies similar to ours;
●
the
prospects of the industry in which we operate;
●
other
risks, uncertainties and factors described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
We
are subject to the “penny stock rules” which will make our securities more difficult to sell.
We
are subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules because our securities sell below $5.00 per share. The penny stock rules
require broker-dealers to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document prepared by the SEC which provides information about penny
stocks and the nature and level of risks in the penny stock market. The broker-dealer must also provide the customer with current bid
and offer quotations for the penny stock, the compensation of the broker-dealer and its salesperson, and monthly account statements showing
the market value of each penny stock held in the customer’s account. In addition, the bid and offer quotations, and the broker-dealer
and salesperson compensation information must be given to the customer orally or in writing prior to completing the transaction and must
be given to the customer in writing before or with the customer’s confirmation.
15
Furthermore,
the penny stock rules require that prior to a transaction, the broker dealer must make a special written determination that the penny
stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive the purchaser’s written agreement to the transaction. The penny stock
rules are burdensome and may reduce purchases of any offerings and reduce the trading activity for our securities. As long as our securities
are subject to the penny stock rules, the holders of such securities will find it more difficult to sell their securities.
We
have not paid cash dividends in the past and do not expect to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any return on your investment
may be limited to increases in the market price of our common stock.
We
have never paid cash dividends on our common stock and do not anticipate paying cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable
future. The payment of dividends on our common stock will depend on our earnings, financial condition and other business and economic
factors affecting us at such time as the board of directors may consider relevant. If we do not pay dividends, our common stock may be
less valuable because a return on your investment might only occur if the market price of our common stock appreciates.
Our
board of directors has broad discretion to issue additional securities.
We
are entitled under our certificate of incorporation to issue up to 100,000,000 shares of common stock and 5,000,000 shares of preferred
stock, although these amounts may change in the future subject to stockholder approval. Shares of our preferred stock provide our board
of directors’ broad authority to determine voting, dividend, conversion, and other rights. Any additional stock issuances could
be made at a price that reflects a discount or premium to the then-current market price of our common stock. In addition, in order to
raise capital, we may need to issue securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for a significant amount of our common stock.
Our board may generally issue those common and preferred shares, or convertible securities to purchase those shares, without further
approval by our stockholders. Any preferred shares we may issue could have such rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions as may
be designated from time-to-time by our board, including preferential dividend rights, voting rights, conversion rights, redemption rights
and liquidation provisions. We may also issue additional securities to our directors, officers, employees and consultants as compensatory
grants in connection with their services, both in the form of stand-alone grants or under our stock incentive plans. The issuance of
additional securities may cause substantial dilution to our stockholders.
The
exercise of outstanding options and warrants to purchase our common stock could substantially dilute your investment.
Under
the terms of our outstanding options and warrants to purchase our common stock issued to employees and others, the holders are given
an opportunity to profit from a rise in the market price of our common stock that, upon the exercise of the options and/or warrants,
could result in dilution in the interests of our other stockholders.
The
market price of our common stock and the value of your investment could substantially decline if our warrants or options are exercised
and our common stock is issued and resold into the market, or if a perception exists that a substantial number of shares will be issued
upon exercise of our warrants and option and then resold into the market.
If
the exercise prices of our warrants or options are lower than the price at which you made your investment, immediate dilution of the
value of your investment will occur. In addition, sales of a substantial number of shares of common stock issued upon exercise of our
warrants and options, or even the perception that such sales could occur, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
You could, therefore, experience a substantial decline in the value of your investment as a result of both the actual and potential exercise
of our warrants or options.
Failure
to achieve and maintain effective internal controls in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 could result in
a restatement of our financial statements, cause investors to lose confidence in our financial statements and our company and have a
material adverse effect on our business and stock price.
We
produce our financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, or GAAP. Effective
internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports to help mitigate the risk of fraud and to operate successfully
as a publicly traded company. As a public company, we are required to document and test our internal control procedures in order to satisfy
the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or Section 404. Further, Section 404 requires annual management assessments
of the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting.
16
Testing
and maintaining internal controls can divert our management’s attention from other matters that are important to our business.
We may not be able to conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal controls over financial reporting in accordance with
Section 404. If we are unable to conclude that we have effective internal controls over financial reporting, investors could lose confidence
in our reported financial information and our company, which could result in a decline in the market price of our common stock, and cause
us to fail to meet our reporting obligations in the future, which in turn could impact our ability to raise additional financing if needed
in the future.
Risks
Related to the Price of Bitcoin
The
trading price of shares of our Common Stock has appeared at times to have a correlation with the trading price of Bitcoin, which may
be subject to pricing risks, including “bubble” type risks, and has historically been subject to wide swings.
Recently,
the trading price of our common stock has appeared to have a correlation with the trading price of Bitcoin. Specifically, we have experienced
adverse effects on our stock price when the value of Bitcoin has fallen, and we may experience similar outcomes if our stock price tracks
the general status of that cryptocurrency. Furthermore, if the market for Bitcoin company stocks or the stock market in general experiences
a loss of investor confidence, the trading price of our stock could decline for reasons unrelated to our business, operating results
or financial condition. The trading price of our common stock could be subject to arbitrary pricing factors that are not necessarily
associated with traditional factors that influence stock prices or the value of non-cryptocurrency assets such as revenue, cash flows,
profitability, growth prospects or business activity levels since the value and price, as determined by the investing public, may be
influenced by future anticipated adoption or appreciation in value of cryptocurrencies or blockchains generally, factors over which we
have little or no influence or control.
We
may face risks of Internet disruptions, which could have an adverse effect on the price of cryptocurrencies.
A
disruption of the Internet may affect the use of cryptocurrencies and subsequently the value of our securities. Generally, cryptocurrencies
and our business of mining cryptocurrencies is dependent upon the Internet. A significant disruption in Internet connectivity could disrupt
a currency’s network operations until the disruption is resolved and have an adverse effect on the price of cryptocurrencies and
our ability to mine cryptocurrencies.
The
impact of geopolitical and economic events on the supply and demand for cryptocurrencies is uncertain.
Geopolitical
crises may motivate large-scale purchases of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, which could increase the price of Bitcoin and other
cryptocurrencies rapidly. This may increase the likelihood of a subsequent price decrease as crisis-driven purchasing behavior dissipates,
adversely affecting the value of our inventory following such downward adjustment. Such risks are similar to the risks of purchasing
commodities in general uncertain times, such as the risk of purchasing, holding or selling gold. Alternatively, as an emerging asset
class with limited acceptance as a payment system or commodity, global crises and general economic downturn may discourage investment
in cryptocurrencies as investors focus their investment on less volatile asset classes as a means of hedging their investment risk.
Acceptance
and/or widespread use of cryptocurrency is uncertain.
There
is a relatively limited use of any cryptocurrency in the retail and commercial marketplace, thus contributing to price volatility that
could adversely affect an investment in our securities. Banks and other established financial institutions may refuse to process funds
for cryptocurrency transactions, process wire transfers to or from cryptocurrency exchanges, cryptocurrency-related companies or service
providers, or maintain accounts for persons or entities transacting in cryptocurrency. The relative lack of acceptance of cryptocurrencies
in the retail and commercial marketplace, or a reduction of such use, limits the ability of end users to use them to pay for goods and
services. Such lack of acceptance or decline in acceptance could have a material adverse effect on our ability to continue as a going
concern or to pursue our new strategy at all, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects or operations and
potentially the value of Bitcoin or any other cryptocurrencies we mine or otherwise acquire or hold for our own account.
The
markets for Bitcoin may be under-regulated and, as a result, the market price of Bitcoin may be subject to significant volatility or
manipulation, which could decrease consumer confidence in cryptocurrencies and have a materially adverse effect on our business and results
of operations.
Cryptocurrencies
that are represented and trade on a ledger-based platform and those who hold them may not enjoy the same benefits as traditional securities
available on trading markets and their investors. Stock exchanges have listing requirements and vet issuers, requiring them to be subjected
to rigorous listing standards and rules, and monitor investors transacting on such platform for fraud and other improprieties. These
conditions may not necessarily be replicated on a distributed ledger platform, depending on the platform’s controls and other policies.
The more lax a distributed ledger platform is about vetting issuers of cryptocurrency assets or users that transact on the platform,
the higher the potential risk for fraud or the manipulation of the ledger due to a control event. We believe that Bitcoin is not a security
under federal and state law.
17
Bitcoin
and other cryptocurrency market prices have historically been volatile, are impacted by a variety of factors, and are determined primarily
using data from various exchanges, over-the-counter markets and derivative platforms. Furthermore, such prices may be subject to factors
such as those that impact commodities, more so than business activities, which could be subjected to additional influence from fraudulent
or illegitimate actors, real or perceived scarcity, and political, economic, regulatory or other conditions. Pricing may be the result
of, and may continue to result in, speculation regarding future appreciation in the value of cryptocurrencies, or our share price, making
their market prices more volatile or creating “bubble” type risks for both Bitcoin and shares of our Common Stock.
These
factors may inhibit consumer trust in and market acceptance of cryptocurrencies as a means of exchange which could have a material adverse
effect on our business, prospects, or operations and potentially the value of any Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies we mine or otherwise
acquire.
It
may be illegal now, or in the future, to acquire, own, hold, sell or use Bitcoin, ether, or other cryptocurrencies, participate in blockchains
or utilize similar cryptocurrency assets in one or more countries, the ruling of which would adversely affect us.
Although
currently cryptocurrencies generally are not regulated or are lightly regulated in most countries, several countries continue taking
regulatory actions in the future that could severely restrict the right to acquire, own, hold, sell or use these cryptocurrency assets
or to exchange for fiat currency. Such restrictions may adversely affect us as the large-scale use of cryptocurrencies as a means of
exchange is presently confined to certain regions globally. Such circumstances could have a material adverse effect on us, which could
have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects or operations and potentially the value of any Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies
we mine or otherwise acquire or hold for our own account, and thus harm investors.
Our
cryptocurrencies may be subject to loss, theft or restriction on access.
There
is a risk that some or all of our cryptocurrencies could be lost or stolen. Access to our cryptocurrency assets could also be restricted
by cybercrime. Hackers or malicious actors may launch attacks to steal, compromise or secure cryptocurrencies, The loss or destruction
of a private key required to access our digital wallets may be irreversible and we may be denied access for all time to our cryptocurrency
holdings or the holdings of others held in those compromised wallets. Our loss of access to our private keys or our experience of a data
loss relating to our digital wallets could adversely affect our investments and assets. Such events could have a material adverse effect
on our business.
Bitcoin
has forked multiple times and additional forks may occur in the future which may affect the value of Bitcoin we hold or mine.
To
the extent that a significant majority of users and mining companies on a cryptocurrency network install software that changes the cryptocurrency
network or properties of a cryptocurrency, including the irreversibility of transactions and limitations on the mining of new cryptocurrency,
the cryptocurrency network would be subject to new protocols and software. However, if less than a significant majority of users and
mining companies on the cryptocurrency network consent to the proposed modification, and the modification is not compatible with the
software prior to its modification, the consequence would be what is known as a “fork” of the network, with one prong running
the pre-modified software and the other running the modified software. The effect of such a fork would be the existence of two versions
of the cryptocurrency running in parallel yet lacking interchangeability and necessitating exchange-type transaction to convert currencies
between the two forks. Additionally, it may be unclear following a fork which fork represents the original cryptocurrency and which is
the new cryptocurrency. Different metrics adopted by industry participants to determine which is the original asset include: referring
to the wishes of the core developers of a cryptocurrency, blockchains with the greatest amount of hashing power contributed by miners
or validators; or blockchains with the longest chain. A fork in the network of a particular cryptocurrency could adversely affect an
investment in our securities or our ability to operate.
Since
August 1, 2017, Bitcoin’s blockchain was forked multiple times creating alternative versions of the cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin
Cash, Bitcoin Gold and Bitcoin SV. The forks resulted in a new blockchain being created with a shared history, and a new path forward.
The value of the newly created versions including Bitcoin Cash, Bitcoin Gold and Bitcoin SV may or may not have value in the long run
and may affect the price of Bitcoin if interest is shifted away from Bitcoin to the newly created cryptocurrencies. The value of Bitcoin
after the creation of a fork is subject to many factors including the value of the fork product, market reaction to the creation of the
fork product, and the occurrence of forks in the future. As such, the value of Bitcoin could be materially reduced if existing and future
forks have a negative effect on Bitcoin’s value.
18
Incorrect
or fraudulent cryptocurrency transactions may be irreversible.
Cryptocurrency
transactions are irrevocable and stolen or incorrectly transferred cryptocurrencies may be irretrievable. As a result, any incorrectly
executed or fraudulent cryptocurrency transactions could have a material adverse effect on our ability to continue as a going concern
or to pursue our new strategy at all, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects or operations of and potentially
the value of any Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies we mine or otherwise acquire or hold for our own account.
Cryptocurrencies,
including those maintained by or for us, may be exposed to cybersecurity threats and hacks.
Flaws
in cryptocurrency codes may be exposed by malicious actors. Several errors and defects have been found previously, including those that
disabled some functionality for users and exposed users’ information. Exploitations of flaws in the source code that allow malicious
actors to take or create money have previously occurred. Our devices, as well as our miners, computer systems and those of third parties
that we use in our operations, are vulnerable to cyber security risks, including cyber-attacks such as viruses and worms, phishing attacks,
denial-of-service attacks, physical or electronic break-ins, employee theft or misuse, and similar disruptions from unauthorized tampering
with our miners and computer systems or those of third parties that we use in our operations. Such events could have a material adverse
effect on our business, prospects or operations and potentially the value of any Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies we mine or otherwise
acquire or hold for our own account.
Item
1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
Not
applicable.
Item
2. Properties
None
Item
3. Legal Proceedings
We
are involved in legal proceedings in the ordinary course of our business. Although our management cannot predict the ultimate outcome
of these legal proceedings with certainty, it believes that the ultimate resolution of our legal proceedings, including any amounts we
may be required to pay, will not have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.
On
September 13, 2022, Barlock Capital Management LLC, which is co-managed by Scott Kaufman, the Company’s former Co-Chief Executive
Officer and director, and is also an affiliate of Barlock 2019 Fund, LP (“Barlock”), delivered a notice of an alleged event
of default of the secured convertible debenture in the principal amount of $2,496,850 (the “Barlock Convertible Debenture”)
and a demand for payment of $5,004,978.76 (the “Notice”) to the Company. The Notice alleged that (i) the Company’s
agreement on August 24, 2022 to issue a convertible promissory note in the principal amount of $900,000 (the “Alpha Note”)
and (ii) Mr. Kaufman’s resignation as the Company’s Co-Chief Executive Officer and a director on August 8, 2022, each constituted
events of default under the Barlock Convertible Debenture.
The
Company strongly disagrees with the assertion that an event of default has occurred under the Barlock Convertible Debenture and notified
Mr. Kaufman and Barlock that they had previously delegated the exclusive authority to exercise remedies under the Barlock Convertible
Debenture and the related security agreement to the agent for Barlock and all other holders of such debentures as defined in such security
agreement. Accordingly, the Company has demanded a withdrawal of the Notice. The Company maintains that the issuance of the Alpha Note
in exchange for 600,000 shares of the Company’s common stock pursuant to Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act of 1933 does not
constitute the incurrence of “indebtedness for borrowed money” and cannot be an event of default. The Company also maintains
that Mr. Kaufman’s voluntary resignation from his positions with the Company in the face of an investigation into potential wrongdoing,
breaches of fiduciary duties and other objectionable conduct cannot be the basis for an event of default under the Barlock Convertible
Debenture and that Barlock lacks the authority under the Barlock Convertible Debenture and the related transaction documents to declare
events of default.
If
it is ultimately determined that an event of default exists under the Barlock Convertible Debenture and that the Notice was properly
provided on behalf of Barlock, the outstanding principal amount of the Barlock Convertible Debenture, plus accrued but unpaid interest,
liquidated damages and other amounts owing in respect thereof through the date of acceleration will be due and payable at the (a) greater
of (i) the outstanding principal amount of the Barlock Convertible Debenture, plus all accrued and unpaid interest thereon, divided by
the conversion price on the date of Barlock’s demand for acceleration multiplied by the volume weighted average price of the Company’s
shares of common stock on such date on the date, or (ii) 130% of the outstanding principal amount of the Barlock Convertible Debenture,
plus 100% of accrued and unpaid interest thereon, and (b) all other amounts, costs, expenses and liquidated damages due in respect of
the Barlock Convertible Debenture. Commencing five days after the occurrence of any event of default that results in the eventual acceleration
of the Barlock Convertible Debenture, the interest rate on the Barlock Convertible Debenture accrues at an interest rate equal to the
lesser of 18% per annum or the maximum rate permitted under applicable law.
Item
4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not
applicable.
19
PART
II
Item
5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Market
Information and Approximate Number of Holders of Common Stock
Our
common stock is quoted on the OTCQB under the symbol “CRKR.” The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the
reported high and low bid quotations for our common stock as reported on the OTCQB. The bid prices reflect inter-dealer quotations, do
not include retail markups, markdowns, or commissions, and do not necessarily reflect actual transactions.
High Bid
Low Bid
Year Ended December 31, 2022:
First Quarter (January 1 – March 31)
$ 2.95
$ 1.45
Second Quarter (April 1 – June 30)
$ 1.80
$ 0.29
Third Quarter (July 1 – September 30)
$ 0.52
$ 0.19
Fourth Quarter (October 1 – December 31)
$ 0.22
$ 0.05
Year Ended December 31, 2021:
First Quarter (January 1 – March 31)
$ 5.00
$ 0.61
Second Quarter (April 1 – June 30)
$ 4.33
$ 2.05
Third Quarter (July 1 – September 30)
$ 2.81
$ 1.45
Fourth Quarter (October 1 – December 31)
$ 3.90
$ 1.04
As
of December 31, 2022, according to the records of our transfer agent, we had 71 record holders of our common stock. Because brokers and
other institutions hold shares on behalf of stockholders, we are unable to estimate the total number of stockholders represented by these
record holders.
Dividends
We
have never declared or paid dividends on our common stock and intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings for use in
the operation of our business and do not anticipate paying any dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future, if at all. Any
future determination to declare dividends will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on our financial condition,
operating results, capital requirements, general business conditions and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant.
Recent
Sales of Unregistered Securities
We
sold the securities described below within the past year which were not registered under the Securities Act.
We
implemented a 1-for-20 reverse stock split of our outstanding shares of common stock that was effective on January 23, 2020. Unless otherwise
noted, all share and related option, warrant, and convertible security information presented has been retroactively adjusted to reflect
the reduced number of shares, and the increase in the share price which resulted from this action.
On
March 24, 2021, the Company granted warrants to purchase shares the Company’s common stock to a consultant as follows: a warrant
to purchase 300,000 shares with an exercise price of $1.00 per share, and a term of 5 years; and, in connection with the issuance of
Series B preferred stock, a warrant to purchase 180,000 shares with an exercise price of $1.5278 per share, and term of 5 years.
On
June 30, 2021, we issued 6,249 shares of our Series A preferred stock to Scott D. Kaufman, our Chief Executive Officer, for settlement
of $62,490 of compensation payable to Mr. Kaufman under his employment agreement from April 1, 2021 through June 30, 2021. Each share
of our Series A preferred stock is convertible into a number of shares of our Common Stock determined by dividing the aggregate stated
value for the Series A preferred stock being converted (initially $10.00 per share, subject to adjustment as set forth in the currently
effective Series A Certificate of Designation) by the then-applicable conversion price (initially $0.25 per share, and $0.175 as of December
31, 2021, subject to adjustment as set forth in the currently effective Series A Certificate of Designation). We issued the foregoing
securities in reliance on the exemption from registration provided under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.
20
On
September 30, 2021, we issued 6,249 shares of our Series A preferred stock to Scott D. Kaufman, our Chief Executive Officer, for settlement
of $62,490 of compensation payable to Mr. Kaufman under his employment agreement from July 1, 2021 through September 30, 2021. Each share
of our Series A preferred stock is convertible into a number of shares of our Common Stock determined by dividing the aggregate stated
value for the Series A preferred stock being converted (initially $10.00 per share, subject to adjustment as set forth in the currently
effective Series A Certificate of Designation) by the then-applicable conversion price (initially $0.25 per share, and $0.175 as of December
31, 2021, subject to adjustment as set forth in the currently effective Series A Certificate of Designation). We issued the foregoing
securities in reliance on the exemption from registration provided under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.
On
October 12, 2021, the Company granted certain directors warrants to purchase a total of 30,000 shares of the Company’s common stock
with an exercise price of $1.50 per share, and a term of 3 years.
On
October 20, 2021, the Company granted a director warrants to purchase 400,000 shares of the Company’s common stock with an exercise
price of $1.50 per share, a term of 3 years, and vesting as follows: 20% upon execution of the Services Agreement; 20% on January 20,
2022; 20% on April 20, 2022; 20% on July 20, 2022; and 20% on October 20, 2022.
On
October 31, 2021, the Company granted a consultant warrants to purchase 750,000 shares of the Company’s common stock with an exercise
price of $1.50 per share, a term of 3 years, and vesting as follows: 40% upon execution of the Services Agreement; 20% on April 1, 2022;
20% on August 1, 2022; and 20% on December 1, 2022.
On
December 1, 2021, the Company granted certain of its Directors and employees options to purchase a total of 7,000,000 of the Company’s
common stock with an exercise price of $2.65 per share, a term of 5 years, and a shall vest upon a volume weighted average price (“VWAP”)
of the Company’s common stock reaching the following targets: at such time as there is a VWAP equal to $2.50 of the Company’s
common stock when computed over 30 consecutive trading days, 25% of each Executive’s Options shall vest; at such time as there
is a VWAP equal to $3.00 of the Company’s common stock when computed over 30 consecutive trading days, 25% of each Executive’s
Options shall vest; at such time as there is a VWAP equal to $3.50 of the Company’s common stock when computed over 30 consecutive
trading days, 25% of each Executive’s Options shall vest; and at such time as there is a VWAP equal to $4.00 of the Company’s
common stock when computed over 30 consecutive trading days, 25% of each Executive’s Options shall vest.
On
December 31, 2021, we issued 6,250 shares of our Series A preferred stock to Scott D. Kaufman, our Chief Executive Officer, for settlement
of $62,500 of compensation payable to Mr. Kaufman under his employment agreement from October 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021. In addition,
on December 31, 2021 we issued 673 shares of our Series A preferred stock to Paul L. Kessler, our Executive Chairman, for settlement
of $6,730 of compensation payable to Mr. Kessler under his employment agreement from December 23, 2021 through December 31, 2021. Each
share of our Series A preferred stock is convertible into a number of shares of our Common Stock determined by dividing the aggregate
stated value for the Series A preferred stock being converted (initially $10.00 per share, subject to adjustment as set forth in the
currently effective Series A Certificate of Designation) by the then-applicable conversion price (initially $0.25 per share, and $0.175
as of December 31, 2021, subject to adjustment as set forth in the currently effective Series A Certificate of Designation). We issued
the foregoing securities in reliance on the exemption from registration provided under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.
On
January 1, 2022, the Company granted warrants to purchase shares the Company’s common stock to a consultant in connection with
the issuance of Series C preferred stock as follows: a warrant to purchase 400,000 shares with an exercise price of $1.50 per share,
and a term of 5 years; a warrant to purchase 250,000 shares with an exercise price of $2.50 per share, and term of 5 years; and a warrant
to purchase 250,000 shares with an exercise price of $2.75 per share, and term of 5 years.
On
January 1, 2022, the Company granted an officer 7,722 shares Series A preferred stock for settlement of $77,216 in compensation under
his employment agreement for services provided through March 31, 2022.
On
January 25, 2022, the Company granted an officer 30,000 shares of common stock as compensation under his employment agreement for services
provided through December 31, 2021. On December 31, 2022 the shares were rescinded and returned to the Company.
On
May 31, 2022, the Company issued 169,205 shares of common stock to Highwire Energy Partners, Inc. (“Highwire”) under the
terms of the Binding Memorandum of Understanding for a Proposed Transaction.
On
August 24, 2022, the Company entered into the Settlement with Alpha. The Settlement relates to a dispute with the Company’s then-CEO
in connection with Alpha’s partial exercise on March 20, 2022 of the Warrant Shares. Pursuant to the Settlement, Alpha agreed to
exchange the Warrant Shares for the Alpha Note. As of December 31, 2022 Alpha had returned 600,000 shares of common stock in connection
with the Settlement.
21
On
March 31, 2022, we issued 3,409 shares of our Series A preferred stock to Scott D. Kaufman, our former co-Chief Executive Officer, for
settlement of $34,090 of compensation payable to Mr. Kaufman under his employment agreement from January 1, 2022 through March 31, 2022.
In addition, on March 31, 2022 we issued 4,941 shares of our Series A preferred stock to Paul L. Kessler, our Executive Chairman, for
settlement of $49,410 of compensation payable to Mr. Kessler under his employment agreement from January 1, 2022 through March 31, 2022.
On
June 30, 2022, we issued 5,361 shares of our Series A preferred stock to Scott D. Kaufman, our former co-Chief Executive Officer, for
settlement of $53,610 of compensation payable to Mr. Kaufman under his employment agreement from April 1, 2022 through June 30, 2022.
In addition, on June 30, 2022 we issued 4,941 shares of our Series A preferred stock to Paul L. Kessler, our Executive Chairman, for
settlement of $49,410 of compensation payable to Mr. Kessler under his employment agreement from April 1, 2022 through June 30, 2022.
On
September 30, 2022, we issued: 902 shares of our Series A preferred stock to Scott D. Kaufman, our former co-Chief Executive Officer,
for settlement of $9,020 of compensation payable to Mr. Kaufman under his employment agreement from July 1, 2022 through July 8, 2022;
2,958 shares of our Series A preferred stock to Paul L. Kessler, our Executive Chairman, for settlement of $29,580 of compensation payable
to Mr. Kessler under his employment agreement from July 1, 2022 through September 30, 2022; 8,333 shares of our Series A preferred stock
to John D. Maatta, our Chief Executive Officer, for settlement of $83,333 of compensation payable to Mr. Maatta under his employment
agreement from May 1, 2022 through September 30, 2022; and 3,426 shares of our Series A preferred stock to Scott Sheikh, our Chief Operating
Officer and General Counsel, for settlement of $34,260 of compensation payable to Mr. Sheikh under his employment agreement from July
16, 2022 through September 30, 2022.
On
December 31, 2022, we issued: 3,792 shares of our Series A preferred stock to Paul L. Kessler, our Executive Chairman, for settlement
of $37,920 of compensation payable to Mr. Kessler under his employment agreement from October 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022; 5,000
shares of our Series A preferred stock to John D. Maatta, our Chief Executive Officer, for settlement of $50,000 of compensation payable
to Mr. Maatta under his employment agreement from October 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022; 4,110 shares of our Series A preferred stock
to Scott Sheikh, our Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, for settlement of $41,110 of compensation payable to Mr. Sheikh under
his employment agreement from October 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022, and 685 shares of our Series A preferred stock to Alan Urban,
our former Chief Financial Officer, for settlement of $6,850 of compensation payable to Mr. Urban under his employment agreement from
October 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022.
Item
6. [Reserved]
Not
required.
22
Item
7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Cautionary
Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
The
following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes to those financial statements that are included
elsewhere in this report. Our discussion includes forward-looking statements based upon current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties,
such as our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those
anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including those set forth under “Risk Factors”
and elsewhere in this report.
We
use words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,” “plan,” “project,” “continuing,”
“ongoing,” “expect,” “believe,” “intend,” “may,” “will,” “should,”
“could,” and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements included in this
report are based on information available to us on the date hereof and, except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update
any such forward-looking statements.
Company
Overview
Creek
Road Miners, Inc. (formerly known as Wizard Brands, Inc., Wizard Entertainment, Inc., Wizard World, Inc., and GoEnergy, Inc.) was incorporated
in Delaware on May 2, 2001. Prior to cryptocurrency mining operations that began in October 2021, the Company produced live and virtual
pop culture conventions and events, and sold a gelatin machine and related consumables that were discontinued in 2021 In addition, the
Company operated an eCommerce site selling pop culture memorabilia that was discontinued on June 30, 2022 (collectively known as “legacy
operations”).
On
August 6, 2021, we entered into the Informa Agreement with Informa. Pursuant to the Informa Agreement, Creek Road Miners Corp. (fka Kick
the Can Corp.) sold, transferred, and assigned certain assets, properties, and rights to Informa related to the business of operating
and producing live pop culture events. The Company released deferred revenue and other liabilities
totaling $722,429 and recognized other income of this amount.
On
September 15, 2021, we sold our wholly owned subsidiary which contained our Jevo assets and all rights to our Jevo operations for $1,500,000
and recognized a gain on the transaction of approximately $1,130,740.
On
October 24, 2022, we entered into the Merger Agreement with Creek Road Merger Sub, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and our
wholly-owned subsidiary (“Merger Sub”), and Prairie, pursuant to which Merger Sub will merge with and into Prairie, with
Prairie surviving and continuing to exist as a Delaware limited liability company and our wholly-owned subsidiary.
Cryptocurrency
Mining
We
currently generate substantially all our revenue through cryptocurrency we earn through our mining activities, which we may strategically
hold or sell at beneficial prices and times. Our mining operations commenced on October 24, 2021. We use special cryptocurrency mining
computers (known as “miners”) to solve complex cryptographic algorithms to support the Bitcoin blockchain and, in return,
receive Bitcoin as our reward. Miners measure their processing power, which is known as “hashing” power, in terms of the
number of hashing algorithms solved (or “hashes”) per second, which is the miner’s “hash rate.” We participate
in Mining Pools (“mining pool(s)”) that pool the resources of groups of miners and split cryptocurrency rewards earned according
to the “hashing” capacity each miner contributes to the mining pool. Since June 30,
2022 the Company is neither receiving meaningful cryptocurrency awards nor generating meaningful revenue from cryptocurrency mining.
Mining
Equipment
All
of our miners were manufactured by Bitmain, and incorporate application-specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”) chips specialized
to solve blocks on the Bitcoin blockchains using the 256-bit secure hashing algorithm (“SHA-256”) in return for Bitcoin cryptocurrency
rewards. As of December 31, 2022, we had 510 Bitmain S19J Pro miners with 51.0 Ph/s of hashing capacity and 270 Bitmain S19 miners with
24.3 Ph/s of hashing capacity, none of which were in service.
23
On
December 17, 2021 the Company entered into a Non-Fixed Price Sales and Purchase Agreement (the “Bitmain Agreement”) with
Bitmain Technologies Limited (“Bitmain”) for 600 Bitmain S19XP miners with a reference price of approximately $11,250 per
miner. The miners have a total of 84 Ph/s of hashing capacity and an initial estimated purchase commitment of $6,762,000 (the “total
reference price”), subject to price adjustments and related offsets, including potential adjustments related to the market price
of miners. As of December 31, 2022, the Company has made payments of $3,969,000 (classified as deposits on mining equipment) to Bitmain
pursuant to the Bitmain Agreement, and the remaining amount due under the Bitmain Agreement is $47,600 and presented in the table below:
Market Price
per Miner
Total Amount
July 2022 batch (100 miners)
$ 7,756
$ 775,600
August 2022 batch (100 miners)
7,140
714,000
September 2022 batch (100 miners)
7,140
714,000
October 2022 batch (100 miners)
6,510
651,000
November 2022 batch (100 miners)
5,810
581,000
December 2022 batch (100 miners)
5,810
581,000
Estimated total amount due
4,016,600
Less: Payments made
3,969,000
Remaining amount due
$ 47,600
As
of December 31, 2022, all 600 miners purchased from Bitmain have not been delivered to the Company, and will remain undelivered until
all fees are paid to ship the miners from the Bitmain facility to the Company.
Mining
Results
The
Company measures its operations by the number and U.S. Dollar (US$) value of the cryptocurrency rewards it earns from its cryptocurrency
mining activities. The following table presents additional information regarding our cryptocurrency mining operations:
Quantity of Bitcoin
US$ Amounts
Balance September 30, 2021
—
$ —
Revenue recognized from cryptocurrency mined
6.7
369,804
Mining pool operating fees
(0.1 )
(7,398 )
Impairment of cryptocurrencies
—
(59,752 )
Balance December 31, 2021
6.6
$ 302,654
Revenue recognized from cryptocurrency mined
8.3
343,055
Mining pool operating fees
(0.2 )
(6,868 )
Impairment of cryptocurrencies
—
(106,105 )
Balance March 31, 2022
14.7
$ 532,736
Revenue recognized from cryptocurrency mined
4.6
166,592
Mining pool operating fees
(0.1 )
(3,428 )
Proceeds from the sale of cryptocurrency
(18.9 )
(564,205 )
Realized loss on the sale of cryptocurrency
—
(131,075 )
Impairment of cryptocurrencies
—
(34 )
Balance June 30, 2022 (1)
0.3
$ 586
Revenue recognized from cryptocurrency mined
0.3
7,955
Mining pool operating fees
—
(156 )
Impairment of cryptocurrencies
—
(1,035 )
Balance September 30, 2022 (1)
0.6
$ 7,350
Revenue recognized from cryptocurrency mined
—
—
Mining pool operating fees
—
—
Proceeds from the sale of cryptocurrency
(0.6 )
(11,203 )
Realized gain on the sale of cryptocurrency
—
3,853
Balance December 31, 2022 (1)
0.6
$ 0
(1) Since
June 30, 2022 the Company is neither receiving meaningful cryptocurrency awards nor generating
meaningful revenue from cryptocurrency mining.
24
Factors
Affecting Profitability
Our
business is heavily dependent on the market price of Bitcoin. The prices of cryptocurrencies, specifically Bitcoin, have experienced
substantial volatility. Further affecting the industry, and particularly for the Bitcoin blockchain, the cryptocurrency reward for solving
a block is subject to periodic incremental halving. Halving is a process designed to control the overall supply and reduce the risk of
inflation in cryptocurrencies using a Proof-of-Work consensus algorithm. At a predetermined block, the mining reward is cut in half,
hence the term “halving”. For Bitcoin the reward was initially set at 50 Bitcoin currency rewards per block. The Bitcoin
blockchain has undergone halving three times since its inception as follows: (1) on November 28, 2012 at block 210,000; (2) on July 9,
2016 at block 420,000; and (3) on May 11, 2020 at block 630,000, when the reward was reduced to its current level of 6.25 Bitcoin per
block. The next halving for the Bitcoin blockchain is anticipated to occur in March 2024 at block 840,000, when the reward will be reduced
to 3.125 Bitcoin per block. This process will reoccur until the total amount of Bitcoin currency rewards issued reaches 21 million and
the theoretical supply of new Bitcoin is exhausted. Many factors influence the price of Bitcoin, and potential increases or decreases
in prices in advance of, or following, a future halving is unknown.
Competition
Our
business environment is constantly evolving, and cryptocurrency miners can range from individuals to large-scale commercial mining operations.
We compete with other companies that focus all or a portion of their activities on mining activities at scale, including several public
and private companies. We face significant competition in every aspect of our business, including, but not limited to, the acquisition
of mining equipment, the ability to raise capital, and the ability to obtain the lowest cost energy to power our mining operations.
Government
Regulation
Cryptocurrency
is increasingly becoming subject to governmental regulation, both in the U.S. and internationally. State and local regulations also may
apply to our activities and other activities in which we may participate in the future. Numerous regulatory bodies have shown an interest
in regulating blockchain or cryptocurrency activities. For example, on March 9, 2022 President Biden signed an executive order on cryptocurrencies.
While the executive order does not mandate any specific regulations, it instructs various federal agencies to consider potential regulatory
measures, including the evaluation of the creation of a U.S. Central Bank digital currency. Future changes to existing regulations or
entirely new regulations may affect our business in ways it is not presently possible for us to predict with any reasonable degree of
reliability. As the regulatory and legal environment evolves, we may become subject to new laws and regulation which may affect our mining
and other activities. For additional discussion regarding our belief about the potential risks existing and future regulation pose to
our business, see the Section entitled “Risk Factors” herein.
Critical
Accounting Policies and Estimates
The
preparation of our consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States,
or U.S. GAAP, requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses,
and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. When making these estimates and assumptions, we consider our historical
experience, our knowledge of economic and market factors and various other factors that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances.
Actual results may differ under different estimates and assumptions. The accounting estimates and assumptions discussed in this section
are those that we consider to be the most critical to an understanding of our financial statements because they inherently involve significant
judgments and uncertainties.
Principles
of Consolidation
The
accompanying financial statements are consolidated and include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. Intercompany
balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Use
of Estimates
The
preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the
reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements
and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting periods. Actual results could differ from these estimates.
Reclassification
Certain
prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to current period presentation.
25
Cash
and cash equivalents
For
purposes of the statements of cash flows, the Company defines cash equivalents as all highly liquid debt instruments purchased with an
original maturity of three months or less. In all periods presented, cash equivalents consist primarily of money market funds.
Fair
value of financial instruments
Under
Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 820, Fair Value
Measurements and Disclosures , fair value is defined as the price at which an asset could be exchanged or a liability transferred
in a transaction between knowledgeable, willing parties in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability. Where
available, fair value is based on observable market prices or parameters or derived from such prices or parameters. Where observable
prices or parameters are not available, valuation models are applied. A fair value hierarchy prioritizes the inputs used in measuring
fair value into three broad levels as follows:
Level
1 – Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
Level
2 – Inputs, other than the quoted prices in active markets, are observable either directly or indirectly.
Level
3 – Unobservable inputs based on the Company’s assumptions.
The
Company is required to use observable market data if such data is available without undue cost and effort. The Company has no fair value
items required to be disclosed as of December 31, 2022 or 2021 under these requirements. The carrying amounts of financial assets and
liabilities, such as cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable and accounts payable, approximate their fair values because of the
short maturity of these instruments.
Transactions
involving related parties typically cannot be presumed to be carried out on an arm’s-length basis, as the requisite conditions
of competitive, free market dealings may not exist. However, in the case of the secured convertible debentures due to related parties,
the Company obtained a fairness opinion from an independent third party which supports that the transaction was carried out at an arm’s
length basis.
Cryptocurrency
Cryptocurrency
(Bitcoin) is included in current assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. The classification of cryptocurrencies as a
current asset has been made after the Company’s consideration of the significant consistent daily trading volume on readily available
cryptocurrency exchanges and the absence of limitations or restrictions on Company’s ability to sell Bitcoin. Cryptocurrencies
awarded to the Company through its mining activities are accounted for in connection with the Company’s revenue recognition policy
disclosed below. Cryptocurrencies held are accounted for as intangible assets with indefinite useful lives. An intangible asset with
an indefinite useful life is not amortized but assessed for impairment annually, or more frequently, when events or changes in circumstances
occur indicating that it is more likely than not that the indefinite-lived asset is impaired. Impairment exists when the carrying amount
exceeds its fair value, which is measured using the quoted price of the cryptocurrency at the time its fair value is being measured.
In testing for impairment, the Company has the option to first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely
than not that an impairment exists. If it is determined that it is not more likely than not that an impairment exists, a quantitative
impairment test is not necessary. If the Company concludes otherwise, it is required to perform a quantitative impairment test. To the
extent an impairment loss is recognized, the loss establishes the new cost basis of the asset. Subsequent reversal of impairment losses
is not permitted. Cryptocurrencies awarded to the Company through its mining activities are included within operating activities on the
accompanying consolidated statements of cash flows.
Impairment
of Long-Lived Assets
Long-lived
assets are comprised of intangible assets and property and equipment. Long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or
changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset may not be recoverable. An estimate of undiscounted future cash
flows produced by the asset, or the appropriate grouping of assets, is compared to the carrying value to determine whether an impairment
exists, pursuant to the provisions of FASB ASC 360-10 “Accounting for the Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and for Long-Lived Assets
to Be Disposed Of”. If an asset is determined to be impaired, the loss is measured based on quoted market prices in active markets,
if available. If quoted market prices are not available, the estimate of fair value is based on various valuation techniques, including
a discounted value of estimated future cash flows and fundamental analysis. The Company reports an asset to be disposed of at the lower
of its carrying value or its estimated net realizable value.
26
Property
and equipment
Property
and equipment are stated at cost and are depreciated using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives of 3 to 9 years.
Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of the useful lives of the related assets, or the lease term. Expenditures for
maintenance and repairs are charged to operations as incurred while renewals and betterments are capitalized. Gains and losses on disposals
are included in the consolidated statements of operations.
Management
assesses the carrying value of property and equipment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may
not be recoverable. If there is indication of impairment, management prepares an estimate of future cash flows expected to result from
the use of the asset and its eventual disposition. If these cash flows are less than the carrying amount of the asset, an impairment
loss is recognized to write down the asset to its estimated fair value.
Revenue
Recognition
We
account for revenue in accordance with ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), (“ASC 606”). The underlying
principle of ASC 606 is to recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers at the amount expected to be collected.
Revenues
are recognized when control of the promised goods or services are transferred to a customer, in an amount that reflects the consideration
that we expect to receive in exchange for those goods or services. We apply the following five steps in order to determine the appropriate
amount of revenue to be recognized as we fulfill our obligations under each of our agreements:
●
identify
the contract with a customer;
●
identify
the performance obligations in the contract;
●
determine
the transaction price;
●
allocate
the transaction price to performance obligations in the contract; and
●
recognize
revenue as the performance obligation is satisfied.
The
Company has entered into digital asset mining pools by executing contracts with the mining pool operators to provide computing power
to the mining pool. The contracts are terminable at any time by either party and the Company’s enforceable right to compensation
only begins when the Company provides computing power to the mining pool operator. In exchange for providing computing power, the Company
is entitled to a fractional share of the fixed cryptocurrency award the mining pool operator receives (less digital asset transaction
fees to the mining pool operator which are recorded as a component of cost of revenues), for successfully adding a block to the blockchain.
The Company’s fractional share is based on the proportion of computing power the Company contributed to the mining pool operator
to the total computing power contributed by all mining pool participants in solving the current algorithm.
Providing
computing power in digital asset transaction verification services is an output of the Company’s ordinary activities. The provision
of providing such computing power is the only performance obligation in the Company’s contracts with mining pool operators. The
transaction consideration the Company receives, if any, is noncash consideration, which the Company measures at fair value on the date
received, which is not materially different than the fair value at contract inception or the time the Company has earned the award from
the pools. The consideration is all variable. Because it is not probable that a significant reversal of cumulative revenue will not occur,
the consideration is constrained until the mining pool operator successfully places a block (by being the first to solve an algorithm)
and the Company receives confirmation of the consideration it will receive, at which time revenue is recognized. There is no significant
financing component in these transactions.
Fair
value of the cryptocurrency award received is determined using the market rate of the related cryptocurrency at the time of receipt.
There is currently no specific definitive guidance under GAAP or alternative accounting framework for the accounting for cryptocurrencies
recognized as revenue or held, and management has exercised significant judgment in determining the appropriate accounting treatment.
In the event authoritative guidance is enacted by the FASB, the Company may be required to change its policies, which could have an effect
on the Company’s consolidated financial position and results from operations.
Cryptocurrency
Mining Costs
The
Company’s cryptocurrency mining costs consist primarily of direct costs of earning Bitcoin related to mining operations, including
mining pool fees, natural gas costs, turbine rental costs, and mobile data center rental costs, but exclude depreciation and amortization,
which are separately stated in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.
27
Reverse
Stock Split
We
implemented a 1-for-20 reverse stock split of our outstanding shares of common stock that was effective on January 23, 2020. Unless otherwise
noted, all share and related option, warrant, and convertible security information presented has been retroactively adjusted to reflect
the reduced number of shares, and the increase in the share price which resulted from this action.
Stock-Based
Compensation
We
periodically issue stock options, warrants and restricted stock to employees and non-employees for services, in capital raising transactions,
and for financing costs. We account for share-based payments under the guidance as set forth in the Share-Based Payment Topic 718 of
the FASB Accounting Standards Codification, which requires the measurement and recognition of compensation expense for all share-based
payment awards made to employees, officers, directors, and consultants, including employee stock options, based on estimated fair values.
We estimate the fair value of stock option and warrant awards to employees and directors on the date of grant using an option-pricing
model, and the value of the portion of the award that is ultimately expected to vest is recognized as expense over the required service
period in our Statements of Operations. We estimate the fair value of restricted stock awards to employees and directors using the market
price of our common stock on the date of grant, and the value of the portion of the award that is ultimately expected to vest is recognized
as expense over the required service period in our Statements of Operations.
Income
taxes
We
account for income taxes using the asset and liability method whereby deferred tax assets are recognized for deductible temporary differences,
and deferred tax liabilities are recognized for taxable temporary differences. Temporary differences are the differences between the
reported amounts of assets and liabilities and their tax bases. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, in the
opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will be realized. Deferred tax
assets and liabilities are adjusted for the effects of changes in tax laws and rates on the date of enactment.
Discontinued
Operations
On
August 6, 2021, we entered into the Informa Agreement with Informa. Pursuant to the Informa Agreement, Creek Road Miners Corp (fka Kick
the Can Corp.) sold, transferred, and assigned certain assets, properties, and rights to Informa related to the business of operating
and producing live pop culture events. The Company released deferred revenue and other liabilities
totaling $722,429 and recognized other income of this amount.
On
September 15, 2021, we sold our wholly owned subsidiary which contained our Jevo assets and all rights to our Jevo operations for $1,500,000
and recognized a gain on the transaction of approximately $1,130,740.
Prior
to cryptocurrency mining operations that began in October 2021, the Company produced live and virtual pop culture conventions and events,
and sold a gelatin machine and related consumables that were discontinued in 2021 In addition, the Company operated an eCommerce site
selling pop culture memorabilia that was discontinued on June 30, 2022 (collectively known as “legacy operations”).
The
related assets and liabilities associated with the discontinued operations in our consolidated balance sheets for the years ending December
31, 2022 and 2021, are classified as discontinued operations. Additionally, the financial results associated with discontinued operations
in our consolidated statement of operations for the years ending December 31, 2022 and 2021, are classified as discontinued operations.
28
Results
of Operations
Comparison
of the Years Ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
Years Ended December 31,
2022
2021
$ Change
% Change
Revenue:
Cryptocurrency mining
$ 517,602
$ 369,804
$ 147,798
40 %
Operating costs and expenses:
Cryptocurrency mining costs (exclusive of
depreciation and amortization shown below)
1,071,458
281,790
789,668
280 %
Depreciation and amortization
658,080
112,512
545,568
485 %
Stock based compensation
2,681,201
12,338,424
(9,657,223 )
(78 )%
General and administrative
3,606,522
5,782,687
(2,181,267 )
(38 )%
Impairment of mined cryptocurrency
107,174
59,752
47,422
79 %
Total operating expenses
8,124,435
18,575,165
(10,455,832 )
(56 )%
Loss from operations
(7,606,833 )
(18,210,464 )
10,603,630
58 %
Other income (expense):
Realized loss on sale of cryptocurrency
(127,222 )
—
(127,222 )
— %
Impairment of fixed assets
(5,231,752 )
—
(5,231,752 )
— %
Loss on sale of investment
(19,104 )
—
(19,104 )
— %
PPP loan forgiveness
197,662
183,567
14,095
8 %
Interest expense
(613,827 )
(1,175,217 )
561,391
48 %
Total other income (expense)
(5,794,243 )
(991,650 )
(4,802,592 )
(484 )%
Net loss from continuing operations
(13,401,076 )
(19,202,114 )
5,801,038
30 %
Discontinued operations:
Income (loss) from discontinued operations
(17,738 )
78,242
(95,978 )
(123 )%
Gain from sale of discontinued operations
—
1,853,169
(1,853,169 )
(100 )%
Net income (loss) from discontinued operations
(17,738 )
1,931,411
(1,949,146 )
(101 )%
Net loss
$ (13,418,814 )
$ (17,270,703 )
$ 3,851,892
22 %
Revenue
Years Ended December 31,
2022
2021
$ Change
% Change
Revenue:
Cryptocurrency mining
$ 517,602
$ 369,804
$ 147,798
40 %
Total
revenue increased $147,798, or 40%, for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the prior year, primarily because cryptocurrency
mining operations did not begin until October 2021.
Operating
Costs and Expenses
Years Ended December 31,
2022
2021
$ Change
% Change
Operating Costs and Expenses:
Cryptocurrency mining costs
1,071,458
281,790
789,668
280 %
Depreciation and amortization
658,080
112,512
545,568
485 %
Stock based compensation
2,681,201
12,338,424
(9,657,223 )
(78 )%
General and administrative
3,606,522
5,782,687
(2,181,267 )
(38 )%
Impairment of mined cryptocurrency
107,174
59,752
47,422
79 %
Total operating expenses
8,124,435
18,575,165
(10,455,832 )
(56 )%
29
Our
operating costs and expenses decreased $10,455,832 or 56%, for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the prior year, due to the
following:
Category
Change
Key Drivers
Cryptocurrency mining costs
↑
$ 789,668
Cryptocurrency mining operations did not begin until October 2021
Depreciation and amortization
↑
$ 545,568
Addition of cryptocurrency mining equipment
Stock based compensation
↓
$ (9,657,223 )
Decreased issuances of stock options and warrants
General and administrative
↓
$ (2,181,267 )
Primarily lesser marketing and consulting expenses.
Impairment of cryptocurrency
↑
$ 47,422
Driven by the drop in the price of Bitcoin during the year 2022
Net
Income (Loss)
Year Ended December 31,
2022
2021
$ Change
% Change
Net Income (Loss):
Net loss from continuing operations
$ (13,401,076 )
(19,202,114 )
5,801,038
30 %
Net income (loss) from discontinued operations
(17,738 )
1,931,411
(1,949,146 )
(101 )%
Total net loss
$ (13,418,814 )
$ (17,270,703 )
$ 3,851,892
22 %
Net
loss from continuing operations decreased $5,801,038 or 30%, for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the prior year, primarily
due to decreased stock based compensation and general and administrative expenses as described above, partially offset by an impairment
of fixed assets of approximated $5.2 million.
Going
Concern Analysis
Historically,
we have relied upon cash from financing activities to fund substantially all of the cash requirements of our activities and have incurred
significant losses and experienced negative cash flow. The Company had net losses from continuing operations of $13,401,076, and $19,202,114,
for the years ended December 2022 and 2021, respectively. We cannot predict if we will be profitable. We may continue to incur losses
for an indeterminate period of time and may be unable to achieve profitability. An extended period of losses and negative cash flow may
prevent us from successfully operating and expanding our business. We may be unable to achieve or sustain profitability on a quarterly
or annual basis. On December 31, 2022, we had cash and cash equivalents of $246,358, a working capital deficit of approximately $8.1
million, and an accumulated deficit of approximately $61 million.
We
have evaluated the significance of the uncertainty regarding the Company’s financial condition in relation to our ability to meet
our obligations, which has raised substantial doubts about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. While it is very
difficult to estimate our future liquidity requirements the Company believes that if it is unable close the Merger, or obtain debt and/or
equity financing, existing cash resources will be depleted in early 2023. The Company may be able to generate cash through the sale of
fixed assets, specifically cryptocurrency miners. However, the total cash generated would be significantly less that the total of the
Company’s liabilities. There are no assurances that the Merger will close, that debt and/or equity financing can be obtained, or
that the sale of fixed assets, specifically cryptocurrency miners can be achieved.
The
accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. The consolidated
financial statements do not include any adjustments to reflect the possible future effects on the recoverability and classification of
assets, or the amounts and classification of liabilities that may result from the matters discussed herein.
The
Company’s ability to continue as a going concern is dependent upon the Company’s ability to close the merger with Prairie,
or obtain debt and/or equity financing, and there are no assurances that either can occur.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
Years Ended December 31,
2022
2021
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flow Data:
Net cash used in operating activities
$ (2,192,607 )
$ (6,969,723 )
Net cash used in investing activities
(1,815,520 )
(9,928,726 )
Net cash provided by financing activities
1,469,297
17,785,933
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
(2,538,830 )
887,484
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period
2,785,187
1,897,703
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period
$ 246,358
$ 2,785,187
30
Liquidity
As
of December 31, 2022, we had cash and cash equivalents of $246,358, compared to $2,785,187 as of December 31, 2021, a decrease of $2,538,830.
This decrease was primarily due to cash used in operating and investing activities, partially offset by cash generated by financing activities.
Operating
Activities
Net
cash used in operating activities was $2,192,607 for the year ended December 31, 2022 and resulted primarily from a net loss of $13,418,814,
partially offset by the impairment of fixed assets of $5,231,752, an increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses of $3,371,432,
and stock based compensation of $2,870,665.
Net
cash used in operating activities was $6,969,723 for the year ended December 31, 2021 and resulted primarily from a net loss of $17,270,703,
an adjustment for the gain on sale of discontinued operations of $1,853,169, a decrease in liabilities associated with discontinued operations
of $1,228,911, and partially offset by stock based compensation of $12,585,009.
Investing
Activities
Net
cash used in investing activities was $1,815,520 for the year ended December 31, 2022 and resulted primarily the purchase of property
and equipment of $5,295,478, partially offset by deposits on mining equipment, net of $2,939,550.
Net
cash used in investing activities was $9,928,726 for the year ended December 31, 2021 and resulted primarily from deposits on mining
equipment of $7,613,230, and the purchase of property and equipment, specifically mining equipment, of $2,315,496.
Financing
Activities
Net
cash provided by financing activities was $1,469,297 for the year ended December 31, 2022 and resulted primarily from proceeds from the
exercise of warrants of $983,330 and the issuance of a note payable for $500,000.
Net
cash provided by financing activities was $17,785,933 for the year ended December 31, 2021 and resulted primarily from proceeds from
the issuance of common and preferred stock and warrants, net of approximately $16 million, and from proceeds from of the sale of discontinued
operations of $1.5 million.
Working
Capital (Deficit)
The
following table summarizes total current assets, liabilities, and working capital for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021:
Years Ended December 31,
Increase/
2022
2021
(Decrease)
Current assets
$ 5,050,740
$ 10,827,973
$ (5,777,233 )
Current liabilities
$ 13,168,256
$ 6,039,311
$ 7,128,945
Working capital (deficit)
$ (8,117,516 )
$ 4,788,662
$ (12,906,178 )
As
of December 31, 2022, we had a working capital deficit of $8,117,516, compared to a working capital of $4,788,662 as of December 31,
2021, a decrease of 12,906,178. The decrease was primarily due to decreases in cash and deposits on mining equipment, and increases in
accounts payable and accrued expenses, accrued interest, convertible notes payable, and secured convertible debenture – related
party moving from a non-current to a current liability.
Off-Balance
Sheet Arrangements
We
do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements.
Recently
Issued Accounting Pronouncements
For
information about recently issued accounting standards, refer to Note 3 to our Consolidated Financial Statements appearing elsewhere
in this report.
Item
7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Not
required.
31
Item
8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
The financial statements required by Item 8 are presented in the
following order:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB 366 )
F-1
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2022 and 2021
F-2
Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Years Ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
F-3
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Deficit for the Years Ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
F-4
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
F-6
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
F-8
32
REPORT
OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To
the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of
Creek
Road Miners, Inc.
Opinion
on the Consolidated Financial Statements
We
have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Creek Road Miners, Inc. (the “Company”) as of December 31,
2022 and 2021, the related consolidated statements of income, of stockholders’ equity, and of cash flows for
each of the two years in period ended December 31, 2022, including the related notes (collectively referred to as the
“consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present
fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, and
the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2022 in conformity
with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Consideration
of the Company’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note
2 to the financial statements, the Company has incurred losses from operations and has an accumulated deficit. These factors raise substantial
doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described
in Note 2. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis
for Opinion
The
Company’s management is responsible for these consolidated financial statements. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s
consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with
the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We
conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain
reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company
is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits,
we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion
on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our
audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error
or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding
the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant
estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits
provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical
Audit Matters
The
critical audit matters communicated below are matters arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that were communicated
or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial
statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters
does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit
matters below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matters or on the accounts or disclosures to which they relate.
Evaluation
of the Accounting for and Disclosure of Cryptocurrency Mining Revenue Recognized
We
identified the accounting for and disclosure of cryptocurrency mining revenue recognized as a critical audit matter due to the complexities
involved in auditing completeness and occurrence of the revenue recognized by the Company. During the year ended December 31, 2022, the
Company recognized revenue from mining Bitcoin of approximately $518,000. The Company’s management has exercised significant judgment
in their determination of how existing GAAP should be applied to the accounting for and disclosure of cryptocurrency mining revenue recognized.
We
performed the following procedures (not all inclusive) to address this critical audit matter:
● Evaluated
management’s disclosures of its cryptocurrency activity in the financial footnotes;
● Compared
the Company’s digital cold storage wallet records to available blockchain records publicly
available;
● Evaluated
management’s decision to apply ASC 606 to account for and record its cryptocurrency
awards earned in the mining pool, which included evaluating provisions of the agreement with
the Mining Pool operator;
● Tested
supporting documentation for the valuation of cryptocurrency awards earned;
● Performed
substantive procedures to determine completeness and occurrence of cryptocurrency assets
earned from the Company’s mining activities.
Evaluation
of the Fair Value of Computer Equipment Related to Cryptocurrency Mining Activities
We
identified the accounting for and disclosure of the fair value of the miners or computer equipment used in mining bitcoin as a critical
audit matter due to the Company’s exercise of significant judgment in their determination of how the existing accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States should be applied to the valuation of the mining equipment.
The
primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter included the following:
● Evaluated
the Company’s processes for valuing its mining equipment;
● Obtained
independent quotations for similar equipment used by the Company;
● Evaluated
and tested management’s rationale and supporting documentation associated with the
valuation of its mining equipment.
/s/
MaughanSullivan LLC
We
have served as the Company’s auditor since 2017.
Manchester,
VT
March
31, 2023
F- 1
Creek
Road Miners, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated
Balance Sheets
December 31,
December 31,
2022
2021
Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents
$ 246,358
$ 2,785,188
Accounts receivable, ( no allowance for doubtful accounts)
—
427
Receivable from sale of investment
90,000
—
Prepaid expenses
40,702
107,749
Deposits on mining equipment
4,673,680
7,613,230
Inventory
—
18,725
Cryptocurrency
—
302,654
Total current assets
5,050,740
10,827,973
Other assets:
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $ 747,216 and $ 89,136 , respectively
1,632,007
2,226,360
Right of use asset, net of accumulated amortization of $ 426,918 and $ 299,583 respectively
—
127,335
Deposits and other assets
110,350
18,201
Total assets
$ 6,793,097
$ 13,199,869
Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity ( Deficit )
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
$ 3,232,855
$ 801,747
Accrued interest and expenses – related parties
3,055,989
2,231,558
Convertible notes payable
1,400,000
—
Lease liability, current portion
—
33,977
Secured convertible debenture(s) – related party(ies)
4,993,700
2,500,000
Current liabilities associated with discontinued operations
485,712
472,029
Total current liabilities
13,168,256
6,039,311
Non-current liabilities:
Lease liability, long term portion
—
101,116
Secured convertible debenture – related party, net of unamortized debt discount
of $ 0
—
2,500,000
SBA/PPP loans payable
149,900
361,595
Total non-current liabilities
149,900
2,962,711
Total liabilities
13,318,156
9,002,022
Commitments and contingencies
-
-
Stockholders’ equity (deficit):
Preferred stock; 5,000,000 shares authorized:
Series A convertible preferred stock; $ 0.0001 par value; 500,000 shares authorized;
256,117 and 223,964 shares issued and outstanding, respectively
25
22
Series B convertible preferred stock; $ 0.0001 par value; 20,000 shares authorized;
1,439 and 3,720 shares issued and outstanding, respectively
—
—
Series C convertible preferred stock; $ 0.0001 par value; 15,000 shares authorized;
7,630 and 7,880 shares issued and outstanding, respectively
1
1
Preferred
stock value
1
1
Common stock; $ 0.0001 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized;
12,246,036 and 8,191,382 shares issued and outstanding, respectively
1,224
819
Additional paid-in capital
54,202,355
51,506,854
Accumulated deficit
( 60,728,664 )
( 47,309,849 )
Total stockholders’ equity (deficit)
( 6,525,059 )
4,197,847
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity (deficit)
$ 6,793,097
$ 13,199,869
See
notes to consolidated financial statements.
F- 2
Creek
Road Miners, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated
Statements of Operations
2022
2021
Years Ended
December 31,
2022
2021
Revenue:
Cryptocurrency mining
$ 517,602
$ 369,804
Operating costs and expenses:
Cryptocurrency mining costs
1,071,458
281,790
Depreciation and amortization
658,080
112,512
Stock based compensation
2,681,201
12,338,424
General and administrative
3,606,522
5,787,790
Impairment of mined cryptocurrency
107,174
59,752
Total operating expenses
8,124,435
18,580,268
Loss from operations
( 7,606,833 )
( 18,210,464 )
Other income (expense):
Realized loss on sale of cryptocurrency
( 127,222 )
—
Impairment of fixed assets
( 5,231,752 )
—
Loss on sale of investment
( 19,104 )
—
PPP loan forgiveness
197,662
183,567
Interest expense
( 613,827 )
( 1,175,217 )
Total other income (expense)
( 5,794,243 )
( 991,650 )
Loss from operations before provision for income taxes
( 13,401,076 )
( 19,202,114 )
Provision for income taxes
—
—
Loss from continuing operations
( 13,401,076 )
( 19,202,114 )
Discontinued operations:
Income (loss) from discontinued operations
( 17,738 )
78,242
Gain on sale of discontinued operations
—
1,853,169
Net income from discontinued operations
( 17,738 )
1,931,411
Net loss
$ ( 13,418,814 )
$ ( 17,270,703 )
Dividends on preferred stock
( 364,384 )
( 372,325 )
Earnings attributable to common stockholders
$ ( 13,783,198 )
$ ( 17,643,028 )
Earnings (loss) per common share:
Earnings (loss) per share from continuing operations, basic and diluted
$ ( 1.18 )
$ ( 4.12 )
Earnings per share from discontinued operations, basic and diluted
$ —
$ 0.41
Earnings (loss) per share, basic and diluted
$ ( 1.18 )
$ ( 3.71 )
Weighted average common shares outstanding, basic and diluted
11,648,878
4,755,244
See
notes to consolidated financial statements.
F- 3
Creek
Road Miners, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated
Statement of Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit)
For
the Years Ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
Series
A
Preferred Stock
Par
value $0.0001
Series
B
Preferred Stock
Par
value $0.0001
Series
C
Preferred Stock
Par
value $0.0001
Common
Stock
Par
value $0.0001
Additional
Paid In
Accumulated
Stockholders’
Equity
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Capital
Deficit
(Deficit)
Balance, December 31, 2021
223,964
$ 22
3,720
$ -
7,880
$ 1
8,191,382
$ 819
$ 51,506,854
$ ( 47,309,849 ) -
$ 4,197,847
Warrants issued for services
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
472,501
-
472,501
Exercise of Warrants
-
-
-
-
-
-
766,660
77
983,253
-
983,330
Replacement warrants issued
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1,608,000
-
1,608,000
Exercise of stock options
-
-
-
-
-
-
185,216
19
( 19 )
-
-
Issuance of common stock for services
-
-
-
-
-
-
30,000
3
44,997
-
45,000
Recission of common stock issued for services
-
-
-
-
-
-
( 30,000 )
( 3 )
3
-
-
Issuance of common stock for investment
-
-
-
-
-
-
169,205
17
99,983
-
100,000
Issuance of series A preferred stock to settle compensation
55,576
6
-
-
-
-
-
-
555,694
-
555,700
Issuance of series B preferred stock to settle liabilities
-
-
191
-
-
-
-
-
189,466
-
189,466
Issuance
of common stock, net
-
-
-
-
-
-
11,502
-
( 4
)
( 1 )
( 5 )
Conversion of series A preferred stock to common
( 23,423 )
( 3 )
-
-
-
-
1,338,456
134
( 131 )
-
-
Conversion of series B preferred stock to common
-
-
( 2,472 )
-
-
-
1,962,448
195
( 195 )
-
-
Conversion of series C preferred stock to common
-
-
-
-
( 250 )
-
185,167
19
( 19 )
-
-
Conversion of secured convertible debentures to common
-
-
-
-
-
-
36,000
4
6,296
-
6,300
Settlement to exchange warrant shares for convertible
note
-
-
-
-
-
-
( 600,000 )
( 60 )
( 899,940 )
-
( 900,000 )
Dividend on Series A preferred stock
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
( 273,497 )
-
( 273,497 )
Dividend on Series B preferred stock
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
( 90,887 )
-
( 90,887 )
Net loss
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
( 13,418,814 ) -
( 13,418,814 )
Balance, December 31, 2022
256,117
$ 25
1,439
$ -
7,630
$ 1
12,246,036
$ 1,224
$ 54,202,355
$ ( 60,728,664 ) -
$ ( 6,525,059 )
See
notes to consolidated financial statements.
F- 4
Creek
Road Miners, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated
Statement of Stockholders’ Equity
For
the Years Ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 (Continued)
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Capital
Deficit
Interest
Equity
(Deficit)
Series
A
Preferred Stock
Par
value $0.0001
Series
B
Preferred Stock
Par
value $0.0001
Series
C
Preferred Stock
Par
value $0.0001
Common
Stock
Par
value $0.0001
Additional
Paid In
Accumulated
Non-controlling
Stockholders’
Equity
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Capital
Deficit
Interest
(Deficit)
Balance, December 31, 2020
173,993
$ 17
-
$ -
-
$ -
3,506,752
$ 351
$ 23,206,367
$ ( 30,039,146 )
$ ( 12,498 )
$ ( 6,844,909 )
Stock based compensation
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9,726,950
-
-
9,726,950
Warrants issued for services
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
2,270,015
-
-
2,270,015
Exercise of stock options
-
-
-
-
-
-
302,644
30
50,595
-
-
50,625
Issuance of series A preferred stock to settle accrued
liabilities and compensation
58,721
6
-
-
-
-
-
-
588,044
-
-
588,050
Issuance of common stock and warrants, net
-
-
-
-
-
-
2,933,340
293
3,924,757
-
-
3,925,050
Issuance of series B preferred stock and warrants,
net
-
-
5,000
-
-
-
-
-
4,378,995
-
-
4,378,995
Issuance of series C preferred stock and warrants,
net
-
-
-
-
7,880
1
-
-
7,733,600
-
-
7,733,601
Conversion of series A preferred stock to common
( 8,750 )
( 1 )
-
-
-
-
500,000
50
( 49 )
-
-
-
Conversion of series B preferred stock to common
-
-
( 1,280 )
-
-
-
948,646
95
( 95 )
-
-
-
Dividend on Series A preferred stock
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
( 254,322 )
-
-
( 254,322 )
Dividend on Series B preferred stock
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
( 118,003 )
-
-
( 118,003 )
Write-off of non-controlling interest
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
12,498
12,498
Net loss
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
( 17,270,703 )
-
( 17,270,703 )
Balance, December 31, 2021
223,964
$ 22
3,720
$ -
7,880
$ 1
8,191,382
$ 819
$ 51,506,854
$ ( 47,309,849 )
$ -
$ 4,197,847
See
notes to consolidated financial statements.
F- 5
Creek
Road Miners, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows
2022
2020
Years Ended
December 31,
2022
2021
Cash flow from operating activities:
Net loss
$ ( 13,418,814 )
$ ( 17,270,703 )
Adjustment to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:
Gain from sale of discontinued operations
—
( 1,853,169 )
Depreciation and amortization
658,080
112,512
Accretion of debt discount
—
535,784
Amortization of lease right
( 7,759 )
5,423
Stock based compensation
2,870,665
12,585,008
Impairment of cryptocurrency
107,174
59,752
Impairment of fixed assets
5,231,752
—
Realized loss on sale of cryptocurrency
127,222
—
Loss on sale of investment
19,104
—
PPP loan forgiveness
( 197,662 )
( 183,567 )
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable
428
33,025
Prepaid expenses
67,047
( 54,435 )
Receivable from sale of investment
( 90,000 )
—
Inventory
18,725
( 18,725 )
Cryptocurrency, net of mining fees
( 507,150 )
( 302,654 )
Current assets associated with discontinued operations
—
233,018
Security deposits
( 92,149 )
102
Assets associated with discontinued operations
—
180,683
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
3,371,431
569,459
Accrued and unpaid dividends on preferred stock
( 364,384 )
( 372,325 )
Liabilities associated with discontinued operations
13,683
( 1,228,911 )
Net cash used in operating activities
( 2,192,607 )
( 6,969,723 )
Cash flow from investing activities:
Proceeds from sale of cryptocurrency
575,408
—
Purchase of investment
( 125,000 )
—
Proceeds from sale of investment
90,000
—
Deposits on mining equipment, net
2,939,550
( 7,613,230 )
Purchase of property and equipment
( 5,295,478 )
( 2,315,496 )
Net cash used in investing activities
( 1,815,520 )
( 9,928,726 )
Cash flow from financing activities:
Proceeds from the issuance of common stock and warrants, net
—
3,925,050
Proceeds from the issuance of series B preferred stock and warrants, net
—
4,378,995
Proceeds from the issuance of series C preferred stock and warrants, net
—
7,733,601
Proceeds from the exercise of stock options
—
50,625
Proceeds from the exercise of warrants
983,330
—
Proceeds from (payments to) SBA/PPP loans payable
( 14,033 )
197,662
Proceeds from note payable
500,000
—
Proceeds from the sale of discontinued operations
—
1,500,000
Net cash provided by financing activities
1,469,297
17,785,933
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
( 2,538,830 )
887,484
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period
2,785,187
1,897,703
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period
$ 246,357
$ 2,785,187
See
notes to consolidated financial statements.
F- 6
Creek
Road Miners, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows (Continued)
Years Ended
December 31,
2022
2021
Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:
Cash paid for income taxes
$ —
$ —
Cash paid for interest
$ —
$ —
Supplemental disclosures of noncash investing and financing activity:
Issuance of series A preferred stock to settle accrued liabilities and compensation
$ 555,700
$ 588,044
Issuance of series B preferred stock to settle accrued liabilities
$ 189,466
$ —
Dividends on preferred stock
$ 364,384
$ 372,325
Issuance of common stock for investment
$ 100,000
$ —
Conversion of preferred stock to common stock
$ 348
$ 145
Conversion of secured convertible debentures to common stock
$ 6,300
$ —
Settlement to exchange warrant shares for convertible note
$ 900,000
$ —
See
notes to consolidated financial statements.
F- 7
CREEK
ROAD MINERS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
For
the Years Ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
Note
1. Organization, Nature of Business and Basis of Presentation
Organization
Creek
Road Miners, Inc. (formerly known as Wizard Brands, Inc., Wizard Entertainment, Inc., Wizard World, Inc., and GoEnergy, Inc.) was incorporated
in Delaware on May 2, 2001. Prior to cryptocurrency mining operations that began in October 2021, the Company produced live and virtual
pop culture conventions and events and sold a gelatin machine and related consumables that were discontinued in 2021. In addition, the
Company operated an eCommerce site selling pop culture memorabilia that was discontinued on June 30, 2022 (known collectively as “legacy
operations”).
On
August 6, 2021, we entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement (the “Informa Agreement”) with Informa Pop Culture Events, Inc.,
a Delaware corporation (“Informa”). Pursuant to the Informa Agreement, Creek Road Miners Corp. (fka Kick the Can Corp.) sold,
transferred, and assigned certain assets, properties, and rights to Informa related to the business of operating and producing live pop
culture events. The Company released deferred revenue and other liabilities totaling $ 722,429 and
recognized other income of this amount.
On
September 15, 2021, we sold our wholly owned subsidiary which contained our Jevo assets and all rights to our Jevo operations for $ 1,500,000
and recognized a gain on the transaction of approximately $ 1,130,740 .
We
implemented a 1-for-20 reverse stock split of our outstanding shares of common stock that was effective on January 23, 2020. Unless otherwise
noted, all share and related option, warrant, and convertible security information presented has been retroactively adjusted to reflect
the reduced number of shares, and the increase in the share price which resulted from this action.
Merger
Agreement
On
October 24, 2022, the Company, Creek Road Merger Sub, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company,
and Prairie Operating Co., LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Prairie”), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger
(the “Merger Agreement”), pursuant to which Merger Sub will merge with and into Prairie (the “Merger”), with
Prairie surviving and continuing to exist as a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company.
At
the effective time of the Merger (the “Effective Time”), the Company will (a) deliver the greater of (A) 2,000,000 shares
of its common stock, par value $ 0.0001 per share (“common stock”), and (B) the product of (x) the number of issued and outstanding
shares of common stock immediately following the consummation of the Restructuring Transactions (as defined below) by the Company multiplied
by (y) 33.33% to the members of Prairie (the “Prairie Members”) and (b) convert certain options to purchase membership interests
of Prairie into restricted performance-based options to purchase, in the aggregate, 8,000,000 shares of common stock for $0.25 per share
only exercisable if specific production hurdles are achieved.
In
connection with the Merger, the Company will cause the following restructuring transactions (the “Restructuring Transactions”):
(1) all holders of the Company’s outstanding shares of Series A preferred stock, Series B preferred stock, Series C preferred stock,
and 12% senior secured convertible debentures (the “Convertible Debentures”), and holders of certain warrants, certain convertible
promissory notes and certain other accrued liabilities, will convert their respective shares of Series A preferred stock, Series B preferred
stock, Series C preferred stock and Convertible Debentures, and respective warrants, convertible promissory notes and accrued liabilities
into shares of common stock and (2) thereafter, the Company shall effect a reverse stock split of the common stock at a ratio between
1-23 and 1-30 (the “Reverse Stock Split”).
Nature
of Business
Cryptocurrency
Mining
We
generate substantially all our revenue through cryptocurrency we earn through our mining activities. We have historically mined and held
Bitcoin exclusively, which we may sell to fund our operating and capital expenditures. Our mining operations commenced on October 24,
2021. We use special cryptocurrency mining computers (known as “miners”) to solve complex cryptographic algorithms to support
the Bitcoin blockchain and, in return, receive Bitcoin as our reward. Miners measure their processing power, which is known as “hashing”
power, in terms of the number of hashing algorithms solved (or “hashes”) per second, which is the miner’s “hash
rate.” We participate in mining pools that pool the resources of groups of miners and split cryptocurrency rewards earned according
to the “hashing” capacity each miner contributes to the mining pool. Since June 30,
2022 the Company is neither receiving meaningful cryptocurrency awards nor generating meaningful revenue from cryptocurrency mining.
F- 8
Mining
Equipment
All
of our miners were manufactured by Bitmain, and incorporate application-specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”) chips specialized
to solve blocks on the Bitcoin blockchains using the 256-bit secure hashing algorithm (“SHA-256”) in return for Bitcoin cryptocurrency
rewards. As of December 31, 2022, we had 510 Bitmain S19J Pro miners with 51.0 Ph/s of hashing capacity and 270 Bitmain S19 miners with
24.3 Ph/s of hashing capacity, none of which were in service.
On
December 17, 2021 the Company entered into a Non-Fixed Price Sales and Purchase Agreement (the “Bitmain Agreement”) with
Bitmain Technologies Limited (“Bitmain”) for 600 Bitmain S19XP miners with a reference price of approximately $ 11,250 per
miner. The miners have a total of 84 Ph/s of hashing capacity and an initial estimated purchase commitment of $ 6,762,000 (the “total
reference price”), subject to price adjustments and related offsets, including potential adjustments related to the market price
of miners. As of December 31, 2022, the Company has made payments of $ 3,969,000 (classified as deposits on mining equipment) to Bitmain
pursuant to the Bitmain Agreement, and the remaining amount due under the Bitmain Agreement is $ 47,600 and presented in the table below:
Schedule
of Market Price of Miners
Market Price
per Miner
Total Amount
July 2022 batch (100 miners)
$ 7,756
$ 775,600
August 2022 batch (100 miners)
7,140
714,000
September 2022 batch (100 miners)
7,140
714,000
October 2022 batch (100 miners)
6,510
651,000
November 2022 batch (100 miners)
5,810
581,000
December 2022 batch (100 miners)
5,810
581,000
Estimated total amount due
4,016,600
Less: Payments made
3,969,000
Remaining amount due
$ 47,600
As
of December 31, 2022, all 600 miners purchased from Bitmain have not been delivered to the Company, and will remain undelivered until
all fees are paid to ship the miners from the Bitmain facility to the Company.
Mining
Results
The
Company measures its operations by the number and U.S. Dollar (US$) value of the cryptocurrency rewards it earns from its cryptocurrency
mining activities. The following table presents additional information regarding our cryptocurrency mining operations:
Schedule
of Cryptocurrency Mining Operations
Quantity of Bitcoin
US$ Amounts
Balance September 30, 2021
—
$ —
Revenue recognized from cryptocurrency mined
6.7
369,804
Mining pool operating fees
( 0.1 )
( 7,398 )
Impairment of cryptocurrencies
—
( 59,752 )
Balance December 31, 2021
6.6
$ 302,654
Revenue recognized from cryptocurrency mined
8.3
343,055
Mining pool operating fees
( 0.2 )
( 6,868 )
Impairment of cryptocurrencies
—
( 106,105 )
Balance March 31, 2022
14.7
$ 532,736
Revenue recognized from cryptocurrency mined
4.6
166,592
Mining pool operating fees
( 0.1 )
( 3,428 )
Proceeds from the sale of cryptocurrency
( 18.9 )
( 564,205 )
Realized loss on the sale of cryptocurrency
—
( 131,075 )
Impairment of cryptocurrencies
—
( 34 )
Balance June 30, 2022 (1)
0.3
$ 586
Revenue recognized from cryptocurrency mined
0.3
7,955
Mining pool operating fees
—
( 156 )
Impairment of cryptocurrencies
—
( 1,035 )
Balance September 30, 2022 (1)
0.6
$ 7,350
Balance beginning
0.6
$ 7,350
Revenue recognized from cryptocurrency mined
—
—
Mining pool operating fees
—
—
Proceeds from the sale of cryptocurrency
( 0.6 )
( 11,203 )
Realized gain on the sale of cryptocurrency
—
3,853
Realized gain (loss) on the sale of cryptocurrency
—
3,853
Balance December 31, 2022 (1)
—
$ —
Balance ending
—
$ —
(1) Since
June 30, 2022 the Company is neither receiving meaningful cryptocurrency awards nor generating
meaningful revenue from cryptocurrency mining.
F- 9
Factors
Affecting Profitability
Our
business is heavily dependent on the market price of Bitcoin. The prices of cryptocurrencies, specifically Bitcoin, have experienced
substantial volatility. Further affecting the industry, and particularly for the Bitcoin blockchain, the cryptocurrency reward for solving
a block is subject to periodic incremental halving. Halving is a process designed to control the overall supply and reduce the risk of
inflation in cryptocurrencies using a Proof-of-Work consensus algorithm. At a predetermined block, the mining reward is cut in half,
hence the term “halving”. For Bitcoin the reward was initially set at 50 Bitcoin currency rewards per block. The Bitcoin
blockchain has undergone halving three times since its inception as follows: (1) on November 28, 2012 at block 210,000; (2) on July 9,
2016 at block 420,000; and (3) on May 11, 2020 at block 630,000, when the reward was reduced to its current level of 6.25 Bitcoin per
block. The next halving for the Bitcoin blockchain is anticipated to occur in March 2024 at block 840,000, when the reward will be reduced
to 3.125 Bitcoin per block. This process will reoccur until the total amount of Bitcoin currency rewards issued reaches 21 million and
the theoretical supply of new Bitcoin is exhausted. Many factors influence the price of Bitcoin, and potential increases or decreases
in prices in advance of, or following, a future halving is unknown.
We
have historically mined and held Bitcoin exclusively, which we may sell to fund our operating and capital expenditures. S ince
June 30, 2022 the Company is neither receiving meaningful cryptocurrency awards nor generating meaningful revenue from cryptocurrency
mining.
Our
business is heavily dependent on the market price of Bitcoin, which has experienced substantial volatility and has recently dropped to
its lowest price since December 2020. As of December 31, 2022 the market price of Bitcoin was $ 16,547 , which reflects a decrease of approximately
60% since the beginning of 2022, and of approximately 75% from its all-time high of approximately $ 67,000 . In addition, the cost of natural
gas that we use to produce electricity to power our miners has increased substantially. The cost of natural gas in the United States
during 2022 has increased by as much as approximately 260% since the beginning of 2022. These price movements result in decreased cryptocurrency
mining revenue and increased cryptocurrency mining costs, both of which have a material adverse effect on our business and financial
results.
Government
Regulation
Cryptocurrency
is increasingly becoming subject to governmental regulation, both in the U.S. and internationally. State and local regulations also may
apply to our activities and other activities in which we may participate in the future. Numerous regulatory bodies have shown an interest
in regulating blockchain or cryptocurrency activities. For example, on March 9, 2022 President Biden signed an executive order on cryptocurrencies.
While the executive order does not mandate any specific regulations, it instructs various federal agencies to consider potential regulatory
measures, including the evaluation of the creation of a U.S. Central Bank digital currency. Future changes to existing regulations or
entirely new regulations may affect our business in ways it is not presently possible for us to predict with any reasonable degree of
reliability. As the regulatory and legal environment evolves, we may become subject to new laws and regulation which may affect our mining
and other activities. For additional discussion regarding our belief about the potential risks existing and future regulation pose to
our business, see the Section entitled “Risk Factors”.
Basis
of Presentation
The
Company’s consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the
United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”).
F- 10
Note
2. Going Concern Analysis
Historically,
we have relied upon cash from financing activities to fund substantially all of the cash requirements of our activities and have incurred
significant losses and experienced negative cash flow. The Company had net losses from continuing operations of $ 13,401,076 , and $ 19,202,114 ,
for the years ended December 2022 and 2021, respectively. We cannot predict if we will be profitable. We may continue to incur losses
for an indeterminate period of time and may be unable to achieve profitability. An extended period of losses and negative cash flow may
prevent us from successfully operating and expanding our business. We may be unable to achieve or sustain profitability on a quarterly
or annual basis. On December 31, 2022, we had cash and cash equivalents of $ 246,358 , a working capital deficit of approximately $ 8.1
million, and an accumulated deficit of approximately $ 61 million.
We
have evaluated the significance of the uncertainty regarding the Company’s financial condition in relation to our ability to meet
our obligations, which has raised substantial doubts about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. While it is very
difficult to estimate our future liquidity requirements the Company believes that if it is unable close the Merger, or obtain debt and/or
equity financing, existing cash resources will be depleted in early 2023. The Company may be able to generate cash through the sale of
fixed assets, specifically cryptocurrency miners. However, the total cash generated would be significantly less than the total of the
Company’s liabilities. There are no assurances that the Merger will close, that debt and/or equity financing can be obtained, or
that the sale of fixed assets, specifically cryptocurrency miners can be achieved.
The
accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. The consolidated
financial statements do not include any adjustments to reflect the possible future effects on the recoverability and classification of
assets, or the amounts and classification of liabilities that may result from the matters discussed herein.
The
Company’s ability to continue as a going concern is dependent upon the Company’s ability to close the merger with Prairie,
or obtain debt and/or equity financing, and there are no assurances that either can occur.
Note
3. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Principles
of Consolidation
The
accompanying financial statements are consolidated and include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. Intercompany
balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The following table lists the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiaries
as of December 31, 2022:
Schedule
of Company’s Wholly-owned Subsidiaries
Name of consolidated subsidiary or entity
State or other jurisdiction
of incorporation or organization
Date of incorporation or formation (date of acquisition,
if applicable)
Attributable
interest
Creek Road Miners Corp. (fka Kick the Can Corp.)
Nevada, U.S.A.
September 20, 2010
100 %
Wizard Special Events, LLC
California, U.S.A.
June 5, 2018
100 %
Creek Road Merger Sub, LLC
Delaware, U.S.A.
October 4, 2022
100
%
Use
of Estimates
The
preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the
reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements
and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting periods. Actual results could differ from these estimates.
These
estimates and assumptions include estimates for reserves of uncollectible accounts, accruals for potential liabilities, assumptions made
in valuing equity instruments issued for services or acquisitions, and realization of deferred tax assets.
Reclassification
Certain
prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to current period presentation.
Cash
and cash equivalents
For
purposes of the statements of cash flows, the Company defines cash equivalents as all highly liquid debt instruments purchased with an
original maturity of three months or less. In all periods presented, cash equivalents consist primarily of money market funds.
F- 11
Fair
value of financial instruments
Under
Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 820, Fair Value
Measurements and Disclosures , fair value is defined as the price at which an asset could be exchanged or a liability transferred
in a transaction between knowledgeable, willing parties in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability. Where
available, fair value is based on observable market prices or parameters or derived from such prices or parameters. Where observable
prices or parameters are not available, valuation models are applied. A fair value hierarchy prioritizes the inputs used in measuring
fair value into three broad levels as follows:
Level
1 – Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
Level
2 – Inputs, other than the quoted prices in active markets, are observable either directly or indirectly.
Level
3 – Unobservable inputs based on the Company’s assumptions.
The
Company is required to use observable market data if such data is available without undue cost and effort. The Company has no fair value
items required to be disclosed as of December 31, 2022 or 2021 under these requirements. The carrying amounts of financial assets and
liabilities, such as cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable and accounts payable, approximate their fair values because of the
short maturity of these instruments.
Transactions
involving related parties typically cannot be presumed to be carried out on an arm’s-length basis, as the requisite conditions
of competitive, free market dealings may not exist. However, in the case of the secured convertible debentures due to related parties,
the Company obtained a fairness opinion from an independent third party which supports that the transaction was carried out at an arm’s
length basis.
Concentration
of Credit Risk
Financial
instruments, which potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk, consist of cash and cash equivalents. The Company
places its cash with high quality financial institutions and at times may exceed the FDIC $ 250,000 insurance limit. The Company does
not anticipate incurring any losses related to these credit risks.
Cryptocurrency
Cryptocurrency
(Bitcoin) is included in current assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. The classification of cryptocurrencies as a
current asset has been made after the Company’s consideration of the significant consistent daily trading volume on readily available
cryptocurrency exchanges and the absence of limitations or restrictions on Company’s ability to sell Bitcoin. Cryptocurrencies
awarded to the Company through its mining activities are accounted for in connection with the Company’s revenue recognition policy
disclosed below. Cryptocurrencies held are accounted for as intangible assets with indefinite useful lives. An intangible asset with
an indefinite useful life is not amortized but assessed for impairment annually, or more frequently, when events or changes in circumstances
occur indicating that it is more likely than not that the indefinite-lived asset is impaired. Impairment exists when the carrying amount
exceeds its fair value, which is measured using the quoted price of the cryptocurrency at the time its fair value is being measured.
In testing for impairment, the Company has the option to first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely
than not that an impairment exists. If it is determined that it is not more likely than not that an impairment exists, a quantitative
impairment test is not necessary. If the Company concludes otherwise, it is required to perform a quantitative impairment test. To the
extent an impairment loss is recognized, the loss establishes the new cost basis of the asset. Subsequent reversal of impairment losses
is not permitted. Cryptocurrencies awarded to the Company through its mining activities are included within operating activities on the
accompanying consolidated statements of cash flows.
Impairment
of Long-Lived Assets
Long-lived
assets are comprised of intangible assets and property and equipment. Long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or
changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset may not be recoverable. An estimate of undiscounted future cash
flows produced by the asset, or the appropriate grouping of assets, is compared to the carrying value to determine whether an impairment
exists, pursuant to the provisions of FASB ASC 360-10 “Accounting for the Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and for Long-Lived Assets
to Be Disposed Of”. If an asset is determined to be impaired, the loss is measured based on quoted market prices in active markets,
if available. If quoted market prices are not available, the estimate of fair value is based on various valuation techniques, including
a discounted value of estimated future cash flows and fundamental analysis. The Company reports an asset to be disposed of at the lower
of its carrying value or its estimated net realizable value.
F- 12
Property
and equipment
Property
and equipment are stated at cost and are depreciated using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives of 3 to 9 years.
Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of the useful lives of the related assets, or the lease term. Expenditures for
maintenance and repairs are charged to operations as incurred while renewals and betterments are capitalized. Gains and losses on disposals
are included in the consolidated statements of operations.
Management
assesses the carrying value of property and equipment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may
not be recoverable. If there is indication of impairment, management prepares an estimate of future cash flows expected to result from
the use of the asset and its eventual disposition. If these cash flows are less than the carrying amount of the asset, an impairment
loss is recognized to write down the asset to its estimated fair value.
Leases
The
Company accounts for leases in accordance with the provisions of ASC 842, Leases. This standard requires lessees to recognize on the
balance sheet assets and liabilities for leases with lease terms of more than 12 months. The recognition, measurement, and presentation
of expenses and cash flows arising from a lease by a lessee will depend primarily on its classification as a finance or operating lease.
We
determine if an arrangement contains a lease at inception. Right of use (“ROU”) assets represent our right to use an underlying
asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent our obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. ROU assets and
liabilities are recognized at the lease commencement date based on the estimated present value of lease payments over the lease term.
Our
leases consist of leaseholds on office space. We utilized a portfolio approach in determining our discount rate. The portfolio approach
takes into consideration the range of the term, the range of the lease payments, the category of the underlying asset and our estimated
incremental borrowing rate, which is derived from information available at the lease commencement date, in determining the present value
of lease payments. We also give consideration to our recent debt issuances as well as publicly available data for instruments with similar
characteristics when calculating our incremental borrowing rates.
We
recognize lease expense for these leases on a straight-line basis over the lease term. We recognize variable lease payments in the period
in which the obligation for those payments is incurred. Variable lease payments that depend on an index or a rate are initially measured
using the index or rate at the commencement date, otherwise variable lease payments are recognized in the period incurred.
Revenue
Recognition
The
Company accounts for revenue in accordance with ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The underlying principle of ASC 606 is
to recognize revenue to depict the transfer of goods or services to customers at the amount expected to be collected.
Revenues
are recognized when control of the promised goods or services are transferred to a customer, in an amount that reflects the consideration
that we expect to receive in exchange for those goods or services. The Company applies the following five steps in order to determine
the appropriate amount of revenue to be recognized as we fulfill our obligations under each of our agreements:
●
identify
the contract with a customer;
●
identify
the performance obligations in the contract;
●
determine
the transaction price;
●
allocate
the transaction price to performance obligations in the contract; and
●
recognize
revenue as the performance obligation is satisfied.
The
Company has entered into digital asset mining pools by executing contracts with the mining pool operators to provide computing power
to the mining pool. The contracts are terminable at any time by either party and the Company’s enforceable right to compensation
only begins when the Company provides computing power to the mining pool operator. In exchange for providing computing power, the Company
is entitled to a fractional share of the fixed cryptocurrency award the mining pool operator receives (less digital asset transaction
fees to the mining pool operator which are recorded as a component of cost of revenues) for successfully adding a block to the blockchain.
The Company’s fractional share is based on the proportion of computing power the Company contributed to the mining pool operator
to the total computing power contributed by all mining pool participants in solving the current algorithm.
F- 13
Providing
computing power in digital asset transaction verification services is an output of the Company’s ordinary activities. The provision
of providing such computing power is the only performance obligation in the Company’s contracts with mining pool operators. The
transaction consideration the Company receives, if any, is noncash consideration, which the Company measures at fair value on the date
received, which is not materially different than the fair value at contract inception or the time the Company has earned the award from
the pools. The consideration is all variable. Because it is not probable that a significant reversal of cumulative revenue will not occur,
the consideration is constrained until the mining pool operator successfully places a block (by being the first to solve an algorithm)
and the Company receives confirmation of the consideration it will receive, at which time revenue is recognized. There is no significant
financing component in these transactions.
Fair
value of the cryptocurrency award received is determined using the market rate of the related cryptocurrency at the time of receipt.
There is currently no specific definitive guidance under GAAP or alternative accounting framework for the accounting for cryptocurrencies
recognized as revenue or held, and management has exercised significant judgment in determining the appropriate accounting treatment.
In the event authoritative guidance is enacted by the FASB, the Company may be required to change its policies, which could have an effect
on the Company’s consolidated financial position and results from operations.
Cryptocurrency
Mining Costs
The
Company’s cryptocurrency mining costs consist primarily of direct costs of earning Bitcoin related to mining operations,
including mining pool fees, fuel and natural gas costs, turbine rental costs, and mobile data center rental costs, but exclude
depreciation and amortization, which are separately stated in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.
Reverse
Stock Split
We
implemented a 1-for-20 reverse stock split of our outstanding shares of common stock that was effective on January 23, 2020. Unless otherwise
noted, all share and related option, warrant, and convertible security information presented has been retroactively adjusted to reflect
the reduced number of shares, and the increase in the share price which resulted from this action.
Stock-Based
Compensation
The
Company periodically issues stock options, warrants and restricted stock to employees and non-employees for services, in capital raising
transactions, and for financing costs. The Company accounts for share-based payments under the guidance as set forth in the Share-Based
Payment Topic 718 of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification, which requires the measurement and recognition of compensation expense
for all share-based payment awards made to employees, officers, directors, and consultants, including employee stock options, based on
estimated fair values. The Company estimates the fair value of stock option and warrant awards to employees and directors on the date
of grant using an option-pricing model, and the value of the portion of the award that is ultimately expected to vest is recognized as
expense over the required service period in our Statements of Operations. We estimate the fair value of restricted stock awards to employees
and directors using the market price of our common stock on the date of grant, and the value of the portion of the award that is ultimately
expected to vest is recognized as expense over the required service period in our Statements of Operations.
Income
taxes
The
Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method whereby deferred tax assets are recognized for deductible temporary
differences, and deferred tax liabilities are recognized for taxable temporary differences. Temporary differences are the differences
between the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and their tax bases. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance
when, in the opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will be realized.
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are adjusted for the effects of changes in tax laws and rates on the date of enactment.
Discontinued
Operations
On
August 6, 2021, the Company entered into the Informa Agreement with Informa. Pursuant to the Informa Agreement, Creek Road Miners Corp.
(fka Kick the Can Corp.) sold, transferred, and assigned certain assets, properties, and rights to Informa related to the business of
operating and producing live pop culture events. The Company released deferred revenue and other
liabilities totaling $ 722,429 and recognized other income of this amount.
F- 14
On
September 15, 2021, the Company sold our wholly owned subsidiary which contained our Jevo assets and all rights to our Jevo operations
for $ 1,500,000 and recognized a gain on the transaction of approximately $ 1,130,740 .
In
addition, the Company operated an eCommerce site selling pop culture memorabilia that was discontinued on June 30, 2022.
The
related assets and liabilities associated with the discontinued operations in our consolidated balance sheets for the years ending December
31, 2022 and 2021, are classified as discontinued operations. Additionally, the financial results associated with discontinued operations
in our consolidated statement of operations for the years ending December 31, 2022 and 2021, are classified as discontinued operations.
Earnings
(Loss) Per Common Share
Basic
earnings (loss) per share is computed by dividing earnings (loss) attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number
of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted earnings per share is computed by dividing earnings (loss) attributable to common
stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding plus the number of additional common shares that would have
been outstanding if all dilutive potential common shares had been issued, using the treasury stock method. The dilutive effect of potentially
dilutive securities is reflected in diluted net income per share if the exercise prices were lower than the average fair market value
of common shares during the reporting period. Potential common shares are excluded from the computation when their effect is antidilutive.
Basic and diluted earnings (loss) attributable to common stockholders is the same for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, because
the Company has only incurred losses and all potentially dilutive securities are anti-dilutive. Potentially dilutive securities that
were not included in the computation of diluted earnings (loss) attributable to common stockholders at December 31, 2022 because their
inclusion would be anti-dilutive are as follows:
Schedule
of Anti-dilutive Securities Excluded from Earnings Per Share
Potentially Dilutive Security
Quantity
Stated Value Per Share (1)
Total Value or Stated Value
Assumed
Conversion Price (1)
Resulting Common
Shares
Common stock options
259,250
$ —
$ —
—
259,250
Common stock warrants
21,984,266
—
—
—
21,984,266
Series A preferred stock
256,117
10
2,561,170
0.175
14,635,257
Series B preferred stock
1,439
1,080
1,554,120
0.500
3,108,240
Series C preferred stock
7,630
1,111
8,476,930
0.500
16,953,860
Series B preferred stock warrants
10,000
1,080
10,800,000
0.500
21,600,000
Secured convertible debentures – related parties
—
—
4,993,700
0.175
28,535,429
Convertible notes payable
—
—
1,400,000
0.500
2,800,000
Total
109,876,302
(2)
As of December 31, 2022
Related
Parties
The
Company follows ASC 850-10, Related Parties, for the identification of related parties and disclosure of related party transactions.
Pursuant to Section 850-10-20, the related parties include: (a) affiliates of the Company (“Affiliate” means, with respect
to any specified person, any other person that, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by
or is under common control with such person, as such terms are used in and construed under Rule 405 under the Securities Act); (b) entities
for which investments in their equity securities would be required, absent the election of the fair value option under the Fair Value
Option Subsection of Section 825-10-15, to be accounted for by the equity method by the investing entity; (c) trusts for the benefit
of employees, such as pension and profit-sharing trusts that are managed by or under the trusteeship of management; (d) principal owners
of the Company; (e) management of the Company; (f) other parties with which the Company may deal if one party controls or can significantly
influence the management or operating policies of the other to an extent that one of the transacting parties might be prevented from
fully pursuing its own separate interests; and (g) other parties that can significantly influence the management or operating policies
of the transacting parties or that have an ownership interest in one of the transacting parties and can significantly influence the other
to an extent that one or more of the transacting parties might be prevented from fully pursuing its own separate interests.
Recently
Issued Accounting Pronouncements
Recent
accounting pronouncements issued by the FASB, including its Emerging Issues Task Force, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants,
and the Securities and Exchange Commission did not or are not believed by management to have a material impact on the Company’s
present or future consolidated financial statements.
F- 15
Note
4. Deposits on Mining Equipment
Deposits
on mining equipment, consisted of the following:
Schedule
of Mining Equipment
Cryptocurrency
Miners
Mobile Data
Centers
Total
Balance December 31, 2020
$ —
$ —
$ —
Deposits on equipment during the period
7,089,000
524,230
7,613,230
Equipment delivered during the period
—
—
—
Balance December 31, 2021
$ 7,089,000
$ 524,230
$ 7,613,230
Balance beginning
$ 7,089,000
$ 524,230
$ 7,613,230
Deposits on equipment during the period
1,602,300
530,430
2,132,730
Equipment delivered during the period
( 4,722,300 )
( 349,980 )
( 5,072,280 )
Balance December 31, 2022
$ 3,969,000
$ 704,680
$ 4,673,680
Balance ending
$ 3,969,000
$ 704,680
$ 4,673,680
All
of our miners were manufactured by Bitmain, and incorporate application-specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”) chips specialized
to solve blocks on the Bitcoin blockchains using the 256-bit secure hashing algorithm (“SHA-256”) in return for Bitcoin cryptocurrency
rewards. As of December 31, 2022, we had 510 Bitmain S19J Pro miners with 51.0 Ph/s of hashing capacity and 270 Bitmain S19 miners with
24.3 Ph/s of hashing capacity, none of which were in service.
On
December 17, 2021 the Company entered into a Non-Fixed Price Sales and Purchase Agreement (the “Bitmain Agreement”) with
Bitmain Technologies Limited (“Bitmain”) for 600 Bitmain S19XP miners with a reference price of approximately $ 11,250 per
miner. The miners have a total of 84 Ph/s of hashing capacity and an initial estimated purchase commitment of $ 6,762,000 (the “total
reference price”), subject to price adjustments and related offsets, including potential adjustments related to the market price
of miners. As of December 31, 2022, the Company has made payments of $ 3,969,000 (classified as deposits on mining equipment) to Bitmain
pursuant to the Bitmain Agreement, and the remaining amount due under the Bitmain Agreement is $ 47,600 and presented in the table below:
Schedule
of Estimated Market Price of Miners
Market Price
per Miner
Total Amount
July 2022 batch (100 miners)
$ 7,756
$ 775,600
August 2022 batch (100 miners)
7,140
714,000
September 2022 batch (100 miners)
7,140
714,000
October 2022 batch (100 miners)
6,510
651,000
November 2022 batch (100 miners)
5,810
581,000
December 2022 batch (100 miners)
5,810
581,000
Estimated total amount due
4,016,600
Less: Payments made
3,969,000
Remaining amount due
$ 47,600
As
of December 31, 2022, all 600 miners purchased from Bitmain have not been delivered to the Company, and will remain undelivered until
all fees are paid to ship the miners from the Bitmain facility to the Company.
Note
5. Cryptocurrency
The
Company measures its operations by the number and U.S. Dollar (US$) value of the cryptocurrency rewards it earns from its cryptocurrency
mining activities. The Company recognized an impairment, or write down, of cryptocurrency (Bitcoin) rewards to the lowest fair market
value of Bitcoin from the time the reward was earned through December 31, 2022. The impairment amounted to $ 107,174 and $ 59,752 for the
years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The following table presents additional information regarding our cryptocurrency
mining operations:
Schedule
of Additional Information of Cryptocurrency Mining Operations
Quantity of Bitcoin
US$ Amounts
Balance December 31, 2020
—
$ —
Revenue recognized from cryptocurrency mined
6.7
369,804
Mining pool operating fees
( 0.1 )
( 7,398 )
Impairment of cryptocurrencies
—
( 59,752 )
Balance December 31, 2021
6.6
$ 302,654
Balance beginning
6.6
$ 302,654
Revenue recognized from cryptocurrency mined
13.2
517,602
Mining pool operating fees
( 0.3 )
( 10,452 )
Proceeds from the sale of cryptocurrency
( 19.5 )
( 575,408 )
Realized loss on the sale of cryptocurrency
—
( 127,222 )
Impairment of cryptocurrencies
—
( 107,174 )
Balance December 31, 2022 (1)
—
$ —
Balance ending
—
$ —
(1) Since
June 30, 2022 the Company is neither receiving meaningful cryptocurrency awards nor generating
meaningful revenue from cryptocurrency mining.
F- 16
Note
6. Property and Equipment
Property
and equipment, excluding those associated with discontinued operations, stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation and amortization,
consisted of the following:
Schedule
of Property and Equipment
2022
2021
December 31,
2022
2021
Cryptocurrency miners
$ 2,152,970
$ 1,784,062
Mobile data centers
219,372
518,663
Computer equipment
6,881
12,771
Total
2,379,223
2,315,496
Less accumulated depreciation
( 747,216 )
( 89,136 )
Net, Property and equipment
$ 1,632,007
$ 2,226,360
Depreciation
expense, excluding that associated with discontinued operations, for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 amounted to $ 658,080
and $ 112,512 , respectively. On December 31, 2022 the Company recorded an impairment on fixed assets, specifically cryptocurrency miners
and mobile data centers, of $ 5,231,752 due to their significant drop in value.
All
of our miners were manufactured by Bitmain, and incorporate application-specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”) chips specialized
to solve blocks on the Bitcoin blockchains using the 256-bit secure hashing algorithm (“SHA-256”) in return for Bitcoin cryptocurrency
rewards. As of December 31, 2022, we had 510 Bitmain S19J Pro miners with 51.0 Ph/s of hashing capacity and 270 Bitmain S19 miners with
24.3 Ph/s of hashing capacity, none of which were in service.
Note
7. Investment
On
May 28, 2022, the Company entered into a Binding Memorandum of Understanding for a Proposed Transaction with Highwire to acquire certain
energy assets including natural gas production opportunities in South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wyoming as well as an opportunity for
fixed-price electricity generation in Wyoming. Under the terms of the agreement and subject to certain conditions, the Company has the
following obligations to Highwire (i) $ 125,000 upon execution, (ii) $ 100,000 in common stock, (iii) $ 125,000 within 72 hours after Bitcoin
mining operations commence, (iv) $ 110,000 to release Highwire from its bonding obligations, (v) an amount not to exceed $ 450,000 for
the construction of a road on the South Dakota location, (vi) $ 20,000 for the installation of a mobile data center on the North Dakota
property, (vii) the operating costs of each property, (viii) 15% of Bitcoin mining gross profit on the properties, and up to $400,000
if the Company elects to proceed with operations in Wyoming .
The
Company paid Highwire $ 125,000 upon execution and issued $ 100,000 worth of common stock, which amounted to 169,205 shares of common stock,
both of which were classified as an investment asset. In addition, the Company paid Highwire $ 110,000 to release its bonding obligations,
which is classified as a non-current asset.
On
December 30, 2022 the Company sold its investment in Highwire and recorded the transaction as follows:
Schedule
of Sale of Investment
Description
Amount
Basis of Investment
$ 225,000
Less:
Cash receivable at closing
90,000
Offset of account payable to seller
115,896
Total
205,896
Loss from sale
$ 19,104
F- 17
Note
8. Amounts Due to Related Parties
Amounts
due to related parties as of December 31, 2022 consisted of the following:
Schedule
of Due to Related Parties
Bristol Capital,
LLC
Bristol
Investment
Fund, Ltd.
Barlock 2019
Fund, LP
Total
Accrued Interest and expenses
$ 318,750
$ 1,825,195
$ 912,044
$ 3,055,989
Current secured convertible debentures
—
2,496,850
2,496,850
4,993,700
Total
$ 318,750
$ 4,322,045
$ 3,408,894
$ 8,049,689
Amounts
due to related parties as of December 31, 2021 consisted of the following:
Bristol Capital,
LLC
Bristol
Investment
Fund, Ltd.
Barlock 2019
Fund, LP
Total
Accrued Interest and expenses
$ 93,750
$ 1,525,479
$ 612,329
$ 2,231,558
Current secured convertible debenture
—
2,500,000
—
2,500,000
Non-current secured convertible debenture
—
—
2,500,000
2,500,000
Total
$ 93,750
$ 4,025,479
$ 3,112,329
$ 7,231,558
As
of December 31, 2022, the Convertible Debentures with an aggregate principal amount of $ 4,993,700 , comprised of a Convertible Debenture
with a principal amount of $ 2,496,850 held by Bristol Investment Fund (the “Bristol Convertible Debenture”) and the Barlock
Convertible Debenture with a principal amount of $ 2,496,850 , were convertible into an aggregate of 28,535,429 shares of common stock
(exclusive of any accrued and unpaid interest), using a conversion price of $ 0.175 .
Note
9. Related Party Transactions
The
Company has entered into transactions with the following related parties:
Related
Party: Bristol Capital, LLC
Bristol
Capital, LLC (“Bristol Capital”), is managed by Paul L. Kessler. Mr. Kessler served as Executive Chairman of the Company
from December 29, 2016, through November 24, 2020, when Mr. Kessler resigned his position, but
continued to serve as member of the Board of Directors. On December 1, 2021 Mr. Kessler was again appointed Executive Chairman
of the Company.
Consulting
Agreement
On
December 29, 2016, the Company entered into a Consulting Services Agreement with Bristol Capital (the “Consulting Agreement”).
Pursuant to the Consulting Agreement, Mr. Kessler agreed to serve as Executive Chairman of the Company. The initial term of the Consulting
Agreement is from December 29, 2016 through March 28, 2017. The term of the Consulting Agreement will be automatically extended for additional
terms of 90-day periods, unless either the Company or Bristol Capital gives prior written notice of non-renewal to the other party no
later than thirty (30) days prior to the expiration of the then current term. Upon the execution of the agreement the Company granted
Bristol Capital options to purchase up to an aggregate of 30,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $ 0.25
per share, as amended.
During
the term, the Company will pay Bristol Capital, as amended, a monthly fee $ 18,750 payable in cash or preferred stock, at the Company’s
election. In addition, Bristol Capital may receive an annual bonus in an amount and under terms determined by the Compensation Committee
of the Board and approved by the Board in its sole and absolute discretion. The Company shall also, in association with the uplisting
of the Company’s common stock to a national exchange, issue to Bristol Capital (i) shares of common stock equal to 5 % of the fully
diluted shares of common stock of the Company, calculated with the inclusion of Bristol Capital’s equity stock holdings and shares
issuable upon conversion of convertible instruments, preferred stock, options, and warrants; and (ii) a onetime non-accountable expense
reimbursement of $ 200,000 .
On
November 22, 2018, the Company agreed to issue 202,022 shares of preferred stock for settlement of $ 496,875 due under the consulting
agreement as of October 31, 2018.
F- 18
On
August 3, 2020, the Company cancelled the 202,022 shares of preferred stock previously determined to be issued, and issued 49,688 shares
of Series A preferred stock for the settlement of the previous outstanding amount due. In addition, on August 3, 2020, the Company issued
38,438 shares of Series A preferred stock for the settlement of $ 384,375 due under the consulting agreement as of July 31, 2020.
On
March 1, 2021, the Company issued 22,500 shares of Series A preferred stock to Bristol Capital for the settlement of $ 225,000 due under
the consulting agreement as of July 31, 2021.
During
the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred expenses of approximately $ 225,000 , for each period for consulting services
provided by Bristol Capital. As of December 31, 2022, and 2021, the amount accrued to Bristol Capital for consulting services was $ 318,750
and $ 93,750 , respectively.
Non-Accountable
Expense Reimbursement
On
September 7, 2021, Bristol Capital received a one-time non-accountable expense reimbursement of $ 200,000 in consideration for significant
efforts and diligence in negotiating and structuring investment transactions.
Reimbursement
of Legal Fees
In
January 2022, Bristol Capital was reimbursed for $ 12,040 in legal fees.
Related
Party: Bristol Capital Advisors, LLC
Bristol
Capital Advisors, LLC (“Bristol Capital Advisors”), is managed by Paul L. Kessler.
Operating
Sublease
On
June 16, 2016, the Company entered into a Standard Multi-Tenant Sublease with Bristol Capital Advisors (the “Sublease”).
The leased premises are owned by an unrelated third party and Bristol Capital Advisors passes the lease costs down to the Company. The
term of the Sublease is for 5 years and 3 months beginning on July 1, 2016, with monthly payments of approximately $ 8,000 . During the
year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company paid lease obligations of $ 0 and $ 83,054 , respectively, under the Sublease. On September
30, 2021, the lease term ended, and the Company vacated the premises.
Related
Party: Bristol Investment Fund, Ltd.
Bristol
Investment Fund, Ltd. (“Bristol Investment Fund”) is managed by Bristol Capital Advisors, which in turn is managed by Paul
L. Kessler.
Securities
Purchase Agreement – December 2016
On
December 1, 2016, the Company entered into the Purchase Agreement with Bristol Investment Fund, pursuant to which the Company sold to
Bristol Investment Fund, for a cash purchase price of $ 2,500,000 , securities comprising of: (i) the Bristol Convertible Debenture, (ii)
Series A common stock purchase warrants, and (iii) Series B common stock purchase warrants. Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, the Company
paid $ 25,000 to Bristol Investment Fund and issued 25,000 shares of common stock with a grant date fair value of $ 85,000 to Bristol Investment
Fund to cover legal fees. The Company recorded as a debt discount of $ 25,791 related to the cash paid and the relative fair value of
the shares issued for legal fees.
i)
Secured Convertible Debenture
On
December 1, 2016, the Company issued the Bristol Convertible Debenture with an initial principal balance of $ 2,500,000 , and a maturity
date of December 30, 2018 . The Bristol Convertible Debenture will accrue interest on the aggregate unconverted and then outstanding principal
amount at the rate of 12 % per annum. Interest is payable quarterly on (i) January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1, beginning on January
1, 2017, (ii) on each date the purchaser converts, in whole or in part, the Bristol Convertible Debenture into common stock (as to that
principal amount then being converted), and (iii) on the day that is 20 days following the Company’s notice to redeem some or all
of the of the outstanding principal of the secured convertible debenture (only as to that principal amount then being redeemed) and on
the maturity date . Interest may be paid in cash, common stock, or a combination thereof at the sole discretion of the Company.
F- 19
The
Bristol Convertible Debenture is convertible into shares of the Company’s common stock at any time at the option of the holder.
The initial conversion price was $ 3.00 (as converted) per share, subject to adjustment. In the event of default occurs, the conversion
price shall be the lesser of (i) the initial conversion price of $ 3.00 and (ii) 50 % of the average of the 3 lowest trading prices during
the 20 trading days immediately prior to the applicable conversion date.
The
Bristol Convertible Debenture contains anti-dilution provisions where, if the Company, at any time while the Bristol Convertible Debenture
is outstanding, sells or grants any option to purchase, right to reprice, or otherwise dispose of or issue any common stock or common
stock equivalents, at an effective price per share less that is lower than the conversion price then in effect, the conversion price
shall be reduced to the lower effective price per share.
On
December 19, 2019, the maturity date of the Bristol Convertible Debenture was amended to December 30, 2021 .
On
May 1, 2020, the maturity date of the Bristol Convertible Debenture was amended to December 31, 2022.
On
August 3, 2020, as a result of the anti-dilution provisions, the effect of repricing stock options held by directors and employees to
$ 0.25 decreased the conversion price to $ 0.25 . As of December 31, 2020, the Bristol Convertible Debenture held by Bristol Investment
Fund was convertible into 10,000,000 shares of common stock.
On
October 31, 2021, in consideration for the release of senior security interest in certain of the assets, properties, and rights of discontinued
operations that were sold during the year, the Bristol Convertible Debenture was amended to reduce the conversion price to $ 0.175 .
During
March 2022, Bristol Convertible Debenture principal in the amount of $ 3,150 was converted into 18,000 shares of common stock using a
conversion price of $ 0.175 .
On
December 31, 2022 the maturity date of the Bristol Convertible Debenture was amended to May 31, 2023.
As
of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Bristol Convertible Debenture with a principal amount of $ 2,496,850 and $ 2,500,000 , respectively,
held by Bristol Investment Fund was convertible into 14,267,714 and 14,285,714 shares of common stock, respectively, using a conversion
price of $ 0.175 .
As
of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the amount of accrued interest payable to Bristol Investment Fund under the Bristol Convertible Debenture
was $ 1,825,195 , and $ 1,525,479 , respectively.
(ii)
Series A Common Stock Purchase Warrants
On
December 1, 2016, the Company issued series A common stock purchase warrants to acquire up to 833,333 shares of common stock at exercise
price of $ 3.00 , and expiring on December 1, 2021 . The warrants contain anti-dilution provisions where, if the Company, at any time while
the warrant is outstanding, sells or grants any option to purchase, right to reprice, or otherwise dispose of or issue any common stock
or common stock equivalents, at an effective price per share less than the exercise price then in effect, the exercise price shall be
reduced, and the number of warrant shares shall be increased such that the aggregate exercise price payable hereunder, shall be equal
to the aggregate exercise price prior to such adjustment.
On
December 19, 2019, as a result of the anti-dilution provisions, the issuance of the Barlock Convertible Debenture with a conversion price
of $ 2.50 increased the number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the series A common stock purchase warrants to 1,000,000 ,
and decreased the exercise price to $ 2.50 .
On
December 19, 2019, Bristol Investment Fund assigned 300,000 series A common stock purchase warrants to Barlock Capital Management, LLC,
and the expiration date of the warrants was extended to December 1, 2024 . After the assignment, Bristol Investment Fund held series A
common stock purchase warrants to acquire 700,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price to $ 2.50 .
On
August 3, 2020, as a result of the anti-dilution provisions, the effect of repricing stock options held by directors and employees to
$ 0.25 increased the number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the series A common stock purchase warrants to 7,000,000 ,
and decreased the exercise price to $ 0.25 . As of December 31, 2020, Bristol Investment Fund held series A common stock purchase warrants
to acquire 7,000,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price to $ 0.25 .
F- 20
On
October 31, 2021, as a result of the anti-dilution provisions, the effect of reducing the conversion price of the Convertible Debentures
to $ 0.175 increased the common stock issuable upon the exercise of the series A common stock purchase warrants to 10,000,000 , and decreased
the exercise price to $ 0.175 .
On
September 9, 2022, Bristol Investment Fund assigned 20 % of its series A common stock purchase warrants shares to Leviston Resources,
LLC.
As
of December 31, 2022, Bristol Investment Fund held series A common stock purchase warrants to acquire 10,000,000 shares of common stock
at an exercise price of $ 0.175 .
In
addition, the warrants may be exercised, in whole or in part, at any time until they expire. If at any time after the 6-month anniversary
of the closing date there is no effective registration statement, or no current prospectus available for the resale of the warrant shares,
then the warrants may be exercised, in whole or in part, on a cashless basis at any time until they expire.
(iii)
Series B Common Stock Purchase Warrants
On
December 1, 2016, the Company issued series B common stock purchase warrants to acquire up to 833,333 shares of common stock at an initial
exercise price of $ 0.002 , and expiring on December 1, 2021 . The series B common stock purchase warrants were exercised immediately on
the issuance date, and the Company received gross proceeds of $ 1,667 .
Upon
issuance of the Bristol Convertible Debenture, the Company valued the warrants using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing model and accounted
for it using the relative fair value of $ 1,448,293 as debt discount on the consolidated balance sheet. Debt discount is amortized over
the earlier of (i) the term of the debt or (ii) conversion of the debt, using the effective interest method which approximates the interest
method. The amortization of debt discount is included as a component of interest expense on the consolidated statement of operations.
There was unamortized debt discount of $ 0 as of December 31, 2022 and 2021.
Related
Party: Barlock 2019 Fund, LP
Barlock
is managed by Scott D. Kaufman, who has served as Chief Executive Officer of the Company from November 24, 2020, through May 11, 2022,
and as co-Chief Executive Officer from May 12, 2022 through August 8, 2022, and a former Director from November 4, 2019, through August
8, 2022, and former Chairman of the Board of Directors from November 24, 2020, through December 1, 2021.
Securities
Purchase Agreement – December 2019
On
December 19, 2019, the Company entered into the purchase agreement with Barlock, pursuant to which the Company sold to Barlock, for a
cash purchase price of $ 2,500,000 , securities comprising of: (i) the Barlock Convertible Debenture, and (ii) Series A common stock purchase
warrants assigned from Bristol Investment Fund. Pursuant to the purchase agreement, the Company paid $ 25,400 to Barlock for legal fees
which was recorded as a debt discount.
(ii) Secured Convertible Debenture
On
December 19, 2019, the Company entered issued a Barlock Convertible Debenture with an initial principal balance of $ 2,500,000 , and a
maturity date of December 30, 2021 . The Barlock Convertible Debenture will accrue interest on the aggregate unconverted and then outstanding
principal amount at the rate of 12 % per annum. Interest is payable quarterly on (i) January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1, beginning
on January 1, 2020, (ii) on each date the purchaser converts, in whole or in part, the Barlock Convertible Debenture into common stock
(as to that principal amount then being converted), and (iii) on the day that is 20 days following the Company’s notice to redeem
some or all of the of the outstanding principal of the Barlock Convertible Debenture (only as to that principal amount then being redeemed)
and on the maturity date. Interest may be paid in cash, common stock, or a combination thereof at the sole discretion of the Company.
The
Barlock Convertible Debenture is convertible into shares of the Company’s common stock at any time at the option of the holder.
The initial conversion price was $ 2.50 (as converted) per share, subject to adjustment. In the event of default occurs, the conversion
price shall be the lesser of (i) the initial conversion price of $ 2.50 and (ii) 50 % of the average of the 3 lowest trading prices during
the 20 trading days immediately prior to the applicable conversion date.
F- 21
The
Barlock Convertible Debenture contains anti-dilution provisions where, if the Company, at any time while the Barlock Convertible Debenture
is outstanding, sells or grants any option to purchase, right to reprice, or otherwise dispose of or issue any common stock or common
stock equivalents, at an effective price per share less that is lower than the conversion price then in effect, the conversion price
shall be reduced to the lower effective price per share.
On
August 3, 2020, as a result of the anti-dilution provisions, the effect of repricing stock options held by directors and employees to
$ 0.25 decreased the conversion price to $ 0.25 . As of December 31, 2020, the Barlock Convertible Debenture held by Barlock was convertible
into 10,000,000 shares of common stock.
On
October 31, 2021, in consideration for the release of senior security interest in certain of the assets, properties, and rights of discontinued
operations that were sold during the year, the Barlock Convertible Debenture was amended to reduce the conversion price to $ 0.175 , and
the maturity date was amended to December 31, 2023.
During
March 2022, the principal amount of $ 3,150 under the Barlock Convertible Debenture was converted into 18,000 shares of common stock at
a conversion price of $ 0.175 .
As
of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Barlock Convertible Debenture with a principal amount of $ 2,496,850 and $ 2,500,000 , respectively,
held by Barlock was convertible into 14,267,714 and 14,285,714 shares of common stock, respectively, at a conversion price of $ 0.175 .
As
of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the amount of accrued interest payable to Barlock under the Barlock Convertible Debenture was $ 912,044 ,
and $ 612,239 , respectively.
(ii)
Series A Common Stock Purchase Warrants
On
December 19, 2019, Bristol Investment Fund assigned to Barlock Capital Management, LLC series A common stock purchase warrants to acquire
up to 300,000 shares of common stock at exercise price of $ 2.50 , and expiring on December 1, 2024 . The warrants contain anti-dilution
provisions where, if the Company, at any time while the warrant is outstanding, sells or grants any option to purchase, right to reprice,
or otherwise dispose of or issue any common stock or common stock equivalents, at an effective price per share less than the exercise
price then in effect, the exercise price shall be reduced, and the number of warrant shares shall be increased such that the aggregate
exercise price payable hereunder, shall be equal to the aggregate exercise price prior to such adjustment.
On
August 3, 2020, as a result of the anti-dilution provisions, the effect of repricing stock options held by directors and employees to
$ 0.25 increased the number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the series A common stock purchase warrants to 3,000,000 ,
and decreased the exercise price to $ 0.25 . As of December 31, 2020, Barlock Capital Management, LLC held series A common stock purchase
warrants to acquire 3,000,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price to $ 0.25 .
On
October 31, 2021, as a result of the anti-dilution provisions, the effect of reducing the conversion price of the secured convertible
debenture to $ 0.175 increased the number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the series A common stock purchase warrants
to 4,285,714 , and decreased the exercise price to $ 0.175 .
As
of December 31, 2022, Barlock Capital Management, LLC held series A common stock purchase warrants to acquire 4,285,714 shares of common
stock at an exercise price to $ 0.175 .
In
addition, the warrants may be exercised, in whole or in part, at any time until they expire. If at any time after the six-month anniversary
of the closing date there is no effective registration statement, or no current prospectus available for the resale of the warrant shares,
then the warrants may be exercised, in whole or in part, on a cashless basis at any time until they expire. Shares of common stock issuable
upon exercise of warrants are subject to a 4.99% beneficial ownership limitation, which may increase to 9.99% upon notice to the Company .
Upon
issuance of the secured convertible debenture, the Company valued the warrants using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing model and accounted
for it using the relative fair value of $ 545,336 as debt discount on the consolidated balance sheet. Debt discount is amortized over
the earlier of (i) the term of the debt or (ii) conversion of the debt, using the effective interest method which approximates the interest
method. The amortization of debt discount is included as a component of interest expense on the consolidated statement of operations.
There was unamortized debt discount of $ 0 , as of December 31, 2022 and 2021.
F- 22
Related
Party: Barlock Capital Management, LLC
Barlock
Capital Management, LLC, is managed by Scott D. Kaufman, who served as Chief Executive Officer of the Company from November 24, 2020,
through May 11, 2022, and as co-Chief Executive Officer from May 12, 2022 through August 8, 2022, and a former Director from November
4, 2019, through August 8, 2022, and former Chairman of the Board of Directors from November 24, 2020, through December 1, 2021. From
September 2021 through December 2021, the Company rented executive office space located at 2700 Homestead Road, Park City, UT 84098,
for approximately $ 3,000 per month from Barlock Capital Management, LLC. The amount of rent paid to Barlock Capital Management, LLC for
the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, amounted to $ 0 and $ 9,410 , respectively.
In
addition, the Company paid management fees to Barlock Capital Management, LLC in the amount of $ 0 and $ 81,000 , for the years ended December
31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Related
Party: American Natural Energy Corporation
Scott
D. Kaufman is a director and shareholder of American Natural Energy Corporation (“ANEC”). In addition, Richard G. Boyce is
a former director of the Company who resigned from the Board on July 22, 2022, is also a director of ANEC. On October 22, 2021, the Company
entered into an agreement with ANEC, where ANEC would: (i) allow the Company to moor a barge on the ANEC operations site with the Company’s
mobile data center that houses cryptocurrency miners and a mobile turbine, and, (ii) supply natural gas to power a mobile turbine that
produces electricity that, in turn, is used to power the miners. ANEC charges the Company for the amount of natural gas used based on
the daily spot price of an unaffiliated third party, and a daily fee of $ 1,500 during the initial 90-day term, and $ 2,000 thereafter,
for the use of their operations site to moor the barge. The agreement terminated on May 24, 2022. The total amount paid to ANEC under
the agreement for the year ended December 31, 2022 amounted to approximately $ 400,000 .
In
addition, in January 2022, the Company began renting executive office space located at 2700 Homestead Road, Park City, UT 84098, for
approximately $ 3,000 per month from ANEC. The amount of rent paid to ANEC for the year ended December 31, 2022 amounted to approximately
$ 19,000 .
Related
Party: Scott D. Kaufman, former Chief Executive Officer
On
September 7, 2021, Scott D. Kaufman received a one-time non-accountable expense reimbursement of $ 200,000 in consideration for significant
efforts and diligence in negotiating and structuring investment transactions.
Related
Party: K2PC Consulting, LLC
K2PC
Consulting, LLC is managed by the spouse of Scott D. Kaufman. The company paid marketing fees to K2PC Consulting, LLC in the amount of
$ 7,850 and $ 24,500 , for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Related
Party: John D. Maatta, Director and Chief Executive Officer
John
D. Maatta is a current director, and served as Chief Executive Officer of the Company until November 24, 2020, as co-Chief Executive
Officer from May 12, 2022 through July 8, 2022, and again as Chief Executive Officer beginning on July 9, 2022. On November 22, 2018,
the Company agreed to issue 86,466 shares of preferred stock for settlement of the outstanding compensation due to Mr. Maatta of $ 212,707 ,
for the period June 17, 2017 through November 15, 2018.
On
August 3, 2020, the Company cancelled the 86,466 shares of preferred stock previously determined to be issued, and issued 21,271 shares
of Series A preferred stock for the settlement of the previous outstanding amount due. In addition, on August 3, 2020, the Company issued
29,496 shares of Series A preferred stock for the settlement of $ 294,965 in additional outstanding compensation due to Mr. Maatta, and
35,100 shares of Series A preferred stock for the settlement of $ 351,000 in loans to the Company made by Mr. Matta. The non-interest-bearing
loans were made as follows: during the year ended December 31, 2019, Mr. Maatta loaned $ 100,000 to the Company, during the year ended
December 31, 2020, Mr. Matta loaned an additional $ 125,000 to the Company, and paid for other amounts on behalf of the Company amounting
to $ 126,000 . The outstanding balance of the loan payable to Mr. Maatta as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, was $ 0 , for both periods.
On
March 1, 2021, 8,500 shares of Series A preferred stock were issued to Mr. Maatta in satisfaction of an aggregate of $ 85,546 due to Mr.
Maatta under his separation agreement.
F- 23
Related
Party: CONtv
CONtv
is a joint venture with third parties and Bristol Capital, LLC. The Company holds a limited and passive interest of 10 % in CONtv. As
of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the investment in CONtv and the amount due to CONtv was $ 0 , for both periods.
Note
10. Convertible Notes Payable
Creecal
Holdings LLC (Assigned from Leviston Resources LLC)
In
connection with a loan in the principal amount of $ 500,000
received on May 18, 2022 pursuant to an oral agreement between the Company’s then-CEO and Leviston Resources LLC on September
9, 2022 the Company documented such loan with the issuance of a convertible note assigned to Creecal Holdings LLC, dated as of
September 8, 2022 in the principal amount of $ 500,000
(the “Creecal Note”). The Creecal Note is due on March 8, 2023 and shall accrue
interest at 4 %
per annum. The due date of the note was extended to the earlier of May 31, 2023 or the closing of the Merger. Any principal or
interest which is not paid when due shall bear interest at the rate of 22 %
per annum from the due date thereof until the same is paid.
The
Creecal Note is convertible at the holder’s option at the conversion price of the Company’s Series C preferred stock then
in effect (the “Creecal Note Conversion Price”), provided that so long as an event of default has not occurred under the
Note and the Company’s Series B preferred stock remains outstanding, the Creecal Note Conversion Price shall not be lower than
the conversion price of the Series B preferred stock. Unless the holder opts to convert the Creecal Note contemporaneously with the
Merger , the Creecal Note
will be immediately due and paid at the closing of the Merger. In the event the Merger is abandoned or cancelled the Creecal Note will
be due 30 days after such event.
Alpha
Capital Anstalt
On
August 24, 2022, the Company entered into an Agreement (the “Settlement”) with Alpha Capital Anstalt (“Alpha”).
The Settlement relates to a dispute with the Company’s then-CEO in connection with Alpha’s partial exercise on March 20,
2022 of warrants to purchase 600,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $ 0.0001 (the “Warrant Shares”),
at an aggregate conversion price of $ 900,000 .
Pursuant
to the Settlement, Alpha agreed to exchange the 600,000 Warrant Shares for a convertible promissory note in the principal amount of $ 900,000
due August 25, 2023 (the “Alpha Note”). Upon the occurrence and during the continuation of any event of default under the
Alpha Note, interest shall accrue at a default interest rate of 22 % per annum. As of December 31, 2022 Alpha had returned 600,000 shares
of common stock in connection with the Settlement.
The
Alpha Note is convertible at Alpha’s option at the conversion price of the Company’s Series C preferred stock then in effect
(the “Alpha Note Conversion Price”). Upon notice that the Merger is imminent, Alpha will convert the Alpha Note at a 10%
discount of the amounts owed thereunder into shares of common stock at the lower of: (i) the Alpha Note Conversion Price; or (ii) the
lowest per share valuation attributed to the common stock in the Merger and any capital raise completed by the Company in connection
with the Merger.
Note
11. Lease Obligations
Office
Lease Obligation
On
June 16, 2016, the Company entered into a Standard Multi-Tenant Sublease with Bristol Capital Advisors, a related party. The leased premises
are owned by an unrelated third party and Bristol Capital Advisors passes the lease costs down to the Company. The term of the Sublease
is for 5 years and 3 months beginning on July 1, 2016, with monthly payments of approximately $ 8,000 .
The
Company classified the lease as an operating lease and determined that the value of the lease assets and liability on January 1, 2019,
the date the Company adopted ASC 842 using the modified retrospective approach, was $ 252,980 using a discount rate of 12 %. During the
years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company made payments towards the lease liability of $ 0 and $ 83,054 , respectively. As of
December 31, 2022 and 2021, the ROU assets amounted to $ 0 , for both years. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, lease liability amounted
to $ 0 , for both years. During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company reflected amortization of right of use asset related
to this lease of $ 0 and $ 85,035 , respectively. The lease termed ended in September 2021.
F- 24
Warehouse
Lease Obligation
On
April 18, 2020 the Company entered into a commercial lease for 3,200 square feet warehouse space at 16142 Wyandotte Street, Van Nuys,
California 91405. The monthly lease payment is approximately $ 3,900 , with an approximate 2 % escalation in rent per year. The term of
the lease is for five years , expiring on May 1, 2025 . On April 8, 2022, the Company paid approximately $ 20,000 for the right to advance
the termination of the lease to April 30, 2022.
The
Company classified the lease as an operating lease and determined that the value of the lease assets and liability at the inception of
the lease was $ 173,938 using a discount rate of 12 %. During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company made payments towards
the lease liability of $ 31,920 , and $ 47,424 , respectively. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the ROU assets amounted to $ 0 and $ 127,335 ,
respectively. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, lease liability amounted to $ 0 and $ 135,094 , respectively. During the years ended December
31, 2022 and 2021, the Company reflected amortization of right of use asset related to this lease of $ 7,759 and $ 72,331 , respectively.
The
following table presents lease expense for the following years:
Schedule of Components of Lease Expenses
2022
2021
For the Years Ended December 31,
2022
2021
Operating lease
$ 32,604
$ 89,956
Note
12. SBA/PPP Notes Payable
Small
Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program Loans
On
March 27, 2020 the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) was enacted and included a provision
for the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) to implement its Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”). The PPP provides
small businesses with funds to pay payroll costs, including some benefits over a covered period of up to 24 weeks. Funds received under
the PPP may also be used to pay interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities. Subject to certain criteria being met, all or a portion of
the loan may be forgiven. The loans bear interest at an annual rate of one percent (1%), are due two (2) years from the date of issuance,
and all payments are deferred for the first six (6) months of the loan. Any unforgiven balance of loan principal and accrued interest
at the end of the six (6) month loan deferral period is amortized in equal monthly installments over the remaining 18-months of the loan
term .
SBA
Guaranteed PPP Loan
On
April 30, 2020, the Company entered into an SBA guaranteed PPP loan. The Company received aggregate proceeds of $ 197,600 under the loan.
The loan accrues interest at a rate of 1.00 %. On December 11, 2021, the SBA forgave $ 183,567 of loan principal. As of December 31, 2022
and 2021, the outstanding balance under the loan was $ 0 and $ 14,033 , respectively.
SBA
Loan
On
May 31, 2020, the Company entered into a loan agreement with the SBA. The Company received aggregate proceeds of $ 149,900 under the loan.
The loan accrues interest at a rate of 3.75 %, and will mature in June 2050. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the outstanding balance
under the loan was $ 149,900 , for both periods.
Second
Draw SBA Guaranteed PPP Loan
On
February 24, 2021, the Company entered into a Second Draw SBA guaranteed PPP loan. The Company received aggregate proceeds of $ 197,662
under the loan. The loan accrues interest at a rate of 1.00 %, and will mature in February 2026. On March 10, 2022, the SBA forgave $ 197,662
of loan principal. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the outstanding balance under the loan was $ 0 and $ 197,662 , respectively.
The
following table summarizes PPP/SBA loans payable:
Schedule
of Loans Payable
December 31,
2022
December 31,
2021
As of
December 31,
2022
December 31,
2021
SBA Guaranteed PPP Loan
$ —
$ 14,033
SBA Loan
149,900
149,900
Second Draw SBA Guaranteed PPP Loan
—
197,662
Total
$ 149,900
$ 361,595
F- 25
Note 13. Contingencies and Commitments
Russia
– Ukraine Conflict
The
Russia – Ukraine conflict is a global concern. The Company does not have any direct exposure to Russia or Ukraine through its operations,
employee base, investments or sanctions. The Company does not receive goods or services sourced from those countries, does not anticipate
any disruption in its supply chain and has no business relationships, connections to or assets in Russia, Belarus or Ukraine. No impairments
to assets have been made due to the conflict. We are unable at this time to know the full ramifications of the Russia – Ukraine
conflict and its effects on our business.
Note
14. Common Stock Options
On
May 9, 2011, the Company adopted the 2016 Incentive Stock Award Plan (the “2011 Plan”), on August 12, 2016, the Company adopted
the 2016 Incentive Stock Award Plan (the “2016 Plan”), on August 3, 2020, the Company adopted the 2020 Stock Plan (the “2020
Plan”), and on December 1, 2021, the Company adopted the 2021 Incentive Stock Award Plan (the “2021 Plan”), collectively
(the “Plans”). The purpose of the Plans is to grant options to purchase our common stock, and other incentive awards, to
our employees, directors and key consultants.
The
maximum number of shares of common stock that may be issued pursuant to awards granted under the 2020 Plan was 500,000 . On December 1,
2021, all prior stock award plans were retired, and the 2021 Plan was adopted. The maximum number of shares of common stock that may
be issued pursuant to awards granted under the 2021 Plan is 10,000,000 . The shares of our common stock underlying cancelled and forfeited
awards issued under the 2021 Plan may again become available for grant under the 2021 Plan. As of December 31, 2022, there were 10,000,000
shares available for grant under the 2021 Plan, and no shares were available for grant under the 2020 Plan, 2016 Plan, or 2011 Plan.
On
August 21, 2020 the Board approved the repricing of the exercise price of outstanding stock options that had been issued to directors
and employees to $ 0.25 per share.
Stock-based
compensation cost is measured at the grant date, based on the fair value of the awards that are ultimately expected to vest, and recognized
on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period.
The
following table summarizes stock option activity during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021:
Schedule
of Stock Option Activity
Weighted
Average
Exercise
Options
Price
Outstanding at December 31, 2020
789,250
$ 0.32
Granted
7,300,000
2.55
Exercised
( 317,500 )
0.29
Forfeited/Cancelled
( 120,000 )
0.30
Outstanding at December 31, 2021
7,651,750
$ 2.45
Granted
—
—
Exercised
( 217,500 )
0.42
Forfeited/Cancelled
( 7,175,000 )
2.59
Outstanding at December 31, 2022
259,250
$ 0.25
Exercisable at December 31, 2020
451,448
$ 0.32
Exercisable at December 31, 2021
4,151,750
$ 2.28
Exercisable at December 31, 2022
259,250
$ 0.25
F- 26
The
following table presents the assumptions used to estimate the fair values based upon a Black-Scholes option pricing model of the stock
options granted during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021:
Schedule
of Assumptions Used to Estimate Fair Value of Options
Assumptions
Expected dividend yield
0 %
Risk-free interest rate
0.12 - 0.82 %
Expected life (in years)
2.5 – 3.0
Expected volatility
297 - 545 %
The
weighted average remaining contractual life of all options outstanding, vested and exercisable as of December 31, 2022 was 2.1 years.
Furthermore, the aggregate intrinsic value of options outstanding as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, was $ 0 and $ 3,641,063 , respectively,
and in each case based on the fair value of the Company’s common stock on December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
During
the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company issued 185,216 net shares of common stock upon the cashless exercise of options underlying
217,500 shares of common stock, and option holders cancelled options to purchase 7,175,000 shares of common stock.
During
the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company granted to Directors and employees options to purchase a total of 7,300,000 shares of the
Company’s common stock with a fair value of $ 17,850,000 , which will be amortized over the vesting period. The total fair value
of options that vested during the year ended December 31, 2021 was $ 9,726,950 and was included in stock based compensation expense in
the accompanying statement of operations. As of December 31, 2021, the amount of unvested compensation related to the unvested options
was $ 8,925,000 which will be recorded as an expense in future periods as the options vest. During the year ended December 31, 2021, the
Company issued 302,644 net shares of common stock upon the exercise of options underlying 317,500 shares of common stock, resulting in
net cash proceeds of $ 50,625 .
On
December 1, 2021, the Company granted certain of its Directors and employees options to purchase a total of 7,000,000 shares of the Company’s
common stock with an exercise price of $ 2.65 per share, a term of 5 years, and a shall vest upon a VWAP of the Company’s common
stock reaching the following targets: at such time as there is a VWAP equal to $2.50 of the Company’s common stock when computed
over 30 consecutive trading days, 25% of each Executive’s Options shall vest; at such time as there is a VWAP equal to $3.00 of
the Company’s common stock when computed over 30 consecutive trading days, 25% of each Executive’s Options shall vest; at
such time as there is a VWAP equal to $3.50 of the Company’s common stock when computed over 30 consecutive trading days, 25% of
each Executive’s Options shall vest; and at such time as there is a VWAP equal to $4.00 of the Company’s common stock when
computed over 30 consecutive trading days, 25% of each Executive’s Options shall vest.
Additional
information regarding stock options outstanding and exercisable as of December 31, 2022 is as follows:
Schedule
of Stock Option Outstanding and Exercisable
Option
Remaining
Exercise
Options
Contractual
Options
Price
Outstanding
Life (in years)
Exercisable
$ 0.25
259,250
2.1
259,250
Note 15. Common Stock Warrants
During
the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company granted warrants to purchase a total of 900,000 shares of the Company’s common stock
to a consultant. In addition, the Company granted fully vested warrants to purchase 600,000 shares of the Company’s common stock
to shareholder as replacement for warrants. Using the Black-Scholes model the warrants to purchase 600,000 shares of the Company’s
common stock had a grant date fair value of $ 1,608,000 which was expensed on the grant date. The total fair value of options that vested
during the year ended December 31, 2022, was $ 2,080,501 and is included in stock based compensation expense in the accompanying statement
of operations. As of December 31, 2022, the amount of unvested compensation related to the unvested options was $ 0 .
On
January 1, 2022, the Company granted warrants to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock to a consultant in connection with
the issuance of Series C preferred stock as follows: a warrant to purchase 400,000 shares with an exercise price of $ 1.50 per share,
and a term of 5 years; a warrant to purchase 250,000 shares with an exercise price of $ 2.50 per share, and term of 5 years; and a warrant
to purchase 250,000 shares with an exercise price of $ 2.75 per share, and term of 5 years.
F- 27
On
March 29, 2022, the Company offered 16 warrant holders replacement warrants with an exercise price of $ 1.50 per common share, in exchange
for any warrants exercised at this time at the exercise price of $ 1.50 per common share. The issuance of replacement warrants has the
effect of resetting the conversion price of all outstanding shares of Series C preferred stock to $ 1.50 per common share and resetting
the exercise price of all outstanding warrants to $ 1.50 per common share in instances where those conversion and exercise prices are
above $ 1.50 .
In
late-August and early-September 2022, the Company and holders of Series B and Series C preferred stock entered into Support Agreements
(the “Support Agreements”) relating to the Merger. Pursuant to the Support Agreements, the holders of Series B and Series
C preferred stock agreed to use its reasonable best efforts to cooperate with the Company in connection with the Merger. The Support
Agreement amends the exercise price of all outstanding
warrants held by Series B and Series C Preferred Stockholders to $ 0.50 per common share .
On
March 30, 2022, warrants to purchase 600,000 shares of the Company’s common stock were exercised by one warrant holder resulting
in $ 900,000 in cash proceeds being received by the Company. The Company issued replacement warrants to purchase 600,000 shares of the
Company’s common stock to such warrant holder.
During
the three months ended September 30, 2022, warrants to purchase 166,660 shares of the Company’s common stock were exercised by
two warrant holders resulting in $ 83,330 in cash proceeds being received by the Company, in addition, warrants holders cancelled warrants
to purchase 1,210,000 shares of common stock.
During
the three months ended December 31, 2022, warrants to purchase 1,120,000 shares of the Company’s common stock were cancelled by
the warrant holders.
On
March 1, 2021, the Company granted warrants to purchase shares the Company’s common stock to certain consultants as follows: two
warrants to purchase 100,000 shares with an exercise price of $ 0.50 per share, a term of 5 years, and a vesting period of 2 years; and
two warrants to purchase 100,000 shares with an exercise price of $ 1.00 per share, a term of 5 years, and a vesting period of 2 years.
Prior to December 31, 2021, warrants to purchase 350,000 shares of the Company’s common stock were forfeited or cancelled leaving
outstanding warrants to purchase 50,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at $ 0.50 per share.
On
March 24, 2021, the Company granted warrants to purchase shares the Company’s common stock to a consultant as follows: a warrant
to purchase 300,000 shares with an exercise price of $ 1.00 per share, and a term of 5 years; and, in connection with the issuance of
Series B preferred stock, a warrant to purchase 180,000 shares with an exercise price of $ 1.5278 per share, and term of 5 years.
From
August 2021 through October 2021, in connection with the issuance of common stock, the Company issued warrants to acquire 2,933,340 shares
of common stock at an exercise price of $ 1.50 per share, which became exercisable immediately upon issuance and with a term of 5 years.
The warrants contain anti-dilution provisions where, if the Company, at any time while the warrant is outstanding, sells or grants any
option to purchase, right to reprice, or otherwise dispose of or issue any common stock or common stock equivalents, at an effective
price per share less than the exercise price then in effect, the exercise price shall be reduced, and the number of warrant shares shall
be increased such that the aggregate exercise price payable hereunder, shall be equal to the aggregate exercise price prior to such adjustment.
If at any time after the 6-month anniversary of the closing date there is no effective registration statement, or no current prospectus
available for the resale of the warrant shares, then the warrants may be exercised, in whole or in part, on a cashless basis at any time
until they expire. Shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants are subject to a 4.99% beneficial ownership limitation,
which may increase to 9.99% upon notice to the Company.
On
October 12, 2021, the Company granted certain directors warrants to purchase a total of 60,000 shares of the Company’s common stock
with an exercise price of $ 1.50 per share, and a term of 3 years.
On
October 20, 2021, the Company granted a director a warrant to purchase 400,000 shares of the Company’s common stock with an exercise
price of $ 1.50 per share, a term of 3 years, and vesting as follows: 20% upon execution of the Services Agreement; 20% on January 20,
2022; 20% on April 20, 2022; 20% on July 20, 2022; and 20% on October 20, 2022.
On
October 31, 2021, the Company granted a consultant warrants to purchase 750,000 shares of the Company’s common stock with an exercise
price of $ 1.50 per share, a term of 3 years, and vesting as follows: 40% upon execution of the Services Agreement; 20% on April 1, 2022;
20% on August 1, 2022; and 20% on December 1, 2022.
F- 28
During
December 2021, in connection with the issuance of Series C preferred stock, the Company issued (i) warrants to acquire 1,750,936 shares
of Common Stock at an exercise price of $ 2.50 per share, which became exercisable immediately upon issuance and with a term of 5 years;
and (ii) warrants to acquire 1,750,936 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $ 2.75 per share, which became exercisable immediately
upon issuance and with a term of 5 years. The warrants contain anti-dilution provisions where, if the Company, at any time while the
warrant is outstanding, sells or grants any option to purchase, right to reprice, or otherwise dispose of or issue any common stock or
common stock equivalents, at an effective price per share less than the exercise price then in effect, the exercise price shall be reduced,
and the number of warrant shares shall be increased such that the aggregate exercise price payable hereunder, shall be equal to the aggregate
exercise price prior to such adjustment. If at any time after the 6-month anniversary of the closing date there is no effective registration
statement, or no current prospectus available for the resale of the warrant shares, then the warrants may be exercised, in whole or in
part, on a cashless basis at any time until they expire. The warrants are callable by the Company if the VWAP as calculated over 20 consecutive
trading days exceeds 200% of the then exercise price, and the average daily dollar volume for such measurement period exceeds 100,000
shares per trading day. Shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of warrants are subject to a 4.99% beneficial ownership limitation,
which may increase to 9.99% upon notice to the Company.
The
following table summarizes common stock warrant activity during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021:
Schedule of Stock Warrants Activity
Common
Stock
Warrants
Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price
Outstanding at December 31, 2020
10,300,000
$ 0.26
Results of anti-dilution provisions (1)
4,285,714
- (1)
Granted
8,525,212
1.91
Exercised
—
—
Forfeited/Cancelled
( 650,000 )
1.81
Outstanding at December 31, 2021
22,460,926
$ 0.82
Results of anti-dilution provisions
—
—
Granted
1,500,000
1.48
Exercised
( 766,660 )
1.28
Forfeited/Cancelled
( 1,210,000 )
1.50
Outstanding at December 31, 2022
21,984,266
$ 0.37 (2)
Exercisable at December 31, 2020
10,300,000
$ 0.26
Exercisable at December 31, 2021
22,460,926
$ 0.80
Exercisable at December 31, 2022
21,984,266
$ 0.37 (2)
(1)
On October 31, 2021,
as a result of the anti-dilution provisions, the effect of reducing the conversion price of the secured convertible debenture to $ 0.175 increased the common stock issuable upon the exercise of the series A common stock purchase warrants held cumulatively by related parties
Bristol Investment Fund and Barlock Capital Management, LLC, from 10,000,000 to 14,285,714 , and decreased the exercise price to $ 0.175 .
(2) On
March 29, 2022, the Company offered 16 warrant holders replacement warrants with an exercise
price of $ 1.50
per common
share, in exchange for any warrants exercised at this time at the exercise price of $ 1.50
per
common share. The issuance of replacement warrants has the effect of resetting the conversion
price of all outstanding shares of Series C preferred stock to $ 1.50
per
common share and resetting the exercise price of all outstanding warrants to $ 1.50
per
common share in instances where those conversion and exercise prices are above $ 1.50 .
Additionally, i n late-August and early-September 2022,
the Company and holders of Series B and Series C preferred stock entered into the Support
Agreements. Pursuant to the Support Agreements, the holders of Series B and Series C preferred
stock agreed to use its reasonable best efforts to cooperate with the Company in connection
with the Merger. The Support Agreements amend the exercise price of all outstanding
warrants held by Series B and Series C Preferred Stockholders
to $ 0.50
per
common share .
The
following table presents the assumptions used to estimate the fair values based upon a Black-Scholes calculation for the common stock
warrants granted during the year ended December 31, 2021 and 2022:
Schedule
of Assumptions Used to Estimate Fair Value of Warrants
Assumptions
Expected dividend yield
0 %
Risk-free interest rate
0.32 – 2.09 %
Expected life (in years)
2 - 3
Expected volatility
291 - 297 %
The
weighted average remaining contractual life of all common stock warrants outstanding as of December 31, 2022 was 2.56 years. Furthermore,
the aggregate intrinsic value of common stock warrants outstanding as of December 31, 2022 was $ 0 , based on the fair value of the Company’s
common stock on December 31, 2022.
F- 29
Additional
information regarding common stock warrants outstanding and exercisable as of December 31, 2022 is as follows:
Schedule
of Stock Warrants Outstanding and Exercisable
Warrant
Remaining
Exercise
Warrants
Contractual
Warrants
Price
Outstanding
Life (in years)
Exercisable
$ 0.175
14,285,714
1.9
14,285,714
0.50
6,318,552
3.9
6,318,552
1.00
300,000
1.2
300,000
1.50
400,000
4.0
400,000
1.53
180,000
1.7
180,000
2.50
250,000
4.0
250,000
2.75
250,000
4.0
250,000
Total
21,948,266
21,948,266
Note 16. Series B Preferred Stock Warrants
From
March 2021 through December 2021, in connection with the issuance of Series B preferred stock, the Company issued (i) a warrant to acquire
5,000 shares of the Series B preferred stock at an exercise price of $ 1,000 per share of Series B preferred stock, which became exercisable
immediately upon issuance and which expires on March 26, 2023 ; and (ii) a warrant to acquire 5,000 shares of the Series B preferred stock
at an exercise price of $ 1,000 per share of Series B preferred stock, which became exercisable immediately upon issuance and which expires
on March 26, 2024 . If at any time after the 60-day anniversary of the closing date there is no effective registration statement, or no
current prospectus available for the resale of the warrant shares, then the warrants may be exercised, in whole or in part, on a cashless
basis at any time until they expire. The Company can force the exercise of the warrants if the VWAP exceeds $3.75 per share per share
for 20 consecutive trading days and the daily average trading volume of the Common Stock exceeds $100,000 in aggregate value for such
period. The Warrant holder may not be forced to exercise the warrant if such exercise would cause the holder’s beneficial ownership
to exceed 4.9%.
In
late-August and early-September 2022, the Company and holders of Series B and Series C preferred stock entered into the Support Agreements.
Pursuant to the Support Agreements, the holders of Series B and Series C preferred stock agreed to use its reasonable best efforts to
cooperate with the Company in connection with the Merger. The Support Agreements amend the exercise
price of all outstanding warrants held by Series B and Series C Preferred Stockholders to
$ 0.50 per common share.
The
Series B preferred stock issuable upon exercise of the Series B preferred stock warrants are automatically convertible into shares of
common stock at the Series B conversion price. Each share of our Series B preferred stock is convertible into a number of shares of our
common stock determined by dividing the aggregate stated value for the Series B preferred stock being converted ($1,080 per share, as
amended, subject to adjustment as set forth in the currently effective Series B Certificate of Designation) by the then-applicable conversion
price (initially $1.50 per share), subject to adjustment as set forth in the currently effective Series B Certificate of Designation.
As of December 31, 2022, in connection with the issuance of Series B preferred stock, there were outstanding warrants to acquire 10,000
shares of Series B preferred stock at an exercise price of $ 1,000 , resulting in Series B preferred stock with a stated value of $ 10,800,000 ,
and convertible into 21,600,000 shares of common stock, using a conversion price of $ 0.50 .
F- 30
The
following table summarizes Series B preferred stock warrant activity during the year ended December 31, 2022:
Schedule of Stock Warrants Activity
Series B
Preferred
Stock
Warrants
Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price
Outstanding at December 31, 2021
—
$ —
Granted
10,000
1,000
Exercised
—
—
Forfeited/Cancelled
—
—
Outstanding at December 31, 2022
10,000
$ 1,000
Exercisable at December 31, 2022
10,000
$ 1,000
The
weighted average remaining contractual life of all Series B preferred stock warrants outstanding as of December 31, 2022 was 0.7 years.
Note 17. Common Stock
Holders
of our common stock are entitled to one vote per share. Our Certificate of Incorporation does not provide for cumulative voting. Holders
of our common stock are entitled to receive ratably such dividends, if any, as may be declared by our Board out of legally available
funds. However, the current policy of our Board is to retain earnings, if any, for our operations and expansion. Upon liquidation, dissolution
or winding-up, the holders of our common stock are entitled to share ratably in all of our assets which are legally available for distribution,
after payment of or provision for all liabilities. The holders of our common stock have no preemptive, subscription, redemption or conversion
rights. The rights, preferences and privileges of holders of our common stock are subject to and may be adversely affected by the rights
of the holders of shares of any series of preferred stock that we may designate and issue.
We
implemented a 1-for-20 reverse stock split of our outstanding shares of common stock that was effective on January 23, 2020. Unless otherwise
noted, all share and related option, warrant, and convertible security information presented has been retroactively adjusted to reflect
the reduced number of shares, and the increase in the share price which resulted from this action.
From
August 2021 through October 2021, we consummated the transactions contemplated by the securities purchase agreement with the investors
party thereto, pursuant to which, we generated net cash proceeds of $ 3,925,050 , and issued in a private placement: (i) 2,933,340 shares
of common stock for $ 1.50 per share and (ii) warrants to acquire 2,933,340 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $ 1.50 per share,
which became exercisable immediately upon issuance and with a term of 5 years. The issuance generated net cash proceeds of approximately
$ 3.9 million.
On
January 25, 2022, the Company granted an officer 30,000 shares of common stock as compensation under his employment agreement for services
provided through December 31, 2021. On December 31, 2022 the shares were rescinded and returned to the Company.
On
May 31, 2022, the Company issued 169,205 shares of common stock to Highwire under the terms of the Binding Memorandum of Understanding
for a Proposed Transaction.
On
August 24, 2022, the Company entered into the Settlement with Alpha. The Settlement relates to a dispute with the Company’s then-CEO
in connection with Alpha’s partial exercise on March 20, 2022 of the Warrant Shares. Pursuant to the Settlement, Alpha agreed to
exchange the Warrant Shares for the Alpha Note. As of December 31, 2022 Alpha had returned 600,000 shares of common stock in connection
with the Settlement.
Note 18. Preferred Stock
Under
the terms of the Certificate of Incorporation, our Board is expressly granted authority to authorize the issuance from time to time of
shares of preferred stock in one or more series, for such consideration and for such corporate purposes as our Board may from time to
time determines, and by filing a certificate pursuant to applicable law of the State of Delaware to establish from time to time for each
such series the number of shares to be included in each such series and to fix the designations, powers, rights and preferences of the
shares of each such series, and the qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof to the fullest extent permitted by the Certificate
of Incorporation and the laws of the State of Delaware, including, without limitation, voting rights (if any), dividend rights, dissolution
rights, conversion rights, exchange rights and redemption rights thereof.
F- 31
Series A Preferred Stock
Holders
of our Series A preferred stock are entitled to the number of votes per share equal to 2,000 shares of common stock. Holders of our Series
A preferred stock are entitled to receive a cumulative dividend on each share of Series A preferred stock issued and outstanding at the
rate of twelve percent ( 12 %) per annum on the Aggregate Stated Value (as defined in the Certificate of Designation and Restatement of
Rights, Preferences and restrictions of Series A preferred stock, the “Series A Certificate of Designation”) then in effect,
payable quarterly on January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1. Such dividend is payable in cash but may be paid in shares of common stock
in our sole discretion if the shares of common stock are listed on a national securities exchange. In the event of any liquidation, dissolution
or winding up of our company, whether voluntary or involuntary, holders of our Series A preferred stock are entitled to receive, prior
and in preference to any distribution of any of our assets to the holders of common stock by reason of their ownership thereof, for each
share held, an amount equal to the Stated Value (as defined in the Series A Certificate of Designation), plus unpaid dividends, if any.
The Series A preferred stock is convertible, at the option of the holder thereof, into such number of fully paid and nonassessable shares
of common stock as is determined by dividing the Aggregate Stated Value (initially $ 10.00 per share, subject to adjustment as set forth
in the currently effective Series A Certificate of Designation) by the Conversion Price (as defined in the Series A Certificate of Designation),
in effect on the date the certificate is surrendered for conversion, initially set at $ 0.25 . Each share of Series A preferred stock is
redeemable at the option of the holder for the payment of cash by us to the holder equal to the Aggregate Stated Value of the shares
that the holder elects to redeem. The Series A preferred stock is entitled to certain protective provisions and we may not take certain
actions without the written consent of at least a majority of the Series A preferred stock, including, without limitation, amend, alter
or repeal any provision of the Series A Certificate of Designation to change the rights of the Series A preferred stock, create or authorize
additional class or series of stock senior to the Series A preferred stock or create, authorize the creation of, issue or authorize the
issuance of, any debt security which is convertible into or exchangeable for any equity security, if such equity security ranks senior
to the Series A preferred stock as to dividends or liquidation rights.
On
January 1, 2022, the Company granted an officer 7,722 shares Series A preferred stock for settlement of $ 77,216 in compensation under
his employment agreement for services provided through March 31, 2022.
On
March 31, 2022, we issued 3,409 shares of our Series A preferred stock to Scott D. Kaufman, our former co-Chief Executive Officer, for
settlement of $ 34,090 of compensation payable to Mr. Kaufman under his employment agreement from January 1, 2022 through March 31, 2022.
In addition, on March 31, 2022 we issued 4,941 shares of our Series A preferred stock to Paul L. Kessler, our Executive Chairman, for
settlement of $ 49,410 of compensation payable to Mr. Kessler under his employment agreement from January 1, 2022 through March 31, 2022.
On
June 30, 2022, we issued 5,361 shares of our Series A preferred stock to Scott D. Kaufman, our former co-Chief Executive Officer, for
settlement of $ 53,610 of compensation payable to Mr. Kaufman under his employment agreement from April 1, 2022 through June 30, 2022.
In addition, on June 30, 2022 we issued 4,941 shares of our Series A preferred stock to Paul L. Kessler, our Executive Chairman, for
settlement of $ 49,410 of compensation payable to Mr. Kessler under his employment agreement from April 1, 2022 through June 30, 2022.
On
September 30, 2022, we issued: 902 shares of our Series A preferred stock to Scott D. Kaufman, our former co-Chief Executive Officer,
for settlement of $ 9,020 of compensation payable to Mr. Kaufman under his employment agreement from July 1, 2022 through July 8, 2022;
2,958 shares of our Series A preferred stock to Paul L. Kessler, our Executive Chairman, for settlement of $ 29,580 of compensation payable
to Mr. Kessler under his employment agreement from July 1, 2022 through September 30, 2022; 8,333 shares of our Series A preferred stock
to John D. Maatta, our Chief Executive Officer, for settlement of $ 83,333 of compensation payable to Mr. Maatta under his employment
agreement from May 1, 2022 through September 30, 2022; and 3,426 shares of our Series A preferred stock to Scott Sheikh, our Chief Operating
Officer and General Counsel, for settlement of $ 34,260 of compensation payable to Mr. Sheikh under his employment agreement from July
16, 2022 through September 30, 2022.
On
December 31, 2022, we issued: 3,792 shares of our Series A preferred stock to Paul L. Kessler, our Executive Chairman, for settlement
of $ 37,920 of compensation payable to Mr. Kessler under his employment agreement from October 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022; 5,000
shares of our Series A preferred stock to John D. Maatta, our Chief Executive Officer, for settlement of $ 50,000 of compensation payable
to Mr. Maatta under his employment agreement from October 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022; 4,110 shares of our Series A preferred stock
to Scott Sheikh, our Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, for settlement of $ 41,110 of compensation payable to Mr. Sheikh under
his employment agreement from October 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022, and 685 shares of our Series A preferred stock to Alan Urban,
our former Chief Financial Officer, for settlement of $ 6,850 of compensation payable to Mr. Urban under his employment agreement from
October 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022.
F- 32
During
the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, 23,423 and 8,750 shares of Series A preferred stock were converted into 1,338,456 and 500,000
shares of common stock, respectively.
As
of December 31, 2022, there were 256,117 shares of Series A preferred stock outstanding resulting in Series A preferred stock with a
stated value of $ 2,567,170 and convertible into 14,635,257 shares of common stock, using a conversion price of $ 0.175 .
On
March 1, 2021, we issued shares of our Series A preferred stock as follows: 8,500 shares to Mr. Maatta in satisfaction of an aggregate
of $ 85,546 due and owing to Mr. Maatta under his Separation Agreement; 22,500 shares to Bristol Capital, LLC in satisfaction of $ 225,000
due and owing to Bristol Capital, LLC for additional consulting services rendered by Mr. Kessler from July 1, 2020 through April 1, 2021;
and 8,300 shares to Scott D. Kaufman, our Chief Executive Officer, in satisfaction of $ 83,332 of compensation payable to Mr. Kaufman
under his Employment Agreement from November 24, 2020 through March 31, 2021.
On
June 30, 2021, we issued 6,249 shares of our Series A preferred stock to Scott D. Kaufman, our Chief Executive Officer, for settlement
of $ 62,490 of compensation payable to Mr. Kaufman under his employment agreement from April 1, 2021 through June 30, 2021.
On
September 30, 2021, we issued 6,249 shares of our Series A preferred stock to Scott D. Kaufman, our Chief Executive Officer, for settlement
of $ 62,490 of compensation payable to Mr. Kaufman under his employment agreement from July 1, 2021 through September 30, 2021.
On
December 31, 2021, we issued 6,250 shares of our Series A preferred stock to Scott D. Kaufman, our Chief Executive Officer, for settlement
of $ 62,500 of compensation payable to Mr. Kaufman under his employment agreement from October 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021. In addition,
on December 31, 2021 we issued 673 shares of our Series A preferred stock to Paul L. Kessler, our Executive Chairman, for settlement
of $ 6,730 of compensation payable to Mr. Kessler under his employment agreement from December 23, 2021 through December 31, 2021.
Series
B Preferred Stock
Holders
of our Series B preferred stock have no voting rights. Holders of our Series B preferred stock are entitled to receive a cumulative dividend
on each share of Series B preferred stock issued and outstanding at the rate of five percent ( 5 %) per annum, in cash or at the holder’s
option, in fully paid and non-assessable shares of Series B preferred stock, at the Dividend Conversion Rate (as defined in the Series
B Certificate of Designation). Such dividends are payable quarterly on January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1. In the event of any
liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our company, whether voluntary or involuntary, holders of our Series B preferred stock are
entitled to receive, prior and in preference to any distribution of any of our assets to the holders of Common Stock and Common Stock
Equivalents (as defined in the Series B Certificate of Designation, and which includes the Series A preferred stock and the Series C
preferred stock) by reason of their ownership thereof, for each share held an amount equal to the Stated Value (as defined in the Series
B Certificate of Designation), plus unpaid dividends or liquidated damages, if any. The Series B preferred stock is convertible, at the
option of the holder thereof, into such number of fully paid and nonassessable shares of Common Stock as is determined by dividing the
Stated Value, currently $ 1,080 as amended, by the Series B Conversion Price, subject to a minimum of $ 1.00 , but not to exceed $ 1.50 ,
subject to further adjustment in the event that the Company, subject to certain exemptions, disposes of or issues any Common Stock or
securities convertible into, exercisable, or exchangeable for Common Stock for no consideration or for consideration less than the applicable
Series B Conversion Price in effect immediately prior to such issuance. We are entitled to redeem some or all of the outstanding shares
of Series B preferred stock for cash in an amount equal to the Optional Redemption Amount (as defined in the Series B Certificate of
Designation). The Series B preferred stock is entitled to certain protective provisions and we may not take certain actions without the
written consent of at least fifty one percent ( 51 %) in Stated Value of the outstanding shares of the Series B preferred stock, including,
without limitation, amend, alter or repeal any provision of the Series B Certificate of Incorporation or the Bylaws that materially and
adversely affects the rights of the Series B preferred stock, pay cash dividends or distributions on Junior Securities (as defined in
the Series B Certificate of Designation), or repay, repurchase or offer to repay, or otherwise acquire more than a de minimis number
of shares of Common Stock, Common Stock Equivalents (as defined in the Series B Certificate of Designation) or Junior Securities. Shares
of common stock issuable upon the conversion of Series B preferred stock are subject to a 9.99 % beneficial ownership limitation.
F- 33
From March 2021
through December 2021, we consummated the transactions contemplated by the securities purchase agreement with Leviston Resources LLC,
pursuant to which, we generated net cash proceeds of $ 4,378,995 , and issued in a private placement: (i) 5,000 shares of Series B preferred
stock, convertible by dividing the stated value, currently $ 1,080 , as amended, by the Series B conversion price; and (ii) a warrant to
acquire 5,000 shares of the Series B preferred stock at an exercise price of $ 1,000 per share of Series B preferred stock, which became
exercisable immediately upon issuance and which expires on March 26, 2023 ; and (iii) a warrant to acquire 5,000 shares of the Series
B preferred stock at an exercise price of $ 1,000 per share of Series B preferred stock, which became exercisable immediately upon issuance
and which expires on March 26, 2024 . The Series B preferred stock issuable upon exercise of the Series B preferred stock warrants are
automatically convertible into shares of common stock at the Series B conversion price.
In
late-August and early-September 2022, the Company and holders of Series B and Series C preferred stock entered into Support Agreements.
Pursuant to the Support Agreements, the holders of Series B and Series C preferred stock agreed to use its reasonable best efforts to
cooperate with the Company in connection with the Merger. The Support Agreements amend the conversion price of the Series B and Series
C preferred stock to $ 0.50 , amends the exercise price
of all outstanding warrants held by Series B and Series C Preferred Stockholders to $ 0.50
per common share, and provides for the conversion of the Series B and Series C preferred stock
into shares of the Company’s common stock immediately prior to the closing of the Merger.
During
the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, 2,472 and 1,280 shares of Series B preferred stock had been converted into 1,962,448 and
948,646 shares of common stock, respectively.
As
of December 31, 2022, there were 1,439 shares of Series B preferred stock outstanding resulting in Series B preferred stock with a stated
value of $ 1,554,120 , and convertible into 3,108,240 shares of common stock, using a conversion price of $ 0.50 .
Series C Preferred Stock
Holders
of our Series C preferred stock have no voting rights. Holders of our Series C preferred stock are entitled to receive dividends on Series
C preferred stock equal (on an as-if-converted-to-Common-Stock basis) to any dividends paid on common stock. In the event of any liquidation,
dissolution or winding up of our company, whether voluntary or involuntary, holders of our Series C preferred stock are entitled to receive,
prior and in preference to any distribution of any of our assets to the holders of common stock and Common Stock Equivalents (as defined
in the Certificate of Designation) by reason of their ownership thereof, for each share held an amount equal to the Stated Value (as
defined in the Certificate of Designation), plus fees, if any. The Series C preferred stock is convertible, at the option of the holder
thereof, into such number of fully paid and nonassessable shares of common stock as is determined by dividing the Stated Value, currently
$1,111, by the Series C Conversion Price, subject to further adjustment in the event that the Company, subject to certain exemptions,
disposes of or issues any common stock or securities convertible into, exercisable, or exchangeable for Common Stock for no consideration
or for consideration less than the applicable Series C Conversion Price in effect immediately prior to such issuance. We are entitled
to redeem some or all of the outstanding shares of Series C preferred stock for cash in an amount equal to the Optional Redemption Amount
(as defined in the Certificate of Designation). The Series C preferred stock is entitled to certain protective provisions and, without
the written consent of at least 50.1% in Stated Value of the outstanding shares of the Series C preferred stock, we may not (or permit
any of our subsidiaries to) enter into, create, incur, assume, guarantee or suffer to exist any indebtedness, other than Permitted Indebtedness
(as defined in the Certificate of Designation). Shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of Series C preferred stock are subject
to a 4.99% beneficial ownership limitation, which may increase to 9.99% upon notice to the Company .
On
March 29, 2022, the Company offered 16 warrant holders replacement warrants with an exercise price of $ 1.50
per common share, in exchange for any warrants exercised at this time at the exercise price of $
1.50 per common share. The issuance of replacement warrants has the effect of resetting the conversion price of all
outstanding shares of Series C preferred stock to $ 1.50 per common share and resetting the exercise price of all outstanding
warrants to $ 1.50 per common share in instances where those conversion and exercise prices are above $ 1.50 .
On
July 7, 2022, 250 shares of Series C preferred stock were converted into 185,167 shares of common stock.
In
late-August and early-September 2022, the Company and holders of Series B and Series C preferred stock entered into Support Agreements.
Pursuant to the Support Agreements, the holders of Series B and Series C preferred stock agreed to use its reasonable best efforts to
cooperate with the Company in connection with the Merger. The Support Agreements amend the conversion price of the Series B and Series
C preferred stock to $ 0.50 , amends the exercise price
of all outstanding warrants held by Series B and Series C Preferred Stockholders to $ 0.50
per common share, and provides for the conversion of the Series B and Series C preferred stock
into shares of the Company’s common stock immediately prior to the closing of the Merger.
F- 34
As
of December 31, 2022, there were 7,630 shares of Series C preferred stock outstanding resulting in Series C preferred stock with a stated
value of $ 8,476,930 , and convertible into 16,953,860 shares of common stock, using a conversion price of $ 0.50 .
During
December 2021, we consummated the transactions contemplated by the securities purchase agreement with the investors party thereto, pursuant
to which we generated net cash proceeds of $ 7,733,601 , and issued in the Private Placement: (i) 7,880
shares of Series C preferred stock, convertible by dividing the stated value, currently $ 1,111 , by the Series C Conversion Price;
and (ii) warrants to acquire 1,750,936 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $ 2.50 per share, which became exercisable immediately
upon issuance and with a term of 5 years; and (iii) warrants to acquire 1,750,936 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $ 2.75
per share, which became exercisable immediately upon issuance and with a term of 5 years.
Note 19. Discontinued Operations
On
August 6, 2021, the Company entered into the Informa Agreement with Informa. Pursuant to the Informa Agreement, Creek Road Miners Corp.
(fka Kick the Can Corp.) sold, transferred, and assigned certain assets, properties, and rights to Informa related to the business of
operating and producing live pop culture events. The Company released deferred revenue and other
liabilities totaling $ 722,429 and recorded a gain from sale of discontinued operations of
this amount.
On
September 15, 2021, the Company sold our wholly owned subsidiary which contained our Jevo assets and all rights to our Jevo operations
for $ 1,500,000 and recognized a gain from sale of discontinued operations on the transaction of approximately $ 1,130,740 . The gain from
sale of discontinued operations consists of the following:
Schedule
of Gain from Sale of Discontinue Operation
Description
Amount
Net cash paid on the closing date
$ 1,500,000
Less:
Current assets
36,060
Inventory
193,300
Fixed assets, net
16,700
Intangible assets, net
123,200
Total
369,260
Gain from sale
$ 1,130,740
CONtv
is a joint venture with third parties and Bristol Capital, LLC. The Company holds a limited and passive interest of 10 % in CONtv. As
of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the investment in CONtv was $ 0 , for both periods. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the amount due to
CONtv was $ 0 , respectively, and classified as a discontinued operation.
Prior
to cryptocurrency mining operations that began in October 2021, the Company produced live and virtual pop culture conventions and events,
and sold a gelatin machine and related consumables that were discontinued in 2021 In addition, the Company operated an eCommerce site
selling pop culture memorabilia that was discontinued on June 30, 2022 (collectively known as “legacy operations”).
The
related assets and liabilities associated with the discontinued operations in our consolidated balance sheets for the years ending December
31, 2022 and 2021, are classified as discontinued operations. Additionally, the financial results associated with discontinued operations
in our consolidated statement of operations for the years ending December 31, 2022 and 2021, are classified as discontinued operations.
F- 35
The
assets and liabilities related to discontinued operations consists of the following:
Schedule
of Discontinued Operation of Balance Sheet and Operation Statement
December 31,
December 31,
2022
2021
Assets
Current assets:
Prepaid expenses
$ —
$ —
Inventory
—
—
Total current assets
—
—
Other assets:
Property and equipment, net
—
—
Intangible assets, net
—
—
Total assets
$ —
$ —
Liabilities
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
$ 485,712
$ 472,029
Deferred revenue
—
—
Due to CONtv
—
—
Total liabilities
$ 485,712
$ 472,029
In
addition, revenue and expenses from discontinued operations were as follows:
2022
2021
Years Ended
December 31,
2022
2021
Revenue
$ 43,580
$ 829,767
Operating costs and expenses:
Cost of revenue
59,037
776,719
General and administrative
—
842,097
Total operating expenses
59,037
1,618,816
Loss from operations
( 15,457 )
( 789,049 )
Other income (expense):
Other income
( 2,281 )
867,288
Interest income
—
—
Loss on disposal of fixed assets
—
1,853,169
Total other income (expense)
( 2,281 )
2,720,457
Income (loss) from discontinued operations
$ ( 17,738 )
$ 1,931,108
Note 20. Subsequent Events
Decrease
in Market Price of Bitcoin, and Increase in Cost of Natural Gas
Our
business is heavily dependent on the market price of Bitcoin, which has experienced substantial volatility and has recently dropped to
its lowest price since December 2020. As of December 31, 2022 the market price of Bitcoin was $ 16,547 , which reflects a decrease of approximately
60% since the beginning of 2022, and of approximately 75% from its all-time high of approximately $ 67,000 . In addition, the cost of natural
gas that we use to produce electricity to power our miners has increased substantially. The cost of natural gas in the United States
during 2022 has increased by as much as approximately 260% since the beginning of 2022. These price movements result in decreased cryptocurrency
mining revenue and increased cryptocurrency mining costs, both of which have a material adverse effect on our business and financial
results.
On
March 2, 2023, we entered into a Master Services Agreement and Order Form (the “Master Services Agreement”) with Atlas Power
Hosting, LLC (“Atlas”). Atlas will provide us with cryptocurrency mining services for our miners at its facility in North
Dakota. The Master Services Agreement has a term of two
years unless otherwise
terminated pursuant to its terms. Under the Master Services Agreement, we
will pay Atlas a monthly hosting service fee for the quantity of electricity consumed by our miners, with an initial price per kilowatt-hour
of $0.08. In lieu of
a deposit or prepayment, all cryptocurrency mined by our miners will be transferred to wallets in the control of Atlas. Atlas will then
deduct the hosting service fee from the monthly total mined currency produced by our miners and remit the net mined currency to us.
F- 36
Item
9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
There
were no changes in or disagreements with our accountants on accounting and financial disclosure during the last two fiscal years.
Item
9A. Controls and Procedures
Evaluation
of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Our
management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure
controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K. For purposes of this section, the term
disclosure controls and procedures means controls and other procedures of an issuer that are designed to ensure that information
required to be disclosed by the issuer in the reports that it files or submits under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
(the “Exchange Act”), is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s
rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information
required to be disclosed by an issuer in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated
to the issuer’s management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions,
as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Based
upon that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that, as of December 31, 2022, the end of
the period covered by this report, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at a reasonable assurance level.
Management’s
Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Our
management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Internal control over
financial reporting is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) or 15d-15(f) promulgated under the Exchange Act as a process designed by, or under the
supervision of, the company’s principal executive and principal financial officers and effected by the company’s board of
directors, management and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation
of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America
and includes those policies and procedures that:
(i)
Pertain
to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets
of the company;
(ii)
Provide
reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with
accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being
made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and
(iii)
Provide
reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the company’s
assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because
of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Projections of any evaluation
of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that
the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. All internal control systems, no matter how well designed,
have inherent limitations. Therefore, even those systems determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance with respect
to financial statement preparation and presentation. Because of the inherent limitations of internal control, there is a risk that material
misstatements may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis by internal control over financial reporting. However, these inherent
limitations are known features of the financial reporting process. Therefore, it is possible to design into the process safeguards to
reduce, though not eliminate, this risk.
Management
evaluated the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022, using the framework set forth in
the report of the Treadway Commission’s Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (“COSO”), “2013 Internal Control
- Integrated Framework.” Based upon that evaluation, management believes our internal control over financial reporting was effective
as of December 31, 2022.
33
Inherent
Limitations on the Effectiveness of Controls
Management
does not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures or our internal control over financial reporting will prevent or detect all
errors and 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 systems are met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource
constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective
control system, no evaluation of internal control over financial reporting can provide absolute assurance that misstatements due to error
or fraud will not occur or that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, have been or will be detected.
These
inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty and that breakdowns can occur because of a
simple error or mistake. Controls can also be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people,
or by management override of the controls. The design of any system of controls is based in part on 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. Projections of any evaluation of controls effectiveness to future periods are subject to risks. Over time, controls may become
inadequate because of changes in conditions or deterioration in the degree of compliance with policies or procedures.
Changes
in Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting
Management
has evaluated, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, whether any changes in our internal
control over financial reporting that occurred during our last fiscal year have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially
affect, our internal control over financial reporting. Based on the evaluation we conducted, management has concluded that no such changes
have occurred.
Item
9B. Other Information
On March 30, 2023, the Company and the holder of the Company’s
convertible promissory note in the principal amount of $500,000 entered into an amendment pursuant to which the maturity date of the note
was extended to the earlier of May 31, 2023, or the closing of the Merger.
Item
9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections
Not
applicable.
34
PART
III
Item
10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
The
following table sets forth the name, age, position, and date of appointment of each of our directors and executive officers as of March
31, 2023:
Name
Age
Position
Date
of Appointment
Paul
L. Kessler
62
Executive
Chairman
March
17, 2013 (1)
John
D. Maatta
71
Director
and Chief Executive Officer
May
25, 2011 (2)
Scott
Sheikh
41
Chief
Operating Officer and General Counsel
December
23, 2021
Michael
Breen (3)
60
Director
March
29, 2017
(1)
Mr.
Kessler served as Executive Chairman of the Company from December 29, 2016, through November
24, 2020, when Mr. Kessler resigned his position, but continued to serve as member of the Board of Directors. On December 1, 2021,
Mr. Kessler was again appointed Executive Chairman of the Company.
(2)
Mr.
Maatta has served as a member of the Board since May 25, 2011, serving as Chairman of the Board from February 5, 2016 through April
22, 2016. In addition, Mr. Maatta served as the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer from May 3, 2016 through November
24, 2020, as co-Chief Executive Officer from May 12, 2022 through July 8, 2022, and again as Chief Executive Officer beginning on
July 9, 2022.
(3)
Chairman
of Audit Committee and Compensation Committee
Paul
L. Kessler – Executive Chairman
Mr.
Kessler combines over 30 years of experience as an investor, financier and venture capitalist. In 2000, Mr. Kessler founded Bristol Capital
Advisors, LLC, a Los Angeles based investment advisor, where he has served as the Principal and Portfolio Manager from 2000 through the
present. Mr. Kessler has broad experience in operating, financing, capital formation, negotiating, structuring and re-structuring investment
transactions. He is involved in all aspects of the investment process including identification and engagement of portfolio companies.
His investment experience encompasses both public and private companies. Mr. Kessler has actively worked with executives and boards of
companies on corporate governance and oversight, strategic repositioning and alignment of interests with shareholders. The Board believes
Mr. Kessler’s extensive experience make him uniquely qualified to serve as a director, and his extensive experience in matters
including capital formation, corporate finance, investment banking, operations, corporate governance, as well as his understanding of
capital markets, will provide a significant contribution to the growth of the Company.
John
D. Maatta – Director and Chief Executive Officer
Mr.
Maatta served as EVP of The CW Television Network, prior to which he was the Chief Operating Officer of The CW Network. From September
2005 through September 2006, Mr. Maatta served as the Chief Operating Officer of The WB, a Warner Bros. television network. While Chief
Operating Officer at The WB, Mr. Maatta also served as The WB’s General Counsel. Mr. Maatta is currently a director of Trader Vic’s,
Inc., a Polynesian-style restaurant chain, a position he has held since 1998. Formerly, Mr. Maatta was engaged in the practice of law,
and received a Bachelor of Arts in Government from the University of San Francisco in 1974, and a Juris Doctorate from the University
of California, Hastings College of the Law, in 1977. Between 2013 and 2016 Mr. Maatta served as the President of UNICEF for the Southern
California region, and is a current member of the UNICEF Southern California Board and the Chairman of the UNICEF Chinese Children’s
Initiative. Mr. Maatta is also a member of the Southern California Board of the Asia Society. The Board believes that Mr. Maatta’s
experience extensive experience make him uniquely qualified to serve as a director.
Scott
Sheikh – Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel
Mr.
Sheikh has a background in logistics, emerging technologies (such as blockchain), crypto mining and cutting-edge law. His expertise ranges
from the business and legal aspects of blockchain-based businesses and. cryptocurrency mining operations. He was admitted to the State
Bar of California on July 3, 2007 and received his Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in
2007. Prior, he studied Chemistry and History at the University of California, Los Angeles.
35
Michael
Breen - Director
Mr.
Breen is an English qualified solicitor and was the Managing Director of the Sports and Entertainment Division of Bank Insinger de Beaufort
N.V., a wealth management organization and part of the BNP Paribas Group, one of the world’s largest banks. In addition, Mr. Breen
was an equity partner with the law firm Clyde & Co, where he specialized in all aspects of sports and entertainment law. Mr. Breen
also has extensive experience in event-based entertainment, having been responsible for the legal documentation relating to the world-famous
UK music awards known as the Brit Awards. Mr. Breen holds an Honours LLB degree in law from the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth.
The Board believes Mr. Breen’s extensive experience make him uniquely qualified to serve as a director.
Term
of Office
The
term of office for directors is one year, or until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified.
Family
Relationships
There
are no family relationships between any of our officers and directors.
Corporate
Governance
Director
Independence
Our
board of directors consists of three persons, one of whom, Mr. Breen, is “independent” as defined under the applicable NASDAQ
rules. Mr. Kessler is a significant shareholder of the Company, and Mr. Maatta is an executive officer of the Company, neither is independent.
Audit
Committee
The
Audit Committee was created on March 17, 2013. Currently, the Audit Committee is comprised of Mr. Breen who is the Chairman and an independent
Director. The Audit Committee’s functions include: selecting our independent registered public accountants; reviewing the results
and scope of the audit and other services provided by our independent registered public accountants; reviewing our financial statements
for each interim period and for our year end and our internal financial and accounting controls; and recommending, establishing and monitoring
the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures. The Company does not have an audit committee financial expert serving on its
audit committee in light of its size and the need to control administrative costs.
Compensation
Committee
The
Compensation Committee was created on March 17, 2013. Currently, the Compensation Committee is comprised of Mr. Breen who is the Chairman
and an independent Director. The Compensation Committee is responsible for establishing and administering our policies involving the
compensation of all of our executive officers and establishing and recommending to our Board the terms and conditions of all employee
and consultant compensation and benefit plans.
Nominating
and Corporate Governance Committee
The
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee was created on March 13, 2014. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee reviews
and provides oversight with regard to the Company’s corporate governance related policies and procedures and also recommends nominees
to the Board and committees of the Board, develops and recommends to the Board corporate governance principles, and oversees the evaluation
of the Board and management.
Code
of Ethics
Our
board of directors has adopted a Code of Ethical Conduct that applies to all of our employees, officers and directors, including our
Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and other executive and senior financial officers. The code is available on our website,
www.creekroadminers.com.
Delinquent
Section 16(a) Reports
Section
16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our officers, directors, and persons who own more than ten percent of a registered class of our equity
securities to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership with the SEC and to furnish the Company with copies of all Section 16(a)
forms they file. Our review of copies of the Section 16(a) reports filed to report transactions occurring during the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2022 indicates that all filing requirements applicable to our officers, directors, and greater than ten percent beneficial
owners were complied with except as follows: Mr. Maatta did not file a Form 4 for the purpose of reporting one transaction.
36
Legal
Proceedings
There
are no material proceedings to which any director or officer, or any associate of any such director or officer, is a party that is averse
to our Company or any of our subsidiaries or has a material interest adverse to our Company or any of our subsidiaries. No director or
executive officer has been a director or executive officer of any business which has filed a bankruptcy petition or had a bankruptcy
petition filed against it during the past ten years. No director or executive officer has been convicted of a criminal offense or is
the subject of a pending criminal proceeding during the past ten years. No director or executive officer has been the subject of any
order, judgment or decree of any court permanently or temporarily enjoining, barring, suspending or otherwise limiting his involvement
in any type of business, securities or banking activities during the past ten years. No director or officer has been found by a court
to have violated a federal or state securities or commodities law during the past ten years.
Item
11. Executive Compensation
Compensation
of Executive Officers
The
following table summarizes all compensation for the last two fiscal years awarded to, earned by, or paid to our Chief Executive Officer
(principal executive officer) and our two most highly compensated executive officers other than our CEO who were serving as executive
officers at the end of our last completed fiscal year, whose total compensation exceeded $100,000 during such fiscal year ends.
Compensation
of Executive Officers for Fiscal Years Ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
Name and Principal Position
Fiscal
Year
Salary
($)
Stock
Awards
($)
All other
Compensation
($)
Total
($)
Paul L. Kessler, Executive Chairman
2022
48,342
166,320 (8)
14,355
229,017
2021
48,219
6,700,480 (1)(2)
12,015
6,760,714
John D. Maatta, President and Chief
2022
—
133,330 (9)
—
133,330
Executive Officer, and Director
2021
—
85,564 (5)
60,000 (6)
145,564
Scott Sheikh, Chief Operating Officer and
2022
84,142
152,580 (10)
3,008
239,730
General Counsel
2021
99,362
2,231,250 (7)
536
2,331,148
Scott D. Kaufman, Former President and Chief
2022
22,104
69,720 (11)
811
92,635
Executive Officer, and Director
2021
19,518
6,964,563 (1)(3)
200,111 (4)
7,184,192
Alan L. Urban, Former Chief Financial Officer
2022
196,610
6,850 (12)
49,495
252,955
2021
—
2,231,250 (7)
—
2,331,250
Heidi Bowman, Former Chief Financial
2022
—
—
—
—
Officer
2021
140,192
—
116
140,308
(1) Represents
the grant date fair value of options granted on December 1, 2021, to purchase 2,625,000 shares
of the Company’s common stock with an exercise price of $2.65 per share, a term of
5 years, and a shall vest upon a volume weighted average price (“VWAP”) of the
Company’s common stock reaching the following targets: at such time as there is a VWAP
equal to $2.50 of the Company’s common stock when computed over 30 consecutive trading
days, 25% shall vest; at such time as there is a VWAP equal to $3.00 of the Company’s
common stock when computed over 30 consecutive trading days, 25% shall vest; at such time
as there is a VWAP equal to $3.50 of the Company’s common stock when computed over
30 consecutive trading days, 25% shall vest; and at such time as there is a VWAP equal to
$4.00 of the Company’s common stock when computed over 30 consecutive trading days,
25% shall vest. These options were cancelled by the option holder during the year ended December
31, 2022.
(2) Represents
673 shares of Series A preferred stock for settlement of $6,730 of compensation payable to
Mr. Kessler under his employment agreement from December 23, 2021 through December 31, 2021.
(3) Represents
27,048 shares of Series A preferred stock for settlement of $270,812 of compensation payable
to Mr. Kaufman under his employment agreement from November 24, 2020 through December 31,
2021, and the grant date fair value of 37,500 options granted on August 3, 2020, to purchase
the Company’s common stock with an exercise price of $0.25 per share, as amended, and
a term of 5 years.
37
(4) Represents
a one-time non-accountable expense reimbursement of $200,000 in consideration for significant
efforts and diligence in negotiating and structuring investment transactions paid on September
7, 2021.
(5) Represents
50,767 shares of Series A preferred stock issued for the settlement of $507,672 in outstanding
compensation.
(6) Consulting
fees.
(7) Represents
the grant date fair value of options granted on December 1, 2021, to purchase 875,000 shares
of the Company’s common stock with an exercise price of $2.65 per share, a term of
5 years, and a shall vest upon a volume weighted average price (“VWAP”) of the
Company’s common stock reaching the following targets: at such time as there is a VWAP
equal to $2.50 of the Company’s common stock when computed over 30 consecutive trading
days, 25% shall vest; at such time as there is a VWAP equal to $3.00 of the Company’s
common stock when computed over 30 consecutive trading days, 25% shall vest; at such time
as there is a VWAP equal to $3.50 of the Company’s common stock when computed over
30 consecutive trading days, 25% shall vest; and at such time as there is a VWAP equal to
$4.00 of the Company’s common stock when computed over 30 consecutive trading days,
25% shall vest. These options were cancelled by the option holder during the year ended December
31, 2022.
(8) Represents
16,632 shares of Series A preferred stock for settlement of $166,320 of compensation payable
to Mr. Kessler under his employment agreement for the year ended December 31, 2022.
(9) Represents
13,333 shares of Series A preferred stock for settlement of $133,330 of compensation payable
to Mr. Maatta under his employment agreement for the year ended December 31, 2022.
(10) Represents
15,258 shares of Series A preferred stock for settlement of $152,580 of compensation payable
to Mr. Sheikh under his employment agreement for the year ended December 31, 2022.
(11) Represents
6,972 shares of Series A preferred stock for settlement of $69,720 of compensation payable
to Mr. Kaufman under his employment agreement for the year ended December 31, 2022.
(12) Represents
685 shares of Series A preferred stock for settlement of $6,850 of compensation payable to
Mr. Urban under his employment agreement for the year ended December 31, 2022.
Outstanding
Equity at Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2022
The
following table sets forth information regarding stock options, warrants and other stock awards for each named executive officer as of
December 31, 2022.
Outstanding
Equity Awards at Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2022
Number of
Number of
securities
Securities
underlying
Underlying
Option/
Option/
unexercised
Unexercised
Warrant
Warrant
options/warrants
options/warrants
exercise
expiration
Name
exercisable (#)
unexercisable (#)
price ($)
date
Paul L. Kessler
15,000
15,000
$ 0.25
1/22/2024
John D. Maatta
100,000
100,000
$ 0.25
8/3/2025
John D. Maatta
20,000
20,000
$ 0.25
1/22/2024
38
Compensation
of Directors
The
following table sets forth compensation awarded or paid to our directors for the last two fiscal years for the services rendered by them
to the Company in all capacities.
Director
Compensation for the Fiscal Years Ended December 31, 2022 and 2021
Fees
earned
or paid
Stock
Officer
Fiscal
in cash (7)
Awards
Compensation
Total
Name
Year
($)
($)
($)
($)
Paul L. Kessler (8)
2022
—
—
229,017 (1)
229,017
2021
—
—
6,760,714 (1)
6,760,714
John D. Maatta (2)
2022
—
—
133,330 (1)
133,330
2021
—
30,096 (3)
145,564 (1)
175,660
Michael Breen (4)
2022
—
—
—
—
2021
—
30,096 (3)
—
30,096
Scott D. Kaufman (5)
2022
—
—
92,635 (1)
92,635
(former Director)
2021
—
—
7,184,192 (1)
7,184,192
Richard G. Boyce
2022
—
—
—
—
(former Director)
2021
—
546,924 (6)
—
546,924
Greg Suess
2022
—
—
—
—
(former Director)
2021
—
30,096 (3)
—
30,096
(1) For
details see Item 11. Executive Compensation.
(2) Outstanding
equity awards as of December 31, 2022 consists of options to purchase 120,000 shares of common
stock at an exercise price of $0.25 per share.
(3) Represents
the grant date fair value of warrants granted on October 12, 2021, to purchase 20,000 shares
of the Company’s common stock with an exercise price of $1.50 per share, and a term
of 5 years.
(4) Outstanding
equity awards as of December 31, 2022, consists of options to purchase 67,500 shares of common
stock at an exercise price of $0.25 per share.
(5) Outstanding
equity awards as of December 31, 2022, consists of options to purchase 37,500 shares of common
stock at an exercise price of $0.25 per share.
(6) Represents
the grant date fair value of warrants granted on October 12, 2021, to purchase 400,000 shares
of the Company’s common stock with an exercise price of $1.50 per share, a term of
5 years, and vesting as follows: 20% upon execution of the Services Agreement; 20% on January
20, 2022; 20% on April 20, 2022; 20% on July 20, 2022; and 20% on October 20, 2022.
(7) Non-employee
Directors are compensated for their participation in meetings of the Board of Directors and
its committees, in the amount of (i) $1,000 for in person meeting, and $250 - $500 per telephonic
meeting, depending on the length of the telephonic meeting, and (ii) are provided a monthly
retainer of $750 per month. During the years ended December 2021 and 2020, no cash compensation
was paid to non-employee Directors; rather such compensation remained accrued and unpaid.
The Company may issue stock to non-employee Directors in place and stead of cash compensation
with regard to the amounts that have been accrued, and on a going-forward basis.
(8) Outstanding
equity awards as of December 31, 2022, consists of options to purchase 15,000 shares of common
stock at an exercise price of $0.25 per share.
39
Item
12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
The
following table sets forth certain information, as of March 31, 2023, with respect to the holdings of (1) each person who is the beneficial
owner of more than five percent of our common stock, (2) each of our directors, (3) each named executive officer, and (4) all of our
directors and executive officers as a group.
Beneficial
ownership of the common stock is determined in accordance with the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission and includes any shares
of common stock over which a person exercises sole or shared voting or investment powers, or of which a person has a right to acquire
ownership at any time within 60 days of March 31, 2023. Except as otherwise indicated, and subject to applicable community property laws,
the persons named in this table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock held by them. The address
of each director and officer is c/o Creek Road Miners, Inc., 35 E Horizon Ridge Pkwy, Suite 110-502, Henderson, Nevada 89002. Applicable
percentage ownership in the following table is based on 12,246,036 shares of common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2023 plus, for
each person, any securities that person has the right to acquire within 60 days of March 31, 2023.
Shares
Beneficially
Percentage
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner
Owned
of Shares
Greater than 5% Shareholder:
Bristol Investment Fund, Ltd. (1)
555 Marin Street, Suite 140
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
33,750,725
77.9 %
Barlock 2019 Fund LP (2)
2700 Homestead Road
Park City, UT 84098
19,500,757
61.4 %
Leviston Resources, LLC (3)
708 Third Avenue, Suite 600
New York, NY 10017
25,237,808
68.3 %
Directors and Executive Officers:
Paul L. Kessler (1)
34,130,821
81.4 %
John D. Maatta (4)
6,334,343
32.4 %
Scott Sheikh (5)
721,866
5.6 %
Michael Breen (6)
77,500
0.6 %
All Directors and Executive Officers as a group (4 persons)
40,884,454
92.4 %
(1) Paul
L. Kessler exercises voting and investment power over the shares held by Bristol Investment
Fund, Ltd., Bristol Capital, LLC, Bristol Capital Advisors Profit Sharing Plan, as well as
the shares owned my Mr. Kessler himself. Includes 2,589,986 shares of common stock as indicated
on the most recent 13D filing, and 14,267,714 shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion
of the $2,496,850 secured convertible debenture held by Bristol Investment Fund, Ltd., at
a conversion price to $0.175; warrants held by Bristol Investment Fund, Ltd. to acquire 10,000,000
shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $0.175 per share; 24,450 shares of common
stock held by Bristol Capital, LLC; 3,935 shares of common stock held by Mr. Kessler’s
IRA; 39,350 shares of common stock held by Bristol Capital Advisors Profit Sharing Plan;
options held by Mr. Kessler to acquire 15,000 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price
of $0.25 per share; and 6,810,290 shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of
119,180 shares of Series A preferred stock held by Mr. Kessler, convertible by dividing the
stated value per share, currently $10 per share, by the Series A Conversion Price, currently
$0.175.
(2) Scott
D. Kaufman exercises voting and investment power over the shares held by Barlock 2019 Fund
LP, and Barlock Capital Management, LLC, as well as the shares owned my Mr. Kaufman himself.
Includes 14,267,714 shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of the $2,496,850
secured convertible debenture held by Barlock 2019 Fund LP, at a conversion price to $0.175;
warrants held by Barlock Capital Management, LLC to acquire 4,285,517 shares of Common Stock
at an exercise price of $0.175 per share; options held by Mr. Kaufman to acquire 37,500 shares
of Common Stock at an exercise price of $0.25 per share; and 909,829 shares of common stock
issuable upon the conversion of 15,922 shares of Series A preferred stock held by Mr. Kaufman,
convertible by dividing the stated value per share, currently $10 per share, by the Series
A Conversion Price, currently $0.175.
(3) Includes
530,00 shares of common stock as indicated on the most recent 13G filing, and 3,107,808 shares
of common stock issuable upon the conversion of Series B preferred stock, convertible by
dividing the stated value per share, currently $1080 per share, by the Series B Conversion
Price, currently $0.50; and warrants to acquire 10,000 shares of Series B preferred stock
at an exercise price of $1,000 per share, resulting in 21,600,000 shares of common stock
issuable upon the conversion of 1,000 shares of Series B preferred stock, convertible by
dividing the stated value per share, currently $1,080, by the Series B Conversion Price,
currently $0.50.
40
(4) Includes
60,000 shares of common stock; 6,154,343 shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion
of 107,107 shares of Series A preferred stock, convertible by dividing the stated value per
share, currently $10 per share, by the Series A Conversion Price, currently $0.175; and options
to acquire 120,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.25 per share.
(5) Includes
721,866 shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of 12,633 shares of Series A
preferred stock, convertible by dividing the stated value per share, currently $10 per share,
by the Series A Conversion Price, currently $0.175
(6) Includes
10,000 shares of common stock, and options to acquire 67,500 shares of common stock at an
exercise price of $0.25 per share.
Equity
Compensation Plan Information
On
May 9, 2011, the Company adopted the 2016 Incentive Stock Award Plan (the “2011 Plan”), on August 12, 2016, the Company adopted
the 2016 Incentive Stock Award Plan (the “2016 Plan”), on August 3, 2020, the Company adopted the 2020 Stock Plan (the “2020
Plan”), and on December 1, 2021, the Company adopted the 2021 Incentive Stock Award Plan (the “2021 Plan”), collectively
(the “Plans”). The purpose of the Plans is to grant options to purchase our common stock, and other incentive awards, to
our employees, directors and key consultants.
The
maximum number of shares of common stock that may be issued pursuant to awards granted under the 2020 Plan was 500,000. On December 1,
2021, all prior stock award plans were retired, and the 2021 Plan was adopted. The maximum number of shares of common stock that may
be issued pursuant to awards granted under the 2021 Plan is 10,000,000. The shares of our common stock underlying cancelled and forfeited
awards issued under the 2021 Plan may again become available for grant under the 2021 Plan. As of December 31, 2022, there were 10,000,000
shares available for grant under the 2021 Plan, and no shares were available for grant under the 2020 Plan, 2016 Plan, or 2011 Plan.
Plan category
Number of securities to be issued upon exercise
of outstanding options, warrants and rights
Weighted average exercise price of
outstanding options, warrants and rights
Number of securities remaining available for
future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column (a))
(a)
(b)
(c)
2021 Incentive Stock Award Plan
0
$
N/A
10,000,000
Item
13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
See
Note 8. Related Party Transactions, to the consolidated financial statements.
Director
Independence
Our
board of directors currently consists of three members: Messrs. Kessler (Executive Chairman), Maatta, and Breen. Our board of directors
has determined that Mr. Breen is an independent director as that term is defined in the applicable NASDAQ rules as well as the SEC rules
governing the independence of audit committee members. Mr. Breen is a member of the Audit Committee and Compensation Committee of our
board of directors. The common stock of the Company is currently quoted on the OTCQB, which currently does not have director independence
requirements.
On
an annual basis, each director and executive officer will be obligated to disclose any transactions with the Company in which a director
or executive officer, or any member of his or her immediate family, have a direct or indirect material interest in accordance with Item
407(a) of Regulation S-K. Following completion of these disclosures, the Board will make an annual determination as to the independence
of each director as that term is defined in the applicable NASDAQ rules.
41
Item
14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services
Summary
of Principal Accounting Fees for Professional Services Rendered
The
following table presents the aggregate fees for professional audit services and other services rendered by Maughan Sullivan LLC, our
independent registered public accountants in the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.
Years Ended
December 31,
2022
2021
Audit Fees
$ 37,756
$ 37,732
Audit-Related Fees
—
—
Tax Fees
8,500
8,000
All Other Fees
—
—
Total
$ 45,732
$ 45,732
Audit
Fees c onsist of amounts billed for professional services rendered for the audit of our annual consolidated financial statements included
in our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, and reviews of our interim consolidated financial statements included in our Quarterly Reports on
Form 10-Q, including amendments thereto.
Audit-Related
Fees consist of fees billed for professional services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of our
consolidated financial statements but are not reported under “Audit Fees.”
Tax
Fees consist of fees for professional services for tax compliance activities, including the preparation of federal and state tax
returns and related compliance matters.
All
Other Fees consists of amounts billed for services other than those noted above.
The
audit committee of our board of directors has considered whether the provision of the services described above for the fiscal years ended
December 31, 2022 and 2021, is compatible with maintaining the auditor’s independence.
All
audit and non-audit services that may be provided by our principal accountant to us shall require pre-approval by the audit committee
of our board of directors. Further, our auditor shall not provide those services to us specifically prohibited by the SEC, including
bookkeeping or other services related to the accounting records or financial statements of the audit client; financial information systems
design and implementation; appraisal or valuation services, fairness opinion, or contribution-in-kind reports; actuarial services; internal
audit outsourcing services; management functions; human resources; broker-dealer, investment adviser, or investment banking services;
legal services and expert services unrelated to the audit; and any other service that the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board determines,
by regulation, is impermissible.
42
PART
IV
Item
15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules
(a)(1)
Financial Statements.
The
financial statements of Creek Road Miners, Inc. and its subsidiaries and the independent registered public accounting firm’s report
dated March 31, 2023, are incorporated by reference to Item 8 of this report.
(a)(2)
and (c) Financial Statement Schedules
Not
required.
(a)(3)
and (b) Exhibits
Exhibit
Index
Exhibit
No.
Description
2.1
Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated October 24, 2022, by and among Creek Road Miners, Inc., Creek Road Merger Sub, LLC and Prairie Operating Co., LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 25, 2022).
3.1
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Wizard Entertainment, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on August 14, 2020).
3.2
Bylaws (as filed as Exhibit 2.1 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form SB-2, filed with the SEC on March 25, 2003).
3.3
Certificate of Amendment to Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on August 14, 2020).
3.4
Certificate of Amendment to Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on July 15, 2021).
3.5
Certificate of Designation and Restatement of Rights, Preferences and Restrictions of Series A Preferred Stock (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on November 30, 2022.)
3.6
Amended and Restated Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Series B Preferred Stock, dated July 16, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.12 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on August 13, 2021).
3.7
Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Series C Preferred Stock, dated December 1, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on December 7, 2021).
3.8
First Amendment to the Bylaws of Wizard World, Inc. (as filed as Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed with the SEC on November 21, 2016).
4.1*
Description of Company’s securities.
10.1
Form of Securities Purchase Agreement (as filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on December 23, 2019).
10.2
Form of 12% Senior Secured Convertible Debenture (as filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on December 23, 2019).
10.3
Form of Warrant (as filed as Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on December 23, 2019).
10.4
Form of Security Agreement (as filed as Exhibit 10.4 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on December 23, 2019).
10.5+
Employment Agreement dated as of March 1, 2021 but effective as of November 24, 2020, by and between Wizard Brands, Inc. and Scott D. Kaufman (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on March 3, 2021).
43
10.6+
Employment Agreement dated as of March 1, 2021 but effective as of November 24, 2020, by and between Wizard Brands, Inc. and Heidi C. Bowman (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on March 3, 2021).
10.7+
Separation Agreement entered into as of February 20, 2021 between Wizard Brands, Inc. and John D. Maatta (incorporated by reference to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on March 3, 2021).
10.8
Securities Purchase Agreement dated March 26, 2021, between Wizard Brands, Inc. and Leviston Resources LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on April 2, 2021).
10.9
Amendment No.1 to Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of July 16, 2021, between Creek Road Miners, Inc. and Leviston Resources, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.8 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on August 13, 2021).
10.10
Registration Rights Agreement dated March 26, 2021, between Wizard Brands, Inc. and Leviston Resources LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on April 2, 2021).
10.11
Amendment No. 1 to Registration Rights Agreement, dated July 16, 2021, between Creek Road Miners, Inc. and Leviston Resources, LLC (as filed as Exhibit 10.9 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on August 13, 2021).
10.12
Series B Preferred Stock Purchase Warrant (Series 1) issued to Leviston Resources LLC (as filed as Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on April 2, 2021).
10.13
Amendment No. 1 to Series B Preferred Stock Purchase Warrant (Series 1) issued to Leviston Resources LLC, dated July 16, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on August 13, 2021).
10.14
Series B Preferred Stock Purchase Warrant (Series 2) issued to Leviston Resources LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on April 2, 2021).
10.15
Amendment No. 1 to Series B Preferred Stock Purchase Warrant (Series 2) issued to Leviston Resources LLC, dated July 16, 2021(incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.11 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on August 13, 2021).
10.16
Asset Purchase Agreement dated August 6, 2021, between Kick the Can Corp. and Informa Pop Culture Events, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on August 10, 2021).
10.17
Form of Securities Purchase Agreement (incorporated by reference to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on August 31, 2021).
10.18
Form of Common Stock Purchase Warrant (incorporated by reference to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed August 31, 2021).
10.19
Form of Securities Purchase Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on December 10, 2021).
10.20
Form of Warrants (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on December 10, 2021).
10.21
Form of Registration Rights Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on December 10, 2021).
10.22+
Employment Agreement dated as of December 23, 2021, by and between Creek Road Miners, Inc. and Paul L. Kessler (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on December 23, 2021).
10.23+
Amended and Restated Employment Agreement of Scott D. Kaufman dated as of December 23, 2021, by and between Creek Road Miners, Inc. and Paul L. Kessler (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on December 23, 2021).
10.24+
Employment Agreement dated as of December 23, 2021, by and between Creek Road Miners, Inc. and Scott A. Sheikh (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on December 23, 2021).
10.25+
Employment Agreement dated as of December 23, 2021, by and between Creek Road Miners, Inc. and Alan Urban (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on December 23, 2021).
10.26+
Employment Agreement between Creek Road Miners, Inc. and John D. Maatta, entered into as of May 1, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on August 15, 2022).
10.27+
Amendment to Employment Agreement between Creek Road Miners, Inc. and John D. Maatta, dated July 7, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on August 15, 2022).
10.28+
Second Amendment to Amended and Restated Employment Agreement between Creek Road Miners, Inc. and Paul L. Kessler, dated July 7, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on August 15, 2022).
10.29+
Second Amendment to Amended and Restated Employment Agreement between Creek Road Miners, Inc. and Scott Kaufman, dated July 8, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on August 15, 2022).
10.30+
Amendment to Employment Agreement between Creek Road Miners, Inc. and Scott A. Sheikh, dated July 7, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on August 15, 2022).
44
10.31+
Amendment to Employment Agreement between Creek Road Miners, Inc. and Alan Urban, dated July 28, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.7 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on August 15, 2022).
10.32
Contract with CDMG, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.13 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on November 12, 2021).
10.33
Contract with CDMG, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.14 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on November 12, 2021)
10.34
Contract with Retro Wall Street Consulting, LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.15 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on November 12, 2021).
10.35
Non-Fixed Price Sales and Purchase Agreement dated December 17, 2021 between Creek Road Miners, Inc. and Bitmain Technologies Limited (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.30 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on March 11, 2022).
10.36
Gas Supply Agreement dated as of October 22, 2021 between Creek Road Miners, Inc. and American Natural Energy Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.31 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on March 11, 2022).
10.37
Terms and Conditions of Braiins Mining Limited (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.32 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on March 11, 2022).
10.38
Binding Memorandum of Understanding between Creek Road Miners, Inc. and Highway Energy Partners, Inc. dated as of May 28, 2022.
10.39
Agreement between Creek Road Miners, Inc. and Alpha Capital Anstalt made as of August 24, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on September 7, 2022).
10.40
Convertible Promissory Note dated August 31, 2022 issued by Creek Road Miners, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on September 7, 2022).
10.41
Convertible Promissory Note issued September 9, 2022. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on September 15, 2022).
10.42
Purchase and Sale Agreement, dated October 24, 2022, by and between Exok, Inc. and Prairie Operating Co., LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 25, 2022).
10.43
Form of Stockholders Agreement, by and among Creek Road Miners, Inc., Bristol Capital Advisors, LLC, Paul Kessler, Edward Kovalik and Gary Hanna (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 25, 2022).
10.44
Form of Lock-Up Agreement, by and between Creek Road Miners, Inc., and certain directors and officers of Creek Road Miners, Inc., Edward Kovalik and Gary Hanna (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 25, 2022).
10.45
Form of Support Agreement, by and between Creek Road Miners, Inc. and certain stockholders (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 25, 2022).
21.1
List of Subsidiaries (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 21.1 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 17, 2017).
23.1*
Consent of MaughanSullivan LLC.
24.1
Power of Attorney (included on signature pages).
31.1*
Certification by the Principal Executive Officer of Registrant pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a))*
31.2*
Certification by the Principal Financial Officer of Registrant pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a))*
32.1*
Certification by the Principal Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1350 as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002*
32.2*
Certification by the Principal Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1350 as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 *
101.INS*
Inline
XBRL Instance Document
101.SCH* †
Inline
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema
101.CAL* †
Inline
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase
101.DEF* †
Inline
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase
101.LAB* †
Inline
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase
101.PRE* †
Inline
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase
104.0
Cover
Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101).
*
Filed herewith
+
Indicates a management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement
†
Users of this data are advised pursuant to Rule 406T of Regulation S-T that this interactive data file is deemed not filed or part of
a registration statement for purposes of Section 11 or 12 of the Securities Act, is deemed not filed for purposes of Section 18 of the
Exchange Act, and otherwise is not subject to liability under these section
Item
16. Form 10-K Summary
The
Company has elected not to include a summary of the Form 10-K.
45
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed
on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
CREEK
ROAD MINERS, INC.
By:
/s/
John D. Maatta
John
D. Maatta
Date:
March 31, 2023
President
and Chief Executive Officer
(Principal
Executive Officer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)
POWER
OF ATTORNEY
KNOW
ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Scott D. Kaufman and Alan L. Urban,
and each of them, as his or her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution for him or her, and in
his or her name in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments to this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and to file the same, with
exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact
and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done
therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said
attorneys-in-fact and agents, and any of them or his or her substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue
hereof.
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the
registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Signature
Title
Date
/s/
John D. Maatta
John
D. Maatta
Chief
Executive Officer and Interim Chief Financial Officer (Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer),
President and Director
March
31, 2023
/s/
Paul L. Kessler
Pail
Kessler
Executive
Chairman
March
31, 2023
/s/
Michael Breen
Michael
Breen
Director
March
31, 2023
46
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.