Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Under the supervision and with the participation
of our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness
of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934. Based on this evaluation, our management concluded that as of December 31, 2022, our disclosure controls and procedures
were effective.
Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial
Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing
and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that any controls
and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives,
and management necessarily is required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls. Under the
supervision and with the participation of our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, we conducted
an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control-Integrated
Framework (2013 Framework) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on the evaluation,
our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2022.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal controls
over financial reporting during the fourth fiscal quarter of 2022 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially
affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Item 9B. Other Information
None.
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent
Inspections
Not Applicable.
32
Part
III
Item
10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
The
names of our directors and certain information about each of them are set forth below.
Name
Age
Position(s) with the Company
Ronald
Glibbery
61
Chief
Executive Officer and Director
Daniel
Lewis
73
Director
Ian McWalter(1)(2)
71
Director
Andreas
Melder(1)(2)
64
Director
Robert
Y. Newell(1)(2)
74
Director
(1)
Member of Audit Committee
(2)
Member of Compensation Committee
The
principal occupations and positions for at least the past five years of our directors are described below. There are no family relationships
among any of our directors or executive officers.
Ronald
Glibbery. Mr. Glibbery was appointed as our chief executive officer and to our board of directors in December 2021. He founded Peraso
Technologies Inc. (Peraso Tech) in 2008 and served as its chief executive officer. In June 2020, Peraso Tech applied for and obtained
an order under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (the CCAA), providing certain relief. Pursuant to the Initial Order issued
by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Commercial List) (the Court), Ernst & Young Inc. was appointed as the Monitor of Peraso
Tech. In addition, the Monitor, in its capacity as Foreign Representative, filed a voluntary petition in the United States under Chapter
15 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, seeking recognition of the CCAA proceeding. In October 2020, the Court granted an order authorizing the
termination of Peraso Tech’s CCAA proceedings upon the completion of certain defined steps. In December 2020, the United States
Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York issued an Order that: (i) recognized and gave full force and effect in the United
States to the Court’s order approving the Settlement Agreement; and (ii) terminated the Chapter 15 Proceedings. Mr. Glibbery has
over 25 years of experience in the semiconductor industry. Prior to co-founding Peraso Tech, Mr. Glibbery held executive positions at
Kleer Semiconductor, a fabless semiconductor company focused on wireless audio technology and Intellon, a pioneer and leader in the development
of semiconductor devices used for powerline communications. He has held other executive roles at Cogency Semiconductor, LSI Logic Canada,
Inc. and LSI Logic Corporation. Mr. Glibbery holds a B.E.Sc. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of Western
Ontario.
We
believe that Mr. Glibbery’s qualifications to serve on the board of directors include his service as an officer of ours and his
extensive general management and technical expertise in the semiconductor industry, as well as his experience as a chief executive officer.
Daniel
Lewis. Mr. Lewis has served as a member of the board of directors since September 2017. He served as our Vice President, General
Manager of Memory Products from April 2022 until his retirement effective December 16, 2022. Mr. Lewis previously served as our President
from August 2018 until April 2022 and chief executive officer from August 2018 until the business combination with Peraso Tech in December
2021. Before joining MoSys, Mr. Lewis served as the managing member and an owner of GMS Manufacturing Solution LLC, a firm focused on
providing engineering services to manufacturing companies. He previously held various executive and leadership roles at View Box Group,
Xicor, Integrated Device Technology, Accelerant Networks, Intel Corporation, Zilog and Digital Equipment Corporation. Mr. Lewis holds
a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan. We believe that Mr. Lewis’s qualifications to serve on the board
of directors include his service as an officer of ours and his extensive business experience, having held senior management positions
at several companies in the semiconductor, computer and networking industries. He brings strategic and operational insight to the board
of directors.
Ian
McWalter. Dr. McWalter was appointed to our board of directors in December 2021. He currently serves as a member of the board
of directors for Evertz Technologies, a publicly traded manufacturer of video and audio infrastructure solutions for television, telecom
and new-media industries. Dr. McWalter served as the president and chief executive officer of CMC Microsystems from 2007 until 2018.
Prior to this role, Dr. McWalter was chief executive officer of Toumaz Technology. Before joining Toumaz, Dr. McWalter spent 15 years
at Gennum Corporation, including five years as president and chief executive officer from 2000 to 2005. Previously, he held management
and technical positions at Bell Northern Research Ltd., the research and development arm of Northern Telecom and Bell Canada, and Plessey
Semiconductors. Dr. McWalter was awarded a B.Sc. in physics and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the Imperial College of Science
and Technology in London, England. We believe that Dr. McWalter’s qualifications to serve on the board of directors include his
extensive general management and technical expertise in the semiconductor industry, as well as his experience as a chief executive officer
and his experience serving as a director on public-company boards of directors.
33
Andreas
Melder. Mr. Melder was appointed to our board of directors in December 2021. He is a veteran technology executive in the semiconductor,
communications and consumer electronics industries and previously served as vice president of business development at Gigle Networks,
which was acquired in 2011 by Broadcom, where he continued to serve in executive marketing roles. Prior to Broadcom, Mr. Melder served
as senior vice president of sales, marketing and business development for Intellon, which was acquired by Atheros/Qualcom. Previously,
he was founder and vice president of marketing and business development for Microtune, a designer of RF integrated circuits and subsystem
modules, which was acquired by Zoran Semiconductor, and vice president of sales & marketing for Tripath, an audio controller company
acquired by Etelos. Additionally, Mr. Melder was a senior executive for companies that were acquired by Broadcom, Cirrus Logic and RFMD.
Mr. Melder earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering/Business from Carnegie-Mellon University and a M.S. in Electrical Engineering and
Operations Research from Southern Methodist University. We believe that Mr. Melder’s qualifications to serve on the board of directors
include his extensive business experience, having held senior management positions at several companies in the semiconductor, computer
and networking industries. Additionally, he brings additional operational, and fund-raising expertise, and business development and mergers
and acquisitions experience. public markets, participated in investor roadshows and positioned additional companies for M&A exits
through proper strategic industry positioning.
Robert
Y. Newell. Mr. Newell has served as a member of our board of directors since October 2018 and is currently a consultant and advisor
to emerging technology and healthcare companies. He has held financial management positions for companies in Silicon Valley for over
25 years. From 2003 to 2018, Mr. Newell was chief financial officer of Dextera Surgical, Inc. (Dextera) a developer of advanced surgical
stapling and medical devices. In December 2017, after entering into an agreement to sell substantially all of its assets, Dextera filed
a voluntary petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 of Title 11 of the United States Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court
for the District of Delaware. He served on the board of directors of ARI Network Services, a leading publicly traded supplier of SaaS
and data as a service solutions. Previously, Mr. Newell served as chief financial officer of Omnicell, an automated medication and hospital
supply management company, and prior to 2000, he held executive positions with the Beta Group and Cardiometrics. Prior to his business
career, he was a pilot in the United States Air Force. Mr. Newell holds a B.A. in mathematics from the College of William & Mary
and an MBA from Harvard Business School. We believe that Mr. Newell’s qualifications to serve on the board of directors include
his substantial financial and public-company experience, as he has served as chief financial officer at multiple medical device and other
technology companies. He also has previous experience serving as a director on public-company boards of directors.
The
names of our executive officers and certain information about them are set forth either above or below, as the case may be:
Name
Age
Position(s) with the Company
Ronald
Glibbery
61
Chief
Executive Officer and Director
James
W. Sullivan
54
Chief
Financial Officer
Bradley
Lynch
50
Chief
Operating Officer
Alexander
Tomkins
39
Chief
Technology Officer
Mark
Lunsford
65
Chief
Revenue Officer
James
Sullivan. Mr. Sullivan has served as our chief financial officer since January 2008. From July 2006 until January 2008, Mr. Sullivan
served as Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer at Apptera, Inc., a venture-backed company providing software for mobile
advertising, search and commerce. From July 2002 until June 2006, Mr. Sullivan was the chief financial officer at 8x8, Inc., a publicly-traded
SAAS provider of VoIP and unified communication solutions. Mr. Sullivan’s prior experience includes various positions at 8x8, Inc.
and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from New York University and is a certified public
accountant.
Bradley
Lynch . Mr. Lynch has served as chief operating officer since December 2021. He co-founded Peraso Tech in 2009 and served as executive
vice president of engineering and operations. In June 2020, Peraso Tech applied for and obtained an order under the Companies’
Creditors Arrangement Act (the CCAA), providing certain relief. Pursuant to the Initial Order issued by the Ontario Superior Court of
Justice (Commercial List) (the Court), Ernst & Young Inc. was appointed as the Monitor of Peraso Tech. In addition, the Monitor,
in its capacity as Foreign Representative, filed a voluntary petition in the United States under Chapter 15 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code,
seeking recognition of the CCAA proceeding. In October 2020, the Court granted an order authorizing the termination of Peraso Tech’s
CCAA proceedings upon the completion of certain defined steps. In December 2020, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern
District of New York issued an Order that: (i) recognized and gave full force and effect in the United States to the Court’s order
approving the Settlement Agreement; and (ii) terminated the Chapter 15 Proceedings. Prior to founding Peraso Tech, Mr. Lynch worked as
a system architect at Kleer Semiconductor, a fabless company focused on wireless audio technology. Before Kleer, he was director of software
engineering at Intellon Corporation, a pioneer and leader in the development of semiconductor devices used for powerline communications.
Previously, Mr. Lynch held various technical roles at Cogency Semiconductor and Power Trunk. Mr. Lynch holds a B.A.Sc in Computer Engineering
from the University of Waterloo.
34
Alexander
Tomkins . Mr. Tomkins has served as our chief technology officer since December 2021. He co-founded Peraso Tech in 2009 and served
as its chief technology officer. In June 2020, Peraso Tech applied for and obtained an order under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement
Act (the CCAA), providing certain relief. Pursuant to the Initial Order issued by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Commercial List),
Ernst & Young Inc. was appointed as the Monitor of Peraso Tech. In addition, the Monitor, in its capacity as Foreign Representative,
filed a voluntary petition in the United States under Chapter 15 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, seeking recognition of the CCAA proceeding.
In October 2020, the Court granted an order authorizing the termination of Peraso Tech’s CCAA proceedings upon the completion of
certain defined steps. In December 2020, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York issued an Order that:
(i) recognized and gave full force and effect in the United States to the Court’s order approving the Settlement Agreement; and
(ii) terminated the Chapter 15 Proceedings. Mr. Tomkins holds a Masters of Applied Science from the University of Toronto and a B.S.
in Engineering Physics from Carleton University. He also attended the University of Toronto as a doctoral candidate in Applied Science.
Mark
Lunsford. Mr. Lunsford was appointed as our chief revenue officer in October 2022. Prior to joining Peraso, Mr. Lunsford held numerous
positions of responsibility with companies in the semiconductor industry. From 1988 to 1999, he worked for Asia Pacific at Monolithic
Memories, where he served in multiple roles, including vice president of sales for the Americas and director of marketing. From 1999
to 2001, Mr. Lunsford was the vice president of worldwide sales and director of business development at Pivotal Technologies. In 2001,
and for a period of eight years, he served as vice president of worldwide sales at Micrel Semiconductor. From 2009 to 2013, he worked
at NXP, where he served as vice president of sales and marketing for the Americas. In 2013, and for a period of six years, he served
as the executive vice president of worldwide sales at SiTime Inc., a provider of MEMS-based timing devices. From January 2019 until April
2020, he provided consulting services for a range of high-technology businesses. Finally, he served as the vice president of global sales
at Chasm Advanced Materials, a provider of carbon nano tube based product solutions, from November 2020 until April 2022. Mr. Lunsford
holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Davis.
Code
of Ethics
We
have adopted a code of ethics that applies to all of our employees. The code of ethics is designed to deter wrongdoing and to promote,
among other things, honest and ethical conduct, full, fair, accurate, timely, and understandable disclosures in reports and documents
submitted to the SEC and other public communications, compliance with applicable governmental laws, rules and regulations, the prompt
internal reporting of violations of the code to an appropriate person or persons identified in the code and accountability for adherence
to such code.
The
code of ethics is available on our website, www.perasoinc.com . If we make any substantive amendments to the code of ethics or
grant any waiver, including any implicit waiver, from a provision of the code to our chief executive officer or chief financial officer,
or persons performing similar functions, where such amendment or waiver is required to be disclosed under applicable SEC rules, we intend
to disclose the nature of such amendment or waiver on our website.
Audit
Committee
Our
board of directors established the Audit Committee for the purpose of overseeing the accounting and financial reporting processes and
audits of our financial statements. The Audit Committee also is charged with reviewing reports regarding violations of our code of ethics
and complaints with respect thereto, and internal control violations under our whistleblower policy are directed to the members of the
Audit Committee. The responsibilities of our Audit Committee are described in the Audit Committee Charter adopted by our board of directors,
a current copy of which can be found on the investors section of our website, www.perasoinc.com.
Robert
Y. Newell, Ian McWalter and Andreas Melder are the current members of the Audit Committee. All are independent, as determined in accordance
with Rule 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq listing rules and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act. Mr. Newell serves as the chairman and has been designated
by the board of directors as the “audit committee financial expert,” as defined by Item 407(d)(5) of Regulation S-K under
the Securities Act and the Exchange Act. That status does not impose duties, liabilities or obligations that are greater than the duties,
liabilities or obligations otherwise imposed on him as a member of the Audit Committee and the board of directors, however. The Audit
Committee has delegated authority to Mr. Newell for review and pre-approval of services proposed to be provided by our independent registered
public accounting firm.
35
Compensation
Committee
Ian
McWalter, Andreas Melder and Robert Y. Newell are the current members of the Compensation Committee, and Dr. McWalter serves as the chairman.
The Compensation Committee is responsible for reviewing, recommending and approving our compensation policies and benefits, including
the compensation of all of our executive officers and directors. Our Compensation Committee also has the principal responsibility for
the administration of our equity incentive and stock purchase plans. The responsibilities of our Compensation Committee are described
in the Compensation Committee Charter adopted by our board of directors, a current copy of which can be found on the investors section
of our website, www.perasoinc.com.
Nominations
Process
We
do not have a nominating committee, as we are a small company and currently only have five directors. Instead of having such a committee,
our board of directors historically has appointed all of the independent directors on our board to search for and evaluate qualified
individuals to become nominees for director and board committee members. The independent directors recommend candidates for nomination
for election or reelection at each annual meeting of stockholders and, as necessary, to fill vacancies and newly created directorships,
and evaluate candidates for appointment to and removal from committees. The independent directors operate in this capacity under authority
granted by resolution of the board of directors, rather than by charter.
When
new candidates for our board of directors are sought, the independent directors evaluate each candidate for nomination as a director
within the context of the needs and the composition of the board of directors as a whole. The independent directors conduct any appropriate
and necessary inquiries into the backgrounds and qualifications of candidates. When evaluating director nominees, our board of directors
generally seeks to identify individuals with diverse, yet complementary business backgrounds. Although we have no formal policy regarding
diversity, our directors consider both the personal characteristics and experience of director nominees, including each nominee’s
independence, diversity, age, skills, expertise, time availability and industry background in the context of the needs of the board of
directors and the Company. The board of directors believes that director nominees should exhibit proven leadership capabilities and experience
at a high level of responsibility within their chosen fields and must have the experience and ability to analyze the complex business
issues facing us, and specifically, the issues inherent in the semiconductor industry. In addition to business expertise, the board of
directors requires that director nominees have the highest personal and professional ethics, integrity and values and, above all, are
committed to representing the long-term interests of our stockholders and other stakeholders. To date, we have not paid any fee to a
third party to assist in the process of identifying or evaluating director candidates. Our independent directors will consider candidates
for nomination as director who are recommended by a stockholder and will not evaluate any candidate for nomination for director differently
because the candidate was recommended by a stockholder. To date, we have not received or rejected any suggestions for a director candidate
recommended by any stockholder or group of stockholders owning more than 5% of our common stock. The recommendation must include the
information specified in our bylaws for stockholder nominees to be considered at an annual meeting, including the following:
● The
stockholder’s name and address and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the
nomination is proposed;
● The
stockholder’s reason for making the nomination at the annual meeting, and the signed
consent of the nominee to serve if elected;
● The
number of shares owned by, and any material interest of, the record owner and the beneficial
owner, if any, on whose behalf the record owner is proposing the nominee;
● A
description of any arrangements or understandings between the stockholder, the nominee and
any other person regarding the nomination; and
● Information
regarding the nominee that would be required to be included in our proxy statement by the
rules of the SEC, including the nominee’s age, business experience for the past five
years and any other directorships held by the nominee.
The
information listed above is not a complete list of the information required by our bylaws. The secretary will forward any timely recommendations
containing the required information to our independent directors for consideration.
36
Item
11. Executive Compensation
Compensation
Committee
Ian
McWalter, Andreas Melder and Robert Y. Newell are the current members of our Compensation Committee, with Dr. McWalter serving as the
chairman. The Compensation Committee is responsible for reviewing, recommending and approving our compensation policies and benefits,
including the compensation of all of our executive officers and directors. Our Compensation Committee also has the principal responsibility
for the administration of our equity incentive and stock purchase plans and the approval of equity awards to the named executive officers.
The responsibilities of our Compensation Committee are described in the Compensation Committee Charter adopted by our board of directors,
a current copy of which can be found on the investors section of our website, www.perasoinc.com.
Overview
of Compensation Program
The
Compensation Committee of the board of directors has responsibility for establishing, implementing and monitoring adherence to our compensation
philosophy. The board of directors has delegated to the Compensation Committee the responsibility for determining our compensation policies
and procedures for senior management, including the named executive officers, periodically reviewing these policies and procedures, and
making recommendations concerning executive compensation to be considered by the full board of directors, when such approval is required
under any of our plans or policies or by applicable laws.
The
compensation received by our named executive officers in fiscal year 2022 is set forth in the Summary Compensation Table, below. For
2022, the named executive officers included Ronald Glibbery, our chief executive officer, Daniel Lewis, our former vice president and
president, and James Sullivan, our chief financial officer.
Compensation
Philosophy
In
general, our executive compensation policies are designed to recruit, retain and motivate qualified executives by providing them with
a competitive total compensation package based in large part on the executive’s contribution to our financial and operational success,
the executive’s personal performance and increases in stockholder value, as measured by the price of our common stock. We believe
that the total compensation paid to our executives should be fair, reasonable and competitive.
We
seek to have a balanced approach to executive compensation with each primary element of compensation (base salary, variable compensation
and equity incentives) designed to play a specific role. Overall, we design our compensation programs to allow for the recruitment, retention
and motivation of the key executives and high-level talent required in order for us to:
● supply
high-value and high-quality integrated circuit solutions to our customer base;
● achieve
or exceed our annual financial plan and be profitable;
● make
continuous progression towards achieving our long-term strategic objectives to be a high-growth
company with growing profitability; and
● increase
our share price to provide greater value to our stockholders.
37
Role
of Executive Officers in Compensation Decisions
The
chief executive officer (CEO) makes recommendations for equity and non-equity compensation for executives to be approved by the Compensation
Committee. The Compensation Committee reviews these guidelines annually. The CEO annually reviews the performance of our executives (other
than himself) and presents his recommendations for proposed salary adjustments, bonuses and equity awards to the Compensation Committee
once a year. In its discretion, the Compensation Committee may accept, modify or reject the CEO’s recommendations. The Compensation
Committee evaluates the compensation of the CEO on its own without the participation or involvement of the CEO. Only the Compensation
Committee and the board of directors are authorized to approve the compensation for any named executive officer. Compensation of new
executives is based on hiring negotiations between the individuals and our CEO and/or Compensation Committee.
Elements
of Compensation
Consistent
with our compensation philosophy and objectives, we offer executive compensation packages consisting of the following three components:
● base
salary;
● annual
incentive compensation; and
● equity
awards.
In
each fiscal year, the Compensation Committee determines the amount and relative weighting of each component for all executives, including
the named executive officers. Base salaries are paid in fixed amounts and thus do not encourage risk taking. Our widespread use of long-term
compensation consisting of restricted stock units (RSUs) focuses recipients on the achievement of our longer-term goals and conserves
cash for other operating expenses. Historically, the RSUs granted to our executives have vested in increments over three years. The Compensation
Committee does not believe that these awards encourage unnecessary or excessive risk taking because the ultimate value of the awards
is tied to our stock price, and the use of multi-year vesting schedules helps to align our employees’ interests even more closely
with those of our long-term investors.
Base
Salary
Because
our compensation philosophy stresses performance-based awards, base salary is intended to be a smaller portion of total executive compensation
relative to long-term equity. The Compensation Committee takes into account the executive’s scope of responsibility and significance
to the execution of our long-term strategy, past accomplishments, experience and personal performance and compares each executive’s
base salary with those of the other members of senior management. The Compensation Committee may give different weighting to each of
these factors for each executive, as it deems appropriate. The Compensation Committee did not retain a compensation consultant or determine
a compensation peer group for 2022.
In February 2022, the Compensation Committee approved increases to
the annual base salaries of certain of our executive officers, effective retroactively as of December 17, 2021. The annual base salary
for our chief financial officer, James Sullivan, was increased from $260,000 to $305,000. The annual base salary for our chief operating
officer, Brad Lynch, was increased from CAD$200,000 to $275,000. The annual base salary for our chief technology officer, Alex Tomkins,
was increased from CAD$252,000 to $250,000.
In
April 2022, the Compensation Committee approved an increase to the annual base salary for our then president, Daniel Lewis, from $250,000
to $275,000, effective retroactively as of December 17, 2021.
Annual
Incentive Compensation
In
February 2022, the Compensation Committee authorized incentive compensation targets for the named executive officers. Mr. Sullivan, under
the terms of his 2022 annual performance-based bonus, will be eligible to receive a target amount of up to 60% of his base salary, payable
in the form of cash, the Company’s stock or a combination of both. Similarly, Mr. Lynch, under the terms of his 2022 annual performance-based
bonus, will be eligible to receive a target amount of up to 50% of his base salary, also payable in the form of cash, the Company’s
stock or a combination of both.
38
In
April 2022, the Compensation Committee authorized incentive compensation targets for Mr. Lewis. Mr.
Lewis, under the terms of his 2022 annual performance-based bonus, will be eligible to receive (i) a target amount of up to 50%
of his base salary based upon the achievement of certain goals and performance criteria determined by our CEO and the Compensation Committee
and (ii) a cash bonus equal to 3% of (a) the cash proceeds received by the Company (the “VAE Bonus”) in the event the Company
sells all or any part of the Company’s Virtual Accelerator Engine intellectual property (the “VAE Sale”) or (b) the
royalties paid to the Company during the 24 month period following the VAE Sale (the “VAE Royalty Payments” and, together
with the VAE Bonus, the “VAE Incentive Payments”); provided, however, that in no event will the aggregate VAE Incentive Payments
exceed $300,000. In January 2023, upon receipt of the final proceeds from the VAE Sale, we paid Mr. Lewis $105,000 for the VAE Bonus.
Equity
Awards
Although
we do not have a mandated policy regarding the ownership of shares of common stock by officers and directors, we believe that granting
equity awards to executives and other key employees on an ongoing basis gives them a strong incentive to maximize stockholder value and
aligns their interests with those of our other stockholders on a long-term basis. Our Amended and Restated Peraso Inc. 2019 Stock Incentive
Plan (the “Peraso Stock Incentive Plan”), which was approved by our stockholders and became effective in August 2019, enables
us to grant equity awards, as well as other types of stock-based compensation, to our executive officers and other employees. The Compensation
Committee reviews and approves all equity awards granted under the Peraso Stock Incentive Plan to the named executive officers. We grant
equity awards to achieve retention and motivation:
●
upon the hiring of key executives and other personnel;
●
annually, when we review progress against corporate
and personal goals; and
●
when we believe that competitive forces or economic
conditions threaten to cause our key executives to lose their motivation and/or where retention of these key executives is in jeopardy.
With
the Compensation Committee’s approval, we grant equity awards to acquire shares of common stock when we initially hire executives
and other employees, as a long-term performance incentive. The Compensation Committee has determined the size of the initial equity awards
to newly hired executives with reference to equity awards held by existing executives, the percentage that such award represents of our
total shares outstanding and hiring negotiations with the individual. In addition, the Compensation Committee would consider other relevant
information regarding the size and type of compensation package considered necessary to enable us to recruit, retain and motivate the
executive.
Typically,
when we hire an executive, the equity awards vest on over a three-year period. The options granted to executives in connection with annual
performance reviews typically vest monthly over a three-to-four year period, and RSUs granted typically vest annually over a period of
from one-to-three years, as the Compensation Committee may decide. As matters of policy and practice, we grant stock options with an
exercise price equal to fair market value, although the 2019 Plan allows us to use a different exercise price. In determining fair market
value, we use the closing price of the common stock on the Nasdaq on the grant date.
Historically,
no employee has been eligible for an annual performance grant until the employee has been employed for at least six months. Annual performance
reviews are generally conducted in the first half of each fiscal year. Our CEO conducts the performance review of all other executives
and makes his recommendations to the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee also reviews the CEO’s annual performance
and determines whether he should receive additional equity awards. Aside from equity award grants in connection with annual performance
reviews, we do not have a policy of granting additional awards to executives during the year. The board of directors and Compensation
Committee have not adopted a policy with respect to setting the dates of award grants relative to the timing of the release of material
non-public information. Our policy with respect to prohibiting insider trading restricts sales of shares during specified black-out periods,
including at all times that our insiders are considered to possess material non-public information.
In
determining the size of equity awards in connection with the annual performance reviews of our executives, the Compensation Committee
takes into account the executive’s current position with and responsibilities to us, and current and past equity awards to the
executive.
39
In
April 2022, our Compensation Committee authorized the following awards of restricted stock units to the named executive officers:
●
Mr. Glibbery – 200,000;
●
Mr. Lewis – 75,000; and
●
Mr. Sullivan – 100,000.
The
awards vest over semiannually over the 36-month period commencing December 17, 2021.
Going
forward, we intend to continue to evaluate and consider equity grants to our executives on an annual basis. We expect to consider potential
equity awards for executives at the same time as we annually review our employees’ performance and determine whether to award grants
for all employees.
Accounting
and Tax Considerations
Our
Compensation Committee has reviewed the impact of tax and accounting treatment on the various components of our executive compensation
program. Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended (the “Code”), generally disallows a tax deduction to publicly-held
companies for compensation paid to “covered” executive officers, to the extent that compensation paid to such an officer
exceeds $1 million during the taxable year. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act repealed the performance-based exception to the deduction limit
for remuneration that is deductible in tax years commencing after December 31, 2017. However, certain remuneration is specifically exempt
from the deduction limit under a transition rule to the extent that it is “performance-based,” as defined in Section 162(m)
of the Code, and subject to a “written binding contract” in effect as of November 2, 2017 that is not later modified in any
material respect. We endeavor to award compensation that will be deductible for income tax purposes, though other factors will also be
considered. None of the compensation paid to our covered executive officers for the year ended December 31, 2022 that would be taken
into account for purposes of Section 162(m) exceeded the $1 million limitation for 2021. Because of ambiguities and uncertainties as
to the application and interpretation of Section 162(m) of the Code and the regulations issued thereunder, including the uncertain scope
of the transition relief under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, no assurance can be given that compensation intended to satisfy the requirements
for exemption from Section 162(m) of the Code in fact will satisfy such requirements. Our Compensation Committee may authorize compensation
payments that do not comply with the exemptions to Section 162(m) when we believe that such payments are appropriate to attract and retain
executive talent.
Say-on-Pay
In
2020, we gave our stockholders an opportunity to provide feedback on our executive compensation through an advisory vote at our annual
stockholder meeting. Stockholders were asked to approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation paid to our named executive officers.
A majority of stockholders indicated approval of the compensation of the named executive officers, with approximately 90% of the shares
that voted on such matter voting in favor of the proposal. Additionally, in 2017, stockholders were asked to approve, on an advisory
basis, in favor of having a stockholder vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers every three years. A majority
of stockholders indicated approval of having a stockholder vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers every three
years, with approximately 60% of the shares that voted on such matter voting in favor of the proposal. Based on these results and consistent
with the previous recommendation and determination of its board of directors, we will hold non-binding advisory votes on executive compensation
every three years until the next vote on the frequency of the stockholder advisory vote on executive compensation.
In
light of the results of the advisory vote, the Compensation Committee continued to apply principles that were substantially similar to
those applied historically in determining compensation policies and decisions and did not make any significant changes to executive compensation
decisions and policies with respect to 2022 executive compensation.
40
SUMMARY
COMPENSATION TABLE
The
following table sets forth compensation information for fiscal years 2022 and 2021 for each of our named executive officers. Compensation
paid by Peraso Tech prior to the closing of the Arrangement is not reflected in the Summary Compensation Table.
Name
and principal position
Year
Salary
($)
Stock Option
Awards
($)(1)
Restricted Stock
Awards
($)(1)
Non-Equity
Incentive Plan
Compensation
($)
Total
($)
Ronald Glibbery
2022
400,000
—
430,000
—
830,000
Ronald Glibbery
2021
16,667
—
—
—
16,667
Chief
Executive Officer (2)
Daniel Lewis
2022
279,316
—
161,250
—
440,566
Vice
President, General Manager of Memory Products and Director (3)
2021
266,667
—
32,500
500,000
799,167
James Sullivan
2022
306,719
—
215,000
—
521,719
Chief
Financial Officer
2021
256,668
—
—
200,000
456,668
(1) Award
amounts reflect the aggregate grant date fair value with respect to awards granted during
the years indicated, as determined pursuant to FASB ASC Topic 718. The assumptions used
to calculate the aggregate grant date fair value of option and stock awards are set forth
in the notes to the consolidated financial statements included in item 15 of this Report.
These amounts do not reflect actual compensation earned or to be earned by our named executive
officers.
(3) Mr.
Lewis resigned as our Vice President, General Manager of Memory Products in December 2022.
GRANTS
OF PLAN-BASED AWARDS
Name
Grant
Date
All
Other
Stock Awards:
Number of Shares of Stock or
Units (#)(1)
Grant
Date
Fair Value
of Stock
Awards ($)
Ronald Glibbery
4/15/2022
200,000
430,000
Daniel
Lewis (2)
4/15/2022
75,000
161,250
James Sullivan
4/15/2022
100,000
215,000
(1) Represents
restricted stock units granted pursuant to the Equity Plan.
(2) Mr.
Lewis resigned as our Vice President, General Manager of Memory Products in December 2022.
41
OUTSTANDING
EQUITY AWARDS AT FISCAL YEAR-END
The
following table sets forth information regarding the outstanding equity awards held by our named executive officers as of December 31,
2022.
Option
Awards
Stock
Awards
Name
Number
of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Exercisable
Number
of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options (#)
Unexercisable
Equity
Incentive
Plan Awards:
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Unearned
Options (#)
Option
Exercise
Price($)
Option
Expiration
Date(1)
Number of
Units That
Have Not
Vested (#)
Market
Value of
Units That
Have Not
Vested ($)
Ron Glibbery
22,619
(2)
—
—
1.73
11/17/2024
—
—
18,095
(2)
—
—
2.59
12/29/2025
—
—
278,891
(2)
—
—
2.59
9/17/2030
—
—
109,599
(2)
—
—
2.59
12/16/2031
—
—
133,333
(11)
97,333
(12)
Daniel Lewis
4,000
(3)
—
—
15.00
10/19/2023
—
—
1,000
(4)
—
—
25.60
1/4/2024
—
—
15,000
(5)
—
—
3.92
2/6/2029
—
—
60,000
(6)
—
—
1.57
11/20/2029
—
—
50,000
(11)
36,500
(12)
James Sullivan
300
(7)
—
—
410.00
3/30/2025
—
—
787
(8)
—
—
144.00
8/23/2026
—
—
5,500
(9)
—
—
3.92
2/6/2029
—
—
20,000
(10)
—
—
1.57
11/20/2029
—
—
66,667
(11)
48,667
(12)
(1)
The standard option term is
generally ten years, but all of the options expire automatically unless exercised within 90 days after the cessation of service as
an employee, director or consultant.
(2)
The stock options were acquired
on December 17, 2021 as consideration for the person’s securities of Peraso Technologies Inc., which we acquired by way of
reverse takeover pursuant to the Arrangement.
(3)
The stock option was granted
on October 19, 2017 for service as a non-employee director, and the shares subject to this option vest annually over three years
beginning September 26, 2017 subject to continued employment (or service as a director or consultant).
(4)
The stock option was granted
on January 4, 2018 for service as a non-employee director, and the shares subject to this option vest annually over three years beginning
September 26, 2017 subject to continued service as an employee, director or consultant.
(5)
The stock option was granted
on February 6, 2019, and the shares subject to this option vest monthly over three years subject to continued service as an employee,
director or consultant. The shares were fully vested on December 17, 2021 per the Arrangement Agreement.
(6)
The stock option was granted
on November 20, 2019, and the shares subject to this option vested monthly over three years subject to continued service as an employee,
director or consultant. The shares were fully vested on December 17, 2021 per the Arrangement Agreement.
(7)
The stock option was granted
on March 30, 2015, and the shares subject to this option vested monthly over 48 months subject to continued employment (or service
as a director or consultant).
(8)
In August 2016, officers tendered
their eligible options and received new options at a rate of 1 replacement option share for each 1.75 option shares tendered. The
stock option was granted on August 23, 2016, and the shares subject to this option vested monthly over 48 months subject to continued
employment (or service as a director or consultant).
(9)
The stock option was granted
on February 6, 2019, and the shares subject to this option vest monthly over three years subject to continued service as an employee,
director or consultant).
(10)
The stock option was granted
on November 20, 2019, and the shares subject to this option vested monthly over three years subject to continued service as an employee,
director or consultant.
(11)
The shares subject to each
restricted stock unit grant vest on each semi-annual anniversary over a three-year period commencing on December 17, 2021 subject
to continued employment (or service as a director or consultant).
(12)
The amount is calculated using
the Company’s closing price on the Nasdaq of $0.73 per share of common stock on December 30, 2022.
42
OPTION
EXERCISES AND STOCK VESTED
The
following table sets forth the number of shares acquired and aggregate dollar amount realized pursuant to the vesting of stock awards
by our named executive officers during 2022.
Option
Awards
Stock
Awards
Name
Number
of
Shares
Acquired on
Exercise(#)
Value
Realized on
Exercise($)
Number
of
Shares
Acquired on
Vesting(#)
Value
Realized on
Vesting($)(1)
Ronald Glibbery
—
—
66,667
92,333
Daniel Lewis
—
—
25,000
34,625
James Sullivan
—
—
34,708
49,714
(1)
The aggregate dollar value
realized upon vesting represents the closing price of a share of common stock on the Nasdaq at the date of vesting, multiplied by
the total number of shares vested.
Employment
and Change-in-Control Arrangements and Agreements
Our
Executive Change-in-Control and Severance Policy (the “Policy”) provides benefits that are intended to encourage the continued
dedication of our executive officers and to mitigate potential disincentives to the consideration of a transaction that would result
in a change in control, particularly where the services of our named executive officers may not be required by a potential acquirer.
The Policy provides for benefits for our named executive officers in the event of a “Change-in-Control,” which is generally
defined as:
●
an acquisition of 45% or more of our common stock or
voting securities by any “person” as defined under the Exchange Act; or
●
consummation of a complete liquidation or dissolution
of the Company or a merger, consolidation, reorganization or sale of all or substantially all of our assets (collectively, a “Business
Combination”) other than a Business Combination in which (A) our stockholders receive 50% or more of the stock of the corporation
resulting from the Business Combination and (B) at least a majority of the board of directors of such resulting corporation were
our incumbent directors immediately prior to the consummation of the Business Combination, and (C) after which no individual, entity
or group (excluding any corporation or other entity resulting from the Business Combination or any employee benefit plan of such
corporation or of ours) who did not own 45% or more of the stock of the resulting corporation or other entity immediately before
the Business Combination owns 45% or more of the stock of such resulting corporation or other entity.
Under
the Policy, the following compensation and benefits are to be provided to our chief executive officer upon the occurrence of a Change-in-Control,
and in the case of our other named executive officers, upon a Change-in-Control combined with a termination of the named executive officer’s
employment without cause, or due to disability or resignation for good reason (as defined in the Policy) in connection with the Change-in-Control
or within 24 months after it:
●
any base salary earned but not yet paid through the
date of termination;
●
any annual or discretionary
bonus earned but not yet paid to him for any calendar year prior to the year in which his termination occurs;
●
any compensation under
any deferred compensation plan of ours or deferred compensation agreement with us then in effect;
●
a single lump sum payment
equal to the sum of (a) one year of his or her then-current base salary plus (b) the average of his or her annual bonus payments
in the preceding three years or such shorter time as he or she has been employed by us (with prorated weighting assigned to any bonus
earned for a partial year of employment), which payment will be made within 60 days following the Change-in-Control (in the case
of the chief executive officer), or 60 days following the date of employment termination (in the case of all other named executive
officers).
●
vesting in 100% of all
outstanding equity awards as of the date of the Change-in-Control for the chief executive officer, or as of the date of termination
of employment for all other named executive officers;
●
reimbursement of any business
expenses incurred by him through the date of termination but not yet paid;
●
reimbursement of the cost
of continuation of medical benefits for a period of 12 months; and
●
outstanding equity awards that are structured as stock
options, stock appreciation rights or similar awards shall be amended effective as of the date of termination to provide that such
awards will remain outstanding and exercisable until the earlier of (a) 12 months following the date of the Change-in-Control for
the chief executive officer, or the termination of employment for the other named executive officers, and (b) the expiration of the
award’s initial term.
43
Under
the Policy, “cause” means the executive’s:
●
willful failure to attend to the executive’s
duties that is not cured by the executive within 30 days of receiving written notice from the CEO (or, in the case of the CEO, from
the board of directors) specifying such failure;
●
material breach of the executive’s then-current
employment agreement (if any) that is not cured by the executive within 30 days of receiving written notice from the CEO (or, in
the case of the CEO, from the board of directors) specifying such breach;
●
conviction of (or plea of guilty or nolo contendere
to) any felony or any misdemeanor involving theft or embezzlement; or
●
misconduct resulting in material harm to our business
or reputation, including fraud, embezzlement, misappropriation of funds or a material violation of the executive’s Employment,
Confidential Information, Invention Assignment and Arbitration Agreement; and
Under
the Policy, “good reason” means the occurrence of any of the following conditions without the executive’s consent,
but only if such condition is reported by the executive within 90 days of the executive’s knowledge of such condition and remains
uncured 30 days after written notice from the executive to the board of directors of said condition:
●
a material reduction in the executive’s then-current base salary or annual target bonus (expressed as a percentage of Executive’s then-current base salary), except for a reduction proportionate to reductions concurrently imposed on all other members of the Company’s executive management;
●
a material reduction in the executive’s then-current employee benefits package, taken as a whole, except for a reduction proportionate to reductions concurrently imposed on all other members of executive management;
●
a material reduction in the executive’s responsibilities with respect to our overall operations, such that continuity of responsibilities with respect to business operations existing prior to a corporate transaction will serve as a material reduction in responsibilities if such business operations represent only a subsidiary or business unit of the larger enterprise after the corporate transaction;
●
a material reduction in the responsibilities of the executive’s direct reports, including a requirement for the chief executive officer to report to another officer as opposed to our board of directors or a requirement for any other executive to report to any officer other than our chief executive officer;
●
a material breach by us of any material provision of the executive’s then-current employment agreement (if any);
●
a requirement that the executive relocate to a location more than 35 miles from the executive’s then-current office location, unless such office relocation results in the distance between the new office and Executive’s home being closer or equal to the distance between the prior office and the executive’s home;
●
a failure of a successor or transferee to assume our obligations under this Policy; or
●
a failure to nominate the executive for election as a Board director, if, at the proper time for nomination, the executive is a member of the board of directors.
Notwithstanding
the above, in lieu of the payments and benefits payable under the Policy to Mr. Glibbery as the Company’s chief executive officer,
Mr. Glibbery will receive change-in control payments and benefits in accordance with the terms and conditions of his employment agreement.
The table below summarizes the payments Mr. Glibbery would be entitled to depending on the respective type of termination of his employment.
44
Termination
Type
Payments
and Benefits
Termination
for Cause or Voluntary Resignation
(i)
accrued and unpaid base
salary and any other payments required by law, including those in connection with accrued vacation; and
(ii)
reimbursement for business
expenses.
Termination
Without Cause, for Good Reason, upon Change of Control, Death or Disability
(i)
accrued and unpaid base
salary and any other payments required by law including those in connection with accrued vacation;
(ii)
reimbursement for business
expenses;
(iii)
the payment of the greater
of (A) the sum of: (x) pay in lieu of notice of termination, in the amount required pursuant to the ESA (as defined in Mr. Glibbery’s
employment agreement), and (y) statutory severance pay (if applicable) in the amount required to be provided pursuant to the ESA;
or (B) twenty-four (24) months of base salary in lieu of notice, calculated solely by reference to the base salary except and only
to the extent as otherwise minimally required by the ESA, to be paid in the form of a lump sum;
(iv)
any bonus awarded but
not yet paid in respect of the fiscal year preceding the termination date;
(v)
bonus for the year in
which the employment terminates, prorated pursuant to the employment agreement;
(vi)
all benefits (as existed
on the date notice of termination is provided) for the duration of the Severance Period (as defined in the employment agreement);
(vii)
any unvested equity
and equity-related compensation that has been issued pursuant to the Plan will be immediately accelerated and vested as of the termination
date;
(viii)
any vested equity and
equity-related compensation that has been issued under the Plan will remain exercisable until 24 months following such termination;
and
(ix)
any other benefits and/or
perquisites shall continue until the end of the ESA Notice Period (as defined in the employment agreement).
The
information below describes the severance benefits payable to (i) Mr. Glibbery under his employment agreement and (ii) Mr. Sullivan under
the Policy, as if such arrangements had been in effect and a Change-in-Control occurred on December 31, 2022, and the employment of each
of our named executive officers was terminated without cause immediately following the Change-in-Control:
Name
Base Salary
($)(1)
Incentive Plans
($)(2)
Continuation
of Benefits
($)(3)
Stock
Option
Vesting
($)(4)
Stock
Award
Vesting
($)(5)
Total
($)
Ronald Glibbery
800,000
300,000
13,766
—
97,333
1,211,099
James Sullivan
305,000
183,000
24,506
—
48,667
561,173
(1)
Represents cash severance
payments based on the executive’s salary at December 31, 2022, in an amount equal to two years of base salary for Mr. Glibbery
and one year of base salary for Mr. Sullivan.
(2)
For
Mr. Glibbery, the amount represents payment of his annual target bonus amount. For Mr. Sullivan, the amount represents the average of
his annual performance incentive payments in the preceding three years.
(3)
Represents
the aggregate amount of all premiums payable for the continuation of the executive’s health benefits for one or two years, as applicable,
based on the amounts of such premiums at December 31, 2022.
(4)
The
value is calculated as the intrinsic value per share, multiplied by the number of shares that would become fully vested upon the Change-in-Control.
The intrinsic value per share would be calculated as the excess of the closing price of the common stock on the Nasdaq of $0.73 on December
30, 2022 over the exercise price of the option. If the value is less than zero, it is deemed to be zero for the purposes of these calculations.
(5)
The
value is calculated as the intrinsic value per share, multiplied by the number of shares that would become fully vested upon the Change-in-Control.
The intrinsic value per share is considered as the closing price of our common stock on the Nasdaq of $0.73 on December 30, 2022.
45
If
a Change-in-Control occurred on December 31, 2022, under the Policy, the following numbers of option and award shares would have vested
immediately as a result of acceleration on December 31, 2022:
Name
Number of
Accelerated
Option and
Award
Shares
Ronald Glibbery
215,532
James Sullivan
66,667
Employment
Agreements
In
addition to the agreements containing the Change-in-Control provisions summarized above, we have entered into our standard form of employment,
confidential information, invention assignment and arbitration agreement with each of the named executive officers.
We
also have entered into agreements to indemnify our current and former directors and certain executive officers, in addition to the indemnification
provided for in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws. These agreements, among other things, provide for indemnification of our
directors and certain executive officers for many expenses, including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and settlement amounts
incurred by any such person in any action or proceeding, including any action by or in the right of the Company, arising out of such
person’s services as a director or executive officer of the Company, any subsidiary of the Company or any other company or enterprise
to which the person provided services at our request.
Director
Compensation
The
following table summarizes the compensation we paid to our non-employee directors in 2022:
Name
Fee
Compensation
($)
Restricted Stock
Awards
($)(1)
Option
Awards
($)(2)
All Other
Compensation
Total
($)
Robert Y. Newell
42,175
—
—
—
42,175
Ian McWalter
34,793
—
—
—
34,793
Andreas Melder
31,630
—
—
—
31,630
(1)
As
of December 31, 2022, restricted stock unit awards held on December 31, 2022 consist of: awards granted to Messrs. Newell, McWalter and
Melder on December 22, 2021 for 20,000 shares each.
(2)
As
of December 31, 2022, Messrs. McWalter and Melder each held 19,724 outstanding options to purchase of shares of our common stock. Mr.
Newell held 24,724 outstanding options to purchase of shares of our common stock.
Director
Fee Compensation
The
challenges our business has faced have made it challenging for us to attract new non-employee directors. Nasdaq and SEC regulations require
that a majority of the directors on our board of directors and its committees be independent, non-employee directors, as defined by each
entity. In December 2021, we amended our director compensation structure and adopted our Outside Director Compensation Plan (the Director
Plan). Under the Director Plan, we pay the following annual cash retainer fees, payable in quarterly installments, to our non-employee
directors for their service on our board of directors and, as applicable, for service on committees of our board of directors:
●
$35,000 for service on the board of directors;
●
$8,000 for service as chairperson of the Audit Committee; and
●
$6,000 for service as chairperson of the Compensation Committee.
46
Director
Equity Compensation
Under
the Director Plan, upon initial appointment to our board of directors, each non-employee director will receive a stock option with
a value of $100,000, calculated by dividing the $100,000 by the closing trading price of our common stock on the date of grant. The initial
stock option will have an exercise price equal to the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant and will vest as to one-third
of the shares on the first annual anniversary of the grant and the remaining shares quarterly over the subsequent two years, provided
the non-employee director continues to serve on the board of directors. In the event of a merger, sale of substantially all of our assets
or similar transaction, vesting of all director options would accelerate as to 100% of the unvested shares subject to the award.
Non-employee
directors will also receive an annual equity award of restricted stock units of common stock equal to $50,000 of value per non-employee
director. The restricted stock unit award will be made upon initial appointment to our board of directors and then subsequently at the
first scheduled meeting of the board of directors following our annual meeting of stockholders. The number of restricted stock units
will be calculated by dividing $50,000 by the closing trading price of our common stock on the date of the award. The restricted stock
unit award will vest in full on the earlier to occur of the next annual meeting of stockholders or the one-year anniversary of the award.
All equity awards granted under the Director Plan will be made from the 2019 Plan.
Item
12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
The
following table sets forth certain information as of March 1, 2023 concerning the ownership of our common stock by:
●
each stockholder known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of the outstanding shares of our common stock (currently our only class of voting securities);
●
each of our directors;
●
each of our executive officers; and
●
all directors and executive officers as a group.
Beneficial
ownership is determined in accordance with Rule 13d-3 of the Exchange Act and includes all shares over which the beneficial owner exercises
voting or investment power. Shares that are issuable upon the exercise of options, warrants and other rights to acquire common stock
that are presently exercisable or exercisable within 60 days of March 1,2023 are reflected in a separate column in the table below. These
shares are taken into account in the calculation of the total number of shares beneficially owned by a particular holder and the total
number of shares outstanding for the purpose of calculating percentage ownership of the particular holder. We have relied on information
supplied by our officers, directors and certain stockholders and on information contained in filings with the SEC. Except as otherwise
indicated, and subject to community property laws where applicable, we believe, based on information provided by these persons, that
the persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock shown as beneficially
owned by them. The percentage of beneficial ownership is based on 23,376,466 shares of our common stock and exchangeable shares outstanding
as of March 1, 2023.
47
Unless
otherwise stated, the business address of each of our directors and executive officers listed in the table is 2309 Bering Drive, San
Jose, California 95131.
Amount and Nature of Beneficial
Ownership
Name and Principal Position
Number of
Shares
Beneficially
Owned
(Excluding
Outstanding
Options)
(1)
Number of
Shares
Issuable on
Exercise of
Outstanding
Options
or Convertible
Securities
(2)
Percent of
Class
Entities affiliated with Roadmap Capital General Partner Ltd.
8,562,520
(3 )
—
36.63 %
Armistice Capital, LLC
1,438,834
(4 )
—
6.16 %
Directors and Officers:
Ronald Glibbery
110,344
347,007
1.9 %
Daniel Lewis
61,677
80,000
*
Robert Y. Newell
97,862
11,575
*
Ian McWalter
39,880
6,575
*
Andreas Melder
14,012
6,575
*
James Sullivan
34,351
26,587
*
Bradley Lynch
39,694
123,685
*
Alexander Tomkins
28,093
137,328
*
All current directors and executive officers as a group
(8 persons)
425,913
739,332
4.8 %
*
Represents holdings of less than one percent.
(1)
Excludes
shares subject to outstanding options, warrants, convertible securities or other rights to acquire common stock that are exercisable
within 60 days of March 1, 2023.
(2)
Represents
the number of shares subject to outstanding options, restricted stock units, convertible securities or other rights to acquire common
stock that are exercisable within 60 days of March 1, 2023.
(3)
Based
on information reported by Roadmap Capital General Partner Ltd. (“Roadmap GP”) on Schedule 13D filed with the SEC on December
27, 2021, Roadmap GP reported that it has shared dispositive power with respect to 8,562,520 shares, and shared voting power with respect
to 8,562,520 shares. Roadmap GP is the general partner of Roadmap Innovation I, Roadmap Innovation II, Roadmap Peraso, Roadmap Peraso
(U.S. and Offshore), Roadmap Peraso II, Roadmap Peraso II (U.S. and Offshore), Roadmap Peraso III and Roadmap Peraso III (U.S. and Offshore)
(collectively, the “Roadmap Funds”), which own these shares. Roadmap Capital Inc. is the sole shareholder of Roadmap GP.
Because of the relationship between Roadmap GP and each of the Roadmap Funds, Roadmap GP may be deemed to beneficially own securities
beneficially owned by each of the Roadmap Funds. Because of the relationship between Roadmap Capital and Roadmap GP, Roadmap Capital
may be deemed to beneficially own the securities beneficially owned by Roadmap GP. Roadmap GP listed its address as 130 Bloor Street
West, Suite 603, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1N5.
(4)
Based
on information reported by Armistice Capital, LLC on Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 14, 2023.
Securities
Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans
The
following table provides information as of December 31, 2022 regarding equity compensation plans approved by our security holders. As
of December 31, 2022, we had no awards outstanding under equity compensation plans that have not been approved by our security holders.
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))(1)
(a)
(b)
(c)
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders
2,556,063 (2)
$ 3.38
1,551,074
(1)
Consists of shares of common stock available for future
issuance under the 2019 Plan.
(2)
Consists
of 61,787 shares of common stock subject to outstanding equity awards under the 2010 Plan, 1,195,954 shares of common stock subject to
outstanding equity awards under the 2019 Plan and 1,298,322 of common stock subject to outstanding options assumed by us in connection
with the business combination with Peraso Technologies Inc. that was completed in December 2021.
48
Item
13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions and Director Independence
Related
Party Transactions
A
family member of one of our executive officers serves as a consultant to us. During the year ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, we paid
approximately $162,000 and $208,000, respectively, to the consultant. Additionally, a family member of one of our executive officers
is an employee of the Company. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we paid approximately $101,000 to the employed family member,
which includes the aggregate grant date fair value, as determined pursuant to FASB ASC Topic 718, of an RSU awarded in April 2022. During
the year ended December 31, 2021, we paid approximately $94,000 to the employed family member.
Director
Independence
Our
board of directors has determined that each of the current directors, with the exception of Daniel Lewis and Ronald Glibbery, is “independent,”
as defined by the listing rules of the NASDAQ Stock Market, or Nasdaq, and the rules and regulations of the SEC. Our board of directors
has standing Audit and Compensation Committees, each of which is comprised solely of independent directors in accordance with the Nasdaq
listing rules. No director qualifies as independent unless the board of directors affirmatively determines that he has no direct or indirect
relationship with us that would impair his independence. We independently review the relationship of the Company to any entity employing
a director or on whose board of directors he is serving currently.
Item
14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services
Weinberg
& Co., P.A. (“Weinberg”) was our independent registered public accounting firm for the years ended December 31, 2022
and 2021.
The
following table shows the fees billed (in thousands of dollars) to us by Weinberg for the financial statement audits and other services
provided for fiscal 2022 and 2021.
2022
2021
Audit Fees(1)
$ 223
$ 121
Audit-Related Fees(2)
13
13
Total(3)
$ 236
$ 134
(1)
Audit fees consisted of fees for professional
services rendered for the audit of our annual consolidated financial statements, review of our quarterly financial statements and
services normally provided in connection with statutory and regulatory filings.
(2)
Audit-related fees consisted of fees related to the
issuance of SEC registration statements.
(3)
Weinberg
did not provide any non-audit or other services other than those reported under “Audit Fees” and “Audit-Related Fees.”
The
Audit Committee meets with our independent registered public accounting firm at least four times a year. At such times, the Audit Committee
reviews both audit and non-audit services performed by the independent registered public accounting firm, as well as the fees charged
for such services. The Audit Committee is responsible for pre-approving all auditing services and non-auditing services (other than non-audit
services falling within the de minimis exception set forth in Section 10A(i)(1)(B) of the Exchange Act and non-audit services
that independent auditors are prohibited from providing to us) in accordance with the following guidelines: (1) pre-approval policies
and procedures must be detailed as to the particular services provided; (2) the Audit Committee must be informed about each service;
and (3) the Audit Committee may delegate pre-approval authority to one or more of its members, who shall report to the full committee,
but shall not delegate its pre-approval authority to management. Among other things, the Audit Committee examines the effect that performance
of non-audit services may have upon the independence of the auditors.
49
Part
IV
Item
15. Exhibits
(a) (1)
Consolidated Financial Statements:
The
following documents are filed as part of this Report:
Consolidated
Financial Statements and Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, all of which are set forth on pages F-1
through F-34 of this Report.
(2)
Financial Statement Schedules:
Financial
statement schedules are omitted because they are not required, not applicable or because the required information is shown in the consolidated
financial statements or notes thereto.
(3)
Exhibits:
Required
exhibits are incorporated by reference or are filed with this Report.
2.1(1)**
Arrangement Agreement with Peraso Technologies Inc.
2.2(2)
First Amending Agreement dated October 21, 2021
3.1(3)
Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company
3.1.1(4)
Certificate of Amendment to Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company
3.1.2(5)
Certificate of Amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Peraso Inc.,
filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on August 27, 2019
3.1.3(6)
Certificate of Amendment to Articles of Incorporation (Name Change)
3.1.4(7)
Certificate of Designation of Series A Special Voting Preferred Stock
3.2(8)
Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company
4.1(9)
Specimen Common Stock Certificate
4.2(10)
Form of Common Stock Purchase Warrant
4.3(11)
Form of Securities Purchase Agreement
4.5(12)
Form of Common Stock Purchase Warrant
4.6+
Description of the Registrant’s Securities
4.7.1(13)*
Peraso Inc. 2010 Amended and Restated Equity Incentive Plan
4.7.2(14)*
Amended and Restated Peraso Inc. 2019 Stock Incentive Plan
4.8.1(15)
Form of Agreement for Stock Option Grant pursuant to the Peraso Inc. Amended and Restated 2010
Equity Incentive Plan
4.8.2(16)
Form of Notice of Grant of Stock Option Award and Agreement pursuant to the Peraso Inc. 2019 Stock
Incentive Plan
4.9.1(17)
Form of Notice of Grant of Restricted Stock Unit Award and Agreement under the Peraso Inc. Amended
and Restated 2010 Equity Incentive Plan
4.9.2(18)
Form of Notice of Grant of Restricted Stock Unit Award and Agreement under the Peraso Inc. 2019
Stock Incentive Plan
4.10(19)*
Amended Peraso Technologies Inc. 2009 Share Option Plan
4.11 (20)
Form of Pre-Funded Common Stock Purchase Warrant
4.12 (21)
Form of Common Stock Purchase Warrant
10.1(22)*
Employment offer letter agreement between the Company and James Sullivan dated December 21, 2007
10.2(23)*
Change-in-control Agreement between the Company and James Sullivan dated January 18, 2008
10.3(24)*
Form of Option Agreement for Stock Option Grant pursuant to 2010 Equity Incentive Plan
10.4(25)*
Form of Notice of Restricted Stock Unit Award and Agreement under the Peraso Inc. 2010 Amended
and Restated Equity Incentive Plan
10.5(26)*
Form of New Employee Inducement Grant Stock Option Agreement (revised February 2012)
10.6(27)
Form of Indemnification Agreement used from June 2012 to present
10.7(28)
Sublease Agreement with Cyren, Inc. dated October 3, 2017
10.8(29)*
Executive Change-in-Control and Severance Policy
10.9(30)*
Employment offer letter agreement between the Company and Daniel Lewis dated August 8, 2018
50
10.10(31)
Securities Purchase Agreement
10.11(32)
Securities Purchase Agreement
10.12(33)
Sublease Addendum #2 to the Lease between Cyren Ltd. and Peraso Inc., dated September 30, 2020, by and between Peraso Inc., and Cyren Ltd.
10.13(34)
Form of Lock-Up Agreement
10.14(35)
Intercompany Services Agreement
10.15(36)*
Employment Agreement (Ronald Glibbery)
10.17*+
Employment offer letter agreement between the Company and Mark Lunsford dated October 7, 2023
10.18*+
Employment Agreement (Brad Lynch)
10.19*+
Employment Agreement (Alexander Tomkins)
10.20(37)*
Amendment to offer of employment between the Company and Daniel Lewis dated April 15, 2022
10.21(38)*
Amendment to offer of employment between the Company and James Sullivan dated April 15, 2022
10.22(39)*
Amendment to employment agreement between Peraso Technologies Inc. and Brad Lynch dated April 15, 2022
10.23(40)
Technology License and Patent Assignment Agreement By and Between Intel Corporation and the Company dated August 5, 2022
10.24(41)
Form of Securities Purchase Agreement
10.25(42)
Form of Registration Rights Agreement
21.1+
List of Subsidiaries
23.1 +
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm-Weinberg & Co., P.A.
24.1
Power of Attorney (see signature page)
31.1+
Rule 13a-14 certification
31.2 +
Rule 13a-14 certification
32 +
Section 1350 certification
101.INS
Inline XBRL Instance Document
101.SCH
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CAL
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEF
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase Document
101.PRE
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
104
Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)
(1)
Incorporated by reference to the same-numbered exhibit to Form 8-K, filed by the Company on September 15, 2021 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(2)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to Form 8-K, filed by the Company on October 22, 2021 (Commission File No. 000-32929)
(3)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.6 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on November 12, 2010 (Commission File No. 000-32929)
(4)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on February 14, 2017 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(5)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on August 27, 2019 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(6)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on December 20, 2021 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(7)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on December 20, 2021 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(8)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on November 23, 2021 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(9)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1, as amended, originally filed August 4, 2000, declared effective June 27, 2001 (Commission File No. 333-43122).
(10)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on June 30, 2017 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(11)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on June 30, 2017 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(12)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.6 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on October 3, 2018 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(13)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on August 27, 2019 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(14)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to Form S-8 filed by the Company on January 7, 2022 (Commission File No. 333-262062).
(15)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.10 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-8, filed July 28, 2010 (Commission File No. 333-168358).
51
(16)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.10 to the Company’s Current Report on Form S-8, filed on November 13, 2019 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(17)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.23 to the Company’s Form 10-Q filed on August 8, 2013 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(18)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.10 to the Company’s Current Report on Form S-8, filed November 13, 2019 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(19)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.5 to the registration statement on Form S-8 filed by the Company on January 7, 2022 (Commission File No. 333-262062).
(20)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on November 30, 2022 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(21)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on November 30, 2022 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(22)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.26 to Form 10-K filed by the Company on March 17, 2008 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(23)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.27 to Form 10-K filed by the Company on March 17, 2008 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(24)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.10 to Form S-8 filed by the Company on July 28, 2010 (Commission File No. 333-168358).
(25)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.8 to Form S-8 filed by the Company on June 5, 2009 (Commission File No. 333-159753).
(26)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.19 to Form 10-K filed by the Company on March 15, 2012 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(27)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.22 to Form 10-Q filed by the Company on August 9, 2012 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(28)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.2 to Form 10-Q filed by the Company on November 14, 2017 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(29)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99 to Schedule TO filed by the Company on July 26, 2016 (Commission File No. 005-78033).
(30)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.28 to Form S-1/A filed by the Company on September 17, 2018 (Commission File No. 333-225193).
(31)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.26 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on October 3, 2018 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(32)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on April 17, 2020 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(33)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.21 to Form 10-K filed by the Company on March 18, 2021 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(34)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on December 20, 2021 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(35)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on December 20, 2021 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(36)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on December 20, 2021 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(37)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Form 10-Q filed by the Company on August 15, 2022 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(38)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Form 10-Q filed by the Company on August 15, 2022 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(39)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to Form 10-Q filed by the Company on August 15, 2022 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(40)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Form 10-Q filed by the Company on November 14, 2022 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(41)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on November 30, 2022 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
(42)
Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed by the Company on November 30, 2022 (Commission File No. 000-32929).
+
Filed herewith.
*
Management contract, compensatory plan or arrangement.
**
Certain schedules, exhibits and similar attachments
have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(a)(5) of Regulation S-K. The Company hereby undertakes to furnish copies of such omitted materials
supplementally upon request by the SEC.
Item
16. Form 10-K Summary
Not
applicable.
52
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,
on the 29th, day of March, 2023.
PERASO INC.
By:
/s/ Ronald Glibbery
Ronald Glibbery
Chief Executive Officer
POWER
OF ATTORNEY
KNOW
ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Ronald Glibbery and James Sullivan
as his true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him and in his name, place
and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments to this Report on Form 10-K, and to file the same, with all exhibits
thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorney-in-fact
and agents full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith,
as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in- fact
and agents, or his 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/ Ronald Glibbery
Chief Executive
Officer and Director
March 29, 2023
Ronald Glibbery
(principal executive officer)
/s/ James Sullivan
Chief Financial
Officer
James Sullivan
(principal financial and accounting officer)
March 29, 2023
/s/ Daniel Lewis
Director
March 29, 2023
Daniel Lewis
/s/ Ian McWalter
Director
March 29, 2023
Ian McWalter
/s/ Andreas
Melder
Director
March 29, 2023
Andreas Melder
/s/ Robert Y.
Newell
Director
March 29, 2023
Robert Y. Newell
53
PERASO INC.
INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID 572 ) F-2
Consolidated Balance Sheets F-4
Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss F-5
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity F-6
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows F-7
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements F-8 - F-34
F- 1
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Board of Directors and Stockholders
Peraso Inc.
San Jose, California
Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated
balance sheets of Peraso Inc. (the “Company”) and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the related consolidated
statements of operations, stockholders’ equity (deficit), and cash flows for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, and the
related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial
statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company and its subsidiaries as of December 31, 2022
and 2021, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for the years then ended , in conformity with accounting
principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Going Concern
The accompanying financial
statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 1 to the financial statements,
during the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company incurred a net loss and utilized cash in operations. These conditions raise substantial
doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans to alleviate these conditions are also
described in Note 1. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis for Opinion
These consolidated financial statements are the
responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial
statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United
States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities
laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the
standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated
financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we
engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit we are required to obtain an understanding
of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s
internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess
the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures
that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the
consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by
management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide
a reasonable basis for our opinion.
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 especially
challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the
consolidated 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.
F- 2
Amortizable intangible assets impairment assessment
As described in Notes 1 and 2 to the consolidated
financial statements, the Company’s amortizable definite-lived intangible assets consisting of acquired technology and customer
relationships had a carrying value of $6.3 million as of December 31, 2022. Management conducts an impairment assessment annually on December
31, or more frequently if impairment indicators exist. An impairment exists when the carrying value of the long-lived group containing
acquired technology and customer relationships exceeds its fair value. The Company’s evaluation of the recoverability of acquired
technology and customer relationships intangible assets first involves the comparison of undiscounted future cash flows expected to be
generated by the acquired technology and customer lists over the remaining useful life of the assets to their respective carrying amounts.
The Company’s recoverability analysis requires management to make significant estimates and assumptions related to forecasted sales
growth rates and cash flows over the remaining useful life of the assets. Based on the results of the impairment assessment, management
determined that its amortizable definite-lived intangible assets were not impaired.
We identified the evaluation of acquired technology
and customer relationships intangible assets for potential impairment as a critical audit matter because of the significant estimates
and assumptions management makes related to future cash flows expected to be generated over the intangible assets’ lives. Auditing
the impairment evaluation required a high degree of auditor judgment and an increased extent of effort when performing audit procedures
to evaluate the reasonableness of management’s future cash flows over the remaining useful life of the long-lived asset group.
The primary procedures we performed to address
this critical audit matter included: (i) obtained an understanding of management’s processes related to its impairment assessment
of intangibles, (ii) evaluated the reasonableness of management’s forecasts of undiscounted future cash flows by comparing management’s
projections to the Company’s historical results and evaluating the appropriateness of projected revenue growth, margin and cost
rates (iii) tested the completeness and accuracy of underlying data used in the projections, and (iv) evaluated whether the estimated
future cash flows over the remaining useful life were consistent with evidence obtained in other areas of the audit.
Goodwill Impairment Assessment
As described in
Notes 1 and 2 to the consolidated financial statements, on December 17, 2021 the Company completed a reverse acquisition of Peraso
Tech. The Company has accounted for the reverse acquisition using the acquisition method of accounting in
accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (ASC)Topic 805, Business Combinations, with the Company as the accounting acquiree and
Peraso Tech as the accounting acquiror. The acquisition method of accounting requires the assets acquired and liabilities assumed
to be recorded at fair value as of the transaction date. The excess of the fair value of the purchase consideration over the estimated
fair values of the net assets acquired was determined to be $9.6 million and was recorded as goodwill.
Management tests its goodwill for impairment on
December 31 or more frequently if circumstances indicate that the carrying value of a reporting unit may exceed its fair value. If the
carrying amount of the Company, as a sole reporting unit, including goodwill, exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recognized
in an amount equal to that excess up to the amount of the recorded goodwill. During the fourth quarter of 2021, the Company experienced
a sustained decrease in its share price, and as of December 31, 2022, the Company’s market capitalization was below the carrying
value of the Company’s net assets. Pursuant to current accounting guidance, management concluded that this was an impairment triggering
event, and first evaluated its amortizable intangible assets, and then performed an impairment assessment of its goodwill. Based on the
results of the impairment assessment, management determined that its goodwill was impaired and recognized an impairment charge of $9.6
related to goodwill during the year ended December 31, 2021. Following the impairment, the Company had no remaining goodwill as of December
31, 2022.
We identified the evaluation of goodwill impairment
as a critical audit matter because of the significant judgment by management when determining the fair value of the reporting unit. This
required a high degree of auditor judgment and increased auditor effort in auditing such assumptions.
The primary procedures we performed to address
this critical audit matter included: (i) obtained an understanding of management’s process for determining the fair value of the
reporting unit, (ii) we evaluated the allocation of the Company’s estimated fair value to its reporting units and the comparison
of the Company’s estimated fair value to its market capitalization, and (iii) we recalculated the impairment recorded for goodwill
of $9.6 million based on the excess of the carrying values of goodwill over its estimated fair value as of December 31, 2022.
We have served as the Company’s
auditor since 2020.
/s/ Weinberg & Company
Los Angeles, California
March 29, 2023
F- 3
PART I—FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1. Financial Statements
PERASO INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In thousands, except par value)
December 31,
2022
2021
ASSETS
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents
$ 1,828
$ 5,893
Short-term investments
1,078
9,267
Accounts receivable, net
3,244
2,436
Inventories
5,348
3,824
Tax credits and receivables
41
1,099
Deferred cost of net revenue
600
—
Prepaid expenses and other
574
1,159
Total current assets
12,713
23,678
Long-term investments
-
2,928
Property and equipment, net
2,225
2,349
Right-of-use lease assets
1,147
617
Intangible assets, net
6,278
8,355
Goodwill
—
9,946
Other
123
78
Total assets
$ 22,486
$ 47,951
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities
Accounts payable
$ 1,844
$ 1,937
Accrued expenses and other
1,817
2,903
Deferred revenue
332
375
Short-term lease liabilities
687
379
Total current liabilities
4,680
5,594
Long-term lease liabilities
470
288
Warrant liability
2,079
—
Total liabilities
7,229
5,882
Commitments and contingencies (Note 5)
Stockholders’ equity
Preferred stock, $ 0.01 par value; 20,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding
—
—
Series A, special voting preferred stock, $ 0.01 par value; one share authorized; and one share issued and outstanding at December 31, 2022 and 2021
—
—
Common stock, $ 0.001 par value; 120,000 shares authorized; 14,270 shares and 12,284 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively
14
12
Exchangeable shares, no par value; unlimited shares authorized; 9,107 shares and 9,295 shares outstanding at December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively
—
—
Additional paid-in capital
164,865
159,256
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
( 25 )
—
Accumulated deficit
( 149,597 )
( 117,199 )
Total stockholders’ equity
15,257
42,069
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity
$ 22,486
$ 47,951
The accompanying notes are an integral part of
these consolidated financial statements.
F- 4
PERASO INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE
LOSS
(In thousands, except per share data)
Year Ended
December 31,
2022
2021
Net revenue
Product
$ 14,199
$ 4,906
Royalty and other
669
773
Total net revenue
14,868
5,679
Cost of net revenue
8,915
3,270
Gross profit
5,953
2,409
Operating expenses
Research and development
19,768
11,471
Selling, general and administrative
11,108
7,016
Gain on license and asset sale
( 2,557 )
—
Impairment of goodwill
9,946
—
Total operating expenses
38,265
18,487
Loss from operations
( 32,312 )
( 16,078 )
Interest expense
( 16 )
( 2,979 )
Change in fair value of warrant liability
1,595
8,102
Financing cost - warrant issuance
( 1,576 )
—
Other income (expense), net
( 89 )
44
Net loss
$ ( 32,398 )
$ ( 10,911 )
Other comprehensive loss, net of tax:
Net unrealized loss on available-for-sale-securities
( 25 )
—
Comprehensive loss
$ ( 32,423 )
$ ( 10,911 )
Net loss per share
Basic and diluted
$ ( 1.61 )
$ ( 1.86 )
Shares used in computing net loss per share
Basic and diluted
20,100
5,869
The accompanying notes are an integral part of
these consolidated financial statements.
F- 5
PERASO INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’
EQUITY (DEFICIT)
( In thousands )
Series A
Accumulated
Special
Voting
Preferred Stock
Common Stock
Exchangeable
Shares
Additional
Paid-In
Other
Comprehensive
Accumulated
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Capital
Loss
Deficit
Total
Balance as of December 31, 2020
—
—
5,241
5
—
—
102,362
—
( 106,288 )
( 3,921 )
Exchangeable shares
—
—
( 9,295 )
( 9 )
9,295
—
9
—
—
—
Issuance of common stock
under stock plans, net of taxes paid related to net share settlements of restricted stock units
—
—
30
—
—
—
37
—
—
37
Settlement of warrants to
common stock
—
—
287
—
—
—
1,208
—
—
1,208
Conversion of convertible
debentures to common stock
—
—
7,305
7
—
—
13,538
—
—
13,545
Effect of business combination
—
—
8,716
9
—
—
37,618
—
—
37,627
Stock-based compensation
—
—
—
—
—
—
4,484
—
—
4,484
Net
loss
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
( 10,911 )
( 10,911 )
Balance as of December 31, 2021
—
—
12,284
12
9,295
—
159,256
—
( 117,199 )
42,069
Exchange of exchangeable shares
—
—
188
—
( 188 )
—
—
—
—
-
Issuance of common stock
under stock plans, net of taxes paid related to net share settlements of restricted stock units
—
—
498
1
—
—
( 120 )
—
—
( 119 )
Sale of common stock and
warrants
—
—
1,300
1
—
—
2,098
—
—
2,099
Initial recognition of fair
value of warrant liability
—
—
—
—
—
—
( 2,099 )
—
—
( 2,099 )
Unrealized loss on available-for-sale
securities
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
( 25 )
—
( 25 )
Stock-based compensation
—
—
—
—
—
—
5,730
—
—
5,730
Net
loss
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
( 32,398 )
( 32,398 )
Balance as of December
31, 2022
—
$ —
14,270
$ 14
9,107
$ —
$ 164,865
$ ( 25 )
$ ( 149,597 )
$ 15,257
The accompanying notes are an integral part of
these consolidated financial statements.
F- 6
PERASO INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In thousands)
Year Ended
December 31,
2022
2021
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net loss
$ ( 32,398 )
$ ( 10,911 )
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization
3,057
1,116
Stock-based compensation
5,730
4,484
Change in fair value of warrant liability
( 1,595 )
( 8,102 )
Financing costs - warrant issuances
1,576
—
Impairment of goodwill
9,946
—
Accrued interest on debt obligation
9
721
Interest portion of financing lease repayment
( 16 )
—
Amortization of debt discount
—
2,091
Other
89
27
Changes in assets and liabilities
Accounts receivable
( 808 )
( 848 )
Inventories
( 1,525 )
( 1,418 )
Prepaid expenses and other assets
( 59 )
560
Tax credits and receivables
1,160
( 484 )
Accounts payable
( 94 )
804
Right-of-use assets
578
252
Lease liabilities - operating
( 542 )
( 236 )
Deferred revenue and other liabilities
( 1,128 )
( 72 )
Net cash used in operating activities
( 16,020 )
( 12,016 )
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchases of property and equipment
( 988 )
( 71 )
Purchases of intangible assets
( 21 )
( 165 )
Proceeds from maturities of marketable securities
11,534
400
Purchases of marketable securities
( 488 )
—
Cash acquired in business combination
—
6,464
Net cash provided by investing activities
10,037
6,628
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from sale of common stock, net
2,099
—
Repayment of financing lease
( 61 )
—
Repayment of loans
—
( 785 )
Proceeds from exercise of stock options
—
37
Net proceeds from loan facility
—
1,262
Net proceeds from convertible debentures
—
9,055
Taxes paid to net share settle equity awards
( 120 )
—
Net cash provided by financing activities
1,918
9,569
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
( 4,065 )
4,181
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year
5,893
1,712
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year
$ 1,828
$ 5,893
Supplemental disclosure:
Noncash investing and financing activities:
Initial recognition of warrant liability
$ 3,673
$ —
Recognition of right-of-use assets and lease liabilities
$ 1,003
$ —
Unrealized loss on available-for-sale securities
$ 26
$ —
Fair value of new warrant liability issued recognized as debt discount
$ —
$ 2,604
Settlement of loan facility against tax receivables
$ —
$ 1,097
Effect of business combination
$ —
$ 37,627
Settlement of warrants to common stock
$ —
$ 1,208
Conversion of convertible debentures into common stock
$ —
$ 13,545
The accompanying notes are an integral part of
these consolidated financial statements.
F- 7
PERASO INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 1. The Company and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Peraso Inc.,
formerly known as MoSys, Inc. (the Company), was incorporated in California in 1991 and reincorporated in 2000 in Delaware. The
Company is a fabless semiconductor company specializing in the development of millimeter wave (mmWave), which is generally described as
the frequency band from 24 Gigahertz (GHz) to 300GHz, wireless technology. The Company derives revenue from selling its semiconductor
devices and modules and performance of non-recurring engineering services. The Company also manufactures and sells high-performance memory
semiconductor devices for a wide range of markets and receives royalties from licensees of its memory technology.
On September
14, 2021, the Company and its subsidiaries, 2864552 Ontario Inc. (Callco) and 2864555 Ontario Inc. (Canco), entered into an Arrangement
Agreement (the Arrangement Agreement) with Peraso Technologies Inc. (Peraso Tech), a corporation existing under the laws of the province
of Ontario, to acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Peraso Tech (the Peraso Shares), including those Peraso Shares
to be issued in connection with the conversion or exchange of secured convertible debentures and common share purchase warrants of Peraso
Tech, as applicable, by way of a statutory plan of arrangement (the Arrangement) under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario).
On December 17, 2021, following the satisfaction of the closing conditions set forth in the Arrangement Agreement, the Arrangement was
completed and , the Company changed its name to “Peraso Inc.” and began trading
on the Nasdaq Stock Market (the Nasdaq) under the symbol “PRSO.”
For accounting
purposes, Peraso Tech, the legal subsidiary, was treated as the accounting acquirer and the Company, the legal parent, was treated as
the accounting acquiree. The transaction was accounted for as a reverse acquisition in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards
Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 805, Business Combinations (ASC 805) . Accordingly, these consolidated financial
statements are a continuation of Peraso Tech’s consolidated financial statements prior to December 17, 2021 and exclude the statements
of operations and comprehensive loss, statement of stockholders’ equity and statements of cash flows of the Company prior to December
17, 2021. See Note 2 for additional disclosure .
Liquidity and Going Concern
The Company incurred net losses of approximately
$ 32.4 million and $ 10.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively, and had an accumulated deficit
of approximately $ 149.6 million as of December 31, 2022. These and prior year losses have resulted in significant negative cash flows
and have required the Company to raise substantial amounts of additional capital. To date, the Company has primarily financed its operations
through multiple offerings of common stock and issuance of convertible notes and loans to investors and affiliates.
The Company expects to continue to incur operating
losses for the foreseeable future as it secures additional customers and continues to invest in the commercialization of its products.
The Company will need to increase revenues substantially beyond levels that it has attained in the past in order to generate sustainable
operating profit and sufficient cash flows to continue doing business without raising additional capital from time to time. As a result
of the Company’s expected operating losses and cash burn for the foreseeable future, as well as recurring losses from operations,
if the Company is unable to raise sufficient capital through additional debt or equity arrangements, there will be uncertainty regarding
the Company’s ability to maintain liquidity sufficient to operate its business effectively, which raises substantial doubt as to
the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year from the date of issuance of these consolidated financial statements.
These consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from this uncertainty. There can be no assurance
that such additional capital, whether in the form of debt or equity financing, will be sufficient or available and, if available, that
such capital will be offered on terms and conditions acceptable to the Company. The Company’s primary focus is producing and selling
its products. If the Company is unsuccessful in these efforts, it will need to implement additional cost reduction strategies, which could
further affect its near- and long-term business plan. These efforts may include, but are not limited to, reducing headcount and curtailing
business activities.
F- 8
Basis of Presentation
The consolidated financial statements include
the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated
in consolidation. The Company’s fiscal year ends on December 31 of each calendar year. Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified
for consistency with the current period presentation. These reclassifications had no effect on the reported results of operations or cash
flows.
Risks and Uncertainties
The Company is subject to risks from, among other
things, competition associated with the industry in general, other risks associated with financing, liquidity requirements, rapidly changing
customer requirements, limited operating history and the volatility of public markets.
COVID-19
The global outbreak of the coronavirus disease
2019 (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization and a national emergency by the U.S. government in March 2020. This
has negatively affected the U.S. and global economy, disrupted global supply chains, significantly restricted travel and transportation,
resulted in mandated closures and orders to “shelter-in-place” and created significant disruption of the financial markets.
The full extent of the COVID-19 impact on the Company’s operational and financial performance will depend on future developments,
including the duration and spread of the pandemic and related actions taken by U.S. and foreign government agencies to prevent disease
spread, all of which are uncertain, out of the Company’s control, and cannot be predicted.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in accordance
with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure
of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses recognized
during the reported period. Material estimates may include assumptions made in determining reserves for uncollectible receivables, inventory
write-downs, impairment of long-term assets, purchase price allocations, valuation allowance on deferred tax assets, accruals for potential
liabilities and assumptions made in valuing equity instruments. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Cash Equivalents and Investments
The Company has invested its excess cash in money
market accounts, certificates of deposit, corporate debt, government-sponsored enterprise bonds and municipal bonds and considers all
highly liquid debt instruments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Investments with original
maturities greater than three months and remaining maturities less than one year are classified as short-term investments. Investments
with remaining maturities greater than one year are classified as long-term investments. Management generally determines the appropriate
classification of securities at the time of purchase. All securities are classified as available-for-sale. The Company’s available-for-sale
short-term and long-term investments are carried at fair value, with the unrealized holding gains and losses reported in accumulated other
comprehensive income (loss). Realized gains and losses and declines in the value judged to be other-than-temporary are included in the
other income, net line item in the consolidated statements of operations. The cost of securities sold is based on the specific identification
method.
F- 9
Fair Value Measurements
The Company measures the fair value of financial
instruments using a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value into three broad
levels:
Level 1 —Inputs used to measure fair value are unadjusted quoted prices that are available in active markets for the identical assets or liabilities as of the reporting date.
Level 2 —Pricing is provided by third party sources of market information obtained through the Company’s investment advisors, rather than models. The Company does not adjust for, or apply, any additional assumptions or estimates to the pricing information it receives from advisors. The Company’s Level 2 securities include cash equivalents and available-for-sale securities, which consisted primarily of certificates of deposit, corporate debt, and government agency and municipal debt securities from issuers with high-quality credit ratings. The Company’s investment advisors obtain pricing data from independent sources, such as Standard & Poor’s, Bloomberg and Interactive Data Corporation, and rely on comparable pricing of other securities because the Level 2 securities are not actively traded and have fewer observable transactions. The Company considers this the most reliable information available for the valuation of the securities.
Level 3 —Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and reflect the use of significant management judgment are used to measure fair value. These values are generally determined using pricing models for which the assumptions utilize management’s estimates of market participant assumptions. The determination of fair value for Level 3 investments and other financial instruments involves the most management judgment and subjectivity.
The carrying amounts of financial assets and liabilities,
such as cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, notes payable and other payables, approximate their fair values
because of the short maturity of these instruments. The carrying values of lease obligations and long-term financing obligations approximate
their fair values because interest rates on these obligations are based on prevailing market interest rates. The Company measures the
fair value of its warrant liabilities using Level 3 inputs.
Derivatives
and Liability-Classified Instruments
The Company
accounts for common stock warrants as either equity-classified or liability-classified instruments based on an assessment of the specific
terms of the warrants and the guidance provided by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) in ASC 480 , Distinguishing Liabilities
from Equity (ASC 480) and ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging (ASC 815) . The assessment considers whether the warrants are freestanding
financial instruments pursuant to ASC 480, meet the definition of a liability pursuant to ASC 480, and meet all of the requirements for
equity classification under ASC 815, including whether the warrants are indexed to the Company’s own stock and whether the holders
of the warrants could potentially require net cash settlement in a circumstance outside of the Company’s control, among other conditions
for equity classification. This assessment, which requires the use of professional judgment, is conducted at the time of warrant issuance
and as of each subsequent quarterly period end date while the warrants are outstanding.
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
The Company establishes an allowance for doubtful
accounts to ensure that its trade receivables balances are not overstated due to uncollectibility. The Company performs ongoing customer
credit evaluations within the context of the industry in which it operates and generally does not require collateral from its customers.
A specific allowance of up to 100 % of the invoice value is provided for any problematic customer balances. Delinquent account balances
are written off after management has determined that the likelihood of collection is remote. The Company grants credit only to customers
deemed creditworthy in the judgment of management. The allowance for doubtful accounts receivable was approximately $ 183,000 and $ 61,000
as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively.
F- 10
Inventories
The Company values its inventories at the lower of cost, which approximates
actual cost on a first-in, first-out basis, or net realizable value. Costs of inventories primarily consisted of material and third party
assembly costs. The Company records inventory reserves for estimated obsolescence or unmarketable inventories based upon assumptions about
future demand and market conditions. Once a reserve is established, it is maintained until the product to which it relates is sold or
otherwise disposed of. If actual market conditions are less favorable than those expected by management, additional adjustment to inventory
valuation may be required. Charges for obsolete and slow-moving inventories are recorded based upon an analysis of specific identification
of obsolete inventory items and quantification of slow moving inventory items. The Company recorded write-downs of inventory of approximately
$ 420,000 during the year ended December 31, 2022. The Company recorded no inventory write-downs for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Tax Credits and Receivables
The Company is registered for the Canadian federal
and provincial goods and services taxes. As such, the Company is obligated to collect from third parties and is entitled to claim sales
taxes paid on its expenses and capital expenditures incurred in Canada.
The Company participates in the Canadian government’s
Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SRED) Program, which uses tax incentives to encourage Canadian businesses to conduct
research and development (R&D) in Canada. As a part of the program, the Company may be entitled to a receivable in the form of tax
credits or incentives. The Company records refundable tax credits as a reduction of expense and receivable when the Company can reasonably
estimate the amounts and it is more likely than not, the credit will be received.
A government refund or subsidy that is compensation
for expenses or losses already incurred, or for which there are no future related costs, is recognized in the statement of operations
in the period in which it becomes receivable.
On December 17, 2021, Peraso Tech ceased to be
a Canadian Controlled Private Corporation, as defined by the government of Canada, and the Company was no longer eligible for the expenditure
refund program. However, it is eligible for a tax credit of 15 % on qualified SRED expenditures. Unused SRED tax credits can be carried
back three years or forward for 20 years.
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment are originally recorded
at cost. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, generally three to six
years . Depreciation is recorded in cost of sales and operating expenses in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive
loss. Leasehold improvements and assets acquired through capital leases are amortized over the shorter of their estimated useful life
or the lease term, and related amortization is recorded in operating expenses in the consolidated statements of operations.
Intangible and Long-lived Assets
Intangible assets are recorded at cost and amortized
on a straight-line method over their estimated useful lives of three to ten years . Amortization of developed technology and other intangibles
directly related to the Company’s products is included in cost of net revenue, while amortization of customer relationships and
other intangibles not associated with the Company’s products is included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the
consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.
F- 11
The Company regularly reviews the carrying value
and estimated lives of its long-lived assets and finite-lived intangible assets to determine whether indicators of impairment may exist
which warrant adjustments to carrying values or estimated useful lives. The determinants used for this evaluation include management’s
estimate of the asset’s ability to generate positive income from operations and positive cash flow in future periods as well as
the strategic significance of the assets to the Company’s business objective. Should an impairment exist, the impairment loss would
be measured based on the excess of the carrying amount of the long-lived asset group over the asset’s fair value.
Purchased Intangible Assets
Intangible assets acquired in business combinations
are accounted for based on the fair value of assets purchased and are amortized over the period in which economic benefit is estimated
to be received. Intangible assets subject to amortization, including those acquired in business combinations were as follows (amounts
in thousands):
December 31, 2022
Gross
Net
Carrying
Accumulated
Carrying
Amount
Amortization
Amount
Developed technology
$ 5,726
$ ( 1,491 )
$ 4,235
Customer relationships
2,556
( 666 )
1,890
Other
186
( 33 )
153
Total
$ 8,468
$ ( 2,190 )
$ 6,278
December 31, 2021
Gross
Net
Carrying
Accumulated
Carrying
Amount
Amortization
Amount
Developed technology
$ 5,726
$ ( 60 )
$ 5,666
Customer relationships
2,556
( 27 )
2,529
Other
165
( 5 )
160
Total
$ 8,447
$ ( 92 )
$ 8,355
Developed technology primarily consisted of MoSys’
products that have reached technological feasibility and primarily relate to its memory semiconductor products and technology. The value
of the developed technology was determined by discounting estimated net future cash flows of these products. The Company is amortizing
the developed technology on a straight-line basis over four years . Amortization related to developed technology of approximately $ 1,431,000
and $ 60,000 for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, has been included in cost of net revenue in the consolidated
statements of operations and comprehensive loss.
Customer relationships relate to the Company’s
ability to sell existing and future versions of products to MoSys’ customers existing at the time of the arrangement. The fair value
of the customer relationships was determined by discounting estimated net future cash flows from the customer relationships. The Company
is amortizing customer relationships on a straight-line basis over an estimated life of four years . Amortization related to customer relationships
of approximately $ 639,000 and $ 27,000 for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, has been included in selling, general
and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.
Other amortization expense was approximately $ 28,000
and $ 5,000 for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
F- 12
As of December 31, 2022, estimated future amortization
expense related to intangible assets was (in thousands):
Year ending December 31,
2023
$ 2,099
2024
2,099
2025
2,011
2026
28
2027
10
Thereafter
31
$ 6,278
Business Combinations
The Company allocates the fair value of purchase
consideration to the tangible assets acquired, liabilities assumed and intangible assets acquired based on their estimated fair values.
The excess of the fair value of purchase consideration over the fair values of these identifiable assets and liabilities is recorded as
goodwill to reporting units based on the expected benefit from the business combination. Allocation of purchase consideration to identifiable
assets and liabilities affects the amortization expense, as acquired finite-lived intangible assets are amortized over the useful life,
whereas any indefinite-lived intangible assets, including goodwill, are not amortized. During the measurement period, which is not to
exceed one year from the acquisition date, the Company records adjustments to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, with the corresponding
offset to goodwill. Upon the conclusion of the measurement period, any subsequent adjustments are recorded to earnings. Acquisition-related
expenses are recognized separately from business combinations and are expensed as incurred.
Goodwill
The Company determines the amount of a potential
goodwill impairment by comparing the fair value of the reporting unit with its carrying amount. To the extent the carrying value of a
reporting unit exceeds its fair value, a goodwill impairment charge is recognized.
The Company has determined that it has a single
reporting unit for purposes of performing its goodwill impairment test. As the Company uses the market approach to determine the step
one fair value of the reporting unit, the price of its common stock is an important component of the fair value calculation. If the Company’s
stock price experiences significant price and volume fluctuations, this will impact the fair value of the reporting unit, which can lead
to potential impairment in future periods. The Company reviews goodwill for impairment on an annual basis or whenever events or changes
in circumstances indicate the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. The Company first assesses qualitative factors to determine
whether it is more-likely-than-not that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than the carrying amount as a basis for determining
whether it is necessary to perform an impairment test. If the qualitative assessment warrants further analysis, the Company compares the
fair value of the reporting unit to its carrying value. The fair value of the reporting unit is determined using the market approach.
If the fair value of the reporting unit exceeds the carrying value of net assets of the reporting unit, goodwill is not impaired. If the
carrying value of the reporting unit’s goodwill exceeds its fair value, then the Company must record an impairment charge equal
to the difference.
During
the three months ended December 31, 2022, the Company concluded a triggering event had occurred due to the sustained decrease in the price
per share of its common stock and related reduced market capitalization. The Company performed a test for goodwill impairment, and, due
to the decrease in the price per share of its common stock, the test results indicated the goodwill carrying value was greater than its
implied fair value. As a result of the impairment test, the Company recorded a non-cash impairment charge totaling $ 9.9 million, and the
Company’s goodwill balance was reduced to zero as of December 31, 2022.
F- 13
Leases
ASC 842, Leases (ASC 842), requires an entity
to recognize a right-of-use asset and a lease liability for all leases with terms longer than 12 months. The Company adopted
ASC 842 utilizing the modified retrospective transition method. The Company elected the practical expedient afforded in ASC 842 in which
the Company did not reassess whether any contracts that existed prior to adoption have or contain leases or the classification of its
existing leases.
Revenue Recognition
The Company recognizes revenue in accordance with
ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, and its amendments (ASC 606). As described below, the analysis of contracts
under ASC 606 supports the recognition of revenue at a point in time, resulting in revenue recognition timing that is materially consistent
with the Company’s historical practice of recognizing product revenue when title and risk of loss pass to the customer.
The Company generates revenue primarily from sales
of integrated circuits and module products, performance of engineering services and licensing of its intellectual property. Revenues are
recognized when control is transferred to customers in amounts that reflect the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to receive
in exchange for those goods. Revenue recognition is evaluated through the following five steps: (i) identification of the contract, or
contracts, with a customer; (ii) identification of the performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determination of the transaction
price; (iv) allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (v) recognition of revenue when or
as a performance obligation is satisfied.
Product revenue
Revenue is recognized when performance obligations
under the terms of a contract with a customer are satisfied. The majority of the Company’s contracts have a single performance obligation
to transfer products. Accordingly, the Company recognizes revenue when title and risk of loss have been transferred to the customer, generally
at the time of shipment of products. Revenue is measured as the amount of consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for
transferring products and is generally based upon a negotiated, formula, list or fixed price. The Company sells its products both directly
to customers and through distributors generally under agreements with payment terms typically 60 days or less.
The Company may record an estimated allowance,
at the time of shipment, for future returns and other charges against revenue consistent with the terms of sale.
Royalty and other
The Company’s licensing contracts typically
provide for royalties based on the licensee’s use of the Company’s memory technology in its currently shipping commercial
products. The Company estimates its royalty revenue in the calendar quarter in which the licensee uses the licensed technology. Payments
are received in the subsequent quarter. The Company also generates revenue from licensing its technology. The Company recognizes license
fees as revenue at the point of time when the control of the license has been transferred and the Company has no continuing performance
obligations to the customer.
Engineering services revenue
Engineering and development contracts with customers
generally contain a single performance obligation that is delivered over time. Revenue is recognized using an output method that is consistent
with the satisfaction of the performance obligation as a measure of progress.
Deferred cost of net revenue
During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company
had $ 1.1 million of product shipments for which the revenue recognition criteria under ASC 606 had not been met. Accordingly, the Company
deferred the cost of net revenue associated with these shipments, and the amount deferred has been presented as deferred cost of net revenue
in the consolidated balance sheets.
F- 14
Contract liabilities – deferred revenue
The Company’s contract liabilities consist
of advance customer payments and deferred revenue. The Company classifies advance customer payments and deferred revenue as current or
non-current based on the timing of when the Company expects to recognize revenue. As of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, contract
liabilities were in a current position and included in deferred revenue.
During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company
recognized approximately $ 243,000 of revenue that had been included in deferred revenue as of December 31, 2021.
See Note 7 for disaggregation of revenue by geography.
The Company does not have significant financing
components, as payments from customers are typically due within 60 days of invoicing, and the Company has elected the practical expedient
to not value financing components that are less than one year. Shipping and handling costs are generally incurred by the customer, and,
therefore, are not recorded as revenue.
Cost of Net Revenue
Cost of net revenue consists primarily of direct
and indirect costs of product sales, including amortization of intangible assets and depreciation of production-related fixed assets.
Advertising Costs
Advertising costs are expensed as incurred. Advertising
costs were not significant for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.
Government Subsidies
A grant or subsidy that is compensation for expenses
or losses already incurred, or for which there are no future related costs, is recognized in the statement of operations in the period
in which it becomes receivable.
Starting in 2020, certain Canadian businesses,
which experienced a drop in revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic, became eligible for rent and wage subsidies from the Canadian government.
The Company’s subsidiary, Peraso Tech, was eligible for and received the Covid-program subsidies on a monthly basis beginning in
the fourth quarter of 2020 and ending in the fourth quarter of 2021.
During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company
recognized payroll subsidies of $ 1,120,475 as a reduction in the associated wage costs and rent subsidies of $ 199,235 as a reduction of
operating expenses in the consolidated statement of operations.
Research and Development
Engineering costs are recorded as research and
development expense in the period incurred.
Stock-Based Compensation
The Company periodically issues stock options
and restricted stock awards to employees and non-employees. The Company accounts for such grants based on ASC No. 718, whereby the value
of the award is measured on the date of grant and recognized as compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the vesting period.
The fair value of the Company’s stock options is estimated using the Black-Scholes-Merton Option Pricing (Black Scholes) model,
which uses certain assumptions related to risk-free interest rates, expected volatility, expected life of the options, and future dividends.
Compensation expense is recorded based upon the value derived from the Black Scholes model. The assumptions used in the Black Scholes
model could materially affect compensation expense recorded in future periods.
F- 15
Foreign Currency Transactions
The functional currency of the Company is the
U.S dollar. All foreign currency transactions are initially measured and recorded in an entity’s functional currency using the exchange
rate on the date of the transaction. All monetary assets and liabilities are remeasured at the end of each reporting period using the
exchange rate at that date. All non-monetary assets and related expense, depreciation or amortization are not subsequently remeasured
and are measured using the historical exchange rate. An average exchange rate may be used to recognize income and expense items earned
or incurred evenly over a period. Foreign exchange gains and losses resulting from the settlement of such transactions are recognized
in the statement of operations, except for the gains and losses arising from the conversion of the carrying amount of the foreign currency
denominated convertible preferred shares into the functional currency that are presented as adjustment to the net loss to arrive at net
loss attributable to common stockholders.
Per-Share Amounts
Basic net loss per share is computed by dividing
net loss for the period by the weighted-average number of exchangeable shares and shares of common stock outstanding during the period.
Diluted net loss per share gives effect to all potentially dilutive exchangeable and common shares outstanding during the period. Potentially
dilutive common shares consist of incremental exchangeable shares and shares of common stock issuable upon the achievement of escrow terms,
exercise of stock options, vesting of stock awards and exercise of warrants.
The following table sets forth securities outstanding
that were excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share as their inclusion would be anti-dilutive (in thousands):
December 31,
2022
2021
Escrow Shares - exchangeable shares
1,313
1,313
Escrow Shares - common stock
502
502
Options to purchase common stock
1,499
1,558
Unvested restricted common stock units
1,057
88
Common stock warrants
4,959
134
Total
9,330
3,595
Income Taxes
The Company determines deferred tax assets and
liabilities based upon the differences between the financial statement and tax bases of the Company’s assets and liabilities using
tax rates in effect for the year in which the Company expects the differences to affect taxable income. A valuation allowance is established
for any deferred tax assets for which it is more likely than not that all or a portion of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.
The Company files U.S. federal and state and foreign
income tax returns in jurisdictions with varying statutes of limitations. The 2015 through 2020 tax years generally remain subject to
examination by U.S. federal and state tax authorities, and the 2011 through 2020 tax years generally remain subject to examination by
foreign tax authorities.
At December 31, 2022, the Company did not have
any material unrecognized tax benefits nor expect its unrecognized tax benefits to change significantly over the next 12 months. The Company
recognizes interest related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as other
income and expense. During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company did not recognize any interest or penalties related
to unrecognized tax benefits.
F- 16
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
In June 2016, the FASB
issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses . This ASU added a new impairment
model (known as the current expected credit loss (CECL) model) that is based on expected losses rather than incurred losses. Under the
new guidance, an entity recognizes an allowance for its estimate of expected credit losses and applies to most debt instruments, trade
receivables, lease receivables, financial guarantee contracts, and other loan commitments. The CECL model does not have a minimum threshold
for recognition of impairment losses and entities will need to measure expected credit losses on assets that have a low risk of loss.
This update is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those fiscal years for smaller
reporting companies. The Company does not expect that the adoption of ASU No. 2016-13 will have
a significant impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements .
In May 2021, the FASB
issued ASU No. 2021-04 , Earnings Per Share (Topic 260), Debt — Modifications and Extinguishments (Subtopic 470-50), Compensation
— Stock Compensation (Topic 718), and Derivatives and Hedging — Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40):
Issuer’s Accounting for Certain Modifications or Exchanges of Freestanding Equity-Classified Written Call Options (ASU 2021-04) .
ASU 2021-04 provides guidance as to how an issuer should account for a modification of the terms or conditions or an exchange of a freestanding
equity-classified written call option (i.e., a warrant) that remains classified after modification or exchange as an exchange of the original
instrument for a new instrument. An issuer should measure the effect of a modification or exchange as the difference between the fair
value of the modified or exchanged warrant and the fair value of that warrant immediately before modification or exchange and then apply
a recognition model that comprises four categories of transactions and the corresponding accounting treatment for each category (equity
issuance, debt origination, debt modification, and modifications unrelated to equity issuance and debt origination or modification). ASU
2021-04 is effective for all entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021, including interim periods within those fiscal
years. An entity should apply the guidance provided in ASU 2021-04 prospectively to modifications or exchanges occurring on or after the
effective date. The Company adopted ASU 2021-04 effective January 1, 2022. The adoption of ASU 2021-04 did not have any impact on the
Company’s consolidated financial statement presentation or disclosures.
Management does not believe
that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, authoritative guidance, if currently adopted, would have a material impact on the
Company’s financial statement presentation or disclosures.
Note 2: Business Combination
Arrangement
As discussed in Note 1, on September
14, 2021, the Company and its newly formed subsidiaries, Callco and Canco, entered into the Arrangement Agreement with Peraso Tech. Prior
to the Arrangement, as a fabless semiconductor company, the Company’s primary focus was the manufacture and sale of high-performance
memory semiconductor devices for a wide range of markets. Peraso Tech was also a fabless semiconductor company specializing in the development
of mmWave technology, including 60GHz and 5G products, and deriving revenue from selling semiconductor devices, proprietary modules based
on its semiconductor devices and performance of non-recurring engineering services. The primary reason for the business combination was
to produce a larger fabless semiconductor company with greater size and scale with access to the public capital markets for the benefit
of the stockholders of both companies.
On December 17, 2021, following
the satisfaction of the closing conditions set forth in the Arrangement Agreement, including approvals from the stockholders of the Company
and Peraso Tech, the Arrangement was completed.
F- 17
Securities Conversion
Pursuant to the completion of
the Arrangement, each Peraso Share that was issued and outstanding immediately prior to December 17, 2021 was converted into the right
to receive 0.045239122387267 (the Exchange Ratio) newly issued shares of common stock of the Company or shares of Canco, which are exchangeable
for shares of the Company’s common stock (Exchangeable Shares), at the election of each former Peraso Tech stockholder. In addition,
all of Peraso Tech’s outstanding stock options and other securities exercisable or exchangeable for, or convertible into, and any
other rights to acquire Peraso Shares were exchanged for securities exercisable or exchangeable for, or convertible into, or other rights
to acquire the Company’s common stock. Immediately following the completion of the Arrangement, the former security holders of Peraso
Tech owned approximately 61 %, on a fully-diluted basis, of the Company’s common stock, and the former shareholders of Peraso Tech,
as a group, obtained control of the Company. While the Company was the legal acquirer of Peraso Tech, Peraso Tech was deemed to be the
acquirer for accounting purposes.
In addition, pursuant to the
terms of the Arrangement Agreement, (i) certain warrants to purchase Peraso Shares outstanding immediately prior to the closing of the
Arrangement were exercised in consideration for the issuance of Peraso Shares; (ii) each convertible debenture of Peraso Tech outstanding
immediately prior to the closing of the Arrangement and all principal and accrued but unpaid interest thereon was converted into Peraso
Shares at a conversion price equal to the conversion price set out in each such debenture; and (iii) each outstanding option to purchase
Peraso Shares (each, a Peraso Option) was exchanged for a replacement option to purchase such number of shares of common stock that was
equal to the product of (a) the number of Peraso Shares subject to the Peraso Options immediately before the closing of the Arrangement
and (b) the Exchange Ratio, rounded down to the nearest whole number of shares of common stock.
Upon the closing of the Arrangement,
an aggregate of 9,295,097 Exchangeable Shares and 3,558,151 shares of common stock were issued to the holders of Peraso Shares. Of such
shares, pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, the Company held in escrow an aggregate of 1,312,878 Exchangeable Shares and 502,567 shares
of common stock (collectively, the Escrow Shares). The Escrow Shares are escrowed pursuant to the terms of an escrow agreement on a pro
rata basis from the aggregate consideration received by the holders of Peraso Shares, subject to the offset by the Company for any losses
in accordance with the Agreement. Such Escrow Shares shall be released, subject to any offset claim, upon the satisfaction of the earlier
of: (a) any date following the first anniversary of December 17, 2021 and prior to December 17, 2024 where the volume weighted average
price of the common stock for any 20 trading days within a period of 30 consecutive trading days is at least $ 8.57 per share, subject
to adjustment for stock splits or other similar transactions; (b) the date of any sale of all or substantially all of the assets or shares
of the Company; or (c) the date of any bankruptcy, insolvency, restructuring, receivership, administration, wind-up, liquidation, dissolution,
or similar event involving the Company. All and any voting rights and other stockholder rights, other than with respect to dividends and
distributions, with respect to the Escrow Shares are suspended until the Escrow Shares are released from escrow.
The Exchangeable Share structure
is commonly used for cross-border transactions of this nature so as to provide non-tax-exempt Canadian shareholders with the same economic
rights and benefits as holders of the Company’s shares into which the Exchangeable Shares are exchangeable, while allowing those
Canadian shareholders to benefit from the tax-rollover available on the issuance of the Exchangeable Shares. In general terms, by choosing
to acquire Exchangeable Shares from Canco, such a former Peraso Tech shareholder was able to rely on a rollover rule in the Income Tax
Act (Canada) in order to defer any capital gain that he/she/it would have otherwise realized.
Callco was incorporated to
exercise the call rights, while Canco was incorporated to acquire the shares of Peraso Tech from Canadian shareholders that wished to
receive Exchangeable Shares as consideration, so it was a tax deferred transaction for such Canadian shareholders. The use of a separate
entity, Callco, helps maximize cross border paid-up capital, which represents the amount that can generally be distributed free of Canadian
withholding tax. The call rights also allow Callco to “purchase” the Exchangeable Shares rather than having them redeemed
by Canco on a redemption or retraction or in connection with a liquidity event, thus avoiding the adverse deemed dividend tax consequences
to shareholders that may arise from a redemption or retraction of Exchangeable Shares.
Holders of Exchangeable Shares
have the right at any time (the Retraction Right) to retract or redeem any or all of the Exchangeable Shares owned by them for an amount
per share equal to the market price of a share of the Company’s common stock plus the full amount of all declared and unpaid dividends
on such Exchangeable Share (the Exchangeable Share Purchase Price). The Exchangeable Share Purchase Price is payable only by the Company
delivering or causing to be delivered to the relevant holder one share of the Company’s common stock for each Exchangeable Share
purchased plus a cash amount equal to the amount of any accrued and unpaid dividends on such Exchangeable Share. The Company and Callco
each have an overriding right, in the event that a holder of Exchangeable Shares exercises its Retraction Right, to redeem from such holder
all, but not less than all, of the Exchangeable Shares tendered for redemption.
F- 18
The Exchangeable Shares are
subject to redemption by the Company, Callco and Canco at the Exchangeable Share Purchase Price, on the “Redemption Date,”
which date shall be no earlier than the seventh anniversary of the date on which Exchangeable Shares are first issued, unless: (a) less
than 10 % of the aggregate number of Exchangeable Shares issued remain outstanding; (b) there is a change in control of the Company (defined
generally as (i) any merger, amalgamation, arrangement, takeover bid or tender offer, material sale of shares or rights or interests that
results in the holders of outstanding voting securities of the Company directly or indirectly owning, or exercising control or direction
over, voting securities representing less than 50 % of the total voting power of all of the voting securities of the surviving entity;
or (ii) any sale or disposition of all or substantially of the Company’s assets), and (c) upon the occurrence of certain other events.
The Exchangeable Share Purchase Price is payable only by the Company delivering or causing to be delivered to the relevant holder one
share of the Company’s common stock for each Exchangeable Share purchased plus a cash amount equal to the amount of any accrued
and unpaid dividends on such Exchangeable Share.
In the event of the liquidation,
dissolution or winding-up of Canco, holders of Exchangeable Shares have the right to receive in respect of each Exchangeable Share held
by such holder, an amount per share equal to the Exchangeable Share Purchase Price, which shall be satisfied in full by Canco by delivering
to such holder one Company Share, plus an amount equal to the Dividend Amount. The Company and Callco each have an overriding right to
purchase from all holders all but not less than all of the Exchangeable Shares upon the occurrence of such events.
In addition, the Company
and Callco have the right to purchase all outstanding Exchangeable Shares at the Exchangeable Share Purchase Price if there is a change
of law that permits holders of Exchangeable Shares to exchange their Exchangeable Shares for shares of common stock on a basis that will
not require holders to recognize any gain or loss or any actual or deemed dividend for Canadian tax purposes.
The holders of Exchangeable
Shares have an “automatic exchange right” in the event of any insolvency, liquidation, dissolution or winding-up or in general,
related proceedings, of the Company for an amount per share equal to the Exchangeable Share Purchase Price.
It is expected that Callco
will exercise its call rights, as that is more beneficial to the holders of the Exchangeable Shares. Once Callco acquires the Exchangeable
Shares from a holder, it (Callco and the Company) is obligated to deliver the Company shares to the holder. Callco discharges this obligation
by arranging for the Company to issue and deliver those shares to the holders on behalf of Callco. As consideration for satisfying the
delivery obligation, Callco would issue its own shares to the Company.
There are no cash redemption
features, as all redemption and exchange scenarios are payable in a share of the Company’s common stock. Neither Canco, Callco,
or the Company assume any tax liabilities of a former Peraso Tech shareholder who acquired Exchangeable Shares under the plan of arrangement.
The purchase price computed upon the exercise of rights pertaining to retraction, redemption, or liquidation, or otherwise giving rise
to a purchase or cancellation of an Exchangeable Share, will, in all cases, consist of a 1:1 exchange involving the Company’s common
stock, regardless of the market price of a share of the Company’s common stock.
F- 19
In connection with the Arrangement,
on December 15, 2021, the Company filed the Certificate of Designation of Series A Special Voting Preferred Stock (the Certificate) with
the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware to designate Series A Special Voting Preferred Stock (the Special Voting Share) in accordance
with the terms of the Arrangement Agreement in order to enable the holders of Exchangeable Shares to exercise their voting rights. The
Special Voting Share was issued to a third-party administrative agent (the Agent) solely to facilitate the exercise of rights by holders
of Exchangeable Shares. The rights of the Agent, as holder of the Special Voting Share, are limited to effecting the rights of the holders
of the Exchangeable Shares; the Special Voting Share does not confer any independent rights to the Agent. Under the Certificate, when
all of the Exchangeable shares have been converted into shares of the Company’s common stock, the Special Voting Share shall be
automatically cancelled and shall not be reissued. Each Exchangeable Share is exchangeable for one share of common stock of the Company
and while outstanding, the Special Voting Share enables holders of Exchangeable Shares to cast votes on matters for which holders of the
common stock are entitled to vote, and by virtue of the share terms relating to the Exchangeable Shares, enable the Exchangeable Shares
to receive dividends that are economically equivalent to any dividends declared with respect to the shares of common stock. As the Special
Voting Share does not participate in dividends (only the Exchangeable Shares participate in dividends) and is not entitled to participate
in the residual interest of the Company, it is not classified as an equity instrument in the Company’s financial statements.
The Exchangeable Shares, which can be converted
into common stock at the option of the holder and have the same voting and dividend rights as common stock, are similar in substance to
shares of common stock. Further, Canco and Callco are non-substantive entities, which are looked through with the Exchangeable Shares
being, in substance, common stock of the Company. Therefore, the Exchangeable Shares have been included in the determination of outstanding
common stock. The Special Voting Share was issued to a third-party administrative agent (the Agent) solely to facilitate the exercise
of rights by holders of Exchangeable Shares, The rights of the Agent, as holder of the Special Voting Share, are limited to effecting
the rights of the holders of the Exchangeable Shares; the Special Voting Share does not confer any independent rights to the Agent. Under
the Certificate, when all of the Exchangeable shares have been converted into shares of the Company’s common stock, the Special
Voting Share shall be automatically cancelled and shall not be reissued.
Outstanding Shares of Common Stock
The following table details
the shares of the common stock that were outstanding immediately following the consummation of the Arrangement:
Number of shares
MoSys common stock outstanding prior to business combination
8,715,910
Common stock issued to Peraso Tech stockholders
3,055,584
Exchangeable Shares issued to Peraso Tech stockholders
7,982,219
Escrow Shares - common stock
502,567
Escrow Shares - Exchangeable Shares
1,312,878
Total shares issued and outstanding
21,569,158
Reverse Acquisition Determination
Pursuant to ASC 805, the transaction
was accounted for as a reverse acquisition because: (i) the stockholders of Peraso Tech owned the majority of the outstanding common stock
of the Company after the share exchange; (ii) Peraso Tech appointed a majority of the Company’s board of directors; and (iii) Peraso
Tech determined the officers of the Company.
F- 20
Measuring the Consideration Transferred
In the reverse acquisition,
the accounting acquirer did not issue any consideration to the accounting acquiree, rather the accounting acquiree issued its equity shares
to the owners of the accounting acquirer in exchange for the accounting acquirer’s shares. The acquisition date fair value of the
consideration transferred by the accounting acquirer for its interest in the accounting acquiree was calculated by Peraso Tech, as the
fair value of the consideration effectively transferred. In accordance with ASC 805, the consideration effectively transferred between
the Company (a public company as the accounting acquiree) and Peraso Tech (a private company as the accounting acquirer), was calculated
as the fair value of the Company’s equity including the fair value of its common shares outstanding and its warrants, plus the portion
of the share-based award fair value allocated to the pre-combination service of the accounting acquiree’s awards. The fair value
of the total consideration effectively transferred is summarized in the following table (in thousands, except per-share amount):
Company share price (i)
$ 4.21
Company common shares outstanding (ii)
8,716
Fair value of the Company’s common shares outstanding
36,694
Fair value of the Company’s warrants (iii)
301
Fair value of the Company’s warrants (iii)
782
Percent related to precombination service
80.76 %
Fair value of the Company’s precombination service share based awards (iii)
632
Consideration effectively transferred
$ 37,627
(i) Represents the Company's share
price as of December 16, 2021
(ii) Represents the Company's outstanding
shares as of December 16, 2021
(iii) Represents the fair value of
the Company's warrants outstanding and calculated as of December 16, 2021
The
following table summarizes the final allocation of the purchase price to the net assets acquired based on the respective fair value of
the acquired assets and assumed liabilities of the accounting acquiree, which is the Company .
December 31,
2021
Assets:
(in thousands)
Cash, cash equivalents and investments
$ 19,064
Other current assets
2,558
Other assets
833
Intangibles
Developed technology
5,726
Customer relationships
2,556
8,282
Goodwill
9,946
Liabilities:
Current liabilities
3,056
$ 37,627
F- 21
Presentation of Consolidated Financial Statements
Post Reverse Acquisition
The consolidated financial statements reflect
all of the following:
● the assets and liabilities of the legal subsidiary
(Peraso Tech, as the accounting acquirer) recognized and measured at their pre-combination carrying amounts;
● the assets and liabilities of the legal parent (the
Company, as the accounting acquiree) recognized and measured in accordance with ASC No. 805;
● the retained earnings and other equity balances
of the legal subsidiary (Peraso Tech, as the accounting acquirer) before the business combination; and
● the amount recognized as issued equity interests
in the consolidated financial statements determined by adding the issued equity interest of Peraso Tech outstanding immediately before
the business combination to the fair value of the Company. However, the equity structure (that is, the number and type of equity interests
issued) reflects the equity structure of the Company.
All references to common stock,
stock options and warrants as well as per share amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the number of shares of the Company
issued in the reverse acquisition. Unaudited pro forma results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021 are included below as
if the business combination occurred on January 1, 2021. This summary of the unaudited pro forma results of operations is not necessarily
indicative of what the Company’s results of operations would have been had Peraso Tech been acquired at the beginning of 2021, nor
does it purport to represent results of operations for any future periods.
Year ended
December 31,
2021
Revenue
$ 10,670
Net loss
( 19,977 )
add back: acquisition costs
1,628
Adjusted net loss
$ ( 18,349 )
F- 22
Note 3: Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The following table represents the Company’s
assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 and the basis for that measurement
(in thousands):
December 31, 2022
Fair Value
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Assets:
Money market funds (1)
$ 73
$ —
$ —
$ —
Corporate notes and commercial paper
$ 1,078
$ —
$ 1,078
$ —
Liabilities:
Warrant liability
$ 2,079
$ —
$ —
$ 2,079
December 31, 2021
Fair Value
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Money market funds (1)
$ 1,159
$ 1,159
$ —
$ —
Corporate notes and commercial paper
$ 12,195
$ —
$ 12,195
$ —
(1) Included in cash and cash equivalents
The following table represents the Company’s
determination of fair value for its financial assets (cash equivalents and investments) (in thousands):
December 31, 2022
Unrealized
Unrealized
Fair
Cost
Gains
Losses
Value
Cash and cash equivalents
$ 1,828
$ —
$ —
$ 1,828
Short-term investments
1,103
—
( 25 )
1,078
$ 2,931
$ —
$ ( 25 )
$ 2,906
December 31, 2021
Unrealized
Unrealized
Fair
Cost
Gains
Losses
Value
Cash and cash equivalents
$ 5,893
$ —
$ —
$ 5,893
Short-term investments
9,276
—
( 9 )
9,267
Long-term investments
2,935
—
( 7 )
2,928
$ 18,104
$ —
$ ( 16 )
$ 18,088
There were no transfers in or out of Level 1 and
Level 2 securities during the years ended December 31, 2022 or December 31, 2021.
F- 23
Note 4. Balance Sheet Detail
December 31,
2022
2021
(in thousands)
Inventories:
Raw materials
$ 1,279
$ 879
Work-in-process
2,595
2,170
Finished goods
1,474
775
$ 5,348
$ 3,824
Prepaid expenses and other:
Prepaid inventory and production costs
$ 186
$ 671
Prepaid insurance
47
44
Prepaid software
173
277
Other
168
167
$ 574
$ 1,159
Property and equipment, net:
Machinery and equipment
$ 4,630
$ 8,944
Computer equipment and software
342
2,200
Furniture and fixtures
93
323
Leasehold improvements
555
354
Total property and equipment
5,620
11,821
Less: Accumulated depreciation and amortization
( 3,395 )
( 9,472 )
$ 2,225
$ 2,349
During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company
wrote-off fully depreciated assets, or assets that were no longer in service, costing approximately $ 6,380,000 with corresponding accumulated
depreciation of approximately $ 6,227,000 , or a remaining net book value of approximately $ 153,000 . The Company recorded the remaining
book value of approximately $ 153,000 as a loss during the year ended December 31, 2022.
2022
2021
(in thousands)
Accrued Expenses & Other:
Accrued wages and employee benefits
$ 469
$ 506
Professional fees, legal and consulting
514
1,252
Insurance
—
340
Accrued taxes
14
190
Accrued inventory
—
233
Financing liability
330
—
Warranty accrual
39
29
Other
451
353
$ 1,817
$ 2,903
Note 5. Commitments and Contingencies
Leases
The Company has facility leases that it accounts
for under ASC 842, including the operating leases for its corporate headquarters facility in San Jose, California, and facilities in Toronto
and Markham Ontario, Canada. The Toronto lease expires in December 2023. The Company entered into a new, direct lease for the San Jose
facility in April 2022, for an 18-month term, which commenced July 15, 2022. In May 2022, the Company entered into a new lease for the
facility in Markham with a 60-month term, which commenced June 21, 2022. The Markham landlord also provided a lease incentive of approximately
$ 220,000 (the Incentive), which will be payable to the Company as follows: one-half of the Incentive payable subsequent to the completion
of the improvements to the leased space and the second half-ratably on an annual basis commencing with the second year of the lease.
F- 24
The initial right-of-use assets and corresponding
liabilities of approximately $ 1.0 million for the San Jose and Markham facility leases were measured at the present value of the future
minimum lease payments. The discount rate used to measure the lease assets and liabilities were 8 %. Lease expense is recognized on a straight-line
basis over the lease term.
On March 1, 2022, the Company entered into a 36-month
finance lease agreement for the lease of equipment resulting in the recognition of a right-of-use asset and lease liability of approximately
$ 274,000 .
On November 1, 2022, the Company entered into
a 36-month finance lease agreement for the lease of equipment resulting in the recognition of a right-of-use asset of approximately $ 124,000
and lease liability of approximately $ 117,000 .
The following table provides the details of right-of-use
assets and lease liabilities as of December 31, 2022 (in thousands):
Year Ended
December 31, 2022
Right-of-use assets:
Operating leases
$ 826
Finance lease
321
Total right-of-use assets
$ 1,147
Lease liabilities:
Operating leases
$ 834
Finance lease
323
Total lease liabilities
$ 1,157
Future minimum payments under the leases at December
31, 2022 are listed in the table below (in thousands):
Year ending December 31,
2023
$ 688
2024
263
2025
164
2026
107
2027
81
Total future lease payments
1,303
Less: imputed interest
( 146 )
Present value of lease liabilities
$ 1,157
The following table provides the details of supplemental
cash flow information (in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,
2022
2021
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities:
Operating cash flows for leases
$ 704
$ 248
Rent expense was approximately $ 0.7 million and
$ 0.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. In addition to the minimum lease payments, the
Company is responsible for property taxes, insurance and certain other operating costs related to the leased facilities and equipment.
F- 25
Indemnification
In the ordinary course of business, the Company
enters into contractual arrangements under which it may agree to indemnify the counterparties from any losses incurred relating to breach
of representations and warranties, failure to perform certain covenants, or claims and losses arising from certain events as outlined
within the particular contract, which may include, for example, losses arising from litigation or claims relating to past performance.
Such indemnification clauses may not be subject to maximum loss clauses. The Company has also entered into indemnification agreements
with its officers and directors. No material amounts were reflected in the Company’s consolidated financial statements for the years
ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 related to these indemnifications.
The Company has not estimated the maximum potential
amount of indemnification liability under these agreements due to the limited history of prior claims and the unique facts and circumstances
applicable to each particular agreement. To date, the Company has not made any payments related to these indemnification agreements.
Product Warranties
The Company warrants certain of its products to
be free of defects generally for a period of three years . The Company estimates its warranty costs based on historical warranty claim
experience and includes such costs in cost of net revenues. Warranty costs were not material for the years ended December 31, 2022 and
2021.
Legal Matters
The Company is not a party to any legal proceeding
that the Company believes is likely to have a material adverse effect on its consolidated financial position or results of operations.
From time to time the Company may be subject to legal proceedings and claims in the ordinary course of business. These claims, even if
not meritorious, could result in the expenditure of significant financial resources and diversion of management efforts.
Note 6: Retirement Savings
Plan
Effective
January 1997, the Company adopted the Peraso 401(k) Plan (the Savings Plan), which qualifies as a thrift plan under Section 401(k) of
the Internal Revenue Code. Full-time and part-time employees who are at least 21 years of age are eligible to participate in the Savings
Plan at the time of hire. Participants may contribute up to 15 % of their earnings to the Savings Plan. No matching contributions were
made by the Company during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021.
Note 7. Business Segments, Concentration of Credit Risk and
Significant Customers
The Company determined its reporting units in
accordance with ASC No. 280, Segment Reporting (ASC 280). Management evaluates a reporting unit by first identifying its operating
segments under ASC 280. The Company then evaluates each operating segment to determine if it includes one or more components that constitute
a business. If there are components within an operating segment that meet the definition of a business, the Company evaluates those components
to determine if they must be aggregated into one or more reporting units. If applicable, when determining if it is appropriate to aggregate
different operating segments, the Company determines if the segments are economically similar and, if so, the operating segments are aggregated.
Management has determined that the Company has
one consolidated operating segment. The Company’s reporting segment reflects the manner in which its chief operating decision maker
reviews results and allocates resources. The Company’s reporting segment meets the definition of an operating segment and does not
include the aggregation of multiple operating segments.
F- 26
The Company recognized revenue from shipments
of product, licensing of its technologies and performance of services to customers by geographical location as follows (in thousands):
Year Ended
December 31,
2022
2021
United States
$ 8,932
$ 1,968
Hong Kong
2,428
2,955
Taiwan
1,205
693
Rest of world
2,303
63
Total net revenue
$ 14,868
$ 5,679
The following is a breakdown of product revenue
by category (in thousands):
(amounts in thousands)
Years Ended
December 31,
Product category
2022
2021
Memory ICs
$ 7,722
$ 150
mmWave ICs
3,289
3,566
mmWave modules
3,170
1,101
mmWave other products
18
89
$ 14,199
$ 4,906
Customers who accounted for at least 10 % of total
net revenue were:
Year Ended
December 31,
2022
2021
Customer A
26 %
*
Customer B
21 %
19 %
Customer C
16 %
48 %
Customer D
11 %
*
Customer E
*
11 %
* Represents less than 10 %
As of December 31, 2022, four customers accounted
for 79 % of accounts receivable, and the Company had a provision for doubtful accounts of $ 183,000 against one of the customer’s
receivables. Three customers accounted for 96 % of accounts receivable as of December 31, 2021.
Note 8. Income Tax Provision
Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects
of temporary differences between the carrying amount of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for
income tax purposes.
F- 27
Significant components of the Company’s
deferred tax assets and liabilities were (in thousands):
Year Ended
December 31,
2022
2021
Deferred tax assets:
Federal and state loss carryforwards
$ 9,017
$ 5,409
Reserves, accruals and other
344
198
Depreciation and amortization
611
917
Deferred stock-based compensation
2,682
2,691
Capitalized research and development costs
965
—
Research and development credit carryforwards
6,655
6,675
Total deferred tax assets
20,274
15,890
Less: Valuation allowance
( 20,274 )
( 15,890 )
Net deferred tax assets, net
$ —
$ —
The $ 4.4 million increase in the valuation allowance during 2022 was
primarily the result of an increase to the net operating loss carryforwards for the current year. The valuation allowance increased by
$ 2.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2021.
Utilization of the Company’s net operating
losses (NOLs) and tax credit carryforwards is subject to a substantial annual limitation due to the ownership change limitations provided
by the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) and similar state provisions. Section 382 of the IRC (Section 382) imposes limitations on a corporation’s
ability to utilize its NOL and tax credit carryforwards, if it experiences an “ownership change.” In general terms, an ownership
change may result from transactions increasing the ownership percentage of certain stockholders in the stock of the corporation by more
than 50 % over a three-year period. In the event of an ownership change, utilization of the NOLs would be subject to an annual limitation
under Section 382 determined by multiplying the value of the Company’s stock at the time of the ownership change by the applicable
long-term tax-exempt rate. While a formal study has not been performed, the Company believes that Section 382 ownership changes occurred
as a result of financing transaction in 2018 and the Arrangement. The Company believes the Section 382 limitations will result in approximately
89 % of the federal and state NOLs expiring before they can be utilized, and approximately 88 % of the federal tax credit carryforwards
expiring before they can be utilized.
As of December 31, 2022, the Company had NOLs of approximately $ 228.2
million for federal income tax purposes and approximately $143.6 million for state income tax purposes. Only approximately $ 34.3 million
of the federal NOLs and $ 25.2 million of the state NOLs are expected to be available before expiration due to the Section 382 limitation.
These NOLs are available to reduce future taxable income and will expire at various times from 2025 through 2042, except federal NOLs
from 2018 to 2022 which have no expiration date. As of December 31, 2022, the Company also had federal research and development tax credit
carryforwards of approximately $ 8.5 million that will expire at various times through 2042, and California research and development credits
of approximately $ 8.4 million, which do not have an expiration date.
F- 28
A reconciliation of income taxes provided at the
federal statutory rate ( 21 %) to the actual income tax provision is as follows (in thousands):
Year Ended
December 31,
2022
2021
Income tax benefit computed at U.S. statutory rate
$ ( 6,804 )
$ ( 1,503 )
Research and development credits
( 38 )
( 131 )
Stock-based compensation
1,033
—
Amortization of intangible assets
( 60 )
( 60 )
Goodwill impairment
2,089
—
Valuation allowance changes affecting tax provision
3,774
1,693
Other
6
1
Income tax provision
$ —
$ —
Note 9. Stock-Based Compensation
Common Stock Equity Plans
In 2010, the Company adopted the 2010 Equity Incentive
Plan and later amended it in 2014, 2017 and 2018 (the Amended 2010 Plan). The Amended 2010 Plan was terminated in August 2019 and remains
in effect as to outstanding equity awards granted prior to the date of expiration. No new awards may be made under the Amended 2010 Plan.
In August 2019, the Company’s stockholders
approved the 2019 Stock Incentive Plan (the 2019 Plan) to replace the Amended 2010 Plan. The 2019 Plan authorizes the board of directors
or the compensation committee of the board of directors to grant a broad range of awards including stock options, stock appreciation rights,
restricted stock, performance-based awards, and restricted stock units. Under the 2019 Plan, 182,500 shares were initially reserved for
issuance. In November 2021, in connection with the approval of the Arrangement, the Company’s stockholders approved an amendment
increasing the number of shares reserved for issuance under the 2019 Plan by 3,106,937 shares.
Under the 2019 Plan, the term of all incentive
stock options granted to a person who, at the time of grant, owns stock representing more than 10 % of the voting power of all classes
of the Company’s stock may not exceed five years . The exercise price of stock options granted under the 2019 Plan must be at least
equal to the fair market value of the shares on the date of grant. Generally, awards under the 2019 Plan will vest over a three to four-year
period, and options will have a term of 10 years from the date of grant. In addition, the 2019 Plan provides for automatic acceleration
of vesting for options granted to non-employee directors upon a change of control of the Company.
In connection with the Arrangement, the Company
assumed the Peraso Technologies Inc. 2009 Share Option Plan (the 2009 Plan) and all outstanding options granted pursuant to the terms
of the 2009 Plan. Each outstanding, unexercised and unexpired option under the 2009 Plan, whether vested or unvested, was assumed by the
Company and converted into options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock and became exercisable by the holder of such
option in accordance with its terms, with (i) the number of shares of common stock subject to each option multiplied by the Exchange Ratio
and (ii) the per share exercise price upon the exercise of each option divided by the Exchange Ratio. In connection with the Arrangement,
no further awards will be made under the 2009 Plan.
The 2009 Plan, the Amended 2010 Plan and the 2019
Plan are referred to collectively as the “Plans.”
F- 29
Stock-Based Compensation Expense
The Company reflected compensation costs of $ 4.3
million and $ 4.4 million related to the vesting of stock options during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. At December
31, 2022, the unamortized compensation cost was approximately $ 7.7 million related to stock options and is expected to be recognized as
expense over a weighted average period of approximately two years . The Company reflected compensation costs of $ 1.4 million and $ 0.1 million
related to the vesting of restricted stock options during the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The unamortized compensation
cost at December 31, 2022 was $ 2.1 million related to restricted stock units and is expected to be recognized as expense over a weighted
average period of approximately two years .
Common Stock Options and Restricted Stock
The term of all incentive stock options granted
to a person who, at the time of grant, owns stock representing more than 10 % of the voting power of all classes of the Company’s
stock may not exceed five years. The exercise price of stock options granted under the 2019 Plan must be at least equal to the fair market
value of the shares on the date of grant. Generally, options granted under the 2019 Plan will vest over a three to four-year period and
have a term of 10 years from the date of grant. In addition, the 2019 Plan provides for automatic acceleration of vesting for options
granted to non-employee directors upon a change of control (as defined in the 2019 Plan) of the Company.
The following table summarizes the activity in the shares available
for grant under the Plans during the years ended December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2022 (in thousands, except exercise price):
Options outstanding
Weighted
Shares
Average
Available
Number of
Exercise
for Grant
Shares
Prices
Balance as of January 1, 2021
356
1,053
$ 2.54
Additional shares authorized under the Plans
3,107
—
—
RSUs granted
( 30 )
—
—
Options granted
( 409 )
409
$ 3.00
Options exercised
—
( 20 )
$ 1.72
Options cancelled and returned to the Plans
—
( 42 )
$ 2.72
Effect of business combination
—
158
$ 10.35
Balance as of December 31, 2021
3,024
1,558
$ 3.49
RSUs granted
( 1,732 )
—
$ —
RSUs cancelled and returned to the Plans
264
—
$ —
Options cancelled
—
( 59 )
$ 6.27
Balance as of December 31, 2022
1,556
1,499
$ 3.32
F- 30
The following table summarizes significant ranges
of outstanding and exercisable options as of December 31, 2022 (in thousands, except contractual life and exercise price):
Options Outstanding
Options Exercisable
Weighted
Average
Remaining
Weighted
Weighted
Contractual
Average
Average
Aggregate
Number
Life
Exercise
Number
Exercise
Intrinsic
Range of Exercise Price
Outstanding
(in Years)
Price
Exercisable
Price
value
$ 1.57 - $ 14.99
1,489
7.64
$ 2.65
861
$ 2.57
$ —
$ 15.00 - $ 25.59
4
0.74
$ 15.00
4
$ 15.00
$ —
$ 25.60 - $ 143.99
1
1.67
$ 50.00
1
$ 50.00
$ —
$ 144.00 - $ 409.99
4
3.46
$ 144.00
4
$ 144.00
$ —
$ 410.00 - $ 924.00
1
1.69
$ 410.00
1
$ 410.00
$ —
$ 1.57 - $ 924.00
1,499
$ 3.32
871
$ 3.74
$ —
A summary of RSU activity under the Plans is presented
below (in thousands, except for fair value):
Weighted
Average
Number of
Grant-Date
Shares
Fair Value
Non-vested shares as of December 31, 2020
—
$ 0.00
Granted
30
$ 5.07
Vested
( 10 )
$ 4.21
Effect of business combination
68
$ 4.21
Non-vested shares as of December 31, 2021
88
$ 4.50
Granted
1,732
$ 2.10
Vested
( 589 )
$ 2.29
Cancelled
( 174 )
$ 2.19
Non-vested shares as of December 31, 2022
1,057
$ 2.06
Note 10. Stockholders’ Equity
Securities Purchase Agreement
On November 30, 2022, the Company entered into
a securities purchase agreement (the SPA) with an institutional investor, pursuant to which the Company sold to the investor, in a registered
direct offering, an aggregate of 1,300,000 shares of common stock at a negotiated purchase price of $ 1.00 per share. The Company also
offered and sold to the investor pre-funded warrants to purchase up to 1,150,000 shares of common stock. Each pre-funded warrant is exercisable
for one share of common stock. The purchase price of each pre-funded warrant was $ 0.99 , and the exercise price of each pre-funded warrant
is $ 0.01 per share. The pre-funded warrants were immediately exercisable and may be exercised at any time until all of the pre-funded
warrants are exercised in full. Net proceeds to the Company, after offering costs, were $ 2.1 million.
In a concurrent private placement, the Company
also sold to the investor a warrant to purchase up to 3,675,000 shares of common stock (the Purchase Warrant). The Purchase Warrant will
be exercisable beginning six months and one day from the date of the SPA at an exercise price of $ 1.36 per share and will expire on the
five-year anniversary of that date.
F- 31
Warrants Classified as Liability
Purchase Warrant
The SPA governing the Purchase Warrant provides
for a value calculation for the Purchase Warrant using the Black Scholes model in the event of certain fundamental transactions. The fair
value calculation provides for a floor on the volatility amount utilized in the value calculation at 100 % or greater. The Company has
determined this provision introduces leverage to the holders of the Purchase Warrant that could result in a value that would be greater
than the settlement amount of a fixed-for-fixed option on the Company’s own equity shares. Therefore, pursuant to ASC 815, the
Company has classified the Purchase Warrant as a liability in its consolidated balance sheet. The classification of the Purchase Warrant,
including whether the Purchase Warrant should be recorded as liability or as equity, is evaluated at the end of each reporting period
with changes in the fair value reported in other income (expense) in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.
The Purchase Warrant was initially recorded at a fair value at $ 3.7 million at the grant date and is re-valued at each reporting date.
As of December 31, 2022, the fair value of the warrant liability was reduced to $ 2.1 million. Upon the closing of the registered direct
offering, the fair value of the Purchase Warrant liability, up to the net amounts of the funds received of approximately $ 2,099,000 , was
recorded as a financing cost, and the excess of $ 1,576,000 was recorded as a financing cost in the statement of operations. As a result
of the change in fair value the Company recorded a gain for the year ended December 31, 2022
The fair value of the Purchase Warrant at December
31, 2022 was determined using Black Scholes model with the following assumptions: expected term based on the contractual term of 5.4 years,
risk-free interest rate of 4.00 %, which was based on a comparable US Treasury 5-year bond, expected volatility of 114 %, and an expected
dividend of zero .
As of December 31, 2022, the Company had the following
liability-classified warrants outstanding (share amounts in thousands):
Number of
warrants on
common
shares
Amount
Balance as of December 31, 2021
—
$ —
Recognition of warrant liabilities
3,675
3,674
Change in fair value of warrants
—
( 1,595 )
Balance as of December 31, 2022
3,675
$ 2,079
Peraso Tech Warrants
As of January 1, 2021, the Company had warrants
outstanding to purchase 375,000 shares of its common stock. During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company issued warrants to purchase
an additional 133,000 shares of its common stock. In accordance with the Arrangement Agreement, on December 16, 2021, the warrants to
purchase the 508,000 shares of common stock were settled in exchange for a defined number of common shares. Upon settlement, the fair
value of the warrants was calculated using the intrinsic fair value of the common shares. The change in fair value of approximately $ 8.1
million was recognized in other income (expense) in the consolidated statements of operations.
F- 32
Warrants Classified as Equity
As of December 31, 2022, the Company had the following
equity-classified warrants outstanding (share amounts in thousands):
Warrant Type
Number of
Shares
Exercise
Price
Expiration
Common stock
33
$ 47.00
January 2023
Common stock
101
$ 2.40
October 2023
Common stock
1,150
$ 0.01
—
As of December 31, 2021, the Company had the following
equity-classified warrants outstanding (share amounts in thousands):
Warrant Type
Number of Shares
Exercise Price
Expiration
Common stock
33
$ 47.00
January 2023
Common stock
101
$ 2.40
October 2023
Note 11. Debt
Loan Facilities
On November 30, 2020, the Company entered into
a loan agreement (the SRED Financing) to raise funds against the Company’s present and after acquired personal property. On February
5, 2021, March 5, 2021 and September 17, 2021, the Company raised additional funds from the second, third and fourth draws under the SRED
financing of $ 274,715 (CDN$ 350,000 ), $ 274,715 (CDN$ 350,000 ) and $ 745,655 (CDN$ 950,000 ) respectively, totaling year to date gross proceeds
of $ 1,295,085 (CDN$ 1,650,000 ) net of financing fees of $ 32,770 (CDN$ 41,750 ). Each borrowing carried an interest rate of 1.6 % per month,
compounded monthly ( 20.98 %). The SRED financing was sanctioned against the Company’s SRED tax credit refund.
The first, second and third draws, including interest
of $ 136,900 (CDN$ 174,417 ), were repaid through proceeds from the Company’s tax credit refund of $ 1,093,230 (CDN$ 1,392,831 ) received
in August 2021, and the balance of $ 184,558 (CDN$ 235,132 ) was paid from the fourth draw. The remaining loan balance, including interest,
of $ 816,964 (CDN$ 1,044,177 ) was repaid on December 16, 2021.
Interest expense of approximately $ 3.0 million
for the year ended December 31, 2021 consisted of i) approximately $ 2.1 million of amortization of debt discount, ii) approximately $ 0.7
million of interest expense on convertible debt, which was outstanding and retired in 2021, and iii) approximately $ 0.2 million of interest
expense on the SRED financing.
F- 33
Note 12. Related Party Transactions
A family member of one of the Company’s
executive officers serves as a consultant to the Company. During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company paid approximately
$ 162,000 and $ 208,000 , respectively, to the consultant. Additionally, a family member of one of the Company’s executive officers
is an employee of the Company. During the years ended December 31, 2022, the Company paid approximately $ 101,000 to the employed family
member , which includes the aggregate grant date fair value, as determined pursuant to FASB ASC Topic
718, of an RSU awarded in April 2022. During the years December 31, 2021, the Company paid approximately $ 94,000 to the employed
family member .
Note 13. License and Asset Sale Transaction and Subsequent Event
On August 5, 2022, the Company entered into a
Technology License and Patent Assignment Agreement (the Intel Agreement) with Intel Corporation (Intel), pursuant to which Intel: (i)
licensed from the Company, on an exclusive basis, certain software and technology assets related to the Company’s Stellar packet
classification intellectual property, including its graph memory engine technology, and any roadmap variant, in the form existing as of
the date of the Agreement (the Licensed Technology); (ii) acquired from the Company certain patent applications and patents owned by the
Company; and (iii) assumed a professional services agreement, dated March 24, 2020, between Fabulous Inventions AB (Fabulous) and the
Company (the Fabulous Agreement), pursuant to which, among other things, the Company licensed from Fabulous certain technology incorporated
into the Licensed Technology.
As consideration for the Company to enter into
the Agreement, Intel agreed to pay the Company $ 3,062,500 at the closing of the transaction (the Closing) and $ 437,500 (the Holdback)
upon the satisfaction by the Company, as mutually agreed upon by the parties in good faith, of certain release criteria set forth in the
Agreement relating to various due diligence activities of Intel regarding the Licensed Technology (the Release Criteria).
The Company determined that the license and asset
sale did not qualify as a sale of a business, but as a sale of a non-financial asset, with the resultant gain recorded as income from
operations in accordance with ASC 610-20, Other Income - Gains and Losses from the Derecognition of Nonfinancial Assets . During
the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company recognized a $ 2.6 million gain on this transaction, net of transaction costs, which
was recorded as a reduction of operating expenses in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. Any gain
related to the Holdback will be recorded when the Release Criteria have been satisfied. In January 2023, Intel paid the Holdback.
F-34