SYSX Sysorex Inc (CE)

ITEM 1A: RISK FACTORS

Although smaller reporting companies like the Company are not required to respond to this item, we have elected to do so in the interest of full disclosure.

Certain factors may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, in addition to other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in conjunction with the Company’s 8-K/A filed with the SEC on June 24, 2021, including our consolidated financial statements and related notes. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties that we are unaware of or believe are not material may also become important factors that adversely affect our business. If any of the following risks occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects could be materially and adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our Common Stock could decline, and you could lose part or all your investment. 

Risks Related to our Business

We have a history of operating losses and our auditors have indicated that there is a substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

As of December 31, 2021, the Company had an approximate cash balance of $0.6 million, working capital deficit of approximately $13.2 million, and an accumulated deficit of approximately $40.9 million. The aforementioned factors raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for the next twelve months following the issuance of our financial statements. The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability and classification of asset amounts or the classification of liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern within one year after the date the consolidated financial statements are issued.

The Company does not believe that its capital resources as of December 31, 2021, its ability to mine cryptocurrency, availability on the SGS SouthStar credit facility to finance purchase orders and invoices, reauthorization of key vendors and credit limitation improvements will be sufficient to fund planned operations. On March 24, 2022, Company executed an agreement with a third party which includes certain binding and non-binding provisions. The Company and the third party agreed to certain terms related to the Company’s sale of approximately 75% of its Ethereum mining assets and certain associated real property which is expected to close on May 24, 2022. The Company will still require additional funds to support its obligations for the next twelve months. The Company is exploring a number of possible solutions to its financing needs, including efforts to raise additional capital as needed, through the issuance of equity, equity-linked or debt securities, as well as possible transactions with other companies, strategic partnerships, and other mechanisms for addressing our financial condition.

Our capital resources and operating results, as of and through December 31, 2021, consist of the (i) An overall working capital deficit of $13.2 million, (ii) Cash and cash equivalents of $0.6 million, of (iii) Net cash used in operating activities of $(8.5) million, (iv) Net cash provided by investing activities of $2.2 million, and (v) Net cash provided in financing activities of $6.9 million.

We have material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting.

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires annual management assessments of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Our management assessed the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2021 and concluded that we had material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting and therefore, our disclosure controls and procedures may not be effective in providing material information required to be included in any future periodic SEC filings on a timely basis and to ensure that information required to be disclosed in any future periodic SEC filings is accumulated and communicated to our management to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure about our internal control over financial reporting. See “Item 9A: Controls and Procedures.” More specifically, our internal control over financial reporting was not effective due to the following material weaknesses:

Although management has implemented, and continues to implement, actions to remediate the underlying causes of the control deficiencies that gave rise the material weaknesses, we cannot provide any assurance that the remediation efforts will be successful or that our internal control over financial reporting will be effective as a result of these efforts.

If we fail to comply with the rules under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act related to disclosure controls and procedures in the future, or, if we continue to have material weaknesses or other deficiencies in our internal control and accounting procedures and disclosure controls and procedures, our stock price could decline significantly and raising capital could be more difficult. If additional material weaknesses or significant deficiencies are discovered or if we otherwise fail to address the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures, our business may be harmed. Moreover, effective internal controls are necessary for us to produce reliable financial reports and are important to helping prevent financial fraud. 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 our securities could drop significantly.

The ongoing coronavirus outbreak, and measures taken in response thereto, could continue to have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Our business is highly susceptible to changes in economic conditions. Our products and services are directly tied to the production and sale of goods and, more generally, to the North American economy. The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted economic activity and conditions worldwide and created significant volatility and disruption to financial markets. Efforts to control the spread of COVID-19 have led governments and other authorities to impose restrictions which have resulted in business closures and disrupted supply chains worldwide. As a result, transportation, and supply chain companies such as ours have experienced slowdowns and reduced demand and could continue to negatively impact our business.

Furthermore, quarantines, shelter in place orders, labor shortages due to illness and otherwise, business and facility closures or other disruptions to our operations, or our customers’ operations, have also adversely impacted demand for our services and our ability to provide services to our customers.

We are a holding company whose subsidiaries are given a certain degree of independence, and our failure to integrate our subsidiaries may adversely affect our financial condition.

We have given our subsidiary companies and their executives a certain degree of independence in decision-making. On the one hand, this independence may increase the sense of ownership at all levels; on the other hand, it has also increased the difficulty of the integration of operation and management, which has resulted in increased difficulty of management integration. In the event we are not able to successfully manage our subsidiaries, this will result in operating difficulties and have a negative impact on our business.

We are a relatively small company with limited staff and a limited accounting department. Our limited staff and resources may affect our internal controls over financial reporting. Our failure to implement measures that will ensure adequate controls over our financial and other reporting processes could cause us to fail to meet our financial and other reporting obligations.

While we continue to evaluate and improve our internal controls following the Merger, we are a relatively small company with limited staff, particularly with a limited accounting department. The Company currently relies on the part-time services of third-party consultants to help us with our financial accounting, our reporting obligations, and our controls over financial processes and reporting.

Internal control over financial reporting cannot provide absolute assurance of achieving financial reporting objectives because of its inherent limitations. Internal control over financial reporting is a process that involves human diligence and compliance and is subject to lapses in judgment and breakdowns resulting from human failures. Internal control over financial reporting also can be circumvented by collusion or improper management override. Because of such limitations, there is a risk that material misstatements may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis by internal control over financial reporting. However, these inherent limitations are known features of the financial reporting process.

Due to our current staffing limitations, we cannot be certain that the measures we implement in the future will ensure that we design, undertake, and maintain adequate controls over our financial processes and reporting. Any failure by us to hire and retain experienced accounting and financial reporting personnel, implement required new or improved controls, or any difficulties we encounter in their implementation, could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations.

Adverse judgments or settlements in legal proceedings could materially harm our business, financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

We are subject to pending claims for non-payment by certain vendors in an aggregate amount of approximately $0.7 million including interest as of December 31, 2021, which is approximately 2.7% of our total assets. We may also be a party to other claims that arise from time to time in the ordinary course of our business, which may include those related to, for example, contracts, sub-contracts, protection of confidential information or trade secrets, adversary proceedings arising from customer bankruptcies, employment of our workforce and immigration requirements or compliance with any of a wide array of state and federal statutes, rules and regulations that pertain to different aspects of our business. We may also be required to initiate expensive litigation or other proceedings to protect our business interests. There is a risk that we will not be successful or otherwise be able to satisfactorily resolve any pending or future litigation. In addition, litigation and other legal claims are subject to inherent uncertainties and management’s view of currently pending legal matters may change in the future. Those uncertainties include, but are not limited to, litigation costs and attorneys’ fees, unpredictable judicial or jury decisions and the differing laws and judicial proclivities regarding damage awards among the states in which we operate. Unexpected outcomes in such legal proceedings, or changes in management’s evaluation or predictions of the likely outcomes of such proceedings (possibly resulting in changes in established reserves), could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Due to recurring losses and net capital deficiency, our current financial status may increase our default and litigation risks and may make us more financially vulnerable in the face of pending or threatened litigation.

Future issuances of our common stock pursuant to various existing instruments including, but not limited to the existing convertible debentures and right to shares letter agreements could result in additional significant dilution of the percentage ownership of our shareholders and could cause the price of our common stock to decline.

In the future, the Company will have an obligation to issue its common stock pursuant to various securities instruments entitling their holders to receive shares of the Company’s common stock, including but not limited to rights to shares letter agreements and convertible debentures. Although such instruments typically provide for the limitation of the percentage of the common stock of the respective beneficial owners, the holders of such instruments are expected to obtain shares of common stock from time-to-time or, in some instances, to direct the Company to issue the shares of common stock to designated third parties. As a result, our shareholders may be materially diluted, and the price of our common stock may decline.

All our assets are encumbered to secure the payment of secured convertible debentures that will require payments if not previously converted to Common Stock.

We encumbered all our assets to secure the payment of indebtedness and accrued interest due on secured convertible debentures required to be repaid by approximately July of 2022, subject to certain extensions, if not previously converted. In the event of default in repayment, our secured creditor could exercise its remedies, including the execution on all our assets, which would result in the termination of our activities. Unless we generate enough cash, we may not have sufficient funds to pay our debentures and other indebtedness when due. In such event, we might be required to sell our assets and properties to meet our obligations, or to seek an extension to our debentures, or alternative debt or equity financing. If full repayment, conversion, sale, extension, or refinancing is not obtained or consummated, we could default in our obligations.

Even if we are not in default of the debentures, the existence of these secured obligations and the terms of securities purchase agreement may impair our ability to obtain capital from external sources in certain manner.

Our existing and future debt obligations could impair our liquidity and financial condition, and if we are unable to meet our debt obligations, the lenders could foreclose on our assets.

All of our assets are encumbered to secure the payment of secured convertible debentures that will require payments if not previously converted to common stock. Our debt and financial obligations:

Should we fail to make pay our obligations or fail to comply with any covenants contained in any related agreements, we could be in default regarding that indebtedness. Since we have pledged substantially all of our assets to secure our obligations under the secured convertible debentures, a debt default could enable the lenders to foreclose on the assets securing such debt and could significantly diminish the market value and marketability of our common stock and could result in the acceleration of other payment obligations or default under other contracts.

As further described in the financial statements at Item 8 herein, we believe we are currently in default under the terms of our secured convertible notes.

Risks Related to Acquired Cryptocurrency Mining Business

Our inability to successfully integrate new acquisitions could adversely affect our combined business; our operations are widely disbursed.

Our growth strategy through acquisitions is fraught with risk. On April 14, 2021, we acquired the entirety of outstanding shares of TTM Digital, a U.S.-based business engaged in the mining of the cryptocurrency Ethereum with capabilities to mine other digital assets. This line of business is new to the Company. Our strategy and business plan are dependent on our ability to successfully integrate TTM Digital and our other acquisition’s operations, particularly those that pertain to computational capabilities and mining of digital assets. Said integration and achievement of the synergy will stretch our resources and management time to transform the Company’s business. Further, failure to quickly and adequately integrate all of these operations and personnel could adversely affect our combined business and our ability to achieve our objectives and strategy. No assurance can be given that we will realize synergies in the areas we currently operate.

We may be classified as an inadvertent investment company.

We are not engaged in the business of investing, reinvesting, or trading in securities, and we do not hold ourselves out as being engaged in those activities. Under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), however, a company may be deemed an investment company under section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Investment Company Act if the value of its investment securities is more than 40% of its total assets (exclusive of government securities and cash items) on a consolidated basis.

We are commencing operations of digital asset mining, the output of which is cryptocurrencies. We cannot guarantee that such cryptocurrencies or digital assets we will mine are deemed as commodities and not as securities. If the digital assets held by us exceed 40% of our total assets, exclusive of cash, we inadvertently become an investment company. An inadvertent investment company can avoid being classified as an investment company if it can rely on one of the exclusions under the Investment Company Act. One such exclusion, Rule 3a-2 under the Investment Company Act, allows an inadvertent investment company a grace period of one year from the earlier of: (a) the date on which an issuer owns securities and/or cash having a value exceeding 50% of the issuer’s total assets on either a consolidated or unconsolidated basis, and (b) the date on which an issuer owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of such issuer’s total assets (exclusive of government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. We expect to establish policies that we would work to keep the investment securities held by us at less than 40% of our total assets, which may include acquiring assets with our cash, liquidating our investment securities, or seeking a no-action letter from the Commission if we are unable to acquire sufficient assets or liquidate sufficient investment securities in a timely manner.

As Rule 3a-2 is available to a company no more than once every three years, and assuming no other exclusion were available to us, we would have to keep within the 40% limit for at least three years after we cease being an inadvertent investment company. This may limit our ability to make certain investments or enter into joint ventures that could otherwise have a positive impact on our earnings. In any event, we do not intend to become an investment company engaged in the business of investing and trading securities.

Classification as an investment company under the Investment Company Act requires registration with the Commission. If an investment company fails to register, it would have to stop doing almost all business, and its contracts would become voidable. Registration is time-consuming and restrictive and would require a restructuring of our operations, and we would be very constrained in the kind of business we could do as a registered investment company. Further, we would become subject to substantial regulation concerning management, operations, transactions with affiliated persons, and portfolio composition, and would need to file reports under the Investment Company Act regime. The cost of such compliance would result in our incurring substantial additional expenses, and the failure to register if required would have a materially adverse impact on our operations.

Changes in laws, regulations, or requirements applicable to our software and services could impose increased costs on us, delay or prevent our introduction of new products and services or impair the function or value of our existing products and services.

Our digital assets mining operations may become subject to increasing regulatory requirements, and as these requirements proliferate, we may be required to change or adapt our operations to comply with them.

For example, the adoption of new money transmitter (“MT”) or money services business (“MSB”) statutes in jurisdictions or changes in regulators’ interpretation of existing state and federal money transmitter or money services business statutes or regulations, could subject us to registration or licensing, or limit business activities, cause us to enter relationships with one or more third parties for payment services until we are appropriately licensed. The activities of TTM Digital may cause it to be deemed a MSB under the regulations promulgated by FinCEN under the authority of the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act, TTM Digital may be required to comply with FinCEN regulations, including those that would mandate TTM Digital to implement anti-money laundering programs, make certain reports to FinCEN and maintain certain records.

Compliance and classifications are dependent on federal and state regulatory actions and our business activities. We do not believe that we are a money transmitter, because our activities do not cause us to hold, possess or control payment funds on behalf of a consumer or merchant. If we were deemed to be a money transmitter, we would be subject to significant additional regulation. This could increase our costs in operating our business. In addition, a regulator could act against us if it views our payment solution platform as a violation of existing law. Any of these outcomes would negatively affect the market price for our shares and could cause us to cease operations in the certain U.S. States. 

Subsequently, on March 9, 2022, the President of the United States issues an executive order outlining a government-wide approach to reviewing six key policy priorities. This includes: protecting US consumers, investors and businesses; protecting US and global financial stability and mitigating economywide financial risks; mitigating money laundering, other illicit finance activity and national security risks; reinforcing US leadership in the global financial system, and technological and economic competitiveness; promoting equitable access to safe and affordable financial services; and Supporting technological advances that promote responsible development and use of digital assets. Unlike China, which has banned all cryptocurrency activities that ultimately pushed more mining investments to the United States, eventual regulation of the cryptocurrency industry may potentially disrupt or temporarily stop mining activities until we conform with new regulatory requirements.

Additionally, we are not licensed to conduct a virtual currency business in New York and do not intend to become licensed in any other state that may require licensing in the future. We have taken the position that the New York State Department of Financial Services (“NYSDFS”) BitLicense Regulatory Framework (23 NYCRR 200.2(q)) does not apply to our business. It is possible, however, that the NYSDFS could disagree with our position. If we were deemed to be conducting an unlicensed virtual currency business in New York, we could be subject to significant additional regulation and/or regulatory consequences. There are a number of states that review the adaptation that the Conference of State Bank Supervisors has proposed a model form of state-level “virtual currency” regulation. There are at least thirty-one states that have pending legislation in the 2021 legislative session regarding blockchain and cryptocurrency.

The recent New York Senate Bill 6486C seeks to establishes a moratorium on consolidated operations that use proof-of-work authentication methods to validate blockchain transactions; provides that such operations will be subject to a full generic environmental impact statement review. Although the majority of our mining activity is operating using hydroelectric power, New York Senate Bill 6486C may require TTM Digital to halt mining until an environmental impact assessment is completed.

It may be illegal now, or in the future, to acquire, own, hold, sell or use digital assets in one or more countries, and ownership of, holding, or trading in our securities may also be considered illegal and subject to sanction.

Although currently digital assets are not regulated or are lightly regulated in most countries, including the United States, one or more countries such as China, India, and Russia may take regulatory actions in the future that severely restricts the right to acquire, own, hold, sell, or use digital assets or to exchange digital assets for fiat currency. Such an action may also result in the restriction of ownership, holding, or trading in our securities. Such restrictions may adversely affect an investment in us. For example, the Bank of England, in June of 2021, issued a paper for comments in which it explains that stablecoins should have the same regulations as fiat currencies.

The cost of obtaining new and replacement miners and parts has historically been capital intensive and is likely to continue to be very capital intensive, which may have a material and adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Our mining operations can only be successful and ultimately profitable if the costs, including hardware and electricity costs, associated with mining cryptocurrencies are lower than the price of the cryptocurrencies we mine when we sell them. Our miners experience ordinary wear and tear from the operation and may also face more significant malfunctions caused by factors that may be beyond our control. Additionally, as the technology evolves, we may acquire newer models of miners to remain competitive in the market. Over time, we replace those miners that are no longer functional with new miners.

Once this happens, these new miners will need to be repaired or replaced along with other equipment from time-to-time for us to stay competitive. This upgrading process requires substantial capital investment, and we may face challenges in doing so on a timely and cost-effective basis based on the availability of new miners and our access to adequate capital resources. If we are unable to obtain adequate numbers of new and replacement miners at scale, we may be unable to remain competitive in our highly competitive and evolving industry. If this happens, we may not be able to mine cryptocurrency as efficiently or in similar amounts as our competition and, as a result, our business and financial results could suffer. Alternatively, the return of investment of mining equipment may take significantly longer. This could, in turn, materially and adversely affect the trading price of our securities, and our investors could lose part or all of their investment.

The price of new miners may be linked to the market price of Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies, and, if the current relatively high market price of Ethereum persists, our costs of obtaining new and replacement miners may increase, which may have a material and adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Reports have been released that the prices of new miners are adjusted according to the price of the cryptocurrency they mine. As a result, the cost of new machines can be unpredictable, and could also be significantly higher than our historical cost for new miners. Similarly, as Ethereum prices have risen, we have observed a significant increase in the demand for miners. As a result, at times, we may obtain Ethereum miners and other hardware at exuberant prices, to the extent they are available.

On the other hand, we incur significant up-front capital costs each time we acquire new miners, and, if future prices of Ethereum are not sufficiently high, we may not realize the benefit of these capital expenditures. If this occurs, our business, results of operations, and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected, which may have a negative impact on the trading price of our securities, which may have a materially adverse impact on investors’ investment in our Company.

There are numerous new and existing competitors in our industry that are purchasing mining equipment at scale, which may cause delays or difficulty in us obtaining new miners, which could materially and adversely affect our business and the results of operations.

Many of the competitors in our industry have also been purchasing mining equipment at scale, which has caused a worldwide shortage of mining equipment and extended the corresponding delivery schedules for new miner purchases. It is uncertain how manufacturers will respond to this increased global demand and whether they can deliver on the schedules promised to all of their customers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted and may continue to disrupt international shipping and we may not be able to obtain new miners or replacement parts for our existing miner fleet in a timely or cost-effective manner, which could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

The novel strain of the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) has spread as a global pandemic throughout the world and has resulted in authorities imposing, and businesses and individuals implementing, numerous unprecedented measures to try to contain the virus. Although the United States and countries around the world have been releasing a vaccine, there are no assurances that the vaccine will be effective, and what impact it will have on reducing the spread or containment of COVID-19. In addition to vaccinations, these efforts include travel bans and restrictions, quarantines, shelter-in-place/stay-at-home and social distancing orders, and shutdowns. These measures have impacted and may further impact our workforce and operations, the operations of our customers, and those of our vendors, suppliers, and manufacturing partners. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to affect our business, results of operations and financial condition is difficult to predict and depends on numerous evolving factors, including: the duration and scope of the pandemic and its impact on overall global uncertainty; government, social, business and other actions that have been and will be taken in response to the pandemic; and the effect of the pandemic on short- and long-term general economic conditions.

Current and future restrictions or disruptions of transportation, such as reduced availability of air and ground transport, port closures or congestion, and increased border controls or closures, can also impact our ability to meet demand and could materially adversely affect us. These increased costs could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations, particularly if the effects of COVID-19 are prolonged.

The COVID-19 global pandemic has disrupted and may continue to disrupt the manufacture and availability of new miners, which could materially and adversely affect our business and the results of operations.

Various COVID-19-related restrictions on travel, work, and movement of goods and supplies, as well as the cumulative impact of the mounting number of lost working days as a result of COVID-19, has already put a strain on our manufacturing partners, suppliers, and logistics partners to produce and deliver a sufficient number of products needed to meet the global demand for miners. This has had a particularly strong impact on the global supply chain and availability of semiconductors, which are used in the manufacture of the ASIC chips used in the miners we operate. The strain on the global supply of semiconductors, largely stemming from manufacturing interruptions due to COVID-19-related disruptions, has resulted in decreased production across many industrial sectors.

While our manufacturing partners and component suppliers mostly have been able to continue to operate to date in compliance with applicable regulations and current limitations, future restrictions on their operations could impact their ability to meet global demand for new miners. Concurrently, along with an increased trading price of Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies in the fourth quarter of 2020 and continuing through 2021, we have observed an increased demand for GPU-based rigs during this period. During the second half of 2020 we have already experienced increased per-unit costs for new GPUs, and, if the scarcity of GPUs continues, this trend may continue. If we are unable to acquire new GPUs for our rigs, or if our cost for new GPUs is excessively high, we may not be able to keep up with our competitors, which may materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations. Some manufacturers, such as NVIDIA are splitting their processors into two categories, one for gamers (GPUs) and another for miners now being marketed as Cryptocurrency Mining Processor (CMP) for miners. Manufacturers are attempting to slow down the processing speed of GPUs so that it deters miners from acquiring GPUs and moves them to purchase CMPs for mining purposes. However, miners have developed ways to tweak GPUs to operate as fast as CMPs and this continues to create supply-chain issues for mining processors.

Our mining operating costs could outpace our mining revenues, which could seriously harm our business or increase our losses.

Our mining operations are costly, and our expenses may increase in the future. Future increase in expenses may not be offset by a corresponding increase in revenue. If our expenses are greater than we anticipate, and our business investments are not successful, our expenses may outpace monetization efforts. Increases in our costs without a corresponding increase in our revenue would increase our losses and could seriously harm our business and financial performance.

To the extent that the profit margins of Ethereum mining operations are not high, operators of Ethereum mining operations are more likely to immediately sell Ethereum rewards earned by mining in the market, thereby constraining the growth of the price of Ethereum that could adversely impact us, and similar actions could affect other cryptocurrencies.

Over the past two years, Ethereum mining operations have evolved. Currently, new processing power is predominantly added by incorporated and unincorporated “professional” mining operations utilizing GPUs.

Professional mining operations may use proprietary hardware or specialized machines. Acquiring specialized hardware at scale requires the investment of significant up-front capital, and miners incur significant expenses related to the operation of this hardware at scale, such as the leasing of operating space (often in data centers or warehousing facilities), incurring of electricity costs to run the miners and the employment of technicians to operate the mining farms. As a result, professional mining operations are of a greater scale and have more defined and regular expenses and liabilities. These regular expenses and liabilities require professional mining operations to maintain profit margins on the sale of Ethereum. To the extent the price of Ethereum declines and such profit margin is constrained, professional miners are incentivized to more immediately sell Ethereum earned from mining operations, whereas it is believed that individual miners in past years were more likely to hold newly mined Ethereum for more extended periods. The immediate selling of newly mined Ethereum greatly increases the trading volume of Ethereum, creating downward pressure on the market price of Ethereum rewards.

The extent to which the value of Ethereum mined by a professional mining operation exceeds the allocable capital and operating costs determines the profit margin of such operation. A professional mining operation may be more likely to sell a higher percentage of its newly mined Ethereum rapidly if it is operating at a low-profit margin and it may partially or completely cease operations if its profit margin is negative. In a low-profit margin environment, a higher percentage could be sold more rapidly, thereby potentially depressing Ethereum prices. Lower Ethereum prices could result in further tightening of profit margins for professional mining operations creating a network effect that may further reduce the price of Ethereum until mining operations with higher operating costs become unprofitable forcing them to reduce mining power or cease mining operations temporarily.

The foregoing risks associated with Ethereum could be equally applicable to other cryptocurrencies, whether existing now or introduced in the future. Such circumstances could have a material adverse effect on our ability to continue as a going concern or to pursue our new strategy at all, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, or operations and potentially the value of Ethereum and any other cryptocurrencies we mine or otherwise acquire or hold for our own account, and thus harm investors.

We may not be able to realize the benefits of forks.

To the extent that a significant majority of users and miners on a cryptocurrency network install software that changes the cryptocurrency network or properties of a cryptocurrency, including the irreversibility of transactions and limitations on the mining of new cryptocurrency, the cryptocurrency network would be subject to new protocols and software. However, if less than a significant majority of users and miners on the cryptocurrency network consent to the proposed modification, and the modification is not compatible with the software prior to its modification, the consequence would be what is known as a “fork” of the network, with one prong running the pre-modified software and the other running the modified software. The effect of such a fork would be the existence of two versions of the cryptocurrency running in parallel yet lacking interchangeability and necessitating exchange-type transactions to convert currencies between the two forks. Additionally, it may be unclear following a fork which fork represents the original asset and which is the new asset. Different metrics adopted by industry participants to determine which is the original asset include: referring to the wishes of the core developers of a cryptocurrency, blockchains with the greatest amount of hashing power contributed by miners or validators; or blockchains with the longest chain. A fork in the network of a particular cryptocurrency could adversely affect an investment in our securities or our ability to operate.

We may not be able to realize the economic benefit of a fork, either immediately or ever, which could adversely affect an investment in our securities. If we hold a cryptocurrency at the time of a hard fork into two cryptocurrencies, industry standards would dictate that we would be expected to hold an equivalent amount of the old and new assets following the fork. However, we may not be able, or it may not be practical, to secure or realize the economic benefit of the new asset for various reasons. For instance, we may determine that there is no safe or practical way to custody the new asset, that trying to do so may pose an unacceptable risk to our holdings in the old asset, or that the costs of taking possession and/or maintaining ownership of the new cryptocurrency exceed the benefits of owning the new cryptocurrency. Additionally, laws, regulations, or other factors may prevent us from benefitting from the new asset even if there is a safe and practical way to custody and secure the new asset.

There is a possibility of cryptocurrency mining algorithms transitioning to proof-of-stake validation and other mining-related risks, which could make us less competitive and ultimately adversely affect our business and the value of our stock.

Proof-of-stake is an alternative method in validating cryptocurrency transactions. Should the algorithm shift from a proof-of-work validation method to a proof-of-stake method, mining would likely require less energy, which may render any company that maintains advantages in the current climate (for example, from lower-priced electricity, processing, real estate, or hosting) less competitive. We, as a result of our efforts to optimize and improve the efficiency of our cryptocurrency mining operations, may be exposed to the risk in the future of losing the benefit of our capital investments and the competitive advantage we hope to gain from this as a result, and may be negatively impacted if a switch to proof-of-stake validation were to occur. Such events could have a material adverse effect on our ability to continue as a going concern or to pursue our new strategy at all, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, or operations and potentially the value of any Ethereum or other cryptocurrencies we mine or otherwise acquire or hold for our own account.

When and if Ethereum transitions to proof-of-stake, our GPUs will no longer be able to mine Ethereum, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of our common stock.

Once Ethereum transitions to proof of stake, revenue will be generated from Ethereum by “staking” coins. 

Ethereum’s change to proof of stake will require staking of Ethereum to generate revenue. The Ethereum will be locked for a yet to be determined period of time to generate staking rewards. The reward amount is variable and while estimates exist, the actual reward rate is unknown at this time. If the Company does not earn such rewards, it could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations and on the value of our common stock.

Our future success will depend in large part upon the value of Ethereum, and any sustained decline in its value could adversely affect our business and the results of operations.

Our operating results will depend in large part upon the value of ETH (ETH is the cryptocurrency/token off of the Ethereum blockchain) because it is the cryptocurrency we currently mine. Specifically, our revenues from our Ethereum mining operations are based upon two factors: (1) the number of Ethereum rewards we successfully mine, and (2) the value of ETH. In addition, our operating results are directly impacted by changes in the value of Ethereum. The Company records it’s ETH at cost and will adjust the cost if impaired.

Our mining operations, including the facilities in which our miners are operated, may experience damages, including damages that are not covered by insurance.

Our current mining operation is, and any future mines we establish will be, subject to a variety of risks relating to physical condition and operation, including, but not limited to:

For example, our mine could be rendered inoperable, temporarily or permanently, as a result of a fire or other natural disaster or by a terrorist or other attack on the mine. The security and other measures we take to protect against these risks may not be sufficient. Additionally, our mine could be materially adversely affected by a power outage or loss of access to the electrical grid or loss by the grid of cost-effective sources of electrical power generating capacity. Given the power requirement, it would not be feasible to run miners on backup power generators in the event of a power outage. Our insurance covers the replacement cost of any lost or damaged miners but does not cover any interruption of our mining activities; therefore, our insurance, therefore, may not be adequate to cover the losses we suffer as a result of any of these events. In the event of an uninsured loss, including a loss in excess of insured limits, at any of the mines in our network, such mines may not be adequately repaired in a timely manner or at all and we may lose some or all of the future revenues anticipated to be derived from such mines. The potential impact on our business is currently magnified because we are only operating a single mine.

We are subject to risks associated with our need for significant electrical power.

Our Ethereum mining operations have required significant amounts of electrical power, and, as we continue to expand our mining fleet, we anticipate our demand for electrical power will continue to grow. If we are unable to continue to obtain sufficient electrical power to operate our miners on a cost-effective basis, we may not realize the anticipated benefits of our significant capital investments in new miners.

Additionally, our mining operations could be materially adversely affected by prolonged power outages. Although our miners may be powered by backup generators on a temporary basis, it would not be feasible or cost-effective to run miners on backup power generators for extended periods of time. Therefore, we may have to reduce or cease our operations in the event of an extended power outage, or as a result of the unavailability or increased cost of electrical power. If this were to occur, our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected, and investors in our securities could be harmed.

Interruptions to our power supply and Internet access could disrupt our operations, which could adversely affect our business and the results of operations.

Our cryptocurrency mining operations require a significant amount of electrical power and access to high-speed internet to be successful. If we are unable to secure sufficient electrical power, or if we lose internet access for a prolonged period, we may be required to reduce our operations or cease them altogether. If this occurs, our business and results of operations may suffer, and our investors may be materially and adversely affected.

Ethereum mining is subject to cyber-security risks, which could adversely affect an investment in the Company or the ability of the Company to operate.

Digital asset networks, including the Ethereum network, may be subject to control by entities that capture a significant amount of the network’s processing power or a significant number of developers important for the operation and maintenance of such digital asset network.

If a majority of the processing power dedicated to mining or staking on the network is controlled by a bad actor (often referred to as a “51% attack”), it may be able to alter the Ethereum blockchain on which the transactions rely. This could occur if the bad actor were to construct fraudulent blocks or prevent certain transactions from completing in a timely manner, or at all. It could be possible for the malicious actor to control, exclude or modify the ordering of transactions, though it could not generate new Ether or transactions. Further, a bad actor could “double-spend” its own Ether (i.e., spend the same tokens in more than one transaction) and prevent the confirmation of other users’ transactions for so long as it maintained control. To the extent that such malicious actor or botnet did not yield its control of the processing power on the Ethereum network or the network community did not reject the fraudulent blocks as malicious, reversing any changes made to the blockchain may not be possible. Further, a malicious actor or botnet could create a flood of transactions in order to slow down confirmations of transactions on the network. Other digital asset networks have been subject to malicious activity achieved through control of over 50% of the processing power on the network. For example, on May 24, 2018, it was reported that attackers compromised the Bitcoin Gold network in this manner and were successfully able to double-spend units of bitcoin gold in a series of transactions over the course of at least one week and in a total amount of at least $18 million.

Moreover, certain hardware providers may create hardware that collectively has majority power and the manufacturer could potentially exert control itself. For example, it was discovered that the mining machines produced by Bitmain contained backdoor code that would allow Bitmain to remotely shut down the mining machines. This vulnerability is colloquially referred to as the “Antbleed backdoor.” At worst, the Antbleed backdoor could have allowed Bitmain to shut off up to an estimated 70% of the global hash rate. Bitmain released an official response to the controversy claiming that the Antbleed backdoor had no malicious intent, and on April 28, 2017, the day following the discovery of the Antbleed backdoor, Bitmain released a new source code and firmware upgrades for its mining hardware to remove the backdoor.

If the feasibility of a bad actor gaining control of the processing power on the Ethereum network increases, there may be a negative effect on an investment in the Company. To the extent that the Ethereum ecosystem, including the core developers and the administrators of mining pools, does not act to ensure greater decentralization of mining processing power, the feasibility of a malicious actor obtaining control of the processing power on the Ethereum network will increase, which may adversely affect the value of our common stock.

The Company’s reliance on third-party mining pool service providers may have a negative impact on the Company’s operations.

We use third-party mining pools to receive our mining rewards from the network. Ethereum mining pools allow miners to combine their computing power, increasing their chances of solving a block and getting paid by the network. The rewards are distributed by the pool operator, proportionally to our contribution to the pool’s overall mining power used to generate each block. Should the pool operator’s system suffer downtime due to a cyber-attack, software malfunction, or other similar issues, it will negatively impact our ability to mine and receive revenue.

The open-source structure of the Ethereum network protocol means that the core developers and other contributors are generally not directly compensated for their contributions in maintaining and developing the Ethereum network protocol. A failure to properly monitor and upgrade the Ethereum network protocol could damage the Ethereum network and the Company’s business.

The Ethereum network operates based on an open-source protocol maintained by the core developers and other contributors. As the Ethereum network protocol is not sold or made available subject to licensing or subscription fees and its use does not generate revenues for its development team, the core developers are generally not compensated for maintaining and updating the Ethereum network protocol. Consequently, there is a lack of financial incentive for developers to maintain or develop the Ethereum network and the core developers may lack the resources to adequately address emerging issues with the Ethereum network protocol. Although the Ethereum network is currently supported by the core developers, there can be no guarantee that such support will continue or be sufficient in the future. Alternatively, some developers may be funded by entities whose interests are at odds with other participants in the Ethereum network. To the extent that material issues arise with the Ethereum network protocol and the core developers and open-source contributors are unable to address the issues adequately or in a timely manner, the Ethereum network and the business of the Company may be adversely affected.

Flaws in the source code of Ethereum may be unknown to us and may negatively affect the Company’s business in multiple ways.

In the past, flaws in the source code for digital asset networks have been exposed and exploited, including flaws that disabled some functionality for users, exposed users’ personal information, and/or resulted in the theft of users’ digital assets. Several errors and defects have been publicly found and corrected, including those that disabled some functionality for users and exposed users’ personal information. Discoveries of flaws in or exploitations of the source code that allow malicious actors to take or create money in contravention of known network rules have occurred. The cryptography underlying Ethereum could prove to be flawed or ineffective, or developments in mathematics and/or technology, such as advances in digital computing, algebraic geometry, and quantum computing. In any of these circumstances, a malicious actor may be able to steal Ether held by others, which could adversely affect the demand for Ether and therefore adversely impact the price of Ether and the results of our operations. Even if another digital asset other than Ethereum were affected by similar circumstances, any reduction in confidence in the robustness of the source code or cryptography underlying digital assets generally could negatively affect the demand for all digital assets, including Ethereum-based, and therefore adversely affect our business and operations.

Our tokens and other cryptocurrencies that we hold may be subject to loss, theft, or restriction on access. Ether transactions are irrevocable and stolen or incorrectly transferred ether may be irretrievable. As a result, any incorrectly executed ether transactions could adversely affect an investment in the Company.

There is an inherent risk that some or all of our cryptocurrencies could be lost or stolen. Access to our coins could also be restricted by cybercrime. We hold some of our cryptocurrencies in internet-based programmatic wallets, which may be more vulnerable to cybercrime. Additionally, Ether transactions are not reversible. Once a transaction has been verified and recorded in a block that is added to the Ethereum blockchain, an incorrect transfer of cryptocurrency, such as Ether, or theft of Ether generally will not be reversible, and the Company may not be capable of seeking compensation for any such transfer or theft. To the extent that the Company is unable to successfully seek redress for such error or theft, such loss could adversely affect an investment in the Company.

Risks Related to Ownership of our Common Stock

A large number of shares of Common Stock has recently become eligible for public sale or may be subject to rights requiring us to register them for public sale which could depress the market price of our Common Stock, even if our business is doing well. A substantial number of shares of our Common Stock may be sold in the near future.

The market price of our Common Stock could decline as a result of sales of a large number of shares of our Common Stock in the market. The perception that these sales could occur may also depress the market price of our Common Stock. Stockholders owning an aggregate of up to 25,824,848 shares of our Common Stock in connection with the Merger have recently become entitled, under agreements providing for registration rights or pursuant to Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act (and subject to limitations of Rule 144 and applicable securities laws), to sell or to require us to register shares owned by them for public sale in the United States. Additionally, holders of our outstanding convertible debentures are entitled to convert their debentures into potentially millions of shares of common stock at a substantial discount to the current market price of our common stock, which may, in turn, result in substantial dilution to our existing shareholders.

Exempted sales of our shares of Common Stock or sales pursuant to registration rights may make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and at a price that we deem appropriate. These sales also could cause the trading price of our Common Stock to fall and make it more difficult for investors to sell shares of our Common Stock.