Item 1A. Risk Factors
ITEM
1A. Risk Factors
You
should carefully consider the risks described below and other information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including the financial
statements and related notes that appear at the end of this report, before deciding to invest in our securities. These risks should be
considered in conjunction with any other information included herein, including in conjunction with forward-looking statements made herein.
If any of the following risks actually occur, they could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating
results. Additional risks and uncertainties that we do not presently know or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business,
financial condition and operating results. The following discussion of risks is not all-inclusive but is designed to highlight what we
believe are the material factors to consider when evaluating our business and expectations. These factors could cause our future results
to differ materially from our historical results and from expectations reflected in forward-looking statements.
Risks
Related to Our Business, Operations, Industry, Legal, and Regulatory Requirements
We
are dependent on third parties for a significant portion of our revenue through intellectual property licensing agreements, and we may
not realize the expected benefits of such arrangements.
We
have in the past entered into, and may continue to enter into, licensing arrangements with third parties that we believe will commercialize
our intellectual property and bolster our revenue.
Our
revenue from licensing agreements constituted substantially all of our revenue in the year ended April 30, 2025, and our results of operations
have been, and may continue to be, affected by such arrangements. Licensing agreements involving our intellectual property are subject
to various risks. Our licensees may fail to comply with their obligations set out in the respective agreements. If the licensees generate
insufficient revenue from their operations, they may be unable to meet the minimum payments required under the agreements. Our licensees
may elect to cease the licensing arrangements due to a change in their strategic focus, the availability of funding, or other external
factors. Termination of any licensing arrangements may result in a reduction in our revenue and the need for replacement arrangements
with other licensees.
Our
licensees have significant discretion in determining the efforts and resources that they will apply to their own operations, potentially
limiting their ability to make the required payments under the licensing
agreements. Such licensees may independently develop intellectual
property that could substitute for ours or may partner with competitors offering different technology.
Our
licensees may not properly maintain or defend our intellectual property rights or may use our intellectual property or proprietary information
in a way that gives rise to actual or threatened litigation that could jeopardize or invalidate our intellectual property rights or our
rights over our proprietary information or could expose us to potential liability.
Disputes
may arise between us and our licensees that interfere with the licensing arrangements or lead to the termination of the licensing agreements.
Such disputes could result in costly litigation or arbitration that diverts management attention and resources.
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As
we expand to new jurisdictions, if we fail to enter into licensing arrangements for a particular territory with a suitable strategic
partner and do not have sufficient funds or local expertise to undertake the necessary commercialization activities ourselves, we may
not be able to generate revenue from that territory.
For
these and other reasons, we may not achieve the outcomes expected from our licensing arrangements. These arrangements are subject to
significant business, economic, and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are difficult to predict and are beyond
our control. We may face operational and financial risks including increases in near- and long-term expenditure, exposure to unknown
liabilities, disruption of our business, and diversion of our management’s time and attention. Even if we achieve the expected
benefits, we may not be able to do so within the anticipated time frame. Any of the foregoing could materially adversely affect our business,
financial condition, results of operations, and prospects.
The
love and marriage market sector, including matchmaking apps, is competitive, with low switching costs and a consistent stream of new
services and entrants, and innovation by competitors may disrupt our business.
The
love and marriage market sector, including matchmaking apps, is competitive, with a consistent stream of new services and entrants. Some
of our competitors and the competitors of our licensees may enjoy better competitive positions in certain geographical regions, user
demographics, or other key areas that we or our licensees currently serve or may serve in the future. These advantages could enable such
competitors to offer services that are more appealing to users and potential users than the services offered by us or our licensees or
to respond more quickly or cost-effectively than us or our licensees to new or changing opportunities.
In
addition, within the love and marriage market sector generally, costs for consumers to switch between services are low, and consumers
have a propensity to try new approaches to connecting with people and to use multiple services at the same time. As a result, new services,
entrants, and business models are likely to continue to emerge. If we or a licensee become established as a dominant player in any particular
market, it is possible that a new service could gain rapid scale at the expense of existing brands by harnessing a new technology, such
as generative AI, or a new or existing distribution channel, creating a new or different approach to connecting people, or some other
means. We may need to respond by introducing new services or features (for us or for our licensees), and we may not be successful in
that. If we do not sufficiently innovate to provide new services, or improve upon existing services, that users or prospective users
find appealing, we or our licensees may be unable to continue to attract new users or continue to appeal to existing users.
Potential
competitors include larger companies that could devote greater resources to the promotion or marketing of their services, take advantage
of acquisitions or other opportunities more readily, or develop and expand their services more quickly than we or our licensees do. Potential
competitors also include established social media companies that may develop features or services that compete with ours or our licensees’
or operators of mobile operating systems and app stores. For example, Facebook offers a dating feature on its platform, which it rolled
out globally several years ago and has grown dramatically in size supported by Facebook’s massive worldwide user footprint. Social media and mobile platform competitors could use strong or dominant positions in one or more markets, coupled with ready access
to existing large pools of potential users and personal information regarding those users, to gain competitive advantages over us or
our licensees, including by offering different features or services that users may prefer or offering their services to users at no charge,
which may enable them to acquire and engage users at the expense of our user growth or engagement.
If
we are not able to compete effectively against current or future competitors as well as other services that may emerge, or if our decisions
regarding where to focus our investments are not successful in the long term, the size and level of engagement of our user base may decrease,
which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. If, similarly, our licensees are
unable to compete effectively or are unsuccessful in this regard, the size and level of engagement of their user base may decrease, which
could impact their payments to us and therefore have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
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The
limited operating history and geographic reach of YYEM’s brands and services makes it difficult to evaluate our current business
and future prospects.
We
seek to tailor our services to meet the preferences of specific geographies, demographics, and other communities of users. Building a
given brand or service is generally an iterative process that occurs over a meaningful period of time and involves considerable resources
and expenditure. The historical growth rate of any brand or service may not be indicative of future growth rates for the brand or service
or for brands and services that we may launch in other jurisdictions. We may encounter risks and difficulties as we build our brands
and services. The failure to successfully scale these brands and services and address these risks and difficulties could adversely affect
our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
If
our licensees fail to add users (or if we fail to do so after developing our own offerings for end users), our revenue, financial results,
and business may be significantly harmed.
Our
financial performance will be significantly determined by our licensees’ success in adding and retaining users of their services
(or our ability to do so if we develop our own offerings for end users). Currently, the size of our licensees’ user base is impacted
by a number of factors, including competing products and services and global and regional business, macroeconomic, and geopolitical conditions.
If
people do not perceive our licensees’ services to be useful, the licensees may not be able to attract or retain users. With each
new generation of users, expectations of matchmaking and dating services change and user behaviors and priorities shift. As a result,
we may need to further leverage our existing capabilities or advances in technologies such as artificial intelligence (“AI”)
and those relating to the metaverse, or adopt new technologies, to improve our licensees’ existing services or introduce new services
in order to better satisfy existing users and to expand our licensees’ penetration of what continues to be a large available new-user
market. However, there can be no assurance that further implementation of technologies such as AI and those relating to the metaverse
will enhance our licensees’ services or be beneficial to our business, and the introduction of new features or services to their
existing services may have unintended consequences for their ecosystem, which could lead to fluctuations in the size of their user base.
If
our licensees are unable to maintain or increase the size of their user base (or if we are unable to do so), our revenue and other financial
results may be adversely affected. Furthermore, as the size of our licensees’ user base fluctuates in one or more markets from
time to time, we may become increasingly dependent on our ability to maintain or increase levels of monetization in order to grow our
revenue. Any significant decrease in user retention or growth could render our licensees’ services less attractive to users, which
could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
If
we develop our own offerings for end users, our growth and profitability will rely, in significant part, on our ability to attract and
retain users through cost-effective marketing efforts. Any failure in those efforts could adversely affect our business, financial condition,
and results of operations.
Attracting
and retaining users for any services we develop for end users will involve considerable expenditure for online and offline marketing,
likely requiring higher marketing outlays over time in order to sustain our growth. This also applies to our licensees, whose success
is a key component of our own. Evolving consumer behavior can affect the availability of profitable marketing opportunities. Offline
campaigns may diminish in effectiveness as consumers move increasingly online. Online campaigns may become less fruitful as large tech
platforms, such as Apple and Google, increasingly limit advertisers’ ability to access and use unique advertising identifiers,
cookies, and other information to acquire potential users (such as Apple’s rules regarding the collection and use of identifiers
for advertising, often referred to as IDFA). To continue to reach potential users and grow our businesses after developing our own offerings
for end users, we will likely be required to identify and devote more of our overall marketing expenditure to newer advertising channels,
such as social media and online video platforms. We could have less success using these newer advertising channels and methods to identify
potential customers. There can be no assurance that we will be able to appropriately manage our marketing efforts in response to these
and other trends in the advertising industry. Any failure to do so could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results
of operations.
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Distribution
and marketing of, and access to, the online services offered by us and our licensees may rely, in significant part, on a variety of third-party
platforms, in particular, mobile app stores. If these third parties limit, prohibit, or otherwise interfere with features or services
or change their policies in any material way, it could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We
may market and distribute our online services (including our AI matchmaker application) through a variety of third-party distribution
channels, some of which may limit or prohibit advertisements for services such as ours, whether because they decide to launch competing
offerings in the same industry or because they are reacting to poor behavior by other industry participants, or for some other reason.
Furthermore, certain platforms on which we may market our services may not properly monitor or ensure the quality of content located
adjacent to or near our advertisements on such platforms, which could have a negative effect on consumers’ perceptions of our company.
The same issues apply to our licensees’ distribution channels and the platforms on which they may market their services. Any of
these developments could rise to a level where our business, financial condition, and results of operations are adversely affected.
Additionally,
our mobile applications (if we develop and market user-facing apps) and those of our licensees’ will most often be accessed
through the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Both Apple and Google have broad discretion to change their policies regarding
their mobile operating systems and app stores in ways that may limit, eliminate, or otherwise interfere with a company’s
ability to distribute or promote its applications through their stores, its ability to update its applications, and its ability to
access information that the apps collect about users. To the extent either Apple or Google does so, our business, financial
condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.
The
success of our services for end users, and those of our licensees, will depend in part on our ability, or our licensees’ ability,
to access, collect, and use personal data about users and subscribers.
We
and our licensees may rely extensively on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, as well as other technology platforms, to distribute
and monetize our mobile applications. Users and subscribers will pay through these platforms, which will prevent us or our licensees
from accessing key user data that we or they would otherwise receive if the transaction were with the users and subscribers directly.
This could negatively impact customer relationship management efforts, the ability to reach new segments of our respective user and subscriber
bases and the population generally, the efficiency of paid marketing efforts, the rates we or our licensees are able to charge advertisers
seeking to reach users and subscribers of our respective services, our ability to comply with applicable law, and our ability, and our
licensees’ ability, to identify and exclude users and subscribers whose access would violate applicable terms and conditions, including
underage individuals and bad actors, all of which could cause our business, financial condition, and results of operations to be adversely
affected.
As
the distribution of our online services through app stores increases, in order to maintain our profit margins, we may need to take steps
to offset increasing app store fees by decreasing traditional marketing expenditure, increasing user volume or monetization per user,
or consolidating back-office and technical functions, or by engaging in other efforts to increase revenue or decrease costs generally.
While
we expect that any mobile applications that we may develop will be free to download from intermediary platforms like the Apple App Store
and the Google Play Store, we intend to offer our users the opportunity to purchase subscriptions and features within the applications.
These purchases are in most cases required to be processed through the in-app payment systems provided by the intermediary, thus requiring
us to pay them a meaningful share of the revenue we receive from these transactions.
Given the expected increase in fees relating to these intermediary
platforms, we may in the future need to offset these increased fees by decreasing traditional marketing expenditure as a percentage of
revenue, increasing user volume or monetization per user, or consolidating back-office or technical functions, or by engaging in other
efforts to increase revenue or decrease costs generally.
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Challenges
properly managing the use of artificial intelligence could result in reputational harm, competitive harm, and legal liability.
We
and our licensees are working to integrate AI technologies into our respective services, which integrations may become important to our
operations over time. Competitors or other third parties may incorporate AI into their services more quickly or more successfully than
us, which could impair our ability to compete effectively and adversely affect our results of operations. Additionally, AI algorithms
and training methodologies may be flawed. If the content or recommendations that AI applications assist in producing are or are alleged
to be deficient, inaccurate, offensive, biased, or otherwise improper or harmful, we or our licensees may face reputational consequences
or legal liability, and our business, financial condition, and results of operations may be adversely affected. Furthermore, the use
of AI has been known to result in, and may in the future result in, cybersecurity incidents that implicate the personal data of end users
of AI-enhanced services. Any such cybersecurity incidents related to our use of AI or our licensees’ use of AI could adversely
affect our reputation and results of operations. AI also presents emerging ethical issues, and if our use of AI becomes controversial,
we may experience reputational harm, competitive harm, or legal liability. The rapid evolution of AI will require the dedication of significant
resources to develop, test, and maintain AI technologies, including to further implement AI ethically in order to minimize unintended
harmful impact. While we will aim to deploy AI responsibly and attempt to identify and mitigate ethical and legal issues presented by
its use, we may be unsuccessful in identifying or resolving issues before they arise.
The
legal and regulatory landscape surrounding generative AI technologies is rapidly evolving and uncertain, including in the areas of intellectual
property, discrimination, cybersecurity, and privacy and data protection. Compliance with existing, new, and changing laws, regulations,
and industry standards relating to AI may limit some uses of AI, impose significant operational costs, and limit our ability to develop,
deploy, or use AI technologies. Furthermore, the integration of AI technologies into our products and services may result in new or enhanced
governmental or regulatory scrutiny. Failure to appropriately respond to this evolving landscape may result in legal liability, regulatory
action, or reputational harm.
Foreign
currency exchange rate fluctuations may adversely affect our results of operations.
Our
reporting currency is the U.S. dollar, and all of our license agreements are currently denominated in U.S. dollars. However, if, in
the future, our revenue is received in various other currencies due to our international operations, our revenue could be reduced
when translated into U.S. dollars during periods of a strengthening U.S. dollar. In addition, as foreign currency exchange rates
fluctuate, the translation of our international revenue into U.S. dollar-denominated operating results could affect the
period-to-period comparability of such results and could also result in foreign currency exchange gains and losses.
We
depend on our key personnel.
Our
future success will depend on our continued ability to identify, hire, develop, motivate, and retain highly skilled individuals
across the markets where we operate, with the continued contributions of management, as well as contributions from sales teams and
technology teams, being especially critical to our success. Competition for well-qualified employees or contractors is intense, and
our continued ability to compete effectively depends, in part, on our ability to attract new employees or contractors.
Effective
succession planning is also important to our future success. If we fail to ensure the effective transfer of management or other institutional
knowledge, our ability to execute short- and long-term strategic, financial, and operating goals, as well as our business, financial
condition, and results of operations generally, could be adversely affected.
In
addition to intense competition for talent, workforce dynamics are constantly evolving, such as recent broad shifts to hybrid work models.
If we do not manage changing workforce dynamics effectively, it could materially adversely affect our culture, reputation, and operational
flexibility going forward.
Our
success may depend, in part, on the integrity of our systems and infrastructure and on our ability to enhance, expand, and adapt these
in a timely and cost-effective manner.
To
succeed with our own offerings for end users, our systems and infrastructure must perform well on a consistent basis. We may from time
to time experience system interruptions that make some or all of our systems or data unavailable and prevent our services from functioning
properly for our users. Any such interruption could arise for any number of reasons, including as a result of our own actions, actions
by government agencies, cyberattacks, fire, power loss, telecommunications failures, computer viruses, software bugs, acts of God, and
similar events. While we expect to have backup systems in place for certain aspects of our operations, not all of our systems and infrastructure
will be fully redundant, disaster recovery planning will not be sufficient for all eventualities, and we may not have insurance coverage
that compensates us fully, or at all, for any losses that we may suffer. Any interruptions or outages, regardless of the cause, could
negatively impact our users’ experiences, tarnish our reputation, and decrease demand for our services, any or all of which could
adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
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We
will work on our technology and network to improve the experience of our users, accommodate substantial increases in the volume of traffic
to our various platforms, and ensure acceptable load times for our services, and keep up with changes in technology and user preferences.
Any failure to do so in a timely and cost-effective manner could adversely affect our users’ experience with our various services,
thereby negatively impacting the demand for our services, and could increase our costs, either of which could adversely affect our business,
financial condition, and results of operations.
From
time to time, we may augment and enhance, or transition to other, enterprise resource planning, human resources, financial, or other
systems. Such actions may cause us to experience difficulties in managing our systems and processes, which could disrupt our operations,
the management of our finances, and the reporting of our financial results, which, in turn, may result in our inability to manage the
growth of our business and to accurately forecast and report our results, each of which could adversely affect our business, financial
condition, and results of operations.
We
may not be able to protect our systems and infrastructure from cyberattacks and may be adversely affected by cyberattacks experienced
by third parties.
If
we build out our own online offerings, we may find ourselves targeted by cyberattacks, computer viruses, worms, bot attacks, or other
destructive or disruptive software, distributed denial of service attacks, and attempts to misappropriate customer information, including
personal user data, credit card information, and account login credentials. While we would expect to invest in the protection of our
systems and infrastructure, in related personnel and training, and in employing a data minimization strategy where appropriate, there
can be no assurance that our efforts will prevent significant breaches in our systems or other such events from occurring. Any cyber
or similar attack that we are unable to protect ourselves against could damage our systems and infrastructure, prevent us from providing
our services, tarnish our reputation, result in the disclosure of confidential or sensitive information of our users, and be costly to
remedy, as well as subject us to investigation by regulatory authorities or to litigation that could result in liability to third parties.
The
impact of cyber or similar attacks experienced by any third parties who provide services to us or might otherwise process data on our
behalf could have a similar effect on us. Even cyber or similar attacks that do not directly affect us or our third-party service providers
or data processors may result in widespread access to user data, for instance through account login credentials that such users might
have used across multiple internet sites, including our sites, or directly through access to user data that these third-party service
providers could process in the context of the services they provide to us. These events can lead to government enforcement actions, fines,
and litigation, as well as a loss of consumer confidence generally, which could make users less likely to use or continue to use our
services. The occurrence of any of these events could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our
success will depend, in part, on the integrity of third-party systems and infrastructure.
If
we develop our own offerings for end users, we may rely on third parties in connection with the provision of our services generally,
as well as to facilitate and process certain transactions with our users. These third parties would likely include data centers and cloud-based,
hosted web service providers, as well as third-party computer systems, service providers, and broadband and other communications systems.
We will have no control over any of these third parties or their operations, and such third-party systems are increasingly complex. Any
changes in service levels at our data centers or hosted web service providers or any interruptions, outages, or delays in our systems
or those of our third-party providers, deterioration in the performance of these systems, or cyber or similar attacks on these systems
could impair our ability to provide our services or process transactions with our users, which would adversely impact our business, financial
condition, and results of operations.
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If
the security of personal and confidential or sensitive user information that we maintain and store is breached or otherwise accessed
by unauthorized persons, it may be costly to mitigate the impact of such an event and our reputation could be harmed.
If
we develop our own offerings for end users, we will receive, process, store, and transmit a significant amount of personal user and other
confidential or sensitive information, including, without limitation, credit card information and user-to-user communications. We would
also likely enable our users to share their personal information with each other. In some cases, we might engage third-party service
providers to store or process this information. We will work to protect the security, integrity, and confidentiality of this information,
but we cannot guarantee that inadvertent or unauthorized use or disclosure will not occur in the future or that third parties will not
gain unauthorized access to, or will not use for unauthorized purposes, this information despite our efforts. When such events occur,
we may not be able to remedy them, and we may be required by an increasing number of laws to notify regulators and individuals whose
personal information was processed, used, or disclosed without authorization. We may also be subject to claims against us, including
government enforcement actions, fines, and litigation, and have to expend significant capital and other resources to mitigate the impact
of such events, including by developing and implementing protections to prevent future events of this nature from occurring. When breaches
of security (or the security of our service providers) occur, the perception of the effectiveness of our security measures, the security
measures of our service providers, and our reputation may be harmed, we may lose current and potential users, and our reputation and
competitive position may be tarnished, any or all of which might adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our
business is subject to complex and evolving laws and regulations, including with respect to data privacy and platform liability, particularly
if we develop our own offerings for end users. These laws and regulations are subject to change and uncertain interpretation and could
result in changes to our business practices, increased cost of operations, declines in user growth or engagement, legal claims, monetary
penalties, or other harm to our business.
As
we plan on expanding our footprint internationally, we will be subject to a variety of laws and regulations that involve matters that
are important to or may otherwise impact our business. We are indirectly affected by laws and regulations in jurisdictions where we do
not operate but our licensees do. Some laws and regulations can be enforced by private parties in addition to governmental entities and
are constantly evolving and subject to change. As a result, the application, interpretation, and enforcement of these laws and regulations
are often uncertain, particularly in the rapidly evolving industry in which we and our licensees operate, and such laws and regulations
may be interpreted and applied inconsistently from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. These laws and regulations, as well as any associated
inquiries, investigations, or other government actions, may be costly to comply with and may delay or impede the development of new services,
require changes to or cessation of certain business practices, result in negative publicity, increase our operating costs, require significant
management time and attention, and subject us to remedies that may harm our business, including fines or modifications to existing business
practices.
Tax
laws, in particular, are subject to interpretation by the relevant taxing authorities. While we endeavor to comply with applicable law,
there can be no assurance that the relevant taxing authorities will not take a position contrary to us, and if so, that such position
will not adversely affect us, directly or indirectly. Any events of this nature could adversely affect our business, financial condition,
and results of operations.
Proposed
or new legislation and regulations could also adversely affect our business. To the extent new or more stringent measures are required
to be implemented, impose new liability, or limit or remove existing protections, our business, financial condition, and results of operations
could be adversely affected.
The
adoption of any laws or regulations that adversely affect the popularity or growth in use of the internet or our services, including
laws or regulations that undermine open and neutrally administered internet access, could decrease user demand for our service offerings
and increase our cost of doing business, thereby negatively impacting our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
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If
we develop our own offerings for end users, we will be subject to a number of risks related to credit card payments, including data security
breaches and fraud that we or third parties experience, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results
of operations.
If
we develop our own offerings for end users, we will likely accept payment from our users primarily through credit card transactions and
certain online payment service providers. When we or a third party experiences a data security breach involving credit card information,
affected cardholders will often cancel their credit cards. In the case of a breach experienced by a third party, the more sizable the
third party’s customer base and the greater the number of credit card accounts impacted, the more likely it is that our users would
be impacted by the breach. To the extent our users are affected by such a breach experienced by us or a third party, we would need to
contact such users to obtain new credit card information and process any pending transactions. It is likely that we would not be able
to reach all affected users, and even if we could, some users’ new credit card information may not be obtained and some pending
transactions may not be processed, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Even
if our users are not directly impacted by a given data security breach, they may lose confidence in the ability of service providers
to protect their personal information generally, which could cause them to stop using their credit cards online or choose alternative
payment methods that are less convenient or more costly for us or otherwise restrict our ability to process payments without significant
effort on the part of the user or us, or both.
Additionally,
if we fail to adequately prevent fraudulent credit card transactions, we may face litigation, fines, governmental enforcement action,
civil liability, diminished public perception of our security measures, significantly higher credit card-related and remediation costs,
or refusal by credit card processors to continue to process payments on our behalf, any of which could adversely affect our business,
financial condition, and results of operations.
If
we develop our own offerings for end users, inappropriate actions by certain of our users could be attributed to us and damage our reputation,
which in turn could adversely affect our business.
Users
of our services may in the future be physically, financially, emotionally, or otherwise harmed by individuals that such users meet through
one of our services. If any users suffer or allege to have suffered any such harm, we could experience negative publicity or legal action
that could damage our reputation. Similar events affecting users of our competitors’ services could result in negative publicity
for our industry generally, which could in turn negatively affect our business.
In
addition, our reputation may be adversely affected by actions of our users that are deemed to be hostile, offensive, defamatory, inappropriate,
untrue, or unlawful. While our focus to date on offline matchmaking has helped to avoid such incidents, and while we intend to develop
systems and processes that aim to monitor and review the appropriateness of content accessible through our online services, together
with policies regarding illegal, offensive, or inappropriate use of our services, our users could nonetheless engage in activities that
violate our policies. Such bad actors may also use emerging technologies, such as AI, to engage in such activities, making it more difficult
for us to detect and prevent such negative behavior. Our safeguards may not be sufficient to avoid harm to our reputation, especially
if such hostile, offensive, or inappropriate use is well-publicized.
We
may fail to adequately protect our intellectual property rights or may be accused of infringing the intellectual property rights of third
parties.
We
currently rely exclusively on patents that we license out, and we expect, in the future, that we will rely heavily on our trademarks
and related domain names and logos for marketing and to build and maintain brand loyalty and recognition. We also expect to rely on other
patented and patent-pending proprietary technologies and trade secrets, such as our own app, relating to our services.
We
will continue to rely on a combination of laws and contractual restrictions to establish and protect our intellectual property rights.
For example, we continue to apply to register, or secure by contract where appropriate, trademarks and service marks as they are developed
and used, and we are reserving, registering, and renewing domain names as we deem appropriate. Effective trademark protection may not
be available or sought in every country in which our services are made available, and contractual disputes may affect the use of marks
governed by private contract. Similarly, not every variation of a domain name may be available or registered by us, even if available.
We
generally will seek to apply for patents or other similar statutory protections as and when we deem appropriate, based on then-current
facts and circumstances. No assurance can be given that any patent application we have filed or will file will result in a patent being
issued, or that any existing or future patents will afford adequate protection against competitors and similar technologies. In addition,
no assurance can be given that third parties will not create new products or methods that achieve similar results without infringing
upon patents we own.
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Despite
these measures, our intellectual property rights may still not be protected in a meaningful manner, challenges to contractual rights
could arise, third parties could copy or otherwise obtain and use our intellectual property without authorization, our existing trademarks,
patents, or trade secrets could be determined to be invalid or unenforceable, or laws and interpretations of laws regarding the enforceability
of existing intellectual property rights could change over time in a manner that provides less protection. The occurrence of any of these
events could tarnish our reputation, limit our marketing ability, or impede our ability to effectively compete against competitors with
similar technologies, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We
may also occasionally be subject to legal proceedings and claims regarding intellectual property, including claims of alleged infringement
of trademarks, copyrights, patents, and other intellectual property rights held by third parties and of invalidity of our own rights.
In addition, we may decide we should engage in litigation to enforce our intellectual property rights, to protect our trade secrets and
patents, or to determine the validity and scope of proprietary rights claimed by others. Any litigation of this nature, regardless of
outcome or merit, could result in substantial costs and diversion of management and technical resources, any of which could adversely
affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We
intend to expand to various international markets, including markets in which we have limited experience, and as a result, we face additional
risks in connection with those operations.
Operating
internationally, particularly in countries in which we have limited experience, exposes us to a number of additional risks, such as:
●
operational
and compliance challenges caused by distance, language, and cultural differences;
●
difficulties
in staffing and managing international operations;
●
differing
levels of social and technological acceptance of our services or lack of acceptance of them generally;
●
differing
and potentially adverse tax laws;
●
compliance
challenges due to different laws and regulatory environments, particularly in the case of privacy, data security, intermediary or
platform liability, and consumer protection;
●
competitive
environments that favor local businesses or local knowledge of such environments;
●
limitations
on the level of intellectual property protection; and
●
trade
sanctions, political unrest, terrorism, war, and epidemics, or the threat of any of these events.
These
risks could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We
are subject to litigation, and adverse outcomes in such litigation could have an adverse effect on our financial condition.
From
time to time, we may become subject to litigation, and to various legal proceedings relating to employment matters, intellectual property
matters, and privacy and consumer protection laws, as well as stockholder derivative suits, class action lawsuits, mass arbitrations,
and other matters. Such litigation and proceedings may involve claims for substantial amounts of money or for other relief, may result
in significant costs for legal representation, arbitration fees, or other legal or related services, or might necessitate changes to
our business or operations. The defense of these actions is likely to be time consuming and expensive. We will evaluate these litigation
claims and legal proceedings to assess the likelihood of unfavorable outcomes and to estimate, if possible, the amount of potential loss.
Based on these assessments and estimates, we may establish reserves or disclose the relevant litigation claims or legal proceedings as
and when required or appropriate. These assessments and estimates will be based on information available to our management at the time
of such assessment or estimation and will involve a significant amount of judgment. As a result, actual outcomes or losses could differ
materially from those envisioned by our current assessments and estimates. Our failure to successfully defend or settle any of these
litigation claims or legal proceedings could result in liability that, to the extent not covered by our insurance, could have an adverse
effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
16
Our
operations are subject to volatile global economic conditions, particularly those that adversely impact consumer confidence and spending
behavior.
Adverse
macroeconomic conditions, including lower consumer confidence, changes to fiscal and monetary policy, the availability and cost of credit,
and weakness in the economies in which we or our licensees and the users of our services or those of our licensees are located may continue
to adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. In recent years, the United States, Europe and other
key global markets have experienced historically high levels of inflation, which have impacted, among other things, employee compensation
expenses. If inflation rates rise again or continue to remain historically high or further increase in those locations where inflation
rates remain elevated, it will likely affect our expenses, and may reduce consumer discretionary spending, which could affect the buying
power of our users and lead to a reduction in demand for our services. Other events and trends that could result in decreased levels
of consumer confidence and discretionary spending include a general economic downturn, recessionary concerns, high unemployment levels,
and increased interest rates, as well as any sudden disruption in business conditions. Economic growth in Mainland China has declined
notably in recent years, affecting us through the impact on Hong Kong’s economy and potentially through a China-based licensee.
Additionally, geopolitical developments, such as wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, tensions between the United States and China, climate
change, and the responses by central banking authorities to control inflation (in some economies of the West) or boost growth (in China),
can increase levels of political and economic unpredictability globally and increase the volatility of global financial markets.
Our
financial results may be adversely affected if substantial investments in businesses and operations fail to produce the expected returns.
From
time to time, we may invest in technology, business infrastructure, new businesses, product offering and manufacturing innovation and
expansion of existing businesses, such as our digital commerce operations, which require substantial cash investments and management
attention. We believe cost-effective investments are essential to business growth and profitability; however, significant investments
are subject to typical risks and uncertainties inherent in developing a new business or expanding an existing business. The failure of
any significant investment to provide expected returns or profitability could have a material adverse effect on our financial results
and divert management attention from more profitable business operations.
We
may need additional capital in the future to finance our planned growth, which we may not be able to raise or which may only be available
on terms unfavorable to us or our stockholders, and this may result in our inability to fund our working capital requirements and harm
our operational results.
We
have and expect to continue to have substantial working capital needs. Our cash on hand, together with cash generated from product sales,
services, cash equivalents, and short-term investments will not meet our working capital and capital expenditure requirements for the
next twelve months. We may be required to raise additional funds throughout 2024 or we will need to limit operations until such time
as we can raise substantial funds to meet our working capital needs. In addition, we will need to raise additional funds to fund our
operations and implement our growth strategy, or to respond to competitive pressures or perceived opportunities, such as investment,
acquisition, marketing, and development activities.
If
we experience operating difficulties or other factors, many of which may be beyond our control, cause our revenue or cash flow from operations,
if any, to decrease, we may be limited in our ability to spend the capital necessary to complete our development, marketing, and growth
programs. We require additional financing, in addition to the anticipated cash generated from our operations, to fund our working capital
requirements. Additional financing might not be available on terms favorable to us, or at all. If adequate funds are not available or
are not available on acceptable terms, our ability to fund our operations, take advantage of unanticipated opportunities, develop or
enhance our business or otherwise respond to competitive pressures may be significantly limited. In such a capital restricted situation,
we may curtail our marketing, development, and operational activities or be forced to sell some of our assets on an untimely or unfavorable
basis.
17
Our
internal controls may be inadequate, which could cause our financial reporting to be unreliable and lead to misinformation being disseminated
to the public.
Our
management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal controls over our financial reporting. As defined in
Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f), internal controls over financial reporting involves a process designed by, or under the
supervision of, the principal executive and principal financial officer, and effected by the Board of Directors, management, and
other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial
statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and includes those policies and
procedures that:
● pertain to the
maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the
Company;
● provide reasonable
assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit the preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally
accepted accounting principles and to ensure that receipts and expenditures of the Company are being made only in accordance with authorizations
of management or directors of the Company; and
● provide reasonable
assurance regarding the prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the Company’s assets
that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Our
internal controls may be inadequate or ineffective, which could cause financial reporting to be unreliable and lead to misinformation
being disseminated to the public. Investors relying upon this misinformation may make an uninformed investment decision.
Failure
to achieve and maintain an effective internal control environment could cause us to face regulatory action and also cause investors to
lose confidence in our reported financial information, either of which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business,
financial condition, results of operations, and future prospects.
Our
auditors will not be required to formally attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section
404 until we are no longer a “smaller reporting company”.
The
costs of being a public company could result in us being unable to continue as a going concern.
As
a public company, we are required to comply with numerous financial reporting and legal requirements, including those pertaining to audits
and internal controls. The costs of maintaining public company reporting requirements could be significant and may preclude us from seeking
financing or equity investments on terms acceptable to us and our shareholders. We estimate these costs to be in excess of $500,000 per
year, and they may be higher if our business volume or business activity increases significantly. Our current estimate of costs does
not include the necessary expenses associated with compliance, documentation, and specific reporting requirements of Section 404 as we
will not be subject to the full reporting requirements of Section 404 until we no longer qualify as a “smaller reporting company”.
If
our revenue is insufficient or non-existent, or we cannot satisfy many of these costs through the issuance of shares or debt, we may
be unable to satisfy these costs in the normal course of business. This would result in our being unable to continue as a going concern.
18
If
we fail to maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting, then the price of the Common Stock may be adversely affected.
Our
internal controls over financial reporting may have weaknesses and conditions that could require correction or remediation, the disclosure
of which may have an adverse impact on the price of the Common Stock. We are required to establish and maintain appropriate internal
controls over financial reporting. Failure to establish those controls, or any failure of those controls once established, could adversely
affect our public disclosures regarding our business, prospects, financial condition, or results of operations. In addition, management’s
assessment of internal controls over financial reporting may identify weaknesses and conditions that need to be addressed in our internal
controls over financial reporting or other matters that may raise concerns for investors. Any actual or perceived weaknesses and conditions
that need to be addressed in our internal controls over financial reporting or any disclosure of management’s critical assessment
of our internal controls over financial reporting may have an adverse impact on the price of the Common Stock.
The
SEC’s charges against our former independent auditor, Olayinka Oyebola & Co., could impact the credibility of our financial
statements and those of YYEM, potentially leading to restatements and other adverse effects.
Our
former independent auditor, OOC, has been charged by the SEC in connection with allegedly aiding and abetting violations of the antifraud
provisions of the federal securities laws. The SEC also charged OOC’s principal, Olayinka Oyebola, with allegedly aiding and abetting
a violation involving lying to auditors. The SEC complaint seeks civil penalties as well as permanent injunctive relief, including an
order permanently barring Mr. Oyebola and OOC from acting as auditors or accountants for U.S. public companies or otherwise providing
substantial assistance in the preparation of financial statements filed with the SEC. This action could affect the credibility of the
financial statements audited by OOC. If their audit work is found to be deficient, our financial reporting could be questioned, leading
to potential restatements, delays in regulatory filings, or reputational harm. If OOC is barred from acting as auditors or accountants
for U.S. public companies, we will be unable to include the financial statements reviewed by OOC in any filing made after that date,
and our financial statements will need to be reaudited. Any of these outcomes could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial
condition, and stock price, which could contribute to the loss of all or part of your investment.
On
October 30, 2024, the Board of Directors and the audit committee approved the engagement of B&A as the Company’s independent
registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2025, effective immediately, and dismissed OOC as the Company’s
independent registered public accounting firm.
In
addition to serving as our former independent auditor, OOC was also the independent registered public accounting firm for YYEM for its
financial year ended January 31, 2024. As a result, the SEC action could impact the credibility of YYEM’s financial statements audited
by OOC. If a restatement of YYEM’s financial statements is required, it could materially affect our reported financial condition
and results of operations, particularly given the impact of the Acquisition. Specifically, any potential restatement could affect the
accounting treatment of the acquisition, our historical and pro forma financial statements, and the value of YYEM’s assets on our
balance sheet. Furthermore, if any deficiencies in OOC’s audit work necessitate reauditing YYEM’s financial statements, it
could result in delays in our SEC filings and increased costs associated with obtaining new audits. These factors could have a material
adverse effect on our financial condition, business operations, and the value of our securities.
Fluctuations
in our tax obligations and effective tax rate may have a negative effect on our operating results.
We
may be subject to income taxes in multiple jurisdictions. We record tax expense based on our estimates of future payments, which include
reserves for uncertain tax provisions in multiple tax jurisdictions. At any one time, many tax years may be subject to audit by various
taxing jurisdictions. The results of these audits and negotiations with taxing authorities may affect the ultimate settlement of these
issues. As a result, we expect that throughout the year there could be ongoing variability in our quarterly tax rates as events occur
and exposures are evaluated. Further, our effective tax rate in a given financial period may be materially impacted by changes in mix
and level of earnings or by changes to existing accounting rules or regulations. In addition, tax legislation enacted in the future could
negatively impact our current or future tax structure and effective tax rates.
We
could be subject to changes in tax rates, adoption of new tax laws, additional tax liabilities, or increased volatility in our effective
tax rate.
We
are subject to the tax laws in the U.S. and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Current economic and political conditions make tax laws and
regulations, or their interpretation and application, in any jurisdiction subject to significant change. On December 22, 2017, the U.S.
enacted the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”), which includes a number of significant changes to previous U.S.
tax laws that impact us, including provisions for a one-time transition tax on deemed repatriation of undistributed foreign earnings,
and a reduction in the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, among other changes. The Tax
Act also transitions U.S. international taxation from a worldwide system to a modified territorial system and includes base erosion prevention
measures on non-U.S. earnings, which has the effect of subjecting certain earnings of our foreign subsidiaries to U.S. taxation.
19
We
earn a substantial portion of our income in foreign countries and are subject to the tax laws of those jurisdictions. There have been
proposals to reform foreign tax laws that could significantly impact how U.S. multinational corporations are taxed on foreign earnings.
Although we cannot predict whether or in what form these proposals will pass, several of the proposals considered, if enacted into law,
could have an adverse impact on our income tax expense and cash flows.
Portions
of our operations are subject to a reduced tax rate or are free of tax under various tax holidays and rulings. We also utilize tax rulings
and other agreements to obtain certainty in the treatment of certain tax matters. These holidays and rulings expire in whole or in part
from time to time and may be extended when certain conditions are met or terminated if certain conditions are not met. The impact of
any changes in conditions would be the loss of certainty in treatment thus potentially impacting our effective income tax rate.
We
may also be subject to the examination of our tax returns by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and other tax authorities.
We regularly assess the likelihood of an adverse outcome resulting from these examinations to determine the adequacy of our provision
for income taxes. Although we believe our tax provisions are adequate, the final determination of tax audits and any related disputes
could be materially different from our historical income tax provisions and accruals. The results of audits or related disputes could
have an adverse effect on our financial statements for the period or periods for which the applicable final determinations are made.
For example, we and our subsidiaries are also engaged in a number of intercompany transactions across multiple tax jurisdictions. Although
we believe we have clearly reflected the economics of these transactions and the proper local transfer pricing documentation is in place,
tax authorities may propose and sustain adjustments that could result in changes that may impact our mix of earnings in countries with
differing statutory tax rates.
For
as long as we are a “smaller reporting company,” we will not be required to comply with certain reporting requirements that
apply to other publicly reporting companies. We cannot predict whether the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to smaller reporting
companies will make our Common Stock less attractive to investors.
We
are currently a “smaller reporting company.” For as long as we continue to be a smaller reporting company, we may choose
to take advantage of certain exemptions from reporting requirements applicable to other publicly reporting companies that are not smaller
reporting companies. These include not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements for the assessment of our internal
controls over financial reporting provided by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act,
and not being required to provide certain disclosure regarding executive compensation required of larger publicly reporting companies.
We cannot predict if investors will find our common shares less attractive if we choose to rely on these exemptions. If some investors
find our common shares less attractive as a result of any choices to reduce future disclosure, there may be a less active trading market
for our shares and our share price may be more volatile. Further, as a result of these scaled regulatory requirements, our disclosure
may be more limited than that of other publicly reporting companies and you may not have the same protections afforded to shareholders
of such companies.
We
are subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, requiring us to incur audit fees and legal fees in
connection with the preparation of such reports. These additional costs could reduce or eliminate our ability to earn a
profit.
We
are required to file periodic reports with the SEC pursuant to the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
In order to comply with these requirements, our independent registered public accounting firm will have to review our financial statements
on a quarterly basis and audit our financial statements on an annual basis. Moreover, our legal counsel will have to review and assist
in the preparation of such reports. The costs charged by these professionals for such services cannot be accurately predicted at this
time because factors such as the number and type of transactions that we engage in and the complexity of our reports cannot be determined
at this time and will affect the amount of time to be spent by our auditors and attorneys. However, the incurrence of such costs will
be an expense to our operations and thus have a negative effect on our ability to meet our overhead requirements and earn a profit.
20
If
we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our business and operating results could be harmed, investors could lose
confidence in our reported financial information, and the trading price of the Common Stock, could drop significantly.
Risks
Related to Doing Business in Hong Kong
A
joint statement by the SEC and the PCAOB, rule changes by Nasdaq, the HFCAA and AHFCAA, and the Consolidated Appropriations Act all call
for additional and more stringent criteria to be applied to emerging market companies upon assessing the qualification of their auditors,
especially non-U.S. auditors who are not inspected by the PCAOB. These developments could add uncertainty to our continued listing.
On
April 21, 2020, the SEC and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”) released a joint statement highlighting
the risks associated with investing in companies based in or having substantial operations in emerging markets including China. The joint
statement emphasized the risks associated with lack of access for the PCAOB to inspect auditors and audit work papers in China and higher
risks of fraud in emerging markets.
On
December 18, 2020, the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (the “HFCAA”) was signed and became law. This legislation,
among other things, bans an issuer’s securities from trading if the PCAOB is unable to inspect the issuer’s public accounting
firm for three consecutive years (later reduced to two years by the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (the “AHFCAA”)).
On
December 2, 2021, the SEC issued amendments to finalize interim final rules previously adopted in March 2021 to implement the submission
and disclosure requirements of the HFCAA.
While
the PCAOB initially determined that it was unable to completely inspect or investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered
in mainland China or Hong Kong because of a position taken by one or more authorities in each of those jurisdictions, this determination
was effectively reversed on December 15, 2022, following the CSRC, the Ministry of Finance of the PRC, and the PCAOB signing a Statement
of Protocol governing inspections and investigations of audit firms based in China and Hong Kong permitting the PCAOB to select any issuer
audits for inspection or investigation and to transfer information unfettered to the SEC. Should any PRC authorities obstruct or otherwise
fail to facilitate the PCAOB’s access in the future, the PCAOB would consider the need to issue a new determination.
Neither
our current auditor, Enrome, nor our former auditors, OOC and Bush & Associates CPA,
is headquartered in mainland China or Hong Kong. Nevertheless, should Enrome LLP, Bush & Associates CPA or OOC in the future have
any work papers in China or Hong Kong that the PCAOB is unable to fully inspect, it will be difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of
our current auditor’s or former auditors’ audit procedures or equity control procedures, and investors could consequently
lose confidence in our reported financial information and procedures or the quality of our financial statements, which could adversely
affect us and our securities. Furthermore, if trading in our securities is prohibited under the HFCAA in the future because the PCAOB
determines that it cannot inspect or fully investigate Enrome LLP at such future time, an exchange will likely delist our securities.
The
Chinese government, in general, could exercise significant oversight and discretion over the conduct of our business and has made statements
indicating an intent to exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and over foreign investment in China-based
issuers.
Although
our subsidiary YYEM is based in a special administrative region of the PRC, which enjoys separate governing and economic systems from
that of mainland China under the principle of one country, two systems, Hong Kong is part of China and, as such, the Chinese government
could intervene or influence our operations at any time, which could result in a material change in YYEM’s operations and the value
of our Common Stock. Any actions by the Chinese government to exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas
or over foreign investment in China-based issuers, in particular any effort to extend such actions directly or indirectly to Hong Kong-based
companies, could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause
the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless.
21
Greater
oversight by CAC over data security, particularly for companies seeking to list on a foreign exchange, could adversely impact our business
and our offering.
Over
the years, the PRC has enacted a number of laws and regulations aimed at governing the collection and security of personal data. These
include the Cybersecurity Review Measures, which took effect on February 15, 2022 and require a government review of critical information
infrastructure operators (“CIIOs”) and of internet operators that possesses the personal information of at least one million
users or meet certain other criteria; the Network Data Security Administration (Draft for Comments), published in 2021 and not yet enacted,
which provides that companies engaging in data processing activities that may affect national security must apply for a cybersecurity
review by the CAC under certain circumstances; the PRC Data Security Law, promulgated in 2021, which imposes certain requirements for
the collection and processing of data in order to protect its security; the Personal Information Protection Law, promulgated in 2021,
which integrates various scattered rules with respect to personal information rights and privacy protection; the Rules on the Scope of
Necessary Personal Information for Common Types of Mobile Internet Applications, which came into effect in 2021 and prohibits the operators
of mobile apps from denying users access to the apps just because they do not consent to the collection of unnecessary personal information;
and the Measures for the Security Assessment of Data Cross-border Transfer, effective in 2022, which require data processors to apply
for a cross-border security assessment coordinated by the CAC under certain circumstances, including where they transfer personal information
overseas and have already transferred personal information of more than 100,000 people, or sensitive personal information of more than
10,000 people, overseas since the start of the previous year. (See also the discussion of the Confidentiality and Archives Administration
Provisions, below.
We
do not believe YYEM is subject to cybersecurity review by the CAC, or to any of the other personal data-related laws and regulations
described above, since YYEM is a Hong Kong company without subsidiaries or operations in the PRC. In addition, it does not currently
have, and does not anticipate that it will be collecting, over one million users’ personal information in the foreseeable future,
which might otherwise subject it to the Cybersecurity Review Measures. YYEM has not received any notice from any authorities identifying
it as a CIIO or otherwise requiring it to undergo a cybersecurity review or network data security review by the CAC.
There
remains uncertainty as to how the Cybersecurity Review Measures and the Security Administration Draft will be interpreted or implemented
and whether the PRC regulatory agencies, including the CAC, may adopt new laws, regulations, rules, or detailed implementation and interpretation
related to the Cybersecurity Review Measures and the Security Administration Draft. There is no assurance that YYEM will be able to fully
or timely comply with any of the personal data and data security laws should they be deemed to be applicable to its operations. There
is no certainty as to how any review or other actions would impact YYEM’s operations, and we cannot guarantee that any clearance
could be obtained or maintained if approved.
In
the future, YYEM may be subject to PRC laws and regulations, including those regarding corporate structure, overseas listings, data-
and cybersecurity, and anti-monopoly concerns, which could result in a material negative impact on its operations and the value of the
securities we are registering for sale.
YYEM
is incorporated and registered under the laws of Hong Kong. YYEM does not have, nor does it intend to have, any subsidiary, VIE structure
or direct operations in mainland China. All of YYEM’s revenue and profit is currently generated by operations in Hong Kong. The
Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (the “Basic Law”) provides that PRC laws and regulations shall not
be applied in Hong Kong except for those listed in Annex III of the Basic Law, which is confined to laws relating to national defense,
foreign affairs, and other matters that are not within the scope of autonomy. YYEM therefore is not directly subject to PRC laws and
regulations regarding the general conduct of its business or regarding overseas listings.
Nevertheless,
with its headquarters and substantial operations in Hong Kong, YYEM faces risks and uncertainties associated with the complex and evolving
PRC laws and regulations, including whether and how PRC government statements and regulatory developments, such as those relating to
corporate structure, overseas listings, data- and cybersecurity, and anti-monopoly concerns, would be applicable to Hong Kong companies
such as YYEM, and whether and when the Chinese government might exercise significant oversight over the conduct of business in Hong Kong.
If YYEM were to become subject to PRC laws and regulations, it could incur material costs to ensure compliance, and it might be subject
to fines, no longer be permitted to conduct offerings to foreign investors, or no longer be permitted to continue business operations
as presently conducted.
22
The
uncertainties regarding the enforcement of laws and the fact that rules and regulations in China can change quickly with little advance
notice, along with the risk that the Chinese government may intervene in or influence YYEM’s operations, could result in a material
change in its operations and the value of the securities we are registering, including the possibility that the value of such securities
could become worthless.
In
recent years, the PRC government initiated, with little advance notice, a series of regulatory actions and statements to regulate certain
types of business operations in mainland China, including cracking down on illegal activities in the securities market, enhancing supervision
over mainland China-based companies listed overseas using a variable interest entity structure, adopting new measures to extend the scope
of cybersecurity reviews, and expanding efforts in anti-monopoly enforcement. For example, the General Office of the Communist Party
of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued a document to crack down on illegal activities
in the securities market, requiring various governmental authorities to strengthen cross-border oversight of law-enforcement and judicial
cooperation, to enhance supervision over mainland China-based companies listed overseas, and to establish and improve the system of extraterritorial
application of the PRC securities laws. The CAC also promulgated the various data security-related measures described above under “ Greater
oversight by the Cyberspace Administration of China over data security, particularly for companies seeking to list on a foreign exchange,
could adversely impact our business and our offering. ” As explained above, we believe the Company and its subsidiaries are
not directly subject to the regulations and rules issued by CAC and other governmental agencies.
On
February 17, 2023, the CSRC released the Trial Administrative Measures of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Enterprises
(the “New Overseas Listing Rules”) with five interpretive guidelines, which took effect on March 31, 2023. The New Overseas
Listing Rules require Chinese domestic enterprises to complete filings with relevant governmental authorities and report related information
under certain circumstances. The new rules provide that the determination as to whether a Chinese domestic company is indirectly offering
and listing securities on an overseas market shall be made on a substance-over-form basis, and if the issuer meets the following conditions,
the offering and listing will be deemed an indirect overseas offering and listing by a Chinese domestic company: (i) the revenue, profit,
total assets or net assets of the Chinese domestic entity constitutes more than 50% of such item in the issuer’s audited consolidated
financial statements for the most recent fiscal year; or (ii) the senior managers in charge of business operations and management of
the issuer are mostly Chinese citizens or with a regular domicile in China, the main locations of its business operations are in China,
or its main business activities are conducted in China. YYEM is headquartered in Hong Kong, and at least 50% of its executive officers
and directors are based in Hong Kong and are not Chinese citizens. Furthermore, all of its assets are located in Hong Kong and all of
its revenue and profit is generated from operations in Hong Kong. We therefore believe that YYEM is not subject to the New Overseas Listing
Rules.
On
February 24, 2023, the CSRC, the Ministry of Finance, the National Administration of State Secrets Protection, and the National Archives
Administration released the Provisions on Strengthening the Confidentiality and Archives Administration Related to the Overseas Securities
Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies (the “Confidentiality and Archives Administration Provisions”), which took effect
on March 31, 2023. PRC domestic enterprises seeking to offer securities and list in overseas markets, either directly or indirectly,
are required to establish and improve their confidentiality systems and archives work and to complete various approval and filing procedures
with competent authorities, if such PRC domestic enterprises or their overseas listing entities provide or publicly disclose documents
or materials involving state secrets and work secrets of state organs to relevant securities companies, securities service institutions,
overseas regulatory agencies, or other entities and individuals.
As
of the date of this Annual Report, these new laws and guidelines have not impacted YYEM’s ability to conduct its business. YYEM is
headquartered in Hong Kong and does not have a VIE structure. YYEM is not a cyberspace operator with personal information of more than
1 million users or activities that affect or may affect the national security of China, and it does not possess documents and materials
likely to affect the national security or public interest of China. However, any change in foreign investment regulations or other policies
in China, or related enforcement actions by the PRC government, could result in a material change in YYEM’s operations and the
value of our Common Stock and could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer our Common Stock to investors or cause
the value of our Common Stock to significantly decline or be worthless.
23
We
are subject to risks relating to economic, political, legal, and social conditions in Hong Kong.
Even
though much of YYEM’s revenue is derived from licensees outside Hong Kong, any adverse changes in the economic, political, legal,
and social conditions of Hong Kong could lead to an adverse impact on the demand for YYEM’s services and result in deteriorating
financial performance of the Company.
We
cannot assure you that there will not be any political movements or large-scale political unrest in Hong Kong that could adversely impact
the market. If such unrest or movement persists for a substantial period of time, it may lead to disruption of the general economic,
political, and social conditions in Hong Kong, and YYEM’s overall business, results of operations, and financial condition may
be adversely affected.
The
Law of the PRC on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (the “Hong Kong National Security
Law”) could impact YYEM’s operations in Hong Kong.
On
June 30, 2020, the Standing Committee of the PRC National People’s Congress adopted the Hong Kong National Security Law. This law
defines the duties of the government bodies responsible for safeguarding national security and specifies four categories of offences
- secession, subversion, terrorist activities, and collusion with a foreign country or external elements to endanger national security
- and their corresponding penalties. On July 14, 2020, the U.S. President signed the Hong Kong Autonomy Act (the “HKAA”),
into law, authorizing the U.S. administration to impose blocking sanctions against individuals and entities who are determined to have
materially contributed to the erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy. On August 7, 2020, the U.S. government imposed HKAA-authorized sanctions
on eleven individuals, including the then Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam and the current Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee. On
October 14, 2020, the U.S. State Department submitted to relevant committees of Congress the report required under the HKAA, identifying
persons materially contributing to “the failure of the Government of China to meet its obligations under the Joint Declaration
or the Basic Law.” The HKAA further authorizes secondary sanctions, including the imposition of blocking sanctions, against foreign
financial institutions that knowingly conduct a significant transaction with a foreign person sanctioned under this authority. The imposition
of sanctions may directly affect foreign financial institutions as well as any third parties or customers dealing with any foreign financial
institution that is targeted. The ramifications of the Hong Kong National Security Law and the HKAA are still unfolding, and it is therefore
difficult to predict the full impact on Hong Kong and companies located in Hong Kong. If YYEM is accused of violating the Hong Kong National
Security Law or the HKAA by competent authorities, its business operations, financial position, and results of operations could be materially
and adversely affected.
Risks
Related to Ownership of Our Shares
Our
stock price may be volatile, or may decline regardless of our operating performance, and you could lose all or part of your investment
as a result.
You
should consider an investment in our securities to be risky, and you should invest in our securities only if you can withstand a significant
loss and wide fluctuation in the market value of your investment. The market price of our Common Stock could be subject to significant
fluctuations in response to the factors described in this section and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. Among the
factors that could affect our stock price are:
●
actual
or anticipated variations in our quarterly and annual operating results or those of companies perceived to be similar to us;
●
Changes
in expectations as to our future financial performance, including financial estimates by securities analysts and investors, or differences
between our actual results and those expected by investors and securities analysts;
●
Fluctuations
in the market valuations of companies perceived by investors to be comparable to us;
24
●
The
public’s response to our or our competitors’ filings with the SEC or announcements regarding new products or services,
enhancements, significant contracts, acquisitions, strategic investments, litigation, restructurings, or other significant matters;
●
Speculation
about our business in the press or the investment community;
●
Future
sales of our shares;
●
Actions
by our competitors;
●
Additions
or departures of members of our senior management or other key personnel; and
●
The
passage of legislation or other regulatory developments affecting us or our industry.
In
addition, the securities markets have experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect
the market price of equity securities of many companies. These fluctuations have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating
performance of particular companies. These broad market fluctuations, as well as general economic, systemic, political, and market conditions,
such as recessions, loss of investor confidence, interest rate changes, or international currency fluctuations, may negatively affect
the market price of our shares.
If
any of the foregoing occurs, it could cause our stock price to fall and may expose us to securities class action litigation that, even
if unsuccessful, could be costly to defend and a distraction to management.
The
trading market for our common shares will be influenced by the research and reports that equity research analysts publish about us and
our business. The price of our common shares could decline if one or more securities analysts downgrade our common shares or if those
analysts issue a sell recommendation or other unfavorable commentary or cease publishing reports about us or our business. If one or
more of the analysts who elect to cover us downgrade our common shares, our share price could decline rapidly. If one or more of these
analysts cease coverage of us, we could lose visibility in the market, which in turn could cause the price and trading volume of our
Common Stock to decline.
Due
to the Acquisition, our stockholders have a significantly lower ownership and voting interest in us than they had in Connexa prior thereto
and exercise less influence over management and policies of Connexa.
Based
on the number of shares of our Common Stock outstanding as of the close
of business on Augusts 7, 2025, stockholders of the Company owned approximately 44.2% of the outstanding shares of our Common Stock and
the YYEM shareholder owned approximately 55.8% of the outstanding shares of our Common Stock. Consequently, the YYEM Seller is able to
exert significant influence over certain matters, including matters that must be resolved by a general meeting of shareholders, such as
the election of members to the board of directors or the declaration of dividends or other distributions. To the extent that the interest
of this shareholder may differ from the interests of the Company’s other shareholders, the Company’s other shareholders may
be disadvantaged by any actions that this shareholder may seek to pursue. Additionally, stockholders may not realize a benefit from the
Acquisition commensurate with the ownership dilution they experienced in connection with that transaction.
Although
we expect that our Common Stock will remain listed on Nasdaq, there can be no assurance that we will be able to comply with the continued
listing standards of Nasdaq.
On
July 9, 2025, we received a letter (the “Notice”) from the Listing Qualifications Department of Nasdaq indicating that, as
a result of Warren Andrew Thomson’s resignation from the Board and the audit committee of the Board (the “Audit Committee”),
effective June 12, 2025, the Company is not currently in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5605. The Notice has no immediate effect
on the listing or trading of the Company’s common stock.
25
Nasdaq
Listing Rule 5605 requires that (i) a majority of the Board be comprised of independent directors and (ii) the Audit Committee be comprised
of at least three independent directors. The Company currently has four directors, only two of whom qualify as independent directors.
In addition, the Audit Committee currently comprises only two independent directors.
The
Notice states that, consistent with Nasdaq Listing Rules 5605(b)(1)(A) and 5605(c)(4), Nasdaq will provide the Company a cure period
in order to regain compliance as follows: (i) until the earlier to occur of the Company’s next annual stockholders’ meeting
or June 12, 2026; or (ii) if the next annual stockholders’ meeting is held before December 9, 2025, then the Company must evidence
compliance no later than December 9, 2025. The Company intends to appoint an additional independent director to serve as a member of
the Board and the Audit Committee prior to the end of the cure period described above.
If
Nasdaq delists our Common Stock due to our failure to meet its continued listing standards, we and our stockholders could face significant
material adverse consequences including:
● a limited availability
of market quotations for our securities;
● a determination
that our Common Stock is a “penny stock,” which will require brokers trading in our shares to adhere to more stringent rules,
possibly resulting in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our shares;
● a limited amount
of analyst coverage and more limited universe of potential investors in our securities; and
● a decreased ability
to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.
The
price of our Common Stock may continue to be especially volatile, and if the Acquisition’s benefits do not meet the expectations
of investors, stockholders, or financial analysts, the market price of our Common Stock may decline.
Prior
to the Acquisition, there was no public market for YYEM’s securities. Accordingly, the valuation ascribed to YYEM and our Common
Stock in the Acquisition might not have been indicative of the price that will prevail in the trading market following the Acquisition.
If an active market for our Common Stock continues, the trading price could be especially volatile, and fluctuations in the price of
our Common Stock could contribute to the loss of all or part of your investment. For the period following the Acquisition and beyond,
our stock price may be subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control. Any of the
factors listed below, among others, could have a material adverse effect on your investment, and our Common Stock may trade at prices
significantly below the price you paid for them. In such circumstances, the trading price of our Common Stock may not recover and may
experience a further decline.
If
the benefits of the Acquisition, and the performance of the Company more broadly, do not meet the expectations of investors or securities
analysts, the market price of our Common Stock may decline. Broad market and industry factors may materially harm the market price of
our securities irrespective of our operating performance. The stock market in general, and Nasdaq in particular, have experienced price
and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of the particular companies affected.
The trading prices and valuations of these stocks, and of our securities, may not be predictable. A loss of investor confidence in the
market for retail stocks or the stocks of other companies which investors perceive to be similar to us could depress our stock price
regardless of our business, prospects, financial condition, or results of operations. A decline in the market price of our securities
also could adversely affect our ability to issue additional securities and our ability to obtain additional financing in the future.
We
do not intend to pay dividends on the shares of our Common Stock.
We
intend to retain all of our earnings, if any, for the foreseeable future to finance the operation and expansion of our business and do
not anticipate paying cash dividends. Any future determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors,
subject to compliance with applicable law and any contractual provisions, and will depend on, among other factors, our results of operations,
financial condition, capital requirements, and other factors that our Board of Directors deems relevant. You should expect to receive
a return on your investment in our Common Stock only if the market price of the stock increases, which may never occur.
26
Our
stockholders may not be able to enforce judgments entered by U.S. courts against our officers and directors.
We
are incorporated in the State of Delaware. However, all of our directors and executive officers reside outside the United States. As
a result, our stockholders may not be able to effect service of process upon those persons within the United States or enforce against
those persons judgments obtained in U.S. courts.
Future
sales of shares of Common Stock may result in a decrease in the market price of our Common Stock, even if our business is doing well.
The
market price of our Common Stock could decline due to sales of a large number of shares of Common Stock in the market or the perception
that such sales could occur. This could make it more difficult to raise funds through future offerings of Common Stock.
Our
Board of Directors has authority, without action or vote of the shareholders, to issue all or part of the authorized 1,000,000,000 shares
of Common Stock that are not issued or reserved for issuance under convertible or exchangeable instruments. In addition, we may attempt
to raise additional capital by selling shares, possibly at a deep discount to the market price. These actions may result in material
dilution of the ownership interests of existing shareholders and the book value of our Common Stock.
If
securities or industry analysts do not publish research, or they publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock
price and trading volume could decline.
The
trading market for our Common Stock will depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about
us or our business. Securities and industry analysts do not currently, and may never, publish research on our company. If no securities
or industry analysts commence coverage of our company, the trading price of our stock may be negatively impacted. In the event that securities
or industry analysts initiate coverage, if one or more of the analysts who covers us downgrades our stock or publishes inaccurate or
unfavorable research about our business, our stock price may decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of our Company
or fails to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our stock could decrease, which might cause our stock price and trading volume
to decline.
Holders
of our Common Stock may be diluted by the future issuance of additional shares of Common Stock or preferred stock, or securities convertible
into shares of Common Stock or preferred stock, in connection with incentive plans, acquisitions or otherwise; future sales of such shares
in the public market or the expectation that such sales may occur may decrease the market price of our Common Stock.
We
could issue a significant number of shares of Common Stock post-Acquisition, for example in connection with investments or acquisitions.
We may increase the number of shares of Common Stock reserved for the Slinger Bag Inc. Global Share Incentive Plan (2020) which would
provide additional shares of Common Stock for the issuance, pursuant to the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in such plan,
of long-term incentive compensation which may take the form of options, restricted stock units or other securities. Any of these issuances
could dilute existing stockholders of the Company, and such dilution could be significant. Moreover, such dilution could have a material
adverse effect on the market price for the shares of our Common Stock. Any issuance of shares of preferred stock with voting rights may
adversely affect the voting power of the holders of shares of our Common Stock, either by diluting the voting power of our Common Stock
if the preferred stock votes together with the Common Stock as a single class, or by giving the holders of any such preferred stock the
right to block an action on which they have a separate class vote, even if the action were approved by the holders of our Common Stock.
The future issuance of shares of preferred stock with dividend or conversion rights, liquidation preferences or other economic terms
favorable to the holders of preferred stock could adversely affect the market price for our Common Stock by making an investment in the
Common Stock less attractive. For example, investors in the Common Stock may not wish to purchase Common Stock at a price above the conversion
price of a series of convertible preferred stock because the holders of the preferred stock would effectively be entitled to purchase
Common Stock at the lower conversion price, causing economic dilution to the holders of Common Stock. As of April 30, 2025, the Company
had no shares of preferred stock authorized, issued or outstanding.
27
Certain
of the Company’s large shareholders may be able to exert significant influence on the Company and their interests may conflict
with the interests of its other shareholders.
Certain
of the Company’s large shareholders, including our officers and directors, represented approximately 55.8% of the Company’s voting rights as of August 7,
2025. Therefore, these shareholders would be able to exert significant influence over certain matters, including matters that must be
resolved by the general meeting of shareholders, such as the election of members to the board of directors or the declaration of dividends
or other distributions. To the extent that the interests of these shareholders may differ from the interests of the Company’s other
shareholders, the Company’s other shareholders may be disadvantaged by any actions that these shareholders may seek to pursue.
Our
stockholders may not be able to enforce judgments entered by United States courts against certain of our officers and directors.
We
are incorporated in the State of Delaware. However, some of our directors and executive officers may reside outside of the U.S. As a
result, our stockholders may not be able to effect service of process upon those persons within the U.S. or enforce against those persons
judgments obtained in U.S. courts.
If
our shares of common stock become subject to the penny stock rules, it would become more difficult to trade our shares.
The
SEC has adopted rules that regulate broker-dealer practices in connection with transactions in penny stocks. Penny stocks are generally
equity securities with a price of less than $5.00, other than securities registered on certain national securities exchanges or authorized
for quotation on certain automated quotation systems, provided that current price and volume information with respect to transactions
in such securities is provided by the exchange or system. If we do not obtain or retain a listing on the Nasdaq and if the price of our
common stock is less than $5.00, our common stock will be deemed a penny stock. The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, before
a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document containing specified
information. In addition, the penny stock rules require that before effecting any transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from
those rules, a broker-dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser
and receive (i) the purchaser’s written acknowledgment of the receipt of a risk disclosure statement; (ii) a written agreement
to transactions involving penny stocks; and (iii) a signed and dated copy of a written suitability statement. These disclosure requirements
may have the effect of reducing the trading activity in the secondary market for our common stock, and therefore stockholders may have
difficulty selling their shares.