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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS.
As a smaller reporting company, we are not required to provide a statement of risk factors. However, we believe this information may be valuable to our shareholders for this filing. We reserve the right to not provide risk factors in our future filings. Our primary risk factors and other considerations include:
General Risks Relating to our Business, Operations of Financial Condition
We are an early-stage company operating in a newly developing industry with limited resources.
The Company officially launched its commercial service (Matchroom) in Malaysia in January 2019. Because the Company has a limited operating history, you should consider and evaluate our operating prospects in light of the risks and uncertainties frequently encountered by early-stage companies in rapidly evolving markets. These risks include:
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| That we may not have sufficient capital to achieve our growth strategy; |
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| That we may not develop our product and service offerings in a manner that enables us to be profitable and meet our customers' requirements; |
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| That our growth strategy may not be successful; and |
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| That fluctuations in our operating results will be significant relative to our revenues |
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These risks are described in more detail below. Our future growth will depend substantially on our ability to address these, and the other risks described in this section. If we do not successfully address these risks, our business could be significantly harmed.
We have a history of net losses, may incur substantial net losses in the future and may not achieve profitability.
Although we have begun to generate revenues, we have incurred significant losses since inception. We expect to incur increased costs to implement our business plan and increase revenues, such as costs relating to expanding our subscribers growth.
If our revenues do not increase to offset these additional expenses, or if we experience unexpected increases in operating expenses, we will continue to incur significant losses, and will not become profitable. If we are not able to significantly increase our revenues, we will likely not be able to achieve profitability in the future.
Our operating losses and working capital deficiency raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. If we do not continue as a going concern, investors could lose their entire investment.
Our operating losses and working capital deficiency raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. If we do not generate sufficient revenues, do not achieve profitability, or do not have other sources of financing for our business, we may have to curtail or cease our development plans and operations, which could cause investors to lose the entire amount of their investment.
Increasing competition within our emerging industry could have an impact on our business prospects.
The e-sports industry is the latest high growth industry on which many are looking to capitalize. Consequently, it is becoming a very competitive industry, with new competitors frequently entering the market.
These competing companies may have significantly greater financial and other resources than we have and may have been developing their products and services longer and more successfully than we have been developing ours. Although we are differentiated from our competitors by focusing on emerging markets and leveraging on the mobile carrier network, increased competition may still have a negative impact on our profit margins.
The eSports industry is also becoming intensely more competitive from a tech perspective. Successful competitors of ours typically have better networking or deep integrations with game developers mainly in the US that give them a competitive edge. As these competitors have an established base of market operation, moving towards emerging markets may be their respective future strategies.
Increasing competition affects a majority of the participants in the eSports market, as users are increasingly more driven by instant gratification and gaming tools that are user friendly, while brands/organizations are interested in enhancing cost control and revenue generation.
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Our operating results may fluctuate in future periods, which may adversely affect our stock price.
Our operating results have been in the past, and will continue to be, subject to quarterly and annual fluctuations as a result of numerous factors, some of which may contribute to more pronounced fluctuations in an uncertain global economic climate. These factors include:
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| Fluctuations in demand for our products and services, especially with respect to telecommunications service providers and internet businesses, in part due to changes in the global economic climate |
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| Changes in sales and implementation cycles for our products and reduced visibility into our customers spending plans and associated revenue |
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| Our ability to attract and retain customers |
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| Price and product competition in the e-sports industries, which can change rapidly due to technological innovation and different business models |
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| The overall movement toward industry consolidation among both our competitors and our customers |
The markets in which we compete are intensely competitive.
The markets in which we compete are characterized by rapid change, converging technologies, and a migration to networking and communications solutions that offer relative advantages. These market factors represent a competitive threat to us. We compete with numerous vendors in each product category. The overall number of our competitors providing niche product solutions may increase. Also, the identity and composition of competitors may change as we increase our activity in markets for our products and in our priorities.
Industry consolidation may lead to increase competition and may harm our operating results.
There has been a trend towards industry consolidation in our industry for several years. We expect this trend to continue as companies attempt to strengthen or hold their market positions in an evolving industry, and as companies are acquired or are unable to continue operations. Companies that are strategic alliance partners in some areas of our business may acquire or form alliances with our competitors, thereby reducing their business with us. We believe that industry consolidation may result in stronger competitors that are better able to compete for customers. This could lead to more variability in our operating results and could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition.
Economic conditions in certain international markets could adversely affect demand for the products we sell.
Sales of our products involve discretionary spending by consumers. Consumers are typically more likely to make discretionary purchases, including paying to participate or watch, when there are favorable economic conditions; this of course also extends to the brands, sponsors, and telecommunications partners that we plan to most leverage through Matchroom.
Consumer spending may be affected by many economic and other factors outside of the Companys control. Some of these factors include consumer disposable income levels, consumer confidence in current and future economic conditions, levels of employment, consumer credit availability, consumer debt levels, inflation, political conditions and the effect of weather, natural disasters, public health crises, including the recent outbreak of the coronavirus (or COVID-19), and civil disturbances.
The extent to which the coronavirus impacts our results will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of the coronavirus and the actions to contain the coronavirus or treat its impact, among others. These and other economic factors could adversely affect demand for our products, which may negatively impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.
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The e-sports industry has historically been relatively sensitive to external pressure; potentially affected by level of prize pools, introduction of new games, consoles, and technologies that may negatively impact the demand for existing products or our pre-owned businesses.
The e-sports industry has historically been sensitive to external pressures, especially in response to the level of prize pools across recent competitions, introduction and/or retirement of game titles, consumer preferences, adoption of new technologies/platforms, and more.
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These kinds of changes typically favor the most innovative and better capitalized businesses that are able to maintain their competitive edge by keeping up with the times and giving the customers what they want.
Technological advances in the delivery and types of e-sports competition, as well as changes in consumer behavior related to these new technologies, have and may continue to lower our sales.
Technological advances in the tools that facilitate an e-sports competition, as well as changes in consumer behavior related to these new technologies, have and may continue to lower our sales.
As our competitors implement more tools that can better deliver and facilitate high quality e-sports experiences, our customers may no longer choose to perform their business with us, thereby negatively impacting our sales and business performance.
If we fail to keep pace with changing industry technology and consumer preferences, we will be at a competitive disadvantage.
The interactive entertainment industry is characterized by swiftly changing technology, evolving industry standards, frequent new and enhanced product introductions, rapidly changing consumer preferences and product obsolescence.
Games, and by association e-sports, are now played on a wide variety of mediums, including mobile phones, tablets, social networking websites, and more. This is especially true when it comes to the great exodus of serious gamers from the more traditional PC and console gaming to the newer mobile devices.
In order to continue to compete effectively in the e-sports industry, we need to respond effectively to these changes and understand their impact on our customers preferences. However, it may take significant time and resources to respond to these technological changes and the resulting effects on consumer behavior. Our business and results of operations may be negatively impacted if we fail to keep pace with these changes.
As a seller of certain consumer products, we are subject to various federal, state, local, and international laws, regulations, and statutes.
While we take steps to comply with these laws, there can be no assurance that we will be in total compliance, and failure to comply with these laws could result in litigation, regulatory action and penalties which could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. In addition, our partners and stakeholders might not adhere to the necessary policies, rendering our business susceptible to legal lawsuits which can severely impact our profitability.
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Failure to attract and retain executive officers and other key personnel could materially adversely affect our financial performance.
Our success depends upon our ability to attract, motivate, and retain a highly trained and engaged workforce, including key executives, management and skilled merchandising, marketing, financial, and administrative personnel. In addition, the turnover rate in the industry is relatively high, and there is an ongoing need to recruit and train new employees.
Factors that affect our ability to maintain sufficient numbers of qualified employees include employee morale, our reputation, unemployment rates, competition from other employers and our ability to offer appropriate compensation packages. Our inability to recruit a sufficient number of qualified individuals or our failure to retain key executive officers and other employees in the future may have a negative impact on our business and results of operations.
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The market price of our common stock is volatile and may continue to fluctuate significantly, which could result in substantial losses for stockholders.
The market price of our common stock has been, and may continue to be, subject to significant fluctuations. Among the factors that may cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate are the risks described in this Risk Factors section and other factors, including:
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| fluctuations in our operating results or the operating results of our competitors; |
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| changes in estimates of our financial results or recommendations by securities analysts; |
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| variance in our financial performance from the expectations of securities analysts; |
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| changes in the estimates of the future size and growth rate of our markets; |
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| changes in accounting principles or changes in interpretations of existing principles, which could affect our financial results; |
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| conditions and trends in the markets we currently serve or which we intend to target with our product candidates; |
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| changes in general economic, industry and market conditions; |
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| the impact of the COVID-19 impact, including the magnitude, severity, duration, and uncertainty of the downturn in the domestic and global economies and financial markets; |
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| success of competitive products and services; |
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| changes in market valuations or earnings of our competitors; |
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| announcements of significant new products, contracts, acquisitions or strategic alliances by us or our competitors; |
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| our continuing ability to list our securities on an established market or exchange; |
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| the timing and outcome of regulatory reviews and approvals of our products; |
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| the commencement or outcome of litigation involving our company, our general industry or both; |
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| changes in our capital structure, such as future issuances of securities or the incurrence of additional debt; |
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| actual or expected sales of our common stock by the holders of our common stock; and |
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| the trading volume of our common stock. |
In addition, the financial markets may experience a loss of investor confidence or otherwise experience continued volatility and deterioration due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A loss of investor confidence may result in extreme price and volume fluctuations in our common stock that are unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of our business, our financial condition, or results of operations, which may materially harm the market price of our common stock and result in substantial losses for stockholders.
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Future sales of our common stock could cause dilution, and the sale of such common stock, or the perception that such sales may occur, could cause the price of our stock to decline.
Sales of additional shares of our common stock, as well as securities convertible into or exercisable for common stock, could result in substantial dilution to our stockholders and cause the market price of our common stock to decline. An aggregate of 151,096,262 shares of common stock were outstanding as of August 4, 2023. There are no outstanding options or warrants to purchase shares of our common stock. A substantial majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock are freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act.
We may sell additional shares of common stock, as well as securities convertible into or exercisable for common stock, in subsequent public or private offerings. We may also issue additional shares of common stock, as well as securities convertible into or exercisable for common stock, to finance future acquisitions. We will need to raise additional capital in order to initiate or complete additional development activities for all of our product candidates, or to pursue additional disease indications for our product candidates, and this may require us to issue a substantial amount of securities (including common stock as well as securities convertible into or exercisable for common stock). There can be no assurance that our capital raising efforts will be able to attract the capital needed to execute on our business plan and sustain our operations. Moreover, we cannot predict the size of future issuances of our common stock, as well as securities convertible into or exercisable for common stock, or the effect, if any, that future issuances and sales of our securities will have on the market price of our common stock. Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock, as well as securities convertible into or exercisable for common stock, including shares issued in connection with an acquisition or securing funds to complete any clinical trial plans, or the perception that such sales could occur, may result in substantial dilution and may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our common stock.
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Regulation of penny stocks.
The SEC has adopted a number of rules to regulate "penny stocks." Because the securities of the Company may constitute "penny stocks" within the meaning of the rules (as any equity security that has a market price of less than $5.00 per share or with an exercise price of less than $5.00 per share, other than a security registered on certain national securities exchanges or quoted on the NASDAQ system, provided that current price and volume information with respect to transactions in that security are provided by the exchange or system), the rules would apply to the Company and to its securities. The SEC has adopted Rule 15g-9 which established sales practice requirements for certain low-price securities. Unless the transaction is exempt, it shall be unlawful for a broker or dealer to sell a penny stock to, or to effect the purchase of a penny stock by, any person unless prior to the transaction: (i) the broker or dealer has approved the person's account for transactions in penny stock pursuant to this rule and (ii) the broker or dealer has received from the person a written agreement to the transaction setting forth the identity and quantity of the penny stock to be purchased. In order to approve a person's account for transactions in penny stock, the broker or dealer must: (a) obtain from the person information concerning the person's financial situation, investment experience, and investment objectives; (b) reasonably determine that transactions in penny stock are suitable for that person, and that the person has sufficient knowledge and experience in financial matters that the person reasonably may be expected to be capable of evaluating the risks of transactions in penny stock; (c) deliver to the person a written statement setting forth the basis on which the broker or dealer made the determination (i) stating in a highlighted format that it is unlawful for the broker or dealer to affect a transaction in penny stock unless the broker or dealer has received, prior to the transaction, a written agreement to the transaction from the person; and (ii) stating in a highlighted format immediately preceding the customer signature line that (A) the broker or dealer is required to provide the person with the written statement and (B) the person should not sign and return the written statement to the broker or dealer if it does not accurately reflect the person's financial situation, investment experience, and investment objectives; and (d) receive from the person a manually signed and dated copy of the written statement.
It is also required that disclosure be made as to the risks of investing in penny stock and the commissions payable to the broker-dealer, as well as current price quotations and the remedies and rights available in cases of fraud in penny stock transactions. Statements, on a monthly basis, must be sent to the investor listing recent prices for the "penny stock" and information on the limited market. Shareholders should be aware that, according to SEC Release No. 34- 29093, the market for penny stocks has suffered in recent years from patterns of fraud and abuse. Such patterns include: (i) control of the market for the security by one or a few broker-dealers that are often related to the promoter or issuer; (ii) manipulation of prices through prearranged matching of purchases and sales and false and misleading press releases; (iii) "boiler room" practices involving high pressure sales tactics and unrealistic price projections by inexperienced sales persons; (iv) excessive and undisclosed bid ask differential and markups by selling brokerdealers; and (v) the wholesale dumping of the same securities by promoters and broker dealers after prices have been manipulated to a desired level, along with the resulting inevitable collapse of those prices and with consequent investor losses. The Company's management is aware of the abuses that have occurred historically in the penny stock market. Although the Company does not expect to be in a position to dictate the behavior of the market or of broker-dealers who participate in the market, management will strive within the confines of practical limitations to prevent the described patterns from being established with respect to the Company's securities.
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